Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any of the characters. No profit is made from these stories, they are merely for the enjoyment of myself and anyone who cares to read them.



A Walk Out Of Reach





Chapter Seven

Aragorn looked at the elf. The voices reminding them both of the precariousness of their position, "We must not linger here any longer. Can you move?"

The elf nodded his head, "I must" He hesitated before speaking again, "Though I may require some assistance." He spoke nothing of the heaviness in his limbs or chills running through his body from time to time.

Aragorn nodded, "I shall be glad to give you aid my friend. Let me check your wound once more before we begin."

Legolas sighed but allowed the ranger to inspect the wound. When he was finished he looked up at the elf, a satisfied look upon his face, "We must move carefully for you can ill-afford to lose more blood should the wound reopen." Legolas just nodded not wanting get into a debate with Aragorn over the healing abilities of elves.

"What is wrong?" Legolas was puzzled. The man continued to stare at him.

Aragorn opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He closed his mouth and swallowed. What he had to say the warrior would not like. Legolas was sometimes too stubborn for his own good. He tried to speak again, this time being successful, "I shall carry your bow for you my friend."

Words of refusal immediately sprang to Legolas lips but he was quickly silenced by a hand over his mouth. "Legolas, listen to me. Whether you want to admit it or not the wound is serious. The poison is keeping it from healing properly and even a little pressure may start the bleeding anew. Drawing your bow will do that. I do not wish for this to happen." Slowly he removed his hand from Legolas mouth until he was sure no words of refusal would be uttered. Legolas eyed him warily making him nervous. He spoke quickly, "You will not be without defense for I shall give you your blades. They will not put pressure on the wound as the bow would." He stopped and waited for the words of refusal he was sure would come.

"Very well Aragorn. I will do as you wish." The ranger looked at the elf in surprise. He had been prepared to argue further and this concession took him by surprise. His heart skipped a beat. Legolas was giving in to his demands too quickly. He looked closely at his friend yet again.

The only thing keeping Legolas from giving in to the shadows pulling at his mind was the guilt he felt every time he looked at Aragorn. The worry present in the ranger's eyes was for him and he could not bear the thought of what it would do to his friend should he perish. If giving in to his demands would ease some of the burden his friend carried he would not begrudge him this.

The voices below drifted up yet again. They could hear the many voices cursing and calling in their foul language. The search for them had not yet ceased and the orcs grew increasingly angry at their inability to find their prey. Legolas eyed the ground with elven eyes, "There are many orcs about this night Aragorn. I fear their intent will bode ill for Rivendell and Mirkwood for their crossings take them close to our homes. Someone or something is bidding them to travel these paths."

"Aye. I am afraid I agree with you Legolas. They have a foul purpose that we have not yet seen. Perhaps as we move from this place we may yet discover it. Curse these loathsome creatures for tainting the woods with their foul presence." They sat awhile longer peering down into the darkness listening to the voices calling out in the night.

"Come. We can do nothing from here. Let us leave this place for it sounds as if the creatures plan on staying here a while longer." He took Legolas' arm and draped it over his shoulder carefully pulling him upright.

Even with Aragorn's help Legolas had difficulty getting to his feet. He clung to the branches with white knuckles willing the dizziness to pass quickly. Sweat still beaded his brow and his lips were set in a tight line.

It was difficult for the ranger to do but he managed to say nothing while the elf clung to the branches swaying and struggling to get his breathing under control. He watched worriedly but did not move away from the elf. Instead, he clung tighter to his friend lending him his strength.

After a moment, Legolas' vision cleared and he grew steadier on his feet. He looked at the ranger's worried eyes and attempted a small smile, "The weakness has passed."

With a bit of trepidation, the ranger released the elf slowly ready to catch him should he fall. When he showed no signs of doing so Aragorn released him then reached for Legolas' white knives and unsheathed them. He handed them to Legolas hilt first. The elf quickly tucked them securely in his belt then began to move silently through the trees. As he pulled himself along the only evidence of his illness were his movements for they lacked the fluidness and grace usually present. Aragorn managed to stay close by his side without being too obvious for he knew that Legolas would scold his over-protectiveness.

Steadily, they both moved away from their former position in the trees. Legolas eyed Aragorn out of the corner of his eye. He knew what his friend was doing and a small part of him was grateful. The effort he put forth to move through the trees was making his head throb on top of everything else.

As they made their way through the branches they had expected to leave the orcs far behind. This had not happened yet. Occasionally the forest would become eerily quiet. It seemed as if every living thing had fled before the foul feet stomping through the trees. At other times, they could hear the shouts and voices of orcs tramping about below their feet.

They stopped to rest a moment, puzzled that orcs voices continued to drift up to their ears. Aragorn spoke softly "This should not be." He looked at Legolas confusion evident in his eyes. "Why do we continue to pass these creatures? It seems the band hunting us is quite large for they are scattered about a large area of the woods."

Legolas shook his head, "I do not think they are part of the band that hunts us. Many of these orcs I have seen and they do not have the same dress as the ones I fought. Their speech is different too, more..." His brows drew together, "I do not have the word for it, but it sounds more...coarse...rough. Almost as if they are more viscous than the other band of orcs." He shook his head. He was unable to express what he felt when he glimpsed them through the trees. And their voices caused involuntary shivers to course down his spine. He felt like he was missing something...something important.

The throbbing behind his eyes was intensifying and waves of weariness were passing over him causing him to shiver uncontrollably. It was getting harder to resist the darkness pulling at his mind.