Letting Go

*~*~*~*

Let me be the one

Leading you through the night

Sharing the smiles and tears you cry

Let me be the one

Lovin' you when you're weak

For all the strength you need

You can come to me

(Let me be the one - Plus One)

*~*~*~*

Letting Go

"Legolas! Legolas! Wake up! Legolas!" Aragorn had been trying to wake the tossing prince for at least 5 minutes with no luck.

Finally taking the nearby basin of water he flung it at the prince. Legolas jerked up right, breathing heavily. He stared at Aragorn for a full minute then flung himself back on the bed.

"Legolas?" Aragorn questioned softly. When he received no answer he sighed and getting up he turned to leave.

"I see them every night." Legolas' soft voice broke through the stillness.

Aragorn stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I hear their cries, their screams of pain. I feel the pain of the knives. I see pain they are in. I hear them begging me to help them." Legolas' voice broke. "And I can't help them, and so I watch them die. Over and over and over. Every night." His voice broke again. "And it's all my fault. It's all my fault."

Instantly Aragorn whirled around, "No! Legolas! It is not your fault!"

"I could have been there! I should have been there! I should have stopped them!" Legolas yelled back.

"And what?!" Aragorn unfazed yelled right back at the prince. "What would you have done that they couldn't? Do you think that they didn't do something that you could have done? Do you think you could have fought them all off by yourself?"

Aragorn had pressed his face right up to Legolas'. "What do you think you would have accomplished? Huh? If you had gotten there only a few minutes before you did, you would be dead! Dead! And so would the others! And what would that prove? Huh?!?!? What would that prove!!"

Aragorn was screaming at the top of his lungs, completely unaware of the door bursting open and several occupants standing shocked at the scene before them.

"Nothing! It would prove nothing and you would be dead!"

Legolas stared up into the eyes of his friend. Silent tears slowly making silver trails down his delicate face. "I just wish I could forget."

Aragorn wrapped his arms around the prince. "Wishing never helped anything nin mellon."

Legolas took a deep breath. "Their really dead, aren't they?"

Aragorn drew back. "Yes."

He gave a shaky smile. Then turned his gaze around the ranger.

"It's really not my fault?"

"No." That simple, single word somehow released the prince from his dark memories, without him even knowing it. He turned his gaze around the ranger. He blushed. "Uh hi. You need anything?"

Aragorn whirled around. There standing before him was his father, his two brothers, and numerous others. He gave a weak smile. "Uh hi." He said unconsciously echoing the prince's word. "You need anything?"

Elrond quirked one eyebrow then turned and began ushering people out.

Aragorn turned to Legolas. "Boy, I'm glad your father asked if you could stay a couple of weeks." He laughed.

Legolas, in the process of getting up, froze. He turned to the ranger. "He what?"

Aragorn frowned. "He asked if you could stay here for a couple of days."

"My father asked your father if I could stay for a couple of weeks?"

Aragorn swallowed, he had seen the look before. He nodded.

"But you wrote me asking if I could come here."

Aragorn frowned puzzled, "No I didn't."

"I saw your writing, yes you did."

"I didn't write anything to you."

"Aragorn! I saw it!"

"Well I didn't write it!"

"Yes you did!"

"No I didn't!

"If you didn't then who did?"

"Wasn't' me!"

"It's your handwriting!"

"How would you know!"

"Cause it's so sloppy! That's how!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

A soft cough at the entrance of the doorway drew their attention. A disapproving Elven lord stood in the doorway.

"Though I know you both like to argue, the rest of the house would like to at least get a peaceful night of sleep." Though the words were quietly spoken, they could have shouted for all the force behind the words.

Chastised the ranger and the prince lowered their eyes, both feeling little more than a small child in trouble.

"Goodnight boys." There was a stress on the boys.

"Goodnight." The words though spoken in unison, the two people speaking them were glaring at each other. And through the closed door Elrond could still hear them.

"Was not my writing!"

"Was too!"

"Nuh uh."

"Uh hu."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Elrond rolled his eyes. Children!

The next morning came all too early for the prince and ranger who had spent over half the night arguing.

They were still arguing at the breakfast table. Legolas was up and walking, his leg almost completely healed. When asked, Elrond told him that since his soul was healed his body was also healed or in the process.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Elrond could have groaned. It was bad enough that it wasn't unusually for his sons and the prince to drag themselves into Rivendell with various injuries, but to have them arguing about a trivial thing! By the Valar!

"Enough!"

The two startled jumped in their seats. They turned innocent faces toward the elven lord.

"If you have a question for your father, Thranduillion, I would suggest that you would ask him instead of blaming someone innocent." The words had enough force to make everyone seated cringe.

"Of course Lord Elrond. I was going to ask if I might leave tomorrow to go back to my father's realm." Legolas ignored Aragorn's stunned gaze. "I would also ask that Aragorn accompany me, for I have need to show him his own letter." He glared at the ranger who returned the glare just as fiercely.

"I will more than gladly let him accompany you Thranduillion." Elrond looked more than a little pleased. Perhaps Thranduil would finally get a taste of what he had to go through every single time that Legolas came to visit.

*~*~*~*~*

The day and night passed quickly. And soon Legolas and Aragorn were saddled up and ready to ride to Mirkwood.

"Until the stars shine on our path." Legolas put his right hand on his heart and swept outward in a symbol of farewell.

Elrond repeated the gesture and watched as they rode off. Hopefully they wouldn't come back with blood dripping off their bodies.

Legolas grinned at the ranger. "I predict that one of us is going to get hurt."

Aragorn rolled his eyes. "And I predict it's not going to be me!"

Laughing companionably they rode off to Mirkwood.

Though the high pass was easy to cross, it would have been easier if goblins had decided to trek across it.

"I' can't believe it!"

"Well you should 'cause it's true."

"Yeah right."

"Why is it that you never believe me!"

"Well cause most of the stuff that you tell me usually turns out to be false."

Legolas laughed at the incredulous look on Aragorn's face.

"I..I."

He laughed harder at Aragorn's stuttering.

"Tell me one time that I didn't tell the truth!" Aragorn asked, his mind racing to remember.

"Well there was that one time when you said that Elladan and Elrohir were mad at me, and the other time when you said that there were no leeches in the pond, and the other time.."

"Ok! Ok! I get the..." Aragorn's words were abruptly cut off by a quick downward slash of Legolas' hand.

Aragorn frown quizzically.

Legolas sat perfectly still for a full minute then suddenly spurred his horse. "Orcs!"

And suddenly Aragorn could hear the screams of orcs whose prey had seen through the ambush. The wind whipped passed them as they galloped through the pass, but the usually unluckiness followed them.

The orcs had been split into two groups, one in front and one behind. In doing so they herded the ranger and the 'stinkin' elf into a cave, where they forced them to dismount in order to protect themselves. Slowly they were pushed further and further back. It was known to the orcs that the rocks on top of the cave were loose and would easily break loose and come crashing downward.

A pebble hit Legolas on the top of his head, making him look up quickly. He suddenly wished he didn't. Huge rocks were coming at him and Aragorn. Quickly grabbing the ranger he pushed him further into the cave, when suddenly something very hard and heavy landed on his head, sending the prince into oblivion.

Aragorn picked himself up; it was pitch dark in the cave. "Legolas?" He coughed, choking on the dust. "Legolas?" He picked his way around the fallen boulders. "Legolas?"

Silence answered him.

"Legolas!"

Falling on his hands and knees, Aragorn began feeling around him, searching for his friend. His hand caught in a tangle of hair. Feeling forward he felt a face. "Legolas!" There was no answer. Aragorn quickly checked for a pulse, though a little weak it was stills strong. He checked the rest of his body, searching for any rocks, or broken or cracked bones. Feeling known, his finger traced Legolas' head. Aragorn assumed he had a bad concussion, hopefully not a skull fracture. He cradled Legolas' head in his lap as he looked around, or tried to look around. He sighed. They were trapped.

*~*~*~*~*

"Elladan?"

"Yes father?"

"Would you mind following those two? I have a bad feeling about this."

Elladan stared at his father, usually his bad feelings turned out to be something very bad indeed. He gave a short nod, then turned to find Elrohir.

"Elladan?"

Elladan turned.

"Be careful."