A/N: (looks at number of reviews and faints) Well… I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment. :-D It seems there are a lot of "someones" out there who want to read this! (smiles happily and huggles all her wonderful reviewers)
Thank you! to FellDragon, Svana, Briryan, Elwen, Deana, WildKnight (will he live or die? Hm, good question… - eg -), Setrinan, Captain Morrigan Savvy, Gemini969, Surf all day and do the hula (LOL), Horsewisegirl, Slina, Quellesirel Peredhil, Melodyslove, Ali64, Tinnuial, xxliniya2008xx, tiff, Skysong, Masterarcher, Daethule, Seira Ayuda, Invisigoth3, Legolas's fanatical fan girl, A. NuEvil, DarkStarofMirkWood and Del Rion. All of you who left an e-mail address in their review or profile should have my review response by now (if not and if you want one, tell me!).
An additional thank you goes to all the silent readers and lurkers out there! ;-) I hope you enjoy this story, and if you want me to thank you personally, just drop me a review and say hello! And now, on to the story! This is a rather short chapter, but the last one will be the longest. :-)
Disclaimer: I own them… in my dreams. (sigh) Detailed disclaimer see chapter one. (g)
o-o-o
Part Two
o-o-o
Gimli grumbled something unfavourable under his breath and turned his back on the king and his men, showing clearly where his loyalty lay and what he intended to do. Aragorn smiled at the dwarf, though he knew Gimli wouldn't like what he had to say next.
"Gimli, I would like you to remain with King Théoden and his men," Aragorn said.
Gimli looked at him incredulously. "I have a right to do this, and you know that, Aragorn," he rumbled. "And you will need someone to watch your back, whatever the outcome of this may be."
"I do not deny the power of your friendship, nor do I doubt your abilities," Aragorn answered. "But I need you to fulfill my duty to the king for me. I want you to have an eye on him and provide counsel if necessary. I need you to take my place for a while, my friend. And… this is something I have to do alone."
Gimli hesitated, weighing the words he had heard against the wishes of his heart. In the dwarven society, grief was a very private thing one kept close to one's own heart. He understood that Aragorn probably would need to be alone after he had found Legolas. The dwarf held no real hope in his heart that the elf could still be alive. He knew that Aragorn and Legolas had known each other for a very long time, and that the bond between them was stronger than most family ties would ever be. He doubted that Aragorn would be able to recover from this loss at all. If his staying with Théoden would lessen the burden, so be it.
"This is dangerous, lad," he replied nonetheless, worry in his voice. "If you are attacked…"
"If we are attacked," interrupted Aragorn, "it will make no difference whether there are two or three of us. The servants of the enemy are many. Stealth and speed will be our only hope, as before."
Gimli nodded, defeated. "Take Arod, at least."
Aragorn sighed, sorry to refuse the dwarf once more. "He is hurt, Gimli. He will be able to carry you to Helm's Deep, but then he will need to rest. It matters not. No horse could climb down the walls of this cliff, as I will have to do. Worry not! I will return, and I will bring Legolas with me." Dead or alive, he added silently to himself.
Gimli nodded again and clasped Aragorn's forearm. "Be safe," he said, his voice gruff with emotions.
"I will," Aragorn promised.
Then the dwarf turned and followed Théoden. Aragorn watched as the men and the lone dwarf rode away, leaving him behind with the dead.
-----
He took his pack from the back of his fallen horse and began to look for a way to reach the base of the cliff that would hopefully not require him to climb all of the way. He found one fairly quickly. Before he set off, he closed his eyes once more and tried to calm the overwhelming fear and the growing despair inside of him. "Legolas," he thought, concentrating solely on his friend, hoping against hope that he would somehow be able to hear him. "Hold on. Don't die. Don't you dare die!" If you do, he added silently, I swear I will kill you myself.
With these thoughts he began to climb down the steep, narrow pathway leading down the side of the cliff.
-----
The first thing he found when he reached the base of the cliff was the broken and smashed body of a big warg laying on the rocks near the bank of the river, mouth still open and fangs bared in an eternal snarl. Looking closer, he found another ivory-handled elven knife buried to its hilt in the neck of the creature. He drew it out and looked at it with a mixture of fond pride and sorrow. Only Legolas could manage to slay a warg while the both of them were falling over the edge of a cliff, seemingly locked in a deadly battle. The orc had lied. It must have been the warg that had dragged Legolas down with it. But what had happened to him?
He placed the knife next to its twin blade in his belt and started his search. To his great relief, he didn't find anything else between the rocks. Legolas must have fallen into the river. The only thing he could do now was to follow the river downstream, keep his eyes open and pray that Legolas hadn't been swept away by the strong current and carried half the way to the sea by now – or simply out of his reach.
-----
Aragorn followed the river for a long time, climbing over sharp-edged rocks until his hands bled and his knees ached, looking for any traces of his friend until his eyes tired and and began to burn. He had been searching for hours and hours now, and his hope was fading. More than once he was on the brink of giving up. Fear lay like a cold shadow upon his heart and weighed him down, and despair threatened to eat away at his resolve and his strength. The temptation was strong to simply give in and succumb to his grief at last, to allow himself to believe what he couldn't even bear to think of.
He wasn't sure if his heart would be able to take this blow. He was not ready to lose Legolas yet. He didn't know if he would ever be. Especially not like this. Not now. Legolas was more than a friend. He was as dear as a brother to him, but he was even more than that. From the moment they met their souls had known each other. Theirs was a kinship not of the body and the blood, but of the soul and the heart. They were kindred spirits. Losing Legolas would mean losing a part of his own soul. It would hurt more than he could – or wanted to – imagine right now.
Legolas was his right hand, someone he could blindly rely on, someone who knew and understood his thoughts and his heart alike. He didn't know how he would face the coming darkness without him at his side, and even if he should emerge victorious at the end, it wouldn't be the same anymore if it had cost the life of the one who had shared all the pain and the joy with him. It hurt even to think about it.
Legolas had to be alive. He must be alive. He would not give in so easily. He knew that Aragorn needed him, and he was strong. He would not go down without a fight. Aragorn tried to hold onto that thought, but it became more and more difficult as time passed by and his doubt and desperation grew. He didn't feel the aches of his body anymore, as they were nothing compared to the pain of his soul. The only thing that kept him going was a quiet whisper deep in his heart, and his own stubbornness, which would support him even if nothing else was left. He fought hard to keep the tiny spark of hope that was left in him alive.
He was nearing a bend in the river now, and a group of large boulders obstructed his sight. When he had finally found a way to get past them he saw that the river opened to a small sandy bay in front of him. There were fewer rocks here, and the water rippled gently on the shore. The gaze of the ranger fell on something he would never have expected to see, and he came to a sudden stop.
It was a horse. A dark brown horse wearing no saddle and no bridle and standing there as if it was a perfectly normal place for a horse to be in.
-----
"Brego?" Aragorn asked, not really trusting his voice or his eyes at the moment.
The stallion turned his proud head and neighed softly.
It was all the answer Aragorn needed to know his eyes had not deceived him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, bewildered.
The horse pricked up its ears and looked at him attentively, but it didn't move again, as if it was standing a silent guard. Aragorn suddenly became aware that there was something else. Something that lay unmoving next to the horse's hooves, partially shielded from his sight by one of the rocks. He caught a glimpse of something golden – and his heart gave a sudden leap.
He moved one step forward, then a second, not daring to hope, not daring to think at all. Then he had a clear view. His eyes locked onto the still form lying on the ground in front of him. He would have recognized it anywhere, at any given time. Legolas. He had found him at last.
To be continued…
(watches less-than-happy-looking readers and backs up slowly) Well, he has found him! This is good, isn't it! (gulps) I am completely innocent, it is all HIS fault. (points at plot bunny which promptly chokes on carrot while author tiptoes away silently in the background)