Note: None of these are my characters except for the unknown ones! Rated R for violence and deals with a suicide attempt. Elvish speech is in ''. Language warning! Aragorn's POV.

Love And Friendship

Part 10

I'd closed my eyes to think, when I'd felt someone take my bandaged hands into theirs and kiss them softly.

I held Legolas, as he sat on the bed silently. I could see that he did not know what to say to me.

Hell, I didn't know to say to him. He'd been surprised when I'd reminded him of when he had continued to love me, even with all the pain that he'd believed I had given him.

I couldn't believe how angry he was. Legolas seemed to hate himself. He felt weak and helpless, for he had not been able to save himself. There had been times in my life when I had been saved by others, but I had not been through what Legolas had.

I wasn't sure what I would do if I had gone through the same thing that Legolas had lived through.

He was stronger than he gave himself credit for. It had taken a long time for them to break him.

I wished that I could have been there… and done something, anything.

Legolas leaned against me slightly.

I remembered his words.

'I truly did not want to die. But I do not know how to live anymore,' he whispered.

I looked into the eyes of the one that I loved. I would do anything to make him happier.

'Then I will show you how to live, Legolas,' I told him. 'We will go to Gondor for a while, and then we will leave again.'

Shock reflected in Legolas's eyes. 'You have been away from Gondor for months, Aragorn. And I do not know if I can face them again.'

I smiled at him. 'You are stronger than you believe, Legolas. I believe in you.'

'And I believe in you as well,' Éomer said, as he stood in the doorway. He walked inside and walked over to the two of us. He gently touched Legolas on the shoulder.

Legolas said nothing, but I could see that his eyes were troubled.

I had a pretty good idea of what he was thinking; someone has to save me again.

"You are a friend, Legolas," Éomer said quietly. "I do not feel pity for you, but I do understand."

Legolas nodded slowly.

"Elf?" Gimli questioned slowly, as he entered the room. He walked over and stood next to Éomer.

Frodo followed Gimli silently, as he stood there.

'I'm sorry, Frodo,' Legolas whispered, as he closed his eyes. 'I should have said such a thing to you, of all people.'

'I'm sorry I broke my word,' Frodo said slowly. 'But I was worried about you.'

Legolas's mouth dropped open. 'Do not be sorry, Frodo. For if you had not told Aragorn and Éomer what I had done, I would probably be dead now.'

Frodo paled at that thought. 'That would be horrible!' he cried. 'Don't say such things, Legolas.'

Gimli understood some of what Legolas had been saying. He had learned it from me, partly so that he could surprise my lover when he returned. Only, Gimli had never gotten the chance to show Legolas.

Legolas's right hand started picking at the bandages on his left wrist, until Éomer admonished him not to.

Legolas sighed. "I failed all of you; I let you down. I couldn't handle it anymore." He sounded weary and depressed.

Everyone in the room stared at him in shock.

"You didn't let us down, Legolas," Frodo said.

Gimli grumbled, "We let you down. Friends should notice when something is wrong. And we failed to notice."

I still held Legolas in a warm embrace. I let go with one hand and tilted his face up towards mine. "I should have noticed, yet I did not."

"Do not blame yourself, Legolas, for even I did not see that you were slipping again. If you must blame someone, blame me most of all," Éomer told him.

"I can't blame you," Legolas whispered. "Any of you. I didn't want anyone to know."

I made him look at me again. "We should have seen it anyway, my love."

Legolas looked downcast, as he fussed with his sleeves.

"What's wrong?" Frodo questioned.

Legolas pulled up his sleeves carefully, and looked at the bandages on his forearms.

"They're so… ugly." His voice was strangely sad and curious.

I squeezed him as much as I could without hurting my palms again.

Éomer said, "Beauty fades, Legolas."

I nodded. "But friendship is forever."

"As is love," Frodo said quietly.

Gimli said in Elvish, 'We're all here for you, elf. You can't get rid of us that easily.'

Legolas shot him a bewildered look. 'When did you learn to speak Elvish?'

To be continued