Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

A/N: Okay, I am so sorry that it has been a while since I've updated but my life has been really busy lately and there are a lot of other things going on that I've had to give my full attention. I promise you, I will continue to update, just not particulary fast is all. I am so sorry but right now, my family needs me more. Anyway, enough with this maudlin stuff and on to other, better things. Thank you all so much for your reviews! I can hardly believe the responses I've gotten to this story and it's not over yet folks! As promised, here is Chapter 25. Enjoy!

Elrond easily deflected the blow that was aimed for his heart. He may not have been in an actual battle for many years, but that did not means his skills were any less sharp than they had used to be. Glorfindel had seen to that by ensuring that he practiced whenever the chance arose so that his skills wouldn't become lax.

Gorothdil scowled as Elrond deflected the blow. "So, you are more of a warrior than you let on," he said circling and slashing at Elrond.

"I told you Gorothdil, I was in the Last Alliance and I have not forgotten my skills with a blade," Elrond said not allowing Gorothdil's moves to intimidate him.

"So it would seem," Gorothdil growled striking an upper cut that had Elrond not ducked under, his head would have been on the ground.

"Yet you still take me for an amateur," Elrond said trying to ignore the sounds of the heated battle that were going on around them. Vaguely, he thought he heard Elrohir and Legolas shouting but he couldn't be certain as he continued to parry Gorothdil's blows. He could only pray that they would be all right.

"LEGOLAS!" someone shouted causing both Elrond and Gorothdil to falter for a moment and look to see who had yelled. Elrond paled at the sight he beheld. There was Legolas on the ground with an arrow imbedded in his chest, looking deathly still.

Elrond was reminded, however, that he had other problems to deal with at the moment when Gorothdil used Elrond's distraction to his advantage and cut deeply into Elrond's arm.

Grimacing but not allowing the pain to overcome him, Elrond continued to block Gorothdil's blows. Thankfully, Gorothdil's blows were slowly becoming weaker the longer they fought. Gorothdil was not used to long combat and had not been conserving his energy.

Elrond however excelled at long term combat and had been saving his energy from the start of their deadly duel. The more they fought, the weaker and slower Gorothdil was becoming giving Elrond a distinctive edge. All he had to do was bide his time and strike Gorothdil in a moment of vulnerability.

He hoped that moment would come soon because from what he had seen, Legolas was in serious need of medical attention and Valar only knew what condition Estel would be in. Elrond had to end this, and end it quickly, for everyone's sakes.

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"LEGOLAS!" Elrohir cried out in dismay as Legolas fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest.

Taking in the battle, he saw that the only relatively safe place to take Legolas was where he already was, in the cave alongside Estel.

Carefully, he picked up Legolas, mindful of the arrow and took him into the cave. This was not good at all. He couldn't leave them to quickly grab a medical pack as neither was conscious. Even if one was, neither were any condition to protect themselves, let alone anyone else. It was a no win situation.

"Ro?" a groggy and pain filled voice said suddenly.

Elrohir whirled around and saw that Estel was attempting to sit up, his eyes glazed over with fever and pain.

"Estel! Easy, easy tithen gwador. You are very seriously injured and moving about is only going to make things even worse," Elrohir cautioned forcing Estel to lay back down.

"Legolas?" Estel questioned half conscious and not all that lucidly.

Elrohir hesitated knowing that if Estel knew Legolas's true condition, no amount of effort on his part would keep his brother from trying to tend to Legolas. At the same time though, he didn't want to lie to his brother. Sighing, he settled for a compromise.

"He is right next to you Estel. He was wounded and is unconscious but he is going to be just fine," Elrohir said hoping that Estel was muddled enough from his own injuries not to guess that he was hiding something.

His attempt seemed to have been successful though when Estel didn't question it any further.

"Oh, that's good," Estel mumbled.

Elrohir's heart plummeted at Estel's statement. That proved just how seriously injured his brother was.

"Ok Estel, why don't you close your eyes and try to go to sleep," Elrohir said trying desperately to keep his anxiety out of his voice. Estel had come close to death before but never could Elrohir recall a time when he was a close as he was now. Estel seemed to be literally knocking on Mandos doorstep with one foot already in.

"Can't," Estel said as though he were a child again.

"Why not Estel?" Elrohir said trying to ignore the sounds of battle around them and Legolas's raspy breathing. Legolas was also knocking on Mandos doorstep right along side Estel it seemed.

"I can hear swords," Estel replied.

"Oh Valar," Elrohir said looking around. In his concern for his brother and friend he hadn't noticed that the battle had crept even closer to where they were hiding.

"Estel, I want you to listen very carefully to me. Should anything happen to me, I want you to stay here, no matter what. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yeah," Estel said dully.

Elrhoir swore viciously several times under his breath. This was not good, not good at all. He needed help but there was no way to get some one's attention without entering the battle. That would mean leaving Estel and Legolas unprotected though which he just could not do. Essentially, he was right back where he had started from.

Without warning, Estel started to sit up again, and to Elrohir's shock and dismay, stood up.

"Estel! What are you doing!" Elrohir hissed trying to drag the resisting human back down before the orcs, or worse yet, Gorothdil could see him.

"Helping," he replied simply before running out of the cave far faster than should have been possible given his condition.

For a moment, Elrohir gaped in shock at Estel's quickly retreating form before shaking away his shock. Cursing in several different languages, he prayed that someone noticed that Estel had entered the fray and would give him a weapon. When Estel was better and in his right mind, he was going to kill him, revive him, and then kill him again for scaring him half to death. Providing that they survived the next few minutes that was, which was beginning to look highly unlikely.

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King Thranduil of Mirkwood was no stranger to battles, particularly against Sauron's dark forces, and there was very little that could take his mind of a battle while he was in the midst of one. As with any other thing though, there were exceptions to this.

So far in this battle, he had been distracted once and it had cost him. He had heard Elrohir scream his sons name and, naturally, he turned around to see Legolas go down with an arrow in his chest.

For that moment, Thranduil's heart had nearly stopped and time slowed down. Unfortunately, time did not slow down for the yrch who used the distraction to their advantage and managing to stab Thranduil in the thigh.

The pain had brought him back to reality and he chastised himself for losing concentration as he slaughtered the orc that had stabbed him. He was scared to death for Legolas but he could not allow that fear to cloud his judgment or he could get himself killed and what use would he be to Legolas dead?

Thranduil continued to slay the yrch around him as Elrond fought Gorothdil. It wasn't very long after that Thranduil lost concentration for a second time in a row when Estel suddenly appeared right in the middle of the fray, weaponless.

"By the Valar! Estel! Get the hell out of here!" Thranduil exclaimed as he watched the obviously delirious young man walk towards him. Estel either didn't hear him or understand him, or was ignoring him for he continued to head right for Thranduil.

"Dear Valar," Thranduil whispered as he lunged over the yrch that were directly in his path to Estel. "Estel! Where is your weapon!" he asked desperately as he forced the young man behind him.

"Don't have one," Estel said simply, reminding Thranduil very much of the young child he had come to love upon first sight.

Thranduil cursed and hurriedly drew his extra knife from his boot and handed it to Estel. "Estel, go back to the cave with Legolas and Elrohir," he ordered sternly hoping that his tone of voice would get through to the young man.

It was not to be however. Estel was far beyond understanding nearly everything except that his family was in danger and that he needed to help. "I need to help," Estel said as he walked away from the King, slashing at anything that moved in his direction.

Cursing once again, Thranduil quickly grabbed Estel and hastily felt his forehead with one hand while keeping the yrch away with the other. He wasn't a healer but even he could tell that Estel's fever was dangerously high.

Estel broke away from Thranduil's grasp though rather quickly and slipped back into the fray. "Estel! No!" Thranduil yelled in panic seeing that Estel was headed directly for Elrond and Gorothdil. "Glorfindel, stop him!" he yelled helplessly as more yrch came his way leaving him unable to help Estel.

At Thranduil's yell, both Elladan and Glorfindel looked up in confusion. "Stop who?" Elladan panted as he defended Glorfindel's back as the blonde advisor frantically searched for whom Thranduil was referring to.

"Glorfindel, Elladan! Stop Estel! He's headed right for Gorothdil and Elrond!" Thranduil yelled over the mayhem seeing that Elladan and Glorfindel couldn't see what he was talking about.

Both Glorfindel and Elladan's eyes widened in panic as they started to search frantically for Estel in the sea of yrch. "There!" Elladan shouted as he spotted Estel battling a very large, very ugly orc.

Together, Elladan and Glorfindel increased their pace as they tried to get across to Estel, slaying any orc that dared to come near them. "Estel, duck!" Glorfindel shouted out in warning as another orc came up from behind Estel out of nowhere.

Estel heard them but his reflexes were off kilter from his injuries and fever and he wasn't quite fast enough. The yrch missed Estel's stomach only by inches and instead, impaled it's dagger right through Estel's side, thankfully missed the major organs.

Elladan and Glorfindel watched in horror as Estel faltered and fell to the ground at the yrch feet. Hurrying forward, Glorfindel slew the yrch while Elladan fell to his knees besides his little brother.

"Come on Estel, don't do this to me," Elladan begged trying to rouse Estel while putting pressure on the stab wound.

"Can you remove the dagger?" Glorfindel panted as he slew the orcs that were trying to converge around them. He was starting to tire but by the Valar, he would not falter now, not when Estel, Legolas and Elrond so desperately needed him.

"No, not here. He would lose far to much blood, something he can not afford in his current condition. He has multiple other injuries as well, many that are days old!" Elladan exclaimed as he turned away from Estel for one second to answer Glorfindel's question.

"Not good," Glorfindel muttered as he continued to slay their enemies. "Not good at all."

Elladan started to nod in agreement when he realized that Glorfindel wasn't talking about Estel's injuries. Turning around to see what Glorfindel was watching, he saw to his horror his father dancing in a deadly duel with Gorothdil.

As alarming as that was, it wasn't what had him horrified and afraid beyond belief. What alarmed and terrified him was that where Estel had been not five seconds ago, he was not there now. Instead, his little brother, his very seriously injured little brother, had just entered the battle with Gorothdil and their father with only one little dagger and his bare hands.

Translations:

Ada: Dad

Tithen gwador: Little brother

Tithen pen: Little one

Mellon nin: My friend

A/N: Hehe, was that evil to? Hmmm, I'm guessing I should run now judging by the rotten tomatoes and very sharp looking knives. Hehe, tata for now!