Disclaimer: Not one Elf.

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed Part I. I hope you enjoy Part II (and don't want to hunt me down at the end of it)!

Part II

27 September, Morning

"What are you saying, Thranduil?" Thorontur demanded.

"I am saying we must discuss this further. I do not believe Celebwen poisoned Legolas any more than I believe Saeldur did. But if Saeldur thinks someone has made an attempt on Legolas' life and the prince's guards agree with him, I am not going to ignore their suspicions." He glanced at Legolas. "Elbereth help that Elf when I find out who it is."

"What do you want to do, then?" Thorontur's voice was tense with something more than just worry for Legolas.

Thranduil willed himself to be calm.

"We are going to talk like rational, civilized Elves. We are not going to shout at each other here. I will see everyone in my study in fifteen minutes. Saeldur, find Aeroniel or Rochendilwen to come and sit with Legolas." When nobody moved, he added, "You may all go."

23 September, Morning

"Letters." Arbellason deposited a large bundle of papers in front of Thranduil.

"The courier arrived, then? Why was he late?"

"He was detained with Thorontur – he wanted details about the state of the path." Arbellason shrugged. "I asked him if he had seen Legolas, but he said he had not. He spent all his time with Thorontur, and he was scarcely in the stronghold a few hours in any case. Legolas is very busy at the moment. He might not have been there at all."

"Yes," Thranduil murmured absently, rapidly sorting through the letters. He stopped when he came to one marked with the single arrow seal of the archers. It was not in Legolas' hand, though. "I suppose so."

He broke the seal with his thumb and unfolded the letter.

Saeldur's name was at the bottom.

Thranduil read it quickly. It was short and to the point.

My King,

Lord Thorontur will not be pleased if he knows I have written to you – nor will Legolas, for that matter. But Legolas will not stay angry long. Even if he does, I cannot remain silent.

You must return, as soon as you can, with Lord Barancrist and Feredir. Legolas needs you. I dare not say too much in a letter. I have taken all the precautions I could; yet I fear this might be intercepted and drive someone to desperate measures. Lord Thorontur does not want to admit it, even to himself, but… Legolas is in grave danger. I do not know whom to trust.

Please. You must return.

Saeldur

Thranduil frowned over the letter for a moment before handing it to Arbellason. "What do you make of that?"

Arbellason read it quickly. "Has Thorontur said nothing to you of Legolas?"

"Nothing at all. He has barely mentioned Legolas' name since before he left for the south. You do not think… I would have been told if he had been seriously injured. Nobody would have dared to keep that from me, surely."

Arbellason handed the letter back. "I think we should go. Brand will understand if we tell him that urgent business calls us home – and even if he does not, we cannot run the risk. The prince's safety is far more important than any minor pique the Men might feel."

"You think Saeldur is right, then?"

"He says he has gone against Legolas' wishes to write to you. If he has disobeyed Legolas in a matter of such seriousness, he must be well and truly frightened."

"Why would Thorontur have said nothing?"

Arbellason's blue eyes were troubled. "I do not know."

Thranduil picked up the rest of the letters. "Give the order to break camp and ask Brand if he will come and see me. We leave in an hour."

27 September, Morning

Thranduil waited until the door had closed before he said, "Trust you to find excitement, Legolas."

Legolas laughed a little breathlessly.

"I am not as… ill… as –"

"As you look?" Thranduil bent to kiss his son's forehead. "I certainly hope not. We are going to have a long discussion about keeping information about the state of your health from your father, but that can wait. You need some rest before I lecture you. There is only one thing I want to know now."

Legolas looked at him expectantly.

"I assume you agree with Saeldur that somebody poisoned you, at least to some degree, or you would never have consented to your guards keeping the healers from you. Do you have any suspicions?"

Legolas shook his head. "Nothing… nothing for… certain." He paused to take a breath. "I think… Lord Thorontur…"

"You think Thorontur knows?" Thranduil asked.

"He… yes. He does."

"But… If he knew… Thorontur loves you as a son. If he knew somebody had tried to harm you he would have…" Thranduil trailed off. Legolas' eyes told him exactly what he had not wanted to think. "Elbereth Gilthoniel."

9 September, Evening

Legolas sipped at the cup Calathiel had left by his chair.

The potion tasted vile, even sweetened with honey. But it dulled the constant ache in his body and kept his exhaustion at bay long enough to let him sit through council. He had had a full day, supervising archery practice for both the morning and afternoon sessions, since Aeroniel, Rochendilwen and Colfind were now splitting his patrols between them. It was taking all his willpower to stay here and listen to his father's Councillors bicker.

"… And so I believe the agreement benefits all of us," Norgalad was saying.

Legolas nodded. He wished the potion would still the pounding of his head. "I believe the King would find those terms acceptable. If you will prepare the draft, Lord Norgalad, it can be put to him on his return."

"Thank you, my prince."

Thorontur cleared his throat. "If there is nothing further –"

"Nobody has yet given thanks for the continued health and safety of our brave warrior-prince." Míron's voice interrupted Thorontur's. He no longer dared to be as openly critical of Legolas as he had been in the past, but he came as close to insolence as he could. "The stronghold has been awash with rumours that you were close to death, Legolas. I am pleased to see that they were mistaken."

"As am I, I assure you, Lord Míron," Legolas said coolly. "Thank you for your concern."

"I was particularly worried, knowing as I do that only the gravest of injuries could have induced you to return to the stronghold, leaving your archers in danger and failing to ensure the elimination of the Orc threat."

"Míron," Norgalad growled, before Legolas could speak, "for over an Age it has been the tradition of this council that, whatever our personal views, we respect the warriors and all they do to ensure our safety. I will not see you break with it now. I will not venture to speculate on how much fuel you have added to any rumours about Legolas' health. I, for one, am grateful he is here."

"Thank you, Lord Norgalad," Legolas said firmly. He sat up, trying to look and sound as much like his father as possible when he said, "Is that all?" The silence that greeted him told him he had succeeded. He went on, "Very well. Council is dismissed."

Lady Celephindeth stayed behind after the others filed out.

"You look exhausted, Legolas," she said, as the door closed behind the last Elf. "Are you getting as much rest as you should?"

Legolas responded with a weary laugh. "There has not been much rest for anybody for some time, my lady. I know my captains would willingly take on more of my duties, but I would not dream of asking it of them when there is no real need."

"Your captains are sworn to defend you. They take their oaths seriously. I think they would be happy to take on additional duties to ensure your wellbeing… In any case, how did Saeldur persuade you to leave? Will I have to endure weeks of moping because he disobeyed you and is in disgrace?"

"Saeldur is not in disgrace, my lady," Legolas assured her. "I cannot answer for the moping. He is liable to think he was to blame for my being injured, although it was not his fault."

Lady Celephindeth shrugged. "I hardly need to tell you that he will only feel guiltier if you continue to look like you are knocking at Lord Námo's door when he returns." She surveyed him. "Saeldur is not the only one who is worried about you, Legolas. You must take care of yourself."

"I will rest, my lady, I promise."

27 September, Afternoon

Thranduil had never felt such frustration in his life. He had spent what felt like a good three weeks, though it was probably only half a day, trying to get at the truth. It was clear that everyone, with the exception of the prince's guards, was hiding something.

Thorontur would not give a satisfactory answer as to why he had neglected to inform Thranduil that Legolas was seriously injured – nor, in fact, would he even meet Thranduil's eyes. Saeldur refused to divulge where, exactly, his suspicions of poison had originated; Thranduil could not believe they had 'just occurred' to him. Celebwen said little. She was obviously frightened of something, Melda quietly mutinous, and Calathiel… Calathiel was terrified.

Eredhion and Voronwë had not let Legolas drink the last draught Celebwen had sent him, but they had kept it. Thranduil had sent samples to Barancrist and Feredir – they had been with him, away from any attempts to poison Legolas. He hoped he would have the truth of at least one of them.

In the meantime all he could do was try to make sense of the tissue of lies everybody was spinning for him.

24 September, Evening

"What did you do?"

Saeldur steeled himself to meet Arahael's eyes. "I did what I hadto do."

"All you had to do was stay silent and let us carry out our plan! It was perfect, Saeldur. Nobody would have suspected you. Legolas was stabbed by an Orc blade in the full sight of a dozen archers. It would have been put down to a casualty of war. It would even have helped us, in the end, because it would have given the realm's warriors renewed vigour to fight the Enemy."

"You could not possibly have imagined I would agree to this."

"You have said often enough that you understood what had to be done – that it was necessary, that, unpleasant as it was, it was in the best interests of Eryn Galen. If I had known you would lose your courage in the last instant, I would never have let you hear a whisper of what we intended."

Saeldur forced himself not to seize Arahael and shake answers out of him. He had to know how to help Legolas, and that meant he had to play this game a little longer.

"I said it was necessary, but you swore to me that it would be clean – and quick. Nobody deserves to die by inches. Legolas is my friend. I cannot watch him suffer."

"Do you think we would not have done it cleanly if we could? Nobody enjoys inflicting needless suffering. This was the best way to avoid detection."

"Tell me what you gave him," Saeldur snapped.

"No." Arahael squeezed his shoulder. "I know this is difficult for you. I will say this for Legolas: he has proven himself willing to give up anything, including his own life, in the service of the realm. If he understood what you and I do, he would want you to let him die. Youmust stop trying to help him."

"I will not –"

"Saeldur. It is too late to save him. I would not tell you which poison we used even if I did know, but the truth is that I do not. My parents know, and… one of our allies knows. I will not name her to you. Without knowing the poison, you cannot cure Legolas. All you can do is prolong his life by a few tormented days. If you want to help him… Make him comfortable, sit and read to him to distract him from the pain of passing. That is all you can do."

"I cannot condone this."

"Saeldur." Arahael's hand moved down to his elbow. "Listen to me. I understand how difficult this is for you. But we are warriors, sworn to defend the realm at any cost. Legolas must die. Legolas will die. If you insist on trying to find an antidote for the poison…" Arahael shrugged. "Do it, if you must still your conscience. But you will only cause trouble. This I promise you: Legolas is not going to live another week. No matter what you do, we will see to that."

Saeldur stared at him for a moment before pulling away and making his way up to the royal quarters.

Eredhion and Voronwë were in Legolas' sitting room.

"How is he?" Saeldur asked.

Voronwë made a helpless gesture. "He is weakening."

Saeldur sank into a chair. "The King must be on his way home by now."

"You are certain your letter was not intercepted?"

"As certain as I can be. I met the courier when he was a good ten leagues from the stronghold and told him I had forgotten to give it to Lord Thorontur."

"Unless we have answers for him, there is nothing the King can do," Eredhion pointed out. "And – do not take this the wrong way, Saeldur, but we have no proof that Legolas was being poisoned, other than your belief. If you are mistaken, we have been causing him greater harm by keeping the healers from him."

Saeldur scowled. "Do you really imagine I would gamble Legolas' life on a guess?"

"No, but none of us is a trained healer, and he needs one. We must trust someone."

Saeldur shrugged. "Lord Elrond and his sons, perhaps."

"Lord Elrond and his sons are in Imladris," Eredhion said sharply. "Legolas is fading now. Saeldur, I am not saying we should not be careful, but at least Lady Celebwen –"

"No."

"You cannot imagine that Lady Celebwen means Legolas harm."

"At this moment, there are six Elves in the stronghold that I would trust with Legolas' life: the three of us, Aeroniel, Rochendilwen and Colfind. I dare not trust even my mother… I know Legolas needs a healer," Saeldur admitted. "We must do something."

"We wait for the King. Barancrist and Feredir will be with him." Voronwë glanced towards the closed door to Legolas' bedroom. "I hope we can at least trust Feredir."

27 September, Evening

"Come in!" Thranduil called in response to the knock.

The page who delivered the two sealed scrolls looked serious, almost grim. He could not know the gravity of the occasion, but perhaps he sensed something, because he slipped them into Thranduil's hand, bowed, and hurried away without a word.

Thranduil let the door close before he looked around the room.

Everybody was watching him in silent anxiety. None of them could possibly feel as anxious as he did. Legolas might be slipping into the darkness of Mandos while he sat here with nothing more than fears and suspicions.

The first note was from Feredir, and the second from Barancrist.

Thranduil read them both.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then he folded up the letters and stuffed them into a pocket of his robes.

"Well?" Arbellason asked.

Thranduil debated answering, but decided against it. He had played this game before, and he could not make the fatal mistake of giving away too much information – not even to his closest friends. Not when Thorontur, despite his loyalty, despite what Thranduil knew was genuine affection for Legolas, had such an incentive to lie to him.

He got to his feet.

"I am going for a walk," he announced. "Saeldur, come with me. Everybody else, wait here."

He glanced at Eredhion and Voronwë to be certain they understood that nobody was to be allowed to leave the room until he returned. Then he strode out.

10 September, Afternoon

"Are you still having difficulty breathing?" Lady Celebwen asked.

"A little," Legolas said, because he had long learnt his lesson about trying to hide things from the healers. "Not very much," he added, because downplaying a symptom was not the same as hiding it.

"Here." Melda handed him a cup. "You are fortunate I persuaded Naneth to let me add honey to your draughts, or it would have been far worse."

Legolas smiled his thanks.

"Well?" Lord Thorontur asked, unconcealed anxiety in his voice. "Why is he not healing? Is something wrong?"

"I should not say there is cause for concern." Lady Celebwen sounded as though she was trying to make herself believe that. "Exhaustion is not unusual after such an injury, and Legolas has been exerting himself more than is advisable."

"And…" Thorontur glanced around to make certain nobody save his wife and daughters was present. "What of Thranduil? We must tell him something."

"There is no need, my lord," Legolas said. "It would only worry him needlessly. I would not distract him from his duty."

"I hardly think he would consider your wellbeing a distraction, Legolas."

"Is this an appropriate time for me to point out that if I had been permitted to ride with the archers as I requested, we would not be in this situation?"

Thorontur turned to glare at his younger daughter. "Not now, Calathiel."

"Saeldur does not like me. That is why he will not approve it." Calathiel looked from her father to Legolas. "I do not intend to trouble you when you are already not feeling well, but, Legolas, you must see the sense in what I say. If I had gone with you, I could have treated you there, before the poison took hold."

Legolas sighed. "Saeldur does not entirely trust you, Calathiel. I will not force my captains to work with those they do not trust."

"In any case," Melda interjected calmly, taking the empty cup from Legolas, "Calathiel would do better to take that up with Saeldur. For what it is worth, Adar, I agree with Legolas. There is no need to alarm the King." Melda glanced at Calathiel, who was steeping a sleeping draught. "I will do that. You should return to the Healing Wards, Calathiel. They need your help."

"And perhaps," Thorontur grumbled, "a little distraction will help you learn when to keep silent."

Calathiel knew better than to argue.

After she left, Melda poured the draught into a cup and gave it to Legolas.

"Slowly," she said. "It is hot."

She waited until Legolas' eyes had glazed over in Elven dreams before indicating with a tilt of her head that she wanted to speak to her parents.

They went through into Legolas' sitting room, leaving the door open a crack so that they would know if he woke.

"I am concerned about Calathiel," Melda said softly. "Adar, she has been very frustrated by Saeldur's continued refusal to permit her to ride with the archers. I do not blame him, of course, after what she did in court, but…"

"She will learn to accept it." Thorontur shrugged. "We have tried to keep her from disappointment, but she is not a child, and she has not been a child for some time."

"Yes," Melda said slowly. "But…"

"But what?" asked Celebwen.

"Naneth… Does it not strike you that Legolas is not recovering as quickly as he should? He is more exhausted than he should be, even given how much he has been doing, and…"

"No," Celebwen hissed. "How can you even suggest that?"

"What?" asked Thorontur.

"Calathiel desperately wants to ride with the archers. This helps her prove her point. It is true that, if she had been with them, she could have helped Legolas at once."

"You are not… are you suggesting Calathiel is poisoning Legolas? She would never do such a thing!"

"She would not try to kill him, of course. But if she made him only a little ill –"

"That is unthinkable! Calathiel? Harm Legolas? She would never do such a thing! It must simply be a delayed reaction to the poison on the blade." Thorontur looked at his wife. "That is possible, surely?"

"I am not saying we should have Calathiel arrested," Melda said patiently. "But perhaps we should keep her from Legolas… just to be safe. And… Adar. Perhaps you should respect Legolas' wishes and refrain from writing to the King at once."

Thorontur's eyes darkened. "Thranduil would never forgive me if I kept it from him. I find myself wondering if he will forgive me for having kept it from him as long as I have done already."

"What if the same suspicion enters his mind that has entered mine? Adar, thanks to Calathiel's lack of… discretion… there is not an Elf in the stronghold who does not know she feels Saeldur discriminates against her unfairly."

"All the same…"

"Melda is right," Celebwen said suddenly.

Thorontur stared at her. "You cannot believe your own daughter would commit high treason?"

"I believe my daughter is fool enough not to realize what she is doing." Celebwen put a hand on his arm. "We will allow no harm to come to Legolas, of course, meleth. As Melda says, we can keep Calathiel away from him, and either Melda or I will mix Legolas' draughts and take them to him. But you know that Thranduil will show her no mercy if she has… done something."

"I cannot believe this is happening… Very well, but watch over Legolas. I will never forgive myself if…"

"I will keep him safe, I promise you."

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