Find Me
Aaaaaand that's another inexcusibly long wait from me...V. sorry, guys! Took a loooong time to get this one at least semi-right...So, here is the next installment in this lil fic o' mine, hope you enjoy it, and standard disclaimer applies (see chapter one). Oh, and flames will be used as HEAT, 'cause it's winter and I'm bloody cold!
Gondor was a strong city. It had seen many changes over the centuries, battles, victories, famine, death. Death most of all. But still it stood, a surly fortress grimly bearing the scars of past years and watching, watching the tiny inhabitants of its mighty halls bustling here and there, getting on with their everyday lives, unconscious of the great citadel's gaze.
But this morning, the stone city wasn't the only vigilant one. A single horse stood, framed impressively by the open land before the city. Perhaps it was just an impulsive animal that had gotten out of the stables. Perhaps it was just one of those wild horses, a stallion free to travel wherever it wished. Perhaps it was just an eager traveler that had an early start to the day after a brief stop in the city.
Well. It was a traveler. But there was an entirely different reason for his early start.
Aragorn straightened up after his close scrutiny of the grasses on which he walked, his sword and other paraphernalia knocking awkwardly against his legs. The trail, or what little there was, was already cold.
/Legolas must be at least 15 leagues away by now/ he thought grimly, hoisting himself up onto his horse. The horse, and tall chestnut mare (who he thought was called Pacus), obligingly snorted and pricked her ears forward, eager to be off. Aragorn absently patted her neck. He had opted for one of the barely used stable horses, as the royal horse given to him would be recognized. And as much as he loved his people and wouldn't want them to worry about his whereabouts, he was loath to reveal to anyone who he was and where he was going.
/Legolas can travel fast when he's alone. Even faster if he's in a hurry./ A twinge of pain flickered for a moment in his chest. It hurt that his lover was in a hurry to get away from him.
Pacus stamped her foot and snorted again, impatient. Aragorn, preoccupied with his thoughts, didn't notice.
Flashback
/It's still dark. He can't have gone too far.../
Furiously packing, throwing things into a traveling pack. His eyes stung. There were tear tracks still clearly seen running down his cheeks.
/But I don't know where he's gone...No one would have seen him leave, so no one would have stopped him...No one knew he would be leaving, so he wouldn't have had to tell anyone where he was going...So who would he have confided in...Who would he have spoken with about a sanctuary he could go to.../
Fresh tears sprung to his eyes. The answer was obvious.
/...Me./ angrily scrubbing at his eyes. /He would have told me./
The tears won. No amount of rubbing would stop them now, and they streamed down his face, testimony to his unhappiness.
End Flashback
The air raced past Aragorn's face, refreshing after a restless night and tempest morning. He shook his head, the wisps of memory blown away by the wind rushing in his ears. Come to think of it...the ground under him was passing surprisingly quickly. He hadn't even been aware of nudging Pacus into movement. Gently, he slowed her to an easier pace as he roughly quashed any anguish that threatened to overtake him.
/No point in pushing her so hard this early in the morning./
Thoughts floated around like leaves in his mind. One in particular brought memory floating up out of the haze.
Flashback
It was the three of them, riding with ...was it Eomer? No, Theoden was still alive. They were traveling with the army to wait for reenforcements at Dunharrow.
With the little time together that the three friends had, Legolas and Gimli were (of course) using it to the best of their abilities...
"They're mindless beasts! The only use they have is as baggage carriers!" Gimli complained, still in his unending campaign against horses.
"In which case, Gimli, my dear Dwarf, you must be most honored that Arod has so willingly continued to carry you. You are sure to be a great deal heavier than any baggage we possess."
"It's all muscle!" dwarf replied after a few seconds of indignant sputtering. "At least I'm not some lightweight elf, like yourself! There's the rock of Middle Earth in my bones!"
"Yes, I believe Arod has noticed." responded Legolas, adopting a pained, sympathetic look and patting the horse on the neck. The antics of the two caused a bubble of mirth to expand in Aragorn's chest and he laughed aloud, earning himself a disapproving glance from Gimli and a smile from his lover.
End Flashback
The memory faded and Aragorn still found himself with a smile on his face. Though it had been during a war, those were still some of the best times of his long life. When he could still be Strider and not have to worry about "Kingly Affairs". When he was able to do and go wherever he wished at a moments notice. When he had Legolas...
/Stop it./ he berated himself. /Wallowing in despair will not cover the leagues for you./
Besides...At least he had some vague idea of where to go, thanks to Gimli. And to think, it had only been a spur of the moment thought that he should ask the dwarf at all if he had seen the elf.
"No. Has he gone somewhere?" Gimli roughly asked as he looked at Aragorn mutinously. It seemed that waking a dwarf before sunrise to ask questions astrivial as the wereabouts of important friends was unforgivable.
"Yes. He left Gondor late last night...or early this morning...Actually Gimli, I cannot remember and with all respect, if you have no idea where he's gone either, then I must leave immediately to see if I can catch up with him." The dwarf huffed, insulted.
"Well...I never said I had absolutely no idea..." he said sulkily.
"What? Gimli...what aren't you telling me?" Aragorn restrained himself (with effort) from roughly shaking the dwarf by his shoulder to see if the answer would come rattling out of him. That would undoubtably be a bad idea, seeing as how the dwarf was clearly thinking of justfalling asleep againand letting Aragorn sort out his mess on his own...
"Well...do you remember the time at Helm's Deep, where I was shoved into the caves and separated from you two?" Gimli was teasing him, Aragorn could see that.
"Yes...Gimli, how does this help me find him now? He wouldn't have gone to Helm's Deep, would he?"
"I never said that, you brat king!Don't interrupt me! Now, you remember, after the battle was over, he promised me that he would come see the glory of those caves if I promised to go with him somewhere?" Aragorn was as still as a statue. He did dimly remember the two making a bargain like that...if only he could remember the exact details...
"...Gimli...where is it that Legolas wanted to go?"
The dwarf was obviously enjoying this torment over him, since he waited a pause before saying with great relish "Fangorn Forest."
The conversation faded and Aragorn was able to clear his eyes and focus again on the present. A grim sort of acception seemed to settle over him as he raced across the ground. Yes, Legolas was gone, he had to come to terms with that before he caught up with him, else the relations between them would only get worse. At least he had a destination in mind. It was a fair bit better then wandering aimlessly across Middle Earth.
He glanced over his shoulder at Gondor, far away already from Pacus' flying feet. In a way, even though his errand was dire, it was a relief to be out of the restraining city. No more "Kingly Duties", no more dealing with annoying advisors. And especially no more of this bowing and falling over whenever he went walking in the city. He had not realized until now just how much that simple thing had bothered him.
Pacus had to jump over a small rock in her path and the resulting jolt brought Aragorn facing forward again. He had forgotten how much concentration riding involved. He had also forgotten how much he loved it. Loved all of the things he had been missing, really. The spontaneity, the adventures... In spite of himself, a small smile lightened his face.
Most of all, it felt good just to be Strider again.
Ahaha! Well, it was touching go for a while, and I am sorry for the wait. But I hope you know that it's taking me this long just to get this bloody paragraph right. breathes a (huge) sigh of relief And now, I intend to go celebrate my victory over writers block with a viewing of...yes, you guessed it, The Fellowship! Rah rah rah!
Anyways, hope you liked this chapter...and, of course, you know you can always tell me in a review...winks...
TA!
Darashini