Disclaimer: not mine, don't sue
Dedication: Maia, Jadey…and all my kind reviewers. ^_^
The soft rays of sunlight filtered through the unforgiving walls and bathed every figure in a warm, comforting glow.
However, deep in the caves, the air was stifling, suffocating and the light only served to amplify the grime, the dirt.
The walls themselves seemed to resonate with the anguish that four people were embroiled in, the web of distrust, pain and hurt that had exploded so harshly.
*******
Cold.
That was the only feeling Legolas was aware of, the only tangible feeling in his swirling, tumbling emotions.
The icy loneliness gripped his heart so painfully he had to gasp to breathe… and he could almost see the fluffy puffs of smoke that emerged from his lips.
He swallowed and his parched throat screamed for moisture… but he could not bring himself to care about such a minute, insignificant thing.
He could barely see through the veil of tears that blurred his vision.
The trembling, sparkling crystals never escaped but stayed frozen, shielding his eyes from the harsh reality.
They distorted his vision, making it warped and surreal, reflecting his mind that was trapped in disbelief.
********
Aragorn blinked, once.
He was motionless, paralyzed.
Inside him were raging, fiery emotions but he couldn't get a firm grasp of them, couldn't comprehend anything except the one thought that kept tormenting his mind.
It was all over.
Like a haunting dream.
Like a memory that never was.
He didn't want to wake up.
*******
Dusky light melded with frigid velvety darkness in an endless cycle.
Time trickled by, reluctantly slowly.
Time sped by, brushing by fleetingly.
Time didn't matter.
Without his lover, nothing mattered. He craved the touch, the feel, the smell of his lover.
It was like a hopeless, a desperate addiction, an excruciating yearning for the impossible.
*******
Thoughts were elusive, incorporeal… they brushed by his eyelashes, fluttering away teasingly.
They were fragmented, distorted, lending a surreal sense of reality.
He was rapidly losing his fragile grasp on reality, his hold was slipping… and he didn't care.
*******
He could feel the life seeping out of him, the spark in his life being suffocated … and he couldn't conceive a way in which he could be brought back to life.
He was dimly aware of soft, concerned voices around him.
"Master elf, you must eat something."
He felt hollow, empty inside… and he wished his mind was barren too, free of the thoughts that taunted him, mocked him.
*******
She watched them with wide, unblinking eyes.
Witnessing the vitality disappearing from their actions, the glow suffocating under the weight of their leaden hearts.
And she was forced to ponder if it was worth it, this fabrication she had agreed in a moment of ugly, despicable desire.
It would solve everything if you were pregnant instead of merely suffering from indigestion.
Faramir had jested but that innocuous sentence had awoken something in her, a fierce, repulsive greed that reared its ugly head for the first time in her life.
She was shocked by it, too surprised to mount a resistance against herself, the words that tumbled out of her mouth.
****
He should be ecstatic, exhilarated at the state of events.
He should be excitedly plotting his next move in his masterplan.
But he wasn't.
He couldn't… not when Legolas was so shattered, so destroyed.
A pain swelled inside him, wrenching his heart each time his eyes fell on the heartbreakingly fragile figure on the bed.
And yet he refused to leave, refused to budge even as others streamed in, trying feebly to rouse the elf from his seemingly catatonic state.
He would never leave.
********
Sounds rushed by his ears, merging into an endless, indecipherable mess.
Confusion shrouded his fragmented thoughts and he welcomed it, seeked blessed refuge in it.
Voices drifted in and out of his consciousness, vivid and mumbled, passionate and lethargic… but he could not bring himself to care about anything.
Anything other than the gnawing, all consuming grief that blossomed inside him with a frightening intensity each time he remembered.
Suddenly, he was aware of an irritating voice pricking at his thoughts, persistently piercing through the layers of conflicting emotions.
It was selfish. A small, insistent voice chastised him. His indulgent behavior was selfish.
He was a useless distraction, an unwanted burden when everybody should be focusing their attention, their energy on saving Middle-Earth.
It was time to relinquish his tattered attachments, his shattered hopes, his devastated dreams… the forlorn remnants of a lost love.
It was time to live again… and he forced himself to open his heart once again, gratefully falling into the waiting arms of a friend.
********
Uneasiness and apprehension disappeared and was replaced by a wondering, reverent look.
Finally.
He is mine.
Faramir smiled.
Author's note: Oops. Hee! Oh, and just to clarify, some parts are deliberately vague so that they can apply to either Aragorn/ Legolas because they are undergoing the same suffering…
Thanks to…
Cheysuli- *grins* I'm so sorry the person Legolas is running to is the one at the bottom of your list!
MoroTheWolfGod- Here's more! *beams*
Cara- *blushes* actually, I chose Faramir cos he was hot… heh… and anyways, he's not totally evil… as Yuzira would say, he's just a misguided guy blinded by love… hee.
Burning tree- *beams* Thank you so much for all your kind remarks! I'm so glad you like it! Yay!
Lolita- *giggles* I still sleep v well at nights… and here's the continuation!
Mako- *hugs* poor thing! Did you mean your friends made you cry an ocean? That's so terrible!
In Dreams- heh… getting notorious for being cryptic isn't that bad… even Angel *drools* started as a cryptic, brooding guy…
Vuaryn- Nope, not the ending… it's still a long ways off…. ^_^
Lady of Legolas- *grins and points to the chapter* as seen earlier… Aragorn isn't the dad… cos there's no pregnancy anyways… hope you liked the chapter!
Squire Kali- *blushes* cos they're so cute when they're being tortured? … hee, it makes me melt … *beams* but I promise a happy ending… eventually!
*Dark*Angel* - *grins* I hope the wait hasn't been too long!
Ami Winner- *hugs* Sorry, babe!
Lalavava- *giggles* I guess Legolas chose the other sexy man… and I hope you're still safely in your chair! Lol.
Bsxjtlg- *beams* thank you so much for your sweet review! Here's more angst for ya!
Goddess of Death- *giggles* your whole Jerry Springer scenario made me crack up! V vivid imagination! Lol.
Cerasi- *hugs* I'm so sorry! *sniffles* please don't be too upset at this chapter too!
OrliBloomedMe- *beams* great explanation for Aragorn… too bad he didn't get to use it… lol.
Redrose2310- *grins* Thank you!
Yuzira- *hugs* Yay! I thought you disappeared! *giggles* glad you like what's happening… I guess you liked the latest chapter… lol.
Chibi-chan- *tries to stay out of the way of her flailing arms* don't get too excited! ^_^
MaluElvellon- *hugs and gives tissue* Sorry, sweetheart! Really, I feel so bad I'm actually trying to write a happy short for ya!
Ryan- *grins* nope, hasn't ended yet… thanks for being so supportive!
Sapphire17- *beams* yep, a big mess… and it's only going to get more complicated! *evil laugh*
VaniaHepskins- *hugs* don't cry! *sniffles* I'm starting to feel quite bad that I made everybody miserable… wahh!
LadyIsabelle- *grins* nope, it's really not fair… but I hope you still liked reading it!
Begita Larcos- *beams* Nope, not ending yet… thanks for being so sweet!