Yes. It is a new chapter!

Chapter 47

The trek back to the elven halls was subdued yet without further incident and Aragorn was glad to see the great doors open before them at last, to escape from the increasingly oppressive gloom that had descended upon the forest until it felt that even the trees had hung their branches low in mourning as their party had passed through.

Elves filled the courtyard beyond each hushed and still, sadly watching the returning patrols as they wearily filed through the doors. Tears streamed down the faces of those who had felt the separation of their bond and stood, supported by their friends and families in their grief. Silence covered all like a thick blanket until it was abruptly broken by the sound of running feet and a dozen elves rushed out of the fortress, down the steps and spread out through the troops to assess the injured. Suddenly the air was filled with the shouts of healers as they quickly prioritized the casualties and called for help to move them into the halls for care.

Aragorn allowed the organized chaos to go on around him as he made his way through to the steps his mind intent upon one thing only. Legolas. The urge to see his friend was so strong it was an almost painful pressure within his chest. He had to know how the prince fared and was determined to find out even if Thranduil himself stood in the way. Finally gaining access he ascended swiftly and leaving the now bustling courtyard behind stepped into the halls unhindered. Without his usual awed perusal the man allowed his stride to lengthen as he took off down the corridor in the direction of the royal quarters, certain that after all that had transpired Thanduil would allow his son to be cared for nowhere else. As he neared his destination however, the young man's feet began to slow as his mind began to run through all that had happened, uncertainty clouding his thoughts. For the first time since their friendship began he felt nervous about his reception, Legolas had appeared not only to have forgotten that he even existed, never mind their amity but to actually despise him and that cut him to the very core. Finally reaching the door that shut off the royal quarters from the rest of the halls he paused and looked back over his shoulder. He was alone, the twins had most probably offered their healing skills to assist in the care of the wounded and for a moment he thought about returning to do the same, yet he could not, his heart would not allow him to turn back now without at least some knowledge of Legolas' wellbeing. In trepidation he pushed open the door and walked through the opening into the reception room beyond.

The courtyard emptied as healers swiftly walked between the assembled warriors assessing the injured, prioritizing their care and calling out their instructions before moving on whilst assistants hurried to carry out their orders. An area of the courtyard had been set aside for those with only minor cuts and scrapes to be dealt with whilst the major casualties were whisked away into the healing halls to where the most senior healers awaited to receive them. Both twins had offered their assistance, which had been accepted gratefully so finding themselves whisked away to aid those inside, their experience being well known throughout the woodland realm and Elladan and Elrohir were soon deeply involved in the suffering that is the aftermath of battle, minds fixed on naught but how they could help the next injured elf that was brought to their attention.

Standing in the room he knew so well Aragorn took a deep breath and turned towards one of the four arched hallways at its far end, the one that led to Legolas' own private quarters. The place seemed eerily quiet after the hustle and bustle outside and he was grateful for the fact that no servants were present to witness his nervousness as he slowly crossed the stone floor, moved along the corridor and gently turned the knob of the plain oak door behind which was his friend's private suite of rooms. Opening the door barely wide enough he slipped through, ignoring the feeling that he was somewhere he shouldn't be, and gathered himself for a moment whilst he took in the familiar contents of the sitting room he had spent many an evening with Legolas in, either just conversing, or planning their next adventure over a bottle or two of wine. He hoped fervently that those times would be repeated yet could not shake off the fear that he had seen their last.

The faint murmur of voices wafted across from an open portal through which lay Legolas' bed chamber and he moved silently towards the sound as if pulled by an invisible string, heart pounding within his chest until he stood beside the door, wavering in his uncertainty and straining to make out the words being spoken.

"It will not be easy, ion nin, but I will be beside you every step of the way."

Aragorn had never heard Thranduil's voice so full of emotion as at that moment.

"I do not know how you bear to even look at me ada... I."

The cracked and hoarse whisper, so unlike the usually light and musical tone of his friend brought him up short. As if awaking from a dream Aragorn shook his head, the sudden realization of exactly where he was, what he was doing, hit him like an orcs fist to the stomach. For the first time since their friendship had taken root Aragorn felt like an intruder in the prince's rooms. He knew Legolas guarded his privacy above all else yet here he was, forcing himself into what should have been his friends place of sanctuary, bearing unwanted witness to feelings that he appreciated the proud elf would never have wished him to comprehend and his cheeks flushed with shame.

Backing away on feet well used to leaving little sound he managed to cross the room and make it back into the hallway. Thanking the Valar heartily for the well-oiled hinges that meant the heavy oaken door had allowed him inaudible passage through in both directions. For a moment he stood, resting his forehead against its solid bulk in an effort to regain his composure before turning away with a silent, heartfelt apology. He would go and find his brothers, give the help he knew he should have offered in the beginning and wait until the right and proper time to visit his friend. Stalking back down the corridors he gave a wry grin. At least he knew that Legolas was safe and that was all that really mattered at the moment.

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~o~

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"Cut please."

Elladan looked up as the young apprentice healer brought a small, extremely sharp blade to bear upon the thread he held taut, severing it neatly in one slice. With a nod of thanks the twin bent over to examine the neat row of stitches he had just completed, a thin line decrying the gaping wound that he had spent the last couple of hours thoroughly cleansing of the dark poison that had begun to fester within its confines, and fervently hoped that he had done enough. Finally turning away he took the fresh, damp cloth that the apprentice now offered in an outstretched hand and wiping off the gore from his own fingers approached the next injured warrior already visually assessing and categorizing the wounds that another apprentice had begun to uncover and clean in preparation for his treatment.

Across the large airy room of the healing halls main treatment centre Elrohir was also hard at work, desperately attempting to staunch the bleeding from what had initially appeared to be a small, inconsequential incision at the top of a warriors left thigh which was proving to be anything but simple. Although no major blood vessel appeared to have been ruptured the life preserving liquid continued its relentless trickle, soaking into rag after rag no matter how much pressure he applied. He could feel the elf slipping further and further away yet the herbs usually used in order to thicken the blood and help it form the clot needed to stop its flow were having no effect whatsoever. His mind raced as his hands pushed down hard, mentally cataloging all of the poisons he knew which affected the blood and their antidotes, trying hard to recall anything that he had not yet used, and branching out onto others when his knowledge failed.

A soft 'My Lord' and a gentle touch on his blood soaked hand broke into his frantic thoughts and he looked up as the pretty, youthful healer he had been working with shook her head slowly.

"He is gone, my lord."

Looking back to the warrior upon the cot he realised that the elleth spoke true. He had been concentrating so hard upon finding an antidote that he had not felt the fëa leave his patient. He bowed his head, uttered the blessing he had spoken so many times in the past that he had lost count and sighed. Another lost to the dark. Another who should have been able to live their life in joy and laughter, for whom death should only have been a distant story that happened to those of races far removed from their own. Another that he had failed in the quest he had vowed to undertake since his mother had sailed, be it in combat himself against the dark creatures that now roamed the earth or in healing those unfortunates who found themselves wounded because of them.

"What was his name?" He quietly asked the healer whose gentle, hazel eyes looked on him with compassion.

"Eiliandir." A soft smile crossed the healer's lips. "He was as colourful as his name suggests."

Rainbow. A strange name for a male Elrohir thought as he added it to the long list of others who resided now in his memory, another who would surface in his darkest moments, to remind him of all those times he had failed, all those times he had not been good enough. After a final long look at the dead elf's face as if to burn the features into his mind he turned away, ready to continue the fight. Resolved that he would not lose another single life whilst in these halls.

The twins worked on, aiding their woodland counterparts in this grimmest of battles and when Aragorn found them he watched for a moment, marveling in their determination and skill, their likeness to their father, which seemed to catch him anew each time he witnessed them in action like this. With a fondly reminiscent smile he walked into the room and upon offering his assistance to the head healer found himself keenly swept up into the hustle and bustle, taken over to a cot containing a pale, febrile elf, whose abdomen bore a large slice straight down it's middle, not quite deeply enough to eviscerate but nevertheless potentially fatal and set to work.

It was to be many hours before either he or any of the other healers present would find any rest but finally the young man finished the last stitch of a row down a grateful captain's forearm and realised that there was no one else waiting. Washing his hands in the bowl of warmed water held out to him by an apprentice he glanced round the room checking for the presence of his brothers before drying his hands on a remarkably clean cloth, nodding his thanks and moving over to where they stood, side by side solemnly regarding the fruits of all their labours. The air was thick with the tang of iron and filled with the low moans of the injured. Healers walked quietly around the room dispensing soft reassurances and cool water as required. To the far left of the room against the domineering stone wall lay four of the thin cots the healers used on which to treat their patients, a still, pale form on each. Their closed eyes paying tribute to the fact it was not sleep that held them in its sway. Silently Aragorn reached out to clasp each of the twins upon the shoulder and they returned the gesture, forming a triumvirate against the pain and grief in the room, a comforting love and respect which bolstered his tired body and mind. Lethargy was fast setting in and as one his brothers reacted, lifting him up and off his feet between them to carry him over to where an unused cot sat in a quiet corner. So tired that he could not even raise the voice to object the young man instead relaxed into their ministrations. Snuggled down under soft covers as they were drawn up to his chin and smiled dreamily as twin voices bid him sleep well, he was snoring gently before the brothers had even completed their sentences.

A/N

Well I finally got back to writing this again. If anyone is still interested in reading this story I apologise for the length of time it has taken me to get back to it. I have done some editing and replaced some chapters but it has mainly been grammatical, the story has not changed.

I hope you can forgive me for my tardiness and can only say that although the story is nearing its end there are a couple of chapters yet to go and hopefully I can have the next one up in a couple of weeks.

My thanks to all of you for your encouragement and kind words.

Nyx