Hey, look who it is again!!! ^_^ I gave you all a night to calm down and get over Legolas... you all ok now? *sees knives, axes, swords, daggers and various other sharp objects heading towards her* SHIP!!! *ducks* OI! DO YOU WANT ANOTHER CHAPTER OR NOT?! Hmph...
Elfmage; Ok, I think we've established that I'm evil now, hey? ^_^ Lol!!! =) Little Evil Me; Queen of the Sadist's Code...
me; Hello! ^_^ Reincarnate him? Not sure if I can do that... we'll see!!!
Estel; YAY AS WELL!!! NASTY MAN IS DEAD!!! NOT SO MUCH YAY; LEGOLAS IS POSSIBLY DEAD AS WELL! Ah well, never mind; it's no great loss to the world... =)
elfstar54321; Thanks! Ah, I was wondering when someone would pick up on this... I call Aragorn a young King because even though he is 90 years old in this story, he lives till he's somewhere in the region of 200 years old? I think... well, that's what it says in my Tolkien book, so I thought that compared to that, 90 is pretty young, and let's face it; for a 90 year old he's still in bloody good shape... ^_~
Fritz will Get You; Thanks Arrele! ^_^ You alright there Fritz? Woo-hoo? *waves hand in front of face* Fritz? Anybody home? o_O' Great... I just sent one of my best reviewers into shock... =( NO FAIR!
Manders1953; I always cry when his dad dies!!! ='( *starts crying just thinking of it* My mum thinks I'm weird because I still like Disney and I'm coming up to 14... I'M NOT WEIRD!!! *realises she's screaming on the net with all reviewers staring* Eh he he he... ^.^'
Sirithiliel; Kill who?!?!?! WHO?!?!?! ^_^ Lol; Ssssssss!!! That can be our little inside joke, there we go... ^_~
Mellaithwen-AngelMaiden; Ah, when I say climax I mean a big thing that happens, BUT there is a little more, like in ROTK; Frodo with the Ring at Mount Doom was the climax but there was a little bit more... ^_^ OI!!! THEY'RE MY BLOODY COOKIES!!! =( You don't want him dead? I'll see; no promises though... I made you cry?! Aaaw honey, I'm sorry!!! *laughs evilly to self* I'm sorry! =)
Deana; Yup!!! LET'S HAVE A BIG CHEER FOR FARAMIR EVERYONE!!! *one single cough from the audience* Oh fine then!!! =( Well, it's a difficult thing for Aragorn to decide, isn't it? On the one hand, his wife having their first child in the middle of a cave in Mordor and who could possibly die in childbirth, or his best friend who's been shot and IS dying... poor guy...
ARAGORN: Tell me about it!!! o_O'
Gwyn; You'd prefer him alive as well?! =( Well I just don't understand this... you all want to see him get hurt, but you don't want him to die... well...
Sparrow Greenleaf; Again with the tongue!!! What was that line of Scar's? Erm... was it; "What would your mother think?" You thought last chapter was a perfect moment? -^.^- Ooh, thank you!
Anarya; =) You try performing any miracles, I'll make sure to put you in a fanfic... Lol! I'm joking, I'm joking!!! Oh, I've changed it so that this is the last chapter... *ducks more sharp flying objects* Why me?!?!
Gozilla; Thanks very much!!!
Alariel; Thank you!!! ^_^ Ah, did I say that Legolas was dead? But then again, did I say he was alive? =) --- This has now become my fave smilie; I call it "The evil Grin"...
I'd just like to say to you all, YES, I've changed my plans slightly... THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER. Y'know, I feel quite sad about leaving it now... ='( *bursts into tears* I'm telling you now – MOST OF THIS LAST CHAPTER IS IN FLASHBACK. Trust me, it'll be fine... btw, italics are the flashbacks...
.:Chapter 18:.
Aragorn waited outside of the Houses of Healing, just waiting. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and tried to calm his breathing. His beloved wife was in there, having their first child, and he wasn't even allowed to go in and help!
True it had been the Head healer's choice to refuse him entry; he would have been no use for his hands were shaking far too much.
Another scream echoed down the corridor and he felt his heart rate speed up rapidly. He had been waiting out here for two days; two days of being too worried to even contemplate sleep. Many thoughts rushed through his mind, including all those of the past few days...
~*~*~*~
Faramir rode up to the mouth of the cave. Dismounting, he was about to lead his horse in when he heard a whinnying from behind. He turned to see Arod poking his head out of a large clump of bushes.
"Here Arod!" called the Steward. The Rohirrim horse trotted towards him, and following him was Brego.
The two horses stopped beside him, nodding their heads slightly. Taking the reins of both animals, he led the three horses down into the darkness of the cave...
~*~*~*~
Aragorn sighed. Faramir had told him all about what had happened with the disguised Orcs; he would have to do something special for Faramir in return for keeping the City safe. Once again his mind returned to the events that happened two days ago...
~*~*~*~
It suddenly dawned on Aragorn that if Arwen was to give birth here, there could be many complications, and here in a cave they didn't have anything to help her. He could lose his wife and child in one day...
Arwen's cheeks had fat silvery droplets running down them like little rivulets. Aragorn brushed them away with a gentle finger.
"Sssh melath nin," he whispered. "It will be alright..."
Suddenly there came the sounds of clopping hooves echoing down the tunnel. Aragorn turned, but did not leave Arwen's side. He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, just in case.
Words could not express just how he felt when Faramir walked up the passageway, leading the three horses behind him.
"Aragorn!" he cried, shocked at the sight before him. Aragorn looked as though he had been in the fight of his life. The King's eye was now a spectacular shade of purple and blue, and amongst the various other cuts and bruises all over him, his lip bled freely and a gash on his forehead dripped steadily.
"What happened?!"
~*~*~*~
Aragorn unconsciously played with the bandage around his sprained wrist. He had not even noticed that he had injured it during the fight, but it had begun to twinge and throb later on. His ribs, which were black and blue with bruising, had been neatly wrapped and they didn't throb as much as they had, and his black eye and the stitches in his forehead didn't even hurt anymore. He was still lost in his memories...
~*~*~*~
"Faramir!" gasped Aragorn. "We have to get back to the City now!"
Faramir nodded before looking around, as though searching for something.
"Where are Legolas and Gimli?" he asked, worried about his two friends. Aragorn stopped, silent. And then they heard it...
"LEGOLAS!!!"
~*~*~*~
Aragorn shut his eyes, blocking out the wild screaming coming from his wife. Legolas...
~*~*~*~
"Oh Valar, no..." breathed Aragorn quietly. He couldn't be dead... not Legolas...
Faramir snapped him back to reality. "Aragorn, get Arwen on Brego, quickly. Ride back to the City. I'll get them." The Steward saw the mixed, confused look on Aragorn's face; a fusion of fear, grief, and... something else he couldn't quite place.
A heavy silence passed between them before it was broken by Arwen's open breaking sobs.
"Ride hard and don't look back."
~*~*~*~
Aragorn felt the guilt gnawing away at his heart again. He remembered everything clearly; getting Arwen on Brego, riding as fast as he could out of that dank cave, finally being able to breathe fresh air again after what seemed an age underground, feeling sunlight on his skin once more... leaving his three friends behind, one who could possibly be dead...
~*~*~*~
Away outside of a different room, a Dwarf sat on a small wooden bench. The room in question was Legolas'.
Gimli didn't want to go in there, just to sit and think quietly to himself...
~*~*~*~
He sat for what felt like hours, his mind in a sort of limbo. Legolas lay silently in his arms, pale and listless. Gimli didn't even want to check for a pulse, terrified of what he might find. As long as he did not know the truth, he could believe and fool himself that the Elf was only sleeping.
The blood still dripped in crimson teardrops to the dusty floor, like red rain that would not halt.
A hand touched his shoulder. "Gimli?"
His head snapped up at the voice. There stood Faramir. The Steward knelt down beside them, looking over Legolas.
"Is he...?" Faramir couldn't bring himself to say the word. Legolas had grown to be a very good friend of his, helping with Ithilien and many matters concerning that part of Gondor. Éowyn thought of him as a great friend as well; what would she think if the Elf was dead?
"I don't know," replied Gimli. "I don't want to check."
Faramir shifted on his knees so that he could slide his fingers to the side of Legolas' throat, searching for a pulse.
"Oh Aüle, let one be there..." thought Gimli in despair. "Please..."
Faramir sighed heavily and rested back...
~*~*~*~
Gimli clearly recalled the split-second moment of utter desolation. His heart told him not to give up the Elf just yet, but his head told him that his friend's spirit had already fled to Mandos...
~*~*~*~
"His heart is still beating," said Faramir at long last. Gimli finally released the breath he didn't realise he was holding. "We have to make sure he's still breathing though."
Faramir placed his cold wrist-guard underneath Legolas' nose. His hope rose somewhat when a slight mist appeared; a good sign. That meant that Legolas' warm breath, however faint, was still there.
Gimli, still holding the Elf, suddenly noticed something. As the blood poured out of the wound, a slightly greenish liquid trickled out with it. At first glance Gimli would have said that the arrow was poisoned, but as this was Legolas' own arrow and the Elf didn't coat his arrow tips with anything, the only explanation was...
Gimli gasped. So this was what had been causing the Elf all that pain before. The poison must have gotten to the Elf's insides before Aragorn had a chance to clean it.
"Faramir..." he breathed, pointing to the wound. Faramir saw the poison as well. He shut his eyes in frustration.
"We've got to get him back right away," said Faramir urgently. "Can you ride by yourself?"
"Only on Arod," replied the Dwarf. He still felt uncomfortable about riding horses, but he would try if it meant helping Legolas faster.
Faramir nodded. "I will take him on my horse, for he is not as tired as Arod and can go faster."
With that, he scooped the unconscious Elf up. Faramir had expected him to be heavier, but that fact that Legolas was one of the Firstborn meant he was very light; almost like a child.
In order to make sure that the arrow or the wound were not disturbed, Faramir held Legolas around his chest just under his arms. The Elf's head rested lazily on his shoulder. Nudging his horse slightly in his ribs, the pair took off, riding hard down the tunnels...
~*~*~*~
When Gimli had managed to at last ride through the gates and back up to the Houses of healing, he found the whole place in an uproar. People were running around with blankets and bandages, needles and thread, and various other herbs and things that the Dwarf could not put a name to.
For two days, he, Aragorn and Faramir had gone without any rest, thinking the whole time about Arwen and Legolas.
It turned out that the young prince was treading a very fine line between this life and the next; one that would decide his fate depending on which side of it he stepped.
The healers had been working day and night to try and save his life, but in the end it was up to Legolas to pull himself through. He had not woken up at all since falling unconscious in the cave, and hope for him was dwindling fast.
And that was why Gimli sat outside, not daring to go in. He didn't want to have to face the darker possibility...
~*~*~*~
Aragorn was wrenched from all thoughts as an ear-splitting scream thundered down the hallway. He couldn't take it anymore...
Suddenly, a small cry could be heard from inside the room. A baby's cry...
Aragorn sat up straight, all his fatigue from the past few days suddenly disappearing.
The door opened with a creak and one of the healers emerged with a bright smile on her face. "My Lord?"
Aragorn's heart thundered like a drum and it seemed that all of a sudden the pit of his stomach dropped away.
"Congratulations!" she beamed. "It's a little boy." She opened the door wider. "Would you like to come in and see him?"
Aragorn took some small tentative steps towards the room. Suddenly he was more terrified of meeting his son than he had been fighting Cayred.
The fear melted away immediately though when he saw the little infant cradled in Arwen's arms. She was thrilled judging by the weary smile on her face, and though tears trickled from her eyes, it was obvious that they were of joy than anything else.
He reached a hand out silently, placing a finger on the baby's tiny hand. A grin crossed his face when the little boy wrapped tiny fingers around his and squeezed very gently.
"He's perfect..." he breathed.
Arwen laughed slightly. "Just like his father," she said breathlessly. Her face was flushed and her hair completely out of place, but in Aragorn's eyes she had never looked more beautiful.
"Like his father..." he repeated, a numb feeling coming over him. He was a father...
"What shall we call him?" asked Arwen as it sunk in for him.
"Call him?" Aragorn thought for a moment. Then, like a lightning bolt out of a clear sky, it came to him.
"What about 'Eldarion'?" he said.
Arwen nodded tiredly. "Yes... our little Eldarion..."
~*~*~*~
News had spread through Minas Tirith that the heir to the throne was now born, and there was much rejoicing through the City.
Arwen had fallen asleep a while ago, but Aragorn found he could not. He held Eldarion in his arms, looking out of the window at all the people below running around telling each other the good news.
Inside the Citadel however, there was a shadow cast over the celebration. Legolas still hadn't woken yet. It was still unclear if he ever would...
It dawned on him that he had not seen his friend since leaving the caves. Looking into Eldarion's little blue eyes, something inside of him told him to go and see him now...
~*~*~*~
He would have left the newborn in the cot beside Arwen, but parental instinct made him to not let his little son out of his sight. Aragorn turned the corner, Eldarion still in his arms, to see Gimli sleeping on the bench outside the door. He smiled sadly.
"Trust him not to leave his post..." the new father thought to himself. Tiptoeing quietly past the Dwarf, Aragorn opened the wooden door silently.
Legolas lay sleeping, the pillows propping his head up gently. His whole torso was wrapped tightly, the covers pulled up far enough to keep him warm but not to aggravate the arrow wound.
The light shone through the netting up at the window, casting a dimmed line along the bed. The pale light made the young Elf look like he was a fragile ghost that had already passed to Mandos' halls.
Aragorn sat on the chair beside the bed, shifting Eldarion gently so the tiny prince could see.
"This," whispered Aragorn. "Is you uncle Legolas. He's one of the bravest people I know."
The baby gurgled slightly. Aragorn smiled.
"He'd do anything for me, and I for him. In fact, that's part of the reason why he's in this state now... saving my life... again." The King looked at his sleeping best friend fondly, remembering. "And rest assured he'll do the same for you." The smile faded away.
"If he wakes up that is..."
He sat there silently for a moment, lost in his own world, before he finally came back to reality with a sigh and rose from the chair.
Crossing the room, he made to leave, but as he raised his hand to turn the door handle, a voice croaked weakly.
"So you're just going to walk off and leave me, hmm?"
Aragorn turned with shock to see Legolas blinking slowly, grinning weakly.
"So you've rejoined us at last, yes?" he said, trying to keep the mood light. Legolas didn't reply; he just sat there, shaking his head slightly. Aragorn looked over his friend, checking for anything wrong. Legolas' eyes were half closed, but that was probably because he was still very tired, and he was still pale, but other than that, he seemed to be on the mend.
Suddenly the Elf caught sight of the little bundle in his friend's arms.
"What's that?" he asked, surprised when he realised himself how weak his voice was.
Aragorn chuckled. Walking back to the chair which he had sat on, he showed Eldarion to Legolas.
"'That' would be my son, Eldarion..."
Legolas was speechless. The baby in front of him cooed a little, a tiny smile on his face. The Elf stared in amazement. In the space of time since he fell unconscious, Arwen had had the baby... but how long was that time?
"How long was I asleep?!"
"Two days," replied Aragorn. "And I'm warning you now; if you terrify me like that again I will have your head, understand?!" At this point, tears sparkled in his eyes.
"I thought you were asleep!" grumbled a voice from the doorway. They looked over to see Gimli, arms folded, looking annoyed. The look faded though and he walked quickly to Legolas and hugged him tightly, being mindful of the still healing wound.
"Like he said; you do that again laddie and I'll be forced to help him," chuckled the Dwarf. His voice softened. "I'm glad you're back Elf."
Legolas laughed. It pulled slightly on his wound and he shifted uncomfortably. It reminded him of something, and he remembered the aches and pains that had attacked him during the search for Aragorn.
"Do you know what was wrong with me before?" he asked. Gimli shook his head.
"Some of the poison had gotten down to your stomach. The pains you felt was it slowly clogging it up. Thankfully we noticed it before it did any lasting damage. I know you probably won't believe me lad, but getting shot probably saved your life!"
Legolas couldn't believe it. A deadly wound actually saving his life. "I'll have to remember that one... Ada will never believe me..."
Eldarion yawned loudly and snuggled down into his father's chest, his eyes closing gently. Aragorn looked at his son with love. "Looks like someone is tired," he whispered, stroking the baby under the chin. He found himself yawning as well.
"Have you been awake the last two days?" asked Legolas, beginning to feel sleepy again himself. His body hadn't really healed much; it had been too busy just trying to keep him alive. Now was the start of the real healing process.
"Yes... yes I have..." mumbled Aragorn, before his head drooped down onto his chest. His breathing slowed and steadied; he looked peaceful at last, and all the time his arms stayed wrapped protectively around his sleeping child.
"I think somebody has the right idea," grumbled Gimli. He sat himself down in a large comfy chair in the corner and shut his eyes.
The last thing Legolas saw before his mind started wandering the paths of peaceful Elven dreams was his two friends, sleeping quietly, and knowing that everything was going to be fine...
~*~*~*~
Later that evening when Faramir looked in to see how Legolas was doing, he was surprised to see the Elf fast asleep on the bed, and Aragorn slumbering with a sleeping infant in his arms. Gimli was also snoozing, sitting on the soft chair in the far corner.
The steward smiled; all would be back to normal soon.
As he shut the door, the Sun set in splashes of red and gold, turning the clouds around it a slight purple colour. It heralded the end of the day... and tomorrow would bring new and different surprises...
The adventure was finally over...
~*~ The End ~*~
And I truly believe that that was the longest bloody chapter I've written in my life... shows how much I love this story, hey?! ^_^
So, big thank you's to all who reviewed!!! And to all the silent readers (yeah, I know you're out there!!! I used to be one myself y'know!) thank you as well!!! I hope you enjoyed this final chapter!!! Geez, 11 pages of writing... yup, this is my record I think!
Well, just so you know, I'm missing this story already... ='( I really don't want to press the upload button, but I know I'll have to... *sigh* At least I have one consolation...
I MADE YOU THINK HE WAS DEAD!!! =) Tee hee hee... *cough* Sorry.
Now, does anyone know about these Mithril Award thingies? I'd like to submit this but I honestly don't know how... or if someone else could do it for me, y'know, I'd be very grateful... ^_~ Thanks...
~*~ Star-Stallion ~*~
