A/N: Sadly we come to the last chapter, I have greatly enjoyed all your loving reviews and work diligently to get the sequel finished fueled by the few surviving cookies provided! I hope you have enjoyed!

Chapter 10

A hush fell over the palace and its people unnatural and heavy. Rumors were wild and ever growing when any dared to whisper them. No one truly knew what had happened, what evil Legolas had uncovered, not even Dunhith who knew the most of anyone besides Legolas himself. While some found the curiosity unbearable most were more consumed by the fear of losing the young Prince. Thranduil had not been seen for days since his return the morning after Legolas had returned. His dangerously fragile condition was not rumor. Many had seen him as Dunhith rushed him to Ionnaur, barely clinging to life.

Now, three days later, Thranduil sat at his bedside stroking the back of his hand trying to keep his heart calm. He was paler than snow except the scarlet rash of fever sprawling over his skin. It was a strange thing to miss the constant trembling but this stillness disturbed him beyond what he thought possible. If not for the heat rolling off of him in thick waves and sweat he would seem dead. Ionnaur worked day and night scrubbing the wound, pouring potions into it and forcing even more down Legolas' throat and yet even though the venomous infection did not worsen they did not gain any ground against it. Ionnaur explained the problem was that the wound was made by a spider just hatched rather than a juvenile or adult and the venom was far more concentrated. Occasionally his son would tense and moan a few tears slipping free, the only sign he had that his child was still more than a burning shell.

"Legolas, my child, please open your eyes. Wake from this horrid human sleep and stop my torment" as expected he got no response.

"Do you remember the time, after that fire, when the forest was terribly thin and damaged, you wanted to heal it so you stole a bag of nuts thinking they were seeds and all the horses in the stables to make and carry compost. You were gone for days throwing nuts and spreading manure to make them grow. So eager were you that you sang them sonnets, hearing once but part of a conversation that poetry was the food. If you'd eaves-dropped but a second more you would have known it was the food of love, not trees" he paused to brush a sweat soaked lock of hair away from his eyes.

"You mother disagreed. She once told me a sonnet was the swiftest way to kill a budding love. This was told to me after I had composed one for her at the encouraging of some elders also with wives of their own. She was angry with me though I don't recall why and it was suggested a personally penned and sung sonnet would appease her. It did indeed vanquish her anger toward me for even a week after I had presented it she could not look at me without erupting into a riot of laughter. I am sure I was betrayed even though the elder husbands told me my execution of the plan had reaped perfect results. That was the closest I have ever come to sailing West" he stopped as Legolas cried back arching against a wave of pain then slumped more lifeless than before when it passed. He called for Ionnaur who was preparing herbs in the next room.

"Is there nothing you can do? He is my only son" Thranduil's voice cracked, "even summon Elrond if you must, I hear his healing skills are unsurpassed" he swallowed thickly trying to contain himself as Ionnaur probed the wounds again working around Thranduil's palm pressed to Legolas' forehead.

"Whether he recover or perish it will happen before Elrond could arrive,"Thranduil paled and went a shade of green with horror, "There is one other thing I could try though I hesitate to use it"

"Whatever you can do you must! Why do you withhold now when it will cost me my child!"

"The treatment is extremely aggressive. I am unsure he has the strength to withstand it" Ionnaur pulled the covers back up to the child's chest and moved to pour more mirovur for Legolas.

"What is this treatment?"

"It is two parts. He must drink a potion to neutralize the infection flowing through his blood. The second part is to pour a second tincture directly into the wound to purge it from the flesh. It will cause him extreme pain and weaken him severely. In an adult with a sting from your average adult spider the effects lasted a day or two but Legolas is a child as was the spider. There is at least three times the venom to purge. We may have to do this multiple times. I fear the trauma will kill him, especially as weakened as he is now." Thranduil sat back deeply troubled. They would have to make it worse, enough so to possibly kill him, to save him.

"What do I do?" he mumbled.

"There is no right answer. We can try the treatment and risk killing him more quickly but possibly saving him, or we can continue as we have and hope his strength can outlast the infection" Ionnaur sighed. Thranduil leaned forward pressing his forehead to Legolas' and tried to touch the mind of his son, find him, find some comfort, but the pain and fever had him buried so deep within himself he could not.

"Legolas? Please, Legolas, my child, my only, dear, son, wake" he pleaded. His only response was the rapid shallow breathing of his son. "Let us try the treatment. I cannot watch him waste away like this"

"Very well, I will prepare a tincture for him to drink hourly until morning. It may bolster his strength enough to survive this" Thranduil gripped his child's heavy, lifeless, hand once more struggling to keep his own from quivering.

"Valar protect him"

First was the ice searing his veins and freezing his blood even as it began to boil. It was slow to move and quick with pain stealing his breath away. He couldn't move against the pain, couldn't bring forth any semblance of reality between the crashes like waves. He began to despair there was no escape when a new, indescribable agony exploded in his side shredding through his flesh, liquefying his very bones. Unknowing he erupted into motion bucking and thrashing against it but he did not feel the restraining hands or the desperate pleas of those around him. There was nothing but pain, fire and ice coursing through him. He did not sense the days passing him by as darkness grew at the edges of his awareness, strange sparks and tingling zipping through his flesh and the flash of something in his mind. Glaringly bright yet inviting visage of white shores and peaceful waves calling to him sweet and soft and then it was gone.

Everything faded into a heavy, exhausted darkness impenetrable to all things. It was neither peaceful nor frightening but simply was. The lifting of this darkness was slow chipping away piece by piece. First the hands came, many and gentle all over he was too disconnected to understand what they did. Then potions he was too weak to taste dripped down his throat coming and going without reason and the blanket of dark lightened further. He was drawn to a voice that pierced the shroud strong and familiar carried by a sense of safety. He tried to find it with a sense of desperation but it was so very far and he was so very far he found himself drawing near only to sink deep into the oblivion once more. Still the voice came to him, constantly calling for him. It urged him to find it, follow it and so hard he tried wanting to obey. Faintly he heard sobbing and felt caring hands brush away tears he didn't know he cried. This time as he was given drink he could taste a hint of the sweet mirovur even if just barely. There came flashes of blurred images at first too distorted to understand then slowly they became people standing over him but still he couldn't see whom. He fell away again for a time both sinking and drifting consumed by a new sense of dizziness. He could hear the moaning again and feel hot tears he still did not recognize as his own quickly followed by the ever present hands brushing them away.

"Legolas, little one, open your eyes" he knew that voice, wanted that voice. His head lolled towards it but the movement caused such pain that he whimpered and began to fade again.

"No child hear my voice and come back to me" a hand ran through his hair softly drawing his attention. Once more he was given drink, some tincture this time, and felt himself restore like taking a deep breath after being held underwater for far too long. He blinked sluggishly the world askew and blurry at first before settling into an almost clear image.

"Oh my child how I've missed seeing those blue eyes" he stared glassy eyed taking too long for either of their liking to recognize who he saw sitting at his bedside.

"F-father" he whispered hoarse. It seemed just breathing was too great a task to his exhausted pain throbbing body.

"I am here son, you are home and safe now" his father was running a hand through his hair again and he lost himself in the action that had comforted him for as long as he could remember. "Legolas" he stirred again not realizing his eyes had drifted shut until he opened them again. He was so tired.

"Did…did I s-succeed?"

"What do you mean son?" he leaned into the palm instinctively as it cupped his face so warm and gentle.

"Is…Greenwood….safe?" he couldn't stop himself as he began to sink again. His father gave a short laugh filled with too many emotions for him to comprehend.

"Yes my little green leaf, the Greenwood is safe again" Legolas didn't try to fight it as his eyes slipped shut again.

"S'good" he didn't drift so far this time still hearing his father's voice as he regaled him with tales of his childhood, his mother, everything and nothing both savoring the sense of peace that was not to last.