Echoes in the Passageways 
Author: Yours Truly (siberian_blue18@yahoo.com )

PG  - Suspense 
Disclaimer: If I wish to own LOTR, it means I do not possess it, which means it 
was of course never mine, for who would give away the rights to such a work of 
art?

Author Notes: Same as before…I am Chilean so I apologize for any grammar or 
spelling mistakes made on this story. 
It was a thing of the moment; I would appreciate any comments on a Review, 
please. Could become more, it depends, if anyone likes it… sure…


Echoes in the Passageways

Portrait of a Past

Summer heat invaded the castle of Gondor, symbol of human strength and royalty 
restored. While the Steward's family had inhabited it for generations, dust and 
age hung around it as if the building itself had been waiting in mourning for 
years. Blood had once been shed upon its halls and that blood had never been 
forgotten. 

Gazing with interest upon the tapestries that hung on the walls, narrating the 
history of a race that was destined to grow on the years to come under the noble 
gaze of the man who had come to take what was rightfully his, a silent figure 
seemed entranced by a particular piece. His wandering steps, which had been 
traveling through the castle, stopped cold at the image that greeted him on the 
wall, and blue eyes widened in remembrance and surprise. 

A noble man's painting hung on the wall, a woman at his side. His clothing the 
one of Royalty and her tiara simple yet noticeable, their expression gentle yet 
regal enough to be recognized. 

For those two had once been the King and Queen of Gondor, great on their time on 
this earth and fondly remembered. 

Yes, the silent figure remembered it well, those times. Long ago when peace had 
been upon these lands there was once a time when the shadow he had faced had 
seemed nothing but a distant ghost, and to the humans that lived in here they 
were nothing but their great-grandfather's tales, told in nights of Winter to 
'entertain the younglings'. 

A bitter laugh escaped the figure's lips, its tone so cold it would have made 
those who knew him flinch. Nothing but tales, he had once thought so too, read 
about the happenings in old books stored away in cobweb filled spaces of the 
libraries he visited upon his own home, or upon a friend's. 

He remembered his curiosity enlightened, remembered the steps of a young one 
that ran to his father's studio and jumped upon his lap, eager eyes staring deep 
into the familiar ones of his sire. He remembered the words leaving his lips in 
a hurry, the doubt burning in his mind. His father's eyes had gone cold then, 
when he had asked, and the memory was no longer a merry one after that. 

He was told of the death of his own family at the hands of what he had believed 
a lie, and the books had suddenly been frightening in his young mind. He had 
apologized for asking, even while he knew his father did not expect him to, and 
the grief that had settled upon his sire's features was replaced by some 
surprise and the gentle look he was used to seeing upon it. But he had run back 
to the library too fast to hear his next words. 

His eyes had re-read the story, and what he had before found interesting now 
seemed heartless and cold; mean and too dark to be real, yet when he had looked 
up to see the portrait of his ancestor, now long gone from this land, he 
understood that it had been true. And it had marked his family with his passing. 
The story had fascinated his senses, yet a sense of grief accompanied it from 
then on. He had had a dream that night, of himself intertwined in the story of 
the trinket that has caused so much heartache. 

He had known, from then on, that his fate would be involved in the history of 
Middle-Earth, and suddenly his young eyes had lost some of its light in silent 
question to the stars of when the day would come, when darkness so great would 
threaten them all. 

It had not come for many a year, and when the events that lead to it came to 
pass he had been prepared, having trained in weaponry for the rest of his life. 
Still somewhat a child to some of his kin, he went ahead on the quest he had 
anticipated for such a long time.

And they had prevailed; he had avenged the soul of his ancestor by helping in 
the defeat of the very thing that caused so much anguish upon the Halls at his 
own home and all through the known land. 

Now, weeks later he still dwelt in this place, in silence and remembrance, his 
eyes taking in the other part of the story of those times when he had been young 
and in ignorant bliss. The portrait of the King and Queen of Gondor brought upon 
him scenes of a past long ago lost, of a gentle human face smiling at him in 
friendly respect, when the King had visited his lands on a state matter. The 
memories were fond ones of the glowing face of the Queen as she caressed the 
belly where her child would grow, and the proud face of the King as he watched 
his family. His final memory was a heavy hand on his shoulder in a sign of 
farewell, as their horses rode away fast towards their Kingdom.

Although the King and Queen of Gondor lived years after that memory, he never 
saw them again. 

Muffled steps on the corridor, alerted the silent figure of the approaching of 
someone, and the pattern of breathing immediately told him who it was that came. 
Refusing to give up on his memories yet, he never took his eyes off the portrait 
as finally the other being stood beside him, admiring the same paint with grief 
and dim memories of his own.

"What are you doing so far into the castle?" The new arrival's voice called 
softly, his voice questioning instead of commanding, as would have been expected 
from the man that spoke.
"Remembering" came the melodious answer that broke the long kept silence of the 
figure
"You knew them?"
"Briefly…I have told you before"
"Aye, you have…would you mind telling me again?"

A gentle smile and friendly eyes no longer lost in days past turned to the man, 
and a nod accompanied the figure's answer. "Of course not, my friend…lead the 
way"

And Aragorn led Legolas towards the gardens, eager to hear even the smallest of 
images his friend had of his lost parents.

The blood shed upon this halls had not been forgotten, yet the ghosts of the 
past were willing to wait, for this moment of friendship would not go 
interrupted. 

The End

…Or maybe not. I'm not sure yet. Please R&R and tell me what you think. 
-----------------------------------------------------------

More Author Notes: 

For those of you who don't know what I was talking about on the story, it is 
simple: 

Legolas father is Thranduil who fought in the Last alliance next to his own 
father (and Legolas' grandfather) Oropher; who was slain in battle. 

So in short, Legolas' family was intertwined with the story of the Ring of 
Power, and his lost ancestor was his grandfather, Oropher, slaughtered in the 
Last Alliance. 

*-*-*-*-
And this…only for the really…really…slow readers (in lack of a better, PG 
deserving, word):

Legolas was the 'silent figure'; he was remembering his own childhood when he 
discovered the story of the Ring in a book and asked his father, Thranduil, who 
in return told him of the death of his grandfather in the war Legolas had been 
reading about. He also remembered Aragorn's parents (Arathorn and his wife) 
while they were still alive.

Aragorn came in and asked Legolas to tell him about his parents, the elf agreed, 
and there is something else in the castle that didn't wish to interrupt the 
scene, but while I am not telling what it is, it's there, and if you're 
interested, please Review…^^ (Aren't I obvious? :)) 
-----------------------------------------------------------


Bewildered Gaze


He turned his eyes towards the dancing colours of the flames that burned 
steadily within the fireplace of the library, before sighing and rising from his 
comfortable seat, walking at a brisk pace towards the balcony with the steps of 
his friend close behind him. He stood before the window, unwilling to open the 
glass doors and face the cold of the night, as he was unwilling to face the 
piercing gaze of the man that stood behind him.

"What do you intend with this folly? You know well you should not have heard the 
words of that old man, alive now only by my own mercy" His voice had gone soft 
with weariness. He struggled to ignore the bizarre alerts that resounded in his 
head while he stood here, looking towards the stars of Elbereth with his back to 
his friend. 

"My Lord…" His friend's voice started respectfully, a strange note almost 
disguised by the trust that existed between them, but still perceivable to him 
"the seer has told me…"

The mere mention of that title brought on anger within him. Images of the past 
danced behind his eyes and he was unable to contain his reply, interrupting his 
friend's words "It matters not what he has made-up now! Why did you go to him in 
the first place?"

His friend hesitated, before placing a hand in his shoulder "He called for me, 
sire…you should hear this, it concerns you, it concern us all!"

He half turned his head to the side, seeing the silhouette of the man standing 
close behind him, as the hand on his shoulder was withdrawn "Do you remember 
what he spoke long ago? Do you remember the words he said to put his life in 
peril?"

"I do, sire, but you must understand…" His friend's voice was beginning to bear 
an edge of anxiety to it, which bothered him enough to interrupt the explanation 
again.

"It was treason, my friend" His voice now held a dangerous note to it, which the 
other man was quick to notice "That man was banished from this Kingdom for it, 
and a meeting with him was not within your schedule when you left this castle 
towards the North…" Suspicious eyes studied the hazy reflection in the 
windowpane in front of him "Was it?" 

"Of course not, my Lord!" His friend was quick to reassure "He called for me, 
while I stayed at an Inn, at 
Bree…I went because he said he had important news, knowledge that our Kingdom 
could not spare! And he did, my Lord, you must listen to me"

"I will, my friend, but please have in mind…you are speaking the words of a 
treasonous man, and you run the risk of being accused of the same faults"

"You would do such?" The voice of the man he had trusted for years sounded 
suddenly shaken, almost afraid, and he no longer knew what to expect from him.

"I would do what I see is right, you know this well" He nodded to the other's 
reflection "Proceed, what is this crucial knowledge?" 

A pause followed his question, and then a sigh that resounded in the room "I 
fear for my life, my liege, he spoke of great pain and bloodshed"

"He spoke treason once more? He spoke with distrust for the strength of my 
reign, as he once did?" His voice rose with its anger, remembering how years 
ago, the one who had lived in this very castle spoke words of a terrible 
connotation…words that had marked that man's fate, causing him to be banished 
from his Kingdom. 

A pause, and steps that moved towards the doorway were his answer, before his 
friend's voice drifted across the room to his ears "He did, sire…he spoke of 
treason"

"Why the eagerness to pass this news to me, then, my friend?" He turned around 
and was faced with the back of the other man, who was almost out the door.

"That man was convinced of his claims, my Lord, I saw it as my duty to warn 
you…this are dark times we live in" Here his friend paused and he felt his back 
tensing in anticipation to the other's next words "As your friend, mostly, I 
thought it my duty to try one last time to make you see what lies in front of 
your very eyes"

His hand clenched into a fist and his eyes flashed with red fury "You call me 
blind then?" The cold tone his voice had taken seemed to be more frightening to 
the other man than his anger had been, as his frame shuddered noticeably "You 
say the Kingdom will fall, as that old man does, as this so called 'seer' has 
said? You see blood upon my Kingdom?" 

"Nay, my Lord" the other answered calmly "I see nothing, for nothing has yet 
come to pass…I see the same things you see…only perhaps with a different 
standpoint…I am not a King like you, after all"

"You do not want to play with me, *friend*" His voice lowered dangerously, 
angered even further when the other man refused to turn around and face him…much 
as he himself had done earlier, he acknowledged later on to himself.

"Nay, Lord, I do not," The other man turned quickly and bowed, before giving 
another step towards the doorway of the library "Please excuse me"

And he was gone. 

Storming back towards the glass doors that lead to the balcony, he now opened 
them forcefully, and the cold night air hit him brusquely, startling him…

…Out of his dreams.

Legolas gasped for breath as he sat up upright in his bed, his right hand 
clutching his head as a short wave of lightheadedness hit him. His forehead was 
drenched in sweat, a strange thing for an elf, and he couldn't quench the 
building panic within his chest as he stood from the bed without thinking. 
Rushing towards his wardrobe he dressed in clean garments, his mind racing with 
a thousand thoughts of some threat he couldn't name, too caught up in the images 
of his dream to realize everything was peaceful. He ran out of his guest room, 
blond hair flying behind him.

He had to hurry, that was all he knew. Legolas ran at full speed, in a desperate 
search for… 

…For…

…What?

His mind slowly clearing somewhat, the Elf halted in his sprint and shut his 
eyes tiredly a hand reaching up to massage his aching temples. Taking a deep 
breath to calm his racing heart, he opened his eyes slowly, realizing that the 
morning was still a few hours away. Guilt assaulted him when he looked back the 
way he had come. He must have startled many a guard with his mad dash 
towards…somewhere…

Where *had* he been going…and that dream…dream?

"Legolas?"

The soft voice made him jump as he turned his head quickly, meeting the confused 
gaze of Aragorn as the man stood in a doorway a few feet away.

"Legolas, what is it?"

Not knowing how to answer, Legolas just stood there observing the man. His 
friend. Tilting his head to the side he narrowed his eyes carefully, caught 
again within the strange visions of earlier. He reached a hand towards Aragorn 
and whispered softly, not aware of the words he was uttering.

"What am I doing there?"

The reflection in the windowpane…what had been *his* reflection in the 
windowpane…

He had been…Aragorn…in his dream?

No…no…Aragorn had different eyes…different stance…the hair was longer and the 
beard shorter…

"You have come" Legolas whispered in awe, his blue eyes widening and a smile 
spreading across his face "I knew you would come"

"Legolas?" Aragorn frowned at his friend, his eyes clouding with worry and 
confusion as he walked carefully closer "What is it? What are you whispering?"

"Legolas?" The Elf frowned at his words and looked down at himself, bringing a 
pale hand to study it carefully with sharp blue eyes, lifting the same hand to 
take a hold of a golden strand of hair and study it disbelievingly. He seemed 
honestly confused as he did this, and when the hand found one of his pointed 
ears, understanding seemed to down in him. "An Elf…" Legolas whispered in 
surprise "You can see me then…"

Aragorn reached his friend's side now, having heard the latest whispers his brow 
wrinkled in further confusion "Legolas…"

Legolas smiled and looked up at him, this time revealing to the human that his 
eyes were clear blue no longer, but a hazy grey "Nay, my boy, that is not my 
name" The Elf whispered and moved to embrace him "But I shall explain later…I 
must…let me look at you…" 
"Legolas, what is this…? Are you well, what is this sorcery?" Aragorn asked 
worriedly, finding no sign of his elven friend in the gaze that studied him 
fondly

"I know not how this gift came to me…but keep your friend close, my boy, keep 
him here with you for I shall need his help" Legolas whispered sadly "We both 
will need his help"

"What…Who…?" 

"This elf" Legolas pointed at himself "Keep him close, Aragorn, we will need his 
help"

"Who are you…?" Aragorn sounded baffled as he found some sense in this bizarre 
exchange 

A smile grazed Legolas' lips and he adverted his gaze "As much as I desire to 
tell you, you are not ready for the knowledge, my boy" A sigh and a last 
lingering caress to his cheek from Legolas came then, Aragorn standing there, 
too shocked to do much else "I will go now…I shall leave your friend in 
peace…don't let him go yet, Aragorn, you will need him, as will I"

And then Legolas' eyes closed, his body stumbling as if exhausted, and by his 
fast reflexes only did Aragorn managed to catch him before he fell. Confused 
blue eyes looked up at him as they blinked a few times, trying to make sense of 
the strangeness of the situation.

"Aragorn?"
-----------------------------------------------------------

Please R&R! 

I'm Chilean and this story may hold grammar or spelling mistakes, so I apologize 
for any of those.

Having just found the direction I wanted to take this story after it started 
writing itself on the last chapter, I'm debating whether or not I should change 
something that bothered me slightly about the ending of the 2nd chapter…I'll let 
you know if I am to make changes, and I apologize if I make you read that again 
because of my own insecurities @_@
-----------------------------------------------------------


Facing Dreams

"Aragorn?" 

Confused azure eyes blinked up at him from the pale face of his friend, and 
Aragorn found himself unable to respond. Not being capable of coming up with any 
explanation for what had just happened, he just stood there, with an arm 
steadying Legolas' suddenly weak body. 

"Aragorn, what happened?" Legolas asked, more anxiously this time when he 
received no response to his previous inquiry.

What *had* happened, Aragorn wondered. 

He had talked with Legolas for a long time earlier in the night; remembering the 
Elf' meeting with his parents which had taken place long years ago and 
discussing the past, until they had parted company and the Elf had gone into his 
bedchambers. 

His mind elsewhere, Aragorn had found no rest in his bed, so he had risen once 
more and gone to do some of the extensive paperwork of the duty he now held. 
Thus, obviously, when after hours of working and while still a considerable time 
away from the dawn he had heard running steps inside the castle walls, he had 
been alarmed. Rising from his comfortable seat he had walked outside the room, 
to find himself a few feet away from a frantic looking Legolas, who looked to 
all as if he were running from a Balrog. 

But the Elf had halted his run, as if exhausted or perhaps confused, for the Elf 
had looked around himself and back towards the way he had come like he didn't 
know what he was doing. Perhaps he didn't. Next thing Aragorn knew, Legolas was 
stretching an arm towards him with an expression of wonder and relief the former 
ranger could not explain. He seemed awed to see him standing there, when they 
had parted company no more than a few hours ago. The bizarre conversation that 
had ensued was still far too complex for Aragorn's already baffled brain to even 
try to make sense to, and all he knew right now was that Legolas was in his 
arms, looking at him with an expression of building panic that Aragorn knew he 
should try to remedy, however he could. 

"Aragorn…what…?" Legolas was saying when the human snapped out of his thoughts, 
and he realized the Elf was struggling to get free of his hold of him. Releasing 
his hold, Aragorn was taken aback when Legolas turned from him, his eyes wide, 
as if ready to flee in the other direction. 

"Calm down, Legolas, it is me, all is well" Aragorn said softly, surprised at 
the calmness in his voice. All was not well, but what was amiss, the human could 
not explain. 

Legolas turned back and looked at him warily, his voice cold when he spoke "What 
is going on?"

"I know not, Legolas, something just took place" Aragorn gestured vainly with 
his hands, trying to explain what he didn't understand himself "And I'm not sure 
what it was" he finished wearily, when Legolas just stared at him

"Neither am I, if you do not tell me… how did I get here?" Legolas questioned, 
his eyes loosing their wariness as he searched for answer he did not held.

Aragorn sighed and shook his head, indicating the room he had vacated earlier 
with his right hand "Let us get out of this hall, we can talk more comfortably 
in here"

Legolas nodded and walked ahead, taking a step into the room before freezing 
entirely, causing Aragorn to bump into him. Taking a hold of the slim shoulders, 
Aragorn walked around the frozen figure to face the Elf, and found Legolas' eyes 
had widened considerably, their blue depths traveling through the room's every 
corner. The Elf went past him and moved towards the main desk, sitting down on 
the chair and looking around him.

"What is it, Legolas?" he questioned as he moved closer, trying to identify what 
had caused this reaction from his friend.

"The room" Legolas stated, as if it were obvious "This is the library, is it 
not?"
Aragorn just nodded, confused as to where this conversation was leading.
"I've never been here before" Legolas said softly "Yet I dreamt about it 
tonight"
"You dreamt?" Aragorn repeated, his eyes meeting those of Legolas "Without 
knowing what you were dreaming about?" 

Legolas shook his head, and his eyes became troubled "I dreamt, Aragorn, and I 
had no control. I was someone else and I was in this place…although it looked 
slightly different…I could not wake either, I believe it was akin to mortal's 
dreams…but I know not how it came to happen" Legolas shook his head and stood up 
from the seat walking across the room towards where some tapestries hung on the 
wall. "This wasn't here…there was another tapestry in its place…and that" his 
pale hand pointed towards two swords that hung over the fireplace "those were 
not the same swords I dreamt about"

Intrigued and slightly worried Aragorn studied the things Legolas pointed and 
found a disturbing connection. Turning to meet the blue eyes again he walked 
towards the far wall and placed his hand over the tapestry the Elf had 
signalized "For one, this belonged to Denethor, Boromir's father and the steward 
of Gondor, for this is the standard of his family" pointing towards the swords 
over the wall, "And those swords…" Aragorn sighed sadly "Are replacements for 
the old ones that used to hang proudly in their place"

"Replacements?" Legolas questioned him softly, seeming to notice his mood change 
"Why replace the others?"

"The old ones were used for bloodshed" Aragorn explained him "And in an attempt 
to cover the facts, the one that exploited them hid them from public view, stole 
them you may say" His eyes closed and re-opened, something hidden in their 
depths "A thief and a murderer made use of those swords, staining even what the 
weapons represented" and turning to walk to his seat, Aragorn said no more.

Understanding and sympathy dawned in Legolas' gaze, and he let the subject go, 
hearing what was said and what remained unspoken "So I dreamt of the past, 
then?" Legolas asked softly, "How? I had never been to Gondor before"

Aragorn shook his head and remained quiet, before studying the Elf carefully "I 
am not even sure how you dreamt"

Legolas moved towards the glass doors of the balcony, looking through them as he 
had done in his dream, this time inside his own body "Neither am I, my friend" 
He sighed "And I am not sure I wish to know"

"What do you make of what happened?" Aragorn inquired after a moment of silence 
"Do you even remember it?"

Legolas shook his head and turned back to face him, his eyes clouded with worry 
and confusion "Nay, I do not…I shall need your help with that. The last I can 
recall was parting your company and laying down for some rest…" A small smile 
came from the Elf then "The next thing I know I'm in your arms and you're 
staring at me as if I had turned into Saruman" 

Aragorn barked out a laugh and shook his head at the Elf "Surely I was not…I was 
not horrified, like I would be if you suddenly turned into an evil wizard, I was 
merely…" 
"…Stunned?" Legolas supplied and the human nodded 
"You can say that" Aragorn sighed "It is not every day a composed Elf Prince 
like yourself makes a mad dash through the castle in the middle of the night, 
and then speaks to me as if you had not seen me in years…like you were someone 
else, actually" 

Legolas blinked at him for a few minutes before raising a delicate eyebrow "I 
did those things?" 
"You did" Aragorn confirmed with a nod 
Tilting his head to the side Legolas narrowed his eyes "You are not teasing me, 
are you?"
"I am not Legolas, I do not make these kind of jokes" Aragorn held up his hands 
and shook his head 
"Any longer you mean," Legolas smiled at the man, but it soon dissolved back 
into a frown of confusion "Spoke as if I were someone else, you say? I was 
someone else in my dream…what did I tell you, exactly?"

"Terribly confusing things, as a matter of fact" Aragorn stated, leaning back in 
his seat "You…or whoever, wanted to look at me, as if you had not seen me in 
years…then you mentioned something about not thinking I was capable of handling 
your true identity when I questioned you on that…and finally you said I should 
keep you close, the real you close, because whoever that was and I would need 
your help"

Both eyebrows went high into Legolas' forehead as he listened and he sat in the 
nearest seat available "'keep me close'?"
"Those were your words" Aragorn nodded "But that was not the most confusing part 
of that little exchange"
"It wasn't?" Legolas asked flatly, surprised it could get any worse 
"It wasn't" The human confirmed, "It was the fact that you marveled at being an 
Elf"

Legolas' expression at that would have been hilarious to the man, had he not 
been expecting such a reaction, and had this situation not been so bizarre. It 
still managed to draw a small smile from the corner of his lips when Legolas' 
bewildered gaze met his "You are telling me" The Elf began "I did not know I was 
an Elf?"

The human shook his head and Legolas fell back into his seat, eyes turned up 
towards the ceiling "Elbereth, I am finally insane" Legolas sighed and Aragorn 
shook his head 

"Then we are insane together, my friend, because I could have sworn that out 
there, it honestly wasn't you in some delusional state…but someone else 
entirely"
"Do not worry, Aragorn, your sanity has fled long ago, that much I already knew" 
Legolas smiled humorlessly "But I was the sane one out of us, now we are in 
trouble"
Aragorn grinned to the now slumped figure of the Elf "If you were the sane one, 
we were already in trouble" but wiping the grin from his face he sat up 
straighter "But seriously, Legolas, that was not you"
"Who then?" Legolas sighed, meeting his gaze
Silence met his question as Aragorn pondered its answer, but Legolas spoke again 
"Perhaps it was just something left from the dream…" 

The dream. A dream. Elves did not often lost control over their slumber, and 
they could certainly not dream of things they were not familiar with, like 
humans sometimes could. "Who did you dream you were?" he asked after a while. 

A shake of the golden head was his answer "I…I am not entirely sure, Aragorn"
"Tell me of this dream you had"
"Please, Aragorn, I am sc-…I am troubled enough with this whole thing, do not 
push me for answers yet"

The slip of his tongue was not lost on the human and his gaze turned 
sympathetic. He stood up from his seat and walked towards his friend, kneeling 
in front of him and placing a friendly hand on his knee. "Whatever this is, 
Legolas, we are in it together, for I have already been involved"
"Aragorn, it may be nothing…"
"I do not think it's nothing," admitted the man "you were conscious, Legolas, 
your eyes were clear…if not for the fact they weren't exactly blue"
Legolas blinked at him.
"They were grey, or so I saw them" Aragorn explained at the blank look "and 
don't pull that face on me, I am serious"

"Look," said the Elf flatly, leaning down and pressing his forehead to the man's 
"You've got them up close now, and trusting in every time I've glanced into a 
mirror, I am highly certain my eyes are blue"

Aragorn pushed him away with a grin and shook his head "I know they are, you 
fool, but earlier they weren't"

Legolas sighed and leaned back into his seat "I hold no answers"
"And I can't help you with that, if you do not tell me about this dream of 
yours" Aragorn said gently, taking in the way the Elf adverted his eyes 

"I can't, Aragorn, don't ask it of me…not yet"

The human sighed and nodded after a while, rising to his feet and extending a 
hand to his friend, who took it with a frown of confusion. "Join me for a walk?"
The Elf smiled and extended his arms towards the door, bowing with mock 
reverence "After you, my King"
"Very funny" said the man, pushing the Elf towards the door "Now just walk, your 
Great Highness Prince of Mirkwood"
"Ugh, don't do that" whined the Elf as he walked alongside the man towards the 
gardens 
"Your Highness and Princeling, Legolas Thranduilion, the youngest and fairest 
Elf of the entire Royal House of the now re-named Greenwood The Great" 

"Now you are getting it!" Growled the Elf, not caring about the noise they made 
so early as he chased the human, who ran towards the gardens and was quickly 
tackled to the ground by a laughing Prince, much to the amusement of the present 
guards.

"All right! I got it, get off me!" Laughed Aragorn when Legolas proceeded to 
mock strangle him with no force behind the grip in his throat. The Elf grinned 
and stood up, dusting off his clothes with false derision 
"Look the things you have me doing, rolling on the ground like I was a filthy 
ranger or something" he complained with a sigh and had to jump back to avoid the 
kick aimed at his legs, laughing all the while. 

He offered the man a hand up, and had to bit back his laughter when the saw only 
the right side of Aragorn's face was dirt-filled while the other side was clean. 
He said nothing of it, containing even his smile and turned to walk further into 
the gardens, winking over his shoulder at the guards when Aragorn walked ahead 
of him, oblivious to his present state. It was harder not to laugh when the 
guards were doing so behind their hands, but he managed. 

"What did you want to talk about?" He questioned the man after a while of 
comfortable silence, and Aragorn turned to face him
"What do you mean?" 
"I know you, your walks are merely means to an end, what is it?" Legolas said 
with sidelong smile 
"And I thought I was being subtle" sighed Aragorn dramatically "I will have to 
hone my methods"
A snort of laughter came from the Elf "You have the same methods since you were 
fifteen, now spill it"

Aragorn turned serious and sat on a nearby bench, the Elf following his example. 
"Well?"
"I am worried, Legolas, about this dreams, about the fact you dreamt at all…the 
fact that it somehow seems linked to me as well, rather than to yourself"
"You do not know that for certain," said Legolas, turning his gaze to the sky 
"perhaps it involved me only, rather than you. Perhaps it was not Gondor's 
library that I dreamt about, after all it was slightly different…"
"Decorations change, Legolas, that is no major difference, or do you tell me 
your father's throne room hasn't changed a few thousands times since I've 
visited it last?"
"That is different, my father is rather eccentric"
"Like father, like son" At the glare he got for that, he almost grinned again, 
but remembered matters at hand "So tell me of your dream"

"Aragorn, no" said Legolas, angry now as he turned his eyes on the human's "I've 
told you before, and I'll tell you again, I am not ready to speak about this 
further, it troubles me greatly"
"I know it does, my friend…but shouldn't you discuss it with someone?" his tone 
had gone soothing trying not to anger the Elf further 
"I will" The prince assured him, "Not now"

The human sighed and gave up, nodding "Alright then, not now…but when you do…I 
am here if you need me"

The Elf nodded and turned back towards the stars, stifling a yawn.
"You are tired?" asked Aragorn, having detected the action 
"If that was a mortal dream, I know now why you humans are always so tired, it 
was no rest to me" explained Legolas, with a sidelong glance at Aragorn's dirt 
stained face. 

The human frowned slightly, but said nothing of it, only stood up again and 
helped the Elf up with him, walking back towards the castle past the guards who 
bit their lower lips and whose' shoulders shook strangely. Legolas winked at 
them when he walked past them and heard a chuckle escape the younger one, and 
saw the other man hit him over the head. He almost laughed himself.

When the man stopped, Legolas glanced up and saw the human was entering his own 
bedchambers, so he followed. Aragorn sat in a chair by the bed and Legolas 
raised an eyebrow, to which the human only shrugged "If I go to bed now, I will 
only succeed in waking Arwen, since I will find no dreams tonight" said he as a 
way of explanation "But you should sleep"

After a moment's hesitation, the Prince shrugged, stepping out of his boots and 
going under the covers still in his clothes, while Aragorn watched him 
distractedly 
"Good night, Aragorn"
"More like day, now, but good night either way," said the man "Sleep well"
"I hope so," Legolas whispered to himself but the man heard it, and he placed a 
gentle hand in Legolas' brow 

"I'll be here if you need me" 
The Elf merely smiled, and soon his eyes went vacant in Elven dreams. 

Aragorn sat in the chair, awake long after that, and saw the first rays of 
sunlight stream through the binds in the windows, his thoughts troubled over the 
friend who now rested peacefully.

Or so the man thought.


To be continued.

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Author's extra note: Another chapter gone! This is the first time I do such a 
long interaction between two characters, so I don't know if it came out right. 

Please R&R and let me know of your opinion on this little story! (The 'little' 
part of that sentence is completely subjective to one's view…okay so it's a lie) 
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