What can I say? I'm sorry it took so long. And it's not even all that long
but I can't write more for awhile so enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Stone of Malinya
"Algoral!" Legolas cried as he jumped from his horse. As the Men were alerted to this new danger the air suddenly became filled with arrows, coming from all directions. Weapons were drawn but their assailants never came out of hiding. The Men were forced to find cover and wait for their opponents to show themselves.
Legolas knelt beside his friend, grimacing. The wound was bad, fatal to be sure. Algoral locked eyes with the Elf, and he could see nothing but pain and shock. Then the sparkle in his Elven eyes died and his eyelids closed, never to be opened again in life. Legolas felt the grief deeply as he would with the death of any Elf, but the fact that he had known this one made it all that much harder. He would have to come to terms with his sorrow but this was not that time. He gently lowered Algoral back to the ground and then unslung his bow.
The arrows continued to rain down on them even as the Men ran for cover. Aragorn noticed a good number of arrows coming from one tree and strung his bow and ordered his men to do the same. They all fired at the tree and a cry could be heard. One archer was taken care of, but who knew how many others there may be?
Legolas allowed his fine tuned senses to take over and watched the paths of the arrows intently. He swiftly notched his bow and fired into the forest, the sound of someone crying out in pain told him he had hit his target. He then made his way to Aragorn and his archers.
"There are three in that tree and two more in that one." Legolas said, "There are two more over there, but I will take care of them. Aim for the tops of the trees."
"You heard him." Aragorn had complete faith in the Elf's senses and ordered his Men to fire as instructed. They struck at least three of the five archers pointed out to them, and looking back it was clear Legolas was attempting to hit his second.
Gimli crouched behind a rock impatiently. He hated these kinds of battle and wished for some fine hand to hand combat. Just then his wish was granted. Sensing that their archers could not finish the job, two dozen or more Men emerged from the woods, all with weapons in hand. They leapt out of nowhere, attacking everything and everyone. There was no real style to their fighting but they were strong and vicious in their attack. Gimli and the rest of the Men engaged them swiftly, while Legolas tried to focus and find the last archer hiding in the trees, for he could prove to be the most fatal of all their new enemies in the end.
Aragorn's sword clashed against that of his opponent's, these Men were strong and well armed but showed little skill and Aragorn had already defeated several of them with practiced ease. It was only in the size of their numbers that may have allowed the attackers to win the fight. Aragorn parried and thrusted and with a few quick strikes disarmed the Man, he then slammed him in the side of the head with the hilt of his sword. He didn't wish to kill anyone unnecessarily, just in case there was the smallest chance that this was all a misunderstanding of some kind, but that appeared doubtful. Aragorn was then forced to fight off two opponents at once, but was up to the challenge.
Ax swinging masterfully, Gimli was finding little pleasure in the fight. He aimed to injure, not kill, much like Aragorn. Against Orcs he would not have hesitated to make the fatal blows necessary, but with Men it was another matter. Though when one of the swords came close enough to nick Gimli's beard the Dwarf was forced to make a fatal blow.
Legolas watched as the archer he had been targetting fell from his perch onto the ground, and then lay unmoving. He didn't have time to check on him, their assailants were everywhere and he had to help his friends. Stringing his bow once more he took aim for a Man approaching Aragorn from behind, he briefly considered aiming to injure only but then caught sight of Algoral laying still and motionless on the ground. Legolas shot the Man through the chest, at no fault of his own. Shortly after that the Elf abandoned his bow and unsheathed his daggers, suddenly feeling the urge for hand to hand combat.
Sorinth was holding his own in the life or death battle but he was mentally berating himself for allowing the company to step into a trap, especially one he knew may be coming. There would be quite an uproar later on when he had to explain who these Men were but he accepted that those were the consequences he deserved. He was currently fighting off two Men at once, in a few moments he would be able to overtake them but he was so caught up in the sword fight he did not see one of the enemy's archers take aim at him from behind. He was able to knock one of the Men unconscious and just as he was forced to kill the other the archer released his arrow at Sorinth's back.
At that same moment Sorinth saw a flash of green and gold rush at him and push him to the ground. Just as both bodies landed with a thud the arrow flew past, striking a tree behind them. Sorinth was startled that he hadn't noticed the shooter and turned to his rescuer in thanks. Before the words could come out though Legolas grabbed him by the shoulder while scrambling to his feet, the archer was loading a second arrow and he knew they wouldn't be able to deflect it from their current position. They both regained their footing and once more moved just as the shaft flew by but the archer had been smart enough to foresee their moving slightly out of reach and this time the arrowhead grazed Legolas's thigh. He stumbled slightly and reached for his daggers, before the other archer could reload again he had thrown his knife directly into the Man's hand, causing him to scream in pain and drop his bow. The Man then began to flee the scene as many of his companions were.
Looking about it was clear that their attackers were in full retreat, the dead were left behind but they picked up those that were unconscious and scurried back into the woods with them, just as quickly as they had appeared. Everyone was tired and shocked, it had been so pointless. The forest floor was a mess of bodies and blood. The entire incident seemed as though a dream, it had happened so fast it lasted only three or four minutes, but the damage had been done.
Though there were many dead only two were from the company that had been attacked. One of Aragorn's guards had died from a slit throat, the other casualty was Algoral who had not stood a chance against the unseen arrow.
"Thank-you," Sorinth said to Legolas quite respectfully, "You saved my life."
Legolas nodded almost imperceptibly in reply, then turned away from the Man and slowly limped towards the body of his friend. Kneeling, he passed a hand over Algoral's eyes, closing the lids for the last time. He quietly wrote the traditional Elvish runes in the air above the body and then, not caring if anyone overheard, said several Elvish prayers*. He solemnly wished there was someway he could return the body to his people in Lorien but he knew it would be a near impossible task. There were too many questions that would be asked, and too many obstacles in his way and that broke his heart.
Aragorn and Gimli both stood a few steps behind Legolas, watching him silently. Death was a horrible thing, but it was even worse when the death was pointless and unprovoked. Both were greatly saddened by the loss of Algoral but they were also concerned about Legolas, knowing how seriously Elves took death. Aragorn looked back to the rest of the Men trying to recover from the battle. A quick glance from Gimli ensured him that the Dwarf would watch over their Elf friend while he took care of several things. He walked over to Sorinth, seeing that the Man was unharmed and even appeared to be waiting for him.
"Algoral is dead, as is one of my Men and I want answers. Who were those Men? What did they want? They made no demands, and made no attempt to steal from us so I do not believe they were thieves." Aragorn said, he kept his voice level but intense, he had been caught offguard with this attack and wished to know the meaning of it.
"They were Men of Brelan, outlaws actually. There is a small faction of Men within our land that greatly abhors the way we run our own country. They find our legal system unjust, and wish for changes within it, and they believe the poorer people of the land are kept starved while the rich get fatter. I admit our kingdom may not be perfect but some of this group's claims are outrageous. We have tried to stop them but they are elusive and now live outside the cities." Sorinth explained, his eyes somewhat downcast for not telling the lord this before.
"Did you not think it wise to tell us that your land was at war?" Aragorn asked, his anger rising.
"We do not consider it war, they are mostly an annoyance. There have been several small demonstrations, on some occasions a few robberies, but they've never done anything this drastic before. I can hardly understand their actions myself." Sorinth replied, honestly confused about the entire situation. "I can think of no reason for them attacking us other than that we represent the government of Brelan."
"Much may have happened in the time you've been away from your home, perhaps the situation has escalated. But there is little to be done now. We should make camp for the night, it is growing late and we could all use time to recover before we reach Miscalanth. We'll ride early in the morn." Aragorn decided, his anger dying down as he read the truth in Sorinth's words and expression.
Sorinth nodded his approval of the suggestion, "We should be sure to ..."
He was interrupted by a shout from Gimli, "Aragorn! Come, quickly!"
Aragorn turned immediately at the urgent tone in Gimli's voice and was shocked beyond words to see the Dwarf kneeling next to Legolas, who lay on the ground unmoving. He and Sorinth joined Gimli in a few short strides. Upon closer inspection it was obvious the Elf was unconscious, his normally pale skin held a reddish tint, beads of sweat glistened on his brow, and his breathing was shallow. Aragorn knelt down across from Gimli and placed a hand on Legolas's forehead, too hot.
"What happened?" Aragorn asked urgently.
"Strike me down if I know. He was fine for all I could tell then he stood up, took a few paces and collapsed. Do you think he'll be all right?" Gimli asked, showing his obvious concern.
"I don't know," Aragorn admitted grimly, "I have to find out what's wrong with him first. Was he injured in the battle?"
"Not that I saw." Gimli said.
"He fought alongside me momentarily. I didn't see him gravely injured but he was grazed by an arrow, though the wound was hardly fatal." Sorinth added, nearly dismissing the idea.
Aragorn had noticed the Elf limping but had been too preoccupied to give it proper thought. He quickly found the wound, it was bleeding but could be patched up easily enough. It hardly seemed as though that could be the source of Legolas's collapse. Then a horrible thought struck him.
"Where did the arrow land that he was shot with?" Aragorn asked, quite serious.
Sorinth looked behind him and pointed to a tree at the edge of the clearing, "There."
Aragorn rose to his feet and raced to the tree, leaving Gimli and Sorinth to watch over Legolas. There was only one arrow in the trunk of the tree which Aragorn quickly and effortlessly pulled out. He looked over the tip, sniffed it, and grimaced. Risorine came up behind him unseen and asked:
"What is it?"
Aragorn didn't even turn to the Man, he stalked back over to the motionless Elf, and answered Risorine's question with a dread-filled mumble, "Poison."
"Did you find something?" Gimli asked immediately when Aragorn returned.
"This arrowhead was poisoned, but the concoction is unknown to me. Do you know anything about this substance, or how to treat it?" He asked, handing the arrow to Sorinth.
The Man took it and inspected it closely, a sorrowful shadow passing over his eyes, "Yes, I know it well for I'm afraid it is one of the few poisons in our land with no cure. I'm sorry."
"No, I refuse to believe that. Everything has a cure, it is simply a matter of finding it." Aragorn said strongly after a moment of thought, he was about to say more but stopped when a low moan escaped Legolas's lips.
"Aragorn ...." Legolas asked in confusion as he awoke, though he was still in a state of mind where dreams and reality meld together.
"It's all right my friend, just rest. You were hurt in the battle." Aragorn said, once more checking the Elf's temperature.
Legolas nodded, his eyes still hazy, "Algoral?"
The group shared a conflicted gaze on whether to confirm or deny his blurred memory of events surrounding his death, but it was unnecessary as Legolas slipped back into a state of unconsciousness.
Aragorn sighed not knowing what to do next. Gimli looked up and saw that they had drawn quite a crowd, that was the last thing they needed. The Dwarf knew Aragorn would want space and privacy to figure out how to save Legolas so quickly decided to disperse the crowd.
"All of you break for camp. Gets the tents set up and build a fire. And by the Havens some of you stand watch. Go on, you've all got work to do." Gimli said, shooing them all away. They quickly fled to their seperate tasks. Gimli turned to see Sorinth and Aragorn moving Legolas to the shade of a tree, and followed after them.
"There must be some kind of treatment for this poison. Anything." Aragorn was desperate to find a cure for Legolas, he refused to lose his friend to a stray arrow.
"Nay, there is a vaccine that keeps death away and allows only for a deep sickness to set in, but it must be taken before the poison is taken. It would do no good now." Sorinth said sadly.
Aragorn was a bit more optimistic though, "I want you to make it for me. I don't care if you think it will have no effect, you will make it, and quickly. Judging by how quickly he collapsed I'm guessing he does not have much time."
"The poison usually takes full effect within a day, perhaps only a bit more if you are fortunate." Sorinth said, as he moved away to go make the vaccine that he knew would not help. But he would do whatever the lord wished of him if it would make Aragorn feel like he was doing something to help. This left Gimli and Aragorn alone to look after the Elf for the time being.
"Why did you have him make the vaccine? He said it would have no effect." Gimli said to Aragorn.
"No effect on a Man, it's never been tested on an Elf. There is the smallest chance that this poison may not even be fatal to Legolas, I know of several poisons that mean sure death to Men and not Elves." Aragorn replied, knowing that he was relying heavily on hope and faith now.
"But there are also many poisons that are fatal to both." Gimli felt obliged to point out.
"I am aware of that as well." Aragorn said, more to himself than the Dwarf, "Stay with him. I need to go fetch some supplies."
Gimli nodded and watched the Man walk away, his movements stiff and tense. Legolas moaned again, the Dwarf quickly noted that he was still asleep but his dreams appeared restless.
"Be strong my friend," Gimli said quietly, "You are not one to be so easily felled and I was rather looking forward to having you by my side when we recovered the Stone of Malinya."
Legolas groaned and shifted, his cheeks were an even brighter red than before, causing Gimli to marvel at the speed of which the poison had set in. He silently urged Aragorn to hurry and wished for him only to find a cure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later things had calmed down greatly and the camp was much more organized. Aragorn and Gimli continued to keep watch over Legolas in the privacy of the King's tent. They allowed few to enter for Legolas had shouted out Elvish sentences several times in his restless sleep, and it would not be an easy thing to explain. For now the Elf was covered in blankets for he had begun shivering and Aragorn was brushing a cold cloth over his forehead. His temperature had risen as well and his golden hair was matted down due to the horribly cold sweat.
Excusing himself, Gimli left the tent to watch for Sorinth. The Man still had not returned with the ingredients needed for the serum that could save Legolas's life.
He may not even die. The poison could not be fatal to Elves. Gimli remembered optimistically, but judging by his friend's current state it was becoming less likely that the poison killed only humans.
Sorinth hadn't mentioned anything about the vaccine containing any rare herbs yet he had been gone a very long time, and this caused Gimli and Aragorn to both worry greatly. But for now there was little they could do but wait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Elves probably don't believe in any godly beings or anything but it seemed the right thing to do. If anyone knows anything about any sort of Elvish religion let me know.
Thanks to my reviewers.
Meghan - I never did get to go see LotR again. *sadness* but I'm glad you did.
Galen Morlome - I laughed for ten minutes at your review. I hope you escape.
Paris - Yes, I wrote a Legolas fic called "Longing for Adventure", just don't try to read it in one sitting.
Morgaine - hurray, you were right. You da man! *virtual five*
Meshelly - trust me, I know what it's like to be stuck doing background. I feel for you.
Also, I apologize to everyone who liked Algoral. But I did have my reasons, seriously. Later, Diana ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Stone of Malinya
"Algoral!" Legolas cried as he jumped from his horse. As the Men were alerted to this new danger the air suddenly became filled with arrows, coming from all directions. Weapons were drawn but their assailants never came out of hiding. The Men were forced to find cover and wait for their opponents to show themselves.
Legolas knelt beside his friend, grimacing. The wound was bad, fatal to be sure. Algoral locked eyes with the Elf, and he could see nothing but pain and shock. Then the sparkle in his Elven eyes died and his eyelids closed, never to be opened again in life. Legolas felt the grief deeply as he would with the death of any Elf, but the fact that he had known this one made it all that much harder. He would have to come to terms with his sorrow but this was not that time. He gently lowered Algoral back to the ground and then unslung his bow.
The arrows continued to rain down on them even as the Men ran for cover. Aragorn noticed a good number of arrows coming from one tree and strung his bow and ordered his men to do the same. They all fired at the tree and a cry could be heard. One archer was taken care of, but who knew how many others there may be?
Legolas allowed his fine tuned senses to take over and watched the paths of the arrows intently. He swiftly notched his bow and fired into the forest, the sound of someone crying out in pain told him he had hit his target. He then made his way to Aragorn and his archers.
"There are three in that tree and two more in that one." Legolas said, "There are two more over there, but I will take care of them. Aim for the tops of the trees."
"You heard him." Aragorn had complete faith in the Elf's senses and ordered his Men to fire as instructed. They struck at least three of the five archers pointed out to them, and looking back it was clear Legolas was attempting to hit his second.
Gimli crouched behind a rock impatiently. He hated these kinds of battle and wished for some fine hand to hand combat. Just then his wish was granted. Sensing that their archers could not finish the job, two dozen or more Men emerged from the woods, all with weapons in hand. They leapt out of nowhere, attacking everything and everyone. There was no real style to their fighting but they were strong and vicious in their attack. Gimli and the rest of the Men engaged them swiftly, while Legolas tried to focus and find the last archer hiding in the trees, for he could prove to be the most fatal of all their new enemies in the end.
Aragorn's sword clashed against that of his opponent's, these Men were strong and well armed but showed little skill and Aragorn had already defeated several of them with practiced ease. It was only in the size of their numbers that may have allowed the attackers to win the fight. Aragorn parried and thrusted and with a few quick strikes disarmed the Man, he then slammed him in the side of the head with the hilt of his sword. He didn't wish to kill anyone unnecessarily, just in case there was the smallest chance that this was all a misunderstanding of some kind, but that appeared doubtful. Aragorn was then forced to fight off two opponents at once, but was up to the challenge.
Ax swinging masterfully, Gimli was finding little pleasure in the fight. He aimed to injure, not kill, much like Aragorn. Against Orcs he would not have hesitated to make the fatal blows necessary, but with Men it was another matter. Though when one of the swords came close enough to nick Gimli's beard the Dwarf was forced to make a fatal blow.
Legolas watched as the archer he had been targetting fell from his perch onto the ground, and then lay unmoving. He didn't have time to check on him, their assailants were everywhere and he had to help his friends. Stringing his bow once more he took aim for a Man approaching Aragorn from behind, he briefly considered aiming to injure only but then caught sight of Algoral laying still and motionless on the ground. Legolas shot the Man through the chest, at no fault of his own. Shortly after that the Elf abandoned his bow and unsheathed his daggers, suddenly feeling the urge for hand to hand combat.
Sorinth was holding his own in the life or death battle but he was mentally berating himself for allowing the company to step into a trap, especially one he knew may be coming. There would be quite an uproar later on when he had to explain who these Men were but he accepted that those were the consequences he deserved. He was currently fighting off two Men at once, in a few moments he would be able to overtake them but he was so caught up in the sword fight he did not see one of the enemy's archers take aim at him from behind. He was able to knock one of the Men unconscious and just as he was forced to kill the other the archer released his arrow at Sorinth's back.
At that same moment Sorinth saw a flash of green and gold rush at him and push him to the ground. Just as both bodies landed with a thud the arrow flew past, striking a tree behind them. Sorinth was startled that he hadn't noticed the shooter and turned to his rescuer in thanks. Before the words could come out though Legolas grabbed him by the shoulder while scrambling to his feet, the archer was loading a second arrow and he knew they wouldn't be able to deflect it from their current position. They both regained their footing and once more moved just as the shaft flew by but the archer had been smart enough to foresee their moving slightly out of reach and this time the arrowhead grazed Legolas's thigh. He stumbled slightly and reached for his daggers, before the other archer could reload again he had thrown his knife directly into the Man's hand, causing him to scream in pain and drop his bow. The Man then began to flee the scene as many of his companions were.
Looking about it was clear that their attackers were in full retreat, the dead were left behind but they picked up those that were unconscious and scurried back into the woods with them, just as quickly as they had appeared. Everyone was tired and shocked, it had been so pointless. The forest floor was a mess of bodies and blood. The entire incident seemed as though a dream, it had happened so fast it lasted only three or four minutes, but the damage had been done.
Though there were many dead only two were from the company that had been attacked. One of Aragorn's guards had died from a slit throat, the other casualty was Algoral who had not stood a chance against the unseen arrow.
"Thank-you," Sorinth said to Legolas quite respectfully, "You saved my life."
Legolas nodded almost imperceptibly in reply, then turned away from the Man and slowly limped towards the body of his friend. Kneeling, he passed a hand over Algoral's eyes, closing the lids for the last time. He quietly wrote the traditional Elvish runes in the air above the body and then, not caring if anyone overheard, said several Elvish prayers*. He solemnly wished there was someway he could return the body to his people in Lorien but he knew it would be a near impossible task. There were too many questions that would be asked, and too many obstacles in his way and that broke his heart.
Aragorn and Gimli both stood a few steps behind Legolas, watching him silently. Death was a horrible thing, but it was even worse when the death was pointless and unprovoked. Both were greatly saddened by the loss of Algoral but they were also concerned about Legolas, knowing how seriously Elves took death. Aragorn looked back to the rest of the Men trying to recover from the battle. A quick glance from Gimli ensured him that the Dwarf would watch over their Elf friend while he took care of several things. He walked over to Sorinth, seeing that the Man was unharmed and even appeared to be waiting for him.
"Algoral is dead, as is one of my Men and I want answers. Who were those Men? What did they want? They made no demands, and made no attempt to steal from us so I do not believe they were thieves." Aragorn said, he kept his voice level but intense, he had been caught offguard with this attack and wished to know the meaning of it.
"They were Men of Brelan, outlaws actually. There is a small faction of Men within our land that greatly abhors the way we run our own country. They find our legal system unjust, and wish for changes within it, and they believe the poorer people of the land are kept starved while the rich get fatter. I admit our kingdom may not be perfect but some of this group's claims are outrageous. We have tried to stop them but they are elusive and now live outside the cities." Sorinth explained, his eyes somewhat downcast for not telling the lord this before.
"Did you not think it wise to tell us that your land was at war?" Aragorn asked, his anger rising.
"We do not consider it war, they are mostly an annoyance. There have been several small demonstrations, on some occasions a few robberies, but they've never done anything this drastic before. I can hardly understand their actions myself." Sorinth replied, honestly confused about the entire situation. "I can think of no reason for them attacking us other than that we represent the government of Brelan."
"Much may have happened in the time you've been away from your home, perhaps the situation has escalated. But there is little to be done now. We should make camp for the night, it is growing late and we could all use time to recover before we reach Miscalanth. We'll ride early in the morn." Aragorn decided, his anger dying down as he read the truth in Sorinth's words and expression.
Sorinth nodded his approval of the suggestion, "We should be sure to ..."
He was interrupted by a shout from Gimli, "Aragorn! Come, quickly!"
Aragorn turned immediately at the urgent tone in Gimli's voice and was shocked beyond words to see the Dwarf kneeling next to Legolas, who lay on the ground unmoving. He and Sorinth joined Gimli in a few short strides. Upon closer inspection it was obvious the Elf was unconscious, his normally pale skin held a reddish tint, beads of sweat glistened on his brow, and his breathing was shallow. Aragorn knelt down across from Gimli and placed a hand on Legolas's forehead, too hot.
"What happened?" Aragorn asked urgently.
"Strike me down if I know. He was fine for all I could tell then he stood up, took a few paces and collapsed. Do you think he'll be all right?" Gimli asked, showing his obvious concern.
"I don't know," Aragorn admitted grimly, "I have to find out what's wrong with him first. Was he injured in the battle?"
"Not that I saw." Gimli said.
"He fought alongside me momentarily. I didn't see him gravely injured but he was grazed by an arrow, though the wound was hardly fatal." Sorinth added, nearly dismissing the idea.
Aragorn had noticed the Elf limping but had been too preoccupied to give it proper thought. He quickly found the wound, it was bleeding but could be patched up easily enough. It hardly seemed as though that could be the source of Legolas's collapse. Then a horrible thought struck him.
"Where did the arrow land that he was shot with?" Aragorn asked, quite serious.
Sorinth looked behind him and pointed to a tree at the edge of the clearing, "There."
Aragorn rose to his feet and raced to the tree, leaving Gimli and Sorinth to watch over Legolas. There was only one arrow in the trunk of the tree which Aragorn quickly and effortlessly pulled out. He looked over the tip, sniffed it, and grimaced. Risorine came up behind him unseen and asked:
"What is it?"
Aragorn didn't even turn to the Man, he stalked back over to the motionless Elf, and answered Risorine's question with a dread-filled mumble, "Poison."
"Did you find something?" Gimli asked immediately when Aragorn returned.
"This arrowhead was poisoned, but the concoction is unknown to me. Do you know anything about this substance, or how to treat it?" He asked, handing the arrow to Sorinth.
The Man took it and inspected it closely, a sorrowful shadow passing over his eyes, "Yes, I know it well for I'm afraid it is one of the few poisons in our land with no cure. I'm sorry."
"No, I refuse to believe that. Everything has a cure, it is simply a matter of finding it." Aragorn said strongly after a moment of thought, he was about to say more but stopped when a low moan escaped Legolas's lips.
"Aragorn ...." Legolas asked in confusion as he awoke, though he was still in a state of mind where dreams and reality meld together.
"It's all right my friend, just rest. You were hurt in the battle." Aragorn said, once more checking the Elf's temperature.
Legolas nodded, his eyes still hazy, "Algoral?"
The group shared a conflicted gaze on whether to confirm or deny his blurred memory of events surrounding his death, but it was unnecessary as Legolas slipped back into a state of unconsciousness.
Aragorn sighed not knowing what to do next. Gimli looked up and saw that they had drawn quite a crowd, that was the last thing they needed. The Dwarf knew Aragorn would want space and privacy to figure out how to save Legolas so quickly decided to disperse the crowd.
"All of you break for camp. Gets the tents set up and build a fire. And by the Havens some of you stand watch. Go on, you've all got work to do." Gimli said, shooing them all away. They quickly fled to their seperate tasks. Gimli turned to see Sorinth and Aragorn moving Legolas to the shade of a tree, and followed after them.
"There must be some kind of treatment for this poison. Anything." Aragorn was desperate to find a cure for Legolas, he refused to lose his friend to a stray arrow.
"Nay, there is a vaccine that keeps death away and allows only for a deep sickness to set in, but it must be taken before the poison is taken. It would do no good now." Sorinth said sadly.
Aragorn was a bit more optimistic though, "I want you to make it for me. I don't care if you think it will have no effect, you will make it, and quickly. Judging by how quickly he collapsed I'm guessing he does not have much time."
"The poison usually takes full effect within a day, perhaps only a bit more if you are fortunate." Sorinth said, as he moved away to go make the vaccine that he knew would not help. But he would do whatever the lord wished of him if it would make Aragorn feel like he was doing something to help. This left Gimli and Aragorn alone to look after the Elf for the time being.
"Why did you have him make the vaccine? He said it would have no effect." Gimli said to Aragorn.
"No effect on a Man, it's never been tested on an Elf. There is the smallest chance that this poison may not even be fatal to Legolas, I know of several poisons that mean sure death to Men and not Elves." Aragorn replied, knowing that he was relying heavily on hope and faith now.
"But there are also many poisons that are fatal to both." Gimli felt obliged to point out.
"I am aware of that as well." Aragorn said, more to himself than the Dwarf, "Stay with him. I need to go fetch some supplies."
Gimli nodded and watched the Man walk away, his movements stiff and tense. Legolas moaned again, the Dwarf quickly noted that he was still asleep but his dreams appeared restless.
"Be strong my friend," Gimli said quietly, "You are not one to be so easily felled and I was rather looking forward to having you by my side when we recovered the Stone of Malinya."
Legolas groaned and shifted, his cheeks were an even brighter red than before, causing Gimli to marvel at the speed of which the poison had set in. He silently urged Aragorn to hurry and wished for him only to find a cure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later things had calmed down greatly and the camp was much more organized. Aragorn and Gimli continued to keep watch over Legolas in the privacy of the King's tent. They allowed few to enter for Legolas had shouted out Elvish sentences several times in his restless sleep, and it would not be an easy thing to explain. For now the Elf was covered in blankets for he had begun shivering and Aragorn was brushing a cold cloth over his forehead. His temperature had risen as well and his golden hair was matted down due to the horribly cold sweat.
Excusing himself, Gimli left the tent to watch for Sorinth. The Man still had not returned with the ingredients needed for the serum that could save Legolas's life.
He may not even die. The poison could not be fatal to Elves. Gimli remembered optimistically, but judging by his friend's current state it was becoming less likely that the poison killed only humans.
Sorinth hadn't mentioned anything about the vaccine containing any rare herbs yet he had been gone a very long time, and this caused Gimli and Aragorn to both worry greatly. But for now there was little they could do but wait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Elves probably don't believe in any godly beings or anything but it seemed the right thing to do. If anyone knows anything about any sort of Elvish religion let me know.
Thanks to my reviewers.
Meghan - I never did get to go see LotR again. *sadness* but I'm glad you did.
Galen Morlome - I laughed for ten minutes at your review. I hope you escape.
Paris - Yes, I wrote a Legolas fic called "Longing for Adventure", just don't try to read it in one sitting.
Morgaine - hurray, you were right. You da man! *virtual five*
Meshelly - trust me, I know what it's like to be stuck doing background. I feel for you.
Also, I apologize to everyone who liked Algoral. But I did have my reasons, seriously. Later, Diana ^_^