Title: As the Stars Fade
Author: Keppiehed
Summary: Will Aragorn admit and surrender to his feelings for a certain elf? It's an angst ridden tale!
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1029
Warnings/Spoilers: This story deals with slash content, but it is not too graphic in nature
A/N: scroll to the end for list of elvish terms. This was written for A to Z Prompts, the word was "biological"
Disclaimer: This all belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.
The ground was hard beneath his head. Normally this was no problem for a ranger, but tonight it didn't seem to matter how he shifted, his shoulders found every rock and hard spot that nature had to offer. Aragorn sighed and gave it up as a lost cause. He sat up and cast his gaze to the sky. The stars were still blazing in the deep blue night, with only the merest tinge of dawn beginning to show in the eastern horizon. He could afford to let the others sleep a few hours yet; they needed their precious rest for the journeying they had done and the long trek ahead.
Aragorn slipped stealthily to his feet and made his way from the camp. He didn't want to wander too far and leave the hobbits unprotected, but they were in a relatively safe hamlet and he felt he could risk a little distance. It felt good to stretch his sleep weary limbs. He came to a thicket with a small stream making it's way across the bracken. Aragorn paused and gazed across the landscape, letting his eyes adjust to the dim shadows of the trees and the brighter glow of the heavens above him.
After a time, he sensed a presence behind him. Without turning, he said mildly "Did I disturb your reverie, Mellonamin?"
He heard the smile in Legolas' voice. "Indeed not. I have been awake these long hours. What kept you from your rest, Heruamin?"
Aragorn turned sharply. "I am not your lord, Legolas, as well you know it!"
Legolas cocked his head. "What would you have me call you, then? To call you friend, as you call me, is to deny how I feel for you."
Aragorn ran a hand through his hair in frustration. In the barely pinkening dawn, he could just make out the paleness of the elf's skin, the sheer luster of his hair as it lay in long strands past his shoulders. Even now, Aragorn had to clench his hand to keep from reaching out to stoke the silky blond tresses. He gritted his teeth in denial. "Yet a friend you are to me," he ground out, his voice rougher than he meant it to be.
Legolas smiled, his beauty nearly breathtaking. How could such a creature be of this world? Aragorn had to govern his thoughts to concentrate on his words. "We can still be friends... and more. You know this. Why do you fight it?"
Aragorn fought a wave of want that surged through him. It was stronger than desire, purer than lust. It nearly brought him to his knees and for that very reason he ground his fingernails into his palms until he could speak without tremor. "What of Arwen? Does she not deserve better?"
"Doesn't Arwen deserve a man who can give her his heart?" Legolas countered. "No matter what happens betwixt us, you are not that man."
A burning ray of orange broke through the looming clouds and lit the treetops around them in vibrant flame. The dawn had broken dramatically, leaving them wreathed in a juxtaposition of dark sky and bright branches overhead. The two men didn't notice the scenery, though. They had eyes only for each other.
"This, this thing between us..." Aragorn spread his hands out helplessly. "It's only a biological quirk. It isn't real."
Legolas approached him slowly and raised a slender hand. He cupped Aragorn's rough cheek, stroking the beard with his thumb. Aragorn let out a long sigh and leaned into the touch. Legolas stepped closer in and said in a soft whisper "This, Mela en' coiamin, is the only real thing in the world. Trust your heart. Trust me."
Aragorn was lost in the bluest eyes he had ever known. He knew that he loved this elf in front of him, he always had. He stopped fighting and surrendered. The kiss was surprisingly rough. He had imagined– yes, he blushed a little to realize that he had imagined this first kiss– that it would be as gentle and delicate as Legolas himself. Instead it was fraught was passion and worry and domination. Aragorn poured all of his longing into that kiss, and Legolas met him. The world seemed to stop, right there in that clearing, and Aragorn felt like he had finally seen a glimpse of something rare and precious that he had never even known existed. It felt like a homecoming.
When he finally pulled away, it was with amazement. His heart couldn't be fuller. Legolas' eyes were sparkling and it was the best sight in the world. Aragorn felt unease prickle down his spine as his warrior's instinct kicked in. He felt the trickle of dread descend. He might manage his own despair, but to bring it on another?
He cleared his throat. "There must be no more of this between us."
Legolas' face froze. "I don't understand."
Aragorn wouldn't look away, he couldn't. "I won't have the mission fail, the Fellowship break, because of me. I can't do this, I'm not strong enough. Can't you see? I will always be thinking of you, looking to you first, when my duty is elsewhere. It must stop now. I can't look myself in the eye if I allowed my judgment to lapse. Please, Legolas." Aragorn had never said so much at one time. He was trying to get the words out before his heart broke.
Legolas just nodded, his face smooth. "I understand. Let us complete our task. Perhaps then we can talk. Come, the morning is upon us. It is nearly time to be on our way." He turned and left the clearing.
Aragorn knew he was alone. He felt his throat ache and he struggled to force the lump back down. He had a job to do. He turned to make his way back to camp, his gaze searching out the sky before he left to start the long day. Morning had broken, and only one dim star remained hanging. Soon it, too, winked out, lost in the clouds that rolled in.
A/N: I want to apologize for any inconsistency of my use of Elvish in this story. I am not fluent in that language, I do realize that, so please do not crucify me on any inaccuracies. I researched to the best of my ability, but I know that fans of Tolkien are more learned about this subject than I am. Please accept these translations in the spirit which they were intended, which is just for mood, and hopefully I got it somewhere in the right neighborhood:
My friend : Mellonamin
My lord (familiar) : Heruamin
Love of my life : Mela en' coiamin