DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Don't sue, I'm broke.
NOTES: Aragorns POV. Last part in this fic.
A Secret Shared - Chapter 20
One look at Arwen's distraught face told me of something terrible. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach as wordlessly I darted past her, leaving an astonished Lord Elrond standing in his study, looking after me, Arwen running close behind.
I sprinted up the stairs to the room in which Legolas lay. His eyes stared glassily upwards, unseeing. My heart stopped momentarily as I realised they had not the same unseeing glassiness elves had in their eyes as they slept. His eyes were blank, void of anything. Dead.
At that moment, Arwen came in behind me.
"What is wrong with him?" I asked her
"He is dying of a broken heart," she stated. Legolas? Dying? Broken heart? My thoughts raced, and I realised this was because of me.
Stepping hurriedly to Legolas's bedside, she looked at his face, and turned to me.
"He is still with us," she said.
"How can you tell?" I asked, surprised that one that looked so far from life was actually alive.
She motioned for me to step forward, and pointed into his eyes.
"They still hold a glimmer of life in them," she said softly. "A glimmer of hope,"
"Hope?" I asked, not quite understanding what she meant. I stared into his beautiful eyes, wishing they could see me, and did see the glimmer of life that Arwen spoke of.
"Hope," she repeated. "Hope for you and I that he still lives, and hope for himself...hope that his loved one would forgive him, and return to him. That his true love would love him again." She looked at me pointedly.
I sighed, reaching down at placing a hand on his cool, smooth cheek.
"I never stopped loving him."
"But he does not know that. He does love you, Aragorn. Truly loves you. His heart has been breaking ever since that terrible night, losing your love and friendship was the final blow."
"And now I shall never have the chance to tell him I love him still," I murmured, still looking into his unseeing eyes.
"You do still have that chance," she spoke softly, "Just tell him now."
"But he cannot hear me in this state...can he?"
"Of course he can, Aragorn. Just speak to him as you would. Speak from your heart."
"Um...can you leave us for a moment?" I asked. She smiled and squeezed my arm lightly, then silently left the room, the door making a quiet thud as she closed it behind her.
I crouched down beside Legolas's bed, taking his limp hand in mine, holding it to my heart and stroking his soft, lustrous hair. The expression on his face was a look of anguish; that alone sent a thousand daggers to my heart. I remembered how not long ago, I had sat beside Legolas's bed, after he had been attacked by Orcs. How I sat there, day in, day out, only leaving him to relieve myself. How I refused to allow him to sit at my bedside after Boromir stabbed me, when that was all he asked to do. Suddenly the huge mistake I had made hit me, and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I realised I should speak, before my one faint hope of doing so was gone. Before I spoke, I gathered my thoughts, trying to find the right things to say. "Speak from your heart," I remembered Arwen saying. And as I began to talk, I found the words came easily, flowing from the place I'd kept them locked away for such time.
"Legolas, mell, it is I, Aragorn. I hope that you can hear me," I began, praying to Elbereth that he could.
"These past few days have been tough on us both. We have both made mistakes, for which I am sorry. I shouldn't have shunned you the way I did; it was not you in the wrong, it was I."
I paused, and lay my head on the bed close to his.
"I love you, Legolas Greenleaf," I whispered, then speaking in his native language,
"Legolas, Er anwa mellamin,"[1]
Then I closed my eyes and wept easily, knowing that the chances were he had left me, and had not heard my words. There I stayed, weeping, until Arwen re-entered behind her father; allowing the elf maiden to usher me from the room as Elrond closed the door behind us, a solemn expression upon his face.
At that point I was unsure if I would ever see Legolas alive again.
TBC...In the sequel, "A Secret Revealed."
[1] Legolas, Er anwa mellamin: (rough) translation: Legolas, My one true love.
NOTES: Aragorns POV. Last part in this fic.
A Secret Shared - Chapter 20
One look at Arwen's distraught face told me of something terrible. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach as wordlessly I darted past her, leaving an astonished Lord Elrond standing in his study, looking after me, Arwen running close behind.
I sprinted up the stairs to the room in which Legolas lay. His eyes stared glassily upwards, unseeing. My heart stopped momentarily as I realised they had not the same unseeing glassiness elves had in their eyes as they slept. His eyes were blank, void of anything. Dead.
At that moment, Arwen came in behind me.
"What is wrong with him?" I asked her
"He is dying of a broken heart," she stated. Legolas? Dying? Broken heart? My thoughts raced, and I realised this was because of me.
Stepping hurriedly to Legolas's bedside, she looked at his face, and turned to me.
"He is still with us," she said.
"How can you tell?" I asked, surprised that one that looked so far from life was actually alive.
She motioned for me to step forward, and pointed into his eyes.
"They still hold a glimmer of life in them," she said softly. "A glimmer of hope,"
"Hope?" I asked, not quite understanding what she meant. I stared into his beautiful eyes, wishing they could see me, and did see the glimmer of life that Arwen spoke of.
"Hope," she repeated. "Hope for you and I that he still lives, and hope for himself...hope that his loved one would forgive him, and return to him. That his true love would love him again." She looked at me pointedly.
I sighed, reaching down at placing a hand on his cool, smooth cheek.
"I never stopped loving him."
"But he does not know that. He does love you, Aragorn. Truly loves you. His heart has been breaking ever since that terrible night, losing your love and friendship was the final blow."
"And now I shall never have the chance to tell him I love him still," I murmured, still looking into his unseeing eyes.
"You do still have that chance," she spoke softly, "Just tell him now."
"But he cannot hear me in this state...can he?"
"Of course he can, Aragorn. Just speak to him as you would. Speak from your heart."
"Um...can you leave us for a moment?" I asked. She smiled and squeezed my arm lightly, then silently left the room, the door making a quiet thud as she closed it behind her.
I crouched down beside Legolas's bed, taking his limp hand in mine, holding it to my heart and stroking his soft, lustrous hair. The expression on his face was a look of anguish; that alone sent a thousand daggers to my heart. I remembered how not long ago, I had sat beside Legolas's bed, after he had been attacked by Orcs. How I sat there, day in, day out, only leaving him to relieve myself. How I refused to allow him to sit at my bedside after Boromir stabbed me, when that was all he asked to do. Suddenly the huge mistake I had made hit me, and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I realised I should speak, before my one faint hope of doing so was gone. Before I spoke, I gathered my thoughts, trying to find the right things to say. "Speak from your heart," I remembered Arwen saying. And as I began to talk, I found the words came easily, flowing from the place I'd kept them locked away for such time.
"Legolas, mell, it is I, Aragorn. I hope that you can hear me," I began, praying to Elbereth that he could.
"These past few days have been tough on us both. We have both made mistakes, for which I am sorry. I shouldn't have shunned you the way I did; it was not you in the wrong, it was I."
I paused, and lay my head on the bed close to his.
"I love you, Legolas Greenleaf," I whispered, then speaking in his native language,
"Legolas, Er anwa mellamin,"[1]
Then I closed my eyes and wept easily, knowing that the chances were he had left me, and had not heard my words. There I stayed, weeping, until Arwen re-entered behind her father; allowing the elf maiden to usher me from the room as Elrond closed the door behind us, a solemn expression upon his face.
At that point I was unsure if I would ever see Legolas alive again.
TBC...In the sequel, "A Secret Revealed."
[1] Legolas, Er anwa mellamin: (rough) translation: Legolas, My one true love.