To be a Prince

To be a prince Part 2

Night fell quickly upon Lasgalen.
Legolas' eyes forever glazed over with sleep, Elves did not sleep with their eyes closed, they feared that closing their eyes brought them an endless darkness and closer to Mandos' gates of death. Turning over to his right side, the Archer's dreams filling with Aragorn the Ranger's calloused hands running through the Archer's hair , his stormy gray eyes resting into his royal blues it was a perfect moment.

Legolas' dream turned into a memory, one of himself and Aragorn out in the wilderness.
They had been out in the wild for three days, they had set off from Bree hearing word of an Orc pack roaming nearby in large numbers. Aragorn being the Ranger  said they'd set off to keep track of this orc pack but something inside of the archer  did not bode well.
Rain poured on the pair, the Elf's features stonier than ever he disliked rain, disliked wandering around the wild for too long with no restock for ammo. This could take a bad turn if they did not reach a town in the next few days. 

"Shelter Legolas! Come we can camp here for the night, it's a Ranger's post so the supplies should be plenty" Legolas nodded his hooded head, following Aragorn into the carved out stone shelter. He was right inside was a cooking spit which had long since been used, fresh firewood stacked in the corner and a muddy blanket but only one?
Seems maybe the others took the other blanket? Aragorn set to work lighting a fire for the duo to become warm, as Legolas fished into his pack for food mainly of lambas, herbs and berries, light flickered in the corner of the elf's eyes the fire was lit and slowly the cave began to warm up.
The pair had eaten their fill as their conversation took a dark turn for Legolas,
"Pray tell me Legolas...when your father passes on will you take the throne for your own?" Legolas let out a sigh, his pale lips forming a thin line until he spoke.
"I...will have to, I am my father's only child and heir to the throne he sits upon, there is no other than can take my place...yet...I do not want to become the next ruler" 

Aragorn's gray eyes became soft at these words, his hand reaching up to grasp the elf upon the shoulder, a small smile pressing on his features Legolas' heart ached from the gesture he wanted so much more than simple contact, he wanted to take Aragorn by the scruff of his neck and drag him closer, so their lips pressed but dared not try his luck at this point in time, giving himself an inward shake he listened to the man he loved speak in such a soft tone it unclouded the rage in his heart at his father. 

"Mellonin...no one is forcing you to become king, yes you have a royal birthright to uphold but you are you're own man Legolas...I am sure if your father listens to you and loves you he will not force you into something you do not want" A hand reached up to touch Aragorn's yes the man spoke the truth but confronting Thranduil was a hard task on its own.
Legolas turned slightly to face the other, he looked exhausted, dark circles were cast under his eyes, mud streaked his cheeks even his hair had fallen flat against his face. He must have been holding on until they got there.
"Please...sleep I shall take first watch " Aragorn did not protest to this, he was far too tired to turn it into a debate on who would take first watch and so with that he wrapped himself up in the only blanket and turned onto his side. 

Legolas took position at the front of the cave, bow cocked with an arrow incase something tried to spring at the pair, sapphire eyes scanned the forest area they were based in, nothing but deer and small animals moved around nothing big....just yet.
Legolas' thoughts turned to Thranduil, to their confrontation of how he'd tell his father he did not want to be the successor to the throne, how he wanted to explore the wilderness with Aragorn, how he wanted to ride his horse along every inch of middle earth. But he knew his father would not allow it, he had no doubt Thranduil loves him very much but is too protective of him, since losing his mother he'd lived a sheltered life of maids and teachers since his father had always been so busy with his duties. 
But that didn't mean he could not have spent more days with Legolas instead his father had always pushed him from one trainer to the next to make him the greatest elf warrior that there ever was...But it grew tedious for the prince, he did not have friends to complain to, every elf in the royal court avoided the prince all because he was the prince, so Legolas grew cold, and uncaring to others because no one had shown him compassion no one until..Aragorn.

Movement erupted in his hearing, he heard footsteps, heavy very heavy breathing, a low growl and it was close by. Raising his bow aiming it to the distance he waited..a few long moments passed and then he saw it...a warg but a lone one. It must have been separated from its pack, the beast saw the elf it stopped assessing what to do, putting one paw infront of the other but stopping again. Legolas raised his bow aiming at the warg the bow string stretching back as far as it could go the warg did not want to take it's chance and stepped away, the archer lowered his bow moving from the cave door turning his back to the entrance to see Aragorn's sleeping face facing him, the mortal's face looking so peaceful that Legolas wanted to kiss him. 

Roaring was heard, before Legolas could turn the warg had shoved him down onto his front, it's paw pressing into the square of his back, the elf spitting dirt out of his mouth as he reached for his bow but came up short to find it alot further than he had hoped for!
Hot breath blew his hair forwards he felt something wet upon his shoulder and did not dare to turn his head to face the beast that would end his life...

A knock at the door awoke the elf from his dream his body sitting up to face Tauriel, the captain of the guard.
"My lord Legolas...your father wishes for you to put clean clothes on and meet your patrol in the courtyard, he wishes for you to take patrol at first light to track an orc scouting party that has been spotted" The prince merely nodded his head and she left...he had barely been back a day and he was given marching orders. He did not understand why someone else could not have taken the patrol but maybe this was his punishment for his confession to his father...or maybe it was something else that had spurned his father to push him to this.