A/N: Yah! I got Microsoft Word back! Finally! I'd been using stupid WordPad this whole time. I can use italics now!! Sweet! No more spelling errors either! Yippee! Now… I'm just going to go and revise and perfect all of me other chapters. I'm sorry for not updating sooner!
Cheysuli: Okay! Evil Haldir's coming up very soon! Stupid Harry and his gang are in the way. Argh! LOL I'm glad you liked my Thranduil; I think I was sugar high when I wrote that paragraph.
Chibi-Cola: Yes, my Thranduil is a bit peculiar. But still, I'm glad you think he's cool.
Evil-Mollusc: Yes, yes, Evil Haldir coming up soon. Right after that darn Harry Potter chapter. I've neglected Harry for so long, and he's somewhat important to the story.
Aurora: I'm sorry but you must wait and see. You wouldn't want me to give away the ending now would you? *In the background everyone shouts "Yes!" *
"Reviewer": I'm glad you loved it. Well, here's chpt. 10!
Europa: Yah! And thanks for reading my other stories! I'm going to update them today – I tend to always update all of my stories at the same time. . Oi, I'm weird, I know.
nut_job: You think my story's cool too! Hurray! *sniffs* I thank you also!
Skyspirit: I'm sorry for the cliffhangers! I'm so evil! I know!
Disclaimer: Ditto from chpt. 1.
~*~**~*~
"In Flanders Fields" Line 10:
Take up our quarrel with the foe…
~*~**~*~
The sash fell from his mouth. And urgently, Legolas whispered, 'Please, do not silence yourself.'
Silver light illuminated the forest; the full moon had risen high above the world below. Stars, scattered about in the dark sky, twinkled in the gloom. Legolas gave a quick, surreptitious glance over at the Wraiths, yet even with his Elven eyes the darkness could not be easily penetrated. Using instead his ears, he heard their voices rise in some sort of an altercation. It was perhaps due to the absence of their leader who has not yet returned. But other than that of the Wraiths, not a voice was heard within all the stillness off the forest but the wails of the wind.
The tree still had not replied. Legolas' heart dropped.
'Please, do not silence yourself.' He pleaded again. 'I wish much to speak with you.'
The Elf strained his ears for sort of reply, he heard nothing but the mournful weeps of the wind as it blew angrily around him. Shivers spread through his injured body; a melancholy sigh escaped from his lips. Striving to make the world around him vanish, he closed his eyes and leaned against the tree.
Suddenly, a silky and mellow voice encircled him. Peace again was brought to his mind as the Maple spoke. 'You are a hasty Elf. Do not be hasty my brethren, I will not silence myself. Indeed, I sense your eagerness to speak to me. Although I believe we were not properly introduced, please, tell me who you are.'
The Elf smiled and opened his eyes. 'I am Legolas. I am also the Prince of Mirkwood, although I believe Mirkwood no longer exists in this age of Middle-Earth. Of course then, I should no longer be referred to as a Prince of a forest that does not exist any longer.' His view rose to look at the elegance of the Ithil, the Moon. Then he continued. 'And whom are you?'
The reply did not come immediately, but Legolas was patient and he waited. As he did, he looked up at the stars and searched for Eärendil. It shown brightest of them all and was once, and may still be a guide to those lost in the world. And perhaps if Legolas was of the race of Man it would have reminded him of a diamond in the sky, but he was not, so the thought never did occur to him. He probably didn't even know what a diamond was. But that may prove neither of any interest to you nor of any significance or importance.
After a few long minutes the Maple finally quenched his curiosity.
'I do not remember my name.' She said simply. 'But I know that I did possess one at some time. It was a beautiful name; pity I don't remember it. And as I have said before, I have not spoken in ages; not since the last of the Elves left and even the ones that stayed were soon enable to speak with me. No. They did not remember ever having conversed with a tree, they knew only that they were to serve the wizards.'
'I do not understand.' Legolas inquired. 'What happened to them? Why did they not remember?'
'That is a long story my brethren.' Her voice slowly dissolved into the wind.
'Please, I would like to know more of the happenings of my kin.'
'It is a long story.' Her thoughts swirled in her mind and she closed her near invisible eyes and wandered into her memories. 'It happened many years ago. The One Ring was destroyed and Middle-earth was finally at peace. But the time of the Elves was over, thus came to dominion of the race of Men and the lessening of all other 'speaking-peoples'. Many Elves sailed to the West, I was almost certain that all had left, but the wind carries news of the world, and also truth. It spoke of others who had not left Middle-earth, others who had stayed...
'Many were Elves who fell away on the Great Journey and never saw the light of the Two Trees. Others were those who refused the summons of the Valar, and did not go to Valinor. But some... some had gone to Valinor much like King Elu Thingol, who came back to Middle-earth after sailing west.
'Their presence was low to that of the Men as were the others races such as the Dwarves who had hidden themselves within their mines, the Hobbits and others that slowly backed away into the shadows and watched as Men dominated Middle-earth. But a great quarrel rose among the Elves and they became divided. They became the Duredhel and Minuial.
'Soon a war broke out, for whatever reason I know not, but it was one that lasted thousands of years. During this war, many of the Duredhel became evil, and lusted for power. Meagwath, a dark and evil Elf caused their evil, his words were poison to their ears and soon they followed his lead. In the War they flourished and thrived upon the hatred and malignity. Their powers grew and engulfed that of the Minuial. They took joy in slaying their own kin out of their sick and twisted minds. They took joy in killing....
'When the last of the Minuial were slain or converted to Darkness, they celebrated. Many trees, Ents, and Entwives were burned and many forests became barren lands. Alas! their blades longed for the taste of blood and they sought out the Dwarves, Hobbits, Eagles and any other race except that of the Men who's numbers have grown so, that they dared not attack them. Hundreds of lives were lost in this 'celebration' and for many decades, creatures that knew of these Dark Elves hid in fear, whilst the Men knew nothing of this matter. But the most lives lost were those of the Wizards, and for each wizard they killed they accumulated his or her powers into their own. They were no longer Elves, not by heart. They became darker, darker than even the orcs…
'What happened next my memory will not tell. But an important even had caused the Elves to know peace and love and beauty once again. It had something to do with the star Eärendil, perhaps its glow that night was brighter than before, glimmering in the sky, representing the Two Trees. Or perhaps it was the Valar who did something. I only remember that as The Elves gazed up at the star, they wept. They wept for all of their kin who they killed, they wept in shame at their bloodstained hands and they wept in pure terror of the evil they had caused.'
'What happened next?' Legolas inquired.
'A sad tale, a truly sad tale.' The Maple murmured. 'That night was much like tonight, not a cloud in the sky and the moon was full. All the Elves stood, their heads facing the placid night sky, and as they stood a glimpse of the grace they once possessed shown. The air was fresh, clean and young, the gloom and hate had been lifted; and everyone watched the Elves, standing side by side, in the barren land, weeping. As their tears fell to the ground, flowers, plants, and trees sprouted around the area in which they fell and soon, the beginnings of a new forest took place. Still, the Elves were ashamed; they begged the Valar to rid them of them of this guilt. They believed that they no longer deserved to be Elves, that they did not deserve their immortal lives; they begged the Valar to punish them for their actions.
'And sadly, the Valar did. They turned them into creatures of less grace, intelligence, and power, but they did allow them to keep a morsel of magic. They were forever to be servants to the races of those whom they had slain. Most all refused their offers of servitude; it saddened them to see the Elves like that. But the Wizards, a far newer race who were not there ages before to see the true beauty of the Elves, accepted. So now, the Elves work as servants of the Wizards trying to repay for what they did thousands of years ago.
'Soon their names were changed from "Elf" to "House-Elf" given to them by the Wizards. They no longer speak to us trees; they don't remember that they ever did. But at times they still spoke Sindarin, and yet, they had forgotten their origins; they only remembered their guilt, shame, and only some remembered the War.'
Legolas sat silently letting the tale set in; yet a question burned in his mind like an itch that would not go away. 'The Men knew of nothing of this?'
'The Dark Elves were not completely ignorant. Their magic grew, and soon, they used it to cast a veil over the eyes of Men. Yet, even those who did find out were slain.'
'And the wizards? You said they are a new race, but there were many in my day who had known many Elves.' Legolas purposed.
'The Istari yes, also known as a wizard, yet after many of them had sailed West a new race moved in from the East. They were not of the Istari, but seemed like a mix of Man and Maiar. They were mortal but their lives were extended longer and like the men of Númenor they were not permitted to sail to the Holy land of Valinor. They also had other similar properties to the Maiar that they soon developed the name of being called Wizards many thousands of years after the beginning of the Fourth Age.'
With that they sat in silence. Yet suddenly, for the first in a long time, Legolas realized that the Wraiths were not present. He could not hear them, he could not see them, and he could not sense them… Frantically his eyes scanned his surroundings in search of the Black Riders; he strained his ears for any voices or hisses and he summoned up the Elven magic within him, powers he had neglected for most of his life, and bent his mind upon them. He could not sense the Wraiths. They had left; yet their beasts were still present, which meant that they were to return.
His weapons! The thought finally hit him. In a great struggle the Elf's attempts to stand up were successful. Yet he could no longer use his Elven magic to relieve himself of the binds and pathetically, he hopped his way towards the beasts. The Maple chuckled deeply at his actions, but other than that, she kept silent. The horses seemed to have been asleep; they lay motionless in a cluster upon the ground. There! Right above a beast he saw his weapons hanging freely upon a branch of a large Oak. He let out an exasperated sigh.
'How am I to get them?' he murmured, halfway between his weapons and the Maple.
Noticing his trouble, she bespoke. 'Ask Faroth to give them to you.'
Legolas nodded, and taking her suggestions he whispered, 'Faroth would you be so kind as to hand me my weapons?'
'Who goes there?' The Great Oak said lazily.
'I am an Elf in danger, please, I beg of you, may you hand me my weapons?' Legolas beseeched.
'An Elf eh?' He sounded very amused, slightly swaying his branches. 'Alright, alright. Hasty brethren…' he muttered. And with a swift gesticulation of his branch, Legolas' weapons went flying and landed right beside the Maple with a loud 'Clump!'.
His heart was in his throat; his eyes darted towards the beasts of the Nazgúl. But they merely shook their heads and fell back into their slumber. He made his way in the darkness back to the Maple and knelt down. Using his mouth he unsheathed his Elven knife, its blade reflecting the silver moonlight, slowly turning around, he rubbed the cords bound around his wrists along the blade and soon he his hands were free. After cutting the bounds from his legs, Legolas swung his quiver of arrows over his shoulder and also his two knives. Taking his bow in his hand he bid farewell to the Maple, and the Oak.
'Goodbye my friend.' The Maple smiled. 'It was a pleasure speaking with an Elf again.'
But the Oak, did not reply as he had returned back into his tree-ish slumber almost immediately after returning Legolas' weapons.
'Namarie nin mellon!' Legolas whispered. He jumped and grabbed a branch above him but was unable to sustain his position as his arm was injured. So he would not travel within the trees, he had to travel on the ground, a path that proved more dangerous to The Elf.
It was very cold that night, and the Elf shivered as he journeyed through the density of the forest, the smell of smoke lingered to his nose and he heightened his senses. Quietly… he made his way towards the source of the smell.
~*~
The sun had set, and Haldir with Sirius and Remus sat in glade in the forest and built a fire. They had not spoken much since noon, but indeed they covered much ground. And surprisingly they still had not met up with Gwaihir, or any of his companions. Yet these events were not what worried Haldir. He sat, watching the flames dance majestically in the darkness, and gently licking the bottom of the pot they had set above it. But suddenly, he heard the snap of a twig coming from behind. Then looking up, he saw the horrified looks on the faces of the two Wizards.
'Hide.' He mouthed to them. His movements were swift and within seconds he stood with an arrow drawn to his bow, and readily, he pointed it at his enemy.
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A/N: Don't you just hate me? I believe this chapter ends again in a cliffhanger. But other than what I've just said is this: Legolas isn't going to get away that easily! MWAHAHAHAHA!
