The Difference

by Leafy

Rating: PG-13 for violence, bad attitudes, and tense situations.

Author's Note: This fanfic is loosely based on episodes of the television show, "Deep Space Nine", and is much more drawn from the movie of FOTR, than the book, though there are elements of both in here.

I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien or DS9.

Thank you for all the fabulous reviews, everybody! :o)

Due to the content of this chapter, I've relocated my responses to all of your wonderful reviews, to the end of it. I advise you to read the chapter before you read my responses, as they contain SPOILERS! :o)

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"Where once was light/Now darkness falls/Where once was love/Love is no more/Don't say - goodbye/Don't say - I didn't try… - Emiliana Torrini, "Gollum's Song"

Chapter 12

'As It Should Be'

Frodo slumped back on the ground beside Legolas' lifeless body, shielding his face with his hands as tears fell into them. He was gone…

"Mister Frodo," Sam said hesitantly, touching Frodo's arm.

"What?" Frodo whispered, not moving his face back into view.

"Look," Sam's tone was more bewildered than mournful.

Frodo looked up at Sam, seeing him pointing down at Legolas' body. Frodo looked back down at it in mystification, wondering what could possibly be so important that Sam would want him to dwell on the sad image now. As soon as he looked, though, Frodo saw it, though he could not understand it.

Legolas was covered in a soft, colorless light. It had somehow furtively encased his entire form, and had risen a few feet over him. It rose still higher, then paused just as Frodo looked up, and it began to fall back down, quite rapidly, shrinking in on itself. Instinctively, Frodo edged back a bit, looking in frightened amazement at Legolas' dead form, turning almost invisible as the new light brightened.

"What is it?" Sam called out, more in anxiety than in desire for an actual answer.

Before Frodo could respond (not that he could have responded authoritatively), the light grew blinding, and his eyes shut reflexively, as he fell back onto the ground in blinded surprise. Recovering himself, Frodo stood up and looked about, but saw only Sam in front of him, on the ground, looking with near fright and perplexity at the leaves on the ground that, though bloodied, contained no other trace of Legolas. The Elf had vanished.

"What's happened?" Sam gasped as he leaped to his feet, again mostly just to keep his fear in check.

"The light--," Frodo said vaguely, stepping closer and looking at the ground. "The light--"

Suddenly, there was another great flash and Frodo felt something large and unexpected fall across his feet, causing him to lose his balance and fall on top of it.

There was a surprised exclamation from underneath him as he came into contact with it, and Frodo felt whatever he'd fallen on spring into action, scurrying out into the open. Falling out of the way, Frodo looked up in time to see a strange male Elf, rather short and scrawny by Elven standards, scramble to his feet. The Elf looked down at his own chest briefly, patting the upper half down with his hands, though there seemed, to Frodo at least, to be nothing extraordinary about it. The strange Elf then looked back up at the hobbits, who stared back at him, speechless.

The Elf opened his mouth to speak, though he looked quite disoriented, himself. As if he suddenly realized that he had nothing to say, the Elf closed his mouth again, quite abruptly, reaching into and drawing something out from under his tattered robes. Frodo got quickly to his feet, as did Sam behind him.

Tossing the small and obviously light thing onto the ground in front of Frodo, the Elf turned and took off out of the clearing, heading deeper into the forest.

"Stop!" Sam cried falteringly, and he ran up to the edge of the trees, but then turned back to Frodo, who, instead of giving chase, was bent over, retrieving the apparent gift the strange being had left. Sam approached Frodo, looking at him with curiosity and worry. "What is that?"

Frodo said nothing, but brought the pouch up to his and Sam's eyes, for closer inspection. He opened the drawstring top easily, peering into the dark interior, then pouring a bit of the contents out into his hand. Fine gray ashes landed in a tiny pile there. Frodo frowned.

"What does this mean?" Sam said softly, clinging to the hope that his friend was simply more knowledgeable than he, in this matter. "Who was that? Where is Legolas?"

Frodo dumped the ashes in his hand back into the pouch. He didn't quite grasp what they had to do with the situation, but he felt that they'd played a definite, important part, and were given to the two of them as an explanation, by the strange Elf. As for the strange Elf, and the light, Frodo had a much clearer idea.

"Home," Frodo said softly. "Legolas was taken home. The light that claimed him was the portal of which he spoke, and the Elf, the smaller one that he told us about."

"Not the dangerous one?" Sam said in bewilderment.

Before Frodo could answer negatively, four horses bearing familiar Elf-guards surfaced through the trees, halting as they came upon the scene. The one in the middle, whom Frodo recognized as Hetegen, dismounted and came forward, looking worriedly at the fallen Detarmor, and the blood in two pools on the ground as Frodo hastily concealed the pouch of ashes inside his robes.

"My Lord," Hetegen said softly. "Are you alright? Has this scoundrel--"

"It's alright now, Hetegen," Frodo returned quietly, looking over with gloomy recall at Detarmor's ruined, inert body on the ground. "He came for us, but as you can see, we were not defenseless. All the same, it was foolish of me to leave so hurriedly. Lord Meriadoc is at the palace?"

"At our advising, my Lord," Hetegen replied, then turned to Detarmor, looking down at the criminal solemnly. "What shall we do with him?"

Frodo's dark look as he gazed down at Detarmor lessened, with an element of consideration added.

"Take him back," he said, without looking at the guard. "Bury him in the graveyard there. I do not think he has a land to go back to, nor any people that miss him."

"Yes, my Lord," Hetegen said, turning back and lifting Detarmor up off the ground, approaching one of the now-riderless horses, and delicately laying the dead Elf on its back, then mounting behind him.

As Hetegen was occupied with this, Frodo's own attention wandered to the ground where Detarmor had been lifted. Despite the heavy fall, there was no imprint left on the leaves. There was some blood from his torso wounds to mark the spot, but not half so much as what Legolas had left. Still, there was something interesting on the ground there. Something possibly pleasing.

Frodo hurried to the spot, whisking the thin, sturdy, unused arrow off the ground and straightening up. It was Legolas' arrow, the one that had been meant for Detarmor. It would serve a much better purpose, now, Frodo felt. As he held it in his hand, he knew that he would never forget the other Legolas, or what he'd done and said, while he was there. He would keep this arrow as he would keep the ashes, as something to remember him by, for the rest of his own days.

"You will come back with us, my Lord?" Hetegen spoke up, looking at Frodo again as Detarmor was established as secure in front of him, on the horse.

"Yes," Frodo said, tucking the arrow away, his eyes straying to the last meager pack of supplies at the edge of the clearing, that hadn't been lost with their horses. "Sam and I will. We won't be staying long, though. We're aren't finished."

**********

Aragorn's head began to spin as he looked with chagrined amazement at the spot where Emblethor had been just an instant ago. As the telltale light had vanished, so had he.

Emblethor had gone through the portal! He hadn't told them he was going to do that. True, he only just managed to regain enough consciousness to combine efforts with Gandalf, to launch the portal, and conversation was unlikely, but how could he have thought to do that? How could he have left them here like this, without the slightest warning?

"Legolas!"

Aragorn spun back from the wall at the sound of Frodo, calling the startling name, and was confronted with a much more startling, though also much more welcome sight; Legolas was sitting up on the floor in the center of the cell, looking confused and unsettled.

"What's happened?" Legolas gasped, scrambling to his feet. He suddenly bowed his head, looking in fixed amazement at his chest, his hands straying to and stretching at the fabric of his tunic, to get a look at the condition of his torso. There was no sword wound left there now. There was no blood there. There wasn't even a rip in the cloth of his clothes.

"You're alright!" Frodo exclaimed, coming forward to look with relief upon Legolas' baffled form. Legolas looked up, into the eyes of the Frodo he knew, and suddenly, he understood what had happened.

He'd been brought back. Somehow, the fellowship had managed to create another portal and bring him back here, back home. That was what all the light in his eyes had been in the clearing. And, it was the portal bringing him back that had saved him, that had brought him back from death, healing his wound as it had healed the cut on his face and his reduced braid, when he'd been sent through the portal, the first time.

Almost before Legolas had time to register all of these thoughts, the heavy wooden door of his new environment swung open, banging loudly as it collided with the wall in the opener's haste. Legolas turned in frightened unison with the rest of the fellowship, and was confronted with the one remaining Elf that Legolas detested, even feared.

Norgeth stood in the doorway, looking horribly displeased, even more so as he took in the scene in front of him. His eyes grew wide and fierce as he saw Legolas in the center of the room, surrounded by the others.

"So, this is the trick you thought could save you!" Norgeth exclaimed, whipping out his familiar, evil knife from under his robes and glaring around at them frantically, then running at Pippin, who had the misfortune to be close enough to reach, and newly-seen enough for Norgeth to specifically remember his injustice.

Pippin's own eyes grew wide in fright as the enraged Elf leaped at him like a tiger, his blade up. Pippin staggered back to get out of range, though he couldn't hope to move fast enough to save himself. Just as they moved, there was a familiar hiss, and Norgeth fell to the ground at the terrified hobbit's feet, dropping his blade and clutching at his throat, from which protruded one of Legolas' arrows. He let out a slight choking noise, looking up and around at Legolas before his own body stiffened slightly, and he fell back on the ground, dead.

The others turned to look in obliged surprise at Legolas, who lowered his bow, quite unsettled by what he'd just had to do. He had no idea what was going on now, where they were, and he couldn't see why that malicious Elf had focused his fury on poor Pippin. All he'd been able to see just then was the familiar blade, aimed at his innocent comrade.

And again, there was no time to clear the confusion. Just as Norgeth froze and fell, a sudden outpouring of Elf-guards erupted from the wall to Legolas' left, leaping through the hole, their swords raised and glinting.

"Come!" Aragorn's voice sounded, and Legolas saw him dash out of the open cell door, the others at his heels.

As Legolas ran out last, Aragorn pushed past him, slamming the cell door shut before more than a thrown sword got through after them, and shoving the wide, heavy iron bar at the door's midsection down into its horizontal position, locking the guards in. Though this was not the actual, complete locking process for the door, it was all Aragorn had time for, and all he could see how to do, just then.

"This way!" he said, scooping up the sword and running down the hall to the other cell door, which looked like it had taken a severe beating before allowing the Elves through. Despite the hobbit-sized hole in the lower half of it, Aragorn slammed this door shut as well, and bolted it in the same fashion as the first, before taking off down the remaining stretch of hall, toward what he prayed was the front room, the fellowship again in pursuit.

***

It was fortunate, Aragorn knew, that the place was so small, as indeed, the biggest obstacle he came across in reaching the throne room was a rickety set of wooden stairs, leading up to ground level. Once there, the fellowship found themselves inside the familiar front room, the door within sight, and all of their weapons still piled on the floor next to Norgeth's chair, just inside of it.

But this was not the end of trouble. Though most of the guards were probably impeded by the makeshift prison under the room, there were still quite enough guards on this level to pose a threat, and all of them came running as the fellowship thundered up the stairs and across the room, reclaiming what had been taken from them.

Tossing the Elf-guard's sword down underneath Norgeth's chair, Aragorn snatched up his own much missed sword from the pile, tossing the others their weapons in turn, then returning Gandalf's staff to him as he straightened up, and the Elves reached them.

Aragorn ducked under a swung sword's blade, swinging back and crashing the flat end of the blade into the ribcage of his attacking foe. Legolas quickly put away his bow, drawing his knives and joining the fray somewhat unwillingly and still slightly confused, calling out firmly in the Elvish languages, pleading with these enemies to stop their attack, to let them go.

"We do not wish you harm," he insisted, jumping lightly onto the elevated section of the floor. "We wish only for our freedom. Let us go!"

Dodging a very large sword aimed at the top of his shoulder, Pippin lashed at his assailant's leg with his own diminutive sword, succeeding in the incapacitation attempt, then jerking back and turning around, spotting a small door at the far wall. The little door had been opened, apparently hesitantly, as it didn't yet touched the wall. Clustered inside of the doorway were several of the hobbit-servants Pippin had spied in the kitchen. Obviously attracted by all of the noise, they were looking out at the scene in cautious, frightened amazement. One of them, the one who'd scolded Pippin about the dishes, sensed Pippin's startled gaze and met his eye.

"Run!" Pippin called to him, desperately trying to be heard over the noise. "Go! Now is your chance!"

"Watch out!" the one in front responded, charging into the room as Pippin ducked out of the way of another blow from another guard, armed with a disconcerting, serrated sword.

Pippin locked blades with the Elf, who easily pushed him to his knees on the floor. As Pippin struggled, sinking closer to the ground, he looked behind him for help. He saw the small group of hobbits, somehow unnoticed by the guards, pulling the heavy front doors open. There was a sudden burst of strength on his enemy's end, and Pippin was forced to look back, bringing the hand that was not occupied by a sword, onto the floor, attempting to push himself back up into an easily defensive position. He looked beseechingly into the eyes of the Elf-guard, who narrowed his own eyes aggressively in return.

"Let me go," Pippin strained as the pointed edge of the blade descended closer. "Let us go."

The Elf made no response to this, save vague confusion mixed with perhaps consideration at the appeal appearing on his face, though he did not move the sword away. At least, not of his own accord.

Suddenly, the Elf spun violently to the side, falling over, and Pippin found his burden lifted. He leaped to his feet, looking down in incomprehension at the Elf, who now had his hand at his side as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

"Come on!" a familiar voice said on his other side, and Pippin found himself staring into the eyes of the hobbit-servant who'd warned him of the attack. In his hand was the guard's sword that Aragorn had discarded under Norgeth's chair, though the hobbit held it awkwardly, at the handle but with the hilt out. Pippin realized that he'd smashed the heavy iron charm on the end of it into the Elf's left flank, causing him to veer off-balance, and the hobbit almost smiled at the thought of this unasked-for, but much welcome effort on the part of the servant.

"Come!" the hobbit-servant repeated, seizing Pippin's wrist and dragging him towards the front door, as the guard was already showing signs of recovery. Pippin struggled a bit as he was pulled, resisting but not knowing which direction to resist in. The rest of the fellowship was scattered about the room.

"No, wait," Pippin said. "We can't--"

His words were suddenly cut off by an odd sound, like the falling of rain, coming from back down the prison stairs. Pippin froze, as did everyone else on the upper level, and they turned to see the guards that had been locked away running up the stairs, towards them.

They halted as they all reached ground-level, and one of the leaders of the pack came forward more, a bloody arrow in his hands and distress in his face. He looked around in alarm and sadness at the other guards in the room, speaking quickly to them in their Elvish dialect, holding up the soiled projectile for them to see. Pippin, of course, could not understand what was said at that time, but he managed to grasp one word…Norgeth.

The guards stood gaping as the messenger stopped speaking, then looked at each other in shock, in fear, in sorrow, in confusion, and it was their expressions that told Pippin what they'd been told; they had found out that Norgeth was dead.

"Now, now!" the hobbit at Pippin's side insisted hoarsely, tugging at Pippin's arm more insistently as the guards stood still, momentarily shaken. "All of you, come on, now!"

***

The fellowship ran as far and as fast as they could now, ignoring injuries and weariness. They ran out of the building and down the side, then out the back of the ring of trees surrounding the structure, into thick grass (that seemed to be a continuation of the field they had passed through in front), across a shallow stream at the other side of it, into another cluster of forest trees and out of them, finally stopping on a well-worn dirt path alongside a great formation of rock, almost like a small mountain.

"This is a mistake," Frodo mumbled, panting and holding a stitch in his side as he came through the forest, up behind Aragorn. "They'll come after us."

"No, they won't," the hobbit who had saved Pippin spoke up, emerging breathlessly from the trees behind them. "If it's true, what they said--that Norgeth is dead--then, they will not continue in this way. They merely followed Norgeth."

"That's all? They seemed awfully resolved," It was Merry who said this, as Frodo had come fully onto the path now, and didn't seem able to take his eyes off of Legolas, staring bashfully at him with a visible sense of calm.

Legolas had positioned himself against the rock's base, and was facing the others, looking around at them with relief to be there, alive and with them, but also still minor uncertainty about all that had just gone on (though he could pretty well work it out in his mind), and slight sadness at the recall of Lord Frodo, and his Sam. What had become of them? What would they think, from his bodily vanishing? What would they do now?

"You might seem resolved too, with someone like Norgeth ordering you around. He didn't need something like the Ruling Ring, to assert himself," the servant replied good-naturedly. "Trust me, once those Elves overcome the shock of the news, they'll probably disperse."

"As we should, now," a female voice sounded from the edge of the forest. "Come, Geriber."

The hobbit nodded obligingly to the female escaped hobbit-servant who had suddenly begun loitering skittishly by the trees. Geriber looked back at the fellowship briefly, smiling candidly before he ran off back towards the girl.

"Good luck!" he called back to them as he followed her back into the woods.

Aragorn looked after the retreating halflings for a fleeting moment, then turned his head swiftly back to the others, specifically to the one he had seen taken away in an instant, the one he had thought he might never see again. A smile of weariness and hopeful turmoil appeared on his face, as he gazed at the Elf, and slowly, it was returned.

"Legolas," he breathed. "Are you alright? What happened?"

The End

don't die: Clever screenname. :o) Thanks for the review, and I hope that you enjoyed this last part of the story. I, too, didn't actually want Legolas dead, as you saw. Thanks again!

Enigma Jade: ::pulls EJ back up from the cliff:: It's alright now! Everything's alright now. Lego's back. :o) Thanks for your review, and all of the reviews you've posted for this story. I've loved them all. :o)

Moonfairy2000: Breathe, Moonfairy, it's alright! I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so much, and I hope you like this final chapter as much as the rest. Thank you for the reviews, they were great! :o)

LatestSin: Heh, yup. You (and I) don't want him to die, so he doesn't. :o) Thanks for the nice review, I hope you enjoyed the story!

Daphne aka gapofrohan: Nice new screenname! Thanks for the review, and all of your great reviews. BTW, I saw that you put a plug for my story in your bio. That's so nice of you! Thanks again! :o)

bOOgie: Hehe, I guess this story turned out to be semi-interactive after all (either that, or you and the others have fabulous intuition. :o) ) I'm glad you've started liking cliffhangers (They can be fun, can't they? :o) ) And yeah, parallel universes and AU's are awesome, I agree. Hope you liked this conclusion, and whatever meal your Leggy has prepared (lucky you! :o) ) Thanks for this review, and all of your reviews. They've been wonderful to read!

Marissa and the WWP (and Caitlyn!): ::grins as she opens the candy and ice cream and pulls out a spoon:: Hehe, thanks! Don't worry, I've given Norgeth the sign (along with the rest of those bandages). Thanks for the great, fun reviews. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and reading your reviews. Thanks again!!

I would like to thank Enigma Jade, Ecri, tiggivon, Europa, Cheysuli, Raider314, Dragoneyes, Marissa and the WWP, Crystal Millenium, Jaid Skywalker, Daphne aka gapofrohan, Rei.K, ZonyBone, DansGirl4eva, bOOgie, Moonfairy2000, shauna, don't die, and LatestSin, for reviewing my story, and I want to thank everyone, whether or not they reviewed, for taking the time to read my story. Thanks, you guys are the best! :o)

PS: I've acquired some muses (thanks to Marissa :o) ), who have laid a very interesting challenge before me, for a bunch of LOTR stories, that will be a series. Hopefully, I'll have the first story up here soon. The first one will be a stand-alone piece, called "Overture".

Thanks again, everyone! Hope to see you all next story! :o)

Leafy )--