Aragorn waded through the masses of soldiers. He tried his best, but there were so many in the keep he could not help but bump shoulders with a few. There was more than one point in the night that he did not think he would be here, after the battle that is. Had it not been for Gandalf, he, and most of these soldiers, probably wouldn't have been.
Aragorn made his way through the crowd and found a place to sit, away from the cheers and hustle of the others. After a big battle he always needed somewhere where he could think. It allowed him to decompress and be at peace with whatever events had transpired. He thought over everything from Haldir's arrival, the destruction of the wall, the coming of Eomer's men. He thought of what had happened before the battle as well; Eowen's confession, his fight with Legolas.
It was then that Aragorn looked up from his thoughts. He knew that Gimli was in the hall, drinking ale and telling stories to Theoden's men. He knew that Gandalf was smoking his pipe, looking over the wall, probably doing the same thing that he, himself, had just been doing. But where was Legolas?
After the victory, Aragorn had seen his elven friend speaking with Gimli after greeting Gandalf. After that, Aragorn did not remember seeing him. Not in the hall with Gimli, nor among the crowds. Aragorn rose from his place of solace and went to find his oldest friend.
He made his way back to the hall to speak with Gimli. When he arrived, the dwarf was surrounded by the several men, all intent on hearing the stories that he had to tell. At that moment, Gimli was telling them about Moria and the halls that his people had built there. Gimli himself was so enamored by the telling that Aragorn felt bad when he placed a heavy hand on Gimli's shoulder.
"The columns reached as high as-" Gimli sputtered off and turned to face his human friend, "Ah! Laddie! I was wondering where you'd gone off to. I was just telling these men about Moria and-"
"Gimli," Aragorn interrupted, "have you seen Legolas?"
Gimli began to speak, but suddenly was struck dumb. His eyes moved around the room as he thought, but slowly he began to shake his head, "I'm sorry laddie, now that I think of it, I haven't seen the princeling in hours."
"That's alright," Aragorn said, putting a reassuring smile on his face, "I will find him, continue your stories." With a slight nod to Gimli and the rest of the men, Aragorn left them to hear about the columns in Moria and the Balrog they faced there.
Aragorn waded through more crowds. Some men were drinking, others were laughing. Some men huddled around a fire with their families while others silently cried by themselves. This battle had affected them all in different ways. Aragorn would hate to be the one to tell them that this was not the end of this war and that they may yet have to put their lives in danger again.
Aragorn climbed the stairs to one of the towers and there he happened upon Gandalf in his white robes. The wizard was quietly mumbling to himself while periodically taking in puffs of smoke from his pipe. He surveyed the carnage below and shook his head, "So much death and destruction."
"I know," Aragorn said quietly, walking up to stand by Gandalf's side, "What do you think will come next?"
Gandalf shook his head, "If only I knew." His eyes were distant, as if he were trying to see something far off, beyond mortal eyes. Aragorn looked down at the battle field and quickly closed his eyes when he gazed upon the face of a young man, no more than 15, laying dead on the ground. He then turned his gaze to the sky, where the sun was now full above them, bringing much needed warmth to the cold scene below.
"But you came here for another purpose did you not?" Gandalf said, turning his gaze to the ranger. "He is on the wall, lamenting for his kinsman"
Aragorn sighed. "Of course" he thought to himself. He never even stopped to think how the deaths of the Lothlorien elves would have affected Legolas. Not only were they his kinsmen, many of them he had known for hundreds of years. Haldir and Legolas had been friends, and Aragorn hadn't thought to tell Legolas of his death.
"You should go," Gandalf said, "he needs you Aragorn. This could not have been easy for him."
"Thank you Gandalf," Aragorn said, placing a hand on the wizard's shoulder, "For everything that you have done." Gandalf nodded and smiled, and Aragorn left him to his pipe.
Aragorn took his time getting to the wall. He had dealt with Legolas when he was angry before. In fact Aragorn himself had been the cause. He had also seen him lament the death of his friends. The problem was, he did not know which to expect; perhaps he should expect both.
He finally reached the staircase and slowly climbed, step by step. When he reached the top, he saw bodies, and blood. He saw Urukai, and men, and elves. About a dozen of the Rohirim were carrying the bodies away to the burial site that was being constructed. Aragorn gazed over the scene until his eyes found what they were looking for.
On the other end of the wall, past the crevice made by the Urukai, sat Legolas. He was leaning his back against the stone, his arms hung over his knees, and his head was bowed low. Aragorn walked towards him, careful not to step on any bodies. He looked down in disgust at the Urukai, and a few times "accidentally" stepped on some of their filthy fingers.
He reached the void in the wall. After surveying it for a moment he determined that he could jump it with enough room. He walked a few paces back, and as he looked at the ground to make sure it was clear, he saw Haldir. His face was quiet and his body motionless. He lay exactly where Aragorn had left him.
He kneeled down next to Haldir's body and placed a hand on his forehead. He said a lament for him, and for all of the elves that lay dead there. When he was finished, he gently kissed Haldir's brow and sighed. He looked at the carnage around him once more, before pushing himself up and making the jump.
Legolas did not look up when Aragorn came near him. He was so lost in thought he did not realize he was no longer alone. Aragorn had never seen him startled until, in that moment, he said his name.
Legolas quickly looked up from the ground where his eyes had been fixed for so long. He took a deep breath, something he had not done in quite some time. He raised his gaze to look into his friend's eyes. Aragorn had seen him angry, he had seen him sad, but this was something entirely different. He looked broken.
"Melonin" he said as he knelt down beside Legolas, placing a hand behind his head. The elf did not cry, and for a while he did not speak. In fact he did not do much more than breathe. The two were silent for a long while, until Legolas finally spoke.
"Why did you come?" He asked, his voice gruff.
"I was worried about you," Aragorn started, "I had not seen you for hours."
"And now?" Legolas asked, looking his friend in the eye, "Do you regret coming?"
"Why would you think that?" Aragorn asked, taking a seat next to his friend.
"You are supposed to be celebrating a great victory," Legolas said with a feigned smile, "instead you are here, comforting me?"
"This was no great victory," Aragorn said, shaking his head, "We have merely stayed the enemies hand for a short while longer. These people are still in danger."
"Thousands more will die," Legolas eyes were distant, he knew what he was saying to be true.
Aragorn let out a quiet sigh. He was right, after all. Many of the people that they saved today would be dead before too long. But that wasn't what this was about. Legolas had seen death before, he had been in war before, Aragorn had been with him in many battles. What was so different today than before.
"Before the battle, you had no hope, and here we are," Aragorn gestured around them, "We won, Legolas, we can win again."
"You gave me hope," Legolas said, looking Aragorn in the eye, "my kin gave me hope, but we would have lost had Gandalf not come. That hope was waning even as he crested the hill. I have never feared death...until today."
Aragorn looked in the elf's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. He searched for some kind of insincerity, but there was nothing. "Legolas, I-" he stopped, searching for something to say. They had talked about death before, in fact, Legolas had talked about it more freely than most. "What changed?" He finally asked.
Legolas broke his gaze, he looked at the bodies that surrounded them. "Long have I fought alongside my people, and you. Never once did I believe that we weren't going to win. When I watched my kinsman fall today, when I saw thousands of years of life ended with a single stroke of an Urukai blade..." He trailed off. His voice was beginning to shake.
"You thought how quickly your life could end the same way." Aragorn finished. "But you kept fighting?"
"I fought harder than I had ever fought in my life," Legolas said, "And when you rode down with Theoden, the fear gripped me, and nearly held me back. I had to fight with myself. I had to convince myself that dying out there would be a better use of my life than cowering in the keep."
"That doesn't mean-"
"If that should happen again, when you need me, or Gimli. I may lose that battle with myself." Legolas' eyes were dark and hardened. Aragorn could only shake his head.
"You won't." He replied, simply, "I know you, Legolas Greenleaf. The love you bear for your friends and your people will far exceed your fear of anything. I have seen it, many times over. I do not believe you would abandon us for anything. Your loyalty, has always given me hope."
Legolas' face softened. He finally let the tears he had been choking back fill his sea blue eyes. He let his head fall to his chest and Aragorn wrapped his arm around him. They sat there for a long while in silence.
"Brothers in arms," Gandalf said to himself as he watched his companions from the keep. His lips curled into a small smile. He found comfort knowing that Aragorn and Legolas had each other. A friendship like theirs was hard to come by in those times, and they would need it, if they were to survive this war.