A.n. Hi guys, So it's almost been two years now (oops!) but chapter 8 is finally done. I won't make excuses, I just hope that this chapter was worth the wait and shall try to update quicker next time.

Chapter 8- Realisation

The fellowship stood in scattered groups, knee high in snow and shivering, as Aragorn and Gandalf argued over what they were to do next.

For some reason that he was not sharing, Gandalf seemed disinclined to go through Moria. Despite Gimli's promises of warm ale and smoked bacon, which for the most part, had their stomachs growling and their minds dizzy with the thought of warmth, the wizards face remained a stony grimace and his mind remained set against the route.

To Aragorn's eyes, however, it seemed obvious that the Cadrahas were no longer an option and to continue would bring about the death of at least one of their number if not more. He worried especially about the fate of the hobbits, as by this point the snow was up to their mid-drifts, or sometimes higher, and they had abandoned their wariness of Boromir in favour of the pitiful warmth gained by huddling around him in a tight knit group.

"Whatever we do," Aragorn proclaimed gravely. "We cannot stay here. It will be the death of the hobbits if we do." His words rang through the air, ominous and bleak, and somehow the bone-chilling cold seemed to get worse, as if to prove his point.

The resident wizard paused, his grey eyes taking in the admittedly miserable sight that the hobbits presented and seeming to argue internally with himself, before finally heaving a reluctant sigh.

"Let the ring bearer decide our route." Gandalf replied, turning to Frodo with an expectant gaze. The hobbit seemed to become even smaller beneath the sudden attention being paid him. There was a pause as Frodo deliberated over the decision through his shivers.

He was unwilling to go against Gandalf. The wizard had been something of a mentor to him for many years, even more so during the time that followed Bilbo's unexpected departure, and Frodo knew that the magic user rarely did anything without a reason. Following that logic, there had to be a pretty good reason why Gandalf was so unwilling to venture into Moria, despite the promise of food, warmth and merry company (most of which they had had very little of, especially since they had entered the Cadrahas.

On the other hand, those very things that Gandalf was willing to deny were the very reason that Frodo was hesitant to take another route. Standing there in the snow, there were very few thoughts more welcome than the commodities that Gimli so loudly touted.

"We make for Moria." Frodo said finally, sending an apologetic glance at Gandalf as the wizard seemed to sag against his staff, suddenly acting every bit as old as he appeared.

day 59, laer

Aragorn watched his best friend through narrowed eyes, taking in the elf's eyes (which were lidded and hazy as though the elf was suffering with insomnia), the way Legolas seemed to be struggling with the steeper parts of their journey and his lack of awareness when it came to his surroundings. The more he saw the more alarmed he became. These were not things that were present in a healthy elf.

This was not the first time he had noticed these things, having first spotted them when they were fleeing from the Crebain, but they were much more prevalent now than they had been amongst those stones. The rate his friend's health was deteriorating at hit a cord within the ranger and the ailment that afflicted the elf, which earlier had escaped the heir of Isildur, now seemed blindingly obvious.

Legolas was fading, he realised with a growing sense of dread.

It didn't seem possible. Legolas and he had been friends almost as long as he could remember and not once had he been given reason to believe that the elf was going to die at some point in his lifetime.

If he was honest with himself however, he should have seen it coming the moment he had registered the situation between Rainion and Legolas.

It was unreasonable, the hatred the Prince of the Iron Hills bore for his childhood friend. There was no logic behind it that Aragorn could think of, no reason that the prince could possibly have to reject the elf's affections so strongly. But then, the same could be said about Legolas' feelings for the prince.

It was undeniable that Rainion had been blessed with all the looks of an angel and, although his feelings for Arwen were much stronger, Aragorn couldn't deny that even he bore a slight crush on the prince. However, if his feelings were connected to just Rainion's appearance alone then there was no way the elf should be fading just because the prince had rejected him. But how could Legolas have formed such a deep love for the prince when Rainion barely said two words to the elf?

He was aware the he wasn't the only one to have noticed that the blond was fading. Gandalf knew from what he could tell and Gimli seemed to have realized that something was off even if he couldn't put a name to exactly what was wrong. Írdir and Lithuinir had probably come to the same conclusion he had as well.

The problem was, what to do now that he knew about it. It was far to clear that at this point it was far to late to convince Legolas of the mistake he was making in his devotion to the prince, however, it was also painfully obvious that Rainion wasn't about to acquiesce the elf in his wish to enter a courtship.

Whatever he was going to do, he thought, he would have to do it soon, before Legolas got himself and the rest of the fellowship killed.

The hairs on the back of Rainion's neck stood on end as he felt the weight of several pairs of eyes resting on his back. He struggled to ignore them, knowing that if he turned around to try and catch them in the act they would promptly avert their gaze until he turned back around again.

He shivered and pulled his cloak tighter. If the staring wasn't bad enough it had to be cold too. They still had at least three days worth of travel until they made it off of the Cadrahas and the snow and wind seemed to be working together in order to prevent them from progressing quite as quickly as they would have liked.

Invisible fingers made of ice scratched at any uncovered skin, turning it a raw and painful red, and the snow had caked in his hair and eyelashes, turning the ebony shade a snowy white in colour.

It didn't take much to deduce that the quicker they got to Moria the happier he would be. He longed for the comforts that, even now, Gimli loudly preached of. It seemed that the dwarf was desperate to show that dwarfish hospitality could be just as good, if not greater, as the care they has received during the short but relaxing stay in Rivendell.

Perhaps even more welcome than the thought of a crackling fire and smoked ham was the idea of a proper bathe in the undoubtedly pure mineral springs that would be bubbling away somewhere within Moria. Rainion hadn't been fully immersed in clean water since Rivendell, as rivers were few and far between, especially rivers that were tame enough for bathing purposes. Even on the rare occasion that they did stumble across one, it was rather hard to undress and wash ones self when there were two pairs of eyes on you and the constant threat of Sauron's minion. Rainion had had to make do with a brief wash where he could and his appearance had suffered for it. He only took comfort in the fact that he was not alone in this.

Indeed, a proper bathe would be very nice indeed.

Rainion roused himself from his fantasies and glanced to his left where Legolas was walking quietly over the snow, His heeled boots were leaving light impressions in the crisp snow and every so often his feet would sink into the snow and he would trudge through the drifts like the mortals of the fellowship until he realised what he was doing and rose once more to walk on the surface.

It would have been an amusing sight if Rainion had been in the mood for such things. The elf bobbed up and down like the marker on a fishing line that had been thrown into the ocean to rise and sink with the waves.

He paused for a moment at that observation, wondering what the cause of the elf's strange movements could be. This, combined with the elf's lack of awareness, made the prince wonder on whether or not Legolas was completely well. For a moment one could even have said that he was beginning to feel concerned for the blonde. Then the moment was passed and the prince waved away his concern with the decision that, if something was indeed wrong, either Írdir and Lithuinir would spot it and say something. That was providing, of course, that the elf in question didn't admit it himself, first.

Rainion's eyes stung from the glare of the setting sun as it reflected off of the snow and he was thankful when the fellowship stopped under a large outcrop to set up camp for the night. Here they were shielded from the weather and Sam was able to start a fire without the wind fighting to blow it out as soon as a spark caught.

The eyes that had been watching him moved on as their owners busied themselves with setting up camp and Rainion allowed himself to relax next to the warm form of Aras.

Legolas watched as the rest of the fellowship rolled out bed rolls and went about collecting firewood, painfully aware that one by one the members of the group were starting to catch on to his vulnerable state. He sighed, it probably wouldn't be long before they were leaving him at a convenient town where he could have a temporary respite before heading back home to Mirkwood. Perhaps the plan was to see him as far as Lothlorien where his own kind would be more than able to see him back to Mirkwood.

He glanced over at Rainion, wondering if mayhaps this might be one of the last nights he got to see him. At least, he thought, the prince would no longer have to see him.

Legolas stared morosely into the distance, staring at the wisps of dark cloud that the surrounded the peaks and cliffs of the Cadrahas that still surrounded them, even now when they had left the snowy trail and had begun the descent into the valley that would eventually lead to Moria's entrance.

The black puffs were vaguely smoke like, and reminded Legolas eerily of the Crebain that he had failed to notice earlier in their journey.

He was aware that he should probably move, switch his gaze to something else. He was meant to be keeping watch, guarding the rest of the fellowship as they slept. The clouds continued to keep his attention however, for whatever reason.

Around him the silence rested heavily on him, so that his shoulder sagged and the occasional snuffling snore of a hobbit or the deeper rumble, like echoing thunder, of Gimli seemed deadening to his ears, even desensitized as they were.

"Why do you hide it?" Boromir's voice broke through the silence like a knife, startling the elf so that it took a while before he even noticed that he had been asked a question or that the Gondorian was waiting for a reply.

"...I'm sorry. What?" He turned to face the man, taking in his unwrinkled tunic and neatly folded bedroll on the floor behind him. He must have been awake for a while then, how had that escaped his notice? The large man was not known for being quiet. Outmatched only by Gimli in the art of making noise.

"I said, why do you try to hide it?" He couldn't possibly know, could he? Legolas didn't think he was being that obvious, but then again, how many times had he been caught with his guard down now? How many times had something or someone managed to catch him unawares that was plainly obvious to everyone else, especially the other elves.

"I-I don't know what your talking about. I'm not hiding anything." The look in the greyish blue eyes of the man opposite him made it obvious that the other wasn't going to buy his ploy.

"Despite what it may seem like sometimes, I am no idiot, Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood! You are fading." Boromir spoke in a hushed tone, obviously trying not to wake up the others. Despite this, Legolas was still able to pick up the worry that was lingering beneath the tones of annoyance.

"What if I am? What is it to you? One less competitor for Rainion's heart, you should be happy Boromir." He was aware of the confusion presently written all over his face and carrying through into his tone.

"I know I should. Honestly it confuses me that I am not, but the thought of you dying brings me no joy. Perhaps it is because I have lost my chance with the prince. Perhaps I never even had one to start off with. Your different." Boromir's reply grabbed the elf's attention.

"You truly are insane! He won't even say more than is strictly necessary to me, what makes you think that I have more of a chance than you do?" He struggled to keep his response hushed and there was a pregnant pause in the conversation as they both peered through the dark at the sleeping forms of the fellowship. One of the hobbits shifted in their sleep but did not wake.

"I was watching him during the council in Rivendell." Boromir finally broke the silence.

"What of it?" Legolas retorted in irritation. He tried to think back to what he remembered of the meeting. The prince hadn't been that different back then, had he? As far as he could remember the prince hadn't even looked at him, so what could Boromir have seen?

"He was weighing us up, I could see it in his eyes. He dismissed me, and Aragorn too, instantly. There was pity in his eyes and distaste but when he looked at you..." The Gondorian paused.

"When he looked at me... what?"

"I couldn't figure it out at the time." Boromir started falteringly, as though part of him were unwilling to continue. "His eyes clouded over slightly with- something. I only recently realised it, his behaviour on the mountains cleared my mind slightly, I think. A much needed wake up call, admittedly. He was considering you." Legolas blinked. Had he misheard that? Or had the other taken leave of his senses?

"You can't seriously believe that! Have you seen the way he treats me, the way he talks to me? Or has the ring addled your senses that much?" It was a low blow, bringing up the ring, but it was the only thing that made sense at that moment- the only explanation that could be given for Boromir's outlandish ideas.

"I don't think that even the fair Prince himself has realised it yet. He doesn't have anything to compare it to. As far as I'm aware the only romantic relationship he has ever been aware of has been the future beneficial one that he could have with Éowyn for the sake of his kingdom. He never even had a mother figure. How do you expect him to notice that you truly care for him, when you are literally fading into the background." That was true, he supposed.

"So... What are you saying?" Legolas asked hesitantly, unwilling and unable to make assumptions on the topic by this point.

"Let the prince know your willing to fight for his affections and give him a chance to get to know you."

"And if your wrong? If he truly doesn't care for me?"

"Then at least you have nothing to lose, and when you fade you'll know that you at least tried everything you could to change your situation." Boromir left after that, his final words on the topic lingering in the air behind him long after he himself had returned to his bedroll.

A.n. Please review and let me know what you think. I like hearing what you have to say and the more I get the more encouragement I have for updating sooner.

-GF