Hey everyone! So sorry again, that this chapter took so long! FF.net was all messed up again…this time, as well as not sending author alerts, it was eating reviews! I received 7 reviews that vanished into thin air, lol, but thankfully, ff.net was able to restore them! YAY! :) Then, after that, the login was disabled for some reason, preventing me from posting! *sigh* Oh well, hopefully, they fixed it all this time! lol

Oh yeah, I also wanted to answer a comment made in a review that there's no such thing as an 'older twin'. Elladan is the older twin because he was born a few minutes or so before Elrohir, making him older than his brother! :) Here's chapter 13! :)

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

Aragorn, Elladan, and Elrohir all sat around Legolas' bed, quietly staring at the Prince of Mirkwood as his eyes drifted shut, only to reopen again.

Elrohir sighed. "Sleep, Legolas."

"Why?" Legolas replied, reopening his eyes once more. His voice sounded child-like, as if he were a mere elfling.

The sons of Elrond all shook their heads. Legolas was not quite what they would call drunk, but rather in a very dazed-like state, incapable of rational thought. The only good thing about it was that Elrond appeared to be correct; the alcohol had dulled some of the injured elf's pain.

Without warning, Legolas suddenly tried to sit up.

"Don't move, Legolas!" Aragorn said, grabbing his arms.

"I want to go outside," Legolas told him, trying to pull free but not having the strength.

"You can't."

"Why?"

Aragorn heard a sigh, and turned to see Elrohir's guilty expression.

"You're hurt, Legolas, you need to stay in bed."

Legolas made a face suspiciously like a pout, and suddenly closed his eyes again, sighing loudly.

"You all right, Legolas?" Elrohir quickly asked, his guilt over the wine incident mounting.

The elf didn't answer, and they were all relieved to see that he'd apparently fallen asleep…eyes shut, as his body was nowhere near healthy at the moment.

Aragorn released his friend's arms and started to sit down again, but Legolas suddenly shifted his position slightly, making a sound of distress.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked, leaning over him.

The injured elf opened his eyes again. "Can't sleep."

"Why?" Aragorn asked, gently.

"They'll get me if I do," Legolas told him, looking frightened.

Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other, frowning.

Elrohir groaned and put his face in his hands, seeing that Legolas was more affected by the wine than they'd thought.

"No one will 'get' you," Aragorn said, squeezing his friend's arm. "Whoever 'they' are, they are not real. It's in your mind, mellon-nin."

Surprisingly, Legolas accepted his words without question. "Ah. Good." His eyes drifted shut again, and didn't reopen this time.

Aragorn gently laid a hand on his friend's forehead, checking to be sure that the elf's hallucination wasn't due to a resurgence of his fever rather than the alcohol.

The twins sat down again, relieved that Legolas was finally asleep.

Elrohir sighed deeply. Legolas openly showed fear… He inwardly kicked himself for being the cause for his friend's uncharacteristic behavior. Legolas was a very brave warrior, and Elrohir felt that he'd betrayed his friend by causing him to be afraid, even if it was over something that wasn't real. Hearing another sigh, he looked up to see Aragorn still standing at the bed. Ai! If I feel this guilty over the wine, then Aragorn must be utterly consumed with guilt, for inflicting Legolas' injury!

Elladan had been thinking the same thing as he watched his two brothers, and smiled when Elrohir stood and placed an arm around Aragorn's shoulder.

Aragorn gave Elrohir a slight smile, appreciating his attempt at comfort as they looked down at their sleeping friend.

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

"Legolas?"

Elrond waited for a reply, but didn't receive one. The injured elf seemed to be on the verge of waking; occasionally twitching or moving his head.

Suddenly Elrond heard a soft groan, and he sat on the side of the bed. "Are you awake, penneth?"

Legolas heard the voice and slowly half-opened his eyes. They felt glued shut.

Elrond smiled. "How do you feel?" he asked, softly.

Legolas gave no answer, too groggy to remember how to speak.

Elrond crossed to the table where his herbs sat, quickly mixing a medicine and bringing it back. "This will help with the pain," he said, gently lifting Legolas up high enough to drink. "Including the headache that I'm sure you have."

As Legolas swallowed, he realized that Elrond was right; he did have a headache. Frowning, he tried to remember why.

A sudden snore filled the room, and Legolas realized that they weren't alone. The twins were asleep in chairs, while Aragorn slept stretched out at the end of the bed.

When Legolas saw Elrohir, he remembered what had happened. "Wine," he groaned, placing a hand over his eyes.

Elrond smiled, resisting a chuckle. "From now on, I would look to see what is in your cup before you drink it…especially if it is handed to you by one of my sons."

Legolas lowered his hand, smiling at his words. Looking back at his friends, he sighed.

"What is it?" Elrond asked.

"They both exude guilt," the younger elf said, referring to Aragorn and Elrohir.

Elrond nodded. "Unfortunate, but understandable, in light of the circumstances."

Legolas nodded. He knew that if he ever caused injury to a friend, he'd never be able to handle it. "Please, do not tell Elrohir that the wine is causing me pain," he said, rubbing his forehead. "If he thinks me unaffected, then his guilt will lessen."

Elrond nodded, seeing that Legolas obviously didn't remember his earlier wine-induced odd behavior.

"I wish that there was more that I could do about Aragorn," Legolas whispered.

Elrond sighed. "I admit that I can think of nothing. It is a terrible thing to seriously wound and nearly kill a dear friend. He will have to come to terms with it himself. It will get easier as he watches you recover."

Legolas nodded.

"Do not worry," said Elrond, patting his arm. "Soon, this incident will be behind us and Aragorn will be able to forgive himself." I hope, he thought.

Legolas nodded again, fighting to stay awake as his battered body demanded more sleep.

"Rest," Elrond said. "You will feel better when next you wake."

Legolas inwardly sighed with relief, knowing the Healer's words to be true. "Hannon le," he said, drifting off to sleep.

**********

'penneth' : Sindarin Elvish for 'young one'