river dirges
to touch is to heal
to hurt is to steal
if you want to kiss the sky
better learn how to kneel
(on your knees, boy)
-- U2, "Mysterious Ways"
Nimrodel sang, and Legolas could not bring himself to weep, for her song, though infinitely sad, was also infinitely soothing and infinitely joyous.
They had no watch that night, for the forest and the river shielded them, but he remained awake, and listened to the breathing of his company. By now, even the last of the halflings had fallen asleep, and their tears were dry on their cheeks. The Dwarf had lain awake for some time, but had drifted off at last. Even Aragorn now slept, though he had not intended to; the man still sat, leaning against a sympathetic tree, but his chin had dropped to his chest and he rested -- rested fitfully, but rested nonetheless.
Legolas noticed all of this, even as Boromir kissed him viciously.
"I have heard," Legolas muttered when Boromir finally broke the kiss, "that men have strange ways of showing grief, but I was unaware that this was one of them."
The stars shone down even through the leaves of Lorien's trees, and Legolas fancied that he could feel their light on his skin, even between his skin and Boromir's rough and dirty fingers.
"However elves grieve," the man whispered back, "you must admit that this is an effective way to ease the sting that comes with such a loss as ours."
Nimrodel sang still, sang of great things and small, of destiny and dew, love and lilac.
Boromir kissed him again, his hands twisting through the elf's pale hair, a steely fire in his gray eyes. Legolas caught the man's lip in his teeth and Boromir gave a low, rough groan into his throat. The human smelled of earth, of mud and water and ash and wood, and Legolas found something about that to be comforting.
"Men," Legolas answered as Boromir pushed him to his knees, "are easier to distract than elves. And I would rather be listening to the river's dirges anyway."
"I want no dirges, elf," Boromir growled. "But a distraction might prove to aid me in my own grief."
Nimrodel sang, and Legolas did not weep.