Standing at the door to Elrond's study, Elrohir had an awful sense of foreboding that suggested something unpleasant was about to occur.

"Ada?"

"Come in, Elrohir," Elrond said, setting down a parchment he had been reading. "How was your trip?"

"Very good. Lass is proving to be an excellent tracker, and his skills are considerable for one his age. Dan and I fear he is more than our match in archery as it is!"

Elrond managed a smile. In the months that had followed Legolas's arrival, he had become part of the family, embracing his new life without any hesitation. He had become closer to the twins in the way of a brother, and they had recently taken it upon themselves to hone his martial skills. Broaching the topic of his real identity always proved as problematic as it had been from the start, and so they had left it -- until now.

"Elrohir, I must tell you this: word has reached us from Eryn Galen. It seems my correspondent had only just returned after a lengthy absence. He writes that Thranduil's younger son has been missing for almost a year."

Elrohir felt as if his chest had been struck.

"What?" he cried. "Surely you cannot mean --"

"He went missing shortly after the Queen's funeral. Thranduil and his older son, Dethronir, have been looking for him since. Already they gave him up for dead."

Collapsing into a chair, Elrohir stared at Elrond in disbelief.

"How can he be Thranduil's son?"

"Prince Legolas of Eryn Galen disappeared after his mother's death last summer. He was not yet twenty when she was slain."

Elrohir tried his best not to gasp.

"How did you know this? The ties between our two kingdoms are still strained at best. You sent a message to Eryn Galen, Ada! You went back against your word!"

"That I have done, and only because it was in Lass's interests to do so. The reply took so long as Milinral too had been searching for him and had only just returned home after giving up hope."

Knowing that Elrond spoke the truth, Elrohir bit his lip and tried to think how best to carry on.

"I will send word to Thranduil so that he may have his troubled mind laid at rest soonest. The grief he felt at losing both a Queen and a son must have been unimaginable. In spite of how cold and impenetrable he might want to appear, I know that his love for Tuilinniel was deep."

Elrohir sprang to his feet and started pacing the room.

"But how will Lass take this? We still do not know the real reason for his refusal to go home, which is even more puzzling in the light of his identity. Thranduil might be stubborn, but he is a wise king and has a good heart. Why Lass would run away from him is beyond me!"

"It is something we must find out before Legolas goes home."

"No!" Elrohir said, staring at Elrond in shock. "You cannot mean --"

"Elrohir, Legolas's place is with his father. We always knew his stay in Imladris was temporary."

"Yet you took him in as your foster son!" Elrohir cried.

"Peace, Elrohir. While it is true that I have come to love him as a son of my own, we cannot keep him here now that we know of his true identity."

Attempting to calm down, Elrohir refused to concede his position. The inexplicable bond that had risen from their initial meeting had deepened with the months that followed Legolas's arrival in Imladris. It was difficult to imagine a life without the spritely young Elf begging to be taken on patrols, or coming up with another prank to infuriate the long-suffering denizens of Elrond's household, who had thought themselves free of such tribulations as the twins had matured. Why, just the other day he had lured a family of bears into the Halls of Fire --

"Elrohir, there is more I wish to speak to you about. Given the way that Thranduil feels about Imladris, I do not think it wise to reveal how I have fostered Lass here. I would strive to keep his true identity a secret among our people, and not allow any word of it to reach Thranduil. I fear his grief over Oropher's death and the slaughter of his army might still be too fresh in his mind."

"Are you worried for Lass?"

"It seems to me as if their relationship is strained enough without this added complication. While I do not think it is our place to interfere --"

"Surely anything that threatens his welfare --"

Rapid knocking on the door sounded, and Elrond called for whomever it was to enter.

A golden head popped around the door, and Legolas's cheerful face lit up further when he saw Elrohir.

"Ada, Roh! I have been looking all over for the both of you! Are you discussing serious things?" From the way his nose was wrinkled in distance, it was clear that he thought all matters of a serious nature were to be avoided at all costs.

"Come in, Lass," Elrond said, shooting Elrohir a warning look.

"Roh?" Legolas went up to him and flung his arms around Elrohir. "What is wrong? You look unhappy."

Returning the hug, Elrohir was again struck by how easily the child read his feelings.

"No, Lass. We are forced to confront unpleasant events sometimes, whether we like it or not."

"Oh," Legolas said, his face falling. His irrepressible spirit fought to the surface again, however, and a warm smile appeared on his face. "I have just the cure for that! 'Twas the reason I sought you and Ada out! Dan left with a patrol before I could find him, but it is good that you are both here."

"What are you talking about?" Elrohir said, laughing in spite of his earlier feeling of dread.

"Ada, will you not come too?" Legolas said, dragging Elrohir to the door.

"You need to tell us what requires our pressing attention, Lass!" Elrohir said. "It had better not be another trick!"

Legolas sniffed his disapproval. "I have no need for methods like this even if I had decided to trap you!"

"Indeed," Elrond said, rising. "Although Elrohir is right in worrying, for if I am not wrong, a certain Elfling broke into my stores again last night?"

Legolas let out an exaggerated sigh. "Very well, I promise it is not a trap. Now will you follow me?"

Elrond nodded, and they allowed Legolas to lead them to his chambers. Outside the door, Legolas pressed a finger to his lips while stepping inside. The curtains were closed, adding to the lingering air of anticipation.

Legolas crossed the room and knelt down in front of a wicker basket, shifting the cloth within.

Elrohir smiled when he saw a tiny, wet nose rise to sniff the air from within the folds.

"I chanced upon them near the cliff. They had lost their Nana," Legolas said, pushing back the cloth to reveal two tiny red deer fawn. "I managed to bring both of them back here. It is rare for twins to occur in deer. You can name one of them, and I will name the other!"

Elrond tried to suppress a chuckle. His house had been filled with strays since Legolas's arrival with his taking in of various injured animals. Every one he had tried to nurse back to health, and many a time Elrohir had been summoned to Legolas's room in the still of the night to view his latest acquisition.

"Are they not beautiful?" Legolas said, stroking the keen head of one. "They were so hungry that they drank for almost an hour before they stopped!"

"Lass, I fear there is an important letter that I have to send, for every second delayed will prolonged another's anguish. I will be in my study should either of you wish to see me," Elrond said, after the trio had cooed at the fawn for a while.

Elrohir knew that his father was telling him to break the news to Legolas, but he still could not bring himself to do so, and so he kept his silence long after Elrond left.

"What should we call them?" Legolas said, busy playing with the deer.

"It is up to you, Legolas," Elrohir said.

Legolas looked as if he had been struck, and he froze, before slowly turning to Elrohir.

Taking in a deep breath, he said, "What did you say?"

"Ada received a letter from Eryn Galen which mentions the disappearance of their young prince. Why did you not tell us?"

Legolas was trying very hard to hold back his frantic tears.

"You are not going to tell my father, are you?"

"How can we not? He thinks you are dead!"

"It is better this way!"

"Why?"

Legolas ran over to Elrohir and flung his arms around his neck again.

"Please, Roh, do not tell him! You cannot tell him!"

Elrohir took a few deep, calming breaths. "Your place is with your father, Lass --"

"No, Roh! I do not wish to go back. If Imladris does not welcome me I will leave --"

Elrohir pressed a fervent kiss to his forehead. "You know that is far from the truth. But you have to return to your father. Do not make him bear the loss of his Queen and son at the same time."

"If I return, I will bring further disgrace upon him," Legolas whispered, hanging his head low.

"Wherever did you get that idea?" Elrohir cried, surprise and indignation in his voice.

"I am not strong enough to be a Prince --"

"Enough!" Elrohir cried, louder than he had intended to in his agitation.

Legolas did not flinch but instead continued squaring his jaw. Now that Elrohir knew the truth, it was no wonder he was treating him with such harshness. When he was little Lass, nobody expected him to be stronger than he was, but as Legolas, a prince, he was so woefully inadequate.

Shaking his head in bewilderment, Elrohir said, "Why, were you to look into a mirror now, you would see such a force to be reckoned with! I will never lie to you, and I have this to say: you are every bit as worthy of your lineage as any I have ever met."

When Legolas did not answer, Elrohir pressed on, "Why do you think you are not worthy?"

Taking a deep breath, Legolas said, "Because a son of Oropher's house never cries. I tried my best, but I was so sad when they told me Nana left without me --"

Elrohir gave a hoarse, mirthless laugh. "Your Nana's leaving was worth your grief, Lass. I thought you knew that."

"But Adar said --"

"Did your Adar love your Nana?"

"Very much so!"

"So he too would have felt pain at her leaving?"

"Yes. But he did not cry, and neither did Dethronir! Why could I not control myself? Why did I have to cry?"

Elrohir reached for his hand and brought it up to his own face.

"What do you feel, Lass?"

"Your face is wet."

"Do you think any worse of me for crying?"

"It is not the same!"

"Why?"

Legolas tried to answer, but could not come up with a reason, and so offered, "You are brave and strong; I know this."

"And I know the same of you, Lass."

There was no response, and Elrohir continued to watch him, searching his face for an indication of his thoughts.

"When do I have to leave?" Legolas said.

"It will not be for a while."

"Will you come with me to Eryn Galen?"

"You know the answer, Lass. The shadow of Dagorlad has yet to be cleansed from your people's memory."

"My father will not like to hear of Ada Elrond, then," Legolas said, frowning hard.

Elrohir did not answer.

A sudden thought occurred to Legolas, and he looked up, urgency flashing across his face. "I will see you and Dan and Ada again, will I not, Roh?"

"Of course, Lass! Our parting will only be temporary!"

Legolas let out a long sigh and fingered a raven lock of hair. "I wish that we could be together forever and never part again."

"You know that is not possible, Lass. You might feel this way now, but you will grow up in time, fall in love, and everything will change."

A scowl worked its way onto Legolas's face. "You are not in love with some elleth, are you?"

Elrohir grinned at the possessiveness in Legolas's tone. "How could I, when I spend all my waking hours making sure you do not get yourself killed?"

Legolas narrowed his eyes further. "Which gives you plenty of time to fall in love and forget me when I am gone?"

Laughing, Elrohir placed a kiss on his head. "Do not fear, Lass-nîn. How could I forget you?"

It seemed to satisfy Legolas, who wriggled out of Elrohir's arms and looked askance at him for a long time.

"Yes?" Elrohir said, knowing that the look on Legolas's face meant trouble.

"Do you have any carving tools I can use?"

Elrohir almost groaned. "Why?"

"It appears that in our excitement I have forgotten the time. Gwenophor will not enjoy being stuck in the forest for so long. Hurry, we need the tools to extricate him!"

Elrohir let out a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

*****
Sindarin Translations:
Elleth -- (female) Elf

A/N: So this is the much-anticipated scene of the Imladrin Elves finding out Legolas's true identity and the confrontation between Elrohir and Legolas. There's a wee bit more ground I wish to cover, but otherwise that's pretty much the end of it.