What can i say? I am a terrible person. I could say that a new job takes up all your time, but I still find time to try and master baseball on the Wii (tis bloody hard!) and mess about on facebook like a numpty, so I won't bother. I will try to be more consistant, but I confess I have not written a word of the next chapter yet.

Anyway, a special thank you to Thorongirl to has agreed to fix my terrible grammar, so all complaints of that nature should be directed to that lovely lady, while grumbles about plot etc will be ignored by myself. Thanks for sticking with me, I feel we're all growing together as a family. Of sorts.Happy New Year everyone!

Chapter Eleven: A Joyful Reunion

A silence engulfed them. The forest offered no twitter or crackle of breeze to ease the uncomfortable hush that surrounded them like a suffocating grip. One elf failed to look at the other, and with each painful second, the deep vacuum of noise and affection and trust choked them until they eventually began to realise their places. Legolas turned to the newly arrived pair, unsure of how long had passed between the last spoken word and the ones trying to emerge from his mouth, and cleared his throat.

"My lords… we were not expecting you, I am sorry." He managed to croak, embracing both elves tentatively.

"Not at all, we sent no word. We left our home with some urgency. The forest is very quiet today; we had not expected our first encounter to be with you." Elladan replied politely.

He continued to gape at them as if in a trance. "I apologise, our guards must have been called elsewhere… there is trouble in the east."

"What brings you on this hurried journey, my lords? I hope it is not ill news that drives you." Amras enquired.

The brothers turned to look at the other elf, as if they had forgotten about his presence. "We seek Prince Legolas' and the King's counsels only, our business is urgent but not grave."

Legolas nodded, as he gradually regained his composure. "I am glad to receive you; Amras, please inform my father of Elladan's and Elrohir's arrival and have rooms set up for our guests, they have had a long journey," he ordered.

"I had intentions to hunt today and perhaps if you are not too weary, you will join me for the afternoon. It has been too long… friends." He spoke gently, holding their gazes intently.

The brothers looked at him for a moment, unsure of how to react; in their rush they had forgotten the delicacy of this meeting. Elrohir smiled and nodded, patting his horse on the neck. "We are quite refreshed at seeing you once more. We would be delighted to accompany you."

Their gazes remained fixed on one another and all felt Amras' eyes burning in their skin. "Good, it is settled then. We should return this evening, but if my companions are willing, we will camp tonight." Legolas announced nonchalantly.

Amras did not move, looking between the trio with a badly concealed look of panic. "I- your father bid me to stay with you, it is not safe."

"I will not be alone and there is no danger here; any danger is to the east. My father will be very displeased if he is not informed of our guests' presence; he does not like surprises," he replied authoritatively.

Amras nodded quickly, grasping the reins of his horse so tightly that his knuckles were white, before mounting, still nodding. Legolas watched the elf gallop away, and quickly mounted his own steed. "Shall we?"

The twins nodded apprehensively and followed their old friend's lead, riding for another ten minutes or so until they moved off the trail into the gloom of less explored parts of the woods. Eventually Legolas slowed and eased his horse to a halt; he slid off effortlessly and scoured the surrounding area for any unwanted company. He wandered for a few minutes, avoiding eye contact with his two new companions, his heart pounded and palms sweated, as he took the last moments to desperately pull his emotions together before he returned for the inevitable conversation. The Rivendell elves stayed beside the horses, waiting for him to return knowing full well that there was no one listening in the trees, but were thankful for a final few moments to work out what they would say. The fair elf eventually returned once he had run out of places to pretend to scout.

"Legolas, we came-"

"To tell me your foster brother is not as dead as you once thought." He murmured with a hiss.

They stood agape for a moment. "He has been in contact?" One managed to stutter.

"Oh yes." Legolas answered with almost a chuckle. "He arrived as only Estel can- face down in the river with an arrow in the back. Quite an entrance I assure you and quite a shock for me."

They could not help but smile with relief. "I am sorry, we had been living on a hope only, I am sorry you had to encounter him with no warning."

"No warning would have made seeing him any easier." His voice failed and managed only a pained whisper.

"Yes, of course." I am sorry. My father has found evidence of some sort of dark power in the mountains, something that has made others act out of character. I believe this force altered his mind. Estel would not harm a hair on your head if he were himself, I honestly believe that."

The prince looked at Elladan for a moment, and glanced to his brother who had not yet spoken. "I know. Estel tried to explain his actions… as best as he could, and I understand a little now." He replied quietly.

A hush returned, edgy but bearable as both parties reflected on these revelations. The bitter anger that Legolas had left in had diminished greatly but had not disappeared and he was not one who forgave easily.

"How is he?" The elder twin asked suddenly, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Crippled with guilt." He answered quickly. "Older." He murmured in an afterthought.

"And his behaviour? Was he…?"

"He was his old self, well almost; I wouldn't have helped him escape otherwise."

Elrohir's eyes shot up. "He has gone? When? Why escape?"

"Last night; he is the trouble in the east. He was under arrest for treason and facing death, I was not prepared to allow that. I have admitted my guilt, and my father promised that if I told them where he was then I could choose his punishment. I love my father, but I do not trust him. If they catch him, he will die. I told him that Estel was following the river downstream."

"That would be the most logical route."

"It is."

"But you know where he is going?" Elladan leaned in, touching his old friend's shoulder.

"I spotted his trail not far from here, he has had about nine hours head start, but he is not fit and travelled through the night. I doubt he has managed to hide much; it would be impossible in his state and in the darkness. I do not think he has gotten far, so we must get to him before they discover my lies. If we find him, then you must lead him to safety, I want nothing more to do with him."

The twins watched one another as they mounted their steeds, both in a daze from the sudden developments. Their brother lived. But now if they did not find him it was likely he would be taken from them again. Their brother's closest friend, became his enemy, became his saviour, but will would soon relinquish their kinship forever. By following Legolas, they would be acting against their ally, something that could be seen by Thranduil as an act of war. What now for the crown prince of Mirkwood? Would he be forced now into exile, or forgiven, or would he face the full wrath of his father? And Estel- what fate awaited this boy? This man. Would he want to see them? Would he embrace or shun them? Would they embrace or shun him? These questions were irrelevant until they found him, and that would surely not take long, but until that time they would follow Legolas and wait to see how their heart would respond to the sight of his fair face.

They rode for an hour or so, until Legolas drew to a halt, looking around irritably. He slid to the ground and took a few paces forward, before stopping once more. Elrohir, followed by his brother, joined their companion's side, staring at the ground and glancing amongst the trees.

"I have lost his trail. It just seems to stop." He muttered.

"Maybe he did not travel any further." Elladan suggested.

"He rested here, but it just seems to disappear after that, as if suddenly he has rediscovered his skill, or decided to fly the rest of the way."

"I would put nothing past that boy." Elrohir smiled.

"I would put that ability past even him." He hissed humourlessly, and stalked off into the trees.

After half an hour of meticulous examination of every bent branch, fallen leaf and scuffed earth, the trio returned to their horses, frustrated.

"If we have not taken a wrong turn, then he is better than I ever gave him credit for." Elladan murmured.

"We have taken no wrong path; you have examined the tracks yourself."

"It is possible that dawn came and he could choose his steps more carefully. He is not the clumsy child we dismiss him as anymore." The ebony haired elf reasoned.

Legolas stood silently as the debate continued; a very gentle wind stirred a couple of hairs on his brow and he listened to the faint whistle of birdsong in the distance. Mirkwood was a quiet, still place. Little penetrated the claustrophobic canopy; a life of gloominess and all consuming darkness. Light and beauty and song in this place was scarce, and limited to the palace and the surrounding gardens. Only evil things lurked this far off the road, yet there was that soft bird chime again, like a beacon bidding him closer. Without a word, he climbed on his horse once more and urged it to follow the song. The twins glanced at each other and hurriedly followed him, riding into the denser undergrowth, ducking beneath the twisting old vines.

Hours passed and Legolas continued to ignore the questions posed to him, and instead focussed on the birdsong that drifted through the mist. It was growing louder and clearer now, as if he were getting closer to home. They had travelled a great distance in the space of half a day, much further than anyone could have walked on foot. Light was trickling away as the day grew older, and to their surprise they realised that the trees were beginning to thin and they could make out the sound of the river in the distance. This was surely impossible;. Mirkwood was a vast and hostile mass of forest - mile upon mile of dense foliage with few paths, and certainly not a place you could cross in the space of twelve hours. Yet, despite dusk approaching, it was becoming brighter as daylight finally began to break through the receding canopy. The oddness of this occurrence coupled with the strange silence of their old friend who appeared to be leading them nowhere in particular and seemingly further from their objective. Estel seemed as far away as ever and frustration began to increase within them.

"Legolas! Please, just stop and tell us what you're doing."

"I have found your brother." He murmured, and pointed to the figure in the distance.

The twins dismounted and staggered forward. There he was. The river drifted slowly by about five hundred yards ahead, and there, waist deep in the water, stood their lost brother. The sun was setting behind him and bathed him in a golden haze; his torso bore the fresh scars as a painful reminder of why he had fled all those months ago.

They moved toward him slowly in a stunned silence, tears ran down Elrohir's pale face as he glanced at Elladan, before turning back apprehensively, as if he expected this to be some cruel apparition, but he remained in the same spot, oblivious to the approaching duo. The water rippled around him and danced down his skin in streams from his dark locks. The curl in his hair had finally been lost, and was now only set with a few loose waves; his beard had grown into an unkempt mess that made him look wild and roguish. He did look older, but then, they had never gotten used to how quickly a mortal aged; Estel seemed to change by the hour.

Estel turned suddenly and froze. Elrohir smiled and let out a strange whimper that pierced the hush, but he remained still and silent, only shifting his gaze downward. The mortal's cheeks burned with a fury, and lit up his face exactly as it had done when he was just a boy.

"Estel?" Elladan began with a shaky murmur.

"Why have you come?"

"You are my brother, why would I not come?"

He glanced up at Elladan for a brief second and he blushed more deeply as he made his way out of the cold river. "Because I have done such wrong. I cannot bear…"

"You were sick, Estel. Legolas understands. We understand. We forgive you." Elrohir replied softly, drawing closer to him.

"I do not! I do not understand my own mind. I cannot trust it… I could turn on any one of you and knife you in your sleep. Does that not frighten you?"

"Yes." He whispered, and pulled him into a fierce, tight embrace and was then immediately pulled into another by his other brother. "That is why we are going to the Grey Mountains; Ada has found something, a dark force that lingers there and drives men to madness. You are not the first, and if we do not destroy it, you will not be the last."

Estel stumbled backward, out of his foster sibling's arms, wide eyed and shaken. "Go back? …no."

"We must, brother. We must find what caused this pain. They must be stopped."

"Find them? You do not find them; they find you. I went back! I went to those forsaken mountains and there was nothing. The whole place was… maddeningly silent. Nothing but goblins and orcs and rocks. I will not go back there." He argued, his voice pained and strangled. "I was glad of it; I do not want them to find me. You are out of your minds."

"There is no other way, Estel."

"No." He uttered. "I cannot."

He turned on the spot and bolted, breaking into a sprint away from the stunned twins. They quickly sped off after him, skipping through the long grass and heading back toward the borders of Mirkwood. Estel moved with startling agility and speed, dodging the trees and leaping over the fallen branches and uneven terrain as if he had passed this way a thousand times.

"I cannot return there!" He cried out as he ducked under a low bough as he moved into the darker, denser parts.

The twins parted and tried to outflank him, but could not match his speed and began to fall behind until eventually they lost sight of him. Estel continued to dart in between the great trunks, his lungs screaming. Glancing back in the rapidly fading light, he turned and began to head in a great circle, trying to make his way back to the river. The light was fading too fast to remain in these woods, they would trap him with ease, but if he could get back to the riverside, he could at least use the moonlight. If it came to it, he would risk the river. Nothing could make him go back there.

Suddenly he lay on the ground, dazed and winded. He had been struck from the side and was left reeling. Legolas came into view, his face angry and suspicious.