Disclaimer: Well, here it is, another chapter. I never thought I would get this far. I thought I would write a few chapters and then give up. But look at it now, a 58-chapter story and a sequel to go with it. Hmm. I'm proud. I do not own any of the characters except from Danuinel. Tolkien owns everything else. See you next time!

Sorry that this chapter has taken so long to post. You all must have thought that I'd died or something. My computer has been acting up and it has taken me that long to try and work out what is wrong with the thing. It's going to see the shop I bought it from in the beginning of April so hopefully that will solve everything.

Chapter 9

For a good few hours, the prince's friends, including Elrond who had been called by this time, tried in vain to waken him from his tangled web of nightmares. But it was no use. No matter what they tried, Legolas remained caught in a world where no one could reach him.

After a while, Estel and Danuinel were told to leave the room. They both protested to the request but eventually complied after receiving one of the Elven Lord's famous looks. It was not because they were in the way, but mainly so as they did not become too distressed in seeing their friend suffering.

"Legolas, penneth, return to us. Lasto beth nin." The last part was spoken in Elvish, in some desperate attempt to get through to the prince.

The curtains fluttered at the window, caught in the night breeze. Outside, the stars were hidden by a thick covering of blue velvet. At this time of night, no one wandered the grounds of Rivendell. The Elves had retired for the night with the exception of the guards and those who could not find sleep.

Under the sky, the dark-haired Ranger stood. His dark curls were moved by the breeze, tangling together and getting in his eyes. He brought a hand up to his face and brushed them away. He leant heavily on the handrail breathing in the cold air.

Not very far away, Danuinel kept his eyes to the floor. He preferred that no one see his emotions and so kept his eyes down. The marble glistened in the lamplight of the corridor in which they stood. It had a balcony and Estel had chosen to stand there, trying to sort his thoughts.

No matter how hard either of them tried, there was always one thing on their minds. Legolas. He was having struggles of his own at this moment. He still could not reach his fallen friend and the hands were still grabbing at his clothing, preventing him from getting there.

He tried calling out Estel's name, hoping that whoever was holding him back realised that he was trying to help his friend, but everything he tried was in vain. The world suddenly swirled before his eyes and everything turned black.

The prince moaned, rewarding Elrond's pleas and comforts. The Elven Lord did not say anything for fear of frightening the prince, as the last time Legolas had been awake; he had not been there. It may have startled the blonde archer to see someone there who had not been there when he had fallen asleep.

"Estel?" Legolas whispered, his eyes blinking against the rush of light. Elrond stepped closer, so that he was standing in Legolas' line of vision.

"Nay, penneth, it is Elrond. I have requested that Estel and Danuinel stand outside for the moment." Elrond explained. The archer attempted to sit up, but in the end needed assistance. Once he was comfortable, they talked a little more.

"Why are they outside?" Legolas asked, confused. "They were here a minute ago."

"I'm afraid you have been asleep for a few hours now. When you fell asleep, you suffered a nightmare and could not be woken from it. I feared that it was the same one as always, and asked them to leave so that you could have some privacy." Elrond informed the younger Elf.

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness. Indeed, it was the same one." Legolas said, his mind drifting back to the dream. "He was right there, holding the branch. We reached for each other, but he was slipping and I could not reach far enough. The branch broke and I watched him falling towards them. They started attacking him and I leaped from my position to help but hands were grabbing me and would not let go. I was only trying to help. I should have tried harder!"

The Elf's voice had risen in volume towards the end and he nearly shouted the last part. Elrond placed his hand on the prince's arm, comforting him without actually having to say anything. There was a sudden twitch in the Elf's pale body and he instantly calmed, not wishing for another seizure.

"You could not have done anything more. Dreams are difficult things to deal with. They catch you in different situations, some leave you elated and others make you feel like you could have done more. It is important that you remember that Estel is just down the corridor and nothing has happened to him. He is perfectly fine." Elrond reminded the young prince.

Later the next day

Elrond had given Legolas some herbs to help him sleep without dreaming. At first the prince had been reluctant, but eventually gave in. Estel and Danuinel were sent to rest, but neither agreed to be that far from their friend and in the end both slept in the prince's room.

It was late in the morning before any of them woke. Danuinel stretched and yawned as he woke, careful not to wake either of the others. He was relieved to see Legolas sleeping soundly and with no sign of another nightmare. But his reckoning, it was nearly noon and he could smell the midday meal being made.

"Dan'?" Legolas whispered, seeing the outline of his friend against the noon sunlight as it drifted in through the open window.

"Legolas, you are awake. How are you feeling this morning?" The dark-haired Elf asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. It was clear that the prince looked better. But then, he had been the day before too.

"Not as bad as yesterday. The fatigue lingers and there is something else, though I am not sure exactly what it is." Legolas' face screwed up with an expression of thought and confusion as he tried to think of what the feeling was.

"Are you in pain, shall I fetch Lord Elrond?" Danuinel asked quickly, thinking his friend might be suffering more pain.

"No, it is nothing like that. I am hungry."

TBC

Replies:

BanbieBunny: Thanks for that review. About the seizures. I suffered from seizures for a few years (I have grown out of them now) and know a bit about them. They were not connected to epilepsy (the doctors did not know what was happening to begin with). It was not as physical as the ones Leggy is having, mine were called "absences". As with your sister, I suffered disorientation and couldn't speak very well when I came out of it. I am thinking about putting more detailed symptoms in and I thank you for your help in this subject.

LanierShazar: Hey, no worries that it took you a while. It has taken me almost two weeks to be able to post this chapter and it was INFURIATING! Read the disclaimer if you want to find out more. Thanks again!

Nomad6: Great! Well done on the promotion! What are you now? Sorry about Chester, I thought you were keeping him. Hopefully everything will be alright with the broodmare and you get to keep her instead. Well done again, and thanks for the review!

Fluffy's fangirls: The end of Hidden Truth made me cry too. It took me about four hours to write it because I had to keep stopping to blow my nose! Thankfully, I got the sequel up and running relatively quickly so people were still interested. Thanks for the review!

Moonyasha: I'm hopefully going to include an interesting thing about Mirkwood in chapters which are not very far away. Thanks for the bazooka! The whole gang give their thanks for the paintball guns and paintballs. However, as Estel is wearing only pink clothing, they are not shooting him very much as it does not show up very well. Elrond sends a death-glare. Thanks again for the review.

BitterLee: Despite the fact that I don't live in your country, we do have Robots. I haven't seen it yet but my little sister wants to see it so I may be going soon. I'll get back to you on that. Your theory about Leggy's dream world and his reality colliding is very intelligent. I had not thought about it. Thanks for reviewing!

the return of merry: I'm glad that your brother is alright. What happens with the infusions, how do they work? Sorry about the delay in the posting of this chapter, read the disclaimer if you want to find out more.

marauding-siriusly: I almost forgot about the pink thing too. It's a good thing that I reread my chapters! I'm glad you think that that was a good prank. Thanks!

Ashlyns: Haven't heard from you before. It's great to hear from people who haven't reviewed my stuff before! Sorry about the delay in the posting of this chapter, read the disclaimer if you want to find out more. Thanks again!

HarryEstel: The dream might indicate things to come, or it may not. You know me, who knows what could happen next! I think that the pink thing would be extremely funny to see. That was the thing I was thinking about when I was trying to come up with a prank for him. Things that would be funny to see. So there we go. See you next time!