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-Fears Gather; Fears Command
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know how to live through this hell
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
---- Metallica ~ Trapped Under Ice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elladan started to stir awake, his eyes shifting under his closed eyelids.
As a slight moan escaped softly from his dry lips he felt a delicate touch, someone's hand was placed upon one of his own.
Slowly opening his eyes, and blinking several times so his eyes could adjust to the light and focus, Elladan stared up into a pair of eyes that matched his. Elladan smiled in recognition.
"Elrohir." His voice was but a whisper, his throat parched and sore.
"Elladan." Came a compassionate reply.
The newly awoken elf froze, blinking as his tried to take in what had just been said, or who had said it. He felt startled and astonishment accumulated inside him.
"Elrohir…you…you…"
Elrohir smiled down on his twin brother and gave a quick nod of the head. Giving Elladan's hand a quick squeeze of reassurance Elrohir leaned forward and tenderly kissed his brother's forehead.
"You…worried me." Elrohir said.
Elladan didn't even feel the tears come to his eyes. He was too consumed by the staggering joy building within his heart.
At long last, his twin brother was talking again.
Elrohir noticed a small choke utter from his brother's mouth and he looked worriedly at him.
"E-Elladan? Are…you…alright?" He stuttered slightly.
Though it was painful for him, Elladan ignored the discomfort and sat up in the bed and gently wrapped his arms around Elrohir's back, pulling his twin forward in a hug.
"No Elrohir…no I am fine." Came the shaky reply.
"Then…why are you…crying?"
"Because…I am happy."
Elrohir looked at his twin and smiled at the joyous look in his eyes.
Just then the door to the room opened and Moranuen stepped in with Celboril behind him.
"Elrohir, would you like…" Moranuen stopped when he saw Elladan sitting up in his bed. "Elladan! You're awake!"
Celboril left to get Lord Elrond as Moranuen walked over to Elrohir and Elladan, a smile on his face.
"How do you feel?"
"Terrible." Elladan complained with a small moan, prompting Elrohir to help ease him back in his bed. "I ache and my chest hurts a fair bit."
"I'm not surprised. That's where the arrow hit you."
"Arrow?"
As Moranuen explained how Elrohir had come back the previous night with him badly wounded, Lord Elrond and Celboril came into the room. The elven lord smiled at his son.
"How do you feel my son?"
"Moranuen just asked that." Elladan grumbled. "I do not wish to repeat myself."
"I'm glad to see that you are back to normal." Celboril said with a smile from behind Moranuen.
As the older twin rolled his eyes, Elrohir spoke for his brother, "He said that he felt terrible; achy all over and his chest hurts."
The lord of Rivendell smiled and gave a nod to Elrohir and took one of Elladan's hands, "You worried me my son."
"I'm sorry father." Elladan replied.
Elladan felt a twinge of guilt inside him for worrying his father. Ever since Aragorn's disappearance a year ago Elrond had been deeply hurt by it and now worried about his sons much more than he used to. But like Legolas, he believed his human son was still alive.
"What I want to know is who did this and why." Elrond finally spoke.
Celboril nodded in silent agreement as Moranuen scoffed and replied, "Someone who has a grievance with elves."
Elrohir slowly lowered his head as he tried to blink away tears.
For he had indeed seen who had fired that arrow that had nearly killed his brother, but his heart refused to believe it.
Elrohir sighed and looked out the window across the room and softly murmured, "Estel."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas couldn't believe it; he simply could not believe it.
The person who had fired this dark arrow…it couldn't be…Aragorn…
"No…it can't be…could it?"
The arrow was unmistakably Aragorn's arrow, therefore it had to be Aragorn that had fired it.
Legolas shook his head, not allowing himself to think that way, but the growing evidence was pointing to no other outcome.
The elf prince glanced up to the direction that the projectile had been shot from and made his way over.
He bent down and noticed the imprinted foot marks in the ground and traced them across the ground. Standing up and placing both arrows in his quiver, he followed the tracks at a brisk pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The master will not be pleased Elmorn."
The man grimaced, forcing his teeth together as he spun to face the orc talking to him.
"You think I do not know that?" He replied sharply.
"Then perhaps the master was wrong to trust you to complete this mission." Another said.
The man's eyes widened with a seething fury and he swiftly pulled out his sword, pointing the blade up to the orc's neck.
"Do not question my loyalties or my abilities." He said in a demonic tone. "I obey my master without hesitation and my skills are flawless. What fails me is the remainder of my conscience."
The orcs sneered and glared at the human who turned his gaze back into the forest and lowering his blade.
"Then perhaps the master will need to beat that last bit out of you."
The tall mortal involuntarily flinched.
The memories of the last time he had been 'given a lesson' by his master were still raw in his mind and the dull pain across his back made itself known for a moment.
"Or we could do it for you." The lead orc said, clutching the whip in his hand more tightly.
The man inhaled and exhaled just a little jittery and he turned back to the orcs.
"Do as you what you must, just as long as the voice inside my mind leaves me I care not what you do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas heard the screeching of delighted orcs as he passed from tree to tree and he shuddered.
He knew that they were torturing some helpless soul by the sound of their jeers and the pace of his breathing increased as the sounds got louder.
As the elf prince settled into a crouched position in one of the trees he stretched upward just a little so that he could get a better view of what was happening in front of him.
There was a small clearing and indeed within it there were screaming orcs.
But when his eyes flickered to what they were screaming at, his whole body froze.
A stray beam of moonlight entered the clearing and fell upon the face of the victim of the orcs and all breath left the elf's tense body.
There, pushed up against a tree, being whipped mercilessly, was the man he had been searching for, for one whole year.
It was Aragorn.
Legolas couldn't believe it.
He had hoped beyond all hope that Estel was still alive, and now that he had found him he couldn't believe it.
What was even worse was that he was being tortured by orcs.
A bubbling rage stewed within the elf prince and before his mind had registered what he was doing, he had an arrow already notched to his bow and sent it flying.
The surprised shriek of the first orc rang out through the air as it fell dead to the damp ground. The other orcs stopped their torment and turned, only to be ambushed by a wave of deadly arrows.
There hadn't been many orcs there in the camp, so they were all easily slain before they had any clue as to who was attacking them.
Aragorn slid down the large tree trunk panting heavily as Legolas leapt down from the tree he was concealed in and rushed over to his human friend.
"Strider! Oh the valar Strider!" He was crying as he made his way over to the man. "I knew you were alive! I just knew you were, though how I know not. What has happened to you all this time?"
Pain stung and numbed most of his body, but Aragorn forced himself to look at his would-be savoir and glared when he saw the bodies of the orcs littering the ground.
He began to breathe even more heavily as a burning rage fathomed up inside him. Legolas noticed the change and stopped.
"Strider…Estel, what is it?"
What…" He growled, slowly lifting his scratched and head up to pin the elf with a chilling glare. "What…have you done?!!!"
Aragorn leapt to his feet and had his bow in his hand in a second. As fast as lightening he had notched an arrow and fired it.
The black projectile slammed into Legolas' shoulder and the elf cried in surprise and shock, stumbling backwards.
In the second it took for Aragorn to notch another arrow to his bow, Legolas stared in utter shock into the man's eyes and saw how they were different.
They were not the usual silvery eyes he had known his human friend to have; they were glazed and as black as the night.
Legolas drove himself to his feet and dodged the next incoming arrow and darted behind a nearby tree.
The elf prince was now acting on instincts as he grabbed his bow, notching an arrow to it. All reason and logic had fled from his mind and he spun sharply around the tree.
He only just managed to duck in time to avoid the third arrow and realised his own.
It soared with the precise accuracy that Legolas was known for and it stuck the right side of Aragorn's chest.
Both the man and elf's eyes went wide.
Aragorn's eyes stared at the arrow protruding from his chest then glanced at Legolas.
This time, the elf saw a change in the human's eyes. They were the eyes that truly belonged to Aragorn and Legolas barely heard his choked whisper.
"L-L-Legolas…"
Aragorn's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the ground.
Legolas felt his bow slip from his fingers and his eyes went further wide and he found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
"No…no…I…I didn't…mean…"
Legolas stared at his fallen friend, whom he had only just found and now it appeared it had lost him, this time for good and no less by his own hand.
Tears started falling thickly and fast down the elf's face as shock induced shudders wracked his body.
He never meant to fire that arrow…it had all been on instincts.
His mind was racing and pounding painfully.
How could he? How could he have shot…killed his own friend…the friend he had been searching for all this time.
"ARAGORN!!!!"
The scream was heard over a vast distance, even as far as Rivendell.
He held the bleeding form of Aragorn in his arms, burying his face in the ranger's black hair, sobbing uncontrollably and whispering over and over again to him that he didn't mean it, that he was sorry, praying for him to come back.
It was only when a soft sound escaped between the man's lips that Legolas slowly lifted his head and looked at him more closely.
Lying Aragorn on the ground, the elf prince leaned down and rested an ear on the man's chest.
Words could not have expressed the utter relief and joy that came over Legolas when he felt the weak beating of the human's heart, as well as his breathing.
Legolas shook himself back to his senses and without wasting a single second he carefully gathered Aragorn in his arms and stormed into a rapid sprint towards Rivendell.
The arrow had not hit the man's heart. Though perilously weak, Aragorn was alive.
TBC…
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-Fears Gather; Fears Command
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know how to live through this hell
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
---- Metallica ~ Trapped Under Ice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elladan started to stir awake, his eyes shifting under his closed eyelids.
As a slight moan escaped softly from his dry lips he felt a delicate touch, someone's hand was placed upon one of his own.
Slowly opening his eyes, and blinking several times so his eyes could adjust to the light and focus, Elladan stared up into a pair of eyes that matched his. Elladan smiled in recognition.
"Elrohir." His voice was but a whisper, his throat parched and sore.
"Elladan." Came a compassionate reply.
The newly awoken elf froze, blinking as his tried to take in what had just been said, or who had said it. He felt startled and astonishment accumulated inside him.
"Elrohir…you…you…"
Elrohir smiled down on his twin brother and gave a quick nod of the head. Giving Elladan's hand a quick squeeze of reassurance Elrohir leaned forward and tenderly kissed his brother's forehead.
"You…worried me." Elrohir said.
Elladan didn't even feel the tears come to his eyes. He was too consumed by the staggering joy building within his heart.
At long last, his twin brother was talking again.
Elrohir noticed a small choke utter from his brother's mouth and he looked worriedly at him.
"E-Elladan? Are…you…alright?" He stuttered slightly.
Though it was painful for him, Elladan ignored the discomfort and sat up in the bed and gently wrapped his arms around Elrohir's back, pulling his twin forward in a hug.
"No Elrohir…no I am fine." Came the shaky reply.
"Then…why are you…crying?"
"Because…I am happy."
Elrohir looked at his twin and smiled at the joyous look in his eyes.
Just then the door to the room opened and Moranuen stepped in with Celboril behind him.
"Elrohir, would you like…" Moranuen stopped when he saw Elladan sitting up in his bed. "Elladan! You're awake!"
Celboril left to get Lord Elrond as Moranuen walked over to Elrohir and Elladan, a smile on his face.
"How do you feel?"
"Terrible." Elladan complained with a small moan, prompting Elrohir to help ease him back in his bed. "I ache and my chest hurts a fair bit."
"I'm not surprised. That's where the arrow hit you."
"Arrow?"
As Moranuen explained how Elrohir had come back the previous night with him badly wounded, Lord Elrond and Celboril came into the room. The elven lord smiled at his son.
"How do you feel my son?"
"Moranuen just asked that." Elladan grumbled. "I do not wish to repeat myself."
"I'm glad to see that you are back to normal." Celboril said with a smile from behind Moranuen.
As the older twin rolled his eyes, Elrohir spoke for his brother, "He said that he felt terrible; achy all over and his chest hurts."
The lord of Rivendell smiled and gave a nod to Elrohir and took one of Elladan's hands, "You worried me my son."
"I'm sorry father." Elladan replied.
Elladan felt a twinge of guilt inside him for worrying his father. Ever since Aragorn's disappearance a year ago Elrond had been deeply hurt by it and now worried about his sons much more than he used to. But like Legolas, he believed his human son was still alive.
"What I want to know is who did this and why." Elrond finally spoke.
Celboril nodded in silent agreement as Moranuen scoffed and replied, "Someone who has a grievance with elves."
Elrohir slowly lowered his head as he tried to blink away tears.
For he had indeed seen who had fired that arrow that had nearly killed his brother, but his heart refused to believe it.
Elrohir sighed and looked out the window across the room and softly murmured, "Estel."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas couldn't believe it; he simply could not believe it.
The person who had fired this dark arrow…it couldn't be…Aragorn…
"No…it can't be…could it?"
The arrow was unmistakably Aragorn's arrow, therefore it had to be Aragorn that had fired it.
Legolas shook his head, not allowing himself to think that way, but the growing evidence was pointing to no other outcome.
The elf prince glanced up to the direction that the projectile had been shot from and made his way over.
He bent down and noticed the imprinted foot marks in the ground and traced them across the ground. Standing up and placing both arrows in his quiver, he followed the tracks at a brisk pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The master will not be pleased Elmorn."
The man grimaced, forcing his teeth together as he spun to face the orc talking to him.
"You think I do not know that?" He replied sharply.
"Then perhaps the master was wrong to trust you to complete this mission." Another said.
The man's eyes widened with a seething fury and he swiftly pulled out his sword, pointing the blade up to the orc's neck.
"Do not question my loyalties or my abilities." He said in a demonic tone. "I obey my master without hesitation and my skills are flawless. What fails me is the remainder of my conscience."
The orcs sneered and glared at the human who turned his gaze back into the forest and lowering his blade.
"Then perhaps the master will need to beat that last bit out of you."
The tall mortal involuntarily flinched.
The memories of the last time he had been 'given a lesson' by his master were still raw in his mind and the dull pain across his back made itself known for a moment.
"Or we could do it for you." The lead orc said, clutching the whip in his hand more tightly.
The man inhaled and exhaled just a little jittery and he turned back to the orcs.
"Do as you what you must, just as long as the voice inside my mind leaves me I care not what you do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas heard the screeching of delighted orcs as he passed from tree to tree and he shuddered.
He knew that they were torturing some helpless soul by the sound of their jeers and the pace of his breathing increased as the sounds got louder.
As the elf prince settled into a crouched position in one of the trees he stretched upward just a little so that he could get a better view of what was happening in front of him.
There was a small clearing and indeed within it there were screaming orcs.
But when his eyes flickered to what they were screaming at, his whole body froze.
A stray beam of moonlight entered the clearing and fell upon the face of the victim of the orcs and all breath left the elf's tense body.
There, pushed up against a tree, being whipped mercilessly, was the man he had been searching for, for one whole year.
It was Aragorn.
Legolas couldn't believe it.
He had hoped beyond all hope that Estel was still alive, and now that he had found him he couldn't believe it.
What was even worse was that he was being tortured by orcs.
A bubbling rage stewed within the elf prince and before his mind had registered what he was doing, he had an arrow already notched to his bow and sent it flying.
The surprised shriek of the first orc rang out through the air as it fell dead to the damp ground. The other orcs stopped their torment and turned, only to be ambushed by a wave of deadly arrows.
There hadn't been many orcs there in the camp, so they were all easily slain before they had any clue as to who was attacking them.
Aragorn slid down the large tree trunk panting heavily as Legolas leapt down from the tree he was concealed in and rushed over to his human friend.
"Strider! Oh the valar Strider!" He was crying as he made his way over to the man. "I knew you were alive! I just knew you were, though how I know not. What has happened to you all this time?"
Pain stung and numbed most of his body, but Aragorn forced himself to look at his would-be savoir and glared when he saw the bodies of the orcs littering the ground.
He began to breathe even more heavily as a burning rage fathomed up inside him. Legolas noticed the change and stopped.
"Strider…Estel, what is it?"
What…" He growled, slowly lifting his scratched and head up to pin the elf with a chilling glare. "What…have you done?!!!"
Aragorn leapt to his feet and had his bow in his hand in a second. As fast as lightening he had notched an arrow and fired it.
The black projectile slammed into Legolas' shoulder and the elf cried in surprise and shock, stumbling backwards.
In the second it took for Aragorn to notch another arrow to his bow, Legolas stared in utter shock into the man's eyes and saw how they were different.
They were not the usual silvery eyes he had known his human friend to have; they were glazed and as black as the night.
Legolas drove himself to his feet and dodged the next incoming arrow and darted behind a nearby tree.
The elf prince was now acting on instincts as he grabbed his bow, notching an arrow to it. All reason and logic had fled from his mind and he spun sharply around the tree.
He only just managed to duck in time to avoid the third arrow and realised his own.
It soared with the precise accuracy that Legolas was known for and it stuck the right side of Aragorn's chest.
Both the man and elf's eyes went wide.
Aragorn's eyes stared at the arrow protruding from his chest then glanced at Legolas.
This time, the elf saw a change in the human's eyes. They were the eyes that truly belonged to Aragorn and Legolas barely heard his choked whisper.
"L-L-Legolas…"
Aragorn's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the ground.
Legolas felt his bow slip from his fingers and his eyes went further wide and he found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
"No…no…I…I didn't…mean…"
Legolas stared at his fallen friend, whom he had only just found and now it appeared it had lost him, this time for good and no less by his own hand.
Tears started falling thickly and fast down the elf's face as shock induced shudders wracked his body.
He never meant to fire that arrow…it had all been on instincts.
His mind was racing and pounding painfully.
How could he? How could he have shot…killed his own friend…the friend he had been searching for all this time.
"ARAGORN!!!!"
The scream was heard over a vast distance, even as far as Rivendell.
He held the bleeding form of Aragorn in his arms, burying his face in the ranger's black hair, sobbing uncontrollably and whispering over and over again to him that he didn't mean it, that he was sorry, praying for him to come back.
It was only when a soft sound escaped between the man's lips that Legolas slowly lifted his head and looked at him more closely.
Lying Aragorn on the ground, the elf prince leaned down and rested an ear on the man's chest.
Words could not have expressed the utter relief and joy that came over Legolas when he felt the weak beating of the human's heart, as well as his breathing.
Legolas shook himself back to his senses and without wasting a single second he carefully gathered Aragorn in his arms and stormed into a rapid sprint towards Rivendell.
The arrow had not hit the man's heart. Though perilously weak, Aragorn was alive.
TBC…