A/N: Wow. This sucks. And it's been ages since I last updated this or any LOTR fic. Deepest apologies for leaving things unfinished. Even if I never start another LOTR fic again, I should at least finish the WIPS I have now….

No slash, please R & R.

Chapter II.

Awake in the Night

Crack! The arrow pierced the target center, leaving the broken straw to bristle. Legolas lowered his bow with eyes still fixed on the golden feathers of his Lothlorien arrow. His flowing tresses lay over his shoulders and down his back like the cascades of Rivendell in moonlight. Those ocean eyes glinted for an instant when they caught the light, and his boot didn't make a sound in the grass when he first moved from his stance to fetch the arrow.

"The war is over, and yet you are restless, my lord?"

Legolas snapped his head over one shoulder but relaxed when he saw it was only Faramir. The Man stood cloaked in that familiar midnight blue, the flame of his lantern glowing on his face. Legolas smiled.

"No one ever calls me 'lord.' That is my father." The Elf turned his back on the target and approached Faramir, arrow in hand.

"I apologize," Faramir said, giving a sweeping bow, only to meet Legolas' blushing grin when he rose.

"Have you always liked apologies this much or is it only because I'm an Elf?"

"Well…" Faramir trailed, hesitant and glancing away. "You are en Elf prince," he stuttered "You are one of the Nine, a savior of Middle Earth, and the king's closest friend." By now, Legolas was an unusual shade of red, though it was too dark for anyone to see it.

"I suppose I am rather daunting," he replied, sounding disappointed as he passed Faramir and headed for the door.

"N-no," Faramir said hurriedly, following him. "Not at all. Well, perhaps a little…. But it's not a bad thing."

"People tend to shy away from someone so different," Legolas continued, pausing in his pace for a moment. "Especially your kind." Faramir looked at him with eyes yet big, as they had been at dinner before, searching for the right thing to say.

"I suppose it will take me a while to only call you by your name, but I don't want to shy away," he said, at last, surprised at his own boldness. "Only a fool would pass up the opportunity to befriend an Elf." Legolas looked at him and smiled from his heart upwards. Faramir managed a nervous grin.

"You're kind," Legolas said softly. Faramir blushed this time.

"Thank you." He had almost added a formal title but cut himself off. Legolas lowered his sweet head and began again to stride toward the door. Faramir now matched his steps, staying beside him instead of dropping behind him.

"I have heard the legends about your skill with a bow," Faramir began after a while.

"I'm sure they make me sound much more incredible than I am," Legolas answered.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I've heard the other Fellowship members mention it before; I'm sure His Majesty, Elessar, would know exactly."

"Aragorn is prone to give exaggerated flattery," Legolas said, grinning to himself at the thought.

"I would have to disagree and say that Elves are prone to extreme modesty." Legolas laughed at this, and Faramir felt his heart flutter. He had never heard an Elf laugh so fully or been the cause of it. He found that he really did want to befriend Legolas and make the Elf as happy as Elves deserved to be, which Faramir decided was much more than Men.

"And you can call him Aragorn," Legolas told him. "He prefers his friends keep things as they have always been. Elessar is just another public formality."

"But…" Faramir said more quietly than before. "I'm not his friend." Legolas lay a slender hand on Faramir's shoulder, sending jolts through the Man. An Elf had touched him.

"Fear not," said Legolas. "You will be his friend in time, as you will be mine. Aragorn really isn't as scary as you think." He smiled, thinking of Aragorn trying to become accustomed to his new role, as Faramir nodded. The pair continued onward for a while longer, enjoying the quiet, but once they were inside again and traveling the long halls back to their rooms, Faramir suggested they compare archery skills on the morrow. Much to his delight, Legolas agreed.

"Maer du," said Legolas. Good night. He stood in the doorway of his room, the light of Faramir's lantern shining softly on his face. His room was not far down the corridor from Elessar's, but by now, the king was asleep with Arwen at his side.

"Maer du," said Faramir, with a little bow. Legolas smiled; the Man had no idea what it meant.

"I will have to teach you Sindarin, Master Steward."

"I would like that," Faramir said. He smiled, and Legolas realized in the back of his mind that Faramir had a way of smiling that could tell anyone he was shy. The Elf wondered how many smiles the Man had. He would have to learn. Still smiling, Legolas stepped back into his room and Faramir backed away as well. The Elf shut the door quietly, and Faramir began the creep back to his own room, lantern lowered now and hanging at his side.

Legolas sighed, as he leaned back against the door. The candle still burned on his bedside table, just as he had left it, but it was shorter now. For a moment, he paused in thought, though his bed waited with all of its down pillows and a coverlet made for royalty. He thought of Faramir, but those thoughts turned to Aragorn quickly. This was the first night in a year that he would not be sleeping near his best friend. It made him feel lonely again. He frowned as he strode toward the bed. How silly he was being! He was a grown Elf, for Valar's sake, not a child! He sat on the bed for a while and realized he could take off his boots now. He hadn't slept without his boots on since leaving Rivendell with the Fellowship. He had never been able to afford anything that might waste time while on the quest. Slowly, he pulled off each boot and left them empty on the floorboards. He wished, as he blew out the candle and lay down, that he were outside in the woods with Aragorn. Perhaps then, he would find peace, with the stars all around him instead of just beyond the window.

Swoom… The humming noise reverberated in his ear. Swoom… Tinkling laughter clung to the heels of the sound now. Swoom… Legolas smiled. He lifted his eyes open, expecting to find a familiar face, but alas, he was alone. His smile faded; he must have been dreaming. Instead of going back to sleep, he rose from his bed, took his cloak, and left to walk in the night.

"Legolas."

He turned to see Arwen and smiled faintly. She looked at him warily; he had not heard he footsteps. He was distracted.

"Suilad, Arwen," he said, looking back out to the night, the moon's reflection on the fields that stretched far beyond the citadel.

"You could not sleep?" she asked.

"Nay," he said. "I came to look for the moon. And you?"

"I sensed something was amiss…"

He smiled even though Elven intuition was all too familiar to him.

"What is wrong, mellonin?" She moved closer and touched his arm. Her eyes searched his face, as he bowed his head. "What troubles your heart?"

He shook his head and looked up again. "Nothing, hiril nin."

"We have been friends for many, long years. Can you not still confide in me?"

His eyes were sad. "It is nothing." He turned his eyes to hers, but her face was still one of concern. "Do not worry yourself." He touched her hand before turning away, leaving her alone in the distant moonlight.

The hem of his cloak dragged along the tiles, and his hair gleamed when he passed through light. His eyes searched the shadows; he did not know where he was heading. His thoughts were haunted with dream-like memories of Aragorn, Elessar, his most beloved companion. The man was happy; why couldn't Legolas be happy for him? All was well. All had been mended. Evil no longer lurked in their world, as it had for hundreds of years. Yet he could find no cheer.

He wasn't surprised to find himself in the courtyard, before the White Tree. It's young blossoms shone in the moon's path just as his hair and eyes. He searched the limbs of the tree with those eyes, seeking an answer to a question he didn't know. The wind blew at the foliage and his cloak. Far below him, the people of Minas Tirith slept soundly. All had rest this night but Legolas.

"Legolas."

He shut his eyes at the memory.

"Mellonin."

He could see the tender hands passing over his arm, the silken sleeve of his tunic. He could see the fingers touching his cheek. He could see his own eyes filled with quiet light and love. He could see those gray eyes bursting into his.

"Man lin ind?"

What are your inner thoughts?

"Le," he answered, voice like the falling leaves of Imladris. "Nin gwend an le."

You. My friendship with you.

"Maer ind?"

Good thoughts?

"Naer."

Sad.

Aragorn looked at him with that familiar compassion.

He opened his eyes back up to the Tree. The wind touched his hair. Sadness filled his heart. Things were changed and could never be the same.