Author ~ Halo Son
Rating ~ R
Disclaimer ~ How many times must I say I don't own Lord of the Rings?!
Author's Note ~ Here's the second story in my first LOTR trilogy (and probably not my last *hint hint* ^_~ ). The characters Trelan, Raniean, Celboril and Moranuen are made up characters belonging to Cassia and Sio and they gave me permission to use them in my story, so DO NOT steal them!
Summary ~ The sequel to 'Falling Into Silence'. It is exactly a year since the fall of Neron and the supposed 'death' of Aragorn. However during that time, Legolas has never given up the possibility that Aragorn may still be alive and has endlessly searched for him, without success. Then one night in Rivendell, Elladan is wounded and almost killed and it looks as though it was intentional. When Legolas begins to investigate, he discovers, much to his horror, that the evil responsible is from the depths of Mordor itself and a familiar darkness has a new and deadly weapon in its clutches, a weapon that Legolas could never bring himself to destroy.
WARNING ~ This story contains acts of torture, violence and two accounts of implied rape. Nothing is handled in a graphic manner, however if you do not like these kinds of stories then please DO NOT read this fic.
The Lord Of The Rings
Darkness Haunting
Chapter 3-The Curse Of Fate
The sun kissed morning was now in full bloom glory.
The leaves on the trees wavered contentedly in the breeze and one would almost mistake this day as the dawning of spring.
The gentle chorus of elvish singing drifted through the currents of warm air and not too far behind was Legolas.
Having started off on his trek to Rivendell early the previous few mornings ago he had had no mishaps and had made good time.
He was looking forward to seeing Lord Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir and the other elves of Imladris again, but his mind swiftly came back to his missing human friend.
Letting a small sigh go, the elf prince emerged from the thick forest and saw the spectacle of Rivendell before him.
Smiling briefly Legolas walked towards the elven refuge and spotted a familiar face running up towards him.
"Elrohir!" He called with a grin that quickly faded when he saw the expression on the elf's face.
His eyes were wide and brimmed with a thin layer of moisture and he immediately knew something was wrong.
Elrohir stumbled forward when he reached Legolas and slumped in the elf prince's grasp. Taking a few ragged breaths Elrohir stared at his friend as he found the other's hands rest lightly on his shoulders.
"Be calm Elrohir. Now tell me what has happened." Legolas said.
Elrohir struggled to find words as he had done the previous night. He seemed angry and frustrated with himself and clenched his teeth and fists together causing Legolas to wonder more.
Finally with a blurt he spoke, "L-L-Legolas!"
The prince's eyes went wide.
That was the first time he had ever heard Elrohir say anything since the younger twin and his brother tried to convince him to go with them to look for Estel.
Least to say, Legolas was stunned and surprised.
"Elrohir…" He whispered. "You…you spoke. You said my name!"
Elrohir then grabbed Legolas' hand and tugged it urgently.
"Elladan! Elladan!"
Elrohir then tore back down the path he had run from. Taking no pause to gather his thoughts, Legolas flew after him
Elrohir swiftly led Legolas inside and to his brother's chambers.
The younger twin slowly pushed the door open and gestured for Legolas to walk in, which the elf prince did so.
The room was dim though light reflected around the room from a dull crackling fire on the far side of the room. Legolas then saw two elves in front of him; one still lying in the bed and the other seated next to him.
Legolas felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes swept over the elf in the bed, immediately recognising whom it was.
"Elladan…"
Moranuen turned his head and when he saw Legolas he slowly stood up, watching in silence as the elf prince walked next to him.
Just by looking on the face of Elladan, Legolas knew he had been terribly injured and his mind frustratingly tried to figure out how and why.
Elladan's face was almost white and his breathing was terribly laboured and uneven, as though something heavy was laid upon his chest.
"Moranuen…what has happened?" Legolas asked almost in a whisper.
"He was attacked." The elf replied in the same tone and pitch. "Elrohir and Elladan went hunting yesterday. When they returned Elladan had been hurt, an arrow was in his chest below his heart."
Legolas' eyes widened as fear and anger swelled up inside him, but he listened as Moranuen continued.
"Lord Elrond worked through the rest of the night to save him. He is resting now, Celboril as seen to that, though it was not easy to convince Lord Elrond to do so as he wished to remain with Elladan. Elrohir is still in shock and he keeps saying Elladan's name over and over. I fear he blames himself."
Legolas glanced at Elrohir behind him and silently agreed with Moranuen's earlier statement. The younger twin was hanging by the doorframe, his eyes wide, breathing ragged and his face almost as colour drained as his brother's. Legolas was now just as worried about Elrohir as he was for Elladan.
"Elrohir?"
If Elrohir had heard Legolas, he didn't show it. Instead, the younger twin lowered his head, leaned his back against the doorframe and slid down it.
Legolas was in front of him in a second, kneeling down with his hands on Elrohir's shoulders. The younger twin seemed to be just like a little lost child, scared and frightened.
"Elrohir? Elrohir listen to me." Legolas spoke softly but firmly. "What happened to Elladan wasn't you're fault. You could not have known this would happen."
"Legolas is right Elrohir." Moranuen added from his place to the side of the choked elf. "You cannot put blame on you're shoulders when it is not your blame to carry."
Elrohir started shaking his head and Legolas glanced at Moranuen who looked just as helpless as he did.
Elrohir then lifted his head up, revealing red rimmed, tired eyes with crystal droplets rolling down the sides of his cheeks. He then opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Clenching his fists in utter frustration Elrohir stared pleadingly into Legolas eyes, almost begging him to understand what he was trying to say.
The elf prince gave back an expression that really wished he could understand what Elrohir was trying to tell him, but he didn't.
"Tell me calmly Elrohir." He said, encouraging the elf. "You can tell me."
Swallowing hard, Elrohir tried again and finally managed to whisper a small word that struck both Legolas and Moranuen deeply inside them.
"E-E-Estel."
Legolas felt all the air in his lungs rush out and he grappled to take in what Elrohir had said.
He has spoken Aragorn's elvish name, but what did that mean? Has Elrohir seen Aragorn? Was he in danger? Did this mean he was still alive? Had he been right all along? If he was still alive, then where had he been all this time?
Thousands of questions seemed to swarm Legolas' mind, but he pushed them aside for a moment and smiled at Elrohir and replied, "Thank you Elrohir. Now stay here with Moranuen and look over Elladan. Do not blame yourself for this, you have no reason nor time to. Elladan needs you to be strong, as does you're father, all right? I will go out and see if I can track and find the one responsible."
Legolas stood up, helping Elrohir to his feet and glanced knowingly at Moranuen who gave a curt nod.
Wasting no time Legolas walked out the room and down the halls, a new and fierce determination burning inside his soul.
However just before he walked outside, he stopped outside Estel's room.
Slowly pushing the door open and he looked inside.
It was untouched from the last day Aragorn had been in the room, one year ago, so therefore it was messy. The bed sheets were half way off the bed, the pillow was on the floor and several items of clothing were lying across the room.
Legolas smiled fondly and shook his head.
"Just like Strider." He murmured. "In such a rush to do everything at once and he always leaves a mess behind him."
The Mirkwood elf walked into the room and began to tidy up the young human's room. He didn't even really think about it, he just did it, as though it was instinctive.
As he picked up one garment, Legolas looked to the side of the room and saw Aragorn's quiver resting on the floor. Curiously the elf prince walked to it and picked out one of the arrows from it and smiled.
It was his arrow; the one he had given to Aragorn as a present of their strong friendship.
He reached into his own quiver on his back and pulled out a dark arrow and studied it against his own.
That dark arrow was the one Aragorn had given him in return.
And then it suddenly dawned on him.
What he was about to do was exactly the same as what he had just been doing.
During these disastrous events Aragorn had battled and now disappeared, leaving a mess behind him and Legolas was about to clean it up.
Legolas stood in silence for a moment before returning the dark arrow to his quiver and stared at his own.
"I will find you Strider." He whispered. "I will find you and bring you home. And I will return this gift to you."
Placing the fair Mirkwood arrow back into its safe place in the man's quiver, Legolas walked out the room and shut the door quietly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The trek along the path Elrohir had used to return home with Elladan had not taken long.
Legolas took his time, studying the surroundings carefully for any clues he might find that would tell him who had wounded Elladan.
But something more than just Elladan's plight troubled him.
Elrohir had spoken Estel's name.
Did that truly mean that the elf had seen his human brother and alive no less?
What if Elrohir had seen who shot his brother and had also seen Estel as a captive with them?
These unsettling questions plagued Legolas' mind and currently he had no evidence to suggest the answers to them.
Taking a big sigh, Legolas sat down near the trunk of a large fallen tree, taking a brief respite.
His mind started going over the unanswered questions in his mind and the elf prince narrowed his eyes in bafflement.
It was then that a daunting feeling seemed to descend upon the elf and he looked up.
Everything around him was calm and quiet…in fact it was too quiet.
Legolas got to his feet and started glancing around. His senses seemed to be shouting of danger, but from where the elf prince couldn't tell and he gripped his bow, bringing his arm slowly up to take an arrow.
Suddenly his eyes widened and he jumped down on to the floor. Not a second later an arrow skimmed past his head and embedded itself into a tree.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Legolas jumped over the log and notched an arrow to his bow.
He then jumped to his feet, ready to release his own arrow, but he needn't bothered.
The danger that had almost nearly taken his life had passed and the calls of birds began to drift upon the breeze.
Legolas raised an eyebrow in surprise and confusion.
An unknown peril had come and gone just like that, in a flash and the elf prince couldn't understand it.
Finally he put his arrow back in his quiver and slung his bow on to his back and then walked over to where the enemy's arrow was stuck in the tree nigh to him.
With a firm pull, Legolas freed the black arrow and started at it.
Then his eyes once more went wide and his mouth dropped.
Quickly he pulled out a familiar dark arrow from his quiver and compared the two.
There was no mistaken it, they were identical.
The arrow that had so very nearly cost him his life was Aragorn's.
TBC…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okie dokie, I think it's about time I responded to my faithful reviewers! *hugs them all*
Jay of Lasgalen ~ Oh yes it was an evil cliffie, but then I think all chapters to this story will be evil, whatever way you look at it, lol.
Lina Skye ~ I had better watch my back ne? The way this story is gonna go your gonna end up trying to sneek up on me and killing me horrifically *looks nervously at all Aragorn fans* MEEP! *gives Lina an Aragorn plushie* Have that as a small gift for putting up with all the torture I've been putting your baby through ^-^
Android 71 ~ *blinks* Mauling clothes?! Oh boy I've really started something haven't I? I had better finish making my hidey-hole before the end!
Astaldocalwen ~ Yeah it was a horrible reason to speak wasn't it? What I'm really attempting to do during this story is show how close the twin brothers are and how horrific events affect them and how they can overcome them together. Have no fear, there's gonna be a really kawaii scene between the twins and I'm hoping it might give people a few tears in their eyes ^_~
The Insane One ~ *puts hands over ears* There there, your answers and suspicions will be revealed all too soon.
Enigma Jade ~ Wonderfully portrayed? You really think so? *grins* Thanks! That means a lot! I really did try hard to get the feelings of the twins across in that chapter as I wanted to set the stage for them both as they are destined to play a big part in chapters to come involving the dark events AND for themselves. I'm really happy that you're enjoying the story so far!
Pippin-n-Legolas ~ Yeah I feel sorry for the twins too, but a dramatic and dark story cannot happen without some torture I'm afraid ^_~
Nili ~ *giggles* Darth Vader II eh? Yes well I suppose you could call him that really. After all, both versions were manipulated to the dark side of the force *snickers* Now I have this funny image in my head of our mystery assailant as Darth Vader and Legolas as Luke Skywalker! O_O! MEEP! *runs and hides behind Elrond* I not only have to deal with you but your pet Balrog too?! Oooooooooh boy! *furiously starts on chapter 4*
Rating ~ R
Disclaimer ~ How many times must I say I don't own Lord of the Rings?!
Author's Note ~ Here's the second story in my first LOTR trilogy (and probably not my last *hint hint* ^_~ ). The characters Trelan, Raniean, Celboril and Moranuen are made up characters belonging to Cassia and Sio and they gave me permission to use them in my story, so DO NOT steal them!
Summary ~ The sequel to 'Falling Into Silence'. It is exactly a year since the fall of Neron and the supposed 'death' of Aragorn. However during that time, Legolas has never given up the possibility that Aragorn may still be alive and has endlessly searched for him, without success. Then one night in Rivendell, Elladan is wounded and almost killed and it looks as though it was intentional. When Legolas begins to investigate, he discovers, much to his horror, that the evil responsible is from the depths of Mordor itself and a familiar darkness has a new and deadly weapon in its clutches, a weapon that Legolas could never bring himself to destroy.
WARNING ~ This story contains acts of torture, violence and two accounts of implied rape. Nothing is handled in a graphic manner, however if you do not like these kinds of stories then please DO NOT read this fic.
The Lord Of The Rings
Darkness Haunting
Chapter 3-The Curse Of Fate
The sun kissed morning was now in full bloom glory.
The leaves on the trees wavered contentedly in the breeze and one would almost mistake this day as the dawning of spring.
The gentle chorus of elvish singing drifted through the currents of warm air and not too far behind was Legolas.
Having started off on his trek to Rivendell early the previous few mornings ago he had had no mishaps and had made good time.
He was looking forward to seeing Lord Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir and the other elves of Imladris again, but his mind swiftly came back to his missing human friend.
Letting a small sigh go, the elf prince emerged from the thick forest and saw the spectacle of Rivendell before him.
Smiling briefly Legolas walked towards the elven refuge and spotted a familiar face running up towards him.
"Elrohir!" He called with a grin that quickly faded when he saw the expression on the elf's face.
His eyes were wide and brimmed with a thin layer of moisture and he immediately knew something was wrong.
Elrohir stumbled forward when he reached Legolas and slumped in the elf prince's grasp. Taking a few ragged breaths Elrohir stared at his friend as he found the other's hands rest lightly on his shoulders.
"Be calm Elrohir. Now tell me what has happened." Legolas said.
Elrohir struggled to find words as he had done the previous night. He seemed angry and frustrated with himself and clenched his teeth and fists together causing Legolas to wonder more.
Finally with a blurt he spoke, "L-L-Legolas!"
The prince's eyes went wide.
That was the first time he had ever heard Elrohir say anything since the younger twin and his brother tried to convince him to go with them to look for Estel.
Least to say, Legolas was stunned and surprised.
"Elrohir…" He whispered. "You…you spoke. You said my name!"
Elrohir then grabbed Legolas' hand and tugged it urgently.
"Elladan! Elladan!"
Elrohir then tore back down the path he had run from. Taking no pause to gather his thoughts, Legolas flew after him
Elrohir swiftly led Legolas inside and to his brother's chambers.
The younger twin slowly pushed the door open and gestured for Legolas to walk in, which the elf prince did so.
The room was dim though light reflected around the room from a dull crackling fire on the far side of the room. Legolas then saw two elves in front of him; one still lying in the bed and the other seated next to him.
Legolas felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes swept over the elf in the bed, immediately recognising whom it was.
"Elladan…"
Moranuen turned his head and when he saw Legolas he slowly stood up, watching in silence as the elf prince walked next to him.
Just by looking on the face of Elladan, Legolas knew he had been terribly injured and his mind frustratingly tried to figure out how and why.
Elladan's face was almost white and his breathing was terribly laboured and uneven, as though something heavy was laid upon his chest.
"Moranuen…what has happened?" Legolas asked almost in a whisper.
"He was attacked." The elf replied in the same tone and pitch. "Elrohir and Elladan went hunting yesterday. When they returned Elladan had been hurt, an arrow was in his chest below his heart."
Legolas' eyes widened as fear and anger swelled up inside him, but he listened as Moranuen continued.
"Lord Elrond worked through the rest of the night to save him. He is resting now, Celboril as seen to that, though it was not easy to convince Lord Elrond to do so as he wished to remain with Elladan. Elrohir is still in shock and he keeps saying Elladan's name over and over. I fear he blames himself."
Legolas glanced at Elrohir behind him and silently agreed with Moranuen's earlier statement. The younger twin was hanging by the doorframe, his eyes wide, breathing ragged and his face almost as colour drained as his brother's. Legolas was now just as worried about Elrohir as he was for Elladan.
"Elrohir?"
If Elrohir had heard Legolas, he didn't show it. Instead, the younger twin lowered his head, leaned his back against the doorframe and slid down it.
Legolas was in front of him in a second, kneeling down with his hands on Elrohir's shoulders. The younger twin seemed to be just like a little lost child, scared and frightened.
"Elrohir? Elrohir listen to me." Legolas spoke softly but firmly. "What happened to Elladan wasn't you're fault. You could not have known this would happen."
"Legolas is right Elrohir." Moranuen added from his place to the side of the choked elf. "You cannot put blame on you're shoulders when it is not your blame to carry."
Elrohir started shaking his head and Legolas glanced at Moranuen who looked just as helpless as he did.
Elrohir then lifted his head up, revealing red rimmed, tired eyes with crystal droplets rolling down the sides of his cheeks. He then opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
Clenching his fists in utter frustration Elrohir stared pleadingly into Legolas eyes, almost begging him to understand what he was trying to say.
The elf prince gave back an expression that really wished he could understand what Elrohir was trying to tell him, but he didn't.
"Tell me calmly Elrohir." He said, encouraging the elf. "You can tell me."
Swallowing hard, Elrohir tried again and finally managed to whisper a small word that struck both Legolas and Moranuen deeply inside them.
"E-E-Estel."
Legolas felt all the air in his lungs rush out and he grappled to take in what Elrohir had said.
He has spoken Aragorn's elvish name, but what did that mean? Has Elrohir seen Aragorn? Was he in danger? Did this mean he was still alive? Had he been right all along? If he was still alive, then where had he been all this time?
Thousands of questions seemed to swarm Legolas' mind, but he pushed them aside for a moment and smiled at Elrohir and replied, "Thank you Elrohir. Now stay here with Moranuen and look over Elladan. Do not blame yourself for this, you have no reason nor time to. Elladan needs you to be strong, as does you're father, all right? I will go out and see if I can track and find the one responsible."
Legolas stood up, helping Elrohir to his feet and glanced knowingly at Moranuen who gave a curt nod.
Wasting no time Legolas walked out the room and down the halls, a new and fierce determination burning inside his soul.
However just before he walked outside, he stopped outside Estel's room.
Slowly pushing the door open and he looked inside.
It was untouched from the last day Aragorn had been in the room, one year ago, so therefore it was messy. The bed sheets were half way off the bed, the pillow was on the floor and several items of clothing were lying across the room.
Legolas smiled fondly and shook his head.
"Just like Strider." He murmured. "In such a rush to do everything at once and he always leaves a mess behind him."
The Mirkwood elf walked into the room and began to tidy up the young human's room. He didn't even really think about it, he just did it, as though it was instinctive.
As he picked up one garment, Legolas looked to the side of the room and saw Aragorn's quiver resting on the floor. Curiously the elf prince walked to it and picked out one of the arrows from it and smiled.
It was his arrow; the one he had given to Aragorn as a present of their strong friendship.
He reached into his own quiver on his back and pulled out a dark arrow and studied it against his own.
That dark arrow was the one Aragorn had given him in return.
And then it suddenly dawned on him.
What he was about to do was exactly the same as what he had just been doing.
During these disastrous events Aragorn had battled and now disappeared, leaving a mess behind him and Legolas was about to clean it up.
Legolas stood in silence for a moment before returning the dark arrow to his quiver and stared at his own.
"I will find you Strider." He whispered. "I will find you and bring you home. And I will return this gift to you."
Placing the fair Mirkwood arrow back into its safe place in the man's quiver, Legolas walked out the room and shut the door quietly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The trek along the path Elrohir had used to return home with Elladan had not taken long.
Legolas took his time, studying the surroundings carefully for any clues he might find that would tell him who had wounded Elladan.
But something more than just Elladan's plight troubled him.
Elrohir had spoken Estel's name.
Did that truly mean that the elf had seen his human brother and alive no less?
What if Elrohir had seen who shot his brother and had also seen Estel as a captive with them?
These unsettling questions plagued Legolas' mind and currently he had no evidence to suggest the answers to them.
Taking a big sigh, Legolas sat down near the trunk of a large fallen tree, taking a brief respite.
His mind started going over the unanswered questions in his mind and the elf prince narrowed his eyes in bafflement.
It was then that a daunting feeling seemed to descend upon the elf and he looked up.
Everything around him was calm and quiet…in fact it was too quiet.
Legolas got to his feet and started glancing around. His senses seemed to be shouting of danger, but from where the elf prince couldn't tell and he gripped his bow, bringing his arm slowly up to take an arrow.
Suddenly his eyes widened and he jumped down on to the floor. Not a second later an arrow skimmed past his head and embedded itself into a tree.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Legolas jumped over the log and notched an arrow to his bow.
He then jumped to his feet, ready to release his own arrow, but he needn't bothered.
The danger that had almost nearly taken his life had passed and the calls of birds began to drift upon the breeze.
Legolas raised an eyebrow in surprise and confusion.
An unknown peril had come and gone just like that, in a flash and the elf prince couldn't understand it.
Finally he put his arrow back in his quiver and slung his bow on to his back and then walked over to where the enemy's arrow was stuck in the tree nigh to him.
With a firm pull, Legolas freed the black arrow and started at it.
Then his eyes once more went wide and his mouth dropped.
Quickly he pulled out a familiar dark arrow from his quiver and compared the two.
There was no mistaken it, they were identical.
The arrow that had so very nearly cost him his life was Aragorn's.
TBC…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okie dokie, I think it's about time I responded to my faithful reviewers! *hugs them all*
Jay of Lasgalen ~ Oh yes it was an evil cliffie, but then I think all chapters to this story will be evil, whatever way you look at it, lol.
Lina Skye ~ I had better watch my back ne? The way this story is gonna go your gonna end up trying to sneek up on me and killing me horrifically *looks nervously at all Aragorn fans* MEEP! *gives Lina an Aragorn plushie* Have that as a small gift for putting up with all the torture I've been putting your baby through ^-^
Android 71 ~ *blinks* Mauling clothes?! Oh boy I've really started something haven't I? I had better finish making my hidey-hole before the end!
Astaldocalwen ~ Yeah it was a horrible reason to speak wasn't it? What I'm really attempting to do during this story is show how close the twin brothers are and how horrific events affect them and how they can overcome them together. Have no fear, there's gonna be a really kawaii scene between the twins and I'm hoping it might give people a few tears in their eyes ^_~
The Insane One ~ *puts hands over ears* There there, your answers and suspicions will be revealed all too soon.
Enigma Jade ~ Wonderfully portrayed? You really think so? *grins* Thanks! That means a lot! I really did try hard to get the feelings of the twins across in that chapter as I wanted to set the stage for them both as they are destined to play a big part in chapters to come involving the dark events AND for themselves. I'm really happy that you're enjoying the story so far!
Pippin-n-Legolas ~ Yeah I feel sorry for the twins too, but a dramatic and dark story cannot happen without some torture I'm afraid ^_~
Nili ~ *giggles* Darth Vader II eh? Yes well I suppose you could call him that really. After all, both versions were manipulated to the dark side of the force *snickers* Now I have this funny image in my head of our mystery assailant as Darth Vader and Legolas as Luke Skywalker! O_O! MEEP! *runs and hides behind Elrond* I not only have to deal with you but your pet Balrog too?! Oooooooooh boy! *furiously starts on chapter 4*