I just know you're going to hate that cliffie!!! He! He!

Oh, did I tell you that this is going to be the final chapter?

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Aragorn snapped back into action. His hands were already at work as he ordered, "Gimli! Take fresh towels out of my pack! Boromir, hold Legolas up while I unwrap this bandage off him. And you, little hobbits, step away a little. Give Legolas some room to breath."

They watched in apprehension as the ranger unclasped Legolas's tunics and pushed the hems aside, revealing Legolas's heavily wrapped torso. Even before he unwound the bandage, Aragorn knew that what he feared most had happened. "You have a punctured lung, Legolas."

Legolas gave a little shrug. "Been there…done that…"

Everyone was silent as the ranger inspected the swelling area. Legolas moaned at Aragorn's gentle touch. "I'm sorry, my friend," Aragorn whispered, carefully rewrapping the bandage, wincing himself when Legolas let out a strangled gasp. "This will hold till we get to Lothlorien. The elves there should have the knowledge to treat this even better than I."

"Indeed we do," came a sudden voice.

Startled, Aragorn whirled and stared. He was so intent on his task that he was completely unaware of the newcomer's arrival. The cloud on his tired face lifted as his eyes fell onto the familiar face. "Haldir!"

The golden haired Captain of Lothlorien smiled as the fellowship looked in awe at the band of elves patrol surrounding them. The elves had moved so quietly that the fellowship didn't know of their presence until Haldir had spoken.

Kneeling down beside the ailing elf, Haldir said, "Is it something in your blood, Legolas, that every time I see you, you'll either be injured or dying?"

Legolas grimaced. "Not…funny…Haldir…"

The Lothlorien elf smiled. "Nice to see you too, elfling." He then turned to Aragorn. "He looks bad."

"Yes. Broken ribs, punctured lung; all caused by his sheer stubbornness."

"Aye, he is that; stubborn from the day he was born through the 2,600 years of his life!" 

"Hey…I'm still…here…" Legolas rasped, annoyed that they were talking around him.

Glancing at Frodo and the others, Haldir continued, "Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were informed of your arrival. We have been waiting."

"We are glad to hear that," Aragorn replied. "We are in great need of respite before continuing on with our journey."

Haldir touched Legolas's forehead. "He's running a high fever. But he's also shivering."

Without a word, Aragorn pulled a blanket out of a pack. Together, he and Haldir wrapped the thick fabric around Legolas's weak form. Then they used the fresh towels to wipe the blood off Legolas's lips and hand.

Legolas protested when Haldir gently gathered the younger elf into his arms and stood up. "I can walk…thank you, very much!"

"Hush, elfling! Take rest," Haldir said softly as he began to lead the way to Lothlorien.

Aragorn had to chuckle at that. Legolas was indeed a spoiled little prince, albeit a reluctant one!

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When Legolas came to, night had already fallen. Lying still on the big comfortable bed, Legolas's first thought was that he was still dreaming.

How did I get here? He was puzzled as he looked around the spacious room. The last thing he remembered was being cradled in Haldir's arms, then everything just faded into nothingness. Wait a minute! This is Lothlorien!

He also realized that the chamber used to belong to one of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel's grandchildren. Legolas himself had slept in here countless of times before when he came visiting.

Then he began to remember.

Everything.

Caradhras. Broken ribs. Moria. Balrog. Gandalf's fall. Broken ribs again. Gandalf's fall again. Gandalf's fall…

He was about to lose himself to tears when somebody spoke, "Legolas? You've awakened."

The prince spun in surprise, and saw the beautiful Lady Galadriel in the doorway. "M…my lady…"

He made a move to rise but she rushed forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "No need to rise, dear. Your injury is still not fully healed. How are you feeling? Better?"

Legolas nodded. "Yes, my lady. The pain is receding." He looked down to check his ribs…then blanched in dismay when finding out that his chest was bare. He hastily grabbed the edge of the coverlet and pulled it to his chin, blushing furiously.

Galadriel laughed softly, her melodious voice sounded so wonderful to his ears. "No need to feel embarrassed, Legolas. I undressed you myself…with Aragorn's help, of course. How could I treat your wound with your clothes in the way? Besides, I've known you since you were a child. I've seen everything of you, believe me."

Legolas turned even redder. "You have?"

"Of course. Remember that day when you, your brother and the twins went skin-dipping in the river when you were still a child?"

The prince smiled at the memory. "Yes. I was around 400 years old at that time. It was late winter. The older boys were so bored with nothing to do so they craved for some exciting adventure…by jumping into the freezing water buck naked!"

"And you jumped right in after them."

Legolas chuckled. "Father was very mad! My ears blistered for a month after that lengthy lecture he gave us!"

"Lord Celeborn was not happy with the twins either! Your father was extremely worried. You nearly drowned that day. When they pulled you out, you were barely breathing and you had already turned blue." Galadriel smiled affectionately. "We had to rescheduled the centennial council to another day until your father could breath easier again."

"And Gandalf had forced me to sit beside him throughout the council so you all will know where I was and my father won't have to worry about me! That was the most boring day of my life!" They both laughed at that.

Then all of a sudden, Legolas's face changed and his laughter stopped abruptly. "Gandalf…oh no…I…I had caused his fall. Gandalf has fallen and I let him…."

Galadriel reached up and touched Legolas's cheek. A tear had escaped and ran down the pale marble skin. "Don't despair so, Legolas. You did what you have to do. It's for the sake of the fellowship and your mission."

"But I let him fall! And he was my good friend! Valar, what have I done?" The dam broke, and Legolas ended up sobbing in Galadriel's arms.

She held the weeping prince as his whole body shook with uncontrollable sobs, rubbing his back comfortingly as tears flowed down her own cheeks. She also recalled the time when she had consoled the Mirkwood prince in quite the same manner after that great tragedy that happened many years ago. "Shh…It's all right, Legolas. You have done nothing wrong."

Legolas shook his head. "How can I live with this? Gandalf was my friend…"

Galadriel pulled back and tipped Legolas's chin up until their eyes met. "If you didn't cut off the balrog's tail, it will be able to climb over and destroy the rest of you and your mission will definitely fail. Gandalf already knew this, and he had trusted you to do it. He knew that no matter how painful it will be, you would be able to carry on the task. You are a strong person, Legolas. You have been through many things, and there are still more to come. Don't ever give up." She leaned over to kiss his forehead, and repeated, "Don't ever give up, dear Legolas."

She gently pushed him back onto the pillow. "Get some rest. Your friends have already retired for the night." As she brushed a strand of Legolas's wayward hair, she added, "Take your mind off the recent despair and the demanding mission. Concentrate on your healing. You are safe for now."

Legolas sighed softly and willed himself to relax. His tears were still flowing but his sobs had died down.

Galadriel then rose and walk quietly to the door. There, Lord Celeborn was waiting. "How's the young one?"

She went willingly into his opened arms. "He's cracking and breaking, but he'll patch himself up back together again and move on like he usually does, even when he doesn't know it."

"I hope he sleeps well tonight," Lord Celeborn said as he led his wife away. "The sorrow from Gandalf's demise is also affecting the rest of the fellowship."

 In the chamber, Legolas was not sleeping though. He was still wide awake, thinking about Galadriel's words and recollecting the serene look on Gandalf's face as he fell.

He swiped the coverlet away and climbed down the bed. He found his silver under tunic draped over the back of a chair and put it on. Barefoot, he walked slowly out of the chamber.

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Aragorn was still up, and so were Frodo and Boromir. The two men talked softly to each other as the ranger sharpened his sword. Gimli was snoring loudly nearby, while the other three hobbits had fallen into deep sleep the moment their head touched the pillow.

Frodo leaned against his sleeping pallet under the mallorn tree and gazed silently at the sky above. His heart still bled with sorrow, and his body was overwhelmed with fatigue but he just couldn't bring himself to get some sleep. He felt so ashamed as he recalled the unjustified words he threw at Legolas after the elf had actually saved them all back there in Moria. Frodo wished he could take back those words, and hope that he could take the hurt from Legolas's heart.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a singing voice cut through the serene silence of the elven realm. They looked up inquisitively as the voice grew stronger and louder, sounding so mesmerizing yet heart-wrenching to their ears.

"What is that song?" Frodo asked. He did not understand the elven tongue.

"A lament to Gandalf." Aragorn put his sword aside and stood up. "And that is Legolas's voice."

"Legolas?" By then, the rest of the fellowship had also aroused from their sleep. They raised themselves from their sleeping pallets and gathered around the ranger.

"That crazy elf can sing?" Gimli asked incredulously, rubbing at his gritty eyes.

"Every elf can sing, Gimli," Aragorn replied, smiling sadly. "And Legolas has the most magnificent voice in the whole realm, though he does not sing often."

"He sounds so sad," Pippin remarked, his eyes already glassy with tears.

"Who wouldn't? Legolas has known Gandalf all his life. I found out from Lord Elrond that Gandalf was there on the day of Legolas's birth thousands of years ago. You can imagine his pain, losing someone you care that way," Aragorn told them.

"Is he going to be all right?" Sam asked.

"Yes, he will. His body is healing."

"But not his heart," Frodo pointed out softly, feeling extremely guilty for saying those accusing words to the elf earlier. "Should he be alone like that? Shouldn't either one of us go talk to him?"

Aragorn placed his hand on Frodo's shoulder. "I'll go and talk to him, Frodo. Go back to sleep, all of you." Without waiting for them to follow his orders, the ranger turned and walked away to seek for Legolas, following the sound of the singing voice.

The man found the elf sitting on the ledge of a fountain. With his head bowed and his shoulders stooped, Legolas had stopped singing. He was staring at his feet as silent tears kept running down his pale cheeks.

"Legolas?" Aragorn voiced out tentatively. "Shouldn't you be resting? You are still not fully well."

The elf shook his head. "I'm fine, Estel." Then he looked up, and Aragorn could clearly see that Legolas was not fine at all.

There was such great pain in the silver eyes that the man had seen only once before, and that was several months ago when Legolas thought his father had died in a fire. Thankfully, Thranduil was still alive and well. But this time, the reason for Legolas's pain was real.

Wordlessly, Aragorn sat beside Legolas and pulled his friend against him. The elf went willingly into the man's arms, seeking the much needed comfort and support. They sat that way for a long time without speaking, unaware that several pairs of eyes were staring at them in anxiety.

"I attempted suicide once," Legolas spoke suddenly in that soft voice.

Aragorn was greatly startled. He stared wide-eyed at Legolas's face. "W…what?"

Legolas smiled at his friend's obvious shock. "I just want to tell you how terribly weak I can be, Estel. That time when I put the knife to my wrists was the weakest moment of my life."

Speechless, the man kept staring as Legolas continued, "I had lost something that I'll never get back." The elf turned to look at Aragorn. "My 'soul'."

Aragorn understood then. Legolas was telling him the terrible outcome of the horrific fate that had befallen him for protecting the heir of Gondor. Before the man could speak, Legolas added, "But I want you to know that I never regretted protecting you that day. And I'll never stop protecting you now."

Legolas looked up to the sky and sighed. "Someone that I care has just gone. And knowing that part of it was my doing, I nearly succumbed to that weakness once more. But also knowing that you are here, it gives me the strength to collect the pieces of myself and move on. I'm glad for you, Estel."

Aragorn's heart constricted. Such great faith and complete trust that Legolas put in him, a mere mortal.  He was so ashamed for the way he had treated the elf the last several days.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Aragorn said finally.

"I'm sorry I broke your trust," Legolas replied.

 "Legolas, I took back what I said to you near the Caradhras Pass. I will always trust you to watch my back. Totally."

"The same goes to you, Estel."

They looked at each other and smiled. "We are still brothers?"

"Yes, Estel. Brothers forever."

"Ehem!!" someone cleared his throat loudly. The two friends looked around and saw Gimli smirking back at them. "Do you two still want to kill each other?"

Legolas rolled his eyes while Aragorn shook his head and laughed. "You wish, Gimli!"

The dwarf stepped closer. "Everything's fine now, right?" he asked seriously.

The elf nodded. "Yes, Gimli. It is."

Gimli harrumphed. "Good! Now I can rest much easier and not worrying about you two going for each other's throat! So, good night then."

As the dwarf turned to go back to his sleeping pallet, Legolas called him, "Gimli."

Gimli frowned back at the elf. "What?"

"I've been wondering, what exactly happened that caused you to be so mad at Boromir?"

Gimli's eyes bulged while Aragorn laughed out loud. Legolas was even more confused. "Something did happen, I see. Care to tell me?"

Aragorn laughed harder and Gimli's scowl had turned into an outright murderous glare.

"Well, it's like this," Aragorn began between laughter. "After you had left Elrond's council that day…"

"Shut up, Aragorn!" the dwarf yelled, his face flushed in embarrassment.

Aragorn put up his hands. "All right, dwarf. It's your story. Tell him."

"Tell me what?" Legolas prodded. "Come, Gimli. Tell me."

Looking greatly miffed, Gimli crossed his arms over his chest. "After you left the council, Tarang and Boromir were still at each other's throat. They kept on shouting and trading insults that I finally lost my patience and stood up to tell them to take a hike! Boromir was swinging his fist at Tarang. Something Tarang had said made the man extremely angry. Unfortunately, his fist hit me instead."

"Gimli was out like a light!" Aragorn added excitedly. "It was an unforgettable sight; with Gimli lying on his face and his behind up in the air, and the rest of the council staring open mouthed! I'm surprised no one died that day!"

The dwarf glared as Legolas broke out laughing. "Laugh all you want, elf! Because this will be the only chance you got! The next time you laugh at me, I'll cut out your tongue with my axe and eat it!'

Legolas stopped laughing abruptly. Gimli smiled evilly and walked away. When the dwarf was out of earshot, Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other and broke into wild laughter all over again.

"Lord, I can't believe I missed that!" Legolas said, wiping the tears off his eyes. He went still as he realized that Aragorn was staring at him. "What?"

"I like to hear you laugh, Legolas," Aragorn said quietly. "Don't ever forget how to laugh. You'll feel more alive that way."

Legolas smiled. "I'll remember that."

The two friends sat together by the fountain, staring up at the midnight sky. There was a full moon shining beautifully among the bright stars.

"Look at that! A full moon! Look at it, Estel, for it's the same moon that our love ones are looking at back home."

Meanwhile, the fire of Mount Doom burned fiercer and angrier than ever. It was the place that the fellowship needed to go; to complete their task, to banish the dark evil, to save Middle Earth.

Their mission will be resumed in the next several days.

But for now, the fellowship will enjoy the short reprieve…

THE END

Another fic under wrap! I feel so relief! This is one of the hardest fic I've ever done because the changes I've made compared to the book might be too hard for some of you to handle. But anyway, it's done and I'm already busy thinking of the plots to the sequel!

You do want a sequel, don't you? It will come right up!

But first, I'm going to send you all back to the past where Legolas was still a manyan. Yes, guys. I'm going to put up another prequel to the series! The title is 'Typhoon' (see? I still have not run out of T's yet!!!). What is it all about? I think the title will give you the general ideas.

I'm very honored to have you all spending the time to read my work, and I can't thank you enough to those who spent their precious time in giving me reviews. So, here's the faithful reviewer in alphabetical order: Aicial-chan; Ailsa; Alkvingiel; angelbird1224; bumper; caz baz; cheryse; Cierah; DiamondD; Ebony Falcon; Enigma Jade; Fairylady; feanen; ForsakenSoul; Galadrielf; Goblz; Goma Ryu Immortal Vampire; grumpy; Ivory Novelist; Katie; Kayo; Kelly LK; Kirsten; Kitty; Kristy South; Lady Lenna; Laebeth; leann; LegolasLover2003; Lucy; Mcat; Menthol; MoonBolt; MoroTheWolfGod; namarie2legolas; Nikki; n shute; PokethePenguin; purplesmackers; Ravenclaw-Girls; Roper; Sailor Elf; Sekhet; Siamese; Stephanie Lou; szhismine; tapetum lucidum; tbiris; The Fire Breathing Ferret; Trinity-314; Zoya (is anyone left out?)

THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH!!!

To Meagan, my beta, you're wonderful! Thank you!

See you all in 'Typhoon' in two weeks time!!!!

Oh, like Aragorn said, don't ever forget how to laugh! You'll feel more alive! Stay alive, everyone!!!