Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Lord of the Rings.
Note: Thanks for the reviews. Here is another chapter and sorry it took me such a long time to update. They are still in Edoras and it is the morning after Aragorn got drunk. Let's begin.
Humming softly to himself Legolas stepped into the main hall, closing the door behind him while he strapped his weapons to his back. His eyes sparkled with mischief while he looked around in search of his friend Gimli. He smiled when he spotted the dwarf talking to Merry and a sad looking Pippin, but before he could go to them, Eowyn stepped in front of him with the words,
"A moment of your time please, Lord Legolas?"
Concerned for the fair lady of Rohan the elf nodded and followed the shield maiden outside where she stopped. Before the elf could even ask what was bothering her, she asked,
"Tell me truly, you are a dear friend of Lord Aragorn, are you not? Is it true that I do not stand a chance in the battle for his heart? It is said one of the Eldar holds it, is this true?" Her expression was sad and Legolas noticed, perhaps for the first time, truly how smitten she was with Aragorn.
"My lady, I am sure you would make a good wife someday but unless Aragorn spoke of this matter to you then there is really nothing I can say," Legolas began before she interrupted him and cried out,
"But he has and if his words are true, I stand even less of a chance. Whispers have it, that he is in love with a male yet betrothed to an elvish princess of Rivendell."
"This is true; he is to be married to Arwen Undomiel, Evenstar of my people. To their relationship I do not know the finer detail, but what is it that you wish to know?" Legolas offered as an answer. "I know all about their relationship, including why ours can never be, not matter how much I may love my king. But if Arwen has ever sailed, I shall still step aside if you are needed to take the throne, even if it break my heart in doing so."
"If I stand a chance to take his heart?" Eowyn answer was firm and clear and inwardly Legolas groaned, he should have known better then to ask.
"To be really honest, I do not think you need to ask me this, but ask Aragorn, he will be able to answer it. But it is my belief that you are not destined to be with Lord Aragorn. Love will come you way, Lady Eowyn. But what are these whispers that Aragorn loves males?" The elf crossed his arms over his chest.
"Some of the soldiers said he loves a male and simply marries this princess because it is protocol." Eowyn seemed amazed at the question but soon she asked,
"And how about you, Legolas? Is there anybody who you might call your own?"
Legolas was surprised by the question but he smiled sadly and answered,
"There is no one I can call my own for my heart is given to another and I cannot get it back. Yet my beloved cannot be with me not matter how much we both want it because it is duty separates us."
"So this person loves you as much as you love her?" Eowyn answered.
"Yes, I am quite sure he does love as much as I love him," Legolas replied while watching with mild amusement when Eowyn gasped before she smiled and answered,
"Must be a shame for all of the maidens whose desire it is to be by your side."
Legolas merely inclined his head to her flattering comment. Eowyn shuffled her feet before she asked,
"But you are an elvish prince, should you not marry a princess then?"
Legolas shook his head and he answered,
"Nay, for my people it does not matter if it is a male or female, as long as the person is happy then it is all that matters." He fingered the wrist pieces he was wearing before he asked,
"Are you sure you should not discuss this with Lord Aragorn as well?"
"No, he does not need to know this for I fear my heart might shatter if I tell him. I shall leave now, my uncle wished to have a word with you in order to discuss last night's events." With those words Eowyn left Legolas alone and the prince made his way back inside. He soon found his way back into the main hall where he stopped beside Gandalf.
He frowned when it seemed in a fit of anger, Aragorn left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The assembled crowd in the room stared at the future king in shock before Legolas turned to Gandalf and asked,
"What is bothering Estel?"
"Théoden does not wish to aid Gondor unless the beacons are lit. I suppose Aragorn has gotten a little bit upset about it and he raised his voice in anger before apparently changing his mind and storming out of the room," the wizard calmly explained, still smoking his pipe,
"Oh and now what is going to be done? You and Pippin are leaving for Gondor, are you not?" Legolas asked, taking a step back when Gandalf blowed the smoke in his direction.
"Yes and you are at this moment, going to calm Aragorn down. He needs to keep a rational mind in this. Now be off with you, find him and calm him down, I do not care how you do it, but when he appears again, he better be calm." Gandalf looked at the elf with twinkling eyes.
"And it does not matter the state he is in?" Legolas could not help but the words simply escaped him and Gandalf chuckled before lightly smacking Legolas's back.
"No, my friend, it does not. Do not get him too flustered though, enough rumours have been spreading about him without you adding to it."
Shaking his head Legolas left the room in search of Aragorn, who he found faster then he would have thought possible, the man was sitting outside of the city gates, keeping watch and trying to relax. When Legolas stopped next to his friend, Aragorn was anything but relaxed. He was shooting daggers at a bush a little further away.
"Estel, I am quite sure the bush has done nothing to offend you." Legolas said, seeing the look in the man's eyes. The man turned his glare on Legolas and replied before turning back to the bush.
"It is laughing at me." True enough the bush was shaking but it was not because of laughter but it caused Legolas to burst out in a laughing fit. Aragorn glared at him again and the elf laughed even harder, holding his sides in doing so before he gasped out,
"Estel, a bush is not capable of laughing; I can assure you so much. Nature can sometimes surprise us but this is not one of them."
It took one moment before Aragorn also laughed lightly at the explanation of Legolas.
"I suppose you have a point there, Mellon." The laugher subsided too fast and Aragorn once more became the brooding man Legolas had come to know.
"The lady Eowyn gave me an interesting conversation today. She spoke of a battle for your heart. Anything I should be concerned about?"
Aragorn nearly shot up but Legolas placed his hand on his shoulder to calm him and the elf continued,
"I am simply saying, Mellon, that you should watch your step. Rumours have spread about you being in love with a male. You do not wish for Arwen to hear about this or the people from Gondor no matter what direction your heart might turn."
"I am already in love with a male and there is no battle for my heart. You have it, Arwen thinks she has it but in truth has but a part and Eowyn wants it…. Oh Valar it is true. There is a battle raging for my heart. This is just what I need." Aragorn dropped his head in his hands and Legolas could not help but grin while he rubbed the man's back.
"It is going to be fine, Mellon, you know this. But what are you going to do now? You were pretty angry," Legolas slowly answered. Aragorn looked back up and he answered.
"Wait until the beacons are lit and then ride to Gondor, with or without Théoden."
"Then I shall leave you then. I am going to see if Gandalf needs my help with packing up before they ride to Gondor." With those words the elf left Aragorn to own thoughts. The man only looked up when he saw Gandalf pass with an arguing Merry and Pippin and it was not long before Gandalf's white horse came galloping out of the stables. The man cried out Merry's name when the Hobbit shot up to the lookout.
He did not bother to utter an apology when he shot past a guard and knocked the poor fellow of the stairs. The man reached the hobbit and placed his hand on Merry's shoulder.
"He would always follow me, everywhere I went, since before we were tweens. I would get him into the worst sort of trouble, but I would always be there to get him out. And now he is gone, just like Frodo and Sam."
"One thing I learned about hobbits, they are most hardy folk," Aragorn replied, looking down at Merry who met his gaze with a small smile.
"Foolhardy maybe. He is a Took," the hobbit eventually agreed.
The days after that did not pass quickly enough for Aragorn, who sat outside most of the day smoking his pipe and spent his nights wandering around the palace. If he could sleep at all, it would be fitfully and always near Legolas, be it in the same room or bed, it did not matter.
It was another day when Aragorn looked up and dropped his pipe in surprise before rushing inside, throwing open the doors and shouting,
"The beacons, the beacons of Minas Tirith! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" He waited while Théoden seemed to pause before the king answered,
"And Rohan will answer."
The man shouted with joy before rushing to his room where he passed Legolas in an empty hallway and paused to kiss the elf full on the lips and saying with joy,
"The beacons are lit!" Before continued, the elf regarding his back with a small smile and answered,
"They are indeed, melethron (lover), and it will not be long before this fire shall consume us both."
Hope you liked it. Yes the last sentence is kind of double edged and it refers to the lack of action in this chapter. Post ideas and sorry it took me so long to update.