Author's Note: Again, thank you all so much for the kind reviews. You're all incredible. -hugs everyone- =) Also to those who have been following the story, Rathar, the old ranger, has been renamed to Ratharion. Many thanks to my AWESOME beta, walk the sky, for the suggestion. Also, this chapter is decidedly Legolas-centric, but Aragorn will get more er....screentime? fictime?...in later chapters.
===
CHAPTER II
===
An hour later, the Rangers camp had stilled completely, save for the slight movements of the one on watch. Aragorn sat awake on a log, puffing on his pipe even as his keen eyes scanned the horizon for any other sign of life. He saw little of suspicion and heard naught. Aye, that was the problem, Aragorn realized, and the reason for his great anxiety. He quite literally heard nothing.
The wind had ceased her howling, the crickets made no chirps, and even the birds of the night beat their wings soundlessly. Time seemed to hang completely and eerily still. Elladan and Elrohir had described a similar situation once, and they had dubbed it "the calm before the storm."
But when the storm will strike with all her fury, I know not! Aragorn groaned. Tilting his head back to study the pale moon, Aragorn noted grimly that it was a clear night. Not a single cloud wisped across the faces of the stars and all was sharp and clean. A lesser man might have been lulled into a false sense of security by the pretense of serenity in the air, but Aragorn was determined to keep his guard up. Experience had taught him well how deceptive the elements could be.
Aragorn again studied the camp. On such a beautiful night, the men had elected to sleep without the tents, for the tents, while they kept out some of the more unpleasant elements of Arda, were unbearably stuffy. All fourteen of his men had found suitable resting places by the fire and slept with their cloaks wrapped around their shoulders. Their weapons were by their hands, ready to be drawn in a second if need came.
What perturbed Aragorn most was that none of his men were snoring.
On a good night, only four of his men would snore. On average, a good half of them snored. It was no fault of the men, nor any fault of their noble blood. It was merely a combination of sheer exhaustion, wearied lungs, and an excess of mucus, the latter of which seemed to be a common problem amongst men.
Yet this night, this disturbingly calm night, no snores pierced the silence.
Aragorn furrowed his brow and put away his pipe. He was worried, now. With one hand, he loosened his sword in his scabbard as he contemplated waking another of his men to stand watch with him. Although Aragorn possessed senses beyond that of an ordinary man, he could still only watch in one direction at any given time. With such an ominous wave threatening to engulf him and his men whole, he felt it would be better if two stood the watch.
But who to wake? His initial thought was Halbarad. The young ranger was one of the few true friends Aragorn could claim in the world of men, yet Halbarad was so young and so easily distracted! He would most likely cause more disturbance than assist. Perhaps he ought to wake Ratharion. The experienced ranger might have encountered such silence before.
His decision made, Aragorn quietly crept to where Ratharion slept. He was careful not to accidentally awaken any of the other rangers, for he knew well how dangerous freshly woken Dúnedain could be, even ones as clearly exhausted as his men.
"Ratharion," Aragorn whispered, touching the older man's shoulder. "Awake."
Ratharion's eyes snapped open immediately and his sharp brown eyes met Aragorn's. At the worried look on his chieftain's face, he was instantly alert. "Was I to stand watch this night?"
Aragorn shook his head slightly. "Nay, you were not. Nevertheless, I would request that you stand one with me."
If he was surprised at the request, Ratharion said nothing. He merely nodded and followed Aragorn to the edge of their camp. "It is the silence which perturbs your mind, is it not, Lord Aragorn?" he said in a hushed voice. "I sensed it earlier ere I fell asleep. The night is unusually still."
Aragorn nodded. "You have stated my thoughts perfectly. Never before have I encountered such silence. I had hoped you would have and would have counsel."
Ratharion sighed and looked quickly around at the surrounding eaves. Suddenly they were much more ominous and the shadows they drew were darker. For he had indeed encountered such silence before, and when he had, the silence had been a warning to a much deeper evil, deeper than anything Isildur's Heir had ever encountered in his young life. Yet, perhaps there was a chance, a sliver of a chance, that it was not what he feared…"Aragorn, I ask that you search your mind with care. Does a shadow cloud your thoughts?"
Aragorn considered the question and then nodded. "Aye, there is a shadow there. I had not noticed it ere you made mention, but something dark is at the edge of my mind, something that slips nimbly between my fingers when I try to seize it."
Valar take it. "It is as I feared, then." Ratharion paused, and then turned to look directly at his young chieftain. "We are being tracked by a pack of Wargs. From the silence of the night, I would venture that they are only an hour away."
"I am glad to see you capable of coherent actions and speech this morning, Prince Legolas," Elrond said, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He carefully poured rich golden syrup over his breakfast before passing the pitcher to Legolas.
To his credit, Legolas looked embarrassed. "I had not expected the wine of Imladris to be so potent, Lord Elrond."
"I understand you were deceived to believe that," Elrond said dryly, glancing in the direction of his sons. Identical faces of near innocence smiled back at him. Both twins were fair in color, with dark brown hair that they wore loosely tied back in simple styles. As befitting their station as Elrond's sons and lords of Rivendell, they were dressed in a shimmering grey tunic, complete with a light silver robe and golden brooch. Twin circlets rested atop their heads. By contrast, Legolas wore no fine jewelry to show his royal lines, and was clad in an embroidered gray shirt, soft woolen hose, khaki-green suede jerkin, and plain leather boots. His plain clothing was a subject often teased upon by the twins, although Legolas knew from inside sources that the miscreant pair only dressed up because Elrond was very strict on his sons' appearances.
It would do, perhaps, Legolas mused, for Elrond to be stricter on the lies his sons were more than capable of weaving. An amused smile touched his lips as he heard the latest fabrication.
"Oh Ada, last night clearly cannot be completely blamed upon us," Elladan was saying while Elrohir was nodding his head at precisely the correct moments. "We felt it would benefit the prince more to learn the difficult way that the cordial of Imladris is more potent than that which he is used to."
Elrond's lips twitched. "And why, pray tell, did you feel that way?"
Elladan looked at Elrohir. Elrohir looked at Elladan. Both shrugged.
Arwen suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. Valar, did her brothers know nothing? "Well Ada, it is widely known that experience is the greatest teacher one may have," she intervened smoothly. The lady of Imladris turned a brilliant smile onto Elrond, a smile Elladan swore was capable of softening even the most cantankerous man, elf, or orc. "But all events of last night matter not, for they are past us now and the lesson has been learned. How do you fare this morning?"
Elrond shook his head helplessly and attempted to turn a stern look on his daughter, but his sides shook with silent laughter. "I see you have learned much in Lothlórien, Arwen."
"Lothlórien?" Legolas said blankly.
"It is as I told you this morning," said Arwen. "It is rare when I do linger in Imladris for many of my days are spent under the leaves of Lothlórien, with the kin of my mother, the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn."
"May I know why?" Legolas asked, and then immediately wished he had held his tongue. Both Elladan and Elrohir's expressions darkened considerably at his words and while Lord Elrond made no obvious sign of his discomfort at the question, Legolas's sharp eyesight caught the slight tightening of Elrond's jaw. His years with his loving, but prone to temper father had taught him the many signs of anger and Legolas well recognized the significance of a tightened jaw. "I ask of your pardon," Legolas murmured, bowing his head. Was there no end to the trouble he could get into at Rivendell? First he had gotten drunk and made a fool of himself before the esteemed Lord Elrond and now he had touched upon a topic that clearly brought discomfort to all.
"Nay, it was merely a question," Arwen said gently. "Though it is one of sensitivity, do not berate yourself for your curiosity."
Legolas inclined his head respectfully at her graceful words, but did not speak further. The rest of the meal progressed silently, for none at the table were in the mood for speech. Even had they been, not one of the younger elves would have dared to speak for Lord Elrond, while his expression remained a mask, had a distinctly dark air about him that warned all against intruding on his brooding.
It was several hours later that Arwen made up her mind to seek out the prince of Mirkwood. She could sense he was still uneasy after the morning's conversation and Arwen had no wish for him to leave Rivendell with a sour memory. Furthermore, the young blond elf was such a close friend of Aragorn's that she had no desire to see him hurt.
Once she had decided to find him, it took less than ten minutes to pinpoint his location. For all his archery talents, she mused, Legolas had no sense at all on how to hide. Oh perhaps he was good enough to avoid being seen by Mirkwood spiders and dullard Orcs, but he was certainly no match for another elf.
That and he had chosen a fairly obvious position. Legolas was perched on a tree overlooking the river. While that in itself was not unusual for an elf, for there were many trees along the riverbanks, Legolas had also chosen the very same tree where he and Aragorn had tied the twins to several months ago. Arwen smothered a smile at the memory. Elladan had been outraged in his letter when he had written about the incident to Arwen.
"Good morning, Legolas," she said.
He flinched violently. "Lady Arwen! I – I was not expecting to be honored with your presence." Arwen silently congratulated the steadiness of his tone. Although his first few words had been flustered, he had rapidly recovered his composure.
As she was wearing a long and flowing silk gown, Arwen doubted she could join him in the trees and settled instead for peering up through the branches. "I wondered if I could have the honor of your company," said she.
There was a short pause. Then: "It would be an honor, my lady." With a few short leaps, Legolas swung onto the ground beside her and executed a short bow.
"Legolas, please. There is no need for formality between friends." Arwen watched Legolas's face carefully. The faintest pink tinged his cheeks. Yet there was something else there, a slight hint of a smile, a smile from being acknowledged a friend.
Yet when Legolas spoke, his words reflected none of that pleasure. "Have you more than one reason to seek me out? I fear I am poor company this day if that is all you sought."
"My reasons were twofold," said Arwen. "The first is that I wish merely to speak with you and enjoy your presence and secondly, our plotting for revenge against my brothers goes unfinished and I would not it have it thus."
A genuine smile spread across Legolas's face. "Nor will it remain thus."
"But first," Arwen continued. "I would speak with you. Please, sit." As she spoke, she sank down onto the soft grass and stretched her legs out, enjoying the moment of tranquility. Such moments were rare and far between, and Arwen had learned well to enjoy them.
Legolas hesitated and then sat down besides the elf-maiden. He cast Arwen a quick look before turning his attention toward the tree. "How long has it been since Estel last left the halls of Rivendell?" he said. "I journeyed here at my father's command, though I had hoped to see him."
"I know not much of the goings of Estel," Arwen said softly. "I fear the question may be better answered by either Elladan or Elrohir. The last I saw of him was when he was twenty years, though I know he has sojourned in Rivendell since then."
"He has visited Mirkwood as well," Legolas said. "Five months ago, I believe. It is difficult to keep track of the time. What to him is an age is to us a mere second."
Arwen smiled vaguely. Estel was a topic of great complexity to her. She loved him so dearly and yet her father was so set against their union! In her heart, Arwen knew she would choose a mortal life if only she could only be with Aragorn, but she knew also that her father would despair at such a decision. Arwen's heart was wrenched in two by the two she loved most in the world: the noble and charming Estel and her wise and caring father. How could she choose which of the two to hurt?
"When I first met him," Legolas said, too distracted with memory to notice the turmoil in Arwen's eyes, "He was but a boy of seven. And so curious! I first stumbled across him in the hallways, and after that, he was constantly following me around. Yet his mind was so inquisitive I could hardly rebuff him."
"Aye, he is that," said Arwen fondly.
"When I next saw him, he twelve years of age, and suddenly so much older! That was when we truly became close," said Legolas. "I spent two years at Rivendell and during that time, I got to know him so well. Though our ages were vastly different, our minds and bodies were only a few years apart and I came to love him so deeply. Then later, when he came of age for mortals and turned eighteen, he spent a year with me in Mirkwood," said Legolas. "Oh those were wonderful days! He enchanted all present, and even my dubious father reluctantly became fond of him. He was so bright and full of life. Lord Elrond named him well. Estel. Hope."
Arwen was now fully captivated in the prince's tale. She had heard few stories of Aragorn as a child, only the few that she had managed to coerce from her brothers. Nor had she ever heard the roots of Aragorn and Legolas's deep friendship. All she knew, and this was passed on knowledge from Elladan, was that Legolas and Aragorn shared a tightly knit bond.
"We spent our days hunting spiders and other creatures," Legolas said. "And the talks! For a mortal, Estel was widely read and always eager to learn more. My father, the King Thranduil, was so enchanted by Estel's enthusiasm that once, my father told his chief councilor to cancel his week's schedule merely so he could explain in detail his role in the War of the Ring."
A stab of pain and regret pierced Arwen. Oh what a brilliant man Aragorn was, to able to loosen the lips of King Thranduil! What an intelligent and enthralling young man who now wandered the Wilds with a fractured heart.
"Aye, then when he was two and twenty, he came to visit me again in Mirkwood. I was shocked at how troubled he had become, as if he wore upon himself a great burden – many great burdens," said Legolas, his eyes clouding at the memory. "You see, Arwen, he had come to reveal great secrets…"
Seven years ago...
Legolas's face lit up as he caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the halls of his father. When the servant had summoned him, he had hardly dared believe – he had thought it a lie, a fabrication, or mayhap even a dream –
Yet it was true and his friend stood before him, scraggly, exhausted, but present.
As he rushed forward, Legolas said joyously, "Estel! Long have I waited for you to grace these drab halls with your presence and you have arrived at last!"
A similar smile graced Aragorn's face, which Legolas noticed was far too fatigued and malnourished for his comfort. "It is good to see you my friend," Aragorn rasped, his throat parched from days of long riding.
Legolas frowned and quickly slipped his arm under Aragorn's shoulders, taking some of his friend's weight. Although the man feebly attempted to shake him off, Legolas refused to move, forcing his friend to accept his help. "You have been neglecting yourself again, Estel," he said disapprovingly.
"Have not!" Aragorn protested. "Prissy elf."
"Scruffy ranger," Legolas shot back, grinning. "Come. We have a few empty rooms and you could do with water, a hot meal, and a good long shower."
Two hours later, after Aragorn had washed, eaten, and against his will, dressed in more regal attire, Legolas found himself staring almost incredulously at his old friend. The years had aged his looks, but the familiar sparkle was still present in his grey eyes.
After several long minutes, Aragorn scowled playfully at him. "Enough, Legolas. I acknowledge that elves judge time differently than mortals, but two hours ought to have been enough for you to register the fact that I am here. Now might we please move onto other things?"
"Your ignorance of elves is yet showing, my friend."
Aragorn cast about for a scathing response, but settled instead for a soft laugh. "It is good to be with you, Legolas," he said. "My travels over the past two years have not been as light-hearted and it has been long since I have found myself in good company."
"Estel..." Legolas began, and then paused. A burning question danced upon his lips, but the question was a highly personal one and Legolas wondered if it were too early in their reunion to ask.
But Aragorn simply nodded at him. "Yes?"
"Why did you leave Imladris?" Legolas said quietly.
Aragorn sucked in a sharp breath. Legolas watched him anxiously, desperate to offer what comfort he could, but not knowing how. Please, unburden yourself! he wanted to cry out. Not all of Arda rests upon your lone shoulders.
Finally, Aragorn spoke, his words measured, "There were two reasons why I sought a life for myself beyond Rivendell."
Legolas tensed at the word 'Rivendell'. It was the word Men used to describe the Last Homely House – not the elven word. Aragorn's use of it made him seem more detached somehow, as if Imladris had ceased to be the place where he had grown up. "What were they?" he pressed gently, needing to know now why his friend was so disturbed.
At the genuine love and warmth shimmering in Legolas's eyes, Aragorn, for the first time in many months, spilled his soul. "Two years ago, Lord Elrond revealed to me a great and terrible knowledge," said he. "For I am the Heir of Isildur, descended from the royal line of kings, and heir to the throne of Gondor."
He could not have possibly surprised Legolas more. For his part, Legolas looked as astonished as if Aragorn had just revealed that the great rivers that snaked through Mirkwood were actually discharged fluids from the bladder of the Valar. Estel, his wonderful friend Estel, was the heir of the throne of Men? Indeed Estel had always had a light in his eyes that echoed of nobility, but to be the heir of Isildur himself?
Yet ere he could respond, Aragorn said, "And I have fallen in love, Legolas, with one whom I may never have." He looked up, then, directly into Legolas's shocked blue eyes. Unbidden, his own eyes were filled with tears. "For she is the daughter of Elrond, and he has decreed our love may never be."
tbc
===
I really hadn't intended for Legolas to go off in the past like that, but it's so hard to resist that elf when he wants to talk! So I guess now we'll be going back in time a bit to find out more about Aragorn and Legolas. .
grumpy: Thank you, grumpy! I'm glad that you enjoyed the parts with Aragorn and the rangers and it was such a joy to see that someone who had reviewed the first chapter had also read the second.
Kale: All righto, Kalo, I've renamed Rathar. =P And before you start demanding I study for school finals, know that I have studied, completed my final projects, and decided to take an afternoon off to write a bit. I think I deserve it! Oh fine, I know what you'll say. XD But thank you so much for the in depth review. Although we've reviewed each other's stories so much, it still makes me happy each time to read what you've said.
spastikLeggyluver: Thanks a lot for your comments. =) I'm not a very regular updater normally, but the sheer amount of kind feedback I've been receiving has been very good encouragement.
shadowfaxgal: I love the twins too! Heh, I couldn't resist throwing them in there. There hasn't been too much mischief yet, but they might surprise us. Thanks for the support!
Shorty55: Thanks, Shorty! Like I mentioned earlier, I'm writing this story a heckuva lot faster than most other stories (thought it also might be because these LOTR characters are a LOT more persistant!)
IMTrinity: Hey, I'm delighted to see another review from you! Thank you so much! I hope other chapters will be to your liking.
Inu Lover: Thank you again for the feedback, Inu Lover! As for when Aragorn and Legolas will meet up again after the fight in the prologue, the original plan was to write a short backstory and then pick up the storyline after their argument. However the backstory is morphing into something a bit longer than expected, so I can't even begin to guess at when the main conflict of the story will crop back up again.
Walk: huge hugs Thank you for being one of the most encouraging betas ever.
Beebo: LOL! Skin Leggy to death! I like that idea! =P Thanks for the encouragement!
Arwens-pet-hamster: First off, thank you lots for the feedback. Your words mean a lot to me. And second: =O I'm honored that you think I could be good enough for Stories Of Arda! I've read several works on that site and each time been so awed by the talent of the authors archived there. Perhaps once I finish a story XD, then I'll try my hand there. Thanks again!
Joey: I was happy to see you review again. . I agree completely with what you said about how a friend deserves far greater trust than a boyfriend. Big hugs to you!
Morfalasiel: I blushed solidly for two minutes after reading your kind review. Thank you for taking the time to comment although it wasn't your kind of story. That means a lot. =) And umm....this probably isn't the place to be asking, but could you please update your story about Eldarion? 0=)
Thanks to everyone again! I'm hoping to have time to work on this story again in a week (bleh!) because my school finals are next week and I'll be studying hard. But the good news (for me at least!) is that there's only ONE MORE WEEK of school left! -cheers- Namarie!