Stone Walls
Chapter 3
Aragorn sighed. He was weary with the physical exertion of the battle as well as the emotional drag that weighed upon his heart constantly in this ill-fated time.
"What was here, Eomer?" he asked wearily. "This is a sad time in which we live and we have enemies enough without making them amongst our friends."
"Nay, Aragorn," Eomer stepped up and laid a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "You should trust your friend Aragorn. Enemies have not been made here. It was…" he pondered a moment, " a test…or a demonstration…"
Aragorn looked up at these words frowning. The Rider's eyes were far away and there was something in the set of his face that Aragorn did not exactly find agreeable. You are being paranoid he told himself. The nights events had tried him sorely. He must try and let the blackness leave him
"I best go make peace with our elven friend," Aragorn said to the warrior. Eomer nodded, a look of sincerity in his eyes that Aragorn could not misjudge. He must not let his heart be overshadowed with doubt when such displays of loyalty and valour had been played out before his very eyes. But still…
Aragorn blinked away these morbid thoughts and turned and went to the top of the staircase, but could not resist looking back once. Eomer did not notice and was rubbing his haired chin, plainly deep in thought. Once again, Aragorn thought he could discern something about his features; not exactly a look of quiet triumph, but almost a look of triumphant revelation as if he had unearthed a great treasure, but had no intention of revealing his findings.
Aragorn looked away and left in the wake of the elf, slightly saddened though he did not grasp why.
"Legolas!"
"Let me be, Dwarf." Legolas was a little too weary to face any more accusations.
"I will not, elf!" Gimli blocked his path. There was little real malice in his tone, just a blustered-over concern. "Tell me if what I hear is true: you have been grappling with Prince Eomer?"
"Ye gods!" legolas exclaimed, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "Does the whole of Rohan know of my life?"
"Have ya lost yer reasoning completely, laddie?" Gimli asked. "Times are hard and division amongst ourselves is the last thing we require."
"I am in no mood for accusations at this time, dwarf," Legolas was feeling a number of confusing and wearying emotions and the much was hanging heavy on his shoulders. "I would be away from here! Alone out there, rather than lonesome here!"
He stormed away before his friend could divulge any more information from him.
Legolas struggled his way through milling and broken crowds. He broke free of the encompassing stone through the very fissure the orcs created. He had to loose himself, free himself from the constraints. He has never felt so trapped by circumstance before, in all his years on this middle earth. The times were black, moods and actions were blacker.
He heaved a deep breath of the fresher air of the battlefield, though it was wreathed with the stench of orc blood. But the rain had cleansed away much of the foulness and had freshened the air. Legolas let the outside world fill him with his breaths and the sense of emotional claustrophobia eased a trifle.
The sun was rolling away slowly and he new they would not linger among these bloodstained rocks for long. What was the next step on this dusty path? Gondor? More battle, more loss and more men. Ai! how they were able to make his heart ache like no others. They were just enough akin and just enough adverse to his own kind to keep him in a constant, aching confusion.
But now he was alone, at least for this brief moment. Finding a cool, airy spot on the edge a small copse atop a hill, the elven prince settled against a rock to watch the sun spread fiery arms out against the sky. The huge, bright and passionate orb sent its flaming embrace across the cool blue horizon with a violent possessiveness. However, Legolas observed ruefully, though the sky was lit with a becoming flush now, it would ultimately remain unchanged, no matter how many times the sun rolled through it. Such are we…
He was not entirely surprised when he heard Aragorn's approach.
Chapter 3
Aragorn sighed. He was weary with the physical exertion of the battle as well as the emotional drag that weighed upon his heart constantly in this ill-fated time.
"What was here, Eomer?" he asked wearily. "This is a sad time in which we live and we have enemies enough without making them amongst our friends."
"Nay, Aragorn," Eomer stepped up and laid a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "You should trust your friend Aragorn. Enemies have not been made here. It was…" he pondered a moment, " a test…or a demonstration…"
Aragorn looked up at these words frowning. The Rider's eyes were far away and there was something in the set of his face that Aragorn did not exactly find agreeable. You are being paranoid he told himself. The nights events had tried him sorely. He must try and let the blackness leave him
"I best go make peace with our elven friend," Aragorn said to the warrior. Eomer nodded, a look of sincerity in his eyes that Aragorn could not misjudge. He must not let his heart be overshadowed with doubt when such displays of loyalty and valour had been played out before his very eyes. But still…
Aragorn blinked away these morbid thoughts and turned and went to the top of the staircase, but could not resist looking back once. Eomer did not notice and was rubbing his haired chin, plainly deep in thought. Once again, Aragorn thought he could discern something about his features; not exactly a look of quiet triumph, but almost a look of triumphant revelation as if he had unearthed a great treasure, but had no intention of revealing his findings.
Aragorn looked away and left in the wake of the elf, slightly saddened though he did not grasp why.
"Legolas!"
"Let me be, Dwarf." Legolas was a little too weary to face any more accusations.
"I will not, elf!" Gimli blocked his path. There was little real malice in his tone, just a blustered-over concern. "Tell me if what I hear is true: you have been grappling with Prince Eomer?"
"Ye gods!" legolas exclaimed, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "Does the whole of Rohan know of my life?"
"Have ya lost yer reasoning completely, laddie?" Gimli asked. "Times are hard and division amongst ourselves is the last thing we require."
"I am in no mood for accusations at this time, dwarf," Legolas was feeling a number of confusing and wearying emotions and the much was hanging heavy on his shoulders. "I would be away from here! Alone out there, rather than lonesome here!"
He stormed away before his friend could divulge any more information from him.
Legolas struggled his way through milling and broken crowds. He broke free of the encompassing stone through the very fissure the orcs created. He had to loose himself, free himself from the constraints. He has never felt so trapped by circumstance before, in all his years on this middle earth. The times were black, moods and actions were blacker.
He heaved a deep breath of the fresher air of the battlefield, though it was wreathed with the stench of orc blood. But the rain had cleansed away much of the foulness and had freshened the air. Legolas let the outside world fill him with his breaths and the sense of emotional claustrophobia eased a trifle.
The sun was rolling away slowly and he new they would not linger among these bloodstained rocks for long. What was the next step on this dusty path? Gondor? More battle, more loss and more men. Ai! how they were able to make his heart ache like no others. They were just enough akin and just enough adverse to his own kind to keep him in a constant, aching confusion.
But now he was alone, at least for this brief moment. Finding a cool, airy spot on the edge a small copse atop a hill, the elven prince settled against a rock to watch the sun spread fiery arms out against the sky. The huge, bright and passionate orb sent its flaming embrace across the cool blue horizon with a violent possessiveness. However, Legolas observed ruefully, though the sky was lit with a becoming flush now, it would ultimately remain unchanged, no matter how many times the sun rolled through it. Such are we…
He was not entirely surprised when he heard Aragorn's approach.