I took one last look at little Merry and said good-bye.
I ran over to my beloved elf and all the ones around him and told them of my plan. "Legolas! Legolas, can you hear me?" I asked. He replied in a rasping whisper, "Yes."
"Legolas, I have to go now but I will be back soon, I promise." I then pulled the rest of the fellowship aside out of the elf's hearing range and hurriedly whispered, "I'm going to Mirkwood in order to get help. It's about a two-day journey there and with help I will be able to return much faster." They all agreed it was a bad decision and told me I should not do it, but I knew I had to--I had to save Legolas.
I packed and got my things and was ready to set out, but before I left I went to Legolas.
"It's me," I whispered into his ear, "Legolas, my sweet, I have to go. I'm afraid to leave you but I'll be back soon." He looked at me with so much sorrow in his eyes and that's all I needed to see to know this was a terrible ordeal for him. "Rest Legolas, close your eyes."
He refused and looked me in the eye. "Aragorn, please, don't go. I ………I need you." He spoke those words with so much love and compassion that I almost considered his request.
"No, Legolas, you need help. I have to get to Mirkwood as soon as possible and retrieve help or you could die." "I would rather die with you by my side than to live without you."
His words echoed in my heart and I hung my head as tears threatened to spill over my cheeks. I brought him close and gave him a faint kiss on his lips.
"Legolas, do not give up hope. Wait for me! I'll be back, I promise." With that I left our camp, but not before taking one last look at my love.
As I headed off down through the forest towards Mirkwood, all I could think about was Legolas. I knew I had to help him; just thinking about it urged me to go faster. The more I thought of him the more I loved him. A few hours later I came to a river and decided to rest for a bit. I sat down on the riverbank and pulled some lembas bread and my cup from my sack and proceeded to fill it with water. As I sat there eating the question that was haunting my mind came up again. "Why is Legolas starving himself?"
As I sat there thinking I heard a noise in the bushes. I jumped up and scanned the area around me. "Show yourself!" To my surprise he did. He was a young man about the age of 20 with brown hair. His face was so mysterious. He looked at me and asked, "Son of Arathorn? Are you Aragorn, son of Arathorn?" I replied, "Yes. How is it you know me?" "Oh," he said, "I'm very fond of you." "Well," I said, "since you know my name I should like to learn yours." "My name is Goldir, son of Goldeyn." "I have heard of that name before," I said, "I believe that you had just begun training before I left, correct?" "Yes," he said. "Where are you headed?" I asked him. "I'm on my way to Mirkwood. "Oh," I replied, "I'm headed there also. What is your business there?" He told me Thranduil wanted to see him, something about the king wanting him to go on a special mission to find his son. "I believe he goes by the name of Legolas," he said, finishing telling me of his recount of the mission he was on. I was shocked! Right before Legolas left his father told him that he had complete faith in his son and that he would trust him to be safe on his own.
Goldir seemed to be getting nervous as I stood there recalling what Legolas had told me of his father's last words to him so I decided it would be best to learn more about this mysterious man. "How long have you been traveling?" He replied, "about a week." I decided it would be best if I didn't mention Legolas' condition or the fact that I even knew Legolas. It did surprise me, though, that this man didn't know that I knew Legolas when he seemed to know so much about the elf's history.
I began to pack my things when he approached me from behind. "Aragorn, maybe it would be best if we traveled together. We would have a much better chance at fighting off orcs if we happened to come across them on our journey." Though I did not trust Goldir I found wisdom in his request. It would be much safer for the both of us if we weren't alone. I nodded my head in reply to his question. We both began trudging down the riverbank and did not utter a word to each other for miles. I was disturbed by his quietness so I decided to break the ice. "So," I said, trying to find something to say, "What exactly was King Thranduil's mission he set you out on?" "I was sent out by the king to find his son and to make sure he returns safely to Mirkwood." "Ah, I see," was all I said in reply. "You don't trust me, do you?" "No," I said fiercely, "I don't" "Any why is that?" Goldir said as he looked at me with disgust. I could tell his patience was running thin. "Well," I began, "what if I told you that the king said he would not send anyone looking for Legolas because he trusted his son to complete the quest on his own?" The man stopped walking and abruptly turned to me with a smirk on his face. "I had a feeling you knew Prince Legolas," he replied, looking into my eyes as if he were looking right into my very soul, looking for the truth about the prince.