A/N: I was prompted by one of my friends to write this, so here we go! It's a bit messy in the middle which I'll probably fix later, but it's late now and I wanted to upload today.
Set during Aragorn's return, the Two Towers.
All of Aragorn's bones ached as he climbed the stairs, nearing the top of the fortress. He needed to warn Théoden of the approaching numbers. Maybe that would convince him that they needed more aid, though the ranger had his doubts about whether his concern would be taken to heart. Théoden wasn't exactly someone who could be easily swayed when he'd made his mind up.
Aragorn's head was down, eyes looking at the floor, so he didn't notice Legolas standing in front of him until he almost barged right past him. The elf stepped back just in time, and Aragorn glanced up. He saw a flicker of something in Legolas's face, an emotion he couldn't decipher, but it was quickly masked, hidden by a cool smile.
"Le abdollen."
Aragorn tilted his head to the side in mock shock. He had supposedly died and that was his greeting? Legolas took in his torn clothing and smiled. "You look terrible."
Aragorn chuckled. Trust Legolas to make light of the situation even in their current predicament. Reaching out, he put a hand onto Legolas's shoulder, looking into his face. The emotion, whatever it had been, was now hidden inside the calm exterior. But as long as they were both there, Aragorn wasn't too worried. They were alive and well, at least for now, and that was all that mattered.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice when Legolas reached his own hand out, holding out the Evenstar. Aragorn gently took it from him, relief flooding through him. He thought he'd lost it forever. He hadn't wanted to think of it lying forgotten on the corpse-riddled field, or in the hands of an orc.
"Hannon le." He said sincerely. Legolas smiled and nodded at him. And Aragorn could tell that he knew just how much it meant to him.
The next few hours were a rush, a mass of images which Aragorn would struggle to process at later dates. He was so tired, too tired. Yet there was no time for rest, no time to comprehend anything. Within what seemed like moments they'd gone from arguing with Théoden, to gathering soldiers, to struggling with the low supply of weaponry. Soon they were waiting in a crowd of others, most far too old to be fighting. A few far too young. Aragorn, although disheartened, was not surprised.
He'd grown to deal with battles. They'd blurred into one. Now, although it was looking to be the largest one of his life, he refused to completely despair. They could make it. Somehow. They'd find a way to survive. The younger ones would be protected by the elders, to the best of their ability. Aragorn was certain of it. Either that or he'd be forced to face reality. But even he could not deny the fact that half the people there would have no idea how to handle themselves when in a war.
"Farmers, feriers, stableboys. These are no soldiers."
Gimli nodded in agreement.
"Most have seen too many winters."
"Or too few." Legolas interjected.
He'd been growing slowly more agitated throughout the night. Aragorn had watched him as he'd looked at the growing crowds with a mounting worry. "Look at them. They are frightened." He continued. People began to turn as Legolas's words captured their attention. "I can see it in their eyes."
Aragorn sighed, raising his hands in an attempt to speak, but Legolas turned away, walking back a little.
"Boe a hyn. Neled herain... dan caer menig?" He said, switching to Elvish as he faced Aragorn. The damage was already done however, and Aragorn knew that their conversation was now the center of attention.
"Si, beriathar hyn ammaeg na ned Edoras." Aragorn replied. It wasn't much, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. They faced near impossible odds. Legolas was right, there were ten thousand orcs. And they had barely anyone. But he wouldn't back down. And it sounded almost as if Legolas was suggesting he should.
"Aragorn, nedin dagor hen ú-'erir ortheri." Legolas answered, his voice raising to a near shout. "Natha daged dhaer!"
"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn snapped, moving closer to Legolas.
Hurt flashed across Legolas's face, once again masked in an instant, though less successfully than before. Aragorn felt guilt begin to rise in him, but he didn't want to apologize. He couldn't apologize, not when he had the rest of the people watching him, looking to him. They had surely got a good enough grasp on the context of the situation that they understood what had happened. They knew that Aragorn had defended them. To apologize would be to let them down.
Besides, he needed to drive his point home. He needed Legolas to know how far he was willing to go. He would die with the rest. And he wouldn't let even Legolas change his mind.
When he could bring himself to look at Legolas's hurt filled eyes no longer, he stormed out, the soldiers making a pathway for him.
Legolas watched him go, heat rising up his neck as people turned to look at him instead.
He couldn't believe Aragorn would so readily throw his life away for a lost cause. Something worth fighting for, yes, of course he would, and Legolas would go right with him. But this was something different. The odds were stacked against them. It wasn't that Legolas wanted to abandon anyone. It was just that he couldn't bear the idea of so much death.
Within a few hours, there would probably be hundreds dead. And once the orcs made it through the walls, as Legolas had no doubt they would, many more would die too. But
Théoden had refused to see reason, so now they had to make best of their situation.
Legolas couldn't bear the idea of losing Aragorn again. Not when he'd only just returned. Not when he could prevent it. He began to follow, eyes focusing on Aragorn as he left the room.
But he felt Gimli move next to him, and a hand on his arm on his elbow.
"Let him go lad."
"I need to talk to him. He misunderstood me."
"Let me talk to him first. I want to have a word." Gimli replied. His voice left no room for argument, and he started to walk in the direction Aragorn had gone. "Take a break lad. You look tired."
Legolas debated following him. But he knew that Gimli wouldn't take kindly to it. And by now the hostile gazes were beginning to get to him. So he turned the other way, walking into one of the corners of the hall to escape further scrutiny.
Aragorn, meanwhile, had strolled along until he'd found a quiet room. The walls and tables were bare, it had probably been a weaponry store before the soldiers had stripped it. Now it was almost completely empty, apart from the workstations against the walls. Aragorn balled his hands into fists, and placed them on the table, hanging his head.
He hadn't meant to get angry. But he couldn't see exactly what Legolas's comments were going to do. Yes morale was low. Yes they were likely going to be dead within a few days, hours even. No help had come. They were helplessly outnumbered. But pointing it out would do nothing to help them. And Aragorn wasn't planning on abandoning anyone.
He stayed like that for a minute, eyes closed. It wasn't until he heard a sigh that he realized Gimli was in the room.
"If you're here to tell me that I shouldn't have yelled, you're too late. I've figured that out." He sighed, straightening. Gimli shook his head.
"He didn't mean any harm by what he said."
"He has a funny way of voicing his thoughts in that case." Aragorn answered. Gimli gave him a look. "What?"
"You didn't see him after you'd gone over the cliff. The lad was distraught, though he tried to hide it. Poorly, might I add."
"Well yes, but I'm sure a lot of people were."
"Not like that. Of course we grieved. But not to that level. He cares about you."
Aragorn didn't have an answer for that. Gimli leant against the wall. "He's just worried for you. You've come back half-dead, and you're willing to throw yourself into the midst of it all over again. Last time that happened he almost lost you."
"I promise I won't let that happen."
"It's not me you need to be promising." Gimli answered. He lit his pipe, and Aragorn sighed again. He waited for Gimli to continue, but when the dwarf said nothing he turned and rested on the table. After the silence stretched over minutes, he tried to gather his thoughts into something coherent.
"You think he really cares that much?"
"You died. Coming back alive won't erase those scars. I think he would do anything to prevent you leaving again."
"I don't know what I could say to reassure him. He's not wrong about the likelihood of us winning. Or about the likelihood of death."
"It's your decision what you say." Gimli shrugged. "I'm only saying that you shouldn't be too harsh on him."
"Helpful." Aragorn replied, the sarcasm evident in his tone.
"It's not my job to fix it. Though you'd think it was looking at he amount of effort I put into it."
Aragorn chuckled.
"I'll go talk to him."
"Good lad. You'll want to hurry. The night is approaching quickly."
Aragorn nodded at him, then exited. He hadn't been in there for long, but by now the battle was only just around the corner, over the horizon. It was almost time. The minutes they had for reconciliation were already slipping away. He reckoned there was just over an hour until they'd see the first signs of attack. And Aragorn didn't know if that was enough to be able to make amends before it was too late.
Legolas had eventually moved from the corner, even there he had felt people watching him. He'd realized that what he had said was not shedding him in the best light to the men of Rohan. He hadn't meant anything by it, but looking back it probably hadn't been smart. And Aragorn continuing the argument in the common tongue hadn't helped his case. So he'd found sanctuary in a quiet place closer to the caves, a small hall nestled deep into the rock.
How long he sat there he didn't know, meticulously organizing his quiver, then going through every arrow again and again whenever he finished. It was for something to do rather than preparation. In fact, he became so engrossed in the activity that he didn't even notice when someone leant against the archway at the door.
It wasn't until Aragorn coughed that he looked up with raised eyebrows, surprised that he hadn't noticed the man earlier. They held eye contact for a minute, then Aragorn took a step forward, looking as if he was going to say something. But Legolas beat him to it.
"If you're here to tell me I was wrong, it's too late. I know."
Aragorn in turn raised his eyebrows, the statement reminding him of his own words to Gimli earlier.
"Yes you were." He replied. Legolas huffed. "But not, I now realise, because you intended any harm."
"And how did you figure that out?"
"Because I know you. You're not one to put yourself before anyone else. You're the opposite in fact."
"Well I'm doing my best not to turn out like my father."
"Legolas you aren't anything like Thranduil. You may bear his name but you have grown to be much more than it."
Legolas sighed.
"I'd hoped so. But I think that tonight might have disproved what little progress I've made."
"You have done nothing wrong -"
"And what brought about this change of mind?" Legolas interrupted. "Because I don't know what Gimli told you but I doubt if it is true."
"Gimli only filled in the gaps. The rest is apparent."
Legolas paced away, Aragorn following him in an attempt to keep the conversation flowing. They had little time. They needed to do this now. Lest they didn't get the chance. "Legolas. I didn't think about how my disappearance would impact you. That is my fault. I don't blame you -"
"My feelings have no importance at the current time. We should be getting ready. We can do this later."
Aragorn took a few longer strides and placed himself firmly in front of Legolas.
"We will do this now, because we may not get the chance later."
"So you do not deny the fact that you are willing to throw yourself back into peril again?" Legolas asked stubbornly.
"I do not. But both of us know the reason for it. And you have never objected before. I think that my vanishing-"
"Vanishing? Aragorn you died! As far as anyone could tell you were dead!"
Legolas's voice grew to a yell, and Aragorn winced. "I thought you had died, I thought that I should've done more to help you! Every moment I was tortured by the fact that I was there and that I had done nothing -"
"There was nothing -"
"- that I had let you drown, or bleed to death. I thought that you were gone."
Aragorn half wanted to point out that technically he had been close to death, but he knew that would not help him.
"I know. But I did not think about how that might have affected you."
"You thought I would be able to get over the fact that I thought I'd lost you just by you turning up fine?" Legolas asked incredulously.
"...yes?"
"Then you're even more stupid than I thought." Legolas replied, exasperated, though the heat had vanished from his voice.
"I'm sorry I worried you."
"I was more than worried."
"I know. Gimli told me." Aragorn answered. He reached out and put a hand on Legolas's shoulder. "But I promise that nothing is going to happen to me. Now or ever."
"You cannot keep that promise."
"Yet I promise you."
"And you know I'll hold you to it." Legolas laughed. Aragorn smiled.
"We have trusted you this far and you have yet to lead us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair."
Aragorn put his other hand on Legolas's shoulder.
"Ú-moe edaved, Legolas. And this conversation is not over. I expect us to talk later."
"After the attack?"
"After the attack." Aragorn affirmed. They would both make it through. While his brain told him that it was unlikely, his heart told him that it was true. Besides, he had a promise to fulfil.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Have a lovely day/night!