Tomorrow is June 28, so I have to say an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ARODIEL AND FAIR RIDER!!! (no, they are not twins ;-)) May your lives be full of elves and rangers, my friends!
This chapter is un-beta-ed (hope things will get better for you, Kali, and I can't wait for your birthday. I have a fun idea for a present :P) so all mistakes are mine, my own :) The only thing I own, by the way.
Note: So far I have written two versions of how Aragorn and Legolas meet. In "Friendship is a Family Trait" there is a flashback where Legolas meets a three-year-old Estel, and in "The Road not Taken" they meet for the first time when Estel is eighteen. This story follows the first version, i. e. they have met when Estel has been three years old. You do not need this for this chapter, but it will appear in the next one. You do not need to have read any of my other stories, there are no references made to them.
-
6. To Lose a Friend
"I will come for your friend tomorrow," Merzak continued. "I will give you something you never gave me. A chance to say 'goodbye'."
Legolas was staring wide-eyed at him, still as a statue. He had not taken a single breath after the man had told him the reason to let him live. "Don't think this is an act of mercy, elf, for you deserve none," the man continued. "I just think it will be more painful to you this way. If you have anything to tell him, I suggest you do it now. He is going to die tomorrow, and there is nothing you can do to change that."
Merzak left the cell and closed the door, leaving a stunned and trembling elf behind him. Finally Legolas regained control over his body and turned towards Aragorn.
"You… you… you knew!" His soft voice was faltering, but this didn't decrease the strength of the accusation. "You told me you guessed his intentions. Did you guess this would happen?!"
"Yes, I did," the man admitted quietly, unwilling to meet his friend's gaze.
"How could you!" The elf's voice was soft no more. "You told me to trust you! You told me to take the antidote! You lied to me!"
"Please calm down, mellon nîn." Aragorn tried to put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, but the elf pulled away. "I didn't lie to you. I didn't tell you because you wouldn't take the antidote if you knew what Merzak intended."
"You are so right!" Legolas shouted angrily. "I wouldn't! Did you think you were doing me a favor! Do you think I would have you die instead of me?! And don't you think I had the right to make the choice?!"
"No, you didn't," Aragorn answered as calmly as possible. "For your choice would have been wrong. It is obvious who should live, Legolas. If I die now or in a hundred years, it matters not. In five hundred years you will be in a better place and won't even remember me."
Slender hands grabbed his tunic and forcefully pulled him forward. "How can you say that!" Aragorn tried to gently pull the long fingers away from his tunic, but they were holding firmly, unwilling to let go. "I will always remember you, foolish human! I… I cannot lose you, Estel!"
The man pulled the distraught elf in his arms, trying to soothe him. Legolas continued softly, "It is a blessing to have a friend like you, Aragorn, but it is also a curse. For all the time I have known you, you have brought to me much joy. But just as much sorrow you give me on this day. Yes, it is truly a curse to have a friend so dear, who would give his life for yours. It hurts, mellon nîn. A lot."
"Every time we choose to give our love to others, we condemn ourselves to grief," Aragorn said. "When we lose the ones we love, the pain is strong. Only those who have never cared about anyone will never feel sorrow, but they will never feel joy. We must not be afraid of pain, Legolas, if we are, and we close our hearts to the world, we will never be happy. So I beg you one thing, my friend, if you wish to remember me, do not remember today. Remember the moments of joy you talked about."
For a moment Legolas didn't answer. Then he raised his head, and sapphire eyes met silver ones. "This day does not need to be remembered only with sorrow," he said. "We must not give up just yet. There must be a way to escape, and we will find it."
He stared at the door and shuddered. The massive dark walls seemed to be mocking him. There was no way they could unlock this door, no way they could go though these walls.
With a frustrated yell, Legolas crashed his fists into the door. Then he leaned his forehead on the wall and tried to fight away the despair that threatened to take him.
---
That evening another wanderer arrived at the town of Gradek. He looked like a noble man, tall and slender. A dark cloak covered his shoulders, and a hood hid his hair and a part of his face. Nevertheless, his eyes were clearly visible, shining as two emeralds in the night, green and sad.
Although the guards did not know him, he easily won their trust. For he was bringing a prisoner, one that the men of Gradek despised with the passion of people who had lost their loved ones. An elf.
Even though he was a captive, he was standing tall and proud, his long, dark hair falling around a pale face, and his dark blue eyes shining with hatred for the ones who had hurt his prince.
The green-eyed stranger was accepted as a guest, and the captive was taken to the dungeons.
---
Legolas was sitting on the floor, his eyes fixed at the rotting rat. Various escape plans passed through his mind, but none of them seemed possible. Aragorn had been silent for a while, and the elf assumed that his friend was also trying to think of a way to leave. He had no idea how wrong he was.
The man suddenly stood up and walked towards the door, where some pale light managed to go through the barred window and the cell was no so dark. He rummaged through his pockets, found a parchment and started writing.
Legolas immediately rose to his feet in alarm. He knew not why, but the man's actions seemed strangely sinister.
"What are you doing?" He asked and waited for the answer with a clenched heart.
"Writing," Aragorn replied simply.
The elf sighed in frustration at the obvious answer. Sometimes he had the feeling that his friend was purposefully trying to annoy him.
"What are you writing?" He demanded.
Aragorn hesitated before answering. "A letter," he said softly. "I was going to ask you to bring it to Imladris if you ever find a way to escape, or if Merzak decides to release you after… after he is done with me."
The elf was immediately by his side, blue eyes burning with cold rage. "How dare you!" He shouted and stared at his friend in disbelief. The words Aragorn had said to him only a few hours ago came to his mind and he repeated them. "How dare you lose hope!"
The man looked down guiltily. "We must be reasonable, Legolas. There is no way to escape. Perhaps the best we could do is to do exactly what Merzak told us – to say goodbye."
"I will not say goodbye," Legolas hissed. "I will not lose hope. Not yet. Not ever. I refuse to lose you, Estel!"
"Stubborn denial will not help us, mellon nîn."
The elf looked at him almost angrily. "You didn't despair when I was poisoned and dying. There is a way to escape, Estel, and we must find it. Please, mellon nîn," the anger had gradually left his voice, and his tone was soft and begging. "You must not give up hope. You told me to fight – for my father, for you. And now I ask you to do the same for me."
Surprisingly to the elf, Aragorn smiled slightly and grasped his friend's forearm. "I am sorry, mellon nîn. You are right. It is too early to despair. There is a way to escape and we will find it."
Legolas smiled in return and leaned forward, so that their foreheads would touch. But a sudden noise at the door made them both freeze and turn to the window.
Two eyes were watching them through the bars. And this time they were not dark and menacing, but green and bright.
---
Leagues away three riders traveled under the cover of night. Their steeds ran forward, sensing their masters' urgency.
For a week they had traveled with almost no rest. Strong wind blew their robes and large raindrops fell on their faces, but they paid them no heed. They had to ride hard since every second lost could prove to be fatal.
There was a task to complete.
---
"Pelilas!" Legolas stared at his friend in disbelief and extreme joy. He came to them as a light in the moment of darkest despair. "Why have you come?" He asked and grinned at his own foolish question. Obviously the elf had come to save them. "I am so happy to see you, mellon nîn!"
"Why?" Pelilas asked suddenly, his voice strangely cold. Taken aback by the unexpected word, Legolas only stared at him in confusion. And then the green-eyed elf grinned.
Legolas had not seen his friend smile since he had returned from his captivity. But somehow this smile didn't ease his heart.
"How does it feel, Legolas? Locked and helpless, left at their mercy? Maybe you will feel a small bit of what I felt for fifty years. Because of you."
"Pelilas…" The prince was completely shocked and greatly alarmed.
"You betrayed me, Legolas. You left me die. Worse, you left me to half a century of torment you could never imagine. I thought that you were my friend! You left and fled to safety, and you left me lying there, at the orcs' mercy!"
The golden-haired elf stared in disbelief, his eyes welling with tears.
"But I never forgot. With every pained breath I took, with every scream of agony I cried, I remembered the one who had betrayed me. And I swore in everything I hold dear that one day I would have my revenge. I would make him feel the pain I felt. But you are not the only guilty one. The entire Greenwood turned its back to me. This is the reason I wanted to destroy it. This is why I chose to turn this town against you. This is why I killed the women and children and told the men that I was following the orders of my Prince."
Legolas gasped and a single tear rolled down his cheek as he realized the terrible truth.
Fifty years of orc torture had turned his childhood friend into a dark elf.
"I am so sorry, mellon nîn," he said softly. "I though I knew how much you have suffered, but now I see that your pain has been greater than I have ever imagined. But I swear to you, we have never betrayed you. Our people searched for you, but you were never found. Forgive me, my friend, and you will never be held responsible for your deeds. Please, let me help you. Trust me, mellon nîn, love and light can push the darkness away."
"Some things cannot be forgiven, Legolas," Pelilas replied darkly. "And some memories can never be erased."
"Filthy traitor!" Aragorn grabbed the bars and glared at the green-eyed elf. "You killed innocent women and children, and now you are sending Legolas and your entire Realm to death! Let me get my hands on you and the torture of the orcs will look to you like gentle caresses. And, Legolas, don't apologize to him!"
The prince frowned and turned towards his friend, so that he would face him. "This was not his fault, Estel. He needs help, not punishment."
"And whose fault is it then, Legolas?" The man asked incredulously. "And don't you dare tell me it is yours!"
The prince sighed sadly. "Please, let me talk to him. He is my friend."
"He was your friend," Aragorn corrected.
"He is my friend," Legolas replied firmly and turned to the elf once again. "I beg you, Pelilas, give me a chance. Let me try to help you!"
"I am beyond any help, Legolas," the elf replied, all emotion gone from his voice. "As are you."
---
"The idea to use the elf might prove to be a good one."
"I told you so, my Lord."
"How did you manage to make him believe the Prince was responsible for his capture?"
"It was easy. After the elves were defeated, the orcs I had sent took him and separated him from the group even before the patrol had arrived to help the wounded. This made him believe that he had been overlooked and left with the dead. The rest was simple – if orcs lay their hands on an elf, they do not need to be told what to do. But in addition to the torment I made sure they repeated to him that he had been abandoned, and they made him drink a substance that damages the brain and gives birth to illusions and hallucinations."
"You could have easily ordered them to kill the Prince. He was also wounded and unconscious."
"This is true, my Lord, but this was not our ultimate goal. We wanted Thranduil destroyed as well. We wanted all Woodelves destroyed. This is why we needed someone to betray them from the inside. And Pelilas has done well so far. He has stirred a war with Gradek, and Captain Merzak has already accepted the help of the orcs I sent him."
"It was wise to choose this elf for the task."
"You are right, my Lord, and I chose him on purpose. I wanted him to be a close friend to the Prince. In this way the betrayal would hurt even more."
---
Legolas shook his head in utter denial. This could not be happening. First Merzak had told him that he is going to kill Aragorn tomorrow, and now it turned out that one of his closest friends had betrayed him, had directed his death. This was too much for him to take.
Suddenly Pelilas gasped and his eyes widened. Legolas shouted in horror and pressed his face against the bars so that he would see what had happened. He would never forget the sight.
There was an arrow protruding from the elf's lower back and two guards were running down the stairs. They had seen him talking to the prisoners and had reacted immediately.
Pelilas' lips curved into a sickening grin. "It is a pity, your Highness, I will not have enough time to enjoy my triumph," he whispered weakly. "But I do not grief my passing. There was nothing for me to live for, and now I know that my deeds will outlive me. You and your entire cursed kin will follow me soon."
He sighed and green eyes closed, never to open again.
"Pelilas!" Legolas screamed in anguish and threw himself at the door. He could feel a strong and comforting grip on his shoulders, but it did nothing to stop his tears as the light of the immortal before him faded away. His heart held no anger towards his childhood friend, only the deepest sorrow.
The two guards reached the fallen body and one of them kicked him to turn him over. "An elf," he muttered in disgust. "We must be more careful with unknown visitors."
The other guard suddenly felt dizzy and leaned on a wall to steady himself. "This is him," he said softly. "The one who killed my wife."
"Of course he is the one who killed your wife!" Aragorn shouted through the window. "He is the one who killed everyone. This was not work of the Elves of Mirkwood, but of a single dark elf!"
The guards glared at him. "Be quiet, elf-friend, or you will meet your death before next sunrise!"
Aragorn stared at the dead body in horror. Now that Pelilas was dead there was no way to question him, no way to prove that he was not following Legolas' orders. The last evidence for their innocence now lay before the door. It was true, the elf's dark deeds would outlive him.
Legolas was also staring at the body, but his thoughts were completely different. A terrible thought crossed his mind. Pelilas and Hirvegil were inseparable. Had the other elf came here, hoping to help them and found his death? No, he could not bear to lose two friends in a single day! And then he remembered what was waiting for them tomorrow. He would lose not two, but three friends.
His heart pounding wildly in fear, Legolas looked his friend in the face, desperately seeking reassurance. And he found it. Grey eyes were shining with a silent promise.
You will never lose me.
TBC
I want to apologize to Aine, the randomer, Kali, and everyone else who seemed to like Pelilas. I didn't post a character death warning because he is technically 'the main baddie' (he, not Merzak), so he was supposed to die.
I don't know when the next chapter will be coming. Part of it was written, but my computer died and it was lost. This chapter was saved because I had it on my email, but I need to rewrite the next one entirely.
7