I did not fall off the earth, although it did kind of feel that way (insert every imaginable excuse for not updating sooner here). Sorry, my bad. Hope you're still reading.

The thick arrow protruded from his left shoulder, every small movement causing him to wince in obvious discomfort. But now his brother's life lay in the balance, and any notion of pain was erased as he struggled wildly to release himself from the tree, but the arrow would not budge. The Orcs were laughing, hissing laughter as they circled the Elf kneeling on the forest floor, Erydben glaring at the Orc who held him at bay with a notched arrow, awaiting to be released into his heart.

Legolas grabbed his long knife, and in a wide arc brought it down on the feathered end of the arrow, cleanly slicing the end off. He slid his shoulder off the arrow, leaving a long trail of blood behind him. Still clutching the knife, he bellowed as he charged the group of Orcs, who looked quite surprised at his arrival. A few rushed him; the others were not willing to leave their easy prey.

He sliced easily through the bunch, anger and fear fuelling his energy, barely noticing his now useless left arm. But out of the corner of his right eye, and through his steadfast hearing, he could not help but notice an arrow leave its bow.

A strangled cry released itself from his throat, startling the one who shot the arrow. And although he fully expected an attack, the Orc was disappointed and confused that it did not come. Instead, Legolas dropped heavily to the earth, cradling his brother's head with his good arm. With glazed eyes, Erydben looked at Legolas, who could barely see through the thick haze of warm tears stinging his eyes. Erydben reached up and wiped a tear that had absently fallen onto Legolas' cheek.

"You will go on Legolas." He whispered.

Legolas shook his head, a terribly large lump in his throat would not let him speak.

"You will. It is…your destiny." Slowly, Erydben's eyes closed, and his hand dropped to his side.

In his grief, Legolas had completely forgotten the surrounding Orcs, growling at the one who defied them, and was now denying them a perfectly good slaughtering. But he did not care. Time had slowed for him, almost to a complete stop, until it was just him and Erydben and what Legolas was sure was his approaching death.

But death did not come for him that night. Instead, far from the blurry mist that now clung to his mind, he heard a familiar whistle, not like the ones Mirkwood Elves used, but familiar nonetheless. He heard arrows slice through the air with an eery hiss, and the sickening crunch as they found their marks. He heard a metallic ring, and knew instinctively that it was a sword being released from its sheath. He heard the sword drive itself home into the body of an Orc, who wailed in its final moments. All this went on for quite some time, but Legolas could not bring himself to turn away from the peaceful face of his brother.

It was only when strong hands gently pushed him away from Erydben's body that he realized he was not alone. The hands guided him to the base of a tree, where the face of the stranger looked deeply into his eyes. With a start, Legolas realized he was not looking into Elven eyes. No, these eyes were dark, as were the locks framing his face. He was human. And dimly Legolas heard the words the human was speaking become clearer.

"Can you hear me? Nod, if you can."

Slowly, Legolas nodded. His eyes absently trailed over to Erydben, now surrounded by two other Elves with dark hair. They looked very familiar, but his exhausted mind could not think how. Legolas turned his attention back to the human who was undoing the strings that tied his tunic up at the neck, pulling it to the side to reveal the wound in his shoulder.

"Is it painful?"

Legolas thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that it was not. He shook his head. All means of speaking seemed to be lost to him.

"Can you feel anything?"

Legolas flexed his fingers on his left hand, relieved that he still could. "They are numb, but I can feel them." His voice was hoarse, closer to a whisper.

"Good." The human took his left hand and placed it on his chest. He reached into his satchel and produced long strips of bandages, which he tied Legolas' hand tightly to his chest. Then he packed several bandages onto the wound, winding it snuggly in place.

An obvious question suddenly formed in Legolas' head. "Who are you?"

The human smiled, almost embarrassed. "My apologies. I am Aragorn. These are my brothers Elrohir and Elladan."

"Rivendell." Legolas stated, to which Aragorn nodded. Legolas pushed himself away from the tree, swaying slightly which brought forth a helping hand from Aragorn to steady him. Legolas stumbled towards his brother, eyes watering once again at the sight of Erydben.

Aragorn studied his face, inconsolable grief marring his handsome features. "I am sorry we did not come sooner."

Legolas shook his head. "It is not your fault." He looked around at the dead bodies of the Orcs. "I think the ones that have done this to him have been given their justice. I thank you for that."

Aragorn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I do not mean any disrespect in your time of mourning, but we must hurry your highness. The Orcs are surely about to attack Mirkwood."

Legolas nodded, still staring as Erydben's body was wrapped carefully in a dark cloak belonging to one of the Elven brothers, but walking behind Aragorn nonetheless. Then he stopped. "How do you know who I am?"

"I have heard many tales of your father. I imagine that you resemble him quite closely."

Legolas shook his head. "No. I think you have mistaken me for my father's eldest."

Aragorn now looked confused. "But you are the youngest, are you not? Legolas?"

Legolas nodded. "But I do not resemble my father. I resemble my mother."

Aragorn nodded slowly, confused but dismissing the remark for an Elf in grief. He took off his own cloak and placed it around the young Prince's shoulders, who did not seem to even notice the gesture, but instead walked with his head hung low. Elladan and Elrohir carefully lifted the body of Erydben onto his horse, as Aragorn assisted Legolas onto his. The other three mounted their steeds, and the group trotted back towards the kingdom in a defeated silence.