Friendship Undying: Road to Redemption
Disclaimer: All standard ones apply.
Aragorn slowly came to consciousness and the first sensation his sleep-fogged mind registered was the feeling of a calming embrace surrounding him. Bringing himself to full awareness and blinking away the tiredness that begged his eyes to forget the world for just a little while longer, he slowly sat up. Estel eyed the roots that had previously hugging his slumbering form but shrugged the mystery towards the back of his brain, knowing that trees had minds of their own after he had lived for so long in the house of Elrond. As well, Prince Legolas was with him – perhaps the elf had bade the tree to make sure he came to no harm while the immortal himself took rest.
The thought of his companion caused him to look around, knowledge of the Woodland Elves causing him not to be surprised when he finally spotted the prince reclining on a branch of the oak. Moving away from the trunk so as to let Legolas see him, Aragorn took a breath and called out.
"Legolas." The elf's sharp hearing picked up on the cry, though it was merely spoken at regular volume. Legolas' eyes opened and he lethargically glanced down at the human who was accompanying him to Rivendell. "It is only several more hours until we reach Imladris. Do you wish to set out now?"
The prince blinked before rising to his feet and gracefully making his way down the ancient tree. Coming to a halt in front of Estel, Legolas allowed himself a small smile and was rewarded by the surprised expression that flickered over the mortal's face. He glided away to the horses, taking Mirwen's head in his hands and speaking softly to her in Elvish. The mare could sense the positive change in her rider and nickered happily, rubbing her muzzle into his palms. As he set about readying her for travel, Aragorn came over and started saddling his steed, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on Legolas. Noticing the scrutiny, Legolas glanced up to lock gazes.
"Nothing is the matter, if that is what you are wondering."
"That is the reason for my confusion, actually," Aragorn stated truthfully. Another smile tugged at the elf's lips.
"Being in this place has caused me to come to some conclusions and has opened my eyes to things I had not before realized," he replied cryptically. Estel's steady gaze remained unbroken.
"Is there a chance that you would allow me to be privy to such revelations?" the young man queried, surprising both beings with his boldness. Legolas considered him for several moments before coming to a conclusion.
"I believe that my mother sent you to me," was his reply. Aragorn looked non-plussed, a silent plea for an explanation. Legolas complied. "'Estel'. You are hope. It is something I have been looking for since ammë was murdered. I resorted to methods she would not approve of to handle my grief and undertook the journey to Imladris so as to invoke Elrond's help in healing my mind. Meeting you on the road must have been her way of showing me that I am finally doing what she would have wanted. Our coming upon each other was not a coincidence." The elf waited for Estel to voice his opinion.
"I would hardly call our meeting 'coming upon each other'. I seem to recall a knife being held to my neck and someone calling me a 'filthy adan'." The small smile on Thranduilion's lips turned into a smirk.
"That simply shows you that you require work to become a formidable Ranger. I have met those who could catch even a trained elf off-guard."
The two basked in the friendly familiarity of each other's presence as the mounted and set off towards the elf haven of Rivendell.
The sight of Rivendell's gates coming closer had last minute doubts and fears making themselves known to the prince of Mirkwood. Slowing his mare, he eyed the entrance with apprehension, Aragorn waiting confusedly beside him.
"I should not have come," whispered Legolas. His companion shook his head firmly, reaching out to grab hold of Mirwen's bridle when her rider moved to turn her around.
"You said so yourself earlier in the morn, your mother wanted you to do this. That is why we were put together. Both of us need to be saved, but if you go back now, you will have failed her and me. Could you do that?" There was a wild look in the blonde's eyes that worried Estel, but his grip on Mirwen remained tight.
"It is no one's business by mine and my family's. If I go to your father, I will have to bear my soul and my scars to someone who I do not even know. I will have to tell him secrets that I have hid from my own blood for centuries!"
"And you will return to Mirkwood with the strength to tell your family the truth; you will be able to trust yourself to never again hurt those you love by inflicting harm upon yourself. Do you trust yourself to go back now and keep the blade away from your wrists?" Wide blue eyes bore into Aragorn and Legolas' voice was shaky when he gathered up his wits and spoke.
"H – how? I never told you... I made sure not to mention..."
"Being dirty does not make me dim," he responded with a hint of humor. "You claimed that your mother would not approve of how you had handled your grief; that you would need to bear your scars to my father. I was able to decipher what you were most likely implying and your response just now proved my suspicions to be correct."
"And... you are not ashamed of me? That you will be seen with me?" There was a need and disbelief in the immortal's voice that broke the Ranger's heart. Tears were in both of their eyes as he shook his head negatively.
"I would be proud to ride through those gates beside you, because the fact that you were there would prove that you were strong enough to overcome what mortal and immortal have fallen victim to since the creation of Arda."
Salty crystals flowed down Legolas' porcelain skin as his mind warred with itself. In the midst of all his confusion, he felt his mother's presence more deeply than he had since before her death. 'Go,' he heard her whisper, and the calamity ceased in his head.
Nodding slowly, Aragorn lifted his hand from Mirwen's bridle. The mare picked up her pace and settled into a smooth trot with Fëaear at her side, headed to the ornate palace of Imladris.
It was the beginning of a brotherhood that would heal man and elf and change their lives forever. But that is a story for another time.
-The End-
