Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien created.
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Mirkwood's Plague II:
Aftermath
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Chapter 20 ~ Where the Madness Lies
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Legolas slept so soundly that he wouldn't have heard if the entire palace had fallen down around him. Although Elrond had said that it was only a very light sleeping draught, in truth it was the strongest he could find and Legolas' previous tiredness only made his sleep deeper. Elrond briefly checked in on him, placing his hand against his cheek but the blonde Elf didn't so much as stir. With a smile Elrond quickly made sure he was warm enough and left him to rest, returning to his own rooms now he knew the newly crowned king was safe. Everyone else had the same idea; even Glorfindel found an empty guest room and crashed out for the night. Most of Mirkwood slept peacefully that night –in particular the two guards down in the dungeons. One lay with a knife in his heart whilst the other sat up straight in his chair, blood staining his uniform having spilled from his slit throat, his eyes staring lifelessly at the open cell door.
A silent figure slipped into Legolas' rooms, pausing at the bedroom door to watch the golden king sleeping soundly. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him carefully. Legolas didn't stir, still unaware that he was no longer alone. On silent feet, the Elf, who just days ago had cut the throat of King Thranduil, walked over to the bed.
"King Thranduil," he whispered. Legolas didn't move, too fast asleep to hear. The dark Elf leaned forward and shook Legolas' arm. "Wake up." Legolas shrugged the arm off him and turned away. Persistent, the murderer went around to the other side of the bed and shook Legolas again. "Thranduil, wake up," he called loudly. Slowly, Legolas' eyes fluttered open and found the Elf beside him. "Thranduil?"
"What?" Legolas mumbled, blinking to clear his vision.
The Elf sat down on the bed and stroked Legolas' hair back. "Shh, it's alright, Your Majesty."
"Who are you?" Legolas asked, tensing slightly.
"Don't worry about that. I brought you something."
"What? Who…?" Legolas mumbled, flinching away from the hand on his cheek and sitting up straight.
"Shh, shhh. I thought you'd want this back."
He handed Legolas a small bow with a bow on top and the king took it reluctantly, not knowing why this person was here or indeed who he was. "What is it?" Legolas asked, already feeling sleepy again.
"Open it up. You misplaced it and I thought you might need it," the dark Elf smiled.
Tiredly, Legolas opened the box and pulled the tissue-thin paper off the top, looking down at the gift. In the darkness though he couldn't see what it was so he reached over and turned on one of the oil lamps by his bed before lifting the gift from the box. When he saw what was nestled inside he dropped it with a sharp cry. Resting on a bed of bloodstained paper was Thranduil's missing finger with the ring of the monarch still attached. Suddenly wide awake, Legolas scrambled back from the Elf, falling gracelessly off the bed and hitting the floor hard.
The dark Elf stood up, looking down at Legolas in surprise. "Is something wrong, King Thranduil?" he asked innocently.
"I…I am not King Thranduil," Legolas stated, managing to scramble up from the floor and edge towards the door, his eyes never leaving the other Elf.
"What are you talking about?" the dark Elf smiled with what Legolas could only describe as pity. "You're confused, you're tired."
Legolas continued to back away. "Right. Yes, I am. And of course…thank you for the gift. Well, I should get going now. There is still lots to do." Legolas reached for the doorknob but in an instant the dark Elf had clamped his hand down on top of Legolas', stopping his escape. "Please let me go," the king begged.
The dark Elf smiled and surprisingly wrapped his arms around Legolas, forcing the king's head down to rest on his shoulder. "Shhh, it's alright," he hushed, stroking Legolas' hair as he trembled in his grip. "Come and lie down."
"Really, I'm fine," Legolas said firmly.
"Nonsense." The Elf pulled back with a sympathetic smile. "Look at you…so tired. Come and lie down." Although Legolas shook his head the Elf dragged him over to the bed. In truth, influenced by Elrond's sleeping draught, Legolas was terrified that if he did lie down, even with this stranger with him, he might very well fall asleep, a worrying proposition.
"No, I'm alright," Legolas protested, trying to pull away.
"Don't be silly. You need your rest," the Elf insisted. When Legolas still tried to get away, he said more forcibly this time, "I said sit down!" He all but threw Legolas towards the bed but instead of landing on the soft mattress, Legolas fell to the floor, banging his head on the hard wooden frame. He saw stars for a long moment and when they cleared he was face to face with the attacker, who was crouching down right in front of him. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…It was an accident." He tried to reach out his hand to touch Legolas' head but the king batted it away.
"Of course it was…an accident," Legolas agreed, trying to disguise his mounting panic.
"Let me help you up," the other Elf offered.
Legolas held up his shaking hand, stopping his help. "It's alright. I'm fine," he assured even though his head was swimming. He hauled himself up, using the bedside table for support. Facing away from his attacker gave Legolas the chance to seize the heavy oil lamp on his bedside table. Without warning and with all the strength he could muster, Legolas swung the lamp around, catching the dark Elf on the side of the head although unfortunately merely clipping him rather than knocking him out cold.
The Elf yelled sharply and fell to one side. Using the distraction, Legolas lunged for the door, flinging it open to reveal the dark sitting room. He ran as fast as he could across the room, terrified his attacker was chasing him. He flung the sitting room door open and ran out, quite literally crashing into Gimli.
"What are you doing, you stupid Elf? You're supposed to be sleeping," Gimli said before he noticed how distraught his Elven friend looked. "What's wrong?"
Legolas pointed to the open door. "In there," he breathed, trying to catch his breath.
Knowing something was seriously wrong, Gimli drew his axe from his belt and took a step forward. Legolas grabbed his arm and muttered, "Careful." Gimli nodded and removed the king's hand from his arm, walking cautiously across the dark sitting room. He heard Legolas behind him and turned just long enough to say, "Stay there." Advancing through the room until he reached the bedroom, Gimli remained on high alert. He saw Legolas' sheets strewn on the bed and Thranduil's missing finger on the white sheets, the smashed glass of the oil lamp on the floor and a small pool of blood where the attacker fell. The room was empty but Gimli saw the balcony door unlatched. The attacker had obviously escaped through those doors. Replacing his axe, Gimli returned to Legolas outside.
"Whoever it was is gone now. We should go and inform someone." Gimli looked up at Legolas who swayed slightly as he pressed his hand to the back of his head. "Are you hurt? Legolas? Are you alright?" the Dwarf repeated, his hand reaching up to Legolas' arm. "Legolas?"
"I…I can't…I…" The king reached out to steady himself against his Dwarven friend then dropped to his knees when they gave out on him. After that there was nothing but darkness.
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One hour later found Legolas pacing back and forth in the Great Hall in front of the Lord and Lady of Lorien, Gimli, Aragorn and Arwen, Glorfindel and Elrond. On the table in front of them was the box with Thranduil's finger on which was attached the missing ring. So far Legolas had worked very hard not to look at the grisly gift. He couldn't stand the sight. Although Elrond had already told him twice to lie down and rest, he simply couldn't. When Elrond had heard Legolas' description of his attacker he had sent Glorfindel down to check the dungeons where he had discovered the two dead guards and the empty cell.
Just a couple of minutes ago, Elrond had told Legolas that his father's killer had been held in those dungeons but was now free. The younger Elf had been pacing back and forth since then, the tension in the air palpable.
"He was alive?" Legolas finally asked in a low voice.
"Yes," Elrond answered cautiously.
"Why?"
"Excuse me?"
Legolas took a calming breath. "Why is he still alive?"
"I don't…"
"We found him at the scene," Glorfindel explained in Elrond's place.
"And you locked him up?"
"Yes," Elrond said.
"You locked up the man who killed my father?" Legolas reiterated, his voice dangerously low now.
"What were we supposed to do? Kill him?" Aragorn asked from Arwen's side.
Unexpectedly, Legolas shouted, "Shut up!"
"Legolas," Galadriel intervened.
"Get out," Legolas snapped coldly. The others didn't move. "All of you, get out! I want him found. Now!"
"We'll do everything we can," Aragorn assured.
"No. You will find him." Nobody moved so Legolas yelled, "I said get out." When still everyone hesitated, Elrond nodded that it was alright to leave. They may have been offended by Legolas unusually harsh words but Elrond understood that the words were not said out of genuine malice. Not only had he just had a massive shock but he had also been knocked around the head, attacked, not to mention the potent drug still in his system.
Elrond closed the door as the last person left and turned back to Legolas, who had returned to his pacing. The healer went to the dresser and pulled out a decanter of Mirouver and two glasses. He poured a little into each glass and handed one to Legolas.
"Drink that," he said firmly.
Legolas did so and put the glass down on the table, resuming the pacing Elrond had hoped would stop. Finally the King spoke. "Did you order it?"
No explanation was needed for what Legolas meant. "I did."
"Why?"
Elrond put his own glass down so he had no distractions whilst talking to him. "Because I didn't think that executing the man in the corridor was particularly appropriate," he retorted a little coldly.
"Really? He kills my father and receives no punishment?" Legolas shouted.
"I had every intention of punishing him."
"By coddling him to death in the dungeons?"
"No. By bringing him to justice."
"Or allowing him to escape so he can go around attacking people?"
"He was not 'allowed' to escape. He killed people to do so. And every guard on duty is currently out looking for him."
"He killed my father," Legolas yelled, glaring wildly at Elrond.
"And seeking revenge on him will not bring Thranduil back," the healer said quietly.
He almost guessed the reaction this would provoke and he wasn't disappointed. Legolas' eyes hardened and he grabbed the front of Elrond's robes, pushing him hard up against the wall. "Don't you say that! Don't you dare say that," he yelled, shaking Elrond angrily.
The healer gently placed his hands on Legolas', immediately stopping his actions. "Let go, mellon nin. That's it," he encouraged as Legolas' hands released their grip on him. "That's it. Shh, it's alright," he soothed. He knew this wasn't malicious. The young king was obviously terrified and confused. Elrond wrapped his arms around Legolas, calming him instantly.
"I'm sorry," Legolas said, his voice muffled in Elrond's tunic.
"It's alright."
Legolas reluctantly pulled back and confessed, "I can't think straight." A combination of exhaustion – natural and drug-induced – shock and the bang to his head ensured that.
"I can imagine." When Legolas swayed dangerously on his feet, Elrond reached out to steady him. "Alright, I think we should sit you down." He led Legolas to the couch by the fire and made him sit. "There you go. How are you feeling?"
Legolas put his hand to his head again. "Dizzy." Elrond had checked him over when Gimli had sent for him and although he had hit his head quite hard he hadn't done any serious damage. However, the sedative was so strong it was hardly surprising he was feeling a little out of it.
"Lie down for a couple of hours then."
"No, I should…"
"Legolas, come on, you're no good to anyone when you can't stand up straight. Lie down. It'll help the dizziness if nothing else." Reluctantly, Legolas nodded and allowed Elrond to help him lie down on the couch. The healer stood and draped a blanket over him. "Try and sleep for a couple of hours. We'll let you know if we find anything." Legolas nodded and as he had feared before the moment he laid down he was asleep, unable to keep himself awake. Elrond smiled and crept out of the Hall, giving orders that he was not to be disturbed.
"I'll get a guard to stand by the door," Elrond told Gimli, who was waiting in the corridor outside.
"No, I'll stay," the Dwarf said, drawing his axe.
"All night?"
"If I have to."
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A hand went over Legolas' mouth and he startled awake, unable to move or speak. He looked up to find his father's killer staring back at him, pinning him to the couch. The king naturally tried to struggle free but found himself incapable of movement.
"Shhh, shhh, calm down. It's alright." Legolas stopped his struggling, knowing now that it would do no good. "This is going to make everything better." The killer pulled a vial of clear liquid from his pocket and popped the stopper off. "Drink this down, it'll stop the pain." Legolas tried to squirm out from under the dark Elf. "No, no. Don't struggle, Thranduil. Don't make this any harder than it has to be." The Elf quickly removed his hand from Legolas' mouth but placed it over his nose instead, forcing Legolas to open his mouth to breathe and while he had a chance, tipping the foul-tasting liquid down his throat. Unable to breathe, Legolas had no choice but to swallow. Upon downing the clear medicine, Legolas found himself too busy choking to call for help.
Coughing, he fell off the couch, hitting the floor hard, barely able to breathe. When it looked as if he was going to catch his breathe again, a hot, searing pain shot through him. He found the scream that but up inside of him could not get past the choked sensation in his throat. In fact, he could not move at all now. His whole body had become totally paralysed. Blind panic coursed through him but he hardly had time to register it before he blacked out.
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Gimli dragged Elrond down the corridor and into the now empty Great Hall. "See?!" he declared. "Empty."
Elrond sighed. "Gimli, he probably just went to his rooms."
"He didn't. I would have seen."
"Maybe you fell asleep."
The Dwarf looked so offended that Elrond had to smile. "I did not fall asleep."
"Legolas was tired; he probably went to lay down somewhere more private."
"If he was so tired then why would he get up? It's not exactly bustling in here and he couldn't have slipped past me."
Elrond considered this for a moment before striding into the Hall. Upon closer inspection, Elrond did notice something not quite right. The throw he had used to cover Legolas with was crumpled on the floor – surely Legolas would have taken it with him had he left, he was feeling the cold more now after all. Looking around the Hall, Elrond noticed something else out of place. The tapestry on the far wall was slightly crooked. Elrond strode over and whipped the cloth back, revealing the concealed door which led to one of the many escape routes built into the palace. He pulled the door open and looked inside. Legolas' thick over-robe was lying on the floor.
Whipping around, Elrond shouted to Gimli, "Summon the Guard. Tell them to search every inch of the palace and grounds." The Dwarf rushed off to do as Elrond commanded.
"Legolas," the ancient healer whispered to the empty hall.
To Be Continued…
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