Pain Inside

*~*~*~*~*

Wake me up inside

Call my name and save me from the dark

Bid my blood to run

Before I come undone

Save me from the nothing I've become

Bring me to life - Evanescence

*~*~*~*~*

It hurt. His head ached horribly. He could very distantly hear mumbled voices, who was talking he couldn't tell, it hurt to much to open his eyes and try focusing again.

When they had gently lifted him up and carefully carried him outside in the sunlight, Aragorn gasped. In the sun he could clearly see the damage that the rocks had done. Legolas forehead was swollen to nearly twice its size. Aragorn glanced at Elladan, whose face was impossible to read.

"Aragorn." Elladan drew the ranger's attention.

Aragorn was suddenly worried. Elladan rarely called him by his given name unless it was crucial that his attention was gotten.

Elladan met the ranger's eyes. "You must go to.." He paused thinking. He turned to Elrohir. "Which is the closest realm?" He asked.

"Mirkwood is closer but Ada would probably be the best one to get."

Elladan nodded. "But I don't want Aragorn to go back through the pass."

Aragorn started at the mention of his name.

Elrohir nodded in agreement.

Elladan turned to Aragorn once more. "Aragorn. I want you to go to Mirkwood and get some supplies." He stood and walked to his horse grabbing a piece of paper and his traveling ink kit and began to jot down some things that he would need.

"Me?" Aragorn asked incredulously. He looked down at his half-conscience friend. "Why do I have to?"

"Because." Elladan ground out. "Legolas needs Elrohir and I." His gaze softened. "You will only be in the way, Estel." He said gently.

Aragorn nodded slowly, realizing the truth of his brother's words.

He stood and taking a deep breath ran to Elladan's horse, jumped on and rode away.

Elrohir stared at his brother. "What do you plan to do?" He questioned, his lap cushioning Legolas' head.

"The blood needs to drain." He nodded at Legolas' focused and then unfocused eyes. "If I do not do this soon, he could loose his sight."

Elrohir nodded accepting his judgment. "What do I do?"

Elladan took a deep calming breath, taking out his knife from its sheath. His eyes met his twins. "Keep him alive." Was all he said.

Elrohir blinked, nodded and placing his hands of both sides of Legolas' head, took the prince and himself into a deep trancelike state.

"Elbereth help me." Elladan whispered as the knife descended.

*~*~*~*~*

Walk, trot, walk, run, walk, gallop, walk, trot, walk, and run. The pattern continued over and over again. The horse suddenly stumbled, throwing an exhausted human over its back.

Aragorn turned over, trying to regain his breath, when an arrow was suddenly in his face.

"Daro." (Halt.)

Aragorn slowly raised his hands up in a placating manner.

"Im Aragorn in Dúnedain. Han aníron, veriad lîn. (I'm Aragorn of the Dunedain. I desire your help.) (I think that is what I said, if not, that's what I want said. lol)

The guard frowned. The Dunedain though unexpected, probably was traveling with the returning prince. But the prince wasn't with him.

"Where is Prince Legolas?" He asked in westron, his arrow still stretched.

"He is badly hurt, we were attacked by orcs, Elladan and Elrohir Elrondion, (Elrond's sons.) are with him. I need to see King Thranduil immediately."

Instantly Aragorn was hauled to his feet by another guard. "Where is Prince Legolas?" The guard demanded.

"Back at the beginning of the pass." Aragorn swallowed. He opened the list of needs the Elladan wanted, he had accidentally crumpled it in his hand, riding.

It was instantly snatched away, the guard read it passed it to another guard who read it and suddenly seemed to disappear. Aragorn was suddenly forgotten as the guard whirled around and began calling out names. Elves stepped from the trees like magic, as did horses. And suddenly with in seconds, a troop was prepared.

"Come ranger." Aragorn was unceremoniously yanked along, on a new horse. "You will show us to Prince Legolas." The guard turned in his seat. "Bregolas." Then proceeded to talk so fast the Aragorn couldn't catch the words, despite him growing up with Elves.

The rode off as quickly as the rest of the elves disappeared back into the forest.

*~*~*~*~*

With a slow but steady hand Elladan, finished sewing up the cut on the side of the prince's face. He was tired. It had taken him nearly four hours to take care of the wound. From previous experiences Elladan or Elrohir always carried a pack of necessary medical supplies. Luckily, their father had made sure that Elladan's pack had been replenished.

Elladan gently wrapped a long strip of bandage around Legolas' head, starting above his nose, covering his eyes and forehead. Elladan wasn't to sure on how Legolas' eyes were going to be tended, so he put some salve on them, before wrapping them. The archer wouldn't be able to see for at least a couple of days.

Elladan sighed. He was starting to shake. It was a late reaction to what had happened and what could have happened to his little brother and what had happened to Legolas.

At the sound of approaching horses Elladan quickly stood, his sword in hand. He was trembling slightly, it had taken a lot out of him to clean and close the wound. He glanced back at Elrohir, who was still in sort of unconsciousness. It would take another elf of either Elrohir's training or Elladan to bring the two back to consciousness.

Since the he could hear the horses coming from around the bend, Elladan could only hope that Estel had brought help, though it seemed rather preposterous that he would be back so soon.

He glanced at the sun, but then again it had been about 4 hours ago that Elladan had sent his little brother away. He grimaced. The blood on his hands was already starting to stink in the hot sun.

He stood tall and proud, standing guard over a friend and brother.

When Aragorn saw his brother standing over Elrohir and Legolas, he immediately felt the worse had happened. Blood covered Elladan's clothes, hands and a there was a smudge of blood on the fair cheek that must have come when Elladan had wiped something away.

Though Aragorn had not the eyes of an elf, he could clearly see the relief on Elladan's face when they drew up. Half of the group had quickly ridden ahead and they were or already had secured the area around the three elves, making sure that nothing could come within 20 yards of their prince.

Once Elladan could see that the approaching riders were allies, he turned to check on his brother and friend.

"Elladan?"

Estel's panicked voice quickly brought his head around. He had literally thrown himself of off his horse and stood wide-eyed at Elrohir and Legolas. Elladan grasped Aragorn's shoulder.

"Do not worry, little one." He said soothingly. He glanced at the riders, still mounted, their hands on their bows, scanning the area with skill and ease. His eyes met the eyes of the elf in front. On an unspoken agreement, Elladan walked over to his brother, knelt beside him, touched his slender fingers to his brow and closed his eyes.

*~*~*~*~*

He was walking in a white mist. It blew gently around him, wrapping its white tendrils around him embracing him. He reached out to touch it, yet it evaded his grasp. He laughed, the sound echoing.

"Legolas!"

He brought his golden head up. The voice was so familiar.

"Legolas!"

"I am here!" Legolas called out.

He turned around, looking for the owner of the voice. He was suddenly grabbed from behind, from pure instinct, Legolas whipped a leg behind the other's leg, pulled and pushed back with his other leg to knock the breath out of the other person.

As Elrohir's breath was knocked out of him and Legolas fell upon him, he wondered why he ever got the idea to surprise the Mirkwood prince.

As he gasped for breath, Legolas broke free of his grasp and whirled around, and for not the first time in his life, Elrohir was glad that Legolas didn't have his knives.

"Elrohir!" Legolas cried out in surprise.

"Really?" Elrohir wheezed.

"Don't do that to me!" Legolas rolled his eyes, partly disgusted yet partly amused. This wasn't the first time that Elrohir had snuck on him only to get hurt worse.

He rolled off of the still wheezing elf. "What are you doing here?"

Elrohir grinned weakly from his position on the ground. "Actually I'm saving your life."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He questioned.

Elrohir nodded, climbing to his feet. "You are straying very closely to the Halls of Mandos my friend." He said seriously.

Legolas snorted. "Yeah right."

Elrohir laid a hand on the prince's shoulder, gently turning him around. Guiding him somewhere.

"Where are you taking me?" Legolas asked getting a bit annoyed.

"Somewhere we can actually see." Elrohir returned calmly.

Shrugging indifferently the prince let Elrohir lead him to, though clearer still had the white mist covering everything. If there was indeed anything in the white mist.

Suddenly the white mist completely covered Elrohir.

"Elrohir?" Legolas cried out slightly panicked. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm right here." Elrohir said reassuringly.

"Why can't I see you?" Legolas grasped Elrohir's hand to really make sure that he was still there.

"I don't know." Elrohir replied calmly, though inwardly he was shaking.

"There you guys are."

Elrohir and Legolas turned toward the voice. It was Elladan.

"What are you doing here?" They both exclaimed simultaneously.

Elladan laughed. "I might ask the same." He sobered though only Elrohir could see that he did. "You are further than I thought you would be." He said quietly.

Legolas sighed in frustration. "What do you mean?"

Elladan grasped the fair elf's shoulder feeling him jump slightly at the unseen and unexpected touch. "Come." Was all he said.

"Where are you taking me?" Legolas asked in his Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood tone of voice, one that was very rarely put off.

"Right now." Elrohir explained. "We are all in your consciousness, and you are straying further than you should."

"What does that supposed to mean?" Legolas asked, completely confused.

Elladan mulled it over. "Well." He sighed. "The reason you can't see is because 1. There is a bandage over your eyes and 2. I have salve closing them. Though." He paused thinking. "I don't know why you wouldn't be able to see.." His voice trailed off as a horrifying thought came to him.

What if Legolas was really blind?