To Love and Be Loved
Chapter 2
To Love and Be Loved
Rated NC17
Summary: Legolas has his first close brush with death. AU, Slash
Author: Emmess
Chapter 2
Thranduil sat stiff-backed on his throne, glaring angrily at
Galion, his personal servant of nearly uncountable years. The golden haired monarch was furious, his wrath evident in the tense set of his shoulders and his clenched teeth.
"You know Legolas…you know how rash he can be…how could you have let him slip off after I implicitly ordered that he not leave the Cavern?" Thranduil thundered.
Galion, with the self-assuredness only millennia of service to the King's family could provide, glared back at the infuriated King. "If you had been just the slightest bit more considerate of that Elfling's feelings, he would not have left at all!"
Thranduil sputtered in his anger, pointing a finger at his butler. "He is NOT an Elfling…he is past his majority! He is an adult…" his voice trailed off as he finally realized that he had ordered his son - an adult - to stay within the confines of the Cavern for no valid reason other than Thranduil's concern for his safety…just as he had ordered him about all of his young life. He had treated his son as a child…again.
"Aha…" Galian said softly, nodding his head at his Lord, "you've finally seen the light of day. He is an adult - you are correct, and as such you must allow him to make his own decisions - be they for good or ill. You cannot protect him always, Your Majesty."
"But…" Thranduil sighed, slumping back in his throne, "the spiders are dangerous even to seasoned warriors. It was only his wellbeing that I considered. Still…"
"Still you would have done the same in his place, and you well know it, Sire."
"Aye," He nodded, a small, self-deprecating smile touching his lips, agreeing with his faithful servant, "Nevertheless, if he fails to return by nightfall, I want search parties sent out after him."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
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Legolas could no longer tell if it were day or night, so thick had the forest canopy become. The interwoven branches of the ancient trees blocked all light from entering its dank belly. Try as he might, Legolas could not connect with spirit of these trees. Keeping a wary eye out for spiders, he would lean his back against trunk after trunk, searching for the smallest voice, but found none. This part of the forest was silent…eerily so, and he felt the pain of the absence of the voices of the trees like a sword strike to his heart. He had never felt alone in the forest…until now.
When his stomach, which in his anger he had neglected to feed since the night before, growled angrily at him, he dejectedly decided that it was time for him to return to the Great Cavern. It galled him to return empty-handed, but knew it was folly to remain out in the gloomy depths of the forest all night. He knew he would be missed, if only by Galion, and knew further that the elfservant would inform his father of his absence.
It was as he turned from that last trunk against which he had leaned that he caught movement from the corner of his eye. His bow in hand, an arrow nocked and ready to fly in the space of a heartbeat, he found himself staring into the red, faintly glowing eyes of a foul-smelling, furiously hissing, giant spider.
Stunned for a moment at the sudden closeness of the beast, his arrow flew in the next, but it was a moment too late. His delay allowed the spider all the time it needed to sink its grotesque fangs into his forearm, even as the arrow penetrated its eye in the next instant, ending its miserable life.
Legolas was forced to his knees, dragged down by the weight of the spider - fangs still imbedded in his forearm - as it collapsed in its death throes.
As the spider's last breath was exhaled, something odd happened. The trees, so deathly silent a moment before, began to whisper to each other, incredulous joy in their voices as they sang the praises of the Warrior Elf who had slain the spider that had cursed their part of the forest for so long. Their branches shook themselves free of the horrid webs, which fell like a shimmering silver rain about the body of the spider and the fallen Elf.
The trees' joyful voices reached Legolas' ears even as the horrible pain from the spider's venom spread through his system. Unfortunately, he had no time to comprehend what his precious trees were saying to each other because within moments his entire body was convulsing in agony, each muscle screaming, and he heard them no more than his own heart-wrenching cries.