Title: Hunting for spiders is not always easy

Author: marbienl

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR and make no money of this. I write purely for pleasure, so don't sue.

Summary: Aragorn and Legolas are hunting some of the spiders in Mirkwood, when something bad happens to the elf prince.

A/N: You know I'm not a doctor, so don't mind if I get the medical stuff wrong. I really like to torture Estel, but I'd thought, let's give him a break and let Legolas have it for a change, well, for the biggest part… Hope you all enjoy…

~~~

Aragorn and Legolas were in the woods of Mirkwood hunting the spiders that roamed there. The evil creatures had gotten bolder only since a couple of months and they were seen closer and closer to the elven homes. Legolas had hunted the spiders for numerous years and was swift in killing them when he encountered one. Aragorn was not so quick; new to the antics the spiders were capable of, but he managed to kill many as well.

They walked into a small clearing littered with dead branches. Legolas strained his ears, listening for sounds of the spiders. All of a sudden, with a high squeal, one jumped on Aragorn's back, clinging to him and preparing to bite. The man whirled around, trying to shake the creature off, but not succeeding. He turned to Legolas, yelling at the elf: "Get it off! Get it off of me!"

With a swift move, Legolas stabbed the spider in its head with one of his daggers. The spider dropped to the ground – dead.

Aragorn turned around, seeing the smile on Legolas' face. "Not… a… word!" He said to his friend, who was valiantly trying to keep in his laughter. Aragorn looked cross at his friend, not finding the situation humorous.

"I'm sorry, Estel. It's just that…" Legolas stopped talking, a frown appearing on his face. He looked Aragorn in the eyes, turning him in the direction of a tall tree some yards away. "Hurry! Up in the tree!"

And it was none too soon, for a great number of spiders were coming at them with lightening speed, producing a high screeching sound. The friends climbed the tree, Legolas occasionally helping his younger friend who did not have the agility of elves. When they were almost in the top, they readied their bows and started shooting the spiders beneath them who had started to climb the tree.

Aragorn produced a disgusted sound. "How come there are so many? They never hunt in packs this great!"

"They must have discovered that working together works well and thus they have become bolder. I hope the others have any luck in finding the nest. It needs to be destroyed."

They were so busy aiming at the spiders below them, that neither noticed one spider climbing up another tree. When it was high enough, it prepared itself for a long jump…

Aragorn fired his arrow and hit the last of the spiders below them. "And you have been doing this nearly your entire life." The ranger shook his head. "And then to think that my brothers enjoy this pastime. They're crazy."

Legolas looked at his friend, a smile coming to his lips. "What else is new?"

All of a sudden, a blur appeared on the edges of Legolas' vision, but before he could identify it as a spider, it had hit him in the back, knocking the breath out of him and causing him to lose his balance. With an 'umph', the elf fell from the tree, hitting the ground hard.

Aragorn quickly killed the spider with his dagger and looked down in horror. "Legolas!"

~~~

When he hit the ground, Legolas felt a pain in his side and he gasped for breath, trying to regain some air into his lungs. Dazed, he looked up as he heard a high screech. A new spider had entered the clearing, running towards the blonde elf, jumping up in the air to land on the prince. In a heartbeat, the elf drew his dagger and held it up, impaling the spider. The creature landed on him with all its weight, driving away the last of air the elf possessed. Normally, the elf would have shook it off immediately and stood up, but he didn't have the strength to do that. He just lay there, watching the stars in front of his eyes as blackness was closing in on his vision.

Aragorn slowly climbed down the tree, careful that he did not follow his friend in his fall and once more cursing the fact that he was elf in all but body and lifespan. Growing up in Rivendell had been wonderful, but it had caused him to forget what and who he truly was…

He walked to his friend, moving the body of the dead spider from the elf's body. Free of the weight pinning him down, Legolas tried to stand up. Aragorn took his arm and helped him, noticing the dazed look in his friend's eyes, but blaming it on the fall.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "That was a long way down, it's a wonder you still live." He moved behind his friend and looked around, making sure that all the spiders were dead.

Legolas became aware of a burning pain in his side. He blinked his eyes, trying to dispel the darkness waiting to envelope him. He was starting to sweat and to sway on his feet, breathing fast and labored. "I hurt all over." He said.

His left hand went to his right side, feeling something hard covered in something warm and sticky. Legolas moved his hand in front of him, seeing the blood covering it. He fell to his knees. "Estel…" He whispered, looking unbelievingly at the red substance.

The human looked back at his friend and saw him on his knees; a branch was clinging to his back. Frowning at the strange sight, he walked in front of the elf, who was supporting himself with his arms so as not to fall down. Aragorn knelt in front of the prince, brushing some sweaty locks out of his friend's eyes and taking in his condition. He was far too pale and his skin was clammy, his eyes dazed and blinking rapidly as if to clear his vision.

Legolas' left hand went to the human's shoulder, squeezing it hard with the pain he started to feel. Aragorn saw the blood covered hand and his eyes quickly roamed over his friend's body, coming to rest on his right side where a small branch was sticking out. The ranger winced, automatically touching a part of the branch and preparing to pull it out when reason set in. He couldn't pull it out here, Legolas would bleed to death! They needed to get back to the palace.

Aragorn looked Legolas in the eyes. "Do you think you can walk?"

Legolas blinked, but slowly nodded his head.

"Hold on, Legolas. I will get you back to your home…" He carefully helped the elf up, steadying him. It was only a second later when Legolas' legs buckled beneath him and his eyes rolled up in his head – he had lost consciousness.

Aragorn scooped the elf up in his arms, fearful when he saw Legolas' eyes were closed. This was bad. He was careful not to touch the area where the branch was sticking out and set a quick pace back to his friend's home…

~~~

He had been running for what seemed like hours when he heard voices – elven voices. The hunting party! They seemed to be heading in the same direction he was going – back towards the palace. The voices sounded joyful and laughter rang through the forest. They must have found the nest and been able to destroy it.

If he did not feel so worried about his friend, he would have felt relieved that the mission had been successful.

He knew that his presence had been noted by the other elves when their laughter stilled. As a human, his footsteps were much louder than an elf, even if other humans had trouble hearing it.

"Oi Strider!" One elf yelled from a distance. It was Handil, one of the elves that had befriended the human and one that accompanied the two friends often when they went out hunting. "You make so much noise; I'd almost prepared to shoot you because I thought you were an orc!"

Aragorn smiled wryly and kept on running; his tunic had become clammy and he did not like the feel of Legolas' blood soaking through to touch his skin.

All of a sudden, he was startled as a figure dropped in front of him out of seemingly nowhere. He came to an abrupt halt, panting to regain his breath from the long run.

Handil had been making his way home through the trees, jumping from one branch to another. When Strider had not responded to his teasing insult, he became worried and decided to drop in – literally. The elf stood up from his crouch in which he had landed – another insult on his lips. The words never left his mouth as he took in the unconscious form of his prince. Hurriedly, he walked over to the pair and touched Legolas' clammy brow which felt too hot to his liking. His hand moved lower to feel his friend's pulse – it was beating weakly and fast, almost as if his heart was tripping over itself. His eyes strayed to the branch sticking out of his side. Even more worried, he lifted Legolas' eyelids and looked at his eyes – eyes that had a sunken look to them. This in not good.

His gaze turned to Aragorn next. The ranger was still panting heavily and Handil could see his muscles trembling; the strain of carrying his elven friend was becoming too much for him, even though he weighed almost nothing. And are that tears, filling his eyes?

The healer in him rising, he comforted Aragorn, pushing his questions back for a later time. "It's all right, Strider. You can give Legolas to me now; you did a good job…"

"I… must g-get him… to t-the palace, Han-handil." The ranger panted.

"No Estel," Handil said, purposefully using Aragorn's elven name, "lay him on the ground. That branch needs to come out of him right away."

Aragorn shook his head. "No! If you pull it out now, he'll die! That branch is the only thing preventing him from bleeding to death!"

Handil placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "Estel! If it doesn't come out right now, it will be too late! Have you looked at the branch? It's from a poisonous tree! Not all the trees in Mirkwood are friendly – not anymore. Even when the branches fall, there is still the danger of their poison when one touches it. What do you think its effect will be when it has managed to break through the skin? It must come out – NOW!"

The ranger was too taken aback to move for a moment, but soon he shook himself out of his stupor and lay his friend on the ground. He looked Handil in the eyes and whispered, "I did not know…"

Handil, feeling sorry for the scolding he had given the young man, smiled at him, once more squeezing his shoulder. "It's all right, my friend. My words were much harsher than I meant them to be. Forgive me."

Aragorn smiled at the apology, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"All right," said Handil, "I need you to turn him on his good side and keep him like that while I pull the branch free." The older elf grimaced. "This will be painful for him and I fear he will put up quite a struggle. Keep him as still as possible." He removed a pack from his back and started rummaging through it. After several seconds he found what he was looking for – clean bandages and blood clotting herbs. He also pulled out bandages that had been soaked in a mixture of herbs used to fight infection and started unwrapping whatever it held. Aragorn knew that they held Handil's clean knife that he always carried with him in this way when hunting. He could not risk an infection by using a dirty knife and he did not want to risk losing precious time building up a fire to put his knife in. As Handil pulled out the knife, a shudder went through the human when light caught its edges, giving the tool a malicious look.

"Can't we give him something against the pain? I would not see him in pain if it can be helped." Said he.

Handil shook his head. "He's too weak, Estel. The only herbs I have would send him only closer to the Shadow World."

"Then do what you once did for me, send him in a deep healing sleep." Pleaded the ranger, still trying to catch his breath. He frowned; he wasn't that out of shape!

"Strider, look at yourself! You're still panting! Do you have the strength to carry him back to the palace without dropping to the ground – injuring him further? Because you know I will not be able to!"

Aragorn kept silent, acknowledging the truth in Handil's words.

"All right, turn him on his side now and hold him tight. I will need to cut some of his flesh away that has been damaged beyond repair by the poison already. When we're back at the palace I can heal him entirely from the poison, but we need to get there first… "

Aragorn gently turned Legolas on his good side and stroked the blonde's hair, bending low and whispering in his pointed ear. "This is going to hurt, my friend. Please try and be still and it will all be over soon…"

Legolas gave no sign that he had heard so Aragorn laid one hand on his shoulder and the other on his hip, ready to hold his friend still. Looking at Handil, the ranger took a deep breath before nodding.

Handil put on some thick leather gloves so his skin would not come in contact with the poisonous branch and braced himself with one hand against Legolas' shoulder, grabbing hold of the branch with the other one – it being small enough to get a good grip on with only one hand. He gave one last look at his prince before pulling with all his might.

Legolas arched up in pain and a strangled moan was heard, followed by a squishy pop as the branch came loose. Aragorn had a hard time holding his friend down and Handil took off the gloves, ready to start cutting away the dead flesh.

"Shh, Legolas. Only a little more and then it's over. Hush now…"  Estel tried to soothe his friend.

Once Handil had finished cutting the dead flesh, Legolas immediately went limp. Alarmed, Aragorn felt for his pulse and sighed in relief. Still there; rapid and weak, but there.

Handil didn't stop his ministrations as he hurriedly applied the blood clotting herbs to the wound and started winding bandages around Legolas' torso. Once no more blood soaked through, he bound them off and was preparing to scoop his prince up in his arms, when he thought of the branch still lying there. He hurriedly took out a small blanket and wrapped the branch in it, putting it in his pack which he put on his back. It would be dealt with later… He took Legolas in his arms and looked at Aragorn before starting to run to the palace.

"Let's hurry, Strider." He yelled after him.

The man stood up – confused as he felt dizzy from the rise. What's wrong with me? He thought no more of it as he followed his elven friends.

~~~

Handil arrived at the palace an hour after he had started his run. He had not looked back; sure that Strider was following right behind him. He ran inside the palace and towards Legolas' room. He laid him down on the bed, tilting him somewhat so that he lay on his good side and prepared to use his healing abilities when he noticed a presence was missing. Looking up, he frowned as he saw no sign of the human.

"Where is Strider?" Handil wondered, feeling Legolas' pulse to make sure he was stable for now. "I'll be right back, my prince." He told the unconscious form before running out towards Thranduil's chambers.

Once there, he opened the doors without knocking, too concerned about Legolas and Strider to think of protocol.

Luckily, Thranduil was in his chambers, an annoyed look on his face at the disruption which quickly turned into a worried one as he spotted some blood covering Handil's tunic.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but it is important. Have you seen Strider?"

Thranduil really was worried now. "What has happened Handil?"

"I do not know myself. The only thing I know is that Legolas had a poisonous branch sticking from his back –"

Thranduil started to look even more worried and he rose to stand right in front of Handil. "He's in his room and is stable for now my Lord. I intend to heal him in only a matter of minutes, but Strider was with us. You know he would not leave Legolas' side if he's injured. Have you seen him?" Handil started to feel guilt setting in as he realized he should have at least checked once that his human friend was still following them, but at that time he had been much too worried about Legolas.

Thranduil frowned, starting to run towards his son's chambers. He was concerned about Legolas and though he knew that Handil would be able to heal him soon enough, he needed to see him. "No, I have not. The only ones I have seen return are the other elves from the hunting party." He replied on his way there.

"He was right behind us! But… he seemed to be really out of breath when I saw him. Sweet Eru!" The frustration he felt was really seeping into his voice.

They both entered the younger prince's room. The king's heart was torn as he saw his only son lying there on his bed – far too pale and breathing far too shallow. The bandages around his torso alarmed him and he walked over to Legolas, stroking his forehead. "My dear boy, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" He whispered to him. Almost imperceptible, Legolas' head moved into the caress and his features looked less pained.

Sure now that Handil could handle it, Thranduil laid a hand on the healer's shoulder and spoke softly to him. "You heal my son. I will look for our misplaced human, I could use the exercise – I've been inside the palace walls for far too long."

"Thank you, my Lord. You should head to the northwest, that's where we came from." Handil said – relief visible in his eyes as he heard the answer of his king. He didn't know why, but he was starting to feel really worried about Strider's absence…

~~~


Thranduil had left the palace as fast as he could. Handil had been right in his worries – if Estel was not there when Legolas was injured, something was wrong indeed.

After grabbing some healing herbs and bandages and stuffing them in a pack, he hurried to the stables with it and found the horse he was looking for – Talei. The animal was Legolas' horse and seemed to be very fond of the human ranger for some reason. When he had asked Legolas about it, the blonde elf had just smiled at him, a knowing look on his face. 'That's his secret, Adar.' He had said, though Thranduil suspected that Legolas knew what this secret was.

He walked up to Talei and stroked its soft nose. "Hello Talei, I choose you to help me search for the human you're so fond of."

Seeing the questioning, worried look in the animal's eyes, Thranduil sighed, almost not believing the emotions he saw in Talei's eyes as to actually be there. "Handil said he was following him and Legolas, but he's not here and since Legolas is injured… Well, you get my point, don't you?" Thranduil felt as if he was crazy; explaining things to a horse (though Talei did seem to be a smart horse).

Talei whinnied and nudged the elven king's hand impatiently, urging him to get on his back so they could go looking. Thranduil jumped up and as soon as he was seated, Talei sped off, needing no encouragement now that it concerned his favourite human…

~~~

Both the horse and the rider spotted the one they looked for after what seemed like hours of searching but had in fact been much shorter. Talei hurried to the human's side as soon as he laid eyes on the unmoving form lying face forward on the ground. Thranduil jumped from his back as soon as he stood still and knelt next to the ranger, turning him so that he lay on his back. He could feel small trembles going through the young man and he could feel that the ranger's body temperature was raised.

"Estel?" He questioned; not really expecting an answer. "So, young one, you have managed to get yourself into trouble once more…" He muttered under his breath. He startled as he felt a rough nudge in his back and looked in Talei's accusing eyes. He sighed, that animal was really protective of the ranger!

Looking Aragorn over, he could not determine why the ranger was unconscious. He wasn't injured, so what then? Could this be one of those human illnesses? He wondered.

He had no idea what was wrong, perhaps Handil would know. He had dealt with the ranger several times before…

Making sure, on last time, that there were no hidden injuries or broken bones, Thranduil lifted Aragorn into his arms; his concern growing as he noticed for the first time how shallow the human's breathing was. He carefully jumped back onto Talei, who waited until he was sure his elven rider was settled with his precious charge before setting off at a fast pace – back to the palace.

~~~

Once they were back, Thranduil hurriedly thanked Talei and told one of the elves present to take care of the animal. He hurried towards Legolas' chambers; sure that was where he would find Handil.

When he opened the doors, he spotted Legolas lying in his bed, warmly covered, looking less pale and with no more lines of pain on his face.

Resting in a chair, with his arms folded on the bed and his head resting on them, lay Handil. Thranduil walked up to the bed and laid Aragorn next to Legolas. He spoke softly to Handil, hoping not to wake his son. "Handil?"

When the elf groaned softly, the king shook his shoulders a little. "Handil!" He whispered more fiercely. "Wake up!"

Handil did not wake, but blue eyes focussed on whom they recognized as 'Adar' and lips formed a small smile. "Ada…" Whispered Legolas, still tired from his ordeal.

Upon hearing the voice of his son, Thranduil looked at Legolas and smiled softly, glad to see that he would be all right.

The youngest elf's eyes roamed the room to land on the figure next to him on the bed, a frown appearing on his face as he saw that Estel was unconscious.

"I think it is one of those human illnesses that has befallen the ranger." He said. "Handil would know, wouldn't he? He has dealt with Estel before."

Thranduil shook the healer once more until finally, Handil's eyes opened. The healer looked grumpy and if looks could kill, Mirkwood would have no king anymore. His healing abilities tired him out and he was thankful that he did not have to spend too much energy into healing his prince, but still, he wouldn't mind sleeping for at least a day. Upon seeing the king clearly however, he jerked upright and looked at his lord. His eyes quickly scanned the room until they landed on the young human.

"Talei and I found him, but I cannot determine what's wrong with him. He is not injured, but he will not wake up. He has a fever and his breathing is much too shallow, is this one human illness that he's experiencing?" The king asked his healer.

"I do not think so, Adar." Replied Legolas instead. "I know from Lord Elrond that human illnesses do not appear out of nowhere – there are warning signs and Strider showed none; he was as healthy as he could be."

Handil studied the ranger; feeling his pulse and looking at his pupils. How could I have been so stupid! He scolded himself. 

The other elves noticed the guilty look that appeared on the healers face.

"What is it?" They both asked simultaneously.

"I have been so stupid! Legolas, do you remember if Strider touched the branch that impaled you?"

Legolas thought, he could vaguely remember what happened, but he did remember feeling it as Estel unconsciously touched the branch. "He did – I guess his first instinct was to pull it out before he thought better of it." Understanding dawned on all three faces – Estel had touched the poisonous branch.

And Strider would not have remembered it when he was so worried about Legolas. "Now that we know the problem, it can be solved."

And once more, Handil used his healing abilities to purge Aragorn's system of the poison. Once he was finished, he collapsed, his upper body landing on Legolas' bed.

Thranduil smiled as he took in the three youngsters before him. Two in a very deep sleep to be soon followed by his son. "You just rest now, Legolas." He said as he prepared to move the healer to his own room.

"Adar?" A soft voice whispered; already, Legolas was half way into a deep sleep.

"Yes, Legolas?"

"Can Estel stay here? In my room? I just… I –" Legolas fell asleep before he could finish his sentence.

Thranduil smiled as he once more scooped someone into his arms – this time his young healer. "That's all right, Legolas. Your friend can stay with you…"

After laying Handil into his own bed, he once more went to his son's chambers and looked in on the sleeping couple. Legolas' wounds and ills were healed, as were the human's. He was sure he would be told what had happened and sighed. At least there is no need to inform Elrond of any of this. He thought, relieved. If Legolas, Handil and Talei already felt protective of the young human, Elrond was a thousand times worse… Yes, he does not need to know.

Thranduil closed the door and walked back to his own chambers, deciding that what the three youngsters were doing right now didn't seem all that bad to him.

Once he was in his own bed, just before he fell asleep, one question spooked through his head 'How long will this peace last?'

~~~

THE END