Wooh, been a while, sorry guys. I've been slowly working on this, but the amount of times I've reworked this chapter...You just would not believe.
Being perfectly honest, I'm still not entirely happy with how it flows, but I'm to the point where I just need to put it out there and move on.

Anywho, I would like to preface this chapter with the fact that I am not a medical professional, nor have I ever experienced these things, so if it seems unrealistic, or too severe/not severe enough, my apologies.
There are a great number of things I've never experienced that I will be writing about. I do my best, and I research as much as I can, because I want this to be as realistic as possible, but sometimes research isn't always good enough, and you gotta muddle through.
That being said, I'm happy to accept constructive criticism and advice, as ever, I super appreciate comments and reviews!

I hope you all enjoy!
Happy reading!

Throbbing pain was the first thing I noticed, centered mostly in my head, though parts of my body ached as well.
It took a few minutes for me to dig my way out of the darkness, the pain becoming stronger the more I fought to wake up.

When I was finally able to open my eyes, it was still dark, though I could roughly make out blurry glimmers of silver light shining above me.
How long had I been unconscious?

It was hard to focus. What had happened?
I twitched my fingers, and then wiggled my feet.
Not paralyzed. That was a good start.

I pushed myself up gingerly, managing to get into a mostly sitting position before my vision swam.
A moment later I was leaning forward and to the side, coughing violently as the meager contents of my stomach rebelled against me.

A few minutes later when it seemed like I'd finished throwing up for the moment, I pushed myself over to a tree, leaning my back against it with a few tired breaths.
My voice sounded foreign and slurred when I spoke.
"Whaaaatttt a predic..pre…thing..situation.. you've gotten yourself into.."

Something wet trickled down the side of my face, and when I went to wipe it away, my hand came back slick and coppery scented.

I spent the next few minutes struggling out of my cloaklette and bundling it up to press against the part of my head that ached the most.
It throbbed harder when I applied pressure, and I hissed out a short breath at the pain, fighting against the urge to throw up again.

Vaguely, in an almost detached kind of way, I noted that the symptoms I was exhibiting seemed fairly similar to the details I knew about concussions.

Hadn't I read an article that it was dangerous to sleep when you were concussed?
That you might not wake up?

Deciding I was better safe than sorry, I started idly playing with sticks and leaves around me, and humming tuneless melodies under my breath to help myself stay awake.
I would wait until it was light, and then hopefully I would be feeling a bit better and more able to limp my way back to Rivendell.
Or crawl, if necessary.

A few times I started to drift, and it was the sting of pain that always woke me as I started to fall over into an exhausted sleep.
Each time it happened, I shook myself a little bit, sitting up straighter, and started talking or singing to myself.

Gradually the forest grew brighter, sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Once I deemed it bright enough to be able to see decently, I struggled to stand, quickly deeming it a very bad idea when just that little bit of movement caused my vision to swim and spin, nausea rearing it's unpleasant head.
"Ohhkay universe, you win this round….I'll just stay here until I feel better…or until someone rescues me.."

Or until I died...
I berated myself halfheartedly for the pessimism. I'd survived through worse than a fall out of a tree. This was not how I planned to die.

Time seemed to pass both slowly and quickly, as my awareness seemed to phase in and out.
Sometimes I sang what I could remember of a variety of songs, finding my memory failing more often than not.
Other times I gathered rocks, acorns, sticks, and leaves that were within my reach, putting them into their own little piles, rearranging them into shapes, or trying to build tiny survival shelters for tiny imaginary people.

A few times, the brush around me rustled, and remembering the orcs that had just been sighted near Rivendell, I feared the worst.
Each time, it stopped, or a small critter or rodent made its way out, investigating me briefly, and then leaving.

I found myself talking out loud more often as the day wore on, talking to myself at first, and then as the daylight dimmed into evening, talking to the trees, the wind, the dimming sunlight, and anything else that I could comprehend.

"Listen, Mister Tree. I have no hard feelings…for falling out of you….Because I'm pretty sure that's what happened..And if we're being honest, it was probably my own fault...but if you could just talk to your tree friends, and pass along a message to someone in Rivendell, I would really like to be rescued before it gets too dark."

I leaned my head back against the tree, letting out a slow breath.
"What if they don't find me..? What do I do then, mister tree…?"

The tree, quite disappointingly, did not respond.
Idly I gathered some of the leaves, tossing a few in the air like confetti.
"I'm sure I did fall…but I can't remember…I'm going to sing you a song, mister tree. It's about not being able to remember things. Sort of."

Clearing my throat, I started to sing, voice faltering, tune morbidly going along with the throbbing in my head.

"Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember.
And a song, someone sings, once upon a December…
Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm,
figures dancing gracefully across my memory…
Far away…long ago.. glowing dim as an ember…
things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember…
And a song, someone sings…once upon a December…"

I threw another bunch of leaves, watching them flutter to the ground, but not really paying attention to them.
Because a few trees away, coming out from around a particularly large bunch of underbrush, was Legolas.

He was resplendent.
Hair a waterfall of shining silver over his shoulders, eyes like full moons shaded by clouds.
He wore a long, dark green, delicately embroidered tunic, much more formal than I'd ever seen him wearing before.

He was gorgeous, and ethereal, seeming to fade into existence from within the trees and bushes.
A bit fuzzy around the edges, rather like a mirage of water in a very hot and dry place.
Clearly I had to be hallucinating.

It hadn't even been that long since I'd asked the tree to get someone for me, surely there was no way they could communicate that quickly.
Though, who was I to know about the communication skills of trees?

Focusing where I'd seen Legolas again, I found the spot empty, and disappointment stung through me.
Some company would have been nice, if these were to be my final moments.

Then his voice was next to me, calling my name. Urgent, and muffled, sounding as if he was separated from me by water, or layers of glass.
"Alyssa? Alyssa! What happened?"

A long fingered hand touched my chin, and I tilted my head back obligingly, so he could inspect my head injury.
"Alyssa, look at me. Were you attacked?"

It took a few tries to move my eyes towards his direction, and I found it difficult to focus on him for a moment, with him this close.
His form cleared slightly, sharpening a bit around the edges, though he still seemed wrong somehow. Not quite solid.

Nevertheless, I smiled softly.
How beautiful he was. If this was a hallucination, I certainly didn't mind.
At least I got to be with him for a little bit longer.
"Legolas..when did you get here?"

"I just found you. I'm sorry I took so long."
His eyes left mine as he continued to check me for other injuries, and I silently mourned the loss.

His voice was low and concerned when he spoke. "Can you tell me what happened?"

What had happened? He'd asked earlier if I was attacked..I didn't think I had been, unless the ground and trees counted as enemies.
Though, considering that the trees would be Saruman's enemies later, I supposed it wasn't entirely impossible.
What had he asked…?

Oh right, what happened.
"I was...walking…I had to walk...aand it rained...I think I got lost? I don't really remember what happened...My head hurts. I think I fell out of a tree? Or a tree fell out of me? Or..on me? Something to do with a tree. It's all kind of…. Fuzzy."

"Alright. I need you to keep talking to me. Focus on me."
Gently, he removed the cloaklette, careful not to peel any scabs off.

I winced at the movement against the injury, and Legolas brought his other hand up, a gentle brush of cool fingers along the other side of my forehead, down my cheek to my jawline, his voice soft and apologetic.
"Shhh, I know it hurts, I'm just fixing it."

He folded it more securely before pressing it back to the wound, smoothing his fingers down the side of my face again.
"There. That's better."

It was just a hallucination.
Indulging a little bit wouldn't hurt anything.
I leaned into the touch of his hand, eyes sliding closed. His hand was cool against my skin, a soft caress of wind over fevered flesh.

His thumb brushed the side of my face, voice soft and tinged with a strange tone.
"Ah, ah, open your eyes for me. I need you to stay awake."

My eyes remained closed, and I sighed, leaning more heavily into his hand.
"But I'm tired…."

His voice sounded sad now, and his hand cupped my cheek, thumb brushing against it gently. "I know. It's very important though, Alyssa. I need you to stay awake, at least until I can get you back to Elrond."

Another sigh escaped me. How silly he was, believing he could whisk me away to Elrond.
It was just like my mind to come up with a Legolas that would try to save me. No doubt, soon he would be professing his love for me.
Begrudgingly I opened my eyes, hazy fondness in my voice. "I'll do my best to stay awake. But just for you, Legolas."

He paused for a moment, eyes almost searching in their intensity.
"...thank you...I appreciate that. I'm going to pick you up now. I need you to keep pressure against your wound while I do. Can you do that for me?"

I sighed, "Anything for you.", but moved one hand up to press against the cloaklette covered wound with a small wince.
May as well. Maybe I was already dead, and he was simply carrying me off into the afterlife?

He moved closer, carefully placing his arms beneath my legs and back, and effortlessly lifted me, holding me gently against his chest, cradled softly, as if the only way he could interact with me was to cherish me.

A pained noise escaped me, both from the abrupt movement, and from the caring I could feel in his movements.
It wasn't fair that the only time I would experience this was in a dying hallucination.

His voice whispered around me, a soft apology, as he carefully maneuvered me so that my head was resting against his shoulder, the cloaklette pressed between us.

My head throbbed against his chest, but past it, I could hear the faint sound of a heart beating.
His heartbeat. What a lovely thing to die to.

I relaxed into his arms and reached one hand up to lightly grasp his tunic.
I just wanted him to stay.
"You're so strong, Legolas. Strong, and beautiful, and sweet."

I felt a chuckle vibrate through his chest as he started walking, and then his voice, silky amusement with an undertone of worry, "Thank you. You think I'm beautiful? And sweet?"

I nodded ever so slightly, holding back a wince at the movement of my head.
"Of course. You're all beautiful."

A pause, and then he spoke again, puzzlement in his voice.
"What do you mean, we're all beautiful?"

"You Elves. All so pretty. You're the most beautiful, though."
My voice became hushed, my hand tugging on his tunic slightly to make absolutely sure that he was paying attention.
I couldn't have it getting out to the real Legolas. Who could say that hallucinations didn't talk to their counterparts?
"Don't tell anyone. It's a secret."

He chuckled, voice colored with bemusement.
"Why is it a secret?"

"Because I'm not supposed to think you're the prettiest. You're an Elf."
My fingers reached up, absently tracing one of his collar bones through his tunic.

The strange tone was back in his voice when he responded, stronger this time, sounding uncertain and a touch hesitant. "Is there something wrong with me being Elven?"

"Of course not. Elves are wonderful."
I shook my head, hissing when the pain spiked, and my world twirled before my eyes.

"Stop that, don't move your head."
His grip tightened just the faintest bit as he gently scolded me, relaxing a moment later as his voice whispered into existence again.
"Why aren't you supposed to think that I am, as you say, the prettiest?"

For a moment, I could not answer, and remained silent as my vision swam.
Shaking my head had not been a good idea. I would have to try to remember not to do that.
Who knew that dying was so painful?

"Alyssa..?", the soft motion of walking paused, and I felt, more than saw, his head tilt to look down at me, "Alyssa, say something. Look at me. Just look at me."

I looked up, blinking a few extra times as things slowly stopped spinning, and focused on all three fuzzy sets of his eyes. "Give me a second. You're all kind of spinning."

He raised one eyebrow, then started to walk again, glancing down at me every few feet.
"..All..?"

"There's like, three of you right now."

Concern colored his voice, though he did an admirable job of attempting to concealing it with humor.
"...Ah..Well, I'll tell the other two to leave, that way it's just you and I."

I couldn't help but choke out a laugh.
"That would be helpful. But make sure you're nice about it, I don't want to hurt their feelings."

A wry tone. "Of course I'll be nice. I'm sweet, remember?"
We walked another few minutes in silence before he spoke again.
"You never answered my question."

I reached a hand up, carefully moving some of his hair over his shoulder so I could play with it.

It was so shiny. Was his hair made of actual silver?
"What was the question?"

Another momentary pause as he glanced down, watching me run my fingers through a few strands of his hair.
"Why aren't you supposed to think that I'm the prettiest?"

I let out a sigh.
Hallucination Legolas sure did ask a lot of questions.
"Because it's not fair."

"Not..fair? In what way?"

"It's just setting myself up for sadness."

"How is it setting yourself up for sadness to see beauty in someone?"

"It's not just that I think you're beautiful…"

My mind flashed back to a few moments with him.
The first moment we met, when he helped me down from the trees after I dropped acorns and leaves on him.
Him crying as I played the cello, and the conversation about pillow forts we had as he escorted me back to my room.

The time when he started and won a silent staring contest with no warning.
When he held me after my nightmare, and cried for me, for what I'd been through.

"You make me laugh, and I feel safe with you in a way that I haven't felt since I arrived in middle earth…you make me feel like this could be my home..like I'm not alone…like I could be happy...But there's no way someone like you would ever feel the same for someone like me."

He took a breath, as if to interrupt, but I pressed on.
Now that these thoughts were coming out, I couldn't stop them.
"It's not fair! It's not fair for me to feel this way!"

My hands clenched, and I resisted the urge to hit his chest as hurt and frustration welled up inside me.
It wasn't his fault I was getting attached…and it wasn't his fault that he was immortal and I wasn't.
I let out a sigh, fist loosening and simply grasping his tunic as my frustration drained, and sadness flowed in its place.

"More importantly, though, it's not fair for you."

Acutely, I was aware that this might be the only time I'd ever get to have this conversation, and it was in an injured hallucination.
I was probably still sitting there against that tree, lost in reality, and in my dying mind.

Alone in a way that was far more real than I ever had been before. None of my family or friends.
Lost in a world where I didn't belong.
No loved ones to mourn my loss.
Well. No reason not to be brutally honest.

He sounded distinctly confused.

"..What?"

"I'm mortal, Legolas."

"...Yes, I am aware."

"I'm going to die. You aren't. How is it fair for me to get most of my life with you, but for you to only get sixty to eighty years? It would be so horribly selfish."

Legolas remained silent.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I clutched at his tunic like a lifeline.
"I could never do that to you. I hardly know you, but I already care too much to hurt you like that. To be the cause of an unending lifetime of pain and loneliness. I know that Elves don't usually love more than once. I know you'd be alone after I died. I love you, and I just...don't want that for you."

He held me tighter, undercurrents of sorrow, joy, and worry muddled together in the silky darkness of his soft voice.
"I didn't know you felt that way."

I exhaled slowly, trying to force the tears away. "That's the point. That's why it's a secret."

He was silent for a moment, then something seemed to change in him. A quiet determination taking hold.
He relaxed his hold on me slightly, straightening his head, eyes staying resolutely on the path ahead as we continued on.
"Thank you for telling me. Your feelings will be taken into consideration, Alyssa, but I would remind you that I am a prince, and my decisions are my own to make."

Hm..Hallucination Legolas wasn't responding like he was supposed to.
It was supposed to be gentle rejection, and a topic change, or outright declarations of love that pulled me gently through the silver veil into my final rest.
Why was he putting it off?
I was so tired...
"You're not a very good hallucination."

That drew a startled look from him, and he stopped moving altogether.
"You think..You believe that I'm a hallucination? That I'm not truly here?"

"..Well, yes. I wouldn't say this stuff to real Legolas. I told you, it's a secret. Just between us."

He gave me an incredulous look, and shook his head slightly, lips twitching up in a disbelieving and anxious kind of amusement.
He began to trot a bit faster then, though when I ended up getting jostled and made a pained noise, he slowed down again, back to a brisk walk.

"I do hope you remember this conversation after you've healed. What else would you not say to 'real Legolas'?"

Hmm..Well, real Legolas had been paying a lot of attention to me, that's something I definitely wouldn't normally bring up.
"Probably that I'm confused with the way he's treating me. In my world, it would seem like he was trying to court me romantically, but that can't possibly be right."

The nightmares sprang to mind, then, and the way he'd held me after, so similar to this moment.
"And that I want to trust him. I really want to. But there are some things I can't say. Certain knowledge I can't share. He'd hate me if he found out."

"I find that hard to believe."

He'd believe it when Gandalf died…
My voice became choked as tears pricked my eyes again.
"If you knew who had to die...Who I had to let die..You wouldn't say that so readily. He has to die, Legolas. Horrible things would happen if he doesn't. It would change everything. I'm basically murdering him by not saying anything, but it has to happen...He's not truly gone, though."

Legolas's voice was distinctly alarmed. "Who has to die?"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you. Not even hallucination you! It has to happen, and if I tell you, you might tell real Legolas, and he would stop it from happening!"

"Alyssa, I…", He exhaled sharply, tightening his grip on me ever so slightly, voice resigned and frustrated.
"If that is how you feel, I will ask no more. If you feel this...situation...is necessary, then I trust you."

He trusted me? I hardly knew him, and he knew less about me. Why would he trust me?
Maybe now was the perfect time to fix that!
I could get to know hallucination Legolas, and then he could tell me about real Legolas!
"What's your favorite color?"

He sent me a bemused look, seeming mildly taken aback by the subject change.
"I'm quite fond of most colors."

"Right, but pretend you had to pick one color. Life or death situation."

"Well..that's a rather odd thing to have to pick in a life or death situation."

"Fine, fine, what color would you wear for a formal event? Like, a wedding, or a coronation?"

"I suppose probably some shade of green?"

"Green is a good color. I think you'd look really nice in a dark silver, too."

"Thank you. What about you?"

"I really like dark jewel tones. Scarlet red, forest green, sapphire blue."

"So you would wear one of those colors for formal events?"

"I don't know. Probably. It kind of depends on what's available to me."

"I think you would be very beautiful in any of those colors."

"Ah..well…..thank you."

I closed my eyes, my face warm.
Even hallucination Legolas was confusing me.
Surely it was just my preconceptions of how real Legolas would act, mixed with my own desire for him to care for me.

Darkness swirled in my mind, slowly edging across my awareness until a silver strand of sound drove it off, the voice coming out sharp and distressed.
"Alyssa? Alyssa, open your eyes. Look at me! Stay with me!"

Dragging my eyes open proved to be much more difficult than I thought it would be, but I had to drive the distress from his voice.
I couldn't bear to hear him so upset.

When I finally managed to blearily look at him, he exhaled, relief stark in his voice.
"I need you to stay awake for just a little bit longer. We're almost back. Keep talking to me."

"ohhkaayyy...Legolas…"
My thoughts were fuzzy, not quite all there. What else should I ask him?
His heartbeat was strong in my ear, and idly I wondered if he'd ever sat like this with his parents.
"What happened to your mother?"

Legolas breathed in sharply, looking down at me, stormy eyes shadowed slightly by the hair I'd pulled over his shoulder.
"What makes you ask that?"

I met his eyes, taking in the quiet melancholy in them, and looked down.
Shame coursed through me. Who was I to bring up painful memories?
"I just..I know she was gone, and that your father was never the same after...But I don't know what happened to her. I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me."

He was silent for a long moment, and when he next spoke, his voice was low and sorrowful.
"I think that it would be best to have that conversation after you've rested and healed. When you'll remember it."

"That sounds good. I'd like to rest…"
My eyes slipped closed again.
A voice called, but it was faint, muffled.

I don't know how long I floated there in the darkness.
Vaguely, as if separated by water or a few thick layers of glass, I could hear someone speaking, voice growing increasingly frantic as it continued.

Images flashed through my mind, nightmares and dreams trying and failing to take hold as I phased in and out of sleep and unconsciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was inside a building, Legolas walking quickly through the halls.

Another figure walked next to him, the two having a rushed conversation in Sindarin.
The figure had such pretty golden hair.
"You're sooo shiny."

Their conversation cut off abruptly, Legolas looking down at me briefly, something like a stifled sob in his voice when he spoke.
"Alyssa! Thank the Valar."

He addressed the golden haired elf, "Is Elrond on his way to the healing house?"

The shiny elf nodded, "Yes, the twins are getting him from his office. He will be there to meet us."

We were going to Elrond? Had they told him about my nightmares?
What if he put me to sleep, and I got trapped in the nightmares?
What would the voice do to me if I couldn't wake up?

I tugged on Legolas's tunic, anxiety filling me.
"Legolas! No! I don't want to go to Elrond. He'll put me to sleep! I don't want to be trapped in the nightmares! The voice already made me leave, and that was while I wasn't sleeping at all! What if it breaks my mind, or corrupts me, or steals my soul or something?!"

Hazily, I watched them exchange unreadable glances, before Legolas's grip tightened on me slightly, his voice following after.
"None of that is going to happen. Elrond is going to help you."

Legolas continued his tight hold, leaning down to brush his lips against my hair and whisper a soothing jumble of words in Sindarin.

To the side, I vaguely noticed the golden haired figure look at Legolas sharply, then let out a harsh exhale, running one hand through golden hair as he softly spoke a few words in Sindarin.
His eyes moved to meet mine, then returned to Legolas.
"Am I to understand that she's hearing a voice, apparently in and out of nightmares, and that it made her leave?" At Legolas's nod, he sighed once again.
"I think I shall have Gandalf join Elrond. There may be something...darker at work. I'll meet you there."

With that, the figure dashed off, golden light flowing behind him.

The rest of the walk to the healing house was a blur.
Words were spoken to me, but I could no longer decipher the language, and as comprehension fell away, time seemed to somehow slow, and speed up, simultaneously.

More voices joined the first then, different somehow. Some older, some less soft.

It was no more understandable than the first, but the combination seemed to envelop me in warmth and safety, similar, and yet different than the arms that held me.
As the warmth overtook me, my consciousness faded, drifting down into a deep sleep, guided by the words that flowed around me, and the arms that held me.