Author: Mirrordance
Title: Sacred Betrayal
Summary: Elrohir forfeits the life of his brother Elladan for a secret price and Aragorn and Legolas go to unspoken dangers to discover the cause of this most sacred of betrayals…
PART 7: Recoveries
* * *
The rain had ended by nightfall, just in time for them to build a raging, warming fire upon their arrival at the Mirkwood border outpost. Amadis, who was himself recovering from a head wound, had berated his Prince for all of one minute before assisting him from Aragorn's horse and settling him comfortably to sit on the ground, near the fire.
Legolas sighed and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his pounding head against his folded arms and knees. Aragorn sat beside him with a cup of stew and a wool blanket, nudging him for attention.
~Are you kidding?~ Legolas asked him with a weary smile, ~I cannot keep anything down, Estel. But the blanket I will take. Thank you, mellon.~
~You have to drink something,~ Aragorn insisted, ~It is dangerous to keep losing fluids without replenishing them. Please. You don't have to finish the entire cup.~
Legolas looked at him miserably, but the human had these eyes about him that pretty much got him everything he ever wanted. The elf took the cup into his slightly trembling hands and took a tentative sip. And another, before he grimaced and shoved it back towards Aragorn. The human took it and laid it on the ground, as his friend coughed and struggled with his body's impulse to gag, his eyes watering as he took control of himself. Aragorn rubbed at his back, easing him as he caught his breath.
~Your fault,~ he said between gasps.
~When you get better,~ said Aragorn wryly, ~I hope you would attribute it to me as well.~
~That's not how it works,~ Legolas joked, before his stomach heaved and he turned away from Aragorn, putting his hand over his mouth. The human hurriedly helped him stand and stumble to an obscure corner of the camp, where he lost the meager contents of his stomach as he gagged helplessly. Cold and shocky, he was on his hands and knees on the ground, profoundly miserable, with Aragorn leaning behind him, keeping his hair away from his face and rubbing at his back soothingly.
~I will never eat or drink again,~ Legolas said with a weary laugh.
~Maybe you should just never get bitten again instead, mellon,~ smirked Aragorn.
As Legolas regained his strength on the ground, Aragorn's eyes drifted to the other side of the camp, where Elrohir was tending to his twin brother. Elladan, too weary to eat dinner, was already nestled in a bedroll next to the fire. Though he was tired, he was never too tired to laugh or kid, and even as his eyes were drifting towards a much-needed and much-deserved sleep, Elrohir said something to him that made them both chuckle.
The warming sight sent a smile to Aragorn's face. He could not wait to return to Imladris and see Lord Elrond embrace his sons. He could not wait for their voices to grace the halls and rooms of the home he had known. As if feeling his gaze, Elrohir looked up at him and met his eyes. The elf smiled at him warmly.
Aragorn nodded at him in greeting, before turning back towards Legolas, who was stubbornly trying to gain his feet on his own. Sighing in consternation, he hauled the elf up and helped him towards the fire, settling him on a bedroll next to the now-sleeping Elladan's. The entire camp was beginning to wind down at this hour, and the first soldiers on watch took their posts as the others settled down to sleep.
"Thank you," Legolas murmured to Aragorn as the human put a blanket over him.
"Sleep well, mellon," Aragorn said to him quietly, as he made himself comfortable on the ground next to Legolas, leaning back and resting his weight against his palms, legs stretched out before him. Rising from Elladan's side, Elrohir sat beside his adopted brother and did the same.
Tilting his head past Aragorn, Elrohir looked towards Legolas whose eyes were already closed in a deep, healing sleep. He still looked drawn and tired, his brows furrowed slightly, but his chest rose and fell evenly in rest.
~How does he fare?~ asked Elrohir.
~He says he will never eat or drink again,~ replied Aragorn wryly, ~But otherwise, I think he will be much improved by tomorrow. Perhaps completely recovered the day after. Elladan?~
~He is mostly tired,~ sighed Elrohir, ~I nearly killed him. I nearly killed my own brother."
~You didn't nearly kill your brother,~ Aragorn told him quickly, ~You both only did what you felt to be right. You carried this burden for Ada, the burden of choosing. He will understand. And he will admire your spirit. You… you carried the burden of my guilt too…"
They fell into companionable silence for awhile, watching the fire and listening to its low crackle.
"When I found you," Aragorn said suddenly, "You were looking in my eyes as if you were looking for something. I've only now come to realize what it must have been you were searching for. You were wondering if I was worth all that you were paying. If I was worth Elladan. Your betrayal. Your heart."
--
Aragorn feared to ask...
--
"You are," Elrohir told him quietly, answering it anyway, reading his mind, "I kept the secret until I thought I could dissuade you by revealing it, didn't I?"
--
"If Elladan died," said Aragorn, "I don't think you could have forgiven me."
"That's not true," Elrohir insisted, taking Aragorn's shoulder and gripping it tightly, "We know the costs of the things we do, Estel. And the costs of who we are, and who we love. His loss would have pained me greatly, yes, but all these sacrifices are made trusting that you are well worth them all, brother."
"What if I'm not?" Aragorn asked, "What if I never get to do all the things I am supposed to? It's just blood, Elrohir. I'm just an agglomeration of noble blood and noble flesh. It doesn't mean a thing if I didn't know what to do with them. And I don't."
"You look towards your future deeds," pointed out Elrohir, "And make no mistake, they do count. Elladan said to me, he was just one life to pay against a race of men and your kingdoms, it didn't even deserve thought. But I also speak of the present; even without these great futures that we all desperately look with hope to you for, you are already worth all that we are willing to give for you. You are our friend, our brother. You needn't worry about the rest, at least not for now."
Aragorn blinked at the fire, smiled and looked at Elrohir.
"You are right," he said mock-seriously, his eyes dancing, "We have greater worries at the moment. Ada is going to kill us all."
~Maybe just I,~ chuckled Elrohir, ~Ada will take my neck with his bare hands and happily wring it.~
~He will do no such thing,~ Aragorn guaranteed him with a laugh, ~Or if he would, he would not do it to you exclusively. I'm going to be on that list. And then Elladan too, after he recovers. And if he can still get his hands on Legolas after King Thranduil throws him into the Mirkwood dungeons until the end of time, then him too.~
Elrohir smiled tentatively, ~I'm not sure that is very comforting.~
THE END
NOVEMBER 5, 2003
SOME IMPORTANT NOTES
On the title. I was a little at a loss as to what to call the fic, and when I thought of "Sacred Betrayal," it had a kind of kick to it. Reading through the fic, however, it would be obvious that Elrohir's actions can hardly be referred to as a betrayal. That's why I referred to it as 'sacred;' this particular betrayal must be held in reverence because it is between the great bonds of brothers and so unlikely, that it must be founded on a special reason that is only later revealed.
On the timeline. For those who have read my fics "Allies," and "Ghost of Imladris," this follows the latter. I've grown a soft spot for this setting, which is set around the year 2951 of the third age, if you look at Appendix B of ROTK.
On the style. The movement I tried to pursue in this piece is kind-of repetitive. For instance, comments and thoughts are re-used, like "Just in case" has been used twice for the sake of foreboding. Then I also liked the idea of switching roles in similar situations for example, Elrohir left Elladan at the start, and near to the end, Elladan had to leave Legolas. If you notice, the twins were also found by a horse-riding Aragorn after they had left loved ones behind. The same lines are also used to convince them, the line about "One life to purchase kingdoms, it doesn't even deserve thought," and in the end this line is tossed to Aragorn, except modified to say he is important not merely for what he can do, but for what he already was. The purpose of the role-switching is kind of like, well, for lack of a better term, karmic. For instance, I wanted Elladan to feel how Elrohir felt and how much that sacrifice meant. If you think about it, the theme of the story is basically taking someone else's burden. Elrohir did it for Elrond and Estel at the start, and then it kind of got tossed around until it all reached where it ought to ultimately be. That's why there were role switches. It's kind of subtle, probably even imperceptible, but I consciously placed it.
I also made use of the language as a medium to convey the feelings of a scene. By the way, darn it I remembered only just now to say that words encased by this (~) is in elvish and words encased by this (") is in English. This always happens to me. Sigh. Anyway, in particular, the part four confrontation of Estel and Elrohir began with the two of them literally speaking different languages, indicating at this point that they did not yet understand each other. And then they start to speak Elrohir's language when Estel understands his situation, and Elrohir speaks Estel's language when the converse happens.
On some of the characters.
On Aragorn. I always depicted him as highly dependable, and here he may seem reckless, because I pegged this as his moments of conflict about who he is and who he ought to be. His loyalty and dependability is also making a leap from highly concentrated to his family and friends to responsibilities towards a greater good. He had long been around people who were not his kin, and now he is given responsibility for virtual strangers, just because of his lineage. He can learn the ways of his people and be as Aragorn has been described, 'the hardiest of men' or something like that, but he cannot be forced to love them and genuinely care for them. I wondered about what could possibly bridge his loyalty to his family towards his estranged people. And I figured that if he realized how his brothers were willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause of Gondor and Arnor and men in general, then he would know precisely how important it was and why he had to excel. I hope my depiction of him is believable :)
On Legolas. My favorite part of this story is undoubtedly part three, wherein I wanted to show Legolas in his most commanding, princely form and at the same time, show his humor and charm. He is a warrior, after all, and I wanted to show this side of him alongside his character. This is why he is alternately skilled and focused, and then clever, humorous and impulsive. I always said I loved a characterization that was a mix of the book and the movie, so I hope how he turned out makes sense, since he is hands-down my favorite character :)
On Amadis. I introduced this character in "Ghost of Imladris" and I liked him because he was kind of the foil to Legolas' charm and vivacity. But he needed to let go too, so that is what I made him do: trust his impulsive charge.
On my reviewers.
Thanks so much for taking the time to not only read but also to review. I never get very many, but your words are so encouraging that they are more than enough. I always can't wait to finish my pieces and I hope quality didn't suffer and I didn't disappoint. Thank you again :)
Anyway, c&c's always welcome :) Thank you!