Disclaimer: I've been asking LOTR for my birthday since I was like 9…and I still don't own it…so I'll let you know when it's mine *cough*never*cough*
Author Notes: Answering to the overwhelming demand…not…but I overwhelmed myself with my demand, I'm writing more *Grin* Thank you to those kind souls who took pity on me and reviewed the 'vague' first chapter, as someone put it. Just in case, it was supposed to be vague, otherwise I would have gone right ahead and told the names of everybody…
And for those interested in "Master in Deceiving"…Chapter 27 is now up, but other than that, I'm stuck! I'll try to get something out soon, I promise…
Again, I'm Chilean; I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes.
Echoes in the Passageways
By Yours Truly
He turned his eyes towards the dancing colours of the flames that burned steadily within the fireplace of the library, before sighing and rising from his comfortable seat, walking at a brisk pace towards the balcony with the steps of his friend close behind him. He stood before the window, unwilling to open the glass doors and face the cold of the night, as he was unwilling to face the piercing gaze of the man that stood behind him.
"What do you intend with this folly? You know well you should not have heard the words of that old man, alive now only by my own mercy" His voice had gone soft with weariness. He struggled to ignore the bizarre alerts that resounded in his head while he stood here, looking towards the stars of Elbereth with his back to his friend.
"My Lord…" His friend's voice started respectfully, a strange note almost disguised by the trust that existed between them, but still perceivable to him "the seer has told me…"
The mere mention of that title brought on anger within him. Images of the past danced behind his eyes and he was unable to contain his reply, interrupting his friend's words "It matters not what he has made-up now! Why did you go to him in the first place?"
His friend hesitated, before placing a hand in his shoulder "He called for me, sire…you should hear this, it concerns you, it concern us all!"
He half turned his head to the side, seeing the silhouette of the man standing close behind him, as the hand on his shoulder was withdrawn "Do you remember what he spoke long ago? Do you remember the words he said to put his life in peril?"
"I do, sire, but you must understand…" His friend's voice was beginning to bear an edge of anxiety to it, which bothered him enough to interrupt the explanation again.
"It was treason, my friend" His voice now held a dangerous note to it, which the other man was quick to notice "That man was banished from this Kingdom for it, and a meeting with him was not within your schedule when you left this castle towards the North…" Suspicious eyes studied the hazy reflection in the windowpane in front of him "Was it?"
"Of course not, my Lord!" His friend was quick to reassure "He called for me, while I stayed at an Inn, at
Bree…I went because he said he had important news, knowledge that our Kingdom could not spare! And he did, my Lord, you must listen to me"
"I will, my friend, but please have in mind…you are speaking the words of a treasonous man, and you run the risk of being accused of the same faults"
"You would do such?" The voice of the man he had trusted for years sounded suddenly shaken, almost afraid, and he no longer knew what to expect from him.
"I would do what I see is right, you know this well" He nodded to the other's reflection "Proceed, what is this crucial knowledge?"
A pause followed his question, and then a sigh that resounded in the room "I fear for my life, my liege, he spoke of great pain and bloodshed"
"He spoke treason once more? He spoke with distrust for the strength of my reign, as he once did?" His voice rose with its anger, remembering how years ago, the one who had lived in this very castle spoke words of a terrible connotation…words that had marked that man's fate, causing him to be banished from his Kingdom.
A pause, and steps that moved towards the doorway were his answer, before his friend's voice drifted across the room to his ears "He did, sire…he spoke of treason"
"Why the eagerness to pass this news to me, then, my friend?" He turned around and was faced with the back of the other man, who was almost out the door.
"That man was convinced of his claims, my Lord, I saw it as my duty to warn you…this are dark times we live in" Here his friend paused and he felt his back tensing in anticipation to the other's next words "As your friend, mostly, I thought it my duty to try one last time to make you see what lies in front of your very eyes"
His hand clenched into a fist and his eyes flashed with red fury "You call me blind then?" The cold tone his voice had taken seemed to be more frightening to the other man than his anger had been, as his frame shuddered noticeably "You say the Kingdom will fall, as that old man does, as this so called 'seer' has said? You see blood upon my Kingdom?"
"Nay, my Lord" the other answered calmly "I see nothing, for nothing has yet come to pass…I see the same things you see…only perhaps with a different standpoint…I am not a King like you, after all"
"You do not want to play with me, *friend*" His voice lowered dangerously, angered even further when the other man refused to turn around and face him…much as he himself had done earlier, he acknowledged later on to himself.
"Nay, Lord, I do not," The other man turned quickly and bowed, before giving another step towards the doorway of the library "Please excuse me"
And he was gone.
Storming back towards the glass doors that lead to the balcony, he now opened them forcefully, and the cold night air hit him brusquely, startling him…
…Out of his dreams.
Legolas gasped for breath as he sat up upright in his bed, his right hand clutching his head as a short wave of lightheadedness hit him. His forehead was drenched in sweat, a strange thing for an elf, and he couldn't quench the building panic within his chest as he stood from the bed without thinking. Rushing towards his wardrobe he dressed in clean garments, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts of some threat he couldn't name, too caught up in the images of his dream to realize everything was peaceful. He ran out of his guest room, blond hair flying behind him.
He had to hurry, that was all he knew. Legolas ran at full speed, in a desperate search for…
…For…
…What?
His mind slowly clearing somewhat, the Elf halted in his sprint and shut his eyes tiredly a hand reaching up to massage his aching temples. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he opened his eyes slowly, realizing that the morning was still a few hours away. Guilt assaulted him when he looked back the way he had come. He must have startled many a guard with his mad dash towards…somewhere…
Where *had* he been going…and that dream…dream?
"Legolas?"
The soft voice made him jump as he turned his head quickly, meeting the confused gaze of Aragorn as the man stood in a doorway a few feet away.
"Legolas, what is it?"
Not knowing how to answer, Legolas just stood there observing the man. His friend. Tilting his head to the side he narrowed his eyes carefully, caught again within the strange visions of earlier. He reached a hand towards Aragorn and whispered softly, not aware of the words he was uttering.
"What am I doing there?"
The reflection in the windowpane…what had been *his* reflection in the windowpane…
He had been…Aragorn…in his dream?
No…no…Aragorn had different eyes…different stance…the hair was longer and the beard shorter…
"You have come" Legolas whispered in awe, his blue eyes widening and a smile spreading across his face "I knew you would come"
"Legolas?" Aragorn frowned at his friend, his eyes clouding with worry and confusion as he walked carefully closer "What is it? What are you whispering?"
"Legolas?" The Elf frowned at his words and looked down at himself, bringing a pale hand to study it carefully with sharp blue eyes, lifting the same hand to take a hold of a golden strand of hair and study it disbelievingly. He seemed honestly confused as he did this, and when the hand found one of his pointed ears, understanding seemed to down in him. "An Elf…" Legolas whispered in surprise "You can see me then…"
Aragorn reached his friend's side now, having heard the latest whispers his brow wrinkled in further confusion "Legolas…"
Legolas smiled and looked up at him, this time revealing to the human that his eyes were clear blue no longer, but a hazy grey "Nay, my boy, that is not my name" The Elf whispered and moved to embrace him "But I shall explain later…I must…let me look at you…"
"Legolas, what is this…? Are you well, what is this sorcery?" Aragorn asked worriedly, finding no sign of his elven friend in the gaze that studied him fondly
"I know not how this gift came to me…but keep your friend close, my boy, keep him here with you for I shall need his help" Legolas whispered sadly "We both will need his help"
"What…Who…?"
"This elf" Legolas pointed at himself "Keep him close, Aragorn, we will need his help"
"Who are you…?" Aragorn sounded baffled as he found some sense in this bizarre exchange
A smile grazed Legolas' lips and he adverted his gaze "As much as I desire to tell you, you are not ready for the knowledge, my boy" A sigh and a last lingering caress to his cheek from Legolas came then, Aragorn standing there, too shocked to do much else "I will go now…I shall leave your friend in peace…don't let him go yet, Aragorn, you will need him, as will I"
And then Legolas' eyes closed, his body stumbling as if exhausted, and by his fast reflexes only did Aragorn managed to catch him before he fell. Confused blue eyes looked up at him as they blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the strangeness of the situation.
"Aragorn?"
To be continued
Please R&R!
siberian_blue18@yahoo.com
Author Notes: Answering to the overwhelming demand…not…but I overwhelmed myself with my demand, I'm writing more *Grin* Thank you to those kind souls who took pity on me and reviewed the 'vague' first chapter, as someone put it. Just in case, it was supposed to be vague, otherwise I would have gone right ahead and told the names of everybody…
And for those interested in "Master in Deceiving"…Chapter 27 is now up, but other than that, I'm stuck! I'll try to get something out soon, I promise…
Again, I'm Chilean; I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes.
Echoes in the Passageways
By Yours Truly
He turned his eyes towards the dancing colours of the flames that burned steadily within the fireplace of the library, before sighing and rising from his comfortable seat, walking at a brisk pace towards the balcony with the steps of his friend close behind him. He stood before the window, unwilling to open the glass doors and face the cold of the night, as he was unwilling to face the piercing gaze of the man that stood behind him.
"What do you intend with this folly? You know well you should not have heard the words of that old man, alive now only by my own mercy" His voice had gone soft with weariness. He struggled to ignore the bizarre alerts that resounded in his head while he stood here, looking towards the stars of Elbereth with his back to his friend.
"My Lord…" His friend's voice started respectfully, a strange note almost disguised by the trust that existed between them, but still perceivable to him "the seer has told me…"
The mere mention of that title brought on anger within him. Images of the past danced behind his eyes and he was unable to contain his reply, interrupting his friend's words "It matters not what he has made-up now! Why did you go to him in the first place?"
His friend hesitated, before placing a hand in his shoulder "He called for me, sire…you should hear this, it concerns you, it concern us all!"
He half turned his head to the side, seeing the silhouette of the man standing close behind him, as the hand on his shoulder was withdrawn "Do you remember what he spoke long ago? Do you remember the words he said to put his life in peril?"
"I do, sire, but you must understand…" His friend's voice was beginning to bear an edge of anxiety to it, which bothered him enough to interrupt the explanation again.
"It was treason, my friend" His voice now held a dangerous note to it, which the other man was quick to notice "That man was banished from this Kingdom for it, and a meeting with him was not within your schedule when you left this castle towards the North…" Suspicious eyes studied the hazy reflection in the windowpane in front of him "Was it?"
"Of course not, my Lord!" His friend was quick to reassure "He called for me, while I stayed at an Inn, at
Bree…I went because he said he had important news, knowledge that our Kingdom could not spare! And he did, my Lord, you must listen to me"
"I will, my friend, but please have in mind…you are speaking the words of a treasonous man, and you run the risk of being accused of the same faults"
"You would do such?" The voice of the man he had trusted for years sounded suddenly shaken, almost afraid, and he no longer knew what to expect from him.
"I would do what I see is right, you know this well" He nodded to the other's reflection "Proceed, what is this crucial knowledge?"
A pause followed his question, and then a sigh that resounded in the room "I fear for my life, my liege, he spoke of great pain and bloodshed"
"He spoke treason once more? He spoke with distrust for the strength of my reign, as he once did?" His voice rose with its anger, remembering how years ago, the one who had lived in this very castle spoke words of a terrible connotation…words that had marked that man's fate, causing him to be banished from his Kingdom.
A pause, and steps that moved towards the doorway were his answer, before his friend's voice drifted across the room to his ears "He did, sire…he spoke of treason"
"Why the eagerness to pass this news to me, then, my friend?" He turned around and was faced with the back of the other man, who was almost out the door.
"That man was convinced of his claims, my Lord, I saw it as my duty to warn you…this are dark times we live in" Here his friend paused and he felt his back tensing in anticipation to the other's next words "As your friend, mostly, I thought it my duty to try one last time to make you see what lies in front of your very eyes"
His hand clenched into a fist and his eyes flashed with red fury "You call me blind then?" The cold tone his voice had taken seemed to be more frightening to the other man than his anger had been, as his frame shuddered noticeably "You say the Kingdom will fall, as that old man does, as this so called 'seer' has said? You see blood upon my Kingdom?"
"Nay, my Lord" the other answered calmly "I see nothing, for nothing has yet come to pass…I see the same things you see…only perhaps with a different standpoint…I am not a King like you, after all"
"You do not want to play with me, *friend*" His voice lowered dangerously, angered even further when the other man refused to turn around and face him…much as he himself had done earlier, he acknowledged later on to himself.
"Nay, Lord, I do not," The other man turned quickly and bowed, before giving another step towards the doorway of the library "Please excuse me"
And he was gone.
Storming back towards the glass doors that lead to the balcony, he now opened them forcefully, and the cold night air hit him brusquely, startling him…
…Out of his dreams.
Legolas gasped for breath as he sat up upright in his bed, his right hand clutching his head as a short wave of lightheadedness hit him. His forehead was drenched in sweat, a strange thing for an elf, and he couldn't quench the building panic within his chest as he stood from the bed without thinking. Rushing towards his wardrobe he dressed in clean garments, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts of some threat he couldn't name, too caught up in the images of his dream to realize everything was peaceful. He ran out of his guest room, blond hair flying behind him.
He had to hurry, that was all he knew. Legolas ran at full speed, in a desperate search for…
…For…
…What?
His mind slowly clearing somewhat, the Elf halted in his sprint and shut his eyes tiredly a hand reaching up to massage his aching temples. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he opened his eyes slowly, realizing that the morning was still a few hours away. Guilt assaulted him when he looked back the way he had come. He must have startled many a guard with his mad dash towards…somewhere…
Where *had* he been going…and that dream…dream?
"Legolas?"
The soft voice made him jump as he turned his head quickly, meeting the confused gaze of Aragorn as the man stood in a doorway a few feet away.
"Legolas, what is it?"
Not knowing how to answer, Legolas just stood there observing the man. His friend. Tilting his head to the side he narrowed his eyes carefully, caught again within the strange visions of earlier. He reached a hand towards Aragorn and whispered softly, not aware of the words he was uttering.
"What am I doing there?"
The reflection in the windowpane…what had been *his* reflection in the windowpane…
He had been…Aragorn…in his dream?
No…no…Aragorn had different eyes…different stance…the hair was longer and the beard shorter…
"You have come" Legolas whispered in awe, his blue eyes widening and a smile spreading across his face "I knew you would come"
"Legolas?" Aragorn frowned at his friend, his eyes clouding with worry and confusion as he walked carefully closer "What is it? What are you whispering?"
"Legolas?" The Elf frowned at his words and looked down at himself, bringing a pale hand to study it carefully with sharp blue eyes, lifting the same hand to take a hold of a golden strand of hair and study it disbelievingly. He seemed honestly confused as he did this, and when the hand found one of his pointed ears, understanding seemed to down in him. "An Elf…" Legolas whispered in surprise "You can see me then…"
Aragorn reached his friend's side now, having heard the latest whispers his brow wrinkled in further confusion "Legolas…"
Legolas smiled and looked up at him, this time revealing to the human that his eyes were clear blue no longer, but a hazy grey "Nay, my boy, that is not my name" The Elf whispered and moved to embrace him "But I shall explain later…I must…let me look at you…"
"Legolas, what is this…? Are you well, what is this sorcery?" Aragorn asked worriedly, finding no sign of his elven friend in the gaze that studied him fondly
"I know not how this gift came to me…but keep your friend close, my boy, keep him here with you for I shall need his help" Legolas whispered sadly "We both will need his help"
"What…Who…?"
"This elf" Legolas pointed at himself "Keep him close, Aragorn, we will need his help"
"Who are you…?" Aragorn sounded baffled as he found some sense in this bizarre exchange
A smile grazed Legolas' lips and he adverted his gaze "As much as I desire to tell you, you are not ready for the knowledge, my boy" A sigh and a last lingering caress to his cheek from Legolas came then, Aragorn standing there, too shocked to do much else "I will go now…I shall leave your friend in peace…don't let him go yet, Aragorn, you will need him, as will I"
And then Legolas' eyes closed, his body stumbling as if exhausted, and by his fast reflexes only did Aragorn managed to catch him before he fell. Confused blue eyes looked up at him as they blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the strangeness of the situation.
"Aragorn?"
To be continued
Please R&R!
siberian_blue18@yahoo.com