Back in Legolas' chambers, a lone dwarf sat keeping vigil over two still forms. But with nothing that he himself could do, the dwarf soon became anxious and paced the floors, much as he had done in the prison. He very much wished that Elrond was by his side, though in his heart, he knew that there was not much that the healer could do for his friends. Whether they lived or died was completely out of anyone's hands, save for the one's whose life it was. Within his own heart, Gimli sent a pleading prayer to the Valar. True, the elves were much closer to the Valar than the dwarves, but Gimli could think of nothing better and found that the prayer, though desperate, was calming.

The day slowly dragged on and the dwarf saw no other elves. Elrond must have instructed the servants to leave the prince's chambers be. Towards the night, he finally became aware that he was hungry, but he could not bear to depart from the bedside of his friends. Still he had not heard tale of Elrond and he wondered how the elf lord was faring with Thranduil.

Softly the door to Legolas' room opened, though Gimli was not aware of it, for the palace doors made no sound.

"Has there been any change?" asked a voice, suddenly cutting the silence of the room. Gimli nearly jumped out of his skin.

Looking back, he saw Elrond with Glorfindel trailing him.

"Nothing yet. How did things go with Thranduil?"

Elrond took up bowl of water and crushed a few herbs into it before using a rag to lave the brows of the injured warriors. It was a full minute or two before he acknowledged the dwarf's question.

"Initially, things went far more ill than I had anticipated. Thranduil must have consumed a large quantity of the serum." Elrond sighed. "It was long before even Glorfindel could subdue the king."

"And the antidote? Is he responding to it?" Gimli asked, impatient for news. Surely something must have happened by now, he thought.

Under different circumstances, Elrond might have laughed at the dwarf's impatience. Now he merely looked grim.

"It will be a day or more before we see if the antidote has had any effect on the king."

"What does that mean?" Gimli asked, catching the grand 'if' in Elrond's words.

"Thranduil has consumed much of the serum," Elrond replied, echoing his earlier statement. "Kyno noted in his journals that a prolonged exposure to the venom could, in cases, leave permanent results. I have taken such precaution as I could and gave to him a large dose of the antidote. Still, the effects of the serum remain to be seen."

"So he might just stay as he is…in the mindset to kill his son?" Gimli asked, incredulous.

Elrond nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

"So he has no regrets on what he has done to Legolas?"

"At the moment, no. The malice of the Necromancer, working through Kyno and his sons, still permeates his body and mind. Still, I do not say that you should lose all hope, master dwarf. Lord Elrond is quite skilled in healing and if any can help the king, it is he." It was Glorfindel who now spoke.

A silence blanketed the room after the elf had spoken, and Elrond continued his work on first Legolas, then Aragorn. Aragorn, though his wound was severe looking, was faring much better than when his adopted father had found him. His breathing was easier and deeper, as evidenced by the rise and fall of his chest. His pulse too was becoming steadily stronger, now that the flow of blood had been stopped and the wound closed with bandages. But then there was Legolas, whose breathing was heavily labored and quite shallow. At first glance, the rise and fall of his chest was so imperceptibly slight that any who glanced at him quickly would have certainly taken him for dead. His pulse was weak, as Elrond grimly noted. This was particularly worrisome. If it became any weaker, the elf's organs would fail utterly.

"Lord Elrond," Gimli said, once the elf was seated, his ministrations to the two finished for the time being. "I did not ask you something before…I was too grateful to see you and too anxious for Legolas and Aragorn. But something tugs at my mind. What was it that brought you to Mirkwood, only just in time to aid them?"

Elrond turned a friendly smile to the dwarf. "In truth, I knew not that anything was amiss in these woods. Rather I came at the request of Lady Galadriel in Lothlorien." Here Gimli's ears and heart perked up. "I received a message from her two weeks ago. She bid me meet her within Mirkwood, at the palace. She rides hither with Lord Celeborn for reason to destroy Dol Guldur. Glorfindel and I set out as soon as we could, though we rode at our leisure for it shall be a week or more before the Lord and Lady arrive. Now I fear that my lack of haste has had too great a consequence."

"When we arrived at the palace," Glorfindel began, picking up the story while Elrond chastised himself within his own heart, "we both sensed that much was amiss and dread stole over our hearts. We were led to the throne room by one of the servants, just in time to witness Thranduil throw the guards and healer out. We knew then that we had found the source of the anxiety that we had felt. I dearly wish that we had been a few minutes sooner. Perhaps then the young prince…" Here he let his voice trail off, not needing to finish his statement.

All that night, the three stayed within Legolas' room, taking turns to stay awake on watch, lest one either awaken or need assistance. But the night deepened and eventually passed without incident, for which Elrond was partly glad for. Legolas had passed a crucial time frame, for he had not succumbed to his wounds but instead still fought hard against them. True, he was far from being out of danger, but the first day had passed since he had been found in his current condition. Once again, Elrond sent his thanks to the Valar.

It was late evening when Elrond and Glorfindel left Gimli alone in the room to make their check on Thranduil. Since he had been left on the previous day, they had not ventured out of the prince's chambers. Now Elrond wanted to see if the anti-venom had had any effect on the king.

Gimli sat alone, deep in his own dark thoughts. Though Elrond had been pleased and lightened in heart to see that Legolas had made it through the first day, the dwarf was not convinced. There was no outward sign of the elf being on the road to recovery. Still his breathing was dangerously shallow and still his pulse had yet to become stronger.

Aragorn, on the other hand, seemed to be gaining strength in great leaps. Once or twice Gimli could see the man's muscles twitch as he fought his way back to consciousness. The second night grew older. Gimli's head began to nod, as much as he tried to fight it. Any energy that he should have had was completely spent, though he had to admit, he had done little since he had begun his vigil on the previous day. The emotional impact of the situation was finally beginning to take its' toll on him.

The moon was just over two hours shy of its' peak when Gimli suddenly awoke. He had fallen asleep, despite his best efforts to remain alert. An instant of panic shot through him and he quickly checked to make sure that his friends were not in need. Legolas' status seemed not to have changed, but Aragorn groaned in pain once or twice. Gimli guessed that one such groan was what had awoken him in the first place. He peered over at the Gondorian.

Aragorn's eyes fluttered open to find the deep set eyes of a dwarf above him. Gimli gave a cry of joy at seeing the man awake, though for the time being, Aragorn seemed unsure of his surroundings. When he appeared to be more focused, Gimli spoke to him.

"Welcome back lad! How do you feel? We were all very worried about you."

"Gimli? Where am I?"

"You are in Legolas' room. Lord Elrond has been tending you since yesterday morning."

"Elrond?"

"Aye. I will explain that later. How do you feel?" Gimli repeated his unanswered question, hoping to see what the king remembered and keeping his focus away from the unmoving form in the next bed over.

"Dazed." The answer was simple, short and to the point.

"Any pain?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Not really." He took a deep breath and suddenly laughed. "Truly Elrond is here! I recognize the scent of the salve he often mixes as a pain reliever. So that explains why an arrow wound would scarcely hurt!" Then suddenly, his face clouded over. "What of Thranduil and Legolas?" Catching the look on the dwarf's face, the man's heart suddenly fell.