Fall Chapter 38, a lord of the rings fanfic

Chapter 38

**Meanwhile**

Aragorn and Gimli parted ways for a while and the king headed straight for his study. His first order of business was to check in with Faramir to see if any pressing matters had come up as his travels lasted longer than he had anticipated.

The doors to his office were open and Aragorn stepped in, slightly surprised to see who was in there. Faramir sat behind the desk and had a few things out. He was in various stages of work, but the two chairs that were positioned on the opposite side of the work station were occupied by Éomer and Éowyn. The three were in a light discussion regarding on-going help between the people of Rohan and Gondor, but the conversations stopped immediately as Aragorn entered and all exchanged greetings. The king stepped further into his office and approached the desk where his steward sat.

"How was your trip, my lord?" Faramir asked and made to stand from his seat, but the king waved him off. He had no intentions of staying long and only stopped by to check in.

"Longer than I had hoped, but all-in-all, it was a success. How is everything faring? Did anything urgent come up?"

"No my lord. All is as you left it. I have here all the mail that has been sorted; This pile is everything I was able to see to, this is what needs your attention, and this small stack relates to things that I have not been involved in so I do not even understand what is being asked or requested. I think there is some history on them that I am lacking so I am leaving them for you."

Aragorn grabbed the stacks and in the process reached for a quill, parchment and an inkwell.

"Thank you I will see to these momentarily."

Faramir only nodded. "The guards are still stationed by the hall of fire and access has been restricted all day. I was going to relive them for the night and rotate the watches, but if you plan on opening it soon, I will let them finish the watch."

"What?" Aragorn's short question sounded shocked yet bordered disbelief. "Is anyone still in there?"

"Yes; one of your brothers... and Arwen has been coming and going. It matters not if you need it to be kept close but I just want to get fresh guards if it will be necessary."

Aragorn thought for a moment. He was surprised that everyone was still in the hall as he expected the prince to leave as soon as he woke up. The king just shook his head with uncertainty.

"I do not know how much longer guards will be needed. That will be my next stop then and I will let you know shortly."

Aragorn began to walk off, but halted mid step as Éomer cleared his throat to speak.

"Aragorn…" the Rohirrim King started. "I have been talking with Faramir for a while on a number of things and we have a few concerns and requests that we would like to take up with you."

"Oh?" Aragorn did not like the sounds of this as the tone in which the High Lord of the Mark talked with reflected his mood and it was serious.

Éomer sat quietly for a moment as he contemplated his words. He was unsure how to get started. "There seems to be some among us who are not well…" the Horse Master watched the king whose unchanging expression moved between himself, Éowyn, and Faramir.

Aragorn was surprised to see a look of dread on Faramir's face but it only confused the king.

"Who is-" Aragorn began to ask but was interrupted.

"You know of whom I speak." Éomer stated simply and the Rohirrim King gave Aragorn a stern knowing look. "Lord Legolas."

Aragorn took a deep breath. He did not want to get into right now and he cut Éomer off.

"That is not something I can discuss at this moment." He said and looked to his Steward with a glance of accusation but it dissolved quickly. Aragorn had not ordered what little information Faramir had be kept secret and he was only discussing this with his family.

Éomer looked a little perturbed but spoke easily. "But it *will* be discussed?" Éomer asked as he took the subtle hint from Aragorn's statement. "I only ask because I share the same concerns as Faramir for we were both witness to his unusual actions the night of the Harvest Feast. It was not like him and I think we may have inadvertently upset Legolas. I have hoped to find time to speak with him but he seems elusive and has been very edgy."

Aragorn became a little uneasy at the statement. He did not know of anything out of the ordinary happening during the celebrations and had assumed the prince turned in early when he proved to have left the party.

"Why? What are these unusual actions you are talking of?" Aragorn asked.

"He was with us in the cellars preparing for a rematch in a drinking game. He was fine and laughing, then the next instant he had a terrorized fire in his eyes and left." Éomer did not feel the need to discuss the physical altercation for he, in part, felt guilty over what had happened. The king felt as though he pushed the elf to that point after disregarding the prince's requests not to participate. However, Éowyn was only too quick to bring it up and her quiet comment was lined with question.

"But he struck you..." She said and Éomer gave his sister a concerned grin, confirming she was correct but upset that what she spoke was the truth.

Aragorn was taken aback and it was displayed clearly on his face.

"He what?" Aragorn asked for clarification, not trusting his ears for the actions the wood-elf had been accused of absolutely went against his character.

Éomer's grim face turned to the king knowing that he could not deny the statement for he bore a bruise on his cheek that was the evidence he could not deny.

"Yes. He was desperate to get away and I did not heed him. He struck me… or shoved me, I am unclear which, then he took off. Then there was the matter at breakfast yesterday. He was speaking to us, then became very uptight at the mention of the events from the night prior and once again left. I tried, as did others, to speak with him, but he refused to converse with us as he remained elusive." Éomer spoke and never took his eyes off of the Gondorian King.

This was startling news to Aragorn and he remained speechless as Éomer continued on. "Faramir said he talked briefly with you on the matter this morning and said that you would discuss with him the details at a later time. You also indicated that help may be required, but you needed to gather more information."

Aragorn sighed. "I have not had a chance to really look into it, but yes, I may need some help. I sent a letter to the Elven Second Appointee this morning and I need to hear back from him. Once I do, I will be able to piece things together a little better."

"I know that my relationship with Legolas is not nearly as strong as it is with the three of you for I do not see him near as frequently, but he still remains a friend. Whatever help is needed or actions that need to be taken, I can step in if necessary. I am to be leaving in a few days but I can postpone my travels back for a small time. If I can correct any error on my part, or give any aid where needed, I would do that."

Aragorn smiled gently to the Rohirrim King, but was reluctant. Help may be needed for the elven people, but he did not want to get too many people involved with Legolas himself.

"The Elves in Ithilien may need help. I thank you for the offer, both on my part and I will speak for Legolas as well. Yet, I am sure we will be able to handle this on our own."

Éomer looked off. It was obvious he was bothered with the dismissal in a request to help a friend.

Then, the room looked in surprise as Éowyn's steady voice came to light and she spoke softly, relaying the words and ideas better than her brother could.

"We just offer our help, 'tis all." Éowyn said. "Both you and he placed your lives on the line years ago when you traveled to Rohan with Gandalf Greyhame. You both not only aided in freeing our uncle of the accursed spell he was placed under, but marched with our people during a dangerous time and fought alongside them… We know as friends, our repayment for his part is not expected but if there is a way we can help him, as he helped us so long ago, we would like the opportunity to."

Both Faramir and Éomer looked to the Shield Maiden with a pleased spark in their eyes.

"My sister could not have said that any better." Éomer gave Éowyn a soft smile before he turned back to Aragorn.

Aragorn remained mostly expressionless as he heard the voiced concerns and wishes. It was remarkable how many people were offering help, but at the same time it unnerved him. Legolas was always a private person and the king was sure that in this instant, too much help would not be a good thing. It took weeks to get the elf to open up and the man did not want to cause his friend to go back into hiding if others were adamant that they get involved.

Aragorn found that yet again, he did not know what do and picked his wording carefully so as not to dismiss the issue, but move away from it for the moment.

"Once I find more information I will share with you what I can."

Aragorn ended his statement with an incline to his head indicating that was all he could offer, but no one was given a chance to say anything else as Anna stepped into the office. She casually flipped through a few envelops she had in her hand, reading the attention information to make sure nothing accidentally got mixed in with the King's mail.

"Excuse me My Lord Faramir I have a few last minute messages that arrived th-" Anna looked up and instantly saw her king standing before the desk and the maid bowed with respect. "Your Highness, I apologize, I did not know you were in here."

Aragorn just watched her as she stepped in the room and held the letters out to her king. "My Lord, a few late messages came in. The one on top is marked urgent and we received it just before the sun had set."

Aragorn took the letters from her and added them to the stack of papers he already held. "Thank you Anna."

The maid bowed then turned to leave and Aragorn was not too far behind her. "Being as I have urgent messages, I think I will leave to go tend to matters. Faramir, I'll get back with you on the guards."

"Do you need your office, my lord?" Faramir said and began to rise as did Éowyn and Éomer, but the king shook his head.

"No. I will be in the Hall of Fire should you need anything."

After a quick detour to his rooms to change out of his wet clothing, Aragorn strode to the Hall of Fire. The guards placed by the massive doors saw the king approaching and just like any other time they saw their lord, they straightened their posture and gave a salute.

The king merely glanced at them as he brushed by and Aragorn cautiously pushed the doors open and let himself in.

The hall looked exactly as he left it that morning and being that the sun had set, the only light in the massive space emanated from the fireplace. Aragorn closed the door with care and began to walk forward.

Elladan was sitting in the chair that he had claimed previously and he looked up from whatever was keeping him occupied. At the sight of his human brother, the Noldor-elf rose from his seat while placing a finger over his lips to keep Aragorn silent. The two walked toward each other and Elladan greeted his brother with a quick hug while whispering to him.

"Keep quiet, Legolas still sleeps."

"Still?" Aragorn repeated back and the elf just nodded.

"He is worn out and has not moved all day, for which I am glad. 'Tis unnerving to see an elf sleep this much, but we kept him undisturbed so he could rest as long as needed."

Aragorn made for the couch with stealth and Elladan was right behind him. Just as the elf had been left, Legolas was on the floor at the base of the couch covered with the throw and lying on mattress of pillows and cushions. His eyes were closed just as they had been for weeks when he did doze off.

Aragorn could not help the worry that suddenly gripped him. He knew the elf needed rest for he had been deprived of it for a long time, yet to find that the elf slept the entire day did not sit right with the healer either.

Aragorn crouched by his friend's head and softly touched the wood-elf's cheek and forehead as he checked temperature. There was nothing out of the ordinary and the man moved two fingers to the elf's neck and chest to monitor pulse and evaluate his breathing. Again, there appeared to be nothing wrong with the prince and he was, in fact, sleeping.

"Estel, he sleeps, I assure you. I have been checking on him all day, come sit down and let him be." Elladan said softly.

The king grabbed the edge of the throw and settled it a little differently over the prince and Elladan shook his head to himself as he watched. The adjustment of the blanket was pointless as it did not offer any more warmth, but the Noldor-elf did not say a thing. Aragorn was trying to do all he could for the prince and if settling the materials in a better way offered Aragorn some peace of mind, then Elladan remained quiet.

Aragorn stood and crossed the space to take up the other seat. He set his papers down on the floor and sat back in the chair with a weary huff. It had been a long, cold day and now that he was finally sitting, he could feel how stressful the day had been. He relaxed as a tired throb was felt in his body. He leaned his head back against the chair's backing and closed his eyes briefly but opened them only to stare at the vaulted ceiling above them.

"So... tell me all about it." Elladan said. "Did you find anyone who can help? You were gone an awful long time."

"It is unbelievable how many times we were lead to different people as no one seemed to know how to build a ship." Aragorn said and passed a hand over his face and rubbed his eyes while he continued to talk. "The carpenter whom we sought was not the one needed and so he turned us to another man, who in turn told us about someone else, who then sent us in a different direction…."

Elladan listened to his brother speak and as the man illustrated a picture of his hard time, the elf began to grin. The elf shook his head in mild sympathy and slight humor as he noted the man's irritation.

"I was getting rather fed up with it, but luck did find us and the last place we stopped produced someone who holds the knowledge we need." Aragorn stated and looked back to the sleeping elf on the floor.

"When does it all begin? Were you able to get him to agree?"

"Agree, yes, though he was not exactly willing to help right away. I had to employ him as this will be taking a lot of time and he does not have that to simply give up. He will be coming over tomorrow for a meeting so we can discuss matters further."

Elladan nodded his head absently.

"How about you? How was your day?" Aragorn asked. He could feel the uncertainty building within and he wanted to shift the focus for a while to let some of his stress vanish as he sat.

Elladan held a hand up to present to Aragorn the sight they were already looking at; Legolas sleeping soundly.

"This has been my day." He nearly whispered. "A quiet, uneventful day… I suppose this is rather silly, but watching all of the sleeping has exhausted me." the Noldor-elf said as a yawn crept into the last bit of the sentence and the elf covered his mouth until it passed. Elladan arched his back as he stretched his arms above his head and once through, slumped back into the chair. He cast his brother a lazy look and Aragorn could see the truth in the elf's statement.

Elladan was squinting his eyes as he fought the need to close them and doze off and the whites of his eyes were slightly reddened with boredom-fatigue. Elves were known to be able to go long periods of time without rest, but right now it seemed the dull atmosphere sapped the elf's stamina as it would a mortal. The sleepiness would wear off once the elf got up and moving, but right now neither man nor elf made any attempt to do so and they sat in the quiet calm

Elladan sighed as he tried to clear his head of all sleep. The elf needed something to do. He picked up a hushed conversation in hopes of alleviating his drowsiness.

"I did find a rather interesting book in your library and it has been my only saving grace to keep me well occupied today."

Without a word, Aragorn raised his brows, letting the expression ask for more details rather than speak it.

"Tis shocking and a bit humorous at times, but it is an old medical journal trying to teach 'new and improved methods of healing' to others." The elf's voice was pure sarcasm as he vaguely recapped the book in a hushed tone and Aragorn shifted so he was not craning his neck to face his brother.

"It is from many thousands of years ago and all of the techniques have been proven to be ineffective or even deadly… there was one passage in here about how if a mortal became sick, it meant they had, what was referred to as, 'bad blood' and the book instructs you on how to remove the bad blood… either you surgically open the person to let the blood drain, which of course is absurd as one could die from blood loss, or the book even mentioned placing leeches upon a person so the blood suckers will remove the bad blood for you."

Aragorn's disbelief was hidden as he made a disgusted face.

"I know, I am with you on that… If I was a mortal and became sick, the last thing I would want is to be covered in leeches." Elladan shuddered as the thought of little, slimy, blood-sucking worms all over him. "Can you imagine a time when people thought that could actually be beneficial to someone? I know Ada would have absolutely gone crazy if he found out that people were doing such a thing and calling it medicine."

Aragorn did not know what to say and Elladan bent over his knees to pick up a large leather bound book.

"Here." Elladan held the book out for Aragorn to take. "I do not know if this is worth keeping as it is severely outdated, but I have no need to read this anymore."

Aragorn took the heavy book and placed it in his lap. He did not particularly care about the text at the moment and let out a sigh as he turned his sights back to his friend.

"Estel? Are you well?" Elladan asked. He knew the man was still worried sick over Legolas, but he had hoped that by finding the help needed would bring some comfort to all. Aragorn however, looked far from comforted despite his successes of the day.

"I just hope this works."

"What reasons do you have to doubt that it will?"

Aragorn sighed. "I do not know. It is a great idea, but I just do not see how this is going to work." Aragorn shook his head to himself. "Growing up with you and Elrohir at my side, sitting with me for long periods of time as Ada taught me the arts of healing has not only benefited me, but those in need of healing as well. But his wounds are not…." Aragorn's thought vanished as he looked sadly to his friend.

"His wounds are not physical." Elladan finished the statement for his brother and the man nodded his head in agreement. "And you feel as though your skill can only help the sick and mend physical wounds?"

Aragorn slowly nodded as he thought.

"Estel… it is not up to you to heal Legolas. A wounded heart is not something you can pack full of medicinal herbs and watch the ailments disappear. You can help the process, but healing will have to come from Legolas himself. He needs to work through this and find his own comforts and strengths to battle his inner demons. We can offer compassion and an understanding which will generate a safe place for him, but if he wants to heal, *he* has to do it and fight his way through this. I know you fear 'failing' Legolas as you have claimed earlier today, but..." Elladan let out a sigh and to prepare himself to be blunt with his human brother. "You can do everything possible for him and more, and yet if Legolas cannot pull himself out of this then there is no hope for him. If that is the case, you certainly did not fail him."

"I know. Logic is taking a stand with my worries. I know I am limitless with what I can do for him, and for that reason, I feel powerless. I know this is not the first time in his life that he has faced personal issues; his mother passed when he was child, his father was… Thranduil-" Aragorn's lack of description of the elf king was easily summed up by his very name. "-he has been witness to the devastation to even more wars and battles than I and yet he persevered through it all. However, the magnitude of his ordeal is just so large…. I do not want to doubt him, I do not want to doubt me… or even you and all the others-"

"Aragorn," Elladan called his brother by his birth name to try and level with the worried man. "You are comparing orcs to goblins. The personal issues he has dealt with, is typically called 'life'. It is not the most ideal one, but can you name one person who has been lucky to not face hardships and overcome them? What Legolas has been put through the past few weeks is not life, but a crime and everything that happened thereafter escalated quickly. It is a curse and a blessing that we do not know how to deal with this, for if we knew exactly what to do, I shudder to think of how many people had to go through it, yet we are lucky that this has not happened frequently."

Elladan got up from his seat stiffly and walked to his brother's chair. He knelt by the side of the plush piece of furniture and placed a comforting hand upon his brother's arm.

"I know you are worried, for I am too, but just know that we are doing all we can for him. Since we do not have experience in this matter, who is to say this will not work, humm?"

Aragorn nodded, indicating that what the elf said was true and he had heard him.

"Come… Let us go to the dining hall and we will get some dinner. Is Elrohir back? Perhaps he could take over while you go get some food."

"Yes, though I do not know where he went. But I would rather stay here. I have some papers to go over-" Aragorn pointed to the sack of mail at his feet.

"This can wait." Elladan interjected but Aragorn casually held his hand up to cut the debate off.

"I will be alright. You go ahead and get something to eat. I'll take over the watch."

"Estel-"

"Elladan, I do not want to go and sit among people right now. Though I will be working, I would prefer this. Besides, I am not all that hungry-"

"Don't you dare start acting like Legolas." the Noldor-elf stated sharply. He had been evaluating the sleeping prince all day and he too noted how thin Legolas had become.

"I'll be fine. I'll give Legolas a few more hours to rest then I'll wake him. I will take my dinner with him to give him some company and see to it that he finally eats something with substance."

Reluctantly, Elladan agreed to it. "Very well."

The two looked up as the door to the hall opened and Arwen slipped in without a sound. Her face lit up when she saw the man but did not speak until she had crossed the room. As she passed the couch, her sights went instantly to the prince to see if was up or sleeping before she continued and was within whispering proximity of her husband.

"Estel! I did not know you had returned!" she leaned over the man and wrapped her arms around his neck as she embraced him and he brought his hands to her waist in a half-hearted attempt to embrace her back.

"I'll be heading to dinner." Elladan said and decided to leave to give Aragorn some time to speak with Arwen. "If you need anything, just call."

After Aragorn agreed, the raven haired elf walked to the doors and let himself out.

Arwen turned back to the man and her eyes sought his to try and read is expression as she softly spoke. "How did your searches go?"

Aragorn smiled. He did not want to keep anything from his wife, but he already dove into feelings with his eldest brother and getting back into it at the moment was not something he wished to do. There would be plenty of time to talk later.

"Good." He said.

"You found someone?"

"I believe so, but I will not get all the details until tomorrow."

Arwen could tell there was a lot not being spoken of but she glanced to the wood-elf who was still asleep and knew now was not the time to press.

"I actually came in to let Elladan know dinner was ready and take a food order but… you are staying?" she asked.

"Yes. I will stay. I will eat when Legolas is up."

Arwen gave the man a tender smiled and leaned in close to brush her lips across his forehead. "Do not wear yourself out Estel." she warned quietly. "I'll tend to the guests at dinner then. Do not worry over it. I would come back, but Eldarion has become rather fussy and he is not settling."

A new look of worry painted Aragorn's face but Arwen did all she could to lay his worry aside. "I think he just has a cold. The weather changed quickly and he is stuffy and has taken on a cough."

"I'll come take a look at him soon."

"Elladan said he would stop by to make sure I have done all I can for him. He might be able to help if you are busy."

"No!" the man nearly shouted and all the horrors he could conjure contorted his face. Just as quickly as the man's voice picked up he looked to Legolas with a grimace, looking to see if the elf had woken, but the prince went unmoving and continued to sleep. Aragorn looked back to his wife and Arwen slowly stood straight and crossed her arms as she skeptically looked back at the man. "I mean… no." Aragorn whispered.

"Why not? Elladan is just as good a healer as you-" she began to say but was cut off by a very worried man. She looked Aragorn over, taking notice of the book that rested in his lap and she scowled slightly.

"*How* is he going to help?"

"I am not sure exactly but he said it might be bad blood and he had to go find a few worms?" she questioned and Aragorn paled before Arwen laughed. "Estel!" Arwen whispered harshly in disbelief. "You think Elladan would honestly do that to our son?" she arched a teasing brow at the man and Aragorn sagged back to his chair in sudden relief.

"So Elladan told you about his latest findings?"

"He did. And you ought to know him better than that." She smiled with a hint of wicked humor. "Elladan said he would bring in a fire kettle and let some Athales boil to help sooth him. We gave him some chi weed to help with his cough and I gave him a warm bath not long ago."

As Arwen told of the things she had done for their son, Aragorn checked them off of his mental list. If the infant did have a cold, there was not much more they could do for him at the moment.

"It sounds like you have everything under control."

Arwen took a half seat on the arm of the chair Aragorn was sitting in. "Can I get you anything?" she asked. Aragorn just shook his head. "Alright meleth-nin. I will head to dinner then to see to everyone."

The queen stood up and without a sound she walked to the sleeping prince and knelt to the floor. She kissed her fingertips, then ever so gently, pressed her hand the the prince's head where her fingers combed through his hair a few times. She did not linger long and took her leave.

Aragorn watched his wife leave the hall and when the doors were shut, he went to e doors to his office were open and Aragorn stepped in, slightly surprisged to see who was in there. Faramir sat behind the desk and had a few things out. He was in various stages of work, but the two chairs that were positioned on the opposite side of the work station were occupied by Éomer and Éowyn. The three were in a light discussion regarding on-going help between the people of Rohan and Gondor, but the conversations stopped immediately as Aragorn entered and all exchanged greetings. The king stepped further into his office and approached the desk where his steward sat.