Okay, the Disclaimer and all that juicy stuff is in the first chapter, refer to that if you need to. Although, I do have further Author Notes to add to this chapter. (Yeah, I know what you're saying; "Doesn't she EVER shaddup?!" I do ... sometimes ... LOL!)
Anyway, oodles and kadoodles of thanks to Rhonda, who helped me out with the whole rib/lung thing. It's good having a friend who works in the ER! Plus Rhonda seems to be an expert on hurt ribs, haha. >:)
IMPORTANT note: This chapter is where most of the "R" stuff comes in. It could probably be classified as PG 13, but it's R just in case. Lots and lots of graphic blood/gore scenes. (I'm a sucker for blood and guts stuff, haha.) So anyway, if that's not your cup of tea, just skip over those parts.
ALSO, I would like to send out a huge APOLOGY! I swear, I meant to get this out a LOT sooner. But, my phone company it seemed, had other problems. They didn't care I had a story to update when they killed my phone, noooo. Not even when I threatened them with lots of sharp pointy objects. Evil Sprint. We hatessss them precciioouusss. But it was good coming back and finding a heckuva lot of "Author Alerts" in my mailbox! Three chapters from Nili in a row. I was in a fanfic induced coma almost. Haha.
So, last but not least, more thanks to Halo and Kar (double thanks to my twin, since I kept her from sleep so she'd beta this chapter for me, LOL, thanks Kar!), who, without them, this fic would not be finished. LOL. *sends lots of hugs to them* And a huge hug and more and more and more and more (you get the point) thanks to my readers! You all rule! :-)
Now, kick back, relax, snack on a banana flavored moonpie, and enjoy the chapter.
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Chapter Two
Being as quick as he could, Legolas placed the bag with the Athelas down and fumbled with the other bag of herbs, his fingers slick with his own blood. He then took out a leaf of one herb and scrunched it up in his hand. He placed the crumpled leaf at the back of Estel's throat, trying to massage it down before struggling forward a little further and placing his mouth over the young human's, giving him a breath.
The herb sent adrenaline pumping through Estel's veins, and he slowly started breathing again. Legolas smiled weakly as Estel coughed, cracking his eyes open.
"What ... took you ... so long?" Estel tried to glare, failing miserably.
"Orcs." Legolas muttered softly, suddenly taking a great interest in a crack in the wall of the cave.
Estel, despite his weakened state and the dim light in the cave, noticed that Legolas had a few cuts and bruises on his face; cuts and bruises that couldn't have come from the boar incident.
The human then saw that his long time friend was purposely avoiding his gaze. When Estel finally managed to lock eyes with the elf, what he saw made him wince. Pain, Legolas' eyes were full of it. Then, the second thing that Estel saw was the pool of blood near the elf's knees, blood that wasn't his. That, and the awkward position that Legolas was in, made the human's worry grow drastically.
"Legolas, what's wrong with your knees?" Estel asked, trying to calm his shaking voice, to no avail.
"An orc hit my knees with a club, and now I can't move them." Legolas answered in a low voice, so low that Estel barely heard it.
He did though, his grey eyes widening in shock and terror, and immediately tried to shift to get a good look at them.
But Legolas clearly demonstrated that he still had his elven reflexes and speed when he quickly put a restraining hand on the human's upper chest, carefully avoiding the injury but doing its purpose by preventing his friend from moving.
"Oh no you don't." Legolas said, glaring down at the human.
"But ..." Estel began to protest but was quickly interrupted by the elf.
"No buts, I'm fine." Legolas said.
"No you are definitely NOT fine. There is no way that that could be called fine, not now, not *ever*."
Estel hunched over, coughing furiously again. Blood poured from his lips, running down his neck, leaving red trails on the pasty white skin. He sat up and spat the blood into the ground while grimacing in pain.
"H-h-hurts ..." He stammered, trying to breathe through the pain.
"Estel, you must allow me to tend to you. One of your lungs is punctured ... if not treated now you could drown to death in your own blood." Legolas' murmured, helping Estel to lie back down on his side.
Estel nodded. "Do what you must, mellon nin."
Legolas nodded, and hesitated. "It ... it's going to hurt. And I can't risk giving you anything for the pain."
"I understand."
Estel's eyes met those of Legolas', and they were not filled with fear as the elf would have thought. Trust...they were full of trust. Moving swiftly, Legolas leaned over to his other side, grabbing several sticks and twigs in the cave and starting a fire. He began boiling water, making sure to keep an eye on Estel. When the water was done, he crumbled a few Athelas leaves, breathing on them and throwing them in. The smell instantly calmed the two a little, working to give Legolas hope; hope that he could get Estel back to Rivendell in time.
Lastly, Legolas set two needles and a knife over the fire, letting the flames cleanse them. His eyes darkened at the thought of what he was about to do: cause Estel more pain. It couldn't be helped though.
Legolas picked up the knife, then turned Estel on his back. "Estel ... can you hear me?"
Legolas looked worried that Estel's eyelids fluttered, and his breathing had slowed in drastic amounts. Legolas could hear a quiet gurgling sound every time Estel took a breath.
"Can ... hear ..." Estel whispered, small amounts of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm going cut the wound and make it larger, so that I can get to your lung." Legolas forced his hands not to shake as he stripped Estel of his tunic.
Estel, for his part, nodded imperceptibly as more blood ran from his lips.
Grasping the knife tighter, Legolas made a small incision on either side of the wound, opening it further until he could see the lung. He reached over and grabbed a small wooden tube, placing it in the lung. He was going to have to get the blood out, else Estel would still end up dying.
Estel whimpered loudly, arching upwards as if to get away from the pain. Legolas placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, whispering comfortingly to him. He gently placed his hands on either side of Estel's face, brushing his knuckles against the pale skin. After a few moments, the young man finally settled enough for Legolas to resume his work.
He leaned over, putting his lips on the tube and sucked out a mouthful of the coppery tasting liquid. Turning his head, Legolas spat it onto the ground and repeated the procedure, until he was sure he had gotten it out.
Estel slumped to the side, unconscious. For this, Legolas was grateful. He would have hated to sew up his friend's lung while Estel was still awake.
Legolas quickly removed the tube and set to work with the needle, nimble fingers working without hesitation. The stitching wasn't quite as good as Lord Elrond's, but it would have to do until Estel arrived back in Rivendell.
When he was finished, Legolas gently turned Estel over, tending to the two entrance wounds on his back. He cleansed them in the water mixed with athelas, sewing them up also. Afterwards, he struggled to sit Estel up and leaned the younger man on his shoulder, while he wrapped bandages around Estel's torso.
That done, Legolas laid him down again, gently bathing Estel's face in water to remove the blood. Just as he began cleaning the laceration on Estel's leg, the young human woke up, blinking his eyes into focus.
"Estel!" Legolas smiled tiredly. "How fare you? And don't say you're fine."
Estel grimaced, but the Mirkwood elf noticed he was breathing better. "It feels as if an Oliphant sat and squished me, but other than that, I'm alright."
Sitting up and gasping in pain, Estel waved off Legolas' protesting hands. "I want to see to your knees."
"No, not until you're better." Legolas argued.
Grey eyes turned to glare at Legolas and the human shook his head. "I'm not waiting until you bleed yourself almost to death before I tend to them."
Sighing in exasperation, Legolas finally maneuvered and lay on his stomach so that Estel did not have to move to look at the wounds.
Quickly removing the bandages, Estel set them aside, then turned his eyes to the back of Legolas' knees. His eyes widened and he hissed through his teeth as his heart clenched in sympathy.
Legolas noticed his friend's reaction, turning to face the young man. "What is it? Tell me!"
"Legolas ..." Estel's eyes met the floor. He couldn't bare to lay this burden on his friend. He almost wished he could keep the information to himself and spare Legolas the mental angst, for the elf would surely feel heartbroken once he found out. Strong hands lifted his chin back up, grey eyes met blue.
"Legolas ... you may never walk again."
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'You may never walk again.' The impact of the words left Legolas feeling as if the floor had been removed from under his feet. Which, he thought dryly, wasn't that far removed.
"Surely...surely your father can do something." Legolas blinked back unexpected tears.
"Aye, let us not give up hope until my father has seen to them. I'm positive he has the ability to heal them. These wounds may cripple a mortal, but you are no mortal, mellon nin." Estel gave a small smile, raising his hand to pat Legolas on the shoulder.
"Hand me the cloth, so that I may clean them." Estel sat up straighter, his breath quickening as pain lanced through his body and stars appeared before his eyes.
"No." Gently pushing Estel down, Legolas reached for the cloth himself. "I will clean them. You are in no condition to."
Estel did not reply, as he was too busy trying to breathe through the pain that clenched his body in a vise. Legolas sighed, placing a cloak around the young man. "Sleep. We will leave at first light."
Estel nodded, his eyes sliding closed. Shaking hands began cleaning the wounds, and Legolas hissed every so often as the pain became almost unbearable. Finally he was finished and he placed the bloody rag in the fire, binding his knees once more. Worried blue eyes glanced at Estel. Legolas dearly hoped the young human didn't become sick. He knew there was a great chance that would happen though, as the cold winds blew into the small cave, causing Estel to shiver.
Legolas scooted until his back pressed against the cave wall, placing a hand on Estel's brow, and prayed that they made it back to Rivendell soon.
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Estel's world was nothing but a grey haze of pain. Thick fog filled his mind, making it impossible to think. He winced every time the horse stepped, sending jolts of agony throughout his body. The only thing keeping him atop the beast was Legolas sitting behind him wrapping a strong arm across his chest. The elf himself was having a hard time staying on the elven steed, as his legs were rendered useless. Felenath followed closely behind, worried for his injured master.
Estel felt his eyelids droop and he shook his head, willing himself to stay conscious. If he were to pass out completely, Legolas would have a hard time keeping him upright and on the horse. It didn't help that he felt frozen to the bone, so much that it ached to move.
Legolas' frown deepened when he felt Estel shiver harder, and he unclasped his cloak, placing it around the human in hopes of it warming him up. The cold barely affected Legolas, even with his wounds and blood loss. It was just a mild discomfort, one that he could live with.
As if to laugh at Legolas, the weather started to change, and white flakes gently floated down from the sky.
'Great. Things were already bad enough, now the fates have decided to throw this upon us!' Legolas glared at the snow, that was now falling down harder, beginning to cover the ground.
"I-it's snowing." Estel mumbled, his eyes barely open now.
"I know, mellon nin. Let us hope it does not last long." The clouds in the sky told Legolas that that hope was not to be.
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An hour later, the winds were whipping through Legolas' hair, as snow coated the two frozen travelers. The snow was falling so thick it was almost impossible to see further than a few feet ahead of the horse's nose.
In his arms, Estel shook uncontrollably, teeth chattering with the cold. The young human had turned an alarming shade of blue, and had started coughing every so often. With every small movement, be it a cough or a violent shiver, Estel's eyes clenched shut from the pain.
"L-l-legolas ..."
"Yes Estel?" Legolas asked softly, pulling his cloak tighter around his friend.
"It ... it hurts." The statement was followed by another cough, one that doubled Estel over on the horse, making him gasp for breath.
"ESTEL!" Legolas leaned over, trying to grasp his friend and pull him back up. It was a fruitless effort, as Estel tilted to the side and slid off the animal. He landed on his stomach and hit his head on a protruding rock, a groan of pain escaping his lips, before falling unconscious.
"Elbereth!" Legolas called his horse to stop, then slid off himself, landing on his hands in the cold snow. He dragged himself the few feet to his friend, quickly turning Estel over.
A jagged cut now ran across the human's forehead, from its encounter with the rock, but the fall had obviously not damaged Estel's torso more than was already so; for that, Legolas was thankful. Any more wounds on the human's already battered body and Estel would most likely not survive.
'If he survives as it is.' Legolas shook that thought out of his head, reminding himself that this was Estel, the same stubborn human who had countless times been on the brink of death in his short existence on Arda.
"Estel! Estel, I need you to awaken. I cannot lift you upon the horse by myself." Legolas cursed his wounds, which had open up again when he slid from the horse, and now bled on the white snow.
Estel moaned, turning his head to the side. His eyes slid back and forth under their lids as his head burned with fever. A rattling in the human's chest signaled to Legolas that Estel was already very sick.
"Estel, please-" Legolas was cut off as a sound echoed throughout the trees. The loud noise froze Legolas' heart. It was followed by another similar howl that reverberated off the trees. Wolves.
"Estel, you must get up, now!" Legolas shook the human, to no avail. He cursed loudly in dwarvish, calling his horse to him, and pulling down his bow and arrow. He was not going to leave Estel here to his death; not when there was a chance he could make it.
Stringing an arrow, he waited for the wild animals to attack. They were lurking in the trees, surrounding the two travelers; their eyes glowing dimly in the blizzard, and Legolas could hear the small yips and snarls emitting from their mouths. The wolves were hungry, probably attracted to the scent of the horses.
'Or my blood ...' Legolas looked down at the red liquid that now coated a fair portion of the ground he was sitting on.
The horses danced about, agitation clear in their eyes. Legolas tried to shoo them away, pleading with them to make a break for freedom, but the horses would not leave their masters in the face of danger. For that, Legolas was both grateful and saddened.
A few moments later, the first wolf attacked, launching itself straight for Estel. The 'thwang' of Legolas' bow was heard and the wolf fell dead, an arrow piercing its neck.
The second wolf sprang without a moment to lose, and Legolas felled that one also. The rest of the pack seemed to take offense at two of their kindred so easily cut down and made for them, several advancing on the elf at once. Legolas was hard pressed to keep firing his bow and watch after Estel at the same time.
One broke through Legolas' defenses, jumping over the elf and landing on Estel. Razor sharp claws ripped through Estel's clothes, slicing through the stitches and barely healed wounds there. Estel gasped in his unconscious state, weakly trying to move away from this new source of pain.
The horses were having their own time with the wolves, constantly kicking and pawing to keep the wild beasts away. Felenath noticed a wolf now snapping at the human's arm, as Legolas fought off three more with one of his knives. The elf had apparently run out of arrows, his bow laying a little ways away with the string snapped.
The horse rushed forward and charged, head-butting the wolf from Estel's prone form. The wolf flew through the air, soundly smacking into a nearby tree, then hitting the ground. It did not move again.
Several of the other wolves noticed this and attacked Felenath without mercy, teeth and claws working as one to bring the big animal down. Legolas watched helplessly as Estel's horse was killed and a howl of triumph filled the air, but not before the horse had killed most of the wolves.
Giyaneth moved to the center of the wolf pack now, kicking out with strong hind legs. A few wolves managed to jump on the horse but he swiftly shook them off, breaking their necks and backs with his hooves.
After what seemed like a lifetime, most of the wolves had been finally killed. Legolas finished driving his knife into the throat of one, his other hand laying uselessly at his side, bleeding from the teeth marks that covered it.
The remaining wolves decided the elf and horse were not worth it, and they retreated into the trees again, tails between their legs. Legolas sighed in relief, turning back to Estel.
"Estel!" The younger man was still, barely breathing. Legolas' hands shook as he checked the wounds; they were bleeding again, having been ripped open. Bite marks covered Estel's arms and hands, some going very deep, almost to the bone.
The younger of the two shuddered, turning his head toward Legolas. Glazed eyes opened to look at the elf, blinking slowly with pain and fatigue.
"Legolas ... are you alright?"
'Typical Estel, asking how the others are faring when he himself is on the brink of death.' Legolas thought as he nodded to the human, then wrapped the remaining bandages around Estel's wounds.. He looked around for the cloak that had been lost during the fight and drug it over, noticing it had survived the scrape almost completely intact. He then lifted Estel slightly, wrapping the elvish material around his friend and clasped it again, hoping it would warm him a little.
"I am fine." Legolas lied easily enough, calling to Giyaneth as Estel let out an almost inaudible snort. He sighed as he took in the deep scratches and claw marks on the horse's flanks, but the horse paid no attention to his wounds. He only nuzzled Legolas gently, then lay down so that the elf and man could mount him again.
"Hannon le, mellon nin." Legolas nodded his head respectively towards his horse, then sent an elvish blessing for Estel's, who had not made it though the battle with the wolves.
Legolas shifted until he sat upon the horse again, then moved to gently pull Estel on with him. The young man froze as the movement caused pain to engulf him like fire on hay and his head fell to the side, slipping to unconsciousness. Legolas cradled Estel to his chest while whispering for Giyaneth to ride swiftly back to Rivendell.
Giyaneth whinnied loudly, slowly standing up on all fours while making sure neither of his burdens fell, then galloped from the scene and further into the trees.
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Night fell earlier than expected for the two, causing Legolas to bite his lip in frustration. Why could they not get a break? In front of him, Estel burned with fever, moaning in delirium every few moments. It seemed the human could get no rest from his dreams either.
Legolas leaned closer, wrapping his arms more snuggly around his friend. Nay, his brother, for that was what they were. Maybe not by blood, but every adventure they experienced together bound them in a woven strand of loyalty, and as the years passed, their friendship grew and blossomed, strengthening with every moment.
As his thoughts drifted and bordered on the realm of elven dream, Legolas began counting the days they had been gone from Rivendell, slowly ticking them off on his fingers. Two weeks. They had been absent for almost two weeks. And tomorrow ... tomorrow was Winter Solstice.
He smiled grimly; it looked as if Estel would not be home in time for the celebrations after all. Elrond must be frantically pulling his hair out by now, even as poor Glorfindel struggled to console him. Legolas chuckled softly. He was sure to catch an earful from the elf lord on his return.
Legolas felt sleep descend upon him, and he made sure Estel was securely resting on him, the human's head pillowed on Legolas' shoulder. Legolas leaned his own head forward until it lightly rested on Estel's opposite shoulder, as his eyes closed and he fell into a very deep slumber.
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Jerking awake and blinking the sleep from his eyes, Legolas looked at his surroundings. Giyaneth had traveled far during the night, as the sun was just rising from her rest. If they were lucky, they would be in Rivendell by mid-day.
Legolas slowly moved a hand to check Estel's pulse, sighing in relief when he found one. It was faster than normal, but it still signaled he lived; the human's breathing was also very shallow, which caused Legolas to urge Giyaneth on a little faster. He hated taxing his horse so, but any delay would cause Estel's, or even his own, death.
With a sure-footedness that rivaled any normal horse, Giyaneth carried the two wounded beings closer and closer to home. Trees sped by in a blur as the animal swiftly wove around obstacles; Legolas almost felt as if he was gliding, rather than riding atop a horse.
When they were but moments away from Rivendell, Legolas felt Estel stir slightly, and the human weakly lifted his head.
"Wh-where ... are we?" The voice sounded raspy and thick with fever, weak with exhaustion, but also tinted with hope, as Estel noticed his surroundings.
"Almost home. Happy Winter Solstice, little Estel." Legolas whispered.
"Not ... that happy ... yet." Estel's lips quirked into a small grin, before freezing with pain again.
"Just hold on, mellon nin. We're almost there."
Legolas looked up just in time to notice them passing through the gates of Rivendell. He breathed a small sigh of relief before his tiredness overcame him. Up ahead, he could see Elrond on his balcony, just as Estel slumped from the horse.
"Estel!" Legolas rasped, before he too fell unconscious.
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Elrond sighed, looking over the snow covered grounds from his balcony. His breath frosted in the cold air, but the freezing temperature did not bother him. His heart was weary, held down with worry and sadness. It was the morning of Winter Solstice, and neither Estel nor Legolas had returned. He forced himself not to rush out and go after them; after all, Estel had said they may not make it back in time for the celebrations. He sighed again, suddenly wishing Estel was but five years old, a youngster impatiently waiting to open his gifts.
"I'm sure he's fine." Glorfindel's voice broke the silence.
Elrond smiled minutely, not bothering to turn around. "Yes, and I remember the last time you said that."
Glorfindel scowled, pushing his eyebrows forward. "How was I to know he was trapped in a tree with a broken arm?"
"Precisely, mellon nin."
"Maybe you should put a leash on him and teach him how to stay away from danger for the next year or so..." The blonde elf's tone was hopeful.
"Wishful thinking." Elrond stared into the distance, before finally turning to face one of his most trusted friends. The moment their eyes met, the two broke out in quiet laughs that were most unbefitting of their status.
When finally they stifled their giggles, Glorfindel nodded in the direction of the stables. "The twins arrived a few hours ago. I believe they are helping the servants with the game they captured."
Elrond nodded his thanks, turning back to the balcony.
Glorfindel stepped closer, hesitating for a moment, then placed a hand on Elrond's shoulder. "Will you be okay, my friend?"
"Aye, I will be fine. Only a father worrying for his danger-attracting son." Elrond paused, then corrected, "Sons."
The hand dropped away and Glorfindel bowed ever so slightly. "I will leave you to your thoughts then."
Near silent footsteps signaled Glorfindel's exit. Elrond's attention focused on the tree line, just beyond the gate of Rivendell. He desperately hoped Estel would be home soon, as his heart clenched, telling him to ride out for the two wayward younglings.
As time passed by, the Lord of Rivendell stood upon his balcony, as still as a statue, watching over the land that was his home.
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Hours may have passed Elrond by, but he took no notice of it. He still stood staring unblinkingly past the gates, lost in a world of thought. He might have stayed in that state for the remainder of the day, had the border guards not issued a shout.
Elrond finally moved, focusing his eyes. Two figures on horseback slowly rode in, stopping steps inside the gate. The one on the front raised his head, his dark and blood matted hair moving aside so that Elrond could see his face. The elf lord's eyes met the pain filled ones of his son before the lad finally slumped to the side, falling hard upon the stone, snow covered walkway.
Elrond gasped, flying from his balcony to the door. He shouted for the servants to get his medical supplies as he ran, stopping for nothing.
A few seconds later he was pushing through the small circle of guards that had formed around the injured pair. Elladan and Elrohir were there already, the younger twin helping Legolas from the horse while Elladan tended to Estel.
"Valar." Elladan breathed when he was his father. "It is bad, ada."
Elrond had already surmised as much, after seeing the amount of blood staining the white snow. Estel's tunic and leggings were torn and slashed, stained a dark color as more of his blood poured forth.
He fell to his knees in the snow, tearing away what remained of Estel's tunic so he could get to the wounds.
"How is Legolas faring?" Elrond briefly managed to look up and catch the eye of Elrohir.
"Not good, ada. The back of his knees have been slashed and he is covered with claw and teeth marks. He has fallen unconscious." Elrohir sounded shaken. 'For good reason though.' Elrond thought, taking in Legolas' state.
His healing persona took over completely as he saw the wounds covering his youngest.
"We must get them to the healing ward, now!" Elrond said fiercely, picking Estel up gently.
Elrohir nodded, taking Legolas into his arms. They made their way quietly to the hall of healing with the servants following close behind, laden with tools and herbs Elrond would need. The guards went back to their posts, two staying to care for Legolas' horse. The poor beast was in a right state, flanks heaving heavily and covered with blood.
Setting Estel on one of the beds, Elrond swiftly cut away the rest of his clothes. He gasped when he saw the extent of the damage done to his son. Estel's leg was mauled with an infection set in already, causing the skin to color and puff; it in itself looked painful enough. The pale skin on the rest of his body was covered in black and blue bruises; hardly an inch of skin could be found that was not covered in some cut or scrape.
Two large puncture wounds that went completely through Estel's middle were bleeding freely, looking as if they had been sewed then severely ripped open again. Bite marks covered the young man's arms, as well as a nasty gash across his forehead. Claw marks covered his chest, stomach, and legs.
He would have to clean all the wounds first. Elrond frowned; he did not wish to cause his son more pain, but it was too risky giving him herbs that would put his mind into a pain-less trance. Shaking his head, Elrond tsked to himself, sending the young man a worry filled glance.
After listening and making sure Estel's lungs sounded fine, Elrond reached for a soft cloth bathed in a cleaning fluid and quickly began the long and arduous task of cleaning the wounds. As he worked on his son's leg, he realized he would have to drain the pus that had formed under the skin. Using a small knife that had been cleaned with flame, he made a small slit in the skin and pressed the cloth over it. The yellow fluid seeped out with a rancid smell following it that caused Elrond's nose to wrinkle. When that was done, he finished cleaning the rest of the wound, and covered it all with a fast acting healing paste. He wrapped the leg tightly, splinting it so that Estel could not move it and reopen the wound.
Done with that, Elrond moved on to the puncture wounds that had been ripped open. He used a small metal tool to lift back the skin and check the lungs, making sure no infection had set in there. When he found the lungs were clear, and that Legolas had obviously sewed one of the lungs up, he cleaned the wounds with a new cloth, then sewed them up again.
The experienced healer methodically cleaned and sewed each deep gash from the claws of the wolves that covered Estel's body, giving extra attention to the bite marks on the young man's arms. It would not be good if one of the wolves carried a disease lethal to humans.
After wrapping bandages around the gash on Estel's forehead, he finally finished up by cleaning each of the small cuts and gashes, rubbing salve on the bruises. His eyes roamed over his son, full of sorrow and guilt for having let Estel leave. Deep down, he blamed himself for every wound that covered Estel's body, but he knew he could not have prevented this. He could not shelter Estel for the rest of his life.
Shaking his head, Elrond instructed his senior healer to get Estel's fever down, and give the young man herbs for the cold he caught while in the snowstorm.
The Elf Lord walked over to the bed which held Legolas, locking eyes with his eldest son.
"Where is Glorfindel?"
"He is tending to Legolas' horse, ada. He will be here soon." Elladan answered quietly, looking up from cleaning the deep bite marks and gashes on Legolas' arm.
Elrond nodded and began unwrapping the bandages on Legolas knees. He sucked in his breath when he saw just how bad Legolas had been cut.
"Will ... will they heal, ada?" Elrohir asked from Legolas' other side.
"I'm not sure." Truthfully, Elrond thought that there was a small chance they would heal, and an even smaller one that Legolas would walk again. But he would do his best to repair the damage; although, Legolas was a very strong being, and there was a slim chance he would just give up.
Elladan and Elrohir finished cleaning and bandaging the smaller wounds on Legolas and left their father to his work, moving off to check on Estel. Elrond spent the better part of three hours cleaning and slowly stitching the back of Legolas' knees up. He was finishing tying the bandages when Glorfindel walked in, looking very haggard.
"Glorfindel." Elrond greeted his friend, giving him a weary smile.
"Elrond. I'm sorry it took me so long, my friend, but I was tending to Giyaneth's wounds. I also took several of the guards and found Estel's horse; we buried it so that it would not be the meal of another wolf pack." Glorfindel looked from Elrond to the two lying on the beds. "How are they?"
"As well as can be expected. Legolas ... there is a chance he may never walk again. As for Estel, his wounds were very deep, most of which were infected. Fever has also set in, and he has a bad cold; we will have to watch him closely through the night."
Glorfindel nodded sadly, frowning at Elrond. "You go and rest. I will watch over them for now, with the twins."
"No, I will be fine, for the time being. I can't bear to be away from them at the moment anyway."
Giving Elrond a stern look, Glorfindel reluctantly agreed. 'As if I could disagree with him either way.'
"I will take over watching them in the morning then, and no arguments." Noticing the look on Elrond's face, Glorfindel continued quietly. "It's not your fault."
A long moment passed, in which Elrond looked from the two on the bed, to Glorfindel. "I know that. It's hard not to shoulder the injuries and mishaps of ones that I am responsible for though."
"Aye, that I can understand. But remember what I said, and this also; you cannot protect him forever. He will someday have to face his lineage and come to terms with who he is." Glorfindel adopted a proud look. "He will become a great leader of men that day."
"Yes. He has been brought up well. And now," Elrond touched Glorfindel's shoulder briefly before turning away, "I am going to see about getting rid of his fever."
Bowing and stepping out of the room, Glorfindel was hit with a sudden idea. He grinned to himself, rushing off to make a few arrangements.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Luck was finally on their side, as all through the night, Estel's fever never rose. The two were bedridden for the whole week, while their injuries healed and they regained most of their strength. By the end of the week, Elrond had lost most of his former patience, and was seriously considering putting the two into an herb-induced coma so he could have some peace.
"Ada, I only want to-"
"No."
"But just for a-"
"No!"
"What if I-"
"No. End of story. Don't ask me any more questions!" Elrond glared at Estel, who lay on the bed with a sullen expression.
"You might as well listen to him, Estel. He's not letting you out of that bed." Legolas grinned as he hobbled into the room. His legs were in wooden braces and he used two crutches to get around, but Elrond said that his knees would make a full recovery; it would take a while before he could do any major running though.
Estel pouted fiercely. "But *he* gets to get up, ada. Why am I made to lie down all day and do nothing! It's ... it's boring is what it is! And highly unfair!"
Elrond stifled a chuckle. "I'll tell you what. If, and only if, you allow your brothers to assist you, you may accompany Glorfindel and I to the stables in a few moments."
Estel nodded happily, slowly sitting up. "But why to the stables, ada? Why not the garden? Or our picnic spot beside the river?"
The young human felt no need to look at any horses at the moment. The loss of Felenath weighed heavily on his heart. The horse had died a warrior's death, protecting Estel and Legolas in their moment of need, and for that, Estel was grateful; yet he could not help but take the loss like one would take a physical blow.
"Because, my son, there is something we have to do. You are welcome to stay here, however. I'm sure I can find one of your old history books for you to look over." Elrond grinned.
"No, no, that's okay. The stables it is."
After slowly getting dressed, a task which seemed to take forever, Estel was ready to go. With both of his brothers on either side of him, he hardly had to walk at all, as they all but carried him down the stairs and to the horse stables across the courtyard. Once they entered, Elladan gently set his young brother onto a cushioned chair near one of the middle stalls, smiling secretively.
The large wooden door to the side of them opened, and Glorfindel walked in, a very young horse trailing after him. The small animal was a dazzling white, with black streaked down his sides, and a brown spot just behind his ears.
"He's beautiful." Estel smiled, laughing as the horse trotted over to him, nuzzling his arm.
"His name is Eordwin, the son of my horse, Ashteni; he is also the son of Felenath. And he is yours, if you will have him, and if he will have you. But I think he has already decided where he would like to stay." Glorfindel ran a hand down Eordwin's back, and fed the horse a sugar cube with his other.
Estel looked up sharply, not quite believing his ears. "Mine?"
"Yes. Consider it a late Winter Solstice present." Glorfindel looked up just in time to catch an armful of a flying Estel as the young man launched himself into the other's arms. Glorfindel smiled, wrapping his arms around Estel and returning the hug. He placed a kiss on Estel's brow, and set him back down on the chair. "I am glad you are well, young one."
"Aye, thank you Glorfindel. Although ada says I am not well enough to walk by myself..."
"And you're not." Elrond interjected.
Estel merely stuck his tongue out, laughing impishly as he used to do when he was a boy, and continued to rub Eordwin.
"Legolas." Glorfindel turned to the Mirkwood elf. "I have something for you also, since your knives were lost in the wolf attack." He reached in a stall, pulling out two knives of similar design; they were white, with patterns interwoven on each handle, and elven symbols inscribed onto the blades. "They were mine, but I have long since outgrown my use for them. I hope they serve you well."
Legolas smiled, thanking the older elf. "I will treat them with the up most care, and they will be put to use to the best of my ability."
"Hopefully not too soon. For some reason I don't think you would stand a chance against an Orc at the moment." Elladan piped up.
"I doubt he's even able to take on a hobbit. Or worst yet, a dwarf!" Elrohir snickered, then yelped as one of the knives embedded itself into the wood just inches away from his head.
"You were saying?" Legolas asked smugly.
Elrohir rolled his eyes. "Showoff."
Laughing out loud, Elrond helped Estel back up from the chair. "Come, back to the house. Estel needs his rest and Legolas needs to get off those legs for a while. And no complaining." Elrond looked sternly at the two, but no complaints were heard.
"So Estel..." Elrohir looked at his brother. "How DID you fall from the tree?..."
THE END!
Reviews!
Alida-Fruit - Hmm well there is *only* two chapters to this, so killing him off in the first one would probably have been acceptable. ;) Thank you so much and I'm glad you like it! :-)
Bry - I can't??? Wellllll since you said 'please', LOL. Hope the outcome was to your liking!
Estel Elven Echantress - Yes, Estel is rather accident prone, isn't he? Haha! That's what we love about him though, eh? Just don't get him close to cliffs! *snickers* Ohhh cliffs. Hmm... *plots on a new fic involving a rather high cliff and our favorite ranger...* *g* And yeah, I love hero horses (or any animals for that matter) so I had to add them in! :D
Lady of Nimrodel - An award? I don't think it's THAT good, LOL. Muchos gracias, hannon le, thank you though, and glad you like it! :-)
Red Ribbon Lioness - LOL well here you are, second and final chapter! Hope you enjoy!
Elfmage - Yeah, I'm a sucker for action, angst, and pain. My life revolves around torturing good looking guys with pointy and/or heavy/blunt objects. Haha. Hope there was enough pain and angst for ya! And to your fav list? Ohhh! *is excited* Thank you!! :-D
Catmint - Thank you! And yeah, Elrond knows his sons very well when it comes to injuries and such. Poor guy. It's a wonder his hair isn't completely white...
Bill The Pony - You *think* I did? Wow, I must not be evil enough if you only think I did. LOL. And yeah, it'd be kind of weird if Estel was killed by his future breakfast, eh? Hahaha! Thanks Bill, glad ya like it! :-D
Grumpy - I'm glad you like it! No, things don't look well at all for either of them. Well, at the end they do, but *ahem* not at the beginning of the 2nd chapter. LOL. And, yeah, I tried to describe the maul scene with lots of details; love to get all the pain I can in. >:)
Firniswin - Why thank you!! And yeah, you're probably pretty evil yourself, haha! Hope this was soon enough for ya! :-)
Aphrodite - LOL Yeah. Thanks, and I will! :-)
M J Rosemary - Thanks, even tho I try to change my writing style every so often and experiment with things a lot. LOL. Glad you like it!
Eldameldo - Greenie Leafie *g* I can just imagine Legolas turning a bright red after somebody calls him that. (Said person would then be full of arrows and looking like a pincushion, haha!) LOL, didn't think the cliffhanger was *that* bad myself. Then again, I was the one writing it, so ... *eg* ;)
Shadow Of The Ages - Thanks! Yeah, torture fics are my favorite. Nothing can beat Estel screaming his lungs out and in pain, to me, LOL. Glad you like it! :-D
Well, that's the end of another fic! If any are following "Arrows and Curses", I plan to update it soon, so don't fret! Thanks to all who read my fic, and I hope it's good enough to earn another review. LOL. :-)
Anyway, oodles and kadoodles of thanks to Rhonda, who helped me out with the whole rib/lung thing. It's good having a friend who works in the ER! Plus Rhonda seems to be an expert on hurt ribs, haha. >:)
IMPORTANT note: This chapter is where most of the "R" stuff comes in. It could probably be classified as PG 13, but it's R just in case. Lots and lots of graphic blood/gore scenes. (I'm a sucker for blood and guts stuff, haha.) So anyway, if that's not your cup of tea, just skip over those parts.
ALSO, I would like to send out a huge APOLOGY! I swear, I meant to get this out a LOT sooner. But, my phone company it seemed, had other problems. They didn't care I had a story to update when they killed my phone, noooo. Not even when I threatened them with lots of sharp pointy objects. Evil Sprint. We hatessss them precciioouusss. But it was good coming back and finding a heckuva lot of "Author Alerts" in my mailbox! Three chapters from Nili in a row. I was in a fanfic induced coma almost. Haha.
So, last but not least, more thanks to Halo and Kar (double thanks to my twin, since I kept her from sleep so she'd beta this chapter for me, LOL, thanks Kar!), who, without them, this fic would not be finished. LOL. *sends lots of hugs to them* And a huge hug and more and more and more and more (you get the point) thanks to my readers! You all rule! :-)
Now, kick back, relax, snack on a banana flavored moonpie, and enjoy the chapter.
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Chapter Two
Being as quick as he could, Legolas placed the bag with the Athelas down and fumbled with the other bag of herbs, his fingers slick with his own blood. He then took out a leaf of one herb and scrunched it up in his hand. He placed the crumpled leaf at the back of Estel's throat, trying to massage it down before struggling forward a little further and placing his mouth over the young human's, giving him a breath.
The herb sent adrenaline pumping through Estel's veins, and he slowly started breathing again. Legolas smiled weakly as Estel coughed, cracking his eyes open.
"What ... took you ... so long?" Estel tried to glare, failing miserably.
"Orcs." Legolas muttered softly, suddenly taking a great interest in a crack in the wall of the cave.
Estel, despite his weakened state and the dim light in the cave, noticed that Legolas had a few cuts and bruises on his face; cuts and bruises that couldn't have come from the boar incident.
The human then saw that his long time friend was purposely avoiding his gaze. When Estel finally managed to lock eyes with the elf, what he saw made him wince. Pain, Legolas' eyes were full of it. Then, the second thing that Estel saw was the pool of blood near the elf's knees, blood that wasn't his. That, and the awkward position that Legolas was in, made the human's worry grow drastically.
"Legolas, what's wrong with your knees?" Estel asked, trying to calm his shaking voice, to no avail.
"An orc hit my knees with a club, and now I can't move them." Legolas answered in a low voice, so low that Estel barely heard it.
He did though, his grey eyes widening in shock and terror, and immediately tried to shift to get a good look at them.
But Legolas clearly demonstrated that he still had his elven reflexes and speed when he quickly put a restraining hand on the human's upper chest, carefully avoiding the injury but doing its purpose by preventing his friend from moving.
"Oh no you don't." Legolas said, glaring down at the human.
"But ..." Estel began to protest but was quickly interrupted by the elf.
"No buts, I'm fine." Legolas said.
"No you are definitely NOT fine. There is no way that that could be called fine, not now, not *ever*."
Estel hunched over, coughing furiously again. Blood poured from his lips, running down his neck, leaving red trails on the pasty white skin. He sat up and spat the blood into the ground while grimacing in pain.
"H-h-hurts ..." He stammered, trying to breathe through the pain.
"Estel, you must allow me to tend to you. One of your lungs is punctured ... if not treated now you could drown to death in your own blood." Legolas' murmured, helping Estel to lie back down on his side.
Estel nodded. "Do what you must, mellon nin."
Legolas nodded, and hesitated. "It ... it's going to hurt. And I can't risk giving you anything for the pain."
"I understand."
Estel's eyes met those of Legolas', and they were not filled with fear as the elf would have thought. Trust...they were full of trust. Moving swiftly, Legolas leaned over to his other side, grabbing several sticks and twigs in the cave and starting a fire. He began boiling water, making sure to keep an eye on Estel. When the water was done, he crumbled a few Athelas leaves, breathing on them and throwing them in. The smell instantly calmed the two a little, working to give Legolas hope; hope that he could get Estel back to Rivendell in time.
Lastly, Legolas set two needles and a knife over the fire, letting the flames cleanse them. His eyes darkened at the thought of what he was about to do: cause Estel more pain. It couldn't be helped though.
Legolas picked up the knife, then turned Estel on his back. "Estel ... can you hear me?"
Legolas looked worried that Estel's eyelids fluttered, and his breathing had slowed in drastic amounts. Legolas could hear a quiet gurgling sound every time Estel took a breath.
"Can ... hear ..." Estel whispered, small amounts of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm going cut the wound and make it larger, so that I can get to your lung." Legolas forced his hands not to shake as he stripped Estel of his tunic.
Estel, for his part, nodded imperceptibly as more blood ran from his lips.
Grasping the knife tighter, Legolas made a small incision on either side of the wound, opening it further until he could see the lung. He reached over and grabbed a small wooden tube, placing it in the lung. He was going to have to get the blood out, else Estel would still end up dying.
Estel whimpered loudly, arching upwards as if to get away from the pain. Legolas placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, whispering comfortingly to him. He gently placed his hands on either side of Estel's face, brushing his knuckles against the pale skin. After a few moments, the young man finally settled enough for Legolas to resume his work.
He leaned over, putting his lips on the tube and sucked out a mouthful of the coppery tasting liquid. Turning his head, Legolas spat it onto the ground and repeated the procedure, until he was sure he had gotten it out.
Estel slumped to the side, unconscious. For this, Legolas was grateful. He would have hated to sew up his friend's lung while Estel was still awake.
Legolas quickly removed the tube and set to work with the needle, nimble fingers working without hesitation. The stitching wasn't quite as good as Lord Elrond's, but it would have to do until Estel arrived back in Rivendell.
When he was finished, Legolas gently turned Estel over, tending to the two entrance wounds on his back. He cleansed them in the water mixed with athelas, sewing them up also. Afterwards, he struggled to sit Estel up and leaned the younger man on his shoulder, while he wrapped bandages around Estel's torso.
That done, Legolas laid him down again, gently bathing Estel's face in water to remove the blood. Just as he began cleaning the laceration on Estel's leg, the young human woke up, blinking his eyes into focus.
"Estel!" Legolas smiled tiredly. "How fare you? And don't say you're fine."
Estel grimaced, but the Mirkwood elf noticed he was breathing better. "It feels as if an Oliphant sat and squished me, but other than that, I'm alright."
Sitting up and gasping in pain, Estel waved off Legolas' protesting hands. "I want to see to your knees."
"No, not until you're better." Legolas argued.
Grey eyes turned to glare at Legolas and the human shook his head. "I'm not waiting until you bleed yourself almost to death before I tend to them."
Sighing in exasperation, Legolas finally maneuvered and lay on his stomach so that Estel did not have to move to look at the wounds.
Quickly removing the bandages, Estel set them aside, then turned his eyes to the back of Legolas' knees. His eyes widened and he hissed through his teeth as his heart clenched in sympathy.
Legolas noticed his friend's reaction, turning to face the young man. "What is it? Tell me!"
"Legolas ..." Estel's eyes met the floor. He couldn't bare to lay this burden on his friend. He almost wished he could keep the information to himself and spare Legolas the mental angst, for the elf would surely feel heartbroken once he found out. Strong hands lifted his chin back up, grey eyes met blue.
"Legolas ... you may never walk again."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
'You may never walk again.' The impact of the words left Legolas feeling as if the floor had been removed from under his feet. Which, he thought dryly, wasn't that far removed.
"Surely...surely your father can do something." Legolas blinked back unexpected tears.
"Aye, let us not give up hope until my father has seen to them. I'm positive he has the ability to heal them. These wounds may cripple a mortal, but you are no mortal, mellon nin." Estel gave a small smile, raising his hand to pat Legolas on the shoulder.
"Hand me the cloth, so that I may clean them." Estel sat up straighter, his breath quickening as pain lanced through his body and stars appeared before his eyes.
"No." Gently pushing Estel down, Legolas reached for the cloth himself. "I will clean them. You are in no condition to."
Estel did not reply, as he was too busy trying to breathe through the pain that clenched his body in a vise. Legolas sighed, placing a cloak around the young man. "Sleep. We will leave at first light."
Estel nodded, his eyes sliding closed. Shaking hands began cleaning the wounds, and Legolas hissed every so often as the pain became almost unbearable. Finally he was finished and he placed the bloody rag in the fire, binding his knees once more. Worried blue eyes glanced at Estel. Legolas dearly hoped the young human didn't become sick. He knew there was a great chance that would happen though, as the cold winds blew into the small cave, causing Estel to shiver.
Legolas scooted until his back pressed against the cave wall, placing a hand on Estel's brow, and prayed that they made it back to Rivendell soon.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Estel's world was nothing but a grey haze of pain. Thick fog filled his mind, making it impossible to think. He winced every time the horse stepped, sending jolts of agony throughout his body. The only thing keeping him atop the beast was Legolas sitting behind him wrapping a strong arm across his chest. The elf himself was having a hard time staying on the elven steed, as his legs were rendered useless. Felenath followed closely behind, worried for his injured master.
Estel felt his eyelids droop and he shook his head, willing himself to stay conscious. If he were to pass out completely, Legolas would have a hard time keeping him upright and on the horse. It didn't help that he felt frozen to the bone, so much that it ached to move.
Legolas' frown deepened when he felt Estel shiver harder, and he unclasped his cloak, placing it around the human in hopes of it warming him up. The cold barely affected Legolas, even with his wounds and blood loss. It was just a mild discomfort, one that he could live with.
As if to laugh at Legolas, the weather started to change, and white flakes gently floated down from the sky.
'Great. Things were already bad enough, now the fates have decided to throw this upon us!' Legolas glared at the snow, that was now falling down harder, beginning to cover the ground.
"I-it's snowing." Estel mumbled, his eyes barely open now.
"I know, mellon nin. Let us hope it does not last long." The clouds in the sky told Legolas that that hope was not to be.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
An hour later, the winds were whipping through Legolas' hair, as snow coated the two frozen travelers. The snow was falling so thick it was almost impossible to see further than a few feet ahead of the horse's nose.
In his arms, Estel shook uncontrollably, teeth chattering with the cold. The young human had turned an alarming shade of blue, and had started coughing every so often. With every small movement, be it a cough or a violent shiver, Estel's eyes clenched shut from the pain.
"L-l-legolas ..."
"Yes Estel?" Legolas asked softly, pulling his cloak tighter around his friend.
"It ... it hurts." The statement was followed by another cough, one that doubled Estel over on the horse, making him gasp for breath.
"ESTEL!" Legolas leaned over, trying to grasp his friend and pull him back up. It was a fruitless effort, as Estel tilted to the side and slid off the animal. He landed on his stomach and hit his head on a protruding rock, a groan of pain escaping his lips, before falling unconscious.
"Elbereth!" Legolas called his horse to stop, then slid off himself, landing on his hands in the cold snow. He dragged himself the few feet to his friend, quickly turning Estel over.
A jagged cut now ran across the human's forehead, from its encounter with the rock, but the fall had obviously not damaged Estel's torso more than was already so; for that, Legolas was thankful. Any more wounds on the human's already battered body and Estel would most likely not survive.
'If he survives as it is.' Legolas shook that thought out of his head, reminding himself that this was Estel, the same stubborn human who had countless times been on the brink of death in his short existence on Arda.
"Estel! Estel, I need you to awaken. I cannot lift you upon the horse by myself." Legolas cursed his wounds, which had open up again when he slid from the horse, and now bled on the white snow.
Estel moaned, turning his head to the side. His eyes slid back and forth under their lids as his head burned with fever. A rattling in the human's chest signaled to Legolas that Estel was already very sick.
"Estel, please-" Legolas was cut off as a sound echoed throughout the trees. The loud noise froze Legolas' heart. It was followed by another similar howl that reverberated off the trees. Wolves.
"Estel, you must get up, now!" Legolas shook the human, to no avail. He cursed loudly in dwarvish, calling his horse to him, and pulling down his bow and arrow. He was not going to leave Estel here to his death; not when there was a chance he could make it.
Stringing an arrow, he waited for the wild animals to attack. They were lurking in the trees, surrounding the two travelers; their eyes glowing dimly in the blizzard, and Legolas could hear the small yips and snarls emitting from their mouths. The wolves were hungry, probably attracted to the scent of the horses.
'Or my blood ...' Legolas looked down at the red liquid that now coated a fair portion of the ground he was sitting on.
The horses danced about, agitation clear in their eyes. Legolas tried to shoo them away, pleading with them to make a break for freedom, but the horses would not leave their masters in the face of danger. For that, Legolas was both grateful and saddened.
A few moments later, the first wolf attacked, launching itself straight for Estel. The 'thwang' of Legolas' bow was heard and the wolf fell dead, an arrow piercing its neck.
The second wolf sprang without a moment to lose, and Legolas felled that one also. The rest of the pack seemed to take offense at two of their kindred so easily cut down and made for them, several advancing on the elf at once. Legolas was hard pressed to keep firing his bow and watch after Estel at the same time.
One broke through Legolas' defenses, jumping over the elf and landing on Estel. Razor sharp claws ripped through Estel's clothes, slicing through the stitches and barely healed wounds there. Estel gasped in his unconscious state, weakly trying to move away from this new source of pain.
The horses were having their own time with the wolves, constantly kicking and pawing to keep the wild beasts away. Felenath noticed a wolf now snapping at the human's arm, as Legolas fought off three more with one of his knives. The elf had apparently run out of arrows, his bow laying a little ways away with the string snapped.
The horse rushed forward and charged, head-butting the wolf from Estel's prone form. The wolf flew through the air, soundly smacking into a nearby tree, then hitting the ground. It did not move again.
Several of the other wolves noticed this and attacked Felenath without mercy, teeth and claws working as one to bring the big animal down. Legolas watched helplessly as Estel's horse was killed and a howl of triumph filled the air, but not before the horse had killed most of the wolves.
Giyaneth moved to the center of the wolf pack now, kicking out with strong hind legs. A few wolves managed to jump on the horse but he swiftly shook them off, breaking their necks and backs with his hooves.
After what seemed like a lifetime, most of the wolves had been finally killed. Legolas finished driving his knife into the throat of one, his other hand laying uselessly at his side, bleeding from the teeth marks that covered it.
The remaining wolves decided the elf and horse were not worth it, and they retreated into the trees again, tails between their legs. Legolas sighed in relief, turning back to Estel.
"Estel!" The younger man was still, barely breathing. Legolas' hands shook as he checked the wounds; they were bleeding again, having been ripped open. Bite marks covered Estel's arms and hands, some going very deep, almost to the bone.
The younger of the two shuddered, turning his head toward Legolas. Glazed eyes opened to look at the elf, blinking slowly with pain and fatigue.
"Legolas ... are you alright?"
'Typical Estel, asking how the others are faring when he himself is on the brink of death.' Legolas thought as he nodded to the human, then wrapped the remaining bandages around Estel's wounds.. He looked around for the cloak that had been lost during the fight and drug it over, noticing it had survived the scrape almost completely intact. He then lifted Estel slightly, wrapping the elvish material around his friend and clasped it again, hoping it would warm him a little.
"I am fine." Legolas lied easily enough, calling to Giyaneth as Estel let out an almost inaudible snort. He sighed as he took in the deep scratches and claw marks on the horse's flanks, but the horse paid no attention to his wounds. He only nuzzled Legolas gently, then lay down so that the elf and man could mount him again.
"Hannon le, mellon nin." Legolas nodded his head respectively towards his horse, then sent an elvish blessing for Estel's, who had not made it though the battle with the wolves.
Legolas shifted until he sat upon the horse again, then moved to gently pull Estel on with him. The young man froze as the movement caused pain to engulf him like fire on hay and his head fell to the side, slipping to unconsciousness. Legolas cradled Estel to his chest while whispering for Giyaneth to ride swiftly back to Rivendell.
Giyaneth whinnied loudly, slowly standing up on all fours while making sure neither of his burdens fell, then galloped from the scene and further into the trees.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Night fell earlier than expected for the two, causing Legolas to bite his lip in frustration. Why could they not get a break? In front of him, Estel burned with fever, moaning in delirium every few moments. It seemed the human could get no rest from his dreams either.
Legolas leaned closer, wrapping his arms more snuggly around his friend. Nay, his brother, for that was what they were. Maybe not by blood, but every adventure they experienced together bound them in a woven strand of loyalty, and as the years passed, their friendship grew and blossomed, strengthening with every moment.
As his thoughts drifted and bordered on the realm of elven dream, Legolas began counting the days they had been gone from Rivendell, slowly ticking them off on his fingers. Two weeks. They had been absent for almost two weeks. And tomorrow ... tomorrow was Winter Solstice.
He smiled grimly; it looked as if Estel would not be home in time for the celebrations after all. Elrond must be frantically pulling his hair out by now, even as poor Glorfindel struggled to console him. Legolas chuckled softly. He was sure to catch an earful from the elf lord on his return.
Legolas felt sleep descend upon him, and he made sure Estel was securely resting on him, the human's head pillowed on Legolas' shoulder. Legolas leaned his own head forward until it lightly rested on Estel's opposite shoulder, as his eyes closed and he fell into a very deep slumber.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jerking awake and blinking the sleep from his eyes, Legolas looked at his surroundings. Giyaneth had traveled far during the night, as the sun was just rising from her rest. If they were lucky, they would be in Rivendell by mid-day.
Legolas slowly moved a hand to check Estel's pulse, sighing in relief when he found one. It was faster than normal, but it still signaled he lived; the human's breathing was also very shallow, which caused Legolas to urge Giyaneth on a little faster. He hated taxing his horse so, but any delay would cause Estel's, or even his own, death.
With a sure-footedness that rivaled any normal horse, Giyaneth carried the two wounded beings closer and closer to home. Trees sped by in a blur as the animal swiftly wove around obstacles; Legolas almost felt as if he was gliding, rather than riding atop a horse.
When they were but moments away from Rivendell, Legolas felt Estel stir slightly, and the human weakly lifted his head.
"Wh-where ... are we?" The voice sounded raspy and thick with fever, weak with exhaustion, but also tinted with hope, as Estel noticed his surroundings.
"Almost home. Happy Winter Solstice, little Estel." Legolas whispered.
"Not ... that happy ... yet." Estel's lips quirked into a small grin, before freezing with pain again.
"Just hold on, mellon nin. We're almost there."
Legolas looked up just in time to notice them passing through the gates of Rivendell. He breathed a small sigh of relief before his tiredness overcame him. Up ahead, he could see Elrond on his balcony, just as Estel slumped from the horse.
"Estel!" Legolas rasped, before he too fell unconscious.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elrond sighed, looking over the snow covered grounds from his balcony. His breath frosted in the cold air, but the freezing temperature did not bother him. His heart was weary, held down with worry and sadness. It was the morning of Winter Solstice, and neither Estel nor Legolas had returned. He forced himself not to rush out and go after them; after all, Estel had said they may not make it back in time for the celebrations. He sighed again, suddenly wishing Estel was but five years old, a youngster impatiently waiting to open his gifts.
"I'm sure he's fine." Glorfindel's voice broke the silence.
Elrond smiled minutely, not bothering to turn around. "Yes, and I remember the last time you said that."
Glorfindel scowled, pushing his eyebrows forward. "How was I to know he was trapped in a tree with a broken arm?"
"Precisely, mellon nin."
"Maybe you should put a leash on him and teach him how to stay away from danger for the next year or so..." The blonde elf's tone was hopeful.
"Wishful thinking." Elrond stared into the distance, before finally turning to face one of his most trusted friends. The moment their eyes met, the two broke out in quiet laughs that were most unbefitting of their status.
When finally they stifled their giggles, Glorfindel nodded in the direction of the stables. "The twins arrived a few hours ago. I believe they are helping the servants with the game they captured."
Elrond nodded his thanks, turning back to the balcony.
Glorfindel stepped closer, hesitating for a moment, then placed a hand on Elrond's shoulder. "Will you be okay, my friend?"
"Aye, I will be fine. Only a father worrying for his danger-attracting son." Elrond paused, then corrected, "Sons."
The hand dropped away and Glorfindel bowed ever so slightly. "I will leave you to your thoughts then."
Near silent footsteps signaled Glorfindel's exit. Elrond's attention focused on the tree line, just beyond the gate of Rivendell. He desperately hoped Estel would be home soon, as his heart clenched, telling him to ride out for the two wayward younglings.
As time passed by, the Lord of Rivendell stood upon his balcony, as still as a statue, watching over the land that was his home.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours may have passed Elrond by, but he took no notice of it. He still stood staring unblinkingly past the gates, lost in a world of thought. He might have stayed in that state for the remainder of the day, had the border guards not issued a shout.
Elrond finally moved, focusing his eyes. Two figures on horseback slowly rode in, stopping steps inside the gate. The one on the front raised his head, his dark and blood matted hair moving aside so that Elrond could see his face. The elf lord's eyes met the pain filled ones of his son before the lad finally slumped to the side, falling hard upon the stone, snow covered walkway.
Elrond gasped, flying from his balcony to the door. He shouted for the servants to get his medical supplies as he ran, stopping for nothing.
A few seconds later he was pushing through the small circle of guards that had formed around the injured pair. Elladan and Elrohir were there already, the younger twin helping Legolas from the horse while Elladan tended to Estel.
"Valar." Elladan breathed when he was his father. "It is bad, ada."
Elrond had already surmised as much, after seeing the amount of blood staining the white snow. Estel's tunic and leggings were torn and slashed, stained a dark color as more of his blood poured forth.
He fell to his knees in the snow, tearing away what remained of Estel's tunic so he could get to the wounds.
"How is Legolas faring?" Elrond briefly managed to look up and catch the eye of Elrohir.
"Not good, ada. The back of his knees have been slashed and he is covered with claw and teeth marks. He has fallen unconscious." Elrohir sounded shaken. 'For good reason though.' Elrond thought, taking in Legolas' state.
His healing persona took over completely as he saw the wounds covering his youngest.
"We must get them to the healing ward, now!" Elrond said fiercely, picking Estel up gently.
Elrohir nodded, taking Legolas into his arms. They made their way quietly to the hall of healing with the servants following close behind, laden with tools and herbs Elrond would need. The guards went back to their posts, two staying to care for Legolas' horse. The poor beast was in a right state, flanks heaving heavily and covered with blood.
Setting Estel on one of the beds, Elrond swiftly cut away the rest of his clothes. He gasped when he saw the extent of the damage done to his son. Estel's leg was mauled with an infection set in already, causing the skin to color and puff; it in itself looked painful enough. The pale skin on the rest of his body was covered in black and blue bruises; hardly an inch of skin could be found that was not covered in some cut or scrape.
Two large puncture wounds that went completely through Estel's middle were bleeding freely, looking as if they had been sewed then severely ripped open again. Bite marks covered the young man's arms, as well as a nasty gash across his forehead. Claw marks covered his chest, stomach, and legs.
He would have to clean all the wounds first. Elrond frowned; he did not wish to cause his son more pain, but it was too risky giving him herbs that would put his mind into a pain-less trance. Shaking his head, Elrond tsked to himself, sending the young man a worry filled glance.
After listening and making sure Estel's lungs sounded fine, Elrond reached for a soft cloth bathed in a cleaning fluid and quickly began the long and arduous task of cleaning the wounds. As he worked on his son's leg, he realized he would have to drain the pus that had formed under the skin. Using a small knife that had been cleaned with flame, he made a small slit in the skin and pressed the cloth over it. The yellow fluid seeped out with a rancid smell following it that caused Elrond's nose to wrinkle. When that was done, he finished cleaning the rest of the wound, and covered it all with a fast acting healing paste. He wrapped the leg tightly, splinting it so that Estel could not move it and reopen the wound.
Done with that, Elrond moved on to the puncture wounds that had been ripped open. He used a small metal tool to lift back the skin and check the lungs, making sure no infection had set in there. When he found the lungs were clear, and that Legolas had obviously sewed one of the lungs up, he cleaned the wounds with a new cloth, then sewed them up again.
The experienced healer methodically cleaned and sewed each deep gash from the claws of the wolves that covered Estel's body, giving extra attention to the bite marks on the young man's arms. It would not be good if one of the wolves carried a disease lethal to humans.
After wrapping bandages around the gash on Estel's forehead, he finally finished up by cleaning each of the small cuts and gashes, rubbing salve on the bruises. His eyes roamed over his son, full of sorrow and guilt for having let Estel leave. Deep down, he blamed himself for every wound that covered Estel's body, but he knew he could not have prevented this. He could not shelter Estel for the rest of his life.
Shaking his head, Elrond instructed his senior healer to get Estel's fever down, and give the young man herbs for the cold he caught while in the snowstorm.
The Elf Lord walked over to the bed which held Legolas, locking eyes with his eldest son.
"Where is Glorfindel?"
"He is tending to Legolas' horse, ada. He will be here soon." Elladan answered quietly, looking up from cleaning the deep bite marks and gashes on Legolas' arm.
Elrond nodded and began unwrapping the bandages on Legolas knees. He sucked in his breath when he saw just how bad Legolas had been cut.
"Will ... will they heal, ada?" Elrohir asked from Legolas' other side.
"I'm not sure." Truthfully, Elrond thought that there was a small chance they would heal, and an even smaller one that Legolas would walk again. But he would do his best to repair the damage; although, Legolas was a very strong being, and there was a slim chance he would just give up.
Elladan and Elrohir finished cleaning and bandaging the smaller wounds on Legolas and left their father to his work, moving off to check on Estel. Elrond spent the better part of three hours cleaning and slowly stitching the back of Legolas' knees up. He was finishing tying the bandages when Glorfindel walked in, looking very haggard.
"Glorfindel." Elrond greeted his friend, giving him a weary smile.
"Elrond. I'm sorry it took me so long, my friend, but I was tending to Giyaneth's wounds. I also took several of the guards and found Estel's horse; we buried it so that it would not be the meal of another wolf pack." Glorfindel looked from Elrond to the two lying on the beds. "How are they?"
"As well as can be expected. Legolas ... there is a chance he may never walk again. As for Estel, his wounds were very deep, most of which were infected. Fever has also set in, and he has a bad cold; we will have to watch him closely through the night."
Glorfindel nodded sadly, frowning at Elrond. "You go and rest. I will watch over them for now, with the twins."
"No, I will be fine, for the time being. I can't bear to be away from them at the moment anyway."
Giving Elrond a stern look, Glorfindel reluctantly agreed. 'As if I could disagree with him either way.'
"I will take over watching them in the morning then, and no arguments." Noticing the look on Elrond's face, Glorfindel continued quietly. "It's not your fault."
A long moment passed, in which Elrond looked from the two on the bed, to Glorfindel. "I know that. It's hard not to shoulder the injuries and mishaps of ones that I am responsible for though."
"Aye, that I can understand. But remember what I said, and this also; you cannot protect him forever. He will someday have to face his lineage and come to terms with who he is." Glorfindel adopted a proud look. "He will become a great leader of men that day."
"Yes. He has been brought up well. And now," Elrond touched Glorfindel's shoulder briefly before turning away, "I am going to see about getting rid of his fever."
Bowing and stepping out of the room, Glorfindel was hit with a sudden idea. He grinned to himself, rushing off to make a few arrangements.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Luck was finally on their side, as all through the night, Estel's fever never rose. The two were bedridden for the whole week, while their injuries healed and they regained most of their strength. By the end of the week, Elrond had lost most of his former patience, and was seriously considering putting the two into an herb-induced coma so he could have some peace.
"Ada, I only want to-"
"No."
"But just for a-"
"No!"
"What if I-"
"No. End of story. Don't ask me any more questions!" Elrond glared at Estel, who lay on the bed with a sullen expression.
"You might as well listen to him, Estel. He's not letting you out of that bed." Legolas grinned as he hobbled into the room. His legs were in wooden braces and he used two crutches to get around, but Elrond said that his knees would make a full recovery; it would take a while before he could do any major running though.
Estel pouted fiercely. "But *he* gets to get up, ada. Why am I made to lie down all day and do nothing! It's ... it's boring is what it is! And highly unfair!"
Elrond stifled a chuckle. "I'll tell you what. If, and only if, you allow your brothers to assist you, you may accompany Glorfindel and I to the stables in a few moments."
Estel nodded happily, slowly sitting up. "But why to the stables, ada? Why not the garden? Or our picnic spot beside the river?"
The young human felt no need to look at any horses at the moment. The loss of Felenath weighed heavily on his heart. The horse had died a warrior's death, protecting Estel and Legolas in their moment of need, and for that, Estel was grateful; yet he could not help but take the loss like one would take a physical blow.
"Because, my son, there is something we have to do. You are welcome to stay here, however. I'm sure I can find one of your old history books for you to look over." Elrond grinned.
"No, no, that's okay. The stables it is."
After slowly getting dressed, a task which seemed to take forever, Estel was ready to go. With both of his brothers on either side of him, he hardly had to walk at all, as they all but carried him down the stairs and to the horse stables across the courtyard. Once they entered, Elladan gently set his young brother onto a cushioned chair near one of the middle stalls, smiling secretively.
The large wooden door to the side of them opened, and Glorfindel walked in, a very young horse trailing after him. The small animal was a dazzling white, with black streaked down his sides, and a brown spot just behind his ears.
"He's beautiful." Estel smiled, laughing as the horse trotted over to him, nuzzling his arm.
"His name is Eordwin, the son of my horse, Ashteni; he is also the son of Felenath. And he is yours, if you will have him, and if he will have you. But I think he has already decided where he would like to stay." Glorfindel ran a hand down Eordwin's back, and fed the horse a sugar cube with his other.
Estel looked up sharply, not quite believing his ears. "Mine?"
"Yes. Consider it a late Winter Solstice present." Glorfindel looked up just in time to catch an armful of a flying Estel as the young man launched himself into the other's arms. Glorfindel smiled, wrapping his arms around Estel and returning the hug. He placed a kiss on Estel's brow, and set him back down on the chair. "I am glad you are well, young one."
"Aye, thank you Glorfindel. Although ada says I am not well enough to walk by myself..."
"And you're not." Elrond interjected.
Estel merely stuck his tongue out, laughing impishly as he used to do when he was a boy, and continued to rub Eordwin.
"Legolas." Glorfindel turned to the Mirkwood elf. "I have something for you also, since your knives were lost in the wolf attack." He reached in a stall, pulling out two knives of similar design; they were white, with patterns interwoven on each handle, and elven symbols inscribed onto the blades. "They were mine, but I have long since outgrown my use for them. I hope they serve you well."
Legolas smiled, thanking the older elf. "I will treat them with the up most care, and they will be put to use to the best of my ability."
"Hopefully not too soon. For some reason I don't think you would stand a chance against an Orc at the moment." Elladan piped up.
"I doubt he's even able to take on a hobbit. Or worst yet, a dwarf!" Elrohir snickered, then yelped as one of the knives embedded itself into the wood just inches away from his head.
"You were saying?" Legolas asked smugly.
Elrohir rolled his eyes. "Showoff."
Laughing out loud, Elrond helped Estel back up from the chair. "Come, back to the house. Estel needs his rest and Legolas needs to get off those legs for a while. And no complaining." Elrond looked sternly at the two, but no complaints were heard.
"So Estel..." Elrohir looked at his brother. "How DID you fall from the tree?..."
THE END!
Reviews!
Alida-Fruit - Hmm well there is *only* two chapters to this, so killing him off in the first one would probably have been acceptable. ;) Thank you so much and I'm glad you like it! :-)
Bry - I can't??? Wellllll since you said 'please', LOL. Hope the outcome was to your liking!
Estel Elven Echantress - Yes, Estel is rather accident prone, isn't he? Haha! That's what we love about him though, eh? Just don't get him close to cliffs! *snickers* Ohhh cliffs. Hmm... *plots on a new fic involving a rather high cliff and our favorite ranger...* *g* And yeah, I love hero horses (or any animals for that matter) so I had to add them in! :D
Lady of Nimrodel - An award? I don't think it's THAT good, LOL. Muchos gracias, hannon le, thank you though, and glad you like it! :-)
Red Ribbon Lioness - LOL well here you are, second and final chapter! Hope you enjoy!
Elfmage - Yeah, I'm a sucker for action, angst, and pain. My life revolves around torturing good looking guys with pointy and/or heavy/blunt objects. Haha. Hope there was enough pain and angst for ya! And to your fav list? Ohhh! *is excited* Thank you!! :-D
Catmint - Thank you! And yeah, Elrond knows his sons very well when it comes to injuries and such. Poor guy. It's a wonder his hair isn't completely white...
Bill The Pony - You *think* I did? Wow, I must not be evil enough if you only think I did. LOL. And yeah, it'd be kind of weird if Estel was killed by his future breakfast, eh? Hahaha! Thanks Bill, glad ya like it! :-D
Grumpy - I'm glad you like it! No, things don't look well at all for either of them. Well, at the end they do, but *ahem* not at the beginning of the 2nd chapter. LOL. And, yeah, I tried to describe the maul scene with lots of details; love to get all the pain I can in. >:)
Firniswin - Why thank you!! And yeah, you're probably pretty evil yourself, haha! Hope this was soon enough for ya! :-)
Aphrodite - LOL Yeah. Thanks, and I will! :-)
M J Rosemary - Thanks, even tho I try to change my writing style every so often and experiment with things a lot. LOL. Glad you like it!
Eldameldo - Greenie Leafie *g* I can just imagine Legolas turning a bright red after somebody calls him that. (Said person would then be full of arrows and looking like a pincushion, haha!) LOL, didn't think the cliffhanger was *that* bad myself. Then again, I was the one writing it, so ... *eg* ;)
Shadow Of The Ages - Thanks! Yeah, torture fics are my favorite. Nothing can beat Estel screaming his lungs out and in pain, to me, LOL. Glad you like it! :-D
Well, that's the end of another fic! If any are following "Arrows and Curses", I plan to update it soon, so don't fret! Thanks to all who read my fic, and I hope it's good enough to earn another review. LOL. :-)