Author's Note: Hey there….reviews……they're so cool! Honestly, each one makes my day and inspires me to write faster!! Thanks!!! Now, onto the story……
Chapter 4: Among the Ashes
"Shall we leave this place of hopelessness now, Gimli?" Aragorn looked away from the scene, for he was now certain that Legolas was dead.
"I shall not argue for I cannot bear this scene a moment longer."
The pair turned away and headed back from where they started near the palace. It was then that Aragorn heard something, something that was not there when they started on their path. Noises from inside the burnt shell which was the home of the royal family of Mirkwood.
"You do not possibly think someone could be alive in there? Do you?"
"I am not sure, Gimli, but it seems something is left. Friend or foe one cannot be certain."
They slowly entered the structure, hoping that it would not collapse on them before they found whatever it was remained in this forest of ash.
They made their way as softly as possible into what was a main hall in the palace. A large table miraculously still stood in the middle of the long room. From what was left, it gave all appearances of being a lovely room that would strike awe into all who saw it.
After they passed through this room, they came into an area which looked to be reserved for the family only for it had a great deal of personal items therein. The noise was getting stronger as they came into a room in the very back of the palace. A large metal door stood slightly ajar. The pair readied their weapons, hoping to finally find some answers. They slid through the crack on the door and saw a figure sitting low on the ground, attempting to walk.
As they neared, recognition was finally made.
"Legolas!"
The Elf sat on the ground, giving no sign of seeing or hearing them. Usually the Elf was the first to notice something amiss, now he just sat there will eyes vacant and distant. His glow, which kept the others spirits up was gone, replaced with a darkness that penetrated into his eyes, through to his soul.
"Legolas?" Aragorn spoke gently to the Elf in his native tongue, trying to coax him back to reality, "Hear my voice, come back to the light." The Prince still did not move. The few lessons Lord Elrond had taught him having no ability to cut through the dark gasp, which held his friend.
"What can we do?" The Dwarf felt fortunate to be able to call this Elf a friend and was deeply hurt by the suffering brought down upon this gentle creature of nature.
"He has fallen into grief. If we do not reach him soon, he will die. I am truly surprised he has not already fallen with his family. I cannot explain how he is still alive, or how he got here."
Aragorn sat across from the Elf and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. The future king of Gondor could not believe that this beautiful being could look so lost, so utterly in darkness. He feared that they would have to sit here and watch him die, watch another immortal fall from grace. They were a fading race, like stars in the riding sun. The loss or each one depleted Middle Earth of a little of its beauty. For much of the natural beauty of the world was housed in and protected by these beings, the firstborn.
"Legolas, do not descent into the abyss. You need to be strong, you need to endure, you need to live."
They sat together, the two travelers with the comatose Elf. So many questions needed to be answered and if Legolas' labored, uneven breathing were to stop, then everything they would have tried to learn would be lost. The evil would be allowed to continue, to strike somewhere else.
Night slowly fell, and the stars came out. Oddly enough, it was the brightest Mirkwood had ever seen the stars, and they seemed to reach down to the shattered, broken lands, trying to give some semblance of hope. They shone through the broken ceiling of the palace right into the chamber where the companions stay still.
A quiet voice broke the silence of Mirkwood.
"Aragorn?" Legolas finally began to move, to stir towards the ranger in an attempt to reach out.
"Legolas! Yes, I am here! Gimli and I are here for you, please, say you are alright."
"I remember the attack. I remember the flame." Legolas shook, not from fear or from cold, but from devastation.
"The last hope of my family, something only to be used when all hope fades. A way to protect our people, our home. Our home, our beautiful, living home."
Gimli did not understand the Elf's words. He knew nothing of which he spoke.
"My family is dead, my home destroyed, my power spent, my only choice is to fall with them."
The Elf finally fell completely from the light, his eyes closed.