Authors notes: - Thank you to Krystal and blue blob for the reviews. I know
the story is beginning to slow down, I am trying to increase the pace but I
am having a problem with inspiration. Hope you like it!
Elrond walked quickly to Legolas's side and saw the elf struggling to breathe while his blood flowed down the altar. His agony filled blue eyes turned to look at the elven lord.
"Hold on." Elrond said as he looked for something to remove the chains securing the elf to the stone. Looking around for something to help him he spied the keys on the wall hanging on a rusty nail. Quickly moving towards them he reached out to grab them and was flung across the room by a strong bolt of magic. He groaned as slowly rose to his feet and sighed to himself. *Of course it would never be that easy* he thought to himself. Returning to Legolas's side as he pulled off his cloak and held it against the wound. Legolas cried out in pain.
"Please let me die." The young prince begged.
"You know I cannot do that young one." Elrond said sadly.
"Please I do not wish to live."
"Why? You have friends that care for you; Aragorn and Gimli sit with you every night willing you to return to them. They would be lost without you."
"They.will...survive."
"They blame themselves as do we all for not coming to your aid when you were fighting for your lives." Elrond said guilt weighing heavily in his heart as he thought of the day when the young elf had pleaded to the council of the desperate need for aid and warriors to be sent to Mirkwood. The council did not listen still angry over the years of bitterness between the two realms. Even he himself did not think the situation was so serious to warrant a legion of elves and due to this Mirkwood fell.
flashback
"Why should we send aid to Mirkwood?" Reean a lord of Rivendell asked with a sneer. Elrond glared at him and turned his attention back to the young elven prince in front of the council. The young elf looked exhausted and had several bandaged cuts and a splinted broken left arm. His exhaustion was slowing his natural healing ability.
He watched as Legolas drew himself to his full height and he became every inch the youngest son of King Thranduil, a prince of Mirkwood.
"I know that relationships between Rivendell and Mirkwood are strained but I do not think that you would not allow us to be slaughtered." Legolas responded holding Reean's look.
"I think the term slaughtered is a bit of an exaggeration your highness." Reean continued.
Bysal a captain of Rivendell's warriors watched the conversion progress with a sinking heart. He knew the young Prince after having served in a joint war party between the two realms where the young Prince also served. He also knew that he was fighting a losing battle, there would no help given by the council.
"I do not my lord." Legolas responded respectfully "We have been weakened by years of fighting the darkness that has infiltrated our realm. We cannot withstand an major assault."
"Sauron is defeated surely there is not a force strong enough to defeat the wood elves." Reean said sarcastically.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily "Aye there is and I am sure that Rivendell elves would fall too but I distinctly remember that we wood elves have had to put up with far more than you ever had." The blonde elf retorted.
"Peace Prince Legolas" Elrond said holding up his hands to calm the young prince.
"I apologise Lord Elrond, but I cannot stress enough the need we have for this aid. I am truly sorry for the bitterness that has soiled the relations between our two realms, please find it in your hearts to grant us this request and aid our defence." Legolas pleaded.
"Prince Legolas you rode in here injured and exhausted demanding an audience with the council but you have yet to explain what has exactly befallen Mirkwood that requires our aid, other than you were attacked and need aid" Elrond said.
Legolas seemed to shrink and he shuddered as though the memories chilled him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I was leading a border patrol. Orc activity had increased and we wanted to find to see if we could trace its origin. They were lying in wait for us. Two of our party were felled before we were able to draw our weapons. We sent calls for help and many responded. There were hundreds and we could not hold them. We fell back to the palace but found that the assault on us was only a distraction and the main party had already attacked. We lost many. We regrouped and sent out messengers to appeal for help." Legolas's voice broke and he faltered as he looked into the stony faces of the lords and the sad expression on Lord Elrond's face.
He swallowed and stood tall.
"You will not help us." He said quietly.
"Prince Legolas please it is not that we will not help we can not. Our forces are too weakened and ."
Elrond stopped as Legolas held up his hand.
"I cannot stand here while you debate whether or not you will send us aid. My people need me. I will take my leave while you discuss politics." Legolas moved to leave.
"Legolas please" Elrond begged.
"I have sat in enough of my realm's council meetings to know when I am being politely listened to and that from the beginning you had no intention of helping me. I feel sorry for you, sorry that you cannot put aside differences to help us and sorry for myself that I believed that they could be put aside. Now if that is all I will return to my realm." Legolas turned and left. He could hear Elrond following him. Mounting his flea-bitten grey stallion he turned to face Elrond.
"I will talk to them again." The elven lord said. "You are not alone."
"Nay we are alone." Legolas turned to Reean on a balcony over looking them.
"Just remember when we are defeated and the darkness moves onto other places you are its next target, your list of allies will be sadly depleted as they would have been destroyed. I am truly sorry for you." And with that he turned and galloped away.
end flashback
Elrond watched the once proud prince gasp for breath as he waited to die. He wiped blonde hair off Legolas's clammy forehead as a tear trailed down his face. The decision he made still weighed heavily on him especially when it proved to be the wrong one, the look of anger on Aragon's face when he was told of the events and the disgust on Gimli's. How they with a legion of Rivendell and Gondor warriors had set off immediately only too arrive to late.
"I am sorry. I am so sorry."
*
Elrond walked quickly to Legolas's side and saw the elf struggling to breathe while his blood flowed down the altar. His agony filled blue eyes turned to look at the elven lord.
"Hold on." Elrond said as he looked for something to remove the chains securing the elf to the stone. Looking around for something to help him he spied the keys on the wall hanging on a rusty nail. Quickly moving towards them he reached out to grab them and was flung across the room by a strong bolt of magic. He groaned as slowly rose to his feet and sighed to himself. *Of course it would never be that easy* he thought to himself. Returning to Legolas's side as he pulled off his cloak and held it against the wound. Legolas cried out in pain.
"Please let me die." The young prince begged.
"You know I cannot do that young one." Elrond said sadly.
"Please I do not wish to live."
"Why? You have friends that care for you; Aragorn and Gimli sit with you every night willing you to return to them. They would be lost without you."
"They.will...survive."
"They blame themselves as do we all for not coming to your aid when you were fighting for your lives." Elrond said guilt weighing heavily in his heart as he thought of the day when the young elf had pleaded to the council of the desperate need for aid and warriors to be sent to Mirkwood. The council did not listen still angry over the years of bitterness between the two realms. Even he himself did not think the situation was so serious to warrant a legion of elves and due to this Mirkwood fell.
flashback
"Why should we send aid to Mirkwood?" Reean a lord of Rivendell asked with a sneer. Elrond glared at him and turned his attention back to the young elven prince in front of the council. The young elf looked exhausted and had several bandaged cuts and a splinted broken left arm. His exhaustion was slowing his natural healing ability.
He watched as Legolas drew himself to his full height and he became every inch the youngest son of King Thranduil, a prince of Mirkwood.
"I know that relationships between Rivendell and Mirkwood are strained but I do not think that you would not allow us to be slaughtered." Legolas responded holding Reean's look.
"I think the term slaughtered is a bit of an exaggeration your highness." Reean continued.
Bysal a captain of Rivendell's warriors watched the conversion progress with a sinking heart. He knew the young Prince after having served in a joint war party between the two realms where the young Prince also served. He also knew that he was fighting a losing battle, there would no help given by the council.
"I do not my lord." Legolas responded respectfully "We have been weakened by years of fighting the darkness that has infiltrated our realm. We cannot withstand an major assault."
"Sauron is defeated surely there is not a force strong enough to defeat the wood elves." Reean said sarcastically.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily "Aye there is and I am sure that Rivendell elves would fall too but I distinctly remember that we wood elves have had to put up with far more than you ever had." The blonde elf retorted.
"Peace Prince Legolas" Elrond said holding up his hands to calm the young prince.
"I apologise Lord Elrond, but I cannot stress enough the need we have for this aid. I am truly sorry for the bitterness that has soiled the relations between our two realms, please find it in your hearts to grant us this request and aid our defence." Legolas pleaded.
"Prince Legolas you rode in here injured and exhausted demanding an audience with the council but you have yet to explain what has exactly befallen Mirkwood that requires our aid, other than you were attacked and need aid" Elrond said.
Legolas seemed to shrink and he shuddered as though the memories chilled him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I was leading a border patrol. Orc activity had increased and we wanted to find to see if we could trace its origin. They were lying in wait for us. Two of our party were felled before we were able to draw our weapons. We sent calls for help and many responded. There were hundreds and we could not hold them. We fell back to the palace but found that the assault on us was only a distraction and the main party had already attacked. We lost many. We regrouped and sent out messengers to appeal for help." Legolas's voice broke and he faltered as he looked into the stony faces of the lords and the sad expression on Lord Elrond's face.
He swallowed and stood tall.
"You will not help us." He said quietly.
"Prince Legolas please it is not that we will not help we can not. Our forces are too weakened and ."
Elrond stopped as Legolas held up his hand.
"I cannot stand here while you debate whether or not you will send us aid. My people need me. I will take my leave while you discuss politics." Legolas moved to leave.
"Legolas please" Elrond begged.
"I have sat in enough of my realm's council meetings to know when I am being politely listened to and that from the beginning you had no intention of helping me. I feel sorry for you, sorry that you cannot put aside differences to help us and sorry for myself that I believed that they could be put aside. Now if that is all I will return to my realm." Legolas turned and left. He could hear Elrond following him. Mounting his flea-bitten grey stallion he turned to face Elrond.
"I will talk to them again." The elven lord said. "You are not alone."
"Nay we are alone." Legolas turned to Reean on a balcony over looking them.
"Just remember when we are defeated and the darkness moves onto other places you are its next target, your list of allies will be sadly depleted as they would have been destroyed. I am truly sorry for you." And with that he turned and galloped away.
end flashback
Elrond watched the once proud prince gasp for breath as he waited to die. He wiped blonde hair off Legolas's clammy forehead as a tear trailed down his face. The decision he made still weighed heavily on him especially when it proved to be the wrong one, the look of anger on Aragon's face when he was told of the events and the disgust on Gimli's. How they with a legion of Rivendell and Gondor warriors had set off immediately only too arrive to late.
"I am sorry. I am so sorry."
*