Aftermath: Chapter Five
Now, there has been a few questions and comments by a few people. So i'll just answer them now:
1)Harathiel is Legolas' sister.
2)I will explain why the elves got to Rohan quicker than they should have. I already got it plotted out, so don't worry. All will be revealed. ;)
3)Someone commented that when Harathiel comes back (she's not dead, and you'll eventually find out what happened to her), she'll save Legolas when he's two seconds from death. That's only part of it, so don't assume anything yet.
4) Another someone told some constructive critism by saying how the story's written is kinda jumpy (or something like that). Thanks. I'm trying my best. I also noticed that, and i'm trying to fix it. So please bear with me.
Additional Disclaimer: I do not own the people who "appear" in this chapter. They belong to Peter Jackson, because they're in his movie. But Gwvyk is an original character, more or less, so I own him.
Author's Note: My friend has a book about the LOTR movie, with stuff about the actors, etc. Orlando Bloom said Legolas is 2931 years old. So, my Legolas is 2931 years old. Harathiel is 1407, and Haldir is 2936.
Another Author's Note: You know what I found out? Orlando Bloom's birthday is January 13th. That's my birthday, too! :)
Another Another Author's Note: Any words in ## these means the language is supposed to be Southron. I don't know the actual language, and I'm not gonna make up words. You do. ;)
For all other notes: See previous chapters.
**************
Chapter Five: This isn't good
When he arrived back at Helm's Deep, Legolas was distraught. He couldn't believe in the course of a week he had been badly injured, poisioned, and his sister plunged to what was most likely her death. Harathiel meant alot to him, and he didn't want to lose her. She was over a thousand years old, but to the elves, she was young. Very young for a shield-maiden. All the same, she went out hunting spiders, wargs, and anything else that threatened Mirkwood and went bump in the night.
Legolas was so caught up in his grief and gloomy thoughts he didn't realize they had already arrived, and his eyes were not seeing the present. He heard murmured voices all around him. He couldn't see straight. He heard several people call out his name, but he couldn't recognize anything, and he plunged into darkness once again.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Elrond heard the commotion. He left his quarters and went to the entrance. He was delighted to see them alive, but sad to see Legolas lose conciousness again. He sensed something was wrong. He went up to Thranduil.
"Where are the Mirkwood elves?" he asked.
Thranduil sighed. "They fell," he replied.
The crowd around them heard him. They started talking to themselves. Elrond noticed most of them glanced at Aragorn while they were whispering to each other, but he took no notice.
"We must help Legolas," he told Elrond. Together, along with the help of Thranduil and Haldir, they carefully moved him to his chambers.
~~~~*~~~~
"He has fallen back into shadow," Galadriel diagnosed half an hour later. Once again, all of Legolas' friends, Gandalf, and the elves were standing around him, hoping he would wake up.
"Something terrible must have triggered it. Probably Harathiel falling," Thranduil commented. Gandalf looked at him sternly.
"And how are you dealing with that, Lord Thranduil?" he asked.
"Well, let's see. In the course of one day I have found out that my son has been poisoned and will probably die, and my daughter has fell many feet into a fast-flowing river with jagged rocks and no chance of surviving. So, other than that, i'm fine."
"Thranduil," Elrond said in a scolding tone. "Do not say such things."
"You have not lost either of your children yet," Celeborn said. "There is still hope."
Thranuil let out a small, forced laugh. "Yes, there is always hope, isn't there."
"Thranduil," Galadriel stepped in. She sighed. "You are in pain. I feel it in your heart. But do not despair so."
"If Harathiel is anything like Legolas, she will make it," Aragorn commented, trying (like everyone else) to lighten Thranduil's mood.
Thranduil turned to Aragorn and actually smiled. "I suppose so," he said, although he still felt doubt. "What I want to know is how the Mirkwood elves arrived here. The journey is much too far. I sent them out a week ago, before I left to come here."
"Then how did you arrive here so quickly, Lord Thranduil?" Theoden asked.
Lord Thranduil was speechless, and he thought about it. Granted, the journey wasn't that far; maybe two weeks, two and a half maximum. Bu he got there in three days.
"I . . . I don't know," he replied slowly.
Theoden turned to the other elves. "And you? How far is it from your lands, yet how quickly have you arrived?"
The other elves were troubled. They had not realized this, yet Thranduil's words spoke the truth. They all arrived at Helm's Deep in a time so remarkable it was nearly impossible.
"This is a mystery. However, we have more important things to discuss," Celeborn said.
Thranduil found his voice again. "Yes, like what are you going to do about my son?" he asked impatiently.
"Thranduil," Gandalf scolded. "We must be patient. Everything will play out for the best somehow."
"You're right, I suppose," he said sadly. He was about to continue talking, when there was a sudden flash of bright blue light, and everyone at Helm's Deep were somehow tied to a large circle of wooden poles. They weren't even at Helm's Deep anymore; they were in the middle of a large plain.
The sudden change confused everyone, and they were disoriented. Aragorn struggled against his bonds, but they were too tight.
"What new devilry is this?" Thranduil asked out loud. "How on Middle-Earth did we end up here?"
"I don't think anyone knows the answer, father," Legolas said meekly. The sudden change from lying down to standing up and being tied to a large wooden pole woke him up.
"Legolas, are you alright?" Aragorn asked.
"I'm fine. But as for everyone else, I cannot say," he replied.
Aragorn glanced around. They were in a huge circle. All men, women, children, and elves were there. They were talking to themselves, trying to get free. Some women were crying.
"Our weapons are gone," Haldir said, puzzled. The people around him noticed that their weapons were gone.
A large noise was heard in the middle of the circle. About four dozen humans appeared. They had long and cloth over their mouths that looked like silk. They had dark skin and brown eyes. [A/N:Remember that army in TTT that were going in the black gates, and two of them almost found Frodo and Sam? Well, those are the guys i'm talking about. And if you're wondering how they got there, all will be revealed.] They glared at the thousand or so people who were tied up.
One of them stepped forward. "I am Gwvyk," he said in a coarse voice. He had some trouble speaking common tongue. "We are here to kill you. My master is not pleased. We are the only men he can spare. You will be killed two dozen at a time. The other two dozen will be standing guard, although it will not be necessary."
People started murmuring to themselves. Most of them were afraid. "Who is his master?" Thranduil asked out loud.
"I do not know," Gandalf replied. "They appear to come from the south."
"Southrons? What would they be doing here?" Aragorn asked. [A/N: I don't know if they were southrons or easterlings, but I think they were from the south. And I think the ones with the oliphaunts were from the east.]
"And more importantly, how did they get here?" Gimli growled.
"Obviously some dark magic helps them," Thranduil commented. He turned to Legolas. "And how are you, my son?"
"I've been better," Legolas replied. He broke out in a fit of coughing. Thranduil hated seeing his son like this.
And Haldir hated seeing his long-time best friend like this. They were friends for nearly 2880 years. They were always there for each other. When they were in Mirkwood, they would chase wargs and spiders, and they would nearly get themselves killed. When they were in Lorien, they would dare themselves to enter the back way of the Mines of Moria at night, and they would nearly get themselves killed. When they would visit Rivendell, they would join up with Elladan and Elrohir, and they would do so many wild things they almost got themselves killed by Elrond.
Gwvyk began talking again. "Now, I can see that most of you weak creatures (he earned a few scowls at that) are injured. My master ordered me to restore you all to your full health without doing something to you all. I don't know why, but he has his reasons. And I dare not disagree with him, so here you go." He pulled out a small bag, and extracted some gold powder that was in it. He held it flat in his palm, and blew on it.
The powder spread through the air, and people breathed it in. They didn't regret it. They felt fresher and rejuvanated. The wounds of the injured healed, the sick got better, and when Legolas breathed the powder in, the shadow disappeared from his mind. His head didn't hurt, and his leg felt better. It even calmed the nerves of the people who were nervous and scared. It cleared away their worried thoughts.
All except for Aragorn. His concerns stayed with him. 'Why are they easing our pain?' he thought. But then he knew the answer. 'So wee won't die before they kill us,' he thought.
It wasn't a good theory, but it was a theory, and he sticked with it. He asked Galadriel what she thought, and told her his theory, but she didn't think much of it.
"They are only following orders," she said.
"But why would their "master" heal our wounds before they kill us?"
"I do not know. I am beginning to think a greater force is behind the healing," she said in her mysterious tone.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Their time had come. The Southrons were lined up. Two dozen of them were standing guard, the other two dozen was facing *takes a deep breath* Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Haldir, Elrond, Celeborn, Galadriel, Gandalf, Theoden, Eomer, Eowyn, Hama, Hallith, and several other elves and men. Gwvyk was facing Legolas, his long ax near Legolas' throat. Legolas glared at Gwvyk, who glared back.
"I hardly see what will be accomplished by killing us," Legolas whispered.
"And I hardly saw what would be accomplished by healing you first," Gwvyk hissed back.
"Well, if you must slaughter us, at least answer my question: Who is your master?"
Gwvyk leaned forward. "Believe me, you don't want to know," he said in a threatening voice.
"Oh, I believe I do. That's why I asked," Legolas growled. "Antolle ulua sulrim, utinu en lokirim. [Much wind pours from your mouth, son of snakes.]
Gwvyk recoiled, as if someone hit him. "I am rather glad to be the one to kill you, elf. I've always had a rather large dislike for them."
"How could you?" Legolas retorted. "You southrons know naught more but than what there is to hunt, and you only care about pleaseing those superior to you. Which would be almost everyone."
Gwvyk growled, and barely kept himself from punching Legolas. He backed up a bit. "#Get ready#" he yelled in his foul language. The other soldiers backed up a bit and put their weapons blades close to the necks of the doomed people.
"#And# . . . NOW!"
TBC *gulp*
By the way, he yelled "now" in Common so people would know they were about to die.
*gulp*
Now, there has been a few questions and comments by a few people. So i'll just answer them now:
1)Harathiel is Legolas' sister.
2)I will explain why the elves got to Rohan quicker than they should have. I already got it plotted out, so don't worry. All will be revealed. ;)
3)Someone commented that when Harathiel comes back (she's not dead, and you'll eventually find out what happened to her), she'll save Legolas when he's two seconds from death. That's only part of it, so don't assume anything yet.
4) Another someone told some constructive critism by saying how the story's written is kinda jumpy (or something like that). Thanks. I'm trying my best. I also noticed that, and i'm trying to fix it. So please bear with me.
Additional Disclaimer: I do not own the people who "appear" in this chapter. They belong to Peter Jackson, because they're in his movie. But Gwvyk is an original character, more or less, so I own him.
Author's Note: My friend has a book about the LOTR movie, with stuff about the actors, etc. Orlando Bloom said Legolas is 2931 years old. So, my Legolas is 2931 years old. Harathiel is 1407, and Haldir is 2936.
Another Author's Note: You know what I found out? Orlando Bloom's birthday is January 13th. That's my birthday, too! :)
Another Another Author's Note: Any words in ## these means the language is supposed to be Southron. I don't know the actual language, and I'm not gonna make up words. You do. ;)
For all other notes: See previous chapters.
**************
Chapter Five: This isn't good
When he arrived back at Helm's Deep, Legolas was distraught. He couldn't believe in the course of a week he had been badly injured, poisioned, and his sister plunged to what was most likely her death. Harathiel meant alot to him, and he didn't want to lose her. She was over a thousand years old, but to the elves, she was young. Very young for a shield-maiden. All the same, she went out hunting spiders, wargs, and anything else that threatened Mirkwood and went bump in the night.
Legolas was so caught up in his grief and gloomy thoughts he didn't realize they had already arrived, and his eyes were not seeing the present. He heard murmured voices all around him. He couldn't see straight. He heard several people call out his name, but he couldn't recognize anything, and he plunged into darkness once again.
~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
Elrond heard the commotion. He left his quarters and went to the entrance. He was delighted to see them alive, but sad to see Legolas lose conciousness again. He sensed something was wrong. He went up to Thranduil.
"Where are the Mirkwood elves?" he asked.
Thranduil sighed. "They fell," he replied.
The crowd around them heard him. They started talking to themselves. Elrond noticed most of them glanced at Aragorn while they were whispering to each other, but he took no notice.
"We must help Legolas," he told Elrond. Together, along with the help of Thranduil and Haldir, they carefully moved him to his chambers.
~~~~*~~~~
"He has fallen back into shadow," Galadriel diagnosed half an hour later. Once again, all of Legolas' friends, Gandalf, and the elves were standing around him, hoping he would wake up.
"Something terrible must have triggered it. Probably Harathiel falling," Thranduil commented. Gandalf looked at him sternly.
"And how are you dealing with that, Lord Thranduil?" he asked.
"Well, let's see. In the course of one day I have found out that my son has been poisoned and will probably die, and my daughter has fell many feet into a fast-flowing river with jagged rocks and no chance of surviving. So, other than that, i'm fine."
"Thranduil," Elrond said in a scolding tone. "Do not say such things."
"You have not lost either of your children yet," Celeborn said. "There is still hope."
Thranuil let out a small, forced laugh. "Yes, there is always hope, isn't there."
"Thranduil," Galadriel stepped in. She sighed. "You are in pain. I feel it in your heart. But do not despair so."
"If Harathiel is anything like Legolas, she will make it," Aragorn commented, trying (like everyone else) to lighten Thranduil's mood.
Thranduil turned to Aragorn and actually smiled. "I suppose so," he said, although he still felt doubt. "What I want to know is how the Mirkwood elves arrived here. The journey is much too far. I sent them out a week ago, before I left to come here."
"Then how did you arrive here so quickly, Lord Thranduil?" Theoden asked.
Lord Thranduil was speechless, and he thought about it. Granted, the journey wasn't that far; maybe two weeks, two and a half maximum. Bu he got there in three days.
"I . . . I don't know," he replied slowly.
Theoden turned to the other elves. "And you? How far is it from your lands, yet how quickly have you arrived?"
The other elves were troubled. They had not realized this, yet Thranduil's words spoke the truth. They all arrived at Helm's Deep in a time so remarkable it was nearly impossible.
"This is a mystery. However, we have more important things to discuss," Celeborn said.
Thranduil found his voice again. "Yes, like what are you going to do about my son?" he asked impatiently.
"Thranduil," Gandalf scolded. "We must be patient. Everything will play out for the best somehow."
"You're right, I suppose," he said sadly. He was about to continue talking, when there was a sudden flash of bright blue light, and everyone at Helm's Deep were somehow tied to a large circle of wooden poles. They weren't even at Helm's Deep anymore; they were in the middle of a large plain.
The sudden change confused everyone, and they were disoriented. Aragorn struggled against his bonds, but they were too tight.
"What new devilry is this?" Thranduil asked out loud. "How on Middle-Earth did we end up here?"
"I don't think anyone knows the answer, father," Legolas said meekly. The sudden change from lying down to standing up and being tied to a large wooden pole woke him up.
"Legolas, are you alright?" Aragorn asked.
"I'm fine. But as for everyone else, I cannot say," he replied.
Aragorn glanced around. They were in a huge circle. All men, women, children, and elves were there. They were talking to themselves, trying to get free. Some women were crying.
"Our weapons are gone," Haldir said, puzzled. The people around him noticed that their weapons were gone.
A large noise was heard in the middle of the circle. About four dozen humans appeared. They had long and cloth over their mouths that looked like silk. They had dark skin and brown eyes. [A/N:Remember that army in TTT that were going in the black gates, and two of them almost found Frodo and Sam? Well, those are the guys i'm talking about. And if you're wondering how they got there, all will be revealed.] They glared at the thousand or so people who were tied up.
One of them stepped forward. "I am Gwvyk," he said in a coarse voice. He had some trouble speaking common tongue. "We are here to kill you. My master is not pleased. We are the only men he can spare. You will be killed two dozen at a time. The other two dozen will be standing guard, although it will not be necessary."
People started murmuring to themselves. Most of them were afraid. "Who is his master?" Thranduil asked out loud.
"I do not know," Gandalf replied. "They appear to come from the south."
"Southrons? What would they be doing here?" Aragorn asked. [A/N: I don't know if they were southrons or easterlings, but I think they were from the south. And I think the ones with the oliphaunts were from the east.]
"And more importantly, how did they get here?" Gimli growled.
"Obviously some dark magic helps them," Thranduil commented. He turned to Legolas. "And how are you, my son?"
"I've been better," Legolas replied. He broke out in a fit of coughing. Thranduil hated seeing his son like this.
And Haldir hated seeing his long-time best friend like this. They were friends for nearly 2880 years. They were always there for each other. When they were in Mirkwood, they would chase wargs and spiders, and they would nearly get themselves killed. When they were in Lorien, they would dare themselves to enter the back way of the Mines of Moria at night, and they would nearly get themselves killed. When they would visit Rivendell, they would join up with Elladan and Elrohir, and they would do so many wild things they almost got themselves killed by Elrond.
Gwvyk began talking again. "Now, I can see that most of you weak creatures (he earned a few scowls at that) are injured. My master ordered me to restore you all to your full health without doing something to you all. I don't know why, but he has his reasons. And I dare not disagree with him, so here you go." He pulled out a small bag, and extracted some gold powder that was in it. He held it flat in his palm, and blew on it.
The powder spread through the air, and people breathed it in. They didn't regret it. They felt fresher and rejuvanated. The wounds of the injured healed, the sick got better, and when Legolas breathed the powder in, the shadow disappeared from his mind. His head didn't hurt, and his leg felt better. It even calmed the nerves of the people who were nervous and scared. It cleared away their worried thoughts.
All except for Aragorn. His concerns stayed with him. 'Why are they easing our pain?' he thought. But then he knew the answer. 'So wee won't die before they kill us,' he thought.
It wasn't a good theory, but it was a theory, and he sticked with it. He asked Galadriel what she thought, and told her his theory, but she didn't think much of it.
"They are only following orders," she said.
"But why would their "master" heal our wounds before they kill us?"
"I do not know. I am beginning to think a greater force is behind the healing," she said in her mysterious tone.
~~~~~~*~~~~~~
Their time had come. The Southrons were lined up. Two dozen of them were standing guard, the other two dozen was facing *takes a deep breath* Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Haldir, Elrond, Celeborn, Galadriel, Gandalf, Theoden, Eomer, Eowyn, Hama, Hallith, and several other elves and men. Gwvyk was facing Legolas, his long ax near Legolas' throat. Legolas glared at Gwvyk, who glared back.
"I hardly see what will be accomplished by killing us," Legolas whispered.
"And I hardly saw what would be accomplished by healing you first," Gwvyk hissed back.
"Well, if you must slaughter us, at least answer my question: Who is your master?"
Gwvyk leaned forward. "Believe me, you don't want to know," he said in a threatening voice.
"Oh, I believe I do. That's why I asked," Legolas growled. "Antolle ulua sulrim, utinu en lokirim. [Much wind pours from your mouth, son of snakes.]
Gwvyk recoiled, as if someone hit him. "I am rather glad to be the one to kill you, elf. I've always had a rather large dislike for them."
"How could you?" Legolas retorted. "You southrons know naught more but than what there is to hunt, and you only care about pleaseing those superior to you. Which would be almost everyone."
Gwvyk growled, and barely kept himself from punching Legolas. He backed up a bit. "#Get ready#" he yelled in his foul language. The other soldiers backed up a bit and put their weapons blades close to the necks of the doomed people.
"#And# . . . NOW!"
TBC *gulp*
By the way, he yelled "now" in Common so people would know they were about to die.
*gulp*
