Growing Pains- Chapter 7
Wow that was close! My internet was down and I almost thought I wouldn't be able to publish today! But thankfully it has all sorted itself out now and the next chapter is here :)
I would like to say that the slight concussion Estel has is written from experience. Around the time I was writing this part in July (I can't believe it was that long ago!) I was recovering from a nasty fall from my horse. I fell and smacked my face into the ground rather hard, and if it hadn't been for my protective gear, I could have quite badly damaged my neck. As it was, I gave myself a nasty concussion. Apparently (I have lost all memories of the event) I was lying in an ambulance for two hours, talking complete nonsense. LOTR slipped in there, I think, as did anything else on my mind. And I also remember the paramedics telling me to slow my breathing, and recording that I was hyperventilating, which got me very confused, because I thought I was breathing just fine. So that explains the background behind some parts of this chapter.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!
0-o-0-o-0
There were a few seconds after Legolas' whistle when there was only silence. Suddenly one of the orcs roared in anger. Estel twisted around, held back by Legolas' surprisingly strong arms. The orcs were milling around in confusion, spreading out in random directions, when suddenly an arrow sprouted from the neck of one of the orcs and he fell down dead.
A roar came up from the orcs in anger, but quickly two more arrows sped from the surrounding woods and another two orcs fell dead, their faces seemingly surprised at the piece of metal-tipped wood that had pierced their necks. Estel scanned the woods and track carefully, looking for Elrohir.
And there he was. The elf suddenly appeared from the track, just ahead of the orcs, letting off one more arrow with a shout at the orcs. As one the creatures turned, their roars becoming greater and angrier at the sight of an elf. Immediately they all rushed forwards, weapons suddenly appearing in their hands. Estel felt a quell of worry as Elrohir waited a moment, perched on the balls of his feet, his bow nocked and in his hand, and then the dark-haired elf began to run as the orcs approached, sprinting down the track and away from Legolas and Estel. At the bend in the track he stopped and loosed another arrow, bringing down another orc.
It only served to make the remaining orcs angrier, and they sped up, running full pelt towards him. Estel felt Legolas' hand tighten on his arm. He was about to whisper a scathing remark about how he didn't need holding back, but then he glanced over at Legolas and saw the clenched jaw and the unblinking gaze as Legolas watched his friend, and realised that maybe Legolas was trying to hold himself back from joining Elrohir as much as he was holding Estel back.
A second later and Legolas blinked, his gaze flicking back to Estel. "Go," he whispered, dropping from his crouch on the branch so he hung from the branch from his hands, before dropping onto another branch below him. Estel's eyes widened.
Legolas looked up. "Estel, hurry up," he whispered. The orcs were mainly gone now, chasing Elrohir, but he had no idea how long they would be gone.
Estel slipped from his branch and landed on the lower one. Legolas moved swiftly through the tree, coming to land on the wood floor below Estel. He looked up, "Estel, hurry."
Estel nodded and began to move faster through the tree, slipping and sliding rather ungracefully through the branches until his feet hit the ground. He swayed, and would have probably fallen if Legolas had not grabbed hold of him and slung one of his arms across his shoulders.
Without a word, Legolas turned and pushed through the undergrowth until they were on the track. He began to run, pulling Estel with him, and let out a low chattering whistle as they did so. Every so often he glanced behind him, half expecting the orcs to turn up again.
Estel's head pounded and the world was spinning around him in a dazed blur. He managed to keep on his feet and keep them moving, but it was Legolas who was keeping him upright and going in the right direction. They passed the torn up carcasses of the horses and suddenly the smell of them hit the back of Estel's throat. He gagged, bile rising in his throat and his stomach clenching as the nausea threatened to become too much.
Legolas slowed down slightly as Estel nearly doubled over. He glanced over at the young man, seeing the signs of nausea, and gently nudged Estel. "Just a little further," he murmured. "Come on, Estel. A little further."
Estel, with considerable effort, swallowed back the nausea and began to run again, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other, again and again. They rounded the corner of the track and a sudden movement in front of them made Estel jerk his head up, thinking for a horrific moment that the orcs had doubled around.
But it was only Elladan, running towards them. Estel caught a brief glimpse of worry, maybe even fear, in his eyes before a mask slammed down tightly, making his brother's face blank.
Estel staggered as Elladan reached them and nearly fell into his brother, suddenly feeling like a young child again. Elladan pulled him upright as Legolas let go. "Estel?" he heard Elladan ask urgently. "Estel, are you with me?"
"Aye," said Estel groggily, blinking to try and get rid of the spinning around him.
"Good," Elladan said. "Come on, tithen muindor. We have to go."
And it was at that moment when their luck ran out. A roar came from behind them and a sudden shrill whistle cut through the air. Both Elladan and Legolas' faces paled.
Legolas shoved Elladan down the track. "Take him and go!" he shouted, his hands going back to his bow and an arrow as the pounding of feet on the track became audible. "Elrohir and I will give you time."
Elladan looked set to argue, but then Estel staggered again, and he nodded tersely at Legolas. He briefly clasped arms with the blond elf before slinging one of Estel's arms over his shoulders and turning to run.
A moment later Elrohir appeared, running round the corner of the track and skidding to a halt next to Legolas. "Mellon-nin," he said, slightly breathless. "They worked it out. They're coming."
Legolas nodded, an arrow already nocked in the string of his bow. He and Elrohir exchanged glances, before moving forwards and apart from each other, coming to each side of the track. Estel watched over his shoulder as the two elves stood poised, weapons ready.
And then Elladan hustled him away as the first orcs came around the corner, not so much supporting Estel now as running and dragging the younger man along with him. Estel could hear the sound of orcs fighting and running around, and the sing of a bow that could only be Legolas', coupled with the clash of steel from Elrohir's sword.
He could tell when the fight was getting worse when the singing of Legolas' bow stopped and more clashes of steel on steel joined Elrohir's sword. Elladan could tell it as well, tightening his grip on Estel and pulling him suddenly off the track and around a thicket.
The horses were thoroughly spooked by the noises they could hear, pulling back on the ropes that were tied to one of the trees. Elladan quickly untied them, his hands working faster than Estel, in his dazed state, could see, before pulling Estel over to one of the horses.
"Quickly," he said, his voice low and urgent, and Estel grabbed hold of the reins. In a split second when his head was slightly clearer he pulled himself up into the saddle, grabbing at the front to steady himself as Elladan vaulted on behind him.
Elladan reached around Estel, gathering the reins in one hand and steadying his little brother with the other. "We're going to be alright," he murmured in Estel's ear as the young man, dazed and tired, leant back against him. "I promise."
With a nudge from his heels and a tug on the reins of Elrohir's horse, Elladan moved the two stallions out onto the track. The sounds of fighting continued further down the track, and Elladan's grip tightened on the reins. The horses were poised to flee.
And then suddenly a lithe shape came sprinting around the corner, sword still in his hand. Elrohir ran forwards, his dark hair flying behind him. "Go!" he cried out as he neared them, reaching his horse and flinging himself up and into the saddle.
Elladan's horse danced nervously beneath him as the pounding of feet became louder, but he kept him still for the moment. "Legolas?"
Elrohir glanced behind him, and cursed loudly. "He was behind me," he said, wrenching his horse's head around. He was about to urge the stallion on back towards the approaching orcs when a sudden shape dropped from the trees up ahead.
Legolas landed at a run, sprinting across the track as the approaching orcs rounded the corner and roared at the sight of the three elves and Estel. "Run!" he cried out as he sprinted, his bow in his hand.
Elladan quickly wheeled his horse around and kicked him on, the horse shooting forwards at a fast canter down the track. Elrohir held his in check for a moment longer, before moving off, though slowly. As Legolas ran towards him, he leant back slightly and held out his hand.
Estel watched with baited breath as Legolas, running as fast as he could, reached out his hand. For a split second the young man thought Legolas was not going to make it, but then his hand wrapped around Elrohir's wrist, and he jumped up, vaulting onto the horse behind Elrohir with such speed that Estel was amazed.
The orcs let out roars of anger as Elrohir wrenched his horse around and urged him on down the track, his horse quickly responding and reaching a gallop. Legolas, holding onto Elrohir as they galloped, glanced behind him.
"Bow!" he suddenly shouted, and instantly Estel felt himself being pushed forwards by Elladan as the older elf leant forwards over him. At a tug on the reins from Elladan, their horse shot sideways with a jerk, and an arrow sailed through the space where they had just been.
Estel glanced back and saw Legolas swiftly fit an arrow to his bow, let go of Elrohir, turn around and fire. The orc holding the bow dropped down, dead. The orcs kept running, but their legs were no match for horses, and they soon outstripped the creatures.
They kept cantering, moving fast down the track, until eventually the roar of the river could be heard and the horses slowed for the steep path down to the crossing into Imladris. Estel was slumped back against Elladan now, his eyes shut so that he didn't have to watch the dizzying world go past him, and to stop the welling nausea in the back of his throat as they cantered.
A sudden splash made him jump as Elrohir's horse leapt into the rushing river and began to wade across. Soon after Estel felt their stallion surge beneath him as he jumped into the river, and slowly began to make his way to the other side. The cold water swirled around his ankles, and then his knees, until the horse was nearly swimming. Vaguely Estel heard Elladan say something, but then the stallion stumbled and he lurched forwards. The resulting dizziness was too much for his already overweighed mind to cope with, and Estel felt himself relax as he entered the blissful darkness.
0-o-0-o-0
Estel came around to the sound of splashing and soft murmured words. For a moment he was confused, because it sounded like they were still by the river. It was only when he cracked open his eyes and saw that Elladan's horse was still splashing through the shallows of the river that he realised he had only blacked out for a minute, maybe less.
Yet his brothers had noticed. Elladan had one arm wrapped tightly around his waist, and he could hear his brother talking softly into his ear, though he could only make out snatches.
"…Safe now, we've crossed the river, so…"
"…Only a few hours until we can get back…"
Estel turned his head slightly, his face falling against the comforting warmth of Elladan's shoulder, and for a moment the words he could hear abruptly stopped. Then Elladan, tightening his arm around Estel as the horse leapt up the bank in front of them, started talking again.
"Estel?" he asked softly. "Estel, are you awake?"
Estel groaned slightly and tried to sit up straighter. "Aye," he said. "I'm awake."
"Good," he heard Elrohir say. "Just hang on a little longer, tithen muindor. We're safe now; we're across the Bruinen. The orcs cannot reach us."
Estel nodded slightly, and he felt Elrohir, he guessed, clasp his shoulder. Elladan urged his horse on a little further, the stallion scrambling up the bank of the river and onto the flatter ground the other side. A sudden clattering of hooves behind them let Estel know Elrohir and Legolas were right behind him.
Elladan reined in his horse, but the sudden movement made Estel lurch forwards, and his stomach suddenly rebelled, churning as the bile rose in the back of his throat. He doubled forwards and Elladan caught him.
"Estel?" he asked urgently, his voice worried. "Estel, what's wrong?"
Estel grimaced as Elladan pulled him back upright. He shook his head slightly, but his stomach rebelled at even that movement, and the nausea rose once more. "Don't…feel…"
Thankfully Elladan understood, because he said something urgently and then Elrohir was by the horse's shoulder, reaching up and gently pulling Estel down. He was just in time, because as Estel hit the stony ground he staggered away and then began to retch, doubling over as he emptied his stomach.
He vaguely felt someone grab hold of him and stop him falling forwards, and then hands were rubbing soothing circles on his back as he retched, wincing at the acrid taste of the bile. Estel could hear soft words being murmured, but the roaring in his ears made him unable to make out what they were saying.
Finally Estel's stomach ran empty, and he shut his mouth, grimacing as he tried to stop himself retching. Hands gently guided him as he straightened up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Estel found himself looking into the worried eyes of Elrohir.
"Just breathe, Estel," he said softly. "Slow it down."
Estel frowned. His breathing was not that fast, was it? He tried to tell, but things all seemed a little fuzzy. Elrohir gently shook him. "Estel, you need to slow your breathing down. Come on, tithen muindor. Just breathe." His brother's voice was calm and steady, but a small part of Estel's mind noticed how controlled it was, and the slight tightness to it that told him his brother was worried.
Estel nodded, and suddenly noticed the tremors wracking his body, making his hands shake and his legs feel wobbly. He stumbled slightly and Elrohir carefully guided him over, off the stony bank of the river and to the grassy clearing where the horses were. Estel looked at the green floor and decided that it would probably be a good idea to sit down. He didn't think his legs would be able to support him for much longer. He sank to the grass.
Elrohir crouched down beside him, and suddenly Elladan was there as well, two identical elves in front of him. Elladan's brow was furrowed in worry.
"Slow it down, Estel," he said, his voice the same as Elrohir's, an edge of tightness. He gently reached behind Estel's head and pushed the young man's head down, until it was on his knees. Estel, realising for the first time how fast and shallow his breathing was, began to take deep breaths. Elladan, or maybe Elrohir, patted his back gently.
Elrohir watched Estel, the worry easing in his chest as he saw his little brother begin to calm down and relax. He had definitely hit his head badly, he thought, and gently ran his hand through Estel's tangled and dusty hair.
"We should stay here," he said softly to Elladan.
Elladan glanced over to where the horses were, Legolas deftly stripping them of their tack and taking out the more important supplies. "I think someone is already ahead of you, brother," he said. "We can stay for a little while, but no matter what we do, it will be dark before we get back to Imladris."
"We go slowly, then," said Elrohir. "Estel will be able to manage, and we can always make torches. Besides," he murmured, glancing up at the sky. "The moon will be large tonight. We might have enough light."
"Aye, but can Estel ride?" asked Elladan, shooting a concerned glance at his young foster brother, who still had his head on his knees, breathing deeply. "He has a head injury, and he may not be able to cope."
"You know," came a rough voice. "'He' has a name." Estel briefly glanced up. "I can ride," he said. "In a little while."
"Are you sure?" asked Elrohir, his hand still ghosting over Estel's head. "You are still shaking."
Estel looked down at his hands, and clenched them to try and keep them still, suddenly a little embarrassed that he couldn't control it. And then he forgot to breathe, because he was focusing on his hands, and suddenly the world began to go fuzzy around him.
He found himself with his head on his knees again, breathing deeply. A hand was gently rubbing the back of his neck. He breathed again, feeling the air rush into his lungs, and the spinning stopped.
Elladan looked up from where he was crouched beside Estel. Legolas was standing by the horses, gently stroking one of them as he untangled the last pack from the saddle, and then slipped the saddle off, placing it carefully on the ground.
"Legolas, do you have a waterskin there?" Elladan asked, standing up and taking a few steps away from Estel as Legolas turned to look through the small pile of packs, before pulling out a two waterskins and another bag. He tossed them over to Elladan.
"Estel cut his hand as well," he said, taking his nearly empty quiver off of his back and gently putting it down. "It will need treating."
"And you?" asked Elladan, making no move to go back to Estel. Something wasn't right with Legolas. Elladan knew his friend, and he knew that Legolas was hiding something. How, he didn't quite know, but his instincts were saying that he wasn't quite right.
Legolas blinked. "I am fine," he said, and began to walk over to Elladan, Elrohir and Estel. Elladan's eyes narrowed as he caught the slight limp in Legolas' walk, and his eyes tracked down to the blond elf's ankle, where a hastily tied piece of fabric, probably torn from a cloak, was already soaked through with blood.
And it was when Elladan noticed that Legolas' leg suddenly buckled beneath him and he stumbled, a sharp gasp escaping his lips. Elladan rushed forwards and caught Legolas by the elbow, propping him up as the elf regained his feet. Legolas grinned slightly.
"I cannot fool you, can I?" he asked with a smile.
Elladan shook his head in exasperation. "You should not even try!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you say something? That is a lot of blood on your ankle."
"Estel needed you," said Legolas simply. "It is bloody, but not too bad. I could wait."
Elladan hissed in irritation as Legolas walked over to where Elrohir and Estel were, moving to sit on the grass beside Elrohir, his bad leg stretched out in front of him. "May I look at it?" he asked, moving over and coming to crouch beside Legolas' ankle. One waterskin he passed to Elrohir, who put it in Estel's hands and encouraged him to drink. The other he passed to Legolas, who took a long gulp before putting it down.
"I very much doubt whether I have any say in the matter," said Legolas dryly. "But look at Estel's hand first, saes."
"I can do better than that," said Elladan. He got up, and with a precautionary "Don't move," he moved over to the packs again, pulling out a second bag of medical supplies. Coming back over, Elladan passed the second bag to Elrohir, who looked up and smiled a little at Legolas.
"How did he get this injury in the first place?" asked Elrohir as he opened Estel's hand and examined the wound. Taking the waterskin, he poured the water over the cut, keeping hold of Estel's hand as the young man hissed and jerked at the sting.
"The snares were barbed," said Legolas, the disgust evident in his voice. "He cut his hand on one of them."
Elrohir nodded, and began to clean up the wound. Estel was silent as he worked, concentrating on quelling the rising nausea again, and keeping his breathing slow and steady.
Elladan gently peeled away the sodden piece of cloak wrapped around Legolas' ankle, and gave a low whistle. "Not too bad?" he asked, gently examining the wound. Legolas hissed as Elladan's fingers gently moved the torn skin around his ankle, blood trickling from the wound.
"I was hardly paying attention to it over the past few hours," muttered Legolas, his jaw tight as Elladan examined the torn flesh. "I had more important things to think about."
"I'm not blaming you, surprisingly," said Elladan, earning a chuckle from Elrohir. Legolas grinned, but it turned into a grimace as Elladan touched a particularly sore spot. "Sorry," said Elladan softly. Legolas shook his head.
"Just do what you have to," he said. Elladan nodded, and reached for a smaller skin containing some type of liquid. Uncorking it, he gripped Legolas' leg tight above the wound with one hand, before pouring the contents of the skin over the torn flesh with the other hand.
Legolas hissed in pain as the wine washed over the wound, and his leg bucked involuntarily. Elladan tightened his grip on Legolas' ankle and held on as Legolas grimaced, his jaw clenched tight to suppress a groan of pain.
Elladan waited for a few moments, before pouring the rest of the wine over the wound, Legolas grinding his teeth and clenching his hand tight into a fist, his knuckles white. Elladan paused for a moment. "Legolas?"
Legolas nodded, his breathing harsh. "Aye," he muttered through clenched teeth. "It's…painful, but alright. Keep going."
Elladan nodded, and reached with one hand into his pack of medical supplies, pulling out a small wrapped packet. Slowly letting go of Legolas' leg as the blond elf relaxed, the pain abating, he unwrapped squares of clean white cloth. Elladan looked up at Legolas. "You don't need stitches," he said. "Thankfully, the cuts are not that deep. But there is dirt in them that the wine will not wash out. I'm going to have to clean them carefully. Do you want something for the pain?"
Legolas shook his head. "Just do it," he said. He glanced over at Estel, whose hand was being wrapped by Elrohir in clean white bandages.
Estel looked over at him and grinned slightly. "How's the ankle?" He grimaced a little as his head swam at the movement of it, but forced it back down and looked over at Legolas.
Legolas smiled back. "Nothing I haven't had before," he said. He hissed as Elladan carefully began to clean out one of the deeper cuts, getting out the ingrained dirt. "I will be fine, Estel."
Estel nodded, the guilt that was welling up in him over Legolas being hurt because of him assuaging slightly at Legolas' reassurance. He looked over at Elladan, his face blank as he concentrated on cleaning up Legolas' ankle, which was now propped up on a folded cloak.
Elrohir glanced over. "How did you tear up your ankle, anyway? It looks like…" He trailed off. "Actually, I don't know what it looks like. If you don't mind, enlighten us."
Legolas chuckled, and shifted his weight slightly, careful not to move his leg. "When I told you I pushed Estel out of the way of a snare, what do you think ended up in the snare instead?"
Elladan and Elrohir's faces went from confused to understanding to irritated in a second. "You mean you stepped in a snare?" asked Elladan with a chuckle. "Ai Valar, Legolas, you cannot let your father hear about this!"
"I am more concerned about Belhadron," said Legolas with a grin. "He will never let me live it down if he finds out. Will you promise not to tell him? He will use it to blackmail me every chance he gets."
Both Elladan and Elrohir laughed. "We will not," said Elladan. "Not if he does not ask."
Legolas smiled, though his face was still a little pale and tight. He winced as Elladan washed out one of the wounds. "How long?" he asked him, looking down at his leg.
Elladan glanced up. "Be patient," he said, though he had a small smile. "The skin is quite torn, and there is a lot of dirt in the cuts. Adar may want to do it again when we return as well."
Legolas grimaced and looked away from his ankle. His gaze drifted towards Estel. "Is he alright?" he asked. Estel was sitting still, slumped a little against Elrohir. Though his breathing was back to normal, and his hand was wrapped in clean bandages, he looked pale and vacant, his eyes staring into nothing.
Elrohir looked at him, his eyes flashing with concern. "I think he's a little disorientated still," he murmured, gently placing a hand on Estel's back. "And maybe has found this a little much. He is only young."
Estel stirred. "'He' has a name, as I said before," he murmured, glancing up with a small smile. "And 'he' will be alright, thank you very much." Of course, Estel knew he was lying to his brothers, but he just didn't want to appear any weaker than he already did. If he was being honest, at least with himself, he was ashamed of it. His brothers had trained him to fight, and now he was on the verge of panicking, when he hadn't even fought a single orc! He had been useless, relying on his brothers and Legolas to get him out.
His head still felt unclear, and the nausea was residing at the back of his throat, just threatening a little to return. Yet Estel felt his eyelids droop, and he slumped a little further against Elrohir as Elladan cleaned up Legolas' ankle, and the three elves continued to talk. His breathing slowed, and everything gradually turned black as he fell into sleep.
0-o-0-o-0
Estel gradually began to come around to the sound of whispered conversation from beside him. For a few moments he lay there still, his head on something soft and warm, and listened to what his brothers and Legolas were saying.
He heard Elrohir's voice first, cold and dark, like steel. "We have to hunt them, and soon. They will get away otherwise."
Legolas' voice, Estel noticed, was different to his brothers. It was lighter and more lilting, a different accent that Estel couldn't quite place. "I am not disagreeing with you, mellon-nin. Yet what can we do now?"
Elladan's voice came next, and Estel still prided himself on the fact that he could tell their voices apart without seeing them. "They hurt our brother, they hurt you, Legolas. We have to stop them." Estel suppressed a slight sigh at what he saw as vengeance in his brother's dark tone.
"I know," said Legolas, and his voice was soft, almost sounding tired. "But I know orcs well. They will most likely not leave the area for a few days. They have a plentiful supply of food, thanks to our horses, and they are out for blood. I counted my remaining arrows- twelve of them are dead by my hand at least, and more can be added to the count. I was not the only one who harried them." Estel got the feeling that Legolas was looking over at Elrohir at this point.
Elladan sighed. "You are right," he murmured. "We must think of other things first. It will be dark soon, and I am uneasy spending the night away from Imladris with Estel's injuries and your ankle."
Estel heard Legolas start to say something, but one of his brothers shushed the blond elf quickly. "If we are not careful," Estel hear Elrohir say, "It could become worse. You should be thankful it is not poisoned." Somehow Estel found his tone accusing.
It seemed that Legolas also noticed it, because when he spoke again, his voice was less soft, colder than before. "I did not mean to injure myself," he said abruptly. "You know this."
"Aye," said Elladan, seeming to rise to the challenge in Legolas' voice. "Yet trouble seems to follow you, follow all of us, does it not?"
"You cannot be blaming me, or yourselves, for this," said Legolas. "You know that this is not our fault." He paused, and Estel felt someone's eyes land on him. A moment later Legolas spoke again.
"Estel's injuries are not anyone's fault, Elladan. Not mine, and certainly not yours. I know you are both thinking it, but you are both far too seasoned as warriors to believe it. I know this."
There was silence for a moment, before Elrohir spoke up. "Yet he is our little brother, Legolas. If he gets hurt, it is on us. We have to protect him." Estel felt a surge of annoyance at these words. He wanted desperately to prove that his brothers didn't need to do that.
"I know," said Legolas softly, and all the fight seemed to have gone out of his voice. "But we have lived far too long, and seen far too many things, to still blame ourselves when things go wrong and people get hurt." He settled into silence, and Estel pondered his words. How much had he and his brothers seen? How long had they been fighting against the darkness, the shadow that was covering the land. For a brief moment, he saw things from their eyes, saw the long, dark years go by, and wondered how any of them were still willing to try and protect others, to protect him, after everything they had seen.
He heard the noise of shifting fabric, and then Legolas spoke up. "So how far away are we?" he asked softly.
Elladan glanced up at the sinking sun. "A few hours, maybe less. We can take the more direct route into the valley, the one only Adar, Glorfindel and us know. Regardless, it will be dark when we make it back."
Estel heard Elrohir sigh slightly. "All the more reason to start moving now," he said. Estel felt a hand lightly grasp his shoulder and gently shake him. "Estel?" asked Elrohir softly. "Estel, wake up."
Estel cracked open his eyes again and raised his head, wincing slightly at the spinning sensation it caused. He realised now that the thing his head had been resting on had been his brother's leg, with a cloak pillowed over it. At some point, they had moved him to a more comfortable position. He didn't know whether to be grateful or ashamed.
Estel blinked, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Aye?" he asked, pretending he had just woken up and had not listened to their conversation.
"We are leaving," said Elrohir, getting to his feet and pulling Estel up with him. Elladan was already on his feet, gathering up the few supplies they had taken out of their packs. Elrohir picked up a waterskin. "Here," he said, handing it over. "Drink."
Estel took a long gulp, his eyes straying from brother to brother to Legolas. He could tell that his brothers especially were still angry, a strange and unsettling calmness having settled over them. He had no doubt that their minds were still thinking of the orcs. The same calmness was over Legolas as well, though to less extent, as he winced, getting to his feet and limping slightly to the horses.
And Estel knew at that point that his brothers and Legolas would hunt down those orcs and kill them. They would have done it even if Estel had not been harmed because of them, but Estel guessed that now it was a little more personal for his brothers. For as long as he could remember, Elladan and Elrohir had sought to protect him, and now he had been hurt, and they had not been able to prevent it, not fully.
Estel thought that maybe Legolas felt the same way. After all, the blond elf spent his whole life fighting orcs and all manner of foul creatures, and protecting others, like he had protected Estel earlier today. Estel supposed he did not like seeing those he was meant to protect getting hurt.
Elrohir helped Estel, though the young man only accepted it grudgingly, up onto his horse. Elladan mounted up, and Legolas passed him up the few remaining packs, before buckling his quiver back on, and checking his knives, quickly pulling them out and looking over the blades. Estel glanced over at him, wondering why he was checking his weapons thoroughly when they were inside the borders of Imladris, and were safe.
Legolas glanced up and saw Estel looking. He sheathed his blades and picked up his bow, carefully running one hand down the string. "What is it, Estel?" he asked, limping over to the horses.
Estel frowned. "We are inside Imladris' borders. Why check your weapons so well?"
Legolas chuckled slightly. "This is not a thorough check, Estel. But it is a force of habit. In Mirkwood, we may be called upon to fight at any moment. It is habit to keep our weapons at hand and ready." He gave a brief smile, but it did not reach his eyes, which were tinged with something else.
Elladan held out a hand to Legolas. "We need to move out if we want to use the remaining daylight," he said. "We must hurry." Legolas nodded and grasped Elladan's hand, jumping up off of his good ankle and vaulting up behind Elladan on the horse. Estel felt Elrohir leap up behind him on his horse, and then the two horses began to move off down the track towards Imladris.
Estel leant back a little against Elrohir, and he felt his brother's arm encircle his waist, holding him steady as they cantered down the track. His eyelids began to grow heavy, and despite the throbbing pain in his splintered arm and the slight dizziness, he slowly sank back into sleep once more.
To Be Continued...
Poor Estel... Next chapter we find them back in Imladris. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, it does make my day :)