Chapter Nineteen:
The first thing that drew Aragorn's gaze was the gash in Kayla's side. It was so deep that it had nearly torn her body in two. The second thing he noticed, however, was that Legolas was still talking to her, as if she could still hear him. And that proceeded to break Aragorn's heart. He hadn't known Kayla long enough to deeply mourn her passing, but he had known Legolas for as long as she could remember, and to see his friend hurt so much caused a physical pain deep in his chest.
Aragorn feared for Legolas. It was well known that Elves were immortal to all things but one. A broken heart. Aragorn knew that Kayla's death had caused Legolas' heart to break into pieces so small they could pass through the eye of a needle. There had to be some way to save Legolas from passing on to be with Kayla. Aragorn knew it was not yet Legolas' time to breathe his last. But he had no idea how to prevent it.
A gentle hand on his shoulder caused Legolas to look away from his love, and into the face of his long time friend and brother. There were no words that could express the utter agony that swept through his body in waves; all he could do was look, his eyes dull and lifeless. They stared at each other, until the flood of tears resumed their course, and Legolas bent his head, his body wracked with anguish. It was this that caused Aragorn to bend and pull his friend into a much-needed hug, hoping to absorb some of the pain he felt. By this stage the rest of the Fellowship had taken care of the few remaining Orcs and Uruk-Hai, and had gathered a distance away, to see what had happened. All they saw was their leader embracing their sorrow-ridden friend, who in turn was cradling the lifeless body of the newcomer to their group. That was all they needed to see. They then knew what had happened.
"Come, Legolas. We must leave this place. The Dark Shadow is growing. It is no longer safe to be here. We must retreat, to decide out next move." Aragorn released his friend, and stood. Legolas did not heed his words. "Legolas, we must move."
"N'uma. Amin n'lemb he na'ereb. No. I will not leave her to be alone.>"
"You must come. We cannot linger." Aragorn cast a fleeting glance to their surroundings. There was no immediate danger, all the Orcs and Uruk-Hai were dead, but he could feel that there was more to come. And it would come soon.
"Amin n'lemb he na'ereb." There was no life in Legolas' voice. Hearing the dull tone of his friend's voice made Aragorn worry. He tried the last thing he could think of. He slapped Legolas in the side of the head.
"Tanya farnura. That will suffice.>" Aragorn's tone was harsh, causing not only Legolas to stare at him, but the rest of the Fellowship as well. "Nai saian luume'. Cormamin niuve ten' lle, nan amin eleaya lle nyeer iire lye hae tuulo' sina ramen'. I'goth sal' tula. It has been too long. My heart weeps for you, but I would see you grieve when we are far from this place. The enemy still comes.>"
Legolas tore his gaze from the face of his dead love and gazed up at the man standing over him. He made no effort to move, he had no strength left for such a venture. Instead he sat, gazing upward, making no move to wipe away the tears still coursing down his face. But when he spoke, his voice gained some strength.
"Let them come. I will not leave her to be alone."
He paid no heed to Faramir as he approached them. His whole world consisted of the woman lying motionless in his arms. He did not hear Faramir whisper to Aragorn, "The enemy move quickly. They will reach us before night has set in." He did not see the worried glances passed from member of the Fellowship to member. He did not hear the concerned murmurings. All that concerned him was how quickly the heat was leaving the body of his love, and how he could feel a few silken strands of her dark hair blowing across his face. He did not care for the darkening of the day; he only cared for the paleness of the face lying still before him.
So when a deep rumbling and blinding flash came from the direction of the Black Gates, Legolas did not even stir. The rest of the Fellowship did, however. They drew their swords and spun to where the light was emanating from. So it was a great surprise to see Shadowfax speeding towards them, bearing Gandalf, who held his staff high in to the air. He was the source of the great light. Shadowfax slowed to a halt beside where the group was gathered. He looked on to their sombre faces, but his own showed no surprise. It was then that Aragorn realised that Gandalf had known Kayla would die long before that day.
"We must hurry. I bought as much time as I could, but it will not slow them down much." Gandalf did not give the slightest bit of recognition to Kayla's death. Aragorn took him by the arm and drew him a small distance away from the group.
"Legolas refuses to leave. He says he can't leave her behind to be subjected to the enemy. I've tried everything, he will not move."
Gandalf looked knowingly at Aragorn. "Oh, he will move. Indeed he will."
In three short strides, Gandalf was beside Legolas. He pushed him out of the way with his staff, then gently leant down and gathered the limp body of Kayla into his arms. Legolas started to cry out but one sharp glance from Gandalf silenced him. Gandalf wrapped Kayla in his own white cloak and laid her across the back of Shadowfax. He then spoke a few words to the horse in a low voice before turning back to the group.
"We are leaving." There was no room for protestation. The group gathered themselves and started their hasty retreat from the Black Gates and the doom of legions of the enemy sent to stop them.