Apologies for the delay in posting. I've just been really, really busy.
Enjoy!
Chapter 11
Ron had been inconsolable until Lord Elrond promised to bring Lupin to Rivendell. He was sure if he could explain to Lupin why this was such a mistake Lupin would be able to explain it to the elves, who just did not understand that he, Ron, was not a leader of anyone. He should just go home and let them find the real chosen one. He was just wasting everyone's time the longer he was here. Of this he was convinced and nothing anyone said could deter him.
"Ron, you're just over reacting." said Legolas the next day. "I know this is difficult for you, but you can't just run away-"
"I'm not running away. You've got the wrong human. I'm not the one for this." said Ron, pulling at his sleeves.
"Ron, you cannot run away from your destiny."
"This is not my destiny!"
"You saw the vision when you picked up Andúril. Who did you see leading the army?"
"… I saw me." mumbled Ron, flushing.
"Exactly! You saw yourself. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"No. It was just a vision. It doesn't make it real." snapped Ron, turning away from him. Legolas sighed and left the room. But Ron could tell the elves would not just let him leave. But he knew he was right. He was not the one to do this. He could not even handle some weird relationship with two people he did not know. He still could not touch a gun, and his skills at the weapons he could handle were next to nothing.
He kept his door locked to anyone else, he did not want to see their disappointment. He knew he could not hide for long, it would be days before Lupin arrived, even if Elrond had contacted him as soon as he had left Ron for the night. Stupid time differences. But for one day he would remain away, if only to prove that he was certain of his decision.
He would not come out.
Not for anything or anyone.
"He is acting like a child!" lamented Legolas to Glorfindel as they walked through Rivendell aimlessly.
"He is a child." reminded Glorfindel pointedly. "We are asking of him what we gave Aragorn 87 years to grow into."
"I know that, but he will not even listen to reason."
"He is scared. Wouldn't you be?"
"A Mirkwood Prince admit he is scared of something?" drawled Haldir's voice near them. "That I would like to see."
Legolas closed his eyes for a moment before he and Glorfindel turned to where Haldir's voice had come from. The Lothlorien elf was reclined on a Roman low couch –a gift from Emperor Augustus to Elladan and Elrohir. Plastered to his side was Lothiriel, who was resting her head on his shoulder, her fingers curled around a small bowl of grapes. In the ex-Marchwarden's hands he held a small blue device with buttons on it. Legolas recognised the device as his gameboy, which Haldir did not look up from as it emitted computerised music.
"I am not the one who is afraid."
"No, the adan is." said Haldir, his smug voice low and calm even as his thumbs moved at a furious pace on the buttons of the device.
"He's a child." sighed Glorfindel.
"Then why did you think he would be a good commander?" asked Haldir, arching an eyebrow, but still not taking his eyes off the screen. Lothiriel picked out a grape from the bowl and offered it to Haldir, smiling when he bit half of it off, then she ate the other half. Legolas clenched a fist in irritation.
"He was the one the Valar chose."
"The Valar chose a child? Seems even crueller than the time they chose a hobbit to carry the One Ring."
"Frodo chose to carry the Ring himself!" snapped Legolas.
"Ah, so Frodo chose to save the world… but Ron just has to?" Haldir smirked and his gameboy let out a triumphant beep.
"What are you getting at?" demanded Legolas. Haldir sighed and paused his game, resting the gameboy on his chest as he looked at them.
"Make the boy decide he wants to do it, rather than push him into it. Edain don't take well to being ordered around, anymore than Mirkwood Eldar. After all…" Haldir's dark eyes dropped down to Lothiriel who was not paying any attention to the conversation, or so it appeared. "The young do not like being ordered around."
Glorfindel grabbed Legolas' bicep as the elf shifted forward. Haldir raised his eyebrows at him, giving him a look that told him he knew the Mirkwod elf would never actually attack him. Tense as their friendship had become, Legolas still held true to honour.
"So you think we should, what? Let Ron go home in the hope he will decide he actually wants to do this?"
"Ai, Valar no." laughed Haldir, "I'm suggesting you drop him into a battle. Or show him what is happening in the non magical world with the Goa'uld. Keeping him in this bubble of safety won't impress upon him a desire to actually do it."
"That would only terrify him more."
"Perhaps. But since he's already cowering in his room like a frightened toddler, I would imagine he cannot get any worse."
Legolas had to concede that there was some wisdom in Haldir's words. Glorfindel nodded in agreement.
"Very well."
"I also suggest you have some of his Order friends to accompany him." drawled Haldir, picking up his gameboy and resuming his game. Lothiriel tilted her head so her chin was resting on his shoulder and she watched the game with lazy curiosity. Glorfindel nodded and pulled Legolas discretely away from the two.
"He has a point. Perhaps when Remus Lupin arrives, we can have him assist us to show Ron the reality of the situation."
Legolas gave a half-nod, clearly not really paying attention. Glorfindel sighed and squeezed the prince's shoulder.
"Let it alone, you cannot keep them apart."
"I know. I just wish I had been able to save her before…"
"It is in the past, you cannot change it. Now turn your mind to the problems of now, namely the adan hiding in his room right now."
Ron managed to stay in his room a whole day before hunger drove him out. He had hoped to sneak down to the kitchen and back without being spotted.
He should have known better.
"Good evening Ron."
Ron jumped a foot in the air and span around to find Legolas sitting in a chair by the long table, feet on the long table where food was prepared, crossed at the ankles. The Prince was glowing faintly in the darkness of the night as he examined an arrow.
"I'm not changing my mind!" blurted Ron willing his heart to stop racing.
"So I see." smirked Legolas, "We did not think you would remain in your room so long. You must be starving." A long hand gestured to the cooker, "There's a pot of stew there."
Ron flushed as he moved to the pot. So they had known he would eventually come out to eat. The elves had been paying attention to him.
"Look." he said as he filled a large bowl and moved to the table, sitting across from Legolas, "It's not that I don't want to help. I just… I'm not a leader. I never have been. I follow Harry and, yeah, maybe I can hold my own –if Hermione tells me what to do beforehand –but actually leading people into battle… I just couldn't do it."
"Why not?"
"Because, what if I make the wrong decision?"
"Do you not think every leader has this fear?"
"I'm sure they have some confidence in their decision." Ron picked up a roll of bread and ripped it in half, dipped it in the stew and bit into it. Legolas stared down the shaft of the arrow, checking to make sure it was straight, then set it on the table.
"Have you covered the War of the Ring?"
"Yeah. Lothiriel gave me a book about it, written by Frodo Baggins."
"The Red Book of Westmarch."
"Yeah, that one."
"Do you recall the battle at the gates of Mordor?"
"Where you and King Elessar distracted Sauron's forces to allow Frodo more time to destroy the Ring?"
"Yes."
"What about it?"
"Do you really think Aragorn felt any confidence in his decision to lead us all into certain death?"
"He did it to help Frodo."
"We had no idea if Frodo was alive or dead or what had happened to the Ring. We did not know if our stand would be worthwhile, or do anything at all. But Aragorn still did it because it was the only choice. It was either that, or surrender to Sauron."
"Look, I get what you're trying to say, but I'm not planning to surrender to Voldemort. I just… I'm not the one to do this."
"And who is?"
"I don't know. Harry?"
"Harry Potter has his own mission."
"I know. He's to stop Voldemort."
"And you really believe he can do that and defeat the Goa'uld?"
"Well… no. That's too much."
"Then who?"
"I don't know!" snapped Ron, "I only know it isn't me."
"The best leaders are the ones who do not want the power." said Legolas, pressing his fingertips on the arrow and rocking it from side to side.
"Yeah, right."
"No. It's true. Aragorn never really wanted to be King. But he had to be. His people, Middle-Earth itself needed him. And Lord Elrond would only allow him to marry Arwen if he followed his destiny and took the throne at Minas Tirith. And because of that, and because of his experience as a ranger, and a soldier, he was a great ruler."
"Well, I'm a wizard student, not a ranger or a soldier. I mean, c'mon Legolas, I can barely handle a sword and I can't even make myself touch a gun."
"That is not a bad thing. You are aware of how deadly a gun is, and you fear hurting someone with it. Those are kindly qualities."
"And those are great qualities to have when you're leading an army." sneered Ron.
"They are indeed." said Legolas in all seriousness. "A good leader knows when to lower his weapon, as well as when to pick it up."
Ron swallowed his stew and sat back. "I'm not changing my mind."
"Very well. I believe your friends Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks are coming to collect you soon. You'll be brought home and you can return to Hogwarts… as if none of this had ever happened."
"Look!" Ron found himself leaning forward and thumping the table with his hand, "It's not like I'm ungrateful for your effort, but you are wasting your time with me."
"Clearly we were if you are just going to walk away from a chance to help people, which is what you claim to want to do."
"I do! I want to help. But this isn't the way to do it. I'm not the one to help you."
Legolas regarded him with ice-blue eyes and then he picked up the arrow and got to his feet. "You cannot wait for the perfect way to help people Ron. Sometimes you just have to accept the opportunity when it is given."
Ron sighed and dropped his eyes as Legolas left him alone, wishing he could do the right thing.
Whatever that was.
Reviews are always welcome. A suggestion was made to switch this into the crossover section. I won't be doing that just because I'm sticking with the Harry Potter world far more than the LOTR world.
Night's Darkness