NOTES: Legolas's POV * *=emphasis

A Secret Shared - Chapter One

Aragorn leaned close. I could feel his warm breath against my skin. "I...I have been despising myself for a long time, because of feelings I could not withhold; feelings that would not be accepted," he spoke quietly and urgently, a serious tone to his voice. "But the last few days have made me see, I cannot live my life this way, deceiving myself and those I hold dear. Legolas, I...I love you," he whispered, turning away, his head bowed as if in shame.

My thudding heart leapt into my throat as I heard the three words I had longed to hear uttered from his mouth, that never in my wildest dreams had I imagined he would say.

And yet, to hear his say them as if it were some terrible crime, that was truly devastating.

"Aragorn," I spoke softly to him, putting a hand out to his arm.

"I understand...I shall leave Rivendell tomorrow," he said miserably.

"No, Aragorn!" I pulled on his arm to make him turn, staring up into his eyes. "I too have something I haven't been truthful about, something I must share before it kills me...I feel the same way...about you." It was difficult to say those words, after so long denying them, so long not admitting that I wanted him as, indeed, much more than a friend.

"You...you mean that, don't you?"

"Yes."

He took my hand in his and squeezed it. "I thought I'd lost you," he closed his eyes as he spoke softly, as if remembering some terrible thing.

"What has been happening?" I asked.

"There is much to tell, since the orcs attacked you," he replied. "The blade that hit you was poisoned, I rushed you here as fast as I could, and Elrond and the healers spent practically all night tending to the wound. But the poison had gone deeper into you than we thought," he motioned to the now-fading marks on my chest. "Elrond believed you'd fallen victim to a poison phantom.

Sangwafaire, as they are known, prey on the souls of their victims, they cause a lot of pain to them, mind, body and soul, as they try to suck out the life force from the soul. I am not sure where you - where we - were exactly, it could have been your mind, yet it could have been some other realm. The only way to defeat Sangwafaire, is through the power of the mind. Imagination can create anything where we were. I imagined a sword, the weight and feel of it, the look of it even, and used intuition and sense to kill the creature."

"What happened after that?" I asked. I could not remember anything between passing out in the cave to coming round to see Aragorn kneeling beside me. "I went to you. You were lying on the floor of the cave. Rolling you over, I saw a mist begin to rise from your body. It was your soul, Legolas. You almost died."
I lay staring at him with my eyes wide in shock. "I almost...but how am I
here?"

"Ritual. It was something I did not know of, I knew of Sangwafaire but no ritual, herb or weapon that would defeat them. Elrond told me of this ritual...but at the end, I don't know what happened. I just *knew* what to do."

"You used your intuition," a voice disrupted our conversation. Elrond stood in the doorway. "Pray continue, Aragorn, I wish to hear everything," he sat down.

Aragorn carefully moved his hand away from mine before the older elf noticed, and went to sit on another chair.

"Then you came round, and we went out of the cave, and along the tunnel; I am sure you remember that." I nodded.

Aragorn continued for Elrond's sake, for I knew the rest. "Once outside, I followed your instructions, Elrond. I must admit I was unsure if it would work, but when I opened my eyes, we were here."

Elrond approached and lay a hand on my forehead. "Well you are on the mend. You should be up and walking within a few days," he smiled down at me kindly. "Now, it is time for your wound to be redressed. Aragorn, I trust you can handle that, I have other things to attend to," with that he left the room, giving me an odd smile before closing the door softly behind him.

Aragorn reached for the fresh dressing and the ointment that lay beside the bed. Carefully he unwrapped the bandage from around my arm. I gritted my teeth as I felt pain around the cut. The pain died away as the ointment was applied. Gently he wrapped a new bandage around the wound.

"Thank you," I smiled at him.

Smiling back, he replied, "I would do that for anyone..." he trailed off as he looked at me. "You know, you look even more beautiful when you smile."

I could feel my cheeks redden at the compliment, and changed the subject. I was unused to hearing such words.

"You look like you need some sleep," I noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. He was thinner than I remembered him. "And something to eat," I added.

"I will send for some food," Aragorn replied, getting up.

"Go and eat with the others, then go to your room and get some rest; please Aragorn," I said as gently as I could. "I need to sleep now anyway. Maybe you could bring me something later?" I persuaded

He nodded. Stepping towards me, he bent down, and kissed me gently on the forehead.

"Until later, fair one," he smiled and stepped out into the sunlight now flooding into the hall outside. My heart felt so much lighter, and I sank back into the soft pillows, still feeling the warmth of his lips on my head as I drifted into a painless sleep.

Yet at the back of my mind, I wondered what the others would think of this. Especially my father.