Part II
"Master elf, Master dwarf, you have a visitor."
"Send them in," Legolas replied calmly, turning to gaze into the darkness as a feminine figure stepped inside.
"Legolas." Eowyn's voice held pain and uncertainty. "Rohan is certain it will never see the light of another day. The people are worried, they are terrified."
"They will be safe here," Gimli interjected, stepping up to the Rohan princess. "Gondor is the one our concerns must lie."
"He is right," Legolas replied. "The people of Rohan will be safe here. But we must get moving. The enemy draws deeper into Gondor as the race of man stands but by the tip of a knife."
Eowyn nodded slowly. "And Lord Aragorn? Will he meet us there?"
"Once his mission is complete," Legolas assured her.
Eowyn gave them a shaky smile before retreating to the door. As she placed her hand on it, she turned back to the two. "What will become of us?"
"Our fate is no longer clearly seen," Legolas replied softly. A strange tingle worked its way down his spine and he turned to face the harsh rocky wall. He blinked, trying to recover his sense. He barely heard Eowyn echo her goodbyes before leaving.
"Legolas?" Gimli asked. He had seen the look on Legolas' face before. "What is it?"
"I feel the presence of darkness," Legolas responded, keeping his gaze averted while he collected his thoughts. "It draws near."
Gimli's eyes widened. "We should call the Rohirrim."
"It is not we who I concern for," Legolas said. "Strider is in danger."
A scream sounded from outside, drawing both the dwarf and the elf from the small room they'd rested in. They turned to see a woman pointing, harsh sobs choking her words.
Legolas turned, leaping to the top of the rocky gate, his superior vision seeking a collapsed figure in a yonder hill. "Gimli, find Eomer. There is a human wounded abroad." Gimli nodded and swept off to get the Rohirrim prince.
Legolas turned back to the woman, who was seeking comfort in the arms of her husband. Even in the darkness, he could see the tenderness, the fragility. He swallowed hard and turned back to watch the man.
"He has come recently." An arrogant voice behind Legolas piped up. "I only sensed his movements a moment ago."
Legolas nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the victim. "It will take hours for the men to gather their things. Shall we bring him in?" He turned to the source of the voice. Even in his tattered, bloodied clothing, Haldir stood tall as any general might assume.
"I will send my men, young elf."
Legolas nodded as Haldir retreated into darkness. It took only a few moments for the elves to ride out to the spot where the man lay. It wasn't long before he was safely in custody.
Legolas and Gimli quickly retreated to the gate to meet him. "This is one of Aragorn's men," Gimli said in surprise.
"He looks dead," an elf in the rear claimed.
"He breathes," Legolas said softly, gently helping two of the other elves take the man down and lay him on the cold, hard floor. "This is one of Aragorn's men." He gently shook the man awake.
"What has caused this malice?" The first question came from Haldir, his sharp eyes trained on the bruised face, the bloody scratches cut deep into his neck, into his skull.
"Orc," the man replied, choking his words with the thin trail of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Haldir turned to Legolas. "The ranger?"
"Ambushed."
Legolas could feel the strange feeling again. "The others?"
"Dead. All dead."
There was a collective gasp from the humans that surrounded them. Including Eowyn, who stood on top of the steps, staring into darkness, hearing the voices, but not quite believing in their words.
"The ranger?" Haldir's voice held more anxiety than the elf would admit.
"They took him."
"Where did they take him?" It was Gimli's first question.
The man shook his head, clearly dazed and confused. "I don't know. It was in total darkness. But he fought. He killed. And he fell."
Legolas drew in his breath and rose to his feet. "This should not have happened. This was not forseen."
"What is done is done," Haldir replied, putting a comforting hand on Legolas's shoulder. "If he lives, he is in Sauron's hand. If he has fallen, you would know. Thus would we."
Legolas nodded and turned to the men standing up the steps. "Treat his wounds. Make him comfortable. He is in great pain." That being said, he took the other stairs, alone.
--
Through the mist, he could see the boat approaching. "Where am I going?"
"It is you who stands alone," a voice replied at his elbow. Slowly, a feminine hand entertwined his. "It is I who leaves for the journey."
"Arwen," he breathed, turning to her.
She saw his face, broken, bleeding, bruised. He could read the dispair and the anguish in her eyes. "Why do you fight evil you know destroys you?"
"No one else will," he said, gently taking her other hand. "Am I lost in a dream? Or have I left the world?"
"You are strong," she answered, touching his face, his cuts and bruises. "Your hearts beats in time with the rhythm of your strength."
"I am losing my strength."
"You must hold onto what you cherish most," she murmured, her fingers lightly tracing the evenstar around his neck. "What you carry with you is what you hold most dear."
"I cannot fight alone," he replied, drawing a sharp look from her.
"It was you who made the choice to stand alone," she replied.
Aragorn bent his head, his forehead lightly touching hers. "I cannot leave this world to approach the next without telling you..."
"I know of what you speak," she assured him. "My heart will always beat with yours. But you must have the strength to return to what you once were."
"But if I fail, what will happen then?"
"The race of man stands alone without the one to guide them," Arwen said.
"I understand why I fell in love with you that day," he said gently, touching her hair with a bloodied hand. "And why my heart cannot bear to leave yours."
"We will be one again," she told him, taking his bloodied hand and caressing it with her own. "But you must return and face those who have taken you. And when your strength comes, you will defeat the hold darkness has."
"How do live through darkness?" he asked.
"Faith will guide you," she replied, touching his face one last time, her lips brushing softly against his bruised forehead. "It will always be faith."
"Master elf, Master dwarf, you have a visitor."
"Send them in," Legolas replied calmly, turning to gaze into the darkness as a feminine figure stepped inside.
"Legolas." Eowyn's voice held pain and uncertainty. "Rohan is certain it will never see the light of another day. The people are worried, they are terrified."
"They will be safe here," Gimli interjected, stepping up to the Rohan princess. "Gondor is the one our concerns must lie."
"He is right," Legolas replied. "The people of Rohan will be safe here. But we must get moving. The enemy draws deeper into Gondor as the race of man stands but by the tip of a knife."
Eowyn nodded slowly. "And Lord Aragorn? Will he meet us there?"
"Once his mission is complete," Legolas assured her.
Eowyn gave them a shaky smile before retreating to the door. As she placed her hand on it, she turned back to the two. "What will become of us?"
"Our fate is no longer clearly seen," Legolas replied softly. A strange tingle worked its way down his spine and he turned to face the harsh rocky wall. He blinked, trying to recover his sense. He barely heard Eowyn echo her goodbyes before leaving.
"Legolas?" Gimli asked. He had seen the look on Legolas' face before. "What is it?"
"I feel the presence of darkness," Legolas responded, keeping his gaze averted while he collected his thoughts. "It draws near."
Gimli's eyes widened. "We should call the Rohirrim."
"It is not we who I concern for," Legolas said. "Strider is in danger."
A scream sounded from outside, drawing both the dwarf and the elf from the small room they'd rested in. They turned to see a woman pointing, harsh sobs choking her words.
Legolas turned, leaping to the top of the rocky gate, his superior vision seeking a collapsed figure in a yonder hill. "Gimli, find Eomer. There is a human wounded abroad." Gimli nodded and swept off to get the Rohirrim prince.
Legolas turned back to the woman, who was seeking comfort in the arms of her husband. Even in the darkness, he could see the tenderness, the fragility. He swallowed hard and turned back to watch the man.
"He has come recently." An arrogant voice behind Legolas piped up. "I only sensed his movements a moment ago."
Legolas nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the victim. "It will take hours for the men to gather their things. Shall we bring him in?" He turned to the source of the voice. Even in his tattered, bloodied clothing, Haldir stood tall as any general might assume.
"I will send my men, young elf."
Legolas nodded as Haldir retreated into darkness. It took only a few moments for the elves to ride out to the spot where the man lay. It wasn't long before he was safely in custody.
Legolas and Gimli quickly retreated to the gate to meet him. "This is one of Aragorn's men," Gimli said in surprise.
"He looks dead," an elf in the rear claimed.
"He breathes," Legolas said softly, gently helping two of the other elves take the man down and lay him on the cold, hard floor. "This is one of Aragorn's men." He gently shook the man awake.
"What has caused this malice?" The first question came from Haldir, his sharp eyes trained on the bruised face, the bloody scratches cut deep into his neck, into his skull.
"Orc," the man replied, choking his words with the thin trail of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Haldir turned to Legolas. "The ranger?"
"Ambushed."
Legolas could feel the strange feeling again. "The others?"
"Dead. All dead."
There was a collective gasp from the humans that surrounded them. Including Eowyn, who stood on top of the steps, staring into darkness, hearing the voices, but not quite believing in their words.
"The ranger?" Haldir's voice held more anxiety than the elf would admit.
"They took him."
"Where did they take him?" It was Gimli's first question.
The man shook his head, clearly dazed and confused. "I don't know. It was in total darkness. But he fought. He killed. And he fell."
Legolas drew in his breath and rose to his feet. "This should not have happened. This was not forseen."
"What is done is done," Haldir replied, putting a comforting hand on Legolas's shoulder. "If he lives, he is in Sauron's hand. If he has fallen, you would know. Thus would we."
Legolas nodded and turned to the men standing up the steps. "Treat his wounds. Make him comfortable. He is in great pain." That being said, he took the other stairs, alone.
--
Through the mist, he could see the boat approaching. "Where am I going?"
"It is you who stands alone," a voice replied at his elbow. Slowly, a feminine hand entertwined his. "It is I who leaves for the journey."
"Arwen," he breathed, turning to her.
She saw his face, broken, bleeding, bruised. He could read the dispair and the anguish in her eyes. "Why do you fight evil you know destroys you?"
"No one else will," he said, gently taking her other hand. "Am I lost in a dream? Or have I left the world?"
"You are strong," she answered, touching his face, his cuts and bruises. "Your hearts beats in time with the rhythm of your strength."
"I am losing my strength."
"You must hold onto what you cherish most," she murmured, her fingers lightly tracing the evenstar around his neck. "What you carry with you is what you hold most dear."
"I cannot fight alone," he replied, drawing a sharp look from her.
"It was you who made the choice to stand alone," she replied.
Aragorn bent his head, his forehead lightly touching hers. "I cannot leave this world to approach the next without telling you..."
"I know of what you speak," she assured him. "My heart will always beat with yours. But you must have the strength to return to what you once were."
"But if I fail, what will happen then?"
"The race of man stands alone without the one to guide them," Arwen said.
"I understand why I fell in love with you that day," he said gently, touching her hair with a bloodied hand. "And why my heart cannot bear to leave yours."
"We will be one again," she told him, taking his bloodied hand and caressing it with her own. "But you must return and face those who have taken you. And when your strength comes, you will defeat the hold darkness has."
"How do live through darkness?" he asked.
"Faith will guide you," she replied, touching his face one last time, her lips brushing softly against his bruised forehead. "It will always be faith."