Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.

Storm Clouds

By

Brin

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Chapter 4: Crawling in the Dark

Eve opened the door and she was instantly assaulted with loud music being played as loud as humanly possible. She covered her ears.

"…and I wish I could know

The directions that I take

And all the choices that I make

Are they all for nothing?

Show me what it's for

Make me understand it

I've been crawling in the dark

Looking for the answer

Is there something more

Than what I've been handed…"

Eve spotted the stereo a few feet inside the room against the wall. She moved towards it to turn down the volume to a more… manageable level, then something else caught her eye. Her jaw dropped.

Chris was jogging on a treadmill wearing only a pair of black shorts and a sweatband over his ears. His legs pumped tirelessly, muscles bulging and beads of perspiration running from his face to his chest to his six-pack abs. He was concentrating on the music, obviously trying to ignore any and all pain he could be feeling from his workout… and he was singing.

Eve swooned as she heard his smooth voice reached her ears over the loud music.

"… Help me carry on. Surely it's okay to use my heart and not my eyes to navigate the darkness," he sang, his voice not quite like the leader singer's but very fitting for the song nonetheless. "Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?"

Eve leaned against the wall and watched him jog, her mind melting into mush. Okay, she had a crush on him. She admitted it. But he was just too…'emotionally unavailable' for her tastes. No harm in admiring him (and his sweet voice), though. She was content to just stand there collecting flies in her mouth, but by some miracle Chris heard her over the music and flipped off the stereo, his treadmill coming to a slow halt. He stood there, not facing her, for about three seconds before turning around.

"Eve. You're awake," he said simply.

The young woman felt suddenly very uncomfortable. "Uh… yeah."

"Was Nicki there when you woke up?"

"Yeah. Who is she?"

"An old friend. From college."

"Uh huh… and who is Elrond?"

Chris looked confused. Convincingly confused. "El…rond?"

"The old guy at that Council you were at where they all called you 'King Legolas,'" said Eve bluntly, growing irritated. "What, you're going to lie to me again?"

Something flashed over Chris's eyes, only to fade away. "Are you accusing me of lying to you?" he asked, his voice still calm and collected.

"No, I'm telling you that you lied to me!" growled Eve, taking a step forward. "You coward! Are you afraid that I'm going to run around telling everyone your stupid little 'secret'? Gee, thanks, Chris, it's good to know that you hold me on such high accounts," she snapped sarcastically.

Chris shook his head. "You've obviously suffered trauma from your head injury. You need to rest, Eve."

Eve backed away from him angrily. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'm leaving." She turned and ran out the door.

"I wouldn't do that, Eve," he called, not bothering to follow her just yet. "This castle has many secrets and the forest around it holds even more."

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Eve ran down the corridor and found herself back at the room where she had left Nicki behind. She threw open the door and was pleased to find it empty. Running over to the window, she yanked it open and looked down.

"What the hell?!"

She was at least four stories high, looking down at a thick forest that stretches for miles, ending just at the edge of the horizon. Immediately under her window was a balcony for what she assumed to be a third story room. Since she had no idea where the front door was, she made a decision to climb down.

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Aeriela entered Legolas's room and looked around. "Is she here?"

Legolas, who was wiping sweat from his face, shook his head. "Nope. She ran out of here not too long ago."

"And you let her go?" asked the young queen in confusion.

"She won't get far, believe me."

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Eve landed with a loud 'umph!' on the second story roof. She got up and stumbled, almost falling right off the building. The rain had made the shingles slippery, so this time she carefully rose to her feet and looked around. The first story had a covered porch that she could jump on, but it was directly underneath the section of roof that she was standing on at the moment so it wouldn't do her much good. She continued to look around. The castle walls were covered in ivy that stretched tall and wide… a light bulb went on in her head. She carefully edged to the wall and grabbed some vines, tying them together like a primitive rope.

"Okay…let's see if any of that Tarzan talent my brother's got rubbed off…" Holding the makeshift rope tightly, she jumped off the roof and hung there, dangling about forty feet off the ground. The rope didn't snap (for which she was very grateful) and she began to slowly lower herself downward.

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Legolas pulled a clean white tunic over his head and looked at himself in the mirror. To most, he appeared about twenty-three, his face still young and fresh. But to himself… he looked withered and worn, much like a flower without water and sunshine. He was paler than he used to be, his movements stiffer and more forced than all those years ago when he had traveled with the Fellowship. His hair, once the proud bright blonde of the Silver Elves, had lost some of its color, reluctantly giving way to the brownish tone of the Rivendell Elves from age and the lack of sunlight due to the fact that he had to wear a hat at all times to hide his ears from the Men. Then… that scar that went down the right side of his face. He fingered it idly, remembering who gave it to him… Thranduil…

"Why do you fear the future? All that lies in the future is choices and questions. You have lived long enough to make the right choice and find answers to the questions."

Legolas turned around to find Aeriela standing there, her fair faced comforting. "I think a better question would be why I fear the past," Legolas mumbled, rubbing a wet cloth over his forehead. "And the answer to that… is beyond me."

Aeriela slowly and gracefully moved forward, placed her hand on his back. "Your heart is troubled, Son of Thranduil, King of the fallen kingdom of Mirkwood."

Legolas cringed as she mentioned his father's name. "And yours is very young, Aeriela, Daughter of Eotune, Queen of what once was the fledgling kingdom of Rewyn. Your eyes do not see and will not seen what mine have… and for that I am very grateful." He turned around and gently touched her cheek. "Do not let my despair trouble your heart." A short pause. "Come, I suspect we will have a prisoner on our hands soon."

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Eve slowly climbed down the rope all the way to the ground, where she stopped for a moment and looked back up at the window of the castle before running off into the forest without a second thought. She ran for about ten minutes before she tired and stopped to catch her breath. "God… how big is this place?" she panted, looking around in dismay. She had been heading in one direction, but… what if she was going at an angle? What if the exit was just a few meters to the right but twenty meters to the left? She dragged her hand down her face and sighed. "Okay… focus."

SNAP.

Eve's head whipped around at the sound. Something moved in the trees, then disappeared. Slowly rising to her feet, she started walking again. A raven cawed and flew out of a tall tree, followed by several other birds. Eve walked faster. She could now hear footsteps behind her, moving quickly and almost silently across the ground. The young woman picked up her pace to a jog. Soon, she took off at a dead run as her unseen pursuer's footsteps increased considerably. She glanced backwards, then turned around and—

"AAH!!" screamed Eve, skidding to a halt and falling back onto her butt as she came face to face with a tall, imposing man. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

The man standing above her said nothing. He had long blonde hair pulled into a loose ponytail and a cleanly-shaven face. In his hand he held a nasty-looking knife.

"If you don't go away… I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what?" he interrupted, his voice full of dislike. "Beat me to death with a flower?"

Eve glared at him. "Look, buddy, you have no right to keep me here and…" She was cut short by the feel of cold steel against her throat. "Never mind." Her brown eyes wandered upward to see three new men, all similarly armed, scowling down at her.

"Bound her and bring her to King Legolas. He might want to keep this one," growled one of the men, pulling out a rope. "Don't struggle."

Eve kicked him in the crotch. "Bite me!"

The men gathered around her now, knives drawn. One hit her across the face, knocking her out cold. "That was very, very unwise," he said as they picked her up.

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Legolas stood with his arms crossed as the prisoner was thrown before him wearing tattered clothes and covered in grime. He shook his head and wearily let out a deep breath to calm himself.

"She was sneaking around the Western border!" said the guard, pulling back the prisoner's hair so that she looked up at the king.

Legolas wasn't surprised to see Eve staring up at him with a guilty face. "Hi, Legolas, buddy… friend," she said with a nervous smile, then bit her lip and gave him a pleading look.

"How did you know his true name? And anyway, that's King Legolas to you, Woman!" growled the guard, raising his hand to hit her.

Legolas stopped him by raising his own hand. "Please, Therun." He laced his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels, a smile pulling at his lips. "So… what will be done to her if I do not pardon her?"

"Sir, you know perfectly well what—"

"Humor me," interrupted the king firmly but quietly.

Therun shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Since she tried to escape the castle without permission and knows of your true name, she will be thrown into the dungeons to wither and die along with the other humans who've come too deep into these parts and violated the Elven laws."

"And what else?" asked Legolas, noting how Eve flinched at Therun's words.

"She fought us when we tried to bring her to you. That is a direct opposition of the New Laws, which state that no prisoner shall harm a Royal Guard unless the Guard is believed to be planning a betrayal of their Sovereign and the prisoner feels he or she can save the Sovereign by his or her acts of violence. And, as you know, my Liege, I would throw myself onto my own sword before I would betray you," said Therun, saluting Legolas.

"Of course, Therun," said the king, smiling amusedly at the look of sheer terror upon Eve's face. "Please, continue."

Therun bowed then straightened up. "Breaking one of the New Laws as a prisoner is a serious offense. She will be beaten, manacled, and left to die. The remaining Elven Kings and Queens cannot afford defiant prisoners whom kill their soldiers."

Legolas cocked his head at Eve. "So, Eve, shall I pardon you from this fate?" Eve hung her head but didn't say anything. Therun and the other guards looked to Legolas anxiously as the king sighed and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Release her."

"But sir—"

Legolas stopped him with an irritated look. "I said release her, Therun. She is to be granted safe passage to the Gates."

Therun sighed and broke her bounds with his knife. "It is done, my Sovereign."

"Good. Now, leave us," he ordered, his voice full of authority. The guards bowed, saluted, and left.

Legolas led Eve to the front door of the castle and handed her some clothes. "Your clothes have been confiscated and burnt so my guards can make sure no Goblin fumes are on you. These are from Aeriela. They may be a little small on you, for she is a woman both short and delicate."

Eve accepted the outfit, her eyes downcast. "I… I didn't…Are you…?"

Legolas held up his hand, halting her words. "Please, Eve. I don't want to throw you in the dungeon. Don't ask me this."

"No, I need to now." She paused and took a deep breath. "Are you… are you an Elf?"

"You tread dangerous waters with your words, Daughter of Gondor," interrupted Aeriela as she entered the room. "I suggest you do not ask again."

Legolas nodded in agreement. "Aeriela is right. If you know too much…it puts you in trouble with the Goblins… they already have you on their hostile list. Have no memory of this place. Please, just go. Go, and never come back. Never, ever come back." He pointed down a dirt road. "Run!"

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Eve dressed in the middle of nowhere behind a tree after leaving Chris/Legolas's property. The clothes were much to small for her, but luckily they were stretchable and she was able to roll the pants up into Capri's so she looked ordinary enough. Her shirt was a bit too tight around the shoulders, but not too much so.

The dirt road that had led her from his 'castle' to the edge of his property (which, by the way, was a huge stone wall extending at least fifty feet in the air with a giant iron gate) continued past there and she walked along it until she came to a concrete road. About a mile down she spotted a gas station and jogged all the way there.

Eve went up to the payphone and dialed her home phone number (of course, after dialing 1-800-COL-LECT). The phone rang twice before:

"Hello, you've reached the number you've dialed. Leave a message after the beep. And if this is Eve, please call 555-5995." BEEP.

Eve shook her head and dialed the new number.

"Hullo?" mumbled a sleepy Trent.

"Hey there buddy, what's up?" said Eve, smiling to herself.

"Eve? Eve, damn! Where have you been?" asked Trent, his voice growing irritated. "You have been gone for two days!"

"Sorry, sorry. I've been a little… preoccupied," she said with a tired sigh. "Look, I'm stuck at a gas station with no money and no car. Come and get me."

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Eve and Trent arrived home around 5:00. The Seattle Police Department had given them a nice condo as a temporary living space until they were sure their old house was secure again. As soon as she got home, Eve jumped in the shower and stayed in there for about three whole hours before the water began to run cold. After that, she quickly got dressed and borrowed Trent's truck. She had questions and was going to get answers, whether Chris liked it or not.

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The Pinewood library had been running for as long as Eve could remember. She had never actually gone into it, but as a child she could remember driving by it every day on her way to school. It was a comforting sight, but now she needed it for more… objective reasons.

DING went the door as she opened it. She was instantly assaulted with the musty smell of old, leather-bound books and decaying wood. The room was filled to the ceiling with row after crumbling row of faded books. Dust covered almost everything in sight, and whenever Eve moved too much a cloud of it would rise up into the air and fill her mouth with a bitter taste, much like pine.

"Hello there," called a voice that was strangely familiar to Eve. "Can I help you?"

Eve moved forward into the sea of books. "Um… I'm looking for a book."

"Well, that's obvious. That's why you go to bookstores, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, I don't know exactly what I'm looking for."

"Really? You've come to the right place, then."


Eve saw a person behind one of the shelves and slowly walked towards them. "I… I need a book on old legends, myths, stories… that sort of thing. And it has to be really old, too. None of that urban legends stuff." She peeked around the corner of the shelf to see an old man wearing spectacles sitting there, reading a book that looked like it had seen better days once upon a time. A gasp escaped her lips as the man looked up at her. "You're… you're Elrond. Lord Elrond."

Something akin to fear flashed behind the old man's eyes, but otherwise he looked more shocked than anything. "Excuse me? You must be mistaken, my name is Arthur Pinewood. I've owned this place for thirty years."

Eve shook the thoughts from her head. "Okay, never mind."

Arthur closed his book, causing a cloud of dust to arise as he did, and put it back on the shelf. "So… you want a book on legends and myths." He stood up. "You must be more specific, child. Greek mythology? Roman mythology? Scandinavian mythology? Legends such as Daniel Boone? Legends such as those of the Native Americans?"

Eve thought a moment, trying to recall anything she had learned while sleeping through history class. "Um… what about stuff on Elves? And not Santa's Elves… I mean, like, the kind of Elves real legends mention."

Arthur smiled. "Elves, you say? I've got just the thing." He bounded off, darting through the shelves with the agility of a careless teen and soon returned holding a thick leather book. "This will tell you all you need to know of the Elves. Enjoy." With that, he disappeared into the jungle of books once again.

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Eve located a table and spread the heavy book out. There was already a page marked in it, so she opened to that page… and instantly knew she was in way over her head. The book was not written in English, but in some strange language that was both strange and yet familiar to her… and for some reason unknown to her, she was… able to read it. She read aloud:

"Here is inscribed the account of Thranduil, King of the fallen kingdom of Mirkwood, in the year 2201 of the Post-Devastation Age: 'My hunt for the Orcs continues. They have taken what is mine and for that reason I will never stop my search. Nothing will stand in my way, for in my left hand I hold the last remaining sword of Mirkwood… and its blade longs for the blood of Orc. But I am struck with a great pain… my son, Legolas, has decided to marry into the Race of Men, breaking the family line. I cannot sway him from his choice so therefore I may have to resort to measures taken of Old, when disputes were settled on the edge of a knife. My satire will go to ruin if I do not… and Legolas will thank me one day.'"

Eve turned the page.

"Here is inscribed the account of Legolas, Son of Thranduil, now King of the fallen Mirkwood, in the year 2202 of the Post-Devastation Age: 'My hands are dirtied with the blood of my father, whose hands took the life of my wife and child. He was out of his mind with age and the bitterness of his never-ending battles with the Orcs. I… feel no pity for him. It was well past his time to leave and join my Mother. The Council has spared me from any punishment for my deed and, had they decided I had committed treason, I would not care. I do not know pain, I do not know fear…all I know is the anguish for my lost wife and son, taken from me by my own father. There is only one thing for certain about where I shall go from here. I will hunt down the Orcs and I will finish what my father started. They will not keep what they have stolen from us.'"

Eve shut the book and looked around, her head spinning. How had she read that? A sweat bead dribbled down the side of her face and she pushed the book away… then, she noticed the markings on the spine of the book…

"No…" she whispered, her eyes translating the strange markings into words that she had seen but once before…

One Ring to rule them all

One Ring to find them

One Ring to bring them all,

And in the darkness bind them.

"What the hell?" Eve gasped to herself, clapping a hand to her forehead. "This… this can't be happening…"

"Having problems, Miss?" Arthur poked his head out from behind a shelf.

Eve looked up and took a deep breath. "No, thank you. I'm fine…just fine…" Arthur shrugged and disappeared once again. Eve stared down at the book like it were going to jump to life and bite her face off…

"Legolassssssssss," something whispered, making her jump. "Legolas, Legolassssssss."

Eve stood up now, scared out of her mind… The book was talking to her.

"Legolassssssss," it repeated, its voice thin and raspy. "Bring me Legolasssssss."

"No. I can't bring you to him. You can't have him," Eve said without thinking.

"Legolassssssss…master Legolasssssss. Eve musssst get masssster Legolassssss."

Eve pushed the book onto the floor, wincing as it made a loud 'BOOM!' sound and ran out of the bookstore without looking back.

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In his castle, Legolas bolted upright from his bed, panting. "Aeriela!" he called, his voice panicked.

No more than five seconds later, Aeriela opened the door and entered, her white nightgown glowing in the moonlight. "Yes, King Legolas? What's the matter?"

"Aeriela… it's calling me. Someone has awoken it. Elrond has chosen someone to awaken the Book," Legolas panted, rubbing his hand across his face. "It's happening."

TBC…