Bound By Fate
A/N – You can thank Santa for this one. Not only did I receive The Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales, The Two Towers soundtrack, and the Aragorn starter deck for the Lord of the Rings trading card game, but he also left a me a bar of chocolate as long as my keyboard!!!!!! *Laughs maniacally* this one is fuelled purely by sugar, everyone. Have fun! **Warning: Faramir plot twist ahead**
*Please note there will be many references (or quotes) from Appendix B (The Tale of Years) that is found at the end of The Return of the King. You'll understand when you read it*
{This is talking in elvish when I am too lazy to have it written in proper elvish}
Responses to Reviewers: (3 reviewers! Yay!)
Tira – Thanks for the review, hope you keep reading.
Frodo Skywalker (2nd time reviewing) – Again, I'm not that evil (but I shall foreworn of plot twists as they occur), and due to the rating, this is not a fic with smut.
Cookiesandcreme – The Fellowship will form, although you're going to have to wait for me to make it to find out how.
To both of you: Now, if I told you where the Ring is (and who/what/if anyone) has it, it would rob me of a possible chapter! You'll have to wait to find out. ;-) And now, on to the fic!
Chapter 4 – Retelling History
Legolas had woken up from the light sedative and was now extremely mad. "Once that son-of-a-bitch gets back in here, I'm going to rip out his tongue and wear it as a belt!" he shouted angrily, pulling at his bonds. He had noticed the first time that he pulled at the chains that the ones at his feet moved, and that they were only attached to the bedposts. Now he had taken to a strict regime of swearing angrily as he pulled at the chains, taking a break, and then repeating the previous actions. So far, he had had no luck at freeing himself, but it made him feel better to try. He heard the door to the anteroom open and close, followed by two voices and he stopped his actions.
"I found a rather interesting trophy on my last assignment," he heard Boromir's voice say. "It's actually rather amusing."
Then another voice, one that was strangely familiar, responded, "What sort of trophy? A weapon of some sort?"
Boromir's laugh was heard clearly through the door leading into the bedroom. "No, much better than a weapon. Have a look, it's in the bedroom," the false prince stated.
The door open and Legolas glared at it. His glare turned into a look of shock when he saw whom it was. Strider gasped as he saw what was in the bedroom, chained to the bed. "It's… an Elf!" he exclaimed to Boromir. "Where did you say you caught it?" While he waited for Boromir to respond he mouthed, 'Legolas?' Legolas nodded, acknowledging that it was indeed he.
Boromir stepped through the door and took a careful look at Legolas. "In the Drúadan Wood. I'm sure you have heard about the Rangers and the elves that have been attacking Gondor?" he questioned. When Strider nodded, he said, "That is where they have been hiding. Hopefully this one has some useful information."
Strider nodded. "You realize that the longer he is bound, the less likely he is to tell you what you want to know?" he asked.
Boromir looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about? How else do you expect me to control it?" he responded in a confused tone.
Aragorn moved to the side of the bed and seemed to examine Legolas, winking slightly so that Legolas would understand what he was doing. "Elves don't cope with such captivity well. In fact, this one is already willing itself from this plane of existence. You can lengthen the amount of time you have to question it by not keeping it bound with chains," he explained. When Boromir gave him a look of confusion he made up a quick explanation. "My Uncle Halbarad also taught me a lot about elves. Physiology, languages, and such."
Boromir looked on Strider with new respect. "Oh really? How do you propose we keep it in one place, without chaining it?" he asked, amused that not only was the recruit talented with a sword, but he was also versed in many elvish things.
Strider appeared to look around the room for a minute. "Are there any weapons in here? Or important documents?" he asked. Boromir shook his head no, so Strider offered, "Then if you simply posted guards outside and let him roam in here, he would feel free enough to not fade as quickly. You would have to make sure that he couldn't hurt himself, of course," he finished.
Boromir tossed him the keys to the shackles that held the elf to the bed. "That sounds reasonable enough. Unlock him."
Strider caught the keys easily and moved to unshackle Legolas. As he leaned over Legolas, he murmured loud enough for only Legolas to hear, "Attack me." He finished unshackling him, and Legolas obliged Strider's command: he immediately pounced on the dark-haired Man, pushing him to the ground and giving him a hard punch to the jaw. Strider flipped them over and slapped Legolas, mentally apologizing for it. "Don't try that again, elf, or you will get far worse than a slap." Strider stood up, which Legolas quickly did as well. He advanced on Strider's back, knowing that this was a mere act to help Strider earn Boromir's trust. "Havo dad!" Strider cried, turning around.
Legolas immediately sat; stunned that Strider would use Sindarin openly around Boromir. Boromir laughed. "I see it understands commands in its language. Perhaps you could help me train it to behave properly," he suggested with a smirk.
Before Strider could answer, however, there was a loud banging on the door. A servant came in, panting heavily. "My prince, you are being summoned for an immediate meeting with the King. You must hurry; his mood is most foul," The servant said quickly, before leaving just as fast.
Boromir groaned. "Not again…" He looked over at Strider for a moment. "You stay here with the elf. I will return shortly. With that, he left.
Strider watched to make sure that Boromir had left and turned to Legolas. "How did you get here? Where were you, why were you anywhere near this place?" he asked in a rush, not sure how long they would be alone.
Legolas sighed. "This is my first day here. I was captured in the Drúadan Forest while sending word that you were in Gondor. Prince Boromir seems to think that I'm his personal possession. I don't know why, but it's rather disturbing. I've discovered how they keep the citizens from finding out the truth, though," he said at the end. "They simply don't tell anyone. Boromir thinks that the elves have been at war for many years. I doubt he even knows of the Last Alliance."
Strider sighed. "He would not believe you if you told him the truth, and it would make him think that I'm a traitor. So, how are we going to let him know?" he asked.
"I don't know," Legolas conceded, shaking his head. "Do you know anything of the surrounding area that is of use? The people, the culture…" his voice trailed off as he lost himself in a memory. "… The dungeons," he murmured. "I forgot to tell you. Estel, my father and Lord Elrond are locked up in the dungeons below us!" Legolas cried. He seemed distressed, even to Strider.
Strider himself was lost in thought at that point. "I was ordered to put the hobbits in there. Perhaps we could make a plan to get them all out of there, to free them all," he suggested.
Legolas looked up. "How? I am locked in these chambers, and you will be either with the Prince or on official duties. Neither of us have the freedom of movement to make such plans, and…" Legolas trailed off and tilted his head to one side. "He is outside the door. Do whatever you must to prevent him from discovering your identity," he stated calmly. Strider nodded and went to the large window in the room, pretending to be lost in thought.
~*~
The meeting wasn't truly a meeting; rather, it was a brutal ten minutes in which both princes and all of the ranking military officers had been cursed at and berated for not managing to stop the clandestine meetings that were supposedly happening. As Boromir walked back towards his rooms, rubbing his eyes, he bumped into an old man coming out of the library. Several books fell to the floor, and Boromir quickly bent to pick them up. "Thank you, kind prince," the elderly fellow in loose robes said, turning and quickly leaving.
Looking again at the floor, he saw a book bound in grey leather. "Wait, you forgot…" he began, but the old man was gone. Boromir picked it up and wiped the dust from the cover, only to find that the title was in elvish. Deciding for some unknown reason to bring it with him, he continued to his rooms. When he entered, he found Strider staring out of the window and the Elf glaring at Strider. "Did you find out anything useful from the elf?" he asked.
Strider looked at Boromir and grinned. "His name is Legolas, and he has quite the vocabulary of swear words," he said. "How was the meeting?"
"Horrible!" he sighed as he sat heavily in a chair. "You said that you read elvish?" he asked of Strider. Strider nodded in reply. "Could you read this to me?" he said as he handed the book to his guard.
Strider looked at the book for a moment before reading the title out loud. "The Tale of Years: Chronology of the Westlands. Written by the hand of Turgon, Steward of Gondor," he read smoothly, and then flipped through a few of the pages. "My Prince, this is a history book. Do you want me to read all of it, or just passages?"
Boromir thought for a minute. "Just passages will be fine."
Strider nodded. "The Second Age. These were the dark years for Men of Middle-Earth, but the years of the glory of Númenor. Of events in Middle-Earth the records are few and brief, and their dates often uncertain. [1]" He skipped ahead a bit and read, "Circa year 500: Sauron begins to stir again in Middle-Earth. Circa year 1000: Sauron, alarmed by the growing power of the Númenoreans, chooses Mordor as a land to make into a stronghold. He begins the building of Barad-Dûr. Year 1200: Sauron endeavours to seduce the Eldar. Gil-Galad refuses to treat with him; but the smiths of Eregion are won over. Circa 1500: The Elven-smiths instructed by Sauron reach the height of their skill. They begin forging the Rings of Power. Circa 1590: The Three Rings are completed in Eregion. Circa 1600: Sauron forges the One Ring in Orodruin. He completes the Barad-Dûr. Celebrimbor perceives the designs of Sauron. 1693: War of the Elves and Sauron begins. The Three Rings are hidden." Strider paused to take a breath.
Boromir seemed fairly calm, as though he knew all of this already. Strider continued. "3429: Sauron attacks Gondor, takes Minas Ithil and burns the White Tree. Isildur escapes down Anduin and goes to Elendil in the North. Anárion defends Minas Anor and Osgiliath. 3430: Last Alliance of Men and Elves is formed. 3434: The host of the Alliance crosses the Misty Mountains. Battle of Dagorlad and defeat of Sauron. Siege of Barad-Dûr begins. 3441: Sauron overthrown by Elendil and Gil-Galad, who perish. Isildur takes the One Ring. Sauron passes away and the Ringwraiths go into the shadows. The Second Age ends," Strider concluded.
"What is that rubbish? That is not the way it happened at all!" Boromir cried. "That is the biggest piece of traitorous garbage I have ever laid my eyes on!"
Strider looked up at him and asked, "Where did this come from? It is certainly old enough to be authentic, and it bears not only your great-grandsire's name, but the seal of the Stewards as well. If it is a forgery, then it is the best forgery I have ever laid eyes upon!"
Legolas grinned from his perch on the bed. "That is because it is authentic. That is how events actually happened, not as one Steward saw fit to see it. "Shall I continue? For me it is not history, it is events that occurred in my life. Such as Isildur, who was King, being killed by Orcs who were trying to get the One Ring," he stated.
"You know nothing, Elf! You fought against Lord Sauron, you…" Boromir could get no further before Legolas cut him off.
"Yes, I fought against the Dark Lord, and I am proud to have done it. I am proud to have fought alongside Men who knew their real history," he stated, standing up.
Strider put up his hand to stop them both. "Where did this book come from?" he asked again of Boromir.
"An old man dropped it," Boromir replied, "as he came out of the library." He looked at the elf with its treacherous smirk, and the man he had just taken to be his personal guard whose face showed only the utmost concern.
"Do you know of any other books like this? Old books, with the Steward's seal?" Strider persisted. He flipped through the book in his hand, nearly dropping it when he saw something potentially valuable. "It is a journal of Isildur's. It reads, 'Year 3434 of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Isildur, High King of Gondor and the finding of the ring of power. It has come to me, the One Ring. It shall be the heirloom of my kingdom. All that who should follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate for I will risk no hurt to the ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared, a secret now that only fire can tell.[2]' This is both very old and very valuable," Strider told Boromir, handing him the leaflet of paper.
Boromir didn't want to believe a word that either of them was saying, but he could not deny that the sheet he held in his hand was written the same way that Strider had read it, and that it bore the seal of the High King. "I do not trust elvish books," he said simply.
Strider was the first to agree. "Nor do I. We all know that elves cannot be trusted, my prince. Perhaps we should go to the library and disprove him?" he suggested calmly.
Boromir nodded, his mind still trying to process the information. "Of course. If there is anything that would disprove the elf, it would be in the library. We will go there immediately." Strider nodded and left with Boromir.
Legolas was left alone again, and began thinking about the dungeons again. "We must free them," he murmured to himself. "But we need a high-ranking collaborator." 'Boromir,' he realized with a start. 'If we could show Boromir that he has been living a lie, perhaps he will help us!' A noise at the door to the chambers startled him.
When the door opened, Legolas gave a small scream of panic. It was Sauron! "Boromir? Boromir, are you in here?" he called, paying little heed to the elf who had hidden beside the bed. Finally he turned his attention to Legolas. "Hello there. Do you know where Boromir is?" he asked, seeming almost friendly.
Legolas peered up at him. The dirty blonde hair and facial features were the same as he had seen before, but his eyes were different: instead of being black, they were a piercing blue. Also, the black cloak he had been wearing had disappeared. "He… he went to the library with Strider…" he said softly, not moving. It was one thing to face a Dark Lord with a bow and blades (not to mention an army of elves) with you; it was another thing to face him alone in a bedroom.
The intruder smiled. "Thank you for your help, little one," he said calmly before turning and leaving. Legolas sat there, staring at the door, until Strider and Boromir returned.
~*~
Boromir led Strider to the library at an almost furious pace. When they got inside, Boromir sighed in exasperation. "There are so many books! How will we know where to look?" he asked, glancing at all of the shelves.
Strider admitted mentally that it was an expansive library, but refused to let himself worry about it. "Is there an area where the books written by Kings and Stewards are kept?" he asked.
Boromir looked around again. "I do not know. I have always been told what titles I need to find, and on which shelves to find them. I have no idea how to find obscure items," he admitted. "My brother, Faramir, would be much better at this sort of thing."
"Perhaps you know where the librarian is?" Strider asked. Boromir thought for a moment and pointed to a large desk that had a pile of books stacked on it. Strider walked over and rang a small bell that sat in front of the pile. "Is there anyone here?" he called.
"Quiet down, you hooligan! Don't you know this is a library?" an old voice replied in a harsh whisper from the other side of the mountain of books. An old, wizened man in dull brown robes stepped around the desk. "Now, how can I help you?" he asked.
"Prince Boromir and I have come in search of books, old ones, possibly written by former Stewards and Kings," Strider explained.
The librarian nodded his head. "Do you know any titles, or do I have to guess what you're looking for?" he asked.
Strider handed him the book and said, "Similar to this. Very old, very dusty, and probably not looked at very often."
The librarian's face turned from a scowl into a grin. "Now this is truly a find. Yes, I know where these books are. Put them on a shelf all their own. Not everyday that the heir to the throne wants to look at these books. These were before the Great Change, yes indeed!" he said, giving Strider a knowing look. He then looked at Boromir. "You read elvish, Prince?" he asked.
Boromir was stunned. "No, I don't. Strider read this to me. What was the Great Change? And what is your name?" he asked.
The librarian headed towards the back of the library. "My name is Radagast. The Great Change was when the Stewards became Kings. Not many remember it now, but I do! I'm an old man, older than you would expect, young one. Yes, indeed, that was when Ecthelion the second decided that Gondor should not have to wait for the kings to return and proclaimed that he was King," he said, as though he were explaining little-known trivia. "That was in 2759, just after Turgon, son of Turin died. I was just a little boy then, had no idea what was going on. We aren't supposed to say stuff like that because it's supposedly treason. But since the Prince himself asked me to, I don't see the problem," he added. "Ah! Here we are, the special bookshelf," he announced.
Boromir looked at him in disbelief. "How old are you, old man?" he asked, knowing that it had been quite a while since Gondor was attacked.
"Honestly can't remember, my Prince," he announced. "You should find everything you need here. If you need help, just come and ask," he said in an almost cheery voice.
Boromir looked at the shelves. "Where do we start?" he asked, gesturing at the large bookshelf. Thinking for a moment, he answered his own question. "If the Stewards became Kings, then we should be looking for a family tree. I've never seen my own family tree before, so we could look for that," he suggested.
Strider smiled. "That's the spirit, my Prince!" he said, starting to look through the shelves. "Your family tree would be in Westron, not elvish. That will narrow down the search a bit," he stated, looking through the shelves.
Boromir was the first to find something. "I found it!" he cried, pulling out a long black book. "The line of Mardil Voronwë, first Ruling Steward of Gondor," he read from the dusty cover. He opened the book and, with Strider's help, spread the rather large chart inside open. By this point Boromir knew that someone had told him the wrong version of history, and the old man's simple words had a ring of truth to them.
Strider carefully looked at the chart in front of him. "This has the Steward's seal on it, but it goes no further than Ecthelion II. He is your kin, correct?" he asked the Prince, keeping all triumph from his voice.
Boromir's eyes were clouded with confusion. "Yes, it is, but he was a King, not a Steward. I am unsure of what to think of this. Have you found any other documents?" he asked. Strider shook his head as he folded up the chart and placed it back on the shelf.
"Brother, what are you doing in the library?" a voice asked. Strider looked over and saw a man who looked strikingly similar to Boromir. He had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "You have never been much of a reader."
Boromir smiled and embraced him. "Well, Faramir, I decided to see what captivated you so much in this musty old place. Actually, I was looking for you and thought you might be in here. How are you feeling?"
Faramir wriggled out of the embrace. "Other than a headache, I am quite well. You didn't tell me you had a woman in your room. She is quite timid," he commented.
Boromir's face showed puzzlement. "I have no woman in my room… Oh! You must be talking about the elf. He certainly does look female, although I wouldn't characterize him as timid. What did he do?" he asked. He noticed how Strider was paying attention to the conversation while pretending to pay attention to the books.
"He hid next to the bed the whole time I was in there," Faramir informed him. "He seemed to be terrified of me!" he said, laughing.
Boromir began laughing, inwardly wondering why the violent elf would be frightened of Faramir. 'In the throne room, when I first brought him into Minas Tirith,' he realized with a start. 'I'm going to need to explain that to him,' he determined. "I gave him a drug to make him more obedient. I suppose that it didn't work on him properly. Oh well, it will wear off," he explained in an offhand manner.
Faramir furrowed his brow. "You shouldn't go around drugging creatures like that. Elves are supposed to be very intelligent, it's not humane to drug them," he commented.
"It is a good thing father is not here, Faramir," he said solemnly, "for he would have you arrested for treason." Faramir winced slightly and held his head. "Are you alright, brother?" he asked, grasping the younger man's elbow.
Faramir groaned. "I'll be fine. I just need to go rest…" his voice trailed off as Boromir helped him to sit in a chair. "Could you get my guard? He's talking with Radagast," he mumbled.
Strider went to get the guard (who didn't seem very surprised at being summoned), and quickly brought him back to Faramir. The guard lifted him gently and left the library. "What was all that about?" Strider asked.
Boromir sighed. "I will explain it to you later. It must also be explained to the Elf," he said simply. The two spent the rest of the day (and some of the night) in the library. They found many other documents proving that what had been in the elvish book, as well as what Legolas had claimed, were correct. Boromir, although his head hurt horribly from questioning everything he had ever known, was willing to admit that he had been horribly wrong. They were both exhausted by the time that they returned to Boromir's quarters.
They found Legolas by a window, staring at the stars. He turned and looked at the two. "Well?" he asked impatiently.
Boromir looked Legolas straight in the eyes. "You were right, Legolas. I apologize for the way I have been treating you," he said sincerely. "I had no idea that any of this had happened. We must now try to find a way to right this damage," he added.
Strider nodded. "There are many things that have yet to be told. Are you willing to trust Legolas and I, with your life if need be?" Strider asked.
"And can we trust you with ours?" Legolas added, knowing what strider was about to do.
Boromir nodded. "Of course. I will do anything at all to free Middle-Earth of Sauron's evil and bring the King back to his rightful throne," he said, but quickly added, "as soon as we find the rightful king, that is."
Strider stretched himself up to full height. "There are still many secrets to come out. I hid some of the truth when I told you of my parentage. I never knew my father, for Orcs killed him when I was two years old. However, I know who he was: he was Arathorn, son of Arador, and chief of the Dúnedain. My family is of the line of Elendil; I am the heir of Isildur, and it is my birthright to claim the throne of Gondor," he said.
Boromir's face blanched and he sat down heavily on the bed. "You… you are the heir to the throne?" he asked, almost breathlessly. "The Dúnedain are the Rangers, aren't they?" he asked. Strider nodded to the first question.
Legolas laughed and answered the second. "Yes, they are one and the same. I was in the Drúadan Forest telling the other Rangers that their leader was in Gondor, and to watch for him. I did not lie to you when I said that I was talking to the trees; you missed the meeting by several hours, and the forest was telling me much of your army," he announced.
Strider put his hand on Boromir's shoulder. "Are you alright with all of this?" he asked quietly.
Boromir exhaled noisily, then put on the straight face he used during important meetings. "This has been a lot for me, and I'll admit that it hasn't really sunk in yet. Now that you have given me information, I will give you the same in return. Legolas, the man who came into my room while you were alone was my brother Faramir," he stated.
Legolas looked at him as though he had just turned into an orc. "That is not possible, both you and your father addressed him as Sauron in the throne room earlier," he replied. "His eyes were different when he came in here, but it was the same face."
Boromir nodded. "Sauron is still not strong enough to take a physical body, but he has learned how to possess a body. He chose Faramir because of his mind. His mind is stronger than mine, but he doesn't have the will that I do. Therefore, he was easy to take control of, but has more than enough knowledge to be a valuable tool," he explained. "He will seem very trustworthy when he is Faramir, and he normally would be, except for the fact that Sauron has access to all of Faramir's knowledge. We cannot trust him," he concluded.
"Who can we trust?" Legolas asked, sitting on the ledge of the window. "I know we can trust those in the dungeons, but that won't get us very far," he said simply.
"Each other," Aragorn said, "or else all of this will become the greatest disaster ever."
Boromir thought carefully. "Certainly not any of the guards in Minas Tirith, or my father, or the council… perhaps the librarian. He gave us useful information," he said, waiting for the approval of the others.
Aragorn quickly agreed with him. "Yes, he could be trusted. Old Radagast seems to know more than he lets on. And as for the ones in the dungeons, perhaps they have heard things that the guards have said. They may still be able to help in some way," he told Legolas.
"We will go down there tomorrow," Boromir said. "But first, we need to sleep. None of us will do Middle Earth any good tripping over our eyelids," he joked.
Aragorn looked around. "There is only one bed, Boromir. Where do you propose we sleep?" he asked.
{I am not sleeping with that Man, Aragorn. I'd rather face all of the armies of Mordor alone then be in a bed with him,} Legolas said in a menacing tone, glaring at Boromir.
Boromir looked at Legolas and was startled by the look the elf was giving him. "I have no idea what you said, but I hope it wasn't a plan to kill me in my sleep," he said humourlessly.
Aragorn quickly diffused the situation. "He merely doesn't wish to share a bed with you. There are many… horrible tales… about Elves that share beds with Men," he said calmly.
Legolas looked at Aragorn with a look of disgust. "Actually, it is because he cannot control his body. I was in front of him on the horse when I was brought here; there was something hard poking into my back the whole time, and it wasn't his sword," he clarified.
Boromir sighed. "My apologies, Master Elf, I was thinking about a woman, not you," he said. "There is a cot in the anteroom. You may use that if you like," he offered. "But that is all: one bed, one cot. Accommodation enough for a prince and his guard."
Legolas resumed looking at the stars. "I think I will sleep here. There stars are calming for me, and I doubt sleep will come to me tonight," he said. "Aragorn, you take the cot. We should make it look like everything is normal, lest someone think that the prince and his guard are traitors," he reasoned.
With the sleeping arrangements settled, the two Men set out readying themselves for bed, with Aragorn soon disappearing into the anteroom; Legolas did not move from his perch. "Legolas, you are going to need to change into nightclothes. If the guards come in to check one me, it would not seem normal for one of my slaves to be both fully dressed and out of bed," he told the Elf.
"I have no nightclothes," Legolas replied, "because we so often have to move in the night to stay alive that it is not practical. We stay fully dressed unless bathing." Boromir left for a moment, but returned quickly, dropped a nightshirt into his lap, and crawled into bed. Legolas quickly changed (making sure that Boromir didn't watch), and returned to the window. The two men slept easily through until morning, while Legolas, as he had predicted, found no sleep.
A/N – Wow, that was fast. That bit about Legolas thinking that Boromir was a pervert was inspired totally by Frodo Skywalker's comments. See, reviewers DO get what they want! So review, and see your ideas become part of the fic!
1 – from here on, all dates, times, and family relations came from the appendices! I didn't change who was related to whom, or when things happened. Read your appendices! They are VERY useful!
2 – This is taken from a transcript that I found on the net of the movie. It is the voice over of Gandalf reading the sheet of paper in Minas Tirith.