Aragorn stood in shock, unable to process what he was seeing.
How is this possible?
It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Legolas was dead, Aragorn had watched him die. He'd watched as Legolas stopped breathing, as he laid motionless on the blood stained ground.
But here he was lying in front of them, albeit more dead than alive.
"Move him to the Healing Wing," Aragorn said turning to Eomer, "Now."
Eomer nodded. "Forgive me Aragorn. If I had recognized him I wouldn't have brought him here."
"It's fine. Just get him there."
"What about them?"
Eomer gestured to where Boromir and Faramir lay.
"Take Faramir."
Aragorn paused and looked at Boromir. Anger consuming him. Why should he care about Boromir? He was a traitor! He didn't deserve to live!
But he couldn't bring himself to refuse giving the man help.
"Him too."
"You can't be serious Aragorn." Gimli protested. "I say we let him rot."
"I will not let any man suffer. We have what we need to heal him and he may have information about the enemy."
Turning back to Eomer he ordered, "Make sure they are properly cared for."
"Of course Aragorn."
"And get me as soon as he wakes."
No one had to ask who he meant.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Legolas felt strange. He felt weightless. He couldn't feel anything. He felt like he was floating.
Was he finally dead? Had he finally been freed from his world of never ending pain and suffering?
He felt a small pain in his arm. He couldn't be dead, not if he could feel pain.
He was still alive.
Slowly he opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that he was in a cave.
How had he gotten in a cave? Legolas closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened before he had lost consciousness.
He had sensed the Haradrim nearby, had lost all of his strength, he'd given up. Legolas opened his eyes again. Surely he wasn't in a Haradrim city or camp.
He carefully sat up and winced as he put wait on his right arm. He lifted his hand and gently brushed the side of his face with the scar. It was still there.
He looked around the cave. He had been laying on an old, worn mat. He had been given new clothes. They were dull grey and a quite large for him, but they fitted him fine enough. His feet were bare and his hair had been cleansed of the blood and dirt. His other wounds had been tended to as well.
The cave he was in was lit by a single torch which hung on the cave wall, filling the small area with light. Legolas could see the way out. As far as he knew it was unguarded.
Legolas suddenly remembered the evenstar pendant. Where was it? He frantically reached for his neck and sighed in relief. It was still there. They hadn't taken it, whoever "they" were.
He was about to stand when he heard someone coming. For a brief moment he thought it was orcs, but soon realized that the footsteps were much lighter.
A young girl entered the room carrying several things with her. Her head was covered by a hood and she wore a brown dress. She knelt down beside Legolas who stared at her wide-eyed.
"Hello, I'm Eva. I was wondering when you would awake. How are you feeling?"
How was he feeling? He was a storm of emotions! Fear, confusion, pain, anger, he didn't know what to say.
"Where are the two men I was traveling with?" he asked looking around.
Eva smiled.
"They're in the caves nearby. Don't worry, they're being well cared for."
Her voice was gentle. Legolas was almost calmed by it; almost.
"Would you like some water?" she handed him a small bowl, he took it from her and slowly sipped it.
"I also have some food."
She held up another bowl for him. He set the water down and grabbed the food. He was starving. He didn't even wait to see what it was.
"I hope you're feeling better. I must say we were not sure if you were going to live. I had no idea that there were still elves in Middle Earth."
Legolas winced at her words. They were just a reminder of all that Sauron had taken away from him.
He wasn't hungry anymore. He gave the bowl back to Eva who stood up to leave.
"Where am I?" Legolas asked before she left.
Eva turned around smiled.
"Somewhere safe."
She left without another word which frustrated Legolas. That wasn't an answer.
He was almost tempted to get up and find out for himself but he was still tired. He lowered himself back onto the mat and rested.
Eva came back moments later and said, "You have a visitor."
Legolas sighed. He didn't want a visitor. He wanted rest. Stiffiling a groan he sat up, wondering who could possibly be visiting him in this place.
He looked up and froze. It couldn't be. After all this time it couldn't be.
Legolas couldn't believe who it was standing in front of him.
"Aragorn?"
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The sight of his friend filled Aragorn with grief. When he had been told that he had awakened he had felt an immediate rush of relief. His friend was alive! He would be alright.
Aragorn's relief had vanished the moment he'd laid eyes on the elf. He hadn't seen him since they'd brought him here. He hadn't been able to bear the sight of his friend beaten and broken.
But now, he saw him clearly, and the change startled him. The Legolas he remembered had been strong and full of life. Not this, ghost that sat before him.
His skin was pale, almost white, his eyes were grey, lifeless. The long, black scar that ran down the left side of his face sent shivers down his spine.
His face had a haunted look. The look someone had when they had seen and lived nothing but death and suffering.
"Aragorn?"
His voice. It had once been full of life. Now it barely rose above a whisper and it shook when he spoke.
This was not the Legolas he had once known. This was a broken elf that had lost all of his light. He was fading, Aragorn knew it, and the reality of it cut through him like a knife.
"Aragorn?" he asked again.
Aragorn shook himself out of his trance. He fought back the grief inside of him and managed a small smile.
"Hello Legolas."
"How did... Where..." his voice trailed off. He stared at Aragorn and tried to ensure that what he was seeing was real.
Aragorn walked over and sat next to him. He noticed with a pang of sadness that the elf had flinched when he'd sat down.
"Legolas, I-"
Aragorn stopped. He didn't know what to say. Here was his friend, who he had called a murderer and a killer. Who had given his life for him when he hadn't deserved it, was now looking at him with pained, grey eyes.
Aragorn couldn't fight the grief anymore. The tears he had been fighting began to fall.
"Forgive me Legolas... I never should have said those things to you, or left you. If I had known you still lived..."
"I did not live." the elf said blankly.
Aragorn looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I died Aragorn."
"But, you're here. And..."
"I did die. But Sauron brought me back."
The news shocked Aragorn. Sauron? Sauron had brought him back? Why? How?
"He said he was not finished with me yet. He wanted to break me, take all of my light."
Legolas lowered his head as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"He wanted the monster."
Aragorn looked at him in fear. Anger and rage consumed him. Sauron was killing his friend. He had taken his light, and now he was fading. All because he wanted the killer that wasn't there.
"Legolas. You are not a monster."
"I know."
His answer confused him. What did he mean?
Legolas looked up at him. His were eyes filled with so much pain and grief that Aragorn had to force himself not to turn away.
"It is inside of me Aragorn. It is a beast I cannot control, or kill. I had the chance a long time ago, but I did not."
Aragorn didn't know what to say. Why hadn't he been told before? Why had Legolas kept it a secret all of these years? He could have helped him!
"I felt that if I destroyed it, it would kill a part of me. I thought I needed it. But I should have killed it when I had the chance."
Both sat in silence. Neither spoke a word to the other. Finally Legolas reached for something around his neck and held it out to Aragorn.
Aragorn saw what it was and almost fainted.
The evenstar pendant. The one he had given Eowyn...
He slowly took it from Legolas' hand.
"I'm sorry Aragorn," Legolas' voice choked with grief, "I could not save her."
Aragorn couldn't breath. Not Eowyn. Not her too. She couldn't be dead. She wasn't.
"She wanted you to know that she loved you. She was sorry that she left..."
Legolas lowered his head and closed his eyes as more tears began to fall.
Aragorn didn't move. He couldn't move. He couldn't think.
She was gone. The one thing had kept him alive, who had filled him with the same fire that had kept him going so many years ago, was dead.
Aragorn stood up. He needed to think. He needed air.
"I should have saved her Aragorn. If I could have traded places with her I would have. I still would."
Aragorn didn't look back as he left his friend sitting alone, and lost in his own nightmare of death.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The next chapter will have Legolas reunited with the other members of the Fellowship. He still has to tell them about Pippin.