-;-.!\.-;-

Chapter Four: Winter's End

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Surprisingly enough, after the initial breaking of the ice between man and human, time went rather quickly from there. Legolas reluctantly agreed to let the wolf remain with them after Aragorn found its mother, very clearly dead, but the elf let it be known in no uncertain terms that it was in no way a permanent arrangement. Come spring, "that mad animal" was going straight back to the wild where it belonged. Aragorn only smiled knowingly whenever the elf took time to reiterate this, knowing the woodland creature was far too attached to the animal, and vice versa, for any such transfer to take place.

The wounds on the elf's back mended quickly, but his leg injury healed in the opposite manner, improving only very slowly. Although he refused to admit it, Aragorn knew that what little moving about Legolas insisted on doing was very painful for the elf, and although he leaned heavily on his staff for support, even the slightest weight was strenuous.

The most Aragorn could pull out of the woodland creature as far as his own history went were occasional vague hints about a past that must have been, at least for the elf, much brighter than his current existence, and events that must have been much darker. Still, Aragorn did all he could to win the elf's trust, and the hours of many long, snowy nights were spent across the fire from each other, while the man told long, ridiculous stories about the adventures of he and his brothers, and although Legolas rarely even smiled at even the most humorous antics, he did ask many questions, which was improvement in itself.

Legolas himself usually spent these times sprawled on his stomach across the fire, carving away at some kind of animal figurine with his daggers while the still unnamed wolf lay draped across his legs or curled up, pressed close to the elf's side, to whom he had become instantly attached. The wolf himself was both a burden and a constant source of amusement for both of them. Most of the time he was either tearing around the room like a creature possessed, or in a deep, undisturbed slumber never far from Legolas. Both man and elf wished the dog could find some sort of balance between the two extremes, but it was unlikely to happen.

Though both suspected it, neither was entirely sure that the other was keeping something from them. In Legolas' case it was his blindness, and perhaps he was entitled to a little secrecy. He still suffered frequent painful headaches as result of the old wound, never properly healed, but he always managed to keep these from Aragorn. The human, on his part, did not wish the elf to know of his connection's to Lord Elrond or Rivendell, since he wanted the elf to trust him fully as a human, as a ranger, and as Strider, before he knew about his elvish past.

Despite these things and the differences between the two, only Legolas was unaware of the slowly forming bond that grew deeper between them as the winter waned. On Aragorn's part it was a conscious effort, and he was overjoyed when the elf began to open up to warmth and kindness. He was never willing to trust him completely, or open himself up enough for any kind of glimpse within, but Aragorn realized that this reserve was not even a conscious effort on the elf's part. Old habits were hard to break, and Legolas certainly had quite a few to work on.

-;-.!\.-;-

"And I want so bad to open my eyes

But they're all I have to hide behind

And I want so much to let you see

But all I fear's inside of me."

-Stoked

-;-.!\.-;-

It was early spring. The heavy snows had melted away on the valley floor and the first green shoots of new life were appearing everywhere. The canyon pass out of the valley was still blocked with heavy layers of ice, but down below, woodland life was preparing to fall back into its usual routine.

Back at the Oak, Aragorn watched skeptically as Legolas moved around the room, using his staff for balance only occasionally. He still retained a heavy limp, but since he assured the human it was no longer as painful, he was prepared to let the woodland creature up and about. Throughout the winter, the elf had been on his feet only rarely and then strictly without the human's consent.

According to Legolas, the human had become his "mother hen," which was, for the most part, an accurate description.

"Well?" The elf questioned breathlessly as he ceased his circle of the room.

Strider grunted and sighed reluctantly. "I guess if you take it easy—"

Legolas laughed aloud and the wolf joined in with an ecstatic bark before the human could even finish speaking.

"I said take it easy!" The human laughed along, overjoyed himself to hear Legolas do so, however briefly. It was the first time since he'd met him. "Now sit down and let me check it again."

Sighing good-naturedly, the elf humored the man and maneuvered into the branch chair, bracing himself as Aragorn checked the still healing gashes.

"Where did you learn so much about healing, Strider?" He asked, grinding his teeth even as he spoke to distract himself from the pain as Aragorn worked.

"Um, my father…" Aragorn deadpanned. "He's a healer. I, uh, had a knack for it, and so he taught me."

"And your brothers?"

Aragorn laughed. "They know the basics, but it never really caught their interest. They enjoy horseback riding and swordplay more, as do I. One thing, however, that I could never quite pick up from them is archery."

"Archery?" Legolas repeated.

"Mmhmm." Aragorn nodded, unconvinced, and he would have smiled if Legolas had not been looking at him. He had dropped that particular subject intentionally, hoping it might draw Legolas into discussion. "I saw your bow upstairs. Any good?"

Legolas laughed softly, his voice tinged with bitterness as Aragorn finished and he stood once more with the aid of his staff. "I once thought so." He said quietly, eyes distant.

Aragorn shrugged. "I'm sure you haven't lost your knack, then. What say we go target practicing today?"

Legolas glanced briefly at him. "I—I don't know Strider—" He hesitated.

"Don't worry about it! As an elf, you can't possibly be any worse than me, so you don't have anything to be troubled about." The human teased lightly.

Legolas offered an unconvincing half-smile without looking at him. Even after all this time, he never looked the man in the eyes, and every time he noticed this it discouraged Aragorn. The man stood where he was for a moment as Legolas moved past him and knelt by the fire to stoke it. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself. He'd been decided on this matter for quite a while now, and now seemed as opportune a moment as any to tell the elf about the only thing he'd been holding back so far.

He sighed heavily, looking down.

"Legolas… I know you still don't really trust me." He said to the elf's back. "I guess you don't really have a reason to. But even so, I trust you. You saved my life, and have been nothing but kind to me. And I owe you the truth. I was raised in Rivendell, and my foster-father is actually Lord Elrond Peredhil. He—he took me in when my real father was killed by orcs when I was two, and it is he who taught me about healing. I lived in Imladris until I was twenty, and then left to join the Rangers. I was on my way home when I came here, but not to Bree. To Rivendell."

Legolas had frozen when the man had started to speak, and now his chin dropped towards the fire as silence prevailed for several tense minutes. "You…. You're Lord Elrond's… son?" The elf tentatively rejoined at last, his voice small and doubtful.

"Foster-son." Aragorn corrected with a smile. "And my real name is Aragorn. Strider is merely an alias I use among the Rangers."

"Aragorn."

"Now—" Aragorn said lightly in an attempt to change the subject, rubbing his hands together, "Are we ready to go? I must admit, it's been far too long since either of us have been out of this place."

He helped pull Legolas, still in a state of slight lethargy after these revelations, to his feet, and handed him his staff.

"I'll get your bow." He clasped the elf lightly on the shoulder and made a quick trip up the ladder for the elf's bow and quiver, retrieving his own long sword on the trip down.

A moment later they were both leaving the woody refuge for the first time since the beginning of winter, and although it was a landmark occasion for them both, (in more ways than one) not a word passed between them until they were far from the tree, the wolf bounding ahead through the traces of melting snow still on the ground.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Legolas asked softly as they walked, eyes glued on the ground ahead.

Aragorn sighed, but he had expected that question. "I wanted you to trust me first as Strider, the human: Not simply because of my past or because others trust me."

Aragorn watched the elf's face carefully, gauging his reaction, and wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed when the woodland being only nodded thoughtfully.

"And, what about you?" He prompted gently. "Now will you tell me where you're from?"

"Stri—Aragorn…" The elf hedged. "I—I guess you could say my reasons are close to yours, except that I don't want you to doubt me because others do or because of my past. It would be better for us both if you didn't know." Clearly closing the topic, Legolas sped up his step to push ahead of the human.

"Well I don't know now, and I don't think its better." Aragorn rejoined, quickening his pace to keep up. "Can it really be so bad?"

"I…I can't tell you who I am. I'm sorry. You would only shun me, Aragorn. Everyone else has." Legolas murmured back, obviously very uncomfortable with the discussion.

"Every other elf, you mean?" The human prodded, "And I thought you didn't care."

"I—" Tortured silver-blue eyes glanced up at Aragorn pleadingly. "I'm sorry."

Aragorn sighed, but didn't push it. The elf continued walking with his head down, golden hair curtaining his face from the man's view as he leaned heavily on his staff with every step.

The man was disappointed, but he knew better than to try to pull information out of the elf he considered his new friend. He wasn't sure the feeling was mutual, but, true to his elvish namesake, he was determined to break through to the enigmatic being.

"There's a field not far ahead that should be clear of snow by this time of year." Legolas intoned. "We can head there…" The elf glanced quickly at the man, suddenly unsure. "That is, if you—if you're willing."

Aragorn tried not to smile at the elf's hesitance. "I am, Legolas." His smile faded quickly as the elf stumbled, the man reaching out an arm to steady him as they paused. "Are you sure you're up to this, though?

Legolas nodded breathlessly, straightening and pulling his arm away. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"Don't be—" The human smiled in amusement, and then realized the elf had stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Str—Aragorn." The elf began carefully, sighing as he leaned on his staff. "I don't know why you're so determined to be friends, if that's what you really want. But you need to understand… I live here for a reason. I live on my own for a reason, and if you want trust between us… Please trust me when I say I believe it's a good enough reason for things to stay the way they are. Don't try to change things beyond your power. It only leads to hardship." He glanced quickly up at the man, and then away again. "You have my gratitude for all you've done for me, and I know I just seem rude and ungrateful… I just…" He hesitated again, biting his lip as he searched for words. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to…"

"I know Legolas." Aragorn said softly, clasping the elf lightly on the shoulder. "I know."

They resumed their slow pace, soon joined by the wolf, who was obviously curious as to what was taking the two so long. The silence between man and elf was suddenly not uncomfortable, and the human smiled as they walked, touched by Legolas' rare display of emotion. The woodland creature's words heartened the man immensely, especially since he was sure he had never heard the elf speak so long at one time in the past several months.

"Aragorn?" The man looked up and realized the elf was looking at him strangely. "This is… This is the place." He murmured, averting his silver gaze.

The human looked around and realized they stood on the edge of a wide, rolling meadow, where the grass was soft and green in the first flourishes of spring and the birds made homes in the branches of skirting trees. Several startled deer caught wind of them and bolted into the trees on the other side of the field, and Aragorn smiled.

"This is amazing…" He breathed, glancing at Legolas. He was surprised to see that the elf was also smiling, his eyes closed and his head tipped ever so slightly back as he breathed in the fresh air.

"Valar, I've missed this world…" The elf murmured quietly, his voice holding a subtle undertone of grief and pain that went far deeper, meaning far more than the few months he had been trapped in the protective refuge of the Oak tree.

Aragorn looked at the elf with a serious expression for a moment longer, before tearing his thoughts away and removing Legolas' weapons from his own back.

"Shall we?" He offered the elf his bow and quiver, and Legolas took them with no further comment than a short nod.

"I don't think…" The elf began quietly as he checked the string, "I—I haven't shot this in a long time."

Aragorn sighed, but warned himself to be understanding. If the elf had reasons for his hesitance that he did not wish to share with the human, that was Legolas' business and none of Aragorn's. "Very well." He conceded with a disappointed shrug. "I don't want to force you to do anything."

Legolas sighed himself, but nocked an arrow to the bow and lifted it. "Target?" He questioned flatly.

The man grinned, searching the land across the field. "How about…" He pointed across the grass. "That tree, out there."

Legolas frowned. "Strider, there are dozens of trees in that direction."

Aragorn laughed. "The one with the broken branch, closest to us."

-;-.!\.-;-

Legolas nodded, relieved at the human's choice. Closing his eyes—for mental purposes mostly—he raised the bow and threw his senses outward, his ears straining for the sounds he was looking for.

The grass roared as it bent before the rushes of wind that bent their tips to the earth in wide, rippling waves. He tuned it out. Birds loudly declared their love of the spring morning from every branch around them. He blocked out their songs. The human's quiet, but obvious breaths close by. He ignored it.

There.

Marked by the wind, the broken branch the human had mentioned creaked and shifted. Even from across the meadow he could hear it with enough concentration, though faintly. From the way it brushed the trunk of the tree it was still attached to, he could tell it was slightly to the right of the center of the trunk. He altered the path of his arrow by miniscule degrees, allowing for wind speed and force as well as the downward arc of the arrow's trajectory.

From this distance, any err in estimation would mean missing the tree altogether, and then his secret would be out.

For this, he was not yet ready, and so his plan was simple.

He just had to hit the tree.

-;-.!\.-;-

Many thanks to reviewers:

Gilraen

MCross

Tatie-Valie

Eye of Newt

anne

Stephy

kel

silverkonekotsukari

Elflingimp

pris

shireling

Moto

Twilight Shadow

AND, last but not least:

theo darkstar: Well, if Aragorn had been looking for signs that something was wrong with Legolas he would have noticed, but although Legolas is trying to hide it he's not doing a perfect job. All for a little realism, you know:) Thanx for the review!

Galithil: Thanks for the compliments—I'm glad I'm able to pull off a Legolas-being-blind story at all! Here's your update!

Allonym: Whoa! I'm a "well respected writer in the fandom"? Why didn't I know this? Lol! You just made my day! Thanks a million for the review, and I'm very glad you like the story. Hope it doesn't go south for you!

moonlit-leaf: Thanks for the review; glad you liked it! And you're so right, it is getting very difficult to find good new stories to read in this section. :)

Deana: Hey again; long time no see! Thanks for reviewing!

Seylin: No, Aragorn doesn't know of Legolas' blindness yet—you'll know when he does! Thanks for popping in!

Redleef: You're right; I'm sure a normal person wouldn't have a 'light in their eyes' while blind, but I wanted to make Legolas seem like he isn't blind—whereas if he looked it, I'm sure Aragorn would notice. ;) It helps with the effect! He'll find out sooner or later, don't you worry! Thanks for reviewing!

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Thanks again to all reviewers and readers—see you next update!

-Glimpse