"Legolas?" Aragorn whispered.

The elf remained motionless, and Aragorn sighed as he rewet the cloth and placed it on his friend's forehead. The fever was still very high, despite the medicine that they'd given him, and Aragorn hoped that the elf's body would respond to the herbs quickly.

The door suddenly opened, and Elladan came into the room.

"How is he?"

Aragorn shook his head. "No change yet."

Elladan went over to the injured elf and gently lifted his tunic, raising the cloth that rested over the wound and frowned at the stitches; made uneven thanks to the twisting of the blade.

Aragorn sighed heavily at the sight, watching as Elladan crossed over to the bureau containing clothes that Legolas had left here for his frequent visits.

Aragorn realized that he should've already made his friend more comfortable, and he carefully started to remove the elf's tunic.

Elladan returned with nightclothes for their friend, and they carefully put them on him after removing Legolas' bloodstained ones. They left the bedcovers off the elf, as it seemed foolish to further warm a body that was already too hot.

Aragorn continued to rewet the cloth on his friend's forehead, as they waited for the fever to go down.

"We sent out a patrol," Elladan told him. "Hopefully they'll find those orcs before the orcs find them."

Aragorn nodded. "There was only about a dozen, I believe."

"Ah," said Elladan, relieved to hear that.

For a while, neither of them spoke, barely noticing when the door opened once more.

Elrond walked into the room, having been looking for his oldest son. He knew that Elladan deserved to be here as much as Aragorn did—Elladan and Elrohir had known Legolas since the day he was born—but Elrond knew the circumstances surrounding Legolas' injury, where Elladan did not.

Walking to the bed, Elrond felt Legolas' forehead, frowning to see that the fever had yet to change. He quickly changed his expression, so as not to alarm his sons, and gave them a reassuring smile instead. "Elladan, I require your assistance with something."

Elladan nodded at his father, sighing at the thought of leaving Legolas again. Standing, he patted Aragorn on the shoulder before walking to the door, and he and Elrond left Aragorn alone with his friend once more.

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

Half an hour later, Elrond walked down the hall towards Legolas' room. He'd wanted to give Aragorn more time alone with his friend, but Elrond was concerned about the fever plaguing the younger elf, and could not stay away any longer.

Entering the room, he found Aragorn in the same place that he'd left him, leaning his elbows on the bed beside his friend.

Aragorn looked up when Elrond approached, and the older elf could see the misery in his eyes.

"It was not your fault," Elrond said, carefully.

Aragorn sighed, looking at Legolas again. "Yes it was. If I had not allowed the orcs to capture me, Legolas wouldn't've had to get involved."

Elrond saw that his son was still keeping to himself what had actually occurred, so he went along with it. "Allowed? No one would 'allow' orcs to capture them, ion-nin. You were obviously greatly outnumbered."

Aragorn made no answer, removing the wet cloth so that his father could check the status of Legolas' fever.

Elrond laid his hand on the other elf's forehead, finding that it was finally a little cooler. The fever hadn't lowered as much as he'd hoped, but the fact that it had lowered was a good sign.

"I wish that he would wake," Aragorn said, sighing.

Elrond took the cloth and placed it back on Legolas' forehead, sitting on the side of the bed to face his son. "Estel, you cannot continue to blame yourself for this—"

"Yes I can!" Aragorn exclaimed, standing. "You do not know what happened!" As soon as the words were out, he made a face as if he hadn't intended to say that.

Elrond was glad for the chance to finally address the incident. "Yes I do, though I do not know the exact events. I know that Legolas will not feel any anger towards you, ion-nin, I am sure that it was an accident."

The words had an effect on his son that he didn't quite expect.

Aragorn's eyes welled with tears, tears that he'd held back all this time.

Elrond reached out for him and pulled him into an embrace, holding him tightly, as if he were a child once again.

Behind them, unnoticed, Legolas stirred slightly. He wasn't fully conscious, but he could hear voices.

"I stabbed him!" he heard Aragorn whisper. "I stabbed Legolas…I thought he was an orc…"

He thought I was an orc…the notion would've been funny had Legolas not been suffering immense pain.

"Hush," Elrond said. "It was not intended. Legolas will forgive you."

"I thought that he was dying in my arms," Aragorn said. "You did not see…you did not feel his body shaking and cold…"

Legolas could hear the tears in his friend's voice, and he fought to open his eyes. His body refused to obey him, however, and he found that he could hardly even form a rational thought as his consciousness slipped away once more.

Elrond sighed, hugging his human son tighter. Aragorn hardly ever cried…

The door suddenly opened as Elladan and Elrohir came in, and they gasped in shock at the scene. Thinking that Legolas had died, they rushed forward, but Elrond shook his head at them, motioning for them to leave.

The twins looked upset at that, but they obeyed.

Elrond understood their feelings, and knew that the two of them would hover at the door until they were allowed in again.

Aragorn had heard his brothers, and said something that was muffled in Elrond's robes. Despite his elvish hearing, Elrond didn't understand the words.

"Estel?"

"I said that you can let them in," Aragorn told him, sitting up and wiping his face.

Elrond nodded, crossing to the other side of the room and opening the door. The twins immediately burst through, but Elrond grabbed them both and pushed them back out before leaving the room himself and closing the door.

Aragorn knew what his father was doing, and was grateful that he wouldn't have to tell his brothers himself. He was afraid of their reaction. Will they hate me? Legolas has been their friend for thousands of years!

The door opened again a few minutes later, and the twins came in, followed by their father.

Aragorn's heartbeat quickened with anxiety, as he waited for their reaction.

Elladan and Elrohir walked to either side of Aragorn and both grabbed him, hugging him hard.

"My poor brother!" Elladan exclaimed. "Legolas could never hate you! We know that it was an accident, and so will he!"

Aragorn was so relieved at his brothers' action, that he nearly cried again. He gripped both their arms, smiling his relief. Before he could say anything, however, he yawned suddenly, unable to hide it.

Elrond smiled slightly. "You need rest yourself, ion-nin, and you have not yet tended to your injuries, as you said that you would."

"There is nothing really to tend," Aragorn told him. "I mainly sustained bruises." He looked down at his clothes, only now seeming to notice the blood…Legolas' blood. He was lost in memories at the sight, memories of what had occurred the previous day, until a cup suddenly appeared before his face.

"To ease any pain that you may have," said Elrond.

Aragorn took the cup and drank its contents, wincing slightly at the taste. "I wish I knew why you do not add sugar. That would make the taste more pleasant."

"But if he did, we wouldn't be able to see the sour expression on your face!" said Elrohir.

Elladan chuckled at that as Aragorn handed their father the empty cup.

Yawning again, Aragorn stared at his unconscious friend for a few minutes, before realizing that everyone else was staring at him. "What?" he asked, puzzled.

Before anyone had time to reply, Aragorn's eyes suddenly closed and he went limp in the chair.

"He's going to be one angry human when he wakes!" said Elrohir. "I cannot believe that he fell for that, Ada."

Elrond smiled, but it faded quickly. He knew that Aragorn hadn't realized that he'd been given a sleeping herb because he was so upset over the situation.

Elladan chuckled again, moving to pick up his brother. "Am I taking him to his own room?"

Elrond nodded, but then shook his head. "No, lay him here," he said, motioning to the end of Legolas' bed. "If we put him in his room, he will only rush here in a blind panic when he wakes."

Elladan nodded as he and Elrohir carefully took Aragorn out of the chair.

"I think our brother has put on a few pounds," Elrohir joked, as they laid him on the bed.

Elladan reached over and tapped Aragorn's face, making sure that he wasn't awake. "Ada," he said. "About Legolas…"

Elrond knew what he was asking. Now that Aragorn couldn't hear their conversation, they wanted to know if they should truly be worried for their friend's health. "I believe that Legolas will be all right," he told them. "My main concern is the fever. It is not lowering as quickly as it should be."

Elladan and Elrohir nodded, nervously agreeing.