Chapter 9
Authors notes: - Got results and got into Uni. Thank you for the great
review Lady Daine. I love getting reviews. Hope you like this!
Legolas had run the whole way back to his room and reached it breathless. It worried him; elves don't get breathless over such a short distance. He clutched his chest as he desperately wheezed and tried to get his breath back but to no avail. Black spots danced in front of his vision and a wave of dizziness over took him. He clasped onto the doorframe taking deep breaths. A soft cry escaped his lips as the blood in his veins felt like ice burning through his body. The darkness in his soul stirred. His mind wallowed in despair. He was really ill and it frightened him. Elves didn't get sick! He didn't know what to do, none of his supposed friends even his best friend were telling him anything and he knew they knew something about what was affecting him. He pulled himself up and staggered away from the door towards the bed. The room moved like a ship on the ocean and he stumbled forward as if drunk. The walls seemed to lurch towards him and suddenly the room was far to small the air too stale. He needed to get out this room was suffocating. He turned and reached for the door but it slammed open and crashed into the side of his head. The blow knocked him to the ground and he cried out in surprise. He looked up to see his father drunk and enraged towering over him. He almost laughed it was too much. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so weak?
"Father." He said tiredly watching three very angry versions of his father.
"How dare you bring dishonour upon me! You acted like a spoiled child and showed me up in front of my future wife, you insulted an elven lord and refused to drink to my marriage preferring to associate with those creatures. Then you disappear into the night and no one knows where you went." He roared his face red and almost bloated. Legolas flinched at the volume of his voice. "I am sorry." He wasn't but he really wanted his father to leave.
"You are sorry. You are always sorry." Legolas was still breathing erratically almost hyperventilating. He tried to take a deep breath but it hurt too much. He was shivering uncontrollably like he was very very cold. It was like his body was independent from his mind. He couldn't control it. Thranduil through up his arms in anger. He advanced on the elf.
"Don't you dare!" an angry voice snarled. Thranduil whirled to see Aragorn, sword drawn standing in front of him.
"How dare you hit him!"
"I did not strike him!" the old elf snapped annoyed at the man for interfering.
"Aragorn." Legolas said pulling himself to his feet. "He did not strike me, the door hit me." Aragorn laughed bitterly. "You do not have to lie to me Legolas. Elves do not get hit by doors."
Legolas's face contorted in anger. "Do not talk to me about lying my friend." He snarled the last two words. "Put down your sword and leave."
"I will not leave you alone with him."
"You heard what he said. LEAVE!" Thranduil demanded.
"NO." Aragorn snapped equally loud.
Legolas watched Aragorn and Thranduil launch into a heated argument, which was the last thing he needed.
"If you won't leave then I will," he said.
Aragorn grabbed his arm. "Do not leave. He will not harm you again."
"What has happened to us that you no longer trust my words? He did not hit me! I am not this weak child in need of your protection. I am 2000 years old and can take care of myself." Legolas shouted angrily, he needed to get out of the room, of the palace and away from everyone.
Aragorn's pressure on his arm increased. "Look at yourself and tell me you are well." He said with a hint of desperation. This was not his best friend stood before him and it concerned him more then anyone would know.
"Leave me alone." Legolas shrugged off Aragorn's hand and walked towards the door. Aragorn refused to let him go.
Legolas's last shred of calm left him. Aragorn's hand was burning his skin where he had grabbed hold of the elf.
"LET GO OF ME. DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed. Aargorn immediately let go scared at his friend's sudden panic. The elf stepped backwards and turned and ran out the door. He ran straight into Gandalf, steadied himself and continued running before the startled wizard could stop him.
Gandalf strode into the room Legolas had just bolted from to see Aragorn sword still drawn engaged in a very vocal argument with Thranduil.
"What is going on in here?" he demanded loudly causing both of the occupants to turn and face Gandalf. They both started speaking at once.
"Quiet!" he roared.
"Aragorn?" he questioned after they had stopped talking. Thranduil bristled that he had not been questioned first considering his rank.
Aragorn launched into his version of event. "I came to see Legolas and found him on the ground with a bruised face and his father standing over him."
Gandalf sighed. He knew how protective Aragorn was towards Legolas ever since they met and had been tortured by orcs. During the healing process to help him Aragorn had entered his mind by magic to try and find his friend who had retreated within himself, there he had witnessed some of his memories especially those related to his father. The comments, constant put downs and humiliation. Aragorn had become very protective of the young elf until Legolas with some angry words had convinced him otherwise. They were best friends but Aragorn even though years younger still looked out for the innocent like elf and Legolas let him, to appease him but occasionally this had resulted in heated arguments. Gandalf knew the answer to the question before he asked it.
"What did you assume had happened?"
"That he had been hit by Thranduil." Thranduil immediately began to protest.
"I did not strike him. The door struck him in the head as I entered"
Immediately Aragorn started to comment but Gandalf demanded quiet.
"We will discuss this later but the current concern is the state Prince Legolas is in. I have never seen him in quite such distress. I wish to know what occurred here!" Gandalf said in a demanding tone.
"He was upset when I arrived. Now if that is all I have some jobs to attend to." And with that Thranduil left. How could his kind hearted friend and his brothers could have come from a cold hearted elf like him? Aragorn wondered.
"Where would Legolas go?" Gandalf asked bringing Aragorn back to the present.
"I think I know where" he said and the two set off. Gimli who had followed Aragorn to make sure he talked to the elf now followed the duo.
* Legolas ran through the trees not caring if the branches marked his skin with tiny cuts. He fled to the one place he knew no one would be. He needed to be alone; his mind was whirling with questions he couldn't answer. Every time he tried it felt like his brain had turned to mud. He couldn't sift through it to get the answers that were buried. His skin crawled and burned, it felt like it was on fire. Legolas reached the clearing and proceeded to jump into the water of the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. He scrubbed his skin violently trying to stop the burn.
* Aragorn quickly led Gandalf to the clearing that they had visited earlier.
"What have you found out?" Aragorn asked as they walked through the trees.
"Too much to discuss now but suffice to say we have a problem. Liran was no elf. He was an ancient King who has far outlived his natural life span and survives by shape shifting. It seems that Liran and Taket have a past. They want vengeance against each other. Taket wants to become immortal and needs the blood of a wood elf prince to complete the spell. Liran thinks that by possessing Legolas he can get to Taket and the vengeance he seeks."
"Can you remove Liran from Legolas?" Aragorn questioned as they reached the tree line of the clearing.
"I can but the spell is an ancient one that relies on a great many things including Legolas's ability to resist Liran."
* A rustle in the bushes alerted the duo of Gimli's presence.
"You followed us?" Aragorn questioned.
"Yes." He replied in a no nonsense tone.
The trio hurried into the clearing and stopped. Legolas was soaked standing in the pools of the waterfall. He looked like a hunted animal, his eyes wide and dilated. They walked forward wearily towards him not knowing what state the elf was in.
"What is wrong with him?" Gimli asked deeply concerned for his friend.
"Liran is fighting for control. Legolas is trying to resist but it is very difficult for him." Gandalf stated.
"Legolas" Aragorn called softly reaching a hand out towards the elf like a person would to a scared child. "Come out of the water. We'll dry you off." The elf glared at him.
"It burns!" he snapped as if those two words explained everything about his predicament.
"What burns?" Gandalf asked gently. The blonde elf ignored him and continued to scrub his skin leaving red scratches on his pale skin.
"I can make it stop burning Legolas." Gandalf said.
"You burn" the elf replied.
"What is wrong with him?" Gimli demanded. "Why does he burn?"
"It's all in his mind. His brain is overloaded with information and stress from having two personalities as such in one space."
"Well do something!" Gimli demanded. Aragorn was not surprised by Gimli's outburst. The bond the dwarf and the elf had formed was amazing and unique and Aragorn would do all that was in his power to preserve that.
"I will master dwarf but we need to get him out of the water and onto dry land first." Gandalf stated also heartened by the concern shown by the dwarf.
"Stay away from me!" Legolas said anxiously as the three again approached. He moved backwards further away from the shore.
"No!" Aragorn yelled knowing that the pool deepened dangerously. "Please Legolas I will not harm you. Come out of the pool." The elf was too preoccupied to heed the warning and proceeded to step backwards. Suddenly without so much as a splash the elf disappeared from view.
"No!!" Aragorn yelled again. Legolas didn't reappear. = Legolas desperately tried to reach the surface but his brain was so overloaded that it couldn't process the information it needed to save itself. He sank and water flooded into his lungs. =
Legolas had run the whole way back to his room and reached it breathless. It worried him; elves don't get breathless over such a short distance. He clutched his chest as he desperately wheezed and tried to get his breath back but to no avail. Black spots danced in front of his vision and a wave of dizziness over took him. He clasped onto the doorframe taking deep breaths. A soft cry escaped his lips as the blood in his veins felt like ice burning through his body. The darkness in his soul stirred. His mind wallowed in despair. He was really ill and it frightened him. Elves didn't get sick! He didn't know what to do, none of his supposed friends even his best friend were telling him anything and he knew they knew something about what was affecting him. He pulled himself up and staggered away from the door towards the bed. The room moved like a ship on the ocean and he stumbled forward as if drunk. The walls seemed to lurch towards him and suddenly the room was far to small the air too stale. He needed to get out this room was suffocating. He turned and reached for the door but it slammed open and crashed into the side of his head. The blow knocked him to the ground and he cried out in surprise. He looked up to see his father drunk and enraged towering over him. He almost laughed it was too much. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so weak?
"Father." He said tiredly watching three very angry versions of his father.
"How dare you bring dishonour upon me! You acted like a spoiled child and showed me up in front of my future wife, you insulted an elven lord and refused to drink to my marriage preferring to associate with those creatures. Then you disappear into the night and no one knows where you went." He roared his face red and almost bloated. Legolas flinched at the volume of his voice. "I am sorry." He wasn't but he really wanted his father to leave.
"You are sorry. You are always sorry." Legolas was still breathing erratically almost hyperventilating. He tried to take a deep breath but it hurt too much. He was shivering uncontrollably like he was very very cold. It was like his body was independent from his mind. He couldn't control it. Thranduil through up his arms in anger. He advanced on the elf.
"Don't you dare!" an angry voice snarled. Thranduil whirled to see Aragorn, sword drawn standing in front of him.
"How dare you hit him!"
"I did not strike him!" the old elf snapped annoyed at the man for interfering.
"Aragorn." Legolas said pulling himself to his feet. "He did not strike me, the door hit me." Aragorn laughed bitterly. "You do not have to lie to me Legolas. Elves do not get hit by doors."
Legolas's face contorted in anger. "Do not talk to me about lying my friend." He snarled the last two words. "Put down your sword and leave."
"I will not leave you alone with him."
"You heard what he said. LEAVE!" Thranduil demanded.
"NO." Aragorn snapped equally loud.
Legolas watched Aragorn and Thranduil launch into a heated argument, which was the last thing he needed.
"If you won't leave then I will," he said.
Aragorn grabbed his arm. "Do not leave. He will not harm you again."
"What has happened to us that you no longer trust my words? He did not hit me! I am not this weak child in need of your protection. I am 2000 years old and can take care of myself." Legolas shouted angrily, he needed to get out of the room, of the palace and away from everyone.
Aragorn's pressure on his arm increased. "Look at yourself and tell me you are well." He said with a hint of desperation. This was not his best friend stood before him and it concerned him more then anyone would know.
"Leave me alone." Legolas shrugged off Aragorn's hand and walked towards the door. Aragorn refused to let him go.
Legolas's last shred of calm left him. Aragorn's hand was burning his skin where he had grabbed hold of the elf.
"LET GO OF ME. DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed. Aargorn immediately let go scared at his friend's sudden panic. The elf stepped backwards and turned and ran out the door. He ran straight into Gandalf, steadied himself and continued running before the startled wizard could stop him.
Gandalf strode into the room Legolas had just bolted from to see Aragorn sword still drawn engaged in a very vocal argument with Thranduil.
"What is going on in here?" he demanded loudly causing both of the occupants to turn and face Gandalf. They both started speaking at once.
"Quiet!" he roared.
"Aragorn?" he questioned after they had stopped talking. Thranduil bristled that he had not been questioned first considering his rank.
Aragorn launched into his version of event. "I came to see Legolas and found him on the ground with a bruised face and his father standing over him."
Gandalf sighed. He knew how protective Aragorn was towards Legolas ever since they met and had been tortured by orcs. During the healing process to help him Aragorn had entered his mind by magic to try and find his friend who had retreated within himself, there he had witnessed some of his memories especially those related to his father. The comments, constant put downs and humiliation. Aragorn had become very protective of the young elf until Legolas with some angry words had convinced him otherwise. They were best friends but Aragorn even though years younger still looked out for the innocent like elf and Legolas let him, to appease him but occasionally this had resulted in heated arguments. Gandalf knew the answer to the question before he asked it.
"What did you assume had happened?"
"That he had been hit by Thranduil." Thranduil immediately began to protest.
"I did not strike him. The door struck him in the head as I entered"
Immediately Aragorn started to comment but Gandalf demanded quiet.
"We will discuss this later but the current concern is the state Prince Legolas is in. I have never seen him in quite such distress. I wish to know what occurred here!" Gandalf said in a demanding tone.
"He was upset when I arrived. Now if that is all I have some jobs to attend to." And with that Thranduil left. How could his kind hearted friend and his brothers could have come from a cold hearted elf like him? Aragorn wondered.
"Where would Legolas go?" Gandalf asked bringing Aragorn back to the present.
"I think I know where" he said and the two set off. Gimli who had followed Aragorn to make sure he talked to the elf now followed the duo.
* Legolas ran through the trees not caring if the branches marked his skin with tiny cuts. He fled to the one place he knew no one would be. He needed to be alone; his mind was whirling with questions he couldn't answer. Every time he tried it felt like his brain had turned to mud. He couldn't sift through it to get the answers that were buried. His skin crawled and burned, it felt like it was on fire. Legolas reached the clearing and proceeded to jump into the water of the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. He scrubbed his skin violently trying to stop the burn.
* Aragorn quickly led Gandalf to the clearing that they had visited earlier.
"What have you found out?" Aragorn asked as they walked through the trees.
"Too much to discuss now but suffice to say we have a problem. Liran was no elf. He was an ancient King who has far outlived his natural life span and survives by shape shifting. It seems that Liran and Taket have a past. They want vengeance against each other. Taket wants to become immortal and needs the blood of a wood elf prince to complete the spell. Liran thinks that by possessing Legolas he can get to Taket and the vengeance he seeks."
"Can you remove Liran from Legolas?" Aragorn questioned as they reached the tree line of the clearing.
"I can but the spell is an ancient one that relies on a great many things including Legolas's ability to resist Liran."
* A rustle in the bushes alerted the duo of Gimli's presence.
"You followed us?" Aragorn questioned.
"Yes." He replied in a no nonsense tone.
The trio hurried into the clearing and stopped. Legolas was soaked standing in the pools of the waterfall. He looked like a hunted animal, his eyes wide and dilated. They walked forward wearily towards him not knowing what state the elf was in.
"What is wrong with him?" Gimli asked deeply concerned for his friend.
"Liran is fighting for control. Legolas is trying to resist but it is very difficult for him." Gandalf stated.
"Legolas" Aragorn called softly reaching a hand out towards the elf like a person would to a scared child. "Come out of the water. We'll dry you off." The elf glared at him.
"It burns!" he snapped as if those two words explained everything about his predicament.
"What burns?" Gandalf asked gently. The blonde elf ignored him and continued to scrub his skin leaving red scratches on his pale skin.
"I can make it stop burning Legolas." Gandalf said.
"You burn" the elf replied.
"What is wrong with him?" Gimli demanded. "Why does he burn?"
"It's all in his mind. His brain is overloaded with information and stress from having two personalities as such in one space."
"Well do something!" Gimli demanded. Aragorn was not surprised by Gimli's outburst. The bond the dwarf and the elf had formed was amazing and unique and Aragorn would do all that was in his power to preserve that.
"I will master dwarf but we need to get him out of the water and onto dry land first." Gandalf stated also heartened by the concern shown by the dwarf.
"Stay away from me!" Legolas said anxiously as the three again approached. He moved backwards further away from the shore.
"No!" Aragorn yelled knowing that the pool deepened dangerously. "Please Legolas I will not harm you. Come out of the pool." The elf was too preoccupied to heed the warning and proceeded to step backwards. Suddenly without so much as a splash the elf disappeared from view.
"No!!" Aragorn yelled again. Legolas didn't reappear. = Legolas desperately tried to reach the surface but his brain was so overloaded that it couldn't process the information it needed to save itself. He sank and water flooded into his lungs. =