Chapter 5. Facing your fears

It was dark. Too dark for Legolas' comfort. "Adoril?" He whispered. Silence answered him. "Legolas." The prince turned around.

"Who said that? He demanded, swallowing his panic.

"Legolas."

There it was again. "Who are you?" Legolas demanded again.

Laughter.

Legolas could feel the panic swell up. "Who are you?" He screamed into the darkness.

"Legolas."

Legolas ran from the voice. But it grew louder and louder.

"Legolas! Legolas! You are mine! Legolas!"

"Noooooooo!" The prince screamed, "Nooooooooo!"

"Legolas! Wake up! Legolas!"

Legolas jerked up, breathing heavily. Sweat still on his brow. He stared at the person in front of him, Aragorn, and then pushed past him and stumbled to the balcony. He needed air, fresh air. He needed the sun, the wind and the trees.

Aragorn followed him and watched silently as the prince closed his eyes and visibly pulled himself together. He shook his head. Legolas had been having nightmares each night since they had talked about the caverns. He still wouldn't talk about it. For Legolas, fear was a weakness that shouldn't show.

Aragorn could still remember the first night that Legolas had a nightmare. Screams had awoken everyone that night. Adoril and Meldon, having known the screams had rushed to Legolas' room. They had shaken him, shouted at him, but the only way they would wake him was a pail of water. Though it would have been funny under any other circumstance, none had laughed.

Though no one spoke of it, everyone knew what tormented the Mirkwood prince.

At first Legolas had decided to not sleep. Spending each of the nights, awake in his room reading by candlelight from books he had taken from Elrond's study. The other's didn't know what he was doing until he had accidentally fallen asleep at the table. He was so completely exhausted that once pressured, Legolas accepted the offers for someone to stay in his room and wake him if the nightmares began. They had all taken turns, Elladan, Elrohir, Adoril, Meldon and Aragorn.

Legolas knew he was being watched. He didn't care, for the moment; all he wanted to do was collect his thoughts and emotions.

"Legolas, you can't keep this up." He turned to Aragorn. He could read the worry in his voice. "You can barely fall asleep and when you do you have a nightmare you wake up immediately. You haven't had hardly any sleep; you're on the verge of collapsing."

Legolas sighed, frustrated. "I know, Aragorn." He rubbed his eyes. "I know."

"You have to face your fears, Legolas, either sooner or later. You have to." There was a slight edge to Aragorn voice.

Legolas forced himself to speak openly. "But what if.." His voice faltered "What if.."

Aragorn took his friend by his shoulders. "There are no what if's, Legolas. You will face the darkness and you WILL succeed. I will be right beside you, when that test comes. I promise."

Legolas gave a weary smile and let the ranger embrace him. Little did they know how soon that Legolas' test would come.

*~*~*~*

"Please Ada?"

Elrond hated those two words. It usually meant that someone would come home bleeding. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in thought. They wanted to go hunting.

"Of course for deer ada!" He could see the too innocent expressions on the faces of his sons and of the Mirkwood elves in his mind.

He sighed, "Very well, you may go." He could hear the yells of glee going further and further down the hallway. "I just hope I don't have to drug each of you when you get home."

"I can't believe your Adar said we could go!"

"I know! I was so shocked!"

Legolas laughed at the identical expressions of utter glee on the twin's faces as they saddled up their horses. "Hurry up Strider!" He called out to his friend.

Aragorn looked up from buckling his saddle, he grinned happily at the prince. "Remember last time Ada let all of us go hunting?"

Legolas groaned in mock pain. He remembered all too well that adventure. He had been captured by orcs, Aragorn been wounded grievously and left to die, Adoril and Meldon had somehow gotten lost and nearly captured. It had been up to the twins to rescue them all and drag them back to Rivendell.

"Hurry up you two!" Elladan stepped up into his saddle. He checked his supplies, previous experiences had taught him to always be prepared for anything. Thanks to Legolas and Aragorn, he could never know what medical supplies he would ever need on each of the trips. Those two had always found some new poison, or injury every single, well almost every single time they were together. As Ada had put it, "If Aragorn had a twin, it was Legolas."

He checked on the others. They were all mounted up and ready to go. He turned in his saddle and his eyes caught those of his father. He lifted a hand in silent farewell, grinning. Perhaps today would be the first time that all of them would come home without a scratch. Elladan turned his grin to his twin. Perhaps but not likely.

It seemed that his youngest brother and the youngest prince of Mirkwood had decided how to see how many lives that the Valar had granted them.

"More lives than a cat." Elladan muttered under his breath. Elrohir shot him a curious glance. Elladan shook his head. And leading his horse to the front of the group they rode out.

They had decided to try hunting near the caves. Unbeknownst to Legolas of course. They had all decided, without Legolas, that the prince needed to face his fear and leave it in the dust. They had decided that hunting by the caves they would somehow get Legolas in a cave. And then, and then. And then they would make Legolas face the darkness. Somehow.

Elladan frowned thinking over the plans. How were they going to get Legolas in the cave? And then once in the cave how were they going to get him to stay in the cave. He turned to Elrohir intending to ask him but refrained once seeing Legolas so close.

Legolas studied his surroundings with care. He had been here before, but Mirkwood had taught him to always know your surroundings, no matter how many times you had been there before. He frowned when he saw the looming caves ahead. He hadn't been told about.. He whirled in his saddle to confront Aragorn.

"You.." He threatened. The glare he gave the ranger would have frozen even Lord Elrond. But Aragorn, used to his friend's piercing gazes shrugged it off.

"It wasn't my idea." He proclaimed innocently. He pointed at Elladan who was talking to Elrohir. Before Legolas could get any wild ideas of fleeing the area, Adoril and Meldon quickly brought their horses against his.

"So, nin mellon." Adoril started, but stopped abruptly when Legolas turned his glare upon him. Adoril swallowed. King Thranduil had a glare just like that. Usually when the King of Mirkwood glared. Adoril shivered that was something he didn't want to even think about now.

"We are hunting by the caves, not in them." Meldon reassured his prince.

As the caves grew closer and closer, Legolas felt dread creep upon him. He knew that they were going to do something. He knew! But what they were planning, he didn't know.

He nearly groaned aloud. It just had to be that his long kept secret had been found out and now his so called friends were planning on doing something with caves. 'By the caves, not in them.' His mind taunted. He was hardly aware of the fact that they had stopped.

"We will hunt here."

Legolas looked mournfully at the looming cave. This was one of the many in this area.

They dismounted and readying their weapons set off.

*~*~*~*~*

"No!" Aragorn refused. "I am not going in that cave! I'm not stupid! You're probably going to make it cave in and then make Legolas rescue me."

Elladan laughed. "I didn't say that Estel."

They had broken off from Adoril, Meldon and Legolas to figure out how to get prince in the cave. So far none of the ideas would work. They were interrupted by the sound of Adoril yelling their names.

"Elladan!! Elrohir!! Estel!!!!"

"What?"

"Come quick!"

"What happened?"

"Meldon and Legolas are trapped in a cave! They fell in and they don't answer!"

The three brothers glanced at each other. Not quite what they had planned, but hey, it worked.

*~*~*~*~*

Pain. Blinding pain woke Meldon up. He groaned. The sound echoed. Holding his head he sat up. He was surrounded by complete darkness. Meldon looked or tried to look around him, trying to pull himself together. Last thing he remembered was falling, then someone crying out then nothing. He and Legolas had fallen.

Meldon searched around with his hands, until he felt something warm and wet. He rubbed his fingers together trying to figure out what the substance was. Failing in that, he brought his fingers to his nose. It was blood. Quickly Meldon check himself, aside from some small scratches and a headache he was fine. He quickly began searching blindly the ground around him.

"Legolas? Can you hear me? Legolas?" His hands found warm flesh.

"Legolas!" There was no response. Meldon searched until he found his prince's face. He could feel the sticky wet blood coming from Legolas' face. He searched for any broken bones. The right collarbone was obviously broken as was the arm. Meldon winced. Legolas would not be too happy about that fact.

"Meldon?" Adoril's voice brought his head up, though the consequences were painful.

"Adoril?" He questioned.

"Meldon! Are you all right? How is Legolas?"

A groan answered them. "Legolas? Legolas, can you hear me?"

He hurt. Why did he hurt? His shoulder felt as though someone had torn it off, his head felt like a dwarf decided to use if for an anvil and his body felt like someone had taken a rock and decided to sandpaper his skin. And someone was yelling in his ear. He forced an eyelid open. It was dark. Too dark. Legolas could feel panic rising. He could suddenly hear dripping.

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.

Legolas jerked up right and immediately regretted it. Instantly bright flashes appeared. He groaned again.

"Legolas, hold still!" It was Meldon.

"Legolas! Are you alright?" That came from somewhere above him, Legolas took a haphazard guess at the voice.

"Elrohir?"

Elladan frowned; Legolas was one of the few who could tell he and his brother apart. And the fact the Legolas had confused Elrohir with him, worried him. He turned to his youngest brother.

"Estel, go to the horses and get father. We will need some rope, and lanterns." With a push Estel was off.

"How badly are you hurt, Meldon?" He called down.

"Just a few scratches and a headache. Legolas probably has a concussion, a broken collarbone, broken arm and." There was a pause, and then another groan. "A strained knee and sprained ankle."

"Sheezzz Legolas!"

"Don't you say a single word, Elladan. Not a word." Legolas threatened.

The was a pause, then "Can you see anything down there?"

"No."

Elladan grinned at the short word, from Legolas.

Legolas swallowed his ever increasing panic. Beside the fact the he was hurt, the he ached all over, he was in the dark. He tried to pull his panic under control. "It's just the dark." He muttered, "It's just the dark." He felt Meldon move then stand up.

"What are you doing Meldon?" He questioned, hating the slight tremor he heard in his voice.

"I am just stretching." Meldon reassured him.

Legolas felt around him, he had lost one of his knives in the fall and didn't want to loose it forever in the darkness of the cave. "Ouch."

"What? What's a matter?"

Legolas grinned at the slightly panicked voice above him. He started to shake his head but immediately stopped when swift, brutal pain laced through his head.

"Don't worry Elladan, I just found my knife."

*~*~*~*~*

"ADA!!!!!"

Elrond shook his head. 'Not again!' When he heard that cry, someone was always hurt.

Estel burst into his study.

"Ada! Legolas and Meldon fell in a cave and they are trapped. Elladan, Elrohir and Adoril are with them now. Elladan said we need rope and lanterns." Aragorn gasped out the words breathlessly.

Elrond quickly got up, he summoned several other elves and within minutes they were on their way