Thanks for reading and sorry about the slow updates! I've just gone back to school after Summer :( so I don't have as much free time to write! I might not be updating again for a bit, sorry! I'm not giving up on this story though, don't worry!

Legolas climbed from the ditch beside the human. When Aragorn approached him, he shook his head.

"No. You shouldn't have to carry me everywhere. You're injured too. I know, I've seen you tending it when you think I'm asleep or not looking. I'll walk for a bit."

Aragorn was surprised that the elf had noticed his wound. He had honestly thought that Legolas had been asleep all those times. Clearly, he was wrong. Making a quick decision, he replied hesitantly.

"Ok, but if you feel any pain or tiredness at all, you must tell me, alright?"

Legolas just smiled. "It's not like I'm going to snap."

Aragorn smiled ruefully, glad that Legolas was opening up again.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" He joked, then stopped when he saw that those words brought back bad memories for the elf. He kicked himself mentally.

"Sorry Legolas, I didn't mean to..." his voice trailed off. He would have to be more careful with what he said to the elf in future.

"Let's go." Was all the elfling said in return.

It turned out that Legolas couldn't go as far as he would have liked to; only an hour later, he was being carried along again, feeling rather awkward. It wasn't like he was a weight to Aragorn - indeed, the human was worried about how light the elf was; he was hardly there at all! And yet for how skinny the child was, he refused to eat, claiming that if he did, he would be sick. So Aragorn had decided that he would wait until they reached Rivendell, where his father could take care of things.

When Aragorn paused to catch his breath and tend both of their wounds, the sky was dark, so he lit a small fire and set up a camp. To his immense surprise, Legolas was keen on helping him, clearly feeling guilty that he had been unable to help previously. He refused to show the human the pain it caused him and asked cautiously if Aragorn would show him how to build a fire.

Aragorn obliged, and soon they had a large blaze set in the centre of the clearing they were in. Aragorn was impressed at the elf's skill; his nimble fingers had easily built up a small pyramid, much neater than Aragorn's clumsy, but effective, work, and had struck a spark without hesitance.

Really, Aragorn thought proudly, he is doing so well with this.

A muttered curse came from Legolas when his fingers touched the fire. "Ow! I didn't know it was going to bite me!" Aragorn grinned. "It's not biting you Legolas, it's burning you. It's hot."

Legolas' cheeks reddened. "Oh." Then he suddenly seemed to forget his embarrassment and sat, rigid, listening intently. It sounded like... footsteps. But not elven footsteps; these were accompanied by soft clicks and there seemed to be a lot of pairs of feet approaching.

But what was most terrifying was that they were coming from all directions. Legolas and Aragorn were surrounded.

Legolas grabbed the human's arm. "There's s-something out there! We're surrounded and - and it's not elves!" He whispered urgently into Aragorn's ear, hating the way his voice shook.

As Aragorn drew his sword, Legolas silently pulled a dagger from the human's belt. Just in case.

They backed away, pressing against a tree until there was nowhere left to run. Legolas, trapped behind Aragorn in order for the human to protect him, was shaking within silent sobs. Aragorn desperately wished to comfort him, but he too had heard the sounds now, and unlike Legolas, he recognised them. Spiders.

As he watched, four huge spiders dropped from trees around the clearing. Their legs bristled with repulsive hairs and their terrifying, hand-length pincers clacked ominously. Four sets of eight eyes glittered and glimmered in the firelight, reflecting a red glow which made them seem to be alive with their own menace and evil. Legolas gave a low whimper of fear, but stopped himself when he saw it was distracting his companion. He felt so utterly, unbearably helpless.

The spiders approached slowly, cautiously, thirty-two eyes fixed on the man, standing tall with his sword drawn, and the elfling crouched behind him, dagger clutched to his chest. They looked at Aragorn like competition.

They looked at Legolas like prey.

Suddenly, all four spiders charged the human at once. Or at least, that was what it looked like. Three spiders charged the human. The other charged Legolas, who scrambled away, further behind Aragorn. Unfortunately, that was what the spider wanted, because it had just completed its task and turned to the human. Another broke off from the main battle and loomed over the elfling from behind, lowering itself over him.

Legolas looked up, screaming as the spider bit down hard on his neck, then sliding down the trunk of the tree, half conscious, and watched as Aragorn quickly dispatched the spider with a slash of his blade. Two down. Two to go.

Turning, Aragorn stabbed at another spider. He was so locked in the fierce combat however, that he did not see or hear the last spider approaching him from behind.

Legolas, however, even half-drugged by the spider venom, did. Standing unsteadily, he threw himself, blade first, at the spider just as it lunged for the unsuspecting human. The dagger caught fast in the beast's open mouth and it dropped to the ground, twitching, curling in on itself. Then it was all over and the monster was dead.

When Aragorn finally turned around, victorious and searching for the fourth spider, he was horrified to see Legolas practically hanging from the dead spider's mouth, hands clenched in a death-grip on the handle of a dagger. My dagger.

Aragorn gently lifted the elf from the dead creature's jaws, prying his hands from the hilt of the weapon.

He killed it. For me.

Aragorn was overwhelmed with gratitude. Legolas had risked his life to save Aragorn's, and paid for it.

The spider bite was deep and surely painful, but not deadly. Aragorn guessed that Legolas would be unconscious for a few days at maximum.

Scooping up the elf once more, Aragorn continued as fast as he could, snatching his dagger from the dead spider as he did so. As soon as the scouts saw this, they would instantly know that Aragorn had been there. He had to put as much distance between himself and that place as possible before they did find it. And follow his trail from there.

✧ ★ ✧

Dawn was breaking, and Aragorn was exhausted. The elfling still hadn't woken, and the human's injured leg was making it a struggle to continue. As soon as dawn arrived, Aragorn allowed himself a break.

He didn't allow himself long, however. He had to keep going. It was strange, really. He was sure that the edge of the forest was closer to the palace than this. He should have reached it days ago.

And those spiders...

He must be heading South. Even in the tiny clearings he'd found, the sun had been hidden. It made sense, after all. Spiders in Mirkwood were only seen this far South; for now, the wood elves managed to keep the evil creatures at bay. Well, Aragorn was starting to think that the wood elves were evil creatures themselves! At least, their king was. He had assumed that everyone else was blissfully unaware of how the King treated his own son.

Aragorn's suspicions of their location were confirmed when, a few miles on, he came to an overgrown road through the forest. The old forest road! At least Aragorn knew where he was now. Turning right along the road, he corrected his course and headed straight for Rivendell.

Well, Ada, Thranduil is... interesting. I'm coming home, and I'm bringing a guest.

Thank you for reading! Just a reminder that I'm busier now so the updates will unfortunately slow down :(

Comments and votes are, as always, much appreciated.

Also please spread the word and tell other people about this story! I would love it to spread further :)

Next Chapter: Aragorn and Legolas reach the edge of Mirkwood, but things don't go exactly to plan!

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