Title: Despair and Hope
Chapter 5: Aragorn's Pain
Legolas sat in a corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest and staring at the floor. He was sitting right next to the bed on which the gaunt, tired and badly wounded Aragorn lay unconscious.
Gimli watched the elf worriedly. He had stayed in that position for the last two hours without moving. He had not spoken a word. Gimli had urged and urged him to take some rest but he hadn't listened. He hadn't even replied.
Finally, Gimli couldn't take it any longer. He shook Legolas by his shoulder. Legolas raised his stricken face to Gimli's.
"What?" he replied, trying to mask his anxiety by keeping his voice steady, and failing miserably.
"Legolas you must take some rest," Gimli said, as persuasively as he could, "You can't go on like this. We've done all we can for Aragorn, and it won't help him if you sit here brooding and worrying like this. The orcs may have gone for now, and I can't imagine why, but you know as well as I do that they'll be back. You have to rest to keep up your strength."
Legolas didn't reply. He bit his lip and lowered his head to stare at the floor again.
"Legolas! Answer me!" Gimli said. "Don't you-"
He was cut short by a movement on the bed. Legolas also perceived it and jumped to his feet and gazed down on the now wakeful Aragorn.
"How are you feeling?" Legolas asked him breathlessly.
"Sore," Aragorn said. "You don't look too good yourself." He gave a weak chuckle. "What happened?" he asked.
"Same question I wanted to pose to you," Legolas replied, smiling slightly. "One moment you were standing fighting a bunch of orcs, and the next you suddenly went completely rigid, and didn't move a muscle even after you were badly injured."
"Ah," said Aragorn. "That's what happened, is it? I thought it might."
"What do you mean you thought it might?" Legolas spluttered, suddenly very angry. This was how the past two hours had been for him, terrible anger alternating with unspeakable anxiety. He tried to find more words to express his anger, but couldn't.
Aragorn watched him closely, and sighed. "Why are you so angry, my friend?"
Legolas's anger drained out of him. He suddenly noted the light in his friend's eyes was dimmer than it was wont to be. He spoke slowly now, choosing his words carefully.
"I'm sorry. I just...I can't understand why you had to incapacitate yourself like this. It puts a chill in my bones, and then, it also makes me wonder, because I know we won't be able to win this war without you." He paused after this incoherent statement, knowing Aragorn would understand it perfectly. *Why are your eyes less bright, mellon? What happened to you?* he asked in Elvish.
"Hey," Gimli grumbled, for the first time making his presence felt. "Don't talk in languages I can't understand. It's very rude!"
Legolas grinned. "Master dwarf, would you care to join Haldir and the others outside? I hear they are having a debate on the stupidity of dwarfs."
Grunting, Gimli left the room swiftly.
Legolas smiled after him. Then he turned back to Aragorn. *An explanation, mellon?* he said softly.
*I beg your pardon, Legolas* Aragorn said, trying desperately to change the topic. *But shouldn't you be out on the causeway, fighting?*
*The orcs have gone. They left half an hour after we brought you back here. You remember that, don't you ?*
Aragorn nodded. *Why is that? Why have they left?* he asked.
*We think they are preparing some new devilry. They will be back soon. We've put some men on the watch. We can't see anything but some orcs milling around a huge, round thing. We don't know what they're up to, but we will prevent them, we are prepared for it.*
Aragorn smiled. "It worked, then," he muttered.
"What?" Legolas asked, not understanding.
"Never mind," Aragorn said shaking his head. Legolas suddenly noticed the waning light in his eyes again.
"You have an explanation for me, mellon," he said in a hard voice, suddenly angry again. "In fact I rather think you owe it to me. What happened?" "I know I owe you an explanation, Legolas. But giving it to you...would break me. It would make things too final. Though I don't know why I bother. It's not as if I'm going to be living tomorrow to face the consequences anyway. We are all going to die by tomorrow."
"Mithrandir will come," Legolas said, frightened by the expression on his friend's face. "In a few hours. It is not yet daybreak."
"Mithrandir won't come. Neither will daybreak. It is over."
"It is NOT."
"I'm too tired for this...if you want an explanation, you'll have to ask Eowyn."
Legolas stared at him for a moment, then swung out of the room, knowing that the sooner he got any explanations, the sooner he'd know how to help his friend.
~~*~~
"Eomer!" Gandalf said. "It is time for you to come to your senses. For heaven's sake, your king and countrymen are dying fighting those orcs and you...you are deserting them." It was the second time he was trying to convince Eomer that day. Seven hours had gone by since he had first come to seek their aid. It was night now. The horses were resting. So were the men.
"I have not deserted the king, the king has deserted me!" Eomer shouted, beside himself with rage. "I was reputed to be more than his nephew, I was reputed to be his son. And I believed it. I believed he meant it when he said I was as good as a son." He laughed bitterly. "But I was wrong. What sort of a father would exile his son? What sort of an uncle would exile his nephew?"
"You're not still barking up that tree, are you?" Gandalf retorted, with genuine amazement. He paused. "Even if that were true, think of your sister, Eomer. Surely she would want to see you one last time."
"Before what?" Eomer said, suddenly scared. "She's not dying, is she?"
"Not now. But she will soon. Three hundred against ten thousand are terrible odds. They will be defeated. The orcs will kill everyone. Even the women. And your sister is certainly one of them."
Eomer said nothing.
"Your only hope is to go and fight, and save them before it is too late." If it isn't already, he added silently.
"Hope? You talk of hope? It has forsaken these lands."
"If it has, then it has. That doesn't mean you must too...do you not trust me by now? I could have killed you all by now. If you need more proof, here is my staff. Keep it until this journey ends. I am powerless without it."
"No, Gandalf," Eomer said slowly, "You've given me proof enough. Keep the staff; you will need it before this is over. You are right, of course. We must go back."
"Excellent! I knew you'd see reason. Prepare the horses. We must leave before down. He stooped, and walked out of Eomer's tent.
We will arrive at least nine hours later than I promised, Gandalf thought. I hope they can hold on until then.
~~*~~
Chapter 5: Aragorn's Pain
Legolas sat in a corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest and staring at the floor. He was sitting right next to the bed on which the gaunt, tired and badly wounded Aragorn lay unconscious.
Gimli watched the elf worriedly. He had stayed in that position for the last two hours without moving. He had not spoken a word. Gimli had urged and urged him to take some rest but he hadn't listened. He hadn't even replied.
Finally, Gimli couldn't take it any longer. He shook Legolas by his shoulder. Legolas raised his stricken face to Gimli's.
"What?" he replied, trying to mask his anxiety by keeping his voice steady, and failing miserably.
"Legolas you must take some rest," Gimli said, as persuasively as he could, "You can't go on like this. We've done all we can for Aragorn, and it won't help him if you sit here brooding and worrying like this. The orcs may have gone for now, and I can't imagine why, but you know as well as I do that they'll be back. You have to rest to keep up your strength."
Legolas didn't reply. He bit his lip and lowered his head to stare at the floor again.
"Legolas! Answer me!" Gimli said. "Don't you-"
He was cut short by a movement on the bed. Legolas also perceived it and jumped to his feet and gazed down on the now wakeful Aragorn.
"How are you feeling?" Legolas asked him breathlessly.
"Sore," Aragorn said. "You don't look too good yourself." He gave a weak chuckle. "What happened?" he asked.
"Same question I wanted to pose to you," Legolas replied, smiling slightly. "One moment you were standing fighting a bunch of orcs, and the next you suddenly went completely rigid, and didn't move a muscle even after you were badly injured."
"Ah," said Aragorn. "That's what happened, is it? I thought it might."
"What do you mean you thought it might?" Legolas spluttered, suddenly very angry. This was how the past two hours had been for him, terrible anger alternating with unspeakable anxiety. He tried to find more words to express his anger, but couldn't.
Aragorn watched him closely, and sighed. "Why are you so angry, my friend?"
Legolas's anger drained out of him. He suddenly noted the light in his friend's eyes was dimmer than it was wont to be. He spoke slowly now, choosing his words carefully.
"I'm sorry. I just...I can't understand why you had to incapacitate yourself like this. It puts a chill in my bones, and then, it also makes me wonder, because I know we won't be able to win this war without you." He paused after this incoherent statement, knowing Aragorn would understand it perfectly. *Why are your eyes less bright, mellon? What happened to you?* he asked in Elvish.
"Hey," Gimli grumbled, for the first time making his presence felt. "Don't talk in languages I can't understand. It's very rude!"
Legolas grinned. "Master dwarf, would you care to join Haldir and the others outside? I hear they are having a debate on the stupidity of dwarfs."
Grunting, Gimli left the room swiftly.
Legolas smiled after him. Then he turned back to Aragorn. *An explanation, mellon?* he said softly.
*I beg your pardon, Legolas* Aragorn said, trying desperately to change the topic. *But shouldn't you be out on the causeway, fighting?*
*The orcs have gone. They left half an hour after we brought you back here. You remember that, don't you ?*
Aragorn nodded. *Why is that? Why have they left?* he asked.
*We think they are preparing some new devilry. They will be back soon. We've put some men on the watch. We can't see anything but some orcs milling around a huge, round thing. We don't know what they're up to, but we will prevent them, we are prepared for it.*
Aragorn smiled. "It worked, then," he muttered.
"What?" Legolas asked, not understanding.
"Never mind," Aragorn said shaking his head. Legolas suddenly noticed the waning light in his eyes again.
"You have an explanation for me, mellon," he said in a hard voice, suddenly angry again. "In fact I rather think you owe it to me. What happened?" "I know I owe you an explanation, Legolas. But giving it to you...would break me. It would make things too final. Though I don't know why I bother. It's not as if I'm going to be living tomorrow to face the consequences anyway. We are all going to die by tomorrow."
"Mithrandir will come," Legolas said, frightened by the expression on his friend's face. "In a few hours. It is not yet daybreak."
"Mithrandir won't come. Neither will daybreak. It is over."
"It is NOT."
"I'm too tired for this...if you want an explanation, you'll have to ask Eowyn."
Legolas stared at him for a moment, then swung out of the room, knowing that the sooner he got any explanations, the sooner he'd know how to help his friend.
~~*~~
"Eomer!" Gandalf said. "It is time for you to come to your senses. For heaven's sake, your king and countrymen are dying fighting those orcs and you...you are deserting them." It was the second time he was trying to convince Eomer that day. Seven hours had gone by since he had first come to seek their aid. It was night now. The horses were resting. So were the men.
"I have not deserted the king, the king has deserted me!" Eomer shouted, beside himself with rage. "I was reputed to be more than his nephew, I was reputed to be his son. And I believed it. I believed he meant it when he said I was as good as a son." He laughed bitterly. "But I was wrong. What sort of a father would exile his son? What sort of an uncle would exile his nephew?"
"You're not still barking up that tree, are you?" Gandalf retorted, with genuine amazement. He paused. "Even if that were true, think of your sister, Eomer. Surely she would want to see you one last time."
"Before what?" Eomer said, suddenly scared. "She's not dying, is she?"
"Not now. But she will soon. Three hundred against ten thousand are terrible odds. They will be defeated. The orcs will kill everyone. Even the women. And your sister is certainly one of them."
Eomer said nothing.
"Your only hope is to go and fight, and save them before it is too late." If it isn't already, he added silently.
"Hope? You talk of hope? It has forsaken these lands."
"If it has, then it has. That doesn't mean you must too...do you not trust me by now? I could have killed you all by now. If you need more proof, here is my staff. Keep it until this journey ends. I am powerless without it."
"No, Gandalf," Eomer said slowly, "You've given me proof enough. Keep the staff; you will need it before this is over. You are right, of course. We must go back."
"Excellent! I knew you'd see reason. Prepare the horses. We must leave before down. He stooped, and walked out of Eomer's tent.
We will arrive at least nine hours later than I promised, Gandalf thought. I hope they can hold on until then.
~~*~~