Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Please, please review. And Happy New Year to all my readers =)
A/N: I have starved myself of Two Towers for a week, which is slowly making it possible to get my feet back on the ground. So, I will start work again my serious things. Writing this first because I want to post something before New Year to let people know I am still alive =) My angsty fictions are beta-ed so will not be out before 2003.
Gave one of my favorite Legolas lines in Two Towers to Haldir, sorry =)
************************************************************************
Chapter 17:
Legolas felt wondrous sore after his nightly exertions. It had been a week since he began special training under Haldir. He spent each night running through various obstacle courses, shooting arrows and learning how to fight with swords and Lòrien hunting knives. In fact, since the Guardian of Lòrien was sparring with Gimli to show the Prince how to fight, Legolas had picked up the fundamentals of wielding an axe as well. He still remembered not knowing to be flattered or insulted when Gimli stated that the Elven Prince must have been a Dwarf in the wrong body, looking at him the way a proud parent regarded his favorite child.
Usually, the young Elf was so exhausted after special training that he under-performed during normal training in the day. It was fine with the Prince for he did not wish to show his fellow recruits his true abilities yet. He wished for them to underestimate him; it would make winning his way through the elimination rounds to the final match with Yulion easier in the swords competition.
Legolas knew that he did not have a chance at beating the dark-haired Elf in the obstacle course race; after all, he had to stay back to keep an eye of Gimli. The Dwarf had done so much for him, offering support and friendship when none would. Nothing could make the Prince leave his roommate behind. At the same time, he was quite confident that he could win the archery contest. The young Elf had surpassed the Guardian of Lòrien in bow skills just the night before. All his arrows hit the center of the target and he actually managed to split his arrows at the bulls-eye. Even Haldir was impressed and proclaimed him to be a natural shot. After the compliment, the older Elf taught Legolas how to make arrows. The poor Prince spent the whole night replenishing those he destroyed. He decided that no matter what happened, he would not split his arrows again, even if it meant losing to Lòrien Elf.
This left the overall winner of the competition of skills to be determined by the sword-fighting match. The Prince knew that despite his special training, his stamina still left much to be desired. That was why he had deliberately played the slacker during normal practice, leading others to believe he was not a threat. In addition, it gave him time to observe his dark-haired opponent. Tomorrow would be the day he proved himself worthy.
************************************************************************
It had been a week since he walked out on Lasgalen in the middle of special training. Aragorn's anger still had not abated. It normally would have since it was extremely difficult to stay angry with the beautiful, sweet, golden Elf. However, his student had given the Man a cause for jealousy every single day he walked onto the field. The recruit was watching Yulion all the time during practice. He knew Lasgalen told him that he wanted only to best the dark-haired Elf, but that was before Yulion saved him from a very nasty fall. Aragorn knew first-hand how easy it was for people to fall for the strong hero who came to their rescue. That was how he got a significant portion of his experience in the area of bodily pleasures. He could not help but wonder if Lasgalen harbored some affection for the Rivendell Elf.
Haldir came to demand that Aragorn apologize to the young Elf a week ago. The Guardian told him that Lasgalen had been through warrior training once and that the harsher conventional methods would not help the young recruit reached his full potential. Still extremely irritated, the Man retorted that anyone who could not even withstand the rigors of training had no business being involved in the rage of war.
Aragorn had never seen an Elf other than his foster family angry; that night he was privileged to the very rare sight of an incensed Guardian of Lòrien. Haldir basically told him to stay away from Lasgalen from now on and that he could not believe he once thought Aragorn would be the one to make his Elven friend happy in very colorful language. At that point in time, the Man was too annoyed to care; but now when he thought back on it, Aragorn suspected he lost one of his most powerful allies in winning Lasgalen as his rightful mate.
The Man had not spoken his Elf for the entire week; the situation was becoming unbearable. Lasgalen had been ignoring him and watching that dark- haired recruit. If Aragorn had not promised that he would not hurt Yulion again, he would have challenged the Elf for a rematch. But a promise was a promise; the heir to the throne of Gondor could not go back on his word. He also wanted to march up to his student and claim those rosy lips in front of the entire camp to let everyone know that Lasgalen was taken. But he feared that his Elf would suffer repercussions for the kiss if words were to reach Arwen. In addition, he had a feeling that Lasgalen would be even angrier with him if he were to force a kiss upon the young Elf. He had experience with that first-hand.
Aragorn considered approaching his Elf to talk, but he knew an apology would be expected. But since he trained all his soldiers the same way and he was only trying to help Lasgalen become a warrior, the Man was convinced he had done nothing wrong. Maybe walking out on his student was a little harsh, but what was he supposed to do when his Elf was smiling so sweetly at Yulion as if he was not there? He could not just ignore it and act as if nothing was wrong. If anything, he had a right to be annoyed, not the other way around. Lasgalen should be the one coming to him!
If Aragorn had not angered his allies, namely Haldir and Gimli, he was sure they could talk the Elven recruit into coming to him. But since both Lòrien Elf and Dwarf no longer considered him a suitable match with Lasgalen, the Man knew the chances of the golden Elf making the first move was minimal. So it was that the Man was at a loss of what to do, except to stew in his own continuous jealous rage, wondering if his Elf had fallen for another.
************************************************************************
Yulion could feel eyes on him ever since he began training again. He also knew it was Lasgalen watching. He wondered if the blond Elf was interested in him as a possible partner. It was easy to see that things were not going well between Aragorn and Lasgalen. When he returned to spy on the golden Prince's special training after the first night, he was greeted by one of the arrows from the Guardian of Lòrien. The shaft hit only a few millimeters from his feet. Somehow, Haldir had taken over as the golden Elf's mentor. As much as the dark-haired Elf wished to watch Lasgalen trained, he did not wander into that part of the woods again, knowing the older Elf would sense him and make good of his threat of forcing Yulion to miss another competition of skills.
The optimistic part of the Rivendell Elf was telling him he had a chance. The pessimistic part was stating that Lasgalen was up to something. Regardless, Yulion decided he would not waste the opportunity of showing off for the golden Elf. The dark-haired recruit could not remember a time when he fought as hard in the training match. On some levels, he was beginning to feel sorry for Acamalion, his training partner, who was straining to keep up and not get beaten up severely. Quietly, Yulion decided that he would make it up to his friend later, after he won the young beauty's affections.
************************************************************************
"So what are we doing tonight?" asked an excited Legolas, eager to make final preparations for the competitions tomorrow.
"Nothing physical, just meditation," replied Haldir as he slowly strolled to join the Prince, Gimli and parrot Estel.
"But shouldn't we make some special preparations for tomorrow?" asked the younger Elf, frowning at the thought of spending the night thinking.
"Meditation? You Elves are so strange," commented Gimli, who could never understood how the fair creatures could just stand still and stare into a distance for hours thinking. Dwarves were never so patient.
Parrot Estel too wanted to make his comment, but it was in response to Gimli's calling its beloved strange. The bird found it insulting that anyone should call the golden Elf such a thing. Carefully choosing words from his limited vocabulary, Estel cried, "Stupid Dwarf!" It learnt that from Haldir when Gimli interrupted training one of these nights thinking the new obstacle course the archer designed was impossible for Legolas. Of course, the Prince persisted and, in the end, found a way to finish the route.
"Estel, remember you are living with us. I can toss you out if you do not behave," retorted an angry Gimli. It was just an empty threat; the Dwarf was too fond of the little green bird to throw it out. But Estel did not know that. And the parrot certainly needed to learn some manners and to never insult a Dwarf again. If the bird said that to any other Dwarven warriors, it would be dead within a second. In a way, Gimli was doing this for parrot Estel's own good.
At the threat of forced separation from its beloved Elf, parrot Estel immediately quieted. In fact, it stopped all movements and hid its head in shame. The bird knew it could not survive another parting with Legolas.
"It's time to get started. I want you to close your eyes and tell me what you hear in the woods around us," instructed Haldir as he held up his hand to make sure both Gimli and Estel stopped their bantering.
"I could hear Gimli breathe," replied Legolas, as he opened his eyes again.
"Try again. This time use not only your ears, free your mind and allow nature to embrace you," prompted the Guardian of Lòrien with an encouraging smile before asking the younger Elf to close his eyes again.
Long moments passed in silence before the Prince spoke. "The wind ... The sound of water flowing... the falls in Rivendell and the river.....Wait a minute, the trees, I can hear the trees!! They are telling me there will be a storm tomorrow!"
"Very good, you are a wood Elf, my Prince. The ability to sense the warnings of nature was particularly strong in your blood. To sense danger in advance is a very important skill for an Elven warrior. Most fighters develop this ability slowly through experience; but it is possible to accelerate the learning process using meditation exercises. I can only guide you; but it is entirely up to you to make best use of this special training to hone your senses. Shall we begin in earnest?"
"Well, I think it will be better if we are not here to distract our friend. We will return to camp now. And Haldir, don't forget to let Legolas off early tonight. He will need his strength tomorrow," said Gimli as he began to walk back to their room with Estel in tow. As much as he liked the Prince, there was no way the Dwarf would stay and watch Legolas stand around immobile with eyes closed the entire night.
************************************************************************
The day of the second competition of skills had finally come. Legolas was well rested for the occasion, as Haldir had sent him back to sleep after three hours of special meditation exercises. He would be excited if he did not know it was going to rain. He hoped the storm would not be so bad that they had to cancel the events.
The competition was held in the reverse order of their usual training routine. First would be the obstacle course, then the archery target match and finally the sword-fighting competition. The Prince knew he needed to save his strength for the latter two events; he fully intended to finish close to last for the obstacle portion of the competition.
************************************************************************
As the recruits convened at the starting lines, the commanders bade them to be careful before waving the flag to begin the race. Aragorn was more nervous than any of the trainees. He was more than a bit worried for Lasgalen since obstacle courses were his Elf's weakest suit. He knew that even with special training, stamina could not be built within a week. It took constant physical conditioning to develop the endurance befitting an Elven warrior.
Besides, the Man had not gone to see the young recruit's nightly exercises. From his observation in normal training, Aragorn feared that Lasgalen would be unable to complete the route at all within the time limit. If the young Elf failed to finish within two hours, he would not be allowed to continue onto the other portions of the competition.. More than once for the past week, Aragorn found himself wandering towards the woods where Lasgalen trained. But every time, he stopped himself before he got too close since he knew Haldir would sense him.
Though Aragorn did not fear the Guardian of Lòrien, he preferred not to make yet another enemy among the ranking officers. The twins were already mad at him for opting for Lasgalen over Arwen; he did not need Haldir's animosity as well. The older Elf had suddenly turned over-protective over his student the way Gimli was. Confrontation was guaranteed if the Guardian caught the Man spying before he apologized to Lasgalen, which Aragorn was still stubbornly refusing to do.
But as he watched his student and Gimli lagged behind the other Elves rather significantly so early on in the race, the Man could not help having a bad feeling. In addition, even Aragorn was beginning to notice the darkening skies that signified a storm. No matter what happened between himself and Lasgalen, Aragorn would die before he allowed his Elf to get wounded again. Quietly, he slipped away from the twins and Haldir to follow his Elf at the edge of the woods. He would be there for Lasgalen if the golden beauty required his assistance.
************************************************************************
Aragorn's disappearance was not lost on the Elven ranking officers. "Maybe we should just disqualify that blond Elf. We can never be sure whether our foster brother is helping him or not," remarked Elladan as he crossed his arms, obviously not please at all at Aragorn's behavior.
"Lasgalen would never accept Aragorn's help in the competition. If he did, he would tell us and withdraw from the competition himself," retorted Haldir, annoyed at the apparent animosity the twins had towards his friend.
Haldir was really angry with Aragorn for hurting the Prince's feelings and refusing to apologize. But the Lòrien had calmed somewhat since that night a week ago. And now, seeing his human friend sneaked off to keep an eye on the golden Elf, Haldir decided that the Man was just stubborn and stupid. With lots of help, Aragorn should be able to learn to understand Legolas and treat him with the proper care. After all, the Man knew nothing of the Prince's true background and sensitivities. He could not truly blame Aragorn for being unsympathetic and callous of the younger Elf's need for encouragement in place of harsh training.
The elder twin was about to continue the argument when his younger brother put a restraining hand on him. Through a special mental link shared by all Elven twins, Elrohir spoke in his brother's mind. "Haldir is in league with the blond. He knows a lot more than he is willing to admit."
"You think we can get him to talk?" inquired a curious Elladan.
The twins had been asking around for information concerning the fair- haired trainee for the past week. But no one could give them any useful details since Lasgalen kept to the Dwarf's and Haldir's companion almost exclusively. They knew it was not deliberate on the blonde's part, since he had become the laughing stock of the entire camp ever since the first day of training.
But this made it very difficult for the two of them to discover the golden Elf's true identity. They were considering consulting their father or Lord Glorfindel as a last resort. The twins were sure Lasgalen was someone of importance; the ancient Elves might have met him before in some sort of council. However, they did not wish to bother the two Elf-lords unless they had no other choice. Both Elladan and Elrohir knew how busy the Lords of Imladris were and how irritable they got when interrupted.
"Don't know. We will need a really good plan though. Haldir is a tricky one," replied Elrohir as he mentally stroked his chin to try to devise a trap for the unsuspecting Guardian of Lòrien.
************************************************************************
The storm could not have come at a more inopportune time. Legolas and Gimli were half way through the obstacle course when rain began to pour. The Prince's balance had improved drastically since he began training, but his friend's had not. Dwarves were not made to walk on ropes or jump around on trees. With the slippery conditions, the Elf found it necessary to rush back to Gimli's side to prevent the Dwarf from falling on many occasions. At this rate, Legolas was not sure if he could finish the race in two hours.
Seeing his friend's worried expression as the Elf gazed out into a distance towards the finish line, Gimli said, "You go ahead. I will be fine." But even speaking was enough to distract the Dwarf enough into losing balance under the terrible weather. He was barely able to finish his sentence before his left foot slipped on the wet branch.
"No, I am not leaving you here in the rain. We both know you cannot do this without me," argued the Elf, as he once again materialized beside the Dwarf to steady him.
"I take offense in that presumption," exclaimed Gimli, pretending to be angry as he tried to shrug off the Prince's hand. But the movement sent the Dwarf, who was precariously balanced on the narrow branch, tumbling forward. He would have fallen if Legolas had not caught the back of his armor in time. "Thanks."
"No problem. I do want to win the competition today, but I don't want it enough that I am willing to leave a good friend like you out here alone. We do this together, or we don't do it at all," said the Prince as he began to guide the Dwarf through the trees by the hand.
************************************************************************
Aragorn watched from afar, feeling so proud of his Elf that he decided he would take the first step to make amends to Lasgalen as soon as the race was over. He still did not think he did anything wrong, but the Man would do anything to keep this special Elf by his side. It was not every day that one found someone who was so beautiful inside and out. Since Aragorn was lucky enough to meet Lasgalen and held his affections, he was not about to let his stubbornness or jealousy interfere with his plans to take the Elf as rightful mate. Before, he had been attracted by the golden one's beauty, intelligence, innocence and compassion; now the Elf's loyalty and strength were added onto the list of wonderful qualities that enthralled the Man. Isildur's heir knew, at that moment, without a doubt, that Lasgalen was the best possible consort he could ever have by his side when he reclaims the throne of Gondor.
************************************************************************
"Time is almost up," smirked Elrohir, glad that the blond and the Dwarf was still nowhere in sight. He knew Aragorn was already besotted with Lasgalen as was; if the fair-haired Elf were to become a capable warrior, nothing would stop the Man from making a horrible mistake that would undoubtedly leave him heartbroken. Though the twins did not have proof, they were sure Lasgalen was not what he seemed. They knew the recruit was using their foster brother to further his hidden agenda.
"There is still at least ten minutes," replied the Lòrien archer, who was beginning to worry. He knew Legolas would not leave Gimli. Normally, it would not be a problem; but with the bad weather, the Dwarf would have a lot more difficulty in getting through the race, slowing the Prince down significantly. He had hoped until this point that both would make it before the two hours limit was up.
The Elves were rather intent on watching the finishing line that they did not see Aragorn creeping up behind them. "They will be here shortly."
No sooner than the Man finished his sentence did the two recruits concerned appeared on the edge of the forest. Gimli looked exhausted; the Elf looked a bit tired as well from the exercise. But they both crossed the finish line with more than five minutes to spare.
"Le ab-dollen, [You are late.]" said Haldir, pulling a straight face. When the Prince looked at him in puzzlement, he added as he noted the horrible state of the two recruit's clothes, "And you look terrible."
When Legolas smiled, the Lòrien Elf pulled his friend aside and whispered, "Aragorn was following you."
"I know. I sensed him through the race, why?" The Prince blushed slightly as he discovered others were also aware of the Man's actions.
"I think he is worried that you might get hurt," replied Haldir as he continued walking away towards camp with Legolas in tow. Aloud, he said to the others before anyone could protest, "We are just going to get changed into something dry. We'll be back before archery competition."
"Why do you think that? He did not even bother to try to catch me when I fell during my first night of special training," fumed Legolas. He was not so much angry as he was hurt. But anger was a much more bearable emotion than pain, so the Prince decided that he would make himself irritated at the Man instead.
"I am sure he would have caught you if he thought you were in danger of getting hurt. Aragorn is known to be a tough trainer. He doesn't know what happened in your previous warrior training. He was probably just doing what he thought best for you," consoled Haldir as he placed a friendly arm around the younger Elf's shoulders.
"And saying hurtful words and walking out on me was best for me?" yelled the Prince, not at all comforted by the Lòrien Elf.
"That's a different matter entirely. He was just being stupid in his jealousy."
"Why was he jealous? I told him I like only him!" cried a frustrated Legolas, not understanding the Man's strange hurtful behavior.
"You are extremely beautiful and Yulion was clearly becoming interested in you. None of Aragorn's other lovers before were as innocent as you are. You cannot expect an experienced Man like him to trust you entirely just because you told him only he held your love. He does not know you as we do, my friend," reasoned the Guardian of Lòrien as he led Legolas back to his room.
The archer was not sure if Aragorn was about to make the first move to make amends with the Prince. But he was going to help the clueless Man just this one last time. Haldir was going to make the young Elf looked beautiful enough to wow even the twins. He was certain Aragorn would not be able to resist the Elven beauty and would do whatever it took to win Legolas back.
"You cannot mean what you said. Lady Arwen is his current lover," whispered a shocked Prince. Legolas had always thought of the Lady as noble and impeccable, except maybe with the exception of a little bit of a temper.
"You didn't hear it from me, but Aragorn is not her first lover. She went through at least two others when she trained to be a noble lady under Lady Galadriel in Lothlòrien. Everyone in the Golden Woods knew, even the Lord and Lady; but Elves are in general open-minded, so they did not interfere," muttered Haldir into his friend's ears.
"But.."
The Guardian of Lòrien knew the Prince was going to bring up the incident of the disaster between one of his older brothers and Arwen, so he continued before Legolas finished his sentence. "Lord Elrond does not know of his daughter's dalliances. If Arwen liked your brother, the argument between Mirkwood and Rivendell would not have happened."
"That is horrible. Did she have anything idea how much work I had to do just to convince Lord Elrond not to rise arms against us to defend her honor?!" yelled an very irritated Legolas, whose mouth was immediately clamped shut for the archer's strong hands.
Haldir was glad they were already alone in his rooms with no one within earshot. If any one were to overhear their conversation, the Prince's cover would be blown; which would not do at all for several reasons. The first would be the extra tension between the Elven kingdoms; but more importantly, his young friend would lose the chance to become Aragorn's rightful consort.
If the Man discovered the truth now, he would be extremely angry and would probably never forgive the Prince. It was likely that the twins could convince their foster brother that his young friend was only using Aragorn's affections to get information for Mirkwood. But if Legolas earned the respect of everyone on his own strength, Aragorn would know the Elf did not use their relationship to further his mission. It was clear to the Lòrien archer that the Ranger was completely in love with the Prince; he was sure given time and enough prompting, the Man would be willing to forgive Legolas for the deception.
"Sshh. The past is in the past. Let's get you some new clothes for the remainder of the day. I think the storm will clear by lunch time," said Haldir as he began to select a special outfit for his young friend to dazzle everyone at camp.
Please, please review. And Happy New Year to all my readers =)
A/N: I have starved myself of Two Towers for a week, which is slowly making it possible to get my feet back on the ground. So, I will start work again my serious things. Writing this first because I want to post something before New Year to let people know I am still alive =) My angsty fictions are beta-ed so will not be out before 2003.
Gave one of my favorite Legolas lines in Two Towers to Haldir, sorry =)
************************************************************************
Chapter 17:
Legolas felt wondrous sore after his nightly exertions. It had been a week since he began special training under Haldir. He spent each night running through various obstacle courses, shooting arrows and learning how to fight with swords and Lòrien hunting knives. In fact, since the Guardian of Lòrien was sparring with Gimli to show the Prince how to fight, Legolas had picked up the fundamentals of wielding an axe as well. He still remembered not knowing to be flattered or insulted when Gimli stated that the Elven Prince must have been a Dwarf in the wrong body, looking at him the way a proud parent regarded his favorite child.
Usually, the young Elf was so exhausted after special training that he under-performed during normal training in the day. It was fine with the Prince for he did not wish to show his fellow recruits his true abilities yet. He wished for them to underestimate him; it would make winning his way through the elimination rounds to the final match with Yulion easier in the swords competition.
Legolas knew that he did not have a chance at beating the dark-haired Elf in the obstacle course race; after all, he had to stay back to keep an eye of Gimli. The Dwarf had done so much for him, offering support and friendship when none would. Nothing could make the Prince leave his roommate behind. At the same time, he was quite confident that he could win the archery contest. The young Elf had surpassed the Guardian of Lòrien in bow skills just the night before. All his arrows hit the center of the target and he actually managed to split his arrows at the bulls-eye. Even Haldir was impressed and proclaimed him to be a natural shot. After the compliment, the older Elf taught Legolas how to make arrows. The poor Prince spent the whole night replenishing those he destroyed. He decided that no matter what happened, he would not split his arrows again, even if it meant losing to Lòrien Elf.
This left the overall winner of the competition of skills to be determined by the sword-fighting match. The Prince knew that despite his special training, his stamina still left much to be desired. That was why he had deliberately played the slacker during normal practice, leading others to believe he was not a threat. In addition, it gave him time to observe his dark-haired opponent. Tomorrow would be the day he proved himself worthy.
************************************************************************
It had been a week since he walked out on Lasgalen in the middle of special training. Aragorn's anger still had not abated. It normally would have since it was extremely difficult to stay angry with the beautiful, sweet, golden Elf. However, his student had given the Man a cause for jealousy every single day he walked onto the field. The recruit was watching Yulion all the time during practice. He knew Lasgalen told him that he wanted only to best the dark-haired Elf, but that was before Yulion saved him from a very nasty fall. Aragorn knew first-hand how easy it was for people to fall for the strong hero who came to their rescue. That was how he got a significant portion of his experience in the area of bodily pleasures. He could not help but wonder if Lasgalen harbored some affection for the Rivendell Elf.
Haldir came to demand that Aragorn apologize to the young Elf a week ago. The Guardian told him that Lasgalen had been through warrior training once and that the harsher conventional methods would not help the young recruit reached his full potential. Still extremely irritated, the Man retorted that anyone who could not even withstand the rigors of training had no business being involved in the rage of war.
Aragorn had never seen an Elf other than his foster family angry; that night he was privileged to the very rare sight of an incensed Guardian of Lòrien. Haldir basically told him to stay away from Lasgalen from now on and that he could not believe he once thought Aragorn would be the one to make his Elven friend happy in very colorful language. At that point in time, the Man was too annoyed to care; but now when he thought back on it, Aragorn suspected he lost one of his most powerful allies in winning Lasgalen as his rightful mate.
The Man had not spoken his Elf for the entire week; the situation was becoming unbearable. Lasgalen had been ignoring him and watching that dark- haired recruit. If Aragorn had not promised that he would not hurt Yulion again, he would have challenged the Elf for a rematch. But a promise was a promise; the heir to the throne of Gondor could not go back on his word. He also wanted to march up to his student and claim those rosy lips in front of the entire camp to let everyone know that Lasgalen was taken. But he feared that his Elf would suffer repercussions for the kiss if words were to reach Arwen. In addition, he had a feeling that Lasgalen would be even angrier with him if he were to force a kiss upon the young Elf. He had experience with that first-hand.
Aragorn considered approaching his Elf to talk, but he knew an apology would be expected. But since he trained all his soldiers the same way and he was only trying to help Lasgalen become a warrior, the Man was convinced he had done nothing wrong. Maybe walking out on his student was a little harsh, but what was he supposed to do when his Elf was smiling so sweetly at Yulion as if he was not there? He could not just ignore it and act as if nothing was wrong. If anything, he had a right to be annoyed, not the other way around. Lasgalen should be the one coming to him!
If Aragorn had not angered his allies, namely Haldir and Gimli, he was sure they could talk the Elven recruit into coming to him. But since both Lòrien Elf and Dwarf no longer considered him a suitable match with Lasgalen, the Man knew the chances of the golden Elf making the first move was minimal. So it was that the Man was at a loss of what to do, except to stew in his own continuous jealous rage, wondering if his Elf had fallen for another.
************************************************************************
Yulion could feel eyes on him ever since he began training again. He also knew it was Lasgalen watching. He wondered if the blond Elf was interested in him as a possible partner. It was easy to see that things were not going well between Aragorn and Lasgalen. When he returned to spy on the golden Prince's special training after the first night, he was greeted by one of the arrows from the Guardian of Lòrien. The shaft hit only a few millimeters from his feet. Somehow, Haldir had taken over as the golden Elf's mentor. As much as the dark-haired Elf wished to watch Lasgalen trained, he did not wander into that part of the woods again, knowing the older Elf would sense him and make good of his threat of forcing Yulion to miss another competition of skills.
The optimistic part of the Rivendell Elf was telling him he had a chance. The pessimistic part was stating that Lasgalen was up to something. Regardless, Yulion decided he would not waste the opportunity of showing off for the golden Elf. The dark-haired recruit could not remember a time when he fought as hard in the training match. On some levels, he was beginning to feel sorry for Acamalion, his training partner, who was straining to keep up and not get beaten up severely. Quietly, Yulion decided that he would make it up to his friend later, after he won the young beauty's affections.
************************************************************************
"So what are we doing tonight?" asked an excited Legolas, eager to make final preparations for the competitions tomorrow.
"Nothing physical, just meditation," replied Haldir as he slowly strolled to join the Prince, Gimli and parrot Estel.
"But shouldn't we make some special preparations for tomorrow?" asked the younger Elf, frowning at the thought of spending the night thinking.
"Meditation? You Elves are so strange," commented Gimli, who could never understood how the fair creatures could just stand still and stare into a distance for hours thinking. Dwarves were never so patient.
Parrot Estel too wanted to make his comment, but it was in response to Gimli's calling its beloved strange. The bird found it insulting that anyone should call the golden Elf such a thing. Carefully choosing words from his limited vocabulary, Estel cried, "Stupid Dwarf!" It learnt that from Haldir when Gimli interrupted training one of these nights thinking the new obstacle course the archer designed was impossible for Legolas. Of course, the Prince persisted and, in the end, found a way to finish the route.
"Estel, remember you are living with us. I can toss you out if you do not behave," retorted an angry Gimli. It was just an empty threat; the Dwarf was too fond of the little green bird to throw it out. But Estel did not know that. And the parrot certainly needed to learn some manners and to never insult a Dwarf again. If the bird said that to any other Dwarven warriors, it would be dead within a second. In a way, Gimli was doing this for parrot Estel's own good.
At the threat of forced separation from its beloved Elf, parrot Estel immediately quieted. In fact, it stopped all movements and hid its head in shame. The bird knew it could not survive another parting with Legolas.
"It's time to get started. I want you to close your eyes and tell me what you hear in the woods around us," instructed Haldir as he held up his hand to make sure both Gimli and Estel stopped their bantering.
"I could hear Gimli breathe," replied Legolas, as he opened his eyes again.
"Try again. This time use not only your ears, free your mind and allow nature to embrace you," prompted the Guardian of Lòrien with an encouraging smile before asking the younger Elf to close his eyes again.
Long moments passed in silence before the Prince spoke. "The wind ... The sound of water flowing... the falls in Rivendell and the river.....Wait a minute, the trees, I can hear the trees!! They are telling me there will be a storm tomorrow!"
"Very good, you are a wood Elf, my Prince. The ability to sense the warnings of nature was particularly strong in your blood. To sense danger in advance is a very important skill for an Elven warrior. Most fighters develop this ability slowly through experience; but it is possible to accelerate the learning process using meditation exercises. I can only guide you; but it is entirely up to you to make best use of this special training to hone your senses. Shall we begin in earnest?"
"Well, I think it will be better if we are not here to distract our friend. We will return to camp now. And Haldir, don't forget to let Legolas off early tonight. He will need his strength tomorrow," said Gimli as he began to walk back to their room with Estel in tow. As much as he liked the Prince, there was no way the Dwarf would stay and watch Legolas stand around immobile with eyes closed the entire night.
************************************************************************
The day of the second competition of skills had finally come. Legolas was well rested for the occasion, as Haldir had sent him back to sleep after three hours of special meditation exercises. He would be excited if he did not know it was going to rain. He hoped the storm would not be so bad that they had to cancel the events.
The competition was held in the reverse order of their usual training routine. First would be the obstacle course, then the archery target match and finally the sword-fighting competition. The Prince knew he needed to save his strength for the latter two events; he fully intended to finish close to last for the obstacle portion of the competition.
************************************************************************
As the recruits convened at the starting lines, the commanders bade them to be careful before waving the flag to begin the race. Aragorn was more nervous than any of the trainees. He was more than a bit worried for Lasgalen since obstacle courses were his Elf's weakest suit. He knew that even with special training, stamina could not be built within a week. It took constant physical conditioning to develop the endurance befitting an Elven warrior.
Besides, the Man had not gone to see the young recruit's nightly exercises. From his observation in normal training, Aragorn feared that Lasgalen would be unable to complete the route at all within the time limit. If the young Elf failed to finish within two hours, he would not be allowed to continue onto the other portions of the competition.. More than once for the past week, Aragorn found himself wandering towards the woods where Lasgalen trained. But every time, he stopped himself before he got too close since he knew Haldir would sense him.
Though Aragorn did not fear the Guardian of Lòrien, he preferred not to make yet another enemy among the ranking officers. The twins were already mad at him for opting for Lasgalen over Arwen; he did not need Haldir's animosity as well. The older Elf had suddenly turned over-protective over his student the way Gimli was. Confrontation was guaranteed if the Guardian caught the Man spying before he apologized to Lasgalen, which Aragorn was still stubbornly refusing to do.
But as he watched his student and Gimli lagged behind the other Elves rather significantly so early on in the race, the Man could not help having a bad feeling. In addition, even Aragorn was beginning to notice the darkening skies that signified a storm. No matter what happened between himself and Lasgalen, Aragorn would die before he allowed his Elf to get wounded again. Quietly, he slipped away from the twins and Haldir to follow his Elf at the edge of the woods. He would be there for Lasgalen if the golden beauty required his assistance.
************************************************************************
Aragorn's disappearance was not lost on the Elven ranking officers. "Maybe we should just disqualify that blond Elf. We can never be sure whether our foster brother is helping him or not," remarked Elladan as he crossed his arms, obviously not please at all at Aragorn's behavior.
"Lasgalen would never accept Aragorn's help in the competition. If he did, he would tell us and withdraw from the competition himself," retorted Haldir, annoyed at the apparent animosity the twins had towards his friend.
Haldir was really angry with Aragorn for hurting the Prince's feelings and refusing to apologize. But the Lòrien had calmed somewhat since that night a week ago. And now, seeing his human friend sneaked off to keep an eye on the golden Elf, Haldir decided that the Man was just stubborn and stupid. With lots of help, Aragorn should be able to learn to understand Legolas and treat him with the proper care. After all, the Man knew nothing of the Prince's true background and sensitivities. He could not truly blame Aragorn for being unsympathetic and callous of the younger Elf's need for encouragement in place of harsh training.
The elder twin was about to continue the argument when his younger brother put a restraining hand on him. Through a special mental link shared by all Elven twins, Elrohir spoke in his brother's mind. "Haldir is in league with the blond. He knows a lot more than he is willing to admit."
"You think we can get him to talk?" inquired a curious Elladan.
The twins had been asking around for information concerning the fair- haired trainee for the past week. But no one could give them any useful details since Lasgalen kept to the Dwarf's and Haldir's companion almost exclusively. They knew it was not deliberate on the blonde's part, since he had become the laughing stock of the entire camp ever since the first day of training.
But this made it very difficult for the two of them to discover the golden Elf's true identity. They were considering consulting their father or Lord Glorfindel as a last resort. The twins were sure Lasgalen was someone of importance; the ancient Elves might have met him before in some sort of council. However, they did not wish to bother the two Elf-lords unless they had no other choice. Both Elladan and Elrohir knew how busy the Lords of Imladris were and how irritable they got when interrupted.
"Don't know. We will need a really good plan though. Haldir is a tricky one," replied Elrohir as he mentally stroked his chin to try to devise a trap for the unsuspecting Guardian of Lòrien.
************************************************************************
The storm could not have come at a more inopportune time. Legolas and Gimli were half way through the obstacle course when rain began to pour. The Prince's balance had improved drastically since he began training, but his friend's had not. Dwarves were not made to walk on ropes or jump around on trees. With the slippery conditions, the Elf found it necessary to rush back to Gimli's side to prevent the Dwarf from falling on many occasions. At this rate, Legolas was not sure if he could finish the race in two hours.
Seeing his friend's worried expression as the Elf gazed out into a distance towards the finish line, Gimli said, "You go ahead. I will be fine." But even speaking was enough to distract the Dwarf enough into losing balance under the terrible weather. He was barely able to finish his sentence before his left foot slipped on the wet branch.
"No, I am not leaving you here in the rain. We both know you cannot do this without me," argued the Elf, as he once again materialized beside the Dwarf to steady him.
"I take offense in that presumption," exclaimed Gimli, pretending to be angry as he tried to shrug off the Prince's hand. But the movement sent the Dwarf, who was precariously balanced on the narrow branch, tumbling forward. He would have fallen if Legolas had not caught the back of his armor in time. "Thanks."
"No problem. I do want to win the competition today, but I don't want it enough that I am willing to leave a good friend like you out here alone. We do this together, or we don't do it at all," said the Prince as he began to guide the Dwarf through the trees by the hand.
************************************************************************
Aragorn watched from afar, feeling so proud of his Elf that he decided he would take the first step to make amends to Lasgalen as soon as the race was over. He still did not think he did anything wrong, but the Man would do anything to keep this special Elf by his side. It was not every day that one found someone who was so beautiful inside and out. Since Aragorn was lucky enough to meet Lasgalen and held his affections, he was not about to let his stubbornness or jealousy interfere with his plans to take the Elf as rightful mate. Before, he had been attracted by the golden one's beauty, intelligence, innocence and compassion; now the Elf's loyalty and strength were added onto the list of wonderful qualities that enthralled the Man. Isildur's heir knew, at that moment, without a doubt, that Lasgalen was the best possible consort he could ever have by his side when he reclaims the throne of Gondor.
************************************************************************
"Time is almost up," smirked Elrohir, glad that the blond and the Dwarf was still nowhere in sight. He knew Aragorn was already besotted with Lasgalen as was; if the fair-haired Elf were to become a capable warrior, nothing would stop the Man from making a horrible mistake that would undoubtedly leave him heartbroken. Though the twins did not have proof, they were sure Lasgalen was not what he seemed. They knew the recruit was using their foster brother to further his hidden agenda.
"There is still at least ten minutes," replied the Lòrien archer, who was beginning to worry. He knew Legolas would not leave Gimli. Normally, it would not be a problem; but with the bad weather, the Dwarf would have a lot more difficulty in getting through the race, slowing the Prince down significantly. He had hoped until this point that both would make it before the two hours limit was up.
The Elves were rather intent on watching the finishing line that they did not see Aragorn creeping up behind them. "They will be here shortly."
No sooner than the Man finished his sentence did the two recruits concerned appeared on the edge of the forest. Gimli looked exhausted; the Elf looked a bit tired as well from the exercise. But they both crossed the finish line with more than five minutes to spare.
"Le ab-dollen, [You are late.]" said Haldir, pulling a straight face. When the Prince looked at him in puzzlement, he added as he noted the horrible state of the two recruit's clothes, "And you look terrible."
When Legolas smiled, the Lòrien Elf pulled his friend aside and whispered, "Aragorn was following you."
"I know. I sensed him through the race, why?" The Prince blushed slightly as he discovered others were also aware of the Man's actions.
"I think he is worried that you might get hurt," replied Haldir as he continued walking away towards camp with Legolas in tow. Aloud, he said to the others before anyone could protest, "We are just going to get changed into something dry. We'll be back before archery competition."
"Why do you think that? He did not even bother to try to catch me when I fell during my first night of special training," fumed Legolas. He was not so much angry as he was hurt. But anger was a much more bearable emotion than pain, so the Prince decided that he would make himself irritated at the Man instead.
"I am sure he would have caught you if he thought you were in danger of getting hurt. Aragorn is known to be a tough trainer. He doesn't know what happened in your previous warrior training. He was probably just doing what he thought best for you," consoled Haldir as he placed a friendly arm around the younger Elf's shoulders.
"And saying hurtful words and walking out on me was best for me?" yelled the Prince, not at all comforted by the Lòrien Elf.
"That's a different matter entirely. He was just being stupid in his jealousy."
"Why was he jealous? I told him I like only him!" cried a frustrated Legolas, not understanding the Man's strange hurtful behavior.
"You are extremely beautiful and Yulion was clearly becoming interested in you. None of Aragorn's other lovers before were as innocent as you are. You cannot expect an experienced Man like him to trust you entirely just because you told him only he held your love. He does not know you as we do, my friend," reasoned the Guardian of Lòrien as he led Legolas back to his room.
The archer was not sure if Aragorn was about to make the first move to make amends with the Prince. But he was going to help the clueless Man just this one last time. Haldir was going to make the young Elf looked beautiful enough to wow even the twins. He was certain Aragorn would not be able to resist the Elven beauty and would do whatever it took to win Legolas back.
"You cannot mean what you said. Lady Arwen is his current lover," whispered a shocked Prince. Legolas had always thought of the Lady as noble and impeccable, except maybe with the exception of a little bit of a temper.
"You didn't hear it from me, but Aragorn is not her first lover. She went through at least two others when she trained to be a noble lady under Lady Galadriel in Lothlòrien. Everyone in the Golden Woods knew, even the Lord and Lady; but Elves are in general open-minded, so they did not interfere," muttered Haldir into his friend's ears.
"But.."
The Guardian of Lòrien knew the Prince was going to bring up the incident of the disaster between one of his older brothers and Arwen, so he continued before Legolas finished his sentence. "Lord Elrond does not know of his daughter's dalliances. If Arwen liked your brother, the argument between Mirkwood and Rivendell would not have happened."
"That is horrible. Did she have anything idea how much work I had to do just to convince Lord Elrond not to rise arms against us to defend her honor?!" yelled an very irritated Legolas, whose mouth was immediately clamped shut for the archer's strong hands.
Haldir was glad they were already alone in his rooms with no one within earshot. If any one were to overhear their conversation, the Prince's cover would be blown; which would not do at all for several reasons. The first would be the extra tension between the Elven kingdoms; but more importantly, his young friend would lose the chance to become Aragorn's rightful consort.
If the Man discovered the truth now, he would be extremely angry and would probably never forgive the Prince. It was likely that the twins could convince their foster brother that his young friend was only using Aragorn's affections to get information for Mirkwood. But if Legolas earned the respect of everyone on his own strength, Aragorn would know the Elf did not use their relationship to further his mission. It was clear to the Lòrien archer that the Ranger was completely in love with the Prince; he was sure given time and enough prompting, the Man would be willing to forgive Legolas for the deception.
"Sshh. The past is in the past. Let's get you some new clothes for the remainder of the day. I think the storm will clear by lunch time," said Haldir as he began to select a special outfit for his young friend to dazzle everyone at camp.