I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.

Aragorn knew that it was only a matter of time before the orcs figured out that he wasn't leading them anywhere.

What he would do then, he didn't know. He looked over his shoulder and met Legolas' gaze. There seemed to be something wrong with him, he looked tired, and pale.

What's wrong with him?
Aragorn turned towards the leader and narrowed his eyes.
What did you do?

The leader smirked and Aragorn turned away while clenching his hands into fists. He wouldn't tale this any longer.

Soon he was going to take a chance and get Legolas out of there, both of them if he could.
Legolas had told him that he was the one who needed to live, but Aragorn wouldn't allow Legolas to die.

He was an elf, he deserved to live for as long as he desired in Middle Earth, and one day sail to Valinor.

He didn't deserve to have his life brutally taken away from him by orcs. Every time something "unfortunate" had befallen the two of them it was always Legolas who had looked after him.

Legolas had always gotten Aragorn out of danger, taken care of him when he was injured, and brought him to safety.

Now it's time for me to return the favor.

"Stop!"
Aragorn froze as the leader raised his hand and shouted his order.
The orcs stopped and muttered in confusion while Aragorn turned his attention to Legolas.

The elf was leaning forward, his legs were trembling, and he had his eyes closed.

"What did you do to him?"
Aragorn stormed over to the leader but was grabbed by two orcs who prevented him from going any farther.

The leader grinned as he left Legolas standing doubled-over in the middle of the orcs and stalked over to Aragorn.

"I wouldn't worry about him, considering he will be dead before the poison does its work."

Poison?! Why didn't he tell me that he had been poisoned?!

Wait....
What does he mean 'he will be dead?'

Aragorn felt his spine turn to ice as the horrible realization dawned on him. The leader knew that he hadn't been leading them anywhere, and now he was going to kill Legolas.

Aragorn lunged forward but was still caught by the iron grips of the two orcs.

The leader laughed as he drew his dagger, the orcs roared in excitement over what was about to come.

The leader carried the dagger towards Legolas. The elf was in too much pain to acknowledge what was happening.

"Leave him alone!"
Aragorn's words fell on dead ears as the leader continued to nake his way towards the helpless elf.

"Legolas! Noro! Saes Legolas!"
Pain flashed in Aragorn's mind as one of the orcs backhanded him. They hated hearing elvish being spoken.

Legolas was oblivious to his friend, and Aragorn could only watch in horror as the leader reached out to grab him.

»»»»

Legolas forced all the pain he was feeling deep into the back of his mind. This was his only chance to escape, his only chance to save Aragorn and himself.

Legolas opened his eyes just in tine to see the leader's clawed hand reaching for his neck.

Not yet....

The hand moved closer and closer, soon it would be around his neck.

Wait....

The hand was inches away, about to grab him.

Now!

Legolas threw himself forward knocking the orc backwards and causing him to drop his dageger.

Legolas sprang back and kicked the dagger out of the leader's reach and ran from the orc.

"Get him!"
The leader roared im fury.
The other orcs raced towards the elf who managed to keep himself as far away from them as possible.

You cannot keep running from them! You have to fight!

Legolas' hands were still bound and wouldn't be much use to him. But he still had his legs, they would have to do all his fighting for him.

Legolas ran towards an orc and kicked it hard in the stomach with his right leg. The orc doubled-over with its arms wrapped around it.

Legolas aimed another kick at its throat, the blow snapped the orc's neck and it fell dead.

Pain coursed through Legolas' body as the poison continued to spread but he couldn't stop fighting now.

An orc grabbed him from behind and attempted to hold him in place. Legolas swung his head backwards and hit the orc in the face.

As the orc used his hands to hold his bleeding face Legolas kicked it in the knees and sent it tumbling onto the ground.

As more orcs tried to surround him Legolas began running again. He saw Aragorn struggling to fight without a weapon, he wouldn't last long.

Legolas spun around just as an orc raised its sword to bring it down on him. Legolas kicked the orc's hand and sent the weapon flying in Aragorn's direction.

"Estel!"
Aragorn shoved the orc he had been struggling with back and quickly retrieved the sword.

He gave a quick nod to Legolas and returned to fighting. Legolas couldn't help but smile as the orcs began to fall under Aragorn.

Suddenly Legolas was knocked off of his feet crashed onto his side. A heavy weight landed on top of him, pinning him onto the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this elf."
An orc hissed preparing to stab the elf with its knife.
Legolas waited for the knife to sink into his flesh but was surprised to hear a shriek of pain come from the orc.

As the weight was lifted off of him Legolas hoped to see that his rescuer was Aragorn, but as a cruel hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air he knew that his worst fear was about to become a reality.

"You're mine elf."
The leader growled carrying him away from the other orcs.
He took out a long knife and held it up next to Legolas' face.
"I've always wondered what it would take to make an elf scream. I think it's time I found out."

»»»»

Aragorn severed the head off of another orc and thrust his weapon into the chest of another.

Now that he had a weapon and hadn't been caught off guard Aragorn was able to defend himself just fine from the orcs.

An orc's cry of pain caused him to turn towards the sound in surprise. What he saw was the leader shoving a now dead orc onto the ground.

Aragorn briefly wondered why the leader would kill one of his own until he saw Legolas being lifted up into the air by his neck.

"Legolas!"
Aragorn ran towards him only to be hindered by more orcs. Blinded by desperation and fear for his friend Aragorn cut down every orc in his path.

But he still wasn't going fast enough, he could see the leader raising a knife and Legolas struggling to kick the orc.

Aragorn cut down one last orc and finally broke free from the rest of them. He charged at the leader with his weapon raised and ready to drive it into the leader's twisted heart.

The leader saw him coming and quickly spun out of the way while still holding onto Legolas.

The leader discarded his knife and drew a scimitar, he threw Legolas onto the ground and stood between him and Aragorn.

The other orcs began to move forward to help.
"Stay back! I will fight this human myself!"
The orcs shrank away and waited for the fight to begin.

Aragorn grasped his weapon tightly as he stepped forward.
"Don't think that I won't kill you human."
The leader spat.

"I thought your master wanted me alive?"
Aragorn asked tauntingly.
The leader roared and charged forward.

It seems as though he no longer cares for what his master wants.

Aragorn raced towards the leader and raised his weapon. The orc's scimitar fell onto his sword like a hammer, nearly bringing him to his knees.

Aragorn grit his teeth as the leader beared down on him. It would take all of Aragorn's strength to keep from collapsing under the orc.

Suddenly the leader fell back roaring in pain and in rage.
Aragorn quickly got to his feet and swung his sword at the orc's side, which only caused him to become even more enraged.

The cause for the leader's earlier pain was Legolas, who had used the orc's discarded knife to cut himself free and stab him in the shoulder.

The leader was so furious that the elf was loose that he forgot all about Aragorn and targeted all of his rage at Legolas.

He thrust his scimitar forward only to miss as Legolas leapt out of the way. This only added to the orc's anger as he tried again, roaring in fury as he missed again.

Legolas would have been fine if the poison hadn't been inside of him. The pain flared inside of his body like a small flame until it became an unbearable burning heat.

Legolas cried out in agony and stumbled onto his knees. Depsite now being helpless the leader didn't hesitate to raise his scimitar and drive it into the elf's stomach.

Yet before he could searing pain shot up his leg as Aragorn stabbed him with his sword.

The leader whipped around and slammed the end of his scimitar into Aragorn's chest sending him collapsing into the ground.

As his back hit the ground Aragorn's weapon fell out his hand and landed just inches away from his reach.

He quickly tried to recover his weapon only to be pinned in place by the orc's foot.

The leader raised his scimitar and prepared to send it straight into Aragorn's heart.

"No!"
Legolas launched himself onto the leader's arm and tried to wrestle the scimitar out of his hand.

The leader slammed his fist into Legolas' face and drove the scimitar into Legolas' shoulder.

The elf collapsed onto the grass, limp and motionless.
He had used all of his strength, he was done.

»»»»

Aragorn watched as his friend fell. He had sacrificed himself for him, the one thing he had told him not to do.

Why Legolas?! Why did you do that?!

Aragorn could hear cruel laughter coming from the leader. Aragorn slowly turned his head towards the monster as anger and hatred began to consume him.

"What a pathetic elf. I expected him to last longer than that."
Aragorn's vision began to blur. Everything around him began to fade.

Except the monster.

Aragorn retrieved his weapon and rised to his feet. He started towards him slowly at first, and then began to pick up speed.

He screamed in rage as he brought his weapon down on the orc. He was completely blinded by his fury. Red and black were all he could see as he hacked away at the monster.

He never saw the orc's face twist in pain, and he never saw the other orcs flee for their lives.

He didn't stop his merciless attack until the last of the monster's cries were silenced.

»»»»

Aragorn's vision cleared as silence fell over him. He threw his now black blood-stained sword onto the ground and turned away from what remained of the leader.

He didn't care about what he had just done or whatchad become of the other orcs, all he could think about was his friend lying motionless on the ground.

"Legolas?"
Aragorn called his name softly as he knelt beside his friend in the grass.
"Legolas please, answer me."

Aragorn rolled his friend onto his back and could barely believe his eyes when he saw the faint rising and falling of his friend's chest.

He was still alive!

"Legolas it's me, Estel. You are safe now, the orcs are gone."
Legolas' eyelids began to flicker and Aragorn held his breath as he waited for them to open.

"Estel...."
Legolas whispered as his eyes closed again.
"I'm here mellon nin."
Aragorn began to tear pieces of his tunic off in an attempt to stop most of Legolas' bleeding.

Stopping his bleeding won't be enough. He has been poisoned, and he has a fever.

Legolas moaned as Aragorn shifted him into a sitting position.

He needs a healer.

Aragorn nearly began to cry at the irony of everything. He was supposed to be a healer, yet could not heal his friend! He was supposed to look after him and keep him safe, yet he was the reason he was in this mess to begin with.

Aragorn gathered his friend into his arms and allowed the tears he had been holding back to fall.

"Goheno nin Legolas."
Aragorn whispered.
"Forgive me my friend."

Aragorn looked towards the direction of the Misty Mountains. Rivendell was too far away, Legolas would be dead long before they reached it.

Elrond could not help them now.
Yet there was one other place he could go, one that was very close.

The question was could he make it there in time?
Aragorn knew that he had wasted enough time there. He slowly began to make his way east, praying that his friend would live until they reached their destination.

»»»»

He has a fever.

Was Aragorn's first thought as he entered the forest. He carefully picked his way over roots as he forced himself to keep moving forward.

It was only a matter of time before his strength gave out and then they would both be dead.

"Estel?"
Aragorn nearly dropped the elf in surprise as his weak voice called his name.
"I am here Legolas."

"Where are we?"
"I'm taking you somewhere safe Legolas. Please try to stay
awake."
"But I'm tired, why can't we rest?"

"You are hurt mellon nin. We have to get some help for you."
"I want to sleep."
"No Legolas! Stay awake please!"
"You should rest too, you sound exausted."

"Legolas!"
"We haven't had a long sleep for awhile Estel. Why don't we just fall asleep and never wake up?"
"Stop Legolas! You are delerious!"

"It would be so much easier to sleep than to keep walking."
"Stop trying to tempt me
Legolas."
"She went to sleep too, she never woke up."

Aragorn nearly tripped over a gnarled tree root as Legolas' strange words filled his ears.

"Who Legolas? Who didn't wake up?"
But Legolas was no longer listening. His eyes almost seemed to be glazed over as he looked up at the tree branches.

"I wonder why she didn't wake up. Why wouldn't she wake up? I asked her to awake and she wouldn't. Why did she stay asleep?"

Legolas' eyes began to close again and Aragorn started to shake him.
"No stay awake! Stay awake Legolas! Please stay awake!"

"Daro!"
Aragorn froze as he suddenly became surrounded by elves.
Thank the Valar!

One of the elves moved forward while the others kept bowd aimed at Aragorn.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?"
"Please, my friend is dying. He is Legolas and he is one of you."

The elves gasped in disbelief and urgency as they recognized the son of their king.

"Let us take him to our healers, they can take care of him."
As one of the elves reached for Legolas Aragorn, who had finally given in to his own weariness, pulled away from the elf and tightned his grip on Legolas.

"No! Don't touch him!"
Aragorn couldn't see the madness that entered his eyes but the elves could.

Grimly they forced Legolas out of Aragorn's arms and held him back as they carried Legolas away.

Aragorn screamed and tried to break free. He had to reach his friend, he had to be with him and make sure that he was safe.

Pain exploded in Aragorn's head. He collapsed onto the ground and fell into the depths of oblivion.