Disclaimer: Nope, not mine no matter how much I wish it.

Spring Blossoms

Chapter 4

The setting sun sent a red light filtering through the leaves of the trees that surrounded the picturesque garden of Imladris as Legolas wandered solitary on the paths through the garden, trying to relieve the boredom that he felt after a week's worth of rest. Finally giving up he sat down on a marble bench under a spreading beech with a loud sigh. "I wish that Elrond would finish the missive that he wants me to take to father. I can only spar the same elves so many times before even I get tired of it," he thought to himself, growing gloomy. These thoughts along with his unhappiness at being unable to meet once again with the lovely Inwë due to their duties led to a haze comparable to that of the elven reverie, but without the rest of dreams, so that he lost track of the time as the light faded letting the stars come out in all their glory.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not hear undisguised footsteps rushing down the pebbled path. Elrohir came across the Woodland prince sitting on a bench as still as the stone on which he was sitting and not reacting to his presence. He approached the bench with his face somber greeting, "Legolas." When this elicited no response from his blonde friend he moved closer, waving a hand before the green eyes and saying once again, "Legolas!"

The blonde jumped, startled by the intrusion and his eyes flew to Elrohir's face. "Elrohir," he breathed gently, trying to hide his surprise, "What can I do to help you tonight?"

Elrohir chuckled slightly and lightly elbowed his friend in the ribs. "Glorfindel has sent word of a large orc party just north of the Imladris boarders. Father has given Elladan and I permission to go with a group of choice warriors to go aid."

"And you're telling me so that I don't wonder where the two of you are for the next few days," Legolas said, sarcasm shading his tone and the fake lightness fleeing, "Thank you for being so considerate…" He then moved to leave the garden to seek solitude elsewhere, but was surprised to have his arm caught by the dark haired elf.

"You misunderstand me Legolas. I am not telling you just to tell you, but to say that you are one of the warriors that Elladan and I have chosen to accompany us. You cannot think that we have not noticed your growing more and more restless as you wait for father's reply to your father and couldn't stand to leave a warrior such as you out of the fun of raiding an orc party."

Legolas's face broke into a smile and he grasped Elrohir's wrist in a warrior's embrace. "It will be an honor to fight alongside both you and your brother."

Elrohir pulled the blonde archer into a brotherly embrace before releasing him once more, saying, "We leave two hours before dawn, be ready." He then turned and walked out of sight along the garden path.

The Prince no longer felt the boredom that had plagued him earlier as he climbed a tree to enter his room through the balcony. Quickly he gathered the items he would need for the short patrol into his pack before checking over the condition of his knives, bow, and arrows before making himself comfortable on the bed, drifting off to sleep, walking the paths of his elven dreams.

With the ease of long practice from the many hunting trips and patrols that he had been a part of throughout his life, Legolas woke from his reverie about one hour before the dawn. With a quick stretch he rose from the bed and pulled his durable travel clothes on once more, joined by an over tunic of durable leather that would act as light armor on this foray against the enemy orcs, joined quickly by his quiver, bow, and twin long knives in their sheathes on his back. Grabbing his pack he then walked to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat before walking to the stable to prepare his horse and meet with not only the twins but the rest of the warriors he would be riding out to battle with. He reached his destination to find that he was one of the first warriors there, and that the stable hands had already taken the time to prepare the mounts that would be used by the patrol in their outing. Seeing this, he led his faithful stallion into the courtyard and passed the time by checking over his equipment, nodding his greetings to all his companions as they gathered, including both Elladan and Elrohir.

They rode with the dawn towards the northern reaches of Imladris's boarders, growing more careful as they reached the area that the orcs were reported to have been sighted. With a small amount of searching they were able to find Glorfindel and the six guards that he had taken with him. After a brief greeting, Glorfindel, Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas moved to a post where they could see the orc encampment, and in hushed tones they discussed the best way to defeat the enemy. With only a small amount of debate they decided that the element of surprise would aid them the most, and their orders were passed on to the other warriors quickly. Everyone was prepared for the attack within only a handful of minutes.

With only a few moments taken to give their warriors orders, the bloody battle began in the light of the risen sun. The battle between the elven warriors and the orcs was furious and bloody with the elves lashing out far harsher punishment to the dark creatures than they were receiving. The evil that was threatening their boarders was quickly being cut down by the shining steel weapons of the elves while putting up the best fight it could against their any direction all that could be seen was the clash between light and dark, and the air was filled with the clashing of metal as well as the grunts and yells of the dying. In the midst of the fighting, Legolas paused to brush his forearm across his neck as he felt a prick that felt almost like a bug had bit him. He pushed the thought from his mind as he continued to cut down his enemies with his twin long knives, and lost himself once more to the twirling, clashing tide of the battle.

This battle was short, only long enough to wind the least experienced warriors before they cut down the last of the orcs. Immediately the warriors turned from fighting to taking care of their wounded and burning the corpses of the orcs with the ease of long practice. Elladan, Elrohir, and Glorfindel turned their attention to bandaging and treating the wounded making sure to carefully check for signs of poison, while Legolas spearheaded the effort to burn the corpses. The clean up stretching far longer than the actual fighting, tiring the elves yet further.

As they piled the last corpse onto the flames, Legolas felt the world begin to spin around him. He continued through the momentary dizziness, and with only a slight stagger, made his way over to Glorfindel, Elladan, and Elrohir. He reported in to the leaders of the mission, "They are all part of the embers. Now we have only to return to Imladris. How are the wounded?"

"There are only minor cuts and stabs," Elladan said thankfully.

"Aye, and luckily no sign of poison amongst any of them," Elrohir added after his brother.

Legolas nodded, immediately regretting the motion as the world spun around him once more. Glorfindel caught sight of the sudden loss of color in the prince's face, and put a hand on the younger elf's shoulder to steady him. "Are you alright, Legolas?" he asked softly, concern clear on his noble features. "Have you been wounded?"

"I bear no wound to my knowledge," Legolas said quietly in answer to the question, becoming aware of the scrutiny of the twins after Glorfindel voiced his concern. A sense of vertigo hit him once more and the only thing that saved him from hitting the ground were Elrohir's quick reflexes. The blonde prince recovered from the bout and stood on his own once more, pulling away from the steadying arms. "I don't know what is going on."

Elladan's quick gray eyes caught a slight glint on the blood stained sleeve of the prince's leather armor. Nimble fingers picked it up carefully, and revealed a wicked looking dart with a broken tip. He held it carefully, showing it briefly to Glorfindel before he said, "Come, we must make haste to Imladris, I am afraid that you have been poisoned by this dart in the midst of the battle." He raised his eyes to look directly into Glorfindel's bright blue orbs and said, "Elrohir and I will go ahead with Legolas, if you would follow behind with the others." He paused only long enough to see the blonde warrior nod in agreement before he helped Elrohir usher the prince over to their horses.

Legolas took a moment to remove his weapons from his back and hung them from his saddle, but still within easy reach, before pulling himself gingerly into his saddle. As soon as he was seated in the saddle, vertigo hit once more, leaving him clutching at his stallion's mane in order to keep himself upright.

"Will you be alright to ride by yourself, Legolas?" Elrohir asked gently, seeing this uncharacteristic lack of grace.

Legolas swallowed dryly, buying a moment of time to think before answering. "The sooner we reach your father, the sooner I will be treated. We will travel more quickly if we are all on separate horses. As of this moment, I am still able to ride unaided."

"You suspect that your condition will change?" Elladan observed quietly.

"It's poison. Of course my condition will change," Legolas snapped quickly, his temper getting the better of him. He closed his eyes long enough to take a deep breath and let it out once more to get himself under control. He raised his emerald eyes to the silver-gray of Elladan and with his voice even once more, said, "My condition will continue to deteriorate with time. When it becomes difficult for me to function any longer, I will let you both know. Until that point in time, please, let us go."

Elladan saw the sincerity in the jewel eyes and nodded his agreement with Legolas statement, seeing the wisdom. He and his brother pulled themselves into their saddles. "Let's ride, Princeling!" Elladan exclaimed putting his heels to the horse's sides coaxing him into a sudden run. He heard his brother's shout behind him, followed by yells from both Elrohir and Legolas. They raced down the path as quickly as they could, the twins careful to keep the prince between them so they could monitor his condition.

A few miles down the trail Legolas' pace began to slacken and a hand was removed from the reins, moving to the pale forehead. Elrohir saw this, and reflexively drew closer to his friend. The prince's sharp eyes caught this change and turned towards the younger twin. Elrohir immediately saw the effects the poison was having, leaving Legolas' usually bright eyes dull and out of focus while his normally pale skin had become as white as a sheet. "I can continue," he said, voice soft, yet missing its usual strength. Elrohir looked at him incredulously as he watched his friend's face go from white to gray. The look set the injured prince on the defensive. "I promised, Elrohir. I will say when I…" Legolas paused for a moment, clutching onto the edge of his saddle until his knuckles turned white. "I d-don't th-think I can…" his eyes then rolled to the back of his head and he slumped forward against the neck of his horse.

"Shit," Elrohir cursed to himself as he rushed to Legolas' side and gabbed him by the shoulders to prevent him from falling to the ground. As soon as the prince was supported he called, "Elladan! Get back here!"

At his brother's cry, Elladan turned his horse around and saw the reason for the call. "Shit," he murmured, unconsciously echoing his brother's curse. He urged his horse quickly back to help support the injured prince. "Go figure that he would pass out only five miles from aid," he said as Elrohir began to check on their friend's condition.

"His heartbeat is elevated and his breathing is becoming irregular," the younger twin reported, face and tone grim. "He is going into shock." He looked up into his brother's matching eyes, and both fear and concern were visible in their storm-gray depths. "We need to get him to Ada, 'Dan. The poison is moving through his system for quicker than I had expected."

Elladan nodded his agreement with the assessment as well as statement, saying, "You have the faster horse, ride ahead and let the healers know what has happened. I will follow as quickly as I can with the princeling here." Then with Elrohir's help they got Legolas placed in front of Elladan upon his steed and Elrohir urged his steed forward towards home. The elder son of Elrond then sent the prince's stallion forward with the command, "Please return to Imladris, Dawn, I will make sure that your master returns soon." He then rode forward as quickly as was possible without endangering his charge, rushing forward without pause until he had reached the safety of his home.

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A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back! If you want the chapters to come faster, reviews motivate me greatly. I can't make it better if I don't get any feedback! Thanks XD