AN: Again, I do not own any of these characters. Thanks to all who have favourited/followed/reviewed this! Once more, I'd like to take the opportunity to beg for ideas. Ideas for chapter names, events, characters, etc are very much welcome!

Elladan glanced over at his twin, noting the tightness of his jaw and the tenseness with which he sat his horse. "It'll be all right," he tried, more in an attempt to make his brother feel better than out of any real conviction. Elrohir just grunted, shrugging his slender shoulders. "El-" he began again, but forgot what he was going to say when the other elf rounded on him in fury. "Don't, Elladan. You don't believe it any more than I do!" Turning back to the forest ahead and firmly ignoring his companion, he resumed his anxious scanning of their surroundings. A rippling brook wandered past, filling their ears with its chuckling running as it plunged its way over its stony bed. The brothers felt a momentary sigh of relief – here, at least, the environment seemed untouched, but their hearts plunged right back down into their stomachs as they rounded the bend and caught sight of what used to be the western valley wall. Huge mounds of tumbled dirt and stone barred their way forward. Buried somewhere beneath the wreckage was the remnants of the narrow path that had once zigzagged its way up the cliff; briefly Elladan wondered how on earth Thranduil was going to get down now, for he didn't know any other entrance into the valley.

"What do we do?" Elrohir breathed, forgetting his annoyance with his twin in the face of such destruction. Elladan, ever the practical one, dismounted from his horse with practiced ease. "Now, we search," he pronounced, scrambling up onto the nearest boulder and balancing lightly on his toes. "One of Thranduil's party may have been caught in the collapse. If we wait for one of Glorfindel's patrols to arrive or even if one of us returns to Adar immediately, help may still arrive too late. It's up to us!" Elrohir nodded his agreement and leaped from his horse. A single glance at his twin informed him of how he was to carry out his search and he immediately picked his way across the treacherous mass of boulder, careful not to dislodge any of it. Away to his right, he could see Elladan doing the same. Trying to ignore the rapid thudding of his pulse – what if he was too late? – he carefully scanned the area, keen Elvish vision picking up any movement.

...

It was so slight he almost missed it. Elladan whipped his head around then mentally cursed himself for his mistake. Now he would have to wait and hope he noticed it again, as he was uncertain of just where the motion had occurred. There it was again: the tiniest, most imperceptible movement, square in the centre of his field of vision. Forcing himself to step carefully and keep his pace steady, he inched closer, his heart hammering from somewhere in the region of his Adam's apple.* The seconds crept by as he cautiously drew near, until he finally sank down onto his knees beside a heap of dirt. Gently, he delicately scraped away at it, hardly daring to hope. A slender pair of hands, so like his own, appeared beside him and began to carefully enlarge the opening he had made. He gently brushed his brother's fingers with his own in silent thanks before returning his attention to his task. With both of them working, the hole widened rapidly until they had opened it enough that one of them could see in easily, even enter if he wished. Rocking back on his haunches, Elladan laid a hand on his brother's shoulders. "Daro," he commanded quietly. Instantly, Elrohir ceased his labours and leaned back against the rock. "You do it," Elrohir whispered. Ducking his head in a quick nod and forcing down his growing anxiety, the young elf cautiously inched forward until his head and shoulders were in the cave – for cave it was! He could easily see the whole interior of the cavern – except for the boulder which he had been forced to dig around, which obscured his vision to the left. Without looking back, he reached out and caught Elrohir's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before slipping the whole way through the gap and emerging into the cave.

The stony ceiling was far enough away that he could easily crawl along, a good foot of space between his head and the rocks. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he made his way around the boulder only to come face to face with a pair of frightened grey eyes. The owner of the eyes stood – yes, stood – with his back to the curving side of the rock, slender fingers gripping the handle of a white hunting knife with white-knuckled intensity. Elladan's eyes travelled the length of the elfling's body in bemusement. He had no recollection of hearing that a little one would be visiting too, but when his gaze lighted on the sliver leaf pendent peeping through the grubby shirt's neck, his mouth fell open in shock. "Ai Valar!" he breathed, suddenly remembering an idle comment his father had made about the Crown Prince of Mirkwood. "Thranduil will not be happy..."

*Do elves even have Adam's apples? Hmm...

Glossary:

Daro = stop; halt

AN: Thanks to everyone who has read this! I wonder what trouble Legolas will get up to next... I apologise for the shortness of these chapters, but I'd rather post lots of baby chapters than a few big ones every few weeks :)

- Gabrielle Greenleaf