Summery: When Legolas suspects an advisor of attempting to poison the king, the advisor gets revenge, and quickly. By the convincing of the advisor, Thranduil is soon convinced that his son is a 'problem child' and should be kept quiet. Legolas is left to deal with his problems alone; will he ever gain back the father he once knew?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the advisor…long live evil advisors! XP just kidding. But really…Mandir is mine, so please don't steal him! Thank you.

Chapter One

"Honest Ada, I never meant to…" I began, only to be harshly cut off.

"Silence!" Ada barked. Then his face cleared of its anger and all that was left was bitter disappointment, somehow, this was worse then his anger. "I don't want to hear that you stole Mandir's knives again." He said in a quieter tone.

I tried again. "Ada I didn't steal them, I just wanted to…" But yet again I was interrupted.

"No! No, Legolas… I want you to stay here, and think about your punishment." He stormed out, forgetting to close the door. Jumping to my feet, I crossed the room in a single bound and slammed the door. I knew that would get me in further trouble, but I didn't care. As a 1000-year-old Elf, I was supposed to be considered a man, not an elfling, yet my father always seemed to forget that fact. "But I didn't do anything, I always get blamed…I hate Mandir." I grumbled. Ada and I were almost always in a fight, in someway or another. I remember yet another time when we'd had a fight all most like the one we'd fought only moments before….

//Flash back.//

"I- I didn't mean to…" I had whimpered, tears blurring my vision as Ada closed the door behind him. Throwing myself on the bed, I hit the pillow as hard as I could, trying to get rid of the anger that was making my life miserable. I wished I was old enough to ride those war horses that my friend Rothen and Eladar were so proud of. Burying my face into the pillow, I growled like a wounded animal, envying my older friends. They got to ride those horses, why couldn't I? Ada was so unfair. I was 300, old enough to train as a warrior, why wouldn't Ada allow me to?

He had caught me trying to ride one of the battle horses, the girth hadn't been tightened enough, my small arms hadn't the strength to do so. The saddle had flopped from side to side; barely staying seated, I had managed to go halfway around the courtyard before Ada's servants 'informed' him of what his troublesome son was up to. The rest had been a blur; Ada had bustled into the courtyard, ordered me off the horse and, after a sound swat on the backside, sent me to my room.

Soon my pillow had a small wet spot where my tears had fallen. Sitting up, I grabbed up a feather pen and a sheet of paper off of my desk. I sat back down on my bed, leaning against the soft pillows. In my sloppy, hardly readable handwriting, I scribbled down my thoughts and feelings, venting my anger against Ada, against the world. When the paper was filled with my writing, I immediately picked up another, and succeeded in filling that one too, before my chin rested on my chest, and I slipped into dark oblivion.

//End of Flashback//

I sighed and stood in the middle of the room. My heart burned and froze at the same time with the anger I felt against my father. Remembering the way I had dealt with my anger before, I picked up the familiar feather pen and the smooth paper from my bedside desk. I had a strong desire to write, to pin down my feelings and force them out where I could see them instead of them flashing around in my head, taunting me with the fact that I couldn't understand my own feelings.

Yet another fight with Ada today. Does he never give up?

I scribbled. Tipping my head to one side, I realized that my handwriting hadn't improved much, still wispy and spidery, Ada hated it; maybe that was why it never improved. Maybe I never improved because I wanted to vex him… I smirked mirthlessly; everything I did seemed to annoy Ada.

He blamed me for stealing Mandir's knives. But I didn't! Mandir is always so careless, he probably misplaced them himself. Ada and Mandir know how much I want for knives like those, but I didn't steal them! Mandir doesn't like me to begin with.

Mandir was my father's advisor. Ever since my older brother, Orophear, had died in a hunting party 600 years ago, and I had been named heir to the throne, Mandir had held a bitter resentment towards me. My older brother always told me that Mandir wanted the throne, but I didn't believe him, not until after his death.

Mandir might have even hid the knives just to blame me; he's forever trying to shift the blame of something onto me. And Ada always believes him; Ada never finds any fault with Mandir. It makes me sick; Ada can't see what a viper that advisor is, and whenever I try to tell him my concerns about Mandir, he brushes me aside as if I were a pesky fly buzzing in his ear. It aggravates me so! I hate Mandir!

My hand was moving so fast now, and shaking, that the pen slipped in my grasp. A large black slash of ink swept across the page. I sucked in a large breath of air, grinding my teeth together. Calm down… I thought. Setting the paper aside, I stood up and walked to my window. Staring out at the courtyard below, I leaned on the windowsill, resting my chin on my crossed arms.

Wait, what was that? Craning my neck, I peered down at a corner of the courtyard, narrowing my eyes. Someone was down there, Mandir! My heart began to race in my chest, beating like a captive bird. I watched with a sick feeling as Mandir snuck over to the wall that surrounded courtyard and began to poke around the bricks. My heart jumped up in my throat, even though I knew what he was doing, my eyes refused to believe it. Mandir pulled out a loose brick and reached into the empty space. Out came two leather scabbards, the ones that held Mandir's knives, those beautiful, ivory handled knives.

I wanted to scream; I knew I hadn't stolen them! Mandir had those knives the whole time! I hate Mandir! Growling under my breath, I pulled the silk curtains over the window, I thought I saw Mandir look up at me, but I wasn't sure.

Looking around the room, I wondered if there was any other way I could vent my anger. I spotted my training knife on my desk and grabbed it up. Training always helped me calm down.

As I went through one of my older routines, I thought of how often I trained. I was really good now, and could hit a target blindfolded. I smiled grimly, moving my knife with lightening fast speed, switching the knife from one hand to the next in movements that the eye could barely see. Suddenly, in mid-strike, my hand lost its grip on the knife, and the knife went spinning through the air. I reached out to catch it by the handle, but my groping hands missed, and the knife hit my lower arm with a sickening thock!

Blood welled instantly from the slash. I gasped at the fiery pain that shot up my arm, and my hand began to shake. Leaving the knife lying on the floor, I rushed into the bathroom for bandages. The bathroom door swung halfway shut behind me, but I didn't care, I didn't have time to shut it all the way. Blood dripped off my arm, hitting the floor with quiet drops. Grabbing up a towel, I wrapped it tightly around my arm, which was starting to feel tingly from loss of blood. I began to dig around in the bathroom cabinets for the bandage wraps. Finally, I pulled them out; my hands shook so badly that I could barely get them around my arm. At the sound of a quiet click, I whirled around, there stood Ada, and of course, Mandir. I thought I had felt someone watching me. I hate Mandir. "A-Ada…" I gasped.

My father's face was sad, and hurt. "Legolas, what are you doing?"

I groped for the right words, even lies. It's not what it looks like…I was training and my knife slipped…I have had this habit for a long time and you were too blind to see it…I just started, it's not too late…I considered all the possibilities. None of them worked.

Ada started again. "Mandir came and told me that you were in your room brooding, and I thought I had been too hard on you. So I come here to talk with you and tell you I'm sorry but instead I find you…" He trailed off, hurt and confusion evident on his face.

"Ada I, I'm not, I mean, I haven't been." I stopped babbling and pressed my lips together tightly. Let him think what he wanted to think, if Mandir had told him about me already, then nothing I could say or do would change his mind.

"Legolas, I'm disappointed with you." He started but this time, I cut him off.

"Yeah, what else is new?"

He looked taken aback. "What do you mean?" He demanded as I tried to push past him and Mandir. He grabbed my arms and I winced as he touched my cut. He loosened his hold a bit, but refused to let go. This angered me like nothing else.

I stuck my face in his, so close our noses almost touched and hissed. "I mean that everything I do seems to 'disappoint' you. Well I'm sorry I'm so disappointing! If I'm such a lousy son, then why do you even want me here?" I held his gaze for a moment before storming away.

Mandir had ratted on me, I hate him. I really hate him. Have I mentioned how much I hate him?

End of Chapter:

Hope you enjoyed reading my usless prattling, thank for reading and remeber to review on your way out. :o)