Someone to Lean On

Chapter 1

The weary Fellowship made their way to the mines of Moria silently. Well, almost silently... without the elf and ranger's constant banter, only Gimli could be heard as he told the hobbits of the great dwarven race. An elf- silent and alone- trails behind the group. Unknowingly, he receives many unwanted nervous looks from his companions.

One of these companions being Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. He was a man, a healer, a warrior, a traveler, a ranger. And his best friend was not being himself today.

"Legolas!" The man calls. These words break the elf out of his trance and allow him to move away from the deadly water before he stepped in it.

The elf just closes his eyes, and, sighing, returning to his original path. Everyone immediately knows that something is wrong. Normally, the elf would have made a snappy reply, throwing a rock or a punch at Aragorn.

"'Las, you alright?" The ranger calls from the front of the group.

"I am fine, Aragorn." A forlorn look passes through the elf's features. Suddenly, Aragorn realizes.

"Mellon-nin, we will not be in the cave for long."

"Tis not the cave that scares me, Estel, it is the dark." Legolas had never liked the dark. When he was very young, the elfling had been brought into Mordor and tortured for months on end. Darkness had shrouded him in that time; the elf still had nightmares sometimes.

Meanwhile, Gandalf racked his brain for the answer to Moria's riddle. In the end, it was Frodo who figured it out, though. Grumbling, the elf follows Aragorn into the long dark of Moria.

"This is a tomb!" Boromir states. Just when it seems that things cannot get any worse, Frodo disappears.

"FRODO!" Sam screams. The ring bearer has been grabbed by a rather large cephalopod with a ravenous taste for flesh. Immediately, Aragorn and Boromir leap into action, hacking at the squids large tentacles with their swords. Soon, Aragorn cuts the arm holding Frodo. The hobbit falls directly into Boromir's arms.

"Legolas!" The son of Gondor calls to the elf. Said elf notches an arrow, aiming straight for the cephalopod's skull. The arrow hits it's mark, though it fails to kill the beast. As the Mirkwood archer begins to notch another, the squid launches itself onto the stone. As he throws out his deadly tentacles, the stone collapses. The sudden avalanche nearly crushes the ranger and sucks all the light out of the room.

"Aragorn?" The prince asks.

"I am fine, mellon-nin." Aragorn replies. Legolas nods, starting closer towards Gandalf's lighted staff. The man worried for his friend then; Legolas was unusually pale and had profound bags under his eyes.

Soon, the Fellowship arrives at a fork in the road. 3 tunnels lead away from where they are standing. "I have no memory of this place." Gandalf says, sitting down on a rock, and,- closing his eyes- begins to meditate.

As the wizard meditates, Gimli tells the hobbits explicitly exaggerated tales of the dwarven race. He speaks of Moria, of the Iron Hills, and of the Quest for Erebor. "Yes. yes, my father Gloin was one of the great king Thorin Oakenshield's greatest companions." Aragorn scoffs. Thorin Oakenshield had but one companion; Gandalf. The great king under the mountain was a bit of a grouch. Legolas had told him that. "When they arrived at Mirkwood, the lush king Thranduil had taken my father and his companions captive. Oh, was that king a drunk. It was all he did, drink and order people around. And, if I am recalling correctly. he had a son... Legolas."

"You have no right to insult my father, dwarf!" The elf says. Slowly, with a grace not even Elrond could match, he approaches Gimli, body coiled as if he was preparing to strike.

"Well then, why don't you tell us what he is really like then, elf." This causes the prince to freeze. A calculating look crosses over his fair features before his face falls- ever so slightly- in defeat.

But defeat is not an option. Instead of facing the dwarf, Legolas turns away. The elf stalks back to his original perch; sitting on a rock with his bow and knives in his lap and his quiver by his side. Only Aragorn can see the silver tears welling in the elf's bright, blue eyes. When the ranger attempts to approach his best friend, Legolas shies away.

"Estel. I-I need to be alone right now."

"Are you sure, mellon-nin, I could help you."

"No, Estel!" The man is taken aback by these words. The elf never lashes out like that. "I am sorry..."

"No, Las. Just let me know if you need anything." The swordsman begins to approach the rest of the company, only to be stopped when Gandalf jumps up.

"This way." He says. When Merry becomes curious, the wizard simply says: "When in doubt, follow your nose."

"Estel?"

"Yes, Las?"

"The dwarf was right, Ada hates me." Slowly, the golden head falls onto the ranger's shoulder. Flaxen hair brushes the ranger's cheek as his best friend struggles to hold back tears.

Aragorn made a mental note to beat the dwarf later.

TBC

Ada- father
Mellon-nin-my friend