TRUST
Disclaimer; I do not own anything Tolkien and no one in their right mind would ever pay me for this. I also claim no expertise in the Tolkien world or as an author so forgive the mistakes that I have made.
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!
Rating: T
Authors note; Sorry for the long, long delay. I almost drown in my real life problems, but I am climbing my way out.
The spider shrieked in frustration as he struck out at the elusive ranger, trying to catch him off guard. However, he failed to get the upper hand. The battered human seemed to falter, staggering at times, but still he came back strong. The spider knew himself to be superior, a mere human was not even worth his time, but even now, the battle was turning against him and the ranger was bearing down on him, the man's sword cutting into his flesh at every turn. Thick, black blood dripped down to the forest floor, smothering the leaves under their feet. Fluid loss was wearing the spider down. He used his anger to drive him on. The creature knew it only needed a small opening in which to make the final strike and the battle would be his. Ignoring his wounds, the spider saw an opening and moved in for the kill, the gleam in his eyes, the only prelude to his plan of attack. Eager to taste human blood, he did not see the trap until it was too late. Realization lit in his eyes as he saw the trap door open just as he fell in. The battle was lost as the human's sword protruded from its soft underbelly. One last shriek filled the air as the spider gave into a quick death.
Relieving his sword of the disgusting creature's dead form, Estel wiped the grisly blade off on the grass. Exhausted, he leaned against a nearby tree and rested his head against the rough bark. He had struggled to win the battle against just one spider. He could not imagine having to fight them everyday. He pitied the woodland elves. Mopping his sweaty brow with his sleeve, he wondered how they managed to continue the battle against these creatures for so many years. Speaking of woodelves, his eyes searched the trees in the direction that a particular wood elf had taken, unsure of how much time had passed during his fight with the spider. Glancing up, he tried to gauge the time, but the forest block any view of the sky above or the sun. It was useless. He did not know if he should be worried or not at the elf's absence. Wilwarin too was nowhere to be seen.
Without any certainty of which direction Legolas had traveled in, following him was out of the question. Tracking on the ground was one thing, but in the trees another. He did not relish just sitting here waiting while his friend was out there on his own. The urge to call out to him was hard to fight. He found himself pacing along the forest edge, unable to rest. Frustrated, he again searched the trees for any sign of the prince. Worry ate at his gut, causing the familiar feeling to grow. He hated feeling helpless. His helplessness was not to be out done by the guilt that accompanied it. What would he do if the elf did not return? He should have followed him. They should have stayed together. Those five words kept repeated in his mind. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, trying to force them away. They had gotten this far, and they would make it the rest of the way, he tried to tell himself.
Straining to hear beyond the silence that surrounded him, Estel's ears finally picked up a distant sound, a slight disturbance coming his way. His eyes tried to follow the sound to its source, hoping to spot Legolas' blond hair moving among the trees. After several long minutes, he was rewarded as Wilwarin emerged from the trees.
The spider stopped after she entered the clearing, spotting the human by the tree. Peering down the path, relief washed over his body as he saw Legolas behind her, looking much worse than when he had left. Concerned, he opened his mouth to question what had happened, but the look of urgency on the elf's face froze the words in his throat.
"Run, they are coming! We need to move!" Legolas blurted out as he neared the human.
"They have found the dead and are now heading back this way," he exclaimed, grabbing Estel's shoulder. He turned him around, pushing the confused human down the path in front of them. Taking a moment, Wilwarin gazed out, looking for any sign of her kind in the trees. They could be tricky and blend into the forest easily. Finally, sure that there was no one there she turned to follow the elf and human.
They broke into a run, even through they knew that they did not stand a chance in out running them. However, there was nothing else left that they could do, but run. All caution cast aside, they ran as fast as they could. Sticking to the worn path, they hoped it would take them back to the Mirkwood trails and the elves that usually patrolled there.
They had been running for almost a half an hour when shrieks filed the air bringing the group to a halt. Closing his eyes and resting his hand against a nearby tree, Legolas listened.
The tree let him know that the spiders had found the bodies that Estel had killed at the thicket and that the enemy was now on the very same path as them. Worried for the safety of the prince, the tree urged him to run.
Opening his eyes, he thanked the tree, "They have reached the thicket," Legolas reported.
Gasping, Estel reached out, grabbed the elf's hand and pulled, "Let's go."
Legolas almost fell over at the unexpected tug, but he did not resist. They resumed their pace putting everything they had into a last desperate dash for safety.
Both were exhausted, forcing their bodies to keep up. Evening was upon them and the forest was falling into darkness. Soon, it would be difficult to see and they would have to rely solely upon the elf to proceed. However, it would cost them speed. Estel knew he would slow them down, as both Wilwarin and Legolas could see better in the dark. Guilt reared it ugly head again, he knew if they were caught, it would be his fault. He did not want to be the cause for Legolas' recapture.
For now, Estel did his best to follow the twists and turns in the path. He glanced back every so often to make sure Legolas was right behind him. Returning his attention to the path, he was shocked to find it was gone. Without any warning, the ground dropped.Backpedaling did him no good, he was unable to stop and found himself tumbling down a short embankment. He had barely come to a stop when he felt Legolas crash right into him, knocking the wind out both of them.
Legolas quickly fought his way to his feet, untangling himself from the gasping ranger, pushing aside the dizziness that assaulted his head. He pulled Estel to his feet, steadying the ranger as he wobbled.
"Are you able to go on?" Legolas asked, worried that the human was injured.
"Are you kidding? Have you looked at yourselves lately?"
Confused, his eyes widening, Legolas stared at Estel. The ranger, still short of breath, had not spoken, but was staring off over Legolas' shoulder, his eyes wide in shock.
Seeing the elf's confusion, Estel grabbed the elf and turned him around.
Turning, Legolas found himself face to face with Lord Elrond and a large group of familiar looking elves.
Before the relief could register on their faces, Wilwarin took that precise moment to fall down the ledge, knocking them both off their feet, again.
The group of warriors instinctively drew their arrows and prepared to kill the intruder. Legolas threw himself at the spider, putting himself between the arrows and Wilwarin.
"No! Don't shoot!"
"Legolas, have you gone mad?" Lord Elrond demanded. "Move now!" he ordered, shocked to see the wood elf defend the spider.
Legolas cringed at the direct order, knowing he had to disobey it. "No, wait."
Estel, still trying to catch his breath, tried to speak, "Ada, wait…she helped us," he forced out.
"She saved out lives. Don't shoot," Legolas finished for the ranger.
In disbelief, Elrond signaled for the warriors to halt. "What?"
Sinking to the ground in front of the spider, Legolas tried to clarify. "She helped us escape. Please, just trust me. We do not have time to explain, the rest of the spiders are on our trail. There is too many to fight, hundreds. We must go. They…they are after me," he trailed off.
Seeing the desperation in the prince's face, the Lord hesitated no longer. "Elladan, take your brother. You, prince, shall ride with me. I think you have a lot to explain."
Estel gladly joined his brother on the horse without any complaint. Shocked, Elladan raised his eyebrow in a silent question.
"Do not even ask, brother," Estel responded to the questioning look. The idea of being on a horse and off his feet was too good to complain about even if he had to share it with his brother.
Elrond rode up to the prince and extended his hand down, keeping a wary eye upon the spider. Ignoring the hand, Legolas turned to Wilwarin.
Kneeling down to the spider's level, the prince instructed the spider, "Follow us closely in the trees. They will not harm you, I promise," finishing he cast a meaningful glance at the Nordic Elf Lord.
Watching the exchange between Legolas and Wilwarin, Estel was confused. He noted the kindness the wood elf was showing the spider. Legolas' appeared much more concerned with the spider's welfare then before. Something had changed between them while they were gone. What would make the elf trust the spider now? Estel added the question to his growing list of ones to ask the prince the first chance he got.
"Prince, you have my word that this spider shall not be harmed. Now, let's go, before you tell me there is more that I must spare."
Satisfied with the Lord's word, Legolas stood up. Another sudden change of position aggravated his growing concussion, sending waves of nausea and dizziness coursing through his body. He quickly braced himself against the Lord's horse to prevent himself from falling.
"Give me your hand, Legolas. I will guide you up," Elrond instructed.
The noise in his head drowned out any outside sounds, leaving the prince deaf to the healer's words. He continued to grip the horse for support as he tried to push down the nausea. His eyes were squeezed shut against the spinning of the earth. He never heard the second horse approach or Elrohir dismount. He gasped when he felt gentle hands lift him up.
Once on the horse, the prince tried to lean forward onto the horse's neck to relieve the nausea and to rest his pounding head against something, but he found hands holding him back.
"Lean against me, so we may ride," Elrond whispered.
"Estel, you will tell me what has happened when we get some distance from here," the Elf Lord said as he turned his horse to face the others.
Nodding, Estel watched the prince with concern, his sharp eyes in healer mode, confused as to how or why the prince was worse than before. He must have injured himself in the fall down the embankment, small that it was.
Raising his voice, Elrond addressed his warriors, "This spider will accompany us; no one is to harm it in any way." With that said, he turned towards the palace. The group broke into a hard, fast run. Even though they were all experienced warriors, none of them had any desire to fight the spiders of Mirkwood. They were still far from the Halls and had some distance to travel before they would be safe.
Posting guards at all sides of the group, they traveled for hours. Wilwarin kept pace with them in the trees, but she tried to stay by the prince, feeling odd surrounded by elves. She was unsure of the strength of the Elf Lord's command, but felt oddly safe near the prince.
Finally, feeling that they had put enough distance between them and the spiders, they halted. Signaling for camp to be set up, Lord Elrond sent a few warriors ahead to the Halls to get help.
The prince had been quiet throughout the trip, causing Estel to worry even more. As soon as the horse stopped, he slid off and quickly made way to his father's horse.
"Legolas?" he asked, reaching up to help him from the horse. He was surprised to watch the elf dismount on his own. Legolas stifled a groan at the movement; he was determined to hide this injury. However, the bumpy dash through the forest had succeeded in only aggravating his injury more. Legolas turned hastily, trying to put as much distance between him and the very determined healer moving in for the kill.
"Legolas, how are you sick again? What happened?" the ranger asked anxiously, stepping up his pace to grab the elf's arm, trying to slow him down.
Standing up straighter and forcing himself to look Estel in the eye, he answered, "I am better now. It must have just been the fall." The prince carefully tried to extract himself from Estel's tight grip, but found it nearly impossible.
Elrohir was already preparing a makeshift bed for the prince with cloaks, by the beginnings of the campfire. "Over here, Estel," he called, directing them towards the bed.
Estel pulled none too gently on Legolas' sleeve. He was not going to let the prince slide on this one. He was very suspicious and did not believe a word the elf had said.
Eyeing the makeshift bed, Legoals protested, "We do not have to stop for me, Estel, I am fine. We should keep moving. They cannot be far behind."
Narrowing his eyes, Estel glared at the stubborn elf in front of him.
Legolas stared back at him with one of his best innocent looks he could muster.
In his struggle to win the battle of wills, he had not heard reinforcements arrive. "You are not trying to get out of my examination are you, young prince?" questioned an authoritative voice.
The words froze Legolas in his tracks. He had momentarily forgotten about the Elf Lord's presence.
"Yes, Ada. He is" Estel answered with a trace of annoyance creeping into his words. His worry had driven him past his normal tolerance of Legolas' pride.
Turning carefully to face the healer, Legolas attempted to continue the battle of wills, "I am fine," being sure to look him in the eye for a more convincing performance. I have rested and now I feel better." A little stretch of the truth never hurt.
"We will see," Elrond said as he pointed to the bed that lay behind them.
"But we do not have to stop for this. I can wait until I get home." Legolas added, trying another stall tactic. "The spiders are planning to over throw my father, we need to warn them."
Not to be outdone, Elrond answered, "My warriors have ridden long and hard to find you two. They need rest as well as the horses. It will do no one any good if we fall to exhaustion."
Not willing to give in even to the Elf Lord, Legolas began anew, "But-"
"No buts, Legolas. We will not leave until you have been checked over to my satisfaction," Elrond finished with a smile. He knew he had won this round. He always did. For a second, he could have sworn that the prince was about to bolt.
Realizing there was no way out of this one, Legolas audibly sighed. He had no desire to let anyone know he had falling out of a tree. His mind quickly searched for a suitable excuse.
He felt pressure from Estel's hand, pushing him towards the waiting bed. This was going to be very embarrassing, he sighed.
"Legolas, you cannot win, just let us help you."
Looking for anything to postpone the examination, Legolas glanced up into the trees after hearing a slight noise. He spotted Wilwarin waiting above. He started to begin a new protest, but Estel cut him off.
"Wilwarin is fine, Legolas, she can wait," Estel knew him well and was not going to let himself be put off by any possible subterfuge the prince could create.
Rewarding Estel with a glare, Legolas shrugged off any assistance and made his way over to the bed, followed very closely by two very determined healers. They were ganging up on him. It was not fair, not at all.
He was careful to keep any signs of discomfort from his movements. Giving both healers a see-I-am-fine look, he gracefully sat down on the prepared bed, knowing that all eyes were on him. He forced his own eyes to remain opened and did not let them close against the pounding of his head at the small change of position. With the adrenaline gone, he was beginning to feel more then just his pounding head. His body felt like it had been beaten by a troll. He still had not given up the hope that he could pull this off. Anything was better than having to admit the truth.
Elrond was retrieving his medical bag from his horse and Estel was fetching a water flask. Therefore, he had a moment's reprieve from the poking and prodding he would have to endure. It felt good to sit down and not to be moving. He tried to keep his mind off his body by following the motions in camp. However, no matter what he did, he could not keep the sick feelings at bay.
By now, the fire was going strong and the rest of the camp was settled in. Guards were in position and food was being prepared. He swore that the whole camp was against him. The smell of the food was stirring up waves of nausea in his stomach. He was certain his face was turning green. The stronger the aroma got the worse he felt. His eyes involuntarily closed as the activity inside his body commanded his attention. Taking a deep breath to calm his stomach only backfired as more of the odor from the night's meal assaulted his senses.
Suddenly, feeling he was not alone, he opened his eyes, only to find Estel staring at him intently. "Feeling fine, huh?" he asked sarcastically.
Defeated, Legolas just closed his eyes and rested his head against his knees. He did not want to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Even if he was not able to hide his injury anymore, he could at least keep quiet about its cause. Gentle hands touched his arm startling him from his thoughts.
Raising his head, he found Lord Elrond had joined his son in the torture-the-prince-session today.
"I would like to examine you now," the healer informed him.
Legolas slowly nodded his consent. What a difference a few minutes made. He was too sick to fight them, anymore.
Being the experienced healer he was, Elrond knew where to start looking first.
He started with the prince's head, feeling around looking for anything out of the ordinary. Legolas tensed, he too knew what the healer would find.
Elrond immediately found the source of the problem, a large swelling on the back of his head. Legolas hissed and pulled away from his touch.
Alerted by the sound, Estel followed his father's hands. "What did you find?" he asked.
Giving the prince a minute to collect himself, he explained, "He has a large bump on the back of his head. I am sure it is big enough for a concussion. When did he fall?"
Confused, Estel frowned, "That was days ago, Ada. I examined him earlier it was not there."
Moving to the side, so he could get a better look, Elrond gently parted the hair that blocked his view.
Looking closer at it, Elrond noticed the coloration. "The bruising is fresh, this has only happened a few hours ago. I'll go prepare a tea for the symptoms."
Elladan and Elrohir appeared by Estel side. "Anything we can do to help?" they asked.
"Warm water and some cloths to clean his wounds," Estel wanted to check over the wounds from before.
"I'll get it," Elladan responded.
Elrohir made himself comfortable on the other side of the prince.
The pungent odor of Elrond's tea announced his return. Both Estel and Elrohir wrinkled up their noses in disgust. One look from Elrond silenced any complaint that was about to come out of their mouths.
Legolas could smell the familiar odor of Elrond's tea. The smell alone had his stomach up in his throat. He had had it numerous times before. In fact, more times then he cared to remember, but even with such familiarity with the brew it still tasted awful and he would have to force himself to swallow. He turned his face away from the nauseating smell of the steam as it drifted near his sensitive nose. He could not hold back a groan as his stomach let him know just how upset it was.
"Mellon nin, you have a concussion and you are not going to feel better until you drink this. I know that is the last thing you want to do right now, but it is for the best. It will make you feel better," Estel encouraged.
A second groan was emitted from the wood elf as he turned to face the consequences. Prying his eyes open, he found a worried Estel and elf lord in front of him. The sharp streaks of light from the nearby fire were terrible for his headache. Closing his eyes against the light, he let out a disgusted sigh.
A soft touch to his shoulder caused him to peer out again.
"Drink this," Elrond said, as he gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Legolas felt the cup rest upon his lips, waiting. Taking it from the Healer's hands, he quickly drank it all down in one gulp. The horrid mixture caused an uproar as soon as it made contact with his stomach. Pushing the cup back into someone's hands, he groaned and returned his head to rest against his knees.
Elladan arrived with the water and cloths. He set them down next to the ranger.
"Legolas, I am going to clean your wounds. We cannot be sure of how much time we have to rest and I want to make sure they are healing. Can you lay down for me?" Estel asked softly, trying not to aggravate the prince's headache.
Legolas did not answer; he just did as he as was asked. He stretched his long frame out along the makeshift bed, laying his arm over his eyes to protect them from the light. He clenched his teeth against the new pain that assaulted his mind. Apparently, his body was against him too.
Pleased that he received no argument, Estel brushed his loose hair from his eyes and went to work. He carefully unwrapped the soiled cloth that covered the spider bite on the prince's thigh. The cloth stuck to the dried blood and dirt that covered the wound. He was not pleased with what he found. The wound was dirty and infection was setting in.
Estel dipped the cloth in the warm water and squeezed it out. Closing his hands over his son's Elrond took the cloth from his son, "Estel, go rest."
Surprised, Estel protested, "But, I am fine., father"
"Have you looked at your self lately?" Elrond asked with concern, resting his hand on his son's cheek,. "Please for me, let your brother tend to you."
Unable to say no to his father, Estel gave in.
"Elladan, please check him over and make sure he is not hiding anything either." He added giving his son a suspicious look.
Another protest formed upon the Ranger's face, but Elrond stilled it with a do-not-argue-with-your-father look. "I will tend to the prince. You must rest. As you said, we cannot be sure of how much time we have to rest, so you must get what you can." He ended with a smug look on his face.
Shaking his head, Estel sighed. "That was low, Ada," he said, handing the bowl of water to his father. He looked up to find his brother standing over him.
"Come little brother, let me see to you," Elladan encouraged, he knew how difficult it was to separate the two.
Elrohir returned with a handful of cloaks for another bed. He set them up just a few feet behind the prince, figuring that they had a better chance of getting their brother's cooperation. He was rewarded with a look of appreciation from the ranger. Without further protest, Estel moved over to the makeshift bed and got comfortable. Like vultures, his brothers moved in to question him about every bump and bruise on his body, and with a sigh, he accounted for every one of them to their satisfaction.
Confident that his son was in good hands, Elrond turned his attention back to the prince. The wound was indeed infected and required more time then they had to clean it to his approval. His hands worked quickly and as careful as he could, but some discomfort could not be avoided, even with his skills. The bandage had barely covered the wound, allowing dirt to get passed it. Frowning, he began to wonder just what they had been doing out in the forest. There was so much debris in the wound; it was as if they had been crawling through the dirt, literally. He had to scrub hard to clean the area. Regrettably, it was painful to do, but he had included painkilling herbs in the tea for the prince.
Finally satisfied with the level of cleanliness he was able to acquire, he paused. "Where else?" he asked, assuming that there was always more when dealing with these two.
Before Legolas could even think about an answer, Estel's voiced chimed in, "His shoulder has another spider bite." Like a little kid telling on his brother, Estel added, "He was poisoned twice."
Legolas turned to glare at his friend.
"Is that all?" Elrond mocked.
Estel thought for a moment. "As far as I am aware," he added skeptically, raising his upper body off his bed to eye the elf accusingly.
Ignoring the comment, Legolas was actually relieved. Giving Elrond enough old injuries to take care of would keep him from asking about the new ones. He made no attempt to aid Elrond in his examination or divulge any information. The tea had relieved him of his headache and dizziness. The nausea too was almost gone. He was still bone tired and his whole body ached, each bump and bruise making itself known, now that he was resting and the adrenaline was gone from his system. It was difficult to lie still on the bed, as his body ache in every position. Finally, he was forced to sit up to avoid squirming like an elfling. He found the entire process painful.
The timing was perfect and Elrond motioned for him to remove his tunic. Even through he knew the movement would cause him pain, Legolas did not ask for help. He carefully removed the items, not allowing any sounds to escape his lips. Nevertheless, a gasp still filled the air. Confused, Legolas was sure he had not made a sound. Regardless, he had heard a gasp of distress.
With the tunic and undershirt gone, the full extent of his fall was visible. Legolas had no clue that his back was covered in cuts and bruises, so he had not even tried to hide it.
The gasp from behind did get the lord's attention.
Shocked, Estel pushed away his brothers and returned to the elf's side. "Legolas! What happened?" Colorful hues of black and blue decorated the prince's normally pristine skin from top to bottom.
"Nothing happened. Why? What is wrong?" he asked, squinting against the fire's glare.
Elrond leaned over to peer behind at the prince's back. "Oh, my." It was obvious that the prince knew not of what they spoke.
Turning back to face the Lord, Legolas was confused. He apprehensively followed the healer's movements as Elrond took up a seat behind his back. Moving to twist around, Legolas was stopped by the lord's hand on his shoulder. "Stay," he commanded.
Reaching up, Elrond gently traced the area of bruising, feeling for any broken bones that may lie underneath the surface. He gently pushed to feel for any breaks.
Pain flared through the prince's body instantly at the healer's touch. He hissed and arched his back out of the reach of the searching fingers. The strong hand on his shoulder made his retreat impossible allowing the probing fingers to follow prevented any further escape.
"You have two broken ribs and a lot of bruising," Elrond concluded from his exploration. He returned to his original spot and graced the young prince with a raised eyebrow.
Trying to ignore the pain, Legolas took a deep breath to calm himself. He could feel the healer waiting for a response. Reluctantly meeting his gaze, Legolas quickly dropped his eyes to the ground. He wanted nothing more then to find a place to hide. His cheeks flushed red at all the attention, he could feel all four sets of eyes watching him.
Realizing the prince was not about to volunteer any information the healer decided he would need to insist. "Please enlighten us, little one."
He knew there was no way out of this. He had hoped to keep this story to himself. His shoulders slumped in defeat, followed by a sigh of resignation. Legolas painfully admitted the truth. He explained his misstep in the tree, how he had missed his target, and finally his fall to the ground. He also explained how Wilwarin saved his life.
Barely able to contain his outburst till the end of the tale, Estel fired away, "Why did you not tell me? I would have understood. You were not at full strength or even half, Legolas. You could have passed out and I would not have known. I could have left you behind."
"I am sorry. I did not mean to worry you." Legolas knew it would do little to smother ranger's anger.
"You just fell, Legolas. It could have happened to any of us," Elladan said, trying to make the prince feel better.
"It is not that," Legolas answered meekly, but did not elaborate. They would not understand. "I am sorry for not telling you."
Having known the prince his entire life, Elrond knew the answer. "You think you failed."
"Yes," He answered, raising his voice. "I did. I did not kill the spider. Actually, I would have been captured if it had not been for Wilwarin. I did fail." He repeated, lowering his eyes from the Lord's, trying to keep his emotions to himself.
Surprised at how much pain those three little words held for the prince, Estel was speechless for moment.
Letting out a sigh, Elrond lifted Legolas' chin forcing the prince to return his gaze. "You are no failure. You have battled this fear all your life. It pains me to see you belittle your abilities. I know you well enough to know that you would have stopped at nothing to prevent that spider from escaping, but sometimes your body is not able to keep up with your demands."
Nodding, Legolas conceded, for now, but he still knew inside that he had indeed failed and it would continue to burn him for some time.
Realizing, he had not gotten through to the prince, but time was not on their side, Elrond let the matter drop for now. "We are not done with this, young one," he warned. "Now, let's see to your wounds."
Legolas pulled his knees forward to rest his head upon them as he waited for the examination to end. He was suddenly weary and wanted to rest.
"How high were you in the trees?" Elrond questioned.
"Half of the way up to the top," he answered quietly. He could still feel Estel's anger and closed his eyes. He would have to deal with a long lecture from the irate ranger soon, but right now, he was too tired to let him start.
After wrapping the prince's chest to hold his ribs in place, Your ribs will mend in a few days. Rest, we will move soon." The healer instructed. "You too, my son, we will talk more tomorrow."
Estel opened his mouth to speak, but he was immediately silence by his father.
"Not another word." He knew that Estel was angry with the prince, but he wanted them to rest, not argue. That could wait until tomorrow.
"Yes, Ada." He lay back down on his bed. He too was exhausted and was glad to be able to sleep.
Elrond helped him pull his tunic back on, "Now rest," he repeated.
Legolas glanced up into the trees. He checked once more on Wilwarin, he found her watching from the trees above him. Satisfied, he laid back down only this time much slower then before. Accepting the pain that blossomed, he allowed his eyes to drift shut.
Hearing the prince settle in, Estel peered over at his friend. Seeing his eyes closed in sleep attested to the exhaustion the prince, too, felt. He watched as the prince tried to get comfortable, but the injuries covered his body and left no place free for him to lie on. His anger at his friend slipped away as concern replaced it. Reaching over, he grasped Legolas' hand in his. He gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze. He was rewarded with a pair of tired blue eyes, dulled by medication, pain and fatigue staring back at him.
Relieved to see Estel's anger gone, Legolas opened his mouth to apologize, but was stopped when Estel raised his finger to his own lips in a gesture of silence.
Estel then pointed towards his ever-watchful father sitting nearby.
Amusement brightened Legolas' face for a fleeting moment as he realized Estel did not want to incur his father's wrath.
Unable to keep his eyes open, they again drifted shut without the prince even knowing it.
Estel smiled and then he too closed his eyes. They were safe for now; that was all that was important. He allowed himself to follow the prince's example and sleep.
Watching from a distance, Elrond smiled as he saw Estel take Legolas' hand in his. His son could not stay mad at the prince for long, but he was sure that he was saving a long lecture for the prince tomorrow.
All was quiet in the camp as the group tried to gather what little rest they could. Except for the guards, the only other eyes that were open were Wilwarins. She had watched the entire exchange between the elves below and was surprised at concern they showed for each other. In her world, an injured spider was left behind. There was no mercy or kindness waiting them. They were left to die a slow and painful death no one giving them a second thought…, until now.
