Hello! I am sorry that it took me so long to update, but here it is the new chapter! I want to thank my beta for the help, too! Now, read and enjoy.

Chapter 10: Homewards

"And with a prayer to the Valar to help him, he kicked away from the ground and broke the surface."

He had expected the stifling heat of boiling air, the agony of breathing in liquid fire. But when his head broke the surface, the air was not boiling, but almost cool to the skin. Of course, the air was still hot enough to hurt the skin, but to Aragorn it was blessedly cold. He gulped as much air into his lungs as he could, his eyes tightly closed. He coughed and spluttered when he inhaled water and ash, but strength returned to his limbs and the red dots vanished. As soon as he had filled his lungs, he opened his eyes and groped around in the murky water for Legolas.

A moment later he heaved Legolas's head above the surface. Placing the elf's head into the crook of his arm, Aragorn wiped the long strands of wet hair out of Legolas's face, before he slapped his cheeks none too gently.

"Legolas?" He rasped, coughing harshly. "Wake up, Legolas!"

But Legolas only groaned without waking. Still, at the moment it was sufficient for Aragorn, for it showed that Legolas at least breathed on his own and that his prolonged stay under the water had done him no additional harm.

Only then did Aragorn look around. The forest seemed to have gone…as had the fire! All around him the blackened and burned trunks of trees rose into the air, the branches pointing like dead fingers into the sky. The undergrowth was gone, as were all leaves, plants and grass. The earth was still smoldering and here and there a tree was burning weakly, but the fire itself was gone. Turning his head, Aragorn saw the red wall of the fire a good hundred feet further away, and his heart lifted in hope. The fire was gone.

"We live, Legolas. We made it." He whispered softly to his unconscious friend, absently stroking Legolas's cheek.

Coughing painfully, Aragorn slowly hoisted them both up the bank of the river. He had trouble breathing and the stitch in his side was getting worse. Every time he inhaled or coughed, his lungs and side protested sharply, and he had to pause often on his way up the bank. Once out of the river, Aragorn dragged them both a few feet away, before he collapsed on the hot ground. A coughing fit washed over him, leaving him breathless and shaking.

His head began to pound viciously and the black dots came back with a vengeance. With an effort, Aragorn rolled Legolas onto his back, so that his face would not lie on the smoldering ground, before he sank to the ground himself. His hands and face hurt horribly, as did his eyes and lungs, and when another coughing fit shook him , Aragorn drew his knees up to his chest, trying to catch his breath. Before the coughing fit was over, though, the black dots overtook his vision, and he lost consciousness.

A moment later, a soft rain began to fall.

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"I think the fire is under control now." Elrond wiped a hand across his sweaty face, leaning heavily on his shovel. A few hours ago a soft rain had begun to fall, which had turned into a strong summer rain. It had helped to put out the ground fires, and together with the aisles that the elves had built it had eventually stopped the fire from spreading. Thunder was still rolling in the distance, but the lighting had stopped.

"Aye, if the rain keeps falling, that is." Elrohir said, gazing at the grey clouds. "If the rain stops, the fire could start anew."

"Then let us hope that the rain keeps falling." Elrond said, his voice weary. He was glad that the clouds had finally opened, therewith preventing him from using another, and much for dangerous way to stop the flames. Absently, Elrond brushed the ring on his finger, sighing inwardly.

Around Elrond and the twins, the elves were standing together in groups in the falling rain, looking tired but happy. No one had been hurt seriously during their fight against the fire, and a few bruises, cuts and burns were all the injuries that had been sustained.

Glorfindel made his away over to Elrond and the twins, looking as soot covered and disheveled as they felt. When he reached them, Glorfindel asked, "When do we go in?"

"Go in where?" Elrohir asked, wiping his hand across his face against the pouring rain.

"Into the forest, of course." Glorfindel answered, an elegant eyebrow lifted. "There could be injured animals in there that need our help. Furthermore, we need to make sure that there are no fire seats."

The twins sighed simultaneously. They were tired and dirty, and the prospect of going into the burned forest was not appealing to them. But, they knew of the seriousness of the situation, and after a brief visual exchange, they volunteered to enter the burned woods.

In minutes, Glorfindel assembled a group of elves, and carrying axes and shovels the dirtied elves entered what was left the forest. Above them clouds turned darker as the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, and soon it was so dark that the elves had to light torches to find the way.

It was a strange feeling to walk through a burned forest, carrying an open source of fire, and the elves that carried the torches seemed to take exceptional care of the flames. On the other hand, the darkness made it easier to spot the smaller fires that were still burning, and the elves worked quickly and efficiently.

To their remorse they found a handful of burned animals which had not been fast enough to flee from the fire, and they buried them in silence. It was nearing midnight when they reached the small river that ran through this part of the forest.

Stopping at the bank, Elladan shook his head, "Ro, look. Do you see how high the water is?"

Sidling up beside his brother, Elrohir gazed at the river thoughtfully, "Maybe something blocked it further downstream."

"Aye, something big." Elladan sighed. "You know what that means, don't you?"

Elrohir nodded, "We will have to follow the bank, find the blockade and free the river. The forest will need the water of the river to come back to life."

Gazing at the water for a moment, Elladan sighed again. "Let's go then." Elladan hailed a few of the other elves, and together they made their way down the river, while the main group of the elves spread out to the left and right of the river to continue their search.

Half an hour later, Elrohir suddenly pointed at the river. "Look! A tree is blocking the river. It must have fallen over in the fire."

The elves moved towards the tree that was blocking blocked the river, gazing down at it. The two torches they had with them illuminated the area only sparsely. Elrohir studied the tree for a moment, then frowned, "We have no saws with us. Maybe we can shift it so that the river can flow around it and return tomorrow with material to remove the tree."

The other elves nodded, and while three of the elves stayed where they were, Elladan, Elrohir and another elf crossed the river to help from the other side. Elladan had almost reached the trunk of the tree, when something to his left caught his eye. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes to take a closer look. There was a dark shape lying on the ground, and in the darkness Elladan could not make out what it was. Thinking it to be maybe a dead dear or a stag, he stepped closer.

He had barely taken two steps, when his eyes suddenly widened and his breath caught in his throat. That was no dead deer! With a shocked, "Ro!" he rushed forwards and fell to his knees onto the now wet soil.

"Estel?" For indeed, there before him on the wet ground lay his human brother, and right next to him lay Legolas. Both were unconscious, and in the dim light Elladan could not tell whether they were alive or not. They were not moving, that much he could tell.

In mere seconds Elrohir reached his side, a horrified expression on his face. Sinking down as well, he shook his head, "How?"

Unnoticed by either of the twins, one of the other elves quickly left the place, and running through the forest he went in search for help.

Elladan and Elrohir gazed down at their brother and friend in shocked silence. Legolas lay on his back, eyes closed and face almost relaxed. His hair was singed in places as was his clothing, and his face was pale, but otherwise he looked alright. Aragorn, on the other hand, did not.

He lay on his side with his knees drawn up to his chest, and there was a pained expression on his face. While Legolas's face was pale, Aragorn's was an unhealthy shade of grey, while his forehead, nose, cheekbones and chin were of an angry red. His clothing was more burned than Legolas's, and the skin on his hands was burned too.

Elladan shook his head in shock and disbelief, "What are they doing here?" Then he reached out and placed two fingers at Aragorn's neck to feel for his pulse, while Elrohir checked Legolas. He released a relived sigh when his fingers felt a strong, if somewhat fast and irregular pulse. He glanced askance at Elrohir, who nodded to show that Legolas was alive as well.

"Maybe they were on their way back from the caves and got caught in the fire." Elrohir mused, already shrugging out of his shirt to bed Legolas' head on it. He had barely touched Legolas, when the Prince groaned and shifted slightly.

"Legolas? Can you hear me?" Elrohir asked worriedly, but Legolas merely flinched, before he lay completely still once more.

Gently, Elrohir turned Legolas's head and parted the long blond tresses. In the light of the torch, he could see a deep wound on the back of Legolas's head that must have bled quite profusely. A big swelling could be felt as well, explaining Legolas's unconsciousness.

While Elrohir examined Legolas, Elladan bestowed his attention on Aragorn. He turned him onto his back to examine him better. What he saw in the torchlight made his stomach churn. The side of Aragorn's face that had lain on the ground seemed to be one big burn. From the forehead down to the chin the skin was red and inflamed; it looked extremely painful.

Brushing a hand across Aragorn's other cheek in a soothing gesture, Elladan breathed out deeply, before he resumed his examination. There were no visible wounds at his chest or legs, but when Elladan took a closer look at Aragorn's hands, he flinched. The skin on the fingers and palms was dirtied and burned, as if he had crawled through burning grass. With a shudder, Elladan peered over his shoulder at the riverbank. 'Maybe he has', he thought with a shudder.

None of the elves carried any healing supplies, and so they could do nothing but wait for help to come. With his human brother carefully cradled in his arm, Elladan gazed at Elrohir, who cared for Legolas. There was heartfelt worry in his eyes, and he swallowed thickly. Both of them had numerous questions on the tip of their tongues, but they knew that they would get no answers until either Legolas or Aragorn woke.

And so, they waited. It took time for help to arrive, but when they spotted the first torches through the trees, they called out to the elves to show them where they were. Glorfindel was among the group of arriving elves, as was Elrond.

While Elrond examined Legolas and Aragorn, a frown on his face and his lips a tight line, Glorfindel ordered some of the elves to built stretchers, while the others were set the task to remove the tree and free the river.

Even Elrond could do little out in the woods, and so he only bandaged Aragorn's hands and Legolas's head, before the two were placed on the stretchers. Slowly, the group of elves carried the two friend through the forest, past burned trees and smoldering bushes. All the way back to the Last Homely House the rain fell down on them, but the smell of burned wood, clothing and something more sinister hang thick in the air.

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Legolas was not sure what woke him, but he was not too eager to find out. His head was throbbing viciously and somehow breathing felt uncomfortable, too. He could not remember what had happened to him, but whatever it was, he knew that he would be in even more pain if he woke up completely. So, he was content to float between sleep and full awareness. At least, for the moment.

After a while of being semi-awake, he recognized that he was moving slowly. It felt as if he was lying on a stretcher of some kind. Something wet was constantly touching his face, but he could not imagine why. Snatched of conversations reached his ears, but he could not make out all that was said, and neither did he recognize the voices. After some minutes of hearing nothing but single words and soft murmuring somewhere in the background, he decided that maybe these voices could tell him what had happened, without him having to wake up. So, he concentrated on the voices until he could hear more than just a word here and there.

"Careful now….don't jostle him….we will soon reach home….still unconscious…..healing wing is prepared, my Lord….water and bandages….stay with Estel, ada…."

This caught Legolas's attention. He was not sure who had said the last sentence, but he thought it must have been one of the twins. What did that mean; the twin would stay with Estel? Was Estel hurt? Had something happened to him? In a heartbeat Legolas felt himself rush towards full awareness. New strength seemed to surge through his veins and his heart beat double as fast as before. Legolas approached wakefulness fast, and soon his eyelids fluttered weakly.

"Ada! I think he is waking up." That was Elladan speaking, Legolas was sure now. He groaned softly as his head gave another painful throb and automatically lifted a hand to touch the back of his head. Before his hand could reach his head, though, it was taken into a gentle grip and placed back beside Legolas.

"Easy, my friend. You should not move too much." Elladan again.

Legolas frowned and tried to open his eyes. At first they would not open, but after a few tries his eyelids opened slowly. He blinked to clear his bleary vision, then gazed up at the face above him. His voice was dry and raspy when he spoke, "Elladan?"

"Aye, Legolas, it is me. Don't move yet, we will settle you more comfortably in but a moment." Elladan smiled, his sooth covered face bobbing alongside him.

'Sooth covered face?' Legolas thought hazily, not comprehending what he saw. A quick glance to the other side showed him that he was indeed lying on a stretcher and was carried through a hallway in the healing wing. Beside him, on the other side, another sooth covered elf walked, followed by a healer.

Legolas's frown deepened, and he had just opened his mouth to ask what had happened, when the stretcher passed an alcove in the wall. A torch had been placed there to illuminate the hallway, and when the light of the flame hit Legolas's face, it suddenly came all rushing back to him.

The cave, the fire, the heat and the ash. Aragorn's injured ankle. The burning tree! With a gasp, Legolas sat up straight, surprising the two elves that carried the stretcher. Elladan was not less surprised. "Legolas! What…?" He moved to press Legolas back down on the stretcher, but the Prince would have none of it. Before any of the elves could react, he swung his legs over the edge of the stretcher and climbed to his feet.

"Legolas!" A worried call came from Elladan, and Legolas felt the elf grab his shoulder. "You need to lie down. You are not well."

"No. Where is Estel?" Legolas looked around frantically, but he could not see his friend. "Elladan, where is he?" He asked worriedly, his eyes flickering left and right. The last thing he could remember was pushing Aragorn out of the way of the falling tree. After that, he could remember nothing at all.

"Legolas, calm down, please." Elladan tightened his grip on Legolas's shoulder when the elf began to sway gently. "Please, lie down, Legolas."

"No, no! Where is he, Dan? Is he well?" With huge eyes Legolas looked up at Elladan, the question clearly written in his eyes.

A sigh left Elladan's lips a small, worried frown creased his brow. "He is alive and Ada is treating him right now. I think he will be well, Legolas." There was a pause, and then Elladan sighed once more, "You will not rest until you have seen him, will you?"

Legolas simply shook his head.

"Well then, come." And with that, Elladan wrapped one of Legolas's arm around his shoulders, his own arm around Legolas's waist, and began the slow trek towards the healing room that had been assigned to his little human brother. The rest of the elves stared after the twin and Prince, before they shrugged their shoulders and continued on towards the healing room that would be Legolas for the next few days.

Slowly, Elladan and Legolas made their way through the healing wing, until they reached one of the examination rooms. The door was slightly ajar, and Elladan pushed it open gently. They stepped inside the room, where they were immediately spotted by Elrohir. He rushed towards them and supported Legolas on the other side, while Elladan led him over to the examination table, where Elrond and another healer were bent over an unconscious Aragorn.

Elrohir shot his twin a look, asking why he was bringing Legolas here, but Elladan merely shrugged his shoulders. They both knew that Legolas could be stubborn as a mule and would not rest ere he had made sure that Aragorn was well.

When they reached the table, Elrond looked up from his work. He frowned, but said nothing. As soon as Legolas had reached the table and leaned on it heavily, the twins released their hold on him, but they stayed close to support him should he falter.

For a moment, Legolas simply stared down at Aragorn's face, before he trailed a finger gently down the dirty cheek. Then, his look travelled down further, to his friend's hands that were just now in the process of being cleaned. Even with all the dirt still attached to them, Legolas could tell that they were badly burned.

Legolas closed his eyes for a moment, before he gazed once more at Aragorn's still face. His dark hair was contrasting sharply against the pale and red skin, and Legolas could not help the thought that Aragorn looked so young right now….a thought that he had had too many times in the last few month.

With a voice thick of emotion, he asked softly, "What happened?"

"We hoped that you could tell us." Elrond said, stepping nearer to the Prince. "You were found in the burned forest near a small river, both unconscious."

Shaking his head, Legolas reached out and gently stroked the man's dark hair out of his face. "The last thing I remember is being closed in by the fire. Estel had injured his ankle and could not climb the trees to escape. We were looking for a way out and then…then the tree next to us caught fire and a branch came down on us. That is all I remember."

Legolas stopped, swaying slightly. Elrond placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You need rest, Legolas, and healing." He gently loosened Legolas's fingers from Aragorn's and then steered Legolas away from the examination table. "Why don't you go with Elladan, Legolas, while I treat to Estel? When you are cleaned and your wounds dressed you can come back."

"I can?" Legolas asked, locking huge eyes with Elrond's. He knew that normally he would not be allowed in Aragorn's room when the man had been injured recently, and Elrond's words surprised him.

"Of course, Legolas. He will be glad to see you when he awakens." With those words, Elrond gently pushed Legolas into Elladan's arms. The twin took a good hold of the Prince, supporting him when he swayed once more. While Legolas looked back over his shoulder at Aragorn, Elrond and Elladan had a quick, wordless but mouthed conversation. Nodding at this father that he had understood, Elladan gently steered Legolas from the room. When they crossed the threshold, Elladan could be heard suggesting, "Why don't we get you cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothing, Legolas? And what about a nice warm tea after all this worry?"

Those left in the room flinched slightly at those words. It was clear to them that Legolas would not visit Aragorn soon, but sleep for the next few hours, due to Elrond's infamous tea.

When Legolas and Elladan had left, Elrohir moved to stand beside his father, who resumed the task of cleaning Aragorn's hands. "Ada, if what Legolas just told us is true, then…" He stopped, staring down at his young brother.

"Aye, then Estel must have saved them both from the fire." Elrond said, pride and worry to equal parts in his eyes.

To be continued.

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