See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

Chapter 14 - Between Brothers

Feren was frowning. Pulling his eyes from the unmoving figure of his brother, whose eyes remained distressingly closed, he turned to the warrior crouching at his side.

"Hesin, I want you to take the arrowhead and ride ahead. I want Kala to have the antidote ready when I get Legolas back to the stronghold."

"But that means you will be left alone with Legolas, and if you should run into danger -," Hesin began to protest.

"I am quite capable of protecting my own brother," Feren cut in rather sharply.

"I do not imply otherwise, my lord," Hesin said quickly. "But it may be difficult to fend off attackers and protect Legolas at the same time."

"I am quite aware of such difficulties, but I would prefer to take such chances than to risk Legolas succumbing to the poison," Feren kept his voice low, but no less firm. "It may be that Kala already has such an antidote in his possession, in which case, he can ride out to meet us with it."

Hesin nodded and got to his feet. "I will leave immediately then. Be assured that I will ride with the utmost speed."

Feren managed a tight smile. "I have no doubt that you will. I will be following closely behind with Legolas. Take care, Hesin."

"You too, my lord," Hesin said and with one last look at Legolas, he turned and vaulted onto his waiting mount. With a brief wave, he turned his horse and quickly galloped away.

As soon as the other elf had departed, Feren touched his brother's shoulder lightly. "Legolas?"

Dazed and pain-filled eyes opened slowly. "Yes?"

"We must be on our way now," Feren said as he slipped a gentle arm around his brother's waist and eased him to his feet. "You will ride with me."

Grimacing with pain as they make their way slowly toward the horses, Legolas gave a brief shake of his head. "I can ride on my own, Feren."

"No, you cannot. You nearly fell off your mount just now," Feren stated with exasperation. "Now, do not fight me every step of the way." Without waiting for the other to answer, he lifted his brother into his arms in one smooth, powerful motion and set him atop of his own mount before climbing on behind him. Feeling the tenseness in the younger elf's body, his voice was gentler when he asked, "Has the tea not helped in dulling the pain?"

There was a pause before his brother answered. "The tea makes me want to sleep, but the pain prods me awake."

Feren pressed his lips into a thin line. "I have sent Hesin ahead with the arrowhead. I am certain Kala will have the antidote ready when we arrive at the stronghold, if he doesn't ride out to meet us with it before that."

"I heard your exchange with Hesin," Legolas said. "You are worried that I may not make it back to the stronghold in time."

"No!" The word burst forth before Feren could control himself. Drawing in a deep steadying breath, he forced renewed calmness into his voice when he spoke again. "You will be all right, Legolas. I promise you."

Legolas gave a small laugh, only to end in a groan. "I know you are capable of many things, Feren, but I doubt even you can control this poison at this point."

"Kala will find a way to control it. I am certain of it. Now stop talking and conserve your strength," Feren said.

Legolas shifted restlessly and winced at the pain caused by his movement. Feren's arms tightened fractionally around him. "Stop moving, Legolas. You will only cause yourself more pain."

Legolas gave up his struggle to sit upright on his own and slumped back in his brother's steadying arms. The incessant pain was making clear thoughts nearly impossible, but he knew he had to speak to his brother before he was robbed of the ability to do so.
"Feren," he spoke quietly. "Do not blame yourself, regardless of what happens."

The older elf flinched at the words. "Legolas, you are speaking nonsense. Now cease talking and rest."

Legolas tried to turn to face his brother, but the resulting pain made him cry out involuntarily.

"Be still, Legolas!" There was alarm in Feren's voice. "Do you never listen to orders?"

Legolas gripped the older elf's arm with his unhindered hand. "No, I need you to listen to me while I can still speak. You are not responsible for what happens to me. I am a warrior, Feren, and I accept willingly whatever fate that may befall me, including death."

"You are not going to die, Legolas," Feren said almost angrily. "We are but a half day's ride from home. You will be in Kala's care before you know it."

"I --" Legolas stopped on a sharp intake of breath as another wave of pain coursed through him. The world swam nauseatingly before him and he closed his eyes.

"Legolas?"

Legolas managed a slight shake of his head, tightening his grip on the other's arm as he tried to deal with the relentless pain. It was nearly a full minute later before he could speak again, his voice shaky and breathless. "I am all right, Feren."

"I want you to rest," Feren repeated as he urged his horse into a steady cantor, with Legolas' horse trailing obediently behind them.

"I will rest, but not now," Legolas insisted with a familiar flash of stubbornness. "Please listen."

"Whatever you need to say can wait until later, when you are in a better state to speak," Feren said.

"I may not have the chance later," Legolas' voice was low, but the words cut into his brother like a knife.

Feren's hold on the younger elf tightened instinctively. "No, there will be plenty of chances. I will have it no other way."

Legolas' weight became more relax in his brother's arms. "You are right, of course, Feren, but allow me to speak nevertheless, as it will distract me from the pain." He reached out and gripped his brother's hand with his own.

Feren cringed at the coldness of the younger elf's fingers and thought of the blood that Legolas had lost with renewed fear. As if sensing the urgency, his horse picked up its speed. Doing his best to minimize the jostling to his brother, Feren spoke, "All right, speak if you must, Legolas."

"I want to thank you, Feren, for assigning me to the border patrol. I know it was not easy for you to do so, for any of you," Legolas said, his head resting against the broad expanse of the other's chest. "It means a great deal to me to be able to defend our realm as a warrior, at last."

Feren frowned and felt the guilt surged through him. "Had I known that there would be increased orc presence in these parts, I would have never sent you here, Legolas."

"Because you do not trust my ability to defend these woods like the others?" Legolas asked in an injured tone.

Feren shook his head immediately. "Never doubt my trust in your ability, Legolas, never, for I know through and through that you are a gifted warrior."

"Then why?"

"Because you are my brother, and I will do all that I can to keep you from harm," Feren admitted reluctantly. "Even if it compromises my duty as a commander."

There was a pause before Legolas spoke again. "You do not treat Tavaro the same way."

"Tavaro has been fighting by my side for many, many years now. He is a well seasoned warrior," Feren explained. "When he first joined the ranks as a warrior, I too feared for his safety."

"But I am certain that you never considered holding Tavaro back," Legolas pointed out.

Feren let out a sigh. "Legolas, Mirkwood then was not a place fraught with danger as it is now. These are more perilous times than when Tavaro was a young warrior. Battles such as that we fought two days ago were an anomaly then, rather than the norm." He swallowed and then forced himself to continue. "I am sorry, Legolas, if you have felt slighted in any way by my actions. Please understand that I acted out of my concern for you as my little brother, rather than out of any doubt in your ability as a warrior."

There was a near pleading note in the other's voice that Legolas had not heard before from the brother whose demeanor was often one of severity. It took him by surprise and for a brief moment, he was left wordless. In the end, he reached once more to grip his brother's hand and felt the touch reciprocated. "Though I may have acted otherwise in the past, I have never doubted your love for me, Feren."

"I am very relieved to hear that, Legolas," Feren said. "Thank you."

"No, it is I who should be thankful to have you as my brother," Legolas said quickly. "I am sorry if my behaviour in the past has caused you any unease."

Feren could not refrain from letting out a laugh. "Unease, Legolas? From the day that you were born, you have caused all of us infinite unease." He brushed his lips against his brother's hair. "But you have also given us infinite joy, little brother."

Legolas also laughed, followed immediately by a wince of pain. "Adar has said similar words too, many times."

At the mention of their father, Feren's mood sobered immediately. It was not going to be easy to face Thranduil, bringing home Legolas injured as he was. Their father had been adamant in his opposition to his youngest being sent on a border patrol. Guilt clawed at his conscience again. Perhaps Thranduil had been right after all.

"Do not worry, Feren. Adar will understand that none of this is your fault," Legolas said, as if reading his very thoughts.

Feren nodded grimly. "I am certain too that Adar will understand, eventually." Even as he spoke these words, Feren knew that their father's initial reaction to seeing his youngest so harmed would be something very much to be reckoned with. But then he doubted that Thranduil could be any harder on him than he had been on himself already.

"Feren, will you promise me something?" Legolas asked after a spell of silence.

"What is it?"

"Will you promise me that you will allow me to return to the Eastern patrol once I am well again?"

Feren frowned. "I will give it due consideration when the time comes."

Legolas felt his heart sank. It was as he had feared all along. His tenure as a real warrior was to be short-lived. "I will not be happy in Home Guard duties."

"You would be happier to return to the Eastern Patrol, in spite of what has happened?" Feren asked.

"Yes," Legolas replied without hesitation.

"Even with Bainion as your lieutenant?"

This time, there was a brief hesitation before the younger elf answered. "Bainion was not pleasant to me, but I think it is something that I should learn to deal with. I cannot expect everyone to like me."

Feren was slightly taken back by his brother's words and then found himself smiling. He had half-expected Legolas, given such an opening, to launch into a rush of incriminating complaints about the one who had treated him with so much open disdain. Perhaps he had been underestimating his little brother after all. "Legolas, there is a difference between being unpleasant, and putting you and other warriors into undue danger."

"Hesin has been speaking to you then?" Legolas asked.

"He reported to me, as it is his duty to do so," Feren said simply. "Bainion failed in his duties, as a warrior and as a prudent officer in charge. He should not have allowed any orcs to escape from that first battle, and to send the four of you to escort the humans when he knew of the increased orc presence in the area was pure folly. He will be dealt with by me at the first opportunity."

In spite of himself, Legolas felt a brief jolt of sympathy for the disgraced lieutenant. Knowing his brother, this promised audience was going to be thoroughly unpleasant for Bainion.

"You will not reprimand Hesin, will you?" Legolas asked his brother anxiously. "It is through no fault of his that I am injured. He did his best to watch over me in the circumstances."

Feren gave his brother's hand a reassuring squeeze. "No, Hesin will hear no harsh words from me, or from Adar."

"He saved my life, on more than one occasion," Legolas added.

"Then we owe him our deepest thanks," Feren said. "You should rest now."

Legolas nodded but a moment later, he was once again speaking. "Though I was initially repelled by the idea of having to escort the humans, I found that I was rather grateful for the experience by the end of it," Legolas said.

"Grateful?" Feren echoed incredulously. "I did not think you wanted to be in the presence of any humans, since that incident with Easterlings."

"I did not," Legolas admitted. "But then being forced into their presence, I found that perhaps not all humans are deserving of my dislike. That is not to say that I am ready to seek them out as my companions, but I have learned that we do share similar grounds. They too seek peace, just like us."

"I have heard similar words from Aldeon, for he, among us, has had the most dealings with men," Feren said.

"Aldeon?" Legolas was surprised. "I have not heard such from him."

Feren smiled. "He is sensitive, as are we, to your feelings about the humans. Aldeon would be the last to want you upset in any way. Now I want you to stop talking and rest. You sound exhausted beyond words." Too many times already Legolas' voice had trailed off into gasps of pain and Feren's wish to indulge his brother was now overshadowed by his very real concern for the younger elf's wellbeing.

Legolas let out a small sigh, followed by another gasping wince as he felt the pain renewing its hold on him. In truth, he was more than exhausted, but he doubted that the pain would allow him any deep repose. He thought of his father and of his other brothers and hoped, with a deep pang of fear and anguish, that he would see them again.

TBC