Beta: Calenlass

Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed! I am sorry the updates are taking so long - real life is just unbearable right now. But if you have stayed with the story so far, you are great readers and deserve much more timely updates. I'll do my best to give you that, but I can't promise any certain date.

11. Joy and Sorrow

Elrohir walked down a corridor, a torch in his hand. The darkness of the dungeons was too thick even for his keen eyes. He passed by many cells, closed with heavy doors, and looked through the barred windows. What he saw inside made him cringe. Crumbled shapes sitting in the dirt, staring with empty gazes. But even though he had pity on them, he felt no desire to free those people. Apart from the hatred towards Elves, Gradek was an ordinary town, and no one was thrown to prison without a valid reason. So Elrohir could easily guess who the prisoners were. Thieves, murderers, traitors. No, no honorable man would be thrown in the dungeons.

No one besides Estel, that is. The thought of his little brother made the Elf's eyes sting with tears. But there was no time for grief now. He had to find the captive elves and bring them to safety.

Hopefully, Legolas would also be able to return safely after he had killed Merzak. Elrohir was very worried about his friend. He had seen in his eyes something that had disturbed him greatly. Or maybe it was something he expected to see, but it was not there. The normally bright blue eyes had looked dull, almost as if all light had left them.

Many prisoners gazed back at him through the bars, but apparently thought that he was some apparition for the fair being looked out of place in the dungeons. And he continued examining the cells, hoping that this would take his mind off of his little brother.

It didn't.

Finally he looked through a window and gasped. About ten elves were sitting on the ground, their gazes almost as dull as Legolas'. Elrohir felt his heart beat in rage. It was so wrong to keep the fair folk away from the birds and the trees they loved so much!

While most of the prisoners were sitting listlessly, a dark-haired elf was pacing nervously around the cell. The pacing looked so un-elven that it would have been comical had the situation not been so dire.

"Hirvegil!" Elrohir called softly.

The elf immediately stopped pacing and rushed towards the door. "Elladan!" He whispered surprised.

The ghost of a smile graced the peredhel's lips and he slightly shook his head.

"Forgive me. Elrohir!" Hirvegil quickly corrected himself. He had seen the sons of Elrond only a few times and had not yet learned to distinguish them. "What are you doing here? Did the King send you? Did anybody see you? We must help Prince Legolas –"

Elrohir raised his hand to stop the flow of words. Hirvegil blushed and waited patiently for an answer.

"You do not need to worry about Legolas, he is safe," he said, and a soft noise went through the cell. All the elves exchanged glances and whispers. "I freed him from his cell, now there is something he needs to do, and he will return home."

A smile spread across Hirvegil's face. "So he is safe. I am so relieved to hear that. Mellon nîn, you have our eternal gratitude. But, tell me, do you know what happened to Pelilas?"

Elrohir tried to remember where he had heard that name. "You friend? Did he come here with you? Legolas mentioned nothing of him."

Hirvegil paled, worry spreading across his face. Has his friend managed to find the prince at all? Or has something terrible happened to him before that? "Did Legolas say something about me?" He asked softly.

"Yes, he told me he expected you to be here," Elrohir confirmed.

The elf paled even further. "Then he must have seen Pelilas! And yet, he has spoken nothing of him, and you haven't seen him. He… he must be dead, then?" He whispered and his anguished eyes met Elrohir's, seeking reassurance and silently begging the peredhel to tell him that he was wrong.

Instead, the grey eyes quickly filled with tears as Hirvegil's sorrow triggered a very recent, and a very painful, memory. The Mirkwood elf gasped when he saw the moisture in Elrohir's eyes. "He is dead, isn't he?" He whispered angrily. "He is dead and you do not want to tell me!"

Elrohir sadly shook his head, "No, my friend, I truly know nothing of Pelilas. It is someone else that causes my grief."

Realization suddenly hit him. "Where is Estel?" Hirvegil asked urgently.

"He passed from this world," Elrohir's soft answer came almost like a sob.

Loud gasps echoed through the cell. Most of the elves barely knew Aragorn, but they were all saddened by the loss of the young ranger, so courageous and so full of life. And they all knew what the human meant to their Prince and to the elf that had now come to their rescue.

Hirvegil's eyes were filled with sorrow and compassion. "I am sorry for your loss, mellon nîn. I truly am."

Elrohir closed his eyes and tried to push the tears away. No, this was not the time to grief. His hands mechanically worked through the keys and tried each one of them until the heavy door finally opened. Then he briefly retold the elves of the war preparations he had seen, of his encounter with Legolas, and of the Prince's decision to stay and kill Merzak.

"We must leave for Mirkwood now," he finally said. "Legolas will come back when he is done, he might be on his way already."

"And what he is not?" Hirvegil protested. "We cannot leave him alone. What if something happens to him?"

Elrohir sadly bowed his head. "There is nothing I wish more than to go and seek Legolas," he said softly. "But there is something I must do now." His gaze shifted towards the bloodied cloak in his hands. "I need to bring my family some ill news."

Hirvegil nodded in understanding. "Go! I will seek Legolas. Take the others with you. I have better chances to go unnoticed alone.

Elrohir thanked him and took off his pack, setting aside some lembas and dried berries. "You and Legolas will need this for the way back," he said. "When I last saw him I was too distressed to think about that."

Hirvegil gratefully took the food and the elves separated, each after his own task. And while Hirvegil was eager to find his Prince, Elrohir was afraid and reluctant to meet his family.

---

"Shh, it is alright, mellon nîn, it is me. I am sorry I had to do this, but I was afraid you might make a sound when you saw me and give us away. I will let you go, but you must be silent, alright?"

Legolas thought his heart would stop. How could that voice demand him to be silent? It was unnecessary – all his vocal chords and all his muscles were completely paralyzed with shock.

Was he dreaming? Or maybe he had gone mad with sorrow and had started to hallucinate? Or perhaps some dark spell cast on his tortured mind? But whatever it was, that voice hurt. A lot.

Strong hands released their tight grip on the stunned elf and gently turned him around. Legolas would have gasped if he was able to breathe. If his heart hadn't stopped when he had heard the voice, it surely had done so now.

The voice had a face. A familiar face, dear to him. Maybe paler than usual and covered with cuts and bruises, the dark hair plastered and stuck with blood to the white forehead, but it was still a face he would recognize even in the darkest dungeon.

Was he seeing a ghost? A spirit, come to haunt him? To tell him that it has been his fault? If it was so, he would never be able to bear it.

"Legolas?" The man asked worriedly. "Do I look so terrible?" He added with a sad smile.

The elf gasped this time and was surprised that his lungs had finally agreed to cooperate. He slowly raised his hand to this face and tentatively touched it, as if afraid that he would feel only empty space. His fingers closed around a dark lock. It felt so real. So real.

"Real," he voiced his thought barely audibly. "Estel, you are real." His voice cracked and his eyes widened. He fought against the urge to blink, afraid that if he closed his eyes even for a fraction of a second the vision would disappear and he would never see it again.

Aragorn's eyebrows rose, and in that instant he very closely resembled his foster father. "Real? Hmm, Legolas, after knowing me for twenty-one years, it was about time for you to realize that," he said, grinning. "I have always believed that human intelligence is superior to elven, but your lack of perception surprises me."

His words were cut short as a wild cry of joy echoed through the building and two arms were tightly wrapped around him.

The ranger smiled warmly. "Oh, Legolas, I think I told you that you needed to be quiet!" He chastised gently, but nevertheless returned the embrace. "It is over now, mellon nîn," he whispered in the golden hair. "I am here, and I will not leave you."

To his alarm, Aragorn noticed that the elf was shaking. He gently lifted his friend's head and gasped at the tears on the fair cheeks. But his alarm lessened considerably when he noticed that his friend's lips were curved into a smile.

"I thought I'd lost you," Legolas whispered, unable to stop his tears of joy and relief.

"I know, mellon nîn," the man whispered. "I am so sorry you had to live through this. But it is all over. I am here." Suddenly he pulled back and looked at the elf. "But you shouldn't be so surprised, Legolas. Didn't I tell you I would come back? Didn't I tell you to hold on to hope?"

"This is true, you promised," the elf admitted. "I am sorry, I was wrong to lose faith in you."

"You have done nothing wrong," the man replied, suddenly feeling regret that his words had made his friend feel guilty. He quickly tried to change the subject. "So how is our cellmate doing?"

Legolas' eyebrows shot up and he looked at his friend in confusion. "Cellmate?"

"Yes, the rat. Has he rotten completely?"

The elf laughed heartily. "Now, that is a cellmate I don't think I will ever miss!" He could feel warmth spreading through his heart. He had no doubts anymore that the man before him was Aragorn indeed, and no some apparition sent to torment his troubled soul. No apparition could imitate his friend so well.

To think that he would never hear his friend jest again, that he would never see the smile spread over his face and never see those grey eyes twinkle with merriment; to think that those hands would never again steady him when he had stumbled, exhausted from battle and injuries, that they would never hold him in comfort when he was hurting, that this sword would never be raised protectively to slay the enemy who had dared threaten him — it was unthinkable.

Blinking away the moisture from his eyes, he leaned forward until his forehead touched the man's. He was happy. But he didn't need to tell it to his friend; the light that had returned to his eyes told it all.

Suddenly Aragorn startled and pulled back, a curious expression on his face. Legolas had no doubts anymore that his friend was real, but now it was the man's turn to wonder if the vision before him was not an illusion. True, the elf definitely looked like his friend, but there was something that did not fit. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

"Legolas?" He asked tentatively. "Is… is this really you, mellon nîn?"

The elf stared at him completely perplexed. "What is the matter?" he asked.

"It is just that you…" suddenly Aragorn realized what was wrong and why he had thought it impossible that the elf was his friend, but the realization only added to his shock. "Well, you… you smell of pipe-weed!"

Legolas gasped and immediately blushed. Aragorn noticed this and eyed his friend suspiciously. "Legolas, why do you smell of pipe-weed?"

Before the embarrassed elf could answer, the ranger spotted something stuck in his belt and quickly pulled it out. He gazed surprised at his pipe and shook it, letting the ashes from burnt pipe-weed fall to the ground.

"It has been lit recently," he observed, "Legolas, did you smoke?" He voice was filled with disbelief.

"No!" The elf violently shook his head, himself shocked by his friend's suspicion.

"Then what happened?" Aragorn demanded. "Who lit the pipe?"

"I did," Legolas admitted softly.

The man's eyes widened in shock and confusion. He could see no explanation for the elf's actions. "Why? Why did you light my pipe?"

Legolas sobbed softly and bowed his head as he remembered those terrible moments of despair in the dark cell. "I… I missed you, mellon nîn. And I even missed your terrible smoke," he said softly and snorted at the absurdity what he had done.

"Oh, Legolas!" Completely stunned, the man pulled his friend in a warm embrace. "You silly elf, I can just imagine you lighting the pipe and breathing the smoke in delight." He chuckled.

"You will never let me live this down, will you," Legolas whispered miserably.

"But, mellon nîn, of course I would never jest with that. I know the pain you went through. I only wanted to help you."

"Help me?" The elf asked confused and somewhat worried. There was something in his friend's voice he did not like.

"Yes, I will help you. I have always thought that you hated smoking and I have tried to restrain myself while I am with you. But now that I know that you enjoy the smoke, even miss it, I will not deprive you from it. I will smoke all the time we are together. In fact," he eyed the pipe mischievously, "if you think you miss my smoke that much, I could start right now."

"You, insufferable human!" Legolas stood up, a horrified expression on his face. "My life was so much better without you!" Their eyes locked and they shared a smile. They both knew very well he did not mean it.

Aragorn tried to rise, but swayed on his feet. So far he had tried to be strong for his friend's sake, after all it was the elf who needed comfort, but the exertion had been too much. Legolas immediately jumped to his feet and steadied him.

The elf had been so shocked, happy, and relieved, that he had failed to notice his friend's condition. Now that he was able to think more clearly, his eyes widened in horror. "They have tortured you!" He whispered, worriedly taking into account various wounds on the man's body.

Aragorn waived his hand dismissively. "Nothing ada cannot take care of once we go home."

"Once we go home?" The elf asked with a smile. His gaze rested on his friend's face, and he nodded. "Yes, we will go home."

He sat on the floor, his back rested on the wall, and the human leaned comfortably in his arms. Probably all guards were sent in search for them, but this did not seem so frightening anymore.

They sat there for hours, simply content to be together again.

---

Elrond urged his steed forward. Various images raced through his mind and whispered to him that he had to hurry.

He would never forget the look on Thranduil's face when they had parted. It had been hard to persuade the King to stay behind. But he had to, his people needed him. Elrond had promised him that if there was a way to save Legolas and Estel, he would find it. And now he could only hope that he would be able to fulfill his promise, for both his and Thranduil's sakes.

"Ada!" His son's urgent scream took him out of his thoughts. He looked at Elladan and nodded. He had heard them too. Many men were coming, on horses and on foot.

Elrond looked around, looking for a place to hide. "The trees," he whispered and jumped from his horse. Elladan followed his example. Then he spoke soft words to the agitated animals, until the horses calmed downed and ran back, returning to the palace. Then the two peredhil climbed on a large oak and hid in the branches, hoping that the men would not notice them.

Elladan gasped at the view. "Ada, this is an army," he whispered. His father nodded. "We must go back and warn Thranduil," the younger twin continued.

"They will reach the patrols soon enough," Elrond replied. "Worry not; the Wood-elves will be alerted. But we must find Estel and Legolas. My heart tells me that they need us."

They waited for the army to disappear among the trees and gracefully jumped to the ground. They would have to continue on foot, which would slow them down, so they ran forward even more determinedly than before.

Suddenly Elrond froze in his tracks and motioned to his son to stop. Elladan stared in surprise. Another group was coming towards them. Could it be a part of the army? But his fear was dissipated when the newcomers came closer and he could have a better view.

"They are Elves!" He whispered in shock.

"Yes," his father confirmed. "And your brother is with them."

Elladan's eyes narrowed as he focused on the coming group. He smiled slightly when he recognized his twin, but the smile suddenly left his lips.

"Ada?" He asked softly. "Why is he carrying Estel's cloak?"

---

Their progress was slow since the injured human was almost unable to walk by himself. The elf supported him firmly, but still they had to stop and rest too often for their liking.

Legolas was not looking for Merzak anymore. After the discovery that his friend was alive, all thoughts of revenge vanished and were replaced by pure joy and relief. Now he had a new goal — to bring them both safely home.

"Legolas, this is hopeless," the ranger muttered when they stopped to rest once again. "There is no way we can pass by the guards unnoticed."

They had left the dungeons and were now on the first floor, but to leave the building they needed to exit through the main gate, which was closely guarded.

The elf was thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps we shouldn't go out through the door," he suggested with a smile.

Aragorn looked at him, his eyes wide with disbelief. "And what do you suggest then? Jump through the window?"

"Exactly," Legolas replied, his grin widening.

The man shook his head. "I've always know you are insane, elf, but you still always find a way to surprise me."

The elf chuckled softly. "Why? It is not so hard; we are on the first floor." He walked the man to a wide window and helped him climb to the sill.

They both gazed down and Aragorn shuddered as he looked at the stony ground. "It is too far away," he whispered. He felt that his body would not take much more abuse.

"I can jump easily, and then I can catch you," the elf replied cheerfully. "Shall we try it?"

"I see that you just love jumping around like a squirrel," Aragorn said, sounding slightly frustrated with his friend's joyfulness. Truth be told, he was happy to see Legolas smile again. When he had first seen the elf, he had been almost scared. The normally bright blue eyes had looked unnaturally dull, as if all the life had deserted them.

"It's true, I love jumping," Legolas admitted with a smile. He had been unusually cheerful since he had discovered that the ranger was not a ghost, and this warmed the man's heart although he stubbornly pretended to be irritated.

Without warning, the elf suddenly flew forward. Aragorn gasped in shock and stared through the window, just to see his friend land lightly on his feet and turn around. Legolas stretched his arms and smiled reassuringly.

"Come, mellon nîn, I will not let you fall."

The man let go of the sill, and let himself freefall. Slender arms grasped him before he hit the ground. He had to suppress a groan as the elf's hand accidentally brushed against one of his wounds, but otherwise the fall was not as frightening as it had seemed.

Legolas gazed at his friend worriedly when he noticed that the human had paled, but Aragorn's smile quickly dissipated his fears. "This was fun," the man said, slightly out of breath. "We should do it more often."

The elf laughed merrily. "Are you saying that you want to learn how to jump around like a squirrel?" He asked.

"Well, since I am forced to live with elves, I suppose I should learn some of their strange ways if I wish to survive. You will have plenty of time to teach me when we get back home."

Legolas smiled although his heart was troubled by a sudden fear. Aragorn always said 'When we get back home' and not 'If we get back home'. As much as he wanted to believe that his friend's hope was justified, he had a strange feeling of apprehension. It was as if someone was warning him that something terrible was going to happen.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked back at the ranger's face, shining with joy and hope. "Which way should we go now?" Aragorn asked.

The elf hesitated. "I am not sure which paths are better guarded," he replied. "I will go and take a look. You should stay here and hide, you can barely walk and they will notice us easily."

Aragorn nodded. "All right, I will wait for you here, and when you come back, we return to Mirkwood."

"Agreed," the elf replied, his heart suddenly filled with joy at the prospect. He turned to leave, but a hand suddenly grabbed his. Blue eyes locked with grey.

"Be careful," the man whispered. Legolas nodded quickly and left. Aragorn gazed at his friend's retreating back, suddenly gripped by the sensation that their path would not be as easy as he had hoped.

---

"We did it, my Lord. The war has started, and my orcs are aiding the men. The Elves will be destroyed."

He would have grinned if he was able to. Soon the Wood-elves would be destroyed. And then there would be no one to oppose him, and the entire Mirkwood would be his. Only his.

---

Elladan's cry of denial made the Mirkwood elves bow their heads in sorrow. Elrohir stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his distressed brother, trying to soothe a pain that could not be soothed.

Elrond watched his two sons and felt his heart shatter into pieces that would never come together again.

---

When Legolas returned, his face was deadly pale and his eyes were wide in horror. "Many tracks…" He gasped in distress. All of his former cheerfulness had disappeared. "Men… horses…"

Aragorn worriedly grasped his friend's shoulders and steadied him. "Be still, mellon nîn, it will be well," he said softly. "Tell me what happened."

"No, it won't be well!" Legolas suddenly shouted. "They have sent an army, Aragorn! An army! They will fight my father!"

The ranger gasped as the full impact of what the elf was saying hit him. Mirkwood was at war. "Do not worry, Legolas, your father is strong. These men cannot defeat the elves. They are not prepared for such a war."

"Oh, yes, they are," Legolas said bitterly. "And it is not only men. You know that Merzak also has orcs under his command. And I am sure my father is distressed over my absence and will not be prepared to meet them." The last words were spoken with a slight hint of guilt.

"Then we have another reason to reach Mirkwood as fast as possible," the man said. To his horror, the elf quickly shook his head.

"We cannot."

Aragorn looked up and stared at his friend in disbelief. "What?!"

"You heard me — we cannot. There is an army standing between us and home. There is no way we can pass by the army unnoticed with you barely able to move. And if we arrive after the war has started, we will be caught up in the battle. And you are in no condition to fight."

"You are right, Legolas," the man said suddenly. "We cannot do it. But you can. You can go faster than the army and pass by it unnoticed. I could wait for you here, or I could follow at a distance."

"This is not an option," the elf said firmly. "We go together."

"What do you suggest then?" Aragorn asked confused. "We cannot stay here. There are still guards looking for us."

"No, we cannot stay here," Legolas agreed. "And we cannot travel towards Mirkwood. Therefore, there is only one option left. We go the opposite way. We do not go down, but up the mountains."

The man stared at the snowy peaks of the Grey Mountains. The climb up would be hard and slow, especially in his condition. It was early spring, and the snow and ice had not melted yet.

The elf seemed to read his friend's thoughts. "I know it will not be easy," he said softly. "But I will help you. We can do this, Aragorn. We will find a shelter and we will wait there as long as the danger is gone. They will never think about looking for us up there."

"How long do you think we will need to wait? We have no food, no supplies!" The ranger argued. The idea seemed senseless to him.

"We must find a way!" Legolas stated passionately. "I may not have my bow with me, but we will find a way to hunt, I know it. We have greater chances to survive there than here or if we return home!"

I have greater chances to survive there, the man thought sadly. And you, my friend, have perfectly good chances to survive if you return home. He hesitated before he voiced his final argument.

"Your father needs you, Legolas! He grieves, of that I am sure. He needs to know that you live. And your kingdom needs you now!"

"Don't you think I know this?" The elf snapped angrily. Then he sighed sadly. "Forgive me, I know that you want us to do what is best for everyone. And best for me. But you are wrong, Estel. If I go home and leave you behind, this would not be the best for me." He raised his head and their eyes locked. When he spoke again, his voice was strong and determined. "I will not lose you again. I cannot."

The man suddenly nodded. He understood. The dull blue eyes and the scream of utter despair still haunted him. He would not risk causing his friend more grief.

Legolas silently helped him stand, and they walked slowly up the mountains. Aragorn suddenly stopped and looked back. "We need to hide our tracks," he whispered urgently.

"We have no time. We need to leave this place as soon as possible," the elf said, "Besides, there is no need. No one will follow us."

He had no idea how wrong he was.

TBC

Thanks for reading so far, I think there are about three or four chapters left. And then you'll have another story I've been planning for some time.

Special note to the randomer: You sweet thing, I am so touched (hug). Thanks for the constant support!

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