DISCLAIMER- Tolkien's. Not mine. Comprendé? =)
On with this tale of torment and destruction... Mwuhahahaha!
~*~*~*~
He could feel someone shaking his shoulder gently, and a far off voice was calling him; "Legolas? Legolas? Are you alright?" The voice was warm and friendly, and seemed to be getting closer.
The scent of flowers filled the air. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Oh, what a relief!" said someone, though he couldn't be sure who it was. Everything was very blurred, and even though he blinked to try and clear it, it stayed that way.
"Don't move." said the voice again.
"All these words," he thought. "The voice is so familiar, but I just can't work out who it is..." He was thinking this as the voice gave him instructions.
"Legolas? Can you hear me? Whatever you do, don't squint..." it said. A thought struck Legolas, and he realized who it was.
"Aragorn! What-" He was cut off by a blinding light shining in his eyes. He heard Aragorn again.
"That knock on your head's given you a nasty cut, but don't worry, you'll live. At least you don't have a concussion. Plenty of sleep should hopefully clear your head."
The light went away, and his vision seemed to be a little better. He could see out of the corner of his eye dried blood, and then noticed that he was back in the cave area where the tunnel had lead to.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up.
"No, just stay still" said Aragorn. "Don't move around a lot, I'll explain everything to you..."
"Saurar was going to kill you," said Aragorn. "You do realize that, don't you?"
He had explained how he'd fought off the goblins, and was now describing what he'd seen when he'd entered those doors.
"The light scared him away. I don't know why. It was a lucky thing I found that torch!" he smiled, but then his mood became serious again. "Tathiel was extremely shaken. She honestly thought that for a minute there you were dead."
Legolas was trying to take this all in, but his head was pounding unforgivingly.
"Where is Tathiel?" he asked.
"She is outside, with Gimli. He found another passageway from outside, down a hidden flight of stairs. Much less dangerous," said Aragorn. "And drier too!" They laughed.
Aragorn again returned to somberness.
"They will both be glad that you've woken. She was so scared for you." Legolas now felt a twinge of guilt.
"Had she really been that worried about me?" he wondered, but another aching feeling in his head brought him back to reality.
"How do you feel now?" asked Aragorn. "If you're better, then we can finally leave this cruel place."
Of course, to say that he was completely fine would have been an utter lie on Legolas' part; the constant throbbing made him slightly dizzy. But he wished whole-heartedly to get out and see Tathiel again.
"I feel much better now, thank you." he said, and Aragorn helped him up and they walked up the stairs towards the fresh sunlight...
~*~*~*~
So now, after so many tears, hugs, and emotions, the four went riding back to the palace; Aragorn and Gimli on the first horse, and Legolas and Tathiel on the other. However, as they were riding in the direction of the Thendhueil Caves, Tathiel noticed that Legolas seemed to be troubled about something.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Legolas turned a little on the horse to see her; it was easy enough as they rode without a saddle.
"Oh, I..." he said, and the look on his face showed that he was searching for a reasonable answer. Tathiel saw this.
"Does it hurt?" she asked. Legolas looked uncomfortable.
"No, no, not at all... just a little headache, that's all..." His voice trailed off.
"Then what's wrong?" Tathiel asked again.
"Something just doesn't seem right... there's something in the air..." he replied...
~*~*~*~
Dark storm clouds had appeared. No doubt they normally would have stopped to get out of the rain, but there was something more about the storm that made them wish to stop and camp; it seemed to hold a dangerous abode to it- evil was afoot. They were near the Caves anyway, so they would be able to rest in there. All they'd have to do was ride over a last few hills and they'd be there.
They had taken shelter in the caves. The rain pelted down onto the roof ceaselessly. It was when Aragorn was searching through his pack that he realized that he had no more athelas left.
"I need to go and find some more," he said. "The way this trip is going, we'll probably need it!" and with that, he rode away on his horse through the woods.
"We need some more firewood too." said Gimli. "If we don't, there'd be no fear of getting struck by lightning; we'll probably freeze to death in here instead! Will you be alright on your own?" he asked.
The elves nodded, and Gimli set off into the storm as well. It was just an hour till sunrise.
"I'm so tired..." said Tathiel.
"Why don't you go to sleep then?" asked Legolas.
"I don't know... I just don't really want to," she replied. She let her head rest on Legolas' shoulder and yawned.
"I'm sorry." she said.
"What for?" he asked, not understanding why she was apologizing.
"I'm sorry I went near the water. You told me not to..." Legolas laughed.
"It's alright. You're safe now, that's what matters. You're only young; it's natural to break rules." Tathiel woke up a bit more now.
"Did you?"
Legolas smiled. "Once or twice, maybe."
Tathiel laughed. "How?"
Legolas started a story of how when he was her age he'd been dared to cross over the Enchanted River on a tightrope. Tathiel was in amused shock.
"I bet Father came down on you like a ton of bricks, yes?!"
Legolas smiled again. "No actually. He seemed to think it punishment enough that I was unconscious for two days and lost my memory for a further three!"
They laughed out loud... but the laughter stopped when the fire, which had been crackling merrily away, suddenly blew out by a gust of wind. They heard the second horse bolt... and a voice carried through on the air; "I have returned, Prince of Mirkwood..."
~*~*~*~
Ooh! And there was you thinking he was safe... don't jump to conclusions with me my dears, I may go off down a completely path to what you were expecting...
R+R! You know you wanna!
On with this tale of torment and destruction... Mwuhahahaha!
~*~*~*~
He could feel someone shaking his shoulder gently, and a far off voice was calling him; "Legolas? Legolas? Are you alright?" The voice was warm and friendly, and seemed to be getting closer.
The scent of flowers filled the air. He opened his eyes slowly.
"Oh, what a relief!" said someone, though he couldn't be sure who it was. Everything was very blurred, and even though he blinked to try and clear it, it stayed that way.
"Don't move." said the voice again.
"All these words," he thought. "The voice is so familiar, but I just can't work out who it is..." He was thinking this as the voice gave him instructions.
"Legolas? Can you hear me? Whatever you do, don't squint..." it said. A thought struck Legolas, and he realized who it was.
"Aragorn! What-" He was cut off by a blinding light shining in his eyes. He heard Aragorn again.
"That knock on your head's given you a nasty cut, but don't worry, you'll live. At least you don't have a concussion. Plenty of sleep should hopefully clear your head."
The light went away, and his vision seemed to be a little better. He could see out of the corner of his eye dried blood, and then noticed that he was back in the cave area where the tunnel had lead to.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to sit up.
"No, just stay still" said Aragorn. "Don't move around a lot, I'll explain everything to you..."
"Saurar was going to kill you," said Aragorn. "You do realize that, don't you?"
He had explained how he'd fought off the goblins, and was now describing what he'd seen when he'd entered those doors.
"The light scared him away. I don't know why. It was a lucky thing I found that torch!" he smiled, but then his mood became serious again. "Tathiel was extremely shaken. She honestly thought that for a minute there you were dead."
Legolas was trying to take this all in, but his head was pounding unforgivingly.
"Where is Tathiel?" he asked.
"She is outside, with Gimli. He found another passageway from outside, down a hidden flight of stairs. Much less dangerous," said Aragorn. "And drier too!" They laughed.
Aragorn again returned to somberness.
"They will both be glad that you've woken. She was so scared for you." Legolas now felt a twinge of guilt.
"Had she really been that worried about me?" he wondered, but another aching feeling in his head brought him back to reality.
"How do you feel now?" asked Aragorn. "If you're better, then we can finally leave this cruel place."
Of course, to say that he was completely fine would have been an utter lie on Legolas' part; the constant throbbing made him slightly dizzy. But he wished whole-heartedly to get out and see Tathiel again.
"I feel much better now, thank you." he said, and Aragorn helped him up and they walked up the stairs towards the fresh sunlight...
~*~*~*~
So now, after so many tears, hugs, and emotions, the four went riding back to the palace; Aragorn and Gimli on the first horse, and Legolas and Tathiel on the other. However, as they were riding in the direction of the Thendhueil Caves, Tathiel noticed that Legolas seemed to be troubled about something.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Legolas turned a little on the horse to see her; it was easy enough as they rode without a saddle.
"Oh, I..." he said, and the look on his face showed that he was searching for a reasonable answer. Tathiel saw this.
"Does it hurt?" she asked. Legolas looked uncomfortable.
"No, no, not at all... just a little headache, that's all..." His voice trailed off.
"Then what's wrong?" Tathiel asked again.
"Something just doesn't seem right... there's something in the air..." he replied...
~*~*~*~
Dark storm clouds had appeared. No doubt they normally would have stopped to get out of the rain, but there was something more about the storm that made them wish to stop and camp; it seemed to hold a dangerous abode to it- evil was afoot. They were near the Caves anyway, so they would be able to rest in there. All they'd have to do was ride over a last few hills and they'd be there.
They had taken shelter in the caves. The rain pelted down onto the roof ceaselessly. It was when Aragorn was searching through his pack that he realized that he had no more athelas left.
"I need to go and find some more," he said. "The way this trip is going, we'll probably need it!" and with that, he rode away on his horse through the woods.
"We need some more firewood too." said Gimli. "If we don't, there'd be no fear of getting struck by lightning; we'll probably freeze to death in here instead! Will you be alright on your own?" he asked.
The elves nodded, and Gimli set off into the storm as well. It was just an hour till sunrise.
"I'm so tired..." said Tathiel.
"Why don't you go to sleep then?" asked Legolas.
"I don't know... I just don't really want to," she replied. She let her head rest on Legolas' shoulder and yawned.
"I'm sorry." she said.
"What for?" he asked, not understanding why she was apologizing.
"I'm sorry I went near the water. You told me not to..." Legolas laughed.
"It's alright. You're safe now, that's what matters. You're only young; it's natural to break rules." Tathiel woke up a bit more now.
"Did you?"
Legolas smiled. "Once or twice, maybe."
Tathiel laughed. "How?"
Legolas started a story of how when he was her age he'd been dared to cross over the Enchanted River on a tightrope. Tathiel was in amused shock.
"I bet Father came down on you like a ton of bricks, yes?!"
Legolas smiled again. "No actually. He seemed to think it punishment enough that I was unconscious for two days and lost my memory for a further three!"
They laughed out loud... but the laughter stopped when the fire, which had been crackling merrily away, suddenly blew out by a gust of wind. They heard the second horse bolt... and a voice carried through on the air; "I have returned, Prince of Mirkwood..."
~*~*~*~
Ooh! And there was you thinking he was safe... don't jump to conclusions with me my dears, I may go off down a completely path to what you were expecting...
R+R! You know you wanna!