Beta: Laura and Tsunami Warning: A bit of violence and attempted non-con Disclaimer: Aragorn and Legolas both belong to Tolkien, as do many of the supporting cast and I do solemnly swear I am making no profit from this.
Authors Notes: This was written in September 2003 and published in November 2003 in the Melethryn #1 fanzine.
Part 5
After witnessing the elf being locked into the small cell that would serve as his tomb Cadofel walked awkwardly back to the main chamber. His body was still achingly hard but he ignored it. It was time to finish this and return to his estates. Harodel rested where he had been left, the one man set to watch over him sufficient to guard against the non existent threat he posed.
"Lord Harodel, you should never have set your sights so high," he said cruelly. He turned to Jarik. "See to it that he gets outside the city but make sure he does not live to tell anyone the truth." Cadofel turned away from the bound man and left the room signalling his dismissal of the whole company.
Harodel could only look on with wide, frightened eyes as the large man Cadofel had appointed as his executioner moved closer.
Aragorn had been unable to go back to sleep, his thoughts unsettled by the feeling that he was missing something and that combined with the feeling that Legolas was calling to him kept his brain far too active to allow for relaxation. He had no destination in mind yet he found that his feet had drawn him to the guest wings. He was about to turn around and head back to his own suite when he heard voices. He thought it strange that any of Gondor's nobles would be awake at this time of night and not wishing to alert them to his presence he eased forward until he could just see around the bend in the corridor.
When he saw Froyen standing before Lord Cadofel he was surprised. Froyen was supposed to be Harodel's servant, why then would he be calling upon the other noble at this hour. His confusion deepened as he watched Cadofel idly stroke the young man's cheek, the younger man seeming to lean into the touch, trying to deepen it. Cadofel chuckled and pressed his lips against the younger man's forehead before stepping back into his room. With a small smile of satisfaction Froyen turned away and made his way down the corridor towards Lord Harodel's rooms.
Aragorn called upon long unused skills to slip quietly away and back to his own chambers. The king spent the remainder of the night preparing a plan of action in order to prove his new suspicions. When the sun rose above the tree line he sent our messengers to summon both his son and Gimli to him along with Corlis.
When they had all assembled before him he told them what he had seen last night. Eldarion reacted with wide eyed disbelief, whilst Corlis retained his impassive expression, Gimli however was not one to retain his emotion and it took them all a fair amount of time to calm him down, and then only successfully after Aragorn had explained his plans for that morning. Corlis nodded swiftly and left to obey his king's instructions.
Froyen tried to hide his unease as he was summoned before the king. He thought quickly to remind himself of what he had previously told his monarch, satisfied that he wouldn't trip himself up he entered the king's study, his disquiet grew at the impassive expression on Aragorn's face and the sight of the prince, the Lord Gimli and the king's chief bodyguard Corlis all standing at the king's side.
"Froyen, thank you for coming, I was hoping that you could assist us further with our enquiries," the king said.
Froyen nodded, his tongue darting out to wet suddenly dry lips. "Of course Your Majesty, anything I can do to be of service," he quickly sketched a respectful bow.
Aragorn smiled, however the young servant was anything but reassured. "Good, perhaps you can tell me then why you were seen leaving Lord Cadofel's chambers last night when I ordered you to remain in your own lord's rooms," Aragorn said, his tone light as though asking the time of the day.
Froyen froze, his panicked gaze flew around the room as if seeking an escape before reluctantly moving back to the king who still stared at him with that bland regard. "Your Majesty?" he asked seeking to add confusion to his tone and buy himself some more time.
"Where is your lord?" the king asked suddenly, all warmth leaching from his gaze as his icy regard impaled the younger man.
"I...I do not know Sire, I have not seen my lord since before his disappearance," Froyen stuttered.
"So you refuse to admit you and your lord are in collusion with Lord Cadofel and between you have kidnapped Legolas?" Gimli growled out.
"Gimli," Aragorn said sharply but his gaze remained fixed on the younger man.
Feeling a little more certain Froyen answered the dwarf. "Indeed I do deny it Lord Gimli, Lord Cadofel has long been a benefactor of my family, when he heard of Lord Harodel's disappearance and his possible involvement in the kidnapping of Prince Legolas he sought only to comfort me and bid me come to his rooms. Forgive me Your Majesty I know that you ordered me to remain in Lord Harodel's room but I thought it would be unforgivably rude of me to ignore Lord Cadofel."
Aragorn frowned before nodding. "Very well Froyen thank you. You may leave now."
Froyen smiled and bowed to the king and prince before turning and departing. The king shared a look amongst the people who remained in the room. He was disrupted from commenting by a knock at the door. Frowning he gestured for Corlis to answer it. There were a few hushed words spoken before the door opened and the bodyguard allowed a younger man from his command to enter. Sharing a swift look the older man nodded for the young guardsman to continue.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, Lord Gimli. We have found Lord Harodel," he announced.
Aragorn pushed back his surprise. "Where was he?" he asked sharply.
"We found him outside the city, not too far into the forest. One of the returning search party's came across him, but Sire he was not alone. We attempted to take the other man into custody, unfortunately though, he was killed." The young guardsman paused. "Sire, Prince Legolas was not with them, but Lord Harodel has been grievously wounded. We did our best to aid him but I fear he may not last very long," the guard said apologetically.
The king frowned. "Is he conscious at all?" He was given a negative answer. "Very well, bring him to a private healing room and have that room guarded at all times, I will see to him myself. We can but hope that he will regain consciousness long enough to tell us what has happened to Legolas."
The young guard nodded and left swiftly.
Aragorn tried not to let his shock show when he entered the healing rooms. Lord Harodel lay on one of the healing beds, however his head had been so badly distorted by bruising and swelling that it was hard to see how the search party had identified him beyond recognising his clothing and the signet ring he still wore. He moved over to the bed to do a more detailed examination and immediately noted swelling around both eyes and bruising underneath which seemed to indicate a fracture of the man's skull. He also noted with dismay the traces of blood at the ears, which was a sign of internal pressure and bleeding. He quickly made a check of the rest of Harodel's body which seemed miraculously untouched aside from a bruise or two on his torso and marks on the man's wrists which looked suspiciously like rope burns.
Putting aside that discovery for later the king began to work towards saving the man's life, if only for him to regain consciousness long enough to tell them of Legolas.
"How is he?" Gimli asked as soon as Aragorn entered the room.
Aragorn sighed wearily taking a seat before responding to the dwarf. "I have done all I can but even I cannot be certain he will live to see the dawn."
"How then are we to discover what happened to Legolas, father?" Eldarion asked.
Aragorn looked up at his son and friend. "I have been thinking about that and I think it would only be right for Froyen to attend his lord during this difficult time," he said with a glint in his eyes.
Froyen was escorted to the private healing room of Lord Harodel with the king's sincerest hope that having so caring and loyal a manservant as Froyen, the Gondorian noble would perhaps stand more of a chance of recovery. As he was left alone with his noble lord Froyen assessed the wounded man. The king seemed to think that Lord Harodel stood a good chance of recovering swiftly, that they had been lucky to find him as they had. Froyen knew though, that Harodel must never see the light of day again, he knew what he had to do.
He waited a few hours to be sure he would be left alone and then he carefully approached the bed. He looked down upon the man for whom he had spent his entire life in service to and sneered. This man was weak and foolish and Gondor would not miss him. Reaching out he placed both hands around the man's neck his thumbs meeting over the windpipe and gently began to exert pressure.
Harodel did not react immediately but after a short time his body began to protest at the lack of air, gasping and straining beneath Froyen's hands.
"Goodbye my lord," the servant said gleefully as he watched the life begin to drain from the older man.
He froze as he felt a sharp point at his neck. "I would release him if you wish to remain attached to your head," a voice said quietly in his ear, and in reaction to both the command and his own surprise, Froyen did as he had been bid. "Good, now move over to the wall," the voice said again and with a heart clenching terror Froyen recognised the harsh tone of the king's voice. He had no choice but to obey and moved quietly to stand by the wall.
"Gimli watch him," the king ordered as he quickly checked on the status of the injured lord.
Finding Harodel's health had not been adversely affected he moved to the door to allow his guards to enter. He ordered them to bind the younger man and have him escorted to a cell where he would join them shortly. Gimli left with the guards and Aragorn quickly called for a healer to sit with Harodel, to ensure that there were no repercussions from Froyen's attack.
He quickly made his way down to the palace cells in order to interrogate his prisoner but upon stepping down into the lower levels of the palace he felt a strange sense of urgency. He was unable to determine what was making him feel this way and so shrugged away the feeling, before continuing on to the cell where Froyen was being detained.
When he arrived the young man had already been secured in chains and attached to the wall of his cell. His face held a hint of defiance and bravado but Aragorn did not wish to waste any time playing with the lad.
"You speak of Lord Cadofel as a benefactor," he began. "Know this, I can be both benefactor and executioner, defy me and not only will you pay the price, but you will first be made to watch as your family suffers," the king said, his eyes reflecting only menace.
Froyen felt all defiance melt away from him at the look in the king's eyes and understood finally that he was standing before the man who had roused the armies of Gondor and Rohan and marched up to the black gates of Mordor. He felt shame as he lost control of his bladder and a warm gush of his own urine trickled down his legs.
"Forgive me my lord, I had no choice. He would have taken my life had I not," he wailed piteously.
"Who?" Aragorn demanded.
Hanging his head in defeat one word escaped the desperate young man. "Cadofel."
"Explain to me why." Aragorn ordered.
"Sire, I know not the reasons, only that he was to take Lord Harodel and the elf and then make you believe that Lord Harodel had stolen the elf in order to deflect your attentions away from himself," Froyen got out, eager now to assist.
"And did you see where he was holding them?" Gimli demanded moving forward to look up at the captive man.
Froyen shook his head. "I swear my lords I did not. I know nothing other than what Lord Cadofel has spoken in my presence."
Aragorn did not respond any further, instead he spun and left the cell with Gimli at his heels. He made his way back up to the palace summoning Corlis to escort Lord Cadofel to him.
Corlis wasted little time and shortly after Aragorn had settled himself in his private audience room with Eldarion at his right and Gimli at his left Corlis arrived with a loudly protesting Lord Cadofel.
"What is the meaning of this? Within a matter of days I have been summoned in this rude and offensive manner before the king and I demand an apology, I have done nothing wrong," the older Gondorian said volubly.
"Bring him before me," King Elessar in all his majesty sat straight in his chair, his bleak regard fixed on the man being summoned into his presence.
Cadofel was ushered forward and as he met the wintry gaze of the king he felt the first stirrings of fear touch his heart.
"Where is he?" the king bit out menacingly.
Cadofel did not respond immediately, his gaze flicking around the room to assess those within. "I do not know to whom Your Majesty refers," he said finally in a disinterested tone, his body carefully assuming a nonchalant pose.
Aragorn stood so quickly that it startled Cadofel into taking a step back, which brought him into contact with the steady hand of Corlis who pushed him forward once more.
"Do not lie to me," Aragorn said, his voice cracking with the intensity of a whip.
Cadofel saw defeat staring him in the face and he rallied, attempting to salvage something. "I want safe passage from Gondor with a promise that you will not place a bounty on my head and allow me to keep my amassed wealth," the Gondorian Lord said quickly.
Aragorn stared hard at the Gondorian. His nostrils flaring as he attempted to control his rage enough not to smite the sorry excuse for a man before he got what he wanted. "Denied! You will never again leave this city. Now tell me where he is before I have you dragged down to the dungeons and forcibly beat it out of you myself."
Cadofel laughed which caused Aragorn to pause for a moment. "I am afraid that Prince Legolas cannot afford to wait for you to break me," he said in a sneering voice.
"Why?" A soft voice asked and Cadofel turned to look at Prince Eldarion.
"Why? I shall tell you Your Highness. It is because Prince Legolas snubbed my attentions, because he sullied himself by taking that pathetic Harodel to his bed. Because your father humiliated me in front of the entire court of Gondor. Because I could. Because I wanted to." Cadofel said, and turned back to face the king. "You see the part you yourself have played in the destruction of your friend. This was the perfect revenge, to punish the elf, his lover, and his friend. I am very satisfied with the way things have turned out. No matter what you do to me now, I shall know I have defeated the mighty King of Gondor."
Aragorn snarled, his rage a barely controlled force of nature. "Take him to the dungeons. I will deal with him myself."
Corlis nodded and escorted the now compliant Gondorian lord from the room. As soon as Cadofel had left the room Aragorn sank back down to his chair, his face seeming to age with the crushing weight of despair.
"It is my fault," he stated bleakly. "Legolas is lost to us and it is because of me." The king felt the guilt washing through him, to know that his actions had played an important part in the loss of his love. Worse still was the jealousy that cut him like a knife at the memory of Cadofel's words, that Legolas had taken Harodel to his bed whilst denying Aragorn's own love for the prince.
"Legolas is not lost yet," he heard Gimli say but he could not summon the energy to lift his head and look at his friend.
"Gimli is right father. We must continue the search. We can now call the search parties back into the city for we can assume now that Cadofel never removed Lord Harodel or Legolas from within the city walls, to do so and still remain within the public eye of the palace would have been impossible," Eldarion said.
"Perhaps we should look within the palace itself since Cadofel never appeared to leave," Gimli suggested. "Aragorn you have made it your business to know this palace intimately. Is there anywhere that Cadofel could have hidden Legolas once he took him?"
Aragorn looked up finally. "Hide? I do not know Gimli," he said distractedly. "I cannot think, there is a crushing presence around me it feels like the walls are closing in upon me like..." he broke off suddenly, sitting straight in his chair. "The dungeons," he announced suddenly, rising quickly and moving towards the door.
"Aragorn wait, what are you talking about?" Gimli shouted as he and Eldarion took off after the now running king. "Aragorn! You block headed human."
They finally caught up with him when they reached the palace dungeons. Aragorn stood in one of the central corridors with his eyes closed and his head tilted to one side.
"I can feel him," the king said as Gimli and Eldarion moved to his side. He tilted his head again before taking off at a brisk walk. The dwarf and prince shared a look before shrugging and following after the man.
Aragorn made his way through the dungeons, stopping at every junction to confirm in which direction the feelings of crushing weight felt strongest. He abstractedly noticed that they were heading deeper under the palace, the corridors becoming dustier and empty and he realised with a sick thought that it was entirely possible for someone to be locked away down here and never been seen again, so long had this part of the dungeons been unused. He had taken a torch from one of the still functioning parts of the prison and he used this now to light his way through the dark, dank stone that surrounded him.
He felt the sense of urgency goading him on increase and he realised he was getting close to the source of the feelings of despair he had tapped into. He started calling out Legolas' name as he made his way further and deeper.
Eldarion and Gimli each with a torch of their own, followed the king into the darkness. One shared look revealed that both realised the king was unaware of their presence, his whole being bent on discovering where Legolas lay hidden and so they remained close by, knowing that the king would require assistance once the elf was discovered. In a stroke of genius Eldarion had picked up some stone and had been marking their passage through the corridors in order to ensure they could find their way back out.
Aragorn halted as he stepped into a new corridor, the weight of the despair almost bringing him to his knees. He forced himself to move onwards knowing that he was so close, and soon found himself standing before a door, rusty with age but still obviously solid. He almost wailed as he realised that he had no key for the door. His fist hit the metal and he winced in response as he felt pain burst along his nerve endings.
"Move aside lad," a gentle voice said and he realised with a start that Eldarion and Gimli had followed him. Eldarion took his arm and the king allowed himself reluctantly to be moved aside so Gimli could assess the door.
"Can you open it?" he asked his friend quietly.
Gimli took in the solid weight of the door and knew he'd need his tools to break in, but dwarves were smart and if there was anything a dwarf could do best it was working with stone and metals. His eyes alighted on the door's hinges and he smiled in triumph. Simple!
He took a small hatchet from his belt before moving towards the bottom hinge. Turning the hatchet over he used the blunt end to begin tapping the bottom of the peg that secured the door's hinge to the frame.
Aragorn and Eldarion looked on in astonishment and growing hope as Gimli carefully eased the peg from the door. Once the dwarf had finished he gestured for Aragorn to approach.
"I need your help laddie, I cannot reach the top hinge," the dwarf explained and handed his hatchet over to the man.
Following Gimli's example Aragorn made short work on the remaining hinge. He then used the blade of the hatchet to ease the door away from the frame, allowing space for his fingers to grip. He passed the tool back to the dwarf and with a deep breath he pulled. His arm muscles bunched tightly as he exerted all his strength in pulling back the metal, but he encountered resistance from where the tumblers in the lock secured the door to the other part of the frame. Then two more pairs of hands were helping him and together they pulled until with a final groan the door moved back far enough for them to gain access to the room.
The room within was black and Aragorn looked around for his torch. He saw the extinguished item lying on the floor near the cell and realised he must have thrown it down upon his arrival here, then Eldarion was there passing him his own torch. Aragorn took it gratefully and almost fearfully he allowed it to cast a light upon the contents of the room.
"No!" he exclaimed, almost dropping the torch in response to what he saw. Common sense halted him at the last moment and turning he thrust the item back into the hands of his son before quickly moving forward.
Lying still, in a pool of his own blood was the elf, his features slack and his eyes glazed. He was so pale that Aragorn feared they had arrived too late, and then uttered a swift prayer to the Valar as he found a weak pulse under his questing fingertips.
"He is alive," he announced and was met with relieved gasps. "We must get him out of here and quickly," Aragorn said and his searching hands and eyes began to take in the grievous wounds inflicted upon the elf.
Moving forward the king gently scooped the injured elf into his arms, knowing that he could cause further harm by moving the prince but knowing also that he did not have time to waste.
Using Eldarion's clever guides they made their way swiftly through the dungeons back to the upper levels. They began to pass guards startled by the appearance of their royal family and honoured guests, one of whom was lying insensate in the king's arms. Aragorn ignored them all his focus intent on reaching his goal, the Halls of Healing.
Once they arrived Legolas was placed into a secure private room and with guards maintaining a presence outside Aragorn set to work on the elf's injuries. He quickly ran his hands over the prince's body trying to determine where the injuries were located. He then thoroughly cleaned the stabs and gashes before carefully bandaging them. He set the broken bones, splinting them to keep them immobile whilst they healed. Aragorn also found signs of a head injury, which looked to be days old, that had begun healing and as he went about this Eldarion and Gimli watched quietly from the side of the room.
"How is he?" Gimli asked hesitantly.
"Will he recover?" Eldarion asked.
The king frowned. "It is not good. He has been hurt badly but I fear that is not the worst of it. I have set the bones that were broken and treated the other wounds but his soul has retreated and I do not know if we can call it back to his body."
Nothing could be said to such heartbreaking news and so both friends sat in silence as they awaited assistance.
"He will come back to us," Gimli said with confidence. "He has no other choice."
Aragorn smiled half-heartedly. "I pray you are right Master dwarf, now please Eldarion come here and lift his upper body a little. We must begin giving him fluids to help replace those he has lost."
Eldarion moved forward sitting at the head of the bed and helping to lift Legolas into a half sitting position mindful always of the elf's injuries, but he was disturbed by the blank eyes of the elf. Aragorn approached with a tumbler of water and herbs and placed it against Legolas' lips. He tipped a little of the water into the prince's mouth but this evoked no reaction. Sighing Aragorn used one hand to massage the prince's throat, assisting him in swallowing. He continued until he had forced Legolas to swallow the contents of the tumbler, indicating then that Eldarion could place him back down.
"Now we must wait," Aragorn said.
Days passed swiftly without any change in the elven prince's status. Aragorn was forced to leave Legolas' side more often than he wanted in order to see to things that his ministers could not handle alone. Gimli remained a constant presence at the elf's side, with Eldarion joining him as often as possible, yet Legolas remained oblivious. Aragorn grew more concerned as he noted that the elven ability to heal swiftly did not seem to be aiding the prince. He was beginning to lose hope that they would have the elf returned to them whole and hale.
It was painful to watch the gashes on Legolas' body heal with the same speed as that of a mortal, which now appeared to be at a snail's pace for the elf's waiting friends. After five days of waiting, having forced liquids down Legolas' throat, changing bandages and otherwise praying to their respective gods Aragorn felt he could wait no more.
He moved to sit on the bed beside the elven prince. "Legolas," he called in a demanding tone, but there was no change in the vacant eyes. "Legolas, hear me. I will not allow you to fade away in this manner. You are stronger than this. You are the son of a king and your duty is to your people and to your friends. Now I demand that you cease this nonsense and arise."
There was a hopeful silence in which the three mortals awaited the reaction to these words. The hope faded though as no response was forthcoming.
"I do not know what else to do," Aragorn cried despairingly. "Still I feel the crushing weight of his despair, the feeling that every wall is getting closer, and will box me in until I'm buried alive. Curse this stone I..." A look of revelation crossed the king's features.
"Aragorn what is it?" Gimli asked in growing concern as the king began to hit his own head.
"Stupid, I am so foolish, I should have realised. We need to take Legolas outside now. He needs to feel fresh air on his body, he needs to reaffirm his bond with Arda. All this stone surrounding him it is killing him slowly. Come help me with him," Aragorn ordered and using blankets he made a sling in which he could safely carry Legolas outside to the gardens.
Many of the palace's occupants stopped to watch in amazement as their king came out of the Halls of Healing carrying the still body of the elven prince, their own crown prince and the dwarf lord trailing behind him.
Aragorn knew exactly where to go and he swiftly allowed his feet to carry him to the spot where Legolas would commune with nature every morning. He gently placed the prince down onto the grass, carefully moving the Prince's hands until the long pale fingers rested upon the green shoots.
He sat back with Gimli and Eldarion on the other side of the elf, to wait and to watch. They sat for half an hour in silence, each of them silently hoping to see movement or a flicker of awareness from their friend.
Aragorn found that he could not look at Legolas' face without seeing the vacant eyes staring up at him and he instead focused on his friend's long graceful hand. A finger appeared to twitch and Aragorn blinked to make sure his vision had not betrayed him. He held his breath to see if it would happen again, and was rewarded a moment later when the fingers twitched again. Then slowly the fingers curled slightly feeling the grass beneath them.
Hoping against all hope Aragorn lifted his gaze back up to the elf's face. The features remained slack but under the king's watchful gaze the elf prince blinked.
"Legolas!" he exclaimed, surprised, joyful, and amazed all at once. He gently took the prince's hand into his own, squeezing slightly to offer reassurance. "Legolas awake," he called again softly. Then the head turned slightly towards him.
From the moment his spirit had retreated from the darkness and stone Legolas had been aware of nothing. His mind drifted in a sea of emptiness in which nothing could touch him, but it was not like elven reverie where his mind could wander freely, resting his body at the same time.
Awareness has returned slowly. At first just a feeling of warmth upon his skin, then gradually he was aware of something under his fingertips. Something that felt soft and full of life. Smells began to filter through his nose, smells he was familiar with, tree blossom, grass, flowers, animal musk, sweat.
He became aware of his hand being taken by a larger one, the skin dry and calloused against his own. The hand squeezed and Legolas drew a strange sense of comfort from the touch. He blinked. A voice called his name, a voice he knew and he turned his head slowly towards the voice, his eyes slowly focussing.
"'gorn," the harsh rasp escaped from his lips surprising him
"Legolas, thank the Valar," Aragorn said his free hand moving to stroke the elf's cheek.
"You've had us mighty worried Master Elf," Gimli said brusquely. "I'll thank you not to do so again."
"Gi'li," Legolas rasped, his throat dry and rough from disuse.
"Rest Legolas, all is well now," Aragorn said softly, his hand gently brushing aside the golden locks of hair. His hand paused in its ministrations at the prince's next words.
"Hurts," Legolas managed to get out. "Bright." He closed his eyes to block out the now painful light that overloaded his senses. The pain that had began to slowly encroach upon his new awareness hit now with full force and Legolas moaned softly as his body made him aware of its injuries.
"Legolas, perhaps we should get you back inside, you are still very ill," Aragorn said. He was answered with another moan as Legolas shook his head in disagreement. Aragorn sighed. "Very well, we shall stay out here for a short time, but I want you to take some more water and some herbs that will help with the pain. Keep your eyes closed for a while, I shall get you some shade so you can adjust slowly."
Legolas did not argue, only whimpering a little as his body was lifted enough for the water to be tipped into his mouth. He swallowed the liquid as it trickled into his mouth and it helped to ease his sore throat. Aragorn's herbs worked quickly and Legolas felt the pain subside to a dull ache.
As the sunlight warmed his body he felt awareness flow back more fully and he felt his body rejoice in it's reunion with the natural life of his surroundings. A tingling began to spread through his body and the prince realised that until now his body had not begun healing. The tingling, which was indicative of his healing powers beginning their regenerating, increased until Legolas was aware of his whole body.
He sighed and for the first time since his capture he felt himself pulled into the elven dream world where his mind and body could rest and recover, his eyes remaining closed.
Aragorn watched carefully as Legolas seemed to relax into the grass beneath him. He saw the prince's breathing even out and smiled as he realised that the elf had simply fallen asleep. He decided that Legolas would suffer no harm if he remained outside for another hour or two and then he would return him to his room, not in the Halls of Healing but in his own brighter airier room with the large balcony that looked out over the gardens.
When Legolas woke again he was at first confused. His breath hitched in his throat when he sensed the presence of stone around him but as awareness reached him and his senses sharpened he realised this place felt different from the cell he had been left in. There was an openness to this place that was friendlier and more familiar and opening his eyes with a start, Legolas realised he was in his own chambers. Someone had thoughtfully left the balcony doors wide open to allow the sounds of the garden below to reach him.
A gentle knock at the door startled the elven prince, but whoever was at the door waited a few moments before opening the door.
"Legolas?" Aragorn's softly spoken voice penetrated the room. When Legolas did not protest his presence he stepped further into the room. "I have come to check on you," he said. "Are you still in pain? Do not try to be brave my friend. I will give you some herbs to reduce the pain, but I promise they will not make you sleep. How would you like to go outside again later?" the king asked, and was rewarded with a lightening in the prince's features, as the elf nodded in response.
Legolas paused for a moment as his still dry throat tried to form a word and Aragorn leaned closer to hear. "Did you find Lord Harodel?" The question had been bothering him since his return to consciousness.
Jealousy pierced Aragorn as Legolas tried to form the name of the man Cadofel has called the elf's lover. He swallowed it down not wanting to distress his friend.
"We found him, still alive. He was beaten badly but is recovering in the Halls of Healing," he said and saw the relief that was evident on the elf's face. "I should leave you to your rest, I will send in a healer with the herbs to dull the pain and arrange for Gimli to sit with you outside later on," he said standing, suddenly eager to leave the room.
Legolas frowned in confusion and had no time to protest as Aragorn quickly departed. He did not know what might have caused this sudden change in behaviour when only days ago he had been eager to claim the prince's body for his own. Perhaps I am no longer attractive to him, Legolas thought with a pained sigh and wished that his epiphany with regards to his feelings for Aragorn had not come to him at all. He regretted his decision to send his comrades back to Ithilien, wishing strongly for the company of an elf, to hear a light ballad or two to soothe his troubled spirit.
End of Part 5
tbc