Disclaimer: Even my copy of the book, is from my brother. So, I own nothing.
Author notes: Oh my…*passes out with a big smile* so many pretty reviews!!! Thank you everyone, you make my whole day. I suppose the last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger, but look at it this way…it was 1AM -_- and I had early classes today. This chapter has some action on it, but it's…bad, cause I do not know how to write action @_@ lol.
English is my second language, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Elvish is the way I believe it to be. Quotes are taken from the book, with lines of my own, of course. I love reviews :) Lyrics are from the unbelievably good song "And then there was silence" By Blind Guardian. Wish it were mine!! But 'tis not, so…*sigh*
And to answer some reviews I've gotten...when did I ever say he was mentally ill? :)
Master in Deceiving
By Yours Truly
{I am scared}
{Poor little Prince}
{This is not my mind}
{Aye, it is}
{The light's gone away}
{That was a very long time ago. That you hide from reality does not make it go away}
{I still had life, I still had hope}
{And now, you have nothing. You wished for nothing, you wished for death, and it shall be granted…piece by piece}
"Legolas?" Aragorn's voice seemed a little louder than necessary, yet the elf in front of him did not even flinch…and neither did the sleeping dwarf.
"Where are we, Estel?" His soft voice said softly, his eyes watching the man's every move. But the blue orbs were still unfocused. "Where are we?"
"Legolas Greenleaf" Gandalf called softly, and with a confused frown, the elf's face turned to face him. "You know where we are, as you well as you know your own name. You know what has happened, and you also know, that this is not the time to hide. Come prince of Mirkwood, fight this"
{Losta} (Sleep)
"Fight what, Mithrandir? Are there orcs around?"
"Legolas, come out, 'tis not you who speaks" Mithrandir commanded, as Aragorn sat next to his friend, trying to reach him with his gaze.
"Who else, can it be, Gandalf?" The prince suddenly snapped, hissing the words out with anger worth of Sauron, presenting them with the same peaceful face of everyday. "I, unlike you, have not died and returned. I have in fact, never left"
{Let go}
"Yes, you have, Legolas. You left your own body once before, and I pulled you back. And you almost left us in Lothlórien, almost abandoned us" Aragorn answered, trying to bring out a response from neutral features, or see some kind of light in foggy eyes.
Nothing came.
"Ask Boromir if that had not been for the best of us all"
Grey eyes widened in realization. "You do not think that you did something to kill…"
"I do not think such things" the elf responded calmly "I am certain of them. I heard it all, a threat in the wind, the pull of power called, and Boromir answered, and I never told you this, did I Estel? Look at me, and tell me, did I tell you that?" His voice was colder than ice.
Aragorn flinched slightly, and got angered when he saw no light in his eyes or any expression on his face.
"Nay, you did not"
{Estel, nay!}
{Losta, cunn, losta si} (Sleep, Prince, sleep now)
"Because I am weak, because I was afraid; you would kill me, you would despise me. I should not have worried, for I know you already do. I know how much you wish to draw your sword right now, and slice my body with its sharp blade. For the Valar Aragorn, do it already, for I will kill you all"
{I do not wish to hurt you…not hurt my friends…}
{Yet, you still do; you hurt them all, you kill your friends. You do}
{And no matter what I do…I always hurt my friends}
Aragorn's body tensed, and Mithrandir's eyes hardened, turning his gaze away from Legolas. "Aragorn, he is being defeated. Shadow is starting to take over completely, he is beginning to fade, do not hear his words, and search for your friend" he paused, and placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder "the one that sits in fronts of you, is your enemy, and he has your friend"
Aragorn's eyes roamed over the familiar features of the elf, and noticed the first edges of the mask start to fall, after only a few moments of observation, the prince's features had twisted into such a salvage expression, that Aragorn could not deny, that this was not Legolas.
"I refuse to hear you, Legolas of Mirkwood"
{Estel…}
"For I know who you are"
{So dark…is swallowing me whole, Estel I am drowning…}
'Daro, gûr' (Stop, death) 'Lya al Legolas' (You are not Legolas) The man said firmly.
{Nay…al enni} (Nay…not me)
A smile that twisted the beautiful elven features into something…horrible…touched his lips. "I was not" He placed a cold hand on the mortal shoulder "I am now"
In a haze of anger and helplessness, Aragorn nodded and stood up from the ground, unsheathing his sword slowly, and staring at the blade in the moonlight. "Then I shall free my friend"
{I do not wish to die…I do not wish to die}
{You cannot go back now…}
{I must correct my wrongs}
{And in this, you shall, for your blood, or your friend's, shall stain this cursed land}
Legolas' face smiled, and he nodded as well, pulling his elven knifes with grace and certainty, he moved farther away from camp. "I warned you, Estel" his voice whispered, "I am slaughtering you all". Not a trace of remorse could be found in his stance.
Gandalf went to talk with Aragorn, but a glance from the human stopped him from intervening.
Aragorn walked in front of Legolas, and turned on his heels, angered eyes meeting his. He drew his sword and prepared for the fight.
Legolas did not hesitate, attacking first. Knifes drawn, he lurched forward and with a strength Aragorn did not thought him to posses, he avoided the sword with no more than one knife, slicing a minor wound on the human's arm with the other. Blood poured from the cut, and Legolas jumped backwards, easily, as Aragorn instinctively attacked with his sword, it had been aimed straight at his heart.
The elf took on a defensive stance as Aragorn moved closer, and with both knifes; he avoided the attack that came his way. Dizzyingly fast, his legs carried him a step away from Aragorn. With both weapons, he attacked his friend, barely missing to stab him to his chest when the human moved quickly away.
Glancing around with an amused smile, as if he were playing, Legolas moved towards Aragorn, and the man was about to attack when suddenly Legolas was no longer visible. Quickly turning around, he did not see him, and a melodic voice sang from nowhere.
"Don't you think it's time to stop the chase?
Around the ring
Just stop running, running
'Round the ring
Don't you know that fate has been decided
By the gods?
Feel the distance, distance
Out of reach"
And there was Legolas again, smiling at him, standing straight and strong. Aragorn attacked and managed to touch his sword to the elf's shoulder, before Legolas jumped away and avoided any further injury.
"Kill me Aragorn, you wish to do it, you wish to attack me with all you have, to slaughter the one that has murdered Boromir, to punish me from making Mithrandir suffer" Legolas taunted as he avoided another blow, and delivered another quick cut to Aragorn's forearm. "You wish to kill the one that has murdered the fellowship, the same that shall bring you all down with him" His voice went softer then, and Aragorn's eyes stared Legolas down as the elf spoke "Just let me die"
Aragorn moved closer, and closer, Legolas did not move from his spot. A sudden movement caught the elf off guard, and he found Aragorn's sword to his throat. He smiled at him, and Aragorn hissed out the words he spoke. "No more light for you, no more trees, no more home, no more life…"
{Nay, Estel…Elbereth, please, Aragorn…Estel…kill me…}
The point of Aragorn's sword drew blood, and then Legolas reacted, ducking to avoid the sword, he went to stab with both knives. Aragorn almost received the wounds, but he managed to skip away.
"I have none of those things, now Estel"
Aragorn attacked, and Legolas held his weapons strong to avoid the sword. "You do not," Aragorn gasped out, trying to force the sword away from the knives that had it intertwined above the elf's head. "Legolas does"
{Not me, not me, not me, not me}
{Never you}
A quick stroke, and the blade dripped blood. Knives fell to the ground as the author of the attack looked on at what his actions caused.
Legolas looked up, and then sank to his knees, as the wound on his shoulder dripped with blood. He dropped his head, and started shaking it, as if to deny some unspoken words.
"Nay" He hissed out, and Aragorn looked at him warily "I do not think I have those things either"
Sword falling to the ground, Aragorn sank to his knees next to the elf, and took a hold of slim shoulders, as he had done before. "Legolas"
Clear blue eyes looked at him, and the mask started to fall back in place, slowly, concealing the anguish on his face, but never the one that still remained on his gaze. "I believe that is my name, Estel" he said softly.
Aragorn sighed in relief, and gently removed the elf's hand from his wound. It was not deep, and it should heal soon enough. He smiled at his friend and forcing the hesitant eyes to meet his, he spoke. "Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood. You are not a murderer…Boromir was murdered by orcs, and I do not see you as one of them. You have *not* murdered, or even betrayed anyone, as you so strongly seem to believe"
"Estel?"
"Aye?"
"'Tis so dark…"
"No, Legolas. 'Tis never dark…open your eyes, and pull yourself back. Look up, see the moon, watch the stars, there is light, and the stronger one is the one you carry"
"Aragorn?"
"Tell me?"
"I cannot see you"
Aragorn took a hold of his chin, and lifted his face, watching his eyes carefully. "Do you want to?"
"I'm afraid…"
"Do not be"
"Failure…"
"You have not failed us once, Legolas. You do not wish to start now, and let Gandalf down, do you?"
The elf shook his head silently.
"You have never failed me, prince of Mirkwood. Believe me, young one, you would know if you had" Mithrandir's voice whispered gently and Legolas lifted his face to see him.
"I suppose you are back"
"To stay, young elf. I am here"
Legolas nodded again and stood up, walking to the camp with his back turned to his friends. He waited for them to catch up with him silently.
"Aragorn?"
"What is it, Legolas?"
"I can see you…but I know; it will not last"
"What makes you say that? What do you feel, Legolas?" Aragorn asked worriedly, turning to face his friend. He sat down on the floor of the camp, and Legolas did the same, allowing the man to treat his wound.
"Nothing. I feel nothing" was the whisper that answered him, as the mask was replaced finally. And the normalcy on his face was unnerving.
There was no more talk that night, and Aragorn had no more than one hour to rest, while both, the Istari and the elf had none. The night was barred with long clouds, fleeting on a chill wind, when they arose again. Under the cold moon they went on once more, as swift as by the light of day.
To be continued
Author notes: Oh my…*passes out with a big smile* so many pretty reviews!!! Thank you everyone, you make my whole day. I suppose the last chapter was a bit of a cliffhanger, but look at it this way…it was 1AM -_- and I had early classes today. This chapter has some action on it, but it's…bad, cause I do not know how to write action @_@ lol.
English is my second language, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Elvish is the way I believe it to be. Quotes are taken from the book, with lines of my own, of course. I love reviews :) Lyrics are from the unbelievably good song "And then there was silence" By Blind Guardian. Wish it were mine!! But 'tis not, so…*sigh*
And to answer some reviews I've gotten...when did I ever say he was mentally ill? :)
Master in Deceiving
By Yours Truly
{I am scared}
{Poor little Prince}
{This is not my mind}
{Aye, it is}
{The light's gone away}
{That was a very long time ago. That you hide from reality does not make it go away}
{I still had life, I still had hope}
{And now, you have nothing. You wished for nothing, you wished for death, and it shall be granted…piece by piece}
"Legolas?" Aragorn's voice seemed a little louder than necessary, yet the elf in front of him did not even flinch…and neither did the sleeping dwarf.
"Where are we, Estel?" His soft voice said softly, his eyes watching the man's every move. But the blue orbs were still unfocused. "Where are we?"
"Legolas Greenleaf" Gandalf called softly, and with a confused frown, the elf's face turned to face him. "You know where we are, as you well as you know your own name. You know what has happened, and you also know, that this is not the time to hide. Come prince of Mirkwood, fight this"
{Losta} (Sleep)
"Fight what, Mithrandir? Are there orcs around?"
"Legolas, come out, 'tis not you who speaks" Mithrandir commanded, as Aragorn sat next to his friend, trying to reach him with his gaze.
"Who else, can it be, Gandalf?" The prince suddenly snapped, hissing the words out with anger worth of Sauron, presenting them with the same peaceful face of everyday. "I, unlike you, have not died and returned. I have in fact, never left"
{Let go}
"Yes, you have, Legolas. You left your own body once before, and I pulled you back. And you almost left us in Lothlórien, almost abandoned us" Aragorn answered, trying to bring out a response from neutral features, or see some kind of light in foggy eyes.
Nothing came.
"Ask Boromir if that had not been for the best of us all"
Grey eyes widened in realization. "You do not think that you did something to kill…"
"I do not think such things" the elf responded calmly "I am certain of them. I heard it all, a threat in the wind, the pull of power called, and Boromir answered, and I never told you this, did I Estel? Look at me, and tell me, did I tell you that?" His voice was colder than ice.
Aragorn flinched slightly, and got angered when he saw no light in his eyes or any expression on his face.
"Nay, you did not"
{Estel, nay!}
{Losta, cunn, losta si} (Sleep, Prince, sleep now)
"Because I am weak, because I was afraid; you would kill me, you would despise me. I should not have worried, for I know you already do. I know how much you wish to draw your sword right now, and slice my body with its sharp blade. For the Valar Aragorn, do it already, for I will kill you all"
{I do not wish to hurt you…not hurt my friends…}
{Yet, you still do; you hurt them all, you kill your friends. You do}
{And no matter what I do…I always hurt my friends}
Aragorn's body tensed, and Mithrandir's eyes hardened, turning his gaze away from Legolas. "Aragorn, he is being defeated. Shadow is starting to take over completely, he is beginning to fade, do not hear his words, and search for your friend" he paused, and placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder "the one that sits in fronts of you, is your enemy, and he has your friend"
Aragorn's eyes roamed over the familiar features of the elf, and noticed the first edges of the mask start to fall, after only a few moments of observation, the prince's features had twisted into such a salvage expression, that Aragorn could not deny, that this was not Legolas.
"I refuse to hear you, Legolas of Mirkwood"
{Estel…}
"For I know who you are"
{So dark…is swallowing me whole, Estel I am drowning…}
'Daro, gûr' (Stop, death) 'Lya al Legolas' (You are not Legolas) The man said firmly.
{Nay…al enni} (Nay…not me)
A smile that twisted the beautiful elven features into something…horrible…touched his lips. "I was not" He placed a cold hand on the mortal shoulder "I am now"
In a haze of anger and helplessness, Aragorn nodded and stood up from the ground, unsheathing his sword slowly, and staring at the blade in the moonlight. "Then I shall free my friend"
{I do not wish to die…I do not wish to die}
{You cannot go back now…}
{I must correct my wrongs}
{And in this, you shall, for your blood, or your friend's, shall stain this cursed land}
Legolas' face smiled, and he nodded as well, pulling his elven knifes with grace and certainty, he moved farther away from camp. "I warned you, Estel" his voice whispered, "I am slaughtering you all". Not a trace of remorse could be found in his stance.
Gandalf went to talk with Aragorn, but a glance from the human stopped him from intervening.
Aragorn walked in front of Legolas, and turned on his heels, angered eyes meeting his. He drew his sword and prepared for the fight.
Legolas did not hesitate, attacking first. Knifes drawn, he lurched forward and with a strength Aragorn did not thought him to posses, he avoided the sword with no more than one knife, slicing a minor wound on the human's arm with the other. Blood poured from the cut, and Legolas jumped backwards, easily, as Aragorn instinctively attacked with his sword, it had been aimed straight at his heart.
The elf took on a defensive stance as Aragorn moved closer, and with both knifes; he avoided the attack that came his way. Dizzyingly fast, his legs carried him a step away from Aragorn. With both weapons, he attacked his friend, barely missing to stab him to his chest when the human moved quickly away.
Glancing around with an amused smile, as if he were playing, Legolas moved towards Aragorn, and the man was about to attack when suddenly Legolas was no longer visible. Quickly turning around, he did not see him, and a melodic voice sang from nowhere.
"Don't you think it's time to stop the chase?
Around the ring
Just stop running, running
'Round the ring
Don't you know that fate has been decided
By the gods?
Feel the distance, distance
Out of reach"
And there was Legolas again, smiling at him, standing straight and strong. Aragorn attacked and managed to touch his sword to the elf's shoulder, before Legolas jumped away and avoided any further injury.
"Kill me Aragorn, you wish to do it, you wish to attack me with all you have, to slaughter the one that has murdered Boromir, to punish me from making Mithrandir suffer" Legolas taunted as he avoided another blow, and delivered another quick cut to Aragorn's forearm. "You wish to kill the one that has murdered the fellowship, the same that shall bring you all down with him" His voice went softer then, and Aragorn's eyes stared Legolas down as the elf spoke "Just let me die"
Aragorn moved closer, and closer, Legolas did not move from his spot. A sudden movement caught the elf off guard, and he found Aragorn's sword to his throat. He smiled at him, and Aragorn hissed out the words he spoke. "No more light for you, no more trees, no more home, no more life…"
{Nay, Estel…Elbereth, please, Aragorn…Estel…kill me…}
The point of Aragorn's sword drew blood, and then Legolas reacted, ducking to avoid the sword, he went to stab with both knives. Aragorn almost received the wounds, but he managed to skip away.
"I have none of those things, now Estel"
Aragorn attacked, and Legolas held his weapons strong to avoid the sword. "You do not," Aragorn gasped out, trying to force the sword away from the knives that had it intertwined above the elf's head. "Legolas does"
{Not me, not me, not me, not me}
{Never you}
A quick stroke, and the blade dripped blood. Knives fell to the ground as the author of the attack looked on at what his actions caused.
Legolas looked up, and then sank to his knees, as the wound on his shoulder dripped with blood. He dropped his head, and started shaking it, as if to deny some unspoken words.
"Nay" He hissed out, and Aragorn looked at him warily "I do not think I have those things either"
Sword falling to the ground, Aragorn sank to his knees next to the elf, and took a hold of slim shoulders, as he had done before. "Legolas"
Clear blue eyes looked at him, and the mask started to fall back in place, slowly, concealing the anguish on his face, but never the one that still remained on his gaze. "I believe that is my name, Estel" he said softly.
Aragorn sighed in relief, and gently removed the elf's hand from his wound. It was not deep, and it should heal soon enough. He smiled at his friend and forcing the hesitant eyes to meet his, he spoke. "Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood. You are not a murderer…Boromir was murdered by orcs, and I do not see you as one of them. You have *not* murdered, or even betrayed anyone, as you so strongly seem to believe"
"Estel?"
"Aye?"
"'Tis so dark…"
"No, Legolas. 'Tis never dark…open your eyes, and pull yourself back. Look up, see the moon, watch the stars, there is light, and the stronger one is the one you carry"
"Aragorn?"
"Tell me?"
"I cannot see you"
Aragorn took a hold of his chin, and lifted his face, watching his eyes carefully. "Do you want to?"
"I'm afraid…"
"Do not be"
"Failure…"
"You have not failed us once, Legolas. You do not wish to start now, and let Gandalf down, do you?"
The elf shook his head silently.
"You have never failed me, prince of Mirkwood. Believe me, young one, you would know if you had" Mithrandir's voice whispered gently and Legolas lifted his face to see him.
"I suppose you are back"
"To stay, young elf. I am here"
Legolas nodded again and stood up, walking to the camp with his back turned to his friends. He waited for them to catch up with him silently.
"Aragorn?"
"What is it, Legolas?"
"I can see you…but I know; it will not last"
"What makes you say that? What do you feel, Legolas?" Aragorn asked worriedly, turning to face his friend. He sat down on the floor of the camp, and Legolas did the same, allowing the man to treat his wound.
"Nothing. I feel nothing" was the whisper that answered him, as the mask was replaced finally. And the normalcy on his face was unnerving.
There was no more talk that night, and Aragorn had no more than one hour to rest, while both, the Istari and the elf had none. The night was barred with long clouds, fleeting on a chill wind, when they arose again. Under the cold moon they went on once more, as swift as by the light of day.
To be continued