-----------Chapter 5: Resolutions-----
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As we reached the scene of the fighting I leaped from my horse and drew my sword facing Dúnedír.
"I'll kill you for that." I said fiercely
He grinned evilly, "I would like to see you try."
He turned to face me, at the same time ripping his sword forcefully from Aragorn's body. I gasped and his eyes fluttered slightly, he groaned and when Dúnedír saw that he was still living he raised his sword as though he would cut Aragorn in two. I ran at him yelling and slid my sword under his before he could strike. He bore down upon my sword with all his strength, but finally I was able to push him aside. Then he began attacking me in earnest, and I was hard put to defend myself. He was backing me up slowly but steadily battering at my sword, a few times his sword flicked through my defenses and cut me leaving blood trickling down my arms and my side. I was running out of strength and I was panting for breath, when I had the chance I looked quickly up to find Legolas. He was kneeling beside Aragorn tending to him and Aragorn seemed to be pushing him away, but before I could see anything more I had to focus my attention back on Dúnedír. I was beginning to give up hope and to let my arm sag, when Dúnedír saw this he laughed maliciously and attacked me even harder.
"Legolas!" I cried, "Legolas help me!" At this my attacker laughed all the louder, "Had enough have you? Well I haven't I think we'll just play this little game to the death! Finally, finally I will- aaargh!" He broke off mid-sentence with an agonized scream and looked perplexedly down at his chest from which protruded the head of a thick arrow. Then he fell heavily to the ground, he was dead, my worst enemy was dead. It was almost unbelievable and all I could do was stand and stare at his dead body, lying face down in front of me, with a feathered shaft jutting from its back. After what seemed like hours I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and lift me gently off my feet. Legolas carried me away from Dúnedír's body and lay me on a blanket near Aragorn. In a few minutes I was deeply asleep.
When I woke the first thing I thought of was Aragorn. Was he all right? Oh God, I thought, what if he died? No, I told myself firmly, he couldn't have died, it just couldn't happen.
As these thoughts were whirling through my head a voice, a very well known voice, spoke from above me, "Ah, so you are finally awake. I thought you would sleep forever."
"Hello Legolas." I replied smiling, but then I was immediately grave again, "How is Aragorn doing?"
"Well, um, he- he is doing alright." Legolas stammered trailing off.
"He's dying isn't he?"
"Well, not quite. But if we do not get him to a place where he can be healed properly soon then he may."
"But where can we go? It is nigh on three months back to Rivendell and probably at least one to Lothlorien."
Legolas sat down looking defeated, he sighed, "I do not know what we may do."
"Do you know if we may find any athelas plants in this place?" "Not nearby, I have already looked; but we may find some further off, I'll go look now that you are awake and can look after Aragorn." He stood, gathering up his bow and quiver, leaped on his horse and galloped away. He was gone several hours and it was almost dark by the time he returned. While he was gone I sat with Aragorn talking to him and begging him to hold on. Every once in a while he groaned and his eyelids would flicker, and sometimes he would mutter to himself; names of people he held dear and some things that sounded like past events in his life. I sat there listening to him and reassuring him that everything would be all right. Finally Legolas returned; he had found some athelas and come back with a small pouch full of it. We placed a small pot over a fire and warmed some water, in which we soaked some of the leaves. Legolas had already cleaned the wound so we spread the soaked leaves and some crushed fresh ones on the wound and then bandaged it with a strip of cloth.
The athelas worked wonders and by the time two days were up Aragorn was awake and talking. He told us his whole story; how he had almost immediately found Dúnedír's trail and had tracked him for many weeks before he actually caught sight of him. How when Dúnedír realized he was being followed he had ambushed Aragorn and knocked him out leaving him for dead. When Aragorn awoke he had continued after him and finally come upon him again here. Aragorn said, wryly, that Dúnedír was the only man who had ever defeated him in a fair fight. The next morning Aragorn tried to convince us that he was ready to travel, insisting that he would be able to stand one month of travel to Lorien if it meant that he could be fully healed. He even attempted to stand and in doing so almost hurt himself more. But finally we consented to try one day of journey telling him that the minute he began to tire we would stop and go no further for another couple days at least. He agreed to this and so we packed up our things and prepared to leave. We put all the baggage on my horse to lighten the load of Legolas' horse which would be carrying both him and Aragorn. Legolas was determined to do it this way no matter how much I argued that Aragorn and I together would be lighter than he and Aragorn. He just shook his head saying it was better this way. We set out that afternoon and traveled late into the night and when we stopped Aragorn still looked the same as when we had set off. He showed no signs of weakening so the next morning we set off early and covered quite a bit of ground before sunset. By late morning on the second day we were in sight of Fanghorn Forest which we skirted for three days. From Fanghorn we traveled diagonally north and east till we crossed the river Limlight and then finally came upon the Anduin. It took a fortnight to reach the Limlight and another week to reach the Anduin from there we traveled another fortnight to the borders of Lothlorien.
Just after we crossed the Nimrodel we were challenged by a group of elven scouts who were set there to watch the borders of the Golden Wood. At first they would let us go no further but we showed them Aragorn, who had fallen asleep on Legolas', and explained his condition. We begged them to let us take him to The Lady of the Wood to be healed. One of the elves among the scouts, Dimordel, knew Aragorn of old and he began to give orders to the other scouts in Elvish. I was able to understand some of what he said but I was not fully aware of what was happening because, despite how long I had been in Rivendell, I had still not completely learned Elvish. Legolas and I stood beside our horses while the other elves moved quickly and efficiently around us; lifting Aragorn of the horse they laid him on a stretcher they had just put together and two of the elves set off carrying it at a run.
When those two elves were gone Dimordel turned to us and said curtly, "Follow me." Legolas and I looked at each other and, leading our horses, we followed behind. Dimordel led us for about half a day till we came to the middle of the wood. We topped the crest of a hill and found ourselves looking down on the most beautiful place we had ever seen. He led us down the grassy slope, back into the trees at the bottom and to a place where the roots of a huge tree had formed a shelter over a hollow in the ground. This shelter had been furnished and decorated like a bedroom and this was where we were to sleep.
Dimordel said something in Elvish and when he left Legolas translated it into common speech for me, "He said to rest for now because this evening The Lady will speak with us."
Our horses were led from us to be taken care of and Legolas and I sank gratefully into the beds that had been prepared. Before I knew it I had fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep from which I did not wake until we were summoned to Galadriel.
As we reached the scene of the fighting I leaped from my horse and drew my sword facing Dúnedír.
"I'll kill you for that." I said fiercely
He grinned evilly, "I would like to see you try."
He turned to face me, at the same time ripping his sword forcefully from Aragorn's body. I gasped and his eyes fluttered slightly, he groaned and when Dúnedír saw that he was still living he raised his sword as though he would cut Aragorn in two. I ran at him yelling and slid my sword under his before he could strike. He bore down upon my sword with all his strength, but finally I was able to push him aside. Then he began attacking me in earnest, and I was hard put to defend myself. He was backing me up slowly but steadily battering at my sword, a few times his sword flicked through my defenses and cut me leaving blood trickling down my arms and my side. I was running out of strength and I was panting for breath, when I had the chance I looked quickly up to find Legolas. He was kneeling beside Aragorn tending to him and Aragorn seemed to be pushing him away, but before I could see anything more I had to focus my attention back on Dúnedír. I was beginning to give up hope and to let my arm sag, when Dúnedír saw this he laughed maliciously and attacked me even harder.
"Legolas!" I cried, "Legolas help me!" At this my attacker laughed all the louder, "Had enough have you? Well I haven't I think we'll just play this little game to the death! Finally, finally I will- aaargh!" He broke off mid-sentence with an agonized scream and looked perplexedly down at his chest from which protruded the head of a thick arrow. Then he fell heavily to the ground, he was dead, my worst enemy was dead. It was almost unbelievable and all I could do was stand and stare at his dead body, lying face down in front of me, with a feathered shaft jutting from its back. After what seemed like hours I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me and lift me gently off my feet. Legolas carried me away from Dúnedír's body and lay me on a blanket near Aragorn. In a few minutes I was deeply asleep.
When I woke the first thing I thought of was Aragorn. Was he all right? Oh God, I thought, what if he died? No, I told myself firmly, he couldn't have died, it just couldn't happen.
As these thoughts were whirling through my head a voice, a very well known voice, spoke from above me, "Ah, so you are finally awake. I thought you would sleep forever."
"Hello Legolas." I replied smiling, but then I was immediately grave again, "How is Aragorn doing?"
"Well, um, he- he is doing alright." Legolas stammered trailing off.
"He's dying isn't he?"
"Well, not quite. But if we do not get him to a place where he can be healed properly soon then he may."
"But where can we go? It is nigh on three months back to Rivendell and probably at least one to Lothlorien."
Legolas sat down looking defeated, he sighed, "I do not know what we may do."
"Do you know if we may find any athelas plants in this place?" "Not nearby, I have already looked; but we may find some further off, I'll go look now that you are awake and can look after Aragorn." He stood, gathering up his bow and quiver, leaped on his horse and galloped away. He was gone several hours and it was almost dark by the time he returned. While he was gone I sat with Aragorn talking to him and begging him to hold on. Every once in a while he groaned and his eyelids would flicker, and sometimes he would mutter to himself; names of people he held dear and some things that sounded like past events in his life. I sat there listening to him and reassuring him that everything would be all right. Finally Legolas returned; he had found some athelas and come back with a small pouch full of it. We placed a small pot over a fire and warmed some water, in which we soaked some of the leaves. Legolas had already cleaned the wound so we spread the soaked leaves and some crushed fresh ones on the wound and then bandaged it with a strip of cloth.
The athelas worked wonders and by the time two days were up Aragorn was awake and talking. He told us his whole story; how he had almost immediately found Dúnedír's trail and had tracked him for many weeks before he actually caught sight of him. How when Dúnedír realized he was being followed he had ambushed Aragorn and knocked him out leaving him for dead. When Aragorn awoke he had continued after him and finally come upon him again here. Aragorn said, wryly, that Dúnedír was the only man who had ever defeated him in a fair fight. The next morning Aragorn tried to convince us that he was ready to travel, insisting that he would be able to stand one month of travel to Lorien if it meant that he could be fully healed. He even attempted to stand and in doing so almost hurt himself more. But finally we consented to try one day of journey telling him that the minute he began to tire we would stop and go no further for another couple days at least. He agreed to this and so we packed up our things and prepared to leave. We put all the baggage on my horse to lighten the load of Legolas' horse which would be carrying both him and Aragorn. Legolas was determined to do it this way no matter how much I argued that Aragorn and I together would be lighter than he and Aragorn. He just shook his head saying it was better this way. We set out that afternoon and traveled late into the night and when we stopped Aragorn still looked the same as when we had set off. He showed no signs of weakening so the next morning we set off early and covered quite a bit of ground before sunset. By late morning on the second day we were in sight of Fanghorn Forest which we skirted for three days. From Fanghorn we traveled diagonally north and east till we crossed the river Limlight and then finally came upon the Anduin. It took a fortnight to reach the Limlight and another week to reach the Anduin from there we traveled another fortnight to the borders of Lothlorien.
Just after we crossed the Nimrodel we were challenged by a group of elven scouts who were set there to watch the borders of the Golden Wood. At first they would let us go no further but we showed them Aragorn, who had fallen asleep on Legolas', and explained his condition. We begged them to let us take him to The Lady of the Wood to be healed. One of the elves among the scouts, Dimordel, knew Aragorn of old and he began to give orders to the other scouts in Elvish. I was able to understand some of what he said but I was not fully aware of what was happening because, despite how long I had been in Rivendell, I had still not completely learned Elvish. Legolas and I stood beside our horses while the other elves moved quickly and efficiently around us; lifting Aragorn of the horse they laid him on a stretcher they had just put together and two of the elves set off carrying it at a run.
When those two elves were gone Dimordel turned to us and said curtly, "Follow me." Legolas and I looked at each other and, leading our horses, we followed behind. Dimordel led us for about half a day till we came to the middle of the wood. We topped the crest of a hill and found ourselves looking down on the most beautiful place we had ever seen. He led us down the grassy slope, back into the trees at the bottom and to a place where the roots of a huge tree had formed a shelter over a hollow in the ground. This shelter had been furnished and decorated like a bedroom and this was where we were to sleep.
Dimordel said something in Elvish and when he left Legolas translated it into common speech for me, "He said to rest for now because this evening The Lady will speak with us."
Our horses were led from us to be taken care of and Legolas and I sank gratefully into the beds that had been prepared. Before I knew it I had fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep from which I did not wake until we were summoned to Galadriel.
