Authors notes: - Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you enjoy this!
"Aragorn we must leave." An elven archer named Tirel called softly. Aragorn nodded and gathered Legolas into his arms. The elf made no sound. The group disappeared into the trees and the first rays of sun appeared through the morning mist. They caught up to the retreating army quickly as the wounded were making the retreat a slow one.
Glorfindel looked up as he saw the group of elves he had sent after Aragorn approach the group. He made his way towards them and looked at the body in Aragorn's arms with immense sadness. Legolas had survived and in some ways that was a worse fate than death.
"You found him." He said simply. Aragorn nodded and put the elf on the ground. Legolas had been growing increasingly agitated, as the walk had progressed. The blonde elf immediately curled into a foetal position and began whimpering. Glorfindel knelt next to him and his forehead wrinkled in concern.
"Aragorn look at this." He said as he picked up one of Legolas's arms. The elf made a sound of protest and tried to pull away. Aragorn knelt and looked at the slim arm Glorfindel was holding. The pale skin was now red and cracked. Painful looking blisters covered the damaged the skin. Aragorn gasped in shock.
"They were not like that when I removed the chains." He commented.
"Burns. They are burns." Glorfindel said in confusion examining the cuts the chains had made on the wrist and a small black symbol of Sauron that had been burned into the skin.
"What does it mean?" Elladan asked indicating the mark. Glorfindel started momentarily forgetting the presence of the elven brothers.
"It is the mark Sauron brands all his slaves with. It is a dark magic that burns the skin. Extremely painful I imagine."
"He was not next to the wraith." Glorfindel looked across at Aragorn who was examining the burns and muttering to himself.
"Who was not next to the wraith?" he questioned. Aragorn blinked in surprise unaware that he had been speaking out loud.
"Legolas. The wraith that was attacking us was hit be a flaming arrow and his robes caught fire but he was no where near the wraith."
"He did scream in agony like the wraith did." Elladan pointed out.
"What? So Legolas was burned like the wraith. Both of them felt the flames even though the wraith was the one on fire?" Aragorn questioned confused. Glorfindel didn't answer he bent forward and gently opened one of Legolas's eyelids. The white eye stared back at him. Legolas cried out and jumped backwards.
"He is blind." Aragorn said.
"No. He just no longer sees things as we do." The elven lord said solemnly.
"What?" Aragorn questioned his full attention now focused on Glorfindel.
The blonde lord pulled down the shoulder of the prince's tunic. Just above the collarbone on the left shoulder was a deep wound that was bleeding black blood.
"It is as with Frodo's wound. He has been stabbed by a wraith's blade."
Aragorn turned sad eyes onto his friend. "I am sorry my friend that I did not get there on time." He whispered.
"Why is he not a wraith then?" Elrohir asked.
"I do not know. We must make haste for Rivendell and Lord Elrond." Glorfindel said "but first we must treat these wounds. If infection sets into these burns then we will lose him."
"Why is he not in agony?" Elladan asked.
"The wraith will have reformed. If in some way Legolas is linked to the wraith then the wounds would have stopped hurting as the wraith is now in a different form and so no longer burned. Unfortunately the damage has been done and they could still get infected."
"I will take him to the stream over there. Elladan, Elrohir will stay with me and we will catch up."
"Don't be too long. We need to be long gone by nightfall." The elven lord got up and made his way back to the main group of Gondor and Rivendell warriors.
Aragorn reached forward and picked up his friend. He walked slowly to the small stream and set the elf down on the bank. He took the herb pack Elladan handed to him and took out some healing herbs and clean cloths. Soaking the cloth in water he turned back to his friend. Legolas's eyes were open but staring at nothing. Aragorn took one arm into his hand and washed the wounds gently. He watched as Legolas turned to look at him, well in his direction. The elf lifted up his other hand and reached out. His hand hit Aragorn clumsily in the face. Aragorn kept still and let Legolas move his hand to feel his features. The elf suddenly jerked his hand back and turned his head away. Aragorn continued to clean the wounds and then added some herbs and bandaged them. The wraith sword wound was badly infected and Aragorn had to clean the wound. Legolas didn't even flinch.
"It must hurt him greatly." Elrohir said.
"Aye." Aragorn said as he finished bandaging the wound. He sat back and picked up the arm with the dark mark on. Gently he ran his fingers across it. He jumped back like he had been burned. He had seen the eye. Legolas turned to face him.
"Master." He whispered and Aragorn froze for he had said the words in a language he had never heard uttered by one of the firstborn. The ancient language of Mordor. The language of Sauron.
"Aragorn we must leave." An elven archer named Tirel called softly. Aragorn nodded and gathered Legolas into his arms. The elf made no sound. The group disappeared into the trees and the first rays of sun appeared through the morning mist. They caught up to the retreating army quickly as the wounded were making the retreat a slow one.
Glorfindel looked up as he saw the group of elves he had sent after Aragorn approach the group. He made his way towards them and looked at the body in Aragorn's arms with immense sadness. Legolas had survived and in some ways that was a worse fate than death.
"You found him." He said simply. Aragorn nodded and put the elf on the ground. Legolas had been growing increasingly agitated, as the walk had progressed. The blonde elf immediately curled into a foetal position and began whimpering. Glorfindel knelt next to him and his forehead wrinkled in concern.
"Aragorn look at this." He said as he picked up one of Legolas's arms. The elf made a sound of protest and tried to pull away. Aragorn knelt and looked at the slim arm Glorfindel was holding. The pale skin was now red and cracked. Painful looking blisters covered the damaged the skin. Aragorn gasped in shock.
"They were not like that when I removed the chains." He commented.
"Burns. They are burns." Glorfindel said in confusion examining the cuts the chains had made on the wrist and a small black symbol of Sauron that had been burned into the skin.
"What does it mean?" Elladan asked indicating the mark. Glorfindel started momentarily forgetting the presence of the elven brothers.
"It is the mark Sauron brands all his slaves with. It is a dark magic that burns the skin. Extremely painful I imagine."
"He was not next to the wraith." Glorfindel looked across at Aragorn who was examining the burns and muttering to himself.
"Who was not next to the wraith?" he questioned. Aragorn blinked in surprise unaware that he had been speaking out loud.
"Legolas. The wraith that was attacking us was hit be a flaming arrow and his robes caught fire but he was no where near the wraith."
"He did scream in agony like the wraith did." Elladan pointed out.
"What? So Legolas was burned like the wraith. Both of them felt the flames even though the wraith was the one on fire?" Aragorn questioned confused. Glorfindel didn't answer he bent forward and gently opened one of Legolas's eyelids. The white eye stared back at him. Legolas cried out and jumped backwards.
"He is blind." Aragorn said.
"No. He just no longer sees things as we do." The elven lord said solemnly.
"What?" Aragorn questioned his full attention now focused on Glorfindel.
The blonde lord pulled down the shoulder of the prince's tunic. Just above the collarbone on the left shoulder was a deep wound that was bleeding black blood.
"It is as with Frodo's wound. He has been stabbed by a wraith's blade."
Aragorn turned sad eyes onto his friend. "I am sorry my friend that I did not get there on time." He whispered.
"Why is he not a wraith then?" Elrohir asked.
"I do not know. We must make haste for Rivendell and Lord Elrond." Glorfindel said "but first we must treat these wounds. If infection sets into these burns then we will lose him."
"Why is he not in agony?" Elladan asked.
"The wraith will have reformed. If in some way Legolas is linked to the wraith then the wounds would have stopped hurting as the wraith is now in a different form and so no longer burned. Unfortunately the damage has been done and they could still get infected."
"I will take him to the stream over there. Elladan, Elrohir will stay with me and we will catch up."
"Don't be too long. We need to be long gone by nightfall." The elven lord got up and made his way back to the main group of Gondor and Rivendell warriors.
Aragorn reached forward and picked up his friend. He walked slowly to the small stream and set the elf down on the bank. He took the herb pack Elladan handed to him and took out some healing herbs and clean cloths. Soaking the cloth in water he turned back to his friend. Legolas's eyes were open but staring at nothing. Aragorn took one arm into his hand and washed the wounds gently. He watched as Legolas turned to look at him, well in his direction. The elf lifted up his other hand and reached out. His hand hit Aragorn clumsily in the face. Aragorn kept still and let Legolas move his hand to feel his features. The elf suddenly jerked his hand back and turned his head away. Aragorn continued to clean the wounds and then added some herbs and bandaged them. The wraith sword wound was badly infected and Aragorn had to clean the wound. Legolas didn't even flinch.
"It must hurt him greatly." Elrohir said.
"Aye." Aragorn said as he finished bandaging the wound. He sat back and picked up the arm with the dark mark on. Gently he ran his fingers across it. He jumped back like he had been burned. He had seen the eye. Legolas turned to face him.
"Master." He whispered and Aragorn froze for he had said the words in a language he had never heard uttered by one of the firstborn. The ancient language of Mordor. The language of Sauron.