A/n: Oh my holy God. Is it... a bird? A- a plane?! NO, IT'S AN UPDATE!!!! THE FIC LIIIIVES!

pant Right then. Mates, I am officially up to my earlobes in schoolwork. I am in High School (capital s and h) and We Do Not Play Around In High School. Or Write In our Free Time, Because Free Time is when They Feed Us and Let Us Sleep. Heh. It's an all-girls school, very nice. I quite like it, myself. I love it here. It's just... it's eaten my life alive.

Chapter Whatever: Fatherly Look

Thranduil spent a few minutes slowly sipping his broth, eyebrows in their usual scowl. He set the mug to one side, and paused deeply for yet another five minutes. By this time, Legolas had begun to fidget and twiddle with the hem of his spidersilk duster. It was a ruffly, flambuoyant outfit made in pale lavendar and grey; underneath was a white flax shift, and under that he was wearing a pair of ribboned lavendar stockings. His choker was silver, inlaid with ebony. Needless to say it wasn't exactly sensible, but Legolas didn't really care. He might as well enjoy himself if he had to wear dresses.

"Legala," Thranduil said solemnly. "You have been operating under the assumption that the Lady Galadriel- may the Valar curse her- has been truthful with us. Use your head, child. Why would she want to appear as though she needed our aid?"

"To... use our aid for her own reasons," Legolas said, eyes wide and lips thin. "But how-"

"The captive is under mind control. Obviously if she can extend her reach this far, she can control one little princess in her own realm."

"... Me?"

"Legala, why did you think I kept you dumb to your powers? Screaming at a deaf man is what it's like; a mage can't spike his mind against someone who isn't affected. It's certainly illegal under our treaties; but she's been trying to affect our family indirectly, via the controlled elves. There is no rogue Istari."

"No..." Legolas murmured, eyes troubled. "She's- isn't she a good person? A just ruler? She's a nice Elf-"

"She and Elrond bear Rings of power. What kind of person would willingly use a power to bind their people to each other? A good ruler wouldn't need to, Legala. We wood-elves have been living in Middle Earth since our creation. These 'Light Elves' came much later, and that was in their quest for the Silmarils."

Legolas did not hear the rest of his father's somewhat predjudiced lecture. He stood numbly in the middle of his adar's room, feeling shellshocked and a bit stupid. Vala, do I jump to conclusions,he thought blushingly. There's no way I could have seen that coming. I guess you can't really ignore their past when you look at people... Her kind committed the Kinslaying, after all. I just can't believe that an Elf would deceive another Elf. We're all one kind, aren't we? We're the good guys, right?

As Legolas walked back to his rooms, his mind relaxed into a stupor, ideas flying past and vanishing like darts of furtive light. This is called shockhe thought. Am I racist because I tried to pin the crime on the other races before considering Elves?He frowned bemusedly. I wonder if the Helcaraxe still has Elves living in it, trying to survive and come to Arda? If they were dead, they would be skeletons by now... No, they wouldn't, ice would preserve them perfectly. Do they think the Kinslaying is still going on? I wonder.

Maybe Haldir has a few ideas about it. No, I can't ask him, that would be being dependent, I need to form my own ideas first. Hells. I don't even know where to begin. Where do I start from? What do I base my reasoning on? Can I even trust Haldir? Can I trust any Elf, for that matter? Can I trust me, if I myself am an Elf? What ... am I?

Slumping into a windowseat, Legolas used a finger to trace the condensation as it collected on the panes. Must sit and think.He smiled bitterly. Well, whatever I am, I'm not exactly an Elf. Am I technically a boy or a girl? The world defines me as a girl, because I wear a dress and have delicate features, because I do not engage in rigorous physical activity, because I have impeccable manners and a charming smile and walk with a slight swish to the hips.

Anatomically, I'm a male. But am I boy or girl? No one will ever see inside my head; so my opinion does not count, really. I am what the world defines me as; I am the Princess in the dress. No one can see into anyone else's body and put a name on what they are. Is there a word for boy-prince-disguised-as-girl-princess-questioning-identity-and-attempting-to-solve-international-dispute? Is that what a Legolas is, means, makes up? What sort of an adjective is a Legolas?

Legolas froze as a drop of water rolled down his finger, pooling in his palm. The world seemed narrowed to a roaring in his ears.

Lothlorien is the enemy. Lothlorien is going to remain the enemy.

I am not and never will be engaged to Haldir.

And the world crashed.