A Monster Like Me ~ Legolas

An Impossible Choice

Saewyn walked next to Aragorn while Maerrith, along with a young child was seated on the horse he was leading. Saewyn also was leading a horse on which sat two young girls that Aragorn did not know the name of. Their progress was slow, as most of the villagers were traveling by foot, but Aragorn knew that he could not leave anyone behind. As much as he wished he was back at Helm's Deep he knew he could not let the villagers fend for themselves, not when the trail to Isengard was so near. 

The villagers took turns on the few horses, but the young and the old were the most frequent passengers. Sometimes Aragorn, Saewyn, and an array of able bodied men would scout ahead, but for the most part they walked. 

Aragorn pulled his sword from the body of a warg. Blood dripped from a gash on Saewyn's arm as she battled an Orc with her borrowed sword. Aragorn rushed to help her, yelling for her to duck as his sword swung to take off the Orc's head. She dropped to her knees and Aragorn's sword collided with the Orc's neck, spraying both man and woman with brackish blood. 

"How do you fare?" Aragorn asked her as she rose to her feet, the last of the Orcs defeated. 

"I am alright." She shook her head. "As I said, Aragorn, my people are not warriors. I fear how much more of these fights we can survive." 

"Once we reach Helm's Deep we will find you a balanced sword." He looked at her and they trudged back to the horses. He sighed. "In these times, everyone becomes warriors."

~*~

Gimli entered the room where his friend lay motionless. Eowyn had fallen asleep in the chair by his bedside. Her fingers were loosely intertwined with the elf, leading Gimli to believe Eowyn had fallen asleep while holding his hand. 

Gimli gently woke her and she blinked at him at him with weary eyes. 

"Come lass," He said. "I think some food would do you well." She nodded and got to her feet, smoothing out her dress as she stood. 

She lingered in the doorway, gazing at the form of the sleeping elf for a moment before allowing herself to continue. As she and Gimli walked together, he couldn't bear to continue to stay silent. 

"You care for him," He said as they turned the corner. "And yet, the elf has done nothing but bring you and your kingdom hardship." Eowyn looked at him.

"We cannot choose who we care for, Gimli. Who would I be if I had turned him away, turned you, Aragorn away? My people may need me, but as do you, as does he." 

"You misunderstand." Gimli shook his head. "Ah, never mind, lass. Let us find some food." Eowyn glanced at him questioningly, but allowed herself to be lead into the kitchen.

A woman told Eowyn and Gimli to take a seat in the hall, telling them that bread and stew would be served soon. Eowyn and Gimli sat down together, a heavy silence settled over them. Both were weary of the world, of the hardships, but both knew the consequences of giving up. 

~*~

Rain poured from the sky. Aragorn blinked continuously in a desperate attempt to keep the water away from his eyes. He was essentially blinded, but still he pressed forward, leading his exhausted company closer and closer to a promise of shelter. 

Saewyn was next to him, Maerrith atop the horse she lead through the muck. They did not speak much during their travels, a mutual understand between them that made speaking unnecessary. Yet the silence that fell over the company was exhausting in itself, hope seemed to vanish along with conversation. 

The rain slowed to a drizzle, but the horses strained and their legs were sucked into the earth. It was a miserable journey, the group's despair increasing with each step forward. Maerrith seemed to sense this and so as the rain stopped, she began to sing.

It was a beautiful song, one of joy and promise. It started with a singular voice, that of an elderly woman sitting atop a moving horse. But soon another one joined, the entire village rising together in song. And even though the misery of the journey, Aragorn could not help but smile.

~*~

Forn had tried to sleep away her loneliness, tried to ignore the constant ache in her chest, the pain that coursed through her with every step in the direction away from her little one. She found herself unable to give into the call of sleep for every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, twisted in pain and sadness, unwilling to forgive her for leaving him. She couldn't bear it, the look of betrayal in his eyes, and so she never closed hers. Instead she watched the stars, dreaming that he was looking at the same moon she was.

The deer was between her forearms, she had caught it and killed it, but she could not bring herself to feast. She had fallen into such a depression that she found it impossible to care for herself like she once did. The distance was slowly killing her, but she knew she couldn't go back. Their bond made it impossible for her to go back, for killing him was worse than killing herself. She loved him to the point where she knew she must stay away. With a sigh that caused sparks to fly from her nostrils, she devoured the deer, trudging back to the cave she had wrestled from trolls and claimed to be her tomb. 

She chose walls of stone because she couldn't bear the idea of walls of trees. Although she could not speak to them as her little one could, she felt as though they were watching her, blaming her, hating her, for leaving her Greenleaf alone to suffer. 

Forn was one of the most powerful creatures in existence, the ability to kill kingdoms with one breath. And yet as she curled up in her cave, head resting on her tail, she felt as weak as a rabbit running from a hawk. 

At times she found herself reaching out to him, trying to touch his mind with hers. She hadn't make contact in such a long time, the distance between them overriding their bond. 

Forn stopped herself from reaching out once again, knowing she would find nothing but silence. She shook her head, attempting to free herself of the memories. She rose to her feet, stumbling out of the darkness of her cave into the brightness of the midmorning sun. With a roar that shook the ground beneath her feet, Forn launched herself into the sky, determined to fight the wind.

~*~

Eowyn was running out of time. She had begged for some extra time and he had granted her until the sun was fully risen, but already fingers of light were clawing at the air, desperate to escape its tomb of sleep. 

Eowyn wished for Aragorn's return, wished for his advice, but it had been long since anyone had seen the son of Arathorn. Eowyn was alone, with only a dwarf to reason with. Although Gimli's advice was welcomed, it was not surprising. Dwarves were loyal to a fault. And once again, Eowyn was left with an impossible choice: the world or her people?

And although the choice seemed obvious, Eowyn's trembled whenever she thought of the choice she needed to make. Did she want to live in a word where everyone she loved had gone? The world may be saved, but Eowyn would be alone. She would rule a kingdom of angry people, people who hated her, who blamed her for the death of their fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers. 

She hated to admit it, but in a way death seemed to be the better option, because Eowyn was terrified of being alone.

~*~

Legolas was leaning against Forn's side, a book resting on his legs. The wind turned the pages, but Legolas did not notice as his eyes were closed and his face being warmed by the sun. The warmth emitting from Forn's body comforted him and he could hear her sighs of content. He opened his eyes, realizing they sat on a hill, the hobbits they both had grown so fond of chasing each other through the tall grass. Aragorn and Gimli were seated at the bottom of the hill, curls of smoke dancing away from their pipes. Boromir and Gandalf sat a few strides away from the dwarf and man, they too were smoking and laughing. 

 For the first time in a while, Legolas felt at peace. 

Little one. Forn's voice was low, soothing. Little one, you must wake up. 

Legolas' eyes flew open.