Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Just a Simple Mistake (#3837)
Author: sivan
Chapters: 12
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Archive: Tolkien
Category: Alternate Universe (AU)
Description: Lord Elrond and the twins blamed him.  How could he look at his friend's face once again?  It was his fault and he knew it. Nominated for MEFA 2009
Published: 23 Jul 2008
Updated: 19 Apr 2013
Warnings: Angst/violence.  Missing scenes.  Friendship/Famil
Type: Angst
Characters: Legolas; Aragorn; Elrond; Thranduil; Twins; Glorfi


Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Guilty

Title: Just a Simple Mistake
Author: Sivan Shemesh sivan325@walla.com 
Beta: Ravenswing
Rate: T
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warning: Angst/violence.  Missing scenes.  Friendship/Family drama.  Overreacting.  AU.
Summary: Lord Elrond and the twins blamed him.  How could he look at his friend's face once again?  It was his fault and he knew it.

--


Chapter 1: Guilty


Looking at the still form of his friend, lying back in the snow, the elf felt his knees, hit the hard cold ground as he collapsed at his friend’s side, mumbling for his forgiveness.  

"I am sorry…I did not mean to…" Legolas mumbled as his eyes locked upon his friend's form.

Seeing the crimson stain that covered his friend's clothes; panic drove the elf, not knowing what to do as guilt consumed his mind.

It was so fast, Legolas tried to recollect what had happened, he never felt the presence that moved behind him, until hands touched him.

Elladan and Elrohir saw the bloody sword that lay next to Legolas’ feet; they also saw the still form of their foster brother, and the blood that dripped from his body.

Elrohir stood in shock, not knowing what to do or how to act, while an outraged Elladan moved closer to the prince.  He shook him and ranted, with a voice filled with accusation…  “What were you thinking?"

Without waiting for an answer the distraught elf pushed Legolas aside, and with the help of his twin carefully carried his wounded brother to their horses.  

Elladan mounted his stallion, waiting for his brother to settle the man before they rode toward Imladris.  Elladan gave one last brief glance at Legolas who seemed lost in a trance, still in the same position that they found him.

Elladan momentarily hesitated, part of him knew he had to ride with his brothers, his father’s care was now crucial to Aragorn’s survival; but part of him wished to stay and console his long term friend.  The decision was made for him when, after what seemed like long moments, he heard his twin’s voice...

"Elladan!"  Elrohir called, his voice seemed to catch his brother's mind.  "Elladan, we must go, he is growing weaker than he was."

With that, Elladan moved Amur toward his brother and they reined their horses towards Imladris' border, leaving Mirkwood's prince alone in the cold. 

Legolas found himself staring at his blood drenched sword, not certain of what he should do next, as guilt riddled his mind, blinding him to everything around him, uncertain where he should go, or what he should do.  

He swallowed the lump in his throat, his hands grabbed the sword, and he returned it to its place.

Walking, shoulders slumped, towards his horse; he mounted and headed toward Imladris, silently praying that Aragorn was still alive.

TBC...


Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Blame

Beta: Aranel

**

The riding went slowly. He feared that he might have killed his friend, and by the reaction that he got from Elladan, his heart ached and filled with worry as he thought on how Lord Elrond might respond.

As he finally arrived at Imladris' border he could feel the anger radiating from every elf he passed, eating at him deeply inside.

"Prince Greenleaf, how do you fare?" Glorfindel asked him with grace, noting that Legolas was surprised by his concern.

'Was Legolas truly expecting to see me angry at him?' Glorfindel asked himself, still staring at Legolas.

"Is there any news about Aragorn?" Legolas asked, not paying much attention to the Balrog Slayer's question, fully aware that his welfare was not at stake as Aragorn’s was.

"Not that I know," Glorfindel observed the prince, and, noticing the slumped shoulders and stormy yet dulled blue eyes, he added, "I did not see Elrond leave the house of healing; he is still inside."

"Hannon-le." Legolas thanked him, and headed toward the house of healing, wanting to know the consequences of his heinous act, wanting so much to know that his friend, at least, was still alive.

Glorfindel watched him as he left, still worried for the prince, and he hesitated, wondering if he should follow him into the house. Finally, he simply watched on as he attended to Legolas’ horse.

As Legolas entered the house, the twins blocked his path and any sight of his friend.

"Legolas, what are you doing in here?" Elladan questioned him, glaring at his friend, though he seemed weaker each time they met.

"I… I wanted to see how Aragorn fares…" Legolas answered quietly, his eyes staring ahead, hoping to have the reassurance that his friend did not die by his hand.

Elrohir was about to say something but at that moment his Adar came in. It was then that Elrohir finally felt pity for Mirkwood's prince.”

"What were you thinking?” Elrond burst out as he faced Legolas. He pushed him roughly into the room where Aragorn lay still on the clean white sheets.

"Look at him!" Elrond snapped at Legolas, noticing the frown on the prince. Legolas chose to stare at him instead of facing the result of his actions.

"LOOK AT HIM!" Elrond sneered, and Legolas finally did as he was told, his face marked with shame as guilt flooded his heart.

Legolas could see the bandages that were tied tightly around Aragorn's waist. It was his fault and he knew it.

"Look at what you have done; what friend do you call yourself? How could you be so careless! I won’t be surprised if your Adar wouldn’t care to look at you as from this moment, I cannot see you as anything but an enemy. You are herewith banned from Imladris, and if you should step foot here…" Elrond started to threaten him but was interrupted.

"Adar, stop before it goes too far." Elrohir cut in, and then he spared a look at his friend's face, noticed the dull blue eyes, and walked toward Legolas, who had edged closer to the door as though about to run away.

Elrohir instead turned to his Adar and spoke softly, "Ada, you need to calm down, we do not know his side of the story."

"What difference will it make, Elrohir?" Elrond asked his son.

Elrohir kept quiet, finding that question hard to answer. He turned and did not see Legolas in the room. He now feared for his friend as much as he feared for his foster brother.

As soon as Elrond closed the door, Elrohir faced his twin, "What should we do if Aragorn dies?"

"I do not know, but I fear for our long-time friend." Elladan replied, as he headed out of the house.

He almost bumped into Glorfindel.

"Is everything all right?" Glorfindel asked with heavy concern, as he was aware of the prince riding hard from the house. Legolas had mounted upon his horse in no time and fled from Imladris. Glorfindel could sense the fear within the prince, and he feared that Legolas would do something they would all regret.

"Not at the moment,” Elladan replied. “Aragorn seems to grow weaker even with Adar's herbs, and you know Adar, when he is angry, he would blame the one who caused it, and right now the blame lies upon Legolas' shoulders.” Elladan sighed. “If I could turn back time I would have helped Legolas instead of getting angry at him, as I did when we found them." 

Elladan tried to soothe his mind as he stared at the darkened, blue sky, wondering about Legolas, who was wandering alone in the dark – alone, away from their friendship – he thought that what Legolas might need was a friend to listen to him.

"Look, Elladan, I am certain that when your Adar overcomes his anger he would know how to cure Aragorn or find what prevents him from healing your brother. It might have been an infection; your Adar encounters it a lot," Glorfindel tried to comfort the young twin, and added, "It is not like Legolas to deliberately hurt Aragorn, as you know their friendship remains deep. I believe that something has happened, and the prince is taking all the blame upon himself. And none of us seem to help him."

TBC...


Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Fear

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in the 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

Chapter 3: Fear

Legolas wandered through the wilderness in shame of what he had done – the shame as the words of Lord Elrond and even his friends ate at him from within.

He felt so alone, so cold from those words the very people he called his friends threw callously at him.

The anger ruling his soul was raging stronger and he tried to find ways to busy himself. He tried to push away the guilty need to kill some orcs in exchange for some measure of relief, and perhaps some peace so he could ride back toward his homeland.

As he went through the shadowed woods, orcs began to appear, and Legolas mindlessly hacked at them, slaughtering more and more orcs, not noticing as day became night and night returned to day. And in this manner, a week or two flew by.

Legolas was growing tired, his clothes were soaked in dirt and the orcs' filthy blood, and yet he only felt wearier as the guilt still engulfed him and gripped him deeper and deeper in its merciless grasp. He stared at his crimson sword as the scene of what happened on that day started to haunt him once again.

He rode into the night, toward the borders of his homeland, not knowing what he should be expect anymore; the reminder of what Elrond said about how ashamed his Adar must feel – that only sent shivers down his spine.

The guards soon hurried over to the palace and came to him in fear that he was hurt. He could not blame them – he was definitely not in a flattering condition.

He stopped his horse once he noticed another elf talking with his Adar. When he saw the attire upon the unfamiliar elf, his heart started beating harder and faster.

'Has Elrond decided to take it this far?' Legolas thought, his eyes locked on the scene before him.

"Ion-nin," Thranduil called distractedly, missing the hints of the hidden pain as he felt his son come, "Come over here, I wish you to meet someone."

Legolas walked his stallion at a slow pace, not daring to ride any faster toward his Adar and the uncertainty of what he would do.

When he finally dismounted from his horse and walked toward the elves, he could not find the courage to look up and meet their gaze.

"This is Estrus; he is a messenger from Imladris…" Thranduil started to say, only to notice that the color instantly drained from his son’s face. 

The king immediately feared for his son. He hoped that his son was feeling alright, though, looking at the crimson on the prince' clothes, he feared that his Greenleaf was hurt as well, but was keeping it all hidden.

"Are you all right, ion?" Thranduil asked with concerned.

Legolas ignored his father's question as his eyes remained locked on the messenger. Why was he here?

"What message have you brought from Imladris?" Legolas asked.

The elf stared at the prince, and found it hard to break eye contact with him. He finally replied, "The message must be given to the king alone."

At that, Legolas walked off, straight to the palace, not exchanging any words with his father or the other elves.

Thranduil wondered about his son’s attitude. He wondered what had happened. He turned toward the messenger hoping to know more that might explain.

The king could feel the blood drain from his face as the harsh words from the message sent up a tremor in him. He thanked the messenger as courteously as he could and led his guards back toward the palace.

Thranduil himself hurried to Legolas’ room, frowning when he saw his son’s un-wiped crimson sword lie on the floor amongst his outer clothes, bow and what was left of his arrows.

The king hurried over to where his son was sitting on the bed and asked, "Are you feeling alright, my son? Are you hurt?"

Legolas still ignored his father's questions and asked instead, "What was the message about?"

Thranduil stared at his son, noticing the cold frown in his son's blue eyes and wondered where Legolas smile had gone to. Why was his son so alert and almost fearful?

"Now it is not the time, my son; rest and I will speak with you later." Thranduil replied and left the room, still not understanding what had passed between Legolas and Elrond to justify the harsh words that he had read earlier on.

Legolas noticed something in his father's eyes. He was not sure of what he saw but he thought that might have been disappointment or perhaps, his father was ashamed of him.

The prince forced himself to let it pass and tried to find some solace in his dreams but the demons did not let him go that easily, His friends’ and Elrond’s words still haunted him and he could no longer find any rest in sleep.

He left his room, and headed toward the exit, hoping to find some release in the garden and maybe some peace.

As he walked on, he did not even register the presence of the guards, nor the watchful eyes of Galdor, his father’s best friend and guard. He was hemmed in by the ever-lingering memory and the knowledge that he was the one to be blamed for it all.

From the side, Galdor watched the prince with concern, not knowing what he was troubled with, though he knew that the eyes never lie and the depth of black darkness could be seen in the prince’s steely blue eyes.

The guard took a step forward, thinking that what Legolas might need was a friend.

"Prince Legolas, is there something that I could help you with?" Galdor asked, looking at him.

"Yes, there is." Legolas replied coldly, glaring at him hard and strong. 

The guard involuntarily tightened his hands on the sword he held; the glare was the last thing he had expected. He was certain that something had happened, and he hoped that the king would help rid him of whatever burdens he faced.

"What can I do to help you?" Galdor asked, trying to stay steady.

"Leave me alone!" Legolas ordered and headed toward the lines of trees. Galdor was staring at him in surprise and concern, but Legolas ignored him. He did not wish to see anyone now. The fear of what his father had wished to speak with him about, the overwhelming depth of shame had now completely overpowered his mind.

X 

Later that day, there was still no sign of the prince, and Galdor hurried toward the palace in search of his king and friend.

Galdor found Thranduil in Legolas' room just as the king picked up a familiar blood-soaked sword from the floor.

Thranduil turned to face the guard. "Galdor, what is wrong?"

"It is your son, your Majesty. He is missing." Galdor replied.

Thranduil stared at his guard and said, "I think this sword has something to do with what happened in Imladris,” he sighed, “I need you with me to search for my son. I worry greatly for him."

"I will do whatever you ask me, your Majesty."

The king thanked him, and they made arrangements to search for the missing prince.

Thranduil took along Elrond’s message, pondering over it, curious to know how all this was related to his son and what caused Elrond to write those strong words. He knew that he should inquire this of his son and he hoped he would not hurt Legolas more than he probably already had.

Thranduil and Galdor mounted on their horses, heading toward the line of trees and into the shadows that soon engulfed them. Thranduil hoped that Legolas did not meet any foul creatures. Back in the room, Thranduil had seen that his son left all his weapons behind.

They rode on for hours, and finally, Thranduil halted. He thought he could feel his son’s presence nearby. He dismounted from his horse and started walking intuitively, noting that Galdor followed him, alert for any unfriendly presences.

He finally saw his son curled up against the tree, seemingly not caring that he was now unprotected and defenseless. Thranduil stepped closer, and froze, his face a mask of shock. He had never seen him so vulnerable and that forced Thranduil to see how much pain his son actually might be facing.

He knelt beside him and started to coax his son from the tense posture he was in. His son’s mumbled words stopped his heart.

When he recovered, Thranduil found his heart pounding and racing faster, and his eyes locked automatically upon his friend.

"Let’s get him to his room, and as soon he awakes, I wish to know what happened to make my son so distant and have such great fear of me,” Thranduil murmured and shook his head, “and most of all, I want to know why Elrond wrote those degrading words about my son's character."

Galdor nodded and held the prince while his king mounted, and then passed him to Thranduil while he mounted his own stallion. They rode hard back to the palace and hurriedly dismounted.

Galdor led the horses toward the stables while the king carried his son and entered the palace, heading toward the hallway to Legolas' room. He laid his son in his bed, pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed, keeping a careful watch over Legolas.

X

The guard joined him later, still finding it hard to believe that something could actually break the prince's spirit.

"Is he all right?" Galdor asked, his eyes never leaving the prince's form.

"I do not know, Galdor, I wish to know what eats at him; I wish that he will speak with me as before," Thranduil sighed and then he said as a decision crossed in his mind, "I shall ride to Imladris if my son will not say anything. I am certain the answers lie there."

"I will follow you to whatever end, your Majesty." Galdor reaffirmed his loyalty to his king.

"I know. Thank you."

Thranduil turned his glance back toward his son, searching for the source of the pain, but all he could see were his son’s dull, emotionless eyes.

The king leant near to his son's face and whispered, "Why are you afraid to tell me anything? I will not do anything to hurt you. You are my son, my only heir and I love you. What is eating at you so much to make my heart ache this greatly?"

TBC…


Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Demons

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in the 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

Chapter 4: Demons

Legolas was aware that his ada was watching him. He wondered just how much did his adar want to disgrace him or even banish him from his homeland the way Elrond did.

Legolas turned away. He did not wish to face his father; he feared he would see the hate and shame in his adar's eyes.

Thranduil noticed this, and found himself unable to speak. Much as he wished to comfort or unburden his son, he could not find the right words to help his son. With a heavy sigh, he left the room.

Galdor, standing in the hallway, turned to the king as he came from the room.

"Is there something I could do, my king?" he asked.

Thranduil turned distractedly, not knowing what he should answer. His mind was still trying to recall if there could have been any cause for Elrond’s anger.

"My king, is there something I could do?" the guard repeated.

The king seemed startled at his voice, then shrugging his concerns off, he replied his loyal friend and guard, "Keep an eye on my son; I need to be alone for a while."

"I will do as you order." Galdor said and bowed.

"It was not an order, mellon, it was a friendly suggestion." Thranduil smiled and looked on as Galdor entered the room, sat in the chair the king had vacated and watched the prince. He knew that Galdor was also wondering why Legolas was becoming so distant from everyone.

Thranduil headed for his room, letting his mind drift back to the past as he thought on Elrond's attitude toward his son…

It was just before the War of the Last Alliance as Thranduil, the son of Oropher, stared at the delegation that came from afar.

"Lord Elrond, how can I help you in this surprise visit?" Oropher asked, while keeping his son close to him.

Elrond bowed and turned toward the king, noticing how his son stood close to him, and his eyes filled with a sadness at the knowledge of what pain his coming would bring.

"War has come to our doors,” Elrond replied with a heavy heart. “Sauron is getting his strength and power, and with the ring he has made, he is unstoppable. He wishes to conquer Middle-earth and we need every help that can be found.” Elrond sighed. “This is why I have come; I hope you will join in this fight for our homeland and people."

"And you expect me to leave everything, including my son, and to join you in hopeless war?" Oropher asked, feeling his son shake slightly beside him in apprehension.

Elrond swallowed the lump in his throat and replied, "I do, for the sake of our people. For the sake of those who I love, whom I have left for this war."

Oropher looked pensive. "Give me a moment alone," he ordered.

The delegation and the guards quietly left the king with his son.

"Thranduil, my son…" Oropher tried to say, only to be cut off by his prince.

"Do not leave me…"

"I will be back, I give you my promise." The king cupped his son's face in his hands, looking into his eyes, then he added, "I love you, ion, do not ever forget this."

The prince stared at his ada, not quite convinced, he asked, "But… but what if something happened to you?"

Oropher ran his fingers through his son's hair, feeling how his son seemed as vulnerable as a child, and he replied with a heavy heart, "Then, you, my son, will take care of the elves, making sure that nothing can harm them in any way, and not live in fear every day."

"But… I do not want to lose you… I’ve already lost naneth… please ada… do not go and leave me as well…" Thranduil pleaded with his father.

The king could see the anguish in his son's eyes. He glanced outside at the stern faces of the delegation and knew that many of them had made the same decision as he had.

"I know… ion… but I have a duty, as king, to make sure that you and our elves do not get hurt. You know how it pains me to see you bleed or cry; I don’t want you to ever get hurt." Oropher said, feeling his eyes moisten.

"But what about you? I do not wish to lose you." Thranduil gasped and swallowed the tears that now fell freely from his eyes.

Oropher gently wiped the tears from his son's face."Remember that I’m always with you, here." Oropher placed his hand on Thranduil's chest, where his heart was beating faster than ever.

Then the king hugged his son, gathered his weapons and headed to where Elrond was waiting.

Once he mounted his stallion, Oropher turned for a last look at his prince, his only son, and then he turned around and sighed, riding toward the horizon as a lone tear left his eyes.

Thranduil’s tears fell unbidden as the pain of the memory struck him.

He placed his hand on his chest – he missed his ada so much. His mind wandered to when the delegation returned from the war…

When the news came that the war was over, Prince Thranduil could not get any rest or even eat, as the worry for his ada ate at him every day.

The guards could sense that the prince was growing weaker and they all feared that if their king did not return alive, the prince might be lost in grief. They could only hope that King Oropher was constant as the rain.

Thranduil heard the hard galloping of horses, and thought 'This is it, the moment has come. I hope that ada was not hurt that badly.'

The delegation entered, and his heart missed a beat when he did not see his father. At that moment, Thranduil felt the rage flood his mind, he vaguely knew that he was gripping his sword very tightly, and then he let it fall to the floor.

He stormed toward where the delegation was, and they quickly halted at the fierce determination and rage that marked his face.

"Where is my adar?" Thranduil asked and locked his eyes on Elrond.

Elrond tried to turn his eyes away from the new king but could not, as he felt the pain and rage that radiated from Thranduil.

"Your Adar… I mean… he fell…" Elrond looked away uncertainly, not knowing how Thranduil would react. After all, now that Thranduil had lost his adar, he had no one but the guards to watch his back, and besides that, he also had to carry out his father’s kingly responsibility – without anyone to guide him.
 
"Why did you not did something? Anything?" Thranduil said, trying to contain his rage before he spoke something he would regret.
 
"Thranduil…" Elrond started, noting how the guards seemed tense at his familiar address.

"King Thranduil," Elrond started again, sighing before he continued, "We all did our best to watch out for one another, to save as many as we could, but it was war – we… we did our best."

And the healer could see how the usually calm Thranduil had an expression he had not seen before.

"Did you?" Thranduil asked and stepped forward to Lord Elrond.

Elrond stood rooted, though he could feel his heart beating as though he had run from Lothlórien to Imladris with orcs on his tail.

"We all did the best we could." Elrond voice seemed like a whisper to Thranduil.

Thranduil looked away. "Have you at least brought something of him?" he asked.

Elrond silently walked back to his horse, and returned with a long sword covered in ashes and dried blood.

"Hannon le," Thranduil thanked him, his eyes locked upon his adar's sword. Then, he continued, "You may leave now."

With that, Lord Elrond and the delegation of the survivors bowed and left. Even in his grief, Thranduil saw how their numbers were so much smaller than when they had come for his father.

With that sad memory, Thranduil left his room with an idea that he hoped could settle whatever it was between Elrond and his son. He had been through enough and he did not wish to lose his own heir because of Elrond, the healer who had previously helped his heart mend.

Thranduil walked through the hallway and stopped at Legolas’ room. He could hear Galdor whispering softly, and could not stop himself from smiling, and yet when he saw how his son remained emotionless, he feared more than ever that he might lose his son.

He stepped in, and asked Galdor to ready the horses.

The guard left the king and the prince alone while he went to do his duties.

"Legolas, ion," Thranduil pleaded, seeing how Legolas had not even changed his position on the bed, "Please, look at me…"

But Legolas could not. His heart was filling with darkness as he heard the conversation between his adar and Galdor, and how they spoke of horses and leaving. His mind was overwhelmed in the fear that his ada, the great king of Mirkwood, now wished to ban him from his only home.

Thranduil moved to the other side of the bed where Legolas’ face was still staring into the distance and caught his gaze, noticing how dull and empty his son’s blue eyes were.

"Legolas…" he started, as a tear left his eyes.

"I wish to say… I will be leaving with Galdor and a guard for Imladris…" the king spoke.

Legolas did not respond, and Thranduil could only hope that his son had heard him.

With that, the king left the room, hoping that Imladris would give him the answers he needed to see his son smiling and with joy when he returned.

After his ada left his room, the prince sighed softly. He could hear the sound of the birds calling him, yearning for his presence, and also the darkness that enveloped the room.

He gathered what arrows he had left and picked up his bow. His fingers brushed against his sword tentatively, but he left it behind. He did not dare to set his eyes on it ever again.

Legolas left his room, heading for the palace exit. It was time for the changing of the guards and they barely noticed him as he walked through the forests hidden by the shadows. He left his stallion behind, after all, he did not know where to go, or if his stallion would even bear him. He felt so alone now in the knowledge that no one could ever look at him, except as a murderer.

End of Chapter 4.


Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Someone to Watch over

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in the 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

Chapter 5: Someone to Watch over

Imladris

Elrond was pleased as Legolas left his home. He was pleased when he heard how his sons turned their backs on the Mirkwood prince. It was time Prince Legolas learned the consequences of his actions.

Elrond looked at his foster son's limp form.

He sighed heavily, remembering what he did earlier; but he knew that the prince had to confront his conscience.

The twins sat nearby beside their little brother. Elrohir could felt the guilt rising inside his body, and he was certain that his twin knew it too; how they could not be friends with Legolas even though he tried his best to be friends with them…

They knew about the messenger whom their adar sent to Mirkwood, and wondered what happened between the king and his son.

Elrohir smiled at the memory that suddenly struck his mind, Legolas always showed them kindness while they were in Lord Glorfindel’s lessons...

Legolas observed them in their lesson, while he sat upon the green blanket of nature, smiling as Estel tried his best to hold the sword in both hands, but said nothing, not wishing to dampen the boy’s high spirits.

He could not ignore the twins who were focusing on their lessons, and it seemed to Legolas that Elrohir was doing it all wrong. He could see the fear that showed upon the Peredhel's face and decided to act before the lord did so more harshly.

He rose and walked toward them, calling Elrohir gently, surprised at hearing Glorfindel calling him as well.

"Elrohir," Legolas called again, and added before the lord could interrupt, "Elrohir, mellon-nin, you’re doing it wrong. Though I believe Lord Glorfindel is teaching you to defend yourself from follow-up strokes after being hit, you need to learn how to defend yourself first."

Then he moved closer to his friend, and chuckling softly, he whispered to him, "Here let me show you."

Legolas turned toward the lord, and challenged him, "I challenge you, Lord Glorfindel."

Glorfindel nodded and smiled at the Mirkwood's prince, walking over to face him.

The Elf-lord started with an attack, and Legolas, trying to show the brothers how they should combine attack and defense, could only be glad his adar gave him the proper lessons and guidance concerning the use of the sword. And he told him never to give up with his lessons, for they would soon be learned.

When the fight was over, Glorfindel clapped Legolas's shoulders and said, "Legolas, you should be present more often in these lessons. They definitely focus better with you around, and I believe you will make a great teacher as well."

"Hannon-le, my lord," Legolas thanked him and added with a smile, "I will leave that for you and Lord Erestor as you are trying to do the best for them, while I will remain as their friends to help them develop the skills they possess - after all, they mostly need to hone them more."

"You are right, my friend." Glorfindel nodded as he smiled to him.

After the lesson ended, Elrohir came to his friend and asked, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" Legolas turned his innocently blue eyes toward him.

"Glorfindel," Elrohir replied, and then he elaborated, "The way that you practically manipulated him. He seemed to love how you help him with us."

Legolas stared at his friend, seemingly confused, "What does that mean?"

"It means that you are his best friend beside my brothers, and you are here to be our friend." Elrohir replied.

Legolas shook his head, trying to move to another subject.

"Besides your lesson, is there something else going on?" Legolas asked, as he still believed the Peredhel was hiding something from him.

"Not that I know." Elrohir replied and shrugged.

--

Elladan noticed the smile on his twin’s face, and asked, "Why are you smiling?"

Elrohir sighed heavily before he replied, "I remembered when Legolas helped Glorfindel once with our swords lesson, and even challenged the lord, only to show us how to fight. He is our friend, he was there for us. And we were not even there for him."

"That is because he harmed our brother!" Elladan snapped at his twin.

Elrohir rose from his chair, staring at his baby brother, who still lay in the bed. His skin was pale like a corpse, and his eyes were closed. The elf did not know to who to believe anymore. Legolas certainly told them nothing; they were the ones who insisted it was all his fault, but what if they were wrong? It seemed that neither his father nor his brother believed that possibility.

Elrohir left the room, not wishing to look back, even when his twin and his father called for him. He knew he needed to be alone now.

Once he was out of the house, he felt the cold wind embracing him, and yet he could feel a presence coming closer, intruding into his space. He harshly asked, without looking back to see who it was, "What do you want, Elladan?"

"Are you calling me now Elladan, young Elrohir?" Glorfindel asked gently.

Elrohir turned around, and started apologizing to the lord, "Forgive me, my lord, I thought you were my brother."

"And would I want to be your brother, Gwenneth?" Glorfindel asked as he used Elrohir's name in Elvish.

"Are you going to blame Legolas all over again?" Elrohir asked, noticing the doubt in the lord's eyes.

"Why would I wish to blame Legolas? I do not even know what he did wrong," Glorfindel replied the elf, and then he added in a concerned voice, "Though I do fear for him, as you can never tell how greatly the burden of guilt weighs upon the elf's shoulders."

"I do hope to see Aragorn awake and happy again, and to hear his account of what happened. I do not wish to lose both brother and friend, and I wish that Elladan and father would see it, and I hope that Legolas would forgive my actions because I was too quick to judge him instead of giving him the benefit of doubt. He deserved more than that, but now I’ve lost him, I’ve lost my friend, Glorfindel, all by my own doing." Elrohir confided in the lord.

Glorfindel sighed but said nothing, letting Elrohir speak his mind and pour out his fears. He could only be there to comfort him and support him – the very task Lord Elrond should have done.

--

Few days later,

A delegation from Mirkwood arrived and the guards quickly let Lord Elrond know of the visitors who came.

Thranduil sighed heavily as they finally reached Imladris, yet, somehow, it seemed to him that Lord Elrond did not wish to see him.

"Where is Lord Elrond?" Thranduil asked, growing furious that there was no one to give him any answer.

"Find me the lord at once!" Thranduil motioned his guards, while he walked on around.

Elrohir heard that the king of Mirkwood had entered their land, and wondering why the king was here, and why his friend had not come along, he hurried over.

"King Thranduil," he called as he left the house, and then he added with concern, "Where is Legolas?"

Thranduil sighed, "He was in his room the last time I saw him. He did not say much when he returned, and other than from the message your father sent, I have no idea what happened. Elrohir, what do you know about this? I cannot bear to see my son like this... he has changed, and I want him back!"

"What do you mean by that?" Elrohir asked, curious and growing worried.

"The light of life has been fading away from him. His spirit is dying, and he has not said anything to me; I am afraid I will lose him forever." Thranduil explained to Elrond's son, and then left him as he walked into the house to find Elrond himself.

At first, Elrohir did not register that the king had left his side as his mind was busy trying to collate the information about Legolas. It seemed that his friend shutting everyone off.

"Wait, King Thranduil, wait..." he called, but it was too late as he quickly followed him inside. The king was at the open door where Aragorn lay on the bed. Elladan and Elrond were still there, concerned expressions in their eyes.

"There you are," Thranduil sneered at the lord, and then he added firmly, "I wish to know why you disgrace my son like this."

Elrond answered without turning toward Thranduil, "Because your son caused my son to lie in that bed, and I have done everything I can to save Aragorn. And now, no matter how much I want to see him awake, there is nothing I can do, and I keep wondering - what if he does not open his eyes?"

Thranduil could felt the vein in his neck throbbing with rage, but he walked closer toward the bed and then glared at the lord who now watched him like a hawk, as though believing he would try to harm his son as the lord claimed Legolas did.

Thranduil was about to touch Aragorn's skin but stayed his hand when he heard Elrond's sneer.

"Do not touch him!" Elrond snapped at him.

Thranduil looked at the lord, who was once his friend but now, all seemed to have crumbled like a wall of crates, which was once friendship solid like a rock.

Both Elrohir and Elladan who were nearby could felt the air stiffen while the two elf-lords snapped at each other. Glorfindel came in quickly with Erestor once they heard the raised voices.

"Thranduil," Glorfindel came toward the king, clapping his hands upon the king’s shoulders, and then he asked with concern, "Where is your son?"

King Thranduil let out a heavy sigh, leaving the room to seek nature's guidance and feel the wind embrace him with fresh air.

Glorfindel hurried after him, while Erestor stayed in the room, not wishing for more conflicts to happen as Aragorn needed to rest in a quiet environment.

--

Thranduil walked toward the trees, and sat back, leaning on a trunk. He watched as Glorfindel came over.

"I am here as a friend, as your son was there to help me without being asked." Glorfindel looked at the king with concern, and then he sat beside him. Maybe the king needed a friend too.

"My son... Glorfindel, my son cannot even look at me.” Thranduil said vehemently, averting his gaze as he felt so weak for opening himself like this. “All this because of what Elrond said. He killed my son's spirit..." 

"How exactly would he do that?" Glorfindel asked.

Thranduil shook his head. "I read the message that he sent. It was too cruel and if I’m not wrong, Legolas believed what he said.” Thranduil explained. “Maybe it’s my fault as well, as I should have talked with Legolas the minute the messenger left instead of leaving him in the dark." 

Glorfindel glanced at the king, his mind wandering as he recalled how the prince once came to him. He smiled, "Thranduil, I know this may not be the time for it, but I must share this memory of your son. I do not know if he has told you about it, but I feel I should."

"If it is good, please tell me." Thranduil said, gladly wanting to know what good his son did to actually make the lord smile.

"Your son, Thranduil, did the impossible when I was teaching Elrond's sons." Glorfindel noticed how the king flinched as he mentioned Elrond, but let it pass. "You see, I was in the middle of my tale on how I fought the mighty Balrog, and they refused to pay any attention to me. But Legolas, your son, sitting by them was listening closely."

Thranduil listened to the lord, waiting for the part when his son contributed to the story.

"Then, Thranduil, your son just walked over to me, and asked me to tell him my story. He said he would then tell the twins and make them to listen."

"Did he?" Thranduil asked, surprised.

"Yes, he did. And he told my story so well that even Elrond and Erestor came to hear him and admitted they paid more attention to Legolas though they already knew most of it," Glorfindel replied and added gracefully, "Your son is talented in many areas, and though I have told him he would make a great teacher, he did not seem to wish for that."

With a proud heart, Thranduil stood up and said, "My son is truly gifted, and yet, I fear I will not see him do anything as wise as what you’ve told me..."

"He will be all right, you’ll see." Glorfindel tried to comfort him.

"How can you be certain of that? He would not even look at me!" Thranduil almost shot back at the lord.

But before Glorfindel could say anything, Erestor was walking quickly toward them.

"Lord Glorfindel, King Thranduil, you must come with me." Erestor said at once.

"And why should we?" Thranduil questioned immediately.

"Aragorn… he is awake…" Erestor replied with a smile.

TBC…


Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Playing Cat and Mouse

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in the 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

Chapter 6: Playing Cat and Mouse

'Maybe Aragorn could explain to us what happened to drive my son away from me.' Thranduil thought as he followed Erestor toward the house, where Aragorn lay in the crowded room.

Thranduil entered and stood next to Elrohir who had earlier lightened his heart by telling the tale of his son, feeling he would rather be closer to him than to Elrond; somehow the young elf gave him the confidence he lost in his friendship with Elrond.

Even so, Elrond felt the presence of his long-time friend, though he ignored him, because he could not bring himself to feel any closeness with Thranduil – not when his son needed him most.

There was a movement from Aragorn's bed, and they turned around at the yawn and moan of pain from the man. Elrond quickly sat beside his son, gently talking with him as he yearned to hear his voice again, yearned to see his son the way he was before he was hurt.

'Legolas will pay for this; he ruined my son.' Elrond thought bitterly as he moved his hand down Aragorn's face.

"Open your eyes, Estel; you are at home." The healer reassured him, hoping that Aragorn would remember the place that he was in.

Aragorn felt himself leaving the darkness and flying toward the light, toward the voice that called for him, urging him to open his eyes, to return to the land of the living.

"That's it, my son. Now open your grey eyes wide for me."

Aragorn heard and tried to follow, only to be hit by dizziness and a headache. His eyes were hurting too much, and his throbbing head was not helping.

"Try again, Estel, you are doing fine."

That voice was there for him again, and Aragorn, in spite of the pain, tried to open his eyes.

With a hint of success, Aragorn opened his eyes, and then he shut them again at the blinding light flooding the room through the windows. His sight had instantly blurred, and the pain had returned.

"Quick, Elladan, Elrohir, cover the windows, the light seems too bright for him." Elrond ordered his sons as soon as he saw the human’s reaction.

Thranduil still watching helped them too, as he felt that he needed to do something to distract him from his anxiety over his son; he wanted to make himself useful in some way, even if it were to help Aragorn. Without hesitating, the king quickly took the white blanket he found on an empty bed and threw it over a window, watching as the twins did the same.

Elrond, meanwhile, wondered about Thranduil's actions, believing that what the king did was close to making peace; after all, he would think that his son would have to pay a price for whatever he had done, and Thranduil might have decided to seek forgiveness on behalf of his son.

Elrond rejected the idea right away, not wishing to buy the king’s act, while Thranduil only stared at what was happening, his eyes locked on the injured man, hoping that he would have the answers to his many questions, and perhaps, find out what had happened to his son.

"You can open your eyes now, Estel,” Elrond said gently, breaking the silence within the room, “The light has been dimmed and will not hurt your eyes now."

Aragorn tried to open his eyes, trying to ignore the pain that ignited within his body. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, and he let them adjust and focus, before turning to his family.

Aragorn clearly wanted to speak but his throat was too dry, and Elrond, seeing this, gave him to sip from a cup, and added, "Drink it slowly, Aragorn, I do not need you choking; drink slowly."

Aragorn did as he was told. Then when he had drunk enough, Elrond took the remaining half-filled cup and put it near the bed.

Elrond then turned back to his son, sighing heavily before he asked, "How do you feel, ion?"

"I have been better, adar." Aragorn replied weakly.

"Your brothers have been missing you dearly," Elrond told him with a smile, and then he added, "I have been missing you as well."

"You have?" Aragorn teased his father the same way he used to when he was a child.

"I have." Elrond confessed, as light sparkled in his eyes.

"How much?" Aragorn mock-taunted while the twins chuckled at their banter.

Elrond spread his hands as he replied, "You know, if you were little, I could lift you, and say to you, 'Till the Undying Lands and back, here in my heart', as my love for you is that great though it be shared with your brothers."

"Thank you, adar. I love you too." Aragorn gave him his largest smile, albeit tired, and then he moved his head slightly, looking beyond the twins who were holding their laughter. 

Aragorn was surprised to see King Thranduil near them and Thranduil could read the questioning look the man gave, though he dared not ask as yet, as he could felt the heavy glare that Elrond gave him.

Not now, perhaps. Aragorn probably needed his family more right now, as much as Thranduil needed his son.

Thranduil left the chair that he was sitting in, and headed quietly toward the door to hopefully find solace for his troubled soul, not wishing to destroy the moment the reunited family now shared.

"Wait."

One word stopped him from doing so. Nevertheless, it was not Elrond's voice, which he was glad for. It was Aragorn who stopped him from running away from the room.

Yet he took another step toward the door, not wishing to ruin what little was left of his friendship with Elrond.

"Please... do not leave..." 

That voice again. He wondered what Aragorn wished from him.

The king turned around, looking at the pale man. When Aragorn noticed the confused look upon the king, he looked around him for his friend, then asked weakly, "Where... Where is... Legolas?"

The man started to panic when no answer greeted him right away.

"Is... Is he dead?" Aragorn asked in frantic voice.

Thranduil swallowed the lump down his throat before he replied, "Dead he is not, though he is not here – because of your father, for all I know."

Aragorn turned around to look at his father, who gave him no elaboration.

"Now is not the time, my son. You still need time to recover fully and your body needs to heal." Elrond tried to avoid the topic, not wishing for his son to know what he had done for him.

The man nodded, feeling the tiredness overtake him. He did not say anything as his body seemed to agree with the healer, and he lay back down in the bed and closed his eyes, though still wondering where his friend was and what his father had done to him.

As Thranduil saw how Elrond avoided answering what he had so longed to know, he stormed out of the room, the rage building within him.

Glorfindel and Erestor followed the king out silently while in the room, Elrohir stared at his father in complete shock, not knowing why he did not answer Aragorn or why Aragorn had said nothing of what happened.

Elladan moved his hand to touch Aragorn’s palm. His eyes longed to see his brother in full movement and he cursed Legolas in his heart for causing all this harm to Aragorn in the first place. He could only hope that Thranduil's son will meet his due punishment soon.

Elrond sighed heavily, knowing that, now that Estel had opened his eyes, the worst had passed, and he could only hope that Aragorn would understand his motives concerning what he did to Legolas.

Elrohir remained silent in his seat, his mind thinking back on the day they found the two friends in the cold. The look in Legolas' eyes was a look that he would never forget, even if he tried to. 

Elrohir wished he could turn back time, perhaps he could have reverse things, perhaps he could have taken care of Legolas as well. No one had asked or even considered if Legolas might have been hurt. All they were concerned with was Aragorn, bloodied and lying on the blood-soaked snow.

'We are at fault; forgive me, Legolas...' Elrohir thought.

He could not bear it any longer, much as he wanted to stay in the room to be there when Aragorn opened his eyes again so he could fulfill the desire to speak with him about what had happened, still, he stood up turning to the door.

"Elrohir, where are you going?" Elrond asked, his eyes still locked on Aragorn.

"I need some fresh air and time to think." Elrohir replied and left.

Elladan rose from his chair, wanting to bring his twin back, but was held back by his father’s firm voice, "Let him go."

Elladan nodded and sat back, all the while wondering what Elrohir wanted to think about.

--

Meanwhile, outside, Thranduil paced back and forth, not knowing what else he should do. He wondered if he should return to Mirkwood and fetch his son, so he, perhaps, could get to the bottom of this.

For once, the king was clueless.

Somehow, in his heart, he knew that Aragorn was the answer to all that had occurred and he hoped to have some time alone with the man who gave his heart and all to his son. Their unique friendship was well-known; Thranduil always knew that Aragorn was the one who gave Legolas the support and confidence he needed and was always there for him, and so was Legolas toward Aragorn.

But what Thranduil did not understand was how quickly things had changed. Why had Elladan and Elrohir, who were his son’s best friends, all of a sudden turned their backs on him?

He wanted to know all the details and hoped someone could at least tell him something of what had happened. In the first place, he did not even know what Elrond's message meant.

Thranduil let his mind drift, deep in thought even as his feet walked toward his guards. He needed the reassurance of his friends from home; he needed to hear advice from friends, from his loyal friends.

Galdor looked up as his king walked toward him, and notice the two lords walking a distance behind him. He wondered if his king had noticed them as well, or was he too far distracted. Looking at the king’s expression, he knew at once he was searching for guidance. And who could guide the king if not his faithful guard, Galdor?

"King Thranduil," Galdor greeted him with a small smile, "Are you all right, Thranduil?"

Thranduil stopped in his place, nodded toward the guard, then continued his walk as though nothing was the matter.

Galdor, still within the guards' quarters, only stared at the king, who was heading toward the line of trees.

The guard turned his eyes toward the two elven lords and asked, "Will either of you tell me what is troubling my king?"

Erestor looked at the guard, seeing the concern in his eyes. "I can only tell you what I saw and heard, but if you wish for a conclusion or judgment, that is not my part for I do not know enough."

Galdor nodded, and waited eagerly for any insight on what might be troubling his king.

Glorfindel, however, quietly suggested that they should find a place to sit where they could speak peacefully without being disturbed, and proceeded to lead them toward the garden where they sat on the soft ground, hearing the birds sing a song of hope and friendship.

But their plans were interrupted when Elrohir joined the group. 

“Have you see King Thranduil?” He asked. 

They shook their heads in the negative. Galdor turned to the young elf. “Do you know what is it that troubles the king?” He asked.

Elrohir nodded, and finding a comfortable place, he sat with them.

Glorfindel let Elrohir know why they had come here to the garden, hoping that the young elf might enlighten them on what happened to ensnare Elrond and Thranduil in this web as though they were young elflings fighting over fruitless issues.

"You may speak first, Elrohir, as you and your twin were the first to be involved." Glorfindel finished, knowing that Galdor, though patient, was loyal enough to the king to want to know quickly how best to help him.

Elrohir sighed, and let his mind drift back to the past, to that day, when he and his twin first saw the scene, with Legolas standing, sword was by his side, while next to him, lying on the blood-soaked snow was Aragorn, pale as the moonlight.

As he told them as much as he could recall, the young elf felt ashamed of the words that he and his twin had shot at Legolas; he could still the look that crossed his friend's face – the sorrow and the guilt inside, the helplessness…

Then, continued the tale, telling them what happened in the house of healing, the harsh words from the lord, from his father.

Galdor sighed heavily, remembering the first time he saw Legolas and then the second time when his king and him found Legolas, so vulnerable in the forest, not seeming to care anymore.

"Your father, Elrohir, hurt my prince greatly, and from what I saw when I was in my homeland, it was enough for him to lose the will to live. I only hope..." Galdor trailed off as he felt a presence coming closer.

Galdor rose from nature’s gentle carpet and bowed to his king.

"Galdor," Thranduil greeted him in return, and noticed the three other elves who sat there, "Is there something I should know about?"

Galdor smiled at his king, definitely more hopefully with the information he just gained.

"Yes, there is, King Thranduil." Galdor grinned at him.

Thranduil sighed, and grinned back at his friend, "In this land, I am only a lord, not a king. How many times shall I ask for you to not to address me formally?"

Galdor only smiled.

Thranduil shook his head. "Forget it; I see it won’t work as you’ll continue to do this in any land we shall be."

Galdor smiled widely, almost triumphantly.

Thranduil rolled his eyes, and redirecting the elf back to his earlier question, he asked, "Care to share what you’ve learned so far from our friendly companions?"

With that, Galdor turned serious, not wish to appear to take this lightly before his king, especially in the presence of the other elf-lords.

"As far as I can tell," Galdor started, and motioned at Elrohir, "Elrohir and his twin were the first at the scene where they noticed Aragorn injured and lying in the snow, and Legolas staring at him with the blood-soaked sword next to him. From what I gather, the twins blamed your son, and later, Elrond accused him as well, telling him that you would not even look at him because of what he did."

"Are you telling me that Elrond said I will not look at my son because I will be ashamed of him?" Thranduil asked the guard skeptically.

Galdor nodded.

Thranduil was visibly angry; he thought he would gladly strangle Elrond right away. "How dare he tell my son such a thing!" Thranduil asked, fuming.

The three elves looked over, wondering what the king planned to do.

"I will kill him..." King Thranduil muttered, and started pacing back and forward, trying to control the anger that had so quickly built in him. 

'How dare he?' Thranduil mentally raged, 'No wonder Legolas kept himself from me; no wonder why he shut himself up.'

Glorfindel rose to his feet in concern, and walked toward the king and asked, "Is there anything I could do?"

Thranduil stopped pacing as he noticed the lord. He sighed softly and replied, "Yes, there is."

"What is it?" Glorfindel looked up curiously.

"Well, if I cannot best Elrond in the room where Aragorn is, I can beat him in the field where I have always won in archery," Thranduil replied, a light grin marking his face, "Tell him I challenge him. I will give you the terms, and Erestor and you will be the judges."

"Are you certain of that?" Glorfindel asked politely to confirm the king wasn’t simply moved by rage, though it had been awhile since anything particularly noteworthy happened in their homeland.

"I am, and when I will win, I will have all the time to speak with Aragorn without Elrond coming in my way. Everything that Elrond does is within the healing room, but never in the field to show how he can protect all of you." Thranduil responded.

Glorfindel nodded and added, a smile on his face, "It might do some good for him to relax."

"I certainly hope so." Thranduil mumbled.

TBC...


Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: The One in the Middle

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in the 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

Chapter 7: The One in the Middle

Glorfindel walked into the house, bearing Thranduil's message for Elrond. The Balrog Slayer was most amused as he wondered how the lord would react.

Glorfindel knocked on the door and waited till the lord gave him permission to enter and he was pleased when Elladan came and opened the door.

"Elladan," he called, catching the young elf's eyes, and asked, "Could you leave us alone for a while?"

Elladan nodded and left the room, though not before turning around and casting one last look on Aragorn.

Elrond, meanwhile, did not know why his son had left him alone with the Balrog Slayer but he intended to find out.

"What is it, Glorfindel?" Elrond asked without turning around.

Glorfindel turned to his lord and coughed, "Thranduil dares you to meet him outside; he wants a duel with you."

"He wants what?" Elrond asked, clearly disliking Glorfindel’s attention, though the Balrog Slayer could see how angry his lord was at the news.

"He wants to compete with you, and the winner will have few moments with Aragorn." Glorfindel went on to explain.

"And what about the loser?" Elrond asked, hoping that Thranduil had something in mind for the loser as well.

"Well, that was not concluded yet, but you can ask him, if you want." Glorfindel replied.

"He will not get anything that he wants in my land!"

"That is why Erestor and I are the judges, Lord Elrond."

"Judges of what, exactly?" Elrond asked, as the thought of strangling Thranduil crossed his mind.

"Contest of arrows," Glorfindel replied, and, as he saw how Elrond sighed heavily in acknowledgement that King Thranduil had an advantage, he added, "I am rooting for you to win, my lord."

Hopefully that would encourage his lord a little.

Elrond nodded and a determination showed through. He would not let Thranduil win the game so easily, not without putting up a valiant fight.

"So be it, and may the Valar help me." 

"Hannon-le, hir-nin." Glorfindel thanked him for the unspoken understanding and then he left him alone with Aragorn.

"If that’s what Thranduil wants, he will not see Aragorn again." Elrond decided – even if he needed to do something extreme.

Aragorn moaned then, and tried to move and as soon as Elrond noticed that, he moved closer to his son in an instant. "Do not move, Estel, you will hurt yourself more if you try to move too soon."

"Ada…" Aragorn called, the pain sounding clearly in his voice.

"What is it, my son?" Elrond urged, concerned about the man.

"Please… Make the pain stop…" Aragorn said, like the little boy he once was.

Elrond reached to wipe the lone tear away from his son’s face, and moved his hand to feel his son's forehead. He could certainly feel the heat there, and yet he noticed how Aragorn pulled the blanket off himself, muttering though the pain, "Too hot… hot…"

"Estel, ion, listen to my voice," Elrond tried, though knowing that, with the fever rising in him, the man may not be able to listen, "It is the fever, son, do not let it overcome you, you are stronger than it."

"Hot…" Aragorn muttered, not seeming to have paid attention to his foster father.

"Listen to my voice, child." Elrond tried but his efforts fell on deaf ears.

 Elrond sighed heavily, turning away for a moment as he could not bear to see the pain and suffering that engulfed his son. Then, having come to a decision, he rose and walked toward the door, opening it and calling for his sons as he deeply needed their help.

Elladan, who was waiting patiently outside, heard his father call and entered right away, knowing in his heart that his brother was out somewhere with Erestor and possibly Thranduil.

"Where is your brother?" Elrond asked his son immediately.
 
"Outside, with the rest of the elves and perhaps King Thranduil." Elladan replied.

"Your brother is a traitor now, Elladan." Elrond told his son, hoping Elladan would not act like his twin.

Elladan started at his father with a frown on his brow as he tried not to let the anger build in his body. He asked as softly as he could, "Why is that, adar? Is that because he may be with Thranduil?"

"Do not talk to me like this, I am your father and you will act toward me with respect." Elrond announced to his son.

"But you are making it hard for me to do so, father." 

Elrond sighed heavily, then took a deep breath and told his son, "I will try not to, but I suggest both of us should drop this subject."

"Then Elrohir is not a traitor?" Elladan asked his father, determined to clear his brother's name.

"Traitor?" a new voice asked, and Elrond chided himself mentally for not sensing his other son as he entered the room.

"Elrohir…" Elrond tried to find a way to explain himself as he noticed how the usually calm blue eyes were now glaring at him like sharpened ice.

"Am I a traitor to you, adar?" Elrohir asked, not knowing what he was expected to make of what he overheard.

"I did not mean it that way." Elrond answered weakly.

"I would like a good explanation, then." Elrohir said, not even looking at his twin as his eyes locked with his father's.

Before Elrond could say anything, Elladan turned toward his brother and explained, "Ada asked me where you could have been as you did not come when he called us in, and I said that you were probably with the rest of the elves and possibly Thranduil as well."

Elrohir could not believe what he was hearing. Did sitting beside Thranduil make him a traitor?

"So be it," Elrohir said to his father, not breaking his gaze, "I am a traitor as I love sitting next to Thranduil and listening and sharing tales about Legolas. And I miss Legolas as well."

"Take back your words, my son," Elrond warned him and he added, "Can you not see what your friend did? Can you not see the way your brother is suffering all because of him?"

"No!" Elrohir responded loudly, and continued, "You are the one who should take your words back. You are the one who’s making it all difficult for everyone; you are the one who started all the mess in the first place!" Without another word, Elrohir left the room.

Elrond saw how Elladan wanted to go after his brother, and, hearing as Aragorn was still moaning in pain as the fever was still flaring, he turned to his son.

"I need you to stay and help me with your brother," Elrond told him, and noticing his unconvinced look, he added, "Your brother is running a fever; it needs to be brought down or we might lose him."

Elladan was still torn, knowing that he needed to talk with his twin, but after glancing at his young brother and noticing the pained features on his pale face, his heart felt for him and he nodded.

"I will stay because of him. For now." Elladan said and walked to sit beside Aragorn, muttering reassurances to sooth him.

--

Elrohir was pacing outside, his eyes still cold as he fumed over what his father had said to him, so lost in thought that he did not feel the presence of Thranduil and Erestor as they neared.

"What is it, penneth, that troubles your heart?" Erestor asked, as he noticed how Elrohir's blue eyes were as ready as a knife to kill.

Elrohir tried to calm himself before he asked, "How do you know?"

"Well, as your father used to say," Thranduil spoke up instead, "The eyes, Master Elrohir, the eyes tell much indeed."

Elrohir sighed heavily.

"What is it?" Erestor asked gently, sensing the emotional war within the young elf.

"He called me a traitor." Elrohir said simply, and even Thranduil could see the cold flame burning within Elrohir's eyes.

" 'He'? Are you talking about your father?" Erestor asked, not believing his own ears.

"Who else could it be, Erestor?" Thranduil asked the advisor quietly.

Erestor shrugged, knowing that Elrond had crossed the line.

Elrohir turned toward Thranduil. "Only you can beat him, Thranduil,” He said. “Show him that his words are not affecting you, and I hope he will soon learn that words hurt more than he thought they do." 

Thranduil nodded and Elrohir carried on quietly. "I still cannot believe that he called me a traitor just because I am sitting here with you and Erestor."

"He will get what he deserved, Master Elrohir, and I will make sure of that." Thranduil assured him with a small smile.

Elrohir smiled in return, knowing that Thranduil did not smile much during these rough days.

But Thranduil’s smile disappeared when he noticed horses riding hard toward them. They bore the insignia of his homeland and his heart clenched in fear that something might have had happened to his son.

The king walked toward the horses, his eyes wary.  He noticed Saelbeth among the guards and addressed him.

"What is it?" Thranduil asked.

"It is your son, Your Highness," Saelbeth replied before he added, "He is gone, and his weapons were left on the bed. He had nothing with him, and his horse, he did not take his horse."

"What does that mean?" Elrohir asked, noticing the deep frown on the king’s features.

"It means, Master Elrohir, that my son has set out to seek death," Thranduil replied and turned towards the horizon. "He is not coming back."

"What are you going to do?" Erestor asked.

"I am going to win this contest and speak with Aragorn, as he is the only who knows what happened, and can help to look for Legolas. I can only hope and pray to the Valar that I will not find my son de…" Thranduil realized he could not say the last word; it was far too painful.

"You will not." Elrohir tried to reassure the king, hoping with all his heart that Legolas would be alright.

"Erestor," Thranduil called, and catching the advisor's attention, he continued, "Let your lord know that the contest will begin tonight. I do not have time now if I wish to find my son."

Erestor nodded and left.

Thranduil then turned his gaze back to Saelbeth. "Rest first, and return to Mirkwood. Saelbeth, you will be in charge till I return."

"Yes, Your Highness," Saelbeth nodded and then he added, "I will see you before I leave, and I will send a messenger once we have news of Legolas."

"Hannon-le." Thranduil thanked him as he left.

Elrohir looked at Thranduil, wishing to help when he saw the king’s emotions reflected even in the way he breathed.

"Will you sit with me?" Elrohir asked, looking warily at the king as he walked toward the garden.

"It will be my honor, young one." Thranduil replied, and following Elrohir, he sat beside him on the bare ground, careful not to ruin any flowers.

Only when they were both seated did Elrohir asked Thranduil, "How do you really feel?"

"Torn." Thranduil admitted.

"Once this is over, I will come with you as I cannot stand how my father acts anymore. Once some sense comes back to him, I might return, but not before." Elrohir voiced his thoughts aloud.

"It is your life to decide what you will, and I am not one to tell you otherwise." Thranduil said with grace.

"I thank you for this," Elrohir said with a smile and added honestly, "but I am also worried about the contest tonight."

"What worries you about it?" Thranduil asked.

"Your mind, Thranduil. Your mind is occupied with your son and not focused on the contest. I would hate to see you lose it." Elrohir replied.

"Do not worry, mellon-nin. It will be alright, you will see." Thranduil assured him, though in his mind, he was growing increasingly worried about his son's welfare.

Elrohir truly wished to believe that but he had guessed how Thranduil was feeling and his mind was not going to let it go just like that. He could see the mix of anger and worry, as though Thranduil wished to simply leave Imladris and look for his son, while on the other hand, he could not have Elrond think he was a coward for leaving, or let Elrond win the match. Elrohir was sure that all the king really wanted was to know what happened and look for his son – and there was little he could do to help.

--

While inside the house…

Erestor entered the healing wing as soon as he saw Elrond sitting there.

"My lord, Thranduil requests that you be at the garden as soon as night falls, to begin the contest," Erestor announced.

"Why?" Elrond asked, surprised by the change of time since he had expected for the contest to only begin at dawn the next day.

"Thranduil's guards arrived and they told him about his son…" But Erestor was interrupted by his lord.

"What about his son?" Elrond asked, the hatred clear in his voice.

"He has gone missing, taking nothing with him, not even his horse." Erestor replied.

Elrond only smiled. The only thought that crossed his mind then was that Thranduil would be worried about his son, which meant he would not perform as well during the contest.

"That is good news, good news indeed." Elrond said.

Elladan left his brother's side and walked decisively toward his father. 

"How could you say this?" Elladan asked his father.

Now he knew how sorry he was about Thranduil and Legolas; he had been feeling like a traitor ever since Thranduil came. He should have been there with his twin when the king arrived, he should have sought for news about Legolas. Legolas was his friend as well.

"Why is that not true?" Elrond only asked, his smile still in place, if not wider.

"Do you not worry about Legolas?" Elladan asked, noticed his father's look, he added mockingly, "Forgive me, I thought I knew my father, but it seems that he is more evil than the darkest creatures that lurk in the shadows."

With that, Elladan returned to his brother's side, trying to sooth, or at least, take the pain away for a while. 

"I am here, Estel, and so are Elrohir and Thranduil." He had to let his brother know who were the ones who cared for him, whether they were in the room or not.

Aragorn turned his head from side to side, still struggling to be free of the fever. "L… Legolas?" The name came out clearly nonetheless.

"He is not here, Estel. I wish we knew where he is." Elladan said honestly.

Elrond moved over, placing a hand on the man. "No…" Aragorn cried, as though in pain, jerking away.

"Aragorn!" Elrond’s anger had barely subsided and his son’s action had not helped. Getting a grip on himself, he added more softly, "It is the fever, my son, do not let it conquer your mind."

Still, the man was thrashing upon the bed, his moans and shouts now indistinct. The blanket that covered him soon fell onto the floor.

"You have to calm down, Aragorn," Elrond said firmly, but his words fell on deaf ears. "Aragorn," He called again.

Then, feeling Elladan’s gaze on him, he turned around. "What are you standing there for? Help me cover your brother." He ordered.

Elladan picked up the blanket, doing as he was told. He would deal with his father later; now Aragorn was the one who needed his attention more.

"Feel better, Estel." Elladan said softly at Aragorn's ear, and then reached over to hold his brother's hand.

To his and Elrond's surprise, Aragorn did not jerk his hand away.

"Why did he not move away from you?" Elrond thought aloud.

Elladan stared at his adar briefly, then with a slight shrug, he replied, "Maybe he felt the anger behind your action."

"I will take that I did not hear you say that."

"Do what you want, but I do not know you anymore. You have changed," Elladan told his father, trying hard to keep his voice quiet and focused more on his brother instead.

Elrond was fuming by then, and as he saw how his son ignored him, he stormed out of the room.

Erestor was standing silently at the door then and he could feel the slam as the door rebounded against the wall. The advisor glanced at Elladan, then, giving one last look at the man lying in the bed, he left the brothers alone and caught up with his lord.

Elrond did not notice the darkness as he left the house. Right then, he was fuming at everything, but mostly at Thranduil. Ever since that elf came, everything had been going out of control.

He kept his pace as he stormed through the corridors, even as he saw his traitor son with Thranduil, sitting together and talking as though they had done nothing wrong.

"How does Aragorn fare?" Thranduil asked, and catching the glare from the elf-lord, and he turned to the advisor and addressed him, "Erestor, how does Aragorn fare?"

"Not good, Thranduil. He is having a bad fever, though seeing that Elladan is with him, he is in good hands." Erestor replied with a soft smile.

Thranduil turned toward Elrohir and asked him gently, "Why don’t you go and help your brother?" Noticing the worried glance that Elrohir gave him, he added, "I will be alright. Now go, and be with your brothers."

Elrohir nodded gratefully and left, not bothered to speak to his father.

"What is the first contest?" Elrond asked.

"You will have to ask Glorfindel. He and Erestor are the judges though he would be presiding over the contest." Thranduil replied and then left, Erestor following by his side.

Elrond could felt how the anger was rising in his body. Elrohir did not even wish to speak to him, and now Thranduil was doing likewise.

The lord eventually found the Balrog Slayer in the garden, his eyes straying to gaze at the sky.

"What are you doing?" Elrond asked, having already lost his impatience.

"Searching for some clues." Glorfindel replied, not even turning to acknowledge his lord.

"Clues that will help me win this game?" Elrond asked with a hopeful smile.

"There will be no clues given," Glorfindel stared at his lord before he continued, "Especially not to you, my lord."

"How rude." Elrond muttered and left.

Glorfindel smiled, seemingly pleased with himself, and waited for his companion in judging to come and finalize some important rules.

Soon Erestor came with Thranduil, and Glorfindel could see the worry and desperation that haunted the Mirkwood king.

Glorfindel walked toward him, needing a confirmation before making arrangements with the rest of the elves to set up the contest.

"Are you certain you want to do this, Thranduil?" Glorfindel asked.

The king sighed heavily, reminded of the weight that bore upon him, the weight of pain, of losing something, someone of his own flesh and blood. "I am. I brought this up, and I hope I can make it through for the sake of both Aragorn and my son," He replied.

"Thank you. I do hope you will win this contest, and I hope you can forgive us for Lord Elrond’s attitude."

"You need not ask for forgiveness, Glorfindel. The only one I can blame is Lord Elrond himself. I cannot blame anyone else, not even Aragorn, as I have not heard his tale of the matter." Thranduil told him, the understanding showing in his eyes.

Glorfindel nodded in comprehension. He was about to speak when Elrond returned, as angry as before when he saw Glorfindel nodding at Thranduil.

"Have you given him any clues?" Elrond asked Glorfindel mockingly.

"If you continue with this kind of attitude, I might, so be warned, my Lord Elrond, and behave as though this were any other competition, because I will not tolerate your insult on my character, do you understand?" Glorfindel asked him, pride and indignation mixed in his voice.

Elrond only nodded, saying nothing.

Glorfindel only stepped closer to him and repeated his question louder, "Do you understand?"

"I do, now can we start and get it over it?” Elrond was barely holding back his impatience. “Aragorn is having a bad fever and I do not wish to lose him because of some silly contest."

Glorfindel and Erestor nodded at the elves who were hidden within the forest as they set the first challenge up and prepared the targets.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," Elrond sneered at them and added, "Is this your contest?"

Glorfindel knew that he had to do something about his lord, but knowing that now was not the right moment, he held back, and replied his lord in a measured tone, "I am not joking with you, as you full well know. This first contest might seem easy but I assure you it is not so."

"And I am supposed to shoot my arrows at the target above the elves’ heads?" Elrond asked, inwardly knowing that he had not tried this often, and, unless he aimed better, he might simply get more elves into the healing wings.

"Aye," Glorfindel replied with a large smile, knowing that the lord would have problem aiming with his current emotional state. He only hoped that Thranduil would have no problem with that. Turning to Mirkwood's king, he asked, "Are you comfortable with the challenge, Thranduil?"

Thranduil smiled as he replied, "It is. Thank you for arranging it, Glorfindel. Mirkwood invites you to set up a similar contest; I’m sure the elves would enjoy it."

"After all of this is over, I will accept your invitation happily. Perhaps some other elves would wish to join in as well." Glorfindel thanked him.

Thranduil nodded, and readied his weapon, noticing that Elrond did the same.

It was arranged that Erestor would announce who would start, how many points each of them gained, and the winner in each round.

"Thranduil will begin the contest as he is our guest." Erestor declared, ignoring his lord's curses.

Thranduil nodded at Elrond, and drew his bow for his first shot. He sighed in relief as he felt the wind to his favor and watched as the arrow found its way on the target.

Elrond succeeded in the first shooting as well, hitting right in the eye of the target.

"No winners for this round." Erestor said when they finished.

"Do you not have keen eyes?" Elrond asked Glorfindel, "You of all elves should know that the one who hits closest to the center wins the contest!"

But Elrond’s efforts to claim victory for the first round fell upon deaf ears.

Then Glorfindel set up the next round. He glanced over at Thranduil, sensing how his worry deepened with each minute. The elf seemed torn by the pain and misery as his anxiety over his own child grew.

"Erestor, get Elrohir here. He is the only one who can get Thranduil to focus back on the contest. I do not wish for the king to lose because of the struggle he is feeling right now." Glorfindel told the advisor.

Erestor nodded and left.

"Where did he go?" Elrond asked at once, but received no reply.

Still, he was heartened as they continued the contest. Thranduil was starting to miss his targets.

--

Erestor soon burst into the healer’s room.

"Erestor, what is the matter?" Elrohir asked immediately, noticing his twin turning to look at the advisor as well.

"It's Thranduil. His worry is starting to affect his performance in the contest," Erestor replied, sighing before he continued, "Glorfindel sent me to bring you, thinking you could do something about it."

Elrohir turned to his twin, searching for a reassurance, "Can you help Aragorn while I am out there?”

"Certainly, muindor. Go and may the Valar help you," Elladan blessed his brother.

Together, Erestor and Elrohir ran from the house, hoping to reach the others before the second round was over. 

--

While somewhere…

Legolas lay on the hard ground, and waited. He could feel his side burning, his hands numb. He closed his eyes, enduring the pain as he waited for his soul to be received. Would the soul of a murderer be welcome in the Hall of Mandos? He knew what the elves would do to his body but he could not care less. None of them would care for him. He was the one who had brought them shame when he hurt Aragorn so greatly.

"Forgive me, mellon-nin…" Legolas whispered, ignoring the lone tear that fell from his eyes, dampening the ground.

TBC…


Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Fever Dreams Are Funny Things

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

--

Chapter 8: Fever Dreams Are Funny Things

Elrohir hurried outside, his heart beating louder and faster. He had never thought this would be the day he found himself doing something as... extreme. But he knew that it was only now that he could return the favor Legolas had once given him.

In the light of events, he could only hope that he would be of help to Thranduil as the Elven-king had suffered enough for the problems caused partly by him and his disappointing father.

When they Erestor led him there, Elrohir could see the problem immediately. Not only was Glorfindel looking far more worried than he had even been, the torn expression on the Elven-king told him all he needed to know. His fury rose when he saw the one he called his father grinning as Thranduil’s arrow went wildly astray.

Elrond glared at his son as they approached.

"What is he doing here?" Elrond asked, directing the question at Glorfindel.

"I am not going to answer this, my Lord Elrond, but I believe a time out will be appropriate now," Glorfindel replied to him, stopping the contest.

Elrohir was raring to approach and only Erestor’s warning held him back. The younger elf could see the struggle the king faced and he knew that if he stood any chance of winning, it was only if he concentrated on the contest. Elrohir certainly did not wish his father would win this.

"I won rightfully, why should you stop the contest?" Elrond asked Glorfindel.

"I can end this contest right now and declare that you did not win at all," Glorfindel warned and at Elrond’s silence, he gestured for Elrohir to approach the king.

Elrohir could feel how the king was caught in images only he could see. He did not need to know much to tell that he was tormented by the grief of losing his son, and of all the misfortune that might await his precious child otherwise.

"King Thranduil, look at me!" Elrohir directed the king firmly.

But there was no response. Thranduil let his bow fall to the ground, his lips mumbling his son’s name.

Elrohir looked toward Glorfindel with despair written in his blue eyes. He had no inkling how they should deal with the king’s agony especially with his adar's poor attitude to exacerbate it: Elrond was now smiling as he recognised the pain on Thranduil’s face, content in the knowledge that he had won the contest fair and square.

--

While in the healer's room…

Elladan sat in the chair close by Aragorn, using the dry leaves to wipe the cold sweat from his feverish brother. He could see the way his brother jerked as the fever tormented him, and it pained him to see his little brother in such pain.

His father had told him of how Estel, though the boy recovered quickly whenever he was under the weather, had once been in bed for six days and only on the seven day had the fever broken. Elladan remembered what the healer told him then, "Fever dreams are funny things for humans.They make them say things that they long pushed to the back of their minds, or even facts that their feverish mind had twisted."

Looking at his brother, he wet the leaves with some fresh cool water and dabbed them on the human’s skin. "Well, little brother, I do hope that the fever would not cause you any harm," Elladan said softly, as he looked towards the door, forlorn in the knowledge that there would be no one entering to lift his spirits. The contest was still going on; no one could come.

With a worried frown on his face, Elladan continued wiping Aragorn's forehead. If anything, his brother seemed to be burning worse from the heat of the fever than ever before.

"Legolas…" Aragorn was mumbling as his head thrashed from side to side.

"He is not here, Estel," Elladan replied softly, but it gave the man little comfort.

"I killed him… Forgive me Legolas… I left you alone in the cold… What kind of friend will do it to another? I am the one that should be dead… not you…"

Elladan stared at his brother, shock clearly written on his face.

'You did not kill Legolas… How I wish Legolas were here to clear it up for you…' Elladan thought in despair, and but he tried to keep that out of his voice as he spoke, "Aragorn, I do hope that you can hear me. You did not kill your friend; Legolas is still around, he must be… Please, gwador, listen to my voice."

But the man was too lost in his recollection of that last hunting trip with Legolas, remembering how they walked on the snow with no worries at all.

He followed Legolas on the white blanket that covered the ground and though Aragorn could feel the cold shivers sentthrough his body, he did not want Legolas to see him easily overcome by the freezing weather.

"L... Legolas..." He called the elf, though he found it hard to talk.

"Are you all right, Aragorn?" Legolas asked as he turned around. It was perhaps his first time hearing the man speak so slowly.

"I am well, I am well," Aragorn replied to him and then he added with a smirk, "Don’t I look well?"

"Somewhat... Well, your voice is saying something different," Legolas grinned at him.

"W... what kind of answer is that?" Aragorn asked.

"The obvious, can’t you tell?" Legolas replied to him, still grinning.

"Oh, Valar, help me..." Aragorn called and looked helplessly at the sky as he heard Legolas laughing at his words.

"It is not funny, my friend," Aragorn insisted, but this only sent the elf into another laughing fit.

But within a second, Legolas had stared at him as though trying to know what the human meant. He did not want to lose his friendship with the man, and he hoped that his laughing would not end the bond of friendship that they shared. As Aragorn noticed how something had passed across his friend's face, he asked, "Are you... Are you all right, mellon-nin?"

"I am fine, Estel," Legolas replied and then,looking at his friend, he asked, "Are we still friends?"

"O... of course," Aragorn replied and tried to make himself take a larger step on the slick snow, which only caused him to fall over, "Why... did you think... otherwise?"

"I thought I might have offended you, and it was my fault that we ended up like this, in the cold," Legolas replied, averting his gaze.

"Legolasss... Look at me!" Aragorn called to him, still shuddering especially with his clothes now wet.

Legolas looked at him, not masking the worry on his face.

"Our friendship is forever, do you understand?" Aragorn said strongly as he tried to hide his shivering.

"I do, thank you,mellon-nin," Legolas said, and seeing the man still soaking wet, he suggested, "I think that we should find some warm place. I do not want to be the one explaining to Lord Elrond how you ended up sick again."

"Good thinking, my friend." Aragorn thanked him since neither did he wish to explain how he was unwell before the hunting even started.

Legolas nodded and started to walk on, and then he stopped when he did not hear his friend's footsteps, "Aragorn," he called, "Is something wrong?"

"I... a-am... c-c-cold..." Aragorn was stuttering. He could barely control his jaw and his legs were feeling particularly numb.

With a slight smile, Legolas went to his side, and supporting him with an arm, he helped him toward the closest cave he saw.

Elladan stared at his brother, hearing his mumbling and calls for Legolas. The way his voice trembled sounded as though he was suffering from a bitter cold.

"Estel," Elladan called him, hoping that, somehow, even in the feverish dream, his brother could hear his voice, "Estel, it is I, Elladan."

There was no recognition or response from Aragorn, and that made Elladan far uneasy. Raising his hand to his brother's forehead, he could felt the heat intensifying. His heart skipped a beat at that. He was clueless not. He did not know what he should do, but he did not want to lose his brother to the fever either.

With a heavy heart, he made his decision. Contest or no contest, Estel’s health and life was more important. That was his priority now.

"Forgive me, Estel," Elladan said as he left the room, and the house.

--

Elrond had sensed the presence of Elladan even before he approached. "What are you doing here?" Elrond demanded.

Elladan could hear the angry tone from his father, but thinking of his brother, he found the courage to speak. "It’s Estel. His fever is getting much worse while you’re enjoying your contest," Elladan replied mockingly.

"Did you gave him Athelas?" Elrond asked him, ignoring the younger elf’s bitter tone.

Elladan nodded and added, "I used whatever was in the room. I’m not sure I know what to do now."

Before Elrond could reply, Elrohir clasped his hand on his brother’s shoulder. "I trust you to do whatever is good to help our younger brother," he said reassuringly, "If you need me, ask Lindir to call me."

"Master Elladan," Erestor addressed him, "There is a book on healing herbs in the library. If you search through the section on fever or infection, you may find something to beat the fever."

Elladan nodded to him gratefully and with a final smile at his twin, he took his leave.

Seeing that the matter was resolved, Elrond stared at the others impatiently, waiting for the confirmation of his win. "Have you decided on the winner?" he asked.

"Nobody won, as you remember, Lord Elrond, we had a time-out, so you can choose to stay stay here or to help bring down Aragorn’s fever, " Glorfindel reminded him.

"I will stay, then, but I do hope we can resume this contest soon. I have much to do before the morning is over," Elrond said haughtily.

Elrohir walked toward his father, visibly angry at his attitude. "I wish I had Estel’s courage to hit you for that," he said.

Thranduil came over, and giving Elrond a look of disgust, spoke to Elrohir, "He is not worth it, Elrohir, let’s go."

Elrohir nodded at the elf-king but shot one last line at Elrond, "I am ashamed to have you as my father; King Thranduil makes a much better adar."

With that he followed the king toward the shade of the trees and sat with him, thinking of strategies to help him focus and win the contest.

Glorfindel and Erestor watched for their lord’s reaction, but Elrond did not seem to have heard Elrohir as he concentrated on what he could do for the contest, wishing to win Thranduil, no matter what came in his way.

--

Elladan hurried toward the library, not wanting to lose his brother to the fever. As he quickly looked through the shelves, he found the book Erestor had mentioned about and brought it to the wooden table.

Elladan found the section and read it carefully. The description of symptoms resembled his brother's fever, and he took the book along with him to his adar's room, where he found the right herbs.

Without wasting time, he returned to his brother’s side and put the herbs and book beside the bed before finding an empty pitcher. "I will heal you, my brother," Elladan said, as he saw the man’s eyes moving rapidly under his eyelids. Quickly, he headed toward the stream, and filled the pitcher with water before returning.

He arranged the new herbs and checked the book, then he took some water from the vessel and sprinkled it upon his brother’s pale skin. Picking up one of the leaves, he wiped his forehead with it, hoping the cool water would refresh his brother.

"I will take care of you, little brother," Elladan told him gently as he took a fresh leaf, adding the herbs and placing them on Aragorn's forehead, "You will be all right, Estel."

But the man was still moaning for Legolas, apologizing, and asking for forgiveness.

"You did not do anything wrong, little brother," Elladan said earnestly.

“Legolas... no...”

'I wish to know what happened between you two on this hunting trip,' Elladan thought as his brother mumbled something indiscernible. There was nothing he could do but wait, and hope that the river water, along with the herbs, would help lower the fever. Hopefully Elrohir would be able to help Thranduil much better than he was helping Aragorn.

--

An hour later...

Elladan looked up from the chair as saw his twin and the king enter the room. As he saw the light dancing in the king's eyes, he stood up. "What happened?" Elladan asked the king, while his twin brother went to check on Estel.

Thranduil faced Elladan as he replied, "I won Lord Elrond." He smiled and added, "If you are looking for your father, though, he is still in the garden arguing with Lord Glorfindel and Lord Erestor."

Elladan grinned and said to him, "That’s the best news I have heard all day."

Thranduil smiled and nodded, then looking toward the bed he asked, "How is Aragorn?"

"He is still feverish, I am afraid," Elladan replied.

"Elladan, muindor," Elrohir told him, smiling. "You did great as far as I can tell; the fever is coming down."

Elladan turned over at once, not having realised that. With a sigh of relief, he added, "I’m glad it worked. It was growing worse and I didn’t know what to do."

Thranduil clasped both hands on Elladan's shoulders. "You have certainly done well, and I believe you will be a great healer when the time comes," he smiled.

"I am proud of you too, brother," Elrohir added, watching as Elladan’s frown gave way to a genuine smile.

Thranduil walked over to sit beside Aragorn's bed and noticed that Aragorn was moving his lips as though whispering.

"This is bad," Elladan said as he noticed it as well. "There’s something that happened between him and Legolas, and I wish to know what it was."

"What do you mean?" Elrohir asked his twin.

"He has been apologizing and asking Legolas for forgiveness," Elladan replied.

The three of them watched as the man stirred, and they moved to allow him some space.

Elrohir sat Aragorn’s side, prompting him to wake. "Open your gray eyes for me, little brother," he teased him lightly, and then he continued, "You are safe, my brother."

Aragorn could hear his voice and he tried, but his eyes felt too heavy. As he felt Elrohir’s arm soothing him, he tried again, and this time, his eyes open a crack.

"You are doing well, Estel," Elladan told him and then he filled a cup with water. "Let me help you to sit and then you can have a little water."

Aragorn did as he was told, though he still felt weak. As his eyes adjusted, he saw King Thranduil before him, and his expression turned to shame. Quickly, he lowered his head and looked at the sheets.

"Aragorn," Thranduil called to him gently, as he noticed that, "What is it that troubles your heart?"

Aragorn felt the fear vibrating through his body, and he quickly hid his shaking hands under the covers. After a long time, he rose his head slowly to meet the king's eyes.

"What is it Estel?" Elrohir asked with a heavy heart as he noticed the fear overshadowing his brother’s gray eyes.

Aragorn stared at the king, and when he finally replied, he was almost whispering, "I killed your son."

Thranduil stared at him blankly, not certain that he heard it right. "What did you say?" Thranduil asked him, his voice not as confident as before.

"I killed Legolas."

TBC...


Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Fallen into Shadow

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in 1st chapter.
 
Beta: Aranel

Special Warning: Lines taken from FoTR movie.

--
 
Chapter 9: Fallen into Shadow

"He is not dead, Aragorn," Thranduil told him softly.

Aragorn frowned, not seemingly convinced by what Legolas's father was telling him.

"Where…where is he?" Aragorn asked as he stared at the elves; Legolas was definitely not amongst them.

"I do not know; I wish I knew where he is," Thranduil replied sadly.

"What do you mean, King Thranduil?"

"First, young man, I am not a king in your homeland and you may address me as Thranduil. Secondly, I have heard from my elves that he left our home, with no horse or any weapon," Thranduil replied, and he could see the man’s expression change.

"Why would Legolas not take his weapons and Arod?" Aragorn asked.

"I believe he is seeking death," Thranduil replied simply.

The shock that featured on the Aragorn’s face was hard to miss, and the man seemed determined to leave the bed in spite of his ill health.

"Where do you think you are going, little brother?" Elrohir asked him, stopping the man.

"To find Legolas," Aragorn replied to him and added, "I will not let him find death as I was supposed to be the one who found it."

"Your time is up, Thranduil. Please leave my son to rest," Elrond commanded as he entered the room, all of a sudden. He had clearly heard what Aragorn had said for he moved toward his son. "Aragorn, I will not going to let you out of your bed. Need I remind you that you are still in pain?"

"First of all, Elrond, my time has just begun, and I believe that you are acting very obstinately towards your son. You do not belong here, as Aragorn needs his family to support him and not add to the chaos that you have already created," Thranduil said, leaving his chair as he walked toward the lord, his eyes locked upon Elrond's.

"King or no king, I will not tolerate such attitude," Elrond was fuming and he spoke in a hostile tone. "Get out of here at once; all you did was make my son feel that he did something wrong."

"I will go only after I get the truth," Thranduil stood his ground and then added, "Then I will go to find my son alone, and hope that he has not died before I find him."

"I had rather you leave this moment," Elrond stated.

Thranduil nodded, not bothered to retort. He knew that he was not welcome at Imladris, and Imladris was not as friendly as it was before.

"No, please…" Aragorn weak voice stopped him.

"I cannot, son, I am not welcome here and neither will Legolas be – if I find him," Thranduil told him softly, hoping that the man would understand.

"You are not his father," Elrond reminded him.

"Neither are you," Thranduil shot back.

"I wish…to come…with you…Thr…" Aragorn said weakly, barely having the strength to call his name.

"I know, son." Thranduil said softly.

"Are you leaving?" Elrohir asked the king, and Thranduil could hear the sadness in his voice.

"Aye, although I do not have all the answers, I must seek my son before it is too late," Thranduil replied.

With that, he turned toward the guest room, where he had left his weapons and his belongings. He wished to leave as soon as possible, now that there was no use staying here. Busy in his thoughts, he did not hear Elladan entering the room.

"Thranduil," the younger elf called, and then, with hesitation clear in his voice, he asked, "Will…I mean, could you wait for us in Lothlórien?"

Thranduil stared at the twin, wondering why he should be waiting for them in that land, but knowing the question would not have been in vain, he nodded and replied, "I will. But on the seventh day, when night falls, I will be gone."

"Hannon le, Thranduil," Elladan thanked him and added, "We will be there."

--

Lord Glorfindel and Lord Erestor watched as King Thranduil and his guards left, knowing in their hearts that, from what they saw of the horses, they might not see the royal Mirkwood party again.

--

Aragorn stared at his foster father, as questions and doubts surfaced in his mind.

He wanted to leave his bed so badly, if it was indeed true that Legolas might die of grief.

"Why?" Aragorn asked.

"Why what?" Elrond asked and came forward the bed.

"Why do you act like this?" Aragorn asked, wishing to gather his strength back to normal.

"Like what?" Elrond asked.

"Like a mean lord. You are not the lord who raised me; he who raised me was more open and less unreasonable, unlike how you’re acting now," Aragorn explained and then moaned as the pain shot up when he tried to move.

"I am still your father, and you will do as I will tell you," Elrond told him, pushing him back into the bed before leaving the room.

Elrohir sighed in relief when his adar left the room and walked closer to his brother, placing a comforting arm on him. He could feel his twin coming as well and moved so Elladan could speak to Estel.

"We will leave for Lothlórien soon, but Estel, you have to take it easy as you are still in pain," Elladan told him softly, and after a while, he added, "Thranduil will wait for us there, and hopefully Legolas will not find death so soon."

Estel nodded, and when he closed his eyes, Elrohir asked his twin, "How long will Thranduil wait?"

"Till dawn on the seventh day, and then he will leave." Elladan replied.

"And what should we do now?" Elrohir asked.

"We leave, of course," Elladan replied and then he added, "Thranduil needs us now, and so does Legolas, wherever he may be."

"When will we leave?" Elrohir asked, and before his brother could answer, he continued, "We need to prepare to bring Estel along, and carry extra bandages and some of adar's healing herbs."

Elladan nodded. "Tomorrow; it will be for the best. Watch over him, brother, and let me settle things with the help of Erestor and Glorfindel," Elladan told him and left the room, in search of Erestor and Glorfindel, both of whom proved not difficult to find.

"Master Elladan, is something wrong?" Glorfindel asked, clearly noticing the sadness in the elf's blue eyes.

"Aragorn is not feeling well, and Thranduil is leaving," Elladan summarised.

"King Thranduil is leaving? What happened?" Glorfindel asked, the concern apparent in the elf's eyes.

"Ada,” Elladan replied with a sigh. “It seems that he does not wish for our brother to know what all the fuss is about."

Glorfindel and Erestor observed the elf before them, and Erestor, noticing the determined light in Elladan's eyes, thought to ask, "What are you planning to do?" 

"Leaving, of course," Elladan replied.

"Where to?" Glorfindel asked.

"To Lothlórien," Elladan replied and then he continued, "I have asked Thranduil to wait for us there before he continues searching for his son alone."

"Do you need anything from us?" Erestor asked.

"What are you going to take with you?" Glorfindel asked.

"Clothes, weapons and some food for the road," Elladan replied gratefully.

"I want you to take something for your brother," Erestor advised, and then he added, "You will have a long and exhausting journey ahead."

"I will prepare the wagon that we have in the livery; it will help you while you are on the road and you can watch over Estel," Glorfindel added.

"Hannon-le," Elladan thanked them and continued, "I wish adar will show some sympathy like you do."

"Unfortunately, your adar is not listening to anyone," Glorfindel told him sadly.

--

While on the way to Lothlórien…

Thranduil stared at the bloody sunset, and his gut wrenched at the thought of his son dying somewhere, alone.

Keeping his eyes alert, he rode on toward Lothlórien with a heavy heart. How he wished to turn aside to seek for his son, but he remembered his promise to Elladan and stopped himself.

With his eyes betraying his grief, the king rode on, thinking of those last moments he shared with his son. He could remember his precious son's spirit breaking into a thousand pieces like a delicate shell, and it pained his heart.

'Legolas, ion-nin… do not die… I love you… do not leave me alone,' Thranduil could only pray that his son would not leave him like the rest of his family had.

Urging his horse on, he rode toward the sunset, hoping that the next day could bring him the hope he was soon losing.

--

On the next morning…

Imladris

Glorfindel and Erestor had readied the horses and the wagon for Aragorn, and they watched as the twins made the final preparations.

"I hope to see another one or two added to your company when you return,” Glorfindel said, and knowing that he would miss them, he suggested, “If you should change your plans, send a messenger so we will know how you are doing."

"I will do that," Elladan assured him, and then he clasped his hands on the warrior's shoulders, "Thank you, my lord and my friend."

"Keep Thranduil safe; do not let him sink into despair," Erestor advised, stepping closer.

The twins thanked them, and prepared to mount their horses, but just when Elrohir was leading his out of the stables, he was stopped by his adar's voice.

"Where do you think you are going?" Elrond asked them, adding, "Your brother is in no shape to travel."

"We are leaving for someplace safe, and you are not going to stop us," Elrohir replied, walking toward his gelding.

"Where exactly?" Elrond asked.

"Lothlórien, to meet our grandpa and grandma," Elrohir replied as he mounted his horse.

"Thranduil is not passing your way, is he?" Elrond asked, and suddenly feared that somehow the king was planning something against his family.

"We should go," Elladan told his brother as he checked that the wagon was attached securely to their horses’ reins.

"Aye we should," Elrohir agreed and turned to look at his father for the last time, "We are already wasting precious moments here."

Elrond watched as his sons left him, leaving trails of dust behind them, but much as he wished he could do something to make them stay, no option presented itself to his mind.

With a heavy sigh, he slumped his shoulders in defeat and walked back to the empty house.

--

With every bump on the trail, the ranger could feel the waves of pain within him growing but he could only moan weakly, begging it all to stop.

The twins quickly stopped the horse and Elrohir dismounted and hurried to check how his brother was doing. He sat on the wagon beside his brother, and finally turned to his twin. "I need to sedate him; we cannot move on like this," he said.

"Do what you can, little brother. Hopefully, we will reach our grandmother soon and she will know what to do," Elladan suggested softly.

Elrohir did so as gently as he could and then returned to his gelding. Without a word, they rode on, doubling their pace as they hurried toward Lothlórien.

--

Near Lothlórien's border, Rúmil, Haldir's brother came to greet King Thranduil.

"Mae govannen, King Thranduil," the March-warden greeted him and then he added, "I am Rúmil, Haldir's brother."

"Hannon-le," Thranduil thanked him and followed as the elf led him into the forest.

Rúmil seemed surprised to see the king alone, without his guards. He certainly had many burning questions but he did not wish to upset the king with them.

Still, Thranduil, walking beside him, could sense the tension in every step that he took. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Nay, aye… umm…" Rúmil started to reply and only managed to face the king with a confused expression.

"What is it, young one?" Thranduil asked softly.

"I have been wondering… I mean… Why are you here alone? Where are your guards? Has something happened in your land?" Rúmil asked, feeling relieved now that it was all out.

Thranduil looked at the guard, as though still waiting for more questions, and when he heard none, he asked with a grin, "Have you no more questions or are you taking a break?"

Rúmil smiled as he replied, "Nay, I believe I’ve got it all covered."

"I think I should answer them, my friend," Thranduil replied as he walked toward the nearest tree and leaned on it as he continued, "I had sent my guards away as I had reached Imladris and there was no danger for me." He sighed heavily before he continued, "Something has happened between my son and Aragorn, and I believe Elrond may have said something hurtful to my son. I no longer seem to know my son and the last thing I know is that he ran away with no weapons, and he fears me. That all said, Mirkwood is still safe."

"What do you mean 'with no weapons'?" Rúmil asked immediately.

"Without his arrows and the bow that I gave him for winning the contest in my land, as well as the sword that was the last gift that his naneth gave to him before…" Thranduil could not continue. He could still feel the pain arising from the memory of his beautiful wife.

"King Thranduil?" Rúmil asked as he noticed how far away the king seemed, his eyes staring at something only he saw.

"The sword was covered with blood, dried blood," Thranduil said. "After every fight, he would clean his sword, so that it always remains in the same good condition."

"I hope you will find your son, King Thranduil," Rúmil told him, unsure of what else he could say.

"I am no king in your homeland, Rúmil. Addressing me as ‘Thranduil’ is fine here," Thranduil mentioned.

Rúmil nodded as they continued walking.

Thranduil could felt the presence of the lord and the lady of light coming toward him. It seemed as though the light was somehow filling the darkness his heart had been trapped in the past few days. Perhaps, just perhaps, there might be hope for finding Legolas alive.

"Welcome to Lothlórien, King Thranduil," Galadriel welcomed him.

"How does Mirkwood fare?" Celeborn asked.

"All is well under the best care," Thranduil replied.

"Your heart is in despair and yet you fear to lose hope that your son might leave you," Lady Galadriel read it from his eyes, and then she added, her blue eyes shining brightly, "Do not lose hope, Thranduil."

Thranduil nodded as he met her gaze. He was still angry at his former friend, the lord Elrond, and this must have shown because the lady continued, "I will act for you concerning this anger you bear toward him. Now you need to concern yourself with keeping your hope alive. Do not lose hope; he needs you as much as you need him."

"I love him too much to lose him."

"And this we know," Lord Celeborn told him gently.

"May this land bring your heart some peace while you rest," Lady Galadriel blessed him and watched the king leave for the tent prepared for him.

"Hannon-le," Thranduil thanked them.

--

While on the way to Lothlórien

Aragorn felt himself somehow moving. Each bump on the road sent pain through his body, and made him question where he is going.

"W… Where?" he asked weakly, his throat still feeling as though on fire.

"We need to stop, Elladan," Elrohir told his twin as he was concerned about their brother. "He is awake." 

Elrohir dismounted and hurried to his brother's side while Elladan followed closely, going to the other side of the wagon, where he watched his twin taking care of Aragorn.

"How is he?" Elladan asked.

"Not good. The fever is still climbing, and I fear that every irregularity on the road is increasing his pain," Elrohir replied and stared at him. "We need to hurry, and yet we need to slow down for his sake."

"Will it help if I could take him on my horse and ride hard to Lothlórien?" Elladan asked.

"Perhaps, but you should take these herbs with you as well, in case he feels the pain," Elrohir replied and helped his brother carry Aragorn to his horse.

"I will follow you as soon as I can prepare the wagon and my horse. I’ll be riding next to you in no time," Elrohir told him with a grin.

"I will be ready for you, muindor; just hurry," Elladan looked at him kindly, and then he held Aragorn tightly, not letting him fall, as his horse danced in the wind while they rode away.

Elrohir sighed heavily, knowing that in two more days, Thranduil would leave Lothlórien, seeking for his son alone; and he knew that Elladan was right – they needed to hurry.

--

Lothlórien's Border…

It was Haldir's shift when he saw a white stallion riding as though being chased. He could see two riders on the horse and quickly called for his brother.

"What is it?" Orophin asked as he walked toward him.

"We have company; alert the lord and the lady."

"Rúmil," Haldir called, as he could see that the human Elladan was holding was bleeding and growing rather pale.

"What is it, Haldir?" Rúmil asked.

"Prepare the healing tent; we need all the herbs, fresh leaves and water to stop the man from bleeding to death," Haldir replied and then he mounted his horse and rode out to greet the newcomers and lead them to the tent where the others were waiting.

"I wish you would come more often, Lord Elladan," Haldir greeted him with a welcoming smile.

"Hannon-le, Haldir, and since I am not a lord in your homeland, you should call me 'Elladan' – without the title," Elladan thanked him and let Haldir help him with his wounded brother.

"Then Elladan it is," Haldir grinned, and then as they walked to the tent, he asked, "Where is Elrohir?"

"He should be here soon," Elladan assured him, and he sighed in relief when he saw Thranduil also in the tent.

"Is there something that I should be worried about, mellon-nin?" Haldir asked as he noticed the exchanged glances and the concern in the king's eyes.

"Nay, not for now," Elladan replied as he watched the lady of light lay his brother on the bed and take care of his wound.

"Are you certain?" Haldir asked while the wheels in his mind worked. He was certain that something amiss was going on.

"Haldir," Celeborn warned him, not wishing to upset his guests.

"I am only saying this, because, Legolas is not here, your brother is badly injured, Thranduil is here, and Elrohir is near," Haldir explained.

"Haldir." Celeborn’s warned tone was sharper this time.

"I know, I know," he seemed to finally realize what his lord meant and smiled at the guests. "I will take my leave and will not speak of this matter."

"Forgive me, it will not happen again," Lord Celeborn said, giving the elf a stern glance as he walked off, and then he added, "I am afraid our chief march-warden needs to know his limits."		

"You have no need to apologize, Lord Celeborn," Thranduil said with grace and then he added with a smile, "I suppose each land has its own trickster."

"What do you mean by that?" Celeborn asked.

"From what I can gather from the twins, this man," Thranduil motioned toward the injured human, "was creating havoc and lots of mischief in Imladris, and I am certain that Haldir is doing the same here, as is my son…"

"Spicing our life…" Elladan added in agreement.

They could hear some conversation outside the tent…

"Let me show you the way, Lord Elrohir, no, Elrohir" Haldir corrected himself right away. "First Thranduil, then your brother, and now you, what is wrong with you? You are lords, are you not?"

"We are, in our lands, but not here," Elrohir replied and then he continued more cheerfully, "By your words, I assume that my brother has arrived, and Thranduil has not left, of which I am pleased." 

"Perhaps something good will come from it," Haldir’s grin could be heard in his voice.

"What do you mean by that?" Elrohir asked curiously.

"Before this, the land was quiet, and now…" Haldir replied and stopped himself with a sigh, "You have made me curious."

"Curious, about what?" Elrohir asked wondering what Haldir's point was.

"Well, just know that you have made my brothers' lives and mine more interesting," Haldir replied, grinning widely.

"Haldir, you never cease to amaze me," Elrohir told him, and then he asked, "How is Estel doing?"

"I do not know, though the lady is attending to him, under the supervision of your brother and Thranduil. That’s about as much as I can tell," Haldir responded.

"I had better see things for myself," Elrohir told him and headed toward the tent that Haldir had left.

Elrohir entered the tent. He could sense his twin, his brother, his grandma and grandpa, and even Thranduil – and they all seem pleased.

"How is he?" Elrohir asked.

"I hope that Haldir did not bring you any trouble," Celeborn told his grandson.

"Nay, he did not, even if he seems bored," Elrohir replied with a smile.

"Bored he is, all right," Elladan agreed with him, shooting their friend a smile.

"Estel needs to rest, I have cleaned his wound and added the fresh herbs,” Lady Galadriel spoke at last. “It should renew him and help him feel better in time to come."

"That is indeed good news," Thranduil said gratefully and sat beside the young man.

"It has been a while since I saw you both here," Galadriel gestured toward the twins.

"We know," Elladan nodded.

"Besides your brother being here – and the king himself – what could have chased you from your warm home?" Galadriel asked them.

"Our father," Elrohir replied almost emotionlessly.

"What has he done?" Celeborn asked.

"He chased Legolas away for harming Estel, but we have yet to know Legolas' part in these events," Elrohir replied, giving the shortened version of all that had happened.

"Where is Legolas now?" Celeborn asked with concern.

"I do not know; I wish that I knew," Thranduil replied sadly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He left his horse behind, as well as all his arms. He is defenseless now," Thranduil replied.

"Oh Valar, this is not good, not good at all." Haldir said. Apparently he had sneaked back into the tent.

"Haldir," Celeborn warned him.

"I know. I am leaving now," Haldir said and hurried off.

"Thranduil, if you and the twins will follow me outside, there is something that I hope will help us find Legolas."

"Your mirror," Thranduil knew at once, his eyes lightening with hope, as he continued almost in wonder, "I have heard of it, but have never seen it for myself."

Galadriel led the way, gliding past Elven statues among the trees, frozen amid their merriment in the dark night. She looked neither to the right nor the left nor did she make any apparent sign. 

Thranduil and the twins followed her quickly as she descended to the garden, veiled in the glade and filled a silver ewer with water from a clear, trickling stream. She stood before an ornate stand bearing a shallow silver basin, and began to pour the water smoothly into the silver mirror.

"Things that were… things that are….and some things…" she paused as she emptied the ewer and stepped back as she continued speaking, "…that have not yet come to pass."

Thranduil looked into the silver mirror. Initially, he saw only himself, and then he saw his son on the snow. Aragorn was near, his blood coloring the white snow. And then image changed. Aragorn was at Lothlórien, laughing, and Legolas' lifeless body lay somewhere that the king could not recall, bleeding its life away.

"Nay, that cannot be," Thranduil turned from the silver mirror; he could not bear to see what other grave scenes awaited him.

The twins, however, continued watching, and they could see themselves, along with Thranduil and Aragorn, seeking for Legolas.

"We will find Legolas; you will see this, my friend," Elrohir told him.

"How exactly? We do not know where he is," Thranduil pointed out, feeling himself on the verge of drowning in despair.

"Estel will find him," Elladan answered. Thranduil shot him a glance, and he quickly explained, "Aragorn is a ranger, and he can follow tracks well. He will find Legolas; all we have to do is to follow, and watch his back."

Thranduil nodded in thanks, and added, "Forgive me, I do not know what has come over me. Perhaps I am not prepared to see my son dying alone in some unknown place."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Elladan told him reassuringly.

"When will we leave, then?" Haldir asked immediately, having reappeared some time during the conversation.

"‘We’?" Galadriel asked her March-warden in surprise.

"Of course, “we”. I assume that the King, the twins and the injured man will be much aided if they were watched over by Lothlórien’s best guards," Haldir replied with a grin.

"You still have chores here, Haldir," Celeborn mentioned.

"They will be fulfilled by my brothers, while the guards and I could go along with them," Haldir replied. He had certainly thought it all out; he wanted to have a part in the adventure.

"All right, then," Celeborn said as he watched his March-warden, and then he turned to the king, "My guards will help watch your back."

"Hannon-le, Lord Celeborn and you too, Haldir," Thranduil bowed lightly to both of them in turn and excused himself. Walking alone to the line of trees, he sought strength and support to bear the image that he had seen. He could only pray that the Valar would not allow his son to fall to what death he must be seeking. If his son should die, he would certainly kill Elrond. And he confirmed that with a vow.

End of Chapter 9.


Chapter 10 - Healing, Tracking, and Oh My...

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in 1st chapter.
 
Beta: Aranel

--

Chapter 10: Healing, Tracking, and Oh My…

Thranduil walked back toward the tent where Aragorn lay, and carefully observed the man in front of him.

The man, in some way, gave him hope; he could not explain how and why, but he just did, perhaps by being there.

Thranduil’s vision blurred and a lone tear found its way down his cheek.

"Are you all right, Thranduil?" Haldir asked in concern.

"I will be, once my son is found," Thranduil replied, his voice resolute.

"We will find him. Do not lose hope, my friend." Elrohir’s voice came from behind him. Thranduil turned to find the twins smiling. Elladan continued, "We saw with our own eyes. There is still hope."

"I will take your word on that, my friends," Thranduil released a tiny smile as he poured out his concerns of finding Legolas dead.

"We know," the twins reassured him, but their broad smiles never faded.

"See, you have nothing to worry about, Thranduil," Haldir told him, a smile of his own lighting up his face.

Thranduil scanned the March-warden's expression as he thought about the younger’s elf optimism, then he nodded silently.

"I shall now go and check on Aragorn," Thranduil told them and left.

As Elladan watched the king leave the room, he commented, "I really hope that we will find Legolas in time or else…" 

"We will not see Thranduil again," his twin finished.

"Good point," Haldir agreed, looking at the two.

Together, they walked toward the line of trees, listening as nature sang its sweet songs for them.

The twins could see that there was something bothering Haldir when the elf started humming along with the birds. True, it had been way long since they visited Lothlórien but they never remembered Haldir being that tense around them. Even Orophin seemed to have picked up on the tension as well.

"What is it on your mind Haldir?" Elladan asked for them.

"Nothing," Haldir replied but Elladan blocked his way. There was no way they would let him go without giving an honest answer.

"You are lying to us. Now, what is it?" Elrohir asked him, walking menacingly closer.

"It is about your father,” Haldir sighed and replied, still trying not to give too much information just yet, “I just thought you might feel hurt if I asked about him."
 
"Ask what you want, and we swear that we will not hunt and kill you," Elladan said, grinning at him.

Haldir took a deep breath, glanced at the twins, then asked in a single breath, "What, in the name of the Valar, is wrong with your father?"

"See, that wasn’t that hard, was it?" Elladan grinned, quite enjoying it.

"Very funny, Elladan, but what is wrong with him? He has never acted that way before," Haldir asked again.

"Nor have we ever seen him that way," Elladan agreed and thought for a moment before adding, " I believe that he fears losing Aragorn forever, and only Valar knows what that means. Elrond never told us about his fate, but he loves him the same as he loves us."

Haldir nodded, "Thank you, I believe that draws some light on what happened to your father, but I still need to know more."

"Well, Haldir, your curiosity has never stopped you before," Orophin reminded his brother, grinning.

"You are right, muindor," Haldir agreed with a grin of his own while glancing at the twins, who shrugged.

"As always, my brother," Orophin grinned, turning to find the twins chuckling.

--

Thranduil watched from the doorway as Galadriel placed the fresh leaves and herbs over the man's wounds.

"You can come in, Thranduil. He will be all right," Galadriel told him, her voice light as she looked at him. It was not hard to notice the pain that still laced his face.

"He does not look too good, Lady Galadriel," Thranduil said as he sat near the paler man.

"He will be just fine; give him time to heal," Galadriel told him, then added, "And you? Are you all right?"

"I will be when I will find my son alive and well," Thranduil replied and he sighed before continuing, "I cannot bear the thought of my son being out there in pain, and perhaps even dying alone."

"You must not fall into despair; fill your heart with hope and nothing less as you need to believe that Legolas is alive." In her mind’s eye, Galadriel could see that anything else would lead to the crumble of Mirkwood under Sauron's assaulting might.

But Thranduil did not wish to speak of the clouds of despair that circled his heart at the thought of his precious son. Instead, he turned the conversation to Aragorn again.

"Will he survive the long journey?" he asked the Lady of light, his eyes fixed on Aragorn.

Galadriel sighed heavily as she sensed what the king was hiding. It was not for her to help him bear this burden but she could at least answer to his question.

"He will be all right, though if you notice that he is weak from the pain, some rest would be helpful."

Thranduil nodded, determined to give Legolas's friend his full care and attention.

"Will he remember how was he hurt?" Thranduil asked, breaking the silence that had formed.

"That depends on whether he wishes to remember it," Galadriel replied. "It is possible that he fears you would blame him for what has happened, therefore I suggest that you keep encouraging him and be there for him."

"I will do as you have said, my lady, with the hope of soon knowing what happened to them," Thranduil thanked her for her suggestion.

Galadriel watched the king, she noticed his frown and the growing concern that he had for his son, and she could feel the darkness around the king. If Legolas were found dead, Thranduil would be lost forever after losing every one of those whom he loved.

But Aragorn could hear their voices. He wanted to say something but he could only feel the darkness cripple and drain him with its burning pain. Finally he gave in.

"He is only resting," Galadriel assured the king, "The herbs will help him, you will see."

A few hours later Aragorn had woken from the darkness. The first person he saw was Thranduil watching him. The twins were near too; he could hear their voices.

"It’s about time you woke up, little brother," Elrohir grinned at him while Elladan handed him a cup of water.

Aragorn thanked and drank gratefully, relieved that his throat didn't burn anymore.

"Leave… when?" Aragorn asked weakly.

Elladan caught the king's eyes, and grinned as he teased his youngest brother, "Do you want us to leave, little brother?"

"Ha ha…" Aragorn choked out, glaring at him.

"I am glad to see that you are feeling better, Estel," Thranduil told the injured man. Estel. He could do with some hope himself to believe that Legolas was still amongst the living.

"Thank you for your concern," Aragorn smiled, seeming not to have noticed anything. But he did realize that the room had fallen silent and he never liked that.

He tried to sit up but he could feel hands pushing him back down.

"Do not try to move, little brother, your body’s still quite weak," Elladan reminded him.

"But… but…" Aragorn tried but he was silenced by Thranduil.

"You need first to be all right, my friend," Thranduil told him, his fingers moving toward the scars on the man's chest, "<i>I</i> need you to be in full strength and so does my son."

"But… I am fine…" Aragorn protested feebly.

"Famous last words…" Elrohir grinned at his brother and at Aragorn’s frown, he continued, "But you are not fine. You are still in pain; I can see it in your eyes."

With a sigh, Aragorn conceded. "You are right," he said, closing his eyes wearily.

"Is it normal for your brother to admit it?" Thranduil asked the twins with concern. 

"No," Elrohir replied, and the king could see the deep concern in his eyes, "He normally hides it till Adar finds out. The pain must be very great for him now."

--

Somewhere…

Legolas felt the blood still dripping from his body. Each cold gust of wind shook his body and he could feel its chill ripple through every fiber. Why would it not end?

He could not bear staring at his friend, to face the guilt of what he had done; he could not bear looking at his father, to see the unspoken blame written so clearly in those eyes.

The Prince of Mirkwood lay on the blood-saturated ground, his eyes dark and blank as he waited for death to welcome him into Mandos' Hall, where the killers of the world were left behind. But there was nothing now, nothing but the numbness and the reflexive jerks of his body, as though trying to overrule his mind in its fight to stay on this realm, but there was no way Legolas could let that happen.

--

Haldir entered the tent, watching the others in silence till he sensed them gazing at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"How can we help you?" Thranduil asked him.

"I have been wondering…" Haldir replied tentatively.

"What have you been wondering about?" Thranduil asked.

"When can we leave?" Haldir asked.

"As soon as Aragorn is all right," Thranduil replied.

"How soon?" Haldir asked insistently.

"As soon as Thranduil lets me go…" Aragorn’s weak voice could barely be heard and his eyes were still closed.

"Aragorn, you should rest," Thranduil’s tone was concerned and firm. If there was one thing that Thranduil could not stand, it was to see his son’s friend injured and in pain. He needed Aragorn alive and well if they were to find Legolas alive.

"But… what about your son? What about Legolas?" Aragorn tried to ask while ignoring the pain.

"You will find him. I trust you and I know that you will be the one who finds my son," Thranduil said as confidently as he could, putting all his trust in the man.

"Even if it was my fault?" Aragorn had to ask.

"I know that it was neither yours nor my son’s fault," Thranduil replied and clasped Aragorn's shoulder reassuring. "I trust you. Therefore you should trust me as well, as I am speaking as a father and a friend rather than a king."

"Hannon-le, mellon-nin," Aragorn thanked him and rested his head on the soft ground, closing his eyes. He let himself drift into sleep, finally having a peaceful rest.

"Thranduil, you and your words will do us nothing but good," Elrohir grinned at the king.

"What did I do?" Thranduil asked the young elf.

"He is now sleeping better than he was before, and I think that you eased something from his heart. Perhaps he indeed believed that it was his fault," Elladan explained.

"I should have done it sooner, my friend," Thranduil sighed and then he added, "I should have said that to my son too, and now it seems too late."

"I should have done lots of things myself, but what I should and what I need are far different things, my friend. Adar once told me that I need to focus on what is happening in front of me, but as you can tell, I have not," Elladan admitted. “And your son, I should have taken better care of him when he needed me as a friend and I failed."

"We all failed him," Thranduil agreed.

Haldir coughed a little too conspicuously.

"What is it, Haldir?" Thranduil asked him.

"I did not fail him," Haldir replied with a little smile, hoping to lighten the atmosphere even if he did not know how they would react.

"We know that," Elladan grinned at Haldir.

--

Two days later they left Lothlórien heading toward Mirkwood, with the hope of making good speed to find any sign of Legolas.

Galdor was pleased to see that his king was back; keeping things in the land intact was hard enough without the king being there and Sauron had given them no respite with constant droves of orcs and spiders.

"Galdor," Thranduil called his loyal guard and friend, "Ready the guest rooms, we have company."

"As you wish, my king," Galdor bowed and left.

Thranduil sighed heavily at that.

"What is it, King Thranduil?" Elladan asked, grinning as he addressed Thranduil by his title the way he was used to.

"Nothing to be concerned with," Thranduil shook his head and caught up with Galdor.

Elrohir wanted to follow the king but his twin stopped him, "Let him be, muindor. I sense this is a matter between him and his guard." Instead, he motioned for them to follow the guards who were them their room.

Meanwhile, Galdor stopped as he sensed the king behind him.

"Is there something you wish for, my king?" Galdor asked.

"Aye," Thranduil replied. "I believed that I asked you not to be formal in my presence." He stared at his friend searching his gaze. "You are my friend, my truly loyal friend."

Galdor sighed, releasing the tension that he kept within him since his friend left his homeland, "Forgive me, my friend. Things in Mirkwood have been much tense lately with Sauron sending orcs here. Saelbeth and I have been trying our best."

"I know you have, my friend," Thranduil assured him, knowing how hard it was for him to keep the land in one piece. "Lothlórien’s guards will help you today."

"Hannon-le," Galdor thanked him for the aid but felt that there was something more. "Can I trust the human that you brought?"

"You should. He is Legolas's friend, the one he kept talking about whenever he is back from Imladris," Thranduil replied with a smile.

"He is the one?" Galdor asked, as he remembered the adventures that the prince liked to share with him.

"Aye, he is," Thranduil replied and smiled as he noticed the joy in his friend's eyes and then he added, "Keep him in one piece, mellon-nin, he is still recovering."

"I will try, but I make you no promises, as I am eager to know his side of those tales that Legolas has told me," Galdor said excitedly.

Thranduil could not help smiling at that enthusiasm. "You can go now, my friend," Thranduil assured him and then he added, "Just be careful of the twins.”

"Where will you be going?" Galdor asked with sudden concern.

"I will be in Legolas's room," Thranduil replied, the smile gone from his face as he left.

Galdor figured that his king might want to be alone, so he let him be and walked toward the guests' rooms instead.

"So you are Aragorn," Galdor found the man easily and instantly caught his attention.

"Do you know me?" Aragorn asked him, stepping forward and then he asked, rather curiously, "What has Thranduil told you about me?"

"I know about you from what Legolas used to tell me each time he was back with all his scratches and bruises," Galdor replied with a mysterious grin.

"What did he tell you about the fight in the trolls' cave?" Aragorn challenged the guard.

"There was no fight in the trolls' cave; they were orcs, not trolls," Galdor replied, not breaking eye contact with the man.

"It seems that Legolas did tell him quite a bit," Elladan commented.

"He is my friend even if he is a prince," Galdor explained to Aragorn and then he added, grinning, "I have always wanted to meet the man in the stories, though I do wish that we have met under other circumstances."

"Me too." Aragorn definitely agreed with the guard.

"Estel, you should rest," Elrohir interrupted them as his twin added, "You are still weak."

Galdor looked at the man as he did look paler and he nodded. "You should do as they tell you, young man. We’ll save the stories for later," he added pleasantly as he walked toward the door. "I will see you all in the dinner hall then," he said.

"We’ll be there," Elrohir confirmed with a smile.

--

While outside…

Haldir walked toward Saelbeth with determination in his eyes as he saw how the Mirkwood elves tensed at every sound they heard.

Saelbeth instantly noticed the Lothlórien elf's gaze and faced him, "Is there anything I could help you with?"

"Aye, I have been wondering why you are so tense," Haldir replied and the Mirkwood guard could see that Haldir was honestly curious.

"Sauron sends the orcs each day here toward our homeland. And the spiders, too. We can feel them as they crawl nearer," Saelbeth told him, gazing on ahead, "The enemies are close by the door… very close…"

Haldir looked behind his shoulder. He could feel the air thick and heavy with the awful smell of filthy creatures. He could certainly sense their presence, growing nearer.

Then there was a brush of air near his face as the Mirkwood guards released their bows. Haldir turned around to see the dead orcs on the ground. He seemed to have lost his quick reflexes; he was certainly not as fast and alert as the Mirkwood elves, even if he still possessed his skills.

"Hannon-le," Haldir thanked them.

Saelbeth nodded. Now Haldir would understand why they were so tense.

"It might be good for you to have a few more lessons. Perhaps your senses and reflexes could be better honed. There is certainly room for improvement," Saelbeth advised.

"It seems so," Haldir agreed and then he added, "In that case, I will stay here with you."

Saelbeth nodded and smiled.

--

In the evening, everyone else in Mirkwood seem to be waiting for one particular elf to reach the Dinner Hall.

"Did someone notify Haldir?" Thranduil asked his guards.

"We did, and he told us that he will be here," Galdor replied. “I cannot think why he is taking so long.”

As though on cue, Haldir finally arrived, tired and dirty.

"What happened to you mellon-nin?" Thranduil asked the March-warden.

"I seem to have forgotten about dinner as Saelbeth was training me…" Haldir replied, and was promptly interrupted by the king.

"Training you?" Thranduil asked, smiling. "Why should my guard be training you? Should you not be well-trained?"

"Haldir," Elladan caught the Lothlórien guard’s attention before asking, "Is there something that you would like to tell us?"

Haldir stared at them, not quite ready for another one of the twins’ interrogation session. All he wanted was to eat and sleep after a long tiring day, and be ready for next day.

But a short burst from Aragorn dashed his hopes. Between chuckles, the man said cryptically, "I believe you should inform the lord and lady about your lack of training…"

The elves laughed merrily and Haldir could only retort with a dry, mocking laugh, “Not funny."

Thranduil was certainly enjoying the light-hearted environment as he invited the others to eat. "The food is getting cold and our day is coming to end," he said.

The pleasant meal was over and the plates now empty. Thranduil rose from his chair and so did his guests and guards. Leaving the Dinner Hall, they went their separate ways, leaving Thranduil, the twins, Aragorn, Haldir and the ever faithful Galdor.

Then, all of sudden, Aragorn stopped near Legolas's room.

He turned to the king as he asked for permission, "May I enter his room?"

Thranduil sighed and reasoned that this might well be their chance to get what could be got from the man’s memory. "My home is your home, Aragorn," he said, noticing the mere smile on the man’s face, "I do hope that some of my son's belongings will bring the events to mind…"

Aragorn nodded and entered Legolas room, his gray eyes scanning the area. He could see the sword lying on the floor, the quivers of arrows barely empty and the bow leaning against the wall.

He knelt by the sword, compelled by some force to pick it up. He rose, stunned by the sight of dry blood and yet, as the gleam of the blade flashed before his eyes, he ran his hand along it, feeling it cut his skin, as he saw how everything had happened; he remembered the sharp pain from this same sword when it had struck him, he remembered falling and the cold air and snow that braced his fall.

Still caught in that dazed memory, Aragorn did not feel the blade slice his palm as he let the sword fall, nor did he hear it over the scene that replayed in his mind. 

The twins, however, could see the sword turn in the air, hitting the ground point-first before spinning a little and finally lying on its side, devoid of life and movement. And they could see how the sword was still stained.

"The sword is very filthy," Elladan exclaimed even as his twin continued, "Why did he not clean it? He is <i>always</i> cleaning it after every fight."

"I believe that my son did not clean it as a remembrance of what occurred of what he did," Thranduil spoke gravely. He knelt beside the man, putting his hand on his shoulder. He saw Aragorn’s hand moved subconsciously toward his wound, striking it slowly, as though remembering how the sword hits him.

He shook the man lightly. From the glazed expression in his open eyes, the king believed that Aragorn had recalled what happened. He could see the shadows in the man's eyes and shook him again.

"Aragorn, follow my voice," Thranduil told the man gently.

But the man did not respond. 

“Aragorn,” Thranduil tightened his grip on his shoulders.

Only after a long moment did Aragorn turn and stare at them, his expression still blank and unreadable.

"What is it, Estel?" Elladan asked in worry.

"It was just a simple mistake…" Aragorn finally mumbled, as the tears left his eyes. "Just a simple mistake…"

"What was it, son?" Thranduil asked.

"I need to find him…" Aragorn told them, his hands shaking as fought back his sobs. "I hope he will forgive me…"

"Of course he will," Thranduil assured the man, much as he wished to know what had occurred.

"I would not forgive myself, how could he forgive me?" Aragorn asked.

"He will, because you are the best of friends ever," Thranduil assured him.

"Why am I bleeding?" Aragorn finally asked as he unclenched his tense hand.

"Rest, brother, and I will tell you everything tomorrow," Elladan replied as his twin tied his hand with a makeshift bandage. They could fix that later on.

"Come, brother," Elladan helped his little brother stand. He could see that Aragorn was suddenly weak and could barely keep his balance. With Elrohir’s help, they managed to walk him to his room. "For now,” Elladan said, “you need to sleep and gather your strength. Everything’s going to be alright."

Thranduil nodded. "We leave at dawn!"
 
-~*~--

Next day,

At dawn…

Aragorn awoke sharply from his nightmare. He had seen the entire incident again, and with his mind foggy, he felt all the more confused.

He pushed himself up on the bed, his hands rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but he stopped immediately as he felt something rough on his hand.

Aragorn glanced at the bandage on his palm. It seemed rather neat, even if it was soaked, and there might have been herbs in it as well – but he could not recall why his hand needed one. He certainly hoped that someone could answer all his confused questions.

Getting to his feet, he dressed himself, feeling somewhat refreshed and then stepped out of the palace. He had to shield his eyes from the blinding sunrays, and he blinked as he tried to make out what was happening. The elves were preparing to leave and he turned to find familiar faces.

Thranduil was there, and having sensed the human approach, he walked toward him. The king noticed the dark circles around the man's eyes and hoped he had gotten some rest. The more pressing issue, though, was redressing the man’s wound; his bandaged was far too badly stained with blood.

"What is it, son?" Thranduil asked him.

"I don’t recall hurting my hand. What happened?" Aragorn asked, still confused.

"You were cut when you held Legolas's sword,” Thranduil explained, “and I hope your wound won't get infected because the sword was dirty."

Elladan and Elrohir joined them, clearly having noticed the same thing. Elrohir had brought some fresh herbs and bandages with him.

"Estel, you are awake," Elladan greeted him cheerfully. He unwrapped the dressing while his twin cleaned the wound and secured it with the fresh bandages. "Now your hand will be fine,” he continued, “though I hope it will not be infected."

"Do you remember what happened back then?" Thranduil asked him.

Aragorn nodded and lowered his head in shame and guilt.

"You should not feel guilty, son. It was an accident; it’s no one fault, you should remember that," Thranduil told him gently, tilting Aragorn’s chin up to look at him. "We are a family, Aragorn, and a family stands with each other for better or for worse."

"Hannon-le," Aragorn managed.

Thranduil smiled, and glancing at the sky, he reminded them, "We should be leaving."

The twins nodded and helped Aragorn to his horse. Haldir joined them quickly and together, they rode, steadily, toward the fringes of Mirkwood, searching for any sign of Legolas. They could only hope to find him in Mirkwood and not outside; anything could happen - Legolas could be held hostage by Sauron’s pressing forces, and that was not a fate they would wish even on their enemies.

Only an hour and half into the journey, Aragorn stopped his horse and dismounted, walking toward the mangled bushes where he saw some dried blood. Carefully, he tracked the trail, noticing that Thranduil and the others were following him closely.

At a sudden noise, Aragorn looked toward the sky, seeing the ravens and other birds yelling. And he started running. The last time he heard their dreadful screeching squawks, there had been a body lying just down the road. Aragorn just hoped that this time, it would not be Legolas’s.

Then the ground shook, and Thranduil turned sharply. He could sense it in the air; something worse was yet to come.

Aragorn turned around and noticed the king’s pale face, along with the knowing grimness of his brothers. Only the March-warden seemed as confused as him.

"What is it?"

"Elladan, Elrohir, prepare the arrows," Thranduil ordered and then he faced Haldir, "I hope that you will manage this."

"What will I manage? Who is attacking us?" Haldir asked in concern as he prepared his weapons along with the twins and Thranduil's guards.

"Wargs…" Thranduil replied and then he added, almost whispering, as if to the thin air that brushed his hair, "The only reason for them to come here is because there is a body somewhere, blood-stained. They have smelt the blood and have come to devour the body…"

"And they have probably smelt us too,” Aragorn added, leaving the rest unsaid; no one wished to be food for the monstrous beasts. He swallowed hard, and mounted his horse in preparation.

"We meet them on horse-back. Kill as many as you can; make every arrow count,” Thranduil advised, keeping the darker thoughts in his mind. Now, he could only pray that the Valar would not let the wargs be after his son’s body.

Their horses had fallen tense and silent and before long, they heard the growls and howls of the beasts, mingled with the war-cry of the orcs and the shrieks of the birds.

Elladan shot the first arrow, felling an orc. Carefully, his twin took out the warg below it, hitting its weakest point with a single shot. The wargs seemed to be an endless stream. Despite the increasing number of carcasses on the ground, there were still more of them. But the elves were also fighting hard. Aragorn, weak as he was, managed to hack at a warg too close to him, whereupon Haldir finished the kill. They exchanged a brief smile, then Haldir turned to bring down another orc.

As the forest was cleared of the filthy creatures, Thranduil noticed something odd in the distance. Two wargs had caught his eye and his heart froze as he saw what they had found. They were leaving their gruesome teeth-marks on a body.

"Oh, please, Valar…" Thranduil collapsed on the ground, feeling his world torn apart, his lips parted in a heart-wrenching whisper, "Not my son, not like this, please, Valar…"

End of Chapter 10.


Chapter 11 - Beyond Pain and Sacrifice

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

--

Elladan watched, stunned as Thranduil returned his weapon to its sheath and walked towards the wargs, unarmed. His eyes were nevertheless wary and his heavy footfalls betrayed his grieved heart. Something was wrong, that Elladan knew too well. Thranduil was walking toward certain death. Why, he had completely no idea. They were in the midst of battle, what good could that possibly do?

Noticing Haldir not too far from the king, he called the warden. "Haldir," Elladan caught his attention at once. "Save the king..."

Haldir nodded, suddenly alert. His sharpened blades raised, he turned at once towards the wargs and their orc riders. They had clearly noticed him as well.

"Scouts!" Haldir shouted, running toward the king. One of the wargs was gripping a body in its teeth. Thranduil did not seem to have noticed them. The wargs were growling, having released that body, their foul saliva dripping from their mouths. Their teeth were still stained with blood and they were ready to lunge, ready to kill.

One of the orcs released an arrow and Haldir instinctively dove towards the king, shoving him out of the way. He heard the sharp whistle of the arrow, felt its impact in his shoulder, but his only response was a sigh of relief. Whatever was that king thinking?

The wargs were approaching, the smell of blood spurring them on.

Haldir turned, hoping for some aid. Elladan was nowhere in sight, Elrohir was crouched protectively over his little brother. Humans always got injured, didn't they? He groaned as the warg neared, and gripped his blade.

Elrohir released two arrows at once, killing two orcs. He had no rest as he spun around, just in time to fend off a warg. Elladan had just dispatched an orc and was coming over.

"Where is the king?" Elrohir shouted, stabbing the warg.

Elladan finished the creature off. "He was here..." Elladan answered.

"Cover Aragorn, Haldir is down. I'll find the king," Elrohir told his twin.

Elladan hurried to his brother's side, checking his injuries. Aragorn never ceased to amaze him with his ferocity in any skirmish. Another orc had come too close and Elladan lashed out, kicking him, and quickly grabbing his sword.

Elrohir, meanwhile, was following a trail of blood, his heart fearing the worst. "Haldir," he called but there was no response from the march-warden, "HALDIR!" he shouted this time. Nothing.

He saw the king, and quickly hurried over, somewhat relieved. There was a body before him.

Thranduil was lost in thoughts, his eyes so glazed over that Elrohir feared that he was mourning the loss of his son.

"King Thranduil," he called, trying to bring the king back. "THRANDUIL!" he shouted, his hand squeezing the king's shoulder. The king turned at last.

"He is not your son," Elrohir stated, repeating for good measure, "He is not Legolas."

Elrohir now noticed what the king had, and added, "He does wear the leaf of the royal family, but he is not your son, he is not Legolas." There was no explaining, however, how the elf had gotten hold of Legolas' leaf.

Thranduil spoke finally, "Do you think Legolas might have thrown his leaf off?"

"The leaf? It is possible, considering the mood he was in. Yes, it is indeed possible," Elrohir replied.

"Aye, it is a possibility," Thranduil reached for the leaf, his hands still trembling.

"Once we find Legolas, you could reassure him and return him the leaf," Elrohir suggested, adding grimly. "My adar's words might have had shamed him into thinking that he is not worthy of you, and that he had killed Aragorn."

"But he did not kill him," Thranduil cut in, but he had to agree with Elrohir. "Knowing my son, he would have done so." He turned the leaf over, gripping it tightly in his hand. "I fear to lose him," he said. "I will bring Legolas his leaf again, and he will know that I have never forgotten about him, because he belongs to me, and I will never be ashamed of him, whatever your father thinks."

"I am sure of it," Elrohir told him. "You have a wonderful son, and to us, he is a great and loyal friend, even though it will be hard to win his trust again."

"ELROHIR!" Elladan's warning shout caught his attention.

Elrohir pushed the king away. He felt the stab of an orc blade and ignoring it, he raised his own. The king was faced with a warg but Elrohir was far too engaged to help him. Through the din, he made out his little brother murmuring, "We are all going to die."

"No one is going to die, little brother." Elladan's voice. Certainly Elladan would not let him give up so easily.

"I am not little anymore, brother, you should know that by now." Aragorn reminded him, even if his voice was still weak.

"Aye, you are right, I should," Elladan nodded, and then he added, smirking, as his arrow brought down another orc, "But for me and Elrohir, you're always going to be our little brother."

"Hannon-le," Aragorn thanked his brother, resting to regain his strength. The last of the foul creatures had been cleansed from the area and there was a collective sigh of relief and weariness.

Thranduil could feel blood against his body. Turning, he followed it in shock to see the elf who saved his life so grievously hurt.

"Elrohir, what have you done?" Thranduil asked. He let out an involuntary groan as he tried to get up. He could feel his leg burn from the warg's bite.

"Hannon-le, mellon-nin," he thanked Elrohir, "If we survive the journey and find my son, I shall have you addressed as lords in my homeland."

Aragorn limped over. Brushing the sweat from his forehead, he bent over to clean the king's wound and check on his brother. "I never was so happy to finish a battle," Aragorn remarked. "The warg was far too close to you, Thranduil."

"Aye, but I could do nothing since your brother had knocked me away," Thranduil replied wryly, and then he turned to the wounded elf, "Will he be all right?"

"He will be," Elladan replied, helping Estel to bandage his twin. "Do you think adar will welcome us and help treat our wounds?"

"I would suppose so," Thranduil replied and sighed heavily. "Though I do not expect the same reception for myself, seeing as he has forbidden me to enter his realm."

"He will let you in, if we stand our ground before him," Elladan told the king confidently. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Aragorn was nodding in agreement. Elladan continued, his voice bitter, "Because of him we lost Legolas, and because of him, you are forbidden from entering an elven haven. This all has to stop."

"Lord Elrond has to know that words can hurt more than orcs," Aragorn added.

"Aye, he should," Thranduil agreed, remembering the sheer despair he had seen in his son. "I will come with you to Imladris, and once I have recovered, I will leave and may the Valar help me."

"Just try not to kill him…" Elladan added with a grin.

"I will, but if he says anything against my son, I hold no responsibility for what happens."

"We hear you, my friend," Aragorn nodded.

"But first, we stop at the caves. I would rather our healer check on us first, before Lord Elrond does," Thranduil told them. He steadied himself, hissing from the pain that such a simple movement elicited.

"And you should have something for that," Aragorn suggested, then turned to where his brothers were attending to the unconscious Haldir. "How bad is it?"

"There is an arrow near his chest and shoulder, and he is losing blood," Elladan replied, moving the Lothlórien elf slowly to see if there were more injuries. "He hit his head as he fell, but I suppose he will survive."

"He is going to have a major headache when he regains consciousness," Aragorn grinned.

"Or he might not even remember how he ended up wounded," Elladan added with a smile. "Try to remove the arrows slowly," he reminded his brother, kneeing up to give him more room to work. "I suppose Haldir should have more training when he recovers."

"Aye, he should, but he should first have something for his bravery," Aragorn suggested.

Thranduil nodded, looking at the Lothlórien elf. The ground was still marked by the sacrifices the march-warden had made and Thranduil released a long sigh. "Aye, he should, but he is not the only one."

All he could hear was silence and there was a heavy smell of death in the air. He looked up into the sky, taking in the whisper of a breeze, and refocused his gaze on the elf who nearly gave his life to save his.

"Thranduil," Aragorn called, noticing his frown. "Are you well?"

"All this death, all the pain…" Thranduil murmured, gesturing vaguely. He was now leading them to hurt and injury, and all this because of him and his son.

"Do not blame yourself or Legolas…" Aragorn had guessed what was on the king's mind, and added, "It's no one's fault."

"That is not exactly correct," Elladan interrupted and then glanced at his twin before sighing heavily. "It was my fault – mine and Elrohir's. We started it, and when Legolas came to see if you were alive, adar added more flames to the fire."

"But all that is over." Aragorn would have none of that. "Now what's important is finding Legolas."

"And if we do not…" Elrohir could not finish the sentence.

"We will," Aragorn replied, "We must have hope and faith."

--

The sun had set and the breeze was growing colder. There were occasional hisses from both the king and Haldir as they plodded along, slowly and steadily on their horses.

"How is Haldir doing?"

"Not good," Elladan replied, sighing heavily in the embrace of the cold breeze. "He has lost too much blood. We must hurry; I fear he will not survive another day."

Aragorn glanced toward Haldir, noticing how his chest heaved with effort. "Might he have been poisoned by the orcs' arrows?"

"It is a possibility we need to consider," Thranduil replied.

Galdor rode alongside them, watching quietly. When he could hold it no more, he coughed lightly to catch the king's attention. "Your Majesty, if I may ask…"

"Galdor, please do continue," Thranduil told his guard and friend. Just what could he do to make Galdor understand that he could talk freely? Galdor was his friend, his true friend.

"Why are we stopping?" he asked. "All our healer could do is to clean the wounds, nothing more; he is not trained for anything like this. Perhaps you should seek The Healer," Galdor advised.

"I will seek him, but not right now," Thranduil replied.

"Why not? Haldir looks bad, and you, Your Majesty, are certainly not entirely well," Galdor asked, gesturing. The unspoken comment was that Galdor could hear the king's soft grunts of pain.

"Galdor, if you say 'Your Majesty' yet again, you will feel more pain than I do," Thranduil warned his friend, trying to change the topic.

Elladan laughed softly, then asked the guard, "I thought you remained behind to help Saelbeth."

"I did, but I had a bad feeling, so I followed your trail," Galdor nodded and looked pointedly at the ranger, "You should have covered your tracks; it wasn't very hard to tell where you were."

"Well, thank you for your feedback," Aragorn cut in. "You missed the battle, though. Still, I am glad that you are here."

"See?" Galdor turned to Thranduil, adding with a smile, "At least someone appreciates my presence."

Thranduil laughed. "You should let the healer know that we are arriving."

"I will do that, when I see that you are well enough to ride," Galdor replied.

They were still a few hours from the caves of Mirkwood, and Galdor could feel the horses slowing down. The exhaustion from the battle and the hard riding had certainly gotten to them, and they needed to rest. Even Aragorn looked as though he could fall off any moment, and Galdor did not wish to risk riding into any danger in the darkness.

"Perhaps we should pause for a while," Galdor spoke loudly, hoping to catch the young man's attention.

Thranduil wary eyes strayed toward his guard. Though he knew that his loyal friend was right, he did not wish to waste any time; they still had a good way to go. But before he could do anything, Galdor had turned his horse to block his path and had dismounted.

Thranduil scowled, too weak to order him otherwise. There was nothing to be done but to dismount, and as he swung a leg over, he slipped, falling heavily to the ground. He sucked in his breath. The blood was dripping from his shoulder.

Without a word Galdor turned toward Aragorn, and they helped him to lean against a tree before setting up camp.

"How is your brother?" Galdor asked Elladan.

"He will be better when we reached home. Hopefully adar will look into our eyes and understand," Elladan replied and Galdor could feel the sadness in his voice.

"Either way, we are not leaving until everyone gets rest," Galdor said decisively.

Thranduil smiled at his friend, teasing him, "Who died and made you king?"

"Hopefully no one, my king, but it might be nice to be a king for a day," Galdor returned the tease.

"Do not push it, my friend," Thranduil's voice was playful, but clearly growing weaker.

"Maybe when this is all over?" Galdor looked at the king with concern; he looked far too pale.

"Maybe I will…" Thranduil whispered, then fell still.

Aragorn hurried over at once. "How is the king?" Galdor asked.

"He is alive, but he's losing blood and the wound might be infected as well," Aragorn replied with a heavy sigh.

"Then we should keep our eyes on all of them through the night," Galdor decided.

"Who will take the first watch?" Aragorn asked.

"Elladan and I," Galdor replied, turning to nod at the half-elf. "You should take a rest, young man, you look bad."

The expected retort did not come, but a minute later, they had to grin upon hearing a snore.

--

Before dawn, they woke the others and set off. They had lost precious time, even if it had been necessary, but, with their wounds, neither the king nor Haldir could hold out much longer.

Galdor rode on ahead and had the healer start preparing before the others reached the caves of Mirkwood.

"You should seek Lord Elrond's help, not mine, Your Majesty," the healer emphasized, "All I can do is to ease the pain but I cannot heal the bite, nor can I help Elrohir or Haldir much."

Thranduil sighed. "Do what you can. The sight of Elrond revolts me."

The healer nodded. "I will check on the Lothlórien elf first. He seems to be seriously hurt."

"Aragorn, help him, " Thranduil directed the man.

Aragorn and the healer settled the march-warden in the chamber that the healer had prepared. Turning around, Aragorn saw only Elladan. "Where is Thranduil?" he asked. "Wasn't he following us?"

Elladan, suddenly alert, replied, "Stay here and rest. I'll find him."

He traced his steps back to a corner in the caves. Thranduil was slumped on the ground, bleeding freely. Elladan knelt beside the king, his hands shaking with worry.

"Thranduil," Elladan called. No response. Turning around, he called to the elves, "Get the healer at once!"

The healer rushed over. "He is bleeding," Elladan said.

"I can see that, my friend," the healer replied. "I will see to him now. Could you please check if Haldir has come around?"

Elladan nodded and hurried to the wing. Aragorn was sitting beside a bandaged Elrohir, worriedly watching Haldir.

"We should be at home, not in Mirkwood," Aragorn said suddenly.

Elladan knew it was futile to explain things anew and it was Elrohir who spoke, "Thranduil is not considering his long friendship with adar. To him, they are enemies now."

Aragorn sighed. "When we approach Imladris, I'll handle adar. We need his aid to take care of both Haldir and Thranduil."

--

One day later…

Thranduil was ready to depart; he was feeling stronger and so was Haldir.

Haldir was still somewhat confused about what happened but he gave an awkward look of embarrassment when Thranduil thanked him for saving his life.

Aragorn and the twins were mounting their horses as Galdor helped the king towards them.

"I am coming with you," Galdor insisted. "You need someone to watch over you, and, before you ask, Saelbeth will remain on guard – I've given him the command."

Aragorn chuckled, turning around to look at the king. "You do have great loyal guards, Thranduil."

Thranduil smiled. "It seems that everything is under control, and there is nothing else I can do," Thranduil said gratefully, "You have done wonderfully, Galdor. Thank you."

They rode leisurely from the caves, enjoying the morning light and the soothing breeze, until something caught their eyes: golden hair.

Thranduil urged his horse closer and dismounted carefully. He knelt down, almost fainting as he recognized the figure.

Aragorn, following immediately behind, noticed his frown, but his hand trembled too much to check for a pulse. The elf lay too still, too frozen. There was no movement, no sign of life in him.

"It is Legolas; it is him," Aragorn mumbled.

"Is he… alive?" Elrohir asked with concern.

The king moved his hand to trace Legolas's cheek. He felt nothing but coldness.

"We came too late…" he mumbled, his hand falling beside his son's face.


Chapter 12 - Shattered, Hope!

Disclaimer, Summary and Warning could be found in 1st chapter.

Beta: Aranel

--

"We had better leave…" Aragorn mumbled and rose.

"I am not leaving him behind!" Thranduil hissed at Aragorn, his gaze locked on his son's dull eyes.

"I did not mean that we should leave Legolas behind," Aragorn said defensively, and then he added softly, "We should take him with us, but we should go now, as you, Haldir and Elrohir are not in a good condition."

Thranduil lowered his head, knowing that his words were similar enough to what Lord Elrond had thrust upon his son.

"Forgive me for jumping to conclusions. I did not mean it that way," Thranduil said.

"There is nothing to forgive, Thranduil," Aragorn smiled and put an arm on his shoulder.

Thranduil raised his head and looked at the man; he knew now how fortunate he was to have friends this trustworthy. And he could understand the reason for the ever-growing friendship and loyalty between Aragorn and Legolas. He could indeed be a proud father.

"Who will ride with him?"Elladan asked, looking at the king and the man.

"I will," Galdor cut in as the other two remained silent.

Aragorn and Elladan exchanged looks and then the man nodded his consent, "It might be for the best."

"And we have our hands full," Elladan added to his little brother.

Galdor grinned, even as he caught the disappointment on Thranduil's face. "I will not let him fall, King Thranduil," Galdor assured his friend.

"I know that you will take good care of my son. I have no doubt of that," Thranduil looked at him and then his gaze turned into a glare. "And Galdor, we've talked about this over and over again – and everyone here can stand as witness. And if you should address me by my title again... one more time and I will take action, and believe me, my friend, you are not going to like it."

Galdor only grinned and shrugged as he held Legolas's limp body securely.

"Will he be all right?" Aragorn asked Elladan.

"He will be," Elladan replied and then he added with a smile, "And then we will need to remind him that friends stick together whatever happens."

"That we will, but now is not the time. Now we all need to find healing," Thranduil reminded them.

Aragorn helped the king to mount on his horse. That was true. Only himself, Elladan and Galdor were in any condition to fight. He quickly joined Elladan, riding ahead of the group. If they wished for better care, especially for Legolas, they had to ride hard for Lothlórien.

The landscape unfolded beautifully all around them but Elladan stopped abruptly. Something was wrong; it was as though someone had been watching them, but he could not place it. He had no wish of leading his friends into an ambush.

"Elladan, what is it?" Aragorn asked with concern.

"Something is wrong… I can feel it…" he replied, sighing heavily, his eyes still locked on the trees, watching for any movement, trying to hear everything that surrounded them. He asked his brother, "Have you had the feeling that something or someone is watching you?"

"I have it all the time," Aragorn replied dryly. His brother did not even smile. Aragorn continued seriously, "Now my greatest concern is Legolas, and I fear we might lose him. I do not sense anything in particular but it is very quiet."

"We must hurry," Elladan turned to his brother. At that moment, he saw a shadow approaching. "Ride fast, Estel, let them know that we are in danger."

"What about you?" Aragorn asked.

"I will be all right, now go!" Elladan ordered.

Aragorn wasted no time, sensing the urgency. He hurried back to the others.

"Estel, where is Elladan?" Elrohir asked at once.

"He ordered me to go. He will buy us more time," Aragorn replied.

"All by himself?" Elrohir asked.

"You are not going; all of you are hurt too badly. Respect your brother's wishes," Aragorn reminded Elrohir. It was hard to have to leave Elladan behind to fight alone but they had no other choice.

"Once we reach safety, we will send reinforcements for your brother," Thranduil decided as Aragorn nodded in agreement.

Aragorn led them quickly down another route. Lothlórien was in sight; they could see it from where they were. But they had enough of a distance to cover till the reached. And suddenly, they heard sharp shrieks. Orcs!

"Make for the border!" Aragorn steered his horse around to face the ugly creatures. "I'll hold them back."

Elrohir was not going to let him be. "Galdor, take Thranduil and Haldir," he instructed. "I will stay with Estel."

Galdor nodded, pressing the horses on. They had to act quickly or none of them would make it safely.

"Elrohir, go, please, you are not well," Aragorn tried to talk sense into his brother.

"No, Estel, I will not leave yet another of my brothers alone to fight. Elladan, he's my twin, and you, Estel, don't you understand that Thranduil and Legolas depend on you?" Elrohir explained quickly.

"All right then. Now, we should join forces with Elladan. He can't be getting all the glory," Aragorn told his brother with a smile.

As they rode off, they could hear Galdor calling to Thranduil's and Haldir's horses. If he could smell the blood, the orcs could as well. And he was certain that neither of them were in fighting condition.

"Just a little longer and we'll all be safe," Galdor whispered to the horses, "Stay steady, and keep your masters safe."

Thranduil stirred as he heard his guard's voice. "Who were you talking to, Galdor?"

Galdor sighed heavily. Lothlórien might be within sight but it could be a very long journey as well.

"To the horses… K… Thranduil." Galdor replied, correcting himself in time.

"Why?" Thranduil asked. His voice was growing weaker.

"To keep you from falling," Galdor replied and then he added, "You should conserve your strength, Thranduil."

"Are you saying that I should stop talking?" Thranduil asked, his glare far stronger than the state of his body.

Galdor had to smile at that before he replied, "Yes, I am, Thranduil."

"And why this audacity?" Thranduil asked, his voice cut off as another fresh burst of pain hit him.

"Because you've gotten yourself hurt," Galdor replied, smiling.

"How is Haldir?" Thranduil struggled to ask. Galdor turned around. Haldir's condition was deteriorating. Even the king was clutching his midsection painfully.

"He is fighting bravely," Galdor replied.

"Where are the twins? Where is Estel? I do not see or hear them."

"They are buying us some time to get to safety," Galdor replied.

"We should help them," Thranduil mumbled.

"How exactly?"

"We could fight till the end," Thranduil replied.

His guard's disagreement was apparent. "What about your son?" Galdor asked, "You are barely fit to fight, Thranduil. The moment you fall from your horse, you would not stand a chance."

Thranduil glanced at his wounds. He had to admit that his guard was right; there was no use for him to fight in such a condition. Haldir was in no shape to fight either and they might pose a greater danger to their friends.

Thranduil sighed. "You are right, Galdor. I cannot put our lives in further danger. We must hurry to save those we left behind."

Galdor pushed his steed into a gallop, whistling for the other two horses to follow.

--

Rúmil and Orophin reached them even before they had crossed the border.

"What's happened to you?" Rúmil asked, and then he noticed his wounded brother, "What happened to Haldir?"

"I'll tell you later," Galdor replied, "I need you to send guards out. Elrohir is injured, but he's fighting with his brothers. They stayed behind to save us."

Orophin nodded and immediately called for the guards to follow the trail of blood back to the twins and Estel.

Galdor could finally breathe as he followed Rúmil into Lothlórien. There, the king and Haldir were well taken care off, and Galdor watched appreciatively as Rúmil helped to carry the prince to the Lady of light.

"Your brother fought bravely," Galdor told him.

"He has always been the protective one," Rúmil said. He was clearly concerned even if he did not show it readily. Celeborn and Galadriel joined them and Rúmil stepped back.

"You have found him," Galadriel spoke, her eyes shining toward Legolas's unmoving body. "Is there any hope for him?"

"My lady Galadriel, we have come in hope that you could take care of him as well as the wounded elves, amongst them being my king and your March-warden," Galdor bowed respectfully. He spoke sincerely; there was no use hiding anything from her.

"Only Elrond has the power to heal Thranduil, Legolas and Haldir; I only can ease their pain," Galadriel spoke softly to the guard.

"I do not think that my king will speak to Lord Elrond after everything that has happened," Galdor said as he stared at the pallor on the prince's visage. If the light and hope did not return to the elf, the king might take things matters into his own hands.

"Where are Elrond's sons?" Galadriel asked.

"Orophin and the guards should be back with them," Galdor explained, "They stayed behind to save us, and I do not know their condition."

Celeborn nodded. "Rest now, Galdor, you have done what you should."

--

Orophin and his guards found the brothers easily and joined the battle. When the remaining orcs had fled, they surveyed the damage. Aragorn was wounded in his shoulder. Elladan's battered body was half-hidden in the bushes and he could barely talk. Elrohir was not any better off; his wounds had reopened.

"What in the name of Valar happened?" Orophin asked as the guards helped them to their horses.

"Is it not obvious?" Aragorn asked, clutching his shoulder.

"Are Galdor and the rest safe?" Elladan asked with concern.

"They are, thanks to you," Orophin replied. "We heard what you did. You fought in bravery to save them, and now all your company, save one, is hurt."

"Galdor is left unscratched after all," Aragorn chuckled.

"The only one," Orophin reminded him. They rode into Lothlórien and Orophin led them toward Galadriel.

"All I can do is to ease your pain," Galadriel said softly, her hand touching each wound. "Only Lord Elrond has the power to heal."

"Thank you," Aragorn said though he would have endured the pain silently, "Do what you can; we will deal with adar later."

"I will try to ease your pain; I know that you are in pain, young man."

"Then, when you call our father, please, my lady, I am asking you not to mention that elves from Mirkwood are here as well. Or he would not come, much less help them," Aragorn finished just as he gave in to the darkness of sleep.

"I will see what I can do about Lord Elrond," Galadriel said, her hand caressing Aragorn's face.

Later that day, she passed a piece of parchment to the messenger. It was of utmost urgency for Imladris and it should be given to Lord Elrond alone.

End of Chapter 12.
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