Swirling leaves
Chapter Three - unanswered questions
By Bex
A/N: thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. If you review and sign in (or tell me that you write fics) then I will read them too. Ok? Anyway, only the plot belongs to me, or rather, whatever is left of it for now. Although I do wish I owned a certain character. But oh well, lets not get paranoiac. Tolkien did a great job and I thank him from the bottom of my heart. As you can see, those characters do not act according to their nature in the original LotR. But that’s because this is MY fic. I appreciate comments and opinions….=> and reviews! :) Now enjoy:
Swirling leaves
Chapter Three - unanswered questions
By Bex
Legolas sat on the forest floor, wearing loose, green breaches and a white shirt, a little too large for his slight frame. His eyes were closed and he was listening to the leaves rustling above his head, trying to forget all his worries. Every day since his recovery, he had come to this small glade on the border of Rivendell. He needed peace, and he could not get that as long as he could see other elves. They made his weakness and shame all too apparent to him. They reminded him, simply by their presence that he could never be as pure and as innocent anymore. Also, it took him away from Aragorn, whom he has been avoiding ever since he found him waiting at his doorstep. And he definitely did not want to see the man, both for his own benefit and for Aragorn’s. It would not improve matters any. Legolas was so lost in his thoughts, or rather in the lack thereof, that he did not see Gandalf approaching until he was a few feet away. A small smile flickered on the elf’s face when the wizard sat cross-legged next to him on the grass. Neither broke the calm silence for such a long time that Legolas went back to his musing. He was startled when Gandalf finally spoke to him.
“What troubles you so Legolas?” he asked in his soothing, fatherly voice. Legolas wasn’t sure what to say. Could he confide his secrets to this old man? Could he keep them all hidden inside himself forever? His heart and pride told him not to say anything, but his mind knew that he should, if he wanted some peace and sanity.
“I watched my dad being shot through the heart with a black-feathered arrow. When he died, I watched my mother slowly wasting away. She had loved him so much that when he went, so did she, of a broken heart. But it took so long…months. Everyday, she was thinner and paler. She had stopped singing and did not eat anymore. By the end, she was no more than a wraith, a translucent ghost, before she finally disappeared, taking her pain with her. And I could not do anything to help either of them,” he said softly with a haunted look in his green eyes.
“I do not want the same thing to happen to me,” he finally said, with more life in his voice than usual. “I may as well go at once, and not let destiny and time decide my departure.”
Gandalf continued smoking his pipe in silence before he looked straight at the elf, and said “it would not be wise to take destiny in your own hands Legolas. I am sometimes prone to visions of the future, and not long ago, with the help of Galadriel’s mirror, I saw dark days ahead, in which you played an important role. You cannot go if you wish Middle-earth to stay in the light.”
“How can I help someone in a thousand years if I die in a month!” he exclaimed, with anger flashing in his eyes. “Grief is not an emotion that I can control!”
“Well, I suggest you talk out your problems with whomever you need to, then.” Gandalf rose and left, leaving a surprised and angry Legolas. The light. Don’t let the light go out, he heard whispers in the wind.
Legolas sat on a stone bench, looking into the silver waterfall, thinking about his life and what Gandalf had said. He could not simply disregard what he had been told, but neither could he just forget all his sorrows and continue on with his life. He was once again absorbed in his thoughts, and did not hear someone approaching from behind, the roar of the falling water covering the faint footsteps.
“Legolas.” The elf jumped up, as much from surprise as from the recognition of the owner of that voice. He turned around for a short moment to look into Aragorn’s eyes, then turned his back to him, posing his elbows on the cool rail. He continued to sulk, afraid to let his eyes reveal his emotions. He couldn’t let Aragorn know how he felt toward the man. He loved Arwen like a sister, and would never deliberately hurt her.
“Legolas, why are you avoiding me? Tell me what’s wrong,” said Aragorn with obvious concern.
“How many more of you will come and “talk” to me?” he yelled. “Does everyone know about what I tried to do? Do I have to go away and live in the woods so as not to have to see a line of people waiting to talk to me?!” he was shaking with anger, partly because anger was easy to feel at that moment, and because it covered his emotions toward the human. The elf was about to leave, but Aragorn cornered him between the rail and the cliff.
“I have watched one of my dearest friends try to take away his life. Do you know how that feels? And I don’t even know why he did it! Damn it Legolas, at least tell me how I can help!”
Legolas watched Aragorn for a moment, seeing the distress and guilt in the man’s eyes, a guilt he should not have felt, since he did not know the degree to which the sight of him alone inflicted on the elf.
“Let me go,” he asked, trying not to let out the scream that was building up inside him, as he pushed past the tall man.
Suddenly, Aragorn slapped him, and both looked at each other with shock, the noise of the falls loud behind their back. Finally, Legolas turned back and left, sadness visible in his every move, and Aragorn was left standing where he was, cursing himself for his actions and for his unanswered questions.
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once again, sorry for the shortness of this chapter but I figured that this was a good place to end it. I will begin typing the next chapter in a few sec J and will try to post it tomorrow. More will follow soon (I hope). I’m on vacation!!!! Lol, so happy. I really needed it. You probably aren’t here to listen to my wild rambling so I’ll shut up. I’m usually not the kind of person who talks that much. All right! I’m going now!
Ola~
PS: pssss, did you notice that my name is in LegOLAs’s name too? Lol, so happy J *smiles at the ceiling*