Aragorn.
As he walked into the gardens he sensed someone was already there. He may not have the acuity of elven senses but there was no mIstaking the sadness and confused anger that was his brother. He saw him sitting under the trees and for a moment he hesitated. Speaking to his brother could be dangerous, he never knew when a rage would strike and he was tired, so tired, and weary from days of facing Legolas's uncontrolled temper. He had no energy left for Elrohir.
It was too late though, he had seen him and to leave now was to make things even worse. He swallowed his trepidation and approached him, sitting down on the ground beside him. Elrohir was unhappy, misery rolled off him in waves.
"You are not with Legolas today?"
It was unusual to see him here on his own. Elrohir was despondent.
"He does not want me. He has made that very clear. He is at his most...cutting today, and he knows well how to hurt me."
He felt a rush of sorrow for his brother and reached out to help him.
"He does want you Elrohir. He just...is unable to show it."
" I know for he has told me, but it is hard to remember when the insults are flying. Gimli is with him, that is best I think, for Gimli is an expert at weathering the storm. The words flow right over him and he will not allow Legolas room for bad behaviour. I don't know how he does it." He shrugged.
"Sometimes I think Gimli is a gift for Legolas straight from the Valar." Aragorn replied. "How he would remain here without him I do not know."
Elrohir scowled at that.
" If that is so then they owe him that and much more." He said bitterly.
They sailed too close to discussing the sea longing now and that remained a bitter, contentious topic between them. He considered how best to turn the conversation to other matters but Elrohir beat him to it.
"He spoke to me of you last night."
He was surprised at that for Legolas had nothing good to say to him at all. He gave a hollow laugh.
"I am sure that was amusing."
Elrohir fixed him with an intense stare.
"I do not find your pain amusing Aragorn, far from it."
He leant forward then and touched him on the arm, a gesture of support.
"He does not want to hurt you. He loves you still,"
"I know that." He replied although at times if he was honest he had doubted it.
"I told him you understood. Truth be told, he does not understand himself. You remind him of them."
He had known that was the case and it hurt him.
"I am not them!"
When he looked back he realised it was then the conversation began to deteriorate but he was lulled into a false sense of security by the unusual openness of Elrohir and did not read the warning signs.
"They are your people."
He did not notice the underlying tenseness in Elrohir's voice.
"They are your people too." He said in reply. He should have known Elrohir would rather cut off a limb than be associated with those who hurt Legolas.
"Then I deny them! They are no part of me!"
He could not stand by and let his heritage be damned by one so close to
him. He knew he should leave then, take the high road, be strong and walk away before the fight. But he was not strong enough, weakened by days of dealing with the intense rage of Legolas so he did not leave. He answered back.
"You can not pick and chose your ancestry. Your elven forebears are hardly free of the stain of blood themselves. Fingolfin was at Alqualondë. Do you forget that? Would you deny him? There are some who say you resemble him Elrohir."
It was the wrong thing to say entirely and yet a part of him was pleased to finally retaliate. It was freeing but Elrohir was enraged.
"Do not think to tell me of my own ancestors history. I know full well what they have done. I choose my mothers people!"
"Galadriel?" He sneered. It felt good to score a blow.
"She was with Finarfin's people. She is no kinslayer."
"And yet," he said cooly, "She is not free from blame." He wondered how this had happened. How had they ended up at each other's throats over elves who were no longer here.
Elrohir erupted into a rage as fierce as any he had seen from him.
"Blame? Who are you to speak of blame. You are the one to blame here. Your people hurt him and he is here because of you. It is you who hold him here in the world of men. You, who keep him away from me!"
He had had no idea that was what Elrohir had been thinking and too late he attempted to calm things down, pour water on the fire of his rage. His voice softened.
"I did not know it seemed that way to you. I hold Legolas nowhere, he is his own master. He goes where he wishes."
"You ASKED him to stay here! You know it is true! How could he refuse you?"
"Forgive me, Aragorn. Elrohir speaks of matters which lie between us. He is wrong to involve you."
Legolas's voice was hard and cold and showed no mercy. The both of them spun around to face him in surprise.
He stood there, Gimli beside him, and his face was unreadable, inscrutable. Arms folded across his chest he was imposing indeed.
"Legolas! I did not know," he said "I would never wish to come between the two of you. Why did you not tell me this?"
Dread filled his heart. He could not see how this confrontation could end well, not given Legolas's state of mind. Elrohir beside him said nothing and that was telling.
"You did not know? Always you have stood between us Aragorn, though not by my doing. You are not alone in that. Elladan too divides us as he ever has." Legolas's voice dripped with sarcasm. At that moment he seemed the mirror image of Thranduil. He continued,
"I am sick of it. You fight over me like dogs with a bone yet it is never about me. Always about yourselves."
He struggled to keep control of himself. The wrong word here would escalate things beyond all measure. He felt Elrohir tense and anxious beside him. How he wished he had known before what had been going on in his mind.
"It is always about you Legolas! I LOVE you. I ache when I am not with you." His brother finally broke his silence.
"Love me? You do not even see me."
"How can you say that?" Elrohir sounded tortured.
And what little control Legolas still had broke.
"You think only of yourselves," he cried out in anguish " Your guilt and your need to blame. You do not see me! You do not see Legolas! You turn your eyes from my pain because YOU cannot bear it. What about me? What about ME?"
Aragorn glanced at his brother but the expression on his face was as confused as he himself felt.
"We don't understand Legolas." He said and braced himself for the furious reply.
It was Gimli who answered, stern and disapproving.
"It is the sea longing he speaks of. The fact you don't know that should be an indictment on yourselves."
A wave of shame engulfed him for what Legolas said was true. He did turn away from the pain that bought him. His guilt at having been the one to bring it upon him was intense and he could not bear to deal with Legolas when he was at his worst with it. He left it to Gimli and Arwen to watch over him then while he tried to ignore it .
"I am sorry." He gasped and he meant it.
Legolas's face was white with rage. His mouth a thin tense line, his eyes flashing. He opened his mouth to speak but Gimli intervened before the harsh words could rain down upon them.
"Come on lad," he said taking Legolas by the arm gently. Aragorn's heart sunk when he saw Legolas flinch at even that. "You have said your piece. Let us go and they can think on it."
And Legolas's fury dissipated. He looked pale and unwell. Slowly he turned and walked away.
Gimli came and stood before him.
"This has been longstanding, do not dismiss it by attributing it to his injuries. This anger he carries has just enabled him to speak of it. Whatever issues lie between you and your brother sort them out! He has struggled on his own with this for far too long."
He jogged after Legolas and Aragorn stared after the both of them in disbelief. He turned to his brother and asked.
"How have we not seen this? Did you know this?"
"Of course I did not! You think I would deliberately cause him pain?"
"And yet we have." He was awash with the shame of it, how selfish could he have been.
Elrohir was pale, obviously upset.
"He is wrong though" He said. "I do blame you, you know it. I make no apologies for that, but it is not my need to blame or my anger with you that turns my eyes from him. We do not speak of the sea longing that is true but it is because...I fear it. I am afraid it will steal him from me Aragorn, and that I just can't face."
"But you would sail with him Elrohir," he tried to ease his mind.
But Elrohir turned upon him.
"I will not! You know I will not!" The anger was so fierce he jerked back in response to it. Elrohir gave him no chance to reply. He strode off in a rage although he knew it was only a cover for his grief and guilt.
Of course he did know why Elrohir thought he couldn't sail.
It was Arwen, always Arwen at the root of his problems with Elrohir. And there was nothing he could do about that.