Warnings: Well, there's a lot of angst. Legolas suffering... only emotionally this time, though! n.n;;;
Sorry 'bout all grammar and/or spelling mistakes. I'm only human... unfortunately... n.n
And so we have the second chapter to a one-shot... -.-
Btw, review responses are now below. Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! It was more responses than I thought I'd receive for the first chapter... lots were new people, too. n.n
Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapt as well! n.n
In Memory of Thy Honor
Chapter Two: Oh, Valar…
A couple days later the five finally reached Mirkwood.
Aragorn hurriedly dismounted and ran to the healing wing, where he was sure Legolas would be. None of the inhabitants of Mirkwood stopped him. They were all expecting Estel; they weren't really expecting his whole family to be there as well, however. They also recognized the human, since he had frequently visited in the past. Aragorn and Legolas were well known for getting into trouble and being injured... most the time gravely.
The twins then followed shortly after Aragorn, just leaving their horses to the caretaker of Mirkwood.
Elrond was just as anxious to see Legolas, who was like a son to him, but restrained himself. He dismounted his own horse, took the needed supplies and started to leave. "Thank you for taking care of our horses," he said, smiling.
"Of course, my lord," the caretaker said, bowing. Then he watched as the elf-lord left at a fast walk to Legolas. Best of luck, he wished the four. He wanted nothing more than for the prince to recover.
The messenger, who was the only one still there, put his own horse in its stable and did what was needed of him.
When Aragorn reached the doors he slowed down and quietly opened them. He still had enough sense to be cautious. Legolas could be sleeping for all he knew. He had no idea how much the young elf had received--or hadn't. He also needed to prepare himself for what lay beyond the doors.
The human brought his hand up to his mouth in shock at the sight before him. Legolas was lying still in the bed, breathing very heavily, and clutching his chest. He also looked very pale. It broke his heart to see his best friend in such a condition. There was also a depressing aura surrounding the blonde elf. Something an elf rarely had. He wondered how any could have missed it. Also, the natural glow that all elves had was greatly dimmed, barely giving off any light at all. If it were pitch black in the room he didn't know if Legolas' glow would be enough for him to locate him.
"Legolas," he whispered, walking up to his best friend. He couldn't believe it had gotten so bad. He wished he could have been there for the blonde right when his father had died. Why did he not send for me?
"...Estel?" The human heard a quiet, pain-filled voice. It had startled him at first, for he thought that the elf was resting.
"Aye, mellon-nin," Aragorn said, quickly going next to the archer's side and grabbing his free hand, wrapping his own around it comfortingly.
"My father... my father is..." the blonde stuttered, tears falling freely again. It just hurt too much. To first have one's mother taken away and then one's father in almost the same manner.
"I know, Legolas. I know," the human said, tears threatening to fall. The scene was just heart-breaking. Legolas rarely cried, but here he was doing just that, and it seemed like he had been doing so often.
The ranger stood up and leaned over Legolas, giving him a hug as best as he could, given the elf's position. "It is okay, mellon-nin. We shall get through this," Aragorn said soothingly.
Eitheldol was sitting in the corner, watching the display before him. He was surprised that the human hadn't noticed him, or at least hadn't acknowledge him. While watching Aragorn he was touched by the amount he cared for Legolas. He had been overwhelmed by relief when he had entered the room and was even filled with it more now that he saw how much the human was able to calm the elf. It seemed that with the soothing words and the comforting motion of Aragorn's hand running through Legolas' hair that it was relaxing him.
Elrohir and Elladan had entered the room just as Legolas broke down, with the tears falling silently down his face. They stood there shocked at the display, not only that, but also at how weak the younger elf looked.
Elrond soon came after the twins and had much the same reaction. He knew it must have been bad to have Eitheldol send for Aragorn, but still, he hadn't thought it had progressed this much!
Everyone stood where they were, not wishing to disturb the two friends.
Aragorn finally seemed to have calmed the blonde elf down enough to where he could get some much needed rest.
"Hannon le, my lord. I knew it was not a mistake to send for you," Eitheldol said gratefully. It kind of hurt him how he couldn't relax his friend that much, but Aragorn could. It really didn't matter, though. All that did was Legolas' well-being; that he got through this.
Aragorn was startled, not knowing that he had been there and he had no idea how long he had been. He looked over towards the door and saw that his father and brothers were there as well.
The human nodded, but then asked in an angry voice, "Why did no one tell me of King Thranduil's death right when it happened?"
Eitheldol was taken aback by the abrupt change in the human's attitude. "We... we knew not that it was affecting him so badly. He let no one know, and hid it too well," he finally answered.
"You should know better than anyone how Legolas pretends that he is fine when he is really the exact opposite!" Aragorn shouted. He knew how close the elf in front of him was to Legolas and couldn't understand how he could have believed him.
The blonde elf looked down at his hands, feeling incredibly guilty. It is my fault. I knew it was hurting him, but I did nothing to help him.
"Estel, leave him be. He is not at fault. He could have prevented it not. You know that," Elrond scolded his son.
"Iston." He looked down at his hands. Now it was the human's turn to feel guilty. "I am sorry, mellon-nin. I just... I know not." All he wanted to do was find a way to help Legolas so he could recover. He wished that he could have been there for him right when his best friend needed him the most.
Aragorn closed his eyes and felt a lone tear fall down his cheek.
The next morning Legolas woke with a start, sweat glistening on his forehead; his breathing heavy.
"Legolas. What is wrong, mellon-nin?" A stupid question, but something had obviously bothered the elf more, while he slept.
"It-it is true, right?" the blonde elf asked, looking around wildly.
Elrond, the twins and Eitheldol looked at the prince worried.
Aragorn, who was also concerned, looked at his friend, wondering what he was talking about. "Is what true, Legolas?"
"That my father is alive. It was not just a dream?" The archer tried to get out of bed to confirm what a seemingly real dream--that seemed like reality to the elf--had shown.
Aragorn froze in the middle of pushing the blonde back down. It took all he had not to break down crying right then. He couldn't... for Legolas. It definitely wouldn't help the elf's fragile condition... not that his 'dream' had. This dream only made matters worse. It would hurt him even more when they told him, but they really didn't have a choice in the matter. To think that his father was alive and to learn that he really was dead... He just didn't want to think about it.
The human pulled Legolas to him, embracing him tightly.
The blonde was confused by his friend's action. Why did he seem so sad? His father was alive after all, right? Did something else happen?
"Oh, Legolas," Aragorn said with a shaky voice, "I am so sorry." He buried his head into Legolas' golden hair.
The archer tilted his head to the side in confusion. "For what?"
Aragorn didn't have the heart to tell the poor elf so said nothing.
"Estel?" He heard Legolas ask after moments of silence.
"Penneth, your father..." Elrond started, since he knew Aragorn wasn't going to answer. The elf-lord felt terrible and didn't want to either, but it had to be done. "Your father... is not alive," he finished quietly. However, by Legolas' reaction the young elf had obviously heart.
Legolas turned his face away, closing his eyes. He had known. He knew his father wasn't alive, but he wanted him to be so badly that he couldn't help but cling onto the dream.
Aragorn felt wetness on his tunic and his heart skipped a beat. Legolas was crying again! No sound was coming from the elf, but the human felthim shaking from the sobs and the wetness of the tears. He hugged the blonde even tighter, tears making their way down his own face.
The others stared at the two, heart-broken. What could they do? They had to come up with something to help Legolas. But what could they do? It was usually very hard to cure an elf that was fading from grief. It had been done, though. However, Legolas had just suffered the loss all over again.
Elrond beckoned the other three elves (the healer was away at the moment) to follow him outside to discuss this matter. This would also give the two time alone; it could help Legolas. They would have to give the friends time so they could talk, which was no problem.
The others followed him, wondering what the elf-lord had to say.
Elrond quietly closed the doors behind them. He didn't want to disturb the two in such a situation. It was vital that Aragorn helped Legoals.
The twins and Eitheldol waited patiently for the elder elf to speak up. They knew there was a reason he called them out there.
"Eitheldol, do you know of anything that you or any of us could do to help Legolas?" Elrond finally asked after a while of silence.
"Nay," the blonde elf said, dismayed, "I thought Estel would. Or since you are here, you would be able to find something, my lord."
"Mellon-nin, you know not to call me that," the elf-lord said, reminding the younger elf again. Now, wasn't really the time for such trivial matters, but it didn't really matter. Legolas was getting help, or so he hoped and the two needed time.
Eitheldol nodded. He had always known to not call him 'my lord' as Elrond liked to think of him as a friend. It wasn't that the blonde didn't think of him as one, it was just that he had gotten into the habit when he was an elfling. Then, the two didn't really know each other. It wasn't until he became friends with Legolas that they did.
The three lapsed into silence again.
"Is there nothing you can do, Ada?" Elladan asked desperately, hoping there was some way to help their friend.
Elrond thought for a minute. Then he hesitantly replied, "There is one thing. There is an herb that can give him more strength." He held up his hand as his son was about to say something. "However, it can have the opposite reaction sometimes."
That was exactly why Elrond was so reluctant to use it. Usually he knew how it would affect his patient by their condition, however, Legolas' was constantly changing. He only seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. He could try the herb, but it was such a high risk. He didn't know if he'd be able to get the nerve that allowed him to do it.
The elf-lord then decided that he would try it if there was no hope left--besides that last chance. Currently Legolas wasn't in the right state of mind to make such a decision; probably wouldn't be until he got over this. Then it wouldn't even be useful. Aragorn would be devastated if his best friend were to fade, as would everyone else, but the human had a special bond with the archer and vice versa.
The others had just left the room; Aragorn was still embracing the shuddering body of Legolas. He just held him as the tears silently slipped down the elf's face, as well as his own. He didn't know what else he could do.
The human had gotten up onto the bed with the elf to make things more comfortable for both of them and so he would be able to soothe Legolas' pain more, or at least try to.
He didn't know what to do to help and it hurt terribly to watch his friend suffer so.
Minutes later Legolas stopped crying, as did Aragorn, but the elf didn't move from his position.
Aragorn let Legolas stay how he was, knowing how important support was, especially at the moment.
Legolas finally pulled back with a tear stained face. "Hannon le." He smiled sadly.
"I just wish I could take away all your pain," the human said, looking into Legolas' now dull blue eyes that were filled with despair. It broke his heart to see Legolas for forlorn. Even in the worst situations the archer seemed to have some hope or at least pretend to. Now, however, he openly displayed his loss. It was just too much to lose both his mother and father the same way.
"Do you want to talk about it, mellon-nin?" Aragorn asked; it was obvious as to what he was talking about.
Legolas sighed deeply. "There is not much to say. You know what happened and how I feel."
"Aye." He did indeed know. That was the whole reason he was there at the moment after all. "You cannot fade, Legolas," Aragorn half commanded; half pleaded the elf.
"It is not as if I want to," the blonde elf said quietly. "It… it is just so relaxing when the darkness comes," he continued, remembering how it felt when he had first succumbed to the darkness. He had been reluctant to leave it, but had felt the strong and hopeful presence of the human and had to return to his friends, who were like family. That was the reason he had yet to give into his grief.
The elf's comment scared him greatly. He was actually relaxed when so close to fading? It was also disturbing to hear the elf talk to kindly about darkness. Legolas was one of and for light. However, he could tell by Leoglas' blissful look from that one sentence that he truly wouldn't mind the darkness he spoke of. Something was holding him back, though; whatever it was he was thankful for.
"The pain of my father's… passing is terrible, and too much," Legolas said with a shaky voice.
"Iston, mellon-nin." Aragorn placed his hand on the elf's shoulder comfortingly. "Know that I am here for you… always."
Legolas nodded. He knew this. The human had been nothing but supportive through everything he had been through, no matter how small the matter was.
"You need to survive… for your father. He would not wish for you to fade, especially because of him," the ranger paused, watching Legolas for a reaction.
The elf stiffened. Legolas knew that Aragorn spoke the truth. The human saw an extreme sadness fall in place on the elf's face. He was doing the exact opposite as his father would wish. The pain in his chest grew as these thoughts went through his mind.
"You know just as well as I that you need to take over his position as king," Aragorn continued. "Everyone knows you shall do an excellent job, too."
"I-I know. It… is just so overwhelming," the distressed elf admitted, which was unusual for him. Normally he would suffer in silence; not telling anyone, like he had done so before. That was one main reason why he was in his current condition.
Aragorn felt terrible for the elf, especially seeing the sadness that reflected in his dull blue eyes.
The human nodded, knowing how much pain he had to be going through. He was on the verge of fading after all. Thinking of his friend's pain only brought tears to his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. He had to be strong and support Legolas.
"Just… please remember that I am here, my--your family, as well as your kingdom." He felt he had to instill this in the elf's mind. Hopefully it would help him when he needed it most. He had just said it not too long ago, but he knew that at the moment there were no words that could help Legolas, and that anything he would say would probably only cause more pain.
The human could tell his friend still wasn't ready to talk about it anymore than he had, little as it was…
Legolas thought about what Aragorn had told him and was deeply touched. He also felt bad for making his friend worry so much. He was letting down his father, as well.
He could feel his chest tighten. His breath hitched and became labored soon after.
Aragorn had watched the archer's face change as thoughts went through his mind; changing his emotions quickly. Comfort. Guilt. Helplessness. Pain.
Then he saw that the elf was having problems breathing. "Legolas!" he shouted, alarmed. Legolas was doing better seconds ago; now he seemed worse.
The human heard four elves rush into the room but paid no attention to them, only trying to calm Legolas down. It didn't seem to be working, however.
"I shall use the herb only as a last resort," Elrond told the three elves that were in front of him.
They nodded, understanding that the elf-lord didn't wish to compromise Legolas' health anymore than he had to.
"Do you think—" Eitheldol was cut off by a frantic shout of Legolas' name.
They wasted no time and ran into the room, where they found Aragorn desperately trying to calm his friend down. Legolas seemed unable to control his breathing.
Elrond quickly went to the two. "What happened?" he asked, near-panic.
"I shall explain later," the human said quickly. "We must focus only on him at the moment."
The elder elf nodded. He was amazed at how calm his son was acting in such a situation. He didn't know if he should appreciate it or be even more concerned.
Aragorn had still been sitting in the bed next to Legolas so just pulled him close so the elf could feel his own breathing rate. "Come on, mellon-nin. Breathe with me," he said soothingly, worry etched in his voice.
There was nothing the elf-lord could do at the moment so he watched in concern, feeling helpless. He knew Legolas was in good hands, though. Usually he would be in his son's position, but Aragorn had been there right when it happened. It really did not matter either way. The only thing that did matter was that the archer was getting the help he needed; nothing else.
Legolas couldn't breathe; he started to panic. He heard Aragorn tell him something, but his voice sounded so far away and he couldn't understand what was being said. He vaguely felt someone pull him into an embrace.
He gasped for air, trying to regain his breath and failing miserably. Grey started to fill his vision.
"Legolas!" He heard someone shout from far away. Then the darkness came for him and he gladly accepted it.
Aragorn felt Legolas' body go limp in his arms. He immediately checked for a pulse. His body froze when he found nothing. Not even a faint pulse.
"Ada!" he yelled terrified. "Help him, he isn't breathing!"
Elrond's heart froze at the words, but he was still instantly at the human's side.
Aragorn moved out of his father's way, wanting nothing more than for Legolas to draw air again.
The twins and Eitheldol looked on in horror as the elf-lord tried to revive the prince.
Don't hurt me! I promise the next chapter will be out soon! I'll prob'ly post it during this weekend, if not sooner. I already have most of it written. This also would have been out sooner if my internet didn't go down. My power flickered on and off a few times, too, which was actually the cause of it goin' down… -.- It really sucked.
Review Responses (I can finally do them!)
Melkiah Virnasel – First off, I'm really sorry if I spelt your name wrong! Please forgive me if I did! n.n And thanks so much for the review. n.n
Raku ozzarian princess – Lol... well, thanks for that.. I'm actually surprised I got this much reviews. n.n You were goin' to make a fic like this, too? Aww, I sorry then. n.n;; Thanks so much for the review! n.n
TONIANNE – Thanks! It woulda been out sooner, but the freakin' power…. --hisses-- Heh.. just ignore that…. n.n;;;
K Dog – Thanks for the review!
Zammy – I will, I will. n.n
empath89 – thanks, thanks. n.n
IwishChan – Aww, you did? ;-; I sorry! I didn't mean to make anyone cry! ….kinda…. --shifts eyes-- I really am sorry, though…
acuamaine – O.O Wow… thanks so much! I never expected to get such a review for that chapter! Thanks so much! n.n Hmm, your name looks familiar…. --ponders--
sielge – Thanks... hope ya liked this chapter as well! n.n
galadriel evenstar – Yeah, poor Legolas… ;-;
Lynx Yamato – Thanks! n.n Hope ya liked this chapter, too! n.n
Deana – Yeah, the poor elf!
Wow, you guys! Thanks so much for reviewing! You have no idea how much it means to me. It makes my day, seriously. I didn't expect to get such a response, either. Thanks again! n.n
And I can finally post this! Yayness! n.n
Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter. And the next one will be out sometime this weekend. I promise! If it isn't then…. well, you can do… something… o.O Yes, yes, something…
I'll shut up now!
Plz Review!
Ja ne