Eleven

Elven King's Halls
18 Lothron, Year 29 Fourth Age

Aragorn found it very strange to travel familiar paths with no patrols stopping them, no sound of elf song in the wood, no sense of eyes watching his every move. There was no sign of anyone as they approached the Halls. Disconcerted, he hoped at least one elf remained here for them to find. Legolas had better be here, for despite Gimli's confidence in Aragorn's abilities as a tracker, he knew he would never find Legolas in these woods if the elf did not wish to be found.

They came at last to the stone bridge spanning the river before the Gates to the Halls, and they crossed with only the sounds of their horses' hooves against the stone, both lost in their own memories of previous visits to the Elvenking's realm. Once on the other side of the river, they dismounted. Aragorn spoke quietly to Halruin, telling him to stay near the gate. As he turned to do the same with Moroch, he had to smile, for Gimli was speaking to the horse, telling him not to run off or get into trouble. Aragorn remembered a time such a thing would have been unheard of and considered teasing the dwarf, but the sight of Gimli's axe at his hip closed his mouth. He would keep his amusement to himself…at least until they found Legolas. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed some laughter at the dwarf's expense.

Gimli gave a final pat to Moroch's neck, then turned and lifted a brow at him, nodding towards the gates. Not long ago, the gates would only have opened at the command of the Thranduil or Legolas, but that was no longer true. Gimli easily pushed them open, and found a couple of torches, which he lit.

The halls were as deserted as Din had described. Once filled with laughter and song, they now echoed strangely as they walked the corridors, the red light of the torches throwing eerie shadows upon the walls.

They found no sign of Legolas in the main caverns. By all appearances, no one had been in the place for weeks.

Aragorn led the way around a bend and came to a stop at the great seal carved into a wooden double door, filling the corridor. Here should be a pair of guards, but again, all was silent and still. He glanced down at Gimli, whose puckered brow indicated the dwarf also felt the wrongness of the situation.

"I don't know why I suspected anyone to be here," Gimli said, his voice echoing in the empty tunnel. "It feels wrong to enter without being detained.

"Aye," Aragorn agreed. He had often been made to wait while one guard went to inform Legolas of his presence. But not this time. He pushed open one door and led the way into the living quarters that had once housed Thranduil's family.

There was no one there.

"Legolas?" Gimli called out, his voice carrying oddly.

There was no answer.

Aragorn exchanged a glance with Gimli, then moved through the common room to Legolas's private room. He paused then lifted his hand and knocked on the intricately carved door. His knock was met with silence.

Uncertain of what they would find within, Aragorn lifted the latch and pushed the door open. Inside, the room was empty, but they found signs that someone had been here recently.

Legolas's circlet, declaring him a prince of Eryn Lasgalen, sat on top of the elf's dressing table. Several items of clothing hung in the wardrobe and various personal items were strewn on the bed. The presence of those items proved to Aragorn that Legolas had not yet departed for Rohan and Ithilien.

By contrast, Legolas's weapons and pack were missing along with the elf.

Letting his eyes run over the room again, looking for any clues, he noticed the torchlight cast a mixture of shadows and light upon the wall. He focused for a moment on the dark shadows, his brow furrowing.

"What is it, Aragorn?" Gimli asked, and when Aragorn turned to look at the dwarf, he noticed the deep concern etched on the Gimli's face. It was a concern he shared.

"Being here reminds me of my first visit to Mirkwood when I was young." Aragorn answered. He watched in amusement as the dwarf's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

"Though I know you and the elf had been friends long before the Council, I was not aware you knew Legolas when you were just a boy." Gimli stated gruffly. "Neither you or he has mentioned that," he grumbled almost under his breath.

"Has he never told you? I have know Legolas most of my life, though my first visit here was not until I was a young man past my majority. Before that, I was not allowed to leave Imladris, at least not without the company of my brothers and we never left Eriador."

"Because of your heritage," Gimli correctly surmised.

Imladris had been a refuge for him and his mother when his father had been killed in battle with orcs. Aragorn had little memory of the man his mother had loved. He remembered that terrible night Elladan and Elrohir had brought word of Arathorn's death, but after that, his memories of his childhood were filled with laughter and joy in the Last Homely House. Elrond had been a father to him, Elladan and Elrohir his brothers. The household had doted on him, trained and prepared him for where his destiny had led him.

And then there was his friendship with Legolas.

Aragorn nodded, smiling at the memories of his childhood. "I first met Legolas when he came to Rivendell as a messenger for his father. I was only four or five years old at the time. He and my brothers had long been friends, and he remained for awhile." He smiled as he remembered that first visit. *

"He was not quite sure what to think of me at first, but we soon became fast friends."

Gimli listened with quiet fascination as Aragorn continued.

"Over the years, Legolas visited often, and I counted him as one of my closest friends and mentors. Many a lesson I learned from that elf, quite a few in fact that my tutors feared I would never learn from them. But Legolas was a patient teacher, using life and experiences to teach. Never was it boring. He made everything as fun as possible. Most of those lessons I will never forget. Many times, they have saved my life, or guided me through difficult paths."**

Gimli eyes narrowed slightly, but a small smile twitched the corners of his mouth. "You almost make it sound as if the elf were actually full of wisdom."

Aragorn threw back his head and laughed out loud at that. "You know that he is, Gimli! You just do not wish to admit it." His smile faded a moment later, as he dwelt further on the memories of his elf friend. "He was very wise, but also mischievous, playful. No matter how dark Mirkwood became, Legolas seemed to always remain bright and cheerful, as if the darkness never touched him. I know in retrospect that it did, for no one could endure what he did without being touched by it, but he rarely showed it. And even if he did speak of it, he did not dwell upon it."

The dwarf frowned at those words, a touch of sadness reaching his eyes. "I only vaguely remember him like that, early in the Quest, when he teased Gandalf about finding the sun!

"It no longer is a description that fits him." Gimli sighed heavily, looking away. "Now, though the darkness has been dispelled from his home and Arda, Legolas suffers, unable to fully enjoy that for which he fought for so many centuries." He paused, his brow wrinkling before he turned to Aragorn and said, "I would see him returned to us as you describe him, yet I fear it will not happen in either of our lifetimes, if ever."

Silently, Aragorn agreed, his heart aching within him. Though the elf still had a playful nature and at times his bright laughter filled a room, a shadow frequently darkened his eyes. Melancholy had become the elf's norm, rather than joy.

As he contemplated the changes in his friend, Aragorn studied the shadows on the walls absently. He missed the Legolas he had known as a child…the laughing teasing elf, with bright grey eyes.

A flicker of light drew Aragorn's gaze from the shadows on the walls to the light of the torch. A memory sparked, and his heart lurched.

Quietly, without thought, words whispered in Sindarin escaped his lips.

"What was that, Aragorn?" Gimli asked.

He repeated it in the Common Tongue. "Look to the sun, and the shadows fall behind you." **

A slow smile tugged at his lips. "I understand now, Gimli, what has happened to our friend, and more importantly, I think I know how to help him."

To Be Continued…

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