Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Eildan; even his name, if you see it anywhere else that's pure coincidence. n.n So, shh… -.-
Warning: Slash, A/L! Again, no flamage!
Not an OC/Legolas fic.
Alright; here's the second chapter. Whoo! Be excited. -.- So I do hope you guys like it. Don't forget to let me know, alright?
Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, as well. I'm glad to hear you guys are enjoying it. n.n I hope I don't disappoint anyone. n.n
Jealousy Wrought
Chapter Two: Hunting
The next morning, after they had eaten, they sat around deciding what they would do. Usually they would just head out and go anywhere they pleased but this time Legolas only had one-day window.
It didn't take long for them to figure things out. They would ride wherever they wanted for a few hours; then they would head back and camp again, arriving back at the palace sometime before the afternoon meal.
At least, that's what their plan was, even though none of them really wanted to return quite yet. Being outside, surrounded by nature, riding their horses with friends (for the most part), looking up at the stars during the night… They all wished it could last forever.
Eildan had nearly forgotten his anger towards Estel while out there and actually found the human tolerable. Still, there was no excuse. Estel had won: he had been brave enough to confess and his feelings had been returned. However, he could not let him have Legolas. He would not win again.
He had come up with a new plan and refused to give up on it. It would work; there was no doubt about that.
He just had to wait. No matter how frustrating that could become, he couldn't rush things.
As the morning passed into day, the sun high in the sky became warm and uncomfortable.
Estel sat up straight when he heard the sound of water against rock, the sound soothing to his ears. Of course, he was the only one suffering from the hot weather, and then the cold nights. He just couldn't get a break.
Suddenly, he kicked his horse, lunging forward towards the river, leaving Legolas and Eildan behind.
The two watched Estel in shock and then looked at each other, exchanging bewildered looks.
The archer grinned and sprang ahead of Eildan, laughing.
It was great to ride through the forest, chasing each other as they made their way to the refreshing river. Legolas really wasn't looking forward to getting back to his duties, but there as nothing he could do about it and, despite all the responsibilities, he wouldn't give it up for anything.
They spent the next couple hours in the river and the three of them all had a good time relaxing. Afterwards, they took their time and stayed out on the lush grass.
During their swim Legolas and Estel had been getting closer, playing and joking around with each other. Eildan's patience was running short as he watched them. He knew they were together, but they didn't know he did; with how they were acting it was hard not to know. Maybe they just didn't care. He also knew that they were holding back. The two now sat close, laughing and he looked on, eyes narrowed. They wished to be alone; it was obvious by their body language. However, he chose to ignore the signs. He didn't want them to be alone. He needed to be alone with Legolas, needed to get Estel to leave. He didn't quite have that part worked out yet or at least not for this time. During the night he'd have no problem, but he was losing it. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. No. He had to. He couldn't give in, all would be lost.
By the time they managed to force themselves to get up, which was very reluctantly, it was late afternoon. They were running behind schedule but no one commented on it. To Eildan, it didn't matter at all.
They started off back to the palace, riding in silence.
The ride seemed quick as night fell and they stopped again; all too willingly.
They soon found a place to camp, knowing they couldn't possibly stall any longer since orcs and the like would soon be out. None wished to have a run-in with those foul creatures.
The area they found was surrounded by grass for their horses to graze and, since they still ran along the river, they had drink as well.
This time Legolas stayed at camp with Eildan, checking his hand and Estel went to hunt again. He really didn't mind, but he didn't know if he should leave Legolas alone with the elder elf, even if they were close friends. Eildan was still acting strangely.
The hand looked a lot better and didn't even really need to be wrapped anymore since it was practically healed. However, Legolas decided it was best to keep it bandaged for another day or at least the night.
Eildan had no problem this time with the gentle touches or how caring the archer was being again. It was almost time for his plan to go into action and he would not ruin it now, no matter how tempting it was.
Once Legolas had tied off the bandage, he stood and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder for a moment before starting to walk away.
Eildan quickly followed suit. He knew the younger elf was about to look for firewood.
"Worry not, I shall get the firewood," he offered, straining to control his voice, the excitement and nervousness. If the blue-eyed elf wouldn't listen then his plans would be over with before they even started. He couldn't allow that.
Legolas stopped and turned, inspecting him. He did relent, though, much to Eildan's relief.
The elder elf smiled, hiding his inner thrill. This was it.
As Legolas watched Eildan leave, he couldn't help but feel like he should stop him. It was something in the way he smiled, like he had some ulterior motive.
He didn't like feeling this way about his friend either. He contemplated going after him, but changed his mind. He couldn't just go spy on him.
The archer settled down in front of where the fire would be, staring blankly at it as he tried his best to quell his distrusting thoughts. He had nothing to worry about.
He stood and walked over to his white stallion, petting it lovingly as he tried to distract himself.
………
As Estel walked away from their camp, he still had second-thoughts about leaving the two alone. He had no idea what the brown-eyed elf was up to, though he knew there was something. He just seemed… off; different than before, and agitated, itching to do something.
It made the human incredibly uncomfortable being around him and as soon as the opportunity had arisen to escape the strange elf, he had quickly taken it without thinking. Now he wished he had. He was so used to having Legolas by his side that, for some reason, he had absentmindedly thought his love would come with him. Foolish thought, one that he hadn't known he had been thinking until now.
However, it was too late to go back. If he did, what could he say? 'Sorry, but I just plain do not trust Eildan. He's up to something and I'm not leaving you alone with him.' That would go over well. He could just see the look of anger and hurt cross Legolas' face now…
He nodded. Aye, bad idea, he confirmed. Then, he halted in his tracks.
The dark-haired man had forgotten all about what he was supposed to be doing. That was until he saw something from the corner of his eye that would do.
Estel stalked his prey, low behind a bush, bow at the ready, already nocked.
He focused entirely on the prey, drawing the arrow back to his ear, stormy eyes trained on his soon-to-be dinner.
Just when he was about to release, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his right side.
The bow and arrow fell to the ground uselessly.
Without looking at the wound, he wrapped his fingers around the arrow and forcefully pulled it out, giving a pained cry despite biting his lip. First instinct told him to put his hands around it, as if to hold in the pain. However, he couldn't afford to give it any more attention.
The human quickly whipped his head up, searching for his attacker. He tried his best to ignore the agony ripping through his side and the wet blood dripping down his smooth skin, for the enemy was still out there and he saw no signs of them. It was pointless to run as well, they could see wherever he went.
He crouched low, the muscles in his side pulling painfully, but, gritting his teeth, he went behind the thick bush he had been next to, using the direction of the arrow that had been in him as an estimate of the enemy's location.
Legolas immediately popped into his mind. Was he alright? Had the assailant gotten to him?
…Why had he been attacked so suddenly? Who would do such a thing?
Unfortunately, he couldn't give the questions anymore thought than that.
He had to find a way to get to Legolas, to make sure he was safe.
He had to concentrate, had to listen and watch; he couldn't afford to let his guard down in the least.
Estel did just that, but could hear nothing, not one sound; it was as if the forest was silently listening as well.
Then, he felt a presence behind him. Instinctively, he turned, raising his bow defensively at the same time.
A sword instantly fell upon it, causing his arm to jerk and a shock of pain to shoot straight to his side. However, he was too shocked to even note the pain; too involved in the abrupt fight.
"Eildan?" he said, staring wide-eyed at the elf. "What are you doing?"
The gleam of maliciousness seen in those now-dark eyes was frightening and he knew his life was in terrible danger. He was already at a huge disadvantage. One thing was a certainty at least: Legolas was alright. Eildan wouldn't hurt his beloved prince; it was painfully obvious as to what had triggered the elf to resort to homicide.
He didn't know what he could do.
………
Legolas sighed heavily, throwing a twig where the fire should be ablaze. It was taking too long. Both should have been back.
Estel had been gone longer than usual and he had to wonder if Eildan had gone to the highest peak of a tree to snag some branches. Of course, that was ridiculous, but he wanted to know what was taking so long for the both of them.
It had been pointless for Eildan to go so far for firewood in the first place. Looking around, he could find some branches that would make-due a few feet away from him.
Suddenly, he snapped his head up and whipped around to look back at the forest.
He heard the sound of metal against metal. Panic seized him, freezing his body, for it had come from the direction Estel had gone. He knew the man could have moved from that area by this time, but he still couldn't help it.
The golden-haired prince quickly stood, recovering from the momentary stun.
The sound continued, ricocheting in his mind.
He prayed that Estel wasn't in danger. Perhaps Eildan had heard as well and had gone to help.
Without a second thought, he stood, picked up his bow and ran towards the direction, hoping Estel was alright.
He seemed to be running forever, on a never-ending trail, the green and brown of the trees not once registering in his mind that was focused entirely on the sound of the swords clashing. It only stopped for a second and he assumed that was a part of the fight; not because the battle was over, or even close.
Then, finally, he was able to hear grunts, the heavy breathing and sharp intakes. It only sounded like two people. He hadn't even thought of that before since Estel's life being in danger was the first thing that had come to his mind.
He frowned deeply, wondering what was going on.
The sounds were right there. He just had to turn…
The attacker was a blur as he—by the looks of it—gracefully disappeared into the trees.
Legolas had no time to think of this when he spotted Estel. The man had collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest, gasping for breath as he tried to control it.
The archer immediately forgot about the assailant and fell in front of Estel, a deep look of concern marring his beautiful features.
He called the man's name in fear, trying to get his attention, to see the grey eyes.
The human shut his eyes tighter; his breathing became labored, body giving out on him as he fell forward.
Legolas caught his love, down-right terrified. "Estel! Estel!" he shouted, needing a response.
Shifting his gaze from the man's pain-contorted face, he looked at his body, checking for the injuries. He gasped when he saw blood covering Estel's hand on his chest, soaking the material and staining his skin. There was also a wound on his side. There were others as well, but he couldn't concentrate on them since he needed to stop the bleeding on his chest and side before anything else as they seemed to be the worst.
Estel's attacker was probably still around, however. They had to move. He had to get the man out of the open.
Legolas' trembling fingers untied the bag of herbs and bandages from Estel's belt and he took out the needed supplies. He had to make this quick so he only grabbed the bandages for now. Experience had taught them to bring this bag with them no matter where they were, and especially when they went out in a forest, no matter how short the trip or where it was to. It had definitely proved to be useful; on many occasions, unfortunately.
When he turned back to focus on Estel he was alarmed to see that the man had lost consciousness.
After tying the bandages, which had been hastily done, he stood with Estel in his arms, being extremely cautious of the injuries, and ran carefully to find a place that would hide them.
He was surprised that the attacker hadn't made another move and had to wonder if they were still there in the first place. He would have been glad to fight them, for they had hurt his Estel.
He soon stopped at a cave (it was the closest shelter) and, even though he loathed the idea, he couldn't run for long with Estel like this. He would be in a lot of pain when he woke up.
Setting Estel down gently, he took a look around, making sure it was safe. Fortunately, it was and he was able to check on Estel. He kept his bow next to him should the attacker decide to go for a second round. Was it someone he knew? Or was it just some murderer? He needed to find out, but at the moment all he needed was for Estel to be well.
While treating the injuries, he often looked at the entrance for their enemy. That was one good thing about caves: they usually only had one point of entry.
It was odd that Estel had so many wounds, for he was a good fighter, having been trained by elves, he knew how to stand up for himself very well.
He was deeply worried about the amount of blood Estel had lost and continued to. It looked as though he had torn out an arrow as well, by the jagged edges surrounding the wound. He winced, imaging the pain that would cause.
He checked the wound for poison, just in case, and pressed a piece of cloth to it when he found none was present. He wanted to slow the bleeding as much as possible before wrapping it.
He was lucky that the attacker hadn't decided to finish what he had started right then. If he had, both of them would most likely be dead. He was so focused on Estel that he paid little mind to anything else.
However, he did quickly look up before wrapping the man's waist and then moving on to the chest wound.
Had it been an elf? He frowned at the thought. Why would they do such a thing?
A sudden thought hit him and he wished to do the same to himself. He had forgotten about Eildan! He must have gone back to their campsite by now, unless he was wandering around trying to find them now.
As much as he wanted to find out how his friend was, he couldn't leave Estel, and he couldn't move him anymore than he had.
They had really gotten themselves into a bind this time.
So…? Did I pick it up too quickly? I know it was like BAM! and there we have an attack, but… well, I hope you can forgive if so. n.n I do hope you guys enjoyed it, though, and let me know what ya think, alright? And, see? I told ya Estel and Legolas would be the main focus. n.n;;; ..:ahem:..
Anyway, hope you liked it. n.n
Ja ne