SLIGHT DIFFERENCES
Disclaimer: Would you mob me if I owned Lord of the Rings?
Summary: A 300 word drabble about differences in sentence structure and what they can mean to grieving friends. Characters: Legolas, Gimli, Éowyn.
Legolas stares over the cliff. There is nothing there. In some tiny corner of his mind, he feels vaguely foolish for standing here staring at this cliff when there is obviously nothing to see.
"Leave the dead," Théoden King calls to his warriors.
Legolas's head snaps up. But his glare falters as he realizes that they will have to leave. Aragorn would want him to help the Rohirrim.
Aragorn...the impact of Aragorn's fall hits him completely for the first time. It really feels like an impact. He almost falls over, but catches himself and only sways a little. Gimli looks at him worriedly.
"Are you all right, lad?"
Legolas doesn't answer. They make their way back to Arod, picking among the sightless corpses staring at the sky. Once on the horse, Gimli repeats his question.
"Are you all right?"
"No, Gimli, I am not all right. My friend of sixty years has just fallen off a cliff, I am about to fight in a doomed battle, and if, by some miraculous chance of the Valar, I survive, I still must go back and tell Arwen that her Estel is gone. Hope is gone."
There is a brief silence. Then Gimli asks, "What about Frodo? What about when he destroys It?"
"How will victory feel without Strider watching our backs?"
The rest of the ride passes in silence.
At Helm's Deep, Legolas dismounts and helps Gimli down. The Dwarf goes over to Éowyn. Legolas can tell by her face what he is saying: a single tear trickles down her cheek. Gimli walks back to Legolas, Éowyn following.
"Lad? Are you hurt?"
After a moment, when she sees he is not going to answer, Éowyn presses, "Legolas? Have you been hurt?"
He looks at her, frowning. Gimli said: are you hurt. Éowyn said: have you been hurt. It seems different, somehow.
He answers Éowyn. "Yes. Yes, I have," and walks away.