Hey everyone! I am soooo sorry that this chapter is so late…I didn't realize that 6 days had passed since I'd posted chap 16! *gasp* Well, here it is! Enjoy it; there's only one short chapter left after this one! *sniff* But never fear, the sequel cometh! LOL ;)

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In shock that he'd nearly drowned, Legolas tried to take a decent breath, but choked on it, as leftover water continued to hamper his efforts.

Aragorn looked down at the elf. Legolas' eyes were closed, his face pale. "Get it all out, mellon-nin," he said, gently rubbing his friend's back.

Legolas weakly coughed and choked for a while, making no move to rise or speak. He seemed utterly exhausted, something that didn't surprise Aragorn. He knew that his friend was in pain, as the coughing no doubt caused torture to his still-healing stab wound.

Aragorn didn't move from his spot, sitting next to his friend with his hand still on the elf's back. "Are you all right?" he asked, when the coughing started to ease.

Legolas gave no answer, but he opened his eyes to show Aragorn that he was coherent.

Aragorn frowned at the elf's labored breathing, and knew that lying on the stomach wasn't the easiest way to regain lost breath. "Do you have any injuries that would prevent me from turning you over?" he asked.

Legolas thought for a minute, trying to remember what had been done to him besides the attempted drowning. His stab wound ached fiercely, as well as his throat, and he could feel a bruise growing on his face. His head and chest ached from the lack of oxygen, but other than that he seemed to be unhurt.

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked, concerned when the elf didn't answer.

"No," the elf whispered. "Nothing."

Aragorn smiled his relief, gently turning his friend onto his back. His eyes widened when he saw a red stain on the elf's tunic.

Legolas squinted in the sun's bright glare, still trying to take a deep breath.

Aragorn moved his position, blocking the sun's rays as he checked his friend's stab wound. He found that some of the stitches had torn, and frowned when Legolas coughed again. He carefully shifted the elf onto his side, in case he brought up more water.

Legolas closed his eyes. Breathing was still difficult; he could feel water still in his lungs, but he was trying to hold in the coughs; it pained his stab wound more than he cared to admit. He felt Aragorn place some cloth inside his tunic over the old injury, making him realize that it must be bleeding.

"Legolas?" Aragorn said, when the elf's eyes stayed closed.

"I'm fine," Legolas told him, hearing the worry in his friend's voice.

Aragorn knew that he was lying. Sighing, he wanted to let his friend rest, but knew that he should take him home so that his father could examine him. He could hear a wheeze in his friend's breathing, and knew that he hadn't brought up all the water.

Legolas suddenly coughed again, wincing with the pain that it brought.

Aragorn gripped his friend's arm. "Legolas, I have to get you home. Can you walk?"

The elf reopened his eyes, nodding.

"Come." Aragorn slid his hands under his friend's arms, carefully pulling him to his feet. He held onto Legolas tightly when he started to cough again, the change in his body's position forcing his lungs to take in more air.

Aragorn's stomach clenched worriedly when he saw how ineffective the coughs were. He could hear the water in his friend's lungs, but coughing pained Legolas so badly that he wasn't doing it as forcefully as he needed to in order to rid himself of the remaining water.

Legolas covered his eyes with one hand, feeling dizzy from his lack of adequate oxygen.

Wrapping an arm around his friend's waist, Aragorn pulled Legolas' arm over his own shoulders and helped him walk. A thought suddenly struck him. "Ada is going to kill us."

Legolas smiled slightly.

They walked on slowly, Aragorn not wanting the exertion to cause Legolas' breathing rate to increase even more than it already had. To their surprise, they didn't walk long before Legolas lifted his head and stopped walking.

"Your brothers."

Aragorn peered through the trees, suddenly hearing their names being called. He sighed in relief, hoping that they had horses so that Legolas wouldn't have to walk the rest of the way.

Legolas suddenly started to cough again, lifting a hand and clutching his wet tunic at the chest. He was visibly holding back the coughs, the pain that it caused to his abdomen nearly unbearable.

Aragorn sighed inwardly at his friend's suffering, but he smiled when he saw his two brothers burst out of the woods, both astride horses and leading two others.

"Ai!" Elladan exclaimed, when he saw Aragorn supporting Legolas. "Is it good that we followed! What has happened?"

Aragorn sighed as his brothers dismounted. "The orcs that were found slain were not the same ones that we'd encountered…"

Elladan's eyebrows shot up. "And you encountered them again, I assume?"

Aragorn nodded.

The twins shot worried looks at Legolas, seeing that he was completely drenched. "Do we even want to know what happened?" Elrohir asked.

Legolas gave them a weak grin.

"Come," said Aragorn. "We talk as we ride. Legolas needs to see Ada, there's water in his lungs."

Elladan's eyes widened and he slapped Legolas on the back, in an attempt to help him get it out.

Legolas gasped, nearly falling from Aragorn's grasp as he coughed.

Elladan looked pleased with himself, until seeing the look of terrible pain that crossed Legolas' face. Grabbing the elf's other arm, he exclaimed, "Legolas?"

Legolas shook his head at him, desperately trying to prevent himself from coughing.

"Has he a broken rib, or—?!" Elladan asked, alarmed at the effect of the action that he'd taken, in trying to help his friend.

Aragorn shook his head, helping Legolas to his horse. "No, it's paining his…" Aragorn's guilt was still so fresh that he couldn't bear to even think of it, nevermind say it. "His old injury. Some of the stitches have torn."

The twins winced, each putting a hand out to help Legolas, as Aragorn gave the horse the command to kneel.

Elladan suddenly took off his cloak and placed it on Legolas' shoulders, not wanting the unwell elf to become cold from his wet clothes.

Elrohir did the same, and Legolas smiled his thanks as Aragorn helped him mount and started to sit behind him.

"I can ride alone…" Legolas told him. "I need no aid."

Aragorn shot him a doubtful look. Legolas' words were soft and breathless, as the elf knew that if he breathed deeply, he'd only cough uncontrollably and cause himself massive pain. He was surprised at how badly the healing stab wound hurt, until he remembered that the orc had punched him there. Between that and the violent coughing, it made more sense.

"You all right, Legolas?" Aragorn asked, seeing his elf-friend shift his position with a wince.

Legolas nodded as the horse stood, and everyone else quickly mounted. Aragorn took the reins of Legolas' horse and they started the ride back to the house.

"How did you manage to steal away from home?" Aragorn asked his brothers.

Elladan gave a wry smile. "Father realized his error in judgment and sent us after you. You get into too much trouble alone!"

Aragorn and Legolas exchanged glances, neither of them denying the statement.

The rest of the journey was spent mostly in silence—besides Legolas' occasional coughs—and when they arrived at the house, they weren't surprised to find Elrond waiting outside.

"What trouble found you this time?!" he exclaimed, at the sight of Legolas' horse being led and the elf wearing everyone's cloaks.

Aragorn sighed as he jumped down. "That party of orcs that had captured me weren't the ones that were slain. They attacked us at the river."

Elrond hurried forward as his sons helped the Prince of Mirkwood off the kneeling horse. "What is his injury?" he asked, looking for blood.

Legolas suddenly started to cough, trying desperately to hold it in.

"Water in his lungs," Aragorn told him.

Elrond's eyes widened, as Aragorn helped his friend into the house. Shaking his head, Elrond looked to the sky as if to say, 'why me?' before quickly following.