Temper Of The Sea

by adromir

Legolas and the sea are not exactly the best of friends. And, one day, the sea leashes its temper...

Summary : Legolas and the sea are not exactly the best of friends. And, one day, the sea leashes its temper…

Dear all.

26th December 2004 was the day when South Asia was hit by the largest catastrophe of this new millennium. A powerful earthquake in the morning was then followed by even more powerful tsunamis, killing thousands of lives and wiping small towns and islands off the world map. This big calamity was reported to be bigger than the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bigger than anything we have seen in these past centuries.

Over 100,000 people were killed in the tidal waves that lasted no longer than an hour. When we were so focused on terrorism and war, we forgot that Mother Nature could turn out to be our biggest and most heartless enemy of all time. Now, we should ask ourselves; What have we done to this planet we're living? What have we learn from all this? What can we do to help?

My country, Malaysia, didn't suffer as bad as Indonesia or Sri Lanka or India. But the entire nation is still in shock. We've lost 68 lives, and hundreds more were left homeless. It's the biggest tragedy for us all, and we are still in mourning. In fact, the entire world is in mourning. There were many foreign tourists visiting those effected countries when the tsunamis happened. I know some of you have lost a family member, or a friend, or even an acquaintance. I give you all my condolences and hope that this tragedy will not crush your spirit. To those who are able, help the tsunami victims any way you can. They need food, shelter and clothes. The small amount of money you donate means the world to them.

I know I've promised you a story of chibi-Legolas, but I would like to make way for 'Temper of the Sea' first. This story is a special tribute to those tsunami victims. May God bless them, wherever they are.

NOTE : This takes place several years after 'Tower of Tasqamaran'. Legolas still believes Keldarion has sailed over for Valinor and never to return.

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The sea was calling him, wooing and cajoling him like a long-lost lover. The ocean breeze whispered its desire to his ears. The hypnotizing sound of the crashing surf nearly lulled him to sleep as he sat there on the white, pristine sand.

"Legolas, Legolas," they called him.

He didn't move. He couldn't. He was too entranced by the playful reflection of the afternoon sun upon the water, turning the wide blue sea into a vast field of sparkling sapphires—so pretty, so mesmerizing, and yet so deceiving.

He felt like he was dreaming, yet he was not. The sand felt gritty beneath his fingers. The sun felt warm on his skin. He could hear the cheerful laughter of the children playing around him. His body was still here, on the scenic beach of Dol Amroth, Prince Imrahil's family estate. Yet, his mind was somewhere else, far away in Valinor.

"What are you thinking, Legolas?"

At the sudden voice, the prince of Eryn Lasgalen instantly jerked upright, snapping out of his reverie. He looked up and blinked dazedly back at the lovely lady who stood gazing down at him intently. He had not realized that she had been watching him for quite some time.

"Pardon me? What did you just say?" Legolas asked, blushing slightly.

With a small sigh and a shake of her head, Lady Arwen gracefully lowered herself to sit down next to the young elven lord. "You looked so thoughtful just now, so distracted. What were you thinking?" she asked again.

"Uh…" Legolas shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Nothing."

"Hmm. That must be a very big 'nothing' from what your deep frown is telling me," Arwen chided with a smile as she gently traced the creases in his forehead.

Legolas chuckled and caught her hand. Kissing her palm, he then responded, "You need not worry about me, Arwen. I'm well."

She gazed into his silver eyes which had darkened into a stormy gray, a sure sign that he was troubled by something. But, as she respected his private nature, Arwen didn't probe any further. Legolas would talk when he wanted to talk. She could wait.

"Fine. If you say so," the queen of Gondor finally replied as she snuggled against Legolas' side. He draped one arm around her shoulders and gathered her close.

The two childhood friends sat that way for a long while, oblivious to the children that were at play on the long stretch of beach. Several little girls were noisily making a sand castle nearby, chattering excitedly between them. Meanwhile, a group of boys were frolicking in the water, swimming and dunking one another as they shrieked with laughter in their exuberance.

This brought a smile to Legolas' face as he recalled the happy memories from the time when he was their age. He used to fool around like this with his elder brother, Keldarion. Many times in summer, they had dashed to the stream behind the Mirkwood palace and climbed onto an overhanging tree branch before jumping headlong into the water. Then the brothers would wrestle and grapple about like a pair of drunken otters, laughing themselves silly.

There was even that one time when both sons of Thranduil had gotten badly hurt after attempting an outrageous twin belly-flop. They had not realized that a tree branch had broken and fallen into the stream overnight. Pointing upwards, its sharp, steady twigs lay hidden in the water—a lurking hazard, and certainly a disaster waiting to happen.

Legolas had been stabbed in his abdomen, while Keldarion had gotten a serious punctured lung. But both princes never learned. A week after the incident, they had returned to the stream and become their crazy selves again, much to their father's exasperation.

Keldarion.

Legolas sobered when he thought of his brother. He had lost him for almost ten years now, lost him to the call of Valinor, lost him when the elder prince sailed across the sea and never came back.

"Kel…"

Arwen turned when she heard Legolas' soft whisper. Her friend had turned pale, his eyes misty. Cupping his cheek, she nudged his face until he looked at her. "You still miss him."

Legolas gulped down his tears and nodded. "Always."

"Is it the sea, or is it Keldarion that is really calling you?"

He gave her a rueful smile. "Both."

"Oh, Legolas." Sighing softly, Arwen hugged him. "I wish I could take away some of your pain."

"Your pleasant company is more than enough, my sweet," he replied. "You and Estel have been very supportive of me these last few years. I can't ask for more."

She suddenly grinned mischievously. "And then, there's Nara."

He threw back his head and laughed out loud. "Yes, there's Nara, my lovely lady wife. Valar, how I miss her."

"But you just saw her three days ago!"

"That's already too long for me," he said. "I knew I shouldn't have left her behind in Ithilien. She would have liked to be here with us."

Originally, Legolas had gone to Minas Tirith to attend a scheduled council with Aragorn. But to his surprise he found out that the king of Gondor had taken his entire family to dwell in Dol Amroth for the remaining summer. Prince Eldarion, the royal couple's six-year-old son, had driven his parents crazy with his incessant whining about wanting to visit the beach. Aragorn had left a note of apology to his best friend, telling the elf prince to meet him in Imrahil's keep instead to proceed with the council.

And now, here he was, relaxing on the beach that was only several hundred yards away from the main manor. The delayed council was finally over a couple of hours ago. All urgent issues concerning the Gondorian border near Ithilien had been discussed and examined, leaving the king glad to know that his faithful vassal was very diligent in keeping the kingdom of men safe from any threats.

When Legolas suggested he take Eldarion down to the beach right after the meeting had ended, Aragorn just smiled in great relief. "Go ahead, brother, spoil my son. I'm getting tired of romping around in the water and building sandcastles for two days straight. I do have a reputation to protect, you know."

Eldarion's reaction had been ecstatic. "Good! Oh, I'm so glad you're here, Legolas!" the boy had said, tugging at the elf's hand as he hurriedly dragged him away. "Father is no fun at all!"

"I heard that!" came Aragorn's quick response from inside the meeting hall.

The sound of Arwen's laughter suddenly caught Legolas' attention. He turned and saw that a handsome little boy had fallen flat on his rump after being knocked down by the coming surf. Grinning, the boy picked himself up and ran to his mother amid the sound of disappointed cries from other children.

"Mother!" Eldarion threw himself into Arwen's arms, dripping wet skin, sodden leggings and all.

"Hello, precious," the queen laughed, kissing her son's head. "Having fun?"

"The best!" The young prince looked at the elf. "Come, Legolas! Swim with me!"

"Ah…" Legolas made a show of shuddering in fear. "No, thank you. I'll pass. Your friends look fierce. They'll drown me in seconds."

Eldarion laughed gaily and waved at the boys who were still calling for him from the water. They were children to the people of Dol Amroth, Imrahil's two grandsons among them. A cheerful and easygoing young human, Eldarion got on famously with them even though he was a royalty, and the heir to the throne of Gondor to boot.

"Stop, mother…Ahh…Help me, Legolas!" The little boy shrieked with laughter, squirming like an eel as Arwen grabbed him and mercilessly tickled his tummy. Legolas just grinned and yelled encouragement at Arwen.

Twisting like an agile cat, Eldarion managed to escape and scampered off, laughing all the way. "Try to catch me, mother!"

"Darion, don't go too far!" Arwen cautioned. She stood to watch as her son ran down the beach, just out to the water's edge. The boy waved in response and continued to skip ahead on the wet sand, stopping occasionally to pick up some shells that had been washed ashore.

Legolas also rose. "Worry not, Arwen. We can see him from here."

"He has the energy of ten little boys," she said fondly, still watching his son. "He reminds me a lot of you when you were that age."

But Legolas was no longer listening. He stiffened and stared at the sea with a deep frown on his forehead. "Did you feel that?" he asked quietly.

Arwen looked at him, puzzled. "Feel what? What do you mean?"

Of course. She is now a mortal, Legolas remembered. Arwen might have missed the slight tremor beneath their feet that he had just felt.

"Legolas?" Arwen touched his arm. "What's wrong?"

He kept staring at the water, mesmerized. While the children splashed about in a game of tag, the sea suddenly pulled back, ebbing very fast.

Too fast.

Even as he watched, a lone fish suddenly plopped onto the wet sand. This was followed by another fish, then another. The children began to shout in excitement to see this spectacle, and they scrambled to gather the fishes.

A chill of apprehension instantly ran up and down Legolas' spine. He didn't completely know what the bizarre incident mean, but he was sure it wasn't good.

"Arwen, gather all the children! Tell them to get out of the water and run for the keep!" Legolas cried out even as he made a dash towards the girls still playing with their sandcastle.

"Wh…what?" The queen of Gondor was struck speechless, not fully understanding what was really going on. "B…but, Legolas…why?"

"Just do it!" Legolas was now tugging at the hands of two girls amid their cries of protest. "We don't have much time. Get these children as far away from here and as fast as you can. Run for the keep and don't look back!"

Pulling up the hem of her long skirt, Arwen quickly waded into the water and called out to the boys, urgently telling them to stop playing and run for safety—away from harm that even she did not know of. As expected, the children objected, stubbornly staying where they were.

But then Legolas saw it, a long stretch of white froth in the horizon, heading fast towards them. Now he understood what they were in for.

"MOVE!" he yelled at the children, rushing into the water to give Arwen some aid. "This is not a game! Get back to the keep I said!"

They blinked back at him, shock and dismayed. They never heard the gentle elf raise his voice that way. One of the boys suddenly looked behind him. His eyes widened in wonder. "What is that?"

Arwen gasped, a hand covering her mouth. "Ai Elbereth…"

"Run, children! RUN!" Legolas shouted, more frantic this time. "Get off the beach!"

Screaming in terror, the little humans abandoned their playground and ran across the sand. Legs pumping and arms churning, the children climbed fast over the slope and dashed towards the keep. They all saw the big tidal wave coming near, and it was coming very fast.

Legolas was pushing at the last boy when Arwen suddenly cried out in fear, "Oh, no! Darion!"

As she started to run to get to her son, Legolas quickly pulled her back. "No, Arwen. You head for the keep."

"But I can't leave Darion! I must save him…"

"There's no time to argue!" Legolas shot back. "I'll get him. Save yourself and we will be right behind you."

"Legolas…please…" Arwen's eyes were already welling with tears.

"He is going to be safe, I promise you," Legolas emphasized. "Now, go!"

Arwen ran, hiking up her skirt almost to her thighs. Legolas darted the other way, watching through the corner of his eyes as the queen quickly disappeared over the slope. Then he saw nothing else, except for the small form of the Crown Prince of Gondor who was skipping pebbles a little further ahead. He ran like he never ran before, wondering why the hundred yards between them seemed so very far away.

"Darion!" he called out. "Go up the hill, quick!"

The boy came to a stand still, staring at his surrogate father in puzzlement. "What's happening?"

Without explaining, Legolas grabbed the boy's wrist and they scrambled over the mound of white sand. The elf's ears began to catch the frightening rumbling sound of the rushing waves, coming towards them to nape at their heels.

"What's that sound?" Eldarion looked over his shoulder and grew pale. "Great Lord, Legolas! That's a…a…"

"A huge tidal wave, yes, I know."

Realizing how slow they were going, Legolas picked up the boy and rushed towards the direction of a stone-paved embankment nearby. If he could just hoist Eldarion on top of it, they could stand a chance for survival. Fighting for breath, Legolas forced his legs to move faster as he tried to block out the deafening sound of the waves that were madly chasing them.

"Legolas, it's getting closer!" Eldarion cried out, trembling with fear in Legolas' arms.

Legolas ran all the harder.

"It's coming!" the boy yelled again. The elf risked a glance behind him and nearly stumbled. The waves were almost on top of them!

"Darion, whatever happens, don't let go!" he managed to shout, mere seconds before the first wave struck them both.

As tons of water pushed him forward, Legolas struggled to keep his footing, his arms still wrapped firmly around Eldarion. Then another wave hit them, a lot stronger than the first one. Legolas lost the fight this time, his heart shriveling in horror to know that he was powerless against the force of the sea.

As Eldarion clung to him, shrieking with terror, Legolas worked hard to regain his balance, but it was a moot effort. The strength of the waves was pushing and pulling at him simultaneously, causing him to lose his equilibrium. When the next wave came, they instantly went under, trapped in the wild cascade of the foamy churning water.

Tightening his hold on the boy, Legolas reached out with his other hand to grab at something—anything! But his hand came up empty, and again they were pushed forward by the powerful current. They broke the surface somehow, choking and wheezing among the surf.

Legolas' frantic eyes then saw that they were heading directly towards a row of trees that flanked the shore. From the speed the wave was moving, he knew they were going to hit the trees hard. Twisting until Eldarion was protected by his body, Legolas waited apprehensively for the imminent impact.

"Hang on, Darion!" he shouted, not knowing whether the boy could hear him or not.

Legolas' cry of anguish was drowned out by the roaring sound of the waves when he slammed against one of the trees. He was momentarily dazed, but was quick enough to recover his senses to grab a tree branch. With all the will he possessed, he fought to hold on, even as the current tugged furiously at him.

Shoving Eldarion until the boy lay snuggled between him and the tree, Legolas said, "Hang on tight, Darion."

Coughing and gasping, Eldarion nodded and clung to a branch. One handedly, Legolas took of his tunic and hastily tied it around the boy's chest to the tree. The waves might be powerful, but it would take humongous energy to uproot the century-old tree and sweep it away.

"Legolas, I'm scared…" Eldarion whimpered, fighting hard against his tears.

"Shh…It will be over, Darion," Legolas soothed. "I'm right here. I won't let the sea take you."

But the sea had its own plan for the elf. Even as the surf swirled around him, it began to whisper into his ears, "Legolas, Legolas, come with us…"

As if under a trance, Legolas stiffened. He slowly turned to face the sea and closed his eyes. Moaning softly, he let the water lap against his already soaked skin, his exposed throat vulnerable to the beating surfs.

"Hear us, Legolas, hear us. Leave your woods and be one with us…"

They called his name, again and again and again. Cajoling, crooning, wooing. Feeling light headed, Legolas was about to succumb to the call. The call was so great he felt himself weakening under its spell, longing for the taste of freedom and contentment, longing for the air of Valinor which lay ahead just over the horizon. The sea would take him there. The sea would reunite him with his beloved brother. The sea would make this acute longing in his heart disappear forever.

His grip on the tree branch was slowly loosening, letting the sea drag him away, inch by little inch. His left hand was already reaching out for a rushing wave when Eldarion's voice cut through the fog in his mind.

"Legolas, what are you doing?"

The elf blinked, jerking back to awareness. He saw his arm outstretched, felt the tugging of the waves against his body, and instantly realised he very nearly sacrificed himself to the sea. With a cry of alarm, he quickly pulled back and grabbed the tree.

"Legolas are you well?" the boy asked again, staring worriedly at the elf.

Dazed and bewildered, Legolas found it hard to gather any coherent thoughts or utter a sensible word. Shaking his head, he gazed at Eldarion and opened his mouth. No sound came out.

"Legolas?" Eldarion's lips were trembling, cold and confused. "What's wrong? Please, you are scaring me…"

As the waves crashed around them, growing weaker than the previous ones, Legolas turned to stare at the sea, his own eyes tear-filled,

"They are calling for you, aren't they?" said Eldarion, gripping Legolas' arm. "Don't listen to them. Forget what they say. Look at me, Legolas. Please, look at me!"

Legolas snapped his eyes back towards the boy, his gaze unfocused.

"Don't listen to them," Eldarion repeated, tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "They are trying to take you away from me, from us. Mother told me about what the sea once did to you. So please don't heed their call. Ignore them. I need you, Legolas. We all do."

Torn and overwhelmed, Legolas gulped down the huge lump in his throat. Eldarion's words had struck the core of his soul, jerking him back to reality.

Yes, the sea had made him its captive once. He had been sent adrift in the vast ocean for days by the evil shraqs—the shape-shifting ravens that had abducted him by mistake. Lost and alone he had had nothing but his own strong will to keep himself afloat. He could have died from thirst and exhaustion on the third day if not for Imrahil's ship that had come to his rescue.

Legolas breathed deeply to compose himself, his resolve strengthened. He had not submitted to the sea then. He definitely would not submit now.

Pushing the thoughts of Valinor out of his mind, Legolas reached over and wrapped his arms around Eldarion. "I hear you, little one. I hear you."

The young prince clung tightly to the elf. "Don't let go. Don't you ever let go."

"I won't." Legolas stroked Eldarion's head, feeling the boy tremble uncontrollably. "I promise you, I won't."

They stayed that way for a moment longer, waiting for the water to recede. It took a while for the fierce waves to finally stop, steadily pulling back to the sea. They were still submerged to the waist, but Legolas was sure that the danger was thankfully over. Grunting from exertion, he untied his tunic that bound Eldarion to the tree and released him. He was picking up the boy to head for higher ground when he felt a sudden sharp pain in his left side.

He stumbled abruptly, falling back into the water with Eldarion in his arms. They both sputtered as they broke the surface.

Eldarion had heard Legolas' cry of pain. "Are you hurt, Legolas?"

Legolas tried to muster a sheepish smile. "Yes, probably."

"Well, how bad is it?"

Legolas looked down and inspected the injury. A stub from a broken branch was lodged firmly in his side, right above his hip bone. He hadn't even realised it was there before. He knew he must have gotten it from the impact with the tree. With a grimace, he shrugged at the boy. "I don't know how bad it is. Let's just wait for your father's opinion. If he starts screaming and ranting when he sees it, than we'll know it's indeed really, really bad."

Despite his tears, Eldarion giggled. "Father loves to scream when he is displeased."

Legolas grinned. "You should see my father."

Chuckling, they helped each other to their feet and resumed their way through the sludge. After a quick inspection, Legolas was glad to know that Eldarion was all right. There were several cuts here and there on the small body, with a purplish bruise on one knee, but otherwise the boy was fine.

It was his injury that was becoming a great bother. After walking for only a few yards, Legolas had to stop, leaning against a big rock as he pressed a hand against his wounded side. Groaning, Legolas slid down the rock and sat heavily in the water.

Eldarion was frantic. "Legolas! Are you all right?" he cried out, kneeling beside the miserable looking elf.

"Obviously, I'm not," Legolas replied through gritted teeth, his side on fire now. "Give me a moment."

The boy sat down, next to Legolas' uninjured side. Smiling reassuringly, the elf placed an arm around the boy's shoulder. And then they waited.

"Eldarion! Legolas!"

The two princes raised their heads and stared at each other.

"Isn't that…?" Legolas started, but the sudden voice came again from the direction of the slope behind them.

"Eldarion! Legolas! ANSWER ME!"

The boy jumped to his feet and scrambled up the muddy earth. "We are here! Down here!" the boy yelled, jumping up and down and waving his arms to attract attention.

Legolas forced himself to rise but, in too much pain, fell flat on his rump again. Cursing under his breath, he accepted defeat and watched as Eldarion hurried back towards him.

"Father is coming!" the boy exclaimed with a big smile. "He saw me and he's coming down with the guards to help us."

Legolas smiled weakly. "That's just great," he dryly responded. "Estel is coming to my rescue. Again."

Eldarion laughed, and Aragorn, the mighty king of Gondor, choose that moment to materialize over the slope.

"Eldarion! Legolas!"

The elf rolled his eyes. "Stop yelling, Estel. We heard you the first time."

"Father!" Eldarion ran and flung himself into Aragorn's opened arms.

"My son!" Aragorn enthused, hugging the boy tight and kissing his cheek. Then, with sharp narrowed eyes, he checked his son all over. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"I'm well," the boy said excitedly. "Legolas saved me, father. But he got hurt."

Aragorn put down his son as the guards of Dol Amroth poured down the slope towards them. The king unfastened his cloak and wrapped it snugly around Eldarion, ordering two of the guards to take the little prince back to the keep.

Eldarion opened his mouth to protest but Aragorn wanted none of it. "Do as I say, son. Your mother is worried sick about you. Let her see you so that she knows you are unharmed."

The boy made a face at that but obligingly complied, letting one of the guards pick him up. "Look after Legolas, father. He is hurt," came the boy's parting reply before he let the guard took him away.

"Hurt, is he? Hmm, why am I not surprised?" Aragorn crouched next to his best friend, eyeing the elf up and down. "So, did you have a nice swim?" the man lightly asked.

Legolas burst out laughing, and instantly broke into a low moan. "Ai…that hurts…" he hissed, grabbing at his side.

After giving orders for the remaining guards to search the shore for other victims, Aragorn focused his attention on his friend. The man helped the elf to his feet, ignoring the mud and dirt that stained his rich immaculate attire.

"Arwen is safe?" Legolas managed to ask through gritted teeth as they staggered up the slope, out of the water.

"Yes, she is, thanks to your warning," Aragorn answered. "She and the children were able to get through the gate of the keep before the waves could hit them. Looks like I owe you the life of my wife and child."

Legolas easily shrugged. "You also owe me a new shirt. I used mine to tie Darion to a tree."

Aragorn shook his head when he realized that the elf was bare-chested. He also saw the piece of the wood sticking out of Legolas' flesh. "Valar! That looks terrible!"

"Yep. Feels terrible too," Legolas quipped.

"Here, sit down. Let me look at that first." Aragorn lowered his friend to the ground. Frowning and grumbling, he poked and prodded at the wound, nearly causing Legolas to scream.

"This is bad. Very bad," Aragorn started to rant. "You should have been more careful, you silly elf! What if it had hit you in the heart or the throat instead? Or worst, in your groin?"

Legolas rolled his eyes with a loud sigh. "Cut that out, human! At least I still have my brain intact!"

Aragorn had the grace to look abashed. "Sorry. I'm still shaken up, I guess. When I saw the big waves chasing after my wife and couldn't find my son anywhere near her, the life nearly went out of me. Lord, I was so scared I couldn't even move. And when Arwen told me you went out to save Eldarion, the first thing that came to my mind was that you must be insane!"

Ruefully shaking his head, the man ripped off his long sleeve and wrapped it around Legolas' waist over the wound to staunch the bleeding. "Thank you, brother. You have bled for me yet again," Aragorn said quietly, so humbled he was by his friend's courage and selflessness.

"Estel." Legolas placed a hand over Aragorn's, stilling his movements. "You would do the same for me too."

The man looked up and gave up a small smile. "Yes, I would."

"There. It's settled then. It's your turn to save my hide after this!" Legolas announced.

"What are you talking about? I am saving your hide, right this minute!" Aragorn shot back good-naturedly.

As the man worked efficiently at the bandage, Legolas told him of what had happened after the waves struck. Aragorn then told the elf that as soon as the huge waves had settled down, Imrahil had drafted a search and rescue mission along the beach. The guards were sent out to scour the area for any victims, with Eldarion and Legolas at the top of their list. As Imrahil took his party westward, Aragorn chose to search eastward, the place where Arwen had seen the last of their son. It turned out he had chosen the right direction after all.

It took Aragorn a moment to realize that Legolas was no longer listening to him. Instead, his friend was gazing at the sea without blinking.

The man's blood instantly went cold. Of course! The sea longing affliction! How could I forget about that?

"Legolas?"

To Aragorn's relief, the elf turned to him. "Yes?"

"Is the sea…?" Aragorn cleared his throat and tried again, "Are you…I mean…are they calling you? Right now?"

Legolas smiled kindly. "They always call me. In fact, they just tried to claim me."

Throwing his gaze back to the sea, the elf continued, "But they failed, Estel. Once again, they have failed. If not for your son, I could be long gone by now, swept away into their midst, and never to return. You should knight Eldarion, my brother. He is the hero here, not me."

There was a long silence afterwards as the two friends sat there to stare at the ocean, calm now after the big excitement not an hour ago. The guards of Dol Amroth were seen walking through the debris, searching for unlucky souls trapped in the course of nature. They didn't know it, but they would find out later that several fishing villages further down the shore were completely destructed, swept away by the tidal wave. Many lives were lost, and lots of properties were destroyed. It was the biggest devastation in the history of the people of Dol Amroth. It was so big that they never looked at the sea the same way again.

"Come, Legolas," Aragorn finally said as he rose to his feet. "Let's go home."

With his friend's help, Legolas stood. "Yes. Let's go home."

As they walked slowly back to the keep, the sea lay vast and majestic behind them, waiting patiently for its next chance to strike again.

THE END

Thank you for reading, everyone. I hope you didn't find it too sad or upsetting, especially after the disaster that had just struck us recently. All I want to point out in this story is just that there are survivors among us, broken and defeated but they just keep moving on. So, be like them. Whatever happens in your life, find the strength to never give up. You are a lot stronger than you know.

To my beta, Aranel, thanks a load, mate! Oh, and I forgot to tell you that those Leggy pics you sent me are great, especially the one where he's bound all over by that tape and…err…you know what I mean.

Tomorrow, January 13th, is Orlando Bloom's birthday. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ORLI! I know you don't read this but I still want to yell it out to you!

Now, for the coming attractions. Hmm, I have several in mind, but I think I want to surprise you. Wait and see!

I'll be back in two weeks time!