Hellllloooooo!!! I've been insanely busy with a wedding this week, but I managed to find a little spare time to get this chapter ready. It isn't much, but you do get to spend some quality time with the hobbits, so it is totally worth it. Enjoy!
Ch. 7
Aragorn awoke slowly; he was convinced everything had been a dream, and was terrified that he would open his eyes to find the Fellowship's campsite and no Legolas. Finally, however, the man realized that he was not alone on the grass. There was a warm, muscular body in his arms; the sound of the river filled his ears and the intoxicating smell of Legolas was all around him. He had never woken to a more pleasant situation in his long life. The man could not keep his mind off the elf who lay against him. His skin was so soft, and he could think of nothing other than becoming more closely acquainted with the strong, lean body. Everything about Legolas was enchanting; it was as if Aragorn was in his youth again, kissing for the first time. He had never actually been with another male before; he had already begun courting Arwen by the time he learned that it was an acceptable pairing. Even then, Aragorn hadn't considered it for himself, never knowing that he could feel so deeply for someone other than the Evenstar. The question Aragorn was avoiding, for the time being, was exactly what he felt for Legolas. If it were simple lust, or something close to it, then the two would certainly not be content to merely lay together, enjoying the others' company. Aragorn knew he could not avoid the question long, for he could not imagine toying with the emotions of either Arwen or Legolas. In fact, he was not even sure if Arwen was still in Middle Earth, or if she had heeded the advice of her father and sailed to the west. It would come down to a choice, yet at that moment in time Aragorn felt unable to even think on the possibility of leaving one for another, and so he allowed the matter to leave his mind for an entirely more appealing subject: Legolas.
Aragorn hadn't told Legolas his true reasons for coming into the forest that morning. The Lady Galadriel had come into the clearing where the fellowship was staying just a few hours after sunrise. Aragorn, having only slept until dawn, was sitting at the trunk of an enormous mallorn tree, watching over his companions and losing himself in thought. She made her way silently toward the man, who suddenly noticed the Lady's presence as she stood over him. Aragorn was embarrassed, not only because of his lack of attention, but because he was certain, based on Galadriel's smile, that she knew who occupied his thoughts.
"My Lady…" he had stammered, unable to think of anything else to say.
Galadriel smiled, amused at the man's nervousness. "Do not be ashamed of your thoughts, Estel, for they are not yours alone. There has been a change in you both, and while I believe there is a need for caution, I am also certain it can be discussed at a later time. Go to him, Estel, for he too needs a companion at this time."
"But Lady Galadriel, what will-"
"Nay, Estel," she interrupted knowingly. "I have no insight into what your future may hold, for many decisions still lay ahead of you, and they are yours to make. Do not seek answers from those around you, for they will all come from within." Noticing the look of unease on the man's face, she added, "Go find the prince, Estel. He may not hold the answers for you, but that does not mean he cannot help you find them for yourself."
With a kind smile and a nod, the Lady of Light turned and made her way back out of the clearing. Aragorn wasted no time in leaving, following the same path he saw Legolas take earlier that morning. He was lucky in his search; normally, Legolas would leave absolutely no trail to follow, but he felt safe in Lothlorien, and didn't take the care he normally would in treading softly. When the tracks suddenly disappeared from the path, Aragorn could only assume the elf had taken to the forest. Not knowing if Legolas climbed through the trees or walked on the ground, Aragorn became unsure if he would be able to find the archer. Then he heard it; a faint voice on the wind. Though it was almost too quiet to make out, Aragorn knew the voice's owner without a doubt. Thanking the Valar for his fortune, the man began to make his way through the woods, following the beautiful tenor voice as it grew louder. By the time the song stopped, Aragorn could hear the sound of water, and knew that Legolas would assume there was an enemy approaching. When he came upon the riverbank, with the elf's clothes lying in the sun and the water still rippling unnaturally, Aragorn knew exactly where Legolas was hiding, and exactly what to do when he came up for air.
The recent memory was enough to put a smile on the man's face as he trailed a hand lazily over Legolas' silky hair. But as much as Aragorn wanted to, he could not neglect his duty toward the rest of the fellowship, who would be wondering at their absence. Still, he felt terrible having to disturb the comfort of his Elvin companion, who had hardly made a sound or a movement since they laid down. Aragorn released a long sigh, but before he could do or say anything, Legolas spoke up.
"I know. We need to get back to the others, for they will grow concerned at our absence before long. I think it best that we leave out the details of our day, for our companions have enough on their minds at the moment. Unless you wish to tell them, that is."
Aragorn smiled at Legolas' uncanny ability to know what he was thinking. It was true, he did not wish for the others to know about their time together, at least until Aragorn knew for himself what he felt for the elf. Placing a grateful kiss on the golden head, the man sat up with a groan. Besides, Aragorn thought to himself, he was not ready to share anything when it came to Legolas. The secrecy had a certain appeal to it.
Legolas stood and moved to his now dry clothes. He allowed himself another look at the man still sitting in the grass, while stretching his much-relaxed muscles. The day had turned out much better than Legolas could have ever hoped; he had kissed, and had been kissed, by Aragorn. The thought alone brought a smile to the Elvin lips, and while Legolas still held doubts about the nature of their relationship, he was willing to take what he could.
When both man and elf were dressed, they stood in silence for another moment or two. Finally, Legolas turned to lead the way back toward the heart of Lothlorien. He hadn't taken two steps before Aragorn pulled him back for a deep, slow kiss. Each enjoyed the unique taste and gentle explorations of the other, until the need to breathe became too great and they were forced to part. Legolas had to admit, Aragorn had skill in the art of kissing. He knew it would be difficult to restrain himself while they were with the rest of the fellowship, for the man's mere presence robbed him of all sense. It took Legolas a moment to realize that Aragorn was watching him with a very familiar grin on his face. Before he could ask the man what mischief he was up to, Aragorn turned and bolted into the woods, calling some sort of challenge behind him. Legolas chuckled at the unusual behavior of the man, took a last look at the calm river and surrounding glade, and leapt lightly into the nearest tree.
Not ten minutes later, Aragorn came tearing into the fellowship's clearing, startling Gimli enough to fill the air with dwarvish curses. The man's rapid, shallow breaths nearly stopped altogether when, sitting by the hobbits, Legolas called to him.
"Aragorn, I feared you had lost your way. Come, sit down and take some rest, it will do you some good."
He should have known that he didn't have a chance against the elf, though the smile on Legolas' face made the attempt worth his while. Sitting down with the group, Aragorn accepted a flask of water from Pippin before glancing back to the victorious elf. Although the smile was gone, the light of merriment still lingered in Legolas' eyes, which were brighter and gentler than they had been in days. Not wishing for the others to notice a difference in the pair, Aragorn forced his eyes to refocus on Merry, who was retelling the events of their day, which had contained adventures of their own. The four Hobbits had decided to go exploring the great woodland city, and managed to not only become lost amongst the innumerable trees and talans, but were found by none other than the Galadhrim. Luckily, even the warriors of Lothlorien had a soft spot when it came to the lighthearted hobbits, and the small group spent their afternoon learning of the traditions and rich history of the forest kingdom in the presence of the elves.
It was the first time in many weeks that the group of friends found themselves able to relax and enjoy one another's company without fear or caution. There was still an air of sadness about the group, one which would linger for a long time in the hearts of the walkers. Even so, the hobbits, men, dwarf, and elf spent the evening laughing, telling tales, and strengthening their bond, which had grown strained as late. After the hobbits had finished retelling their afternoon adventures, Gimli and Boromir took turns telling the others of their homelands, and the battles they had seen, and the places they had been. It was late when the man and dwarf quieted, but the hobbits were still eager to hear more stories of adventure.
Merry turned expectantly to Legolas, saying "Come now Legolas, you must have quite a few good tales to tell, seeing how you're older than the rest of us put together and all."
"I will not deny that I have seen many things in my lifetime," Legolas replied, " but after everything Gimli and Boromir have shared, I fear my tales of giant spiders and age-old battles will be quite dull." Seeing the looks of excitement and expectation on the faces of his companions, the elf continued speaking. "There is one story that I believe you will rather enjoy hearing, however. It is about a young man and a foolish elf. Perhaps you will recognize the characters."
Aragorn groaned loudly, which only caused Legolas' grin to widen.
"You mean to say this story, it's about you and Strider?"
"Aye Sam, it is. It was Aragorn's first visit to my homeland, though we had become friends perhaps a decade earlier during a trip my family had taken to visit the house of Elrond. We were both still young by the standards of our respective races, trained to be warriors but without the experience that comes with age. But, like any young male, we believed ourselves to be invincible and fully capable of caring for ourselves. I had never left the safety of our palace caves and the surrounding forest without an escort, and Aragorn craved adventure like it was air. So, convincing our families I wished to show him the surrounding woods, Aragorn and I set out with the intention of exploring the very heart of Mirkwood."
"If I recall correctly, it was you who convinced me to go on this adventure. I believe you mentioned something about having explored every part of Mirkwood a thousand times." Aragorn interrupted jokingly.
"Yes, well, I wouldn't expect your mortal memory to be able to recollect things perfectly," Legolas countered with a sly smile. "As I was saying, Aragorn and I went into the deep forest together, with nothing but water and our weapons. We had walked until midday, when I sensed something amiss."
"Perhaps I should take over the telling of this tale, Master Elf." Aragorn turned to the amused listeners and continued; "Around midday, Legolas and I were exploring a cave we had happened upon. Neither of us were paying much attention to the woods around the rocks, and while we were in the cave a colony of giant spiders picked up our scent. Legolas had forgotten to mention to me that giant spiders dwelled in the forest, and you can imagine my surprise at seeing them as I climbed out of the rocks."
"Well yes, I will admit that I should have warned you about their presence in the forest beforehand, but you cannot deny that it made for a good story," Legolas added.
"Keep going," Pippin quipped. "What happened? Did the spiders attacked? Were you fatally injured?"
Merry shook his head, "If the attack was fatal, they wouldn't be here, now would they, Pip?"
"Anyway," Aragorn said, trying to keep the hobbits from an impending scuffle, "we only had two choices; we could try and fight the spiders, or hide in the cave and hope they went away. Realizing that we were not as courageous as we thought, we turned and fled into the cave. The spiders tried to reach us, but the space was too tight for them. After perhaps an hour, it seemed that the beasts had given up and left."
"Actually, after an hour you could no longer sit still and ignored my warnings that the spiders could be hiding in the trees." Legolas muttered, pretending to be upset. "So naturally, Aragorn dashed out into the open, and the spiders attacked. There were perhaps six of them, and he was surrounded. They had forgotten that I was still in the cave, which gave us only the slightest advantage. I attacked from the rear and Aragorn did what he could from the center. All the while I shouted tips to him, since he had never fought the spiders before this. It would be a lie to say that I was confident; I was not expecting to live through the fight. Spiders are vicious and unpredictable; all they desire is fresh meat, and they're smart enough to work together. When I reached Aragorn, two spiders lay dead, I had a cut arm, and he had a gash in his side. We fought until I believed I would simply collapse from exhaustion, but finally the last spider lay dead. We survived more out of luck than true skill, and it was nothing short of a miracle that nothing else attacked us as we traveled back. Night had fallen by the time we arrived at the palace, and my father had prepared a search party. Somehow we managed to avoid punishment, but I believe that was only due to the fact that Aragorn fainted upon our return."
"Now see here elf! I had been bleeding for a long time, and I passed out. There was no swooning or fainting involved! And you said no punishment? Do you mean to say that you cleaned the horse stables for the next few weeks out of pleasure? I think not. The only truth of that tale is our sheer luck in escaping the forest alive." Aragorn shouted, half laughing while trying to remain serious. The two locked gazes for a long moment, communicating with one another far more than they could with words. Luckily, the other members of the Fellowship were laughing and talking to one another about the amusing tale, and paid no heed to the pair.
When the friends had settled down once again, Frodo's enormous yawn reminded them all of their weariness from the day. One by one, the companions rose from the circle and made their way to their beds, leaving a man and elf alone in the clearing.
