Note: This takes place the night after 'An Elf's Worst Nightmare'. This
could be considered an AU fic, because most of the characters are severely
out of character! Eventual Slash between L/A. These are not my characters!
Nowhere To Hide
Part 2
Aragorn's temper was at its peak by the time that the Fellowship stopped to rest that night. Everyone else had been jumping all over Legolas. Every time Aragorn had caught sight of the elf, he was trying to hold his own against the others. The elf had not been able to get away from them, so his burns had gone untreated. His shirt had also been torn apart by the Hobbits, so Legolas was bare-chested.
A muffled whimper caught Aragorn's attention as he sat at the camp alone. Frodo, Boromir, Sam, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, and Gimli were off looking for Legolas, who had disappeared. Aragorn followed the whimper to his own sleeping area, and was surprised to see someone hiding under the blankets there. The human drew his sword silently, and flipped the blankets back. He stared in shock at the figure who lay there.
"What are you doing in my bed?" Aragorn finally asked, as he looked into Legolas's green eyes.
Legolas looked back, a slight blush on his face. "It was the only place I could think of to hide," the elf confessed quietly. He didn't move, for fear that someone else would see him.
"They're not even here," Aragorn protested.
"Look over at my bed," Legolas muttered.
Aragorn looked and saw that Frodo, Pippin, Sam, and Merry were all sitting there, waiting for Legolas to show up. "I see," he said quietly. It was a good thing that Legolas had placed his bed farthest from Aragorn's, for the Hobbits could not hear them speaking.
"You're the only one not after me," the elf whispered. "I thought I was safer near you instead of them."
Aragorn chuckled a little, to hide the stab of pain in his heart over Legolas's words. "Have you treated your burns yet, Legolas?"
Legolas shook his head. "Every time I got away from one of them to do so, another popped up. They've been grabbing and fighting over me all day."
"Aragorn, have you seen Legolas?" Boromir's voice asked, as he and Gimli reentered the camp. Gandalf walked in as well, and joined the Hobbits at Legolas's bed.
A silent pleading shone in Legolas's eyes as he shook his head frantically. He hid a sigh of relief as Aragorn replaced the blanket that had been covering him, before turning to face the other two. "I thought he was going bathing at the river," Aragorn lied. "If you hurry, you might catch him." The others jumped up and ran towards the river as fast as they could. As soon as they were out of sight, Aragorn uncovered Legolas's face again. "You'd better tend those burns, Legolas, before the others return."
"Thank you," Legolas said gratefully, as he sat up carefully, listening for any sign of the others.
Aragorn murmured, "You're welcome," before he went to sit by the fire again. Legolas stood and crossed over to his bed, where he knelt and began searching through his pack.
An particularly nasty Elvish curse spurned Aragorn to turn towards the elf, who looked angry. "They've taken all my things!" Legolas cried, careful to keep his voice low. He turned his pack upside down, and nothing fell out of it. "My spare clothes, my brush, and my soap… Everything is gone! Including my herbs!"
"Take some from mine, then," Aragorn offered. Legolas returned to Aragorn's bed and got what he needed. The burns on his arms were red and swollen, for the others had unintentionally been grabbing them each time they'd grabbed him by the arms.
Aragorn frowned and stood, making his way over to Legolas. He took the elf's arms in his hands one by one, and inspected the burns, which looked painful. "Did they do that?" he questioned, a menacing frown on his face.
"When they kept grabbing me," Legolas mumbled. The elf yawned, for he had been chased all day and was weary from it. "And I still need to make a new bow."
Aragorn let go of Legolas's arms and took the herbs from Legolas. He tenderly applied the herbs to the burns, before he took out a soft, silky cloth and bandaged the elf's arms for him. "I would get some rest while you can, Legolas." A husky note was in his voice, and Aragorn cleared his throat quickly.
"Legolas!" Merry called, for the others were returning from the lake.
Legolas groaned. "I'm going to go hide," he told Aragorn. Then he saw that the human was looking at him with a strange expression. "Aragorn?" Legolas questioned softly.
Aragorn snapped out of the thoughts he'd been having, and focused on what Legolas was saying to him. "Good idea," he said, ignoring the fact that having the elf say his name like that was driving him crazy.
"There you are, Legolas!" Frodo cried. He zipped over and grabbed the elf by the waist.
"Let go of him!" Pippin yelled. "He's mine!"
Gimli grumbled, "Wrong, fool of a Took! Legolas is mine!"
Boromir scowled at Gimli. "He's mine, dwarf!"
"No, he's mine!" Sam shouted.
"I thought you liked Frodo," Merry said.
"Not anymore! I want Legolas!"
"He's mine, Samwise Gamgee!" Gandalf bellowed. The group started fighting amongst themselves, and Legolas ran away while they were distracted.
"He's getting away!" Frodo yelled. They all turned and ran after the swift and agile elf.
Aragorn seethed even more. Legolas belonged to him, damn it.
No, he doesn't, his inner voice shouted. You turned him down and brought this about.
But I'm the only one who can love him the way he deserves, Aragorn snapped.
Wrong, the inner voice taunted. You already rejected him, and the others are already making their move. Face it, you've already lost. Soon, one of them will be with Legolas.
Shut up, Aragorn yelled mentally. I'm not listening to you, because you're just a stupid voice inside my head.
The human nodded, satisfied, before he returned to the fire. But every fiber in his being was itching to go after Legolas.
Meanwhile, Legolas was in quite a predicament, as he ran from the madness that pursued him. He leapt into the trees, and jumped directly up, seeking a haven in the treetops. He was so full of volatile emotions right now that he didn't notice the branch he was standing on was flimsy and old. He sat on it, and went to work, making a new bow. He used the string from his broken one.
Legolas had just finished when he heard a sound. The elf froze, as the others stopped below the tree.
"Where'd he go?" Frodo asked.
"The tracks stop here," Gimli muttered.
Sam said, "He must be in the trees. Hobbits are best at climbing, for we can reach the top branches."
But none of them had to climb the tree, as the branch that Legolas was sitting on suddenly snapped. The elf fell, and landed on top of Boromir. He got of the human, and was grabbed from behind by Gandalf.
"Stop this!" Legolas yelled, for he was tired and sore, and wanted nothing more than a nice sleep, for he had been on his feet most of the day. He broke free, and took off running again, clutching his new bow tightly. But they didn't stop, and Legolas was chased the entire night. He was caught a couple of times, and the others usually began bickering over him. But Legolas also usually managed to escape while they were fighting. Legolas was trembling with exhaustion by the time he returned to the camp, and dawn was two hours off.
Aragorn was stunned to see Legolas suddenly reappear in the camp. He stood, and began moving towards the elf. But after he had taken two steps, Legolas suddenly crumpled to the ground. Aragorn knelt beside him and saw the weariness in Legolas's eyes, as he took the limp elf in his arms.
"I'm so tired, Estel," Legolas whispered. "They won't stop…" His hair was hanging around his face, as he gazed at Aragorn weakly.
Aragorn gently brushed the hair out of Legolas's eyes. "Sleep, Legolas. I will stop them," he said softly, as he gently picked Legolas up, stood, and carried the half-asleep elf to his bed. He laid him down, and covered Legolas with his blankets. The blond elf was fully asleep before he even touched the ground. He looked tired and pale, as he firmly grasped his new bow in his hand. Aragorn removed it, and placed it on the ground beside him.
Aragorn then turned to wait for the others to arrive, for he had just about had with them harassing Legolas. The reason that Aragorn was so upset about it was because Legolas was a good friend. And nothing more, he said, trying to convince himself of that.
*************
Isenguard
*************
"Why do they get to have the pretty elf!" Saruman shouted, as he watched them through a scrying spell. "I want him!" He glared at the orcs. "Bring me the pretty elf!" He sounded like a spoiled child, as he ranted and raved about wanting the elf.
The Orcs exchanged looks of fear, before reluctantly turning to do as their Master said.
Saruman added, "And don't come back without him!" His voice was petulant.
To be continued
Nowhere To Hide
Part 2
Aragorn's temper was at its peak by the time that the Fellowship stopped to rest that night. Everyone else had been jumping all over Legolas. Every time Aragorn had caught sight of the elf, he was trying to hold his own against the others. The elf had not been able to get away from them, so his burns had gone untreated. His shirt had also been torn apart by the Hobbits, so Legolas was bare-chested.
A muffled whimper caught Aragorn's attention as he sat at the camp alone. Frodo, Boromir, Sam, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, and Gimli were off looking for Legolas, who had disappeared. Aragorn followed the whimper to his own sleeping area, and was surprised to see someone hiding under the blankets there. The human drew his sword silently, and flipped the blankets back. He stared in shock at the figure who lay there.
"What are you doing in my bed?" Aragorn finally asked, as he looked into Legolas's green eyes.
Legolas looked back, a slight blush on his face. "It was the only place I could think of to hide," the elf confessed quietly. He didn't move, for fear that someone else would see him.
"They're not even here," Aragorn protested.
"Look over at my bed," Legolas muttered.
Aragorn looked and saw that Frodo, Pippin, Sam, and Merry were all sitting there, waiting for Legolas to show up. "I see," he said quietly. It was a good thing that Legolas had placed his bed farthest from Aragorn's, for the Hobbits could not hear them speaking.
"You're the only one not after me," the elf whispered. "I thought I was safer near you instead of them."
Aragorn chuckled a little, to hide the stab of pain in his heart over Legolas's words. "Have you treated your burns yet, Legolas?"
Legolas shook his head. "Every time I got away from one of them to do so, another popped up. They've been grabbing and fighting over me all day."
"Aragorn, have you seen Legolas?" Boromir's voice asked, as he and Gimli reentered the camp. Gandalf walked in as well, and joined the Hobbits at Legolas's bed.
A silent pleading shone in Legolas's eyes as he shook his head frantically. He hid a sigh of relief as Aragorn replaced the blanket that had been covering him, before turning to face the other two. "I thought he was going bathing at the river," Aragorn lied. "If you hurry, you might catch him." The others jumped up and ran towards the river as fast as they could. As soon as they were out of sight, Aragorn uncovered Legolas's face again. "You'd better tend those burns, Legolas, before the others return."
"Thank you," Legolas said gratefully, as he sat up carefully, listening for any sign of the others.
Aragorn murmured, "You're welcome," before he went to sit by the fire again. Legolas stood and crossed over to his bed, where he knelt and began searching through his pack.
An particularly nasty Elvish curse spurned Aragorn to turn towards the elf, who looked angry. "They've taken all my things!" Legolas cried, careful to keep his voice low. He turned his pack upside down, and nothing fell out of it. "My spare clothes, my brush, and my soap… Everything is gone! Including my herbs!"
"Take some from mine, then," Aragorn offered. Legolas returned to Aragorn's bed and got what he needed. The burns on his arms were red and swollen, for the others had unintentionally been grabbing them each time they'd grabbed him by the arms.
Aragorn frowned and stood, making his way over to Legolas. He took the elf's arms in his hands one by one, and inspected the burns, which looked painful. "Did they do that?" he questioned, a menacing frown on his face.
"When they kept grabbing me," Legolas mumbled. The elf yawned, for he had been chased all day and was weary from it. "And I still need to make a new bow."
Aragorn let go of Legolas's arms and took the herbs from Legolas. He tenderly applied the herbs to the burns, before he took out a soft, silky cloth and bandaged the elf's arms for him. "I would get some rest while you can, Legolas." A husky note was in his voice, and Aragorn cleared his throat quickly.
"Legolas!" Merry called, for the others were returning from the lake.
Legolas groaned. "I'm going to go hide," he told Aragorn. Then he saw that the human was looking at him with a strange expression. "Aragorn?" Legolas questioned softly.
Aragorn snapped out of the thoughts he'd been having, and focused on what Legolas was saying to him. "Good idea," he said, ignoring the fact that having the elf say his name like that was driving him crazy.
"There you are, Legolas!" Frodo cried. He zipped over and grabbed the elf by the waist.
"Let go of him!" Pippin yelled. "He's mine!"
Gimli grumbled, "Wrong, fool of a Took! Legolas is mine!"
Boromir scowled at Gimli. "He's mine, dwarf!"
"No, he's mine!" Sam shouted.
"I thought you liked Frodo," Merry said.
"Not anymore! I want Legolas!"
"He's mine, Samwise Gamgee!" Gandalf bellowed. The group started fighting amongst themselves, and Legolas ran away while they were distracted.
"He's getting away!" Frodo yelled. They all turned and ran after the swift and agile elf.
Aragorn seethed even more. Legolas belonged to him, damn it.
No, he doesn't, his inner voice shouted. You turned him down and brought this about.
But I'm the only one who can love him the way he deserves, Aragorn snapped.
Wrong, the inner voice taunted. You already rejected him, and the others are already making their move. Face it, you've already lost. Soon, one of them will be with Legolas.
Shut up, Aragorn yelled mentally. I'm not listening to you, because you're just a stupid voice inside my head.
The human nodded, satisfied, before he returned to the fire. But every fiber in his being was itching to go after Legolas.
Meanwhile, Legolas was in quite a predicament, as he ran from the madness that pursued him. He leapt into the trees, and jumped directly up, seeking a haven in the treetops. He was so full of volatile emotions right now that he didn't notice the branch he was standing on was flimsy and old. He sat on it, and went to work, making a new bow. He used the string from his broken one.
Legolas had just finished when he heard a sound. The elf froze, as the others stopped below the tree.
"Where'd he go?" Frodo asked.
"The tracks stop here," Gimli muttered.
Sam said, "He must be in the trees. Hobbits are best at climbing, for we can reach the top branches."
But none of them had to climb the tree, as the branch that Legolas was sitting on suddenly snapped. The elf fell, and landed on top of Boromir. He got of the human, and was grabbed from behind by Gandalf.
"Stop this!" Legolas yelled, for he was tired and sore, and wanted nothing more than a nice sleep, for he had been on his feet most of the day. He broke free, and took off running again, clutching his new bow tightly. But they didn't stop, and Legolas was chased the entire night. He was caught a couple of times, and the others usually began bickering over him. But Legolas also usually managed to escape while they were fighting. Legolas was trembling with exhaustion by the time he returned to the camp, and dawn was two hours off.
Aragorn was stunned to see Legolas suddenly reappear in the camp. He stood, and began moving towards the elf. But after he had taken two steps, Legolas suddenly crumpled to the ground. Aragorn knelt beside him and saw the weariness in Legolas's eyes, as he took the limp elf in his arms.
"I'm so tired, Estel," Legolas whispered. "They won't stop…" His hair was hanging around his face, as he gazed at Aragorn weakly.
Aragorn gently brushed the hair out of Legolas's eyes. "Sleep, Legolas. I will stop them," he said softly, as he gently picked Legolas up, stood, and carried the half-asleep elf to his bed. He laid him down, and covered Legolas with his blankets. The blond elf was fully asleep before he even touched the ground. He looked tired and pale, as he firmly grasped his new bow in his hand. Aragorn removed it, and placed it on the ground beside him.
Aragorn then turned to wait for the others to arrive, for he had just about had with them harassing Legolas. The reason that Aragorn was so upset about it was because Legolas was a good friend. And nothing more, he said, trying to convince himself of that.
*************
Isenguard
*************
"Why do they get to have the pretty elf!" Saruman shouted, as he watched them through a scrying spell. "I want him!" He glared at the orcs. "Bring me the pretty elf!" He sounded like a spoiled child, as he ranted and raved about wanting the elf.
The Orcs exchanged looks of fear, before reluctantly turning to do as their Master said.
Saruman added, "And don't come back without him!" His voice was petulant.
To be continued