Beautiful Stranger

Prequel to Silent words, Comfort me

Author's note: well, that's the last proper chapter of the story. There's still the epilogue though, and the sequel this was written for…

Dedicated to all my reviewers, especially tsurugi-chan, zephyr, who've bugged me into continuing : ) , and morothewolfgod, who has supported me through every chapter. Thanks!!!

Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 12

Hael was waiting for him when Aragorn entered the clearing. The old Ranger did not acknowledge his murmured greeting, but when the man made to enter Esana's caravan, the ancient one held out his staff to block his way.

"Let me pass," Aragorn growled authoritatively.

Hael remained silent.

"Let me pass," he repeated angrily.

"No." the Ranger spoke softly, but with unshakable conviction.

Aragorn ignored him, and simply circled around, seeking another way to the young woman's bed.

"You know why he's doing this." Hael called after him.

The other man stopped abruptly. "I don't know what you're talking about," he denied.

"Are you really that stupid? Or do you just act that way?" Hael demanded cynically, ignoring his petulant comment, "If you'd stop behaving like a spoilt brat without his toy for just a moment, perhaps it'd occur to you that there's so much more to this then meets the eye."

Aragorn stared at him, dumbfounded by his sudden outburst.

Hael sighed and rolled his eyes. "Must I really spell it out to you?" he asked, exasperated, "Niere shows up out of nowhere, has never so much as mentioned a lover to you in all your time together in Rivendell, and then you just happen to discover the two of them together?"

Aragorn blinked. "I…" he stuttered, "How did you know…"

"Because he told me," the other man answered simply, "and he asked me to help them. You were meant to find them."

What?! The revelation stunned him into silence, but inside his head, something clicked, and suddenly it all made sense. There was only one mystery that remained unsolved. Aragorn turned back to Hael, and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Hael shrugged and motioned for Aragorn to walk with him. They strode slowly towards the outer perimeter of the campsite, into the relative privacy of the woods.

"I believe that he is wrong," Hael began, once they were out of sight, and earshot, of casual observers. "He thinks he's driving you away for your own good, but it's really because he would rather leave you before you do him…I just felt you have the right to know."

"I would never leave him!" Aragorn denied hotly, "I don't understand…"

"You would have had to go sometime, young one. And perhaps the real crux of the matter is that he does too," Hael said gently, "You both have things to do, separate roles to play to ensure that certain events may come to pass. He knows this, but at the same time, he's so afraid of losing you…"

Aragorn held out a hand to cut him off. His expression hardened, and he said, "His worries are pointless then - I'm not letting him go anywhere without me."

Hael looked at him sadly, and said, "Then you have proved me wrong after all, and I have made a terrible mistake by telling you the truth." He sighed. "Besides," he continued, "you cannot stop him."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Aragorn asked bitterly, "But I still have to try. What is the point of knowing everything if nothing can be changed?"

"My dear," Hael said, managing to be simultaneously incredulous and yet perfectly condescending, "the world does not revolve around you alone. It is for the sake my old and foolish friend that you are privy to this. If you really love him, then you know what you must do."

The elderly Ranger looked pointedly in the direction of their shared campsite. "Well?" he asked, after several moments had passed.

Aragorn glanced at the banked fire amidst the encompassing darkness, then back to Hael. "I do," he whispered - one answer to so many questions - and loped off into the distance.

The ancient one chuckled to himself. Had he ever been that young? "Ah, Legolas," he murmured to the empty night, "If you had just told me the truth then…"

~

Legolas slung his pack over the stallion's back, then leant against that warm flank. Silent tears ran in tiny rivulets through the coarse grey hair, though the elf shut his eyes to hold them back.

"What are you doing?" came an achingly familiar voice from the shadows.

The elf straightened abruptly, heart beating painfully in his chest. He wouldn't, couldn't, look at him now, but how he yearned to see that face just one more time…

His throat constricted with longing, and tension lined the lean body beneath drab travelling garb. "I…" he managed to choke out, back still to the man.

He felt the presence draw nearer, and suddenly, hands gripped his shoulders and forced him around. Legolas ducked his head downwards, staring at Aragorn's dust covered shoes.

It isn't supposed to be like this, Legolas thought desperately, he should hate me.

"Where are you going?" the man asked again, holding the elf ever so carefully within the circle of his arms.

Anywhere, nowhere; what difference is there between one place and another if you are not present? "I thought…" Legolas began. But the words eluded him, and so he fell silent, steadfastly refusing to look at the man.

"You thought I would fall for it," Aragorn supplied, his tone turning harsh though his arms remained gentle. "I very nearly did," he admitted grudgingly, "Jealously is a most effective blindfold." He stared thoughtfully at his lover's stiff back, at that proud, unyielding stance. "Do you know," he murmured reverently, "that for all my lovers, and all my freedom, I had never known the bitter taste of jealously till I saw the two of you together…"

The man released an arm to run wondering fingers along the elf's jawbone, hand finally pausing on his pointed chin. "But it doesn't matter now," he purred, voice so deep it sent a thrill of pleasure down Legolas' spine, "you're still here, and so am I." In that instant, he tilted the elf's face upwards, and forced green eyes to meet brown as he devoured his mouth with a ravenous kiss.

Soft lips brushed against his own, and teeth ran delicately over his tongue. Legolas gasped, melting against the man, arching to be held more completely. When they broke apart, the elf knew that he would never love anyone like that again - and that he would have to leave the man this night or he would never bring himself to do it.

"Wait," he said as Aragorn lowered him gently to the ground.

"I know," the man told him quietly, unclasping the cloak-pin at his throat, "Hael told me everything. I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Then…you're not going to try to convince me to stay?"

Aragorn sighed and stroked the elf's golden hair. "I don't have a hope that it will work," he said wryly, "Besides…I guess if I love you enough to want to keep you with me, then I love you enough to let you go…"

At his words, Legolas relaxed and lay back down. "Goodbye then." He whispered, a sad smile hovering on his lips, before callused hands brought him to heights he had never known.

~

Legolas watched the even rise and fall of the man's chest for several moments before slipping carefully from his embrace.

"Harthad laeg galenas pathro ardhon, melethron," he whispered. "Carry my love for always Aragorn, King of Men."

He led the horse silently into the forest, where the trees parted for him, welcoming their Prince home. As the branches began to sweep back into place, the elf watched the slumbering man, and hoped that he would find happiness.

~

Aragorn wiped the last remnants of sleep from his eyes, and stared at the deserted clearing. For a brief heartbeat, he let the memory of emerald eyes fill his vision - then he shoved the pain, the loss, and the deep, deep love behind the walls of his consciousness, rose to his feet, and packed everything into the two remaining packs. Just before he set off, he placed Niere's belongings by her tethered horse. She could leave when she was ready.

The King of Man threw himself onto his mare and clucked his tongue, picking a path that wound out of Mirkwood. As the horse trod past the last stand of towering trees, he held his head high, his back straight and never looked back.

Behind him, a green leaf fluttered onto the snow.


© ai 2003

sigh. Hope I have the time to write the epilogue soon…