They marched back to their home, with a third of the army they left with, none was uninjured.

Thranduil sat stiffly on his horse with Faeryn leaning on him. She was sleeping peacefully, currently forgetting her wound, currently running away from the haunted scene of fire and death they had left behind. Thranduil looked down at the elleth's pretty face, what he had done millions of times before. Only now Faeryn looked different, where did the peaceful look on her face go?, he wondered but then quickly realized he was not the only one who just went through a living nightmare. I wish it was a nightmare. Thranduil sighed; in a nightmare, Oropher would not die.

Faeryn was his only comfort right now, she never left his side after all that happened. They had offered her to lay down and rest on a stretcher they perfunctorily made but Faeryn refused. She insisted on riding a horse and keep Thranduil company, walk if she had to. Thranduil agreed.

He soon regretted it when Faeryn almost fell down from her horse as his friend's injury had taken ever bit of energy left in her.

"Your stubborness is quite troubling sometimes, you know?" The prince whispered to the sleeping elf. She gave him peace, she gave him hope and she gave him strength. The only three things Thranduil needed, Faeryn was all capable of giving him. "What would I do without you, my friend?"

"My Lord, Woodland Realm is right ahead of us. We're home!" A guard informed him, sounding incredibly happy.

The prince nodded. From the far, he could see the magnificent sight of the palace. Glimmering in the sunlight, the big gate was beautifully carved with gold and silver, the trees were green and still, the scent of grass, the sound of each drop of water from the nearby stream as they hit the cold, stern rocks. Woodland Realm was welcoming them home with its glory.

When the army reached the gate, to their surprise, it opened instantly, revealing a worried elf running frantically to where Thranduil was.

Laebon could not help a panic yelp as he saw his daughter with her eyes shut, her body leaned loosely against the prince. A mad thought came across the father that his only, precious daughter was dead.

"She's injured, Healer Laebon. Take care of her." Thranduil told the royal healer. The young elf got down from his horse, he carefully brought Faeryn into his arms as he bridally held her and gave the elleth to her father.

When passed, Faeryn shifted uncomfortably and unconciously gasped in pain. Thranduil frowned at the sight.

With his daughter home, Laebon sighed in relief. He had heard of king Oropher. The prince still had so much to learn but the king was no longer able to teach him.

"You are no better, my Lord. Come, I will help you."

"I will carry her, Laebon. Go and make yourself prepared."

The older elf nodded. "To my room should be more convenient."

The two elves walked down the luxurious corridor that ran in a hill pattern, with a few turns, it finally led Thranduil to a simple wooden door. Laebon quickly unlocked it, he motioned to prince to come inside before closing the door behind them. The portal did not end there but introduced to a short corridor with two other doors at its ends. Thranduil knew exactly which way to turn as he had, with Faeryn, ran through here for countless of time; the door to the right was hers, where they usually hid there and she would show him the chest where her most precious were kept.

"I found this another day in the forest." Faeryn had held the small, silvery flower in her palm that day, her pretty green eyes twinkled as the pretty flower was actually glowing in the hazy shade of daylight. "Do you know what it is called?" She asked him, her lips turned into a pleasing smile as the prince shook his head.

"Celevith. A silver mist." Faeryn had told him that before handled the flower to him with care. "For you."

"It was from the chest. Thus it must either rare or important." Thranduil had learnt it the hard way.

"It is, indeed." Faeryn nodded. "I couldn't believe in my luck when I came across it either. You see, in the books, they have mentioned Celevith a few times about how powerful potions we can make from it but never in details. The only book I found, a very ancient one which happens to say more about this flower has its pages ripped off... Do you know what this means, Thranduil? This flower holds something inside it, my friend, and that thing could be incredibly helpful but on the other hand, more dangerous than anything."

"Then shouldn't we give this to your father? I'm sure he knows what to do with this."

"No." Faeryn insisted. She gently place her hand on Thranduil's, he loosened himself at her touch. "I want you to keep it." With the most careful motion, she blanketed the small flower with her small hand, protected it with her warmth. Faeryn's eyes met the sky-like blue in Thranduil's eyes and they kept it that way. "I have a feeling that you will need it, someday. Keep our Celevith safe, will you?

"I will." Thranduil had promised the elleth and he kept it until today. Inside his chamber, the beautiful flower still glowed a silvery colour just like its name.

"Faeryn is still sleeping." Laebon had woke Thranduil up from his recall as the elf approached the table where he was sitting.

"Good for her." Thranduil nodded at the information given. Faeryn was sleeping and her injury was taken care of, but the most important thing was that she was home, and at home she was safe.

Laebon sat down beside the prince, the healer started to unpacking his medical kit. "Can I help you with your wound now, my Lord?"

"Please do." As the order was given, Laebon did not haste. The burn on Thranduil's left cheek was really bad. And it turned out to be worse without instant medical care.

After a good half an hour, the healer had done anything possible. The burn was gone but barely was left on the prince's handsome face. Most of the left side of his face was destoyed by the fire, left him a scar that would remind him of those awful, haunted visions of the war he was once fought in. "There is nothing more I can do, my Lord. This would be permanent, I'm afraid." Laebon did not dare to look at the prince's shocked expression.

Abruptly, a piercing scream striked through the air, jerked Thranduil and Laebon up as they bolted right into where the horrid sound came from.

Faeryn was crawling on the floor with both hands covering her ears. "DON'T! PLEASE... Please... I beg you..." The elleth desperately cried at whatever was happening inside her head.

Thranduil raced to Faeryn, he firmly embraced her in his strong hold, forced the she elf to stop struggling. A minute passed. Followed another, then another as they waited until the calls had died down and the loudest sound in the chamber were her sniffs.

"Wake up, Faeryn. Wake up! It's not real!" He shook her limp body slightly and her eyes slowly opened, the green orbs started searching until they landed on a certain royal elf with long blonde hair.

Without warning, Faeryb lunged forward and crashed themselves together, Thranduil yelped.

"I er... I will go and see if I can give her something... to stay calm, you know?" Laebon awkwardly excused himself out and a moment later, the door closed shut.

Thranduil lifted the shivering elleth onto the bed and tucked her in. He placed Faeryn's wavy black hair on the pillow and began untangling it. "Tell me what was troubling you in your sleep?"

"Don't mention it. I was just having flashbacks, that's all." Faeryn mumbled, she pulled the blanket closer to her chin.

"You are a terrible liar, Faeryn. I am glad that your lying is not as good as your stubborness."

"You know me so well, Thranduil. Standing in front of you, I'm a book without cover."

He chuckled quietly. The truth is, he never understood her. Thranduil could never understand what makes her smile looking at the dusk and dawn nor could he ever figure out why she loved reading so much. For two thousands, two hundred and thirty six years of friending, the elleth was forever a moon, she had her hidden sides that just would not reveal itself.

"Then I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to know you more than well? Why were you crying?"

Faeryn closed her eyes. The nightmare was so real that the she elf was still in daze, still stucked in between what was real and what was not. She saw that deadly, long sphere that took away the king's life, she saw it so vividly and somehow she could even feel the unmistakable heat blowing in her face. The sphere flew through the air and went through an elf's body. He fell. His bleach blonde hair was stained with blood. His clear blue eyes blanked. His body laid lifeless, motionless. Thranduil was dead. He died the death his father had despaired. And once again, she stood there, helpless.

"I saw death, Thranduil. He took you away."

The elven prince remained silence whilst deep down inside, he feared the same thing. Death is a journey but the question was was he ready for this trip, ready to leave Faeryn behind. Since long ago Thranduil had soon realized how important Faeryn was to him; her role went beyond any kind of relationship he could ever think of.

"Come closer." Faeryn motioned Thranduil as she reached out for his face. Her small fingers traced longingly on his cheek where the wound was. Thranduil felt graceful for having the white bandage though the reason for needing it was not pretty at all, he did not want Faeryn to see the scar since she would be worried if she did. "I want to see it..." The elleth spoke at last, she was staring at the hiddeous injury with fire in her green eyes but her hand was soft and caring.

"You wouldn't want to, Faeryn." The prince said, backing away from the elf's reach.

"After all this time? After all we've been through?" She questioned him and under her desperate look, Thranduil gave in. Faeryn slowly took the white cloth off, he had expected her to gasped or even squeaked as the image hit her, but instead of which, the elleth circled her thumb where it was fine. "I can make it better." She said, sounding positive about the idea. "I can try. In the book showed how to make illusion on valid things. It won't last unless you're the one who perform it but of course we have time for mastering. I can hide it for you, at least for now."

"You need to rest first. We can talk about this later." Thranduil glanced down at the elleth's limp self with concern.

"It won't take much time. Give it a try, will you?" Faeryn pleaded to help, the only thing she could do then, was to give Thranduil a feel of being normal, like how it used to be before they left for the war.

And so she acted without his reply. Faeryn focused on the force that ran inside each of her bones and muscles and started to visualize it. What colour it was, in which shape did it look like, how it moved in different environment,... she thought of magic as a whole, fulfilled unit of one entity as she directed its motion and function.

Faeryn opened her eyes again to see the same Thranduil staring at both of them from the reflection of a mirror in shock. No more the visible vacancy on his left cheek where Thranduil had thought that he had to live with seeing it as a part of him everyday. The magic had worked as it left a perfect result and pleasure to the friends.

"Wow, you did it! Even your father did not think of that! You are a true treasure, Faeryn." Holding her hand, Thranduil said excitingly.

"It worked..." He heard her small voice confirmed the success but soon trailed off and morphed into a long yawn.

"Sleep. I will stay here with you if you're more comfortable with it." As said, Thranduil grabbed a chair in the corner of the room and placed it next to the bed. "Tomorrow's a big day, Faeryn. I afraid I won't be able to go through it without you. Therefore I need you to get well, can you do that?"

Both understood why. The next day was king's Oropher funeral, from there he would go and sail to the Undying Lands, which also meant Thranduil would become the new king, his coronation was getting closer.

Everything was going too fast.

"Have I ever left you alone?" Faeryn asked him and he knew the perfect answer.

No, you have never. Thranduil softly gazed down at the weary elf. Thank you.