AN: Set immediately after "My Brother's Keeper." Legolas is equivalent of 14 in human years. Written to celebrate the publication of my YA fantasy, Deep as a Tomb (Loose Leaves Press).  Read, review, fanfic it, whatever! Enjoy, I hope. -- daw

Chapter 5. Out of Sorts

Legolas strode along the narrow path back to the Green, his heart pumping hot blood through his veins, though he couldn't tell if that was leftover excitement from his first fire jump or fury at Eilian for ruining it. Eilian was probably flirting with Jardin right that instant, and she was probably fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Behind Legolas, Turgon grumbled non-stop. "Eilian sounds more like Ithilden every day. He used to be fun. What do you want to bet he's jumping right now?"

"No bet," Legolas said. "Of course he is."

"Your jump was great, Legolas," Annael said.

Legolas looked over his shoulder and gave him a half smile. Trust Annael to try to smooth things over. At the back of the group, Hoth had stopped and turned to look toward where Eilan was probably jumping an even higher flame than Legolas had, the hypocrite. Hoth took a step that way.

"Don't do it, Hoth," Legolas said. "Believe me, my brother will drag you away by the ear once he's decided it's unsafe for you to be there."

Hoth halted his walk but didn't turn toward Legolas.

"Come on," Annael said. "They'll be serving the tarts by now." He gave Hoth a friendly slap on the shoulder, and the boy started toward the Green again, hands jammed in his pockets, head down. The thought of berry tarts lightened Legolas's mood a little. He could already feel the summery sweetness on his tongue.

On the edge of the Green, Legolas was startled to find two elves with their faces shoved close together, shouting. "I won that race and you know it!" one cried. Legolas steered clear. Everyone was out of sorts tonight.

The table where they'd been sitting was occupied by a group of warriors, but the next table was empty, the fighting family having apparently gone home. There was a drop of something that could have been blood, but was probably meat juice in the place where Legolas sat.

"Hoth and I will fetch tarts," Annael said and led the boy away.

Turgon started to sit but caught himself. "I'll get wine, but it'll be watered here." He went off, still grumbling.

Legolas propped his head in his hand and shot a sidelong look to where Miriwen and Aerlinn had been joined by two other maidens. How was anyone supposed to get near them? His father was fortunately occupied listening to one of his advisers. Maybe Thranduil hadn't even noticed Legolas had left the Green.

Someone slid onto the bench next to him. He turned, expecting Turgon or Annael and found Jardin with Eilian settling next to her holding a heaping place of roast venison and fried mushrooms, which he set in front of Jardin. She forked up a big mouthful, then chewed with her eyes shut and a blissful hum.

"You didn't stay long at the fire," Legolas said as snottily as he could. "How did your jump go?"

Eilian smiled blandly and was saved the trouble of answering when Turgon, Annael, and Hoth arrived at the same time, laden with tarts and wine.

"You're eating." Hoth's smile widened as he sat across from his sister. "Good."

Turgon distributed mugs. "I paid for the wine we had at the Grove," he said to Eilian. "That would be the wine you took."

"How foolish," Eilian said. "It's free here."

Aware of how rude it would be to engage his brother in a full-blown quarrel in front of guests, Legolas bit back what he wanted to say and stuffed his mouth with a tart from the plate Annael set down. His mouth was still full when Camil approached.

"Daughter, it's good to see you with an appetite! Prince Eilian, I see you're wearing one of my earrings. Would you be interested in any of my other jewels?" He held out a palm full of stones that glittered in the starlight.

Hoth slammed his mug on the table hard enough that wine slopped over his fingers. "Do you have to sell all the time? Can't we ever think or talk about anything else?"

Turgon and Annael shrank away on either side of Hoth. Legolas felt his own mouth fall open and hastily swallowed the last of his tart before it dribbled down his front.

Face reddening, Camil said, "The Eastern merchant will pick someone else to pass his goods along. I notice you like the extra money well enough." He bowed in Eilian's direction. "My apologies for my son's rudeness, sir."

"Are there more tarts, Father?" Jardin bit her lip, obviously distressed.

"I'll get them." Eilian bounded to his feet, probably having enough family fights of his own, but one of the warriors from the next table had approached.

"Captain?" he said. "How are you?"

"Much better. I'll be back with you soon," Eilian said.

Legolas realized the warrior must be from Eilian's patrol. His anger at Eilian subsided to be replaced by a familiar worry. Could Eilian really be going back to his patrol soon? No one had told him Legolas that.

Hoth was still glaring at his father, and having lost Eilian's attention, Camil shifted his weight and refused to meet his son's gaze. "Jardin," Camil said. "Come with me. Prince Eilian has matters to deal with and I saw where the tarts were being served." He helped his daughter climb over the bench and led her away, his back rigid.

Anxious to know when his brother was leaving, Legolas eavesdropped shamelessly as Eilian's warrior said, "The Troop Commander told you what happened?"

Before Eilian answered, Legolas saw over the Southern Patrol warrior's shoulder that his father was looking straight at him. Thranduil raised his hand and beckoned. With a sigh, Legolas freed himself from the bench and walked slowly to the head table. He stopped directly across from Thranduil. The only other person near enough to hear was Ithilden, who was leaning back in his chair, with his arms crossed, watching a group of people on the other side of the Green.

"Where have you been?" Thranduil asked.

Before Legolas could try out his excuse, Eilian charged up to face Ithilden, breathing hard. Fury rolled off him in a wave of heat that made Legolas step away.

"Why didn't you tell me about Gelmir?" he demanded.

"It wasn't your business." Ithilden unfolded his arms.

"Of course it was! It's my patrol, and it's Gelmir!"

"What about Gelmir?" Legolas asked, but his brothers were so intent on one another that they didn't even blink in his direction.

"It's not your patrol at the moment," Ithilden said, "and it won't be until your judgment is recovered."

"There's nothing wrong with my judgment and you know it." Eilian leaned in and braced his hands on the table. "I'm going back with the messenger in the morning."

"Not unless I say so," Ithilden said.

"Enough," Thranduil said, softly but with a sharp edge in his voice.

Eilian swiveled to face their father, and Legolas cringed at the anger on his face. "You're the one keeping me here, which is why Gelmir's now missing, and that's what's enough."

Eilian was breathing so hard that his chest heaved.

"Get hold of yourself, Eilian." Thranduil bit off each word.

Legolas felt as if he were choking. He'd never heard Eilian rage at their father so defiantly, and Thranduil's eyes had gone hard and cold. Legolas clutched Eilian's arm. The tense muscles beneath his sleeve were hard as seasoned wood. "Eilian, please come away now." He looked pleadingly at their father. "It would be better to talk at home later, right?"

Thranduil gave him a look Legolas couldn't read, then nodded curtly.

Legolas tugged at Eilian's arm. "Please, Eilian." For a moment, he thought his brother would resist, but Eilian yanked his arm free and strode back toward their table with Legolas having to trot to keep up. Legolas caught sight of Gelmir's parents, but turned his head hastily away. He felt sick with fear for Gelmir and for Eilian.

Only Turgon and Annael remained at their table. Both were standing, looking around, brows knit in worry.

"Eilian!" Annael sounded relieved. "Hoth's gone."

Eilian stopped so suddenly that Legolas ran into him. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

"He went to use the privy and didn't come back," Turgon said.

Eilian sank onto the bench and drained one of the mugs of wine. Legolas saw the liquid in the mug shimmer from the shaking of Eilian's hand. "Is that all? He probably got lost in the dark."

"He was talking about the fire jumping," Annael said.

Legolas thought of how Hoth had wanted to turn back but stopped when Legolas said there was no point in doing it if Eilian was there. "He wanted to try."

For a moment, Eilian stayed still. When he finally moved, it was to take a drink of wine. Legolas felt as if he'd been coming down stairs and missed a step. Thranduil and Ithilden might think of Eilian as unreliable, but Eilian had never failed Legolas when he needed him. Then Eilian's gaze met his, and he spoke so softly Legolas almost couldn't hear him. "Orc spit." He rose, making the earring Jardin had given him swing against his neck. He snatched it off irritably and stuck it in his pocket. "I'll look for him. You three stay here."

"I'm coming with you," Legolas said. When Eilian swung around to face him, he straightened his back and held his ground. "You're not yourself. Just--just let me keep an eye on you."

When Turgon laughed, Legolas felt his face redden, but Eilian's rigid stance loosened a little. "All right," he said with a grimace. "I guess I earned that." He pointed at Turgon and Annael. "If you two so much as twitch in the wrong direction, I'll tell your parents."

Legolas kept close to his brother's side as they retraced the path to the fire. They were nearly there when they heard someone coming toward them and, an instant later, Calólas appeared with Hoth's arm around his neck, leaning on him.

"What happened?" Legolas cried, rushing to Hoth's side.

Calólas lowered Hoth to sit on the path. "His back is burned."

"You are a fool." Eilian shoved him out of the way and bent beside Legolas to look at Hoth's back. Legolas winced. Hoth's shirt was scorched and burned away in places, and blisters were already forming. Calólas melted away among the trees.

"Please don't tell my father," Hoth said, his voice tight with pain.

"You need a healer," Eilian said.

"Can't you get one?" Hoth pleaded.

Over the top of Hoth's head, Eilian's gaze met Legolas's in a shared look of understanding. Thranduil would have to know about the injury to the merchant's son, but given the scene Eilian had just made on the Green, some other time would be better. Much better.

"Legolas," Eilian said, "go get Gwaleniel. I saw her at the feast."

Heart pounding, Legolas sprinted back toward the Green, where music had started again. He circled the tables before spotting the healer sitting with her husband, son, and daughter. He huffed up behind her. "Mistress Gwaleniel?" Erendrinn, Alfirin, and Tonduil turned to face him too, and Legolas groped for words that wouldn't say too much. "Can you come, please?"

She raised an eyebrow, but then rose. She was probably used to being summoned away from enjoying herself.

"You'll need your healer stuff," Legolas said.

"Go fetch my bag, Tonduil," she told her son. "Bring it to--?" She waited for Legolas.

"The path by the fire jumping."

Tonduil raced away without asking for more directions. He and Legolas were the same age. Legolas would bet Tonduil had never jumped that fire but, like all of them, he knew it was there.

As Legolas turned away, he spotted Ithilden watching them. Watching Alfirin really. Ithilden cocked his head but didn't rise to come their way. When Legolas thought of it, he realized he hadn't seen Ithilden dancing with Alfirin at all that night. Given how obviously soft-headed Ithilden was over her, that was surprising, but Legolas had no time to wonder about it because Gwaleniel walked briskly, saying nothing. She knew the way too, Legolas noted. She'd undoubtedly been called there before.

They found Eilian kneeling by Hoth's side. He'd sliced the back of Hoth's shirt in half and was picking bits of cloth away while Hoth clenched his teeth. As Gwaleniel knelt next to them, Eilian backed away. She inspected Hoth's back without touching it.

"It's not so bad," she told Hoth. "It will be a bit painful for a while."

Legolas wrinkled his nose. When healers admitted something would be a "bit painful," they meant it would hurt like a bear bite.

Gwaleniel shot Eilian a tight-lipped look. "You took him to fire jump? I thought you were feeling better."

"Eilian didn't take him. He made us leave, but then Hoth went back." Justice compelled Legolas to defend his brother, even though he knew that if the healer thought Eilian was "feeling better," she'd tell Ithilden that Eilian could go back to his patrol.

Gwaleniel shook her head. "Males."

Feet pounded on the path and Tonduil appeared, his round face flushed from his haste. He held out his mother's bag, looking curiously at Hoth. Gwaleniel didn't look up from Hoth's back. So Eilian took it, with what Legolas was happy to see was a steady hand.

"Find a jar of green paste," she told Eilian.

He undid the bag's tie as she slid Hoth's shirt all the way forward off his chest and arms. "Tonduil, go and get one of your father's old shirts," she said. He blew out his breath but ran off again.

"I need the charm." Hoth pointed to the collar of his shirt.

Legolas fumbled to unpin the charm, then gave it to Hoth.

Eilian handed the salve to Gwaleniel, who opened the jar, dipped her fingers in and spread paste along Hoth's back. He suppressed a small cry.

"Do you have to wear the charm all the time?" Legolas asked quickly. He always liked it if someone talked to him while he was in the hands of a healer. "I know you make money from them, but I thought that was only if you gave them away."

A hiss was the only answer Hoth could make.

Eilian raised his head and frowned at Legolas. "What are you talking about?"

"Camil is paid three coins if he gives a charm to an elf."

"By whom?" Eilian lifted a charm from his pocket and examined it. Legolas took out the charm Camil had given him.

"The easterling merchant, I guess," Legolas said tentatively.

Hoth nodded.

"Why?" Eilian asked.

"I don't know," Hoth managed.

"Leave him alone," Gwaleniel said, as Tonduil returned, holding a shirt. Gwaleniel draped it around Hoth's shoulders and helped him to his feet. "He's staying in the palace, I take it? Tonduil and I will get him to bed." She nodded toward her bag and Tonduil picked it up and went after her and Hoth.

Eilian squinted at the charm. "Is that a seashell?"

"I think it's a mouth," Legolas said. He held it up to his ear and jumped. Less in his ear than in his head, he heard a whisper. You're old enough to do what you think is best. He felt his eyes widen as he stared at Eilian, who was also lowering a charm from his ear.

"We have to talk to Adar," Eilian said.