Disclaimer: I do not own LotR or any of the characters and am making no money off of this.
This was my entry for the Teitho contest, "White Lie"; therefore, obviously, a one-shot. It did not win, but that doesn't matter. I just wrote this in the hopes of getting my muse back, and I did. n.n And me, being the genius that I am, decided to forget to email myself the fourth chapter of Hunted, so I couldn't post it. I still had this with me, though and decided to give you guys something. n.n
I really hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to let me know, 'kay? n.n
Should Have Known
"Legolas, do not…" Aragorn warned, the threat hanging in the air. His hands were held out in front of him as he slowly backed away, watching the mud-splattered blonde closely.
"'Do not' what, my dear friend?" the elf asked innocently, continuing his advances. He could barely hold back the laughter that threatened to burst at the sight of the thoroughly muddied human.
The young man eyed the huge mud ball in now-brown fingers as the elf came closer.
"Come on, Legolas. I thought you said truce?" the human questioned. He didn't really mind the mud, not at all, but with one that size and without an arsenal of his own… That was a different matter entirely. Not to mention he was exhausted, though he'd never confess it. He didn't need Legolas to worry about him any more than he already was.
Legolas' arm came back and Aragorn readied himself to dodge.
The mud ball came at him and, just as he was about to leap to the side, a sudden fit of coughing attacked him, causing him to lose his balance.
Blue eyes widened in shock and horror since he could do nothing but watch as his friend tripped over a large rock and fell into the river behind him in a blink of an eye. Neither had realized they had been so close to the edge, for they had been having so much fun, despite Aragorn's recent protests.
What had he been thinking anyway! Of course Aragorn's body was still weakened!
Aragorn had spent a week confined to bed due to being extremely ill with a dangerously high fever.
When the human had had time to recover after his fever had abated, both he and Legolas thought it was time to get out of bed and into the forest. Elrond still wasn't even allowing Aragorn to leave the walls of their home.
After the morning meal, the two friends had somehow convinced Elrond to let Aragorn relax in the garden. That was what they had said at least, while hiding their mischievous glints from their eyes.
As soon as they had felt Elrond's gaze leave the hole it had burned into their backs, the two had taken off towards the forest.
They had gotten away with it alright, but they were paying for it now.
Mirth had instantly abandoned Legolas, replaced by fear and guilt.
He wasted no time as he ran to the river's edge, frantically looking for his friend.
It took him a moment to find the human, who was either unconscious or too weary to move, for he floated down the river without putting up resistance.
Once his eyes fell upon the still Aragorn, he jumped into the swift currents that dared to steal his friend from him.
He broke the surface, desperately searching in the direction he had found Aragorn before.
Finding the human again, he quickly swam over to him. Grasping Aragorn's wrist tightly, he pulled the lifeless body close to his own, feeling his heart pound against his ribs mercilessly.
Legolas brought the ranger out of the water and gently laid him down. The cold water soaked through both of them, deadly to one; harmless to the other.
Legolas' fright rose to a new peak when he found Aragorn unconscious and not breathing.
A few compressions later, the young man started to cough up water, Legolas immediately turning him to his side so he wouldn't choke.
The elf rubbed the man's back soothingly as coughs continued to wrack his body and tear at his already sore throat.
After the coughing had ceased, Aragorn was left panting heavily, trying to regain the breath he had lost. He lay their limply, eyes closed.
Legolas checked Aragorn for any broken bones or injuries while his friend fought for control over his body.
Luckily, no bones were broken. However, he had suffered a sprained wrist and had a slight concussion. It was a good thing the blonde hadn't taken hold of the wrist that had been injured.
And here they were without supplies.
They really should have known better.
"I'm sorry, mellon-nin," Legolas whispered, contritely. He shouldn't have even suggested going to the forest until Aragorn was fully recovered.
It was far too late for those thoughts, though. He had to figure out what he could do to help lessen the human's pain. If they had taken supplies to the garden with them it would have been too obvious that they had been up to something.
Aragorn, unable to spare the breath, said nothing in return, but weakly shook his head, not wanting his friend to feel guilty over the situation. The blame clearly fell on the both of them.
Legolas sighed heavily, still blaming himself, but there would be plenty of time to think about that later. Right then, he just needed to get Aragorn back to Elrond.
Explaining this to the elder elf would not be fun. Not at all; he definitely wasn't looking forward to it.
The blonde took a quick look around, searching for something that would serve as a splint for the sprained wrist.
Once he found a thick, small branch that would have to work until they got back, Legolas took off his cloak.
He echoed his earlier sigh as he ripped a strip of the green material. He was surprised that they even had any cloaks left after how many times they ran into trouble.
They really should have known better.
Wrapping the wrist with the makeshift bandage, Legolas watched Aragorn closely, concerned by his heavy breathing, accompanied by an occasional cough.
Was it the sickness again?
He needed to get back quickly!
The elf also wrapped another strip of cloth around the man's head, for the small wound still bled.
Then he carefully picked Aragorn up and started back.
He dreaded being back in Elrond's presence, but would not be relieved until he had it either. He really didn't want to explain this to the elf-lord. However, Aragorn needed his vast knowledge in the healing arts.
Why did I not study before…? the archer thought reprimanding himself.
Legolas soon heard voices shouting their names. The voices were easily recognized: Elladan and Elrohir.
He swallowed back a curse as he yelled back at the twins, for he needed to let them know where they were.
Lying about their whereabouts had probably frightened them terribly.
The guilt weighed heavier, and would have dragged him down if not for the limp body in his arms that was so important. The human was exhausted and he was getting warmer, he noted in concern.
"How could—" Elladan started off angrily, but stopped short when he saw his youngest brother still in Legolas' arms, eyes closed.
"What happened!" Elrohir immediately questioned when the elder twin's mouth dried up at the sight. "You have been gone for barely an hour!"
They had been desperately searching for the two friends for most of that time – since they had noticed them missing. The twins had gone to sit with their still-recovering brother only to find him not where he had said he would be, along with Legolas. They hadn't known what to think so had gone running to their father in a panic.
Then they had been sent to find the two. Neither the twins nor Elrond knew if they should be angry or terrified, given Aragorn's condition.
The sight they were greeted with most certainly didn't help matters.
"…Forgive me," Legolas said again, eyes lowered to the form in his arms.
He felt horrible. If he had only listened to Elrond for once.
"It matters not," the elder twin said quickly. The two friends would be in for it later when Elrond got to them.
All that mattered then was getting the young man in Legolas' arms back to their father.
When they exited the forest, Legolas found Elrond pacing worriedly as he waited for the four to emerge.
He felt the weight of guilt become heavier once more, even as the elf-lord lifted Aragorn from his arms, wasting no time as he hastened to the healing wing.
Legolas' feet automatically carried him after Elrond. He needed to be with Aragorn, needed to make sure his friend would be well.
Aragorn had protested against the move from Legolas' arms to his father's, having regained consciousness while the archer had been carrying him. He murmured something about being able to walk on his own into Elrond's chest. It would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the situation.
Elrond carefully laid his son down onto a bed in the healing room, not knowing how injured he was. The head wound, along with the wrist were obvious, but he didn't know if there were others.
Checking Aragorn quickly, he sighed in relief when he found those to be the only injuries.
Closing his eyes, the hammering in his chest returned to its usual rhythm. He had slumped into the chair behind him, so great was his relief.
Since Legolas had been carrying him and in such a hurry… Well, that usually didn't bode well for the other's health, especially with the two friends.
"Valar, you scared me," he breathed, letting the relief sink in.
"Forgive me," Legolas stated again, his shame only growing.
The elf-lord looked up at the young elf, who still stood next to him. "I shall talk to you about this later," he said somewhat coldly, but he tried to hide his anger, knowing the guilt the blonde felt was eating at him.
Looking back at Aragorn, he vaguely wondered why the man was covered in mud, but let it go. He was sure he didn't want to know.
Legolas had lowered his gaze to his hands, unable to even look at Elrond.
He snapped himself out of his thoughts when said elf-lord stood and walked over to the table covered in various herbs and supplies. Elrond had already prepared himself when he had first learned of the friend's disappearance. With their reputations, who wouldn't have?
Aragorn was trying to get up now, but Legolas gently pushed the human back down.
"I'm fine," the young man protested, even with the shortness of breath. "I need not be in bed."
He had just gotten permission to get out of bed! Who knew how long it would take until Elrond allowed him to even leave the room now.
He supposed he deserved this for lying to his father.
"Nay, mellon-nin. Just relax," Legolas soothed.
Knowing it would be pointless, Aragorn stopped his struggles. He also felt a lot more drained than he would admit to even himself.
The human shut his eyes, trying to will away the pounding headache.
A freezing hand placed on his forehead startled him, causing a gasp to escape his parched throat. He realized he had almost fallen asleep.
Opening his eyes, he saw Legolas nod to Elrond sadly. At the nod the healer crushed up more herbs and dropped them into the tea.
It was hard for him to believe that he had been so tired that he hadn't even heard the words that had been exchanged between the two—possibly even four, if the twins had said anything.
Elrohir and Elladan stood on the other side of Aragorn quietly. There wasn't much they could do to help.
However, Elladan soon noticed the sheen of sweat on Aragorn's forehead and moved to the counter.
Returning to his youngest brother he held a bowl of cool water and a cloth, both of which he handed to Legolas, hoping it would help get his mind off the guilty trail it was lost on.
While the elder twin retrieved the bowl, the younger had left the room. The others were so focused on Aragorn that they hadn't even noticed his absence, until he came back with dry clothes for both Aragorn and Legolas.
Elrond nodded gratefully and then went back to prepare the herbs, knowing that the three would be able to handle it on their own.
Elrohir helped Aragorn put on the nightclothes he had brought for him.
The human said he could do it on his own, but by how sluggish his movements were, the others figured it would be best to help when needed.
Both Aragorn and Legolas would have to bathe soon to rid themselves of the mud, however, under the current circumstances, they would have to make due. The sick human was in no condition to be taking a bath, or drowning as would likely be the case.
"Drink this, ion-nin," the elf-lord quietly commanded, holding the cup in front of the human, finally having the tea at the right temperature for it to take effect right away. He had used the fireplace in the chambers to heat it up.
The soothing motion of the cloth running across his face nearly had Aragorn asleep. He had to force his heavy eyelids to open.
When Aragorn drank all the tea he soon fell asleep as the effects of the sleeping herb combined with his exhaustion dragged him under.
Legolas watched Aragorn with saddened eyes as he continued to run the cool cloth over the feverish face.
The blonde couldn't believe that he had had a relapse, though the fever wasn't as high as it was before. Falling into a freezing river hadn't helped matters either.
"He will be fine, penneth," the elder elf tried to comfort the distraught Legolas. Even if he was angry with the two, he couldn't stand to see the crestfallen look the prince wore. He would talk to him when Aragorn recovered, along with Aragorn himself. They needed to learn their lesson for once. They had snuck out before, but this was not acceptable.
He was just grateful that they hadn't been more injured. Their luck was amazing… or lack of.
Legolas merely nodded slightly in acknowledgement. Seeing his friend sick again so soon after recovering tore at his heart, especially since it had been his fault.
He continued to watch Aragorn, ready for him if he should need anything.
Elladan, Elrohir, and Elrond had pulled up extra chairs next to the young man, keeping an eye on him and even Legolas.
………
Aragorn next woke up around midnight; his head pounding as if he had drank too much wine.
That was the first thing that greeted his return to consciousness. The second thing was the barrage of a twenty-question game, one that he did not wish to play.
"…What?" he whispered hoarsely, followed by coughs. He had had no idea what had been asked; he hardly knew who had spoken, and that was only because he had opened his eyes to be welcomed with blue worry-filled ones.
"Slow down, mellon-nin," Elrohir said with a smile, holding back his laughter… barely.
Elrond rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Smoothing back his youngest son's wild, dark hair, he softly asked, "How do you feel?"
"I did ask that!" the blonde exclaimed, after Elrohir had made another comment about asking 'simple questions.'
"As if you were trying to break the record of fastest speaking," Elladan retorted with a grin.
Legolas huffed and returned his attention back to his sick friend.
With the twins' playful and energetic behavior, they had been able to pull Legolas out of his self-blame, or at least, partially out of it.
The elf-lord had blatantly ignored his sons' bickering with the Mirkwood prince and had focused on his youngest.
Feeling Aragorn's forehead, it wasn't as hot as before and he also seemed a lot less drained; also more aware.
"Can you eat, ion-nin?" the elder elf asked cautiously. When he had been sick before, he hadn't been able to hold anything down.
"…Not hungry," the human mumbled, eyes closing again. All he wanted to do was sleep off the fever; chase it away with dreams.
"Are you nauseated?" Elrond queried in concern.
The dark brown hair shook slightly, grey eyes still hidden.
"Then you need to eat," he said, leaving no room for argument.
Aragorn sighed heavily, knowing it would be futile to say anything more, especially with Legolas and the twins next to him. He would eat, even if he didn't want to, which was exactly what was going to happen.
"Will you get something light for Estel to eat, ion-nin? Some food for all of us would not hurt," the elder elf suggested of Elladan. He had just realized that none of them had had anything to eat since the morning meal.
Elladan nodded and left, the door closing silently behind him.
Everyone turned their scrutinizing gazes back to Aragorn, seeing if there was anything they could do for him.
"I'm fine!" the human shouted—or tried to—answering the unspoken question when he saw the way they looked at him.
Legolas, Elrond and Elrohir all smiled sympathetically at the young man.
"I'm sorry, Estel," Legolas suddenly said in a whisper.
Said human snapped his focus to his friend, wondering what he was talking about; why he had sounded so guilt-ridden.
"I'm sorry for bringing you to the forest; for even suggesting we go," he elaborated, still in a quiet tone.
Elrond had a few words to add to this subject; however, he held his tongue. He would scold them later. Right now it was important for his son to recover. He couldn't put undue strain on the sick human.
"Legolas, mellon-nin, 'tis not your fault," Aragorn started comfortingly once he saw that his father wasn't going to say anything about this… yet. "I chose to go with you. It was not as if you forced me along."
"Iston." Still, the blonde could not rid himself of the guilt that plagued his heart.
Using his left hand (the one that wasn't injured), Aragorn reached for Legolas' own.
The elf grasped the hand in his, holding it tightly.
"Let go of your guilt. 'Tis not your fault every time we run in to trouble… only most of the time," the man said jokingly with a smirk.
The archer laughed lightly, appreciating the fact that his sick and injured friend was trying to comfort him.
Elladan then re-entered the room, a tray of food in both hands.
And, with his entrance, came another groan from the not-hungry Aragorn.
The elder twin merely smiled widely—almost mockingly—knowing the groan had been because the human was being forced to eat.
He handed one tray to his father who had stood up to take it. The other one was placed on Aragorn's lap once he had sat up, leaning against the wall behind him, feeling lightheaded from just the small movement.
During the late meal, the five conversed but the tension in the air was somewhat thick, for Legolas and Aragorn were waiting for Elrond to scold them.
It never came. Not yet.
If anything, waiting was worse than being lectured right away because they didn't know when it was coming or how mad the elder elf still was.
It was the next morning, when Aragorn's fever broke, that the elf-lord decided to let his son and friend have a piece of his mind.
"I said you could go to the garden! The garden; not the forest!" Elrond shouted, unable to control himself any longer. He stood in front of the two foolish friends.
They were all in Aragorn's chambers now, for Elrond had forbidden them to leave. And, even though the fever had broken, Aragorn was still left with a heavy bout of fatigue.
Legolas was allowed in Aragorn's chambers and his own, that was it. Surprisingly—or not for the elder elf—Legolas hadn't put up a fight against that.
"You even lied to me. Imagine if both of you had been hurt and we could not find you. Then what would you do…?" Elrond trailed off, letting the two think about the consequences. However, he was far from done. After all, his disappointment in the two had only grown over the last couple of days.
"You were lucky I even allowed you to go outside, Estel," he continued, slightly lowering his voice.
"I know, and I'm sorry, Ada," the human started, feeling extremely guilty. Elrond had never sounded so hurt before, never so angry, yet sad. He didn't know how to react.
"No; I really think you do not understand. You could have died, Estel!" the elf-lord exclaimed distraught. He had no idea what he would do if he were to lose another part of his family. Not only that, but he was sure that, if one of them were to die, the others would surely pass, too, for the grief would be far too much to bear.
Legolas opened his mouth to add that he'd never let Aragorn die, but, not only did he know he had no control over such a thing, Elrond had interrupted him.
"I know you love him, Legolas, and that you would do everything to save him, but what if his injuries had been more severe?" He paused briefly, swallowing thickly, before continuing. "It hurts me to even think of it, but it is reality. You cannot be so reckless, especially when recovering from a high fever," he added the last part sadly, looking at Aragorn, whose gaze was glued guiltily to the floor, as was Legolas'.
Neither Aragorn nor Legolas knew what to say. They had never felt so horrible and they deeply regretted their rash actions.
"We know what we did was wrong; that we never should have lied to you," Legolas finally spoke up, sadness dripping with every word. The sound almost broke Elrond's resolve. "I just hope that you can forgive us." He stared directly in to the elder elf's eyes—the elf that he thought of as a second father—to show his sincerity.
"Worry not, I forgive you two. You are both alive, after all," Elrond said actually smiling. "However, you will not be allowed in the archery range or garden for a week," he said sternly to Legolas, the abrupt change of the topic taking the others off-guard.
The young elf opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. The punishment was harsh to him, however, he deserved it. It could have been worse.
The twins and Aragorn were also shocked at the punishment, for their father had never been so harsh. Legolas loved the outdoors and archery. This would be an incredibly hard week for the wood-elf. It showed just how worried he had been.
"And you, Estel, will not be allowed to leave your chambers for the week," Elrond issued his consequence, a mischievous smirk threatening to break out on his face. It would be interesting to see how the human would handle the confinement now that he was nearly recovered. He needed to learn his lesson, and the elder elf thought this would be the best way. He wasn't taking away any necessities, he'd still be able to bathe, go to the bathroom, eat, drink, etc. He'd just be extremely restless.
The four all gaped at the death sentence the elf-lord had just given Aragorn. There would be no way he'd be able to handle a week trapped in his chambers.
The twins and Legolas looked over at Aragorn, seeing the horrified expression that marred his handsome, but pale, features.
The man placed a hand over his face, shaking his head.
It was then that he decided to never lie to his father again.
…And to never get sick.
So, there ya have it. Like it? Hate it? Want me to shut up and go write? -.- Yeah. Let me know what ya think, alright? n.n
Yeah, I guess my mind wanted something different and made Aragorn angst instead of Legolas. Crazy how that works, huh? Especially since I had planned on having Legolas being on the receiving end of said angst at first… ..:shrugs:.. Well, someone wanted that, don't remember who you were (possibly HarryEstel?) since that was forever ago, but… there ya go. n.n;;
I'll post the next chapter to Hunted sometime this coming week. n.n I can't believe I forgot it… ..:sighs:..
Ja ne