Caught (a legolas fanfiction)

Elladan and Elrohir

A/N: YAY! GO SONS OF ELROND!

Chapter 13

Thranduil looked down sadly upon his son. He had worked most of the knots out of his beautiful hair, but it was still dirty and dull.

Aragorn and the dwarf emerged from the building, each holding various items.

Suddenly, Legolas began to shiver. It began as a slight tremble, barely noticeable, but it grew and grew until he was shuddering violently.

Aragorn ran over, placing his hand upon the prince's forehead. It was hot and getting hotter.

"We need to—" Aragorn began, but he stopped abruptly and stood, drawing his sword.

"Who goes there?" he yelled into the forest. If he squinted, he could see two figures atop horses, riding slowly about twenty feet away.

The figures stopped their horses and turned toward him.

"Estel?"

Aragorn's heart recognized the voices, which had called in perfect unison, before his mind did. And his feet, it seemed, listened to his heart over his head.

He ran to them at the same time as they dismounted and began toward him as well.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" he cried joyously, jumping into the embrace they were offering him. There was so much love and trust in their hug that he felt completely safe and secure. They were his big brothers. They would take care of everything.

"Mae govannen, gwador-nin," Elladan said, drawing back. He looked Aragorn over. "How are you faring?"

Elrohir listened to his brothers exchange greetings, and he peered past Aragorn. He could've sworn he had heard more than one voice.

His eyes widened as he saw the king of Mirkwood, the dwarf Gimli, and a broken body shuddering uncontrollably.

"Legolas!" he said, pushing past Aragorn and running over to the group. He had bounded to them within a few seconds. Taking in his broken body, he put a hand upon Legolas's forehead. He drew back his hand in shock. It was boiling hot.

Elladan appeared beside him and gasped at the sight of their friend.

"Legolas..." the older twin said, and he shared a look with Elrohir. This was very, very bad.

"How did this happen?" Elladan asked Thranduil in shock.

"He came back from the Quest, and I wanted to surprise him so I met him about an hour's ride from the palace. He got shot with an arrow and he was stabbed in the stomach trying to protect me." Thranduil gulped.

"He was captured by a man with the same eyes as Veritinan had. We don't know if it was him or how he had the eyes, but he had Legolas for four days..." he glanced meaningfully at the human body lying motionless on the ground a few yards away.

Elrohir pulled his brother away and began whispering to him so the others could not hear.

"This is bad, Elladan. Legolas needs help, now."

"Aye," Elladan said, glancing back at the prince, who continued shivering. "Something has happened to him, and I think these wounds are deeper than just the body. Otherwise his super-fast healing would've begun already. There must be more."

"We need to get him to Ada," Elrohir said. "That may be the only way to save him."

"But Thranduil, Estel, and the dwarf are on foot. They will not be able to get there fast enough. And we cannot leave them alone."

"One of us has to go ahead alone with Legolas, on one of the horses."

"Yes. At a fast pace, we can make it there in under a day, riding hard."

"I should go," Elrohir said.

"No, I should. Should anything happen, I am the better warrior," Elladan argued.

"Yes, but I am the better healer," Elrohir replied. "And Ada can use as many hands as he can when we get there. Besides, no one will attack us. We just came down that very same path, and there was no one around for leagues."

"That doesn't mean there isn't anyone there now."

"Ada will need me, Elladan. So will Legolas," Elrohir said, voice grave.

Elladan sighed in resignation.

"Fine. We should be a day or two behind you."

Elrohir gave his twin a blinding smile, and Elladan shook his head in exasperation.

"How do you do it?" he muttered. "How are you so much better at getting what you want than me?"

Elrohir laughed, turning back to the group. Estel was frantically trying to stop Legolas's shaking, but it wasn't working. If anything, the prince's trembling grew even fiercer.

"Elladan and I think that it would be best for me to ride to our home with Legolas," Elrohir said, addressing all of them. "I can get there in under a day. Elladan would be your guide to Imaldris, and you would reach it a few days after." He saw that Thranduil was about to protest, so he held up his hand.

"We only suggest such a thing because there are only two horses, and Legolas needs to be brought to our father as quickly as possible, and my help will be needed to heal him."

Thranduil was about to tell the twins that he was Legolas's father, thank you very much, and therefore he should be the one to bring him, but he stopped and thought about what Elrohir had said. That might be the best way, really.

"Alright," he said. "Elrohir will go with Legolas."

The twins looked surprised at how suddenly he had given in, but they smiled and Elrohir mounted his horse. Elladan and Thranduil carefully passed Legolas up to him, and the prince moaned in pain. Elrohir held him tightly against his chest to prevent him from falling off. He gave a small, worried smile and spurred his horse into a gallop.

Within a minute he had disappeared.

It was many hours later when Legolas stopped trembling abruptly. Elrohir stopped the horse for a moment to check on the prince.

He felt the other elf's forehead. It had cooled a little. He was completely motionless. Elrohir placed his hand unconsciously on Legolas's neck, feeling for a pulse. That might help him find out what ailed his friend. He held it there for a full minute, but nothing came.

"By the Valar!" Elrohir exclaimed, jumping off the horse and laying Legolas on the ground. "No! No, Legolas! We haven't reached Ada yet! You can't give up on me!"

There was no response, and the healing mode came out of Elrohir's mind. He began to breathe into Legolas's mouth. Ten times he did this, and then he pushed with all his might on the spot on Legolas's chest, just as his Ada had taught him.

He repeated this over and over again, as if in a trance. Legolas couldn't be gone! No, it couldn't be! He would wake up and Ada would heal him, and they would all be fine.

But the unmoving chest of his friend refused to move up and down.

"Come on, Legolas!" he cried. "Breathe for me, mellon-nin, please!"

He tried one last time. He had to accept it. If Legolas did not wake up this time, he probably wouldn't ever again.

A/N: Ah, it's been a while since I have ended on a cliffy like that, hasn't it?