A/N: Thank you all so much for r&r's! It makes my day every single time! Thanks guys =)
Sorry for the cliffie, but well, every story needs them?
And a very special thank you for my amazing Beta's.

Replies guests:
-Catherine10: I'm not sure yet, but I'll go for the first option. To get back to your other question: this is about their friendship, but I'm following the films, so... is that a big enough hint? ;)
-Daryon: I'm trying to keep up this weekly post.. If I manage to write ahead, I'll treat you guys with more chapters.

Chapter 3: Another roadblock

A soft laugh escaped from his lips. The Hobbits hadn't quite seen the danger yet, which was a good thing, he thought. Soon enough they would catch up on the cruelties of the world. He fell silent, though, when he felt the gash. With the light from the torch that Gimli held, he could see it was a small but deep cut, probably done by the last Orc which had caught them by surprise. Aragorn took the torch, put it in the ground and rested one of his hands on the shoulder of the Elf. "Stay down, I'll be right back."
While he searched his backpack for bandages and herbs, the others moved the dead bodies, so the stench wouldn't bother them the rest of the night. When he got back, Legolas hadn't moved, which made him frown. Normally when the Elf said he was fine, he would do anything to avoid an examination.

Aragorn knelt down again and pulled Legolas's tunic up. With a cloth, he cleaned the gash, while chewing some herbs to put on the wound later. Legolas made a weak attempt to swat his arm away.
"Leave me alone," he muttered.
"Your stubbornness has not left you, I see." Aragorn kept his voice friendly, though he knew this was an exceptional chance to talk.
"It's not that serious," he tried to convince him again, which, of course, didn't work. He had not counted the years they had been friends, but wounds and Legolas did not go well together, never had.
He put the herbs on the wound and felt the other person flinch. After bandaging the Elf, he backed away and watched while Legolas staggered to his bedroll. Sighing, Aragorn packed his stuff. He really didn't know how he should start the conversation and by the looks of it, Legolas didn't want to talk.
A glance at Boromir told him that he didn't need to worry about the watch. Sitting down, he came to his senses and finally relaxed. He expected he wouldn't sleep for several hours, so maybe this was a good time to come up with a plan. However, when lying down, Aragorn fell asleep at once..

He did not like the Misty Mountains, but going through the Redhorn Pass was something he would definitely have thought over twice. The road wasn't easy, especially with all the snow, and that was on a good day with the sun shining. Already the Hobbits and Gimli -all of them short legged- were having difficulties getting forward.
While they struggled for every step, Legolas seemed to walk effortlessly on the snow. Seemed. Aragorn saw how carefully his tread was and twice the hand of the Elf slid towards his side, where the wound was. He made a mental note to check up on him in the evening. Right now, he needed his strength and attention for Sam and Frodo. With the snow reaching his upper legs, it was best to carry them, or they would completely disappear. It was a good thing that their weight was in balance with their height, even though they were grown men, otherwise it would have been an impossible task.

His fingers were stiff and red from the icy cold, almost as red as the cheeks of the two Halflings. None of them -except for Boromir, perhaps- were dressed for this kind of weather. At the beginning of the day it had been doable, but it had been snowing steadily for at least the past hour and the wind had severely increased.
"There is a foul voice in the air," Legolas said, walking a bit ahead to check on the road. He had barely finished his sentence, or huge chunks of snow fell of the mountain.
Aragorn pushed himself to the left, his back brushing hard against the cold stone wall.
"It's Saruman," Gandalf explained.
"Gandalf!" he had to yell to catch the Wizards attention through the stormy weather. "He's trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf, we must go back!"
His words were cast aside by a firm shake of the Wizard's head. Not for the first time, Aragorn wondered what was going on. How could he not see that this road would kill them all if they stayed much longer? Precious minutes were lost while Gandalf tried to battle the head of his Order. Again, a large quantity of snow fell down, this time covering them all.
Gasping for air, Aragorn emerged, helping Frodo and Sam to surface as well. More general bickering followed, until, finally, it was settled: they would head back and go through the mines.

It took them long hours to leave the mountain behind and find a suitable place to camp. Aragorn took no time to rest; he immediately gave Boromir and Gimli orders on how the camp should be set up. After that, he checked the Hobbits and did his best to make sure they were okay. Once a couple of small fires would be lit, they should be fine.
Everyone was grumpy and kept to themselves. No wonder; it had taken them a long time to get that far, only to find another roadblock. They couldn't have known about the roadblock, though, so it was quite maddening to think about all those lost hours.
Silently, Aragorn worked and made sure that every member was alright. The Hobbits, Gimli and Gandalf were cooking and talking quietly, once he headed towards Boromir.
"You alright?" He asked, while his eyes were already darting to the Man's hands, then up to his face, just in time to see Boromir nodding. No surprise there. He had reckoned that the warrior of Gondor was able to take care of himself – in any situation.
"I'm fine. What's going on between you and the Elf, though?"
For a moment, Aragorn was taken aback. The man had noticed? But then he remembered how Legolas had stood up for him during the Council in Rivendell. How warm the Elf had been towards him and now... Now it seemed there was none of that warmth left.
"I think I have hurt him with a matter I didn't know he was part of," he answered thoughtfully.