Author's Note: Hey, look, I'm alive! Sorry for the long update, but
occasionally everything in life collides together and forms one huge
fireball of torment and such and one has to wait for the flames to subside.
Right then. As always I thank you guys for lovely reviews and I'm still
not quite Tolkien.
Chapter 22
The two men and elf walked silently down the still deserted streets of Gondor. It was early morning and nobody had yet risen to begin the day's productivities. A small fact for which Legolas was extremely grateful. Despite knowing that they finally had the true killer caught and behind bars, Legolas still could not shake off a sinking feeling inside of him. And he could not shake off Edrahil's words.
'You think they will be praising your name after this? First assumptions are often lasting.'
Legolas could only too keenly remember the actions of the mob of men last night, the eyes of the father of the murdered girl. Edrahil had been right about at least one thing, they would have killed Legolas had they been given the chance.
Lost in his own thoughts, Legolas barely stopped himself from running into Aragorn when the two men stopped in front of him. Taking a quick glance up, Legolas saw that they had reached the Houses of Kings.
"We have to send out a herald immediately to inform all of the townspeople that the true killer has been caught," Faramir was saying.
Aragorn nodded. "That would be the best thing, yes. But first," and now he turned towards Legolas, "I would like to truly know everything that has been happening. I have been kept in the dark long enough, and as one in my position that is a dangerous place to be."
Legolas looked at him, but Aragorn could tell that he was not entirely focused on him. It seemed that not everything was truly over yet.
With a small nod, Legolas took a step forward, prompting the men to turn and move with him as they walked inside of the structure. The three moved down the long hallway, Aragorn instinctively leading the way and heading towards his informal conference room. Not a word was said until all three were secured inside of the room, the door closed and them seated at the long table.
Haltingly, Legolas told them a slightly censored version of what had been happening to himself and how it tied into the murders. He deliberately left out a great portion of the guilt and lost feelings he had been succumbing to. Not because he did not trust them enough, but because he did not want them to feel that he was weak, or even worse, pity him. He had been able to tell Gimli freely enough, but that was different.
Legolas explained his blackouts and their connections to the murders, how he would be unable to remember where he had gone and what had transpired. But after he explained that, he shifted and told them what Edrahil had told him, how he was able to cloak his true self and influence the minds of others.
It was not a true lie.
He did not say that Edrahil had been the one to cause his blackouts and confusion, he just may have subtly implied it. How could he expect them to look at him as an equal if they knew that it was his own guilt that drove him to such a weak point? It was true enough that it had been Edrahil's work that caused him to shoot at Gimli, so that could be accounted for.
Legolas finished by telling them all that happened last night, not that long ago. Starting with the mob, and his inane urge not to harm them, and ending with his instincts taking over when Gimli had been in serious trouble.
There was a moment of silence as the two men digested what he had just told them.
"But then why were you so quick to condemn yourself for the murders?" Aragorn finally asked. As much as he tried to block it out, Edrahil's words rang in his mind.
'Tell him the true reasons behind why you were so quick to blame yourself for the murders and stood idly by when they died. You wanted them dead just as much as I did.'
Legolas shifted slightly in his seat. "My thoughts and feelings were confused, and I was trying to find the source of it. I just never thought that it could be from an outside force."
He did not bother to tell them about the deep fear he had been harboring that he had simply been doing the killing without any help at all. That was what he was trained to do, after all.
Legolas glanced at Faramir. He was looking at the table before him, obviously deep in his own thought. Legolas had to remind himself that Faramir had only just come into all of this last night. Though he had known about the murders and the possibility of Legolas having a tie into all of it, he had not been around to witness Legolas' beaviour. Which Legolas thought was probably a better thing.
After a few more moments of silence, in which Legolas grew increasingly uncomfortable, he stood from his seat. Aragorn and Faramir looked up at the sudden movement.
"I wish to see to Gimli," Legolas announced.
Aragorn stood as well. "Of course. We have to be seeing to heralds and then figure out what to do about handling Edrahil's affairs. We can meet up again for lunch and discuss what's going to happen."
Legolas nodded and without another word turned to leave the room. When he was free from it and away from the two men, Legolas finally allowed himself to admit why he had wanted to get away from his friends so quickly. He had not wanted to give them time to come up with more questions that would make him backtrack and then reveal what had truly been going on.
Legolas paused briefly when he reached Gimli's door. He listened for a moment, wondering if the dwarf was yet awake. But the sounds of heavy breathing confirmed that he was still asleep. That did not matter, he would merely wait.
Legolas silently let himself in and closed the door behind him, moving across the floor to stand by the dwarf's bed. He looked down at his friend for a few moments. First at his gruff face, which even in sleep looked like he was ready to jump to battle, and then down over his body, taking in the many bandages covering his many wounds. Wounds that were his fault.
More blood upon his hands.
Legolas pulled a chair from the corner over to the bed and sat down easily into it, his elbows resting upon the armrests as he relaxed lightly into the back of the chair. His eyes never left his friend and he was left to thinking as he waited for him to wake.
He did not have to wait long.
Almost as if Gimli could sense that he was there, his head first moved to the side where Legolas sat before his eyes slowly opened.
Though Legolas suspected the tea had to have been quite strong to be able to placate Gimli, injured as he was, Gimli's eyes flashed and focused instantly as soon as he recognized Legolas and he struggled to sit up.
With a quick move, Legolas leaned over and placed a single hand upon Gimli's chest, stilling his movements. "You need to rest," he said.
Gimli grunted but let his head fall back upon the pillow. "Apparently Aragorn has seen to it that I rested enough."
A small smile touched the elf's lips. "And if he had not done so you would be running about like a fool to meet death head on. When one has acquired wounds one has to let his body rest so that they may heal better."
Gimli eyes Legolas. He had not forgotten that it had been the elf in the Houses of Healing last night from his injuries taken from the mob. "You seem well enough."
"That is because I heal faster than you," Legolas said dryly. Then he let a grin creep over his face. "It is one of the many things elves do better than dwarves."
Gimli glared at Legolas and answered with his own retort. "And had it not been for a certain elf running foolishly off straight to a mob none of this would have happened."
Legolas sobered and leaned back in the chair a bit. All mirth was instantly wiped from his eyes. "I know that," he said softly, "and for that I am sorry."
Gimli felt immediately shamed. He had meant for that to be a joke, but obviously it had fallen the wrong way on the elf. "I didn't mean it like that," he started.
"It is well," Legolas interrupted, his gaze fixed on a window beyond the bed. "It is true enough."
"No," Gimli tried to struggle up into a sitting position again, and this time Legolas did not try to stop him. "Turns out it was all for the best, seems to me. The real killer is caught now and we can go back to living our lives peaceful and normal." Gimli paused for a second. "Why did Bergel do it anyway?"
Legolas blinked and brought his eyes back to Gimli, away from the window. "That's right, you do not know." Quickly, Legolas filled Gimli in on what he had missed in Bergel's, Edrahil's, confession.
When he was done, Gimli sat for a moment, for once momentarily speechless. Finally, he said, "And that was how you and Aragorn didn't see him for what he was? He used his mind abilities?"
"It is not uncommon for an elf of his age to develop some sort of mind control. It is just uncommon for there to be an elf his age still in Middle-earth," Legolas answered absently.
Gimli became excited. "But don't you see? All that you have been thinking was your fault, it was really him doing it. The blackouts, the odd feelings, that could easily have been coming from him."
Legolas smiled faintly. "I wish it were that easy," he said quietly. "I will tell you that it was because of him that my arrow," Legolas' voice failed for an instant while he stumbled for words, "hit you in the shoulder."
Gimli waved his hand as if that was an unimportant matter. "Of course," he said, "you would never really do such a thing. I already told you, if it had been in your mind to kill me I would be dead."
Legolas' eyes were once again turned slightly towards the window. A beat passed between them. Legolas did not want to answer to such a statement.
When he finally spoke up again, it was not what Gimli had expected to hear. "I am leaving Gondor tonight."
"What?" Confusion quickly followed by anger passed over the dwarf's face. "That is ridiculous, there is no reason. If anything it will look odd now for you to leave."
"It will look odd for me to leave at anytime," Legolas answered, his voice slightly harsher than a moment before.
"But that's just what Edrahil wanted," Gimli reminded Legolas. "He wanted to drive elves and men apart. If you leave, he accomplished his goal."
A small grimace passed over the elf's face. One that would have been missed had the dwarf not been watching Legolas' face intently.
"I am leaving for my own reasons," Legolas said thickly. Gimli knew the elf well enough to know that his patience was wearing thin. But for what reason?
As Gimli floundered for something to say, something that would knock some sense into the elf, Legolas suddenly shifted his eyes and locked them onto Gimli's. "But I will be back," he said clearly, his words almost sharp. "Before the trial is over I will be back."
Chapter 22
The two men and elf walked silently down the still deserted streets of Gondor. It was early morning and nobody had yet risen to begin the day's productivities. A small fact for which Legolas was extremely grateful. Despite knowing that they finally had the true killer caught and behind bars, Legolas still could not shake off a sinking feeling inside of him. And he could not shake off Edrahil's words.
'You think they will be praising your name after this? First assumptions are often lasting.'
Legolas could only too keenly remember the actions of the mob of men last night, the eyes of the father of the murdered girl. Edrahil had been right about at least one thing, they would have killed Legolas had they been given the chance.
Lost in his own thoughts, Legolas barely stopped himself from running into Aragorn when the two men stopped in front of him. Taking a quick glance up, Legolas saw that they had reached the Houses of Kings.
"We have to send out a herald immediately to inform all of the townspeople that the true killer has been caught," Faramir was saying.
Aragorn nodded. "That would be the best thing, yes. But first," and now he turned towards Legolas, "I would like to truly know everything that has been happening. I have been kept in the dark long enough, and as one in my position that is a dangerous place to be."
Legolas looked at him, but Aragorn could tell that he was not entirely focused on him. It seemed that not everything was truly over yet.
With a small nod, Legolas took a step forward, prompting the men to turn and move with him as they walked inside of the structure. The three moved down the long hallway, Aragorn instinctively leading the way and heading towards his informal conference room. Not a word was said until all three were secured inside of the room, the door closed and them seated at the long table.
Haltingly, Legolas told them a slightly censored version of what had been happening to himself and how it tied into the murders. He deliberately left out a great portion of the guilt and lost feelings he had been succumbing to. Not because he did not trust them enough, but because he did not want them to feel that he was weak, or even worse, pity him. He had been able to tell Gimli freely enough, but that was different.
Legolas explained his blackouts and their connections to the murders, how he would be unable to remember where he had gone and what had transpired. But after he explained that, he shifted and told them what Edrahil had told him, how he was able to cloak his true self and influence the minds of others.
It was not a true lie.
He did not say that Edrahil had been the one to cause his blackouts and confusion, he just may have subtly implied it. How could he expect them to look at him as an equal if they knew that it was his own guilt that drove him to such a weak point? It was true enough that it had been Edrahil's work that caused him to shoot at Gimli, so that could be accounted for.
Legolas finished by telling them all that happened last night, not that long ago. Starting with the mob, and his inane urge not to harm them, and ending with his instincts taking over when Gimli had been in serious trouble.
There was a moment of silence as the two men digested what he had just told them.
"But then why were you so quick to condemn yourself for the murders?" Aragorn finally asked. As much as he tried to block it out, Edrahil's words rang in his mind.
'Tell him the true reasons behind why you were so quick to blame yourself for the murders and stood idly by when they died. You wanted them dead just as much as I did.'
Legolas shifted slightly in his seat. "My thoughts and feelings were confused, and I was trying to find the source of it. I just never thought that it could be from an outside force."
He did not bother to tell them about the deep fear he had been harboring that he had simply been doing the killing without any help at all. That was what he was trained to do, after all.
Legolas glanced at Faramir. He was looking at the table before him, obviously deep in his own thought. Legolas had to remind himself that Faramir had only just come into all of this last night. Though he had known about the murders and the possibility of Legolas having a tie into all of it, he had not been around to witness Legolas' beaviour. Which Legolas thought was probably a better thing.
After a few more moments of silence, in which Legolas grew increasingly uncomfortable, he stood from his seat. Aragorn and Faramir looked up at the sudden movement.
"I wish to see to Gimli," Legolas announced.
Aragorn stood as well. "Of course. We have to be seeing to heralds and then figure out what to do about handling Edrahil's affairs. We can meet up again for lunch and discuss what's going to happen."
Legolas nodded and without another word turned to leave the room. When he was free from it and away from the two men, Legolas finally allowed himself to admit why he had wanted to get away from his friends so quickly. He had not wanted to give them time to come up with more questions that would make him backtrack and then reveal what had truly been going on.
Legolas paused briefly when he reached Gimli's door. He listened for a moment, wondering if the dwarf was yet awake. But the sounds of heavy breathing confirmed that he was still asleep. That did not matter, he would merely wait.
Legolas silently let himself in and closed the door behind him, moving across the floor to stand by the dwarf's bed. He looked down at his friend for a few moments. First at his gruff face, which even in sleep looked like he was ready to jump to battle, and then down over his body, taking in the many bandages covering his many wounds. Wounds that were his fault.
More blood upon his hands.
Legolas pulled a chair from the corner over to the bed and sat down easily into it, his elbows resting upon the armrests as he relaxed lightly into the back of the chair. His eyes never left his friend and he was left to thinking as he waited for him to wake.
He did not have to wait long.
Almost as if Gimli could sense that he was there, his head first moved to the side where Legolas sat before his eyes slowly opened.
Though Legolas suspected the tea had to have been quite strong to be able to placate Gimli, injured as he was, Gimli's eyes flashed and focused instantly as soon as he recognized Legolas and he struggled to sit up.
With a quick move, Legolas leaned over and placed a single hand upon Gimli's chest, stilling his movements. "You need to rest," he said.
Gimli grunted but let his head fall back upon the pillow. "Apparently Aragorn has seen to it that I rested enough."
A small smile touched the elf's lips. "And if he had not done so you would be running about like a fool to meet death head on. When one has acquired wounds one has to let his body rest so that they may heal better."
Gimli eyes Legolas. He had not forgotten that it had been the elf in the Houses of Healing last night from his injuries taken from the mob. "You seem well enough."
"That is because I heal faster than you," Legolas said dryly. Then he let a grin creep over his face. "It is one of the many things elves do better than dwarves."
Gimli glared at Legolas and answered with his own retort. "And had it not been for a certain elf running foolishly off straight to a mob none of this would have happened."
Legolas sobered and leaned back in the chair a bit. All mirth was instantly wiped from his eyes. "I know that," he said softly, "and for that I am sorry."
Gimli felt immediately shamed. He had meant for that to be a joke, but obviously it had fallen the wrong way on the elf. "I didn't mean it like that," he started.
"It is well," Legolas interrupted, his gaze fixed on a window beyond the bed. "It is true enough."
"No," Gimli tried to struggle up into a sitting position again, and this time Legolas did not try to stop him. "Turns out it was all for the best, seems to me. The real killer is caught now and we can go back to living our lives peaceful and normal." Gimli paused for a second. "Why did Bergel do it anyway?"
Legolas blinked and brought his eyes back to Gimli, away from the window. "That's right, you do not know." Quickly, Legolas filled Gimli in on what he had missed in Bergel's, Edrahil's, confession.
When he was done, Gimli sat for a moment, for once momentarily speechless. Finally, he said, "And that was how you and Aragorn didn't see him for what he was? He used his mind abilities?"
"It is not uncommon for an elf of his age to develop some sort of mind control. It is just uncommon for there to be an elf his age still in Middle-earth," Legolas answered absently.
Gimli became excited. "But don't you see? All that you have been thinking was your fault, it was really him doing it. The blackouts, the odd feelings, that could easily have been coming from him."
Legolas smiled faintly. "I wish it were that easy," he said quietly. "I will tell you that it was because of him that my arrow," Legolas' voice failed for an instant while he stumbled for words, "hit you in the shoulder."
Gimli waved his hand as if that was an unimportant matter. "Of course," he said, "you would never really do such a thing. I already told you, if it had been in your mind to kill me I would be dead."
Legolas' eyes were once again turned slightly towards the window. A beat passed between them. Legolas did not want to answer to such a statement.
When he finally spoke up again, it was not what Gimli had expected to hear. "I am leaving Gondor tonight."
"What?" Confusion quickly followed by anger passed over the dwarf's face. "That is ridiculous, there is no reason. If anything it will look odd now for you to leave."
"It will look odd for me to leave at anytime," Legolas answered, his voice slightly harsher than a moment before.
"But that's just what Edrahil wanted," Gimli reminded Legolas. "He wanted to drive elves and men apart. If you leave, he accomplished his goal."
A small grimace passed over the elf's face. One that would have been missed had the dwarf not been watching Legolas' face intently.
"I am leaving for my own reasons," Legolas said thickly. Gimli knew the elf well enough to know that his patience was wearing thin. But for what reason?
As Gimli floundered for something to say, something that would knock some sense into the elf, Legolas suddenly shifted his eyes and locked them onto Gimli's. "But I will be back," he said clearly, his words almost sharp. "Before the trial is over I will be back."