Oh my goodness-is it possible? Is this actually..an update? :O

On with the chapter! (Oh, and I obviously don't own Lord of the Rings.)

With a sigh, Celegon gently rested his head on his desk. Several hours had passed since Beliel had rushed into his study, only to inform him that the Prince had taken a turn for the worse.

"It seems that despite our best efforts, some of the poison remains in his blood. The antidote we were using was quite strong, so when Legolas began to improve we decided to stop administering it. This allowed the poison to flow free once more through his veins." the Healer explained, wringing her hands together. "The poison reached his lungs, and nearly killed him."

"Will he be alright?" Celegon asked, moving to put an arm gently around the Elleth.
"He should be fine now. However, we currently have him sedated-he needs to rest." Beliel paused, leaning into him. "I just hope he's awake when the King returns home."
"If he's not, one of us will most likely lose our heads. You should go and get some sleep. Let me know if anything changes."

Beliel nodded, before turning and leaving without another word.

In the hours after Beliel had left, Celegon had found himself inundated with messages, inquiries and demands from throughout the Kingdom, in regards to the Prince's health. It seemed that despite his best effort to keep the news of the attack from spreading, everyone now knew of what had occurred.

By this stage, Celegon was tired, cranky and in serious need of a goblet (or three) of strong wine. He was considering the benefits of throwing the remaining paperwork into the fire, when a soft hand gently touched his shoulders. He tilted his head back, smiling.

"What news do you bring?" He asked, as Beliel leant down to kiss his cheek.
"Legolas seems to be fine once more. He began to wake an hour ago, but I thought it would be best for him to remain asleep. I do not look forward to him realising it was I who drugged him, however."

"I am glad to hear it-he has had many of us worried." Celegon sighed as the Elleth sat down on the edge of the desk. She eyed the blond elf in front of her.

"But that is not what has been worrying you, is it?" She gently prompted.
"I'm afraid not, meleth. Thranduil and his party have not made contact in the last forty eight hours- They were supposed to send a bird to us last night. I fear that they have may have met with trouble." He glanced out of the window at the setting sun as he spoke. Beliel frowned, troubled by the news.

"If there is no word from them before sunrise, I shall send scouts in search of them." Celegon concluded, stifling a yawn. Immediately, Beliel's eyebrow shot up.

"An excellent plan- But for now, you must sleep. Not even Lord Thranduil works as hard as you have been over the last few days. You are beginning to worry me- If you do not leave this study within the next three minutes, I shall be force to call the guards on you." She warned, planting a kiss on his forehead. "I shall go and find you some supper- You look like you need a good meal." Celegon smiled after the young elleth as she exited, before eying the pile of papers in front of him. Surely nobody would notice if he burnt a few of them...
Just as he went to throw one of the particularly large files onto the burning coals, Beliel poked her head in.
"Celegon?"
"Yes, Meleth?"
"Those are the reports you've finished."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Thranduil could not contain his sigh, as the group pulled to a halt for the third time that hour.
"What is it the issue this time?" he hissed, his patience growing thin.

A hushed "shush" was the only reply he received. Rolling his eyes, he glanced at the people closest to him.
Estel, was standing beside him, quietly listening to the murmurings of the Elves in front. His youthful face was marred by a frown, his right hand gently placed upon the hilt of his sword. On Thranduil's other side, was the twin Elladan. The Dark haired Elf had his bow in one hand, and an arrow already in the other. He was carefully watching a large tree several metres away, his dark eyes squinting slightly as he watched a figure silently climbing upwards. Thranduil also turned to watch the figure, who dropped gracefully from the tree a few moments later, re-joining the waiting group.

"We cannot continue on this path-there are too many Orcs on the paths around us. We must wait until the light of day before we continue on." he explained is a quiet whisper. Thranduil frowned at the younger Elven son of Elrond.
"If we are surrounded, should we not move along? To stay here is to remain trapped." The King noted.
"If we move, we will only draw attention to ourselves. The safest option is to remain out of sight." Estel replied. Several of the surrounding elves nodded in agreement.

"We shall not remain here, however." Beridhren whispered. "There is a cave, only a few minutes from here. If we move quickly, we may reach it before we are noticed- it will provide us with shelter, and far better cover than the trees." The warrior explained, drawing his knife.

"Come, let us go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Somewhere nearby…

She was hungry.

It had been some time since her last proper meal, and she was desperately craving something sweeter than Orc blood. She quietly made her way through the high branches, staying in the shadows to avoid being seen. The trees seemed to sway away from her, as if her touch alone repulsed them. It did not matter to her. She was focused on one thing, and one thing alone...

Elf Blood.

One of her children had found a large group of the creatures, making their way back to the Elven King's home. It seemed they had had a run in with the Orcs, making them easy prey.

As she ducked into the shadow of another tree, she realised that there were several others close by, all heading in the same direction- it seemed she was not the only one looking forward to a fresh meal. She resisted hissing in delight-for that would only give them all away. Silently she continued on, until she finally heard the whisper of Elvish voices. Quickly she stopped and backed up as far as she could, watching as the others did the same in different places.

Tonight, they would feast.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Beridhren raised a hand, signalling for the group to halt once more. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Lord Thranduil close his eyes, breathing deeply. Clearly the constant stopping and starting was beginning to get on the Elven King's nerves.

"What is it, Beridhren?" One of his men asked, already reaching back for an arrow. After many years under Beridhren's command, the elves knew how to read their leader. Something was not right, and it put them all on edge. They watched as Beridhren tilted his head slightly, listening to the quiet sounds of the surrounding forest. At first, there seemed to be no sound other than the gentle breeze through the tree. But then, so faintly it seemed to not exist, there was a soft chattering. Almost immediately, Beridhren had his bow drawn, an arrow ready to fire.

"Spiders."

Meleth-love

Review Replies!

Artep01: You do? Aww..I'm glad you love it ^_^ I'm extremely sorry for not updating earlier!

Destined Darkness: Coffee? Heck, I'll destroy all of Mirkwood for a cup of it right now! :D Ah yes, Torture..*cackles* Poor Thranduil.

Thranduil: *head desks*

Caelhir:...I think I prefer Evil!Caelhir..I shall make him suffer *evil smile**beat* I'm glad you liked that part :D Oooh..Torture ideas..*adds them to the list*

Legolas: *groans* What did I do to deserve this? *beat* Run away? Hmmm..

Daisy: You run away and I don't pay you. *ignores something about 'not getting paid'*

Legolas Thranduilion: I'm glad you find it Epic! Thranduil is not going to be happy when he gets back..that is, IF he gets back.. :)

Leofirefly: I'm glad you're still enjoying it! I hope you read-and enjoyed-this chapter too!

The Phantom Dragon: OI! *runs to make more cookies* I swear, your review made my day :P Haha, yes-Torture IS a fine art, one I have mastered after dealing with my brother for the last fifteen years. LOL! I can just imagine them sitting there, smoking weed..Though, Legolas keeps getting replaced by Gandalf :P

UltimateEvilLord1: *sigh* What is with you people and eating all of my cookies? :P Aaaah! Shotgun! *hides behind Legolas* Sorrysorrysorry for not updating sooner..*beat* I has updated Edhil O Gurth :D

Audrey33: I managed to write this chapter while waiting for the New Years fireworks..So it was yet another late night chapter :P I know, it's terrible how short they are! I promise to make them longer from now on! Ooh, that's a good idea-I shall do that from now on :)

Elvenprincess3019: I hope so too-Because it looks like he's going to be in charge for a bit longer ;)

TITANSTEENCRACKWEEDNPOTPOTTER: LOL! Well..If it's torture you want..

Please leave me a review!

~ Kirk...er, Daisy out! ~