Dare you to move

By: Eressie

Disclaimer: Don't own LOTR obviously! XD

Summary: Lighthearted conversations on the brink of death.

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There were several places that Aragorn could think of where he would rather be than where he was right now; in the middle of a battle with orcs could be one for example. Not something he would normally wish for but it would be better than his current situation.
He barely allowed himself to breath, one wrong movement would mean a certain death he was sure. He let out a shuddering breath and glanced as much as he managed to his right without moving his head, trying to see the elf behind him that he was leaning against.

"Legolas…I dare you to move." he whispered.

"Do you have a death wish?" whispered the elf back.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because you are."

They said nothing more after that. Both too terrified and too shocked to speak.
The two of them had been traveling around on foot for almost two weeks now and it had been raining constantly for three days. And on this day the two friends had stumbled across a huge group of wargs, being just the two of them against so many beasts they had no choice but to make a run for it as the wargs attacked. But because of their usual luck the wargs had chased them towards a cliff with a drop of almost a hundred meters. They had stopped just at the edge of the cliff but because of the heavy rain for the last days, the ground underneath their feet gave away and they went tumbling down. The wargs, being further away, did not suffer the same fate. They stopped and turned around as they saw their pray fall down.
Both elf and man thought they would die, but they only fell about three meters before coming to a stop. They had landed on a block of stone that then itself balanced on a narrow cliff ledge. And it now looked like that they sat back to back on a seesaw of death. A bit more weight on one side or the other and both of them together with the block of stone would fall. Their savior of stone had swayed dangerously as they had landed but the two friends soon managed to find balance together. They had been sitting unmoving, back to back for the last half an hour, shocked but glad to be alive.

"Estel…" Legolas began slowly. "How did this happen?"

"We, apparently, fell down a cliff." answered the man.

"Really? I did not notice." said the elf and rolled his eyes. "I asked how, not what."

"Ah, well…" the ranger said and swallowed. "Close enough." The ranger glanced down towards the far away ground and tried not to panic. "Do… do you got a brilliant plan to get us out of here, mellon-nin?" asked the man trying to sound calm.

"That depends on what condition you want to find yourself in after the plan is set to work."

"Alive, please."

Legolas nodded. "Ah, I thought so, then no."

"Don't move!" exclaimed Aragorn.

"I just nodded, nothing happened."

"It could have." said the man with a glare.

Legolas sighed. "Are we going to sit here forever?"

"Yes, probably. Unless the wargs are feeling kind enough to help us up, if they're still up there."

"Well that would be a sight to see." Legolas said and raised an eyebrow.

Aragorn laughed. "Indeed!"

Legolas tilted his head up too look at the edge from where they fell. "Maybe if we jumped the highest we could at the same time, we could reach the edge up there?"

Aragorn snorted. "It must be three or four meters to the top! Not even you can jump that high." he said and rolled his eyes.

Legolas groaned and leaned his head back against the ranger's. "We have really done it this time, mellon-nin."

"And it's probably your fault."

"My fault?" Legolas exclaimed and lifted his head. "How could this possible be my fault? I am not the one making habits of falling down cliffs, that's your specialty!"

Aragorn snorted. "Please, that only happened like two times."

"No, it's four with this one, I kept count. And I doubt it will be the last time you decide to take a tumble down a cliff."

Aragorn scoffed. "I don't decide to fall off cliffs, I blame gravity for that. And no matter what you say, I won't fall again. I will stay as far away as possible from anything like cliffs, hills and holes in the ground to make sure nothing like this happens again!"

"What about stairs?" Legolas asked sounding amused. "And ladders?"

Aragorn glared. "What are you implying?"

Legolas smirked. "You know what I mean. Or do you not remember? Did you hit your head so hard against the floor that you lost your memories of the incidents?"

"Someone pushed me down the stairs."

"Someone pushed you?" Legolas repeated sounding doubtful. "And someone pushed you down from the ladder as well? You were on your own up there you know."

"It was the wind from the open window and the step I stood on broke."

Legolas snorted. "I'm sure it did."

"It did!"

"Okay," Legolas laughed. "I will make sure to keep you away from anything you might fall from in the future."

"Hmm, so you think we will get out of this situation alive, do you?"

"No doubt. We always do, somehow miraculously." Legolas smiled.

"Speaking of miracles, do you think that maybe if we wish hard enough; we will be able to grow wings for the next couple of hours or so?"

Legolas raised his eyebrows. "We'll… start wishing." he chuckled. "Stranger things have happened."

"Oh really?" the ranger asked amused. "What stranger things?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe that time when Elladan and Elrohir one day woke up with those long, black beards that somehow appeared overnight." he laughed. "That one was quite strange... and hilarious!"

Aragorn joined his laughter. "I am glad that is amuses you so, mellon-nin." he said with a laugh. "I did that prank on them for you, you know. I thought it would cheer you up a little bit, you were still quite down after your horse died two weeks previous."

"He was a good horse."

"Aye, he really was." Aragorn said. "And I though; what better way to remember that great animal than to give my brothers a beard each in the same colour and length as that horse's tail?"

Legolas chuckled. "They looked ridiculous; I could not stand up straight when I saw them! I thought I would die from the lack of oxygen from laughing so much that time!" Legolas turned his head and tried to look at his friend behind him. "But since you were nowhere in sight at the time-"

"I was wise enough to go into hiding from my brother's wraths."

"-they then turned on me and thought I was the one that played that prank on them, and since I was laughing so hard I could not defend my innocence!"

Aragorn laughed. "Oh yeah, they threw you into the lake, right?"

Legolas nodded. "But I could not even get mad at them. And I was still laughing when I broke the surface- which, I might add did not help when I tried to explain to them that I didn't do it." Legolas chuckled. "But in the end they did believe me and helped me up from the waters. By the way, what did they do to you as revenge?"

"I… don't want to talk about it." Aragorn said and blushed.

Legolas smirked. "Must be bad."

"It was! One would think they would forgive me for sneaking in those pills into their glasses of wine, because I did it for a good cause!"

"What were those pills anyway?" Legolas asked with a frown.

"Something my father and Gandalf created to help beardless dwarfs."

"Dwarfs can be beardless?" Legolas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently." Aragorn shrugged. "And I heard it is as shameful for a dwarf to have no beard as it is for an elf to have one."

Legolas leaned a little to his side and raised his hand to touch his chin, he could not begin to imagine how ridiculous he would look with a beard on his face.

"Don't move, 'Las!" shouted Aragorn as the rock they were sitting on swayed a little.

"Sorry! I forgot where we were!"

"How could you forget something like that?" Aragorn exclaimed.

"You are distracting me from thinking that I might die any moment!"

"Don't you blame this on me, elf, this is your fault remember?"

"No, if anything it's your fault! It was your idea that we would take this trip!"

Aragorn frowned. "Oh…" he said. "You're right-"

"Hush you." Legolas said and interrupted him.

"But-"

"No. Don't you go all guilty; it's nobody's fault and if I weren't so afraid to move right now I would hit you on the back of your head for even taking my words seriously."

Aragorn nodded with a smile. "Okay, it's nobody's fault then…"

"Maybe the wargs fault."

"Yes, let's blame them. And this never ending rain!"

Silence fell between them for a while. No one moved much of course but they tried to relax a bit.

"What are you thinking about?" asked the elf.

"Hmm?"

"You've been quiet for a while now."

"Oh, I was just wondering what would happen if we were to fall asleep."

"You're tired?"

"A little, the adrenaline is beginning to wear off a bit." he said. "What are you thinking about?"

"I am thinking that I will pinch you if you fall asleep."

"I promise I won't then." Aragorn chuckled.

"And the other thing I was thinking about is that maybe we should begin to shout."

"For help?" Aragorn asked. "No one lives around here, 'Las, at least no one within earshot."

"Perhaps not, but if you could hear what I could hear-"

"What do you hear?" Aragorn frowned. "No more wargs I hope! Or orcs, I don't want them either."

Legolas chuckled. "It's not wargs or orcs- horses."

"You think the horses are going to help us?"

"What is your brain made of today?" Legolas chuckled as Aragorn made his best to glare at him. "It's the riders on the horses, silly man."

Aragorn wasted no more time and shouted as loudly as he could.

"Don't you want to know who the riders are? I can tell you."

"Who cares!" Aragorn shouted. "Help! Hey, can you here us! We're down here! Help!"

Legolas joined him although he could hear that the riders where quickly making their way to them. And soon enough-

"Oi, down there! What's the commotion?" asked a voice from the top.

Legolas and Aragorn stopped shouting and looked up. Aragorn opened his mouth in surprise when he saw who the riders where. "Dan! Roh!" the ranger exclaimed.

"At your service!" the twins said simultaneously with a bow.

Legolas laughed. "We have never been gladder to see you two!"

"And what on Arda are you doing here?" Aragorn laughed. "Not that I'm complaining but-"

"We're saving you two-again of course." Elrohir said with a smirk. "Our dear grandmother let father know what kind of troubles you've managed to get yourselves into and we thought we would come to the rescue. Valar, know you need it!"

"Don't just stand up there and laugh at us, help us!" Aragorn growled. "We have spent too much time here already; pondering over if we will live or die!"

"We know, forgive us." Elladan said and jumped off his black horse, his twin did the same. They took out the ropes they had brought with them and they tied the ends of the two ropes to the saddles on their horses.

"Can you move enough to catch these ropes?" Elrohir asked hopefully and tried to look down at them, but not daring to get too close to the edge.

"We'll try!" they said.

The twins nodded and threw the ropes over the edge and the two friends below reached out a hand each to try to catch them, but no such luck.

"Um, Dan, Roh?" Aragorn asked. "Could you perhaps try to aim better at where our hands are at? We can't exactly throw ourselves after the ropes…"

"We're doing our best, dear brother." Elrohir said as he pulled his rope up again. "Just stay still! I am going to kill you if you die."

Aragorn rolled his eyes. "We have no plans on dying I assure you! Throw down the ropes again, we're ready!"

The twins did and the ropes got closer to their outstretched hands this time, and Legolas took a chance and tried to grab it by leaning forward but as soon as he did the rock began to sway. He quickly leaned back again and all four of them held their breaths until the rock stopped swaying and resumed its previous position.

"You foolish elfling!" shouted the twins from above. "Stay still!"

"Sorry." the blonde elf said shakily.

"It's okay, mellon-nin." Aragorn said trying to sound calm. "I am eager to get up from here as well."

The twins took up the ropes again for a third try. This time after the elven brothers threw it the other two below caught it perfectly. They carefully secured the ropes around their waists without moving too much and when they had a firm grip on the ropes- the twins on their horses started to pull them up. As soon as they started to move, the rock stopped defying gravity and fell. The elf and ranger, hanging safe on the ropes, could hear the rock hit other rocks and stones as it fell. They winced at the sounds and at the thought that that could be them falling instead. They were dragged to safety away from the edge, and as soon as they were up they breathed out sigh of relief. The elf and ranger did not have the time to relax though because the twins attacked them soon after with almost rib-breaking hugs.

"Don't ever do that to us again!" Elladan shouted. "I almost got a heart attack! You two will be the death of me!"

"And me as well! I am never letting you two out of my sight again!" Elrohir shouted at them. "You hear me?"

"Loud and clear dear brother." Aragorn chuckled and looked at the grinning Legolas beside him. "We made it, 'Las."

"I told you we would." chuckled the blonde elf and hugged the ranger who hugged him back with a laugh.

"Hey, we're not done shouting at you two yet!" Elladan said and yanked Legolas towards him.

"And this is only the beginning! Wait till father and Thranduil get hold of you two!"

Legolas and Aragorn winced. "Shall we jump back over the cliff?" Legolas asked the ranger.

"Almost sounds like a good idea..." Aragorn nodded and looked behind him.

"Don't even joke about it!" Elrohir exclaimed.

"Are you injured in any way?" asked Elladan and started poking and prodding at them searching for any injuries.

"Just bruises." Legolas shrugged and swatted away the twin's hands. "Strangely enough."

"Good!" Elrohir said and hit both of them on the back of their heads.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Legolas exclaimed and held his hand to his head.

"That was for making us worry!"

"Okay, you've had your revenge now, let us be." Aragorn said and with a sigh he and Legolas lay down side by side on the muddy ground, exhausted. "And thanks by the way, for saving our lives!"

The twins smiled down at the pair and squeezed their shoulders. Thanking the valar that both Aragorn and Legolas still was with them; alive and breathing. And also without injuries for once! The twins were not quiet for long though and they soon continued to yell at Legolas and Aragorn; telling them just exactly how stupid they were.
Legolas and Aragorn did not mind, the twin's words now fell on deaf ears- they were just so glad to be up from that cliff.
They ignored the twins and looked at each other and smiled.
They were safe.

What do you think? Good? Bad? Review and let me know what you think :D
-Eressie