Legolas' POV

He's watching me again. I feel his eyes on me. He doesn't know I can sense him from the other side of the camp looking at me with those stormy, unreadable eyes. Before the council we had not seen each other in just over two decades, he has grown into a man, no longer the naïve young boy I one knew, he has changed physically but his eyes have stayed the same, still grey and stormy but I cannot read them as well as I once could, it saddens me slightly. I, however have not changed much, such is the gift, or as I now see it, the curse of my kin.



He is still watching me. I look up from mending an arrow and catch his eyes with mine as he quickly looks away, embarrassed at being caught he gets up and heads into the forest saying something about gathering firewood. I look to the others. The hobbits barely look up from their food, Boromir is lying on his bedroll resting, Gimli is sharpening his beloved axe and Gandalf is sitting on a tree root smoking his pipe, deep in thought. I place the arrow back in my quiver and the small knife I was using back in my boot and get up to follow him. Gimli nods and gives me a look as I walk out the camp but I pay no attention, I must find out what has been troubling Aragorn since we set off on this quest. Know one else notices my departure as I leave the small clearing.



Despite being raised by the Elves of Rivendell, Aragorn still left a small trail barely visible to even an Elf by which I follow.

I can see him now not too far ahead of me. He is sitting on a rock on the bank of a small stream, his back to me. His head is lowered as he watches the waters rush past him on its journey through the forest. I silently walk up next to him and sit down.

"What troubles you so Aragorn?"

He jumps, surprised at my 'sudden' presence. I cannot help but laugh a little at this; it is not very often a ranger as good as Aragorn is surprised.

He does not look at me when he answers, still watching the waters flow by. "My thoughts trouble me Legolas, they are eating at me inside."

His answer confuses me slightly.

"Is it the ring?" I ask.

Now he looks at me, a warning flashing in his eyes, seemingly offended I would even think that. "No, it is not the ring...I do not desire its power, I will not be consumed by it like others before me."

He looks back down at the water again, the distant look returning to his face.

"Aragorn tell me what is wrong so that I may help you. It pains me to see you like this my friend."

He laughs bitterly. "You would not be able to help with this problem Legolas."

He makes to stand up but I reach for his arm to stop him from leaving. I feel him tense at my touch. What is wrong with him?

"Aragorn I've known you all your life, we always talked to each other before about everything, why do you feel you cannot anymore? What has changed?"

He looks down at me, there is something in his eyes that I cannot read. Something about him has truly changed since I last saw him but I cannot quite figure out what it is. I silently curse all the things that kept me away from Rivendell the past years that caused me to lose touch with my dear friend for so long.

"Please Aragorn, tell me what troubles you."

Something in his eyes changes once more and he falls to his knees beside me his hair falls over his face, preventing me from seeing it as he finally speaks.

"Arwen is going to give up her immortality for me." He looks up for a moment and the grief is so obvious in his eyes even Gimli would be able to read it.

I take my hand off his arm. For the second time this night I am confused. "For her to make such a sacrifice, that is truly a sign of her love for you , but why are you so upset about it?"

"I do not want her to forsake herself for me...I am not worthy of it."

He then turns back to the water, his knees pulled up to his chest.

"You are the most noble man I know Aragorn, you are loyal and fair, I could not think of another being in Middle Earth that would be more worthy and make Arwen happy."

I follow his gaze to the spot in the clear water where he is looking, the water reflects the moon and stars, and I try not to lose myself in the beauty of it all.

"That is just the point Legolas, I am not any of those things, despite what others may think of me, how can I be worthy when my heart truly belongs to another?"

My eyes widen and I turn to look at him. He is watching me again. I still cannot read the emotion in his eyes.

"Now do you see my torment?" he cocks his head slightly.

I finally find my tongue. "When?...who?...how?" The questions flow from my mouth before I can stop them to form a sentence.

He looks up at the moon above us.

"I don't know how long I have felt this way for the other but these feelings have only recently surfaced, it feels so right to me, like it was always meant to be but I don't think that the one I feel for returns my feelings." He sighed.

"You still have not told me who she is Aragorn." I quickly make a list of all the possible maidens who could have stolen my friend's heart away from the beautiful Arwen. I cannot recall seeing anyone who Aragorn might find more attractive than her at Rivendell so she must be someone he met on his travels as a ranger.

Aragorn is still looking up at the sky. I study his face. He seems to be debating with something in his mind.

"Aragorn, you can tell me who it is, I will not judge you." I say gently.

He looks at me, the debate in his head seems to have ended. I watch him, awaiting his answer.

He seems nervous as he turns to face me. I cannot see any reason why he should be nervous about telling me something, he had never had any problems confiding in me before. Maybe we have drifted so far apart that he no longer sees me as the friend I once was, twenty years is such a long time for a Man, even one with Elfin blood such as he.

"Legolas? Are you listening?" He is nervous, I can hear it in his voice and his ands are shaking slightly.

"Yes Aragorn, I am listening."

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. The forest is silent as if holding its breath with him, awaiting his answer. I find myself also holding my breath with the rest. The only sound I hear in those few seconds is the steady flow of the water in the stream.

Then suddenly the silence is finally broken.

"It's you Legolas."

Aragorn's POV

"It's you Legolas."

I said it. I cannot believe I finally said it after all this time.

I pour my heart out to him. "I love you Legolas, I have always loved you I just never realised just how much until I saw you again at the council."

"I get so jealous when others look at you, and they do look at you Legolas, I have seen them all, male and female and I cannot stand it."

"I want us to be together."

His face is blank.

Oh no maybe I should not have told him, he will hate me now I just know it. He does not want me. He is a Elf prince only a beautiful Elfin princess would be worthy of him, not a man, king or no.

I cannot look at his blank expression any longer I should never have told him my feelings.

I feel the tears begin to gather in my eyes, I cannot let him see me cry because of him so I lower my head and try to fight them back.

Why hasn't he said anything?

The silence is intolerable, even the stream seems to have stopped flowing. I cannot stand it any longer!

I get up and take one more look at him before I leave, before he can reject me.

He still has not moved

I should have known better.

How could I have been so foolish?

---

Legolas' POV

Aragorn loves me? How can this be? How can he love me? What about Arwen?

I watch his lips move but I do not hear the words they are forming for the sound of the stream is rushing through my head like a waterfall. I try to answer him but find I cannot.

He is waiting for me to say something, there is hope in his eyes but I still cannot answer. I want to tell him I feel the same that if it were possible I would gladly give up my immortality for him so we could spend the rest of our lives together.

He lowers his head again; this time I can clearly read the emotion he is tying to hide.

Grief.

I want to hold him and tell him it will be all right but I cannot move any part of my body. All I can do is sit and watch him slowly fall apart. I cannot even close my eyes. He gets up to leave. I want to stop him; I want to reach for him to hold him tight and never let go. He is leaving now; it breaks my heart to see him in such a way but I cannot force myself to stop him from leaving.

I can no longer sense his presence and I find that I can now get up.

What is wrong with me?

I close my eyes trying to stop the tears I can feel in my eyes from flowing but it does no good and I feel them slowly tracing down my cheeks. I do not wipe them away.

Only now I can faintly whisper "I love you too Aragorn."

---

Aragorn's POV

I'm not too far from camp now. I must get a hold of myself...they cannot see me like this. I stop and take a few deep breaths and try to wipe the tears from my eyes. If only the people of Gondor could see me now, their king crying over being rejected by an Elf!

The last of my tears have been shed and I dry my eyes ready to face the others.

Frodo looks up at me as I walk wearily into camp. "Where is the firewood?" he asks

The firewood! I completely forgot about it! I quickly look for an explanation as to why I haven't done what I set out to do in the first place. "I realised we don't really need any, it would just be a burden to carry and we are not staying here longer than tonight anyway." It was a poor excuse but to seams to have worked.

The little hobbit nods and walks over to his bedroll and sits down next to Sam. I look to my own bedroll; it is next to Legolas'.

He is not back yet.

I no longer feel tired; I do not wish to be near him if I can help it. I feel like a fool.

I decide to volunteer for first watch, the only watch of the night for I do not intend to wake anyone tonight, I would rather be left to my thoughts.

Gandalf calls to me. He is still sitting on the same tree root he was on when I left. I go to him and sit down next to him.

He stops smoking his pipe and looks at me in the eye. "What grieves you Aragorn?"

I am getting sick of people asking me that question tonight so I come up with an explanation I'm sure he expects to hear.

"I miss Arwen." I answer quickly.

The wizard gives me a curious look from under his hat. "Are you sure that is the answer in your heart?"

My eyes widen. Does he know?

"Do you by any chance know where our Elf is Aragorn? I wish to speak with him about Moria, he is worried about entering those mines and I would like to know why."

"You two are quite close, you wouldn't happen to know what it is about Moria he fears do you?"

The last person I want to talk about tonight is Legolas.

"I do not know where he is Gandalf but I am sure he will be back soon enough, I will take first watch."

I get up and go to tend to the small fire.

The hobbits, Boromir and Gimli are now all sound asleep and soon enough Gandalf settles down and after a while I can hear his even breathing, signifying he is also asleep.

Now that I am left alone to my thoughts I cannot stop the tears from falling once again.

Why does it hurt so much?

---

Legolas' POV

How long have I been standing here? Too long. I had better head back; I will be needed for the watch.

I start to jog back to camp, Aragorn's words never leaving my mind or the look on his face when he thought I rejected him. I will make it better, I will tell him how I feel and all will be well again. I hope.

Long before I reach the camp I can hear someone quietly crying so as not to wake the others. It is Aragorn. I run faster.

I get within a few feet of the outskirts of the camp when the excruciating pain suddenly hits me. It starts in my chest and spreads throughout my body. I silently gasp and fall to the ground, darkness claiming me before I can call out.

Aragorn's POV

The tears have stopped now. I cannot shed any more. Many hours have passed and the sun will be up soon.

Legolas has not returned and the others should be awoken soon. Where is he?

I rise to wake the others. He can look after himself. I should not care where he is or what has happened to him. I must forget the feelings I laid so bare out in the open last night only to be shattered by one blank look from his clear blue eyes.

I hear a noise behind me. The hobbits are waking up. Frodo gets up and walks towards me; there is concern in his eyes.

"Weren't you on first watch?" he asks

"Yes I was."

He looks surprised. "Haven't you slept at all last night Strider?"

"I needed to think and I could not sleep anyway."

Before he can answer Sam awakes with a start to find his master is not sleeping by his side.

"Mr. Frodo!" he calls. I hear the panic in his voice.

"I'm right here Sam.," says Frodo, somewhat amused by Sam's response to not seeing him there.

Sam sits up and breathes a sigh of relief. "Goodness Mr. Frodo you had me worried there for a moment."

Sam's shouts for his master seem to have awoken the rest of the fellowship and the camp is now alive with activity as the hobbits prepare breakfast. Frodo has now returned to his companions side and I notice Sam relax, knowing his master is now safe next to him. I feel the same in a way. I shouldn't after what happened but I am worried that something has happened to Legolas and I doubt I will rest easy until he is safe, if not by my side then at least in the company of the fellowship.

I don't notice Gandalf behind me until he speaks. "Where is Legolas?"

"He has not returned yet from last night"

Something flashes across Gandalf's eyes for a second but as soon as it appeared it was gone again. "And you thought not to tell us?" He keeps his voice low so as not to alarm the others but I can tell they suspect something. Gimli is trying not to look worried but from his body language I can tell he is.

"He can look after himself Gandalf, he probably decided to spend the night alone sleeping in the trees. He has been anxious as of late."

Gandalf's eyes narrow under his bushy eyebrows and his head tilts slightly as he decides weather to believe me or not.

"Let us hope this is true. We will give him till mid morn before we search for him."

---

Legolas' POV

Warmth. I feel warmth on my face. Have I been here all night? I open my eyes slowly. The sun welcomes me into a new day; from her position in the sky I can tell its early to mid morning. I must return to the camp. I push myself up onto my knees then stand up. The effort makes me nauseous and I have to lean against a tree to keep from falling back down to the ground.

What is wrong with me?

They cannot see me like this, especially the hobbits.

It takes a few minutes for me to catch my breath and get my bearings. Camp is not too far away, I can see it. The hobbits are eating, second breakfast no doubt. Gandalf is talking with Boromir and Gimli and Aragorn is looking out in to the forest, his back to me. I feel a small stab of pain in my chest as I watch him. He looks so distant, so thoughtful and so beautiful. The pain intensifies and I clench my jaw.

I feel like I am betraying Arwen for thinking such things but I cannot govern the ways of my heart. I have never fallen for a mortal before and I doubt I will ever again, the pain is too great.

I make my way into camp each step stronger and steadier than the last.

Gimli is first to see me and he rushes over. "Where have you been elf? We have been waiting to go for hours because of you and your obsession with trees!"

There is a sparkle in his eyes. He was worried about me.

Aragorn must have told them I spent the night in a tree so ill play along. "I happen to think that trees make better conversation than dwarfs, so much so that I got rather caught up in it and I apologise if this means you get to spend less time complaining about walking all day master dwarf." I smile.

Gimli laughs and turns back to tell Gandalf and Boromir why I returned so late. I hear him mutter under his breath "Crazy elf" as he walks away to which I return just loud enough for him to hear "Stupid dwarf." His step falters slightly. I don't think he knew I could still hear him.

I laugh and walk over to the hobbits and sit down.

Sam being the considerate hobbit that he is has saved me some food. I thank him and take the bowl of stew and the roll of bread handed to me. Merry and Pippin eye it hungrily, their bowls empty. Not wanting to offend Sam I eat a few small spoonfuls of the stew. It is delicious but I am not very hungry. I wait until Sam leaves to help Frodo with his packing then give Merry and Pippin equal amounts of stew in their bowls and then brake the roll into two equal halves and hand one each to the hungry hobbits. They smile gratefully and begin to devour their food.

It still amazes me how ones so small can eat so much.

I feel eyes on me again. He's watching me again but this time I get up and turn to face him. Unlike the first time last night I can read the emotion clearly in his eyes.

Hurt.

Hurt that he thinks I rejected him but that could not be further from the truth. I try to tell him this but I feel my throat tighten up before a single word leaves my mouth. Nether of us move as we silently stare at each other from opposite sides of the camp. My silence however is not voluntary. The hurt in his eyes is growing more and more as our eyes stay locked together. I cannot bear to see him like this but I have no choice as I find I cannot move again and the stabbing pain in my chest has returned.

Finally after what seems like an eternity Gandalf speaks breaking the spell holding my eyes in his as he finally looks away.

"Well now that we are reunited it seems we can begin our final days journey to Moria."

Gimli has moved next to me. He has packed my bedroll. Before I can thank him he hands it to me and says, "Only because I would like to get to Moria and show you just how well the dwarfs live."

The pain is fading and I smile once again. "If you call living in a damp, sunless cave in the heart of a mountain well then I'm sure you shall."

We set off with Gandalf leading us. I have been asked to walk upfront with him so that I might be able to warn of any dangers ahead. The hobbits and Bill the pony are behind me with Boromir, Gimli and Aragorn acting as rearguards.

After a few hours of walking Gandalf asks me why I am anxious about entering Moria.

"I do not know exactly why Mithrandir. I sense no good will come of entering the mines the feeling is as strong as my feelings for the earth around me."

Gandalf seems to think about this and for a while nothing else is said between us, I can hear the hobbits talking about the shire behind me and the heavy breaths of Gimli and Boromir at the back. Aragorn's breathing is almost silent and I have to concentrate to hear it properly. All of a sudden Gandalf speaks again

"Whatever happens in those mines Legolas I want you to make sure the rest of the fellowship gets out safely no matter what."

These words confuse me and I wonder what he means.

"I do not understand. You and Aragorn-"

"You must watch Aragorn in particular. Something has been troubling him as of late and he is becoming distracted. He must fulfil his destiny and I want you to make sure of that Legolas."

The now familiar pain returns to my chest. His destiny. To become king of Gondor with a beautiful queen, Arwen by his side, to give Gondor an heir to the throne and live happily with his family for the rest of his days.

The pain intensifies as I think of this. I have unintentionally hurt him and he will no doubt hate me for the rest of his days now.

Perhaps it is better this way. He will return to Arwen after the quest is over and probably be happier than he would with me.

"Legolas did you hear me?" Gandalf is now looking at me sidelong as we walk. I did not realise I have began to sweat.

I wipe my brow and look curiously at the liquid on my hand. Strange. This has never happened to me before, it must have something to do with the worry I feel about entering Moria. I tell Gandalf this and he nods his head.

"I heard and I understand Gandalf."

Nothing else is said and we all walk on silently and I think about my appointed task.

Could I really lead Aragorn to his destiny in the arms of another when it hurts too much to even think of it?



TBC...