CAUTION: A BOX OF TISSUES MAY BE NEEDED!!!!!!
//////////////////
Aragorn's face was deathly white and pinched in pain. Tears trickled from the corners of his eyes to disappear into his dark hair. He was on his side with his hands holding onto the blade that protruded from the lower left side of his chest. Blood was everywhere on the human and pooling under him from countless wounds. Legolas fell to his knees as his deadened fingers dropped his twin blades to clatter on the cold stone. Aragorn's eyelids slowly opened to reveal pain tormented gray eyes that locked with Legolas' stormy blue eyes. He weakly grinned as best he could but Legolas noticed a difference in this grin than the others his friend granted him in the past. The old grins spoke of an exuberant young man that enjoyed in executing pranks on those unwary. It revealed that no matter how hard things became there was always something worse. That grin could always lighten Legolas' moods but this weak grin only served to force the cold dagger of fear deeper into the elf's heart and soul. It was a grin of someone giving up and telling his friends not to worry. Not to worry that death was waiting at the doorstep and it would only take one small footfall to fall into the abyss of death.
"No…no, do not do this Strider!" Legolas cried and scrambled to reach his friend's side.
Elrohir screamed for Elladan before rushing to his little brother's side. He carefully unbuttoned Aragorn's tunic and used his small boot knife to cut around the sword. Gandalf softly soothed the young man and squeezed his shoulder. Elladan fell to his knees as he stared at the sword impaling his brother.
"Elladan…I am…am sorry," Aragorn breathed weakly and tightly gripped the elf's hand.
"Be quiet Estel. Elrohir, get one of the Rangers to search the castle for the healing wing. I will probably need everything they have there. Have someone else go and get Lina, she can not stay in the tree that I put her in all night," Elladan ordered and started to search for Aragorn's other wounds.
Aragorn gasped shallowly when Elladan's hands probed his broken ribs. He didn't want to look at the people that hovered over him. He saw it in their eyes what he felt. The wound was bad, extremely bad. Leaning his head against the cool stone, he slowly blinked as his vision swam in and out of focus. Despite the overbearing knowledge that he probably would die, he was amazingly comfortable with that thought. He wished he could see his father one last time and bid him farewell. Hands framed his face gently and he looked into Elladan's concerned face.
"Estel, we need to move you to the healing wing before I remove the sword. Please try and stay conscious brother."
"Elladan…do not…try," Aragorn murmured tiredly.
"Do not talk that way, Estel. You will survive this just as you have everything else."
Aragorn shook his head slightly to discourage his brother but knew it wouldn't work. Elladan never listened to him when it concerned his health. He felt several sets of hands slide under him and prepare to lift him. Too tired to hide the pain, he cried out at the slight movement and gripped the closest thing to his right hand. The hand gripped back and it was somehow familiar in the texture: silky smooth skin except the fingertips which were calloused from constant archery.
"Legolas," he sighed quietly and tensed as they climbed some steps that jostled his battered body.
"Be at ease Estel. Sauros just informed us that he sent a dragon to Imladris to get your father," Legolas soothed as they moved into the healing wing of the castle.
"Lay him on his side and be careful of the sword," Elladan instructed before gently easing Aragorn onto the thin table.
Legolas squatted by the table to be able to look at Aragorn's face as the twins hurried around the healing room. The blonde archer picked up a small clothe from the table and gently wiped away the trickle of blood from the human's mouth. Tired gray eyes looked at him with a faint sparkle of mirth.
"Who will…keep…keep you out…of trouble…now?" he wheezed, just loud enough for the archer to hear him.
"You will, you filthy human. We still have many adventures ahead of us yet."
"Nay…mellonamin. This…this is…my…last adventure," he replied as his eyes fluttered shut.
Legolas tried to say something, but all that escaped was a soft sob. His father had warned him of the inevitable outcome of befriending a human. That death would steal the human from him while he lived on for as long as he so wished. Legolas had understood and come to terms with the concept but he wasn't prepared for it to happen so soon.
The gray eyes opened again slowly and looked at the immortal elf. His hand reached out shakily and gently touched the elf's porcelain cheek.
"Legolas, you…you cry," he murmured softly, almost in confusion.
His hand left a smear of blood along the elf's cheek that mixed with the silver tears slipping down the cheek.
"Aye, I do."
"Never seen…seen you…cry."
"I cry for you Aragorn. Please do not leave like this, you have so much more to accomplish in your life. This is not your time to die."
"It is not…I who decides…it is out…out of my…hands."
Legolas looked up at Elladan as the elf gently touched his shoulder.
"I have to remove the sword now. Hold his hands Legolas."
Legolas gently crossed Aragorn's arms across the human's chest and gripped his hands next to his dark head. Elrohir held a wad of clothe in both hands and prepared to press them against the entry and exit wound. Elladan pressed one hand flat against Aragorn's back and gripped the sword's handle. Glancing at the others to assure himself that they were ready, he started to pull out the sword as smoothly as possible. Aragorn's screams echoed off the walls, out the window and to the courtyard. Elrohir pressed the cloth against the bleeding wound as Elladan tossed aside the bloody sword. The sword clattered sharply on the stone just as the door exploded open. The three elves didn't even look up as they worked on the now unconscious Ranger.
"He is still bleeding heavily, Elladan," Elrohir said and tossed aside a blood soaked clothe to replace it with a fresh one.
"Is it tainted another color?"
Elrohir checked his hands and the clothes. "No."
"That means no organs were hit. It must be something else," he muttered to himself.
"You will need to find the bleeder and stitch it together if he is to survive," a new voice said and Elladan looked up sharply at the new arrival.
His father looked anything but the might Lord Elrond. The normally immaculate elf looked as if he dressed in a hurry. In fact, it didn't even look as if he changed out of his sleep ware. He wore a pair of sleeping breeches and a baggy long sleeve tunic. His hair wasn't even braided as it usually was proving his rush to get there. Elrond pushed up the sleeves of his tunic and searched for the thread and needle.
"Is Estel unconscious?"
"Yes."
"Keep your grip tight Legolas. He is going to revolt against this," Elrond said and sterilized a knife.
Glancing at his youngest son before looking at the next wound, he used the knife to cut open the wound more before setting the knife aside. He slowly worked his fingers into the wound and cocked his head slightly to the side as his eyes closed. Aragorn moaned loudly and tried to shift away from the intrusion causing Legolas to tighten his grip and Elrohir hold down his legs. Elrond gently felt around until he found the pulsing blood. Pinching the artery slightly to slow the blood flow, he turned to Elladan.
"Is he still losing a lot of blood?"
"It has slowed greatly."
Elrond nodded and picked up the needle and thread with one hand and kept his other hand buried into the human's chest. Elrond bit his lip as he stitched the nicked hole on the artery with tough sinew. Slowly removing his fingers, Elrond felt for any blood spurts.
"I believe that was it. There is not as much blood as before," Elladan said as he pulled aside the clothe he held and looked at the amount of blood.
"Lord Elrond…Estel is not breathing anymore," Legolas said suddenly.
The elder elf's dark head snapped to the side to look at his youngest son's face. Putting his hand onto the human's chest his face paled suddenly as both hands went to Aragorn's chest.
"Elrohir, start a mixture for me! Put in three crushed willow leaves, a cluster of pinlowl moss, and…add four, no-five jusiline petals to it," he said and started to press alternately on Aragorn's chest over his heart.
"But father! Two jusiline petals are lethal!" Elrohir said shocked, thinking he misheard his father.
"Do it Elrohir!" Elrond snapped before looking to Legolas. "Legolas, tip his head back slightly and pinch his nose shut…now breath into his mouth."
The archer looked up at the elf lord in confusion but saw the look in the elf's eyes. It was a look he saw often enough in all the sons of Elrond.
He followed the lord's directions and did as he was told. A few moments later, Elrohir hurried over with the cup and looked at his father.
"Give it to him, all of it."
Elrohir looked down at the lethal mixture before looking at his little brother's listless body. Legolas stepped aside while Elrohir carefully poured the mixture down Aragorn's throat. Once the cup was empty, the three elves looked at the elf lord while Elrond stared at Aragorn. He stopped pressing on Aragorn's chest and watched as his fear started to mount.
"Work…please work…it has to," he murmured quietly as his eyes took in every detail of the human's face.
Just as his hopes slowly crumbled, Elrond saw a sudden muscle twitch at Aragorn's cheek. Without warning, Aragorn exploded to life and arched off the table as he filled his lungs to capacity. The action caused all three elves to step back in shock as Aragorn started coughing violently until Elrond leaped forward to hold his son up. He soothed the coughing human until Aragorn fell limply against his arms. The elf lord's fingers pressed against the human's neck to find a steady although weak pulse.
"We must finish with his wounds quickly before he can begin to recover," Elrond said as he gently eased Aragorn onto the table. "Elladan, switch places with me. Elrohir, mix a sedative for Estel before we begin, not to powerful."
Once giving Aragorn the sedative, Elladan started to stitch the exit wound closed as Elrond gently probed the entry wound. Legolas watched as Elrond pulled something out of the wound and tossed it aside. The object bounced slightly when it hit the floor before coming to rest against the wall.
"What was that?" Legolas questioned as Elrond glanced over at him.
"A piece of bone. The sword blade nicked Estel's scapula and I am searching for the fragments. They could prove to be problems later on if I leave them in," Elrond said and tossed aside another piece.
Once finished with that, he stitched the wound close and turned his attention to the arrow wound. The shaft had obviously broken off leaving the arrow head buried in the muscle. Doing the same as earlier, he cut the wound larger and carefully pulled out the arrow head. He cleaned the wound and stitched it before rubbing his forehead with his forearm in exhaustion. Elladan gently lifted Aragorn as his father bandaged the wounds and wrapped the broken ribs.
"That is all we can do now," Elrond sighed and dipped his hands into a bowl of water to wash off the blood. "Are any of you three injured?"
"Nay, ada. Just a few cuts and scrapes," Elrohir replied and sat on a stool.
"Legolas?"
"Nay, Lord Elrond. I am well," Legolas replied and carefully covered Aragorn with a thick blanket.
"Elladan, Elrohir, will you come and help with the other injured and Sauros? The spear is still in his side and needs to be removed."
The twins nodded and cast a look at Legolas and Aragorn before following their father out. Legolas pulled up a small stool and carefully lowered himself down. His body was a little sore from the earlier battle and straining his body so soon after his earlier injuries; but it was nothing a little rest would help. Sighing to the empty room, he braced his elbows on the edge of the table and pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets.
"How do you always get us into this Strider? I swear that one day you will be the death of me sooner or later. I have a new found respect for your brothers."
"He was much worse when he was younger, believe me."
Legolas turned and looked at the older twin that leaned against the doorway. He eyed the flaxen haired elf and looked him over with a healer's eye. Legolas obviously looked tired, that much was plain to anyone who looked. The way he sat suggested that he was sore and still.
"How are you?" he asked quietly and cocked his head to the side slightly.
Legolas shrugged his shoulders lightly and flinched. He didn't mind telling the truth to Elladan about how he felt. He wasn't as bad as Elrond or Aragorn could be but he did have his moments.
"Tired, sore, achy, worried, scared, exhausted-"
Elladan help up a hand to stop Legolas' list. "I think I get the gist. Are you going to collapse anytime soon?"
"Nay, Elladan. If I neglected my own health because of Estel, he will lecture me for a month and act overprotective for at least three," Legolas joked and glanced over at the unconscious human.
"He has a bad habit of doing that. Very well in fact. I think he got it from father," Elladan suggested and Legolas laughed softly.
"Must have," he replied and gently brushed away a strand of hair from the human's forehead.
"Is there something you wish to talk about mellonamin?" Elladan asked and walked over to Legolas after picking up a chair.
Situating the chair so it faced away from his friend, Elladan straddled the chair and rested his arms on the back. Watching the slightly younger elf, Elladan noted that at times Legolas and Estel had the same facial expressions. The expression that currently resided on Legolas' face was one of those. Estel had the same one whenever he wanted to say something but didn't know how to breech the subject. Elladan looked at his little brother and suppressed the urge to hold him in his arms and never let go. It was hard to raise a young baby as his foster brother, go through everything with him, watch him grow into a brave warrior and then see him so close to death. There had been several occasions that Elladan sometimes forgot that Aragorn was a human and not an elf. Aragorn was always willing to push himself the hardest and not let the weaknesses of his race to hinder him. It worked so well that sometimes he hid wounds that later festered to something much worse and would effectively give the twins a heart attack when he collapses. Those moments were a harsh slap of reality to Elladan and the thin line that Aragorn walked as a human and mortal.
"Should you not be with your father?" Legolas questioned him as he looked to the other elf.
"He discovered the healing wounds on my back and ordered me here to rest seeing as how I was injured."
Legolas nodded and turned back to Aragorn. Elladan waited for Legolas to speak, knowing he would when he was ready. Several minutes later, Legolas took a deep breath before speaking.
"How different would Aragorn have been if he had been born an elf?"
Elladan blinked dumbly, not expecting that question among the many he was expecting. His jaw moved listlessly a few times before his mind finally caught up.
"Well, first off, I do not think he would look very good with pointed ears."
The random comment served to relax the two and prepare themselves for the conversation. Legolas gently smoothed the blanket covering Aragorn as Elladan built up the weakening fire.
"Did you notice all the scars on his body?" Legolas asked quietly and lightly touched one on the human's shoulder.
Elladan nodded that he did and stared at Aragorn. Many of the scars looked years old and crudely healed. Some others were only a week or two old and still healing.
"I think he may have given up hope Elladan. When he was in the courtyard, I saw something in his eyes die. Like he gave up. He said that this was his last adventure," Legolas sighed and dropped his hands to his lap.
"Estel will pull through this Legolas, just like he always does. He is too stubborn to pass away this easily," Elladan said and reached out to squeeze Legolas' shoulder.
"Will you stay with him? I am going to the kitchens and get some food," Legolas said as he stood up and carefully stretched his back.
"If there is anything edible for an elf down there," Elladan commented and sat down in his chair again.
Legolas slowly walked into the courtyard and watched the five dragons that conversed in the center. Despite traveling with Sauros, the elf was still wary around the dragons. After seeing the destruction that an enraged dragon could reap, he wanted to be on the good side of all the dragons. The dragons suddenly stopped their conversation and lightly sniffed the air. Legolas jumped slightly as five dragon heads snapped around to look directly at the elf.
Sauros moved away from the group and slowly lumbered towards the small elf. The dragon's right wing rested against his body under strict order to not us the wing for at least a week.
"Master Elf, it is a pleasure to see you well and hearty still."
"Thank you Master Dragon. I came by to see how you were fairing from your wound," Legolas said after bowing to the respectable dragon.
"It is much better. May I introduce you to my fellow dragons? This is Selene, daughter of Hyperion."
The female dragon bent one front leg and bowed so her chest neared the ground. She was a deep purple color, almost bordering on black if one just glanced at her. Her horns were black along her back and the crest of her head. The wings shimmered slightly in the sunlight as she rose to her feet again.
"Many greetings Selene, daughter of Hyperion," Legolas greeted and placed his hand over his heart before sweeping it to his side.
"This is Nyxe, son of Chimera."
This dragon was solid pitch black in color. His head dipped slightly in greeting but kept his regal look about him. Legolas could see the faint remnants of random scaring on his face and body. The only thing that caused unease in the elf was the dragon's eyes. They were tinted a slight red color that almost seemed unreal.
"Next to him is Kore, son of Liber. He resides in a cave near Mirkwood."
Inwardly, Legolas jumped slightly amazed that a dragon resided near his home. He knew of no caves large enough to house a dragon but knew that none of the warriors actually went looking for caves. Kore placed a foot against his broad chest and dipped his head slightly, mirroring Legolas' greeting. His dark green scales matched the spring time grass and leaves. Every scale was a different shade of green that would allow the dragon to blend in with a forest.
"And this is Aurora, daughter of Ashur."
Legolas glanced at Sauros, detecting something in the dragon's voice. Smothering his smile, Legolas turned to the last dragon and faltered slightly. If the dragon world had an equally beautiful being as the Evenstar then this was she. The female dragon was a glistening silver color that reminded Legolas of Aragorn's gray eyes. Powerful muscles rippled under her silver scales as she lowered herself to Legolas' level and watched the elf.
"It is a pleasure Master Elf. Lord Sauros has told us much about your human friend and you. How does Lord Aragorn fare?" she asked worriedly.
"Lord Elrond is checking him over as we speak. Alas, he has not awoken yet but I believe he will any moment now."
"That is good. I wish to meet this interesting young man."
Legolas smiled and took his leave of the dragons. It had been a day since Elrond had patched Aragorn up and he still hadn't shown any signs of waking up. He passed Rangers in the hallway while he moved through the halls and up stairs. Nearing the healing wing, he saw Elladan and Elrohir standing outside with Gandalf. Lina was in Elladan's arms as he slowly paced up and down the hall. The door was closed that led to the room Aragorn was in and Legolas guessed that Elrond was alone with Aragorn. Just as he reached the group, the door opened to allow everyone in. Not waiting for an invitation, everyone moved into the warm room. Elladan lowered Lina to the ground and held her hand as he looked to his father and to Aragorn before back to Elrond.
"What is it? Why has Estel not awakened yet?"
"Estel's wounds are healing but his body has gone into shock. His mind has retreated away from the pain and gone into a very deep sleep."
"Can you not bring him back?" Legolas asked, slightly confused.
"I am sorry Legolas but even I can not do that. He is so deep that I can no reach him. Only he can pull himself out of it. He may even now come out of it," Elrond said sadly.
The shock was imprinted on everyone face as Legolas fell to his knees. Lina's sniffles echoed slightly in the quiet room as she pulled her hand from Elladan's deadened grip. She may now have understood the concept that they talked of but she understood the expressions on everyone's face. Gripping one of the stools, she pulled it over next to the table and scrambled up to the seat. Carefully, she leaned over and softly kissed Aragorn's forehead before wrapping her small arms around his neck.
"Please wake up Mister Estel Sir. We all miss you."
Where was he? Aragorn blinked a few times to clear his vision before pushing himself to a sitting position. Everywhere he looked was white; the floor, walls, ceiling was stark white. He actually wasn't even sure if there were any walls. Looking around himself for any sort of clues, he climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. He wore his normal Ranger clothing and had his weapons still on his person but he had no idea where he was or how he got there.
"Hello?" he called out and listened for any type of reply.
It appeared that he was alone in where ever it was he was alone at. Where was Legolas? Where were the twins? Were they injured? Countless questions raced through his mind as he spun in a circle and looked. He was more worried about the most obvious one.
Where was he?
///////////////////////
Eh gads, do you people know what I had to go through to get his chapter done? I have had two of my reviewers nagging me on IM and urging me to write but I love both of them. I would work on the story while I was talking to them and then post little lines for them to read and that went send them into a frenzy. Heehee, I thought it was hilarious but they did not. Everyone please review for me *on knees begging*. I want to hear the input from everyone and tell me what you think.
Elvendancer (dancergirl98@hotmail.com)- Well I thank you very much for the compliment *bowing*. I hope this update was fast enough for you; I tried very hard to work on it as quickly as possible. I wrote mostly between classes and late at night…*very* late at night.
Isadora2- Germany???? Guten Tag Frau Isadora2. Wie gehen Sie? Mir gehts sehr gut. Danke fur die Anerkenung!
Dha-Gal- Yes, it is the infamous cliffie!!!!!! Heehee. You really like Lego angst do you not? Interesting, very. I do not know why anyone would get mad at you just because you are a 14 year old, seems kind of stupid to me personally but then again I can be slightly…strange. *turns to look at sneaky plot bunny* Poppy! Do not pee on the rug! Poppy! If you value your review treats you will not do that. Do not look at me like that, do not tempt me.
Yoshi-fan2003- Thank you much for the pillow *fluffs it and lies down again and types as she lays head down*. I know it hurts but it keeps my head clear at times when it needs to stay clear. *offers pillow for knees*
Sirabella- Oh, oh a new reviewer! Yeah! I love getting new reviewers! I know it is inhuman but it is so much fun! I love getting death threats in my inbox; they serve to boost my spirits. Slightly morbid I know but hey, what are you to do?
Snow-Glory- You forgot about Aragorn???? Shame on you! It is okay; I kind of left him out of the chapter for a while after his little scene with Jasper. I just adore angst time!
ThE iNsAnE oNe- *sits back and reads review with a tub of popcorn* Poor, poor Nolad. I am starting to pity him…pitying moment is over now. Bravo Estel!!!! Wonderful acting…and the award goes to…drum roll please…Estel for playing the dieing roll! *Estel comes up the stairs and waves to everyone before grasping the statue* You love me, you really love me!...Oh I need my sleep.
Grumpy- I thought grumpy lizard was hilarious when I wrote it. Lord Elrond and Sauros are going to talk later on somewhere; have not decided where but eventually.
Roz- Are you off your arse and writing yet? No? Well then I will just hold the next chapter ransom till you write it. Heehee, no I would not do that. I am not that evil. *Legolas clears his throat and taps his foot while he points to Aragorn*. That is another story all together. Funny, typing these stories are ruining my nails and writing them on paper. I need a manicure!!...*after reading the review for chapter 7* Well put me on your favorite list! That must be terrible being called Gollum. I would be hard to restrain myself from throttling someone that called me that.
Astievia- Thank you for finding the owner of that quote. I never did like quotes that made absolute no sense. In high school my friends and I who wrote together called ourselves the Gutter Girls and our motto was: 'The mind is our notepad and our mind is the pen. Make a mark.' I always liked that saying.
Star-Stallion- I am going to put both of your reviews in here. I really should have put in there having Sauros ask: "Would you like regular or extra crispy?" That would have been hilarious. And thank you so much for the compliments for the story so far, they just lift me up to cloud nine. I do not know what I am going to do with Jasper as a punishment. I have not really thought that far into the story so far. Oh well, I will deal with him eventually *rubs hands together* yes I will my preccccciousssssssss. Yessss, we willlssssssss. Slapping each other upside the head is something my friends and I do regularly. Seems I am always the one on the receiving end. Never thought about that but it is true.
Lauren- I knew there was one more response to a review that I had to do! It is okay, I greatly enjoy hearing from the lurkers; I use to be one myself. Thank you so much for the compliment *blushing*. Just remember with cliff hangers: it is not the fall that kills you, it is the landing. Heehee, yo I need some sleep seriously.