Hey everyone! Here's chapter 5! Chapter 6 comes Tuesday or Wednesday, just like last week! (Don't you feel loved? ROTFL!)

Boromir was a man
Of Frodo he was not a fan
He wanted the ring
To rule everything
But instead, he got himself canned.

Sorry, Boromir fans! It came out so funny that I couldn't resist! LOL

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The sound of the approaching orcs got louder and louder, and Aragorn suddenly realized with relief that the rain was a blessing; it would prevent the orcs from catching their scent on the wind.

From where he sat, Legolas prayed that the foul creatures wouldn't find them. It terrified him to know that his two greatest friends could lose their lives defending him. He wished that he was able to fight, but the way that his vision was doubling and spinning, he could very well accidentally shoot Aragorn or Gimli.

The sounds from the orcs continued to grow, and Aragorn unconsciously walked forward, to ensure that there would be some distance between Legolas and the creatures should they be found.

Gimli anxiously twirled his axe, occasionally glancing back at Legolas. The air was filled with tension, but it started to lessen as time passed without an attack.

Abruptly, the sounds stopped, and they realized that the orcs had gone into the cave that they had occupied all night.

Aragorn and Gimli looked at each other, words not being needed to convey their shock at how narrowly the three of them had escaped death. Aragorn only hoped that he didn't leave any sign in the cave that anyone had been there.

Turning, they went back to Legolas, who had been watching anxiously, however unfocused.

Aragorn knelt beside him, studying the hideous mass of colors that adorned the elf's head and face. "We need to get off this mountain as quickly as possible," he whispered.

Legolas said nothing, thinking. The human was right; the orcs would stay inside during the daylight hours and come back out at night. But at the slow speed that Legolas knew the three of them would be traveling, it wasn't out of the question for the orcs to eventually find them.

"Legolas?" said Aragorn, concerned at the elf's blank expression.

"We need to travel across the mountain to the side where we entered the cave," said the elf. He winced when his own voice sent waves of pain through his head. "Only then can we descend, to avoid being found—the orcs cannot get through the now-blocked tunnel."

Aragorn nodded, agreeing.

Gimli laughed. "It's good to know that you are still capable of rational thought, laddie."

Legolas smiled, thought it was strained because of his pain. He didn't bother telling the dwarf that rational thoughts were the only kind that he was currently bothering with.

Aragorn realized that he hadn't had a chance to give Legolas more painkilling herbs inside the cave, so he quickly gave him some leaves to chew before helping the elf up again and supporting him as they carefully made their way across the rugged mountain.

The terrain was very rough, and because of Legolas' concussion-affected vision, he slipped more than once. Aragorn caught him each time, to everyone's relief.

It wasn't a very great distance, but by the time they reached the tunnel, Legolas was exhausted and involuntarily slipping from his friend's grasp.

Aragorn gently sat the elf down with a sigh, knowing that his friend could go no further without rest.

Legolas leaned his pounding head on Aragorn's shoulder, eyes closed.

Gimli watched the elf, dismayed to see such a strong being rendered so helpless. He sighed unhappily before going to the blocked tunnel and looking in. All he could see was darkness, and he suddenly realized that this entire situation was his fault.

Aragorn looked at the dwarf when he suddenly gasped. "Gimli?"

"I did it again!"

Aragorn frowned. "Did what again?"

"First I closed the stable door and hurt his arm," said Gimli, pointing to the elf's still-wrapped wrist, which they'd nearly forgotten about, in light of the events. "And now I hurt his head—could have killed him!—by insisting that we explore this mountain!"

Aragorn frowned. "Gimli, you could not have foreseen these events—"

Gimli hung his head. "I feel as if I have shed the blood of a brother."

"Cease your words, Gimli," Legolas cut in, his eyes remaining closed. "My wrist is fine, and my head soon will be. Stop this foolish blame; Aragorn is correct."

Gimli said nothing, sighing as he patted his friend's arm in answer.

They rested for a while, and Aragorn examined Legolas again. The elf looked terrible: the horribly dark bruises on his markedly pale skin make him look otherworldly; the pupils of his eyes were very dilated. His injury was indeed serious, but Legolas made no complaints.

They set off again just as the rain stopped. They descended slowly, for the uneven rocky surface was now quite wet.

Gimli walked on Legolas' other side, tightly grasping his arm to help prevent the elf from slipping.

However, the dwarf didn't succeed.

The three friends weren't far from the bottom when the dizziness that plagued the elf suddenly increased dramatically. He gasped and stumbled to a stop, but Aragorn and Gimli took another step, accidentally pulling Legolas forward. The elf had no balance, thanks to his dizziness, and fell.

The human and dwarf both stopped and automatically took a step back, but then they had to step forward again when Legolas lost his balance. However, it was now too late. The short dwarf slipped as Legolas' weight pulled him down, which caused Aragorn to lose his own footing on the wet rock.

All three of them fell to the rough ground, Aragorn trying to catch Legolas. He only succeeded in keeping hold of his right arm as the elf fell heavily, not having the strength to catch himself.

Gimli landed flat on his back, but quickly rolled to the side, providing the injured elf with a landing pad; if you could call it that.

Legolas gave a cry of pain as his head—the bruised side, naturally—smacked onto Gimli's back.

Aragorn fell to his knees, ignoring the sharp pain caused from the rock-edges. "Legolas!" he exclaimed, carefully rolling him off Gimli.

The elf made no movement and gave no reply, knocked into a half-conscious state from the second blow to his head.

Aragorn quickly checked the elf's pulse, finding it beating fast in response to the sudden jolt.

Gimli scrambled up, panicked at the sight of his motionless friend.

Legolas suddenly groaned then, weakly bringing up his arms to grasp his head.

"Open your eyes," Aragorn urgently said, relieved that his friend was awake. He had to repeat his words before the elf was able to hear him over the relentless pounding in his skull.

Legolas opened his eyes, but quickly closed them when the landscape spun out of control. He didn't even feel his body lurch to the side, following the spin, until the human tightened his grip around him.

"What do we do?" Gimli asked, nervously.

Aragorn sighed, unable to catch a glimpse of Legolas' eyes before the elf had closed them. Looking towards the ground, he prayed that the rest of the descent would be easier.

The dwarf watched Aragorn gently lift the elf into his arms.

"Walk ahead of me," said the human. "Ensure that my path is free of dangers."

Gimli nodded and headed down, looking for the driest and smoothest places to step.

Aragorn followed the dwarf, holding his friend tightly. "Legolas?" he said. "Are you awake, mellon-nin?"

He got no reply.

The dwarf stepped to the ground with a sigh of relief, turning to watch Aragorn carry Legolas the last few dangerous steps.

Aragorn echoed the sigh as he felt the even ground beneath his feet. He carefully laid Legolas down and checked his pulse, gently opening the elf's eyes to check the dilation, which had grown, to his alarm.

"Is he much worse?" Gimli asked.

"It would be easier to tell if he were conscious," Aragorn said. "Though the fact that he is not tells much in itself." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I hope that you are right, Gimli—that the horses returned home and a search is underway for us. Legolas may require herbs that I do not have with me."

Those were not the words that Gimli wanted to hear.

TBC