Chapter 2: Breaking Point

Two months later, Aragorn's point of view*

Aragorn could find no relief. The headache that he had thought was caused by a simple cold had steadily grown worse over the last two months and he could not seem to get it to go away. His balance had steadily gotten worse during the times these headaches happened too. He had no idea what was causing it, but he wasn't going to complain. He'd had worse illnesses before. He was confident in his ability to survive some headaches and bad balance.

But it was still annoying that his head was almost constantly throbbing, and his balance wasn't good, and soon he was extremely sick of it.

"Mae g'ovannen, mellyn-nin!" Legolas's merry words rang out over the clearing as he stepped forward to greet their friends. Aragorn smiled, looking on happily as Merry and Pippin entered the clearing, bounding over to Legolas. Sam and Frodo weren't far behind, and with them traveled Gimli and Gandalf. (Well met, my friends)

"No matter how many times I come to Rivendell; I am still stunned by its beauty." Frodo smiled, walking up to Aragorn, Sam by his side. Sam's gaze was flickering over the landscape like crazy, and Merry and Pippin's eyes were shining with wonder.

"Alas, I feel the same way, even to this day." Aragorn replied. He watched as Legolas fondly greeted Gimli. He was so happy to see all his friends again that he could almost forget his headache.

Soon, after all the greetings were done, and everyone had calmed down, Aragorn and Legolas led everybody farther into Rivendell.

"When will we get food?" Pippin asked. Before anyone could answer him, Merry wacked him on the back of the head to shut him up.

"Hey, what was that for?" Pippin exclaimed, trying to smack Merry back, but failing. Sam glared at the two of them and they stopped fooling off. Frodo was holding back laughter, trying to look stern. Gimli and Legolas shared an amused glance. Gandalf smiled slightly, his eyes twinkling with silent laughter.

"Don't worry, young hobbits, you'll get your dinner." Aragorn chuckled, then winced as his head throbbed even more. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice so he went on smiling and talking with his friends.

Aragorn and Legolas led their friends to their rooms, allowing them to freshen up and rest after traveling to Rivendell. As soon as everyone was in their rooms and knew where they had to go when it came time to head to dinner, Legolas grabbed Aragorn's wrist before he could walk away.

"Estel, I saw the pain in your eyes earlier, so do not deny the fact that something is hurting you. Tell me, so I may help." Legolas whispered, staring at Aragorn intently.

"It is just a headache; I will be fine. There is no need for you to worry yourself over such a small thing." Aragorn tried to tug himself out of Legolas's grasp, but Legolas refused to let go.

"Last time you said that it was some human illness that was much more than a headache," Legolas reasoned, "Let Lord Elrond see what is causing it, saes." Aragorn stood there for a second before glaring, trying to tear his hand out of Legolas's grasp. (Please)

"I do not need other people watching out for me! I can take care of myself!" Aragorn hissed, then he tried to free his hand once again. His voice turned soft, pleading almost, "Saes, Legolas, leithio nin." Legolas let go, looking at Aragorn in concern, but before anything else could happen, Aragorn spun around and headed off towards his room. (Please) (Release me)

"Goheno nin, Estel," Aragorn heard Legolas whisper from behind him, but he still didn't respond. He felt an almost overwhelming sadness at the fact that no one seemed to trust him with his own health. He just didn't understand. He wasn't a baby anymore; he didn't need to be watched over constantly. Aragorn kept walking down the hall, stumbling slightly, but managing to regain his balance. (Forgive me)

As soon as he reached his room, he slammed the door and sat down on his bed. He curled up in a ball and cried, muttering to himself the whole time.

"I'm not a baby. I'm not. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. Not a baby." Suddenly, out of the sadness came a great anger. They thought he was a baby. How dare they! He had helped Frodo and Sam reach Mt. Doom!

Aragorn got up and off his bed, then slammed his fist on the wall as hard as was physically possible. He barely felt the pain. Red rimmed his vision as he stood there, basking in his anger. Elves. Always thinking they were better. Constantly praised for their great fighting skills, great senses, their beauty, their perfection and their immortality. It wasn't his fault he was a human! It wasn't his fault he wasn't perfect!

Suddenly a new thought formed in his mind; Oh, how I long to see their beautiful features marred and their pride broken...

He unsheathed his sword, brandishing it in an excited, but deadly manner. His arm twitched slightly.

Legolas's point of view*

Legolas stood in the hallway, waiting for Aragorn to respond to his apology, maybe just acknowledge that he had heard him. But to his great disappointment, Aragorn just kept walking. Legolas decided that he would wait until dinner to approach his friend again, but then Aragorn stumbled, and he decided that something more than a headache was going on.

Legolas waited until he heard Aragorn's door slam, then he walked to his friends' room, making sure that he didn't look suspicious for he wanted to make sure there was defiantly something wrong with Aragorn before he announced it or implied it.

When Legolas reached Aragorn's room, he knocked on the door. He waited a few minutes before deciding that Aragorn was probably ignoring him, or something bad had happened, so he tried the door handle and it wasn't locked. He paused for a second, concern showing in his eyes. Aragorn usually locked his door.

Spurred by a burst of concern, Legolas twisted the doorknob and swiftly entered the room, closing the door behind him. He quickly turned his gaze to where Aragorn was standing in the middle of the room, his back turned to him. Legolas saw a sword in Aragorn's hand and looked at it warily.

"Estel, Man eerig?" Legolas asked, stepping forward. Aragorn didn't answer. Legolas froze as he heard Aragorn mutter something. (What are you doing?)

"Ears? No one needs those, no, no, no. Hair? It grows back... No fun." Legolas froze at his friend's words and his eyes widened. He jumped back as Aragorn suddenly turned around. Legolas saw an odd glint in his friend's eyes and backed away even further.

"Do you elves like your ears? Do you like their points?" Aragorn asked suddenly. Legolas stared at him for a second in pure confusion at his friend's behavior before deciding the only thing he could do was answer.

"Our ears do help us hear things that are far away, and their points are one of our defining traits, as I'm sure you know." Legolas said, eyeing his friend's face warily as Aragorn's face lit up with what looked like joy. Then Legolas saw anger flash in Aragorn's eyes, and he dashed for the door, but before he could reach it something crashed into him from behind. Legolas swiftly rolled back to his feet, pushing Aragorn off him. He stared at Aragorn, alarmed at his friend's behavior.

"What has gotten into you!" Legolas exclaimed, then he quieted down and asked, "Was it something I said to you?"

Aragorn let out a bout of crazed laughter, "Something you said! Something, something, something... of course, of course, Nothing other than something, Nothing other. Not of importance, of course. Of course, of course." Aragorn said the last two sentences sadly, as if he was close to tears, but his expression soon changed to that of malice and anger.

Legolas backed away, his eyes searching the room for any weapons he could defend himself with, but then he shook his head. Aragorn was his friend he wouldn't harm him. Legolas shuddered as he heard the door lock. Or would he?

"No, not, not. Always not." Legolas snapped his head up to see Aragorn glaring at him, sword in hand. "Teach you, we must. Yes, yes, yes." Legolas cast a concerned glance in Aragorn's direction. His friends continued repeating of words was putting him on edge, and the fact that Aragorn had a sword made in ten times worse.

Legolas didn't dare to ask what Aragorn wanted to teach him, for he could tell just from Aragorn's face that it wasn't going to end well for him.

"Ears, ears, ears. Chips, chips, chips." Aragorn babbled, then jumped at Legolas, knocking him to the ground. Legolas struggled, of course, but in the end, he had to stop all movement when Aragorn put his sword up near his face. Any wrong move and he could end up getting injured or even losing his head.

"Estel, daro, saes." Legolas said, trying one last time to reason with his friend. (stop, please)

But Aragorn didn't seem to hear him, or maybe he just didn't care. Legolas was on his back, Aragorn pinning him down. He had a clear view of Aragorn's eyes. They were filled with Malice, but Legolas could see something else, a crazed look. Legolas shuddered, not liking the look in his friend's eyes.

Aragorn/Estel's point of view*

Aragorn peered into Legolas's eyes taking great joy when he saw the tiniest spark of fear in Legolas's eyes. He adjusted his grip on his sword, trying to figure out how to angle his sword to cut off Legolas's ear in the most efficient way. He let out a growl.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Too long, too long!" Aragorn threw his sword across the room in anger, and it lodged itself in the wall. He sat there, holding down Legolas, for a while, glaring. Suddenly he hissed in delight.

"We'll bite it!" Aragorn lunged forwards, clamping his teeth down on Legolas's ear, biting down through the flesh. Legolas gave a small yelp of surprise and pain. Aragorn relished the taste of Legolas's blood in his mouth.

Aragorn ripped off the top half of Legolas's ear, causing Legolas to gasp. He felt great triumph in ruining one of the elf's perfect features, making it bleed and causing the elf pain. He grabbed a small pouch in which he kept his coins and emptied the contents. Coins clinked on the ground and rolled in all different directions. Aragorn didn't care. He just put the top half of Legolas's ear in the pouch and closed it up.

Suddenly the red rimming Aragorn's vision disappeared and his headache lessened. He looked down at Legolas in surprise and confusion. Why was Legolas bleeding? He looked down at the pouch in his hand, then at Legolas's half-ear.

Aragorn scrambled off Legolas and threw the pouch away, not even wanting to know what was in it, although he had a good guess. He could taste the blood in his mouth. He had come to a conclusion on what he had done. He looked at Legolas, who had sat up, backed up as far away from him as possible, and was holding a hand up to his bleeding ear that had half of it bitten off.

"Goheno nin, saes..." Aragorn put his head in his hands in despair, not knowing why he did that to Legolas. (Forgive me, please)

Legolas stood up, and Aragorn could see him shaking, probably from the shock of what he did to him. Aragorn just wished he could turn back time, but he couldn't do that, and he felt that slamming his head on the wall repeatedly might be a good alternative, or maybe smashing something.

"Boe I 'waen," Legolas whispered, walking forward and unlocking the door. Then he paused. "May I borrow one of your cloaks?" Aragorn nodded, and with that, Legolas took the cloak hanging on one of the bed posts, swung it over his shoulders and pulled up the hood. (I must go)

Legolas then walked out the door in a hasty manner. As soon as Legolas left, Aragorn rose from where he sat, stumbled over to the door and locked it. He then collapsed on the floor, his body shaking with sobs. He had just attacked and injured one of his best friends! How could he have done that?

Aragorn lifted his head, and through tear-blurred eyes he saw his sword, lodged in the wall. He stood up shakily and grabbed the sword's hilt. He struggled with getting it out for a minute before he yanked it out. Then he stepped on the blade and tried to break it as if it were a stick. After many tries, and fails, he decided to bang it against the wall. Eventually he had broken the sword until it was looking more like a dagger than a sword.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" He screamed to the dagger of a sword, then he threw it onto the ground and sunk to his knees, now sobbing again. "It's all your fault." He repeated, but this time, it was to himself.