A Moment s Respite: Special Extended Version, a lord of the rings fanfic

Disclaimer: Still not mine and only borrowed, rats...

Author´s note: These are Special Extended Versions of the two gapfillers for all those who´d like to see some more emotions and Legolas caring for Aragorn; originally written for a friend for exactly that reason. Thank you for reading, and now: enjoy!

The first part follows Boromir´s death.

Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring

Aragorn fell silent and did not speak anymore; he seemed weary beyond the physical exertion, weighed down with grief.

Slowly, Legolas approached him, taking in his friend´s bloodied face and the gash on his arm, and laid his hand on Aragorn´s shoulder.

To his surprise, the Ranger leaned into his grip for a moment, as if seeking support, before he straightened up again: "We cannot leave him lying here", he murmured.

Legolas´ gaze dropped down on their fallen comrade; he was still bereft of words, and although he had not even been remotely close to Boromir, he felt the sadness which had been dwelling in his heart ever since Gandalf´s fall deepen considerably.

When the elf finally looked back at Aragorn, their gazes met; mutual understanding passed between them even though neither of them spoke.

Gimli now approached them as well, and with an awkward movement, knelt down next to Boromir´s body.

It seemed to Legolas as if the dwarf had broken a spell; the world around them suddenly had voices and smells again, and after taking a deep breath, Legolas knew what to do. "We cannot linger to bury him here", he said, quietly. "More Orcs will come, and soon."

Aragorn nodded; they did not have any time to spare, if they hoped to catch up with the hobbits at all.

Gimli looked at the dead warrior: "What will we do if we cannot bury him?", he asked, his voice unusually quiet. "We cannot burn him either!" The elf and Ranger knew what he meant, since the smoke would give away their whereabouts too easily.

"What about the sea?", Legolas inquired softly.

Aragorn looked up, his eyes curious, whereas Gimli showed surprise: "The sea? We are nowhere near it, laddie!"

Legolas smiled sadly: "Indeed we are not, master dwarf, but the Anduin flows into the sea. It would bear the body thither."

"It seems to me that this is indeed a good solution under these circumstances, and worthy of a warrior such as Boromir", Aragorn said.

Gimli nodded: "Aye", he murmured, his gaze returning to the lifeless man.

Thus it was agreed; Aragorn removed the arrows which had claimed the Gondorian´s life, and, breaking them, tossed them on the ground.

They carried the body to the shore; they could see Frodo and Sam, struggling to cross the river in the too big boat, and knew they would have to make haste in order not to lose the hobbits.

Legolas was taking pity on them, thinking that they must have been severely frightened to flee across the water in such fashion; he was distracted from these thoughts by Aragorn, who pulled one of the boats further up on the shore and started to empty it of everything that had been left in it.

Quickly comprehending what the Ranger had in mind, Legolas and Gimli went to help him.

Half an hour later, the three remaining companions stood on the shore and looked after the boat which carried Boromir´s body until it vanished over the edge of the falls of Rauros.

All of them had a heavy heart, but time was pressing, and so Aragorn was the first to turn back to the shore in order to gather their belongings. He closed his eyes for a moment, as a dull, throbbing headache had set in a while ago, an ungentle reminder of the fight with the Uruk-Hai. He remembered the uncanny force behind the foul creatures punches and involuntarily shivered; he had never met such unconditional evil, such a will to maim and kill.

The hobbits meanwhile had made good progress and were advancing the eastern shore, but the Ranger did not intend to follow them; he had realized that Frodo would have to face the task which lay ahead of him alone. Aragorn was not inclined to give up on Merry and Pippin, however, and thus had already decided to follow the Uruk-Hai which had captured them.

While Aragorn was looking about their former resting place in order to assess which of their supplies would have to be left behind, Legolas stepped up to his friend. His keen eyes had seen the man shivering, and he was very aware of how weary his friend looked, apart from the injuries: "Aragorn", he said. "I know we shall have to make haste, but before we go, let me see to your wounds." Aragorn frowned: "´Tis nothing to worry about", he said dismissively. The elf shook his head: "It is enough to make you look savage", he replied, obviously amused. Aragorn hesitated: "We do not have the time", he insisted. Legolas´ turned serious again, and his gaze was so stern now that the Ranger could not evade him. He knew the elf well enough to know that arguing would be pointless, as Legolas could be surprisingly persistent.

They stared at each other for a while longer, then, sighing, Aragorn shrugged: "Very well then, go ahead."

Legolas´ face remained unmoved, but the Ranger thought he could see a glint of smugness in his eyes.

"Sit down", he said, and Aragorn complied, while Legolas went to get a waterskin; he could feel every aching bone in his body, and desperately wished to rest, but knew it was impossible. He watched Legolas, who was ripping a piece of cloth apart to produce a bandage, and suddenly felt grateful to have the elf with him.

Legolas knelt down in front of his friend and started to carefully wash the blood off his face: "How did this happen?", he asked, curiously. He had not seen Aragorn fighting Lurtz, and thus had no way of knowing how the Ranger had sustained a bloody nose and mouth.

The man did his best not to wince when the wet cloth touched the tender skin, even though Legolas´ ministrations were very gentle, and shortly recounted what had transpired. Both their minds wandered back to Boromir at this, and they fell silent again.

Aragorn´s head was feeling worse now, the dull throbbing having turned into sharp, hot pain. He closed his eyes again, trying to concentrate on warding it off, but now images of the battle kept coming back to him, and he could feel the one terrible moment when he thought the fight was over, lying on the ground and trying to find his senses, knowing that the Uruk-Hai was still there. When the dark creature had hauled him up by his sleeves as if Aragorn were a mere rag-doll, and sent him flying, the overwhelming sense of helplessness which had swept through the Ranger had triggered an unknown panic inside him. The panic, however, had helped him to get out of his half-stunned state, which had probably saved his life, because he had then managed to grab his sword and fend off the dagger. Nausea swept over him nevertheless; the blows that the Uruk-Hai had dealt him had been severe, and they were catching up with him now.

Legolas paused and looked at Aragorn worriedly, noticing the man´s closed eyes and increasing paleness: "You are not well", he stated softly but in a tone which suffered no contradiction.

Instead of an answer, Aragorn simply started to lean forward; alarmed, Legolas quickly moved closer to him and caught him in his arms. The Ranger rested his head against the elf´s neck: "Forgive me", he murmured.

"There is nothing to forgive", Legolas soothed, protectively holding the back of Aragorn´s head with one hand while supporting his friend´s upper body with the other.

"What is it, Estel?", he then asked softly.

"The Uruk-Hai gave me a sound thrashing, is all", was the somewhat muffled answer.

Legolas sighed in sympathy: "I dare not even think about it", he answered. "I wish we could have been with you sooner; we might have..." He broke off. He had already asked himself wether he could have saved Boromir; he knew there was no point in mulling it over again and again, but still...

"No", Aragorn answered quietly, knowing perfectly well what was going on in Legolas´ mind. "There is no way you could have, Legolas, not with their superior numbers."

Legolas slightly tightened his grip for an answer; he was taking unexpected comfort out of this, and allowed themselves to stay like this a while longer.

"What can I do?", he finally asked. "Should we rest here for a while so you can recover?"

"No", Aragorn slowly pulled away from his friend and sat up straight again: "We cannot afford to lose their tracks", he said. "I will be well; I have some Athelas in my pack, which I am sure will help to reduce my headache."

Legolas nodded: "Very well", he murmured.

After Legolas had also cleaned and bound a cut on Aragorn´s upper arm, they looked at each other, painfully aware that the day was far from over yet. Legolas rested his hand on Aragorn´s knee for a few seconds, as if to reassure him, and got to his feet. The Ranger got up as well: "Thank you", said, softly.

Legolas assessed him and nodded, knowing that the Ranger rather meant to thank him for being there than for seeing to the wounds.

"I had not expected I´d need to help you wash your face ever again", he then replied lightly, "not since you were grown-up, anyway."

A smile spread on Aragorn´s tired face: "So now I am grown-up again?", he teased. "I distinctly remember you calling me a child not so long ago."

Legolas could not but chuckle: "I must have had a good reason for it", he said.

Aragorn inclined his head good-naturedly: "Aye", he said, equally amused.

Gimli, who had been gathering together the most necessary supplies he deemed they were to take with them while pursuing Frodo and Sam, looked at the two and smiled into his beard; whatever Legolas and Aragorn had been talking about, it seemed to have restored their spirits. The dwarf glanced over to the edge of the falls, where the boat with Boromir´s body has disappeared: he felt that this was only a beginning, and he was glad to have two such hardy companions, even if one of them was an elf.

After it was decided to follow Merry and Pippin instead of Frodo and Sam, Gimli sighed and made to unpack most of what he had collected together earlier. Legolas and Aragorn also started to prepare themselves; Legolas had just secured his bow on his back and turned to give Gimli a hand when his gaze caught Aragorn, who was swaying and stretched out his hands in order to find something to support himself. He failed, however, since there was nothing he could have held on to, and awkwardly staggered on the spot. Legolas reached him just as his knees were giving out under him, and barely caught his friend in time to prevent him from falling.

He carefully eased Aragorn on the ground; the man´s eyes were closed, and his face had become even paler. He did not respond when Legolas addressed him.

Gimli was by their side in an instant: "What is wrong with him?", he asked, appalled.

Legolas shook his head: "He is unconscious", he murmured. "I fear that the fight with the Uruk-Hai has taken a greater toll on him than I have originally thought."

Gimli knelt down next to him: "What can I do?", he asked. Legolas could not but smile gratefully: the dwarf might be stubborn at times, but he had proven very loyal to his companions.

"Let us make him comfortable", he replied. "That is all we can do for now, I am afraid."

Gimli nodded; they laid Aragorn on one of the bedrolls and supported his head with another one, then spread a blanket over him and tucked him in thoroughly; the air was becoming considerably cool, but they could not risk to light a fire.

Legolas knelt down next to the Ranger again and assessed his ashen face; there was no way of pursuing the hobbits now, but he had to admit that that was not the first thing on his mind. His worry for Aragorn was growing by the minute; if he just knew what was causing this! He suspected that Aragorn had been dealt a blow to the head, but could that be the reason for his passing out?

Yes, he decided, it must be. The cut on Aragorn´s arm was not deep and had obviously not been poisoned, and the man had not sustained any other open wounds either.

Dusk had already settled when Aragorn stirred; he moved his head and subseqently groaned softly.

Legolas laid his hand on the man´s shoulder: "Do not move yet", he said. "Take it easy, my friend."

After a few seconds, Aragorn´s eyes opened, and he looked at the elf in confusion, not fully conscious. Legolas bit his lip not to betray his worry: "All is well", he murmured softly in elvish. "We will watch over you, Estel; you are safe."

The Ranger´s gaze lingered on him until his eyes closed again and his breathing evened out. Legolas sighed; he was not even sure if his friend had recognized him. Gently, he stroked the man´s temple; there was nothing else he could do.

It was nearing midnight when Aragorn awoke again; Legolas was alert and keeping watch, sitting next to him, whereas Gimli was sleeping soundly nearby.

The elf looked down on his friend when Aragorn began to stir. The Ranger struggled to come back to consciousness, but when he finally opened his eyes, they instantly locked on Legolas´ own, and a faint smile danced across his features.

"Aragorn", Legolas whispered in relief. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Aye." Aragorn whispered as well. "Did I pass out?"

"Yes.", Legolas replied, stroking the man´s temple and brow. "I think your body was telling you that it was time to rest. How do you feel?"

"Only tired. And my head is still aching, but it is not as bad anymore." Aragorn´s right hand came out from under the blankets, and he lifted it to touch his forehead, where it found the elf´s hand. "Your hand is cold", Legolas said, in mild dismay.

"A little", Aragorn admitted.

"The other one as well?", Legolas asked. Wordlessly, Aragorn lifted his left arm to uncover his left hand. Legolas took them both in his own and started to gently rub them to get them warm. "We did not dare to start a fire", he said. "If Orcs are near, they might see it."

Aragorn´s eyes widened at the mention of Mordor´s creatures: "The hobbits-"

Legolas immediately interrupted him, not wanting his friend to get upset: "We shall find their tracks, do not worry", he soothed. "The weather has been steady, and I do not think it will rain soon." He was indeed more worried about Orcs than the hobbits; it had been quiet so far, and he whole-heartedly hoped that it would remain like this.

Aragorn attempted to sit up nevertheless, but was being held down by the elf: "What do you think you are doing?", he chided. "We cannot follow them now anyway, it is too dark as the moon is clouded over. I suggest you go back to sleep and rest; you will feel much better tomorrow morning." Resignedly, Aragorn lay back; it would indeed do him good to rest some more, and his exhaustion finally won over his disconcertment. "Yes, Ada", he murmured nevertheless, because Legolas had sounded exactly like Elrond.

Legolas chuckled and felt relief flood over him: if Aragorn was well enough to make a joke, he would be alright.

He took Aragorn´s hands again, thus reassuring his friend. Aragorn was nearly asleep already, but calmed immensely at this, and for the rest of the night slept a deep, refreshing sleep.

The End

~o~o~o~

Author´s Note: the second part follows the end of The Two Towers and thus the battle of Helm´s Deep: in the extended version of the movie, it becomes clear that Aragorn does not heed Legolas´ advice to get some rest after he has returned on Brego and before the battle, thus he must be utterly spent afterwards.

Part 2: The Two Towers

Legolas´ gaze rested on Aragorn; his exhaustion finally seemed to have caught up with the Ranger, for his movements seemed oddly slow and mechanical, and it took him an unusually long time to undo the knots and clasps of Brego´s saddle.

The elf met the eyes of Gandalf, who had silently been talking to Shadowfax but apparently also noticed that Aragorn had obviously reached his limits. So far, Legolas had given the wizard only a short account of what had happened on the way to Helm´s Deep, but Gandalf could see the worry in the elf´s eyes as he now assessed his human friend. How Aragorn had managed to find the strength to last throughout the whole battle he could not imagine; even though they had known each other for many years had he obviously underestimated the man´s willpower.

Legolas now stepped up to his friend and silently started to give him a hand. Aragorn looked slightly irritated but did not say anything. He had finally managed to unstrap the saddle and took it off, unable to subdue a wince when the weight strained his left arm. This did not go unnoticed by the elf, who knew that something was wrong with the arm anyway; Aragorn had been holding it with his right hand whenever possible while they had been preparing for battle, but not once taken the time to have someone see to it.

Aragorn turned, only to have Gandalf taking the saddle off him: "I will take care of this, and Brego.", he said quietly. "Go and get some rest, dear friend. We will ride back to Edoras tomorrow, and I would rather not have you falling from your horse out of fatigue." Aragorn did not find the means to protest; he felt strangely dazed, as his weariness was overwhelming him.

Someone gently took hold of his right arm and led him out of the horses´ quarters; somewhere in his tired mind he knew it was Legolas, and followed readily. The elf steered his friend through the crowd of people; the smell of blood still hung in the air and assaulted Legolas´ senses, but he did not heed it, or the countless bodies which were still lying where they had fallen. Some of the Rohirrim had begun to clear them away, along with rubble and debris from the destroyed wall, but everyone was weary and exhausted, and it would probably take a few days anyway, considering the amount of dead. Aragorn did not register his surroundings properly anymore, he was nearly asleep while walking.

When they had finally reached the stairs, Legolas led Aragorn to the armoury; there was a small chamber next to the entrance, which usually served the purpose of a guardroom, but now was deserted. Legolas had noticed it on the day before and had just thought of it a little earlier; it might be one of the very few places in the whole fortress which were tolerably quiet, thus he brought his friend there. It was dark, and he felt Aragorn stiffen instinctly, despite his stupor: "Do not worry, Aragorn", he soothed, aware that the man was too exhausted to think clearly anymore and therefore might not be able to differentiate between times: "The battle is over, you can rest soon. We are nearly there..." Taking advantage of his superior sight, the elf steered the Ranger over to a far corner with two small cots, but did not allow him to lie down yet: "We need to get you out of this mail shirt first", he said. "Just one moment longer, Aragorn." He swiftly started to remove the Ranger´s weapons and tunic, which was made difficult by the man starting to sway slightly, and finally leaning against the elf for support. Legolas dropped the tunic to the ground: "Can you lift your arms a bit?", he asked and started to pull the mail shirt upwards. Aragorn was not sure what the elf wanted from him, but complied with the movement of the mail, and somehow Legolas managed to get him out of it. With a heavy thud, it landed next to the tunic.

Relieved, Legolas helped his friend to lie down.

Aragorn ached all over, and a big weight seemed to press down on him, even though the mail shirt was gone; it was a relief to get off his feet and be allowed to close his eyes. He felt that a blanket was being spread out over him, accompanied by soft words spoken in elvish, but he could not follow them. A cool hand touched his brow, gently and comforting, then he knew no more.

Legolas felt his friend relaxing under his touch; good, so Aragorn was asleep. He got to his feet and lit a torch to illuminate the room, then went to retrieve some supplies.

It took him longer than he would have wished for; he did not know his way around the fortress and had to ask several people where he might find some fresh water, bandages or healing supplies. Some of them were not able to answer him, for they seemed still in shock, others simply did not know it themselves. He looked around for familiar faces, but he did not even know where Gimli was. Sighing, he continued his search.

When Legolas had finally gathered together what he needed, he returned to the guardroom; Aragorn had not moved and was lying just as his friend had left him.

Legolas put the supplies down on a small stool and sat down on the edge of the cot. He pulled the blanket off and started to remove the Ranger´s clothes, or rather their remains.

Aragorn´s body was heavily bruised; appalled, Legolas took in the sight of it and thanked the Valar again that his friend had survived the fall from the cliff at all. The warg must have hit the water´s surface first, otherwise the Ranger´s body would very likely have been smashed by the force.

Legolas pushed that thought aside and concentrated on his friend instead. Aragorn´s arms and legs were bloodied and partially scabbed over where his clothes had been ripped apart; his left shoulder felt warm to the touch and seemed slightly swollen. Legolas gently felt along the bone, but did not discover anything unsusual; it might just be a contusion. He did not think that the shoulder was dislocated, otherwise Aragorn would not have been able to move it at all, if he remembered correctly. He put a wet cloth on it, assuming that the cold would be good, then redirected his attention to the countless small wounds Aragorn had sustained, most of them undoubtedly being consequences of his fall, or, Legolas reminded himself, of his two falls: Aragorn had after all landed hard on the ground after the wall had exploded.

The elf gently washed the blood off; several mostly minor cuts became visible, which the elf cleaned thoroughly. At last he saw to the man´s hands; nearly every knuckle had severe abrasions, remains of the fierce battle Aragorn had fought.

He covered Aragorn back up with the blanket and layed the Ranger´s elven cloak on top of it for additional warmth; that was all that he could do for now. He felt like resting as well, his own tiredness slowly creeping up on him; he wanted to go and find Gandalf first, though, for he would know what to do with Aragorn´s shoulder.

Slowly, Legolas got up and left the room. He found the wizard on the outer wall, overlooking the keep and obviously watching something. By the time the elf had reached him, he had recognized what it was: two elven warriors were carrying Haldir´s body away. Silently, their eyes followed the bier, and it suddenly seemed to Legolas as if all the sadness and grief he had experienced so far could easily be increased to the infinite, no matter how strong it had already been before.

Gandalf´s low voice interrupted his thoughts: "Were you looking for me?", he asked.

Legolas nodded hesitantly, as his mind was still with Haldir: "Yes", he murmured and finally pulled himself together, turning to the wizard: "Aragorn´s shoulder seems injured, and I am not sure what causes it."

Gandalf nodded and followed the elf to the guardroom.

When Aragorn woke up a few hours later, he did not feel any pain; it was warm around him, and his mind was still tired enough to keep him in a state of relaxed contentment. He could vaguely make out the shape of Legolas, resting on the other cot and seemingly asleep, and knew everything was well if the elf had let his guard down like this. Thus reassured, he closed his eyes again.

He had not noticed the old wizard, who was sitting on the other side, watching over the two friends. While he had examined Aragorn´s shoulder, Legolas had sat down on the unoccupied cot.

"It is a mere contusion", Gandalf said, confirming Legolas´assumption, "not dangerous but certainly painful. I will brew a tea which will help to reduce the swelling and the pain."

When he returned with the tea, however, Legolas had fallen asleep and sunk down sideways on the cot.

Muttering under his breath good-naturedly, the wizard put the cup down and lifted Legolas´ legs on the cot as well, then he started to make Aragorn drink the tea, gently lifting his head so he could swallow. The Ranger did not wake up at this, so deep was his usually light sleep.

Gandalf could not but look from him to Legolas a few times, smiling into his beard.

When the cup was finally empty, the wizard got up once more and pulled the elf´s cloak over him: he knew that Legolas probably would not feel the cool air as much as Aragorn, but still- Gandalf simply could not imagine feeling comfortable without a blanket.

Legolas stirred in his sleep, his unfocused eyes blinking once and looking at Gandalf before he drifted off again.

The wizard smiled once more and sat back down, mulling over the past few days. His gaze came to rest on Aragorn, whose face was peaceful. He had lead the people to victory, had proven his valour beyond expectations; Gandalf hoped that he would not pay too high a price for this, for the war, he knew, was just about to begin.

His gaze strayed over to Legolas again, watching the prince for a while: without losing too many words about it, had he stayed at Aragorn´s side and would continue to do so as long as he could. The wizard was glad about the loyalty he had found even in the dwarf; friendship and the strength it provided truly had to be valued above anything else in times like these.

Two hours after midnight, Aragorn started to toss and turn; the effects of the tea had worn off, and he was dreaming, disturbing pictures haunting his exhausted mind.

Gandalf had left the room to enjoy his pipe outside, and sat under the stars, enjoying the cool, fresh air.

Aragorn tried to escape his attackers, huge, faceless figures which closed in on him. The nearer they were, the clearer their outlines became, and he could hear them growling.

Legolas jerked out of his sleep with a start; he looked around in confusion for a moment, but then a sound startled him to the direction of where Aragorn was lying. The Ranger seemed to be caught in a nightmare, fidgeting on his cot as if trying to get away from something, moaning pitifully.

In an instant, Legolas was on his feet and by his friend´s side: "Aragorn", he said, "Aragorn, wake up! You are dreaming!"

He tried to calm the Ranger by touching him, but Aragorn recoiled from him; it took Legolas a few seconds more until his friend seemed to recognize his voice and calmed down enough to let himself allowed to be touched. His body was still tense and trembling slightly.

Legolas stroked Aragorn´s temple and held his hand: "Estel", he said, switching to elvish, "wake up. Leave these dark dreams..."

Moments later, Aragorn´s eyes opened. "Legolas", he asked, his voice barely above a whimper, reminding the elf of the child he had once known. "Yes, it is I", Legolas soothed, continuing to stroke the man´s head, "you were dreaming. None of it is real, though, and you are safe. Do not be afraid..."

Slowly, Aragorn relaxed into his friend´s care. Legolas had always meant safety for him, as much as his father; he had no reason not to trust him, thus he closed his eyes again, after looking at the elf for a few more moments, as if he wanted to make sure that he would not disappear.

"I will stay with you, Estel", Legolas murmured. "I will watch over you..."

Relieved, Aragorn let himself be overwhelmed by sleep. There was nothing to fear with Legolas by his side.

The End

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