Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Please, please review. Don't know if I should continue, but needed a break from Never Been Kissed since I cannot think of anything funny to write without the balance of an angsty fic.... If people are not interested, I won't write. I will just finish Lucien and wait until beta is free to read for posting.

Warnings:

This is a slash, i.e. male/male relationship. If you don't like, please don't read.

This is alternate universe. Lots, and I do mean A LOT, of liberty had been taken with LOTR universe to fit the story. Also, I am not that familiar with the mythology of the LOTR universe, so I kind of made up my own for it to use in this fic. I apologize in advance for anyone who might be offended.

This fiction is a solid R, just so I CAN have the liberty of writing more adult stuff in it

This is yet another Aragorn/Legolas. I am very partial to that pairing, so if people are bored already of it, this is probably not a good one to read.

This fic does not have beta. That just means it is more mistake prone than my other beta-ed stories. Sorry again about that.

This fic is dark and sad, not to mention a little disorganized, going backwards and forward in time simultaneously. It will have lots of flashbacks, memories and dream images intertwined with "present reality". Kind of like Memento, the movie... Sections with different time points are delineated by a solid line __________________. The setting (i.e. time and location) of each section is indicated in capital letters at the beginning of that part. Different scenes within the same section are separated by **********************************

All the Elvish in the thing is taken/adapted from Internet sources. Please forgive any mistake in it. The only language I will be using is Sindarin, since Legolas is Sindarin. There won't be that much since it takes me hours just to find the vocab to one phrase and conjugate it properly..

... = thoughts.

Now that we are done with warnings, let's get on with the story. This chapter is for set up purposes, I promise that there will be a plot moving forward in time...which should start in the next chapter if I continue. That said, this chapter is NOT the end of the story..

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Chapter 1: Dreams of Love

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YEAR 8, FOURTH AGE OF MIDDLE EARTH IN CASTLE OF GONDOR

Heat..unbearable yet pleasurable heat. Desire...smooth slender fingers upon his burning skin..a perfect ageless body against his. Flashes of gold and gleams of sapphire.. comfort... fulfillment and love.

Silken tresses caressed his bare chest....the soft whisper of a pure golden voice, " Gweston le, meleth nîn ù-thinnatha." [I swear to thee, my love would never fade.]

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Elessar woke to find streaks of dried tears upon his face. It was the same dream again; the same one that had been tormenting him for the past ten years... A dream of everlasting love and heart-wrenching sorrow, of a loss so great that caused tears to shed unbridled in his sleep. Yet, despite the frequency of the dream, it was always hazy. There was no face for the mysterious visitor of night; there was only the impression of love and being loved, the joining of both body and soul.

The dream started on his wedding night eleven years ago. As he slept, lying spent on his wife's bed, it visited him, a taunting reminder of what true love should be. Following closely in its footsteps was an intense sense of guilt and betrayal. And thereafter, the dream came after every night the Man spent with Arwen, the Evening Star of the Elves, now the Queen of Gondor. That was until last year, before the 10th year reunion of the Fellowship. Instead of being overjoyed to see his six companions gathered in his banquet hall, he felt sadness so great that he almost cried. Ever since that day, the dream tormented him nightly, so much so that the King of Men dreaded sleep. Yet, slept he did, for as much as it hurt, for those few moments while it lasted, he felt whole.

But why, Aragorn had asked himself time and again. The King of Men had lovers before in his younger days, but after he met his Lady, he had not been with another. He loved her with his whole heart; he always had and always would. Aragorn tried to tell himself that the dream meant nothing, that it was only his insecurities acting subconsciously while he slept. Yet, in his heart, he knew that even if the memories were forgotten, the feelings were real.

Heart still broken from his nightmare, Aragorn washed his face. He would not have his family or his court see him in such a state. He was now Elessar Telecontar, King of Gondor. He had a beautiful wife, who gave up immortality to be by his side, and two adorable children. Eldarion, his son, was almost six; Aradia, his daughter, was four. The Man knew he should be content, no, extremely grateful for such blessings; yet he could not help but feel that something was missing in his life..not just something, but a part of him, a part of his heart.

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SAME TIME, IN THE REALM OF THE TIRN UIRIPA

"Why do you still watch him, Glorgalad?" inquired Celegîl, the eldest prince of the Tirn Uiripa, Eternal Watchers of Middle Earth. The Tirn Uiripa were a race of Divine Beings that had existed since the beginning of time. No one knew how they came to be, not even the Watchers themselves. They were powerful creatures of light and energy that had no physical form. That was not to say they were amorphous; their appearances were much like the Men or Elves of Middle Earth. They were like spirits, visible to the eye but transparent to the touch of anything living. For instance, Celegîl had silvery blue hair and bright green eyes. His angular features and muscular built resembled that of a strong, powerful Man.

The Tirn Uiripa existed in their own realm, one without pain, sadness or suffering; but at the same time, one without happiness or love. Their fate was to observe passively Middle Earth and its people for all time. A fate that Celegîl's vivacious little brother could not abide to.

His golden brother had been watching the Mortal for almost twelve years now, ever since he returned from his physical existence on Middle Earth. Glorgalad was the only Watcher who had joined the living; the only one of their kind to know true love and pain. Celegîl looked once more at his youngest brother, the most beautiful among the Tirn Uiripa. His exquisite cerulean eyes, which once sparkled with merriment and mischief, were filled with sorrow as he gazed into the magic crystal. His glorious golden hair glimmered faintly, showing only traces of its former glory. He wished there was something he could do to help Glorgalad forget his life on Middle Earth but his brother's powers rivaled his own and would never allow such a thing.

"He has no memory of you, none of them do. When you made your choice to accept Father's offer, your return in exchange for their lives, he had made sure that no traces of you remained on Middle Earth, not even in the minds of those you cared for and loved. Why must you dwell on him so, my golden brother?" asked Celegîl again gently.

Glorgalad shook his head sadly and replied, "Once a heart is given, it cannot be taken back. I cannot control it anymore than I can stop the sun from rising. Nor do I want it back. For the first time in my entire existence, I was truly alive. In my one lifetime in Middle Earth, I learnt the meaning of true love. I do not regret it no matter how it pains me. I would not have it any other way. I will never forget Aragorn."

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Flashback:

END OF SECOND AGE, REALM OF TIRN UIRIPA

The youngest prince could not watch the gruesome battle unfolding in his magic crystal any longer. His heart was filled with sympathy for the soldiers in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. He had always identified with the Elves as they resembled him in appearance. Glorgalad was tall and slender. With his deep-set azure eyes, delicate features and long silken tresses, he exuded the same ethereal beauty as the Eldar of Middle Earth.

Now, seeing his kindred spirits slaughtered by the Dark Lord Sauron, he loathed his identity as a Watcher. For though he had the power to assist the Elves and Men, it was against their ancient laws to interfere. Direct contact with those on Middle Earth was strictly forbidden. As a prince of the Tirn Uiripa, he must never display emotions; he must always remain distant and cold. But he was never good at that; he was simply cared too much. Despite his faults, he was Father's favorite son. His powers and beauty was simply unparalleled. The King would always forgive his misgivings, blaming it on his youth and innocence.

But today, Glorgalad had enough. He needed to do something, anything to help those he had watched and admired, maybe even envied, for his entire existence. He would speak with Father and ask for permission to intervene.

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"Father, please let me help them. If we do not act now, the Middle Earth might be destroyed and there would be nothing for us Watchers to observe," pleaded the prince.

"Because you are still young, I would forget that you made such a request. Now go back to your room Glorgalad and reflect on what you have done wrong," said the king.

"No, I would not yield. I cannot continue with my meaningless existence any longer. I have never acted; I have never felt, all I have ever done was watch from afar. What was the point of eternity if there is no happiness? What is the point of having powers if you cannot use them?" argued the young Watcher.

"You have gone too far, my son. You will cease this at once and apologize or you will be punished," threatened his father.

"I will accept whatever punishment you wish to give, but I will not change the way I think. I cannot pretend any more," replied Glorgalad resolutely.

"So be it. You wish to help them so much, I will grant you your wish; I will let you join them. You will be stripped of your powers and memories and reincarnate as one of those creatures . You will lead a horrible, arduous life and you will perish. Under the next blood moon, all our people will gather to witness the fulfillment your sentence," thundered the king in his wrath.

"As you wish, Father," answered the prince quietly as he returned to his chambers.

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"Glorgalad, I have heard what happened. You must beg Father to reconsider," urged his eldest brother. Celegîl had always been very protective of him.

"Why would I do such a thing, dear brother. Father is granting me my wish after all. I would rather live one lifetime being able to feel than exist here for eternity," answered the young prince softly.

"Do you have any idea what Father intended to have you reborn as? He is going to make you the child of a slave. You will be born into servitude and suffer as the humiliation and pain of being a slave until the day you die. You cannot possible want this," pleaded Celegîl.

The younger Watcher merely smiled and asked, "And how do you know that I won't be able to escape? That I will not meet someone who is kind and sympathetic, who will free me from bondage?"

Celegîl was at a loss for words. He could see there was no changing his little brother's mind. But he was not about to allow Glorgalad to suffer, even if it meant risking severe punishment. The night before the blood moon, he secretly stole into his father's chambers and cast his own spell; one which would change his golden brother's identity when he was reborn.

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YEAR 135 THIRD AGE OF MIDDLE EARTH, MIRKWOOD PALACE

"Hold on, melethril nîn [my love], the midwife would be here soon," whispered Thranduil nervously into his wife's ears. The child was not expected for another month. For once, the King of Mirkwood was at a complete loss as to what to do.

As his wife clutched his hand hard and screamed again, the midwife burst into the door.

"Please wait outside, your majesty. I will take care of it from here," said the Elf-woman as she ushered the un-composed King out the door.

After half an hour, which seemed like an eternity for Thranduil, he was rewarded with the hearty cry of a new-born babe. He rushed into the room without ceremony to find a precious little bundle in the midwife's arms.

"It is a beautiful boy, my King," said the Elf-woman with tears of joy in her eyes.

"What should we call him, melethril nîn?" asked the King. He knew that his wife had suffered much to bring the child into the world and wished for her to have the honor of naming their baby.

"How about Legolas, aran nîn[my King]?" suggested his Queen.

"That is a wonderful name for our beautiful child. Green Leaf he should be, as the sign of a new life after the defeat of the Dark Lord," said Thranduil as he smiled softly at the child.

On that day, the reborn Tirn Uiripa began his new life as Legolas Thranduilion, the Crown Prince of Mirkwood.

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Hope that was not too confusing..

Next chapter should I continue will be the first meeting of Aragorn and Legolas, in more than one sense =)

In case people are wondering, in my A/U the blood moon comes every 135 Middle Earth years in the realm of Tirn Uiripa. I know, why the long wait? There really was not apparent reason, I just don't want Legolas to be that old. I know that's stupid, but please bare with me..

Oh, in case people are confused, Legolas = Glorgalad

I think that Glorgalad means golden light in Sindarin and Celegîl means silver star. I just kind of chose those terms online randomly because they sound kind of nice and fit my descriptions =)

Why year 8 of Fourth Age? The third age ended on year 3021, but Aragorn and Arwen got married in 3019, so I just kind of calculated the year off of that. Sorry if it's not quite right =)