__Captain Thaladir's Point of View__

The winds blew, pushing the leaves away from the canopy of the night sky. I breathed it in, ignoring the slight must from the darker part of the forest. The moon shone in through the branches and I couldn't help but smile as it hit my face. The nights here had been peaceful. No spiders had been spotted out die of other than the occasional loner here and there and those were mostly too old to cause much harm.

I kept watching, allowing my unit to rest through the night. We were stationed in a western outpost, something we were far from use too. The rest from the constant battle was a relief, to say the least. All of us had been injured too badly and too often lately to think otherwise.

I ran my thumb the blade of my knife, the shrill cry attesting to its sharpness. Then I froze. Something moved beneath me. Leaves rustled, but the wind had died. I gripped the hilt of my knife. I had been in the field too long to assume it was anything other than an enemy.

I peered over the edge of the deck, scanning the ground below. Despite the moonlight, I couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. My brow furrowed when I heard the leaves move again and I moved to the other side of the deck, looking over once more.

A figure moved towards the structure, cloaked and hooded. But despite the dress, he didn't seem to care if he was seen as his feet dragged through the undergrowth. I pulled an arrow from my quiver, resting it on my finger though I didn't draw it.

"Show yourself," I demanded, raising the weapon so they could see it. The figure raised his hands.

"Captain Thaladir!" they exclaimed. I lowered my bow. I recognized the voice, though I couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" I asked again and the figure lowered his hood. I recognized him immediately. He had filled in on my unit not long ago.

"Dolenel of Prince Legolas' unit," his voice cracked as he spoke. An uneasy feeling came over me. "Please, we've been attacked. Most of them are injured, the prince included. We are in desperate need of aid."

I lowered the weapon completely, placing the arrow back in my quiver. I hurried over the rope later, letting it down for him. Within minutes he was up and I gave him a hand over the edge. He immediately sat his shoulders slumping as he hung his head.

"Are you injured?" I asked immediately, my eyes roaming his body in search of new blood. But he shook his head, his breath coming in gasps.

"Come inside," I told him, helping him to his feet. "Then you can tell me what happened."

He nodded but didn't comment. I lead the way in and he helped himself to the tea over the fire while I woke one of the others to take watch.

I came and sat opposite him, gut twisting at the endless possibilities of what had happened. "Tell me what happened, Dolenel," I said, my voice caught in the trained steady tone.

Dolenel looked up, his eyes dark with exhaustion. "We were sent out to destroy a nest. Captain Legolas split us up with the intentions of us being back up should anything go wrong. At first, everything was going according to plan. There were no adult spiders and the eggs, from what I could tell, were still young. Then--"

"What, soldier. Spit it out."

"I don't know, captain," he said shaking his head. "One minute everything was fine, and the next the whole next was swarming with spiders. We only barely got them out, but the poisonings are not good. Few were even consciousness when I left. We've already lost at least one, maybe more by now. Please, you have to help us."

"What of the prince?" I asked. "How did he fair when you left?"

"He was lucid, but suffering from a high dosage of poison like the rest of them. He ordered me to come to find you."

I nodded, standing. "We will come, though we will have to make do with half the unit. I cannot leave this place abandoned. "I turned back to him. "I think you ought to stay here. You are beyond tired and will only be a burden. You can show me where they are on the map."

But he shook his head. "Please don't ask that of me, captain. I must do what I can for my unit and..." his words trailed.

"And what?"

"My brother is injured as well. I would ask that I could please help him. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him while I rested here. "

I sighed, knowing I might live to regret my next words. "Very well, you may come. But we leave now. Are you certain you can keep up?"

He drained the last of the mug and stood. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

I woke ten others to go with us, not knowing exactly what to expect once we got there. Dolenel walked in the front with me, guiding us through the forest. The leaves slowly became darker above our heads and damper beneath our feet. The darkness pressed down on me and I drew breath through my mouth, trying to draw in more oxygen.

The night passed. Dolenel said we ought to be there by morning and I could only pray he was right. I worried about the amount of poison that had been injected into the prince and the other soldiers. It wouldn't take long for that much to kill one of them, or damage their fea if the darkness was able to seep through. I shuttered at the thought. It didn't happen often, but when it did, soldiers usually retired and lived a few quiet years at home before sailing, something the prince would never settle for, I knew.

Finally, Dolenel stopped and pointed ahead. Between the trees, light from a campfire flickered through the woods. Hope sparked in my chest. One of them had to be awake at least to keep the fire going for his long.

I motioned for my troop to fan out. Spiders could still be surrounding this place and we simply couldn't risk being taken off guard. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as we moved forward. Above me, a branch creaked followed by the soft hiss of a spider. A shiver tickled my spine and I drew an arrow. It did matter how many times I had heard it or how many of them I killed, I would never get used to the noises they made.

I caught its movement out of the corner of my eye, drew an arrow, notched it, and fired all in one fluent motion. "Spiders!" I called out as it fell. It hit the branch I was standing on and I nearly lost my balance as the branch jolted under its weight. I grabbed a branch and pulled myself up higher, scanning our surroundings.

Eyes glinted the moonlight on all sides of the campsite, the only thing keeping them back was the fire, which, I realized with growing horror, had grown bigger than it was originally intended. It must have caught onto something laying out nearby.

The presence of another spider eased into my awareness and I quickly aimed and fired, shooting a second one down before the first could splatter the ground.

It fell with a screech. Others around them joined it as my unit took them out one by one. I jumped back down, killing two more before making for the campsite. If the fire grew too big...

I spotted Legolas immediately, laying in a crumpled heap beside the scorching flames. I rushed over to him, pulling him away.

Dolenel was beside me a moment later, taking one glance at the prince before running back towards the fire.

He screamed and I looked over as he pulled something away from the growing inferno. A body. He continued to call out desperately for someone to help, but I couldn't leave the prince. The flames grew and he backed away further, dragging the burning body with him. Flames had caught the soldier's clothing.

I moved towards them, pulling the prince over my shoulder and bringing him along with me. We needed to get out of here. Screeches from dying spiders echoed above the crackling pops of the blaze.

The flames grew in closer to the other injured soldiers. If we moved them away, the spiders would get them, and if we left them here, the flames would. We were trapped in the shadow between the crackling light and the screeching darkness. I turned to Dolenel who stood several yards behind me, his brother draped across his shoulders.

"Help me get them further out but still within the light's reach. We can't move out until the spiders have retreated." He seemed paralyzed. The sweltering heat bore down on us, dry and raging. Sweat stuck my shirt to my skin "Dolenel! That was an order!"

He looked at me, then did as he was told, laying his brother down to pull the others away. Though loathe to leave him, I followed my own order and laid Legolas down. The prince didn't move but I didn't have the time to worry over it right then.

Soldier after soldier we pulled away, patting down the flames that managed to catch. The sounds of the battle taking place in the trees slowly died down, but the flames only grew. I coughed in the smoke as I pulled another soldier out.

"All clear, Captain!" A voice called and I let out a breath of relief. Four soldiers dropped from the trees beside me and I quickly ordered them to move the injured further into the woods.

Under the protection of the other six in the trees, we moved the injured out of harm's way. We would have to make litters to get them all home, but that would take time we didn't have where we first found them.

"Where is he?" Dolenel's voice rang out. I looked over to see him running from one solder to the other. "Where's Pethon? Where's my brother?"

I moved over to him. Surely he just missed him in his exhausted state. I searched every face, praying to find him among them. The flames roared behind us. Anyone left behind wouldn't stand a chance.

"Pethon!" he called out and took off at a run, straight for the flames. I grabbed him by the arm, but he struggled out of my grasp, pulling his arm free. He ran and I chased after him, grabbing him and pulling him to the ground. He fought, a feral spark glinted behind his eyes.

"It's too dangerous," I told him. I knew he didn't care, but saying it was partially for my own benefit. Tears stung my eyes as I held him to the ground, heat waving over us.

A tree fell, crashing into the fire and sending a rain of sparks into the air before the flames licked them up. All view of where the campfire had been was washed from sight.

"No!" Dolenel screamed. He tried to turn on his side as he clawed at the dirt, desperately trying to get back to his brother. Tears slipped from my eyes as I held him there. There was nothing I could have done. There's nothing I could have done. There's nothing I could have done.

The heat grew quickly and I called one of the others over to help me pull him away. We couldn't stay much longer.

He continued to fight at first, but before long his exhaustion overcame him and I was able to lead him myself. Most of the others carried the injured while a few watched the perimeter. I took the lead and we began our mad rush to get back to the stronghold.

Dolenel collapsed a few hours later. We placed him on one of the larger stretchers and keep on. We were about two days out. I wasn't sure how many of them would even make it that long.

I pushed us along far into the following night, afraid to stop and learn who might have passed while we helplessly walked. There was nothing we could do in the field for the poison now. They were too far gone.

"Captain," a soldier, Caleth said. I turned towards her. "Captain, Dolenel is waking and many of the others won't make it if we keep this pace. I think we should stop and rest for a few hours."

I looked to see Dolenel shifting on the litter. I called for a halt as he opened his eyes. They lowered him down and I came and knelt beside him. He sat up, wiping his eyes and pushing his hair back from his face.

"Captain Thaladir," he said and an uneasy feeling appeared in my gut. "What are you doing here? What happened? Where is Captain Legolas?"

I tilted my head. "You don't remember? There was a spider attack, Dolenel. You came calling for aid late last night."

His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. He looked around wildly. "Oh, Valar... Oh, Valar, please no." He tried to stand but I held him down gently.

"Easy, Dolenel. It's going to be alight. I need you to stay with me." He nodded, looking over my shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of those behind me. I sighed. "Dolenel, look at me. Tell me what you remember."

He shook his head. "Spiders, so many spiders and then it was so hot. A fire? Was there a fire?" I nodded and he bobbed his head. "It was so hot. And then I remember being held down... Pethon. Where's Pethon?" the frenzied look came back into his eyes. 

"You!" he cried and lashed out with his arms. "You let him die! You killed him!" He struggled to grab me, but I caught his hand . "I could have saved him! You kept me from him!"

"Dolenel, the fire was too big. You would have been killed if I had let you back in there."

His body trembled as he shook his head. "No, no, no I could have saved him. I could have pulled him out. I could have gotten through. I--"

"Dolenel," I said, but he continued to mutter, his trembling body rocking back and forth. I continued speaking to him, trying to break past the wall of shock in his mind. Hours passed before he finally went limp, exhaustion winning out again.

I laid him back on the stretcher and sat back, surveying the rest of the camp. A small fire had been made and a kettle of tea brewed beside it. I poured myself a mug, realizing in the process that my own hands shook.

Caleth came and sat beside me. "We've done all we can for them, Captain," she reported. "We haven't lost anymore as of right now, but I fear they won't all make it back." She paused. "Captain, the Prince..."

My blood ran cold as her words fell away. "What is it? Speak."

She drew herself up and stood. "You had best come see him. We don't know how long he's been able to hold out."

I stood, the mug falling from my hands. I didn't bother with it though and I followed her to one of the litters. Legolas lay there, his skin blackened from the soot aside from his face and around a few injuries on his arms. His face was stark white against the ash, his lips, bloodless. He looked dead.

White terror flashed through me at the thought and I rushed over him, placing my fingers on his neck for a pulse. A light thump hit the tips of my fingers and I let my shoulders slump as I closed my eyes.

Finally, I looked back up to Caleth. "How bad is it?"

She sighed. "He's endured more poison than the rest. He was stabbed in the side by a stinger and lost a lot of blood. We couldn't get a response from him. And..." her words dropped off.

I cleared my throat. "And?"

"Captain, When we went to clean his wounds, his blood..." She drew herself up, stealing her expression. "His blood had traces of black in it. We think the darkness may have infected him."

The world spun at her words. Bleeding darkness? I had only seen that happen to a handful of soldiers who had been stung so many times they were nearly unrecognizable and they passed shortly after. I laid a hand on the prince's brow, wishing it was burning with fever rather than so cold.

"How long does he have?" I forced the question out. We would leave immediately if we had too. We had to save him.

"I don't know, Captain. I have never dealt with this kind of illness before. He likely doesn't have very long though. Maybe a day or two?"

I nodded and stood. "We move out in a half an hour. We won't stop again until we reach the stronghold."

She stood beside me and saluted before passing the order along. I moved over to the fire, dumping the remained of the tea on it then stomping out the remaining coals.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. The trees slowly grew greener and more friendly and we passed the border as the morning dawned. We sped up with the sunlight, eager to get our ailing comrades home.

Dolenel slept through the morning and into the afternoon. He woke about an hour before we reached the gates and insisted on walking. I kept him close, not trusting him to keep his head just yet. But he stayed silent, staring at the ground as we made our way. His sudden calmness worried me more than the panic ever did as the shock set in.

I let him be for now. I could help him deal with the loss later. For now, I needed to keep us from losing another one.

Before long, elves began to peer out of trees. They gasped, horrified at the sight of us. A call went up and word was sent ahead to the stronghold. Despite knowing aid was on its way, we kept going, every step drawing us closer to the help they so desperately needed.

Finally, the gates appeared thought the lush canopy. We crossed the bridge, feet dragging as the tension slowly gave way at the sight of the fortress. Elves swarmed us. Healers immediately taking the injured from our grasps. I watched as they carried the prince away, a healer yelling for the king to be sent for at once. Valar, please let him live.

One by one the litters disappeared into the halls. I stood, unsure of what to do first. Then a healer came over to me. "Are either of you injured, Captain?"

I shook my head. "I am alright, thank you." She nodded and turned to the elf beside me. I had forgotten Dolenel had been following me. She asked him the same question and he mumbled an answer. She looked over to me and I shook my head, letting her know I would take care of him. She nodded and moved onto the rest of my unit.

I turned back to Dolenel. He stood with his head bent low. I carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, his eyes clear and jaw set. "You will pay for this, Captain. I will see my brother avenged."

With that, he pulled away and turned, marching out of the courtyard and brushing past anyone who tried to stop him. I watched him go. It was only grief that brought him to say such things, but they still left me stunned.

Raw guilt bled in my chest. He blamed me. To him it didn't matter if I could have done anything or not. I told myself I wasn't to blame over and over, but it didn't stop the lump that formed in my throat or the tears that built up my eyes. My friend's brother was dead, and if he needed someone to blame, it would be the least I could do.