Authors Note: Here is the next installment. This one is a little
choppy. As I wrote this I was having a rather bad day and just couldn't
focus on my writing style as much. I wanted to get it out while the idea
was still there, so here it is. Hope you like it.. Thanks for all the
wonderful reviews!!!! Please continue..
Aragorn awoke in the morning, breathing deeply. The sun was just begging to creep through the tress and the air was still crisp and stung his throat just a little, warning of the onset of winter which was already a short time in coming. Aragorn smiled, happy to be lying out in the elements, enjoying every moment of the dawning morning. It had been some time since he had seen the trees of the area his Rangers normally dwelt in. He lay still without moving at all and watched his breath cloud in front of him as the air cooled it. He could hear Havad moving on the perimeter. Each Ranger made a specific sound, as did each elf. Havad's steps were slightly non-rhythmic, for the Ranger had once sustained a grievous injury from a Goblin and his foot had never healed the right way. Listening intently, Aragorn discovered that Resiran was still sleeping, but he could hear the light steps of Lancen obviously searching for food in the packs. His ears perked when he heard the soft hiss of a fire being started. It seemed that Methil was also up.
Rolling onto his side, Aragorn was curious to see if Legolas was still there.
"Careful!" Legolas observed quickly, speaking in alarm to Aragorn as the Ranger rolled on top of his own sword. The elf had been resting with his eyes half open, as was the elven tradition. Aragorn could see the look of worry and confusion when Aragorn merely laughed.
"You need not fear Legolas, it is quite safe, for it rests at my side all day long. She knows better than to hurt me," Aragorn said lightly, getting to his feet, unscathed by the large blade. He offered a hand to Legolas, who took it. As Aragorn pulled Legolas to his feet, Legolas keenly observed the look of short-lived pain cross Aragorn's strong features. Obviously the Ranger was not healing as quickly as he had anticipated.
Aragorn turned from Legolas after helping him up and touched his chest gently, feeling the fine work of Elrond's stitching even through his heavy tunic. The wound still pained him a great deal, especially when the knitting skin pulled away from the stitches. The stitches themselves would have to come out in time, and Aragorn hoped he would be around others when the time came so he wouldn't have to do it himself. He knew Legolas was staring at his back with concern because it was obvious he had not been able to hide his discomfort from the elf. Elladan and Elrohir had been hard to fool also. The wound itself irritated Aragorn because it prevented him from all his normal movements. He hated the thought of being weak at all. It was something he felt would lead to him making the same type of mistake that Isildur had.
"Aragorn.are you all right?" Legolas' voice was respectfully soft, so that the other Rangers would not hear him. Aragorn appreciated the gesture and turned back to his elven friend.
"I am fine Legolas, do not worry on my account," he said with a smile, hoping that Legolas would believe him fully and drop the subject. Legolas seemed to be gauging his health, and Aragorn turned away uncomfortably and strode over to the fire. Methil was watching him curiously, as if he had no only witnessed the whole event but had also seen what Legolas had seen. Aragorn gave him a soft look of warning to prevent him from saying anything. Methil did not seem to acknowledge him, but neither did he say anything, going back to tending the fire. Lancen hurried over with food, looking glad to see his Captain awake. Aragorn was relieved for the distraction and talked with the young Ranger about the watch. He could feel more than see the light shake of Legolas' head as the elf demonstrated his concern. Aragorn would not be baby-sat.
Aragorn was already much happier when he mounted Evaria and they got underway. He was glad to be among friends and glad that it was yet the whole day before he would have to say goodbye to Legolas. He trusted the elf and the thought of saying goodbye dismayed him. It would be sometime before they were near the borders of Mirkwood. With the company of his men, Aragorn felt safe and relieved. He trusted them and had missed the news from the community from which he had left. It was true that Rangers were solitary people, spending great lengths of time far from and other men, but they also spent a good deal of time together when possible, raising families and living much the same as their relations in Gondor and Rohan did. Isolation was nearly as satisfying as being with ones friends.
The laughter of the small party was quiet and well meant as the five men and one elf passed through the hours of the day. Aragorn rode near the center of the group, Legolas on one side and Lancen on the other. Methil rode a bit ahead of them, and Havad and Resiran rode next to the group. Aragorn was pleased how quickly they had come to trust Legolas. He thought that another strong mark of the elf's character.
"How close are we?" Lancen asked curiously. "I know that I have been on this road before and if my memory is correct, the path leads through part of Mirkwood. Many travel it, which has caused some problems for the Lord of Mirkwood."
"You are correct Lancen," Legolas said softly. "This road does indeed pass through my land and yes, there have been.difficulties in the past."
"We came by the outer road, Strider, but Halbarad told us if he had to send out another party, they would come this way," Methil turned to tell the Ranger. Aragorn nodded, mulling over the information. Halbarad had been worried about him.
"Another party?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, they would be hunting, but if needed could come to join us," Resiran supplied and Aragorn frowned, causing the older Rangers to laugh at him gently.
"You cannot expect him to be idle while you are gone," Havad said with a gravely laugh.
"Indeed, I suppose I cannot. Legolas, have we come into your land?"
"I believe we have passed into it. It won't be long and we will be watched by the guardsmen. They may stop you if they recognize me..." the elf Prince warned.
"I sense something disturbing," Aragorn mumbled, barely hearing his friend's words. He glanced at the deepening woods with concern, a shadow growing in his mind. He watched as Legolas stiffened and his Rangers all placed worn hands on equally worn sword hilts. Aragorn's own hand trailed to his sword resting at his side. The wood had grown uneasily quiet.
"Evil?" Havad asked in a mere whisper. Aragorn glanced at him, unsure how to answer. He felt that something was amiss. Something was creeping towards them. Evaria sidestepped nervously, alerting Aragorn to the fact that he was not alone in sensing whatever it was.
"Wargs!" the shout of warning came from Legolas, whose elven eyes had picked out the creatures just before they were upon them. Aragorn did not have time to count, but the number that came upon them was far greater than a normal pack of the wild and dangerous creatures. The Rangers horses, and even Alutier bucked, threatening to throw their riders. Evaria was the only one who remained with a semblance of calm, but even she was now sidestepping as the wargs bit at her legs. Aragorn knew she stood no chance against them and dismounted and gave her a slap. She fled just as he had hoped she would. The others were doing the same, if for no other reason than to keep from getting thrown and killed.
Now that they were on the ground, the warg attack increased and soon Aragorn's sword was bloody and heavy. They were badly outnumbered and it seemed as though they would not escape unscathed. Aragorn could barely keep tabs on Lancen, the only one he truly worried about. He was sure the others were capable of taking care in their endeavors to beat the foe. Aragorn turned to take care of another warg when one latched onto his arm. He gritted his teeth, trying to shake the beast loose. The warg sunk its teeth in deeper, growling, threatening to break bone. Aragorn drove it into a near-by tree and used his sword to run it through. The wargs seemed to be as thick as ever as he turned back to the fight. Just as he thought they might be in some real trouble, he could hear riders coming up. Through the blur he could make out what appeared to be Rangers. They seemed to be the other party that Havad had mentioned earlier.
Aragorn realized that his moment of distraction was a sore mistake and he found four wargs upon him. They knocked him to the ground as he did his best to fend them off. One of them latched onto the same arm that had been bitten before and Aragorn could hear the sickening crunch of bone. The one that was directly on top of him was pressing uncomfortably on his stitches, tearing them ruthlessly with each small movement. Aragorn managed to loose his dagger and stabbed the one on top of him, only succeeding on angering the others. The pain from the stitches was acute and his vision seemed to haze in and out. He managed to stick the dagger into another, but it moved away limping, carrying Aragorn's dagger away. The pain from his old and healing wounds resurfaced in a brilliant explosion of color in the back of Aragorn's head. He fought to push off the other wargs, but his body screamed in protest.
Aragorn thought that perhaps his destiny had decided to claim him earlier and was preparing for the worst when Legolas came to his rescue. The elf dispatched the two wargs and Aragorn briefly noted that it seemed most of the wargs were gone. Legolas bent over Aragorn and Aragorn offered him a brief smile.
"Seems all you've been doing is saving me," even to himself, his voice sounded rough.
"Please, do not force me to do this often," concern was etched on Legolas' face. As he bent down, dagger in one hand, reaching down to help Aragorn up, a yell echoed through the wood.
"Don't touch him!" A blur of black and brown charged at Legolas, knocking a very surprised elf to the ground. Aragorn struggled to sit up, surprised at the change of events. One of the Rangers had obviously mistake the situation, assuming Legolas was about to try to harm him. It took only mere seconds for Aragorn to recognize the Ranger that was about to try to fight Legolas. Though the pain in his body caused protestation, he knew he had to put a stop to it. Aragorn was almost too late.
From the tress came the wood elves of Mirkwood, for they had been hunting the wargs and now found that their prince, whom they had recognized immediately, was being attacked by a dirty creature intent on some sort of damage. Aragorn's eyes reacted quicker than he would have thought and he spotted a dozen or so bows being pulled back and arrows notched, aimed right at the young Ranger.
"For the love of Elbereth, no!" Aragorn cried in elvish, pushing himself to his feet, just as the first arrows began to fly. He was just in time to pull the young Ranger from Legolas, and the two of them rolled out of harms way into the dirt and leaves. Without any thought to himself, Aragorn covered the Ranger with his body. "Stop! He means you no harm!" The elvish words were spoken in earnest, but as Aragorn looked up, he found the arrows were still pointed at him and his young charge.
Aragorn awoke in the morning, breathing deeply. The sun was just begging to creep through the tress and the air was still crisp and stung his throat just a little, warning of the onset of winter which was already a short time in coming. Aragorn smiled, happy to be lying out in the elements, enjoying every moment of the dawning morning. It had been some time since he had seen the trees of the area his Rangers normally dwelt in. He lay still without moving at all and watched his breath cloud in front of him as the air cooled it. He could hear Havad moving on the perimeter. Each Ranger made a specific sound, as did each elf. Havad's steps were slightly non-rhythmic, for the Ranger had once sustained a grievous injury from a Goblin and his foot had never healed the right way. Listening intently, Aragorn discovered that Resiran was still sleeping, but he could hear the light steps of Lancen obviously searching for food in the packs. His ears perked when he heard the soft hiss of a fire being started. It seemed that Methil was also up.
Rolling onto his side, Aragorn was curious to see if Legolas was still there.
"Careful!" Legolas observed quickly, speaking in alarm to Aragorn as the Ranger rolled on top of his own sword. The elf had been resting with his eyes half open, as was the elven tradition. Aragorn could see the look of worry and confusion when Aragorn merely laughed.
"You need not fear Legolas, it is quite safe, for it rests at my side all day long. She knows better than to hurt me," Aragorn said lightly, getting to his feet, unscathed by the large blade. He offered a hand to Legolas, who took it. As Aragorn pulled Legolas to his feet, Legolas keenly observed the look of short-lived pain cross Aragorn's strong features. Obviously the Ranger was not healing as quickly as he had anticipated.
Aragorn turned from Legolas after helping him up and touched his chest gently, feeling the fine work of Elrond's stitching even through his heavy tunic. The wound still pained him a great deal, especially when the knitting skin pulled away from the stitches. The stitches themselves would have to come out in time, and Aragorn hoped he would be around others when the time came so he wouldn't have to do it himself. He knew Legolas was staring at his back with concern because it was obvious he had not been able to hide his discomfort from the elf. Elladan and Elrohir had been hard to fool also. The wound itself irritated Aragorn because it prevented him from all his normal movements. He hated the thought of being weak at all. It was something he felt would lead to him making the same type of mistake that Isildur had.
"Aragorn.are you all right?" Legolas' voice was respectfully soft, so that the other Rangers would not hear him. Aragorn appreciated the gesture and turned back to his elven friend.
"I am fine Legolas, do not worry on my account," he said with a smile, hoping that Legolas would believe him fully and drop the subject. Legolas seemed to be gauging his health, and Aragorn turned away uncomfortably and strode over to the fire. Methil was watching him curiously, as if he had no only witnessed the whole event but had also seen what Legolas had seen. Aragorn gave him a soft look of warning to prevent him from saying anything. Methil did not seem to acknowledge him, but neither did he say anything, going back to tending the fire. Lancen hurried over with food, looking glad to see his Captain awake. Aragorn was relieved for the distraction and talked with the young Ranger about the watch. He could feel more than see the light shake of Legolas' head as the elf demonstrated his concern. Aragorn would not be baby-sat.
Aragorn was already much happier when he mounted Evaria and they got underway. He was glad to be among friends and glad that it was yet the whole day before he would have to say goodbye to Legolas. He trusted the elf and the thought of saying goodbye dismayed him. It would be sometime before they were near the borders of Mirkwood. With the company of his men, Aragorn felt safe and relieved. He trusted them and had missed the news from the community from which he had left. It was true that Rangers were solitary people, spending great lengths of time far from and other men, but they also spent a good deal of time together when possible, raising families and living much the same as their relations in Gondor and Rohan did. Isolation was nearly as satisfying as being with ones friends.
The laughter of the small party was quiet and well meant as the five men and one elf passed through the hours of the day. Aragorn rode near the center of the group, Legolas on one side and Lancen on the other. Methil rode a bit ahead of them, and Havad and Resiran rode next to the group. Aragorn was pleased how quickly they had come to trust Legolas. He thought that another strong mark of the elf's character.
"How close are we?" Lancen asked curiously. "I know that I have been on this road before and if my memory is correct, the path leads through part of Mirkwood. Many travel it, which has caused some problems for the Lord of Mirkwood."
"You are correct Lancen," Legolas said softly. "This road does indeed pass through my land and yes, there have been.difficulties in the past."
"We came by the outer road, Strider, but Halbarad told us if he had to send out another party, they would come this way," Methil turned to tell the Ranger. Aragorn nodded, mulling over the information. Halbarad had been worried about him.
"Another party?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, they would be hunting, but if needed could come to join us," Resiran supplied and Aragorn frowned, causing the older Rangers to laugh at him gently.
"You cannot expect him to be idle while you are gone," Havad said with a gravely laugh.
"Indeed, I suppose I cannot. Legolas, have we come into your land?"
"I believe we have passed into it. It won't be long and we will be watched by the guardsmen. They may stop you if they recognize me..." the elf Prince warned.
"I sense something disturbing," Aragorn mumbled, barely hearing his friend's words. He glanced at the deepening woods with concern, a shadow growing in his mind. He watched as Legolas stiffened and his Rangers all placed worn hands on equally worn sword hilts. Aragorn's own hand trailed to his sword resting at his side. The wood had grown uneasily quiet.
"Evil?" Havad asked in a mere whisper. Aragorn glanced at him, unsure how to answer. He felt that something was amiss. Something was creeping towards them. Evaria sidestepped nervously, alerting Aragorn to the fact that he was not alone in sensing whatever it was.
"Wargs!" the shout of warning came from Legolas, whose elven eyes had picked out the creatures just before they were upon them. Aragorn did not have time to count, but the number that came upon them was far greater than a normal pack of the wild and dangerous creatures. The Rangers horses, and even Alutier bucked, threatening to throw their riders. Evaria was the only one who remained with a semblance of calm, but even she was now sidestepping as the wargs bit at her legs. Aragorn knew she stood no chance against them and dismounted and gave her a slap. She fled just as he had hoped she would. The others were doing the same, if for no other reason than to keep from getting thrown and killed.
Now that they were on the ground, the warg attack increased and soon Aragorn's sword was bloody and heavy. They were badly outnumbered and it seemed as though they would not escape unscathed. Aragorn could barely keep tabs on Lancen, the only one he truly worried about. He was sure the others were capable of taking care in their endeavors to beat the foe. Aragorn turned to take care of another warg when one latched onto his arm. He gritted his teeth, trying to shake the beast loose. The warg sunk its teeth in deeper, growling, threatening to break bone. Aragorn drove it into a near-by tree and used his sword to run it through. The wargs seemed to be as thick as ever as he turned back to the fight. Just as he thought they might be in some real trouble, he could hear riders coming up. Through the blur he could make out what appeared to be Rangers. They seemed to be the other party that Havad had mentioned earlier.
Aragorn realized that his moment of distraction was a sore mistake and he found four wargs upon him. They knocked him to the ground as he did his best to fend them off. One of them latched onto the same arm that had been bitten before and Aragorn could hear the sickening crunch of bone. The one that was directly on top of him was pressing uncomfortably on his stitches, tearing them ruthlessly with each small movement. Aragorn managed to loose his dagger and stabbed the one on top of him, only succeeding on angering the others. The pain from the stitches was acute and his vision seemed to haze in and out. He managed to stick the dagger into another, but it moved away limping, carrying Aragorn's dagger away. The pain from his old and healing wounds resurfaced in a brilliant explosion of color in the back of Aragorn's head. He fought to push off the other wargs, but his body screamed in protest.
Aragorn thought that perhaps his destiny had decided to claim him earlier and was preparing for the worst when Legolas came to his rescue. The elf dispatched the two wargs and Aragorn briefly noted that it seemed most of the wargs were gone. Legolas bent over Aragorn and Aragorn offered him a brief smile.
"Seems all you've been doing is saving me," even to himself, his voice sounded rough.
"Please, do not force me to do this often," concern was etched on Legolas' face. As he bent down, dagger in one hand, reaching down to help Aragorn up, a yell echoed through the wood.
"Don't touch him!" A blur of black and brown charged at Legolas, knocking a very surprised elf to the ground. Aragorn struggled to sit up, surprised at the change of events. One of the Rangers had obviously mistake the situation, assuming Legolas was about to try to harm him. It took only mere seconds for Aragorn to recognize the Ranger that was about to try to fight Legolas. Though the pain in his body caused protestation, he knew he had to put a stop to it. Aragorn was almost too late.
From the tress came the wood elves of Mirkwood, for they had been hunting the wargs and now found that their prince, whom they had recognized immediately, was being attacked by a dirty creature intent on some sort of damage. Aragorn's eyes reacted quicker than he would have thought and he spotted a dozen or so bows being pulled back and arrows notched, aimed right at the young Ranger.
"For the love of Elbereth, no!" Aragorn cried in elvish, pushing himself to his feet, just as the first arrows began to fly. He was just in time to pull the young Ranger from Legolas, and the two of them rolled out of harms way into the dirt and leaves. Without any thought to himself, Aragorn covered the Ranger with his body. "Stop! He means you no harm!" The elvish words were spoken in earnest, but as Aragorn looked up, he found the arrows were still pointed at him and his young charge.