Diphylla the Malevolent - Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Same as before.
Warning: Same as before.
A/N: Here we go, hope you enjoy!
Another A/N: '' is Elvish, "" is Common, / / is thought.
- - - - -
'Prince Legolas, are you hurt?' one of the elves asked as he helped him up. When the prince did not respond, he sent a worried look to Aragorn who was getting up.
'Go see if there were any that were left behind. Bring them in. Alive,' Aragorn commanded as he glared at the injured elf prince, and the five elves dispersed to check to the forest.
'Aragorn, I am exceedingly sorry. They came while I was checking on Haldi-' he was cut off by Aragorn's blow that struck him square in the jaw. The elf staggered and bumped into the gnarly old oak tree behind him for support, 'Arago-'
'You lost my family because you wanted time alone with Haldir?' Aragorn roared as he grabbed the delicate elf by his green tunic and shoved him against the tree.
'No! I was checking on him because he had not come back from scouting the area!'
'Liar!' he shouted as he threw Legolas into the tree once more.
'Aragorn, old friend, you must believe me! She seduced Haldir and he attacked... me...' he trailed as it clicked in his mind. He looked at Aragorn; eyes clouded over with thought and damp with unshed tears of sorrow. /She seduced Haldir... female vampires are only able to seduce men and women that prefer women... which means... Haldir has to prefer women in order to be seduced, which means... he could never have loved me./
'Legolas? What is wrong?' Aragorn asked when the elf fell silent, despite his anger at the elf for losing his family to the Undead.
'Nothing.'
Once back in Rivendell, Legolas headed directly for his quarter where he lay on his bed and wept. /Haldir never loved me... it was a lie... and I fell for it! I lost Aragorn's family to the Undead... oh gods, help me!/
The grief-stricken elf struck his pillow, barely containing a cry of anguish. /Why must I be so foolish?/ he thought angrily to himself. /Why can I not think before I act? I should have stayed with Arwen and the children! I should have realized Haldir's absence meant that there was an enemy... which would have made it my first priority to accompany Arwen and the children to safety before I searched for Haldir! Damn my foolishness! Because of it, innocents will suffer!/
A little while afterward, Legolas stood and walked to the adjacent bathroom while brushing away stray tears to clean the cut on his hand that was still bleeding freely. He gently washed the drying blood off with a soft, dark cloth, wincing slightly as the fabric brushed against the bare flesh. He went back into the room, searched through his pack, and found some bandages. He applied a healing balm to the cut, and then wrapped it tightly in a pale green bandage. Satisfied with his handiwork, the young prince sighed and walked out to the balcony attached to the main room.
Legolas leant against the intricate wooden railing, enjoying the peaceful breeze that gently blew through his long blond hair, causing him to smile regardless of the pain he was in. He gazed longingly at the blossoming trees around him, spreading many shades of green and many different vibrant pinks and light purples, desperately wanting to have Haldir in his arms.
/But I cannot, for he has chosen the path of darkness, which I will not follow for an unfaithful lover,/ Legolas thought miserably. /Oh, what I would give to have someone to confide in right now.../
Sadly, he leant heavily on the railing, trying to compress his unhappy thoughts. He let his eyes wander over the beautiful landscape, catching on the sight of a few children playing a simple little game. One of the children, a little girl, was blindfolded and was trying to touch the others who were dancing and giggling around her. A boy pulled on her shirt, and she whipped around and tackled him, going down in a heap of arms and legs. She called out his name, and he was then blindfolded and the game proceeded as before.
He smiled, but it quickly flickered into a small frown. Dejectedly he walked back into his room, and was about to go for a walk around the grounds when there was a soft knock at the door. He quickly strode over and opened the door to see Aragorn and Lord Elrond. 'Yes?'
'I would like to have a word with you, Legolas,' Elrond said quietly, while Aragorn remained silent. It did not slip past the elf when Aragorn's eyes lingered on the forming bruise at Legolas' jaw.
'Surely this can wait until the morrow, Lord Elrond?'
'I am afraid, young one, that it cannot.' Legolas nodded in submission, and went to sit on the bed, indicating a chair that Elrond could use. 'Now, Aragorn here has said that you mentioned something about a female vampire, but I want to hear the story from the beginning, if you would be so kind.'
After the blond elf retold the events, Elrond sat in deep thought while Aragorn kept his eyes to the floor, absorbing what was said. 'This is disturbing news indeed,' Elrond commented quietly. 'We must hold a council at once to discuss this matter and determine how we are going to resolve this problem and rescue those taken.' With this, Lord Elrond exited the room, leaving Aragorn and Legolas alone to talk.
The two sat in awkward silence for some moments before Aragorn, who could not stand it anymore, stood up and walked to the window where he placed his hands and forehead gently on the glass. Legolas listened to his friend's movement, keeping his eyes downcast towards the seat Lord Elrond had sat in.
'Legolas?'
'Yes?'
'Do you know how it feels to lose someone you love dearly? More than any other object in Middle Earth?'
'Yes,' was the whispered reply. The young elf prince had closed his eyes, trying to ignore the lurch of his heart at the subject.
'Now imagine it three times worse.'
Legolas had nothing to say to this. He knew that it was unbearable to lose a lover, but even more so to lose your family. He could not even fathom how Aragorn could manage this agonizing event.
Before the elf could ponder further, he heard Aragorn weeping softly. Without thinking, he went to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. Aragorn turned and hugged his old friend, clutching, as if he were a child being held by his mother after having a nightmare. Legolas stroked the Ranger's hair, trying to soothe is friend, horrified by the haunted look he saw on his face.
/What have I done?/ the elf thought in dismay. /Why must I always be so damn foolish?/ Suddenly Aragorn recoiled, as if he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Hurt, the prince stepped back. Glaring at the one whom he had just embraced for consolidation, Aragorn turned on his heel and headed for the doorway.
'Aragorn!' Legolas cried, reaching out towards his old friend who stopped at his name. 'I am sorry for your loss, but I feel it as well!'
'You only feel it because you are the one responsible for losing them,' Aragorn hissed, looking back.
'That is not the only reason, Aragorn, but it makes dealing with this worse. I love them as I would love my own. You should know this, of all people.'
'If you really love them, you would not have let the Undead take them.'
'Aragorn, if you were there, she would have seduced you as well! You could not have stopped it, no one could have,' Legolas said, retracting his hand as Aragorn turned to face him. 'I do not think my being there would have been enough to stop it, even though I fought as best I could against the Undead.'
'You could have brought more guards-'
'Arwen would not allow it! She was reluctant to even have Haldir come with us!'
'That is because she knows about your relationship and did not want it to interfere if something like this occurred!'
'I was lucky to get out alive! And if Diphylla knows who they are, she will surely not harm them until she has made an agreement of some sort for you to get them back!'
'By the time we rescue them, they could be worse than dead, regardless of their status!' Aragorn shouted, coming within inches of the prince's face.
'Aragorn, you do not realize what you are up against! This is worse than Sauron, doubt it as you may, but it is true! We had the Ring and we knew that if we destroyed it, we destroyed Sauron. But this new evil, if you cut them down, a simple spell will bring them back! Their bones come back together into their proper positions, and they attack once more! They do not breathe, they do not bleed; you must completely sever the head to stop them, but even then, they come back! We have no idea how to stop these things, nor the Vampire Mage, Diphylla!'
Legolas was going to continue, but Aragorn shoved him backward into the chair Lord Elrond sat in before. 'I do not care what the odds are, or who the enemy is! They have my wife and children, and I will be damned if I do not do something to save them!'
'Aragorn, I will try to help-'
'I do not want your help, Legolas.' And with that, he left.
- - - - -
A/N: A very special thanks to Enigma Jade for her review! You motivated me to try and get the next chapter out a little faster! ^___^
Disclaimer: Same as before.
Warning: Same as before.
A/N: Here we go, hope you enjoy!
Another A/N: '' is Elvish, "" is Common, / / is thought.
- - - - -
'Prince Legolas, are you hurt?' one of the elves asked as he helped him up. When the prince did not respond, he sent a worried look to Aragorn who was getting up.
'Go see if there were any that were left behind. Bring them in. Alive,' Aragorn commanded as he glared at the injured elf prince, and the five elves dispersed to check to the forest.
'Aragorn, I am exceedingly sorry. They came while I was checking on Haldi-' he was cut off by Aragorn's blow that struck him square in the jaw. The elf staggered and bumped into the gnarly old oak tree behind him for support, 'Arago-'
'You lost my family because you wanted time alone with Haldir?' Aragorn roared as he grabbed the delicate elf by his green tunic and shoved him against the tree.
'No! I was checking on him because he had not come back from scouting the area!'
'Liar!' he shouted as he threw Legolas into the tree once more.
'Aragorn, old friend, you must believe me! She seduced Haldir and he attacked... me...' he trailed as it clicked in his mind. He looked at Aragorn; eyes clouded over with thought and damp with unshed tears of sorrow. /She seduced Haldir... female vampires are only able to seduce men and women that prefer women... which means... Haldir has to prefer women in order to be seduced, which means... he could never have loved me./
'Legolas? What is wrong?' Aragorn asked when the elf fell silent, despite his anger at the elf for losing his family to the Undead.
'Nothing.'
Once back in Rivendell, Legolas headed directly for his quarter where he lay on his bed and wept. /Haldir never loved me... it was a lie... and I fell for it! I lost Aragorn's family to the Undead... oh gods, help me!/
The grief-stricken elf struck his pillow, barely containing a cry of anguish. /Why must I be so foolish?/ he thought angrily to himself. /Why can I not think before I act? I should have stayed with Arwen and the children! I should have realized Haldir's absence meant that there was an enemy... which would have made it my first priority to accompany Arwen and the children to safety before I searched for Haldir! Damn my foolishness! Because of it, innocents will suffer!/
A little while afterward, Legolas stood and walked to the adjacent bathroom while brushing away stray tears to clean the cut on his hand that was still bleeding freely. He gently washed the drying blood off with a soft, dark cloth, wincing slightly as the fabric brushed against the bare flesh. He went back into the room, searched through his pack, and found some bandages. He applied a healing balm to the cut, and then wrapped it tightly in a pale green bandage. Satisfied with his handiwork, the young prince sighed and walked out to the balcony attached to the main room.
Legolas leant against the intricate wooden railing, enjoying the peaceful breeze that gently blew through his long blond hair, causing him to smile regardless of the pain he was in. He gazed longingly at the blossoming trees around him, spreading many shades of green and many different vibrant pinks and light purples, desperately wanting to have Haldir in his arms.
/But I cannot, for he has chosen the path of darkness, which I will not follow for an unfaithful lover,/ Legolas thought miserably. /Oh, what I would give to have someone to confide in right now.../
Sadly, he leant heavily on the railing, trying to compress his unhappy thoughts. He let his eyes wander over the beautiful landscape, catching on the sight of a few children playing a simple little game. One of the children, a little girl, was blindfolded and was trying to touch the others who were dancing and giggling around her. A boy pulled on her shirt, and she whipped around and tackled him, going down in a heap of arms and legs. She called out his name, and he was then blindfolded and the game proceeded as before.
He smiled, but it quickly flickered into a small frown. Dejectedly he walked back into his room, and was about to go for a walk around the grounds when there was a soft knock at the door. He quickly strode over and opened the door to see Aragorn and Lord Elrond. 'Yes?'
'I would like to have a word with you, Legolas,' Elrond said quietly, while Aragorn remained silent. It did not slip past the elf when Aragorn's eyes lingered on the forming bruise at Legolas' jaw.
'Surely this can wait until the morrow, Lord Elrond?'
'I am afraid, young one, that it cannot.' Legolas nodded in submission, and went to sit on the bed, indicating a chair that Elrond could use. 'Now, Aragorn here has said that you mentioned something about a female vampire, but I want to hear the story from the beginning, if you would be so kind.'
After the blond elf retold the events, Elrond sat in deep thought while Aragorn kept his eyes to the floor, absorbing what was said. 'This is disturbing news indeed,' Elrond commented quietly. 'We must hold a council at once to discuss this matter and determine how we are going to resolve this problem and rescue those taken.' With this, Lord Elrond exited the room, leaving Aragorn and Legolas alone to talk.
The two sat in awkward silence for some moments before Aragorn, who could not stand it anymore, stood up and walked to the window where he placed his hands and forehead gently on the glass. Legolas listened to his friend's movement, keeping his eyes downcast towards the seat Lord Elrond had sat in.
'Legolas?'
'Yes?'
'Do you know how it feels to lose someone you love dearly? More than any other object in Middle Earth?'
'Yes,' was the whispered reply. The young elf prince had closed his eyes, trying to ignore the lurch of his heart at the subject.
'Now imagine it three times worse.'
Legolas had nothing to say to this. He knew that it was unbearable to lose a lover, but even more so to lose your family. He could not even fathom how Aragorn could manage this agonizing event.
Before the elf could ponder further, he heard Aragorn weeping softly. Without thinking, he went to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder. Aragorn turned and hugged his old friend, clutching, as if he were a child being held by his mother after having a nightmare. Legolas stroked the Ranger's hair, trying to soothe is friend, horrified by the haunted look he saw on his face.
/What have I done?/ the elf thought in dismay. /Why must I always be so damn foolish?/ Suddenly Aragorn recoiled, as if he was bitten by a poisonous snake. Hurt, the prince stepped back. Glaring at the one whom he had just embraced for consolidation, Aragorn turned on his heel and headed for the doorway.
'Aragorn!' Legolas cried, reaching out towards his old friend who stopped at his name. 'I am sorry for your loss, but I feel it as well!'
'You only feel it because you are the one responsible for losing them,' Aragorn hissed, looking back.
'That is not the only reason, Aragorn, but it makes dealing with this worse. I love them as I would love my own. You should know this, of all people.'
'If you really love them, you would not have let the Undead take them.'
'Aragorn, if you were there, she would have seduced you as well! You could not have stopped it, no one could have,' Legolas said, retracting his hand as Aragorn turned to face him. 'I do not think my being there would have been enough to stop it, even though I fought as best I could against the Undead.'
'You could have brought more guards-'
'Arwen would not allow it! She was reluctant to even have Haldir come with us!'
'That is because she knows about your relationship and did not want it to interfere if something like this occurred!'
'I was lucky to get out alive! And if Diphylla knows who they are, she will surely not harm them until she has made an agreement of some sort for you to get them back!'
'By the time we rescue them, they could be worse than dead, regardless of their status!' Aragorn shouted, coming within inches of the prince's face.
'Aragorn, you do not realize what you are up against! This is worse than Sauron, doubt it as you may, but it is true! We had the Ring and we knew that if we destroyed it, we destroyed Sauron. But this new evil, if you cut them down, a simple spell will bring them back! Their bones come back together into their proper positions, and they attack once more! They do not breathe, they do not bleed; you must completely sever the head to stop them, but even then, they come back! We have no idea how to stop these things, nor the Vampire Mage, Diphylla!'
Legolas was going to continue, but Aragorn shoved him backward into the chair Lord Elrond sat in before. 'I do not care what the odds are, or who the enemy is! They have my wife and children, and I will be damned if I do not do something to save them!'
'Aragorn, I will try to help-'
'I do not want your help, Legolas.' And with that, he left.
- - - - -
A/N: A very special thanks to Enigma Jade for her review! You motivated me to try and get the next chapter out a little faster! ^___^