Legolas' recuperation sped up a little after that; his Elven healing ability itself finally recovering, allowing his body to heal quicker.

Unfortunately, his arm wasn't yet completely whole; while Legolas didn't suffer the loss of sensation any longer, his arm was extremely weak and did not hold up well to exertion. Elrond had assured him that he would regain full use of it once his brain was finished healing.

The recovering Elf had unfortunately found yet another complication, one that he tried to hide from the others; his right leg was nearly as weak as his arm. Elrond and Aragorn had yet to notice it because Legolas was still unable to walk on his own; he was always being supported by one—or both—of them. Legolas tried to walk by himself during a rare moment of being alone in his room, but he only lasted two steps before falling. He was lucky to make it back into his bed before Aragorn had returned.

Legolas wasn't one to give in to feelings of hopelessness, but the new development bothered him greatly. 

"Do not despair, mellon nin," Aragorn said to him. "You will not be confined to bed much longer."

Legolas had given him a slight smile at that, hoping that his leg would strengthen fast enough that no one would have to know about it.

His plan was ruined one day, when he left his bed intent on sitting at the window. Legolas was again alone, and carefully got up, steadying himself before slowly making his way across the room. He was concentrating so hard on not falling, that he didn't hear someone coming.

Elrond stood in the doorway, watching as Legolas slowly traveled the short distance, holding onto everything in his path between his bed and the chair by the window. The older Elf frowned when he saw Legolas only step with his left leg, placing hardly any weight onto his right one. Elrond didn't dare make his presence known, however, not wanting to startle the recovering Elf and cause him to lose his balance and fall.

When Legolas finally made it to the overstuffed chair, he literally fell into it, sighing and rubbing his forehead, which had begun to ache from his exertion.

Once Elrond knew that Legolas was safely in the chair, he walked forward. "Legolas."

The younger Elf looked up, giving him the same look that Elrond remembered Aragorn giving him as a child, when he knew that he was caught doing something that he shouldn't be.

"What is wrong with your leg?" Elrond asked, getting straight to the point as he knelt before the chair. It seemed obvious to him what the problem was, but he wanted to be sure.

Legolas sighed, groaning inwardly.

Elrond smiled gently. "Do you not know by now that it is impossible to keep things of this nature from me?" His expression suddenly turned stern. "Why did you not inform me of this?"

"Inform you of what?" they suddenly heard.

Looking towards the door, Legolas saw Aragorn hurrying towards them. Ai! Legolas thought. Now I shall have to endure a lecture from both of them at once!

"What's wrong?" Aragorn asked, gripping his friend's good arm.

Legolas looked to Elrond, who gave him a look as if to say, 'you tell him'.

Closing his eyes, Legolas sighed. "My right leg suffers the same affliction as my arm." He felt Aragorn's grip tighten, and looked up at him.

"Why did you not tell us?" Aragorn asked, sounding distressed at the news.

"Thank you for repeating my question, Estel," said Elrond, with a slight smile. "Legolas?"

"I tried to deal with it on my own," Legolas told them, sighing.

"Why?" Elrond asked, frowning.

"I did not wish to become more of a burden," Legolas said, lowering his eyes.

"Burden?!" Elrond and Aragorn exclaimed, in unison.

"Legolas, you are my truest friend," said Aragorn. "How could you think something like that?"

Elrond sighed, gently gripping the other Elf's shoulder. "Legolas, despite all the injuries I've helped you through, you have never once been a burden to me, for thousands of years."

Legolas looked into the face of the older Elf, smiling at his words. "Hannon le."

Elrond smiled back, all traces of sternness gone. How could he lecture the Elf, who he could still see in his mind's eye running on tiny legs into his study with some cut or scrape that needed to be dressed?

Legolas suddenly chuckled.

"What amuses you?" Aragorn asked, surprised at the sound.

Legolas looked up at him, and Aragorn knelt beside his father to make it easier for his still-recovering friend.

"Many of my memories as an Elfling contain being medically tended to by your father," Legolas told him.

Aragorn looked at Elrond, with a smirk. "So, he was as mischievous as I suspected, then?"

Elrond chuckled himself. "Aye, more than you were, if possible."

Aragorn's expression changed to one of shock. "More than I?"

Legolas laughed again. "It would take a lifetime to recollect all of my…adventures."

Elrond suddenly remembered what he'd wanted to ask the younger Elf. "Legolas, you were once involved in an incident that has puzzled me for centuries. I doubt that you recall it, but…"

"Poison berries," Legolas told him.

Elrond's eyebrows rose.

Legolas nodded. "If you mean the same incident where my father nearly threw your whole house into an uproar because I could not be consoled and you had to administer a sleeping draught to calm me…"

Elrond was completely shocked that he remembered an event that had happened so early in his life. "Yes, that is the incident that I speak of! How is it that you remember that? We never found out what had ailed you."

"I had eaten poison berries off a bush in the woods," Legolas said, sighing. "It caused me terrible pain."

Elrond shook his head. "That could have ended in disaster! Why did you do such a thing?"

Legolas shook his head. "I really don't know…obviously I hadn't recognized them as being poisonous. The next day, I went back to the bush and cut it down. I didn't want the same thing to happen to anyone else."

Elrond smiled, though he was alarmed at the thought of the then-tiny Legolas cutting down anything.

"I would like to have seen you as a trouble-making Elfling," said Aragorn, smiling.

"Trouble-making is an apt word, Estel," Elrond chuckled.

Legolas gave them a mock-bewildered look as if to say, 'me?'

"Though I must say, he never did anything to hurt anyone," said Elrond. "But 'Little Legolas', as I called him, was quite the imp."

At the word 'little', Aragorn looked at his father. "How little?"

"He was the smallest Elfling that I ever saw," said Elrond. He patted Legolas' arm in an attempt to let him know that he wasn't teasing him. "I remember the day that you were born, Legolas…did you know that you came into this world under my roof?"

Legolas' eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Elrond nodded. "Your parents had come to Imladris for a visit. Early snow came to Mirkwood that year, and the high pass was completely blocked. They had no choice but to stay, and I had the honor of bringing you into the world."

Legolas and Aragorn smiled at that.

Elrond smiled himself, as he thought back to that day, to the moment when he first held the tiny Elfling in his arms. Legolas had stared up at him in wonder, instead of crying. "You managed to cause havoc before you were even born."

"How?" Legolas asked.

"You came very early," Elrond said. "You were extremely small, and there was the possibility that you would not live."

Legolas was surprised, and shook his head in amazement. "I never knew any of this…if I was told, I do not recall." The last word in his sentence was said around a sudden yawn, and Elrond and Aragorn both stood.

"Time for a nap, Little Legolas!" said Aragorn, smirking.

Legolas shot him a mock-glare, as the two of them helped him back to his bed.