AN: Part of this chapter gets a little gross, but I've tried to keep it from being graphic. Sorry if it grosses you out or anything.
Chapter Seven: Ward of the Healers
"Legolas?" Estel called, his voice rising in concern as he shook the elf-prince.
"Estel!" Elrohir dropped to his knees beside his brother, casting a glance at the spider that now lay some feet away, still jerking in its death-throes. "Are you hurt?"
Estel shook his head. "'Ro...is he?"
"He's not dead," Elrohir said hastily, his fingers fumbling for a pulse. "Elladan?"
"I've got it!" the older twin called back. The two had slain enough spiders that Elladan could keep the remainder off without his twin's help. "We might want to get out of here, just the same."
"Right!" Elrohir replied. "Don't worry, Estel, he's just paralyzed," he said to the human, gently lifting the younger elf as he did so.
"Paralyzed?" Estel felt a rush of relief that the prince wasn't dead, though Elrohir's words brought a whole new set of concerns to the human's mind.
"Spiders don't kill their victims immediately," the younger twin explained. "They prefer food that's still alive. The venom will wear off in a few hours."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. In fact," Elrohir turned back to look at the spider that had bitten Legolas, but whatever he had been about to say died on his lips.
"What is it?" Estel asked sharply, his fears beginning to return.
"I've never seen a spider like that before."
"Yeah?" Elladan asked, dropping back to stand in front of his brothers. "We might want to consider running right about now."
Estel glanced up, eyes widening as three other spiders just like the one Elrohir had killed entered the clearing.
"Running would be good," Elrohir agreed."Come on, Estel!" he called, turning to flee down the path back to the palace.
"I'll hold them off for you," Elladan called after his brothers, trailing behind them at a slower pace to battle the spiders. "Hurry!"
Estel sprinted to keep up with his brother, fear lending speed to his flight. He could have sworn he heard skittering in the bushes, and half-expected a spider to leap out and attack him.
Thankfully, though, they reached the gates without further incident.
"Spiders!" Elrohir called to the guards. "The prince was bitten...my brother is holding them off!"
To their credit, the guards at the gate did not hesitate a moment. One took off down the path to aid Elladan, another to the barracks to find more help, and the guards who had been at the doors to the palace ran up to cover the gate.
"This way, Estel," Elrohir shouted, pushing through the elves that had gathered to find out what the commotion was about.
The elves in the courtyard cleared the way when one of the guards announced that Elrohir was taking the prince to the healers, and Estel found himself sprinting again as his brother took off down passages in the most direct route to that wing.
They burst through rather unceremoniously, Elrohir hollering for help as soon as he set foot inside the door.
"What is going on?" one healer, a she-elf about their father's age, asked sternly.
"Prince Legolas," Elrohir explained, carrying the prince to a nearby bed while Estel collapsed against the wall to catch his breath. "He was bitten by a spider in the forest."
"What kind?" the healer asked, placing a hand against the prince's forehead and frowning at what she felt.
"I don't know. It was big."
"Can you describe it?" she said impatiently, half-glaring at Elrohir.
"It was big," Elrohir shrugged. "It had green markings."
"It was taller than me when it was on its back legs," Estel piped up, finally able to breathe again after the mad dash from the clearing to the healers. "It had hairy legs and a green diamond on its belly. It was saying something when it attacked, but I couldn't understand it."
The healer groaned. "Only the prince," she muttered, shaking her head. "How long ago was he bitten?" she asked brusquely, snapping orders to the other healers.
"Not fifteen minutes ago," Elrohir replied, standing back as the Mirkwood healers began to work.
"Good, good," the healer nodded. "We have plenty of time then. Here, help me," she said, waving Elrohir forward. "Where is it?"
"On the back, near his left shoulder," the dark-haired elf replied, helping the healer roll Legolas onto his stomach.
The healer hissed in sympathy as she cut away Legolas' tunic. "We still have time," she said reassuringly as Elrohir blanched.
"Is that normal?"
"For a Great Spider," the healer nodded.
"Celebalqua?" one of the other healers called. "It's ready."
"Bring it on over," the healer at Legolas' side replied.
'It' turned out to be a steaming pot filled with some sort of disgusting-smelling liquid. Celebalqua—the healer tending Legolas—dipped a cloth into the liquid and glanced up at Elrohir. "He needs to be upright."
The younger elf nodded and beckoned Estel over. "Sit here," Elrohir directed, maneuvering Estel into a place on the bed where they could lean Legolas against him, draping the prince's right arm over Estel's shoulder's. The human was surprised at how cold the elf's skin felt. He fought down a gag and looked away as he caught sight of the bite on the prince's shoulder. It was swollen as big around as two of his fingers, red and inflamed, and oozing a greenish-white liquid. Elrohir sat at the prince's left side, turned to help Celebalqua should the healer need it.
"Ready?" the she-elf asked, wringing the cloth out.
Elrohir and Estel nodded, and Celebalqua pressed the steaming cloth against the wound on the prince's back.
Legolas' body jerked reflexively, though he remained unconscious. Estel wrinkled his nose as a strong, foul odor filled the room as whatever herbs were in the pot began reacting with the spider's venom.
"I think it's working," the healer said quietly, pulling the cloth away after a few moments, and used a clean part to wipe excess fluid from around the wound. Estel glanced over and quickly regretted doing so when he saw what the cloth had absorbed. He was suddenly glad they'd only eaten a light breakfast. "A few more treatments and then we need to get some tea down him."
"But what if he's still unconscious?" Estel asked in a worried tone.
"We'll have to force it down him then," Celebalqua replied, throwing the soiled cloth away and reaching for a new one. She dipped this one into the pot and squeezed the excess liquid out, shifting her position to sit behind the prince before pressing the new cloth to the wound.
They had been through three such treatments and were in the middle of the fourth when Estel noticed a faint wince that screwed up his friend's features ever-so-slightly. "I think he's waking up," he said quietly.
Celebalqua moved Elrohir's hand to cover the cloth pressed on the bite and knelt before the prince. "Legolas?" she called softly, one hand touching the young elf's cheek. "Can you hear me?"
Legolas whimpered very faintly, his head lolling against Estel's. The human gave a sigh of relief as the elf's eyes opened a slit, bright blue in his pale face. "Legolas?" he asked, glancing over at the healer who was watching her patient intently.
"Can you remember what happened?" Celebalqua asked, draping a blanket over the prince's knees when the young elf began shivering.
The prince's eyes squeezed shut, either in pain or concentration, and Estel was alarmed at the lack of strength he saw in his friend. "S-spider?" Legolas finally replied faintly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes, that's it...good," the healer smiled, patting the prince on the knee. "It was a Great Spider. It bit you on the shoulder...you need to stay awake now," she gently chided as Legolas' head drooped forward. "Keep talking to him," she said to Estel, standing up to speak with one of the other healers. "And change that," she called back to Elrohir.
"We were worried," Estel said, shifting his position to see his friend's face better. "Elrohir killed the spider, and Elladan's out with the guards making sure there aren't any more. I guess I got my wish," he said with a half-hearted laugh, remember how just days ago he had been begging Legolas to tell him what the giant spiders were like.
"How do you feel?" Elrohir asked in concern as he peeled away the old cloth. "Do you feel numb or are you in pain?" he reiterated, having realized he was asking a foolish question.
"B-both," Legolas replied, a shiver running up his body.
"That's good," Elrohir said encouragingly, dipping a clean cloth from the pile into the pot and wringing it out. "This might sting," he said in warning and pressed the cloth down on the bite.
Estel tightened his grip as Legolas hissed in pain, his face somehow going even paler. "The venom must be wearing off if you can feel that," Elrohir murmured.
"Still awake?" Celebalqua asked, sitting next to Estel with a mug in her hands. "You need to drink this, Legolas. Try to keep it down...it will help treat the effects of the poison."
Legolas nodded weakly, and Estel felt him struggling to pull his right arm around to take the mug. The human took it instead, holding it up for the prince to drink. "Just let me do it," he said with a hint of impatience as Legolas gave him a look that clearly said he didn't want any help.
He held the mug up to the prince's lips, grimacing as Legolas gagged at the taste of whatever was in it. "I know," Celebalqua said soothingly, moving over to Elrohir's side to check on the bite. "It may taste bad, but you know it's the only thing that works."
"How does it look?" Estel asked nervously, pulling the mug away with some relief as his friend finally emptied it.
"We'll have to drain it," Celebalqua said with a sigh. "I'm sorry we can't give you anything for the pain," she added to Legolas.
The prince, his skin now grayish in hue as he fought back the nausea induced by whatever potion the healer had given him, nodded. "Keep talking to him," she said to Estel, standing up to speak with one of the other healers.
Estel's mind raced as he tried to come up with something to talk about. Funny...sometimes it seemed like he could never stop talking but now that he had to he couldn't think of a thing to say.
"Estel, remember that first hunting trip 'Dan and I tried to take you on?" Elrohir asked, evidently seeing his brother's dilemma.
"How could I forget?" Estel retorted, rolling his eyes. He focused on the prince, fighting down a shudder as the healer reappeared with another healer at her side and a tray of what looked like surgical tools. "It was just last year," he began, determined to keep both his and Legolas' attention away from the healers. "Ada finally said they could take me with them, provided that we were only going to check the trap lines and that we wouldn't travel more than a few hours from home."
"That was the first time since you were a child that you'd ever been out of the valley, wasn't it?" Elrohir interjected.
"Yes," Estel nodded. "So you can imagine I was excited. Well, Elladan and Elrohir kept me up late into the night talking about how much fun we were going to have and how they were going to take me on an even longer trip next time."
"That was all Elladan!" Elrohir protested. "I was the one trying to convince him to let you sleep."
Estel made a face at his brother. "They finally decided to leave me in peace and let me sleep," he continued, shuddering as Legolas winced and cried out softly in pain as one of the healers punctured the spider bite and began to drain it. "But both of them were worried that I wouldn't wake up in time, so they each promised to wake me up in the morning in plenty of time to leave. Little did I know, though, that Elladan told Elrohir that he would wake me up, and Elrohir told him the same thing.
"Apparently," he mock-glared at Elrohir, "they each decided on their own that the other was going to wake me up, and when noon the next day rolled around I was nowhere to be found."
"Elladan asked me if I'd remembered to wake Estel up," Elrohir continued, picking up the story at that point. "I told him I thought he was going to and we both ran up to Estel's room to see if he was there. And he was."
Elrohir had the good sense to look guilty. "He was upset because he'd thought we'd both forgotten him."
"It wouldn't be the first time," Estel retorted, sticking his tongue out at his brother.
"We're finished," Celebalqua said quietly, handing the basin and tray to her assistant who whisked it out of the room. "Elrohir, can you wrap his shoulder while I find something for him to wear?"
"Of course," the younger twin nodded, letting the rest of the story go untold as he bandaged the prince's wound.
"Do you feel any better?" Estel asked quietly.
Legolas groaned, sagging against his friend. "My st-stomach," he whispered.
"Your stomach hurts?" the human asked in some concern.
"It's the medicine," Celebalqua explained, coming over with a clean shirt a few sizes too large for the prince. "It's the only thing that works for these kinds of spider bites, but it also causes cramps and nausea."
She and Elrohir helped the prince slip the shirt on, keeping his left arm out of the sleeve and loose under the fabric. "If it hurts too badly I can put it in a sling," the healer offered.
"What's going on outside?" Elrohir muttered, jumping up and rushing to the window. "The guards and Elladan are back," he called. "I'm going to go see what happened."
His concern for his twin obvious, Elrohir was out of the room before anyone could reply, barely remembering not to slam the door as he left. "Elrohir," Estel sighed, shaking his head and catching the faintest smile from the prince.
"Well," Celebalqua said with a small laugh, "let's get you over to a clean bed."
Estel helped the healer half-carry Legolas over to one of the other beds and watched as she set up a screento give the prince some privacy. "You need to rest if you can," she said, helping Legolas lie on his right side, placing pillows against him to keep him from rolling over and pulling a couple of blankets up as the prince was still shivering. "If you can get some sleep you'll feel much better."
Legolas nodded, weakly thanking the healer who simply smiled and moved off to clean up the soiled sheets and bandages.
"I hope you feel better soon," Estel said, squeezing the prince's hand encouragingly. "We can come back later if you like."
The prince opened his mouth to say something, but nodded instead.
Estel bit back a grin. Apparently the prince liked being left alone in the healers' wing as much as he did. "Then again, Elrohir and Elladan will probably be held up for hours helping the guards make plans to find the spider nests," he said, pulling a chair up next to the bed and sitting down. "I can wait for them here just as easily as anywhere."
Legolas smiled back at him. "Probably," he agreed, his voice still shaky and soft. "What happened next?"
"What do you mean?" Estel asked, his brow furrowing.
"Did you go hunting?"
"Oh," the human laughed. "No, it was already too late for that. But my brothers felt so bad about it that they convinced our father to let us three go camping a few days later. It was great—but then I fell into the river and caught a terrible cold."
Legolas snorted in laughter. "You're serious?" he asked, seeing the serious expression on his friend's face.
"Unfortunately," Estel shook his head wryly. "I had to stay in bed for days after, and my father swore he'd never let me leave Imladris again. He relented, though, and let me go the next time my brothers were checking the trap lines as long as I promised not to fall in the river."
"Did you?"
"No," Estel replied, trying to sound offended. "I did fall out of a tree and break my arm," he added ruefully.
The prince laughed, wincing as pain shot through his body. "How did your father ever let you leave home again?"
"I'm not sure," the human shrugged, lacing his fingers together and resting them behind his head. "I think he said something about my complaining driving him to madness and that he can no longer be responsible for the consequences should I leave his supervision." He smiled at the elf's laughter, relieved that his friend seemed to be regaining some strength as the medicines fought the poison in his body.
"My father feels the same," Legolas said softly, fighting back a yawn. "He says I manage to get myself injured somehow every time I leave the palace grounds."
"Do you?" Estel asked.
"No," the prince replied. "I think there was one time I returned unharmed."
Estel laughed. That sounded like so many conversations his brothers and his father had had over the years. He looked over at Legolas and noticed that the blonde elf's eyelids were drooping in exhaustion. "Go to sleep, Legolas," he said encouragingly. "I'll stay here until you wake up."
The elf sighed and let his eyes close. "Thank you," he whispered, his body finally relaxing in sleep.
Estel frowned in concern that his friend was sleeping with his eyes closed, but knew that must be due to his injury. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, studying the criss-crossing beams on the ceiling.
He didn't even notice when he himself drifted off to sleep.
Reviews? Flames? Tar and Feathers?
AN: There will be an explanation about the Great Spiders in the next chapter. I just couldn't find a good spot to put it in here. I should have chapter eight and the next "episode" of Elladan's Grand Plan up by the end of the week.