Legolas fell into the darkness and spun onto his back in his doomed free fall. The dark shadows of trees and boulders streamed past him as he gained speed. He closed his eyes as sensed the ground growing closer. His mind filled with thoughts of Aragorn. He remembered his smile, his laugh, his fear, and even his anger. He remembered their few but wonderful moments together. Most of all, he remembered his cool, clear blue eyes. How they would sparkle with inspiration and thought. But those eyes faded to gray and dulled over. He felt himself get heavier and the ground was so close. Soon he would be with his beloved. Their souls linked forever. But he had willfully fallen. His soul was forsaken.

Legolas' eyes shot open into the darkness above him. He reached out for something to stop his fall. He reached his arms desperately above him, but grabbed only air. In one final gasp he closed his eyes and felt
the hard, cold stone below him.

In the small cave that he slept in, Aragorn woke with a start. A soft orange glow warmed the room and he waited for his eyes to adjust. Sitting up against the stone wall behind him, he looked around. Sam and Pippin were curled together near the dying fire and Gimli was close by. Boromir sat near the doorway, watching for danger, but keeping dry from the storm.

Aragorn stood and straightened his tunic. He gathered his cloak and wrapped it about himself. He crept silently around the sleeping souls and met up with Boromir at the door.

"Good evening," Aragorn said softly to Boromir.

"Good eve. Does something trouble you? Your watch is not for another hour and a half," Boromir returned as he looked up from the rainy opening.

"I know. However, I have a feeling I cannot explain. I will be back soon," Aragorn said quietly to him and put up his hood.

He walked out the door and towards the boulder avalanche. The rain began to fall harder now; large, heavy drops fell hard on his shoulders. The wind spat at him, spraying mist into his face. He pressed
forward; he felt drawn to the rocks by some strange force deep within his mortal soul.

Lighting coupled with a trembling clash of thunder erupted from the dark sky above. He was startled, but did not lose his footing in the wet, slick mud. He walked close to the side of the bluff, clinging to the stones for support. He looked ahead and saw the outline of the large boulders. They loomed higher above him as he drew nearer. Finally he stood in the corner formed by them and the wall.

Lighting and thunder exploded from the sky again, this time loud enough to shake loose some of the debris. A shower of stones and brush fell down onto him. He leapt to the side, but was clipped by a razor-like stone jutting from the wall. He grimaced and clenched his side. Falling to his knees, he watched in horror as his blood poured out between his fingers.

He felt dizzy and the rain on his shoulders seemed to be urging him downward. He finally fell to the ground, his face buried into the ground. The water rushed in around his face, over his nose and mouth,
but he couldn't seem to get up! He held his breath, then sputtered, but he couldn't hold on forever. He sighed and closed his eyes as the water began to flow into his lungs.

Aragorn drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like hours, but was mere minutes. He managed to wake somewhat when he felt a soft thud in the ground a few feet from him. He tried to move,
to get the person's attention, or whatever it was that had fallen, even wishing for a sympathetic creature of the woods.

He couldn't move at all. He'd started to give up hope when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder that flipped him to his back. He started choking out water from his system, and gasping in gulps of rain-saturated air. He let his eyes come into focus and he recognized the weeping figure above him. His love, Legolas, had come to save him from his perils. He closed his eyes and winced as he suddenly had feeling in his side again. He felt the bittersweet pressure of Legolas' hands on his skin.

He felt hope course through his veins. He tried to speak to his savior, he wanted so much to reach up and pull the blond streaks from his face, but he couldn't. Tears of joy, tears of fear, tears of pain all streamed from his eyes. He cried harder as his vision of Legolas outlined by the dark began to fade. He fought desperately, but darkness slowly seeped into his vision. He slipped into unconsciousness again.

Aragorn felt as though he awoke from a deep sleep when a kiss landed upon his skin. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over at the tall form walking towards the ledge. It was Legolas. A small smile crossed his face as he remembered his sweet Legolas. It immediately left as he realized what was happening. He was filled with an unknown fury as he plunged to the ledge that Legolas had just leapt from. He reached out, almost falling himself, and grabbed at the smooth pale hand falling from him. He cried out in exasperation and closed his eyes.

Seconds passed as hours. Finally Aragorn felt the fingers of his lovers touch his own as he caught the light elf from his death. The pale fingers immediately wrapped around his own, and Legolas was in his arms before another moment passed. The two knelt in the pouring rain, clutching each other, and frantically trying to keep each other safe.

Legolas woke with the beginnings of daybreak dripping through the cracks and crevices of the cave. He stood and gathered his things, then walked around and woke everyone, including the watch guard. He stood on the path outside gazing into the blue sky. No traces of rain could be seen, and only light dew kissing the plants' leaves gave the hint of the previous storm. A cold chill ran up his spine as he looked down the path towards the roadblock. Had it really happened? Was it a dream? He didn't know. What tricks a mind could play on a lonely lover. He turned and entered the cave, making sure that everyone had gathered everything, and they set out for the stone boulders.

Aragorn became aware of the noises around him. He sat and stood in one swift movement, and instantly doubled over in pain. He slowly lifted up his tunic to reveal his side. A large bruise stretched across a large area of his side. He froze. He looked towards the opening into the bright dry morning. No storm clouds cluttered the sky; no wet mud plastered the ground. Not even a pool of standing rainwater could be seen. He didn't know what to think. Had it been real? He pushed these doubtful thoughts from his mind and the small group headed up towards the boulder avalanche.