Disclaimers: See the Author's Notes! This is an AU! The R Rating is in effect! Elvish is in ''. You have until the final chapter, before the epilogue, to cast your votes for the sex of the twins and their looks! Takes place a few hours later. BTW, I made Gollum an Immortal, but he's still kinda crazy.

Reasons To Fight, Reasons To Wed

Part 34. Past And Present

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Rivendell

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Elrond was heading towards his room silently, having already confided the secret to Mithrandir. It was a secret that had been kept for millennia, long before even Thranduil had been born. The Elven lord had hoped that it would be forgotten and not affect the future, but he had been sadly mistaken.

But how could he have told anyone? Not even Glorfindel knew what had happened, and he was Elrond's closest friend. Elrond could not betray his brother like that or himself, for he had known all too well of what had occurred when Elros was captured by cruel tyrants who had kept him from seeing their faces, so that he could not identify them.

Being a twin had its disadvantages, for Elrond had felt everything his brother had gone through. Afterwards, Elros had chosen to become like the Men and be Mortal, hurting from the pain that never truly left him. It plagued Elros for the rest of his life, though he did eventually wed and have children, whom Aragorn was descended from.

Since Elrond had been wed to Celebrian at the time Elros was taken, Elrond's wife had instantly sent for help from her parents, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, when Elrond had cried out, cuts and bruises appearing all over him, though no one had struck him. His body had felt Elros' violation, the forced pleasure wrought from him, and it was Elrond who had kept his brother from dying, though Elros had never thanked him for it.

By the time Galadriel and Celeborn arrived to weaken the bond between the twins, to spare Elrond from dying, the cruel ones had what they wanted. But Elros wasn't found, beaten, bloody, and unconscious, until ten months later, outside of Rivendell's borders.

His body had healed and his wounds faded, except for his emotional ones. Soon after, Elros chose to become Mortal, and though it broke Elrond's heart, he did not try to change his twin's mind. And he never told Elros how grieved he was, as he respected his brother's decision. Celebrian eased her husband's pain when his brother eventually died, and his descendants, the rulers of Gondor, were allied with Rivendell and their distant Kin.

Many generations and millennia passed, and the Elven blood grew thinner in Elros' descendants. Celebrian and Elrond had their twins, Elrohir and Elladan, and a few centuries later, Legolas was born to Thranduil, the current King of Mirkwood. For a time, peace and joy had returned to Elrond's heart.

But fate had other ideas… Celebrian, his beloved wife, was ambushed and attacked by the Orcs. Then, just like all those millennia ago, Elrond had been able to heal her physical wounds… but her spirit was broken and she left to go West, leaving both her husband and children behind.

Elrond never truly recovered from the loss of his wife, though he hid his pain from everyone. Glorfindel was the only one who was able to see through his pain and keep him balanced with unconditional support and friendship.

His children helped as well, though Elrond withdrew into himself, bestowing affection on a selective few. If it had not been for the support and comfort from those who loved him, who still remained in Middle Earth, Elrond might have entered into the Halls of Mandos himself, out of his grief.

When all hope had nearly been gone, the noble, beautiful, and wise Prince of Mirkwood had brought the last of Elros' descendants, Aragorn, to Elrond for safekeeping. And Elrond had raised the child as his own. The sorrow in his heart faded slightly, to a manageable state.

Now, however, that secret from so long ago was back to haunt Elrond… Not even Elrohir and Elladan knew of it…

And Elrond had never told anyone, at his twin's request. Only Celebrian, Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, and the twin sons of Eärendil and Elwing themselves knew, among the Elves. But those who had done the awful, horrific deed knew as well.

Elrond sighed, not bothering to look up as he entered his room. So he did not see the person that waited for him there.

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Somewhere in Mordor

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A strange creature, with eyes that changed colors, crept forward, watching the two Elves who slept.

"We wonders…" it hissed, creeping down where Legolas and Haldir lay, moving its fingers in a rolling position. "Yes, my precious… we wonders why nasty Elves are here…"

Legolas was the first to hear the strange, guttural voice. He shifted and his eyes returned to normal, widening when he saw the creature gazing at him. Fear never entered his eyes, but a strange blend of curiosity, wariness, and a hint of pity did.

Gollum hissed, "Elves… nasty Elves, hurt… gollum…" He advanced on Legolas, who sprang to his feet as lightly as he could, before dodging out of the way.

"We aren't here to hurt you," Legolas began, not wanting to antagonize the creature into attacking either him or Haldir. "We're here to rescue our friends."

"Elves… lie…" came the response. "My precious… Elves mean, hurt… gollum…"

Legolas shook his head, and by this time, Haldir had awoken, and he stared in surprise at the creature that was much shorter than they were.

'And I thought I knew every type of creature on Middle Earth,' Haldir murmured, more to himself than to Legolas.

Gollum stared at the pregnant Elf, looking, if it was at all possible, intrigued by Legolas' innate beauty. "Gollum… we wonders…" The strange creature made his way towards Legolas, who stood there silently. "Elves…"

Haldir frowned as the strange creature approached Legolas, and he walked over to stand beside the Elven Prince. 'This might be a trap,' he warned softly.

'I know, but he seems harmless enough, Haldir,' Legolas answered, feeling pity for the poor creature who gazed up at him. 'Maybe he knows where our friends are being held.'

'I know…' Haldir sighed, keeping a sharp watch on the creature that now stood in front of Legolas. Seemingly harmless or not, Haldir was wary of strangers, even one as pathetic as this one seemed.

"Pretty, my precious…" Gollum reached a hand up and touched the soft, Elven leggings that Legolas wore.

Legolas questioned, "Who are you?"

"We is Gollum… Sméagol…Elves…" Gollum said, his gaze unwavering. "Where are they going, we wonders, in such cold lands?"

"We are going to Mordor," Haldir stated firmly. "Our friends are trapped there by Saruman, Sauron, Meron, and Rissan."

Gollum recoiled at those names. "Evil… hurt Sméagol… my precious…"

"Do you know where they are?" Legolas interjected hopefully.

"Elves must not enters, bad… evil…" Gollum hissed in a low voice, his eyes going wide.

Haldir replied, "We have to, Gollum, or our friends and loved ones are doomed. We will not abandon them to the cruel torments that the evil ones must be bestowing on them."

Legolas nodded, resting a hand on his waist. "We must free them… I don't want my children growing up without their sire around to raise them with me."

Gollum stubbornly shook his head. "They kills Elves! Gollum… We knows this! We saws it then!"

"They kill Elves? Who? What did the Elves look like?" Haldir sharply demanded, suddenly afraid that it was either Glorfindel, Aragorn, or Thranduil.

"They kills an Elf, gollum… We sees it… Long ago…" Gollum scampered over to Haldir and tugged on the black pouch hanging from his belt. "This hair… this eyes… Not pale, my precious… Took away, he was…"

Legolas exchanged a startled look with Haldir, wondering who the Elf was that had apparently died. Both of them could feel the slight drain on their own inner light, from the darkness and pure evil inside of Mordor, and it made them all the more worried about the ones they loved. At least it had not been any of their friends who had died.

"Then you know the way into Mordor!" Legolas cried. He and Haldir had been heading towards it as best as they could, but they would not be able to enter Mordor without knowing where to go, and if either of them were seen, it was all over. But if this creature had seen Meron, Rissan, Sauron, and Saruman kill an Elf, then he had to have been inside their fortress.

Gollum muttered, "We knows…" He dashed back over to Legolas, before taking a hold of the Elf's soft right hand and tugging on it, as if trying to pull the Elven Prince away from Mordor. "Elves musts not go to bad place…"

"Please, tell us the way to go," Legolas requested softly. "Our hearts will not let us abandon them to the fate that is planned for them by the evil ones."

Haldir murmured, "We will go after them even if you do not help us, Gollum. But we will stand a better chance if you will tell us how to get into Mordor."

"My precious… Gollum will leads you… but do not hurt precious…" Gollum sighed. "Sméagol does not wants to go…"

A familiar shriek caught their attention; the cries of Uruk-Hai, and they were quickly getting closer.

Gollum tugged on Legolas' hand again. "We musts go, follow Gollum…" The creature began leading the way towards Mordor.

Haldir did not like relying on a creature that he was not certain could be trusted, but it was better than trying to fight Uruk-Hai without weapons, so he followed as quickly as he could.

Legolas was right behind Gollum, keeping his sharp ears attuned for any sounds of danger. He did not slip at all on the small stones, moving as agilely as he could manage. The scrabbling of rocks behind him told him that Haldir was following him, and the three dashed into a small tunnel, just wide enough to let them enter.

The cries of the Uruk-Hai drew ever closer…

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Dungeons of Mordor

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Gimli had awoken finally and was exchanging tales with Sam, Merry, and Frodo, when he saw Meron go stomping by, looking very upset about something. The Dwarf wondered what it was, but did not ask, having learned from the Hobbits just how bad tempered Meron was.

He hoped that the others were all right, and that Legolas was safe, wherever he was. Gimli was glad that Aragorn had at least managed to spare both Legolas and Haldir from being taken prisoner, though he had not managed to save the rest of them.  But saving some was better than saving none, in Gimli's opinion. He just hoped that Legolas would not do anything foolish, like trying to rescue them.

In another part of the dungeon, Boromir and Thranduil were awakening, and both flinched, for they had massive headaches. The pain echoed inside of their temples, making them flinch, as they tried to figure out where, exactly, they were.

"Aragorn? Legolas?" Thranduil questioned, wincing.

Aragorn answered, "I'm here; Legolas is not, and neither is Haldir. They were not taken as we were." Relief was in his voice; all of them had been concerned when neither Boromir or Thranduil had awakened, when the rest of them had done so already.

Boromir groaned, "Don't talk so loud, please…" One of his hands rubbed his temples, trying to ease away the throbbing pain that made him squint.

Elena sat on the stone floor silently, projecting calmness around her. She was not afraid, as she blinked her blue-grey eyes, looking thoughtful and solemn at the same time. A strand of light brown hair fell in front of them, and she brushed it out of the way.

"Sorry," Aragorn said, in a lower voice. He hadn't meant to speak so loud, but he had wanted to make certain that Boromir had heard him. "Elena, are you still awake?"

"Yes, Aragorn," she softly said, taking a deep breath. Elena then murmured, "I'm glad you are awake, Boromir and King Thranduil; I was getting worried that you weren't going to wake, or that the spell had made you ill or something."

Glorfindel asked, "King Thranduil, can you use your magic to free us?" He intensely disliked the darkness inside of Mordor, because it was making even him feel uneasy.

Thranduil slowly said, "No… I cannot. I am too weary to even try now." The Elven king felt guilty, for he felt like he was letting everyone down. His magic, if it had not faded from disuse after his wife had died, could have freed them all from this dark prison.

"Then we wait," Boromir said grimly, "until the time is right."

To be continued