Authors notes: - Thank you for the reviews. Hope you enjoy it! Happy
holidays!
*
Gandalf followed Saurman into the shadows.
"Still too much of a coward to face me." Gandalf taunted.
"Hiding in the mind of an elf."
Saurman stepped out of the shadows.
"I am not hiding. I knew you would try to help Sauron's pathetic pet so I implanted Sauron's fail safe trigger into his brain using my image."
Gandalf flinched as it registered that Legolas had been used in one of Sauron's games to gain revenge on him.
"Don't start thinking that I did all this to get to you. Playing with this elf was fun. I love how he screams, sends shivers down my spine." He baited Gandalf.
Gandalf regarded him coolly refusing to give away anything.
"He cried for you, for that would be king and that dwarf. Begged, he begged in the end for it to stop, wished I would kill him but why would I do that to my favourite plaything."
Gandalf raised a hand and propelled Saurman to the ground.
"You disgust me. Torturing an innocent. How the mighty have fallen. Do you feel powerful torturing an elf?"
"Yes do you know what its like to have the life of a being in your hands? Yes I have killed before but never watched a creature suffer like that elf has. It was exhilarating." Gandalf let the disgust show on his feature. How this cold hearted and cruel being was ever the man he once called his friend was astonishing.
"Free him. He has suffered enough."
"Ahh I don't think so. His skin is so soft and his eyes how they reflect everything he felt. The pain and the suffering."
Gandalf had had enough and moved to throw Saurman down. The wizard countered and the battle began.
*
Aragorn watched as a tear ran down Elrond's face and then cuts and bruises appeared on Gandalf. Legolas was going a shade of grey and his breathing was extremely shallow.
"What is going on?" an angry voice demanded. Aragorn turned his head to see Gimli march into the room.
"Legolas had another fit. He is in a coma. Elrond and Gandalf are trying to help him."
Gimli walked closer to the bed.
"Why is he crying?" Gimli asked pointing at Elrond. "Is he injured?" he inquired of Gandalf.
"I do not know Gimli." Aragorn replied angrily immediately regretting it. Gimli was only concerned just like he was.
"I am sorry. Its just.I hate the waiting and the not knowing" he apologised.
"I know my friend." Gimli said sitting on the empty chair by the bed.
* Legolas closed his eyes and he reached for Elrond's hand. Elrond gripped it reassuringly.
"Just stay with me for a little longer Legolas." The elven lord said.
"Can't." the young elf replied his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes you can."
Legolas opened his eyes. He couldn't see and his hearing was almost gone.
"Sorry." He whispered and after a last shuddering breath he stopped breathing.
"No.no you must not give up Legolas. This is not how it should be." Elrond begged.
A violent shaking knocked Elrond off his feet. When the movement stopped he climbed back to his feet and nearly had a heart attack. Legolas was sat up. He was clothed no longer in blood stained clothes but in a white robe. He glowed white and his hair shone like moonlight. Legolas got up and walked in the same direction that Gandalf and Saurman had disappeared earlier. Elrond followed him.
* Gandalf clutched the wall and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Saurman laughed as he readied another volley.
"Don't." a voice commanded. "Make one move and I will wipe you from existence." Both wizards turned to see Legolas and Elrond stood behind Gandalf.
"So the elf isn't as weak as he claimed. Are you here to have more fun? Are you going to scream for me again?"
Legolas raised his hand and a white bolt of magic shot out and encircled Saurman. The wizard screamed and disintegrated. Legolas collapsed and Gandalf sank to his knees.
*
Aragorn and Gimli jumped as both Elrond and Gandalf jerked back.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Aragorn questioned concerned.
"Yes we are both well. Tired but well." Gandalf replied as he slowly rose to his feet.
"How is Legolas?" Gimli demanded.
"He defeated Saurman." Elrond said. Aragorn and Gimli quickly turned their attention to the bed when there was a faint moan. Legolas was stirring. He blinked and slowly opened his eyes.
"Legolas?" Aragorn said leaning closer. "Can you hear me?"
A moan was the only answer. The elf blinked slowly and turned his head to face Aragorn. A tired smile graced his features. He opened his mouth to speak and then frowned.
"What is it Legolas?" Gimli questioned.
"Am .we.l..l?" Legolas stuttered as he tried to form the words.
"Aye. You defeated Saurman." Gimli responded concerned by his friend's slurred speech. Legolas nodded slowly and closed his eyes as exhaustion claimed him.
"Why does he speak like that?" Gimli demanded quietly so not to disturb his sleeping friend.
"Gimli he has suffered a major trauma. He will not suddenly be well again. He is exhausted and we do not know the full effects of what this past year has done to him. It will take time. In the morning we will talk to him again, he should be more coherent." Elrond said.
"Aragorn will you change his bandages. I am tired and I need to rest." Aragorn nodded and Gandalf and Elrond left.
Aragorn moved to the small table and put some herbs in a pot and grinded them up.
"Do you think he will be alright?" Gimli questioned as he clasped his hands around one of Legolas's.
"I know not Gimli but I hope he will. I cannot imagine a world without him. This year has been the hardest of my life and I never want to go through it again." Aragorn walked back to the bed and began to remove the bandages. The wounds had barely healed but he hoped that now he was healing in his mind then he should heal in the body. He smoothed the paste on the wounds and re - bandaged them. Tucking the blankets around his friend, he motioned the dwarf into the next room. They sat by the fire and Aragorn made some tea, which they both sipped.
"It will be a hard process but hopefully he will become the friend we knew and trusted again."
*
Gandalf followed Saurman into the shadows.
"Still too much of a coward to face me." Gandalf taunted.
"Hiding in the mind of an elf."
Saurman stepped out of the shadows.
"I am not hiding. I knew you would try to help Sauron's pathetic pet so I implanted Sauron's fail safe trigger into his brain using my image."
Gandalf flinched as it registered that Legolas had been used in one of Sauron's games to gain revenge on him.
"Don't start thinking that I did all this to get to you. Playing with this elf was fun. I love how he screams, sends shivers down my spine." He baited Gandalf.
Gandalf regarded him coolly refusing to give away anything.
"He cried for you, for that would be king and that dwarf. Begged, he begged in the end for it to stop, wished I would kill him but why would I do that to my favourite plaything."
Gandalf raised a hand and propelled Saurman to the ground.
"You disgust me. Torturing an innocent. How the mighty have fallen. Do you feel powerful torturing an elf?"
"Yes do you know what its like to have the life of a being in your hands? Yes I have killed before but never watched a creature suffer like that elf has. It was exhilarating." Gandalf let the disgust show on his feature. How this cold hearted and cruel being was ever the man he once called his friend was astonishing.
"Free him. He has suffered enough."
"Ahh I don't think so. His skin is so soft and his eyes how they reflect everything he felt. The pain and the suffering."
Gandalf had had enough and moved to throw Saurman down. The wizard countered and the battle began.
*
Aragorn watched as a tear ran down Elrond's face and then cuts and bruises appeared on Gandalf. Legolas was going a shade of grey and his breathing was extremely shallow.
"What is going on?" an angry voice demanded. Aragorn turned his head to see Gimli march into the room.
"Legolas had another fit. He is in a coma. Elrond and Gandalf are trying to help him."
Gimli walked closer to the bed.
"Why is he crying?" Gimli asked pointing at Elrond. "Is he injured?" he inquired of Gandalf.
"I do not know Gimli." Aragorn replied angrily immediately regretting it. Gimli was only concerned just like he was.
"I am sorry. Its just.I hate the waiting and the not knowing" he apologised.
"I know my friend." Gimli said sitting on the empty chair by the bed.
* Legolas closed his eyes and he reached for Elrond's hand. Elrond gripped it reassuringly.
"Just stay with me for a little longer Legolas." The elven lord said.
"Can't." the young elf replied his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes you can."
Legolas opened his eyes. He couldn't see and his hearing was almost gone.
"Sorry." He whispered and after a last shuddering breath he stopped breathing.
"No.no you must not give up Legolas. This is not how it should be." Elrond begged.
A violent shaking knocked Elrond off his feet. When the movement stopped he climbed back to his feet and nearly had a heart attack. Legolas was sat up. He was clothed no longer in blood stained clothes but in a white robe. He glowed white and his hair shone like moonlight. Legolas got up and walked in the same direction that Gandalf and Saurman had disappeared earlier. Elrond followed him.
* Gandalf clutched the wall and pulled himself to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Saurman laughed as he readied another volley.
"Don't." a voice commanded. "Make one move and I will wipe you from existence." Both wizards turned to see Legolas and Elrond stood behind Gandalf.
"So the elf isn't as weak as he claimed. Are you here to have more fun? Are you going to scream for me again?"
Legolas raised his hand and a white bolt of magic shot out and encircled Saurman. The wizard screamed and disintegrated. Legolas collapsed and Gandalf sank to his knees.
*
Aragorn and Gimli jumped as both Elrond and Gandalf jerked back.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Aragorn questioned concerned.
"Yes we are both well. Tired but well." Gandalf replied as he slowly rose to his feet.
"How is Legolas?" Gimli demanded.
"He defeated Saurman." Elrond said. Aragorn and Gimli quickly turned their attention to the bed when there was a faint moan. Legolas was stirring. He blinked and slowly opened his eyes.
"Legolas?" Aragorn said leaning closer. "Can you hear me?"
A moan was the only answer. The elf blinked slowly and turned his head to face Aragorn. A tired smile graced his features. He opened his mouth to speak and then frowned.
"What is it Legolas?" Gimli questioned.
"Am .we.l..l?" Legolas stuttered as he tried to form the words.
"Aye. You defeated Saurman." Gimli responded concerned by his friend's slurred speech. Legolas nodded slowly and closed his eyes as exhaustion claimed him.
"Why does he speak like that?" Gimli demanded quietly so not to disturb his sleeping friend.
"Gimli he has suffered a major trauma. He will not suddenly be well again. He is exhausted and we do not know the full effects of what this past year has done to him. It will take time. In the morning we will talk to him again, he should be more coherent." Elrond said.
"Aragorn will you change his bandages. I am tired and I need to rest." Aragorn nodded and Gandalf and Elrond left.
Aragorn moved to the small table and put some herbs in a pot and grinded them up.
"Do you think he will be alright?" Gimli questioned as he clasped his hands around one of Legolas's.
"I know not Gimli but I hope he will. I cannot imagine a world without him. This year has been the hardest of my life and I never want to go through it again." Aragorn walked back to the bed and began to remove the bandages. The wounds had barely healed but he hoped that now he was healing in his mind then he should heal in the body. He smoothed the paste on the wounds and re - bandaged them. Tucking the blankets around his friend, he motioned the dwarf into the next room. They sat by the fire and Aragorn made some tea, which they both sipped.
"It will be a hard process but hopefully he will become the friend we knew and trusted again."