Summary: Legolas makes a vow that binds his and Aragorn's fates. "You are worth any and all sacrifices that are given for you. Do not mar the memory of those sacrifices by making them burdens of guilt upon your heart, but think of them instead as gifts." NO SLASH.

Disclaimer: I am nothing but a lowly fan of the great Tolkien with a bit too much enjoyment of writing. The following fic is only borrowing the characters for use in carrying out my twisted little ideas.

A/N: Returning to the lovely land of LotR for a while as I try to escape the ickyness of real life. This fic is inspired by Cassia and Sio's Mellon Chronicles, and like MC, Legolas and Aragorn are friends even before the War of the Ring. This fic is actually pre-WotR, by at least ten years.

Most of the words in Sindarin used in this are internally translated, meaning that the next English word/phrase immediately after anything in Sindarin is what that Sindarin word means. (Elvish word. English translation.) The only exceptions are:

mellon nín- my friend

Ada- "Dad"

peredhil- half-elven

gwador nín- my sworn brother

Well, hope you enjoy!

The Bond between Brothers

By guardyanangel

Aragorn sighed softly as he sidestepped a tree, grey eyes studying his surroundings cautiously. It had been a calm day in Rivendell, which was surprising considering that Legolas had just arrived, and the presence of both he and Aragorn combined often spelled disaster.

Well, perhaps Legolas' visit had not escaped the standard prerequisite of injury, reflected Aragorn as his right arm throbbed painfully. He had just returned from another voyeur with the Rangers, having been brought back to Lord Elrond's home at his men's insistence, for he had taken much injury in an orc fight not long before, and was still recovering.

He had to admit that it was good to return home, for Imladris was still the peaceful land it had been when he left it. It remained untouched by the stains of the Shadow that was spreading quickly over the rest of Arda. He had felt doubly blest when he found that his best friend was coming to visit.

But Legolas had seemed strained once he arrived, and this unease only seemed to increase once he saw Aragorn and heard the story behind his injuries. Granted, the elf had at surface level seemed to be just as happy and relaxed upon his return to Rivendell as he usually was, but the ranger knew him well, and recognized that something was amiss. When the wood-elf had mysteriously disappeared from the house after the lunch hour was concluded, Aragorn knew that he had to find him, and he was pretty sure he knew where.

So, now he was heading towards a small clearing not far from the Last Homely House, a place where both he and Legolas had spent much of their time practicing archery, sparring, or merely talking. It was their own personal haven within the haven of Imladris. If Legolas was troubled here, that was where he was likely to go.

Sure enough, he saw the blond hair of his friend in one of the trees as he broke out into the clearing. The elf seemed to be staring at nothing, and for a moment Aragorn thought that he might be sleeping.

"Legolas?" he called quietly.

The elf shifted, turning his gaze to the human, one eyebrow piqued questioningly.

The ranger approached the base of the tree, his eyes still on the elf, his worry evident. "Man trasta le, mellon nín? What troubles you?"

Legolas averted his eyes, turning to stare at something the human could not see. He was silent for so long that Aragorn was about to repeat the question. However, when he opened his mouth, the elf finally spoke.

A soft murmur, drifting down from the treetop, "You were hurt."

Not an unexpected comment, although Aragorn suspected there was more to it. Nonetheless, "Ada says that I will recover unscathed."

"Iston. I know," Again the elf was silent, until, "But one day, you will either take a hurt that you shall not get up from, or you shall become so aged you will not wish to stand up again. Either way, you shall die, someday."

Ah, so that was the truth of it. Aragorn's heart reached out as he heard the elf's grief. "Aye," he stated softly, "But that is not this day. And I pray it shall not be any day soon."

"It will always feel too soon for me," responded the elf truthfully, "Live you 10 years more, or even 100. Mortal lives always seem to go so quickly in the eyes of elves."

A soft sigh, and then Legolas slipped out from the tree. Aragorn approached him, squeezing his shoulder gently. Legolas clasped the man's hand for a moment.

"Sometimes I envy your peredhil kin." Legolas murmured. "Had I known somehow before I came into existence that I would come to have such a bond with you, I would have found a way to be born as one of your brothers so I could choose the mortal way and be with you, gwador nín."

"I would not have asked you to make such a decision," Aragorn murmured, his heart heavy with the thought, for he knew of another elf who wished to make the same sacrifice for him.

"The decision would have been made long before you thought to dissuade me otherwise."

"Legolas..."

"Aragon, you are my brother in all but name. Believe me when I say that I know you are worth me choosing that path. You are mortal, and when the time comes it may be that you and I are separated until the end of all days. I do not wish that to happen, not after all we have been through and all that we will be going through."

"Wishing changes nothing, Legolas. No matter how much we will it to be otherwise, you are of the Firstborn and I am not. I would not have you giving up your immortality for me. You are meant to be unchanging, Legolas. Endless. I will not take that away from you."

"Unchanging? Gwador nín, if that were true then neither of us would be standing here at this moment. It is not usual for an elf to suffer the company of a human for anything other than business. You have changed me, Aragorn, and I do not doubt that it was for the better. I embrace the change." he smiled slightly, before some other thought robbed the joy from his face, replacing it with a pensive look. "And endless? Nay, all things have an end. My mother has been gone from Middle Earth for centuries, as have my forefathers and, sadly, a few dear friends. Elves are not endless, Aragorn. We are killed. We sail. All beings depart from Middle Earth. It merely takes a little longer for the elves to reach the end."

"Aye, and I would not deny you a moment of immortal life until that end. I would that you would sail, Legolas. Elves were not meant to pass in the mortal way, dying of sickness or age or being killed, and the last is ever a looming possibility for you when with me."

"Foolish human," came the soft response, "You think that I would leave you here alone to face the Shadow? Nay. I will not leave Middle Earth until your time has ended, after the Shadow is defeated and you have brought peace to the lands by claiming your birthright. I swear to be with you so long as you draw breath. I shall not leave you for the Undying Lands, Aragorn."

Aragorn shut his eyes, sighing deeply. After a moment, he opened them again, looking piercingly into his best friend's eyes. "You cannot make such an oath, Legolas. You do not know if there will be something that will befall you that would make you rue it, but never break it for want of keeping it nonetheless. I cannot allow you to take such a risk."

"It is my risk to take, and I vow to take it. I do not care if I have to suffer through something akin to ten lifetimes of pain. I, Legolas Greenleaf Thranduilion, make an oath now to you, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, also known as Estel of the house of Lord Elrond and Strider, Ranger of the North. I swear that I shall not take the path of my people to Valinor until you have drawn your final breath. I swear to fight by your side if ever you have need of me, until every enemy is slain or until I am. I swear that my bow and my friendship are forever yours. I swear this to you on the blood of my people, on the good of the light, and on my own immortal soul."

He paused for a moment before drawing out a small knife and making a neat incision in his right hand. Gently, he took Aragorn's hand and did the same to him. Then he pressed their hands together so the blood mingled. Legolas met Aragorn's eyes and whispered the final words of the vow in Elvish. "The sharing of our blood finalizes the vow and makes it official in the eyes of the Valar. My oath has been made. I will stay with you, my brother, until your dying day or mine."

He held Aragorn's hand there for a moment longer before releasing it and tending quickly to the light wound. Then he turned his attentions to his own hand, busying himself with the cleansing and wrapping of the injury.

"Legolas..." Aragorn finally managed, "You should not have done that, gwador nín."

"It is done, and I do not regret it. I never will. Trust me, Aragorn. You are worth any and all sacrifices that are given for you. Do not mar the memory of those sacrifices by making them burdens of guilt upon your heart, but think of them instead as gifts given freely and with love, and feel grateful for them."

Aragorn allowed the words to sink in for a moment before reaching out to embrace the elf, "Hannon le. Thank you, Legolas. I cherish that which you have given to me."

"You are welcome, Aragorn. I am thankful that you honor my decision."

"I respect and love you too much to do anything else."

Legolas smiled warmly, drawing back and clasping the ranger's shoulder. Then, he cast a glance in the direction of the house.

"Your brothers draw near. I believe they have come to fetch us for supper. "

"Has the time passed that quickly? It seemed to me to still be not long past the lunch hour," Aragorn mused. He studied his surroundings- indeed, the day had grown darker, and a light chill was beginning to settle in. It was nearing night- he could feel the lingering darkness, tinged with malevolence, beginning to fall in, and inadvertently shuddered.

Legolas, seeing this, threw one arm companionably around the man's shoulders. "Come, mellon nín," he stated gently, "Let us see what foods we shall be feasting on this night in the comfort and light behind Rivendell's walls. The Shadow cannot touch us there yet."

Aragorn nodded, and the two headed in the direction of the house, arms slung around each other's shoulders in a picture of fellowship: Two friends- nay, two brothers- ready to face any dangers, side by side.

A/N: Now that you've read, I just wanted to add that I kinda stole an idea of Cassia and Sio's: the blood sharing bit. Those who have read their story Between Darkness and Dawn will know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who haven't, just know that 'Legolas making a small cut on each of their palms and then pressing their hands together' is NOT my idea, although the significance behind it in this story is.

Thank you for reading! Please review if you have time. :)

~Guardy