The Omen of the Night, Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, although I sometimes wish that I did. Alas, I make no profit from this, other than to quiet the musing in my head.
Rating: T for possible violence and language in upcoming chapters.
Author's note: This is my first story, so bear with me as I go. This story takes place following the War of the Ring. As part of my own musing, there may be differences within my story that do not always follow that of the books/movies. In addition, all grammar and other mistakes are my own. Enjoy!
ooo
The air was cold, much colder than it should be and the sensation of it was strong. Odd that it would affect him so. He felt pain also, but could not really focus as to the cause of this pain. There were flashes of light, lightening perhaps. A sense of urgency filled his entire being and everything, every sensation was coming at a rapid speed, too fast to really see, feel, or understand what was occurring. He was gasping for breath as there seemed to be a heavy weight on his chest. Was there a figure in front of him? Somehow he knew this to be a stranger and he felt the desperate need to get away, but his body would not move. With every flash of light he could see the figure nearing him. His eyes darted around, searching the darkness for assistance. Just as the figured appeared to be on top of him, he felt himself moving, but in a downward motion. He was falling. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure he had not taken a breath in minutes the pressure on his chest was so strong. He could feel the fear building in him as he fell, wind whistling louder as momentum grew and suddenly, 'thud.'
Legolas awoke gasping for breath. His body was covered with sweat, yet he was shivering uncontrollably. Obviously, the dream had returned and was much more powerful than before. He had forgotten all about the dreams as they had ceased and his mind was preoccupied with his excitement for their journey. It was at that moment that Legolas became aware of his father nervously leaning over him, clutching his hand in his own.
"Legolas, can you hear me? Are you alright my son?" Thranduil asked desperately.
"I wonder how long he has been at my side," Legolas thought to himself.
"Yes, I am fine ada. It was merely a regretful memory of things from the past," Legolas stated as convincingly as possible.
Thandruil continued to stare helplessly at his son. He had been on watch as Legolas was sleeping when he heard the panicked words coming from his resting son. He could not understand all of what Legolas was saying, but his body had turned cold and was shivering badly. About that time, his skin broke out into a sweat and Legolas was unresponsive to his voice or persistent shaking. Then, all of a sudden, his body went stiff, and Legolas had awoken with a start, eyes still cloudy from the dream or whatever had befallen his son.
"Are you sure you are well?" Thranduil asked, not even bothering to try and mask his concern.
"Yes ada, I am sure," he replied.
Thranduil suddenly remember how exhausted he had seen Legolas not that many weeks ago. "This is not the first time this has happened, has it?" he asked.
Looking downward and away from his fathers piercing stare Legolas replied, "No it is not. I have had the dream on numerous occasions, but I cannot ever recall as to what transpired in the dream. It is a frustrating burden I have bared since returning from the War of the Ring, one that I had hoped was long behind me now."
Thranduil wanted to ring his son's neck for not speaking with him about this sooner. He realized the young elf was stubborn, but there could be dark entities behind his plagued dreams. "And were they even dreams at all? Why had he not awakened when he called to him?" he wondered.
"If you do not remember as to the events in these dreams, how do you know they are brought on by past memories?" he asked his son.
"I suppose I do not know for sure, but there is nothing more that can be done for we cannot choose where our mind wanders while we rest," Legolas stated with obvious frustration and fatigue in his voice.
He knew that Legolas would not discuss the issue and further and he silently cursed to himself for instilling in his son a stubborn streak that he himself had mastered. He was also angered further at realizing that his son was right. The dreams were in fact just that, and he had absolutely no power to change the situation.
"I do not mean to upset you my son, I merely worried when you would not waken to my voice. Perhaps Lord Elrond will be able to provide additional light concerning the matter?" he offered as a suggestion.
The last thing Legolas wanted was Lord Elrond and the others to worry over something as ridiculous as a dream, but he knew his father would speak with the Lord despite his own reservations about the issue. He took a deep breath and looked at the moon shining brightly upon the land. He knew that his father meant well. He also knew that his anger was not with his father, but with himself because he too was somewhat nervous about these apparent dreams.
Tonight was much different than before. Much of the dream was still foggy and unclear, but for the first time, he had some memories of its contents. He remembered the coldness he felt and his inability to breathe, and the figure. Who or what was approaching me that would cause such intense reactions?" he thought.
While he was glad to have at least some tangible knowledge of the dreams that plagued his sleep, he was not comforted in the least. He now knew that the dreams had nothing to do with past events and his only conclusion was that it must have something to do with the future. Legolas was by no means an expert in these areas, but the intensity of this dream left lingering effects. His heart was still racing from the ordeal and he had absolutely no desire to return to bed. Just thinking about the figure and that sensation of falling was sending chills to his very core.
"I believe ada, that it would be wise to mention this to Lord Elrond during our stay."
The King, who had been nervously watching his son as he was lost in thought, was thoroughly surprised by Legolas' agreement and actually found it to increase his anxiety.
Sensing this Legolas turned toward his father and smiled, "Do not fret ada, for everything will be fine, you will see. The dreams should not ruin our journey. I am regretful for the anger I directed toward you. I must blame it on the unpleasant way I was awoken and must take note to avoid doing so again."
Thranduil could not help but smile and he knew his son had meant him no harm. Perhaps these dreams were just dreams after all. But he still could not shake the feeling that there was something amiss. Deciding to pursue the issue at a later date, with the assistance of Lord Elrond, he agreed with Legolas, that these dreams should not ruin their journey as it was a very rare occurrence that he have this precious time with his son.
"I will take the watch from here. Try and rest so that we may continue our ride in the morning," Legolas stated.
"Aye, I believe that I will, but do not hesitate to wake me should you need to rest yourself."
"Of course, goodnight ada."
And with that, the King settled himself down with the true intent of getting some rest. Little did he know that the fates had another plan in mind.
To Be Continued.
A/N: Please read and review! I know there was not much action in this chapter either, but it seemed the best place to stop. The next chapter is definitely action filled and should be much longer!