Story Title: Lean on Me

Chapter Title: Forever Lost

Author: J. Chassells

Summary: My take on how Aragorn (mostly referred to as Strider and Estel in this fic) and Legolas met and how their friendship was forged throughout their adventures and misadventures.

Author's Note: My first LOTR fic, so please don't hurt me! Reviews and flames are appreciated. This fic isn't really dedicated to anyone, but if I'd have to dedicate it to someone or something, I think this one goes to the US Military. I'm an extremely patriotic person and I support our military completely and firmly. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, just the plot, yada, yada, yada...

Characters that star in this story: Strider (Estel), Legolas, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, maybe a mention of Arwen here and there, and some unnamed orcs and just plain ol' bad guys.

Another A/N: Well, how did everyone like the last chappie? It took me awhile to figure out how to write 1st person POV, present tense. And I don't like it, though I shall do my best to use it some more throughout the story. So...enjoy!

One again, Indicates thought.

Chapter 6

Legolas awoke with the sun the next morning, his heart still bitter. His Elven dreams had been harsh, and Legolas wondered how he'd slept in the place that had been denied to his best friend. Rising quickly, Legolas angrily grabbed his equipment, upset that he'd stayed in Rivendell.

As he walked down the halls, he passed a room, and, hearing raised voices, stopped and listened intently. He could tell that Elrond and a messenger were talking. Elrond said, "But that is not possible. Do you know why they are around these parts?" The other elf answered, "No, milord. However, one of my men heard the orcs speaking, sir. They seem to be looking for someone." Elrond's voice was slightly shaky as he asked, "Did they specify who they were looking for?" There was a pause, then a soft, "Yes, milord. They're looking for the heir to the throne of Gondor."

Legolas didn't stay to listen anymore. He hurried to the dining hall, intent on grabbing some food to take with him, and was shocked when he nearly ran into Elladan and Elrohir, who were exiting the kitchen. The twins looked just as shocked, and the elves composed themselves rather quickly.

"What are you two doing?" Elladan glanced at his brother, then said in a hushed voice, "We met a messenger after we rose this morning. It seems several bands of orcs are out, looking for Estel." Legolas swallowed and nodded. "I know; I heard Elrond and the messenger discussing that." The twins were shocked that the elf had been eavesdropping, but Elladan said, "We're going after him. He is Estel, the hope of Man. Should he fall, the Dark Lord will have free reign over Middle Earth." Legolas nodded and said, "I'm going with you." Elrohir smiled. "I'm glad, Legolas. We welcome your company."

Elrond sighed as he dismissed the messenger.

The Dark Lord seeks to end the threat Aragorn poses to him.

He shook his head as several dark thoughts entered his head, mostly of Aragorn in pain. Pain that the Dark Lord's servants could inflict upon the future King.

And pain that he himself had caused.

His train of thought was interrupted by a shout outside his balcony. Hurrying to it, he looked over the side and was shocked to see Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas mounted upon their steeds, glaring up at him. Elladan was the one who spoke first. "Father, we ride to find Estel. We ride to find our brother." Elrohir added, "We know he's in danger; we know that Sauron hunts him, and seeks to end his life."

Legolas was silent for a moment, then said, "Elrond, you exiled Estel, who is dearer to me than life itself. When we first met, we swore an oath, Elrond. We swore that where one went, the other would follow. Even to death. You exiled him, and so you have exiled me as well. I really hope you're happy, Elrond. I hope you're very happy."

The ancient Elf lord was not used to having someone so defiant towards him, and once again, his anger took control. "Very well, Legolas. You are exiled as well. Elladan, Elrohir, stop this foolishness and come inside." Elladan shouted ferociously, "No! We will not abandon our brother to a fate such as the one you have condemned him to." Elrond stared at his sons and finally said, "Once you pass those gates, you shall no longer be welcome in this Elven household or any other."

Elrohir was unfazed and readily replied, "Then this is good bye, father." Elrond jerked and stared at the twins and Legolas in disbelief. "You are willing to throw away your lives, you're...willing to sacrifice so much for this...this...Adan?" Legolas' reply was crisp and cool, yet gentle. "No, Elrond. Not for an Adan. For our brother. For our friend. For our hope, Elrond."

Legolas seemed to send his heart to Elrond through their intense gaze, and Elrond took an involuntary step backward. The railing blocked his view of the elves momentarily, and when he looked, they were gone. He whipped his head towards the west, where the gate was, and saw it closing slowly, so slowly. A tear fell from each eye as the heavy gate slammed shut.

Elladan called, "Where shall we ride to?" Legolas called back, "We will take the path he is most likely to have taken." Elrohir broke in, "There's a limitless possibility!" Legolas shook his head. "No, there are Elven refuges on nearly every side of us. I know there are some exiled elves in Trollshaws to the west, Lóríen to the south, and Mirkwood to the east. He will have to go north in order to follow Elrond's wishes, which we all know he'll do." Elladan was silent, then asked, "What's to the north, Legolas?" The other Elf seemed to think. "The only city up there is Carn Dum. However, there is also the dead area of Ettenmoors, which is dangerous to all travelers. I think Strider is heading to Carn Dum." Elrohir glanced at Legolas and asked, "Why do you call him Strider?" Legolas' answer was soft. "Because I saw him change, mellon nin. He is no longer Estel. He is Strider."

Strider glanced around him, his alert eyes taking in every detail. The day had gone by swiftly, and it was once again dark. Snow still littered the area, reminding Strider of Rivendell. Though his heart still grieved, his senses were in overdrive. He knew the area he was passing through was dangerous. Foul beings roamed the region, orcs and savages and rebels alike. Strider's right hand lay on his sword hilt, his other held the reigns tightly. His muscles were tense, and his back was straight as he looked around carefully.

The first warning that something was wrong was when Hijak began to slow and jerk. Strider quickly began soothing his horse, and stroked his neck softly. "What is it, Hijak?" The horse stamped the ground impatiently and took a couple of steps backwards. Strider's eyes were darting around, taking in the few trees and bushes that grew in the boulders. There were many places for enemies to hide, but with Hijak's frantic pacing, he couldn't hear anything.

Quickly sliding off his horse, Strider whispered into Hijak's ear, "Run for safety, Hijak. Run to Carn Dum." The horse seemed to understand and as soon as Strider had unstrapped his pack from the saddle, Hijak took off. Strider hefted the pack onto his shoulders and frowned as his mind started to yell at him for letting the horse go. His rational side simply stated that they stood a better chance on the ground, and the other part of his mind fell silent.

Strider had only been walking for ten minutes before an unearthly howl filled the air. No sooner had Strider drawn his sword than a band of orcs came swarming in from all sides. Strider dropped his pack to the ground and took a mental tally.

He didn't stand a chance.

Not that that fact mattered to the orcs, though. They charged with cries of war, raising their scimitars high in the air. Strider held his sword tightly, and prepared for the battle. The first orc came rushing in blindly, and was easy enough to kill. However, Strider had killed no more than 5 orcs by the time they started fighting strategically. Sweat pored into Strider's eyes, stinging them, and he felt his strength slowly leaving him.

Suddenly, as he fought off one huge orc, another came out of nowhere. Armed with a small dagger, he plunged it into Strider's right shoulder. The human gave a startled cry and a strangled scream as the orc twisted the blade inside the wound. His sword fell from his hands, and the orcs backed off. Strider dropped to his knees, his left hand squeezing his wound, willing the pain away. His breath came in short gasps, and his muscles trembled from the adrenaline in his veins. He looked up through slitted eyes and tried to stand, but was roughly pushed down into a kneeling position. His arms were yanked to the side, and an orc laced his hand through his hair and forced his head down.

Strider tried not to gasp in pain as an orc claw dug painfully into his shoulder wound. He heard the orcs moved around, and heard heavier steps coming through the band to him. There was a sudden hush throughout the orcs, and suddenly, Strider's head was forced up and back. His neck was dangerously close to snapping. His eyes were tilted towards high noon, where the bright North Star, Polaris, shone merrily. Its light seemed dim, however, as though it sensed the peril the young Ranger was in.

A cruel voice brought his attention from the star. "Ranger, what is your name?" Strider quickly composed himself after he saw what hovered over him. The Nazgúl's face was robed in darkness, and Strider hesitantly stated, "Strider, from the north." The Nazgúl moved its head to one side slowly, and when it spoke again, a shudder of terror ran up Strider's spine. "Strider...Estel...Aragorn." A hand reached out and, almost gently, traced Strider's jaw line. The ranger tried to move from the touch, but the orcs held him tightly in place. Finally, the Nazgúl pulled away and addressed the orcs. "Take him...you may mark him...bring him to our lord...alive." With that, the Nazgúl turned and walked away, mounted one of the cursed black horses, and rode away.

The orc leader grinned and approached Strider, who was glaring at him defiantly with pain in his gaze. "We're gonna have fun with you, Ranger. We're going to have a lot of fun."

Elrond sat up sharply as he detected a presence in his room. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting and saw an elf stealing away from his desk. Getting up quickly, Elrond followed the elf through his rooms and into the hall. The elf already had a head start and Elrond quickly called for guards. Within seconds, the end of the hall had been blocked off, and the elf skidded to a stop. He sighed and turned around as Elrond came within a few meters of him. "Kyven! What were you doing in my rooms?" The elf just smiled and suddenly bit down on something inside his mouth. Seconds later, he fell to the ground, his eyes closed in death.

Mithrandir came up behind Elrond and asked, "Why is your servant on the ground, dead, Elrond?" The king shook his head in confusion. "I don't know, Mithrandir. But he was near my desk, fiddling with my..." Elrond's eyes opened wide, and he quickly ordered, "Check him and tell me if you find anything. I'll be in my rooms. Then send his body to his family." Without waiting for acknowledgment, Elrond turned and headed to his rooms with Mithrandir right behind him. They came into his rooms and Elrond walked over to his desk where his tea water sat. The lid was off and a small herb was laying on the desk next to it. Mithrandir picked it up and sniffed it.

"Jylexium. An herb that only grown in the southeast, in Mordor. It clouds the mind and makes people easily susceptible to fits of rage and anger." Elrond sat down hard on the edge of his bed and asked in a shaky voice, "Then...my anger with Aragorn and with Elladan and Elrohir and Legolas...?" Mithrandir quietly said, "Someone wanted Aragorn to leave these walls. I do not think that sending the other three away was part of the plan, though." Mithrandir was silent for a moment, then said, "Considering when you anger first started, I suspect that your condition would have become permanent the next time you drank this."

Elrond was still for a minute, then quietly asked, "Aragorn is in trouble, isn't he? He's in danger." Mithrandir sigh and said, "More than we both realize, my friend. Someone went though an awful lot to get Aragorn, and they will not give him up without a fight." Elrond looked up and looked like a lost child with grief and guilt shining brightly in his eyes. "What can we do?" Mithrandir placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and said softly, "We can pray, Elrond. And we can ride to find him." A pause, then, "Get some sleep, my friend. We shall leave near noon." Elrond obeyed without question.

Outside, high in the sky, Polaris glowed brightly, before suddenly becoming dim.

Translations:

Adan- human
Estel lasta an enni- Estel listen to me
tithen pen- little one
tithen gwador- little brother
ion nin- My son
post mae- rest well

Brannon nin- My lord
Mellon nin- My friend
Ada- Father

Ooh! I like it! I chose Polaris because it's my favorite star, btw. If anyone's confused on that whole herb thing, tell me, and I'll see if I can answer any questions you have. Off to write more! Torture, angst, and friendship upcoming!