Maybe it was that autonomy his father was giving him that Legolas had been yearning for so long, deciding a battle that Aragorn had already been able to see in his friend the whole time earlier. "It's not their decision. It never was. It's mine."
The elves hadn't spotted their leader between the soldiers so far and startled when Legolas stepped into their midst. Although people cleared the way for him out of respect alone, he stumbled over obstacles on the ground several times. He roughly pushed away every helping hand though. When he stopped, he was completely out of breath. Sweat was on his brow, his fingertips were buried almost too hard in the bandage around his shoulder as if he was trying to keep himself awake with the pain.
"Put down your weapons."
"But the Stewardaides have …" the elf from earlier said angrily.
"I know best what these people did." Realizing that you one chosen the wrong path couldn't wipe out all deeply rooted hate. Legolas' voice lacked every compassion for the men.
"They disturbed the peace of our group. They convinced Men that Elves do them harm. They poisoned our land and our mind and we were too busy training how to fight to notice. They make us start conflicts so that they don't have to chase us away from the soil that they call their own. And their responsibility regarding the death of several Firstborn will never be forgotten. In coordination with the leaders of the other Elven realms and the King of Men, I will ensure that these people are barred from setting foot in any elvish settlement without fear of consequences ever again so they can no longer threaten any member of our folk; that, I assure you. But as for us in North Ithilien, we will no longer give them what they want so badly. Anyone who raises their weapon against these men is acting openly against their leader."
While some of the Firstborns' faces showed relief, on others', there was a complete lack of understanding written. So far, no one dared to openly object the Prince though who had gathered them in this realm and had led them reliably until this day.
"I asked you for your promise." Legolas lowered his voice a little. Tiredness, grief, guilt, everything that the last few hours had left behind, weighed down on his conscience. And yet, even with his eyes closed, he held his head high. He was the leader of these people, maybe in truth for the first time. Not just someone who stood by them, who organized their work, pushing them in a direction that they were being drawn to anyway. Away from their realms, for example, to no longer have to bear the emptiness there. He didn't allow them to act against his will. Someone who couldn't accept that would have to leave.
"Now I'm asking for your trust so that we can keep on living our dream. Because it's us, and only us, being responsible for that. So I am asking you again: Put down your weapons. We did not move to this country to go to war but to preserve and improve it. The criminals of Gondor are hereby being delivered to the King. Your Majesty …"
"I have heard the words of the elf leader of Cair Andros. Every act possibly committed by individuals from now on will only be assigned to them and not to the rest of you." But the relief that should actually flow through Aragorn didn't quite want to fill him yet.
The elves were still not reacting. You could have cut the tension in the air with a sword.
Legolas turned to where Aragorn's voice had come from and raised his hand before he could say anything else. "Wait. While it was the Stewardaides, drawing the first blood, it was my own rash threat back then that has turned far too many men against my people. Therefore, let everyone witnessing this gathering after the Emyn Arnen Siege now spread the word …"
He opened his eyes for a brief moment and slowly went to one knee. Several of the elves gasped audibly, and Thranduil had a warning protest on his lips, but Legolas didn't let anyone stop him. "… that any elf submitting to my leadership in Gondor is swearing unconditional loyalty and obedience to His Majesty Elessar. Unless it serves the protection of their own life or it is happening on His Majesty's order, no resident of Cair Andros will raise their weapon against Men anymore."
While the elves needed a moment to understand the scope of these words, Thranduil looked as if he had tasted an especially sour fruit. "He doesn't get that from me," he murmured almost inaudibly.
Even so, he was actually the first one who came to stand next to Legolas. He didn't have much choice either if he didn't want to risk frozen relations between Eryn Lasgalen and Gondor caused by his interference with this conflict. "You will forgive me if I spare us the dramatics of bending the knee, Elessar. That said, I'm with my son here. Though the leadership of the settlement is in his hands alone from now on: If you ever need the … help of Eryn Lasgalen again, you know where to find me."
Now the others overcame their hesitation. Daggers, swords, quivers, bows were being dropped to the ground. Therewith did the elves not only trust the soldiers with their lives who had to keep an eye on the Stewardaides alone now. They also proved how great their love for their leader was and how much his words had moved their hearts. Thondrar was the first one, but it took the others only two seconds until they, as well, promised Aragorn their support with a deep bow.
Aragorn stared at Legolas blankly for a moment; then he knelt down as well, to be on eye level with his friend, though the blindness wouldn't allow any visual contact, completely ignoring how a few soldiers muttered something in protest to themselves.
"I never wanted you to swear fealty to me. That can bind you more than you realize. I know now that I, too, have made many mistakes since the war, and there are many things I am deeply sorry for. Still, I am glad that you stopped your hate from drowning out rationality. I wish I could have helped you achieve this earlier." Resting a hand on Legolas' healthy shoulder, he helped him get up. "I'd hoped that friendship would be stronger than wrath."
The reproach hit Legolas visibly worse than getting himself to place himself in such a submissive position. He backed away instinctively when he realized once more how unimportant everything had become to him after his people's death, including everything that had endured for so long before, seemingly unbreakable. And how much it would take before one day, it might be like it had been once more. And yet this so important step that Aragorn had just taken towards him, in a situation when no one would have expected it of him, had melted some of the ice.
"I trusted you with my life in the war already, Aragorn." That he switched now to use the personal address as well couldn't bridge the distance. "This time, I am speaking for the people I'm responsible for, too. I'm giving you the same trust again, with the certainty that my King knows better than I do when to not put your people in danger. I hope this is a new beginning. Not only for our people but for the two of us as well."
Aragorn hesitated for a moment, unsure regarding Legolas' reaction. Then he pulled him close for a short embrace. "There's much to talk about, mellon."
He should actually have known that Legolas was not overly enthusiastic about that kind of touch. His posture indeed stiffened immediately, but at least he forced himself to smile. "Men! Don't you try that with my father."
Faramir was already turning to Aragorn to say a few words about the matter as well when the men who had been in pursuit of the Stewardaides returned.
The horses' slow speed did bode well. Indeed, the soldiers brought many, partly injured prisoners who were walking next to the riders, with their heads lowered, ashamed of their defeat. And yet a few of them were grinning spitefully.
Faramir who went to meet his people was first to make out what these people thought so entertaining right now. "Where is Barhit?"
"Steward, we …"
"You let this madman escape again?" Just a few minutes after his not quite so voluntary demonstration of respect, Thranduil had gathered enough pride again to snap at the warriors.
"It wasn't their fault." Glorfindel spurred Asfaloth forward and eyed Thranduil from head to toe in irritation. "You should wipe the blood off your face, Oropherion. One could almost think, you are working. Two soldiers helped him. They were with us originally. They had hidden their intentions well."
"I'll follow him." Since Erestor had been silent the whole time, Aragorn wasn't the only one who had completely forgotten about him. He was honest enough to admit that he hadn't even recognized him in this condition. No matter how impassive the librarian had been during this whole confrontation, now he was radiating a lot of unrest as he came to stand next to Glorfindel, looking up at him almost pleadingly so that he would support his plan. "I think I know where he's off to."
"Why don't you share your knowledge?" Since his father – thoughtless in his anger for a moment – had just left him standing there, Legolas had needed a little longer to follow Faramir. His angry position matched Thranduil's perfectly though; every restraint was forgotten. "Or do you prefer doing everything on your own again, stopping at nothing, no matter how many have to die?"
Erestor startled noticeably but made no attempt of defending himself at all. "I shouldn't have to. Has none of you ever tried to find out anything about him?" That was mostly aimed at Faramir, accompanied by a bitter smile when the Steward turned away in embarrassment.
"You of all people should have known. Barhit's brothers and his father fell at the Black Gate. He hasn't been there himself. He immediately rode to Minas Tirith when he learned what your father had almost done to you. Which almost had him bleed to death because his worry made him blindly ride into an orc's dagger. Barhit can't forgive himself for not being there in the final battle, and he can forgive His Majesty even less for not helping though Barhit's family has long been dead before they even arrived at the sick camp. After that, you were all he had left, and his physical and mental pain drives him more insane by the day. All the more does he cling to the belief that you're the only one who can do everything right, Steward. He doesn't care at all whom his faith is harming, because he doesn't think anyone deserves to be happy. Not even you. He wouldn't have hesitated to kill your wife, and he didn't want the King to have a family. Now that he's lost everything and couldn't wipe out the one elvish realm leader he holds responsible and that whose loved ones he can still get to, he'll try to do the same to someone else."
Legolas took a short, deep breath when people around him became very quiet all of a sudden, and tried his best not to let his budding worry show. "He doesn't even know where Ilya is."
"No?" Erestor wiped his forehead as if so much naivety was giving him a headache. "In case it escaped your notice, Your Highness, he's read enough letters from her and you. He's probably more familiar with your love life than you are. We're losing time."
"And you are starting to drive me insane." Aragorn wasn't willing to just let the elf go. "Time is what we lost thanks to your deeds of the last few months. It's only thanks to you that the Stewardaides have knowledge that would almost have cost the Queen and me our lives. And your way of warning us wasn't exactly a clever one either. Which gives me doubts about how you would protect Ilya. You should thank the Valar that her child and she weathered your attack back then so well. The arrow you have shot at Lady Arwen alone would be enough reason for me not to let you walk away from here."
"He did what?" Legolas stepped forward with his fists clenched. Only his father's hand on his arm reminding him that even in his haggard condition, Erestor would have better chances in a duel against him right now, stopped him.
"That's irrelevant right now." Erestor's eyes were fixed on Asfaloth as if he was hoping to get absolution from the horse, but even the stallion only had an impatient push against his shoulder to spare for him. "Afterwards, you can do with me as you wish, Your Majesty. That's up to Lord Elrond and you anyway. Right now, I'm the only one who knows which route Barhit could take though. You need me."
"You're trying to escape judgment and you're abusing my wife to do so." Legolas wasn't ready to give Erestor this chance. "Besides, this whole discussion is useless. Ilya won't leave Lórien, and he can't get to her there."
"Begging you pardon, but it wouldn't be the first time for her to do something remarkably stupid." It almost looked as if Erestor was amused by Legolas' arguments. Only if you looked very closely, you could see that he was frantically clenching his teeth to not answer something completely different.
"You seriously think you are in a position to complain about stupid ideas?" Legolas didn't need to see the other elf's expression to get even angrier.
"He wouldn't be alone." Thondrar looked at his father for a moment, to make sure that he did agree and consciously turned to Aragorn then because Legolas could obviously not be objective about this matter. "Trust us one more time, Your Majesty. We won't leave him out of our sight."
"Does anyone here care that I said no?" Legolas crossed his arms as if he was about to attack someone.
"To be quite honest: no. Because it's me who has the authority here." Aragorn had to bite back an irritated comment; instead, he was trying to find the best solution within a minimum of time.
"I started this whole thing, and I will finish it. Don't get me wrong, but I honestly couldn't care less about your opinion on that, Your Highness." Now Erestor gave up on trying to discuss this as well. "I'll be punished for my mistakes soon enough, don't worry. Right now, this is about your wife. It should give you pause that I'm thinking about her more than you do."
"Don't you dare …"
Again, it was only Thranduil's intervention keeping Legolas from wrestling with Erestor like an elfling. "Get real, ion nín. He's right."
Legolas spun around, almost stumbling again because a root was in the way. His father could only just catch him in time. Realizing how helpless he was in this threatening situation of all times, and the growing anger was too much. Legolas started to scream. Uncontrolled, unrestrained, he was screaming out all the anxiety of the last few hours, the depression his sickness was causing him, and especially the fear that Tarisilya would now have to suffer from his mistakes as well.
Afterward, he seemed at least to be doing a little better. At least his voice didn't tremble anymore. "Why, ada? Not to mention his failures regarding the Stewardaides … He just stood there and watched while I was almost killed. He put Ilya into danger more than once and he's tried to take her away from me before. Give me one good reason why he's supposed to protect her in my stead."
"Because you'll be expected in Minas Tirith in the early morning at the latest so that you can apologize to Men just as impressively as to the King." Thranduil visibly had to hold back from hitting Legolas in the back of his head to free him of his ignorance.
"Besides, after your mother's death, Erestor has already helped out our Kingdom once before, when our family was unable to do on its own. He may have a cave troll's social skills, but he usually knows what he's doing. "
"You can say that to me?" Erestor asked dryly, while Legolas was obviously still trying this revelation regarding something that he apparently had not been able to remember himself.
"I didn't say anything to you, librarian. If I say something to you, you will notice. Then I will look at you," Thranduil replied harshly, with a sharp glance at Erestor, his eyes filled with cracking ice, which had even Elrond's advisor shut up. "I owe you, so I'm having your back, and this is about the life of my daughter-in-law. But your dilettantism has endangered a great many of my people, so you better not overestimate your worth."
With that, he turned back to Legolas and gave his shoulder a brief squeeze. "If that's still not enough arguments: Unlike you, Erestor can see." Not very tactful but necessary.
Legolas finally unclenched his fists. A few traces of blood on his palms proved how low this threat for his wife really made him feel. "Very well. Thondrar and his father have always brought Ilya home safely in the past. If they'll leave with a guide or not is up to His Majesty."
"Thanks for noticing that after all." Aragorn couldn't completely keep the cynicism from his voice.
Although he was actually the one to know best what to look out for, even he needed a moment before he could make out the well-disguised shape of a Dúnadan between two trees, who had stayed in the background so far as was the way of these men. "Langhour will accompany you. They know him in Lórien. And though Erestor might think he knows the paths that Barhit will take, there is no better person than a Dúnadan to track someone down."
He spared himself a pointed look towards Thranduil. Aragorn had brought Gollum to the elves of Mirkwood after a long and arduous hunt back then. To hear that he'd escaped them shortly afterward hadn't exactly lifted his mood.
He watched in satisfaction when Langhour nodded and vanished out into the night already to get his horse.
"We'll do this just like we have earlier, Your Majesty." Thondrar smiled at him weakly. In his mind, he was visibly on the hunt already.
"None of Erestor's steps will be unwatched. Stay here, wait, shut up," he instructed Erestor briefly and hurried away himself then to make preparations.
One eyebrow arched, Erestor looked back and forth between him and Glorfindel. "Unmistakably, yes. I'm surprised you could keep from everyone else for millennia."
"If he could still use both arms, he'd long have surpassed me in everything." If you looked closely, you could see deep fatherly love and big pride in Glorfindel's eyes.
He quickly turned away before someone could possibly notice that it wasn't just rain on his skin and started to work on a plan together with his friend.
Thranduil murmured something about sentimentalism.
"Go to the city and make this right. I'll wait for you in the settlement together with the others who are not needed to heal in Emyn Arnen," he murmured to Legolas, already about to leave.
"That is also not up to me but to my King." Legolas tried to not let his anxiety show when he could once again not tell where Aragorn was standing exactly, or the look on his face.
"You say that one more time, I'll personally drag you all the way to Minas Tirith by your collar." Aragorn looked towards the city with something between longing and fear. "Do you mind if we talk about everything else later? I finally want to know if I'm still going to be a father."
"I thought I'm being banned from the city? Wait."
Legolas realized only belatedly what Aragorn was saying. "Arwen is …? By the Valar …" The revelation weighed down on him even more than the crippled friendship between a member of the Fellowship and him. Legolas knew best how it was to lose a child. Still, he had been partly responsible for Arwen being in danger more than once – as had the unborn.
"Therefore, I'm in your debt even more, and in your wife's. Never again shall my King suffer from a mistake by my kin while the Valar allow me to prevent it. From now till the day when the end of limited life might part our ways." All without someone bending the knee or a dramatic entrance this time, Aragorn realized exactly how unbelievably significant this promise was for Legolas, maybe even more than the fealty sworn earlier. He was crossing a clear line right now, stating a decision he hadn't been able to make so far.
"These are words I'd not dared to hope for – for many reasons." Aragorn was saying it consciously so that Legolas would understand, he had not thought that because of their fight. While he was mortal, thanks to his Númenor blood, he would be granted a longer lifespan than other Men, given he wouldn't fall in a fight before. With his promise, the elf was binding both himself and Tarisilya to Middle-earth for far longer than the two of them might have intended it so far.
"They please me very much though." It was the first smile entirely free of worry he could show in a while.
"But if you don't stop calling me 'my King' immediately, I'll have to kick you where it really hurts. As for the city … You're forgetting that I was me, inflicting the banishment. Therefore, I am the one who can lift it." Now the grin just had to come. "So make an effort, or I'll leave you outside the gate."
Faramir stepped closer to them for a moment. "The Stewardaides will stay in my dungeon for now. I'll take them to Minas Tirith as soon as I have brought order to my troops." He looked like he was expecting Aragorn to object, to doubt that he would really do that, to wonder if he might fall for some kind of intrigue again.
When Aragorn just nodded at him, some of that anger for himself vanished. Now Faramir only seemed tired, like most of the others did, even the elves.
But the conflict hadn't only produced bad things. Aragorn saw it in the way Faramir took Éowyn in his arms when she joined him. It was often in the darkest night that you only realized how brightly a candle could burn, even if its light was still weak and had some growing to do.
"In the meantime, I would be grateful if you could help us out with a few healers as well, Aragorn."
"They will be on their way immediately," he assured him.
Arod had heard Legolas' usual whistle that the horse was being used to react to so much since the war. He pranced closer to his rider, slightly restlessly since he felt that something had changed.
"I need you right now, mellon." Legolas needed two attempts to find the reins. Then the bright horse reacted surprisingly fast though. Legolas had surely trained him for this; Arod knew exactly why his owner pulled his head down by the reins and knocked lightly against his foreleg. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he lay down so that Legolas could get on his back in spite of his shoulder injury, and then got back up very carefully.
The dry routine frightened Aragorn because it revealed how often his friend must have been exposed to this situation already. Surely more than once since their first common fight back then, when it had happened for the first time. How much of a burden this must be for him, given he'd never talked to anyone about it. How much he was suppressing it, even now; he was still keeping an almost straight face. "Can we go?"
Since the things left to do now in Emyn Arnen were Faramir's job anyway, Aragorn could turn his back to the mansion with a clear conscience.
A conversation on the way back never happened though they would actually have had a lot to say to each other. The ride wasn't a long one, and they both had injuries to struggle with.
As the city came within sight and the first few guards came to meet them in excitement, Legolas also left it to Aragorn to inform them.
He himself remained stubbornly silent as they made their way up all the city levels, even when a few people by the roadside shouted clearly mistrustful or even hostile remarks instead of cheering at the King as usual. While they had to accept Aragorn's decision regarding the elves, that didn't mean, it would be as if the last few months had never happened within just a few minutes.
But Legolas' thoughts were surely not only with rebuilding the formerly good relations between Men and his folk. The fear of what might happen if Barhit might indeed make it to Lórien was visibly growing in his mind more and more.
Being that absent-minded, he didn't resist when Aragorn dropped him off at the Houses of Healing. He accompanied Ioreth inside silently which didn't make a difference anyway. The healer that Aragorn had called talked enough for both of them, as usual.
Aragorn was glad about this silence. His own thoughts were with his wife too. He instructed another healer to send a few more to Emyn Arnen immediately, ignoring the man's request to come with him. Carrying on, he made it to the Citadel, pushing past the soldiers who tried to shower him with questions.
"The Queen?" When he saw Verilas in the court, he dismounted in relief.
His chief advisor had held the fort here all alone; extensive gratitude was definitely due here later. Besides, the man knew Aragorn quite well by now and could tell what was most important for him at this moment.
"In her chambers." Verilas bowed to him with a smile of happiness.
"But the people, Your Majesty. You need to talk to them! They've been waiting the whole time. They want …"
"No matter what they want, they can deal with waiting for it for another hour." Without paying further attention to the man, Aragorn hurried on. The whispers of the servants scurrying through the halls couldn't stop him either.
He paused only at the door to Arwen's chambers, to knock. He frowned in surprise when Ranír opened it.
"Is the Queen not in her chambers?" He stopped her before she had done more than inhale, a beam on her face. There would be enough time later for all kinds of outbursts.
"She's in yours. She's had nightmares and said, she feels safer there. She always sleeps better there." Ranír didn't even get a chance to do her usual curtsy to say good-bye; Aragorn was already on his way to the rooms right next to the Queen's.
He just watched his wife for a moment after quietly entering his sleeping chambers, saw her lay there wrapped in a light blanket, apparently without any dreams for now. For seconds, he hesitated to approach her. Although he couldn't spot any traces of tears on Arwen's face, he didn't get his hopes up yet. If he did, it would just have hurt too much to hear the worst news possible.
"Nauriel?"
Arwen startled up immediately, eying him from head to toe, to be able to make out if he was doing any worse than at their farewell. She quickly pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Estel."
Aragorn felt easily how much she was trembling but he couldn't say if it was really only her, shaking so much seeing as his own composure failed him more and more.
It took him a while before he could finally raise his hoarse voice again. "I'm alright. There were no further losses. What about you?"
Arwen slightly backed away so that she could look into his eyes. Her smile had the weight of all of the Misty Mountains roll from Aragorn's heart. "Both of us are doing well."
Only now was it really over. They had made it through the last days' terror without losing more than they could have handled. Aragorn's sight blurred; it took him some effort to blink it free.
Arwen gave him a tender kiss but moved away from him again almost immediately, with her eyes wide. "You're still burning up! You have to go see the healers immediately. And you finally need to get properly clean and warm."
Surprisingly quick for all she'd been through, she got to her feet and started looking for new clothes for him.
"Please lay back down," Aragorn sighed. "That's something I can do on my own, you know. When you wake up, I'll already have been in the Houses of Healing. You're still weak ..."
"Someone looking like they'll collapse any second should better not say that." Arwen dropped the things on the bed next to Aragorn to help him get up. "As if I didn't know you'd take care of everything else first before a healer would even get to lay eyes on you. You exhaust me more if you don't come with me. I can only sleep again when I know, your injuries have been taken well care of."
"Do I stand a chance against you?"
After hastily changing his clothes, Aragorn followed her at last, actually being secretly glad that she'd taken the decision from him if she should go to the people first or not. He couldn't help hug her again. In that damn cave, he'd just had to wonder too often if he would maybe never get to do that again.
"Where do you think our child gets the stubbornness from?" With a roguish chuckle, Arwen let go of him and pulled him along.
"Wait." Aragorn's eyes fell on a dresser in the living chambers and then on Arwen's waist. She was always wearing the key for one of these drawers in a small pocket there as he knew only too well.
"There's one thing I have to do first. The parchment that Glorfindel and Thondrar gave me on the day after our wedding. I should destroy it immediately. I don't want to risk someone getting to see it after all though we don't even need it anymore."
"The crisis regarding the others …?" Arwen took a hopeful step back. She had to sit down in relief when he nodded with a weak smile. A huge burden had just been taken from her as well.
"That key was unfortunately in the pocket of the dress that the Stewardaides took from me."
"I guess, I'll have to use rougher methods then." Aragorn shuddered but didn't say anything. All the things they had done to Arwen before they had brought her to his cell, was another thing they would have to talk about when it became quieter around them.
He draw his dagger without further ado and started working on the massive lock of said drawer with the blade until it gave in and he could hold the parchment in his hands that said what exactly the elves had planned and what they had been training for in their settlement. He stared at the seal of the House of the Golden Flower for a clammy second too long.
"Mîl nín?"
He clenched his hand around the paper, unwilling to open it. In fact, he didn't even want to know what Legolas in his hate would have been capable of. It would have created a picture of the elf in his mind that he didn't want to see if he didn't have to.
"It's over." He took a candleholder from the table and held the parchment to the little flame. Throwing it into the chimney fire, he silently watched the fire consume the paper, leaving only dark ashes behind.
He should have been relieved, but for some reason, the anxiety only felt like it was getting worse. Destroying the proof wouldn't let him or anyone else forget what one of his best friends had almost been driven to do.
Arwen firmly grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Come on. You're right, it's over. If there's something you have to know, Legolas will tell you on his own one day."
"He hasn't so far," Aragorn remarked with a rest of bitterness.
"So far, he didn't want to give up either, and now he did it anyway." Arwen took his face between his hands and kissed him. "If you'd read it, it might have destroyed the last chance for your friendship. Now you can continue where this conflict has parted you at the mourning ceremony."
"I very much hope, it will be that easy."
Right now, Aragorn doubted it. Legolas and he might be able to successfully tell themselves for a while that the trust between them hadn't been shaken, but neither of them could say if and when the distance between them would indeed go away.
"Come. If I don't show up in the Houses of Healing soon, Ioreth will personally summon me there." His smile was still forced, but it looked more honest. He should probably be worried that he had got so used to this gesture that he was mastering it perfectly by now.