Nightbird*Songbird: Yay! Formatting is behaving again. I can use
my dear apostrophes and quotation marks once more! I'm so happy! (blows
nose noisily on hankie) Sniff.
Well, this chapter is to celebrate my regaining of ' ' " and ". I suppose I ought to be questioning my mentality at updating so haphazardly and with such odd psychological themes, but I can't help it. Ach, but am I insane? I wonder... (thinks hard and walks into telephone pole while doing so)
Muse #1: (tears of laughter)
Nightbird: Shut up!
Well, anyways, it appears that although my sanity is questionable, I am still a decent writer. Odd, that. Bit like Edgar Allan Poe, innit, 'cept I'm a 13 yr. old angsty writer. Oh well, nearly the same anyway.
I have just read Chapter Five at the bit where Aragorn's 'paralyzed by his raging emotions' and have discovereed that it's waaaaaaay too chokingly emotional for such a thing, shoddily done, and it's a bit nonsensical.
But, as Shaan Lien nicely pointed out, this is fiction. I blame it on mental distress from being in the wilderness for too long in Legolas's case, and for Aragorn I blame his overreacting on being hopelessly in love. And I, myself, blame my poor writing on sitting too long in the sun. No wonder I get so few reviews, I've got no charisma, do I, eh?
In respone to reviews:
moonlightgoddess: Well, yay! Glad to see ya don't hate me for the poor babies's suffering. And, hey, I'm not THAT good.
Marcy: Aloha! And thank you for being a brave girl and reviewing. Too many people just conveniently 'forget' to review, no matter how often I plead... Ach, I can't be THAT good, I'm only 13. Yup. Just turned 13. So either I am a) a genius! b) Stark raving mad, or c) a pretty good writer. Hmm... I think b is the most likely of the three...
angelbird1224: Pretty name! I like! And thank you so much for reviewing!
anthem: What, me kill an Elf Prince? Naaaaah, never Legolas. But maybe some poor OC... (lightning flashes from fingertips) Wa ha ha! I've joined the dark side!
Rinamarth: Nuther pretty name! And I'm not that good, really, these are just my random babblings.
slg: Does your name stand for anything? Well, pretty please keep sending me nice reviews. It makes my day.
val: Hiya again! And thanx for the flattery. :)
Shaan Lien: Wows... you're Shaan Lien! I got a review from Shaan Lien! Yessssss! (punches air above her head) I intrigued you! And I hafta tell you, you're amazing! You've written so much! ... Whoops. I was gushing. Sorry 'bout that. But, wow! Shaan Lien!
So without further prevaricating, I give unto thee:
Chapter Six: Rose Dream
//Legolas...//
Memories haunted the former prince's sleep after he fled from the dream of roses. They bit into his mind like thorns, making the bruised edges of his recollections raw with pain. They gave the dream more bite, more sting, making them almost real. And Legolas was afraid.
The name had called to his dream-self softly, sweetly. Seductively. It pulled him in, until he felt lost in the voice of all the years gone past. He couldn't find his way out of the intricate voice that called with the sound of all the ghosts of his past, beckoning to him, drawing him deeper.
//Legolas//
The voice of Haskel, a sweet tenor. Haskel had been a friend of his when he was a child. Legolas had watched him die, in the hands of the Watcher, for Haskel had insisted on coming to protect him. His body had never been recovered, due to the fact that the frame of Moria's stone door had fallen upon his battered form.
//Legolas//
The stern but loving voice of his father, reprimanding him for some childhood misbehaviour. Thranduil had loved him as only a father can, which had made it all the more hurtful when their bond was broken. Legolas still missed him, and sometimes went over the memories of his childhood for the comfort that he could not find.
//Legolas//
The voice of a messenger, telling him that dinner was ready, and he had to dress appropriately this time, or Thranduil would cry bloody murder.
//Legolas//
The voice of Galadriel, calm and clear as the waters of her Mirror, telling him that she sensed a cloud over his future; that it did not wish to be known, and she could not read it.
//Legolas//
The voices began to mix together, until finally Legolas could no longer tell them apart. He drifted, child-like, in a sea of voices clamouring about him, trying desperately to shut them out. But he could not, and the dream-storm raged.
A new voice pierced the roar.
//Ghost//
It was a deep voice, soft and gravelly. He was dizzy with relief as the voice pulled him out of the nightmare, panting and sweating, the wild look of a caged bird in his eyes.
"Ghost!"
Legolas sat up, fully awake; blessing Aragorn, for once, for being himself. Aragorn was staring at him warily. "You were thrashing in your sleep," he said, blinking once. Legolas sighed wearily.
"Was I?"
"Yes. And you were mumbling incoherently."
"Oh."
"Nightmare?"
"Yeah." Legolas shook out his hair, blinking as well. He groaned when he realized the moon was still up, and began absentmindedly combing his hair out. It had gotten knotted while he slept. Legolas started to look for his brush, then thought better of it. In the weak light of the moon, he'd probably end up tripping over everything. He'd have to make do with his fingers.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Aragorn whispered softly. Legolas shook his head, still angered with Aragorn for what had happened during the day. He did not want to forgive him.
//I'm hopeless. I can't even stay angry with him for a day, all I can manage is 'distant'. For goodness' sake, I even feel sorry for striking him.//
For in truth, no matter how hard and cold his exterior was, Legolas was a good, plesant, polite person. It was how he had been raised; furthermore, it was in his personality. And an elf can no more deny their true nature than an orc can sing. He honestly couldn't feel guiltless about his actions. And so Legolas grieved over what he had done, in hurting another. No matter how much he raged over what Aragorn did, he knew he would forgive him eventually.
//But I cannot bring myself to do it yet, to open myself up to him again. Not yet.// Instead, Legolas gave him a half-smile.
"You were awake, Aragorn. Why?" Aragorn's face turned a slight shade pinker.
"I could not sleep. I was watching you."
"And why would you watch me?" Legolas asked softly. Aragorn met his gaze.
"I was feeling terrible about earlier today. I wanted to apologize, but I did not get the chance earlier. You fell asleep almost instantly after you brought me back to my bed." Legolas nodded.
"I'm awake now," Legolas said with a slightly wider smile. Aragorn smiled back.
"Then let me apologize, Ghost. I am very, very sorry for what I did earlier. I hurt you terribly, and although much of it was unintentional, I did speak with the intention to harm. I am an idiot. You deserve quite a lot better than what I have been giving you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart." Aragorn looked pleadingly at him, silently expressing his need for Legolas to listen and believe.
Legolas gave him a sad look. "I am still feeling rather bitter towards you, for you slandered my honor and my heritage, Aragorn. I am sorry, but I cannot forgive you yet."
"It is more than I hoped for. At least I have a chance of winning your forgiveness," Aragorn said, relief glowing dully in his eyes. Legolas gave a small start of suprise, and, not for the first time, was rather glad that his mask hid much of his face's expressions.
"I admit, you are a constant source of suprise to me. I do not know what to think about you," Legolas said truthfully. Aragorn sighed.
"I was being a stubborn bigot earlier today, refusing to respect you, and now I'm being suspiciously nice and delicate. Bother. You're right. I am quite possibly the most confusing person you've ever met. Since the Watcher, that is."
Legolas chuckled dryly. "Really, you're the only one I've seen since I fled." He grinned. "Now, I'm getting back to sleep. Good night, Aragorn."
"Good night, Ghost."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn waited until Ghost's breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, and then let out the breath he had been holding. He began to try to imitate Ghost's breathing pattern, but found even that could not get him to sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to fall into slumber, while he thought about what Ghost had said.
//I'm the only one? That must mean no one came after him. They really thought he was worthless. I am not going to leave him, then, no matter how idiotic he is. He's got such a lot of pain to carry, he should not be left alone.// Aragorn grimaced. //Any of my men would have comitted suicide long ago. Ghost's braver than the lot of them, and he's utterly unappreciated. I m walking on a razor's edge, so to speak, with him. I don't know how resiliant he seems to be, but I know he cares for me, because any other elf would have waited a year to tell me he forgived me.//
//So if he cares for me, I probably have the capacity to push him over the edge. Dangerous power, should I abuse it. Which means no more pressing him to speak, just letting him be. And it also means I shouldn't get angry with him so openly. He'd see that as rejection and hurt himself further. And I don't want him to be hurt.//
Aragorn grumbled to himself about being unable to sleep for a while, then settled himself and concentrated on keeping his eyes shut. Slowly, he drifted away, and the next thing he knew, Ghost was gently shaking his shoulder to wake him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas smiled at the sun as it rose, staining the clouds above a pale, rosy pink. It was normally not his favorite time of day, but he was happy just the same. He had reached a truce with Aragorn last night. The man might have been hurtful to him in the past, but he truly seemed to regret it. Maybe they could become friends.
//Maybe the rest of the world isn't against me after all. Thank the gods, I can be weak with him and he won't exploit that. I guess I'm so used to seeing everyone else as the enemy, always watching out for the people who want to hurt me for what I am, I thought Aragorn was the same way. I thought I couldn't show any of myself around him. I was afraid to take of the mask, afraid he would see a monster. I think we'll be on easier terms now.//
//But it will still hurt when he leaves for his kingdom. Which should be... oh, Gods! Today?!//
Legolas scrambled to his feet, a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. //I'll never see him again, past today. I cannot go with him, he would not wish a deformed man to be by his side. The only reason no search parties have come for him is because of the wargs and spiders infesting this area. They will have taken him for dead, as he has not been found, and he is not important enough, yet, to send the entire army after him. The eyes of all Gondor will be upon him when he returns.//
//And I cannot bear the thought of a good half of yet another kingdom despising me, taking me for a monster because of my flesh.// Legolas realized, as he walked numbly back to his home, that Aragorn would go today. Two tears spilled down the soft blue of his mask, but no more joined them.
//I have no more tears left to cry.// Legolas wiped them away, thankful the mask was water-resistant, and came over the stream into the cleared area of his cave.
Legolas's senses were suddenly on the alert at an unfamiliar scent. His body tensed, and he slowly drew out a pair long, ivory-handled knives. He recognized the stench almost immediately. //Warg!//
A whisper of sound behind him was all the warning he recieved. Legolas spun so swiftly his weapons became blurs of silver. His speed and strength knocked off the extended forepaws of the Warg that had leapt for him without making a single sound. Then he sidestepped quickly, his golden hair swishing audibly, as the momentum carried the wretched beast past him. The Warg thudded into the ground seconds after Legolas had slit its throat midair, landing where the Elf had been moments before.
All this was too fast for a human's eye to follow, and carried out in a single, graceful, fluid movement that resembled a dance. Legolas had natural magic, as an elf, but his additional magery made him infinitely more swift and more skilled than his oppenents. He did not like to blast his enemies, as it was a hideous waste of power, but he held no objection to using small amounts to aid his natural skills.
Legolas smiled grimly at the carcass as it shuddered into death. "I hate wargs," he sighed, using a flourish of his hand and an additional lump of power to incinerate the corpse where it lay. He did not want to attract carrion birds. "But where there's one, there's always more."
He ran lightly back to camp, concerned that another member of the pack had slipped into his home and killed Aragorn. To his immense relief, none of the stones of the streambed had been disturbed, nor the dirt stirred up from the bottom. No one had come by here, Man or beast. Only an elf could have gotten away with it. And no elves came here.
//Why should patrols come here, after all, when the mysterious 'Ghost of Mirkwood' takes care of the nasty little beasties for them? I've let them catch a glimpse of me on purpose, just to spread myths about a shade inhabiting this area. They leave well enough alone.// Legolas gave a ghost of a smile, and walked back into camp. Aragorn was sitting tensed by the fireside.
"Ghost. There's Wargs out there," he said tersely. Legolas smiled charmingly.
"I am well aware."
"I don't want you getting hurt. If you're injured, the nearest help is a day away." Legolas sighed in annoyance.
"I've managed for the past two thousand years, oh mother dear."
"And for the past two thousand years, you haven't had another person to look after. Face it, I'm defenseless, and if they have you busy, I'm deader than the Warg you just torched."
"How did you know I torched a Warg?" Legolas demanded, chilled. //What if he can sense magic? He'll know I'm a mage...// Aragorn laughed, pushing his fears aside.
"The smell." Legolas smiled sheepishly.
"Well, you are right. I'm the only one equipped to fight, and if I have a defenseless target just standing there, the Wargs will come. I'll have to wait them out. Unless you feel like being a defenseless target, that is?" Aragorn gave a mock scowl, and Legolas laughed.
"Just make sure you stay inside during the night and when I'm not there during the day. Wargs are smarter than they look; if you're inside, my scent will mask yours. Clear?" Legolas said sternly. Aragorn smiled.
"Yes, mother dear."
Legolas growled. "Just see that you stick to what I've told you, son, or you're in trouble." Aragorn batted his eyelashes in mock fear.
"Time-out?" he squeaked, adopting an annoying nasal tone. Legolas nodded fiercely.
"And no going over to your friends' house for a week!"
They both snickered, which turned into chuckes. Legolas smiled at him, and shooed him away into the mouth of the cave. "Get thee gone, o weak and defenseless damsel!" he called, and Aragorn laughed harder, rewarding him with a heartwarming smile.
//Well, looks like we can still laugh in the face of danger. Now back to work.//
Stifling his laughter, Legolas began to set about for trap equipment. He knew the trails the Wargs used, and was fairly certain they hadn't changed. He would, of course, only set the traps on paths that led to his home. Mindless slaughter was not called for, and no Elf would commit such a crime, even if the creature was a Warg. Animals were innocents, and Wargs could not help being what they were.
Besides, Wargs did not have the capacity to know right from wrong, and the sin of needless bloodshed would cause the trees to both spit him out, and point a finger towards him accusingly for any elves who talked to them. No Elf did such a thing. The spiders were left alone as well. Unless attacked, elves never shed another's blood. The orcs, however, were another matter. They were no innocents, and forests hated the feel of them.
__________________________________________________________
Legolas began to rig his last trap, his hands deft and sure. This was a variant of the trap that had caught Aragorn, except it was set at ground level instead of at throat-level. He used his magic to bend back the limb of a tree that was far too strong to break and would snap back once released.
Tying a fine rope to it, he made a noose out of the opposite end and secured the noose in a gap of a wild blackberry bush with a small, forked stick keeping it from setting off. Legolas did not bother to clean his scent from the trap; it was fine to leave the scent, for a hunting Warg would recognize the smell and want to chase after him.
Once the Warg dashed through, it would break the small stick and set off the trap. The branch would whip back, forcing the noose to tighten incredibly fast. The rope itself could be bitten through, but it was also covered with a burning, acidic powder that started working when it touched water. The limb of the tree was so thick that only magic could have put it into place, and hopefully the force of the limb pulling back would break the Warg's neck.
Legolas shuddered. //Let us be thankful Aragorn stumbled into a deer trap and not a Warg trap. I only use the powder for carnivore traps, because they're the only ones who both stay alive longer and try to bite through the rope.// Deer's teeth could not bite through elven rope, so the powder was unneccessary. And their necks were more delicate, so a lighter branch had been used, not the kind he had just set in this trap.
//He'd have died if I had set Warg traps.// And that was the truth. Aragorn was lucky to have made it out of one of Legolas's traps alive.
Legolas straightened. He had finished in time for dinner, as Aragorn had jokingly made him promise. Deciding to suprise him, Legolas crept into camp as silent as a shade.
//I'm in a much more cheerful mood because he's been forced to stay.// It would have been incredibly dangerous and impractical to leave now, with a Warg pack moving through the area, and him having to protect a defenseless pile of fresh meat. That was probably how Wargs saw their meals. And probably what Legolas and Aragorn would look like if they were attacked.
//Let's face it, the forest gives you little free space to fight, nowhere to hide from animals that hunt by scent except in fortified areas, and if I were attacked, there's no way I could have defended myself and Aragorn as well. And I don't have any weapons to spare, so Aragorn stays defenseless.// Legolas waited for a good fifteen minutes at the entrance to the cave before Aragorn turned around and saw him.
"Ghost! You're back!" Aragorn said exitedly. Legolas smiled.
"So I am. Anything happen?"
"No, not really. Unless you count the butterflies that flew by about an hour ago. Came right by the cave. It was fantastic." Legolas flat-out grinned.
"I know, I set them off by shaking the tree they were in while setting a trap. Glad you saw them. Now, I am hungry, and I want to eat. I'll be cooking dinner, if you don't mind, so I'll have to concentrate-" Aragorn cut him off, smiling.
"I used your bow to shoot a rabbit in your vegetable patch. Rather stupid rabbit, actually. Didn't seem to know what a human was."
"You made dinner?"
"Don't look so scared! I had the first nineteen years of my life to learn how."
"I still feel fear."
"Ach! You insult my cooking expertise! It'll be good, I promise," Aragorn said soothingly. "Now go get a seat and I'll serve dinner." Legolas snorted.
"Who's the mother now?" he teased, and scurried over to the edge of the fireside when Aragorn brandished a frying pan at him.
__________________________________________________________
Much to Legolas's suprise, the meal was rather good. He finished quickly, and when he retired for the night, he felt a sense of peace for the first time since Aragorn arrived. They had not fought all day, and were starting to become friends.
//And maybe if I know he'll be happy, I'll be able to stand it when he leaves.// Legolas tried to keep the thought in his head, tried to ignore the hurt, but another thought rose unbidden in his mind, and his face fell into shadow as he comtemplated it.
//Or maybe I'll die from a broken heart.//
Sighing, Legolas lay down on the pallet he had taken to sleeping on, shutting his eyes. //I can't deny I love him. I shall resign myself to death, then, when our paths split, for I know it is impossible for them to cross again.//
He did not dream that night.
__________________________________________________________
A/n: Well, I won't be updating for like, two weeks, because my parents insist on dragging us off to Maine. Sniff. Would rather go to England.
So, give me a shocking suprise and review. Maybe my inbox will actually fill more than one page this time! Ach, wishful thinking. I've got to go pack; it is now too late in the morning for me to do otherwise.
Ciao!
~Nightbird*Songbird
Well, this chapter is to celebrate my regaining of ' ' " and ". I suppose I ought to be questioning my mentality at updating so haphazardly and with such odd psychological themes, but I can't help it. Ach, but am I insane? I wonder... (thinks hard and walks into telephone pole while doing so)
Muse #1: (tears of laughter)
Nightbird: Shut up!
Well, anyways, it appears that although my sanity is questionable, I am still a decent writer. Odd, that. Bit like Edgar Allan Poe, innit, 'cept I'm a 13 yr. old angsty writer. Oh well, nearly the same anyway.
I have just read Chapter Five at the bit where Aragorn's 'paralyzed by his raging emotions' and have discovereed that it's waaaaaaay too chokingly emotional for such a thing, shoddily done, and it's a bit nonsensical.
But, as Shaan Lien nicely pointed out, this is fiction. I blame it on mental distress from being in the wilderness for too long in Legolas's case, and for Aragorn I blame his overreacting on being hopelessly in love. And I, myself, blame my poor writing on sitting too long in the sun. No wonder I get so few reviews, I've got no charisma, do I, eh?
In respone to reviews:
moonlightgoddess: Well, yay! Glad to see ya don't hate me for the poor babies's suffering. And, hey, I'm not THAT good.
Marcy: Aloha! And thank you for being a brave girl and reviewing. Too many people just conveniently 'forget' to review, no matter how often I plead... Ach, I can't be THAT good, I'm only 13. Yup. Just turned 13. So either I am a) a genius! b) Stark raving mad, or c) a pretty good writer. Hmm... I think b is the most likely of the three...
angelbird1224: Pretty name! I like! And thank you so much for reviewing!
anthem: What, me kill an Elf Prince? Naaaaah, never Legolas. But maybe some poor OC... (lightning flashes from fingertips) Wa ha ha! I've joined the dark side!
Rinamarth: Nuther pretty name! And I'm not that good, really, these are just my random babblings.
slg: Does your name stand for anything? Well, pretty please keep sending me nice reviews. It makes my day.
val: Hiya again! And thanx for the flattery. :)
Shaan Lien: Wows... you're Shaan Lien! I got a review from Shaan Lien! Yessssss! (punches air above her head) I intrigued you! And I hafta tell you, you're amazing! You've written so much! ... Whoops. I was gushing. Sorry 'bout that. But, wow! Shaan Lien!
So without further prevaricating, I give unto thee:
Chapter Six: Rose Dream
//Legolas...//
Memories haunted the former prince's sleep after he fled from the dream of roses. They bit into his mind like thorns, making the bruised edges of his recollections raw with pain. They gave the dream more bite, more sting, making them almost real. And Legolas was afraid.
The name had called to his dream-self softly, sweetly. Seductively. It pulled him in, until he felt lost in the voice of all the years gone past. He couldn't find his way out of the intricate voice that called with the sound of all the ghosts of his past, beckoning to him, drawing him deeper.
//Legolas//
The voice of Haskel, a sweet tenor. Haskel had been a friend of his when he was a child. Legolas had watched him die, in the hands of the Watcher, for Haskel had insisted on coming to protect him. His body had never been recovered, due to the fact that the frame of Moria's stone door had fallen upon his battered form.
//Legolas//
The stern but loving voice of his father, reprimanding him for some childhood misbehaviour. Thranduil had loved him as only a father can, which had made it all the more hurtful when their bond was broken. Legolas still missed him, and sometimes went over the memories of his childhood for the comfort that he could not find.
//Legolas//
The voice of a messenger, telling him that dinner was ready, and he had to dress appropriately this time, or Thranduil would cry bloody murder.
//Legolas//
The voice of Galadriel, calm and clear as the waters of her Mirror, telling him that she sensed a cloud over his future; that it did not wish to be known, and she could not read it.
//Legolas//
The voices began to mix together, until finally Legolas could no longer tell them apart. He drifted, child-like, in a sea of voices clamouring about him, trying desperately to shut them out. But he could not, and the dream-storm raged.
A new voice pierced the roar.
//Ghost//
It was a deep voice, soft and gravelly. He was dizzy with relief as the voice pulled him out of the nightmare, panting and sweating, the wild look of a caged bird in his eyes.
"Ghost!"
Legolas sat up, fully awake; blessing Aragorn, for once, for being himself. Aragorn was staring at him warily. "You were thrashing in your sleep," he said, blinking once. Legolas sighed wearily.
"Was I?"
"Yes. And you were mumbling incoherently."
"Oh."
"Nightmare?"
"Yeah." Legolas shook out his hair, blinking as well. He groaned when he realized the moon was still up, and began absentmindedly combing his hair out. It had gotten knotted while he slept. Legolas started to look for his brush, then thought better of it. In the weak light of the moon, he'd probably end up tripping over everything. He'd have to make do with his fingers.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Aragorn whispered softly. Legolas shook his head, still angered with Aragorn for what had happened during the day. He did not want to forgive him.
//I'm hopeless. I can't even stay angry with him for a day, all I can manage is 'distant'. For goodness' sake, I even feel sorry for striking him.//
For in truth, no matter how hard and cold his exterior was, Legolas was a good, plesant, polite person. It was how he had been raised; furthermore, it was in his personality. And an elf can no more deny their true nature than an orc can sing. He honestly couldn't feel guiltless about his actions. And so Legolas grieved over what he had done, in hurting another. No matter how much he raged over what Aragorn did, he knew he would forgive him eventually.
//But I cannot bring myself to do it yet, to open myself up to him again. Not yet.// Instead, Legolas gave him a half-smile.
"You were awake, Aragorn. Why?" Aragorn's face turned a slight shade pinker.
"I could not sleep. I was watching you."
"And why would you watch me?" Legolas asked softly. Aragorn met his gaze.
"I was feeling terrible about earlier today. I wanted to apologize, but I did not get the chance earlier. You fell asleep almost instantly after you brought me back to my bed." Legolas nodded.
"I'm awake now," Legolas said with a slightly wider smile. Aragorn smiled back.
"Then let me apologize, Ghost. I am very, very sorry for what I did earlier. I hurt you terribly, and although much of it was unintentional, I did speak with the intention to harm. I am an idiot. You deserve quite a lot better than what I have been giving you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart." Aragorn looked pleadingly at him, silently expressing his need for Legolas to listen and believe.
Legolas gave him a sad look. "I am still feeling rather bitter towards you, for you slandered my honor and my heritage, Aragorn. I am sorry, but I cannot forgive you yet."
"It is more than I hoped for. At least I have a chance of winning your forgiveness," Aragorn said, relief glowing dully in his eyes. Legolas gave a small start of suprise, and, not for the first time, was rather glad that his mask hid much of his face's expressions.
"I admit, you are a constant source of suprise to me. I do not know what to think about you," Legolas said truthfully. Aragorn sighed.
"I was being a stubborn bigot earlier today, refusing to respect you, and now I'm being suspiciously nice and delicate. Bother. You're right. I am quite possibly the most confusing person you've ever met. Since the Watcher, that is."
Legolas chuckled dryly. "Really, you're the only one I've seen since I fled." He grinned. "Now, I'm getting back to sleep. Good night, Aragorn."
"Good night, Ghost."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn waited until Ghost's breathing had slowed to a steady rhythm, and then let out the breath he had been holding. He began to try to imitate Ghost's breathing pattern, but found even that could not get him to sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to fall into slumber, while he thought about what Ghost had said.
//I'm the only one? That must mean no one came after him. They really thought he was worthless. I am not going to leave him, then, no matter how idiotic he is. He's got such a lot of pain to carry, he should not be left alone.// Aragorn grimaced. //Any of my men would have comitted suicide long ago. Ghost's braver than the lot of them, and he's utterly unappreciated. I m walking on a razor's edge, so to speak, with him. I don't know how resiliant he seems to be, but I know he cares for me, because any other elf would have waited a year to tell me he forgived me.//
//So if he cares for me, I probably have the capacity to push him over the edge. Dangerous power, should I abuse it. Which means no more pressing him to speak, just letting him be. And it also means I shouldn't get angry with him so openly. He'd see that as rejection and hurt himself further. And I don't want him to be hurt.//
Aragorn grumbled to himself about being unable to sleep for a while, then settled himself and concentrated on keeping his eyes shut. Slowly, he drifted away, and the next thing he knew, Ghost was gently shaking his shoulder to wake him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas smiled at the sun as it rose, staining the clouds above a pale, rosy pink. It was normally not his favorite time of day, but he was happy just the same. He had reached a truce with Aragorn last night. The man might have been hurtful to him in the past, but he truly seemed to regret it. Maybe they could become friends.
//Maybe the rest of the world isn't against me after all. Thank the gods, I can be weak with him and he won't exploit that. I guess I'm so used to seeing everyone else as the enemy, always watching out for the people who want to hurt me for what I am, I thought Aragorn was the same way. I thought I couldn't show any of myself around him. I was afraid to take of the mask, afraid he would see a monster. I think we'll be on easier terms now.//
//But it will still hurt when he leaves for his kingdom. Which should be... oh, Gods! Today?!//
Legolas scrambled to his feet, a sickened feeling in the pit of his stomach. //I'll never see him again, past today. I cannot go with him, he would not wish a deformed man to be by his side. The only reason no search parties have come for him is because of the wargs and spiders infesting this area. They will have taken him for dead, as he has not been found, and he is not important enough, yet, to send the entire army after him. The eyes of all Gondor will be upon him when he returns.//
//And I cannot bear the thought of a good half of yet another kingdom despising me, taking me for a monster because of my flesh.// Legolas realized, as he walked numbly back to his home, that Aragorn would go today. Two tears spilled down the soft blue of his mask, but no more joined them.
//I have no more tears left to cry.// Legolas wiped them away, thankful the mask was water-resistant, and came over the stream into the cleared area of his cave.
Legolas's senses were suddenly on the alert at an unfamiliar scent. His body tensed, and he slowly drew out a pair long, ivory-handled knives. He recognized the stench almost immediately. //Warg!//
A whisper of sound behind him was all the warning he recieved. Legolas spun so swiftly his weapons became blurs of silver. His speed and strength knocked off the extended forepaws of the Warg that had leapt for him without making a single sound. Then he sidestepped quickly, his golden hair swishing audibly, as the momentum carried the wretched beast past him. The Warg thudded into the ground seconds after Legolas had slit its throat midair, landing where the Elf had been moments before.
All this was too fast for a human's eye to follow, and carried out in a single, graceful, fluid movement that resembled a dance. Legolas had natural magic, as an elf, but his additional magery made him infinitely more swift and more skilled than his oppenents. He did not like to blast his enemies, as it was a hideous waste of power, but he held no objection to using small amounts to aid his natural skills.
Legolas smiled grimly at the carcass as it shuddered into death. "I hate wargs," he sighed, using a flourish of his hand and an additional lump of power to incinerate the corpse where it lay. He did not want to attract carrion birds. "But where there's one, there's always more."
He ran lightly back to camp, concerned that another member of the pack had slipped into his home and killed Aragorn. To his immense relief, none of the stones of the streambed had been disturbed, nor the dirt stirred up from the bottom. No one had come by here, Man or beast. Only an elf could have gotten away with it. And no elves came here.
//Why should patrols come here, after all, when the mysterious 'Ghost of Mirkwood' takes care of the nasty little beasties for them? I've let them catch a glimpse of me on purpose, just to spread myths about a shade inhabiting this area. They leave well enough alone.// Legolas gave a ghost of a smile, and walked back into camp. Aragorn was sitting tensed by the fireside.
"Ghost. There's Wargs out there," he said tersely. Legolas smiled charmingly.
"I am well aware."
"I don't want you getting hurt. If you're injured, the nearest help is a day away." Legolas sighed in annoyance.
"I've managed for the past two thousand years, oh mother dear."
"And for the past two thousand years, you haven't had another person to look after. Face it, I'm defenseless, and if they have you busy, I'm deader than the Warg you just torched."
"How did you know I torched a Warg?" Legolas demanded, chilled. //What if he can sense magic? He'll know I'm a mage...// Aragorn laughed, pushing his fears aside.
"The smell." Legolas smiled sheepishly.
"Well, you are right. I'm the only one equipped to fight, and if I have a defenseless target just standing there, the Wargs will come. I'll have to wait them out. Unless you feel like being a defenseless target, that is?" Aragorn gave a mock scowl, and Legolas laughed.
"Just make sure you stay inside during the night and when I'm not there during the day. Wargs are smarter than they look; if you're inside, my scent will mask yours. Clear?" Legolas said sternly. Aragorn smiled.
"Yes, mother dear."
Legolas growled. "Just see that you stick to what I've told you, son, or you're in trouble." Aragorn batted his eyelashes in mock fear.
"Time-out?" he squeaked, adopting an annoying nasal tone. Legolas nodded fiercely.
"And no going over to your friends' house for a week!"
They both snickered, which turned into chuckes. Legolas smiled at him, and shooed him away into the mouth of the cave. "Get thee gone, o weak and defenseless damsel!" he called, and Aragorn laughed harder, rewarding him with a heartwarming smile.
//Well, looks like we can still laugh in the face of danger. Now back to work.//
Stifling his laughter, Legolas began to set about for trap equipment. He knew the trails the Wargs used, and was fairly certain they hadn't changed. He would, of course, only set the traps on paths that led to his home. Mindless slaughter was not called for, and no Elf would commit such a crime, even if the creature was a Warg. Animals were innocents, and Wargs could not help being what they were.
Besides, Wargs did not have the capacity to know right from wrong, and the sin of needless bloodshed would cause the trees to both spit him out, and point a finger towards him accusingly for any elves who talked to them. No Elf did such a thing. The spiders were left alone as well. Unless attacked, elves never shed another's blood. The orcs, however, were another matter. They were no innocents, and forests hated the feel of them.
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Legolas began to rig his last trap, his hands deft and sure. This was a variant of the trap that had caught Aragorn, except it was set at ground level instead of at throat-level. He used his magic to bend back the limb of a tree that was far too strong to break and would snap back once released.
Tying a fine rope to it, he made a noose out of the opposite end and secured the noose in a gap of a wild blackberry bush with a small, forked stick keeping it from setting off. Legolas did not bother to clean his scent from the trap; it was fine to leave the scent, for a hunting Warg would recognize the smell and want to chase after him.
Once the Warg dashed through, it would break the small stick and set off the trap. The branch would whip back, forcing the noose to tighten incredibly fast. The rope itself could be bitten through, but it was also covered with a burning, acidic powder that started working when it touched water. The limb of the tree was so thick that only magic could have put it into place, and hopefully the force of the limb pulling back would break the Warg's neck.
Legolas shuddered. //Let us be thankful Aragorn stumbled into a deer trap and not a Warg trap. I only use the powder for carnivore traps, because they're the only ones who both stay alive longer and try to bite through the rope.// Deer's teeth could not bite through elven rope, so the powder was unneccessary. And their necks were more delicate, so a lighter branch had been used, not the kind he had just set in this trap.
//He'd have died if I had set Warg traps.// And that was the truth. Aragorn was lucky to have made it out of one of Legolas's traps alive.
Legolas straightened. He had finished in time for dinner, as Aragorn had jokingly made him promise. Deciding to suprise him, Legolas crept into camp as silent as a shade.
//I'm in a much more cheerful mood because he's been forced to stay.// It would have been incredibly dangerous and impractical to leave now, with a Warg pack moving through the area, and him having to protect a defenseless pile of fresh meat. That was probably how Wargs saw their meals. And probably what Legolas and Aragorn would look like if they were attacked.
//Let's face it, the forest gives you little free space to fight, nowhere to hide from animals that hunt by scent except in fortified areas, and if I were attacked, there's no way I could have defended myself and Aragorn as well. And I don't have any weapons to spare, so Aragorn stays defenseless.// Legolas waited for a good fifteen minutes at the entrance to the cave before Aragorn turned around and saw him.
"Ghost! You're back!" Aragorn said exitedly. Legolas smiled.
"So I am. Anything happen?"
"No, not really. Unless you count the butterflies that flew by about an hour ago. Came right by the cave. It was fantastic." Legolas flat-out grinned.
"I know, I set them off by shaking the tree they were in while setting a trap. Glad you saw them. Now, I am hungry, and I want to eat. I'll be cooking dinner, if you don't mind, so I'll have to concentrate-" Aragorn cut him off, smiling.
"I used your bow to shoot a rabbit in your vegetable patch. Rather stupid rabbit, actually. Didn't seem to know what a human was."
"You made dinner?"
"Don't look so scared! I had the first nineteen years of my life to learn how."
"I still feel fear."
"Ach! You insult my cooking expertise! It'll be good, I promise," Aragorn said soothingly. "Now go get a seat and I'll serve dinner." Legolas snorted.
"Who's the mother now?" he teased, and scurried over to the edge of the fireside when Aragorn brandished a frying pan at him.
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Much to Legolas's suprise, the meal was rather good. He finished quickly, and when he retired for the night, he felt a sense of peace for the first time since Aragorn arrived. They had not fought all day, and were starting to become friends.
//And maybe if I know he'll be happy, I'll be able to stand it when he leaves.// Legolas tried to keep the thought in his head, tried to ignore the hurt, but another thought rose unbidden in his mind, and his face fell into shadow as he comtemplated it.
//Or maybe I'll die from a broken heart.//
Sighing, Legolas lay down on the pallet he had taken to sleeping on, shutting his eyes. //I can't deny I love him. I shall resign myself to death, then, when our paths split, for I know it is impossible for them to cross again.//
He did not dream that night.
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A/n: Well, I won't be updating for like, two weeks, because my parents insist on dragging us off to Maine. Sniff. Would rather go to England.
So, give me a shocking suprise and review. Maybe my inbox will actually fill more than one page this time! Ach, wishful thinking. I've got to go pack; it is now too late in the morning for me to do otherwise.
Ciao!
~Nightbird*Songbird