"The Return of the Light"
by AndromedaM13Titan

disclaimer: j.r.r tolkien is one of the best authors, his books are best, and all his characters are great. this fan fiction is about legolas, though i do not own him, anyo f the characters, or half of the places in this story. the only characters new to this tale is Adriel, also called Erimas, the daughter of the Elven-Warlord Eldroln; and the other is the Elvenprincess Halardrin, also called Aletia, daughter of Colodrin.

a/n: snynopses of the past two parts- well, in the first the rest of the company met the elven-warlady Adriel Woodleaf, daughter of Eldroln of Mirkwood. they saw her at the council of Elrond, departed from Frodo and Sam, and went to resume their journey with the recently "resurrected" Gandalf the White (see Book Two: The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien for more info) and Adriel. they left rivendell and headed streat for the borders of mirkwood, to meet with the elfking Colodrin and the Elvenprincess Haladrin. they stayed in mirkwood for a while, learning many things about adriel, her sword, and her family history. they then departed to Mordor, where they had a battle with uruk-hais and orcs. adriel was slain, but when all hope was lost, her sword, Temrbanil, showed signs of life and Adriel was alive again. they then departed to the inner borders of Mordor, and went down through the passage to Orodruin. still though, they are only in the beginning of this passage: the tunnel at Darun-Him (a place not created by toklien... infact the passage was created byme ^_^)

lord of the rings is NOT a trilogy, according to tolkien, it is ONE book with 6 books in it.

----

Part IV: Tunnel at Darun-Him and Master Sagorim

It seemed as if it were hours until they at last arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Before them stood a large wooden door, which opened on its own; Pippin knew somebody expected them. The first to enter the vast room before them was Gandalf. The light upon his staff dimmed, for upon the walls were lined torches of fire. Before them a great hall with enormous and beautiful pillars on the edges. Tombs of what seemed to be elves and men lined those pillars, and upon the floor were blocks of marble. As Adriel walked in she shuddered recognizably.

"Are you all right?" asked Pippin, who stood fearfully right behind her. "Because if you fear this place, it must mean I in turn have to!"

Adriel turned and smiled down at the hobbit. "I doubted you at first," she said, "but now I realize what faithful and loyal beings you halflings are. No, I am not afraid. It is just, well, I sense a familiar presence in this room, you know? An air that is so indistinguishable... yet so unique and new. Fear not, dear hobbit, Master Peregrin; I will not let the Uruk-hais or the Orcs slay you in a battle. Just remember not to freeze up if I should hand you Temrbanil."

"No!" cried Pippin. "Do not ever hand that blessed sword to me! I am not right of stature to take it!"

"Hush!" whispered the wizard ahead of them, who turned and glared darkly through his teal eyes. "Do you want the Orcs after us now, you fool of a Took? Come Lady Adriel, this way. The rest of you follow closely and keep your eyes open." He suddenly turned back around and began walking again.


The pace was slow, which Pippin was grateful for, but the view which came before them was horrifying. The tombs lined against the walls had statues alongside them; enormous, beautiful statues that stood much taller than Pippin, for after all, he was a hobbit and hobbits do tend to be short in stature. It seemed to him that Adriel began sprouting tears in her eyes, as she looked upon some of the tombs written in the elvish language. Legolas seemed to tear as well, while Aragorn behind them bore no expression at all. He kept his senses sharp and his sight clean; enemies were approaching in the distance, and he was ready for them.

"This is the Tomb of Elvenkings," said Adriel, breaking the silence at last.

"The Tomb of Darun-Him we call it," answered Gimli from behind, who held his axe high in hand, whilst his other hand seemed to reach out for the tombs. At last the company seemed to halt, and Adriel walked over to one of the most beautiful tombs. Her fingers trembled as she reached out and fingered the engraved letters. She knelt down and placed her bow upon the tomb and it seemed to them she wept; she did not.

"It is out of respect," said the wizard who stood sternly before the company, "that Adriel bows at the foot of the tomb. That is the tomb of Emanor and next to it the tomb of Agras son of Halbras. On the other side is Halbras son of Celbranir. Before you lie not the bodies of these men, but memorials to their greatness."

"But this is the Tomb of Elvenkings," Aragorn remarked. "How is it that their memorials lie here when they were not kings?" He kept his gaze on Gandalf, who did not seem to answer, only look back towards Adriel. Gimli and Legolas stood tall behind her, staring deep into the darkness at the shadows of the statues. They too respected the passed elves, who had long ago supposedly passed the Grey Havens, and found themselves in the New Land.

At last Legolas put his hand upon Adriel's shoulder. "Do not be sorrowed," he said. "This is not the time to fall before the feet of your predecessors, nor is it the time to look back in the past at what would have been. Time goes only forward, not back, and thus so should you and the rest of us. Come, Adriel, will you not continue?" Her crystal-blue eyes remained fixed on the tomb and on the elven letters, despite the words of the other elf.

"Emanor dar iri Agrasia dunh im Halbras," she muttered to herself in her language. "Emanor was the son of Agras and in turn the heir to Halbras," she then gazed upwards into the deep blue eyes of Legolas. "I am clouded. My sight no longer is keen, my hearing no longer wary. I cannot go further. I must go back. I hear the darkness calling for me, its groping fingers reaching to grab hold of me. Whither shall I go if I do not make it? Back to the stronghold? No... there are no elves left there. Whither shall I go, Emanor?" she bent her head and rested it upon the tomb. "O the mist that clouds my vision!"

"Alas! Adriel!" cried Legolas. "You must not wither here! Tarry, good elven warrior, and hold your head high! You are the sworn warrior of a kingdom so great and vast; fear not the whispers of the darkness, for our spirits are mightier than theirs and our hearts wield kindness as our weapon!" At last Legolas knelt down and looked straight into the eyes of his lifelong friend: "The company will walk only if you are the one walking before them," and he whispered to her, so that only her keen ears could hear: "I shall only walk if you are there to guide me."

Adriel stared once again at the tomb before standing. "Acrani Emanoris dir imri algri," she pressed her hand against the tomb and walked off. "Let us leave this place before the weariness of my heart takes hold of my strength. Come, Mirthrandir; guide the way." So it came that Mirthrandir guided Adriel, and his company away from the tombs, at last to a fork, where on the right stood a hall and on the left a great stair. Gandalf the White guided them through the hall, for that was the true Tunnel at Darun-Him.

The tunnel was dark, even with the glorious light of the wizard. Still there was no sound to be heard in even the keen ears of the elves, and so forth they went; until suddenly Gandalf stopped and raised his right hand high. They stood in silence for a few moments, then turned back, listening. 'Bruhm-' rolled the sound into the hall. 'Bruhm bum bruhm bum-' it was the sound of feet upon the marble floor back in the Tunnel, and then suddenly an enormous cry was heard. A low, rumbling, yet piercing shriek was heard in the tomb, and then the stomping became louder and louder, closing in upon them.

"Run!" whispered Gandalf to the others. And so they did, each of them, afraid for their lives. They ran deep through the tunnel, disregarding all about them, their only mission to get out alive. At last they came upon a room similar to the Tomb of Darun-Him, but much greater and with marble pillars and stone floors. Great windows faced them from high above, and dead roots and vines lay sprawled before them. They unsheathed their swords and hacked away at the greatness of nature before them. Still the rumbling went on and it came even closer then before.

"It is not a balrog, is it?" cried Pippin who ran to hide behind one of the bushes of vines. "O Elebereth! O Glindoniel!"

"Shush!" shouted Gandalf the White. "Balrogs do not dwell beneath Cirith Ungol and Orodruin. Fear not, Peregrin Took! For once can you not have an ounce of courage in you?! And this time do not stir the enemy! Run when I tell you, and hide when I deem you useless in battle!" Immediately Pippin withdrew behind the bushes, feeling both unwanted and uneeded at the same time. He looked out towards Adriel, who stood firm upon her fair feet, as if she were planted into the ground. Beside her was Aragorn and at the other hand was Gandalf. Seldom had Aragorn spoken with her, but at last he did.

Aragorn's eyes shifted their gaze from the hall to Adriel. "Lady," he said, "if it is any consolation to you, you will forever have a place from where I hail and in my heart as well. Should you fall, I shall honour you and bury you rightfully near your predecessors. If you should disappear into the yonder, I shall honour your name. Then should we depart from Orodruin unscathed, I pray you return with me one last to time to whither I hail."

"Surely you speak honourably, Elessar, Isildur's heir," she smiled as she spoke, for she saw a shocked look upon Aragorn's face. "In due time, if we should part without wound or need of healing, I shall return with you to Gondor and see you fulfill the long lived legend. Whither to then, I shall ask myself when the time comes. Perhaps I shall wonder off to other lands..." She seemed to drift off as she looked again behind her and they walked past the vines. The thumping became softer and softer, and suddenly it seemed as though it had never sounded. No longer did Pippin fear the enemy, for he now walked behind a mightier elfwarrior.

But the relief was shortlived; an enormous monster jumped from the broken ceiling before the company. Immediately did they all unsheath their swords, with the exceptions being Pippin, who wielded none; Legolas and Adriel who loosed their bows; and Gimli with his axe. The monster was large yet slender, wielding in its hand a large sword, which seemed to have been crafted by a troll of the Eye. Upon his forehead was the White Hand of the Eye, and upon its chest a badly sewn, silver sheet of mail. He immediately began to swing his axe.

"I wield a much better axe!" shouted Gimli. "An' I know how to use one, as well!" He laughed as he went charging towards the monster, which then threw him back, to his dismay. He fell at Legolas' feet, who then picked him up. "I thank thee, Legolas," he said. "I am forever indebted, well, more than I all ready am." And with that he continued his attack upon the monster.

Adriel loosed many arrows to the monster, but it seemed as though he was not one to be wounded by such. She withdrew her bow and unsheathed Temrbanil, which shone and sung in all its glory. Though its blade was still misty and clouded, for it no longer wielded the power it had when its owner was Celbranir, Adriel seemed to hold it well and use it as though her life truly did depend upon it. She faced the brow of the blade to the monster and looked from beneath the crown over her eyes.

"Speak," she said, her voice fair but intimidating. "Let it be known your name."

The monster let out a low laugh: "Sagorim son of Bafrog-hir," he said. "Prince of the Giant Orcs, servant of the Dark Hand and the Eye. I was sent hither to seek Mirthrandir. Does you be Mirthrandir, or does he be?" Sagorim pointed to Adriel and then to Gandalf. He was noticably confused and used his sword to scratch his forehead.

Adriel reached for her quiver. "What do you search Mirthrandir for?" she asked. "Pray, who is your king? Whither is your king? or is it that you serve only your master the Dark Hand and quest only with the Dark Shadow? Come, Sagorim son of Bafrog-hir, good prince of the Giant Orcs, speak!"

"Sagorim answers to nobody, Master Elf," Sagorim laughed. "Does you be Mirthrandir? I come to kills Mirthrandir! Hither and now! Which one is Mirthrandir!" With that final call, Sagorim's voice rang out like a horn throughout the tunnels and passages of Darun-Him. Low rumbling was heard in the distance, almost as drumbeats. They knew it couldn't be another Giant Orc, for the beats were steady and beating to a specific rythm: 'Bruhm-bum bum-' it called. 'Bruhm-bum bum-bum-' another answered. It seemed that the prince was being sent a grand army.

"Peace, Prince Sagorim!" shouted Adriel with her bow readied. "I wish not to hurt you, but if it is that you send your armies hither I shall! and mark me, I am true to my word!" Her voice was steady and stern, as was her bow and arrow. The giant orc looked down upon with a wide grin upon his face, as if he were over confident. Still Adriel did not tremble and she continued to hold her bow steady. Legolas and the others stalked closely behind her, their weapons ready and their eyes upon Sagorim. With one mighty blow, the prince of the orcs suddenly drew his sword down upon the ground. It crushed the mighty stone beneath them and the ground shook.

"You dare threaten Sagorim?!" cried the prince as he again drew his sword down. It missed Adriel and the others only by a hair. They were flung to the walls, and each hit a wall with great pain. Pippin crawled beneath a stone and shuddered; he wanted no part in the battle. Adriel and Legolas, the tireless elves, made their way again upward, along with Aragorn, Gimli, and Gandalf. Again the orc prince drew his sword, and finally, his armies arrived. Swarms of miniature orcs crawled about his feet, and they were only half the size of the giant people. Pippin managed to stay hidden from them, but they were too much for the others to handle.

"Let go of me!" shouted Adriel as a few of the orcs grabbed her wrists. Another orc, much taller, took from his side a club, and used it to smite Adriel's head. "I beg thee..." were the last words that uttered from her lips. Aragorn and Legolas cried out for her, but they too were smote and they too were tied up.

"Release them!" Gandalf cried, as he raised up his hands to destroy the orcs. It was unfortunate for Gandalf that the orcs scurried away, dragging Aragorn, Legolas, and Adriel behind them. When Sagorim departed with his people, Pippin emerged from the stone he had hid behind and walked towards the stricken Gandalf.

"Was there anything we could have done?" said Pippin, his head hung low.

Gandalf looked down and shook his head. "There was no more we could have done," he said. "Now they are in the hands of our enemy, and unimaginable things will happen to them. History often repeats itself, but I thought it would not so soon." He turned to Pippin. "Come, Peregrin Took, we must venture for them. We shall go further down this cursed place, rather than above; and I fear that the light of day is long ahead of us. But forth we must go! else we too shall be captured and poor Frodo and Sam will no longer have friends." He took Pippin's hand and guided him through the slain orcs and then to another tunnel opening. The light of Gandalf's staff lit up the tunnel and they advanced.

-continue to part v

-well? is it ok? the end is somewhat mesed up. i am trying to work on a science fair project abstract whilst i write this, so it probably did not come out as planned. *bows* apologies. well, i'll continue some other day.