Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Sorry 'bout any grammar and/or spelling mistakes… especially since I was extra-tired while editing this… Feel asleep twice before this… XD
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Thanks again and I hope you enjoy. n.n
Bound
Chapter Twelve: Mistake
When Ellun finally returned, which was many hours later, he found that Legolas was still unconscious and that Aelin was sleeping in the chair beside his bed. Estel was sitting next to her, watching over Legolas.
Estel smiled at him as he entered the room. "Her turn to rest," he explained in a whisper.
"Good," he said softly, with a smile of his own. He knew how little sleep she had received and how much she needed it.
Estel studied the older man, seeing how weary he was. "Looks like you could use some rest yourself," he said.
"Has he awoken yet?" Ellun asked, changing the subject. Sure, he was exhausted, he had probably gotten less sleep than Aelin, but he couldn't sleep yet.
Estel shook his head. "Nay, but he should be soon."
Ellun nodded and then turned to leave. "I shall be back," he stated, and then left.
The silver-eyed man stared after Ellun in confusion. What was that about?
He shrugged it off, figuring he would find out eventually.
He turned his attention back to Legolas and was surprised to see the elf waking up. He was actually trying to get out of bed!
Estel quickly stood and pushed his friend down gently, mindful of the injuries he sported.
"It's alright, Legolas. You are safe," he reassured the blonde. He wished there was something more that he could do for him; to take away his pain. However, there was nothing he could do, nothing except try to comfort his friend.
Upon opening his eyes Legolas was met with stormy ones that were filled with worry and relief.
"How do you feel, Legolas?" the dark-haired man asked caringly.
"Fine," the elf whispered, too tired to manage anything else.
Before anything more could be said Ellun entered the room, a tray of food in each hand.
He set one down on a stand next to the bed and handed the other to Estel.
Then he turned to Aelin and was shocked to find that she had been watching him.
"Good evening," he said with a smile.
She smiled back at her husband, glad to see him in a good mood. "How did everything go?"
Legolas snapped to attention, his eyes opening the rest of the way. What had happened to Adanel? He remembered passing out soon after stabbing the man, but he realized he had no idea of what had become of him. And, if he hadn't died, what had they chosen to do with him?
"Fine. They believe everything and are taking care of it as we speak," he paused for a moment, looking at Legolas but then he turned his attention back to his wife. "There will be a small ceremony for those who wish to attend."
Estel looked to Legolas and, seeing his curious expression, he answered the unspoken question, "Aye, mellon-nin, he is dead now."
Legolas sighed heavily, inwardly relieved but not showing it to the others, except Estel who knew him too well. He couldn't help it, though. Adanel hadn't helped his state of mind in the least. Being trapped in that room, tied up so soon after the orcs had only traumatized him even more.
"You should eat now," Ellun suggested.
Estel had nearly forgotten about the tray in his lap.
He stood and set the tray on the chair. He then helped Legolas sit up and handed him some broth. Even though he knew the elf would loath the idea, he helped him eat, for the wounds on his shoulders hindered his movements and would undoubtedly cause him pain if he were to use them.
Ellun and Aelin ate, talking to each other; not watching Legolas. They knew that he felt embarrassed over the situation and would feel more so if they watched.
Once Legolas could eat no more (nor drink) Estel ate his own food.
They idly chatted about unimportant things; for once, relaxing and having a good time. One of the very few they had had.
"Is there a lake nearby?" Legolas suddenly asked the couple.
Aelin and Ellun were taken aback at the unexpected question and thought for a moment before responding, "Aye; not too far away. Why do you wish to know?"
"Can we go? I wish to bathe," the elf said. It had been far too long since he had been able to and it was bothering him greatly, especially now that all the excitement was over.
"Your bandages, Legolas…" Estel started, though he wasn't really trying to stop his friend. He knew how much he liked to be clean, it would probably soothe him, too; that definitely wouldn't hurt. He had to admit he needed one himself. He hadn't bathed since the day he had gone to meet Legolas; he had had no time to waste.
"I shall replace them when I am done if necessary," the prince responded, looking at his friend almost pleadingly. He didn't want to inconvenience the dark-haired man, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to bathe.
Estel nodded, easily giving in without any real fight. "Worry not, I shall do it," he told his injured friend. He wouldn't make Legolas do it himself, it would be extremely difficult with one arm; with both being injured – not to mention painful.
"Hannon le, mellon-nin," the blonde said gratefully, smiling widely.
Then they turned to their two silent companions.
Aelin and Ellun blanched under the attention they had received so suddenly. Both knew what the question was, however.
"Aye, I shall take you," Ellun offered. Aelin said she would stay home and do the chores that hadn't been done in a few days and needed to be. She figured it would be better if she didn't go with the males. Her husband would surely be back to help her out soon enough anyway.
Legolas and Estel nodded in appreciation.
Estel needed to check up on his horse to see if the stallion was doing well, but he knew how anxious Legolas was. Also, the horse was strong and he was sure nothing had befallen him. He would check after they bathed.
Grabbing his bag of clothes and other supplies, he helped Legolas up and then they were on their way, following Ellun… picking up some herbs and bandages on their way, of course.
…………
Legolas and Estel had relaxed during their bath and their tense muscles loosened as they enjoyed the cool water. Both let out contented sighs at the refreshing feeling that overwhelmed their senses, calming them further.
After Legolas had almost drowned himself by becoming too relaxed and nearly falling asleep, Estel decided they should return.
Before they did, however, the human treated the elf's injuries again; with Legolas still half asleep.
Estel practically dragged his worn-out friend back to the cabin and helped him into the bed.
Legolas fell asleep instantly.
It was hard to believe how tired the usually energetic elf was; it just proved how horrible the events he had gone through had been.
Sighing heavily, he turned to leave the room, still needing to check up on his horse.
With a last glance at his sleeping friend, he left the room and, blowing out the candle, he closed the door behind him. He told Ellun and Aelin where he was going just in case Legolas inquired; he didn't want them to worry either.
He brought a couple of treats for his horse and had, surely enough, found the stallion grazing not far in the woods.
He returned about half an hour later, not wanting to leave Legolas for longer than he had to.
Entering the cabin, he was shocked to hear someone screaming.
Legolas' screams.
He ran as fast as his legs would carry him; ran to Legolas' room, following his desperate screams.
What had happened! He had thought he was safe. Who could have done something to him?
Once he had gotten to Legolas' room he was shocked at what he saw.
Complete darkness reigned over the room; not even the moon's glow dared enter the room. However, it was not that which shocked him, but what was going on in it, for he had blown out he candle himself.
He could vaguely make out Legolas' struggling form, struggling against two others; by their voices, they were Ellun and Aelin.
They were frantically trying to calm him down.
"Legolas!" he shouted in horror.
Aelin quickly turned around, startled by the sound.
"Light the candle!" she yelled. They needed light but could not let go of Legolas for fear of what would happen, not knowing what he might do in his state of mind.
Estel hastened to comply. It would be hard to do anything with how dark it was in the first place, let alone try and help.
He quickly lit the candle and then joined Legolas' side. Aelin and Ellun got out of his way, relieved that he was there. He would know what to do to help a lot more than they did.
"Legolas, mellon-nin, come back to us," the young man said, unintentionally switching to Elvish. He continued to speak soothingly in the beautiful language.
It seemed to take an eternity for Legolas to finally stop his panicked movements and screams, and even longer for his eyes to clear as he finally recognized his surroundings.
The elf closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing.
"Legolas, are you alright now?" Estel questioned still shocked over the elf's behavior. "What happened?"
Legolas inhaled deeply; letting it out shakily, he opened his eyes. "I… They…" he stumbled over his words. He took another deep breath to straighten his thoughts. "It was dark… The orcs…" he trailed off, still too shaken to continue.
Estel needed to hear no more, however. It was now all too obvious what had happened.
This was his fault. His friend had suffered more because of him.
He had blown out the candle, leaving the room in total darkness. He should have known. Legolas had been kept in a cave for who knew how long while being held captive by the orcs.
He should have known!
"I'm sorry, mellon-nin," he said guiltily, pulling the stricken elf into a caring hug. He felt even worse when his friend's body tensed at the embrace, but he did relax quickly, realizing who it was.
Legolas said nothing in reply, but held on to Estel tighter as if the young man was his anchor to the real world, a safeguard against the demons in his mind.
Ellun and Aelin were extremely relieved when Legolas had calmed down. They had been startled by the sudden screams, bursting in to the elf's room to find him struggling with some unseen force. They had dealt with Legolas' nightmares before, but it hadn't been the same this time. The elf had seemed to be in a state that was halfway asleep and awake. It had been eerie.
After the four sat in silence for what was probably an hour, Estel finally convinced Legolas to sleep with help of herbs promised to prevent dreams of any sort. The young man also swore he wouldn't leave his friend's side for even a second. He already felt guilty enough, what if it happened again?
Nay, he would not allow it to.
Estel had also somehow managed to convince Ellun and Aelin to sleep in their own room, assuring them that everything was fine and that he would get them if need be… under their request.
Once the couple left the room, Estel hung his head in despair.
He hadn't realized Legolas' condition had been so severe. He had known his friend had suffered under the orcs', but he did not know the extent. It had been hard to get an accurate reading on his mental state when he had first arrived because of Adanel. He knew there was a lot more to it then what had just happened too. He was determined to help his best friend get through this…
…………
The next morning Legolas awoke to sunlight shining into his room, spilling orange streaks across his bed.
He looked over to the window, glad to see he hadn't awoken to darkness again and that the window's drapes were actually drawn. He realized that there was no longer any need to keep them shut if the couple didn't want them to be.
The thought brought a smile to his face.
He felt another presence in the room and turned to the right to see Estel's gaze watching him with a warm expression.
"Glad to see you are awake, mellon-nin," the human said with a smile of his own. "How do you feel?"
"A lot better," Legolas answered truthfully.
Estel's smile grew even more at the news. "That's good to hear. Just relax for a while longer, it must have been a rough night," he suggested in concern.
Legolas merely looked back at the window, not wanting to speak of his foolish behavior.
Estel let the subject drop, knowing that that was what Legolas wanted.
"Are we going to go back to Imladris soon?" the elf asked after moments of silence. He was grateful to Ellun and Aelin but he didn't want to stay in the village much longer. Nothing good had come of his stay, except the help to get rid of Adanel. He just wished to relax in the garden of Imladris, under his favorite tree.
"Aye, once you have recovered; depending on how long they will let us stay," the dark-haired man replied. He wished to return as well, for he feared he was greatly worrying his family and felt horrible for not telling them he had left, however, time hadn't permitted that.
There was a knock at the door that startled the two friends; both looked at it expectantly.
Aelin entered quietly, they hadn't responded so she hadn't been sure if they were awake. She was surprised to see that they were.
She hid her surprise and smiled at the two, holding out a tray of food for Estel to take.
"What about you?" he asked before taking the food.
"Ellun and I already ate," she answered cheerfully. Looking over at Legolas, she was glad to see he was doing better.
"Where is he?" said elf questioned curiously.
"He went to collect firewood, we are running low and it's a cold winter," the woman explained. She was bundled up in a thick sweater as if to prove her point.
Indeed it was cold; Estel had noticed it getting increasingly cold over the night, for he had stayed up all night watching over Legolas, too shaken to sleep in case the incident repeated itself. However, the dark-haired man hadn't moved from his position, refusing to leave his friend's side as he promised, so he had just wrapped his arms tightly around himself, ignoring the chill as best as he could. In the morning when Legolas woke up it was forgotten, especially when he found that the elf had drastically improved.
Estel had taken the tray from the kind woman and, once again, helped Legolas eat; then ate his food.
After they ate he checked Legolas' bandages. He changed them, spreading new salve on the wounds to help them heal. He was pleased at their appearance, seeing that there were no complications.
Both Legolas and Estel contemplated asking Aelin how long they could stay, but didn't know how to approach the subject.
"You know," the red-head suddenly spoke up, causing the two to jump with how deep they were in thought, "you may stay as long as you wish. You are welcome here at any time. Everyone is grateful to you two." It was almost as if she had read their minds.
"For what?" Legolas asked puzzled. He honestly didn't know why they would be grateful to him; all he had done was get captured and then kill their leader. He thought that Estel was the only one of them that deserved praise. He had saved everyone.
He knew what Aelin meant, however, for they had already gone over this.
Aelin just shook shot him an exasperated look, as if daring him to question further.
Legolas laughed at the woman, a genuine laugh, one of the first since arriving at the cabin, one that Aelin had never heard before; one that Estel had missed terribly.
So, there ya have it. n.n Don't forget to let me know what ya think, 'kay? n.n
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. Here's my gift to everyone. n.n;;
The next chapter is, sadly, the last one. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will like the next as well. n.n I will update as soon as I can; since it's Winter Break it should be out fairly soon. Just have to type it up. n.n
Well, hope everyone has fun and enjoyed their holiday. n.n And thanks again for all the encouraging reviews. n.n
Ja ne