Chapter 42

Gandalf was sitting by the fire, watching the human and the elf who sleeping a few yards away. After leaving Isengard, Aragorn had treated the prince's wounds. Now they had fallen asleep cuddled together, holding each other tightly as if they were afraid of losing the other. The wizard knew that the relationship between the two was both, a gift and a curse. Their love would be their downfall. They all knew that. Maybe even Aragorn and Legolas himself. Thranduil knew it, Elrond knew it too. The love of these two different creatures grew with each passing day. A human and an elf. A deep love that would never end. If the Prince of Mirkwood died, the heir to the throne of Gondor would come with him and the other way round. Gandalf remembered the first meeting of the two well. It had been clear from the beginning that there was a very special relationship between the two. Thranduil had been against it from the beginning. Not only because Aragorn was a human, but also because he knew the dangers of that love. The king wanted to protect his son, but unfortunately, he did exactly the opposite. Legolas had moved from his farther, the disputes between them had grown. But nobody could separate them. They were like brothers. The white wizard knew that the archer had clung to the ranger even more after his brothers' premature death. He would not survive if the man died. The beautiful warrior's soul, which seemed so strong, was too fragile for that.

'How strange that is,' thought the wizard, chewing on his pipe. The Mirkwood elf had seen so many beings die in its many thousands of years, and the death of a single human could now destroy him. But it wasn't just anyone. It was the man who was the other half of the prince. The man who would stay with the elf in any danger and always was. The man who Legolas would trust his life to. A human and an elf. A connection for eternity.

Frodo sat by the fire with the other members of the fellowship and laughed with them. It was so carefree, so free. They had all survived Isengard, they were all reunited. Aragorn and Legolas were still asleep, but the two urgently needed it. Rest would do Legolas good. The hobbit hoped that Eero's death would help the prince a bit to deal with his terrible past. Gimli was telling some funny story and the hobbits laughed happily. Boromir sat next to them and grinned broadly, while Gandalf only smiled cautiously.

"What do humans actually have against elves?", Merry suddenly asked directly. Where did this question come from now? But Frodo had to admit that he was also interested in this question. Gandalf groaned.

"Not everyone is against elves," Boromir said in shock. The ring bearer had to agree with the warrior. In fact, he was very impressed with the elf and Aragorn didn't have to be started. Gandalf took the pipe out of his mouth.

"Well, as you may know, humans are mortal and imperfect beings. The elves are like a contrast to them. They are beautiful, great fighters and full of light. They are also very educated and kind of perfect. But I think that the biggest problem of some humans is their immortality. The elves combine everything that many humans want. Immortality, beauty, and perfection. This is not well received by some humans. That's why elves are often despised by them simply because they have what many mortals will never have." Frodo was confused by it. He couldn't understand that people hated beings for something they couldn't do anything about. It was completely impossible for him. And above all, he couldn't understand why you could hate such a loyal being as Legolas.