Chapter 8

"And as you are bound by no promise, you must find him and tell him." Arwen concluded. Aragorn looked at her over the bowl of his pipe. They were sitting in the garden, well away from Athelas' rooms.

"Sophistry." he told her. "You cannot tell him, and neither can I. She told you all this in confidence."

"You must tell him,"she said, laying her delicate hand on his arm. "He deserves to know the truth. The happiness of both depends on it. She will grieve herself to death for him."

"She should tell him, I agree. But not me, Arwen. This is between them."

"She is not ready yet. But she will be. Why should he suffer in the meantime? You must find him, Aragorn."

"And tell him what, exactly? That all that has passed is nothing more than a small misunderstanding? By the way, Legolas, come back to Rivendell and claim your lady love? You have been reading too many romantic fantasies, Arwen."

"It is all a misunderstanding. Athelas told me herself it was a mistake. All they need is to come together once more, and all will be as it was."

"It may not be. Perhaps she is right, and Legolas is too angry to forgive her."

"I feel we have all underestimated the Prince of Mirkwood. Has anyone asked him how he feels about this? We all know him better than to think of him this way."

"I tried, Arwen, the night he left. He would say nothing."

"He would not, when the grief was so near."

"How do I approach him? What do I tell him?" He tamped out his pipe and stood up. "I cannot tell him everything you have said to me."

"Why not?"

"It would be improper. Look, Arwen, it is a great enough breach of propriety that I know the secrets of Athelas' heart. Do you think either of them will be easy, knowing that we know? They are both reserved people. They will not thank either of us for interfering."

"Reserve is what has caused this breach! My love, I do not care if they both hate us forever, if it will allow them to pass beyond this hurt between them. Besides," she looked up at him slyly. "This is all your fault. You must do what you can to remedy it."

He dropped his pipe. "My fault! How under the sun is this to be blamed on me?"

She smiled at him, with great affection. "If you had not made me love you, I would not be staying here. Athelas would not have denied her love to stay with me. By now they would be celebrating their marriage. So, my lord Aragorn, the cause of all this distress rests with you."

"That is the most convoluted, specious argument you have made yet." he said, but it hit home. He sighed. "How do I get him here, if I find him, mind you, before she leaves for Lothlorien? What if I get him here and she refuses to speak with him?"

Arwen knew she had won, she had appealed to his sense of right and wrong. He might argue with her further, but in the end he would do whatever it took to find Legolas and bring him back to Athelas.

"I have given it some thought, and I believe that I have an answer for both your questions. Time in Lorien will help Athelas. Galadriel will be able to assist her find her way. Father is sending discreet messages.

"As to the other, I will send two tokens to Legolas. They will speak to my dear, foolish, stubborn friend louder than any words could.

On the day Athelas left Imladris, Aragorn began his journey to Mirkwood. He hoped to find Legolas there, but Arwen had charged him not to give up the search until he found the prince. In his pack was the bundle she had given him for Legolas.

Aragorn did not enjoy the thought of discussing the situation with the prince. He tried to decide how best to initiate the conversation. None of the scenarios he could come up with were appealing to him. He knew that Legolas kept his feelings close and would not welcome any attempt to force him to discuss them. He also understood Legolas' anger at being accused by Elrond. Aragorn had been questioned by Elrond regarding a member of his house as well. Elrond could be terrible where his family were concerned.

During his travel, Aragorn pondered Athelas' reasoning. She was ready to give up her life to spend it with Arwen. At first he had dismissed the whole idea as foolish. What sort of a choice was that? But once he worked through his indignation at her giving such a spurious argument for rejecting his friend, he began to see the love and concern behind it. This, paradoxically, brought up feelings of doubt in him. He knew that Arwen would have a hard time away from all of her kin. He decided not to follow that line of thought. One romantic crisis at a time for him!

It was late in the afternoon, the day he finally reached Mirkwood. He made his way past the guards and to the Hall of the Elven King. Of all the Elves, it was only Thranduil who was called King. He wondered if being Elvendom's only prince accounted for much of Legolas' serious nature. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that Arwen's plans were as sound as she had described them. If something went awry, he didn't want to be the cause of any discord between Imladris and Mirkwood.

The Elven King greeted him warmly. Legolas was nowhere to be seen. Aragorn wasn't sure if he should be worried or relieved. When he and Thranduil were comfortably ensconced in the king's study, wine in hand, the king began to discuss his worries with the Ranger.

"Can you tell me what has passed in Imladris, Aragorn? My son has not been himself since his return. He will not speak to me of it, he is absent minded, and all he wants to do is go out and kill spiders. It's that girl, isn't it?"

Aragorn took a deep breath. He hadn't anticipated this. How much of Athelas' confession to Arwen was he at liberty to discuss with Legolas' father? Thranduil saw his distress and began to laugh. It startled Aragorn, who looked at the old king with puzzlement.

"I know my son, Aragorn." he chuckled. "The trick is to catch what he doesn't say. For the first time in many a long year, Athelas failed to send her greetings and love. I take it there was a quarrel of some sort?" Looking at the shock on Aragorn's face, he started laughing again.

"Of course, of course." he said, sipping at his wine. "You have all taken the most serious oaths not to speak of it. Vows of silence and so on. Why so surprised, Aragorn? Did you think we had all forgotten what it was to be young? I remember Elrond with Celebrian." He stopped chortling, pain in his eyes, as he thought of her fate. Then he brightened again.

"Ah, well," he said, taking another sip of wine. "I hope you have brought happy news for my son. Although he is making great inroads on our spider problem."

"I hope I have, Lord King." Aragorn said, the ridiculousness of the situation overcoming him. He grinned at the king and made a toast. "To our young Prince, Legolas."

"The mutton headed young fool that he is" Thranduil agreed, raising his glass. "Was it his fault?" he asked.

Aragorn looked at him with twinkling eyes. "To the best of my understanding, my Lord King, it was my fault." This sent Thranduil off into gales of laughter.

The next morning Aragorn set off to find Legolas. Thranduil had sent him out with directions and counsel.

"If he won't listen to you, Aragorn, bring him back to me. I'll make him see reason." He held up a hand at the Ranger's protest. "Just bring him home. I know my son."

Two days later, Aragorn found him. He was sitting at the top of a tree. "Aragorn." he called. "Come with more charges from Elrond?"

During his conversation with Thranduil, Aragorn had decided that the blunt, bluff approach would be best.

"Come down from there, Legolas. Unless you want me to shout your business to the spiders." Legolas grinned in spite of himself, and leapt down, landing lightly beside Aragorn. The Ranger gripped his shoulder in friendship and shook him gently.

"What brings you to the delights of Mirkwood?" Legolas asked, leading his friend to his camp. Aragorn sat down, leaning against a wide tree trunk. He accepted the cup Legolas handed to him and drank deeply.

"I bring you a message from Imladris." he began.

"From Athelas?" he asked eagerly, his eyes bright.

"No." Aragorn told him simply, watching the light fade from his face.

"She hates me still." he said simply. Aragorn sighed. This was the part he had dreaded. How to start the conversation, how to tell him Arwen's message. But to his surprise, Legolas began to speak.

"I don't blame her, Aragorn. This is all my fault." He gave a bitter laugh. "Do you think I haven't replayed that scene over in my head many times? I have been able to pinpoint the exact moment when I ruined it all. That one instant when the fear entered her eyes. And it was my fault. She had pulled away. But I wouldn't let her go. I was overwhelmed by the intensity of my feelings, my desires."

Although Aragorn felt as embarrassed as he had when Arwen told him about Athelas, he realized that this was the first time Legolas had spoken to anyone about that day. He was honored by the prince's trust in him.

"And then there was Elrond, asking me if I had hurt her. I knew I had, so I couldn't deny it, but I couldn't tell him how I'd hurt her, frightened her. He immediately thought the worst of me."

"Athelas is his kin." Aragorn said kindly, "and Elrond has never been considerate when he feels he is protecting his family." He gave the elf a rueful smile.

Legolas nodded. "Yes, you would know about that."

"I do indeed. But please, continue. Why didn't you come back? I thought I understood, from the night you left, that you would be returning quickly. And yet here you are, hunting spiders. They aren't going anywhere, my friend."

"I honestly did not know what to do."

"About Elrond?"

"About Athelas. It was such a grand day, Aragorn." He smiled at the memory. Then the smile faded. "But then I destroyed that, by not listening. And then she ran! She ran from me. I didn't know what to think, I still don't. When she fell, she was so still I thought she was dead, and that I had killed her. I was so grateful when she moved. And I cursed myself, and swore that I would never force my attentions on her in that way again." He stopped to take a drink from his own cup. Finding he had emptied it, he filled it from the wineskin and began again.

"That night, when we were back in Imladris, she looked right at me, and she said, well, never mind that. But I was ready to weep. That's when you so obligingly found me all that strong wine." he raised his cup. "My thanks for that, my friend. I think I hated myself that night. Elrond's accusation was almost a relief, it gave me something else to think about."

"But when I saw her, Aragorn," he stopped, the harsh memory of that meeting fresh in his mind. "Elrond was right there. He wouldn't leave, said she wanted him there. All the while he was planning to send her off to Lorien." He saw Aragorn start. "Oh yes, my friend, if that is your message, your journey has been for nothing. I knew. And I planned to speak to her, alone. That night, if I could manage it. But I had to calm down first. By the time you found me, I was so heartsick and frustrated that Father's message was almost a relief, because I'd had time to think, you see.

"She looked shattered when I saw her. All I wanted was to rush to her, to hold her, comfort her. I wanted to be there with her, help to nurse her back to herself. But Elrond was there. And she was so perfectly polite, Aragorn. I started to think that maybe I had imagined that she felt the way I did. But then there was that look on her face, that feeling between us, just for that one instant. I was so unsure, I didn't want to hurt her again. So I thought I would give her some time. I even hoped for a message from her for a while." He looked at his cup and tossed the wine back.

"So what now?" Aragorn asked him, relieved that his task had become so much easier. Thranduil had been right, it was what he didn't say.

"Oh, it's the spiders for me, my friend. Strong wine and sad songs on a cold winter's night. I plan to stay in Mirkwood indefinitely."

Aragorn decided to get to the heart of the matter, before he laughed out loud. Legolas sounded so much like his father!

"You haven't asked how she is," he said quietly.

All Legolas' false bravado melted like snow in sunlight. "I was afraid to," he admitted bleakly. "Tell me she has made a full recovery."

"In body, yes, save for a slight lameness, but her spirits are sorely depressed. Arwen believes Galadriel will be able to help her."

Legolas tossed his empty cup away. "Surely it is not as bad as that?" he asked, covering his eyes with his had.

Aragorn stood up and put his arm around the elf's shoulder.

"What have I done?" Legolas asked him.

"There was grave misunderstanding on both sides. You must not blame yourself."

"Who should I blame?" Legolas asked angrily. "Her? It was none of her doing!"

"Me." Aragorn said simply. Legolas looked at him in amazement.

"Sit down, Legolas. I have something I must tell you." He explained his errand, beginning with Arwen's decision. He told him of Athelas' quandary, her conclusions regarding Arwen, how she thought she could explain the situation to him. How, not being comfortable with overpowering emotions, she had kept the truth from herself as well as him. How she had been overcome when the situation changed so drastically.

"But why didn't she just tell me?" Legolas asked, amazed. "Why run away?"

"I cannot say." Aragorn said.. No matter how much he loved Arwen, no matter how much he wanted his friend's happiness, there was nothing in Middle-Earth to induce him to detail how the Lady Athelas had fled because she was consumed by desire! Friendship only went so far!

"I should have listened to her. I shouldn't have left. I have been an idiot!"

"Go to her. Talk to her." Aragorn urged him.

"What?"

"Go to her. Come to an understanding. She is languishing for your love. Arwen trusts that is only her belief that you wish nothing more to do with her that is keeping her from you. She cannot bring herself to send to you. She does not want to afflict you with what she believes is distasteful to you. In her mind, she is giving you what you want. So it becomes your place to go to her. Get on a horse and ride to Lorien."

"What if she won't see me?"

"Arwen has taken certain measures to ensure that she will. Together, we may be able to win back your lady love."

"Aragorn, have you been reading romantic fancies with Arwen again?" Legolas asked him. "This all sounds highly unlikely. I know Athelas. She would send word to me if she wanted me."

"That's what you think." Aragorn thought to himself. "My friend, our lady Athelas has undergone a great shock to her serenity. She is unsure of herself. Have you ever known her to be uncertain about anything before?"

"How then, can Arwen be definite about this? What if this is not really what she wants?"

"Then you owe it to both of you to go and find out. Each of you, staying away to protect the other, is just causing suffering. Look at you! Hiding out here, lurking in trees, venting your frustration on the spiders!" he shook his head. "Pitiful, that's what it is."

Legolas gave him a small smile. "If I could only be sure that she did love me, that she did want me with her, nothing could keep me away!" he said, earnestly. "I really do love her, Aragorn."

"Then trust me, my friend. I know that Arwen believes that Athelas loves you with all her heart and will perish without you. And I trust Arwen's judgement in this."

A few days later, during dinner, Legolas told the king. "Father, I must leave again."

"Run out of spiders, my boy?" Thranduil asked jovially.

"Aragorn has requested my assistance with a matter in Lothlorien. I have agreed."

"Lothlorien?" the King asked with some surprise, "I would have thought your heart would have led you to Imladris."

Legolas turned angry eyes on his friend. "You told him!" he accused.

"He didn't have to, Legolas." Thranduil said kindly. "You are much like your mother, and I understood her ways long before you were born." A momentary sadness crossed his face. Then he brightened. "Since you are going to Lorien anyway, I have a gift for the Lady Athelas I wish you to deliver. A small token of my appreciation for that wonderful cloak she made for me." Thranduil winked at his son. "It never hurts to have a reason, my boy."

As Legolas stared at his father with a mixture of outrage and affection, Aragorn dissolved into fits of laughter.