I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who reads this! It's impossible for me to tag everyone who has added this book to their reading list, read it, commented, voted and/or just been an amazing, supportive, reader, so I'll do my best, but if I miss anyone don't hesitate to point it out and I'll tag you! Ok, so thank you to...

WingedWarrior1731 EstelElfstone   dobblewolf    New-Identity  @Chrisch00 Definitely-Lost   @wolf_girl969 @makingitup66 Jaya-Avendel   @Leggy_Legolas De_Admiraal MeganCarter932   jijifiji   @joellamariah @TheLittleFerret  @DragonFire0514 JoyroxieShantel   @itsmaja2007 @janellevalente  @Barbralu Dragonhybrid101   TheLittleElfie   @EvanlynLifemercy Legolasfan000 PreciousStone850
... and everyone else I've probably missed

For being the best readers I could hope for :)

Legolas felt sleep creeping up on him like a warm blanket enfolding him - in a similar way to the blanket he was snuggled under enfolded him - as he let the words of the human seated at the foot of the bed wash over him in a lapping tide of rising and falling.

"And then, when the battle was over and the Valar were gathered once more, Melkor was brought to to Ring of Doom, and Manwë - you remember Manwë, the leader of the Valar - Manwë denied him pardon and Melkor was cast into prison in the halls of Mandos, and was doomed to stay for three ages before he could ask again for pardon. And three ages passed..."

Legolas let himself slip away from the story Aragorn was telling and into a deep warm sleep.

He dreamt of an oak tree, looming over him, its green leaves rustling in some unnatural wind. He lay beneath its branches and watched them sway in the breeze, and they leaned down, caressing his face, allowing him to relax until he was floating in a blissful cloud of peace and safety. A strange feeling filled him, the sense of time passing slowly, like mist seeping through his fingers as the deep green of the oak leaves faded to dappled oranges and reds, then dry brown leaves floated down to cover him, and the tree was bare. Winter snows fell on his face, but he felt no cold. Blossoms dappled the branches and fresh buds unfolded into new leaves upon the tree, and as the leaves darkened, blossoms slipped from their perches and floated to the ground on which he lay, until the glossy green was all that remained, and at last the green faded once more to orange.

The leaves began to fall, first one by one and then quicker, like a storm of red surrounding him, flurrying past his face in a gale which swept through the clearing and whipped his hair into a flowing river of gold. Then the red storm around him became no longer individual leaves but a blur of crimson, and heat swirled around him in a hurricane, smoke billowing above his head until he was choking on it, fire swallowing the glade, and he watched in horror as the flames licked hungrily at the oak and it went up into a pyre of blazing light and billowing smoke. A sense of dread filled him then, as the fire burned low and the tree became a dark, charred outline against an orange sky. The black branches merged together, and became a crown, a crown of branches and leaves intertwined - a crown which rested upon the head of a man. Aragorn leaned over him, muttering kind words, and as he spoke, his voice became a menacing whisper, and he was no longer human, but an elf, an elf Legolas knew all too well. His father.

He woke with a start, sitting up abruptly and disturbing the silence in the room as the sound of his frantic breathing filled the air in an uneven rhythm that seemed to Legolas to echo through the room. He sat still, afraid to move in case some horror from his nightmare revealed itself from the shadows at his movement. He stayed motionless.

It seemed like hours had passed when he finally dared to stir from his position. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he let his bare feet slip to the ground as he padded silently to the window. Glancing around to make sure one last time that he was alone, he opened the window and allowed the cool air to wash over him in a wave of cleansing freshness that banished the dark thoughts of a few moments previously from his mind. Opening it fully, he slipped out onto the outside of the building, onto the thin windowsill set partly into the stone where he could see the forest and no longer feel trapped inside walls - even the walls of a room as large as the one he had here.

Bringing one knee up to his chest, he let the other rest against the grey wall of Rivendell. The stone was cool and dry, and the wind washed over him in a soothing rhythm, tugging at his sleeping tunic and causing his hair to ripple lightly in the breeze.

Slowly, he let his head rest against the wall, and although his eyes did not close, he was soon asleep on the thin ledge high above the ground, feeling far safer than he ever did indoors.

It was a worried voice that finally awoke him, as the sun began to climb higher in the morning sky among drifts of pale cloud shimmering in the warm light.

"Legolas? Legolas! Wake up!" Aragorn bent over the limp form of the elfling, perched high on the windowsill with blue eyes open but unseeing, perfectly balanced, peaceful, and on the edge of a deadly drop.

The human bit his lip, his eyes shining with concern and not daring to shake the child in case he pushed him off the thin ledge and Legolas fell to his death.

Slowly, Legolas' eyes became clear and saw once more as he stirred awake. Aragorn breathed a sigh that was half anger, half relief and sent a wordless thanks to the Valar at the same time as chiding the boy for his foolishness, his voice gentler this time.

"Legolas, how many times do I have to tell you not to climb onto the windowsill, and stars, don't go to sleep on it! Climb down from there at once or I'll... I'll..."

His resolve failed him and he trailed off as huge azure eyes stared up at him, slowly filling with tears. "Had a bad dream."

"Oh, Legolas, it's alright." He helped the elfling down and sat with him on the bed, cradling the child in his arms and rocking slowly back and forth in a soothing motion. "Tell me about it."

When Legolas was done, Aragorn sat silently, deep in thought. When would Legolas fully trust him? He knew that the elf wanted to, but deep inside, he was still too afraid to give his trust away in case he was betrayed. It pained the human to think of how much suffering this child had endured and how deep those scars went. A muffled voice floated up from where Legolas was still held tightly to his chest.

"Can I ask you something?"

Loosening his grip, Aragorn stared intently into Legolas' eyes. "Of course, tithen pen. You can ask me anything."

The elfling allowed himself a slight smile. "If- when he comes here, I don't want to be helpless again. Could you... could you teach me..."

Aragorn understood what the elf was trying to say. "Teach you to defend yourself?"

Legolas nodded, and sighed slightly, clearly ashamed. It was clear he expected Aragorn to refuse him, and was bracing himself for the worst.

"Of course I can, Legolas, but... only if you're sure."

Legolas nodded again, slightly more confidently this time. "I'm sure."

✧ ★ ✧

"Thranduil is approaching." Elrond rose from his seat, scanning the crowd of elves before him. "We must be ready when he arrives."

Glorfindel stood to address the council. "My Lord, we must strengthen our defences. We have the natural barrier of the river and the waterfall, and the bridge is the only way in or out, so we should be defended well enough in here."

"Yes, Glorfindel, but if we hole ourselves up in here and hide, Thranduil's army will have provisions, not to mention the advantage of choosing a battleground. And make no mistake, my friends, there will be a battle."

The golden-haired elf looked thoughtful. "We could try to defend the area beyond the vale."

"Agreed. That is a wide enough space for a full battle, but we will be in the open while the Mirkwood elves will have the cover of the trees..."

"...and the Silvan elves will use that to their advantage - they have a special connection to nature, do they not?" Glorfindel finished for him. "You are right, my Lord, but it will also be our best chance. We cannot keep an army at the bottleneck that is the thin pass down to our stronghold, but that also means that we cannot retreat that way, should we lose the battle. Our armies will be ambushed from all sides as they try to return to Rivendell."

Elrond frowned, his forehead creasing slightly in worry. "There is another way. We could use that bottleneck to our advantage. Our warriors, or a third of them, will take up battle in the open, but will be swiftly defeated. On their return to Rivendell, they will be forced to retreat through that bottleneck, and the Silvan elves will follow. That is when the rest of us will attack. The second third of our army will close in behind the silvans, trapping them, and the last third will split into two. They will be mainly the archers, and half of them will be on each ridge, ready to attack, and shoot at the Mirkwood elves from above."

The council was silent for a while as each elf considered the possibility. It was Tinu who eventually spoke, amber eyes shining in the candlelight. "But my Lord, the elves in that original third will be slaughtered as they draw the enemy into our trap. And you know that Estel and your sons will want to be on the front lines."

"I cannot deny my sons the honour of risking their own lives for this cause. But how can I let them go?" He turned to Glorfindel, but it was Îdhír who spoke. "I have been Estel's friend since he was a child, My Lord. I give you my word that I will not let harm befall him. I will give my life to save his, if need be. As for Elladan and Elrohir, I believe they can care for themselves."

He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "You have my word, Lord Elrond, that should he be harmed, I will hold myself responsible and will avenge him with all my might, though I will do all I can to ensure that it does not come to that."

Elrond's mind was racing. Could he truly risk losing someone he cared so much for? It had been enough to nearly see Aragorn lost, and he couldn't bear to go through that pain again, and for real this time. But he believed Îdhír, that he would give his life for Estel. So he let go of each of them in his heart, and braced himself to say the words that hurt him so much. "I will allow them to go."

Glorfindel, his oldest friend, sensed his struggle and took over the meeting. "We have preparations to do. Îdhír, I want you to make sure we have the provisions we will need for all those staying here. Tinu, you are accustomed to leading warriors; you will oversee the archers in the last third, make sure they know their roles. I will ensure the rest of our army is prepared. The rest of you, enjoy your last days of freedom. There is war coming."

✧ ★ ✧

Legolas squeezed Aragorn's hand ever tighter as they approached the training fields. There were others there, each practicing their own techniques, which varied from two short swords to long bows and huge, two-handed great swords. The courtyard was divided evenly into archers and close-combat, and also an area where younger elves could learn the art of combat if they so wished, although that area was deserted now, the numbers of elflings decreased until there were none left here in Rivendell. None but Legolas.

Legolas glanced at the elves around him. He could feel their stares all over him, accusing, unwelcoming. They watched him as he and the human made their way across the courtyard, but avoided the elfling's eyes the moment he tried to look at them, their stares returning as soon as he looked away.

He could hear their whispered conversations, see them staring from the corner of his eye. Colour rushed to his cheeks as he walked with Aragorn across the paved stone. Each step seemed to take a lifetime. He clutched the man's hand tighter.

They stopped abruptly, and Legolas picked up a few quickly silenced sniggers as he caught himself a moment before walking straight into the rack of weapons they'd stopped before. He stared at his boots. He just wanted them all to go away, to stop staring, blaming, accusing. He hated them all then, he hated them and he blocked their laughter out even as it echoed in his ears, that hideous laughter that didn't stop.

Aragorn was talking to him. "...what do you think?" The human didn't seem to notice the stares and the muttering, or he didn't care. He didn't feel the heat of their glaring on every inch of his body, the hatred as they watched his every move. Murderer. Legolas thought of his father then. He couldn't do it. He couldn't move. Their stares held him in place, every muscle of his body frozen. He couldn't even lift his head from where he stared at his boots, and the neatly layered paving stones beneath.

It seemed silent. He knew Aragorn was waiting for a reply, but he couldn't speak. The whispers, the stares, building up around him. He was surrounded on all sides, the muttering filling his ears, and he could not do it.

He ran.

Tearing himself away from the stares, he sprinted away, tripped on the sharp corner of a paving stone that jutted up slightly above the others, scrambled to his feet before Aragorn could catch him, and ran again. Back, past the elves in the courtyard. Facing them, even for a second as he dashed past, seemed like the hardest thing he had ever done. Harder than surviving his father. Harder than escaping the camp when he was re-captured. But then he was past, and was running, sprinting up the stairs and not caring if an elf was calling to him, telling him to slow down, asking him what was wrong as he ran past and taking the stairs two at a time, round and round the corridors of Rivendell until the sounds of pursuit were drowned out behind him and he was free. Finally, lost in the maze of passageways, he slipped into an empty room and huddled in the corner, sobbing.

Thank you to everyone who read this chapter (and this book!) I'm sorry, as always, about the slow updates but I am determined not to abandon this book and so however long it takes, I will see it through to the end. I am also thinking of adding a prologue onto the start, what do you think?

Thank you again to everyone for sticking with me, Aragorn and Legolas as we work our way slowly through this story :)

Oh, don't forget to vote :P