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They had stayed on near Isengard at the foot of the embankment for
several weeks while Legolas healed enough to travel. Eldarion’s wounds
were barely visible now, mere scars that were mending themselves. He
healed even faster than his father, with his mother’s elven blood in
him.
The fears that Dyryn’s captivity had invoked
in him receded into the past with each day they remained, and he had
grown restless. Aragorn was
glad to see them go and encouraged the youth to accompany Draecyn and
his men on their hunting and scouting forays. The king stood outside
the tent he had occupied with Legolas for the last month, his arms
crossed over his chest as he watched his son ride off with the
soldiers. A smile lit the man’s face as he barely heard his son dare
the older men to a race and spurred his horse on without heeding
Draecyn’s warnings. He shook his head ruefully, so much of himself in
the boy.
"That one will turn your hair grey." The soft jibe at his elbow caused
Aragorn to jump slightly and turn towards the voice, although he
already knew who it was. There were few save Arwen who could approach
him so quietly and not have him notice.
"That he will," he laughed with a sigh.
Draecyn turned in his saddle and fixed Jonath with a pleading glare,
raising his hands in defeat.
"Go after him!" the captain of the guard was yelling at his men. "Don’t
let him out of your sight!"
"He has too much of his father in him." Legolas leaned heavily on a
piece of wood that Aragorn had found and smoothed down. The branch’s
natural growth had formed a perfect ‘y’, and the elf had been using the
crutch as his body healed.
Aragorn turned and looked his friend over, his gaze intense, judging
for himself whether or not the elf should even be up.
"Do not mother me, Strider." Legolas reverted to elvish, using his
friend's old nickname. "I will never get well with both you and Gimli
hovering over me constantly."
"My, someone is very grouchy today." Aragorn tried to suppress his
smile.
"Someone would like to return home."
Aragorn laughed aloud, his mirth contagious. "Oh, if only father could
see you now. He would never let me live it down." Aragorn frowned in
mock consternation at the elf, perfectly imitating his elven father,
"Just once I would very much like to see you come walking in under your
own power."
The imitation was nearly perfect and caused the elf to laugh lightly.
"Now if only you had pointed ears as you spoke those words, I would
swear by the Valar that your father stood here."
Aragorn cast his gaze back out to the plains, glimpsing the hunting
party far on the other side of the rolling meadowlands. A sigh escaped
his lips. "I miss him, Legolas." It had been years now since the elven
lord had gone over the sea along with Galadriel, Gandalf, Frodo and
many of the elven kind. Yet part of Aragorn would always miss his
adopted father. He was glad that Legolas and his brothers had not
chosen to leave yet.
The elf’s hand tightened on his friend’s shoulder.
"There was so much
he knew. So much he taught me that I have even now forgotten. I almost
lost you. I know he never would have made that mistake."
Quietness descended on the camp and Legolas let the easy silence hang
between them. Lost in thought, Aragorn shook his head.
"You will see him again, Aragorn," the elf’s soft voice broke the
stillness.
"Perhaps." Aragorn dropped his gaze and turned towards his friend. "But
I was not under the impression that elves visited the Halls of Mandos."
He smiled sadly.
Legolas simply shrugged, the smile that tugged at his lips causing the
human to glower at him. "What know you that I don’t?"
"Did I say I knew anything?" The elf’s feigned innocence was
unconvincing.
"You know sometimes, Legolas, I could swear you spent too much time
with
Gandalf. You begin to sound like him at times." He walked over near
the fire and helped the elf to sit on one of the large stones that
ringed the pit.
"Then I will take that as a compliment, for Mithrandir is very wise."
Aragorn could not contain his laughter as he taunted his friend, "I did
not say you were wise, I said you sounded like that old man!"
Trying to feign indignation, Legolas gave a soft snort and
easily changed the subject, "But truly I am ready to go home and I am
well enough to travel. Let us be off tomorrow. It is time we returned."
"Very well, change the subject again. But one of these days I will get
a straight answer out of you, you Silvan elf." Aragorn laughed, noting
the misdirection and allowing the prince to have his secrecy as he sat
down next to the elf.
"Oh don’t worry, my old friend. One day I will speak plainly and then
you will understand, although I truly think you will not believe me
even then!"
With a shake of his head, Aragorn picked up Legolas’ original train of
thought. Pressing the elf for information he was not ready to give was
about as fruitful as asking Gandalf the White questions. "Are you sure
you are travel ready? The road is long."
"I am sure. I would return home to Ithilien and see how Trelan and
Rainean fare." He noted the way the man dropped his gaze and nodded
slightly. "After I winter with you of course."
Aragorn’s face brightened. "I have missed you. Your work in Ithilien is
deeply appreciated. But your friendship is what I treasure."
The smile that broke across the elf’s face was brilliant, but he was
interrupted by a commotion on the far side of camp as a horse came
tearing into the encampment riderless.
"Is that not Draecyn’s mount?" Legolas questioned, unable to stifle the
giggles as Jonath grabbed the steed’s reigns and vaulted in the saddle.
"Not again!" the captain of the guard muttered darkly before glancing
at the king. "My lord, it seems your son has again won a bet against my
men. DO NOT leave this camp, my liege. Hunting down one of you is
enough
to bring me to the end of my wits." With that warning he spurred the
animal back the way it had come.
"I say we leave now and take a swift little trip back to Orthanc while
he’s gone. It will take us no time to get back there." Aragorn leaned
over next to the elf and whispered conspiratorially. He had no fear for
Eldarion; the guards would keep the boy more than safe, even if they
did want to kill him occasionally.
"You will be the death of him, you know that." Legolas just shook his
head, grinning.
"It's good for him. Hones his tracking skills, gives him something to
complain about, and it gives me no small amount of joy." Aragorn
grinned
wickedly, "What say you?"
"You are horrible, you know that?"
"Where do you think Eldarion gets it from?" He stood from his seat and
whistled a shrill piercing note. Brego cantered into the camp and
stopped near his master, nuzzling the human. "Shall we?"
"Shall we what?" Gimli’s booming voice carried across the quiet
encampment and elf and human turned as one, shushing the short being.
"Well if you are planning on escaping this wretched plain, then take me
with you. I have grown tired of flat meadows," the dwarf grumped.
"I suggest we take him with us or he will most definitely give us
away," Legolas whispered in Aragorn’s ear as he stood slowly behind the
king.
"Speak plainly and do not whisper elf. It's rude you know."
"Master Dwarf, Legolas was only looking out for your welfare. Are you
sure you are able to ride?" Aragorn taunted.
With an irritated harrumph the dwarf stomped the foot of his previously
broken leg and pierced the two friends with an even glare. "I need no
looking out for and I am as fit as the next person to ride a horse.
Where is it?!" He glanced around them.
Legolas laughed at the small being that he had come to love as deeply
as
any family member. He remembered the first time he had met the dwarf
and how much he had held Gimli in contempt. Taking the reins
that Aragorn proffered to him, he smiled as the king moved off to a
picket line and chose the shortest of the fighting warhorses he
could find, leading the stallion back to the rocks that ringed the
firepit.
"If you want to accompany us, Master Dwarf, you are going to have to
get
on this steed by yourself. Legolas is in no shape to help you up or sit
with you and I can no longer toss you, my friend." Aragorn raised an
eyebrow at the glare the dwarf turned on him.
"Toss him?" Legolas asked inquisitively. "When have you ever tossed
him?"
"Now! Now see here!" Gimli stomped forward, "You promised you would
never tell the elf!" he stormed at the human.
"And I have not, my friend." Aragorn smiled wickedly at the dwarf, "Now
quickly mount this beast before we are caught or I will!"
"You tossed him?" Legolas glanced between the human and the dwarf.
"Where was I when this happened?"
"You were..." Aragorn struggled to contain his laughter as the dwarf
climbed onto the rock next to the horse and clumsily clambered into the
saddle, "well you were preoccupied at the time." He handed the reins
to Gimli who snatched them away from the man.
"No more questions!" The king stopped them both from bickering as he
mounted Brego. "Now quickly, up behind me." He reached down and helped
the elf to vault onto the horse bareback behind him, "before Jonath
returns and we are caught."
"Ah, so this is a secret?"
"Yes, Gimli." Legolas answered, his tone like that of one who was
speaking to a child. He wrapped his slender arms around Aragorn’s waist
and glanced over at the dwarf as the King eased his horse into a gentle
trot.
"So where is it that we are going?" Gimli finally asked when they were
well away from the camp.
"We, Master Dwarf are going back to Orthanc, one last time. I would
like to see its gardens again and perhaps walk through its halls now
that it no longer bears the stench of evil that once held sway."
Aragorn answered softly as though lost in thought.
Legolas leaned around the human’s shoulder and tightened his grip
on the man’s waist, gently bringing Aragorn back to the present, "What
are you thinking of?" He asked softly in elvish not bothering to
translate his words for their dwarvish companion who rode next to them.
"I was thinking of priceless treasures. Their value and their rarity."
He spoke common so that Gimli could follow their conversation.
The dwarf glanced at the mithril circle that sat on the king's brow,
its beautifully crafted gem held fast to the precious metal glowed
brightly in the sunlight. "Aye, and we found many of those in that
spire
of Saruman’s."
Aragorn turned in his seat, allowing his mount to have his head as he
glanced at the dwarf and then turned to look over his shoulder at the
elf that sat behind him. "No Gimli, those were not the treasures I was
speaking of. For everything that was in Orthanc was made by the hands
of a human or an elf or a dwarf and can be remade. I was thinking of
those things that cannot be remade, that once lost are lost for an
eternity." He paused and gazed back at the growing tower and its
encompassing walls that loomed before them, thinking through his
emotions before speaking again, "I meant you. And Legolas and Eldarion.
And even Jonath. I meant our friends and loved ones. They are our most
priceless treasures." He smiled over his shoulder as Legolas tightened
his grip on the man’s waist and leaned forward to glimpse the human’s
eyes. "Would you not agree?" he asked, meeting Legolas’ steady, open
gaze.
"That I would," the elf replied softly in elvish. He unclasped his
right hand from Aragorn and reached out towards the dwarf riding next
to them, repeating himself softly in common, "That I would."
Gimli’s small thick hand laid gently against the elf’s upturned palm.
"So would I, my friends, so would I."
A trumpet blast from the camp behind them broke the moment and Aragorn
burst out laughing. "That is Jonath," he replied to the curious glances
of the others. "It is his new way of letting me know he knows I am gone
and of alerting the others." Aragorn spurred his steed on, "Quickly,
let's make the gate before he comes to drag us back."
"You know Arwen will never stand for that near the palace," Legolas
leaned forward and spoke into the man’s ear.
"I know!" Aragorn glanced back. "The next time we sneak away, we are
taking it with us!"
The laughter of the three friends broke across the gardens of Isengard,
echoed by the trees that grew there, happy to once again be enjoyed by
other living beings. A flock of myntails burst from the foliage on
their right as they skidded to a stop near the steep stairs of Orthanc.
Aragorn glanced straight up the side of the dark shaft that pierced the
sky. Thoughts of the near tragedies they had faced fell away and he
lent his arm to Legolas as the elf slid off the horse and started up
the steps. "Not so creepy anymore is it, Strider?" he teased.
"Not now that there is firewood for the fireplaces, no!" He laughed and
slid off of Brego’s broad back before joining Legolas who was
helping Gimli from his horse.
The small dwarf grabbed their forearms and did not let them go when
they had lowered him to the ground. "You are right, Aragorn, friends
ARE
the greatest treasures of Middle-earth. I am sorry to say it has taken
this dwarf far too long to realize that." He touched a stubby finger to
the gem on the king’s circlet. "When all the jewels in the mines have
been found, we will still have each other."
"Truer spoken than you realize, Master Elf." Legolas tightened his grip
on the dwarf’s arm.
"And what do you know that I don’t?" Gimli squinted up at the elf.
"Don’t ask," Aragorn laughed and wrapped one arm around Legolas'
shoulders, turning the elf towards the stairs as he draped his other
arm down across Gimli’s shoulders. "I have asked him the same thing and
he would keep his secret so don’t even try. He says when the time is
right."
"Is that so?" the dwarf gazed around the human.
Averting the questions he could not answer just yet, Legolas smiled
wickedly, "Now tell me, Master Dwarf, what is this with allowing
Strider
to throw you?"
Gimli stammered as Aragorn dragged them both up the steps with him,
going slowly to accommodate Legolas’ injuries and Gimli’s pace.
"Well, I’ll tell you when you tell me about your time in Moria!" the
dwarf spit out, finally recalling something about the elf that seemed
to bother Legolas as much as his own secrets.
"I thought you had forgotten about that." Legolas rolled his eyes and
pierced Aragorn with an irritated glare.
Seeing that he was suddenly caught between the two and had been the
protagonist in both cases, Aragorn swiftly danced up the steps ahead of
his friends. "Last one in has to fetch the firewood!" he called back
down to them.
Legolas stopped on the step he was on as Aragorn disappeared into the
halls of Orthanc. "So very much like the Strider I have always known."
He smiled and glanced at Gimli.
"Aye," the dwarf laughed. "Of the three of us... I think he never grew
up."
"That he didn’t and for that I am glad." Legolas glanced sidelong at
the dwarf. "Last one in..." he repeated and nimbly raced up the steps
despite the pull on his injuries. His laughter echoed the halls as he
called out for Aragorn, trying to follow his friend.
Gimli stood where he was, his gaze fastened on the open doors, his
thoughts years away. Slowly he nodded his head. It was good to have
friends that never tired of his company. With a happy sigh he climbed
the last few steps and stopped on the threshold. "That’s fine! It's
always the dwarf that gets the short end of the stick!" he called into
the spiral of Orthanc.
The laughter of a human and the light musical mirth of an elf drifted
down to him from the upper levels. He smiled to himself; yes friends
were worth it all.
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