Thanks for coming and I hope you enjoy it!

For the lovely Lusse Eldalion, I hope your days get better!

Galion walked up to the makeshift sheet-tent strung between Legolas' bedpost and chair in his room. A light glowed from within and there was a shadow of only one. He crouched, "Do I need a password? Or does a bribe work?"

The elflings voice was small but distinctly curious, "What do you have to bribe?"

He placed the offering from the kitchen onto a napkin, a strawberry pastry. One of his favorites, and slid it under the tent flap. It was readily accepted, "You can come in."

The opening to crawl under had obviously been made for an elfling but he managed to squeeze under it without dislodging anything. He had a lantern in one corner and several books stretched across the ground in the other, just as they at taught him, far away from the light and from where accidents could cause fires.

Legolas was munching happily on his offering, hair sticking up from rubbing against the sheet for so long. Thranduil hadn't braided his hair today; either because he forgot or didn't have time Galion wasn't sure.

He ran his fingers through it to release the static, "What is all this, little prince?"

Legolas turned his eyes back to the books, "I was trying to read myself stories. But then they got too hard, so I tried another. Then that one got too hard." He frowned, and took another bite of the pastry, "Reading is hard."

"Only when you are learning." He looked back over the books, waving off the offer for the last few bites of the treat. Legolas happily finished it. "Why did you not ask someone to help you?"

His eyes strayed towards the windows the sheet covered that still splattered with rain. "I heard about the lake, and the village built on it."

"Ah." Galion adjusted how he was sitting so he that he could pull the prince into his lap and hold him, and laid his head atop the princes, "And where did you hear that?"

"I was downstairs, in the kitchens. Somebody said that Ada ordered them to send food and supplies to them." Legolas squirmed in his arms, "Does that mean Ada is going? Will he come and say goodbye if he does? Will he be okay?"

"Your Ada is not going, and if he were, he would always come and say goodbye."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, my little prince, I promise."

Legolas seemed content with that for a while, and he relaxed more fully in Galions arms. The rain continued to harass the window outside.

"Is Ada okay?"

"He will be." Legolas nodded slightly like he had expected that. Which, he probably had. Nobody understood how deep the soft spot in Thranduil's heart reached like his son. "He is just working very hard to make sure that he is doing everything he can so that other people are okay."

Legolas nodded again, and reached over to pull a book closer and pointed to a page, "What is this word?"

"Benevolent."

"What does that mean?"

"It means well-meaning or kindly."

"Huh." He twisted around in Galion's lap and grabbed another book, but got distracted with a crash of thunder. "Will it ever stop raining? Or is this going to happen forever now."

Galion laughed, he understood where the little thing was coming from. Eight days of rain was ridiculous, "It will stop. Eventually."

Legolas frowned, "Well it needs to stop now. I need to go outside and I cant while it rains." He frowned deepened, "Apparently."

He loved to be outside. If Thranduil and Galion let him, Legolas would have lived outside like a chipmunk or an elk quite happily. Eight days without being allowed to go outside was the worst kind of punishment imaginable, and Legolas hadn't even done anything wrong.

"Then let's go play outside."

Legolas turned his huge blue eyes on Galion like a predator latching onto prey, "Really?"

Galion picked him up and set him on his feet, and then slid back underneath the tent flap, "Really."

Legolas scrambled out from underneath far quicker than Galion could have ever managed, "Let's go!"

In no time at all they had left the prince's room and dashed down the hall to the garden, flinging the door open amidst confused glances from the nearby guards. They had learned over time though not to disturb Galion when he was with Legolas.

"Good luck!" One called after them, wincing as some rain whipped inside. Legolas yelped slightly at the temperature, but the frigid water did not manage to dampen his grin.

The stream in the garden was swollen with water, pooling in places it did not usually pool, and every other dip and crevis was just as full. Still, more water poured relentlessly from the sky.

Galion followed Legolas into the garden, bending down quickly to fling a handful of water at the elfing, grinning when it splashed on his chest. "Who do you think can find the deepest puddle?"

"I don't know." Legolas took off running and leaped in a puddle next to Galion, splashing water all up his side, "Let's find out."

0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o

A messenger had come to tell him that Galion had once again commandeered custody of his son, and he was glad that he had time to just sit for a while, with his eyes closed.

Thranduil sat with his head resting heavily against the headrest in his favorite chair, he was tired. And not necessarily just for sleep. He wasn't exactly sure how long he was there before the door opened without a knock.

Galion or Legolas. Or Galion with Legolas. He forced his eyes open to look up to check which it was.

Legolas was wrapped tightly in his favorite blanket and fresh bedclothes with combed, but soaking wet, hair. Curiously, Galion's hair was equally drenched, and his clothes different than the ones he had seen him in hours ago.

"There you are, little prince," Galion said as he passed the half-asleep elfing to his father.

"Galion and I played outside in the rain today." He managed to mutter into his father's chest, not waking up anymore or any less. Galion passed him a book he had somehow also managed to carry.

The thought of reading a story was almost dizzying.

Galion sat down on a chair near the one Thranduil sat in, "Should I start here, little prince, at 'Benevolent?' Or at the start of the chapter so Ada understands the story too?"

Sleepy, Legolas muttered, "The start, please."

Galon began to read the story and Thranduil held his son closer and rested his head once more against his chair, eyes closed but content. Finally content.

"Ada." Legolas said, checking.

"I am still listening, little sunshine. Fear not."

Galion continued on seamlessly.

0o0oo0o

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