A/N: I'm sorry this has taken me so long to update. But as many of my reviewers know, I am a journalist, and well, it's election time so things are quite busy at work. I may have difficulty updating most of my stories during this time, but after November 2, I should be able to get back to a normal updating schedule. This chapter might not be the best, only because I was short on time, but I wanted to put up something for you all. Thanks for sticking with me and I greatly appreciate all your reviews.

-Gwenneth

Chapter Six:

"Good thing I kept these in my pocket."

Estel was sitting on Legolas' wounded side, holding a small pile of crushed, but usuable athelas in his small hands. Marken smiled lightly and nodded. "Aye, it is good that you did, Estel. They shall do the trick, though I wish I had the capacity to steep them in boiling water for a time."

The man cast a glance at Legolas' expression. The Elf's eyes were glassy and he was wearily resting his head against the thick tree trunk behind him. His hands lay listlessly at his sides and if his chest hadn't been moving, Marken would have thought him dead. He knew, from long ago dealings with Elves, that they were naturally pale.

But Legolas was unnaturally pale. So much so that it looked as though the color left him at the same pace the blood drained from his body. Luckily, Estel and Marken had been able to stop the bleeding, but they still needed to stitch the wound and Marken was loathe to do it with the Elf conscious.

But there was nothing available to knock him out with. Nothing...except his fist.

Marken glanced at Estel. "There is only one thing left to do, Estel. And I will need your help to do it." The little boy looked up at him, his wide, innocent look bringing a frown to Marken's face. How will I ask him to do this? How can I ask a 10-year-old to do this?

"What do you need, Marken?" Estel asked, shifting closer to their newfound friend. "I'll do anything."

The man turned toward Legolas, laying a hand on the Elf's leg. Legolas looked up now, his eyes clearing slightly. Marken continued. "We need to close this wound. But, since I have no sedatives, we must do this with our friend awake." Legolas shuddered under the man's arm, but did not answer. Estel didn't see the tremor. "I do not think you strong enough to hold him steady, Estel."

Legolas picked up on what the man was suggesting. "Do you think it wise? He is so young, Marken."

Estel glanced back and forth between Legolas and Marken. "What must I do? Legolas, I want to help you. I'll do whatever I have to. You saved me. This is my fault. If I hadn't been clumsy and fallen and lost you all, you wouldn't have been hurt."

The Elf shook his head vehemently. "No, Estel. This is in no way your fault. It is the way of fate and it could have happened to anyone in these woods. You mustn't blame yourself for this. Marken...he asks that you close the wound child and I fear you are too young for such a burden."

Estel bit his lower lip. Stitch it...I don't know if I can do this... He looked up now, meeting Legolas' gaze. He could see the pain in the Elf's eyes, not just the pain from his wound, but also the pain he felt for him...Estel. For a 10-year-old, Estel was above average on a maturity level. "I can do it," he finally answered with determination. "I have seen Ada do it and I know how it has to be done."

He scootched forward until he was nudged up against Legolas. The close proximity to his friend allowed Estel to feel Legolas trembling and the boy's brow furrowed in worry. Seeing this, Marken laid a hand on his shoulder. "He will be fine. You just need to concentrate on the task at hand, Estel."

Nodding, the boy set about preparing for what he had to do. Marken, meanwhile, moved Legolas away from the tree just enough to slide in behind him. The Elf really was trembling hard and felt like he had a fever. The man wished he knew more about healing; knew more about Elves.

"Estel?" Legolas hated to make the boy do this, hated to know this was something the child wasn't soon to forget. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I'm sure your brothers will find us in time."

Estel looked up at Legolas, his eyes full of unerring resolve. "I want to help you, Legolas. You saved me. I'm young, but I'm not stupid. I've seen Ada do this so many times on my brothers. Even on me once." He lifted his pant leg and pointed to a jagged scar. "See...it will be all right."

Legolas couldn't help but smile. But the smile soon faded when he saw that both Marken and Estel were set to go. "I've got him, Estel," Marken said quietly, his voice betraying his sorrow and his guilt.

Estel nodded and moved closer. The needle and the sinew he would use were already prepared. All he had to do was start. But that was the hardest part. Looking up, he suddenly felt an urge to reassure Legolas. "I'll go as quick as I can, Legolas. Soon it will be all over."

The Elf didn't reply, rather he tightened his grip on Marken's arms and clenched his teeth. This was hard enough on Estel, he'd be damned before he cried out and made the boy feel worse.

While he was making promises to himself, Estel bent to his work. Legolas perceptibly stiffened, but did not make a single sound. He held his breath when the needle snagged, but knew that it wasn't Estel's fault. He had never done it before and his movements were shaky at best, but he was trying to be gentle.

It could be much worse, the Elf thought. If I were alone I know I couldn't do it myself. And he is so like his Ada...serious and attentive. You would never think him a mere child right now. He broke from his thoughts when Estel had to pull rather hard to get a stitch completed. To Legolas' dismay he let out a short grunt, drawing Estel's attention.

But it hurt too much for him to reassure the boy. Estel's eyes glistened with tears.

"It's all right, Estel."

Marken couldn't bear this much longer, he had to do something. "Estel, I want you to look at me." The boy did so, tears flowing freely now. "You are not hurting him on purpose. But if you do not gather yourself and finish, you will only prolong the pain. Do not let anything slow you down. Anything."

Straightening up, Estel nodded. He refused to look Legolas in the face now, for fear he would lose it completely. Instead, he went back to his task, carefully stitching, trying to keep it neat and straight.

Then, to both Marken and Estel's relief, Legolas passed out.

"Elladan? Do you think that we are close yet?"

Elrohir was frustrated. He was having trouble keeping the worry out of his voice. His brother wasn't much better off. They had not seen hide nor hair of Legolas and Estel, who they had been certain they would have seen at least signs of by now.

"We must be, Elrohir. It sounded like they had wounded Legolas pretty badly. I do not think they would have gotten far if he was so badly hurt." It was only a small comfort knowing their friend and brother had to be close. They were loathe to see Legolas' injury. If they knew the wood-Elf at all, it would be serious.

"Look!" Elrohir suddenly dropped to one knee, pointing excitedly at the ground. "If this isn't a false trail I'll eat my shirt!"

Elladan knelt as well, eying the ground. "Yes...I think you're right! This looks like Legolas' work. He's really good at creating false trails to confuse trackers. Mirkwood forest is known for its perils and they are not all animals either. We will need to find where they begin. That is where we will find Estel and Legolas."

So the twins began to trail the false trail back to its origin. It was not easy work, but they were both adept trackers themselves and had taught Legolas a fair amount of what he knew. Soon, they reached a junction of trails. The source.

"This is it!" Elrohir said. He immediately inclined his head and began to search the trees for any sign of their friends. He was about to sigh in frustration when he saw something odd. An old maple tree appeared to be top heavy. The branches had all grown up and around in a sort of bulge.

That's no natural growth!

"El! Look up. There, in that maple. I do believe that tree is hiding something." If he had been speaking to anyone else, they would have laughed at him. But Elladan knew that wood-Elves had an affinity with trees and he didn't doubt for a moment that Legolas would have used it to their aid.

He frowned. "How will we convince the tree to open up? It may only respond to Legolas."

"We call out to them," Elrohir said, heading toward the tree's base. "Legolas! Estel! Are you up there!"

There was a pause. The pause lengthened and the twins frowned. Then...

"Elrohir!? Is that you!?"

"Estel!" The twins both let out sighs of relief. They were short lived.

"Thank the Valar!" They heard the boy cry. "Legolas is hurt bad. He needs help!"

Elladan called back up to the boy. "Estel, tell him to get the tree to open up. We will come up and assist you, but the tree will not listen to us, we have not the ability to speak to it."

There was yet another pause.

"Uhm...El, Legolas isn't awake. He passed out."

This could complicate matters. "Can you wake him?" Elladan asked the bulge in the tree.

Inside the bulge, Marken and Estel began to shake Legolas. The Elf muttered something vaguely akin to "go away" but showed no sign of waking. "Doesn't appear to be an option," Marken called out.

"Who are you?" Came a twin's voice.

Estel answered. "Our friend. He got us away from the bad men and the Orcs. But how do we get out of here?"

The Elves were at a loss. Without Legolas awake to communicate with the tree, they weren't sure what to do. "We might as well try to speak to it, Elladan," the younger twin said quietly. He and his brother both went to the tree and rested their hands on it. Elladan spoke.

"Mightly maple, you have protected our friend and brother. But to best serve them, you must let us to them."

Nothing.

They continued to try, but to no avail. Some things were better left to a wood-Elf.

Up in the tree, Estel began to cry. He knew his brothers were close and he no longer had to be so strong. Now, his sobs began to trickle down his face and fall onto Legolas' arm. The sobs turned into full-fledged tears and soon, he was all out crying. Marken tried to calm him, but the boy had been through too tramatic an experience.

But it seemed one good thing did come of all his crying.

"Estel..."

Bleary-eyed and weak-voiced, Legolas was now awake.