For disclaimer please view chapter 1.

Author's note: Again, sorry for the delay, I am getting married in three weeks, so its been very busy for me, but I wanted to post at least another chapter before then. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Thank you for being so supportive of the characters and story.

-Kersi-

Chapter 11: Leader

She held onto the sword in her hands tightly, the words of Ihawsanor still ringing in her ears, and playing over and over in her head. Legolas was injured; it was not fatal but could turn it should he take another blow. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to banish the thought… it was starting to ache a little under her shoulder, the connection between Legolas and her was fully open and it would be no use to try and close it now. Whatever strength she could give him while he was still out there she would give, she knew if she closed the connection, he could possibly weaken. She opened her eyes and stared at the bleak wall in front of her. Whatever had happened to Eryn Lasgalen had happened quickly and with a great force; the destruction and death around them was proof of that. The soldiers were all well trained, how could it have possibly come to that?

She could no longer hear any battle sounds, and her first instincts told her to wait, for that did not necessarily mean that all was well. She heard light footsteps come closer, and knew it was of Elves and sighed a breath of relief. Ihawsanor came around the wall and stared at her.

"Legolas?" She asked with concern for her husband.

He nodded to not that he was as well as could be. "Stay close to me, we think there were not many, but the few there were, were spread and well prepared. We shall go further into the city now. For your safety, we must keep you both separated, he is ahead …"

"But he is injured…"

"And well trained, do not worry so." He motioned for her to come out and walk beside him. It was the first time during all her pregnancy that she wished she were not with child. She felt so vulnerable and weak having to be escorted and hidden and separated. She felt no need for her sword, as it was apparent that it would be used only in the most desperate of situations. They passed quickly through the second gates, which were slightly open and as soon as they walked in the gate doors closed behind them. Aurel looked behind her; there were more Elven guards. She then looked around her, the destruction was less the further in they went, and there were no bodies lying around, although it was apparent that there had been a battle there in the recent past. It became obvious as they continued walking that this part of Eryn Lasgalen had been secured, and then she spotted Legolas. Sitting with his head hanging low, as the soldiers attempted to remove the arrow lodged under his shoulder. She quickened her pace and when she came to his side pushed the young soldier out of the way.

Legolas's head popped up. "Aurel…" He grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You are well."

She pulled her hand away, quickly caressing her face and then immediately saw to his injury. "But you are not, and your clever soldiers were about to injure you even more."

He tried to smile through the pain. "They were only trying to help."

"A lot of good they would have done." She replied sarcastically, and Legolas would have appreciated it more if he was not in so much pain, he was weary, and he had not eaten anything since days in Medusheld. He had been in battle more than once, and he had been under physical and mental strain through out it all, his body was about to give out. "I can feel your strength leaving you." said Aurel in a hush. "Try and stay awake if you can…"

He nodded his head slowly. "Where is Eomer-King?"

One of the guards responded. "He went ahead with Captain Ihawsanor."

"Where is Lasneth?" He asked to the same guard.

The guard only stared at Legolas, he did not respond.

Aurel pulled the arrow out in that moment, and Legolas shut his eyes to hide the pain that would have shone through them. "You could have warned me before doing that!"

"Legolas, we must get you to the houses of healing, this wound needs more tending to, and I cannot do it here."

"Fine." He replied, he tried to stand, but his knees buckled immediately, forcing him to sit back down. "You will have to work from here." He briefly looked up at her, "I cannot even stand."

"Have someone carry you then."

"No!"

"Legolas, stop being so stubborn, I would carry you if I was not already carrying your son…" She looked at him, he was seriously contemplating the idea of just having to stay where he was, but Aurel pushed him again. "This is not a matter that can be long thought over, you are losing blood…" Her eyes reflected her great worry for him.

But he did not have time to respond, suddenly he felt the world spin and go black.

When he reopened his eyes, he was in his bed chamber, though is seemed colder and darker. He looked around him, there was no one there. He gently lifted himself from the bed and was reminded that he had been gravely wounded. He checked his wrappings, Aurel had tended to him, it was evident by how fast he was already healing and how carefully his shoulder had been wrapped that she had cared for him with diligence, but where was she? He tried to reach her with his thoughts, but she was closed off, and that began to panic him. He quickly dressed himself and went to the door. The sun that came shining through nearly blinded him as he opened the doors.

"My lord, you are awake….the Princess has requested that you remain in your chamber." Said a guard who it seemed had been posted to stand at his chamber door.

Legolas gave the guard a curious look. "Where is she?"

"The houses of healing my lord." He replied.

He nodded in thanks and began his walk to the houses of healing. He passed many on his walk there, many who were grieving, some who just stared at him in a way he had never been stared at before. The closer he came to the houses of healing, the greater the feeling of dread came upon him, until he began to hear the sounds of Aurel crying, and quickened his pace and opened the chamber doors, they made a loud bang as they crashed against the wall.

Aurel stood from where she had been sitting, surprised to see Legolas. "Legolas?" There were many around, many healers, many soldiers, and many advisors. She walked to him slowly.

"Why do you cry?"

She only wrapped her arms around him and wet his shoulder with her tears, until at last he saw that which was causing her grief. The Elves were crowding mostly around one of the beds, and between them, he caught of glimpse of his younger brother. He removed Aurel's arms gently and walked towards the bed. His footsteps became heavier the more they walked forward. All the Elves parted the way for him, and his eyes immediately filled with tears and he held his breath as he reached Lasneth lying on the bed ever so still.

"Brother?" He touched Lasneth's arm. He was cold, his skin was not of normal colour, his eyes were closed and nothing could be felt, he was dead. Tears streamed down Legolas's face but no one could see, and the only one who felt his grief was Aurel. He wiped his face clean before turning around to face his advisors, "How did this happen?" He looked like he was about to collapse from the grief.

Aurel wanted to go to him, but he made a gesture for her to stay away.

"I ask again, how did this happen?"

One of the advisors stepped up. "During a battle, my lord, many arrows pierced through him."

Legolas's eyes closed slightly, "Was there no one there to protect him?"

No one responded.

"The battle was heavy my lord, we did all that we could to protect him, but we were outnumbered at the time." This time it was one of Lasneth's friends that responded.

He turned back around to face his brother once more. This time a sob escaped him. "Lasneth…." He took his hand and placed it on his brother's cold arm. "Leave this room immediately!" He commanded of everyone, using his back as a shield to protect others from seeing him so weak. "Leave now!"

Everyone began to depart, except for Aurel who stood where she was.

"And you as well Aurel." He said.

"But Legolas…you…"

"Please do not make me ask you again."

She bowed her head in defeat and exited the houses with the rest of the Elves.

Legolas stared at his younger brother for a long time, never in a thousand years did he think he would be standing in the position that he was in at that moment. To have to look at his brother's lifeless body was more than he could bear. "You have left me, and now I am the last of our Kin to stand living on this earth…" His lips began to quiver, but he did not let out any cries, there would be no more tears from him.

He balled up his hands into fists, now his being was full of rage, he wanted revenge. He walked back and forth, trying to contain this feeling inside of him, the wound of his back ached and then Legolas exploded, he began to pound on the walls as hard as he could. There were other injured Elves who still remained in the houses, as they too were being looked after, and at the sight of their prince in such distress only stared in despair at what was happening. Legolas was pounding the walls of the houses so strong, that he reopened the wound at his back, and made new ones on his hands, but it did not stop him from continuing.

Aurel, having heard the pounding, was the only one who re-entered the houses of healing. She let Legolas continue pounding as she went over to the other injured Elves and reassured them that there was nothing to fear and when she was done consoling them, she waited for Legolas to stop. He did, eventually, and turned to face Aurel.

"Those wounds will need tending to." Was all she said.

He looked at his bloodied hands, "I want the scars."

"I was not referring to the wounds on your body."

He looked away from her. "I will be well, as I always have been."

"Except you have not always been well."

"Not now Aurel, please not now."

"Then when? There is no other time, the Kingdom has fallen, many have suffered the same losses as yours and now they look to their leader for console, for reassurance, for guidance."

Legolas's eyes turned cold. "My brother is dead."

Aurel was suddenly filled with grief, but she held it back, she had to be strong. "Yes, and we will mourn his loss for there will be none other like him again… but you must move past the grief, lest it overcome you."

He knew she was right but the last thing he wanted to do was move past the grief. "I do not need to be hearing this from you."

"You do, for no one else will tell you what must be done."

"What makes you think you can speak to me of grief; you know nothing of what I have suffered, of what I am suffering now." He walked closer to her, he could tell she was weary, and full of grief, but she was protecting him from her own feelings. He wished he could be that strong.

She took nothing he said to heart, for she knew he was in pain. "I am not your adversary, I am your wife."

"You will leave me too."

"No."

"You would be right in doing so."

"Let us walk back to our chambers and speak of this in private, surely not all present need to hear our discussion."

"I don't care who hears us, there are no secrets here."

That was a lie and she knew it, there were plenty of secrets between both of them that no else needed to hear. "Legolas, please, let us go to our chambers."

He wanted to go with her, but he could not leave his brother. "I cannot leave Lasneth."

"What use will it be to stay here with him? His soul does not dwell in that body any longer."

Legolas looked like he was going to lose his mind. "And yet, I cannot and will not leave him here alone!"

Aurel put her hand to her head, suddenly her head ached, and the light that shone through the windows was too bright. "I am sorry, but there is no time for your grief, you are leader and your people are waiting for your command." She said rather harshly.

The tone in her voice had alerted Legolas that she was speaking the truth, he wanted to stay but he knew he could not. The doors to the houses of healing suddenly flew open as an out of breath guard shouted, "Another attack at the outer walls! Get yourselves to safety!"

Legolas quickly grabbed a hold of Aurel's arm and very nearly dragged her out of the back entrance of the houses of healing.

"Legolas, stop pulling so hard! I cannot walk as fast as you!" said Aurel.

It did not stop Legolas, it was as if he was not paying attention, or at least it seemed that way before he slowed down and then completely stopped, he looked at Aurel for a moment and quickly picked her up, a surprised kind of sound escaped her lips as he quickly carried her over to where he knew she would be save, the entrance to a cave, which would lead her to other parts of Eryn Lasgalen.

Aurel panicked as Legolas set her down. "No, I cannot stay here, it is too dark!"

"You will be safe here."

"Why do you say that as if you were not going to stay with me?"

"Because I am not staying with you."

"You must! You are not fit to fight in battle, Legolas you are injured!"

"Our people look to their leader for console, reassurance, and guidance, these are the very words you used against me, do you take them back now?"

"If you fall, then the people will have no leader."

Legolas shook his head. "I was not speaking of myself."

"What?"

"Our people have a leader, but she must be kept safe."

"I am no leader!" cried Aurel.

"I beg to differ." Said Legolas as he checked that the doors and surrounding for their safety.

She grabbed a hold of the collar on his tunic, "Do not go! Do not leave me here alone, I am not a leader, those things I said were for you….you see, leaders do not plead for their husbands to stay!"

Legolas put his hands over hers. "I love you, have faith in me."

She hung her head low for a moment and then looked at him. "Do not go into battle seeking vengeance, it will only weaken you. Be wary of the wound at your back, try and strike low if you must strike at all, and please, try and stay alive."

"And you say you are no leader?"

"There is a difference between giving advice and leading."

"I must go." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly and as he pulled away he kissed her gently. There had still been light while the door to the cave was open, but he closed it behind him and all light disappeared.

Aurel trembled in the darkness, she knew there were torches she could light, and that the tunnels in the cave would eventually lead her to safety but at that moment, standing in darkness, being able to see nothing, she swore to herself that she would make sure to keep her husband alive, even if it cost her her own life.