Sickness
By: Alilacia
Rating: PG-13
Feedback:
Spoilers: None that I can think of.
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings, or anything to do with the film or books. That honour goes to Peter Jackson (et all) and J.R.R Tolkien. I have no permission what so ever to use these characters, will not receive any money for this, and am doing this for my own enjoyment. And to get away from doing my college assignments
Series:
Mortality
Lessons
Wandering
Learning Curve
Sickness
Summary:
News of a disease spreading from village to village reaches Imladris. Estel, his brothers and Legolas decide to help. But can a human with Númenorian blood survive when all other humans are fading?
Mae govannen!
This is the fifth instalment in The Lennath Series. According to the site I found on the internet 'Lennath' is apparently journey's in Sindarin. I apologise if it isn't, my elvish skills are not the best in the world.
So in English it is basically 'The Journey's Series'. I decided to call it The Journey's Series, because that is basically what all the stories are about: Legolas' and Aragorn's journey's though life, and the paths it takes them on.
This is the second chapter of Sickness, and I hope you all enjoy it.
First I am going to make it clear that this is a NON-SLASH, so you won't be finding any relationship between Legolas and Aragorn that is any closer than brothers. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm not going to make it any different.
I've decided to take a leaf out of Cassia and Siobhan's book and put all the answers to the reviews before the story rather than after it as I have done in previous chapters. If anyone does not want to read them simply bypass all the bold print. And unless you want to read them, they are quite long. The story will start though when you skip past all the bold print :sweatdrops:
:snickers: Aragorn's gotta have baths some how since he doesn't seem to want to do it himself. I guess storms are natures way of making Aragorn clean, or at least give him a cold.
I'm not going to say much about the amount of angst in the future chapters. You'll just have to decide for yourself when I post them, and please let me know if it was too all of your likings.
I'm glad that people liked the bit with Legolas' quiver. I just had to stick some kind of humour in there, I just don't know how well I did. It must have been quite good if you all liked it. I hope.
:winces: erm…. I'd better get writing the next one then.
I'm glad that you are all liking what you've seen so far. And comparing me to Cassia and Sio……….. :takes a deep breath: despite how many people I've had say that to me (actually, I think it's about three) I still can't get used to it.
:grins:
Much, much more. But I'll leave just what I have in store for them for you to find out in the later chapters ;-)
:ignores readers groans:
I have not read the Silmarillion, or any of the other history/information books published regarding the Lord of the Rings. So I apologise if there are any mistakes in these stories. Feel free to let me know if there are. I am learning new things each day, and I owe quite a few people major thanks for some of that information.
This story isn't actually beta'd (in fact none of them have been so far) so there are probably quite a few mistakes in them.
Namárië nin mellyn
Alilacia
Sickness
As Legolas slowly saw the world come back into focus, he saw that Aragorn was packing up what little remained of their fire.
Aragorn had relieved Legolas of his watch a few hours before dawn, and had made the elf take some rest. Legolas had agreed only for Strider's peace of mind, and soon found himself drifting in reverie.
The sight of the sun was very welcoming to the elven eyes, and he was glad that there was no sight of storm clouds this morning. Although, he reminded himself as he walked up to Strider's side, there were not any yesterday, and a storm appeared then.
The ranger was looking at the sky with experienced eyes, and a frown was creasing his brow.
"What is it Strider?"
The frown slowly disappeared and he looked to Legolas with a sigh. "There is another storm due Legolas, it is far off but I fear it will hit before we reach Imladris."
Legolas frowned like Strider had done before, and turned to gaze at the clouds. His eyes spotted the storm clouds in the distance, and he turned to look at Aragorn.
"You are right my friend, but they are far off. The speed at which the wind blows is not so quick enough that they will beat us to your home. Have a little faith my friend, we will make it before the rains."
"I hope you are right Legolas. For I do not have another set of clothes with me, and I do not want to walk into my home with a trail of water following me." muttered Aragorn as he glanced down at his clothes.
The fire the night before had done much to dry out his clothes, but they had absorbed so much water that the sleeves still dripped occasionally.
Light laughter caught his ears, and he turned to see Legolas trying to muffle his laughter behind his slender hand. Mirth twinkled in his blue eyes, and Aragorn could see that it was a losing battle.
"Oh come on now Legolas, it's not that funny."
Legolas could not hide his laughter, and despite his glare Aragorn soon joined in. Once Aragorn had gotten his breath back he looked over to the softly shaking elf with a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. "And besides, you aren't much better." Aragorn grinned and pointed at Legolas' clothes.
Legolas looked down and realised for the first time that Aragorn was right. Although he was not nearly as soaked as Aragorn, for he had worn Aragorn's long travelling cloak all the way through the storm.
The elf shook his head as Strider once again tried to wring the water out of his tunic. He gracefully stood to his feet and picked up Strider's cloak. He held it out and waited for the human to take it. Legolas rolled his eyes when Aragorn didn't notice him standing there, and he draped it over the human's shoulders. Aragorn finally noticed when the heavy weight registered, and he spun around. The cloak slipped off his shoulders, and Legolas easily caught it. He handed it back to the human with a raised eyebrow and nearly smiled when Aragorn flushed and took the cloak back with a sheepish smile.
Legolas left the ranger to it as Aragorn started pulling his travelling cloak over his shoulders.
Aragorn nodded to Legolas as he grabbed the last of his things. It looked as though the clouds were not getting any closer, though they knew that not to be true. Legolas followed the ranger down the slippery slope, and soon due to the mud the pair were sliding down it, and Legolas had to stop Aragorn from colliding with the ground as he built up too much speed.
The pair hurried along the water-logged soils. The path was not easy for Aragorn to walk, let alone run, and Legolas was always by his side, steadying him should he fall.
The ranger sighed as his foot once again slipped on the muddy ground, and he felt Legolas' hand tighten on his arm until he felt secure on his feet. Aragorn nodded his thanks at Legolas, and shook his head as the elf easily walked a little ahead of him.
Seeing the elf walk with feather-light step over the soft soils made Aragorn wish, not for the first time, that he had that particular elven ability. For all of his childhood, he had been deeply jealous and resentful of the innate ability that the elves had to be graceful at everything they did. And, although Aragorn still felt it from time to time, he had come to accept that he was human, and they were not, and so there was no way that he could ever accomplish some of the things they made seem so effortless.
Like walking on snow.
A grin quirked at Aragorn's lips as he remembered the first time that he had tried to walk on top of snow. He had been very young then, and been impressionable enough to believe what the other elven children had told him. They had said that even humans could walk on snow if they tried to. Aragorn knew now that they had been setting him up to be humiliated, but then he had only wanted to be the same as his brothers, and had gone out alone during one of the heavy snow falls that Imladris had seen in a while.
It had taken them about an hour to find him, and by that time hypothermia had started to set in.
Elrond had made him stay in bed for a week, and Elladan and Elrohir found this too good an opportunity to pass up. Indeed, they did not let him forget about it even now.
Aragorn smiled and walked faster as a welcome sight appeared before his eyes. Legolas smiled at the rangers sudden enthusiasm, and saw that there was a bridge coming up.
"This is The Last Bridge Legolas," Aragorn told him as they hurried over the stone walkway, "now all there is to do is cross the Trollshaws and the Ford of the Bruinen, and we will reach Imladris."
Legolas smiled softly, and shook his head. Although he had not walked this way back into Imladris, he knew the area well enough to travel there alone. Aragorn did not know that the elf knew his way roughly around the lands around Imladris, and was talking animatedly about everything and everything as they walked passed the first few trees.
Legolas sighed as the soft drumming of rain echoed around the trees, and grew louder with each step they took. As the weight of the water on the leaves grew heavier, the trees could no longer support the added weight, and the water fell unhindered by the leaves onto the travellers below.
Neither made any attempt to stop this time, and Aragorn for one was not going to sit out another storm, not with Imladris but a forest away.
The sight of the ford was a welcome one as they broke through the trees, as was the fact that the rain had decided to stop during the trek through the Trollshaws.
Aragorn shivered slightly as the wind picked up again, and hoped that he was not coming down with a cold. Although he loved his elven family dearly, he hated how they mothered him when he got sick.
Surprisingly the trip into Imladris was uneventful, and Legolas could not hold back his smile at the look on the rangers face.
And it was a smiled mirrored on the faces of the elven twins that ran down a small set of stone steps. The elves embraced the human tightly, and started firing all these questions at him. Neither giving him a chance to speak, Aragorn simply smiled and listened to his brothers talk over one another.
Something walking towards them caught Legolas' attention, and he turned to see Lord Elrond walking down the stone steps. A small smile was tugging at his lips at the sight of his family in front of him, and he was about to go to them when he noticed Legolas standing to the side, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.
"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." Lord Elrond smiled, and held his hand out in greeting. "I welcome you back to Imladris. It has been so long since you last graced these soils. How have you been Prince Legolas?"
Legolas smiled, and shook his head. "I am well Lord Elrond. But please my lord, call me Legolas, for outside of Mirkwood, I am as common as any other elf."
"Not in Imladris you are not," Elrond spoke, but the smile pulling at his lips told Legolas that he didn't fully intend to call him that. "I hope you will forgive the actions of my sons Legolas," the half-elven lord nodded at the twins who had once again pulled their brother into a hug. "Although it has not been too long since they last saw Estel, they have missed him greatly."
The twins finally noticed that they were not alone in the courtyard, and turned to Elrond with a grin.
"Look ada!" Elrohir started
"Estel is back!" Elladan finished, a large grin pulling at his lips.
"I can see that," Elrond commented dryly as he moved from the grinning elven princes' side. "And you have been ungracious my sons, for Estel did not come alone."
Elladan and Elrohir's heads snapped to Legolas, who was watching the scene with a smile.
"Legolas!" the pair cried in unison and ran over to him, uttering apologies that over-ran those spoken before. Legolas smiled and assured the twins that an apology was not required.
While the twins were talking enthusiastically with the elven prince, Elrond turned to his youngest son with a gentle smile. He was pleased to see that there were no real injuries present on his body, and he appeared to be fine.
The fear that something bad would have happened to his youngest had been eating at the half-elven lord's heart from the moment that he agreed to let Estel go, and he was glad the human had made it back here safely.
He embraced his son, and was pleased when Aragorn fell into the embrace, and wrapped his arms around his back.
"Welcome back my son."
"I am glad to be back Ada." Estel whispered, and pulled away slowly, trying to hide a small wince. It didn't work, and Elrond spotted it immediately. Although Estel looked physically fine, his clothes did not. Assorted scratches had been torn into the material and mud was stained over what little material was left. As he looked over to Legolas, he saw that Legolas' clothes were in much of the same condition, although Legolas did not have a bandage on his arm.
"Estel, Legolas." Legolas looked up when Elrond spoke his name and walked over to where father and son stood. "I am sure you have had a long journey, and I will have a room prepared for you Legolas."
"Ada," Estel laid his good hand on Elrond's arm. "Could Legolas have the room next to mine please?"
Elrond nodded and stopped Estel as he went to usher Legolas into the house. "Estel..."
Estel turned around, a slightly confused expression on his face. "Yes ada?"
"Will you please go to your room and wait there for me. I would like to take a look at that wound on your arm."
Estel grimaced, and looked down at the bandage. In all truth he had forgotten that it was there, and had only been reminded of it when he had hugged his elven father. Raising his head, the human started to protest but his argument was silence by a look from Lord Elrond, one that the human had seen many times before.
The standoff was stopped by light laughter, and both turned to see Legolas laughing softly.
"I fail to see what is funny about his Legolas. I am outnumbered here." Aragorn gestured to the twins who also looked as though they were going to force him to go inside and have their ada take a look at his arm. Legolas chuckled one last time, and raised mirth-filled eyes to look at his friend.
"It's just that..." another chuckle spilled past the elven prince's lips, and he had to stop and wait for the compulsion to pass. "The look on Lord Elrond's face reminded me greatly of Hénduil."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that look on his face." Aragorn grimaced, as he remembered just how much that healer had reminded the human of Lord Elrond.
Legolas was prevented by saying any more as the twins rounded on him, each one asking who this Hénduil was. Elrond was watching from the side with a bemused expression, and waited to hear what would be said.
"Hénduil is the palace healer." Legolas' eyes widened as the twins turned on Aragorn who suddenly looked very panicked.
"You didn't tell us that you were sick..."
"When did you get sick?"
"Are you alright?"
"What trouble did you get into this time?"
Aragorn rolled his eyes and glared at Legolas who had dissolved into another fit of laughter. The elven prince had not expected the twins to be so protective of Aragorn, and the look of brief panic on Aragorn's face had been priceless. Laughter still shook his frame as Aragorn tried to make a break for the house, his brothers fast on his heels. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eyes, Legolas turned to see Elrond watching the retreating brothers with a smile.
"Ah, the joys of youth." Elrond shook his head, and glanced at the elven prince. "Dinner shall be served up as soon as I have seen to Estel. Will you be joining us?"
"I would be honoured to my lord." Legolas said as he followed the elven lord into the house.
The sun rose and set, and with each day brought a new storm. It was rare that an hour passed with no sight of rain. The storms were more frequent now, and news had reached Imladris of increased flooding in the lower lands. Scouts had also reported that there were signs of flooding along some of the banks of the Bruinen, but this news did not worry Estel or the elves he called his family.
Legolas wondered briefly when he heard the news, why the elven lord and his sons did not show more concern, for if the Bruinen burst its banks then Rivendell stood the chance of being washed away, especially with all the rain they had been having lately.
Legolas was brought out of his thoughts by the appearance of some of the group that had gone on a hunting trip that morning. Rather than head down to the main hall as they had been doing each morning before, Estel had surprised the elven prince by bringing breakfast to him that morning. Estel had immediately lead the prince to one of the more secluded gardens. Elladan and Elrohir had been behind him, and Lord Elrond showed up later. So it was decided to have their breakfast outside that morning. Legolas did not mind, and just before the elves had gingerly walked in through the leafy entrance, he had been listening to another one of the mishaps Estel had gotten into as a child.
"Forgive me my lords for disturbing your breakfast, but we found this in the woods."
Estel rose from his seat with a frown as two elves from behind the bushes walked out, and carried in their arms was a rather pale looking human man. Estel feared the man would collapse, but although he swayed slightly on his feet, he remained upright.
"We were hesitant about bringing him here my lord, but he spoke of an illness spreading through his village, and asked to be brought to the 'great elven healer'." the elf standing to the pale man's left spoke softly. "His strength left him soon after and we had no choice but to bring him here. He regained much of it as we carried him to the palace, but he still does not look well."
Elrond rose from his seat with a grim face, and walked slowly towards the pale man. "Tell me, what is your name human?"
"Ginyc, m-my lord."
"What gave you such haste as to walk into these woods as ill as you are?"
"M- my lord, the others they are- help us please." Estel stepped closer as the man swayed dangerously and sweat beaded along his forehead. "Ettenmóras, help-" his legs gave from under him, and Estel wrapped strong arms around the man's waist and pulled him upright again. The man's feverish brow lay against Estel's shoulder, and he glanced at Elrond as the elf lifted up the man's head.
With a small motion of his hand, the elven lord turned to walk out of the garden, and Estel gathered the man into his arms before following. Elladan turned to the scouts and told them to let them handle this, before following his brother and father. Legolas and Elrohir were walking behind, and followed the group into the house, and then into one of the healing rooms.
Elrond bade Estel lay the man on the bed, and as soon as the human was out of Estel's grip, the elven lord asked them to leave. Although they wanted to stay, they knew that it would be best if they left Lord Elrond alone to see to this man.
As the elven lord got to work, feverish eyes, glazed and dim, gazed at the elf through lowered eyelids, and Elrond hushed the human as the tried to speak.
"Quiet now, you are ill and you need to regain your strength." Elrond sighed as the man tried again to speak and moved quietly into the store room. He returned moments later with a cup in hand, and helped the human to sit up. With a trusting smile, the elven lord held out the cup and hoped that the man would take it. Thankfully, the man didn't not put up any resistance, and started to slowly drink the liquid.
Not long after the first drop has passed his lips did the man's eyelids start to droop and Elrond had to catch the mug as it started to fall from limp fingers. The elven lord gently laid the sleeping man back down onto the bed and placed the mug onto the stand by the side of the bed. The flushed, heating skin gave Elrond cause for concern and he hoped that the herbs he had put into the tea would be enough to cool the fever that raged through the man's body.
TBC…
