Author's Note: For some reason I'm on a roll with this story. Here's chapter three: The Aftermath!

Tauriel took in the utter silence for what seemed like eternity before speaking, "What was that thing?"

Legolas and the twins turned back around shakily as Halden stumbled to the bushes and began retching violently. Legolas's voice was quiet and had a consistent tremor to it, "Is everybody alright?"

Lacien's eyes were the size of his head, "What was that! Ddid you see that thing! It was the size of some of these trees! Where did it comes from!"

Nibenon whipped around to face him, near tears, "Lacien! Shut up! It's going to come back!"

Lacien continued, still in shock, "But what was it! Spiders aren't supposed to get that big! Was that even a spider!"

Nibenon rushed over and went to cover his mouth, "Lacien! Stop talking! You're going to end up drawing it back here!"

Legolas took in the clearing shakily and noticed Halden still getting sick, "Halden...you alright?"

Halden looked up and nodded before getting sick again. Ononion managed to get his mouth to work and looked the prince over, "Your Highness, are you all right?"

Legolas nodded, still dazed, "I'm fine. My heart is racing though," He glanced down to his palm and saw it was bleeding, "And I cut my hand."

Ruscion panned over everyone quickly and noticed one boy still sitting weakly against a tree. He swiftly made his way over and knelt next to him, "Are you hurt?"

He nodded, jaw clenched, "I think my leg is broken."

Within seconds Legolas was on his other side, "Emerion are you alright? Is anything else hurt?"

Emerion shook his head and shut his eyes tightly, "Just my leg."

Legolas stood and instantly everyone saw the change from friend to prince, "Is anyone else injured? Halden, you still fine?"

Halden nodded and held back another gag. Lacien was still babbling nonsensically, "That thing was unbelievable! SPiders aren't supposed to by that large!"

Nibenon shook him by the shoulders roughly, his voice cracking, "Lacien, please shut up!"

Legolas did a head count briefly before his stomach twisted painfully, "Where's Galadhwen?"

Nibenon and Lacien kept arguing before the prince strode over and yanked them apart roughly, "Galadhwen! Where is she? Has anyone seen her?"

The clearing went silence again. Halden straightened shakily and wiped his mouth, "Did anyone see what happened to her?"

Tauriel stepped forward and raised her arm, "I did. She got thrown when the...spider...first rushed out."

Legolas grabbed his bow from where it was laying on the ground near the edge of the clearing, "I'm going to look for her."

"No need," A voice called from the trees, "I'm right here."

Galadhwen hopped down from the branches of one of the trees gently, "I'm fine. I got thrown and got stunned but I'm fine. I didn't even hit my head."

Legolas looked her over before nodding, "Emerion broke his leg."

Galadhwen was instantly at his side, "I'm going to have to cut off the leg of your breeches so I can see, alright?"

Emerion nodded and screwed up his face in a wince, "Owowow!"

Galadhwen gave him a smile that bordered on hysterical tears, "I haven't even touched you, you idiot."

Lacien handed her a knife from inside his boot and she went about cutting off his pant leg as gently as she could, "It looks clean...I want to stabilize it so it doesn't move while we're heading home. Could someone get me some cloth and...maybe two sticks that are straight?"

Balanidhren reached over and plucked the practice sword from his sister's grasp before wiping both hers and his off on his shirt, "Will these work? If you lay them flat against his skin?"

Galadhwen nodded, "Cloth please?"

Legolas pulled off his over tunic and handed it over, "Cut it up for what you need."

She grabbed his hand along with the tunic and looked it over, "Let me bind that when I'm done with him."

He nodded and leaned against the tree heavily, listening distantly to Emerion's stifled whimpers as his leg was set. He looked over the clearing again and realized that four of the Elves among them he didn't know, "Thank you for the help but who are you?"

Tauriel looked at her brothers and Ononion gestured her forward to speak, "I'm Tauriel Rainioniell. These are my elder brothers, Ruscion and Ononion and Balanidhren."

Lacien spoke up from where he was kneeling on the ground, grasping Emerion's hand for support, "Again, it's not that we're not grateful for the help but how did you know we were out here?"

Tauriel's eyes widened a fracture before Ruscion came to her rescue, "Tauriel just got her practice sword. We were coming out here to train when we heard you in the clearing. We went to go see who you were and saw that spider. Before we had a chance to warn you, it attacked."

Balanidhren's head shot up, "Gellamdor!"

Lacien raised an eyebrow, "How many children does your family have?"

"Fourteen," Ononion replied before turning to his brother, "I'm sure he's fine. He went in the opposite direction from that thing."

Ruscion explained further, "Tauriel's twin. We sent him for help immediately."

Lacien turned to look in the direction the spider had fled in, "Do you think there are more of them out there?"

Everyone fell silent except for the occasional whimper from Emerion and murmured apology from Galadhwen before Nibenon spoke, finally calming down some, "Lacien...please stop talking about it."

Galadhwen stood and held out her hand for Legolas's, "Let me see that before it gets infected."

Legolas placed his hand in hers, palm up, "Is anyone else injured?"

There was a collective shake of everyone's head before Emerion spoke softly, "I don't really feel anything. My leg hurts but even that doesn't hurt as much as it should."

Nibenon's voice was quiet as well, "I feel numb. Not scared, not worried, not anything anymore. Just numb."

Galadhwen finished tying off Legolas's hand before leaning into his shoulder and bursting into silent tears. Legolas lowered them both to the ground beside Emerion when Lacien spoke up, "What do we do if it comes back here?"

Nibenon's voice turned shaky again, "Lacien!"

Lacien whirled to face him, "I'm serious! You lost one of your blades, Legolas is running out of arrows and we can't move Emerion! What are we supposed to do now!"

Galadhwen lifted her head and wiped angrily at her face, "Screaming is just going to attract more of those things here! Shut up! Both of you!" She turned to the new members of the group with a deep breath, "I'm Galadhwen."

Tauriel, who felt tears coming on herself, chuckled lightly, "Mae govannen."

Halden all but collapsed himself on the other side of Legolas, "I'm Halden Aithonion."

Emerion was next, voice tight from the pain he was in, "I'm Emerion Aefaradienion. And the little one is Nibenon Lancaeronion."

Nibenon gave him a halfhearted glared, "I'm not that little. You're just too tall."

Lacien raised his hand in greeting, "I'm Lacien Canadionion."

Galadhwen rested her head back on Legolas shoulder, "And if you don't know who Legolas is you've clearly been living with Dwarves."

Tauriel burst out laughing, "Prince Legolas is known by our family."

A far more comfortable silence settled in until it was once again broken by Lacien, "I'm hungry."

Nibenon sighed with relief, "I honestly thought you were going to bring that thing up again and I was going to have to kill you."

Galadhwen looked up at where the sky peeked through the trees, "The sky is turning yellow. It has to be close to dinner."

Balanidhren turned to look in the direction Gellamdor had run off in, "We sent our brother to the palace for help. Help has to be on the way."

Legolas gently moved Galadhwen off of him and stood, "We should come up with a plan to get back either way."

Nibenon stood as well, "There's no way we can carry Emerion back without hurting him. And we can't leave him here."

Tauriel looked at her brothers, "The twins are tall enough to help support him if we have to move him. One on either side..."

Legolas sighed, "I don't like just sitting here...I doubt there was only one of those things and I don't want to find the rest."

At that moment there was a loud rustling in the trees and instantly everyone was one their feet, bodies tense. Galadhwen and Lacien went to either side of Emerion who was struggling to stand and moved him back down. Galadhwen pushed him back down with a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Emerion, sit."

Legolas readied an arrow in his bow, "The trees are silent...they would warn us if it was one of those things again."

He took a hesitant step forward when five shapes seemed to melt out of the trees. Legolas took one look at his father and allowed his shoulders to slump in relief, "Ada!"

Thranduil grasped his son by the shoulder's tightly and looked him over, "Are you injured?"

Legolas held up his hand, "Just a scrape. Emerion broke his leg when he was thrown."

Canadion was instantly at the boy's side, "Who bound his leg?"

Galadhwen raised her hand hesitantly, "I didn't want it to get jostled if we had to move him."

Canadion nodded, "Very smart. Is anybody else hurt? At all?"

All head shook in unison. A smaller figured hopped down from the trees as well and was instantly engulfed by his siblings. Thranduil straightened, "What happened?"

Silence.

All the young Elves met each others' eyes in a group shock. Thranduil tried again, "I don't need the whole story yet. I just need to know what attack you all."

Lacien's voice was hesitant, "A spider. A giant, giant spider."

Canadion and Thranduil met eyes in a moment of dread. Canadion looked at his son firmly, "Are you sure it was a spider? There's no doubt in your mind?"

All heads nodded again and Thranduil felt his stomach twist, "Were any of you bitten?"

Legolas shook his head, "No. The scrape is from falling and Emerion got thrown. It didn't bite any of us."

Thranduil went completely silent for a long moment, his face betraying nothing. Legolas looked at him hesitantly, "Ada?"

Thranduil looked down at him, "It's nothing. Let's get you all back to the palace. I want you all to see a healer. You're all in shock."

Instantly the other Elves in the king's company went back into the trees to go retrieve the extra elk and horses they had brought with for that reason. As they got the children mounted two to a steed Thranduil kept his eyes trained on both them and the forest surrounding everyone. Distantly he registered Canadion approach him from the left, "Ungoliant?"

Thranduil nodded slowly, "I want to hear exactly what happened but yes...I think Ungoliant was exactly what that was..."

The king turned and assisted in lifting Emerion onto one of the elk with minimal movement to his leg, "I want the ride to the palace to be a swift and smooth as possible. Guards on the outside, children on the inside."

He quickly mounted behind his son and with a final, somber glance back at the clearing they headed back.