Disclaimer: Do I own anything besides the afore mentioned characters of Halinor, Nahilor, Makalias, Adolin, and Emradril? Ummm….no, I don't think so….no. Most definitely not.
A/N: Many of my oh-so-awesome reviewers were shocked and saddened with my last update (except for you Gwyn you evil, evil person)…..but remember….I said that if you thought you've heard it all, you should wait until the next chapter?
Guess what: it's the next chapter.
And you are about to be surprised (although not necessarily pleasantly) with what comes next….
The Shadow of Death
And Then There was Light
Gandalf heard the cry from five hundred meters away. He could not tell of whom it belonged to, but it did not really matter. Gandalf could tell that it was a heart-tearing sob, full of pain, agony, and frustration. It echoed throughout the valleys and hills surrounding them, reaching the heavens and bringing sorrow to the hearts of all who heard it .
"Theoden!" Gandalf called as the king trotted to a halt beside Shadowfax. "There."
Theoden followed the Wizard's gaze to a cluster of trees barely over a mile in the distance. With no words shared between them, the king nodded and motioned for his scouts to follow them. They galloped with all possible anticipation and haste: they knew not what they would find. As they reached the cluster of trees, Gandalf felt solemn eagerness arise in his gut. Wasting no valuable second, he quickly dismounted and proceeded into the opaque and almost impenetrable underbrush. He heard the others follow in after him.
Gandalf used his staff to quickly push aside any stray branches that would hinder their ability to make haste. He could smell the dank forest floor, the various flowers, the musty air. He could see nothing but a blur of differing shades of green, brown, and russet.
"N'uma."
"Shhh!" Gandalf held up a hand and the band of scouts all went silent, freezing in their tracks. He closed his eyes in hope of heightening his senses, in order to hear the soft moan again, but heard no more. Perhaps it had only been his imagination…but it had been said so clearly…so emotionally. Gandalf shook his head in dismissal; he heard no more. Crestfallen, he lowered his hand and they continued on in their painstakingly unsuccessful rescue mission.
"Your highness!" The cry came from behind them, and Gandalf turned to see a young sandy-haired man pointing to their left.
"What do you see, Ronaldor?"
"Your highness…I …I…" The young man, Gandalf noticed, could barely be more than twenty years of age. The Wizard was alarmed to see that the man wore a troubled expression, and was actually trembling, his eyes wide and jaw slack.
"Ronaldor, what is it?" Gandalf asked, approaching the young man. Yet all Ronaldor was able to do now was point, shaking as if he were scared to death.
And as Gandalf looked to where he was pointing, he understood why.
A field of bodies, strewn everywhere as if by a windstorm, covered a clearing as far as they eye could see. Limbs, heads, blood, clothes, and weaponry were scattered. As Gandalf stood in disbelief next to Ronaldor, he heard the horror-struck moans from the scouts. There had been a massacre.
Out of his peripheral vision, Gandalf saw Theoden sprinting towards the battlefield at full speed. Gandalf took off after him, worried that perhaps some Uruks were left, basking in their sadistic glory. However his fears of the Uruks were put aside as he reached the clearing; he heard no alarming sounds. Only the hush produced by a vast ocean of bodies greeted his ears.
The sight made him nauseous.
As Gandalf turned to look at Theoden, the King had dropped to his knees, dumbfounded. The powerful atrocity of which he had just viewed had subdued him. His mind went blank, his body went numb, and his face fell. Gandalf approached the man, and put a hand on his shoulder, but said nothing, for there were no words of comfort, not any kind of terminology, that could possibly hope to ease this man's pain.
"N'uma."
This time the utterance was unmistakably real. Gandalf turned to his right, where he felt the sound came from. Astonished, he noticed that there sat a man with long black hair, holding another. Gandalf strode quickly to where these two men were. The man who was not dead knelt rocking back and forth, mumbling in between rugged gasps for air. The other man in his arms, apparently dead, laid limp and bleeding. But since the living man's back was facing him, he couldn't tell who they were.
"He is dead, Gandalf."
The Wizard stopped in his tracks, his mouth gaping ever so slightly. Who was this living man? How did he know the sound of his footsteps?
"Friend, turn to me. I cannot see your face."
"He is dead."
"Turn, friend."
"He is gone. Do you not understand?"
Gandalf did not hear anger in his voice, but a passive grief unlike anything he had ever encountered before. This man had been worn down, unmercifully, and Gandalf wondered how this ever happened. "I understand you, but I cannot see you. Please, trust me, my friend. Turn around."
The living man stopped rocking. "It is good you understand, mellonin, for I do not. Nor will I ever."
Elvish words, Gandalf thought to himself. He is using Elvish words…He approached the speaker, and was about to lay his hand on his shoulder to turn him when he voluntarily turned himself. This was no man speaking: it was an elf. An elf who had pale white skin, muddy brown eyes, with a sharp contrast of blood, which was smeared across his face. This elf had been through unimaginable suffering; it was apparent in his voice, his posture, his eyes. This elf's hair was shoulder-length and black, with bits of bark and leaves entangled in his main.
It was Legolas.
Gandalf could not prevent himself from gawking. He stood there, like a fish out of water, unnerved at the change that had begot his friend. The last time he saw his Elvish friend, he had been almost completely an orc; perhaps not in attitude, but in regards to physical attributes. Now, he looked exactly like himself: except for his white skin, dark, pained eyes, and jet black hair.
"Legolas."
"He is dead, Gandalf."
"Of whom do you speak?"
"He is dead." Obviously, the elf was still in shock and could not bring himself to face the question just as he had struggled to bring himself to face the reality. Gandalf realized this, so he stepped forward and leaned over his shoulder to look into the face of the victim.
Estel.
He rushed forward, and reached for Estel, but Legolas recoiled, bringing his fallen friend closer to him and leaning away from the Wizard, a peculiar look of betrayal gleaming across his face.
"Legolas, give him to me. He requires Healing, and fast."
"He is dead."
"No, Legolas, that cannot be for sure. You know the expertise of the Healers sent to us from Lothlorien. They can help him. Please, just give him to me."
"You're going to take him away from me."
"What?" Gandalf was utterly perplexed. Why was he acting like this?
"You're going to take him away from me. Like Haldir was taken away from me. Like Amme was taken away from me. Like Emradril was taken away from me. Like my brethren at Helm's Deep were taken away from me."
An extremely loud pause permeated the air.
Gandalf knew not what to say. Appearance-wise, the elf seemed to be getting undeniably better; why, then, would he not let him help Estel?
Choosing his words carefully, but knowing Aragorn had very little time left to survive, Gandalf answered, "Haldir, your Amme, Emradril, and your brethren at Helm's Deep were taken away from you because they were killed. If you delay us anymore, Legolas, Aragorn will die. Then he will truly be taken away from you…forever."
The elf winced. A flush of color came back into his cheeks; the very life source that had been removed from him only moments before seemed to seep back into his soul. He peered down at the perhaps dead friend limp and bleeding in his arms, then looked decidedly up at Gandalf. "Promise me he's not dead."
"Legolas, I can't-"
"Promise me, Gandalf."
As Gandalf looked into Legolas's eyes, he could tell the prince knew what was at stake. But Legolas also knew his boundaries: he needed a word of reassurance. Words of encouragement came too seldom during times of destruction, but were needed to provide Legolas's soul with some sort of rejuvenation. Gandalf knew both Legolas and Estel's lives were at stake…and if words of pledge would guarantee the life of at least one of them, then by the Valar, he would give it. "I promise, mellonin."
With tears in his eyes, Legolas released his grip on Aragorn, and felt a great pressure being lifted off of his hands as Gandalf carried him to the band of scouts. He looked down at his tunic and noticed blood drenching the once clean, green cloth. It had dried on his hands. He could smell it, taste it, feel it…
Gimli.
"Gandalf!" Standing up, he turned and saw, to his relief, the Wizard still remained there. He was speaking to Thranduil, who had a dazed look on his face, but a solemn one at that.
When he turned, Legolas called, "Gimli….."
The Wizard nodded, and he knew that the scouts had already found him. He heard the sound of two horses galloping off at full speed; Legolas knew that these riders took Estel and Gimli back to Helm's Deep. Tears in his eyes and physically trembling, Legolas looked at his surroundings. There had been no other survivors.
The sun dawns red…
His logic had been correct. The sun dawned red with the blood of Rohan.
The sun dawns red…
There had been an undeniable massacre. It lingered in the air, mixing with the floral scent of nature. Legolas could sense torture, pain, and mortality surrounding him, infesting his soul and drowning his heart.
The sun dawns red…
These brave souls had died fighting for their freedom, for their homes, for their families, for Middle Earth….for them all.
The sun dawns red…
These men would never see the sun rise, the moon glow, the stars shine. They were gone from this earth forever. They had left….
They're already dead...
But they had not died in vain.
They're already dead…
They had died for Middle Earth's sake….
They're already dead…
They had died for a cause greater than any of them.
They're already dead…
Legolas owed it to these brave men…he owed his life to them.
They're already dead…
They died so he could live.
They're already dead…
And live he would.
~*~
Ok……I HIT 100 REVIEWS! I am so happy….this is great. I love you guys…I came home from school and noticed Konjurer's review in my mail box….that means that Konjurer is my 100th reviewer!!!! Thanks!!!
What do you think about this chapter? It was a hard one to write…but hopefully it satisfied some of those who were confused.
Now, to address all of my mellonin…
Silvertoekee: Here's your update! I'm glad you enjoyed my cliffhanger…hopefully this chapter had a good one too.
Ding: I will definitely keep on writing! I hope you continue your updates..it's always nice to have new readers.
Randomramblings: Do I really sound that professional? Wow, I'm blushing! ;-* I thought it would be good to add to the rhythm of the story. I also thought it would be a good insight into the head of our lovable elf. Keep up the awesome reviews!
Nelinde: I know, that was pretty cruel wasn't it? Do you still think Aragorn's dead? I still haven't made that completely clear….I don't know….looks like you'll have to stay tuned to find out!
Stacee Phelps: Thanks! I know, I'm a self-admitted Aragorn-lover too. It was hard….but did I really kill him off? Stay tuned…
Gwyn: You're just so evil. Grinning when Aragorn dies. But remember: being evil is highly underrated. Glad you love the angst! You're right…this is now officially an A/U story!!!
The Dark Rogue: You know, I was actually thinking about that as my ending barely a week before? Hmm…you've got some telepathy going on, I think. Well, maybe I'll still kill Legolas off…who knows? I know that'd make you extremely happy.
Tree Nymph: Yes, it was a rather unexpected twist…but I like 'em like that…and hopefully you do too! I'm also glad you like my repetition…I thought it added to some of the drama and angst in these chapters. Thanks for the reviews! ;-D
Ankhesanamun: Yep…I hate Emradril too. But he's actually getting much better now…he's off in a corner somewhere. Whatever. As long as he doesn't interrupt my train of thought while I'm writing. Wow…you're friend had a dream she was dating Legolas? I think most of us ladies have all had that one….
Elentari Manwe: Thanks so much for your review! I noticed you want me to bring Aragorn back and Legolas return to normal? It looks like you're a lover of happy endings…I love happy endings. Will I make this one a happy one? Wait and see…
Konjurer: YOU HAVE MADE MY WEEK. You're awesome review really brought a smile to my face. I have spent a lot of time on this story, and I am so glad to see that you love it so much! Your review really made me want to write to the best of my ability, so I hope you love this chapter! I just got your second review…and it put me up to 100 reviews! You're the best, you really are. But wait! Here's your update…I updated today especially for you, since you loved this story so much. In regards to your opinions about what Aragorn was thinking about: I actually considered putting his thoughts on Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir in. However, I think since he was facing death, and since he wanted to waste no time in charging the Uruks, he would only think of Arwen. I think that when someone faces the probability of death, they think of their loved ones of whom they haven't seen in a while. Not to say that Aragorn doesn't love Legolas and Gimli and Gandalf as friends, but it just seemed appropriate to use only Arwen in his thoughts. But thanks for the input…I'll see what everyone else thinks, and I'll think more about it myself! Maybe I'll change it….but this update is dedicated to you! ;-D
Thanks to all of my reviewers. You guys are great. I am now at 100 reviews….sorry, I can't seem to get over that. Love ya all, mellonin.