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Aragorn was waiting with anticipation for Legolas would be arriving soon as it was already getting dark. He had met Legolas a couple of times before but on those occasions Legolas had only visited to meet with Elrond and leave quickly afterwards. This time Legolas would stay for a week and Aragorn was hoping to get to know Legolas better.
He heard the guards announce that Legolas had been spotted and would arrive any minute know, he rushed down the stairs and to the gate, where Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir were already waiting. Just as he had greeted them the large wooden gates opened and Legolas rode in on his white horse. He dismounted the horse and one of the servants took the horse to the stables.
“Hello Legolas.” Elrond gave him a small smile
“Hello Elrond,” Legolas replied and greeted him and the twins, placing his right hand on his heart. When he got to Aragorn he smiled and said,“You must be Estel, if I remember correctly.”
“I used to be, now it’s Aragorn, nice to see you again.”
“Hmm… Aragorn, it is to see you again, too.”
Before they had a chance to say anything else Elrond interrupted and said,“Legolas, you must be exhausted, do you wish to retire for the night?”
“Yes, thank you.” Legolas did sound quite tired, it was a long way from Greenwood to Rivendell.
Elrond guided Legolas to his quarters and the twins stayed behind, snickering at Aragorn,“What are you laughing at?” he demanded in all seriousness. It was Elladan who answered, still laughing,“You looked at Legolas like you were about to ask him to marry you!”
“I was not!” Aragorn exclaimed angrily.
“Oh Legolas, will you marry me?” Elrohir kneeled and took Elladan’s hand in his.
“Of course, Estel!” Elladan answered and burst out laughing again. Aragorn hurried away to his room, leaving the twins behind his back still mocking him.
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Aragorn woke up late in the morning, it wasn’t actually that late but the elves wake with the sun so when Aragorn wakes the elves have been up for a couple of hours already. Since Aragorn was always the last to wake up they always ate breakfast when Aragorn woke up, so he wouldn’t have to eat alone. He stood, washed up, dressed, and went to the hall where the elves liked to gather. Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas were already sitting there, chatting.
“Ah, look who is finally awake,” Elladan said jokingly.
“Good morning to you too,” Aragorn replied, he was still a bit tired and started to regret his decision not to go back to bed.
“If it would’ve taken you any longer we would’ve pronounced you dead,” Elrohir joined with the teasing.
Elrond decided to end the teasing,“Stop it boys, let’s go and eat breakfast.”
Everyone stood and went to the eating hall, the hall was filled with laughter and chatter as they ate.
“Es-Aragorn, would you like to go for a ride with me?”
“Yeah, sure, absolutely,” Aragorn was flustered and the twins were laughing again but Legolas didn’t pay any mind to it.
“Good.” That said, Legolas stood and left,“You have 15 minutes!” he yelled from down the hall.
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Fifteen minutes later Aragorn and Legolas were in the stables, putting saddles on their horses. They mounted the horses and rode off.
“Where are we heading?” Aragorn still had no idea.
“No where in particular but a mile from here is a nice clearing where we could make a stop,” Legolas replied.
“Race you there!”
Aragorn’s and Legolas’ horses took off and it was unclear who was faster, their horses were side to side, they reached the clearing, it was covered with flowers and a river ran through it. They dismounted their horses and took a walk around, letting the horses to drink from the river and rest a bit.
“I meant to ask earlier but didn’t find an appropriate time. How come you are Aragorn now?”
“Well, it turns out that when Elrond took me in he changed my name to protect me.”
“Why did you need protecting?”
“I’m Isildur’s heir.”
Legolas was surprised,“When did you find out?”
“Last year, when I turned twenty-one, Elrond told me everything. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it-everything just… changed?” Aragorn’s eyes were wet and a single tear fell on his cheek, he wiped his eyes and turned to look at the horses, they were ready to ride back,“We should get going.” Before Legolas could ask anything Aragorn was on his way back to the horses. They both mounted their horses and didn’t notice the orc lurking from behind the trees at edge of the clearing, they started to ride away when suddenly Legolas’ horse was impaled with an arrow and she fell over dead, crushing Legolas’ leg under her, just as quickly Aragorn had taken an arrow and shot the orc, killing it. He kneeled next to Legolas,“Are you alright?”
“I think so, what was it?” He struggled to move under the horse.
“It was an orc, looks like it was alone but there might be more nearby, we have to get back,” Aragorn answered as he helped Legolas free his leg. Aragorn examined Legolas’ leg and started to poke at it, when he got to the middle of his shin Legolas gasped in pain,“I think your leg is broken, but the bone hasn’t broken the skin. I have to set it and splint it. It’ll hurt a lot. Can you manage without anything for the pain?”
“Mhmm.”
When Aragorn set and splinted his leg Legolas got dizzy and groaned. Aragorn helped Legolas stand on one leg, it made Legolas even dizzier and he threw up, luckily not on himself or Aragorn. When his dizziness lessened Aragorn helped him get on his horse, Aragorn sat in front of Legolas,“Hold on, we have to get back fast.” Legolas wrapped his arms around Aragorn and they took off, they sped through the forest and when Legolas leg was jarred he buried his face in Aragorns shoulder, grunting in pain,“Sorry,” Aragorn apologized.
“Not you fault.”
“We’ll be there in about an hour.”
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An hour later they arrived at Rivendell, as soon as they entered the gate Aragorn was yelling for Elrond, he was there in a minute. Legolas had passed out from the pain and was slumped on Aragorn.
“Aragorn! Legolas! What happened?”
“Legolas broke his leg, help me get him down.”
Elrond carefully took Legolas down from the horse and Aragorn dismounted the horse himself, Aragorn then took Legolas in his arms in a bridal carry and headed to the healing halls with Elrond.
“Put him on the bed. How did it even happen, you only went for a ride?”
Aragorn put Legolas on the bed and answered Elrond,“An orc shot his horse and she fell on his leg. I splinted it and he passed out on our way back.”
Elrond looked over Legolas’ leg,“You did a good job, he just need something for the pain and he’ll be okay in a week.”
“That’s good.”
“What happened to the orc?”
“I killed him, thankfully there weren’t any other orcs nearby and we managed to come back here.”
All this commotion woke up Legolas, Elrond helped him sit up,“How do you feel?”
“Okay, but my leg is bothering me.”
Elrond took a glass of water and put a few drops of some pain relieving liquid in there,“Drink it all, it’ll help with the pain.”
Legolas drank gratefully, the fact he didn’t protest showed Elrond how much pain he was actually in. He hated herbs that dulled his pain because they made him sleepy and dulled his other senses. Elrond left to let Legolas rest. Aragorn took a chair and sat next to Legolas,“You shouldn’t fight it, go to sleep.”
“I can’t. Can you help me turn?” Legolas didn’t look at Aragorn.
“Sure.” Aragorn helped Legolas turn on his side,“Better?”
“Yeah, thanks for splinting my leg earlier.” Legolas was starting to slur and his eyes began closing.
“No problem, get some rest.” Aragorn stood and and started to walk away but Legolas reached and took Aragorn’s hand in his own,“Don’t go.”
Aragorn sat down again,“I won’t go anywhere if you don’t want me to.”
They both fell asleep like that, still holding hands.
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Aragorn woke to sound of laughing, he opened his eyes and saw Elladan punch Elrohir and shush him. He turned and saw that Legolas was still sleeping and they were holding hands, so that’s what Elrohir was laughing at, he thought but didn’t let Legolas’ hand go.
“Why are you here?”
“You should eat something. It’s getting dark already,” Elladan answered.
“I’m not hungry.” Aragorn lied, he just didn’t want to leave Legolas alone.
The twins didn’t take no for an answer and dragged Aragorn away. They sat him down at the dinner table and shoved a bowl of soup in front of him.“The sooner you finish eating the sooner you’ll get back,” Elrohir said.
Aragorn started eating but stared at the twins angrily.
“So, you want to tell us something?” Elladan raised an eyebrow.
“No… Nothing.” Aragorn started eating faster.
“You know we were just teasing you earlier. If you like him you should just go for it.”
It got really quiet for a moment,“But, what if he doesn’t like me?”
“Are you kidding me! Have you seen the way he looks at you?” Elrohir exclaimed.
“Are-Are you sure?”
“His eyes are glued to you, and he asked you to go for a ride with him even though he barely knows you. And the way he held hands with you, you don’t know him that well, but we do and I have never seen him hold hands with anyone.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Thank guys.” Aragorn stood and went back to the healing halls. Legolas was awake and there was an empty bowl on the cabinet,“Hey, where did you go before?”
“Elrohir and Elladan dragged me away, they forced me to eat.” Aragorn sat one edge of the bed.
“Aha, Elrond did the same with me and he gave me some nasty medicine–” Legolas yawned,“–it’s already working. I feel really tired.”
“Get some sleep then.” Aragorn sat on the chair next to the bed. It was getting late and he was tired, he probably would’ve fallen asleep in the chair soon but Legolas noticed how tired Aragorn was. He patted the bed next to him and turned over, his back now facing Aragorn. Aragorn accepted the invitation and lied down behind Legolas. He wrapped his arms around Legolas’ waist and fell asleep.
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It was still dark outside when Aragorn woke up to the sound of Legolas crying, it he was immediately up,“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing. It’s just that, I miss her.”
“Who?” Aragorn was very confused.
“Mae.”
“Your horse?”
“Yeah. She was still a young horse.”
Aragorn wrapped his arms around Legolas, who buried his face in Aragorn’s shoulder and started sobbing. Half an hour later his sobs began to subside and he fell asleep again.
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A week later Legolas was completely well, he could walk and run like he used to. He had to leave today, he was supposed to leave two days ago, but Elrond didn’t let him go before his leg was healed. Legolas and Aragorn were currently in Aragorn’s room, cuddling on the bed and enjoying a lazy morning, when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Aragorn and Legolas quickly sat up. “Come inside,” Aragorn called out. Elrond opened the door and stepped inside,“Legolas, can I have a word with you?”
“Sure,” Legolas answered and got up. He left the room with Elrond and they went for a walk in the gardens.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Aragorn.”
“What about him?”
“I’m not blind despite the twins thinking that. You better not hurt him.” Elrond was oddly threatening when he said that.
“I have no intention to do that. I care about him.”
“Good. For your own interests I recommend that it’ll stay like that.” After saying this Elrond left and Legolas went back to Aragorn’s room.
“What did you talk about?”
“Oh, nothing important, but I really have to get going now if I want to be home before nightfall.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
They both stood up and went to the stables. Legolas loaned one of Elrond’s horses with promises to return him next time his visiting. Aragorn wanted to ride with Legolas to the edge of Rivendell so he took his own horse and got him ready. Legolas said his goodbyes to Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir and then he rode off with Aragorn. When they reached the border they stopped and dismounted their horses. They hugged and looked at each other.
“When will you visit again?”
“I don’t know. But you can always come and visit me.”
“What about your father? What would he think of me?”
“Ada won’t think badly about anyone who makes me happy, and you make me happy.”
They looked at each other, Legolas leaned in and gently kissed Aragorn. It was their first kiss but it meant a lot. It was a promise of what was to come. They parted, Legolas mounted his horse and rode off into the distance.