Disclaimer see Chapter One.

Author's Notes: Thank you once again for all the great reviews! (hugs) It's always wonderful to hear what you think about this story, or a certain part of it, whether you do it in a novel-length review or in one sentence. ;-) Review replies have been sent. Taraisilwen, thank you very much for your review, I loved reading it even if I can't answer you properly (and poor horsie, indeed :( ).

Some (or most) of you have waited for this specific chapter. ;-) Enjoy, and let me know how you liked it. :)

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- Wounds -

Chapter Four: A second Chance

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"True friendship is seen through the heart,
not through the eyes."
Unknown

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The moment he saw his friend he could tell that he was dying. The elf was lying in the snow, unmoving. Aragorn fell to his knees beside his friend, gathering him in his arms. Legolas' eyes were open, and they locked on his face. I'm sorry, Aragorn wanted to say, but the pain rendered him mute, choking him.

There was hurt in the elf's eyes, hurt and anger. "You… have… betrayed me," he whispered. Aragorn bowed his head when his own words were hurled back at him, accepting the accusation. Legolas was right. He had betrayed their friendship, and the elf was paying the price.

"I am sorry," he finally managed to choke out, slowly raising his head again, bracing himself to face the hurt and the disappointment in his friend's eyes. But Legolas did not look at him. His eyes stared into the dark sky above, but they would never see anything again.

"No. NO!" Aragorn started to shake the elf, calling his friend's name over and over again until his voice broke. Then he doubled over, collapsing over the dead body of his friend, consumed by unspeakable grief.

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Aragorn jerked awake, his head colliding painfully with the rock wall at the sudden and violent movement. He looked around wild-eyed for a moment, before memory set in and he realized where he was. A dream. It was only a dream. He buried his face in his free hand for a moment, trying to calm his breathing and his pounding heart. Finally he raised his head, running his fingers through his hair to get some wayward strands out of his face.

When he looked down again to check on his friend, blue eyes looked back at him unwaveringly. Aragorn froze. For a moment he dared not move, not even breathe, as if the slightest disturbance could cause the image before him to shatter and fade into nothingness. Finally, when he began to believe that what he saw before him was real, the ranger found his voice again.

"Legolas?" he asked softly.

The elf blinked, and Aragorn knew that he had heard him. The ranger felt relief, trepidation and worry well up in him all at once. He still remembered holding the elf's dead body in his terrible dream, and he wished to erase this memory more than anything. There was confusion and pain in Legolas' eyes, but apart from that they were clear, and he looked directly in Aragorn's face. Suddenly the man wondered how long the elf had been awake while he was still sleeping. How long had he had left his friend alone – again?

"Legolas?" Aragorn asked once more, not sure if he should be concerned about the elf's silence.

To his great relief, this time Legolas tried to answer. "Est-" he began and stopped short, insecurity in his eyes. "Aragorn…"

Understanding what the problem was and feeling a pang of guilt because of it, Aragorn spoke up immediately. "Please," he said gently, "call me Estel. I was wrong. I will always be Estel, as much as I am Aragorn."

The ranger could see his friend relax slightly. "You… followed me…" Legolas said softly, his eyes seeming to search the man's face. There was a question in his eyes, but also something else, less obvious. Wonder? Disbelief? Hope? Aragorn could not say.

"Yes, I did," the man answered, feeling his throat go dry. He knew what Legolas was asking, and that he would have to face the consequences of his actions now, whatever they might be.

Aragorn noticed the obvious difficulty his friend had in speaking, and quickly fetched the waterskin out of the pack by his side. Wordlessly, he held it to the elf's lips, and Legolas drank obediently. It worried the ranger that his friend did not even try to move or take the waterskin from him.

Legolas did not like to show weakness, and when he did, then it was only because he could not help it. His friend's compliance told Aragorn more about his condition than any words. After the first few sips, the elf turned his head away, showing that he had had enough.

"Please, take some more," Aragorn pleaded with him. "You have lost a great amount of blood, my friend. You need it."

Legolas looked back at him, and finally he nodded. This time he drank as much as Aragorn wanted him to, to the man's relief. The elf would need to regain as much strength as he could before the morning.

"Thank you," Legolas said, taking the man by surprise.

Aragorn looked away, not able to meet the elf's eyes. There is nothing you should thank me for, he wanted to say, but he restrained himself and stayed silent, nodding instead. He laid the waterskin on the floor, not bothering to stow it away again. Then he looked back at his friend, eyeing the far-too-pale face and trying to gauge what he saw.

"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.

"Weak…" Legolas answered.

"That is to be expected," Aragorn said, not sure if he was talking to himself or to the elf. "Your wounds are severe."

"I know." Legolas' gaze seemed to turn inward, and Aragorn knew that he was reliving some scene of the recent past. "I thought I was dying…"

The silent question was in the elf's eyes again, and Aragorn knew he could not hesitate any longer if he did not want to hurt his friend anew. "When I found you-" he began, and his voice broke. "I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost you. But what was even worse, I knew that your death would have been my fault. I thought I would never have the chance to beg your forgiveness."

Legolas opened his lips, about to say something, but Aragorn went on before the elf could start speaking. "To believe that you had died there, alone and in pain, and the last thing you remembered of me were those hurtful words…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I can not even begin to tell you how sorry I am, Legolas. What I said to you was wrong, foolish and cruel. That is why I followed you: to find you and ask your forgiveness. I'm so sorry that I did not come sooner, that I was not here when you needed me."

Legolas was silent for a long moment. "But… it was my fault," he said finally.

Aragorn stared at him. "How could anything of this have been your fault?"

"I chose the wrong moment… and the wrong words. I should have waited – I should not have asked you to go to Imladris…"

"I should have listened," Aragorn interrupted him gently. "I should have trusted you. Legolas, none of this was your fault. What I said… oh, how I wish I could take it back. You feared for me and for my men, and you were right. You only spoke out of concern, but all I could see was my wounded pride and my fear. I was afraid to go back. I would have endangered us all. You nearly died because of my folly. I am so sorry."

"It was my decision, Estel," Legolas answered softly. "I chose to run away and take the path over the mountains, not you."

Aragorn smiled sadly at him. "You left because of me, and you chose this path for my sake. I know about Géran, Legolas. What could you have done? You could not have trusted me to take care of him after the way I had treated you. And you chose not to go to Imladris because I did not wish them to know how I fared, and you still respected my decision, even after all I had done to you. I caused all this to happen."

"My decisions were still my own. I was careless. I lay no blame on you, Estel. Please do not do so yourself."

Aragorn sat motionless for a moment, just looking down into those serious blue eyes that met his gaze unflinchingly. Legolas did not reproach him. He did not hate him, and was not disappointed in him. In fact, he did not place any fault on him. The ranger felt humbled, and slightly awed. Still, he did not find it in him to forgive himself.

"I have hurt you," he whispered.

For a moment, a hint of pain flickered in the elf's eyes, and Aragorn knew that he could not deny it. "You have," Legolas admitted softly. "but I do not hold it against you. Even when you spoke those words to me, I could see you were hurting. I never wanted to cause you pain, Estel. I thought… I feared I had lost your friendship. " The despair in the elf's eyes tore at Aragorn's heart. He wrapped both arms around his friend, holding the elf close, resting one cheek lightly against the golden head.

"You will never lose my friendship," he whispered. "Never. I may be a fool sometimes, but my heart will always know you."

He heard Legolas sigh softly. "I know," the elf murmured. "I should not have doubted."

For a while they stayed that way, cherishing each other's presence and taking comfort in their renewed friendship. Then Aragorn straightened a bit, rousing the elf, who had just started to drift off to sleep again. He opened his eyes and saw Aragorn looking down at him, a strange expression on his face. The ranger hesitated. He had not wanted to disturb the elf's rest.

"Estel?" Legolas asked, and the worry in his voice helped Aragorn to make up his mind.

"Legolas – will you forgive me? Whatever you say, what I did was wrong, and I hurt you with my careless words. I just… need to hear that you forgive me."

Legolas' eyes softened when he saw the pain in the face of his friend. "There is nothing to forgive," he replied gently.

The elf tried to lift one hand to place it over the ranger's, but even that small movement was too much for him, and the hand fell back limply. Aragorn quickly covered it with his own and felt the elf take it and squeeze his fingers weakly.

"When I was… dying," Legolas began softly, "I did not think of the words you said to me. I thought of you. It hurt so much that I would never see you again. I only wanted to have a chance to go back and make things right again."

The words, and the memories they conjured up, made Aragorn's heart ache. "I am here now," he said simply.

Legolas only answer was a smile. The elf shifted slightly, and immediately the smile turned into a wince, and Aragorn felt him tense slightly in his arms. One moment later he slowly relaxed again.

"Are you in much pain?" Aragorn asked him softly, deep concern in his voice.

"It is bearable… when… I don't move," Legolas answered exhaustedly. He looked very tired, and his eyelids had started to droop again.

"Rest now, my friend," the ranger said gently. "You need it."

Legolas only nodded. But then his eyes opened once more, and he tried to look around. "Where are we?" he asked.

Aragorn had to smile at that, though he did not know if he really wanted to answer that question. "In a cave," he said finally, deciding that the elf would find out sooner or later anyway.

"Still better than the snow… I think," Legolas murmured, his head sinking slowly back against Aragorn's shoulder. One moment later the elf was asleep.

Aragorn settled down against the wall as comfortably as possible, determined to stay awake and watch over Legolas for the rest of the night. He felt as if a heavy weight had been taken off his heart, but the elf's weakness still worried him. He did not want to take the risk of falling asleep and finding Legolas worse than before when he woke up. Suddenly he realized that the howling of the wind outside had stopped. For the first time since he had found the corpses and then his dying friend out there in the snow, the silence seemed peaceful to him.

To be continued…
I think this is the perfect place to leave you. ;-) The next update will follow in about a week, perhaps a bit earlier if I can make it. :)

Until the next chapter,

Take care

Tinu