__King Thranduil's Point of View__
He didn't understand and there's no way I could make him do so. I watched him from behind the cover of a willow tree as he tried to take another shot. Like the ones before, it landed slightly to the right, not a bad shot from the standards of an average bowman, but my son was well above that and the whole kingdom knew it.
I was late, the dew had already sprinkled the grass in a misted shower of water. He didn't know I had come, or if he did, he didn't show it. His brow was furrowed and his movements were far from smooth. I watched as he emptied his quiver again, only hitting the center a few times. He huffed and marched to retrieve them, the moonlight giving just enough for me to see how his clothes stuck to his back, soaked in sweat. My heart sank. I thought he was healing.
He came back, standing poised with an arrow ready. I let him empty it before I lifted the willow's limp boughs and stepped out of the shadows. "I thought you might be out here."
He jumped and something twisted in my gut. "Adar," he said with the slight bow of his head. "I--I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would practice a bit. What are you still doing up?"
I stepped closer and I could hear his heavy breathing and see the way his hair stuck to his skin. It wasn't even warm out. "I was looking for you," I answered and tried my hardest to swallow the steadily forming lump in the back of my throat. "I wanted to see you before I turned in but you were gone."
He looked away. "I apologize, Adar. I didn't mean to cause you any inconvenience."
I shook my head and waved away the apology. "The only thing you should be apologizing for is worrying me. I'm not sure you should be out shooting yet? Did the healers give you clearance?"
Legolas tucked in his lips and fiddled with his bowstring. "Not exactly. I feel fine though, really. I'm just tired of being tired of being inside, adar. I need to get back out into the field. My men need me."
I took a step forward with a sad smile and placed my hands on his shoulders. He tensed at the gesture but I let it go. "I know they do, ion. But they need you hale and whole. Coming back injured will only lead to them having to carry you back again and that will not help anyone, least of all you. There is no shame in taking rest, even in times of war."
He nodded, but I could tell by the way he held himself tall, almost defiant, that he hadn't truly grasped a word I said. He didn't understand the weight of what he was trying to do. Going back now would likely get him and others killed. The thought made my blood cold.
He shivered and I let go of him. "Come. I think that's enough practice for one night." I reached down and took the bow from his hands. He let me have it reluctantly and followed me back inside.
I helped him back to bed as his strength left him. It made me nervous. I hadn't spoken with the healers recently, but spider venom shouldn't have taken this long to recover from. I didn't comment on it though and sat down beside him after tossing him another shirt to change into and laying the covers over his shivering body.
I placed my hand on his forehead only to find it burning. My lips parted in shock as I drew my hand away.
"I'm fine, Adar. It will pass I'm sure. I probably just overdid it a little." He let out a breath and a cough came with it. I frowned. He hadn't had a fever in days... He should have been over it by now.
"I'm sorry, Ion nin. But the healers need to know of this. It's not normal and you know it."
He opened his mouth to respond, but coughed again instead, wet and rattling, the sound quaking my very core. I turned towards the door and stepped out, calling over the closest servant and ordering her to retrieve a healer immediately. She scurried off and I returned to my son's side.
He had pulled himself up and sat against the headboard sipping a glass of water. I took the seat beside him, just as I had been doing for the past few weeks as we waited for a healer to arrive. I found myself tapping my foot, nerves getting to me.
"I'm fine, adar, really. It will pass. Probably no more than a minor setback. Those things happen."
I looked up at him, crossing my arms and meeting his gaze which was slightly brighter than normal. "That's just it. Probably. I don't like it. There's no harm in letting them check you. If it is truly nothing then they will say so and I will let the mater drop."
Legolas nodded and looked away. He set the glass back on the table and clasped his hand in front of him, handing his head. His odd behavior only added to my anxiousness.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the door creaked open and Elhael entered, her bag in hand. She studied her patient, then looked at me. "I was told I was needed?"
I nodded and she looked back to Legolas. "What is it, my lord? Has the pain gotten worse?"
I furrowed my brow at the specificity of the question but waited to see how he would answer.
"No," he said with an exhausted sigh. "The pain is fine. I'm simply running a bit of a fever. Nothing has changed."
She glanced at the bow in my hand and shook her head. "You know you shouldn't be pushing yourself. It's too dangerous. The fever alone should have been enough to tell you that." She sat on the edge of the bed, her hand pressed against his forehead. "Now, tell me truthfully, has the pain gotten worse?"
He shook his head. "No, not since this morning." She nodded slowly and moved her hand to his pulse. The lump in my throat rose again as she counted silently. Had I missed something?
She finished and gave me a small smile. "He is no worse than this morning. The fever ought to go on its own, but if it doesn't, let me know and I will give him something for it. As for the pain, there is nothing I can do. He needs help that is beyond my skill."
I glanced back to Legolas, but he refused to look up, his fingers playing with the blankets covering him. Anger rose in me at the thought of him hiding something. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lords?" Elhael asked and I tell her no. I want to speak of this with my son in private. She nodded and promised to return first thing in the morning.
I turned to Legolas the moment I heard the door close behind her. "What is she talking about?" I demanded, standing. "What is so wrong that it is beyond her skill to heal?"
His head dropped even lower, his fingers curling into a fist around the fabric. "Adar... I--"
I crossed my arms. "Either you tell me, or I will have her tell me. Either way, I must know what is going on."
He let out a breath and pushed his damp hair out of his face. "Adar... My fea.." the words made me freeze. All frustration turned cold and I moved closer to him. He tried to draw himself up but still refused to meet my gaze. "They said the venom was too much. It has tainted my fea. I--" He stopped as his voice faltered. "I may never heal from it completely on these shores."
My mind spun at the revelation. No wonder he had pulled himself out there to shoot. I closed my eyes for a moment and reached out to grab his arm. I didn't have words. I laid my other hand on him as tears came to my eyes.
"Please don't ask me to sail, Adar. I'm not ready to leave the trees or you."
I shook my head, my eyes squeezed shut. "No. I will not ask you to sail. Was there anything they said that may help you?"
He drew a breath. "Imladris. Elheal said it is one of the last places on middle earth to be completely free of darkness. She said my best chance would be to see if the Lord Elrond would help me."
The answer was so simple. I released a breath. "I will write to him immediately. You will go as soon as he responds. I don't want to risk you going back into the field."
Legolas shook his head, pulling his arm away. "I can still fight, Adar. I simply won't heal as quickly anymore. I can't leave my men like that. The spiders are multiplying."
"I know, ion nin. But your health is just as important. They can handle the fight for a while. Don't worry yourself about it. They wouldn't want you to stay if they knew the danger it would be putting you, and ultimately them, in."
Legolas hung his head, his hair falling to cover the fevered pink of his cheeks. "I'm a soldier, adar. Please don't take me from my duty."
His whispered request tore at my chest but I had no other option. I couldn't send him back out knowing he likely wouldn't come back uninjured. I shook my head. "I am sorry, Legolas. I must place you on the injured reserves until you have healed completely. This isn't a punishment. Valar knows you do more than your duty for this kingdom. This is for your own good."
He nodded but the distance between us was clear. I had never had to order him to step down like this before. I didn't like it, but at the same time, knowing he would be safe in Imladris, away from the fight and away from war gave me a peace I hadn't had in a long time. I buried the selfish thought.
We sat for only a moment before his eyes began to droop and I helped him lie down, brushing the hair from his face. He closed his eyes with a grimace, then his face smoothed out and his breathes deepened. I grasped his hand and gave it a last gentle squeeze before leaving him to rest. I had a letter to write.
<><><><><><><><>
Elrond's response came a month later, saying he would welcome Legolas and do all he could for him. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I read it though I knew he would. Later that night, I found Legolas in his room, curled up by the fire, a blanket draped over him and a book in his lap.
I cleared my throat to let him know I was there. He looked up at me with a sad smile.
"Adar," he greeted. He didn't bother standing up, something I had come used to him not doing in the past weeks. It was an unnecessary waste of strength. I nodded to him with a forced smile of my own, shutting the door behind me.
I took a seat on the floor beside him and he placed the book aside. I realized I would miss the time we were able to have together. Another selfish thought.
He glanced at the letter in my hand and stopped, lifting his gaze to mine. Questions sparked behind his eyes, but he couldn't seem to find the words to ask them.
I swallowed and handed him the letter. "Lord Elrond's response." He took it and opened it, careful to not tear the pages. His eyes scanned it and his brow furrowing as he read. Then he looked at me, his shoulders slumping as if he had expected it to give a different verdict.
"So that's it. I'm leaving?"
I looked down and nodded. "He said you could stay as long as needed. Please, don't make this any harder than it already is. The last thing I want to do is send you across miles of open field to get there."
He sighed, pulling the blanket around him. "I know, Adar. I'm not a child. Neither of us like this, but there's not much we can do about it. I will go and not return until I am healed is that is what you wish."
I nodded and his promise easied my heart a little. I expected a fight, but I think now, after over a month of fighting an affection that should have only taken him a week or two to fight off, he has truly come to realize how much it has affected him.
We sat there for several hours, and I told him of the plans already laid to get him there safely. I would send him with captain Thaladir, an elf that had already saved his life in the past more than once, and eleven others. Thaladir was to escort him there, stay until he and the other soldiers had rested, and then return home.
He was reluctant to allow his best captain to stay away for so long but was convinced after I told him Thaladir needed the rest as much as anyone else. He nodded. "I know, but I worry about you losing both of us."
I gave him a sad smile. "Don't worry about us right now. You have enough to worry about as it is. We will be fine."
He nodded as his eyes fluttered. I stood and gave him a hand before guiding him to bed.