Took so long…I'm sorry!
Disclaimer: I do not own Mirkwood, Legolas, Orcs, Gollum, or any other thing that J. R. R. Tolkien himself created. (I do own Echiril! *feels special because she actually does own something*)
Note to Gel de Nuit: Read what Elrohir and Elladan tell Legolas about him dying closely…that is my answer. I hope you know what question I'm referring to…because at the time I could not think of an answer, so I put it to writing.
*~*~*~*
As the three Elves made their way outside, Legolas found that he could not join in the laughing and joking that the twins somehow managed to create. Sure, he could pretend, but on the inside, the prince was at war with himself.
You don't belong in Rivendell, you imposter! You should have killed yourself when you had the chance up on top of Orthanc!
But…Mithrandir told me I was an Elf! He is very wise—
And he is also a fool! He was fool enough to not realize Saruman's treachery beforehand…something that could have saved you the pain that you went through, even though you deserved it…
Legolas tried to stop the voice. He didn't want to believe it…Saruman?
Nay, I am only you. Telling you what you are…and that is not an Elf…
The archer stopped dead in his tracks, breathing hard. The phrase, "not an Elf…" echoed through his head, and suddenly he fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. "Nay!" he screamed. "Do not tell me so!"
Elrohir and Elladan rushed right to their friend, alarmed. Elrohir knelt by Legolas and grabbed his cold hands in his own, slipping into his native tongue with anxiety. "Laiqulassë?" (Legolas in Quenya) "What is it?"
Elladan knelt by the Mirkwood Elf and placed a hand on his shoulder, frowning slightly. Somehow he could tell that Legolas faced an inner battle. The older twin closed his eyes and focused into Legolas's thoughts, a trait that he had inherited and learned from his grandmother, Galadriel.
…not an Elf!
Elladan jerked away from Legolas, horrified. He turned a disbelieving expression to Elrohir. "What is it?" he asked.
"Legolas…something tells him…something tells him he is not an Elf…"
Elrohir quickly turned and grabbed Legolas's shoulders. "Look at me," he commanded to the prince, and when the order was not heeded, the younger twin shook Legolas violently. "I said look at me, Legolas!"
Slowly the archer raised his head, and the distressed Elves could see the depth of pain and confusion that filled them. "Im iest na gwanno…" he said softly. "Im tur-uu," (I want to die…I cannot…). Elrohir glanced at his twin, and then back at Legolas. "No, Legolas, you cannot die, you must not die!"
Elladan knelt down by Legolas as well. "Do you know what that would do to us? To the people around you? It would make their lives a living hell! You would cause the deaths of us as well, Legolas!"
The blonde closed his eyes. "But I do not wish to hurt any of you…"
"That's nonsense, Legolas!" cried Elrohir. "You don't hurt us! You do the exact opposite! Don't you understand what you would do to us if you died? My life would become an endless pool of suffering and guilt! Please, Legolas, you would hurt me more if you died! This you must understand! I couldn't go on living, functioning, breathing without you! Please don't hurt yourself, Legolas, I beg of you!"
Elladan was equally distressed, though he voiced his opinion in a calmer tone. "Legolas, you can't believe that you hurt us. The opposite is true, my friend! Please, if you ever think of killing yourself, remember what it will do to me, and remember that you will leave me here with no one to turn to. You are indeed, like you said, the only one that understands me, and I would become suicidal myself if that gift was taken away from me." He paused at Legolas's shocked look, then continued. "That's right, a gift. You are the greatest one that I have ever received." Elladan swallowed hard, dealing with grief in his usual way: keeping everything inside. He did not allow one tear to fall, for that would have disgraced him. He couldn't even put all his thoughts to words, past the dead shock that had consumed him.
Legolas shook his head. "I am hurting you even now," he whispered. "Just like I hurt Echiril…"
Elladan grabbed the Legolas's chin firmly in his hand and forced the prince to look him squarely in the eyes. "You did not hurt Echiril in any way. And perhaps you are hurting us now, but only because we worry and care for you. You would hurt me so much more if you hurt—killed!—yourself! Do you understand that, mistaken ar melda min?" (and beloved one)
The archer nodded his head slowly.
"Will you stop hurting yourself?"
Again Legolas nodded.
"Do you swear it?"
"Yes, Elladan!" cried Legolas. "I swear it! Now stop pestering me!" He allowed a tiny smile to grace his features. "Are we going to wait for Aragorn or not?"
The twins glanced at each other, winked, and turned back to Legolas. "Well, we are…" said Elladan.
Legolas frowned. "What do you mean, you are?"
"You have to catch up first!" With that, both of Elrond's sons stood and dashed off, followed closely by the prince of Mirkwood, who hurled insults and curses playfully in their direction.
When the twins finally halted on the top of a hill, Legolas managed to catch up with them. He pushed Elrohir to the ground, then pounced on top of him, straddling him so he couldn't get up, then tickled him mercilessly. "Hauta, Legolas, hauta!" the helpless Elf cried. (Stop) "Please!"
Elladan was beside himself in laughter. He doubled over about ten feet away from where Legolas tortured his brother. "Elro—rohir! Any…any Orc that…e—ev—ever at—tacked you…c—could just…tickle you!" he managed to choke out above his laughter.
Legolas suddenly jumped away from Elrohir and dashed quickly towards Elladan, who yelped and dodged away, running over the hill. Elrohir and the prince heard two loud grunts of pain, and several higher shrieks. The two Elves glanced at each other and looked over the crest, and then both laughed loudly.
Elladan sat on the ground, rubbing his shoulder, and a man lay on the soil beside him, rubbing his head. Three Halflings stood huddled together about two yards away.
"Aragorn!" cried Elrohir in glee, running over to the Man and hoisting him to his feet, where he promptly fell over again. He turned to Elrohir with a dazed expression. "Hullo, Elladan," he slurred, then turned to the older twin. "Hullo, Elrohir." The twins smirked.
One of the Halflings came up to Aragorn and helped him stand, as much as he could with his diminutive height. "Strider?" he asked in awe. "Are those…Elves?"
The Man finally seemed to have a grip on his surroundings. "Yes, Sam," he explained calmly. "This is Elro—" Aragorn realized his mistake in his initial addressing of the twins. He shook his head. "This is Elladan, and that is Elrohir, twin sons of Elrond…" the two Elves bowed, and the man turned to the last Elf. "And this is Prince Le—Legolas! By the Valar what are you doing here?"
Elladan stood and quickly whispered something into Aragorn's ear, and the man frowned slightly and glanced at Legolas, then turned to the Halflings. "And this is Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, son of King Thranduîl."
"Mirkwood!" cried two of the small beings. "Isn't that where the evil Elves lived that captured Thorin and Company? And Bilbo had to rescue them? They're awful!"
Legolas stiffened, and his voice was dry. "I'll have you know that those Dwarves were trespassing on my father's land, and would not answer any question as to why. He had every right to imprison those impudent, low li—"
Aragorn came between the two groups hastily. "—but that is a matter for another day," he said quickly. "Come along Merry, Pippin. Sam. I am sure that Frodo has already reached Rivendell—"
"Frodo!" cried Legolas. "I found him unconscious on his horse and took him to Elrond. He was very badly wounded when first I saw him."
"Mr. Frodo!" wailed Sam. "Will he live?"
The archer felt regarded the distressed creature, understanding the anxiety over a friend, so he knelt down to the fat Halfling and placed a hand on his shoulder. Poor Sam was overwhelmed by the intensity in the sapphire eyes of the Elf—one of the races he had long loved but never seen. "Do not fear, young Sam," he said gently. "Frodo is in good hands; he will be fine." Legolas brushed the curly hair out of Sam's eyes and stared into his eyes for a second, then smiled. "Such an odd race," he murmured before standing again, and turning to Aragorn, eyes shining. "Estel, it has been too long since we have last seen each other."
The Man grinned at the prince, then walked over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Indeed it has been old friend, indeed it has," he said so everyone could hear. However, his next words were only for Legolas. "You will tell me what happened to you when we are alone, understand?"
The Elf sighed lightly. "Yes, I understand."
Aragorn patted his back, then pulled away, grinning. He turned to the rest of the group. "Come! Tonight we feast in the halls of Lord Elrond!"
As they all started walking towards the palace, one of the twins could be heard remarking, "not like that's anything we don't get to do every day…"
*~*~*~*~*~*
I know the whole Elrohir and Elladan thing talking to Legolas was a bit off plot and stuff…but it had ulterior motives that are not going to be released to the public.
Wow…two happy chapters in a row…next one will not be like that, I promise!
Reviews:
Salak: Lol! I'm glad you like the story enough to hug it!
EMerald QUeen: Yeah, flamers are evil. They are also cowards. Ever notice that none of them leave a name…or just review anonymously? It amuses me more than anything, truth be told. And yes I deleted Arwen…*twitch twitch* She needs to die I swear she does…And um, I hope this was fast enough, because your muses never did kidnap me. *looks around nervously* *reads second review* oh. Um. Heh. I'm trying! Here it is! Don't hurt me!
Lady Pegasus: LOL! Your review reminded me of one of the commercials before Two Towers…the one where the fishy is singing to the light, "I'm gonna be your beeeest friend!" Um…yeah. Heh, going now.
Rose: ……….safe? What is safe? *does the Fanfiction.net dictionary search thing* ((That is the coolest thing! You highlight a word and press "D" and the definition pops up!!!!!!)) Definition of safe: Free from harm, injury, or risk; untouched or unthreatened by danger or injury; unharmed; unhurt; secure; whole; as, safe from disease; safe from storms; safe from foes. Hmmm…nope. Not gonna happen. Sorry. :-P
Maikafuiniel: Eek, hope this chapter wasn't too lame for you, then. The next one is going to have a ton of action and torture in it, I swear.
Allyson Potter: Yup yup! You're very…perceptive, as I would say. Knowing right when Frodo is going to appear…smart you…
Phoenix Lioncourt: Yes, my Elf. You got somethin' to say about that? Huh? *stops and ponders* Prolly not…hmm…aha! If he's not my Elf…then how can I write? Hmm? Answer that one! ;);)
Emmithar: Ack. Sounds like a sucky neighborhood. And I wouldn't say that this chapter was exactly "BANG!" but…the next one…*strokes chin in a thinking position*
Sake Girl Duelist: Yeah you are…
Brittney: Just post it for crying out loud! But yes, I would love to see it.
ElvinTinnu: :-( I'm Harry Potter obsessed…it's not that bad, really. But yes, I've always thought of them as the "Gred and Forge" of Middle Earth, if you know what I mean.
Invader Iggle: I think they're just portrayed as amusing because they're twins, and twins have the archetype of being mischievous, I suppose. And yeah, lol, your review actually kinda made sense this time around…;);)
Lea Black: *twitch twitch twitch* You've had your hair ripped out? Heh…you're not the only one. My little cousin ripped out a big chunk of mine once…and man, as you know, it hurts.
Estel Elendil: Eep. Sorry that that took a lot more than four days…took seven, actually…heh…*points at Homework* Blame that!
Dark Flames: It's the first one that you've read? *feels honored* I hope it's too your liking.
LanierShazar: It was actually a breather to write it, too. Sometimes I find myself doing searches on Legolas humor, because if I overload on the angst, I swear I would go crazy, lol. It was fun to write, too.
Arauka Pilininge: Don't worry about your fic mirroring mine…I honestly don't care at all. And there's tons of them out there. The way I see this whole Fanfiction.net thing is that it's so fun because you don't have to worry about stealing story lines (unless they are from a copyrighted book, of course) because you can't get sued...and besides, who's to say you stole it? There's so many out there… And I honestly don't care. Some people make way too big a deal out of everything, sometimes. And gosh, I know how it feels to be accused of plagiarism…apparently there's only one more story out there that has Legolas lose his ears (ear, in that one, actually). I swear I've had this story since Fellowship came out. It just goes to show that great minds do think alike. So yeah…that was so sappy it would stick to your fingers…but go ahead and post your story, if you haven't! I would love to read it! Eee…french. "C'est la vie." I know that. "It is…the life…" hmmm. Oh! "That's life." *feels all proud*
Orlando_bloomedme128: Omg…your name sounds so sick and wrong to my perverted mind…And yes, I was very safe, thank you! :-)
Redtopaz: Actually, I don't really get 50 reviews a chapters…*wistful sigh* But thanks for wishing me well! I did have a lot of fun, really. I have a new crush, too. ;);)
Legola Lu: Mmm…I'm probably not going to let him, no, if that's what you're wondering.
Leap of Fate: Okay, so blame a British-inept person for not knowing "spiffing." I think I did know what it meant, but the context you used it in was weird or something. *shrug*
Celebwen Starmaiden: Gah, I hope that you'll put up with just this peaceful chapter! The next one will have torture, I swear.
ZeroCool: yes…four days…even though it took seven…
Mercuria: *steals muse's purple, wide brimmed hat with a feather in it and puts it on head* *bows, sweeping off hat in a fluid motion, then stands and puts it on firmly again* Ah, Mercuria, again you make me laugh. "Legolas: *hangs head* No. Mercuria: *pleasantly* Yes you are. Legolas: *mumbling* No, I'm not. Mercuria: *eyes narrowed* YES, you ARE." Teeheeeeeee! That was the best part. Again, I wish this review was longer but, I have nothing to say but that you made me laugh, and I thank you for that! …and when are you going to update To Torture an Elf?
Elf-lover29: (Okay…pet peeve rant coming on…Elf is always capitalized!!!!! And don't take offense…I yell at everyone about that…..) Heh, I 'm glad that you decided to read it anyways. Legolas torture really is very fun if you can get a good story with it. (Go read Aireroswen's story "Bound and Torn" if you feel like you want really good torture) And thanks for the compliment…I'm glad that your friends like this too…maybe you all can get together and try and figure out what I'm going to do to Legolas…Hee. Hee. Hee.
Goma-Ryu: Eek…sorry you had to wait so long…
Vana Everyoung: *looks over review* ummmm…not going to even try and filter all that out. But thanks for reviewing nonetheless!
Karone: Yes…very mean and evil Saruman…he was so cruel to poor Legolas…and um, you haven't read the books, have you. Yes, it is before Fellowship of the Ring…sorry for the confusion. And whaddya mean I'm not allowed to be gone! I am so allowed to be gone! I mean, even I have to take a vacation, right? …..right?!
Sakura and Yugi-chan: Nah, I know what you mean by the "couldn't help myself." I say random stupid little things sometimes…and when asked, I say, "because I wanted to, that's why." Lol
Lanfear: *clicks tongue* Yeah…don't even try to make me be nice to Legolas. It's not gonna happen anytime soon. And heh, you like to put stuff into Elves hair? Like what?
Noshaan Raven'tress: *blink…blink blink* Okay! Writing more!!
Lady Arwen: Heh…overly obsessed Legolas fan could mean several things. It could mean screaming fangirls, people like me, or people who just plain love the guy to death. Hope you're one of the latter two, lol
Venyatuime: Lucky that you did miss those problems…they were absolute heck.
Rogue Solus: Well…I did start writing…it just took me a while, lol.
Forever Unstoppable: Remember how he's dying when *through gritted teeth* Arwen saves him? (except it wasn't Arwen…Frodo really saves himself in the books). That's where this is.
Another hapless Frodo fangirl: *smiffle* You get mad at Legolas? Whatever for? …and what's wrong with Legolas bringing him in? I thought it was cute, personally. *muse over in the corner waves* Yes, it was his idea…yeah. Anywho.
Witchmaster: Yeah, very peaceful. I was surprised when I wrote it, personally.
Valimalirit: (For the life of me your name is so hard to remember!!) I liked writing it…the peaceful chapter was such a break…not having to find every synonym for pain out there and then alternating between bleeding, twitching, etc…yeah. Peaceful chapters are so much easier.
Z: Well, Saturday is tomorrow…so I guess you got your
wish! And I did indeed take my time
with this one…
Joey5: Um…lol! That has got to be the shortest review I've ever
received, lol! I'm glad you think I
rock!
LegolasLover2003: *long, suffering sigh* I love the twins too…but what do you think the chances are that they won't be in Return of the King? It sucks how much Peter left out and/or added with some things…oh, you know what? You know who Figwit is? Well, there's two of him. And I'd always thought of him as being Elladan…so yeah. *shrug* Maybe they are in the movie
Jilla kala: Lol, I also hope that the rest of the chapters are much better behaved.
Karina: *sigh* Yes, it always is a huge shock to find a close friend in bad condition…and um…when did I tear out Legolas's stomach?! I don't seem to remember that part, lol. Oh, and don't worry…the spell is far from gone yet. It's not easy at all.
Fairylady: Gimli will be coming in soon…in the Council of Elrond, I believe. *rubs hands together eagerly* this should be fun…
*dies*
Oh, if any of y'all see the !!!s down below, I'm just testing to see if they still happen…
Testing testing testing…I love Legolas, Isaac, and Drizzt…testing…Please work for me!