Summery: Legolas was the pride and joy of his father's heart until a tragic experience maims his soul and mind, forcing him to leave everything he has ever known. Aragorn was running away from a world where he felt that he would never fit in. And when their paths cross, nothing will ever be the same.
Disclaimer: Owning this story? Yes. Owning Tolkien's work? I can only dream…
Warnings: Elf torture, angst, violence, harassment, fever, blood, etc. I go along the idea that Arathorn and his wife were both killed, so Aragorn's only family is Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir. Aragorn is about twenty and has only recently been told of his heritage. Legolas, for his part, is younger than Elrond, and has only his father for family. Elvish= ~Elvish words~. Flashbacks will be written in //these things//This is my first fic, a.k.a; pardon my mistakes.
After the Storm
Chapter Two: Mystery Savior
//Aragorn could only stare blankly at his father, absorbing the shock of it all.
"No," he croaked, voice hoarse. "It cannot be!"
Elrond sighed, his hand coming to rest on Aragorn's shoulder.
"I apologize. I should have told you sooner, but surely you can see why we gave you your false name? Imagine, if you will, a young child strutting through the woods, announcing to mere strangers that he is Isildur's heir?"
The young adult shook slightly.
This had to be a falsehood.
Elrond never lies…
He gave the Man a small, close lipped smile, in what was clearly a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, which failed horrifically.
Estel withdrew his hand, clenching it in an angry fist behind his back.
"Surely you understand, ion nin? I did not want to burden you so early on in life, and so I waited until you grew into a Man."
Yes, father. I understand perfectly, he thought coldly.
Aragorn wanted to shout at his father, to demand why such an important part of his life had been kept so secret for so long.
He needed to release the anger that was building up in his body. He could feel it thrashing against his calm façade as he stared at the smiling, collected face before him. His rage was burning now; he could taste warm blood in his mouth as he bit his tongue. It was painful to keep his fury in for any longer…//
The Ranger screamed as raw agony shot through his existence, feeling as the Sun Herself had fallen onto his body.
Hot sweat poured down his quaking form as he thrashed and moaned in sheer torment.
All that he could see was shadow, and all that he could feel was evil. It was harsh, unmerciful labor to gasp in the humid air, for it felt like sharp knives were being stabbed through his chest and the sides of his throat clung to each other in a death grip.
He could not move his body at all and his pleas for aid seemed to fall on deaf ears, introducing him to a horrid new form of helplessness.
"It's all over now, foolish mortal. Your time has come…"
He knew this, and he did not care any longer. What was left to live for? Who was out there who still held love for him? Who was left to befriend him?
In death there was no pain to wrack his body as it did now. Mayhap it would be for the best in the end.
With his path decided, he ceased fighting the shadows, welcoming the comforting blackness of oblivion.
As he felt his spirit drift far above his body, a soft voice floated down to him, singing words that his dying mind could not follow.
Please, who is singing so fair?
"Do not listen," the dark one hissed. "Follow death, leave the light."
Ah… Aragorn sighed. What a beautiful voice up there…
He started to swim, as if the murky darkness was water, towards the enchanting sound, finding with delight that it grew louder when he moved closer.
"No!" the other shrieked, trying without success to grab hold as it's foul hands slid from the Ranger, who only paddled faster, even though the light became no closer, and his limbs wearied soon enough.
Yet he kept going, convinced that if he could only reach that shimmering light, everything would be perfect.
The Man began to pant as his body slowed.
Inky tendrils crept out from the darkness, ensnaring his legs and pulling him down with tremendous force. Aragorn could only watch as the bright miniature Sun drifted out of his view.
Please, don't abandon me, he pleaded.
The light reached his face and he lifted a tired hand to the orb of light.
Aragorn's bloodstained fingertips brushed the white flame, a shriek of defeat rising from the depths of the pit as the light enclosed his body and burned the tentacles into ashes.
The next thing Aragorn could remember was a dull aching that spread from his shoulder in waves, like ripples in a pond, and a slight burning sensation in his right leg.
With effort, he opened his heavy eyelids, his vision like a smeared portrait as the colors around him intensified.
The Ranger groaned as he tried to rise.
Cool fingers lay against his fevered brow, tenderly wiping away beads of sweat.
"Shh…"a strained yet soothing voice whispered. It began to say something else, but could not finish.
"Water," he begged. It was hard to talk with his throat grinding so harshly, and he knew that the sound was raspy when he felt his unseen protector wince. "Sorry…"
His lips were opened and cold fluid flowed into his parched mouth. The Man gulped the fresh liquid down greedily, for nothing tasted better than clear water at the moment. When his great thirst at last abated, he sighed in content and sat up, shaking as his balance wavered.
Hands pressed him back down, taking advantage of his still wavering vision. His guardian made sounds of disquiet. Aragorn realized several things at once; his injuries were still severe and he would be forced to stay here, wherever 'here' was, and also he could tell that his protector spoke in a language that was foreign to him. That alone was enough to be strange, for Aragorn had been taught in tongues and dialects from Dwarvish to the desert tongue of the Haradim. Then how could his unknown defender known that he had wanted water?
He sighed in frustration. He so wished to see who was helping him, curse his sight!
The person was speaking softly to him in his soothing, beautiful voice, trailing smooth fingers through his brown hair. The Man relaxed; even though he could not understand the words spoken, they were calming to hear.
Yet no spoken words could relieve him of his itching curiosity. Who and what was this stranger? Where had he come from? How had he vanquished the great Orc? And, most of all, why had he helped him and not left him to die?
To his right, he could feel the warmth of a great fire caressing his wet skin and drying his clothing, and beyond there he could feel the chill night air seeping through cracks in the barrier of light.
The hand left his face and the voice stopped whispering to him. Aragorn whimpered slightly. He did not want to be left alone. Sure enough, caring fingers stroked his cheek, and the slight breeze brought encouraging sounds to his ears. Although the language was unknown to him, the meaning was clear; sleep now, I am here. I shall not leave you this night.
Feeling better many times over, the Ranger's callused hand settled over the one on his cheek, causing the other to flinch slightly before relaxing to the touch and tightening his own grip in acknowledgement. The Man bestowed a close lipped smile upon his ally. He closed his eyes in peace. Then the music of the night lulled him to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ion nin- my son
Whew!! Thank the Valar that chapter two is done!! My typing average is five words a minute (you do the math) and ever since I started middle school this year, I have had way too much homework!! The only thing that keeps me going is my wonderful reviewers:):):)
trapt130: You are my first reviewer!! (hugs the computer so hard it breaks) Uhh… I can fix that… I think…
Tinnuial: Thank you sooo much!!! I hope I met your expectations!!!
Elenillor: Aww… This is the very best review I ever received in my whole life!! You like my summaries? That's good, because this won't be my last story!! I'm glad you're hooked, because I could use a reviewer like you!! Any author could use such great encouragement:) Ooo… you brought me a shiny question!! I actually don't know if this will be slash, although it has more than enough potential. Most likely, all the slash will be in the sequel, but if I change my mind I'll let you know!!
leggylover03: Great name!! I'm glad you love my fic!! Here's your more (with a side of chocolate!! Mmm…)
angelbird12241: I hope part two is as interesting as part one!! I'm sorry that my typing is so slow…:(:(
Crys Ritter: I love bribes, strawberries, and Legolas! Here you go! (Now give me my Elf!}
:):):):):):):)Thanks to my awesome reviewers!!!:):):):):):):)
Vote: should my evil muse answer reviews as well?
(Vote for me or the Elf boy gets it)
Next Chapter: Who is Aragorn's rescuer? Is he sane? Legolas is coming soon!
Please review!!
Disclaimer: Owning this story? Yes. Owning Tolkien's work? I can only dream…
Warnings: Elf torture, angst, violence, harassment, fever, blood, etc. I go along the idea that Arathorn and his wife were both killed, so Aragorn's only family is Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir. Aragorn is about twenty and has only recently been told of his heritage. Legolas, for his part, is younger than Elrond, and has only his father for family. Elvish= ~Elvish words~. Flashbacks will be written in //these things//This is my first fic, a.k.a; pardon my mistakes.
After the Storm
Chapter Two: Mystery Savior
//Aragorn could only stare blankly at his father, absorbing the shock of it all.
"No," he croaked, voice hoarse. "It cannot be!"
Elrond sighed, his hand coming to rest on Aragorn's shoulder.
"I apologize. I should have told you sooner, but surely you can see why we gave you your false name? Imagine, if you will, a young child strutting through the woods, announcing to mere strangers that he is Isildur's heir?"
The young adult shook slightly.
This had to be a falsehood.
Elrond never lies…
He gave the Man a small, close lipped smile, in what was clearly a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, which failed horrifically.
Estel withdrew his hand, clenching it in an angry fist behind his back.
"Surely you understand, ion nin? I did not want to burden you so early on in life, and so I waited until you grew into a Man."
Yes, father. I understand perfectly, he thought coldly.
Aragorn wanted to shout at his father, to demand why such an important part of his life had been kept so secret for so long.
He needed to release the anger that was building up in his body. He could feel it thrashing against his calm façade as he stared at the smiling, collected face before him. His rage was burning now; he could taste warm blood in his mouth as he bit his tongue. It was painful to keep his fury in for any longer…//
The Ranger screamed as raw agony shot through his existence, feeling as the Sun Herself had fallen onto his body.
Hot sweat poured down his quaking form as he thrashed and moaned in sheer torment.
All that he could see was shadow, and all that he could feel was evil. It was harsh, unmerciful labor to gasp in the humid air, for it felt like sharp knives were being stabbed through his chest and the sides of his throat clung to each other in a death grip.
He could not move his body at all and his pleas for aid seemed to fall on deaf ears, introducing him to a horrid new form of helplessness.
"It's all over now, foolish mortal. Your time has come…"
He knew this, and he did not care any longer. What was left to live for? Who was out there who still held love for him? Who was left to befriend him?
In death there was no pain to wrack his body as it did now. Mayhap it would be for the best in the end.
With his path decided, he ceased fighting the shadows, welcoming the comforting blackness of oblivion.
As he felt his spirit drift far above his body, a soft voice floated down to him, singing words that his dying mind could not follow.
Please, who is singing so fair?
"Do not listen," the dark one hissed. "Follow death, leave the light."
Ah… Aragorn sighed. What a beautiful voice up there…
He started to swim, as if the murky darkness was water, towards the enchanting sound, finding with delight that it grew louder when he moved closer.
"No!" the other shrieked, trying without success to grab hold as it's foul hands slid from the Ranger, who only paddled faster, even though the light became no closer, and his limbs wearied soon enough.
Yet he kept going, convinced that if he could only reach that shimmering light, everything would be perfect.
The Man began to pant as his body slowed.
Inky tendrils crept out from the darkness, ensnaring his legs and pulling him down with tremendous force. Aragorn could only watch as the bright miniature Sun drifted out of his view.
Please, don't abandon me, he pleaded.
The light reached his face and he lifted a tired hand to the orb of light.
Aragorn's bloodstained fingertips brushed the white flame, a shriek of defeat rising from the depths of the pit as the light enclosed his body and burned the tentacles into ashes.
The next thing Aragorn could remember was a dull aching that spread from his shoulder in waves, like ripples in a pond, and a slight burning sensation in his right leg.
With effort, he opened his heavy eyelids, his vision like a smeared portrait as the colors around him intensified.
The Ranger groaned as he tried to rise.
Cool fingers lay against his fevered brow, tenderly wiping away beads of sweat.
"Shh…"a strained yet soothing voice whispered. It began to say something else, but could not finish.
"Water," he begged. It was hard to talk with his throat grinding so harshly, and he knew that the sound was raspy when he felt his unseen protector wince. "Sorry…"
His lips were opened and cold fluid flowed into his parched mouth. The Man gulped the fresh liquid down greedily, for nothing tasted better than clear water at the moment. When his great thirst at last abated, he sighed in content and sat up, shaking as his balance wavered.
Hands pressed him back down, taking advantage of his still wavering vision. His guardian made sounds of disquiet. Aragorn realized several things at once; his injuries were still severe and he would be forced to stay here, wherever 'here' was, and also he could tell that his protector spoke in a language that was foreign to him. That alone was enough to be strange, for Aragorn had been taught in tongues and dialects from Dwarvish to the desert tongue of the Haradim. Then how could his unknown defender known that he had wanted water?
He sighed in frustration. He so wished to see who was helping him, curse his sight!
The person was speaking softly to him in his soothing, beautiful voice, trailing smooth fingers through his brown hair. The Man relaxed; even though he could not understand the words spoken, they were calming to hear.
Yet no spoken words could relieve him of his itching curiosity. Who and what was this stranger? Where had he come from? How had he vanquished the great Orc? And, most of all, why had he helped him and not left him to die?
To his right, he could feel the warmth of a great fire caressing his wet skin and drying his clothing, and beyond there he could feel the chill night air seeping through cracks in the barrier of light.
The hand left his face and the voice stopped whispering to him. Aragorn whimpered slightly. He did not want to be left alone. Sure enough, caring fingers stroked his cheek, and the slight breeze brought encouraging sounds to his ears. Although the language was unknown to him, the meaning was clear; sleep now, I am here. I shall not leave you this night.
Feeling better many times over, the Ranger's callused hand settled over the one on his cheek, causing the other to flinch slightly before relaxing to the touch and tightening his own grip in acknowledgement. The Man bestowed a close lipped smile upon his ally. He closed his eyes in peace. Then the music of the night lulled him to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ion nin- my son
Whew!! Thank the Valar that chapter two is done!! My typing average is five words a minute (you do the math) and ever since I started middle school this year, I have had way too much homework!! The only thing that keeps me going is my wonderful reviewers:):):)
trapt130: You are my first reviewer!! (hugs the computer so hard it breaks) Uhh… I can fix that… I think…
Tinnuial: Thank you sooo much!!! I hope I met your expectations!!!
Elenillor: Aww… This is the very best review I ever received in my whole life!! You like my summaries? That's good, because this won't be my last story!! I'm glad you're hooked, because I could use a reviewer like you!! Any author could use such great encouragement:) Ooo… you brought me a shiny question!! I actually don't know if this will be slash, although it has more than enough potential. Most likely, all the slash will be in the sequel, but if I change my mind I'll let you know!!
leggylover03: Great name!! I'm glad you love my fic!! Here's your more (with a side of chocolate!! Mmm…)
angelbird12241: I hope part two is as interesting as part one!! I'm sorry that my typing is so slow…:(:(
Crys Ritter: I love bribes, strawberries, and Legolas! Here you go! (Now give me my Elf!}
:):):):):):):)Thanks to my awesome reviewers!!!:):):):):):):)
Vote: should my evil muse answer reviews as well?
(Vote for me or the Elf boy gets it)
Next Chapter: Who is Aragorn's rescuer? Is he sane? Legolas is coming soon!
Please review!!