A/N: I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post this chapter. Life kind of got in the way and I have found it difficult to write. I do promise that I will complete this story at some point and will hopefully write more often. However I am about to go on a trip to Europe for two months and will not even be taking my laptop with me so it might be a little while until another chapter is posted. Anyway I hope that you enjoy this one and I do apologise if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, I wanted to post this before I went away and haven't had much time to check it completely. R & R please and sorry again for the wait.

A cool evening breeze rustled the leaves of the trees that stood along the edge of a small grass filled clearing. Their lofty tops were slowly beginning to disappear from view as the night's darkness descended into the woodland. As vision faded, the sounds of the forest became more apparent. The scurrying of small nocturnal mammals as they began to awake for the night, a hoot of an owl as it waited patiently for one of the creatures to come by and become its next meal. The crackling sounds of a fire signalled the presence of the woodland patrol as they organised the camp for the night. Food was prepared, horses tended too and bed rolls laid out ready for use.

Near to the fire that burned brightly at the centre of the clearing, leaning back against a young tree which stood solitary amongst the short grass sat Hithon. The elf looked as if he was sleeping; his eyes were slightly unfocused, not taking in the hurried chaos happening within the glade. Hithon's mind, however, was running though the events of the day, memories of a beautiful morning that had turned to disaster. Legolas had been so contented to be out amongst the trees discovering that places that he had never been to before in his woodland home.

Hithon was proud of how his young charge had handled his first month in the patrol. It could be a tough time for a new warrior going from training situations, which had few consequences, to a life or death battle. But Legolas was learning quickly and the making to become an outstanding Mirkwood warrior. This was helped greatly by his innate gift to sense trouble or disturbances in the forest well before any other patrol member. All the King's sons had displayed this deep connection to the trees and it was a blessing to have Legolas in this patrol. The young prince's skills with weapons were already well known. From an early age he had excelled with the bow and arrow, and already he could beat even some of the veteran warriors with his two knives. With more experience he would excel with them too.

The day's battle came into his thoughts, memories of the huge beast that his prince had fought. The Orc had been one of the largest that Hithon had ever seen, even an experience warrior would have struggled to overcome it. Legolas had done well to last so long against such a foe. Remembering his own actions during the battle, Hithon lamented that he had been unable to protect his charge as was his duty to his King. He had endeavoured to get to his prince in time to help, but he had been too late. Never again did wish to experience the horror he had felt as he saw the young elf disappear from view.

A small moan of distress drew Hithon's attention to the blanket covered figure lying close beside him upon one of the bed rolls. Legolas was moving restlessly, hands clenching the blanket even in sleep. His eyes were closed tightly against the pain he must to feeling and his face was pale even in the glow of the campfire. The older elf reached down and gently placed his hand on the sweat covered brow hoping that his would help calm his ailing companion.

"You are safe, my prince" he uttered softly "I know have failed you once, but I swear never fail you again". He hoped that his words would be true as he would do all he could to protect his charge, but he also knew that no matter what he did it may not be enough. The world was growing ever darker and there would be a time that he may not be able to protect his prince as he wished. The is why he had to help guide Legolas in to becoming the best warrior that he could be, a leader that Mirkwood would rely on when the shadow was deepest. He had to survive.

But would he?

The prince's injuries were severe. A fall from that height would have killed a man. Hithon had never before seen a leg as mangled as what he had seen today, but this wasn't what worried him the most, nor in fact was it Legolas' compliant of lower back pain. What worried him were the small flecks of blood that painted the elf's pale lips. His prince was bleeding internally and there was nothing that Hithon or Nadhor could do to stop it.

"How is he?" a voice asked breaking into the silence that had surrounded the protector and his charge. Hithon looked up to see Belelindir standing before him, the elf held a bowl in each hand, one was held out towards him and Hithon could see that it was full with hot venison stew.

"He is still in pain" he replied as he took hold of the bowl. "He tosses in his sleep but unfortunately had yet to awaken"

"Has he moved his foot?" asked the patrol leader as he sat down on the other side of the sleeping elf. Anyone was worried that the dislocation had caused permanent damage to the nerves in the ankle which may effort the young elf's ability to walk.

"Yes, he has" Hithon answered the relief evident in this voice. "I touched his toes earlier and he moved them, though I have not seen him do so on his own. But the colour returned to them and Nadhor said that that was a good sign"

"That is good news" said Belelindir thankfully "We need more of that".

They sat in silence for a time, each eating their stew while both lost in thought. The forest around the clearing grew fully dark, but the blazing fire continued to light the clearing and keep the area surrounding it warm in the coolness of the night. Legolas had grown quiet during the time they had spent eating, but Hithon could still hear his unsteady laboured breathing.

"We must get Legolas back to the healers at the palace" he said suddenly. "We should have left straight away, instead of making camp for the night".

On the other side of the sick elf, Belelindir exhale in readiness of what he knew would be the same argument that he and Hithon had had all afternoon since they had left the river bank below the cliffs. "We could not leave then, you know this Hithon" he stated determinedly knowing that he had to get through to the other elf. "We had to re-group and take proper care of not only Legolas' injuries, but also of the other warriors who had been injured in the attack". Helediron as well as two others had received wounds during the battle, but thankfully none had been as serious as those that Legolas had obtained. "Also it is too dangerous to travel at night, especially since we have four warriors injured."

After taking a steading breath, he continued before Hithon had a change to interrupt. "As soon as the sun rises in the morning we can begin our journey home. If all goes well we might be able to get to the stronghold in only two days".

There was a brief pause before Hithon answered quietly. "I don't know if Legolas has two days". The dark brown-haired elf was looking down at the still figure beside him, his hand once again resting upon the sick elf's brow. "The bleeding has not stopped, he is still coughing up blood and he is getting ever weaker. I don't know why it is, he should have begun to heal by now" he continued heatedly, his despair now turning to anger. "Even the small cut of his ear has not begun to heal. He might not survive two more days!"

Belelindir reached over and grabbed the other elf firmly by one shoulder, the unexpected movement causing Hithon to look up at him slightly startled. His eyes were glistering with unshed tears. The patrol leader knew that Hithon was blaming himself for what had happened to his charge. Looking directly into the grief-sickened eyes, he said "We have done all that we can do for now. What happed was no one's fault but that of the Orcs. Legolas is a prince of Thranduil's house, he is strong, he will fight and he will not give up. You know this. We will get him safety back home as fast as we are able. The healers there will be able to find what is wrong and will fix it" he continued steadfastly "Do not give up on him yet".

"I will never give up on him" replied Hithon, his voice once again calm, though it was still filled with worry. "But his injuries, he needs to get to the healers. I could take him back. One alone can travel faster than an entire patrol".

Belelindir knew that Hithon was trying one last desperate attempt to sway him, but in his heart he knew that Hithon had realised that nothing could be done tonight. "Hithon" he said assertively "You know that you cannot do that. Legolas can't be taken on horseback. We don't yet know what is wrong with his back. Tomorrow we will sling the stretcher between two of the horses, he will be safe to travel that way"

"But it might not be enough" was the quiet reply. Hithon, Belelindir saw was looking remorsefully down at his charge. All fight had seemed to have now left him.

Belelindir rose and grasped Hithon's shoulder once again in quiet support. "Get some rest, tomorrow is another day and it will bring us hope". However he knew that the older elf would not find any rest tonight, despite being weary from today's battle. He would continue to watch over their prince into the night.

Hithon smiled up at Belelindir in thanks, taking hold of the hand that lay upon his shoulder. He knew that the patrol leader was just a worried as he was about the novice warrior, but also had the added worry of thing about the rest of patrol, including the others who had been injured. "You too need to rest as well. Your leadership and strength will be needed in the coming days".

Once the other elf had departed to check on the others, Hithon's attention returned to the elf that lay beside him. Reaching down he brushed away a strand of hair from Legolas' face. The young elf's skin was hot to touch and covered in sweat. It shouldn't be, Hithon thought in confusion. Why hadn't Legolas begun to heal? There should at the very least some evidence of healing in the few hours, but instead his charge was getting slowly worse.

Looking around the clearing he saw that the earlier chaos had vanished and now most of the warriors were resting, with a few scattered about keeping watch. Seeing a passing elf he called out" Gailon. Can you please bring some water and a cloth?"

"Certainly, Hithon" Gailon replied.

It did not take Gailon long to return with the asked items. The warrior looked sadly down at the sleeping prince. "How is he, Hithon? He looks dreadful"

"It was a terrible fall and he was severely injured. However, he is strong and he will fight this" He knew that he had just repeated what Belelindir had said to him only moments before, but he realised that the patrol leader had been correct. Legolas was strong, he would not give up, he would survive, if there was any chance to survive, he would take it.

"I hope that you are correct, Hithon. His is too young to be lost to the shadow, has so much potential, so much to give to this world" Gailon said, his voice still sad but Hithon could hear a hint of hopefulness now within it. "Do you require anything else?" Gailon enquired.

"No. Thank you, Gailon. Go rest, there will be much to do tomorrow" replied Hithon.

Gailon bowed slightly before disappearing into the darkness. The fire, Hithon now realised, had burned down to a reddish glow, its light now only lit a small portion of the clearing, though its heat was still strong.

The sick elf beside him seemed to have enough heat on his own. Heat radiated off the skin under Hithon's hand. So taking up the bowl of water that Gailon had given him, he poured half into a nearby cup before placing the cloth into the remaining water. Squeezing the soaked cloth of its excess water, he wiped it across the young elf's brow removing the sweat that had built up upon it.

"Stay strong my prince, you are needed here" he whispered.

Legolas was stuck in a nightmare, images of Orcs and elves flashed about him, the sounds of arrows and screams of their targets as they struck. He couldn't make sense of any of it. He tried to think of the last thing he could clearly remember but it was difficult, his mind seemed slow.

Pain!

He could remember being in agony. The memory of it caused him to flinch and he groaned as he felt the pain return once more. It expanded through his entire body so that he had no idea where exactly in had begun. He gasped as he tried to move in an attempt to get away from the pain.

"Easy, young one" a voice spoke from above and realised that a hand was gentling stroking his face. He immediately recognised the voice of being that of his mentor.

"Hithon" he said weakly.

"I'm here, my prince" he heard Hithon reply "Lie still, you are safe".

Legolas attempted to take a calming breath, but as he did so he felt an intense pain in his stomach and something seem to catch in his throat. Automatically he sought to sit up and cough. However he found that it was difficult to move. His breathing became rapid as he struggled to figure out why.

"Be calm, Legolas. Take long slow breaths" he heard Hithon say reassuringly. "Slow your breathing to follow my hand. Can you feel it upon your chest?" He could feel his mentor's hand begin to raise and fall in a steady motion and so he concentrated on following the soft rhythm, letting the pain ease as he focused his mind on just breathing and nothing else. Eventually his need to cough lessened, but he could taste something copper on his tongue.

"Good, good. That's it" he heard the older elf say as his breathing began to improve. "You have been injured. Do you remember?"

Memories of the day came flooding back, a beautiful day that turned to battle, Orcs roaring, the wind rushing past him as he fell, and pain, unbelievable pain. "I fell" he answered, trying not to think of the terror he felt as he had fallen. He was, however unable to stop the shiver that ran through him at even the hint of the memory. "An orc…"

The pain in his stomach intensified, forcing him to stop speaking. He moaned out loud instead and his eyes began to fill with tears. He tried to turn his face away, but he felt Hithon's hand against his cheek preventing any movement. "There is no shame being injured in battle, young one" the older elf said as he used a damp cloth to wipe away the tears. "You fought bravely against a much larger and stronger foe"

Legolas was grateful for his mentor's presence and for his words. He knew that he was safe with Hithon beside him especially since currently his body seemed to be protesting against any of his commands. All he could feel pain, not only in his stomach, but from his back and leg as well. "It hurts" he managed to whisper though the agony. He usually would have hated sounding so pitiful but now he didn't have the strength to care. He was already struggling to keep his eyes open even after only the brief time that he had been awake.

"I know" replied Hithon regrettably, "We cannot give you anything for the pain, not until we get you to the healers". Legolas was confused as to why they could not give him any pain relief, but he trusted the older elf and therefore did not think question it. It had not yet occurred to him that he was bleeding internally, his mind not linking the coppery taste in his month to a serious, life threatening injury. His eyes began to slowly close as the weakness he had stubbornly held back so far started to overwhelm him.

"No, not yet, Legolas. I need you to keep awake for just a moment longer." The feeling of Hithon's hand gently patting his cheek caused he to tried to open his eyes, despite the slight moan of frustration that escaped him at wanting to just sleep, but even his condition he knew that he needed to obey his mentor's orders. Eventually after much more effort than it ought to be he managed it and looked up into Hithon's worried eyes.

"You can sleep soon, but first I need you to drink something as you are badly dehydrated" Legolas watched as the older elf turned and picked up a nearby cup. "Try to drink some of this". He helped the young prince to lift his head slightly and placed the cup to his lips. The water was pleasing and helped to wash away the metallic taste from his mouth. After a couple of slips however, the pain in his stomach worsen and he was unable to drink anymore. Sharp pains shot through his body and he found himself trying to curl up into himself to try to relieve it. Hithon, however, pressed his hands firmly on his shoulder and knee preventing him from moving. "Just breathe" he said reassuringly "The pain will soon diminish".

As he began to breathe slowly and steadily, his body begin to relax and just as Hithon had predicted the pain did reduce. Sleep once more overcame him and his eyes began to shut.

"Legolas! No, do not sleep yet. I need you do one last thing. I need you to move your toes"

Legolas felt himself being shaken slightly and he moaned in protest, but he still was unable to fully awaken.

"Please Legolas. Just one last thing and then I will let you rest. I need to know if you can move your toes, if you can feel them"

"Please". The pleading in Hithon's voice finally stirred Legolas' weaken body. Using the last of his strength he focused on doing what his mentor had asked and he managed to slowly move his toes on both of his feet. Legolas could feel his mentor's hand fall upon his right toes, so he wiggled them once again. A slight smile came upon his lips as he heard the relieved voice of his protector as he did so. "Yes, that's it, my prince. I know that you will overcome this. You are a warrior of Mirkwood and we are strong. Sleep now and rest. I will be watching over you as I have always done."

And with those words still in his thoughts, Legolas allowed the blackness to overcome him and he slipped into an uneasy sleep. It was not a healing sleep, but it was enough for Legolas just to be away from the pain, if only for a moment.

The flickering of sunlight as it filters through the leaves of the trees above awoke Legolas from his sleep. From all around he could hear the sounds of horses and the footsteps of the patrol as they made their way along the forest path that lead to the stronghold of the King. He was unsure of how long he had been asleep for but judging by the warmth of sun upon his face he figured that it was around midday.

Opening his eyes he could see the trees above him, their leaves and branches moving slightly in the breeze as they over-hanged the path. Beyond them was the bright blue sky, with only a whisper of cloud scattered amongst it. Beside him he could see the sides of two horses, one a stormy grey, the other a shining bay. He realised that he was lying on a stretcher that was stung between the two beasts. The swaying motion was smooth, the gentle rocking attempting him back into sleep for his body weary and still not yet fully awake. But just as his eyes closed, one of the horses stumbled slightly on the stony ground of the path. The stretcher twisted just slightly but the small movement use enough to cause that pain that had been previously hidden in sleep to reappear.

He gasped out loud and tried to move to somehow get away from the pain but he found that he had been lashed to the stretcher. His legs were tied above the knee, a strap sat across his chest and he felt another wrapped around his forehead, all holding him firmly in place. They completely prevented him from moving at all so all he could do was moan as the pain radiated from his injured leg.

The movement of the horses and swaying of the stretcher was not as pleasant now as with every step the pain seemed to increase, just for a moment. This consent changing of pain level was wearing him down and he just wished that he could fall back to sleep and get away from it. He felt heavy; it was exhausting just to breathe and his mind was sluggish.

He was tempted to call out to Hithon who he knew would be walking nearby; his protector was always close to him and would not leave him until he was in the care of the healers. But he just didn't have the energy in which to speak.

Suddenly an abrupt agony swelled through his lower back, he could feel his muscle tighten intensely. It felt as if someone had just stabbed him with a knife. The force of the pain was so unexpected that he didn't even have a chance to cry out. It rushed along his back and down through his broken leg. The muscles in his leg contracted, causing the broken ends of the bones to move against each other. The pain was like nothing else that he had experienced. Legolas' world whited out and he knew no more.

"My son"

"My Greenleaf"

Legolas heard a voice calling him. Slowly he recognised it as a safe voice, one that had comfort him for as long as he could remember.

"Adar" he whispered, his voice was weak and raspy. It was no more than a breath of air.

"Yes, my son. I am here"

He could feel himself being held, warms arms wrapped around him holding him close. No longer was his body constricted, bound to the stretcher. The pain was still present but oddly it did not seem to trouble him. He tried to speak but coughed instead. Breathing was difficult, each breath seemed to take so much more effort than it should have been.

"Be strong, my son. You are a prince of Mirkwood and you will not let this defeat you" said his father, his soft tone laced with a sorrow that Legolas had never heard before.

Legolas licked his lips trying to find the energy to speak. He needed to reassure his father that was fine. He knew that he was injured but it wasn't too serious. His leg was badly damaged and there might be something wrong with his back. But Hithon had said that he had moved his toes so it could be too critical. He would heal in time. So it concerned him that his father seemed so mournful.

He drew in a breath to speak but it turned into a cough as he felt liquid pool in his mouth. Someone turned him slightly so it could run from his mouth easier. The coppery tang that had plagued him since the fall became more apparent and it was only then that his mind supplied what the taste was.

Blood.

He had been coughing up blood and had not realised it! Why had his healing abilities not yet stopped it? It must be at least two days since the battle on the cliff; there had been plenty of time for him to heal, at least to stop any bleeding.

"Legolas?"

"My son, please open your eyes for me" Concern saturated his father's voice and it was only then that he fully understood why his father was so distressed.

Legolas realised that he was dying.

Forcing his eyes open, using the adrenaline that soared through his body at the dreadful discovery, he looked up into troubled blue eyes of his father. The King's usual fair face was lined with sorrow. Tears weren't yet present but he could see the fear that his normally firm eyes held.

Behind the King stood Hithon, his face was mostly hidden behind his long brown hair as the braid that usually held it back over his ears was undone, but his eyes too showed his anguish. Belelindir stood at the mentor's shoulder, a hand upon it in support. All about them was a hurried chaos of noise and movement as healers tended to the others who had be injured and member of his patrol helped or cared for the horses. But somehow at the same time there seemed to be a silence surrounding him, just a bubble of stillness that contained just him and his father.

"I'm sorry" he managed to say, coughing as he did so. The pain was becoming more apparent now. He wished it would just leave him alone just for a moment. He needed time to get his thoughts together, to say all that he wanted to say, but he had not energy, no defence against the agony that was consuming him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, my son." His father uttered his voice now firm, the fear hidden and locked away. "I am proud of you Legolas as I have always been and will always be. I know that you have strength to win this battle, but you must fight! Do not give in, do not give up!

"I need you" he finished softy before placing a loving kiss upon his son's forehead.

Legolas tried to reply to his father's words, wanting to promise him that he would not give in, that he would fight, but he found that he could not make a sound. His body began to shake violently and his breathe become hurried. He could hear Hithon shout and the voice of the healers.

"My King, we must tend to him now if he is to have any chance of survival!"

Legolas did not want to die. He could not leave his family. He wouldn't. He was Thranduil's son, a prince of Mirkwood. It was not going to be his destiny to die here, injured on his first patrol. He would fight this and would never give up. He held onto this thought as the darkness claimed him once more.