Fall From the Truth
Chapter Four-At the Beginning
(A/N1: I was having real trouble posting this chapter. I wrote it all in one go, but I thought it was too horrible to post. I sent it off to a few people, all of who encouraged me into actually posting it; so I want to thank them. Tithen Min, Bobo, Evil Spapple Pie and Celestra; you guys are always there to help me out, no matter how annoying I'm being, so thank you. =^^= Special thanks to BlueTopaz, for complimenting me so avidly even when I clearly don't deserve it, and to Reginabean-who really needs to send me more writing, HINT HINT HINT HINT!!!
Also! Tithen Min's in the midst of writing an amazing fic called 'From Ancient Grudge'-I highly recommend reading it, because it's *absolutely fabulous*. I really really really really recommend it =^^=
Without further ado, chapter four.)
~We were strangers starting out on our journey
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
-At the Beginning, Anastasia~
On days like the present, where the tapered tips of the thickly clustered ivy trembled and strained under the weight of the morning's rainfall and the sun barely peeked through the gray veil of cloud above, the present seemed all but irrelevant. It was days like this, when Arwen was preoccupied with her weaving in the dusty depths of her private library, where Aragorn dwelt not in Minas Tirith and the warmth of his Gondor, but instead in the elusive memories shifting like shadows under the sweep of a torch within his mind.
Mostly he remembered a kaleidoscopic personality, vibrant and colourful and shuddering with love of life. Images of lengthy platinum hair pulled tightly back in acute braids that Aragorn never failed to tease, and the brief swap of childish taunts that the Elf and Aragorn recited ceremoniously before any given battle. He remembered once, in Mirkwood when first they had met, overseeing the Elf bend down with a mysterious beam crawling over his lips, admiring the contrast of colours between a blossomed red rose and the bud of a fragrant bluebell.
At first, the man had felt an overwhelming jealousy. Aside from the superficial reasons for envy, such as the ethereal appearance of the Youngest Prince, the way that no matter what might be the light it was always horrendously complimentary to the alabaster beauty, there was also a web of sinewy intricacies, metal and physical, that Aragorn worshiped. There wasn't a situation, tense as it may be, the Elf could not bring upon himself to lighten nor an inch of the world that he did not find, in some way, beautiful.
Aragorn wished that he could, for an hour in his life at least, throw away the burden of the big picture as his friend evidently had; he wished he hadn't seen Mordor as it spewed black smoke from its belly but instead seen the crooked, trod-on blade of grass that, relentless, pressed in between the obsidian pebbles and laughed lightly as though all gold and good emulated from such a tiny area. Legolas never failed to make the best of a situation.
~*~
"Ah! Thranduilion! I appologise for my intrusion into the lovely forests of your Country unannounced, but I can assure you, I am a friend," Aragorn said, wary of the arrow pointing fiercely at the bridge of his nose, unwavering, peeking out from the elegant curve of the Prince's bow. As soon as he had gotten a steady look at the Elf warrior who had caught him, Aragorn had identified him as one of Thranduil's heirs; though they differed considerably in both age and appearance, there was a distinctive air about them; the high, chiseled cheekbones and gleaming eyes, the hesitant mercy they showed before killing either beast or man. Had the Elf that caught Aragorn tracking been any other than a son of the Elf-King, he would already be dead.
"You know who I am before I have myself said it, human," came the melodious reply, without missing a beat. The bow lowered, angling away from substantial threat, though Aragorn could immediately see (as perhaps he was meant to) that the Elf's muscles remained taut, arm straight and ready to regain composure at a moment's notice. "You have observational skills equal to any elf, friend. Pray tell, who be you?"
"I am," Aragorn hesitated then. He had met many elves, though only trusted those from Imladris most easily with his name. Even when he had met Thranduil, it had been Elrond who had introduced his foster-son and not Aragorn himself. Biting his lip quickly, Aragorn looked quizzically at the elf before him. Calmly ,the elf looked back, his bow now limp at his side and the arrow mysteriously replaced in the quiver. A ghost of a smile touched the edges of the blonde's lips, waiting patiently. "I am Elessar, also known as Aragorn of the house of Elrond,"
"Estel," Legolas replied firmly, "I have heard of thee. I am Legolas Thranduilion, though you knew most of that already. I hope I did not frighten you with my hastiness at bearing my bow; there have been creatures of a rather unsavoury nature lingering about these borders for more than a decade. Come! My father will be glad to have such a noble guest! He has grown most bored of me and my siblings, I'm afraid…"
Aragorn laughed lightly, appraising the elf once more. A warrior no longer, Aragorn now found himself standing before Royalty lacking the regal, pompous attitude that Aragorn had found commonly amidst the Mirkwood kin. This creature smiled avidly, happiness his aphrodisiac and laughter his reason for waking in the morn (if indeed he slept). On the way back to Thranduil's mountainous realm, Aragorn (trusting Legolas easily) supplied the information of his journey, including the creature he tracked.
"We spotted this Gollum west of our palace not a fortnight ago!" exclaimed the blonde with a smile. "He shan't have strayed far. But first, you must come and eat-I'm sure that you crave Elven nourishment. Hunting is fine only for men who have never eaten roast groundnut!" He clapped the man he had just met on the back as though for centuries they had been best friends, and guided him towards the ornate dining hall.
~*~
"Estel, mela," Arwen breathed again as she laid her wiry fingers over the tense muscles of her husband's back. With her thumb she worked at unknotting the familiar tension, leaning her head into his neck. A heated sheet of sweet breath crawled like a living thing across Aragorn's flesh, lighting it afire, and he started slightly. "Faramir and Eowyn have arrived," she announced without volume, nor request. She kissed at the junction of the man's neck and shoulder, as Arwen knew he loved, before sliding her head easily into the contours of that area, arms curling around his chest.
"They have come speedily," Aragorn said, voice catching in his still-raw throat. He closed his eyes, relishing the feel of the sunlight over his skin. Though the day was dark, the sky so gray that it appeared as though grime and dust overspread the heavens, the sun still showed through and warmth still met the leather of Aragorn's skin, somehow.
~*~
The entire world was a weight, a mass that crushed at his belly and drew air from his lungs before he could breath it. Eyelashes caught together, hair matted unattractively across his brow where a distinct sheen of perspiration glimmered in the half-light. Through cobwebs, the trembling creature on the dirt could see the silhouette of an upright finger, fingers spread at his side waiting, waiting…
Lips quaked, slowly spreading. A rush of sulfur and salt pooled on his tongue as the cracked lips began to bleed profusely, dry. His tongue was too heavy to move to clear the obstructive substance, so the blonde was left bleeding from the mouth and lips on the ground. He tried to blink away the tears that overwhelmed his dried-out eyes, but found his eyelids paralyzed. His every movement was impaired as though he was tethered to the very core of himself, immovably.
A fresh layer of sweat coated the flushed skin where it was exposed, staining the Gondorian tunic with its moisture. Slowly, lethargic as though weighted and beneath water, the blonde on the ground arched upwards, fingertips dragging across the turf of the ground, fisting the soil so tightly that knuckles became white and bloody, crescent-shaped marks appeared beneath the nails. Lips spread more, breathing growing steadily less laboured.
A soft cough, drawing blood, escaped the raw throat of the Prince where he lay trembling on the ground, before he spoke at last. His voice was practically lost in the roughness of his breath, though the brief words still discernable to the keen ears listening anxiously; "Where am I?"
~*~
The minute that Arwen and Aragorn stepped out of the corridor, into view of their two visitors, Eowyn rushed to gather Aragorn in a firm embrace. Her hands clung to his tunic, and his head nestled into the crook of his neck as he muttered his appreciation for her arrival into it. Next, Faramir grasped him firstly in a firmly soldierly way, before tugging him into a hug similar to that of his wife. Aragorn appreciated the love of his friends, but had never felt so venerable.
"I am sorry to interrupt your vacation," Aragorn said softly, touching Eowyn's cheek in sisterly affection. Her doe-eyes brimmed, and she shook her head vehemently, batting away his apology with a firm gesture. She snatched his larger hand in her own, hugging it.
"He was our friend too," she said forcefully, cradling Aragorn's hand at her breast, "And you are our friend. Vacations can last, but you need us now." She dropped his palm to cup his face, looking at him meaningfully, before turning to Arwen and embracing her firmly. Faramir hesitated, glance lingering awkwardly on the ground.
"I never would think that anything like this could happen. Never dreamed," Faramir said slowly. "I know how close you were-I have never seen two closer friends. I always had wished for somebody that knew me better than I knew myself, who I could readily confide in and it wouldn't feel as though I was sharing a secret with anybody but myself. When Boromir was slain, I felt as though my limbs had been ripped off-a substantial part of me was missing…I can't even fathom how much worse it must be for you."
"It is not as though my limbs have been ripped off, my friend," Aragorn replied numbly. "It is as though my heart has."
~*~
Legolas furrowed his brow deeply, rubbing at his temples in attempt to hasten the exit of the grogginess overwhelming his senses. His pulse thundered in his ear as a drumbeat, consistent and deafening, overwhelming the hollow, distant sound of a speaker's voice. His mind was too muddled to discern the tones characteristic only to Haldir, eyes too clouded to see the creature clearly, and so Legolas was left dumb on the floor, unknowing who his captor was.
The voice came to his head again, a painful crack of a whip that burned within his brain as complete agony. Never had Legolas felt such a headache, even after recovering from a night of drinking with the Aragorn while the man was in a depressive state, or sampling the home-brews of the Hobbits. A soft moan escaped his lips, tears cresting his eyes through the pain. Desperately, the Elf tried to collect the searingly painful, scattered syllables of Haldir's words; "You have been exiled from Gondor, little elfling."
(A/N2: Well, there you are, chapter five of Fall From the Truth. I hope you enjoyed it-I'm about half-way done this story and have already written the last chapter, so I do know at least roughly where this is headed. I'm having a great time writing this, despite the clear lack of talent behind the work, and am actually really excited about starting the next chapter, though I don't really know why. I can't believe how well-met this story is! A billion kisses to all who reviewed-thank you *so* much for giving me the confidence to keep going.
Individually;
Aragorn's Evenstar: Hey, a new reviewer! Hey there! =^^= Thanks a million for your highly blushable review!!! I hope that I got this out quick enough, and that you enjoyed it. My ego's so swollen now…Yay!
BlueTopaz: Gaaah, you're the best-and I don't care what you say, you're a *much* better author than I am. I hope you don't get all your inspiration from me, considering how much of mine I get from you!!! As for the "How's He Alive"….Hehehehe…we'll see. (cackles)
VaniaHepskins: Your English is much better than mine, so don't worry about it! =^^= Thank you so much for that review…Brightened up my day. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Reginabean: Of *course* I love torturing the readers-that's what makes it worth writing! Well, that and the beautiful reviews, but bahhh.
Hummn'Rag: Hehehe! Thank you sooo much for the review-I don't think I'll be able to stop smiling for several months yet. I can't believe you don't think it's crap…This really miffs me, considering that it *clearly* is. But reviews like yours give me confidence, so thanks =^^=
Little Lost One: Thanks! My story's not really original-I steal from every story I read. You want to read original check out my favourite's list! =^^= But thanks a trillion!!
Evil Spapple Pie: Thank you soooooooooooo much for the song so I could write this chapter! Many chocolate dipped elves over to you!!! I love reading all your speculations…You may or may not have the truth of the matter in those word (mysterious music). I'll give you this; No, Haldir is not possessed but he is NOT being himself (I love Haldir, so normally I write him as a fluffy I LOVE THE WORLD character). And I blatantly refuse to make Faramir anything but wonderful, considering what a great character he was in the books…But the rest is open for speculation.
Littlegreenleaf: Welcome back to FF.net! I don't *think* I'm not a good writer, I know it. But thank you a million for the ego-boosting-remarks =^^= I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and'll stick around for the next one. Sorry for making you feel bad! Now I feel bad too, if it helps.
Elecyn Starmaker: Okay, firstly, your stuff is NOT garbage – did you get my incredibly jealous review for Epidemic? I'm still waiting for the next chapter of that, considering how amazing it is. Sorry about the sleeping parents! It's always fun to shriek at fanfictions =^^= Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!
Jedi Cosmos: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter…though there wasn't much emotion (deep sigh). =^^=
Tithen Min: =^^= =^^= Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Hope you enjoyed this chapter the second time around! And I'm about to email you back, don't worry ;-)
Bobo: GG! Of course I put that quote in, though I still can't fully understand it. Nobody you can save who can't be saved…does that mean you can save them…or you can't…Gods what a confusing world. LOL! Hope you liked this chapter!!
Celestra: Hey! You okay? You haven't been on MSN lately, I've been worried about you! I'm glad you liked this chapter, and it's always wonderful to have as great an ego booster as you =^^= Have you worked on the parody!??!? *waves Rodney about threateningly*
Ashley: LOL Sorry for confusing you, apparently a lot. This chapter didn't really clear much up, but I'll try and explain the Legolas coming back to life in the next chapter. Thanks a trillion for your review!!
I seriously can't believe how well met this story is. Thank you all a hundred million times for your amazing support in all I write-without you, I wouldn't be writing, let alone posting. You're all amazing.
Other note; GO SEE RED DRAGON! Stop reading this! GO AND SEE IT! It had blood, gore, naked Ralph Fiennes, general creepiness, a great plot, mystery, intrigue and EDWARD NORTON!!!! OoooooOoooOooOoOooOoh!
Until next time, XXXXOOOO,
~Kayte.)