Title: Wanting the Unattainable

Author: Lemony Sickness

Category: Books » Lord of the Rings

Language: English

Rated: Fiction M

Genre: Romance/Angst

Character Pairing: Aragorn, Legolas

Published: Mar 21, 2007, Updated: 8/9/2016

Status: Complete

DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'The Lord of the Rings' and never will, because I am poor, so suing me would also get you nowhere. Please read and enjoy!

Warnings!: Spoilers within if you have actually never watched all the movies - which would be weird since is it 2016.

Notes: Name = That character's POV; [blah blah blah] = Flashback

Wanting the Unattainable

By: Lemony Sickness

:::CHAPTER 1:::

Legolas

The orc in front me laughed harshly, his breath coming in gasps. Aragorn had disappeared sometime during the fight with the wolves of Isengard; noticing his absence, I called out his name but received no answer in return. The other members of what was left of the fellowship began calling in earnest. I glanced around, my eyes seeing farther than anyone else could possibly see, and my gaze landed on the cliff's edge. I ran towards the edge, a foreboding feeling invading my senses, but on my way, I was greeted with the laughter of a 'thought dead' orc: harsh and full of malice and pain. I knelt beside the fallen creature, and it looked up at me and spoke,

"Your friend has taken a fall over the cliff."

The hateful thing in front me opened its left hand, and shining silver light caught my attention: it was the Evenstar. I gasped and watched as the orc cackled out its final breath, and then I jumped up, grabbed the jewel, and ran towards the cliff, the King of Rohan close at my side. I stared hopelessly down at the jagged rocks below, and the sweeping torrent that flowed dangerously around them. I had known from the moment I saw Aragorn kiss the forehead of Boromir's dead body, and stood beside him singing as we watched the boat carry away our faithful and pride-filled friend over the edge of the Anduin River, that I was quite taken with the son of Arathorn, true King of Gondor. I wound my fingers around the necklace and kept scanning the depths below me, barely taking notice of the male voice next to me telling everyone that we needed to continue on to Helm's Deep. I looked over at the King; his blondish brown hair tinted with gray catching a glare from the sun, my eye's filled with disdain. We couldn't leave without Aragorn, but apparently, the Théoden didn't agree.

"Leave the dead!"

The King looked at me sadly, and placed his hand hesitantly on my shoulder in what was suppose to be of comfort, but the three words he uttered rang like a bell in my head, 'Leave the dead!' I looked over at Gimli; the dwarf looked back, his small beady eyes surrounded by red bushy hair pleading with me to come along. Sighing, I cast my eyes back over the cliff's edge, then turned around and followed the King, his army, and my short friend. It was only Gimli and I left, and we had to make the most of it. Pippin and Merry were off somewhere away in Fanghorn with the Ent's. Gandalf had told us that they had met something that they hadn't quite expected and looked at me knowingly. I, being the Prince of Mirkwood, only heard rumors of what lay beyond the boundary of Fanghorn, but I was quite taken aback when I had heard about some of the creatures, preferably Ents. I had smiled back then, which seemed like ages ago, for Gandalf was alive and more than well, the two friend's of the Ring Bearer were safe, and I, Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli, and Aragorn were all together, but that was no more.

Aragorn

I felt myself being swallowed up by the freezing waters below. The wolf-like beast had hit its head upon a rock breaking the animal's neck. My hand was still trapped in the leather saddle that an orc used to be seated upon, and I was dragged under the raging current of the ice cold liquid. I struggled, the impact of my body colliding with the surface of the river had made me dizzy, and I was quickly losing my eyesight. Finally freeing myself, I floated to the surface gasping for air, and then promptly passed out.

"Aragorn!"

I don't remember how long I had been floating. I remember intervals when I would wake up exhausted, hitting rocks and going under water, which would be the reason I kept waking up. Like a log, I was swept underneath the surface and being asleep, I'd try to take a breath and my lungs would fill with water, waking me up and causing me to choke and try to get myself to float upwards. Now, as one of my arms is lying across my stomach, and the other dangling in the water, I feel the sand beneath my fingers, and soon after, my body slides onto land, head first. Still unaware of my surroundings, I lay there, eyes closed.

I feel lips press lightly against the edge of my own, and I slowly awake to find no one; only myself. Closing my eyes, I must have drifted off, but then I was yet again awakened to open my eyes and see inside the nostrils of my brown stead, Hasufel, given to me by the banished Rohhirim. The horse lay down next to me, and I whispered her name as I realized what she was trying to communicate to me. I dragged myself forward, fisting my hand into the sand and pulled myself onto her back. I clung to her as she stood up, silently thanking her as we started off. What seemed like days was merely hours, but the next thing I knew, we rounded a huge boulder and I saw the last thing expected, and my eyes widened at the mass of orcs marching towards me away in the distance.

'Dear god,' I think as I urge Hasufel backward, and I gallop in the direction they too are going, 'I must get to Helm's Deep. I must warn them.'

(Aragorn!)

I started as I realized I must have drifted off into a daydream; the voice, so strangely familiar, still echoed in my head. The voice definitely belonged to a male, and it was coated with worry and despair. Then it came back to me: blue eyes clear as glass surrounded by silky blonde tresses; Elvin features of a prince who had lived many years before me myself, yet still maintained the look of innocence. Aragorn could no longer deny the fact that the elf was beautiful. Aragorn's hand automatically went up to caress the Evenstar given to him by Arwen, thinking of the fact that Legolas also seemed to shine with the inner strength of the star; then he remembered, the orc had ripped it from his neck. He also remembered the fateful night of his and Arwen's meeting in Rivendell.

["Do you remember when we first met?" she had spoke is her native tongue.

"I thought I had strayed into a dream," I replied to her in the same way.

"Long years have passed. You did not have the cares you carry now. Do you remember what I told you?"

Aragorn switched back to common speech, "You said you'd bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people."

"Onto that I hold. I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone… I choose a mortal life."

"You can not give me this," Aragorn replied as she laid the Evenstar that was around her neck into his hand.

"It is mine to give to whom I will… Like my heart," she retorted using her fingers to wrap his around the ornament.

He had kissed her that night, standing there on the log. No regrets, not knowing of the complications to come, and the person he was to come to know on his next, and maybe his last journey.]

I sat upon my horse and stared out into the distance. I had regretted my actions afterward and had told Arwen's and my foster father, of our relationship. Elrond was upset and angered at her actions. She was an elf of noble blood, and his blood daughter and her actions proved her to be selfish to him. I knew I had betrayed her, and I really did love her, but not the way that she deserved. I was merely human, and after the council meeting, I had found myself quite defected. I was having feelings for another person, who I had just come to see for the very first time, also of nobility. It wasn't the fact that I was having feelings so soon for another person, that not of Arwen, but the fact that this person was, in fact, quite male. But then it wasn't that that just bothered me, it was the fact that I knew that someone of his stature and blood would never have seen me, another male, as anything but a companion in war.

["Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands on the brink of destruction, "Elrond had stated firmly. I looked around at the rest of the people in the circle as Elrond continued and something or someone had caught my eye. An elf, obviously the Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas Greenleaf, sat almost across from me and was gazing at me interestedly; like he could see right into my soul. I held my breath and quickly averted my gaze back to Elrond, and pretended to not have noticed him. "Bring forth the ring Frodo."

A hobbit stood up, and I look upon the short boy with pointed ears in awe, for it was rare to see a Halfling. The curly brown haired hobbit, Frodo, had stepped forward and placed a thick golden ring upon the small circular stone table in the middle of the circle almost unwillingly. Everyone began to talk excitedly among themselves, the exception of Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Elrond, and myself.

"So it is true," I hear the man two seats away from me whisper to himself, his voice gradually growing louder as he stood up to address the council, "It is a gift, a gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay, on the blood of our people; all your lands kept saved. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy; let us use it against him…"

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no master," I said leaning forward in my chair.

"And you, what would a ranger know of this matter?

The elf I had recently admired from afar had stood up at this looking pointedly at Boromir, "This is no mere ranger, he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe to him your allegiance."

"Aragorn?" Boromir questioned disbelievingly, looking towards the straggly haired man, "This is Isildur's heir?

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas added.

"Sit down, Legolas," I ordered the elf in his own language. He looked at me with those breathtakingly beautiful eyes, the rest of his face expressionless as he sat down.

Boromir growled as he returned to his seat, keeping his angered eyes on me, "Gondor has no King. Gondor needs no King."

Thankfully, Gandalf decided to speak up cutting through the tension, "Aragorn is right, we cannot wield it."

"You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed," Elrond stated solemnly, Boromir sighing annoyed.

"What are we waiting for?" Gimli snapped, jumping up from his chair and brandishing his ax, walking forward and aiming his weapon at the ring. Elrond stood up, and Frodo's eyes widened as Gimli, upon striking the ring flew a few feet backward and landed ungracefully on his backside, the ring unharmed.

Elrond stepped forward frowning slightly, "the ring cannot be destroyed Gimli, son of Glòin, by any craft we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom; only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you," Elrond stated looking around at everyone for emphasis, "Must do this."

Boromir chuckled harshly to himself, "How does one simply walk into Mordor? Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there, it does not sleep; the great eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this - it is folly."

Legolas stood up, anger flashing in his eyes and my heart skipped a beat, "Have you not heard nothing of what Elrond just said? The ring must be destroyed."

"And I suppose you think you're the one tah do it?" Gimli sneered.

Boromir stood as well, "And if we fail, what then? What happens if Sauron takes back what is his?"

"I will be dead," Gimli snarled also standing up and walking towards Legolas. I opened my mouth to say something to calm the storm of what was to come after Gimli finished his remark, but my weariness kept back any remarks so Gimli finished, "before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!"

Elves and Dwarves stood up and faced each other yelling and throwing accusations, and I watched with growing unease as another blonde elf walked forward ready to fight, but was stopped as Legolas' arm came out and permitted him no further. Gandalf stood up and said something which got Boromir arguing with him, but I paid no attention as I stared at the elf that seemed to captivate me with something akin to longing without giving an outward sign to attract me. Lost in my thoughts, I did not notice Frodo stand up and announce that he'd take the ring and Gandalf's sad sigh. But the second time, I heard him loud and clear as everyone quieted down,

"I will take it. I will take the ring to Mordor… Though I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden Frodo Baggins, as long as it's yours to bear," Gandalf declared.

I suddenly came to my senses, this ring had more to do with me than anyone thought, so I stood and kneeled in front of the young hobbit, "By my life or death, I will protect you, I will… You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas stated firmly before walking to stand beside Gandalf, and I allowed myself to look up at him, only to find him staring back at me in that same interested fashion.

"And you have my ax," and Gimli too walked over and grudgingly stood beside the blonde elf prince.

Boromir stepped forward slowly and accessed the growing group before him before saying softly,

"You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

"Hey!" a voice yelled, a blonde haired hobbit running out from behind a bush, "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me."

"I had no idea it was hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council, which you were not," Elrond stated with a certain light in his voice, directing his comment towards the hobbit who had called himself Samwise Gamgee.

"Oi, we're coming too!" yelled two more hobbits as they ran out from behind two pillars.

Elrond looked astonished, then took account of the fact that there were nine people who would be attending the young hobbit, Frodo, the new Ring-bearer, "So be it, you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.")

Finally, as I snapped out of the past, I looked onward and spotted the stone walls to a stone city called Helm's Deep. I urged Hasufel onward at a fast gallop and jumped off her back at the front gates. I pushed them open; entering what was something akin to a courtyard. Merchants stood around at their booths selling goods to women, and children ran around. I heard someone gasp, and I turned my gaze, and I caught sight of my obsession for the last few hours. He walked quickly towards me, but did not embrace me, he simply smiled which lightened my mood somewhat, and said something to me that I didn't quite catch. Relief seemed to flood his aqua colored eyes, and he held out his hand and placed the Evenstar back in mine. I smiled up at him, and saw something flash in his eyes, but it was quickly gone.

"…I'll kill him…"

I turned to my right and saw a red headed dwarf coming towards me trying to scowl, but ended up grinning and enveloping me in a tight hug. I shortly asked for Théoden King, and was pointed to his chambers, 'He needs to be told of what was coming.'

Legolas

I was swallowed by my grief after Aragorn's fall, but I had kept stoic and refrained from staying in the company of people that knew me well for long periods of time. I new Gimli was getting aggravated, constantly asking me if I was to be alright, but I'd nod solemnly and smile as best I could. When I heard the door open, I had turned my head hoping it to be the young boy I had sent off to fetch me some water, but what my eyes came open was so much better. Smiling, I held myself back from running to him and wrapping my arms around him, so as not to startle him, I did not want to have him push me away. Meeting Aragorn halfway, I mumbled something to him, and he smiled softly. I opened his hand, relishing in his callous skin, and warmth, and placed the Evenstar in his palm. He kept staring at me, and I was getting uncomfortable. I wanted so much to just have him hold me and tell me that he was, in fact, alive and not dead at the bottom of that damned river.

I grinned as I watched Gimli come walking into view grumbling and doing what I so wanted to do but could not. Aragorn had laughed when the stout dwarf had hugged him, and then quickly, as if remembering something important, asked where the King was. I led the way, watching him as he was in deep thought. When we came upon the door, I touched his elbow lightly, and he jumped at the contact. I swear he had blushed, but I was not sure, for the weather was cold and everyone's faces seemed to be flushed. Maybe he didn't want me touching him, yet alone another male, and I couldn't help feeling somewhat dejected.

The events of which he told didn't seem abnormal at all, and I supported him silently, but the King seemed somewhat reluctant. Gandalf was gone, and Aragorn predicted that the army of orcs would most likely arrive tomorrow night at the latest.

Aragorn

Heading towards the front of the town, the time of darkness was drawing ever near. I had set upon the steps last night in thought and watched as a young boy was suited up in armor clearly too big for him. I called him over to me and took his sword, swishing it around and handing it back to him.

"You have a good sword there," I assured him, and he nodded grimly.

Halfway down the steps, a horn was sounded, and the King came out of his bed chambers and looked over the wall, shouting for the gates to be opened. I stood still, waiting to see who had come to our aide, and the King rushed past me, turning around the corner to come to a stop. I heard him saying something, and a male voice responded in return. I felt Legolas approaching at a fast pace, for I had learned to feel his presence, for it was somewhat distracting to me. I recognized the voice and we both started down the stars, and upon spotting Haldir, the leader of the army, and Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel's closest advisor. I ran forward and embraced him, and I know I startled him, but he eventually returned the hug and laughed in my ear. I stepped back and watched as Legolas walked by and stood slightly behind Haldir and smirked.

'Wow, he looks quite good when he does that,' I thought and quickly shook my head. I thought I saw jealousy in the elf's eyes but passed it off as a flicker of my imagination. Haldir seemed amused at something but said nothing. I looked back at the army he had brought: all elves, in elegant armor with weapons of deadly precision, stood proud and tall. They were not afraid; they knew that they would probably die before the day ended, but I knew that they would go down in glory, deathly wounded or not.

We heard them approach before we ever saw them. Everyone has stationed hours ago, preparing their bows and arrows. I sheathed Anduril and placed my arrows neatly in front of me on the wall. I would put them in their quiver, but it would only serve to get in my way if I was to go into one-on-one combat. Besides, the arrows were much more accessible and easier to grab and shoot. Legolas though, put his arrows in his quiver as usual. Anybody would wish to have the skill of which the Elven prince possessed when it came to archery: graceful and precise.

At last, the orcs came to a standstill a few yards in front of the main wall, shouting obscenities and brandishing their weapons. Orders were shouted, but one arrow shot forth, by accident I do not know, but it struck an orc in the head, and the next thing I knew, the orcs were shouting battle cries and running forward. More orders could be heard shouted throughout the stations within Helm's Deep, and arrows upon arrows were let loose and soared through the air, striking the enemy. Wave upon wave of arrows was shot, but the orcs just seemed to keep coming; I could already hear the booming of wood against wood as the orcs set to the task of knocking down the main gates. Moment's later orcs swarmed into the first level of Helm's Deep, which was where Legolas and Gimli fought. I noticed the booming of the log against the main gate still, and wondered how they were getting over the wall, but I found the answer to my question when I saw orcs from below pushing forth a ladder swathed with orcs. I saw Legolas shout something to Gimli and they both laughed before setting about killing the enemy surrounding them.

Legolas

Orc after orc rushed forward, and I was already covered with the filthy blackness of their blood. Shouts of the King yelling for everyone to retreat backward, I aimed carefully, and shot an orc in the head, causing it to drop its shield. Hoping for it, and making sure to sustain my balance, I accelerated onward and dipped into a slant as I slid down the stone steps, knocking orcs out of my way, and let loose arrows with my bow. Reaching the bottom, I pulled a few arrows out of the closest orcs and placed them into my quiver, reminding myself, that when this was all over, that I needed to clean it, and ride it of its filth. I saw Aragorn running up ahead and heard him shout to Haldir to retreat back to the Keep, and Haldir nodded before plunging his sword into an orc in front of him.

"Haldir!" I hear Aragorn shout, and my eyes widen in astonishment and horror as an orc came up behind Haldir and struck him in the back with it's ax. Haldir fell to his knees, and Aragorn shot an arrow into the orc behind the fallen elf as he ran to the aid of the golden-haired leader. I stood there oblivious to my surroundings as I watched Aragorn run up behind Haldir, and fall to his knees as the elf fell backward into the man's chest. I continued to watch as he laid Haldir down upon the blood covered stone and barely heard Aragorn yell to me to make my way to the Keep.

Upon reaching the keep, I saw that the orcs were yet again, using a log to bust down the doors. The door was splintering and wouldn't last for long. I readied my bow and shot a few arrows through the crack in the door, and heard a satisfying shriek of outrage and pain.

'Revenge is ever so sweet,' I thought as Aragorn and Gimli disappeared out a side door, 'What are they up to?'

I never got the answer to my question as a good size hole was punctured through the door, and orcs began to cloud through. I unsheathed my two long daggers and began hacking away at the soulless creatures. I was startled as I saw Gimli fly in front of the door and onto the cobblestoned bridge, quickly followed by Aragorn. The door was being boarded up, and the King yelled through to the two to get inside the Keep before they were closed out. The human and the dwarf jumped through, and the openings were quickly sealed shut with thick panels of wood and thick wooden poles placed up against them to hold them in place.

Aragorn ran past me shouting to the King, and I stood there in awe as he argued with the Lord of the Mark, and finally convinced him to ride into the enemy and fight with the last shred of his dignity intact. Théoden agreed and soon, the King, Aragorn, Gimli, and I, were all seated up our steeds and were riding through the main gates, and onto the bridge, attacking whatever got in our way. It was getting hopeless; orcs upon orcs were surrounding us and closing in. I looked over to Aragorn and saw him ready his bow and let the arrow go, hitting an orc in the heart, killing it instantly. He looked up as if sensing my gaze, and looked over at me. Something flitted across his eyes, and I realized, that this would probably be the last time we fought together, or ever saw each other again until we met in the afterlife.

Aragorn

As I gazed into the cerulean orbs of the elf fighting not too far from me, I knew that I felt more than just friendship for the male and that if I were to live through this I would hold him in my arms until he too, felt the feelings that I held, within him; in my heart I vowed that I would never let him get away if I were to survive this war, and as if the words being stated in the contents of my mind, a light of which I never saw tore my gaze away from Legolas, and onto the white billowing robes of Gandalf himself. He stood there, proud looking upon his white steed Shadowfax, the exiled men from Rohan gathering behind him. He smiled gravely, before pointing his staff forward and charging to meet the orcs who were quickly getting over their confusion. We all fought with renewed vigor at the sight of Rohan riding to fight with us, being lead by Gandalf the White. We would win this battle.

To be continued…