A/N This update is a little later than planned, so sorry. I promise that next time I will update on time! :) Thanks for all your amazing ideas, I am so sorry that I haven't replied to reviews, but you guys weren't going to get this chapter today unless I just went ahead. :( But know that I love every single review that I get! :)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
The Adventures of a Life Time
It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Get Hurt
"There is no way that you are going to be able to walk back to the palace." Elladan declared, sitting back on his haunches and worrying his lower lip as he glanced towards his twin. Elrohir was kneeling across from him and sandwiched in-between them sat a thoroughly disgusted looking Legolas.
"I can try!" the prince of Mirkwood snapped defiantly, grabbing hold of Elladan's maroon colored tunic and trying to pull himself upright. The twins firmly pushed him back down so that he was again sitting on the leaf strewn ground.
The three elves, all nearing adulthood, had left the Mirkwood palace to go exploring. The twins had come to the wood-elf kingdom along with their father to discuss political matters and gain "a better understand of different cultures" as Elrond had put it. Legolas had managed to help them escape from such tedious on-goings and together they had decided to leave behind the safety and security of the cave-palace.
Deeper and deeper into the ever darkening woods the three had traveled, Legolas always being sure that they strayed a good distance from the spider infested lands.
"Let's see how well you really know these woods, since you are bragging that you could find your way home with your eyes closed." Elrohir had declared after a while of wandering, and Elladan had quickly jumped on the idea.
"Yes!" he cried excitedly, "We can blind fold you and walk you around. If you can tell us where you are at, just by listening to the trees, then we will know if it truth." He began to shuffle through his pockets, looking for a suitable piece of material.
"I don't know…" Legolas said, frowning and backing a pace away, hands outstretched against the advancing twins.
"You don't think you can do it, do you?" Elladan pressured, folding a dark cloth as he and his twin took another step forward. Legolas' back hit a tree and pressed his hand against Elrohir, trying to stall the investable.
"I could do it." He protested, though he still fended the twins off, "I just don't think it is a wise idea, that is all."
"Oh, come on, it will be fun!" Elrohir insisted, "We won't lead you anywhere dangerous, trust us." He grinned reassuringly, pulling the prince back away from the tree and onto the path.
"Alright, alright," Legolas said after a minute, allowing Elladan to tie the dark cloth over his eyes. Once the older twin was done, the prince reached up and pulled free several strand of his blonde hair from the tight knot.
Their game had continued on for an hour or so, until an old, tall, tree that was crooked with age ended their fun.
The laughing twins were leading Legolas with each gripping one of his arms, when the root had appeared, poking up out of the ground. Elladan and Elrohir stepped over it with ease, but forget to tell Legolas to do so as well, caught up in their conversation as they were.
Legolas' foot hit the root as he stepped forward and he stumbled, twisting his ankle as he tried to regain his balance. He hit the ground hard.
"Legolas! By the Valar, I'm so sorry!" Elladan cried with horror, his eyes wide as he dropped to his knees next to the fallen prince. Elrohir also exclaimed something similar and began to tug at the knot holding the blind fold on.
"It's alright, Elladan, Elrohir," Legolas muttered tightly, grasping the younger twin's outstretched hand and pulling himself into a sitting position. Something had slammed down in front of his blue eyes, though, and the twins shared a concerned look.
"Are you…" Elrohir began, but trailed off, shrugging helplessly.
"It is fine, I swear." Legolas insisted, clambering gingerly upright. As soon as his right foot touched the hard dirt, he gave a cry of pain and tumbled forward, catching himself on his hands.
"Legolas!" the twins cried out in surprise, reaching out to help, but the elven prince waved them off. Tentatively, the elf pulled his right leg out in front of him and grasped his ankle, massaging it with a low hiss.
"May I?" Elladan asked, shifting closer to his friend with worry and holding out his hands plaintively. Legolas let go of his ankle in answer and watched wearily as the older twin gently began to slide his boot off. He squeezed his eyes shut and the pain, but couldn't quite stop the gasp that escaped his lips as the twins was forced to tug the boot forcefully off.
"Sorry." Elladan said, now riding the prince of his sock as well. The older twin brushed his fingers over the now bare ankle, assessing the damage that had been done. Legolas' ankle was rapidly swelling and he sat back with a back. "You sprained that ankle badly, Legolas, there is no way you will be able to walk back on it."
"I can try!" the prince of Mirkwood snapped defiantly, grabbing hold of Elladan's maroon colored tunic and trying to pull himself upright. The twins firmly pushed him back down so that he was again sitting on the leaf strewn ground.
Legolas grumbled a rapid string of words that the twins could not quite catch and looked away, gripping his hurting ankle tightly.
"We're really sorry." Elrohir repeated sincerely, sitting down next to the prince with a heavy sigh.
Legolas shrugged, "It is partly my fault for going alone with your obviously harebrain idea." He offered, smiling encouraging at the twins, who grinned wanly back. Guilt was still manifest in both of their dark eyes and it was Legolas' turn to sigh. "Give me just a minute, and then we can start back."
"Legolas! Did you not just here me?" Elladan asked in disbelief, "There is no way you can walk back on that ankle." He insisted, looking over at his twin to back him up.
"You would only injure it worse." Elrohir agreed.
"But we cannot stay here." Legolas said sharply, his eyes growing dark at just the thought. His hands clenched tightly and it was with forced calmness that his voice returned to normal. "We are too close to the shadow's border. Spiders would dare to cross over for such a treat as three, underage and alone elfings." There was a bitterness to his tone that the twins couldn't quite understand, and they shared yet another silent look.
"I doubt that was what Elladan had in mind." Elrohir rebuked softly, "I believe that Elladan means for him and I to go get help."
"I don't need help!" Legolas mulishly declared, causing Elladan to roll his eyes with clear exasperation.
"Come on, Elrohir." The older twin declared, raising to his feet and motioning for his twin to do so.
"Wait!" Legolas called anxiously, trying to scramble to his feet.
"We will be back before you know it, just sit there and don't try and use that ankle." Elrohir assured, overriding the wood-elf's voice. Together the two brothers started off down the path at a quick jog, their arms and legs moving in sync.
"NO, you don't understand!" Legolas shouted after them, gaining his feet and hoping awkwardly forward, one hand braced against the trees to keep himself upright. The twins waved once, and then they rounded a sharp bend in the path and were gone. "You don't understand!" Legolas yelled again, trying to put weight on his ankle. As soon as his foot touched the ground, however, pain shot forcefully up and Legolas gritted his teeth, having to stop to keep himsel from falling.
"A spider is even more likely to go for an alone and injured elf…" he finished in a faded whisper, his heart starting to pound as he looked around with wide eyes. He sank to the ground and unconsciously shrunk closer to the shadows, as if to bury himself in their darkness and disappear all together.
The forest around him seemed to loom over him and Legolas closed his eyes before opening them again almost immediately and taking a quick look around. He began to rub his throbbing ankle, which hurt more than he was willing to admit, and glanced wearily up at the trees. He could just discern the trees tops that had become corrupted by the ever spreading evil and shivered.
All of the sudden, Legolas felt smaller than a dust speck and totally alone.
Swallowing thickly, the young prince scooted gingerly back until his back brushed up against the thick, rough bark of a tree.
"Stop being silly!" he told himself harshly. He drew his knees up to his chest, ignoring the throb of pain this caused, and laid his chin on them. The only problem was that he knew he was not being silly. No, growing up in these dark times had ensured that he was not naïve of danger.
Staying here, while being unable to walk never mind run, for an hour or more was not wise, not wise at all.
Shivering lightly for no clear reason, he unsheathed one of his twin white knives, a recent present from his father, and tapped it lightly against the palm of his hand. He may be alone, but he was not defenseless. He knew full well that he could fight well with his knives, and was even more proficient with the bow and quiver that was strapped to his back. Even though he had this knowledge, he couldn't stop the fear from creeping into his young heart.
The next hour passed with the speed of a fish traveling on land and by time it was over, Legolas had lost all pretense of not being scared. He was downright terrified. Any sound that resounded through the trees, be it the falling of a leave or the buzzing of an instinct, caused him to jump and before long he started to see spiders everywhere.
Therefore, he was positive that that he was seeing things yet again when eight bulbous eyes blinked down at him.
Legolas jerked upright, his heart pounded a mine a minute as he momentarily stopped breathing. Closing his eyes, he blinked them open and muttered a prayer to the Valar when the eyes only blinked back.
His face drained of all color and the knife handle become slippery with sweat. He was going to die, because of a stupid, sprained, ankle that hurt like heck. Pressing his lips together into a thin line, Legolas tried to remember how to breathe as fear ran rampage through his veins.
And then the voices began to float clearly through the trees towards him and the black eyes blinked out.
"Legolas!" his father's loud, commanding voice could be heard and then the king of Mirkwood was rounding the bend with a swish of cloth.
The elven-prince had never been so glad to see anyone in his entire life and felt himself sagging back against the tree with utter relief.
"Ada!" he called back, watching as the twins appeared behind his father, followed by Lord Elrond. Thranduil stopped in front of his son and gazed down at him, noting the knife in the boy's hand with approval. His child knew well the dangers of Mirkwood and wasn't going to leave himself vulnerable, so he at least had some sense.
"And just what trouble have you managed to find this time?" the king asked with frown, his eyes sweeping over his son to check for any blood. His crossed his arms and stared down at Legolas, waiting for a response as it was obvious that Legolas wasn't deathly injured. Elrond came to stand behind the king and the twins dropped down on either side of Legolas.
Legolas shrugged, raising his palms upward in a question as he tried to look innocent. He was not going to let his father know if at all possible that he had become injured by tripping over a root. It was downright embarrassing and he could feel his face flushing lightly just thinking about it. Thranduil glared down at his son, his face stern.
"You and I both know that that is not true. Don't play games with me, Legolas." He stated, causing Legolas to jut his chin out defensively. Before he could open his mouth, however, Elrond stepped forward, hoping to avert the tension between father and son before it got started.
"Do you mind if I take a look at that ankle, Legolas, Thranduil?" he asked looking from one to the other, whom both seemed to be locked in a staring contest.
"Of course not." Thranduil said without looking his away, his eyes boring a hole into Legolas'. The prince opened his mouth, but Thranduil beat him to it. "Let him look at it, Legolas." He commanded. Sometimes he wished to the Valar that he had not endowed Legolas with the same stubbornness and pride that ran through his own veins.
The young prince slumped back and mumbled something inaudible. Thranduil couldn't help but noticing, however, that relief was practically floating from his son. And when he didn't think he was being watched, his eyes would flicker nervously to the tree tops. Thranduil mimicked Legolas and swept his gaze along the trees, drumming fingers against the handle of his sword that was belted around his waist as he did so.
A pinch of guilt touched his heart as he carefully examined the area. Most of the sharpness with which he greeted his only offspring had come from relief at find his son still in one piece, but he had reacted perhaps too strongly.
The worry he had felt hadn't helped matters, any, though. The woods were growing ever darker and more dangerous. The fear that Legolas would be attacked and killed was a constant feeling for Thranduil, who knew too many parents who had had their children cruelly ripped from them forever on this side of the undying shores. And all too soon, he was going to have to start sending Legolas out to do battle with evil, which only raised the likely hood of losing his only son. That scared him far greater than anything that he could imagine, because though he and his son where too alike for their own good and often fought, he loved him. He just didn't always know how to show it.
The king was brought back to the present when Legolas let out a hiss sharp enough to cut. Elrond was kneeling next to him, rotating the swollen ankle gently. The motion obviously hurt, according to Legolas pale face and pinched expression.
As if sensing his father's eyes on him, Legolas looked away, trying to hid the grimace on his face. Thranduil shook his head, again cursing his son's pride but also understanding far too well where he got it from.
Suddenly Legolas stiffened, his eyes growing wide as he gazed at something over Thranduil's shoulder.
The king whirled around, drawing his sword with a flash of silver. He was just in time to catch sight of a tree quivering ominously and Thranduil had just one guess as to what could have caused it. Glaring harshly at the tree to see if the spider was brave enough to show its ugly face, Thranduil only waited a minute before turning back around and twirling his sword back into his sheath.
Elrond's twins were staring at him with something akin to awe in their eyes, but Legolas was watching his father with worry in his blue eyes. He knew far too much about what danger they could be in, too much for a child his age.
"We go now." Thranduil said softly, striding over to where Elrond was still examining his son's ankle. "Can he walk?" the king asked firmly. Elrond looked up, setting Legolas' foot down.
"I would not advice to have him walking on it. He could do permanent danger if he walks a long distance." Elrond relayed, standing and easily meeting the king's eyes. Elladan looked from one adult to the other, before glancing at Legolas to see his reaction.
"I will carry him." Thranduil suggested decisively. He moved over to his son before Elrond could nod his approval. Legolas, however, violently shook his head, trying to scoot away from his father's hands, but found the tree already at his back.
"I can walk! It is nothing more than a sprained ankle!" he cried exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Did you not just hear Lord Elrond?" Thranduil asked in the same tone. Legolas glared seethingly in the opposite direction and Thranduil raised his eyes to the heavens. They did not have time for this!
Kneeling next to his son, Thranduil sighed. Leaning in closer so that only Legolas would hear his next words, he breathed out, "You saw that spider, Legolas, you know what it means. However, you must learn that a warrior must know his limitations. When his weakness puts others at danger, he must be willing to accept help. It is not shameful." He backed away, giving Legolas a significant look.
The prince sighed, now glaring up at the tree tops, but let his father slide an arm around his back and other under his legs. Hosting him easily up, Thranduil began to walk quickly down the path.
Elrond nodded his head at his boys and they followed hurriedly after Thranduil. Elladan stopped to snatch Legolas' abounded boot.
"We really are sorry, Legolas." Elrohir said regretfully, laying a on friend's arm.
"It was stupid." Elladan added, screwing his face up in derision.
"Boys your age tend to be that." Elrond stated as a fact, his face completely serious. Thranduil smirked, agreeing full-heartedly. The twins and Legolas shared similar expressions of disbelief and annoyance.
The group of five hurried down the elven path, Thranduil throwing paranoid glances over his shoulder every so often and subconsciously lengthening his stride. Legolas also became edger the longer they stayed out in the open and the twins shared many a confused looks. They did not understand as their friend did the evil that resides in Mirkwood.
At long last they arrived back at the Mirkwood palace and everyone let out relived breathe that some of them didn't even know they had been holding.
"Take Legolas to his room, I will be there shortly with ice." Elrond directed softly, making Thranduil scowl. He didn't appreciate being ordered about in ow home, even if the Elrond was expert in this situation. He still did as ordered, though, with one of the twins trailing him.
"Which twin are you?" Thranduil questioned as the twin in questioned opened the door of Legolas' room for them a few minutes later.
"Elladan." The twin stated, a smile lifting his lips.
"He's pulling your leg, Ada," Legolas called the twin out. His father eased onto his feet and helped support him the few feet to the bed. "It's Elrohir, not Elladan."
"You're no fun!" Elrohir protested, tossing Legolas boot that he was still holding onto an unused chair. Thranduil frowned and opended his mouth, but didn't protest the action as Elladan and Elrond walked into the room, carrying a bowl and bandages.
"You won't be able to walk on that ankle for a few days, and even after that you will have to take it gentle." Elrond instructed, carefully scooping a large amount of chipped ice into one of the bandages and trying the cloth into a knot.
Legolas gingerly pressed the ice-pack against his exceedingly swollen ankle and hissed lightly through his teeth. While Legolas was icing the ankle, Elrond wrapped it, before shooing the twins out of the room, insisting that it was time to leave Legolas alone.
Thranduil remained with Legolas for a while longer, watching him place the bandage filled with ice back on his ankle, grimacing lightly.
"What did you learn from today?" Thranduil finally asked, standing gracefully and pouring himself a glance of wine. He sat back down, continuing to watch his son over the rim.
"Not to trust Elladan or Elrohir?" Legolas offered, grinning lightly, and Thranduil gave him a tight lipped smile.
"Think deeper." He replied, raising his glass and taking a small sip.
"Not to be so proud that I put others in danger." Legolas mumbled at last, lifting the ice and rotating his cold foot with gritted teeth. He didn't look up at Thranduil as he talked.
"Exactly!" Thranduil stated, tapping his glass with his forefinger as if to stress his point.
"You're not the one to be preaching about it, though, Ada." Legolas fired back pointedly, to which his father only smiled.
"We all have our weakness." He stated in a dignified voice. He got back up, setting his still half-full glass of wine on the table. Crossing over to the bed, Thranduil gently cupped Legolas' cheek, giving him a soft smile as Legolas looked up at him.
Breaking away, Thranduil moved back to the door, resting his hand against the knob.
"Good night, Legolas." He said, before opening the door and stepping out.
"Good night, Ada!" Legolas called after before the door slide shut.
THE END
Not my usual on death's doorstep style of story, but hey. *shrugs* I swear that there will be some of those. hehe, I do have to give them a sort of break ever now and then.
Funny story,this sort of thing does happen. One time, my sister was leading me, because it was cold and I had hidden my face in my hoodie, and she forget to tell me to stop... then my face was connected with a stop sign. hehe, oh the good times.
So, I have choosen that every other story will be one of your ideas so that I can get some of my ideas in as well. So...next time, we have a moment between baby Legolas and his mother. :)
As always, feel free to tell me the good and the bad. :)