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Thranduil smiled as his sons approached him.

They both dipped their heads in greeting.

"Welcome home Thalion."
Thranduil addressed his older son.
"I trust that everything went well?"

"We drove the spiders far beyond our borders."
Thalion informed him.
"They will not be troubling us for awhile."

Thranduil nodded his approval.

"Were there any injuries?"

"One of my warriors was wounded, but he was not stung and the wound is not fatal. He will recover quickly."

Legolas soon grew bored of their talk. He had already heard everything about what had happened from Thalion.

Legolas sighed.
Since it seemed like his father was in no hurry to acknowledge him he decided to find some other company.

He walked through the palace, his mind wandering back to the stories he had been told about how his people had been driven to this place.

Legolas hadn't been alive when the shadow had first appeared in the Greenwood, driving the elves from their first home.

He had been borne during the second attack, the one that had sent the elves here.

Legolas had heard many things about his birth.
One thing that had been unusual about was that his mother had almost died giving birth to him.

That was very uncommon, in fact none of the elves remembered something like that happening in a very long time.

It had been Elrond of Rivendell who had saved his mother then.
He had brought warriors to aid Thranduil against the attack.

And then the Lord of Rivendell had raced to save Legolas, who had almost died himself.

Many elves had pondered whether or not it was a coincidence that both Legolas and his mother had almost died.

Not to mention it had been during the last major battle the elves of the Greenwood would face for many years to come.

But Legolas had grown up into a bright, young ellon.
The elves of Mirkwood were always glad to see Legolas.

He was the only one to be untouched by the shadow that had settled over Mirkwood.
He would wander around the palace, sometimes making conversation with the guards and servants, or singing aloud as he walked.

Legolas started singing softly, his voice was light and calming to those who heard it.

It was awhile before he noticed that someone had started singing along with him.
He paused his song and turned to see who it was.

Legolas smiled as he met a familiar face.
"Hello Inwë."
He dipped his head in greeting.
"Hello Legolas."
The young elleth smiled.
"How are you today?"

Legolas briefly remembered the voice he had heard earlier.
He resisted the urge to shudder and answered,
"I am well. Did you know that Thalion has returned?"

Inwë's brown eyes lit up.
"He has?"
Legolas nodded.
"I am sure that he is eager to see you again, and I'm sure that you are as well."

Inwë's face turned red,
Legolas smiled.
He had known Inwë for years, they had become close friends.

She was much older than he was, she had long dark hair and brown eyes, she wore a blue dress and a silver necklace.

The two of them walked side by side as they made their way back to Thalion.

Legolas saw his brother and called out to him, "Thalion!"
Thalion looked over in his direction, a smile spread across his face as he noticed Inwë.

He met them in the middle of the hall, Thalion's attention was firmly fixed on Inwë.

"You have returned."
Inwë said calmly.
"I have."
Thalion replied, his face turning red.

"Will you be staying here for awhile?"
Inwë asked.
Thalion sighed.
"I wish that I could, but my father and I just recieved word that orcs have been spotted near our borders. I will have to go out again soon."

Inwë's eyes widned.
"Orcs?"
Thalion nodded grimly, his gaze rested on Legolas, who looked at him with worry.
"It is probably just a small pack of orcs Las. Nothing serious."

That seemed to calm him and Thalion turned back to Inwë.
"Would you care to join me in the gardens tonight?"
Inwë smiled.
"Of course."

Thalion smiled.
"I will see you then."
"I cannot wait."
Inwë dipped her head to both of them and left.

Legolas glanced at Thalion.
"Your ears are red."
Thalion looked down at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Legolas laughed.
"Exactly what I said. Your ears have turned a very bright shade of red."

Thalion rolled his eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with my ears Las."
"Is it because of Inwë? Do you love her?"

Thalion immediately walked away, Legolas ran after him.
"I am happy for you brother! She is very beautiful!"
"That is enough Las!"
Thalion called over his shoulder.
"I cannot wait for your wedding! I am sure that it will be wonderful."

Thalion spun around and ran towards his brother.
Legolas laughed and ran the other way, but he wasn't fast enough to outrun his brother.

Thalion grabbed Legolas and carried him off.
"You seem thirsty Las. Shall we find you something to drink?"
Legolas knew immediately what Thalion was planning.

He struggled in vain to free himself from his brother's grasp but it was no use.

"Please Thalion! I'm sorry! I will never say anything again I promise!"
Thalion laughed.
"That is what you said last time. It seems like you did not learn your lesson."

Thalion grinned as they left the palace and entered the garden.
"And I'm sure that a nice swim in the river will help you remember to keep silent."