Struggling through a foggy daze, Legolas gradually became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on a comfortable bed in a spacious room he had never seen before. Soft sunlight entered and filled the room through large windows. And there was a gentle breeze that made Legolas wonder if he was having his dream with his elusive dark haired lover again. Yet, his clothed body and painful wounds hinted that he was not in a dream but was in fact very wide awake.

Legolas eventually realized that there was a warm presence nearby, which prompted him to summon up the strength necessary to turn his head and find out who was near him.

“Welcome to Rivendell, Prince Legolas.”

The rich, deep voice soothed and calmed Legolas’ senses in ways that he could scarcely begin to comprehend. Yet, he barely made note of this. The only thing his sluggish mind was able to acknowledge was the gloriously long brown hair that was achingly close to him. Forcibly reminded of his dream yet again, Legolas’ body began to react in very inappropriate ways. The hair alone was going to be his downfall. Of course, the rest of the elf was just as beautiful and Legolas prayed that he was not dreaming or hallucinating.

Realizing that a reply was in order, Legolas blunted out exactly what was on his mind, as was his habit: “Am I dreaming?”

The dark elf gave a low, throaty laugh before saying, “Hardly, young Legolas, you are among the living again.”

The look Legolas gave the elf was so full of uncertainty that it prompted the long haired elf to say, “I am Lord Elrond.”

This statement ruined any success Legolas might have had in calming himself and caused him to again goggle at the vision before him. THIS was the Lord of Rivendell? Never had Legolas imagined that the lord of Imladris would be so regal and definitely not as appealing to the eye as he truly was. Legolas had expected Lord Elrond to be more like his father - brash, arrogant and having the look of a fighter, given that he had helped to defeat the Dark Lord. Yet, the passage of a couple thousand years since the defeat demanded that even an elf must change so perhaps in the past Lord Elrond had been more like a warrior.

“And how are you feeling?” Elrond asked once he realized that awe had rendered Legolas speechless.

Giving himself a mental shake, Legolas assessed how he was feeling and found that he was currently feeling very much attracted to Lord Elrond. This was rather surprising for he had never, even in his wildest dreams, imagined that he would be attracted to the Lord of Rivendell. A sudden thought occurred to Legolas; maybe he had imagined it in his dreams, for there certainly were not that many dark haired elves in Middle Earth. But he was not going to let it concern him, he had more important things to worry about, such as replying to Lord Elrond, who had been waiting very patiently for quite some time now.

“Rather sore, milord, and weak as well.”

“That is hardly surprising. You were grievously wounded and lost an alarming amount of blood. If my sons had found you any later than they did, I would not have been able to save you.”

“You healed me, lord?” Legolas asked, again overwhelmed with a sense of awe. That the Lord of Rivendell himself had chosen to heal him and not have a normal healer do it was truly astounding. Legolas felt deeply honored that Lord Elrond would take the trouble to do so.

“Yes, with you being in such a grave state, it was necessary that you received the best of care, which only I could give you. It was imperative that you did not die, for if you had the political situation between Rivendell and Mirkwood would have become even worse than it already is.”

This caused Legolas to laugh and then suddenly gasp and clutch his side as the movement caused pain to shoot through his body. Elrond quickly fetched a cool cloth from a nearby table and placed it on the prince’s forehead as he struggled against the pain.

“Perhaps laughing had not been a good idea,” Legolas said with a weak smile after regaining his composure.

“Indeed, for your serious condition was and is not a laughing matter.”

“You are quite right, milord. Although, I dare say that I could have enjoyed dying for it would have vexed my father greatly. Then again, he might have delighted in being able to get rid of me for good.”

“Do you enjoy aggravating your father?” asked a very surprised Elrond.

“Absolutely,” Legolas said with a huge grin. “Not only is it entertaining for myself but it also prevents my father from becoming a dull and insipid sort of elf.”

“Most peculiar,” Elrond said with a raised eyebrow. “And do you think he knows where you are?”

“He knows I left Mirkwood but not where I was headed. If he did we would be able to hear him yelling and cursing all the way over here,” Legolas said with a smirk. “Maybe I should write him a letter.”

“I would advice against it,” Elrond said, looking a bit perturbed.

“I was not serious; although, you certainly were and I think you really need to lighten up a bit.”

Legolas stared wide-eyed at Lord Elrond. He could not believe he had just said that! Legolas felt his face redden all the way up to the tips of his ears as he realized how rude and disrespectful that had been. Elrond’s shocked expression confirmed for Legolas that he had overstepped boundaries. He may be able to speak that way with his father but certainly not with the Lord of Imladris.

“Yes…well, if you will excuse me, I have some…uh…matters of business that I must attend to. I will have someone come by to check your wounds and bring you a meal. Good day,” Elrond said with a curt nod as he stood up and left the room, perhaps a bit too quickly.

Once the lord was gone, Legolas groaned loudly as he quite literally smacked himself on the forehead. He instantly regretted doing this as his body reminded him that his wounds were still rather serious. Unfortunately for Legolas, the pain was not strong enough to make him forget his mortification over what he had said to Lord Elrond.

How could he have been so thoughtless? He doubted he could blame it on the fact that he had just woken up and was still in quite a bit a pain. So much for making a good impression, now Lord Elrond would feel as much contempt for him as he did for Thranduil. How could he ever possibly face Lord Elrond again after behaving so foolishly?

Burying his face into his pillow, Legolas sighed deeply. It was unlikely that he would be welcome in Rivendell any longer. It looks like he would be going to Lothlorien once he was well enough to travel.

End Part 2

Part 3