The Dwarf and the Elf were alone. The Hobbits were not alone. Merry and Pippin had each other, best friends and cousins, constant companionship and two lifetimes of memories. Frodo, poor Frodo, had the One Ring, that drained his spirit and weakened his hope, but Frodo also had Sam. Good Sam was Frodo's only lifeline, a support beam of optimism and cheer.
The Hobbits also had Aragorn. The Man kept watch over them as a father watches his children. Their good-natured bickering took his mind off of the war and the Fellowship's troubles. Thus Aragorn also had the Hobbits. Just as close to his heart (closer if he could admit to it) was Arwen, his lady Elf. Aragorn often pictured her, his pale dark-haired beauty, and needed not the help of the charm that rested comfortably at the base of his neck. At times, though, he held it in his hands. At these times he closed his eyes and thought of Arwen and the moments they had shared, sweet kisses and loving glances. He silently wished to see her again, but so far his wishes were only granted in fleeting dreams.
Gimli and Legolas were alone. They had no one. Gimli had seen the ruins of Moria, his dear home, and lost all of his family to creatures even more fearful than Dwarves. But he was a Dwarf, and therefore strong; no, not expected to be strong as Elves are, but truly strong as all Dwarves are. Gimli's sorrow was to be healed within, for even among family the Dwarves are not all that affectionate, and learn from an early age to heal themselves.
Legolas was alone. He was alone as Aragorn's Arwen was alone. The time of the Elves was coming to an end. The Elves were leaving together, but Legolas had only the Fellowship. He had not his people but four Hobbits bound by childhood love; he had not his kingdom but a Dwarf who kept himself separate; he had not his family but he had a Man. This Man would one day be a king, as Legolas might be, but beyond that there was no comparison.
Legolas was immortal. To be immortal among mortals is to be alone. Legolas knew this, and yet he chose the mortals. He chose to travel with this strange group of peoples who could die, to fight with them against an evil that would otherwise destroy their worlds. He chose the Fellowship over sanctity, over a journey of happiness and companionship with fellow Elves. Even without a war, to be with Men and Hobbits and Dwarves would mean to watch them die, but Legolas joined them to save their people, people whose descendents would die before his elders grew old.
He had already witnessed it. Gimli's family in Moria. Boromir's death in the wood. This Man, struck thrice with arrows, fighting to his death, trying to absolve himself of an evil that was not his, the evil of the One Ring that threatened to consume him. Legolas watched it all. He watched his new friends die and he watched their hope diminish. He watched the destruction wrought by the One Ring upon the weak Men and Hobbits and Dwarves, its power. He watched the distress that took over Aragorn when the only other Man of the Fellowhip died.
Legolas saw all of this and tried to stop himself from asking why he had made this choice. Why he had chosen to be alone among mortals when he could live many peaceful millenia with his family in ignorant bliss. He didn't want to ask the question of himself for he knew the answer. The answer that told him he was here for the wrong reasons. To think upon it brought him only guilt and hopelessness, for he knew nothing would come of the Fellowship but death.
The answer was Aragorn. The Man who spoke and fought like an Elf. Legolas remembered the moment he fell in love with the Man. It was during the Council. The fight had begun over who would carry the One Ring. More accurately, who would not carry the ring. Legolas always chuckled when he thought of Gimli's anger at the thought of an Elf carrying the One Ring. The Dwarf was now one of his closest friends, if only because of the Fellowship that forced trust among members of the group.
Legolas remembered standing at the Council, spreading his arms to hold back the offended Elves. Everyone was yelling and upset, but not Aragorn. He was calm. He did not give in to the bait of the others, even when Boromir spat upon his position as Ranger. Legolas already had a strong respect for Strider, and it was in this tone that he informed Boromir of his allegiance to the future king. Aragorn looked at him then. He was not insulted by the Elf's defense of him. In the true style of a king, Aragorn attempted to restore peace to the Council, and seemed approving of Legolas' actions. He spoke softly, the Elvish words coming from his lips as naturally as the Common Tongue. "Sit down, Legolas." His voice was like music. In that moment, Legolas knew he loved the Man, knew he would go to the ends of Middle Earth to protect him.
That was what brought him here. Aragorn was the reason Legolas left his people to fight with the Fellowship. Aragorn was the reason Legolas fought Orcs and watched hopeless wars being fought. Love brought him here. Love made it even harder to see the look on Aragorn's face when Boromir died in his arms. Love made him doubt himself, wonder if he wasn't strong enough or quick enough to protect Aragorn should any danger approach him. But it was also love that taught Legolas the value of mortality, the importance of every moment. He grew to realize the beauty of fighting for something bigger than yourself. And it was only then that Legolas realized he had made the right choice.
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