Chapter Eleven
Nienor thundered into the camp, waking Aragorn and Árë instantly. Both she-elf and human sprang to their feet. Why was the mare loose?
Aragorn glanced over at Legolas's blanket. Empty.
Árë's green eyes went wide with fright. "Where is he, Aragorn?" she asked, as if the Ranger knew.
"I don't know!" Aragorn caught Nienor. The mare was trembling all over and she had worked up a sweat. The horse was frightened and had obviously been galloping hard for some distance. Where had she been and why had she come back? Nienor was wild, and could have just as easily made for her herd. Aragorn soothed her, and in doing so, he placed a hand on her neck. Feeling something sticky in her coat, the Ranger withdrew his hand and examined his fingers. The liquid was black in the moonlight. Aragorn already had a good idea of what it was, so he sniffed it to make sure. Blood, and it wasn't orc blood.
Árë saw it too, and the Ranger's grim expression. "Does this mean…" she began fearfully.
Aragorn nodded. "Legolas! He's in trouble! Make haste! We must pack up and go after him!"
oXo
Aragorn and Árë packed up camp in record time and loaded everything onto Roheryn.
"I'll ride Nienor," Árë said as she strapped the harness to the mare, who kept fidgeting.
Aragorn nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. What happened! Is Legolas even alive! The Ranger focused and said, "Alright, but try not to steer her – she might lead as to him."
Árë nodded, and she-elf and Ranger mounted and set off, Nienor leading of her own accord at a gallop. The mare seemed to know where she was going. Árë proved to be an excellent rider, sitting Nienor's pace expertly. The long dress she wore would have made riding difficult for most women, but not this she-elf, it seemed.
oXo
"So, what do you think has befallen him?" Árë asked Aragorn, on the brink of tears. The horses had slowed to a gentle canter.
"I'm not exactly sure," the Ranger answered, "but I've a good idea as to what happened. Here's the scenario – Legolas can't sleep. He decides to go riding, and runs into trouble. All I know is that it was…err, violent and probably painful trouble. He didn't have any weapons on him, so he was unable to defend himself if what I think is true and he was attacked. I don't know why he never took them – perhaps his head was not completely clear."
"Explain?"
"Legolas's shoulder wound was made by a poisoned arrow, and the symptoms of the poison seemed mainly to be a fever, but I gave him a dose of antidote before any more could show themselves, and he seemed fine. Perhaps his injury bothered him or his fever came back while we were asleep…" Aragorn suddenly felt very guilty. He should have given Legolas the next dose of antidote before they went to bed! Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was long overdue now, and it was all his fault that the elf had gone wandering in the middle of the night, probably in a kind of feverish stupor, and maybe even gotten himself killed! Horrible images flashed through the Ranger's mind, and he tried to block them out. Everything will be alright! Legolas is alive! But still, the pictures came…Legolas mauled to death by a pack of Wargs, Legolas lying quite still in the dirt somewhere, an arrow imbedded in his chest, and a crimson stain spreading slowly across his tunic like a blossoming flower…"Make them go away! Make them go away!"
"Aragorn!" Árë shouted, bringing him round.
"Oh!" The Ranger was breathing hard and he was shaking, "I'll be alright in a moment. I'm sorry."
"Legolas's next dose of antidote is a long time overdue, isn't it, and he could land up in a lot of trouble without it, couldn't he?" the she-elf asked quietly.
Silently, Aragorn nodded.
TBC.
A/N: Smart horsey, eh? Horsey run back to Aragorn and do the Lassie thing :) See, another cliffie! Sorry it's so short!