In his own room, Legolas sat alone on his bed, deep in thought. He was recollecting the memories from the faithful day when his dear friend and brother passed away. What everyone did not know, Susan especially, among all, was that the King had shared a secret conversation with him.
When Susan had left with Elwing and Nimoloth to assist them in getting ready, he gave one last glance at the girl and Arwen and his nephews left the room. The queen approached him with a trail of dried tears on her cheek and spoke to him in a very low and stuttering voice, "He wants to have a word with you." The elven prince gave her an assuring nod and a kiss on her hand to give her the least sense of comfort he could manage to provide. Her lips curled up with much difficulty and Legolas stepped into the chamber as instructed.
He could not believe how frail the once mighty King of Gondor looked. It was as if he was drained of all his energy and clinging onto life with his very last breath. He looked much like King Theoden when he had been cursed and blinded by the cunning and luring words of Grima, only that he had not the chance to revive for it was clear, although the blonde prince wanted so much to deny, that Aragorn was at the end of his days.
He closed the distance between him and the patient by leaning forward to listen to what he had to say. It was more of a murmur than talking, but his sharp hearing allowed him to understand every word the king had to say.
"Dear friend, you have been a great brother and teacher to me for these past years. I really envy you of your immortality for I will be forever parted with Arwen. She is fragile although she may seem tough so take good care of her just like you would a sister. I also wish you to guide Eldarion in reigning the country for he is not fully ready to rule a country on his own. I have full faith in him but he will need assistance. I understand that I am asking a lot from you but you are the only person I can trust." The King muttered with occasional pauses to cough and take breaths. The elf held a sad face the whole time for he knew clearly that his friend was perfectly aware that time was running short for him.
"Last but not least, you know how much I have been trying to find you the perfect queen. Apparently, I have failed," He gave out a weak chuckle which was received with a half-hearted smile, "I might not be as observant as a woman but I sure am positively capable of noticing changes in a dear old friend. I have honestly never seen you as happy as you are now for all these years I have known you. I wondered what it was that made such a change until you hinted about a possible candidate that very evening." He stopped and pointed at the cup of water placed on the bedside table. Legolas helped his friend sit up and fed him some water to moisten his dried mouth that had been thirsty from both the talking and the fever. "I'm glad you now have Susan has your companion. I can see that she is not only beautiful but wise and intelligent at the same time. She will serve you well as a wife and companion. I wish you all the best and give you both my sincere blessings. However, I am deeply sorry that I should not have the honor of attending your wedding as you have had at mine." A wave of despair and grief filled the elf's mind and a tear menaced to fall down but he held it back, aware that this would sadden his confidante. With a last whisper, Aragorn said, "I feel tired, let me rest." Obeying the orders, he laid the weak man down and headed for the door to let in everyone for the ceremony.
Legolas felt desperate that he had lost such a good brother with whom he had shared many adventures with. Still, he had Gimli left to keep him company as a friend. All he could now do was to fulfill his promises in aiding his nephew and taking care of Arwen.
It suddenly occurred to him that for these past weeks, everyone had been relying on a particular someone to relief them of their pain of loss and misery- Susan. She had been bearing all the others' agony without a slightest word of annoyance or tiredness. She bore them as if they were hers. She bore them through her sleeps and dreams. She bore them and she took them in. He could not believe how strong a woman she was. He was at least 50 times older than she was but he too needed her to help him lighten that sadness of his. He felt ashamed and was immensely grateful and held an admiration towards the Gentle Queen. Someone who had not known her would definitely judge, saying that she was not dear to Aragorn enough to feel the heartache, but she did, and for her age, she had many more emotions to bear than a normal person. Everyone dear to her had all vanished at the same moment, leaving her without any support, mentally and physically. Such a blow would have broken anybody, yet, Susan was not anybody, she was Queen of Narnia and she was strong and gentle.
He suddenly felt two hands on his shoulders and they tensed at the abrupt touch. Slowly, the fingers began to squeeze, slowly untangling the strain that was created. He relaxed and those grave thoughts vanished into thin air. He let out a satisfied moan and let his whole body loosen and allowed his limbs splay out. Every massage freed his troubles bit by bit and soon, his mind was blank and he was in a space of total serenity. At the sight of his gorgeous features, Susan let out a sigh. She knew the past week was quite difficult to bear but she did not mind it at all, as long as it helped the elf pass these treacherous times. Absentmindedly, she ran her fingers through his silky golden hair and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.
I hope you liked this chapter and did not mind the short and late update but I really have been busy these few days. I hope I can at least upload once in two days but I can't make any promises, so fingers crossed that I can make it! Do review and tell me what you think! BTW, my story are somewhat based on how the Lord of the Rings' characters truly ended but adding Susan to the plot!
Reply to the Cretin: Thank you for the review! It's so nice to see your kind and encouraging words. I know that I say the same thing every time but trust me, I truly do mean it for they motivate me! You are totally right to stick to what you believe in and I am really glad that I had your knowledge of Medieval to help me with my writing! Your talents are worth the recognizing! I don't know if I could keep my head clear for the whole day, drinking beer during breakfast, but I look forward to hearing your feedbacks! Good luck!