Disclaimer: Danuinel is the only thing I own in this chapter. Tolkien owns everything else, though I reckon that everyone wishes they owned Legolas. Hmm. Oh, right, disclaimer, sorry about that…

Chapter 7

It took a long time to dress all the prince's wounds. Most had been torn open during the seizure and none, no matter how small, were painless to treat. Legolas, being the proud being that he was, endured all the pain without a word of complaint.

It pained all of the other beings in the room to see the prince in such unbearable agony. It was made clear at the beginning, by Danuinel, that no painkilling herbs were to be used on Legolas, as they would interfere with the mixture that coated the blade which gave Legolas back his life.

By the time Estel was finished his ministrations, Legolas was drifting in and out of consciousness. His face was pure white and his eyes were tightly closed against the actions. The Elf was lying on his side, clutching the sheets and making his knuckles lose their colour.

"Legolas, look at me." Estel said, kneeling down beside the bed and facing the prince. Legolas slowly opened his eyes to look at his best friend. "It's over, I'm finished. Try and get some more rest."

Legolas nodded, his blonde hair moving as he did so. It had fanned out around the pillow as the day grew older and had become slightly matted. It was coated with sweat at times, and stuck to his skin making him look even more ill.

Danuinel refused to move from the room while his friend slept. Legolas was vulnerable in this state, and if anything was going to happen, it would have to get through him and Estel first. Estel, as always, never left the room while his best friend was injured or sick.

"How is he?" Elrond asked, closing the door quietly behind him. The Elven Lord made his way to the bed and carefully inspected the prince without actually touching the fair being.

"Not doing very well, Ada. He experienced another seizure and most of his wounds re-opened. I have treated and dressed them all, which was almost unbearable for him. I bid him sleep only a few moments ago. I did not see it fitting to disturb your studies." The Ranger informed his foster-father, who nodded sincerely.

The room was silent for a few moments, while everyone watched the sleeping prince. The soft, uneven breathing of the Elf was the only thing to make noise. Quite often during sleep, Legolas would call out or begin to thrash, unable to wake from his tormentors. It took about half an hour of calling the Elf's name and gently shaking him by his friends to finally bring him back to the waking world. They all hoped that this time would be different and that he would have an uneventful sleep where he may actually rest.

"How long do you think it will be until he is well enough to get up?" Danuinel asked Estel, never taking his eyes off the blonde archer.

"I cannot be sure. It will depend on any complications we come across. The seizures are certainly not helping his condition. It seems that every time he has one, he drifts backwards. One step forwards and three back it appears. There is nothing we can do except be there and try and help as much as we can." The Ranger said, watching the slow rise and fall of the archer's chest.

Sunset

Legolas was sitting up, a little more colour to his previously pale skin. Having been awake for almost an hour, he was feeling slightly surprised that he was not feeling as fatigued as before.

Estel and Danuinel had fallen asleep, which was unusual. Estel would never have fallen asleep without making sure that someone else was there to make sure that his friend would be safe. Perhaps Danuinel had thought the same.

The blonde prince was highly amused by the whole situation. It would be a shock to the Ranger when he woke to find his friend conscious and aware before he was. Legolas had pulled himself upright for the first time since he had been poisoned, but he was careful about not exerting himself too much and causing another fit.

As much as he hated the fits, it would have been worse if he were to suffer it alone. With his two friends sleeping, he would have had to go through it himself, doubting that he would have been able to wake them.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a dark head peered round it. The Elf entered on seeing the prince awake. It was Elrond.

"How are you feeling now, penneth?" The Elven Lord asked, smiling at the sight of his son and their friend sleeping deeply against the mattress.

"Better, thank you. The feeling of fatigue has left me for the moment, for which I am very thankful. I have been awake for about an hour now, and there has been no response from these two and I did not have the heart to wake them." Legolas explained to the smiling Elf.

They talked for a few more minutes, before Estel roused at the sound of the two speaking. The Ranger blinked the sleep from his eyes and smiled at his friend and father. It took him about five seconds before he realised something.

"Legolas! You are awake." He exclaimed, waking Danuinel.

"Estel, you are getting slow. I have been awake for almost one hour now and you did not notice. Indeed, you seemed to need the rest more than I! And you too, Dan'!" Legolas smiled, mentally aware not to let any emotions slip past his grasp. He could not afford to have another fit.

"I cannot believe that I fell asleep, we fell asleep," he corrected before continuing, "while we were supposed to look after you."

"Perhaps I should be the one looking after you two!" Legolas smiled. He and Estel embraced happily. The archer felt like he was really back from the dead now. Things were getting back to normal. If normal was what you could call the situation before all this happened.

TBC

Replies:

Mornflower: That was really nice of you, going to play with your little brother. What age is he? Not many people would have done that. I am glad you liked the last chapter, hopefully you will enjoy this one just as much. Please review again soon!

Sindauviel: Your friend has seizures? Are they bad? I hope I'm not offending anyone with putting them as part of the story. I suffered an illness where I had a different type of seizure and so know something about them. Glad you are still enjoying the story!

Moonyasha: Legolas and Estel say a big thank you for all the pain balloons and they watch as Elladan and Elrohir try and dodge a particularly large pink one. Needless to say, the twins are now pink. Danuinel says thanks for the snickers bar. He has never encountered anything like this before and I had a difficult time explaining that chocolate is great even though it is a weird colour. He got it in the end.

LiLred: Thanks, please review again soon!

Nomad6: Everything is good here, thanks for asking. I have finished my exams now and have all the results. Glad to report that all the studying I did has paid off. For the time being. Six weeks until the final exams. How's Tux by the way?

HarryEstel: He always has it bad doesn't he? Never mind, things usually work out in the end. I certainly do know the feeling when people want to kill me. Especially when I ended Hidden Truth the way I did. People were not happy at all. Thanks!

Marauding-siriusly: It seemed like a great idea to write something like that about him. Thanks a lot for the not-so-subtle flattery and hopefully this chapter will be quick enough for you. This is as quickly as I can update unfortunately, as I have a rota thing with my sister. I am only on the computer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Thanks!

BitterLee: Well, at least you can use the Internet when you are babysitting. I have not done anything like that before. I work in a supermarket. Which reminds me, I have a nine-hour shift tomorrow. Better go and get some sleep before tomorrow. Thanks again!