Shadow of the Forest

Part 11

Posted: September 2003
Author: Estella Greenleaf

*****

Chapter 11: A star reborn

Aragorn stared mutely at the unmoving Elf in his arms. Shadow was dead. He still could not believe that his mentor, his light, his love had left him. He had been sitting with the Elf for the entire night, holding him close and rocking him gently as he had always wanted to do. In his grief, he did not notice that the sun had risen and another day had come, nor could he hear the soft knock on the door.

Lord Elrond hated to intrude upon his foster son's grief, but the time for the Council drew near. Estel must prepare for the occasion. He cleared his throat softly, "I know your pain. But you are the future King of Men and must attend to your duties. The Council will meet in three hours and you must be ready for it."

Aragorn nodded numbly. He knew Shadow would want him to go. His mentor believed he would be a good king; he would not let his Elf down. It was the only thing he could do for Shadow now. He laid the Golden Elf gently onto the bed and walked towards the door. Glancing at the peaceful still form of his mentor one last time, Aragorn closed the door and started for his own chambers to prepare for the Council of Elrond.

*****

The Man arrived to find Arwen waiting for him by his door. Aragorn knew he must tell the lady that his heart laid elsewhere. He could not allow the Evenstar of the Elves to sacrifice her immortality for someone who did not love her. He would not be that selfish, even if Shadow was gone and Arwen would make a great Queen for Gondor. Though Aragorn would prefer to have more time to deliberate his words in order to cause the maiden the least amount of hurt, this occasion would suffice.

Before he could begin his confession, the Elf maiden asked, "What happened last evening? How could you leave me unconscious and defenseless in the garden?"

Aragorn flinched at the accusing tone in his lady's voice. When he saw Shadow lying unconscious on the ground, he had lost his customary calm. He panicked and forgot that Arwen had fainted at the sight of his mentor. Though they were safe in Rivendell, he should not have left the unconscious Lady on the garden floor. In his grief, he did not even remember to tell Elrond and Glorfindel about the incident and ask them to help her. The Lady had every right to be angry with him. He had never seen Arwen incensed before, but the Man had a feeling that before the end of their conversation, he would have the opportunity to see the Evenstar of the Elves furious.

"I am sorry, Milady. The Elf who fell from the tree was my mentor. He meant a lot to me and when I saw him lying there motionless, I was very alarmed. I just stopped thinking and ran for help."

To Aragorn's surprise, the Elf-maiden anger seemed to have dissipated. Resignation and sadness took its place in her bright sapphire eyes. "You love him, don't you?" she asked quietly.

The Man stared at Arwen in astonishment. This was a secret that he buried deep inside his heart; he was convinced that no one knew the extent of his feelings, not even Shadow. "How?"

The Lady smiled sadly and explained, "We have known each other for five years. You have never tried to do anything more intimate than an occasional chaste kiss or holding hands. And most of the time, I am the one who initiated the contact. Apart from that, there is the sadness in your eyes when you stare out into a distance. Every time I ask you what is wrong, you pretend not to know what I am speaking of. I have always known there is a part of your heart that remains closed to me; I just never knew who holds it."

"Arwen, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I should never have allowed our relationship to go this far. It's just that I do not truly know my own heart until it is too late," Aragorn said brokenheartedly as his guilt for hurting Arwen's feelings and the pain of losing Shadow tore at him.

"I forgive you, Estel. I now release you from our vow. Do not worry about me. Our binding is not irrevocable until our first joining. I have not yet lost my immortality and when the time comes, I will sail West with my family. I wish you happiness in your pursuit of true love," said Arwen softly. She leant close to Aragorn for a soft good-bye kiss and walked away. Though her heart was breaking, the Evenstar finally felt free. She had done what she must and could move on with her life, free from the burden of unrequited love.

The Man was lost for words at his Lady's compassion and understanding. At the same time, her words reminded him that he had lost Shadow forever and that he would never be truly happy. When he watched Arwen disappeared down the winding corridor, the Man whispered a soft "Thank you" as silent tears crept anew down his face.

*****

As the morning light hit Legolas' still form, it began to glow. A gust of wind rushed into the room, lifting the blanket that covered the Prince. The gale continued to grow stronger, gathering around the Golden Elf. It formed a protective sphere, lifting the mage gently from his bed into the air. The light from the Star of Earendil grew brighter as the sphere of powerful winds grew larger, knocking over the furniture in the room.

Leaves from the trees now joined the vigil over their beloved Elven Prince, floating around him as tendrils of white light shot from the Wood Elf, entwining his body before reentering his still form. Sparks of fire ignited from the light, dissolving the Prince's robes as droplets of water from the surrounding falls formed a cocoon of mist within the shield of wind. As all five elements enveloped the Golden Elf, an intense explosion of light erupted from Legolas, blinding all the curious creatures of the forests that had been spying on the ritual.

As the light faded, all became still and the Star of Earendil drifted slowly down onto his bed, eyes closed and breathing softly, a vision of a golden angel in the sweetest deep slumber.

*****

Glorfindel was wandering the gardens close to the guest wing when he heard the noise from Legolas' room. He hurried towards it as he knew the Elf had faded sometime the night before and Estel had been staying with his mentor ever since. He was afraid the Man would do something to hurt himself in his grief. When he walked into the room to find the furniture in complete disarray, he almost rushed out immediately to search for Estel. But a soft glimmer drew his attention to the bed.

What he found there could not possibly be the Legolas they brought back to Rivendell; it must be a Vala fallen onto Middle Earth as no earthly creature could be that beautiful. Long flowing hair spun of the finest golden silk glittered softly from the light of the sun. The lustrous mane spread carelessly over the pillows, an untamed beauty to behold. It framed an exquisitely sculpted face, with deep-set eyes, delicate cheekbones and delectable rosy lips. Smooth creamy soft skin over a perfectly built lithe male body, with long shapely limbs and tight round buttocks that made the Elf look both innocent and sensual at the same time. The gentle morning sun cast a golden hue upon the sleeping figure, further enhancing his ethereal beauty.

Glorfindel found himself frozen, staring at the otherworldly beauty. His desire to claim this gorgeous creature warred with his sense of honor and protectiveness. His inner turmoil was interrupted as the mysterious Elf let out a soft sigh and opened his eyes. They were the most beautiful eyes Glorfindel had ever seen; clear, deep-blue sapphires framed by long golden lashes, their expression intense and gentle at the same, seemingly able to see right through a being's soul.

The Elf slowly rose to a sitting position from his bed and stretched his arms. The Elven Lord once again found himself enchanted by the graceful movement as lean muscles on the exquisite beauty moved and contracted. Glorfindel decided that his robes were definitely becoming much too tight and uncomfortable. Seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, the stranger turned and smiled at him. The Elf-lord was so bedazzled that he could swear he was seeing stars.

"Lord Glorfindel, what happened? I remember going to the gardens and the pain when I saw Estel and Arwen kissed, but I can not recall any events after," asked a concerned Legolas. The Prince did not like gaps in his memories. And that had been happening too often lately for his taste.

When the young Elf spoke, Glorfindel was finally able to break out of his trance. But he continued to stare openly at Legolas, who frowned. It was difficult for the fair Elf not to gawk as before him was the Star of Earendil reborn. Indeed, the rumors of the Prince's beauty did not exaggerate.

Annoyed and slightly hurt by the Elf-lord's muted scrutiny, Legolas demanded, "Why are you staring at me so? It is not the first time you saw my ugly face."

It took several minutes before the Elven Lord regained control of his tongue and formed words, "If you are ugly, my Golden One, all the Elves in Middle Earth are more hideous than Sauron's Orcs."

Mystified by Glorfindel's answer, the Prince of Greenwood reached a hand up and touched his face. His face was smooth, his nose was actually there, his lips was no longer twisted and split in the middle… The spell was broken. That would mean Aragorn loved him and kissed him!! "Where is Estel?" asked an excited, overjoyed Legolas.

"He prepares for the Council of Elrond this afternoon, my Prince," Glorfindel bowed his head slightly after he spoke, a sign of reverence for the golden beauty.

"Please do not be so formal with me, my Lord. You showed me kindness when most would cast me aside. Please, from now on, call me Legolas. I too must prepare for the Council. I cannot think of a better place to make my ‘first' appearance in front of Estel," said the Elf as he rose from his bed.

For the first time, Legolas became aware of his nudity and turned bright red. Glorfindel, forever the gentleman, fetched from the floor a blanket and handed it to the blushing Prince. The grateful young Elf wrapped it around his naked form immediately, and the Elven Lord could not help a jab of disappointment as the gorgeous body was hidden from his sight. He reminded himself once again that Legolas loved Estel before proceeding to help the Prince search through the rabble in the room for some formal clothes.

*****

Aragorn sat at the edge of the open circle, almost inconspicuous to the other Council members. Elrond had began to speak, but his mind kept returning to Shadow. The Lord of Rivendell was interrupted by the late arrival of Glorfindel and a strange Elf by his side. The Man found his eyes drawn to the stranger, studying the beautiful creature of their own volition.

Warrior braids held back the Elf's sun-kissed golden hair, in a style that was strangely reminiscent of Shadow's. A circlet of green and silver leaves on a golden vine adorned the lustrous mane, a sign of the stranger's prestige. He wore a simple silver velvet cloak, which perfectly complimented his flaxen hair and porcelain skin. He had a delicate yet masculine face; with the most captivating blue eyes Aragorn had ever seen, brilliant sapphire orbs that once again resembled Shadow's. The Golden Elf moved with feline grace and the added elegance of royalty, reminding the Man once more of his dead love.

As Frodo brought forth the Ring, Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor spoke. "Then it is true. The One Ring had been found. Why not use it? Long have our people fought the forces of Mordor. Only by the blood of our people are your land kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy…"

Aragorn had enough of this talk. He could see that the speaker swayed too easily to the power of the Ring. He stood and said, "You cannot wield it. No one can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone."

"And what would a Ranger know of such matters?" Boromir asked viciously, challenging him.

The mysterious Golden Elf surprised everyone by jumping to his defense. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir looked at the Elf questioningly as a rush of desire and jealousy coursed through him. Surely an exquisite being such as this will not lie. But why does he defend Aragorn so openly? Isildur's heir or not, the Man is just another common human Ranger. What can a beauty like him see in that Man?

When the Son of Gondor finally regained his focus, he asked, "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," finished the Elf smugly as if daring the Council to challenge him.

Aragorn was beginning to feel uncomfortable at this. He did not like his birthright being announced to the whole world. Besides, he could not imagine how the Elf knew so much about him, considering they had never met. Not to mention the stranger's voice was again reminding him of Shadow.

As if sensing his foster child's discomfort, Elrond spoke to the strange Elf, "Havo dat [Sit down], Legolas."

Aragorn watched the Elf took his seat.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a tirade of mental accusations followed.

The rest of the meeting was lost to Aragorn as he continued reprimanding himself in silence. He did, however, came to his senses when Frodo volunteered to carry the Ring to Mordor. Gandalf immediately offered to guide him. He knew this would be his chance to prove his worth and help Middle Earth. Moving to kneel before the Hobbit and the Man said, "If by my life or death I can protect you, I would. You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," offered Legolas immediately after his beloved offered his sword. There was no way he would allow Aragorn to face danger alone.

Elrond, Mithrandir and Glorfindel simultaneously raised their eyebrows at the announcement. The Lord of Rivendell spoke on their behalf, "Your duty is with your people, Legolas. The company will need an archer; Haldir has spoken to me and offered his services before the meeting. He will take your place."

Legolas knew this would happen. They knew the journey would be wrought with danger and worried that he would be tempted to break his vow again to help the Fellowship. He had been preparing a speech for some time in his mind now to ease their fears.

"My Lord, if the Ring is destroyed, my people will be free from Sauron's evil. I cannot think of a worthier quest than this. As to Haldir taking my place, I believe that this journey will be perilous and we will need the best fighters possible. I do not mean to slight the Guardian of Lòrien, but if I recall correctly, I am still the only Elf to score perfect on the Trials of Warriors. Besides, I have already given my word. I will not go back on them. The Ringbearer has Gandalf for magic and Aragorn for swordsmanship and he will have my bow, no more, no less."

Elrond let out an exasperated sigh; the Star of Earendil was too intelligent for his own good. The young one was trying to secretly reassure them that he would not use his magic, only his combat skills on the quest. There really was no arguing with his logic without making a scene. They would have to let him go. After looking at the fair Elven Lord and Wizard for confirmation, the Lord of Rivendell nodded, "Very well, Legolas. You have made your point. You may join Frodo and the others."

The rest of the selection of the Fellowship of the Ring went smoothly, as Boromir and Gimli the Dwarf joined the company along with the three other Hobbits. The Lord of Rivendell only hoped that the Golden Prince would resolve his issues with Aragorn before they set off on their journey. Their combined strength would be needed to see the Quest through.

*****

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