Elrond stood at the bottom of the steps trying to ignore the growing feeling of dread in his stomach, he never knew what to say to Thranduil. Not even when he had been a younger prince and certainly not know. "Have you seen him since the war?" He asked Glorfindel, who stood somewhat against his will with his Lord.

"No. Have you?"

He tried not to scowl, "No."

Stepping forward a bit from where he lurked slightly behind them Lindir almost whispered, "Did you hear what happened to his wife?"

"Yes." Glorfindel answered with a wince, "Dreadful."

Stepping forward again Lindir lowered his voice even more, "They say the prince saw everything, that he waited in the bushes until they left her body and stayed the night in a cave alone."

Elrond dared to stray his eyes away from the path where it scanned for any signs of movement, "Who says such things?"

"Messengers."

"You ought to know better than to listen to gossip."

Glorfindel lightly tapped Elrond on the arm in a form of discipline, "Be nice to the boy, I heard the same from some of the warriors escorting the messengers."

The lord's heart twinged at the thought, Prince Legolas was much younger than even his own sons and seeing something like that was not something any elf should see. "Poor thing."

"Being raised by Thranduil alone? And so soon after he gets crowned king? Poor thing indeed." After Elrond shot the much younger elf another glare, Lindir stepped back where he had been before, silent and slightly ashamed.

Elrond would not stand such talk in his home, even if he himself held some of those fears in his heart. Thranduil had never seemed very friendly, or overly caring, and his temper was such that even Gil-Galad had tried to avoid it. At first, Elrond had thought Oropher one of the more difficult elves he had encountered, that is until he met his son.

"When was Celebrian supposed to be back with the boys?" Glorfindel asked because she had sworn up and down she would be back in time for greeting Thranduil when the twins had begged her to come camping with them for a few days.

Elrond sighed, he couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed by her absence, "She will be back early tomorrow morning, so I am told."

"Abandoned by your own wife, painful."

Abandoned because Celebrian always insisted that Thranduil was a kind and caring elf. She had told Elrond many stories of when she used to visit him and Oropher with her father as an elfling, and all the games Thranduil had played and company kept to help keep her entertained.

And then she had gone and thrown him to the proverbial wolves.

It wasn't her fault, exactly, for Thranduil was arriving late into the evening the day before they had planned for him to arrive. But he still felt betrayed.

"Oh valar, here they come."

Glorfindel was correct, obviously, as he was rarely wrong, and soon a group of Elves in horseback could be seen riding towards the bridge from the forest beyond. They had no banners held high, not even a small flag, and their clothing was dark and almost made them appear a moving forest.

In the lead were several vicious looking elves Elrond recognized from the Battle of the Last Alliance but could not recall their names. Just that he had absolutely no intention of meeting any of them anywhere that was not incredibly well lit and public.

To Thranduil's right side in his rightful place (and potentially the only place Elrond had ever seen him) was Galion, leaning over for the king to whisper something in his ear, a wicked grin spreading across his face at whatever was said.

Eventually, they came to a stop, and Thranduil climbed off his horse in one of the most awkward ways Elrond had ever seen in his long life. "Lord Elrond." He greeted, not happily but not unhappily.

"King Thranduil, welcome once again to Imladris."

"Thank you."

And then, half of Thranduil's torso began to move and shift beneath his thick outer robes meant to ward of the early spring chill. Quickly the king adjusted his grip on whatever had come to life and patted it soothingly with the other hand. After just a little more rustling a tiny blond head appeared.

Wide blue eyes that were just a little too big for his head peered in part open curiosity and wary fear. The poor thing looked exhausted, it was far past the bedtime for elflings so small.

Elrond was surprised to see the little prince, it was a long journey for one so young, even by elven standards. But after a moment's thought, with Oropher gone in the war and his wife departed also, there was nobody for Thranduil to leave the elfling with, of course he would bring Legolas.

Thranduil said something to his son in old Silvan words that either Elrond had never known or his brain had forgotten, and then in the more common Elven tongue, "This is Lord Elrond and his friend Lord Glorfindel, we are guests in their home."

Glorfindel was nearly a puddle beside him upon seeing such a cute elfling, he loved kids, and had spent at least half the last century with one twin hanging off each arm.

Usually kids loved him also, but apparently not this elfling.

Legolas continued to stare in silence, and so Galion took it upon himself to speak for him, "He doesn't talk much." He and Thranduil shared an amused glance, "Not to strangers anyway."

Elrohir had been shy when he was young too, but not Elladan. His poor youngest had spent a lifetime being dragged around by a more socially enthusiastic twin. Elrond could relate deeply to this particular hardship.

Glorfindel smiled at Legolas, "I don't much care for strangers either, take your time. But I'm sure you and I will be friends soon"

Legolas looked up at his father, unconvinced. And then, probably against his will, he gave a giant yawn.

"We can show you to your rooms? I'm sure you're all exhausted, we can have food sent up as well." Elrond offered, as a few volunteers stepped forward to serve as guides.

Turning to his king Galion held out his arms, "Would you like me to get him ready?"

"No, I will do it. Go to bed, Galion. I have been listening to you complain since yesterday about how sore you are. I do not care to hear any more of it because if I do, frankly, I might strangle you."

Elrond often wondered at their relationship, sometimes he wondered if they even liked one another. Somebody, perhaps Celebrian, had told him that Galion had left his family in Lindon to follow Thranduil and his father.

Galion gave a small bow, "As you wish."

And then the company of visitors was dispersing, leaving the king and his son alone with their hosts.

Thankfully for Elrond, Glorfindel took it upon himself to be the gracious one. "Come, I will show you the way. We did not expect you to bring Legolas, foolish of us, but we can have another bed brought in for him."

Elrond stood perfectly still while they walked away, waiting for it to be over.

Thranduil voice drifted back to him, "No, that won't be necessary."

…..

The next morning there was still the painful absence where Celebrian ought to be when Elrond went to breakfast. He did so at a purposefully dreadful hour in hopes of avoiding Thranduil, only to find him and his young son halfway through their own breakfast.

In a completely empty dining hall.

Legolas' small but cheerful voice died away suddenly the moment Elrond stepped into the room. He was sitting on his knees in order to be tall enough in his chair to reach the plate, which was filled entirely with fruit. Although, Elrond had watched Thranduil give his son a forkful of eggs from his own plate when he had opened the door.

"Good morning, I'm sorry to interrupt," Elrond said politely when Thranduil also turned to look at him, putting an end to his brief but tempting thought to sprint away from the room.

"You are the Lord of this valley and this is your home, nothing you do is technically an interruption. Regardless, it was not an interruption had you been somebody else." Thranduil looked away, tilting his head down so that Legolas could whisper something in his ear.

"He is still sleeping, little leaf." Then, to Elrond, he added, "You are welcome to join us if you wish."

"Is that alright with you, Legolas?" It seemed right to ask for permission from the elfling, who was now crunching silently on a strawberry.

He looked up to his father who only shrugged at his young son, "It is up to you, Lord Elrond will not be angry if your answer is no."

Legolas looked him up and down with the kind of scrutiny he could have only gotten through genetics, and then he nodded.

Elrond sat as someone appeared from one of the tunnels leading to the kitchen to ask what he would like to eat since breakfast had yet to be served. The footsteps echoed in the empty space as the elf came and went; since he hadn't thought of something to say yet. His instincts told him that he ought to express his condolences for their loss, that's what one would normally do, but Thranduil had never been normal. And the two of them had never been close.

Of course, Thranduil didn't offer any conversation starters of his own and Elrond was left to wallow the in slight awkwardness. Lindir had once suggested that the king drew power from other people's discomfort, sometimes Elrond was inclined to agree.

Legolas thoughtfully watched him as he waited for his father to peel an orange for him, "Are you going to bring up the bad night? Because it makes Ada very sad, and I would rather you did not do that."

"Legolas, that is rude." Thranduil scolded, but Elrond could see him plainly suppressing a smile.

"I'm sorry Ada." Legolas didn't look very sorry, but Elrond could not blame him. Already it was plain to see he would grow to be a formidable elf, the likes of which Oropher would have been proud to call a Grandson.

"No, I was not."

"Oh." Legolas thought about it for a moment, "That's good then."

It turned his stomach to think of the child witnessing the death of his mother. Was it not enough that Thranduil had been by his father's side at his end, too. "Yes." Elrond agreed, "I think so too. But now that we are on the subject, is there other topics I should avoid?"

Again, the elfling gave him a scrutinizing expression and then said in the most serious voice Elrond was fairly certain he had ever heard come out of one so small, "Moths."

"Moths?"

Legolas nodded once and accepted a piece of orange into his hand, "Moths."

Thranduil, once again struggling to keep his smile under wraps elaborated, "There was a slight mishap last summer, a large M-"

"Huge, Ada. It was huge." Legolas corrected, the first person Elrond had ever seen interrupt Thranduil without receiving a glare strong enough it could skin you without a knife.

"A huge moth got tangled in his hair." Thranduil amended smoothly, "Galion had to cut it out before either creature was badly hurt." Legolas shuddered slightly on the bench next to his father, reliving the apparent scaring experience, and pressed his face into his father's side as if that might hide him from the memory.

Thranduil soothingly ran his hands through Legolas hair with the arm the elfling was not holding onto and kissed his head. The simple affectionate gesture shocked Elrond, though it was likely he would not admit it to anyone except Celebrian, personally speaking, Elrond was fairly certain this was the first open act of affection he had ever seen Thranduil preform.

It was odd how naturally it seemed to come.

"But that troubling time is in the past now and while sometimes its okay to think about it, it is best to leave it in the past so it cannot harm us now. Correct, little leaf?"

Legolas unburied his face to look at his father again and gave an impossible bright smile, "Yes."

Apparently unable to resist such an open and light expression Thranduil finally allowed his own smile to bloom, and he kissed Legolas' head again.

"Good." After Legaols had resumed picking pieces of egg off his father's plate Thranduil turned his attention once more to Elrond.

For lack of conversation topics Elrond somewhat awkwardly blurted out, "Celebrian should be returning home today."

"Yes, Glorfindel told me last night."

This was going to be a very long breakfast.

"Elladan and Elrohir managed to convince her to go into the wilds with them for a few days."

"From what I can remember, convincing her to go on any trip anywhere was never a difficult task."

In Elrond's humble opinion, she could not get back fast enough. Luckily for him, Legolas began to squirm in his seat, ignoring the rest of the uneaten food on his plate. "Can we go play outside now? You said we could after I ate."

Again Thranduil smiled, for perhaps the ninth time Elrond had ever seen, ever, in his life, "If you excuse me, it appears I am needed elsewhere."

Incredibly pleased, Legolas slid from the bench and began to nearly skip circles around his father as they both made for the exit.

…...

True to her word, Celebrian, Elladan and Elrohir returned early that morning, long before any visiting elves would arrive.

Had they not arrived the night before, of course.

Elrond met them at the main entrance and was immediately bombarded by the enthusiastic and sometimes too-identical twins.

"Ada!"

"Guess what we found!"

"It was amazing!"

"And so much fun!"

"We found a new waterfall-"

"That formed because of a spring rockslide-"

"But behind it was a cave we hand't-"

"Been able to see before."

Whenever they were like this, Elrond always felt a slight pang of guilt for Maglor and Meadhros for having to deal with raising not one but two sets of twins during their lifetime.

"Nana said we could all go in-"

Elrond glanced briefly to his wifes somewhat guilty face, and then resumed trying to tell which twin was which.

"If we were careful."

"Which we were."

"After a while of exploring-"

"We found these!"

And then they both held out one particular herb Elrond liked to use in his tea's whenever his foresight began to pain him. He had been meaning to go out and get some since his last two attempts had been unsuccessful but had yet to actually manage it yet.

"That is very good news, thank you! Do you remember how to properly dry it?"

"Yes Ada," They answered together and scrambled off.

They were getting good enough that Elrond had begun to trust trust them with herbs and mixing remedies with, and they were always eager to demonstrate that his trust had not been misplaced.

Celebrain came over and melted into his side, kissing him softly and lovingly on the lips. "See, I told you I would return before Thranduil got here."

Unsatisfied, he leaned in for another kiss before resting his forehead on her shoulder miserably, "You would have been, my love, had he not arrived last night."

She tried to keep the laughter out of her voice as she said a sympathetic, "Oh, you poor dear."

She threaded her fingers into the hairs on the back of his neck and rubbed where his headaches usually began.

"It is not quite as bad as I thought, thankfully, he has brought his son." He sighed in contentment as she worked out a knock he hadn't yet noticed, "I have never seen him like this."

"So you are finally seeing the elf that I told you he was." She kissed his head and pushed him upright, "He is a deeply kind and loving elf. If he likes you."

"So he just hates me, then." Elrond could live with that.

"He doesn't know you. And you haven't exactly made an effort to fix that."

"Well, neither has he." He was fully aware how childish he sounded and tried not to smile when his beloved wife rolled her eyes at him. "Come, I will take you to him."

Celebrian cheerfully slid her arm around him, excited to be seeing an old friend again.

…..

He heard Legolas' shrieks of laughter long before they were even close to the garden, and arrived to find Thranduil holding his son upside down and tickling him without an ounce of mercy.

They appeared to have had a busy morning, as both were soaking wet and there were two muddy handprints on either side of Thranduil's face.

Elrond could not believe what he was seeing. He snuck a glance to the side to see if Celebrian was as surprised as he was.

She wasn't.

Sensing they were no longer alone, Thranduil finally gave up the assault on his son and looked up, and looked very pleasantly surprised. "Celebrian!"

"Thranduil!" Apparently not caring that his face was not the only thing covered in mud Celebrian rushed over to give him an excited and merry embrace; Thranduil kissed her cheek and briefly lifted her from her feet. "It's so good to finally see you again!"

"And you." He set her back on the ground and the two split apart, Legolas came to stand behind his father for protection from this new elf and pressed himself into Thranduil's leg. Automatically, Thranduil dropped a hand to rest on Legolas' head in comfort. "How was your camping trip?"

"Fantastic, thank you." She turned her attention to the little prince, and crouched down to his height, "Hello. I am Celebrian."

"Hello." Legolas said in a tiny voice.

Taking pity on his shy elfling Thranduil added, "This is my son, Legolas."

"Hello Legolas, that is a very nice name. Are you the one that covered your father in mud?"

Legolas gave a small smile and nodded sheepishly.

"You did a very good job if it, I personally think it's a great improvement to how he usually looks."

"Well, pardon me." Thranduil muttered, pressing a hand against his heart in offense.

Celebrian's eyes twinkled, "But there's always room for more improvement." And before Thranduil had a chance to react, she scooped up a mound of mud from the bank of the pond and dropped it onto his head.

Thranduil blinked at her twice, "You are a rotten elfling." Easily, before she managed to scramble away in time he easily grabbed her by the waste and tossed her into the deep end of the pool. "Get her, Legolas!"

Obedinalty, Legolas helped his father splash her as she attempted to defend herself against the tidal waves. Elrond continued to stare in disbelief, he felt Glorfindel approach. His friend came to stand next to him and Elrond glanced to the side to see if he looked just as surprised.

He did.

"Huh." Was all Glorfindel managed.

"I know."

"Interesting."

"Very."

"Who would have guessed."

"Not I."

….