Thanks! I love those reviews.

P/s ; Is it only on my part or is the site keep having overload problems of some sort?

Elladan snapped to attention then. "Get down! Take cover! Now!"

They all dismounted. But Keldarion was a lot slower with Legolas in his arms. Even before he could jump to the ground, one of the beasts was already there, attacking the brothers with its claws. The next thing he knew, Keldarion was flying through the air after the claws had viciously struck his back, dragging Legolas with him. At the last second, Keldarion twisted so that he took the full brunt of the fall, with Legolas landing on top of him. Keldarion lay there on the ground, stunned.

Then Keldarion saw the beast coming back for them, shrieking loudly. He gathered Legolas under him, shielding his brother protectively from the beast's ferocious strikes. The slash wounds on his back was already bleeding heavily and the pain was excruciating, but still the elder prince held on.

"Kel!" Elladan and his brothers had drawn their bows and arrows. They started to shoot in rapid succession. The beasts would not go away, though. They kept hovering above the five companions, trying to get through the speeding arrows. For some reason, their attention seemed to be focused on Aragorn. The Rivendell twins crouched low over their younger brother, shielding him as they moved closer to the Mirkwood princes, shooting all the while.

"Kel?"

Keldarion had already sat up, hugging his brother to him. "Get inside the bog," he said stoically. "Hurry!!" With Aragorn helping him with the still unconscious Legolas, Keldarion led his friends as they climbed down into a nearby bog. The water was deep and cold, but the overhanging embankment made a good protection against the beasts' charging claws. They all huddled together underneath the overhanging clump of earth, submerged to their shoulders, and watched in horror as the beast attacked and massacred the horses. Hawkeye had mysteriously vanished from the scene.

"Wha…what's g…going…on?" Legolas woke up suddenly. He looked around him in confusion. Keldarion tightened his hold on his brother. "Be still, Legolas. Everything will be fine."

"Wh...why…are we in…th…the water? It's...c...c…cold…" Legolas whimpered, closing his eyes. Keldarion exchanged worried glances with Elladan. "He's in bad shape, Elladan. If the beasts do not move on soon…"

"Aye. Now we're stuck here," Elladan sighed and stared at Legolas's face that was incredibly pale it looked almost blue. "Hopefully, they will all go away."

The five companions waited…and waited…and waited. It was now closed to midnight, but the beasts still hovered above them, waiting for the small troop to come out of their hiding place.

**************

"Kel, please…t…tell…fa…father…I'm s…ss…sorry…" Legolas suddenly said. He had slipped in and out of consciousness for many hours now. The others were feeling the cold too, especially Aragorn. Elrohir and Elladan had wrapped their arms around their little human brother to give him any remaining warmth they had.

"Shhh…don't talk. Save your strength," Keldarion tried to sooth his brother. The wound on his back was burning with terrible agony but he ignored it. "And we are going to ask for his forgiveness together. I can't face him all by myself. You dragged me into this, remember?"

Legolas grinned weakly. "Ch…chicken, aren't you?"

Keldarion grinned back. "Insulting me now? Are you looking for a fight at a time like this?" But Legolas did not respond for he had passed out again. Keldarion turned to the Rivendell brothers beside him. Aragorn's teeth were chattering uncontrollably. The cold water had affected the human the most. "Can you still hold on, Estel?"

The young man shook his head. "I c…can tr…try. But…p…please tell th…that s…sss…snake to go…away!" He pointed to a snake that kept swimming across the water, to and fro, right in front of them.

Elrohir took out his blade and threw it at the snake with deadly precision. The blade and its victim sped off and stuck onto the other side of the embankment. The snake writhed and coiled for several moments before it lay still.

"Th…thank you," Aragorn said. "I hate s...sss…snakes!"

The long wait was driving them all over the edge. As hypothermia set in, Aragorn started to hallucinate, mumbling incoherent words now and then. Legolas was so still and silent; no longer shivering, which was a very bad sign. The elder elves were going crazy with worry over their young charges' bad condition.

"Why are they still here? What do they want?" Elrohir grumbled, staring at the beasts that still flew around above them. He pulled Aragorn closer to him when the young human muttered something about seeing a deer that could fly.

"I believe they want Estel. Remember how they kept coming after him? It was just Legolas's bad luck to be stuck in the middle earlier," Elladan replied as he brushed a lock of damp hair away from Aragorn's eyes.

"The dark force of Sauron must be rising rapidly. They must've sensed Estel and want to finish him off," Keldarion said, gritting his teeth as he fought himself from fading into oblivion.

"B…but I…haven't d…done anything!" Aragorn suddenly jumped in.

"Exactly. They want to stop you from doing anything," Keldarion added. "You are the great hope for Middle Earth. You are destined to defeat the dark force when it rise again."

"D…dark? You…you're right…it's d…dark in…h…here…"

The three elves exchanged worried glances. "We can't stay here any longer!" Elrohir voiced out in pure desperation. "This is killing him! And Legolas's time is fading away. Valar! We must do something!"

At that very moment, they heard a familiar squawk…and something else…

"Look!" Elladan pointed. "It's Hawkeye! And he has brought Gwaihir with him!"

They looked up in total amazement as Hawkeye and Gwaihir, the giant eagle, flew in from the south, heading directly towards the Ringwraith's beasts. They were followed by seven more giant eagles; Gwaihir's kin, no doubt.

The sight of the giant eagles clashing against the beasts was terrifying. The sound was deafening as the eagles squawked angrily and the beasts shrieked in alarm. Hawkeye also joined in the melee, attacking the beasts with his powerful beak and claws. Gwaihir and his friends were a lot stronger, and they had the advantage of surprise on their side.

The vicious battle lasted only for a few minutes. The beasts were chased away by the giant eagles from the scene; seriously wounded and defeated. Hawkeye circled the air for a complete three rounds, making sure it was safe for the elves to come out, before he landed on the ridge. Struggling with the limp forms of Legolas and Aragorn, the elder elves finally came out of the water and scrambled over the bank. "Hawkeye! How glad we are to see you!"

Not long after, Gwaihir and his friends returned. They also landed around the miserable troop. "Somehow, I'm not surprise to find sons of Elrond and Thranduil stranded here," Gwaihir said, a note of amusement in his voice. "You are known throughout Middle Earth for stirring troubles wherever you go!"

"And such a great trouble we are in now, Gwaihir," Keldarion replied, cradling his brother in his arms. "Legolas is dying from a snake bite, while Estel is freezing to death. I think we are in need of your further help."

Gwaihir turned serious and nodded solemnly as he saw the grim condition of the troop's youngest members. "Climb on, my friends. We'll take you home," the great eagle called out. "Mirkwood or Rivendell?"

"Rivendell is closer. Furthermore, our father might know what to do about Legolas. He's fading fast!" Elladan suggested. His arms were around Aragorn who could barely stand upright.

Keldarion was hoisting Legolas onto Gwaihir's back when he stumbled. Elrohir grabbed his arm, steadying him as the prince wobbled on his feet. "Kel? It's the wound on your back, isn't it? It's affecting you."

"I'll be fine," the prince said weakly, leaning briefly against Elrohir for support.

"I'll ride with Legolas and hold him steady."

"No. I…I can manage," Keldarion replied stubbornly. He would not let anyone overtake the task of caring after his brother even though he was badly injured himself. The twins exchanged glances and sighed. They understood that Keldarion was very protective over Legolas. Heck! Even they were very protective over Aragorn themselves!

And so, shortly after, they departed for Rivendell. Keldarion and Legolas rode on Gwaihir's back; while Elladan and Elrohir was riding with Aragorn on another eagle named Lasthir. The other eagles flew on each side as their guards, and Hawkeye flew ahead of the procession.

All the while, Legolas's condition grew worse and worse…

TBC…