The Love of an Elf - Chapter 2
Characters: Legolas, Aragorn
Rays of light shot across the damp land sooner than any of them could have hoped, even though the rain had stopped flooding the ground around them. The rain had soaked many of their garments through and they were ever so thankful for the dry and warm weather that surrounded them. Once the tent had been deconstructed, and their things recollected, they headed on their way through the waking forest.
The sunlight dripped lazily between the soggy leaves of the trees above as they trudged on through the woodland. Animals cried out in the surrounding lands giving distorted roars of encouragement. As the sun reached its peak above them, the trees parted into a stone-filled oasis. They stopped for a brief lunch of berries and a flour biscuit. They moved on as the sky again began to darken with clouds.
The nine adventurers walked on, seeking shelter from the oncoming storm. Legolas looked up to see the deep green-gray clouds swarming above him. He longed to gaze into the eyes of his love once again. He longed to hold him tight and to protect him from the imminent storm.
Legolas led the group up the narrowing stone trail. He turned to check on the group. Gandalf followed close behind him with Frodo and Merry clinging to his robes. Gimli was telling Sam and Pippin another one of his Dwarven legends, and Aragorn brought up the rear, talking softly with Boromir. Legolas turned once again to the path in front of him.
The hair on Legolas' arms and neck rose straight up and a moment later lightning struck, creating a tremendous rumble behind Legolas on the steep solitary trail. He spun around to see an enormous avalanche of granite boulders crumble and fall to the path, dividing the Fellowship in two.
The noise was colossal and the ground shook beneath their feet with such force that it nearly brought the fellowship to its knees. Debris fell perilously onto the troupe, bashing and bruising on its descent. Finally, the landslide drifted to a standstill and the dust settled on the battered survivors.
"Is everyone alright?" Aragorn hollered from the back half of the path. Small moans of frustration escaped some of them. Nobody was badly injured, but this split would prove to be quite an annoyance and a large delay in their travels.
"Everyone is fine on this side. Yours?" Legolas called out in response. His heart fell with the rocks knowing it would be days until he would see his beloved once again.
"Fine. We will have to split and find shelter separately. The storm is coming quickly, and will soon be upon us. We will meet again at dawn if the rain has stopped. If not, whenever it does, we shall," Aragorn called back. He, too, was deeply saddened by this holdup.
The group split; Aragorn, Gimli, Borimir, Sam, and Pippin went back down the thin trail to a small cave they'd seen on the way up, while Legolas, Frodo, Gandalf, and Merry traveled farther on the trail to find shelter from the vicious storm manifesting above them.
Thunder crashed outside the small crevice Legolas had chosen for the group. The elf woke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. He sat up on his cloak and peered to the opening of the crevice. Gandalf lay with his head on his chest, snoring softly. Legolas looked up from the wizard and looked out into the rain. He stood and walked silently to the opening. He paused and listened into the white noise of the night. The moon shone down occasionally through the storm, bathing the land in an eerie glow.
He quietly stepped into the rain and felt it quickly saturate his tunic. He glanced up and down the trail. A strange sentiment drew him back down the path. He walked for a long while and he came upon the boulders they'd encountered earlier. The rain beat down harder now; the wind blew and pushed him towards the edge. A bright flash amplified by a quick crash made his Elven heart skip a beat and in the quiet that followed he heard a soft moan from behind the rocks.
There it was again. A feeling he couldn't describe or define drew him nearer to the soft moaning that was on the other side of the rocks. He began to climb up the slick, wet granite, loosing his footing five or six times before making it to the top. He looked down to the darkness behind the huge stone
Lightning once again filled the sky and a human form could be seen crouching at the base of the rocks. Legolas called out to him, but his voice just drifted away with the wind. The man began to shiver and moan louder. His body began to shake violently and in one final stretch and scream of agony, he fell into himself and collapsed. Lightning shot across the sky, pointing to the body at the base of the rocks. As the light shone across the face of the man, Legolas let out a soft gasp and began to fall backward. He reached up to catch the rock under his fingers, but it was no use, he fell from the high stone to the hard gravel below. His eyes shot open as his body smacked the ground with a sickening thud.
Legolas woke with a start, covered in a cold sweat. He sat up on his cloak and peered to the opening of the crevice. Gandalf lay with his head on his chest, snoring softly. Legolas looked up from the wizard and looked out into the rain. Memories flooded to his mind and the realization hit him. He ran out into the bone-chilling rain and scaled the rock in a quick motion. He landed with a soft thud at the base of the rock on the other side. He gazed around for the figure that was so clear in his mind. His heart fell as he spotted a dark mass in the corner. He ran to Aragorn's side and called out to him. He rolled him onto his back, and Aragorn sputtered, his mouth full of dirty rainwater.
Aragorn's eyes were slightly glazed over, and his cloak was drenched in the muddy water that poured down on them. Legolas pulled him into a tight hug and another. Legolas lay him back and began to check him for the injury that ailed him. He ran his hands over his head and face, down his neck and shoulders, chanting softly the words of his people. The tears running down his immortal cheeks disappeared in the rainfall. His hands searched his legs and feet and then moved to his chest. They slid gently over his ribs and down to his side. Aragorn let out a pained moan as Legolas' hands ran over his clothed lower abdomen. They winced together as Legolas peeled back the sticky cloth of Aragorn's tunic. Blood streamed copiously out of a brutal wound in Aragorn's side.
All hope dissipated from Legolas' body. His true love rested mortally wounded in his arms. The rain that poured down upon them was dyed red with Aragorn's blood. Tears blurred his vision as he began to tend the deep gash. Desperation washed over him; Aragorn's life was nearly spent. He hated himself for pressing down on the ranger's injury. He chanted between sobs and looked into the eyes that seemed to gloss over as the moments passed. He gasped for breath as the rain drowned out his weeping. The Elven prince distraughtly recited words of healing, franticly searching the man's eyes for life. He held on long after Aragorn's last breath had passed his lips.
A long, silent moment passed. Legolas kissed Aragorn's forehead and said goodbye. The rain beat down on them and the pool of watery blood stained Legolas' boots a deep red. Legolas set Aragorn's head down in peace and stepped back from him. Tears no longer filled his eyes as he turned from his love. He looked over the drenched forest below him. The ledge seemed so inviting as he stood there gazing into the dark, wet night. He felt lost, empty, nothing without Aragorn. He stared down at his red boots and then beyond them into the dark abyss below.
It was impossible for an elf to take his own life, was it not? His soul would be lost forever, never to be regenerated or blessed. He gazed down. But surely an eternity without Aragorn would not be worth a thousand blessings! He took a deep breath in the night rain and leaned forward over the edge of the cliff. The darkness sped past him as he dove towards the inevitable.