Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.

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Mirkwood's Plague

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A/N: Hmmm, will Legolas get sick? I wonder. Keep reading to find out and tap out a review when you're done, I do love getting them. Thanks.

Chapter 4 ~ A Helping Hand

The remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring; namely Merry, Pippin, Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Gimli and Gandalf, had travelled to Mirkwood under the invitation of Legolas. Although there had been a fairly recent reunion at Rivendell, Legolas was eager for his friends to see Mirkwood for themselves. The Hobbits had never been anywhere near Mirkwood before so this was a completely new and exciting experience for them, although Frodo had heard enough of Bilbo's stories about the place to have an idea of what it was like and if he was honest he was also quite nervous about being there. After all, the Elf-King, according to Bilbo, was far from welcoming and delighted in locking Dwarves in dungeons. When Frodo had told Legolas of his concerns the Elf had almost fallen over laughing, saying that that was a great exaggeration and his father was a fair and noble ruler of his kingdom.

Gandalf and Aragorn had visited Mirkwood countless times. Being good friends with both Legolas and King Thranduil had allowed Gandalf to visit often, much to the Hobbit's relief, who assumed that nothing could go wrong so long as Gandalf was with them. Aragorn, however, had not had as many good experiences in Mirkwood. The king often said that Legolas had made a big mistake in befriending a human and Aragorn had been on the receiving end of many lectures from the king about keeping his son safe and about how untrustworthy the whole race of Men were.

Gimli was the most excited of all of them. He had been expecting to see the same shining beauty of Lothlorien or Imladris but he was vaguely disappointed to find that most of Mirkwood consisted of dark, oppressive trees – although he should have guessed as some people still referred to it as the Great Forest. Legolas had always insisted that the palace was 'the grandest building this side of the Misty Mountains' and despite it being all boring trees on the outside the palace itself was spectacular in the Dwarf's eyes and far surpassed the abodes in Lorien or Rivendell.

Gimli marvelled at the golden halls with their fine carvings in stone and expensive-looking furniture complete with some of the finest jewels in Middle Earth. It was hard to believe that Legolas, the humble, excellent archer and fighter from the Fellowship, was in fact the prince of this spectacular place.

After a few minutes of waiting in the corridor – just as brilliant as all the others they had been through so far – two servants appeared. One spoke softly to Elrond who then silently disappeared around the corner with only a nod of his head towards the rest of the group. The other servant bowed to the remaining travellers before speaking.

"My Lords, Prince Legolas has asked me to escort you all to King Thranduil's study. His Majesty apologises that your rooms have not yet been prepared but will make sure they are ready for you straight after dinner," the servant spoke formally and quickly bowed at the end of his overly elaborate speech. Even Gandalf and Aragorn were slightly surprised by the formality of it. Often their visits were light-hearted and the greetings long and joyful but not this time. The servant looked uncomfortable to be there and looked as though he simply wanted to run away and hide.

"If you would please follow me." The servant began walking through the maze of halls, which Gandalf remembered quite well from previous visits. From the increase of beauty in the décor Gimli guessed they were getting closer to the royal quarters and it was quite a spectacular thing to behold.

Finally the servant stopped outside a set of tall double doors. He unlocked the doors and pushed them open revealing the most lavish room Gimli had ever seen.

"Prince Legolas will be joining you shortly. Please make yourselves comfortable while you wait." The servant bowed and turned to leave.

"Hang on. Do you know how long it is until that meal you were talking about?" Pippin asked before the servant could leave.

"No sir but I can find out if you wish."

"No, that's fine. I'll just ask Lego…Prince Legolas," Pippin said, smiling.

"As you wish." With that the servant left them alone in the room.

"So, this is Mirkwood," Gimli mumbled looking critically around. "Not what I expected. Where is Legolas anyway? He should be greeting his guests properly. Knowing that idiot Elf prince he's off somewhere shooting arrows or something stupid like that."

"Something is wrong here," Gandalf mused. "It's not like Legolas or Thranduil not to greet their guests. And it's far too quiet around here. No music, no laughter and no guards watching over us and servants showing us to the king's study of all places. It's been a long time since I have been in here on my own. This place is usually guarded so well no one could get in."

"You're right. I've never been to this part of the palace without being escorted by Thranduil, Rumil or Legolas himself. The royals are fully aware of the danger to their lives. It's not like them to be lax when it comes to security," Aragorn agreed.

"Well, I think he's forgotten about us. He's probably too busy to greet his own friends when they travel all this way to see him," Gimli grumbled, admiring the stone fireplace.

"As if I could ever forget you, my old friend," the soft, melodic voice of Legolas Greenleaf came from the doorway. "Forgive me, my friends, but I have had…business to attend to," Legolas told them grimly, forcing a welcoming smile onto his face, which he knew looked far from convincing.

The Hobbits had already launched themselves at Legolas and were displaying their usual cheerful greeting of trying to strangle him with their enthusiastic hugs.

"I hope it was important business," Gimli grumbled as he roughly shook Legolas' hand.

Legolas looked to the floor, a shadow crossing his face before he looked up to meet the Dwarf's eyes. "Yes, it was." He sounded detached as he said this and Gimli almost regretted speaking at all.

"It's so good to see you, mellon nin," Aragorn grinned as he embraced his friend tightly. He felt Legolas holding him back a little tighter than usual. Hoping to offer his friend some comfort for whatever it was that was troubling the Elf he increased his own grip.

"Mae govannen, mellon nin," Legolas said softly still gripping his friend tightly and fighting the urge to fall apart in Aragorn's arms.

"Legolas, mani ta raika?"

"Speak words we can all understand," Gimli predictably grumbled from behind Aragorn.

Legolas finally pulled away from Aragorn composing himself as he wandered over to his father's desk. He looked idly down at the papers scattered across it, not really looking at anything in particular but simply trying to distract himself from everything, including his friends. He knew they suspected something was wrong and it was only a matter of time before one of them asked the dreaded question and he would be forced to say the dreaded words.

"Legolas, mani matre? I'm sorry, Gimli; what happened? I have never seen Mirkwood so sombre, so mournful," Gandalf stated, watching Legolas carefully for any reaction. Legolas looked up at the old wizard for a moment before turning away and sitting heavily in his father's chair.

"Forgive me, Gandalf. Something terrible has happened and my father believes we should do nothing but I cannot…"

"Wait. What terrible thing has happened?" Aragorn interrupted Legolas.

"Rumil went out on a scouting mission three days ago. Today he returned with only one of the seven guards sent to protect him."

"Someone tried to kill…Rumil?" Sam asked, not really knowing who Rumil was or what Legolas was talking about but sensing that this was something very bad.

"Rumil was my brother and we…I don't think he was attacked. He carried with him a young child, no older than ten years. She was dead when she arrived and the guard died soon after he returned home. Ada believes we should do nothing but…"

"Wait, what do you mean was?" Aragorn once again interrupted.

"Mani?"

"You said he was your brother," Pippin pointed out, looking at Legolas in confusion.

"Rumil…He tried to save the child. He did everything he could to protect her. The healers worked for hours to try to save him but…I wasn't there, Estel. Ada never called me. I wasn't there when…when my brother died." Legolas leaned back in his chair and watched his friends for their reactions. The Hobbits just looked shocked; Frodo most of all. Strangely Gimli looked guilty – probably because of his earlier sharp comments about his absence. Aragorn and Gandalf both had looks of blatant sympathy on their faces. Aragorn, who had also known Rumil well, sank down into a chair and was watching the floor with an unusual amount of interest.

Pippin was the first to break the uneasy silence. "We're all very sorry about your brother, Legolas. It seems we came at a bad time."

Legolas smiled sadly – so like a Hobbit. "It's alright, Pippin. You couldn't have known," he reassured.

"What about Elrond? Does he know about this?" Aragorn asked, shifting his gaze from the floor to his Elven friend.

"Ada is talking to him now. I am hoping he will ask Lord Elrond to help find out what caused this. The healers here have not figured it out yet but they continue to search for an answer. Father believes it was some kind of attack but I have never encountered anything like it, poison or otherwise, that could kill like that."

"Or have those kinds of symptoms," an authoritative voice from the door. Everyone turned around to see Thranduil standing in the doorway with Elrond standing behind him. All of them except Legolas jumped from their seats and bowed low to the king. Gandalf walked over to Thranduil and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I am truly sorry, my friend," Gandalf said sincerely.

"Hannon le, mellon nin," Thranduil smiled, flashing the wizard a quick, grateful smile.

"Ada. I thought you wished to speak with Lord Elrond," Legolas finally spoke, standing slowly from his father's chair and facing the king.

"We have said all we need to," Thranduil replied bluntly, sparing a glance towards Elrond. "I have spoken to Lord Elrond and he has agreed to aid us in this matter," Thranduil smiled softly.

"That is good news," Legolas said, smiling at the Imladrian Lord.

"If there is anything we can do, you know we are all here to help," Gandalf offered. "But for now I think it is your duty to inform your kingdom about their Crown Prince."

"I think you should also put more guards on your borders. Mirkwood must have some protection. It is very important if there is an unknown threat outside or within," Aragorn suggested looking over at Legolas who discreetly nodded his thanks.

"I value your opinion, King Elessar but I will not risk any more people being killed like my son. This unknown thing has already taken nine lives that we know of and who knows how many more are dead in that town. I will not be responsible for the deaths of more of my people," Thranduil said firmly, looking somewhat coldly at Aragorn and at Legolas as he did so. "I must say goodbye to my son now. If you will excuse me." With that Thranduil left, leaving some very stunned and slightly irritated faces.

"Well, that was interesting," Pippin said, breaking the silence.

"Ada has always been stubborn. He will not change his mind about this no matter how much I try to convince him," Legolas sighed, sitting down again.

"Thranduil is only doing what he thinks is best for his people," Elrond replied looking over at Aragorn and the Hobbits. "Come now, the young Hobbits here must be getting hungry after their long journey. Why don't we go to lunch and allow your father to calm down a little before speaking to him again about this matter?"

The Hobbits were beyond thrilled at the mention of lunch. Not even the death of Rumil or concern for their friend could dull their enthusiasm for food. They did decide to make sure they cheered Legolas up during their stay though. They had never thought of Legolas as a Prince and had rarely seen him as troubled as he was now. During the Quest he had always been quiet, never letting anyone in but now they were beginning to see a different side to their companion.

"I think that is an excellent idea," Gandalf echoed. "Legolas, will you join us? I'm sure you could use something to eat after this terrible shock."

"No thank you Gandalf. I have things to take care of here, a Kingdom to inform of Rumil's death. I will make sure you have everything you want though. All of Mirkwood's services are at your disposal," he said, standing tiredly.

"Oh, all we want is your company, mellon nin. A few minutes won't hurt I'm sure. You have had a trying day. Come and relax with us for a while," Gandalf insisted.

"Very well. Only for a few minutes though." Legolas walked to the door and flung it open, allowing his friends to go through.

"Good, it will give us a chance to talk," Gandalf said quietly so no one else could hear. Legolas nodded and let Gandalf leave before he shut the door and locked it behind him.

Both Gandalf and Legolas hung back from the others and spoke in voices so quiet that not even the Hobbits could hear what was being said.

"There is something you're not telling me," Gandalf stated bluntly.

"Yes. Rumil wasn't attacked using any kind of weapon. There were no signs of arrow or knife marks on him and yet all the healers are convinced that his illness has something to do with the bloodstream. There were bruises all over his body and when I saw him earlier there was blood on the pillow yet he had no open wounds. Gandalf, the healers have never seen anything like it; they have so far found no traces of any known poison in his blood and cannot even explain his symptoms."

"Which were?"

"When he arrived he could barely stand up. He was pale, weak and tired. Never have I seen anyone in such condition. His fever was also unusually high and the healers informed me that it was the same right up until he died. It cannot be poison as it has affected so many people already. I don't know what happened in that town but something is going on there. I can think of no other answer. Rumil was perfectly fine before he left. Leanna was in the same state before she died."

"Leanna?" Gandalf questioned.

"The child Rumil rescued from the town."

"Do you think she has something to do with this?"

"I don't know but something must have happened in that town. Rumil wouldn't just bring people back here for no reason. He must have seen something to make him do it."

"And you say he was fine before he left the palace?" Elrond – who had been listening in silence – asked.

"Yes, he was arguing with Ada," Legolas smiled faintly.

"Both he and all the guards were fine when they left the palace grounds so something must have happened after they left. Perhaps it was some kind of attack. The royal family, especially the Crown Prince, must have enemies."

"Of course Rumil and Ada have countless threats on their lives but none have ever gone this far. Besides, that doesn't explain Leanna," Legolas thought out loud.

"Whatever happened we have to discover the cause quickly. If something did attack them then more people might be in danger and we need to know how to stop it. We have no idea how dangerous it is," Gandalf said.

"We can't fight it or stop it if we don't know what it is," Elrond reasoned.

"What about this town? You said Rumil went there so something must have happened before hand. Why did he go in the first place?" Gandalf asked.

"We hard heard nothing from the town for months. Usually we're on good terms with them but we had no contact for a while. Ada was concerned so he sent the scouting party to search the town for any clues as to what was going on. Rumil insisted on joining them. He said it was his duty and his privilege as Crown Prince. Ada eventually agreed to let him go but warned him against doing anything dangerous. Rumil was sometimes defiant but he would never disobey direct orders and certainly not at the risk of other people. He would have followed Ada's orders, I know it."

"Of course he would. Anyway, you said he wasn't injured so the big question is: what killed him?" Elrond smiled when he realised he was talking out loud. "Forgive me, Legolas for being so blunt but we need to figure this out as soon as possible. If your brother was sick we need to know what caused it before anyone else gets hurt."

"I understand, my Lord," Legolas smiled softly. He didn't like the thought of it being said out loud yet but he knew it would have to happen eventually. "But please do not speak of this openly again, at least not until my people have been properly informed. I do not want the rumours spreading before the official announcement."

"Of course that is your decision," Elrond said.

Legolas sighed; he knew what was coming. "But?" he prompted.

"But if you announce to Mirkwood that Rumil was killed by some mystery illness, it will only serve to cause panic. The last thing you want is for people to become paranoid. If I were you I would wait until all this has been confirmed before revealing the nature of his death."

"And until then what am I supposed to tell the families of the dead?" Legolas said with a raised voice.

The others, walking in front of them, stopped and turned to face him slightly shocked. Gandalf strode over to them and muttered something before leading them in the direction of the dining hall. He turned and gave a quick nod to Elrond before turning the corner.

"I am sorry, Elrond. I know you are only trying to help," Legolas sighed, placing a hand over his eyes, trying to get rid of the headache that was rapidly forming.

"I know that this is a confusing time for you but you and your father must do what is best for Mirkwood. I can only help you discover the cause of this illness. I have no idea how to run Mirkwood effectively."

"Perhaps these decisions are best left to my father. Rumil was always the one who enjoyed politics." He smiled at the memory.

"I will start right away and try to figure out what happened here. The sooner all this is cleared up the better. Now, you should go and eat then get some rest; a lot has happened today and you must be exhausted. I will make sure the healers do their jobs. I will also speak with Thranduil after he has had some time to say goodbye to Rumil."

"Thank you for all your help," Legolas said, looking into Elrond's knowing eyes.

"I am only doing what is necessary. Later why don't you come and see Rumil? It will do you good to say goodbye properly."

"I will thank you." Legolas bowed his head and walked in the direction of the dining halls."

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Translations:

Mae govannen – Well met

Mellon nin – my friend

Hannon le – Thank you

Mani ta raika? – What is wrong?

Mani? – What?

Ada - Dad