Remember How I Love You (Sequel to 'Through Fire and Water')

Useless Here

Aragorn's P.O.V.

When morning rolls around, the forest is sickeningly calm. The air is crisp and clear and a pleasant breeze blows through the forest, breaking in through gaps the storm forced in the canopy. No one slept to any kind of acceptable standard last night, we simply curled up in tents and hid our faces before falling into restless sleeps. As our ruined camp slowly drags itself back to consciousness we are faced with the mess we abandoned last night. The ground is cut up and muddy, our feet sink into the ground with every step, and most of our gear has been ruined by the rain and subsequent mud. The two horses that remain are huddled together in the trees under the vague shelter we managed to rig for them last night. They eagerly accept the food they are given but they no longer look like the healthy, lively animals they were before, no doubt they are traumatised by last night's disaster.

My body is beyond stiff when I wake and it takes a lengthy moment for me to realise why, but once I move and the stiffness becomes recognisable as pain, I remember exactly why. Pulling my shirt up, I see the very large bruise on my side and when I move a little more to test it becomes clear that the pain and stiffness are going to be with me for a few days at least, a memento of my encounter with the horses.

"That's what I get for trying to help" I mutter to myself, dropping my shirt back down and sorely crawling from my tent. I'm barely even outside before someone's trying to speak to me, giving me a report of everything that's gone wrong. It's the same man who suggested we stop yesterday. I hold a hand up to stop him. "Summarise for me"

He takes a breath and then says "We're done. Pretty much everything is broken or destroyed to some extent, either by water or mud. The storm appears to have passed, though, and so we should be able to walk the rest of the way to the elven city"

"We'll set off as soon as we can. As for gear and horses, I'm sure we can convince Thranduil to supply whatever we need. Any idea how long it will take us to get there?"

"If we set off now, we should be there by about mid-afternoon, my lord"

"Well then, we don't have a moment to lose"

Legolas' P.O.V.

The healer's returned today, he wants to check up on Estel. Even if he hadn't come on his own, we would probably have sent for him. Estel's fever has reached temperatures higher than they ever have and she's been in a state of delusional half-consciousness for several hours, even when her eyes are open and she's talking you can tell she's not really aware. I doubt she'll remember any of this, and I don't intend to do anything to remind her of it.

The healer takes a look at Estel, and then at us. "There's nothing I can do, we just have to let things run their course I'm afraid. She's a strong girl, she should be able to fight it"

"Should?" I ask

"Well you can never tell with these things, they're unpredictable"

"Is there anything we can do at all?"

"You can keep her hydrated and try and get food into her, but other than that all I can recommend is for you to hope. That is what her name means after all, hope"

And with that he picks up his things and Nemir shows him out, thanking him several times as she does so.

"Well he was useful" she says as she comes back in a minute later, the sarcasm obvious in her voice.

"He's only doing his best, it's not his fault. The healers here are more used to dealing with wounds than sickness"

"Mostly animal wounds I'd say, we are in a forest after all"

"Like wargs"

Nemir starts to nod and then she realises the significance and stops. "Oh... I'm sorry Legolas. But I'm sure Ana will be fine. I know things look bad, but-"

"Nemir if there's one thing that life has taught me it's that when things look bad they normally are"

I can sense my voice rising in volume so I walk out of Estel's room and into mine and Ana's room instead. Nemir follows.

"They don't know for certain that it was Ana who was trapped"

"Well then where else is she Nemir?" I ask "It's been days. She's not staying away voluntarily, something has happened"

"I'm not denying that, Legolas"

"That ravine is the most likely place that she's been, which means she encountered a warg and had a fall and someone took her away from there. They could be just trying to help or they could not"

"Your point?"

I pause for a moment, not entirely sure what my point actually is, and then suddenly I know exactly what it is and what I have to do. "I have to go and find her"

And with that I turn to one of the cupboards, one which hasn't been opened in a long time, and grab my knives in their sheath, my bow and my quiver which is full of arrows.

"Legolas, we've been over this"

"There's nothing I can do here, Nemir, but out there I have a chance of actually finding my wife. I promised myself I would protect my entire family, not just the kids"

"What about Thalion and Estel?" she asks as I head toward the front door, and that makes me stop in my tracks "Their mother walked out a few days ago, no warning and no word and she hasn't come back since. What happens if their father suddenly does the same?"

"I can't sit around and do nothing anymore"

"You're not doing nothing, you're being a father"

"What about being a husband?"

"Legolas, for goodness sake" Nemir says, but she's cut off by a loud knocking at the door. The knock cuts us off and we both stand, motionless, our previously tense and emotional moment having been shattered.

"I'll get the door" Nemir says quietly and I nod, tossing my weapons onto the sideboard. She opens the door and instantly stutters out an uncertain "My Lord?" clearly taken aback by whoever's at the door.

"Nemir. Is Legolas here?" asks a voice, an extremely familiar and unexpected voice.

"Yes, he's just here, come in" she replies and opens the door wider, revealing someone I definitely wasn't expecting at my door today.

"Aragorn? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to find Ana"

"How do you know about that?" I ask, Aragorn comes in, closing the door behind him.

"Arwen, she had a dream that said Ana was in danger. Quite often when she has dreams like that they're true. I got here about half an hour ago, your father's already filled me in on everything"

"So you know about Estel?"

He nods. "You need to be here, I know that. You need to be here to be a father. I'll find Ana. I promise you, Legolas, I'll find her. I'm her father, it's my job"

"I know you will"