Aragon's prediction proved to be true once again and not long after the company had finished eating their evening meal that they heard a small cough from the back of cave announcing that the elf was returning to the waking world. The ranger moved quickly towards his friend in hope of keeping him calm and preventing another coughing spasm from occurring. As he approached he was glad to see that the elf's hands and legs were moving once more suggesting that whatever toxin the Elder Oak had caused Legolas to ingest was beginning to wear off. However the elf's breathing which had been slow and even while he had been asleep was now becoming rapid and painful sounding. "It's okay, mellon nin" he said softly to the elf as he knelt down beside him "Just breath slowly and you will be fine" He repeated his instructions several times and was pleased to see the elf's breathing become more regular and even.
Slowly the elf's eyes began to open and Aragon helped him to sit up next to the cave wall in hope that it would help to improve the elf's breathing even more. "Estel?" a painful, shaky voice spoke, most unlike that of Legolas' normally graceful, flowing one. "I'm here Legolas" said Aragon as he watched his friend's still partly glazed eyes slowly become clearer as the elf fully awoke from his healing sleep. He must have been in a very deep healing sleep for it to take this long to fully awake thought the ranger as he turned to sit next to his friend.
"I have never seen you take this long to wake" he said to the elf beside him. "Has the healing sleep helped?" Legolas nodded not wanting to speak any more than what was necessary. "Throat still painful, head and arm not" he managed to say before he was overcome by a small series of coughs. His throat felt painfully dry and rough and even as he attempted to regain control of his breathing, his mind brought up a memory of when he had seen Aragon get an illness that men called a cold. He had complained of a painful throat at the time, but Legolas had not believed that it was a bad as the ranger had claimed it to be. Now however, if it had been as bad as what he was experiencing then he promised never doubt the ranger again. After what seemed like an eternally the coughing subsided and he was able to once again focus on his surroundings.
The first thing he saw was a cup being held out towards him by Aragon. "Drink this" the ranger said "It will help". Reaching to take the cup, he was surprised but also relieved that he could once more move his arms. They still felt weak but it was nothing like the weakness that he felt when he had first awoken. "The toxin seems to be almost gone" imparted Aragon once again seeming to read his mind. "Your strength will return in time. Luckily the toxin has not hindered your healing ability. You should be almost recovered by tomorrow evening by this rate"
"That's good", he managed to croak in reply. He saw the ranger smile discerningly and wondered what he was thinking. The answer came soon enough as Aragon continued "Well if one good thing is to come from this, at least you know how I feel when I get a cold. No more of your 'It can't be a bad as you say it is" talk. The elf tried to glare at the ranger, but seeing the playful smile of the ranger, instead began to laugh. He stopped quickly as it was much too painful. However seeing the delight on the ranger's face, he knew that he was his first steps to a complete recovery.
Aragon watched as his friend managed to finish the last bit of the healing tea, thankful that the elf seemed to be recovering well. When he had heard the elf attempt to laugh his heart filled with relief. Though he still did not know how the incident had affected the elf mentally, he was sure that he would be able to recover from it in time. The Elvish prince was strong, both physically and mentally and he would overcome the events of the morning. The ranger was sure of it.
"Do you think that you could manage having sometime to eat?" he asked as he took the empty cup from the elf. "No, not yet" the elf replied, looking sick at the thought of eating. "Are you sure? You should try to eat something. You will need it to recover your strength" the ranger replied hoping that he would be able to convince the recovering elf. From the look Legolas gave him, he guessed that the answer was still a negative one. "Fine" he said in defeat. "However you must eat something before we leave tomorrow evening. Agreed?" "Agreed" the elf replied unenthusiastically, though he was already sounding slightly better than when he had first awoke.
Aragon surveyed the elf's condition, he still looked very weary and pale and his breath was slightly irregular. However what concerned the ranger the most was the small specks of blood that appeared upon the elf's lips each time he coughed. He will be fine, he thought to himself trying to contain his distress. His healing hasn't been effected, just a little while longer and it should stop.
Aragon was distracted from his worries by the sound of several small feet approaching. Looking away from the elf he saw four concerned hobbit faces looking down at them. "How are you Legolas? asked Frodo speaking for the rest of the hobbits. Though troubled, they each looked pleased to see that the elf was finally awake. "I'm fine" replied Legolas, though his voice was very husky. It sounded as if his throat was still very sore. The ranger grinned at this answer as it was Legolas' standard answer to any question that concerned his health, no matter is he is actually unhurt or had a serious stab wound.
Noticing the disbelieving looks on the hobbit's faces, Aragon decided to put their fears to rest. "Truly, he will recover and recover well. He just experiencing a sore throat for first time, much to his displeasure" looking over at the elf with a smirk, who glared at him in return.
"Oh, sore throats are just terrible" exclaimed Pippin "I had a bad one last winter, it was no fun at all"
"It's a pity we have no honey" stated Sam, "It works wonders on sore throats. My gran used to make a lovely honey and lemon tea whenever my sisters and I were ill"
"Plenty of rest is also important" countered Frodo "If you can't get honey, then rest and sleep is the next best thing"
"Don't forget about warmth" piped Merry "Being too cold will never help a sore throat to heal. I'll go and get another blanket"
Soon the hobbits were bustling about making sure that Legolas would have the ultimate rest. Aragon watched in fascination as Sam politely, yet somehow forcefully directed the Elvish prince of Mirkwood to lie back down, while Merry searched for more blankets and Pippin dealt with finding the most comfortable pillow. Frodo stood back and managed the small group of hobbits, making sure that everything that could be done was done and in a surprisingly short amount of time Legolas was sleeping peacefully. His eyes were closed once again, which told the ranger that he still had more healing to do. But he knew that with vigilant attentive hobbits nearby the elf would have all the help and support he needed to recover.