The sun cast a warm glow onto Middle-earth. Just like the sun's glow, happiness shone on the peoples' faces that hasn't been there for years. The time of grief and fear had ended with the casting of the Ring of Power into the fiery chasm of Mount Doom and thus the defeat of the dark king, Sauron. In the great elf city of Rivendell creatures of all races gathered to celebrate the freedom of Middle-earth.
The Dwarfs laughed in a drunken stupor, four Hobbits danced around a fire while a wizard entertained the elvish children with fireworks. The Elves voiced their happiness in song while the human men voiced their happiness with stories of triumphs in battle. One such human didn't join in the merriment. Aragorn, son of Arathorn and the King of men, was to worried to take part in the festivities, for one of his friends was gravely wounded in the last battle.
During the battle, Legolas, Prince of the elves of Mirkwood, had an Orc's blade slice into his back, leaving a monstrous gash. Aragorn killed the Orc where it stood. He didn't think much of the wound, for Legolas kept fighting despite the pain that was evident on his face. Unfortunately this caused the wound to worsen, so it was no surprise that when the battle was won. Legolas collapsed. Aragorn ran to his friend's aid. What he saw made him ill.
The fighting had caused the wound to rip open to the point where you could see his muscles pulse beneath his skin. The blood was at a sharp contrast to the elf's pale complexion. The wound was far beyond his own ability to heal so they rushed him to his comrades for aid. It was the elves natural ability to heal themselves that kept Legolas alive on the long journey. For any mortal man the pain would have been too great and they would have died quickly. When they reached Rivendell, he was rushed to the infirmary where Aragorn had been waiting outside for any word on Legolas's condition.
It should not take them this long them this long to heal him Aragorn thought. Thoughts of something going wrong and the thought of not being told about it ran through his mind. He was so deep in thought that he was startled when a slender hand rested on his shoulder. It was one of the elves that was to heal Legolas. "You may see him now," the elf maiden said with an inhuman sweetness in her voice. He followed her to Legolas's chambers. Upon entering, Aragorn was welcomed by a divine sight.
There, on a bed adorned with white silk, sat Legolas. He seemed to be doing than ever. His pale skin and wheat colored hair seemed to glow in the sunlight. The only thing that was not affected by the light were his eyes, deep grey pools of water they were. Doors to the soul that could not be opened. If one had just met him they would never tell that he spent the last several months hunting Orcs.
Aragorn sat next to his friend. " Has the wound healed?" He asked. "It has but-" Legolas slowly and gently discards his shirt to show Aragorn where his wound once was. "Not fully," he finished. In place of the wound there was a rosy scar that started just below his left shoulder blade and ended below his right rib cage. It was the only imperfection on the elf's skin. Aragorn lightly traced the scar with his fingers. A slight hiss of pain escaped Legolas's mouth and Aragorn quickly pulled away. "It still hurts, I see," he said with remorse in his voice for eliciting the pain. "Only slightly but by dawn tomorrow it will have fully healed, this all will be a distant memory with no record of it ever existing." He said this all with a gentle smile gracing his face. That smile made Aragorn's heartache.
Why must I be plagued with these feeling? He was supposed to be with Arwen, a fair she elf from Rivendell, but his love for Arwen has become stale of late and he knew she felt the same. She was unable to bring Aragorn back from dark thoughts as Legolas was able to. He truly believed that without his friend he would have been lost to the Fellowship many times. His adoration towards his friend made the next words he heard cut right through his very soul.
"We are leaving," Legolas said with a bitter sadness in his voice. "My father says all the elves are boarding ships that will take them to new land. In two days time when I'm fully healed I will join them. "He is...leaving?" Aragorn's mind detached itself from the world. He could hear nothing outside his own thoughts. His friend was leaving him...his...love was leaving. Aragorn did not know of the tears forming in his eyes until slender hands brushed them away. The gesture brought Aragorn back to the world around him, back to the elf in front of him that was tenderly holding his face.
"Don't be sad, Aragorn," Legolas said while fixing some stray strands of Aragorn's hair. "The time of the elves is over," he soothed. "It is now time for men to rule." "Can't you stay?" Aragorn asked with a slight plea in his voice. Legolas looked away not wanting to look into his friend's eyes. The answer was no.
Aragorn took in a shaky breath and placed his hand on Legolas's shoulder. He wanted to say something, but what could he say? Tell him you love him! Tell him he shouldn't leave... Aragorn took another deep breath and said, "No matter where you are I will always be with you." Legolas smiled, "And I with you." They continue to talk well into the evening. As Legolas spoke Aragorn found himself staring. He could not take his eyes off the elf, he wanted to remember this image forever. He was taken out of his thoughts by a yawn. He realized his friend was tired, so after saying their goodbyes he left Legolas so he may get some rest.
He doesn't understand why he didn't tell Legolas his feelings. Maybe it was because of the image of a king Aragorn had to keep. Or that he didn't want to be ridiculed for being in love with a man, much less a man that wasn't of the same race. He later regrets his choice.
The time has come for the elves departure. The sun is starting to lower and the waves gently beat against the shore. Legolas and Aragorn stand on the shore in a calm silence, both saying nothing lest they ruin it. As Legolas departs he gives Aragorn one last look. The doors to his soul had just opened, for Aragorn alone. The elf normally kept a calm demeanor, never letting anyone see too much of him. When Aragorn looked into those eyes he saw something that he couldn't quite place. He had no chance to question Legolas, for he had already boarded the ship and was on his way.
Aragorn tried to maintain a calm composure as he watched Legolas, his friend and his love, sail away from him. As the ship disappears beyond the horizon, his composure fails him and he lets the tears fall as does Legolas. Both were unable to ever know of the love the other had for them.