Title: It Was Only a Little White Lie

Author: White Wolf

Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to me.

Summary: When Elrohir plays a prank on Elladan by telling what he believes is a harmless little white lie, will it be Legolas who pays the price?

A/N: This story was written for the Teitho Contest theme: White Lie. It tied for third place.

Chapter One

It was only a little white lie. It was meant to be a prank, one of many that he had pulled. But it didn‘t end up that way. What harm could one tiny falsehood cause? A great deal as it turned out. It wasn’t even anything important, just something to make his brother look foolish. It was a silly act of revenge. But it could have altered the future of Middle-earth.

Elrohir stood on the balcony outside of his room. His far-seeing elven eyes were looking out across the valley of Imladris. Its beauty, which, on any normal day, would have brought a smile to his face, was lost on him this day. For this day his mind was in the Houses of Healing, where one of his best friends lay fighting for his life.

*~*~*~*

Earlier that day.

"I saw it, Elladan," Elrohir insisted. "I swear I did." He frowned, looking miffed that his older twin doubted him.

Elladan saw the look. "I am sorry, Elrohir. I just cannot believe that any of Mirkwood’s giant spiders is here in Imladris. It is just plain impossible."

"I could not believe it, either, but I saw it," the younger twin insisted again. "I did not imagine it."

"I am not saying that you did. I am saying that you may have mistaken something else for it. Another kind of animal moving in the trees might have made you think it was a spider."

Elrohir blew out an exasperated breath. "And why would a giant spider come to my mind first, when I know they have never been anywhere west of the Misty Mountains? Would I not think it something else - anything else? I saw it, Elladan, and I knew then, as I know now, that it was a spider." He was passionately arguing his case.

The doubt remained in Elladan’s eyes, so Elrohir told him in an almost conspiratorial tone, "I have something that will convince you."

"And what is that?"

"Come. I will show you. It is in my room."

The two elves left the garden they were in and entered the house, making their way up to Elrohir’s room in the residential part of the house.

Elrohir went over to his bedside table and opened the bottom drawer. He pulled out a rolled-up piece of cloth and laid the bundle on his bed before unwinding it.

Elladan stared at what was soon revealed. "That is a piece of a very large spider web." Even if he had never seen the webs of Mirkwood, he would have known that this came from a spider hundreds of times larger than the largest species they had encountered anywhere else in Middle-earth.

Elladan continued to stare wide-eyed. "I see it, but I still cannot believe it." He reached out and touched the sticky substance then rubbed his fingers together. The conclusion was unavoidable. "There really are giant spiders near Imladris."

"I told you," Elrohir said with more than a tiny bit of triumph in his voice.

The very thought that these horrible creatures were near his home made Elladan cringe. "We must inform Ada, so he can send out a patrol to destroy them."

Elrohir swallowed hard to try and dispel the rising panic he felt that Elladan would spoil everything. Shaking his head, he said, "No, Elladan, we must not tell Ada until we can confirm the number and location of their nest. Think how grand it would be to be able to come back and tell Ada what we found."

The elder dark-haired twin was frowning. "I do not know, Elrohir. I think perhaps we should say something first. Someone could be attacked before we found those awful creatures."

"That could be true even if we tell Ada, and he sends someone after them. We can leave immediately and save a lot of time and effort by others. Besides, would it not be a great adventure to hunt the spiders ourselves?" He raised his eyebrows to emphasize his question. "Remember what a great time we had, when we went with Legolas and his brothers to hunt them in Mirkwood?"

After a moment, Elladan nodded. "Perhaps you are right." A twinkle entered his eye. "I cannot deny that it would be an enjoyable adventure."

"Exactly."

Elladan nodded again, "All right. Let us do it." Before he turned to go, he said, "I will meet you at the stables in half an hour. You," he added, pointing his finger at Elrohir’s chest, "will be the one to tell Ada we are going hunting."

It was hardly a surprise that Elladan had left it to his brother to face their father, thought both knew that the object of their hunting expedition would remain a secret, for the time being anyway.

When Elladan left, Elrohir sat down on his bed and burst out laughing. He put his hands over his mouth to keep the sound from reaching Elladan, who he knew would be able to hear him even in the next room.

Elrohir could hardly believe that his brother had actually believed him. It was all a hoax, of course. There were no giant spiders closer to them than Mirkwood. And that formidable forest was on the other side of the Misty Mountains.

He knew it was the spider web that had been the deciding factor. He had taken some webbing from the trees in Mirkwood the last time they were there. He hadn’t known at the time just what he was going to do with it, but he knew it would somehow play a part in the retribution he was going to make Elladan suffer for what his older brother had done to him, which had ended with Elrohir in the cold current of the Forest River fully clothed.

Elrohir was looking forward to watching as Elladan scouted around, vainly searching for tell-tale webs that did not exist. He hoped he would be able to keep a straight face while all this was going on. In short, he longed to see the two little red marks that always appeared high on Elladan’s cheeks when he was greatly embarrassed. And there was no doubt that he would be greatly embarrassed when the truth was revealed to him, for Elrohir intended to make sure it was done in front of as many others as he could manage to get together. The Hall of Fire came to mind.

What neither of the elves knew was that Aragorn had heard everything the twins had said in Elrohir’s room. He had been about to knock on the door, which had been inadvertently left ajar, when the mention of the spider web had brought him to an immediate stop, and he had listened.

He had barely made it away from the door and into his own room before Elladan left to get ready for the hunt. That meant the ranger never heard Elrohir’s laughter.

Aragorn closed his door quickly and leaned against it, exhaling a deep breath at almost getting discovered.

Legolas, who was sitting on Aragorn’s bed, waiting for his return, looked up when the man entered. He frowned when his friend leaned his ear against the door and then put his finger to his lips for silence.

The elf waited patiently, and when Aragorn walked over to him, he asked, "What have you done now?" Legolas had seen the man do this to escape someone’s attention since he was a child.

Aragorn ignored the question and sat down next to Legolas. He leaned close to him. "Do you know there are giant spiders near here?"

A laugh greeted that question. "You are joking, of course."

"Apparently not," the ranger said quite seriously. "I saw the web myself." He then proceeded to tell Legolas what he had heard and about the web he had seen Elrohir show to Elladan.

The look on the elf’s face showed he didn’t know whether to laugh again or pity the poor human for his gullibility. "Estel, there are no giant spiders in Imladris. They are spawns of the Shadow. They exist only in Mirkwood."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. They cannot cross the mountains. For one thing, they live in trees."

"So do you, and here you are." It seemed like a good argument to the man.

"I do not live in trees," Legolas protested. "I merely live among them. Besides, I am not a spider." Legolas eyed his friend. "Estel, there are no giant spiders this side of the mountains. Trust me on this."

"Then how to you explain the web Elrohir found?" Aragorn was determined to argue his case, or rather Elrohir’s, until convinced otherwise.

The elf paused for a moment. "There can be only one explanation: Elrohir found it in Mirkwood and brought it here."

Now Aragorn paused. His face twisted, as he thought about why Elrohir would do that. "Maybe he brought it to show some of the elves here, who have never seen webs like that."

"I think fooling Elladan into believing such an incredible tale about giant spiders being in Imladris is closer to the truth. He does owe his brother for that Forest River incident."

Aragorn grinned. That made perfect sense. The youngest twin had saved it for now to talk Elladan into doing something foolish, such as hunting a creature that did not exist anywhere near here.

Aragorn was now certain that Legolas had to be right. His grin widened. "Let’s follow them and watch this trickery play out. It should be fun."

It didn’t take any more convincing on the ranger’s part to get the elven prince to agree. Legolas was as up for a bit of fun at the expense of one or both twins as Aragorn was. He had been on the receiving end of enough of their pranks to be happy to get revenge, even if it was indirectly.

"Are they telling Lord Elrond?" the elf suddenly asked, realizing that the elf lord would soon put a stop to this nonsense, if he knew.

"Oh no. Elrohir has gone to tell him they are going hunting but not for what," Aragorn explained. "We will head out right behind them. If Ada misses us, he will simply think we have joined them in the hunt."

Legolas nodded and left Aragorn’s room, after agreeing to meet at the stable once the twins had ridden off. He headed for his own room to get his weapons.

*~*~*~*

It took no more than halt an hour to reach the spot where Elrohir said he found the spider’s web.

Elladan looked all around, craning his neck from one side to the other and then up. "So where is the rest of the web? I know it didn’t just disappear on its own." He knew those things were thick and sticky and wouldn’t even blow away in a strong wind.

Elrohir chided himself for not thinking that his brother would ask that question. He had to do some quick mental scrambling. "I destroyed it," was all he could come up with in a hurry.

The next logical inquiry came soon after. "Why would you do that? I would think you would want to leave evidence."

"There was no need," Elrohir replied, still thinking fast. "I intended for only you to know, and I knew right where it was."

Elladan seemed to accept that explanation, though it still didn’t make a lot of sense to him. But then, his younger brother sometimes didn’t.

The two elves dismounted. Elrohir suggested they separate but keep in shouting distance of each other. He knew he would have to be far enough away to keep Elladan from hearing his laughter should it get out of control.

Elladan began his search in earnest, inspecting the ground and scanning the trees. The leaves on the branches were carefully inspected front and back. He even turned over some rocks in hopes of finding some kind of clue, remote as that would be. Giant spiders were not likely to leave clues to their presence under rocks.

Elrohir quietly followed Elladan, snickering to himself, as he watched the serious look in his twin’s face turn more and more grave as time went by and nothing was found.

Unbeknownst to them, Legolas and Aragorn had dismounted a good distance away and had crept up near them. They were watching both twins with interest. Seeing Elrohir’s amusement at watching his brother was almost as funny as seeing Elladan’s intense concentration on his task.

It hadn’t taken too long before Elladan became frustrated. He whistled for his brother, and when Elrohir approached, the elder twin said, "I think this is a waste of time. There is not one shred of evidence of any spiders. If they were here, we would have seen them or their webs by now."

"They are here. We just haven’t found them yet. I did see just the one, but if we found their nest we would get them all." After a pause, Elrohir added, "Perhaps we should climb up into the trees to look. That is where they spend most of their time."

"I wish Legolas was here. He could ask the trees if there are any spiders around."

Elrohir sighed rather loudly in what appeared to be an attempt to sympathize with their situation. "Yes, I agree. Neither of us can communicate with trees the way a wood elf can."

"How right you are," Legolas whispered to Aragorn from their vantage point behind a large tree. He smiled and gave a gentle brush of his hand across the bark in front of him.

A frown spread over the archer’s face.

Aragorn looked at him. "What is it, Legolas? Is something wrong?"

"The tree sends a warning."

"About what?"

Legolas stood up and turned, all of his senses trained on the part of the forest he now faced. "I sense something out there. Something dangerous."

The ranger straightened from his crouched position to stand beside the elf, no longer caring if he was spotted by his brothers. His gaze followed that of his elven friend. Could there really be giant spiders here? Aragorn listened but heard nothing.

There was a moment of complete silence that dragged on into several. The muscles of both elf and human were taut in anticipation.

Legolas turned to the man, "Warn your brothers."

Aragorn turned back to shout out the warning to Elladan and Elrohir, but they had moved out of sight. "Where did they go?"

"Find them," Legolas hissed between clenched teeth, as he pulled his bow from his back and fitted an arrow to the string. He stood and aimed. "Now, Estel. Warn them!"

Aragorn was reluctant to leave his friend to face the danger alone while he went to warn his brothers of trouble, but he had learned long ago to listen to what Legolas had to say, especially where danger was concerned. So he obeyed the elf and ran toward where he had last seen Elladan and Elrohir and began shouting for them.

He would forever regret that decision.

Knowing that Aragorn was safe for the moment and would soon alert his brothers, Legolas turned his full attention to the danger in front of him.

He caught a glimpse of something large and dark coming fast through the trees toward him. He fired his arrow, and then it was upon him.

TBC

Chapter Two

Moments later, Aragorn rushed back with the twins right behind him, all ready to fight whatever it was that Legolas had sensed. But it was too late.

Legolas lay on his side on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest. He was covered in blood, both his clothes and his flesh torn in numerous places. He looked as though he had been trying to protect himself. Both of his knives were still in their sheaths. Whatever had attacked had been quick.

"Take care of him, Estel," Elladan said, as he and Elrohir rushed past and followed the blood trail that led away from their fallen friend. They couldn’t tell if the blood was the attacker’s or if it belonged to Legolas.

Aragorn dropped to his knees and reached for his friend. He hesitated, because there was no place he could put his hands that didn’t have some sort of injury, and touching Legolas would likely cause him more pain.

He needn’t have worried. Legolas was unconscious and beyond feeling anything.

The ranger turned Legolas onto his back and groaned at what he saw. There was more blood soaking the front of the elf’s tunic, and the gashes here were deeper than the ones on his arms, legs and back.

"Hold on, Legolas. We will get you to Ada, and you will be fine." His last four words were meant as much for his own reassurance as for Legolas’s.

Elladan and Elrohir returned shortly after. Both wore faces grim with worry and defeat.

The elder twin shook his head, when Aragorn looked up at him. "We lost the trail. But we will take up the search again, as soon as we get Legolas into Ada‘s hands." The look he gave his human brother begged to be told it was not too late to do so.

Aragorn nodded. As he carefully picked Legolas up in his arms, he asked, "What was it?"

"We are not sure," Elladan replied. "We did not see it, and the tracks were indistinct. All we know is that is was very large, possibly a bear."

Aragorn shuddered. Had they been farther away from Rivendell, he would have taken the time to bandage Legolas’s injuries for the trip on horseback. This close, however, he just wanted to get Legolas to his father as quickly as possible.

When they reached their horses, Legolas was handed up to Aragorn, and the ranger held the elf in front of him. Because the larger gash across Legolas’s stomach was bleeding freely, Aragorn tightly gripped the two sides of the torn tunic and held it closed, forcing the ragged edges of the elf’s flesh to close, as well. The bleeding slowed but did not stop.

The little group rode toward Rivendell as swiftly as they dared.

Not once since the attack had Elrohir uttered a single word. His heart and mind were so full of guilt, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He could barely move. He brought up the rear, because he also couldn’t bear to look at what the animal had done to the Mirkwood prince. Worry for Legolas kept anyone else from noticing Elrohir’s silence.

*~*~*~*

Lord Elrond sat up from the book he was reading. There was a nagging feeling in his heart that all was not well. He couldn’t discern the exact reason for his unease, but he felt sure it had to do with his sons and the silvan elf that he thought of as a son. He felt sure that something had gone terribly wrong on the hunting trip they had embarked on a few hours ago.

Rising quickly, he made his way to the door of his home, arriving just as Aragon and the twins rode up. One look at Legolas told him his disquiet had not been unfounded. A quick glance at his sons told him that they were all well. His attention turned back to the golden-haired elf in Aragorn’s arms.

"Bring him," was all the elf lord said, as he turned and headed toward the Houses of Healing.

By the time Aragorn arrived, Elrond had already issued orders to the other two healers in residence. They were in motion instantly.

Aragorn laid Legolas down on the nearest bed, which was in a front corner of the large room. Without being told, the ranger began to unfasten Legolas’s tunic.

Elladan removed the young elf’s boots and vambraces. No one noticed that Elrohir had lingered at the door but had not entered the room.

Herbs, water, cloths for cleaning and bandaging were brought by the other healers. Knowing Elrond and his sons would handle whatever needed to be done, they moved away but stood by discreetly, in case they were needed again.

As Elrond’s deft fingers worked, he asked, "Was this done by an animal?" He had seen wounds like this many times before.

"We think so," Elladan replied. "Elrohir and I tried to track it, but we lost the trail and decided we needed to get Legolas back here far more than we needed to kill that beast."

"Wounded animals are extremely dangerous," the elf lord said. "It needs to be taken care of before it can hurt anyone else."

"I will go," Elrohir called from the doorway.

Aragorn grabbed his father’s arm and whispered, "Do not send him."

Elrond frowned. "Why not?"

"I will explain later. Just do not let Elrohir go back out there."

Elrond looked up to see Elrohir turning away, ready to leave. "No, Elrohir. You remain here. Send at least four other elves to find the animal," Elrond instructed. "Tell them where to look."

"But, Ada...." Elrohir began but stopped when his father turned the look that said, ‘Do not argue with me’ on him.
Elrohir wanted nothing more than to go out and kill that animal, or whatever it turned out to be, so he could, in some small way, make up for what his disastrous prank had caused. Now he would not get that chance.

The elf turned forlornly and headed away to find the ones he would send out to do what he should be doing. He briefly thought of defying Lord Elrond and going anyway, but knew he could not upset his father by doing so. Either way, it seemed, he would suffer guilt.

Elrond, Aragorn and Elladan worked quickly yet methodically to repair the damage that teeth and claws had done to Legolas’s body.

Finally, Elrond straightened up, throwing the last of the bloody cloths into a basin on a nearby table. Next to it sat a bowl of athelas leaves, steeping in hot water.

He let out a long breath, as he surveyed the elven prince’s body. Deep blue bruises showed on almost every inch of skin not covered by bandages. Even with elven healing, it would take Legolas a long time to mend, if he survived at all, a fact that was not a sure thing, at this point.

The scent of athelas, mingled with other herbs, was thick in the air. "We have done all we can for now." It was a statement Elrond often made after tending to badly injured patients.

Aragorn and Elladan knew better than to ask if Legolas would live. They knew their father rarely commented on such things until the outcome was more certain, one way or the other. Besides, they were experienced healers themselves and knew the gravity of what they were seeing.

Elrond looked at both of his sons. "Now we wait." That was another of Elrond’s usual comments.

The elf lord tuned his gaze on his human son. "Explain to me, Estel, why you told me not to send Elrohir after the animal that did this?"

Aragorn glanced at Elladan with clear shame on his face, causing the eldest twin to frown in puzzlement.

Knowing he had to tell the tale and hold nothing back, he began the story. He looked from his father to his brother several times during the narration.

On Elladan’s face was an expression of shock mixed with anger, though that quickly faded.

On Elrond’s face was a look of deep disapproval. "I have rarely discouraged the pranks the four of you play on each other, as long as no real harm was done. But deep down I always feared that this day would come for one of you."

He could not see it clearly just yet, but Elrond felt that both Estel and Legolas had destinies that would one day affect the lives of all who lived in Middle-earth.

What he did know for certain was that if Legolas died, not only would a precious life be lost, but none of his sons would likely ever fully recover from it.

"Elladan is the only one blameless in this," Aragorn began. "Elrohir started the hoax but Legolas and I went along with it, though they didn’t know it." Somehow confession was not good for Aragorn’s soul. He still felt guilty and ashamed. He turned to his brother. "I’m sorry, Elladan."

"Do not apologize, Estel. You said I am blameless. That is not true. This tale of giant spiders in Imladris was meant as revenge for a prank I pulled on Elrohir in Mirkwood. That makes me just as guilty as anyone."

Aragorn turned back to his father. "Ada, you need to go talk to Elrohir. It hadn’t dawned on me until now that he never said a word on the way back here. And you saw yourself he never even came into this room, even though I’m sure he wanted to. I know how guilty I feel. I can only imagine how he must be feeling."

"I will speak with him." Elrond got up and left the room, knowing Legolas remained in good hands. He was sure his youngest twin would retreat to his own room, so that’s where the elf lord headed.

The knock on Elrohir’s door did not bring a response. A second knock was no more successful. Under ordinary circumstances Elrond would not enter someone’s private room without permission, but in this case, he deemed it a necessary action.

Elrond entered and closed the door behind him. The room was empty. However, the balcony doors were open, and in a few steps Elrond was outside. He paused when he spotted Elrohir in the far corner, staring out over the valley at the setting sun.

Even without looking around, Elrohir knew immediately who it was that stepped up beside him, and he knew the reason why he was there.

Still not looking at his father, Elrohir said, "There is nothing that you can say that will change what I did."

"No, I cannot change what happened."

"What I did," Elrohir corrected emphatically, clearly taking full blame.

"It was not meant to harm anyone. I know that." Elrond’s words were spoken low and soft.

"No, it was not meant to harm, but it did. Legolas could die because of my little white lie." Elrohir emitted a bitter laugh. "It was supposed to be a harmless prank to get back at Elladan, but that does not excuse what I did."

The younger twin had not missed the fact that his father had not contradicted his statement that Legolas could die. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from Elrond.

The elf lord put his hand on his son’s shoulder. "You will have to live with what happened, Elrohir. No one, not even I, can ease your heart. You must find the strength to do that. All I can do is tell you that that heart is one capable of great good and great love." He turned his son around to face him. "Elrohir, you must learn the lessons that events such as this have to teach you, but you cannot dwell on the events themselves. You will destroy yourself reliving the past that way."

He leaned over and kissed Elrohir’s forehead before walking away. He would have to give Elrohir time to come to terms with his feelings enough to want to be with Legolas. He believed that they needed each other. Yet seeing the prince in his current condition might be too traumatic for Elrohir just yet.

The youngest of the twins turned back to face the valley that stretched out before him. He knew his father was right. Elrond had lived for over six thousand years and had gathered a wisdom matched by very few in all of Middle-earth. Even so, the elf knew it would ba a long time before this ‘event’ ceased to trouble his heart.

*~*~*~*

The next two days were touch and go for Legolas. He stubbornly clung to life, while Elrond, Aragorn and Elladan were just as stubborn in their determination to save the young warrior prince.

Not once in all that time had Elrohir come to the Houses of Healing. He had locked his door and refused to see or speak to anyone. Everyone had tried and failed to reach him. Even Elrond had not been able to get through to him.

It was on the morning of the third day that Legolas woke up. He opened his eyes, slowly focusing on the joyous faces of his friends. It made him smile, though it was clear he was still in pain.

"Welcome back," Aragorn said with the biggest grin he could manage plastered across his face.

"I am happy to be back," the elf replied, returning his friend's grin. Legolas’s raspy voice testified to how dry his mouth and throat had become.

Elrond turned to the table and poured a cup of water from a pitcher. He turned back, and it was then he saw Elrohir standing near the bed. No one had seen or heard him approach. The elf lord handed him the water and nodded toward Legolas.

Elrohir shook his head, but Elrond pushed the cup into his hand and stepped back, pulling Elladan with him and motioning Aragorn away from the bed. They retreated to the far side of the room to give Legolas and Elrohir the privacy Elrond thought they needed.

Without anyone to cover him, Elrohir was left exposed to Legolas’s view. He felt awkward, not knowing how his friend would react to him.

Legolas suddenly smiled, easing the tension evident in every muscle of Elrohir's body.

Gathering his courage, Elrohir moved up beside the bed. He handed the cup to Legolas and then helped him sit up enough to drink from it. After Legolas emptied the glass, the youngest twin eased him back down onto the pillows

When Elrohir went to step away, Legolas gripped his arm. The older elf’s heart almost seized in fear of what Legolas would say to him. Perhaps he had misinterpreted the earlier smile. He wanted to pull away and run, but instead he waited.

"I do not fault you, Elrohir. Estel and I knew what you were doing, and we went along with it. We should not have followed you. It was none of our business."

Elrohir shook his head. "You would not have been in the forest at all, if not for the lie I told Elladan."

"It was a prank and a clever one at that. We all pull them."

"But no one gets hurt, certainly not like you did."

Legolas pulled on Elrohir’s arm until the dark-haired elf was forced to sit down on the side of the bed. "No one could have known the bear was there. It was already injured, which I am sure is why it attacked me." Legolas paused to take a few deep breaths. "Elrohir, I cannot change what happened to me. I also cannot make you stop thinking that you are responsible for it. Only you can do that."

"You sound like Ada."

Legolas smiled. "That is a good thing. He is wise beyond all of us. Just know that I hold no blame against you." The wood elf’s eyes reflected only truth.

"I will never again play a prank on anyone," Elrohir vowed solemnly.

"Do not stop playing those pranks, Elrohir. It is part of who you are, and I would not see that change because of what happened to me."

Elrohir nodded, more to please Legolas than to agree with him. He couldn’t deny that his heart was lightened, but still he knew that , even though Legolas did not blame him, it would be a long time before he stopped blaming himself.

The End