Mae Govannen, dear readers, here we go- chapter three.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Of Another Kind

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Baram sighs. He has leafed through so many books by now that his fingers feel chafed, but has not found what he was looking for. Despite the large number of books in Thranduil´s library he does not really expect to be successfull, as human illnesses are not a matter of interest in the Elven kingdom, but giving up is not an option. He does not want to disappoint the prince, and apart from that, he has taken pity on the man. Baram knows that he will very probably not survive if they cannot help him, and once the dirt had come off, the healer was surprised to see that the man did not actually look as old as he had expected, but seemed much younger despite his present state. His body showed evidence of malnutrition and hardship, however, and judging from that as well as the state of his remaining clothes Baram suspects that he had already been ill before he had arrived. He does not know what exactly is going on, as Legolas has told him only a little bit, but still he cannot but feel for the human.

Hesitantly, the healer turns to look at a book he has put aside earlier. After another moment´s hesitation, he takes it and opens it. If there is nothing more appropriate to be found, this one might do. It is the only chance he has, after all.

-

Legolas has dozed off when Baram comes back in, carrying a tray. The prince jerks awake and finds himself sitting in the chair next to the bed. Aragorn seems to be dreaming and has started to move restlessly, shivering and trembling. Legolas strokes his hair, his temple, to calm him, and whispers soothing words in Elvish, hoping that his friend is able to hear him. He cannot judge if that is the case, but Aragorn calms down after a while. Legolas breathes a small sigh when his friend lies still again. He is only half aware of Baram being there, until the healer puts a hand on the prince´s shoulder: "My lord? I will need your help."

Legolas nods, his eyes never leaving Aragorn, until Baram reinforces the pressure on his shoulder in silent understanding for a moment. Only then does the younger Elf look up, his eyes dark and sorrowful: "I cannot lose him", he says, bare audible.

Baram nods. "You will not", he replies with more confidence than he feels.

-

They make Aragorn drink a tea that the healer has prepared. They then apply a salve which strongly smells of mint and other herbs on his chest and poultice it with a warm cloth. They also poultice his legs with cold cloths, spread two additional blankets over him and stoke the fire in the fireplace.

Baram finally nods; that is all they can do for now. "We have to make him drink in regular intervals", he says, "and replace the warm and cold cloths as well."

Legolas nods as well: "Thank you", he murmurs. "Please, forgive me for how I spoke to you earlier. I did not mean to be disrespectful, I was just so annoyed..."

Baram smiles sadly: "There is nothing to forgive, mylord."

-

It is late at night.

Legolas has sent Baram to go and rest; he is tired himself, but wide awake at the same time. How could his father have acted like this? This one thought keeps spinning in his head while he watches over his friend.

Aragorn´s fever is still high, but the herbs seem to help him breathe more easily. Legolas is holding his hand whenever he has nothing else to do, as he wants the man to know that a friend is with him.

He has not seen him in years, which he regrets now; he had not expected Aragorn to look so old, nor to look so haggard, even gaunt. It unpleasantly reminds him of the fact that their time together is limited, as Aragorn is no Elf.

Legolas sighs. The tears which he has been holding back all day now force their way out, and while he continues to hold Aragorn´s hand, he allows his grief to break free.

-

In the small hours of the new day, Aragorn comes to. Legolas has just applied a fresh layer of salve and has put the poultice back on the man´s chest. He is tucking his friend back in when he notices a movement and indeed finds that the Ranger´s eyes are opening slowly. It is still dark in the room, only the fire spreads a bit of light, but Aragorn´s fever- glazed gaze clings to Legolas as if he were an apparition.

The Elf quickly takes his friend´s hand again: "Aragorn", he breathes, "it is I, Legolas! You are safe now, all is well..."

Aragorn tries to say something, but his voice fails and the sound ends in a cough. Legolas helps him to drink some water: "Do not try to speak yet", he then says fondly. "You have a bit of recovery ahead of you, my friend."

The Ranger blinks, looking exhausted: "G´lum", he manages to say despite Legolas´ words, and it sounds like a question. It takes the Elf a few seconds to realize that he is talking about the creature he has brought to Mirkwood.

Legolas has not given it much thought until now, but he seeks to comfort Aragorn: "He is here, do not worry so", he replies. He smiles despite his sorrow as he strokes Aragorn´s temple: "Rest now, Strider. I will stay with you."

After a few more seconds, the man´s eyes close again. Legolas feels a faint squeeze on his hand, and strokes Aragorn´s with his thumb.

-

In the morning, Baram comes back. He is utterly relieved that their ministrations seem to have an effect, after all. The fever is still there, but due to the man´s exhausted body that is hardly a surprise; he had not expected it to cease at all.

Legolas looks exhausted as well; the emotional strain as well as the lack of sleep is showing on his face, but he refuses to leave Aragorn´s side. Baram knows better than to try and argue, so he just goes to get some more tea, and when he comes back, he also brings some breakfast for the prince. Legolas smiles gratefully; now that he smells the fresh bread, he realizes how starved he is, not having had dinner the day before. He inquiringly looks at the tea which Baram has brewed for Aragorn: "Where did you find something about human remedies at all?", he asks. To his surprise, Baram blushes until he is deeply red.

"Er..." the healer fiddles around with a cloth, "well...as much as I tried did I actually not find anything about them, but... I remembered another book which helped a great deal." "Which book?" "Er... please do not get this wrong... it is about... about horse remedies..."

Legolas stares at Baram incredulously for a few seconds, then he bursts into laughter. He laughs until his ribs hurt but still cannot stop: "I cannot wait to tell him about it", he finally gasps.

"Tell who- oh , no my lord, you cannot do that to me", Baram nearly cries in alarm.

Legolas is holding his stomach and wipes tears out of the corners of his eyes: "You are unbelievable. And cunning, I have to grant you that. Horse remedies..."

Baram feels the need to defend himself: "Well, horses can have similar sicknesses, so it seemed logical at that time...and it gave me some helpful ideas, after all."

He puts down the cloth and starts to examine Aragorn: "The tea has to cool down a bit. We should change his nightshirt and the bedding in the meantime, seeing as he has sweated a lot."

Legolas carefully supports Aragorn´s shoulders and lifts his upper body up. Baram is right, the nightshirt and bedding are clammy, and Legolas can still feel the unnatural warmth Aragorn´s body radiates. He can also feel the man´s every bone, it seems, and it worries him to see how much his friend has neglected himself lately.

They gently wash the sweat off him, then Baram looks after the wound. He is glad to see that the infection is nearly gone, and redresses it with a sense of relief. After they have applied fresh salve and poultices and have put on a fresh nightshirt, they make Aragorn drink the tea. He moans softly but does not wake up; his sleep is still bordering on unconsciousness.

After they have eased him back down on the pillow, Legolas thoroughly tucks him in and rekindles the fire in the fireplace.

Baram secretly admires the prince´s loyalty to his friend, which even goes as far as involving lower tasks; Legolas however is so preoccupied that he does not even notice it. To see Aragorn like this is bearing down on him much harder than he would have expected; not only because his friend has been suffering at the hands of Elves that Legolas belongs to and has trusted all his life, but also due to the harsh reminder of the fact that Aragorn is growing old.

During the long hours that Legolas has spent at his bedside the Elf has had idle time to take in his friend´s appearance, and for the first time since they have known each other has realized that Aragorn is indeed ageing. True, he is one of the Dunadán and therefore blessed with a longer life than other humans, but Legolas can see that the Ranger is not as young as he looks anymore. And now that he had the chance to look closely, he has seen that Aragorn has lost even the slightest remainders of the formerly youthful appearance he once possessed. There are more lines around his eyes, and streaks of grey are showing in his dark hair. Even though Legolas knows that any other man of 86 years would be considered as old, for him as an Elf age is too abstract a thought, and it still would not have occured to him to think of Aragorn that way. In Legolas´ eyes, he is still a child in a way, and 86 years go by in a blink. If it would not be for mortality, that is.

-

While Baram goes to make some more salve, Legolas sits down next to the Ranger again. Aragorn´s breathing is still too loud to sound normal, but at least it is evenly. His features are a bit more relaxed now, if still tired.

Legolas looks at him and suddenly, overwhelmingly misses him. He wishes to talk to Aragorn, laugh with him, see him alive and well again instead of helplessly lying here. Automatically, he takes his friend´s hand in his own and holds on to it.

Aragorn awakes again in the afternoon; the fever has slowly but steadily started to decrease.

The Ranger blinks. His body feels stiff and sore, and his head seems to be wrapped in cotton. He seems to have a fever, but it takes a moment for him to remember what has happened. The last thing he remembers is the struggle with Gollum, and then a blinding pain flaring up in his shoulder... ah yes, Mirkwood. Now he knows, and the memory makes him feel uneasy. He also remembers cold and fear-evoking darkness, but now he seems to be lying in a bed. He turns his head to look around and finds himself facing an unknown Elf, who is bending forward and looking at him: "How do you feel?", he asks now, and his voice sounds surprisingly sympathetic. Aragorn, ill as he is, is not aware that he has unconsciously recoiled from the stranger, and to see him like this pains Baram´s heart.

"Not too bad", Aragorn answers, although his voice is barely audible. The Elf smiles nevertheless, and his gaze quickly drifts downwards. The Ranger turns his head a bit more to see what he has been looking at: it is Legolas, who apparently has fallen asleep. His upper body is resting on the edge of the bed, his head on Aragorn´s arm. Only now does the man notice the weight and that someone is holding his hand, his mind is still too foggy. He smiles as well.

The unknown Elf introduces himself as Baram and helps Aragorn drink some water.

"Are you in pain?", Baram wants to know. Aragorn can feel the wound, but it is bearable. Baram seems relieved: "We have been quite worried about you", he says. "The prince has not left your side once."

"How did he find me?", Aragorn asks, his voice still weak. "The guards..."

Baram looks embarassed: "Well... the guards did not know... they brought you here, and... put you in the dungeons."

Aragorn closes his eyes for a moment: so he has not only imagined the cold and the darkness.

Baram quickly continues: "The prince was on a hunting trip at that time. But when he returned and found out about it, he immediately had you released... and he cared for you ever since."

Aragorn nods. Now he knows for certain why he remembers cold and darkness, and it explains how ill he still feels.

"What about Gollum?", he asks despite the pain in his throat.

Baram takes a moment to comprehend what the man is talking about: "Oh, the... he is still down in the dungeons."

Aragorn is relieved that they have not killed him. And the dungeons might not be the worst place for Gollum after all, since he likes cold and dark places.

Baram watches the man with honest concern; he feels ashamed for the guards once more, wishing that he could undo what they have done. Since that is not possible, he can at least do everything he can to help the stranger.

Aragorn´s eyes are closing again; he is too depleted to stay awake for long.

-

Legolas wakes up in the evening. Baram has done his best not to wake him even though he has changed the poultices twice in the meantime, and Legolas is grateful even if his body protests harshly due to the twisted posture he has been sleeping in. He stretches while Baram tells him what has happened.

"I think your friend feared me at first", he finally says, "but when he realized that I did not mean him any harm he relaxed a bit."

Legolas nods sadly: "Considering what has happened, it is not surprising."

-

Fenghel is sitting under a tree. He is off duty and pondering on the king´s unusual behaviour. It has started on the day the prince ordered the prisoner to be released; Fenghel still does not understand why Legolas has been so upset, and furthermore would like to know what has transpired between the prince and his father. It obviously has something to do with the human, but Fenghel cannot imagine why. He has heard strange rumours about the man: someone said that he is in fact the foster son of Lord Elrond of Imladris, but Fenghel hardly believed that; surely, the foster son of an Elven Lord would not look like this, and much less be a human.

The Elf glances up to the night-sky; he has never been able to seek solace in the stars, and they cannot give him any answers. He is not content with the king´s constantly dark mood of late, which affects the whole of Mirkwood´s court. As long as he and the prince are not on speaking terms, that will not be very likely to change soon, and Fenghel loathes the idea that the spoiled heir to the throne is ruining the king´s peace. If it weren´t for the human, the king certainly would be well.

Fenghel stares at his hands: something has to be done.

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TBC

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