Hello everyone! Nice to see you all again. :)

Sorry about the cover, Liliana. This link should work:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/53705226/53815069hTglqo

And trust me, I don't blame you a JOT for not liking Bodruith. Not too nice, is he? And don't worry about the grammar. If that stuff bugged me, I'd never live with myself! ;)

I'm glad you liked the cover, Astaledocalwen! Yeah, to tell you the truth, I only had a basic idea for the story when I made the cover, but it turned out fairly well, in the end. :) And I'm glad you're still into it! Me too. :D

Whoah, Siri, be nice to Checkers! ;) Glad you enjoyed the scene. Though, you're right, I'm quite surprised that Bodruith-the-nutto didn't end up killing someone! *sigh* as I have pointed out previously, dwarves are in the crazy category. And a dwarf gone nuts, is in the scary category. And a dwarf gone nuts out to get Legolas,……..well you might as well go straight to the "picking out your tombstone and flower arrangement" category. :P

AAAAAHHHHH! Lina's huggling Aragorn!…oh sorry. Lina's huggling HER Aragorn. And don't rail on Legolas like that, Lina…it'll hurt Aragorn. :D

Hey, Gwyndolen, nice to see you! :) Aaaahh yes. The whole Soprano thing. Well, as a matter of fact, when I first wrote it, I thought it sounded slightly strange, but according to Webster, the definition of "Soprano" is:

"the highest singing voice in women and boys"

Now, true, Legolas is neither, but Soprano isn't just for girls. In fact, it's not even just for girls and pre-adolescent boys. It's just that most men *can't* hit the higher notes, and are therefore Tenors. Not that they're like not supposed to or anything.

Plus, all the yada-yada of Webster's definitions aside, Legolas isn't a boy, or a man. He's an elf. Tolkien described the elves' singing voices as being "high and wistful" which strikes me as Soprano rather than Tenor.

ANYWAYZ, making a short question long, I know. All in all, I feel like Soprano was more fitting for an elf, even an elf like Legolas, and sorry if it sounds strange to you.

A music student? Cool, what kind of instrument do you play? I play the piano, recorder, and can do D-minor on my sister's guitar! :)

Sorry, Kawaiigal28, if I'm keeping you up late, and the all CAPS gave it emphasis. Honest! ;) And don't worry about your spelling. Yowr en gud kompinee! :D I can't cpel, and my grammar ain't good as might it should be. *grin*

Oh MY Golden Days! *runs across the room, eyes wide* Uuuh…have you been watching the Mummy? Hercules? Well, you've at least had pleeeeeanty Halloween "fun" for now. *puts fellow review back up* and yes, of course I know I'm evil. Second nature you know, when you write Lego-angst for FUN. ;)

Thanks, lil*bee for the thumbs up! I'm glad you're liking it. :) And, I'm afraid I must admit that…well, yes I like to make Legolas suffer. But that's not all I do, no not a bit of it! I do other things!………..like make Aragorn suffer. *glances at Lina* ANYWAYS……

And thank YOU, KarateElf and Amlugwen, for the compliment. I never thought of myself as writing *very* well, or doing very good drama. It's nice to hear you think that well of my stuff! :) And thank you, Amlugwen, for waiting *patiently*. :D

Oooh….*hands Kellen Advil, water, and a Legolas Band-Aid* oh man, SO sorry there, Kellen. *turns to Myfanwy* DON'T THROW BOOKS!….oh yeah….I threw it. *bangs head against wall* BAD Dobby!…er Chloe. ;) *blushes* Getting ranked with Cassia and Sio? Whoah! Thank you, Kellen! Though…don't mention my name after your newest cliffy. *glances out the window* I already have a mob waiting… ;)

Oh, and keep on rambling! That's what makes a review sa-darn interesting. :D

Well, you guys, I'm happy to report that this one's not such a cliff-hanger! *bows at the sound of cheers* Thank you, thank you…though I can't vouch for the next chapter…*cheers stop* I'm SORRY, okay? :P

Hope you enjoy this next one! (it might ease a bit of the tension off) And I also hope it doesn't send you into…uh unhealthy displays of excitement or stress. *pulls limp Aerin off the floor* yeah, well…

Okay, time to- umm Lina? Lina, let go. No, I need- I need Aragorn to post. No, I won't hurt him, I'm just gonna'- Lina- no, no I NEED him if I'm gonna' post. Lina- L-Lina-LINA, LET GO! *pries fingers off of Aragorn* GASP. Thank you. :D

OKAY, here we go! :)

Chapter 10

The Light Stairs of Gabil Gûndu

Legolas tried to move back, away from the evil dwarf, but his body would have nothing of it, and ached every time he drew breath. "What do you want of me?" he asked quietly.

"I want you dead, you fool." the lord hissed.

"Then kill me." Legolas said softly, knowing the dwarf had not weapon, for the dagger was still on the floor.

"This is not how I wanted you to die." He growled.

"Nor I." Legolas responded dryly.

"I wanted you to suffer, thinking everyone hated you. I wanted to drown in your pain, like Minaeg. But I shall be content to kill you."

"Why?" Legolas asked quietly. "Why do you pain yourself? What good does it do you? Why do you not love life?"

The dwarf shook his head, and looked Legolas in the eye. "You do not understand."

"What?" Legolas asked pleadingly.

Bodruith's hands shook, and Legolas was shocked to see a tear roll down his rustic face. "Istonal tulga, young elf. I know not comfort."

Before Legolas could respond, the dwarf pulled from his cloak, an evil dagger, and Legolas knew. He was weak. He was unarmed. And nothing could stop Bodruith from killing him now.

"Goodbye, son of Thranduil."

*********

"He is not down this way!" Gulrin came back to Binwen's side.

"Go down those two, and search the one back there." Binwen instructed, pointing to two nearby tunnels. "Do *not* forget! If you find him dead, throw your torch into the main tunnel, and so we can find you!"

"Binwen!" Aragorn could not longer hide his impatience. "I am very thankful for all your help, but Legolas needs to get out of here!"

"Alright, human."

"Aragorn, please."

"Alright, Aragorn." Binwen instigated a slight smile. "It is simple to find the 'light stairs' as we call them, for they are the only way to the light of day. There is a small passageway leading off the great hall. It is rather hard to find, but if you look along the back wall, there's a gate. Push it open, and keep going down the hall until you reach the stairs. Then go up the stairs. That is all."

"Thank you my friend." Aragorn sighed.

"Thank *you* Aragorn." Binwen put a hand up on Aragorn's shoulder. "You have given us hope. I do not know what the future holds for my people, but I do know it will be made better because of you."

"The Road goes ever on, Binwen." Aragorn smiled. "And wither then? We cannot tell."

Binwen nodded. "You are indeed Estel."

**********

Aragorn was half-way down the tunnel again, when he heard a blood-curdling cry. "Legolas!" his carried him faster than he could run, and he almost flew towards the great hall.

As he turned the corner, and ran through the huge gates, he feared what he would see. Indeed what he saw was a difficult sight. Very difficult indeed.

Legolas knelt on the floor, cradling Bodruith's head in his arms. The dwarf had a dagger sticking out of his chest, and blood stained Legolas' sleeves. The elf sensed Aragorn enter the room, but did not look up.

"He ate Bengwiil to relieve the pain in his heart." He whispered. "And found no rest there. I know- I know how he felt. I would have done the same, and given up on life, had- had you not been there, Aragorn." as he looked up, Aragorn could see tears in his silver eyes. "You were my hope. If only he might have had one."

Gently, he reached down, and closed the dwarf's sightless eyes. "May you wander in a better life." He whispered. "Tuarach isto tulga, erethrin er."

//may you know comfort, lonely one//

Legolas rose from underneath the dwarf. Once a lord, but now, naught but a lonely son in his eyes. And his eyes no longer lied to him.

"I am very tired." He told Aragorn, attempting a slight smile.

"Yes." Aragorn nodded, a look of concern still on his face. "That is to be expected."

"Did you find out how to get out of here?"

"Indeed." Aragorn went swiftly to the back of the chamber, and found the hidden door. It was not hard to find, due to the fact that it was open. Aragorn guessed that was where Bodruith had hidden, after taking off part of the way down the hall to lead the dwarves on a wild goose chase. All so he could be alone with Legolas, tell him of what he'd done, and kill himself. Legolas would need awhile to get over this, Aragorn felt.

He took Legolas around the waist, and supported him through the doorway. The hall was not very long, and the two of them were so tired, that they did not speak a word to each other until they reached the steps of the 'light stairs'.

"This will be fun." Aragorn said dryly, and his voice sounded strange after the complete silence.

"I do not think I can make it." Legolas whispered. "I know that I am being weak, but I can barely move now."

"Then I will move for you." Aragorn responded simply, putting his arm around Legolas' shoulders.

Legolas shook his head and smiled. "Thank you Estel."

"That is why I am here." Aragorn smiled back.

**********

"Where are we?" Aragorn asked as he slipped again, knowing it hurt Legolas every time he moved too much. It was not easy going, trying to find their way through the complete darkness.

"Seventy-eight." Legolas gritted his teeth against the pain. Aragorn's plan had worked though. Counting the stairs did take some of his mind off the agony, and also kept sound in the air, so his ears stopped ringing.

"Someday," Aragorn said, feeling with his foot for the next step, "we shall tell the tale of how we climbed the Light Stairs of Gabil Gûndu."

"Aye!" Legolas agreed "But will we wish generations to know of us as 'the ones that climbed through Gabil Gûndu?"

Aragorn chuckled "I expect not, my friend."

"Eighty-four." Legolas put in awhile later. "I grow so tired of the smell of earth. What would I not give for sunlight, and fresh air?"

"Morth tur-al garo ad thenin glawar." Aragorn whispered gently.

//darkness cannot hold back true sunlight//

"Hantach." Legolas responded. "Eighty-seven."

"Now I wish I had not suggested this pastime." Aragorn groaned.

"And why ever not?" Legolas responded, sensing mirth.

"It gives you another reason to express your talent of talking too much."

"I?!" Legolas demanded, smiling. "It is the humans that are constantly in needless conversation."

"I did not say that elves digress from the conversation. I said that *you* talk too much."

"Indeed? I should- ninety-two -I should like to see you try to carry a conversation at all."

"I can."

"You cannot."

"I am. Did I not start this one?"

Legolas could not hold back the laughter anymore. "That hurts." He sighed, clamping an arm over his chest.

Aragorn shook with laughter as well. "Then don't laugh!"

"How am I to avoid it, with you around?"

"I know not." Aragorn laughed. "Where are we?"

"I thought you didn't like that pastime!"

"True, but I believe you have lost count."

"I have not."

"Then where are we?"

"Ninety-five."

"I wish you would not count the stairs like that. 'tis long enough a staircase without you counting *how* long!"

"Strider!" Legolas laughed, holding his chest tightly.

"Sorry." Aragorn wiped tears of laughter out of his eyes, and looked over at Legolas. "In times like these," his voice became a bit more serious. "I know that you will make it. Our friendship is too strong to be destroyed."

"Aragorn." Legolas too became somber. "Even friendships have to be destroyed some day."

"But not today." Aragorn responded stubbornly.

"Oh, Estel." Legolas whispered. "I know that you want to reach for hope, but sometimes you just need to face the truth. And the truth is, we are many miles away from Rivendell, and do not have any horses. I will never make it."

"Friendship does not waver at a wind." Aragorn quoted Legolas' words by the fire. "And a friendship like ours burns forever, like an everlasting candle."

"But it can still burn in death." Legolas told him.

"Yes." Aragorn consented. "But it won't have to."

There was silence awhile, and all that cold be heard was the tap, tap, tap of them climbing the stairs. It was finally broken by a voice dripping with mirth. "One hundred one."

"Legolas…" Aragorn's hidden threat was also full of amusement.

"I am sorry Strider." Legolas feigned seriousness. "But you did make me laugh."

"Perhaps, perhaps I deserved it." Aragorn teased "But what I should like to know, is what in Middle Earth I did to deserve "you"!"

********

Legolas had no breath left to count the stairs, but he tried to count them in his head. One hundred forty-seven…eight…nine…he could barely count them even in his head anymore. The going had gotten even slower, his body ached even more, and his stamina was draining quickly. He also knew that Aragorn was tiring. He didn't know how bad that cut on the young human's head was, or the ones on his wrists from the tight ropes, but he knew it did not help that he was giving half his strength to Legolas.

"You- cannot keep-" Legolas gasped out, but Aragorn steadied him quickly.

"Sh, try not to speak. You need all your strength to keep from falling over."

"You need it to…Aragorn."

"Yes," he agreed "But not as much as you. Where are we?"

"I have no idea." Legolas sighed.

"Well," Aragorn said, trying to sound cheerful "that is for the best." he was rewarded by a soft laugh from his companion. "Hold on, Legolas." he told him softly. "It cannot be too much longer now."

They traveled on for no one knows how long. Finally, Aragorn caught his first glance at the surface.

The palest of light spilled down into the inky-black like a drop of water falling through the dry air. Legolas' head drooped, and his eyes were closed in exhaustion. But though he didn't see the light, he caught the faint smell of clean air.

"It is well." He whispered softly "I should like to die outside, under the stars."

"Legolas, you will not-"

"Just let us walk. And breath."

"All right Legolas." He responded gently. "As you wish."

They walked on, but this time there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. They were walking to somewhere. Getting somewhere.

At long last, after many slips and falls, the two companions broke through a thin layer of brush, and stood in the fresh morning air of Mirkwood.

Without a word, the friends sunk onto the soft earth, and lay there without speaking. It was again quiet between them, but the silence was welcoming and not quite absolute, with the sounds of Mirkwood's inhabitants stirring all around them, and the leaves rustling in a subtle breeze. All was still, but it was not the deafening silence that had crushed them underground. It was peaceful.

The tranquil silence was rent by Aragorn's soft voice. "We must get to Rivendell."

"No Estel." Legolas whispered "I wish to rest in peace. I cannot if you feared for me to the end. Let us just stay here until- until I must go. We shall remember together, and think together as we once did. It should be as it was from the beginning at the end, Aragorn."

"That is so." Aragorn rose up off the ground, looking around. Then he turned his bright eyes on Legolas. "But it will not end here. Not now. Not yet."

"I will not make it." the elf responded simply "I do not wish you to fight for me Aragorn. Please let me go in peace. In my own land."

"Legolas." Aragorn's voice cracked as he knelt beside the elf. "If I stayed beside you, and did nothing, I would never forgive myself. Please, Legolas. Please let me try to save you, that I might at least feel that I tried."

Legolas sighed, and closed his eyes. "Very well, Estel." He opened his eyes again, and touched Aragorn with silver stare. Aragorn knew he meant more than he said by the name.

"Thank you."

"But I still do not know how we shall ever get there." Legolas pointed out.

Aragorn looked around the huge woods. There was not a whole lot of hope for the situation. "Well, we shall walk that road as we come to it." he grabbed Legolas around the shoulders and helped him to his feet. The elf was very unsteady, but he could stand.

The two of them walked together through the trees, Legolas' mind on not falling on his friend, Aragorn's on not losing Legolas. He could not die!

Legolas stumbled and sucked in his breath. Aragorn turned in worry on his companion. "Legolas?"

"I am sorry." He gritted "I stepped on something sharp."

Aragorn bent down, counting on Legolas to stand on his own a moment. When the ranger rose again a moment later, he held an arrow in his hands. "Is it familiar Legolas?" he handed the weapon to his friend.

Legolas studied the elvish runes on the side of the well crafted-arrow. "Indeed." He looked up in confusion. "It is one of mine."

Aragorn nodded slowly, trying to recall some memory. When did Legolas shoot an arrow? Then,

"Legolas!"

"What?!"

"When the dwarves attacked. You shot your arrow did you not?"

"I-" Legolas creased his eyebrows trying to remember the hazy fight. "I believe so. I was so frightened, I loosed it without thinking."

"Indeed!" Aragorn nodded "Then we *must* be near our last campsite. That is what we heard in the woods! 'twas the dwarves coming from their hole!"

"And what of it?" Legolas prodded, trying desperately to make his tired mind catch up with Aragorn's.

"Lets see, it was slanted in the dirt like this…" Aragorn mused to himself, looking in the dirt, too lost in thought to hear Legolas. "…so you must've shot it from that direction." he stood up, and nodded, satisfied.

"What good does it do us if we find the campsite?" the spent elf repeated.

"Well," Aragorn put an arm around Legolas, and began to march into the woods again. "allow me to ask you this. What use would an underground dwarf have for horses?"

They went on through the woods, not once coming across any sign that dwarves had been through here. Aragorn had suspected this, and commented that these dwarves had done a good job of not being noticed. Not even the wood elves knew of the population just under their feet.

After about ten minutes of steady walking, the two of them broke into the clearing where they'd camped one, maybe two nights ago. Under the ground, Aragorn had lost all track of time.

As soon as they broke into the clearing, Aragorn set Legolas next to the ashes that marked their long-dead fire. The ranger turned, and ran out of the serrate, and into the woods on the other side. "Horthor!" he called "Teli gim-ach nin, sadron eriol!"

//come if you hear me, faithful one!"

Legolas picked himself off the ground, and turned on his and knees to the old fire-pit. He reached into the ashes, and pulled out a block of white wood streaked with soot. Memories of the battle that took place there just a day or two ago, rushed through his mind. Visions of the monsters he'd supposed to fight with. The ones that had in reality been dwarves…

"Legolas!" Aragorn appeared over the edge of the dirt ditch, holding the reins of Horthor and Lint. He looked down at Legolas holding the splintered bits of his bow, and let go of the reigns, approaching the elf alone.

"Even if I do survive," Legolas almost whispered "I shall never forget. I cannot forget the monsters, the nightmares, the visions I have seen. I cannot forget my father dieing, or you looking at me in antipathy. These visions shall ever haunt me."

Aragorn knelt beside the downcast elf, and touched his shoulder. "They cannot chase you forever, Legolas. Sometimes we must leave seeing to the heart, remember? And though your eyes are sure of their reality, your heart will know better. Put the nightmares away in your heart. Vision means nothing there."

"'tis an easy thing to say, Estel. But it is so hard to forget such things, and- I do not think I can."

"No. Not alone." Aragorn sat down, and reaching out a soiled hand, brushed Legolas' chin with his fingers. Legolas turned at the gesture to look Aragorn in the eye. "But you have known from the beginning," the human reminded softly "that you are not alone. I will always be here for you Legolas Greenleaf. Always."

Not giving the elf a chance to respond, Aragorn rose again, and motioned to the horses. "Let us go. We must try to reach Rivendell as soon as we can."

Aragorn mounted Horthor, and turned to Legolas who still sat on the ground. The elf looked up and nodded. Picking himself up off the ground, he staggered over to Lint, and mounted the powerful beast.

"Three hundred thirty-eight."

Aragorn turned in his saddle to look back at Legolas. "What?"

"Three hundred thirty-eight steps on the Light Stairs of Gibil Gûndu." The elf smiled mischievously.

Aragorn raised his eyebrows disapprovingly, but was unable to hide a smile. "I thought you had said you lost count?"

"Now, Strider." Legolas laughed "The tale of 'the elf and human who walked the stairs of Gibil Gûndu' would not be complete without the number of steps they endured."

"True," Aragorn consented "but I shall allow you to retell the tale. I should not wish to be there when it is told."

"Indeed." Legolas returned with a softened smile.

"Let us be off!" Aragorn called, the moment of mirth causing his spirits to rise as he spoke.

"Let us, Estel." Legolas agreed, and the two took off into the clutches of Mirkwood once more.