Rating: PG-13 to R (Not for the faint of heart and the squeamish type. :P )

Feedback: Constructive criticisms will be kept close to the heart and flames will be used to power the balrog that I’ll be sending after you. LOL! Please send all feedback to wanda_utq@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters or worlds. Everything recognizable belongs to Tolkien and everything else belongs to me. I did not obtain permission to use these characters and I’m not receiving money for this story. I merely take them out for a spin and will return them in one piece… more or less. *g*

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

Archive: Feel free to but please e-mail me and let me know the URL so that I can go and have a look-see.

Summary: An unexpected accident brought Aragorn and Legolas to a village seeking for help. While recuperating, the young ranger was accused of a murder that he did not commit. A brutal sentence was carried out and the two grievously injured friends were cast out and left to die in the wild. Will they make it back to Rivendell alive? Was Aragorn really innocent as he claimed to be or was there some other explanation behind the incident?

Author’s Note: Much like Cassia and Sio, when Tolkien said that Aragorn was raised in the house of Elrond, I assumed that Elrond took him in as his adopted son. That will make Elrond’s twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, his adopted brothers. And Aragorn is in his early twenties in this story. No idea how old Legolas is supposed to be but I am assuming that he is younger than Elladan and Elrohir.

I’d also like to thank Cassia and Sio for allowing me to take Celboril out for a spin. :D

My thanks go out to Rhonda: For your constant ‘poking’, for all the evil ideas that you have contributed and also for being my beta! Love you much!! *hugs* I couldn’t have done it without you!! :D

Additional Disclaimer: I am not a forensic scientist and the CSI work mentioned in this story was purely fictional and has no scientific basis. Don’t sue me for I have no money. All you may get is this fic. :D

// = elvish translations
* = thoughts
# = flashback

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 1 – The Unexpected Fall

Aragorn lay in a bed of wild daisies, his left hand cushioned beneath his head. He stared up into the morning sky and sighed contentedly. It had been quite some time since he last traveled away from home without a mission on his hand. He had enjoyed the past few days’ journey to nowhere, travelling solely by instinct along with his faithful companion.

Beside him, Legolas Greenleaf watched as the human smiled to himself while unconsciously he twirled his fingers on his free hand around the fragile stem of a small yellow flower. The elf sat with his legs drawn up towards his chest, his chin resting lightly on his knees. Several butterflies found their way to the daisy field and danced gracefully atop the soft petals, perching on the yellow and purple flowers occasionally to enjoy the sweet nectar. Legolas raised his right hand and extended it towards a butterfly as it flew past him. Instead of shying away, the beautiful black and orange insect landed lightly on the elf’s forefinger and folded its wings as Legolas brought it closer to him. With great care, the elf prince stroke the delicate wings while he spoke gently to the creature and the insect moved its wing in acknowledgement.

Aragorn watched the elf in amazement, "I know you elves could talk to trees and all but I never could understand how you do it." The ranger huffed as a butterfly landed on his nose, causing the insect to take flight again and it joined its other companions in the field. The human turned his head sideways and eyed Legolas curiously. "It looked like it could actually understand you."

Legolas’ only reply for the human was a mischievous smirk. After whispering to the butterfly that was still settled comfortably in his finger, he lifted his hand towards the ranger. The insect took off and flew straight at the human, dancing a few inches above his face. It knew that the man would do it no harm for the fair elf had told it so. The elf merely wanted to demonstrate to the human that there was intelligence in his small fluffy friend.

Aragorn batted at the insect but taking great care so as not to harm it in anyway. The butterfly however dodged the assault with ease, mocking the man in its own unique way.

Legolas laughed at the scene, his voice bright and merry. He had thought the trip to be a waste of time and energy when Aragorn’s adopted brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, put forth the suggestion. They insisted that the two friends should spend some time off and relax. What surprised him the most were both Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindel agreed. And so, their journey began three days ago. Neither of them liked the idea of taking a mount so they both agreed to set out on foot. The late May weather was perfect for travelling, neither too cold nor too warm. The elf and man travelled light, taking with them only what was absolutely necessary.

Pushing himself off the ground after picking up the packs beside him, the elf made his way over to Aragorn and tossed one of the packs onto the unsuspecting human’s chest making him jump. Legolas chuckled at the human’s reaction and dodged swiftly as the pack came flying back towards his face. The elf caught the pack in mid-air before it sailed out of reach and swung both packs over his shoulder. As he reached down to retrieve his bow and quiver, he saw Aragorn push himself up into a sitting position and stretch in the warm morning sun.

"Don’t tell me you are planning on staying here all day," Legolas stated with a small chuckle. "Come and get your pack. I’m not going to carry your things for you."

"Why not, we *are* here to relax, are we not?" the human retorted playfully and took in a deep breath. "It’s nice here," he swept his hand over the field, "nice hill, lovely flowers…"

"And lots of pretty butterflies to keep you company if you should decide to stay," the elf smirked as he prepared to strap his quiver onto his back.

Aragorn stared at Legolas in mock terror. "NO! Not the butterflies!!" The ranger paused, a mischievous smile materialized on his face. "But if you insist on leaving…" Aragorn wiggled his eyebrow at the confused elf.

Legolas’ eyes widened when he saw Aragorn leapt onto his feet and bolted down the hill that they had spent the night on.

"Last one down catches tonight’s dinner!" the human shouted as he ran past the bewildered elf.

"Hey! What about your pack?!" Legolas called out but Aragorn was long gone. The elf swore under his breath and darted after the human, his bow and quiver still clutched tightly in his hand. The agile elf closed the distance between him and Aragorn in a short while, his powerful long strides brought him closer to the ranger in each passing second. Reaching out with his free hand, he jabbed Aragorn on the waist when he was within range eliciting a squeal from the human. The ranger’s steps faltered for a fraction of a second but it was all Legolas needed to overtake the human.

Shouting a victorious cry, Legolas glanced back over his shoulder at Aragorn as he ran down the hill, his long blond hair whipped about his face in the rushing wind.

"Hurry up Strider! You’re lagging behind!" the elf laughed and resumed his course.

Aragorn grunted loudly behind the elf and sprang after his friend. He had no intention for this elf to win the race… or at least not win by much. He was slowly catching up to the elf prince and that made him wonder if Legolas was deliberately slowing his pace to accommodate him.

"I will catch you, you sleazy elf!" The ranger shouted but his words were lost in the wind.

Legolas’ feet barely touched the grass that he was treading on he but was forced to jump over a large stone lying in his path. The light-footed elf leapt into the air as he neared the obstacle and landed on the other side with ease. Hurrying forward before the human could crash into him, Legolas skipped a few steps ahead as he regained his footing but the ground beneath him crumbled suddenly without warning and instead of landing on solid ground, he plunged into nothingness.

Tailing closely behind the elf, Aragorn leapt over the boulder seconds before he saw the prince disappear into the ground. Shocked, the ranger dug his heels into the grass trying to stop and prevent himself from following Legolas into the hole but the momentum carried him forward. His feet slipped on the damp grass and he skidded into the opening after his friend. 

*****

To Be Continued...

Rating: PG-13 to R just in case (Not for the faint of heart and the squeamish type. :P)

Feedback: Constructive criticisms will be kept close to the heart and flames will be used to power the balrog that I'll be sending after you. LOL! Please send all feedback to wanda_utq@hotmail.com

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

Archive: Feel free to but please e-mail me and let me know the URL so that I can go and have a look-see.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.R.R. Tolkien's characters or worlds. Everything recognizable belongs to Tolkien and everything else belongs to me. I did not obtain permission to use these characters and I'm not receiving money for this story. I merely take them out for a spin and will return them in one piece... more or less. *g*

Summary: An unexpected accident brought Aragorn and Legolas to a village seeking for help. While recuperating, the young ranger was accused of a murder that he did not commit. A brutal sentence was carried out and the two grievously injured friends were cast out and left to die in the wild. Will they make it back to Rivendell alive? Was Aragorn really innocent as he claimed to be or was there some other explanation behind the incident?

Author's Note: Much like Cassia and Sio, when Tolkien said that Aragorn was raised in the house of Elrond, I assumed that Elrond took him in as his adopted son. That will make Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, his adopted brothers. And Aragorn is in his early twenties in this story. No idea how old Legolas is supposed to be but I am assuming that he is younger than Elladan and Elrohir.

I'd also like to thank Cassia and Sio for allowing me to take Celboril out for a spin. :D

My thanks to Rhonda: For your constant 'poking', for all the evil ideas that you have contributed and also for being my beta! Love you much!! *hugs* I couldn't have done it without you!! :D

Additional Disclaimer: I am not a forensic scientist and the CSI work mentioned in this story was purely fictional and has no scientific basis. Don't sue me for I have no money. All you may get is this fic. :D

// = elvish translations
* = thoughts
# = flashback

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 2 - Life or Death

Legolas bit back a panicked cry as he sailed through the pitch-black void, his empty hands flailing in the air for he had lost his bow and quiver during the fall. Heart thumping fiercely in his chest, he tried to calm his breathing as he twisted his body in mid-air in attempt to minimize the injuries upon impact. The drop was long and his mind screamed in terror. He clamp his eyes shut and wondered if he could survive the fall at all while praying that Aragorn had somehow manage to avoid this fate.

Large pieces of rocks protruded out from the cave walls which Legolas could not see in the dark. If there were more light, he could have avoided what happened next. But what happened could have been the main factor that saved his life.

A rocky overhang extended out far from the wall into the path of his descent and Legolas collided into it with such great force that the rock broke off and tumbled down towards the ground below. But the impact had slowed his descent and probably turned the fatal fall into a non-fatal one.

A sharp pain flared across Legolas' chest and left shoulder and he gasped as all the air was knocked out of his lungs momentarily but before he could draw in a breath, he smashed into the ground. And he knew no more.

Aragorn heard a sickening crack below him and realized that it was the sound made by his friend when he impacted with the ground. Knowing that it would be his turn in a couple of seconds, the human screamed out in anger and fear.

*Why did it have to end this way?*

Bracing himself for the pain, he hoped that his death would be swift and rapid but instead of landing on the hard rocky surface, he landed on something soft, bounced off it and fell another five feet before landing hard on the ground. Dazed and in pain, Aragorn laid on the hard rocky surface with his eyes shut, all his concentration was focused on his breathing. It took him several long minutes before he realized that he was still alive. Opening his eyes, he scanned his surrounding carefully but the only thing he could see was the narrow beam of light coming from the opening that he and Legolas had fallen through. Everywhere else was dark. If he did not see the light from above, he would have thought that he had gone blind.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a soft glow emanating from a ledge approximately five feet above where he was lying. Pushing himself painfully from the ground, he gasped as the movement jarred his injured ribs. His body trembled as the sudden pain overloaded his senses. Bracing one hand behind him to hold himself upright, Aragorn willed the pain to go away. He still had a task at hand, to find his friend whether he was alive or dead. The young man shuddered at the thought and admonished himself for thinking that such ill fate would befall his best friend.

*Legolas would be fine*

He told himself.

*He is an elf and elves are resilient beings*

But no matter how he comforted himself, the sense of dread refuse to leave him. As the pain eased a little, Aragorn began to assess his injuries systematically. His ribs were probably badly bruised and one of them was most certainly cracked but he did not think that it was broken. He only wished he could say the same for his right ankle. The ankle was definitely broken and he knew it would pain him tremendously if he were to walk on it but he could not abandon his friend. Gritting his teeth, the young ranger bit back a cry as he got to his feet, putting most of his weight on his left leg. Wincing painfully, he limped over towards the ledge where the soft glow came from.

*He is still alive*

Aragorn reassure himself as he tried to steady his heavy breathing.

*Dead elves don't glow*

Legolas was lying facedown on a platform approximately eight feet long and four feet wide, with his head turned to the side away from the cavern wall. Aragorn reached out with a trembling hand and pressed his fingers on the elf's neck, desperately searching for some signs of life.

*Dead elves don't glow*

He found a pulse and let out a sigh of relief. It was weak and rapid but present nonetheless. His breathing however was almost non-existent, the shallow and irregular breath worried Aragorn greatly. Reaching up towards the prone body, he checked to make sure that neither his neck nor back was broken before flipping the unconscious elf onto his back as gently as he could in hope that it would somehow ease his friend's breathing.

"Legolas?" Aragorn called out and tapped the elven prince's face gently but instead of feeling the cool dry skin beneath his fingers, he felt something sticky and warm. Brushing the elf's hair quickly out of his face, he saw the deep gash that ran from the prince's forehead down to his left temple. The wound bled heavily, crimson blood which appeared almost black in the dim light pooling slowly around the elf's head.

Aragorn cursed out loud and instinctively pressed his hand on the bleeding wound. While doing that, the human noticed that their packs were still hung loosely over Legolas' arm. Carefully, he slipped them off with his free hand and emptied the contents onto the platform, rummaging for anything that he could use to staunch the bleeding. Finding a piece of clean clothing, he pressed it down hard on the deep gash and he held the cloth in place for many minutes before the elven healing power slowly worked its miracle and slowed the bleeding. But the elf still showed no signs of waking. Ripping a strip of cloth from an extra tunic, the man tied the makeshift bandage around the elf's forehead.

"Legolas?" Aragorn attempted to rouse the elf but to no avail. "I'm so sorry," the ranger's apologetic voice was laden with guilt. "If I didn't start the race, non of this would have happened." A strangled sob escaped his lips and he reached up to brush away the stray tear that had slipped down his face. "Legolas, please wake up," the man pleaded pathetically but the only answer he received was the echo bouncing back towards him from the cave walls.

He desperately wanted to help his friend but he did not dare to move him and risk further complications before finding out how severe Legolas' injuries were. "I can't help you if you don't wake up..." Aragorn whispered more to himself rather than to the unconscious elf.

His chest and ankle throbbed painfully, protesting to him for standing up too long. The human tried to hold on for as long as he could but his strength was failing by the seconds. Leaning heavily against the platform, he braced his elbows on the rough surface and dug his fingers into the dirt hoping that the extra support would keep him on his feet for a little longer but while the mind was strong, the flesh was weak. He began sliding towards the ground and finally he had no choice but to settle down beside the ledge where Legolas was lying on and calm his own injuries even though he hated leaving his friend where he couldn't see him. The pain in his chest was making breathing difficult. Wrapping his arms protectively around himself, he closed his eyes, intending to rest for a while before checking on Legolas again.

A soft whimper woke him from his dreams. Aragorn jerked awake, blinking hard to clear his foggy mind. He had no idea how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep. Scrambling up to his feet, he hissed as his sudden movement jarred his ribs and broken ankle. Ignoring the pain, he pulled himself up and checked on the prince.

Legolas' condition had remained unchanged which he thought was a good sign. At least he wasn't deteriorating. The wound on his head had stopped bleeding but the human worried that the elf might have suffered a concussion judging by the dark bruise spreading from beneath the bandage.

Aragorn shook the elf lightly on the shoulder but he did not expect any response so when Legolas whimpered, the human gasped in shock as his action unintentionally caused his friend additional distress. "Oh Valar! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you..." but he realized that the elf could not hear him. Dropping his head onto the cold, hard surface, Aragorn let out a long and frustrated sigh.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 3 – Decision and Pain

Consciousness tugged at the corner of his mind, probing and teasing him but no matter how hard he tried, he could not seem to reach it. He struggled to move his fingers or open his eyes but his body refused to obey his command. He felt someone’s finger pressed against his neck and understood that the person was checking for a pulse. He tried calling out to the person but no voice came to him. And then he was flipped onto his back and the agonizing pain that shot through his chest dragged him back into the darkness again.

Minutes passed, or perhaps hours. Time had no meaning to him at this moment. A man was calling his name begging him to wake up but wake up from what? Was he dreaming? He couldn’t remember. The voice stopped momentarily and he struggled to wake but the closer he got to consciousness, the more pain he felt. He managed a small whimper and the sound brought the man back to his side in a flash. The man shook him on the shoulder, his action sending a stab of pain down his arm and across his chest causing his mind to scream in agony. Then he heard the man apologize profusely to him. Who was that man? He tried to think but the name refused to come. Then an image flashed behind his eyes, the image of a man with dark brown hair and piercing silver-green eyes and a name accompanied the face. Aragorn.

"Aragorn…" The word was a mere whisper but it was loud enough to catch the man’s attention.

Lifting his head, the ranger found himself staring into a pair of pain filled eyes. "You’re awake! I was so worried!" the young man brushed a lock of stray hair out of the elf’s face. Then he noted that the elf’s pupils were dilated at different sizes, a sure sign of a concussion. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible." Came Legolas’ shaky reply. A sharp pain lanced across his chest at every breath and he felt like his brain had grown two sizes too big for his head. "H-Hurts…" Legolas managed before his body seized up in a convulsing cough, blood leaking out from the corner of his mouth.

"I need to get you down but you have to help me," Aragorn explained to the injured elf. "Can you sit up?" The ranger placed a hand behind the elven prince’s neck prompting him to try. "On the count of three." The man prepared for the pain that would follow. "One… Two… Three."

Legolas cried out as Aragorn aided him to a sitting position; his eyes clamped shut trying to block out the pain. The sudden change of position sent another spasm of coughing through Legolas’ battered body. Loud ringing in his ears made his head hurt even more and he swallowed hard, trying to fight off the dizziness and nausea that assailed him.

Aragorn gasped as his bruised ribs protested angrily against his latest stunt. The pain shot up from his chest all the way to his head. The man grabbed his chest with his free hand took a shuddering breath hoping that some fresh air would clear his befuddled mind but all he received was hot agonizing pain. Aragorn stood motionless, leaning slightly forward against the ledge. His head swam from lack of oxygen but eventually; he managed to get some air as the pain dissipated. Locked in their current position, the two friends took some time to regain part of their strength in silence before proceeding to their next task.

Still supporting Legolas by his back with one hand, Aragorn helped the elf swing his legs over the ledge. Reaching out, the ranger grasped the elf by his lower arm but Legolas yelped causing Aragorn to recoil from his touch. The wood-elf’s face contorted with pain as he cradled his left arm in his right hand.

"I’m sorry! I didn’t know…" the ranger started but was cut off in mid-sentence by the elf.

"S’kay," the elf interrupted, his slurred speech heightened the ranger’s concern.

"I need you to get off the ledge. Can you manage?" Aragorn asked the almost breathless elf while eyeing him intently. Legolas did look terrible even in the dimness of the room. His skin was pale and clammy and his lips still stained dark red. The elf’s head drooped slowly to his chest and his breath was coming in short rasps, cold sweat dripping from his face and neck, soaking into his tunic.

The pain in his head and chest was making it hard to concentrate. He vaguely heard the words ‘get off’ and guessed that his friend wanted him to lower himself from the platform that he was currently sitting on but he didn’t think he could do it. Each move he made tore at him from the inside like daggers slicing at his heart. He didn’t think he could survive another fall. All he wanted to do now was to curl up somewhere and let the darkness embrace him. The four feet drop seemed to him like forty feet at the moment.

"Legolas??" Frightened by the silence, Aragorn placed his hand lightly on Legolas’ knee trying to catch his attention. He knew that he was asking a lot from his friend and hated himself for not being able to give him more help.

Legolas raised his head with effort and locked his gaze with the human’s. "Can’t. Hurts too much," the elf ground out, his body trembled violently under Aragorn’s hands stressing his point.

"You have to try," the dark haired man insisted. "I will not let you fall," he promised his friend. "I will catch you." Aragorn extended his hand towards the Silvan elf. "Do you trust me?"

"With m’life." Legolas took the ranger’s outstretched hand in his right and gripped it tightly. With the man’s help, he slid forward and dropped off the edge.

Aragorn caught the elf in his arms as he slipped off the ledge. The human groaned as the additional weight put more stress onto his own injuries but he brushed it aside ruthlessly, the well being of his friend took precedence over his own. Lowering the elf to the ground, Aragorn laid him down gently and made a quick assessment of his injuries. A broken arm and concussion was what he saw at first glance. Lifting the elf’s tunic with care, he grimaced at the sight that greeted his eyes. The entire left side of Legolas’ chest was badly bruised and judging by the wheezing breath and the amount of pain he was in, Aragorn was certain that one or more of his broken ribs had punctured his lung. Although Aragorn was a competent healer, he could not help his friend without the appropriate healing herbs. The only thing that could be done was to set his broken arm and bound his chest to avoid aggravating his injuries.

Feeling around their vicinity for something that he could use as a splint, his hand came into contact with a solid object. Further probing revealed that he had found Legolas’ quiver. The arrows were scattered around the empty quiver and Aragorn quickly scavenged a couple of them. Breaking off the arrowheads and fletchings, he laid the bare arrows aside and proceeded to rip his cloak into narrow strips and prepared for the gruesome task.

Legolas felt the ranger fuss over him. His usually bright eyes now dull with pain and his vision had become unfocused. His chest pained him beyond words and he never thought that breathing could be such an agonizing task. The headache was worsening and he longed to close his eyes and drift into the comforting silence but every time he closed his eyes, Aragorn would wake him. Why wouldn’t the human leave him alone?

"I need to set your arm," the young man explained patiently to the semi-conscious elf. "It’s going to hurt." He had no idea if Legolas understood him even though he groaned in acknowledgement. Lifting the broken arm, Aragorn pulled on the bones, twisting them into the correct position before applying the modified splints to it. Legolas’ sharp cry tore at his heart and his chest constricted tightly sending a spasm of pain through his own body but he tried to ignore the pain and focused on his job.

The injured elf’s cry was cut off by a bout of violent coughing. The woodland being gasped frantically and tried to draw breath into his burning lungs but he could not seem to do so. Panicked, he called out for Aragorn.

"Strider... ca-can’t breathe…"

*****

To Be Continued…

That’s all for now. More to come later… :D

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 4 – Troubles In the Night

Working diligently, Aragorn secured the splint as the elf fell into another coughing fit. A cold chill swept over him when Legolas started to struggle for breath and the elf’s words struck him like a stake through the heart. Raising Legolas to a sitting position, he rubbed the elf’s back gently but urgently, willing air into the tortured lungs. Legolas continued to gasp as the coughing continued, blood spraying from his lips onto the ground.

"Deep breaths Legolas... slowly." It was simple for him to say those words but he knew that it was close to impossible for his friend to follow. Helpless of the situation, the only thing Aragorn could do was support Legolas and rubbing his back in soothing circles until the convulsive cough eased up by itself.

Still struggling for air, the elf slumped back against the ranger; his body trembled from the exertion. When Aragorn attempted to wipe the blood from his lips, Legolas grasped the human by his arm and interrupted him.

"L-Leave me," his voice faltered and the words struck Aragorn like a blow to the head.

"NO!"

"I will be a burden to you." Legolas paused to gather his strength. "You will have a better chance… to find a way out...without me..." Spending the last of his strength in those words, his eyes drifted shut wearily.

"No Legolas! Wake up!" Aragorn tapped him on the face. "Don’t go to sleep!" He knew that once the elf lost consciousness, he might never wake up again. "Open your eyes!" the human urged furiously and was practically shouting. "I will NOT leave you here!"

It took some effort before he managed to force Legolas to open his eyes and Aragorn let out a sigh of relief when the elf blinked and looked up at him. "Don’t you ever do that again! My heart can’t take it." The attempted joke earned him a pained smile from the woodland being. Gathering the remaining of the makeshift bandages, the ranger bound Legolas’ chest to minimize movement of his fractured ribs and then proceeded to bind his own broken ankle while speaking to the injured elf to keep him awake.

They rested where they sat for about half an hour before Aragorn decided that they should move on. Packing whatever was left of their belongings, Aragorn collected the stray arrows and placed them back into Legolas’ quiver. Strapping the quiver onto his back, the ranger swung the packs and Legolas’ bow over his shoulder. The sword that he was carrying was lost during the fall and he did not want to waste precious time and energy searching for it. Placing one hand behind Legolas’ back and the other under his knees, the young man lifted the elf prince off the ground in one swift movement. He staggered backwards as his balance was upset by his injured ankle and crashed into the cavern wall behind him. Pure agony ripped through his body and the cry that he had been trying to hold back burst from his lips. Bright green spots flashed before his eyes and a loud ringing erupted in his ears. He bit down hard on his lower lips and feared that he would pass out from the pain.

*You cannot fall. Legolas needs you* he repeated the words over and over, willing his body to co-operate. Slowly, the ringing in his ears faded and the pretty green spots decided to leave him. Diverting his attention to Legolas once again, Aragorn spoke to the elf.

"Are you still with me?"

Legolas gave a weak moan in acknowledgement.

Confident that he could move again, the ranger clutched the elf tightly against his chest and took a step forward…and cursed out loud as the broken ankle sent burning fingers of fire up his leg. He gritted his teeth and ground out another curse while forcing himself forward with a painstakingly slow pace. Each step he took was like walking barefooted on broken glass but the thought of his friend kept him going. The soft glow from Legolas was growing dimmer and the fact frightened him. He tried to keep a conversation going between them but the elf’s response was slacking.

Aragorn had no idea where he was heading. He was just following his instincts and the pain in his chest had taken over all his senses. Panting heavily, he concentrated hard on putting one foot in front of the other. Many times he stumbled but managed to stay on his feet. He was afraid that if he fell, he might not have the strength to get up again.

So focused on his task, he did not notice the obstacle lying in his path. Tripping on the object, the human lost his balance and staggered sideways, ramming his shoulder into the stone wall. Letting out a small yelp, he slipped onto the floor with Legolas still held tightly in his arms. The impact sent sheer, unrelenting agony through his chest and his scream echoed throughout the cave. Legolas buried his face in Aragorn’s shoulder, the fingers of his right hand dug painfully into the human’s arm, his own screams lost in the soft fabric of the ranger’s tunic.

They sat there for the longest moment, drawing strength from each other. Finally, Aragorn composed himself and searched his vicinity, looking for whatever had sent them on this undesirable trip to the ground. What he saw was unnerving. A skeleton of a man sat propped up against the wall beside him, his bony legs stretched into their earlier path. Fell by a dead man, Aragorn thought mirthlessly. Legolas stirred in his arms and he turned his attention to the elf.

"What is it, Aragorn?" the elven prince asked, his voice soft and barely audible.

"Nothing," the ranger lied. He didn’t want his friend to think that their fate would end up like this unfortunate man, to die and be forgotten in some hidden underground cavern.

Legolas lifted his head up from Aragorn’s shoulder and his gaze fell upon the skeleton. "Maybe this is our fate too," he sighed sadly, his elven spirit dampened by the sight.

"No… I will not allow it. As long as there is breath in me, I will get us out."

Legolas gave him an encouraging smile but something caught his eyes.

"He’s holding something...in his hand," the elf referred to the pile of bones beside them.

Aragorn squinted in the dark and he could vaguely make out a box. Stretching out his hand, he managed to pry the box out of the dead man’s fingers. Turning it around in his hand, the two friends examined the box.

"Pure mithril...must be important," Legolas’ chest heaved painfully as he spoke.

"It’s sealed. I can’t open it without the proper tools," the human put in.

"Looks like he was guarding it," the elf added weakly.

"We will take it with us. When we get out of here, I will try to open it." *If we get out of here* thought Aragorn despondently.

Legolas slumped back against Aragorn’s chest; the simple task had drained much of his remaining strength. Shutting his eyes, he attempted to block out the pounding headache but the more he tried, the worse it got. His chest was hurting badly despite Aragorn’s careful ministration and each breath was getting more painful and difficult. He knew that his lung was filling up with fluid and if he didn’t receive proper treatment soon, he would drown in his own blood. Furthermore, he had no idea what other internal injuries he had suffered.

"If this man could get in, I’m sure there is a way out," Aragorn tucked the box into their pack as he spoke. Making sure that it was secured and would not slip out easily, the ranger turned to the elf. "What do you suppose is in there?" he asked but received no answer.

"Legolas?!" Placing his hand on the elf’s cheek, the man tapped his face lightly. For a few torturous moments, he thought the prince had lapsed into unconsciousness but Legolas moaned and his eyes fluttered open.

"I’m so tired..." The usually bright silver-blue eyes were now glazed and unfocused. "Please let me rest...for a while..." Legolas let his eyes drift shut again.

"You have to stay awake!" the human snapped. "Legolas! Hear my voice and open your eyes!"

The elf pried his eyes open a slit with effort. "We have to go, Estel," he stated wearily, "I don’t know how much longer I can hold on." A shudder racked his slight frame as his chest seized up in protest sending him into another coughing fit. More blood trickled out from the corner of his mouth and ran down his chin in rivulets.

"We are leaving now, my friend." Aragorn wiped the blood away from his friend’s chin with his sleeve. He forced his legs to bare their weight as he lifted the prince while using the wall behind him for support as he rose. Holding back the pain that threatened to overwhelm him, the young ranger staggered forward slowly, leaving the pile of bones behind them.

The path before him was dark and even the faint glow from Legolas was unable to provide enough light for Aragorn to move comfortably anymore. Unlike elves who could see clearly in little light, a human’s eyesight was not designed to see in the dark. Aragorn did not notice what he was about to step on until it was too late. The pressure plate under his feet sank slowly into the ground as the ranger treaded on it. The soft click alerted him and his eyes widen in shock.

*No!* the voice screamed inside his head. *Not now!*

*****

To Be Continued...

Like it? Hate it? Please R&R :D

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 5 – Long Walk to Freedom

A tremor radiated from below him and quickly spread out to the rest of the cave. The walls shook; dust and debris rained down towards the elf and man. Bending forward, Aragorn shielded Legolas’ face with his body to prevent the elf from inhaling the dusty air. A loud grinding sound flooded into the cave from all directions and to Aragorn, it felt like the walls were moving. But what the ranger did not realize was that one of the walls was indeed moving! Stone grinding against stone, the wall closest to him moved out and sideways, slowly revealing a hidden doorway that was not there before. The tremor stopped suddenly when the entire passage was exposed. Coughing slightly, Aragorn lifted his head and snorted into the musty air.

"Wh--What happened?" Legolas managed to choke out, his voice getting weaker by the minute.

"I’m not sure but..." Aragorn glanced around and his gaze fell upon the newly formed tunnel, "I think we’ve found a way out."

Dragging his body through the entrance, the ranger surveyed the area. The tunnel slanted slightly upwards, an indication that it was leading to the surface. Not wanting to delay any longer, Aragorn began moving slowly up the path, hoping against hope that his decision to follow this new route would eventually lead them out of this prison.

The tunnel was narrow, barely enough for one person to pass. Carrying Legolas was hindering his movement greatly and his broken ankle didn’t help the situation. Many times he was forced to stop and rest, bracing against the wall for support. His arms ached from holding the elf for too long and his fingers numb from lack of circulation.

Sensing the human’s distress, Legolas asked to be let down, insisting that he could walk but his knees gave way as soon as his feet touched the ground. It was Aragorn’s quick reflex that kept him from crashing onto the floor. Rummaging through their pack after lowering his friend to the ground, the human found some extra ‘bandages’ and designed a sling to support Legolas’ broken arm. Draping the elf’s good arm around his shoulder and wrapping his other arm around his slender waist, Aragorn hefted the prince onto his feet. The sharp cry from his injured friend broke his heart into a million pieces but desperate times called for desperate measures. He could no longer bear the elf’s weight for his strength was almost depleted.

Leaning against the wall side by side, the duo rested momentarily before continuing their journey, inching sideways up the narrow path. Stopping several more times to rest, Aragorn began to wonder if he made a correct choice by taking the path. Just when the thought all hope was lost, the tunnel began to widen and the slope leveled off gradually. A dim light shone into the darkness some distance away and that brought him new hope. Half-supporting and half-dragging the barely conscious elf, he moved towards the light with renewed energy.

"We’re almost out, Legolas." He encouraged his friend, urging him to move on. "Just a little while longer and you will be able to see the sun again."

The journey was difficult for both of them. Legolas shivered against the human, an unnatural cold spreading from within him yet his face was flushed and the heat emanating from his body made him feel sick. Blood saturated the bandage around his head and a thin trail of the crimson substance snaked down his face and made its way into the collar of his tunic. A small groan escaped his lips as a wave of queasiness swept over him and he swallowed hard in attempt to suppress the undesired outcome.

"Are you alright?" the human slowed his pace and came to a stop before turning to the distraught elf, concern evident in his gentle voice.

"I don’t feel well..." Legolas clamped his hand over his mouth. He hated to admit it but he felt downright miserable at the moment. Cold sweat broke on his brow and neck, trickling slowly down his back. Pushing back his elven pride, he wanted to tell Aragorn that he was going to actually be sick but before the words came out, his stomach churned. Turning away quickly, Legolas doubled over and heaved violently bringing up what little food that he had eaten earlier in the morning. The vigorous movement tore at his chest but the screams were caught in his throat for they could not escape at the moment.

Taken aback by the elf’s sudden movement, Aragorn was almost dragged off balance as the elf collapsed forward. Jerking back hard on his heels with his hand still wrapped around Legolas’ waist, the human managed to stay on his feet but the action caused him great pain. Biting down hard on his lower lip, he stifled his own scream as the weight of the elf pulled on his injured ribs and ankle. Dark spots danced before his eyes and he blinked hard to clear his vision. Sounds of retching brought him back to the current predicament and Aragorn shifted his attention to the distressed elf. Sweeping the long blond hair away from the sweat-drenched face, the human patted his back as the dry heaving continued.

The piteous screams finally made their way out of his throat when the retching ceased, wrenching a sob from the pale lips. Pearly tears streamed down his cheeks as the pain got to an unbearable level and his breath hitched slightly. Aragorn continued to rub his back soothingly while whispering words of comfort in elvish and he was thankful for his friend’s support in this difficult time. After recomposing himself, Legolas expressed his silent thanks with a small nod. He was too sickly to feel embarrass at that instant, only grateful that the horrible feeling was gone and the world around him had finally stopped spinning.

Smiling sympathetically, Aragorn helped him sit down and proceeded to clean his face with a spare tunic before moving on to change the soiled bandage. Binding the new bandage neatly over the gash on Legolas’ forehead, Aragorn helped his friend onto his feet again.

"Come my friend, let us get you into the sunshine. It will warm your spirits and your body."

Blinking tears from his eyes, the prince of Mirkwood willed the world to stop spinning and it took him a while to steady himself and allowed the human to guide him towards the faint light some distance away. The thought of sunshine on his face intensified his determination and he intended to make the trip without another stop despite the intense pain that plagued his body.

As the two friends limped slowly towards the exit, Aragorn prayed that they would not be delayed by any more unexpected hindrances. Supporting most of Legolas’ weight, the human hoped that the elf would be able to make it without another stumble for he feared that he might not have the strength to continue on. As they approached the exit, Legolas’ breathing grew more labored, sharp gasps accompanied each step he took. The elf was near collapse and Aragorn knew that he would need to carry the prince to prevent him from aggravating his injuries further. Pulling the woodland being to a stop, the young man scooped the light-weighted elf into his arms, ignoring the weak protest from Legolas. His body had adjusted to accommodate his injuries some time ago and therefore he was prepared for the pain that came along with his action. Dragging himself towards the exit with his precious burden, the human’s thoughts were focused on the warmth of the sun and the cool, clean air outside.

The exit was partially hidden behind an entanglement of vines and shrubs, an indication that it had not been used for a very long time. Aragorn took several minutes to clear away the mesh and opened a hole big enough for them to pass through. Picking up Legolas, he made his way out into the open air.

Fresh air filled his lungs and it renewed his strength. Carrying Legolas over to a large tree, he settled the elf down on the damp grass and leaned him against the thick trunk. Dropping down beside his friend, Aragorn let out a sigh.

"We are finally out of that horrible place, Legolas." The ranger took in sweet scent of the wet grass. It must have rained while they were trapped in the underground cavern. "We will rest for a while and I will take you home." He waited for a response from the elf but it never came. Opening his eyes, the ranger looked over to his side and his heart sank.

Legolas slumped limply against the tree, his head dropping forward onto his chest. The elf’s eyes were closed and his chest was still.

"No..." Aragorn rolled onto his knees and knelt in front of his friend. He grabbed Legolas by the chin and tilted his head up. The elf’s face was deathly pale, his lips had turned a slight tinge of blue.

"No!" Aragorn shouted. "We have come so far! You can’t give up now!" The man grabbed Legolas by his shoulder and shook him vigorously, hot tears streaming down his face. Not caring if he hurt his friend, Aragorn slapped the elf across the face hoping that the pain would somehow jostle him back to life again but nothing happened. He held the limp elf by the shoulders and shook him again until he heard a sharp gasp.

Legolas’ eyes flew open suddenly, a silent scream locked in his throat. Aragorn stared at the terrifying expression on Legolas’ face. "Breathe Legolas! Breathe!!" He yelled at the petrified elf. What was only seconds seemed like an eternity to the ranger. Suddenly, Legolas’ fingers clenched up and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. A deep shudder ran through the battered body and he took an agonizing breath. The scream left his throat as a mere whimper for he was too weak to work up enough strength to scream.

Aragorn released the breath that he didn’t know he was holding and had a sudden urge to embrace his friend but the pained look on Legolas’ face stopped him. Brushing his fingers over the elf’s cheek, he let it linger on the prince’s face an extra heartbeat before leaning him back gently against the tree. Several minutes passed before Legolas finally opened his eyes and the first thing he did was reach out for Aragorn. The human grasped the slender hand in his own, squeezing it lightly.

"H--Hurts... to breathe," Legolas admitted ruefully, unshed tears brimmed in his dull silver-blue eyes.

"I know. But you have to try. You hear me?" Aragorn said wearily and the elf gave him a slow blink in acknowledgement.

A ruffle behind Aragorn drew the ranger’s attention away from his friend momentarily and he turned towards the sound. "Don’t go anywhere," the man said over his shoulder, "I’ll be right back." Despite his heavy limping, Aragorn approached the bush where the sound had come from with elf-like stealth that would make his father proud. He stopped near the bush and listened intently. The ruffling sound came again, the grass wavering slightly at the disturbance. Just when Aragorn was about to investigate further, something dashed out abruptly and rammed into the ranger.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 6 - A Small Comfort

He saw the dark haired man slap the other across the face and then shook the helpless man violently. A sense of dread swept over him and he shrank back into the bush, hugging his knees to his chest trying to make himself as small as possible. He heard the man speak but he was too far away to make out the exact words. Shifting slightly in between the tall grass, he was unaware that he had revealed his location to the man that he had been hiding from. The figure contemplated whether to stay hidden or make a run for it and finally decided that he didn't want to be a sitting target. Working up his courage, he made a mad dash out of his safe haven and ran straight into the dark haired man whom he didn't know was already standing a few feet away from his hideout.

Aragorn stumbled backwards and landed hard on the ground, something heavy landing on top of him. The weight drove the air out of his lungs and crushed down on his already injured ribs. The ranger let out a loud grunt and instinctively grabbed his assailant, ready to defend himself but was surprised when he found himself being pinned down by a small child of about five years of age. The child trashed wildly in his arms trying to get away but the ranger's grip was strong and powerful. He rolled the child off his chest and held his small body firmly on the ground.

"Hey! Calm down!" Aragorn raised his voice so that he could be heard over the boy's frantic cries. "I won't hurt you!"

The child seemed to have understood him and he quieted down a little. Still sobbing, the small boy stopped his struggle and allowed Aragorn to help him sit up.

"Shh... it's alright. I won't hurt you," the ranger hugged the boy and stroke his back up and down in attempt to calm him down.

The child was soaked to the bones, his wet clothes stuck to his skin and his hair clung at his face. After the sobbing subsided, he pulled away and stared at the human with teary eyes "W--Who are you?" he asked with a sniffle.

"My name is Strider. What's yours?"

"Varil," the small boy answered timidly.

"What are you doing here?" Aragorn removed his cloak and wrapped it around the shivering child.

"I'm lost," Varil pulled the cloak tightly around his shoulder, grateful for what Aragorn had offered.

"Come and sit with my friend. I need to care for him." The ranger pulled Varil onto his feet and led him to where Legolas was.

"He is your friend?" asked the child unbelievingly. Varil's eyes widened as he saw the blond haired elf. "He has funny ears... What is he?"

Aragorn laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. "He's an elf.."

Varil sat down beside Legolas and reached out to touch the elf's hair, his curiosity overcame his fears. "But if he is you friend, why did you hit him?"

"I was trying to help him," the human explained patiently. "He is hurt and I need to find some herbs to make him better. Can you talk to him and keep him awake for me?"

The child nodded enthusiastically "Uh huh."

"Good. I won't be long." With that, the ranger hurried off in search for the healing herb, athelas.

Legolas watched silently as Varil questioned Aragorn. He would have answered the child himself if he had the strength. The child now sat crossed leg in front of him, huddled in Aragorn's cloak and Legolas smiled weakly at him.

Varil fidgeted uncomfortably and finally worked up the courage to speak to the strange man that Strider said was an elf. "Umm... my name is Varil. What's yours?"

"Legolas," the prince replied with effort.

"Are you sick?"

The elf nodded slightly.

"When I get sick, my mother will make soup for me. Is Strider going to make soup for you?" The child scooted closer to Legolas as he spoke.

"I think so," Legolas managed to say before he let his eyes slip shut.

"Hey! Strider said I have to keep you awake." Varil took Legolas' hand and shook it. "Wake up!"

The elf moaned and forced his eyes open. "I'm awake..."

"Good. Can you tell me what is an elf?"

"That is a long story, Varil. I'm sure Legolas would tell you when he feels better." Aragorn uttered from behind the boy as he returned with a handful of athelas. "I need to make Legolas feel better. Can you help?"

"Alright." Varil looked at Aragorn nervously. "What can I do?"

"Bring me the pack over there," Aragorn directed the child as he chewed on the athelas leaves.

*****

To Be Continued...

Sorry this is a bit short but at least there's no evil cliffie. :P So take a deep breath and RELAX!

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 7 – Unfriendly Welcome

Varil dragged the oversized pack over to the ranger and sat down beside him, watching intently as he undid the bandage around Legolas’ head and packed the athelas paste into the wound before re-dressing it.

The young ranger proceeded to examine the elf’s broken arm and was satisfied by the healing progress. The elf’s natural healing abilities had done a wonderful job in mending the broken bone. The swelling had gone down and the bruise had faded a little although not by much. However, healing only occurred when the injuries had been properly treated and he worried about the elf’s broken ribs. Unwinding the bandage around the prince’s chest, his heart sank when he saw that the bruising had spread from the left side to the center of his chest. The elf was bleeding to death slowly and if they did not find help soon, he would not survive. Packing more athelas onto the bruised skin, Aragorn rebound the elf’s chest.

All this while, Varil watched silently as the man tended to his friend. He saw Aragorn chewed on the leaves and that reminded him of his hunger. His stomach growled loudly and he looked at the bunch of leaves beside the dark haired man.

"Can that be eaten?" Varil pointed at the athelas when Aragorn shifted his attention away from Legolas momentarily.

"I’m afraid not," the young man replied mildly.

"But I’m hungry..." the small boy whined and stifled a sob.

Aragorn pulled Varil over to him and wrapped his arm around the child’s shoulder. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked.

"Yesterday morning," Came the shy reply.

"You mean you haven’t eaten since yesterday?"

Varil nodded.

"Where do you live?" the ranger tried to get some information from the small child hoping to find a way to get him home and in the meantime get some help for Legolas.

"In a village. But I can’t find it now. The Chief doesn’t allow any of us to leave the place and I’ve never been out before..."

"Then why are you out here?" Aragorn was curious to know what happened.

"I ran out on a dare. The older children... they called me a coward and dared me to leave the village…"Varil trailed off obviously ashamed for what he had done. "Father is going to be so mad." He buried his face in Aragorn’s cloak and sobbed.

"Don’t worry, we’ll get you home," the ranger ruffled the boys hair and Varil snuggled against him.

"Strider..." Legolas’ soft moan drew the human’s attention back to him. The elf looked a shade paler since Aragorn last examined him. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his skin felt cold to the touch. The raging fever that had engulfed his body was gone and was replaced by a deadly chill which now made the elf shiver.

Varil crouched down and touched Legolas’ face with his tiny fingers but withdrew them immediately.

"He’s so cold." the boy said to the ranger before removing Aragorn’s cloak from his shoulders and draped it over Legolas. "He can have the cloak. I’m not cold anymore," he said in a small voice. "And I can carry the pack for you if you need to help Legolas," the child added.

Aragorn smiled and nodded approvingly at Varil. The boy would grow up to be a great man, just like Legolas… always willing to sacrifice for others.

Biting back the hot fiery pain in his chest and ankle, the ranger lifted the elf into his arms. As he waited for the aches to subside, he saw Varil lift the pack with both hands and hugged it against his chest.

"Do you remember which direction you came from?" the ranger asked as he adjusted the weight in his arms.

Varil pointed to his left while gripping tightly onto the pack with his other hand. "There. I remember passing a river yesterday."

"Follow closely beside me where I can see you, Varil." the ranger instructed as he prompted his feet to start moving.

The late afternoon sun was slowly setting towards the horizon and it would be dark in a few hours which would make tracking more difficult for Aragorn. Legolas panted heavily with each step they took, his lungs refusing to process the air he took in any longer. It took them almost another hour before they came across the river.

"Is this the river?" Aragorn asked Varil as he tried to catch his breath.

The boy nodded, stumbling to a stop beside the ranger. "I think so. We have a river in the village too."

Aragorn’s heart leapt at his words. This could be the same river that would lead them into the village! Quickening his pace, the man called out to the boy. "I think I may be able to find your village. Hurry along!"

After a moment’s travel, a flicker from a torch some distance away could be seen and Aragorn was encouraged to move faster. "I think we are close."

Varil was trying hard to keep up with the ranger’s long strides, his small hands still wrapped around the pack. Straining his neck, the boy tried to see what the ranger saw but he was too short to see anything. "I cannot see it," he complained but Aragorn had already moved on. Running towards the ranger, Varil followed Aragorn as fast as his short legs could carry him.

 *****

The village was enclosed within a circle of high wooden planks, two torches burned brightly at each side of the heavy gate. Varil ran to the wooden door and banged his small fist against it while calling out for his mother. Recognizing the child’s voice, the guard by the gate released the latch and the small boy ran into the compound without hesitation. Aragorn followed cautiously behind Varil not knowing if he was welcomed into their home but the guard only gave him an annoyed glance without stopping him. Setting Legolas down in the middle of the field, he watched as a group of people ran out from their huts towards the boy and surrounded them.

"Varil!" a young girl pushed past the crowd and threw her arms around the boy, tears of joy streaming down her face. "We thought we will never see you again!"

Two more figures, a male and a female which Aragorn assumed were his parents, ran towards Varil and embraced him tightly. Cries of joy filled the evening air.

"When you ran away and didn’t come, we thought you were dead… like Herbenna’s son." The mother caressed Varil's face. "The Chief forbade us from going out to look for you," she whispered. "I’m so glad you’re alright." The woman kissed him on the head and a smile broke out from her tear-stained face.

"Strider found me and brought me back," Varil explained, turning back to look at Aragorn who stood silently behind him.

"Strider?" The boy’s father asked.

"Yes. He and his friend found me." Then he suddenly remembered Legolas. "Legolas is sick! Can Deyron help him?"

"No," a deep scratchy voice said from outside the crowd. Immediately, the crowd went quiet and the villagers made way for the village chief to enter into the circle. "You know we don’t take in outsiders."

"Medovir, he did save my son. How can you repay his kindness by throwing him and his friend out?" the younger man interrupted.

"You know our rule, Notiviel. No one leaves or enters our village. It has been our law for generations," the elderly man interjected. "Besides, I can’t help him," he added flatly.

"But I can."

"Deyron!" Varil ran up to the healer and hugged him around the leg. "Please help Legolas!"

Deyron bent down and picked up the child.

"Please..." Aragorn spoke for the first time since he and Legolas entered the village. "We just need some water, clean bandages and a place to rest," he begged Medovir. "My friend will die without help." Looking down at the prince as he struggled to breathe, his stomach did a flip-flop as Legolas coughed and choked up a mouthful of blood.

"Then let him die!" the elderly man shouted at the ranger.

*****

To Be Continued...

 Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 8 – Rest While You Can

"Look at them Medovir! What harm can they do if you let them stay for a few days?" another man beside the Chief spoke up. "As your advisor, I think I have a say too. You are so rigid sometimes. Rules are set by humans, they can be bent."

"Fine, Dergth! Do whatever you want!" the Chief yelled at his advisor and stomped off.

"Take him into the healing house, Deyron " Dergth instructed the healer as Varil’s father relieved him of the child.

Deyron lifted Legolas carefully and hurried towards a small hut while Dergth helped Aragorn up onto his feet, bearing most of the ranger’s weight. The ranger slumped heavily against Dergth, his strength almost gone now that the adrenaline rush was over. The pain in his chest and ankle magnified themselves and the ranger could not stop the whimper that slipped from his lips.

"It’s alright. I will help you," the village advisor reassured the young man. "Lean on me."

*****

The healing house was small but warm and comfortable, a small fire burning brightly in a corner and a kettle of water was bubbling over the flame. Laying the elf down on a soft straw mat, Deyron retrieved a basin and a clean towel from a four-tier shelf. Mixing some warm water in the basin, the healer cleaned the blood off Legolas’ face.

"I need my pack," Aragorn said as Dergth helped him into the hut, "I have some herbs that could help him."

Dergth nodded. "I will send for Notiviel and Varil."

"Thank you," the ranger expressed his gratitude. "We owe you our lives."

Turning to Deyron after Dergth had exited, Aragorn requested for some items that he needed; a small knife, bandages, needle and thread. Running the blade of the knife through the fire to disinfect it, he set it aside to cool. With Deyron’s help, the two healers removed Legolas’ tunic and the makeshift bandages, exposing his bare chest. Wiping his hands on a set of clean towel, he took up the knife and pressed the tip into Legolas’ chest, making an incision of about two inches in length at where the broken rib lay. The elf gasped as the knife cut into his skin but the pain was negligible compared to what was about to come.

Digging his fingers into the elf’s chest, the ranger pulled out the broken rib that had protruded into his lung. The elven prince writhed in agony and his heart-wrenching scream shattered the peace of the evening. Aragorn tried to shut out the tortured sound and concentrated hard on what he was doing but the screams tore at his heart especially when he was the one causing the pain. He was therefore grateful when the elf lapsed into unconsciousness which would allow him to work faster and more efficiently knowing that the prince would not feel the pain. After sewing up the punctured wound, he cleared out the blood which was pooled inside Legolas’ chest cavity as best as he could and sutured the incision on his chest neatly.

Just when he was done, Dergth returned with Varil and his family. The boy sauntered in behind his parents along with his sister, the young girl whom had embraced him when he had returned. Notiviel handed Aragorn’s pack to Deyron and moved some distance away so as not to disturb the healers.

Washing his bloodied hands in the basin, the ranger asked for a bowl of hot water and crushed some athelas leaves into the wooden container. The sweet scent of the healing herb filled the room and its occupants relaxed a little in the cleansing aroma. Wringing out a towel, he bathed Legolas’ chest with the solution gently and then bound up his chest again. With the more pressing injury out of the way, Aragorn proceeded to tend to the elf’s other wounds, making a proper sling for his broken arm and replacing the bandage around his temple after applying some athelas paste that he had made earlier onto the gash. Finishing his ministration finally, the ranger leaned back against the wall and let out a deep sigh, his eyes finally closing in total exhaustion.

When he opened his eyes again, he could see the sun shining brightly in the sky through an open window, an indication that a new day had come. He found himself lying next to Legolas, both of them tucked securely under respective blankets. His chest and ankle was bound neatly and the pain had lessened to a much more tolerable level. Sighing gratefully for Deyron’s help, Aragorn pushed himself up gingerly and checked on Legolas.

The prince was still asleep, dark circles colored the skin under his closed eyes. He was still cold to the touch but was much better compared to the day before. The bruising on his chest had faded a little but had also spread to his abdomen, a fact which worried Aragorn immensely. He believed that the elf had suffered some other internal injuries which he could not detect. Only his father would be able to treat such wounds.

Legolas moaned softly as Aragorn pulled the blanket back up to his shoulders and his eyes fluttered open.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" the ranger apologized.

The elf blinked a few times and then smiled up at him, something he thought he would never see again yesterday. Aragorn returned the warm smile and helped Legolas sit up per his request, propping him against the wall with two pillows.

"How do you feel?" Aragorn sat down beside the elf and tucked a lock of his stray blond hair behind his ears.

Legolas took a moment to take inventory of the various aches and pains in his body before replying his friend.

"Head and chest still hurt but not as bad," the elf’s voice sounded weak even to himself. He had no idea how close to death he had been a few hours ago. Inhaling deeply, he realized that he could breathe without too much pain.

"I can breathe easier."

"Good. At least something good came out of those boring healing lessons I took." Aragorn’s joke drew a small laugh from Legolas which turned into a cough.

The prince groaned and clutched at his chest. "Don’t make me laugh, Strider. It hurts."

"Ahh… I’m sorry. But I can’t help it if I’m funny."

Legolas snorted and swatted at the ranger with his good arm but Aragorn dodged it expertly.

"I see you’re feeling better." The kind voice of a woman brought their attention to the door. "I’m Belphena, Varil’s mother," the woman introduced herself and then motioned towards the young girl behind her. "And this is Chandril, his sister."

Chandril was bearing a tray of bread, fruits and water. She followed her mother into the hut and set the tray down onto the floor.

"We brought you breakfast. Thought you may be hungry," she said shyly.

"Thank you," Aragorn and Legolas replied in unison and the two friends grinned at each other.

"It is I who should say thank you… for saving my son." Belphena approached the duo and settled down beside them. "Too bad Herbenna’s son was never found."

"Her son ran away too?" Aragorn asked as he picked up a piece of bread and passed it to Legolas who accepted gratefully.

"Yes," Chandril said and then paused. "Herbenna begged the Chief to send someone to look for him but..." she trailed off and shrugged, "you know the rule..."

Aragorn nodded sadly and sighed. If they hadn’t found Varil, he would have suffered the same fate.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: See? No evil cliffie :P *angelic smile* And no more evil cliffies for a loooooooong time.

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 9 – The Secrets Within

Legolas looked at the trio, confusion written all over his face for he had not heard the conversation yesterday. "What’s going on?" he looked from Aragorn to the two women, requesting for an explanation.

Belphena retold the story to Legolas, adding in more details concerning their rules as she went along. "Something happened many generations ago which led our ancestors to set such rule. Ever since then, we have never left the village, not even allowed to send a search party for Herbenna’s son when he sneaked out and never return. The poor woman was on her knees outside the Chief’s hut for days begging him to save her only son but he refused. She hated him for that and it enraged her even more when he bent the rules for the both of you and not her."

Chandril nodded beside her mother. "She had changed so much ever since that day and had become withdrawn from everything. She hardly joins any of the village functions and hides in her hut most of the time. It saddens all of us to see her like that."

Aragorn and Legolas shifted uncomfortably, knowing that their presence had undoubtedly brought back painful memories for the villagers.

Legolas looked apologetically at the older woman. "I’m sorry that our presence opened up old wounds." Turning to his companion, the elf told him of his decision. "We should leave. I don’t want to put unnecessary stress on the villagers."

Aragorn nodded his agreement. "We leave tomorrow morning."

"No," the elf interjected, "we leave now."

"But you could barely walk!" the ranger protested. "You need rest."

"I’m fine," Legolas lied and tried to sit up to stress his point but his attempt to rise drew a wince from his face and he fell back onto the pillows when a sharp pain lanced through his body. Gasping for air, the elf squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to pass. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring into a pair of concerned silver-green ones. The wood-elf forced a smile and told Aragorn that he was all right but the ranger was not convinced that easily. Insisting that he should rest, Aragorn helped Legolas back down onto the mat and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. The mother and daughter excused themselves as Aragorn tucked the elf securely under the blanket and the ranger thanked them once again for their kindness.

Watching his friend fall into a fitful sleep, Aragorn could not help but think about what Legolas had said. They really should leave soon and he hoped that tomorrow would be soon enough. The ranger lay down beside Legolas after clearing up the tray and setting it aside. He thought of what Belphena had said. Something had happened many years ago that scared the villagers to the extent that they had shut themselves off from the rest of the world. He wondered what it was. His thoughts drifted as sleep started to take over and suddenly he remembered the mithril box that they had stumbled upon the cave. Making a mental note to borrow some tools form Dergth later to open it, the ranger let his eyes slip shut as he fell into a peaceful oblivion.

*****

Legolas struggled into wakefulness at the sound of loud hammering and grunted disgustedly as the annoying noise was making his head pound with every beat. Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw Aragorn sitting in a corner, hammering away on a chisel which he had wedged between the lid and the mithril box. Having completely forgotten about the box, Legolas was surprised that the ranger still remembered.

"Any luck?" the elf asked loudly so that he could be heard over the hammering sound.

Stunned by the sudden voice, Aragorn’s concentration slipped and the hammer landed on his thumb instead of the chisel. The ranger yelped and dropped the tool, sucking his injured thumb while glaring dangerously at Legolas.

The elven prince chuckled lightly and motioned for the human to come over. Aragorn grabbed the box and tools after relieving his thumb from his mouth and scooted over to Legolas.

"You find that amusing?" the ranger asked with a pout.

Legolas laughed. "You are the most clumsy ranger I’ve ever met," the elf prince chided and pushed himself up gingerly to a sitting position.

"No thanks to you," Aragorn joked.

"So," Legolas tilted his head towards the box, "any luck?"

"Almost there," the ranger replied with a grin. "I got bored watching you sleep so I thought I’d do something constructive."

"More like destructive. You sounded like you were tearing down the hut."

"Sorry, I’ve forgotten about your keen elven hearing," the human grinned mischievously. "But the truth is," Aragorn pulled a tray from behind Legolas and placed it in front of the elf, "you should really eat something."

Legolas squinted at the food. "What time is it?" the blond elf asked while trying to stifle a yawn.

"Almost dusk, sleeping beauty."

"I’ve been asleep since after breakfast?"

"Uh huh. Now eat or do you need me to feed you?"

The prince rolled his eyes and would have whacked the grinning human with a pillow if his chest didn’t hurt so much.

"Start eating and get your strength back. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Legolas nodded grimly. The road ahead would not be easy for them. Although their injuries were slowly mending, they were still a long way from full recovery and the long journey home would cause them much pain. Sighing mildly, the wood-elf took a spoonful of his soup and watched Aragorn continue his battle with the box. Halfway through his meal, he heard Aragorn give a triumph cry as the lid finally popped open a gap. A small hiss escaped from the box and Legolas felt a sudden chill brushed through his very soul. He dropped the spoon with a loud clang and shivered at the uncomfortable feeling.

 *****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Again… no evil cliffie. Okay, cliffie but not evil :P Please R & R :D Thank you *bows low*

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 10 – Confusion All Around

Noticing the elf’s reaction, Aragorn reached out and touched his uninjured arm. "What is it my friend?" The human’s frown deepened when the prince did not respond. "Legolas? What’s wrong?!" The panicked tone in the ranger’s voice brought the elf out of his stupor.

The elf blinked a couple of times and shook his head to get rid of the frightful feeling but regretted immediately as pain exploded inside his head. Grimacing at the headache, Legolas waited for the pain to pass before continuing. "Nothing. I just felt something brush pass me. Maybe it’s just a draft," the prince shrugged and tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling. "Let’s see what’s in the box," he changed the subject casually to draw Aragorn’s attention away from him and was glad when the ranger fell for it and did not push him for details.

Forcing the tip of the chisel into the gap, the human pried the lid off forcefully. Peering into the box, Aragorn raised an eyebrow.

"What’s in there?" Legolas’ curiosity peaked at the human’s expression.

"It’s empty!" the young man showed the box to the elf prince. "All our trouble for nothing," the ranger grumbled disappointedly.

"At least you get a nice box. It would make a good collection," Legolas teased jokingly, the feeling of the earlier tension slowly leaving his body.

The man gave the box one last check and then stuffed it back into their pack. "Oh well, I’m sure we will find some use for it back home. Now, finish your food and get some sleep." Aragorn laid down on his mat and stared up at the rafters, wondering why someone would guard an empty box but no answer came to him. He felt Legolas shift next to him as he adjusted his body into a more comfortable position. The prince’s condition seemed to have stabilized and he hoped that the elf’s natural healing abilities had mended his internal injuries. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut.

Legolas sat silently as he listened to the ranger’s soft snore and smiled to himself. Not feeling tired at the moment, the prince wished to get out and sit under the stars for a while before retiring for the night. Pulling himself painfully up from the floor using the crutch the villagers had made for Aragorn for support, he limped wearily towards the door. He was surprised that the short distance to the door had taxed him much of his strength forcing him to lean against the doorframe to gather his strength before moving on again. Panting slightly, the elf settled down upon the grass outside the hut and took in the much-needed fresh air. Enjoying the night view, he let his body relax in the evening breeze. Suddenly, the chill that he had felt in the hut returned and Legolas shuddered involuntarily. All his senses went on alert as he scanned the area around him frantically, searching for the cause of his uneasiness but except for the unnatural silence, nothing was out of the ordinary. Closing his eyes, Legolas tried to calm his frayed nerves and persuaded himself that it was only his overactive imagination.

The elf sat there for a moment longer before making his way back to the hut but when he returned, he noticed that Aragorn’s bed was empty. He wondered where the ranger went and was surprised that he did not hear him leave but knowing that the ranger would take care of himself, Legolas did not worry about his absence. Happy that he was finally able to see the stars, the elf settled in for the night.

*****

As the sun rose up from the horizon, her soft rays illuminated a prone figure lying on his side beside the river. The man’s dark brown hair fell loosely across his face, hiding his handsome features. A small bird landed beside the man, chirping happily as the figure groaned and flipped onto his back, the morning dew from the grass sipping slowly into his tunic. The man rubbed his eyes and wondered why he was lying on something wet when he was supposed to be indoors but the sounds of shouting brought him to his senses immediately and he jolted wide awake and found himself to be sitting at the river bank. Turning hastily towards the commotion, he saw a group of villagers running towards his direction. Not knowing what had transpired, the man pushed himself up from the ground and stood unsteadily, favoring his broken ankle.

"He’s there!" one of the villagers shouted and pointed at the confused ranger as he made a mad dash towards the man, closing the distance between himself and Aragorn rapidly. The rest of the villagers followed closely behind.

"What’s happened?" Aragorn croaked, his throat parched and dry for some unknown reasons.

"Seize him!" the leader of the crowd shouted as the group of angry people approached him. Suddenly, Aragorn found himself facedown on the ground, his hands twisted painfully behind him and a boot wedged behind his back.

"What’s going on?!" the ranger demanded an answer but all that he got was a hard kick to his side. Aragorn curled up and groaned painfully as the boot connected with his injured rib.

"Take him to the Square!" the leader commanded. "And bring his accomplice!"

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, sort of a cliffie but at least no one is dying :P Please R&R!

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 11 – Guilty until Proven Innocent

The loud commotion outside brought Legolas out of his peaceful slumber but before he could make out what was happening, a group of four men barged into the hut and yanked him roughly to his feet. Legolas cried out as one of the men twisted his right arm and pinned it behind his back, the movement jarring his ribs and pulled at the stitches in his chest.

"Where are you taking me?" the elf ground out through clenched teeth. "Where is my friend?" he asked after realizing that Aragorn was not with him. "What is going on?!"

"Shut up!!" the taller of the four men bellowed at the helpless being. Turning to the man restraining Legolas, he tilted his head and motioned him towards the exit. "Take him to the other."

*****

Aragorn was held in the middle of a square rocky platform, his hands tied to a pole behind his back. The rough rope dug painfully into his wrist as he struggles against the bond while demanding to know why he was being held captive.

"Why are you holding me?!" Aragorn pulled at the rope vigorously.

"Don’t pretend, murderer!" the man who had kicked him spat out. "We showed you mercy and this is how you repay us?! By murdering my father?!" he shouted into Aragorn’s face.

"I did not murder anyone!" the ranger defended himself although he was not completely sure what had happened and why he had woken up in the field.

"Tell him Xerrax. Tell him what you saw."

"I was on night duty yesterday," Xerrax recounted what had happened, "and saw him leave the Chief’s hut a few hours before dawn. I didn’t think much of it at that time because the Chief usually woke up early. I thought perhaps he had summoned Strider for some reason but when I went to see the Chief in the morning, he was dead!" The man told the villagers who had started to gather around the Square. "It was him!!" Xerrax pointed at Aragorn. "He killed the Chief! All because he wouldn’t let them take refuge in our village!"

A loud murmur broke out from the crowd as the villagers started whispering to one another. The whispering increased in intensity as they saw the Chief’s second son, Zescaat, walk towards the Square with the blond elf in tow. The man who had restrained Legolas shoved him forcefully towards Aragorn. The elf stumbled to a stop beside his friend and before he could regain his footing, Zescaat kicked him behind the knees, sending the elf tumbling to the ground. A small cry broke from his lips as pain shot through his chest.

"Sound the horn," Zescaat commanded one of the guards, " and summon the villagers. The murderer and his accomplice will be executed!"

Legolas’ eyes went wild. "What murderer?!" he choked out the question not believing what he had heard, looking from the guards to Aragorn.

"Stop pretending, elf!" Zescaat kicked him several times in the chest and abdomen.

The elf curled up in pain. A violent cough wreaked his body, bright red blood staining his lips.

"Don’t hurt him!" Aragorn yelled in panic. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"So you are finally admitting that you did it." Tirnim, the Chief’s older son, stated coldly.

"No! I didn’t kill anyone!" the ranger shouted but he knew that no one would believe him.

"Who is going to believe you?" Tirnim echoed the human’s thoughts.

"I do," a small voice rang out from inside the crowd. It was Varil. The small boy pushed his way through the sea of people and stood firmly in front of Tirnim.

"As do we." Following closely behind Varil were his parents and sister.

"You are fools to believe an outsider!" Zescaat roared at the family and they shrank back a little.

Aragorn desperately hoped that Deyron and Dergth would come to his defence but they were no where in sight. Looking down at Legolas, he saw the elf curled up on the ground, his right hand clutched tightly at his chest. A small groan accompanied each breath he took. Zescaat took his position beside his brother as all the villagers gathered around the Square. Tirnim raised his hand silencing the large crowd before he spoke.

"This man," he pointed at Aragorn, "was found guilty of murdering my father! As we all know, the penalty for murder is death!" he shouted out in anger. "By the family of the victim in any way they wished!" With that, he removed a hidden dagger from his boot. He turned and walked towards Aragorn stopping a few inches away and whispered into his ears.

"This is for my father."

The man plunged the dagger into Aragorn’s side and twisted it inside the soft flesh. Aragorn screamed as the sharp blade ate into his body, the excruciating pain tearing him from the inside out. Tirnim laughed menacingly as he wrenched the dagger out, sending another wave of pure agony through the ranger’s body. Aragorn shuddered violently and dropped to his knees. Blood poured out of the wound at an alarming rate flowing down his side and pooling around his knees.

"NO!!" the elf screamed in spite of the pain he was in but was promptly silenced by another kick to his chest. Legolas heard a sickening crack as pain exploded in his chest and the elf cried out involuntarily, tears of pain streamed down his pale face. The world tilted dangerously around him and for a moment he thought that he would pass out for he could not seem to breathe. After the longest moment, the elf inhaled sharply. Cool air filled his damaged lungs but to him it felt like fire coursing through his chest.

*****

To Be Continued...

Hmm... small cliffie... :)

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 12 – Dreams and Premonitions

Elrond stared out blankly from the window in his study. The disturbing dreams that he had been having for the past few nights still haunted him. It had started out rather hazy, everything was dark and unfocused but he had seen his son and the elf prince stumble around as if in search of something. What worried him was that both of them were limping and seemed to be in much pain. As the days passed, the recurring dream became clearer. He saw blood on Legolas’ face, sensed his son’s distress and also felt the pain that they had to endure with every step. Each time he jolted awake, he felt like he was suffocating, as if a large rock had been placed over his chest.

The elf lord sighed and retreated back to his desk but did not sit down. He tried to push the dreams aside putting it off as a result of his overprotective nature of Aragorn and Legolas. The elf had befriended his human son since Aragorn was still a child and the two of them had become close friends quickly. Now, both of them were almost inseparable, sharing most of their adventures, mischiefs and troubles with each other. They had grown so close that Legolas had become akin to a brother to Aragorn. His twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir had also accepted Legolas into the family, not to mention he himself. Elrond had long treated the elf prince as part of the family, caring and worrying over him like he did his other children.

Sounds of soft footfalls outside the room brought him out of his reverie. Turning towards the door, he was greeted by Elladan and Elrohir. The twins looked troubled, their frowns reflected his worries.

"Ada, it’s five in the morning. Why are you up so early?" Elladan asked while trying to suppress a yawn.

"I could not sleep," Elrond replied evasively. The truth was he had another dream, which was becoming more like a vision since the content of the dream seemed to be the same each time. He had not told the twins about those disturbing dreams for he didn’t want them to worry unnecessarily.

"Something troubles you," Elrohir reached out and touched his father’s arm. "What is it?"

"Please let us share your burden," Elladan continued after his brother.

Contemplating whether he should tell them of his dreams, Elrond paced the floor of the study while the twins waited patiently. Finally, he stopped by the large window and let out a frustrated sigh. Elladan and Elrohir joined him at the window, flanking him on each side.

"I have been having some strange dreams," Elrond decided that he could no longer hide it from them. "It had started a few days after Estel and Legolas left Imladris," the older elf continued.

"I think you just worry about them too much," the younger twin tried to persuade his father and himself that it was nothing serious.

"I wish to think so too but I have been having the same dream every night," the elf lord said as he braced his hands on the windowsill.

"Tell us about it, Ada." Elrohir prompted.

Elrond looked out of the window and recalled back the disturbing images. The twins listened intently as their father recounted the details in the dreams and their worry intensified.

"Do you suppose they are in some kind of trouble?" Elladan asked, his brows knotted tightly together.

Elrond shrugged. "I hope not. Maybe it is just my overactive imagination." But the trio knew very well never to dismiss any visions or instincts from their kind.

"We will set out for them after breakfast," the older twin said, "and see what kind of troubles they have gotten themselves into this time," he added with a forced smile in attempt to lighten the tense situation.

Elrohir nodded beside their father. "They were heading north when they set out. We will try to track down their whereabouts."

Elrond smiled at his sons. They were as protective over their younger brother as he was. Wrapping an arm around the shoulders of each twin, the elf lord led them away from the window. "Come, my sons, we will have an early breakfast today. That will give you some time to pack before..."

A stabbing pain flared through his body without warning and the elf lord keeled over, dropping to his knees and pulling his twin sons to the floor with him. The twins let out a yelp of surprise as they tumbled to the ground alongside their father, landing in a heap. Elrond gasped and pressed his hands on his side as the fiery pain radiated to the rest of his body. A loud ringing exploded in his ears and the world in front of his eyes dimmed. Squeezing his eyes shut, Elrond clutched tightly at his side. Images flashed across his eyes. He saw Aragorn kneeling on the ground, his hands tied behind his back. In another flash, he saw blood flowing down the human’s side, soaking through his tunic and his pants. A dark red puddle forming rapidly around his knees.

"Father?!" the twins cried out in unison, not knowing what had happened.

"No... Estel..." Elrond spoke weakly as tears streamed down his face. "He’s dying…"

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 13 – Debt Paid In Blood

"Look at me, murderer!" Zescaat spat and grabbed a handful of Aragorn’s hair, pulling the ranger to his feet. "I’m not going to let you die so easily," the man sneered. "I made a promise to my father to give you a painful death!" He withdrew his own dagger and twisted the blade in front of the ranger’s face. Light reflected off the smooth surface, blinding the ranger momentarily.

Aragorn moaned and swayed on his feet. The pain and blood loss was making him dizzy and it took all his will power to remain standing. Legolas tried to rise but was promptly pinned. Someone’s boot was lodged in between his shoulders, crushing him into the ground. The elf choked and struggled to breathe as air was pushed out of his lungs by the sudden pressure.

"Don’t worry elf," the words lingered as if they were a foul taste in his mouth, "you will be next. We just want you to watch your friend die first!" The man stamped down hard on the elf’s back again which made Legolas cry out loud.

Zescaat traced the blade across Aragorn’s chest, cutting into the thin fabric of his tunic and leaving a bloody trail in its wake. The tip of the dagger travelled along his collarbone and rested briefly on his right shoulder. The crazed man pushed the dagger into the ranger’s arm slowly embedding it deeply in the soft tissue, enjoying every moment of the cruel torture.

Aragorn held back the scream that threatened to make its way out of his throat but he was on the verge of losing control and his torturer managed to break him when he dragged the dagger down his arm towards the elbow, opening up a wide long gash. A mingle of insane laughter and heart-wrenching scream shattered the quiet of the morning.

Beside them, Legolas watched helplessly, his heart constricted in anguish and fear at his friend’s cries, making it even harder to breathe. Closing his eyes, the elven prince wept silently, praying to Ilúvatar for some miracles that would somehow save his friend from his impending death.

Aragorn felt rather than saw the warm blood flow down his arms and onto his wrists, eventually dripping off his fingertips. The blood soaked into the rope that was binding him making it slippery against his skin. Despite the pain, the man twisted his wrists, trying to slip his hands out of the restraints. The single thought that occupied his befuddled mind at the moment was to get his hands free. The villagers around him fell silent, shocked by the violent display. Someone was sobbing quietly but he couldn’t tell who. Tirnim and Zescaat were still spitting curses at him but he had shut them out, his mind focused entirely on the task at hand. He needed to free himself before his strength failed him. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he worked fervently on the bond, slowly slipping his hands out. Once lose, he swung his left arm out wildly at the two men in front of him, his fist connecting with Zescaat’s jaw with a crack.

The attack came as a complete surprise and the two men were caught unprepared. Zescaat stumbled backwards and fell off the platform but Tirnim held his ground.

Panting hard, Aragorn pressed down hard at his side trying to staunch the bleeding to no avail. Blood sipped out from between his fingers and the ranger felt the last of his strength slipping and the darkness started to creep in slowly from his peripheral vision.

A crooked smile materialized on Tirnim’s face as he watched the ranger stumble. "You can’t win, Strider." The man shoved the guard restraining Legolas aside and lifted the elf by his tunic.

The elf yelped at the rough treatment and was unable to suppress yet another groan.

"I will kill this one," Tirnim stated flatly, placing the dagger to Legolas’ throat and pressing it down hard against his neck. Blood trickled down his throat slowly as the blade bit deeper into the soft flesh. "And then I will kill you. But it doesn’t matter. You will both die today."

Aragorn fell to his knees and hung his head, silently admitting his defeat.

Turning to Legolas, Tirnim smiled wickedly. "Father would be proud of me."

Zescaat clambered back onto the platform, rubbing his bruised jaw. Hate gleamed in his eyes as he made his way over to Aragorn and kicked him hard in the stomach. The ranger curled up into a tight ball as the blinding pain engulfed him.

"This one’s mine!" he hollered and drag the human up by his hair, raising his dagger and aiming it directly at Aragorn’s heart.

*****

The two figures moved around inside the Chief’s hut whispering discreetly to each other. Medovir’s body was laid on a long table, a large piece of white cloth draped over it. When the news of the Chief’s murder and the arrest of the two stranger spread throughout the village, the two men were determined to find out the truth as none of them believed that an injured man was able to subdue their robust Chief. Now with the all the villagers gathered at the Square, it would leave them uninterrupted to perform their investigation and hopefully prove the innocence of Aragorn and Legolas before it was too late.

Deyron lifted the cloth to reveal Medovir’s body while Dergth sieved through the hut searching for any evidence that could provide some information to what really happened. The healer examined the multiple stab wounds on the Chief’s chest. The murderer had struck the Chief four times but none of the strikes were aimed at his heart. If the accused were indeed the murderer, he would most definitely aim for the heart for it would kill him quickly and eliminate the chances for the Chief to call out for help. The second clue that he found was that the murder weapon, presumably a dagger, had gone in straight and not slanted downwards as it should be if the victim were struck while standing. There were also no signs of struggle save for some bruising around Chief’s wrists. From the clues that he gathered, Deyron assumed that Medovir was stabbed in his sleep but why he had not called for help when the first struck fell was beyond him.

Deyron replaced the cloth and turned towards Dergth. "Have you found anything?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing. Just a lot of blood," the village advisor shrugged. He had never cared much for the Chief but his mysterious death troubled him immensely especially when two lives were at stake. "Maybe we should check outside."

Just after the words left his mouth, a shadow flashed pass outside alerting the two investigators. The men exchanged glances and them nodded, both knew what the other was thinking. Moving out of the hut quietly, they saw a female walking hastily towards the village’s abandoned well, a bundle of cloth clutched tightly in her hands. She looked around nervously making sure that she was not seen before heaving the heavy wooden lid off the well.

"What are you doing, Herbenna?" Dergth stepped out from his hiding place along with Deyron.

The woman yelped at the voice and dropped the bundle she was carrying. The roll of cloth fell and unfolded over the grass revealing a dagger and a bloodstained dress.

"So! It’s you!" Deyron shouted and rushed at the terrified woman. Herbenna screamed and kicked out wildly when Deyron pinned her hands at her sides, dragging her away from the well.

"Why did you do it?!" Dergth’s furious voice sent the woman into an insane laughter.

"Why? Why?!" She yelled at the bewildered man. "Because he could have saved my son but he didn’t!" The woman laughed and then cried, her eyes danced wildly with an unknown rage. "He would rather bend the rules for some complete strangers then for someone he knew all his life!!" Herbenna fell to her knees and lifted her head towards the sky. "Mama has avenged your death Baytar!!" she howled.

"Take her to the Square! Hurry!" Dergth said urgently while gathering the bloodied dress and murder weapon. "Maybe we can still save them!"

The men lifted the woman off the ground, each grabbing her by one arm and dragged the hysterical woman towards the Square as fast as they could.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 14 – Revelations

Aragorn closed his eyes and choked back the lump in his throat. He could feel Zescaat’s warm breath against his neck and he shivered repulsively. The ranger tried to control his breathing and shut out his fear for he was not about to give Zescaat the satisfaction of seeing him fall apart. Legolas shuddered slightly against the pain but stood tall with pride. If he were to die, he would die with dignity.

Just when Zescaat’s dagger was about to fall, a shout rang out from beyond the crowd.

"STOP!!" Dergth and Deyron called out loudly as they hurried towards the Square. They pushed their way through the crowd, still dragging the screaming woman behind them.

"They are not the murderers..." Deyron panted heavily as he and Dergth pushed Herbenna towards Tirnim. "She is."

Dergth threw the bundle down at Herbenna’s feet and the items scattered on the platform. "The evidence. She was trying to bury them in the abandoned well when we caught her."

"They are innocent, Tirnim," Deyron said firmly. "Let them go."

Zescaat looked over to his older brother for instructions and upon his agreement released his grip on Aragorn’s hair. The ranger fell in a crumpled heap as the force holding him upright was removed. Tirnim shoved Legolas carelessly towards Aragorn and the elf crashed down beside his friend with a whimper.

"Get them out of my sight! And I want them out of the village by midday!" Tirnim told Deyron and Dergth flatly.

"But they won’t survive!" Deyron protested angrily.

"With my father gone, I am the new Chief!" Tirnim stressed as he bound Herbenna’s hands behind her back. "They have brought chaos to our village and I don’t care if they die. Follow my orders or you will be punished!"

Sighing in defeat, Deyron nodded and with the help of other sympathising villagers, they moved Aragorn and Legolas back into the healing hut. They only had a few hours before midday and must work fast in order to save the human’s life. Stripping off the ranger’s torn and bloodied tunic, Deyron pressed a thick bandage on Aragorn’s side in attempt to staunch the heavy bleeding. A few feet away, Dergth worked on Legolas, wiping the blood from his face and pressing a bandage on his neck wound. The elf pushed Dergth’s hand aside as he started to dress the wound and tried to push himself up but the man placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder and held him down.

"Lie still," he commanded in a soft tone, "or you will aggravate your injuries."

"Help Strider," Legolas muttered with what remaining strength he still possessed. "Athelas..." the prince choked out between gasps, "...will stop the bleeding."

"Athelas? The leaves Strider used on you when you first arrived?" Dergth questioned the semi-coherent elf.

"In the pack," he managed before a fit of coughing took over.

The advisor looked over to Deyron and the healer nodded. He had seen how the ranger prepared it that day and had confidence that he would be able to reproduce the mixture.

"I’ll be fine," Legolas said as the coughing ceased. "Go... help him." The elven prince looked pleadingly at Dergth and the man’s expression softened.

"Provided that you lie still and rest."

Legolas agreed with a small nod but turned his head to the side and watched anxiously as Dergth moved over to aid Deyron.

Rummaging through Aragorn’s pack, Deyron found the herbs. Crushing a few leaves into a bowl of boiling water, he inhaled deeply as the pungent aroma filled the room. The smell of the healing herb seemed to have some calming effect as he witnessed his two patients relaxed visibly. Quickly grinding the remaining leaves into a thick paste, he divided it into two portions. He pressed one portion of the mixture into Aragorn’s side as Dergth spread the other half on the ranger’s arm, both praying that the bleeding would slow enough for them to stitch up the wounds.

Pressing down hard on the ranger’s wounds with both hands, the two men was unable to stop Legolas when he pushed himself up and crawled over to his friend’s side slowly.

"I told you not to move!" Dergth admonished the elf with a frown but Legolas dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

The elf settled down beside his friend and whispered to him in a language that the two men had never heard before. Aragorn moaned softly but did not regain consciousness. Legolas sighed and placed his slender hand on the human’s face. "I’m sorry, Strider. We wouldn’t be here if it’s not for me." The woodland being paused, his chest tightened painfully as the guilt welled up inside him. Drawing a shuddering breath, he held it for a long moment before letting it out with a small sob.

"Don’t worry Legolas, we will do all we can to help Strider." Deyron comforted the distressed elf. Lifting the bandage a little, the healer was relieved that blood had stopped gushing out from the wound and the bleeding had slowed enough for him to continue his next treatment. "We can begin stitching now." The healer, with the help of Dergth, sewed up the wounds and bandaged them neatly before turning their attention to the elf.

The wound on Legolas’ neck had stopped bleeding and started to heal. The two men stared at him in awe for they had never seen anyone who could heal so fast. Legolas saw the shock on their faces and quickly explained to them the natural healing abilities of elves to put their minds at ease. "Minor wounds heal fast but major ones would take some time to mend," he clarified and paused for a short while to catch his breath. "We would need plenty of rest for the healing process to commence."

"Unfortunately that is something that you don’t have now," Deyron said sadly. It pained him to know that his two new friends would be thrown out of the village soon, to be left to their own demise out in the wild. "I’m so sorry things had turned out this way, Legolas."

"It’s not your fault. You have helped us more than we can ask for," the prince said while clutching his broken arm against his chest tightly. The pulsing pain in his arm and chest was making him quite uncomfortable and he groaned involuntarily.

Dergth placed his hand on the elf’s uninjured arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. The elf smiled weakly expressing his appreciation.

"Let me take a look at your wounds," Deyron offered but Legolas declined politely.

"There is nothing you can do for me. I am bleeding internally," the prince said with a false calm. "The only person that could heal this kind of injuries is Strider’s father."

"But will you be able to make it back in time?" Dergth asked sceptically.

"Yes," the prince lied. The truth was he and Aragorn would most probably die before they reach Rivendell.

"Strider’s father... he must be a skilled healer," Deyron added oblivious of Legolas’s lies. "I wish I could meet him." The healer lifted his gaze and looked beyond Legolas through the open door. "But then I will never be allowed back into my home again. "Sighing deeply, he turned back to Legolas. "Rest now and put your elven healing into work. I will replenish your supplies and pack you some food for your journey." Helping Legolas ease down beside Aragorn, Deyron made sure the elf was comfortable before he and Dergth began restocking the ranger’s pack.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 15 – The Aftermath

The soft whispers drew him back towards consciousness in slow motion. For a fleeting moment he had no recollection of where he was until the pains in his body announced their presence. Shifting slightly, he moaned as his movement pulled on the stitches and the sound brought Deyron to his side immediately.

"Try not to move too much," Deyron warned, "or you will tear those stitches."

Aragorn’s eyelids fluttered briefly under his long lashes as the human tied to force his eyes open.

"Where am I?" the disoriented ranger asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Where is Legolas?" The memory of their execution flashed across his mind and the human’s thoughts went out to his elven friend instantly. Something had happened after he got lose and attacked the late Chief’s sons but what happened after that was fuzzy. He vaguely remembered someone threatening him with Legolas’ life but after that, everything was blank. "Where is my friend?" he asked again fearing the worse.

"Don’t worry, he’s fine. In fact, he’s sleeping beside you," Deyron motioned towards the sleeping form of the elf on Aragorn’s left.

The young man turned his head stiffly to the side trying to take a glimpse of Legolas. The movement caused him much pain but he was determined to find out if his friend was well. The elf was indeed sleeping, his chest rising and falling in an erratic rhythm and pain creased his pale face. And his eyes were closed! Elves usually do not sleep with their eyes closed unless they were exhausted or in great pain and the ranger feared that it was both. Reaching out his hand, Aragorn rested it on the elf’s arm, a gesture to assure himself that Legolas was indeed alive. The elf did not stir at the human’s touch and that worried the ranger. Legolas was usually alert and would never allow anyone to sneak up on him that easily.

"Is there something wrong?" Dergth asked.

"His condition is deteriorating," the ranger explained with much effort.

"But he was alright when we spoke earlier," Deyron replied with a frown.

"He just hides it well," Aragorn sighed wearily. The short conversation had taxed much of his strength and the ranger allowed his eyes to slip shut once again.

"But your father will be able to heal him, right?" the healer recalled what Legolas had told him several hours ago.

However, before Aragorn could utter a reply, two guards led by Zescaat came barraging into the healing hut.

"Time’s up!" the new Chief’s brother shouted rudely and kicked over the kettle that was sitting in his path, spilling water all over the rugs. "Get them out!"

Legolas bolted upright at the loud noise and groan deeply as the sudden change in position sent an excruciating pain rippling up his back. The prince doubled over, curling up into a tight ball trying to elevate the pain, and was unsuccessful in suppressing a muffled whimper.

"Stop pretending and get up!" one of the guards grabbed Legolas by his broken arm and yanked him to his feet.

The ear-splitting scream took the guard by surprise and he released Legolas’ arm as if he were carrying some deadly disease and brushed his hand on his tunic unconsciously. The elf stumbled blindly into the guard and the burly man shoved him away towards the supply shelf but Dergth was there in a heartbeat to catch the prince before he crashed into the rack. Wrapping his arm gently around the elf’s shoulder, he supported Legolas’ weight as he sagged against him.

"Do you have to be so heartless?!" Dergth yelled at the guard but the burly man only shrugged and gave him a crooked smile.

Beside them, Aragorn struggled to his feet with Deyron’s help and limped towards Legolas. Brushing the sweat-drenched hair away from the elf’s face, Aragorn rested his hand on Legolas’ shoulder.

"Are you alright?" The question was lame but he felt like he needed to say something.

Still leaning heavily on Dergth for support, the elf nodded shakily, not trusting his voice yet to speak.

"Amin feuya ten’ lle!" the angry ranger turned and spat at the guard that had mistreated his friend.

//You disgust me!//

The insult was not lost on the burly man although he could not understand the strange language. Flushing bright red in anger and embarrassment, the man raised his hand to strike the ranger but found his wrist caught in an iron grip before the blow could fall.

Deyron locked his fingers around the guard’s wrist and twisted it behind his back. "One more move and you’ll find yourself nursing a broken wrist for the rest of the week," the healer’s light brown eyes darkened dangerously as he warned the man, only releasing him after receiving a reluctant acknowledgement.

The man rubbed his bruised wrist and glanced over at Zescaat hoping that the man would penalize Deyron for his actions but the Chief’s brother only stood by the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Well? What are you waiting for? A farewell celebration?" Zescaat glared at his followers as he spoke. "Take them out you idiots!"

The guards nodded and advanced towards Aragorn and Legolas but was stopped by Deyron. "No, we will see them off." The healer left no room for argument. Picking up the ranger and elf’s belongings, the two men helped their new friends to the gate. Trailing a few feet behind them were Zescaat and his men, watching the four men conspicuously.

As they stepped beyond the threshold of the village, Legolas halted the company. "This is where we have to part," the prince announced with sadness reflecting in his eyes. "Thank you for your kindness and all that you have done for us."

Gripped the elf’s forearm tightly, Deyron gazed into the silver-blue eyes before letting his fingers slip from the grasp. "Have a safe journey home." Un-shouldering the pack, bow and quiver, the healer handed the items to the prince.

Legolas accepted the pack but did not retrieve his bow and arrows. Instead, he placed his hand on the human’s that held the quiver and pressed it against his heart. "Keep them... as a token of appreciation from me to you, my friends." Legolas gazed from Deyron to Dergth. "I’m sure you will find some use for them," the elf smiled gently.

"And if you should ever need help, head south for Rivendell." Aragorn extended his own gratitude by offering them a place of refuge in times of need. "My father will welcome you into his courts."

Handing Aragorn over to Legolas, the silvan elf supported the human as the two villagers bid their final farewell and retreated with heavy hearts back into the compound of the village. Aragorn and Legolas watched as the guards slammed the door in their faces, shutting them out from the village forever.

Sighing exasperatedly, the elf prince turned towards the ranger. "Well, time to go my friend."

Aragorn nodded and the two friends began their long journey towards home.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 16 – Cast Away

The few hours of walking seemed like an eternity to them. The pains in their bodies made travelling on foot close to impossible. Leaning heavily on each other, Aragorn and Legolas dragged their feet along the tall grass leaving a rather undesirable trail. The human’s wound had also started to bleed again sometime ago, the dark red stain spreading rapidly on the while bandages. Sweat beaded on the ranger’s brow and his steps were beginning to falter as the blood loss and pain made it hard for him to concentrate.

Beside him, Legolas stumbled on as he supported most of the human’s weight with his own weakened body. Pain coursed through his chest with every step like knife slicing into his heart. He panted heavily as if the air around him had suddenly grown too thin for him to breathe. He wanted to rest but knew that they shouldn’t risk it unless absolutely necessary for he feared that they would not have the will to go on anymore once they stopped.

The evening sun crept towards the horizon, leaving streaks of red, purple and blue across the slowly darkening sky. The wind started to pick up speed and a clap of thunder could be heard some distance away, signaling the approach of a storm.

The elf knew that they would need shelter for the night soon unless the storm dissipated before reaching them but he didn’t want to push his luck. Glancing around the area with his keen elven eyes, Legolas scanned the area for possible shelters. So determined to find some place safe and warm to spend the night, he did not notice the log lying hidden among he tall grass. The prince tripped and the two friends went tumbling into each other and landed in a tangled heap on the soft grass. Both human and elf cried out as the impact sent fire through their nerves, numbing their senses momentarily. After several moments of moans and groans, the exhausted elf was able to regain his composure and untangle himself carefully from the ranger.

"Aragorn?" he called out unsteadily but the human did not answer.

A sense of panic surged through Legolas’ heart. The human had been quiet along the way but he was still walking under his own powers although a little sluggishly. The elf had no idea that the human had pushed himself to the limits and he felt extremely guilty for not paying more attention to his mortal friend. Pulling the human’s head onto his lap, Legolas brushed away a strand of stray hair that had stuck stubbornly on the ranger’s clammy skin. Aragorn’s lips parted slightly as he panted heavily through his open mouth. Legolas stroke the human’s cheeks with the back of his hand while calling out gently to him trying to get his attention to focus on his voice. The young man finally let out a small groan but his eyes remained closed.

"W-Water..." His voice was so weak that an ordinary man may have missed it but the elf caught the words without difficulty.

Removing the waterskin that Deyron had supplied them with from the pack, Legolas uncorked it and trickled the water slowly into the ranger’s lips. When the cool liquid touched his lips, Aragorn opened his mouth and took in the much-needed fluid. His eyes opened moments later and he blinked a few times trying to focus on the blurry face hovering above him.

"Where are we?" he croaked and tried to sit up but Legolas’ gentle touch on his shoulder indicated that he should lie still.

"We are still on the way back to Rivendell," the elf explained patiently as he put the cork back into the waterskin and crammed it back into the pack again.

"Why have we stopped?" the human asked groggily.

"Because your clumsy friend took a stumble and sent us crashing onto the forest floor," the elf gave the human a sheepish grin but his demeanor turned solemn again when he thought of their current predicament. "I’m sorry. I promise to be more careful in the future." the prince apologized and then diverted his attention to the human’s blood-soaked bandages. "I will need to change those."

Aragorn gave a small nod and Legolas eased the human off his lap with great care so as not to cause him any unnecessary discomfort. The elf found the fresh bandages in the pack and lay them out on the grass but he soon realized that it was impossible for him to work single-handedly. Without a second thought, he removed the sling that was supporting his left arm and tossed the piece of cloth aside. Bracing himself against the pain, he allowed a few seconds for his body to adjust itself to the new sensation. Flexing his fingers slightly to get the blood circulation going he worked quickly to re-dress Aragorn’s wounds before the pain overwhelmed him. Tossing the soiled bandages aside, the elven prince secured the clean bandages over the wounds with shaky fingers. The pain in his left arm screamed out at him but he gritted his teeth and concentrated hard on what he was doing.

Aragorn saw sweat break out on his friend’s face and neck, dripping down his back and soaking into his tunic. He could see that the elf was in great pain and was trying hard to swallow the scream that threatened to escape. His face was pale and his lips trembled under the stress. The human only wished that there was something he could do to elevate his friend’s agony.

It had taken forever to change the dressings or at least that was what he felt like but it was finally done. Cradling his arm against his chest tightly, Legolas shut his eyes tightly against the pain and had no idea when the human had made his way over to his side. When Aragorn tried to get Legolas to release his injured arm so that he could replace the sling, the elf protested angrily, not willing to let anyone touch him.

"Kela!" A single tear slipped from the corner of his closed eyes down his pale cheek as the agonizing pain finally overtook his senses.

//Go away!//

"Let me help you, my friend," the ranger coaxed gently in elvish and after several minutes, he finally managed to replace the sling over the wood-elf’s arm. Exhausted, the two friends sat leaning on each other, gathering strength from the other’s presence.

"We have to move," Legolas stated reluctantly after their extended rest but the ranger only grunted beside him. The human was fading fast, his strength bleeding away like the blood that was seeping out from his wounds. Forcing himself unsteadily back onto his feet, the elf reached down and pulled the ranger to his feet despite the human’s insistence of rooting onto the ground.

The young man let out a whimper as the movement jarred the wound in his side. Instinctively, he pressed his palm on the bandage and squeezed his eyes shut as the pain sent bright green spots dancing across his vision. The ranger swayed on his feet and Legolas quickly wrapped his arm around his shoulders to steady him.

"I wish we could rest for a little longer too but..." he paused to catch his breath and swallowed his own discomfort before continuing, "we need to find shelter for the night."

A flash of lightning streaked overhead followed closely by a loud clap of thunder, indicating that the storm had finally caught up with them. While urging the ranger to move faster, Legolas scanned the area for any possible shelter. He had no intentions to spend the night under the stars this day and definitely not under the pouring rain. His body ached all over and his vision was getting blurry and unfocused. His usually bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle and were now dull with pain and despair.

A drop of rain fell from the heavens and landed on the elf’s eyelashes. Another one followed shortly and splattered on his cheeks. The frequency of the raindrops increased steadily and the light drizzle soon turned into a heavy downpour, drenching the two miserable travellers.

The prince searched desperately for a haven but except for trees and grass, there was nowhere that they could take refuge. Legolas quickened his steps, dragging the almost unconscious ranger along in a futile attempt to outrun the storm. The human was hardly walking on his own anymore and Legolas found it more and more difficult to support the man’s weight as his own strength faltered steadily. The dizziness that he felt some time ago had increased in intensity and he stumbled once again as a wave of nausea assaulted him with a vengeance.

Stumbling towards an old oak tree, the wood-elf crashed to his knees beside the thick tree trunk, pulling the human down with him. Legolas released his grip on Aragorn and clutched his stomach tightly, doubling over as a spasm ran through his body. His stomach turned and he heaved violently onto the grass but nothing was brought up except for clear bitter fluid. As the retching and dry heaving finally eased up, the elf leaned against the trunk too exhausted to be bothered with anything else, the foul taste of bile still lingered in his throat. Wiping his mouth on his sleeves, Legolas turned to the prone body beside him and shook the ranger gingerly but the human had already fallen into a deep unconsciousness.

"Aragorn... no..." the elf choked out at the hopeless situation and a strangle sob caught in his throat as his lungs constricted painfully in his chest. He used his remaining strength to pull Aragorn up to a seated position and extended his cloak around the unconscious man’s shoulder, shielding him from the heavy rain. The exertion sent a deep piercing pain through his chest and tore a ragged cough from him. The elf clamped his hand over his mouth as his body sent him into another coughing fit. When he removed it, it came away bloody. Wiping off the blood on his sodden tunic, the prince let out a long, beaten sigh. Pulling Aragorn closer to him, Legolas rested his chin on the rangers’ head and the two friends huddled together under the boughs of the old oak tree, hoping that someone would come across the desolate path and find them before death did.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 17 – Unbreakable Bond

The three riders whispered to their horses urging them on as the first raindrops fell from the overcast sky above their heads. The beasts, sensing the urgency in their masters’ voices broke into a fast trot. The travelers had ridden continuously for the past two days, stopping briefly only for food and water. Finally, after days of tedious searches, they finally found some traces of the elf and ranger that they were desperately tracking but the faint trails also revealed that there was a third person among their midst, most probably a child judging by the lighter and smaller set of prints. The tracks led them to a river and continued along the bank towards the east. The sky darkened rapidly as they pressed on.

Elrond shifted tensely on his horse. The recurring dreams had turned into a waking nightmare, constantly plaguing him throughout their journey. The intense images sometime sent the elf lord doubled over on his mount but the stubbornness in him refused to stop and rest despite his twin sons’ constant protests. Elladan and Elrohir rode silently on either side of their father, ready to catch him if he should fall. The older elf gave his sons a weary smile, the visions had left him emotionally drained and exhausted. A deep frown had etched itself into his face ever since the day they left Imladris.

"There’s a village ahead, Ada… about a mile away," Elrohir bent forward slightly on his horse and peered through the heavy fog that had formed some time after they came across the river.

"They must have taken refuge inside." Elladan added as he pulled up closer to Elrond.

"Let’s hope they are safe," the Lord of Imladris dug his heels gently into the horse's side and prodded him on.

The rain got heavier as they rode hastily towards the village. Pulling the hoods of their cloaks over their heads to shield themselves from the rain and also to conceal their appearance, the three elves drew their horses to a stop in front of the tall gates. Dismounting from his horse, Elrond made his way to the heavy doors and knocked. Elladan and Elrohir stood behind their father, their heads slightly lowered to avoid having rainwater trickle into their eyes.

Elrond waited patiently as the rain continued to pour down in torrents, soaking the three figures to their skins but there was no answer. The elf lord pounded on the door again, a little harder this time and a small slot in the door slipped open with a loud squeak.

A gruffly face appeared in the opening and the unhappy guard glared at the intruder that had dragged him rudely out of his comfortable hut into the pouring rain. "Go away! We don’t welcome outsiders!" the man behind the doors shouted over the sounds of rushing water.

"We are looking for our friends," Elrond raised his voice so that he could be heard. Water soaked through his hood and trickled down the sides of his face, dripping off at his chin. Brushing a strand of wayward hair out of his face, the older elf continued. "I believe they had passed by here not too long ago and was wondering if you have seen them."

"They were nothing but trouble! We got rid of them," the guard snapped annoyingly and slammed the slot shut but before he could get it to close completely, Elrond stuck his hand into the hole and pried it open.

"What do you mean you got rid of them?!" The elf lord’s heart sank at those words. Were the visions true? Was he too late? The images flashed across his mind again… Aragorn kneeling on the floor, blood pooling around him...Legolas lay curled up on the ground, a thin trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth...people surrounding them...suffocating...pain, intense pain. The overwhelming images and sensation caught him off guard and the elf lord staggered backwards, his hands gripping tightly at his chest as his knees buckled under him but before he crumpled unceremoniously onto the ground, strong arms gripped him tightly around the waist.

Elrohir lowered his father onto the muddy grass and looked worriedly at him. They knew the visions were coming closer and faster. The severity grew with each one and they feared that they were running out of time.

Elladan marched back to the door and pounded furiously on the closed slot. The human had obviously taken the opportunity to shut of the peephole while Elrond suffered another of his vision attack.

"Where are our friends?!" the older twin demanded ferociously, his voice telling the guard that he would not leave unless he got an answer.

The slot flew open. "We threw them out!" the drenched guard sputtered out before slamming the slot shut again.

"Ada… Ada can you hear me?" Elrohir shook his father and the older elf stirred looking at his son through tear filled eyes.

"Estel... Legolas...pain..." Elrond muttered but was unable to finish when another wave of images hit him. This time it was different. The vision had shifted to two figures collapsed in the middle of a grassy trail...bloodied bandages...tear stained face…a silent scream. The images faded to a large oak tree. Two figure on the ground...one doubled over, retching miserably...one pale and still as death…a bloody palm...and excruciating pain.

"We must hurry for they do not have much time left," the elf gasped and shook violently. He saw in his visions his son and Legolas both so close to death. "We must find them for death seeks them at this very moment."

"If they are out here, they must be heading south back towards Rivendell," Elrohir reasoned as he and Elladan helped their father back onto his feet. "Time is pressing. We must hurry."

Elrond gave a curt nod and straightened his tunic as his sons mounted their horses swiftly beside him. The elf lord mounted his own several seconds after and the threesome spurred their horses on into the night.

Elladan sat upon his horse, the sense of dread he felt spreading to his twin. Would they make it in time to save their brother and friend? That was a question that only time could tell. All he could do now was hope and pray to Valar that they would not be too late. Elrohir shared his brother’s doubts and he felt a single tear slide down his face for he knew the hurt it would cause this family to not find them in time.

*****

Legolas shivered, more from the pain that was wreaking his body than the icy cold wind the rain had brought on. The elf clung tightly to the human beside him, his fingers digging painfully into the cloak that was providing what little protection against the merciless storm. His ragged breathing added to the pain in his chest and he could feel the warm blood seeping out from the deep incision across his ribs. Blood mingled with water soaked through his tunic and dribbled down his side but Legolas could not tell how badly he was bleeding because of the rain.

The elf turned his thought inwards thinking of more pleasant events and places, somewhere warm and dry, a comfortable bed mounted with pillows and soft blankets. The rainwater stung the healing wound over his left brow. The bandage around his head had slipped off some time ago during their travel and the prince did not bother to replace it, saving all available supplies for Aragorn. Now the wound throbbed painfully with every beat of his heart and he desperately hoped that he pounding headache that he had developed several minutes ago would go away and leave him alone in his misery. He was tired, so tired but was still fighting hard to stay awake for the sake of his mortal friend even though there was nothing left to be done. He hated feeling so helpless and weak but fate was determined to put his elven pride to the test. Unable to anchor his body onto the world of the waking any longer, Legolas’ eyes drifted shut without his knowledge, his last thoughts were of a fireplace and a hot meal before consciousness finally fled him and sent him into a peaceful oblivion.

Rain continued to pour from the sky, masking the two still figures behind the curtain of water.

*****

To Be Continued...

 Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 18 – The Beginning of the End

Elrond pushed his horse to go faster despite the heavy rain and the reduced visibility. Anxiety ate at his heart and the elf lord feared that he might never see his son or the prince of Mirkwood alive again. It was difficult to travel under such conditions but he could not afford to lose precious time by taking shelter. Wiping at his eyes, he didn’t know if it was the rain or tears that had blurred his vision.

Elladan and Elrohir urged their horses to match their father’s, their hearts pounded heavily in their chests at the apprehension. They felt and shared their father’s distress and prayed that they would find their brother and friend in time before all was too late. Squinting through the darkness and fog, the twins searched for signs of their missing comrades.

The rain abated slowly as they continued their search and finally came to a complete stop after approximately two hours. Elladan and Elrohir threw back their hoods and unclasped their cloaks. A soft glow escaped from behind the soft fabric and illuminated the path ahead of them. They wrung out their wet hair, and looked over at their father. Elrond had already removed his cloak and draped it over his arm, his own glow contributed to the collective brightness.

"We are close…" Elrond muttered quietly. "I can feel it." The elf lord slowed his mount and scanned the surrounding carefully not wanting to miss out any details.

Elladan rode slightly ahead scouting the area while his younger brother trailed behind their father making sure that they hadn’t overlooked anything.

"There!" Elrond cried and swung his leg over his horse, sliding off in one swift movement and dropping lightly onto the wet grass. "Over there!"

The elf lord ran towards a mound of grey mass next to a large tree and dropped to his knees beside the bundle. Elladan and Elrohir joined their father on the ground within seconds and blood drained from their faces at the sight. Elrond reached out and removed the cloak only to be greeted with two deathly pale figures. Unable to suppress the fear, the elf lord’s fingers trembled as he searched frantically for a pulse on the side of Aragorn’s neck and let out a sigh of relief when he found a slow but steady rhythm.

Elladan on the other hand was looking for some signs of life in the elven prince. He turned to his father and gave him a small nod indicating that the elf too was alive. The twins tried to separate the two friends and were amazed that even unconscious, the elf still managed to keep his arm wrapped tightly around their brother’s shoulder. Easing the human slowly away from Legolas, Elrohir lowered Aragorn to the ground while Elladan did the same to the prince.

Moving immediately to the prone bodies, Elrond did a quick assessment, checking their various injuries. Their body temperature had dropped beyond normal and the elf lord feared that they had gone into shock.

"We need to warm them up, hurry!" the older elf’s voice held much urgency as he pulled Aragorn against his chest and wrapped the human in his arms.

"Estel, don’t leave us," Elrond murmured softly as he closed his eyes, silver tears rolled down his face and dripped off his chin.

The elf glowed brightly in the night and the light slowly grew and enveloped the human in his arms as he poured forth his strength into his near dead son. "Feel my strength, my son and come back to me..."

As Elrond was locked in his healing trance, Elladan and Elrohir combined their healing abilities and directed their energy into Legolas. Cradling the prince in his arm, Elladan touched his forehead on the blond elf’s head while Elrohir placed one hand on Legolas’ chest and the other gripping his right hand tightly. The brothers chanted softly under the midnight sky.

"Legolas, you have come too far to let go now," Elladan pleaded desperately. "Do not give up! Fight it! Come back to the light."

"Feel our presence and return to us," Elrohir continued after his brother.

For the longest moment, none of the two friends responded but suddenly, Elrohir’s head snapped up.

"What?" Elladan asked, his twin brother’s movement alerted him and he lifted his head, staring at Elrohir.

"I felt his fingers twitch..." Elrohir said incredulously not sure if it had actually happened or if it was just a figment of his imagination. He looked down at the slender fingers in his hand but they were still. Elrohir sighed and hung his head dejectedly thinking that it was probably his imagination when the fingers tightened around his hand.

"He’s responding!" Elrohir shouted and turned to the elf prince. "Legolas?" he squeezed the elf’s hand in return and shook him lightly.

"Legolas, open your eyes," Elladan urged.

The wood-elf let out a small moan but his eyes remained closed. "Ada...?" he murmured.

"No, it’s Elladan," the older twin answered and disoriented elf.

"Elladan?" Legolas echoed the name.

"Yes, and Elrohir," the younger twin added with a smile. The young one was back among the living.

"Estel...?" the elven prince asked, still not sure what was happening, whether he was dreaming or the twins were really here.

"Father is with him. He will be fine." Elrohir answered. "Rest now little one. You are safe."

Elladan felt the prince go limp in his arms as he finally let go of the burden that he was carrying. Legolas’ head lolled sideways and fell against his chest and the prince drifted off into unconsciousness once again.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, I know it's a bit short. Don't kill me. LOL! Next chapter will be a littttle longer and a little gruesome. So don't say I didn't warn you. :P

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 19 – The Fight for Survival

Warmth flooded through him and he felt life seeping slowly back into his body. He sensed someone’s arm around him, holding him close, offering him comfort and strength, The familiar presence reminded him strangely of home, of his family. His eyes fluttered open momentarily and he thought he saw his father’s face hovering above him. *Must be dreaming* he thought but had no idea that he had uttered the words out loud.

"No my son, you are not dreaming." Elrond smoothed the wet hair back from Aragorn’s forehead and brushed the back of his hand over the human’s cheek.

"Ada?" the young ranger whispered in confusion, not believing what he was seeing.

"I’m here Estel." Elrond pulled his foster son into a gentle embrace. "I thought I had lost you," the elf lord stifled a strangled sob, totally unconcerned about his pride and dignity.

Aragorn sighed and buried his face deep into the elf’s shoulder relishing in the warmth and love of his father but the young man jerked away suddenly remembering his travel companion. "Legolas! Where is Legolas?!" The ranger tried to sit up but the pain stopped him promptly and he fell back against his father with a loud groan.

Elrond place his hand on his son’s shoulder preventing the young man from trying to rise again. "Your brothers are tending to him. Do not worry yourself." The elf lord stroke Aragorn’s face affectionately and whispered words of comfort in their native tongue and Aragorn soon found himself being lulled back into the calming darkness.

"We need to find a shelter where I can give them proper treatment." Elrond told his twin sons. Aragorn and Legolas had both woken and were responsive and he felt that his two patients were no longer in immediate danger.

The twins nodded in unison, agreeing with their father’s decision. Elrohir held on to Legolas as Elladan mounted his horse and then helped his brother settle the elf prince in front of him. Finishing his first task he helped his father with Aragorn and mounted his own horse after that.

Pulling Legolas’ limp body against his chest, Elladan wrapped his hand around the unconscious elf’s waist, holding him securely on the horse. Legolas’ head rested lightly on the older elf’s shoulder, his long blond hair falling over his face hiding the bruise that still marred the side of his face. His heavy and labored breathing reminded Elladan to check him for internal injuries when they had found a place to settle down for the night.

Elrond extended his cloak around Aragorn and wrapped him in the damp fabric. He needed a place where they could get a fire going in order to dry their clothes and keep his son and Legolas warm and also to take a better look a their injuries.

With Elrohir in the lead, the riders moved with great urgency searching for a cave where they could spend the night in. Fortunately, luck seemed to be on their side. Elrohir, who was scouting ahead, returned with news that there was a cave about half a mile from them. Spurring their horses on, they reached their destination in several minutes.

Unloading the injured and laying them on the dry dirt floor, Elrond retrieved their belongings and his pack while Elladan and Elrohir kindled a fire in no time. Setting a small kettle of water over the fire, Elrond moved over and examined Aragorn’s wounds.

The stab wound on his side was deep but fortunately it did not damage any vital organs and the long gash on his arm was superficial although they were enough to make him lose a lot of blood. But the thing that worried him most was infection. He could feel the human’s temperature rising as they rode and the burning heat emanating from the human now confirmed his fears. Crushing some athelas leaves that he had brought with him into a bowl of boiling water, he dipped a piece of cloth into the solution, wrung it out and cleaned the wounds diligently. The stitches in his side were ripped and the elf lord had to remove the remnant thread and re-stitch the gash again. He was thankful that his son had remained unconscious while he worked. Binding the wounds tightly after applying a generous amount of salve on them, Elrond wet a piece of bandage and placed it on Aragorn’s forehead. The human moaned and stirred in his sleep as the cool material made contact with his burning skin.

Making sure that Aragorn was resting comfortably, Elrond stood and stretched tiredly, letting out a long weary sigh.

*****

Elladan and Elrohir had removed Legolas’ wet cloak and lifted his tunic with much care trying their best not to disturb his broken arm or jostle him around too much while their father worked on Aragorn. Grimacing at the dark purple bruises that covered the elf’s chest and abdomen, Elladan scanned the battered body for signs of injuries and his gaze fell on the small incision over Legolas’ ribs. The cut was made with perfect precision and the twin recognized it to be his human brother’s handiwork. He also knew what the cut was meant for... to remove a broken rib that had penetrated the lung. The deep wound had been stitched up but all the walking and stumbling had torn the stitches. Blood seeped out of the cut and Elrohir pressed a bandage over the wound to slow the bleeding.

"What do you think happened to them?" the younger twin asked his brother who was busy applying a light bandage on the cut over the wood-elf’s brow.

Elladan shrugged. "Some of the injuries looked fresh but some looked like they were obtained many days ago." The elder twin turned and stole a glance at their father and brother. "Father seems extremely worried over Estel. I hope he is alright."

"He will be fine." Elrohir placed his free hand on his brother’s arm, offering his comfort. "Whatever happened, it’s all over now. We just need to patch these two up and they will be back to their mischievous selves in no time."

Elladan grinned, mirroring the expression on his twin brother’s face. Everything will be all right.

Legolas stirred under Elrohir’s hand and let out a deep moan through short gasps of breaths. The elf wheezed as he tried to draw air into his lungs but he seemed to be struggling against an invisible force that was choking him.

"Ease him up," Elladan instructed his twin and Elrohir raised Legolas up slowly supporting the elf by his shoulders as the wheezing continued.

Elladan knelt in front of the Legolas trying to calm the distraught elf when a bout of violent coughing overtook him. Elrohir rubbed Legolas’ back hoping to soothe his cough but it went on without signs of improvement. Legolas continued to choke and gasp. Suddenly, his body went into a convulsive spasm and with one final cough he expelled blood all over Elladan.

Elladan fell backwards in shock and let out a string of dwarvish curses, not because of his ruined clothes but because of the severity of Legolas’ injures. It had not occurred to him that the prince was so grievously hurt.

"Oh Valar!! ADA!"

The blood-chilling cry sent Elrond scrambling over to his sons’ side and his heart sank to his stomach at the horrific sight. Elladan’s tunic was stained dark red and the traumatized elf sat staring down at his bloodied hands, his eyes wide with terror. Beside him, Elrohir held Legolas tightly in his arms, too stunned to do anything. Blood had drained from the young one’s face and he looked almost as pale as the elven prince that lay convulsing in his arms. The wood-elf’s eyes were wide open but glazed and unfocused. His mouth hung slightly open as he fought desperately for air that refuse to fill his lungs.

"Go see to your brother," Elrond’s voice tore Elladan away from the terrifying scene. His older son started to protest but the elf lord’s stern voice left no room for argument. "Go. Now." Not wanting to waste more time, he pulled Legolas away from Elrohir and told him to join his brothers. He needed to start the healing immediately and did not want to be distracted during the process.

Sensing his father’s desire to work alone, the younger twin moved away reluctantly and scooted towards Elladan.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgement:  As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 20 – Inner Fear

Elrond drew Legolas against him allowing the elf’s chin to rest on his shoulder. Wrapping one hand behind the prince’s head, his other hand stroked the elf on his back in an up-down motion.

"Relax my child. Let go of your fear and I will help you breathe," the Lord of Imladris spoke soothingly despite the maddening fear that ran rampant through his chest and threatened to burst through his chest. He felt the young elf’s heart hammering loudly against his chest and the beat was way too fast for his liking.

*Too fast!* his mind screamed out at him. He knew he would need to slow the furious pace of the elf’s heart before it stopped completely.

Closing his eyes, Elrond allowed himself to fall into a healing trance, infusing his strength and tranquillity into Legolas. "Calm down little one. Don’t fight it." The elf lord’s soft words filled the room. "Breathe slowly..." he trailed off as he felt Legolas’ heart rate dropped gradually and the elf’s chest expanded allowing the much needed air to enter his body. 

Legolas gasped as cool air flooded into his lungs but the pain sent him into another spasm. He coughed and gagged, a thin trail of blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, soaking into the elf lord’s tunic.

"It’s alright," Elrond comforted the young elf prince as he continued to rub soothing circles in his back, "it’s over now." The older elf let out a deep weary sigh. "Rest and feel my strength in you," the healer murmured. "Use it to mend your body."

Feeling the prince relax in his embrace, Elrond eased Legolas back onto the floor without breaking his link with the elf. Picking up the abandoned bandage, the elf lord cleaned the blood off the younger elf’s chin and proceeded to bath the wound on his chest with the athelas water that the twins had prepared earlier. After re-stitching the wound and bandaging it tightly, the dark haired elf brushed a lock of golden hair away from the pale face and pressed his palm on Legolas’ forehead. His temperature was slightly elevated but nothing to be overly concerned about. Satisfied with the progress of things, the older elf severed his link with the elf prince but remained beside the woodland being just in case he made a turn for the worse. He was exhausted, having spent much of his strength to heal his son and the elven prince but he could not afford to rest. They needed him to be close, to be there at the first sign of trouble. Elrond buried his face in his hands and pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes, trying to ease the burning sensation that had crept into them. He would rest after they return home, after he knew that all of them were safe.

*****

Elladan and Elrohir watched their father work from a distance while keeping an eye on their little brother. Aragorn shifted restlessly in his sleep mumbling something unintelligible in his dreams. Removing the damp bandage from the human’s forehead, Elrohir dipped the cloth into the bowl of water and wiped the cold sweat from the feverish human’s face and neck while stealing worried glances at his father and Legolas. Turning back to his foster brother, Elrohir ran the back of his fingers lightly over Aragorn’s cheek. As the cool fingers brushed pass his face, the ranger recoiled involuntarily and trashed wildly against an invisible foe. Stunned by his brother’s reaction, Elrohir gripped the human by his wrists and pinned his hands firmly beside his body to prevent him from hurting himself. Not wanting to distract their father, Elladan tried to rouse the human from his nightmare, patting him non-too gently on the face. 

"Estel! Wake up!" the older twin spoke with a loud whisper attempting to pull the ranger back into consciousness.

Aragorn struggled against his brother, still trapped in whatever nightmare that had intruded his sleep. "No...please stop..." the human pleaded pathetically. "...didn’t do it..."

"What is he talking about?!" Elrohir asked, knowing that his twin would not have an answer for him.

Elladan shrugged with a frown. "I wish I knew," he said as he watched the young man continue his battle with the inner demon.

"If he doesn’t stop, he is going to rip the stitches again!"

"Come on Estel! Wake up!" Elladan called out again and this time he received a reaction but not exactly what he was expecting.

Without warning, Aragorn eyes flew open and he bolted upright throwing Elrohir off balance as he yanked his hands free. Dazed and confused from the fever and dream, the human’s eyes darted around wildly as if searching for something. The pain in his side was momentarily forgotten as the frantic human scrambled backwards and rammed into the cave wall before neither of the twins could stop him. Hot fiery pain bolted through his body and the sensation pulled him back to reality. Squeezing his eyes shut, the man pressed his hand on his side with a loud groan. When he opened his eyes again, two pairs of identical grey eyes were staring at him with concern.

"What is it Estel?" Elrohir pulled his brother’s hand away from the bandage and inspected the damage. He was relieved when the wound did not appear to be bleeding.

Aragorn shook his head to clear the remnants of the dream that still lingered in his head. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest and his breathing was coming in short rasps. The nightmare had scared him half to death but he could not remember what it was about.

"Estel?" Elladan touched Aragorn’s arm lightly to gain his attention and the human swallowed hard to contain his fear before turning to his brother. 

"I can’t remember. It was..." The ranger’s sentence was cut off by a sharp gasp when he saw the blood stains on Elladan’s tunic. "Elladan! Are you injured?!" the human’s mouth fell open, his bloodshot eyes widened in dread.

"Huh?" The older twin looked at Aragorn in confusion before realization hit him. "Oh... no. It’s not mine." Knowing that he should not have said that, the elf tried to change the subject but it was too late.

Aragorn’s searching gaze fell on his father and Legolas several feet away, locked in a healing trance. He turned back slowly to face his brothers. "It’s Legolas isn’t it?" A chill flooded through the human’s heart, a sharp contrast to the burning heat emanating from his body. "It’s his blood!"

The older twin nodded with apprehension knowing that there was no way he could cover up the truth. "He coughed all over me," the dark haired elf said and flinched at his words.

"How bad?" Aragorn tried to push back the anxiety to no avail. His heart continued to hammer ferociously in his chest.

"Not too good... but I’m sure father will be able to help him," Elrohir reassured his human brother.

Aragorn shifted stiffly and groaned as his movement disturbed his healing wounds. Cursing softly under his breath, the human pressed his eyes shut trying to ward off the throbbing pain behind them. All the joints in his body ached and he felt like he was falling apart. He was nauseated and had to swallow hard to suppress the bile that threatened to rise from his throat. Taking a few moments to calm his nerves, Aragorn opened his eyes and regretted immediately. The world before his eyes whirled sickeningly and a loud ringing exploded in his ears. The human pitched forward, head first into his brother and consciousness fled him once again.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, this is the last installment until Nov 10 when I return from my training. Please stay alive until then and don't attempt to hunt me down because you will never be able to find me! Muahahaha!!! Aragorn and Legolas can take a break from being tortured while I'm away. They will be grateful. :P

Due to all the death threats, I've decided to post Chapter 21 a week
earlier in order to stay alive. LOL!! Hope that would keep angry
readers at bay until Nov 10.

------------------

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 21 – Warm Tea, Cold Hearts

Elladan caught Aragorn in his arms as he fell forward and eased him onto the floor. Exchanging a worried glance with Elrohir, the older elf retrieved the discarded cloth and placed it back over the feverish human’s brows.

Elrohir watched his father from where he sat and called out softly to Elladan catching his attention. Elrond sat with his face buried in his hands, obviously worn out from all the healing that he had performed and was totally oblivious of what had transpired among the three brothers some distance away. The twins looked over at their father and wished that there were something they could do to ease his weariness but they knew that the only way he could regain his strength was to rest… something that he elf lord would definitely not submit to willingly.

Elrohir moved over to join his father beside the resting prince and placed his hand on the older elf’s shoulder expressing his concern.

“You should rest Ada.” Knowing well what his father’s reaction would be, Elrohir still couldn’t help but made the statement.

“I’m fine,” the elf lord answered with a weak smile as he shifted on the ground to find a more comfortable position.

“You are weary. I can see it in your eyes.” The persistent elf was determined to talk his father into getting some rest.

“They need me.” Elrond swept his gaze over to where his foster son was and a frown broke out on his tired face. Had Aragorn moved since he last saw to him? He seemed to remember the boy being much farther from him than he was now.

Noticing his father’s confusion, the young elf told him of what happened.

“He was awake?” Elrond asked unbelievingly. He should have heard something if what Elrohir told him was true but he was completely unaware of it. The elf lord was wearier than he cared to admit.

“Elladan is making some tea. At least have some to refresh your mind.”

“Are you trying to put me to sleep with the tea?” The Lord of Imladris raised his eyebrow skeptically. “It won’t work, you know.”

Elrohir gave his father a mock undignified look. “Would I do something like that?”

The question drew a chuckle from the elf lord. He clasped his son on the shoulder and graced him with a dangerous smile. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Elrohir laughed for the first time in many days. They had been tensed ever since Elrond revealed his visions, in fear that they may lose the two that they had grown to love so dearly over the years. Now that the two youngsters had been found battered and bruised but alive, some tension had been alleviated.

“Tea is ready father,” Elladan called from the small fire that they had built earlier in the night. The soft flame danced in the gentle breeze casting flickering shadows against the cave wall.

Tugging on Elrond’s sleeve, Elrohir dragged his father onto his feet and shoved him towards the fire. As they settled down beside Elladan, the older twin handed a cup of hot steaming tea to his father. Sniffing at the tea suspiciously, Elrond inspected its content and aroma trying to detect if the tea contained any herbs that would render him unconscious. The twins grinned at each other and grew somber when their father glared at them with one of those ‘what-are-you-up-to’ look.

“It’s just tea, Ada,” Elladan reassured the still suspicious elf lord. “We can’t afford to put you out when these two depended on you.” He swept his hand to his right where Aragorn and Legolas rested. To put the elf lord’s mind at ease, Elladan took a sip of his own tea showing his sincerity. Soon, the three elves were sitting comfortably by the fire enjoying a cup of soothing tea and drying their wet hair and clothes.

Elrond ran his fingers through his hair working the tangles out as it dried slowly in the warm air. His two sons were engrossed in a debate speculating on how their brother and friend got into this mess.

“Could it be bandits?” Elrohir theorized as he refilled his empty cup.

“Not likely. They still have all their belongings.” Elladan rummaged through his brother’s pack and pulled out the mithril box. “Besides, they would have taken this.”

“Pure mithril?” Elrohir eyed the box astoundingly and reached out to touch it.

Elladan nodded. “It would earn them a fortune!”

“Estel’s ankle was healing when we found him. Looks like he broke it about three days ago. Same goes for Legolas’ broken arm and the gash on his forehead,” the younger elf continued.

“But the stab wounds were fresh, not more than a day old.”

“And Legolas’ injuries would have healed if he had gotten it three days ago unless…”

“Unless he was beaten again recently.”

“This is getting complicating.”

“Something must have happened in the village. Remember the guard at the gates said something about having thrown them out?”

“They could have gotten into some kind of trouble there, knowing their magnetism for disasters.”

“The suspense is killing me!”

“Maybe we should wake them and ask.”

Elladan elbowed his brother in the ribs for that remark and the younger twin yelped.

“I was only joking!”

“I know. I just like poking fun at you.”

The friendly bantering went on for several more minutes and Elrond let out a small sigh of relief when they finally exhausted the topic and changed the subject.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: No cliffie. :) And next installment will be on Nov 10… I think. *g*

 Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 22 – It’s Only in Your Mind

He felt warm and dry, something that he thought that he would never feel again. Something soft was wrapped around his shoulders and the fabric rustled when he shifted slightly under it. Somewhere, a group of people were talking in his native tongue, their soft laughter gave him a sense of security. He knew that he was among friends and relaxed with a small sigh. Too tired to open his eyes, Legolas lay silently and listened to the conversation, a small smile played across his pale face.

His thoughts drifted to the ranger and he wondered how his friend fared. He recalled vaguely Elladan telling him Aragorn was fine. Was it only a dream or did they really find him and Aragorn? Legolas shifted again and forced his eyes open. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a fire glowing merrily not far from him and three figured sat huddled close to the flame. One of them turned towards him when his movement caught the attention of the dark haired elf and a big grin materialised on the elf’s face.

"He’s awake," Elladan heard the rustling and turned towards the sound. He scooted lazily over to the prince with his father and brother following closely behind.

"Elladan? Is that really you?" Legolas asked groggily. When he and Aragorn left Rivendell, they had not mentioned where they were heading to since they themselves did not know their destination. It would take a miracle for anyone to find them.

"No, it’s not me. It’s just a figment of your imagination," Elladan grinned mischievously and received an elbow in his side. The older twin growled and glared at his twin brother who had danced gracefully out of his reach.

"How did you find us?" the injured elf asked weakly, his voice still shaky from the earlier exertion.

Elrohir looked at his father and turned back towards the elf prince. "It’s a long story. Tell you when we get back home."

The wood-elf gave a small nod and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he turned his head to his side, his silver-blue eyes searched the cave for his best friend. "Where is Estel?" the blond elf asked, concern laden heavily in his voice.

"He is resting comfortably, and so should you." Elladan answered.

Legolas ignored Elladan’s words and tried to rise but Elrond pressed his hand on the prince’s shoulder, pushing the stubborn elf back towards the ground. "Lie still!"

Legolas sighed exasperatedly. "I have been hearing that a lot lately."

"And you should listen too," the elf lord admonished lightly and proceeded to check the bandages. Elrond had bound Legolas’ broken arm tightly against his chest to minimize movement and to prevent him from moving it around too much. It seemed to him that the prince had ignored the fact that his arm needed time to heal.

The prince squirmed uncomfortably under the elf lord’s ministration. "I’m fine," he lied and flinched when Elrond’s fingers prodded a sore spot on his abdomen.

"Only someone like you would say that they are fine with broken ribs and arm, punctured lung, ruptured spleen, a bruised kidney and not to mention several dozen of other cuts and bruises," the younger twin added the last sentence in a joking manner.

Legolas rolled his eyes at the obvious tease. "I don’t have several dozen cuts and bruises," he defended himself.

"Okay, so I exaggerated a little," the twin grinned. "But did you know how close you were treading on the brink of death not too long ago?"

Elladan nodded in agreement. "We almost lost you if it’s not for father. How did you even make it this far?"

"Peer pressure?" the blond elf laughed but the laughter caught in his throat and he coughed twice.

"Here, drink this," Elrohir slipped his hand behind Legolas’ neck and lifted him off the ground slightly, pressing a cup to his lips.

Legolas took the warm tea gratefully and thanked him with a silent smile.

"So, what happened to the both of your?" Unable to contain his curiosity much longer, Elladan finally blurted out the question.

"That is an even longer story." Legolas sighed tiredly, the short conversation had used up much of his strength and his eyes drifted shut unwillingly.

Noting the exhaustion in the young elf, Elrond stopped his sons from further questions. "Alright, that’s enough," the elf lord pulled his sons away from the elf prince. "We’re moving out in an hour. Let him rest while he still can." Pulling the cloak back to the elf’s shoulder, the elf lord tucked it securely under his arms. The tale could wait.

*****

Morning came quickly, the rays of the morning sun flooded into the cave, warming the cool air inside. Elrohir smothered the fire as Elrond helped Legolas onto the horse in front of Elladan. Although awake, the prince was still too weak to sit unaided on the horse and the older elf had to wrap his arm around Legolas’ waist to prevent him from toppling over.

After checking on his son to make sure that his wounds were no longer bleeding, Elrond signalled for Elrohir to hand his brother over to him after mounting his own horse. The elf lord pulled Aragorn against him pressing the human’s head onto his shoulder after wrapping his cloak around his sleeping child. Elrond urged his horse on when he was certain that son was seated securely in front of him.

The jostling of the horse woke Aragorn. He whimpered miserably as the motion sent white-hot pain up his side and arm and for a fleeting moment, he thought he was back in the village again. He and felt someone’s arm tightened around his waist and the ranger panicked, twisting against the retrains trying to break free with whatever remaining strength he had. The movement tore at his wounds but he was so determine to break free that he did not care what happened to him.

"Sit still Estel!" Elrond whispered harshly into the human’s ear and shifted Aragorn slightly to reposition the young man so that he would not slip off the horse. The elf lord’s grip tightened to keep the trashing human from falling and the sheer force of holding him there tore at his wounds. Blood soaked through the bandages rapidly but they could not afford to stop if they wanted to make it home before nightfall.

"Be at peace my son!" Elrond cooed urgently in elvish. He would not be able to hold on to his son any longer if he kept up with his struggling. "Estel!" the elf lord called out as his grip on his son started to slip precariously and he was being dragged off balance but before the two figures tumbled off their horse, Elrohir rode up beside them and held onto the delirious human, pushing him back towards his father.

Elrond shook Aragorn hard to draw him out from whatever nightmare that was haunting him. "Focus on my voice, Estel," the elf lord urged, "don’t fight me. All is well."

Aragorn whimpered again but he no longer struggle having finally recognized his father’s voice.

"Ada?" he rasped.

"Yes my son, it is I," Elrond loosened his grip a little now that the human was more lucid but the damage was already done. The elf lord’s arm and hand was slick with Aragorn’s blood but he did not have time to re-stitch the wound. Time was pressing for them and every minute wasted would only bring them more pain and delay their journey further. Elrond placed his hand on Aragorn’s side and pressed down hard to stop the bleeding, his action wrenched a cry from the young ranger.

"It hurts..." Aragorn squeezed his eyes shut, hot tears streaming down his pain filled face.

"I know my son, I know," the elf lord’s heart was torn into a thousand pieces at his son’s words especially when he was the one causing the pain. "Just hold on for a little longer, we are almost home." But the truth was they were still half a day’s ride from Rivendell. "Try to go to sleep Estel, it will dull the pain," the father coaxed gently.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 23 – Journey’s End

Elrond lifted his head and glanced over at Elladan and Legolas. The prince was not faring any better. His complexion was ashen and his face twisted with pain. Sweat beaded on his forehead and the elf lord could see that he was trying hard to hold his pain at bay but failing miserably. Soft moans escaped his lips every few seconds and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. The blond elf’s eyes were closed but Elrond knew that he was conscious, just that the pain was too much for the young one to bear.

Legolas was almost doubled over in front of Elladan and if not for the twin’s strong grip, he would have fallen off the horse. The elf lord looked worriedly at Elladan wondering if they should stop to rest but the twin, having sensed his father’s thought, shook his head. The best place for them to rest was back home, in a comfortable bed with proper care. Elrond sighed and urged his horse to go faster.

Aragorn drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he was about to fall asleep, the pain would drag him away from his slumber. He sighed in frustration, wishing for a cup of his father’s infamous sleeping draught at this moment. Pain had become his constant companion for the past few days and he could not remember how it felt like to be without it. He had also lost track of the time. If felt like they had just started the journey but the sun was already sinking slowing behind the trees. The human shifted in his father’s arm and brought Elrond’s attention to him immediately.

"Estel?" the elf lord tensed, fearing that he may repeat his earlier stunt again.

"Can’t sleep..." the young one complained. "Are we there yet?" Never had Aragorn been so eager to get home but right now he wish he could just materialize in his bed.

"We are about half an hour’s ride away." Elrond replied blatantly. He had sent Elrohir ahead to inform the others of their arrival and to prepare the healers to receive the injured as soon as they reach the Last Homely House.

"I’m going to sleep for a week," Aragorn mumbled and that elicited a small chuckle from Elrond.

"I doubt you will want to stay in bed for a week," the half-elf smiled remembering how his human son hated being bedridden. The longest he had remained in bed was for four days and after that he had become rather annoying trying to get off it.

"Believe me, I will," Aragorn ground out against the pain that continued to torture him. Silently, he prayed that Legolas would not be in as much agony as he was now.

*****

"Elladan..." Legolas’ soft whisper drifted into the older elf’s sensitive ears. "...h-how much longer?" the wood-elf asked, his voice quivering with effort.

"Almost there, I can see the gates from here," the twin replied subtly while clutching the prince a little closer against him.

Legolas whimpered pathetically as the older twin unintentionally jerked his injured ribs and he tugged at Elladan’s arm in a futile attempt to remove the pressure around his waist. Hot searing pain burned inside his chest and he wished that he could just stop breathing. He tried holding his breath for as long as he could but that did not seem to help at all.

Sensing the tension in the prince’s body, Elladan loosened his grip and apologized but Legolas brushed him off quickly pretending that it did not bother him. Elladan however was not so easily fooled for he knew how good Legolas was in when it came to hiding his pain. "You don’t have to pretend Legolas, I know you feel terrible," the older elf said with sympathy. "We will be home in a few minutes. Just hold on..." Exchanging a worried glance with his father, Elladan sighed out loud expressing his apprehension and fear for the young prince.

The two riders slowed their horses as they passed through the gates and eventually brought them to a stop. Elrohir was pacing impatiently as his father and brother rode into the courtyard and ran up to greet them with Glorfindel and Erestor in tow. The younger elf headed straight for his father and helped him unload Aragorn from the horse, cradling his human brother in his arms. Glorfindel relived Legolas from Elladan and consoled the young prince when he cried out in spite of the effort that he had put in to refrain himself from doing so. The two elves hurried off into the house with their respective burdens.

Elrond and Elladan dismounted from their horses and took off after Elrohir and Glorfindel only to be stopped by Erestor. The advisor placed his hands on the elf lord and his son’s arms halting their steps.

"Dûrsereg and Nilram are competent healers and they will take good care of Estel and Legolas." Erestor continued before either of them could protest. "You have travelled long and far and are both weary. I have asked Celboril to prepare some food for you. Come." The dark haired elf ushered his two charges into the house towards the dining room and pushed them onto respective chairs.

As they settled down around the table, Celboril came bustling into the hall with trays of food balanced in his hands. Placing the meal in front of his lord and prince, Celboril hovered beside the duo hoping to get the latest update from Elrond.

"You left so suddenly my lord," the servant started cautiously not knowing if the elf lord was up to talking just yet but when Elrond did not stop him, he continued. "What happened? When Elrohir came rushing into the house summoning for healers, I feared something terrible had happened but he did not have the time to explain."

The Lord of Imladris was poking at his food absentmindedly deep in thought when Celboril asked the question and he lifted his head, his eyes met those of his faithful servant. Motioning for the elf to sit, Elrond took a spoonful of soup before beginning his tale.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 24 – The Calm Before the Storm

Halfway through the story, Elrohir came stomping into the dinning hall, plopping down into a chair next to Erestor with an audible sigh. His shoulders slumped in defeat and he muttered annoyingly under his breath.

"Is something wrong?!" Elrond almost jumped out of his seat at his son’s behavior but calmed down when Elrohir waved his hand in front of him dismissing his father’s uneasiness.

"He threw me out! I can’t believe it!" Elrohir complained loudly lifting his hands in the air in frustration. His words drew a snicker from Elladan and the younger twin glared at his older brother in mock anger. "That’s not funny! Next time you try being thrown out by a mighty elf lord." The twin sagged deeper into his chair and buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, don’t be mad. I’m sure I’ll get my chance… in like another millennium." Elladan teased his brother good-naturedly and pushed a bowl of soup in front of him. "Here, eat something. It may cool down your temper a little," he followed with a small grin. Now that they are finally home, their worry for their brother and friend was slowly easing off. With the tension gone, their mischievous behavior surfaced once again.

Elrohir peeped out from between his fingers and sat up straight suddenly, his hands leaving his face in an instant.

"Mushroom soup! My favourite!" the young elf picked up a spoon and dug into his soup enthusiastically.

Elrond shook his head with a smile and picked up the story from where he was cut off by his son’s sudden appearance, finishing his tale without further interruption. The elf lord finished his dinner while he spoke. "So we still don’t know what exactly happened to them until either of them fill in the missing pieces," Elrond concluded.

"And there’s the mysterious box," Elrohir added after draining the last bit of his soup.

"Well, I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow." Erestor signaled for Celboril to clear the table and pushed his chair back, moving to stand beside Elrond. "Get some sleep, my lord. I will take care of things around the house." The advisor turned to Elladan and Elrohir who had also risen from the table. "You too children. You look like you’re about to fall over." Erestor gave them a friendly pat on the back and pushed them towards the stairs. "Move along."

The twins stifled a yawn together and grinned at each other. There was no doubt that they were exhausted having had little rest since they left the house several days ago. The twins bid their father good night in unison and scampered upstairs into their rooms.

Elrond stood and stretched, working out the stiffness in his body. Erestor was right. He did need to sleep but not before he checked on his son and the prince. The elf lord thanked his advisor and proceeded up the stairs, running into the two healers and Glorfindel when he reached the top. The healers greeted Elrond respectfully and the elf lord gave them a curt nod. "How are they?" Elrond directed the question at no one in particular.

"Estel is fine," it was Dûrsereg that spoke first. "I have stitched his wounds and cleaned them up. They were deep but did not cause too much internal damage. It will heal in time." The healer halted momentarily and continued. "He was still feverish and in much pain so I made him some sleeping draught which he took without protest. The tea should keep him asleep for twelve to fifteen hours."

Elrond nodded and before he could ask, Nilram continued quickly knowing his lord’s concern for the elven prince. "Prince Legolas’ injuries were a little more complicated but I had managed to stabilized him and he seemed to be responding well to treatment. I have removed his sling so that he can rest more comfortably but I strongly suggest that he stay in bed for the next few days."

"Did you have him drugged too?" the dark haired elf lord asked incredulously.

"No, he drifted into unconsciousness while we were treating his injuries," Glorfindel explained to his friend.

"I wish to see them."

"The only thing that you are going to see right now is your bed." Glorfindel dismissed the healers and grabbed Elrond by his elbow, dragging him into his bedchamber. "The two young ones are fine and resting comfortably. So should you," the blond elf admonished lightly. "I will watch over them tonight." He deposited the dark haired elf lord onto his bed and pushed him onto the soft pillows. Then he turned and blew out the candle. "Sleep well my friend," he whispered but Elrond had already fallen into elven dreams.

*****

He strolled leisurely into the garden, breathing in the sweet scent of the morning air. The sun shone merrily in the sky and a soft breeze brushed pass his face ruffling his hair. Elrond sat down on the stone bench beside the garden pond, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The few hours of sleep had refreshed him somewhat although he would need more rest to regain back the strength that he had used up for the healings. But he had all the time in the world to rest.

Elrond had woken up early to check on his youngest son and the Mirkwood prince. They were both still asleep when he visited their rooms. Satisfied that they were indeed on the road to recovery, the elf lord wandered out into the garden, relaxing in the warm morning sun. Closing his eyes, Elrond drew strength from the orange globe in the sky but the serenity of the morning was shattered when Celboril came shouting for him.

The breathless servant braked to a stop in front of the elf lord and pointed behind him. No words left his parted lips for he was still panting heavily trying to catch his breath.

"Calm down Celboril," Elrond soothed the distressed elf with some urgency. "What’s the matter?"

"L-Lord Glorfin... Glorfindel... upstairs..." Celboril stumbled around his words and kicked himself mentally for not able to convey his message properly. "Come!" he pulled Elrond by his arm and yanked the elf lord to his feet, dragging a very confused Elrond towards the house and up the stairs straight into Legolas’ room.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 25 – And So It Begins

Initially Elrond thought something had happened to the young prince but as he stepped through the door, he was shocked to see Glorfindel sprawled out unconscious on the floor. His long strides brought him to his friend’s side in a flash and he dropped down onto his knees.

"What happened?!" he snapped at Celboril and the servant cringed at Elrond’s harsh voice. "I’m sorry," the elf lord apologized quickly. He had never snapped at any of his servants before. He was not angry with Celboril, just too anxious to find out what happened.

"I-I brought breakfast for the prince... just in case he wakens and..." the servant paused to calm his breathing, "...and I saw Glorfindel..."

Elrond did a quick scan of the room and his gaze fell on the empty bed. "Where is Legolas?!"

The servant shrugged. "He was gone when I came in. I looked but couldn’t find him anywhere and I thought I should find you first to look at Lord Glorfindel. I didn’t know how badly he was hurt."

"You did the right thing," Elrond gave Celboril an encouraging smile. Diverting his attention back to Glorfindel, he searched for a pulse and fear gripped at his heart when he found it to be almost non-existent. It seemed to him that Glorfindel had been drained of all his strength, his very soul being torn away from his body. Placing his trembling hand onto the unconscious elf’s chest, Elrond searched his strength and directed it into the prone body trying to bring the elf lord around, hoping that he was not too late.

*****

The commotion woke Elladan from his slumber. Still in a daze, the older twin sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes but before he could do anything else, Elrohir came dashing into his room and dragged him off his bed.

"Wha?!" the older elf blinked in confusion and was almost pulled off balance.

"Come! Quick! I think something’s happened!" Elrohir shoved his brother out of the room as he spoke. "I heard Ada’s voice in Legolas’ room and he wasn’t happy."

The two brothers stumbled into the prince’s bedchamber just in time to see Elrond slumped over Glorfindel, and a terrified Celboril rooted to the ground next to them.

"Father!" the twins made a mad dash to their fallen father pulling him off Glorfindel. "Ada?! What’s wrong?!"

"I’m fine," Elrond brushed his sons off. "Help me get Glorfindel to the bed." The elf lord stood shakily as Elladan and Elrohir carried the blond elf to the bed and laid him down gently.

Glorfindel moaned softly and his eyes fluttered open. Four blur images floated above him and he blinked hard to clear his vision.

"What happened my friend?" Elrond’s voice trembled with exertion and soon found himself being forced into a chair placed behind him by one of his sons.

"He attacked me..." Glorfindel said unbelievingly and shook his head to clear his foggy mind.

"Who?" Elrohir asked in confusion.

"Legolas," the blond elf said blatantly.

Elrond shook his head. "It can’t be. He is too weak to even stand on his own, let alone attack someone. There must be some other explanation." Turning to Elrohir, the elf lord told his son to look for Legolas. "Find our missing friend."

"Pray tell what happened Glorfindel," Elladan prompted and propped the elf lord up on the bed.

Glorfindel started slowly, picking his words carefully.

# Glorfindel strolled into Legolas room after checking on Estel. The human was still asleep and his wounds were healing exceptionally well. His fever had broken sometime in the night and the boy was resting peacefully. Pleased with the progress, the elf lord proceeded to check on the young prince. Brushing a strand of stray hair from the pale face, the elf lord noted that Legolas was still in a deep healing sleep. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pace. A cool draft drifted in through the window and Glorfindel moved to close the shutters. When he turned around, he bumped into the elven prince, their faces merely a few inches apart. Taken aback, Glorfindel stumbled backwards slightly, not expecting the prince to be up and about so soon especially when he was still in no shape of getting out of bed.

"Legolas!" the elf lord gasped, "what are you doing?" Glorfindel reached for the elf’s arm but something stopped him. He froze, a sense of dread washed over him for some strange reason. Then he realized that the strange reason was in Legolas’ eyes.

Legolas advanced towards Glorfindel, forcing him against the wall. The elf lord tried to evade the prince but each of his moves was blocked expertly and he found himself being driven towards the corner of the room. #

Glorfindel shuddered involuntarily at the memory and shook himself mentally to get rid of the horrifying images. A hand on his shoulder made him jump and brought him back to the present. Elladan looked apologetically at the elf lord and pressed a cup of water into his hand. Glorfindel took the cup shakily and was forced to hold it with both his hands. Even so, his hands trembled so badly that some of the clear liquid spilled from its rim and splattered onto his tunic.

"What happened next?" Elrond was eager to find out what the prince had done to the mighty elf lord.

Glorfindel downed the water in one breath and continued, handing the empty cup back to Elladan with silent appreciation. "He was fast, faster than normally possible for an elf. And before I could do anything, he caught my wrists and slammed me against the wall, pinning my hands above my head. The next thing I know, I was lying on this bed with the four of you staring down at me." He let out a long frustrated sigh and fidgeted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the foursome.

Elrond pushed himself off the chair and began pacing beside the bed. What went wrong? Why did Legolas suddenly turn violent? Did he overlook something? Where had the prince disappear to? So many question but no answers. The Lord of Imladris was puzzled beyond comprehension. His brows knotted tightly together and he tried to make some sense of the situation but before he could even start thinking, a blood-curling scream filled the air shattering the quiet of the morning. A chill ran down his spine at the familiar yet alien voice.

"Stay with Glorfindel!" Elrond commanded Celboril who gladly obliged. With that, the elf lord made a mad dash out of the room into the hallway with Elladan tailing closely behind.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Okay, I admit that this is an evil place to stop. Please don't hurt me. :P Just remember that if you kill me, you won't get the rest of the story... *backs away slowly*

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 26 – Friend or Foe

Elrohir wandered down the corridor in search of the missing prince. Still not believing that Legolas would attack Glorfindel, the twin tried to think of reasons why the prince would do such thing but nothing came to him. Legolas was a peaceful and gentle being. He should never hurt anyone on his own free will but what has brought him to do such a thing and why? As he approached his father’s bedchamber, he saw a figure slithered into the room from the corner of his eyes and quickly followed.

"Legolas? Is that you?" the elf called out quietly as he stepped through the entrance.

The blond figure, having been cornered in the room twirled around with an angry hiss and backed against the far wall. Elrohir let out a loud gasp when he saw the elven prince… or whom he thought to be the prince. Legolas’ eyes were no longer blue. A dark mist clouded them and the dark matter swirled sinisterly in his eyes, giving them a demonic look.

The dark haired elf moved cautiously towards the creature, thinking that he would be able to subdue Legolas in his weakened state. The creature’s eyes darted around wildly as Elrohir closed up upon him and without warning, it let out a piercing scream and lunged at the twin.

Totally unprepared for the attack, Elrohir staggered backwards against the assault and crashed into the wall. The younger twin gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs and he found himself struggling to draw in a breath. Black spots danced across his eyes and for a moment he thought he was going to pass out. Blinking hard, Elrohir tried to get his vision back into focus. He was shocked by how impossibly strong the creature was, something that he had never encountered before. The Legolas-creature gripped his wrist tightly and pinned his hands slightly above his head. Elrohir struggled and tried to break free but he couldn’t seem to find the strength to do so. He wanted to kick out but his legs had gone weak and could hardly hold him upright. An invisible force pressed against his chest and he felt his energy slowly draining out of his body. Seconds before darkness took over him, he saw his father and brother crashing into the room.

Elrond and Elladan rushed into the room just in time to see Elrohir slipped lifelessly onto the ground with Legolas still standing ramrod straight in front of the heap on the floor.

"What the..." Elladan started but before he could finish, the creature snapped around and snarled, baring its teeth at the father and son.

Elrond reached out his hand, motioning Elladan to stay behind him and approached the creature with great care, not wanting to scare it into sudden movement. Elladan stuck closely behind his father, watching with apprehension as creature moved gradually away from his twin brother. The creature let out a shrill cry suddenly and the prince’s eyes cleared before they rolled back into his head. His knees buckled and he fell limply onto the ground.

Elrond and his older son watched in horror as the terrifying event unfolded in front of them and shuddered when a chilled presence brushed past between them. Elladan rubbed his arms as goosebumps broke out on his skin. Pushing back the awkward feeling, Elladan crouched down beside the unconscious prince while Elrond went to aid Elrohir.

"He’s fine," the older twin called out to his father, "just out cold." Elladan lifted the limp body and carried him to the elf lord’s large bed, placing him on the soft mattress. "How’s Elrohir?" he asked as his father helped the dazed and confused elf sit up against the wall.

Elrohir groaned and swatted haphazardly at his father when Elrond placed his hand on the elf’s forehead. "What hit me?" he muttered as his befuddled mind tried to make sense of what happened.

"What happened, `Ro?" Elladan knelt beside his father and watched the older elf revive his younger brother.

"Huh?" the young elf responded in confusion, still groggy from the assault. Fortunately for him, the demon had just fed and did not drain as much essence from him as he did Glorfindel.

"Did Legolas attack you?" Elrond’s voice brought his son back to reality.

Elrohir shuddered. "Yes...but it was not him... there was something else... " The elf trailed off.

Elladan recalled the weird sensation and shuddered again. "Something brushed past me after Legolas collapsed. It was icy cold and... and..." the twin was at a loss of words. "It felt wrong."

"I felt it too," Elrond added solemnly. "An evil presence. But where did it come from? And where did it go?" The elf lord sighed and helped his son up shakily onto his feet. "Shall we see how Legolas is doing? Maybe we can get some answer from him."

Legolas groaned, the pain in his body seemed to have return to haunt him with a vengeance. He heard Elrond calling out to him urging him to wake and the prince blinked a few times bringing the faces in front of him into focus.

"Wha?" the wood-elf took a deep breath and winced. "What’s wrong?"

"Legolas, do you remember what happened?" Elrond sat down gently beside the elf prince and brushed a wayward strand of hair out of his face.

The young elf frowned in confusion and shook his head. "No. Did I do something wrong?"

"You attacked Glorfindel and Elrohir," Elladan said evenly.

"WHAT?!" Legolas bolted upright in the bed and fell promptly back onto the pillows, his vision swam sickeningly and pain shot through his mending arm and body.

"Don’t worry, they are both fine. Nothing a little bed-rest won’t heal." The elf lord put in quickly at the young prince’s distress. "We need to know what happened."

Legolas pushed himself up gingerly and Elladan propped him up with several pillows. Sinking into the soft pillows, Legolas sighed and began his story, starting from the unfortunate fall to when they got thrown out of the village.

"So Estel was accused of murder after he opened the box?" Elrohir interrupted from the large chair beside the bed that his father had deposited him in earlier.

Legolas nodded and thought back to the time after they pried the box open. "I felt something when the lid was lifted. A chill went through my body." The elf shivered at the memory. "I thought it was only a draft."

"Apparently not." Elrond interrupted. "You may have released something that was kept sealed in the mithril box for many millennium." The elf lord sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "This is something that I cannot deal with alone. We must find Mithrandir. I would need his help in subduing this demon."

"I will send word for him," Elladan excused himself and left the room in a hurry.

"Now we need to find its mode of possession so that we can prevent it from happening again." The elf lord got up and started pacing back and forth in his bedchamber deep in thought. "Do you remember anything unusual after you opened the box?"

Legolas closed his eyes and searched his mind. Nothing was out of the ordinary that night. He had gone outside to sit under the stars after Aragorn finally dozed off in the healing hut. And when he returned, the human was gone. Then he remembered the chill that he felt and the uncanny silence that accompanied the feeling.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: No evil cliffie. *g* And sorry for short reviews. Time is precious and I can't seem to get enough of it. :P Sorry this installment came a bit late. Was busy ALL DAY and only found time to sit down at the computer. :S 

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 27 – Sleepless Nights, Bitter Truth

"There was something," the elf prince started slowly. "I felt the chill again when I was gazing at the stars. I thought it was just my imagination but the night fell dead when the draft brushed past me. Everything had gone quiet for a moment but returned to normal shortly after." Legolas paused to gather his strength. "And when I returned to the hut, Estel was gone. I should have heard him leave but I didn’t..."

"Sleeping..." Elrond muttered under his breath. "You were asleep before Glorfindel was attacked..." the elf lord tried to tie the events together and make some sense out of them and his head snapped up. "It possessed a person in their sleep!"

Elrohir looked up at his father with bleary eyes. "So what do you suggest, Ada? That we don’t sleep?"

"Yes, we have to try to stay awake until the crisis is over. I will have Celboril brew some strong tea and I want everyone to be with someone at all times. No one is to be left alone."

Elrohir nodded and stood up from the chair, ready to carry out his father’s orders but Elrond placed a hand on his shoulder stopping him from leaving.

"Stay here with Legolas. I will inform the others and transfer Estel over. I want to keep an eye on both of them."

Obediently, Elrohir sat down on the bed beside the elven prince as he watched his father leave the room. Turning to Legolas, he searched the prince’s eyes, checking for remnants of the dark mist just to make sure that the demon had really left his body.

Legolas averted his gaze looked down on his hands guiltily as the younger twin turned his attention on him. "I’m so sorry Elrohir," the prince apologized profusely. "I didn’t mean to hurt you." He reached out and touched the bruises on the twin’s wrist. Guilt ate at his heart and he swallowed back a choking sob that threatened to rise from his throat. Tears welled up in his silver-blue eyes and spilled down his face.

"No need to blame yourself Legolas, it’s not your fault," Elrohir comforted the young elf and pulled him into a gentle embrace. "We will defeat this demon," he stated confidently.

"I must apologize to Glorfindel too," the wood-elf muttered after pulling away from the embrace and attempted to push himself off the pillows but stopped when the blond elf lord’s voice drifted through the door.

"It’s alright Legolas, I know what happened." Glorfindel leaned heavily on Celboril as the two elves made their way into Elrond’s bedchamber. Pulling the chair closer to the bed, Celboril helped Glorfindel settled down into it.

The elf lord was pale and still a little shaky, his hands trembled ever so slightly as he tugged a lock of his long blond hair behind his ears. "Elrond told us everything. The most important thing now is to stay alert and watch out for each other."

Celboril nodded in complete agreement. "Lord Elrond and Erestor are going around warning the others of this situation. I will be brewing some strong tea and hopefully it will be able to keep us awake until the crisis is neutralized."

"Then you better get going," Elrohir prompted Celboril. "It will take hours for you to brew that much tea." Sliding off the bed, the twin touched the other elf’s arm lightly. "Come, I will help you." Turning back to Glorfindel and Legolas, the dark haired elf gave them an encouraging smile before ushering Celboril out of the room.

*****

Elrond treaded lightly into Aragorn’s room out of habit. He knew that he was to wake his sleeping son yet he wanted him to have the extra few seconds of rest. Sitting down gingerly on the side of the bed, he looked apologetically at his sleeping child. "Estel," he called out softly, "wake up my son." If his calculation were correct, the effect of the sleeping draught would be wearing off soon.

Aragorn moaned and his eyes fluttered open. "What is it Ada?" the human rubbed his eyes trying to work the sleep out of them.

Elrond gazed down at his son and for a moment he was speechless, not sure how to break the news to him.

"Ada?" Aragorn sat up in bed, the blanket slipped from his shoulder, pooling at his waist. "Is something wrong?" The human seldom saw his father at a loss of words and was immensely worried not sure what had happened. "Did something happen to Legolas?!" the young man pushed his father for an answer.

"No," the elf lord answered a little too quickly and let out a frustrated sigh. "Well... yes" he admitted eventually, "but not what you think happened," he cut in before his son started panicking. Elrond rubbed his face tiredly and continued. "Legolas told me that you found a mithril box." It was a statement rather than a question.

Aragorn nodded slowly, not sure what his father was up to.

"Estel…" the elf lord placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder before he spoke again, his voice heavy with trepidation. "When you lifted the lid, something that was trapped inside was released."

Aragorn looked at his father, confusion written all over his face. "What was released?"

"A great evil that was buried for many millennia. A demon that takes possession of a physical body to feed on another’s essence."

The ranger blinked hard trying to digest what his father had just told him.

"It took control of Legolas and attacked Glorfindel. When Elrohir cornered him my bedchamber, he attacked him."

Having heard that, the human’s jaw dropped and he stared unbelievingly at his father. "Are they..." his heart hammered furiously against his ribcage and he thought it would pound it’s way out of his chest. His knuckles had turned white from his death grip on the blanket.

"They are fine," the elf lord clarified hurriedly before his son suffered a panic attack.

Aragorn relaxed immediately and let out the breath that he didn’t realize that he was holding. Then his eyes went wide. "Legolas?!"

"He is well. The demon fled when Elladan and I entered the room. Elrohir was being pinned against the wall by his wrist when we found them. Fortunately no permanent damage was done but the bruises on the wrist will take some time to heal."

Aragorn nodded numbly and suddenly he gasped. The bruises on the wrist! Dergth told him about the bruises on Medovir’s wrists! His mind reeled and his heart went cold. It was him! It must be! The demon took possession of his body and attacked the Chief! Cold sweat broke out on his brow and neck and he felt sick to his stomach.

"Oh Valar! I killed him!!" Aragorn’s hands flew to the side of his head and he pressed his palm into his temples and screamed.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimers and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 28 – Placing Blames

Taken aback by his son's reaction, Elrond pulled Aragorn's hands away from his face. “Killed who?!” he shouted at the almost hysterical human.

“The village chief! I killed him! The bruises...” the young man trembled violently at the thought that he had indeed murdered Medovir.

“Estel!” Elrond shook his son hard trying to bring him out of his trance to no avail. “ESTEL!” the elf lord slapped him across the face and the stinging pain snapped the human back to reality.

The ranger gaped at his father for a fraction of a second before collapsing into his open arms. He buried his face in Elrond's robe, the young man cried.

Rocking his son back and forth, the elf lord rubbed Aragorn's back as the sobs wreaked his body. “Listen to me Estel, the demon feeds on a person's essence.” Elrond hoped his words would somehow get through to his son. “Legolas told us that the chief was stabbed to death and they had found the murderer. You did not kill him. Do you hear me? You did NOT kill him!” For a long moment the crying continued and he thought that Aragorn had not hear him but the sobbing subsided slowly and the human shook his head, face still buried in his father's embrace.

“It's partly my fault,” his muffled voice could barely be heard. “If I hadn't weaken him...” his sentence was cut off by a hitching breath.

“You cannot blame yourself. It was not you who attacked the Chief, just like it was not Legolas who attacked Glorfindel and Elrohir. Would you blame him?” Elrond asked his human son.

“No. It wasn't him,” the young man defended his best friend.

“Exactly,” the elf lord said gently,” just like it wasn't you. Do you understand?”

Realizing what his father was doing, Aragorn answered with a small sob. “Yes Ada, I understand.”

Elrond stroke his son's hair and Aragorn pulled back slowly, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “You need to be strong for each other. Legolas feels as guilty as you do for attacking Glorfindel and Elrohir. But now, I need to move you over to my bedchamber.” The elf explained his actions to his youngest son.

*****

Legolas avoided eye contact with Glorfindel, his guilt prevented him from accepting the fact that it was not his fault the elf lord and Elrohir were almost killed. He reached out gingerly to touch the dark purple bruise on the elf lord's wrist but his hand recoiled sharply as the tips of his fingers brushed pass the cool skin. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes and his heart twisted in his chest until it was almost painful to breathe. The prince turned away from Glorfindel, his head hung between his shoulders. Tears of guilt flowed uncontrollably down his face and his body shook with each sob.

“Legolas!” Glorfindel spoke softly but sternly trying to get the prince to look at him but the guilt-consumed elf ignored him, still trapped in his remorse.

His body ached all over, his most recent activity did not agree with his various injuries and they were now protesting angrily. He wished to wake up and find that it was just a nightmare but one did not feel pain in dreams... and the pain he felt now was very real. Pulling his knees against his chest, Legolas drew himself into a tight ball, rocking back and forth as he wept. Although he knew that the others did not blame him, he could not help blaming himself. After all, he was the one who had led them to the box. If he had been more careful and not fallen, they would never have stumbled upon the cursed object.

Glorfindel moved to sit on Elrond's bed. He reached out and stroked Legolas' long golden hair attempting to calm the distressed elf. The wood-elf's head snapped up at the touch and stared blankly ahead.

“I'm so sorry,” he sniffled and wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand.

“You have to stop blaming yourself,” Glorfindel said trying to convince the younger elf, “it's not your fault.”

“He is correct,” Elrond's deep authoritative voice drifted into the room before he and Aragorn appeared through the doorway.

The dark haired elf lord half-dragged and half-carried a very distraught ranger into the room. Aragorn's disheveled appearance matched those of the prince's. His eyes were red and puffy, an obvious sign that he had been crying too. Hand clutching tightly at his side, his face was contorted from the pain that he was unsuccessfully trying to hide. The young man limped over to the bed with the help of hi father and Legolas automatically moved over clearing a spot for his friend.

Setting his son down onto the bed, Elrond turned to Legolas and took in his demeanor. Clearly the young prince was taking the guilt trip that his son had taken earlier. The elf lord moved to the other side of the bed and climbed into it, moving next to Legolas. He took the elf's hands in his own and gave them a gentle squeeze. He younger elf tightened his fingers around the elf lord's hand in response and Elrond pulled him into a fatherly embrace.

“Let go of your guilt my child. The blame is not on you but on the demon who has violated your body.”

Biting back a sob, Legolas nodded slightly against Elrond's chest. The elf lord stroke the younger prince's back affectionately offering him comfort and strength. All this while, Aragorn watched in silence. Never had he seen his immortal friend display such raw emotions openly and it unnerved him. Legolas was always calm and rational, always being the one who talked sense into his head. He had never seen his friend break down like this before, blaming himself for something that he did not do on his own free will. His father was correct... like he always was. They had to be strong for each other at this particular moment.

Releasing the elf from the embrace, Elrond leaned him back gently against the headboard, propping him up with several pillows, Legolas was amazed by the amount of pillows Elrond actually had on his bed.

*No wonder Elladan, Elrohir and Estel love pillows so much, it must be inherited*

At that thought, a small smile crept into the wood-elf's pale face. Elrond raised an eyebrow at the elven prince and decided that he didn't want to know what the young one was thinking. Returning the smile innocently, the elf lord scooted off the bed and made his way to Glorfindel's side.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: I'm going away for 4 days so I thought I'd post this chapter today so that you won't have to wait soooo long. No cliffie so no worries. :) But the bad news is the next post will be the last one until December 15. I know! I know! But I can't help it. I'll be “exiled” to Singapore for 2 weeks. :P But I promise you next chapter will not have a cliffie either :D

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 29 – Staying Awake

Fussing over Aragorn one last time, he said reluctantly to the two bedridden friends. "Under normal circumstances, I would ask the two of you to get some rest. But this circumstance is anything but normal. I would need you to keep each other awake and for the sake of my sanity," he added with a small sigh, "please stay in bed and keep away from trouble." Turning to Glorfindel, Elrond offered his hand and helped his friend off the chair. "If I were you, I wouldn’t want to stay around to find out what mischief these two will come up with by the end of the day." Giving his youngest and Legolas a lopsided grin, Elrond ushered the blond elf lord out of the room leaving the two friends gaping unbelievingly at his words.

"Are we that bad?" Legolas asked the still grinning human with a deadpan tone.

"We are no saints if that’s what you’re asking," Aragorn answered with a small chuckle and groaned as the action pulled at his side. Although his wounds were healing well, they still needed time to mend. The night’s sleep did help alleviate some of the pain but they still bothered him if he put too much strain in them.

Seeing the human’s reaction, Legolas tensed. "Are you alright?" he pushed himself up and studied the ranger intently, his own pain forgotten.

Aragorn dismissed him with a wave of his hand and took a deep unsteady breath, composing himself. "Legolas, lie back down before you aggravate your own injuries. I am fine."

Legolas hated to admit that the man was right but the sudden pain that shot up his chest made him sink back onto the pillows. The elf bit down hard on his lips unable to suppress the moan that left his throat.

"Legolas?!" the man asked worriedly as he watched his friend slipped back onto the pillows.

"I’m fine. Stop worrying." Legolas batted at the human’s hand lightly before Aragorn could reach over to fuss over him. "You know, it just occurred to me that we are both bedridden this time. It was always either you or me, rarely both," the elf snickered softly.

"True," Aragorn added, "and the uninjured one would take up the role of entertainer. But who’s going to entertain us now?" the human said anxiously. "It’s hard to stay awake when we are both confined to bed."

Legolas nodded solemnly beside the human. Aragorn was right. It was difficult to say awake especially when your body was screaming out for rest. He felt Aragorn shift around restlessly mumbling something about going insane with boredom and a small smile crept into his face. Knowing that he needed to keep talking to stay awake, the prince decided to tease the ranger about the remark he made on their way home.

"Didn’t you say you were going to sleep for a week?" Legolas teased good-naturedly.

The ranger’s mouth dropped open in surprise. "You heard?!"

"Of course. Nothing escapes the great elven prince," the elf joked while trying hard to keep his mind alert.

"Well..." Aragorn’s mind reeled as he searched for a reasonable excuse. "I said sleep for a week, not stay in bed beside an annoying elf for a week," he retorted playfully and Legolas snorted at his lame response.

The elf could think up of many ways to annoy the pesky human only if he could stay awake. His mind was slowly straying from the conversation and his eyes became unfocused as he drifted off gradually.

"You have to agree, you *are* rather annoying when it comes to certain things, like that time during the hunting trip..." the young man trailed off when he did not get a response from the elf. "Legolas?" the human nudged the elf gently but Legolas did not move. "Wake up sleepy head!" Aragorn whacked the dozing elf upside the head and the prince snapped awake immediately.

"I’m awake! I’m awake!" Legolas shouted and let out an annoying huff.

"I thought elves could go days without sleeping." The statement was filled with mock innocence.

The wood-elf rolled his eyes knowing that his friend was teasing him again. "Watch it human. Don’t antagonize me. I bite," the blond elf said with a serious tone but a glint of humor shone in his bright eyes.

Elrohir watched the exchange from outside the room and shook his head. His brother was young so he could understand his behavior but Legolas? That elf was a couple of millennia old and still acted like an elfling. But it was hard to blame him. When he and Elladan were with their younger brother, they felt like elflings too, doing silly things and pulling pranks that would cause much grief for their father.

"Ahem…" the older elf cleared his throat breaking the friendly banter. Balancing a tray on his hands, Elrohir sauntered into the room and set the tray onto a small table near the bed. Picking up the two cups, he headed over to the duo and pressed the drinks into their hands. "Drink," he commanded.

Aragorn sniffed at the liquid and scrunched his nose in disgust. "Smells bad. What is it?"

Sniffing at his tea, Legolas recoiled from the cup. "Drink this? Are you kidding?"

Elrohir let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes. That is Celboril’s wake-up juice. Guarantee to keep you two awake for the rest of the day." The twin sat down in an overly stuffed chair, grinning like a cheshire cat.

"Sometimes I think he’s trying to poison me," Aragorn threw a conspicuous glare at his brother and gulped down the pungent tea in one breath. Smacking his lips at the aftertaste of the bitter liquid, the human was grateful when Elrohir stuck a sour plum into his mouth.

"Mmm... dis is gooood..." the human chewed on the fruit while eyeing longingly at his brother. "Can I have some more?" he asked after swallowing the plum.

"You’ll have to wrestle Legolas for his," Elrohir laughed and handed the other plum to the young prince which Legolas accepted thankfully.

Stealing a gaze at Aragorn, the elven prince gripped his plum tightly in his fist. "Don’t even think about it or I’ll be forced to hurt you!" the elf threatened and watched as the human’s shoulder sagged in defeat. Downing his cup of bitter tea, Legolas quickly popped the plum into this mouth.

"That is the most awful tea I’ve ever had in my life!" the wood-elf complained with a scowl and the two brothers snickered at his reaction.

"I need to help father look through the books and papers to see if we can find some information regarding this demon. There are some toast, eggs and jam on the food tray in case you are hungry. Do you need anything else before I go?"

The two friends shook their heads.

"Very well then," Elrohir gave Aragorn’s shoulder a tender squeeze before rising. "If you need to go anywhere, remember to travel in pairs." With that, the older elf turned and left the room.

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: See you on the 15th!! Be good while I'm away or else… I'll torture you with evil cliffie. LOL!

Hi all!

I'm ba-ack! :D Thanks for not killing me or sending the orcs after me while I'm away. Heh. I may be posting the next chapter tomorrow to make up for my long absence so keep your eyes open :) Anyway, on with the story!

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Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 30 – Don’t Close Your Eyes

The human and elf sat in comfortable silence for the longest time enjoying each other’s company. After drinking the wake-up juice, both were wide-awake and were in no fear of falling asleep. Aragorn’s fingers toyed with the corner of the blanket that was draped over his knee, humming softly to himself. Legolas watched the young man for a few minutes and a smile graced his handsome features.

With a questioning look, Aragorn turned to face his friend. "What?" he asked quizzically.

"Nothing. Just that watching you reminded me of my younger days. I used to like daydreaming when I was an elfling," the prince explained.

"Tell me about them, about your childhood," the ranger requested with a smile of his own.

"Well, when I was young, I was not as graceful as my father would like me to be..."

"You mean you were a clumsy elf?" Aragorn interrupted.

"I didn’t say that..."

"But you were! Admit it!"

"Do you want to listen or not..."

"Sorry..."

The two friends chatted for many hours, joking and teasing each other relentlessly. Food was brought to them during their long conversation and the day slipped pass swiftly without further incidents. The sun sank slowly beyond the horizon and soon the stars were shinning brightly in the gradually darkening sky.

*****

Elladan rode into the courtyard minutes before midnight. The elf had traveled far around the borders of Rivendell spreading words to the sentries to keep a look-out for Gandalf. His journey was long and tiring and the older twin dismounted wearily and handed his horse to a servant… two servants actually. On his way into the house, he met another two elves heading for the kitchen and another pair making their way up the stairs. Too tired to even bother asking why they were travelling in pairs, Elladan dragged his feet behind him and made his way into his room. Removing his cloak, he tossed it onto his bed before flopping down onto his stomach. He knew that he should report to his father as soon as he returned but he was just too worn out to do anything at the moment.

*Five minutes. I just need five minutes* he thought in utter exhaustion. Without realizing it, his eyes glazed over and became unfocused as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

*****

Aragorn and Legolas sat at the small table picking leisurely at the berries that had been brought to them along with their dinner. They had downed another cup of Celboril’s tea and now the two friends were quite awake even though both were dead tired.

Aragorn rubbed his eyes and yawned. He was amazed by the potency of Celboril’s drink.

"What did that elf put in that thing?" he asked as he blinked his watery eyes. It was a terrible feeling being dead tired but not being able to sleep.

Legolas shrugged beside the grumpy human as he swallowed his own misery in silence. "Maybe I should use this time to write a letter to my father explaining my late return. That would also keep us busy for a while."

Aragorn nodded enthusiastically. He needed to do something before he went out of his mind!

"We can use my father’s study. I’m sure he won’t mind." With that, the human stood stiffly and helped his friend up onto his feet and the duo staggered slowly out of Elrond’s bedchamber, making their way towards the elf lord’s study.

*****

He watched the on-goings in the house from the corridor upstairs while remaining well hidden from others. Now he finally understood why everyone was travelling in groups of two or three. They had discovered the existence of the demon and realized that it only attacked lone victims. The creature snarled furiously and retreated back into the shadows. It had thought it was fortunate when it found the lone figure asleep in his bed and took possession of his body without a second thought.

It was hungry and needed to feed but it regretted almost immediately after taking over Elladan’s body. The house was bustling with activity. No one seemed to be sleeping or even found to be alone. The creature moved smoothly against the wall. He would need to get out of this house and away from the elven realm, to find a town where no one knew of his existence. A place where he could obtain his nourishment without the risk of being discovered. Unfortunately, judging by the alertness of the entire household, there was little chance that he could slip out without being noticed especially when he was the only one moving alone. Everyone had expected him to be alone when he returned from the borders so they did not bother him but now that he was back, he should be paired up with a companion. He would be questioned.

The demon inside Elladan considered fleeing the elf’s body like it did Legolas’ but its last untimely departure had cost it much strength. If it would to do it again, it may not have enough strength to travel far and may be forced back into its prison again. No, definitely would not risk it. There must be another way to leave this house. Then he saw his chance.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 31 – They All Fall Down

Aragorn and Legolas limped slowly out of the room completely unaware of the figure lingering a few feet behind them. When Legolas felt the presence, it was already too late.

With lightning speed, Elladan grabbed the figure closer to him and yanked the person against his body. The fingers on his other hand locked themselves tightly around his hostage’s throat. Legolas gasped when his friend was wrenched rudely away from him and his eyes widened with shock when the assailant was none other than Elladan.

"What are you doing?!" the elf prince shouted at the older twin before realizing that the dark haired elf that stood in front of him was not Elladan. The twin’s eyes were misted over by a black film that swam maliciously inside his once gray eyes.

Aragorn struggled frantically against his brother but the elf was strong and his fingers dug painfully into his neck, choking the young ranger. He tried to speak but couldn’t seem to find his voice. The Elladan-creature advanced towards Legolas placing Aragorn in front of him as a shield forcing the prince to retreat backwards towards the stairs.

"W-Who are you?" Legolas stammered when he failed to keep his voice from trembling. He did not expect an answer but was surprised when Elladan spoke.

"Morion." The voice was deep and scratchy, much different from the light musical tone that used to be Elladan’s.

The wood-elf could see that Aragorn’s face was starting to turn red from the lack of air and the human was gasping, struggling to draw breath but the fingers around his windpipe prevented him from doing so. He began to feel light-headed and his head swam from the dizziness. Black and green spots flashed across his vision and he knew that the darkness would soon engulf him if he did not get air into his lungs in the next few seconds. The human’s eyes rolled back into his head and he slowly sank towards the floor.

"There’s no use having a dead hostage!" Legolas blurted out as he took in Aragorn’s appearance, his hands outstretched trying to calm the elf whom he had known for many millennia.

"Get out of the way or I will kill him!" Elladan threatened the helpless prince.

Legolas took a few more steps back but maintain eye contact with Elladan all the while, keeping several feet away from the demon. As he neared the stairs, Elladan’s grip around Aragorn’s neck loosened and the ranger inhaled a deep wheezing breath, choking and coughing as he fought for breath. While the ranger was busy catching his breath, Elladan stretched out his hand, palm out and aimed it directly at Legolas’ chest. A burst of energy surged out and rammed into the young prince, propelling him backwards and sending him tumbling down the stairs.

Legolas felt himself being thrown backwards by an invisible force and groped blindly at the railing trying to stop his fall but his fingers found empty space. The first impact sent white-hot agony up his back as he landed hard on the marble stairs. He bounced once and rolled head over heel down the remaining steps, crashing into a table which was placed beside the stairs. The large vase wobbled dangerously on its base as Legolas collided into it and eventually toppled over, crashing onto the floor. Bits of glass shards flew in all directions as the vase shattered on impact.

Legolas laid at the bottom of the stairs. His wrist now hung limply at his side. The gash on his head was pouring blood into his eyes and he prayed for the unconsciousness which would not come. As he rolled over to get up, he moaned. His body protested this action and he felt the dizziness reel in his mind and fought the urge to heave the contents of his stomach onto the floor.

Having heard the commotion, Elrond, Glorfindel and several other elves converged upon the scene and utter horror broke out on their fair faces at the sight that met their eyes. The battered and bruised elf prince writhed miserably on the floor trying to push himself up to no avail. Old injuries combined with new ones pained him immensely and Legolas whimpered softly despite his efforts to suppress them.

Elrond dropped down onto his knees beside the blond elf while Glorfindel dispersed the crowd and instructed one of the servants to retrieve Elrond’s healing pack. Hundreds of questions flooded through the elf lord’s mind as he checked on the prince. Aragorn’s absence was one of his greater concerns but right now he needed to concentrate on the injured elf. He feared that Legolas might have broken his back or neck during the fall but was relieved that he had only obtained a broken wrist and a deep gash at his preliminary inspection. But he would need to perform a more detailed examination to determine the extent of his internal injuries if any.

Legolas continued his struggle to sit up despite the pain and was promptly restrained by Glorfindel.

"Don’t move," the elf lord said sternly but gently.

"Estel..." the prince spoke through the haze of pain that fogged his mind, "he’s in danger..."

Elrond’s heart went cold at his words. "What’s happened?" he asked with anticipation but before Legolas could answer, heavy footsteps could be heard descending the marble stairs. The two elf lords shifted their gaze from Legolas to the stairs and they saw something that they were both unable to accept and comprehend.

Elladan was shielding himself behind Aragorn, the fingers of his right hand wrapped around the human’s throat and his left hand holding his hostage’s hands behind his back. Pushing the young ranger forward, the duo made their way cautiously down the stairs.

The servant that had been sent to retrieve the healing pack returned at that moment and gasped at the sight, dropping the bundle that he was carrying with a loud thud. The sound snapped the two elf lords out of their stupor and they stood up slowly, stepping in front of the injured elf.

"Elladan! What in the name of Valar…" but before Elrond could finish his question, Elladan sneered at him.

"He’s not Elladan," Legolas said weakly from the floor. "Morion has taken over his body."

"Son of the dark," Glorfindel translated the name into Common.

"What do you want?" Elrond demanded forcefully trying to mask the slight tremor in his voice, not wanting to give the demon the satisfaction of seeing him crumble. Fear gripped at his heart as the creature maintained his silence and proceeded down the remaining steps until they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Aragorn was in a daze, his eyes cloudy and unfocused as if trapped in a dream state and was unaware of the happenings in his surrounding.

"Let me go or this one dies," the Elladan-creature made his demands, stressing his point by tightening his grip around the human’s throat making him gasp and wheeze. "And if I see anyone following us, I will kill him!" Backing away slowly from the two agitated elf lords, Elladan dragged the ranger out of the house.

Elrond started to follow but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Give him some time to move out of the house my friend. If you follow now, you’ll only force him to hurt Estel."

The dark haired elf sighed agitatedly. "I need to contain him inside Rivendell. I don’t understand how he managed to get pass the magic protecting our borders but I can’t allow him to leave and do further damage to other innocent people."

Glorfindel nodded knowing that Elrond would need to strengthen the magic around their home by summoning the powers of Vilya. "I will care for Legolas. Do whatever you must and bring them home safely." With that, Glorfindel picked up the discarded healing pack and went to work on the elven prince as Elrond made his way out into the garden.

Legolas winced as Glorfindel pressed a bandage onto the deep cut and squirmed uncomfortably under the elf lord’s scrutiny.

"I’m a little tired of asking this but... what happened?" The warrior removed the cloth as he waited for an explanation and peered at the seeping wound. The cut was long and rather deep. It would definitely need stitches.

Elrohir and Celboril chose this moment to dash into the hallway and Legolas was thankful for their intrusion because he really did not want to talk about what happened especially when the one who pushed him off the stairs was Elladan. The younger twin skidded to a stop on the bits of glass shards on the floor seconds before he rammed into the mighty elf lord. Celboril came crashing into him almost sending him sprawling onto the floor but the nimble servant caught hold of Elrohir’s tunic and yanked him back onto his feet.

"Careful Celboril! I have no intention of being a pin cushion today," the dark haired elf joked and the elf gave him a sheepish grin in return but both of them became serious again when they saw the mess the young prince was in... again.

"We heard the crash. What did you do this time Legolas?" the younger twin dropped down beside Glorfindel as Celboril hurried off to the kitchen and inspected the prince immediately noting the broken wrist. Pulling out another bandage, Elrohir proceeded to bind the limb and the wood-elf hissed as he set the bones. "I thought you were with Estel?" he asked as tied the knot on the bandage. "What happened? Where is he?"

The question he dreaded had finally resurfaced again but there was no escape this time. Glorfindel had managed to slow the bleeding enough for him to stitch up the gash. Both the elf lord and Elrohir were in no hurry in going anywhere so there was no way he could delay the tale any longer. As Glorfindel took out the needle, Celboril returned with a basin of warm water and a small bowl of hot boiling water. Setting the two items down, he made the short trip back to the kitchen leaving his lords to the grilling. Washing his hands in the warm water and sterilizing the needle in the boiling one, the blond elf lord began his task.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Elrohir glared at Legolas and he flinched at ‘the look’.

Relenting eventually, Legolas recounted the tale deliberately leaving out the part where Elladan had pushed him off the stairs. Instead he told them that he had slipped and fell. Glorfindel raised his brow at the elfling. He knew that Legolas did not fall for he was far too graceful. Throwing the young prince his infamous scowl, Legolas finally admitted ruefully that the elder twin had blasted him with an energy burst and threw him off his feet. Elrohir gasped out loud at the revelation but before he could say anything, a blinding flash of light flooded into the house.

"What was that?!" Elrohir jumped onto his feet in a split second and ran towards the window. He craned his neck and peeped through the window but no one was there. Elves flocked slowly into the garden wondering what had happened but they found no answers.

*****

 To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 32 – Escape Into the Woods

Elrond stood in the garden contemplating again if he should go after his two sons but decided against it as he weighed Glorfindel’s words in his mind. If the demon found out that he had been followed, there was no doubt that he would kill his youngest and Elladan would never be able to forgive himself and would surely follow his brother into the Halls of Mandos. Sighing long and deep, the Lord of Imladris toyed with the invisible ring on his right middle finger. The only way now was strengthening the borders to keep the demon confined inside Rivendell until Gandalf turned up and he hoped that the old wizard would have a way to contain this evil. Speaking some ancient words, the ring became visible and glowed brightly in the dark. Elrond raised his hand and chanted softly but rapidly. The glow intensified and suddenly a brilliant flash exploded from the ring and the glow seemed to engulf all of Imladris in its blazing light. Seconds later, the light dissipated as quickly as it had come and everything went back to normal before the magic was cast. Satisfied that the magic would keep the demon in, the elf lord left the house in search of his two missing sons. He had given them several minutes of a head start and knew that the demon would discard his hostage once he was safely away from the house. A hostage would only slow his escape. Picking up the trail easily, Elrond began tracking for Elladan and Aragorn.

*****

The demon dragged Aragorn through the woods towards the waterfall that they frequent having somewhat retained some of Elladan’s memories. He needed water to leave the elf’s body without depleting his own energy. The Elladan-creature scanned the area making sure that he was not followed before releasing his grip on Aragorn’s throat but still holding the ranger’s hands behind his back. He shoved the human forward roughly, eager to reach the water source and get out of this restricting form. Never did he know that he would not be able to leave Rivendell now that Elrond had placed a more powerful magic around it.

The waterfall came into view after several long minutes of walking and the demon’s hopes perked at the wondrous sight. Finally he would be free. But first he needed to get rid of the troublesome human. Raising his free hand, he balled it into a fist and slammed it hard into Aragorn’s temple. The human gasped as the fist connected with his head but before he could cry out, everything went dark.

The corners of Elladan’s mouth curled up into a sinister smile as he watched the human crumple onto the ground. Good riddance. Such a burden to be dragging along. Elladan’s long strides carried him to the side of the lake and he dropped onto his knees. Cupping his hands, he dipped them into the cool water and scooped up a handful of the clear liquid. Bringing the water to his lips in quick succession, he gulped down the water greedily as if his thirst was unquenchable. The creature drank until he felt sick to his stomach before stopping the intake. Turning to the side and bracing himself with both hands, he heaved the contents of his stomach onto the grass. As he emptied his stomach, a wisp of white smoke escaped from the corner of his mouth and dissipated into thin air. Released by the demon, Elladan’s body went into a painful spasm before the elf collapsed from exhaustion.

Aragorn groaned as consciousness slowly returned. Someone was calling his name and the persistent voice was asking him to open his eyes. His lids felt like lead and he was trying hard to pry them open. His head hurt and he wished that the annoying voice would stop pestering him.

"Estel, wake up my son," Elrond tapped him on the face lightly trying to bring the boy around.

"Go away…" the human whined pathetically hoping that whoever the person was would leave him in peace.

"I wish I could but I can’t," the elf lord said melancholically. "You probably have a concussion so I need you to wake up before I can tend to your brother." Elrond was torn. He wanted so badly to get to Elladan but his human son needed him too. He wished he could split into two and help them both at the same time but it was impossible. "Come on Estel! Focus on my voice and open your eyes!" Elrond shook the boy lightly and pain exploded inside the young ranger’s head.

"Argh!!" Aragorn ground out through clenched teeth and pushed his father away.

"I’m sorry," the dark haired elf said apologetically but his actions had finally pulled the stubborn ranger back to the world of consciousness.

Blinking a few times in attempt to clear his blurry vision, Aragorn groaned as the slightest movement made his head spin. Forced to sit up by his father, the young man gritted his teeth and swallowed hard at the bile that threatened to rise from his throat.

Elrond brushed a strand of stray brown hair from his boy’s face and peered into his eyes. Confirming that he only had a mild concussion, the elf lord helped him up onto his feet despite his protests.

"I need to get to Elladan and I don’t want to leave you here," the half-elf explained. "Do it for your brother."

Aragorn nodded and moaned, regretting the sudden movement but the pain eased off slowly and his world stopped spinning. Leaning on his father, the two made their way to the fallen elf.

Easing Aragorn down onto the grass, Elrond reached out and searched for a pulse on Elladan’s neck. The heartbeat was strong and steady. The elf was merely unconscious and not injured. Calling lightly to his eldest son, the elf lord managed to rouse him on the second try.

Elladan moaned and sat up gingerly, still groggy from the experience. Looking around in confusion, he wondered why he had woken up in the middle of nowhere. Rubbing his tired eyes, he looked at his father and brother in complete bafflement.

Aragorn flinched as Elladan’s gaze fell upon his face, not sure whether the brother that he had grown to love so much was back or if the demon was still residing inside his body.

"Why are you looking at me like I have sprouted another head? And what am I doing here?" the older twin rasped and wondered why his throat felt so dry. The searching gaze of his father and brother unnerved him and he squirmed uncomfortably.

"You don’t remember anything?" Elrond asked and all he received was a blank look from his older twin son.

"All I remember was taking a light nap in my room before reporting to you," Elladan recounted his journey until his return to the Last Homely House ending with the unintended nap. Looking around nervously having sensed that something was not right, he began to fidget. "What is wrong father? Why are we out in the woods in the middle of the night?" Then the twin noticed the dark bruises on Aragorn’s neck, wrist and the side of his face. Brushing his fingers across the bruises on his brother’s face, his anger flared at the brutal treatment his brother had been subjected to. "Who did this to you?!"

Aragorn exchanged glances with his father and the elf lord nodded giving him permission to reveal the truth. The human took Elladan’s hands in his and let out a defeated sigh before answering his brother’s question. "You did it, Elladan."

The younger elf gasped, unable to believe that he was capable of hurting his little brother but before he could start beating himself up, Aragorn interrupted quickly.

"But it wasn't you! It was the demon that had taken possession of your body. You cannot blame yourself." The truth was he still felt guilty for what had happened in the village although his father told him that it was not his fault and he knew that the guilt would stay with them for a very long time. Aragorn wrapped his brother into a warm embrace and held him for a long time before pulling away.

Unshed tears glistered in Elladan’s eyes and they told of shame and remorse.

"I do not fault you Elladan so please stop blaming yourself over this." Aragorn reached out and brushed the tears that had unknowingly spilled down his brother’s face.

Elrond wrapped his arm around his eldest son’s shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze letting him know that he had the support of his father too.

"I want to know the truth," Elladan’s voice was barely above a whisper but both Elrond and Aragorn caught it without problem in the quiet of the night.

*****

 To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 33 – Forgive and Forget

Beginning the story from where he and Legolas left his father’s bedchamber for the study, Aragorn continued on until he was taken hostage by Morion, hesitating when he reached the part where Elladan pushed Legolas down the stairs.

The twin was shocked speechless. All he did was keep shaking his head unable to believe that he actually did physical harm to the Mirkwood prince who had become like a brother to him and his siblings. "H-How bad was he hurt?" Elladan stammered afraid to know the outcome of his violent behavior.

Aragorn was also anxious to find out the extent of the prince’s injuries and both brothers looked pleadingly at their father for an answer.

"He was fine. A broken wrist and a cut across his brow were all I could tell from my preliminary examination. Glorfindel was with him when I left the house in search for the two of you." Elrond looked at the worried glances the brothers threw at each other and quickly added, "He’s in good hands. Don’t worry."

"He is going to kill me!" Elladan said desperately, "Or at least King Thranduil will if he found out..."

Elrond laughed despite the situation. "I’m sure he is more understanding than you’ve given him credit for. But right now, I think it’s best we head home or Glorfindel will start to panic."

The two elves helped the human up and steadied him when he wobbled on his feet, his head still pounding painfully at every sudden move he made. Slowly, the trio made their way back to the house. When they reached the house, Glorfindel was pacing avidly in front of the gates wearing a deep impression into the ground. The blond elf lord rushed up to meet them as they approached and bombarded them with questions. "Thank the Valar you’re back! I was beginning to worry! Is everyone all right? Did anybody get hurt? Where is the demon? Did it escape or did you contain it?"

"Peace my friend," Elrond rested a hand on the great elven warrior’s arm. "The two little ones are fine except that Estel has gotten himself a mild concussion. The demon had fled from Elladan’s body when I found them but he is contained within Imladris. I have enhanced the spell surrounding our realm to keep him in until Mithrandir gets here." After settling his side of the tale, Elrond could see that Glorfindel had visibly relaxed. But he was still anxious to know how Legolas fared.

"How’s our prince?" the dark haired elf lord asked as Glorfindel ushered the group back into the house.

"He’s fine but seemed to be..." Glorfindel paused searching for some appropriate words to use and finally decided on something not too harsh for Elladan’s sake. "He’s in some discomfort because Celboril’s tea is keeping him awake and he desperately needs rest."

The truth was that Legolas was in much pain but Glorfindel dared not give him anything to numb the pain for that might put him to sleep. Not only had the prince broken his wrist, upon further examination, Glorfindel discovered that he had also sprained his left ankle badly and bruised a couple of ribs.

Elladan eyed Glorfindel suspiciously sensing that the elf lord was bending the truth. "I know you’re not telling us everything for my sake, Glorfy, and I thank you... but..." the young elf trailed off without finishing his sentence. "I want to see him."

"He’s in your father’s bedchamber. Elrohir is with him."

Elladan nodded mutely and picked up his pace leaving the other three behind as he made his way hurriedly across the field and into the house. Elrond shook his head sadly. This disastrous event had taken a toll on the young ones and he feared for their emotional health. Hands still wrapped around his human son’s waist, he led Aragorn into the house with a much slower pace to compensate for the man’s slight limp. Although the wounds he had received at the village were healing well, they still pained him if he overexerted himself.

*****

Elladan dashed into his father’s bedchamber scaring his younger brother half to death by his abrupt entrance and because he wasn’t certain if the elf that had barged into the room was his brother or the demon. But all doubts left him when he saw the tear-filled eyes and not the strange misty black ones that he had seen in Legolas’ not too long ago. Jumping up from the overstuffed chair, Elrohir ran over to Elladan and gave him a crushing hug.

"`Dan!! I’m so glad to see that you’re all right!" the younger twin cried out with joy.

Elladan returned the hug affectionately and choked back a sob. "I am well but Estel is pretty bruised up because of me... and Legolas..." The older elf approached the bed slowly not sure what the prince’s reaction would be. Legolas laid propped up against a mound of pillows. He had more bandages on him than clothes. A light bandage was wound around his head over the cut across his brow. His wrist, chest and ankle were bound tightly and he actually looked rather comical. If not for the dire situation, Elladan would most probably be poking fun at him.

"Legolas..." he started but did not know what to say. He could apologize but was sure Legolas would brush him off.

"Elladan," the blond elf spoke before Elladan could cook up his apologies, "I will not accept your apologies."

Elladan’s heart went cold at the prince’s words and his world fell apart right before his eyes. He felt like a hundred tons of rock had crushed down on him and he could not breathe.

"You do not need to apologize for something that you did not do." The prince exchanged a mischievous grin with Elrohir as he said that.

Legolas’ words made the older twin sigh out in relief and let out a disgusted groan when he finally caught up with the jest. Apparently the two had conspired against him and played a practical joke on him. Sitting down on the edge of the bed carefully, he tried not to jostle the prince too much.

Legolas gave him a warm smile and reached out with his good hand placing it on the dark haired elf’s arm. "If you insist on apologizing to me, then I will apologize to Elrohir and we will be going in circles until we drive him crazy. And you know what he’ll do when he gets cranky." Legolas threw Elladan a mischievous grin.

Elrohir glared dangerously at the elf prince and the wood-elf just winked at him. Glad that he finally managed to draw a smile from Elladan, Legolas chuckled lightly and groaned as his action pulled on his ribs. Switching to healer mode, Elladan immediately started fussing over the prince and earned himself a "do-not-mother-me" lecture from Legolas.

*****

 To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 34 – The Long Wait

Moments later, Elrond led Aragorn through the door and Elrohir helped his father settle his little brother into bed beside Legolas. Aragorn curled up next to the prince instantly letting his eyes slip close. He was dead tired; his head hurt like a horde of orcs had trampled over it. Demon or not, he was going to sleep... but a sharp jab in his ribs snapped him awake. The ranger growled unhappily and swatted at the intruding hand pushing Elladan away from him. The older twin reached over the prince again and prodded his brother but this time Aragorn reacted by snapping his teeth ferociously at the offending digit.

Laughing out loud, Elladan retreated from the bed and joined his twin who was busy picking at the leftover berries on the small table. Elrond did a quick scan over Legolas and was satisfied with the treatment provided to him. A smile graced his tired features but was extinguished by a small yawn.

"Is the demon gone, Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked in hope for some good news so he could get some decent rest.

"I’m afraid not," the half-elf replied downheartedly.

Just then Glorfindel entered the room with a bowl of sour plum in his hand and Celboril followed a few steps behind with a tray full of cups.

"Time for your wake-up juice," Glorfindel called out merrily and received a collective groan from the occupants of the room except Elladan.

"Wake up what?" the twin asked, puzzled at everyone’s reaction.

Elrohir bounced onto his feet and took a cup from Celboril, pressing it into his twin’s hand. "Here, try it," the younger elf said with a twinkle of mischief in his silver-gray eyes.

Elladan peered into the cup at the dark green liquid and wrinkled his nose at the aroma. "Are you sure it’s drinkable?" the older twin asked suspiciously at no one in particular.

"Of course it is," chipped in Legolas.

Elladan took a sip and almost spit out the tea at Elrohir. He choked down the mouthful of bitter drink and growled. "Argh! What poison is this?!" he spurted out after setting the cup down on the table.

"That’s Celboril’s wake-up juice. Guarantee to keep you awake for many hours," Aragorn muttered from beside Legolas.

"Just hold your breath and drink it." Elrond picked out a large plum and gave it to his older twin. "This will kill the aftertaste."

Elladan accepted the fruit gratefully and gulped down the tea, popping the sour plum into his mouth after that. One by one, the rest of the occupants drank their share and began their respective sleepless night.

*****

Days crawled by painstakingly slow. Only six days had passed but to the populace of Rivendell, it felt like an eternity especially for a certain human. Aragorn was finally allowed to catch a few minutes of sleep several times a day for fear that the demon would attack if he slept for too long. Morion was desperate now that it had gone without sustenance for almost a week and would jump at any chance it had to take a host. Its presence was felt by many but since no one was asleep, it could not possess anybody. Fortunately, elves could go on for weeks with little sleep when absolutely necessary but all of them worried about the human in their midst.

Aragorn was practically going insane with the lack of sleep and if he did not get some soon, they feared that he might not survive for long. Finally Erestor came up with the idea of letting him sleep but interrupt his nap every fifteen minutes so that he would not be unconscious for too long for the demon to detect his state of consciousness. The trick worked and the young man eventually got his rest. However, they could not risk this method on anyone else afraid that Morion would sense the trick and break their defense against him.

Celboril’s tea had lost its effect on the elves, as their bodies grew immune to the substance. Everyone had become tensed and agitated and tempers were short. Elladan and Elrohir snapped at each other more times in the past six days than six months put together. Dark circles under their eyes marred their once flawless face and their eyes had lost their usual sparkle. The twins wished that they had rested during their journey back after rescuing their brother and friend but it was too late for regrets now. Pacing irritatingly in their father’s bedchamber, the brothers watched over their charges while trying hard not to bite each other’s head off. Every fifteen minutes, they would take turns to wake their little brother.

Legolas sat in Elrond’s large chair by the window staring out blankly at the bright blue sky. His golden tresses were a mess and his braids had come loose from their bindings for he had neither the energy nor mood to groom himself. Fatigue and the lack of sleep had impeded his natural elven healing and the elf still ached from the various bumps and bruises. The woodland being had not spoken for days and no amount of coaxing could get him out of his solitude. He had become withdrawn and isolated himself from everyone for he was too worn out and restless to socialize and his mind kept taking him back to he day he stumbled. He could not help thinking that it was his fault everyone was suffering now. All he hoped now was for Gandalf to show up soon before his sleep-deprived mind made him dive out the window to escape the endless time they had been awake. His sanity was slipping with each passing second and he let out a frustrated scream, holding his head between his hands.

Elladan and Elrohir jumped three feet into the air at the sound and both snapped around just in time to see Legolas climbing out the window. The twins shouted at the prince and made a mad dash towards him mere seconds before he slipped of the edge of the window. Elrohir dove after the crazed elf without a second thought catching Legolas by his arm. Elladan grabbed his twin brother around the waist as younger elf was dragged halfway out of the window by the prince’s weight. The prince did not struggle; he merely hung there like a dead weight pulling Elrohir out further through the opening.

"Pull back `Dan!!" the younger elf shouted. "I can’t hold on to him much longer! He’s slipping!!"

*****

To Be Continued...

LOL!! I forgot to publish the previous chapter! So you get 2 chapters today. :D Happy reading!

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 35 – The Last Straw

Elladan braced his feet against the wall beneath the window. "I’m trying!! But the both of you are too heavy!!" he shouted in panic. With his heart pounding in his ears, he did not hear Aragorn shouting for help from behind him before the human joined in with the tug of war.

Elrond heard the screams and flew up the stairs straight into his room. He could not believe his eyes when he saw the chain of bodies hanging out the window. The elf lord rushed to the opening and looked down, horror struck him when he saw Elrohir hanging on to an almost catatonic Legolas. Reaching down, he wrapped his fingers around the slender arm of his son and pulled until he was able to reach the prince. Then he grabbed Legolas by the collar of his tunic and yanked him all the way back through the window. The three brothers collapsed on the floor panting heavily but Elrond grasped the prince by his tunic and hauled him to his feet.

"What in Elbereth’s name were you thinking?!" Elrond yelled at the prince and when the elf did not reply he got more irritated. He throttled Legolas vigorously trying to get a response from him. "Talk to me!" he screamed into the elfling’s face but Legolas just stared at him with unseeing eyes.

The three brothers cringed at their father’s outburst. They had never seen him so angry before and were thankful that they were not on the receiving end of the elf lord’s wrath. Scrambling onto their feet, Elladan and Elrohir made their way to their father hoping to calm him before he did some serious damage to Legolas but before they could utter a single word, Legolas’ eyes rolled back into his head and the elf pitched forward into the dark haired elf. Instinctively, Elrond released his grip on the elven prince and caught the limp body as it fell towards him.

"Sweet Elbereth! What have I done?" the elf lord cried out as he lowered the unconscious elf onto the floor, his voice laden heavily with guilt and pain.

Elladan and Elrohir crouched down next to their father noting his distress and tried to say something comforting but no words came to them. Instead, Elladan pulled their shock stricken father away from Legolas while Elrohir lifted the elf and carried him to the bed. Setting Legolas gently onto the soft bed, Elrohir turned to his twin and father.

"What happened Ada? I’ve never seen you like that before…" he questioned his father, fully prepared for another outburst his inquiry might bring but it never came.

Elrond merely buried his face in his hands and shook his head. "I don’t know what came over me," the elf lord said with an exasperated sigh.

"You are tired, just like all of us," Elladan added. `Ro and I got irritated at each other over insubstantial matters too and sent us into a full-blown rage. I guess that’s what happened to you," he admitted ruefully.

"I’m afraid you’re right, my son. Things are deteriorating and if Mithrandir doesn’t show up soon, this place will turn into a madhouse," he sighed and looked apologetically at the blond elf prince. "I can feel the evil lurking among us everyday and now with Legolas unconscious, I fear he would be the next target. I have no idea how to protect all of you anymore." Elrond’s shoulder sagged in defeat. He had never felt so helpless and powerless in his life.

"I wish Mithrandir were here," Elrohir snuggled up to his father and Elrond hugged him tightly. Not wanting to leave his other son out, he extended his arm towards Elladan and beckoned him to come over, enveloping him in a warm embrace too. He wished he could tell them that everything would be all right but he could not.

"I see you’re having some trouble." The raspy voice behind them brought the three elves around to confront the intruder. The figure stood by the door leaning casually on his staff. His weatherworn robe fell to his ankles and a pointy hat sat atop his head, long gray hair mixed with streaks of white flowed from beneath it down his shoulders.

"Mithrandir!!" the twins cheered and flung themselves at the old wizard. "We’re so glad to see you!" Each twin found one of Gandalf’s arms and clung tightly onto it.

The Istari laughed and tried to free himself from the two elflings. He had more urgent matters to attend to. The twins however refused to let go and he was forced to drag the two along with him and met Elrond halfway across the room. Elrond gave the wizard a quick hug after his sons had finally detached themselves from the old man, thanking him for making the trip to Imladris.

"I sensed a great evil when I entered your realm my friend, an evil that I have not encountered for many millennia. What’s happened?" Gandalf asked as his gaze fell upon the unconscious elf on the bed. "And where’s Estel?"

Estel! They had forgotten all about him! Turning towards the window, Elladan and Elrohir’s jaws dropped as they say the boy curled up on the floor snoring lightly. Cursing under his breath, Elrohir made his way t his brother in a few quick steps and jabbed him in the ribs under his arm.

The ranger yelped and bolted upright. His eyes flew open and darted around wildly. "What?!"

"You were asleep for more than fifteen minutes!" Elrohir explained and Aragorn rubbed his tired eyes while stifling a yawn. "Legolas! Did you get him?" Suddenly remembering his friend, the ranger blurted out the question at his elven brother.

"He’s fine. Father got him. And Mithrandir is here!" the younger twin bounced excitedly on his feet.

Aragorn gasped at the piece of good news and allowed his brother to help him to his feet. He rushed at the wizard much like what Elladan and Elrohir did earlier and wrapped his arms around the old man. Gandalf ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately and shooed him off to join his brothers. Pulling Elrond aside, the Istari grilled the elf lord for a condensed version of the story and his face turned grim as his life-long friend finished the tale.

"Get them onto the bed," the gray wizard instructed Elrond, "and put Legolas in the middle."

The elf lord signaled for his sons to do as Gandalf had said. They scrambled onto the large bed and arranged themselves as ordered. Wondering what the gray wizard was planning to do, the three siblings sat silently and stared at the old man.

"I’m going to cast a spell that would mask your life-signs from the demon. Once the spell is in place, the demon will not be able to detect your presence as long as you stay within the confines of the bed." Gandalf started chanting softly and raised his staff. The crystal that sat on top of his staff glowed brightly and the brothers watched in awe as the light snaked out from the stone and wound itself around the four-posted bed. The chanting stopped a few minutes later and the light vanished along with it leaving no traces of the magic.

"That’s it?" the bewildered trio asked the wizard in unison and gave each other a silly grin.

"Yes, that’s it," the Istari replied with a smile. "You may now sleep without fear."

"Finally!!" Aragorn let out a breath of relief and sank down into the soft mattress, falling asleep before his head touched the pillows. The twins too lay down with a contended sigh and within seconds, the two exhausted elves drifted off into their respective dreams.

After seeing that the children were resting comfortably, Elrond thanked Gandalf for his help. "But what do we do about the demon now?" the elf asked.

"We go fishing."

"Fishing?" Elrond was confused. His befuddled mind had stopped functioning some time ago and he could not catch on with what Gandalf was saying.

"Yes. We need to draw it to us. And we need a bait."

"What bait?" Then it hit him. "You want me to bait the demon..."

Gandalf nodded grimly. "Will you do it?"

"Of course! I will do anything to remove this evil from my house and family, even if it means giving up my own life!"

The old man chuckled at the elf lord’s words. "I wouldn’t go that far, my friend. I will watch over and protect you."

The Lord of Imladris grasped the Istari on his forearm and gave him a grateful smile. "Lets do it!"

*****

To Be Continued...

A/N: Sorry for the late post. Been sick for the past 2 days and was too groggy to even think about getting online. But I’m back to work now and back to posting! :D

 Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 36 – Battle Between Good and Evil

Nodding in agreement, the wizard informed Elrond that they would need the box, which held the demon originally, and the elf lord led them into his study where the box was kept. Placing the object with its lid open on the table, Gandalf instructed Elrond to ‘take a nap’. The elf lord felt a little uneasy but he had complete trust in his friend and knew that Gandalf would not allow any harm to come to him. Sitting at his desk, Elrond rested hid head lightly on his arms. Despite his efforts to stay awake, unconsciousness stole him over within a few minutes.

Gandalf stood by the door waiting for the demon’s arrival. Morion would not pass up such a good chance. A host and a victim all in one room. It would surely fall for the trick. A gust of icy cold draft brushed pass the wizard and drifted into the room. With lightning speed, the Istari slammed the door shut and placed a spell on it to prevent the demon from escaping. Then he shouted for Elrond to wake. The elf lord jerked awake at Gandalf’s voice and berated himself for letting his guard down at this crucial moment. He felt an unnatural cold and knew that the demon was within the room.

Speaking some ancient words, Gandalf commanded the demon to show itself. An angry hiss filled the room and a black mist slowly materialized out of thin air. The dark cloud took the form of a small girl and then dissipated only to reform into a figure of a man. Gandalf and Elrond stood back to back while the being circled them, snarling and clawing at the two friends angrily but not quite touching them. It continued to morph from person to person in quick succession flipping through the faces of its victims, contorting the images and twisting them into some grotesque monsters.

"Enough!" Gandalf shouted at the demon as the cloud morphed into a mutilated image of Glorfindel and Elrohir. Lifting his staff into the air, Gandalf began speaking some ancient words and the demon recoiled from the duo and made for the door only to be repelled back by the magic. The infuriated demon charged at Gandalf but the wizard had erected an invisible magical shield that would protect him and Elrond from the creature.

As the evil being came into contact with the shield, it shrieked in agony, its remaining strength leached out by the powerful enchantment surrounding the two friends. The wizard’s compelling words drove Morion towards the mithril box forcing it to retreat back into its prison. It fought hard against the force to no avail. The Istari was too strong and its strength was almost gone. Slowly, it was pushed back into the mithril box.

Throwing aside his staff, Gandalf slammed the lid on the box and pressed his hands on the object holding it down on the table. Elrond quickly stepped over to the opposite side and laid his hands over Gandalf’s. The grey wizard chanted softly as the box vibrated vigorously under their hands. The vibration became more violent as Gandalf’s incantation continued and it lifted off the table gradually, levitating about a foot off the surface. Elrond put all his strength into preventing the box from rising higher but the force within was incredibly strong. The object continued to rise and was about two feet off the table when it started to spin. Gandalf’s incantation increased in intensity and the elf lord soon joined in with his own elvish chant. The battle lasted for twenty minutes and just when they thought they were about to lose, a hellish scream exploded from inside the box and it fell back onto the table with a loud clatter. Thin wisps of black smoke escaped from between the lid and a loud hiss filled the room.

Elrond staggered backwards, almost loosing his balance when the force beneath his hand vanished. Bracing himself against the chair that he had backed into, he wiped the sweat from his brows.

Glorfindel burst into the room as Gandalf retrieved his staff from the floor.

"I heard the scream!" the blond elf lord looked around the room frantically but everything seemed normal to him at first glance. "What happened?!" Glorfindel turned towards Elrond and noted his pallor. Dark circles under his eyes marred his once flawless face and sweat beaded on his face and neck. With a few quick strides, the elf lord approached his friend and rested his hand on the shoulder of the dark haired elf.

"Are you well?"

Elrond nodded silently, not trusting his voice yet. His hand shook slightly and he felt as if he took on an entire army of orcs all by himself. Between the battle and the amount of healing that he had performed for the past two weeks, his body had just about spared all the energy it could offer.

"Everything will be back to normal, my friend." It was Gandalf that spoke.

"But how about Morion?" Glorfindel asked, his gaze fell upon the mithril box that sat immobile in the center of the table.

"That has been taken care of," Elrond put in softly and turned to face his long time friend. "Please spread the news that Imladris can rest well today."

"I will. And you should rest Elrond. You look terrible."

"Thank you," the elf lord laughed. "You don’t look any better yourself." Elrond teased his friend lightly. "Have you looked into the mirror lately?"

"Vanity is a luxury that I do not have, Elrond. You should know that better than anyone." Glorfindel retorted playfully.

"Alright you two," the wizard interrupted the friendly banter. "Glorfindel, kindly inform everyone that the crisis is over and that everyone should try to get some rest. As for you Elrond, you’d better sit down before you fall over." Gandalf ushered the blond elf out of the room as the Lord of Imladris made his way to his bedchambers, determined to check on the children before he allow himself to rest.

Stumbling into the room and towards his bed, Elrond settled down on the floor beside it. The elf lord reached out and brushed a strand of stray hair from Aragorn’s face before he leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on the forehead of his youngest. "Quel esta nin ion"

//Rest well my son.//

Beside Aragorn, the elven prince laid on his side with his eyes closed, utterly exhausted from the events of the past few weeks. His body was still recovering from the shock that he had been subjected to and he had fallen into a deep healing sleep. To his left, Elladan and Elrohir curled up side-by-side facing each other. Their hands resting on the other’s arm and their half-lidded eyes glazed and unfocused.

"Do not worry Elrond, they will be fine." Gandalf said as he entered the room shortly after the elf lord but before he could finish his sentence, Elrond had already drifted off, his hand still wrapped protectively around Aragorn’s arm. Smiling sadly to himself, the wizard covered his friend with an extra blanket and looked down at the sleeping bunch.

"Sleep well, my friends," Gandalf spoke softly. "I will watch over you tonight."

The gray wizard settled down into a large chair and withdrew his long pipe. Lighting it, he placed the mouthpiece between his lips and drew a deep breath. Sitting in silence, he contemplated the result of this disastrous event. The flesh would heal in time but he knew that the soul would be scarred. There would be a lot of guilt and pain after their physical recovery. The children would need plenty of support from their family and friends but he was confident that the adults would give all they could to help the youngsters recover from this nightmare.

*****

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: As in Chapter 1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 37 – True Healing

Two days had passed since the battle with the demon and most things seemed to have returned to normal in the House of Elrond. The citizens of Rivendell had rested well and were back about their daily chores. Gandalf left a few minutes ago after ensuring that Glorfindel and Elrohir were in good health and did not suffer any long lasting effects from the attack. The wizard had also offered to take the mithril box when he left to find a proper way of disposal. Elrond, Glorfindel, Elladan and Elrohir watched as the gray wizard strolled casually out of the courtyard whistling a happy tune, the damned box tucked securely under his robe.

"Thank Ilúvatar it’s over!" Elladan whispered and his twin brother nodded silently beside him. The past week was hard on all of them especially for their brother and friend. The two were still locked in a deep healing sleep and had not wakened yet since the day Gandalf arrived.

"Let’s go see Estel and Legolas," Elrond placed his hands on his sons’ back and led them back to the house.

The three elves entered Elrond’s bedchamber and approached the large bed. Aragorn and Legolas still slept soundly and did not stir even when Elrond pulled the blankets up their shoulders, tucking the corners securely under their arms.

"They must be worn out," Elrohir whispered.

"I would be too after what they had been put through," Elladan added.

Elrond walked over to the window and settled down next to it and his sons joined him shortly after.

"Gandalf said they might slowly regain their memories of the times of their possession now that the demon had lost its grip on their minds." The elf lord said with a low tone. He paused momentarily and looked searchingly at Elladan. "Did you experience any flashback, my son?"

Elladan shook his head. "No. I still don’t remember anything. Maybe because the demon did not feed through me."

"Maybe. It would be better if you don’t remember," Elrond sighed heavily. "I just wish they will not remember."

"Perhaps they won’t. Gandalf said they might regain their memories but he wasn’t definite," Elrohir put in and both his father and brother nodded in unison. Turning back towards the bed, Elrohir chuckled at some distance memory. "`Dan told me Estel said he was going to sleep for a week. He wasn’t joking," the younger twin said with a small snicker.

"I bet he won’t be able to last for a week in bed. He would either go crazy or drive us crazy!" Elladan laughed light-heartedly.

Elrond smiled. Things were indeed going back to normal but his thoughts were ripped from him by faint sounds of weeping from the bed. Three heads snapped around simultaneously and saw Legolas twisting in bed obviously caught in a dream. They made their way over and Elrond sat down on the bed trying to calm the young prince. Instead of calming down, Legolas began to trash wildly in his sleep, fighting against something that none in the waking world could see. His movement disturbed the other occupant in bed and Aragorn groaned as he was so rudely dragged out of his sleep. Rolling over to his side, he knocked into his father who was sitting on his side of the bed.

"Wha...?" the ranger asked groggily as his father stopped him from falling off the bed.

"Legolas is having a nightmare. I fear that he is beginning to remember."

Aragorn nodded dumbly, not quite sure what his father meant by remembering. Scrambling off the bed to allow his father easier access to the elf prince, the young man allowed his brothers to settle him into the large chair several paces from the bed. Elrond held the trashing elf down by his arms trying to prevent him from hurting himself but his actions only made things worse.

"No!" Legolas cried out and bolted upright in bed, his silver-blue eyes wide with fear but still unfocused. The prince was still trapped in some unknown nightmare. "Don’t hurt him...please...no...help me..." The blond elf scooted backwards against the headboard and drew himself into a tight ball.

Elrond’s heart twisted inside his chest. It pained him to see that the first words the young prince uttered after his long silence was a desperate plea for help. He reached out and touched Legolas’ shoulder and when the elf did not flinch, Elrond pulled the distraught young thing into his arms, rocking him back and forth.

"Shhh... it’s alright... it’s alright..." Elrond soothed Legolas, one hand cupped behind his head and the other rubbed his back in gentle circles.

"Don’t make me hurt them..." the soft whimpers turned into choking sobs as strong tremors coursed through the elven prince’s body. "Please...make it stop...Ada...help me..."

The three brothers watched helplessly as their father tried to bring Legolas out of his dream. Aragorn swallowed hard at the lump that was threatening to rise from his throat, finally understood what his father meant by remembering. He felt fortunate that he was not plagued by such nightmares but also felt guilty at the same time for not being punished for his crime. Feeling his brothers’ hands on his shoulder, he was thankful for their constant support.

"Legolas... wake up little one..." Elrond called out lightly and shook him a little. He felt the prince tense in his arms and knew that he was beginning to wake. "It’s just a bad dream. Wake up and it will go away," the elf lord stroke the long golden hair remembering the countless times that he had performed the same routine with his youngest son when he was small.

"Ada?" the young prince asked brokenly, his face still buried in Elrond’s shoulder. His mind slowly drifted away from the dream and returned to reality. He found himself being held by someone much like the way his father used to hold and comfort him when he had bad dreams as an elfling. But this elf felt different, not like his father. Then he was aware of the soft scent of herbs and flowers and remembered that he was still in Rivendell and in the House of Elrond. Embarrassed, he pulled away from the Lord of Imladris and wiped at the tears that had stained his face. "I-I’m sorry…" he said in between sniffles but Elrond only gave him a warm smile.

"Don’t be. Tears are the normal process of healing. Much more will flow as your healing continued." As he spoke, he motioned for his sons to join him around the bed. "You will have each other for support during this difficult time." Elrond directed his statement specifically at Aragorn, Elladan and Legolas. "The most important thing is to talk about it. The more you talk, the less it will hurt." The children nodded at his words and he ruffled each of them on the head affectionately before rising from the bed. "You must be hungry," the elf lord said to Aragorn and Legolas. "I will have Celboril prepare some food and bring it up to you." With that, the dark haired elf lord left the children and went downstairs.

The three elves and human stared at each other and Aragorn broke the staring contest by asking how Legolas felt.

"My shoulder hurts."

"Must have sprained it when we pulled you from the window," Elladan said.

Legolas looked dumbfounded at the older twin. "What window?"

Elrohir chuckled. "You decided to take flying lessons from some birds."

"I did?"

"Uh huh... Father was furious..."

"I remember someone trying to shake my head off from my shoulders..."

"That was Ada..."

"You’re lucky that you still have your head..."

A snort and a short pause.

"So, what happened Legolas?"

"I remembered everything. It was like standing in a corner looking at yourself doing something terrible but not having the means to stop it. It hurt to see myself harming those that I cared so deeply for..." Legolas looked down at his hands and saw that they were trembling slightly.

Elrohir places his hands on Legolas’ to steady them. "I’m sorry that you have to go through the pain and guilt."

"Estel? Do you remember?" Elladan asked his little brother.

Aragorn shrugged. "I do have some strange dreams but I can’t seem to remember them when I wake. Maybe it affects elves more than it does humans."

"Maybe..."

And so they talked for many hours, about anything and everything, about the pain and guilt, the nightmares and dreams. Through laughter and tears, they found strength in each other and true healing finally began for the first time since the accidental release of the demon.

- The End -

A/N:  *sniff* Well, that's all folks. The End. No more. I'm a little sad that it's done but it has to end somewhere. If you're kind enough to tell me what you think of the overall of this story, I'll work faster on my next one. *g*