In Imladris- Chapter 6

Next chapter! Probably one more after this one, maybe two if I have enough time to write more.

I apologise already for the ending- I know it is a bit cheesy, but I couldn't come up with any other way for Legolas to say what it is he says.

Disclaimer: see Chapter 1

The sun rose slowly over the valley of Imladris, its soft yellow tendrils spilling across the courtyard. It touched the faces of the three elves lying in a heap in the centre. Three empty wine bottles lay around them.

One of the elves, his eyes wide and unfocused, began to twitch slightly. A slight whimper escaped his mouth, but before anything else could happen, another elf was at his side.

Elladan gently shook Legolas' shoulder. "Mellon-nin" he whispered. "Wake up Legolas."

Legolas shuddered, and blinked quickly, his eyes focusing on the elf in front of him. "Ai, Elladan" he said softly, still lying on the ground.

Elladan moved closer. "What is it?" he asked, his brow creased in concern.

Legolas moaned. "Headache" he whispered. He chuckled slightly as he looked at Elladan, taking in his pale face and deep circles underneath his eyes. He then twisted around to see Elrohir, who was still flat out on the stone courtyard. "You two aren't any better either."

Elladan chuckled, and then winced as he noticed the horrible pounding in his head. He turned slowly, and crawled over to his sleeping brother. Elladan gently leaned in close to his brother's face. Legolas pulled himself up and slowly moved over next to Elladan. "What shall we do?" he whispered. He didn't dare to speak any louder, or he was sure his head would explode.

Elladan grinned. "I have an idea" he muttered. He quickly explained it to Legolas, and then they both leant in closer to Elrohir.

"On three" Legolas murmured, bracing himself. "One…two…three!"

"Yrch!"

Elrohir sat bolt upright, reaching for a sword that wasn't there. He then slowly sank back down, clutching his head. He groaned. "Ai Valar" he moaned. "What did you have to do that for?"

Legolas stood up warily, offering his hand. Elrohir grabbed hold and pulled himself up, whilst Elladan clambered ungracefully to his feet. The twins leant heavily on each other, whilst Legolas chuckled with amusement.

Elrohir glared at the prince. "Don't laugh" he muttered. "It's not funny."

Legolas chuckled. "I have never seen you two this bad before." He stepped forwards and started to lead the other two elves towards the doors of the house.

Elladan and Elrohir stumbled after him, their feet dragging along the ground. "I don't see why he isn't as bad as us" muttered Elrohir.

Legolas turned around, slightly more gracefully than the twins. "Ah, mellyn-nin, that is because I grew up in my father's halls. Any elf that lives there has to have a great tolerance for wine." He laughed again, and all three elves winced at what seemed to be such a large sound. Legolas groaned, and clutched his head. "Although that does not mean I am immune to the effects of such a good Dorwinion."

Elrohir paled. "Ai, Adar is going to kill us" he whispered.

Elladan shook his head, stubbornly dragging his feet forwards. "Let us get inside first" he said softly. "We can worry about the cons…cons….conseq…"

"Consequences" Legolas supplied helpfully.

Elladan nodded. "The consequences when we don't have to worry about a headache that feels like dwarves hammering at our skulls."

Legolas nodded, staggering up the steps. "Let's get inside" he said quietly. "I don't know about you, but I want to go back to sleep."

Together, the three elves staggered into the house in the first rays of the morning sun.

0-o-0-o-0

The brothers and Legolas had managed to stagger all the way to their room, and were now leaning against the wall, waiting for the spinning to stop so they could open the door.

Unfortunately for them, that was when they were discovered.

The pounding headaches muffled all noise, and none of them noticed the light tread of elven feet until strong arms were slung around their shoulders.

"Good morning!" Glorfindel shouted in their ears. Immediately, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir clamped their hands over their ears. Elladan tried to run, but only managed to stagger a few steps down the corridor before his head protested. Elrohir swatted feebly at Glorfindel, whilst Legolas simply sank down on the floor.

Glorfindel smiled, inwardly wincing at his loud voice. Despite not having drunk quite as much as the younger ones, he still felt the effects of the powerful Dorwinion. Elrond hadn't even got up yet. Glorfindel hid his grimace of pain and smiled brightly at the twins and Legolas. "What a lovely morning!" he said brightly.

Elrohir simply groaned, joining Legolas as he lay slumped against the wall. Glorfindel's smile grew wider, and he tried to make his voice as loud as possible without hurting his own head too much. "I thought it would be a lovely day for a ride" he said. "Anyone care to come?"

Elladan groaned. "Alright, Glorfindel, you've had your fun. No, we don't want to come. Now leave us alone."

Elrohir smiled, happy that Glorfindel didn't seem to know exactly what wine that he had taken. He was sure he would have been dragged out on a ride, hangover or no hangover, if Glorfindel and Elrond had found out.

Glorfindel smiled, secretly relieved. He was sure his head would have split if he had done anything like gone out riding. He turned, and started to walk down the corridor, staggering slightly. His voice drifted down to the three elves slumped against the walls, who paled slightly.

"Next time, try not to steal the Dorwinion!"

0-o-0-o-0

"Are you ready?"

Legolas nodded, trying to stop his hands from trembling. He stood on the training fields of Imladris, his knives in his hands. In front of him Elladan swung his sword lazily through the air. It glinted in the sunlight.

Legolas looked down at the knives in his hands. He had not used them since the attack, though he had been looking after them as usual. He swung them experimentally, twisting them in his hands. He smiled. Nothing felt wrong; he knew exactly what to do, just like before. He smiled, shifting his weight into a better stance, and raised his knives. "Ready."

Elladan paused. It had only been a week since Legolas had arrived in Imladris. Already the scars had faded slightly, though Elrond had warned the twins that shadow still lingered on Legolas. It would take time.

Legolas chuckled and gently swung his knives. "Are you even listening, Elladan?"

Elrohir, watching nearby, laughed and Elladan growled. He raised his sword and brought it down in a swinging arc.

Legolas leapt to the side, parrying the blow. He swept his knives towards Elladan, who spun out of the way and then attacked again. For the first few minutes of the sparring match, everything seemed alright. Legolas' wounds were beginning to ache, but he was enjoying the sparring match, and the feeling of holding his weapons once more. He could fight back.

But then things started to go wrong. Elladan, possibly forgetting Legolas' lack of strength, began to put more and more of his weight behind his swings. Legolas fought back, but he was tiring quickly. And then Elladan swung his sword downwards. Legolas, raising his knives, blocked the blow. And then the horrific images that had slowly been sinking into his mind bubbled back.

He remembered blocking a blow like this. He stumbled back, his knives dropping from his fingers. Elladan's sword, meeting no resistance, fell down, and it was only Elladan's quick reactions that stopped him from cutting Legolas. Instead, the sword fell forgotten on the grass, and both Elladan and Elrohir stepped forwards.

Legolas breathed heavily, staring at the knives on the floor in front of him. "I…I can't do this" he muttered. He shook his head. "I can't do this."

Elrohir crouched and picked up a knife. Spinning it so the handle pointed towards Legolas, he offered it to him. Legolas shook his head. "No, you don't understand…" he said. "I can see it again, see it all. I can't do it."

Elladan walked forwards and took up the other knife. "Listen to me" he said. "We understand. We know, exactly, what you can see."

Elrohir nodded. "After all, we see it too. We see it almost every time we pick up our weapons, every time we ride out. We see the orcs we have killed, the elves and humans that have died, that we have failed to protect. We see them all again, every time we pick up a sword, or string a bow. We have always seen it."

Legolas sighed. "I used to" he said, gingerly accepting the knives from his friends. "Before the darkness came, I still saw what my weapons did in my hands. But I never…" he shivered, turning his knives over and over in his hands. He looked up.

"When the Watchful Peace ended, I began to see how it would never stop. I began to see, every time I picked up a weapon, how the slaughter would not end, and how we would keep falling, again and again. I began to look at my knives, and see myself, a simple killing machine, reflected in the blades. And I believed it. And then…" He took a deep breath. "And then when my patrol was slaughtered, my worst nightmares came true. We can't win this, can we?"

He began to shake slightly and the knives trembled. Legolas locked eyes with Elladan, and then Elrohir.

"Is there hope?" he asked. His voice was not pleading; it was soft, and underneath the twins could sense what answer he expected.

Elladan sighed. "Ai Valar Legolas, I don't know. I like to think so."

"Maybe there is, mellon-nin" said Elrohir. "There may not be hope for some things. I doubt that we will win this battle overall, though nothing is certain. But I know that not all hope has to be big. Not all dreams of the future have to end with everyone living. If I believe in one thing," he said, glancing at Elladan. "I believe that I cannot give up, because we all have something worth laying down our lives for. Even if it seems small, in the grand scheme of things."

Elladan nodded. "I know you would fight to defend us, mellon-nin, or your father, or your home and people. Don't forget that, for Eru's sake. Ai Valar, it's all that keeps us going sometimes, knowing that others are willing to die for us. We have to be willing to do the same for them."

"I am sorry" said Legolas softly. "Sorry for burdening you with all of this. I never meant to…" he trailed off, his gaze going back to the knives in his hand. "There is little hope that I can see for our triumph, for all of us winning, or for things to be like they were before." He raised his head and smiled, softly, and the twins in front of him saw maybe just a flicker in those silver-grey eyes.

"But if I believe in anything, mellyn-nin" he said. "I believe in you, and I believe in my father, and my people, and my home. I doubt I will live to see the end of this. I will probably die, one way or another, though I hope it is spectacular." He grinned slightly.

"But even if I know I will fall, I will fall hoping that someone will take my place." Legolas smiled. "And above all, I believe in you, mellyn-nin, for that is what friends are for, is it not?"

Elladan grinned and Elrohir clapped Legolas on the shoulder. "Aye" he said. "Whatever happens, we are here."

"Unless, of course" said Elladan. "The thing happening gets us into trouble with your father. Then we will vanish until he had calmed down."

Legolas chuckled. He raised his knives. "Shall we begin again?"

To Be Continued...

Well, things are getting better, are they not? There may be two short chapters, or one longer one left to publish, and then a few oneshots before a new multi chapter story :)

Thank you to everyone who is reading these words right now!