Aragorn
Aragorn wandered into the dining hall at around mid-morning, having slept in. He'd been up late with Elladan and Elohir.
Elrond was sitting at the head of the table, reading a letter, a frown on his face. He looked up as Aragorn entered, noticing his slight limp. Elrond sighed. "What is it this time, Estel?"
"Nothing, Ada."
The letter was put aside as Elrond came over and knelt down. Aragorn tried to twist away, but he was unsuccessful, and finally held still as his father examined his leg.
"Let me guess. You and your brothers were climbing again."
"It wasn't their fault! They told me to come down before I got to the high branches…"
Elrond sighed, shaking his head. "Sometimes, ion nin, you forget that you are not an elf."
Aragorn caught the slight hint of a smile. Elrond poked and prodded for a few minutes before he was satisfied. "Well, you've treated it correctly, at least. When I insisted you and your brothers learned the healing arts from me, I never dreamed now necessary they would become."
Aragorn chuckled as he dug into a late breakfast, while Elrond went back to reading the letter, his frown becoming more pronounced. "Ada, is everything alright?"
"I'm not sure. This is a letter from Thranduil. Legolas will be coming to stay with us for a bit."
Aragorn brightened. It had been nearly two weeks since he'd seen his best friend. "I thought he was needed at Mirkwood?" There was a band of orcs that had been giving the Mirkwood elves some trouble. He'd wanted to stay and help, but Elrond had needed him home for some trouble with orcs at their own borders, trouble that had thankfully abated by now. They'd cleared out all the orcs they'd found, and were hopeful that they'd gotten them all.
A hint of a smile played across the elf lord's features. "Don't let Legolas catch you calling it that."
Aragorn rolled his eyes, but Elrond wasn't wrong. The last time he'd slipped up and used the common name for Legolas' home – a name that irritated the prince to no end – he'd woken up the next morning in the middle of the lake.
"Greenwood, then. Wasn't he needed there?"
"He was. Something has happened, though Thranduil doesn't know what. Legolas won't talk to him."
"What happened? Is Legolas hurt?"
"It doesn't say." Elrond folded the letter up. "This just arrived this morning. Legolas should be here in a few days."
Those days passed slowly as Aragorn wondered what could be wrong with Legolas. He'd been fine the last time they parted. He wanted to ride out to meet him, but Elladan convinced him that he was just as likely to miss Legolas as not, so Aragorn waited.
"Come on, little brother, stop moping!" Elohir chucked a sock at him, which Aragorn dodged.
"I'm not moping. I'm just worried."
Elohir's expression softened. "He'll be fine. With the number of scrapes you and Legolas have gotten yourselves into and survived, I'd say you're damn near invincible."
Elladan nudged Aragorn's shoulder with his. "I think someone needs a distraction. Who's up for swimming in the lake? Unless you're still too injured to go, that is."
"I'm fine!" Aragorn leapt to his feet, never one to back down from such a challenge. "Race you there."
His brothers did a good job of distracting him, though Aragorn always kept a keen eye on the gate whenever it was in his line of sight, waiting for his friend.
Finally, on the third day, he spotted the prince's horse, followed by another. Legolas was slumped and his head hanging. Aragorn ran over, convinced his friend was injured.
"Legolas? Mellon nin, what's wrong?" He took the bridle and tugged Legolas off the horse, looking him up and down. The prince looked exhausted. More than that, he looked defeated. His eyes were dull, and his usually cheerful demeanor was nowhere in evidence.
Aragorn looked up at the elf who accompanied him, Asatir, the head of the Mirkwood guard. "What happened?"
Asatir shook his head. "He's been like this ever since he got back from patrol two weeks ago now. Do you have him? Thranduil sent me to be sure he got here, but I'm needed back at Greenwood."
"I have him," Aragorn said, his concern mounting by the moment. "Come on, mellon nin."
"I'm fine, Estel," Legolas snapped, jerking his arm away. "I can walk."
Aragorn rolled his eyes. 'Fine' from Legolas meant something distinctly different than what it meant when anyone else said it. He could be bleeding to death and still say he was fine; indeed, that had happened before. They walked side-by-side in the direction of the healing halls. Aragorn was surprised when Legolas didn't protest.
"Legolas! There you are, we've been waiting –" Elladan's voice cut off when he got a glimpse of the prince. "I'll get Ada."
"No, I'm not sick!"
Elladan ignored this and sped off.
Aragorn finally got Legolas into a bed. The prince sat slumped, refusing to meet his friend's eyes.
Aragorn tenderly brushed the hair back from his face. "Mellon nin, talk to me. What has happened to you?"
"Nothing. I'm fine."
Elrond hurried in, followed by the twins, who were both watching Legolas with concern. Legolas allowed the elf lord to examine him, but protested so violently to his tunic being taken off that Elrond eventually gave up on that, simply lifting it to check Legolas' torso for any wounds. He pulled Aragorn and his brothers aside.
"He has some healing physical injuries, but nothing life-threatening. It's obvious that something has happened to him, though. Estel, you should watch him closely. I've never seen Legolas like this."
"Yes, Ada." Aragorn hardly needed his father's warning. He looked around to see Legolas wandering the halls, a blank expression on his face. He lingered near the cupboard where Elrond kept his potions, and Aragorn had to pull him gently away. "Come on, Legolas, let's get you to bed."
The elf protested weakly, but allowed Aragorn to tug him along. He was trembling, and refused to meet Aragorn's eyes even as the man tucked him into bed, flinching as Aragorn gripped his arms. Aragorn loosened his grip, but remained resolute, lying down next to the elf. He knew from experience that pushing Legolas to talk before he was ready would do more harm than good, so he started telling his friend about life at Imladris since they had parted.
The recent exploits he and his brothers had been involved in brought a weak smile from the prince. It wasn't long, though, before the prince succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. Aragorn sighed, not moving from his position next to Legolas, not wanting to leave his friend alone.
The sunlight woke him the next morning. Legolas was gone.
Normally, this wouldn't be a cause for concern, but with the strange mood Legolas was in, Aragorn was worried. He quickly searched the house and grounds, paying particular attention to the treetops, but Legolas wasn't there.
Growling under his breath, Aragorn jogged to his room and grabbed a pack with some basic supplies. He knew where Legolas went when he wanted to be alone – there was a lake just a few hours' travel from Imladris. It wasn't hard to pick up his friend's tracks, and Aragorn hurried along, wondering what had gotten into the prince.
As soon as he got close, Aragorn knew something was wrong. He glimpsed dark shapes across the lake. Orcs. One of them was aiming a bow at a small, pale figure on the opposite side. Legolas sat huddled against a rock, and made no move to evade the orcs.
"Legolas!" He didn't even look up as Aragorn shouted, and a bolt from one of the orcs' crossbows buried itself in his shoulder. Growling in anger, Aragorn took out his own bow and started shooting. The orcs quickly realized they were outmatched and ran. Aragorn pursued them, knowing he couldn't leave a threat alive so close to Imladris.
Fortunately, there were only five of them, and they quickly fell to his blade. He'd have to tell Elrond that the problem with the orcs wasn't as resolved as they'd hoped.
Aragorn ran back to find Legolas in the same position as when he'd left.
Legolas had made no move to stem to the flow of blood. Cursing, Aragorn pressed his hands to the wound. The arrow had gone right through the shoulder, and in one swift movement, he pulled it out. Legolas cried out in pain and jerked slightly. Aragorn laid him down on his back, shocked at how pale and sweaty his friend was. Even if the arrow had been poisoned, there was no poison he knew of that worked this quickly.
He tugged at the prince's tunic, but Legolas struggled fiercely. "I have to get this off, mellon nin," Aragorn explained patiently. "I need to treat your wound."
Legolas shook his head, but Aragorn ignored him, easily overpowering the weakened elf. Legolas immediately crossed his arms over his stomach. Aragorn pried them away, fearing a stomach wound in addition to the one in his shoulder but saw no wound there. A flash of red caught his eye and he turned Legolas's arms over.
His heart sank. The elf's forearms were covered in dark red slashes, some old, some new. It was only too obvious that he had done this to himself. None of the cuts were bleeding at the moment, but they were deep and he'd need to have his Ada look at them.
"What have you done, mellon nin?" Aragorn groaned. Legolas' head fell back against the rock. He was cold and clammy. Aragorn quickly bandaged the shoulder wound, but it didn't seem serious. What, then, was wrong with Legolas?
Deciding it was a matter better dealt with by his father, Aragorn moved to pick the prince up. The movement dislodged a small bottle. Aragorn recognized it as one of Elrond's herbs, one that was kept in the cupboard Legolas had wandered off to yesterday. He snatched it up and read the label.
When he did, he felt himself swaying and had to press a hand to a nearby tree to steady himself. This was poison. The bottle was empty. It was also clearly labelled as poisonous. No one could drink this by accident without knowing what it was.
Though the day was warm, Aragorn was suddenly cold. Legolas had tried to kill himself.
Wiping aside his tears, Aragorn picked up his light friend, clutching him close. "It'll be ok, mellon nin," he whispered. "Ada will help you."
At these words, Legolas renewed his struggles. "No… Estel, leave me here. Let me die."
The word sent a shard of pain through Aragorn's heart. "I cannot, gwador. You must live."
Aragorn set off running, praying he was in time. Legolas was limp in his arms, and Aragorn feared he wouldn't make it back to Imladris. He quickly set the elf down and rummaged through his bag. He didn't have the antidote to the poison, but he had herbs that could give Legolas strength, buying time until they made it back.
Predictably, Legolas resisted taking the herbs, and Aragorn was forced to shove them into his mouth, holding his jaw tightly until the prince swallowed. Aragorn set off running again, but he hadn't gone far before a slight click warned him a second too late that he should have been paying more attention to his path.
Spikes shot up from the ground, one of them piercing Aragorn through the leg. He cried out as he fell, somehow managing to shield Legolas from the sharp points. Unfortunately, the elf's head cracked against a flat stone. Aragorn cursed, checking the rapidly rising bump. It looked sore, but fortunately not critical. The orcs must have been setting traps. They were dead now, but how long until their kin came looking for them?
Aragorn tried to pull his leg free, but the wicked spike was barbed, and stars bust before his eyes as he tugged fruitlessly at his leg. It was stuck.
He fell to the ground, panting, trying to ignore the fire that seemed to emanate from the wound.
Legolas was shaking like a leaf, his eyes glazed.
"Legolas? Mellon nin, where does it hurt?"
"No… not again… please." The prince's eyes were far away, immersed in memories.
Aragorn held him close and shook him slightly. "Talk to me, Legolas. What is wrong?"
His friend's haunted eyes met his, seeming to come back to the present. "It's all my fault," he whispered.
"What's your fault?"
Legolas cringed, his fingers digging into Aragorn's arm. "He's dead because of me, Estel. All my fault. I don't deserve to live. You should have let me die."
Aragorn couldn't hold back tears as the words hit him like a physical blow. "I would never allow that, gwador. Please, tell me, what happened?"
Legolas hesitated for a few more moments before starting to speak in a soft voice. "I was out on patrol. I'd sent the guards with me back. They were exhausted, they'd been walking double shifts for the past week. I was sure I could handle it myself. I came across Haldir on the road. He'd heard of our troubles and travelled from Lothlorien to help us.
"We started back to the palace when we were ambushed. If I hadn't sent the guards away, we would have been fine… but the orcs captured us."
Aragorn clutched his friend a bit tighter, but didn't say anything. Legolas was shaking so hard now that Aragorn had to hold him still to prevent him from injuring his shoulder further.
"They wanted to know what routes my father's guards were guarding, and which ones they weren't. I wouldn't tell them, so they tortured me. When that didn't work, they tortured Haldir in front of my eyes. I still wouldn't tell. Haldir shouted at me to keep silent, but I could have spared him the pain.
They tortured him for days, and then, when they realized it wasn't working, they killed him. They killed him, and I could have prevented it. They took his body away, I didn't see where. My father's men found and rescued me in the end. But Haldir…"
Aragorn knew that Haldir was one of Legolas' close friends. He struggled to steady his voice as he spoke to the shaking elf. "It wasn't your fault, mellon nin. Had you spoken, many more would have died."
"I should have…" Legolas trailed off, his voice slurring alarmingly. Aragorn tried once again to free his leg of the trap, but that only brought him to the brink of passing out. He knew his brothers would find him. They would have noticed by now that he was missing. He only hoped they weren't too late.
As if things couldn't be any worse, the skies opened and it started to rain.
Aragorn wanted to scream in frustration as he tried to shield Legolas with his body, but they were both getting soaked. As weak as Legolas was, he couldn't afford to be cold, too. Slowly, darkness fell.
"Stay awake, Legolas." Aragorn patted the elf's face lightly, and Legolas groaned.
"I'm so sorry," he mumbled. "It's all my fault."
"It's not your fault," Aragon assured, not even sure if Legolas could hear him. "No, don't go to sleep. Saes, mellon nin! Stay with me." He didn't know how much longer his friend could survive in this state.
He drifted in and out, weak from the loss of blood. At first, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not, but he blinked, and a distant light came into focus. He heard a voice, calling his name. He knew that voice, and it wasn't his brothers.
"Ada! Ada, we're here!" Relief filled him. Elrond would be able to help Legolas right here and now, without the twins needing to get him back to Imladris first.
Elrond burst upon the scene, sword in hand. He swiftly assessed the situation, kneeling down by Aragorn's side. He turned back and called into the trees. "Elladan, Elohir, here, I've found him!" Elrond turned to Aragorn's wound, but Aragorn batted his hands away. "Legolas… Ada, he tried to poison himself. Please, you have to help him."
"I will, Estel, I promise. Just lie back, now, and try to relax. I'm going to have to free your leg."
Aragorn knew the pain was coming and tried to brace himself for it. Elrond gently probed the wound, getting ready to cut the spike free.
"Hold still, Estel, I'm going to pull you loose now."
Aragorn cried out and arched up as the pain turned into a fiery inferno before the world went black.
He awoke to a jarring movement. He was on a horse. He glanced back to see Elohir behind him, holding him on. "Legolas?"
"Ada has him. Hold on, Estel, we're nearly home."
Time blurred out, and the next time Aragorn was aware, they were at Imladris. Elohir tried to lead him away, but Aragorn refused, his eyes fixed on Legolas' limp body as Elrond carried him in.
"Come on, Estel, your leg needs attention."
"No, I won't leave him!" Aragorn stumbled to Legolas' bedside, where Elrond was already working frantically over him. Elladan was handing his father herbs and bandages. Aragorn's insides clenched at how pale Legolas was. "Will he be ok? Ada?"
"Hush, let me work ion nin. Let your brother tend to your wound."
Aragorn shook his head, clutching Legolas's cold hand.
"Estel, don't be an idiot, let's go." Elohir tried to pull him away, but Aragorn resisted fiercely. Elrond looked up at him for a moment.
"Glorfindel!" he called, turning his head slightly toward the healing halls entrance. The elf lord appeared a few moments later."Hir nin?"
"Get my son to a bed."
"No, no, let me stay with him!" Aragorn struggled fiercely as Elohir and Glorfindel dragged him away, but he was no match for them.
The last thing he remembered was Elrond leaning over Legolas, checking his pulse. Aragorn didn't even know if his friend was still alive.