Aragorn lead the weary group to the stone avalanche and discovered that the others were already there. After a brief discussion and short trial and error session, the hobbits, dwarf and Boromir had gotten over the stone blockade. Once Aragorn was the only one left on the lower side, Legolas swiftly climbed over the rock and landed next to him. They immediately embraced.
"Was it real? Was it real, Aragorn?" Legolas whispered through his lover's hair.
"I know not, my love. I know not."
They quickly mounted over the boulder and the group began up the trail once more.
In the weeks that followed, the dream episode began to fade in their memory and soon was nothing more than that, a memory. Legolas and Aragorn cherished their wonderful, but secretive, time together between watches. They would meet up in the deep of the forest out of earshot of their sleeping friends and embrace and kiss and be intimate with one another. Slowly the time that it took for them to trade watches grew in length and it was not long before someone took notice.
Long had Boromir dreamed of the day when he would feel the fair skin of the Elven prince against his own. He had grown increasingly infatuated with the elf, watching him in his every move, as much as he had dared. The sun seemed to gleam off his pale skin and his lithe body moved with such grace and beauty; he was the most perfect creature Boromir had ever seen.
Boromir made it a daily ritual to watch the elf get up, take watch, and return to his bed. He would lay on his bedroll, pretending to sleep, and watch in the dimming firelight as the elf would stand, gingerly slide on his armor and weaponry and walk into the forest. When the elf returned, the man watched him strip his weapons and armor and slide into his own bedroll. The blond locks would dance on the elf's shoulders and frame his delicate features. It was only after a few nights when the elf's watch lasted much beyond Aragorn's leaving to take up the shift that Boromir decided to follow his fellow man into the forest.
He followed Aragorn quite a few paces behind, careful not to create noise that a ranger would surely pick up. They came to a small clearing and he saw him; Legolas was standing, elegant as he does, gazing up to the stars. The beauty of the moonlight streaming down the elf's golden hair took Boromir's breath away. The scene entranced him, but the moment was lost when he watched Aragorn step into it. He could barely believe it when Aragorn walked right up to Legolas, touched his shoulder and kiss him. Boromir's eyes grew wide and anger filled his heart.
Not wanting to see anymore of this, he turned and returned to the fire and to his bedroll. He was pretending to sleep when Legolas returned and gazed at the group. His eyes stopped momentarily on Boromir and Boromir's heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and held as still as he could. Had he been spotted? His love was with another, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. As he drifted to sleep, he thought of ways to win his elf over.
Over the next few weeks, Boromir began to gain greater friendship with Aragorn. After all, the saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" has applied for centuries. He gained Aragorn's trust by doing small tasks and slowly planting ideas into the man's head about his own honorable aspects.
Legolas, on the other hand, Boromir had started watching more intently. He watched his routines, he watched his reactions, and began taking mental notes of anything he could use in his advantage to win him over. Lust drove Boromir to his clever methods and the fine, sleek body of the elf began to drive him even wilder. It wouldn't be long until he would be able to take that supple body and claim it for himself.
When he felt his plans had played out smoothly, Boromir moved to the second stage and began working on Legolas. He started small, letting himself be caught staring by the elf. The first few times, Legolas simply waved off, but as Boromir did it more and more, Legolas began squirming. Then he started touching the elf on "accident" and made excuses for the two of them to be alone together.
His plan seemed foolproof. Either Legolas would begin seeing and wanting Boromir more than Aragorn, or he would make Legolas nervous enough he would speak of it to Aragorn who would of course not believe it because Boromir was such an upstanding gentleman around Aragorn. Though he preferred the first alternative – it allowed less room for error and suspicion – either one was fine as long as he eventually was promised the silky flesh of the Elven prince.
Legolas really started feeling uncomfortable. Boromir had begun making what seemed to be attempts to catch his eye. Legolas had never had strong feelings about the man either way, but these progressively insistent approaches made him nervous. He was sure he could handle himself if he saw the man coming, but if taken by surprise, the man's size alone would be an advantage. It was at the point where he began thinking of the logistics of an attack from Boromir that he expressed his concerns to Aragorn one night.
It was a foggy, stormy, but presently dry night when Legolas and Aragorn met. Legolas began telling Aragorn of Boromir's attempts to separate the two of them, but was stopped short. Aragorn wouldn't hear such things. He loved the elf dearly, but these little forebodings and reservations he kept complaining were beginning to get old. Now it was Boromir, Aragorn's trusted friend and companion that was trying to advance on Legolas?
"Legolas, I love you, but you really mustn't worry so much," Aragorn said to the elf. "I trust Boromir and I don't think he is interested in males, let alone your race, my love. Think nothing more of it."
"Aragorn, please listen to me. A threat has been growing in my mind. I feel that something will happen if he goes unbridled. Please listen, do not walk away from me, my love," Legolas pleaded. Aragorn simply sighed and turned towards another path. "Aragorn!" Legolas insisted, sounding quite childish to even himself, but he cared not.
Aragorn turned again to the elf. "Legolas, I have heard enough. Your words hurt me, for Boromir is a good and trusted friend. I must trust my own kindred if I can trust none other. Please return to the camp and get some sleep. Boromir is a good man. You are imagining things. Good night." With that he turned and left down the path.
"Aragorn. Aragorn!" he called to his lover. He felt betrayed and tears threatened in his eyes. Anger swept over him and he stormed off through the forest. He gained speed and broke in to a run. After a few minutes he slowed and sat down in a clearing. He looked up to the sky for guidance. Clouds had gathered once again and drops of rain had begun to fall.
Suddenly he stood. He felt something watching him. His pointed ears perked up and he listened intently to the sounds of the forest around him. His hands rested gently on his blades at his sides. A twig snapped behind him and he spun around, blades poised. Boromir appeared out of the shadows of the trees. Adrenaline pumped into his system and he stood perfectly still with a cold look on his face. Rain fell in large drops now.
"Legolas," Boromir started.
"What do you want," Legolas hissed at him.
"You. I want you. Will you not be mine?"
"Be yours? After you have tried playing mind games with me and Aragorn? Don't think I don't know you know about us. Why would you do all this? You are jealous or some other thing plagues your mind."
"You could have been mine, you should have been mine," he drew his sword, "shall you be mine, or shall I have to take you by force, my love?" Boromir mocked Aragorn freely, and took pleasure in the fear that washed over the prince's features.
Panic swept through Legolas. His most primal instincts flared up in his mind. Fight or flight, but which would give him a better chance to get to safety. After a moment of watching Boromir start closing the distance between them, fight won out. He waited the approach of the man and blocked his first few swings. They swung back and forth, the metal of their swords clanging in the wet night.
Slowly Boromir gained the advantage and knocked Legolas to the ground. He kicked the elf's swords out of his hands and pinned him down. Fear seared through Legolas, but he kept his anger on the surface and fought with all his strength. The man on top of him fumbled with his now wet-handled sword and Legolas saw his chance. He bucked up his knees and caught Boromir squarely in the stomach. Promptly Legolas was let loose long enough to get up. Boromir stood again and started at Legolas.
Legolas realized that he would probably not stand another go with Boromir, so he turned and began running. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he didn't care as long as it was away from the men that disbelieved him and threatened him. He heard Boromir coming up behind him, but because of the bruise he probably left him, the man lagged behind and Legolas gained a great advantage. Soon he could no longer hear the panting of his attacker through the pounding rain. The ground below him grew more solid and he soon found himself near a rock face.
It was here that he stopped to catch his breath. Although elves rarely were out of breath, he was at this moment. The adrenaline from his fear had caused his heart to beat harder and he could hear it above the rain. The rain! He was soaked through and there was no way he would find his way back to the camp in this storm. He felt along the wall in the dark of the night for a small cave he could fit himself into for the night. He had glided along the wall only for a few moments when he heard a great crash of thunder and a familiar rumbling above him.
Rocks began to fall around him as he tried to run to the forest, away from the rock face, but his head caught a stone, and he became instantly disoriented. He managed to get under a small but thick ledge before the world closed in around him. He crouched in the mud. As he reached up to tend his head wound, rocks fell around him and on top of the ledge in a great deafening cascade.