The Return

In the Camp of Men

     {}«Legolas' POV»{}

Exhaustion hits as the adrenaline of battle fades. Many have made it to Aragorn's camp site alive, including the ellon I had helped off the battlefield, though he is severely injured from what the healers tell me. Others haven't been so fortunate and currently still lay upon the bloodied bed of the battlefield.

I push these thoughts from my mind for Aragorn and his men haven't returned and I must see to my ellyn, for most of them here are injured and more come in as they flee our other camp.

Entering the tent, I am met with the sigh of seemingly endless rows of injured bodies and the smell of death and blood. But I walk amongst the them, doing what I can to comfort those who may not make it to see the coming dawn.

One ellon in particular catches my eye and I recognize him to be the friend of the ellon who saved my life. I walk over to where he sits beside a cot, placing a damp cloth on the forehead of the his injured friend.

"How is he?" I ask, startling the ellon who then turns to me with a bow.

"The bleeding has stopped, my lord, but he has a fever." He takes a stuttered breath, "I don't know if he will make it..." Mournful silence follows his words.

"Before, you said he was not just your friend."

The ellon nods to my statement, "He's my little brother, my lord."

There is silence between us for a moment as I study the face of the one who saved my life. Finally, I look up at his brother, "The two of you are close?"

He laughs, "No sir, we never got along. We were always fighting growing up, much to our mother's disdain."

I give him a puzzled look and he continues, "We fight a lot, yes, but when Amathon jumped in front of that blade..." His words trail off and he closes his eyes and bows his head, clutching his brother's fevered hand, no doubt reliving those moments. I have to force myself not to do the same.

A moment passes and I place a hand on his shoulder, "Your brother did his country a great service."

He nods and I stand to leave before turning back to him, "I don't think I ever caught your name."

He looks up at me, "Forgive me my lord! I am Noron Duinorion and my brother is Amathon."

"Pleasure meeting you Noron Duinorion. You and your brother serve your country well." And with that, I turn and leave.

I nearly run over Thaladir as I exit the tent. "Legolas, I have been looking for you!" he gasps, startled. "The men report the Orcs have been destroyed. Lord Aragorn and his troops are due be here within the next hour or two."

"That is much needed good news," I say with a smile. But it quickly fades with my next question, "What are our losses?"

He sighs and looks at the ground, "Too many. Nearly a fourth of our ellyn were killed and twice that have been injured."

It is all I can do to not hang my head at the numbers. "Hannon le," I tell him with a sigh. "Now go get some rest. There is not much we can do until Aragorn returns."

Thaladir starts to respond but is interrupted by a young boy, no older than fifteen years. "Pardon me, my lords," he says, his voice meek, "But I was told to show you where you may rest."

"Hannon le," I tell him and he gives me a confused look. "Thank you," I translate and he smiles.

"It is my pleasure my lords." 

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A little while later I find myself in a tent by myself. The young man left almost immediately after leading me here, leaving me to ponder the events of the pass few hours. I am no healer so there is not much I can do at the moment other than get in the way. Though I will go back in a few hours.

Aragorn's men have shored up the defenses of the camp and I am glad for that, not many of my ellyn would have the energy to defend at this point, though they would if the circumstances were different. 

Taking off my dirtied weapons, I lay them aside and begin to search through my things for something to clean them with. I am surprised my things are here at all. I open the chest and see what I'm looking for immediately. Picking up the cloth reveals something I did not realize was in here.

The envelope.

One of the maids back home must have seen it on my bed and dropped it in here before I left. With a sigh, I pick it up and walk over to the cot in the corner. I still haven't been able to open it. The yellowed paper is stiff, a testament to the time spent squished within the pages of that book. I finger the flap, debating whether or not to open it. Finally, I pull the flap back, but as I start to pull the contents out, I hear someone walk up the tent and I quickly close it again and place it in the pocket on the inside of my tunic.

A second later, Aragorn enters, covered in dirt and blood. A sight I have become accustomed to when it came to the former ranger.

"When did you return?" I ask, standing and embracing him.

"Not long ago, perhaps half an hour," he answers, returning the embrace and then, after pulling away, adds with a smile, "You look terrible."

I return the smile, "Well that makes two of us then I suppose."

He shakes his head, "Let me see your arm."

"My- oh," I look and see the blood covering my arm and remember what happened. The pain, though not bad, makes itself known now that I see it and I take a seat back on the cot, tentatively holding it out for Aragorn to look. He gently peels the fabric away to reveal the gash in my skin.

"Legolas, why did you not wait for me before attacking?"

His question catches me off guard. "I- no, Aragorn we were attacked. The Orcs learned of our position and were heading straight for us. We had no other option but to engage."

Aragorn continues cleaning the wound, "Forgive me," he says. "I shouldn't have been so quick to draw a conclusion."

"Its alright," I answer and flinch slightly when he pressed to close the wound. "How is Arwen?"

A smoldering anger sparks alight in his eyes at the mention of her name, though the anger is not at me, but rather at the Orcs who caused her and I both so much pain, physically and emotionally. "She is still recovering. She still suffers from nightmares, though they are not as frequent as they once were, thank the Valar."

"That is good she is at least recovering."

We sit in silence as he finishes wrapping my arm, "It is not too deep," he says. "Just keep it clean and it should heal in a few days."

"Hannon le."

"'Tis nothing, gwador nin. Most of your ellyn have turned in, you should do the same. We can discuss matters later."

A/N: Little bit of a slow chapter, but I have already started on the next chapter and I am super exited about it! Be prepared for more action! Hopefully. 

Also, I just want to note that I do not own any of the artwork. If I used my own, each chapter would be beautifully adorned with wondrous portraits of stick figures. XD