Chapter ten
Elrohir was getting worried. Elladan had been gone too long. 'what if Aragorn does something to him?' he thought. Aragorn had been pretty angry. There was know knowing what he could do. Elrohir looked at Legolas. He was still sitting in the bench, his head down. Elrohir hadn't said a word to him. He suspected he might be angry at him. It was Legolas who broke the silence:
"They should've come back already."
"Yes," Elrohir said cautiously. They were silent for a moment.
"Legolas I'm so sorry!" Elrohir said finally, not being able to hold his tongue any longer. "I understand that you must hate us now, and I-"
"What are you talking about?" Legolas looked up from his hands. "I don't blame you and Elladan. It was my choice. I could've walked away, but I didn't. I let it happen." Elrohir was confused.
"Then why did you agree to join us?" He sat next to Legolas on the bench.
"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to get you closer together." Elrohir was stunned.
"I mean," Legolas continued. "When you two got together he felt like he lost his brothers."
"How do you know that?"
"He told me. And judging by the look on his face every time he sees you together, I think that he would like to have his brother's back."
"I thought he didn't approve us..."
"He was just jealous."
"Jealous?!"
"Yes, jealous! Why is it so hard to understand?" Legolas practically shouted. Elrohir fell silent.
"Forgive me Elrohir," Legolas said quickly. "I had no right to shout at you. I was just thinking about what I said to Aragorn once."
"What did you say?" Elrohir asked gently.
"I told him that he... didn't have to be jealous anymore. Not now when he had. me," Legolas put his head back in his hands. "Oh, what have I done? Aragorn will never forgive me. I don't even deserve his forgiveness."
"Legolas, I'm sure he forgives you. Just give him some time. I know he loves you-"
"And I love him! Honestly I do. I just thought that we could forget love tonight." Legolas sighed. "I can't lose him Elrohir. I understand if he doesn't want to be with me anymore, but I'll make him change his mind. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him back!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aragorn was running through the woods, not really knowing where, just running, away from the scene that just took place. Tears ran down his face. The look on Legolas' face when he told him that he didn't want to see him anymore had been so devastating that Aragorn feared he would never forget it. 'He deserved it!' he kept telling himself, but somehow it only made him feel worse. His side hurt, but he didn't stop running. Then suddenly a tree branch came out of nowhere, and tripped him. He fell down hard, but didn't even notice the pain. He slowly rose into sitting position, and began crying aloud:
"Why did you do this to me?" he was too upset to rise up and continue running. "You were supposed to love me! Why... why did you do this..."
"It wasn't his fault."
Aragorn looked up and saw Elladan. He turned quickly around, and wiped his face clean.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a hoarse voice, his back still turned to him. Elladan took a careful step. (Aragorn could hear him)
"I wanted to-"
"Go away!"
"Aragorn, listen to me."
"Why should I?" he rose slowly from the ground and turned to look at his brother.
"Because you should know that Legolas isn't the one to blame. I mean..." Elladan found it hard to finish his sentence before Aragorn's murderous glare. "Elladan and I - well, we... It was our fault. Legolas did it because we asked him to. We just wanted to-" Elladan was interrupted by Aragorn's hands on his arm's, pressing hard.
"Just wanted to what?" he shouted and slammed Elladan against a tree trunk. Elladan winced. His back was bare, and it grinded painfully against the ragged tree trunk, drawing blood. "You got bored with Elrohir? Wanted to try someone else for a change!"
"It's nothing like-"
"Shut up!" Aragorn was pressing Elladan hard against the trunk. "I love Legolas! But that means nothing to you. You just think about yourself. I thought you loved Elrohir!"
"Don't *you* lecture *me* about love!" Elladan was getting angry too. Aragorn's accusations were so wrong. Also his back hurt. "The thing you and Legolas got going is NOTHING compared to what Elrohir and I have!" The moment Elladan said it , he realized that he shouldn't have. Aragorn let go of him, and took two shaky steps back.
"Aragorn, forgive me. I..." Aragorn sank to the ground. "Aragorn..."
"You're right," Aragorn said so quietly, that if Elladan wasn't an elf, he wouldn't have heard it.
"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure Legolas loves you-"
"No. He doesn't. I've been a fool." He looked at his hands. They were shaking.
"Look at me! I'm feel so weak! All I can think about is him, and he couldn't care less..."
"I told you that it was our fault, not Legolas'"
Aragorn wasn't listening. He was sitting on the ground, swaying slightly and muttering to himself things like 'how could you do this to me?' or 'why wasn't my love enough?'. Elladan felt bad for him. He kneeled before him and embraced him. Aragorn clutched him tightly and sobbed against his brother's bare shoulder.
"Shh, it's all right Estel." Elladan said soothingly and caressed Aragorn's hair. It had been long since they had embraced like this, and to Elladan it felt like getting his brother back. (even though his back hurt when Aragorn's hands pressed against it) They were silent for a long moment, Aragorn had calmed down but still they embraced. Neither one of them wanted to let go. Then Aragorn finally spoke:
"I've missed you." Elladan was so happy to hear those words, he thought he was going to cry. He pulled away from their embrace and looked Aragorn in the eye.
"I've missed you too!" He smiled. Aragorn tried to smile too, but it turned out to be more like a grimace. Elladan noticed that, and his face turned serious.
"Aragorn, tell me what you want me to do. I'll do anything to make amends. Anything!" Aragorn thought a minute.
"Alright. I know just what to make you do."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Elrohir lifted his head when he heard approaching footsteps. He had been resting it against a tree behind him. Legolas' head was on his lap. He was sound asleep. Elrohir looked closely into the dark forest, and soon noticed two dark figures. He carefully stood up from the bench, took Legolas' shirt from the ground, covered Legolas with it, and went to his brother(s).
"Elladan!" he shouted and embraced his twin. It took him a moment to realize that Elladan was bleeding. "Elladan! What happened? What did you do to him?" he asked angrily, turning to Aragorn.
"It's nothing Elrohir," Elladan answered before Aragorn got to say anything. "Listen, Aragorn wants us to help him get back to Legolas. Will you help us?" Elrohir stared at his brother.
"First we hurt Aragorn, and now you want to do the same to Legolas? I think Legolas has already been hurt as bad as Aragorn!"
"Don't forget that we're responsible for all of this," Elladan pointed out.
"You mean I don't have a choice?"
"Exactly."
Elrohir was getting worried. Elladan had been gone too long. 'what if Aragorn does something to him?' he thought. Aragorn had been pretty angry. There was know knowing what he could do. Elrohir looked at Legolas. He was still sitting in the bench, his head down. Elrohir hadn't said a word to him. He suspected he might be angry at him. It was Legolas who broke the silence:
"They should've come back already."
"Yes," Elrohir said cautiously. They were silent for a moment.
"Legolas I'm so sorry!" Elrohir said finally, not being able to hold his tongue any longer. "I understand that you must hate us now, and I-"
"What are you talking about?" Legolas looked up from his hands. "I don't blame you and Elladan. It was my choice. I could've walked away, but I didn't. I let it happen." Elrohir was confused.
"Then why did you agree to join us?" He sat next to Legolas on the bench.
"I don't know," he sighed. "I guess I just wanted to get you closer together." Elrohir was stunned.
"I mean," Legolas continued. "When you two got together he felt like he lost his brothers."
"How do you know that?"
"He told me. And judging by the look on his face every time he sees you together, I think that he would like to have his brother's back."
"I thought he didn't approve us..."
"He was just jealous."
"Jealous?!"
"Yes, jealous! Why is it so hard to understand?" Legolas practically shouted. Elrohir fell silent.
"Forgive me Elrohir," Legolas said quickly. "I had no right to shout at you. I was just thinking about what I said to Aragorn once."
"What did you say?" Elrohir asked gently.
"I told him that he... didn't have to be jealous anymore. Not now when he had. me," Legolas put his head back in his hands. "Oh, what have I done? Aragorn will never forgive me. I don't even deserve his forgiveness."
"Legolas, I'm sure he forgives you. Just give him some time. I know he loves you-"
"And I love him! Honestly I do. I just thought that we could forget love tonight." Legolas sighed. "I can't lose him Elrohir. I understand if he doesn't want to be with me anymore, but I'll make him change his mind. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him back!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aragorn was running through the woods, not really knowing where, just running, away from the scene that just took place. Tears ran down his face. The look on Legolas' face when he told him that he didn't want to see him anymore had been so devastating that Aragorn feared he would never forget it. 'He deserved it!' he kept telling himself, but somehow it only made him feel worse. His side hurt, but he didn't stop running. Then suddenly a tree branch came out of nowhere, and tripped him. He fell down hard, but didn't even notice the pain. He slowly rose into sitting position, and began crying aloud:
"Why did you do this to me?" he was too upset to rise up and continue running. "You were supposed to love me! Why... why did you do this..."
"It wasn't his fault."
Aragorn looked up and saw Elladan. He turned quickly around, and wiped his face clean.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a hoarse voice, his back still turned to him. Elladan took a careful step. (Aragorn could hear him)
"I wanted to-"
"Go away!"
"Aragorn, listen to me."
"Why should I?" he rose slowly from the ground and turned to look at his brother.
"Because you should know that Legolas isn't the one to blame. I mean..." Elladan found it hard to finish his sentence before Aragorn's murderous glare. "Elladan and I - well, we... It was our fault. Legolas did it because we asked him to. We just wanted to-" Elladan was interrupted by Aragorn's hands on his arm's, pressing hard.
"Just wanted to what?" he shouted and slammed Elladan against a tree trunk. Elladan winced. His back was bare, and it grinded painfully against the ragged tree trunk, drawing blood. "You got bored with Elrohir? Wanted to try someone else for a change!"
"It's nothing like-"
"Shut up!" Aragorn was pressing Elladan hard against the trunk. "I love Legolas! But that means nothing to you. You just think about yourself. I thought you loved Elrohir!"
"Don't *you* lecture *me* about love!" Elladan was getting angry too. Aragorn's accusations were so wrong. Also his back hurt. "The thing you and Legolas got going is NOTHING compared to what Elrohir and I have!" The moment Elladan said it , he realized that he shouldn't have. Aragorn let go of him, and took two shaky steps back.
"Aragorn, forgive me. I..." Aragorn sank to the ground. "Aragorn..."
"You're right," Aragorn said so quietly, that if Elladan wasn't an elf, he wouldn't have heard it.
"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure Legolas loves you-"
"No. He doesn't. I've been a fool." He looked at his hands. They were shaking.
"Look at me! I'm feel so weak! All I can think about is him, and he couldn't care less..."
"I told you that it was our fault, not Legolas'"
Aragorn wasn't listening. He was sitting on the ground, swaying slightly and muttering to himself things like 'how could you do this to me?' or 'why wasn't my love enough?'. Elladan felt bad for him. He kneeled before him and embraced him. Aragorn clutched him tightly and sobbed against his brother's bare shoulder.
"Shh, it's all right Estel." Elladan said soothingly and caressed Aragorn's hair. It had been long since they had embraced like this, and to Elladan it felt like getting his brother back. (even though his back hurt when Aragorn's hands pressed against it) They were silent for a long moment, Aragorn had calmed down but still they embraced. Neither one of them wanted to let go. Then Aragorn finally spoke:
"I've missed you." Elladan was so happy to hear those words, he thought he was going to cry. He pulled away from their embrace and looked Aragorn in the eye.
"I've missed you too!" He smiled. Aragorn tried to smile too, but it turned out to be more like a grimace. Elladan noticed that, and his face turned serious.
"Aragorn, tell me what you want me to do. I'll do anything to make amends. Anything!" Aragorn thought a minute.
"Alright. I know just what to make you do."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Elrohir lifted his head when he heard approaching footsteps. He had been resting it against a tree behind him. Legolas' head was on his lap. He was sound asleep. Elrohir looked closely into the dark forest, and soon noticed two dark figures. He carefully stood up from the bench, took Legolas' shirt from the ground, covered Legolas with it, and went to his brother(s).
"Elladan!" he shouted and embraced his twin. It took him a moment to realize that Elladan was bleeding. "Elladan! What happened? What did you do to him?" he asked angrily, turning to Aragorn.
"It's nothing Elrohir," Elladan answered before Aragorn got to say anything. "Listen, Aragorn wants us to help him get back to Legolas. Will you help us?" Elrohir stared at his brother.
"First we hurt Aragorn, and now you want to do the same to Legolas? I think Legolas has already been hurt as bad as Aragorn!"
"Don't forget that we're responsible for all of this," Elladan pointed out.
"You mean I don't have a choice?"
"Exactly."