Disclaimer: I do not own LotR.

Well, here ya have it: the last chapter. ;-; At least it was posted a lot sooner than recent ones, huh? n.n;;

Yeah, so… enjoy! Let me know what ya think. n.n

Hunted

Chapter Eight: Friends Worry

A couple days passed and Elrond was the only one left awake.

Aragorn had been the first to fall asleep. He had been exhausted, for they had all stayed awake to watch over Legolas. That, piled on with the other restless nights—even if he had fallen asleep—with the utmost relief and Legolas' survival, had made it difficult indeed for the human to even stay up as long as he had.

He, as well as the twins, had been put in the healing wing's beds. Elrond respected their wishes to stay close to their friend and, so long as they were sleeping, he was satisfied.

When they had gotten the time to think, they had all wished that there was some way that they could find Lindil's killer—if he was even still alive. Since it had been so long and there had been no word about anything to do with his death until Delnen showed up, it was extremely unlikely that they would be able to find anyone. It was possible that, either the killer had died, or left Imladris for good. They wouldn't be able to search for Lindil's killer. Where would they even start? They would just have to keep an eye out and hope for the best. No matter how much they didn't like that Lindil wouldn't be given justice, they had no choice. It had been a year since Lindil had been murdered, after all.

Elrond had sent a party out to retrieve Elendur and his men from the forest the first day. The warriors weren't too happy about the fact that they hadn't been around when Legolas and the others had needed protection, but were grateful that Delnen had been caught and that everyone was alright. It was still hard to believe that he had been the cause of all the deaths.

The elf-lord was now replacing Legolas' bandages. The wounds were doing well and it looked like he was going to pull through. The prince's skin was still as pale as the clouds and he was still in a lot of pain, but it had only been two days. He couldn't expect much so far. However, it was reassuring to see the wounds doing so well already.

Once he was finished, he threw the bloodied bandages away and washed his hands. Sitting back down, he put his elbows on the bed and rested his head on his hands.

He was beyond tired, having stayed up the longest out of everyone; with all the pressure and fear for the people in his home, especially Legolas, it was a bit overwhelming.

He snapped his eyes open, just noticing that he had closed them. Then, he forced himself to sit up. He couldn't sleep now; not only was no one awake besides him, but he needed to keep giving Legolas the painkillers. Also, if the young elf were to wake, he wished to be there for him.

Therefore, the elder elf stood up and paced the chambers, which did nothing to help. He then went out to the balcony; leaning against the railing, he looked up at the night sky, seeking comfort.

He knew he shouldn't but, being out there, he couldn't help it, and he sat down.

The consistent sound of the fountains in the gardens calmed him, making him feel more at ease than he had been in months, with the knowledge that everyone—especially Legolas—was going to be well. He hadn't been so sure before this; the way things had been going had really looked doubtful. He wished they could have taken care of Delnen differently, could have had it to where no one was hurt, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Legolas was on the mend, Delnen would never touch another living soul, his sons were finally asleep, the lullabies of the night's sounds…

Elrond's eyes slowly opened, golden rays were just starting to blend with the greens of nature.

Then, he snapped his eyes wide, realizing what he had done. He sprang up from his spot and ran back into the chambers; right for Legolas. He should have given the injured elf more herbs by now. If he were awake he would be in terrible pain.

He viciously scolded himself, unable to believe he had done such a thing. He had known he was tired, but to fall asleep when someone needed him so much…

The healer was extremely relieved to see that the young elf was still asleep. However, he looked paler and a grimace marred his beautiful features. It was no surprise that he was in a lot of pain.

The elf-lord felt even more guilty for his negligence seeing this. He should have been attentive and shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place.

Elrond quickly prepared the herbs. When he turned back to Legolas, cup in hand, he nearly dropped it, noticing that the prince was now awake, gasping between quiet groans. Even while in agony, he was still conscious of the fact that there were others in there that could be sleeping and he took that into consideration out of pure habit.

"Oh, penneth, forgive me," he said softly, regretfully, as he went to his side.

Legolas said nothing, wasn't even able to with the breathlessness. He hadn't imagined that he would be greeted with so much pain upon returning to consciousness. Then again, he hadn't really given it any thought… not like he could have stopped it to begin with.

Elrond lifted him up as carefully as possible but, with the wounds being on his back and side, it would stretch the skin no matter how gentle he was.

Legolas bit his lip, preventing the cry of pain that threatened to erupt from him. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the chambers to stop spinning.

The elder elf waited patiently—having expected such behavior—but still worriedly. Once the blonde was ready, he helped him drink it and lowered him back down just as carefully.

What little strength Legolas had regained had been drained and he was left exhausted, gasping from the pain as he waited for the painkillers to take effect.

Elrond had set the cup down and now watched over Legolas sadly, not knowing what he could do. Seeing the agony the archer was in made him feel even worse.

"Forgive me," he repeated his earlier words. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep!

Legolas forced his eyes to open and met the elf-lord's, shocked to see that tears threatened to fall. He looked dreadful; it was obvious that he desperately needed sleep and lots of it. He knew Elrond hadn't given him the herbs when he was last supposed to—which explained why he had been in so much pain—but why hadn't he? Had he fallen asleep? Most likely.

Legolas slowly shook his head, trying to show that Elrond shouldn't feel so guilty. "Sleep," he managed to say. He really didn't think the elder elf would listen but it was worth a try. Elrond should know that an apology wasn't necessary by now so he didn't think a response to that was needed.

The healer merely smiled warmly in return, patting the young elf's hand.

…………

A few more days passed; Legolas was recovering nicely. He had been able to convince the sleep-deprived Elrond to let him move to his chambers. His minor wounds were nearly healed, it was just his back and side that still caused him the most trouble, which made it so he couldn't do much since moving pulled it no matter what he did and Elrond was still concerned about them reopening.

Elrond had dozed off a few times while sitting next to Legolas. Aragorn, the twins and Legolas all let him sleep when this happened, knowing how much he needed it. However, no matter how much he received—which really wasn't that much to begin with—it still wasn't enough and left him even more tired since he had had the slight taste of sleep as it teased him.

At present, the elf-lord was falling asleep as they spoke, unable to help himself any longer. He was sitting in the same chair, trying to carry on the conversation. He had no idea what the topic even was; if they should ask him. Obviously it didn't work out that well.

Then, no one spoke. The four decided to let the elder elf sleep, for they all knew that that was exactly what would happen should Elrond actually doze off again. He had needed it for far too long. Now, he was definitely going to get it.

However, their sudden silence awoke him more than a loud crash would have and he opened his eyes. Looking at each in suspicion, he figured it was better not to question and stood up. He knew if he were to stay seated, he would fall asleep the next time his eyes began to close.

The others inwardly sighed, each exchanging an exasperated look. It had been so close. They would have to keep in mind that they had to keep talking; apparently it was reassuring hearing their voices.

Throughout the whole day it had passed similarly: Elrond would check and replace Legolas' bandages and spend the rest of the time forcing himself to stay awake.

Elladan had brought food for all of them, Aragorn not wanting to leave Legolas with their father in his current condition and he had insisted, even when Elrohir offered.

Later that night after the evening meal, Elrond's body got the better of him at last.

Aragorn had been helping his father make Legolas' tea—not exactly trusting the drowsy elf—when the elf-lord suddenly started to fall against him.

At first he had been extremely confused and even alarmed, for Elrond rarely did such a thing, if ever.

Elladan and Elrohir had stopped their conversation and shot up from their positions after hearing Aragorn's exclamation as Elrond completely fell against him, eyes closed.

However, he hadn't shouted because of deep concern since this had actually been somewhat expected… well, not the whole falling-on-the-human part. Elrond wasn't heavy, but it had startled Aragorn and nearly knocked him over.

When Elladan and Elrohir saw this, they immediately slumped over, laughing hysterically. That was, of course, returned with a glare of stormy grey. Once regaining his footing, the ranger picked his fast-asleep father up and headed off towards Elrond's chambers. Who knew when he would next wake with how exhausted he was. He had fallen asleep on his feet and preparing herbs no less!

…………

It was now afternoon of the next day and Elrond was still deep asleep, eyes closed. Aragorn or one of the twins would check up on him often to make sure he was alright. They knew he would be upset when he found himself alone without Legolas near him, especially since he wouldn't know how he fared or how long he had slept. This was exactly what they were trying to prevent by checking frequently, hoping to catch him as he awoke, rather than after.

At the moment, however, there was an incredibly irritated and frustrated Legolas to deal with.

"Estel, you cannot be serious!"

"Of course I am, mellon-nin. Remember what happened last time…?" the human said calmly, which only grated on Legolas' nerves.

"And why exactly did I leave like that? Oh, maybe because you would not leave me be for one second!" the prince shouted in disbelief. "Keeping that in mind, do you really think that's a good idea?"

Elladan and Elrohir watched their exchange in amusement.

Aragorn thought for a moment. "Aye."

Legolas threw his hands up, incredulous, hiding the wince and ignoring the pain. "This is ridiculous," he muttered.

When he heard Elrohir chuckle lightly, he stood up stiffly and started walking.

Immediately, Aragorn stood and went to support his friend. Legolas, however, didn't appreciate the gesture, especially with his frustrations, and he pushed the human away.

Aragorn sighed deeply, but didn't try again. Instead, he stayed close, just in case the injured elf should lose his balance.

The ranger opened the door for his friend.

Legolas entered and then turned to face Aragorn with a set glare. "If you so much as open this door within half an hour, I swear you will regret it," he threatened. He loved the man and the twins, but sometimes they went too far. He shifted his gaze to Elladan and Elrohir, showing them that the same went for them.

Aragorn echoed his earlier sigh, this time it was in resignation, followed by the twin's. "Fine, but if you need help…" he trailed off, knowing it wasn't necessary to finish. He didn't think that Legolas would actually ask for help, but he felt it needed to be said.

Legolas' expression softened and he smiled warmly. "Hannon le, mellon-nin," he said gratefully.

Aragorn smiled back, a true smile, glad to see the shine back in the blonde's eyes. "Go on," he shooed Legolas playfully.

Legolas didn't need to be told twice and closed the door behind him.

The bath was already drawn and he stripped, unwrapping his bandages as well; then he eased himself slowly in the water.

The elf tilted his bead back and closed his eyes, body completely relaxing as the tension left his aching body, despite the initial sting of his wounds.

And he was finally alone. …This time with no plans of escape. Why would he after all? With the feelings of absolute bliss that overwhelmed him… He just hoped that Aragorn really wouldn't check up on him, he had meant his threat. He didn't know what he'd do quite yet, but he would find something.

He didn't care at the moment, however. He wasn't even sure if he would notice the human enter at this point.

It felt amazing to be able to fully relax, to know everyone was safe, that everything had come to a rest—that Elrond was resting.

He listened to the twittering of the birds and the soft murmuring of his friends, a content smile gracing his features.

Fifteen minutes later, he had nearly fallen asleep he was so relaxed.

Then, he heard a click in the direction of the door.

"Estel!"

Estel needs to leave our poor elf alone. XDD

And there ya have it. Kinda abrupt, now that I think about it… -.- Sorry 'bout that; you can forgive me, right? n.n

I already have a one-shot done (check out http / nightshadow131 .livejournal .com for info) and am working on the second so keep an eye out for them. n.n I will have more multi-chaptered ones, too, of course. Just a matter of time. n.n

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, they were all very encouraging. I hope to hear from you all again and I hope that you aren't too disappointed with this chapter. n.n;; Sorry 'bout the shortness, too, btw. ..:sighs:..

Thanks again; don't forget to let me know what ya think. n.n

Ja ne