Aragorn was tired. He had been down here, near where the men were digging out the tunnel, for hours now. Progress was being made, but so far there was no sign of Legolas or Gimli. They had no idea how far into the blocked cavern the friends were, and there was always the possibility that they were sitting unharmed further into the caves, giving each other fits about being trapped. But the man's senses were screaming that this was not the case. That sixth sense had never proven wrong….he hoped this would be the first time.

Working as quickly as safely possible, the men were scrambling about the shadowed tunnel. Rocks were being loaded into carts which had been brought to remove the debris that was being dug out of the tunnel ahead. Having very little experience in these matters himself, Aragorn was feeling rather useless at the moment. Looking up, he saw Captain Arnien walking towards him. The man had a grim look on his face.

“My king, you should take some rest. It may be many hours before we find anything. If Lord Legolas or Lord Gimli are injured, they will need your skills, and you will be of no aid to them if you are exhausted.”

Aragorn knew his captain was right. It was now late in the night, and he decided would not go back to the palace. He did not want to be that far away from news when it came. Nodding at the stern looking man before him, the king moved back towards the storage rooms and finding a cot set up there, lay down and soon fell into a troubled sleep.

ooo

Noise of some kind caused Gimli to wake, and he struggled to open his eyes. Once he had managed the difficult feat, the dwarf could not understand why he could not see; there was only darkness. The agonizing pain in his leg quickly reminded him that he was trapped in the darkness with Legolas, waiting to be rescued. Legolas! Gimli realized he had let go of the elf’s hand while he had been asleep.

“Legolas?” Gimli spoke into the darkness, his hand searching amongst the rubble on the floor for his friend. The elf had not moved from his previous position, and this troubled the dwarf greatly. Laying a hand on his friend, Gimli shook him gently, “Legolas! Wake up. Come, my friend, you cannot sleep all day!” Or night, the dwarf thought, knowing instinctively that hours had passed while they were unconscious in the blackness of the collapsed cavern.

Getting no response from his friend, Gimli frowned. This is a fine kettle of fish! he mused. After not seeing his friend for a year, he was reunited with Legolas to end up in this mess? The last few days had seemed like old times; Legolas was no longer so seriously haunted by the sea. Their bantering had risen to new heights, and even Aragorn had joined them in some of the spirited discussions the past couple of evenings.

There it was again, a grating noise. Gimli’s heart rejoiced…he knew that sound! Rock was being moved. Someone was coming for them. It might still be awhile before they made it through, but they were coming and that was enough. Listening to the sound and how it echoed around him, the dwarf realized the cavern was still quite open. Perhaps, the cave-in was not as bad as he had originally thought. He was sure the floor would be covered in the rubble from the ceiling collapsing, but there was a feel of open air around him, thankfully free of most of the dust which had choked him earlier. It had been many hours indeed if the dust had begun to settle.

Trying to ignore the pain shooting, no, screaming in his leg, Gimli reached again for Legolas’ hand and settled back down to wait some more, knowing that soon he could call out and he would be heard.

ooo

“King Elessar? My lord, wake up.” Aragorn struggled back to alertness. Blinking his eyes open, he found himself looking up at Captain Arnien. He immediately sat up, throwing off the last vestiges of sleep.

“What is it? Have you found something?” Aragorn questioned the man before him anxiously.

“Yes, my lord. We have broken into a cavern. It may be awhile yet before we can actually get in there. The men digging informed me that as soon as they got a small hole open, they were able to hear Lord Gimli calling out.” The captain stopped speaking when his king jumped up and headed towards the rescuers at a run.

Aragorn’s heart was racing as he was led to where the small opening had been made in the pile of rocks shutting the cavern off from the tunnel. He could hear voices coming from ahead, and when he reached the place, the men surrounding it stepped back, allowing the king to speak to his friend.

“Gimli! What happened? Are you alright? Is Legolas with you?” The ex-ranger could not stop the questions from tumbling out of his mouth. He had to force himself to pause for a response.

A voice came back faintly through the small opening. “Aragorn? By Mahal! About time you showed up, lad.” The dwarf’s voice was strained and Aragorn immediately sensed he was in pain. “Legolas is here, but he is unconscious. He got hit on the head pretty hard. I was able to stop the bleeding, but I cannot do much, stuck as I am.”

“Stuck?” Aragorn called. “Are you hurt?”

“Aye.” The answer echoed back to the man, and the king cringed, dreading to hear how badly his friends had been injured. “It would seem my leg is trapped under a boulder and I believe it is broken. A few bruises and scrapes. All considered, I’m just happy to be alive at the moment.” There was relief in the dwarf’s voice, and hope.

“And what of Legolas? Anything other than the head injury?” Aragorn wanted to be prepared to treat the two as soon as the way was cleared enough for him to squeeze through.

“I cannot examine him very well, Aragorn. I can only reach so far. I am concerned since he has not awakened since he was struck. That was hours ago.” The man could hear the fear and concern in the dwarf’s voice.

Realizing he was now hindering the rescuers by being in the way, the man quickly offered some encouragement. “Hang on my friend. We will get you out of there and patched up shortly.” Moving back out of the way, he allowed the men continue working unhindered. It would take some more time, but now there was much cheerfulness among those working. The subjects of their search had been found...alive.

A little less than an hour later, the men had made the opening large enough for someone to slip through and Aragorn entered first, carrying a torch, his healing pack slung over his shoulder. Captain Arnien joined him while the others continued with the rock removal.

“Keep speaking, Gimli. Where are you?” Aragorn called out, searching for any sign of his friends in the rock and boulder strewn cavern.

“Over here,” a tired, pained voice called.

Aragorn moved towards the sound, but he came to a stop as the light from his torch illuminated two figures not far in front of him. Gimli was lying on the floor surrounded by broken pieces of stone, a rather large boulder pinning his left leg to the ground. There was blood coming from underneath the rock, and Aragorn feared the limb might be crushed. He could not imagine the amount of pain Gimli was in at the moment, but he was immediately thankful Aulë had made the dwarves so hardy. Gimli, while in considerable pain, was conscious and coherent.

Moving closer, Aragorn felt his heart stop and his breath catch in his throat. The elf behind Gimli looked like death. Never had he seen Legolas look so pale and gray! The man quickly took in the sight of his friend: face bruised, eyes shut, a lot of blood in his hair. The elf was lying on right side facing Gimli, a large rock on the ground behind him… Aragorn hoped that was not what had hit his friend’s head.

The man moved quickly and knelt down next to the elf, reaching out to check for a pulse. He resumed breathing when he actually found one. Though it was not strong, it was steady.

“Aragorn?” Gimli asked, obviously fearful now that he could actually see his companion and the severity of his injuries.

“He’s alive.” Aragorn replied, looking up and placing a hand on the dwarf’s shoulder. Footsteps behind him brought the man around on his heels to face Arnien. “Get some of the men in here to remove this boulder and bring the supplies for splinting back with you,” he told the captain.

Arnien spun back around, moving quickly back to the enlarging opening through which they had entered. Aragorn watched him a moment, then turned to meet Gimli’s eyes.

Speaking softly, he offered what comfort he could at the moment. “Would you like something for the pain.” He was surprised, but thankful, when the dwarf nodded.

“Only after you’ve seen to Legolas.” The dwarf was quick to add and the man nodded.

Turning back to examine the unconscious elf, Aragorn was displeased by what he found.

Legolas had multiple bruises, some severe, along with several abrasions and a gash on his lower left leg. In fact, all of the significant injuries Aragorn found were on the elf’s left side. There were two cracked ribs, the arm was broken above the elbow. The hip was severely bruised and possibly broken as well. Carefully easing the elf on his back, the man checked the right side to find only some light bruising. It appeared as though Legolas had been hit, possibly by the large rock behind him, after he had fallen on his side. Thankfully, this probably meant the rock was not what had knocked the elf unconscious.

So far, all of these injuries, while not minor, were not that disabling for an elf. They would heal quickly with proper care. Aragorn adjusted Legolas cautiously, so that he could see the head wound.

“How bad is he, Aragorn? Do not try to spare me, I want the truth. I can handle it.” Gimli was anxious for some information.

“Two cracked ribs on the left side. The left arm is broken, possibly the left hip as well.” Aragorn responded as an experienced healer, detached and calm. His manner seemed to ease the dwarf’s mind somewhat. As the king continued probing the large gash on the back of Legolas’ head, his stomach turned as he realized the extent of the injury.

“Ai, Gimli, this is not good,” Aragorn spoke suddenly, startling the dwarf next to him. Looking up, the man frowned at his friend, trying to remain calm. Still, his voice broke as he spoke again.

“His skull is fractured, Gimli.”

TBC