270Disclaimer: See chapter One
Thank you, Katy
Chapter Thirty
It was a very despondent group that made their way back across the hall way. They stopped at the door, but no one made a move.
"I am sorry, Elrond. I know he was your kin." Thranduil's voice was quiet.
"Thank you, Mellon-nin. He must have been very ill for quiet some time to be able to do the things he did. I wish I could have helped him more." Despite all he had done for his cousin in the past he felt that he had let him down.
"You could have done no more, Elrond. He was unable to change from his path that the Valar set for him. Just remember he is at peace now." Galadriel tried to reassure her son in law.
"But I should have been able to help him. We should never have banished him." Elrond turned anguished eyes at his friends and family.
"There was nothing you could have done to change the situation. He knew what he was doing in the beginning, you tried to make him see reason at the time. We all agreed that banishment and imprisonment was the best way to deal with him. Never forget the Elves that faded due to his actions. You have done no wrong. Remember that." Celeborn placed a gentle hand on his arm.
"You are right, of course." He took a deep steadying breath. "It is just so painfully when an immortal dies and when it is one of your family members."
"We understand, Mellon-nin but he died by his own hand." Glorfindel could feel his friends anguish. He too had known Fingoran very well.
"He did not want to be saved." Elrond thought back over what had happened.
"No, he did not. Rejoice that he is free from his madness and remember him as he was when he was younger." Galadriel reassured him once more.
"You are right, I will remember him as he was during out Elfhood and not for the cruel monster he became." Elrond straightened his shoulders and looked them all in the eye.
"We have the young Prince to care for right now." With that he pushed the door open and entered the chamber.
Legolas was still unconscious, Estel had not moved from his side. He looked up as they entered the chamber and moved so that Thranduil could once more sit by his son's side.
All eyes were on Elrond as he moved to the other side of the pallet and began checking the young Elf out.
Once he had finished he looked up and gave a small smile. "His pupil response is better than it was before. His left side is still significantly weaker." He moved to check the dressing around the blond hair.
Even he was surprised at the amount of serous fluid that had drained onto the bandage. It was the work of minutes, but with Estel's help he changed the bandage.
"We will have to wait to know any more until he wakes up." He turned sharp eyes on Thranduil. "You need to go and get some rest."
"I am alright." Quiet a number of eyebrows in the room rose at this comment.
"Mellon-nin, it is bad enough that I hear that from your son. I do not wish you to start this. You are exhausted; being dead on your feet will not help Legolas. He will need you to be strong and by his side during his recovery. You making yourself ill will only be detrimental to him." Elrond's voice was stern as he took in his long term friend's appearance.
"I do not want to leave him." Thranduil voiced his fear. "What happens if some thing else goes wrong and I am not in the room with him?"
"You do not have to leave the chamber. Use one of the pallets. When he wakens I will wake you." Elrond suggested.
"You promise you will wake me?" Thranduil looked him directly in the eye, trying to gauge the truth of his friend's reaction.
"I promise you and I will not leave Legolas either, if I can help it."
Thranduil accepted this and lay on the bed beside Legolas. With one final look at his son he closed his eyes. It did not take him long to fall asleep.
The others in the room also sorted themselves out. Both Elladan and Elrohir left to get some sleep as well. Now that the danger to Legolas had passed, they could all relax.
Celeborn also ordered Haldir to rest and he left the room for his guest chambers. Elrond also tried to get Estel to leave and rest, but he revisited and won the argument and he stayed at Legolas' side.
The others settled down to wait. It was a bog relief to all of them that Legolas was safe once more. Know they just had to get him well and on his feet once more.
Dusk had just fallen when Thranduil woke. He hated to admit it but he had been tired the last few weeks had taken its toll on all of them. He looked up into Elrond's smiling eyes.
"You are just in time for the evening meal. I was about to wake you." Thranduil took in the herb table that had once again been roped into use. It was once again full of food.
"Legolas?" He turned to face his young son, he was still asleep.
"No change, although he does have a lot more colour. See even his eyes do not seem to be so dark." It was true and Thranduil could see it. He gave as wavering smile and let him self be led to the table. All the others arrived at that point and they all sat down to their meal.
The evening was quiet as was the night Legolas never stirred once and it took all of both Elrond's and Glorfindel's persuasion for Thranduil not to worry him self sick over this fact. They had to keep explaining that after all the Prince had been through, his body needed this period of rest to begin healing once more. It was met with varying success.
It was a relief then that just after they had finished the morning meal, Legolas woke up.
Thranduil was immediately at his side. "Legolas, how do you feel?" He sat gently on the side of the bed.
"A… Ada?" Once again the confusion was evident on the Prince's face.
"Yes, Legolas, I am here, Ion-nin. How do you feel?"
"S… sore. W… what?"
Elrond was by his side as well and he smiled in reassurance. "You have been injured. Do you remember?"
They all waited as Legolas closed his eyes and tried to recall, but it just seemed to be one big black void. Then he remembered.
"H… head."
"Good, that is good. Can you tell me where you are?" Elrond was so far pleased with Legolas' progress.
"W…Wiv." A deep frown appeared between his eyes as he tried to get the word out. But it just would not come.
"I understand what you are trying to say, Legolas. Trust me I will help you get your speech back. When you come here who do you see?" He changed the question so that it would be easier for Legolas to answer.
"E… Estel, 'W… 'Wo and 'D… Dan." Legolas looked around at each of these as he said their names.
"Good. I need to look into your eyes, is that alright?" Glorfindel handed him a candle and he quickly checked the pupils.
Sitting back he smiled back down at the young Elf in front of him. "Do you have any head ache?"
"Y…yes."
"Is it bad?" Elrond could hear the intakes of breath around him at Legolas' admission.
"Is it as bad as it was before?" He was watching Legolas closely as he answered.
"N… no. A… alright." This time the deep breaths preceded a small laugh at the old and well used trick to get out of being treated for any injury.
"Well I am glad to hear that. Can you squeeze my hands for me?" He took the thin, pale hands into his and watched as Legolas squeezed as hard as he could. There was a definite discrepancy in the strength of the left hand and also the left foot when that was tested.
"Well done. It will take some time, but you will recover. For today we will let you rest, I will just begin some massage for your muscles. Tomorrow if you feel well enough we can get you up for a short while. If all goes well we will extend this a little more each day. But for know I am sure you must be hungry. Would you like some thing light?" Elrond was all too aware of the huge amount of weight Legolas had lost over the last few weeks.
"P… please." Elrond smiled once more and moved to leave the room to find he had once more been pre-empted by Glorfindel. Elladan was no where to be seen and Glorfindel stopped Elrond from leaving the chamber.
Elladan soon returned with a plate cradled in his hands. He passed it to Thranduil who took it with a smile of thanks. It contained a small amount of fluffy scrambled eggs. Legolas managed every bit of it to the delight of everyone.
It was not until he finished eating with the help of Thranduil that he realised their where more in the room than he recalled. Galadriel took Elrond's place as she gave him her best wishes.
It was not long before Elrond asked them all to leave apart from Thranduil. Once they were on their own Elrond began to gently massage Legolas' leg, using a light scented oil to help relieve any pain that his actions may have caused.
Legolas alternated between enjoying the massage and hissing when Elrond found a knot. Then he began to move Legolas' legs knowing all too well that the Prince would have lost a lot of muscle tone through being so inactive.
Once he had finished on his legs Elrond moved onto his arms and repeated the process, as he was doing this he gave Legolas some exercises that he could do to help, even in bed.
Elrond left him to rest for a while after that, reading the exhaustion in the others eyes.
"Sleep, Penneth, we will waken you for the noon day meal."
Legolas did not have any control over that for his eyes closed of their own volition. Both Elrond and Thranduil waited for a short time, making sure he really was resting and that they would not disturb him before they began speaking.
"How is he, really?" Thranduil would never forget the sudden fear that coursed through him when Legolas had admitted that he still had a headache.
"He is recovering as I would expect. The next few days will tell us just how much damage he has sustained from these blows." Elrond had to be truthful, false hopes would not help either Legolas or Thranduil.
Thranduil's shoulders slumped at this. "You still think that there will be some brain damage?"
"The weakness of his left side seems to confirm that as does his speech problem. Do not jump to conclusions, Mellon-nin wait and see what happens. Legolas may well surprise us all." Elrond placed a gentle hand on Thranduil's shoulder and gave it a small encouraging squeeze.
"Aye, he has a habit of doing that. I will stay with him for a while if you have things you need to do." Thranduil was sat once more beside his son's pallet.
"Hannon lle, I will not be long." Elrond quickly left the room.
They all returned as if by some unspoken agreement for the noon meal. Once again the herb table was pressed into service as a dining table. Thranduil had woken Legolas and helped him to eat the nourishing chicken broth that Calenli had prepared specifically for him. Much to Estel and Thranduil's disappointment as soon as Legolas had finished his meal he fell back to sleep.
Estel turned to hid father worry flashing in his grey eyes. "Ada, should Legolas be sleeping this much?"
Elrond replied knowing he had every ones attention in the room. "Yes, Ion-nin for some one with this kind of injury to his head, this is typical. You must remember that Legolas has had not one but two blows to hid head. That will have taking its toll. His body needs the rest to heal, so do not worry about him sleeping. Rather be glad. For this is true sleep, he is healing."
The relieved smiles were broad and between them they cleared the table and moved it back to its true purpose.
No one made to move from the chamber and they all settled down for the afternoon, for some reason none of them wanted to leave the room although they could not have said exactly why this was.
Thranduil sat reading the communications that had just arrived from Mirkwood. Elrond looked up from his own work to find Thranduil frowning down at the parchment in his hands.
"Is there a problem, Thranduil?" Once again all heads turned to look at Thranduil.
"There have been three big attacks on some of the settlements on the outskirts of our habitat. Most of the Orcs were killed, but we lost some of our guards. The Spiders are becoming bolder too apparently. When do you think Legolas will be well enough to travel?" He looked up at Elrond.
"I would not like to move him for at least two weeks. I want to be sure that he really is recovering this time. Even then he will not be able to sit upon his horse. Do you need to head back?" Elrond knew all too well know just how bad the darkness the plagued Thranduil's Realm was.
"Ideally, yes. But I also do not want Legolas travelling alone, even with some of my guards." Thranduil was frowning trying to work a way around this problem.
"He will not be alone by any means. I will be travelling with him." Thranduil's eyebrows rose at Elrond's assertion. "Do you really think I would let him travel with no medical attention after this? No, it has already been decided that my son's, Glorfindel and myself will be travelling with him. We will be using the carriage from the other day to move him with."
"Thank you, all of you. There are not enough words to say just how much all this means to me." He looked down at Legolas. "To both of us."
"I would like to travel to Mirkwood with you, too. It has been some time since I have seen your beautiful, home, Thranduil. I may be able to help with the growing darkness for you." Mithrandir stood once more by the open window ignoring the dark scowls from the Elves, smoking his pipe.
"You will all be more than welcome. And in time for the autumn feast as well." There was a gleam in his eyes at this. The Wood Elves did so love their feasts and parties. It would be something for them all to look forward to.
Now having a good idea when he would be leaving Rivendell he concentrated on a reply. He frowned once more as he realised he needed a new far more trustworthy councillor that he could sort out when he got home.
The evening meal was a little more cheerful than it had been of late. It was the first time that Legolas had gone for the period of one day without seizures. He had also been able to clear the bowl at all three meals with out any problems. Thranduil was extremely thankful for that, it showed that Legolas was really on the way to getting better.
The elders all sat watching the young ones playing a very energetic game of cards, which they themselves, even Galadriel, had refused to play. There was much banter going around. Legolas was once more awake and he lay cradled in his father's arms watching his friend's antics.
He would wince every now and again as the noise level became a little too much, but he was enjoying having his father so close. He was not even aware of Elrond watching him as he lay their and when Elladan gave a loud cry of triumph he could only wince and keep his eyes closed.
He did not object when Elrond gave him the herbs to chew, but accepted them gratefully as he did the quiet apologies from his friends.
It was not long after that that it happened. At first to Legolas it was just a vague feeling of discomfort. Some thing just did not feel right. He looked up and noticed that Glorfindel had moved to the window to look out over the courtyard.
Soon every one in the room fell silent as they too became a ware of the oppressive feeling. It grew heavier by the minute and each of them could feel their fine hairs on the back of their necks standing up. It was exactly as they had felt two nights before. Some thing was waiting, for what they did not know. Bur something was coming.
All the men had their hands on their swords, apart from Legolas. Not one word was spoken as they sat or stood in their places.
It went as suddenly as it came, leaving them puzzled and unsure as to what had happened. All of them felt on edge and it took some time before they settled back down again.
The next two weeks passed slowly as Legolas gradually improved. The weakness in his left side was still a problem and he still had a lot of problems talking, but he was sleeping well and had no further seizures. He had also put back on some of the weight that he had lost.
To Elrond's pleasure the Prince could now sit up unaided and as long as the food was in bite sizes could feed him self.
Walking was still a problem and it took two to help him just stand. He would also get very frustrated at times, which they could all understand.
All was set for them to leave, the carriage had been prepared much to Legolas' disgust, but he quickly learnt that he had no say in the subject. Elrond and his father would be travelling in the carriage with him once more.
The day before they were due to leave they had bidden farewell to Galadriel, Celeborn and Haldir, with a heavy heart on Legolas' side. It had been nice to have all his friend's with him, even if it was for a short time.
Elrond was leaving last minute instructions with Erestor, who would be in charge of Rivendell while he was in Mirkwood. Estel and Glorfindel were making sure that they had more than enough of the herbs that they just might need.
And then it was time to go and with a clattering of hooves and the swoosh of the wheels they left Rivendell and on to adventures of who knows what.
The End
Thank you to all who have read and also those who have reviewed. It has meant a lot to me. Just so that you all know my new story is also up called Tomorrows Destiny.
Replies to reviews:
Gozilla: I am glad that you continue to enjoy this.
Coolio02: Here you are the last chapter. It sounds sad to say that.
Jopru: Oh yes. Phew! A kind of cliffie in this one but only tiny.
PopcornandGreenery: Yep, sad as it is this is the last chapter of this story. But the next is ready as well. Yes, Legolas as getting better, although it will be a long hard road until he will be back to where he was. Please stay safe on your chair. Please?
LishaChan: yes, very bad boy. Yay for Legolas getting better!
Barbara Kennedy: As you can see from this chapter, they all feel bad about it too. As you say with their long lives is it surprising that some Elves have problems? I am sure (I know) they will help Legolas get better.
Deana: Thank you! Here you go.
Blue September Rain: Have a wonderful time if I don't speak with you before then.
Thank you all once again for being so kind to me with my first story in so long. Thanks to Katy I have been well and truly bitten by the writing bug and the Plot Bunnies keep biting.
Until next time,
Love,
Shell and her evil bunnies!