Disclaimer: See prologue.
Chapter 23
Threats of a Prince
A hand laid on her shoulder with an unusually firm grip, and she turned her head to see who it was. Her heart settled somewhere around her navel when she saw it was Legolas, not looking pleased at all.
"Not now, my lord. I have no wish to argue." Arodwen said at once, shrugging his hand off of her shoulder, and continuing forward. But he reached out and grabbed her shoulder in an almost painful grip, spinning her around to face him.
"No, Arodwen, now." Legolas said firmly, fixing her with an intense stare. "I will not wait for whenever you 'wish' to speak."
Arodwen avoided the gaze, attempting to pull away from him again. But to no avail.
"Legolas, stop it!" she hissed, "The fellowship cannot wait for us."
"They will keep going while I deal with you."
"Deal with me? What am I now, your property?" she asked indignantly.
"Arodwen, you are being foolish; going on the quest! What possessed you to do this? You have no skills-"
"I was trained by Elrond and his sons!" Arodwen said fiercely, feeling proud of the knowledge she had acquired.
Legolas fumed, his eyes sparking into blue flames. "You are not experienced enough! You could be killed!"
"As could the rest of you Legolas! I am no different." Arodwen shot back, her own anger reaching closer to the boiling point as she faced him.
Far up along the path, Boromir had stopped, and was listening to the two elves.
"You are in more danger than us, Arodwen. You know that." Legolas said.
"Because I am a woman?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Yes!" He shook her shoulders. "Are you ignorant to the tortures that orcs beset on the innocent like you?"
"I can hold my own Legolas, so put aside your fears for me lest it cause you to lose your focus. There are more important things to worry about now..." She said to him gravely, and with a great pull, she wrenched away from him and nearly sprinted up the path, throwing a heated glare at Boromir as she passed to stop beside Sam and Bill.
Legolas stared after her for a moment before following, ignoring Boromir.
"Rather that she should be for other purposes. I can see you would like that, elf." Boromir chuckled rather evilly.
Legolas turned on him, glowering. "You will not speak to her, touch her, or even so much as think about her. She is here to help Frodo, and is not present to fill your perverse fantasies." the elf growled, and turned to continue up the path.
Boromir laughed again. "You are simply sore that she does not submit to you! You are too weak to take what you want, and that is why you will never have her."
Before he knew it, an arrow had flown past his ear, leaving a deep gash that bled profusely. He cried out, his hand clutching at the wound.
"That was a warning Boromir." Legolas spat, returning his bow across his shoulder, "The next time one of my arrows fly, it will be embedded in your heart before you can ask for forgiveness..."
Arodwen sat with her knees drawn up, her chin resting upon them as she stared into the flames of the fire Aragorn had procured. The ranger had not said anything to her, but the look in his eyes when they were caught in each others gaze was enough to tell her he wished she was back in Rivendell.
"What troubles you Lady Arodwen?" Pippin asked, munching on some of Sam's expertly cooked food he had made for their dinner. Night had fallen, and their path was veiled, causing them to finally retire for the night.
Arodwen looked to the small hobbit, and offered him a smile that hid her true problems. "Nothing Master Took."
"Pippin will do milady." he said, getting up to sit down beside her. "Was it your argument with Master Legolas that upsets you?"
Arodwen looked at him sharply, her hair catching the firelight as she spoke slowly, "How did you know about that...?"
"I had looked to see where you had gone, and saw you quarreling with him." Pippin admitted sheepishly, his head bowed.
"You should bear no guilt, Pippin, it is not your fault. We were speaking rather loudly." she said quietly, her gaze turning back to the fire.
Merry came over, and sat down on her other side. "Boromir doesn't look to happy about you coming with us..." he said, nodding to the steward's son, who was many yards away, preparing his bed-roll.
"He has no respect for females, Merry. He believes there is no strength in them; nor any other attribute worth acknowledging praise." she said, merely glancing in the direction that Merry had nodded to.
Pippin shifted uncomfortably. "What of you and Master Legolas?" he asked quietly, hardly daring to look at her.
Merry saw her visibly stiffen as she answered with a harder voice. "That is too bold, Master Took. Curiosity when used overmuch, can cause drastic problems. Now, is one of those moments."
"Forgive me milady, you are right." Pippin admitted softly, feeling very embarrassed.
"Worry not my little friend. I can never be angry with you hobbits overlong." she said, smiling at them both.
"It's because we're so handsome." Merry said proudly, leaning back at ease with his pipe hanging from between his smiling lips
Arodwen laughed, the first time she had done so in a very, very long time. To the hobbits, elven laughter sounded beautiful and flowing like the elven language. It was an uplifting feeling, and warmed them from the inside out. They had never heard an elf laugh before.
"Who is to take first watch?" Gandalf asked, stowing away his pipe, and taking off his grey hat.
"I shall." Arodwen answered at once, getting up from her place beside the fire to find a place to stand as a look-out.
Aragorn was spreading out his own bedroll as he said to Gandalf, "I shall take up the watch after Arodwen."
The wizard nodded his approval, drawing his grey cloak closer about him, and bowing his head to sleep.
Arodwen doused the fire with dirt, so as to not procure smoke, while undoing her dark blonde hair from the long braid, running a hand through it to straighten out the waves. "Off to bed you two." she chided Merry and Pippin, who had not moved from where they sat. "I know you shall complain in the morn' if you do not."
"When have they ever not...?" muttered Sam, tugging his mantle off his shoulders to use as a blanket.
Gimli was knocked out like a drunken man, his snores slowly beginning to fill the campsite.
Boromir, she assumed, was asleep. He had his back to her, covered in his elaborate fur and velvet cloak.
Legolas however, was gazing at her intently. She noticed that he did not look pale or drawn anymore. Now that darkness had fallen, she could notice his elven glow had returned. Though the aura was one of sadness, and a deep loss and longing.
Aragorn laid a hand on his shoulder with a brotherly grip, indicating that he should rest. The elf just nodded, laying aside his knives, bow, and quiver next to him.
She turned away from him, knowing how that look came to be there. 'I cannot do this...' she thought worriedly, 'I can no sooner stop caring for him than breathing! Mariel was right! This is killing me inside! But if he knows? Ai! He'll never let me leave his sight even if it be but a moment...' She shook her head despairingly. Pippin had been right. 'I cannot help it... Who can not love him?... I just have to try harder not to think about him.'
Hours later, after everyone had fallen into deep sleep, she was watching their surroundings with great determination. Sleep did not pull at her eyes as of yet.
"I shall take up my watch now..." Aragorn whispered as he came to her side, stretching his arms to loosen the taut muscles.
Arodwen glanced at him, "All is well, Aragorn. I can continue."
Aragorn smiled, kneeling beside her and taking one of her hands in his and squeezing it gently. "You need to rest. It will not settle well with Gandalf if all but one can journey on fitfully, just because she was too stubborn to let someone else take up watch so she could rest."
Arodwen grinned, and gripped his hand in return. "Thank you Aragorn..." she whispered, standing up.
"Sleep. There are still a few hours before I will wake everyone." Aragorn said, shooing her away.
She gave him one last smile before going to get her cloak that was with Bill the pony. She was unaware of the eyes that followed her from beneath the fur lining of a Gondorian cloak; even after she had laid near the hobbits and fallen asleep...
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