Thank so much to everybody who reviewed!! It means a lot to me to hear that you liked the first chapter! SORRY for the LONG delay. I haven't given up on the story; it seemed that my life was in need of a little drama, and I got more than I ever wanted. It took some time, but I now have time to dedicate to this fic. I hope you like what my muse gave to me for this chapter; it's shorter than the last one, but I promise that more's coming very soon!

Disclaimer: I'd like to own the characters, and I'd like to say that it all belongs to me, but sadly, I don't own anything!

To Save You

Chapter 2 - Hurts of the Heart

Aragorn was restless. He shifted positions, tossing and turning for nearly an hour before Arwen sat up and looked down at her husband who laid beside her on his back. His eyes were closed, and if one were not overly familiar with the man, one would assume that he slept peacefully; however, Arwen knew better. She brushed the hair away from his face as she leaned down and kissed his brow, taking his clenched fists into her own hands gently.

"Your heart is heavy, my love," she said quietly, causing Aragorn to open his eyes and look up at her with an expression that asked her to tell him what he should do. She met his gaze with a look of empathy, and spoke again, knowing that he needed her guidance and support in a dire way. "Deep is your desire to go to Legolas and help restore his love for life; yet, strong is your fear that by going to him, you will only further push him over the edge."

Aragorn nodded, turning his gaze to the window as he rose up from the bed, his fingers lingering in the comforting hold of his wife for a few moments before walking onto the balcony and letting the cool night air massage his skin and sooth his hurting soul. He did not hear her approach, but soon he felt Arwen encircle him with her arms as she placed her head on his shoulder. He breathed in the scent of her, knowing deep in his heart that it was only a matter of time before he separated from her once again. As much as he fought it, both the King and his Queen knew that he would go to Ithilien; it was not in his nature to ignore a cry for help, even if it wasn't cried out loud.

"Gimli looks to me as though I hold a cure for what has befallen his dearest friend" Aragorn spoke as he scanned the city below. "I wish it were so. I wish I could heal Legolas' pain as I would heal a scrape or a burn, but I cannot. Legolas' hurts dwell too deep. I fear they, and he, are far beyond my reach now."

The man's face fell, matching a tear that traced down his cheek, as Arwen turned his body to face hers. If sorrow could be seen, she knew that it would radiate off of her husband like a beacon of light, and she wished desperately for all of this ache to cease between the once great friends. She held onto the hope that a miracle would be given and their friendship would be renewed.

Placing her hands on the sides of Aragorn's face, she tried to reassure him. "The hurts of the heart can not be mended with healing hands alone, my love. The only way you will reach and heal his heart is if you use your own."

Sighing deeply, Aragorn replied. "How am I to help him if he refuses my aid? You were there, Arwen. You heard his declaration of loathing. You saw his eyes; how empty they'd become."

Aragorn shook his head, tears falling freely now as he remembered their final parting. "He will refuse any aid I try to offer. He wants nothing to do with me anymore."

Despite the situation, Arwen let a soft smile to grace her lips as she met her beloved's steel gray eyes with her own. "That is not true, Aragorn" she proclaimed with such conviction that it made Aragorn's breath hitch. "Gimli was right to come to you. You and Legolas are brothers in every way but blood. The two of you share a bond that I do not believe can be broken. Perhaps that is why, even though Legolas may not realize it, he has chosen to push you further away than any other."

The King of Gondor faced many challenges in his life. As ruler of Gondor, he encountered many mysteries that confused him, but none so much as what his wife had just spoke. It didn't make sense to him at all. Why, if his and Legolas' bond was so unbreakable, would Legolas use it as reason to push him away? His puzzlement was clear to Arwen who lowered her hands from his face and took his hands in them once more.

"Perhaps he pushes you the farthest away because deep down he knows that you will fight the hardest and longest to pull him back; regardless of what he says or does to you."

Arwen slowly leaned forward and placed one last kiss upon her husband's temple before she walked back into their room, leaving him standing on the balcony with her words swirling within his mind. It did shine a new light on what had seemed a helpless and dark situation. Aragorn hoped with all his hearts that what Arwen had said was true. If that were the case, then perhaps he could get through to the elf this time. Sending a silent prayer up to the heavens, he nodded and followed after his Queen.

The King had made his decision.

"You blasted elf! I have had it with your self absorbed, stubborn idiocy! It's bad enough you decide not to show up again for a meeting which YOU scheduled, but now I have to climb up this Valar forsaken, worm infested tree to drag you out of it! When I get my hands on you, elf.."

Gimli's shouts were jumbled together with dwarven curses as he shakily made his way up the ladder that led to the elven prince's flet. He had been in Ithilien for about two weeks now with the intent to visit both Legolas and Faramir, who both governed the human and elven city with common desire to breath life back into the once dark forest, and Gimli had yet to get the elf to remain in his presence for longer than five minutes. This was odd for the dwarf, because even before the two had begun trusting each other during their time with the other seven walkers, he and Legolas would gladly trade barbs for hours on end.

Gimli had been well aware of the trouble that Aragorn had found with Legolas, but up until recently the elf had allowed Gimli to mediate between them and had not shown the same upset toward him as he had done with their human friend. The new distance that the elf had placed between himself and Gimli was not going over well with the dwarf, and he was about to let him know it.

"Legolas! Open the door!" he bellowed as he came to the entrance of his friend's bedroom. His hand immediately went for the handle, only to be surprised again when he found that it was locked. The elf never locked his door. He had no need to. This only further frustrated the stout, long bearded being. "Open the door so I can bang your head in with something sharp!"

No response.

"Legolas! I know you're in there!"

No response.

Gimli growled. "That's it, elf! I am going to.." his words trailed off when the sound of muffled whimpering caught the dwarf's attention. Fury was instantly replaced with over ridding concern for his friend's safety. Without a second thought, Gimli rammed his body as hard as he could against the door, and as expected, the door didn't stand a chance.

"Laddie!" Gimli exclaimed as he entered the room with a huff and spotted the elf in a crumbled heap on the floor beside the bed. "Are you alright? What has happened?" the words came quickly as he dropped to Legolas' side and inspected the elf's body for signs of injury. None could be found to his eye, but he knew that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Legolas was curled up on his side in the fetal position, with his face buried into the rug as he dug at the floor with clenched fists. Gimli could see that the elf was in an unbearable amount of pain, and it scared him more than he would have liked to admit. He didn't know what to do.

"G..go away" Legolas mumbled as his body trembled with agony. He dwarf growled back and ignored the order.

"You're hurt. Tell me what has happened." Gimli knew that Legolas suffered from the sea longing, and that it sometimes made the elf feel unwell, but never anything to this extent. "I should get a healer for.."

"No!" Legolas exclaimed, pushing Gimli's hands away from him. "I am fine. I shall be fine! J..just leave me.."

"You are not fine!" Gimli shouted back, unconvinced. "You are far from fine. Now shut up and stay still, I will be right back with a healer." His angry tone hid the severe panic that resonated in the dwarf at the moment. His friend was hurt and it was frustrating to realize that he could do nothing to help him. "I'll be right back" he said again as he raced out of the room to find aid.

He found aid quickly, but to Gimli's chagrin Legolas was gone when he returned with it. The elves, having already known of Legolas' failing condition, formed a search party and scouted the city looking for the prince, but it went unsuccessful. Gimli had even sought out Faramir and Eowyn for help in locating the elf, but it found the same result. Legolas wasn't seen again, until ten hours later when the elf returned from his little game of hide and seek as though nothing had happened, which erupted into a long and nasty argument between the elf and the dwarf.

Gimli growled as he thought back to the day in which all of that trouble had occurred. That had been a week ago, and ever since then, Legolas refused to speak to him at all. Gimli believed that it had more to do with the state he had found Legolas in on the floor that day than anything, but he was still horrified. Legolas was fading; the elven healers had confirmed it when Gimli went to them and asked for a brutally honest answer. The dwarf had tried everything he could think of to get through to the son of Thranduil, but all of his attempts had failed miserably. His last hope lay with Aragorn, and even though the man had said there was nothing he could do, Gimli prayed that Arwen would be able to make him see how much he still may be of help.

"Gimli" the voice of the King broke his line of thought and the dwarf immediately turned to the doorway of his chambers, meeting Aragorn's eyes with pleading ones of his own. Silence lingered for a few moments before the man spoke again, and when he did, Gimli let out a deep sigh of relief.

"We leave first thing in the morning."

tbc...

There you go. I hope you liked it. As I said before, your feedback is appreciated, because it helps me to know if you like it or not. Flames are useless, but I don't mind constructive criticism because I can use it to better my writing and my story. So, in closing, I guess what I am trying to say is: REVIEW!!