�Friendship.� Aragorn let the word roll off his tongue as he mulled it over in his mind. What is friendship? How does it form? Why? And what does it take? These questions and more drifted around inside the ranger�s mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his companion and trusted friend walking alongside him, his keen elven eyes fixed on the path ahead that wound its way through the trees. There was no tension in the lithe body this day; the elf was free from the strain of war and was letting himself enjoy the returning beauty to the world around him.
The
elven prince stopped walking and turned to face the human.
�Nothing? I cannot believe that something you have been talking
to yourself for over an hour can be counted as nothing. No, it
must be something of importance; otherwise, you would not mumble
so.�
Aragorn
knew that Legolas was waiting for an answer. Instead of giving
the elf what he wanted, he strode off, calling over his
shoulder, �It was just something that someone said to me the
other day. It made me think. Nothing to worry about.�
�Elessar
Telcontar, you will tell what is on your mind right the minute
or I shall refuse to take another step with you!� Legolas folded
his arms across his chest and stood firm, his cerulean blue eyes
boring into the stormy grey ones that glared back at him.
Aragorn
felt like tying the elf prince to a tree and leaving him there.
�It is not a laughing matter,� he growled.
�Oh,
I am sure it is. Have you asked Arwen? I am sure she could offer
you some excellent advice.�
�No.�
�So
what did you do?�
Aragorn
could feel his face getting warm again as he mumbled a reply.
�I
am sorry, but I did not quite catch that!� Legolas leaned in
towards the man with a mischievous grin.
�I
looked it up in a dictionary.�
This
time the elf threw back his head and laughed with such mirth it
was a surprise that he didn�t collapse onto the ground.
Aragorn,
however, was not amused in the slightest. As the elf continued
to laugh, the ranger realized how stupid his answer had sounded.
Roughly pushing past the elf, he walked deeper into the forest,
hoping to put some distance between himself and Legolas as
quickly as possible.
Legolas,
however, was not at all fazed. He easily caught up with the man
and put a hand on his shoulder. �Estel, forgive me. It was wrong
of me to laugh. You did not know something, and so you went
searching for an answer. There is nothing wrong with that.�
Aragorn
swung around to face Legolas. �You don�t understand, do you?�
His voice rose in level. �I have had the honour of being friends
with some of the most loyal, brave and trustworthy people I
know. I have been blessed with the friendship of the likes of
you, Gimli, Faramir, and many, many more, and yet I cannot
explain to my own son what friendship is! How do you think that
makes me feel?�
Legolas
realised that his friend was truly upset over the whole issue.
�Estel, it is all right not to be able to explain something so
complex as friendship. It is a truly personal experience that
only you can relate to. When Eldarion makes his own friends, he
will experience the same and find it equally as hard to explain
it.�
Aragorn
just stood there, listening to Legolas speak. The lilting voice
had a soothing effect on his temper, which had been threatening
to break. �Legolas, what is friendship? You have seen
many more years than I; surely you know.�
Legolas
smiled. �Aye, you are right.� He wrapped an arm around Aragorn�s
shoulders and guided him through the trees to a small clearing
where a stream gurgled pleasantly. �My dear Estel, you have
become so much and you have grown into great man, a leader, a
king, a husband and a father.�
�But
I still can�t explain friendship!� Aragorn exclaimed in
annoyance.
�I
was coming to that!� Legolas pushed the man down onto the
ground, before folding his legs beneath him as he sat down
beside him. �Listen to me. Estel, there are many things in this
world today that we cannot find answers for. But let us try and
unravel the muddle you seem to have gotten yourself into!�
For
a moment Legolas didn�t speak, he just sat there, taking in the
beauty of the forest around him. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.
�If you look in the dictionary it will tell you that the
definition of friendship is a state of being friends � friendly
relation or attachment to a person or between persons. That it
is an affection arising from mutual esteem and good will. That
friendship is friendliness and amity. Am I correct in guessing
that is what you found?�
Aragorn
nodded. �Yes, but it did not tell me what true friendship is �
the bond that has been created between us.�
A
ghost of a smile tugged at Aragorn�s lips. �Yes,� he whispered,
remembering the many times the two of them had found themselves
in a life-or-death situation. �You were always there for me.�
Legolas
nodded. �As you were for me. Friendship for most people is a
combination of affection, loyalty, love, respect, and trust. The
general traits of a friendship include similar interests, mutual
respect and an attachment to each other, and in order to
experience friendship, you need to have true friends.� The elf
watched his friend closely. �The emotional safety provided by
friendship means not having to weigh your thoughts and measure
words. True friendship is when someone knows you better than
yourself and takes a position in your best interests in a
crisis. Friendship goes beyond just sharing time together, and
it is long-lasting. You know this, Estel; deep in your heart,
you know this.�
Aragorn
nodded. �I never realised before how blessed and honoured I am
to count you as one of my dearest friends. There were times I
was sure I would never survive, were it not for you by my side.�
Legolas
smiled. �What would you do without me?� His eyes twinkled with
merriment. Then he laughed as Aragorn shoved him, sobering once
more. �But be warned � friendship is rarely one-sided, though,
for it takes two individuals to negotiate the boundaries in a
relationship. A friendship will not survive very long if only
one person is making the effort to sustain the relationship
without any help or recognition from other. Because it takes
both positive and negative experiences to define a personality,
it is essential to build your friendships with people who are
compatible with you on an emotional basis.�
Aragorn
turned his head to look at the elf beside him. �I like to think
we have accomplished that in our time together, don�t you?�
Legolas
leaned back on his wrists with a soft smile on his face as he
gazed up into the canopy of branches above them. �Yes, I think
we did.�
For
a while the two friends allowed themselves to be immersed in the
natural world around them. At first it seemed that the forest
was silent, but when their ears became used to the stillness,
other sounds were awoken: the sound of the bubbling stream,
birds singing their hearts out in the branches, leaves swaying
in the light summer�s breeze that drifted among the mighty
trees.
�Well
you literally threw yourself at my feet, did you not?� came the
calm answer, although Aragorn was sure the prince was smirking.
He had stretched out on the grass beside Legolas and didn�t
really feel bothered enough to sit up. He chuckled at the memory
of his first encounter with the elf prince � how he had fallen
off a cliff on the edge of Mirkwood and had landed almost on top
of Legolas, unconscious. �In my defense, I was only
twenty.�
�You
have no defense! Your father warned you to stay away
from the wastelands at night, which you did not heed, instead
deciding that you knew better.�
Aragorn
kicked out at Legolas. �Well I, for one, am very glad that I
did. Otherwise I might have never have met you. Still, I am sure
King Thranduil wasn�t very happy about it at the start.�
The
prince rolled over onto his stomach. �No, he wasn�t,� he
admitted. �My father was worried. He didn�t want me getting
hurt, and I can understand that...but he came to trust you in
the end.�
�After
I saved your royal neck a few times!�
�Not
as many times as I had to save your sorry behind! The stories I
could tell your brothers!� Legolas then squawked in alarm as the
solid mass of Aragorn pinned him down.
�You
promised never to tell them!� the ranger hissed indignantly.
�Ugh,
get off me, Aragorn!� Legolas easily pushed the man off him and
sat up, brushing his tunic down. �No, I have never told them,
and I never will. I just said that I had stories they would
probably love to hear.�
�Make
sure you never do. If I ever hear of it...you�d better run,
Legolas Thranduilion!�
Legolas
chuckled as he scooted over to the nearest tree and rested his
back against it. �Rest assured, Aragorn, your secrets are safe
with me.�
Aragorn
harrumphed. The silence was broken when the ranger spoke again.
�That still doesn�t explain why you befriended me...a human and
an elf. Or even how you and Gimli became friends, an elf and a
dwarf. It was almost unheard of.�
�Friendship
is formed when people can come together, despite their different
races or cultures and show respect and loyalty to others. To be
able to encourage and love one another for whom they are on the
inside, not just their outward appearance.� Legolas took a deep
breath before he spoke again. �Before the last battle at the
Black Gates, when the Orcs had surrounded us, do you know what
Gimli said to me?�
Legolas
smiled sadly. �He told to me that he never thought he would die
fighting side by side with an elf.� He glanced at Aragorn beside
him. �I asked him, �What about side by side with a friend�?�
�What
did he say to that?� Aragorn asked.
Legolas
smile grew wider. �He said he could do that. In that moment I
knew I had found another true friend.�
Aragorn
smiled. �Aye, you had. That is some feat for a dwarf to
overcome. Not many would have answered as he did, be he dwarf or
man.�
Aragorn
gladly accepted the outstretched hand and allowed the prince to
haul him to his feet. Together, the two friends set out back
towards the prince�s settlement.
�owyn
smiled at the elf. �He is growing so quickly.�
�Children
tend to do that, my dear,� Faramir said absently as he watched
Aragorn swing Eldarion around until the boy was dizzy,
collapsing into his mother�s lap. �owyn stepped over to Arwen
and sat down beside her. The queen immediately reached over and
took Elboron, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the small
baby.
�Are
you enjoying yourself, Gimli?� Legolas asked pleasantly to the
dwarf beside him.
Gimli
huffed. �I would be, if your silly elves did not stay up half
the night singing to the moon! Why anyone would wish to do such
a daft thing is beyond me! Gah! Only this morning one asked me
if I wanted to be friends! Friends!�
Legolas
laughed. �And what did you say?� He crossed his arms over his
chest and glanced down at the dwarf.
Gimli
scowled. �I said I was already friends with one pointy-eared
elvish princeling and that was enough for me. But that
I�ah..wouldn�t mind being acquainted with him�or was it a her?
...No, it was definitely a him, I�m sure of that!�
Legolas
shook his head fondly as Gimli wandered over to Aragorn. He
sighed with content. Yes, it was a good day to be alive. Life
was good once more, peace reigned over them once more, and the
promise of more to come was eagerly awaited.
�Aragorn
seems changed since this morning.� Faramir stepped back over to
the elf. �He does not seem as troubled as he was at breakfast.�
He raised a questioning eyebrow at Legolas. However, the elf
just tapped his nose knowingly.
Faramir
shook his head with a grin. �Keep your secrets, then, elf! I for
one am glad our king is at last enjoying himself. He was too
burdened when he arrived. Now if you'll excuse me, I intend to
go and enjoy my wife!�
�Please,
do not let me keep you!� Legolas held up his hands, smirking.
Faramir
rolled his eyes. �Wait until you are married, elf, with children
of your own!�