The stench of Moria might have wiped entire civilizations from Middle Earth. When the Fellowship had first entered the entrance cave, Legolas had had the uncharacteristically bitter thought that perhaps this was why dwarves stank so, living in an underground of sulphur and unrecycled waste. Then they found the rotting bodies, and he deplored his harsh judgment and vowed to be kinder to Gimli, though Gimli had barely been polite to Legolas since his insistence that no elf would take the Ring without a dwarf as a companion.
Legolas felt fortunate to have learned to control his sensitivities and dampened his responsiveness to scents, a trick Gandalf seemed to have mastered as well. The dwarf and the hobbits either lacked the same awareness of odors or had learned to repress their own reactions. But the humans lacked such control; both Aragorn and Boromir became ill from the fumes.
Now Boromir slept fitfully, limbs twitching and lips murmuring oaths. Finally Aragorn drew a heavy arm around him and lulled him to quiet. Legolas watched them thoughtfully, knowing that he would not sleep himself until they passed through Moria. Gandalf had said it was a four-day journey to the other side, but they had kept a rapid pace -- fast enough to be through by the next day, and they might have emerged even more quickly had the hobbits not been overcome by the need to rest their smaller legs. Considering the condition of the staircases and walkways they traversed, Gandalf had thought it best to let them sleep, though Legolas did not believe any of them could truly relax in the mines.
Aragorn and Boromir had given up all pretense of disdain for one another while high on the mountain. In the mines they lay as close as lovers, though Legolas did not think they had gratified their longings since the night he had woken to the sound of ragged breathing, imperceptible over the sounds of the night and the fire to any without elvish hearing. Worried that one or the other man might have taken ill, Legolas had crept around the fire and witnessed the sinuous rhythmic movements beneath Boromir's cloak.
It had surprised the elf that Aragorn would indulge in private intimacies on a quest such as theirs...particularly with Boromir, who wore his lust for the Ring as nakedly as his attraction to his rightful king. Yet their closeness seemed to calm the younger man. Boromir no longer chafed when the Ranger gave orders nor tried to upstage the others with his sword. Perhaps Aragorn had known it would be for the best. Legolas did not know what promises Aragorn and Arwen had exchanged. He knew it was difficult for the prince to be caught between the worlds of elves and men; it was not the place of an elf to judge him.
Frodo, who was also trapped between worlds, slept as fitfully as Boromir, thrashing and clutching at the Ring near his throat. Beside the hobbit, Gandalf sat deep in meditation, though occasionally he seemed to come to himself and gaze uneasily around their small chamber. It had once been a vault for treasures mined by the dwarves. Aragorn had chosen it as a sleeping hollow so that they could lock out the orcs if necessary, not needing to mention the ease with which the orcs could trap them inside until they rotted. Gimli -- who had scarcely spoken since he discovered the mass slaughter of his kin -- sat grim watch in the doorway.
"If you wish to rest, I will guard the door," Legolas said softly as he approached the dwarf.
"I cannot sleep in my cousins' tomb," Gimli snapped, though his animosity toward elves in general and Legolas in particular had lessened over the course of their journey. "You should rest with the others." He jerked his head in the direction of the two men.
"I believe they would prefer to be alone."
The statement was made without guile, yet brought a quiet guffaw from Gimli. Hearing the dwarf express amusement in these circumstances eased Legolas' concerns about him, so the elf did not try to remedy the double meaning of his words. "I am certain they would prefer to be alone, but our circumstances have not permitted them much privacy. Perhaps when this miserable journey has ended, they shall find peace together in Gondor."
Again Legolas felt glad to hear hopefulness from Gimli. He started to agree when his sensitive ears registered changes in the breathing of those behind them. Boromir had jolted from sleep, waking Aragorn. The two exchanged sighs and repositioned themselves under the cloak they now shared for security more than body heat; the temperature in the caves held constant in the great hall and rose as they neared the mines, some now filled with molten lava from the depths.
Boromir spoke in a growl. "Even the Ring longs to leave this desolate place."
"Can you hear the call of the Ring even here?"
The hushed whispers carried to Legolas through the dank air. He perceived the rustle as one man brushed the hair from the other's face. It seemed that Gimli, lacking elvish hearing, could not hear them.
"Can you not sense it? In places like this, where evil seeps into the very walls, the Ring grows stronger. It speaks to me now as I speak to you!"
"Then surely you recognize the danger. I know you long to take the Ring to Gondor, to wield it to protect the city. I saw what it cost you to return the Ring to Frodo on the mountain. You know what is at stake, my friend."
"Friend? The hiss of Boromir's whisper grew louder as he sat up. "Do you not mean your rival? You follow the will of the council to impress Elrond and his daughter. But I march for Gondor! I know what is at stake!"
"Boromir, this anger is not your own. Come back to bed."
"Bed." The warrior snorted the word. "I was more at ease sleeping in the snow. Never have I seen so foul a place as this. Yet Mordor is said to be far worse. How will I defend the Tower of Ecthelion when I am crawling through that wasteland? What will the Ring say to us when we are so close to its home?"
"I will be by your side," Aragorn whispered intently. "We will fight it together..."
"Together! And will that save our quest or damn it? The ring calls to me now, but you -- you are Isildur's kin!"
Legolas twisted his head sharply in Aragorn's direction, but forced himself to turn back to the doorway despite his curiosity. Though Aragorn's response was whispered, it carried across the chamber.
"Do you believe that does not weigh on my heart every hour? I am Isildur's kin, which shaped me long before the Ring came to Rivendell. Do you think I wish only to escape responsibilities, that I do not fear the same weakness flowing through my veins? I too know what is at stake!"
A long silence followed, during which Legolas could hear the two men gulping shallow breaths. As he glanced over at Gimli, he realized the dwarf had fallen asleep, leaning against the pillar by the door. Then Boromir said, "This foul air has addled our minds. You are right. We should try to sleep. My friend."
From the corner of his eye, the elf saw Aragorn hold out his hand to Boromir, who took it. The two men lay back and pulled the heavy cloak up to their heads. Legolas could not diminish his hearing as he could his sense of smell -- nor did he dare, in this underground tomb surrounded by orcs and demons. So he heard the rustle of cloth, the scrape of beard against skin, the sticky wetness of kisses, a long sigh of pleasure and frustration.
"I am sorry," he heard Boromir whisper.
"You owe me no apology."
"I am the son of the Steward of Gondor. It falls to me to carry the burdens of the throne." Legolas heard Boromir sigh painfully. "You may be heir to Isildur's blood, but not, I think, to his failings."
Quiet descended like a shroud as Legolas wondered: would Boromir give up his birthright, the Stewardship of Gondor, to follow Aragorn as his king? Or could he not forgive the man for the long years away, while the warriors of Minas Tirith defended their land and that of the Elves?
At last Aragorn murmured, "Arwen said much the same thing to me."
"Then she is wise. You chose well in choosing her."
"In choosing you also. But I hope your faith is not misplaced."
"Aragorn, I am frightened as well."
"You, who fear neither trolls nor orcs?"
"I fear for the White City."
"That is why we defend Gondor from Mordor by destroying Sauron's Ring."
After a lull of silence, Legolas glanced behind him. Aragorn and Boromir seemed to have fallen asleep, for their breathing had evened. But a pair of gleaming eyes met the elf's as he looked around. Gandalf was alert, gazing around the circle of sleepers with a sorrowful expression.
"Perhaps Lord Elrond underestimates the strength of men," he murmured.
"Or perhaps merely the strength of Aragorn," replied Legolas.
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