Gimli kept vigilance while Aragorn rested, letting the man sleep until the second shift change since he'd gone to sleep. The dwarf did not mind letting Aragorn have the extra rest, for he'd noted as he often awoke during the nights spent on the trail, that the man had slept little. But now he too could hardly keep his eyes open, and he roused the king.
"Aragorn," he whispered, shaking him lightly.
Aragorn's eyes flew open and he glanced at the moon. "You have let me sleep long," he said, a knowing smile on his face.
"Aye, but now it's all I can do to keep awake. Legolas' state has not seemed to have changed."
"Thank you."
"Wake me at the next shift change."
Aragorn nodded. Gimli turned and crawled into his bedroll. Soon the sound of his raspy snores could be heard throughout the camp. Aragorn turned his attention back to the elf.
Indeed, Legolas' condition seemed to be much the same as it had been when he'd gone to sleep. Still his eyes were closed. Aragorn passed a hand over the elf's face and forehead. Legolas was still cold to the touch; his body temperature had dropped a bit since he'd last checked. Aragorn leaned back against a tree that was just off to Legolas' left side, for now he had time to ponder the questions that had been plaguing his mind.
When he'd first set off on the trail and had seen the footprints, there had been two that resembled that of elves. One had been Legolas' and the other…well, he guessed that would have been Boromir, since the man had obviously been the commander of the orc/urak-hai half breeds. But Boromir was a man of Gondor and it did not make sense to Aragorn that his footprints would be like that of the elves. And just how was Boromir alive? Aragorn had been with him as he died and had sent him over the falls of Rauros. And yet, there he was, alive and responsible for Legolas' current state. This puzzled him the most and despite what explanation he could think of, none seemed to make very much sense. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Legolas.
"Just what did he want with you? And what did he do to you?" he whispered aloud, speaking to the silent form before him. "I swear to you, I will do whatever it takes to get you well, my friend."
With these thoughts in his head, he passed the night quietly under the tree limbs.
Now the first rays of the dawn light crept up into the skies and Aragorn roused his men. They were to make for Gondor, stopping only when most necessary, for Legolas had recently taken a turn for the worst. He was riddled with shakes, though he remained unconscious. He was in a cold sweat but Aragorn had nothing to treat him with out in the wild, though in his heart, he knew that there was not much that he personally could do for his friend, save to make him comfortable and to be with him so he would not die alone.
