Author's Note: Happy July, Everyone! I have been working on this update and story for a while. I decided to go ahead and post what I have as I continue to work on more. I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. It's not Christmas, but nearly the halfway mark! J

WELCOME BACK, MY FRIEND! (You know who you are)

A big thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my stories, comment on them, and favorite them. You all inspire me so much! :)

Rating: K+ for angst, emotional situations, talk of death, and threats to trees

Forgotten No More

Making haste with their traveling, the twins and the ill elfling prince soon found themselves walking under a heavy shadow of branches and tall, largely-built trees that seemed to stretch up nearly into the heavens. The forest was so dense that it automatically provided some shelter from the harsh winds and bitter cold, and it proved to be a simple matter to find an area in between two trees with huge trunks starting to grow together, the curve of the wood providing the perfect finishing touch to a shelter covered with makeshift branches that Elladan begged from the trees. With more branches laid upon the ground to provide a floor from the snow, the tiny shelter took no longer than a few short minutes, and there was plenty of kindling wood for a fire as well.

Waiting long enough to see his brother get a fire started and making sure the elfling was amply covered from where they had laid him upon a cloak on the ground, Elrohir grinned weakly at his brother, hoisted his own weapons and pack upon his back, leaving the others in the shelter, and slipped out of the shelter, taking off at a steady lope back towards the cave they had only recently left.

"Be safe!" Elladan called out after his swiftly disappearing twin, turning back then to the elfling, who had long since calmed and was lying quietly near the fire, gazing up at the older elf with a saddened expression.

"I am sorry, Elladan. Elrohir should not have gone back. We should have just waited until the storm passed."

Elladan turned his head to look sharply at the young elf, assessing him with a healer's gaze to see if his fever had risen once more. Seeing lucidity in the sad, blue eyes, he knelt down beside Legolas, placing a hand on his head and smoothing back his hair. He mustered a smile for the misery-laden younger elf, meeting the other's steady gaze. "The tree might well be dead by then, penneth. Nay, it is our fault. We should have remembered to bring the little tree. It was not fair to wake it up and then leave it alone in the dark like that."

Legolas bit his lip, still staring up at him. "Still… I would not have anything happen to Elrohir just because I yearned for the tree… Elrohir is more important."

Elladan chuckled drily. "He will be happy to know you said that, young one. All the same, I believe Elrohir is perfectly capable of making a few hours trek to fetch a little tree. You will see. Before night falls, he will be back, joining us here in our safe and warm enclosure. Now dwell no more on it. You need to rest while you have the chance."

It had been three hours since Elrohir had left. Elladan knew he was being silly, just as he knew without doubt that he would feel through his twin link if something had gone amiss, but he could not help but worry. The storm showed no signs of abetting; the winds still blew furiously around their little enclosure, managing to toss snowflakes through the cracks from time to time despite the aid of the trees above them.

The cozy little fire had long since proven to not be enough warmth for the ill elfling because of the cold air and snow still seeping in, and he had resumed his nearly violent shivering in his sleep that Elladan had managed to calm him into, causing the elder elf to curl up beside him and hold him tightly in his arms under the blankets to share his body warmth. It had fortunately helped, but the twin did not feel confident enough to leave the young elf long enough to go outside and look into the distance for his brother, which is what his heart was yearning to do for his peace of mind. It was hard sometimes to be torn between two brothers, he mused to himself fondly as he carefully moved an arm out of the blankets, reached over, and tossed another stick into the fire in front of them to keep it burning steadily.

He sighed lightly as he pulled his arm back under the blankets and hugged the elfling to him once more, placing a kiss on the top of his blonde head. Legolas was still breathing harshly and his fever showed little sign of diminishing, though it was at least lower than when they had been forced to stop. Though he had been so much against leaving the cave, he feared the longer amount of time it would cost them for Elrohir to retrieve the tree. His healer's senses were telling him that every minute would count now to get the child into the safety of Mirkwood's Keep.

Legolas shifted restlessly, turning his face towards Elladan and letting out a soft groan of discomfort as he began to wheeze and started to cough. Elladan muttered soothing sounds and rubbed the elfling's back gently until the coughing finally stopped and he was rewarded with two weak and watery, large blue eyes cracking open and looking up at him.

"E-Elladan… Hannon le… I-Is Elrohir back yet?" The elfling's voice was weak and soft, and Elladan reached for the water skin, holding it gently up to Legolas' dry lips until he had swallowed a few sips.

He placed it back down and smoothed back some tendrils of blonde hair from Legolas' pale face, smiling reassuringly at him. "Nay, elfling. He has not yet returned. It has not been quite long enough, however, and I sense nothing wrong. Do not fear for him."

Legolas sighed, turning his head and staring down at the branches littering their little enclosure. "It is too cold out, and it is all my fault," he said mournfully.

Elladan tightened his hold on the younger elf. "Nay, elfling! It was our negligence. We knew better than to leave the little tree behind. It is not your fault for reminding us of our remiss in duties. We would have realized eventually and would have been even farther away, so you actually saved us some time."

Elladan was not quite sure he felt this way at the moment with the worry for his twin prominent in his mind, but the child could not be faulted for being a wood elf with a big heart, and this he well knew, nor did he need to be allowed to carry any guilt whatsoever while so very ill. Guilt was the last thing he needed in his condition. The older elf felt a thrill of satisfaction for having chosen this course of action when the elfling slumped back against him and gave a little sigh of relief.

"Perhaps…" Legolas mused, clutching the blanket that was still covering him.

Elladan looked down at him, catching his eyes. "Are you still cold, elfling? And be truthful please."

"A-a little, but not as badly as before…" Legolas met his gaze steadfastly and Elladan knew he was speaking the truth.

He patted him on the shoulder and pushed up into a sitting position, then stood, tucking the covers more securely around the child, smiling down at him. "I am going to gather more firewood, elfling, while you are a bit warmer. I will be right back."

Legolas nodded, smiling back at him as he laid his head down on the makeshift cloak-pillow Elladan had provided for just such a cause. Elladan peered at him assessingly for a moment. The elfling acted as though he was better, but a look deeper into his blue depths showed the healer in the elder twin that he was just putting on an act. The child was hurting and exhausted, but did not wish for Elladan to see this. 'Probably thinking I don't need to worry any more than I already am…' Elladan thought, partly in frustration and partly in fondness at the elfling's grand attempt. 'Poor Penneth, always thinking about others before himself. If he dies because of this stupid tree…'

Elladan left the shelter abruptly, barely taking the time to secure the branch covering to keep out the majority of the cold air. He felt his anger growing at the idea of having to take the time to fetch a tree, and did not wish Legolas to see. He worked his anger out on stomping over the snow and kicking a few rocks in irritation, hitting a few of the trees with them, until one of the trees angrily dumped a layer of snow from its branch right on top of his head.

Spluttering and coughing, he brushed the snow out of his hair and from his face, glaring at the rather smug-looking tree with enough fire in his cold, grey eyes to burn it to the ground, then swiftly gathered up more kindling for the fire and placed it under his cloak, bounded lightly up the hill to peer into the distance as much as he could through the still-swirling snow, then retired to their shelter with the carefully covered wood, laying it down beside the fire after taking it out of his own cloak. He threw one of the larger sticks into the fire, hoping to raise the temperature in their shelter a little, then went over and plopped non-too-elflike down beside the elfling, who looked up at him in surprise at his sudden movement, then widened his eyes at the sight of a slightly-soaked, dark-haired elf.

"YOUR trees…" Elladan said very calmly as he mock-glared at the elfling, emphasizing the word "your" very deliberately, "are in a mood. I am quite tempted to set the entire lot of them on fire!"

Legolas' eyes grew round, then began to twinkle with mirth as he let out a giggle. "Did THEY do that to you?" he asked in amusement, bringing one hand out of the blanket to gesture at Elladan's head, the dark hair still dripping steadily from the melting snow.

Elladan merely huffed and turned to peer at the fire, pretending to be angry. His mood had lightened considerably at the elfling's amusement. He pondered thoughtfully how the blonde-haired young prince always managed to brighten everyone around him. He realized not for the first time how lucky he and his brother were to share such a close bond with the child. 'And we have failed dearly in our charge,' he thought sadly to himself as he looked back over at the elfling, who was watching him doubtfully now, as though wondering if the elder elf was truly angry at him.

He smiled brightly, letting Legolas know he was just pretending, then scooted closer and ruffled his hair, causing him to pull back, protesting with a laugh. Elladan's hand lingered on Legolas' forehead, checking for fever. Ah, it was as he thought. The child was still fevered. He sighed inwardly, flashing another smile at the watching elfling as he pulled him into a gentle embrace and laid his head down on top of the younger elf's, purposely smearing his water-soaked strands over the child's.

"Hey!" Legolas protested. "It's not MY fault you made them angry, Elladan!" He tried to pull back, but was too weak to do so. Elladan smirked. The water would not hurt him, and might help to lower his fever.

"Let me explain something to you, Penneth. You are a wood elf. The trees can speak with you. You can speak with the trees. Therefore, ANYTHING that they do when you are in close proximity with them is exactly and absolutely YOUR fault!"

Legolas glared at him, then slumped back against Elladan's chest, apparently giving up for the moment. He closed his eyes and Elladan frowned, wanting to shake him back into awareness. He knew it would be silly, though. Legolas needed to rest, and he could not deny him that. It just bothered him still to see his eyes closed. It made him think he was dying. The older elf sat still and silent as the elfling rested, hoping he would drift into another healing sleep.

Legolas opened his eyes back up after a moment though, surprising the older elf, who assumed he had fallen asleep. He looked up at Elladan, clutching at the elder twin's arm that was carefully wrapped around his chest. "Where is 'Ro…?" he asked with worry in his voice. "Why is he not back yet?"

Elladan froze. He had already answered that question not long ago. Was Legolas' fever THAT high that he was getting confused? He wrapped his other arm around the youth, pulling him closer against his chest and laying his chin gently on the ruffled, slightly-damp blonde head. "I told you, remember, penneth?" he asked carefully, hoping to nudge the child's memory. "It has not been long enough quite yet. There is no need to worry."

Legolas sighed, resting his head back against Elladan's shoulder. "He should be here. It is MY fault! The storm is growing again, and he is not back…"

Eladan jerked his head up, listening carefully to the sound of the wind blowing around them outside the little shelter. The wood elfling was right, as usual. The storm was getting worse again!

With great skill, the older elf managed to distract the ailing elfling enough for him to drift back into an albeit restless sleep, but Elladan was unable to find any rest himself as the wind whistled and roared around their little enclosure. He had to watch the small fire carefully to keep the flames from blowing out, though it was beginning to do little good in the way of warmth as the storm grew in its rage.

Despite their present and very real worries, Elladan had but one thought on his mind. If they were struggling this much in their cozy little shelter, how was Elrohir faring in the midst of the flurries and freezing cold wind?

The elf so prevalent in the other elves' minds at the moment was faring badly indeed as he struggled through soggy snowdrifts and swirling snowflakes that somehow managed to sneak into every single edge of his garments, freezing his pale skin to his clothing. His hands especially were gaining the brunt of the icy wetness, and he found himself wondering if they would even function enough to get the stupid tree when he reached it.

Amazingly, he had not yet traveled off course, his elven senses faring him well despite the rapidly-growing storm. By his reckoning, he was only another 20 minutes away from the cave. Perhaps he would take enough time to set a fire in the cave and de-thaw his hands and garments before heading back out into the fearsome gale. Perhaps he would use the stupid tree for the firewood and express his condolences to the elfling when he returned, informing him that the storm had claimed its life. A rather evil smirk crossed his face for the briefest of moments, but then a young, pale sickly face with plaintive, huge blue eyes popped into his vision, and the smirk abruptly disappeared. No, he could not possibly return without the little tree. The elfling had suffered enough painful loss and devastating grief. His own 'older brother' did not need to add to it! Elrohir sighed, his visions of revenge against the small item causing him so much grief being dashed against the snow-covered cliff bank and drifting into the wind.

Still grumbling, keeping his hands tucked under his arms now in an attempt to maintain circulation, his eyes widened to see the entrance of the cave just ahead through the swirling snow. He had been so occupied with his thoughts he had not realized how close he was growing to his target. With a sigh of relief, he stumbled into the cave, pushing all the way to the back to get out of the icy wind. After catching his breath and slapping his hands together briskly, he turned to look at the little tree. He frowned to see the little creature slumped over and sickly-looking. It looked nearly dead, much like it had before Legolas had touched it. He felt a sense of awe to realize just how much power the young elfling had in his touch towards living creatures. The little tree must have sensed somehow that its wood elf was abandoning it, deciding to give up on its recent renewal on life. Elrohir felt a strange sense of guilt for thinking dire thoughts against the poor baby tree.

"Not that they 'really' have feelings," he grumbled to himself as he sat down beside the little tree and found himself patting it gently on some of its branches. Was it his imagination, or was it perking up ever so slightly? HE certainly did not have any ability to revive dead plants! Perhaps it connected him with Legolas, or perhaps Legolas' scent still lingered somehow on his clothes from holding him earlier.

Looking around, he spied some leftover sticks of dry wood from their stay earlier and quickly started a small fire to warm his hands. He would have to revive them if he was going to dig up the tree. He leaned back beside the tree, keeping his hands spread out towards the fire after slipping his gloves off and laying them on a nearby rock to dry. When the fire grew large enough, he also slipped out of his cloak and outer tunic, setting them aside to dry as well. In such a small enclosure, the air soon grew cozily warm and Elrohir drifted off into a peaceful slumber, too exhausted from fighting the storm to stay awake any longer. He might be an elf, but even an elf had to rest!

When he finally woke with a jolt and looked around, he hissed in frustration to discover that the light outside had dimmed entirely too much to be just from a storm. He must have slept much longer than he had planned! His twin and Legolas would be frantic with worry, thinking that the orcs had gotten him! He grabbed his pack from the side of the wall where he had laid it and proceeded to swiftly dig up the little tree, who looked amazingly refreshed and very much alive again. "It must have needed some warmth," Elrohir said to himself as he caught the shovel underneath the roots, carefully loosening the soil around it. Once he had finished, he shook off the shovel and placed it back in his pack, grabbed a quick bite of lembas and some water from his waterskin, then threw on his outer tunic, cloak, and gloves. He took a cloth from his back, lifted the little tree, roots, dirt and all, out of the ground, and bundled the cloth around the roots. Standing up, he cradled the small tree in his arms as he kicked dirt over the fire, throwing the little enclosure into darkness. With one swift glance around the cave, he shouldered his pack, threw the hood over his head, covered the small tree with part of his cloak, and dashed out of the cave and into the thick of the swirling snowstorm.

Though the tree was awkward to carry, the lack of an ill elfling to care for allowed Elrohir to make better time despite the maddening storm. He was an elf with impeccable senses, after all. What was a little snowstorm to an elf! he thought smugly as he forged through a particularly rocky section without any mishap. No sooner had the words flashed through his mind than the patch of trail he was standing on suddenly dropped away without any sound or warning. It simply vanished underneath his foot, and he found himself falling. He tried to scramble for a foothold higher up on the trail, but the snow kept falling away, drifting off down the slippery hillside of the small mountain he was traversing. Elrohir blinked in shock, then was falling, tumbling down the rocks and brush and snow, crashing into small trees along the way. He tried with one hand to grab onto anything he could as he tumbled, the other hand still clutching desperately to the little tree. He refused to let go of it when he was so close to returning it to the elfling! The lack of a hand handicapped him, however, and every tree or shrub he managed to clutch onto merely slipped through his fingers. The snow was flaking into his eyes and swirling in heavy drifts around his head, preventing him from seeing further down the slope, and he was beginning to feel achy and bruised from the rocks and small trees digging into his bones and skin as he tumbled.

Finally, with a thunk that was drowned out by the howl of the wind, Elrohir was thrown against a large rock in the path and lay there in forced darkness, unmoving, the baby tree gathered beside him still clutched under his arm.

-TBC-