Happy Single's Awareness Day! So here's a new chapter for you all. I'm procrastinating today to celebrate, so you all are lucky to get this. It is short, and not a particularly interesting chapter, but I promise the next one will be better. Enjoy!

Despite her restless night, Tinwe was up early in the morning. She woke Legolas as she stood, and he lay still, watching her silently as she slipped out of her nightgown to change for the day. As she did so, his eyes fell upon the angry red scar that stood out against the pale skin of her abdomen. He felt intense sorrow for his wife, who would never be rid of that reminder of her pain.

"When should we expect your father to arrive?" Tinwe asked softly, her back to him as she dressed.

"Not until after lunch," Legolas said, still watching her from the bed. "I instructed runners to go out to greet them. They will report back when they reach the borders of the Ithilien."

Tinwe was silent. Legolas could tell she was contemplating riding away while she had time to hide somewhere. But the thought of seeing her parents was stronger than her fear of seeing Thranduil.

"Alright," she said finally, sitting on the edge of the bed to slip on her light shoes. Legolas sat up and swung his legs off the bed so he was sitting next to her. He took her hand in his and kissed it softly.

"Everything will be alright, melamin. Have faith in me."

"You have certainly done a remarkable job here, Faelon," Tinwe said softly as the two of them walked through the trees outside the village. "It is impossible to tell that a war happened here only ten years ago."

"I did very little. By the time I arrived, most of this was already firmly established. Prince Legolas chose his settlers well."

Tinwe nodded gently. She had been avoiding her husband since early in the morning, trying to keep her thoughts off of the fact his father would be arriving shortly. Faelon seemed to understand her concern, and up until now had carefully avoided mentioning either Legolas or Thranduil as he showed her around the periphery.

It really was a remarkable area. The trees were healthy and tall, and there were wildflowers and undergrowth everywhere, including some plants that had obviously been brought from Mirkwood. The elves had been hard at work bringing life back into the Ithilien, and it was clear that their magic had greatly improved the health of the forest that had been tainted by the darkness and evil of Sauron.

"You know, I just realized, we never had a rematch after the first time we sparred," Faelon said with a half smile, looking down at her. "We never found out who was the better swordsman."

"I think you would probably win right now," Tinwe said with a soft smile. "I grew soft living with the nomads." As she said this, her thoughts drifted to Wealdul and his family, and she felt her sorrow grow as she thought of all his children, and then to how she had lost hers because of how she had failed to train hardly at all while in the East. Faelon noticed her face fall at her memories.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said softly, watching her closely.

"It's alright," Tinwe said, her eyes on the ground as she walked slowly next to him. "Everything reminds me of my mistake. It isn't your fault."

"Is there anything I can do?" Faelon asked, stopping and putting his hand on her arm so she turned and looked at him.

"I doubt it," Tinwe said with a sigh, trying not to let the tears fall from her eyes. "Just let me enjoy your company."

"That I can do," Faelon said with a smile. "I will do whatever I can to make you smile again."

"Thank you, Faelon," Tinwe said softly. She didn't saying anything else as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking around, she saw a young elf jogging towards them.

"My lady, Prince Legolas told me to tell you that the King will be here within the hour with your parents."

"Thank you, Aelinon. I will be their shortly." The elf bowed and ran back in the direction he had come.

"Do not worry," Faelon said, taking her arm and starting back towards the settlement. "King Thranduil respects you far more than you realize. It will be alright."

"I hope you're right," Tinwe said, feeling the nervousness she had been feeling all day growing. It was judgement day, and she had never felt so uneasy.

"I don't know what to do Gimli," Legolas said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. Gimli sat across the desk from him, watching the elf worry. "Having all our friends here has helped, but I know Tinwe will become depressed again as soon as everyone leaves."

"You just need to give her something else to do so she doesn't think about it," Gimli replied gruffly. "She's had too much time to dwell on it."

"Arwen tried that, but it only worked for a short time."

"I don't know what to tell you lad. My advice is just to keep trying different things until she finds something that distracts her from her misery."

"My lord?" Legolas looked up at the elf who now stood in the doorway. "King Thranduil has reached our borders. He will be here in an hour."

"Thank you, Aelinon. Would you please find Lady Tinwe and let her know as well?"

"Yes, my lord," Aelinon said, bowing low before disappearing again.

"Well I'm going to go find my kin and get back to work," Gimli said standing up. "See you later, lad." Legolas just nodded at his friend as the dwarf exited his study. His thoughts were now focused on his father. Despite his assurances that King Thranduil would not chastise Tinwe, a small part of him doubted his certainty. Legolas closed his eyes with a sigh, desperately hoping the elven king would not make matters worse.

When they arrived back at the village, Tinwe left Faelon to find Legolas. She knew she couldn't keep avoiding him, and would need his support when his father arrived. She found him sitting at his desk, taking notes in a ledger of some kind. Tinwe cared very little for the mundane tasks that had to be done to keep the village running. She was glad Legolas didn't expect her to help him with such things.

"Good afternoon, melonamin," he said, looking up at her as she walked towards him. He sat back in his chair, gesturing for her to sit on his lap. "Where have you been all morning?"

"I was out touring the rest of the area with Faelon," Tinwe replied, taking a seat. "I am amazed how much has been done in the last ten years."

"I am glad you approve. I am quite happy with the progress that has been made."

"I'm sure your father will be proud of you."

"Perhaps, but he is much more concerned about your wellbeing than my project here."

Tinwe was silent, looking down at her lap. She wanted to believe it, but until Thranduil arrived, she couldn't. She wasn't sure if she was realived or terrified when an elf entered and informed them that the King had reached the border of the village.

"Come on, limimaer," Legolas said as Tinwe stood and he followed suit, taking her arm and guiding her towards the door. "Everything will be alright."

As they went outside and began walking down the stairs, the King's entourage could be seen winding through the trees towards them. Tinwe took a deep breath to steady herself, gripping Legolas's arm tighter. As they stopped at the foot of the stairs, he bent over and kissed her temple reassuringly. Tinwe felt her heartbeat speed up as her eyes fell on the King, regally mounted upon a snow white stallion. He stopped in front of them and dismounted gracefully, his eyes immediately meeting Tinwe's.

"Mae govannen, Tinwe," he said softly, walking towards her. She was surprised when he took her hands in his and kissed her forehead gently. "How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected, your majesty," she said, her green eyes meeting his blue ones once again. She felt a wave of emotions crash over her as she saw the concern in his eyes, his judgmental look nowhere to be found. She felt tears in her eyes, and she blinked, trying not to break down. Her surprise grew as Thranduil pulled her into a hug. This act of compassion proved too much for her, and she broke down completely. Her body shook with sobs, but Thranduil did not pull away. She felt him stroking her hair in a fatherly way as he spoke softly in her ear.

"Everything will be alright, my dear. I know this hurts, but you are stronger than your grief. We are all here to help you through this."

While the king comforted Tinwe, Legolas looked on, glad his father was being so supportive, but sad to see his wife crying once more. He looked around when he felt a hand on his arm, and his eyes met Isawen's.

"How has she been?" Isawen asked, her voice full of concern. Rissa stood at his wife's shoulder, his own face full of remorse.

"Not well, but she appears to be doing better," Legolas sad softly to his in-laws. "She still blames herself, but she is not hiding behind closed doors anymore."

"I don't think she will ever stop blaming herself," Isawen said sadly, glancing over at her daughter. "But I am glad she is not hiding anymore."

While they were talking, Tinwe had come up behind him and now fell into her mother's arms, a new wave of sobs breaking free. Legolas saw his father gesture for him to follow, and the two of them walked a short distance away from Tinwe and her parents.

"How are you doing?" Thranduil asked quietly, his eyes meeting his son's. Legolas looked away, unable to face the piercing gaze his father directed at him.

"I am alright. Right now, I just want to get Tinwe back to her normal self."

"I think it will take many years before that wound heals," Thranduil said carefully. "I know you are concerned about your wife, but you are allowed to grieve as well."

"I've done my grieving. I am more concerned right now with finding a way to help her through this."

"Very well. I will do whatever I can to help." Thranduil paused for a second before continuing. "How bad was the damage?"

"Severe," Legolas said, eyes drifting towards his wife. "It still hasn't fully healed."

"I know this is not your primary concern at this moment and you do not want to hear this from me right now, but have you considered the possibility that the damage was extensive enough that she can never have children?" Legolas turned swiftly to his father, his brow furrowed. The idea had never occurred to him, but now that his father asked, he felt a lump in his throat.

"I had not considered that," Legolas admitted, frowning. "But that is not something we need worry about at this point."

"Perhaps not, but if that is indeed the case, you need to be prepared for what happens then. Tinwe's depression may only get worse."

"What do you suggest I do?"

"I don't know, Legolas. I wish I could be of more help."

"Thank you for coming," Legolas said finally. "Tinwe was concerned about your visit, but I do appreciate your support."

"Of course," Thranduil said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "I will stay as long as you need me."

Tinwe sat on her bed, wringing her hands, biting her lip. She dreaded her mother reentering the room, and what she might say. Unable to bear sitting still any longer, she stood and began pacing, still wringing her hands. Several minutes later, Isawen reentered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Well?" Tinwe asked, dreading the answer but needing to hear it from her mother.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you Tinwe. I spoke to Lady Arwen but since I didn't see the wound, I can't tell you how bad it was. It is healing slower than I would like, but I don't know the extent of the internal damage. It is up to the Valar now." Tinwe sat down heavily, not at all satisified with that answer. "I wish I could do more for you, my dear."

Legolas entered the room slowly, nodding at Isawen before taking a seat beside his wife.

"So what is the verdict?" he asked, concerned about the look on Tinwe's face.

"There is no way for me to know if she will be able to bear a child again. Without seeing the extent of the damage myself, I don't want to make any assumptions."

"What is your best guess based on Arwen's descriptions?"

"I'd rather not say in case I am wrong," Isawen said slowly, watching her daughter carefully. "Just give it time."

"Thank you," Legolas said, smiling half-heartedly at his mother-in-law before she left him and Tinwe alone.

"I think not knowing is worse than knowing that I couldn't have children," Tinwe said, putting her face in her hands. "At least then I wouldn't have to face years of hope crushed."

"Don't think like that," Legolas said, putting his arm around her. "I'm sure you will heal properly and everything will be fine."

"I wish I could be that optimisitic," Tinwe said, still not looking up. "But I've seen too much of the world to put too much faith in hopes and dreams."

"Regardless of what happens, just promise me that you won't let it change you. I'm worried about you, melamin."

"Just give me time, Legolas. I will try."