Chapter 11
Legolas heard his arm snap painfully beneath him. His muffled cry reached Aragorn's ears. Aragorn raced towards his friend, despairing as he saw him lying, unmoving, on his stomach. He gently rolled over the man, looking him over from head to toe. He gently pushed a finger onto Legolas' lips as he began to talk. "Just sit against the tree. What hurts?" His look dared Legolas to say he was uninjured.
"I don't think there is anything serious. It's probably just a broken wrist."
'Just a broken wrist,' Aragorn thought to himself. He carefully rotated Legolas' limb, checking for any sign of abnormalities. Legolas winced and took in a sharp breath as Aragorn touched the broken bone.
"There?" Aragorn asked, looking at his friend's reaction. Legolas nodded his head, biting his lip to keep from crying out.
Aragorn noticed the tears in Legolas' eyes, and quickly set to work. He mixed an analgesic quickly, setting the cup in Legolas' good hand. After the prince had drunk the entire cup, Aragorn resumed setting the bone. "I thought you said it wasn't serious," he joked as Legolas glared at him.
"Just finish splinting my arm so we can continue." Legolas could feel his cheeks growing warm.
"Actually, I thought it was my arm." He glanced at Legolas, making sure the prince knew he was joking. "As far as I am concerned, you can keep my body; after all of the things you have done to it I'm not sure if I want it back." He finished tying the split to his friend's arm. "Can you walk, or do we need to rest for awhile?"
"I am fine. I assume we are heading back towards Imladris?"
"I guess we should. We have already gotten into enough trouble for my father to give us a good lecture."
"You mean 'I' have gotten into enough trouble." He gave his friend a small smile.
Aragorn refused to let Legolas dwell in his gloomy mood. "Well, we should pack up quickly. I still don't know quite how far we are from home." He waited for Legolas' response.
Legolas took the bait. "You! An elf! A ranger! Lost?"
"I did not say lost. I just seem to have difficulty remembering where we are."
"In other words, lost."
The two mounted their horses and continued riding towards the general direction of Rivendell.
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After the two had been riding for some time Aragorn made them stop. He had not forgotten what had happened the last time they had skipped a meal.
As Aragorn went to the stream to gather some water, Legolas started making a fire. When he finished he remembered the letter he had received from the hawk. He pulled it out of his pack, breaking in the seal and carefully unfolding it. The former elf was delighted to find that it was from Gandalf. 'Finally, he has found a cure!'
Legolas' smile turned into a frown as he scanned the letter, going back to reread it again and again.
He dropped the parchment, confusion growing in his mind. 'Why would he leave? I cannot do as he asks. It is impossible.' He pondered the letter some more. 'We should continue to Rivendell, and I must never tell Estel of this letter. I cannot do this to him.'
He crunched the paper into a ball, stuffing it roughly into his bag. When Aragorn came back he noticed the frown that Legolas wore.
"What is wrong?"
Instead of denying his feelings, like his instinct told him to, he decided to use this opportunity to ask Aragorn something that had been troubling him for quite some time. "Aragorn...." He stopped, suddenly unsure as to whether the question was wise.
"Yes," Aragorn patiently asked.
"I was wondering...."
After Legolas had trailed off for the second time, Aragorn couldn't tell if his friend was going to tell him anything or not. He had almost given up hope when he heard Legolas whisper.
"I have done so much to your body, harmed it in so many ways. If...if there was a way for us to be switched back, would you want to?"
"What? Of course I would," Aragorn answered without thought.
"Because I would be willing to stay a human until all of the hurts I caused healed." Legolas said that in a rush, so fast that it took Aragorn a couple seconds to compute what his friend had said.
"Well.... That is very generous, but... I don't think that I could allow you to do that."
"But, I broke your wrist."
"I've broken my wrist many times. I'm sure I can deal with the small inconvenience for some time." He gave Legolas a scrutinizing look. "Besides, Ada will be able to fix it once we reach Imladris." Aragorn gave Legolas another look. "Why would you ask?"
"I was just wondering." With his mind made up, Legolas started eating. He wasn't very hungary, but he knew that Aragorn was going to watch him like a hawk while he ate. 'I will wait until we reach Rivendell before I tell him about the letter.'
The meal was an unusually uncomfortable, silent event.
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Aragorn had insisted that he take the first watch that night. Legolas had requested to keep watch first, knowing that Aragorn would never wake him when it was his turn. Legolas wasn't sure how he had lost that argument; many of the things Aragorn had said made sense, but Legolas' subconscious screamed that it was irrational.
As Legolas laid on his back, watching the stars, he thought he saw the shadow of an eagle in the sky. Guilt nagged at him; he knew that he should have shown Aragorn the letter. He rolled over on his side, tearing his gaze away from the great bird. 'I'll tell him later. It won't matter anyway.'
******************************************************************************
As he expected, Legolas awoke to the sunrise the next day.
"I thought I told you to wake me!" Legolas was furious, his temper barely keeping itself from boiling over.
"I thought you needed the rest."
"This is the second day you have done this. How do you expect to be able to go two days without sleep yourself."
"I'm an elf. You used to do it all the time."
"And you were the one who always yelled at me the next morning."
"Like you're doing now?" Legolas had to stop his tirade at that. He opened his mouth to say something else, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.
"Do you need any help mounting your horse?" Aragorn asked. He eyed the swollen wrist that Legolas subconsciously cradled. The look he got from Legolas was answer enough. "All right, I was only trying to help." Aragorn mounted his steed, looking at his friend the entire time. He did not miss Legolas' grimace of pain as he jarred his wrist, nor the way that Legolas used his other hand to grip the reigns.
"Are you ready?" Legolas' question shook Aragorn from his thoughts.
"Yes." He urged his horse into a slow trot.
"At this rate we shall not reach Imladris until the next year." Legolas' mount went into a full gallop. He did not bother looking behind him to see if Aragorn was following, every step radiating waves of pain from his arm. 'This was probably not a good idea.'
He was in so much pain he never saw the trap that was lain in from of him.
To Be Continued....
Author's Note: Thank you for being so patient with me. I was expecting to get more time to write over the Winter Break, but then I found out I would be baby-sitting everyday except Christmas. I had less time than I did while I was in school. I wrote half of this on Christmas day, when I was hoping to post, but the inspiration for this story wouldn't come.
Deana: I'm not sure I would want my body back either if I was Aragorn. lol. Thank you for being so patient; your review was the extra push I needed to finish the chapter and post it.
Elfmage: Tell your teacher you were contemplating a piece of literary work that you are currently reading. Teachers always love it when students read without being told to. lol. it probably wouldn't work. I never went to the doctor for my nose, but I have had some people tell me that my nose is a little crooked, and I couldn't put any pressure on it for a couple of months. I guess I'll never know. I don't let people I know read my fanfics, with the exception od two, who happened to find my work by accident and knew it was me. It still scares me that they know how twisted my mind can be. Thanks for reviewing; it brightens my day when I read them.
Aclub: Thanks for reviewing, and thank you for putting me on your favorite's list. i'm sorry that I wasn't able to update quickly.
Lulu Bell: I seem to have lost Elladan and Elrohir. Don't worry, I won't leave them lost forever; I'll send out a search party. Thank you for reviewing.
Joy: Thanks for your review.
LegolasLover2004: Thanks for your review.
Sliverknight7: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Thank you for reviewing.
Butterflyer: The Return of the King is a great movie. I've seen it twice so far, and my friend insists on seeing it again on Saturday. (At this rate I'll have it memorized.) Thank you for reviewing.
MK: Thanks for reviewing. I'm sorry I couldn't catch him. Maybe I'll have a net under him next time.
Jamie: Thank you for reviewing.
Shauna: You are correct in your assumptions. (Of course there is going to be more suffering before I finish this story. lol.) Thank you for your review.
Elven Kitten: All three movies are excellent. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
Lady Legolas: Thank you for your review. Sorry for not updating sooner. I will try to write the next chapter quickly.
KitsuneRW: Thank you for your review.
Lembas Pot: Sorry I didn't update sooner. Thanks for reviewing.
Marbienl: I keep biting my lip, trying to keep myself from telling you everything that is going to happen. I promised myself that I wouldn't spill anything before I wrote the chapter. Thank you so much for your reviews; they mean a lot to me. (And no, I couldn't come up with anything good about being human, though I thought about it for half an hour one day.
Vivian Scott: I meant to read some of your work before I posted this chapter, but I have been putting it off for too long. Thank you for reviewing; as a writer I'm sure you know how much each review means.
Restless-Soul: I'm sorry for taking so long to write the next chapter. Thank you for reviewing.
Legolas heard his arm snap painfully beneath him. His muffled cry reached Aragorn's ears. Aragorn raced towards his friend, despairing as he saw him lying, unmoving, on his stomach. He gently rolled over the man, looking him over from head to toe. He gently pushed a finger onto Legolas' lips as he began to talk. "Just sit against the tree. What hurts?" His look dared Legolas to say he was uninjured.
"I don't think there is anything serious. It's probably just a broken wrist."
'Just a broken wrist,' Aragorn thought to himself. He carefully rotated Legolas' limb, checking for any sign of abnormalities. Legolas winced and took in a sharp breath as Aragorn touched the broken bone.
"There?" Aragorn asked, looking at his friend's reaction. Legolas nodded his head, biting his lip to keep from crying out.
Aragorn noticed the tears in Legolas' eyes, and quickly set to work. He mixed an analgesic quickly, setting the cup in Legolas' good hand. After the prince had drunk the entire cup, Aragorn resumed setting the bone. "I thought you said it wasn't serious," he joked as Legolas glared at him.
"Just finish splinting my arm so we can continue." Legolas could feel his cheeks growing warm.
"Actually, I thought it was my arm." He glanced at Legolas, making sure the prince knew he was joking. "As far as I am concerned, you can keep my body; after all of the things you have done to it I'm not sure if I want it back." He finished tying the split to his friend's arm. "Can you walk, or do we need to rest for awhile?"
"I am fine. I assume we are heading back towards Imladris?"
"I guess we should. We have already gotten into enough trouble for my father to give us a good lecture."
"You mean 'I' have gotten into enough trouble." He gave his friend a small smile.
Aragorn refused to let Legolas dwell in his gloomy mood. "Well, we should pack up quickly. I still don't know quite how far we are from home." He waited for Legolas' response.
Legolas took the bait. "You! An elf! A ranger! Lost?"
"I did not say lost. I just seem to have difficulty remembering where we are."
"In other words, lost."
The two mounted their horses and continued riding towards the general direction of Rivendell.
******************************************************************************
After the two had been riding for some time Aragorn made them stop. He had not forgotten what had happened the last time they had skipped a meal.
As Aragorn went to the stream to gather some water, Legolas started making a fire. When he finished he remembered the letter he had received from the hawk. He pulled it out of his pack, breaking in the seal and carefully unfolding it. The former elf was delighted to find that it was from Gandalf. 'Finally, he has found a cure!'
Legolas' smile turned into a frown as he scanned the letter, going back to reread it again and again.
He dropped the parchment, confusion growing in his mind. 'Why would he leave? I cannot do as he asks. It is impossible.' He pondered the letter some more. 'We should continue to Rivendell, and I must never tell Estel of this letter. I cannot do this to him.'
He crunched the paper into a ball, stuffing it roughly into his bag. When Aragorn came back he noticed the frown that Legolas wore.
"What is wrong?"
Instead of denying his feelings, like his instinct told him to, he decided to use this opportunity to ask Aragorn something that had been troubling him for quite some time. "Aragorn...." He stopped, suddenly unsure as to whether the question was wise.
"Yes," Aragorn patiently asked.
"I was wondering...."
After Legolas had trailed off for the second time, Aragorn couldn't tell if his friend was going to tell him anything or not. He had almost given up hope when he heard Legolas whisper.
"I have done so much to your body, harmed it in so many ways. If...if there was a way for us to be switched back, would you want to?"
"What? Of course I would," Aragorn answered without thought.
"Because I would be willing to stay a human until all of the hurts I caused healed." Legolas said that in a rush, so fast that it took Aragorn a couple seconds to compute what his friend had said.
"Well.... That is very generous, but... I don't think that I could allow you to do that."
"But, I broke your wrist."
"I've broken my wrist many times. I'm sure I can deal with the small inconvenience for some time." He gave Legolas a scrutinizing look. "Besides, Ada will be able to fix it once we reach Imladris." Aragorn gave Legolas another look. "Why would you ask?"
"I was just wondering." With his mind made up, Legolas started eating. He wasn't very hungary, but he knew that Aragorn was going to watch him like a hawk while he ate. 'I will wait until we reach Rivendell before I tell him about the letter.'
The meal was an unusually uncomfortable, silent event.
******************************************************************************
Aragorn had insisted that he take the first watch that night. Legolas had requested to keep watch first, knowing that Aragorn would never wake him when it was his turn. Legolas wasn't sure how he had lost that argument; many of the things Aragorn had said made sense, but Legolas' subconscious screamed that it was irrational.
As Legolas laid on his back, watching the stars, he thought he saw the shadow of an eagle in the sky. Guilt nagged at him; he knew that he should have shown Aragorn the letter. He rolled over on his side, tearing his gaze away from the great bird. 'I'll tell him later. It won't matter anyway.'
******************************************************************************
As he expected, Legolas awoke to the sunrise the next day.
"I thought I told you to wake me!" Legolas was furious, his temper barely keeping itself from boiling over.
"I thought you needed the rest."
"This is the second day you have done this. How do you expect to be able to go two days without sleep yourself."
"I'm an elf. You used to do it all the time."
"And you were the one who always yelled at me the next morning."
"Like you're doing now?" Legolas had to stop his tirade at that. He opened his mouth to say something else, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.
"Do you need any help mounting your horse?" Aragorn asked. He eyed the swollen wrist that Legolas subconsciously cradled. The look he got from Legolas was answer enough. "All right, I was only trying to help." Aragorn mounted his steed, looking at his friend the entire time. He did not miss Legolas' grimace of pain as he jarred his wrist, nor the way that Legolas used his other hand to grip the reigns.
"Are you ready?" Legolas' question shook Aragorn from his thoughts.
"Yes." He urged his horse into a slow trot.
"At this rate we shall not reach Imladris until the next year." Legolas' mount went into a full gallop. He did not bother looking behind him to see if Aragorn was following, every step radiating waves of pain from his arm. 'This was probably not a good idea.'
He was in so much pain he never saw the trap that was lain in from of him.
To Be Continued....
Author's Note: Thank you for being so patient with me. I was expecting to get more time to write over the Winter Break, but then I found out I would be baby-sitting everyday except Christmas. I had less time than I did while I was in school. I wrote half of this on Christmas day, when I was hoping to post, but the inspiration for this story wouldn't come.
Deana: I'm not sure I would want my body back either if I was Aragorn. lol. Thank you for being so patient; your review was the extra push I needed to finish the chapter and post it.
Elfmage: Tell your teacher you were contemplating a piece of literary work that you are currently reading. Teachers always love it when students read without being told to. lol. it probably wouldn't work. I never went to the doctor for my nose, but I have had some people tell me that my nose is a little crooked, and I couldn't put any pressure on it for a couple of months. I guess I'll never know. I don't let people I know read my fanfics, with the exception od two, who happened to find my work by accident and knew it was me. It still scares me that they know how twisted my mind can be. Thanks for reviewing; it brightens my day when I read them.
Aclub: Thanks for reviewing, and thank you for putting me on your favorite's list. i'm sorry that I wasn't able to update quickly.
Lulu Bell: I seem to have lost Elladan and Elrohir. Don't worry, I won't leave them lost forever; I'll send out a search party. Thank you for reviewing.
Joy: Thanks for your review.
LegolasLover2004: Thanks for your review.
Sliverknight7: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Thank you for reviewing.
Butterflyer: The Return of the King is a great movie. I've seen it twice so far, and my friend insists on seeing it again on Saturday. (At this rate I'll have it memorized.) Thank you for reviewing.
MK: Thanks for reviewing. I'm sorry I couldn't catch him. Maybe I'll have a net under him next time.
Jamie: Thank you for reviewing.
Shauna: You are correct in your assumptions. (Of course there is going to be more suffering before I finish this story. lol.) Thank you for your review.
Elven Kitten: All three movies are excellent. It would be hard for me to pick a favorite.
Lady Legolas: Thank you for your review. Sorry for not updating sooner. I will try to write the next chapter quickly.
KitsuneRW: Thank you for your review.
Lembas Pot: Sorry I didn't update sooner. Thanks for reviewing.
Marbienl: I keep biting my lip, trying to keep myself from telling you everything that is going to happen. I promised myself that I wouldn't spill anything before I wrote the chapter. Thank you so much for your reviews; they mean a lot to me. (And no, I couldn't come up with anything good about being human, though I thought about it for half an hour one day.
Vivian Scott: I meant to read some of your work before I posted this chapter, but I have been putting it off for too long. Thank you for reviewing; as a writer I'm sure you know how much each review means.
Restless-Soul: I'm sorry for taking so long to write the next chapter. Thank you for reviewing.
