The Unforgiven { Legolas x OC - LotR Fanfiction}

23. Fangorn Forest

3019, February 29

The company of four had finally passed beneath the ancient boughs of Fangorn Forest. Aragorn led the way, eyes to the ground, seeking any trace of the hobbits. Ethir followed close behind, pressing a hand to her side now and then, her breath shallow. Though she had rested, her wounds still ached with every step. Behind her walked Legolas, his sharp eyes scanning the woods, though his thoughts were elsewhere—entwined in the forest's timelessness. And bringing up the rear, Gimli trudged forward with clear unease, his grip tight on his axe. He did not like this forest; he made no effort to hide it.

For long, quiet minutes they wandered through the undergrowth, each spaced out, swallowed by the green hush.

Legolas walked in silence, but his thoughts were anything but still. He worried for the hobbits—as did his companions—but other thoughts pressed more deeply upon his mind. He could not deny the quiet joy he felt walking beneath the ancient canopy of Fangorn. Forests such as this were rare in the world now, and his elven heart stirred at the age and memory that clung to the air like mist.

Yet it was Ethir who troubled him most. The truth had settled in him, quietly, without his consent: she mattered to him. Not just as a companion in this quest, not merely as a comrade, but something more. He worried for her, cared for her, just as he did for Gimli—and that knowledge disquieted him. When Éomer had threatened the dwarf, Legolas's arrow had been ready. When he thought Éomer's recklessness had led to Ethir's wounds, that same fierce protectiveness surged in him again.

He had not forgotten how his hand had trembled when helping her down from the horse. Nor the unfamiliar anger he had felt upon seeing the depth of her injuries. And there was something else—an aura that surrounded her, dark and fluctuating. It waned when she grieved or was hurt, and it baffled him. She hid her pain with stubborn pride, but Legolas felt it. More acutely than the others, he sensed her suffering, even when she denied it outright. He had never thought mortals so complex, nor so strong. Yet she was stronger than any human maiden he had seen. Perhaps, he thought grimly, such resilience came from her bloodline—the dark trace of Sauron pulsing in her veins.

Ethir, for her part, was just as troubled. The walk through the forest left her breathless, not from effort alone, but from the storm of thoughts brewing in her mind. She had had time to reflect. Time to remember the day before—the way Aragorn, Gimli, and even Legolas had worried for her. She couldn't recall the last time anyone had shown concern for her well-being. Since she had followed Gandalf, her path had diverged from the one she once knew.

Did that mean she had friends now?

It was a strange thought, one she tried to bury beneath cynicism. But deep down, the truth glowed quietly like an ember. These companions of hers—they cared. And that small ember had first sparked during their stay in Lórien. Yet with friendship came responsibility. If she admitted they were her friends, she would be forced to care in return. To worry. To protect. That's why I never wanted friends, she told herself. But whether she accepted it or not, she was already one of them. She did care. Her pride refused to yield to such truths, but her actions betrayed her. She just couldn't say it aloud.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head. Legolas—he confused her more and more. He had raised his bow for her sake. Let her lean against him when she was too weak to stand. He noticed things others didn't. That annoying elf knows more than he should. Her mind reeled with all the ways he irked her—but beneath the irritation was gratitude. She had never thanked him, not once, and yet he had helped her again and again, never questioning, never demanding. Just... there.

When this was over, when the hobbits were found—she would thank him. She had to.

"Orc blood!" Gimli's sudden exclamation broke through the silence, snapping both Legolas and Ethir from their reveries.