Ch. 4
Aragorn dared not look at Legolas, fearing that if he allowed another moment to pass, either the elf would bolt or he would do something rash. Lowering himself on all fours, the ranger began crawling into the crevice before him. Aragorn had given up trying to hide his feelings from himself. He knew, now more than ever, that Legolas meant more to him than any fellow warrior or travel companion could. The archer was more than beautiful; he was a light to Aragorn. The man continued to move through the darkness, occasionally feeling the stone brush against his back or snag at his hair, and making no attempt to stem the flow of thoughts in his head.
One thing he knew for certain; Legolas could never know. Aragorn knew that elves took lovers of both genders, and Legolas himself had probably been with another male at one time or another, but a human? It was insulting to even think about. Not to mention Arwen; she was the Evenstar of her people, and she loved him. He should think about her, not Legolas, and certainly not now, not during the Quest. He was greedy and lustful, and he knew it. Allowing Arwen to give up her immortality was burden enough, he could not possibly ask it of another elf.
The thought stopped Aragorn dead: surely he had not imagined Legolas binding with him? It was simple lust for a creature whose beauty was unmatched, who was both graceful and deadly and everything Aragorn could wish for… but not love, and certainly not of the kind that would join their souls. It was ridiculous to even think it, and Aragorn was more than a little disconcerted that the thought had so abruptly come into his head.
"Aragorn? Why have we stopped?" Legolas asked, the worry evident in his voice. Aragorn shook his head, mentally berating himself for his selfish thoughts, and the fear he needlessly caused Legolas. Not knowing what to say for himself, he muttered an apology before moving forward once more. It was only another minute before Aragorn was through the small tunnel and standing once more. He helped Legolas rise, giving the elf's shoulder a reassuring squeeze when he was upright again. The archer took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air that wasn't stale with age and reaching his arms above his head, reveling in the feeling of a fairly open space. The two continued on, faster now, in order to catch up to the Fellowship ahead of them.
As they walked, Legolas watched Aragorn's silhouette against the darkness around them. In the tunnel he had stopped suddenly, and though Legolas could not see the man he knew to stop from the lack of noise ahead. Immediately, panic had seized the elf, making the walls feel crushingly close. But then he noticed that Aragorn was silent; surely if there was a problem he would be informed by his friend. In fact, Aragorn seemed completely absorbed into his thoughts. Legolas could sense that the man was paying no heed to his surroundings, but that something was bothering him immensely. After another moment of the ranger's puzzling silence, Legolas had dared to speak his name. That had snapped Aragorn out of it, yet even as they walked through the caves he seemed strangely distant. It bothered Legolas to see the man thus; this was not the time to lose focus. He couldn't imagine what could be so distracting, and so Legolas settled for walking behind his companion and keeping a close eye on him.
It was not long before Legolas could hear the footsteps of the Fellowship ahead, but the sound did not bring him the joy he thought it would. He enjoyed walking alone with Aragorn, though he would never let the man know this. It was oddly peaceful, so much so that Legolas hardly felt the pressing darkness around him. It simply didn't make sense to the elf; the attraction he felt for the man clearly went beyond the physical, but when had that changed? Had it even begun as physical attraction, or was it something else about Aragorn that had originally drawn him in? He wasn't sure, and he certainly wasn't going to examine his feelings further; it was hard enough to keep them in check as it was. Even so, he realized, Aragorn had done so much for him in Moria; more than he ever would have asked of the man. It was thanks to Aragorn that he was sane, that he was even here now, and he did everything without being asked, without expecting gratitude.
"Aragorn…" Legolas began, grasping the man's arm in order to halt their progress. He wanted to thank the ranger, to explain to him how grateful he was, and to apologize for being so stubborn when he needed help. But the words would not come; Aragorn stood before him, a mix of curiosity and concern on his face as he waited for the elf to continue, yet Legolas felt that anything he could say would simply not be enough. Instead, the archer gave Aragorn a small, heartfelt smile before reaching up and wrapping his arms around the man, holding him close and trying to express his thanks.
It took Aragorn a moment to respond; the smile alone had caught him off guard, he had thought that perhaps something was wrong. Then to have Legolas hug him, even as a show of gratitude, was more wonderful than anything he had experienced before. The man brought his arms around the slender body before him, drawing the elf closer while burying his head in the golden hair around Legolas' shoulders. As neither man nor elf had any desire to let go, they remained in the tight embrace for several long moments. It was only the sound of approaching footsteps that shook Legolas out of his reverie long enough to back away from the warmth of Aragorn's body. He wished he could catch a glimpse of Aragorn's face, but the man had turned his head toward the nearing figure, effectively hiding his face with his dark hair. Perhaps it was just Legolas' mind playing tricks on him, but that did not seem like a brotherly embrace. In fact, Aragorn seemed extremely comfortable with the closeness between them, especially in the last few days.
The elf's thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a glowing light, which turned out to be Gimli, who seemed none too pleased to be looking for the missing companions. He stopped before the pair, holding a torch above his head, and looked from one to the other with a puzzled expression on his bearded face.
"If you two're finished with yer stroll, the rest've us'd like to get on our way," was all the dwarf said before turning back around and disappearing around a bend in the tunnel, muttering about the shortcomings of both men and elves as he went.
Aragorn shot Legolas an amused grin before following Gimli on the path to the Fellowship. Legolas followed behind him, taking a deep breath to calm his unusually jumpy nerves. Something as simple as a smile from the man made him feel as if he were an elfling again; it was both refreshing and unsettling. Once the three companions had reached the remainder of their group, Gandalf began to lead the way through the ever-widening chamber. Legolas, deciding to distance himself from Aragorn for a time, made his way to the front, walking just behind Gandalf. It wasn't long before he noticed the strange smile on the Istari's face. In fact, the wizard seemed extremely amused about something, and Legolas wanted to know what.
Before the question reached his lips, however, Gandalf quietly said, "I see you have overcome your fear of this place, Prince of Mirkwood. An interesting choice of method, I must say, but clearly effective. Yes, quite effective indeed."
Legolas was completely taken aback by the Istari's words. How did he know what had happened? And what did he mean by his words? Surely the wizard knew nothing of his feelings… but why else would he say it like that? Gandalf chuckled lightly to himself at the distress clearly written on the elf's features. Legolas was undoubtedly good at hiding his emotions from the world, but very few creatures on Middle Earth possessed the ability to hide the truth from Gandalf. Yet, the old wizard knew it was not the time for such talk, and allowed silence to lapse over the Fellowship once again. Legolas' mind was a whirlwind of activity, however, and he could not focus on anything else. Gandalf's words played themselves repeatedly in his mind, sometimes sounding like an accusation, sometimes an encouraging statement, but most often a gentle admonishment. It made him feel weak; Aragorn was just a man, if anything happened between them it would not be the fault of the mortal. Men lust after beauty; they can act rashly and regret their action later. But he was an immortal; it was his job to keep such feelings from forming into something they would both regret. Surely, Gandalf was reminding him of this, of his duty to put his own feelings aside for the quest and, most importantly, Aragorn's destiny.
Legolas' mental tirade was cut short as the tunnel before them opened into the Great Hall of Kazadum. It was breathtaking; the giant cavern spread before them for what seemed like miles, with columns and arches reaching the gap from stone floor to magnificent ceilings. Finally, Legolas had a feeling of being in the open. In fact, this reminded him very much of the Mirkwood Palace.
"I see you finally approve, Master Elf." Gimli said, a smug look upon his face.
Legolas, deciding that it was no time to jest, honestly replied, "Indeed Master Dwarf. This is certainly a place of beauty."
The dwarf seemed pleased with this display of sincerity, clapping Legolas on the back with a powerful whack before moving ahead, giving the hobbits a lecture on the history of dwarves. The mood within the Fellowship was certainly lighter than it had been in days, and even Gandalf felt safe enough to allow for a good amount of light. As the group continued through the massive space, Aragorn allowed himself to fall into step with the elf who already seemed recovered from his ordeal in the dark.
"I am surprised at you Legolas, passing up an opportunity to ruffle Gimli's beard. Clearly you have gone mad from the long days underground."
Legolas, noting the playful tone in the man's voice, casually replied, "Nay, Aragorn, it is not the darkness that has driven me mad, it is the terrible odor of mortals who have gone too long without the luxury of a bath."
Aragorn, unable to contain his mirth, broke into a spurt of deep chuckling. This made him realize, more than anything, that Legolas was indeed healing from the emotional trauma of the mines. The two continued to walk in amiable silence, hearing Gimli's proud speech on the discovery of mithril in his own mines, and the curious questions of the hobbits. This light mood was soon broken as the Fellowship came upon the tomb of Gimli's kin, Balin, Lord of Moria. The dwarf's grief over this loss was tangible, and the account left behind of the final moments of his life were terrible to hear. Still, Legolas could sense that they were no longer safe, and that not another moment should be wasted in the mines. He told Aragorn as much, but the man's reply was cut short by Pippin's clumsiness. The crashing sound of the armored skeleton was enough to wake all of Middle Earth, and soon the evil host of Moria was upon them. Legolas was eager for the action; he had been idle too long underground. The troll posed the only challenge, but the elf found it an interesting opponent. It was slow and stupid, which was both a weakness and a strength, as it cared not who it killed, as long as it crushed something.
When it attacked Frodo, and then Aragorn, it was all Legolas could do to stay focused. Of all of them, they were the most important to the Quest, and to the elf. But Legolas was a warrior first, and so he forced himself to deal with the troll before looking to his fallen companions. Once the beast was taken care of, Legolas joined the group around Frodo, who was saved by the mithril coat he had hidden under his clothing. Legolas was relieved; as an elf he hardly ever faced the prospect of death. In fact, he had no memory of death at all. His mother had been killed by the orcs that invaded Northern Mirkwood, but he was so young at the time that he remembered nothing of the ordeal. In fact, Legolas was shocked to realize, Aragorn would be one of the first, if not the first, of his friends to pass on. It was not a realization Legolas was pleased to stumble upon, especially as he ran from the goblins that surrounded them. Any of his companions could face death at any time, even himself, but even if fate did not deal them an early death, Aragorn would still die, and soon, by an immortal's standards.
It was only when the Fellowship was completely surrounded by jeering goblins that Legolas' mind turned from these dark thoughts. If they were all killed now, this understanding would matter little. But then, almost as suddenly as the thousands of creatures appeared, they were gone, and replaced by something far worse. Running from the Balrog was like running from death itself. Legolas had heard tales of this beast; an evil twist of fire and shadow, hating anything living, anything that thrived in light and loved life. Aragorn, on the other hand, knew nothing of the creature, and could not understand why Gandalf insisted on running instead of fighting. Had he seen the fear in Legolas' eyes at the mention of the creature's name, he would have felt differently.
The companions ran to the stairs that would lead them to the bridge that assured their safety. Legolas thought nothing of the gap in the stone stairs, jumping to the other side with ease. Gimli had some trouble with the jump, and at any other time Legolas would have found the situation very amusing; saving the dwarf from death by pulling him up using his beard. But there were more important matters to attend to; such as Aragorn and Frodo, who were trapped on the now collapsing portion of stairs. Aragorn spared a moment to reflect on the less-than-perfect day he and Frodo were having, before realizing how to manipulate the fall of the stone toward the rest of the group. The two companions jumped as rock hit rock, and when Legolas caught Aragorn, it happened.
They locked eyes, for the briefest of moments, and both saw something surprising. Aragorn was shocked by the fear in Legolas' eyes; not for their situation, but for him. The blue orbs held a caring that went deeper than Aragorn would expect from a fellow warrior, and far more than Legolas would normally show. At the same time, Aragorn's stormy grey eyes held a feeling that Legolas could never claim to be lust, but he feared to call it love. All the same, Legolas had to admit that there was emotion there that was not rash or sudden, but refreshingly deep and not at all brotherly. Neither man nor elf had time to reflect on their individual realizations, and even if they could, neither were sure if they would be able to. They were almost across the bridge by now, Legolas hurrying the hobbits along while taking down as many goblin archers as he had arrows for, and Aragorn staying at the back, urging the others on. Then the Balrog appeared.
Dun, dun, dun! Nothing like life-threatening danger to bring out a little romance. I hope they aren't all killed by the Balrog. Oh wait... that would have made for a very short trilogy, and a pretty lame story. Anyways, thanks for reading!