AN: I forgot to mention...the last chapter was the halfway point.
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Short Respite
Legolas froze. He knew if he moved Thilator could easily dislocate his shoulder. He also knew that the tutor couldn't do much more from this position, and would have to move if he really wanted to kill Legolas.
"If you try anything I'll break your arm off," the tutor growled. The sheer hatred in the older elf's voice startled Legolas, and he wondered just what he could have done as an elfling to earn such rancor.
Thilator pulled Legolas away from the wall, still holding his arm tightly against his back, bent up at a painful angle. "We're going someplace much more private," he said. "Perhaps you'd like to visit the dungeons again?"
The prince gritted his teeth. This was going to hurt. He dropped to the ground, choking back a cry of pain as the movement twisted his shoulder out of joint. He brought one knee up to his chest and kicked out—not at Thilator's legs, but much higher. He caught the tutor just below the ribcage, knocking him away.
Legolas curled up where he lay, pulling his right arm close and cradling it. He closed his eyes to a slit, feigning more pain than he felt, hoping to trick Thilator into coming closer. He had thought about running, but knew Thilator would just come after him, and Thilator had the advantage right now. The only thing to do was to incapacitate the older elf.
Thilator was wheezing, propping himself up on both arms. "You brat," the older elf growled, sounding less and less reasonable and more crazed. "We should have just killed you when we had the chance."
The tutor stumbled over, too blinded by his own pain and fury to realize it was trick. When he was close enough, Legolas kicked out again, tripping Thilator. The elf was too startled to catch himself and fell backward, cracking his head against the garden path.
Legolas levered himself up to a sitting position, right hand lying useless in his lap. He watched Thilator for a moment, relieved to see the slow rising of his chest. He hadn't wanted to kill the tutor, after all.
He didn't know if Thilator was truly unconscious or merely dazed, but he didn't want to wait to find out. Struggling to his feet and cradling his right arm close, he limped out of the garden toward the palace.
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"I still say we should keep it...we could take it home and name it Belegdur."
"Elladan," Elrohir groaned. "Your little plan already got us both banished from here for a century...what would Ada do if you brought that frog home and announced that you'd named it after a prince of Mirkwood?"
The older twin chuckled, releasing the frog into the grass outside the palace. It immediately made for the pond they'd found it in. "I was only joking," he said.
Elrohir shook his head. "I suppose we should find Legolas now and tell him what happened. Of course, you have the honor of telling him why we have to leave."
Elladan sobered. "I'm sorry...as soon as we find him, I'll go back and tell Thranduil I made you do it. Maybe he'll let you stay, then."
"No," the younger twin sighed. "I went along with it...face it, 'Dan, we're both guilty."
He nodded in agreement. "Maybe he'll calm down if we leave and call us back," he said hopefully.
Elrohir rolled his eyes. "I think we're lucky it's only one century. That agreement must not have been very important."
"I guess we should go to the gardens now," Elladan sighed. "Maybe we should have just conf—Legolas!"
The dark-haired elf took off at a sprint toward the gardens, followed closely by his twin. They had both spotted the slight, blond-haired figure of their friend come staggering out onto the lawn, clutching one arm against his side.
"What happened?" Elrohir asked, gently helping Legolas sit on the grass. "Did Amarthwen attack you?"
The prince looked up at his friends, blue eyes sharp with pain. "No," he said softly, shaking his head.
Elladan snorted. "You can say it, Legolas. You already told us about her, remember?"
"No, I mean it wasn't her...it was," Legolas shook his head again, confusing warring with pain in his eyes. "It was my old tutor...Thilator."
Elladan and Elrohir stared at each other in surprise for a moment, before turning back to help Legolas. "What happened?" Elladan asked, pulling Legolas' left arm away from his body. His sleeve was stained with blood from a rather shallow wound. Elladan tore a strip off his tunic to wrap around his friend's arm to slow the bleeding.
"I went to meet him in the gardens...and he just attacked me. He didn't say why," Legolas explained, wincing when Elrohir probed his shoulder.
"It's dislocated," Elrohir murmured to his brother.
Elladan nodded, and carefully knelt next to Legolas, wrapping his arms around him from the side to hold him still. "Ready?"
The prince nodded, biting back a cry of pain as Elrohir swiftly manipulated his shoulder back into place.
The twins waited for a moment while Legolas regained his composure before asking if he had any other injuries.
Legolas shook his head. "Just a little bruised," he explained at their incredulous expressions.
"We should get you to the healers anyway," Elladan commented, standing up and gently helping the prince to his feet.
"Thilator."
"We'll find him."
The prince shook his head again. "He's in the garden."
Elrohir stared for a moment. "He's still there?"
Legolas grinned slightly. "I believe he's unconscious at the moment."
The twins were quiet for a moment, then Elladan laughed. "I see you haven't forgotten everything we taught you," he said.
"I'll look for him," Elrohir volunteered, running back toward the garden.
"Be careful!" Elladan called after him. He slowly helped Legolas up to the palace, silently berating himself for everything...if he and Elrohir hadn't been busy with his stupid frog idea, they could have protected Legolas.
"Elladan?" Legolas broke into his friend's thoughts. "When we get to the healers...could you find my father?"
Elladan winced inwardly. He really didn't think Thranduil would be too happy to see him again. "Of course," he said. The worst Thranduil could do was add another century to his banishment, right?
He left Legolas with the healers, and hurried down to the hall where he and Elrohir had been caught that morning. With any luck, either Thranduil or Belegdur had a study there and he could find the king.
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"What is he doing here again?"
Thranduil glanced up from copying the ruined agreement as Belegdur leapt from his chair and stalked out of the study. He heard raised voices in the hall, and with a frown recognized Elladan's voice.
Sighing in frustration, the king set his quill aside and followed his son, effectively ending their argument. "Elladan," Thranduil nodded. "Did you need something?"
"Perhaps he need to be pointed in the direction of the front gate," Belegdur sneered.
"Enough, Belegdur," Thranduil held a hand up to silence his son. "Go back to work." He sighed again. "Are you here about your banishment?" he asked, guessing at Elladan's reason for returning. He had been reconsidering...perhaps a century was a bit too long.
"No, Lord Thranduil," Elladan bowed, hesitating. "Legolas wishes to speak with you."
Thranduil's brow furrowed in confusion. "Could he not come himself?"
"I'm afraid not...he's in the healer's ward."
"What?" Thranduil exclaimed.
He saw Elladan wince. "I'm sorry...let me explain," the younger elf quickly added. "He's fine...he was attacked in the gardens, and we only took him to the healers as a precaution."
Thranduil closed his eyes. "He was attacked?" he asked, rubbing his brow with one hand. "By whom?"
Elladan hesitated. "I think he'd rather tell you himself," the dark-haired elf responded. "He asked me to find you."
The king nodded in agreement, and turned to go to the healers. He paused, looking back at Elladan. "I was a bit hasty with you and your brother earlier," he said quietly. "I would like to speak with the two of you later."
He smiled a bit at the shock on the younger elf's face, but continued to the healers without another word.
He found Legolas in the healers, one arm bound in a sling and the other wrapped in bandages. He was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, talking with one of the healers.
"Legolas?"
The prince looked up with a grin. "Ada...I see Elladan found you."
Thranduil smiled, sitting in the chair beside the bed as the healer left to attend to other tasks. "Yes he did...for the second time." Seeing the look of confusion on his son's face, Thranduil quickly changed the subject. "He said you were attacked in the garden?"
Legolas nodded. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though...not initially."
The king frowned. "What do you mean?"
With a sigh, Legolas looked down at his hands. "Ada...I never told you what happened."
Thranduil waited patiently for his son to go on, sensing that this was something very important.
"I never told you what happened the day I fell out of the tree," Legolas finally said, refusing to meet his father's eyes.
The king gently took his son's hand in his. "Then tell me," he said softly.
And Legolas did.
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"He lied about you, Legolas."
The prince looked up to meet his father's eyes. "What?"
"When you were young...I removed Thilator as your tutor because he lied about you."
Legolas slowly lowered his gaze. He had told his father everything, including the attacks in his room and the gardens. He had wondered why Thilator would attack him, why the tutor would be helping Amarthwen, and then his father had spoken up.
"But why?" Legolas asked, more puzzled than hurt.
"He said it was because he was unhappy," Thranduil explained with a sigh. "He had wanted to be released from service to go back to the village."
Legolas shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense."
Thranduil smiled gently. "I was concerned about other things at that time," he said, lifting Legolas to meet his eyes again.
The prince swallowed at the tears he saw in his father's eyes. "I'm sorry I never told you before," he said quietly.
"Legolas," Thranduil sighed, gently enfolding his son in his arms, careful of the young elf's shoulder. "I understand why you didn't. You do not have to apologize for fearing her...I should apologize for not noticing before."
"But you couldn't," Legolas protested. "No one else knew what was happening, why should you?"
"I'm your father," the king replied. "I should have known...I should have protected you."
Legolas smiled a bit, pulling away from his father. "You did. You sent me to Rivendell."
Thranduil shook his head. "I shouldn't have had to."
"Ada, if you hadn't I might not have survived today," Legolas said softly. "I only did because of what Elladan and Elrohir taught me...I don't know that I would have been able to otherwise."
To Legolas' surprise, his father chuckled. "Elladan and Elrohir...I think they're going to be spending the rest of the day helping Belegdur copy the trade agreement they ruined this morning."
"What?" Legolas frowned slightly, confused. "What do you mean?"
"That is a long story," Thranduil said with a laugh. "I very nearly had them banished, but that was a bit hasty."
Legolas stared at his father, unsure whether to believe him or not. "Banished?" he asked slowly, a slight lump in his throat. If his father sent the twins away so soon...
"I won't, Legolas," the king said quickly. "I was hasty in my judgement...they won't be banished."
The prince relaxed just slightly. "Thank you, Ada."
Thranduil smiled. "There's no need to thank me," he said quietly, patting Legolas' hand.
Reviews? Flames? Tar and Feathers?
The next chapter won't be up Thursday or Friday. Why? Well...Thursday (March 16) is my birthday (the big 2-3), and Friday is the day we're all celebrating (it's the only day everyone could get off work). I am putting up a few short stories tomorrow, though. I don't know why, it's my insane way of celebrating, I guess.