Title: Leaving You Behind

Author: Sivan Shemesh

Beta:Tinorial Peredhil

Rating: PG-13

Who is in the angst you ask: A few from each as: Aragorn, The Twins, Elrond, Thranduil, and Legolas… evil grin…

Warning: Angst full ahead, violence… guilt… Character death? I forgot the tissues… so bring them on… evil grin…

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tolkien. I just borrowed them for my own evil plans.

Spoiler: Total AU.

Note: Arwen is not in the story. Forgive me if you wished otherwise.

Summary/Teaser

There had been mistakes;

One was taken

One left behind… Two were banished!

The Peredhil house has been wrecked…

Family' love, pride and honor seemed lost forever…

Is there any hope for an ordinary life?

1.

Flashback

"You do not have to do it, mellon-nín, I can ride alone." Aragorn said over Legolas.

"Nay, mellon-nín, I cannot forgive myself if something happens to you," Legolas said gently and added, "My guards and I will be escorting you, and do not even think to protest me!"

Aragorn looked Legolas, his breath catching at his friend's words.

"What?" Legolas asked as he noticed Aragorn opened-mouthed, staring at him.

Aragorn looked at his friend and gave up. "Right then, you won this time."

Legolas laughed lightly. "I know that Elrond will pleased if we accompany you and bring you home in one piece…" he teased.

Aragorn grinned in joy, "Oh… so this is why you treat me so nicely in your home, mellon-nín…."

Legolas laughed and Aragorn joined.

"Come, mellon-nín, we still have a long way, and I know a short cut," Legolas said.

"You do? I thought there was only one way to get to your homeland," Aragorn asked.

Legolas mounted on his horse, and waited for his friend to mount as the guards followed them.

Aragorn scanned the area with his eyes. As his gaze found nothing, he became unsure about the path, so he asked Legolas, "There is no road in here, but forest and river, mellon-nín, are you certain about your short cut?"

Legolas nodded with grace and answered, "The sight that you saw shows none, but when you see through my kin's eyes, there is a secret passage within the forest." He looked at his friend before he continued, noticing the look of curiosity on the human's face, "I am certain that your father forgot to mention to you before… as he knew this road too…"

"Argg…" Aragorn groaned, and thought, 'Adar, why did you let me go on the long road?'

Legolas grinned and continued, "It called The Old Forest Road, and it leads right to Imladris's borders. Have you not wondered how quickly I travel your homeland, mellon-nín?"

Aragorn nodded and answered, "I did wonder, but I forgot to asked you when you arrived."

"Well… mellon-nín, now you know," Legolas teased and added, "Follow me, this road is dangerous. Shadow and fog cover it, so ready your weapons, as we do not know who or what will attack us."

Aragorn looked at him and asked, "You know how dangerous the road is, and yet you rode to Imladris alone? Did your father know about it?"

Legolas answered, as a smile disappeared from his face, "No, he does not know, and the guards already swore to me not to tell him a single word, and I hope you do not spoil it either."

Aragorn looked at him and wondered what Legolas's father would say if he heard it, then looked at his friend and said with understanding, "I will not. This will be our secret then."

"Good." Legolas let a shy smile steal over his face and added, "Set your horse at a slow pace, because I do not want you to lose the track, and call me if you cannot see me, alright?"

Aragorn nodded, and the ride started.

They rode within the forest, and only after they passed groups of trees did Aragorn notice the road; it was dark and black, shadow seemed to cover half of the forest inside, and the road became blur. It made his body shrink in fear, his stomach turn upside down; he feared that something bad was going to happen and called to his friend. "Umm… Legolas mellon-nín, I have a bad feeling about this place…."

"Trust me, mellon-nín, I have been riding this road for quite some time, I know what I am doing. Trust me."

"Then I hope that I am wrong," Aragorn deadpanned as he heard his friend's words, though the fear still plagued him. He took a deep breath and kept following the elf.

Legolas said nothing and rode on fearlessly, same as he did before, thinking, 'If the orcs did not hurt me before, then why now?'

Soon they were inside and the shadows covered them. Aragorn found himself holding his sword in fear.

Legolas looked back and noticed his friend's shaking hands that held his sword. "You have nothing to worry about, I've ridden on this path for over a year, and nothing has happened to me. Please mellon-nín, put your fear elsewhere," he requested.

"I cannot. It has already caught me, and when it does, it is true, and I need to trust in myself, and you need to be more careful and not to show off."

Legolas swallowed and could feel his throat suddenly become dry at his friend's words. They hurt him, though he knew that his friend was right.

They kept rode, though in silence, as Aragorn wished he could take his thoughtless words back, but he knew that it was already too late, as Legolas rode in quite and without glaring at him.

"Legolas, forgive me my words," Aragorn said.

Legolas turned his horse and rode towards his friend. "You are right about me. You know me more that I know myself. Though I am an elf, I am immortal, so what is the worst thing that could happen to me?"

Aragorn looked at his friend, mouth open. He just could not believe that Legolas had just said the words, yet he said none to his friend, deciding to keep his mouth shut.

Legolas turned his horse back on the road.

In that point, Aragorn could feel that something was about to happen, as there was a sound in the bushes, and Aragorn tried to warn his friend, "Legolas, something is happening, can you not hear, there is something behind the bushes?"

"Ignore it mellon-nín it is only the swift of the wind on it…" Legolas answered, but then his voice trailed of.

"Legolas? Is something wrong?" Aragorn asked in fear that something may have happened to his friend.

"No… nothing…" Aragorn heard.

"Hold your weapons tight and do not let go," Legolas said, and turned his horse towards Aragorn to apologize. "You were right, my friend, and you can keep your words, they were words of wisdom."

Aragorn could see movement behind the elf and raised the sword a little. He let out a weak shout as fear built quickly in his body. "Behind you!"

Legolas was hit first as he provided a shield for Aragorn's body. The Ranger could see that Legolas took the hit pretty badly, as the blood shocked him. Legolas looked at him and tried to say something, but nothing came. There was nothing to say.

The guards were alert as they saw their prince fall from his horse. They moved to hit the attackers, and that made Aragorn stare into the shadows, but he saw nothing.

The guards guarding Aragorn tightly around their bleeding prince.

Whistles were heard, and Legolas said weakly, "Arrows…." He could feel the touch of the darkness pull him, but he fought back.

Aragorn dismounted quickly from his horse and knelt over his friend, whispering, "Do not dare to let go from your life, or be pulled out from our friendship!"

The guards been hit one after one, falling around the prince and the human. Blood spurted everywhere.

Aragorn found himself in the circle of the red, life-giving liquid, as the dead guards surrounded he and the elf prince. The smell of blood lay heavily in the air. He suddenly found himself alone with bodies; he stood, and saw nothing but the black shadows. Aragorn took his sword and raised it, ready to hit whoever attack him, not prepared to give up.

Aragorn felt a pain in his left arm. He moved his eyes and saw an arrow sticking out of the limb and, in pain, he let out a cry.

Next his glance moved over Legolas who was growing paler, and he feared for his friend's life.

The last thing that Aragorn remembered was being drugged, as he tried to shout to save Legolas as well… and then he let himself drown in the darkness.

End of Flashback

Imladris…

Two Years later, at night…

"No! Legolas!" Aragorn cried out in fear as he awoke, shaking and sweating. He sat on the bed as he grasped his pillow, wondering, 'Oh… Legolas…'

Elrond hurried to his son's room as he heard the cry. He was worried, and had taken care for his son since the attack.

'It has been two years since the attack, I must found a way to heal him,' Elrond thoughts worriedly.

"Estel," Elrond said gently, noticing how hard his son was holding the pillow, noticing the wide eyes, the worried look that was on his face. He hurried to his son and tried to comfort him, "It was only a nightmare, ion-nín…"

Aragorn looked upon his father's face in shock and said angrily, "How could you say that? I was there, you took me, and left him there with no aid… that was no a nightmare, it was real to me!"

Elrond looked at his son's face. Aragorn's words were filled with anger and fear, he knew, he could felt it; he said nothing but hugged his son, to be as close to the human as he was close to his heart.

Aragorn's breaths were slow, and it was by that that Elrond noticed that Aragorn had fallen into a calm rest, and laid his son's head gently on the pillows, tucking him in and covering him with a blanket. Then he left and closed the door, noticing the twins in the hall. They had been worried too.

It had been two years after the attack. They had been worried about their brother; he had almost lost his left arm.

"Are you certain that Legolas was dead?" Elrond asked his sons.

"Father," Elladan started to say, and looked at his twin before continuing, "We saw Estel lying on the ground, we took him and left immediately, though we assumed that Legolas was dead…"

Elrond took the twins into his room and closed the door, staring at them. They could see an unfamiliar anger in their father's gaze. "WHAT? You had told me that you checked Legolas and could not felt any pulse, and now you told me that you assumed?"

End of Chapter 1.

R/R