Disclaimer: I think I have to have one of these, anyway. None of the characters will be mine, i don't think, none in this chapter anyway. All belong to the estate of J.R.R Tolkein
The guns fired, the noise more deafening than anything Legolas had ever heard upon Middle Earth. His arrows useless, he threw himself on the floor with the rest of his kindred, many whimpering in terror at the attack unlike anything they'd ever seen before. A few meters away, Legolas could hear Elrond muttering a prayer that he would live to see his wife again, many elves were doing the same. Legolas send up his own prayer that he would live to wander the forest of Mirkwood once more, that he would visit the sea again, to walk upon it's shores and dream of the day he would finally sail the blue waters. He noticed dimly through his confusion that the air had grow hot, and tat he could smell blood and death all around him- then the fire swept forwards and Legolas remembered no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aragorn! Aragorn! Listen to me!"
Legolas snapped back to attention upon hearing the voice of Gimli, shouting at Aragorn...he jerked wildly before remembering that, somehow, he had gotten back to Middle Earth alive, unlike many elves who met their deaths upon the dark field. He had allowed himself to let his mind wander back to that time...he cursed himself inside his head for falling back into the pit of despair when he was clearly needed here. Gimli the dwarf was shouting, red-faced, at Aragorn, who was simply sitting there taking all the abuse. Aragorn flicked a glance over at the Elf, Gimli followed his gaze and saw his friend pale and sweating. He sighed and some of the blood from his flushed face faded.
"Aragorn, I don't want to fight this war any more than you do. I don't want to walk through your kingdom and see widows and orphans lining the streets, their fathers, husbands, brothers, loved ones all lying dead and unmarked on some battlefield. But you know why we have to fight this war, don't you?"
Aragorn looked at him curiously, then shook his head to invite the dwarf to continue, a slightly confused look in his eyes. Legolas himself looked upon the dwarf with surprise, his race were not normally given to long philosophical thinkings about why or why not to do something.
Gimli wandered over to the window, and pulled the heavy drape away, opening the window as he did so. Through it, Aragorn could hear the sounds of children playing outside, his people chattering and laughing, going about their daily lives. Gimli fixed him with a hard stare.
"They are why, Aragorn. Do not forget your people. The Elves have laid down their lives for the cause, they saw the danger and sought to protect their right to remain on Middle Earth as long as the wanderlust can be resisted. We must do the same"
Aragorn sighed and bowed his head sadly. Legolas felt his heart ache to see his friend so sad, and softly spoke up
"My friend, this is not meant to make you feel that we have betrayed you, nor that we are forcing your hand where it does not wish to go. Yet I hope that you will pay our Dwarven friend's counsel heed, for he speaks the truth that you are unable to see. There is no other way." Legolas frowned, then moved over to Aragorn and kneeled in front of him. "Aragorn, listen to me. I could easily leave this world now, retreat to the Havens where I'll be safe. But I won't give up. And if I won't, you won't. You have to fight this"
Aragorn sighed again, filled with the sadness of a hard life.
"You are right my friend, though I would prefer much more that you were not. I would not have dared to think even in my worst nightmares that such a cruel, evil race could exist and be so like myself. Who could have known that destroying the One Ring would have led to the veil between Middle Earth and Outer Earth to collapse? Now we face the greed of those mortals who, far advanced beyond ourselves, are desperate to take our secrets from us. If I had known that Man had such a deadly cousin waiting to pounce and steal all we hold dear, I might have thought twice about letting Sauron take the Ring, or at least about simply throwing it away. Maybe Boromir had the right idea" Aragorn slumped, worn down with a great weight upon his shoulders. Gimli and Legolas exchanged despairing glances, and Gimli shoved the Elf out of the way to stand before Aragorn
"Nay my friend, we did what we knew we had to do, and we cannot be feeling guilty because of what it has unknowingly led to." Gimli took a breath and started once more. "The men may be related to your race, but never have brethren been more different. But the war must be held with most haste"
Aragorn looked at him, and frowning he nodded. He flicked his wrist towards the guards situated at the end of the throne room, who marched forward. He murmured to them in a tongue that neither Gimli nor Legolas could understand. The guards nodded once to show that they understood, then they marched briskly from the throne room.
After they had gone, Aragorn sat with his head in his hands while Legolas and Gimli could only watch in silence. Eventually, Aragorn lifted his head and looked at them, with a look in his eyes that betrayed what he thought of himself at that moment.
"I....."Aragorn began, faltering as his voice cracked "I have ordered an assault on the veil of the worlds".
Gimli's eyes lit up in a show of triumph, while Legolas cast his eyes first to the ground and then to the sky, muttering almost inaudibly in an Elven tongue. His eyes then moved to Aragorn and then Gimli- he noticed the look of self-loathing in Aragorn's eyes, and the look of triumph in Gimli's, and wondered to himself which was worse.
Aragorn stood, shook himself off and fixed an iron gaze first on Legolas, then on Gimli, on which it lingered.
"We ride at dawn"
The guns fired, the noise more deafening than anything Legolas had ever heard upon Middle Earth. His arrows useless, he threw himself on the floor with the rest of his kindred, many whimpering in terror at the attack unlike anything they'd ever seen before. A few meters away, Legolas could hear Elrond muttering a prayer that he would live to see his wife again, many elves were doing the same. Legolas send up his own prayer that he would live to wander the forest of Mirkwood once more, that he would visit the sea again, to walk upon it's shores and dream of the day he would finally sail the blue waters. He noticed dimly through his confusion that the air had grow hot, and tat he could smell blood and death all around him- then the fire swept forwards and Legolas remembered no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aragorn! Aragorn! Listen to me!"
Legolas snapped back to attention upon hearing the voice of Gimli, shouting at Aragorn...he jerked wildly before remembering that, somehow, he had gotten back to Middle Earth alive, unlike many elves who met their deaths upon the dark field. He had allowed himself to let his mind wander back to that time...he cursed himself inside his head for falling back into the pit of despair when he was clearly needed here. Gimli the dwarf was shouting, red-faced, at Aragorn, who was simply sitting there taking all the abuse. Aragorn flicked a glance over at the Elf, Gimli followed his gaze and saw his friend pale and sweating. He sighed and some of the blood from his flushed face faded.
"Aragorn, I don't want to fight this war any more than you do. I don't want to walk through your kingdom and see widows and orphans lining the streets, their fathers, husbands, brothers, loved ones all lying dead and unmarked on some battlefield. But you know why we have to fight this war, don't you?"
Aragorn looked at him curiously, then shook his head to invite the dwarf to continue, a slightly confused look in his eyes. Legolas himself looked upon the dwarf with surprise, his race were not normally given to long philosophical thinkings about why or why not to do something.
Gimli wandered over to the window, and pulled the heavy drape away, opening the window as he did so. Through it, Aragorn could hear the sounds of children playing outside, his people chattering and laughing, going about their daily lives. Gimli fixed him with a hard stare.
"They are why, Aragorn. Do not forget your people. The Elves have laid down their lives for the cause, they saw the danger and sought to protect their right to remain on Middle Earth as long as the wanderlust can be resisted. We must do the same"
Aragorn sighed and bowed his head sadly. Legolas felt his heart ache to see his friend so sad, and softly spoke up
"My friend, this is not meant to make you feel that we have betrayed you, nor that we are forcing your hand where it does not wish to go. Yet I hope that you will pay our Dwarven friend's counsel heed, for he speaks the truth that you are unable to see. There is no other way." Legolas frowned, then moved over to Aragorn and kneeled in front of him. "Aragorn, listen to me. I could easily leave this world now, retreat to the Havens where I'll be safe. But I won't give up. And if I won't, you won't. You have to fight this"
Aragorn sighed again, filled with the sadness of a hard life.
"You are right my friend, though I would prefer much more that you were not. I would not have dared to think even in my worst nightmares that such a cruel, evil race could exist and be so like myself. Who could have known that destroying the One Ring would have led to the veil between Middle Earth and Outer Earth to collapse? Now we face the greed of those mortals who, far advanced beyond ourselves, are desperate to take our secrets from us. If I had known that Man had such a deadly cousin waiting to pounce and steal all we hold dear, I might have thought twice about letting Sauron take the Ring, or at least about simply throwing it away. Maybe Boromir had the right idea" Aragorn slumped, worn down with a great weight upon his shoulders. Gimli and Legolas exchanged despairing glances, and Gimli shoved the Elf out of the way to stand before Aragorn
"Nay my friend, we did what we knew we had to do, and we cannot be feeling guilty because of what it has unknowingly led to." Gimli took a breath and started once more. "The men may be related to your race, but never have brethren been more different. But the war must be held with most haste"
Aragorn looked at him, and frowning he nodded. He flicked his wrist towards the guards situated at the end of the throne room, who marched forward. He murmured to them in a tongue that neither Gimli nor Legolas could understand. The guards nodded once to show that they understood, then they marched briskly from the throne room.
After they had gone, Aragorn sat with his head in his hands while Legolas and Gimli could only watch in silence. Eventually, Aragorn lifted his head and looked at them, with a look in his eyes that betrayed what he thought of himself at that moment.
"I....."Aragorn began, faltering as his voice cracked "I have ordered an assault on the veil of the worlds".
Gimli's eyes lit up in a show of triumph, while Legolas cast his eyes first to the ground and then to the sky, muttering almost inaudibly in an Elven tongue. His eyes then moved to Aragorn and then Gimli- he noticed the look of self-loathing in Aragorn's eyes, and the look of triumph in Gimli's, and wondered to himself which was worse.
Aragorn stood, shook himself off and fixed an iron gaze first on Legolas, then on Gimli, on which it lingered.
"We ride at dawn"