"Ow!" Legolas dropped the boot and yanked his arm back and realized Cield was watching. Legolas had set out to prove his big brother that he was not a baby, so he could not cry as he really wished to. The bite was hurting and Legolas was about to burst into tears; it took all his strength not to.
Legolas kept the tears back but clutched his forearm. Cield tried to calm Galil now, who had gotten Legolas' boot and now could not care less.
"Legolas!" Haldir rushed to the prince and saw how much pain Legolas was in from the young boy's expression on his face. As much as Legolas attempted, he could not hide the pain that flew through his body.
"I'm fine…" Legolas managed to say, as forced as it was. Haldir was greatly concerned, and Cield was too: for his dog.
"May I see your arm?" Haldir asked. Legolas let Haldir see the arm that had not been bitten, which made Haldir roll his eyes.
"Funny, Legolas. You know which arm I meant." Haldir told the stubborn prince. Legolas sighed and showed Haldir the bitten arm. Haldir grimaced at the bite and put his handkerchief around the wound.
"We need a healer to look at that. I've been bitten before; I needed an injection." Haldir stated. Cield was cooing to his dog whilst Haldir tried to soothe Legolas.
"I know Legolas tastes bad, Galil… Are you alright boy?" Cield was rubbing his dog's head and making sure Galil would not be infected.
"Cield, we need to get your brother to the healers- LEGOLAS!" Haldir said, but as he spoke the younger elf lost consciousness out of stress.
Cield felt badly for his little brother, seeing Legolas' eyes shut, and though he loved his old dog very much Legolas was another of his kin, an elf, and his relative.
"Let me carry him." Cield offered. Haldir did not find this offer to well on Legolas' behalf.
"I do not think that will be best." Haldir said.
"But Haldir! You may be older than I and have more muscle… But… But I'm his brother, and I'm taller than you!" Cield smiled with pride. Haldir laughed, and stood straight up instead of slumped, as he had been. By standing this way, Haldir was a good two inches taller than Cield.
Cield cursed Haldir and followed the March-Warden as he carried Legolas off to the healers.
Legolas woke up soon with the healers' aide, and then the two healers on duty washed up the dog bite.
Once the puncture made by the animal's teeth was cleaned, Legolas needed his injection. The healers tried to explain to the prince as simply as they could that the needle was necessary.
"Any puncture needs this shot, my prince, we have no choice. You wont be healthy otherwise." One healer said as gently as she could to the young king's son.
"Legolas, just get this needle injected, we can go as soon as you do to the archery fields. I promised you that you wont be shot in the archery field, and I promise you now that this is going to be the only shot you get today." Haldir gave the prince a weak smile to try to make him a bit happier.
"Fine…" Legolas murmured, outstretching his arm for the needle.
The needle was injected, and it did hurt. Legolas winced and Cield let his little brother squeeze his hand. When the needle finished, Legolas was relieved and before they left Legolas got to go to the kitchen and got his pick of fresh cookies.
Legolas got a bagful of honey cookies, his favorite kind. Cield got one caramel cookie for himself, but not a bagful like his injured younger brother.
The three headed out to the archery fields, the two princes in hunting leathers and Haldir in his gray Galadhrim guard outfit.
They all where armed and Legolas was most excited. He knew he'd have some trouble with his bitten arm but still, proving to his older brother that he was NOT a baby was something he would not skip, since skipping would make him seem even more of a baby, maybe even seem to be a newborn, if Cield would even go that far to call him that!
Knowing Cield, Legolas knew Cield would call him a newborn if he thought of it. Cield was cunning with name-calling and pranks of that fashion.
Outside Haldir found Legolas a tree to aim at. Both Cield and Legolas took turns shooting arrows at the old tree before they decided to have a contest, Cield and Legolas both being very competitive.
They left to two other trees, and where both an equal distance from the trees. Legolas was to shoot at one tree, Cield at the other. Cield and Legolas agreed to have Haldir judge if it was very close.
Both of them shot one arrow and neither hit the tree; they where both a far way away from their target to begin with.
Cield's, in the end, did go further by a foot. Haldir was not needed to judge, it was obvious. But Legolas, though he had wanted to win to prove his brother that he was a reasonable archer, could not care less.
Legolas was very proud that he even came here to the fields; he had been scared to come, afraid to be shot, and still afraid. But now that he was here, he felt that he could stay, and that he had proved his brother wrong. Legolas felt that now Cield could not tease him. Legolas was partially right; Cield could not say Legolas was afraid of the archery field.
"I win, so I get one of your cookies!" Cield snatched a cookie from the bag Legolas had gotten; it was the deal. If Cield won, he would get a honey cookie, if Legolas won Legolas would get to keep one of Cield's arrows, which was a big deal to Legolas. The princes had to carve their own arrows and Cield was the best at that so Legolas loved using Cield's arrows, but Cield now made Legolas pay a ridiculous price to buy just one single arrow from him.
Cield ate the cookie in much please, very proud to have won, though Legolas did not even know why Cield cared that he beat an elf half his age, it was pretty simple for an elf of Cield's height and strength.
Legolas took a rest after the contest. Legolas loved archery and usually never took a break without Thranduil forcing him, but the dog's bite wound was paining his arching arm so badly that he had to.
While he took the short break he sat with Haldir, who had chosen not to interfere with the two prince's archery very much until possibly later. Haldir would tell him short stories about what he did at the borders of Lorien while he was not visiting Legolas for that long period of time.
The stories shared where strange, funny and sometimes exciting. Cield even stopped to listen at a few of them, since they sounded stupid or amusing.
The last story Haldir had to tell was of his troublesome attempts to find a she-elf meant for him.
"I can be honest when I say I did not get off easily for trying to kiss a she-elf at the borders while I was on duty… Sadly I forgot neither that Galadriel would know of it by her powers, and I did not realize how drunk I happened to be nor that I was trying to kiss Galadriel's married daughter… I got some talk from Celeborn as well as a week on duty with no break. I was lucky it was not a year; I know how mad Galadriel had been!" Haldir could not help but smile at the bad memory. It was funny to think of and remember.
"My father will not allow Legolas to see any she-elf. Our Adar thinks he is too young. As for myself, I am with Firelien for my life, and I will not complain. Being married is quite well, some things I'd like not to be, like being stuck with a single she-elf, but I do love that single she-elf more than any other, so I will not complain. Plus, I am blessed with two darling elflings both smart and kind." Cield spoke. Legolas nodded at the part about him and she-elves… It was not allowed for at least another two years.
"And what of Illiendal? Has your father allowed her to see any male elves?" Haldir asked. Legolas did not like this question; though he was younger than Illiendal he pretended he was a bigger, protective brother.
"Reluctantly he allowed her with a boy, but she cannot go with anyone he has yet to approve of… But before Elladan finally offered her a handkerchief, she snuck out with a few that ada would never have allowed. As for now she loves Elladan dearly. Cannot say much on the future, for I don't know what the future will hold for her current relationship." Cield shrugged.
"Alright. And Tonus?"
"With his wife Yàviel, of course. He's having a bit of trouble in his marriage mind you… But they will be well, I can tell, Tonus is my brother and I believe he can keep this marriage all well. At least for his son, he will. Florien is Tonus' world and always will be, Tonus told me once after I learnt of Florien's existence: 'Florien is what I live for, Cield, he's what keeps me whole. I'd be dead now if it where not for him. You've had suicidal thoughts before, Cield, but I always have them. But then I think of Florien and stop myself before I do something I will die of'. I never thought Tonus would think that way and I was honored to be whom he told, but also worried that I was the only one who knew of this secret… So I told Thranduil, my father." Cield explained to Haldir. Legolas already knew the story, Thranduil had told him when Tonus had been sent to Rivendell to be aided by Elrond to overcome the thoughts of his own death.
To be continued…Elenwe Morewen: It's hard to update, I think I have 5 or more stories going right now!
Mistopurr: Well now I'd be really late, since as you said they are dead now…
NuEvil: Legolas can be a tad rude in his teenage years…
Mesozoic Flower: Why would you see that?
Manwathiel: Don't hate the doggie… He's so sweet…
Aranna Undomiel: Yes, the Cield part is not the best…
Bberry06: I've not been bitten but my mom has, I think I might have been there but I was little. It was in my backyard, the neighbor's little white fuzzy dog escaped and made a mad dash to my mom to bite her. He was a little bugger that dog.
Legolas' Girl 9: Do you WANT the doggie to die because of it?