A young boy sat alone on a cold stone bench in the middle of the courtyard.

He brushed away some of the snow that had piled up beside him and pulled his cloak tighter around himself.

It was nearly midnight but he wasn't tired. He was bored, and lonely. His brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, had been gone for weeks and were not planning on returning for many more.

And his father, Elrond, had left a few days ago to run an urgent errand. Lindir had told him that he would be coming home any day now and the boy wanted to be the first to greet him when he arrived.

His ears picked up the sound of hooves pounding against the path, he sprang from his bench and ran through the knee-high snow.

His excitement turned to curiosity as the sound of hooves merged with the frantic shouts of elves.

The boy watched as his father suddenly ran past him, carrying something in his arms and calling for a room in the healing wing to be prepared.

The boy followed quietly after him, areful not to make his presence known to his father.

He wanted to know who it was his father carried and what was wrong with them.

Inside the house the boy kept his distance as more elves crowded around his father.

He waited until the elves disappeared around a corner and then continued following.

Soon he came to the room that had been prepared for whomever it was Elrond carried.

The door was closed but he could hear the urgent voice of his father giving orders to the elves around him.

Cautiously the boy opened the door and peaked inside. He breathed heavily out of his nose in frustration as the figure on the bed remained hidden behind the group of elves.

The boy decided to try his luck and crept into the room, tiptoeing around the elves he tryed to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

Unfortunately his presence did not go unnoticed by his father.
"Estel! What are you doing in here?"

Estel jumped as Elrond walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and ushered him out the door.

"You cannot be here now Estel. Please wait out here until I am done."

Estel was barely listening, he had finally caught sight of the figure in the bed.

It was elf, but he was unlike any elf he had ever seen before. He was pale, and almost looked dead.

Estel's view was suddenly blocked as Elrond closed the door. The boy took a few steps backward and began to wonder about the elf inside.

Who was he? Where did he come from? What was wrong with him? How had he gotten in the state he was in?

Estel waited outside of the door for his father to finish. Finally the door opened and the elves who had been in there walked out.

Elrond came last and closed the door behind him. Estel approached him immediately and grabbed his hand.

"Who is that elf adar? What's wrong with him?"
Elrond sighed and knelt down in front of his son. He gripped him by the shoulders and explained everything to his son.

"He is an elf from Mirkwood, his father is a friend of mine and he has been here before. I found him laying injured in the snow just a day's ride from here. I do not know how long he was out there or how he received his injuries."

"He is injured?"
Estel asked widening his eyes.
Elrond nodded grimly.
"Yes, he has been wounded by something but I do not know what it was. He is in a lot of pain Estel and he needs to rest. It is important that he is not disturbed for any reason, understand?"

Estel nodded as his father stood to his feet and took him by the hand.

"Now Estel, I believe that it is time for you to go to bed. You should have been asleep hours ago."

"I wasn't tired."
Estel yawned.
"I am now."

Elrond smiled and led his son to his room. Not noticing Estel giving one last look towards the closed door.

»»»»

Three weeks had past before Estel's curiosity finally got the best of him.

He wanted to see the elf everyone had been so quiet and secretive about.

Estel made sure that no one was around as he quietly opened the door that led into the elf's room.

He slowly pushed the door opened and carefully stepped inside.

His eyes widened as he finally got to see the elf. He was laying on the bed with his eyes closed, which confirmed Elrond's words that the elf was unwell.

His golden hair was spread over his pillow, his covers were pulled up to his chin and Estel would have thought him dead if it wasn't for the faint rising and falling of his chest.

Estel figured that he had seen enough and turned to leave.
"Who are you?"

Estel cried out in surprise and nearly knocked over a chair he had been walking by.

He faced the elf, whom he had assumed to be sleeping, who stared at him with tired and suspicious eyes.

"I'm sorry."
Estel mumbled.
"I didn't mean to wake you."
He added a little louder.

"You did not wake me, I was already up."
The elf turned onto his side in order to study his "visitor" better.

"You are not an elf."
He stated.
"What are you doing in Imladris?"

Estel shuffled his feet nervously as he clasped his hands together behind his back.

"My father was killed by orcs."
He explained.
"My mother brought me here to be raised by Elrond, and to keep me safe."

The elf's expression was unreadable as he pondered Estel's words.

"Does that mean you know Elrond's sons?"
Estel nodded.
"Are they here?"
Estel shook his head.
"Do you know where they are or when they will be returning?"
Estel shook his head again.

The elf sighed but said nothing. Estel couldn't tell if he was frustrated with his answers or if he was even frustrated at all.

"I'm Estel."
He said in order to break the silence.
The elf blinked in surprise. It almost seemed like he had forgotten that the boy was there.

"Estel, that means 'hope' in elvish."
Estel nodded.
"It's the name Elrond gave me. What is your name?"

The elf hesitated before answering, "Legolas."
Estel repeated the name in his head, determined not to forget it.

"Your name means green leaves, doesn't it?"
Legolas smiled.
"Close. It translates to Greenleaf in westron."

"Oh."
Estel's face turned red in embarasment.
"Sorry, I'm still learning elvish."

"You will learn it in time."
Legolas' eyes darted from Estel and towards the door.
"I believe that Lord Elrond is approaching."

Estel's heart pounded.
He wasn't supposed to be here!

"Is something wrong Estel?"
"I'm not supposed to be in here, ada said that I wasn't supposed to bother you."

"Then why are you here Estel?"
The boy's heart sank as turned to face his father who now stood in the doorway.

Estel looked down at his feet with a guilty expression on his face. He hated disobeying his father, but sometimes he couldn't help himself.

"It is alright Elrond."
Legolas spoke up from his spot on the bed.
"There was no harm done and I am glad to have some company."

Estel smiled gratefully at Legolas who returned it with a smile of his own.

For the first time Estel noticed that Legolas' smiles seemed sad, almost as if he wasn't truly happy.

Elrond sighed and shook his head.
"Very well Legolas. If you do not mind him being here thatn that is fine."
Turning to Estel he added.
"But do not think that you will not go unpunished for this. After all you did disobey me."

Estel nodded, feeling dread as all the possible punishments Elrond could give him raced through his mind.

"I need to clean and redress your wounds Legolas."
Elrond told him.
"As long as you are here Estel, and learning how to be a healer yourself, you may help me."

Estel nodded and joined his father's side. Elrond helped Legolas into a sitting position, the elf grimaced as he was moved but he didn't resist.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, only trousers, large white bandages was wrapped around his chest, red with blood.

Estel was no stranger to blood, he had seen wounds like this before, albeit not as bad.

Elrond carefully removed the bandages, revealing the five long, scarlet scars that lined Legolas' chest.

Estel gaped at the scars, wondering what had caused them and how it had happened.

Elrond gently laid Legolas down onto his back and then turned to Estel.

"Please get me the herbs I need to clean his wounds. You should know which ones I need."

Estel nodded and hurried over to the shelf that held several healing herbs.

He searched through them carefully, making sure to only grab the ones his father needed.

Once he had them he carried them over to Elrond who checked to see that they were the right ones.

"Very good Estel, you made no mistakes this time."
Estel beamed as Elrond began crushing the herbs in his hands.

He then watched as his father applied the crushed herbs to Legolas' wounds.

Estel cringed, knowing that it would sting. He had hissed every time Elrond had used those herbs to treat his own cuts and scrapes.

But to his surprise Legolas showed no signs of pain, or emotion for that matter.

He lay perfectly still with his eyes fixed to the ceiling. The only sign that he was feeling discomfort were his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

Elrond finished applying the herbs and reached for a fresh set of bandages. Legolas sat up on his own this time, although Elrond would have rathered him not.

Legolas sat still as Elrond wrapped the bandages around his chest.

"Your wounds are healing nicely Legolas. However they are not healing as fast as they normally should."

Elrond's eyes met with Legolas' and the elf immediately turned away.

Elrond sighed in frustration.
"You cannot hold the truth from me forever Legolas. As soon as you have recovered you are going to tell me everything that happened."

Legolas still wouldn't look at him as he lay back down. Elrond pulled the covers back over him and Estel could recognize the look his father had when he had ever tucked him into bed after he had gotten sick once.

"I will also be sending word to your father that you are here. I am sure that it would please him to know where his son is."

Legolas immediately shot up. Estel was shocked at the fear and panic that suddenly appeared in the elf's eyes.

"No please, do not tell my father that I am here."
Elrond narrowed his eyes skeptically.
"Why do you wish to hide from your father?"

Legolas didn't reply as he sank back into his bed.

"Listen Legolas, I will give you two more weeks to recover. Until then I will not send word of any kind to your father. But once those two weeks are up I expect to hear a full account of what has happened to you. Understand?"

Legolas nodded.
"Good. Now get some rest Legolas, I will send you some dinner later this evening."

Turning away from Legolas Elrond called for Estel to come with him.

Estel followed his father timidly, the conversation between the two elves had confused him.

"Will you come back tomorow Estel?"
The boy looked at the elf in surprise.
"Do you want me to?"

Legolas smiled that half-smile again.
"It would be nice to have someone to talk to."

Estel glanced at his father, silently asking for permission with his eyes.

Elrond sighed.
"As long as it is alright with Legolas."

Estel beamed and turned back to Legolas.
"I will come back in the morning! If that's alright with you."
Legolas nodded.
"That would be fine Estel."

"Alright then, goodbye Legolas!"
Estel waved and followed his father out of the room.
"Goodbye Estel. I will see you tomorow."

With that Legolas settled himself on his bed and after many hours of tossing and turning, he finally fell asleep.

»»»»

The following weeks proved to be almost unenjoyable for Legolas.

Estel came everyday and kept him company, and although Legolas had grown very fond of the boy he couldn't shake away the grief that ruined the time he spent with him.

Tauriel's death consumed all his thoughts, as well as the faint memories of Thalion's, and the words he had spoken to his father.

He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to for comfort.

His wounds were healing nicely and Elrond had deemed him well enough to leave his bed.

Estel had gone with him nearly all over Rivendell showing him everything there was to see, even though Legolas already knew his way around.

Estel had just finished telling him about a recent camping trip Elladan and Elrohir had taken him on just a few days before they had left home.

"We had a lot of fun together, but when we got back we found out that we had just missed a party of dwarves who had been passing through. I've never seen dwarves before, have you Legolas?"

"Yes, I have."
Legolas didn't mean to sound so cold but he couldn't do anything to stop himself.

Something was wrong with him, and he intended to find out what it was.

Of course that would mean finally talking with Elrond about what had happened, and he had been avoiding that particular conversation for as long as he could.

Later that night Legolas was out on his balcony, snow covered everything in sight while the moon cast a silver glow over the landscape.

Legolas turned his gaze over to the gardens, the trees were bare but that didn't stop him from being drawn to them.

He was a wood elf after all. Movement caught his eye as he gazed at the trees, narrowing his eyes he saw a young elleth walking beneath them, she seemed familiar.

His heart nearly stopped beating when he realized that the elf was Tauriel.

She didn't look the way he had last seen her at Ravenhill, she had no wounds, her hair was unbraided and fell around her shoulders like rivers of fire.

She wore a long green dressband her eyes were alight with joy.
The landscape around her changed as well, instead of a bare winter night it was a warm summer afternoon.

She was walking under the branches of the trees, smiling in pure delight, beautiful.

She turned her head and smiled as someone approached her. Legolas almost fell over in shock as he saw himself, dressed in a light green and walking up to Tauriel.

He held her hand and Legolas watched as they walked together under the trees.

He turned his gaze as another figure approached them, it was an elf, an elfling.

His short red hair was not fully grown out yet, and his bright blue eyes stared lovingly at Legolas and Tauriel.

Legolas staggered back away from the balcony's edge. The vision was gone but Legolas knew what he had seen.

He saw his son, what would have been his child, if Tauriel hadn't died. If they hadn't gone back.

Legolas felt as if his heart was being torn in two, the pain was unbearable.

He fell onto his knees wrapping his arms as tight as he could around himself.

He choked back a cry of anguish as he struggled to get back onto his feet.

Legolas yanked the door that led into his room open, every step he took brought more pain upon him.

He collapsed onto his bed and gasped for air. If this was what dying of grief felt like he knew he wouldn't last for much longer.

He had to get away from the pain, he had to escape from it or he would die.

Run

The single word echoed relentlessly through his mind.

Run

Legolas forced himself to stand and stumble over to the wardrobe standing at the far side of the room.

He tore the door open and grabbed a long, dark green cloak and fastened it around his shoulders.

He didn't risk going to get food, or weapons. All he could think about was getting away from that place, away from the memories, and the pain.

Legolas opened the door and stepped out of his room, pulling the hood over his head he crept out of the house and into the cold night.

»»»»

Estel didn't know what caused him to awaken from his peaceful sleep, only that whatever it was would not allow him to go back to sleep.

Estel threw off his covers and rubbed his eyes. As long as he was up he figured that he might as well find something to eat.

As he walked past his window he noticed a hooded figure making its way slowly through the courtyard.

The wind ripped the hood off the figure's head, revealing long blond hair whipping in the air.

Legolas! Where is he going?

Estel quickly grabbed a pair of boots and wrapped his cloak around him, he also grabbed his small dagger off of his shelf.

He raced out of his room and down the hall, careful not to make much noise.

Estel finally made it out of the house and ran into the cold snow. Legolas was just about to disappear from sight.

"Legolas! Where are you going? Please wait for me!"
The elf whipped around, startled at the sudden appearance of the boy.

"Estel, what are you doing out here?"
Legolas waited for the boy to catch up and knelt down in front of him.

"Where are you going Legolas?"
Estel managed to say between gasps for air.
"Why are you leaving?"

Legolas sighed and gripped the boy's shoulders. His eyes were filled with pain.

"Estel, do you remember when I told you that I was tired? And that I was hurt?"
Estel nodded, it had been just a few days ago.

"I tried to find rest here, and healing, but I cannot find those things here."

"Then where will you go?"
Legolas sighed.
"I do not know Estel. But I have to leave now."

Legolas was about to stand when Estel latched on to his arms.
"No please! Don't leave Legolas, stay here with me. I can help you Legolas, I can find a way to make you feel better."

Legolas tried to smile but instead found himself holding back a sob.

Legolas knelt down again and pulled the boy into a tight embrace.

Estel wrapped his arms around the elf, tears streamed down his face as he realized that his friend was leaving him.

"No one could ask for a better friend than you Estel."
Legolas said quietly.
He released Estel and stood up.

How could have grown so close to a mortal boy after only a few weeks.

"Goodbye Estel."
Estel watched as he turned away.
"Wait!"
Legolas stopped and watched as Estel pulled out a small dagger and handed it to him.

"You'll need something to protect yourself with."
Legolas smiled sadly and took the dagger.
"Thank you Estel."

"You will come back, right? After you're better?"
Legolas sighed.
"Someday Estel."

"Promise?"
Legolas hesitated before answering.
"I promise."

Estel watched as Legolas pulled his hood back over his head, clutching the small dagger in his hand.

Then silently, almost like a ghost, he vanished into the darkness.

Not to be seen again by Estel, who waited almost every day for his return.

But the elf had disappeared, and after five years of waiting, Estel stopped waiting for him.

End of Part 2

Artwork is not mine.
Part three is coming soon