Fallen Innocence
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
A/N: I'm not very happy with how the second chapter came out myself. It was a bit hurried and I didn't take the time to do what I had originally planned. This one is better, I think.
Chapter 2 (revised)
Some days passed and Aragorn was still not willing to leave Legolas' side. He somehow felt guilty for what had happened. He was the leader after all; Gandalf had told him to take care of them, but obviously he wasn't able to do that. The wound near Legolas' heart slowly closed, but the Elf still wouldn't wake up. A fever shook his body and he was lost in dark dreams where no one could follow.
At the end of the third day in Lórien he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and closed them at once; the light hurt him after such a long time of darkness, but Aragorn knew that he was awake now and he started talking to him.
"Legolas, you're awake, finally," he said.
Legolas didn't reply; there was nothing to say for him.
"How ... how do you feel?", the ranger tried again.
"How would you feel?"
Aragorn was shocked; Legolas usually wasn't as cold as this. He had hoped that Lórien would also heal his heart, but obviously it didn't.
"Is there anything I can do for you?", Aragorn asked.
"Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anyone."
The ranger nodded and got up although everything inside him begged him to stay and talk to his friend who he loved more than anything in the world.
As soon as Legolas was alone memories started flooding his mind. There was nothing he could do to hold them back and he was afraid. He didn't want all of this to be true! He wished he had never gone on that journey! It had been no good so far and the pain inside him was too sharp and wild to be tamed.
Why hadn't he been stronger?!
So far he had been able to fight any enemy and now ...? Now he had lost a part of himself to those Orcs forever.
Tears started to fall and his wound was hurting worse than ever; he hardly noticed it. After a while he fell asleep and again his dreams were dark with no light and no hope to guide him.
Aragorn was walking through the Golden Woods, but he did not see their beauty. His thoughts kept returning to Legolas and also how he, Heir to Gondor's throne, had failed.
"It is my fault! All of this is my fault!", he kept telling himself.
"It isn't and there's no use in telling yourself that it is," someone behind him spoke up.
It was Haldir, the Elf who they had met first. "If it isn't my fault whose fault is it then?", Aragorn replied.
"No one's. You're not helping the Prince by thinking that it is anyone's fault. You do not seem to understand what **really** happened. He may look fair and beautiful to the race of Men, but he's also the Prince of Mirkwood and a warrior."
Aragorn nodded; he had known that before. "Yes, but what ...?"
"Would you like to return to your people like this? Would you like to come back with a broken spirit when you used to be the most proud and beautiful of all of them?"
Aragorn swallowed. He had not seen it like that before.
"Be careful with what you think," Haldir replied and walked away.
Aragorn slowly walked back, making sure that nobody saw him. He didn't want to talk to the Hobbits and tell them what had happened. He was sure that Merry and Pippin didn't understand and he did not wish to explain it to them.
He returned to Legolas' chambers, but knocked on the door before he entered.
"Legolas?", he asked.
"Yes?"
The Elf struggled to sit up, but winced in pain as he tried to do so.
"Wait, I'll help you," Aragorn said and rushed to Legolas' side.
He gently put his arms around Legolas' shoulders and helped him to get into a sitting position. The Elf looked at him and Aragorn did not like what he saw in those wide, blue eyes: pain, fear and ... it was not something that was **there**. It was rather something missing. Legolas' pride, his kind heart and the innocence all Elves had to them was gone.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
A/N: I'm not very happy with how the second chapter came out myself. It was a bit hurried and I didn't take the time to do what I had originally planned. This one is better, I think.
Chapter 2 (revised)
Some days passed and Aragorn was still not willing to leave Legolas' side. He somehow felt guilty for what had happened. He was the leader after all; Gandalf had told him to take care of them, but obviously he wasn't able to do that. The wound near Legolas' heart slowly closed, but the Elf still wouldn't wake up. A fever shook his body and he was lost in dark dreams where no one could follow.
At the end of the third day in Lórien he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and closed them at once; the light hurt him after such a long time of darkness, but Aragorn knew that he was awake now and he started talking to him.
"Legolas, you're awake, finally," he said.
Legolas didn't reply; there was nothing to say for him.
"How ... how do you feel?", the ranger tried again.
"How would you feel?"
Aragorn was shocked; Legolas usually wasn't as cold as this. He had hoped that Lórien would also heal his heart, but obviously it didn't.
"Is there anything I can do for you?", Aragorn asked.
"Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to anyone."
The ranger nodded and got up although everything inside him begged him to stay and talk to his friend who he loved more than anything in the world.
As soon as Legolas was alone memories started flooding his mind. There was nothing he could do to hold them back and he was afraid. He didn't want all of this to be true! He wished he had never gone on that journey! It had been no good so far and the pain inside him was too sharp and wild to be tamed.
Why hadn't he been stronger?!
So far he had been able to fight any enemy and now ...? Now he had lost a part of himself to those Orcs forever.
Tears started to fall and his wound was hurting worse than ever; he hardly noticed it. After a while he fell asleep and again his dreams were dark with no light and no hope to guide him.
Aragorn was walking through the Golden Woods, but he did not see their beauty. His thoughts kept returning to Legolas and also how he, Heir to Gondor's throne, had failed.
"It is my fault! All of this is my fault!", he kept telling himself.
"It isn't and there's no use in telling yourself that it is," someone behind him spoke up.
It was Haldir, the Elf who they had met first. "If it isn't my fault whose fault is it then?", Aragorn replied.
"No one's. You're not helping the Prince by thinking that it is anyone's fault. You do not seem to understand what **really** happened. He may look fair and beautiful to the race of Men, but he's also the Prince of Mirkwood and a warrior."
Aragorn nodded; he had known that before. "Yes, but what ...?"
"Would you like to return to your people like this? Would you like to come back with a broken spirit when you used to be the most proud and beautiful of all of them?"
Aragorn swallowed. He had not seen it like that before.
"Be careful with what you think," Haldir replied and walked away.
Aragorn slowly walked back, making sure that nobody saw him. He didn't want to talk to the Hobbits and tell them what had happened. He was sure that Merry and Pippin didn't understand and he did not wish to explain it to them.
He returned to Legolas' chambers, but knocked on the door before he entered.
"Legolas?", he asked.
"Yes?"
The Elf struggled to sit up, but winced in pain as he tried to do so.
"Wait, I'll help you," Aragorn said and rushed to Legolas' side.
He gently put his arms around Legolas' shoulders and helped him to get into a sitting position. The Elf looked at him and Aragorn did not like what he saw in those wide, blue eyes: pain, fear and ... it was not something that was **there**. It was rather something missing. Legolas' pride, his kind heart and the innocence all Elves had to them was gone.