Hey everyone! I hope you like it, Gimli isn't in this chapter very much but he's in it so, it's a little more humorous. I'll hopefully update soon.
Chapter 4: Gimli Arrives
The next morning, Aragorn pushed into Legolas' room and was surprised to see the Elf wasn't in the bed. Aragorn's glanced around the empty room and closed the door, staring at the bed which was tidy, heavy blankets stripped and folded Elvish style in the middle of the bed. The pillows were stacked at the foot of the bed and the sheets were folded much like the blankets and set at the head of the bed.
"Legolas?" Aragorn called, moving into the middle of the room and fingering the pillows.
"Here." Came his friend's voice. Aragorn turned to the open balcony windows and saw Legolas sitting on the railing with his back to the King, feet visibly dangling over the edge. Aragorn sprang forward through the balcony doors and grabbed his friend's arm. Legolas turned to him, pale face shinning with sweat, and smiled. "I'm alright, Aragorn." He pulled his arm out of the King's grasp.
"Legolas." Aragorn whispered, grabbing his arm again and pulling him gently back onto the balcony. Legolas didn't protest but gripped the railing with his free hand and wiggled his legs over the railing. "Please, don't do that again."
"I'm sorry." Legolas said, laughing lightly. "I didn't think it would bother you so." Aragorn rubbed sweat from his own forehead and let his eyes wander to the city below them…far below them. "Are you alright?"
"You persist in giving my heart a good kick, don't you?" Aragorn asked. His eyes roved the Elf's and then moved to his injured side. "I have to look again, see how it's doing." Legolas nodded and walked past the King into his room.
He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Aragorn cross the room to the table where his herbs still lay. He mixed them up and then came back, kneeling in front of his friend and un-wrapping the bandage.
The wound was still closed with the thread but black fluid and blood had seeped onto the bandage. Aragorn rubbed some herbs onto the ragged stitches and then moved cool fingers up the Elf's warm skin, tracing the black tendrils up his side and across his stomach. They'd spread just in the last few days.
"If you persist on walking around now, Legolas, I'll get you some clothing." Aragorn said, re-bandaging the Elf's stomach. "I may be able to find something light enough and, better then you're bare chest and ripped leggings." Legolas sighed and let his head fall back, watching the ceiling.
"If you wish." Legolas answered. Aragorn nodded and patted the Elf's slender shoulder.
"I wish it. I'll bring them up and you can put them on next time you chose to go out, but…" Aragorn nodded to the balcony glittering innocently in the sunlight. "Please, no more bird perching." Legolas looked back at him and nodded. "Now, tell me, you said the Men of Long Lake attacked you? Why?"
"I do not know." Legolas answered. "It was sudden and unprovoked on our part." Suddenly he stood and swept off to the other end of the room and a green chair where his ripped tunic, quiver, bow, cloak and pack lay. Aragorn watched as he began rifling through them and opened the pack. Aragorn hadn't searched through it, wishing the Elf to show him what was inside instead and now wished he'd seen the contents sooner.
Legolas pulled out a green tunic and an arrow which he brought to the bed. Laying the tunic over the pillows and the arrow on the heavy blankets, Legolas stayed silent while Aragorn fingered the tunic's rough green material and embroidered gold oak tree and moon symbols.
"I stripped that off a wounded enemy I shot. He was one of the strange men in the group. I've never seen his dress, nor his armor. I couldn't bring the armor, I was in a hurry but it was black, as though it had not been polished in years." Legolas' slender fingers ran down the black arrow shaft as Aragorn picked up the tunic. "I took this from his quiver."
"What armor did he wear?" Aragorn asked, setting down the tunic and picking up the arrow. Legolas sat down on the bed as carefully as he could so as not to jar his side and watched the King through unblinking eyes.
"Chain mail mostly." Legolas answered. "But they had arm and shoulder amour and black back braces. Their weapons were also black, and hardly shimmered. They melded with the night and they were stealthy. Most I would have said were Elves if I did not know differently."
Aragorn set down the arrow. It was the same kind that had pierced Legolas' side but there was no poison on the tip. "The other Elves, the ones you were with…" Legolas' eyes fell to the floor and pain filled them. Elves were not accustomed to death and did not take it lightly. "Their wounds, did you see them up close?"
Legolas swallowed hard and his eyes found Aragorn's again. "I held Melithor as he died." Legolas whispered. "There was a smell…" He fingered his side. "He was hit in the chest. Laren, she escaped with me, she was calling to me, telling me we had to fly, the enemy was closing in." Legolas stared at his hands. "Black poison was coming out of his mouth." Legolas grimaced.
"Laren?" Aragorn asked. "Where did she go?" Legolas shook his head.
"We hit the fields, we got out of Mirkwood but it was dark and we were both wounded. I must have gone one way and she the other." Legolas suddenly looked lost. "Do not ask me to speculate where she is."
Aragorn shook his head. "I won't." He said. "Was your father wounded?" Legolas shook his head. "We'll wait until the other members of the council get here. You'll need your strength." Aragorn stood and went to the door. "I'll bring up the clothes." Legolas didn't answer but kept his back to him, staring at his hands. Aragorn left silently, worried.
Days later Legolas hadn't yet left the safety of his room in the tower. Aragorn and Arwen frequently went to him, asking what he needed and to treat his wounds. That was why Aragorn was to be found late in the afternoon in his throne room, sitting silently, head down, staring at the polished black and white marble floor.
Arwen had gone out for an afternoon walk in the palace gardens with one of her maids, leaving the troubled King with his thoughts. He was worried about Legolas' lack of interest in his surroundings first and foremost, his mind dwelling night and day on how to save him. He'd been over all his books on poison and consulted with the best doctors and still he was no closer to solving this riddle.
Kelser's footsteps across the floor brought him back to his surroundings. The man looked grim but a faint light was seeping from his eyes, like triumph. Aragorn didn't move from his seat and waited impatiently as Kelser bowed.
"Sir, our rider from the Glittering Caves has returned." Aragorn raised an eyebrow.
"That was quick." He replied, surprised. "What news does he bring?"
"News?" Kelser smiled. "He brings no news but, a rider with him." Kelser opened his mouth to say more but at that moment the doors to the throne room were thrown open and in strode the rider, donned in brown and black, accompanied by Gimli.
The dwarf swept past the rider and up the hall as fast as his short legs would carry him. "I finally get an invite to your throne, Aragorn, and I find out that the Elf has been here longer then me? Not only do I find this out, but I come to understand he was invited first?"
Aragorn stood, smiling and stepped away from his throne, waiting for Gimli to cross the hall fully before replying. "He wasn't invited." Aragorn informed the Dwarf. "Gimli, you don't understand…"
"I was told and I understand perfectly." Gimli replied grimly. "Where is he?" Aragorn rested a hand on the Dwarf's shoulder.
"I must warn you." He said, "Legolas is not well." Gimli brushed his hand away and stared at him hotly through black eyes. Aragorn smiled, made a small remark about Dwarven stubbornness in Elvish and the led Gimli through the hall and into a side passage, Kelser close behind them.
The journey didn't last long but it felt like an eternity for the small Dwarf. He hadn't seen his friend for so long that even the short walk up the stairs seemed painfully slow. They finally came to a wooden door, intricately carved and Aragorn knocked.
"Enter." Came a soft muffled voice, like music to the Dwarf's ears. Aragorn pushed open the door and found Legolas sitting on the bed, the blankets, sheets and pillows all stacked in Elven fashion. Legolas was staring at the tunic and arrow again but when the three others entered he looked up, saw Gimli and smiled, quickly pulling a light white robe Aragorn had found for him, closed over his bandages. The Dwarf had seen, however.
"Well, you don't look as close to death's door as I was lead to believe." Gimli said gruffly, stumping into the room. "I need not have hurried."
Legolas smiled and swept to his feet like a leaf in the wind, moving across the room towards the Dwarf and clasping his hand, and then he wrinkled his nose. "Yes, I agree. A bath wouldn't have hurt either." Legolas said. Gimli stared at him for a moment and then laughed, clapping him on the arm. Legolas smiled weakly as his side was jarred and moved away, back to the bed and gesturing the other three with him.
He pointed to the tunic. "What do you see?" He asked. The other three men crowded around.
"A grubby shirt and an arrow." Gimli replied. Legolas glanced at him briefly and then fingered the material of the shirt.
"No, closer." He said. Aragorn bent down and squinted at the tunic. The golden glimmers of thread making the oak tree and moon symbols. "I've seen this somewhere, especially the red streaks on the golden thread."
Aragorn could now see the red glimmers in the gold. He grimly fingered them and then looked up at the Elf. Legolas was pure white now and all Elvish glimmer had diminished from his skin. He looked grey and drawn and even as Aragorn watched he wavered. Pushing this from his mind he shook his head.
"Legolas, I see nothing." Legolas stared at him for a moment and then sat back down. "Where have you seen this before?"
"I do not know." Legolas said, rubbing his forehead. "It may be nothing." Aragorn nodded.
"I think you and Gimli should catch up with each other." Aragorn said. Legolas nodded slightly and looked up at the Dwarf who was staring at the tunic. "Tell him everything you told me, maybe you can come up with something." Legolas didn't seem to hear him, his eyes locked on the fluttering curtains across the room. Aragorn clapped the Dwarf on the shoulder and left with Kelser.
Gimli sat down on the bed and watched Legolas for a moment before saying, "Is there anything to eat around here?" Legolas raised and eyebrow and smiled.
TO MY REVEIWERS:
Zammy: Thank you, I hope you like this chapter to. I'll update soon, I hope.
Elf771: LOL, your not something bad. Well, I hope it will be good, the adventure will start soon, I just have to get all the characters in place. I hope this will end with a plot, I have a plot I'm following right now, so…I will finish it, I have never not finished a story.
elfaddict Yeah, I loved when they woke Aragorn, It seemed appropriate. Thanks, my easter was great, hope yours was to!
Slayer3 Evil bunnies or puppies? Then they'd be cute and soft and fluffy and everyone would hate me for hurting one of them and they wouldn't care about the main characters. LOL. I'm pretty obsessed to, don't worry. My friends hate to hear how perfect Legolas is all day long. Keep reading and reviewing.
Yanzen: Thank you, I'm glad your back to civilization now. I hope you liked it, keep reviewing!
Elessar-Lover Thank you. I hope this was soon enough, a week…Thank you, happy easter to, mine was awesome I hope the same went for you. Yeah, I got your drift. I went to your sight, It was great. Please get more up!
morph Yeah, I loved how they woke Aragorn to. With all the tenseness I thought I needed something in there. Thanks you for the review and I hope you keep reading and reviewing.
Deana Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter, it wasn't much but at least now Gimli is here and soon the adventure will begin.
Moonyasha No problem and thank you. I hope you liked this chapter and happy easter to you to…well, I hope you had a happy easter.
TO ANYONE I MAY HAVE MISSED, I'M SORRY AND THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY.