Disclaimer: Tolkien owns all.
Sorry this took so long to update. It's been a very hectic summer. Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter.
When the Fellowship woke that morning there was frost on the ground. The cold weather had been sneaking up on them as the winter set in and the further South they went, the more they felt it. The wind whistled through the campsite as the Walkers huddle around the fire, trying to keep warm. Only Legolas stood apart, unaffected by the cold, keeping watch on the perimeter of the clearing. Sam cooked a hot stew, which the Fellowship ate greedily, setting them up for a long days walking. They walked that day in silence, with Gandalf and Aragorn in the lead and Legolas slightly behind, making sure they weren't being followed. And so it went on until early afternoon, when something forced them to stop.
"Do you think we can walk across it?" Aragorn asked. They were standing in front of a giant frozen lake. Hesitatingly Pippin put one foot on the lake, before he was yanked back by Aragorn. "We do not know if it's safe."
"You said we could walk on it." Pippin argued.
"No, I asked if we could walk on it. Someone should try it first."
"I'll go." Legolas immediately volunteered. He had arrived only a few seconds ago but had heard the end of the conversation.
"That's not a good idea." Aragorn said.
"Why not?" Legolas asked indignantly.
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "Because you can walk over snow and not sink, Lightfoot. If the ice was wafer thin you would be able to walk on it."
Legolas glared at him, but Aragorn chose to ignore him. "I'll go." The Ranger strode over to the lake and was surprised when Legolas followed him onto the ice.
"What are you doing?" he muttered.
"You didn't think I'd let you come out here on you're own did you?" Legolas replied as he grabbed his friend's arm to stop him slipping over. Aragorn could only shake his head. They had made it about half way across the vast expanse before Legolas noticed the ice seemed considerably thinner here. A quick discussion concluded that they wouldn't be able to get much further so they turned to go back. And that was when the ice stared to crack.
"Don't move." Legolas hissed, taking hold of Aragorn's arm once more in an effort to spread the Ranger's weight out.
From the bank the Fellowship was wondering what was happening. They had seen the pair stop and that didn't look like a good sign but apart from that the could tell nothing. It was for this reason that they were so surprise when a second or too later the ice gave way completely and both Aragorn and Legolas disappeared from view. The Fellowship froze, holding their breath, staring at the stop where Aragorn and Legolas had vanished from. For a long time nothing happened then suddenly their heads burst from the water. Aragorn was clearly unconscious and Legolas had an awkward grip on him, struggling desperately to stop the man's dead weight from pulling them both back underwater.
Legolas was cold. He never been so cold before in his life. Being an elf it was not a sensation he experienced very often, but the icy water was enough to get through to him. For the moment however he pushed that to one side. He had to get Aragorn out of the water. This sort of cold could kill a human if he stayed there for too long. Legolas shook his head to clear it. It was getting harder to think. It was getting harder to move. The Elf could feel his muscles becoming lethargic and he knew he didn't have long. He quickly considered his options.
Waiting for help was not an option, as Aragorn would be dead by the time it got here. He could not swim to shore; he would never make it in time and besides there was too much ice in the way. Ice... the ice was thicker closer to the shore. He could get back on to it. Struggling hard using all his remaining energy Legolas began to smash the ice closest to him. Breaking it into smaller chunks he continued towards the shore until he found some ice he could not break and clung on for dear like. All the time battling with unconsciousness he heaved Aragorn's body up onto the ice as far as he could get it. It wasn' far enough though; the Ranger's body was still half in the water. Legolas knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath he ducked under the water and seized his friends legs. With an almighty push he forced them upwards and to his relief the Man slid out of the water. Resurfacing Legolas took hold of the ice once more, breathing heavily. He didn't have enough energy left to pull himself out. He barely had enough left to hold on.
Back on the shore Merry and Gandalf were arguing.
"Look." the young Hobbit said irritated. "There is no one else. Pippin and I have to go. You Boromir and Gimli would just break the ice further. Frodo cannot go and Sam must stay with Frodo. We're the lightest ones here. We must go to them."
Sighing deeply Gandalf nodded his head once and the two brave hobbits began sliding across the ice.
'Hobbits! The hobbits have come.' Legolas though dreamily. 'That's good. Estel will be safe now.' Smiling slightly Legolas gave in and let the darkness take him.
Pippin was closest to Legolas when the Elf slid back into the water. He lunged madly trying to catch the Elf but missed, almost falling in himself. Pippin peered frantically into the murky water, trying to catch sight of the Elf. He was about to give up when he saw a flash of golden hair. Pippin thrust his hand into the water and grabbed a handful of cloth, hauling Legolas out by his shoulder. With Merry's help he managed to get Legolas on the ice lying next to Aragorn.
"How do we get them back?" Pippin asked uncertainly. Carrying them was not exactly an option.
"We'll have to drag them across the ice." Merry said. He took hold on one of Aragorn's had and Pippin took one of Legolas' and slowly they made their way back to the Fellowship.
When they reached the shore, Gandalf ran forward, easily lifting Aragorn into his arms and motion for Boromir to do the same to Legolas. They were lain next to each other and Gandalf began to check them over.
"He's not breathing." The wizard muttered, looking at Aragorn.
"Neither is Legolas." Boromir replied after he checked the Elf.
Working quickly Gandalf and Boromir began breathing air into their respective patients mouths, pinching their noses. The two worked long and hard as the rest of the Fellowship watched nervously on. After a long while Gandalf was rewarded when Aragorn gasped slightly and started breathing. The wizard sighed in relief.
"Gandalf." Boromir called, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. Gandalf looked across and saw what had the Man so worried. Legolas was still not breathing. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent and his lips were blue. With a heavy heart Gandalf opened his mouth to say there was little hope for the Elf when Aragorn moved. Without opening his eyes the Ranger shot out his hand and took hold of Legolas', squeezing it so hard Gandalf feared the bones would break. Suddenly, miraculously, Legolas drew a shallow, shuddery breath. And another. Relieved, Gandalf turned to look at Aragorn. The man was still deeply unconscious. As the Wizard watched he slacked his grip on Legolas' hand and let his own hand fall back to the floor.
"Come." The wizard said, deciding to ignore the impossible for the moment." They are still not safe. Their bodies are freezing and they have inhaled water."
While everyone else had been watching Gandalf and Boromir, Sam had built a fire. The two unconscious beings were undresses, redressed and wrapped in blankets, before being placed either side of the fire.
Aragorn opened his eyes and blinked up at the stars. "Ah I see you're finally awake then." Gandalf said cheerfully. He helped the Ranger sit up. "Drink this."
Too weary to protest Aragorn did so. He immediately started coughing painfully. "Gandalf..." He gasped.
"You have to get the water out of you're lungs." Gandalf told him, rubbing the Ranger's back and carefully feeling his breathing. "Good..." He help up another cup. "Drink this aswell." He saw Aragorn's expression. "It's stew. That's all I promise. You need something warm."
Aragorn drank it and was surprised to see the entire fellowship watching him do so.
"Legolas." He cried out suddenly. "Is he alright? He was... dying... I felt it."
No-one said anything but they didn't need to. Aragorn had seen his friend. Not even bothering to stand, Aragorn crawled across to where Legolas was lying. Gandalf made to stop him but the Ranger glared and the Wizard let him go. Aragorn sat by Legolas' side and gently took one of the Elf's hands in both of his own.
"So cold." Aragorn muttered. "You're hands are so cold mellon nin."
Speaking to Gandalf he said, "Has he woken at all?"
Gandalf shook his head sadly. Although he didn't show it the Wizard was terribly worried about Legolas. He had regained a little colour and his lips weren't as blue but apart from that there had been no change in his condition.
"He was in the water a lot longer than you. And we had more difficulty starting his breathing. You are a skilled healer. I'm not going to tell you what you already know."
Aragorn nodded. "The cold has slowed his muscles, including the ones in his heart and lungs." He recited this dully, as if remembering a long ago lesson "This, combined with the fact that that he has probably inhaled water has slowed the movement of healthy blood around his body, meaning that it is difficult to reawaken his muscles. And..." Here Aragorn broke off.
"And? Gandalf prompted gently.
"And there is a chance that his core temperature has dropped too far, meaning that his body will simply shut down and stop." Aragorn broke off again, turning his head from the fellowship so they couldn't see the tears running down his face. The Fellowship, out of respect, pretended not to notice.
It was early the next morning when Legolas' condition changed. He stirred slightly and his eyes drifted open. Aragorn, who had fallen asleep next to him, awoke instantly and sighed in relief. The fat that he was awake meant that Legolas was more or less out of danger.
"Morning." He said softly to the Elf. Legolas smiled at him. Appearing from no-where Gandalf handed a Aragorn a mug of the tea that had made him cough the night before. Whispering assurances to Legolas helped the Elf sit up. Legolas swayed slightly and Aragorn moved behind him, leaning Legolas back against his chest. The Elf raised a shaky hand to take the mug but Aragorn ignored it, instead bring the mug directly up to the Legolas' lips.
When Legolas had stopped cough Aragorn listened closely to his breathing and was relieved to find that the Elf had coughed up all the water. Legolas wearily lent back against Aragorn.
The Ranger looked up to see Boromir had been watching them. "He's asleep." the Man of Gondor mouthed.
"I know." Aragorn mouthed back.
"Lie him down."
Aragorn shook his head, folding his friend further into his embrace. "No. I want to keep him safe."
Completely medically inaccurate but never mind. Next chapter: Baby Legolas story!
Sorry this took so long to update. It's been a very hectic summer. Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter.
When the Fellowship woke that morning there was frost on the ground. The cold weather had been sneaking up on them as the winter set in and the further South they went, the more they felt it. The wind whistled through the campsite as the Walkers huddle around the fire, trying to keep warm. Only Legolas stood apart, unaffected by the cold, keeping watch on the perimeter of the clearing. Sam cooked a hot stew, which the Fellowship ate greedily, setting them up for a long days walking. They walked that day in silence, with Gandalf and Aragorn in the lead and Legolas slightly behind, making sure they weren't being followed. And so it went on until early afternoon, when something forced them to stop.
"Do you think we can walk across it?" Aragorn asked. They were standing in front of a giant frozen lake. Hesitatingly Pippin put one foot on the lake, before he was yanked back by Aragorn. "We do not know if it's safe."
"You said we could walk on it." Pippin argued.
"No, I asked if we could walk on it. Someone should try it first."
"I'll go." Legolas immediately volunteered. He had arrived only a few seconds ago but had heard the end of the conversation.
"That's not a good idea." Aragorn said.
"Why not?" Legolas asked indignantly.
Aragorn rolled his eyes. "Because you can walk over snow and not sink, Lightfoot. If the ice was wafer thin you would be able to walk on it."
Legolas glared at him, but Aragorn chose to ignore him. "I'll go." The Ranger strode over to the lake and was surprised when Legolas followed him onto the ice.
"What are you doing?" he muttered.
"You didn't think I'd let you come out here on you're own did you?" Legolas replied as he grabbed his friend's arm to stop him slipping over. Aragorn could only shake his head. They had made it about half way across the vast expanse before Legolas noticed the ice seemed considerably thinner here. A quick discussion concluded that they wouldn't be able to get much further so they turned to go back. And that was when the ice stared to crack.
"Don't move." Legolas hissed, taking hold of Aragorn's arm once more in an effort to spread the Ranger's weight out.
From the bank the Fellowship was wondering what was happening. They had seen the pair stop and that didn't look like a good sign but apart from that the could tell nothing. It was for this reason that they were so surprise when a second or too later the ice gave way completely and both Aragorn and Legolas disappeared from view. The Fellowship froze, holding their breath, staring at the stop where Aragorn and Legolas had vanished from. For a long time nothing happened then suddenly their heads burst from the water. Aragorn was clearly unconscious and Legolas had an awkward grip on him, struggling desperately to stop the man's dead weight from pulling them both back underwater.
Legolas was cold. He never been so cold before in his life. Being an elf it was not a sensation he experienced very often, but the icy water was enough to get through to him. For the moment however he pushed that to one side. He had to get Aragorn out of the water. This sort of cold could kill a human if he stayed there for too long. Legolas shook his head to clear it. It was getting harder to think. It was getting harder to move. The Elf could feel his muscles becoming lethargic and he knew he didn't have long. He quickly considered his options.
Waiting for help was not an option, as Aragorn would be dead by the time it got here. He could not swim to shore; he would never make it in time and besides there was too much ice in the way. Ice... the ice was thicker closer to the shore. He could get back on to it. Struggling hard using all his remaining energy Legolas began to smash the ice closest to him. Breaking it into smaller chunks he continued towards the shore until he found some ice he could not break and clung on for dear like. All the time battling with unconsciousness he heaved Aragorn's body up onto the ice as far as he could get it. It wasn' far enough though; the Ranger's body was still half in the water. Legolas knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath he ducked under the water and seized his friends legs. With an almighty push he forced them upwards and to his relief the Man slid out of the water. Resurfacing Legolas took hold of the ice once more, breathing heavily. He didn't have enough energy left to pull himself out. He barely had enough left to hold on.
Back on the shore Merry and Gandalf were arguing.
"Look." the young Hobbit said irritated. "There is no one else. Pippin and I have to go. You Boromir and Gimli would just break the ice further. Frodo cannot go and Sam must stay with Frodo. We're the lightest ones here. We must go to them."
Sighing deeply Gandalf nodded his head once and the two brave hobbits began sliding across the ice.
'Hobbits! The hobbits have come.' Legolas though dreamily. 'That's good. Estel will be safe now.' Smiling slightly Legolas gave in and let the darkness take him.
Pippin was closest to Legolas when the Elf slid back into the water. He lunged madly trying to catch the Elf but missed, almost falling in himself. Pippin peered frantically into the murky water, trying to catch sight of the Elf. He was about to give up when he saw a flash of golden hair. Pippin thrust his hand into the water and grabbed a handful of cloth, hauling Legolas out by his shoulder. With Merry's help he managed to get Legolas on the ice lying next to Aragorn.
"How do we get them back?" Pippin asked uncertainly. Carrying them was not exactly an option.
"We'll have to drag them across the ice." Merry said. He took hold on one of Aragorn's had and Pippin took one of Legolas' and slowly they made their way back to the Fellowship.
When they reached the shore, Gandalf ran forward, easily lifting Aragorn into his arms and motion for Boromir to do the same to Legolas. They were lain next to each other and Gandalf began to check them over.
"He's not breathing." The wizard muttered, looking at Aragorn.
"Neither is Legolas." Boromir replied after he checked the Elf.
Working quickly Gandalf and Boromir began breathing air into their respective patients mouths, pinching their noses. The two worked long and hard as the rest of the Fellowship watched nervously on. After a long while Gandalf was rewarded when Aragorn gasped slightly and started breathing. The wizard sighed in relief.
"Gandalf." Boromir called, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. Gandalf looked across and saw what had the Man so worried. Legolas was still not breathing. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent and his lips were blue. With a heavy heart Gandalf opened his mouth to say there was little hope for the Elf when Aragorn moved. Without opening his eyes the Ranger shot out his hand and took hold of Legolas', squeezing it so hard Gandalf feared the bones would break. Suddenly, miraculously, Legolas drew a shallow, shuddery breath. And another. Relieved, Gandalf turned to look at Aragorn. The man was still deeply unconscious. As the Wizard watched he slacked his grip on Legolas' hand and let his own hand fall back to the floor.
"Come." The wizard said, deciding to ignore the impossible for the moment." They are still not safe. Their bodies are freezing and they have inhaled water."
While everyone else had been watching Gandalf and Boromir, Sam had built a fire. The two unconscious beings were undresses, redressed and wrapped in blankets, before being placed either side of the fire.
Aragorn opened his eyes and blinked up at the stars. "Ah I see you're finally awake then." Gandalf said cheerfully. He helped the Ranger sit up. "Drink this."
Too weary to protest Aragorn did so. He immediately started coughing painfully. "Gandalf..." He gasped.
"You have to get the water out of you're lungs." Gandalf told him, rubbing the Ranger's back and carefully feeling his breathing. "Good..." He help up another cup. "Drink this aswell." He saw Aragorn's expression. "It's stew. That's all I promise. You need something warm."
Aragorn drank it and was surprised to see the entire fellowship watching him do so.
"Legolas." He cried out suddenly. "Is he alright? He was... dying... I felt it."
No-one said anything but they didn't need to. Aragorn had seen his friend. Not even bothering to stand, Aragorn crawled across to where Legolas was lying. Gandalf made to stop him but the Ranger glared and the Wizard let him go. Aragorn sat by Legolas' side and gently took one of the Elf's hands in both of his own.
"So cold." Aragorn muttered. "You're hands are so cold mellon nin."
Speaking to Gandalf he said, "Has he woken at all?"
Gandalf shook his head sadly. Although he didn't show it the Wizard was terribly worried about Legolas. He had regained a little colour and his lips weren't as blue but apart from that there had been no change in his condition.
"He was in the water a lot longer than you. And we had more difficulty starting his breathing. You are a skilled healer. I'm not going to tell you what you already know."
Aragorn nodded. "The cold has slowed his muscles, including the ones in his heart and lungs." He recited this dully, as if remembering a long ago lesson "This, combined with the fact that that he has probably inhaled water has slowed the movement of healthy blood around his body, meaning that it is difficult to reawaken his muscles. And..." Here Aragorn broke off.
"And? Gandalf prompted gently.
"And there is a chance that his core temperature has dropped too far, meaning that his body will simply shut down and stop." Aragorn broke off again, turning his head from the fellowship so they couldn't see the tears running down his face. The Fellowship, out of respect, pretended not to notice.
It was early the next morning when Legolas' condition changed. He stirred slightly and his eyes drifted open. Aragorn, who had fallen asleep next to him, awoke instantly and sighed in relief. The fat that he was awake meant that Legolas was more or less out of danger.
"Morning." He said softly to the Elf. Legolas smiled at him. Appearing from no-where Gandalf handed a Aragorn a mug of the tea that had made him cough the night before. Whispering assurances to Legolas helped the Elf sit up. Legolas swayed slightly and Aragorn moved behind him, leaning Legolas back against his chest. The Elf raised a shaky hand to take the mug but Aragorn ignored it, instead bring the mug directly up to the Legolas' lips.
When Legolas had stopped cough Aragorn listened closely to his breathing and was relieved to find that the Elf had coughed up all the water. Legolas wearily lent back against Aragorn.
The Ranger looked up to see Boromir had been watching them. "He's asleep." the Man of Gondor mouthed.
"I know." Aragorn mouthed back.
"Lie him down."
Aragorn shook his head, folding his friend further into his embrace. "No. I want to keep him safe."
Completely medically inaccurate but never mind. Next chapter: Baby Legolas story!