Chapter Six :: Forgive
Estel took Legolas's hand. Smiling, the prince held him protectively against him after pulling the child up.
"Everything is going to be alright now," he whispered soothingly to the crying child. "The nightmare is over. Your brother will take you home and you can see your father again."
Elladan smiled and stood next to the two. "It's impossible to hate him, right?" remarked the twin.
Legolas laughed and gave Estel to Elladan, "Just take him home and stop messing with me."
"Wait, you aren't coming?"
Legolas didn't answer. He turned away to keep from his gaze.
"Answer me, damnit! Why aren't you coming back with me?" demanded Elladan.
"I'll come back, just not right now. I need to get away."
"And where will you go? How far could you possibly get in your condition?"
Legolas opened his mouth as if to answer, but was stopped. Ryldor tackled him, throwing them both extremely close to falling over the falls. The elf's knee fell on a stab wound in Legolas's side, sending pain through his body. It was just enough for Ryldor to get his hands on Legolas's knife and put it to his throat.
"I told you that I would have to kill you," he said, glaring angrily at the elf under him.
"Maybe some other time," retorted Legolas. They rolled across the ground and Legolas was now on top, trying to wrestle the knife from his assailant's hands.
Elladan started to walk towards Legolas to help him, but stopped when Ryldor stabbed the knife into his chest. The fight stopped and Ryldor rolled to where he was the one with the advantage.
"Good-bye, Legolas," he said with smirk.
With his last bit of strength, Legolas grabbed Ryldor's shirt and rolled backwards. It threw both elves off the cliff. The prince, however, managed to grab a ledge, but Ryldor grabbed his leg.
The eldest son of Elrond rushed over and reached for Legolas's hand.
"Come on! Let me pull you up!" he exclaimed.
Legolas simply smiled at him. "I can't hold on much longer..."
"Then let me pull you up! Legolas?" "You are a great big brother."
The prince let his hand slip from the ledge and he fell into the mist below, taking Ryldor with him.
"LEGOLAS!"
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Elrond rushed down the stairs and his two sons, the oldest and youngest. He noticed, however, that Elladan was crying. It was strange and heartbreaking to see him cry.
"Elladan, what is wrong?" questioned the elf-lord.
"It's Legolas. He's not coming back," said Elladan, setting down Estel.
Elrohir stepped onto the top step, "Legolas had told me he wasn't going to come back."
"What do you mean? Did he start his journey home?" asked Elrond, searching for an answer from either one of them.
"No, Legolas fell over the falls!" cried the elfling as his father led him inside.
"Now, tell me what exactly happened," said Elrond as he led his son to his chambers.
"We thought Ryldor was unconscious, but he wasn't! He attacked Legolas and stole his knife," explained the distraught Elladan. "They fought for a moment, trying to get the knife from one another, but in the end Ryldor got it and stabbed him! As a last resort, Legolas took them both over the falls."
Elrohir chuckled slightly, surprising Elrond and Elladan. "He's gone over the falls before. I went with him. We both lived."
"We wouldn't be able to find him before he succumbed to his injuries," said his twin sadly.
Elrond nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his son.
Estel looked up at Elrond and frowned, "Why isn't Legolas coming back? Can't he swim?"
A small smile came to the elf-lord's face, "Yes, he can, but it's far more complicated than that..."
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It seemed as though a blanket of sorrow had fallen over Rivendell. Elladan had a hard time trying to explain to Estel what happened to Legolas.
"What does dying mean?" asked Estel the night Elladan was trying to tell him of death.
"It's where you stop moving and breathing. Basically, it's like falling asleep and never waking up again. And you never get to see or talk to the people you love again. They never get to see you and they spend all their time missing you but you can't be there to tell them that it's all right because you're dead!
"He probably died thinking I still didn't trust him," muttered Elladan.
Estel frowned and threw his arms around Elladan. "Is 'Dan going to die? I don't want 'Dan, or 'Ro, or Ada to die," said the small child. "I want to be able to talk to you forever. I don't want you not to see me again! I want to be able to see you, too! Please don't die!"
Elladan held his brother against him and smiled slightly, "Do not worry, Estel. Neither of us are going to die."
"Why did Legolas die?" asked the curious child.
"Because he had a heart and his heart made him do what was right."
Elrohir was helping Elrond with a letter to Thranduil.
"This has to be one of the hardest things," Elrond had remarked while discussing what they were to tell the king of Mirkwood. "It's hard to tell a father that his son died, especially when he was the last thing left for him."
"At least it was a valiant death," commented Elrohir in response. "In the end, he was not as evil as we thought he was."
As hard as it was to tell the family, it was hard to cope with. It was as if the prince had left a void before he left. Elrohir seemed to find some hope in thinking that he would return, remembering how they thought Legolas and himself were dead when they went over the fall almost fifty years ago. When the sun set and the family took their dinner, all hope had left him.
"I can't stand it!" cried Elladan, finally let out all his pent up anger. "I never got ask him to forgive me!"
"Elladan," started Elrohir, "I am sure that Legolas knew you were sorry. He probably would have forgiven you."
"He would have, but he can't!" exclaimed his twin. "He can not forgive me because he is dead!"
"Well," said Estel, almost as if he were an adult, "I don't think Legolas is dead. I can feel it here." He pointed to his heart. "He's alive."
The eldest son sighed, "I'm not hungry."
"You can't just starve yourself because Legolas is gone!" said Elrohir angrily.
"I don't want to hear your lectures, brother," responded Elladan curtly. "Just leave me alone tonight, alright?"
When he turned to the door, he let out a small surprised outcry. Everyone turned to the door. Silence engulfed the room as everyone froze from shock.
Leaning against the door, soaked from the river and rain, was Legolas. He looked extremely exhausted, but it could have been contributed to the horrible injuries that were apparent due to the many bloodstains all over the prince.
"See! I knew he wasn't dead!" exclaimed Estel with a smile.
"Legolas? Is that really..."
"Surprise," he said with a weak smile.
As he started to fall, but Elladan rushed forth and caught him.
"I forgive you," he whispered weakly.
Estel took Legolas's hand. Smiling, the prince held him protectively against him after pulling the child up.
"Everything is going to be alright now," he whispered soothingly to the crying child. "The nightmare is over. Your brother will take you home and you can see your father again."
Elladan smiled and stood next to the two. "It's impossible to hate him, right?" remarked the twin.
Legolas laughed and gave Estel to Elladan, "Just take him home and stop messing with me."
"Wait, you aren't coming?"
Legolas didn't answer. He turned away to keep from his gaze.
"Answer me, damnit! Why aren't you coming back with me?" demanded Elladan.
"I'll come back, just not right now. I need to get away."
"And where will you go? How far could you possibly get in your condition?"
Legolas opened his mouth as if to answer, but was stopped. Ryldor tackled him, throwing them both extremely close to falling over the falls. The elf's knee fell on a stab wound in Legolas's side, sending pain through his body. It was just enough for Ryldor to get his hands on Legolas's knife and put it to his throat.
"I told you that I would have to kill you," he said, glaring angrily at the elf under him.
"Maybe some other time," retorted Legolas. They rolled across the ground and Legolas was now on top, trying to wrestle the knife from his assailant's hands.
Elladan started to walk towards Legolas to help him, but stopped when Ryldor stabbed the knife into his chest. The fight stopped and Ryldor rolled to where he was the one with the advantage.
"Good-bye, Legolas," he said with smirk.
With his last bit of strength, Legolas grabbed Ryldor's shirt and rolled backwards. It threw both elves off the cliff. The prince, however, managed to grab a ledge, but Ryldor grabbed his leg.
The eldest son of Elrond rushed over and reached for Legolas's hand.
"Come on! Let me pull you up!" he exclaimed.
Legolas simply smiled at him. "I can't hold on much longer..."
"Then let me pull you up! Legolas?" "You are a great big brother."
The prince let his hand slip from the ledge and he fell into the mist below, taking Ryldor with him.
"LEGOLAS!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Elrond rushed down the stairs and his two sons, the oldest and youngest. He noticed, however, that Elladan was crying. It was strange and heartbreaking to see him cry.
"Elladan, what is wrong?" questioned the elf-lord.
"It's Legolas. He's not coming back," said Elladan, setting down Estel.
Elrohir stepped onto the top step, "Legolas had told me he wasn't going to come back."
"What do you mean? Did he start his journey home?" asked Elrond, searching for an answer from either one of them.
"No, Legolas fell over the falls!" cried the elfling as his father led him inside.
"Now, tell me what exactly happened," said Elrond as he led his son to his chambers.
"We thought Ryldor was unconscious, but he wasn't! He attacked Legolas and stole his knife," explained the distraught Elladan. "They fought for a moment, trying to get the knife from one another, but in the end Ryldor got it and stabbed him! As a last resort, Legolas took them both over the falls."
Elrohir chuckled slightly, surprising Elrond and Elladan. "He's gone over the falls before. I went with him. We both lived."
"We wouldn't be able to find him before he succumbed to his injuries," said his twin sadly.
Elrond nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his son.
Estel looked up at Elrond and frowned, "Why isn't Legolas coming back? Can't he swim?"
A small smile came to the elf-lord's face, "Yes, he can, but it's far more complicated than that..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It seemed as though a blanket of sorrow had fallen over Rivendell. Elladan had a hard time trying to explain to Estel what happened to Legolas.
"What does dying mean?" asked Estel the night Elladan was trying to tell him of death.
"It's where you stop moving and breathing. Basically, it's like falling asleep and never waking up again. And you never get to see or talk to the people you love again. They never get to see you and they spend all their time missing you but you can't be there to tell them that it's all right because you're dead!
"He probably died thinking I still didn't trust him," muttered Elladan.
Estel frowned and threw his arms around Elladan. "Is 'Dan going to die? I don't want 'Dan, or 'Ro, or Ada to die," said the small child. "I want to be able to talk to you forever. I don't want you not to see me again! I want to be able to see you, too! Please don't die!"
Elladan held his brother against him and smiled slightly, "Do not worry, Estel. Neither of us are going to die."
"Why did Legolas die?" asked the curious child.
"Because he had a heart and his heart made him do what was right."
Elrohir was helping Elrond with a letter to Thranduil.
"This has to be one of the hardest things," Elrond had remarked while discussing what they were to tell the king of Mirkwood. "It's hard to tell a father that his son died, especially when he was the last thing left for him."
"At least it was a valiant death," commented Elrohir in response. "In the end, he was not as evil as we thought he was."
As hard as it was to tell the family, it was hard to cope with. It was as if the prince had left a void before he left. Elrohir seemed to find some hope in thinking that he would return, remembering how they thought Legolas and himself were dead when they went over the fall almost fifty years ago. When the sun set and the family took their dinner, all hope had left him.
"I can't stand it!" cried Elladan, finally let out all his pent up anger. "I never got ask him to forgive me!"
"Elladan," started Elrohir, "I am sure that Legolas knew you were sorry. He probably would have forgiven you."
"He would have, but he can't!" exclaimed his twin. "He can not forgive me because he is dead!"
"Well," said Estel, almost as if he were an adult, "I don't think Legolas is dead. I can feel it here." He pointed to his heart. "He's alive."
The eldest son sighed, "I'm not hungry."
"You can't just starve yourself because Legolas is gone!" said Elrohir angrily.
"I don't want to hear your lectures, brother," responded Elladan curtly. "Just leave me alone tonight, alright?"
When he turned to the door, he let out a small surprised outcry. Everyone turned to the door. Silence engulfed the room as everyone froze from shock.
Leaning against the door, soaked from the river and rain, was Legolas. He looked extremely exhausted, but it could have been contributed to the horrible injuries that were apparent due to the many bloodstains all over the prince.
"See! I knew he wasn't dead!" exclaimed Estel with a smile.
"Legolas? Is that really..."
"Surprise," he said with a weak smile.
As he started to fall, but Elladan rushed forth and caught him.
"I forgive you," he whispered weakly.