I own Notilan, Danuinel and Corriduil (unfortunately) but everyone else belongs to Tolkien. Thanks, and reviews are at the bottom of the chapter.
Chapter 24The small company travelled on for a good few hours before the next break. The light was fading, and a small clearing served as a good place to set up camp. Being in the Mirkwood forest, no place was safe, but this was the best that anyone could do.
Legolas stepped out of the coach, with the help of Notilan, who had moved up alongside the carriage to check on the prince. The archer placed a hand on his side, covering the stitches and trying to find out if heat would relieve some of the pain.
He looked around, recognising this spot as one he had visited many times as an Elfling and again as a young warrior. The trees had served as a respite from the hassles and duties of palace life and Legolas had spent many hours sitting in the strong branches, just enjoying his own company and that of the surrounding plants and animals.
At the same time as being a place of good memories, it also brought reality crashing down and the prince sank to his knees.
"Legolas? Is something the matter?" Elrond rushed to the prince's side, worried that the archer was having a relapse. He knelt quickly beside the Elf and pushed his head up to see the blue eyes. The usually piercing blue eyes were dull and lifeless.
"This place. It … holds so many memories." Legolas whispered, his senses taking in everything around them, as if his father were to step out from between the trees. In some ways, the prince's heart wished for this to happen, but the thought made him shiver. "I feel sick."
The archer stood quickly, swaying slightly as the motion, before heading into the forest. Elrond did not accompany the prince, as he knew very well that the young Elf knew the forest better than anyone and he would not get lost. Estel, however, worried about the prince's health and went after his friend.
"Legolas?" Estel called out. There was a rustling sound from within the undergrowth and the prince's voice called back. The Ranger headed towards the voice and quickly found the archer.
"I'm sorry, Estel. My stomach needs to empty itself. At the most inconvenient of times, I might add." Legolas sighed, dropping again to his knees. His face was pale and he gasped slightly, trying to stop himself from throwing up.
"Do not apologise, Legolas. Everything is catching up with you and at the moment, your stomach is finding it hard to cope with food as well as everything else. It is perfectly normal." Estel reassured his friend, who nodded in response. The Ranger was Legolas trying not to throw up and decided to say something. "Please do not try to hold it back. It is better that your stomach empties now, rather than tomorrow when we face Corriduil."
It was only a matter of seconds before Estel was holding Legolas around the waist as the Elf heaved into the foliage. Each strain was followed by a groan from the archer, as the movements only increased the pain he was currently feeling. The remaining energy was sapped from the prince with every second that passed. Estel felt the prince getting heavier and heavier in his arms, before Legolas went limp completely.
"All right, mellon-nin, time to head back to camp. You need your rest." Estel spoke quietly, knowing that Legolas, in his unconsciousness, would more than likely not have heard him. He scooped the Elf up into a better position, turned slowly and walked back to the camp.
The Ranger was greeted by a barrage of concerned looks and Danuinel rushed forward.
"What has happened? Has he been attacked?" The Elf asked, visually checking the prince for injuries. The Ranger calmly shook his head and continued walking over to a nearby tree, where he was joined by the rest of the group.
"He has been sick, and fell unconscious." Estel explained, laying the prince on the ground, covered by a blanket. Legolas moved slightly before settling again under the strong hands of his friend.
"Legolas will be feeling better after a short rest and I think that once everything is settled at the palace tomorrow, things may begin to return to normal. This sleep will help him to gather energy for tomorrow's events, but he will need all of us in support." Elrond informed the group. Everyone nodded their agreement, though it was not necessary, as not one of the members of the party would have let Legolas deal with Corriduil on his own. The Advisor was a dangerous Elf, after having killed the King, and he was very unpredictable.
"I think it would be advisable for you all to gather your strength for tomorrow. I shall take the first watch tonight." Estel offered. No one disagreed and all departed for their bedrolls. The Ranger took his place sitting on a fallen log beside where the prince lay, drifting somewhere between sleep and unconsciousness.
"Estel?" A small voice asked, sometime after midnight. The Ranger turned quickly at the noise and knelt down beside the prince.
"Is something wrong, mellon-nin?" Estel asked.
"What's happening, we were in the woods?" Legolas was confused after waking up in a different place to where he was last aware of.
"You lost consciousness and I brought you back to camp. It is just after midnight. Do not worry, the watches have been arranged, so just try and get some rest." Estel reassured the archer, whose eyes slowly closed of their own accord before Legolas could stop them. He fell quickly asleep again.
There were no disturbances that night. Legolas stirred quite a bit during the night without waking or drifting into the nightmares that haunted his sleep regularly. Estel woke Elladan after two hours to take his watch and the Ranger settled down to sleep beside the prince. They slept side by side when camping in the wild, as their body heat could be shared, a valuable resource for both the Elf and Ranger in the current circumstances.
TBCReplies:
Nomad6: His fastest time ever? That's fantastic! Well done to him winning his race. Hopefully everything is ok with you, and thanks for reviewing!
Fluffy's fangirls: Ooh, more huggs! I love huggs. Huggs Fluffy's fangirls. Thank you for your compliments once more, and thanks for reviewing!
teestumpwitch: I try my best with the detail. Basically I just try to imagine myself there, watching them all from a distance. Then I try to write that, sometimes its good but other times, I just don't get it quite right. I appreciate reviews like yours, which value the small things. I think that authors put as much thought into the small things as they do with the big things. I shall try and imagine the coach for you and put some detail into the next chapter! Thanks again for the review!
BitterLee: I totally agree. If nothing ever happened to him, I wouldn't bother writing, and nobody would bother reading. This site probably wouldn't ever exist. Anyway, thanks for the review and hope you enjoy the update, even though it's a bit late.
HarryEstel: I think everyone can relate to the 'Estel bumping his head on the coach' incident. A few people have mentioned it now, and I myself have had the same thing happen to me. So thanks for that!
Moonyasha: Arod neighs his thanks for the carrots, and Legolas sends his thanks for the carrots too, as now he can finish his cake. I can faithfully report that it is going down very quickly and there will not be much cake left. Lets hope that he doesn't eat it too quickly and end up with a stomachache. Poor Leggy. Thanks for reviewing!
ashlyns: I thank you for the wonderful compliments. They are all added to a big bag and put aside for inspiration for the next chapter, which entails that encounter with Corriduil, so watch out for that. Sparks will fly! That much I will tell you, the rest I don't even know yet! Thanks for reviewing!