Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue Yonder ❯ An Ache That May Never End ( Chapter 47 )

Disclaimer: As I have stated before and will continue to state, I don't own the characters from the LOTR, however I do own my characters.

Sorry for the long wait, a review from a long-time reader made me think about this stories direction and I rewrote this entire chapter three time.

Wild Blue Yonder

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Chapter 47 - An Ache That May Never End

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The morning dawned clear and bright, a light breeze playing gently across the lake. The ripples catching the sunlight and sparkling across the tips of the waves. Rain inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent of water, trees and air. It reminded her of the lovely mornings at home, when she would get up early, sit on the back porch, and enjoy the light breezes and a cup of coffee. While Nanook would bounce happily around the yard chasing the odd insect or animal that happened to wander by.

Shifting the pack on her shoulder to a better angle, she looked up and watched with detached interest as Gandalf walked quietly ahead, nodding occasionally as Gimli nattered on, the smaller of the two waving his arms about wildly. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Legolas before turning back to tease Elrohir.

Legolas walked quietly behind the group as they crossed the bridge leading out of the main portion of Laketown. Rain and Elrohir's lively banter played easily over the water. Thoughtfully, he looked ahead of him, his eyes slightly out of focus as he mind played over the words that Rain had whispered the night before. So great was his distraction that he didn't notice that Rain had dropped back to him, until she took his hand in hers.

"Legolas, are you alright?" she asked softly, her green eyes filled with concern.

Shaking his head slightly, he turned to look down at her lacing his fingers through hers. "No, I'm fine. Why?"

"You just...I don't know...looked,' she shrugged before continuing, "kinda sad."

"I promise that I am all right. I was just thinking," he said, turning to look back out over the water as they walked off the bridge and onto the footpath.

"About what?"

"Oh, a great many things," he evaded before turning back to her and smiling gently. "Are you ready to continue on our great adventure?"

Rain looked suspiciously up at Legolas, knowing that he was purposefully changing the subject but she would play along with him. For now.

"Yes, as nice as it was to stop and do nothing for a few days, I am more than ready to continue on. I am really not good at sitting around doing nothing. I need to be on the move and doing something all of the time." Rain grinned.

"I understand completely. Many a times I have become restless and my father would have to scold me for disappearing at inopportune moments." Legolas replied.

"Usually about the time his father came up with potential brides," chirped Elrohir, who ducked as Legolas reached out one long arm to hit him.

"Oh, is that why the great prince of Mirkwood is still single?" teased Rain, ignoring the baleful glare sent in her direction.

"Wouldn't that be to your advantage, my dear?" Gandalf voice came drifting back, as they crested the slope near the stables. Rain flushed slightly before squaring her shoulders and marching off into the dark stables. A sharp whinny and an excited voice echoed back out the open doors.

Gandalf chuckled as he and Gimli followed Rain into the dark opening. As Legolas began to follow, he was held back by a hand on his arm. He turned to look into the concerned face of his long time friend.

"So, I take it that everything is better between you two?" Elrohir asked softly. Legolas looked at the other elf briefly, before turning back to look into the darkened stable.

"She's worried about what will happen to her when she returns to her time." Legolas said softly, a painful catch to his voice. He turned again to look back at Elrohir, "I knew that she wasn't from our time and yet I have let myself hope."

"Legolas..." Elrohir said, one hand held out as if to comfort his friend.

"Don't worry about me, I'll survive," he said, a faint grin on his face, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Somehow."

Elrohir watched silently as Legolas turned and headed into the dark stable to retrieve his horse. What struck him about this situation was that even though he knew that Rain was here on a mission, he too had not taken into consideration that at the end of their journey that she could possibly leave. The pain within Legolas, though not normally noticeable to all, was very visible to those of their own kind. He could only hope that if Rain did truly return to her home, that Legolas would be able to survive the pain of her departure.

~*~

The remainder of the week passed slowly and Elrohir grew more concerned with every passing moment. Legolas continued to brood silently as they traveled, putting up a mask whenever Rain was near. He could tell that Legolas didn't want to worry her with his problems, however he knew that Rain was the root of his problems. He turned his horse, intent on remedying this situation immediately when he was brought up short. Looking down, he saw a gnarled, wrinkled old hand gripping tightly upon his reins preventing him from moving away. His eyes drifted up until them meet the wizards' dark gaze, which was full of understanding and wisdom.

"I know that you want to help them, Elrohir. But you have to let them work this out on their own. Only then will they be able to overcome this obstacle." Gandalf said sagely, his brow crinkling thoughtfully.

"But..." Elrohir started but was interrupted by Gandalf.

"Let them be," Gandalf said, his dark eyes looking over at the couple that was causing this discussion. "For now."

"All right, I will stop for now. But if they haven't worked it out before the time for her return comes..." Elrohir said, his voice trailing off with the promise he intended to keep.

~*~

Rain looked worriedly at the silent Legolas, who was riding at the head of the group. Gimli was talking away, his gestures sweeping wide, as he kept his precarious balance on the small horse next to Legolas. Legolas would occasionally nod or smile; however she could see that the smile did not reach his eyes. Something was bothering him and she was unsure of the problem.

She had noticed his withdrawal from the group the day after they had left Laketown. His laughter and conversations seemed forced, as if he wasn't totally in tune with his surroundings. When she had pulled him off to the side on that first night, he had just smiled softly and told her that he was fine. She didn't believe that for one minute.

Sharp arguing from behind her drew her attention to Gandalf and Elrohir. Gandalf had his hand on Elrohir' horse's reins and was looking sternly at the obviously upset elf. Pulling gently back on Arod's reins, she turned him and nudged him forward gently. Trotting over, she stopped and looked over at the two, one eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking over the two suddenly guilty faces.

"Nothing, Rain. Just a conversation that I didn't like." Elrohir said with one last glare at the aged wizard, before shaking him loose of his reins and guiding his horse away after the others.

Rain looked at Gandalf, who had an innocent expression plastered over his face.

"Now don't give me that look, I know better than that," she started, but was forestalled from continuing by his raised hand.

"My dear, there are things at times that must be resolved by the parties involved. Outside interference should be adverted at the earliest moment," he said, his eyes beginning to twinkle brightly.

"You really love talking in riddles, don't you?" she huffed, rolling her eyes as his smile widen perceptively.

"All shall tell in time," he replied, grinning as her exasperated look as she turned Arod away and trotted away. His smile slipped as she turned from him, and the light in his eyes turned grave. "Time shall definitely tell," he whispered softly to himself before nudging his horse to follow as well.

The sun had begun to set over the land as the tiny group crested the last ridge that led into the long shallow plains that butted up to the base of the Lonely Mountain. The mountain stood silently in the distance, the fading daylight brushing the harsh, jagged outcroppings softening the overall appearance of its forbidding facade.

"Well laddie, we should be there in time for the nightly feast." Gimli said, looking over at the group that had stretched out along the rim. "And what a feast it shall be. Red meat, still dripping from the flames, all the ale and wines you can drink, yes it will be good to be home."

"You talk like you have been away for a long time, instead of a week." Elrohir teased as he turned in his saddle to look over at the smirking dwarf.

"When one has become accustomed to the finer pleasures of life, they have a tendency to forget about all other things." Legolas quipped quietly.

A roar of laughter bellowed from Gimli, as he reach out and slapped Legolas hard on the back, almost knocking the elf from his perch. "That you are right, my friend. However, I would still live on Lembas, as bad as it was, to have another adventure with you."

"Well, this time we shall not have to worry about that, shall we." Legolas replied, as he signaled his horse to pick it way down the steep embankment. Gimli stared after him, a puzzled expression on his face, before he turned to the others.

"Is it just me, or is there something wrong with him?"

"I am not sure, Gimli," Rain replied, as she was the closest to him. Gandalf and Elrohir exchanged knowing glances behind her, which was caught by Gimli. "I wish I knew what was wrong."

"Well, my lady, I wouldn't fret. It should all work out." Gimli said, as he eyed the other two, knowing that he would have to corner them later and force out whatever they were hiding about their knowledge of the situation. "Should we continue on?" he said.

The remainder of the travel to the front gates was done in silence, the group each in their own thoughts. As they finally neared the front gates, Rain's breath caught as the sheer magnitude of the sweeping stairway and massive stone doors. The stairway, hewn from the stone of the mountain swept up the face at a gradual slope; was wide enough for them to ride their horses side-by-side from bottom to top. Her eyes traveled up to the massive doors, wide open to the world, torches burning brightly on each side and two large signal fire hearths waiting and ready for immediate action. Two guards, seen to be standing near the edge of the apron, looked down with curiosity as their group dismounted.

Gimli gestured for them to follow him, and lead his horse around the outcropping of the staircase to a low set of wooden doors set in the base of the staircase. Banging one fist against the door, he stepped back and waited. Nearly instantly, a small eager face appeared from the doors and a young human child, no more the age of ten or eleven, bounced out of the door a wide grin spreading over his face.

"Master Gimli, you're back! Did Capis give you any problems?" the boy asked in a rush of words as he reached for the reins and rubbed the small horse's nose affectionately. The little horse seemed to perk up when he saw the boy and excitedly pranced around.

"No Merdes, Capis was very good to me." Gimli said, as he reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. "However, I do have a few more charges for you and your father to take care of. Where is Reduni?"

"Father is inside having dinner. I can take care of the horses for you and make sure that they have a good rub down and grain for dinner." Merdes replied, turning to look over at the others. His eyes widened when he saw the two elves. He moved closer to Gimli, his voice easily carrying, though he appeared to be trying to be quiet. "Are they really elves?"

Gimli smiled, as he waved one hand to his friends. "Yes, they are really elves. This is Prince Legolas, whom you probably remember from all those stories you weeded out of me. And this is Elrohir, he is from Rivendell and is the son of Lord Elrond."

Merdes eyes, which couldn't possibly get any wider, stared in awe at the two elves before him. Legolas chuckled softly at the expression on the young boys' face as he dropped to one knee before him, his hand held out to greet him.

"Nice to meet you, Master Merdes. I am sure that you will care for our horses perfectly." Legolas said gently, as the youngster edged closer to Gimli. Gimli nudged the boy, who blinked quickly before wiping his hands on his pants and taking Legolas's hand fast before quickly releasing it, and then pulling Capis closer to him.

Legolas smiled as the young man quickly stepped back away from him and held out the reins to Hausfel. The boy darted back forward and took the reins before turning and quickly leading the horses into the wide open doors. An older man, standing in the doorway, moved to the side as the boy stepped into the doors, before walking forward to gather the other horses. A smile and a nod was bestowed on Legolas as he turned with the other horses and disappeared into the stable.

"Interesting young lad, Gimli." Legolas said, as they walked back around to the stairs and proceeded to climb.

"Well, a short time ago the lad's father came to me and asked for work. Since we have begun to trade with Laketown and several of the other nearby towns, it seemed necessary to have horses. However most dwarves, as you know, do not like the creatures. It was a wise decision to hire him to acquire the horses we needed for pack trains and a few for those more adventurous to try riding." Gimli replied.

"I see that you riding skills have definitely improved." Legolas said, a real smile finally lighting up his face.

"You know very well that Rohan horses are nearly impossible to ride."

"Ah, is that why you couldn't keep in your saddle?" Legolas chuckled at the distant memory.

"Hmph, some friend you are." Gimli grumbled.

Rain smiled as she finally saw that Legolas was perking up some, the smile on his face seemed genuine. As they reached the top, the two guards stepped forward. Seeing Gimli, they smiled and moved to the side allowing them passage within the open doors. Rain looked, fascinated at the intricate runes carved into the stone above the door. The doors themselves large carved stone slabs, hung on thick metal runners that glistened with oil. As they passed through the doors, the faint sound of rushing water was heard.

Seeing that Rain was looking around in puzzlement, Gimli spoke up. " `Tis the falls that you are hearing. The water from the summit of the mountain travels within and without the mountain `til it empties in to the river below. The river feeds into the lake that houses Laketown."

"I wondered," she mused, turning slightly to catch the amused glance she received from Elrohir, but turned away not designing to acknowledge his amusement.

The passage twisted and turned lit by torches placed at intervals along the hall. Rain leaned her head back and looked into the inky darkness. No ceiling could be seen through the flickering light, she idly wondered how tall and deep these passages went.

The long passageway opened into a great exposed cavern, huge columns of stone rose into the darkness above. Torches lit the lower part of the room, flicking in the wake of their passage. Dwarves of all shapes and sizes scurried here and there, some sitting at tables eagerly consuming their meals as other carried large trays or turned huge spitted carcasses. At their arrival, all eyes turned in their direction and the noise level dropped dramatically.

Gimli led them forward to the center of the large cavern, towards several long banquet tables as the noise began to pick back up whispers traded back and forth. One small figure spotted the group and came hurtling from within the crowd to wrap themselves around Legolas's lower legs.

"Uncie Legglas," cried the childish voice.

"Now Thoron, what have I told you about grabbing onto people." Gimli growled gently, as he reached out to pull the small body from Legolas.

"That's all right, Gimli. It has been quite awhile since young Thoron has been able to visit with me." Legolas said, as he reached down and hefted the stocky child onto his hip. Thoron squealed in delight, as Legolas carried towards one of the long tables before swinging him down and sitting next to him. Rain smiled indulgently at the sight of one blonde head and one reddish-brown head bent together, Thoron's giggles sounding clearly through the din of the other dinners.

Dinner was filled with conversation and laughter, mainly from Thoron who would not leave Legolas's side. As the night grew later, the numbers in the chamber dwindled until only the small group was left. Thoron had fallen asleep, his head pillowed on Legolas's thigh. Gimli rose silently and gathered the small lad, motioning with a jerk of his head for them to follow him. He led them through a series of twists and turns before stopping in front of a pair of doors set across from each other.

"I'll see you in the morning and we can discuss the maps that you brought from Lothlorien. Have a good night," he said, before turning and disappearing around one of the bends.

Legolas turned back to the group, "Rain, why don't you take this room. We three can share the other," he said quietly before quickly turning and disappearing into the room behind him. Rain, Elrohir and Gandalf all stared at the closed door, each with a different look upon their face. Elrohir and Gandalf, both with knowing and troubled faces and Rain with the beginnings of the thunderclouds that she was become quite famous for.

"You guys don't..." Rain's voice trailed off, as she waved her hand over her shoulder at the other door, her eyes never leaving the closed door before her.

"No my dear, go right ahead." Gandalf said, opening the door and pulling a reluctant Elrohir inside. A quiet `Good Luck' drifted out behind her as the door shut with a soft click.

Steeling herself, she reached out and pushed open the door to the room. Legolas was laying on his back on the far bed, staring blindly up at the ceiling. She shut the door behind her with a solid thump and stalked across the room to tower over him, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"What the hell is your problem!"

~*~

A/N: A sudden change in events, something is wrong with Legolas and he seems to be withdrawing from Rain. Why? Is he afraid of a broken heart? Or is it more. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. ~DBZ Vegeta

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