Title: Broken
Rating: PG-13 just to be safe. This will be dealing with some sensitive issues.
Summary: Aragorn watches helplessly as a dark past, not forgotten, but believed laid to rest, comes back to haunt Legolas. It nearly broke him last time.can he face it again? Aragorn fights to let Legolas know he is not alone, but will it be enough? Or will he lose his best friend?
Notes: This story is inspired by a situation I am going through with a very close friend right now. In a way.it is a means of letting my own feelings out through writing. Though I had to change many of the scenarios to fit into a ME setting, and took a few creative liberties, a lot of it actually happened. I don't know where this story is going; the situation is far from resolved.
Disclaimers: I don't own LOTR, I make no money of this. I changed a few things around to fit the plot needed (distance, time, people, places, bla bla bla), so go ahead and classify it as an AU both because of that, and because I have no way of knowing how this will end for the reason of it's ties to real life.
~*~
"You are going to pay for that!"
"You have to catch me first!"
"That shouldn't be a problem.."
"That is what you say now..wait till I dunk you again!"
"You didn't dunk me! I slipped."
"Riiiiiiight."
"Why you little..come here!"
It was the summer.a time of beautiful weather, of carefree days, of trying your best to drown your friends. Splashing and shouting, two such friends threw insults as much as water as they roughhoused in a lake, its crystalline beauty only partially marred by the numerous splashes and churned up water.
They were an odd pair.one fair in every way, blond of hair and light of voice.and one more coarse, dark of hair and deep in voice. An elf and a human. But still the best of friends.
And the closer the friends..the more venomous the insults and more furious the attacks. Both had previously removed their tunics, hanging them on a tree branch to keep them safe from the water they felt sure would soon be flying. And fly it did. Fast and furious.
However all such play must reach its end at some point, and eventually the companions tired of trying to kill the other and climbed out of the lake onto the grass to rest. And plot revenge.
The human immediately cast himself to the ground, wearier then his companion. The elf proceeded to pull his damp hair back and began to wrap a leather strap around it to keep the dripping golden locks out of his face.
Aragorn's gaze lazily traveled to his friend's deftly working fingers as they caught on a knot in his hair. He laughed when the elf muttered a curse under his breath. "Having problems?"
"Not at all." Legolas muttered, finally untangling himself from his hair and attempting a second time to pull it back.
"Klutz."
"Excuse me?" The prince of Mirkwood tuned his head with a raised eyebrow, hands still holding his hair in place, "No elf is a klutz *human*. That job was appointed to your race." He shot at his companion with a playful sneer.
"Uh huh." Aragorn stretched out in the grass, turning his back on the elf. "I'm sure."
Legolas finished tying off the leather and dropped to the ground beside the man. "You doubt my wisdom?"
A fit of laughter greeted the elf's ears and his friend rolled over, "What wisdom?" he asked.
"With great age comes great knowledge." Legolas responded haughtily, even as his sparkling blue eyes gave away his teasing.
"So what you're saying," Aragorn stated slowly, a smirk stealing across his face, "Is that you're an old fogy."
Years of training pounded into him, sometimes literally, by his brothers let the ranger catch the arm that sought to smack him. He pulled the elf closer, intending to whisper a threat into his pointed ear, but stopped. Looking at the wrist he held captive, Aragorn noticed something that he never detected before. Small white lines crisscrossed their way across the elf's wrist, only visible to him now because of how close it was to his face and the fact that it was not currently covered by clothing as it normally was. They almost looked like...
His head jerked up. "Legolas.." a strong note of uncertainty carried in the human's voice, "what are these from?"
The elf's smile faded and his face darkened as he pulled his arm away and looked down at the scars. "My past." he whispered.
Aragorn slowly shifted into a sitting position, studying his friend's tense face, "I thought that an elf's injuries did not scar."
"They don't." Legolas stated flatly.
Confusion shone in the young human's eyes. "Then..." he let the partial question hang in the air, looking to his friend for an answer.
Legolas laughed, but it held no humor. Only bitterness. "Strider, it is a different matter when the wounds are self inflicted."
Aragorn frowned at him, "I don't understand."
The blond elf sighed. Looking up to the sky he seemed to loose himself in the wisps of cloud slowly making their way across the sky. Aragorn could clearly see the battle that played itself out across Legolas' face. The elf was wrestling with himself, trying to come to some decision. Finally Legolas let his eyes meet those of his friend, letting the human see the regret and barely hidden pain swimming their icy blue depths. "I used to slit my wrists."
Aragorn blanched. Legolas could have shot him with every arrow in his quiver and he wouldn't have been more shocked. "You what??"
Legolas chuckled at how his friend's eyes bugged out like those of in insect.
"But.but why?"
The elf only shook his head, "That is a subject I would much rather leave buried exactly where it is. It would be too painful to dig it up again."
"But-"
Legolas held up a hand, "It is in the past, my friend. Leave it there. And do not let it bother you."
Aragorn hesitated, uncertainty in his gray eyes, before nodding in agreement. Reluctantly accepting defeat on the matter. Yet he in no way wanted to let this drop. What could possibly have driven his friend to something.something so drastic? But if Legolas said it was in the past, he would just have to take his word on it, and trust that it no longer mattered.
*~
Roughly a year later...
*~
Hoofbeats rang against the ground, as horse and rider came careening into the courtyard.
Aragorn looked up from where he had been giving his stallion a last minute brushing, wondering if this was his friend. A grin broke across his face. Yes.there was Legolas.
"Sorry I'm late." The elf muttered, hurriedly slipping off his snow white horse.
"Don't worry about it." Aragorn chuckled, "Elladan and Elrohir haven't even come outside yet."
Legolas just nodded, not meeting the human's gaze. He spoke a few whispered words to his horse and it trotted a short distance away to snack on the sweet grass. The blond elf crouched down, removing his quiver from its place on his back and examining the fletching on his arrows.
Aragorn watched his friend from over the back of his horse, working a persistent bur out of the chestnut's mane. It almost seemed as if some dark rain cloud had decided to settle directly over the elf. And if he didn't know better he would have said that Legolas was fidgeting. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Legolas looked up sharply, briefly locking eyes with his friend, then just as quickly went back to his arrows. "Is anything ever right?"
Aragorn frowned, his gray eyes quickly reaching a stormy quality that signaled deep frustration, "It's your father again, isn't it?"
Legolas sighed but didn't answer. He didn't need to at this point. Aragorn knew. It was always his father. Thranduil was like no one the ranger had ever met before. His mind defied all logic, and Aragorn knew the unrealistic goals he set for his son were a constant source of tension for Legolas.
"What is it this time?" he asked, almost dreading the answer. What new notion had the king come up with to torment his son *this* time?
Legolas laughed bitterly, "Just the usual..I'm a selfish ungrateful brat, incapable of doing anything correctly, I have no respect for him or anything .."
Aragorn growled deep in his throat, "That's such a load of orc crap.."
The elf looked up long enough to favor him with a sarcastic smile. "You are telling me this?"
"You're right..I should be telling it to Thranduil.."
Legolas shook his head. "Don't. He will only take it out on me." He looked up as Aragorn's horse whinnied in displeasure and bared its teeth at the ranger. "He doesn't like you brushing him that hard." he commented with an amused smirk.
Indeed Aragorn had been using far more force then necessary with the brush as a result of his mounting anger. He blushed and whispered an apology to his mount, which shook his head, sending his mane into the ranger's face, as a warning not to do that again.
Legolas slung his quiver back over his shoulder and clasped his friend's arm, "I intend to let this hunt take my mind off home. Do not let it trouble you Estel."
The human lifted eyes filled with sadness to meet those of his friend. "How can I not?" he whispered.
Legolas smiled, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze, "It is a burden meant for my shoulders, do not to let it fall upon your own as well." The elf tuned away as Elladan and Elrohir came bounding down the steps of the house, calling a greeting and making a wry comment about laziness.
*Nay, my friend....* Aragorn thought sadly. *Your burdens are my own*
TBC..
Rating: PG-13 just to be safe. This will be dealing with some sensitive issues.
Summary: Aragorn watches helplessly as a dark past, not forgotten, but believed laid to rest, comes back to haunt Legolas. It nearly broke him last time.can he face it again? Aragorn fights to let Legolas know he is not alone, but will it be enough? Or will he lose his best friend?
Notes: This story is inspired by a situation I am going through with a very close friend right now. In a way.it is a means of letting my own feelings out through writing. Though I had to change many of the scenarios to fit into a ME setting, and took a few creative liberties, a lot of it actually happened. I don't know where this story is going; the situation is far from resolved.
Disclaimers: I don't own LOTR, I make no money of this. I changed a few things around to fit the plot needed (distance, time, people, places, bla bla bla), so go ahead and classify it as an AU both because of that, and because I have no way of knowing how this will end for the reason of it's ties to real life.
~*~
"You are going to pay for that!"
"You have to catch me first!"
"That shouldn't be a problem.."
"That is what you say now..wait till I dunk you again!"
"You didn't dunk me! I slipped."
"Riiiiiiight."
"Why you little..come here!"
It was the summer.a time of beautiful weather, of carefree days, of trying your best to drown your friends. Splashing and shouting, two such friends threw insults as much as water as they roughhoused in a lake, its crystalline beauty only partially marred by the numerous splashes and churned up water.
They were an odd pair.one fair in every way, blond of hair and light of voice.and one more coarse, dark of hair and deep in voice. An elf and a human. But still the best of friends.
And the closer the friends..the more venomous the insults and more furious the attacks. Both had previously removed their tunics, hanging them on a tree branch to keep them safe from the water they felt sure would soon be flying. And fly it did. Fast and furious.
However all such play must reach its end at some point, and eventually the companions tired of trying to kill the other and climbed out of the lake onto the grass to rest. And plot revenge.
The human immediately cast himself to the ground, wearier then his companion. The elf proceeded to pull his damp hair back and began to wrap a leather strap around it to keep the dripping golden locks out of his face.
Aragorn's gaze lazily traveled to his friend's deftly working fingers as they caught on a knot in his hair. He laughed when the elf muttered a curse under his breath. "Having problems?"
"Not at all." Legolas muttered, finally untangling himself from his hair and attempting a second time to pull it back.
"Klutz."
"Excuse me?" The prince of Mirkwood tuned his head with a raised eyebrow, hands still holding his hair in place, "No elf is a klutz *human*. That job was appointed to your race." He shot at his companion with a playful sneer.
"Uh huh." Aragorn stretched out in the grass, turning his back on the elf. "I'm sure."
Legolas finished tying off the leather and dropped to the ground beside the man. "You doubt my wisdom?"
A fit of laughter greeted the elf's ears and his friend rolled over, "What wisdom?" he asked.
"With great age comes great knowledge." Legolas responded haughtily, even as his sparkling blue eyes gave away his teasing.
"So what you're saying," Aragorn stated slowly, a smirk stealing across his face, "Is that you're an old fogy."
Years of training pounded into him, sometimes literally, by his brothers let the ranger catch the arm that sought to smack him. He pulled the elf closer, intending to whisper a threat into his pointed ear, but stopped. Looking at the wrist he held captive, Aragorn noticed something that he never detected before. Small white lines crisscrossed their way across the elf's wrist, only visible to him now because of how close it was to his face and the fact that it was not currently covered by clothing as it normally was. They almost looked like...
His head jerked up. "Legolas.." a strong note of uncertainty carried in the human's voice, "what are these from?"
The elf's smile faded and his face darkened as he pulled his arm away and looked down at the scars. "My past." he whispered.
Aragorn slowly shifted into a sitting position, studying his friend's tense face, "I thought that an elf's injuries did not scar."
"They don't." Legolas stated flatly.
Confusion shone in the young human's eyes. "Then..." he let the partial question hang in the air, looking to his friend for an answer.
Legolas laughed, but it held no humor. Only bitterness. "Strider, it is a different matter when the wounds are self inflicted."
Aragorn frowned at him, "I don't understand."
The blond elf sighed. Looking up to the sky he seemed to loose himself in the wisps of cloud slowly making their way across the sky. Aragorn could clearly see the battle that played itself out across Legolas' face. The elf was wrestling with himself, trying to come to some decision. Finally Legolas let his eyes meet those of his friend, letting the human see the regret and barely hidden pain swimming their icy blue depths. "I used to slit my wrists."
Aragorn blanched. Legolas could have shot him with every arrow in his quiver and he wouldn't have been more shocked. "You what??"
Legolas chuckled at how his friend's eyes bugged out like those of in insect.
"But.but why?"
The elf only shook his head, "That is a subject I would much rather leave buried exactly where it is. It would be too painful to dig it up again."
"But-"
Legolas held up a hand, "It is in the past, my friend. Leave it there. And do not let it bother you."
Aragorn hesitated, uncertainty in his gray eyes, before nodding in agreement. Reluctantly accepting defeat on the matter. Yet he in no way wanted to let this drop. What could possibly have driven his friend to something.something so drastic? But if Legolas said it was in the past, he would just have to take his word on it, and trust that it no longer mattered.
*~
Roughly a year later...
*~
Hoofbeats rang against the ground, as horse and rider came careening into the courtyard.
Aragorn looked up from where he had been giving his stallion a last minute brushing, wondering if this was his friend. A grin broke across his face. Yes.there was Legolas.
"Sorry I'm late." The elf muttered, hurriedly slipping off his snow white horse.
"Don't worry about it." Aragorn chuckled, "Elladan and Elrohir haven't even come outside yet."
Legolas just nodded, not meeting the human's gaze. He spoke a few whispered words to his horse and it trotted a short distance away to snack on the sweet grass. The blond elf crouched down, removing his quiver from its place on his back and examining the fletching on his arrows.
Aragorn watched his friend from over the back of his horse, working a persistent bur out of the chestnut's mane. It almost seemed as if some dark rain cloud had decided to settle directly over the elf. And if he didn't know better he would have said that Legolas was fidgeting. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Legolas looked up sharply, briefly locking eyes with his friend, then just as quickly went back to his arrows. "Is anything ever right?"
Aragorn frowned, his gray eyes quickly reaching a stormy quality that signaled deep frustration, "It's your father again, isn't it?"
Legolas sighed but didn't answer. He didn't need to at this point. Aragorn knew. It was always his father. Thranduil was like no one the ranger had ever met before. His mind defied all logic, and Aragorn knew the unrealistic goals he set for his son were a constant source of tension for Legolas.
"What is it this time?" he asked, almost dreading the answer. What new notion had the king come up with to torment his son *this* time?
Legolas laughed bitterly, "Just the usual..I'm a selfish ungrateful brat, incapable of doing anything correctly, I have no respect for him or anything .."
Aragorn growled deep in his throat, "That's such a load of orc crap.."
The elf looked up long enough to favor him with a sarcastic smile. "You are telling me this?"
"You're right..I should be telling it to Thranduil.."
Legolas shook his head. "Don't. He will only take it out on me." He looked up as Aragorn's horse whinnied in displeasure and bared its teeth at the ranger. "He doesn't like you brushing him that hard." he commented with an amused smirk.
Indeed Aragorn had been using far more force then necessary with the brush as a result of his mounting anger. He blushed and whispered an apology to his mount, which shook his head, sending his mane into the ranger's face, as a warning not to do that again.
Legolas slung his quiver back over his shoulder and clasped his friend's arm, "I intend to let this hunt take my mind off home. Do not let it trouble you Estel."
The human lifted eyes filled with sadness to meet those of his friend. "How can I not?" he whispered.
Legolas smiled, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze, "It is a burden meant for my shoulders, do not to let it fall upon your own as well." The elf tuned away as Elladan and Elrohir came bounding down the steps of the house, calling a greeting and making a wry comment about laziness.
*Nay, my friend....* Aragorn thought sadly. *Your burdens are my own*
TBC..