See Ch. 1 for disclaimer

Çh. 7 Help Arrives

There was a stirring among the trees.

In his exhausted state, Legolas nearly missed the small sounds of approach until they were nearly upon him. Panic forced movement into his deadened limbs as he snatched up his knives and rose to his feet in one shaky movement. Held steady by grim determination if not by strength, he placed himself in front of his prone brother.

His depleted strength was not called upon after all. Seeing the welcome and familiar sight of his other two brothers, Legolas nearly wept with the relief that flooded his wearied body.

"Feren! Tavaro!" he cried out and it took several bewildering seconds before he realized that he had made no sound at all.

It did not matter. His brothers were dismounted and at his side before there was a need for further words from him.

"Legolas?" It was Feren who had gripped him firmly by the arms.

"Aldeon hurt," Legolas managed to gasp. "Help him!"

Feren glanced down briefly at Tavaro who was already kneeling by their unresponsive older brother and knew that Aldeon was in capable hands. He turned his attention quickly back to the tattered figure that was their youngest brother.

"Legolas, are you all right?" he asked gently.

Legolas lips quivered alarmingly in response and Feren instinctively pulled the younger elf into his arms. "It is all right, Legolas. Everything will be fine now."

That was when Legolas began to shake and he clung helplessly to his older brother. "Landslide, Aldeon hurt. Then -- then the wolves came."

Still holding onto the shaking Legolas in his arms, Feren eased both himself and his traumatized brother onto the ground. "It is all right, Legolas. You are safe now. Tavaro is tending to Aldeon. He will be fine too."

"I - I tried to br-bring Aldeon back to -- to the camp. I -- I tried, Feren, b-but I could g-go no fur-further. I -- I am s-sorry." The tight self-control that he had held onto so fiercely was suddenly shattered and Legolas wept with abandon as great shaking shudders continued to convulse his body. His brothers were here now and would look after everything. He could finally let go.

"Shh, I know, Legolas. I know you tried. It is all right now," Feren said soothingly as he continued to stroke the tangled head that was buried within his arms. He frowned when his eyes caught sight of the spreading crimson stain on his brother's tunic but he knew Legolas needed the physical comfort of his embrace at this moment more than he needed whatever injuries he may have to be tended to. He saw Tavaro glancing at them worriedly as he inspected Aldeon's injuries.

Feren gave a slight shake of his head and then asked quietly. "How is Aldeon?"

Tavaro frowned slightly. "He appears to be in a deep sleep. There is a nasty gash on his head, but it has been tended to well enough under the circumstances. I will need to stitch it however if it is to heal properly. His ankle is badly swollen. I do not know whether it is broken or not, but it is splinted securely. It will hold until we can get him back to the palace."

Hearing his brother's words, Legolas had pulled himself from Feren's arms and turned his tear-stained face to his other brother. "Will h-he be al - all right? He does n-not awaken."

"He is in a deep healing sleep," Tavaro said gently. "Though I am certainly no Kala, but I think we will have our older brother back at full strength in no time at all."

Legolas blinked several times as these welcome words of assurance made their way slowly through the fear-laden thoughts. Then letting out a soft sigh, he suddenly went limp in Feren's arms.

"Legolas?" Feren called out with concern. Glancing at Tavaro's concerned look, he explained, "He has fainted."

Pulling at his cloak one-handedly, Feren managed to unclasp and spread it onto the ground before easing his unconscious brother upon it. Swiftly, he retrieved his pack and water skin from his horse and began to remove Legolas' stained and ruined tunic, laying bare the bloody shoulder and the numerous bruises that marked his brother's torso. He carefully began to wash away the streaks and smears of blood, his frown deepening as the wounds were revealed under his gentle hands. Deep gashes and puncture wounds marred the pale skin of the shoulder and several already looked raw and inflamed.

Tavaro looked up anxiously from his own ministrations of his older brother. "How badly injured is he?"

Feren shook his head as his hands continued to work deftly. "If they were attacked by wolves, then his shoulder appears to have taken the brunt of the assault. He will need stitches as well to close some of these gashes. I can only hope that infection does not set in. His leg fared a little better and will not require stitches though the wounds continue to bleed still." As he threaded the needle from his own healing pack, Feren was grimly thankful that Legolas was not awake to feel the pain of the needle. By the looks of things, his brother had suffered sufficiently as it was.

"Remarkably, Aldeon appears to be unmarked by the wolves. There are plenty of bruises, but no bite wounds. Legolas must have somehow shielded him from the wolves." Tavaro shook his head, looking perplexed. "Though not unheard of, it is rare for wolves to attack without provocation. I wonder what our little brother, and big brother, got themselves into this time."

"Whatever it was, it must had been serious enough to result in these injuries. Thank the Valar that they do not appear to be life threatening, but we need to get them back to the palace quickly so that they can be properly treated by the healers," Feren said as he carefully worked the needle. "Neither can ride alone. I will ride with Legolas and you take Aldeon. We should leave as soon as we have tended to their wounds."

"We will not reach the palace before night falls, no matter how quickly we ride. With Aldeon and Legolas injured as they are, we will be unable to ride with any speed at all," Tavaro pointed out.

Feren sighed. "I know. We will need to stop for the night. With their injuries, I do not wish to chance the risk of taking a stumble in the dark. But if we do not tarry, we should be able to reach the palace by midday tomorrow." He looked with worry from one injured brother to the other. "I only hope their injuries will not worsen along the way."

Tavaro nodded and began to put away the various items into their packs. After a brief hesitation, he quickly dismantled the makeshift litter and packed away the blankets as well. These would be needed when night came. Then with the utmost care, he proceeded to lift his older brother onto his horse.

It was a fortunate thing that he and Feren had decided to look for their brothers when they did, Tavaro thought. The trees had been restless all through the previous night, and their unease had not gone unnoticed by the two brothers. Thank the Valar for the affinity that existed between the Woodland elves and their trees. Otherwise, Aldeon and Legolas -- he interrupted his own morbid thoughts with a shake of his head. Their brothers were safe now and to further speculate on what could have been would serve no useful purpose at all.

Tavaro shifted his older brother carefully in his arms so that Aldeon's injuries would not be jarred needlessly once they were in motion. He looked over at Feren. The latter had at last finished tending to Legolas and was slipping a clean tunic over the limp body. Feren was frowning and Tavaro recognized the turmoil of emotions hidden behind that frown only too well. No doubt Feren was wondering whether somehow he could have prevented this premature and unhappy end to their hunting trip. Tavaro suddenly felt a surge of guilt. If not for his whimsical suggestion of the challenge, all four brothers would have remained together and Aldeon and Legolas would not have been caught in whatever misadventure that had befallen them.

Cradling his young brother protectively in his arms, Feren urged his horse along side of Tavaro. "Let us be off."

"Feren?" Tavaro said hesitantly. His brother looked at him with a questioning look. "I am sorry how things turned out. I should not have come up with that foolish idea of the challenge. Had we stayed together as you had wished, Aldeon and Legolas would not have been on their own and injured in whatever perils they had encountered."

Feren shook his head. "Do not be so quick to take the blame, Tavaro. Let us hear what Aldeon and Legolas have to tell us first, when they are able. I suspect what had happened is something that is beyond the control of any one of us."

Tavaro regarded his brother for a long moment. "Then you too should not be blaming yourself."

A small smile pulled at the older elf's lips. "You know me too well, brother. I will try not to speculate on what had happened and whether I could have prevented any of this." He glanced down at the still face of his youngest brother and shook his head slightly. "I only wish that Legolas' first hunting trip with us did not end so unhappily." Taking in a deep breath, Feren pushed back the somber thoughts. "Let us be on our way."

xxxxxx

His own cry of terror roused him from his fitful sleep. "Do not hurt him!"

"Legolas, awaken! It is only a dream and you are safe now!" A familiar voice called out to him.

He blinked in confusion and Feren's concerned face came into focus. Strong arms held him protectively. Slowly recalling what had happened, he tried to look around. "Aldeon?"

"He is safe and is sleeping well. Would you like some water, Legolas?" Feren asked.

Without even bothering to answer, Legolas reached out for the proffered water skin with both hands and gulped greedily.

"Slowly, Legolas," Feren cautioned, pulling back the water skin gently.

Legolas released his hold on the water skin with reluctance. Once again, he turned in his brother's arms to look around. "Where are we? Is Aldeon truly all right?'

" Aldeon is fine. He woke a short while ago and told us a little of what happened. How are you feeling, Legolas?"

"Sore and tired," Legolas admitted truthfully. "I feel like I can sleep forever."

Feren's arms tightened fractionally around him. "Then sleep, Legolas. You are safe now. I will not allow anything to harm you while you sleep."

Legolas met the other's eyes and smiled tiredly. "I know, Feren. Thank you." He relaxed into his brother's protective arms, savoring the warm sense of security that he had so sorely missed during those very dark and trying hours. His capable brother would look after everything. This was his last thought as exhaustion once more drew him into the land of slumber,

Tavaro glanced sideways at his two brothers and could not refrain from smiling. "I have not seen the bratling so pliant for quite some time now, allowing you to cradle him like a babe."

Feren looked down at his once more sleeping brother with a frown. "I believe the events of the past day and night weigh heavily on him still. His sleep is not an easy one. And his injuries must be painful. It is not an adventure that he will soon forget."

"No, I suppose not. I am rather inclined to think though that given time, our little brother will only remember the excitement and the fearful parts will be conveniently forgotten," Tavaro said with a smile. "It is one of the saving graces of being so young."

Feren shook his head. "I doubt the fear will be completely forgotten. What he has gone through would traumatize the best of us. I would think being attacked by a pack of predatory wolves would be no less terrifying than being surrounded by orcs. You and I may be hardened by our long years of battle experience, but Legolas has not had to fight for his life before this, nor has he had the responsibility of caring for somebody else." Feren's eyes fell on the still figure of their oldest brother cradled in Tavaro's arms.

"Quite a step forward for our little brother, is it not?" Tavaro said with a raised brow.

Feren frowned. "One that I wish he did not have to take until he was more prepared for it."

"Feren, he will never be prepared for it if we do not allow him," Tavaro said gently. "I think Legolas is a little bit more able than we all have given him credit for."

"He could have been killed," Feren reminded tersely, his heart tightening at the very thought.

"But he was not, and he saved our older brother's life as well," Tavaro countered. "All in all, I think Legolas handled himself quite handsomely on this occasion. I for one am more than impressed by what he has done and I fully intend to let him know that once he regains his full senses."

"Yes, he conducted himself well, but at the same time, I hope this experience has impressed upon him that not everything is an adventure. Danger is a reality, and so is death," Feren said with a certain amount of grimness.

"Oh really? What an enlightening concept! And here I thought fighting orcs was just a convenient excuse for one big continuous adventure," Tavaro said with a mocked sigh and then grinned at his brother. "I guess I have been misled somewhere along the way."

Even Feren could not contain his laughter at the other's words. "Thank you, Tavaro, for reminding me that not everything is dire and without laughter. I know I do not tell you often enough, but I truly appreciate having you by my side all these years. Life would be dreary indeed without you around making light of things."

Tavaro smiled. "You are very welcome, brother. And I thank you for keeping all of us in our places over these years. You are truly our source of discipline."

Feren returned the smile. "I do not know whether that is meant as a compliment, but I thank you nevertheless."

For a while, they rode in companionable silence.

"What will Adar say when we come back empty-handed of game but have in tow instead both his heir and baby in a less than hale state?" Tavaro suddenly mused.

Feren was taken back by the question and frowned. "I think he will be less than pleased." And before he realized it himself, a small smile curled up his once grimly pressed lips. "And if I were Legolas, I would not hold my hope high of being allowed to join the hunting trip next year."

Tavaro grinned. "Those are my thoughts too. But I should remind you that you and I will probably bear the brunt of his displeasure as Adar will likely spare these two until he is certain that they do not succumb to their injuries."

Feren glanced down at his sleeping brother. "I think facing Adar's wrath is a small price to pay so long as we are able to bring our brothers safely home."

Tavaro looked at the other admiringly and thought how fortunate they all were to have Feren as a brother. And he said so, aloud.

Feren smiled warmly at his words and then added quietly. "We are all fortunate to have each other as brothers."

TBC