"Get up."

It was humiliating. And it hurt.

Getting his legs to do anything he wanted again after being in a state if injured disuse for so long seemed nearly impossible, and attempting to force them into submission had proven to be one of the more painful experiences of his long life.

"Get up and try again."

He was a king and a great warrior. He had literally fought dragons before, and now he could not even manage to walk across the length of his room, "No."

Legolas was the only one in the room with him, something Thranduil had been grateful for moments ago but was not starting to realize might be his downfall. He couldn't intimidate him into listening, not if he didn't want to. Not over something like this.

He glanced down at the three perfectly straight, thin scars on his arm.

Above him standing by the sturdy bar meant to support the bulk of his weight while his legs regained their strength Legolas crossed his arms, " 'No' wasn't an option on the list. Now get up, and try again."

When his father didn't respond or even move, Legolas crouched down in front of him, "Or you can give up, and be a coward. Let the pitiful excuse for a living creature that stabbed you in the back win."

Thranduil glared at him with everything he could muster.

Legolas didn't so much as blink.

Then, with something very close to a growl the King of Greenwood the Great reached up to grasp the bar and try again.

Thranduil eyed the mound of papers on the table by his chair with incredibly obvious distaste, keeping his gaze there long enough until he was certain all the councilors in the room were thoroughly uncomfortable and at least half of them wanted to be swallowed by the ground. Galion nearly glowed with glee.

These were not all the advisors on the council by any means, but a small handful. A small handful that Thranduil was struggling not to strangle one by one so they were no longer his problem.

"These are the decisions and orders you have a problem with?" The King indicated to the stack of papers and turned to look at the troop of now incredibly worried councilors.

Candor, the oldest of the council was the only one that could meet his gaze, "Yes, my King."

Thranduil grunted and looked back at the stack of complaints, complaints against his son. Complaints of his card for their kingdom, complaints in how his he managed to somehow keep them afloat, complaints about whatever suited them it seemed. "So if I were to go through that stack, I would find lists of alternative solutions offered for every decision you have a problem with."

"Well…" Candor looked over to the others on the council, eyes pleading for backup that never came as all others turned eyes to the roof, floor, or their own hands. "Some of them I know-"

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough for you. Is there, or is there not alternative solutions for every complaint and problem you have brought to me. It is not a difficult question."

Candor cleared his throat and joined in at examining the suddenly incredibly interesting carpet, "No, my king."

"I see." He took another incredibly vague look at the stack, looking more displeased than before. "Were any solutions offered during the meetings, or in a note at the very least?"

"I cannot remember for every-"

"Think harder then." His voice could have turned any standing water in the room to ice if he wanted.

"No. My king. There were not."

Thranduil clicked his tongue, a habit of his that Legolas took much to much joy in copying, "Disappointing."

Thranduil drew silent again to allow them to wallow in the delightfully uncomfortable atmosphere in the room that he had created, sparing a breath to wink at Galion who still lingered nearby. "Completely and utterly disappointing. Perhaps you all have forgotten your roles in this court but I assure you I have not, need I remind you all?"

Nobody said anything. "Very well. Your job is to offer support, advice, and encouragement. Your job is to try and make an impossible task a little less difficult, not more so. Your job is to help in any and all ways you can. Yet I am to understand that none of you have bothered to do anything but criticize every single decision made? Every breath, move and word?"

Still, they said nothing. "Disgusting. Remove yourselves for I do not care to look at you."

They all left at once.

Somehow Galion was able to stifle his cackle of delight until the door had been firmly closed, "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to wake up and tell them that."

Thranduil turned to face his attendant with a small smile, "Not as long as Legolas."

"No, not as long as Legolas." Galion watched as Thranduil tossed the stack of deeply offending papers into the fireplace without an ounce of flourish, "You're going to talk to him, right?"

Pulling other stacks towards himself so he could read them, Thranduil was already too absorbed in the words to look up, "Yes, of course, I am. I already told you I was."

Galion frowned at his king. Thranduil had only been continuously awake for barely a month and had spent much of it attempting to catch up on everything that had happened to his kingdom during his temporary 'departure.' However, this was the first time he had talked to any of the councilors.

While Thranduil might have been awake more, his body still had much healing to do in the last month and he had looked anything but healthy when he woke. The spider venom Legolas had neatly slit into his arm had not helped matters, even if it ended up being what was needed.

Galion did not liked to think about why exactly Legolas had it, for he knew that it did not affect the orcs and that elves would go to great lengths to avoid capture by the enemy. Even the Halls of Mandos was better than that.

He pulled the papers out of Thranduil's hands, "Tonight. You're going to talk to him tonight. As soon as he walks through those doors."

It ended up being very, very late when Legolas got back, and he was clearly entirely shocked to find his father still awake. He was freshly washed from some fresh new horror that he hadn't mentioned and probably wouldn't. "You should be sleeping."

Thranduil was also not somewhere in the room that was easily accessible by the bar, and standing "I think I've had enough of that for a while, thank you."

Legolas smiled then, somehow both hopeful and chiding, "Did you walk there?"

"I had some help."

Ferdan had brought it to him at dinner that day, apparently, he had been working on it for weeks. A beautiful cane, fashioned to look like a great tree with flowers blooming delicately at the top. His friend had grumbled that if he was going to have to use a cane anyways it might as well be a similar fashion to his crown.

Thranduil hadn't shown anybody since he had gotten it, not even Galion. He wanted Legolas to be the first. And so he held it out from where he had been hiding it behind his back and in the folds of his clothes.

"Ada, it's beautiful." To his relief, he really did seem to mean that.

As beautiful as it was, he knew that his pride would take a sore hit the moment he set foot outside his chambers with it. But he had to, for Legolas he had to. Slowly, and carefully he took a few steps back across his bedroom.

Legolas watched on with that smile still on his face and Thranduil knew every whisper he heard would be worth it, "Did Ferdan make it?"

"Of course he did, the mother hen." He came to a stop, it still hurt. Valar did it hurt, but it was getting better. He would be better. "Legolas-"

Before he could say anything more his son had thrown up his hands, "No! No, I know that tone and I do not want to hear it."

It was hard to keep the tone and withhold laughter, "Greenlea-"

"No! Goodnight, Ada. Sweet dreams-" He made to theoretically turn away but Thranduil managed to catch his hand, and knowing how unstable his father still was on his feet Legolas stopped his tactical retreat immediately. "That's cheating."

"I have apologized to you countless times-"

"And I do not want to hear another one."

"But shamefully I have not thanked you." Legolas was a different kind of still then, and he looked down to where his father still clutched at his hand. "You have accomplished amazing things, and our people could not have asked for a better king. You are one of the strongest, bravest and most determined elf I have ever met, and I do not know how or why I was blessed with you but I'm glad every single day that I was. Thank you, Legolas, my little leaf, for everything. Thank you."

(I was going to only make this 5 chapters. I've given up on that. Oh well.)

Thank you all for reading, your continued love and support are super apprcated!

See you next chapter, can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!