Legolas stopped short, causing the human to stop as well. He closed his eyes listening intently for a moment before Aragorn interrupted his thoughts.
"What is it?" he queried, glancing about the cave.
"Can you hear it?" Legolas asked softly. When no answer came he continued. "Water, I hear running water."
Legolas took the lead then, Aragorn following shortly behind as Legolas made his way down the path. Sure enough at the bottom there ran a shallow creek, that seeped between the rocky edge. Faint light spilled in, casting a light glow over the trickling water. There hardly was any depth to it, the water shallower than half an inch and was no wider than a hands span. Still it was a great relief.
By cupping their hands they were able to collect the running water in small amounts, and brought it up to their lips where they greedily consumed it through parched lips. Legolas drank his fill and as Aragorn continued to drink, tended to his aching hands. There was little he could do, and so merely washed them in handful's of water, hissing softly as the cold water came in contact with his swollen flesh. He tended to his leg wound as well, it no longer hurt but the Elf didn't want to take chance of infection.
He watched the human drink as he proceeded to wash his face. In the pale light he could barely see the fatigue in Aragorn's eyes. He knew they must find a way out and soon. Aragorn would not be able to last much longer, and the darkness had already pushed the Elf past his comfortable limitations.
With a sigh Aragorn leaned back against a rock, closing his eyes halfway. "I feel as though I could sleep right now," he said with a slight laugh. Legolas looked at him sideways through the filtering light.
"Perhaps we should," he suggested.
Aragorn chuckled almost soundlessly, causing the Elf to give him a questioning stare. "You are not supposed to agree with me! You're supposed say something of the matter 'Nay we will not! We will keep going and I will drag you by the ears if I have to.'
Legolas frowned. "Why would I say something like that?"
Aragorn shook his head, laughing at the Elf's tone of voice. "My father says you are much like my brothers, and that's exactly what they would say, actually they wouldn't even say it, they would just do it without giving me even the smallest of chances to get away."
Legolas laughed this time, causing Aragorn to smile as well. "That is quite amusing, I must say. Very well then, let us continue, and I will drag you by your ears if I have to," he finished, shaking his head with a bright smile.
As they continued on, travel became easier, light pressed in through the cracks between the rocks, seemingly signaling to them their journey was almost done. Legolas let out a sigh, smiling to himself, before returning to his tale.
"The day we went," he said gently, "It was warm and inviting. A perfect day to slip away without anyone noticing. We told no one of where we were going. I had a…dark feeling you might say about what we were about to do. But never once did I voice my concern. Rasiel thought very little of cowardice and I did not wish to earn a overwrought thought from him.
He took the lead I shortly after. We were perhaps about the middle of the cave when a boisterous clamor shook the walls around us and the floor below our feet split and began to all in upon itself. I was vaguely away that the ceiling above us had began to fall. It was the last I remembered for some time."
Legolas paused, breathing in deeply and closing his eyes. He felt cold now, suddenly as if an icy knife had been driven deep into his soul. He shivered at the thought and was startled as a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Aragorn told him quietly, but the Elf shook his hand off, feeling ill with himself at his actions toward his companion, who only wanted to help.
"When I woke I had no sense of time or where I was, and for the shortest of moments I could not remember anything, not even who I was. I could hear something calling out, and it took a moment to realize it was my name that was being called. Memory slammed back into me, and I tried to sit up, but it pained me. The entire structure had collapsed around me. I remembered something wet on my face, I thought vaguely it was water, but I noted that it was warm. I was able to free one of my hands and I reached up to brush it away. Sharp pain shot through my head and my hand came back, covered in blood.
I soon came to realize it was Rasiel who was calling for me. I tried to answer back, but at that time I wasn't thinking very clearly and soon I passed out. I woke up some time later, unsure of how many minutes or hours or even days that had gone by. Rasiel's voice was still calling out, soft and scratchy."
Legolas took another deep breath, his voice beginning to waver once more. "I forced myself to move than, not for my sake, but Rasiel's. I found him deeper in the cave, buried under a mountain of rocks. I could not free him, despite my trying for so long. I was going to leave for help, but he bade my to stay. And I did."
Aragorn bit his lip as Legolas stopped talking. He knew the Elf was struggling with emotions unknown to him and he wanted to comfort him but did not know how. He had only known the Elf for a short time, but had grown to like him. Legolas wiped away a tear that began to fall, taking a deep breath.
"I held Rasiel in an awkward embrace, giving him all the comfort I could, promising help would be here soon. And it did come, but not in time. Rasiel passed away that morn. Father found me that night. I was supposed to protect him. I was older, if only by days, I still was the elder."
Legolas let out another sigh, wrapping his arms about his chest, and closing his eyes. Aragorn put a hand on the Elf's shoulder, only to withdraw as Legolas shuddered under his touch. "I should have gone for help, should have stopped it before it even began. Don't you see? If I had not agreed to go in, none of it would of happened."
He shook his head, "Tis stupid, iston. I thought such things," Legolas said lightly, sweeping his hand around to indicate the cave, "would no longer bother me. A childhood fear."
"It is not," Aragorn cried, surprised that the Elf would think of something of the sort. "Legolas, you were hurt and your cousin killed in such a place. I would be terrified to come back into such a place again! I never go into basement alone because of when I was young, my brothers locked my down there and I couldn't get out until later that night when father found me!"
"They locked you up?" Legolas queried.
Aragorn nodded. "Yes they did, I never found out quite why, but still I don't go down there alone. You shoudn't be ashamed of your fears Legolas, not when something happened."
Legolas nodded, with a smile. "Look up ahead," he whispered softly.
Aragorn turned his attention toward there and smiled as well as the opening of the cave beckoned them closer. It was small, large enough for only one person at a time. Legolas pushed his way through first, inhaling deeply once out. He s,o;ed to himself, tilting his head with closed eyes so that the sun's warm rays could fall across his face.
He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed the warmth and light of the sun, the soft breeze of the wind. The forest here was blackened from the fire's wrath, but no sign of smoke or flame could be seen.
"Legolas, if you don't mind, I would like to come out as well," Aragorn called up to him.
Legolas smiled sheepishly as he realized he still stood in the opening and moved aside, lending a hand to the human as he helped him up. Once up Aragorn sat down on the rock, along with the Elf. They sat here for a long time, just enjoying the fresh air.
"Thank you," Legolas said quietly, laying a hand on Aragorn's shoulder.
"For what?" Aragorn asked, slightly caught off guard.
"For not thinking me childish for my fears," Legolas told him, turning his attention back to the forest. "I feel responsible for his death even today, and think about sometimes. My father says there was nothing that could have been done. But I always wonder if there could have. My uncle left after that, I felt for the longest time he was angry at me, but in his letters he wrote he said that fate could not be avoided, and that no one was to blame. I have not been in a cave since then, and I believed they would no longer frighten me. The truth was that I didn't want to know if they did or not. I guess now I know."
Aragorn smiled sadly, "You welcome," he told the Elf softly.
"For what?" Legolas asked, caught of guard. Aragorn laughed, shaking his head.
"For thanking me!" he said smiling. Legolas blushed slightly.
"Perhaps it is time to be moving on, the Elf said shortly, jumping down to the forest floor. Aragorn followed, choosing to climb down instead of jumping. But once down there was no sign of the Elf. Glancing about he called out curiously for him.
"Up here," Legolas warned him before dropping down several apples. The Elf made his way down slowly, his hands still hurt, that part was obvious. Legolas landed next to him, and for the first time Aragorn noticed how roughed up the Elf looked.
His laughter caused a glare from his companion. "You should see yourself my friend," he told the Elf gently.
"You look no better, and if you wish to look worse I can arrange that," Legolas warned, biting in his apple.
"Fine, let us go home," Aragorn said smiling.
Legolas nodded, "That sounds wonderful."
TBC Big thanks to all of you for all the wonderful reviews!Bec-
I'm glad you like the stories, hope you enjoy the rest of them!
Sara-
LOL, you think my stories are good? There are some things I am not happy with, but I am working on them to improve them. As for the bickering they sound like my cousins. I met them for my first time just a few months ago and they are extremely funny to listen to. Hope to see you reviewing again
Grumpy-
Hey, I'll take the rain! We need it, desperately, even though it has rained pretty good within the last few days. Hope the weather improves
Balthasar-
Legolas would talk about Rasiel because he feels as though he needs to, but won't talk about his mother because he isn't ready and neither am I (Haven't decided what happened to her yet)
Legolas nods because it is an instinct. At least for me, I do it all the time, drives my parents nuts.
Snickers, yeh right, you didn't mean too. LOL, it was my fault, and you do your split personality very well. If that is what you would call it, Which reminds me, the other day during lunch I was sitting with my friends, and one of them is having this teacher next semster where you have to do this dorky poem about a peach in a different voice. I told her she should do it as Gollum. And so we are sitting there going
Gollum-"There was this peach, nasssssty peach, it must die"
Smeagol- "But the peach is our frined!"
G- "You have no frineds! This nassssty peach, was kissed by the dew!"
S- "Not listening,"
And so we continue this until our other two companions are looking at us with these strange "I don't know these two' looks. The poem stinks and the teacher is weird, she thinks my name is Amber. My friend is in her class right now and she did a presentation on me, and took some video footage and was setting up and the teacher's all "Oh it's Amber!" And my friend stared at her and said "No, that's Christina'
Okay back on topic, like you really needed to know that. Update child of Edros, (SP?) you can't tell me that is were it ends. Not going to get away that easy.