Author Note: Just want to thank Precious Jewell for her nice and frequent reviews, you keep me going! That is why I want to dedicate this chapter to you; cause is nice to know that someone cares about my story. From my heart, thank you; this one is for you.

Elwe.

CHAPTER 20

THIRST

She slowly opened her eyes and it was still dark. She did not remember what had happened or where she was. She could not move her body, or even feel her limbs; her head felt as if it was spinning. Her eyelids felt heavy and she closed her eyes, tempted to fall into numb slumber again; but then she heard the rustle of passing bushes near her head and realized that she was moving, or at least being moved. She saw a pair of legs moving beneath her, and recognized the grebes covering them; She suddenly remembered everything and opened her mouth to speak but it was so dry that only a raspy groan came out. She coughed a couple of times clearing her throat, until she was able to articulate his name.

"Legolas?"

"Shhh… rest Arwen."

She noticed that he was carrying her atop of his shoulders. – "Where are we going?" she asked

"North"

"North? Didn't we come from the west?"

"Yes"

"And, isn't the road to Gondor to the west?"

"Yes, it is"

"Then, why are we going north?

"Because if we go west, we will die"

"What do you mean?" she asked; but he couldn't answer her question, he stumbled to the ground, his legs defeated by exhaustion and the pain from his wounds. They both hit the ground with a loud thud, Arwen on top of him.

She moved off of him and the soreness in her body nearly made her cry out. Slowly and laboriously, Legolas got back on his feet. Arwen looked at him, noticing that his chest was now bare, she wondered about it for a minute before realizing that she was wearing his vest on top of her shredded dress. He had put it on her earlier, to protect her from the cold and to compensate her for destroying her clothes.

Under the first lights of the dawn, she could see that his skin looked awfully pale and that he was trembling. Then, she saw and remembered the terrible wounds inflicted on him by the wolves. The wound on his shoulder still bled profusely; his arms, chest and thighs were deeply scratched and torn in numerous places, but they were already cicatrizing, thanks to his elven ability to heal.

"We need to continue, we cannot linger" – Legolas said and offered her a hand. Arwen thought otherwise. – "I think you need to rest; I need some rest too. And I also think that you owe me an explanation. Why are we going north? - "She said, refusing to take his hand.

Legolas frowned, but insisted; he spoke to her very slowly – "Listen to me Arwen, listen very carefully. I haven't drunk any water for five days now; and neither have you for at least three days. If we walk westbound we will not find any water for at least two more days and therefore…we will die. If I know something about geography and distances, and believe me I do, we are now between Near Harad and Khand, which means that we are days away from any water source known to civilization. The wolf tracks I found indicate me that they came from the north, and I figured that they dwelt somewhere in Ephel Dúath, known to the Dunedain as the Shadow Mountains. There is a river that comes down from the forests of Nurn and crosses the Shadow Mountains towards the bay of Belfalas, named the Harnen River. Now, I don't know if the water on this river is clean, but it occurred to me that even wolves need fresh water to survive; and since they came from there, then that's where we are going."

Arwen lowered her head and sighed as his words sunk in her mind –  "Do you think…we can make it?"

" I cannot tell. All I know is that, IF we can reach the Harnen or one of it's effluents soon, we might survive, if not… well we've both lost considerable amounts of blood, I feel very tired, and… I don't think I can hold on for much longer. That's why we need to move on." – he extended his hand to her again. – Now, please, let us continue."

Arwen took his hand and tried to stand up, but a blinding pain sent her back to the ground. She gasped; she wasn't even able to cry out. Legolas kneeled beside her and carefully lifted up her dress. Then he unwrapped an improvised bandage he had crafted earlier. He sighed, concerned at the sight of her leg; the wound inflicted by Sauron's whip was purulent and the flesh around it was terribly swollen.

Gathering herself, she dared to ask - "What is wrong?"

Covering her leg again, he moved up and took her hands between his own. Then he carefully examined her wounded palms. - "Hmmm".

"Legolas?"

He ignored her. Kneeling by her head, he proceeded to examine the wound on her shoulder, carefully touching the flesh around it with his fingertips.

"Legolas!!!??"

Her loud voice startled him. He looked at her and finally explained. –  "Your wounds are almost closed now; no blood comes out of them, the bandages I improvised somehow managed to stop the bleeding. But…" – he trailed off.

"But what?" – she insisted.

"The wounds were dirty, and I couldn't find anything to clean them with. Since you are mortal now, you don't have the ability to heal quickly and the infection is taking over your body." - he touched her forehead with the back of his hand – "And you are burning with fever. I don't think you can walk at all."

Arwen looked at him with questioning eyes. – "What are we going to do? Am I going to die? Are you going to leave me here?" –she was now in the verge of tears.

He caressed her forehead and leant closer to her face. - "Of course not. How does that even occur to you? I will carry you. – He said softly, while stroking her hair.

"But, can you?" – she asked, worried by his own exhaustion and wounds.

He did not answer. He simply stood up and lifted her from the ground very carefully. –"Do not be troubled Arwen, save your breath and try to sleep, it will help you to recover strength and to mend your wounds." – cradled in his arms, she wrapped her own around his neck and quickly drifted into deep slumber.

…………………………………………………………………….

The morning sun found Legolas walking across the dry, rocky terrain; and its warm rays comforted and energized his tired limbs a little. The Shadow Mountains were already at sight, towering high a few miles in front of him. From the mountains came down a gentle breeze that caressed his face, and he breathed in the scented air; he thought it smelled like a forest, sprinkled with the dawn's dew. 

He looked down at Arwen as he walked; her lips were chapped and swollen, her hair messy; and the bruise on her cheek had turned from purple to a greenish color in the middle, and yellow around it; and yet to him, she seemed to be the most beautiful creature ever. He stared at her with loving eyes, lingering in the dark contour of her perfect brows over her closed eyes, and the delicately chiseled cheekbones around them; then, he marveled in the shape of her tiny nose, the delicate tips of her ears…

So amazed and carried away he was by her unique beauty that he didn't notice the rock on his way and tripped with it. Suddenly waking up from the enchantment, he tried his best to keep himself and the precious cargo in his arms from falling. But he was so tired and weak that he fell forward, landing on his knees, but still holding Arwen closely to his chest. She moaned and stirred by the sudden movement but did not wake.

Legolas stayed on his knees for a moment. He was so tired and sore; he couldn't feel his arms anymore; his legs, always strong and steady, were now numb and clumsy; a slight whistle escaped his painfully dry throat every time he breathed. The wound on his shoulder had stopped bleeding and the rest of the wounds were almost completely mended; for elven folk heal quickly and they are not prone to infections.  But he was exhausted and dehydrated, and when he tried to stand up, his legs did not respond.

He stared at the mountains ahead; he still had to hike a good distance after reaching the base of the stunning mountain range. Could he do it? Could he find the strength to keep going? Could he get up? Even now that he was on his knees, defeated; could he find the strength to get up and continue?

A scene played on his mind. He was holding an agonizing man in his arms; a man he loved as a brother, Aragorn. He heard himself saying a promise to the dying man and the words he had said rang inside his mind, loud and clear.

"I Promise I will save her, I promise to you, to my forefathers and my whole kin"

How could he forget his promise? How could he not accomplish the wishes of a dying man? How could he fail to his dear friend Aragorn? And more important; How could he fail to her? How could he let her die like this?  He looked down at the creature in his arms, his beloved Arwen, and found the answer to all those questions.

He could not; he could not fail or give up. He would take her back to Gondor, just as he had promised; and nothing would stop him.

Letting out a defying cry, he stood up and resumed walking towards the mountains.

………………………………………………..

The howls and growls of mad wolves; blood covering the walls of a dark, filthy place; faces appearing in front of her, her tormentor, no, her beloved friend; the faces changed and seemed to come together, forming one. Was that her friend or her enemy? She couldn't tell. The image changed; now she saw Aragorn being slaughtered by a horde of laughing Uruks; more blood, more carnage; sounds of battle, cries of pain.

All the horrors she had gone through in the last days intertwined and played in her mind over and over as she was carried under the burning sun. Her mind wandered between consciousness and gory nightmares, driven to insanity by the fever taking over her, and enhanced by the sun's merciless heat.

She felt a cool breeze blowing against the sweat on her forehead and opened her eyes. She winced as the white, bright light of the sun above her hurt her painfully dry eyes. Blinking repeatedly, she finally could focus the face over her. He was burnt, terribly burnt.

She tried to speak but nothing came out of her throat. Then, her world went back to darkness as a light cloth was placed over her face. She coughed and shook the cloth off her face. Legolas features appeared again. This time he looked at her and a raspy voice emerged from his lips. - Please, do not take it off Arwen, it will protect you from the sun". - He proceeded to cover her face again, this time she didn't protest.

……………………………………………………………………

The same sun that comforted his limbs earlier was now his merciless tormentor as he walked on the deserted plain. The bushes didn't provide enough shade to protect him, and as the raging sun seemed to stay still in its zenith Legolas felt as if his brain was melting and his skin was falling off. He looked up and saw the mountain's base; it was very close now; but he was also very close to the limits of his endurance. Each and every step implied a tremendous effort and agonizing pain; and precious moist escaped his body as tiny drops of sweat trailed down his face and fell to the dusty ground.

Time passed, and he kept on going.

…………………………………………..

It was mid afternoon and they were already hiking up the mountains, but they hadn't reached the comfort of the thick, shady forest above, and the sun still burnt Legolas' bare back. The terrain was sheer and the rocks were loose, causing him to slide back down over and over again. He shifted Arwen's position, placing her atop of his left shoulder; that way he could use his free arm to climb up. But still, hours passed and he had only advanced a few yards up from the base. He reached up with his free hand, grasping a salient on the rock, but it came off and he slid back down again. Groaning frustrated, he landed on his knees several feet below; Arwen didn't move, not even as they fell down and he had to put her down on the ground to make sure that she was still alive. He held his breath as he watched her intently for a moment that seemed an eternity, and let out a relieved sigh when he finally saw her chest rising up slowly; she was alive.

He picked her up again and looked around, searching for an easier path, but to no avail. Every hill around was as steep as the next one. Cursing under his breath, he strode up again.

………………………………………………

She fell over moss and fallen leaves with a loud thud. Laid on her back, she opened her eyes and saw tall pines towering above her. A fresh and musky scent filled her nostrils, and she realized that the burning sun, the spiky bushes and the dusty air were gone. She was now deep into a lush forest.

She touched her forehead with her hand; the fever was receding and as she breathed in the misty air of the forest she felt life coming back to her body. She was still sore, and the wounds were still swollen; but the forest around her made her feel positive and fit enough to survive.

Then she turned her head to a side and saw Legolas laid down facing the ground near her; a sensation of emptiness overcame her stomach and chest as she realized that he was very still. Was he breathing?

 She reached out her hand to touch him, and called his name softly. – "Legolas?" – no response, no movement. Tears formed in her eyes as she carefully placed her hand over his burnt back and slightly shook him. Still no response. –" Oh no Legolas, please don't do this to me".

A soft groan was heard and he stirred a little; then he hesitantly turned his face to her. They looked at each other for brief moments. Her eyes were filled with tears of joy, but his eyes were dry, and sad.

"Legolas! Oh, thank the Valar you are alive; I thought I had lost you"

Legolas had reached and superseded his own limits; he had managed to climb the mountain and reached the forest, but he could not go any further. He was dying of thirst and he had failed to find water, and so, he reached the point were he had just laid down to wait for certain death.

He stared at her with those deep blue eyes, and she noted the sadness on them; she had seen that sadness before, back on the cave when he was about to sacrifice himself, he had looked at her with those same eyes and that same sadness.

"Is there something wrong?" – she dared to ask

He swallowed hard and a mere whisper escaped his lips, but she could hear the words. – "I am so sorry Arwen" – he said, and letting out a defeat sigh, he closed his eyes.

Arwen froze for a moment and her heart began a mad race inside her chest; then she crawled closer to him and wrapped her arms around his limp body. – Oh no Legolas, no! Please don't leave me!!" - she cried, while cradling his body back and forth. – "Not now Legolas, please don't die! Don't die Legolas! Don't die! – She repeated over and over, between muffled sobs, until she fell asleep, exhausted.

…………………………………………………..

She woke up, startled by a loud rumble; she wondered about it for a bit, but since she had lost all desire and will to live, she didn't pay much attention to it. She remained as she was, clinging to Legolas' body, and closed her eyes again. Another rumble was heard, but she decided to ignore it; soon enough the rumbles resounded more often, and each time they were louder and closer.

Then, while she drifted between reality and dreams, she felt a strange sensation; something like tiny needles, stinging her in different parts of her body. The sensation became stronger, and she felt it all over her back and shoulders. Time passed and she began to feel cold, very cold; she pressed herself harder against Legolas' body, seeking for warmth.

The sensation didn't stop, and as minutes passed she wondered about it. – What in the name of Elbereth is this?

She forced herself to wake up, and as she did, she realized that this "needles" were cold, cold as drops of water falling from the sky. She opened her eyes wide and finally understood; it was raining, and she was already soaking wet.

She turned her face to the sky and opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue; it was almost painful when the cold water touched her dry throat, but she kept drinking the tiny drops until she was satisfied. Then, she looked down to her fallen friend, still in her arms; she brushed the damp hair off his back with her fingers and planted a kiss in the back of his neck, he was so warm. Tears escaped her eyes; he had given everything for her, his future, his happiness, his life; and she never had the chance to thank him or to tell him…the way she felt…about him…and how much she…

Wait a minute! Warm? His body is WARM? –  Thoughts and emotions flooded her mind as she frantically turned his body around to face her. Then, she pressed her ear against his chest. The sound of the falling rain made it hard for her to hear; but after a while she found his heartbeat; he was alive. She ripped a sleeve of her dress, and brushed the damp cloth against his lips, hoping to revive him; but he was completely limp. She began shaking him – " Wake up Legolas" – she said softly. Nothing. She shook him harder – "Legolas? Legolas!!" – she called over and over, louder each time.

Desperate, she began shaking his body and slapping his face with all of her strength. – "Wake up Legolas!! I order you to wake up!!" – she screamed, but nothing, not a movement or a sound came from him.

She stopped slapping him, she yelled no more at him. At the sound of a roaring thunder, and under the cruel flashes of the lightning, she collapsed on top of him, crying softly like a little girl. – "Please, oh please, I beg you".

…………………………………………………………

Legolas was lost in emptiness and darkness; he knew not where he was and all pain and fatigue were gone. How could he describe the sensations he felt? There were both bliss and absence; absence of need; absence of yearn.

A whispered voice called for him.

"Legolas. Your time has come. Follow the call, for you are already late and you have been long awaited.

He was powerfully drawn to the voice, to the call, but he hesitated and did not follow. The call became louder.

"Come to the bright halls, where there is no more death or pain, and let The Mighty ONE, who loves you, wash away all the suffering and sorrow brought to you by these lands."

"Yes" – he said – " my spirit yearns to follow your call"

"You shall be received with wide open arms, beloved son. You are now found; and your arrival shall close the cycle; the Valar can finally rest with the company of all the firstborn."

"Who are you Lord?"

"I am no more than a messenger who came looking for you; but if you must know, I am known to the firstborn as Mandos"

Still on the dream plane, Legolas fell down on his knees – "Mandos?" – he said, while bowing his head to the ground.

The glorious being spoke to him again.

"No, no my brother; rise. Do not bow down to me, for we are to go to the undying lands to live in fellowship, not in servitude. Only one you shall bow to, and that is Ilúvatar, your truthful father."

Legolas rose and faced a light, brighter than any light he had seen before, warm and luring. He saw beyond the light, there was peace and fulfillment, joy and life; all that for him to share with his kin. He saw them, all those who had already departed; they waited for him, and called for him. He could be a part of all this, he only had to follow the call; but in the midst of all this, he hesitated.

He heard a weak voice calling from behind, Arwen. He felt her despair and heard her painful cries. He felt her hot tears falling upon his chest, burning him like small flames; and he turned back his head.

The calling from the Halls of Mandos did not stop, it grew stronger, but Legolas was held back by Arwen's own call, and he could not deny it, he could not ignore it. Mandos spoke to him.

"Will you not obey and attend the call from your own destiny pure one? Will you turn down the gift offered to you?"

Legolas faced the light again, and lowering his head he whispered – "I am torn my Lord my soul wishes to follow you, but my heart binds me, I cannot leave her behind".

 A long silence followed but then, Mandos spoke to him again.

"Raise your head Legolas, do not be ashamed, I know it is love what drives you to stay, and a love pure and strong as yours is something none should be ashamed of."

"My Lord?"

"I know you love her, and I also know that nothing may force you to leave her. We will honor your decision and keep waiting for your arrival. But I must warn you for your choice; the decision you have made will only bring forth pain and trouble. And I must tell you that the suffering caused to you by this love is merely starting now; in days to come you will face pain and grief greater than ever before. I pray that you will be able to endure all this, for it is hard to deny or delay one's own destiny.

"I am sorry my Lord"

"Don't be! Who is to fight or discuss with a heart filled with passion? You cannot, and the Valar certainly won't. Now go, today you start building a destiny of your own, but I can assure you that your fate will eventually find you, none can walk away from Eru's perfect ways for too long. Until then, know that you are awaited and that you shall be received whenever the time is right. Farewell!

And with that, Mandos' presence was gone. All the light and warmth left with him, and Legolas could only peer at the vision one last time before it banished. He turned around, readying himself to come back to reality.

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Wow, this was a long one. I rather liked it, what do you think?

From now on, the story will evolve differently. It will have much less physical angst and action. Now is when the romantic, complicated, heavy hearted, dramatic plot starts, so be ready.