Yey, I'm back! Anyway, please review for this chapter! Does a little dance

26. A Simple Excursion

"No, my lord, you are not yet well enough"-

"I'm fine," Legolas snapped, his brow furrowed. "I can stand up on my own."

Dolenion frowned as Elrohir laughed. "Of course you can, tithen las."

Legolas shot him a glare as he set his feet on the floor, trying to muster all of the strength that he had in his legs before he stood. He knew that in the end, it wouldn't really matter how much strength he could offer to support himself. If the room spun around him, he would lose his footing and fall. 'That must not happen,' he thought to himself. 'I couldn't stand to lose face in front of them.'

"Are you sure that you don't need any help?" Estel asked softly, wringing his hands.

"I require no assistance. I have been walking since before you were even born, adan, and I assure you that I still can."

"This really isn't necessary," Dolenion objected. "You should get back in bed."

"I shall see my own father off." Legolas swallowed nervously as he pushed himself up, immediately wishing that he would have taken the healer's advice. He almost grabbed Elrohir's shoulder when he thought better of it and reached for the headboard, pausing as he attempted to steady himself. "I am fine," he assured them, his eyes crossing slightly. "I am simply...checking to see if anyone has dusted here in a while."

"I never knew that you thought it your duty to check in on the service of the cleaning staff, mellon-nin," Elladan sniggered. "How are they doing?"

"Actually, very well," he answered truthfully, though he didn't remember anyone cleaning there. "Send them my compliments. Hmm." He looked around, wondering why he was out of bed. "Oh, yes, uh..." He lunged at the doorknob, gripping it and trying to turn it with his sweaty palms. After what seemed to him an agonizingly long time, he was able to complete the simple task. He felt his heart skip a beat when he realized how empty the hallway was. What was he going to grab onto? The wall? He would have to make do with that.

"Legolas, are you sure," Elrohir began, but Legolas interrupted him.

"I am set on my decision. I can do this," he reassured himself, closing his eyes and nodding. "Yes, I can do this. You don't need to worry."

The prince stepped into the hallway, nearly falling over before he grabbed the door frame, the sound of everyone rushing forward behind him provoking perturbation.

"I am perfectly capable of traveling this short distance," he said weakly, feeling his way to the hall's wall. When he felt a small groove, he stifled a sigh of relief, walking with his fingers clinging to the thin line. He forced himself not to look behind him, afraid that his eyes would betray him and plead for help. This was something that he had to do on his own, to prove that he could do this more to himself than to the others. He looked forward, dismayed to the see the length of the hall. He quickly glanced back down to avoid distraction.

"Your father is going to kill me," Dolenion grumbled to the twins and Estel.

"Kill you?" Elrohir hissed. "He'll bury us alive! Consider yourself lucky, Len."

"What do you think Lord Thranduil is going to do?" Elladan raised his eyebrows as he let them pondered the possible consequences. "If you think that our adar is dangerous when angry, Dolenion, you haven't seen the king of Mirkwood."

Legolas, who heard them laughing, immediately insinuated that they were making sport of him. He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, fuming. Estel noticed this.

"What is the matter, mellon-nin? Do you want to go back?"

"No," Legolas said quickly, turning back around and sighing. He swallowed the bile in his throat.

"Let me help you." Estel hurried over, supporting Legolas. "There, that is better, is it not?"

'How many times have I heard that in my life?' Legolas thought to himself before saying, "Yes."

"You wouldn't want to have a relapse," Estel continued as Legolas tried to ignore his migraine. "You've come such a long way in just one week."

"Uh-huh," Legolas managed to say, not letting go of the groove that was guiding him to massage his aching temples. "How wonderful..."

The elf could feel Estel looking at him so he forced himself to pull up his shoulders and look well. He was about to fool himself that this was all very easy when they came to what he had dreaded most: the stairwell.

"We could always turn back," Estel said quietly.

Why were they talking like this was some foolhardy adventure? "Of course not," he snarled. "It's several stairs, not a mountain."

"All right, I was just making a suggestion." Estel was about to lead Legolas down when the elf objected.

"I can use the railing. Hannon le, though, mellon-nin." He grabbed the railing as he felt Estel step away from him, his legs almost collapsing under him as they lost the extra support. He drew in a sharp breath as he attempted to walk down a step without tripping, waiting until both feet were in the same place before working on going down another.

"You're going to break your neck," Elladan snapped, rushing over and taking Estel's place, shocking Legolas into submission. "Have you resorted to madness in your eagerness to 'see your father off'?"

"No," Legolas finally managed to protest. "Is it now considered insane to walk down the stairs?"

Elladan didn't reply.

When they reached the foot of the steps, Dolenion held the door open, allowing Legolas and the eldest twin to pass through. They stepped outdoors, Legolas frowning.

"Where is he?" he asked out-loud, though only to himself.

"I think that he already left," he heard Elladan say. Legolas gave him a look.

"He can't have already departed. We just left the room."

Everyone glanced at each other, causing Legolas to scowl. He pushed away from Elladan and stumbled forward until he was nearly in front of the gates, his arm wrapping around a tree trunk as he watched them close with a thud. Elrond and Erestor were just about to go inside when they started, noticing Legolas.

"What are you doing out of bed, Thranduilion?" Elrond cocked one eyebrow higher than the other, his voice serious, but his expression one of amusement.

"I came to see my father," Legolas wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "He hasn't left already, has he?"

"You just missed him, young one."

"Oh." Legolas's face fell as he stared at the gates. "I suppose that I was too slow..."

"I had nothing to do with it, my lord!" Dolenion cried, running over. "I tried to stop them, but they were persistent."

"Is this true?" Elrond asked his sons, who nodded fervently. "Legolas?"

"It's true." Legolas stood a little straighter, not really knowing what he was agreeing to. Instead he was focusing all of his energy on the tree, feeling the warmth seep into his own flesh. It seemed as if he hadn't done this in ages. He could hear the leaves rustling on the branches as a wind blew through them...

"He's falling over," someone was saying. Legolas forced his eyes open, realizing for the first time that he had sank to his knees. "You shouldn't have let him come out."

"No, I'm all right." Legolas stood, leaning his back against the tree and brushing himself off. "No, Dolenion, I am fine."

"At least sit down," Dolenion advised dryly, examining the patient's renewed pallor. "There's a bench over there, let me"-

"I can get there myself," Legolas said quickly, forcing his wobbly legs to take him over to the stone bench in the near distance. He tried to look as graceful as possible as he collapsed onto it, wanting to make it look like he was simply sitting down. He sighed in relief as he sat, leaning his head back and allowing himself to take joy in the fact that the warm sunlight was spilling itself onto his face, the sweet breeze blowing past him.

"Does it feel like you tore any of your stitches?"

Legolas shook his head, wondering how he possibly could have. He watched the thick, white clouds float by, remembering how when he was but an elfling he had constantly tried to touch them. That had wreaked some havoc.

"What are you saying, mellon-nin?"

"Hmm?" The elf rolled his eyes towards the source of the voice.

"I couldn't understand what you were saying," Estel repeated. "You were speaking too softly."

"Oh, I was speaking?" Legolas yawned, leaning his heavy head over towards Estel. "Sorry, I don't know what I was saying. Were you able to hear anything?" he added as an after thought.

"Something about clouds and havoc."

"Ah, you mean that." Legolas shut his eyes, chuckling. "It is a very interesting tale, but I don't think that I should relate it to you now. In fact"- he attempted and failed to suppress another yawn- "I told you of it when you were quite younger. I don't expect you to remember; to you, it was very long ago."

"Interesting is an understatement, gwador," Elrohir put in. "It is hilarious."

"Please, spare me some embarrassment," Legolas moaned, covering his face with his hands. "Can you not take pity on me? On poor pitiful me?"

"Poor pitiful you?" The youngest twin rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, you who are so innocent..."

Legolas's jaw tensed. He knew that Elrohir was just teasing, but the words uncovered something that Legolas had been trying so desperately to bury: the memories of what he had done. Even now he could picture Varda's lifeless eyes, feel his knife plunge into her heart, stealing her life. He remembered her blood mixing with the rain, absorbed into the soil, feeding the nature that lived there. He shuddered.

"You need to go inside." Dolenion bit his lip. "You're shaking; you've stayed out far too long."

"No..."

"Legolas, it's not worth losing what little progress you've made in healing," the healer continued.

"A few more minutes won't hurt him," Elrohir said.

As the others bantered, Legolas looked up at Estel, who was staring off into the gardens. "I'm sorry, mellon-nin," the adan whispered, "I have to go."

"That's fine." Legolas attempted a smile, doing his best to fight sleep. He watched Estel stand and make his way into the foliage, slipping into dreams.

(Space)

"Klia, what do you want?"

Klia frowned at Estel's tone. "You make it sound as if I simply do this for entertainment. Trust me, I don't."

Estel scowled. Klia hadn't spoken with him for a while. The only times that he would see her is when she would sit at her window, looking out into the distance, or perhaps wandering the halls, standing in a doorway. She didn't make much of an effort to fit in.

"Estel," she hissed, glancing around, "they're coming for me."

TBC...

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