Hello Readers,

This is turning into a series of dribbles now… Here is Legolas saying goodbye to his younger sister, Mîreth. She is the youngest, barely ten and was bitten by a spider in an accident in the forest. So, she did not get to go to the party for her brother. Legolas went to her room before he left...

This is written for the most part by my sis, MorfindelthePhysicist! Cause she is awesome! I edited it here and there. We were eating copious amounts of chocolate when this was scribed and listening to soundtracks, hence the influence of The Call from Prince Caspian.

Enjoy!

L'Chaim… Philosophie87

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before
All you can do is try to know who your friends are
As you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye.

The Call, Regina Specktor

The door to the bedroom was closed, so Legolas tapped softly. One of the healers opened to him and he stepped inside, glancing toward the small figure under the covers.

"Is she asleep?" he asked the nurse quietly. She shook her head. "I just need a few minutes to say goodbye."

The woman bowed slightly and left the room, closing the door behind her. The crowned prince approached the bed where his little sister lay. Sitting down carefully next to her, he bent to kiss her forehead.

She had been staring at the wall opposite the door and now turned her head back to fix her gaze on him. Legolas smiled and stroked her burning cheek. "How is my little warrior-maiden faring?" he asked, his fingers lingering on her face. He avoided looking at her swollen arm, instead meeting her eyes and trying to find the glimmer of laughter that usually danced within them.

"My elbow feels heavy," she whispered. "And I'm very cold. Colder than the time I fell in the icy river." Her breathing was shallow.

"I remember that," he answered, winking. "You almost turned into an icicle!"

Mîreth's eyes seemed to be holding on to him, since she could not physically reach out. "But you saved me, Legolas. You jumped in after me and saved me."

"Yes, I did," was the response. "And then I was freezing cold as well! We would have been two little ice-elves if Nana and Ada had not helped us get warm in time." He tickled her gently under the chin and she finally giggled. "There's a smile," he said, his heart leaping. She had not smiled very often lately.

"We would have been one big ice-elf and one little one," she corrected, the twinkle remaining in her eyes. "You are not small, silly brother."

Legolas stopped smiling and pretended to be shocked. "Are you calling me fat?" he asked, with an offended air.

She giggled again and nodded. He sighed and shook his head. "I shall have to stop eating too much pie," he said ruefully.

The sad look came back. "Was there pie at the party?" Mîreth asked, remembering where her brother was going.

"There were berry tarts," affirmed the prince. Mîreth's eyes brightened a little, in the hopes that he had brought her one. "But I am afraid that Feruin ate them all with the help of Galad and Car." The elfling's face fell at the mention that her nephew and brothers had consumed all the treats.

His heart breaking for her, Legolas hid his own pain and kissed her again, striving to change the subject. He only wanted to see her smile. "You will be well again when I return," he tried to be encouraging. "And your brothers will have killed all the spiders so they will not bite you again." He stroked her hair.

"I want you to stay here," her voice had dropped back down to a whisper. Her lips trembled as she tried bravely not to cry. "I will miss you so much."

"Oh, sweetling, I will miss you like I miss the stars on a cloudy night," Legolas told her.

She looked at him for a long moment. "The stars, Las, I have not seen them for more than a week." Her eyes were big and pleading. "They won't let me go out."

Legolas came to a decision in that moment. "Then we will have to be careful that they do not catch us," he told her. Mîreth looked confused. Her brother lifted her in his arms, blankets and all, and wrapped her securely against the cold. He smiled down at her conspiratorially. "Don't make a sound," he whispered, "and don't tell anyone about this!"

Her eyes lit up in response and she silently shook her head. Legolas carefully opened the door and glanced out to make sure no one was watching. The coast was clear, so the prince, carrying the princess, quietly made his way through the halls to his parents' private door. When they reached the entrance to the king and queen's garden, he freed his right hand and undid the latch. Pushing the door outwards, he brought his sister outside, praying that the sky was clear that night.

The siblings were not disappointed: stars glittered like diamonds in the deep blue sky overhead. When he reached a clear spot, Legolas sat down with Mîreth in his lap, supporting her head against his chest and tilting her so she could look up without straining her neck. The child was still feverish, but she began to take slower, deeper breaths as she gazed at the constellations. The light in her eyes began to match the gleam of the stars set deep in the heavens. Legolas smiled as he watched her.

"There are no words to say how beautiful this is," murmured Mîreth, her gaze fixed on the sky. "I thought I would die without ever seeing stars again."

Legolas held her tightly. "I would never let that happen, my dear," he whispered, "and you are not going to die. The healers say you will be better soon." But he could understand how she had felt, trapped inside and in great pain, feeling that the illness could only end one way. The elfling needed fresh air and starlight to rouse her will to heal. He pressed his lips against her head.

"Mîreth," he said, "I am going to save the stars. If I do not, the clouds will cover the sky forever and darkness will swallow even the sun. You know this, don't you?"

She took her eyes from the heavens and looked up at him. She was clutching her stuffed rabbit, Helvui, with her uninjured hand. "You will save them," she said, quietly. "I know you will save them, just like you always save me." Her gaze showed her confidence in his ability to rescue all things good and beautiful in Middle Earth.

"I can save anything if you are here believing in me," Legolas murmured, his eyes meeting hers in an exchange of deep love.

She smiled again. He bent to kiss her cheek and she kissed him when his face was near enough. "Just come back, Legolas."

"I will, tithen mîr nin (my little jewel). I promise. I will come back when it's over. No need to say good bye."

The two sat and watched the stars wheel overhead, oblivious to the passage of time. Mîreth finally fell asleep. When Legolas saw that she had drifted off, he carried her back to her bedroom. He wondered if frantic searches had been going on but did not really care.

The queen was waiting in Mîreth's room for them, sitting on the bed. "I had a feeling you had stolen her," Gíl-wen said, standing up to let Legolas set her daughter down. He did so with infinite tenderness and kissed Mîreth one more time before letting his mother arrange the bedclothes. Gíl-wen then stepped back and slipped an arm around her son. Legolas reciprocated the gesture.

"Nana," he began, "when I leave, would you please make sure someone takes her out every night to see the stars? No matter what the healers say. She needs to get out."

She tightened her hold on him. "I will do that," she promised. "You can count on it."

Legolas bent and kissed her. "And I will make sure that there are stars for her to see." Or die trying, he added in his head.