Disclaimer: The same.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed. I know you were all really saddened by Cormir's death. I'm sorry. It makes me sad too. Everyone just please breathe and do not kill the author. I only write what is in my mind.

I also see that many of you wish to kill Gerchen and Hammath. Yes, well that fun will come soon. Those evil meanies will... well, I'll let you read. I don't want to spoil my plans. (laughs evilly). Thanks so much to everyone. This chapter is in Legolas POV.

Chapter 15

The Clutches of Darkness

'Call my name and save me from the dark'

I silently followed Elrohir out the door. I was guessing Linriel was still being held in the dungeons and decided that would be the best place to look first. I looked at Elrohir as he began to head the wrong way.

"We should search the dungeons first." I suggested.

Elrohir looked at me and nodded for me to lead the way. I began to lead, but stopped as Elrohir placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to look at him.

"Legolas, I owe you an apology." Elrohir muttered, his eyes on the floor.

I grasped his shoulder. "There is no need, my friend." I replied.

Elrohir looked up and shook his head. "No, there is a need. I should not have blamed you. Linriel means the world to me, but I know she means everything to you as well. I only thought of myself and did not bother to think of the pain you must have been in. Forgive me."

I smiled at him. "You are forgiven, my friend." I said, pulling him into an embrace. I cringed slightly in pain because of my hidden wounds, but Elrohir did not notice as he embraced me.

"Now, what do you say we find your sister?" He said with a smile.

I nodded. "Let's go."

We ran quickly towards the dungeon. We were fortunate enough that all the guards were outside, providing us safe passage. Elrohir and I began walking down the narrow, dimly lit path, searching the cells for Linriel. We had only been looking for a few seconds, when I heard a quiet voice in the cell next to us.

Elrohir and I practically ran into the open door. Inside there was a young girl kneeling by a small cot. Someone else lay perfectly still on the cot, save for her shallow breathing.

"Linriel!" I gasped as I ran and knelt by the cot.

The young girl jumped up with a gasp. She looked quickly from me to Elrohir and back to me.

"You shouldn't be here." She mumbled.

Elrohir and I both ignored her. Elrohir was at my side; both of us clutched Linriel's small hand.

"Linriel?" I called.

"Linriel, can you hear us?" Elrohir asked.

"She's unconscious." The young slave girl muttered the obvious.

I looked up at her.

"She's hasn't moved since they brought her here." The girl continued. She looked at Elrohir then back to me. She fiddled with her hands as if she was quite nervous.

I looked back at my sister. I could feel heat radiating from her small hand. Gently I laid my other hand on her forehead. She was burning up.

"She's has a high fever." The girl stated. "She is near death."

"Not if I can help it." Elrohir stated. He gently squeezed his lover's hand. "Linriel can you hear me. I'm here for you, my love. Don't give up." He grasped her small hand a gently kissed it. Then he placed her hand against his cheek. I swallowed hard as I noticed a tear fall down Elrohir's pale cheek and unto her hand.

I looked back at my sister and gently smoothed her hair. She looked so weak and frail. Somehow, she was still barely alive, holding on to life.

"My sweet Linriel." Elrohir said as he kissed her hand again. "What have these men done to you?"

Elrohir was near sobbing. I desperately was trying to hold my own tears in. Linriel did not have much time left. I needed to think of a way to help her. Suddenly an idea came to me. Aragorn had his pack upstairs. He was sure to have medical supplies in his pack along with many healing herbs. I stood quickly.

"Stay with her. I will return." I said quickly. It was unnecessary however, for I knew Elrohir would not move from his place beside her. I ran out of the cell, but quickly ducked into another as I heard approaching footsteps. One of the rangers walked quickly by, stopping in one of the smaller cells further down. I did not wait to see what he was doing though. Silently, I crept out of my hiding place and made my way up the stairs. As quickly as my legs would allow, I raced back to Aragorn's room, carefully looking for guards.

Once in the room, I began to search for Aragorn's pack. I soon found it on a chair. Quickly I opened it to see if it had what I needed. Inside were bandages, herbs, a small knife, and many other medical supplies. I searched through the herbs, looking for something that would help my sister. I found one that would help lower a fever, and another that would ease her pain. Quickly, I grabbed the backpack and rushed out the door. I headed down the hallway, carefully avoiding a ranger as he ran past. I noticed Elladan following closely behind him, but I paid no heed. I rapidly descended the steps into the dungeon. I raced towards Linriel's cell, but stopped as something caught my eye. I saw Aragorn kneeling on the ground, clutching someone's hand close in his own. A small tear escaped through Aragorn's eyes. Something was wrong and though my sister was in trouble, I found myself hurrying towards Aragorn. I laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Estel?" I whispered.

He looked up at me, tears in his eyes. He looked down, back at his friend. I looked down at the man. He was one of the rangers, obviously younger than the rest. A dark crimson stain was on his shirt and he lay perfectly still, too still. Silently, I reached my hand down and let it rest on his neck. I felt no pulse, no sign of life.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to Aragorn, figuring this must have been a good friend.

Aragorn met my eyes again. His gaze drifted towards his medical pack that I still held.

"If I would have only brought it with me..." Aragorn words trailed off.

"No, my friend." I comforted. "You could not have known. Do not blame yourself."

Aragorn nodded. He muttered an elvish cursing under his breath and then finished with a blessing for his young friend. The words were so soft that even with my keen elvish hearing, I barely understood the words.

I squeezed gently on his shoulder in silent comfort. Aragorn looked at me. "Did you find your sister?" He asked.

I stood quickly, remembering her dire need of help. A wave of dizziness came over me, but I ignored it. "She is in bad condition. I have to help her." I turned and raced back to the cell. Aragorn was on my heels. He knelt next to Elrohir on the bed, who had barely moved since I left.

Without even my asking, Aragorn began to check Linriel over. He let his hand rest on her forehead for a moment. Then he quickly reached down and picked up one of her hands. He looked up at me with frightened eyes.

"How long has she been unconscious?" He asked.

The young slave girl, who was still observing, took a step from the wall. "For over a day, my lord."

Aragorn returned his gaze to my sister. "Legolas, hand me my pack."

I gave it to him and then sat down near my sister. I took her other hand and clutched it in both of mine. Elrohir looked expectantly at Aragorn.

"Estel? Will she... will she make it?" He asked.

Aragorn sighed. "I do not know, Elrohir. Her body is weak and her spirit is fading. Yet, there seems to be something more amiss here. She has a fever and her hands are cold. I fear poison, but I do not know what kind." Aragorn took an herb from his pack and placed it in a small bowl. Carefully he began to crush it into smaller pieces.

"Can you help her?" I asked.

Aragorn sighed. "I will do my best." He looked back at the door of the cell. "Though I fear, Elladan may need my help as well." Aragorn stated. He quickly turned back to Linriel, deciding that Linriel was more important than anything else he had to do.

"Does she have any serious wounds on her body?" Aragorn asked the girl.

The young slave who I remembered as Treta nodded her head. "Her back was full of cuts, but I cleaned most of them as best as I could." She replied with a shaky voice.

"Do you know if he poisoned her or what he used?" Aragorn asked desperately.

The girl shook her head. "Nay, my lord. All I know was that she was brought in here in the early morning of yesterday. I had thought her dead at first, but I found I was wrong. I decided to do what I could to help her."

Aragorn nodded. "I need some hot water and a warm blanket. Can you find it?"

The girl nodded and ran out of the cell.

Aragorn reached back into the pack and pulled a small vial out. He opened it and poured a small amount into the bowl of crushed leaves. He carefully stirred it, mixing both contents together.

"This will help some of her wounds." He said as he smeared some of the paste on his fingers. "I need to put this on the cuts on her back."

I nodded and helped Elrohir roll her to her side. Aragorn careful applied the paste to the unhealed wounds that decorated her back. He shook his head slightly as he looked at the nasty cuts.

"What is it, Estel?" I asked, worriedly

"Her wounds should have partially healed by now." Elrohir answered for him.

Aragorn nodded. "Her elven healing ability should have helped to disinfect the wounds, but something has prevented it."

I nodded in understanding. Something was terribly wrong.

Aragorn stood. "I must go back to my room and grab one of my healing books. Perhaps it will give me insight on her condition."

I nodded as Aragorn raced from the cell. I looked back down at Linriel. Her face was so pale. Very quietly, I began to whisper a silent prayer for her. I heard Elrohir doing the same, almost pleading for her life.

Suddenly Linriel's eyes fluttered open and her hand moved slightly. Elrohir felt the slight movement and looked down at her face. "Meleth nin." Elrohir whispered as he smoothed her hair. (my love)

Linriel blinked and focused her eyes on Elrohir. A small smile graced her lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She drew in a raspy breath as she tried again.

Elrohir placed a finger on her dry lips. "Ssh, do not try to talk."

Linriel swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Elrohir placed his hand against her cheek and she gratefully rested her head against him. "You are going to be okay, my love." Elrohir whispered.

She opened her eyes again. "I'm too weak." She muttered with a hoarse voice.

"No you're not. Just hold on." Elrohir pleaded.

She drew in another breath. "I... I don't think I can." She whispered.

"No, meleth. U-awartha si erui nin." Elrohir pleaded. (Do not leave me here alone.)

"Gohena nin." Linriel said as her eyes closed again. (Forgive me)

Her hand fell limp.

"No! Linriel don't give up." I pleaded. Her chest was no longer moving with breath, not even slightly. I placed a hand on her neck, but felt no pulse.

"I will not lose you." Elrohir said. He placed a hand on her chest and tightly closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, focusing everything on her.

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to pass his strength on to her. In a sense, he was breathing life into her body. He was giving her his energy and life. I had seen Elrond do this before. It was an elven healing ability only known to the most skilled. It was very dangerous and if not done properly, one could easily drain himself of all strength.

"Fight Linriel!" Elrohir commanded. "Grasp my hand."

I looked at Elrohir then back to Linriel. I wished there were someway that I could help. I was not a skilled healer like Lord Elrond or his sons. I could only wait for Aragorn to return or for Elrohir to help my sister.

Elrohir's body shook and his hand tremble. "Don't let go!" Elrohir pleaded. "I'm not willing to loose you."

I bit my lip. I could hear the sorrow in Elrohir's voice. I could hear the struggle as he tried to pull Linriel from the darkness. I saw his hand tighten around her small hand.

"I'm not letting go. I'll never let go!"

My head turned as I heard footsteps rushing down towards the cell. Aragorn came in the door and rushed to Linriel's side. He looked at Elrohir, then at me.

"What happened?" He asked concerned.

"Linriel regained consciousness for a few seconds, before she stopped breathing. Elrohir's trying to help her." I told him.

Aragorn looked at Elrohir. His body was shaking and his face was contorted in a tight grimace. "He's loosing strength fast." Aragorn said.

Elrohir's hand trembled violently. "I won't give up." He said through clenched teeth.

"I have to stop him." Aragorn said suddenly.

"No! Wait, Estel. He's saving her." I pleaded.

"He's going to kill himself if he keeps this up any longer. He's not strong enough."

I looked down at Linriel. I could feel her life fading, but I could feel her fighting. Something was renewing her strength and I knew Elrohir was close. He had to hold on a little longer. He had to.

"Give him a few seconds." I pleaded with Aragorn.

Aragorn looked at Elrohir.

Suddenly, Linriel gasped for air. Slowly she let it out and began to breathe normally, in exact unison with Elrohir.

"It's working. His connection is working with her." I said. I could feel her body growing stronger. I could feel a new strength in her spirit.

Aragorn checked Linriel's pulse and then lifted a hand to her head. "Her body temperature has lowered." He reported.

Slowly Elrohir opened his eyes and pulled his hand off Linriel's chest. He supported himself on the bed and took a few deep breaths of air.

Aragorn held on to his arm to keep him from falling over. "Elrohir, are you alright?"

Elrohir nodded and turned back to Linriel. Her breathing was normal now and color had returned to her face.

"What did you do?" I asked. "Besides pulling her back from the clutches of death."

"There was poison in her blood that was slowly killing her. Her body was too weak to fight it off and it was slowly taking away her elven healing ability." Elrohir replied, still gasping for breath. He looked very weak like he would fall over if not for Aragorn's support.

"How did you save her?" Aragorn asked my next question.

Elrohir smiled as he looked down at his lover's face. "I took the poison on myself."

"You did what!?" Aragorn gasped.

"Fear not, Estel. My body is strong. It will fight off the poison. It will not harm me." Elrohir replied confidently.

Aragorn glared at his brother, but said nothing more.

"Legolas?"

I turned my head back to Linriel at hearing her small voice. "Linriel!" I gasped with a smile.

She smiled at me and I grasped her other hand. "I thought I lost you."

"You can't get rid of me yet, gwador nin." She said with a smile. (my brother)

Her face turned to Elrohir and happiness beamed in her eyes. I could see the love in Elrohir eyes as he looked back at her. He gently squeezed her hand. "Amin mella le, Linriel." (I love you)

I looked up at Aragorn and he smiled. "I believe she is going to be okay now."

He stood. "I must see if I can help Elladan now. Watch over them both Legolas and make sure they don't overdue it. I'm worried about Elrohir and I shall give him a full check-up later." He said with a playful glare at his brother.

I nodded my head. "Go! I will be there to help you soon, mellon nin." I watched as he left then turned back to my sister. I smiled, silently thanking the Valar for letting her live.