Chapter 7

Thranduil was numb. He had been for nearly a day now. Since his son's words had struck home, a chilling frostbite had come over his heart, and one thought ran through his mind every time he tried to think of the argument they had had at the council.

'It's his own fault. He was irresponsible. It is not my fault. Not at all.'

So he ignored the fact that he could feel a terrible pain coming from his bond with his son. He told himself that he didn't care, and thus he didn't.

Legolas had a completely different way of dealing with the pain of their disagreement. Instead of ignoring the pain, he allowed it to swallow him whole. All of his strength had been being used to combat the sea-longing, and he was completely unprepared for this new blow.

He laid on his bed, which he had barely been able to reach, crawling on his hands and knees when his father had left him at the door after their awkward walk through the terribly silent hallways. The inside of him had been begging to ask for forgiveness, because he knew that he was at fault, and all the blame lay on him. But each time he opened his mouth, his pride held his vocal chords tight, and he could not make any sound or form the words that would release him.

So now he lay, his face imbedded in his pillow as he lay sprawled, trying to search inside himself for something to soothe him. Nothing came to him, and he distracted himself by listening to the sea's enticing lullaby as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

O:o:O

A tentative knock came from the door to his study, where Thranduil had been sitting for hours, trying to get lost in his work.

"Enter!" he called, signing his signature yet another time with a flourish before placing his quill into the quell and stacking the papers, putting them to the side as he waited for his unidentified guest to come in.

The door slid soundlessly open, and in stepped Lady Anomeda. Her face had a small smile on it, less of a joyful one than one meant to comfort him.

"My lady," he said, and he gave her a similar smile, motioning to the chair before his desk. She sat down gracefully, skirts swishing quietly. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright, my King—"

"My lady, please do me a favor. Formalities are tedious. Just call me Thranduil."

"I think likewise. Please call me Anomeda," said Anomeda, and she smiled widely at Thranduil before sobering.

"So, my…Thranduil, I only wanted to make sure you were alright. I know how close you and Prince Legolas are, and I was worried that his outburst earlier had upset you."

What a perfect choice of words, 'outburst', thought Thranduil, shaking his head with a mirthless laugh.

"It is nothing. We often quarrel; it is nothing new."

"Oh? It looked as if you were getting along better as of late."

"Well, yes. Recently, since his return, things have been going much more smoothly. But it was bound to happen sometime."

They continued to talk as the sun inched toward its peak in the sky.

"Prince Legolas?" a voice called from outside of his door, making Legolas jolt up. "It's Herethin. Can I come in?"

"I…yes," said Legolas, and he sat up. He heard the rattling of the doorknob, but not the sound of the door opening.

"Herethin? What's wrong?" he called.

"The door locked itself when you closed it, my prince. It can only be opened from the inside or with the key. Can you open it for me?"

"I…maybe. I can try."

He stood shakily, putting his hands in front of him. But the minute he left the bed, everything around him was an empty void. He took a few steps forward, then left, than right, but his chambers were very large, and he could not find a wall to guide him. He tried to step back to where he thought the bed to be, but he couldn't feel anything there. Where was he? He was stuck in the endless darkness.

"I…I can't."

"Come on, my prince. The door is where my voice is."

"I cannot, Herethin!" he cried, and he hated the way his voice was choked with tears. "I…I do not know where I am! Please, please get me out of here…"

"Shhh, calm down my prince. I will go to your father and get the key. Stay where you are."

"Do not tell him that I could not do it, please! He already thinks me weak," Legolas exclaimed, and Herethin sighed.

"Alright, I'll try not to tell him. But if he won't give me the keys otherwise, I will have to."

Legolas did not have time to say anything before he heard Herethin's footsteps running away from the door. He was alone.

He allowed the darkness to swallow him once again.

O:o:O

An almost frantic knocking came at the door to Thranduil's study. He stopped in mid-sentence, looking away from Anomeda and to the door.

"Enter!" he called. She gave him a look as if she was asking if he knew who it was, and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

Herethin stepped in, his breathing heavy. He wasn't very fit, having worked in the healing ward for centuries.

"What is it, Herethin?" Thranduil asked. The healer paused for a moment, catching his breath, before standing straight.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your keys, my king," he said, referring to the set of master keys that Thranduil kept on him at all times.

"What for?" Thranduil asked, raising one eyebrow. It was not every day that someone asked him for permission to enter any room in the palace.

Herethin almost winced at the question he had hoped the king wouldn't ask. He tapped his foot unconsciously, feeling an urgent need to get back to Legolas as soon as possible. The prince's voice when he had left had been so desperate. There was no time for this.

"I…I was looking in one of the closets, and I put my keys to the healers rooms on a shelf as I looked for an herb that I needed. I shut the door, and now my keys are locked inside."

"You, Herethin, are a terrible liar," said Thranduil, and Herethin went bright red. "You always bite the inside of your cheek when you lie."

Herethin hastily stopped biting the inside of his cheek.

"I did not wish to, but you leave me no choice," Thranduil sighed, before stranding and looking harshly at Herethin. "I order you, as your king, to tell me truthfully why I should give you the keys and with them the means to do anything within my home."

"Because the door to your son's room is locked," Herethin said, trying to calm down and ignore the nagging feeling that he needed to get back to Legolas right now. "And he is blind, and therefore cannot get up and open the door himself."

"I'm sure he can reach the door," Thranduil scoffed. "It's not exactly difficult."

"Thranduil," Herethin said, dropping formalities and putting his hands on his shoulders. "Your mind is connected to your son's. How on Arda do you not understand the fear he is feeling right now?"

"Fear of what?" said Anomeda, standing as well. "As Thranduil said, it isn't very difficult to find a door. The prince has already acted like an elfling and disgraced the king at the council meeting, he needs to get it together already."

Thranduil nodded, his mind practically being read by Anomeda. Herethin's face turned dark.

"Stop ignoring your bond with him," he said, and it came out more demanding that he had hoped. "He needs you. He has every right to act like an elfling! You can tell how he feels, Thranduil, you of all people should know this."

Thranduil pulled sharply away from the healer, and Herethin's hands fell limply at his sides.

"Do not speak to your king so," he commanded, and Herethin bowed his head grudgingly. Thranduil turned away from him, waving a hand in dismissal. Herethin could not stop himself from speaking to his back.

"So you are going to leave your son, alone and afraid, locked in his room?"

This seemed to irritate Thranduil, and he growled lowly under his breath. But the image of Legolas, alone and trapped within the walls of his room, came into his mind unbidden. His hand reached out and grabbed the keys from his desk, and he tossed them over his shoulder. The healer caught them, smiling.

Thranduil waved his hand in dismissal again, and this time Herethin left.

A/N: Here's the new chapter!

PLEASE REVIEW!