Beastly || Legolas

sixteen

Namir's infection grew worse. By the time night fell he was rosy with fever and skin slick with sweat. Despite the poultice Sigrid had covered the arrow wound in, the wound itself was yellow with puss and the skin irritated a bright red. It throbbed and the fiver made his body ache so badly that he couldn't help but let out a soft whimper in pain every few minutes. Eyes closed and limbs twitching as the fever addled his mind. The sweat sticking the hair to his forehead and his skin was blazing to the touch. Fili and Kili had wrestled him out of the shirt to check his wound and his skin gleamed in the candle light.

"He is really sick", Bofur muttered. He rested his hand on Namir's head and pulled away hastily. "Shit he's burning. I know skin-changers apparently run warmer than other races but he feels like a fire".

"Let me get to his bandages", Bifer grunted, pushing the other dwarf out of the way. He began unwrapping the cloth covering Namir's abdomen. "What did you use?" The question was directed at Sigrid.

The girl looked worried. Tilda was clinging to her skirts and Bain was lingering at her side, the three children eyeing Namir in concern. "It was just a basic Charcoal and Yarrow mixture to sooth the wound", She stuttered.

"Is he going to die?" Tilda asked in a small voice. "Mama had a fever like that and she died".

"He's not going to die", Bard reassured her. He ran a hand over her head, ignoring the stifled whimpers of pain coming from Namir.

"His fever came on to sudden", Fili spoke up. The young skin-changer was thrashing slightly now, nails trying to scratch at the wound. Fili and Kili was holding an arm each to stop him from harming himself further. "There must be something wrong".

Bifer had pulled back the bandages and grimaced at the puss and yellow toned skin around the wound. He sniffed, face grim. "It's poison".

"He's been poisoned?" Bofur exclaimed.

"Those elves poisoned him?" Kili scowled angrily. In his nest of blankets on the floor, Namir was crying. The man barely conscious and muttering weakly.

"No, no, no. They did not mean it. No. It's hurts". His voice was shaky with great heaving gasps as he thrashed in the dwarves' grip. Nails scratching into their leather coats and sharp teeth gritted with pain.

Bofur sniffed at the wound again and grimaced. "Mistletoe. Some other plants. It's a slow acting poison probably not designed to be used on people. Either that or Skin-changers have a more natural resistance to poisons. It is not a poison I am familiar with".

Outside, the sky had grown dark. Night had fallen and the town was growing quiet. Suddenly a great rumbling echoed over the sky. Dust fell from the ceiling as the house shook. Everybody's eyes widened as they looked up. Namir whimpered like a scared kitten. "Da?" Sigrid asked. Bard was suddenly pale.

"It's coming form the mountain", Bain stated. But they all knew without him having to say it. The dragon had awoken.

"You should leave us", Fili spoke to the family. "Take your children. Get out of here". At his feet, Namir shook and gasped, body desperately trying to fight off the poison in it's system.

He blinked open dazed eyes, just conscious enough to understand what was going on. "You should go too", the words were quiet, soft but firm. "Skin-changers are beasts. It takes a lot to kill us. I'll burn through this poison eventually. It's happened before".

"You've been poisoned before?" Bofur asked.

Namir bared his teeth in a weak but still feral grin, wincing as his whole body shuddered again. "Father. Once. His body burned for almost two weeks. Got it out of his system. I won't die".

"You might not die but we cannot have you weakened with fever for two weeks", Bifer replied. "Your father may have been lucky but you can't count on that with yourself. We need to get the poison out sooner rather than later".

"You should go", Namir repeated with a gasp.

"And go where?" Bard's voice held a note of fear. "There's nowhere to go".

"Da", Tilda stepped away from her sister and towards her father. Her face pale and her brown eyes teary. "Are we going to die, Da?"

"No daling".

"The dragon, it's going to kill us?"

Bard looked up at the metal pole embedded into the rafters from which all their dried herbs hung. He wrenched it sharply loose and plaster broke off around it as he pulled it down. The herbs all falling to the floor. In his hand was a long iron arrow, long enough that when stood on the floor the tip reached the top of the man's leg. The whole thing was made from metal, from the welded curve of the pointed tip to the spikes at the end. Bard gripped it tightly, face becoming determined. "Not if I kill it first".

He turned to the door with a swish of his coat. "Bain. Come with me. Sigrid, Tilda. You two stay with the dwarves. They will protect you". At the last words, he turned his gaze to Fili and Kili. Both brothers nodded and Bard was sweeping from the house, Bain running after him.

They hadn't been gone long, less than half an hour before Bain was bursting back in. He was alone. "What do you need?" he asked, watching Namir shake with wide eyes.

"Kingsfoil", Bifer grunted. He was trying to stem the blood flow from the wound. It was bleeding again, the poison not allowing it to congeal and close the wound.

"Kingsfoil?" Sigrid repeated in confusion. "But we feed that to the pigs. It's a weed".

"Bofur!" Fili ordered. Bofur jumped and raced out of the door in search. Bifer pressed down on the wound and Namir yowled sharply. His teeth flashing on display as he hissed instinctively at what was causing him pain. Cat's eyes wide.

"I've got it!" Bofur shouted as he burst back in. The open door let in a waft of fresh air and Namir's eyes widened as he inhaled. Above their heads, wood creaked.

"Orcs!" The word left his lips in a cry. Eyes wild and still dazed with fever but now sudden fear made him tremble. "I smell Orcs!"

That was when the door burst open and the girls screamed. "Bofur!" Fili shouted as the or lunged at them. The blonde dwarf vaulted over the table, drawing his sword as he went. Bofur ducked under. He threw the kings foil to Bifer before drawing his own blade. Another orc burst through the window next to Tilda and the girl shrieked. She threw a bowl at the creature just as Sigrid pulled her under the table. Bofur leaping over to slash at the orc. Bain was near the kitchen area, a large knife in his hand as he faded orcs back.

"Look out!" Namir cried, eyes widening as two more orcs fell through the ceiling. One landed on the table above the girls, while the other landed a few feet away from where Namir was lying defenceless on the floor. Bifer dropped the kingsfoil and charged at the orc as Kili leapt at the one on the table. There was a crash as the table turned over and two more Orcs came through the door.

Namir pushed himself up onto one elbow and held out a hand. The two girls fled to him. Tilda half hiding behind his back while Sigrid pulled him up to half lean on her shoulder. He grabbed a poker from next to the stove and gripped it weakly. His arm had no strength but somehow he still managed to hold it out between them and the orcs despite the blackness creeping around the edges of his vision. One orc used the distraction of the dwarves to rush at him and Namir managed to hit the creature heavily over the head with the poker. The orc fell over and he hit it a couple more times for good measure, until there was black blood oozing from it's cracked skull.

He sagged back to lean on Sigrid, chest heaving with the effort. The poker clattered as his fingers lost his grip. His body finally lost the battle against unconsciousness and he could feel himself slipping under. The last thing he was aware off before he passed out, was the scents of forests. Trees and honey. "Legolas", his lips moved just as the elf dropped through the ceiling. Tauriel bursting through the door. Then Namir was unaware of anything else.

unedited