Notes: Apologies for the lack of updates. Now, the fun begins... The verses of the song are from an original poem, that is, a poem I wrote for the purpose of this story.

Chapter Three
Amon Hen, the battlefield

Legolas was glad to leave the sheltered spot. It was not much of a shelter, and it was even too open to be a real hideout. The feeling of vulnerability made him uneasy, and the state of affairs dictated that they could not afford any more mistakes. He could not fool himself into believing that he had left only to ensure his companions' safety. In truth, he had also wished to distance himself from Aragorn.

Legolas surveyed the area in a large range and stopped to listen every so often. He did not see or hear anything alarming, and he was thankful for that. At least they needn't deal with the enemy. If Aragorn's words were any prediction, the attackers had taken what they had sought and they would not return. They could not be too careful, though, and Legolas took his time in checking that they were alone in the woods.

Eventually, he could not avoid his duty and, with a deep sigh, he headed back to the battlefield. He would have to return there and, again, face mortal death. The orc-corpses were as repulsive as the living orcs and received none of his sympathy. However, Boromir was a different case. Legolas and Boromir had not been friends, merely traveling companions, but the man's death was, nonetheless, grievous.

The stench of death had become even tangier in his absence, if possible. As Legolas approached the death-filled scene, his senses grew numb. He felt ill at the thought of facing the signs of the bloodbath again, but he mastered himself by the time he reached the spot where he and Gimli had encountered Aragorn.

Orc-bodies lay in masses, just as they had earlier. The dark, which had slowly begun to descend upon the woods, could hardly conceal their repulsiveness. Judging by the numbers, Boromir had proven to be more than a match for several of their kind. Legolas neared Boromir's corpse and knelt beside it. Boromir's fair face was distorted, but there was an air of noble descent around him, even in death. Unable to help it, Legolas wondered what the man's last moments had been like, all alone, surrounded and outnumbered by orcs. Did the arrows come first or the sword-wounds? he wondered. Fool's thoughts, he promptly berated himself.

Legolas touched Boromir's hand lightly and rose. He realized that he would have to give Boromir a funeral. To leave him lying there like this would be irreverent to his memory and would degrade them both to the same level with the orcs who disgraced the battlefield. How did the Men deal with their dead? The elf did not know. Did they bury them in the ground or cover them with burial stones? Or did they do something altogether different? Ashamed of his own ignorance, and fearing he would do harm rather than good by acting alone, Legolas sang to Boromir:

"In battle hast thou met thy end,
For thee, thy friends in arms lament.
Boromir the Fair, rest, for thou fought well,
In fond remembrance, thou shalt forever dwell."

"I will return," Legolas said and, with his head bowed, left Boromir.

Gimli maintained silence after Legolas' departure. Aragorn did not attempt to start a conversation, and Gimli had not the heart to disturb him. Ages passed, it seemed. Gimli examined the surroundings for the umpteenth time and sighed. Having but the silent Aragorn, his ax, and Andúril for company, the dwarf felt alone indeed. Even idle talk would have been better than idleness, even though he wanted to pursue the orcs and make them pay for their insolence. Gimli, Glóin's son, was not war-loving by nature, but the thought of the young hobbits at the orcs' mercy was unbearable. Gimli sighed.

Aragorn nearly roared. Would the dwarf ever cease sighing? How was he to think if his track of thought was constantly interrupted by mournful whispers? He ground his teeth together and shifted.

"Aragorn?"

So, the dwarf did have some perception left? How interesting. Come to think of it, this would be his chance, with Legolas gone and only Gimli to face. Aragorn stretched and rose sitting. "Gimli?"

"Yes, I am here." Gimli was pleased at the interruption. Perhaps he would be able to question Aragorn in the elf's absence.

Aragorn stretched out his hands and yawned. He rubbed his neck and moved to sit up against a stone.

"Are you feeling well?"

There was no reason for Aragorn to conceal the truth. "More than well."

Gimli was skeptical about the statement, but he said nonetheless, "I'm pleased to hear that." Now that he thought about it, he would rather wait for Legolas before questioning Aragorn. He did not look forward to the prospect of calming Aragorn down in case the questions upset him; the elf had the talent for and the air of soothing, which he lacked.

"Where is Legolas?"

"He went to scout the woods. We have little shelter here, and the orcs may return."

"I see. I doubt they will, but it is, of course, best to be certain."

"Well, yes. And you—do you have need for anything?"

"No, I'm quite well." Aragorn yawned a bit and continued, "Have you planned our next course of action after Legolas returns?"

Gimli was pleased at the question. Aragorn sounded reasonable and quite like himself. Maybe there was a touch of hope left in him, and for them. "Nay, we haven't. We must see you well, but we dared not think of the ensuing choices."

"I am well," said Aragorn, "So that leaves only the future actions to consider."

"My blood, for one, boils at the thought of the orcs who captured the young hobbits," said Gimli. "But there is the quest to consider, and our oath to protect the Ring-bearer."

"I doubt we could find him, even if we tried. He knew the route as well as any of us, and he knew that at the Falls of Rauros our ways would have parted in any case. We can only guess his whereabouts."

"That doesn't mean we oughtn't try."

"And while we are searching for Frodo, who likely does not wish to be found, what will become of Merry and Pippin? Any delay would bring them closer to death." Aragorn cut Gimli's arguments short by continuing, "However, we must wait for Legolas before jumping to rash decisions."

Gimli nodded and held his tongue. Aragorn shifted and loosened his collar. Why had breathing suddenly become harder? As he allowed his gaze to wander, he spotted Andúril lying next to Gimli. The sight vexed him. The precious sword was his alone, and should be only his to guard. Aragorn went over to Gimli. As he bent to grab the hilt, something shiny slid from under his neckline.

Gimli shouted and kicked Aragorn's outstretched hand away from the sword. He stood up and grabbed his ax firmly. Aragorn traced the object of Gimli's stare. Realization sunk in, and he rose to his full height. With a jerk of his head, he asked:

"What is it, Master Dwarf? Do you wish to kill me? For if you do not, I suggest you lower your ax." Aragorn laughed.

Hanging from its band around Aragorn's neck, the Ring kept mocking Gimli as badly as its new Bearer. "Explain," was all he managed.

It was hurtful to leave Boromir behind, but Legolas did not see any other choice. He would return to give the comrade-in-arms the appropriate blessings. He left without a look back and headed to a spot that seemed to be devoid of corpses and death, and instead had some green to welcome him.

He only wished to sit for a moment before returning to Gimli and Aragorn. They were probably missing him already. He just needed strength.

Fate was playing tricks on the elf that day when it chose to lead him to that particular spot. Legolas had already reached the thicket and was about to sit on a rock when the shape of bushes caught his attention. The leafy tree branches covered the bushes. Legolas frowned, and removed askew branches.

Next moment, he gasped and stepped back. The removal of branches had revealed a limb. A small limb. A hobbit limb.

Legolas was thinking rapidly, but he was not making sense, even to himself. This had to be a sick game his mind was playing. Yet, as he kept staring at the limb, he could not deny that it was real. He leapt forward and began to clear the shrubbery frantically. He soon found himself staring at a lifeless Samwise Gamgee, who stared back at him with dead eyes.

Panic struck. This could not be true. Samwise Gamgee could not be here. He was safe with Frodo, away from all harm—Aragorn had told them so. Even as Legolas thought that, he realized how wrong he had been. "They didn't get him, they never will. He is gone, and so is his friend."

Aragorn has spoken something like that. The actual wording was only a fleeting memory in Legolas' mind, which was racing, as he looked at Sam's body and at the hobbit's blood-covered chest. The sight of the blood, almost dark and still fresh, was repulsive beyond words. Yet, Legolas could not turn his eyes away. Then, he made another discovery: just next to Sam's arm, he could see a small finger that did not belong to Sam.

Before he had time to reconsider, Legolas grabbed the branches on Sam's left and threw them away. Frodo lay there.

With shaky hands, Legolas reached out to touch his skin, though there was little question of Frodo being lifeless. Legolas longed to know that this was an illusion, but the touch of cold skin stole his hopes away.

The front of Frodo's coat was torn open and the remaining shreds of it were soaked with blood. In a trance, Legolas touched the side of Frodo's neck and felt deep wounds running there. Frodo's lifeblood was now on his fingers, and he wiped them clean on his own tunic without thinking. Now, he knew the truth about the Ring-bearer. The word Ring-bearer sounded odd, and Legolas shook his head fervently at a terrifying thought. No, not that… He searched for the Ring with his eyes. It wasn't hanging from its usual chain around Frodo's neck. He examined Frodo's pockets with shaky hands, but his fingers did not grasp any metal. He even searched Sam, but the Ring was not on either of the hobbits.

All the while during his search, a taunting memory haunted Legolas. He was kneeling beside Aragorn. The man's hands grasped something from under his clothes and brought it on quick view, but before he had identified the object, Aragorn had hidden it again.

The object had been small and made of metal, judging by the shine of it. It had not been important at the time—only Aragorn had mattered. As Legolas now thought back to it, he came to realize that he had seen the One Ring without recognizing it.

Legolas also realized that with every passing moment he had wasted, Gimli had stayed with Aragorn, blissfully unaware of the danger. With his selfless loitering and desire to avoid company, he had perhaps condemned a friend to death.

"Forgive me!" he cried to the dead hobbits and left running. The pained apology echoed in the woods for a split second and died away. While running, Legolas somehow managed to settle the bow on his back so that it was within quick reach. The bow remained on his back, though—a decorated elven knife did not. Legolas grasped the knife firmly as he neared the sheltered spot.

T.B.C.

Was it worth a review?

Thanks to both Sarah (Sarya) and Gypsie (Gypsie Rose) for the beta'ing. You guys are invaluable.

Revised 2010.

To the reviewers:

Thanks for your patience. I was delighted to see so many of you coming back for the second chapter, and I hope the story—M and AU as warned and promised—continues to interest you. Just to note: the M-rated chapter(s) are a couple updates ahead. New readers and reviewers are warmly welcomed.

midnightwolf3: Good to see you! This chapter gave away a bunch of information, didn't it? Not that all was cleared, but the readers now know where the story stands. I hope you liked the update. I'll save the question of Gimli's wellbeing to next chapter, but it doesn't seem promising.

Celtic Bard: Welcome back; good to see you. I think the question is: what will happen to everyone but Aragorn?

Lina Skye: Good to see you back. I'm afraid Aragorn is turning into a less and less cuddly baby, but do let me know how you felt about the update.

Jessie-Greenleaf: Hey! I think the plot just took a few giant leaps in this chapter. Don't worry; I'll deal with Boromir's words a couple chapters from now. Do keep reading!

Oddwen - The Lone PFR Fan: Thanks for the encouragemet. Keep reading, okay?

TrinityTheSheDevil: Hiya! I really let the fun loose, didn't I? Things took something of a turn—it's no longer Aragorn falling to pieces but everyone else, it seems. What's with the laughter, I wonder...

HaloGatomon: Ouch! What the fudge indeed is keeping me—I couldn't have said it better. This chapter took ages, too, but I hope it was something of a "Preciouss" update. Do keep reading and poking me to update more actively.

Wilwarin: Hey! The Boromir issue will be dealt with later, but really, just how evil can Aragorn get? Good to see you back, and thanks for the e-mail address.

Gypsie Rose: Thanks for the interest toward the story, Gypsie, and for the beta'ing. You know how I value both a LOT. Aragorn's grinning was already a bit upsetting, but how about his open laughter?

Sarya: Whoah! That was probably the longest review I've received, and if there's a prize for long reviews, I'll make sure they ship one to you. The notification e-mail just about blocked my mail box. Just kidding, but it was a long and thorough review. To answer your comments: Yes, I am having a very AU take on Aragorn. There isn't much of a hero in him in the light of this chapter. Many readers have suggested an evil spirit as the reason for Aragorn's behavior, but I'll hold my silence on that one. I was worried about the repetition very much, but I am glad the other reviewers didn't feel that way, or they just were being kind. Did this chapter surprise you, I wonder?

Noriel: Thank you very much for the encouragement. Do keep reading!

Sargastic Kit: Hello! Thanks for the e-mail. You were absolutely right on all aspects you mentioned, and it was thoughtful of you not to spoil the surprise for the readers who are anxiously—ahem—waiting for updates—ahem, ahem—and for me to shed light on this all. Thanks for the recognition on Aragorn's lines—I'm rather proud of them myself. I'd love to hear more from you.