Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen, Faelon (just) and Lothion (flower) belong to me.

Sorry, no Aragorn in this chapter. Saruman just wouldn't stop talking.

*blub* thoughts

'whatever' person speaks elfish

"talk" normal speech

For warnings see chapter 1.

Chapter 7

Saruman had waited centuries for such an opportunity. Finally he would be able to get his revenge on Thranduil for crossing his plans. The wizard had started to believe that he would never be able to show his most hated enemy what it meant to get in his way, but just when he had lost all hope, Thranduil's youngest son had been silly enough to loose his heart to a human.

It hadn't taken long for Saruman to think of the perfect plan. He would give the little prince a human body, which meant that Thranduil would never see his darling again. But the fun didn't end there. Saruman was well aware that the human king had lost his heart while being in Lothlorien. Legolas would fail and he would take great pleasure in his suffering. The only problem was that Legolas had to agree to his plan on free will, but this should not be a problem, given his mental condition.

In spite of his hate, Saruman was speaking to the prince with nothing but kindness in his face.  Right now, he was searching Legolas' face for any kind of reaction to his suggestion. The young prince seemed to be shocked. *But he didn't immediately reject my offer, so he is interested…*

"I can not do this. Even if it was possible for me to become human, as you say, it would mean that I had to leave Mirkwood forever. I would never see my brothers again and my father… "

"Don't you think they would want you to be happy?" Saruman had been prepared for protests. "You say they love you, doesn't that mean they want you to be happy? And after all you have told me, you can not be happy in Mirkwood ever again."

"But…" The wizard noticed with satisfaction that Legolas' protest began to weaken.

"Think about it. Have you ever been really satisfied with your life? Even long before meeting Aragorn, since you were but a child, you dreamed about leaving. I give you the chance to both make this dreams come true and be with the one you love."

"But I do like my life, I like being with my brothers and ada has always been good to me. He always gave me everything I could wish for…"

Saruman began to grow impatient. The little prince was much more resistant than he had thought. *Well, but it won't help him*

"Sure, continue to fool yourself and everyone else. If you just continue to tell you that you are the happiest person in this world, maybe you might believe it in a few millennia. Even the pain in your heart might stop then, because everything inside you that is able to feel will have died." At this point, Saruman noticed Legolas' shocked face and continued in a more gentle voice. "Don't be stupid Legolas. You have followed the rules of your people all your live. Do you not think you deserve some happiness and love? And you do want to agree to my offer, don't you? I know you want more than your father's treasures. Your soul longs for freedom; I can see it in your eyes. You want to be where the people are, you want to dance with them, stroll down a street without hiding under a hood. You wish to wander through this world freely. And above all, of course, you want to be with the one you love. The only reason for making you even think of rejecting my offer is because you do not want to sadden your family. But you forget that seeing you heartbroken saddens them more than anything else. You can not possibly sadden them anymore by leaving."

When Saruman looked at Legolas to see the effect of his little speech, he knew immediately that he had won.

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If Legolas had felt a little less pain or if Saruman's voice had been a little less enchanting he might have asked how this man could possibly know all this when they had met just two hours ago, but the elf's mind refused to work properly. Of course, the small part of his mind that agreed with Saruman was functioning perfectly. Every word he had said was true; there was no use in denying that. Legolas desperately wanted to accept Saruman's offer, and he was too exhausted to fight his desire any more. "How are you planning to do this?"

Legolas didn't see the triumph in Saruman's eyes. "It is quite easy. I will prepare you a potion and after consuming it your body will change into a human one."

"This doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh, but there are some things you have to know". The wizard's voice was full of fake concern. "Becoming human means more than loosing your ear points, you will also become mortal and your senses will not be that sharp anymore, though still sharper than those of normal humans. Are you sure you want this?"

Legolas had finally made his decision. "I am willing to do everything necessary to be with Aragorn."

"Good. We will meet again tomorrow, but do not tell anyone about our agreement, or they will try to stop you." With this, Saruman vanished between the trees.

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24 hours later…

Legolas was waiting impatiently for the wizard to appear. Once his decision was made, he just wanted to get through with this. He checked once more if he had everything: Some food, clothes, his weapons and some gold. Legolas felt guilty for stealing from his father, but he needed money and it was of course impossible for him to ask.

"Ah, I see you have prepared yourself."

Just like the day before, Legolas jumped at the sudden voice, but managed to say in a quite calm voice "I have been waiting, I want to get this done as fast as possible."

At this, Saruman couldn't suppress a chuckle. "You are too impatient, young prince. There are still a few things you need to know."

"What? Didn't you tell me everything yesterday?"

"Not everything…there are a few more…details…"

"Details?"

"You must realize that you are human. The spell may be undone, but should you die in your human body, your spirit will not go to Mandos' halls and never forget: should your beloved happen to marry someone else, your heart will break and when the sun rises on the day after, you will be dead."

Legolas was visibly disturbed by those "details", as Saruman had put it. "And you didn't think of telling me that before?"

"I did not want to unnecessarily worry you. And you said that you were willing to do anything. Have you changed your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Legolas shook his head. "It does not matter. I don't care what happens after my death as long as I can spend my life with Aragorn and I will make him love me and no one else."

"Good. Just one more thing…as long as you are human, you will be mute."

Legolas had already heard too much to be shocked by this statement, so he merely asked "Mute? Why that?"

"You must win the man's heart just as a human would. Using that beautiful elfish voice of yours would be cheating, and as I can't change your voice, you will have to give it up. Now that you know all this, are you still willing to proceed?"
Legolas answered with a nod and Saruman handed him the potion and with this, the wizard was gone. Legolas hesitated a few seconds before he took a deep breath to calm himself and then swallowed the liquid.

For a few moments nothing happened, but then Legolas felt like his veins were no longer filled with blood but with ice. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a silvery glow on his skin.

It was already dark when Legolas awoke. He didn't feel much different, but he soon noticed that something had indeed changed. The moon was high in the night sky, but he could not see further than a few meters, the familiar sounds of the night sounded no longer comforting but somewhat scaring. Legolas tried to raise his spirits with a song, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. *So it's done. I am human. I have to leave Mirkwood before anyone finds me* Not wasting anymore time, Legolas started to walk, avoiding all dwellings of his people.

By dawn, Legolas finally reached the borders. There lay the road that would finally bring him to Gondor, to his new life. Legolas started walking without once looking back, for he feared that, if he did, he would not have the strength to go.

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Please review!

Response to reviews:

Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: What can I say? Thanks again. Hopefully, Aragorn will finally meet Legolas in the next chapter.

Nina: and once again you are absolutely right…

Lomelinde: Saruman with black tentacles…bad mental picture…anyway, thanks again. I really tried to get that song in the story, but it was just too ridiculous. However, it was a great inspiration for Saruman's speech.

gabriel: Thanks again. I'm glad most people liked the idea with a human Legolas.

mydogisfudge: I'm afraid Legolas will stay like that for the rest of the story, sorry if it offends you.