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Title: Temptation (#1256)
Author: kayleighTalitha
Chapters: 3

Archive: Tolkien
Category: Lord of the Rings (Movieverse)
Description: While the Fellowship travels from Lothlorien, they come across trouble, in the form of the Ring. Will they be able to resist temptation? Takes place in the first movie. AU
Published: 11 Sep 2004
Updated: 11 Sep 2004
Warnings:
Type: Drama
Characters:


Chapter 1 - Prologue

Again he felt eyes burning on his back, a feeling of unease and anger flowed through him. He did not need to look to know who was staring at him so. Ever since they had an argument, he had felt it, the eyes. He did not dare to speak about it, for he was too angered himself. He merely chose to ignore it. His paddle was pushed with force, the boat gliding swiftly through the blue, almost green water. The hobbits had been quiet, the normal chatter had subdued hours back. The ring bearer would glance about from time to time, earning him a worried glance from his trustful companion. Did they feel it too, the danger, the tension? The nervous glint in Frodo's blue eyes told him the answer. Yes they felt it as well. He slowed down the boat, waiting for Boromir to gain on him, until he was able to study the only companion with them who was able to keep his emotions at bay. He was the eyes and ears of the fellowship, the ever watchful watcher. The Elf was tense, his eyes darting around, as if he was sensing something. Could the Ring affect such an immortal and fair creature, he wondered. Aye, it could, for the Ring had many and dangerous powers. But did it posses enough power to affect the keen elves senses? Nay, he decided, the Elf had sensed danger, and it had nothing to do with the Ring around Frodo's neck. He could only hope they would reach the shores safely and even more so, unharmed.

Something was amiss; something was approaching them, a deep and dark creature, with foul intentions. His elven senses were screaming at him to stop, to take shelter, to aim at the enemy. Were his eyes betraying him? He could not see danger, he could not smell danger. And yet, it had to be here somewhere. His blue grey eyes shifted, looking for a person in the fellowship who could tell he was right or wrong. He sighed, almost relieved that he still was right. The man had exchanged a glance with him; the grey eyes showing worry, and fear. Something was amiss, for sure now. If the ranger felt it as well, it had to be close by; it had to be in sight. Or was the Ring affecting his friend's judgement? Was the Ring affecting his judgement? He shuddered, not wanting to think about it. He too felt the dark power of the ring, calling out to him, luring him to use it. It was not strong, and had no hold over him, but to feel it was overpowering as it was. But then, where was the danger?

The birds had fallen silent; the trees soft rustling could not be heard. Even the water had fallen to the silence, only the boats making a sound. The Elf stopped paddling, concentrated to catch something. Danger; nature seemed to scream, run while you can, for it will get you. Aragorn turned, to see the Elf frozen on his spot, not even responding to the jest of the dwarf.

"Legolas?"

Again he did not respond, not verbally. He held up his hand, indicating for the ranger to be still. The gesture was not questioned, and silence fell over them again. The hobbits looked at the surface of the water, with fear in their eyes. What if a huge monster would attack them, knocking over their boats? Suddenly the water did not look inviting. For a moment, nothing breathed, nothing spoke, nothing happened...

"Aaaaaaaargh"

Aragorn grabbed his head, a flaming pain shot trough it, as if he was on fire. He could not see, or feel or care beyond the pain. His body was lured into the darkness, and he let go, plummeting into the darkness.

Legolas did not know what had happened, when Aragorn had screamed in pain. Had he been hit, and where was the attacker? He had not heard a weapon nor had he heard the impact. And he could only watch as Aragorn fell into the water, unconscious before even reaching it.


Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Gimli looked in shock, as Aragorn disappeared into the water. The first thing he thought about was the possibilities where an attacker could have been hiding. He glanced about, but saw no visible attacker, nor did he register weapons. And why was everybody staring? They were watching their friend drown! He stood up, the boat dangerously rocking, threatening to throw another one of the fellowship overboard. He took off his helmet, and glanced back to the Elf, wanting to throw him a glare, but found the boat empty besides himself. He huffed, again surprised, and that in no less then a blink of the eye.

The Elf had been silent, diving into the cold water without even hesitating. There wasn't even a sound when he hit the water. His body adapted to the temperature, and he was able to swim without hinder. The water was clear, and his eyes looked around, trying to find a glimpse of the ranger. He dove deeper, the pressure of the water noticeable in his ears. Had Aragorn fallen so deep? Again he glanced about, but saw no sign of the human. Legolas knew that if he dove any deeper, it could become dangerous. His elven ears could not handle any more pressure. It was Aragorn, a friend, and hope for the race of men, heir to the throne of Gondor. He could not fail now, he had to find the ranger. And although his body warned him, he dove deeper, the pressure turning into pain. There! He saw Aragorn, he was still falling deeper, and unfortunately still unconscious. There were no air bubbles in the water, and it worried the Elf. How long had he been like that? He closed his eyes, pushing away the pain in his ears, and managed to take hold of the ranger. He needed air, the man was turning into a frightening shade of blue.

Boromir had not been watching the whole time, but had arranged the boats so, that they were able to help the Elf and ranger when they would resurface. Gimli sat with Frodo and Sam, while Boromir occupied the now empty boat. It was lasting too long, it already had been minutes now. He was starting to give up hope, frightened that they lost not only Aragorn, but the Elf as well. And then, as if it was a miracle, he saw movement in the water, two figures slowly coming to the surface. The Elf looked as bad as Aragorn. Both were pale, although Aragorn had taken on a shade of blue. He was barely breathing, and looked more death then alive. Legolas was bleeding, although he could not see where, it looked like his ears.

"Boromir, don't stand there, help me."

The Elf's comment shook him out of his reverie and bend forward, grasping the wet tunic of the ranger. He lowered Aragorn into the boat gently, being careful not to injure him further more. The Elf climbed in himself, waving away the offered hand. He sat down, grasping his ears. They pained him beyond imagination, but he was lucky to be able to hear. The sounds of the forest around them calming him. Boromir shook his head, glad to feel a weak pulse on his friend, but also noted the cold that seemed to go deep within Aragorn's body. They needed to get him on land, to build a fire and warm him. His eyes fell on the Elf, who was holding his head, his normal calm façade masked with pain. That was all he needed to know.

"Gimli, get the hobbits to shore, we need to get a fire going. Aragorn is alive, but needs immediate attention."

And so does Legolas, he wanted to say, but held still, knowing the Elf was very proud, and did not need to be pointed out as injured. Gimli obeyed, helping Merry and Pippin, to guide them to shore as well. Boromir could not help to feel a little proud, for he was leading the Fellowship; they were all depending on him.

Nobody ever noticed, but at that moment, the Ring lit up, showing the markings for a mere second. It sensed that it had some more power now, and that it had a chance to escape the hobbit. It only needed to wait, to wait and to be taken by his new owner.


Chapter 3 - Chapter 2

"Will you stay still? I can't help you like this, you stubborn Elf."

Frodo smiled, looking into the direction where the angry voice of the Dwarf came from. Gimli was trying to see how bad the Elf's injuries were, but Legolas could not sit still, he kept shifting, wanting to see how his fallen friend was fairing. The Dwarf was getting frustrated, he had been given orders to see how Legolas his injuries were, and yet the task seemed almost impossible. Frodo shook his head, walking over to the both of them.

"Please Legolas, the sooner Gimli will help you, the sooner you will have a chance at seeing Aragorn. Besides, what good will you do to Aragorn if you are injured yourself?"

Legolas stopped struggling immediately, his blue eyes locking with those of Frodo. The words of the young hobbit were wise, and held truth in it. Frodo let out a sigh of relief, knowing very well how stubborn an Elf could be. And he could understand the fair Elf's feelings. Aragorn was their friend, to see him injured had left them all in shock. For if Aragorn was injured, what was there to become of the Fellowship? He had thought that the Elf would have taken over the lead, for he was after all, fast, with excellent hearing and far seeing eyes. But fate had interfered, leaving both the ranger and the Elf injured. Boromir had taken the lead, and that unnerved the young Hobbit. Somehow the man made him feel small, useless, and even more so, scared. Frodo knew it was because of the Ring, and that scared him even more. To have such a powerful thing around his neck, powerful enough to even temp the strongest men.

"There, all done!"

The triumphant yell the Dwarf had called out, shook him out of his reverie. He looked up into a smug face, almost not visible in the thick beard. Sam, Merry and Pippin giggled behind him and he wondered why they sounded so merry. That was until he saw the object of their laughter, and couldn't help but laugh himself. Legolas scowled, not looking all too pleased with the result himself. It was obvious that the sturdy Dwarf had never learned to attend to wounds properly. The so called bandage covered more of Legolas his head, than it did his ears. The Elf was barely visible through the thick layer of tightly wrapped cloths.

"Gimli, I told you to attend to Legolas his wounds, not to inflict him even more hinder, he can barely see!"

The Dwarf just shrugged, sitting next to the Hobbits by the fire.

"His ears are covered, are they not?"

Frodo glanced to Boromir, knowing the man could not object to that. Gimli was speaking the truth after all. Boromir threw the Dwarf a glare, but decided to be wise and let it be. If locking eyes could be fatal, Gimli would be death in an instant. The Elf had a cold steel glare, looking straight to the Dwarf. It was unfortunate though, that the bandage made him look rather comical, instead of the dangerous creature it was. Boromir removed the bandage, taking a look at the injuries himself. He was no healer, but he knew a few things about wounds. It was not bad, if only the bleeding would stop, and so he had no other choice, then to apply the bandage again, this time more proper. The Elf stopped him when he was about to stand up.

"Aragorn?"

Boromir hesitated, glancing back to the unconscious form. He dare not say what he was thinking, but the unsettling elven eyes made him say the truth. He felt like he could not lie.

"I do not know what ails him, I can not find injuries, nor can I find a reason for him collapsing."

Legolas nodded, knowing all too well what Boromir was trying to tell him. It was as he had feared, something black had touched Aragorn. And his fear grew stronger. What had happened to the ranger? And what if it had affected him more then they could ever know? He only hoped that he did not need to fight his friend, if he was taken by Sauron.
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