Title: Regret

Summery: When you lose a friend to death, it is tragic, but what if you lost them before you got the chance to say, "I'm sorry." Could you live with that?

Note: Thanks to all the readers, and reviewers of course. I can't believe you guys have given me 95 reviews, that's unbelievable. I really appreciate it, and I hope that you guys will still enjoy what's to come. Oh, and just to clarify, the chain that Legolas pulled from around his neck in the last chapter, was a gift given to him by Aragorn. You'll learn more about it in this, and upcoming chapters, but I just wanted to make sure that that part didn't confuse you or anything. Anyhoo, this one's a bit shorter than the others have been, but here we go. Read on…….

Chapter nine

The news that Ginyc had yet to arrive in Rivendell was a great shock, and instantly, Aragorn, and Kip feared that the older ranger had suffered the same fate as Legolas and his company had. The elven Lord knew that it was becoming increasingly important that these criminals were brought to justice, and so, he sent out several search parties to scout the area, for any sign, of Legolas, Ginyc, or any other suspicious activities going on the borders of his realm.

The twin sons of Elrond, like many, were also eager to help in any way they could, to protect their land, as well as aid in the search for their missing friends. Split up into groups, over forty elves, and men were involved in the search, while Elladan, the elder of the twins, was sent by his father to the elven realm of Mirkwood, to inform King Thranduil, of recent events, and his son's disappearance.

"We have to find them" Aragorn said in a pleading tone, as he followed behind his father's fair-haired advisor, who went by the name of Glorfindel. They, had originally left Elrond's gates, traveling with Kip and Elrohir, however, the four, had decided to spilt further, into groups of two, hoping to cover more ground.

"We will, Estel," Glorfindel assured, trying desperately to comfort the young man. He knew that their chances of finding the prince, and the missing ranger were diminishing quickly, and the longer it took them to find a lead of the wild men's location, the worse their chances got.

He could not understand how nobody had yet to come across anything. These men were smarter than most of the enemies he'd fought in the past, and they seemed to be very careful about leaving no tracks for them to follow. Whoever they were, they were skilled, in not only covering themselves, but in hunting as well. For the men to have taken down the Mirkwood party, and not alerted any of the rangers in the area, proved that they had to be intelligent. Which helped, himself and Estel, naught at all.

"If you wish to never see my face again, then I will respect your desire, and keep my distance." The last thing that his friend had said to him, was repeating itself inside Aragorn's head, as he and Glorfindel searched every nook and cranny for some sign that would give them any type of direction.

The man could still see the hurt in the elf's face when he turned and walked away, and the memory of that, was haunting his soul. It seemed as if he were trapped inside a nightmare, that seemed to only be getting worse and worse. He longed for someone to wake him, and pull him away from the abyss that was all around him, but his wish went ignored. Which only made him question the possibility that this was his punishment for the way he treated one, that he cared so much about.

As the two came to a large clearing, Aragorn began to stagger behind, lost in his own thoughts, but at the same time, still keeping his eyes open, in case they should spot anything out of the ordinary. And finally, after hours of finding nothing, a glimpse of silver caught his eye. Almost going unnoticed, the long silver chain, was pressed into the damp soil, and half had been covered by blowing fallen leaves.

As the young man fell to one knee, his movements caught the attention of his elven companion, who became very interested in what had caught the ranger's eye. The chain was light in weight, and made of mithril. Though what surprised Aragorn most, was that he recognized the piece of jewellery, in fact, he was certain that he had held it before.

"What is it?" Glorfindel asked, as a serious expression formed on the man's face as he studied the chain intently.

"This necklace," Aragorn began, "it belongs to Legolas." His words hit the elf hard, and sudden hope filled his worried heart. Perhaps there was a chance after all, perhaps they would be successful in finding Thranduil's son, before the king arrived, and they had to give him ill news.

"Are you sure?" Glorfindel questioned, wanting to be completely positive, before he got his hopes too high. Aragorn nodded, as he rose to his feet, and handed the chain to the elf as he replied. "I gave it to him, only two days ago. As a parting gift, before he left for Mirkwood."

The memory of when he had given the gift to Legolas resurfaced, and the man was finally able to smile. The elf prince had teased him, about always wearing a ring on his finger, and so the man had thought it funny, to force the elf to have to wear a necklace, even if it was only during his time in Imladris. However his smile faded, when the haunting memory of their parting showed itself to him again.

"This is a good sign," Glorfindel spoke, pulling Aragorn out of the hurtful trance he'd fallen into. "Yes, it is," Aragorn replied, "he left this here, I know he did. Legolas knew that I would find and recognize it. He left it there to point me in the right direction. He's alive, I know he is. This proves it."

The elf nodded, feeling the same rush that the man was feeling. They were close, he could feel it too, the only question now was, where was Legolas directing them to go? Together, the inspected the surrounding area, and looked for any sign of a struggle. The only sign of footprints that they could spot, seemed to have been brushed away, but from the point of the one print they could make out, led them towards the large cluster of trees against a rock face.

"It's a dead end" Aragorn exclaimed, completely disappointed, as a relentless Glorfindel still scavenged through the branches. The man looked back down at the chain in his sweaty palm, and closed his eyes tightly, as he clenched it in his fist, almost trying to draw strength from it.

The branches of the trees separated fairly easy, and the elf had no trouble slipping through the foliage, and to his surprise, he found that he was not faced with the side of the mountain, but a cavern. It seemed that the elf had found the wild folks' method of escape, and hiding. Caves.

"Aragorn! Come quickly," Glorfindel called out, as he poked his head out from the cluster of trees, and as the young man ran towards the elf, they were joined by two other beings, who dashed into the clearing. Elrohir and Kip had tired and heart-rending expressions as they neared, which caused both Aragorn and Elrond's advisor to walk over to them.

"Elrohir," Aragorn started in much more cheerful of a tone, than up until a few minutes ago, none thought the man possible of using, "Legolas' chain. We found it, along with a cavern. We think we've found where the men have taken Legolas, and possibly Ginyc as well. Legolas is alive, my brother, he's alive."

"Estel," Elrohir, interrupted, but went ignored.

"Come, both of you, we shall follow the dark path at once," Aragorn urged, as he started back in the direction of the mountain wall, only to be pulled to a stop, as Elrohir grabbed his forearm tightly, holding the man in place.

"Estel, they've found him," he informed his brother, causing the ranger's happiness to grow.

"They have?" Aragorn questioned, feeling the weight of his heart suddenly become lightened, "how is he? Where is he? Can I see him? Take me to him."

Elrohir hesitated, and Glorfindel could sense the horrid news that was about to be given. He felt his heart break when he realized how mush this was going to affect Aragorn's mood. "I can't Estel," Elrohir replied, causing Aragorn to become confused.

"Why not?" he asked angered.

"They found his body." The younger twin began, stealing the wind right from under the his brother so quickly, that it felt as if he were going to be sick. "Along the river bank, not even a kilometre away from here. I cannot take you to see him, Estel, because it's too late for that now. Legolas is dead."

* *************************** *

To Be Continued……

Sorry this one was so short, but the next one is actually pretty long. More so than any of the others have been. I hope that this wasn't confusing for anybody. And the next chapter will start from where the last one left off, and tell you what exactly happened after Legolas woke up. So look for it soon. It should be up no later than Monday. Anyhoo, please feel free to send any comments or questions to me by reviewing . Thanks a bunch, adios.