Disclaimer: I own nothing, as always. Please don't sue, hehe.
Rating: PG-13
Hey all! I updated a lot quicker this time! Thanks once again to all the wonderful people who reviewed…this is for you babes!
It had been almost two weeks since they departed from Gondor and Aragorn was no closer to discovering what ailed his friend. True, Legolas appeared to be in higher spirits than when he had first arrived, but a few things still troubled Aragorn. For instance, Aragorn often found Legolas' eyes downcast when talking with him. He also noticed that Legolas ate and slept less than he should have. Aragorn knew he couldn't continue doing so for much longer before he exhausted himself. Hopefully, he would be able to reach Legolas before that happened.
The worst part was that he felt completely helpless. He was literally watching his friend deteriorate and he had found no way to stop it. For the first few days he had naively hoped that Legolas would come to him with his troubles, but the stubborn elf did no such thing. Aragorn then tried a more direct approach, questioning Legolas while they sat around the fireside at night. But the prince was content to suffer alone, and Aragorn feared pushing the issue any harder. He did not want to anger Legolas. If he did, Legolas may never confide in him. Hopefully if he gave him time and made sure Legolas knew he was there and cared deeply for him, then Legolas would open up. If not, then he didn't know what to do. He feared the breaking point he knew was coming. Either Legolas would breakdown or Aragorn himself would after watching him suffering so. Unfortunately, Aragorn was right about the impending breaking point, but it was much more horrible than he ever could have imagined.
***
Legolas was completely unprepared for this. He had expected to feel more at ease in the quiet of the forest with only Aragorn at his side, but it was the complete opposite! The longer they spent out here, the more agitated he became. Logically enough, the longer they were hunting, the more opportunities he had to mess everything up. He especially became nervous when towards the end of the first week Aragorn began questioning him. He knew that Aragorn meant well, but it also meant that once again he had failed to hide his emotions from Aragorn. That just wouldn't do. He had to try much harder to convince Aragorn he was not weak. Failure was not an option. He knew not when he would be able to prove himself, but he knew that the test would come on this trip. He could sense it and he heard the whispers of it in the trees. But, like Aragorn, he never could have prepared for the test that lay ahead.
***
It was the middle of the third week when it happened. Neither of them had had any premonition of it either. Perhaps it was because their minds were too concerned with other things, but it didn't really matter anyway. An undefined warning was nowhere near what they would have needed to prepare themselves.
Fate was definitely not on their side either. It happened in the dead of night, after some extremely grueling days for both man and elf. The weather, which up until now had been beautiful, took a turn for the worse. They awoke to fierce winds and freezing rain. The temperature had easily dropped more than thirty degrees and with the wind it felt like even more.
For Legolas, the constant rain and powerful winds were not comfortable, but were certainly bearable. He did not feel the chill as Aragorn did and this caused the elf to worry. It was not simply a matter of keeping Aragorn warm, for layers of clothing would have achieved that. But, it was very hard to keep dry in such torrential rains. Aragorn, having believed this harsher weather to come many weeks from now, had not brought many extra clothes, and certainly not any that would have sufficiently protected him in weather such as this. This meant that Legolas had to find shelter for Aragorn quickly before the chill in the air had any chance to reach his friend.
As he searched for protection, Legolas wondered if this was the test he had been waiting for. And while part of his mind considered this, the part of his brain that was still desperately searching for refuge was finally rewarded.
Somehow or another, they had managed to find themselves on the edge of an extremely deep ravine. With the rain, Legolas was unsure exactly how steep the sides were, but he guessed they went almost straight down. The river that had formed the valley had long since dried up, but Legolas wondered if this rain would change that.
At first when Legolas approached, he had assumed they were at the top of the ravine, but in fact, they were at about the middle. On the one side of them was the edge to the ravine, but facing them was a solid rock wall. Legolas prayed to the Valar that he had been right in coming in this direction. He focused his senses as much as possible in search of what he hoped would be there, but even with his elven ability sight was difficult. Finally, though, he saw what he was looking for, a cavern heading straight into the side of the mountain, more than adequate for their needs.
Legolas turned to Aragorn and yelled over the wind what he was able to see. Aragorn simply nodded in agreement and Legolas began to fear that he might have been too late getting Aragorn out of the rain. As they got nearer to the cave, Legolas saw that it was empty, and while not extremely large, it was enough to keep Aragorn and the horses out of the rain.
After Legolas was satisfied that Aragorn and the horses were settled as much as possible, he left in search of something dry with which to start a fire. Aragorn had protested, but seeing as there was nothing inside of the cavern to use and all of them were soaking wet, the argument didn't last long.
"You know the cold does not affect me as it does you, my friend. And we both know you cannot stay in this cold with wet clothes for long, lest you get sick," Legolas said with just a touch of exasperation in his voice.
"I know, just be safe mellon nin," Aragorn whispered.
Legolas smiled reassuringly at Aragorn before heading once more out into the rain. He could feel the air around him even now becoming colder and he knew he had to find something with which to start a fire quickly. As they entered the cave he had heard Aragorn's breathing becoming harsher. He had also noticed the slight chills and suppressed coughs that Aragorn was pathetically trying to hide. He believed now that this was his task, to get Aragorn home safely. Unfortunately for him, he believed they had been through the toughest part and nowhere in his mind could he have imagined the trials yet to face.
***
Aragorn sighed as he watched his friend walk back out into the pouring rain. He hated that his friend went out alone to gather wood, but Legolas was right. He could already feel the slight fever and chills infesting his body. He knew if he didn't get dry and warm up soon this fever would flare up and he would become an even bigger burden for Legolas. He prayed that there was something nearby and that his friend would soon return safe.
***
Legolas was having extreme difficulty finding anything dry to use in a fire. The persistent rain coupled with powerful winds made it practically impossible for anything to stay dry. Legolas decided his best bet was to continue around this mountain of rocks and hope to find another cave with something useful hidden inside. After about an hour of searching, Legolas' efforts finally paid off. He had found another cave and apparently someone else had used it for protection because there was a fairly large pile of wood stacked in the corner. He could also see the remnants of a fire at the entrance to the cave. Whoever had been here had left days ago, so Legolas figured the wood would not be missed. Now, however, he had to figure out a way to carry the wood back while keeping it relatively dry. After thinking for a few moments he realized the only cover he had was the own clothes on his back, so he took off his tunic and wrapped it around as many pieces as was physically possible. Then, he was once again back in the rain.
***
Aragorn was suddenly awakened as one of the horses groaned in restlessness at being tethered in such a cramped space. As his eyes adjusted to darkened room, he realized with a sudden jolt that Legolas had still not returned. Aragorn could not be sure how long he had slept, but he doubted it was more than a few hours. The dark sky outside didn't give him any assistance in providing time, although, it did feel a considerable amount colder than before.
Aragorn's heart was racing now. He knew Legolas was not in the right frame of mind and he'd barely eaten in days. What if carrying the wood back was too much for him and he collapsed? Well, that was assuming he even found wood. What if he hadn't found anything and didn't plan on returning until he did? No, Legolas would at least come back to check on him if nothing else. What if something attacked him? Orcs had been rare nowadays, but not extinct. Aragorn's mind had no more time to worry though as a wet, shirtless, and exhausted looking elf stumbled into the cave.
"Do not fear. It is only I Estel," Legolas said quickly hoping not to startle the king.
"I was beginning to worry Legolas," Aragorn said not even bothering to hide the concern in his voice.
"I am sorry I worried you," Legolas whispered as his eyes fell once more to the floor.
Aragorn immediately berated himself. He wasn't really sure why his comment had hurt his friend so, but he was beginning to get an idea. It seemed as if Legolas was going to extreme lengths to aid Aragorn in every way. That would explain the hours he just spent in the rain searching for wood. But why would Legolas suddenly feel guilt ridden now? Aragorn was jarred from his thoughts as he heard a loud bang and then a quiet gasp.
"Legolas, are you alright?" Aragorn said carefully, trying to hide his concern this time.
"Yes," Legolas mumbled. "I merely bumped my head on our apparently low ceiling," Legolas joked and giving Aragorn a lopsided grin.
Aragorn chuckled at the look his friend had given him and for the first time since Legolas' arrival, Aragorn saw a bit of his true friend. Aragorn rose and cautiously walked to Legolas' side in an attempt to help with the fire. He was greeted with a hand on his forehead and then a gentle push back to the ground.
"You have a slight fever Estel," Legolas said in a tone much to grave for Aragorn's condition.
"I figured as much," Aragorn replied. "But it is not serious," he added.
"Yes, and I intend to keep it that way, mellon nin. Please rest. I am more than capable of starting a fire," Legolas said, trying to sound as if he would be insulted if not allowed to do so.
Aragorn knew he would not be able to win this battle so he settled on questioning Legolas' haggard appearance. "Legolas, may I ask why you were in the freezing cold without your tunic?" Aragorn questioned.
Legolas took a deep breath as if he'd rather not discuss the subject, but he answered truthfully enough. "I had no other way to keep the wood dry. We both know I'm fine so stop worrying and rest before I knock you out myself," Legolas joked.
Aragorn smiled as he leaned back against the side of the cave. This was his friend, the one he had met all those years ago and stood by him in the worst of times. Yet, it seemed that the only time Legolas has let his guard down so to say, was when he was too exhausted to keep it up. "Perhaps he should try and get through to Legolas now that he's more himself," Aragorn thought. But he was never able to act upon that thought as the heat from the fire lulled him into a deep sleep.
***
Legolas set up the fire as quickly as he could and by the time he had a nice size flame roaring Aragorn was fast asleep. Legolas smiled to himself as he rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Damn cave," he thought angrily. He pulled the meager blanket from Aragorn's pack and laid it on his friend. Aragorn had been right. His fever was barely detectable and Legolas wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
Luckily his shirt dried quickly and Legolas soon found himself resuming his nightly guard ritual. Rest didn't come easily to him anymore, so there really wasn't much use in trying. Not tonight anyway, he wanted to keep a close eye on Aragorn.
***
Aragorn was once again awakened by the soft grunting of annoyed horses. As he pushed himself up into a sitting position, he noticed that his head felt slightly clouded, but other than that he felt fine. He looked around the cave and saw Legolas trying to console the horses, singing softly to them in elvish. Past both Legolas and the horses Aragorn could see that heavy rains continued to fall.
"I don't want to travel today in the rain," Legolas said and then quickly added "If that's alright with you?"
Aragorn looked at Legolas who, although he had spoken to Aragorn, had never taken his eyes from the horse.
"Yes, I think that is a good idea. I've been soaked through enough for a lifetime and am in no hurry to be so again," Aragorn replied lightly.
Legolas briefly smiled at him and Aragorn got the idea that Legolas had expected an argument.
"Are you feeling alright this morning?" Legolas asked after awhile.
"Yes, I feel fine," Aragorn answered.
Legolas turned to him and gave him a look of disbelief.
"True, my head feels slightly clouded, but other than that nothing bothers me," Aragorn said with as much conviction as he could. After all, it was the truth.
Legolas nodded slightly to himself, satisfied with the answer.
The rest of the day seemed to last forever. At sometime in the late afternoon though, the rain finally ceased and he and Legolas we able to take the horses out of the cave. It was actually quite humorous to watch their excitement at finally being free, not to mention being able to munch on the freshly sprinkled grass. Yet, even with these improvements, Legolas still looked rather pallid.
"Legolas, you look as though you have not rested in ages," Aragorn said gently. He could already see the prince's eyes drifting toward the ground. "Please, mellon nin, do not take this the wrong way. I simply feel guilty for have sleeping the whole night is all," Aragorn added, hoping Legolas would believe him.
Legolas looked up at Aragorn. "Do not worry. Sleep would not have come to me last night even if I had tried," Legolas replied wearily.
"Well, you will rest tonight," Aragorn said with finality. "I insist on it so that I may clear my head of guilty conscience," Aragorn added in a lighter tone.
"Very well, as long as you feel up to it," was Legolas' only reply. Now it was Aragorn's turn to be surprised. The stubbornness that had filled his friend just hours before seemed to have fled in a moment's notice. And while Aragorn hoped that meant his friend was returning to his former self, he believed that instead it meant he was slipping farther away.
***
Legolas had surprised even himself when he agreed to rest that night. He had expected to at least make an attempted argument, but he was just so tired. Perhaps all he needed was a rest. Truthfully, he would be of no good to Aragorn like this. So it was probably best he sleep tonight that way he could be on his guard once again. He silently berated himself as he realized now how exhausted he had let himself become. What if something was to happen now? Would he have the strength to protect his friend? There was no use worrying now. He was too tired to do so.
Aragorn volunteered to make soup that night, but as usual Legolas really wasn't that hungry. Aragorn however, insisted that he eat, and much the same way as before, he was too exhausted to argue. After filling himself for the first time in ages, he felt even more tired than before and he easily slipped into reverie.
Aragorn smiled as he watched his friend finally gain some rest. He knew if he could get Legolas to fill his stomach on something, rest would come much easier, and he was right. He continued to smile to himself as he cleaned up their dinner. "Maybe he was finally making an improvement with Legolas," he thought. At least he sure hoped so. He finished putting away the utensils and sat down by the entrance of the cave. "It's going to be a long night," he said to himself as he envisioned many hours of boredom leaving Legolas rest. Little did he know of the terrors that would take place before the sun rose.
Oooooo, a little bit of a cliffie! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I think I finally got to some interesting parts and I tried to make it longer for you too! I promise even more action and angst in the next chapter! Please R&R and let me know how I'm doing! Also if anyone notices any mistakes in this chapter or previous, please let me know! I do my best to catch everything, but sometimes things slip by! Thanks!
