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Eldaron broke his way into his father's chamber. He ran beyond my arm.
He stopped short when he saw the gaunt, ill man in the bed. I do not think he recognized his own father until he spoke.
"Darry!" He sat up in his bed and wrapped thin arms, still strong, around his shaking son, who was close to tears. "I am sorry you have seen me like this," he said at length.
Then he began to cry. He cried, and Eldaron drew back. Something passed between them that I do not understand. I have no children, and though I have become as close as may be to the children of Aragorn and Arwen, I do not understand the complicated ties that run between parent and child.
Eldaron ran from the room. He was frightened, that I know, and I saw a mix of other emotions on his face, and though I do not understand it, his tumult had something to do with seeing Aragorn in such a state. It was probably, as I think on it, the first time he had seen tears on his father's face.
Aragorn doubled up, sobbing as he had done when he first woke. I moved to comfort him, but he reached up and shoved me back, and I, taken unawares, fell to the ground.
"Get away, Legolas. If ever you had any concern or any respect for me, get out of this room now," he said, in a suprisingly clear voice. I stood and caught his wrists.
"Don't do this," I warned. "Don't send us all away."
"Did I send my son away? No, he ran, ran of his own accord. I frighten him. What is there left if I frighten my own children?"
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I think the old Aragorn may be cautiously coming back into life. What cause for rejoicing!
"I must get out of this room, Legolas," he told me. "I must get up and move around. Help me to walk."
As I helped him out of the bed, being careful not to hurt him or touble his wound, I was struck by the vulnerability his naked body showed now. So thin and weak, so needful of my help. It brought out feelings in me that could not easily be defined. "Love." "Fear." "Resentment." "Hate." "Arousal." "Anger." "Protectiveness." All easy feelings, and I cannot tell which it was.
He dressed in soft cotton that had been waiting for him for weeks. He smiled as he buckled on his swordbelt and bracers, happy, I think, that they were still there. Looking around, he found his hauberk and the rest of the mail. A little hope dawned on his face.
"I suppose it is far too much to hope they have left me Anduril?" I nodded.
"They took everything we could actually hurt them with. They left me my bow, but broke the tips off all the arrows." He nodded. He had never really expected otherwise.
He finished dressing without my assistance, but when he tried to walk alone, I had to jump to catch him. He clung to me unsteadily, grabbing handfuls of my jerkin and gripping until his knuckles turned white. He let me hold him up for a moment, resting his head on my shoulder, but soon straightened.
As we walked through the light-starved corridors we were allowed movement in, Aragorn glanced into a room where Eldaron commonly spend his time. Indeed, the boy was there now, practicing archery with my bow and some blunted arrows.
"You're holding it all wrong," Aragorn barked. Eldaron turned to his father with a sullen and frowning face, but I saw the grin that came first. He walked across to his son with less help than he'd needed before, and took the boys hands in his, demonstrating over and over the proper technique until the boy got it right.
"You're still holding it too low," he would say at intervals, or "All the way back to your cheek, boy!"
When he was at last satisfied, he turned to me, clutching my arm. We walked out together, back into the black corridors, as Eldaron continued drawing and releasing, drawing and releasing. Once out of the boy's sight, Aragorn went limp, and I scrambled to hold him.
"I overstepped my reach," he said, chuckling. "But he was doing it wrong."
I slept well that night.
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Sorry it was so short, but what can I say? Please review and tell me how it's coming. If there are no reviews, of course I will assume you don't want more. Argle bargle, this is harder than it looks! Anyway, remember that to read is human, to review divine! Tips on improvement would be molto appreciated!!! Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.