Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Author's Note: Sorry for leaving you with that terrible cliffhanger. Will Legolas and Aragorn accept Atavus for who she is or not? Let's find out.
Acceptance or Rejection?
After revealing her secret Atavus stood and walked to the edge of the camp they had made. Her legs were still shaky from being ill, but she could not sit there while they stared at her in disbelief. The tears were truly flowing down her cheeks now, but with her back to them they could not see.
Aragorn looked at Legolas. He saw anger there, and knew what his friend must be feeling. Legolas broke the silence first.
"You should have told us before you did what you did."
She heard his words and knew what they meant. Her blood was flowing in his veins, her tainted blood that was.
"Legolas, what she did, was save your life." Aragorn said looking at his friend.
"If I had known I would have refused." Legolas spat back.
"And you would be dead now." Aragorn raised his voice.
"Yes I would, but I might feel better about myself." He countered again.
"You can't change what has happened, and you can't blame her for saving you. What she did, she did because she cared." Aragorn said even louder.
"Please quit fighting you two." Atavus said turning back to them the tears still flowing down her cheeks. "This is my fault. I am sorry. I was stupid to start caring for you two. I was selfish. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted friends. I thought that if I could save you it would not matter what was in my blood. But I was wrong. You had a right to know. No one among the First Born would ever accept my gift, knowing what it truly was, and I should have not offered it to you. But I wanted you to live." She paused a moment. She was rambling. She knew it, but she had to say everything that was in her head before it drove her insane. "Please there is no need to fight. You are right Legolas. I am no real friend. But what I said was true. In a few days your body will dispel my blood and it will be as if it was never there. It will be gone before you ever reach Rivendell. I will leave you two now. I'm sorry you had to ever meet me." With those words she grabbed her own pack and weapons and sprinted out of the camp heading north as fast asher feet would carry her.
Aragorn stood meaning to go after her, but realized that Legolas was not moving. "Are you just going to sit there and let her go like that?" He asked becoming even more angry with his friend.
"I'm not sure what to do Estel." Legolas looked up to his friend, but it seemed his anger had been replaced by confusion. "I am still angry at her for not telling me, but she really only meant to help me, not hurt me."
Aragorn kneeled before his friend and looked him in the eyes. "What you are going to do is help me find her. She is in no shape to be alone out here. After that you will sit and talk to her about it like a civilized elf, and then you will forgive her, as I can see your heart already wants to do." Aragorn stood offering his friend a hand up.
Legolas took the hand, and stood. "You know it might not be that easy."
"It should be." Was Aragorn's only answer as he gathered their things, and headed north tracking Atavus.
It wasn't long before they found her. She was kneeling on the ground gasping for breath and holding her stomach. Aragorn knelt down beside her touching her shoulder. "Atavus?"
She looked up at him and he could see the pain in her eyes. "Why?" Was all she asked.
"If your asking why you are in so much pain it is because you still have some of the poison in you. You did not rest enough for your body to get rid of it." Aragorn answered slowly rubbing her shoulders as they shook.
"No, why did you come after me?" She stared at his eyes. Her own eyes were becoming cloudy again as the poison surged through her body.
"Atavus do you know what I see when I look at you?" He asked her.
The snort of disgust leaving her lips gave him his answer.
"Atavus I do not see an elf who possesses orc blood. I do not see an orc that possesses elf blood. I see a very compassionate person. I see someone who would suffer great torment and pain for a friend. I see someone who would die for her friends. I see simply my friend." He smiled at her. "And what kind of friend would I be if I did not come to you when you needed me most?"
Legolas handed him a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. Aragorn helped her stand and found a comfortable place for them to sit and wait for her to feel better. He sat beside her with one arm around her shoulders, as they leaned against a large boulder. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She didn't necessarily believe that she deserved the comfort he was offering her, but she needed it then. She didn't remember ever feeling that sick before.
Legolas sat across from them talking with Aragorn about anything accept her. If she needed something Aragorn would ask Legolas and he would get it for them, without complaint, but he still said nothing to her. She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but after she did Aragorn made her comfortable on a blanket, and covered her with several blankets. It was late afternoon and they would have to make a fire soon, to keep them warm that night.
"Will she be okay?" Legolas asked helping him gather firewood.
"As long as we can keep her quiet and resting for at least the next day she should be fine. I can give her whatever medicine she needs to treat the symptoms of the poison, but it's up to her own system to destroy the poison itself." Aragorn paused looking back to where she was sleeping. "Her sudden exertion this morning sure didn't help her system any."
Atavus slept for most of the night and the next day as her body fought the poison. She woke in the afternoon sun, and stiffly sat up looking around her. Aragorn and Legolas were sitting by a fire with a rabbit roasting on a spit in front of them. Her mouth watered at the smell, but she said nothing.
"Are you feeling better?" Aragorn asked smiling as he heard her stomach growl.
"Yes. Thank you." She said looking at the ground in front of her. "Thank you for coming and helping me. I didn't deserve it."
Aragorn frowned. He pulled some meat off the roasted rabbit placing it on a small tin plate that was in his pack and handed it to Legolas motioning towards Atavus. Legolas stared at the plate for a moment before taking it and making his way over to where Atavus sat. She still hadn't looked back to them.
She was surprised when Legolas sat in front of her and held the plate out to her. She took it, but still did not lookhim in the eyes. "You were right about some of the things you said yesterday." He started to speak to her. She had started to take a bite of rabbit, but set it back on her plate as he spoke. "If I had known about your past I would have not accepted the gift you gave me. But then I would be dead now. So maybe it was better that I did not know. And yes you were right, your blood is diminishing in my veins, and I am sure it will be gone before long. But it has done me no harm, so maybe I overreacted. But there is one thing that you were very wrong about. You are a very good friend. I should have seen that before."
Her eyes met his and she could see that he meant his words. She didn't feel she deserved them. "No you are wrong."
"I am not wrong. Please eat your food." He finished standing to go back to where Aragorn was sitting.
"Don't you think that conversation was a little bit one sided?" Aragorn asked as his friend sat down and took some meat.
"Right now she is not going to be willing to forgive herself. That will take time. She knows that we accept her, and will not reject her. Now she must learn to accept herself." Legolas answered knowing that Atavus could hear his words. "We should rest here for the rest of the night then head north in the morning. If she plans on residing in the Old Forest this winter we must make all haste so she can find a descent place to settle in."
She had stood when he started talking of their traveling plans, and came to sit on the other side of the fire from them. "I have been thinking about that." She said taking a drink from one of the water skins. "When in Ithilien I lived in a cave. Maybe it would be best if I stayed in the mountain ranges outside of Rivendell for the winter. I should be able to find a cave that is not occupied already." She could see Legolas grimace at the mention of living in a cave. "I have always lived in a cave even while in captivity. I am used to it."
"Maybe you should have been born a dwarf. You would get on famously with them." Legolas said under his breath. This brought a chuckle from both Aragorn and Atavus.
"Don't forget dragons. They lived in caves too." Aragorn added.
"Okay if either one of you say trolls next I'm going to hit you both." Atavus warned.
Review response:
invisigoth3: Well I was hoping nobody would guess it. I haven't seen this angle on an OC yet, so I was hoping it would be something new and refreshing for the readers.
Well all this chapter was rather short. For some reason it was hard to write. But now I'm past it and we can go on to something more exciting. The next chapter will be up soon. Let's see what kind of trouble our friends can get into trying to find a cave for Atavus.
