Author's Note: Well here is the new chapter; I am so sorry for taking so long but it was not as long as the other story's wait. Again I am so sorry about taking so long. But here is the new chapter and if everyone would review then I would just be so giddy and it would give me good incentive to write faster. Heehee, enjoy! And review responses are going out by email if I was given the email address.
(I)(I)(I)
Elrohir reached out and steadied his brother as Aragorn stared at Girath. Shaking himself as if to cast off water, Aragorn moved back to Girath's side and quietly soothed the young man. Halbarad appeared with a bowl of soup and handed it to Elrohir before retreating to the edge of the tent. Aragorn took the bowl from Elrohir and looked from Elrohir to Legolas and to the door. Nodding slightly, Elrohir stood and motioned for Legolas to follow. Halbarad followed them out and the three sat around the abandoned fire from earlier. After a few moments, Halbarad stood and walked towards another fire where several other Rangers sat quietly.
"Who is Nasin?" Legolas asked softly as he glanced to Elrohir.
The twin stared into the fire before answering. "I do not know. There is no one in my memory by that name. Estel must know him though by his reaction to the name."
Legolas nodded and looked up as Aragorn emerged from the tent and glanced around for someone. Halbarad stood with another man following and they quickly approached Aragorn. They spoke in quiet tones until the new Ranger disappeared into the tent and the other two men walked towards the fire. Elladan appeared from the shadows and flanked Aragorn's other side as they entered the fire's circle of light.
"Girath is resting now and should be fine once he regains his strength," Aragorn reported softly to whoever was listening.
"Who is Nasin, Estel?" Elrohir asked and looked to his brother.
"Nasin is the father of the boy I killed."
The forest seemed to fall silent at the man's answer as everyone stared at him in shock. The twins stared at their brother, looking for any sign that he was joking. They knew he killed out of necessity and there were reasons and circumstances behind it. But he said it almost without remorse.
"You killed him?"
Aragorn nodded and sighed before speaking. "It happened about two months ago. I was traveling to a village when I was ambushed by orcs under orders of a human. When they had captured me and met the human before I knew who or what he was. He called himself Servant and that was all; the orcs called him that also. I felt something when he neared and I soon realized what I sensed. He reeked of evil and of the Nazgul. Somehow they possessed him from Mordor."
"Did they realize who you were, Estel?" Elladan asked fearfully.
"I am sure they did not. Despite being possessed, he did not have the Nazgul's sensitive senses. They beat me for a while before leaving me be so they could drink. By the next morning I had managed to get loose from my bonds. The orcs were still sleeping off their brew and I thought that Servant was sleeping also but he was not. I had only gotten out of the orcs' hearing range when someone grabbed my shoulder and jerked me back. It was Servant and we started to battle. In the end, I killed him by piercing his heart. When he died, there was a dreadful shriek from the Southeast before it fell silent again. The blood loss caught up to me and I collapsed unconscious several yards from Servant. When I awoke again, I was in a village with a healer leaning over me. He told me that the hunters had found me and another after attacking a group of orcs. The other was Servant's body and he was originally from that town. The men of the village had to keep Nasin from trying to kill me. Nasin would not believe that his son had become evil but the rest of the village believed me.
"After I healed enough to travel on my own, they escorted me from the village in the middle of the night. They warned me that Nasin was powerful and dangerous and to be careful. I thought he would be fine once he grieved and calmed down but I must have been wrong."
Aragorn sighed and looked up at Elladan as the elf passed the small pack to his brother. Pulling out everything and setting it aside, he searched the bag and found an old load of bread that had been munched on and a quarter of water in a waterproof pouch. It gave him a rough estimate of how far Girath had traveled but that was it. Setting the pack aside, Aragorn ran his fingers through his hair and sighed once again.
"Halbarad, you will stay with the Rangers and carry on as usual. Elladan, you will ride home with Elrohir and Legolas. Tomorrow, I will ride to the village and confront Nasin to finish this," he said and the twins immediately protested.
"We are riding with you, Estel. There is no way you can change our minds," Elrohir stated firmly and Elladan agreed.
"You will and you will escort Prince Legolas to Rivendell or to Mirkwood. I will not let him be pulled into my problems and issues," Aragorn said and Legolas sat up straighter.
"Listen to me, human. You do not dictate to me what I will do and I resent the fact that you think you can. I and I alone will decide what I will do," Legolas snapped and ignored the looks from everyone else.
"This is none of your concern and I will not drag an innocent bystander into the Rangers' affairs."
Legolas was about to respond but a hand on his forearm quieted him.
"We will decide that tomorrow morning, Estel. It would be best that we all rest before morn and then we will decide," Elrohir said calmly and shot a look to his twin.
Aragorn was silent as he stared at the Mirkwood elf before standing and glancing to Elladan. "I bid you all goodnight."
Elladan followed his human brother as he walked silently towards his tent. Aragorn knew one of his brothers was behind him but he waited until he reached his tent before turning to the elf.
"Yes, Elladan?"
"I do not believe that Legolas will heed your orders and go home. And you know very well that Elrohir and I will not leave your side," Elladan said softly as they stood outside the tent.
"Is it wrong of me to hope that you would have?" Aragorn asked with a sigh.
Elladan chuckled with a faint grin upon his lips. "Yes, it is. I have a very bad feeling about his Nasin and it would ease my heart to ride with you."
Aragorn looked up at his brother who was only an inch or two taller than the human. "I would never say this near anyone else, but I am glad that you are here Elladan. I have been without family for a long while. However, I do not protest Elrohir and you riding with me but it is the prince that I object to. I do not feel much of friendship towards someone who left me to die."
"He is a great elf and a marvelous warrior. And honestly, I believe he wants an adventure. He has not left the forests of Mirkwood for many years," Elladan said as Aragorn rolled his eyes.
"Marvelous, we are taking a spoiled princeling with us."
"Estel, please, do not call Legolas a spoiled princeling around him. He will greatly resent it and I would highly doubt if you two will ever be friends afterwards."
"I make no such aims to become friends with him."
"Nonetheless, Estel, we all ride with you tomorrow," Elladan said sternly.
"Good night, Elladan."
Elladan smiled as Aragorn entered his tent to sleep. "I love you also, Estel."
He chuckled with he heard Aragorn grumble at him before he leapt into the trees for the night.
(I)(I)(I)
The morning dawned brightly when Legolas stepped out from his tent and stretched his back. He saw the human conversing quietly with Elrohir near the horses. Elladan was packing the horses for the journey and nodded to Legolas as the elf approached.
"Well, human?" Legolas asked as he crossed his arms across his chest.
Aragorn glanced to the elf when he interrupted and looked back to Elrohir to finish the conversation. Elrohir smothered the smile that threatened to erupt on his face as he listened to Aragorn. He knew Legolas was not accustomed to being ignored and he was interested to see how the elf prince would react. He caught a glance from his twin and knew that he also was listening closely. Legolas' eyes narrowed as Aragorn continued to ignore the elf. Once ending the conversation with Elrohir, Aragorn turned and addressed Legolas.
"Yes, Master Elf? You wished to have a word with me?"
Legolas seemed to stumble over his words in rage as Aragorn patiently waited before speaking again.
"I would expect common courtesy of not interrupting a conversation from an elven prince such as yourself. The answer you wish to know is yes, you may ride with us."
"I may ride with you?" Legolas asked incredulously.
"Yes, my prince, you shall. We ride in a few moments; be ready."
Aragorn turned and walked to Halbarad as the second in command smiled. "You bait him. That may be unwise in the long run."
"I care not, Halbarad. It is he who allows himself to be baited," Aragorn said as the two men walked slowly through the waking camp.
"Yes, but you enjoy it far too much," Halbarad replied and Aragorn grinned.
The two stopped outside Aragorn's temporary tent and Aragorn collected his cloak and few items before standing again. Fastening the cloak, Aragorn stared at Halbarad and wondered when he would see the other man again.
"Till next time we meet, Strider."
"Till then, Halbarad. Remain safe," Aragorn said and gripped the other man's forearms.
The tightly hugged and Aragorn walked back to where the horses waited. He said farewell to many of the men before mounting his horse and riding from the camp. The elves followed silently as they rode through the forest and towards the west. Elladan rode by Aragorn's side and the other two rode behind. Aragorn felt the tension crawl back into his bones and muscles with each stride of his horse. He drew comfort from his brothers and their presence as they rode with him. It had been too long since he rode with his brothers.
"How fares Imladris since I last visited?" Aragorn asked as he guided his horse down the path.
"Well if Glorfindel and Erestor say away from each other, everything is fine. Those two have gotten worse since you left and we are not there often. I think they feel it has gotten too quiet around the home and they have taken it upon themselves to enliven the house again," Elladan said with a chuckle as his stallion stepped over a fallen tree limb.
"And I am sure Elrond is ready to drug both of them into a stupor."
"Just about. Ada is about halfway through his library. He is now realizing how busy we kept him with healing our injuries from some adventure. He misses you, Estel. It has been several months since your last letter."
"I hope to visit him soon. Then I can show Erestor and Glorfindel the meaning of annoying," Aragorn laughed and glanced back at Legolas. "You are being quiet, Prince Legolas. Are you well?"
Legolas turned his attention to the human and saw a faint wisp of worry in the silver eyes. Why should the human worry if he was being quiet? Elladan glanced back also and raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"Yes, I am well. I was just thinking," he replied and held the human's gaze.
"Thinking of what?"
Legolas raised an eyebrow and Aragorn copied him before turning to face forward. It was silent as Legolas stared at the human's back.
"I was thinking of how long it has been since I visited Imladris. I was actually on my way there when I was captured."
"What happened? They said you killed six men of their troop. I know elves do not normally kill humans without provocation."
"Perhaps it is different for Mirkwood elves."
Aragorn chuckled before replying. "True, it may be different for an elf from the forests of Mirkwood but I doubt it. My brothers have told me much about your realm and the famed prince and his prowess with the bow. Warriors of Mirkwood are fearless and dangerous in battle but they have compassion for the living also. I look forward to seeing your skill with a bow," Aragorn said as his horse splashed through a small creek.
"You are very honest, human."
"Honesty is needed between fellow warriors to survive. And please, call me Strider and not human. That may be what I am but not who I am."
The twins glanced at each other and smiled briefly before riding on. It was going better than either had originally hoped. They knew that Aragorn and Legolas could have a great friendship once they both got past some issues. It just mattered that they didn't kill each other while doing it.
"Where do we travel, Estel?" Elrohir asked after several minutes of a comfortable silence.
"A small town by the name of Ruin; about a two day ride from here," he replied and pulled his horse to a stop.
Aragorn glanced around the forest and down the path ahead of them and behind them from where they came. He carefully sniffed the air before steering his horse off the path.
"We should stay off the trail," he commented quietly and motioned for the elves to follow.
"What is wrong, Estel?" Elrohir questioned as they wove around the trees.
"That trail is used regularly by hunters and trappers and they had been there recently. I did not want to chance having our horses injured by any traps or pits," Aragorn answered and pushed deeper off the trail.
"What about this Nasin?" Legolas asked and pushed aside a low hanging branch.
"What about him?"
"What do you plan to do about him?" he responded and suppressed the urge to swat the human's head.
"Hopefully talk to him and make him see reason. If not, then well…"
"You will kill him," Legolas finished for him and Aragorn nodded.
"Yes; if he means to seek my death then I will defend myself. But I will not go into that town looking for his death and will only kill as a last resort," Aragorn said and suddenly rode out of the forest.
Stopping his horse, Aragorn breathed deeply and let it out slowly. Looking over at Elrohir, Aragorn whacked the back of Elrohir's head and kicked his horse forward into a gallop. There was only a moment's pause before Elrohir flew after his brother with a laugh. Elladan looked over at Legolas and shrugged his shoulders before kicking his horse forward with Legolas close behind. The four raced across the plain with echoing laughs as the wind raced past them. Aragorn crouched lower and felt the horse fly under him as he leaned lower over the horse's neck. Slowly, he sat up and slowed his horse with a bright smile before turning to his brothers.
"You are getting slow, Elrohir," Aragorn laughed as the elf scowled and gently shoved his brother.
"When will you ever grow up, Estel?" Elladan asked with a chuckle.
"I hope never."
Aragorn continued to smile as they rode for the rest of the day before stopping for the night. Elladan hunted several rabbits and they ate dinner before bedding. Legolas took the first watch and passed the night silently by sitting by the fire and occasionally poking it with a stick. He was to awake Elrohir to change swifts so he watched the moon to track its progress and estimate the time.
(I)(I)(I)
Aragorn sighed and rolled over in annoyance. He had just woken up and knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again for the rest of the night. Turning his head, he found Legolas watching him across the fire. Sitting up, Aragorn moved around the fire and sat beside the elf.
"I will take Elrohir's watch; you can get some rest," he whispered as he glanced to Legolas.
Legolas nodded but continued to stare at the fire. Knowing the elf heard him, Aragorn turned his attention to the surrounding area. The fire crackled softly as the two beings sat so close yet so far away.
"The six men I killed had ambushed me just at the outskirts of Mirkwood," Legolas said softly and Aragorn turned to look at him.
"Why did they ambush you?"
Legolas shrugged and poked at the fire. "Because I am an elf? I tried to disappear into the trees but one of their arrows caught me in the left shoulder. I fought them off the best I could but their numbers overwhelmed me. They were taking me to their town to sell me to the highest bidder."
"The Rangers and I commonly meet slave masters on the trails. It is a disgusting business that no one deserves. Few people have the stomach for slavery but no matter how many slave masters we kill they always seem to reappear." Aragorn dropped his gaze for a moment before looking at the elf again. "I am sorry I did not get there sooner."
Legolas shrugged and turned to look Aragorn in the eyes. "Do you actually feel sorrow?"
"Few know what true sorrow is, but yes; I am sorry for what my fellow men did to you. You were in the position to kill them and had reason to do so, so I feel no sorrow for the men. They got what they deserved."
Legolas slowly nodded and turned back to stare at the fire. "You are different, Strider. I have never known a human like you."
"How many humans have you known?" Aragorn asked with a smirk.
"Point taken."
Legolas glanced at Aragorn and chuckled as he shook his head. Aragorn grinned and took the branch from Legolas to poke at the fire.
"Get some rest, Legolas."
Legolas nodded and moved to the spot Aragorn had lain and stretched out to slip into elven dreams.