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.
A/Ns:
a. BEWARE, the rating has gone up for what will take place in this chapter, including language and violence! Movieverse flashbacks.
b. I want to make it known that I will be posing two alternate endings after this chapter. One will be a happy ending and one will be a sad, morbid ending (hehe).
Storm Clouds
By
Brin
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Chapter 8: Love is To…Tethir returned to Legolas's castle to find the king waiting for him in the entrance hall, pacing back and forth anxiously. "King Legolas, we have set a cleared perimeter for us to enter Moria without hindrance. What now?"
Legolas looked at him briefly, then went back to pacing. "I want just the group who signed up to help me to go in. We'll call for the armies later."
Confused, Tethir stepped forward. "What are you talking about? We cannot fight Moria all by ourselves!"
The Elven King raised his hand towards Tethir. "We will need no army." Lifting his arm a bit, he pulled Tethir into the air. "I have all the power we need right here, in my hands."
He lowered a shocked Tethir to the ground. "Your ancestors would not be so amazed."
"How… how do you do that?" asked the mortal, eyes wide.
Legolas picked up a leather-bound book that had been sitting on a nearby table. "This is the key, my father's Book."
Tethir shook his head. "I've heard the legends of that Book; of it's terrible power. Why do you use it? It ate your father's mind, as it will yours!"
"No!" shouted the Elven King. "I will not. The Book will be tossed away; hidden in the depths of the Earth after this is over. It has promised me that it will not consume me." He ran his hands over the binding. "It's mine… My father gave it to me. It gives me power."
Tethir's face grew grave. "It's too late," he whispered, lowering his eyes. He removed his helmet bowed his head. "We have lost one of the great Ancient Kings."
Legolas, too preoccupied with his precious Book, didn't hear.
"Anyway, King, what do we do now?" continued the human, this time louder.
"I told you what to do. We attack in two hours. Tell everyone to meet me at the edge of the perimeter."
Tethir bowed at the waist. "It will be done."
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Legolas stood dressed in nothing but jeans in front of his bedroom mirror, holding up his old outfit, which had somehow been preserved over the thousands of years. Maybe it was the Elven cloth that had prevailed, he didn't quite know, but whatever had happened, the feel of the fabric and the smell of the outdoors calmed his churning soul a bit. His mind cleared for a small period of time and in that moment, all he could think about was Eve. From her face to her sense of humor, he burned this unflawed vision of her in his mind. It would be the only thing he would have to hold onto forever, no matter what happened this day.
He slipped off his jeans and put the outfit on, pleased to find it still fit perfectly. His hair, which had grown to its former length in the magic – for lack of a better word – realm of Mirkwood, he tied back from his face the same way he had done when he was traveling as one of the nine Walkers. Then, going over to a rusted old chest in the corner, he opened the lock and pulled from it his old bow, given to him by his first bow master, and a quiver full of Lórien arrows. Slinging these over his shoulder, he stuck Aragorn's old dagger in his boot and looked himself up and down in the mirror. The sight of himself was haunting, bringing back memories… some, more than others, he would like to forget.
"NOOOO!" shouted Frodo Baggins as Gandalf fell from the Bridge of Khazâd-dûm.
The Fellowship stood, stricken, except for Boromir, who reacted quickly and dragged the hobbits away from the pit. "ARAGORN!" he shouted to the Ranger.
Aragorn, coming to his senses, ran from Moria to join them outside.
Legolas stood upon a boulder, staring down at the forests of Lórien below. This couldn't be happening. How could Gandalf…be dead?! His mind whirled with anger and the utmost sorrow. Now what?! How could they survive without the great wizard's wisdom?! It seemed his fun and amusement at having such an adventure was coming to a close.
"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn's voice interrupted the Elf's thoughts. The prince could only respond with a dazed look upon his face.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~~~~~~
As he was filling his silver pitcher given to him by Haldir with water, Legolas Greenleaf heard sweet Elven voices sound in the night, full of sorrow and mourning.
"Mithrandir, Mithrandir! A Randir Vithren!
Ú-reniathach i amar galen
I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen
In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen
I Lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen
Calad veleg, ethuiannen."
"A lament for Gandalf," he said aloud, looking around at the beautiful mellyrn.
"What do they say of him?" asked young Merry as he settled in.
Legolas looked to the small hobbit. "I haven't the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."
Legolas laughed bitterly, the sound foreign and most depressing. Almost three hundred years had gone by and the grief was still near to him. He sighed. The horrible things he had put his loved ones through… It just wasn't right. All his life he had let them sacrifice their life, their love, when it could've been prevented. Boromir, Elrond, his mother, his wife, his two sons, his best friend… It was like his love was a curse.
He slammed his fist into the wall. That was going to change. No longer would people die for him. Now was his chance. He was going to die for someone else.
Sitting at his desk, Legolas, King of Mirkwood, wrote out his will and parting words to all the ones he might have to leave behind. For the first time in a thousand years, he was going to do something right… and stick with it.
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Eve was jerked awake as the door to her prison cell burst open and a band of five goblins entered, cackling amongst themselves and looking at her with hungry yellow eyes. She stood and faced them down with fierce determination. Draeg entered after the dirty little creatures, having to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe.
"Time for your first dose of medicine," said the Uruk-Hai, smiling evilly at her. He snapped his fingers.
The five goblins moved forward, menacing looks on their ugly faces. Eve pressed herself against the wall and even tried to hit one as it came within reach, but her manacles slowed her movements and the goblin easily dodged her flying fist. Two held down her arms, two held down her legs, and the last one kept her head still as Draeg came over holding a goblet full of a frothing liquid.
Eve shook her head. "I won't do it!"
"Oh, but you will," said Draeg. "This poison is almost irreversible unless someone gets the antidote from me." He held up a small vial which was on a chain around his neck. "So if you try to escape, you will only die in agony within a matter of hours."
Eve gulped.
"Open her mouth," commanded the Uruk-hai.
The goblin holding her head covered her nose with his hand. Eve panicked and began to struggle, but the nearly inhuman strength of the goblins was barely swayed by her roughest efforts. She tried holding her breath, but her struggling only worsened the situation and she finally opened her mouth. In that split second, Draeg poured the liquid down her throat.
"AAAAAH!" she screamed as the liquid burned its way down her throat. The goblins released the young woman and she slumped to the ground.
Draeg whistled and they left the room, leaving Eve writhing on the floor.
The pain was unlike anything Eve had ever felt before, and it was striking her whole body at once. It was like hot lava flowing through her veins and pooling in her joints, making her body useless; her mind nothing but blurred images and feelings. The world before her eyes melded within itself, creating an array of indistinguishable colors and shapes. But in her ear she could hear him whispering… whispering…
"I'm coming, Eve. Hold tight. I'm coming to get you…"
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Philendel led the way, his booted feet making no sound as they crept through the woods a few miles outside Seattle. Behind him padded Legolas, Tethir, Madoc, Haldir, and Gimli, also being as silent as possible. It was dizzying to see all of them dressed in ancient Middle-earth garb; Legolas in his Mirkwood hunter outfit, Madoc wearing a green shirt and brown trousers, Haldir with Lórien Noble robes, Tethir dressed in an earthly-colored fabric with gauntlets and a cape, and Gimli, with his helmet that nearly covered his face and carefully crafted body armor… Philendel felt a sudden rush of homesickness, but brushed it off as he spotted their destination. He held up his hand as a signal to halt.
Legolas tiptoed forward until he was even with Philendel. "Where is the entrance?"
The European Elf pointed to a clearing. "Our scouts saw an Orc enter here."
"Okay… now how do we get in?"
Philendel timidly entered the clearing, the pale moon bathing him in light. He walked to the middle of the field and began to crawl around on the ground, searching for something hidden in the grass. From the safety of the trees, the other five companions waited silently. It took Philendel about five minutes, but he finally found what he was looking for—a rock shaped like a crescent-moon innocently sitting on the ground. He pulled it up and a section of the ground came with it, like a trap door.
Gimli gasped. "That's brilliant!" he said under his breath. "But what happened to the enchanted Gate?"
"There is still more to come," said Legolas, moving out into the open. "The Orcs do not take their lair's security lightly… my best guess is that when the Fellowship passed through here without losing but one life they had to find a new way to protect themselves from outside invasion."
"He's right," said Haldir, coming to stand next to the dark, foreboding entrance. "They will have many obstacles. Keep sharp." He paused. "Oh, and Gimli…"
"Yes?"
"Do try not to breathe so hard. You breathe so loudly even Orcs could shoot you in the dark," joked the Lórien Elf with a mischievous smile before hopping into the dark, dank of Moria.
Gimli harrumphed. "I'm not like the Gimli of the Fellowship! I have the eyes of an eagle and the ears of a wolf!"
The gathered laughed heartily… it would probably be their last laugh for a long, long time.
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Haldir and Philendel, at the front of the group, kept watch while the others slid down the long tunnel leading into Moria, bows raised and arrows notched. Legolas was the last to enter, the Book in tow.
"Why did you bring that?!" whispered Tethir in alarm. "It gives off enough dark power to attract any goblin within thirty miles!"
Legolas smirked. "You doubt my power. I can conceal it's evil without even thinking."
Tethir shook his head and walked over to Haldir. "He's lost his mind."
Haldir, who was still paying careful attention to the black cavern all around them, simply nodded with a rueful look upon his face.
Madoc drew his sword and everyone turned around. It was glowing blue, dimly lighting the cavern around them. It was about twenty paces by twenty paces, with a large, dark doorway to their left. The hobbit shrugged as he noticed everyone was staring at him.
"Sting!" gasped Legolas, recognizing the blade. "How did you get that? I was sure it had been destroyed!"
"'Tis a family heirloom, King Legolas!" said Madoc in a matter-of-factly tone. "I am the first Baggins in over three thousand years to have the need to use it!"
"Ssh!" interrupted Philendel. "Something's coming."
They all froze.
BOOM.
Legolas shook his head, a surprising feeling of pure terror overwhelming him. His mind crept back to the first time he had entered Moria… the Balrog encounter burned his thoughts.
BOOM.
"What is it?" whispered Madoc, his words barely audible to even the Elven ears of his companions.
BOOM. BOOM.
"War drums," replied Legolas. "They're preparing an assault."
"Do they know we're here?" asked Tethir.
"Not yet," answered Haldir. "But we must be extra careful. If they are ready for war, they will have gathered any goblins and Orcs possible to them. We cannot fight all of them."
"This is folly," said Kiendos, the first words he had said all evening. "We should go back."
Legolas glared at him. "If you do, I will shoot you between the shoulder blades as you retreat like a mere coward!"
Kiendos gulped.
"Now, you all have signed a Royal scroll to help me. Your presence here means a lot to me, and I would not ask of you what I was not prepared to do myself. We are here now, and there is no turning back," said Legolas, his face softening for a brief moment.
"King Legolas is right. We have agreed to accompany him to the end, and that is what we shall do," Haldir piped in.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
"Madoc, put away your sword!" cried Philendel through clenched teeth. "The light catches their attention."
The hobbit put away his sword and pulled out a different one. They stood stark still in the darkness, waiting. Hoping. The only sound that penetrated the thick underground air was their light breathing.
Legolas licked his lips and notched an arrow to his bow. "It starts."
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Eve awoke with a start when Draeg roughly yanked her to her feet. She still ached from whatever the hell he had given her earlier, but was able to at least stand now. "What do you want, bastard?" she growled.
Draeg smiled, baring yellow fangs. "I see someone is developing an attitude. No matter; you will be begging for death before this is over… just like your boy toy. I relish in the fact that he will finally be broken. The fact that it will be by my doing is simply icing on the cake."
"You're so confident, you little coward! What makes you think you'll win? What if Legolas comes up with something you don't expect? He's a lot smarter than you say!" declared Eve, eyes full of defiance. "He'll kill you! Just watch!"
Taking her chin in his hand, Draeg leaned very, very close to the young woman. "What makes you think I don't already know every move that he makes?"
"How could you possibly know that?"
"What makes you think I will tell you?"
Eve narrowed her eyes at him. "Because I'm obviously not going to escape. Who am I gonna tell?"
Draeg laughed derisively and shoved her against the wall of the cell. "Very good. You're leaning quickly." He exited the room for a few moments, then returned holding a leather bag in his hand. From this bag he pulled a glowing glass orb. "This is a Palantír; one of the lost Seeing Stones. Using this, I can see whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Show me."
The Uruk-Hai held out his hand and placed the orb on his palm. His other hand he waved over the top, muttering quietly to himself in a strange language that Eve could barely discern from nothing more than a low growl. Soon, the orb glowed brighter and an image began to appear inside it.
"I'm getting way too much of this," muttered Eve bitterly,
turning away. "Too many images. I don't want to see it! They show me nothing
but pain!"
Draeg grabbed her face with his free hand and forced her to look at the orb. "Open your eyes or I will cut them out of you head!"
Eve reluctantly opened her tear-filled eyes and saw what she feared most. Legolas. He was moving through a dark tunnel, five companions behind him. From his point of view, the ahead seemed empty and without hindrance… but from what Eve could see through the orb, no more than one hundred paces ahead of him stood, in complete silence, a band of about one hundred goblins and Orcs, armed and ready. The first row already had their bows pointed at the oncoming group.
"NO!" she screamed, thrashing out.
Draeg moved back, out of harm's reach and continued to cackle like a hyena at her hopeless situation. "You like that, huh?" he teased, cruelly holding the orb just out of her reach. "I would show you more for your enjoyment, but obviously all you need is another dose of your… medicine."
Eve, tears streaming down her face, glared at him. "Bastard."
"Var!" shouted Draeg. A few seconds later an Orc entered the room. "Give the girl another round of her favorite drink."
The Orc nodded his head.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll need to be watching the demise of my favorite protagonist." The Uruk-Hai left the room.
Eve looked up at the Orc then hung her head in defeat…
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"Stop," Legolas commanded, stiffening. This act resulted in a chain reaction, for Gimli smashed into his back, followed by Tethir, Kiendos, Philendel, and Haldir, each of them making a loud 'oof!" sound as they crashed into each other.
"Dammit, Legolas, what's wrong with you?!" growled Haldir.
"Do you hear something?" asked the King of Mirkwood, ignoring their outrage.
Philendel took a step past Legolas and closed his eyes. His face grew distraught and he pulled an arrow from his quiver. "They're ahead."
"How far?" asked Tethir, sliding his sword from its scabbard.
Legolas gave them all a grave look. "Forty paces."
Kiendos gulped. "That means…?"
"They know we're here."
Then, as if on cue, an arrow flew out of the darkness before them and planted itself in-between Legolas and Kiendos.
"Our plan is shattered!" shouted Legolas, ducking an arrow. "Kiendos, summon the forces! Go!"
Kiendos nodded, sheathing his dagger, turned, and ran off in the direction from which they came.
"Tangado haid!" Legolas yelled as arrows rained down upon them. "Let them come! Do not move until they are upon you!"
Had the situation been different, they would've looked quite comical stepping from side to side as if dancing to avoid the onslaught of sharp – no doubt poisoned – arrows of the goblins and Orcs. But the situation held no humor and Gimli, who was not as fast as his Elven companions, barely avoided injury as arrows sliced through his cloak.
Then, the arrows stopped. All was silent until…
CLACK.
Legolas put away his bow and drew his sword. This sound was not like the war drums they had heard earlier. This was louder.
This was worse.
"Helm's Deep," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.
"What is that sound?" asked Tethir.
"They are calling for the signal to attack; hitting the blunt ends of their weapons upon the ground," answered Legolas gravely.
"How many of them are there?" queried Madoc.
"I'd say about one hundred; maybe more, maybe less. The bottom line is that we are outnumbered at least twenty to one in this battle."
"What do we do?"
Legolas glanced over his shoulder at them. "Any of you who wish to run, do so now. I will not think any less of you for doing so. Make sure you return quickly with reinforcements."
No one moved.
"If I shall die, I shall die with my honor intact," claimed Tethir, coming to stand at the front with Legolas. "And I shall fight alongside the greatest Elf that should ever have lived, like Aragorn before me."
The goblins' pounding increased pace and intensity.
Legolas held up his hand. "Let's risk some light…" In his upturned palm formed a shard of glass that glowed bright, illuminating the tunnel that could quite possibly be their grave.
Gimli gasped at the sight before them.
The tunnel was so narrow that only five goblins could stand side by side, and there were twenty rows of the horrid little creatures, ten or fifteen Orcs mixed in. They stomped their feet and thumped their spears against the ground, just as Legolas had said, howling and babbling in their primitive language.
"What are we waiting for?! Destroy them!" shouted Philendel, moving forward.
Legolas held him back. "No! Don't provoke!"
"Do something while they are unable to attack! We will die of anticipation if we sit here and wait!" cried the silver-eyed Elf.
"You want me to do something?"
"Yes!"
Legolas released his hold on Philendel and turned to face the goblins, whose incessant pounding and growling had grown into a constant roar that filled the tunnel's crevices and resonated inside the heads of the five hoping to win a hopeless battle. The King of Mirkwood, standing proud and tall, stepped one foot in front of his four companions and pinned the goblins with a defiant stare.
"So it is that the oldest and most deadly war in the history of Middle-Earth continues, as the sun sets in the West and the moon rises above the hills," he said. "Rain drops like the tears of the dead upon the mountains, caught with the rivers that bring them to the sea where they are lost in the oceans of tears shed by the world. And it is with a sad heart that I command the ending of this war, which has forever plagued my dreams." Holding up his hand, the King of Mirkwood now spoke in his native tongue, "Linelir, tier súl, ar vana ien tir norër mír romen an tie khil. Ungolir alag le, ortan-u mí carka a kalcarach pel-u mí dú egla coi."
At his words the ground began to shake. Dirt fell in clods from the ceiling and great cracks appeared in the walls. From these cracks slid tiny black specks that squealed like mice. Paying no attention to the hobbit, man, and Elves, they ran straight for the goblins and Orcs. The latter, not knowing what they were facing, slowly began to back away as the dozens of creatures turned into hundreds, then into thousands; like a black lake coming to consume them.
"What are they?" asked Tethir.
Legolas, who had paled a bit and was panting, replied, "Spiders."
By this time the goblins had figured out what was crawling into the cracks of their armor and biting at their flesh, and they roared in rage. The ones that were located at the front – the archers mainly – who were most affected, started screaming and running around aimlessly, hitting themselves against each other in desperate attempt to rid their bodies of the spiders creeping into the cracks of their armor and enveloping their flesh. The pain-filled screams filled the air.
"Get ready now!" Legolas commanded, his face stern. "They're angry and their attack will come stronger, but I do believe the spiders are doing their work and will take out many; causing hindrance to their oncoming attack."
All five companions formed a line, wall to wall, weapons raised.
Then, the goblins turned towards them, eyes blazing with anger. Disregarding all discipline and sense of order, they came charging at the five with their weapons swinging blindly.
"YAAAH!" shouted Haldir as he sliced into the stream of creatures using his sword. He grabbed a spear from a dead Orc and thrust his blade forward, impaling the next three goblins in line. Then he dropped to the ground to avoid from getting his head chopped off and kicked sand into the eyes of his opponents. Screaming and clawing at their faces, they slammed into each other and created enough chaos for the Lórien Elf to do away with them with minor effort.
Madoc jumped onto a goblin's head, kicked the next in the face, and landed on an Orc's chest, knocking him to the ground with the force behind his jump while slicing the beasts around him by swinging his little sword in a circular motion. An Orc's helmet fell to his feet and he quickly adorned himself with it, adding to his collection that already consisted of several pieces of goblin weaponry and armor.
Philendel and Tethir, side by side, moved slowly forward as they attacked. The mass in front of them resembled a black sea, churning and roaring so loud it made their ears hurt. However, Philendel was 576 years old and Tethir was 26 and they both had been trained in the art of war from day one. It was second nature to them… although neither had actually ever killed anybody and they avoided their first kill as long as possible. Philendel jabbed a goblin in the face with the butt of his sword, bringing his other elbow around to smack an Orc trying to approach from the side. Tethir kicked away the sword of his current opponent and smacked it across the face with the blunt side of his sword, then shoved it backward into its comrades.
Legolas seemed to be having more success than his companions as he mowed through the enemy lines like a knife through butter. He could see reinforcements filing in from the ceilings, walls, and doorways. That meant they were concentrating their forces in this single area…
That meant he would have no problem sneaking through everywhere else. All he had to do was clear path for himself…and he had an idea. He jumped right into the middle of the goblin forces, where they were densest. They all turned and began to attack him with staggering force.
"I" Legolas punched an Orc across the face and ducked a sword swinging towards him from behind "WILL NOT" He dropped to the ground, kicked the legs out from under five of the Orcs surrounding him, making sure they hit their heads on the ground nice and hard "SURRENDER!!!!" He threw down his weapons and held out his hands towards the oncoming Orcs. "Sinome, agarwaen a er, carca mereth draug quettar! Nai na engwa a firn! {In this place, bloodstained and alone, fangs feast without words. May it be thou is sickly and dead!}" A bolt of light in the form of a giant wolf shot from his hands, destroying all Orcs within a fifty-foot radius by clamping down on them with its gleaming fangs. As the beast faded, Legolas fell to the ground, his skin pale and his breathing ragged.
The goblins, surprised and enraged, were unsure whether or not to attack him now. That was the break Legolas needed and the Elf struggled to his feet once again, determined to continue. When they still didn't challenge him, he picked up an axe and hurled it into the crowd, killing three of them. They jumped at him again and the King of Mirkwood wriggled and fought his way from the back of the tunnel to the front. The goblins paid no heed to him, thinking that the ones behind them would eventually stop him… but as he neared the rear, they realized their grave mistake. Many turned and started going the other way, leaving themselves open to attack from Madoc, Haldir, Tethir, and Philendel. Chaos ensued and in the middle of the haze, goblins started shooting goblins blindly and cutting down their own in confusion.
Legolas slipped through the entrance opposite his comrades.
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Eve had sweat beads rolling down her face after enduring another agonizing half-hour of the effects of her 'medicine.' The pain had slowly subsided, leaving her mind a bit numb but able to function once again. As soon as she was able, she had started watching the Orc called Var very, very carefully. He was sitting on the outside of her cell with a rather large bottle in his hands filled with some kind of reeking liquid. Eve guessed it to be Orkish alcohol. He was beginning to nod off.
Outside, she could hear the loud thundering of drums and the screaming of goblins. She didn't doubt that a great battle was going on. Every now and then, she would feel the ground shake as something moved around restlessly.
Something big.
And she didn't care to find out what it was.
She looked up as Var began to snore loudly, his head lolled back and the bottle hanging down, nearly falling from his hand. An idea began to from in her mind. "Can I get some water?" she asked innocently. When he didn't move, she cleared her throat and said, louder this time, "Can I get some water? I'm kind of parched."
This time Var lifted his head and pinned her with a dopey stare. "The only liquid you're gonna get is your medicine. Go to sleep or I'll make you."
Eve moved over to the bars and rested her head against them. "Please? I haven't had a drink in… a really long time."
Var growled at her. "I'm not in the mood for this."
"Oh come on. Just a little drink. Hell, maybe even some of that bull piss you've been chugging for the past hour or so."
The Orc jumped to his feet. "You are not in a position to act so bravely!" he snorted. "I suggest you sit back and bite your tongue before I remove it from your sorry head!"
Eve stuck her tongue out at him. "Take it!"
Furious, Var jumped forward at the bars. That was all Eve needed. His reaction speed had been slowed from the effects of whatever he had been drinking, and as soon as he was within arm's reach Eve's hands shot through the steel bars and she bashed his face against the metal, knocking him unconscious. She then yanked him closer and stole the keys from his belt.
"Thank you, Sir," she said, patting him on the head before unlocking the cell door. "I do believe you won't miss these too much. After all, Draeg will probably kill you for letting me escape, now won't he? That's what you get for drinking on the job!" And with that, she hurried out the door.
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Legolas sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow after climbing up a long, steep stairway. What he found was very, very familiar and very, very haunting.
Three tunnels.
"Eru save me," he mumbled. "I know not where each tunnel leads, but the one to the left is the way out. I do not wish to go out; I wish to save my maiden." He through his hands in the air in frustration. "Why must this be such a tedious task?!" Walking over to the entrances, he considered the middle and right one carefully. He remembered perfectly where the left tunnel led; how could he very well forget?
After a few minutes of just standing there, thinking and grumbling to himself, Legolas picked up a rock and chucked it down the middle tunnel. It could be heard bouncing a few times, then all was still. He then threw another rock into the right tunnel. For a long while there was no sound, and he assumed the tunnel dropped off, but then the rock flew back at him from the darkness and hit him right between the eyes. Dazed, the Elf fell over, arrows spilling from his quiver.
"What the…? Legolas!" came a voice from the tunnel.
Legolas, hand over his face, peeked through his fingers at the figure jumping from the shadows. His first instinct was to grab his dagger, but at the moment his throbbing head allowed him to do nothing but lie there.
"Aw, dammit, I'm sorry!"
"I could only guess that a mouth liked that belongs to a dwarf!" growled the Elven King, trying to focus on the four or so dwarves hovering over him and spinning around in circles.
"Right on the money, buddy. Now only if you could recognize me!"
Legolas blinked slowly. The four dwarves came together into one and stopped dancing around him. "Balin?"
"Damn skippy!" the red-haired dwarf grinned and helped Legolas into a sitting position.
"Balin, what are you doing down here? I thought you went back home." asked the Elf. "And why the hell did you throw that rock at me?!"
"I thought you were a goblin!" the dwarf defended himself. "And on the issue of being down here: I too thought I was on my merry way home when I was jumped in the men's room of the airport by a bunch of foul-looking goblins who looked like bloody ugly men, if you follow me! About two-thirds men, they were! Stuffed me in a bag like no more than a sack of potatoes and took me here!"
Legolas narrowed his eyes. "How did you escape?"
"A young woman set me free, she did! Went through the prison unlocking all the cells and we helped her overtake the guards. If I remember right, it's that young woman who you introduced to us once, you did!" exclaimed Balin.
"Where are the other prisoners?"
"We split up. Many have already taken the left passage to the rebuilt Bridge of Khazad-Dûm."
Legolas felt his hope rising. "And the young maiden?"
Balin's face darkened. "She went off to find the leader of the Orcs called Draeg. Said something about a psychic stone and 'whacked-out, piss-drinking beasts with a superiority complex.'"
"Draeg?" Legolas rubbed his temples. That name rang a bell. "Isn't… isn't Draeg the name of that Orc who came into possession of a Seeing Stone?"
"Yes, I do believe it is. However, Draeg is by no means a mere Orc! He is an Uruk-Hai, and a powerful one at that! You best be watching your back around these parts of the world, King Legolas," warned the dwarf solemnly. "But I must be off! No doubt my wife has worried herself into a nervous wreck by now!" He lumbered off.
Legolas was torn between amusement and terror as he watched the dwarf go, leaving him alone. Before Balin disappeared he suddenly came to his senses and called, "Where does this tunnel lead?"
Balin stopped, turned around, and said, "That tunnel leads to the dungeons and goblin barracks. Draeg sent part of the Orkish army out today, I assume to meet you as you entered his humble abode." He snorted. "The other, larger part still remains on standby."
Legolas's heart dropped. The force he had fought towards
the entrance was large enough for the five of them; there was no way he could
deal with an even larger force all by himself!
"I warn you, dear King," continued the dwarf darkly, "This quest will very likely claim your life, should you try to do it alone. I would accompany you, but my family awaits my presence at home. Draeg is down there as well; locked away in his quarters with the Seeing Stone, probably watching your every move. Trolls patrol these tunnels and will no likely stumble upon you."
"How do you know this?" asked Legolas.
Balin shrugged. "Draeg's weakness is his tendency to believe that none of his prisoners will ever escape. Therefore he tells them everything they want to know and some things they'd rather not know, if you follow me."
Legolas nodded. "Then farewell, my friend. I hope to see you again."
"And not in the Heavens, I hope!" huffed Balin before scurrying off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eve moved through the underground tunnels as quietly as she could, but her untrained feet seemed to be making more sound than ever despite her efforts. In a rush of bravado – or maybe it was stupidity – she had set free all of Draeg's prisoners. They had thanked her with many promises of monetary reward and run out like Draeg himself was chasing after them. So now she was left alone.
In the dark.
Had she had her senses with her, she would've followed them out since they seemed to know where they were going, but something kept her from leaving. A sort of nagging feeling that if she left, something horrible would happen. So, instead, she had done the utmost insensible thing that she could've done.
She asked for directions to where Draeg was hiding and set out to find him.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mumbled, thumping herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. "What was I thinking?!" Already she had succeeded in crawling past a few nasty-looking guards, what she assumed to be a barracks full of goblins and Orcs, and a huge, ugly-looking thing with large arms and a club, but now she didn't have the slightest clue if she was even going in the right direction anymore.
After a few more minutes of groping blindly forward in the dark, Even ran smack into something hard. She fell back and glared menacingly at the door that dare hit her on the nose. Before a curse could leave her lips, however, she noticed the faintest, almost undetectable light shining from underneath the door. Growing very, very quiet and cautious, she stood and placed her ear to the cold wood.
"…that dim-witted dwarf! Now Legolas will find my position for sure! How could that girl get the keys?! That damned idiot, Var! I'll kill him!" came Draeg's voice through the door. There was some shuffling, then heavy footfalls coming towards the door.
Eve's mind registered the impending danger just as Draeg threw open the door and ran right into her. He seemed more surprised than she was and both of them stared at each other a few moments, stunned. Eve brought herself back to reality quicker than the Uruk-hai and bounded into the room, shutting and locking the door behind her.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" screamed Draeg, pounding on the thick wooden door with all his might.
Eve looked around the room in alarm. She picked up a sturdy chair and barricaded the door, though the huge steel locks all around the frame seemed to be doing their job pretty well. Moving farther into the room, she was suddenly aware of a small table innocently standing a few feet away. On top of the table was a cloth draped over a round shape. Her eyes widened.
"The Seeing Stone," she whispered, approaching it cautiously. She removed the cloth, then jumped back in alarm as a blindingly bright light seemed to explode from the orb. It disappeared instantly, though, leaving Eve staring at the glowing orb in fascination. Inside it she could see Legolas as he moved through a dark cave. Draeg had been watching him the entire time. That couldn't be good.
"OPEN THIS DOOR!" The shouting grew slightly louder, but Eve ignored it.
Mustering all the courage she could, the young woman extended her hand and touched the orb. When she was sure it wasn't going to jump out and bite her arm off, she picked it up and tossed it from hand to hand daringly. It was as light as a ping pong ball, but the size of a cantaloupe. She looked around and spotted a few leather packs sitting on the ground, along with a great assortment of weapons. Whilst stuffing the stone into one of the packs and slinging it onto her shoulder, she got an idea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draeg had had enough. He stormed up the tunnel to the guard at the mouth of the tunnel, grabbed his spear, and stormed back down. There was no way Eve could get out without running straight into him. He lodged the spearhead in-between the frame and the door at a point he knew to be weaker than the others. Then, he began to pry it open. Soon a busting noise could be heard on the inside and the locks flew off. The door exploded open, almost causing Draeg to hit himself with the spear's handle. He quickly jumped into the room to find…
Absolutely nothing.
Draeg growled and shut the nearly dismantled door behind him. If Eve was going to escape, she was going to make a hell of a racket doing it. He began to slowly circle the room, yellow eyes searching every nook and crevice. Everything seemed as it was when he had left the room and she had entered. It was a few minutes before he noticed that…
"The Seeing Stone! It… it's gone!" shouted the Uruk-hai angrily. "No!" He did one more quick, aggravated search before stomping out. In his rage, however, he did not see the young woman hanging above the door from a rope that was held in her hand and supported by a sharp boulder protruding from the ceiling; a perfect pulley.
Eve slowly lowered herself to the ground. "Well… that was easy," she thought absently before sneaking out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas, however, was not faring as well. He had gone about twenty feet into the tunnel when he came into contact with Orkish guard. Three of them, to be exact. Though he received a few bumps and bruises in the process, he had dispatched them and stole one of their helmets to wear. The big, heavy Orkish armor didn't exactly fit the king very well and hindered his movement greatly. That problem would result in the amputation of a mandatory limb or certain death. On top of that, when he walked the armor would clank around, making enough racket to have the whole army upon him in a matter of seconds. That would not, in any way, shape, or form, be good.
So, with a simple helmet as protection, he marched dutifully on through the darkness. His sharpened senses worked together as a sort of echolocation. He could just barely hear his breathing echoing in the nooks and crevices, see the dust his feet kicked up swirl and outline any hindrance in front of him, and feel the curve of the wall next to him.
Using all his senses like this was a challenge, no matter how he wanted to deny it. A few thousand years had passed since he had last dared enter a cave inhabited by goblins and even that time he had been terrified out of his wits. Memories of the Balrog flooded his mind and almost made him stop walking, but he pushed those thoughts aside with memories of Eve and forced himself to continue.
Yet, the farther in the never-ending darkness he went, the harder it became for him to hold his resolve. The sound of an epic, far-off battle echoed through the caverns. He hoped with all the strength inside him that Kiendos had returned with reinforcements. He felt like a fool for ever thinking a group of a few individuals could ever make a difference again. The Fellowship was a one-time feat, and their victory had been based mostly on luck and chance. He had hoped that, by chance, the goblins would hear nothing of their plans. He had depended on luck to find the entrance to Moria… but it seemed that his luck had run out and his chances at survival were growing slim.
He could feel the Book growing heavy in his pack. It seemed so innocent at first glance; faded leather binding and crumbling pages. But if you could speak the ancient words inscribed there… for half a moment he wondered why he didn't just blow the entire place to bits with a single spell. But, deep down, he knew why. If he used too much power from the Book it would just make it easier to conquer him. Already it had nearly stolen his soul; he could feel the gaping hole inside himself that just seemed to grow and grow. To use the Book's full power would be like signing a deal with death itself. So he relinquished the chance to make this mission easy and chose only to use the power when needed. But if that was a good or bad choice…he did not yet know.
A few more minutes of dark, hopeless thoughts later, Legolas found himself at the edge of the goblin barracks. For as far as he could see, doors lined the hall on the left and right. Light spilled out from underneath the doors, and some of them were open. The sound of goblins yapping to each other in their native tongues could be heard, and Legolas shuddered at the thought of how many there could be housed here.
He was content with his plan to just sneak through, but then he saw something lumbering towards him out of the darkness. It was several feet taller than him, with big, clunky arms and a club the size of Legolas himself dragging along the ground behind it.
A troll.
The beast huffed and snorted as it walked, eyes swiveling around in sunken-in sockets.
Quickly pressing himself against the wall, the Elven King prayed that the beast hadn't seem him… No such luck.
The troll walked forward until it was right next to him, then turned and made a face that looked to Legolas like a derisive smile. He gave up all hopes of sneaking through the tunnel and took off running like only a terrified Elf could. With a deafening roar and crashing footsteps, the troll chased after him. This caught the goblins' attentions and they poked their ugly heads out of their quarters to see first the one Elf they had been instructed to kill at all costs running down the hall like his pants were on fire, then their cave troll barreling after him, club waving. They quickly grabbed their weapons and joined the chase, howling with glee at finally getting something to do.
Legolas cursed himself again and again as he ran, wondering absently where this tunnel ended. The tunnels of Moria were said to extend for hundreds of miles underground, but he wasn't sure if that was dwarfish boasting or fact. He had never wished it to be fact so desperately until now. Elves could run faster and over longer distances than trolls and quite possibly than goblins now that they had human blood in their veins. He had settled into a good pace and was pulling away from the horde of beasts chasing after him when the unthinkable happened.
The King of Mirkwood skidded to an abrupt halt as he came face-to-face with the self-appointed King of the Goblins.
"Draeg."
The Uruk-hai smiled, baring sharp yellow teeth, then held a hand up and made a gesture to the thundering army behind him.
Legolas, refusing to allow Draeg to be at his back, listened carefully and heard the troll and goblins stop their chase about fifty yards behind him, though they didn't seem too happy about it.
Draeg casually drew his thick-bladed sword. "Have you brought the Book?"
The Elf reached behind him and pulled it out of his pack. "It's right here."
"And yet you have not the wits to destroy us all?"
Legolas tensed. "I refuse to do such a thing. After all, where would be the fun in that?"
"Coward. I sense a missing piece of you; somehow you feel incomplete. Is that true?" teased the Orc.
"The only reason I feel incomplete is because my maiden is somewhere here, within these walls and I have not yet mounted your head in my trophy room!" snorted Legolas.
Draeg laughed. "Ah. What attitude. I do believe the Book has taken all your manners. You barge in here, unannounced, and kill all my poor little goblins that I have taken into my humble abode. Don't you feel any guilt?"
Legolas glared at him. "No," he responded, his tone empty. He tossed the Book onto the floor. "If you want it you'll have to get it."
"All in due time," sighed the Orc with a wave of his hand. "So, you have come to rescue your fair maiden like a good little prince, have you?"
"King," growled Legolas, also drawing his sword. "I am a King."
"Someone has a little too much pride," cackled Draeg. "Last we met you were a Prince. Oh wait… I did hear that you killed your dear old man since them. Shot him between the eyes with a gun. I applaud you. It takes a real villain to do something that horrible." He paused long enough to make his words sink in. "But your status doesn't matter to me, King, for, though we are distant relations, you have no power over me," replied Draeg, grinning evilly.
Legolas tensed. It was a sad truth that Orcs were, in fact, related to Elves, and the thought of what kind of torture would have to be endured to change a being from a beautiful Elf to a deformed, demented goblin made him shiver. He didn't show any sign of his thoughts, however, as he daringly stepped forward. "You should at least show some respect," he spat mockingly, "for the race which you so long to become once again, you deformed piece of horse dung."
Draeg's face darkened. "Why would I want to become a weak-minded little piece of poisoned dirt without a purpose in the world? No, you're lower than dirt. You killed your own family members and we all know that Elvish minds lie below the waist."
That was it. Legolas snapped and jumped at Draeg, sword flashing. Their blades came together in a shower of sparks. Draeg pushed Legolas to the ground and, quick as lightning, Legolas kicked the Uruk-hai with the heel of his foot right in the chin, sending him onto his back. The Elf jumped to his feet and moved to smash Draeg's face with his boot, but the Orc rolled out of the way and rose to his full height.
"Child's play," he said under his breath before lashing out with his sword. He sliced first into Legolas's arm then his leg. "That's real."
Legolas pushed aside the pain and used his left hand to punch Draeg in the face. Draeg shouted in rage and blindly brought his sword around. Legolas jumped back before the Uruk-hai's sword could embed itself in his side, but he wasn't quite fast enough to avoid total injury. Draeg's blade nicked his skin and the end of it caught onto a stitch in the Elf's clothing. Legolas's shirt was roughly ripped from his shoulders, knocking him over in the process.
Draeg laughed. "Not too happy about your famed Elvish cloth now, are you? Looks more to me like a hindrance than a blessing."
In response, Legolas kicked him in the nose, effectively breaking it, and knocked his feet out from under him. Draeg, however, was ready this time. As he fell he turned his body towards the king, landing on top of Legolas's left arm and snapping it audibly. Legolas cursed and bit his lip so hard it bled to prevent himself from screaming. Draeg stood again and raised his sword.
"Ready to die?"
Legolas looked up at him through white-hot tears of pain. "Not just yet," he managed to say through clenched teeth. He drove his foot into Draeg's crotch and, as the Uruk-hai fell, stabbed him in the shoulder.
Draeg shouted several curses in his own language as the blade went all the way through his flesh and came out the other side. He hit the hilt of Legolas's sword and stopped falling.
"That's gotta hurt," mocked Legolas. He yanked his sword to the side, throwing Draeg off his blade and onto the ground.
"It tickles," spat the Uruk-hai. He got to his feet, black blood gushing from his shoulder, and they two began to circle each other menacingly. "You know that, even if you do kill me and defeat my army, she'll die anyway. I gave her Orkish poison. There is no known antidote. It should kill her in a matter of hours."
Legolas's heart dropped to his feet. "You didn't."
"Oh, I did. Care to try me?"
The King of Mirkwood closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. When he opened them, he pinned Draeg with a defiant stare. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"War?" mocked the Uruk-hai.
"No. This means I have no reason not to kill you."
Draeg poked out his bottom lip mockingly then hurled his dagger at Legolas. The blade embedded itself in Legolas's leg, painfully coming out the other side. The Elf stumbled back a bit, but refused to go down. He pulled out his own dagger.
"Whatcha gonna do with that, pretty boy?" teased the Orc.
Legolas hurled it at Draeg, who promptly caught it.
"Nice throw," he said before sending it flying back to Legolas, who dove to the floor.
As he was rolling around on the floor, the Elf happened upon a small, thin, and rusty carving knife. It looked like something the goblins would use to torture their prisoners with. He picked it up and turned around. "Catch this." With that, the King of Mirkwood flicked his wrist and threw the knife at Draeg.
The Uruk-hai made a feeble attempt to catch the weapon, but he was not expecting a knife so small and it flew right past his hand into the middle of his chest. Draeg, however, did not die. He pulled the dagger from his flesh. "Is that all you got?" he growled, then raised his head. "NOO!" he shouted in surprise and anguish as Legolas's sword flashed before him. The last thing he saw was a spurt of red, then all went black… There were two thuds as his body hit the floor and then his head.
"You. Can. Go. To. Hell," growled Legolas, emphasizing every word.
The Elf had but a half a moment to breathe when he realized that his fight was not half over yet. Turning slowly, he faced the majority of the Orkish army. There were now five trolls and an innumerable amount of goblins gathered in the hall, weapons ready. He drew his bow.
"This is it then. I go down fighting," he whispered, notching an arrow to his bow.
An Orc came to the front of the army and raised his weapon. "Get the King!"
Legolas shot, killing the Orc. Enraged, the goblins began charging towards him at full speed. The ground shook with their thundering footsteps and the roar of their battle cries was almost too loud to endure. The King of Mirkwood's bow sang as he they approached, killing ten of them before he unsheathed his already bloodied sword.
The troll was first to reach him. Legolas jumped into the air, kicked the troll in the eye with enough force to drive it back into its brain, killing it instantly. It fell atop its goblin comrades and provided Legolas with a few more seconds to take a breather as the enemy jumped back to avoid getting squished.
It was in this moment that Legolas heard someone calling his name. At first he thought it was the infuriated chanting of the goblins, but then he recognized the voice and turned around.
"Eve!" he shouted. The young woman was standing a few meters away, frozen to the spot and her face stark white with fear. "Eve, get back! Run!"
She shook her head. "I-I-I d-d-don't want to l-l-leave you," she stuttered, pulling a crossbow from her pack.
Legolas turned back to the oncoming army as the first opponent reached him. Goblins were unskilled in battle; their sole strategy was to overwhelm opponents by sheer numbers, and Legolas easily dispatched the first few to reach him. The second wave, however, came in much more concentrated numbers. As he reached back to grab an arrow, two goblins grabbed his arm and forced him to twist around so that his back was to the oncoming attack. Three more yanked his weapons from him. Hundreds surrounded the Elf, bashing him left and right with their clubs and poking him with their spears. Legolas vainly fought back, killing a considerable number, but for every one he killed five more took its place, just as ferocious and just as angry.
He could feel his skin being punctured to the point where hundreds of little holes became one big wound. Some of them jumped onto his back and cut off his hair and slashed his back. Blood fell to the floor in droplets. One of them grabbed his broken arm and twisted it. Another hit his knee with a club, shattering the kneecap. Two ripped the dagger out of his leg using the blunt side. Legolas collapsed.
"No!" shouted Eve as she watched Legolas disappear underneath the goblin's weapons. She leveled her crossbow and show aimlessly into the array, striking a goblin on the shoulder. The little beast turned, growled, and ran at her, pike waving. She dropped her crossbow and moved backward until she ran into the wall.
"EVE!"
She could hear Legolas yelling desperately from somewhere in the battle, but her legs were rooted to the spot and her eyes locked on the impending doom coming at her. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her parents, Trent, her friends, Legolas… most of all Legolas… His face, smiling and bright, clouded her senses and filled her mind. His hand was reaching out to her, a bright light like a halo shining around him. "Telin le thaed." He whispered, his voice soft. Then, his face disappeared and was replaced with the howling, raging goblin. Eve hung her head in defeat. It seemed death was near when—
Eve gasped in shock when the goblin suddenly stopped running, eyes wide, and fell over, dead with an arrow protruding from its back. She looked up.
From farther up the cavern, horns resonated through the air. Hundreds of torches suddenly lit the area bright as day. And as many as five hundred Elves, humans, dwarves, and hobbits joined the fight. Arrows flew through the thick air and hit their marks without fail. The goblins turned their attention to this new threat, forgetting the near-dead Elf lying in a puddle of his own blood on the floor.
Eve, however, could not take her eyes off of him. He lay still, his arm bent underneath him in a most unnatural position. His entire body was covered with blood and the dark puddle of it on the ground was quickly growing. There were deep gashes all over his torso and a particularly painful-looking bump forming on his forehead. The only thing that had saved him from certain death was his helmet, which lay battered and dented a few feet away. His scar was somehow cut open again.
She ran over and gingerly turned him onto his back. "Legolas? Oh god… Legolas, don't be dead, don't be dead…don't be dead…"
Legolas opened one eye for the other one was swollen shut and half-smiled at her. "Are they here? The reinforcements?"
"Yeah, they're here," she whispered, trying not to burst into tears and managing a sort of smile that, in truth, looked more like a grimace. "We've got to get you away from here… you've lost a lot of blood… too much blood."
Legolas closed his eye. "It's too late for me…" he let his voice trail off and gulped.
Eve shook her head and looked at the epic battle taking place no more than twenty meters away from her. "No, it's not. It's not too late. You're gonna get out of here. All we need is a little help."
As if on cue, Haldir burst through the wall of goblins and fixed his gaze upon them. The right side of his head had a nasty gash and one of his hands were missing, but nonetheless he ran over and knelt next to Legolas. "Hey buddy," he said weakly. "You look like shit."
Legolas opened his eye again. "Not so pretty yourself."
Haldir glanced towards the nearest door. "We gotta get you out of this fight… come on." Using his good hand, he helped Eve painfully drag Legolas into the room. As soon as they had settled the King, he drew his sword again. "Stay here and take care of him the best you can. I'm going back out there."
Eve's eyes widened. "Why? You only have one hand!"
Haldir smiled as he tossed her a medical pack. "Because I would rather die under the sword of an enemy and go down fighting for my King than anything else in the world. You shall understand one day."
Eve gently pulled Legolas's head into her lap and began to try to clean him up a bit. "Don't you dare die on me, damn it. I have plans for you yet," she whispered in his ear.
Legolas smiled through his pain.
Outside… the battle raged…