Disclaimer: Don't own anything
Yeah, this chapter is abnormal, because it is written with less than 3 hours of sleep and when I am a hyperactive dose of Elf fix from Two Towers. Sorry in advance since this is not funny and is a little weird.
A/N: Oh yeah, if people have seen two towers, think of Yulion's debate as the quiet version of Gollum's in the movie =)
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Chapter 16:
Yulion missed the first competition of skills due to his injuries from his practice match with Aragorn. The dark-haired Elf was more than a little annoyed since he saw that as an opportunity to impress his Elven commanders. He knew there was little he could do to change the Man's view of him after what he did to Lasgalen.
Lasgalen.....Now that's a name that brought even more confusion to the already irritated Yulion. He still thought the blond Elf was a ditsy klutz, but Lasgalen was also kind, brave and very, very beautiful. Despite what Yulion had done, the fair-haired recruit stopped Aragorn from further injuring him. He even took the dark-haired Elf's side against their human commander.
The recruit from Rivendell knew it could possibly be a ploy to gain his friendship and popularity among the other Elves, but Lasgalen did not seem the type capable of such scheming. The golden Elf had the most expressive sapphire eyes Yulion had ever seen; and the fair-haired beauty's compassion shone through brightly as he helped him off the field two days ago.
Stop this train of thought right now. The blond is Aragorn's lover. You will only get yourself killed liking him, commanded the voice of reason in Yulion's head.
But Aragorn is known to have many lovers. Lasgalen is just one more. The one the Man is truly courting is Lady Arwen, countered the side of the dark-haired Elf that had taken a liking to the Prince.
Even if Aragorn dumps him, he won't consider you. You tricked and drugged him, remember? replied its antagonist half smugly, as it knew it had raised an argument that the irrational side of Yulion could not ignore.
But he helped me on the field, maybe he has forgiven me, hoped the love- struck part, turning mentally puppy-eyed.
You don't listen well. He said he wants to settle the score between the two of you in person. He saved you because he didn't want his lover to interfere, pointed out the rational voice, snickering at its counterpart for its love-induced hearing impediment.
The Elf's mental debate was interrupted when his friend, Acamalion, burst into his room.
"What is it?" asked Yulion impatiently as he spun round to face his friend, demanding a reason for the intrusion.
"I thought you might be interested in the scores of the competitions; judge who might challenge you for the squadron leader position," said Acamalion standing at the door as he could sense the annoyance from his popular friend. He knew his visit was not welcomed.
"I am not worried at all, actually. I have been watching everyone at practice and no one even comes close to my level," commented the dark- haired Elf with disinterest. He was much more keen on deciding what to do about his strange attraction to the blond Elf.
"Yeah, I suppose you are right," said the other recruit sheepishly. Acamalion knew not to get on Yulion's bad side; the result would likely be joining his friend for a few days of bed rest. "So how are you doing?"
"I should be able to resume training in two days if I get enough rest," replied Yulion, as he flopped lazily on the bed. It was not that he was tired; the Elf was just trying to send a not so subtle hint to Acamalion that it was time to leave.
"Alright, I guess I will just leave you be then," said the other Elf as he walked out of his friend's room, glad that Yulion was too injured to do anything bad to him.
However, the dark-haired Elf did not rest. He continued with his internal debate over the course of action concerning Lasgalen until sleep overtook him many hours later.
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"So what are we doing tonight?" asked Legolas. This was the first night of his special training under Aragorn. For the past two days, the Elf had thought of nothing else besides getting ready for the exercises. He wanted to do well not only to please his instructor but also to accelerate the process of becoming a capable warrior. As much as he trusted Aragorn's feelings for him, he could not help wishing the Man would stop seeing Arwen. It did not sit well with the Prince's royal blood that he should be his commander's lover in the shadows.
"You are a very fast learner, but skills alone will not take you far without the necessary stamina to finish a fight. We work on physical conditioning exclusively for now. I want you to run through this obstacle course I set for you here," replied Aragorn as he pointed out a myriad of narrow planks and ropes put together precariously to form the route.
Legolas gulped as he eyed the seemingly unsteady terrain. Though an Elf, the youngest Prince of Mirkwood had never developed his innate sense of balance that all Elves possessed. He could walk on ropes, but only very slowly and only if they were secured very steadily on both sides; which the ropes of the official training course were, luckily for Legolas and Gimli. After all, the young Elf's life consisted of sitting in his library or going to speak with important Elves, neither of which required balance. But he trusted the Man; he knew Aragorn would not allow any harm to come to him. If his commander told him to run through the course, it must be safe enough to hold his weight. He just needed to be a little more careful.
Gathering his courage, he leapt onto the first plank at the beginning of the obstacle course. Much to his chagrin, the flimsy wood swayed with the addition of his weight, causing him to lose balance and fell back onto the floor. "Ai!"
"Get up and try it again," commanded the Man as he crossed his arms, watching the fallen Elf.
Legolas was very surprised that his lover did not try to help him up. He imagined Aragorn would be running to him by now, checking him for injuries. Why was the Man behaving so stern towards him? When he looked up at his commander's face, he found impatience and judgment at his inabilities, rather than compassion. The Elf felt more than a bit hurt and very inadequate when Aragorn watched him this way. But the Prince quickly convinced himself that the Man was being strict with him to ensure the quality of his training. He would probably never get better if he was pampered and looked after all the time.
Determined, Legolas rose and leapt onto the narrow board again, this time, shifting his body weight to counteract the movement of the plank. When he stood steady upon the swaying wood, he began to cautiously walk across to the rope ladder that he was supposed to climb to reach the next section.
"Faster. You would be dead if this were a real battle. Orcs archers might not have the best aim, but if you stay up there that long, some of the arrows are bound to hit you," shouted Aragorn, sounding every bit like a very demanding commander of the army, harsh enough to make the Elf shudder in his tracks. Legolas wondered where the gentle loving Man that kissed him goodnight two days ago had gone.
In response to his commander's demands, the Prince tried to hurry across the unstable platform, only to find himself losing footing and falling off once again onto his back. Except that this time, he fell from a greater height since the plank had an incline. His back ached from the impact and his head was spinning when he rose to sitting position. Before he could shake his head to clear it, he heard Aragorn's command. "Again. No resting until you finish the course once."
Grudgingly, the Prince complied. He could barely keep the contents of his stomach down when he stood and began the obstacle course anew. In his weakened condition, it was not long before the Elf fell again, this time from the rope ladder. Legolas did not have the upper body strength to support his weight for the climb. Once more, he was greeted by the Man's harsh voice demanding that he got up and began again.
Forcing himself onto his feet by sheer will, the golden Elf leapt onto the start of the course once more. Legolas was determined to finish the obstacle training. If he could not even do this shorter version of the actual route, there was no hope for his defeating Yulion at the competition of skills. He had told Aragorn to trust him and let him fight his own battle. The Man was respecting his wishes and helping him reached his goals; he would not give up so easily.
With single-minded determination, the Prince ran across the swaying plank. He was almost entirely up the rope ladder when a gust of wind suddenly arrived, jerking the rope violently. The Elf attempted to maintain his grip, but the wind proved too much a match for the fatigued Prince. Without warning, Legolas was blown off the rope and began to fall.
Everything happened so suddenly that the Man did not have enough time to move into position to catch the Elf. Aragorn had designed the course such that all the higher sections rested above a muddy area where the ground was soft. He wanted to be strict with Lasgalen since he knew the Elf would benefit most from a stern mentor. He wanted his student to do everything on his own. But because of the high winds, his beloved was blown away the underlying soft grounds to fall upon the hard forest floor. There was naught Aragorn could do except mutter a prayer to Elbereth as he rushed in vain towards the falling Elf.
But just before the moment of impact, a shadow moved out of the forest and caught Legolas before he hit the ground. The Man should be glad that his prayers were answered and that his Elf was unharmed, except that he was not. Aragorn was seething as the mystery rescuer turned out to be Yulion. Though Lasgalen told the Man that Aragorn alone held his affections, seeing the dark-haired recruit holding his student, smiling at the golden Elf like a hero to a damsel-in-distress, still incensed the Man greatly.
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Yulion could not find much rest in the land of sleep. His dilemma over his feelings for Lasgalen plagued his dreams as it did his waking thoughts. When the Elf finally decided to exit his uneasy sleep, he thought a walk through the forest would help clear his mind. What he did not expect was to find Aragorn giving the blond special training. Yulion was curious to see how his human commander planned to transform a hopeless klutz like Lasgalen into a warrior. Quietly, the dark-haired Elf crept up to the edge of the obstacle course to get a better view of the proceedings.
Yulion was surprised to find the Man so harsh on the fair-haired Elf. Aragorn was harsher with Lasgalen than he was with the other recruits during normal training. But that was not astonished the dark-haired recruit the most. It was the Prince's determination and persistence that touched him.
Instead of giving up or calling to his human lover to stop the training for a rest, Lasgalen endured the Man's harsh criticism and went back to improve his performance with each try at the course. Yulion knew that though the ground was soft, but the falls were not without their effects. Yet, after each fall, his fellow trainee was able to surpass his previous efforts through sheer determination despite his weakening physical condition. Even the dark-haired Elf's pragmatic side could not help being impressed.
His appraisal was abruptly interrupted when a gust of wind blew the Prince off the rope ladder. The Elf knew Aragorn could never reach Lasgalen in time. Without thought to the consequences, Yulion leapt out of the shadows to catch the falling Prince in his arms.
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"Are you alright?"
"Yes," replied Legolas with a weak smile. His entire body ached and he was in the arms of someone who had tricked and drugged him before. But he was not going to let himself show weakness in front of Aragorn or Yulion. "Thanks," added the Prince as he left the supporting arms of the dark- haired Elf.
"Don't mention it. I remember hearing you say that you wish to settle our score in person. I am rather looking forward to it. It will not do to have you fall and break something and delay our match," replied Yulion as he started to turn away to hide a blush, among other things. Lasgalen smelled nice, even after falling into the mud three times. That added a hint of the great outdoors to the Elf's seductive orchid scent. He could definitely get used to the idea of holding the golden Elf close all the time.
As soon as those words left his mouth, his love-struck side chastised him, This is the most stupid excuse I have ever heard. You should at least apologize for drugging him!
His musing was interrupted by Legolas' melodic voice, "I will try not to make you wait too long."
"Good," said the dark-haired Elf as he turned towards Lasgalen to offer a charming smile before disappearing into the forest.
When Legolas smiled in return at the vanishing form of his savior, the Man had recovered enough from shock and jealousy to speak. "If you will bring your attention back to the present, you have an obstacle course to finish. You will never amount to anything if you keep losing focus like that."
"Why are you like this? I know you are trying to help, but you don't have to insult me at every turn. Can't you see I am trying my best?" asked the Prince, frustrated at his beloved's harsh words and cold treatment. He could not see Aragorn trying to reach him when he fell. All he knew was he landed in Yulion's arms and had assumed the Man did not try to catch him, like his three previous falls. The Elf might want to fight his own battles, but he expected the Man to keep him safe, to watch his back. All Aragorn had done so far was yelled at him.
"If you cannot even endure the rigor of such a small obstacle course, I can see that I am wasting my time with this special training," replied Aragorn, still angry from the smiles his Elf had given Yulion. Jealousy was something new to the Man; and was thus, something he could not control. Feigning nonchalance, Aragorn turned and walked away, leaving the lone Elf on the field.
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Legolas could not believe what the Man had just said to him. How could Aragorn say such things only two days after they professed their feelings for each other? And for the Man to walk away as if he had nothing at stake so soon after he told the Prince he could hardly wait to court him officially? Why? Silent tears began to flow, as the Elf's knees gave, leaving him a trembling mass on the forest floor.
It was in this state that Gimli and Estel found their roommate. The parrot had almost completely recovered from his grief in the past two days due to Legolas' gentle care. The bird, realizing its beloved's friendship with the Dwarf, decided that it too would be friends with his former foe. It would greet Gimli every time he returned from training.
The Dwarf's attitude towards the cute little parrot had softened by its efforts to please. And when Estel learnt to repeat a Dwarf drinking song that Gimli had sung to amuse Legolas, the gruff warrior was completely won over. So it was that the Dwarf decided to take his new friend, parrot Estel, to visit Legolas in special training.
Both Dwarf and bird were upset to find the Prince crying on the floor and Aragorn nowhere in sight. This was not supposed to happen. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," replied Legolas as he tried to wipe off his tears.
"You do not cry over nothing," commented the Dwarf softly. Gimli was sure this had to do with his human commander. He could never understand how the Man could be so dense. Legolas was beautiful, gentle, smart, a good cook, everything a Man could ever desire. Yet instead of counting his blessings, Aragorn continued to make the golden Prince cry. Gimli had thought the Man would be the one to protect the Elf from harm, but it would seem that he was mistaken. In Gimli's mind, he was thinking he should never have trusted a human to do a Dwarf's job. As unhappy as he was with Aragorn, Gimli respected his friend's privacy; he did not want to prod if the Elf did not wish to disclose the details of what had happened.
"Estel bad," cried parrot Estel as he flapped his wings agitatedly. No, it's not talking about itself. The intelligent bird knew that human Estel had hurt its beloved. It wanted to get out of the cage and teach its namesake not to make Legolas sad again. When it saw how perfectly the Man and Elf fit together, it trusted its human counterpart to take care of the Elven beauty. But the Man had failed. In Estel's mind, it was making a note on how one should never trust a human to do a parrot's job.
"It's not his fault, little one," muttered the Prince as he rose and reached into the parrot's cage to pat Estel gently on its head to calm the enraged bird. "I am just not good enough."
"Nonsense, I saw your improvements in sword practice with only two days of training. One would be blind to not see your talents, Legolas," comforted Gimli as he offered an encouraging pat on the Elf's legs.
"Maybe you are just going about this all wrong," commented Haldir's voice from a distance.
The Guardian too was curious as to how special training went with the couple. He knew Aragorn had a reputation of being a very tough mentor; he could not help worrying now that the Man's mind was set on shaping the Prince into a capable warrior within a month. Legolas had never seen the stubborn, demanding side of his beloved commander. Haldir had hoped Aragorn had the sense to know being harsh on the Elf would only hurt the Prince's feelings, not help him build the confidence an accomplished fighter would need. Apparently, the Man was too dense to see that. In Haldir's mind, he noted that one should never trust a human to do an Elf's job.
"Aragorn is a great mentor, but he does not know you as I do. He does not know how to use your strengths in this training session. Now instead of jumping onto the course and running through it right away, I want you to study it for a while."
For the first time in the night, the Prince was not rushed into starting the course; instead he was asked to do what he did best. The Elf analyzed the obstacles to map out the fastest and easiest way through and evaluated the possible risks associated with the projected route. Within five minutes, Legolas was convinced he had found the tricks necessary to pass through the unstable terrain without falling.
"Now, try it," urged Haldir with a smile. The Guardian had been watching the tactical advisor of Mirkwood study the obstacle course. He knew from the Prince's slight smile that he had found a way through. It was time for Legolas to see how it was possible to use his intelligence to compliment physical prowess.
Instead of jumping onto the plank and trying to keep balance, the golden Elf leapt higher to grab a hold of a higher rope, swinging himself onto the swaying platform with relative ease. Still holding onto the rope for balance, he waited for a second for the board to still; once the motion stopped, Legolas raced towards the end as fast as he could. Because of the swiftness of the light-weighted Elf's movements, the platform did not start rocking until the Prince was close to the other end. This was, of course, anticipated; Legolas leapt forward to grab the rope ladder to steady himself. Instead of climbing the rope, the Prince used it as a swing to propel his slight frame onto a higher platform.
As expected, the plank shook when Legolas landed. The Elf knew his weakness was in keeping his footing, so he opted to dive onto the board to hold onto it with his hands. He knew that was the only sure way to prevent falling. When the swaying platform steadied, Legolas slowly stood and repeated his scheme of rushing forward at top speed to the next thing that could be used as to maintain balance.
After a few more rocking planks, the Prince soon found that he had adjusted to the motion and could keep his footing, relying minimally on the support of ropes and higher planks. Sooner than he anticipated, Legolas finished the obstacle course without falling once.
"I know you can do it lad," exclaimed an excited Gimli who rushed to embrace the Elf. Estel, still in its cage, flapped his wings joyously and started humming a happy song.
"See, you are good enough. You just have to remember that using your head and being a capable warrior are not mutually exclusive. An intelligent fighter is always better than a brute without a brain," commented Haldir as he patted his friend on the back. "Do you think you can repeat that a couple more times tonight?"
"Sure thing, Haldir," said Legolas with a small laugh before rushing to the obstacle course once more. For the first time in these three days, since he made his vow to defeat Yulion fairly in a competition of skills, the Prince could see his hopes becoming real possibilities.
Yeah, this chapter is abnormal, because it is written with less than 3 hours of sleep and when I am a hyperactive dose of Elf fix from Two Towers. Sorry in advance since this is not funny and is a little weird.
A/N: Oh yeah, if people have seen two towers, think of Yulion's debate as the quiet version of Gollum's in the movie =)
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Chapter 16:
Yulion missed the first competition of skills due to his injuries from his practice match with Aragorn. The dark-haired Elf was more than a little annoyed since he saw that as an opportunity to impress his Elven commanders. He knew there was little he could do to change the Man's view of him after what he did to Lasgalen.
Lasgalen.....Now that's a name that brought even more confusion to the already irritated Yulion. He still thought the blond Elf was a ditsy klutz, but Lasgalen was also kind, brave and very, very beautiful. Despite what Yulion had done, the fair-haired recruit stopped Aragorn from further injuring him. He even took the dark-haired Elf's side against their human commander.
The recruit from Rivendell knew it could possibly be a ploy to gain his friendship and popularity among the other Elves, but Lasgalen did not seem the type capable of such scheming. The golden Elf had the most expressive sapphire eyes Yulion had ever seen; and the fair-haired beauty's compassion shone through brightly as he helped him off the field two days ago.
Stop this train of thought right now. The blond is Aragorn's lover. You will only get yourself killed liking him, commanded the voice of reason in Yulion's head.
But Aragorn is known to have many lovers. Lasgalen is just one more. The one the Man is truly courting is Lady Arwen, countered the side of the dark-haired Elf that had taken a liking to the Prince.
Even if Aragorn dumps him, he won't consider you. You tricked and drugged him, remember? replied its antagonist half smugly, as it knew it had raised an argument that the irrational side of Yulion could not ignore.
But he helped me on the field, maybe he has forgiven me, hoped the love- struck part, turning mentally puppy-eyed.
You don't listen well. He said he wants to settle the score between the two of you in person. He saved you because he didn't want his lover to interfere, pointed out the rational voice, snickering at its counterpart for its love-induced hearing impediment.
The Elf's mental debate was interrupted when his friend, Acamalion, burst into his room.
"What is it?" asked Yulion impatiently as he spun round to face his friend, demanding a reason for the intrusion.
"I thought you might be interested in the scores of the competitions; judge who might challenge you for the squadron leader position," said Acamalion standing at the door as he could sense the annoyance from his popular friend. He knew his visit was not welcomed.
"I am not worried at all, actually. I have been watching everyone at practice and no one even comes close to my level," commented the dark- haired Elf with disinterest. He was much more keen on deciding what to do about his strange attraction to the blond Elf.
"Yeah, I suppose you are right," said the other recruit sheepishly. Acamalion knew not to get on Yulion's bad side; the result would likely be joining his friend for a few days of bed rest. "So how are you doing?"
"I should be able to resume training in two days if I get enough rest," replied Yulion, as he flopped lazily on the bed. It was not that he was tired; the Elf was just trying to send a not so subtle hint to Acamalion that it was time to leave.
"Alright, I guess I will just leave you be then," said the other Elf as he walked out of his friend's room, glad that Yulion was too injured to do anything bad to him.
However, the dark-haired Elf did not rest. He continued with his internal debate over the course of action concerning Lasgalen until sleep overtook him many hours later.
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"So what are we doing tonight?" asked Legolas. This was the first night of his special training under Aragorn. For the past two days, the Elf had thought of nothing else besides getting ready for the exercises. He wanted to do well not only to please his instructor but also to accelerate the process of becoming a capable warrior. As much as he trusted Aragorn's feelings for him, he could not help wishing the Man would stop seeing Arwen. It did not sit well with the Prince's royal blood that he should be his commander's lover in the shadows.
"You are a very fast learner, but skills alone will not take you far without the necessary stamina to finish a fight. We work on physical conditioning exclusively for now. I want you to run through this obstacle course I set for you here," replied Aragorn as he pointed out a myriad of narrow planks and ropes put together precariously to form the route.
Legolas gulped as he eyed the seemingly unsteady terrain. Though an Elf, the youngest Prince of Mirkwood had never developed his innate sense of balance that all Elves possessed. He could walk on ropes, but only very slowly and only if they were secured very steadily on both sides; which the ropes of the official training course were, luckily for Legolas and Gimli. After all, the young Elf's life consisted of sitting in his library or going to speak with important Elves, neither of which required balance. But he trusted the Man; he knew Aragorn would not allow any harm to come to him. If his commander told him to run through the course, it must be safe enough to hold his weight. He just needed to be a little more careful.
Gathering his courage, he leapt onto the first plank at the beginning of the obstacle course. Much to his chagrin, the flimsy wood swayed with the addition of his weight, causing him to lose balance and fell back onto the floor. "Ai!"
"Get up and try it again," commanded the Man as he crossed his arms, watching the fallen Elf.
Legolas was very surprised that his lover did not try to help him up. He imagined Aragorn would be running to him by now, checking him for injuries. Why was the Man behaving so stern towards him? When he looked up at his commander's face, he found impatience and judgment at his inabilities, rather than compassion. The Elf felt more than a bit hurt and very inadequate when Aragorn watched him this way. But the Prince quickly convinced himself that the Man was being strict with him to ensure the quality of his training. He would probably never get better if he was pampered and looked after all the time.
Determined, Legolas rose and leapt onto the narrow board again, this time, shifting his body weight to counteract the movement of the plank. When he stood steady upon the swaying wood, he began to cautiously walk across to the rope ladder that he was supposed to climb to reach the next section.
"Faster. You would be dead if this were a real battle. Orcs archers might not have the best aim, but if you stay up there that long, some of the arrows are bound to hit you," shouted Aragorn, sounding every bit like a very demanding commander of the army, harsh enough to make the Elf shudder in his tracks. Legolas wondered where the gentle loving Man that kissed him goodnight two days ago had gone.
In response to his commander's demands, the Prince tried to hurry across the unstable platform, only to find himself losing footing and falling off once again onto his back. Except that this time, he fell from a greater height since the plank had an incline. His back ached from the impact and his head was spinning when he rose to sitting position. Before he could shake his head to clear it, he heard Aragorn's command. "Again. No resting until you finish the course once."
Grudgingly, the Prince complied. He could barely keep the contents of his stomach down when he stood and began the obstacle course anew. In his weakened condition, it was not long before the Elf fell again, this time from the rope ladder. Legolas did not have the upper body strength to support his weight for the climb. Once more, he was greeted by the Man's harsh voice demanding that he got up and began again.
Forcing himself onto his feet by sheer will, the golden Elf leapt onto the start of the course once more. Legolas was determined to finish the obstacle training. If he could not even do this shorter version of the actual route, there was no hope for his defeating Yulion at the competition of skills. He had told Aragorn to trust him and let him fight his own battle. The Man was respecting his wishes and helping him reached his goals; he would not give up so easily.
With single-minded determination, the Prince ran across the swaying plank. He was almost entirely up the rope ladder when a gust of wind suddenly arrived, jerking the rope violently. The Elf attempted to maintain his grip, but the wind proved too much a match for the fatigued Prince. Without warning, Legolas was blown off the rope and began to fall.
Everything happened so suddenly that the Man did not have enough time to move into position to catch the Elf. Aragorn had designed the course such that all the higher sections rested above a muddy area where the ground was soft. He wanted to be strict with Lasgalen since he knew the Elf would benefit most from a stern mentor. He wanted his student to do everything on his own. But because of the high winds, his beloved was blown away the underlying soft grounds to fall upon the hard forest floor. There was naught Aragorn could do except mutter a prayer to Elbereth as he rushed in vain towards the falling Elf.
But just before the moment of impact, a shadow moved out of the forest and caught Legolas before he hit the ground. The Man should be glad that his prayers were answered and that his Elf was unharmed, except that he was not. Aragorn was seething as the mystery rescuer turned out to be Yulion. Though Lasgalen told the Man that Aragorn alone held his affections, seeing the dark-haired recruit holding his student, smiling at the golden Elf like a hero to a damsel-in-distress, still incensed the Man greatly.
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Yulion could not find much rest in the land of sleep. His dilemma over his feelings for Lasgalen plagued his dreams as it did his waking thoughts. When the Elf finally decided to exit his uneasy sleep, he thought a walk through the forest would help clear his mind. What he did not expect was to find Aragorn giving the blond special training. Yulion was curious to see how his human commander planned to transform a hopeless klutz like Lasgalen into a warrior. Quietly, the dark-haired Elf crept up to the edge of the obstacle course to get a better view of the proceedings.
Yulion was surprised to find the Man so harsh on the fair-haired Elf. Aragorn was harsher with Lasgalen than he was with the other recruits during normal training. But that was not astonished the dark-haired recruit the most. It was the Prince's determination and persistence that touched him.
Instead of giving up or calling to his human lover to stop the training for a rest, Lasgalen endured the Man's harsh criticism and went back to improve his performance with each try at the course. Yulion knew that though the ground was soft, but the falls were not without their effects. Yet, after each fall, his fellow trainee was able to surpass his previous efforts through sheer determination despite his weakening physical condition. Even the dark-haired Elf's pragmatic side could not help being impressed.
His appraisal was abruptly interrupted when a gust of wind blew the Prince off the rope ladder. The Elf knew Aragorn could never reach Lasgalen in time. Without thought to the consequences, Yulion leapt out of the shadows to catch the falling Prince in his arms.
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"Are you alright?"
"Yes," replied Legolas with a weak smile. His entire body ached and he was in the arms of someone who had tricked and drugged him before. But he was not going to let himself show weakness in front of Aragorn or Yulion. "Thanks," added the Prince as he left the supporting arms of the dark- haired Elf.
"Don't mention it. I remember hearing you say that you wish to settle our score in person. I am rather looking forward to it. It will not do to have you fall and break something and delay our match," replied Yulion as he started to turn away to hide a blush, among other things. Lasgalen smelled nice, even after falling into the mud three times. That added a hint of the great outdoors to the Elf's seductive orchid scent. He could definitely get used to the idea of holding the golden Elf close all the time.
As soon as those words left his mouth, his love-struck side chastised him, This is the most stupid excuse I have ever heard. You should at least apologize for drugging him!
His musing was interrupted by Legolas' melodic voice, "I will try not to make you wait too long."
"Good," said the dark-haired Elf as he turned towards Lasgalen to offer a charming smile before disappearing into the forest.
When Legolas smiled in return at the vanishing form of his savior, the Man had recovered enough from shock and jealousy to speak. "If you will bring your attention back to the present, you have an obstacle course to finish. You will never amount to anything if you keep losing focus like that."
"Why are you like this? I know you are trying to help, but you don't have to insult me at every turn. Can't you see I am trying my best?" asked the Prince, frustrated at his beloved's harsh words and cold treatment. He could not see Aragorn trying to reach him when he fell. All he knew was he landed in Yulion's arms and had assumed the Man did not try to catch him, like his three previous falls. The Elf might want to fight his own battles, but he expected the Man to keep him safe, to watch his back. All Aragorn had done so far was yelled at him.
"If you cannot even endure the rigor of such a small obstacle course, I can see that I am wasting my time with this special training," replied Aragorn, still angry from the smiles his Elf had given Yulion. Jealousy was something new to the Man; and was thus, something he could not control. Feigning nonchalance, Aragorn turned and walked away, leaving the lone Elf on the field.
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Legolas could not believe what the Man had just said to him. How could Aragorn say such things only two days after they professed their feelings for each other? And for the Man to walk away as if he had nothing at stake so soon after he told the Prince he could hardly wait to court him officially? Why? Silent tears began to flow, as the Elf's knees gave, leaving him a trembling mass on the forest floor.
It was in this state that Gimli and Estel found their roommate. The parrot had almost completely recovered from his grief in the past two days due to Legolas' gentle care. The bird, realizing its beloved's friendship with the Dwarf, decided that it too would be friends with his former foe. It would greet Gimli every time he returned from training.
The Dwarf's attitude towards the cute little parrot had softened by its efforts to please. And when Estel learnt to repeat a Dwarf drinking song that Gimli had sung to amuse Legolas, the gruff warrior was completely won over. So it was that the Dwarf decided to take his new friend, parrot Estel, to visit Legolas in special training.
Both Dwarf and bird were upset to find the Prince crying on the floor and Aragorn nowhere in sight. This was not supposed to happen. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," replied Legolas as he tried to wipe off his tears.
"You do not cry over nothing," commented the Dwarf softly. Gimli was sure this had to do with his human commander. He could never understand how the Man could be so dense. Legolas was beautiful, gentle, smart, a good cook, everything a Man could ever desire. Yet instead of counting his blessings, Aragorn continued to make the golden Prince cry. Gimli had thought the Man would be the one to protect the Elf from harm, but it would seem that he was mistaken. In Gimli's mind, he was thinking he should never have trusted a human to do a Dwarf's job. As unhappy as he was with Aragorn, Gimli respected his friend's privacy; he did not want to prod if the Elf did not wish to disclose the details of what had happened.
"Estel bad," cried parrot Estel as he flapped his wings agitatedly. No, it's not talking about itself. The intelligent bird knew that human Estel had hurt its beloved. It wanted to get out of the cage and teach its namesake not to make Legolas sad again. When it saw how perfectly the Man and Elf fit together, it trusted its human counterpart to take care of the Elven beauty. But the Man had failed. In Estel's mind, it was making a note on how one should never trust a human to do a parrot's job.
"It's not his fault, little one," muttered the Prince as he rose and reached into the parrot's cage to pat Estel gently on its head to calm the enraged bird. "I am just not good enough."
"Nonsense, I saw your improvements in sword practice with only two days of training. One would be blind to not see your talents, Legolas," comforted Gimli as he offered an encouraging pat on the Elf's legs.
"Maybe you are just going about this all wrong," commented Haldir's voice from a distance.
The Guardian too was curious as to how special training went with the couple. He knew Aragorn had a reputation of being a very tough mentor; he could not help worrying now that the Man's mind was set on shaping the Prince into a capable warrior within a month. Legolas had never seen the stubborn, demanding side of his beloved commander. Haldir had hoped Aragorn had the sense to know being harsh on the Elf would only hurt the Prince's feelings, not help him build the confidence an accomplished fighter would need. Apparently, the Man was too dense to see that. In Haldir's mind, he noted that one should never trust a human to do an Elf's job.
"Aragorn is a great mentor, but he does not know you as I do. He does not know how to use your strengths in this training session. Now instead of jumping onto the course and running through it right away, I want you to study it for a while."
For the first time in the night, the Prince was not rushed into starting the course; instead he was asked to do what he did best. The Elf analyzed the obstacles to map out the fastest and easiest way through and evaluated the possible risks associated with the projected route. Within five minutes, Legolas was convinced he had found the tricks necessary to pass through the unstable terrain without falling.
"Now, try it," urged Haldir with a smile. The Guardian had been watching the tactical advisor of Mirkwood study the obstacle course. He knew from the Prince's slight smile that he had found a way through. It was time for Legolas to see how it was possible to use his intelligence to compliment physical prowess.
Instead of jumping onto the plank and trying to keep balance, the golden Elf leapt higher to grab a hold of a higher rope, swinging himself onto the swaying platform with relative ease. Still holding onto the rope for balance, he waited for a second for the board to still; once the motion stopped, Legolas raced towards the end as fast as he could. Because of the swiftness of the light-weighted Elf's movements, the platform did not start rocking until the Prince was close to the other end. This was, of course, anticipated; Legolas leapt forward to grab the rope ladder to steady himself. Instead of climbing the rope, the Prince used it as a swing to propel his slight frame onto a higher platform.
As expected, the plank shook when Legolas landed. The Elf knew his weakness was in keeping his footing, so he opted to dive onto the board to hold onto it with his hands. He knew that was the only sure way to prevent falling. When the swaying platform steadied, Legolas slowly stood and repeated his scheme of rushing forward at top speed to the next thing that could be used as to maintain balance.
After a few more rocking planks, the Prince soon found that he had adjusted to the motion and could keep his footing, relying minimally on the support of ropes and higher planks. Sooner than he anticipated, Legolas finished the obstacle course without falling once.
"I know you can do it lad," exclaimed an excited Gimli who rushed to embrace the Elf. Estel, still in its cage, flapped his wings joyously and started humming a happy song.
"See, you are good enough. You just have to remember that using your head and being a capable warrior are not mutually exclusive. An intelligent fighter is always better than a brute without a brain," commented Haldir as he patted his friend on the back. "Do you think you can repeat that a couple more times tonight?"
"Sure thing, Haldir," said Legolas with a small laugh before rushing to the obstacle course once more. For the first time in these three days, since he made his vow to defeat Yulion fairly in a competition of skills, the Prince could see his hopes becoming real possibilities.