Hey everyone! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Here's the next chapter; sorry that it's not as long as the others, lol!

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Legolas and Aragorn spent the night in Raenwe's house, grateful to be out of the cold. They were both awake until very late, nervously awaiting proof that showed that the vanwacoi cure had worked. Nothing had happened as of yet, and Aragorn told his friend that it might take some time.

Legolas had nodded his agreement, but he was very quiet, which meant that he was troubled.

When the elf fell asleep with his eyes closed, Aragorn sighed. Despite his encouraging words to Legolas, the human was filled with anxiety. He remembered Legolas telling him that the vanwacoi effects had manifested within mere hours, but Aragorn had no idea how long it took for the cure to work.

Sighing again, Aragorn crawled onto the other side of the bed, silently watching his friend sleep. What if I prepared the antidote incorrectly? he thought. He fell asleep praying.

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"Heredil!"

Mirkwood's Captain pushed through the crowd of warriors, relived beyond words at the sight of his King.

"Where is Legolas?!" Thranduil exclaimed, before the other elf had a chance to say anything.

Sighing, Heredil took the King's arm and strode up the palace steps, not wishing everyone to hear their conversation.

"Does he live?!" Thranduil exclaimed, alarmed at his friend's silence.

"Aye, they both do," he said, for Elrond's benefit.

Both elves sighed with relief.

"They both arrived in a poor state," said Heredil, opening the door to Thranduil's sitting room. "They were overcome by the weather; Legolas more so than Aragorn."

"We expected as much," said Elrond.

"Why do you not take us to them?" asked Thranduil, wondering why they'd stopped there.

"They are no longer here," said Heredil, inwardly wincing at the explosion that he knew was now imminent.

Both Thranduil and Elrond stared at him, nearly incapable of speaking.

"What?!" the King finally exclaimed.

"They left again, in search of Raenwe," said Heredil.

Thranduil, uncaring that he was soaked from the snow, sat down heavily on a couch.

Elrond sat beside him, looking up at Heredil. "When did they leave?"

"Yesterday," Heredil said, sitting in a nearby chair.

"Yesterday?" Thranduil echoed, raising his lowered head. "How long did they stay?"

"Only one day," Heredil told them, leaving out the fact that Legolas had been near death when they'd arrived. "They were warmed and fed, and rested well."

"But why did you not keep them here?!" Thranduil exclaimed.

"I could not," said Heredil, smiling slightly. "Your son…ah…pulled rank on me."

Elrond chuckled, despite himself.

Thranduil shook his head, slightly amused. "He did not wish us to accompany them," he stated, rather than asked.

Heredil nodded. "He feared your demise."

Thranduil sighed, putting his face in his hands. "Oh Legolas," he mumbled. "What am I to do with you?"

They were silent for a minute, realizing that Legolas and Aragorn had likely already reached Raenwe, and had either been victorious and on their way back…or not managed to get the plant after all…or had been killed.

Thranduil suddenly stood, trying to push the terrible thoughts from his mind. "We must go after them! Gather our warriors, Heredil, we need to start a search…"

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Aragorn woke with a start, immediately sitting up and looking at Legolas before he was even fully aware.

The elf's eyes were still shut.

A pang of worry gripped the human's stomach, as he saw that the vanwacoi had obviously not been eliminated.

Standing, he quietly moved to the window, looking out on the day. It was midmorning, and though he would like to let Legolas sleep longer, he knew that they had to leave as soon as possible: before the village residents found out what had happened to Raenwe.

Clouds were rolling in, and Aragorn feared that more snow was coming. Going back towards the bed, he reached out to wake his friend but reconsidered, going instead to pack their things and let the elf get a little more rest.

A few minutes later, Legolas woke, sensing his friend's urgency before he even opened his eyes. "What is it?" he asked, sitting up.

"We need to leave before the town finds out what has happened," said the human.

Legolas stood, carefully stretching. An aching body was something that had been hard to get used to after being inflicted with the vanwacoi, but he suddenly halted when pain shot through the middle of his chest.

Aragorn turned around when his friend abruptly gasped, and took the elf's arm when he started coughing. "Legolas?"

The elf shook his head, as if to tell the human that he was fine, but the look of pain on Legolas' face—and the fact that he had a hand to his chest—alarmed Aragorn, and he sat his friend back down on the bed.

Legolas tried to stop coughing, but the fluid that still remained in his lungs from his recent illness had accumulated while he'd slept, so he had no choice but to give in to his body's demand.

Aragorn grabbed his pack of herbs, assuming that Legolas was having an attack.

"No," Legolas said, his coughing abating. "I'm all right."

"Then why are you in pain?" Aragorn asked, anxiously.

Legolas began unlacing the ties on his shirt. "From last night…"

Aragorn frowned, before suddenly remembering that Raenwe had thrown a vase at the elf. "Are any ribs broken?" he asked, berating himself harshly for forgetting to check his friend for injury.

Legolas took a deep breath and let it out, wincing, but shaking his head. "No."

Aragorn was relieved, but he winced inwardly at the deep purple discoloration that marred his friend's skin. The bruise was very large, directly over the elf's breastbone. "How bad is the pain?" he asked, pressing on the bruise to ensure that the bone underneath wasn't cracked.

Legolas flinched and pulled back.

Aragorn let go of his friend, picking up his healing pack and rummaging through it. "Forgive me for not tending you last night," he said. "It slipped my mind, with making the antidote, and—"

"Do not apologize! There is no need, it is only a bruise," said Legolas. He was quiet for a minute, before saying, "Speaking of the antidote…"

Aragorn sighed, as he spread a soothing ointment on his friend's injury. "I assume that it takes some time to take full effect."

Legolas said nothing for a minute, before sighing. "Full effect? Nothing has changed yet, Estel…nothing."

Aragorn echoed the sigh, not knowing what else to say as he finished his ministrations and redid the ties on Legolas' shirt. The elf was staring at the floor, his mind obviously dwelling on the vanwacoi antidote.

"Legolas?" Aragorn said, lightly touching his arm.

The elf looked at him, slightly startled, having not realized that his friend was finished.

"Come," said the human. "Let us go home."

Legolas smiled slightly, following his friend out of the house and back towards Mirkwood.