Author's Note: Hello again everybody! See, look, it's a timely update,
the world is a better place. As always, I love you all for the reviews and
please do not hesitate to do so, it is easier to write a story when you
know there's an audience out there to do it for. Anyways, no I'm not
Tolkien or affiliated in anyway to his family lineage, therefore I have no
rights to be writing this story but only do it because I could be doing
something constructive (like calculus homework) and we all don't want that
to happen. So here's the next part and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7
Legolas opened his eyes.
Bright sunlight stabbed at his vulnerable gaze, making him immediately squint.
Legolas slowly sat up.
He was lying on the bed inside of his room in the Halls of the Kings. He had obviously come back from last night's excursions, only he found that he could not recall anything from the night before.
Feeling as though he was missing something important and confused by the fact that he had slept so late, it was at least an hour since the sun had risen, Legolas pulled his legs out from underneath the simple sheet and swung them over the side of the bed.
Legolas stopped again.
He was still dressed in his hunting tunic and leggings.
Odd, he normally changed into separate clothes in which to sleep in. Or at least took off his tunic. But he was still fully clothed, soft boots and all.
Legolas glanced down at the bed he had been lying in.
Dirt streaked the sheets along with something else. Legolas leaned closer to the bed and studied darker stains that laced through the white sheets. It almost looked like blood.
Now alarmed, Legolas abruptly stood up off of the bed, and winced as a sharp pain shot up his side.
Legolas hunched over and then stood still, trying to catch his breath from the sudden shock of pain. Legolas glanced down at his side, only to find a fresh wound meeting his eyes. Carefully, Legolas reached over to his side and softly placed a hand over the injured flesh. He could clearly feel the abrasion along with another small twinge of pain. He was definitely not seeing things.
Legolas slowly straightened and looked about his room, searching for clues that would tell him what had happened last night. Vaguely, he remembered Aragorn asking him and Gimli to do a light patrol and search for anything that may look suspicious. They had readily complied, and Legolas had offered to search the borders of the trees.
After that, he could not remember more.
Legolas' sharp eyes fell on a small object across the room, laying just within the door. It was a knife.
Quickly, the elf crossed the room and knelt on the ground near the knife. He first studied it without touching it. The knife was covered in blood, and Legolas had to wonder if it was his own.
A thought struck him.
Or maybe it was somebody else's blood.
Legolas snatched the knife up. He had an overwhelming desire to not have anybody see the knife. Since he himself was unable to explain it, he did not want to risk others coming up with their own explanations.
After a small amount of thought Legolas stood and walked to the small bureau that rested on the wall next to the bed. He pulled open the bottom drawer and placed the knife inside of it. He was not sure what he was trying to accomplish with putting it there, certainly it was not the best hiding place, but Legolas assured himself it was only until he could come up with a rational explanation, it was not meant to be a hiding place.
After putting the knife away for later, Legolas caught a glance of himself in the small looking glass that hung over the bureau. He was a mess.
Deciding that he could not let anybody see him looking like this either, he picked up the washcloth that was laid next to a pitcher of water and a bowl. He poured water into the bowl and then dipped the cloth into it. Carefully, he began to wipe away the evidence of dirt and mud from his face and neck. When he was done with that he applied the cloth to his wound. It had long since closed, but had left a large amount of dried blood around it. Legolas cautiously wiped the blood away, not wanting to risk re-opening the wound. After that, he smoothed his hair back as best he could, not wanting to deal with the hassle of having to re-braid it at the moment.
When he was almost back to looking normal, save for his torn and dirty clothing that he would have to change, Legolas glanced back at the bed. He would have to do something about that as well. He could not leave it in such a state and risk having one of the cleaning ladies gossip about the mysterious stains found on the elf's bed.
Just as Legolas moved to strip the bed of its sheets, there was a loud knock on the door.
Legolas jerked his head up and knew within a fraction of a second who was at the door and that he never waited for a response.
Legolas bolted for the door and reached it just as an eager dwarf shoved it part-way open. Legolas grabbed onto the side of the door and the frame and stood in front of Gimli, preventing him from opening the door any further.
Gimli blinked at the sudden appearance of his friend, he could have sworn he had not been on the other side when he had started to open it, but quickly shrugged the thought away.
"So I see that you are awake. I am beginning to think that all of our adventures are finally starting to wear on you. It is not often that a dwarf will be up before an elf."
Legolas searched for something to say, an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety coursing through him, as Gimli eyed him up and down.
"Or maybe you did not have much rest at all. It looks as though you were in those trees the whole of the night," Gimli commented, his gaze resting on Legolas' wounded side.
Legolas snorted, hoping that Gimli could see little more than the torn fabric. "It takes more than one night to tire me so. If you must know I have merely not gone to sleep at all." Legolas kept himself firmly planted in the doorway, hoping that Gimli could not see the messy bed behind him.
Gimli looked up at the elf's face. His eyes seemed different again, not as haunted as they had been lately but certainly not how they used to be. No, there was some new kind of inner problem plaguing the elf, and if he did not know any better he could have sworn it was almost panic.
"Well since you have not rested you must surely be hungry at least. I have come to see if you wish to visit the dining hall again, the morning meal is well underway."
Legolas sighed inwardly in relief. Of course, the main focus of the dwarf in the morning was breakfast, he had not come to search in Legolas' room or discover what he had found from the night before.
Legolas nodded quickly. "I will indeed come with you to the dining hall, but you must give me leave for a few moments to at least change my clothing." Legolas let out a small laugh and gestured to the hole in the side of his tunic, "It seems my abilities of navigating between trees at night were put to the test."
Gimli laughed as well, "And they lost no doubt. I will wait for you outside of your door, so do not take too long. The stomach of a dwarf is not to be ignored."
Legolas nodded solemnly. "I would never dream of doing such a thing."
Gimli smiled, "Aye, it could prove dangerous."
"Excuse me sir dwarf and I will see that I do not prolong your hunger for too long," Legolas declared as he started to close the door. Gimli backed away so that he could close it and Legolas let out a small breath when the door was closed again. He definitely did not like feeling anxious, it was an emotion seldom felt throughout the whole of his long years.
Working rapidly, Legolas crossed back over to the bed and immediately stripped it of the top sheet. Without much thought he shoved it into the bottom drawer of the bureau on top of the knife. He left the rest of the bedding on, it was clean. After the bed was taken care of, he crossed to a small closet and opened the doors. There was always a change of clothing kept there for him and he was not disappointed when he looked inside. Quickly, Legolas changed his clothing and piled the dirty clothes on the bottom of the closet door. He was not as worried as those being found, it was not an unusual thing for his clothing to be in need of washing.
Taking one last glance in the looking-glass and assuring himself that he looked normal he went back to the door and opened it to step out into the hall. Less than five minutes had passed and he was pleased with himself for working so rapidly and efficiently.
One look at the dwarf leaning against the wall next to his door told Legolas that he was not so pleased with the delay.
"Surely I did not keep you for too long?" Legolas asked in mock empathy.
Gimli grunted. "I often forget how long it can take an elf to look like his normal pristine self."
Legolas glowered down at the dwarf. "It cannot be helped that you are of a culture that does not understand the importance of a presentable appearance. First impressions are often lasting."
Gimli tried to hide a grin and failed. "All the more reason for me to look as I do," he jested, "I would not want to be mistaken for a more fragile being."
Legolas raised his eyes. "By the Valar you dwarves are hopeless. May Elbereth watch after you with special attention, for it is clear that you are beyond any self-help."
Gimli let out a laugh as much as he tried to keep it in and turned to start down the hall towards the dining hall. The two kept up their light banter as they walked and Legolas almost forgot all about the strange occurrences of that morning. Until they entered the dining hall.
Both the dwarf and the elf walked in laughing, but they sobered immediately when they noticed that many people were gathered within the room and all spoke in hushed and serious tones.
Gimli immediately sought out Aragorn near the front of the room and started towards him. Legolas followed silently, the anxiety back and dwelling in his stomach.
Aragorn looked up as his two friends approached. "What is going on?" Gimli asked as soon as he was within range.
Aragorn broke away from the small group he had been conversing with and moved towards the elf and the dwarf. "I am glad you are here," he started, "tell me, did either one of you see anything last night?"
Gimli shook his head. "I saw nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to be alarmed about."
Aragorn looked at Legolas. "And you? What did you see?"
The anxiety in Legolas rose to a fever pitch and he strove to appear to remain calm. He had sudden flashes of the bloodied knife and bed and took a tiny breath to clear his thoughts.
"Nothing strange that I can recall," Legolas commented, telling himself that it was the truth at least and he was not lying to one of his friends.
Aragorn stared at him a moment longer before nodding once. Turning his head slightly so that he could include Gimli he said, "Unfortunately, there was another murder last night. A group of men found the victim very early this morning and had already brought her in before I even knew of it."
A small spark flared in Legolas' mind when he heard Aragorn say 'she'. He did not know what caused the reaction and carefully kept his face calm, not wanting to reveal anything even as a pit of dread grew to accompany the anxiety he was feeling.
"I have not gone to see the body myself yet," Aragorn was continuing and Legolas had to strain to focus on what he was saying, "but those who brought her in say that she bears almost the same marks as before. If you wish, I would like you two to accompany me to view the body."
Gimli nodded readily and Legolas told himself to follow suit. Aragorn looked at the both of them.
"Good. I fear that we are not dealing with a coincidence and that it is most likely the same killer. We might be in for a man-hunt," Aragorn said grimly.
Silently, Legolas and Gimli turned to follow the king of Gondor out of the Halls of the Kings and to the Houses of Healing where the body had been laid just as before. And just as before, a crowd had already gathered upon hearing the news. But the atmosphere was different. This was the second murder, there was a killer loose and within their ranks. Fear and a want for vengeance was clearly written in their expressions.
Legolas saw all of this in a glance as he followed. And again he noticed himself being singled out by individuals in the crowd, only more so than before.
'Is this how the rest of my days will be? An object of suspicion and fear?'
'Not if they catch you, then you will be an object of hate and revenge.'
Legolas' step became slightly heavier at the thoughts. He suddenly felt very tired.
The trio had reached the Houses of Healing and they filed in, making their way to the same room they had visited only yesterday. Now two bodies lay upon cold slabs of stone. Legolas' gaze was drawn to the newest edition, and though a sheet lay over the body, he suddenly knew what the victim would look like. A young woman, with brown hair and wide eyes that easily showed any emotion she was feeling, especially worry and fear.
The sheet was pulled away by one of the attendees standing next to the slab, waiting for the king. As the body was revealed, Legolas found that the victim indeed matched the mental picture he had been conjuring. And as the sheet fell away, he suddenly had memories of the night before fall into place.
The woman had been by herself and Legolas had gone to her, wanting to help her find her lost brother.
And something bad had happened.
But that part was still veiled in Legolas' mind and he grit his teeth, wanting to cry out his frustration at his mind blocks. Nothing like this had ever happened in his life and he had to wonder why his mind chose to do so now.
Aragorn and Gimli were quietly studying the body, taking no notice of the small internal struggle of their friend. Aragorn methodically surveyed and went through all of the wounds on the body. As on the other one, the throat was laid open as well as the left shoulder, but that was where the similarities ended. It looked as though a blow had caught her on her temple, leaving a thin line of dried blood. A large bruise covered her stomach and the back of one knee had been slashed. Aragorn guessed at why her wounds did not match the other victims, and it was for the simple reason that she had not been able to fight back. There was no need to slash open a weapons hand or cut areas that would hinder speed and ability when the victim was all but helpless. The only wound that proved that she had at least tried to run away was the one on the back of her knee. That had been cut so that she could not run.
As before, all of the wounds were neat and precise with no jagged edges or misplaced blows. And as before, Aragorn knew that they were target areas when being trained how to fight and that they had to be done with great speed to be so neat and efficient.
Aragorn straightened wearily when he was done with his brief examination. He looked at the head of the guard that was there, waiting expectantly for news of what was to be done. "Issue another warning and then alert the guards. Tell them to increase their security, especially at nightfall. We will not have another murder." The man nodded and then turned to exit the room, his stride purposeful as he went to do the king's bidding.
"As for the rest of us," Aragorn said turning to face Gimli and Legolas, "we will focus on catching the killer and bringing him to justice. He will not kill again."
Gimli nodded, but Legolas only stared a moment longer at the body. When he was aware of Aragorn's focus he shifted his eyes and nodded as well. But when Aragorn turned away again Legolas' eyes went back to the victim. He noticed that a belt hung on the woman's waist, one with a sheath designed to hold a knife or dagger. And it was empty.
Chapter 7
Legolas opened his eyes.
Bright sunlight stabbed at his vulnerable gaze, making him immediately squint.
Legolas slowly sat up.
He was lying on the bed inside of his room in the Halls of the Kings. He had obviously come back from last night's excursions, only he found that he could not recall anything from the night before.
Feeling as though he was missing something important and confused by the fact that he had slept so late, it was at least an hour since the sun had risen, Legolas pulled his legs out from underneath the simple sheet and swung them over the side of the bed.
Legolas stopped again.
He was still dressed in his hunting tunic and leggings.
Odd, he normally changed into separate clothes in which to sleep in. Or at least took off his tunic. But he was still fully clothed, soft boots and all.
Legolas glanced down at the bed he had been lying in.
Dirt streaked the sheets along with something else. Legolas leaned closer to the bed and studied darker stains that laced through the white sheets. It almost looked like blood.
Now alarmed, Legolas abruptly stood up off of the bed, and winced as a sharp pain shot up his side.
Legolas hunched over and then stood still, trying to catch his breath from the sudden shock of pain. Legolas glanced down at his side, only to find a fresh wound meeting his eyes. Carefully, Legolas reached over to his side and softly placed a hand over the injured flesh. He could clearly feel the abrasion along with another small twinge of pain. He was definitely not seeing things.
Legolas slowly straightened and looked about his room, searching for clues that would tell him what had happened last night. Vaguely, he remembered Aragorn asking him and Gimli to do a light patrol and search for anything that may look suspicious. They had readily complied, and Legolas had offered to search the borders of the trees.
After that, he could not remember more.
Legolas' sharp eyes fell on a small object across the room, laying just within the door. It was a knife.
Quickly, the elf crossed the room and knelt on the ground near the knife. He first studied it without touching it. The knife was covered in blood, and Legolas had to wonder if it was his own.
A thought struck him.
Or maybe it was somebody else's blood.
Legolas snatched the knife up. He had an overwhelming desire to not have anybody see the knife. Since he himself was unable to explain it, he did not want to risk others coming up with their own explanations.
After a small amount of thought Legolas stood and walked to the small bureau that rested on the wall next to the bed. He pulled open the bottom drawer and placed the knife inside of it. He was not sure what he was trying to accomplish with putting it there, certainly it was not the best hiding place, but Legolas assured himself it was only until he could come up with a rational explanation, it was not meant to be a hiding place.
After putting the knife away for later, Legolas caught a glance of himself in the small looking glass that hung over the bureau. He was a mess.
Deciding that he could not let anybody see him looking like this either, he picked up the washcloth that was laid next to a pitcher of water and a bowl. He poured water into the bowl and then dipped the cloth into it. Carefully, he began to wipe away the evidence of dirt and mud from his face and neck. When he was done with that he applied the cloth to his wound. It had long since closed, but had left a large amount of dried blood around it. Legolas cautiously wiped the blood away, not wanting to risk re-opening the wound. After that, he smoothed his hair back as best he could, not wanting to deal with the hassle of having to re-braid it at the moment.
When he was almost back to looking normal, save for his torn and dirty clothing that he would have to change, Legolas glanced back at the bed. He would have to do something about that as well. He could not leave it in such a state and risk having one of the cleaning ladies gossip about the mysterious stains found on the elf's bed.
Just as Legolas moved to strip the bed of its sheets, there was a loud knock on the door.
Legolas jerked his head up and knew within a fraction of a second who was at the door and that he never waited for a response.
Legolas bolted for the door and reached it just as an eager dwarf shoved it part-way open. Legolas grabbed onto the side of the door and the frame and stood in front of Gimli, preventing him from opening the door any further.
Gimli blinked at the sudden appearance of his friend, he could have sworn he had not been on the other side when he had started to open it, but quickly shrugged the thought away.
"So I see that you are awake. I am beginning to think that all of our adventures are finally starting to wear on you. It is not often that a dwarf will be up before an elf."
Legolas searched for something to say, an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety coursing through him, as Gimli eyed him up and down.
"Or maybe you did not have much rest at all. It looks as though you were in those trees the whole of the night," Gimli commented, his gaze resting on Legolas' wounded side.
Legolas snorted, hoping that Gimli could see little more than the torn fabric. "It takes more than one night to tire me so. If you must know I have merely not gone to sleep at all." Legolas kept himself firmly planted in the doorway, hoping that Gimli could not see the messy bed behind him.
Gimli looked up at the elf's face. His eyes seemed different again, not as haunted as they had been lately but certainly not how they used to be. No, there was some new kind of inner problem plaguing the elf, and if he did not know any better he could have sworn it was almost panic.
"Well since you have not rested you must surely be hungry at least. I have come to see if you wish to visit the dining hall again, the morning meal is well underway."
Legolas sighed inwardly in relief. Of course, the main focus of the dwarf in the morning was breakfast, he had not come to search in Legolas' room or discover what he had found from the night before.
Legolas nodded quickly. "I will indeed come with you to the dining hall, but you must give me leave for a few moments to at least change my clothing." Legolas let out a small laugh and gestured to the hole in the side of his tunic, "It seems my abilities of navigating between trees at night were put to the test."
Gimli laughed as well, "And they lost no doubt. I will wait for you outside of your door, so do not take too long. The stomach of a dwarf is not to be ignored."
Legolas nodded solemnly. "I would never dream of doing such a thing."
Gimli smiled, "Aye, it could prove dangerous."
"Excuse me sir dwarf and I will see that I do not prolong your hunger for too long," Legolas declared as he started to close the door. Gimli backed away so that he could close it and Legolas let out a small breath when the door was closed again. He definitely did not like feeling anxious, it was an emotion seldom felt throughout the whole of his long years.
Working rapidly, Legolas crossed back over to the bed and immediately stripped it of the top sheet. Without much thought he shoved it into the bottom drawer of the bureau on top of the knife. He left the rest of the bedding on, it was clean. After the bed was taken care of, he crossed to a small closet and opened the doors. There was always a change of clothing kept there for him and he was not disappointed when he looked inside. Quickly, Legolas changed his clothing and piled the dirty clothes on the bottom of the closet door. He was not as worried as those being found, it was not an unusual thing for his clothing to be in need of washing.
Taking one last glance in the looking-glass and assuring himself that he looked normal he went back to the door and opened it to step out into the hall. Less than five minutes had passed and he was pleased with himself for working so rapidly and efficiently.
One look at the dwarf leaning against the wall next to his door told Legolas that he was not so pleased with the delay.
"Surely I did not keep you for too long?" Legolas asked in mock empathy.
Gimli grunted. "I often forget how long it can take an elf to look like his normal pristine self."
Legolas glowered down at the dwarf. "It cannot be helped that you are of a culture that does not understand the importance of a presentable appearance. First impressions are often lasting."
Gimli tried to hide a grin and failed. "All the more reason for me to look as I do," he jested, "I would not want to be mistaken for a more fragile being."
Legolas raised his eyes. "By the Valar you dwarves are hopeless. May Elbereth watch after you with special attention, for it is clear that you are beyond any self-help."
Gimli let out a laugh as much as he tried to keep it in and turned to start down the hall towards the dining hall. The two kept up their light banter as they walked and Legolas almost forgot all about the strange occurrences of that morning. Until they entered the dining hall.
Both the dwarf and the elf walked in laughing, but they sobered immediately when they noticed that many people were gathered within the room and all spoke in hushed and serious tones.
Gimli immediately sought out Aragorn near the front of the room and started towards him. Legolas followed silently, the anxiety back and dwelling in his stomach.
Aragorn looked up as his two friends approached. "What is going on?" Gimli asked as soon as he was within range.
Aragorn broke away from the small group he had been conversing with and moved towards the elf and the dwarf. "I am glad you are here," he started, "tell me, did either one of you see anything last night?"
Gimli shook his head. "I saw nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to be alarmed about."
Aragorn looked at Legolas. "And you? What did you see?"
The anxiety in Legolas rose to a fever pitch and he strove to appear to remain calm. He had sudden flashes of the bloodied knife and bed and took a tiny breath to clear his thoughts.
"Nothing strange that I can recall," Legolas commented, telling himself that it was the truth at least and he was not lying to one of his friends.
Aragorn stared at him a moment longer before nodding once. Turning his head slightly so that he could include Gimli he said, "Unfortunately, there was another murder last night. A group of men found the victim very early this morning and had already brought her in before I even knew of it."
A small spark flared in Legolas' mind when he heard Aragorn say 'she'. He did not know what caused the reaction and carefully kept his face calm, not wanting to reveal anything even as a pit of dread grew to accompany the anxiety he was feeling.
"I have not gone to see the body myself yet," Aragorn was continuing and Legolas had to strain to focus on what he was saying, "but those who brought her in say that she bears almost the same marks as before. If you wish, I would like you two to accompany me to view the body."
Gimli nodded readily and Legolas told himself to follow suit. Aragorn looked at the both of them.
"Good. I fear that we are not dealing with a coincidence and that it is most likely the same killer. We might be in for a man-hunt," Aragorn said grimly.
Silently, Legolas and Gimli turned to follow the king of Gondor out of the Halls of the Kings and to the Houses of Healing where the body had been laid just as before. And just as before, a crowd had already gathered upon hearing the news. But the atmosphere was different. This was the second murder, there was a killer loose and within their ranks. Fear and a want for vengeance was clearly written in their expressions.
Legolas saw all of this in a glance as he followed. And again he noticed himself being singled out by individuals in the crowd, only more so than before.
'Is this how the rest of my days will be? An object of suspicion and fear?'
'Not if they catch you, then you will be an object of hate and revenge.'
Legolas' step became slightly heavier at the thoughts. He suddenly felt very tired.
The trio had reached the Houses of Healing and they filed in, making their way to the same room they had visited only yesterday. Now two bodies lay upon cold slabs of stone. Legolas' gaze was drawn to the newest edition, and though a sheet lay over the body, he suddenly knew what the victim would look like. A young woman, with brown hair and wide eyes that easily showed any emotion she was feeling, especially worry and fear.
The sheet was pulled away by one of the attendees standing next to the slab, waiting for the king. As the body was revealed, Legolas found that the victim indeed matched the mental picture he had been conjuring. And as the sheet fell away, he suddenly had memories of the night before fall into place.
The woman had been by herself and Legolas had gone to her, wanting to help her find her lost brother.
And something bad had happened.
But that part was still veiled in Legolas' mind and he grit his teeth, wanting to cry out his frustration at his mind blocks. Nothing like this had ever happened in his life and he had to wonder why his mind chose to do so now.
Aragorn and Gimli were quietly studying the body, taking no notice of the small internal struggle of their friend. Aragorn methodically surveyed and went through all of the wounds on the body. As on the other one, the throat was laid open as well as the left shoulder, but that was where the similarities ended. It looked as though a blow had caught her on her temple, leaving a thin line of dried blood. A large bruise covered her stomach and the back of one knee had been slashed. Aragorn guessed at why her wounds did not match the other victims, and it was for the simple reason that she had not been able to fight back. There was no need to slash open a weapons hand or cut areas that would hinder speed and ability when the victim was all but helpless. The only wound that proved that she had at least tried to run away was the one on the back of her knee. That had been cut so that she could not run.
As before, all of the wounds were neat and precise with no jagged edges or misplaced blows. And as before, Aragorn knew that they were target areas when being trained how to fight and that they had to be done with great speed to be so neat and efficient.
Aragorn straightened wearily when he was done with his brief examination. He looked at the head of the guard that was there, waiting expectantly for news of what was to be done. "Issue another warning and then alert the guards. Tell them to increase their security, especially at nightfall. We will not have another murder." The man nodded and then turned to exit the room, his stride purposeful as he went to do the king's bidding.
"As for the rest of us," Aragorn said turning to face Gimli and Legolas, "we will focus on catching the killer and bringing him to justice. He will not kill again."
Gimli nodded, but Legolas only stared a moment longer at the body. When he was aware of Aragorn's focus he shifted his eyes and nodded as well. But when Aragorn turned away again Legolas' eyes went back to the victim. He noticed that a belt hung on the woman's waist, one with a sheath designed to hold a knife or dagger. And it was empty.