Disclaimer: Hey, people. Here's the update for you. Danuinel and Notilan belong to me but everyone else (unfortunately) belongs to Tolkien. Thanks for everyone's support and I hope that you all enjoy the chapter! Replies are at the bottom as usual. Thanks again!

Chapter 23

The Sun rose, spreading golden beams of sunlight across Middle Earth. As the light touched the different plants and trees, they seemed to grow alive. There was no wind as the storm had completely blown itself out the night before. Snow lingered on the ground, but the amount was slight and was melting quickly under the scrutiny of the morning Sun.

And so, with the spread of the light, the Elves and human woke. Elrond surveyed the weather, happy with the situation and the realisation that their journey could continue as soon as everyone was ready.

Estel blinked heavily against the bright light. Eventually, his eyes adjusted and he sat up, taking in the surroundings. His best friend lay quietly beside him. The Elf continued sleeping even with the Sun shining on his face. The Ranger looked over and smiled at the sleeping Elf.

"Sleep well, Estel?" Elrohir asked. Estel stood up and joined his family around the small fire where breakfast was slowly cooking.

"I did. The storm seems to have blown itself out. We will continue to Mirkwood today, Ada?" Estel asked, turning to his father.

"We shall. I feel it better to carry on travelling until we arrive, if possible. I would ask, though, that we adopt a lesser pace than before. I do not wish to arrive in Mirkwood with Legolas any worse off than I can help." Elrond pointed out. Everyone in the group agreed the idea, with no resistance. They all wished to be in Mirkwood as soon as possible, but the health of the prince came first, and the party gladly slowed the pace.

There was a small noise from beneath the shelter, and Elrond turned to see Legolas shift position slightly. A frown crossed the young prince's face as he slept. The Elven Lord rose and knelt beside the archer. Legolas mumbled some incoherent words and turned his head to the side.

"Legolas, it is time to wake. Legolas?" Elrond spoke carefully, not wishing to startle the sleeping Elf.

The archer moaned quietly before struggling against the sunlight. Elrond, noticing the prince's problem, held his hand above Legolas' eyes, shielding them from the light. After a few moments, Legolas opened his blue eyes, and gasped slightly.

"Easy, penneth." Elrond said, removing his hand slowly, and forcing the prince to look at him.

"Elrond." Legolas whispered, looking very relieved.

"Another nightmare?" The healer asked. This dream was certainly causing a lot of problems. Elrond mentally searched lists of items he had seen in books for something that would help decrease the frequency or intensity of the nightmares.

"The beginnings of one. Estel, he was climbing towards me, something climbing after him. It reached up towards him and I called out, and then it all stopped." Legolas looked away, his mind recalling the night's events. The Ranger heard his name and approached carefully.

"Is everything all right here? I heard my name. Legolas?" Estel asked. The Elf in question turned to him.

"Everything is fine, Estel. Worry not." Legolas reassured his friend before quickly changing the subject. "I smell something good, is there any left?"

"Yes, plenty. We saved some for you. It should keep us going as we travel. Come." The Ranger extended his hand and helped the prince up. Legolas was still incredibly sore and stiff and it was obvious to everyone.

The Elf did not eat very much, and so they were quickly on their way, the two Elves and Estel riding in the dreaded carriage. The Sun beat down, heating the coach to an almost unbearable degree. Estel sweated heavily and occasionally poured water over his head to cool off. Legolas also felt the heat in his weakened state. Elrond would remind the younger Elf every so often to take a drink so as not to become dehydrated.

Despite the slower pace, the carriage still hit many bumps or fallen branches in the road and jerked violently. Estel, who had resorted to leaning his head on the side of the coach, was caught out as it suddenly jerked and he bumped his head hard.

"Ow!" He burst. He put his hand up to his head, and thankfully there was no blood or even a lump. For the duration of the journey, Estel refrained from leaning against the coach, for fear of the next time and possibly getting concussion. Legolas laughed heartedly at his friend.

"I'm glad you find amusement in my accident, Legolas. Remind me of that next time, and I shall laugh at your expense." Estel said, feigning hurt. This only served for Elrond and Legolas to laugh even more.

The carriage jolted once more, jarring the prince's side and chest. He quickly leant forward, breathing hard to try and make the pain subside. He placed a hand on both the sore spots, feeling wetness on his tunic.

"Stop the coach!" Elrond shouted out the door. He pushed Legolas back against the seat again, pulling the Elf's hands away. "Legolas, let me see. I'm going to remove your tunic."

"The stitches in my side, I fear they have torn." The prince told the healer. He put his pride to one side and told Elrond, anything to get the pain to decrease.

"Ah, yes, you are right. The chest wound seems to have held, just pulled slightly that's all. I shall repair the stitches and get you some herbs." Elrond informed the prince, who nodded in understanding.

"Legolas, you should have said if the ride was giving you pain." Estel reprimanded the prince.

"Estel, every movement gives me pain, be it in the coach, or sitting under a tree. There is no relief that I have found as of yet." Legolas replied, looking Estel straight in the eye.

The Ranger nodded before smiling at his friend. The Elf bid him go and inform the others of the reason for stopping, to prevent them worrying. Elrond returned and removed the old stitches, the proceeded to put in new ones, causing Legolas to gasp in pain once more.

TBC

Replies:

HarryEstel: Don't worry about not being able to review. God knows, I've had enough problems with my computer to know all about these things. Thanks for reviewing!

Nomad6: I shall keep my fingers crossed for the planned addition next year! Good luck with everything and thanks for the continued help with my story. Thanks again for reviewing!

Fluffy's fangirls: Hey, no worries, hugs always help. They make me produce better chapters I think! Thanks for the review!

ashlyns: Thankfully, my dad is quite a quiet sleeper, I hope I haven't jinxed myself now! Anyway, I thought it would be a nice little addition to the chapter, something to lighten the mood slightly. Thanks again for reviewing!

Moonyasha: Totally yeyness! Great word by the way! I was hoping for a laptop for my birthday which was in March but got a CAR instead! How lucky was that! Legolas says thanks for the cake, he's busy trying to bat Arod away so he can eat it in peace. Estel is too afraid to help him with the horse after the little incident. But the Ranger says thanks again for the tent. Thanks from me for the review!