Disclaimer: See prolouge.
A/n- Thanks to everyone who read the last chapter!
Here is the next one, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 13:'Elven Pride.'
Sadarian sat beside a tree listening to it. "The young elf worries about his brother and friend, what his brother said to him really hurt him badly." "What did Aragorn say that made him act like this?" Sadarian silently asked the tree. "The poison he had, made him act differently, he was angry with Lord Elrond and the twins, saying that they didn't love, or care for him. He told them, they only wished to hurt him, and Legolas." The tree informed.
"If my brother said that to me, I would be upset too." Sadarian said silently again. Sadarian felt something wasn't right again, "Tell me, do you know of anything evil in these parts?" "Yes, there are a team of orcs, and Urak-hai about six miles from here, you are also close to the realm of evil beings, if you go into there, you will not come back out alive." The tree said.
"Are they heading this way?" Sadarian asked. "Yes." "But, I just gave Elrohir a sleeping herb, he can not fight." Sadarian said. "If you can get him up here, I will try to protect him the best I can." Sadarian got up and walked over to Elrohir. He slowly picked up the elf, not wanting to rouse him, and carried him over to the tree.
Elrohir groaned but didn't awaken. "Shh, you will be safe up here." Elrohir groaned again and shifted his head slightly to where it was resting on Sadarian's shoulder. Sadarian smiled down at the young prince, he had known him ever since he was born, he had worked in the palace of Elrond for almost as long as Elrohir was born, and it displeased him to see him like this. Elrohir's eyes were closed in sleep, which worried Sadarian more.
Sadarian tightly held Elrohir while he made his way up the tree, not wanting to drop him, he hurriedly, but carefully made it up the tree. Sadarian laid Elrohir on group of branches nearly at the top of the tree, and covered him up, "Sleep well, melon-nin." He said and jumped down from the top of the tree and landed on his feet at the bottom.
Sadarian quickly repacked camp and destroyed the fire. Near him was a cave and he grabbed his and Elrohir's horses and tied them up in the back of the cave. Sadarian quickly grabbed his healing herbs, bag, and the water he had gotten and headed up the same tree that he had lain Elrohir in a few moments before.
Sadarian made it to the top and quickly got over to the place where Elrohir lay sleeping. Sadarian sat on another group of branches, close enough were he could make sure his friend didn't turn over in his sleep and fall out of the tree, and waited.
Below him he heard a twig snap, and he looked down, through the branches on the tree, to see Orcs and Urak-hia rampaging through the forest. One of them stopped, must be the leader, and began to sniff. "Halt!" He yelled. All of them halted and looked at the one in the front. "I smell elf flesh." He said looking around. The others did the same as the leader and began searching the forest for the elves.
Elrohir began to move, and Sadarian noticed that he was about to fall out of the tree. He slowly, quitely got up out of his spot and wakled over to Elrohir's branch and picked him up. Sadarian sat down and held the moving Elrohir in his hands. "Be still, penneth, you don't want them to find us, nor you to get badly injured falling out of a tree, rest." He whispered soothingly, he knew that his friend was in a restless sleep. Elrohir shifted again. Sadarian was afraid that he would fall out of his grasp if he moved too much.
Sadarian shifted the elf to were his head was resting on his shoulder, and covered the elf up in his arms, and put a tighter grasp on him. He looked down at the orcs and Urak-hai again. The leader had called them all back.
None of them had luckily found their horses, nor them. The leader didn't like that they couldn't find them, but decided there was no need to stay there wondering about it, and told them to follow him. And the team of Orcs, and Urak-hai began to rampage through the forest once again.
After they were well out of sight, Sadarian let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't been caught. Sadarian felt tired, but knew he needed to stay awake to make sure that the orcs and Urak-hai didn't come back. Sadarian laid his ear back on the tree, "Thank-you." "It is my pleasure to help you elves, get some rest, I will wake you if something comes up." The tree said, and Sadarian slowly fell asleep.
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Aragorn and Legolas awoke the next day, to a stabbing pain in their hearts. The two both bit their lips until the pain got so bad they could not keep it in any longer, and let out a cry of pain. Which startled Lord Elrond and Elladan, who had been sleeping in chairs, beside the two's beds.
"Is the pain back?" Lord Elrond asked the two. Aragorn was biting his lip, and Legolas clenching onto the bad covers, because when he bit down on his lip earlier it caused more pain, not only in his heart, but also in his lip. The two shook their heads 'Yes', and continued to do what they were doing earlier.
Lord Elrond walked over to the cabinet where he kept his herbs, and pulled out one for the pain. He made a tea out of the herbs, for the two of them and walked over to them. Elladan helped him sit the two up. Lord Elrond handed a cup to Elladan, and walked over to Legolas.
Lord Elrond put the cup up to the elf's lip, and let him drink the cup's contents. After the two finished drinking, the pain in their hearts slowly decreased, enough that they wouldn't feel the pain that bad.
Lord Elrond looked down at the elf. "I am going to check on your wounds." Lord Elrond said. Legolas nodded. Lord Elrond pulled the covers off of the young elf, which caused him to shiver. Lord Elrond looked at him worriedly. "I am allright." Lord Elrond unbuttoned the young elf's night shirt. He went to the two that had been in his chest and uncovered one of them.
Lord Elrond looked down at the wound. He hadn't realized it before, but there was still a peice of the arrow in his shoulder. "I am sorry penneth, that I did not see this before, I will need to take the stitches out of your shoulder, so I can remove the peice of arrow that was left in their." Lord Elrond got up and made a cup of tea with the sleeping herb, then grabbed his knife, needle, and thread.
He put the cup up to the young elf's lips, "Drink this." "I do not wish to sleep." Legolas said refusing the tea. "I can not give you anything else for the pain." Elrond said. "I have slept long enough." Legolas said then looked away from the wound, and turned to look at his friend. Elladan and Elrond put the elf back to where he was laying down. "Elladan." Lord Elrond said. Elladan nodded to his father and moved to the side of the elf to hold him down.
Lord Elrond put the knife up to the elf's shoulder, "Legolas, are you ready?" He asked. Legolas nodded 'yes', then closed his eyes. Lord Elrond slit the first stitch, then looked at the elf. He was holding his breath, and clenching the bed covers. Lord Elrond stopped, "Are you sure you don't want me to give you the sleeping herb?" Legolas shook his head 'yes', and continued doing what he was doing.
Lord Elrond split the next stitch. Legolas winced and jerked slightly, tensing up his whole body. Lord Elrond looked at him then at Elladan, and Elladan put a tighter grip on Legolas. Aragorn looked at his friend's pain-filled face, he knew it hurt terribly, but his 'elven-pride' wouldn't admit how much pain he truly felt. He wished that his friend would let go of his 'elven-pride' sometimes, and tell him how he felt. But that would never happen. He continued to look at his friend why his father was slitting away at the stitches.
Finally Elrond finished slitting the stitches and looked at Legolas, he knew what he was about to do next would cause the elf much pain. He grabbed the end of the knife, he wished that the elf would have accepted the sleeping herbs, then slowly pushed the knife into the wounded shoulder.
Legolas had not been expecting that, and opened his eyes in horror, and let out a cry of pain while tears were streaming down his face. "Calm down Legolas, " Lord Elrond said and retreated the knife out of the elf's shoulder. Legolas continued to breath hard and clench the bed covers until his knuckles turned white. "Drink this." Lord Elrond put the cup back up to the elf's lips. Legolas shook his head 'no', then nodded for him to continue.
It pained Lord Elrond to have to put the elf into more pain than he already was in, but it would hurt worse if the arrow remained in there, he grabbed the knife then slowly eased it back into the shoulder. Legolas, expecting the pain slightly this time, re-closed his eyes, and held his breath, letting out tears, and muffled whimpers of pain.
Lord Elrond finally got the peice of the arrow out and re-stiched the wound. Legolas, whincing at every move the healer made, let out tears, and little whimpers of pain in the process. "Relax penneth, it is over now, Legolas let out a deep breath, and felt his body become less tense. He looked away from the three so they wouldn't see him crying. But they had done seen him, and felt sorry for him. "I'm supposed to be a warrior, warrior's don't cry." he thought, but still couldn't stop the pain-filled tears from streaming down his eyes and onto the pillow beneath him.
"Penneth, look at me." Lord Elrond said, Legolas slowly turned his head to look at Lord Elrond. Elrond felt pity for him. "I am going to check the rest of your wounds, allright?" Legolas shook his head 'yes', then looked away from the elf and human on the other side of him. Elrond uncovered the other wound to see that he had done the same thing. "I am sorry, Legolas, I have done the same thing again, I will check your wounds on your arms first, before I do this again." Lord Elrond had only seen Legolas cry a few times, normally his pride would sustain him, but now he was in more pain than ever before.
Lord Elrond uncovered the wounds on his arms, and looked at them. The arrows that had been shot in them, hit one of the muscles in his arms. "Penneth, how far can you lift up your arms?" Lord Elrond asked. Legolas, still looking at Elladan shook his head 'no'. Elrond understood that the young elf couldn't move his arms at all. Lord Elrond finished checking his wounds on his arms, then him and Elladan switched places, so he could remove the peice of arrow in his other arm.
"Legolas, do you want the sleeping herb?" Lord Elrond asked hopefully. Legolas shook his head 'no', again, and closed his eyes. Lord Elrond let out a sigh of frustration. Why wouldn't he except the herb? He said that he had slept enough, but when he gets done with this, he will be give out. Lord Elrond put the knife up to the stitches on the wound. "Are you ready?" Lord Elrond asked. Legolas shook his head 'yes'.
Lord Elrond, slowly removed the first stitch. Legolas felt his whole body become tense, then jerked, and clenched the bed covers again. Elrond removed each stitch, then without warning, he grabbed the knife and stuck it into the wound. Legolas let out a cry of pain, and opened his eyes, while tears began to fill them once more. Aragorn felt badly that his friend had to suffer through this twice, seeing as he only had to do it once.
In his heart he felt that if he would have been watching out for him, he wouldn't have to suffer through this at all.
This time Elrond didn't retreat the knife, but kept digging the arrow out. He finally got it out, then hurriedly stitched it back up. Elrond covered the wounds, then re-buttoned Legolas' night shirt.
Legolas took deep breaths, trying to stop crying. But the pain was to intense, that he couldn't. Legolas turned his head to the side where Lord Elrond was, and started to cry harder. "Do you wish for the sleeping herbs?" He asked. Legolas shook his head 'yes'. Elladan handed the cup to his father, while helping him sit Legolas up. Elrond held the cup to the young elf's lips, while he drunk it through tears.
Not long after that, the young elf was asleep, and Elladan and Elrond eased him back into bed, and covered him up. Aragorn watched, as his brother and father put the sleeping elf in his bed. Pain filled Legolas' face, and tears still streamed from his closed eyes. "Ada, why did he not accept the sleeping herb before?" Aragorn asked.
"I have known Legolas, ever since he was born, and when he was old enough to make his own decisions, I could not change his mind, his 'elven-pride' gets in the way of taking something that he truly needs, he didn't want to cry infront of you, I have only seen him cry very few times." Lord Elrond explained. "Well, if he would put his 'elven-pride' away, then he would be in a lot better shape." Aragorn said frustrated not only with Legolas, but also with himself.
"It was his choice, ion-nin, do not be mad at yourself, or him, for he wanted it this way, now get some sleep, you can talk to Legolas when you get up." Lord Elrond said and covered his son up, the two elves sat down in chairs beside the two wounded, sleeping friends, watching Legolas cry, in his sleep.
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Will Legolas' pain ever go away? Will they both continue to fight for their lives? Will Aragorn ever let go of the guilt he has, for his friend? Will any more 'complications' arise before the two elves return? Is the 'Ascathy' plant still in Mirkwood? Will the Urak-hia and Orcs come back? Will Sadarian and Elrohir make it to Mirkwood and back to Rivendell in time? Will any other danger come up, on their way to Rivendell? Find out in the next chapter!
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A/n- Okay, I had an awards ceromony Friday night, then I had to get some stuff ready for competitoin. So It's taken me a while to get this posted, hope you don't mind! (Runs back into hiding space to hide from angry readers!) Please keep reading and reviewing! (Still hiding in corner, thinking about what will happen next!) lol! Stay posted for the next chapter!
-CklovesMe2040