Title: Regret
Summery: When you lose a friend to death, it is tragic, but what if you lost them before you got the chance to say, "I'm sorry." Could you live with that?
Note: Sorry it took me a while to update, but end of the year exams are exhausting. Special thanks to everybody who's still with me on this, and continuing to review it. There is still a bit to go, and I hope you guys stay with me till the very end. This chapter is quite long, and it will take you back and tell you what exactly happened to Legolas. That, and you'll get to see some more of Aragorn. I hope you enjoy, read on…
Chapter ten
"No" Legolas cried out, as three of the men pulled him once again to his feet. The sounds of the struggle had long since stopped minutes ago, and the young prince still could not bring himself to believe what had happened to him and his party over so short of a time. So far, he had been in an unsettling argument with one of his closest friends, his party had been attacked out of nowhere, and now, two of his companions had been savagely murdered.
He fought back, as Aleic and another man tried to tie his aching arms behind his back, but was quickly halted, when Jevinx gave him a little bit of coaxing. "None of that" he teased, causing Legolas' anger to grow, "you wouldn't want anything to happen to your friends here would you?" he continued, as he mockingly, patted Piong on the shoulder, only to have the elf swing his body to avoid the horrid touch of the man.
"I'll kill you, I swear it" Legolas hissed, as Jevinx once again made his way over to him. The man knew they had to get moving, and so as he approached, he waved to his men to ready the horses, and prepare to get moving again. However, there was still one more thing to do, and he couldn't resist letting the young elven royal in on what it was.
"Tell me, prince, how your father will react when your mutilated body is found in the mashes of Rivendell" he asked, with a huge smile on his face, that made anxiety and hatred over boil inside the Mirkwood advisor's mind. And though there was great fear inside the prince's mind as well, it was not shown by his expression, which rounded into a matching smile of that on Jevinx's face.
"I am not dead yet." he replied with an equally mocking tone.
Jevinx's smirk increased. He was enjoying this elf being around, and if circumstances were different, he may have offered the fair being a place on his crew. However, things were not different, and vengeance was so close he could taste it. He would see to it, that his father's death was avenged, and those responsible for it, would pay dearly for what they'd done. "Ah, but it is only us, that know that," he began, and nodded his head in the direction on the of the small huddle of men, around the fallen body of Elvomir. Suddenly it clicked inside the two remaining friends' minds, and both turned back to Jevinx in darkened awe.
"It won't work" Legolas assured, though a part of him believed that the man's sick plot just might go as he had planned it to. The man laughed, "really?" he replied as he rubbed his chin, pretending to think about what the elf had said, "well, we'll be very thorough in making it impossible to tell who it is."
It was Legolas' turn to laugh this time, "they will never believe it is my body. They will continue to search, until I am found. I am a prince, as you already know, and Piong is my father's advisor. We are more valuable than you, or any of you men are, they will not stop searching until we are found, all of us."
When he said the words he did, Legolas could see that Jevinx was taking all of it in, with great care. He hoped that his comments would scare the man, and they should, for he spoke the truth. His family would never stop hoping and searching until he and Piong were found, and he also knew that once Lord Elrond was informed of their disappearance, that he would send out riders as well.
Then there was Aragorn. The man who had become his brother, and the one who he longed to see, now more than ever. He wished with all his heart that he had resolved the matters with the man before he left, because now, he knew that the young heir of Gondor, would be a complete mess. Legolas had learned from the start of their friendship that Aragorn had a temper, and it was easily set off, and Legolas also knew that the truth of who really did inform Elrond of the love between the man and Arwen would come out. And when it did, that Aragorn would be filled with tremendous guilt for the mistake he had made.
As Jevinx began to speak again, Legolas was pulled from his thoughts, and he refocused on the man standing before him. "You have a point, but you see, I never leave anything to chance. Whether they keep looking or not, they will think you are dead, and that pain will only increase when they become aware that you have died again." The elf shook his fair head, blond strands that had come loose from his side braids falling ingot his eyes as he replied with a question for his capture.
"We may look alike, I shall grant you that. Though, I am curious to know, how you can be so certain that you can fool my father, and the rangers in this area into thinking that my heart has stopped."
"Because, dear boy," Jevinx started, as he held out his hand revealing his guarantee for success, "I have this."
In the man's hand was the torn and bloody tunic that Elvomir had taken from Legolas' body, when he had tended to the prince's wounds. The colour was still the same, and though it was stained with Legolas' blood, the royal embroidery was still very visible. The look in the prince's eyes let Jevinx know that he understood, and so, with another chuckle, jiving turned to the group of men, and tossed them the piece of clothing.
"Take this, and put it on the corpse. Then dump it by the river, and make sure it'll be found, and soon. The quicker they find the body, the quicker I get my revenge, now go. And meet us at Plemith when you're completed your task," he said, causing the five men to nod, and begin the task they'd been told. And while one of them picked up, and made off with the elf's body, that had been wrapped in some sort of blanket, Aleic grabbed the roped hands of the prince, and pulled him over to his stallion.
"What about these two?" he asked, ushering to Legolas and Piong. Jevinx didn't even turn around when the middle aged man spoke to him, however he did still give him an answer. One that made both elves nervous. "Get them into the caves, and fast. Rangers roam these parts and we mustn't been seen."
Aleic shrugged, and mounted his horse, pulling with it the two elven captives, but as they rode towards the mountain side, Legolas couldn't help but look back at the grassy mound that he had hidden the chain. He hoped that it would remain there until the hillmen had left, and even more so, he hoped that the right person would find it. "Please see it, Aragorn," he whisper softly into the wind, hoping that his wish would be granted, "please."
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Aragorn shook his head, and refused to hear what his brother had said to him, and as both Elrohir and Glorfindel reached out to comfort him, pulled away, mumbling roughly to himself and to them. "No, no" he assured, as he fiddled with the mithril chain in his trembling hands. "he's not dead, he's not!"
"Estel," Elrohir said pleadingly, as he gripped both of the young mans shoulders and forced him to look him in the eyes as he continued. "I'm sorry," he said, but was cut off again by the hurting ranger. "There is nothing for you to be sorry about. Legolas is alive, and I am going to find him."
Glorfindel lowered his head at the ill news given to them by the younger of Elrond's twins. To learn that the young prince of Mirkwood had been slain was hard enough on him, but to know that Legolas had fallen under the hands of such brutal and merciless men only worsened the pain, for all of them. He knew that Aragorn's hopes had been so high, as were his own, and now to have them burst this way was difficult, and he knew that the young man was going to need a shoulder right now, and so he stepped in.
"It is alright to cry, Estel. We came so close to finding him. Nobody blames you for being upset" the elven advisor said, as he held back the tears that were forming in his eyes as well. Elrohir was another story completely, and he freely allowed the tears to stream down his pale face, as his younger sibling responded to Glorfindel's words in a heated tone.
"The only reason I am upset, is because no one will listen to me. Legolas is not dead. He can't be, and I will refuse to believe otherwise, unless I see it for myself," he stated. Elrohir took another deep breath, and wiped the tears from his face as he responded. "Come home with me, Estel. Father needs you ." "Fine," Aragorn began in response, "but only because I wish to prove you wrong about what you've said, and to assure father of the same thing. However, once that is done, I will be right back here, and begin my search once again."
The others nodded, and as Aragorn shrugged, and took the lead on the trip back to the kingdom of his father, Elrohir could help but quietly apologize. He knew that the elves that had been the ones to inform him of the finding of Legolas' body looked sickened, and the expression on their faces told him that they were being sincere about what they spoke. Especially when they said that Lord Elrond wanted both of his sons home immediately. Elrohir knew that what awaited them when they returned would not be good, and he prayed that Estel would survive it. He also hoped, that he would too.
The walk back to Imladris was quiet, and nobody dared to speak a word for the entire three hours. For there really was nothing that could be said until they knew for sure that Legolas had been found. All hoped that there had been some sort of mistake, but a part of all of them, including Aragorn, kept whispering cruelly, that all of their hopes were in vain.
When they finally reached the gates, they were immediately granted entry, and they were met by an elf named Lander, who had been the leader of the group who had found the body by the river. He greeted them pleasantly, but it was very evident that he was stressed. There were bags forming under his eyes, which was unusually for those of his race, and his long raven hair was frizzing at the ends, as he brushed it out of his face to speak.
"Lords Glorfindel, Elrohir," he began as he caught them and started to walk up next to the four companions,
"Lord Elrond needs to speak with you urgently." "Where is he?" Aragorn interrupted before either of his companions could answer.
"He's in the healing houses," Lander answered, as he nodded a hello to Kip, who returned the subtle gesture. Aragorn sighed at the response he received, "not my father. Legolas. Where is he?" The man's question confused the elven guard, and frowns formed on the other's faces ass they continued to walk towards one of the rooms. The elf looked over to the two other fair beings for an explanation, even though none was needed. Almost, if not everyone in Rivendell was aware of the friendship between Thranduil's son and Aragorn, and they knew that recent events were going to be hard for him to take, never mind, accept.
"Estel, Legolas has been killed" he said, which caused a very emotional Aragorn to turn to him heatedly and begin to speak, only to be brought to a halt as another voice broke into their conversation. "Estel" The call of Lord Elrond caused all in the company to turn around, and see that the elven ruler was coming out of one of the side rooms, and as they walked towards him, he gently closed the door behind himself.
"Ada" Elrohir exclaimed, and ran to his father, and gripped his arm tightly, sensing that severe distress had taken it's toll on him. The usual façade that could not be read about Elrond had disappeared, and had been replaced with one that was indeed, very readable. There was deep sadness shown on his well defined features, as well as anger and a tad of guilt. He had always felt like a father to Legolas, and though the two saw each other very rarely, he was still protective of him, and was immensely troubled by what had occurred.
There was a brief pause, and father and son locked eyes, exchanging silent questions and answers between them, as Aragorn and the others looked on, patiently waiting for some sort of update on what was going on. Well almost all were patient about it. "Father," Aragorn began catching Elrond's attention, and as he turned, Elrond finally let a tear pass out of his grey eyes, for he knew how hard this was going to be to tell his human son.
"Estel," he began only to have the man shake his head, stopping him from saying something he didn't want to hear. "No," he interrupted, as he brushed past his father and towards the door from which Lord Elrond just passed through. It was Elrond's turn to cry out, and he rushed to stop his son from opening the door, with Elrohir, Glorfindel and the two others right behind him. However, it seemed that they were not quite quick enough, and just as they reached Aragorn's side, he already swung open the door, and walked into the cool room.
The sight he saw when he entered the room, brought absolute fear into Aragorn's heart, and suddenly he felt like he wanted to collapse. There, laying on the small bed, was the body that had been found, and though it had been covered by a white blanket, the slim form of the being looked very familiar. His breathing quickened, and his hands began to tremble as he slowly walked over to the still form of the elf, and tears came when he caught glimpse of golden hair.
The same feeling of sickness overcame each of the beings in the room, and even though Kip had never met Legolas, he still felt sorrow, and bowed his head in respect for the loss of life in such brutal circumstances. Elrohir let his tears fall freely, as he ran over to his father, who embraced him tightly, while Aragorn merely continued to stare in disbelief at the covered body. This couldn't be, he thought to himself as he reached his shaky hand out to remove the blanket covering the face of his friend, only as Elrond tried to stop him. "Estel, don't. You don't want to see what they've done to him."
His words went ignored, and Aragorn pulled back the sheet, and seconds after he did and laid eyes upon the elf's face, the sheet slipped out of his hand, and he bolted backwards. The sight was too much for him, and he bent down upon one knee and regurgitated in complete disgust, as well as hurt. All the while, the tears were freely falling, and slipping into his aching mouth.
The once fair face of the elf, had been mutilated, cut, and burned. The once pale flesh of his face, was now an unidentifiable shade of crimson, and it appeared as if his thin eyebrows were entirely gone. The blood that had been flowing freely, had dried, and now crusted itself to his skin and matted in his hair. The sight was revolting, and even the elves in the room could not bear to look upon it for very long, and dropped their heads in repugnance. Whoever had done this went to a lot of trouble to make the elf unrecognizable, and Elrond was anticipating bringing them to justice for the horrific acts that had been committed.
"Lander, please get some water, and towels, please." Elrond asked as he rushed to Aragorn's side, and obediently, the guard did what was asked of him, and with him went Kip, who felt the need to be of some sort of help at the moment. The moment the two beings left the room, Glorfindel walked over to the young man's side as well, as Elrohir sighed and shook his head, as he approached the bedside of the still elf.
"What did they do to him?" Aragorn managed to get out between sobs and deep breaths. He still couldn't believe what was happening. He had been so happy when he found the necklace, and he had been certain that it had been a sign that Legolas was still alive, and that he was close. For it to end like this didn't seem fair, it couldn't be true. It just couldn't be.
Elrond hesitated, as if not wanting to tell his son what had been done to end the life of the immortal, but within a few moments, he composed himself to be completely honest, no matter how hard it was to be. "He was beaten, and burned afterwards." he stated, making more tears come to all of them, even Glorfindel this time. The thought of such a painful death, to any elf, never mind the young prince of Mirkwood was appalling.
"No" Aragorn whispered, "it's not him. This has been some sort of mistake. He's not allowed to die on me."
His comment was so true and pure, that it made Glorfindel pull the young ranger into an hug, as both continued to cry openly now. Elrond rubbed his forehead, as he slowly rose to his feet silently. The thought that there had been a mistake had crossed his mind as well, but then he was given the only proof that had been found, and that lead him to be certain that the body was in fact that of Legolas Greenleaf.
"They all were so alike in appearance," he began, causing all eyes to fall upon him once again, "I wasn't sure at first, but I am sure now, that it is the prince."
"How can you be? His face is unrecognizable, even to you" Elrohir questioned.
Elrond met the stressed eyes of his son before breaking eye contact. He then walked over to a small wooden table and picked up the items of clothing that had been removed from the elf's body when he was brought in. He held it out, and Aragorn immediately reached up, and took it from his father's hands. It was the tunic that Legolas had been wearing when he left the elven city of Imladris two days ago. And the sight of deep red blood, made Aragorn gasp. It was true then. Legolas, the noble and kindly prince of the woodland realm had been slain. Aragorn hadn't been able to rescue him, nor had he been able to say he was sorry.
Aragorn let out another cry, and brought his hands up to his reddened face, and let the tunic fall to the floor next to the bed. While Elrond put a comforting hand on his shoulder, Elrohir, could no longer stand the sight of the broken and messy body of the elf he thought of as a brother for so many years. He began to pull the sheet, when suddenly something caught his eye, and more anger seethed through him, when he made it out to be writing, that had been carved into the elf's chest.
"What in the Valar" he exclaimed, catching and keeping everyone's full attention, including Aragorn, who leapt to his feet upon hearing his brothers cry. Each saw the markings, and as Kip and Lander re-entered, Glorfindel read the four little words that had been written in blood, aloud.
"The price of Halrinx."
The words confused the younger beings in the room, but the elven advisor knew exactly what it meant, and s his head shot up, he met the stare of Lord Elrond, who had obviously seen the writing already, and he too knew why it had been carved into the elf's flesh. It didn't take very long however, for Elrohir and Aragorn to notice the ye contact between the two eldar elves, and instantly questioned their behaviour.
"If you know why this was done to him, please, for my sake, tell me," Aragorn pleaded, the tears still falling down his cheeks. Kip took the opportunity to lighten the situation a tad, by finally covering the body once more with the white blanket. He knew that things were only getting worse, and that there was nothing more he could do for Aragorn or for Legolas, however, they still had Ginyc to find, and he promised himself that as soon as things settled down here, he'd be right back out there looking.
"I do know why this was written, my son," Elrond began, has he brought his hand up to his mouth and pinched his bottom lip, letting them know he was anxious about something. "Whoever wrote this is seeking vengeance for the death of Halrinx of Dunland. He was a wildman who yearned for power, and had many followers in his time. His party travel the lands of Middle Earth, causing trouble and breaking every law they could get away with. And then one day, their path lead them to the realm of Mirkwood.
At first, Thranduil paid not attention to them, for the men were causing no harm, and were content hunting the orcs and beasts within the forests. Until on day, Halrinx got bored, and began to hunt the elves of Mirkwood instead. Of course after that, Thranduil sent out a party to bring him in, and tried to reason with him. I know not why, but Halrinx was offered a low sentence, however even that wasn't enough for the man, and he tried to escape. Wounding the king's advisor, Piong, in the process.
In the end, it was Thranduil himself who shot him down, with the very bow that Legolas carries now. Luckily the prince was with Gandalf during that time, and did not have to witness the horror that Occurred in his homeland. However, now it seems that it is someone who is still a loyal follower of Halrinx of is in this group of wildmen we seek. And it also seems that when they realized they had Thranduil's son in their possession, they used him to seek their vengeance."
Elrond finally finished his explanation, and he saw that Aragorn's fury had multiplied. "Legolas was nobody's possession," he declared intensely, "nor was he born to be the pawn in someone's game for revenge."
Elrohir reached out, and gripped his younger brother's arms, trying to meet eyes with the angry and teary man, who had just lost his best and only friend in the world. "brother," he began, but was abruptly cut off. "I will find the ones who took his life. And when I do, so help me, Manwe himself will not be able to protect them from my wrath. For upon them, it shall be great, and without mercy." Aragorn promised, and made for the door, only to be stopped by both his father, and Lord Glorfindel.
"You are not thinking clearly, my son." Elrond started, "Rest tonight, and I shall send more riders out at sunrise. I wish for the killers to be found as much as you do. As will Legolas' father when he arrives, and learns of what has happened. Please, for your safety, and my sake. Wait until morning."
It was very clear that Aragorn wished not to listen to his father, however the seriousness in the elven lord's eyes changed his mind. He knew that the death of the prince was as hard on Elrond as it was on him. And the fact that Elrond had to be the one to inform King Thranduil of Legolas' death was worsening the lord's trauma. Aragorn wished not to make it any worse for his adopted father, and so he agreed. But he would not sleep, nor would he leave the room.
Readying a chair by the open window, Aragorn prepared himself for the night ahead of him, as the others quietly left. He sat, looking out the window, with tears still falling from his face, trying to remember every detail about every encounter he had ha with Legolas, and praying that he would never forget any of those memories, especially considering, they were all he had left.
"Perhaps I should stay with him," Elrohir said, as he and his father prepared to exit the room after the others. However, the elven lord shook his head in protest, "no, my son, let him be. He needs this time alone, we all do," he replied, quietly ushered himself and Elrohir out, leaving Aragorn alone with his thoughts of guilt, anger and immeasurable amount of grief.
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To Be Continued…..
Alright, chapter 10 is finally done and uploaded for you. Again, sorry for the wait. But summer's here now, so I will be able to update quicker and more often. I know this one was a lot longer that the others have been, but I had to get this story moving. There's still a bit to go, and I hope you guys will read the next chapter, and the next, and so on. Enough rambling. Thanks again, and by all means, please review. Thanks.