Comforting and New Kinds of Pain
"Aragorn?" Legolas asked softly as he walked over to his friend, and stood beside him, looking into the forest beside the fellowship's campsite. Aragorn did not notice Legolas, nor did he hear him, he stood, arms crossed, his mind far off, his expression a frown, and a sad glint in his stormy gray eyes.
"Estel?" Legolas asked again, this time referring to Aragorn's elvish name, and softly tapped him on the shoulder. This time, Aragorn snapped out of his daze and looked to Legolas quizzically.
"You were doing it again." Legolas spoke in elvish, concerned.
"Doing what?"
"Drifting off...you do that every time something...bad had happened. Would you like to talk about it instead? Just like old times, young Estel." Legolas half-teased.
"Young? Oh, Legolas, only to elves, and in fact, yes, if you hadn't noticed, something bad did happen! Gandalf fell! He died!" Aragorn stated, irritated. But Legolas just nodded sadly.
"Aye, I know, Estel." Aragorn looked sharply at Legolas.
"Is that all you have to say? I know? What is wrong with you? Do you not care that Gandalf has died?!" Aragorn said harshly and Legolas winced.
"Aragorn, I do care, Gandalf was like a father to me, always giving me wise advice, teaching me life's lessons and mysteries, and saving me from orcs and spiders when you were not there. But Mithrandir sacrificed himself for us, the fellowship, he would want us to stay together, he wouldn't want the fellowship to break, like we are doing right now. Gandalf knew that something was going to happen, something bad, do you not think that that is why he appointed you as our leader? Aragorn, your name is Estel, is it not?" Aragorn nodded.
"Yes, that is my elvish name."
"And it means 'hope', does it not?" Again, Aragorn nodded.
"Well, Estel, you are our hope, you are the only one who can help us back up on our feet, and bring us back together in this dire time. If you were to stop caring, the fellowship would fall for sure! So please, my friend, stay strong, for this quest...for this broken fellowship." Aragorn stared at Legolas for a minute, then put his hand on Legolas' shoulder.
"You know, Legolas, by saying that, you comfort me...yet some parts lay a heavy burden on my heart and mind." Aragorn smiled.
"But I accept this new challenge. Thank you, Legolas, mellon nin." Aragorn said, reverting back to the common language. Legolas smiled, his smile not reaching up to his eyes like usual, Aragorn noted.
"I did nothing, just refreshed your memory is all." Legolas bowed slightly, and proceeded to walk deeper into the forest. But Aragorn's voice stopped him.
"Legolas." Legolas looked back.
"I am sorry, my friend, for my harsh words earlier, I lashed out at you in my moment of anger, forgive me, it was not my place." Legolas smiled slightly.
"Mellon nin, there is nothing to forgive." Then, Legolas walked away. Aragorn reminded himself to find some time to talk to Legolas about his own feelings later, then he went back to the fellowship, who were sitting around the fire, and started to unpack.
Frodo was sitting in front of the fire, while Sam was consoling Frodo about Gandalf's fall, Boromir was standing guard, at the edge of the campsite, while reflecting on the fellowship. Gimli was sitting beside the fire, polishing his axe, but his mind somewhere else, and Merry was unpacking his own bedroll, while small tears were falling from his face. Aragorn felt for the hobbits, they were still so small and innocent, they never even knew that such evil ever existed, but here they were, volunteering to go against the most evil enemy in Middle Earth, and to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn was also aware that Gandalf was a good friend and mentor to the hobbits, especially Frodo, then, Aragorn's thoughts drifted off to Legolas.
"Aragorn, I do care, Gandalf was like a father to me..." Aragorn remembered Legolas saying.
'If Gandalf was like a father to Legolas, being there for him when it was necessary, then why is Legolas...not showing any emotions...why is he hiding?' Then, Aragorn sighed as he remembered the reason.
"Elven pride." Aragorn muttered to himself. Suddenly, Merry cried out, and everyone's attention focused on Merry.
"Where's Pip?" Merry asked, panicked.
"He probably went to look for some mushrooms." Sam said thoughtfully.
"Well, Pip would never go on a mushroom hunt without me, so he probably needs time alone...poor Pippin..." Merry said sadly, and returned to his unpacking. So, the fellowship relaxed, and drifted off into their own thoughts again.
~~~Meanwhile~~~
Legolas walked around the forest, trying to clear his mind, truth was, he wasn't okay, not at all, inside, he was breaking down. Legolas had so much sorrow and pain in his heart and mind, with no idea how to lift it. Suddenly, Legolas stopped walking, and a thought struck him, he climbed up a tree, and sat on one of the highest branches. Then, the Mirkwood Prince sang, he poured his heart out into the song, the lament for Gandalf...his thoughts and feelings. Legolas' melodic voice floated throughout the forest, the trees were swaying softly, the stars shone brightly, and back at the campsite, the fellowship also heard the song. They were mesmerized by the voice.
"Legolas..." Aragorn whispered.
"He sounds so sad...so sad..." Frodo said softly
"What does he sing about?" Sam asked. Aragorn listened more, he closed his eyes and sighed, then, when he opened them again, the fellowship could see tears in his eyes. "Our elven friend sings about Gandalf...some parts of it is a lament for him, the other parts..." Aragorn sighed again.
"He sings about his thoughts...his feelings of pain and sorrow...he speaks so strongly about his grief, it is overwhelming. Legolas' heart bleeds...if you could only understand his words...it is truly heart-breaking." The fellowship grew quiet, their hearts going out to Legolas.
"I never knew the elf could sing." Gimli commented.
"Aye, and with such a hypnotic and beautiful voice." Boromir added. Aragorn nodded.
"Few have heard Legolas sing...we are lucky to have heard his voice...yet even few have heard Legolas sing about his thoughts. In this entire world, Legolas has the most beautiful and musical voice, it surpasses the beauty of the Lady Galadriel."
~~~Elsewhere~~~
Pippin was wandering the forest, trying to comfort himself about Gandalf, he was also listing to Legolas' song, and even though he had no idea what Legolas' words were, Pippin had an idea of what it was about, considering the sad melody. Suddenly, the song ended, and Pippin could hear a low, growling sound beside him, just behind the bushes. Pippin grew frightened, and turned towards the direction back to the fellowship, and he started to run. But not two seconds later, Pippin found himself trapped under a warg's enormous and heavy body, with its teeth inches away from Pippin's face.
Pippin squirmed uselessly, trying not to get eaten, he wanted to call for help, but found not the strength, for the warg was crushing his lungs. The warg snarled and opened its mouth, planning to bite off Pippin's head, when suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself into the warg's back. The warg howled in pain, and searched angrily for the source of the arrow, but before it could, the warrior jumped down from the trees and shot one more arrow into the warg's face. It died instantly, whimpering once, and fell down on its side. Pippin looked up, and smiled widely at the familiar face.
"Legolas! You saved me!" Pippin yelled excitedly. Legolas smiled in return, and walked over to the fallen Pippin. But then, Legolas stopped abruptly, he sensed danger, but he turned around too late. Another warg sprinted into the area, and grabbed hold of Legolas' shoulder in its mouth, and threw him against a nearby tree. Legolas cried out in surprise and pain, as black dots started to fill his vision. Pippin's face immediately changed from relief to horrified.
"Legolas!" Pippin could see the warg advancing on Legolas to finish the job, so he took a fairly large sized rock, and flung it at the beast's head. The warg instantly turned around to Pippin and pounced on him, and Pippin, once again, found that he could not breathe. Legolas slowly got up from his position, and reached for his bow, wincing as his injured shoulder, and arm was stretched. He drew an arrow, notched it, with no care for his bloody arm, and released it with great accuracy, and the arrow embedded itself into the beast's neck.
The warg, however, did not die instantly, with its last ounce of strength, it ran straight to Legolas, and knocked him against the tree, putting pressure against his injured shoulder and ribs. Legolas gasped in pain, and five seconds later, the warg died, Legolas was released from its head-butt, and fell onto the ground with a thud. Pippin recovered from his previous shock, and ran to Legolas.
"Legolas?! Master Legolas?! Wake up!" Pippin yelled frantically at the injured elf. Legolas opened his eyes and smile weakly.
"I'm alright, Pippin, I'll recover. Now, let's head back to the camp, before the others worry."
"You've lost a lot of blood, Legolas! We should take care of your wound first, before you bleed yourself to death!" Pippin said, very concerned. Legolas looked at his shoulder and nodded.
"Alright, just try to stop the bleeding, and do no more." Pippin nodded, ripping off a strip of his cloak, and holding it against Legolas' bitten shoulder. Legolas winced in pain, but said nothing.
"Y'know, master Legolas, I thought I was going to die when the first beast attacked me, but then you saved me!" Legolas, not wanting to say anything right now, only nodded.
"And now, you're hurt...it's all my fault! First Gandalf, now you! I should just leave the fellowship, it's probably better that way. Yea..." Pippin mumbled partly to himself. Legolas looked at Pippin, surprised.
"You bl-blame yourself...why?" Pippin turned his gaze to the ground.
"Be-because it was my fault! If I hadn't been so nosy, I wouldn't have made the skeleton and the bucket fall down the well in Moria, then the orcs and the fire monster wouldn't have found out about us in there, then Gandalf wouldn't have died!" Pippin said all in one breath.
"And now, if I hadn't wandered off here and gotten myself into this wolf- monster danger, you wouldn't have come to rescue me, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt! If it wasn't for me, we would still be back in the campsite with the others, safe and uninjured!" Pippin said, his voice raising louder and louder, his eyes wide. Legolas stared at Pippin for awhile, then his face softened.
"Master Peregrin, none of that was your fault! What happened in Moria was an accident! What happened here just now? Accident! You didn't mean to make the skeleton fall, did you? Did you want to attract the orcs and goblins?" Pippin shook his head.
"Exactly, it was an accident! And the Balrog would have noticed us anyway. It matters not if we traveled quickly and quietly, it would've found out about us sooner or later. Balrogs are very fierce and alert, especially the one we encountered, since it has been trapped underground for this whole time! Pippin, I was the careless one here, if anyone is to blame, I am." Legolas sighed.
"Pippin, you are innocent, I am the one who has done wrong. Back in Moria, I shouldn't have stayed behind, I should've went to help Gandalf fight the Balrog! And maybe if I was even a bit close to Gandalf when he was gripping onto the edge, I should have ran to him and helped him back up! But I didn't, Pippin, none of us did...that is because Gandalf didn't want us to, he was prepared, he knew the risks, he knew something was to happen to him, he knew what was to transpire."
"What do you mean, Legolas? Gandalf knew he was going to fall?"
"I know not of that, but he knew that something was going to happen to him, or why do you think he passed he leadership onto Aragorn? Why do you think he willingly let go of the ridge? It was destiny, Master Peregrin Took." Pippin stared at Legolas, not knowing what to say.
"And about just now, it was my own mistake, I was not alert, I did not sense the warg's presence, I could've gotten it, but I let my own guard down, and I suffered the consequences. As for you wandering off out here, I am sure that you were seeking solace, you are trying to clear your mind and lift your sorrows from your soul...as am I." Pippin nodded his head.
"I keep thinking that Gandalf is alive...I miss him so much, Legolas!" Pippin said as tears formed in his eyes.
"Pippin, Gandalf is gone, he's really gone, there's no if or whatever, Gandalf's physical body is gone, but his spirit still lingers in this world...I believe that Gandalf will help guide us to Mordor, where he will watch over us as Master Frodo throws the accursed ring into the first of Mount Doom. Then, when the task is complete, and when he sees Aragorn become king of Gondor, you, Merry, Sam, and Frodo safe and happy again, and when Middle Earth is finally at peace, Gandalf's spirit will really depart from this world, and be at peace himself."
"Then his spirit is trapped in this world?" Pippin asked.
"I wouldn't say trapped, I'm sure that this is what Gandalf wants..." Legolas replied, as Pippin wrapped his shoulder gently, but not too skillfully.
"Legolas, don't you miss Gandalf?" Legolas nodded sadly, as he was hit by a wave of memories from his past with Gandalf.
"Aye, I do, Pippin...he was like a father to me, aiding me in my life, he has always gotten me out of tight spots...if not him, then Aragorn...if I lost both of them, I'd be devastated, and would spend the rest of my immortal life pondering why the Valar would be so cruel, as to erase the happiness of this world." Pippin finished binding the wound and sighed.
"I heard you singing earlier, before I was attacked." Legolas looked down, a tinge of red creeping into his cheeks.
"It was so sad, master elf, why did you sing so sadly? It almost made me cry...you really do miss Gandalf, don't you." Legolas smiled grimly.
"Of course I do, but do not worry, Pippin, everyone will recover from Gandalf's death some day soon...just try not to think about him, and I'm sure it'll be fine."
"You really think so?"
"Yes, I do, you'll all recover, I'm sure." Pippin smiled and nodded.
"Well, I think we should head back to the camp now, the other might be wondering where we are right now." Legolas nodded and got up. But as soon as he did, a sharp pain from his shoulder, and a wave a nausea hit him, and brought Legolas down to his knees, gasping in pain.
"Legolas!" Pippin cried out and immediately rushed to Legolas' side.
"Legolas, are you alright? Legolas?" Legolas slowly looked up to Pippin, his vision swimming around in his eyes, and managed a slight nod. Pippin set Legolas back onto the ground, against the tree.
"I'll be right back, I'm going to look for a big stick." Pippin said and rushed away. Not a minute later, Pippin arrived back with a big tree branch almost taller than Pippin's height.
"Here, try to get up slowly now." Legolas nodded.
"Yes...I...I can walk...it is my shoulder that is slightly injured, not my legs, let's go now." Pippin nodded and slowly, he and Legolas started to walk slowly back towards the campsite.
~~~Meanwhile~~~
Aragorn suddenly stopped all movement, and stared at the night sky.
'Was that lightning? Did I just imagine that?' Aragorn's question was answered when a loud rumble sounded in the distance. The rest of the fellowship ceased all movement as well, as they jumped slightly at the sudden sound.
"A storm is coming." Boromir stated.
"Aye, come, let us go and look for a shelter, I saw a cave a few leagues ahead." Aragorn said.
"What about Pippin? And Master Legolas?" Merry asked, concerned for the safety of both his comrades.
"I'm sure that Pippin will be alright, if he heard that thunder, he would go and find a shelter. As would Legolas, I'm sure he is old enough to take care of himself." Aragorn said, half teasing about Legolas.
"How old is Master Legolas anyway?" Sam asked curiously.
"For that, you will have to ask him yourself, I do not know the exact number, but I do know that Legolas has lived for more than two centuries, he is nearing his third century." Aragorn said, and laughed at the sudden expression from Sam.
"I...I thought that he was just about a thousand years old or younger! But...he's...he's almost three thousand years old! Wow!" Sam said, awed. Aragorn laughed.
"Come now, Sam, on to packing up, we don't want to be here when the rain comes."
~~~Elsewhere~~~
As Legolas walked more, the pain in his shoulder worsened, he knew there was either some kind of poison or the wound was infected. But Legolas didn't complain, nor did he stop, he just kept on going, supported by a stick and Pippin. They had heard the thunder, and was headed towards a cave that Legolas saw a few miles back. Once Pippin and Legolas arrived in the cave, Legolas collapsed onto his knees, he closed his eyes, as he felt sick in his stomach.
"Legolas?" Legolas heard his name, but it sounded so far away...but with all his strength, he opened his eyes and was met by the concerned eyes of Pippin.
"Yes...I...I can't..." Pippin nodded.
"I know, but we're here, let's go deeper into the cave, okay? Just a bit more." Legolas gulped, slowly got up again, and walked into the deeper part of the cave.
"Legolas! Look! It's a tunnel! There's a passageway leading somewhere down there!" Legolas weakly peered into the tunnel connecting to the cave.
"Let's just stay here, evil lingers beyond this point of the cave, I feel its presence." Pippin shuddered involuntarily, reminded of the depths of Moria, gulped, and nodded. Together, they walked closer to the entrance and set Legolas down onto the ground, against the cave wall.
"I'll go get some sticks, before the rain comes." Legolas wanted to protest, but found no strength, so he could only nod weakly. Pippin smiled lightly and ran off into the trees once again, with every passing second, Legolas felt weaker and more pain. Suddenly, Legolas' body went limp, and he finally succumbed to the blissfulness of unconsciousness.
TBC...
A/N: Whoa! It's so long! It's the longest chapter I've ever done in my entire life! LOL! Well, yea, this story is filled with angst, but not every sentence of the story is filled with Legolas angst! LOL! That'd be crazy! Yea, but anyway, so, how'd you guys think of this chapter so far? Please review this chapter! If no one reads it, then I won't update the next chapter! Hee hee! MUAHAHAHAHAH! Okay, I'll shut up now, anyway, yes, PLZ review me! Constructive criticism and nice comments are DEFINITELY welcome! LOL! =D I'll try to update soon, but because of schoolwork and all, I'm not gonna be able to update every day. So, yea, review review review! =D
"Aragorn?" Legolas asked softly as he walked over to his friend, and stood beside him, looking into the forest beside the fellowship's campsite. Aragorn did not notice Legolas, nor did he hear him, he stood, arms crossed, his mind far off, his expression a frown, and a sad glint in his stormy gray eyes.
"Estel?" Legolas asked again, this time referring to Aragorn's elvish name, and softly tapped him on the shoulder. This time, Aragorn snapped out of his daze and looked to Legolas quizzically.
"You were doing it again." Legolas spoke in elvish, concerned.
"Doing what?"
"Drifting off...you do that every time something...bad had happened. Would you like to talk about it instead? Just like old times, young Estel." Legolas half-teased.
"Young? Oh, Legolas, only to elves, and in fact, yes, if you hadn't noticed, something bad did happen! Gandalf fell! He died!" Aragorn stated, irritated. But Legolas just nodded sadly.
"Aye, I know, Estel." Aragorn looked sharply at Legolas.
"Is that all you have to say? I know? What is wrong with you? Do you not care that Gandalf has died?!" Aragorn said harshly and Legolas winced.
"Aragorn, I do care, Gandalf was like a father to me, always giving me wise advice, teaching me life's lessons and mysteries, and saving me from orcs and spiders when you were not there. But Mithrandir sacrificed himself for us, the fellowship, he would want us to stay together, he wouldn't want the fellowship to break, like we are doing right now. Gandalf knew that something was going to happen, something bad, do you not think that that is why he appointed you as our leader? Aragorn, your name is Estel, is it not?" Aragorn nodded.
"Yes, that is my elvish name."
"And it means 'hope', does it not?" Again, Aragorn nodded.
"Well, Estel, you are our hope, you are the only one who can help us back up on our feet, and bring us back together in this dire time. If you were to stop caring, the fellowship would fall for sure! So please, my friend, stay strong, for this quest...for this broken fellowship." Aragorn stared at Legolas for a minute, then put his hand on Legolas' shoulder.
"You know, Legolas, by saying that, you comfort me...yet some parts lay a heavy burden on my heart and mind." Aragorn smiled.
"But I accept this new challenge. Thank you, Legolas, mellon nin." Aragorn said, reverting back to the common language. Legolas smiled, his smile not reaching up to his eyes like usual, Aragorn noted.
"I did nothing, just refreshed your memory is all." Legolas bowed slightly, and proceeded to walk deeper into the forest. But Aragorn's voice stopped him.
"Legolas." Legolas looked back.
"I am sorry, my friend, for my harsh words earlier, I lashed out at you in my moment of anger, forgive me, it was not my place." Legolas smiled slightly.
"Mellon nin, there is nothing to forgive." Then, Legolas walked away. Aragorn reminded himself to find some time to talk to Legolas about his own feelings later, then he went back to the fellowship, who were sitting around the fire, and started to unpack.
Frodo was sitting in front of the fire, while Sam was consoling Frodo about Gandalf's fall, Boromir was standing guard, at the edge of the campsite, while reflecting on the fellowship. Gimli was sitting beside the fire, polishing his axe, but his mind somewhere else, and Merry was unpacking his own bedroll, while small tears were falling from his face. Aragorn felt for the hobbits, they were still so small and innocent, they never even knew that such evil ever existed, but here they were, volunteering to go against the most evil enemy in Middle Earth, and to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn was also aware that Gandalf was a good friend and mentor to the hobbits, especially Frodo, then, Aragorn's thoughts drifted off to Legolas.
"Aragorn, I do care, Gandalf was like a father to me..." Aragorn remembered Legolas saying.
'If Gandalf was like a father to Legolas, being there for him when it was necessary, then why is Legolas...not showing any emotions...why is he hiding?' Then, Aragorn sighed as he remembered the reason.
"Elven pride." Aragorn muttered to himself. Suddenly, Merry cried out, and everyone's attention focused on Merry.
"Where's Pip?" Merry asked, panicked.
"He probably went to look for some mushrooms." Sam said thoughtfully.
"Well, Pip would never go on a mushroom hunt without me, so he probably needs time alone...poor Pippin..." Merry said sadly, and returned to his unpacking. So, the fellowship relaxed, and drifted off into their own thoughts again.
~~~Meanwhile~~~
Legolas walked around the forest, trying to clear his mind, truth was, he wasn't okay, not at all, inside, he was breaking down. Legolas had so much sorrow and pain in his heart and mind, with no idea how to lift it. Suddenly, Legolas stopped walking, and a thought struck him, he climbed up a tree, and sat on one of the highest branches. Then, the Mirkwood Prince sang, he poured his heart out into the song, the lament for Gandalf...his thoughts and feelings. Legolas' melodic voice floated throughout the forest, the trees were swaying softly, the stars shone brightly, and back at the campsite, the fellowship also heard the song. They were mesmerized by the voice.
"Legolas..." Aragorn whispered.
"He sounds so sad...so sad..." Frodo said softly
"What does he sing about?" Sam asked. Aragorn listened more, he closed his eyes and sighed, then, when he opened them again, the fellowship could see tears in his eyes. "Our elven friend sings about Gandalf...some parts of it is a lament for him, the other parts..." Aragorn sighed again.
"He sings about his thoughts...his feelings of pain and sorrow...he speaks so strongly about his grief, it is overwhelming. Legolas' heart bleeds...if you could only understand his words...it is truly heart-breaking." The fellowship grew quiet, their hearts going out to Legolas.
"I never knew the elf could sing." Gimli commented.
"Aye, and with such a hypnotic and beautiful voice." Boromir added. Aragorn nodded.
"Few have heard Legolas sing...we are lucky to have heard his voice...yet even few have heard Legolas sing about his thoughts. In this entire world, Legolas has the most beautiful and musical voice, it surpasses the beauty of the Lady Galadriel."
~~~Elsewhere~~~
Pippin was wandering the forest, trying to comfort himself about Gandalf, he was also listing to Legolas' song, and even though he had no idea what Legolas' words were, Pippin had an idea of what it was about, considering the sad melody. Suddenly, the song ended, and Pippin could hear a low, growling sound beside him, just behind the bushes. Pippin grew frightened, and turned towards the direction back to the fellowship, and he started to run. But not two seconds later, Pippin found himself trapped under a warg's enormous and heavy body, with its teeth inches away from Pippin's face.
Pippin squirmed uselessly, trying not to get eaten, he wanted to call for help, but found not the strength, for the warg was crushing his lungs. The warg snarled and opened its mouth, planning to bite off Pippin's head, when suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself into the warg's back. The warg howled in pain, and searched angrily for the source of the arrow, but before it could, the warrior jumped down from the trees and shot one more arrow into the warg's face. It died instantly, whimpering once, and fell down on its side. Pippin looked up, and smiled widely at the familiar face.
"Legolas! You saved me!" Pippin yelled excitedly. Legolas smiled in return, and walked over to the fallen Pippin. But then, Legolas stopped abruptly, he sensed danger, but he turned around too late. Another warg sprinted into the area, and grabbed hold of Legolas' shoulder in its mouth, and threw him against a nearby tree. Legolas cried out in surprise and pain, as black dots started to fill his vision. Pippin's face immediately changed from relief to horrified.
"Legolas!" Pippin could see the warg advancing on Legolas to finish the job, so he took a fairly large sized rock, and flung it at the beast's head. The warg instantly turned around to Pippin and pounced on him, and Pippin, once again, found that he could not breathe. Legolas slowly got up from his position, and reached for his bow, wincing as his injured shoulder, and arm was stretched. He drew an arrow, notched it, with no care for his bloody arm, and released it with great accuracy, and the arrow embedded itself into the beast's neck.
The warg, however, did not die instantly, with its last ounce of strength, it ran straight to Legolas, and knocked him against the tree, putting pressure against his injured shoulder and ribs. Legolas gasped in pain, and five seconds later, the warg died, Legolas was released from its head-butt, and fell onto the ground with a thud. Pippin recovered from his previous shock, and ran to Legolas.
"Legolas?! Master Legolas?! Wake up!" Pippin yelled frantically at the injured elf. Legolas opened his eyes and smile weakly.
"I'm alright, Pippin, I'll recover. Now, let's head back to the camp, before the others worry."
"You've lost a lot of blood, Legolas! We should take care of your wound first, before you bleed yourself to death!" Pippin said, very concerned. Legolas looked at his shoulder and nodded.
"Alright, just try to stop the bleeding, and do no more." Pippin nodded, ripping off a strip of his cloak, and holding it against Legolas' bitten shoulder. Legolas winced in pain, but said nothing.
"Y'know, master Legolas, I thought I was going to die when the first beast attacked me, but then you saved me!" Legolas, not wanting to say anything right now, only nodded.
"And now, you're hurt...it's all my fault! First Gandalf, now you! I should just leave the fellowship, it's probably better that way. Yea..." Pippin mumbled partly to himself. Legolas looked at Pippin, surprised.
"You bl-blame yourself...why?" Pippin turned his gaze to the ground.
"Be-because it was my fault! If I hadn't been so nosy, I wouldn't have made the skeleton and the bucket fall down the well in Moria, then the orcs and the fire monster wouldn't have found out about us in there, then Gandalf wouldn't have died!" Pippin said all in one breath.
"And now, if I hadn't wandered off here and gotten myself into this wolf- monster danger, you wouldn't have come to rescue me, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt! If it wasn't for me, we would still be back in the campsite with the others, safe and uninjured!" Pippin said, his voice raising louder and louder, his eyes wide. Legolas stared at Pippin for awhile, then his face softened.
"Master Peregrin, none of that was your fault! What happened in Moria was an accident! What happened here just now? Accident! You didn't mean to make the skeleton fall, did you? Did you want to attract the orcs and goblins?" Pippin shook his head.
"Exactly, it was an accident! And the Balrog would have noticed us anyway. It matters not if we traveled quickly and quietly, it would've found out about us sooner or later. Balrogs are very fierce and alert, especially the one we encountered, since it has been trapped underground for this whole time! Pippin, I was the careless one here, if anyone is to blame, I am." Legolas sighed.
"Pippin, you are innocent, I am the one who has done wrong. Back in Moria, I shouldn't have stayed behind, I should've went to help Gandalf fight the Balrog! And maybe if I was even a bit close to Gandalf when he was gripping onto the edge, I should have ran to him and helped him back up! But I didn't, Pippin, none of us did...that is because Gandalf didn't want us to, he was prepared, he knew the risks, he knew something was to happen to him, he knew what was to transpire."
"What do you mean, Legolas? Gandalf knew he was going to fall?"
"I know not of that, but he knew that something was going to happen to him, or why do you think he passed he leadership onto Aragorn? Why do you think he willingly let go of the ridge? It was destiny, Master Peregrin Took." Pippin stared at Legolas, not knowing what to say.
"And about just now, it was my own mistake, I was not alert, I did not sense the warg's presence, I could've gotten it, but I let my own guard down, and I suffered the consequences. As for you wandering off out here, I am sure that you were seeking solace, you are trying to clear your mind and lift your sorrows from your soul...as am I." Pippin nodded his head.
"I keep thinking that Gandalf is alive...I miss him so much, Legolas!" Pippin said as tears formed in his eyes.
"Pippin, Gandalf is gone, he's really gone, there's no if or whatever, Gandalf's physical body is gone, but his spirit still lingers in this world...I believe that Gandalf will help guide us to Mordor, where he will watch over us as Master Frodo throws the accursed ring into the first of Mount Doom. Then, when the task is complete, and when he sees Aragorn become king of Gondor, you, Merry, Sam, and Frodo safe and happy again, and when Middle Earth is finally at peace, Gandalf's spirit will really depart from this world, and be at peace himself."
"Then his spirit is trapped in this world?" Pippin asked.
"I wouldn't say trapped, I'm sure that this is what Gandalf wants..." Legolas replied, as Pippin wrapped his shoulder gently, but not too skillfully.
"Legolas, don't you miss Gandalf?" Legolas nodded sadly, as he was hit by a wave of memories from his past with Gandalf.
"Aye, I do, Pippin...he was like a father to me, aiding me in my life, he has always gotten me out of tight spots...if not him, then Aragorn...if I lost both of them, I'd be devastated, and would spend the rest of my immortal life pondering why the Valar would be so cruel, as to erase the happiness of this world." Pippin finished binding the wound and sighed.
"I heard you singing earlier, before I was attacked." Legolas looked down, a tinge of red creeping into his cheeks.
"It was so sad, master elf, why did you sing so sadly? It almost made me cry...you really do miss Gandalf, don't you." Legolas smiled grimly.
"Of course I do, but do not worry, Pippin, everyone will recover from Gandalf's death some day soon...just try not to think about him, and I'm sure it'll be fine."
"You really think so?"
"Yes, I do, you'll all recover, I'm sure." Pippin smiled and nodded.
"Well, I think we should head back to the camp now, the other might be wondering where we are right now." Legolas nodded and got up. But as soon as he did, a sharp pain from his shoulder, and a wave a nausea hit him, and brought Legolas down to his knees, gasping in pain.
"Legolas!" Pippin cried out and immediately rushed to Legolas' side.
"Legolas, are you alright? Legolas?" Legolas slowly looked up to Pippin, his vision swimming around in his eyes, and managed a slight nod. Pippin set Legolas back onto the ground, against the tree.
"I'll be right back, I'm going to look for a big stick." Pippin said and rushed away. Not a minute later, Pippin arrived back with a big tree branch almost taller than Pippin's height.
"Here, try to get up slowly now." Legolas nodded.
"Yes...I...I can walk...it is my shoulder that is slightly injured, not my legs, let's go now." Pippin nodded and slowly, he and Legolas started to walk slowly back towards the campsite.
~~~Meanwhile~~~
Aragorn suddenly stopped all movement, and stared at the night sky.
'Was that lightning? Did I just imagine that?' Aragorn's question was answered when a loud rumble sounded in the distance. The rest of the fellowship ceased all movement as well, as they jumped slightly at the sudden sound.
"A storm is coming." Boromir stated.
"Aye, come, let us go and look for a shelter, I saw a cave a few leagues ahead." Aragorn said.
"What about Pippin? And Master Legolas?" Merry asked, concerned for the safety of both his comrades.
"I'm sure that Pippin will be alright, if he heard that thunder, he would go and find a shelter. As would Legolas, I'm sure he is old enough to take care of himself." Aragorn said, half teasing about Legolas.
"How old is Master Legolas anyway?" Sam asked curiously.
"For that, you will have to ask him yourself, I do not know the exact number, but I do know that Legolas has lived for more than two centuries, he is nearing his third century." Aragorn said, and laughed at the sudden expression from Sam.
"I...I thought that he was just about a thousand years old or younger! But...he's...he's almost three thousand years old! Wow!" Sam said, awed. Aragorn laughed.
"Come now, Sam, on to packing up, we don't want to be here when the rain comes."
~~~Elsewhere~~~
As Legolas walked more, the pain in his shoulder worsened, he knew there was either some kind of poison or the wound was infected. But Legolas didn't complain, nor did he stop, he just kept on going, supported by a stick and Pippin. They had heard the thunder, and was headed towards a cave that Legolas saw a few miles back. Once Pippin and Legolas arrived in the cave, Legolas collapsed onto his knees, he closed his eyes, as he felt sick in his stomach.
"Legolas?" Legolas heard his name, but it sounded so far away...but with all his strength, he opened his eyes and was met by the concerned eyes of Pippin.
"Yes...I...I can't..." Pippin nodded.
"I know, but we're here, let's go deeper into the cave, okay? Just a bit more." Legolas gulped, slowly got up again, and walked into the deeper part of the cave.
"Legolas! Look! It's a tunnel! There's a passageway leading somewhere down there!" Legolas weakly peered into the tunnel connecting to the cave.
"Let's just stay here, evil lingers beyond this point of the cave, I feel its presence." Pippin shuddered involuntarily, reminded of the depths of Moria, gulped, and nodded. Together, they walked closer to the entrance and set Legolas down onto the ground, against the cave wall.
"I'll go get some sticks, before the rain comes." Legolas wanted to protest, but found no strength, so he could only nod weakly. Pippin smiled lightly and ran off into the trees once again, with every passing second, Legolas felt weaker and more pain. Suddenly, Legolas' body went limp, and he finally succumbed to the blissfulness of unconsciousness.
TBC...
A/N: Whoa! It's so long! It's the longest chapter I've ever done in my entire life! LOL! Well, yea, this story is filled with angst, but not every sentence of the story is filled with Legolas angst! LOL! That'd be crazy! Yea, but anyway, so, how'd you guys think of this chapter so far? Please review this chapter! If no one reads it, then I won't update the next chapter! Hee hee! MUAHAHAHAHAH! Okay, I'll shut up now, anyway, yes, PLZ review me! Constructive criticism and nice comments are DEFINITELY welcome! LOL! =D I'll try to update soon, but because of schoolwork and all, I'm not gonna be able to update every day. So, yea, review review review! =D