Author’s name: LOTRFaith

Email: lotr_redwall@yahoo.com

Story title: The second hand will catch us…

Summery: Aragorn finds out how far Legolas is willing to go for him….

Rating: PG 13

A/N: Contains references to Cassia’s Mellon Chronicles: First Meetings and Mistaken Identity

http://aragorn-legolas.5u.com/fanfiction.html

The Challenge:

Write a 2,000 - 3,000 word story that relates to the lyrics in some way, and contains the phrase:

"He slammed his fist against the wall, bitter desperation eating at his heart. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe his friend was taking the fall for him like this... not when they all knew what it would cost."

One side refering to Aragorn and the other to Legolas (which way the senario was flipped was the author's choice).

*~*

A/N: Oh yeah;-) I was one of the eight winners:-D

*~* 

As years go by
I race the clock with you
But if you died right now
You know that I'd die to
I'd die too...

You remind me of the times
When I knew who I was
But still the second hand will catch us
Like it always does

We'll make the same mistakes
I'll take the fall for you
I hope you need this now
'Cause I know I still do.

~~"Until The Day I Die" by Story Of The Year ~~

It was raining out. The dark, dismal day was occasionally brightened with flashes of lightening. As the thunder echoed from one side of the mountain to the other, the echo of a very faint rasping breath echoed in the heart of a grief stricken ranger.

The day had started out perfectly. The sun had been shinning, the birds had been singing… But now, in the depths of his own anguish and despair the young ranger could not help but feel so miserable.

Finally, unable stand the utter stillness, he quickly stood and began to pace. The floor creaked in many places, but it helped to cover the sound of the horrible raspy breathing.

Aragorn knew his friend was hurting, but there was little he could do. Not when he was in one cell and his hurting friend in the other. Why did it have to be him? Why did Legolas have to be so stubborn! So d***d stubborn!

A weak, liquid filled cough tore through the small jail cells. Instantly Aragorn flew to the window revealing a bedridden elf.

"Legolas?" He called frantically. "Answer me."

Legolas gasped for air, then after a moment regained his breath then turned his feverish gaze upon the worried ranger. "I am still here." He whispered.

Aragorn choked back tears. "Don’t do this." He whispered, reaching his hand as far out as he could.

Legolas grinned weakly, blood trickling down the bloodless lips. "Do you remember when we first met?" He whispered, his mind going back to that day when the ranger had literally crashed into his life.

Aragorn took a slow careful breath. "Yes. I remember."

"In the many years we spent together there were so many times when I would look at you and realize how much you reminded me of me when I was young." The bloodless lips curled upward in a bloody smile. "And innocent."

"You still are!" Aragorn protested.

Legolas laughed weakly. "Thanks."

"Legolas?"

"Yes Aragorn?"

"Don’t do this for me."

With one white arm curled protectively around his broken ribs, the elven prince struggled to sit up. After several futile attempts he finally made it and met the ranger’s disapproving gaze. "There are some things Aragorn, that not even you order me to do."

The ranger took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling fighting tears. "Why?" He asked finally.

"You are the last heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas whispered. "You are needed more than I am." He gave a weak shrug.

"What will your father say when I bring back the news?" Aragorn questioned.

Legolas winced at the mention of his father; sadness flickered across the fair face then disappeared. "He will understand." He said quietly. "He will understand..."

The entrance door creaking open quickly cut off all other words. Three sober, grizzled men entered and closed the door behind them. "It’s time elf." The self-appointed leader spoke up.

Legolas nodded and careful stood up. He slowly shuffled his way over to the bars, one arm still curled protectively around his side.

"Legolas."

Aragorn’s voice stopped him.

"Yes Aragorn?"

"You don’t have to do this you know." The ranger’s words were barely a whisper.

Legolas smiled. "I know." He said simply. "I know."

The key was quickly thrust into the lock and the door opened. Aragorn watched helplessly as his best friend was quickly tied up and then with one man in front of him and two behind him, they started for the door.

"Legolas." Aragorn called out, but they didn’t stop. "Namaarie Thranduillion!" He called out, tears welling up in the silver gray eyes.

The prince cast a smile over his shoulder. "Namaarie Aragorn of the Dunèdain."

And then the door closed.

Aragorn sank to his knees; even at the edge of death Legolas still wouldn’t reveal his true identity, that he was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, last heir to the throne of Gondor.

He slammed his fist against the wall, bitter desperation eating at his heart. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe his friend was taking the fall for him like this... not when they all knew what it would cost.

The day had started out perfectly, so what happened? His breath slowing down, the ranger sat back, his mind going over the events in the day. Legolas had unexpectedly shown up- carrying as he usually did- a message from his father.

Though he had been in a hurry to get back to Mirkwood, the prince had asked Aragorn to accompany him to a small settlement near the outskirts of Mirkwood. It seemed, he had explained, that men had been raiding settlements and Legolas had been instructed to alert most of the settlements on his way back. Aragorn had quickly accepted his offer and they had ridden off together.

As they had ridden together, reminiscing on many of their past adventures they were attacked by a band of men. The prince and ranger were easily outnumbered and it took only seconds for the men to knock the two unconscious.

Aragorn had woken to find himself bound hand and foot and a rather sharp headache. But what immediately caught his attention was a muffled groan coming from a few feet away. Turning quickly upon his side, Aragorn had discovered the elven prince lying on his side, eyes closed, with dried and fresh blood all over him. It had been obvious that the elf had been tortured, but why? What did the men want?

After a few heart pounding minutes it had all become clear; the men were searching for a certain ranger. They had been ordered to capture and deliver him alive to Dol Guldur.

Aragorn’s heart almost stopped when he heard the whispered words from his friend’s bloodied lips. Desperation showed clearly upon their faces as they both realized the dire situation thrust upon them.

But luck, at it seemed at the time, had been on their side. Another band of men, not employed by any evil creatures, had suddenly attacked the first band and in the chaos Legolas had managed to free himself and Aragorn. Together, despite Legolas’ injuries and Aragorn’s pounding head, they had quickly grabbed weapons were about to escape when someone saw them and attacked Aragorn, trying to prevent them from fleeing. Acting purely out of self-defense, the ranger had easily parried the thrust and ran the cloaked figure through. But as the figure had fallen gracefully to the ground, the hood fell back revealing a young raven-haired girl looking horrified at the sword impaled upon her flesh.

Legolas had seen what had happened and had also pieced together which ‘side’ she was on and realizing that escape was far from their grasp, knew what would happen if Aragorn was found over the dead body. He had pushed the shaken ranger off to the side and grimacing pulled the bloody sword out of her body in front of her companions.

A cry of rage had gone up and in a blink of an eye, or so it seemed to Aragorn, they were once more bound and taken prisoner. They had been hauled unceremoniously to the human’s settlement and dumped into prison cells. There, they were told that since the elf had killed an innocent female he would be executed and once the deed had been done the ranger would be set free.

Aragorn cursed, viciously wiping away the tears. He had known! Legolas had known what would happen! He had known what the cost would be; yet he had still persisted. Even going so far as to call the ranger ‘insane’ and that he had never had a coherent thought since that ‘terrible accident’ so long ago. Aragorn had stared stunned at the elf, but since Legolas had thoroughly convinced the humans that his fellow prison mate was insane, the men had completely ignored him.

And so it had come to this. His friend was outside a noose around his neck taking the ‘short drop and the sudden stop’ for him. Legolas was taking the fall for him!

A bird called out in the growing darkness startling him. The utter silence was tearing his heart into tiny pieces.

Aragorn could clearly hear his friend’s calm measured steps as the elf walked up the gallows. In his mind the ranger could see the elf’s calm façade, even though he knew that Legolas was deeply and truly terrified.

"You, elf had been sentenced to die for killing an innocent woman. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

The handle was jerked back and the trap door opened….

*~*~*

The sun was shinning brightly, birds were singing and the sky was a glorious blue. All of creation seemed to brighten in appreciation, but in the middle of a flower filled meadow one dark spot seemed to take away some of the cheer.

A lone ranger picked a weed, tore off its leaves then threw it away.

Three worried gazed were directed upon him unbeknownst to him.

"He still blames himself doesn’t he?" The voice had a slight rasp, unusually for an elf, but understandable for him, anyway. The elf shook his head. "I’ll talk to him."

"Are you sure you’re up to it?" A dark hair elf asked dubiously.

The other elf glared at him. "It’s been over two weeks and I am out of bed! What do you think!"

The other dark haired elf laughed. "Then go, we aren’t stopping you."

*~*~*

"Sulking?"

The slightly rasping voice startled the preoccupied ranger. Looking up, gray eyes met blue-gray and then dropped. "What are you doing out here?" He questioned, ignoring the elf’s question. "I thought you weren’t allowed outside yet." His gaze shied away from the red marks still apparent upon the fair neck.

"Your brothers tried to stop me." Legolas shrugged. "Needless to say, it didn’t work." He gracefully sat down next to the ranger. "What burdens your thoughts?" He asked lightly.

"You shouldn’t have done it." Aragorn blurted out. "You should have let me take the blame."

Legolas rested his gaze upon the ranger. "I knew what I was doing Aragorn." He said softly.

"Why did you do it though?" Aragorn cried out anguished. "Why did you offer your life for me?"

"Because you are my friend." Legolas said simply, yet with such a quiet force that it rocked Aragorn to the very core. "I hated all men Aragorn, for over a hundred years. And then you fell." His lips twisted into a grin. "Literally, into my life." His sober gaze met the ranger’s. "You saved me from a lifetime of hate, what I did was small compared to what you did."

Aragorn sighed. "You willing gave your life up to me and you say its small?" He asked incredulously.

Legolas grinned his hand reaching up to touch his still tender throat. "I’m just glad your rangers showed up when they did."

"As am I." Aragorn returned the grin. He clearly remembered the terror he had felt when he had heard the trap door open, Legolas falling through and then the unmistakable sound of arrows flying throughout the settlement. He remembered the relief and then the horrible sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw Legolas lying unconscious on the ground, the noose still around his neck.

Halbarad and the other rangers had just been on their way to Rivendell, taking a different route than usual to meet up with Aragorn, when they had seen the elven prince walk up the gallows, a noose put over his head and then hung. It had been a stroke of luck, or as Lord Elrond had put it "The Valar’s watching over you two."

A clean shot with a sharp arrow had easily sliced through the rope dropping the prince to the ground -unconscious, but alive.

Though Legolas’ wounds had been serious and though his throat was still a little sore, he had healed completely, much to the relief of all.

Reaching out, Aragorn grasped Legolas’ left shoulder with his right hand. "Hannon Le, Legolas Thranduillion." The words were so simple, yet they conveyed everything within his spirit.

The elven prince smiled, reaching out with his left hand and placing it on the ranger’s right shoulder. "You are most welcome, Aragorn son of Arathorn."

‘Greater love hath no man than this; that he lay down his life for his friends.’

                                          John 15:13

The End