A/N Yay, a new chapter! Thanks to all of you who read/favorite/followed/reviewed! They mean the world to me!
Disclaimer: not mine. :(
Chapter Two
"Some night, eh?" a tall, burly man growled, his handsome face marred by a frown that seemed to have permanently settled on his face. He lighted the end of a long pipe which was stuck in between his yellowing teeth and sucked in a large breath. His companion was a weathered old man, his hair and beard white, though the fire besides them dyed it a flickering red.
"Of all nights to get watch, we got the stormy, huh, Damrod." The older man agreed, taking out his own pipe. Damrod sighed and made a face as though something foul was under his nose and glanced up the sky…they were in for a long night. The mountains could be filled with dangerous creatures and a watch was necessary, though not enjoyable.
The clouds grew thicker and darker over head, blocking and the light of the moon and sending a promise of rain. The trees twisted and whipped back and forth, the wind picking up as the night wore one.
Damrod's fellow guard sighed, leaning back against the gate where they were positioned. With the toe of his boot he began to tap out a rhythm, humming along to the tuneless melody.
"Will you shut up!" Damrod hissed after only a minute of the soft noise. The old man's face turned sourer, his expressional guarded as he turned away.
"Just trying to past the time…" he muttered in defense.
"Well don't." Damrond snapped. After that, the silence grew icy and stony and stayed that way until Damrod abruptly shot up, pointing into the dark and causing the other man to drop the pipe he was refilling in surprise
"Someone is coming!" The younger man whispered, drawing out his sword and gripping it tightly. The older man also gripped his weapon, squinting into the dark as two figures suddenly emerged from the wildly waving trees.
"What in tarnation do they think they are doing?! It is past midnight!"
"Trouble, that's what." Damrod answered grimly, a threat echoing on the edges of his voice. Ducking out of the gate, the human swung his sword forward and roared at the top of his lungs. "State you business. And don't you even think of lying, we are…armed." His finished lamely, gazing with surprise at their visitors.
One of the two men was being support be the other and was undoubtedly very sick or wounded.
"Please, you must help us." The first man begged, shifting the other's weight as he stopped in front of Damrod. He was covered in a long, dark, and travel stained cloaknow that hid his face and body in shadown "He won't survive if he doesn't get help!"
"'How do I know you are not faking?" Damrond asked, trying to gain the surety from before back. "You outsiders think you can get away with anything." Something about the man bugged him…something didn't seem quite right, he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"My friend is sick, dying! Please, just let us in." the man repeated, the desperation in his tone almost palpable. The old man stepped forward, lowering his sword with a soft, if not kind, expression on his face, taking pity on the strangers.
"If you have money with you than you can stay at the inn. We have a healer, but you will need more money for that too. "
"Why do you hide your face? Lower your hood and then you may enter!" Damrod demanded, still not as ready as his companion to let them pass.
"I can't very well, can I?" the other man snarled, both hands tied up with supporting his friend. Damrod smirked, before stepping forward and staring deep into the hood, locking his own brown eyes with pricing blue ones he could just glimpse.
Suddenly, he jumped back, cursing as he recognized the ranger garb.
"You're a ranger!" he hissed, spitting on the ground at the stranger's feet and raising his sword again. "I'll tell you the same thing I told that other ranger who passed through here a couple days ago. Leave. Now. Before your despicable people find you in pieces!"
"I would love to leave this place you so call a village!" The cloaked being raged back, his fingers clenching and unclenching around the others wrist as he would like to take up his own weapon. "However, my friend needs help now! We have no time to waste on his foolishness!"
Behind them a window shuttered banged loudly against the wall as the wind caught it, and a icy silence followed the loud noise, the two having a staring match. Finally, though, Damrod's older companion stepped forward, looking uneasy with the situation.
"Damrod…they will be out of town soon. We can't just let a man die, and he looks pretty bad. After all, we have means to take care of them if they do anything." He said, placing a calming hand on the younger man's arm and meeting his gaze. Damrod sighed emphatically and rolled his eyes, knowing that the other was right but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
Sheathing his sword he took a step forward and jutted his index finger into the man's cloaked face."I warn you —one toe out of line and I will run you out of town after beating you to within an inch of your life."
The stranger nodded, already bodily pushing past the two and into the village. The sick man moaned, head sagging forward, and they disappeared out of sight.
THEWORTHOFAFRIEND
Legolas gently eased Aragorn down onto the lumpy, straw filled bed. The man's hair was plastered to his pasty face with sweat which also caused his shirt to darken and cling to his muscled body. Legolas hurriedly pulled the man's boots off and drew the blanket up to his chest, smoothing back the dark, unruly hair with one hand as Aragorn stirred restlessly.
"Shh, Estel, I have to find the healer, just rest." Legolas whispered. Aragorn blinked an eye open in response, groaning painfully again as he struggled to roll over onto to his side and curl up into a ball. Legolas let out a worried breath, eyes betraying his heart stopping concern as he turned towards the door.
"'Egolas…" the man behind him whimpered, viscously tugging at the elf's heart strings as the prince continued on towards the door.
"I'll be back, Estel." Legolas said loudly, pausing with his hand on the door knob, his face twisted up in sorrow. "It is for your own good." And with that, he slipped through the door and was gone.
Aragorn whimpered again, searching for his friend with hazy vision as he painstakingly raised his head from the pillow. When the elf didn't appear in his line of sight, the man attempted to push himself up. Legolas normally came running if he so much as let a groan leave his lips, never mind a full-fledged whimper.
A cough suddenly began to tear at his throat making Aragorn clutch at his chest and gasp for breath as tears began from due to the harshness of his hacking
"Leg —ola — s!" he wheezed, craning his neck to find the prince. This only succeeding in making the already unbalanced ranger waver and toppled over the side of the narrow bed. He hit the ground with a solid thump that knocked the precious air right out of him and caused black spots to appear in front of his eyes
Aragorn knew that Legolas would help him, knew that he needed to find his friend…the ranger began crawl unsteadily towards the door, still coughing. Unfortunately he only made it a few feet before his strength failed him and he crashed back the floor in a crumpled heap. Air only just passed between his lips leaving them an appalling shade of blue.
Scarcely minutes later, the door flew open with a reverberating bang and Aragorn's eyes flew open with surprise, his mind only semi-aware. Elegant boots appeared in his line of vision and then familiar hands where rolling him over.
"Don't…please…don't…" Aragorn began, meaning to beg the elf not to leave him again, but most the words where lost on the way from his mind to his tongue. He thought he heard Legolas' soft, soothing, voice, but he couldn't be sure, everything was fuzzy.
Suddenly, unfamiliar hands where being pressed against his face, touching his overheated skin. Jerking back in fear, Aragorn scrambled for the knife that was always present at his side.
"Don't — Touch — hurt…." Aragorn grounded out thickly, blinking hard as his vision began to grow dim. "Legolas! Please…" he pleaded with the last reserve of his strength. He felt Legolas slide his hands under his body and he was suddenly airborne. The other pair of hands where touching him once again.
"Stop…" he whispered again, then his dim world sank into darkness and Legolas' gentle face hovering above him disappeared.
THEREWORTHOFAFRIEND
Rain began to strike against the glass of the window pane and Legolas spared a curt glance in that direction. The weather outside was growing increasingly more violent, making the prince extremely grateful that Aragorn was no longer out in the elements.
Leaning forward on his chair, Legolas rested his forehead against his clenched fist with his elbows on his knees. One the bed beside him lay Aragorn, fully stretched out with a blanket pulled up to his waist. His chest was bare except for a pale yellow, vile smelling paste that was spread across it. The healer in the village hoped that this would help the future king of men's breathing.
Legolas shuddered, remembering vividly how he and the healer had came back to find Aragorn clasped on the floor, hardly inhaling at all. The struggling, uneven rhythm that it was right now eased the prince's anxiety though in normal conditions it would have scared him out.
Both elf and ranger remained still like that for a long while, Legolas only moving to periodically checking the human's vital signs or mopping at his brow with a cool cloth. Aragorn seemed to appreciate this, occasionally letting out a soft sound.
The day wore like this, until they were suddenly gifted with an unwelcomed visitor when the door was thrust open without a knock. In marched the man from the gate and Legolas jumped to his feet, his cloak still in place as he had not dared to take it off.
"Get out!" the prince growled, advancing forward and stepping in front of the bed so that he shielded Aragorn from view.
"Why so unpleasant?" Damrod asked, grinning as he took in the other's uneasiness. "I'm just dropping by to wish your companion a healthy recover."
"I'm sure you are." Legolas retorted, not bothering to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "Now, if you don't need anything, than leave."
"So defensive, ranger. I wonder why?"
Just then a low moan coursed weakly behind them, causing Legolas to turn and place a comforting hand on the man's foot , whispering something so faint that Damrod could not catch it. The man, however, calmed once more and made no further noise.
Legolas took a deep breath, trying to control the anger that was coursing through him like a strong river and turned back to face Damrod, only to find the human right up in his face.
"Listen, you foul ranger. We, that is too say the villagers, want you out! There is no room in this place for a evil, twisted, devil-worshiping ranger such as yourself in this respectable town. "Damrod hissed, jabbing his finger with bruising force into Legolas' chest.
"We will leave as soon as my friend is better, not before." Legolas challenged back, thrusting his face forward so that their noses where almost touching. "Is that understood?" he finished in a menacing tone.
With that, Legolas roughly shoved Damrod back, slamming the door behind him. Breathing heavily, the prince strode back to the bed, frowning. Damrod managed to get under his skin faster than a striking snake.
Sitting once again, Legolas mopped at the real ranger's brow, praying with all his heart for the man to survive.
"Please, please, get better soon…I don't know how long I will last." He whispered, reaching down and softly clutching at one of Aragorn's callused hands. "You have to wake up, or you will never be able to tease me about pretending to be a, a filthy ranger, and I know you will! Besides, I need you to protect me from your father and brothers once they hear that I let you get sick.."
Aragorn took a deep breath in his sleep, but almost instantly chocked on it and started to cough much to weakly for Legolas' comfort, the phlegm in his lungs causing problems. Pulling him up urgently, the prince leaned his sick friend against him and began to rub a soothing patter against his back, trying to calm him.
After the coughing fit had ended Legolas let Aragorn remained against him. Laying his chin atop the ranger's head, Legolas brushed a flitting kiss on the top of his hair.
"Dartha-ah anim." he murmured. "Fight it."/Stay with me/
THEWORTHOFAFRIEND
Damrod tipped back his head, allowing the beer in his mug to slide down his throat. His mind wondered freely, though it did not take long to land on the subject of the strangers in town whom he had just confronted.
There was something different and wrong about the ranger. He didn't know what, but there was defiantly something…
Taking another swallow, Damrod drew his hand across his mouth and tuned out the noise of the other men and women around him.
He wanted that ranger gone! And he wasn't the only one. Several others had complained about having a ranger in their inn, saying it would bring bad luck down upon all their heads. After all, the rangers never brought anything with them except for a trail of trouble that followed where ever they went.
Slamming his mug down on the bar, Damrod threw down some coins to pay and strode towards the door. He needed to do a favor for this town, but he couldn't do it alone. He would need the help of someone else, someone who would be able to figure out what that ranger's secrete was.
Striding confidently out into the rain the man headed down the muddy road, sure that if he could obtain the help he needed, then he would have everything back under control and back to normal in his town.
TBC...
The plot thickens! Who is going to help Damrod? Is Aragorn going to be alright? Will Legolas be discovered? Questions will be answered if you tune in next week,but for now, this is it folks! :)
Review Repy:
Saphira: This will definitely be an experience that Legolas will forget anytime soon. The poor boys! We writers make their life a living heck. Thanks!