Chapter Three

Aragorn woke up groggier than usual. He opened bleary eyes and looked around him. It took a few seconds for him to recognize that he was in his own bed, in his own room, which he felt sure was in his own home. It was hard to be positive, though. His mind was acting like a thick fog was swirling through it.

The ranger sat up, a move that took a great deal of effort. He quickly lowered his head into both of his hands. He hadn’t felt this out of it since he had overindulged with some questionable wine that time he and Legolas were...

At the thought of the Mirkwood prince, Aragorn cried out, “Legolas!” All the memories of what had happened to his friend came crashing in and almost swamped the tenuous grasp on the senses that he clung to. He wanted to believe that it had all been a horrible nightmare, but he knew it was all too real.

It took him mere seconds to get to his feet and slide into a pair of soft slippers that sat just under the edge of his bed. He grabbed a long, cream-colored robe from the back of a chair near the door. While doing so, he took note that the sun was just now rising, as it peeked over the far garden wall. He was dismayed to realize that he had slept the entire night, not to mention the better part of yesterday afternoon. He sprinted down the corridor to Legolas's room, managing to get into his robe as he ran.

Aragorn burst into the room and rushed over to the bed. Legolas was lying as still and quiet as the ranger had left him. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He was so hoping that he would be greeted by an alert, smiling elven prince, who would chide him for sleeping so long. The ranger dropped down dejectedly onto the bed in the same spot he had occupied earlier.

It was only after satisfying himself that the archer was still breathing and had no fever that he allowed his own breathing to slow to a normal rhythm.

Looking up, he noticed that the two brocade-covered chairs by the bed were empty. “Empty?” Aragorn exploded. Distraught and shaking, he said aloud, “They promised they wouldn’t leave him!”

“Nor did we,” came a very familiar voice from across the room.

Aragorn spun his head around and found himself staring into the face of Elladan, standing in the balcony doorway. The dark-haired elf had his arms folded over his chest. Aragorn saw his brother’s stern expression.

“We do not break promises, Estel,” Elrohir said from behind him, speaking a bit more harshly than he intended. He walked around the bed and sat down in one of the plush chairs, placing a large leather-bound book in his lap.

It was immediately obvious to Aragorn that, considering the direction Elrohir had just come from, he had been getting the book from the set of shelves behind the door and hadn‘t been seen when the ranger burst in. “I’m sorry,” Aragorn said contritely. “I didn’t mean to accuse either of you. I’ve evidently been sleeping rather hard for hours, and I‘m a bit groggy and...” He paused, then admitted, “No excuses. Forgive me.”

After exchanging glances with his twin, Elladan said, “You are forgiven.”

“We never could stay upset with you for very long, Estel. You know that,” Elrohir commented. He had a small smile on his face.

Elladan said, “And by the way, Estel, you have been asleep for almost two days.” He grimaced, preparing for the inevitable explosion.

“Two days!” Aragorn wailed. “Are you telling me that I went to sleep the day before yesterday?” When a nod from Elladan confirmed it, Aragorn’s eyes narrowed in anger.

“You were almost out on your feet, when you arrived. You obviously needed it, or you would not have slept that long.” Elladan said logically in a calm voice.

“I told you...”

“You told us to come get you, if there was any change,” Elladan interrupted in the same calm tone. “There has not been.” The elf walked over and stood beside his younger twin, resting one hand on the high back of the chair Elrohir sat in. He looked down at Legolas. “Sadly, there has been no change at all in his condition. He is still the same.”

“Ada has been here several times to check on him,” Elrohir added. “And, when he has not been here, he has been holed up in his study, searching through his books of healing.”

“But, he’s found nothing to help Legolas, has he?” Aragorn asked dejectedly, already knowing the answer. He almost said he could have told them that would probably be the case. He was now convinced more than ever that some kind of evil had befallen the elven prince. But what and from where, he had no clue. And, if he was right, he also had no clue as to whether Legolas was the intended victim or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up paying the price for it.

Aragorn looked at his twin brothers. It was then he noticed that Legolas's unstrung bow was propped up in the corner of the room next to the bookshelves. He looked around the room and spotted the archer’s quiver of arrows and his twin long knives lying on a table next to the wardrobe.

Elladan realized what Aragorn was looking at, so he explained. “One of the stable boys removed them from Legolas's horse after the two of you came home, and he gave them to Glorfindel, who brought them up here. Yours are in your room.”

Aragorn nodded. He had to admit he hadn’t given any of the weapons a thought since arriving, although he did seem to remember Elrond taking the ranger’s sword belt off of him just before he collapsed into bed.

“Have you eaten?” Elrohir asked, sure that his human brother had come straight in here from waking. He had no idea how long before Estel had arrived that he had eaten. It was most likely days.

Aragorn shook his head. Emotionally, he didn‘t care to eat anything, but his body was telling him quite the opposite. He felt sure that if he even attempted to say he wanted nothing, both of his brothers would hold him down and force him to eat. “Just something light. Fruit, maybe, and honey tea. And cheese. And some bread and maybe a few sausages.” He looked toward Legolas. “And a piece of Lembas.”

Elrohir looked at his foster brother; the solemn atmosphere that permeated the room and the reason for it being the only things keeping him from laughing out loud. He couldn‘t, however, keep a bit of humor out of his voice. “Just something light he says.”

“I noticed,” Elladan agreed.

Coming to an unspoken agreement, both twins quietly left the room, making not a sound, as was the way with the Firstborn. The ranger’s attention had gone back to the unconscious elf in the bed, so they were sure Estel hadn’t even taken notice of their departure.

Aragorn sat alone with Legolas, whose seemingly lifeless body tore at the ranger’s heart. “Please, open your eyes, mellon nin. Please.” He squeezed the elf’s hand. “We need you back with us. I need you back.”

*This was all my fault. If only I had...*

Aragorn shook his head, banishing that silent thought. It would do no good to dwell on his guilt now. It wouldn’t help Legolas in the slightest, and at this point in time, that was his all-consuming concern. “I’ll make it up to you, Legolas. I promise. Even if it takes me the rest of my life.”

~*~*~

After Aragorn finished the breakfast that Elrohir had brought to him, he looked down at his elven friend. “It's time for me to take care of you.” *That’s all I can do for you right now.*

He set the food tray on the table near the bed. Elrohir had brought him everything he had requested, and Estel’s starving body had not let him stop until he had eaten every bit of it. Only the Lembas was left. He had plans for that.

Aragorn broke off a small piece of the elvish waybread and set it down into a small bowl. Then, he picked up the cup he had left some of the tea in, and he carefully poured it on top of the Lembas in the bowl. He set it aside to let the waybread soak.

In the meantime, he went to Legolas's dresser and got out a clean nightshirt and took it into the washroom. He gathered two large towels, soap and a wash cloth and put them on the stand beside the polished wooden tub.

When that was done, he went back into the bedroom. Pulling the covers back, he lifted Legolas into a sitting position and slid in behind him, pulling the elf back against his chest. He picked up the bowl and, stretching his arms out in front of the elf, took a spoon and began mashing the waybread up with the tea until it became the consistency of a slightly thick broth.

Aragorn took a deep breath. “This isn’t going to be easy for either of us, my friend, but you have to get nourishment into you somehow.” The ranger took the spoon, got a little of the mixture into it, and, holding Legolas's head back, he opened his mouth and poured the mixture from the spoon into it. He began to massage the elf’s throat to try and bring about a reflexive swallowing motion.

Nothing happened at first, but then the elf began to swallow. He had a small coughing fit at first, until with subsequent tries, Aragorn lessened the amount of the mixture he put in the spoon.

When Elrohir came to get the food tray, he was very pleased to see what Estel was doing. Then, the ranger explained about the bath, so the elf personally hauled buckets of steaming water into the washroom and filled the tub, confident the water would cool down enough before Aragorn needed it.

Elrohir volunteered to help, but Estel said he would handle everything by himself. The elf didn’t argue with him, knowing it was something that Estel felt he needed to do. Elrohir left the room.

It took a while, but eventually Aragorn got all the Lembas and tea into Legolas. He followed that up with a small amount of plain water from a nearby pitcher.

Aragorn sighed deeply with satisfaction. He knew the accomplishment was a big victory, because now he knew the archer would not starve.

During the remainder of the morning, Aragorn bathed Legolas, changed his nightshirt, washed, dried and brushed his hair and put him back into a bed that had been fitted with fresh, clean bed linen while the bath bad been in progress.

Aragorn once again sat down by his friend’s side. And, as he sat, he looked out through the balcony doors. The sun was shining brightly, bathing everything in its golden glow. He could hear the birds chirping merrily outside in the trees, as the branches swayed gently in the warm spring breeze.

With another deep sigh, the ranger thought to himself that Legolas shouldn’t be in here confined to this bed. He should be out in the sunshine and the open air. That’s where the woodland elf belonged.

It was then that Aragorn hit upon an idea.

He got up, and with a bit of effort, moved both chairs out onto the balcony, each half facing the other. Then, he went and picked Legolas up and set him in the chair that would allow him to fully face the sun. He put the feather pillow behind the elf's shoulders and titled his head back so it turned up to the sun. Aragorn draped a light blanket over his friend's bare legs and feet and rested his hands in his lap.

Aragorn sat down heavily in the other chair, letting his arms hang down beside the arms of the chair. Being a mortal, he couldn't converse with the trees, but he fervently hoped they would hear his plea. "Please, send your strength to Legolas. Renew his spirit, so he can come back to us---and to you."

A single tear made its way down his cheek.

TBC