Wethrine chapter 2
Thank you for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this! Please review and tell me what you think. Enjoy!
* Legolas sat in the great vaults of Gondor poring over scrolls trying to find everything he could on Thera. So far he had found nothing of interest. They were as Aragorn said, highly secretive. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and sighed.
"I thought I would find you here." Aragorn said as he walked in pulling out a chair opposite Legolas and sitting down.
"Really?" Legolas asked.
"No. I have been looking for you for a while." Aragorn admitted.
"What are you doing?"
"Finding anything I can on Thera and its inhabitants, unsuccessfully I might add." Legolas smiled. He stood up stretching his tired muscles.
"Do you fancy a walk?" Aragorn asked. Legolas nodded.
The two made their way to the gardens of Gondor.
"Why your sudden interest in Thera?" Aragorn asked.
Legolas watched two birds having a fight, chasing each other from tree to tree. What should he tell him? That Urguth turned into a red-eyed creature when he touched him? He knew these negotiations were important to Gondor, he did not want to jeopardise it based on a hallucination that was probably due to the sun.
"Legolas?" Aragorn prompted.
"If I am to be present at these negotiations I should have some knowledge of Thera." The elf said.
"Yes, but I know that is not the reason."
"Are you claiming to know an elf's mind?" Legolas asked raising an eyebrow as the two sat on a bench.
"Nay, I fear that my life is far too short to discover what goes on between those pointed ears of yours." Aragorn jested. Legolas moved to cuff him on the head but Aragorn ducked.
The two traded insults and jests until the sun began to lower.
"I fear I must quit while I am ahead my friend, the time for the feast grows near." Aragorn said standing up.
"Ahead? I am sure I left you behind some while ago, it just takes your mortal mind longer to digest information." Legolas said, dancing away from Aragorn's swinging arm.
Aragorn's face became serious again.
"Legolas, you are telling me everything?" he asked. "I value your opinion and if anything concerns you I hope you would tell me."
Legolas smiled. "Of course, my friend. Now you better get ready, you only have a few hours before the feast and I fear you need all the time you can get, dirty human."
Aragorn laughed with Legolas as they walked back up to the citadel.
**
Legolas opened the door and stepped into his room, locking the door behind him. He walked over to the oval mirror that sat on the wooden dresser opposite the bed. In front of it rested a white bowl decorated with blue flowers. A jug of similar design sat next to it. Removing his tunic, he placed it on the bed and then poured some water from the jug into the bowl and washed his face. Standing tall without opening his eyes, he reached for the soft towel next to the bowl. Drying his face, he opened his eyes and his heart jumped. In the reflection of the mirror not only could he see himself but also he could see the grinning face of Urguth. He grabbed one of his knives and whirled round.
He was thrown backwards by a force and the knife flew from his grasp. With a grunt he hit the wall.
"Now, now, now that is no way to treat an honoured guest!" Urguth smiled. Legolas tried to get up but he could not move.
"Oh yes. You can't move. Wouldn't want to spill blood on the floor."
"What do you want?" Legolas asked as he felt the pressure on his chest tighten.
"That would be telling. I had a whole plan worked out, but I didn't realise there would be an elf here that could see who I really was."
"Obviously not done your research well enough." Legolas growled. Urguth flicked his hand and Legolas's head snapped back hitting the wall hard. Legolas shook his head as he noticed a metallic taste in his mouth. Blood, it slowly ran down his chin.
"NO TALKING when I am talking." Urguth said, clenching his fist. "Master is not going to be pleased." The man muttered to himself.
"What is your purpose in Gondor? What do you and Emperor Thalos want?"
"Thalos is nothing. Just a pawn in a much larger plan in which you have become a problem." Urguth said.
Legolas struggled to move but after all his efforts he had not succeeded in moving a finger.
"I wouldn't struggle, little elf," Urguth hissed and his image wobbled as he slowly became the creature Legolas saw when they had brushed against each other.
"Elves disgust me." Urguth spat. He walked up the frozen elf and knelt in front of him.
Legolas felt himself drawn into the creatures glowing red eyes.
"Do you know why you disgust us? Your stink, your light pollutes everything and you think you are above all others. I loathe everything about your kind. You destroyed us."
"Why Gondor?" Legolas said through gritted teeth. Urguth leaned forward and his foul breath flooded Legolas's nostrils. Urguth reached out a hand and stroked the elf's pale cheek. Pain flared through his skin with the touch.
"Burns, doesn't it" Urguth grabbed Legolas's arm and held tight. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and Legolas bit his lip to keep from screaming.
"Stoppp" a soft voice hissed and Urguth quickly withdrew his hand. Legolas gasped and grabbed his arm as the spell that kept him frozen was released, the pain was agonising. Urguth stood as a dark cloaked figure appeared out of the wall. The figure was tall, taller than an elf. The only part of its body that could be seen was its deformed hands that dripped black blood.
"Killing the elf would destroy our plan. He needs to remain alive." The figure said. Legolas watched the figure glide across the floor and his breath quickened in fear. He knew this creature; it was a Darak, a creature of the dark. They had supposedly been destroyed by an alliance of elves before he was born. Tales had been told of the horror and torture the creatures were capable of.
"He knows of our existence, he will not hesitate to tell the King of our plans."
"But he does not know of our plans and he will not tell them, will you, little elf.?" The creature glided forward and reached towards the elf. Legolas tried to recoil.
"No.!" Legolas exclaimed because he knew what was going to happen; he knew what these creatures did. The deformed hands seemed to slip into his head and Legolas tried to scream but nothing came out. He was frozen in terror as darkness invaded his mind **
The pain was the first thing that his tired mind registered. Every nerve felt like it was on fire, each breath burned.
"Hurts, doesn't it.?" A voice whispered next to his ear. Legolas wanted to leap up, cut down the creature and tell Aragorn about the treachery of the delegation of Thera but all he could do was groan. His body betrayed him. He felt Urguth stroke his cheek and he struggled to open his eyes. The light burned but he refused to give in and blinked to try and get used to the assault on his eyes. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his room. He was on the bed and Urguth was sitting next to him.
"I know what you are thinking, little one." Urguth said as he rose from the bed. The very shift of the bed as the creature's weight was lifted sent new waves of pain through his body.
"Enlighten me." Legolas snarled.
"Still so feisty." Urguth made a clicking sound with his tongue as if scolding a young child.
"You are going to run to the King and tell him not to trust us."
"Why would I not?" Legolas snapped as he tried to get his aching body to work.
"Because he would not believe you. Men's minds are so weak, so easy to manipulate, they will not believe you I have seen to that."
"I can show them my wounds. Aragorn will not be so easily blinded to the truth." Legolas said as he watched the man walk across to the mirror on the dresser.
"Look." Urguth said pointing to the mirror. Legolas groaned and struggled to his feet. Stumbling forward he grabbed the dresser for support and looked in the mirror.
His face was pale, paler than normal and its smooth perfection was scarred with a dark bruise across his cheek. His lip was swollen and split. Reaching up with a shaking hand he ran his finger across the cut, it stung. Dried blood ran from his mouth down his chin. Pausing with his hand on his face he saw the red burn mark on his arm, in the perfect shape of a hand.
"That is what you and I can see, but this is what your friends can see." The mirror shimmered and the cuts, bruises and burns disappeared. Legolas gaped in shock. Running his fingers over the burn, he still felt it, it still hurt and he could see it with his own eyes but he could not see it in his reflection.
"What devilry is this?" Legolas demanded.
"You see no one will believe you."
"Even though they cannot see the wounds, Aragorn would trust my word." Legolas turned walking towards the door. As Legolas touched the door he felt a great amount of energy flow through him, propelling him through the air. He struck the dresser hard and the mirror and jug fell, smashing into many pieces.
Urguth walked up to him and knelt by the elf's side.
"If you tell anyone or hint at anything amiss then I will make you suffer. My master enjoys elves and their screams. He will make you beg."
"My suffering means nothing to me if Gondor is at risk." Legolas retorted, fire burning in his eyes.
"Oh, but it will. For every slip of your silver tongue someone dies."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Don't tell me what I will and won't do. You are in no position to dictate anything to me. I will kill many and if my plans fail, I will make you watch as I kill every one of your friends before I give you to my master."
Legolas shivered involuntary and Urguth smiled.
"Now you better get dressed because the feast starts soon and I am sure your absence would be noticed. We wouldn't want that to happen would we?" Urguth patted Legolas's cheek and left the room.
*
Thank you for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this! Please review and tell me what you think. Enjoy!
* Legolas sat in the great vaults of Gondor poring over scrolls trying to find everything he could on Thera. So far he had found nothing of interest. They were as Aragorn said, highly secretive. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and sighed.
"I thought I would find you here." Aragorn said as he walked in pulling out a chair opposite Legolas and sitting down.
"Really?" Legolas asked.
"No. I have been looking for you for a while." Aragorn admitted.
"What are you doing?"
"Finding anything I can on Thera and its inhabitants, unsuccessfully I might add." Legolas smiled. He stood up stretching his tired muscles.
"Do you fancy a walk?" Aragorn asked. Legolas nodded.
The two made their way to the gardens of Gondor.
"Why your sudden interest in Thera?" Aragorn asked.
Legolas watched two birds having a fight, chasing each other from tree to tree. What should he tell him? That Urguth turned into a red-eyed creature when he touched him? He knew these negotiations were important to Gondor, he did not want to jeopardise it based on a hallucination that was probably due to the sun.
"Legolas?" Aragorn prompted.
"If I am to be present at these negotiations I should have some knowledge of Thera." The elf said.
"Yes, but I know that is not the reason."
"Are you claiming to know an elf's mind?" Legolas asked raising an eyebrow as the two sat on a bench.
"Nay, I fear that my life is far too short to discover what goes on between those pointed ears of yours." Aragorn jested. Legolas moved to cuff him on the head but Aragorn ducked.
The two traded insults and jests until the sun began to lower.
"I fear I must quit while I am ahead my friend, the time for the feast grows near." Aragorn said standing up.
"Ahead? I am sure I left you behind some while ago, it just takes your mortal mind longer to digest information." Legolas said, dancing away from Aragorn's swinging arm.
Aragorn's face became serious again.
"Legolas, you are telling me everything?" he asked. "I value your opinion and if anything concerns you I hope you would tell me."
Legolas smiled. "Of course, my friend. Now you better get ready, you only have a few hours before the feast and I fear you need all the time you can get, dirty human."
Aragorn laughed with Legolas as they walked back up to the citadel.
**
Legolas opened the door and stepped into his room, locking the door behind him. He walked over to the oval mirror that sat on the wooden dresser opposite the bed. In front of it rested a white bowl decorated with blue flowers. A jug of similar design sat next to it. Removing his tunic, he placed it on the bed and then poured some water from the jug into the bowl and washed his face. Standing tall without opening his eyes, he reached for the soft towel next to the bowl. Drying his face, he opened his eyes and his heart jumped. In the reflection of the mirror not only could he see himself but also he could see the grinning face of Urguth. He grabbed one of his knives and whirled round.
He was thrown backwards by a force and the knife flew from his grasp. With a grunt he hit the wall.
"Now, now, now that is no way to treat an honoured guest!" Urguth smiled. Legolas tried to get up but he could not move.
"Oh yes. You can't move. Wouldn't want to spill blood on the floor."
"What do you want?" Legolas asked as he felt the pressure on his chest tighten.
"That would be telling. I had a whole plan worked out, but I didn't realise there would be an elf here that could see who I really was."
"Obviously not done your research well enough." Legolas growled. Urguth flicked his hand and Legolas's head snapped back hitting the wall hard. Legolas shook his head as he noticed a metallic taste in his mouth. Blood, it slowly ran down his chin.
"NO TALKING when I am talking." Urguth said, clenching his fist. "Master is not going to be pleased." The man muttered to himself.
"What is your purpose in Gondor? What do you and Emperor Thalos want?"
"Thalos is nothing. Just a pawn in a much larger plan in which you have become a problem." Urguth said.
Legolas struggled to move but after all his efforts he had not succeeded in moving a finger.
"I wouldn't struggle, little elf," Urguth hissed and his image wobbled as he slowly became the creature Legolas saw when they had brushed against each other.
"Elves disgust me." Urguth spat. He walked up the frozen elf and knelt in front of him.
Legolas felt himself drawn into the creatures glowing red eyes.
"Do you know why you disgust us? Your stink, your light pollutes everything and you think you are above all others. I loathe everything about your kind. You destroyed us."
"Why Gondor?" Legolas said through gritted teeth. Urguth leaned forward and his foul breath flooded Legolas's nostrils. Urguth reached out a hand and stroked the elf's pale cheek. Pain flared through his skin with the touch.
"Burns, doesn't it" Urguth grabbed Legolas's arm and held tight. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and Legolas bit his lip to keep from screaming.
"Stoppp" a soft voice hissed and Urguth quickly withdrew his hand. Legolas gasped and grabbed his arm as the spell that kept him frozen was released, the pain was agonising. Urguth stood as a dark cloaked figure appeared out of the wall. The figure was tall, taller than an elf. The only part of its body that could be seen was its deformed hands that dripped black blood.
"Killing the elf would destroy our plan. He needs to remain alive." The figure said. Legolas watched the figure glide across the floor and his breath quickened in fear. He knew this creature; it was a Darak, a creature of the dark. They had supposedly been destroyed by an alliance of elves before he was born. Tales had been told of the horror and torture the creatures were capable of.
"He knows of our existence, he will not hesitate to tell the King of our plans."
"But he does not know of our plans and he will not tell them, will you, little elf.?" The creature glided forward and reached towards the elf. Legolas tried to recoil.
"No.!" Legolas exclaimed because he knew what was going to happen; he knew what these creatures did. The deformed hands seemed to slip into his head and Legolas tried to scream but nothing came out. He was frozen in terror as darkness invaded his mind **
The pain was the first thing that his tired mind registered. Every nerve felt like it was on fire, each breath burned.
"Hurts, doesn't it.?" A voice whispered next to his ear. Legolas wanted to leap up, cut down the creature and tell Aragorn about the treachery of the delegation of Thera but all he could do was groan. His body betrayed him. He felt Urguth stroke his cheek and he struggled to open his eyes. The light burned but he refused to give in and blinked to try and get used to the assault on his eyes. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his room. He was on the bed and Urguth was sitting next to him.
"I know what you are thinking, little one." Urguth said as he rose from the bed. The very shift of the bed as the creature's weight was lifted sent new waves of pain through his body.
"Enlighten me." Legolas snarled.
"Still so feisty." Urguth made a clicking sound with his tongue as if scolding a young child.
"You are going to run to the King and tell him not to trust us."
"Why would I not?" Legolas snapped as he tried to get his aching body to work.
"Because he would not believe you. Men's minds are so weak, so easy to manipulate, they will not believe you I have seen to that."
"I can show them my wounds. Aragorn will not be so easily blinded to the truth." Legolas said as he watched the man walk across to the mirror on the dresser.
"Look." Urguth said pointing to the mirror. Legolas groaned and struggled to his feet. Stumbling forward he grabbed the dresser for support and looked in the mirror.
His face was pale, paler than normal and its smooth perfection was scarred with a dark bruise across his cheek. His lip was swollen and split. Reaching up with a shaking hand he ran his finger across the cut, it stung. Dried blood ran from his mouth down his chin. Pausing with his hand on his face he saw the red burn mark on his arm, in the perfect shape of a hand.
"That is what you and I can see, but this is what your friends can see." The mirror shimmered and the cuts, bruises and burns disappeared. Legolas gaped in shock. Running his fingers over the burn, he still felt it, it still hurt and he could see it with his own eyes but he could not see it in his reflection.
"What devilry is this?" Legolas demanded.
"You see no one will believe you."
"Even though they cannot see the wounds, Aragorn would trust my word." Legolas turned walking towards the door. As Legolas touched the door he felt a great amount of energy flow through him, propelling him through the air. He struck the dresser hard and the mirror and jug fell, smashing into many pieces.
Urguth walked up to him and knelt by the elf's side.
"If you tell anyone or hint at anything amiss then I will make you suffer. My master enjoys elves and their screams. He will make you beg."
"My suffering means nothing to me if Gondor is at risk." Legolas retorted, fire burning in his eyes.
"Oh, but it will. For every slip of your silver tongue someone dies."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Don't tell me what I will and won't do. You are in no position to dictate anything to me. I will kill many and if my plans fail, I will make you watch as I kill every one of your friends before I give you to my master."
Legolas shivered involuntary and Urguth smiled.
"Now you better get dressed because the feast starts soon and I am sure your absence would be noticed. We wouldn't want that to happen would we?" Urguth patted Legolas's cheek and left the room.
*