Author: Mirrordance

Title: Escape

Summary: Aragorn is lost during a tour with the Rangers, and Legolas later finds him in Bree, without his memories & happily relieved of all his noble burdens, making the elf hesitate to bring him back to who he truly was.

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PART SEVENTEEN

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      The pair of them stumbled and fell forward in what was admittedly an undignified, un-elvish heap.  Haldir cried out at the pain it caused his wounds, but Legolas could no longer find the voice to express the way his breath rushed from his body with its anguish.  Haldir's cry was not lost upon his muddled senses, however, and he shifted away from the Lothlorien elf in case he may have accidentally fallen on his injured arm, or leg.

      Gritting his teeth in determination, Haldir sought his feet again, and pished off the ground to rise.  His body trembled with his hurts, and he collapsed beside Legolas, breathless.

      ~Rest awhile,~ Legolas murmured to him, ~Your wounds are bad enough without my burdening you.~

      ~You are no burden,~ Haldir lied, moving to rise again, ~Come.  We must keep moving.~

      ~You will kill yourself if you keep up like that,~ Legolas scolded him, and was relieved when Haldir did not bother to retort the obvious; it was Legolas who would die if they did not rise and seek aid.  But their eyes met, and they both knew they were thinking the same thing, and it was almost as bad.

      ~We must keep moving,~ Haldir insisted.

      ~I will not be the death of you,~ Legolas said stubbornly, and there was still fire in his dimming eyes, and power in his fading voice.

      ~I will pull you up with me whether you want it or not,~ Haldir threatened him, ~So you might as well aid me.~

      ~You know as well as I,~ Legolas said, finding the heart to chuckle at their predicament, and caught his breath at the pain it caused, ~that you can barely move as it is, and you most certainly would not be able to make a single step forward unless I let you.  I've made up my mind.  We're staying here.  Save your strength, for when you set out later.~

      Haldir bitterly noted the you's in Legolas' statement.  The Mirkwood elf knew that by that time, Haldir would be alone.   

      ~You do have a rather bad habit of deciding for people,~ Haldir retorted, ~You think you can live our lives better than we?~

      ~Yes,~ laughed Legolas, and ended it with a harsh cough that stole his breath and strength.  Haldir stared at him for a moment, as if coming to some strange decision, and then moved towards him.  For what must have been the first time in all his years of living, Haldir's hands flailed, as if he did not know what to do.  At last, his hands settled upon Legolas' shoulders, and he pulled the Mirkwood elf close, lending him warmth, and strength, and reassurances.  His hesitations stilled when at last he found the courage to embrace the other, and though he could do nothing else, it felt enough.

      Legolas hesitated, but eventually let Haldir do this much for him, for both their sakes.  The Lothlorien elf shared his aversion to helplessness, and seemed to feel that this was all that he could do, now. 

      ~Does it hurt?~ Haldir asked.

      ~You've seen it, haven't you?~ Legolas asked him back wryly, stifling a cough.

      ~No need to be so cross,~ Haldir said quietly, matching the other's humorous tone even though his eyes were infinitely sad, ~You would not want that to be the last thing you ever said in your life.~

      Legolas chuckled, but Haldir felt that his body shook from more than his humor.  It was the cold of the rain, and the cold of death hovering over him.

      ~I'm sorry,~ Haldir said suddenly, mournfully, ~I'm sorry I could not do any more for you.~

      ~Think about it this way,~ Legolas said softly, a smile teasing his lips, ~I could have been here all alone if you weren't so difficult to shake free.  Thank you for being stubborn and insistent.~

      ~Similarly,~ said Haldir wryly, ~I could have just stayed at the house and spared myself the trouble.~

      ~When you get back to the house,~ Legolas told him, eyes fluttering as he struggled to stay awake, ~Tell them the orcs look for a key, from the parents of the boy we rescued nights ago.  It might be best if they left the place for awhile, to be safe, for the enemy's searching might bring them to the children.~

      ~I will,~ Haldir promised.

      ~Thank you,~ Legolas said softly, his voice fading.

      Locked in an embrace, Haldir could not see the other's face, but knew from the sound of his voice that he was leaving in a hurry.

      Haldir unknowingly held him tighter.

      ~For the first time in my life,~ he murmured, ~I'm finding time is not enough.~

      Legolas did not reply.

      Haldir knew he still drew breath, but he also knew that by now, he was already surely dreadfully alone.

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      The thunder of horse hooves alerted him to the arrival of some company.  He did not know if it was just literally thunder overhead, mirroring the desperate wanting of his heart.

      But the thunder did not cease and ever did it come closer, until from the wood emerged Estel and Sari.  Their faithful steeds did bring aid, and the only question by now was that if it was aid enough, and if they had made it in time.

      Estel jumped from his horse even before it came to a complete stop, and fell to his knees in front of Haldir and Legolas.

      "Does he live?" he asked Haldir searchingly, fearing to look at Legolas himself.

      "Yes," Haldir answered, "I think you may have arrived just in time."

      "He needs a healer," Sari said, looking over them, "Do you think he can be moved? Or should I go to Bree and commandeer one?"

      "You need not go so far," Haldir told Sari, "You have a gifted pair of hands right here."

      ~This is taking you forever,~ Haldir declared. 

      Legolas glanced up at him, lips quirking to a smile just as he finished the final knot.  ~I am sorry.  I'm not as instinctively good at it as Estel is.  I have to be more careful.~

      ~If this catches on a nail,~ said Haldir, ~And snags and breaks apart, it will shatter my heart to tell you.~

      Legolas smiled, ~Let us hope Estel remembers his healing ways by then, because I have no plans of doing this over.  You know, he really is very good.  Lord Elrond himself taught him, and he's learned other ways in his years with the Rangers.  A shame, really, that I didn't pick up on it very well.~

      The pair of elves looked pointedly at an unsuspecting Estel, who finally noticed and looked up at them with furrowed brows.

      "Your hands," Haldir told him flatly.

      Hands that drifted, once again, to the wound on his temple, and they shook, as his mind fought to resurface and to reclaim him.

      "I do not know of the healing ways, you are mistaken," Estel said, hurriedly rising to his feet and stalking towards Legolas' horse, "If you will not summon the healer, I will."

      ~No more running,~ Haldir said wearily after him, and it made him pause.  The elf shifted languages, "You shouldn't just flee places," he said, quoting Legolas who in turn quoted Estel, "The past has a way of catching up, you might as well stare it in the face."

      Estel froze.  He knew the words.  He knew them well.  Though from where, he did not know.  Things felt so near and so distant.  Like words that rested on the tip of one's tongue.  So potently there but elusive, just out of reach.  He was going insane. 

      "Turn and face who you are," Haldir urged him, ~If I cannot summon the human King,~ he said, his voice taking on a rather unfamiliar, desperate tone, ~or if I cannot summon Evenstar's lover, then I hope I can invoke the part of you that had been a friend to Legolas.~

      ~Haldir,~ Sari said softly, but sternly, his eyes darting between the other elf's lonely, desperate eyes and Estel's confused ones, ~Be fair.  He is hurt.  It is not merely an act of the will!~

      ~Everything is,~ Haldir said fervently, not removing his stare from Estel, ~The edain are not as weak as we would want to think, and this man is said to be one amongst the very best of them.~

      Estel took a step back, aghast at all the words he seemed to understand, and he didn't know how he understood because his mind was racing and fleeting, but his heart seemed to know what they meant. 

      ~No more running,~ Haldir begged him, ~No more hiding.~

      Turn and face us, Haldir thought fervently, as he had just this morning.

      ~Return to us,~ Haldir invoked.

      If you are half the man we thought you were, turn and face us. 

     

      ~If you are half the man he thinks you are, you will return to us,~ urged Haldir, ~He would do anything for you.  The least you could do is to come here, and try.~ 

      Do not let him leave, he thought this morning, and now he knew for a certainty that such fervent thoughts held more weight; Estel should not just turn a blind eye, this time. 

      ~Do not let him die,~ Haldir begged him, ~If you are half the man he thinks you are, you will come here, and you will save his life!~

TO BE CONTINUED…