Disclaimer: I don’t own the Lord of the Rings.

Part One: Betrayal

‘No one ever really pays for betrayal in silver. The price of any betrayal always comes due in flesh.’

–The Gunslinger, Stephen King

Chapter I: Of Nightmares and Swimming

Estel sat by the window and sighed. He could not go outside. He could not do anything because of the rain. Large silver droplets of water crashed to the ground from the dark storm clouds. The boy only watched with passing interest as he continued to look through the glass in hopes of catching a glimpse of Legolas walking through the courtyard. The elf had promised to come, and Estel was waiting for him. He heard the door open and close and felt his father’s hand on his forehead.

“You should be in bed, Estel. You are not over your cold yet.” The boy scowled and reluctantly trudged over to the bed. Elrond eyed his son, making sure the boy was in bed before retrieving the tea over to Estel and gave him the tea he had laced with a sleeping draught. Estel had to get some sleep, and he was barely resting. “Waiting for Legolas?”

“Yes.”

Elrond nodded. Estel drank the liquid that was in the mug. His eyes grew heavy as his father laid him down and pulled the blankets up to his chin. He was about to leave when Estel called him. “Father, could you wake me up when he arrives?” Elrond smiled.

“Of course, ion nin. I will.” He kissed Estel’s forehead and left as the boy fell asleep. Elrond ambled quietly down the hall and saw Elladan walking up the stairs, Elrohir a few steps behind him. They were discussing something that he chose to ignore as he brushed passed them on the staircase.

“We did that one before, Dan. I say we think of something that he would not expect us to do.” Elladan stared at his twin.

“We would have to act nice to him for once.” Elrohir looked to be in shock, though feigned, before they burst out laughing. Elrond could not resist a smile as he turned back to them.

“Planning to give the Prince of Mirkwood a warm welcome?” Elladan and Elrohir put on mischievous grins as they went to complete their studies. Elrond shook his head as he moved to his study. He opened the door and saw Gandalf sitting by the fireplace, his pointed hat resting on the floor in order to dry. The Lord of Imladris raised an eyebrow.

“Good afternoon, Mithrandir.” The wizard grumbled something along the lines of “hate being wet” and “terrible afternoon is more like it” as he nodded at Elrond.

“I have much to discuss with you, Elrond.”

Legolas drew his cloak closer to his body in order to shut out the rain hammering down on him. He was in a foul mood and the storm he was riding through did little to help it improve. He sighed as his grey dappled horse continued on, swishing his tail in annoyance. The elf patted the steed’s head as they sloshed through the rain and mud.

In the distance, lightning flashed. The area in front of the elf and horse was illuminated, and Legolas narrowed his eyes. He would have to stop until the storm slackened. He did not like that idea but at the moment, he had no other choice. And, he hated caves. That was all that was around him, caves. He took a deep breath and headed to the closest one that was large enough for the horse as well. He found one and checked it out before deeming it safe to rest in until the torrent blew over.

The horse reared back slightly but calmed as Legolas spoke to him. He laid out some food for the steed and leaned back against the wall of the cave. He hoped the storm would slow down soon. He did not want to end up staying here all night. He kept his senses on high alert as he relaxed a little.

Legolas heard the wind howl softly and realized that the rain had stopped. He glanced about outside and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He roused the horse, which had fallen asleep during the six hours they had waited. He led the horse outside and jumped onto his back. Pressing his knees against the steed’s sides, he whispered dulcet words into his ear. He started galloping away, the elf holding onto him tightly as they sped down the slope of the mountain.

Estel saw Legolas backing away from him, the look of hurt and betrayal written clearly on his face. The boy tried to get over to him but the elf’s glare stopped him dead in his tracks. Estel did not understand. He had done nothing to the elf. Still, Legolas only looked at him sharply, incredulously.

“Legolas, I swear I. . .”

“I do not want to hear it, Estel. How could you? I thought you could be trusted. I thought you were different from the other humans. I guess I was wrong.” Legolas was fading away. Estel ran to him but he was no longer there.

“Legolas!” There was no answer. Tears fell down Estel’s cheeks as he searched frantically for his friend. “Legolas!”

Estel bolted upright, sweat beading on his brow as took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Legolas was next to him, the elf’s hands resting on his shoulder. Tears were sliding down Estel’s unusually pale cheeks and his fever seemed to have risen. Elrond stepped into the room and felt his son’s forehead. The Prince of Mirkwood moved aside and felt his heart break when he heard Estel cry out in his delirium.

“Legolas, I swear I didn’t mean to. Please forgive me.” Elrond laid the still panic-stricken boy back on the bed and whispered soothing words until he fell back asleep. He placed a cool cloth on his son’s head and stood up.

“He just needs some rest. He has been ill for the past few days.” Legolas nodded and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He was tired from the long ride to Rivendell and rested his head against the backrest. Estel coughed a few times before moving more underneath the blankets to get warm. Legolas only observed before slowly drifting off to sleep.

“Legolas, are you coming?” The Prince of Mirkwood smiled and jumped down from the tree that he had been sitting in. The fifteen-year-old Estel was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, waiting for the elf to stop playing around. Legolas saw Elladan sneaking up behind Estel, putting a finger to his lips to silence the prince. Estel leapt in the air when his brother laid a hand on his shoulder and spun to glare at the laughing elf.

“You should have seen you face, mellon nin.” Legolas laughed harder at the look of repudiation on the boy’s face.

“That was unfair. You will pay for that, Dan.” The older twin feigned fear as Estel started chasing him around to the river. There was a grunt, a curse, and then a splash as the two brothers fell into the water. Legolas ran toward them but could see neither elf nor human in the water. His worry grew and before he knew it, he was shoved roughly from behind and fell headfirst into the river. He surfaced and came face-to-face with the three brothers holding their sides from laughing so hard. Estel was sitting on the bank, his dark hair flowing in the breeze of the lovely spring day. Elrohir sat next to him, wiping away tears and water from his eyes.

“That was a look that we will never forget, Legolas.” The prince felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to Elladan, who had moved while he was looking at Estel and Elrohir. “The look of utter shock was priceless.”

The two elves climbed out of the water and lay on the grass as they joined the other two. Legolas would have dragged Estel into the river with him and Elladan but the boy had only just recovered from the illness that had him in bed for nearly three weeks. Estel was grinning as he placed his hands behind his head. In a matter of moments, he was asleep.

Elrohir tapped his twin on the shoulder and pointed to Estel. Legolas sat up and watched in silence as the eldest carefully picked up his human brother and headed toward their home, the boy’s head cradled against his shoulder. In that particular instant in time, Estel looked younger that fifteen, a lot younger.

“Come on, Legolas. I guess all that excitement exhausted him.” The prince nodded in agreement as they followed Elladan.

Estel awoke just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. He sat up and stretched, realizing that he was in his bed. He assumed that one of his brothers had carried him home and decided it was time to get up. He pulled on his boots and headed toward the kitchen. Dinner would be served soon and his stomach was telling him that it was time to eat.

“Estel?” The boy turned around and saw Legolas walking up to him. He smiled and waited for the prince. “How long have you been up?”

“I just got up. Dinner should be served soon. Come on.” Anxious to get down there before his brothers ate it all, Estel half dragged the prince down the stairs and through the halls as he made his way to the dining hall. He was too late. His brothers were already down there. However, they did not start eating just yet.

“Estel, Legolas, it is nice of you to join us.” Elrohir was chuckling about something but the boy ignored it. It was safer that way. Legolas sat across from Elladan and Estel took the seat next to him. The twins were discussing something trivial once more before Elrond stepped into the room and sat down with Gandalf at his right-hand side.

“You did not go in the water, did you, Estel?” The boy looked at his surrogate father and shook his head. The twins smirked and started chuckling, remembering the sight of Legolas’ shocked expression from earlier in the day.

“No, Father, he did not go in. Only Elrohir, Legolas and myself were the ones in the water.” Elrond placed his hand carefully in front of his face, hiding his smile. He had to be sure.

“So, Estel, you were the one who pushed me in.” Estel looked innocent, perhaps a little too innocent. Elladan and Elrohir were laughing hard now. Legolas raised a delicate eyebrow and smiled. Estel looked down at his plate and slowly began eating. He was starting to become weary again. Still, he was happy that his illness was gone.

“No, I did not push you in. That was Elrohir.” The younger nearly choked on the piece of bread he was chewing and looked incredulously at his human brother. Legolas turned to him and gave a contrived looked of confusion.

“Oh, no, dear brother, do not accuse me. You know you are guilty.” Estel was flabbergasted at the allegation coming from his brother. To Elladan and Legolas, the entire ordeal was quite humorous. The prince placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Do not worry about it, Estel.” Estel smiled and went back to eating. “I will pay him back later.”

“So, did you run into a ghost crossing the lawn while you were down by the river?” Grey, bushy eyebrows rose questionably but still had the hint of humor as a sly smile passed over Gandalf’s lips. Legolas and Estel looked at each other with uncertainly while Elladan and Elrohir faced each other with a countenance of apprehension and dismay. Both were thinking the same thing.

He knows.

Estel lay on his bed, nonchalantly gazing out of the window. He had opened the curtains so that he could watch the stars and moon as they waltzed through the inky black sky. His eyes were nearly shut when he heard something scratching at the window. He ignored it but it became more persistent. He grudgingly got up and glanced at the window.

He could not stifle the scream that erupted from his lips and realized enough that the “ghosts were his brothers. Legolas bolted into the room and glared at the figures laughing hard outside on the balcony. Estel scowled darkly, his heartbeat returning to normal. He was tempted to lock the twins outside but rationalized that it would be useless. ‘Those two probably have a hidden route if something like that were to happen,’ he thought coldly.

Elrohir took off his costume first as Elladan opened the window. He sat on the bed and wrapped an arm around his younger brother’s shoulder. Elladan slid out of his guise and grinned at Estel.

“That was not funny.” Estel blinked back tears of embarrassment and moved away from his brothers. He turned to Legolas to see if the elf was laughing at him too but the prince’s glare was set on both Elladan and Elrohir. The twins looked at each other and Elladan sat down in the nearest chair.

“Sorry about that, Estel. I guess we wanted to make sure you could handle the stories.” Legolas’ eyes narrowed sharply as he listened to Elladan.

“What do you mean you wanted to make sure I could handle the stories?” Elrohir smiled gently.

“We talked to Father today. He said we could take you on a trip with us. That is, of course, if you want to come with us.” Estel’s eyes grew wide as he glanced from one twin to the other. He did not know what to say. He had never gone on a long trip with his brothers before. His father never really wanted him to go because he usually came home terribly wounded or seriously ill.

“I really can go with you?” His brothers nodded.

“Yes, and Legolas is coming with us too.” Estel looked back at Legolas. The blond elf nodded.

“You will have a good time, Estel.”

“Legolas is right. But, you have to get to bed. We will start planning tomorrow. Good night, my brother.” Elladan hugged his brother as he and Elrohir walked out of the room. Legolas wished him good night as well and left to get some rest of his own.

Estel lay back on his bed and faced the window once more. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face as he thought about all of the things they would be doing while on the trip. Hunting would sure be one of them and he could show Legolas how good he had gotten at archery.

As soon as Estel was asleep, the three elves went into Elrohir’s room, since his room was furthest away from Estel’s room, to discuss what was going to happen. The twins were slightly concerned for their younger brother but Legolas said he would be fine.

“We should not worry so much. We will take good care of him.”

“I hope you are right, mellon nin. We would never be able to forgive ourselves.”

“You forgave yourselves for the stunt you pulled tonight?” The twins looked at each other.

“That was payback, Legolas.”

“Yes. Long story, though.”

“I’d like to hear it.” Elladan nudged Elrohir and both of them kept silent. Legolas smirked and headed for his room. Elrohir grabbed the prince’s shoulder and he and his brother began recounting the tale of why they did what they did. ‘Estel got them good this time,’ Legolas thought with an inward smile. ‘I wonder what he would come up with next.’