Legolas' POV

The elleth, her name is Inwë, she reminds me of someone. But I cannot remember who or why she does.

She spends everyday with me, she is the only one I trust to be alone with. The elf, Thalion, she says that I am his younger brother.

I ask her to tell me more about him, and I try to remember him. Did I look up to him the way she says I did?

Were we as close as she says we were?
What about our parents? I have a mother and father don't I?
I ask her and she hesistates before answering.

I wish I had never asked....

»»»»

They were sitting alone in Legolas' room. The window was opened allowing a soft, summer breeze to come in.

Legolas' hair blew gently in the wind, Inwë sat beside him on his bed.

"Inwë, do I have parents?"
Legolas asked gazing out the window.
"What do you mean?"
Inwë took his hand into hers and held it. He squeezed it tightly, a habbit he had formed whenever she held his hand.

It comforted him somehow, and helped him remember things.
"You have a father, Thranduil."
She paused and allowed Legolas to take in his words.

She would let him try and remember whatever he could about whoever it was she told him about, and then she would fill him in on the parts he missed.

"Thranduil..."
Legolas' brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to remember.
"He is the king, Thalion and I are his sons."

Inwë smiled.
"Yes. He is the King of Mirkwood, and you and Thalion are his
sons."
"That means, I am a prince?"
"Yes."
"I am the heir to the throne?"

Inwë shook her head.
"No, Thalion is. He is your older brother remember?"
Legolas processed this new information.
"Thalion and I are the sons of Thranduil, who is the King of Mirkwood, and Thalion is older than I am. So he is next in line for the throne."

Inwë smiled brightly.
This was the most progress she had made in one day with Legolas. Perhaps it had helped that she had told him about Thalion first.

"They were mad at me..."
Legolas said suddenly.
Inwë looked at him curiously.
"What did you say Legolas?"
"Thranduil and Thalion, they were both mad at me. There was something I did that angered them."

Inwë had no idea what he meant. "What could you have done to make them angry?"
"I went somewhere I should not have gone."
Legolas stared straight ahead, his eyes unfocused as he spoke.

"There was fighting, and Thalion was there. He was shouting at me, telling me to leave, he shoved me onto the ground."

Inwë shifted uncomfortably as she listened, his story sounded familiar.

"We went back to the palace, Thranduil was there, he was angry with me and-"

Legolas paused and shook his head. He couldn't remember anything else. Turning to Inwë he waited for her to enlighten him.

"Thalion had gone to the border with the Forest Guard. You had followed them and you were all attacked by spiders."

Legolas nodded slowly as he recalled a faded image of him battling against the spiders.

"But why was Thalion angry with me?"
"You were not supposed to be there Legolas. You followed them against your father's will."
"Was I punished?"

Inwë bit the inside of her cheek before as she struggled to find out how to answer.

That event had happened too close to when Legolas had been captured, Elrond had told her not to mention anything about his captivity until he was better.

"I do not know, I was not there at the time."
"Where were you?"
"With Thalion."
"Where was Thalion?"

Inwë hesitated again.
She needed to steer Legolas away from this conversation.
"I never told you about your mother."
She worried that Legolas would suspect that she was trying to hide something, but he seemed to forget her question immediately.

"You have not. Where is she? What is her name?"
Inwë realized that she had made another mistake. Thranduil had forbid anyone from speaking about the late queen, but Legolas needed to remember.

"She used to be beautiful, everyone loved her and she cared for everyone in the kingdom. She loved your father and her your brother, and especially you."

"Where is she now? And why do you not mention her name?"
Inwë bowed her head in grief.
"She died a long time ago Legolas. Your father forbids anyone from speaking her
name."

She watched Legolas' reaction. First he blinked, then he released her hand. He seemed lost, and very troubled as he fought to remember something about his mother.

"Why can I not remember anything about her? I remembered things about Thalion and Thranduil."

"You never had a memory of her Legolas."
Inwë told him sadly.
"You were very young when she died, too young to remember her."

Legolas closed his eyes and tried to ignore what she said.
He had to remember her, he needed to remember her.

Why couldn't he remember anything about-

They were walking together in the forest, orcs came out of nowhere. They attacked them and he watched helplessly as they killed her.

He screamed as they took him away, they were going to bring him to their master.
To Sauron....

Legolas began to tremble, Inwë watched him fearfully.
"Legolas?"

They had always been hunting him, ever since he was a child.

"Legolas!"

It hadn't been by accident, he hadn't stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time, they had been waiting for him.

"Legolas! Please listen to me!"

He would have never been able to escape it, his fate had been sealed from the day he had been born.

"LEGOLAS!"

He snapped out of his thoughts and realzied that he was now standing. Inwë was backed up against a wall, looking at him in fear.

What had he done?

He returned to his bed and sat down.
"I need to be alone."
He said flatly.
Inwë gazed at him warily as she made her way towards the door.

Legolas didn't care that she had left; all that he cared about now was that he remembered everything.

And he had never been more afraid.