Chapter Seven
Then, Legolas swiftly turned, glared at Lord Celeborn and the twins, and stormed away. Unknown to any of them, a pair of angry eyes had been watching the argument, and went to follow Legolas, hiding in the trees. Aragorn stayed still, tears of sorrow and guilt trailed down his face. Lord Celeborn sighed and shook his head in shame.
'Great going, Celeborn, you have managed to make this situation worse than before.' He thought to himself. The twins only stood there, kicking themselves mentally for even thinking of taking Legolas outside in the first place.
Legolas was slowly limping back towards the healing houses, but then he stopped abruptly.
'If I go back now, Aragorn and the others will just come and they will be able to find me right away...I can't face them now...not yet...' Legolas decided, and started limping towards the area of denser trees.
A few minutes later, Legolas' knees suddenly buckled and was going to collapse, if not for the tree next to him. Legolas had trouble breathing, his vision was swimming around, the wound on his leg had started to bleed again, his head was pounding, and he felt extremely sick to his stomach. Legolas slid down onto the ground, and at that moment, a figure jumped down from the trees and landed right in front of him.
"Go-Gollum?" Legolas stuttered, panic rising inside of him once again.
"We help yous go back...pretty elf hut once again...we helps..." Gollum moved towards Legolas, but he held out a hand to stop Gollum.
"No! Uh...no, Gollum, you must get away from here! If the other elves see you, they will shoot you down! No matter what I say, they will! You must run! Go! Get away from here! You have already risked too much! You should have left before! Just go!" Legolas tried to sound demanding, but the words came out as a weak plead.
"But..."
"Gollum, please! For me! Get out of here...I will be fine here...the...the others will find me." Gollum hissed.
"The others are bad! They makes elf angry and sad! They makes pretty elf cry..." Legolas touched his face, noticing that he had not wiped the tear streaks away yet. Then, Legolas sighed and his expression softened.
"Thank you for caring...you...you are a good...friend..." Gollum let out a shaky breath.
"Fr-friend? We are pretty elf's...friend?" Legolas smiled softly, knowing that all Gollum really wanted was a companion who was not his evil self.
"You are...my friend." Gollum started to smile.
"Friend." Gollum whispered happily to himself.
"Now go, Gollum, please, I will be just fine." Gollum looked up at Legolas once again, nodded, then leapt back up to the trees, looked back once more, and went away.
Legolas started to get up, using the tree for support. After what seemed as an eternity, Legolas was able to stand up, took a deep breath, and started to limp back to the healing houses. But after a few steps, Legolas' knees buckled again as a result of too much strain, this time, he wasn't fast enough to grab onto another tree. So he collapsed, crying out in pain when he landed on his side, where the arrow had been embedded into him. Tears of pain, both physical and emotional, trailed down Legolas' face, he wanted to go back to the past and change everything, especially to change that he had been born. Then he finally lost consciousness.
'No one loves me anymore anyway...'
Aragorn stopped walking abruptly when he heard someone cry out in pain as he was headed towards the healing houses, hoping to find Legolas there. Immediately snapping into action, Aragorn ran towards the direction where he had heard the cry. A few moments later, Aragorn stopped to a full halt, spotting Legolas sprawled on the ground. He feared the worst, but still walked to Legolas and knelt down to check his pulse. Feeling a weak but steady pulse, Aragorn felt a bit of relief, picked Legolas up, and started to carry him back to the healing houses. Aragorn sighed and whispered to himself,
"Legolas, you and your bad luck..."
~~~An hour later~~~
"How is he?" Aragorn looked up from Legolas to see Lady Galadriel by the door. He quickly got up and bowed slightly.
"My Lady..." Lady Galadriel smiled softly and nodded. Then Aragorn sat back down onto the chair.
"I don't know how he is..." Lady Galadriel raised and eyebrow.
"Really...and why is that, son of Arathorn?"
"I...I am afraid..." Lady Galadriel smiled softly.
"Afraid? Of what, my child?" Aragorn closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"I am afraid to check on him because if I do...he may have already passed..." Lady Galadriel's expression softened, she walked over to Aragorn, tipped his chin up to meet her face, and she smiled.
"If you don't check, you will never know if he has...or not. Estel, look at him closely...do you not see his light? It is getting brighter again...he is healing...he is almost there, he only needs a little push...from you." Aragorn pried his eyes away and back to Legolas' still form.
"We had an argument...he hates me now."
"I know all about the argument, Estel, Celeborn has informed me of it."
"But he did not let you answer the question, did he? Legolas jumped to conclusions and lashed out at you...all of you...what did you want to say, Estel?" Aragorn sighed.
"I was going to say no! Legolas is my best friend...my brother! It isn't his fault that Lady Luck is not with him all the time! Legolas is not a burden...not on me...not at all! I love spending time with him! We all do! Even though many of the times that we travel together, he gets fatally injured, so do I! And he's the one who carries me to safety every time! Sure, we don't have luck on our side every second, but I know that it does not matter...because we have each other." Aragorn grinned.
"Legolas is probably the only reason why I'm still alive to this day...he is my rock...my supporter when something bad happens...I don't know what I'd do without him! You know, if Legolas was awake, he would say I sounded incredibly sensitive." Lady Galadriel smiled brightly.
"He is the one who keeps me sane from my twin brothers!" Aragorn joked, and Lady Galadriel laughed.
"Then everyone needs Legolas! Especially Elrond!" Aragorn chuckled, then turned serious again.
"But he has so many hurts...you know what he said, how could I ever help him with all those things?" Aragorn sighed and looked to Lady Galadriel.
"I just want to help him...I really do...but how? He's right, I have never suffered as much pain as he has, my mother did not die giving birth to me, and I actually got a chance to know her...Legolas didn't. I have two, very healthy yet insane brothers, and Legolas blames himself for not arriving on time to help fight with his brother! And now Keldarion is dead...Rivendell is a peaceful place and is not under attack constantly, whereas Mirkwood is deteriorating because of the darkness! Legolas is right about me...in the tunnels before we came to Lothlorien, I promised him that I would eventually listen to all of his pains, thoughts and feelings that he's had throughout his life. But now he hates me...even if I apologized and explained everything to him, Legolas would always be hesitant to talk to me again..." By now, the tears had started to trail down Aragorn's face.
"How do I help him now?"
"Just by being my friend..." A weak voice answered him. Aragorn looked down beside him, surprised to find Legolas awake and smiling.
"Legolas? You..."
"He was awake from the moment you opened your mouth to talk about your answer to Celeborn." Lady Galadriel said.
"Meaning I heard just about everything." Legolas stated. Aragorn quickly wiped his tears away and glared at Legolas.
"You should have told me you were awake! Are you in any kind of pain? I could fix you up a—"
"You are my supporter too, Estel..." Legolas interrupted. Aragorn's eyes widened a bit, his mouth still open. Sensing that a private conversation was on the way, Lady Galadriel smiled and silently left the room.
"Wh-what?" Aragorn stuttered, and Legolas' expression softened.
"I'm sorry, Estel, I did not mean to yell at you, I don't...understand...I just felt so angry. I wanted to see how you and the rest of the fellowship were doing, but when I saw you and Lord Celeborn talking, I got nosy and wanted to see what you two were talking about. I am terribly sorry for eavesdropping, I should have just minded my own business..." Aragorn sighed.
"No, I am sorry for even thinking about being angry at you! You give me so much hope and protection. I am sorry, Legolas, it's just..." Aragorn's eyes started to water.
"I am weary, my friend, but not at you...there is so much...pressure upon me now...I am losing the fight and I am blaming it on you...there is only so much I can take! I need your help, Legolas...I need our friendship so that I can beat it...at times, when I wake up, I just feel so lost. It is only when I see you again that the pressure is less intense and I feel lightened again. I do not think that I am ready to be King of Gondor yet, Legolas, nor will I ever be! I am a ranger! I am a foster child of Lord Elrond! I have psychotic brothers whose minds are set for pranks! I am no King! And Arwen! She is leaving...going to the Undying Lands...I love her...and I let her go..." Aragorn choked a sob and Legolas' eyes widened, he had not expected Aragorn to say so much. Then Legolas slowly sat up with the help of Aragorn.
"Aragorn...you are destined to be the King of Gondor...it is not easy to claim a throne and take on all of its responsibilities...I know this. It may seem too extreme and that it is out of your league! But Estel, no one is born to be King...there is much one has to go through in order to be fit to be a King. You have gone through all of these things, and you are the one who has prevailed...you are the one who has ended up on top of everything. Believe in yourself, Aragorn, you will be an amazing King. And as for Arwen, she loves you as well...she is not one to give up on hope so easily. If she believes that you will return to her, she will stay..." Aragorn sighed and smiled weakly.
"Thank you...without you, I really wouldn't know where I'd be...really, thank you..." Legolas smiled, finally realizing just how much Aragorn loved him as a brother, and how much he really trusts in him. Instantly, Legolas felt touched.
"So you really think of me as your brother." Aragorn furrowed his brows.
"What?" Legolas laughed nervously, hesitant in saying what he truly felt before.
"Legolas, tell me, what is it? What do you want to say to me?" Legolas took a deep breath.
TBC...
A/N: Yey! Another chapter down! Okay, ladies and gents, the next chapter is gonna be the last, I stopped it here cause I didn't want the chapter to go too long. But anyway, yeah...so thanks to all who reviewed my story! Ack! I want more reviews please! Hehe! Last chapter will be up by next weekend...hopefully! =D
Then, Legolas swiftly turned, glared at Lord Celeborn and the twins, and stormed away. Unknown to any of them, a pair of angry eyes had been watching the argument, and went to follow Legolas, hiding in the trees. Aragorn stayed still, tears of sorrow and guilt trailed down his face. Lord Celeborn sighed and shook his head in shame.
'Great going, Celeborn, you have managed to make this situation worse than before.' He thought to himself. The twins only stood there, kicking themselves mentally for even thinking of taking Legolas outside in the first place.
Legolas was slowly limping back towards the healing houses, but then he stopped abruptly.
'If I go back now, Aragorn and the others will just come and they will be able to find me right away...I can't face them now...not yet...' Legolas decided, and started limping towards the area of denser trees.
A few minutes later, Legolas' knees suddenly buckled and was going to collapse, if not for the tree next to him. Legolas had trouble breathing, his vision was swimming around, the wound on his leg had started to bleed again, his head was pounding, and he felt extremely sick to his stomach. Legolas slid down onto the ground, and at that moment, a figure jumped down from the trees and landed right in front of him.
"Go-Gollum?" Legolas stuttered, panic rising inside of him once again.
"We help yous go back...pretty elf hut once again...we helps..." Gollum moved towards Legolas, but he held out a hand to stop Gollum.
"No! Uh...no, Gollum, you must get away from here! If the other elves see you, they will shoot you down! No matter what I say, they will! You must run! Go! Get away from here! You have already risked too much! You should have left before! Just go!" Legolas tried to sound demanding, but the words came out as a weak plead.
"But..."
"Gollum, please! For me! Get out of here...I will be fine here...the...the others will find me." Gollum hissed.
"The others are bad! They makes elf angry and sad! They makes pretty elf cry..." Legolas touched his face, noticing that he had not wiped the tear streaks away yet. Then, Legolas sighed and his expression softened.
"Thank you for caring...you...you are a good...friend..." Gollum let out a shaky breath.
"Fr-friend? We are pretty elf's...friend?" Legolas smiled softly, knowing that all Gollum really wanted was a companion who was not his evil self.
"You are...my friend." Gollum started to smile.
"Friend." Gollum whispered happily to himself.
"Now go, Gollum, please, I will be just fine." Gollum looked up at Legolas once again, nodded, then leapt back up to the trees, looked back once more, and went away.
Legolas started to get up, using the tree for support. After what seemed as an eternity, Legolas was able to stand up, took a deep breath, and started to limp back to the healing houses. But after a few steps, Legolas' knees buckled again as a result of too much strain, this time, he wasn't fast enough to grab onto another tree. So he collapsed, crying out in pain when he landed on his side, where the arrow had been embedded into him. Tears of pain, both physical and emotional, trailed down Legolas' face, he wanted to go back to the past and change everything, especially to change that he had been born. Then he finally lost consciousness.
'No one loves me anymore anyway...'
Aragorn stopped walking abruptly when he heard someone cry out in pain as he was headed towards the healing houses, hoping to find Legolas there. Immediately snapping into action, Aragorn ran towards the direction where he had heard the cry. A few moments later, Aragorn stopped to a full halt, spotting Legolas sprawled on the ground. He feared the worst, but still walked to Legolas and knelt down to check his pulse. Feeling a weak but steady pulse, Aragorn felt a bit of relief, picked Legolas up, and started to carry him back to the healing houses. Aragorn sighed and whispered to himself,
"Legolas, you and your bad luck..."
~~~An hour later~~~
"How is he?" Aragorn looked up from Legolas to see Lady Galadriel by the door. He quickly got up and bowed slightly.
"My Lady..." Lady Galadriel smiled softly and nodded. Then Aragorn sat back down onto the chair.
"I don't know how he is..." Lady Galadriel raised and eyebrow.
"Really...and why is that, son of Arathorn?"
"I...I am afraid..." Lady Galadriel smiled softly.
"Afraid? Of what, my child?" Aragorn closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"I am afraid to check on him because if I do...he may have already passed..." Lady Galadriel's expression softened, she walked over to Aragorn, tipped his chin up to meet her face, and she smiled.
"If you don't check, you will never know if he has...or not. Estel, look at him closely...do you not see his light? It is getting brighter again...he is healing...he is almost there, he only needs a little push...from you." Aragorn pried his eyes away and back to Legolas' still form.
"We had an argument...he hates me now."
"I know all about the argument, Estel, Celeborn has informed me of it."
"But he did not let you answer the question, did he? Legolas jumped to conclusions and lashed out at you...all of you...what did you want to say, Estel?" Aragorn sighed.
"I was going to say no! Legolas is my best friend...my brother! It isn't his fault that Lady Luck is not with him all the time! Legolas is not a burden...not on me...not at all! I love spending time with him! We all do! Even though many of the times that we travel together, he gets fatally injured, so do I! And he's the one who carries me to safety every time! Sure, we don't have luck on our side every second, but I know that it does not matter...because we have each other." Aragorn grinned.
"Legolas is probably the only reason why I'm still alive to this day...he is my rock...my supporter when something bad happens...I don't know what I'd do without him! You know, if Legolas was awake, he would say I sounded incredibly sensitive." Lady Galadriel smiled brightly.
"He is the one who keeps me sane from my twin brothers!" Aragorn joked, and Lady Galadriel laughed.
"Then everyone needs Legolas! Especially Elrond!" Aragorn chuckled, then turned serious again.
"But he has so many hurts...you know what he said, how could I ever help him with all those things?" Aragorn sighed and looked to Lady Galadriel.
"I just want to help him...I really do...but how? He's right, I have never suffered as much pain as he has, my mother did not die giving birth to me, and I actually got a chance to know her...Legolas didn't. I have two, very healthy yet insane brothers, and Legolas blames himself for not arriving on time to help fight with his brother! And now Keldarion is dead...Rivendell is a peaceful place and is not under attack constantly, whereas Mirkwood is deteriorating because of the darkness! Legolas is right about me...in the tunnels before we came to Lothlorien, I promised him that I would eventually listen to all of his pains, thoughts and feelings that he's had throughout his life. But now he hates me...even if I apologized and explained everything to him, Legolas would always be hesitant to talk to me again..." By now, the tears had started to trail down Aragorn's face.
"How do I help him now?"
"Just by being my friend..." A weak voice answered him. Aragorn looked down beside him, surprised to find Legolas awake and smiling.
"Legolas? You..."
"He was awake from the moment you opened your mouth to talk about your answer to Celeborn." Lady Galadriel said.
"Meaning I heard just about everything." Legolas stated. Aragorn quickly wiped his tears away and glared at Legolas.
"You should have told me you were awake! Are you in any kind of pain? I could fix you up a—"
"You are my supporter too, Estel..." Legolas interrupted. Aragorn's eyes widened a bit, his mouth still open. Sensing that a private conversation was on the way, Lady Galadriel smiled and silently left the room.
"Wh-what?" Aragorn stuttered, and Legolas' expression softened.
"I'm sorry, Estel, I did not mean to yell at you, I don't...understand...I just felt so angry. I wanted to see how you and the rest of the fellowship were doing, but when I saw you and Lord Celeborn talking, I got nosy and wanted to see what you two were talking about. I am terribly sorry for eavesdropping, I should have just minded my own business..." Aragorn sighed.
"No, I am sorry for even thinking about being angry at you! You give me so much hope and protection. I am sorry, Legolas, it's just..." Aragorn's eyes started to water.
"I am weary, my friend, but not at you...there is so much...pressure upon me now...I am losing the fight and I am blaming it on you...there is only so much I can take! I need your help, Legolas...I need our friendship so that I can beat it...at times, when I wake up, I just feel so lost. It is only when I see you again that the pressure is less intense and I feel lightened again. I do not think that I am ready to be King of Gondor yet, Legolas, nor will I ever be! I am a ranger! I am a foster child of Lord Elrond! I have psychotic brothers whose minds are set for pranks! I am no King! And Arwen! She is leaving...going to the Undying Lands...I love her...and I let her go..." Aragorn choked a sob and Legolas' eyes widened, he had not expected Aragorn to say so much. Then Legolas slowly sat up with the help of Aragorn.
"Aragorn...you are destined to be the King of Gondor...it is not easy to claim a throne and take on all of its responsibilities...I know this. It may seem too extreme and that it is out of your league! But Estel, no one is born to be King...there is much one has to go through in order to be fit to be a King. You have gone through all of these things, and you are the one who has prevailed...you are the one who has ended up on top of everything. Believe in yourself, Aragorn, you will be an amazing King. And as for Arwen, she loves you as well...she is not one to give up on hope so easily. If she believes that you will return to her, she will stay..." Aragorn sighed and smiled weakly.
"Thank you...without you, I really wouldn't know where I'd be...really, thank you..." Legolas smiled, finally realizing just how much Aragorn loved him as a brother, and how much he really trusts in him. Instantly, Legolas felt touched.
"So you really think of me as your brother." Aragorn furrowed his brows.
"What?" Legolas laughed nervously, hesitant in saying what he truly felt before.
"Legolas, tell me, what is it? What do you want to say to me?" Legolas took a deep breath.
TBC...
A/N: Yey! Another chapter down! Okay, ladies and gents, the next chapter is gonna be the last, I stopped it here cause I didn't want the chapter to go too long. But anyway, yeah...so thanks to all who reviewed my story! Ack! I want more reviews please! Hehe! Last chapter will be up by next weekend...hopefully! =D