Hidderknerkness

A/N: I know that I promised to update Keep Breathing next but I seem to be a bit stuck. If any of you have any ideas, feel free to mention them.
So, here’s another chapter of Hidden Darkness.
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“Estel, wait up!”

Aragorn slowed his pace, glancing behind, and smiled as he saw his wife running towards him. He let her catch up before continuing down the hall. “Arwen, is something wrong?” he asked, wondering what she was doing in this part of the palace.

Aragorn had been heading down to the guard barracks, hoping to speak with the captain about increasing the guards that protected the guest halls. Hopefully, they would be able to keep Legolas safe from his stalker.

“I should be asking you that,” Arwen said, tearing Aragorn’s thoughts from Legolas. “I’ve just been to see how Legolas was feeling,” she continued, “and Gimli told me you were going to talk to the guards.” She looked at him curiously. “Why is that?”

Aragorn hesitated, debating whether or not he should answer. “Gimli is still with him?” he asked, hoping to distract her. He didn’t want her to worry.

Arwen frowned, but allowed him to stall. “Yes, he was. He was telling Legolas a story, I think.” She laughed, remembering what she had seen when she had entered the room. “And Legolas was braiding poor Gimli’s beard.”

Aragorn stopped suddenly and looked around nervously, causing Arwen to watch in amusement. When he was certain they were truly alone, he leaned in close to his wife’s ear and whispered, “Never laugh at a Dwarf.”

Arwen cocked and eyebrow, smiling. “And why is that? Does this have something to do with the time you disappeared last week after making fun of something Gimli did?” she asked innocently.

Aragorn blushed and looked at the floor, suddenly finding it very interesting. ‘I never knew there was a pattern here,’ he thought, seeing how the stone tiles were arranged. He continued to study the floor, trying to forget what had happened a week before.

He and Gimli and gone to inspect one of the lower walls that had fallen during the war. While they were seeing how strong the remaining wall was, Gimli had been bragging about dwarven skills. He had just finished saying how sure footed dwarves were when it came to stone when the boulder he had been standing on had shifted and sent him sprawling in the dirt.

‘I shouldn’t have laughed,’ Aragorn thought, finally looking away from the floor.

Arwen smirked and decided to have mercy on him... So to speak. “You never answered my earlier question. Why do you need to speak with the guards?”

Aragorn sighed, slightly relieved. “I want to increase the guards in the guest wing,” he said, continuing on down the hall.

Arwen looked confused as she followed her husband. “Why? Is something wrong?”

Aragorn nodded. “I think Legolas has a stalker,” he answered. “He keeps receiving drawings of himself and he doesn’t know who’s sending them.” He frowned, confused. “Strange thing is, he doesn’t seem too concerned.”

Arwen had grown steadily more worried as Aragorn spoke. Poor Legolas; he wouldn’t know what to make of this. “Of course he isn’t, Estel,” she said. “He is young. To him, danger comes from orcs and spiders, not someone who he considers an ally and that may be living under the same roof.”

Aragorn frowned, thinking. Legolas was young for an elf, only about five hundred years old, but surely he was old enough to know of dangers such as this.

Arwen seemed to read his thoughts, for she continued. “His father is extremely protective, Estel. He wouldn’t know.”

Aragorn nodded, stopping in front of the door to the Captain’s office. “Will you be coming in?” he asked as he knocked on the door.

Arwen shook her head. “I think I’ll go check on Legolas again. See what else he has done to Gimli,” she said, turning to head back down the hall.

“Don’t laugh!” Aragorn warned, just before the door opened.

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“Where are we going, Gimli?”

Gimli looked up at Legolas, keeping a firm grip on the elf’s arm as he led him down the hall. “We are going to the locksmith,” he answered, turning a corner. After Aragorn had left, Gimli had begun to think of ways to protect Legolas. Obviously, guards weren’t enough if this artist had gotten a hold of Legolas’ breakfast. What if next time, placing a piece of parchment on the tray wasn’t all he did?

Gimli shuddered, imagining all sorts of things that could happen to Legolas. He slowed to a stop, causing the elf to bump into him. Glancing up at his tired friend, he realized that he should have left Legolas in his room so the poor elf could rest, as he was obviously exhausted. But that would have meant leaving him alone while Gimli went down to the locksmith; and that was something Gimli didn’t want to do.

“Why?”

Gimli jumped, for a moment thinking Legolas had read his thoughts before realizing what the elf meant. “We are going to get some locks for your door,” he answered and once again began pulling Legolas down the hall; slower this time.

Legolas frowned as he followed the dwarf. “But my door already has a lock,” he said, wrng hng his free arm around his waist. Breakfast didn’t seem to be agreeing with him and he felt slightly sick. “Please, Gimli. Can we go back to my room?” he asked, trying to free himself from the dwarf’s grip.

Gimli shook his head, pulling absentmindedly at one of the many braids that now decorated his beard. “You can never have too many locks.”

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He watched as the dwarf pulled the beautiful elf down the dark hall, frowning when he saw how pale Legolas was. ‘He’s so rough with you, my love. You deserve so much better.’

He followed slowly, keeping to the shadows, as the elf and dwarf turned a corner. ‘You should be protected; worshiped.’

The figure sighed and turned away as he saw them reach the locksmith. He walked slowly back down the hall, clutching a folded piece of parchment in his hands. ‘Yes, my love. You shall be worshiped.’