Title: Author: Durin's Bane Author's e-mail: laurissofi@hotmail.com Pairings: Legolas – Haldir Rating: Summary: Legolas forsakes his friends and leaves the fellowship to go with Haldir. He must pay the price...right? Disclaimer: Tolkien had a very boring life and decided to invent all the names, places and related indicia that appear in this fic. But the story is mine! Warnings: Notes: Haldir never died in Helm's Deep. This happens after that battle. This is the sequel of "Farewell to Lórien". Haldir stood straight, his elven eyes scanning the horizon for any possible threat against his people. Beside him were his brothers, Orophin and Rumil. "So, brother, have you seen anything yet?" "No, Rumil. The orcs seem to have learned it is they who suffer should they venture past our borders. It is almost time for the guard shift..." he mused out loud. He was tired after so many hours of patrolling. "Go to bed, brother, Rumil and I will alert you of any threat." "Thanks" sighed Haldir and he went to his talan, rubbing his eyes. However, the moment he lied down to sleep, rest didn't find him; it had never done so for months... * "Twenty three! Twenty four!" the dwarf screamed in triumph as the uruk hai fell around him. "How many have you got?" far away, up the stairs of the Deeping Wall, he heard a faint voice. "I've got 45!" Gimly opened his eyes wide. "Well, no pointy eared elf is beating me!" he said, then resumed his uruk slaying. Many hours had passed until the horn of Rohan was blown and Eomer and his Rohirrim charged in, killing orcs as they went. The wounded were rushed into the healing pavilions and the dead were piled up, humans and elves to be buried, orcs to be burnt. Afterwards, there was a great meeting to celebrate the victory and commemorate the dead. The prince of Mirkwood sat on a corner of the room, slowly drinking mug after mug of beer. He was getting some publicity regarding his aim and grace, no doubt from Aragorn and Gimly, and was getting tired of his new job: smile, give thanks and shake hands. Over and over again he did so, until he could bear it no more: Legolas, heir to the woodland throne, had never really liked big fancy meetings, like the one he was in now. He stood up and, after shaking Eowyn's hand for the umpteenth time, he excused himself and went to his room. He chuckled as he remembered the look of awe in Eowyn's eyes and thought that it was probably the first time she had met, or even seen, an elf. He wasn't really arrogant, but he asked himself if the niece of Théoden actually fancied him. He answered himself, maybe, maybe not, then sat on his bed and yawned widely in a very un-elf like manner. He lied down and allowed the alcohol and battle tiredness push him into sleep. The prince was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in months. The next day, Orophin smiled as he sat beside Haldir at the breakfast table. "Did you have a nice sleep, brother?" "Not really," said Haldir truthfully, "Some...issues just refused to leave my head." "I see. Well, there is no duty tonight, so maybe you'll sleep then." "Yeah... maybe. Thanks, brother." The marchwardens finished their breakfast and went to the gardens, where they enjoyed their day. Haldir's thoughts, however, weren't with his brothers, but with someone else who was far, far away... "How was your sleep, orc slayer?" asked Gimly with a grin as Legolas sat down. "Ah, stop it, Gimly." Legolas said and looked at his plate sadly. "You're not going to eat that? You haven't eaten in days... I understand you didn't want to go on eating Aragorn's horrible ´delicacies´, but now we are in Rohan..." "It has nothing to do with Aragorn's cooking skills, Gimly; I'm just... not hungry." The dwarf looked at him frowning and then sighed heavily. "Alright, then, I'll eat your rations." "They are not rations; it's my plate, Gimly." Legolas corrected him dully. "Ah... fine. Your *plate*." Later that day, Legolas paced his room when Aragorn came in. "Hello. I was wondering why you didn't come to lunch and why you didn't have breakfast." Legolas looked at Aragorn, feeling his mood drop suddenly. "Why do you inquire to know such trivial things, estel? I am fine. Lack of appetite means not disease. I am okay; I just want to be alone for some time." Aragorn, however, didn't move. Legolas looked at him, beginning to get angry. "Aragorn! Please leave!" the ranger nodded slightly and turned to leave. "Legolas, you are not the same since we left Lórien." At that, Legolas yelled "Get out of my room!" and Aragorn left slowly. The prince then slammed the door shut and kicked the bed in anger, not noticing the tears that had started to fall from his eyes. Why had Aragorn's comment affected him so much? Had he not gotten over that? Damn it, he thought desperately, and he lied down again. Unexpected flashes danced in the dark room before Legolas, images he didn't know he remembered. "...here, for you..." "You can't give me this, it is..." "It is a gift to you, Legolas..." The prince continued to cry without knowing so, then fell into an uneasy sleep. The marchwarden of Lórien wailed in agony while Orophin combed his hair. "And... that is it..." he said in between sobs. Rumil looked at him sorrowfully, and then said in a low whisper, "Well, then go for him, Haldir. I mean, if you do indeed love him, go for him... or else you will die." "I c- can't! I would b-be betraying all your trust and..." Rumil chuckled and kissed Haldir's brow gently. "If you stayed, you'd be betraying your own heart, Haldir. Go, for he is what holds you together. We can patrol well even without you." The room was silent for a few minutes, and then Haldir stood and said: "I need a horse." "My lord, we... we have an emergency! The elf, my lord... he won't.... he won't wake up..." Aragorn stood up as if hit by lightning. "Lead the way." The servant quickly ran to Legolas' room. Aragorn saw that the elf's eyes were closed-not a good sign- and that he was sobbing slightly. He called a healer and exited the room, hurrying to alert Gimly. TWO WEEKS LATER Legolas walked slowly over the mud, his elven feet leaving no track. He was tired again, but refused to tell that to Aragorn. The human had started to think of Legolas as weak and incapable of continuing, and at times, the elf could but agree with him. He had grown thinner and weak over the days, unable or unwilling to eat and drinking only a few drops of water each day. /What is happening to me? Why am I so weak, so... unwilling to go on? And why is that thing Aragorn said still in my head?!/ The elf was slow enough to not notice danger right away. In his healthy state, he saw danger a few seconds before it emerged, but his time he didn't notice anything until Aragorn shouted "Legolas!" for the tenth time. The prince jerked his head up. "Yes?" "Are you going to light the fire or should I do it myself again?!" Aragorn's voice was angry. He was angry, Legolas knew it now. He clumsily walked over with his head low, and grabbed the flint and steel from Gimly. Aragorn's haste to find Merry and Pippin was becoming an obsession and he was loosing care on what he did. His meals were, if possible, worst than ever, and he was also filthy. Legolas glanced at Aragorn and said weakly, "I'm done..." getting an angry "Well, make yourself useful in some way!" before sitting on a rock, hugging his knees. He stared at the fire with a blank expression in his face, as if though he was empty on the inside. /And I am. I *am* empty. / He sank his head lower into his arms and suppressed the urge to cry. Haldir looked at the map he had been given. He would intercept the three companions in a day. He smiled, thinking of the face Legolas would make when he saw him. He urged his horse to go faster, all the while smiling and chanting a bit. He knew that Legolas wouldn't have forgotten him, the feelings they had for each other were too strong. He urged the horse even more, wanting to run into Legolas and the others as soon as he could. "Just leave me here, okay?" Legolas smiled reassuringly to Gimly. The dwarf was worried about leaving Legolas behind, but Aragorn had made up his mind. "I'll be fine, hey, I'm an elf." Legolas smiled again, waiting for Gimly to leave. At last, the dwarf gave him a slight pat on the shoulder and turned around, trotting to catch up with Aragorn. Legolas sighed and hugged his knees again, staring at the moon. "Well, now it's only me... and I bet I will have to make myself useful if I want to survive." He thought out loud. He rubbed his eyes and then his hands to get warmth and lit a small fire with the things Aragorn had left him. He scanned his surroundings, listening, even waiting for some source of danger. However, everything was very calmed. Legolas smiled and turned towards the fire before being brutally pushed to the floor. When he looked up he saw a man. "Aragorn!" Legolas exclaimed in a high voice. The human seemed to have fought something and he was a little bruised. "Don't ‘Aragorn' me, *elf*. You sly creature, you convinced Gimly of my evilness!" "What?" choked Legolas. "He now says you are not to be left behind; Well, I tell you, *prince*, I will find Merry and Pippin with or without help!" with that, Aragorn landed a fist on Legolas' face, making the elf grunt weakly and move backwards. "You... don't understand... I told Gimly nothing..." Legolas looked at Aragorn, scared. "What is up with you, anyway? You are obsessed with finding the Halflings! You...have stopped looking after your own wellness!" "Shut up! Look who's talking! You are a mess!" "Because *you* have pushed me into being one!" the clearing fell silent as Legolas stood up weakly, his eyes defying Aragorn for all he was worth. "If I am a mess, estel, it's because you have taken everything from me." He said it in a low voice, yet his words echoed around the empty forest. "Everything I held dear to my heart. Now just go and see if you manage to make Gimly kill himself out of agony too." Aragorn looked at the elf with pure hatred, and then walked away. "Damn it..." Legolas grunted slightly as he touched his nose. "Bleeding... need herbs...Where are the...ah, no..." he moved towards his pack and got a leaf of athelas, which he used to stop his bleeding. Then he lay down and faced the fire with dim eyes. /Okay, I'm on my own now. I must get well and... go back or fetch Aragorn and Gimly... I don't know.... Ah, damn it, where is Haldir when you need-? No! I mustn't think about him! It's wrong!" Legolas kneeled on the floor and grabbed his head, grunting in frustration. Twenty five miles away stood Haldir, looking at the horizon. Something was not right; the birds had seemed to stop their chirping and there was a faint smell of blood somewhere not so far away. Dwarf blood, he deduced, since the smell was not as sweet as an elf's, yet too sour to be a human's. Haldir had never cared for dwarves, but he knew there was danger, perhaps a lot: it was hard to make dwarves bleed. He rode quickly; his worries growing... perhaps the company had been attacked?! What were the odds of dwarves going out of their underground hideouts? Legolas shivered slightly. "Sing. That's it. I'll sing so... that I am happy." He began to sing a song, but his voice quavered and died. A twig snapped somewhere close to him and Legolas jerked to his feet, clutching his bow. His elven instinct came back to him and he made a slight grunting sound. He heard nothing and decided it must have been some animal that made the noise earlier. He lay down. He was bored to no end and he was hungry, but he knew he wouldn't be able to pass any food through his throat. He silently waited five minutes before standing up, gathering his things and walking away slowly. He made up his mind to go to Mirkwood, ha cared no more for what his father would say. Haldir had covered twenty miles in five hours and was thrilled to keep up the pace. He rode quick and light and so didn't see the figure from afar until his horse stood on its hind legs and kicked something in front of them. Haldir heard a loud "Agh!" and jumped off his horse. He looked at the...thing he had kicked accidentally and screamed in horror. "Shit! Legolas! Oh, gods, Legolas!" The prince's head was okay but his abdomen was bleeding. It occurred to Haldir that he may have broken Legolas' ribs and cut his side, and the thought made him wail in pain as if he had been kicked himself. He picked up the prince and was startled and panicked to hear a scream emerge from the prince's mouth as a low cracking noise was heard. "Oh, shit...Legolas? Legolas, can you hear me?" the young elf had his pupils dilated, his eyes unfocused and he was cold like ice. Haldir carried him to a small clearing in the middle of the forest and laid him down. "Wake up... come back, Legolas, it's me, Haldir..." Legolas stirred a bit. Haldir got a healing salve from his pouch and cautiously cleaned Legolas' cut. He heard the young elf breathe raggedly and softly caressed his hair. "Now, now, Legolas, it is me, everything is alright..." /What is going on? I... I feel like I've been split in two... where am I? Did Aragorn do something to me? Why am I lying down like this? Why can't I see anything? Where—who's touching me!?/ Legolas- mind was reeling with questions. He felt very confused, he didn't know where he was and he was starving. He heard a fumbling sound and tilted his head back to see a man doing something over a fire. He was tall and his hair was like spun silver... Legolas only knew one person with such a hair. But... it couldn't be... he was supposed to be away, on patrol, with his people... Haldir felt he was being watched. Had Legolas woken up? Maybe... maybe he was alright! He turned around slightly to see Legolas turn his head away and start to move. He beamed and whispered "Legolas?" with his voice raw out of excitement. The little elf turned to face him, his eyes revealing that he didn't believe what he saw. Haldir smiled and touched Legolas' shoulder gently. "Mellon-nin... it's me...Haldir..." Legolas' heart skipped a beat when he heard Haldir's voice. /This can't be.../ "Haldir..." he said in a raspy voice. Then he managed a weak smile. "Yes, Legolas, it's me... look, I am so sorry..." "For... what?" "My horse... well...well, he kicked you by accident... I'm so sorry Legolas, I am..." "Your...horse ran over me?" "Sort of, yes..." "Oh." Legolas thought, maybe that's where all the pain comes from... "Did I break something?" "A rib, maybe two." "Okay... why did you come? You... you should be on patrol. With your two brothers and the rest of the guards..." "Yes, I know Legolas, but I just couldn't leave you behind... I couldn't." Legolas smiled. "Neither could I." then, without waiting for a response, he said "I'm sorry I caused you to come over here... I don't want to be a burden." "You wouldn't be a burden even if you tried, Legolas." This caused the prince to smile. "Oh... really?" "Really, Legolas. Don't underestimate yourself." "Oh... err... fine. I won't." "Good. Now, if you will let me see that... the cut has healed, but I will have to push the rib back in place." Legolas' eyes widened at the words. "Otherwise, you will probably heal malformed." Legolas' eyes widened even more. "Okay... but... err..." "I'll try not to hurt you. I can't promise you anything but..." "Yes... I understand." Legolas took hold of Haldir's shoulder and shut his eyes tightly. "Do it." Haldir looked at Legolas, then smiled sadly and placed both hands on Legolas' abdomen. By the gasp he heard, he deduced that the wound might be a bit more serious than he thought. "Okay... one... two..." he felt for the cracked rib and decidedly pushed forward. Legolas screamed and arched his back in pain. "Aaah!" "Calm down..." Haldir panted slightly as he continued to push the broken bones. Legolas meanwhile was biting his lower lip and had somehow managed to draw blood. "Stop it... please..." Legolas was crying out of sheer pain, and it was the sight of Legolas' eyes being full of pained tears that made Haldir let go of the rib. Legolas gasped in pained relief and panted. "Sorry..." Haldir managed to speak and then he turned around and grabbed a plate of food. "Here, eat..." "No..." Legolas panted, "Not hungry..." "Did you... manage to fix it?" "No, Legolas, I... I-m sorry..." "No... I can-t heal wrongly... I... you must do it this time..." said Legolas as he tried to sit up. "No, Legolas, no. you must rest, that was a nice bit of pain you got back there..." Legolas sighed and lay down again. "Maybe it was..." he smiled at Haldir. "I can-t stop thinking of you, Haldir...every night... I dream I'm with you." Haldir smiled. "So do I, Legolas." "Come, stand up and let's get going." Haldir sat on a rock and looked at Legolas for a moment. "You really think you're going to get away with it, do you?" "What do you mean, I've healed, I'm not pretending..." "You're limping." Said Haldir, pointing at Legolas' feet. The prince looked down and, in fact, he was limping. "Oh, darn it." He muttered. Haldir smiled and motioned Legolas to sit back down. "It's not *that* bad, is it, to be trapped in this smelly cave with me? Because, you know, I am not moving until you heal, and neither are you." Legolas shrugged and sat down, flinching a bit in pain. "That depends on *how* I get to be trapped here." "Well, what is that supposed to mean?" Legolas smiled briefly then leaned forward so that he was inches away from Haldir. He ignored the pain he felt on his side and smiled again. "If you get to be my austere host, then there would be no point in staying here much longer." He traced Haldir's smooth features with one finger. "If, on the other hand, you prefer to be more... personal, we could fix something up..." Haldir was already breathing raggedly. Legolas smiled and slowly, very slowly, backed away. "I think I'll be the austere host..." Haldir commented. Legolas laughed a bit, then bent in half and lied down, holding his grunts of pain. "Are you alright?" "Yes, just a little stab of pain, it'll be over soon." Haldir smiled and approached Legolas. The small elf was lying down and virtually unprotected. "So..." Haldir mused as he caressed Legolas' hair, "What host would you prefer?" Legolas smiled and moaned heartily when Haldir kissed him. He threw his arms around the marchwarden's neck, opening his mouth for greater access. Haldir seized his chance. While he continued to kiss Legolas, his hands traveled over to the prince's abdomen, where he instantly located Legolas' wounded rib. He felt Legolas tense at the touch, but distracted him when he started a slow rhythm with his tongue. He then took a firm hold of the rib and pushed it back into place with a swift motion. Legolas screamed in pain and jerked the kiss finished. "What was that?" he said in a muffled voice as tears sprang from his eyes. "Sorry... I had to..."Legolas waited for the pain to subside and then lay down, his eyes closed. "It feels better like this... thanks..." he looked at Haldir and smiled. "I prefer the personal host. Especially after that little taste back there." Haldir smiled and kissed Legolas again. TBC.