Chapter Seven
Glorfindel sat next to Thranduil as the elven king was listening to another story shared by the twins. Luthin and Kelderas were laughing as the twins told about a hunting trip that had gone awry. Glorfindel glowered at them, knowing that they would never leave out the part where he had fallen into a stream. He caught Elladan's glimpse in his direction and the grin that played across the elder twin's face was enough to tell Glorfindel that the inevitable was coming.
What he did not expect was for Thranduil to suddenly lurch forward in his chair, clutching at his side. The twins immediately froze. Kelderas and Luthin were at their feet instantly, Kelderas reaching a hand out to Thranduil's shoulder. "Adar? What is it?" Kelderas demanded, the worry evident in his voice.
Thranduil shook his head, suddenly stiffening. "Legolas…" he whispered harshly and rose quickly, brushing pass Glorfindel. His sons were at his heels. Glorfindel looked to the twins, who were suddenly less animated. They rushed after the royal family.
Thranduil had ran towards the first warrior he had seen. Glorfindel heard him ask almost fearfully, "My son, have you seen Legolas?" The warrior shook his head, alarmed at the king's irate behavior. Kelderas reached his father, slowing him down before he could yell at the warrior. Kelderas took the initiative.
"Go, try to find him," Kelderas commanded the warrior, who nodded and ran off the gather help. Kelderas held his father in one place. "Adar, you must calm down," Kelderas insisted. Glorfindel went to his friend's side, trying to aid the crown prince in calming down the irrational king. "Adar," Kelderas begged again as Thranduil's eyes swept the grounds for any sign on his elfling.
Suddenly, a noise hit their ears and they turned to spot a young elfling burst from the woods at full speed. Glorfindel recognized the light haired elf as being Saeros, a friend of Legolas'. But at the moment, Saeros' breath was hitched and tears had stained his face pink. Thranduil was instantly running towards the elfling. When Saeros caught sight of the king, he let out a sob of relief and grabbed the king's hand, pulling him towards the woods. "Come, please, we…we didn't think…it was empty…Legolas told us…the spider-"
"A spider?" Thranduil boomed, startling the young elfling. Saeros instantly began to weep. Kelderas went to Saeros' side, trying to shush him. He waved towards the palace guards, who were running down the path towards their king. "This close?"
Kelderas kneeled before Saeros. "Can you show us where they are?"
Saeros nodded and took off into the woods again. The rest followed without hesitation. It seemed to take forever, but finally, they broke through a small clearing and instantly Thranduil had fallen to his knees. Glorfindel maneuvered his way so he could see what had brought the king to his knees. His heart stopped for a moment at the sight. Legolas lay on the ground, still, and deathly pale. Red and black blood alike had stained his side. But what scared Glorfindel the most was that Legolas' eyes were closed. Were it not for the frown that marred the young elfling's face, he would have guessed Legolas to already be dead.
"Legolas!" Luthin's voice broke the uneasy quiet as the prince kneeled beside his brother.
Glorfindel noticed then that Arwen had run to Elladan and Elrohir, sobbing into Elladan's arm as he held her. Kelderas immediately sent the guards out to scout for any other spiders that may be near. They vanished into the trees. Then he knelt down beside his father and brother to examine the young elfling. Daeron stood off to the side, looking stricken. Glorfindel walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, but the dark haired elfling barely noticed, his eyes locked so intently on his deathly still friend.
"Legolas?" Thranduil called quietly, stroking the elfling's hair, which was matted to his head in a sheer sweat even in the cold snow. "Legolas, ion-nin," Thranduil tried. Legolas' eyes moved beneath the lids and suddenly they were open, staring up at the sky. "Legolas?" Thranduil asked more urgently.
"He's been stung!" Daeron called, his voice hitching. Glorfindel gave his shoulder a squeeze of reassurance. Thranduil looked towards the elfling and then towards the carcass of the spider that lay a few feet away. His eyes widened as he realized the severity of the situation. He immediately turned back to his son.
"Legolas, stay with me," he commanded gently. Legolas' eyes wandered, not really seeing what was going on. Thranduil tried his best to be gentle as he scooped the youngling into his arms.
Kelderas called for one of the guards to come back. "Go, tell Calacil my brother has been stung by a brown spider," he said, his voice grave. The guard nodded and was instantly flying through the trees, towards home.
Luthin placed a hand on Legolas' forehead. "Ada," he whispered, the horror evident in his voice. Legolas was limp, but his eyes were panicked, flickering all over as if searching for something. Thranduil tried to soothe him, but nothing seemed to work. A whimper escaped Legolas' lips and suddenly Thranduil was hurrying after the guard.
Glorfindel turned towards the twins. Elladan had Arwen in his arms. She was openly weeping, her face buried in her brother's neck. Elladan and Elrohir looked gravely at Glorfindel. "Go back," he gently pushed Daeron forward, the young elfling still in shock at the sight of his friend so gravely wounded. "Make sure he gets home." He gave the twins a look that said they must be strong in this situation. Both of the twins nodded, knowing they were needed.
Luthin rushed after his father, but Kelderas, with much restraint, held back to command the guards he had sent after any spiders. Glorfindel placed a hand on Kelderas' shoulder and the crown prince turned to look at him. Glorfindel saw the fear in his eyes, but his face was placid, calm. It took centuries of practice to perfect such a face in this sort of situation and suddenly, Kelderas aged a millenium before Glorfindel's eyes. The Gondolin elf smiled, reassuringly, though he knew not what assurance he could give of Legolas' well being.
With a nod, Kelderas accepted the gesture and then disappeared into the trees. Glorfindel made his way back towards the direction in which Thranduil had taken his injured elfling, his shoulders dropped in dejection, knowing that whatever semblance of peace he had found on this visit was now at jeopardy, as well was the life of a very loved little elfling.
Elrond sat on his balcony, looking out upon the quiet woods that surrounded him. It was peaceful and serene, yet the Lord of Rivendell could find no peace, no calm. There was a great foreboding at the back of his mind. He had at first thought of his children, who were all unfairly apart from him. But in his heart, he knew they were safe. In his heart, he knew that this foreboding was for someone else's child, but a child he would readily admit he treated as his own. It was the great sorrow he felt when he envisioned the youngest prince of Mirkwood that told him Legolas was in danger. A part of him wanted to rush off to Mirkwood at this very moment. But the more logical part of him knew that should he leave now, he would never make it back before the High Pass closed for the winter. That thought was shattering Elrond's heart. He prayed to the Valar that the young prince would pull through without his guidance.
The Lord of Rivendell had almost convinced himself that all would be well. But, when he saw a familiar grey cloaked figure riding swiftly through the gates and into Imladris, that illusion was shattered. Elrond was on his feet and into the courtyard with such swiftness it garnered looks from many of his advisors.
The grey cloaked figure had barely dismounted before Elrond was at his side, a worried look on his face. "I have had a foreboding embedded in the back of my mind for some time now. Your arrival is doing nothing to ease my discomfort," Elrond said, surprising the cloaked figure.
"Well, Peredhil, I am afraid I can do nothing to ease that discomfort but to say you must come with me now," the voice was calm, soothing. Elrond sighed, knowing that there would be no argument.
"Let me ready my horse," Elrond said, turning towards the stables. He paused and looked back towards the figure. "Mae Govannen, by the way, Mithrandir."
A soft chuckle met Elrond's ears and he turned back to ready his horse and tell his advisors that he would be wintering in Mirkwood.
The room sat in solemn silence save for Calacil's quiet commands to healers and to the worried father who sat by his son's side, gently stroking the feverish head. Glorfindel stood beside Kelderas near the door. Luthin sat at a desk at the far end of the room, trying to scribble a letter to Idrial to tell of the situation. The twins sat in chairs, out of the way, with Arwen still lodged into Elladan's arms. She had stopped crying and was now watching the healers do their work.
Calacil ordered a healer to mix herbs into a tea for a third time. Another healer was washing a cloth in cold water, and Calacil was tending to the spider bite in Legolas' side. It was deep. Calacil had flushed it of the poison as best he could, but now it was a matter of stitching the wound, both internally and externally. He had managed to stop the bleeding, but enough damage had been done. Calacil chanced a glance at Legolas' face, which was still crumpled into a frown of pain. His eyes were moving still beneath their lids, but the young elfling was far from awake. For any other time, Calacil would have been thanking the Valar that Legolas was asleep. Stitching a wound such as his was painful. But now, Calacil wished more than anything for the young elfling to open his eyes. The world of the living was a blessing compared to the nightmare Legolas was surely living. A nightmare induced by a fever that was too high for anyone's liking.
"He is reacting to the poison," Calacil said, looking towards Thranduil, who still looked stricken. The elven king did not say anything, but brushed back some of Legolas' sweat matted hair. "I have given him an anti-venom, but he has a high fever. His body is not reacting well to either." Thranduil nodded, blinking rapidly. Calacil smiled warmly, trying to reassure the elven king. "But the wound is sealed, and the bleeding has stopped." Calacil turned to the healer who was preparing cold cloths. "We must bring down his fever."
The cold cloths were brought closer. Calacil and the other healer began to place them around Legolas' body. One on his neck, another on his forehead. Two went under his arms and more were placed on his feet and behind his knees. But still Legolas' face, though as pale as the snow, was flushed and sweat beaded his cheeks even as the cool cloths were being placed around his body.
"Where is that tea?" Calacil demanded and was answered when a healer put the bowl of tea into his hands. Calacil looked towards Thranduil. "Hold his head up slightly." Thranduil did so, very gently. More gently than he ever thought he'd have to be with his youngest son. Calacil poured some of the tea into Legolas' mouth. The young elfling's face wrinkled even more and he coughed slightly. But Calacil poured more of the tea into his mouth.
A small whimper escaped Legolas' lips. The noise made Luthin throw down his quill. Kelderas let out a small breath before walking over to where his brother sat at the desk, near tears. Kelderas placed a comforting hand on Luthin's shoulder and they continued to watch the process.
When the tea was gone, Calacil dismissed the other healers and stood, looking towards Thranduil. "There is nothing more I can do," he said gently. Thranduil turned wide eyes to his healer. Calacil went on to avoid the grief. "It is up to Legolas' healing abilities now. I will come back in an hour to give him more tea, but I cannot give him more anti-venom, he is reacting violently towards it."
Thranduil nodded and whispered a quiet, "Thank you." Calacil nodded and left. Glorfindel leaned heavily against the wall. Thranduil stared down at the face of his youngest son, of Mirkwood's youngest prince. He stroked his head gently and watched as Legolas' eyes moved rapidly. "You are safe, ion-nin. Ai, my little Greenleaf. You give me no rest."
Glorfindel shifted from his position on the wall and looked towards Elladan and Elrohir. The twins looked back and he dipped his head towards the door, showing that perhaps Thranduil and the princes would want some time alone with their injured elfling. The twins nodded and rose. Arwen nestled her head against Elladan's shoulder, but her eyes didn't leave Legolas' face until they were out the door.
"We should let them have some time alone," Glorfindel whispered quietly as they made their way towards the sitting room. The twins nodded solemnly, Elrohir sighing softly as Elladan reached up to pat Arwen gently on the back.
They were intercepted by a guard, who looked just as grim as the royal family. Glorfindel didn't like the look on his face. "Forgive me, my lord Glorfindel," the guard said and Glorfindel knew that whatever news this guard had would not be pleasant. "I received news from Captain Kabain that a winter storm is coming. If you would like to return to Rivendell before spring, it is suggested that you do it now. The High Pass will be closed soon."
"No!" Arwen suddenly yelled out, surprising them all. She struggled to get down and Elladan placed her on the ground. "No, we cannot leave now."
"Arwen…" Glorfindel didn't get a chance to continue.
"No, Legolas would not leave me if I were the one hurt." Tears formed in her eyes. "He was hurt because of me. I won't leave him. You can go back, but leave me here."
Glorfindel smiled fondly. He kneeled down, looking towards the twins who were smiling slightly, knowingly. "Arwen, first of all, do not blame yourself for what happened to Legolas."
"He pushed me out of the way. It was me who was supposed to be bitten." Arwen cried.
Glorfindel reached out and shook his head. "So you would rather have Legolas crying over you?" Arwen seemed shocked at the notion. She had never seen Legolas cry before. She shook her head. "Just as much, he would not want you crying over him. If he pushed you out of the way, he did it for a reason. He is a very brave elfling and I know that he does not blame you in the least. Is that understood?" Arwen nodded. "Good, now, as much as I know your Adar will not appreciate us wintering in Mirkwood, I know he would not appreciate us leaving Legolas without knowing whether or not he will be well."
"So we are staying?" Arwen asked, looking at him with wide eyes.
"I do not see any other option," Glorfindel said sadly. But Arwen didn't seem to pick up on his sad tone. She squealed, causing the twins to smile warmly at their sister. She raced forward and hugged Glorfindel.
"Oh thank you!" She cried and then pulled away. "I will make sure that Legolas gets better. And I will make sure that when he wakes up, he will not be bored and he will be happy and he will get lots of rest." Arwen turned and ran off towards her room. Glorfindel looked towards the twins, who looked weary.
"There is nothing more we can do today," Glorfindel said to them. "Why don't you two retire for the night."
"I do not think I will be able to sleep," Elladan gave quietly. Glorfindel nodded.
"I never realized that a spider bite was this bad," Elrohir said, gaining the attention of both Glorfindel and his twin. Elladan noticed the stricken look on Elrohir's face and reached out to wrap an arm around his brother.
Glorfindel sighed and said, "They normally are not. But these are new spiders, they are more venomous. Even a full grown elven warrior has trouble healing from their bites."
"So it does not look good for Legolas," Elrohir asked.
"Legolas is stronger than he looks," Glorfindel whispered comfortingly. "Let us not give up on him." The twins nodded. "You two handled yourselves well back there," he decided to try and lighten the mood. The twins looked at him, frowning. "I am sure Thranduil appreciates it."
Elladan chuckled softly, nudging Elrohir. "Brother, dear, I believe Glorfindel is praising us."
Elrohir, after a moment's hesitation, smiled brightly then. "Glorfindel and praise? Two things that hardly ever meet."
Glorfindel grinned then started walking off in the direction of the healing wing. "Get some rest. We will be staying for a while. You will experience a true Mirkwood winter." Glorfindel dreaded thinking about it. Mirkwood winters were not always pleasant. And this one was not starting off so well.
Author's Note: I told you think chapter would be up quick. ;) I'm on a roll.