Notes: I've been very pleased and surprised with the great welcome the story has received. Please see the end of this chapter for responses to reviews and for the explanation on the title change. The update could have been a lot hastier, I know. I'll speed things up with the third chapter. Special thanks to those who have ventured to guess what is going on. The challenge stays, and there is one more key point, along with several hints to come.

Chapter Two
Amon Hen, the sheltered spot

Aragorn lay unmoving on the ground where Legolas had settled him. His companions remained nearby, each lost in his own thoughts, unwilling or unable to discuss anything. Had Aragorn dared move his head to see what they were doing, he would have seen the occasional uneasy glances they kept throwing him and each other.

Aragorn allowed his lips to curve into a smile. It was not a pleasant smile, but then again, his thoughts were not pleasant, either. His game of chance had succeeded for the time being. Now, he had to ensure that he would not fail again. No matter what, he would have to keep watch on Legolas and Gimli. Aragorn tried to develop the plans further, but a sharp pain in his head cut his train of thought short. A groan escaped him, and he gasped for air.

Legolas was at his side in an instant. "Aragorn?" he whispered.

An expression of agony distorted the man's features, but then he relaxed. The pain had left as quickly as it had come.

"Are you in pain? Aragorn?" Legolas watched the scale of expressions worriedly. His call went unanswered and, with relief, he watched as Aragorn seemed to pass on into his uneasy slumber again. Legolas left his side with a heavy heart and went back to Gimli.

"He may have injuries that we have neglected," Gimli said with a hint of an accusation. Legolas was not offended by the tone because he knew full well that the discontent was not directed at him.

"He may," Legolas replied. "Even if he had, what could either of us do for him?"

"The Elves have healing abilities beyond those of other races'," pressured Gimli. Legolas was rather surprised at this compliment on his kind. The only elf of whom Gimli had ever spoken kind words was the Lady Galadriel. "Can you not help him?"

Legolas sighed to himself. How could he ever make the dwarf understand? After millennia of immortality, he still did not know the secondborn. He could work beside them, maybe even befriend them, but he did not understand them any more than they did him.

"I can shoot any enemy with my bow, or die defending the mission, but I do not have healing abilities. I am sorry, Gimli, but you are asking for something I cannot do. We must wait for him to wake up."

"That may be a long wait," growled Gimli. They both glanced at Aragorn, who was resting peacefully, and sunk into silence again.

Aragorn had eavesdropped on them throughout the conversation. He found the newfound friendship between the elf and the dwarf rather… endearing. Again, a little smile rose to his lips, and his thoughts moved on to other Company members. Suddenly, an unsettling thought hit him. He felt a burning sensation in his chest, and reached for the neckline of his garments. He had to know if it was true. Aragorn's fingers searched the skin and finally grasped a little piece of jewelry that hung from a band around his neck.

He would have burst into a relieved smile had it not been for Legolas kneeling by his side. Instead, he grimaced, and Legolas barely noticed how the shaky hands tucked the glimmering object under the layers of clothing. Legolas reached for his temple and touched it lightly. He recoiled from the touch, but the creases on his forehead disappeared.

"Are you in pain?" Legolas' eyes were even more illuminant than usual, and they bore deep into Aragorn's. The man could not look away.

"Not much."

"You seem to be."

Aragorn finally averted the gaze. "I was reliving old memories," he said. "They are no one's concern but mine."

"As you will," said Legolas. There was a brief silence before Gimli joined them, presumably not taking heed of the tension and uneasiness between the two.

"Aragorn, I am glad to see you awake. We feared you had injuries we had not attended to."

Indeed. Aragorn smirked to himself. Aloud, he responded, "I am fine. You needn't worry about me." He glanced around, seemingly in wonder. "Where are we? Last I remember, I was in the battlefield."

"This is not far away," said Legolas. "It seemed wisest to find shelter and attend to you."

"I am fine," repeated Aragorn. "Don't concern yourselves with my condition; my appearance is deceiving." A quick dry smile, so characteristic of Aragorn, reassured his friends. "Now we must decide what to do."

"We need to know what happened." Gimli controlled his tone carefully. "Only then can we make decisions that will benefit the Company."

"The Company?" Aragorn said. His tone was harsh, and his sudden calm was replaced with angry shaking. "I tell you what has become of our Company. It is scattered, destroyed, failed. We don't have a Company; we have but ourselves."

"Tell us, Aragorn," Legolas said.

"About the Company? I wish I could. I came to the battlefield too late. I saw orcs, roaming around Boromir. I slew them all. Is that what you want to hear?"

"We would like to hear more, Aragorn." Legolas' tone was no longer soft and soothing: it was cold and annoyed. Gimli remained silent, but he was just as rigid as the others were. An air of hostility had suddenly descended upon them. Two pairs of eyes were fixed on Aragorn, who, in turn, was staring at the empty sword-hilt as if noticing Andúril's absence for the first time. Disoriented though he was, he realized that he would have to speak, and he gathered his wits for a suitable explanation.

"Boromir was down, I couldn't help him. I fought the orcs, and I would have soon been outnumbered, had it not been for them breaking off the fight. Their leader called them off, telling them they needn't waste time now that they had what they had come for. I was foolish not to pursue them." Both Legolas and Gimli's eyes contradicted that statement, but they did not interrupt.

Aragorn continued, "No, relieved upon my rescue, I turned back and found that Boromir was still alive. After all those injuries... In his last moments, he spoke to me. His speech was slurred, but he told me what had happened. He had gone after Frodo and tried to seize the Ring. Poor fool! Frodo had put the Ring on and vanished from sight. Supposedly, he escaped before the orcs arrived."

"So he is alive, and the Ring is safe?" asked Gimli. It sounded too good to be true.

"Boromir believed so, yes."

"Then for what did the orcs come?" asked Gimli, though he did not really need an answer.

"They took Merry and Pippin. At this, Boromir became confused, and his strength began to fail, but I think the orcs were told to search for a halfling. They confused Merry or Pippin with Frodo, and thought they would have the right one, in any case. I assume Saruman could not trust his servants with the real knowledge of what they were after."

"Did Boromir tell you anything else?" asked Legolas.

The simple question upset Aragorn. A moment ago, he had been almost himself—now, something changed. He shuddered, and his breathing became faster. He rose and paced. Legolas and Gimli looked at each other with sudden alarm—Aragorn was acting oddly, and they did not know what to make of it.

Unbeknownst to them, they had touched a sore spot. Aragorn had again been reminded of Boromir's dying words... they were asking his dying words... He made up his mind. "He did. He... asked for forgiveness. He asked for my forgiveness." Aragorn was nearly shaken to tears. His companions exchanged a look of extreme worry. They had again set off another mood swing and were faced with the shaky Aragorn. He saw their discomfort and cried:

"Don't you understand? He asked for my forgiveness! I have failed the Fellowship and caused the death of my companions, and he asked for my forgiveness. When it is I who has failed you all..."

With horror, his companions watched as the last of Aragorn's calm shattered to pieces. He made furious gestures before dropping onto his knees with a crunch and covering his eyes with his hand. With his free hand, he warded off Legolas, who had reached out to grab him to prevent the contact with the hard ground. His body rocked slightly.

Legolas and Gimli did not move to touch him, but their looks reflected the same irresolution and helplessness. Whatever had broken Aragorn was beyond their understanding. Warriors and brothers in arms did not panic, but at that moment, they felt truly hopeless. The nearest friendly shelter was days away in Lothlórien, and the journey upstream would be tedious and nearly unthinkable. In hostile territory, chances of survival were faint if they could not depend on one another. Looking at Legolas' shining eyes, Gimli saw camaraderie and understanding he would not normally have wished from an elf.

Moments passed without words. Unexpectedly, Aragorn mastered himself again, and the rocking ceased. Avoiding looking at the others, he got up with a creak from his knees. He took a few steps, and lay down next to a rock with his back to the others. "I wish to rest," was all Legolas and Gimli heard. They stared at Aragorn, but he lay completely still, apparently resting.

"Should we—?" whispered Gimli, but Legolas shook his head.

"I think we should let him be," said Legolas. "Maybe rest will help him."

Whether Gimli held any hopes or not, he did not contradict Legolas, but nodded grimly, and sat on the ground. Legolas considered joining him, but then decided against it. Not only was Aragorn making him uneasy, but the place, too, had an ill feeling to it. His irritation grew with each passing moment upon realizing that they were completely without protection while staying here, watching over Aragorn, whom they could not help. He needed a distraction.

"Gimli, I should go scout the area. I doubt the orcs will come back, but we cannot rely on that."

"You do that. I will stay here, in case he needs anything."

"Keep him safe." With a final look on Aragorn's back and a quick pat on Gimli's shoulder, Legolas was gone.

Gimli sat down on a rock as comfortably as possible, and settled his battle-ax within easy reach. With a second thought, Gimli placed Andúril next to him, as well. He had carried the sword back from the field while Legolas had minded Aragorn, and normally he would have returned the sword to its rightful owner. This time, he felt it better to care for the weapon himself. There was little to do, as the surroundings were as quiet as the man he was guarding.

Aragorn was, indeed, very quiet. He had listened to Legolas' leaving, and was now sorting out his own mind. A particularly pleasing idea entered his mind. He crossed his hands on his chest and smiled.

T.B.C.

It this was worth your time, please review. If you review anonymously and would like to be notified when the story is updated, please leave a contact address to me by e-mail.

Title: Title changes are confusing, but this time, I let go of good principles. Broken is more accurate than Bloodlust, and I was slightly apprehensive about the title in the first place. Also, the inspiration for the story came from the song Broken by Sonata Arctica. (Album Winterheart's Guild.) It's not so much the words—which in a way are helpful—as the mood. I aim at the same atmosphere.

Huge thanks to Sarah (Sarya), who has volunteered to proofread the entire story for me. You know you are invaluable. Equally huge thanks to Gypsie (Gypsie Rose), who will also be beta'ing this one.

Revised November 25, 2003. Revised 2010.

To the reviewers:

All of you, thanks for the great welcome. We should be getting somewhere now that the mandatory background info for the storyline has been provided.

Dot1: Thank you! It was great to receive such an encouraging first review for a story I was myself anxious about. I've taken it a bit easier with the warnings, which, in reality, stand for later chapters. You've seen my other fics, too, and even liked them? That's always great to hear!

La Princesse D'or: Thank you so much for coming to my help once again. Hugs to you for the great proofreading. Thanks for the "thumbs up" on the story and the Legolas-Gimli portrayal. I'm rather proud of the latter myself.

Lina Skye: Lina Skye, reading and liking my story? Usually it's the other way round: I love your Estel angst. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope this chapter didn't let you down.

Sue: Thanks! I don't have your e-mail or any contact info, so I couldn't thank you personally for reviewing. Aragorn's smiling harshly and the careless swordplay will have a rational explanation in the final chapter or so, but you are on to me.

eck: Thanks for not skipping the story! I know my update speed leaves much to be desired, and I've barely avoided death threats for it, so expect the third chapter much sooner. Thanks for the encouragement and for letting me know about the unclear references. They've been fixed now, thanks to my beta.

Wilvarin: Bull's eye! Also, it's a huge compliment to hear that the story is challenging, so thank you.

midnightwolf3: Aragorn... he seems to have gone over the edge, but what is the smiling about? Do come back later—you are on to something. Thanks for reviewing!

Celtic Bard: Hey, I hope the suspense wasn't too much for you and you still remember the fic. Winks on that one. I'd hate to take any deaths on my conscience. Thanks for the compliment on the mood: I owe all inspiration to Sonata Arctica's Broken.

tumtums: I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Winks.

TrinityTheSheDevil: Thanks! I hope the chapter was okay. Now the fun begins...

Gypsie Rose: Why, thank you! Maybe Aragorn could slip, but just to protect his honor—and mine—I'm labeling this safely as AU. Do come back for updates.

majorkami: Touché. Just don't tell the others you know. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

elfhelm109: Thanks for the encouragement. More is to come, and I hope you'll keep reading.

Oddwen: My update speed must be trying. Thanks for reading, and do come back to see where this is going.

Jessie-Greenleaf: Thank you! You were more than kind in your feedback. Thanks for understanding about the lack of peace. For me, it's been one trying summer. Your compliments truly made my day, and I hope you'll keep reading.