Rating: PG-13 to R just in case (Not for the faint of heart and the squeamish type. :P)

Feedback: Constructive criticisms will be kept close to the heart and flames will be used to power the balrog that I'll be sending after you. LOL! Please send all feedback to wanda_utq@hotmail.com

Spoilers: None that I can think of.

Archive: Feel free to but please e-mail me and let me know the URL so that I can go and have a look-see.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.R.R. Tolkien's characters or worlds. Everything recognizable belongs to Tolkien and everything else belongs to me. I did not obtain permission to use these characters and I'm not receiving money for this story. I merely take them out for a spin and will return them in one piece... more or less. *g*

Summary: An unexpected accident brought Aragorn and Legolas to a village seeking for help. While recuperating, the young ranger was accused of a murder that he did not commit. A brutal sentence was carried out and the two grievously injured friends were cast out and left to die in the wild. Will they make it back to Rivendell alive? Was Aragorn really innocent as he claimed to be or was there some other explanation behind the incident?

Author's Note: Much like Cassia and Sio, when Tolkien said that Aragorn was raised in the house of Elrond, I assumed that Elrond took him in as his adopted son. That will make Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir, his adopted brothers. And Aragorn is in his early twenties in this story. No idea how old Legolas is supposed to be but I am assuming that he is younger than Elladan and Elrohir.

I'd also like to thank Cassia and Sio for allowing me to take Celboril out for a spin. :D

My thanks to Rhonda: For your constant 'poking', for all the evil ideas that you have contributed and also for being my beta! Love you much!! *hugs* I couldn't have done it without you!! :D

Additional Disclaimer: I am not a forensic scientist and the CSI work mentioned in this story was purely fictional and has no scientific basis. Don't sue me for I have no money. All you may get is this fic. :D

// = elvish translations
* = thoughts
# = flashback

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chapter 2 - Life or Death

Legolas bit back a panicked cry as he sailed through the pitch-black void, his empty hands flailing in the air for he had lost his bow and quiver during the fall. Heart thumping fiercely in his chest, he tried to calm his breathing as he twisted his body in mid-air in attempt to minimize the injuries upon impact. The drop was long and his mind screamed in terror. He clamp his eyes shut and wondered if he could survive the fall at all while praying that Aragorn had somehow manage to avoid this fate.

Large pieces of rocks protruded out from the cave walls which Legolas could not see in the dark. If there were more light, he could have avoided what happened next. But what happened could have been the main factor that saved his life.

A rocky overhang extended out far from the wall into the path of his descent and Legolas collided into it with such great force that the rock broke off and tumbled down towards the ground below. But the impact had slowed his descent and probably turned the fatal fall into a non-fatal one.

A sharp pain flared across Legolas' chest and left shoulder and he gasped as all the air was knocked out of his lungs momentarily but before he could draw in a breath, he smashed into the ground. And he knew no more.

Aragorn heard a sickening crack below him and realized that it was the sound made by his friend when he impacted with the ground. Knowing that it would be his turn in a couple of seconds, the human screamed out in anger and fear.

*Why did it have to end this way?*

Bracing himself for the pain, he hoped that his death would be swift and rapid but instead of landing on the hard rocky surface, he landed on something soft, bounced off it and fell another five feet before landing hard on the ground. Dazed and in pain, Aragorn laid on the hard rocky surface with his eyes shut, all his concentration was focused on his breathing. It took him several long minutes before he realized that he was still alive. Opening his eyes, he scanned his surrounding carefully but the only thing he could see was the narrow beam of light coming from the opening that he and Legolas had fallen through. Everywhere else was dark. If he did not see the light from above, he would have thought that he had gone blind.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a soft glow emanating from a ledge approximately five feet above where he was lying. Pushing himself painfully from the ground, he gasped as the movement jarred his injured ribs. His body trembled as the sudden pain overloaded his senses. Bracing one hand behind him to hold himself upright, Aragorn willed the pain to go away. He still had a task at hand, to find his friend whether he was alive or dead. The young man shuddered at the thought and admonished himself for thinking that such ill fate would befall his best friend.

*Legolas would be fine*

He told himself.

*He is an elf and elves are resilient beings*

But no matter how he comforted himself, the sense of dread refuse to leave him. As the pain eased a little, Aragorn began to assess his injuries systematically. His ribs were probably badly bruised and one of them was most certainly cracked but he did not think that it was broken. He only wished he could say the same for his right ankle. The ankle was definitely broken and he knew it would pain him tremendously if he were to walk on it but he could not abandon his friend. Gritting his teeth, the young ranger bit back a cry as he got to his feet, putting most of his weight on his left leg. Wincing painfully, he limped over towards the ledge where the soft glow came from.

*He is still alive*

Aragorn reassure himself as he tried to steady his heavy breathing.

*Dead elves don't glow*

Legolas was lying facedown on a platform approximately eight feet long and four feet wide, with his head turned to the side away from the cavern wall. Aragorn reached out with a trembling hand and pressed his fingers on the elf's neck, desperately searching for some signs of life.

*Dead elves don't glow*

He found a pulse and let out a sigh of relief. It was weak and rapid but present nonetheless. His breathing however was almost non-existent, the shallow and irregular breath worried Aragorn greatly. Reaching up towards the prone body, he checked to make sure that neither his neck nor back was broken before flipping the unconscious elf onto his back as gently as he could in hope that it would somehow ease his friend's breathing.

"Legolas?" Aragorn called out and tapped the elven prince's face gently but instead of feeling the cool dry skin beneath his fingers, he felt something sticky and warm. Brushing the elf's hair quickly out of his face, he saw the deep gash that ran from the prince's forehead down to his left temple. The wound bled heavily, crimson blood which appeared almost black in the dim light pooling slowly around the elf's head.

Aragorn cursed out loud and instinctively pressed his hand on the bleeding wound. While doing that, the human noticed that their packs were still hung loosely over Legolas' arm. Carefully, he slipped them off with his free hand and emptied the contents onto the platform, rummaging for anything that he could use to staunch the bleeding. Finding a piece of clean clothing, he pressed it down hard on the deep gash and he held the cloth in place for many minutes before the elven healing power slowly worked its miracle and slowed the bleeding. But the elf still showed no signs of waking. Ripping a strip of cloth from an extra tunic, the man tied the makeshift bandage around the elf's forehead.

"Legolas?" Aragorn attempted to rouse the elf but to no avail. "I'm so sorry," the ranger's apologetic voice was laden with guilt. "If I didn't start the race, non of this would have happened." A strangled sob escaped his lips and he reached up to brush away the stray tear that had slipped down his face. "Legolas, please wake up," the man pleaded pathetically but the only answer he received was the echo bouncing back towards him from the cave walls.

He desperately wanted to help his friend but he did not dare to move him and risk further complications before finding out how severe Legolas' injuries were. "I can't help you if you don't wake up..." Aragorn whispered more to himself rather than to the unconscious elf.

His chest and ankle throbbed painfully, protesting to him for standing up too long. The human tried to hold on for as long as he could but his strength was failing by the seconds. Leaning heavily against the platform, he braced his elbows on the rough surface and dug his fingers into the dirt hoping that the extra support would keep him on his feet for a little longer but while the mind was strong, the flesh was weak. He began sliding towards the ground and finally he had no choice but to settle down beside the ledge where Legolas was lying on and calm his own injuries even though he hated leaving his friend where he couldn't see him. The pain in his chest was making breathing difficult. Wrapping his arms protectively around himself, he closed his eyes, intending to rest for a while before checking on Legolas again.

A soft whimper woke him from his dreams. Aragorn jerked awake, blinking hard to clear his foggy mind. He had no idea how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep. Scrambling up to his feet, he hissed as his sudden movement jarred his ribs and broken ankle. Ignoring the pain, he pulled himself up and checked on the prince.

Legolas' condition had remained unchanged which he thought was a good sign. At least he wasn't deteriorating. The wound on his head had stopped bleeding but the human worried that the elf might have suffered a concussion judging by the dark bruise spreading from beneath the bandage.

Aragorn shook the elf lightly on the shoulder but he did not expect any response so when Legolas whimpered, the human gasped in shock as his action unintentionally caused his friend additional distress. "Oh Valar! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you..." but he realized that the elf could not hear him. Dropping his head onto the cold, hard surface, Aragorn let out a long and frustrated sigh.

*****

To Be Continued...