A Second Chance

A Second Chance Part 19

Third Person POV

It feels like it takes forever to reach Rivendell. Legolas had been alive nearly two thousand years and yet now he felt as if time was running out, moving too slowly for the first time and it was driving him insane. He galloped as hard as he could ahead of the others and reached the borders nearly a full day ahead of them and yet could not bring himself to see her. He faltered as he reached the room she was being healed in and then merely stood stiffly outside the door, waiting, but not entirely sure what he was waiting for.

"Ah Legolas, I had wondered where you were," Gandalf says softly as he steps out of the room some hours later and Legolas jerks his head up to meet the old wizards eyes.

"How..." he breaks off to swallow thickly, "how is she?" he finishes, his fists clenched unconsciously at his sides as he waits to hear the news.

"She was..." Gandalf too breaks off as a clattering sound to their left catches their attention and Gimli and Aragorn round the corner, he waits patiently for them all to be listening before he continues. "She was tortured, Elrond and I have done what we can, she is strong, it is a miracle that she has survived this long, I think that she will heal in time, physically at least," he finishes and all three of them sag a little in relief and despair, it was strange to feel relief that she is alive and yet fear and despair at the same time and none of them really knew what to say or do until a voice behind them echoes loudly around the silent hallway.

"She was right," Boromir says, having heard what Gandalf said, "she said she would never betray us even if she were taken, we scoffed at her for it and yet she was right," his voice is thick with tears and it makes the others shudder as they try to swallow their own emotions.

"Someone should be with her when she wakes," Gandalf says now and all of them look towards Legolas and he nods numbly stepping forward and through the doorway where he stops and takes a stuttering breath before turning and running. He is a blur as he speeds past the others and they look at one another in confusion before Boromir steps forwards into her room and Aragorn leaves to follow Legolas with Gimli.

Nearly an hour later the man and dwarf find him sitting under a tree at the edge of the Rivendell border.

"Legolas, my friend what troubles you so?" Aragorn asks in worry as he sits beside his distressed friend and Legolas turns tormented eyes on him.

"I cannot be there with her, it is too much, the guilt is too much to bear," he mutters and Gimli sighs loudly.

"She would not blame you for a second," he starts but Legolas interrupts him.

"You do not understand, I promised her I would never hurt her, never allow her to be hurt and I have done both, she pushed me away because of it and I must respect that,"

"She didn't mean it, you know that she didn't mean it, she loves you," Aragorn says immediately but Legolas merely shakes his head.

"Maybe she was right to do so and just stronger than me as usual, she is mortal and will die, this, her being this way, it is merely a reminder to me of how different we are, I am an elf and..." he breaks off and both Aragorn and Gimli are shocked to hear him speak this way.

"Laddie, there is no way... you love each other," Gimli starts but he is interrupted again.

"No Gimli, we were infatuated with one another, it is different she needs time to recover and we are to travel together once Aragorn has been crowned,"

"And what about when she is recovered?" Aragorn asks,

"She will live in Gondor, with her own kind where you will protect her and she will be happy," Legolas says almost as if he is convincing himself.

"You are wrong my friend and I just hope you work that out before it is too late," Aragorn sighs before standing up and moving away.

As Aragorn pushes his way through the door Boromir stirs a little and sits up in the chair beside her bed.

"I am sorry my friend I did not mean to wake you," Aragorn whispers and Boromir merely holds up a hand to him.

"I should not have fallen asleep anyway," he replies simply,

"How is she?" Aragorn asks now, turning his attention to the sleeping figure in the bed.

"She is alive," Boromir says back not knowing what else to say. It is true that to look at her is painful, she is lying on her front, her back covered in paste and bandages and even so there is still blood leaking through some of them. Every inch of her seemed to be injured in some way and it broke Aragorn's heart to see her this way, it broke all of their hearts. They should have protected her, from the beginning they had wronged her and misunderstood her and now they were scared she would never fully recover. Her breathing was shallow and raspy and it made his own breath catch in his lungs as he moves closer to the bed.

"Frodo awoke a few moments ago," he says and Boromir smiles at him, sighing in relief.

"Well that at least is some good news," he says shifting closer to her bed almost unconsciously.

"I have to leave in the morning, head back to Gondor to prepare for my coronation, although I will not let it take place until Finley is well enough to be there," Aragorn says pulling a chair up on the other side of her bed and sitting in it heavily.

"And Legolas?" Boromir asks causing Aragorn to sigh almost angrily.

"He... I do not know but I do not think he will be here to see her, he has convinced himself that not only is this his fault but that she was right to break it off with him and so he should keep the distance between them," Boromir growls a little at this shaking his head in frustration.

"I will stay with her and bring her to Gondor with me when she is well enough to travel," he says instead of commenting on Legolas' behaviour and Aragorn smiles gratefully at him.

"Thank you my friend, it means a great deal to know that you will be watching over her, I would not leave her at all but I have no choice, I would like for her to settle in Gondor where we shall both be, at least that way we can try and help her live a normal life," Aragorn says and then freezes as she shifts and begins to murmur in her sleep, a nightmare clearly gripping her, both men moving forward to try and still her.

"No... I won't... please... please don't... Legolas," the last word is a scream which soon turns to a moan of pain as she awakens and sits up quickly, ripping at the wounds that littered her body.

"Shhh, Finley, nessa er, be still, you are safe now," Aragorn murmurs to her as her eyes gaze around wildly until they settle on his face and then on Boromir's.

"It's over," she whispers hoarsely, allowing Boromir to help her drink a little water as she listens to Aragorn tell her that they had won the war, that everyone was safe.

"Where is Legolas?" she asks then and both men feel their hearts clench a little at the worry audible in her tone.

"He is safe Fin," Boromir says, "he is... arranging the transport of soldiers back to Gondor for the coronation," he lies to try and save her feelings but she sees through it quickly and her whole heart seems to shatter,

"It is okay, you do not need to lie for him, it's my fault, I broke it off. It is... it is for the best," she stutters falling quiet for a while as the two men watch her before changing the subject.

Outside the door, Legolas moves away down the corridor his whole body had seemed to lighten as she awoke, especially when he heard her call his name and he had nearly burst through the door to be with her so great had been the desire in him to comfort her. Something had stopped him though, his stubbornness, her words to him at Edoras, whatever it was had made him pause and now he found himself walking away from the room his body feeling heavier than ever. He was just tired from battle and the journey. Yes. That was it, she was right after all, he had said so himself it was merely an infatuation brought on by the circumstance of war and it would never work really. Of course he knew deep down that he was lying to himself and that he loved her with everything he had, but he buried that feeling, that knowledge and instead made towards his room to sleep before he begun the journey to gather the elves that will be at the coronation.