Six
Legolas paced the clearing as Aragorn slept, pausing only to glance into the pool from time to time. It didn't always show what Aragorn was doing; sometimes it showed strange little men in silk dresses eating rice, sometimes men herding strange beasts through grassy plains, and at other times just his own reflection. The pool seemed to have a mind of its own, and that mind could not stayed fixed on one thing at once. He was still confused about the slight blurring every time it did show Aragorn, as if there were someone in the corner of the picture that the pool did not want him to see.
Stopping once more to peer into the depths, Legolas was happy to see it had returned to showing Aragorn, though it only showed his face. His lip was bleeding, but other than that he seemed all right. Then the pool's image pulled back, and Legolas could see where he was.
Men shoved Aragorn into room full of strange men, the blur once again present on the floor, almost in the shape of a man. Aragorn hit the opposite wall and slid down to a sitting position next to a fellow prisoner with beads in his hair and a bandanna on his head. For the first time, Legolas could hear voices.
"Do you think he'll be all right?" Aragorn whispered, glancing at the blur on the floor.
"Tarleton said he'd be." His companion muttered. "Don't see why not. He'll wake up with a royal headache, though."
Aragorn frowned. "Royal..." He sat up straighter, and Legolas could have sworn he looked him right in the eye. "I have to go to sleep."
"Good idea, mate." His friend grunted. "Not much else to do on this sorry excuse for a boat."
"No, you don't understand." Aragorn said. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Never mind." He settled back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Good night."
Legolas heard Aragorn stir behind him, but couldn't draw his attention away from the scene in the pool. Aragorn sat up, looked around, and spotted his friend. His nose was almost touching the water, nearly a mirror image of Aragorn himself before he had fallen in.
"Legolas! NO!"
The elf pitched forward.
Stopping once more to peer into the depths, Legolas was happy to see it had returned to showing Aragorn, though it only showed his face. His lip was bleeding, but other than that he seemed all right. Then the pool's image pulled back, and Legolas could see where he was.
Men shoved Aragorn into room full of strange men, the blur once again present on the floor, almost in the shape of a man. Aragorn hit the opposite wall and slid down to a sitting position next to a fellow prisoner with beads in his hair and a bandanna on his head. For the first time, Legolas could hear voices.
"Do you think he'll be all right?" Aragorn whispered, glancing at the blur on the floor.
"Tarleton said he'd be." His companion muttered. "Don't see why not. He'll wake up with a royal headache, though."
Aragorn frowned. "Royal..." He sat up straighter, and Legolas could have sworn he looked him right in the eye. "I have to go to sleep."
"Good idea, mate." His friend grunted. "Not much else to do on this sorry excuse for a boat."
"No, you don't understand." Aragorn said. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Never mind." He settled back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Good night."
Legolas heard Aragorn stir behind him, but couldn't draw his attention away from the scene in the pool. Aragorn sat up, looked around, and spotted his friend. His nose was almost touching the water, nearly a mirror image of Aragorn himself before he had fallen in.
"Legolas! NO!"
The elf pitched forward.