Cale au Aratar 12

Two days after Aragorns coronation, Legolas and Gimli could be found in one of the gardens of Minas Tiriths topmost level, softly conversing alternately in Common or Khuzdul, from time to time Legolas translated something for his friend into one of the three Elven languages which the dwarf then tried to repeat.

Both sat with their backs resting against the trunks of two opposite from each other standing trees; at the elf's request Gimli had even refrained from unpacking his pipe and was instead idly playing with a blade of grass.

"Legolas, how old are you really? One of those blasted twins mentioned that they have known you when they were children and that you have known the last High King of your people - but if I remember correctly, and I always do!, he died in the Last Alliance."

For a long moment Legolas only stared with his brilliant blue eyes at the dwarf before he answered slowly:

"You have to forgive the two - though I believe that it was Elrohir who mentioned that I knew Gil-Galad, Elladan is more discrete than his brother - for confusing you in this way; they are still rather young in the eyes of my people and even though they should know better they apparently do not.

To answer your question, yes, I am older than Lord Elronds sons, and I have known the last High King since my twelfth year: the first time we met I shot him because he had offended me, only years later did we become friends..."

Legolas trailed off, smiling at the memory of his first meeting with Erenion. He had only been fascinated by the beautiful bow that was leaning against one of the trees and had had no intention to use it. Only when Erenion had called him an eleth and had told him that he would not be strong enough to fire it, did he pick up the bow and notched an arrow from the quiver besides it. The reason he did fire the bow was that he had indeed not been strong enough to hold the arrow notched; all he could do was redirect the arrow in the last moment to the High Kings shoulder as it had before been aimed at his heart.

Erenion had later given him the bow as they had become friends and Legolas had told him why he had really shot him, it still rested on the wall in his study in his fathers palace.

"I have nearly completed my fifth millennia but in comparison to my father or even more the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn I am still a child - as they are in comparison to Fangorn..."

Open mouthed Gimli stared at his friend, the elf before him was nearly five thousand years old, he had expected a few hundreds at the most and had not believed Lord Elronds son when he had said that Legolas had known Gil-Galad. Five Thousand years!

"You are nearly five thousand years old? Khazad Dum was still the home of my people at that time!

Are you really that old?"

He questioned his friend disbelievingly but looked up as he heard quiet footsteps and saw that Aragorn was making his way over to them.

Legolas had also looked to Aragorn as he saw the dwarfs eyes gliding away from himself. His heart tightened as he saw his friend who was the cause of its breaking heart - no, he corrected himself, Aragorn is not the cause but my own foolishness.

As soon as Aragorn stood next to them Gimli excused himself, telling them that he had promised to meet the hobbits for a pipe or two and a second breakfast.

"What did you say to let Gimli forget that nothing an elf could say can awe him if it does not come from Lady Galadriels mouth?"

The king of Gondor questioned his friend as he sat down on the spot Gimli had vacated at his arrival.

"I told him my age"

Legolas answered, the soft smile still playing around his lips.

"Your age? You have told Gimli your age? ... You have never told me how old you are..."

Aragorns voice was not only filled with surprise but also a hint of accusation, that someone who had known the elf only for a year learned his age, while he, who had known him for most of his life did not know it.

"He asked."

Was all the elf replied, the smile having left his face.

"Will you tell me when I ask?"

the edain had often wondered how old his friend really was but had not dared to ask him and therefor only knew that he was older than his twin-brothers.

"When you ask, I will answer."

If he hadn't seen the tiredness of his friend Aragorn would have tackled him for this answer; but as his curiosity had been awoken he had no choice but to ask:

"So how old are you?"

"Nearly five thousand years... So I am still rather young..."

Aragorn was equally astounded as Gimli had been a few moments earlier, his best friend had lived as the great city of Eregion had still been standing, where the Rings of power had been forged by Celebrimbor - and Sauron.

"You are old enough to have seen Gondor in his glory and also Eregion..."

he whispered just loud enough that the elf could hear him.

"Yes, I have often visited Eregion before its destruction - it was a beautiful city, I still miss Celebrimbor, he was one of my best friends... he was the one who forged my fighting knives and my double-blade..."

Legolas trailed off, his voice filled with pain and Aragorn cursed himself for bringing back painful memories when his friend was already in so much pain.

"I have also met Sauron when he still pretended to be on our side, even though he had already shown his true face as soon as he had learned all he could from Celebrimbor...

When he had arrived in Eregion he had given a false name and had taken the appearance of one of my people, making Celebrimbor, who had never met him before, believe that he had finally found an Eldar who was equally gifted with the making of weapons and jewellery as himself.

Therefor he shared all his thoughts with Morgoths Herald, seeing too late who his supposed friend really was. It was then that I last saw him, only a few weeks before Eregion was destroyed and he lost his life, defending the last ring of power, the one he did not give away with the other three."

He could still remember the beautiful Ring that was even more powerful than Vilya, the Ring of Air that was first borne by Erenion and since his death by Elrond. Before he had told Aragorn he had been the only one since Celebrimbors death who knew of the ring of earth, which Celebrimbor had fondly called the ring of life, his life-work.

When he had last seen his friend, the smith had told him where he had hidden the ring from Sauron who had learned of his existence. Only when all four Elven-Rings would be united would they show their true power, till than it would appear as if their powers were waning.

Celebrimbor had asked of him to become the next bearer of Cuilya but he did not want the power of the ring, he feared to rely on the endless power of earth and was not sure whom else he dared to burden with it. Therefore the ring lay still hidden where his friend had placed it all those years ago. Maybe now was the time to bring forth the last of the rings and unite the powers of fire, water, air and earth, the powers of Narya, Vilya, Nenya and Cuilya once again as they might be the last chance for his race to survive the fourth age in Arda.

"Legolas?"

Aragorns voice brought him out of his thoughts,

"You say, that there was a fourth ring, but where is it, I have only ever heard of three Elven-Rings, what happened to the fourth?"

Legolas had to smile at his friends inquisitiveness which had not changed since he was still an infant and had wanted to touch everything - much like the young hobbit Pippin.

"When Celebrimbor forged the Rings he made one for each of the elements, each becoming more perfect, more complete and more powerful than the one before. The first one he made was Narya, the second Nenya and the third Vilya. Each of the three Rings matched the personality of the ones he intended to become their bearers and even though he asked the Lady Galadriel to choose to whom she gave the rings her choice matched his. Two of the rings have since then changed the hand that bears them but they still match as well as they did with their original bearers.

The last one he made, he made for himself and in it he put all his hope, his desperation and all the understanding any elf has for everything growing. It was because of the power that pulsed from Cuilya the moment he completed it that Sauron learned of the existence of the Elven-Rings but he believed Celebrimbor when he told him that the power he had felt came from his attempt to forge something that could contain the power of the elements. It was in the same night that he send Narya, Nenya and Vilya to the Lady Galadriel.

He did not dare to tell anyone of the fourth Ring and only when we saw each other more than a year after he had send the other rings away and Sauron had already left and Eregion was on the brink of destruction did he confess to me its existence. Celebrimbor asked me to bear the Ring as he already knew that he would not survive his beloved city but we both knew that the Ring could not be known till Sauron had followed his master for if he would have ever gained control over the Ring of Life..."

Abruptly Legolas changed the subject, forcing Aragorn to postpone any questions he may want to ask about the fourth Elven-Ring:

"Many years ago I befriended a man of your race, I had first met him when he was still young and we stayed friends till he died years later in my arms. He was the first of the edain I got to know more than just in passing and he soon became my best friend.

He was so curious, the first question he asked me after we had met not an hour before was why elves could not fly if we were really so light...he always asked me questions I could not answer...

We spend many years together and my father tried everything to persuade me that befriending a edain was not fitting for his son but nothing was able to separate us from each other so that after a time my father had to concede that maybe not all of the edain were as bad as he painted them to be.

When his mother had died when he was still a youth he spend weeks just trying to find a reason why she had died, as years later his father died he didn't ask for a reason anymore but instead how I could bear to know that he would die before me, that I would have to live eternity while I watched my mortal friends die... I couldn't give him an answer..."

Legolas trailed of, he still saw the resigned, guilty face of his friend before him. There had been no answer he could have given him: how would he survive his death? How had he survived Celebrimbors death or his Grandparents or his naneths or sisters? He could still not find an answer to that question, he just had survived but a small part of him had faded with them.

"I was the first he told when he had fallen in love, he told me even before his own father and he came to me when he planned to propose to her. It took me days till I had convinced him that the ring the smith had forged for him was just perfect and that it was not necessary to forge a new one.

Forty years after we had first met I sealed the bond between him and his wife and when his son was born not even a year later he was placed into my arms after his parents had held him.

That was the last time I saw him before his death. We had not planned to meet but the traces of Orcs I had followed were of the same Orcs that had ambushed his people.

I came to late to save him, but not to see him for a last time. With his dying breath he asked me to treat his son as I had treated him and be there for him when he needed me. It was an easy promise to give but I swore myself not to get attached to the small edain as he reminded me to much of the friend I had just lost - and that one day I would loose him also.

Years later the love of my friend asked me also to fulfil a last wish for her as she lay dying: the ring my friend had given her when he proposed to her should be given to her son when he was going to propose to the woman he loved."

Aragorn watched his friend as he told him of his best friend and wondered what had become of the small child and his descendants. Some part of him wondered how many more of the race of men the elf had befriended in his long life and if it would help his dying friend if he would see one of the descendants of his first edain-friend again - it there were any descendants.

While Aragorn was watching his friend he noticed that the elf's hands were nestling on the neck of his tunic from where he withdrew a long chain which he always wore. It was only then that Aragorn noticed the ring that dangled from the chain and realisation dawned him.

"I promised your mother that I would give this ring to you when you were about to propose to your love. You have still not proposed to Arwen, even though you swore each other more than forty years ago your eternal love.

Like your father you are afraid to take the last step, afraid that you are not the best that she could find - and like I did tell your father I now tell you that Arwen does not want anyone else, she has given you her heart those forty years ago and even if you should never propose to her it will always belong to you.

Aragorn, you are a king of men and even though you are Isildurs heir, that means also that you are the heir of Arathron and Elros. You can't define your line by the one who did wrong and forget all those who were great and just kings. Do not become like Isildur because you fear so much to become like him: learn from his mistakes!"

Carefully Legolas stood up and placed the ring he had taken from the chain into Aragorns hands.

"Your father proposed to your mother in a field of daisies... the garden that is nearly hidden by the streets of kings is a flower-garden, it is blooming at the moment...don't waste the time!"

With a mischievous smile on his face Legolas left his friend to ponder why he had still not proposed to the woman he loved since he had seen her more than sixty years ago.

As soon as he had left the part of the garden that Aragorn could oversee from his position the Elven Prince stumbled, no longer able to conceal his pain and grief. Only moments later Orophin was at his side and placed his arm around him to steady him.

"You should no longer walk around like this, my prince!"

he scolded his liege softly.

To tired to be angered by the way his friend had addressed him Legolas leaned heavily on the other elf:

"I fear to leave the garden and enter the palace once more...

Orophin, I fear that I will not have the strength left to come back, that when I lay down on my bed to rest I will not get up again. My strength is quickly waning and I don't know when it will be the last time that I will have enough strength to raise my head to look at the stars.

Every moment I feel how my life is leaving me, how it becomes harder to breath...

I came out here today in the hope that the trees could lend me some of their strength but even they are no longer able to help me, they told me that I am already to week as that I could survive their strength..."

Haltingly Legolas raised his head and turned it slightly to look back to the garden they had nearly left. Barely he suppressed the tears that threatened to flowed down his pale graceful face as all trees and even the bushes and flowers swayed and rustled in answer to his glance as if they had been caught in a heavy storm.

"Please help me to my room, Orophin."

Asked the dying prince of his companion as he laid his head heavily on the other elf's shoulder.