Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, or any characters associated with them; They belong to their rightful owner J.R.R. Tolkien. We just borrow them to play. *winks*
My Elvish sucks. Tolkien forgive me. *sobs*

A/N: I'm back with another LotR fanfic! :D This time it'll just be a set of drabbles/short stories, surrounding Legolas and Aragorn encountering different elements. Each chapter will revolve around a specific element, and stand alone as a one-shot. Hopefully this turns out well enough. I'm starting with the element earth. Also, this was actually the second chapter I wrote, but I decided to make it the first chapter. ;)

If my Sindarin is wrong, do not be rude about it. Please either politely correct me, or kindly tell me what does not exist and I will replace it with English/edit the scene. Thanks

• Mellon nín: "My friend"

• Le hannon: "Thank you"

• Namárië: "Farewell" (Quenya)

Earth

Climbing mountains was nothing new to Legolas and Aragorn, but the two hardly found it fun having to do so whenever a mountain presented itself that they must climb. And it was even more frustrating when, in fact, they had not needed to climb the mountain to begin with. How Legolas had allowed himself to be talked into this adventure to begin with was beyond him.

Ah, that's right, Legolas was thinking about Aragorn here. And Aragorn could talk an oliphaunt out of it's tusks. And he could certainly talk one elven prince into almost anything, if he leant his ear for just a moment to listen - like he had unfortunately done this time.

Looking up where they were currently clinging to, Legolas could see his friend just ahead. They were climbing a portion of the mountain that was grueling, as it was a sheer drop and thus, they were climbing straight up. "Estel, do you see any end to this portion of the mountain?" He questioned.

"Why are you asking me? You are the one with elf eyes." Aragorn shot back, gripping a particularly sharp rock. He changed his grip and pulled himself up, putting his booted foot in the same rock he'd been holding a moment earlier. Even with a boot protecting his foot, the rock was still sharp and pushing painfully into the sole of his foot.

"At the moment, all I see is a ranger's rear." Had he been just a tiny bit braver, he might have said something a bit less kind, but the very real fear that his father would somehow hear of the words the prince wished to use kept his tongue at bay. And with Aragorn, it wasn't impossible the man would use those words against him later while in the presence of his father.

Aragorn had thought the same thing, as a wide grin broke out across his face when he knew the elf had very dearly wanted to say something very unkind to the ranger. He laughed quietly, and when he looked down below him he could see the look Legolas was aiming his way. If only looks could kill...

"Alright, if you think you can find us a better path than the one we are currently on, come up and take my place ahead." Aragorn had no more said the words than the lithe Wood-elf had climbed his way up beside Aragorn, and then quickly found his footing and went ahead further, now taking the lead.

Aragorn blinked, then looked up to see the back side of his elven friend. "If I did not know any better, I would say you were a rock elf, if there were ever such a thing." He had to dodge as broken bits of rock came falling on his face. "You did that on purpose!" He cursed, unafraid of Legolas hearing his own curses. Unlike Aragorn, the elven prince would be too prideful to repeat such a word to lord Elrond.

Glancing down at him from above, Legolas smirked. "I would do no such thing, Estel. It was an accident."

"I would think as an elf, you would be able to lie just a little bit better, considering how many years you have to practice the art of lying. But you, my friend, are a terrible liar." Aragorn huffed, shaking his head to shake loose the debris that had fallen on his head from the elf above him.

Legolas' musical laughter that came after that made Aragorn smile despite his frustration. He really did love his friend, even if the elf could be annoying at times. But he figured it was all he deserved for the misadventures the two would wind up in because of Aragorn, like the one they were currently in.

"Remind me why we are climbing this mountain again, mellon nín." Legolas questioned to change the subject, climbing with ease while Aragorn struggled to keep up with the Wood-elf.

"Because," Aragorn panted, stopping to wipe sweat from his brow before he continued to climb behind his friend. "There is rumor of a treasure within this mountain somewhere, though that is as much information as I could gather. Apparently no one is certain of what exactly the treasure is, but I thought it would not hurt to check."

"Rumors are not the best leads to follow, Estel." Legolas sighed, but he was probably almost as curious as Aragorn as to what the treasure could be, if no one had managed to get it before them. And not many people could climb mountains like Legolas and Aragorn, especially if they feared heights or the creatures that might call this mountain home.

"In this case, they were the only leads. Besides, there are worse things we could be doing." Aragorn reasoned, moving up to where he was just under Legolas' left foot. Here there was at least a ledge where he could ease the bottoms of his feet on more even ground. He could also loosen his grip and give his hands a second to recover before he continued the climb up this side of the mountain.

The elf paused and looked down at Aragorn dubiously. He was about to ask what could be worse than what they were doing when his keen elven hearing caught the sound of something he had been silently praying he wouldn't hear. His head jerked up, and all too soon he seen the rocks that were sliding down right for him. "Aragorn!"

"What is it?" Aragorn called back, trying to see past Legolas. Then even his own human hearing picked up the sounds, and he knew there was no way he or Legolas would be able to escape the rock slide in time. The elf didn't even need to think. He dropped down until he was pressed against Aragorn, forcing them both flat against the mountainside to prevent from toppling down the side.

Aragorn gasped and did what he could to hold on while Legolas did the same. "What are you doing!?" Aragorn yelled, looking to see the serious expression of the Wood-elf now behind him.

"Get your head down!" Legolas ordered, his voice raising above the oncoming rocks. He knew both of them wouldn't be able to avoid the rocks, and his instinct to protect his friend overcame his flight instinct, so he did what he could to shield Aragorn from the rocks mere feet above their heads now.

Legolas could take more abuse to his body since he was an elf, where as Aragorn may be severely injured. And the elf would have an easier time getting down the mountain, even while injured, than the human ranger. There was no other choice in his mind. Aragorn didn't have time to argue with the elf, and both lowered their heads to try and save them from any form of damage.

Not two seconds later, the rocks were tumbling down over them.

Aragorn felt the rocks pummeling him, and he bit his lip to keep from groaning, because he knew if it hurt him, Legolas was receiving even more damage to his back and shoulders. The rocks slammed into the elf's arms and shoulders, some bounced over his head only to land on his back to cause him to lose his breath in a gasp.

The rocks that had tumbled down bounced off the elf and ranger, sharp edges slicing open cloth and skin with the same amount of ease. Neither elf or man loosened their grips on the rocks as their hands were struck with rocks of varying sizes. A particularly large rock slammed down on Legolas' left arm and he couldn't contain the cry of pain that ripped from his throat, and the sound made Aragorn's heart stop.

Almost as soon as the rock slide had happened, the last few rocks bounced off them and rolled down below them, and aside from the sound of descending rocks below them, there was just silence.

Legolas and Aragorn didn't move right away, but finally the healer in Aragorn could take no more and he lifted his head, looking over his shoulder at Legolas. "Legolas, how bad is it?" He wanted to move to get a better look, but in their current position that was not an option or he'd risk throwing Legolas off the mountain.

It took a lot of strength, but the elf managed to climb back up where he had been before the rock slide. "I will be fine, Estel." He said, though his voice did not sound as certain as he had hoped it would. Looking up, he seen what looked like a ledge. "I believe the rocks cleared a way to a ledge."

He didn't stay long enough for Aragorn to question him further, and the elf gingerly climbed up toward the new ledge. Aragorn was right behind him, keeping up possibly better than before, which in the back of his mind concerned him. But he would have to just wait until they were in a better spot to further see the damage that had been done.

Soon enough the two were sitting on a ledge, which revealed a path that led right toward an opening in the side of the mountain. Surely that was where this treasure was. But Aragorn's number one concern was his friend, whom had taken the brunt of the damage from the rock slide. His own injuries were minimal so he focused on Legolas. "Let me see." He left no room for argument as he turned to look at Legolas.

The elf had a cut above his right brow that was bleeding, but with a little herbal salve the bleeding stopped and it would heal just fine after a day or two. Aragorn turned to the more serious damage. When he had checked the damage on the elf's back, it was mostly bruising and cuts, which Aragorn covered with the herbal medicine to stop any further bleeding and hopefully ease the pain a little.

After Aragorn was sure everything was covered, he looked at Legolas expectantly, and the elf sighed and uncurled his left arm from his chest, which he had been guarding while Aragorn quickly tended to the lesser injuries. Aragorn tried to be gentle, but it seemed the arm was more damaged than even Legolas' back.

He frowned while he felt along it, and his heart cringed each time he heard Legolas take in a sharp breath. "I do not think it is broken, but it is probably fractured." The gash across the elf's forearm was deep, and Aragorn switched the herbal salve in favor of using some athelas he had with him. He then ripped a portion of his cloak off and then expertly and firmly wrapped it around Legolas' arm. "This will have to do until we can get down from this mountain."

"It will do just fine, mellon nín. Le hannon. I believe the cave you were looking for is there." He jabbed his chin in the direction of the path leading to the cave, and Aragorn frowned at him. "What?"

"We need to turn around and get you back to my father." The ranger said, the search for the treasure discarded as quickly as Legolas had been injured.

But the elf offered a slight smile and gripped Aragorn's shoulder with his good hand, shaking his head. "Estel, I did not come all the way up here just to turn around when our goal is within our reach. I will be fine, as you said, it is not broken. Now let us go see this mysterious treasure of yours." He stood up, and helped Aragorn up as well.

"Stubborn elf." Aragorn muttered under his breath. He knew there was no changing Legolas' mind once it had been made up, so Aragorn began following the path. This time he kept the lead, and led the two into the mouth of the little cave. The sun had not yet begun to dip into the horizon, so the cave was lit up well from the mouth of it.

They walked inside, careful of their footing, though Aragorn more so than the sure footed Wood-elf. There was a distinct glow in the cave, which was mesmerizing to both ranger and elf. Normally Legolas hated caves, but even he couldn't deny how beautiful the glow was. "It is brighter down there." He pointed with his good hand, and the two proceeded to follow the glow.

They walked down a narrow path, and the small open area they stepped into took their breath away.

All around were glowing, sparkling stones. The entire area was lit up, apparently absorbing the light from the sun outside and making it all glow beautifully, almost like starlight itself. Legolas stepped forward, placing his good hand on the wall and feeling a couple of the stones. "They are beautiful."

"Indeed." Aragorn agreed, walking the opposite side of Legolas and running his hand along the walls as well. "This must be the treasure that was rumored to be within this mountain." He realized it was not a normal treasure, like a weapon or a jewel, but the beautiful stones that lay within this little cave.

For once Legolas believed he was rather comfortable within a cave. He looked over to Aragorn smiling, but paused and tilted his head. "What are you doing, Estel?" Aragorn had knelt down in the far corner of the cave, and he seemed to be struggling with something. The sound of cracking could be clearly heard. Curious, the elf stepped over to him and peered over his shoulder.

But Aragorn was bent over whatever it was he was doing, and the elf -even with his keen elf eyes- could not see what he was doing. However after a moment it didn't matter, as Aragorn stood up and turned to look at the elf, with a bright smile on his face. "We came here for a treasure, so here is your half, mellon nín."

It was a humorous sight to see the elf look so confused, but Aragorn didn't tease him about that. For now, at any rate. He took the elf's hand and placed something within it before he pulled his own back. Legolas looked down in his palm, and the pleased surprise was something Aragorn would cherish.

And the treasure was something Legolas would cherish with this memory. In his palm was a shard of the sparkling stone with a string firmly wrapped around it so that he could tie it to something. He held it up in a ray of light shining into the cave and it seemed to sparkle with a life of it's own. "Where is your half?" He looked at Aragorn, and the man grinned.

He took the shard Legolas had, and with a bright smile, placed it along another one which also had a string around it. They fit together like one. "It was one shard, but I managed to break it in half." He grinned a bit sheepishly and nodded toward several broken shards on the ground at his feet.

Legolas' gaze fell on them and he rolled his eyes. "I see it took a couple of tries." He smiled, taking the shard back from Aragorn and once again admiring it. "It is beautiful, Estel. I believe this treasure is far worth the minor injuries we received getting up here. Le hannon." He smiled at the man and gave a squeeze to Aragorn's shoulder with his good hand before he tucked the shard away safely into an inside pocket of his tunic.

Aragorn did the same, and he looked around the small cave. "I think it is time we leave. We got a treasure and new memory to go along with it, and I am content to know that we have discovered the truth behind the rumors of a treasure within this mountain. Let's go to Rivendell now so that my father can see to your arm." He looked at Legolas, and the elf nodded in agreement.

Together, the two friends left the cave, and began their careful descend of the mountain. Though the shards were beautiful, the memories they held of the two adventuring together would forever last in their minds, and they were even more precious than the stones themselves to both man and elf.

Unbeknownst to either elf or ranger, that had they climbed another mile up, they would have come across another cave that would go deep within the mountain itself. And within that cave, held the true treasure, the heart of this mountain; a stone that could rival the Arkenstone itself.

Fin

A/N: How about that for an ending? ;) I couldn't resist to add that little twist, but hey, our duo was happy enough and have a new bauble and memory to cherish, even if Legolas had to get hurt for it. He's fine. XD Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated and motivating.
Namárië. Hope to see you in the next chapter!