"My lord?"

"What is it now? Is the sky falling?" Thranduil sat up in bed. It was early morning, much earlier then he had wanted to wake up.

"Lord Katar has just arrived, my lord," said Harune.

Thranduil bolted out of bed, throwing on a crimson robe, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, and saying, "Finally! Aha! Tell the cooks to prepare a sumptuous feast with plenty of the strongest wines available in my stores!"

"Yes, my lord. Are you sure you want to wear red today?"

"Yes, yes. Where did I put my rubies and sapphires? And get me some red flowers for my crown."

"Yes, my lord," said Harune and departed.

Thranduil put on his rubies and sapphires and went to Legolas's room. Legolas sat up in bed when he saw his father and yawned, "Good morning, adar."

"Good morning, little leaf," said Thranduil. "Lord Katar has just arrived at the palace to take you home with him. But I—"

"No! Make him go away! I hate him! Please do not let him take me away from you again!" Legolas pleaded, casting himself into his father's lap.

"I would not let Lord Katar take you over my dead body," Thranduil said firmly. "You need not worry; Lord Katar is not going to hurt you. Lord Katar is going to admit to abusing you and be cast into the fires of hell."

"He will never admit to what he did to me," Legolas said miserably, nuzzling into his father's chest. "He will just say I was bruised and beat up by strangers on my way to you."

"This time he will admit to what he did, Legolas, trust me."

"Why? Are you going to beat him up? Is that why you are wearing red? So the blood does not show?"

"Violence is not my way, little leaf."

"Okay. What do I have to do to help?"

"Put on your red robes and attend a dinner party," said Thranduil.

The dinner party was held outside the palace in a sunny grove. The table was set low to the ground and all the guests sat on comfortable pillows on the ground. Thranduil sat at the head of the table with Legolas beside him and Lord Katar to his right, away from Legolas.

Lord Katar was a black haired, grim-looking man. Lord Katar's escort and some of the Mirkwood elves filled the rest of the seats at the table. Elves vigilantly kept an eye over the needs of the diners, taking away empty plates and refilling wine cups.

Lord Katar drank a tremendous amount of wine. He was prone to drink lots of any good wine and Thranduil had whipped out his finest barrels of red wine. Thranduil had also challenged Lord Katar to a drinking competition, which Thranduil seemed to be winning. The elven king drank cup after cup of wine without getting drunk or suffering any ill effects while Lord Katar, on the other hand, grew drunker and drunker. The reality of Thranduil's unquenchable thirst was simple. He pretended to drink all the wine in his cup before he passed the cup to Legolas, who emptied the wine out under the table, and passed the empty cup on to Harune to be refilled.

Lord Katar downed his cup of wine and threw it at Legolas's head. He staggered to his feet, laughing, "You wretched little rat, Leggy! Ran away from me, eh? When I get my hands on you, I am going to break every  bone in your measly little body!"

Legolas ducked the wine cup and held tight to his father's hand under the table. Thranduil wrapped an arm around him and squeezed him around the waist.

"Someone once said elves were born above men and we poor mortals could never hurt them," Lord Katar continued, grabbing a bottle of wine from the table and slurping on it. "But I proved that lying sea scum wrong! Haha! You shoulda seen his face when I shoved Legolas's wretched little face in his and showed him how much I could hurt a bloody, little elf! Hahahahaha! Every punch was worth savoring! Elflings can scream and beg real well! Miserable little rotter, that Leggy! When we get home, Legolas, I am going to beat the crap outta you! Jus' you wait and see! 'Fact, why not do it here and now? C'mere, you worm! You ain't felt nothing to what I am going to do to ya!"

Lord Katar threw himself at Legolas but Thranduil whisked his little leaf to safety.

"Get out of my way!" Lord Katar swung a clumsy punch at Thranduil. "Let go of that kid! He is mine! Mine! An' I can do whatever the mordor I please to him! Haha! I am the greatest! I can hurt bloody immortal elves! Come to daddy for yer beating, Leggy! You get  over here now!"

"I reclaimed my blood," Thranduil said coldly. "And the valar approved. Legolas is my son and he always will be."

"Hahahahaha! You are joking, right?" Lord Katar sneered, trying to grab Legolas and hit him with the wine bottle.

"No," said Thranduil. "Get out of my kingdom or my archers will kill you and all your foul servants!"

lord Katar tripped over his feet and fell to the ground, laughing horribly, "You little rat, Leggy! Wait 'till I get ya!"

Thranduil turned on his heel, signaling to his archers hidden in the trees. "Give the humans five minutes to leave. Kill whoever dares to remain!" Taking Legolas by the hand, Thranduil strode away.

Lord Katar's men took their broken king and fled the Mirkwood, never to be seen again.

"That man was horrible!" Thranduil thought. "My poor son must have suffered more then his bruises tell!" He looked down at Legolas and gasped.

Legolas looked up at Thranduil worriedly. "What is it, adar? I remembered to comb my hair."

"You have spilt wine all down the side of your robe; it is ruined!" Thranduil exclaimed. "All that fine cloth; wasted!"

Legolas looked at the ground with a smile tugging his lips. "Oh. I guess I did spill a little when I was emptying out your wine cup. I am sorry, adar."

Thranduil sighed and shoved his hair out of his face again. It was all part of being a father, right? He pulled his crown out of his hair and popped it onto Legolas's head. "Never mind, little leaf. What is a little wine spilt here and there?"

Legolas smiled happily and hugged his adar tightly. "I love you, ada!"

"I love you to, my lord," Thranduil teased.

Legolas felt the oversized crown on his head and grinned. "My first order is: play with me!"

"Yes, my lord," said Thranduil and he chased his son through the forest.