Chapter 2~
Credits: Yes, once again: Thanks to Heather for reminding me to remove Gandalf. It was rather embarrassing that I left Gandy in there. haha. I can't believe I did that. Oh-well. It's fixed now...all peachy. :)
Also, I owe Heather AGAIN for the idea that Legolas was that 'guard' he spoke of at the Council. (haha, somebody tattled and told daddy. lol)
Please R&R
Oh, and by the way: in this first paragraph, there's a hidden meaning while describing Aragorn. Let me know if you find it but don't get it, or you just can't find it, and I'll 'splain it for you. (i think it speaks for itself, but then again i wrote it. things always seem plainer to the author) so lemme know.
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The Company watched the Orcs slowly pass by them. The cave was hidden by many thick trees, and was difficult to see from the Orcs' distance. There were a few that lagged behind the rest, and the leader yelled back.
"Come on, get a move on!" the leader yelled, and cursed at them.
Legolas, Boromir, and Winters lay on the ground by the mouth of the cave watching the Orcs pass, while Aragorn stood by the inside wall and peered out the side, counting how many there were of the enemy.He turned back toward the others. Anduril was held at his chest; the edge of his sword shooting up past him, separating his face in half by a silver line of metal. His eyes were closed...he was just listening.
After most of the orcs had gone, the ones that had lagged behind before stopped. They sniffed the air, and looked around. One waved his arms and cursed another, and he shrugged. They continued to walk away, and then stopped once more. The largest one turned and looked straight toward the cave. He couldn't see who was inside, but he smelled something; people of some kind. He stood there aimlessly for a while, then gave a loud war cry. The other Orcs followed, and they ran directly towards the cave. Aragorn ran out quickly and thrust his sword through the first orc, turned, and sliced off another's head. Boromir ran after Aragorn and stood by him, ready to kill. Legolas and Winters stayed at the mouth of the cave, trying to keep out any orc who may come near the Hobbits. Gimli was with them, holding his ax high. Winters kept shooting her bow, as did Legolas. One orc came up quietly behind Winters from a nearby bush with a sword, ready to strike. Seeing him, Legolas threw his bow aside, pulled the dagger from his belt, and darted towards the orc. The foul creature swerved, and thrust his sword into Legolas's shoulder. Legolas grabbed his shoulder and screamed in pain. He fell onto Winters, and they both tumbled to the ground. Winters frantically pulled herself out from under his unconscious body and tried to get up, but the orc came rushing toward her, and she tripped back to the ground. He held his sword in the air, and went to stab her, but she rolled to the side quickly, and the creature's sword rammed into the ground. Winters took her dagger from her boot and lunged it into its side, as the foul blood of it splattered on her face. Then, Gimli's ax came down hard on the orc, and it was dead. She looked up to see that Aragorn and Boromir had killed the rest, and were hurrying her direction. Merry ran from the cave to her and Gimli, and looked down at Legolas.
"Come!" Aragorn said. "We must get him into the cave quickly.
Gimli took the Elf in his arms and carried him into the cave. He laid him by the remnance of the old fire.
"Pippin, Merry, Sam! Go close the entrance with thick branches, so a fire cannot be seen from outside. Quickly!" Boromir demanded.
The three quickly rushed and started pulling brush and large branches toward the entrance and closing it. Frodo quickly started another fire where the circle of ashes from the last fire was visible. The firelight reflected off the walls, sending shadows all through the cave, but that did not frighten them. What frightened the Company most was the idea of losing their Elf, of whom they had grown so fond of. Even Gimli had grown close to him during their journey.
'Unbelievable,' Gimli thought to himself. 'Even I have grown soft towards him. I worry over an Elf. What has become of me?'
Aragorn knelt down beside Legolas, and reached into his pack. He pulled out two small green leaves. Boromir and the Hobbits looked on with curiosity; for they knew not what Aragorn had in his hand. With Aragorn's free hand, he removed Legolas's shirt from his shoulder, and placed the dried leaves on his wound. At the contact, Legolas hissed in pain, and tossed his head.
Winters put her hand over her mouth in shock of what she was seeing.
"Athelas..." she whispered to herself, but Aragorn paid no heed to her.
'The hands of the King are the hands of a healer,' she thought.
Now that Winters thought about it, she couldn't understand how she never noticed it before. The fire reflected upon him, outlining his slender face. His eyes had a spark to them that lights a fire in your soul, telling you that this person is more than just a Ranger. Aragorn fought like a warrior unlike no other. When he stood, he seemed tall and majestic, so kingly; and yet Winters had not seen it before. He knelt there, healing Legolas with the hands of a healer, as the ancient citation stated.
Finally Aragorn stood, and stepped back.
"We must let him rest at this point. I suggest you do the same," he said to the others. He walked over towards the same wall he had been against when he kept watch earlier, and remained standing with one knee bent and his boot against the wall.
Winters came over, still with a shocked expression.
"I know what you are thinking, and please...let us not discuss it here. Your presumption is correct; that much I can tell you. Now, you should rest until tomorrow. We must go even further tomorrow to make up for the time lost during Legolas's recovery."
"Will he be all right?" she asked.
"At this point, there is no telling his fate. I believe he will recover; however, how long the recovery will take I am not certain."
In the middle of the night, Winters awoke, unable to sleep. She stood and stretched. She noticed Aragorn had fallen asleep, and was sitting with his head resting his shoulder. Winters felt sorrow for him.
'The guilt he must bear,' she thought. 'He must feel split in two. Which way will we take after the Great River? I wonder if that decision troubles him as well, he being the leader of the Company.'
She then looked towards Legolas, laying by the fire with his hand open beside him on the ground. Winters reached up to her hair, and took out a small flower. She placed it in his hand, and folded his palm shut, leaving him grasping the blossom. He winced, and Winters noticed he was breathing heavily.
'He must be having a nightmare,' she thought to herself.
She reached for a cloth, and soaked it in the rest of the bucket of water Aragorn had poured on the fire before the attack. She ringed it out, and placed it on Legolas's forehead. It seemed to calm his breathing for a while. She sat down beside him, and laid her hand on his. She watched his chest rise and fall with his breath, and his face become calm again. Winters hated to see him as he was before with so much pain, like a hurt animal. For that's what he was, a gentle creature, unable to do harm to anything except what he has to. That was how she knew him years ago at their first meeting, and she knew not if he had changed since.
Maybe so, but you also must have been looking my direction very often to remember my face *and* my name.
He was very right; she had not forgotten that day. Winters had asked Galadriel to allow her to go with the Company, to guide them through the Great River. But, her intention was not to leave them after the River.
Winters looked at the Hobbits. She thought they were so helpless at first sight, so innocent. How could she let them continue on to Mordor alone? How could she have the luxury to back down after the Great River, when these people had no such choice. She knew Aragorn would not abandon them.
'Leaving is not his style,' she thought with a laugh. 'He will stay with them, I'm positive. After all, how could he not?'
She stopped her thought. Thinking about the "could be" and "if" factors were unnecessary. She didn't want to think of reasons why Aragorn would be forced to leave them.
Legolas would not abandon them either. She knew him well enough before to know that he always finishes what he starts.
Before she could ponder on this any longer, she fell asleep, and before she knew it, Gimli was telling her to wake up.
She looked up quickly, and realized it was dawn.
"How is he?" Gimli asked.
"I'm not sure," she replied. She looked at him closely, and it seemed he was not as pale as he was the night before. Glancing at the wound, she found the athelas had performed wonders, for the wound was already half healed.
"Aragorn!" Gimli called.
Aragorn was speaking with Frodo in the corner, when he looked up. He whispered something to Frodo, and then went over to Gimli.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Aragorn, look!" Gimli said in a rush. "I am not certain what you did, but whatever it was, it has been working immensely! Legolas is recovering quickly."
Aragorn smiled as he checked the wound. "Yes, it would seem so. This means we don't need to linger here any longer. We must wake him, and set off as soon as he can walk."
Aragorn bent down and brushed the hair away from Legolas's face.
"Legolas?" he said to his friend.
Legolas smiled slightly. "Winters..." he said with a sigh.
Aragorn stayed motionless for a moment, then cleared his throat and made a very foolish attempt at a female voice:
"Yes, Legolas. I'm here. Feeling better, my Elf?"
Legolas's eyes opened wide. He shot up, and stared at him. Aragorn broke out laughing, and Winters giggled to herself.
"Can you walk?" Boromir managed through his laughter.
Legolas frowned at Aragorn, and looked at his shoulder.
"I think so," he answered.
* * * * *
"How much further until the river?" Pippin asked.
Aragorn looked at the sky, and then Westward.
"We should be there by this time tomorrow," he answered.
"You make a charming lady, Aragorn," Winters said with a smile.
"Yes, thank you. I know I do," he said. They both laughed.
"So...why did you end up by him this morning? Did you two have a midnight discussion or something along that line?" he asked.
"No, I was just checking up on him to make sure he was comfortable. He was tossing and turning, so I put a cool cloth on his head."
"And a blossom in his hand..."
Winters look at him curiously.
"Yes, I too know of Elven customs. Is Legolas the reason you came with us?"
She hesitated for a moment, then quietly answered.
"Yes..."
"I figured as much," he answered.
Legolas came up to them and wanted to get in the conversation.
"What are we whispering about?" he said with a smile.
Winters had a frightened and nervous look on her face when she glanced at Aragorn. He spoke.
"Winters was just explaining to me why she has red streaks in her hair. I thought they were eye-catching. What do you say?"
Winters smiled and breathed out in relief, and Legolas studied her for a moment.
"I agree. Where did you get the idea?" Legolas asked.
"I was in the Fangorn Forest one night, and it was late, so I climbed a tree and laid on a branch," she explained. "I peered out the branches, and there was a single red flower. I thought about how I loved the color, and so I collected many of them, and made red dye for my hair. Well, you can gather what happened after that."
"Fangorn Forest? When were you there last?" Legolas asked curiously.
"Actually, just a month ago. I was there before I came to Lorien. I found something extremely strange and most peculiar while I was there. The Ents seem to be on the move once again."
"I have never seen an Ent. I thought they were just a legend!" Legolas exclaimed with wide eyes.
"No, they are very real," she replied. "Do you come to Lorien very often?"
"Not as much as I would like," Legolas said.
"I doubt anyone spends as much time in Lorien as they would like. It is such a beautiful place," Aragorn said.
"Will you go to Lorien after this quest is finished?" she asked.
"I am not sure at this point if I will come back at all," Legolas said gloomily.
"Legolas, don't say that!" she exclaimed. "What of your father, Thranduil?"
"He sent me to Rivendell as a punishment. He would probably think this is a more suitable punishment."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"So you were the guard who lost Gollum," Aragorn said with a sigh.
"I was supposed to travel to Rivendell to explain my failure to the Council. I suppose I received a better punishment," Legolas said. His voice was filled with disappointment and self-pity, reminiscing about his failure that night.
Winters looked at the ground, not knowing what she could possibly say to comfort him.
"Seek not to walketh alone in the dark, but to multiply your happiness, and give to others in need of it. Love is not limited," she quoted. "The more you give, the more you may receive in return. Let not pity for one's self overthrow you,-"
"But let joy roam freely through our hearts....Terachius, son of Trohlen. You have read his works I see." Legolas interrupted.
"I couldn't imagine anyone who hadn't," she said.
Later that night the Company found shelter in a small area below a tree that was fairly hidden behind patch of large boulders. Aragorn, Legolas, and Winters were still talking together. By now, they were inseparable.
"So," Legolas began. "Ofcourse, the other man was largely offended, and took it as an insult. He stood up, and started walking towards Aragorn with a violent look in his eye. Aragorn reached to his side, and took out his sword. However, in a moment he realized he had taken out Anduril. At the time, it was still broken, and had not been reforged yet. This made the other man laugh so hard, he was gripping his stomach."
By this time, Winters and Legolas were giggling, and Aragorn was half covering his face with his hand out of embarrassment.
"Surely, he knew which side Anduril and his whole sword were on," Winters said.
"I, uh, I had a bit too much wine that evening during the celebration," Aragorn explained with a laugh.
She smiled, and giggled again. "So what did you do?" she asked Legolas.
"I had my bow in hand, and threatened to shoot an arrow through him if he stepped any closer to us."
"I suppose that worked," she said with a smirk.
"It did."
"I wouldn't know," Aragorn said. "I don't remember much of that night."
"I would think not," Legolas exclaimed.
Suddenly, Sam beckoned for them to come over to the fire with him and the others.
"My specialty: rabbit stew," Sam stated proudly.
"I should try it first, just incase it is poison," Gimli said with a grin.
Sam frowned. "Oh, be nice!"
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Yay! Winters finally has friends. It's about time!
Chapter 3 soon. Next chapter, The Great River!! (changed it around)
And on land, Aragorn and Legolas's decision comes up. (it's not what you think, I've changed the plot a bit. Different scenario!)