When he reached Legolas's room and found it empty Elrohir was surprised and concerned. Where could he be?

His initial response was to go searching for him but then he wondered if Glorfindel's words might be true? That Legolas was upset by his accusations, if so he may not want Elrohir to go after him. He might be then last person he wanted to see. Instead he decided to sit and wait. He would come back eventually. As it turned out he did not have long to wait until Legolas came rushing through the door.

He stopped just inside it, stared at Elrohir and hesitated,

"Oh!"

He exclaimed looking round in confusion.

"Come in Legolas." Elrohir wondered at his hesitation. "It's your room after all."

"Oh it is?" Legolas looked greatly relieved, "For a moment I thought I had been mistaken...again...I was beginning to wonder about my sanity."

To be honest Elrohir was beginning to wonder about it too but he just smiled in what he hoped was a welcoming manner.

"No, no, you are in the right place. It is I who should not really be here...if you don't want me to be?"

Legolas sat down heavily on the bed beside him. He seemed very jumpy, not himself at all.

"What's wrong?" Elrohir asked because something obviously was and he had so many options now about what it could possibly be.

Legolas looked at him, his eyes flashing with agitation.

"I have made the most terrible mistake."

"Mistake?"

"My Father will kill me. I mean it, this time he will literally kill me."

Elrohir felt a rush of relief, It was the Thranduil business that was the problem and not him at all!

"You mean about you agreeing to him paying for Arwen's wedding?"

"Yes...wait! How do you know that? I have only just found out."

"Glorfindel told me. Erestor told him."

"Why did you not tell me?!" Legolas cried.

"I didn't know until an hour ago. How did you not know about this Legolas? How on earth did you agree to it? Why did you agree with it?"

"I wasn't listening."

Elrohir shook his head disapprovingly,

"You should always listen closely to my Father or you find he has slipped things past you, you know that."

"He called me to discuss politics the day after the Coronation. The day after Elrohir. Who even does that?! I was still recovering from Gimli's poison and I just..."

"Wait!" Elrohir interrupted him, what was that he just said?

"What do you mean Gimli's poison?"

"Gimli poisoned me. I told you about it. I was ill."

"Why would he poison you Legolas?"

But Legolas ignored that question and threw himself back into his story.

"I was ill and we had argued. My focus was elsewhere, Your father asked me if I agreed with something and yes seemed the easiest answer. Erestor was there. He could have stopped me! Then Aragorn wanted to see me and I was looking for you and I forgot...I forgot all about it."

"Are you still ill?" Elrohir peered at him closely, he did look pale.

But Legolas shook his head.

"Forget about the poison, it is not important now."

"How can a poison be unimportant. Has Aragorn checked you out?"

"I don't care about the poison anymore! It will not matter when my Father gets hold of me."

"I still think..."

"Elrohir! You are not helping me, what can I do to fix this?"

"I think you should be more worried about fixing yourself. How do you know you were poisoned?"

"Because I felt terrible Elrohir."

"And how do you know it was Gimli?" It certainly made no sense at all to Elrohir that Gimli would be involved in anything that may hurt Legolas.

"I was there when he gave it to me to drink!"

"Perhaps he didn't know?" Elrohir mused, "Perhaps it was someone else and Gimli was an innocent victim?"

"He was NOT innocent! He masterminded the whole thing. Don't worry about it Elrohir, I will get my revenge. I am planning it already."

"I still think you need to see someone. If not Aragorn then what about my Father?"

Legolas leapt to his feet.

"I am NOT going near your father again. Who knows what he will get me to agree to next time. I am in quite enough trouble as it is."

Elrohir gave him an intense stare, how long was it since he had looked at Legolas properly? He WAS pale, and he looked tired, weary somehow.

"It will make me feel better if you saw him. For me, please Legolas?"

"I am fine."

"I am worried about you."

Legolas rolled his eyes,

"Not you as well. I wish all of you would stop worrying about me and start listening to me instead."

Elrohir narrowed his eyes,

"Who else is worried about you?"

"Aragorn, and I am not happy with him about it."

"Aragorn!" Elrohir was horrified, how could he have missed all this?

"If Aragorn is worried then you definitely do have to see my Father. I will take you there myself."

"You can try."

"Legolas...please be sensible," he pleaded. Something about his desperation must have got through for Legolas softened very slightly.

"Will you stop going on about this if I do?"

"Yes. I will never mention it again. Prove to me you are well and I will say no more!"

For a moment they were at a stand off. Legolas looking his most stubborn but then suddenly and unexpectedly he gave in.

"Alright. But only because it is you Elrohir. Your Father will say there is nothing wrong me and then you can all stop being so worried over nothing and I can finally get some peace."

And with that Elrohir manhandled him out of the room and down the corridor to his father as fast as he could, before Legolas had any chance to change his mind.

...

Elrond sighed as his peace shattered when Elrohir charged into the room. A visit from his problem child was never straight forward.

"Elrohir, how can I help you?"

He said with resignation. Was that a snigger he heard from Erestor in the corner? He turned and threw him one of his sternest glares.

"Father," Elrohir said earnestly, "I have a problem. I wonder, could you look at Legolas for me?"

"Legolas?" Elrond peered behind his son but there was no one there.

"He is out in the corridor." Elrohir explained. "He is not very happy I bought him here but he says he has been poisoned Father. Can you see him?"

"Poisoned?" Elrond was rather taken aback for he had heard nothing and surely if Legolas, an elven prince had been poisoned it would have been an incredible scandal and all over the palace.

"Yes!" Elrohir certainly looked very stressed, "Aragorn is worried about him, I told him he needs to see you."

He frowned at that.

"If Aragorn is worried why hasn't he come and discussed it with me? Why hasn't he treated Legolas himself?"

"I don't know." Elrohir's agitation was increasing, " Please Father, it was very hard to get him here. He will not stay for long."

"Very well," he supposed he should at least see the boy. "Bring him in."

Elrohir disappeared out into the corridor and he could hear some muted arguing but eventually Legolas sauntered in looking very princely, Elrohir trailing miserable behind him.

"Legolas," Elrond smiled in what he hoped was a welcoming and friendly way, "Elrohir tells me you are unwell."

"I am not unwell. Elrohir is mistaken." Legolas said haughtily.

"Legolas...you said yourself..."

Elrohir tried to justify himself but Legolas silenced him with a glare.

"Yes. Well, Elrohir perhaps you should leave us. Wait outside if you would."

He watched and waited until Elrohir reluctantly departed then turned his attention to Legolas who was obviously not in the best of moods.

"Legolas, take a seat." Elrond tried his best to ignore the defensive stare. "Elrohir says you are not feeling well."

"I am fine."

Elrond waited but Legolas was not going to elaborate.

"He says you believe you have been poisoned." He tried again for information.

"I HAVE been poisoned."

Elrond leaned forward and looked at him carefully.

"Why do you think that? What symptoms do you have?"

"I felt terrible."

Elrond sighed, this was like pulling teeth.

"And what do you feel like now?"

"As I said, I am fine."

"Have you reported this?" He asked, "If someone has attempted to poison you we need to find out who it is."

"I know who it is! It was Gimli."

Elrond's mouth dropped open in amazement.

"Gimli? Legolas, why would Gimli try to poison you? I had heard you had struck up a friendship."

"We have," for the first time Legolas smiled, "He is a great friend. The best"

"A great friend who attempts to poison you?"

"Yes!" Legolas exclaimed with some excitement, "Now you understand."

"But why would he do that?"

"Because he could!"

Legolas was adamant and Elrond didn't understand in the slightest. He tried a different tack.

"Have you spoken to Aragorn about this?"

"Of course." Legolas somehow made it sound like Elrond was some kind of idiot.

"And..."

"And he was not very interested."

"Ah," To be honest Elrond didn't blame him.

"But Elrohir told me Aragorn was concerned for you. That suggests he took you seriously."

Legolas sighed and his shoulders dropped.

"He says he is worried about me. It is rather annoying, I am fed up with people worrying about me. He thinks I am self destructive apparently."

Self destructive? Did Aragorn believe Legolas had poisoned himself?

"Well let me have a look at you Legolas, If you have been poisoned I will know."

But after the worlds most elaborate and detailed physical examination Elrond had to admit he could find no evidence of Legolas having been poisoned at all.

"Well?" Legolas demanded when Elrond finally ceased poking and prodding.

"You seem to be completely well Legolas. I can find no evidence of poison."

"I told Elrohir! At least now he will have to shut up about it."

"Legolas, you told him you HAD been poisoned."

"By Gimli, yes." Legolas nodded enthusiastically, "but it was only temporary."

He stood up from the chair,

"Can I go now Elrond?"

"Yes...yes of course..."

"Legolas!" Elrond remembered something and called out as Legolas headed to the door.

"How is the sea longing? I have not had a chance to speak to you about that."

"Oh, it can be quite pleasant." Legolas said with a smile, Pleasant? Elrond thought, how strange, he had never heard the sea longing described as that before.

"I find I have often missed out on important conversations though," Legolas continued. "That is a real downside." And he gave a bright smile and was off.

Elrond stared after him as he left. He felt totally confused by what had just gone on.

"Well, he has obviously lost his marbles."

Elrond jumped at Erestor's voice behind him. He had completely forgotten he was there.

"Do you think so?" He asked although truth be told he had been thinking along those lines himself.

"Of course. Elrond, the idea that Gimli Gloinson would try to poison him is ridiculous and yet he seems adamant it happened."

"He has not been poisoned Erestor. There is absolutely no evidence of that. He is completely well."

"So it is all in his head then?"

"It's so strange," Elrond was perplexed, "He has always seemed to be quite rational. I wonder what has caused this...delusional behaviour."

"The War."said Erestor sagely, "The War has been too much for him. You know these Sindar are fragile creatures Elrond. Remember Oropher? He was very odd at the end. Very odd."

"You are right!" Elrond did indeed remember Oropher very clearly. "Maybe it is a family weakness? No wonder Aragorn is worried about him. I must have a word with him."

"You know what this means though Elrond?"

"What?"

"That agreement you had with Legolas about Thranduil and the wedding. You cannot hold the boy to that now."

"Oh I think I can." Elrond did not like the way this discussion was going at all. He thought he had finally solved his wedding issues.

"He seemed perfectly lucid then."

"Don't be absurd. The very fact he agreed with you proves he was not lucid at all! ...Thranduil? Happy to pay your bills?... You need to remember who it was who sent Thranduil's precious son on this quest in the first place Elrond. If you tell Thranduil what Legolas agreed to it will be obvious he has been damaged by your decision. Do you really want that?"

Erestor was quite right, Elrond did not want that at all.

"Very well. I will call that idea off then." It was such a disappointment. "But what shall I tell Elrohir?"

At that very moment there came a tentative knock on the door.

"Father?"

"Come in Elrohir" he called.

"Father?" Elrohir stood uncertainly in the doorway.

"Take a seat Son." Elrond gestured towards the chair in front of him. He would have to go very carefully with this.

" Legolas said you could find nothing wrong with him."

"He has not been poisoned, Elrohir."

Elrohir broke into a grin.

"Thank Goodness for that!"

"Tell me Elrohir," Elrond leaned forward in his chair, "When you were with Aragorn on the quest, how was Legolas?"

"Oh, well..." Elrohir frowned deep in thought, "He has changed somewhat, but he is still Legolas. There was the sealonging...that was distressing...why do you ask?"

Elrond put on his gentlest most sympathetic voice.

"There is no sign Legolas has been poisoned and yet he insists Gimli has done that to him. Think about that Elrohir, does the scenario not seem unlikely to you?"

"Well yes. I told him it was silly but he is so sure..."

"Sometimes the stress of war can change people, make them...slightly unhinged."

"You think he has gone mad?!" Elrohir leapt to his feet in distress.

"Now, now," Elrond stood and place a calming hand on his son's shoulders. "Not mad...maybe just not quite right in the head. You see Elrohir, the Sindar can be quite delicate..."

"Legolas is not delicate! Far from it."

"But he is not himself, is he."

"No." Reluctantly Elrohir had to admit that. "What shall I do Father?"

"Keep him calm Elrohir and make sure he has plenty of rest and no excitement. I am sure given time and enough peace and quiet he will come right."

Elrond was sure of nothing of the sort but he had to give the boy some hope.

"Oh and Elrohir, one more thing," he said as his son was leaving,

"Can you tell Legolas something for me? He and I had made an arrangement about Arwen's wedding. Can you tell him I am very grateful, he was most generous but I shall have to decline his offer."

"You have to decline it?" Elrohir's face lit up with a smile.

"Father that is great news! Such a relief. I will be sure to tell him that." And he positively skipped out of the room.

Elrond watched him go. That boy was such a worry.

"Elrond..." Erestor piped up behind him interrupting his musing,

"Have you ever considered the fact Elrohir is maybe...not quite right in the head also? He does some a sizeable chunk of Sindar blood himself you know."