It's okay, here I am with the next chapter, which brings up some fairly interesting characters to the story line, but some of the most influential I think at least, at least to me as the writer of this fan fiction. Here's where it varies from the canon again.
Shout outs!
Mjg43 (Thanks for your kind words) and Guest (I'm glad that you like the story, and don't worry. He will become braver as time goes on. Right now he's really confused and he's scared of the darkness. Also, just because he's scared doesn't mean he's brave. He turned to face the Balrog in the mines when it could have killed him right? He doesn't have to be fearless to be brave and that's one reason I'm writing him this way, because there's not really a hero ever that's fearless. He will eventually face his problems more, but as for him not being scared it's not really ever going to completely happen. He isn't as strong because he's still not completely recovered from the Balrog and he's probably not over the fear of it either. I hope this clarifies. This is revealing his more vulnerable side that we don't get as much in the movies, and not as much in the books either. Sorry. I hope I haven't offended you.)
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Anyway, on to the chapter, because I know you've been waiting for it. Also I am aware that most of this would not translate into the black speech, but it's a basic translation to make more sense to the reader. And because I don't want to try and translate it. xD
Legolas felt like a trapped rabbit, waiting for the dogs to tear him apart. He was absolutely terrified. He didn't want to see the Wraiths again. But then he thought wildly of the hobbits, and that the Uruks wanted to take them to Isengard. Isengard! To the enemy! More than his fear for himself, he felt the need to save the hobbits. But he could not now, captured. If the Ring Wraiths found him then it would all be over. He had to run, to escape. His fear came back to him and he shuddered.
He heard as Angrod's breathing changed. The wolf had woken up, and the elf prayed that he would remain still and not die, though he knew he wouldn't. The wolf was going to try and protect him. But Legolas couldn't lose him again! Not after just finding him! The wolf though snarled and leaped to his feet, ignoring the arrow in his side. He leaped up and onto one of the Uruk-Hai holding the Prince. The creature let go instantly, screaming and trying to pull the wolf off of himself. Then suddenly Merry and Pippin leaped out of a bush, looking at their friend wildly.
"Hey, hey you," Merry cried.
"Over here," Pippin added quite unnecessarily.
"No," the elf cried to the two hobbits. "Run!"
But they continued to jump up and down in a wild attempt to distract them and set the elf free. Most of the Uruk-Hai followed after the two halflings, and they run away, hoping to give Legolas time to run. Another Uruk-Hai grabbed the elf before he could bolt and kept him still. Legolas watched the retreating form of the Uruk-Hai after the hobbits helplessly. Why did hobbits have to be so stupidly loyal? He tried again to pull away, but again was unsuccessful. He shuddered as he heard the cry of the Wraiths again, growing much closer.
The elf and the remaining Uruks paused as they heard a sudden battle cry and Boromir leaped out of the forest. He killed one of the Uruk-Hai holding the elf as the wolf, completely forgotten, leaped upon the other. Legolas was suddenly free, and the elf paused as the two began killing the rest of the Uruk-Hai. The commander retreated for now, not willing to face all three of them at once. The man quickly ran to the elf and grabbed his arm gently, shaking him out of his surprise.
"Legolas," Boromir said. "You must run. Go! I will help the hobbits! You must run! If the Wraiths catch you..."
He trailed off and didn't finish, but he didn't have to. Legolas paused, looking at the man and the wolf. Angrod was too wounded to follow after the elf, and Boromir was already running off to help the hobbits. The wolf would give him as much time as he needed. The cries of the Wraiths sounded even closer, and the elf shuddered. But then he turned and leaped away into the forest, praying that his friends would be alright but knowing that he had to run now.
He was as swift as a deer, and swifter than most elves. But he knew that he could not outrun the horses of the nine. Vain though it was, he knew that he must try to escape for his friends. If he did not then he would become nothing but a liability for them from this moment on. He ducked under the trees that he could not see, his instinct driving him down the correct path though he could not see, and the trees creaked and moaned to him in warning if he got too close, for they could speak. It was with this knowledge that he could avoid them and keep running quickly.
He heard the cries of the Wraiths and the thunder of their horses' hooves, and they were now right behind him. But they seemed to be acting very carefully around the elf, being as gentle as possible, for he had information they needed and he was already practically their ally. Their horses were gaining on him, pulling up beside him carefully so that they could reach forward and take him.
The elf thought suddenly of his father and the people he had left behind. Would they hear of this? Surely they would when he was there upon a black steed to kill them all. The thought bolstered his need to escaped suddenly, and he slipped onto his back and slid under the roots of a great tree that were up a bit and down a little hill. The Wraiths shrieked in anger, which the whole Fellowship could hear. It made them shudder, and suddenly they all understood why. The Wraiths were after Legolas, not the Ring! They all cursed themselves for being so stupid and leaving Frodo as well as Legolas alone. What if they lost them both now?
The elf hit the ground and instantly took off running again, for the Wraiths had to regain control of their startled steeds and then turn them to follow the elf again. This gave Legolas a little bit of a head start. The elf was following his ears now to the sound of the water. He had resolutely made up his mind. They would not take him. If he could evade them once then he could do so again. He would not betray his friends. Not now. Not after so much. If there was no escape for himself then he would make one. He would drown himself in the river, for the horses would not be able to follow into the deep Anduin. There he would end his stupid curse and remain true to himself and his friends.
The thought hardly bothered the elf, though it did sadden him for the thought of his friends. They would be very sad. He hoped that they would understand why he was forced to make such a decision. But in times like these, he would rather die a hero than become one of the many villains under the command of Sauron. If this was all he had left, then he would do this one thing. He hoped they saw it as selfless, as they did Gandalf.
"I do this for you," he whispered to the wind though no one heard. "I do this to give you all time, and to protect you all. Forgive me for this choice then."
The elf had made up his mind. There was no changing it. But then he heard another cry as the Ring Wraiths began to close again. Another cry, higher in pitch and fairer in sound, but still that of a Wraith. The nine nazgul shrieked in anger in surprise, and Legolas shuddered to hear as they spoke and could understand their speech.
"It is the Twin Wraiths," one cried. "They have returned!"
"The rogues," the other cursed. "We must catch the elf before they do! They will set him free!"
"Curse their elf blood," another cried.
Their conversation confused the elf, and yet he had realized it long ago. Two Wraiths had followed them for a while once they had left Rivendell, on very elvish like horses. Because they were elves. Oropher and Saeros turned into Wraiths. It seemed that somehow they had escaped Sauron's influence. And now they were returning to their prince. Legolas wasn't so sure how he felt like that. But soon he heard among the heavy foot falls of the nazgul's horses, the lighter footfalls of elvish horses. They were black as night, though the elf couldn't see them, and the two "Twin Wraiths" as they were called wore all black. But they had had physical form, that of elves, because they were creatures of light. Though they had fallen, they would never truly become Wraiths.
The elvish horses were much faster than the steeds of the Wraiths, and so they bounded easily ahead. The nazgul shrieked in anger, but they could not outrun the two horses. One of the two Wraiths leaned down and grabbed Legolas' arm, pulling the very confused and frightened elf up onto the horse with him. He put the elf in front of himself, and held him with one arm like he was afraid that the elf would panic and try to run. He probably was afraid of that because he was so dark. But though the elf trembled he didn't try to fight as the Wraith kept him firmly on the horse.
The elvish horses and their riders were so much faster, that they had time to turn their steeds away before they fell into the water and turn in another direction to escape the nine Ring Wraiths. The Nazgul shrieked in rage, and else where the Fellowship looked up with hope in their hearts, hoping that the elf had managed to evade them, though part of all of them suspected that the elf might have tried to kill himself to escape the tortured fate of being a Wraith. Either end they hoped for the elf, because either would be better. The elvish Wraiths spurred their steeds forward, giving them commands in black speech rather than in elvish. But the horses still listened well and ran on without complaint.
They soon left the very angry Ring Wraiths behind, who gave up the chase. Legolas hoped that they would not turn to take their anger out of the Fellowship. He didn't want them to get hurt. The two Wraiths kept running however until their horses were nearly ready to fall from exhaustion and they passed beyond the forest and into the plains of Rohan. Here at last they stopped and let their horses rest. The horses' chests were heaving, but still they seemed proud and did not spook. Legolas' chest was still heaving a little in surprise and breathlessness. He had almost killed himself! And now there were these two Wraiths! Nothing made much sense.
The Wraith kept the elf pressed firmly to his chest and did not release him. He was scanning the area for any signs of danger. There were none. But he did not release the elf for fear that he would harm himself in his fear. Legolas slowly looked over his shoulder at the Wraith, looking into the uncovered face. He could see the features that he knew so well, the face of Oropher. Both scared and overjoyed, he simply stared at him. The Wraith froze as he saw the elf looking, and that he could recognize him. He could tell the elf's eyes were within the realm of the Wraiths, and that he was blind to all that wasn't evil. But he was scared that the elf would spook.
"O-Oropher?" the prince asked quietly, unable to believe his eyes and heart.
Saeros turned and looked, surprised that the elf had recognized him, for they knew him. Oropher was silent a moment, both overjoyed that the prince recognized him and saddened at the same time.
"It is I," he replied somewhat lamely.
The elf shuddered at the use of black speech. But he nodded and the two Elvish Wraiths felt alarmed that he could understand them. Oropher slid off of his gasping steed, releasing the elf for a few moments. But Legolas was either so terrified that he didn't move or so confused that he did not. Either way, Oropher gently reached up and pulled the elf off of the horse. He held the Prince's shoulders in his hands a moment, looking at him. Saeros dismounted his steed as well and walked over very carefully, making as much noise as he could as he walked to let the elf know he was coming and not to spook him. Legolas looked at him as well.
"Saeros?" he asked.
"I am here my Prince," he replied.
"But, what...?" the elf asked. Both Wraiths hung their heads in shame.
"We thought you were dead," Oropher tried to explain. "They told us that you and Angrod were dying. And we felt like it was all our fault for not..." the Wraith did not explain what had made him think it was his fault.
"We had been fighting it," Saeros continued. "But we could not. Not when we thought you were dead. We began to serve under Sauron. We lost ourselves in the darkness. They called us the Twin Wraiths because we did everything so perfectly together. Like twins."
"But then," Oropher continued. "We heard that you were alive, and that you had joined the Fellowship of the Ring to destroy the Ring. We knew you would not escape from that unscathed, so we knew we had to help you. We followed you once you left Rivendell, but you seemed nervous of us so we backed off, and we lost you when you went through Moria. We found your tracks past the Anduin again, and we learned that the Nazgul wanted to capture you, so we had to ride you down."
"We are glad to see you again," Saeros said.
"But you are rogue Wraiths now," Legolas said, and they were both alarmed and glad to see that he was not afraid of them. "Where will you go?"
"We will follow you," Oropher said, and Saeros nodded.
The elf paused a moment, surprised. The thought unnerved him a little. Two Wraiths willing to follow him? Even if he should become evil or die? But as he looked up at both of them, he remembered how they had fought together within the trees of Mirkwood. They had returned to him, and though he was still a little confused as to how or why, he knew that they were closer to being themselves than they had been in many years. He couldn't just take that away from them, not when he understood their pain well. He knew that many people would not like him, or accept his help when he came to them. But the part of him that was Wraith as well knew that he couldn't abandon them.
He was terrified of them, and the black taint they carried. They were not as evil as the Ring Wraiths, but they were still evil. What if they lost the part of themselves that had made them want to help him? What if they fell under Sauron's rule again? Such thoughts swam through his mind, but he pushed them aside. He was their prince, and in such unforgiving lands, he knew that it was his duty to protect them. The thought made him pause as well. How was he supposed to protect two Wraiths? Either way, he knew that he would not turn them away. He nodded.
"I know you will," he said, letting out a small sigh. The two Wraiths froze in surprise. They hadn't expected him to accept them. "And I will tell you, if you are still so willing to fight this darkness then I cannot push you away. I understand it as well." again he sighed. "I have been too frightened here lately. I must regain my bravery, though I hope I don't gain stupidity instead, to take on battles I have no hope of winning."
The two Wraiths nodded again but were silent. He knew that often Wraiths did not speak even in the black speech, but called to each other in a language all their own. He was not far enough gone to understand that one yet, but he knew also that Wraiths could be as silent as death. They were this way now, and he didn't try to push them into talking. He didn't fully understand what was going on in their minds, but he felt like he understood more than most. The two Wraiths released the elf prince and stepped away from him, turning to look towards Amon Hen again as they heard the shrieks of the nine nazgul. They appeared to be moving away.
The elf paused as he looked at the two Wraiths. He had known them as elves, and he could see why the other elves feared him so. Such darkness they bore! And yet they still fought it, and whatever light remained in this was looking to break through the darkness again. Still, it would take much more than even the light of Galadriel to bring them back out of the darkness they had fallen into now, much more. The elf thought back to what he had told the hobbit earlier: to forsake no help offered by be wary as well. With these two he knew he would have to be both. The elf sighed and turned his head back towards the sky.
"I must return to the Fellowship," he said. "At least as much as one we have left. I fear some of them may have died, and I know some of them have chosen a different path."
"It will be a long journey to find them," Oropher said. "But if you must return to them, we understand why."
The elf was a little surprised to hear that the Wraith's voice sounded a little hurt. The prince sighed as he turned to them. The more he thought about it, this Wraith truly was like the elf he had once known. He always blamed himself for everything.
"I do not fear you," the elf said. "I must simply return to my friends now or they will worry. Especially the dwarf."
The elf's words had the desired effect upon the two Wraiths. They both seemed to smile at the elf a little teasingly and, he thought he saw their forms fade just slightly. They turned to look at him.
"The dwarf, my prince?" Oropher asked. "You mean to tell me that you have become friends with a dwarf?"
"You?" Saeros teased, a slightly lighter sound to his voice. "When you swore to hate them? What is his name?" Legolas smiled a little.
"Gimli, son of Gloin," the elf replied.
The Wraiths looked at one another, and then began to laugh. It was a peculiar sound, because Wraiths generally did not laugh. This sound bore the clear sound of the elves, but also the rasping voices of the Wraiths. Legolas was sure this time that he saw their forms fade a little, if only because he had showed them that though his nature was to fear them, he bore them no ill will for what they were.
"You must return with all haste then," Oropher teased. "We would not keep your dwarf waiting."
"I will lend you this horse," Saeros said, patting the flank of one of the black horses. The creature's intelligent face came up and looked at the elf. "He will carry you to your friends and return to me, for he is a loyal creature, and will not fear the darkness in you for he carries me."
"I thank you for that, mellon-nin," the elf said quietly.
The two Wraiths paused, overjoyed that their prince would still refer to them as friends with everything that was now standing between them. Saeros turned to his horse then and gave it orders to take him to the Fellowship and return once he was safely with them again, though he also warned it against the nine Ring Wraiths. The proud creature tossed its head and whinnied, and then stepped up next to the blind elf. Legolas had a difficult time finding the horse's back, for it had been a long time since he had consciously ridden a horse. But the horse was calm and the elf's body finally remembered how to pull him up onto the wide shoulders of the horse. He settled down onto the horse's back, grabbing hold of the harness that was on its shoulders that all elvish horses wore, and the Wraiths waved farewell to their prince, promising to help him if he should need it.
Then the horse leaped forward, carrying its passenger quickly and faithfully back towards the forest. The elf's eyes could catch glimpses of Uruk-Hai through the trees, fleeing at last, and he did not see the nine. The thought though gave him little comfort. It most likely meant that they had gotten at least most of what they had come for, and they were now leaving. The horse avoided being spotted by any of the Uruks though, and the elf was glad for that because he didn't have any of his weapons. The horse ran on, seeking faces of men and dwarves and hobbits. But they met no one.
The elf began to grow a little nervous as the horse ran on, looking for any signs of his friends. Night began to fall, and there was no sign of them. The elf suddenly feared that they had all fallen to the Uruk-Hai and died while he was away. He begged the horse to stop in elvish, and though the horse didn't seem to understand much of what the elf was saying, he stopped and the elf leaped off. He looked around, listening hard to try and catch his bearings. But he felt completely helpless suddenly without his eyes. He paused and leaned down, running his hands over the ground. This was where he had dropped his weapons earlier, but it seemed that they were no where around. They had been picked up. The elf felt as the horse nudged his shoulder and whinnied nervously. It had been ordered to protect him, and that's what he was going to do.
The elf sighed, forcing himself to calm down. He wasn't going to find any of his friends this way. He sat there a moment and listened, trying to catch any signs. As he was sitting there, the horse remained silent as well, though its tail swished and its head went up as it too caught a sound. Legolas had heard it as well, and stood bold upright. The sound of a dog like whine. He ran towards the sound, and the horse instantly followed. He slipped a little down a hill, but recovered and stopped. He had found Angrod. He could see his light.
The wolf was injured, but not too badly. He could recover. The elf felt relieved, but he knew as well that the wolf would be very on edge right now. Very slowly, he reached forward and touched the wolf's head. A growl began to build in the wolf's throat, and the elf quickly pulled his hand away. Then Legolas yelped in surprise as he felt the black horse of the Wraith grab the back of his tunic in his teeth and pull him away from the wolf before the wolf could snap at him. Angrod recognized the sound of the elf's voice however and suddenly leaped up.
The wolf leaped onto the elf, whining and wagging his tail and licking the elf's face. Legolas smiled and patted the wolf's head, knowing that he would be very relieved to see him. He could feel all the places that the wolf was hurt, and it worried him. But he knew that the wolf would be alright once Aragorn took a look at him.
"I'm fine," Legolas assured the wolf as the wolf sniffed him. The wolf froze, and Legolas knew he recognized the scent of the two Wraiths. "Yes, I found Oropher and Saeros. They are Wraiths. But they have escaped Sauron's rule for now, and they want to help us." the wolf let out a huff that told the elf that he didn't agree. "I know, I know. But they helped me escape from the Nazgul, and Saeros gave me his horse so I could find the others. They seem much different now, more like they used to be. And I could not turn them away, not when I understand."
There was silence a moment, but the wolf seemed to understand as well because he whined once and licked the elf's face. Legolas patted his head. The horse watched the wolf suspiciously for a moment, but then at last seemed to decide that the creature was no danger to him or his charge. Legolas stood, feeling again for the horse's strong back. The horse stood very still as the elf pulled himself up onto his back.
"We will have Aragorn look at your wounds when we find him," the elf promised. "Now we must go again, and try to find the others. I worry for them."
The horse set off again at a slower pace so the injured wolf could keep up. The wolf followed the elf loyally but tiredly, and often the elf would glance back at the wolf in worry, hoping not to push him too hard. The wolf seemed fine though, so they pressed on. By now it was very dark out, and sleep threatened to overcome the elf. But he continued to try and find the others as best as he could.
They traveled on for a while, until suddenly the wolf gave out a surprised yelp and ran forward. The elf watched him as he stopped and sniffed at something, then pawed at it gentle. He nuzzled it as well, but there was no response. Then the wolf threw back his head and began to howl. It was a sound that was full of heartache and grief. The elf leaped off of the horse and joined the wolf, reaching out to touch whatever had gained the wolf's attention and grief.
Legolas froze as he felt Boromir's arm. He knew the armor that the Gondorian wore, and then he felt the tree arrows sticking out of his torso. The elf gasped, and tears threatened to fall. He had fallen! And what of the two hobbits? They were no where to be found. He didn't know where Aragorn or Gimli were, but he knew that he needed to give the man a proper funeral before he continued his search.
With some difficulty, he managed to pull the large man up onto the back of the horse, who waited patiently and without complaint, for it was used to things of death and darkness upon its back. Then the elf called for the horse and the wolf to follow him. It was slow going, but they eventually gained the shores of the Anduin. Here again, the elf paused and felt the earth with his thin fingers.
He found two sets of hobbit foot prints leading to the water. He sighed a little, knowing that Sam and Frodo were on their way now to Mordor, and away from harm at least at this point. He wished them luck. He also found a set of prints from Aragorn and Gimli. It was not much older than the prints left by the hobbits. They had not followed, and had instead turned and left through the forest in a great haste. There horse hooves as well, for the nine had been following them. He hoped they had given the Wraiths the slip and were free now, probably within the plains of Rohan elsewhere. Since the nine had been following them, it was no wonder that they had not stopped to give Boromir the funeral he deserved, and he couldn't blame them for that. But now he was going to give the man a funeral, because he owed that much to him at least.
He pulled the man off of the horse and laid him in one of the elven boats. His sword was in his belt, so the elf carefully pulled it out and placed it in the man's folded hands, which were over his chest. Then he pushed the boat out into the lake and let the current of the falls take him over the edge. The elf listened a moment, for though he could not see him, he wanted to make sure that the man had an audience at least for the last of the his journey. The elf leaned down and patted the wolf's head again, who whined.
"Come my friend," he said. "We must go. We must find Aragorn and Gimli and join them, for our path lies out there with them, where we may fight again."
The wolf of course did not respond because he could not. But he stood as Legolas went over and felt around their camp. He found their supplies, and pulled out very few items to keep, throwing the rest away and lessening his load. He needed to travel with all speed after all. He also found his weapons, and most of his arrows had been salvaged. The thought the elf dead, and in their haste they had left his weapons behind. He was glad for that though, because it meant that he was no longer unarmed. He slipped on his quiver and but his bow away as well. Then he slid his two short swords into their sheathes and stood, turning back to the horse. He pulled himself onto the horse's back.
"Come on Angrod," the elf said sadly. "Let us go find our remaining friends while we may."
The horse leaped off again, turning and running in the direction the elf pointed out to him, back towards the plains of the Horse Lords. The wolf followed behind, saddened by the loss of the Gondorian, but knowing that Legolas was right and they must continue on. Legolas just hoped he could find his friends unharmed.
This chapter was a little bit more random, but it introduced two fairly important characters, or rather reintroduced. I will make Legolas become more like the brave prince he used to be over time, though he will never truly not fear the darkness while he's part Wraith. I still hope you enjoy though and continue to read on. :D