Chapter 15
More Than You Know
"I'm confused, Mornaeg. What is it you hold against me?"
"I said shut up! Shut up unless you want to die right here, human!"
Aragorn shrugged, knowing full-well his calm attitude was annoying Mornaeg. He wasn't sure why he was so calm, but he knew Mornaeg was dying to ask him. Still, he continued to pace, pretending to ignore the human's presence.
It'd been relatively easy to get into the Halls without anyone noticing; the price they paid for going to Araogrn and Edren's rescue, Aragorn supposed. With the king, Legolas and half the warriors gone, Mornaeg had had not difficulty getting in. And now they were in Aragorn's guestroom. Aragorn sat on the bed, hands still behind his back, and Mornaeg paced the floor in front of the locked door. He'd been doing that ever since Aragorn's comment about Legolas being alive. Despite his stoic denial, the human's words had clearly unnerved Mornaeg. Eventually, he stood still, facing Aragorn.
"Why are you lying to yourself, human?"
Aragorn sighed, leaning his head against the bedpost. "Mornaeg…I'm not."
"You are wrong, little Estel. There is no possible way that Legolas could have escaped. Even if they did find him, he was dead the moment I sealed the entrance to that tree. He cannot defeat Bengwiil, I've seen what it does to him."
Aragorn shrugged, looking down at his boots. "I don't know how, Mornaeg, but Legolas is alive. He held on for me. He wouldn't die on me now, he promised."
Mornaeg came to stand in front of the human, leaning forward until the two were barely a few inches apart. "That is ridiculous, mortal, even for you."
"I suppose it is." Aragorn slid forward on the bed, causing Mornaeg to back up a bit. "But it's still true, and I think you know it. Legolas didn't die because…because I don't know how to lose him. I need him like he needs me."
"Friendship," Mornaeg scoffed at the word, "has nothing to do with factors of logic." He pressed a hand to the man's chest, forcing him back to the bed. If you shoot a man in the heart he dies, naïve little Estel."
Aragorn sat back down, and nodded. "But if you shoot a man in the heart and he was in love, he fights his death that he may see his beloved again. That's really why Bengwiil kills, Mornaeg, because it takes away that hope and replaces it with your logic. I pulled Legolas through Bengwiil's poison, as he did me. We've made it many times. It is possible your brother could have done the same, had you been there. And yet you blame Legolas for-"
The blow sent Aragorn flying off the bed. His head struck the wall, and everything danced around him for a moment. "Don't. You. DARE accuse me of killing my own BROTHER!" His boot hit Aragorn in the chest. The human gasped, and tried to pull himself off the floor, but Mornaeg hauled him to his feet first. "Why, Estel? Why on Middle EARTH would you think you know anything about what happened that day? DECADES before you were even born?"
Doubled over, he gasped his reply. "I know Legolas, Mornaeg-"
"You do NOT know him!" he slammed the human against the wall to emphasize. "I know him, Estel, I've known him for years upon years upon years!"
Aragorn was suddenly shouting. "Did you hold him every night to fight his nightmares? No, Edren did! Did you carry him up a million stone steps just so he could see the stars again? No, that was me! Do you know what his mother smelled like, Mornaeg? Did you know he wept when your brother died? Do you have any idea what he is really afraid of? No, you don't! You don't know! You could have, but you threw it away!"
"I hate him!"
"Well he doesn't hate you!"
"Yes he does, yes he does!"
Aragorn's voice dropped dangerously low. "No he doesn't, Mornaeg."
Mornaeg was screaming now. "HE SHOULD!"
Three things happened at once: The door crashed in, Legolas and Thranduil ran into the bedroom with five armed elves behind them, and Mornaeg thrust his dagger into Aragorn's heart.
- - - - -
If ever there was a moment when the world went completely still, when even sound and air held its breath, it was that moment. Legolas was walking towards Mornaeg in a dream. He reached Aragorn, somehow, and the human was in his arms. He untied Aragorn's hands. The human looked at him, first into his eyes, then through them…then somewhere far, far away. And then like curtains over a window, his eyelids fluttered closed over his stare. He was still. And-
Mornaeg was gasping. "Dead." Legolas did not look at Mornaeg, but he could feel the elf's eyes on the back of his head. Finally, he met his green eyes and was surprised to see fear in them. "You should…be dead, Lindo. How- did…"
"I held on for Aragorn." Legolas' voice sounded strange in Mornaeg's ears, like someone in the next room was talking. "I couldn't die on him, I promised. I know it sounds crazy, Mornaeg…but I just don't know how to lose him."
"But you have!" Mornaeg pointed accusingly down at Aragorn's body. "He's dead, Lindo, he's- I killed him! Now what will you do? I was right. You hear me, little Estel, DO YOU! I was right! A man cannot live off of- of- friendship," he spat the word out disdainfully.
There was a moment of silence while Mornaeg waited for Legolas to react. But he didn't. He wouldn't. He just stared. "Lindo- he's dead, did you hear me, dead!" Legolas didn't reply. "DEAD!"
"No he's not."
"What!"
"He- he's not dead." Legolas looked silently back at Mornaeg.
"No, no he's dead. I stabbed him through, look!" He reached for the dagger, and the elves around Thranduil pressed forward.
"No, wait." Legolas told them, and they froze.
Mornaeg jerked the dagger out of Aragorn's chest. He didn't notice when it didn't make a sound. "Look, Lindo, look!" He thrust the dagger in front of Legolas. "Look at the blood, look at- well, look at Estel! I drove it into his heart, he died!" He laughed harshly. This was his moment, this was what he'd been building up to! The moment where he'd killed Lindo in the best way he knew how. Better than Bengwiil, better than torture of any physical kind. Little elf-adoptee Estel was dead, gone. Lindo's only friend anymore was gone.
And still Legolas did not weep?
"Lindo-"
"Mornaeg…I'm sorry." Legolas' eyes were a picture of determination tinged with regret. "I'm sorry." He reached over his shoulder, grabbed his dagger, and without a pause, thrust it into Mornaeg's chest.
The world tipped in the elf's vision, it swirled and bucked in front of him. He suddenly realized the dagger he'd been holding was gone. His hand was empty. Aragorn- what! -Aragorn was sitting beside Legolas, watching him with sad eyes, piteous eyes…alive eyes.
Bengwiil.
It shows what you're afraid of. Your deepest fears.
So what are you afraid of, Mornaeg?
That friendship is everything Lindo said it was.
That you gave it all up in favor of bitter revenge.
That you could have been happy.
That Estel was right.
- - - - -
Tears slipped down Legolas' face as he watched Mornaeg slide down the wall. The blood that seeped from around the blade was a deep green, so dark it was almost black. He'd been completely saturated by Bengwiil.
"I'm sorry about Minaeg, mellon-nin." Legolas whispered, moving closer.
"How…" Mornaeg coughed hard, "how can you say that, Lindo? You…killed…no, it wasn't- it wasn't…where is Minaeg? What- what have I…" It was then that his eyes began to change. The deep green of Bengwiil drained from the irises and slowly a pair of deep, kind, brown eyes looked back at Legolas. The eyes he remembered from his childhood. The eyes of a best friend. Legolas felt a small sob shake his shoulders.
"Tiro-Lim."
Mornaeg's gaze fixed on the young elf's face, as though looking at him for the first time in centuries. Perhaps he was. "Legolas?"
It was something poetic and heartbreaking. Mornaeg had not called the prince 'Legolas' since the day Minaeg died. And it would be his last word spoken before his eyes shut and his body became limp. No one knew how to react then. Wasn't he a murderer? Wasn't he evil?
In a shaky voice, Legolas answered the unasked question. "This creature killed the only elder brother I had." And without a further word, he helped Aragorn to his feet, and the two of them left the room together, weary, tired…perhaps torn.
When Thranduil went looking for them after Mornaeg's body had been cleared from the room, he found them both on Legolas' bed, half-buried in a mountain of pillows, muddy clothes leaving ugly stains on the white linens. Both were completely asleep. Quietly, a satisfied smile on his face, Thranduil shut the door silently and turned back down the hallway.