The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 73

Legolas lay on the stone floor, convulsing with every spear of pain that swept through his body. While he had no injuries to report he felt, as he would die that very moment. Images of his life in Mirkwood passed before him in a mirage of colour, and broken sounds. His skin burnt like fire to the touch and his breathing came rapidly and irregularly. Filgree was helpless to provide aid to him. The tutor while beside himself with uselessness now lay behind Legolas on the floor desperately trying to prevent the young elf from injuring himself as the waves of pain made the youngster convulse in agony. It had started just after they’d risen from sleep for their morning meal. Filgree had noted that Legolas had still not recovered from the previous evenings attack; the young elf had slept little and hardly had the strength to keep his head up. While sipping from a goblet of soothing tea Legolas had taken a turn for the worst. He had been weak but his body became rigid instantly robbing him of speech as his jaw clenched closed in pain. Filgree had done little but pack the many blankets around Legolas body softening the blows of the stone floor against the younger elf’s body as the pain made Legolas thrash around uncontrollably.

Blood had begun to drip from the corners of Legolas lips where the prince was biting down so hard on his own tongue. Filgree had defiantly pushed his fingers into Legolas mouth transferring the younger elf’s bite from his own tongue to Filgree’s fingers. The tutor had decided that it was far better for him to lose a finger than for Legolas to bite off his own tongue.

Things had gotten a little better over the hours Filgree had held his charge, the convulsions had become slightly less frequent but unfortunately no less severe. Time had given Filgree some space to think, in-between Legolas episodes. What ever was happening to Glorfindel was certainly bad and although he hated to admit it a reaction from Legolas this severe could only mean ohinghing. Death. The word clung to the air like a vulture to its prey and Filgree shook his head to try and clear it from his mind. Glorfindel was Legolas’ intended and the Lord himself had promised to return for them. Still as the hours rolled on and Legolas continued his episodes Filgree had begun to get desperate. While Legolas had been unablespeaspeak at first during the convulsions his eyes had still clung wlifelife to Filgree’s. Although robbed of speech the fear reflected in Legolas eyes made Filgree aware the prince was still with him. Now however as the hours had gone on the life in Legolas’ eyes had begun to diminish. Filgree was beginning to fear for Legolas safety but was torn between what he’d promised to Lord Glorfindel and his duty as mentor to King Thranduiloungoungest son. Turmoil raged inside of him but with each agonizing convulsion of Legolas body Filgree’s decision became easier.

If they stayed here Legolas would not survive the night. Filgree was a healer as well renowned as Elrond himself but even herbs and potions could not prevent the inevitable. It had become clear to Filgree just recently that Legolas bond with Glorfindel was far deeper than any of them had imagined it to be. While the pair had not formally been bound together in a ceremony it was clear that Legolas already shared his heart with the golden haired warrior. Filgree suspected that the bond had been growing for far longer than any had realised, far longer than the formal agreement in Lorien, Filgree had concluded. In honesty Filgree had never seen such reactive connections from an elf outside of a binding and it scared him a little to not fully understand it. It pained him to see the elfling he’d brought up for 500 years sprawled out in agony on the floor, and he unable to help.

It was the cough that began which finally made up Filgree’s decision. In between episodes Legolas had developed a sickening cough and although there was nothing being brought up at present Filgree knew that fluid was only another episode away. It was time to act. Packing Legolas body with the blankets momentarily Filgree eased his fingers out of Legolas mouth and quickly replace their presents with the short wooden implement he often used for stirring broth. The substituteked ked a treat and Legolas instantly bit down on the wood effectively holding it in place. Filgree found the tips of his fingers tinged with blue and Legolas teeth marks piercing the skin the entire circumference of them. Wrapping his fingers in a cloth bandage to stem the bleeding Filgree quickly collected a few of the supplies from around the cavern and packed them into a saddlebag.h soh some rope and strapping from the leather armour in the trunks Filgree fixed the pack on his back along with his weapons and Legolas’. Another coughing fit from Legolas sent the tutor back to his charge just quick enough to take the stick from Legolas mouth to stop him choking on it before hastily replacing it as the fit passed again.

With a large blanket from the chests around the cavern Filgree picked Legolas up into his arms and swaddled thungeunger elf in a cradle like hammock, which Filgree then firmly attached around himself. There would be no guarantees that they would not meet some kind of enemy on the way and if that were so Filgree needed his arms free to fight with. The swaddle gave him that freedom, even if it was precarious and almost backbreaking. In his maturity Legolas had swamped on quite an amount of bulk in his body like most elves did in their majority. While Legolas was still nimbly agile and looked almost as light as a feather he was in fact particularly heavy, a far cry from when he was a babe as Filgree noted with dismay. Still there was no turning back. With some spare candles and a torch from the cavern wall Filgree began back up the stairs of the entrance to the cavern. It would take twice as long going up the stairs as it did coming down eiallially carrying Legolas weight but Filgree was a determined elf, not deterred by a little hard work. Legolas had been hardly any trouble to bring up as an elfling, it was only befitting now that the prince deserved to be a little difficult in his elder age.

To pass the time and amuse himself Filgree began to sing. His voice seemed to sooth Legolas convulsions but Filgree was still forced to stop when they came too strong for him to hold. With every step Filgree knew he was getting closer to help whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was yet to be determined but the tutor had a little hope. With his hand in Legolas’ he continued to walk up the stairs remembering the happier times he and Legolas had had together during the youngsters growing up.

For how long he walked he did not know and while Legolas’ convulsions did not abate the brief stops allowed Filgree to rest his weary body. Drinking as little as possible of their small precious bottles of water Filgree saved the most for Legolas; scared his charge would die of lack of fluids. While Legolas’ tense body had begun to relax n inn in between convulsions the deathly cough had only gotten worse. Filgree could not understand what would be happening to Glorfindel to make Legolas cough so terribly. It was almost like the prince had a vice around his chest forcing him to cough in order to get oxygen to his starving and constricted lungs.

During one of Legolas coughing fits Filgree was finally forced to sit down. His back ached and his legs felt as if they were going to drop from his body. Unfortunately they were still going up the staircase they had originally come down and Filgree had little knowledge to how far they had to go before they reached the narrow opening of the tunnel. It was while Filgree was staring at the flames of the torches lining the walls that he heard the voices. The sound bounced around the walls of the stairwell like thunder, as did the several pairs of feet he could hear coming down towards them.

Unable to decipher whom the voices belonged to Filgree prepared himself for a fight. As quick as possible Filgree took Legolas’ limp form back down a few steps and covered him with the blanket. With his bow and arrow arched at the ready Filgree braced himself on the side of the stone spiral staircase facing the way the attack would come from. He waited, his breathing stopping as the voices got louder and the footsteps got closer. Filgree had feared this moment since Legolas birth a point at which he would have to fight for Legolas’ life and in the process potentially lose his own. He had prepared for this, yet he still shook with fear as he saw the shadof tof the unseen enemy as they rounded the corner of the staircase.

Without pausing to think Filgree let his first arrow go. The hum of the bow sang like a lark in the amplified stairwell. Filgree had notched another arrow ready to fire again even before the first arrow ricocheted off the stone wall narrowly missing the familiar elf which came to a screeching halt a mere breath away from the point of Filgree’s second arrow still held in it’s bow ready to be fired at will.

“Filgree!” Filgree nearly collapsed in joy as he instantly recognised the face of the elf now standing in front of his bow.

“Lord Elrond!” Lowering his we Fil Filgree could hy coy contain himself as he launched himself at the dark haired elf Lord and embraced him in an uncharacteristic hug. Obligingly Lord Elrond returned the hug tightly before breathing out heavily having come within inches of his own life at the mercy of Filgree’s arrow.

“Where is Legolas?” While the moment of relief was brief Filgree accepted it all the same noting in glee that Elrond was not alone. There were two of his councillors behind him along with Elrond’s son Elrohir. Lord Elrond was quick to ask the question having glanced around the immediate area and not seeing the young prince.

“He is just around the corner here. He is weak and suffers convulsions and coughing fits, I had no choice but to begin the journey back to the house. What has happened? Is Glorfindel still alive!” Filgree was almost frantic as he led Elrond and the other three elves down to where Legolas was still hidden beneath the blankets Filgree had covered him with. One look at Legolas told Elrond all he needed to know and while Filgree was asking so many questions the Lord ignored him instead calling for his councillors to hurriedly pick up the prince and begin back up the stairs with haste.

“Glorfindel is alive but barely, he has a severe knife wound to his chest and is currently fading as we speak.” Elrohir filled Filgree in on the details, which his father had refused to tell the tutor as they all began running up the steps. With Legolas’ weighne fne from his body Filgree felt the journey easier but he was still not as fast as the others were and was struggling a little as he neared the end.

“I believed him to be dead but Erestor says he can be saved by Legolas, but we must hurry to bring them together.” They reached the top of the stone staircase very quickly and Filgree could hardly believe how close he had come to reaching it by himself. Elrond paused to explain himself to Filgree as the councillors lay Legolas bodyn onn on the blanket and carefully began to drag the prince into the narrow passageway that marked the beginning of the end. Behind the councillors went Elrond with Filgree and finally Elrohir afterwards. Elrohir had been astonished to hear of the secret passage way in his fathers library and although he was a little disappointed that he did not see the cavern his father spoke of he was relived all the same to be heading back to the open fresh air.

The darkness of the narrow passageway seemed to go on forever but no sooner had Filgree began to tire of the darkness, his knees and hands scratched raw, did they finally reach the end. The narrow beam of sunlight that marked the entrance into the library was a welcome sight and although it took a little manoeuvring to get Legolas’ body down the ladder of the book stack Filgree was relived to get out into the open air again.

Exhausted Filgree collapsed on the rug of Elrond’s library only to find it covered in blood. Before he could question it however he was being helped up by Elrond and Elrohir who guided him out of the library, which was an utter mess. Legolas was still in front being carried by the councillors and despite his fatigue Filgree kept a close eye on the youngster and those unfamiliar elves carrying him. Filgree wondered what had gone on while they’d been in the cavern as they passed trashed rooms and destroyed walls but he did not get time to think as he was being ushered into an unfamiliar set of rooms and being sat hastily down on a chair by the side of the fire….


TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>