Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings. It all belongs to J.R.R Tolkien.
Note: Thanks for the reviews. It is so hot out here but here is another update. Let's begin.
Everything was silent in the palace but one person, Legolas shifted in the bed, he felt the need to go outside, to be among the stars and nature, to gaze at the moon, not feel trapped with somebody he loved to lie here and pretend to sleep.
He rolled around one more time, finding no rest in his thoughts and shifted out of Aragorn's arms, going for a walk. He crept through the room, picking up his bow and quiver out of habit and slipping one of Aragorn's shirts on before exiting the room.
Once outside the room, he breathed a sign of relief, yet tensed up when he heard the voice of Elrond ask. "What brings you to the King's private chamber, Prince Legolas?" The Elven Lord voice was not angry, merely tired.
"I went to check on him, to make sure that he was not… well you know, not overdoing or something like that." Legolas muttered, getting a bad feeling about this. Elrond nodded, satisfied with Legolas explanation. "I still don't know if I should be mad at him, maybe I did speak a little bit harsh at him, I can not stand it to lose him to mortality one day, yet it will happen. I still do not approve off him courting somebody else but maybe I should apologize all the same."
"Will you take back your word from dragging that person off to stand before the Valar when you find out?" Legolas asked, tensely.
"No, that one still stands." Elrond answered fury in his eyes once again. Legolas swallowed past the lump in his throat before he bid the Lord farewell. It was a good thing Elrond was leaving with Arwen today; maybe he should go and pay his respects to Arwen, as he never done that.
He walked away, going to the room where Arwen's body rested. Pushing open the door, he still could not believe how beautiful the Undomiel was, even in death. He closed the door behind him and knelt down in front of her body. There were not many people Legolas had respect for but she was one of them. Legolas did not pray often but now he did, praying with everything that he had in his body and mind, offering to take his life as long as Aragorn was happy.
"You should not pray for Elessar to be happy, for he is happy with you and that is the greatest gift you can give him, prince of Eryn Lasgalen." The voice of Celeborn made Legolas look up. He shot to his feet, only to bow before the Lord of Lorien. Celeborn smiled but shook his head. "No need for that, young one."
Legolas got up, he felt weary again and sat down on the floor, to his surprise Celeborn joined him. The older Elf smiled at him and asked. "You came to pay your respects to Arwen."
"Aye, because she made the biggest sacrifice, I can be with the one I love. Something she should not have done, how can I just mere days after her death, kiss the man she had loved for most of her life and call him mine? I should die for being a traitor to my own people." Legolas bowed his head in shame.
"I have seen a lot in my years on this Middle Earth, and some Elves have committed more traitorous crimes then you claim you did, you love somebody, as you always have, why is that so wrong?" Celeborn consoled him gently.
"For it should have been hers."
"It has been hers, yet Aragorn's heart was not in it. He loved her and is happy with his son but he is most happy with you and that is what matters." Celeborn answered, smiling at the younger Elf that sat beside him. Legolas was still not convinced and said. "It should have been me who lays there dead and Arwen should have been with the man she loves."
"Why in the name of the Valar are you being so hard on yourself, Legolas? You have deserved happiness even if people tell you, you do not. It is not true what they say, you have earned your happiness, there is nothing that can be changed by Arwen's death, she choose a mortal life and that was her choice alone, do not blame yourself for something nobody but Eru can control." Celeborn put a hand on Legolas's shoulder. The younger Elf was being hard on himself and for the moment nobody but Celeborn was there to pull him out.
"It will not even last all that long, maybe a few years, a century and after that I will have to live with a broken heart, is it really worth that?"
"That would not explain why you saw yourself defending Aragorn before the counsel of the Valar in Valinor. Do not forget with everything that Aragorn did as your friend Gimli, they will be granted permission into Valinor, be it by ship or death, you will see your beloved again, stop being so hard on yourself, you will see him again." Celeborn consoled the Elf prince.
Legolas's head snapped up and he looked into the Elven Lord's face. He smiled before he answered. "I am sorry, my lord, you are right, I should not behave like this."
"Do not worry, Legolas, everybody has these moments. I will leave you alone then so you can pay your respects to my granddaughter while she still lies on these shores." With those words Celeborn stood up, Legolas nodded before sitting down on one knee again and bowing his head, the position he was in when Celeborn walked in.
The Elven Lord smiled before he exited the room, keeping the door open when Gimli walked in. Legolas did not look up when he heard the heavy footfall of the Dwarf come closer to his own position. Gimli stopped next to him and slapped him on the back, a groan escaped Legolas's lips and he placed a hand on the ground to steady himself. "What did you do that for, Gimli?" He growled.
Gimli laughed before he sat down and asked. "How is your stomach, laddie? Did Aragorn take a look at it?"
"Aye, he did. It is fine, Gimli. It feels better." Legolas answered, looking at the Dwarf.
"The man works miracles with his hands, doesn't he? A very skilled healer." Gimli answered, unaware of what he was saying. Legolas suppressed a smile, before he agreed. "Aye, which he is."
"So I heard that Aragorn will be travelling with you to Ithilien to take a break or something like that." Gimli took a whetstone out of his pocket and started to sharpen his sword that hung by his side. "Yes, I will be showing him how the colony fares." Legolas sat back down and put his quiver beside him, he still had to tell Gimli about him and Aragorn. "Gimli, can I speak to you about something?"
"Of course, anything you want." Gimli answered without looking up.
Legolas took a deep breath before he said. "Gimli what if I told you that Aragorn and I had a relationship what would you say?" He was nervously awaiting the Dwarf's responds.
"That would be alright with me, I mean you are not in a relationship with him and you are not sleeping with him so I don't see what the big question is." Gimli answered without even looking up.
"But we are." Aragorn's voice interrupted any attempt Legolas was making to say something. Legolas looked up, the man was walking towards them and was wearing a shirt of Legolas over his grey sleeping pants, his brown hair was tousled but he made a more awake and excited impression then he did ever before. He was walking barefoot which would explain why nobody heard him coming, Legolas mentally smacked himself for not paying attention to anybody who might be close, and he should have sensed him coming.
Aragorn looked at Legolas, he smiled for a second before he walked over and sat next to the Elf. "How is your stomach feeling?" He softly asked, so soft Gimli would not hear it. The Dwarf was still busy trying to get over this piece of information. He huffed for a moment and both Elf and Man looked at him but he was still clearly thinking on how to handle this. Legolas fixed his attention back to Aragorn and answered. "It feels fine."
"How long has this been going on?" Gimli settled for that question. Aragorn calculated on his fingers while Legolas answered. "Not yet a month, it was after Arwen died that we found out that we feel the same way for each other." He cast a quick look at Arwen's form, he could still not believe it had not been weeks since he had proclaimed his love to Aragorn, it went too fast that it seemed like a lifetime.
"Gimli, we do not seek your acceptance, it would be nice if you would but we just want you to hear it from us, not the lies that Elrond is spreading." Aragorn closed his eyes, the thought of his foster father still hurt too much.
"I do not want you to push the lad into death like you did with the lady." Gimli snapped suddenly. Aragorn's shocked face paled when he registered Gimli's words. Legolas felt a rage build inside of him, was everyone poisoned with the lies of Elrond. He jumped to his feet and his voice was ice cold when he hissed. "You may be my friend, Gimli but there is not reason to speak to him in that manner, he is still your friend and has not done anything to deserve this, we made our choice, if I had the gift of mortality it would be an honour to give it to this man."
Aragorn looked up at the Elf, tears gathering in his eyes, this was the first time Legolas had ever spoken about his feelings for Aragorn in such a manner. Gimli fell silent before he said. "I do not want to lose you to a mortal doom, Legolas."
"I know, my friend but this is what I wanted, I do not have the gift of mortality and that is the end of that. Just understand, you do not know what it is like for somebody to live without hope for so long and then you wake up one morning, by the death of another, you get what you heart has desired for so long, that is the best feeling somebody can wish for. I will defend him for the counsel of the Valar if need be, just like I would defend you, should that day ever come."
Gimli did not say anything before he climbed to his feet; Aragorn hurried to his too, in case something should happen, which he highly doubted. Both were surprised when Gimli embraced the man, much like he had done in Helms Deep when Aragorn had miraculously returned to them after falling down a cliff. The Dwarf looked up from his position at the man's waist and said. "You better treat him right an do not let anything happen to him, you know just as well as I that the lad cannot take care of himself, I even had to let him win that contest at the fields in front of your city."
Legolas shook his head, not having enough words to express his thanks. He only smiled and felt Aragorn's arm slip around his waist while they watched Gimli exit the room.
Hope you liked it. Please post some ideas, next chapter will be about Elrond taking Arwen and Legolas and Aragorn leaving for Ithilien, not that it will be the end of Elrond, oh no, something will happen that you cannot imagine. Anyway that is going to be a surprise, leave a review.