A/N I am here once again! (It took me long enough). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next story and though it starts out a bit slow, I promise that it will pick up here soon!

Disclaimer: not mine.

There Will Always Be Hope

Chapter One

Aragorn shifted nervously in his seat, playing absently with his knife while glancing through the window and towards the fading sun. He had been sitting here for the better part of an hour, waiting for the, hopefully soon, arrival of his friend, Legolas.

The relatively young ranger, only in his mid-twenties, had traveled the far distance to Mirkwood wishing to see his friend after a long absence on both of their part. He had never spent much time in the forest, Legolas usually coming to see him so this was really the first time he had visited Mirkwood all alone and it was a little intimidating.

Catching sight of a passing servant, Aragorn leapt to his feet, grabbing the other's arm and effectively pulling him to a stop.

"I was sent there to wait for word from Prince Legolas…you wouldn't by chance have any from him?" Aragorn asked in elvish, apprehensive clear in his voice. As mentioned before, the few times he had come here, he been with the twins or Legolas, and he wondered slightly if this was normal.

"I will tell him that you are here…please wait." the servant said softly, turning away and walking gracefully down the hall.

"Hannon Le!" Aragorn called after him, sinking tiredly back into the chair. It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was see his friend and then go to sleep for a week…

A soft touch on his shoulder awakened him, and Aragon straightened instantly in his chair, glancing around anxiously with sleep glazed eyes."Wh ―what is it?" he asked, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

The same fair haired elf that he had spoken to earlier towered above him, a slight smile on his handsome features. "Come, Prince Legolas awaits." He said in the gentle tones of the elves, gliding away.

Aragorn jumped to his feet, hurrying after the elf as he blinked sleep from his eyes. He hoped that this time he really would get to see his friend instead of being handed off to someone else and be told wait like the last few times.

As the man took, rushed, long strides to keep up with the quick, gracefully steps of the elf, he began to recognize the long, winding, hallways. They were headed in the right direction to get to the royal rooms…at last they were making some progress.

Finally they reached their destination, a beautifully carved, mahogany door that lead to Legolas' chambers. Hushed, elven voice could be heard through the wood, though Aragorn was unable to decipher the words.

The elf who had lead him hither glanced a look about at the human, motioning for him to stay there, before slipping through the door and shutting it swiftly behind him, allowing Aragorn a quick glimpse of the dimly light room before he was again left in the darkness of the hallway.

Behind the door, the voices fell silent, before they started up again a second later, quieter than before…as if afraid that I might listen in! Aragorn thought with a sinking feeling. Leaning back against the wall, he let out a huff of air, frustrated beyond means with how his first day in Mirkwood had gone.

Just as the man was setting in for a long wait, however, the door slide open and Aragorn straightened, a smile spreading across his lips at the thought of finally seeing his elven friend ―only it wasn't Legolas. In fact, he had no clue who the elf was who walked passed him and down the hall.

This elf was followed by several others, some sparing him a glance or nod while others simply swept by. Not one of them was Legolas. Finally there came a stop to the line of elves, leaving Aragorn unsure of what to do now.

Peaking around the edge of the door, he stopped when he came face to face with Thranduil, King of Mirkwood.

"Your Majesty," Aragorn said instantly, pulling back and bowing his head swiftly as the king looked at him with stern, blue eyes.

"My son wishes to see you, ranger of the North, alone." The king said after a moment of silence. His voice was hard and cold, through Aragorn detected another emotion, what almost sounded like sadness. "I honor his wish, though it is not my first choice too."

Glancing up, Aragorn finally met the intimidating blue eyes, glancing around in hope for Legolas to appear and save him for this situation. The king still scared him slightly, being so different from that of the elves he had grown up with, so hard, cold, and serious…a mask, Aragorn had often thought.

"Yes, Hir-nin."/my lord/ He said softly, keeping his eyes locked with the king's in hopes to show that he was not as frightened as he felt. Thranduil gave no other acknowledgement of the human, instead sweeping past him and out of his sight.

Aragorn waited for a moment, hesitating on the threshold, before slipping through the door and into the interior.

Legolas looked up slowly from the bed, a bright, welcoming smile spread across his handsome features. "Estel, it is good to see you, mellon-nin." He whispered.

"Legolas," Aragorn replied, his voice catching slightly as he hurried forward towards his friend who lay propped up by several pillows on his side. His face was a pasty white, a bright sheen of sweat making his face and torso shine in the soft candlelight.

"What happened?" the man asked, concern coloring his voice as he bent low, crouching slightly so he could be at eye level with his friend. Legolas brushed if off, choosing instead to ask a question of his own as he locked eyes with the grey ones staring so intently back at him.

"Sit down…How long have you been in Mirkwood?"

Aragorn rolled his eyes, straightening up at the prince's request and moving to sit on the bed next to his friend. "Again, what happened? It would ease my heart to know."

A slight flash of pain wove itself across Legolas features as the mattress shifted and dipped under the man's weight, but his usually façade was in place seconds later, hiding from all those except who knew him best the true pain he was in.

"An orc managed to get past my defensive that is all. It is nothing serious, I am fine." The elf prince answered, rolling his head back slightly on the pillow so he could better look at the young ranger.

"Nothing serious?!" Aragorn cried in disbelief, his healing senses instantly cataloging all that wasn't fine with the prince.

"Yes, nothing serious." Legolas answered, his fever bright eyes alight with humor as he let a small, chocking, laugh out to accompany his words. He was forced to stop as his face paled considerable and groan of pain of forced its way past his lips. His eyes closed momentarily as he breathed deeply, sucking in air to battle the force of the pain, and letting his head loll to the side to find a cooler spot on the pillow.

"Where is your medication?" Aragorn instantly asked, concern lining his tone. Legolas wordlessly pointed, his finger trembling, towards the bedside table that was heaped with bottles and herbs of all sort.

The ranger stood swiftly, briefly catching the elf's hand as he passed and giving it a light squeeze, before hurriedly mixing up a strong dosage of medication and putting to good use the knowledge that he had learned from Elrond.

"What happened to the orc?" he asked as he measured out a specific amount from a bottle.

"I killed it." Legolas replied, the humor from before now and gone and replaced with a tightness brought on by pain.

Aragorn smirked, letting a smile flash across his face. Of course Legolas had killed it, in fact, Aragorn would beat money that the prince only stopped killing orcs after passing out from either agony or blood loss. Turning back, he held a mug, full of a nasty smelling concoction.

"Here, drink this for me." he said, reaching down and sliding his hand under Legolas head and bringing it up slightly so that he could drink.

"What if I don't want too?" Legolas replied, scrunching up his nose at the smell and turning his head away. Aragorn snorted, rolling his eyes,

"Then I'll force you too." He threatened, placing the rim against the elf's lips and tipping it forward. The elven prince shot a glare at the human, but reluctantly took a gulp of the herbs, swallowing quickly until the cup was empty.

"There, see, that wasn't so hard." Aragorn teased, sitting back down on the side of the bed and pulling a bowl of cold water towards him. Wringing out a cold cloth, he placed it gently against Legolas's brow.

"You weren't the one drinking it" Legolas pointed out, closing his eyes as the fire that seemed to burning his skin relented to the cold water as it touched him. "You ―" he began but paused to take a deep breath and collect his thoughts as his mind wandered, edging upon the path of sleep. "You got to do the drugging…big difference…"

Aragorn smiled, shushing the elf and telling him to sleep. His eyes kept drifting back to the white, thick, bandages wrapped around his friend, itching to know what the wound was and how bad it was…but he wanted to wait until the elf slept before doing so in an attempt to cause the prince the least amount of pain possible.

"Legolas…Legolas…" he whispered, once it appeared that Legolas was sleeping, as he touched him lightly on the shoulder. The elf made no reply, his eyes half closed and vacant with sleep.

Reaching gingerly out, Aragorn pulled the light colored bed sheets down to the elf's waist, revealing the end of the bandages and the beginning of comfortable, loose leggings. The prince still didn't stir, and Aragorn began to undo the bandages, glancing ever now and then at his friend.

Carefully prying back the edges of the cloth, Aragorn was met with an ugly sight. On Legolas's back, from his left shoulder to his side, stretched a horrendous wound, leaving Aragorn praying to the Valar with thanks that his friend had survived it at all. Vital vertebrates had been missed, apparently, by mere centimeters sparing the prince's function movements and life.

The wound itself was red and swollen, a sure sign of infection, which wasn't uncommon in a wound of that size. The Mirkwood healers, Aragorn noticed, had done a fantastic job of stitching up the tender, slightly puckered skin.

Sighing with fear, the ranger carefully replaced the bandages, making sure they were firmly in place before he pulled the blankets back up to cover his friend, gently smoothing them out so that they lay flat. Moving to the chair next to the bed, Aragorn sat back and concentrated on his friend, wanting to keep watch until the next time the elf's eyes would clear.

THEWILLALWAYSBEHOPE

Thranduil strode gracefully down the hall. He wanted to see his son, and no human was going to stop him from doing so.

Pushing the wooden door open without a sound, the king made straight for Legolas's bed and was surprised by what he found. Both his son and the ranger where fast asleep. Aragorn lay with his head back against a chair, his mouth open and snoring softly, an abounded cloth was held in his limp fingers.

Giving a sigh of exasperation, Thranduil relived the human of it, before soaking it in the now luke-warm water. Pressing it against his son's heated brow, the king shushed him gently as Legolas stirred, moaning fitfully.

"Shh, Legolas…go back to sleep." he whispered, moving the sweet slicked strands of hair back behind an elegantly pointed ear.

"Ada?" Legolas asked his voice husky with sleep. Gazing down at his son, Thranduil let a smile touch his lips as he noticed the still slept fogged eyes.

"Yes, it is I, young one. Just relax and sleep." He murmured, though it sounded like an order.

"No, I am well." Legolas whispered back, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the human asleep next to him.

"I do not believe that ion-nin. Listen to what the healers have told you. You need rest." Thranduil said, lightly touching the prince's face, bidding him to go back to the world of blissfully pain free dreams.

"Ada, wait, I want to talk with you for a moment….about Estel." Legolas asked, twisting slightly was he could look deep into his father's blue eyes.

"What about him?" Thranduil responded, his voice growing hard as he threw a glance at the snoring human.

"Ada, Estel is a good person, loyal and true with a good heart. Why do you judge him so just because he is human?"

"Because I know his kind." Thranduil replied, standing in a swift motion and starting down at his soon. "They are weak, living only in this world for an instant of ours. This human that you have befriended so easily will die, leaving you with nothing but a grieving heart…tis best not to face it in the first place."

"But if we just shut them out, then we miss out on all they do have to offer. I have learned many things for Estel. There is good in them!" Legolas shot back, working up the effort to raise himself up on an elbow, his eyes pleading with his father to see it his way.

"And evil also."Thranduil retorted, anger starting to lace the tone of his voice. He began to pace back and forth in a short, angry steps, his face grim and set as he thought back on his many years of dealing with men.

"But you only see the evil, not the good." Legolas protested, thumping the bed beneath his body with the palm of his hand as his own frustration grew. "Ada…please, I'm not asking you to ―to change your view of all men. I'm just asking that you try and accept Estel for who he is…stop looking at him as just a human." He finished, sinking back the bed with a low moan and resting his head against the pillows.

Thranduil stopped his pacing, looking over at his too pale son as the words he wanted to speak faded from his lips. Legolas looked so desperate, his blue eyes opened wide with hope as he waited for his father response, pleading with the king to side with him on this one issue.

Thranduil resolve to say an instant no crumbled. How could he, when Legolas was looking at him like that."Fine!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as a gesture of defeat. "I will try." He grunted with a huff of air.

Legolas let a wide smile grace his handsome features as he gazed up at his father. "Hannon le, ada. I won't forget this…" he said softly, his voice happy as he cushioned his head on his arm. Thranduil let out an exasperated sigh, moving back to his son's side.

"Go back to sleep." He murmured, reseating himself in a straight back chair next to the bed.

TBC…

Well, there is no cliffe on the first chapter this time! You guys should be grateful. I promise that the action will pick up here soon and expect an update next week. Until next time!