A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so long!! Uni just keeps on coming...
Ok...reviews...
Deana: Thankyou! *blushes* hardly awesome! Glad you like though!
elfmage: *huggles* I love getting your reviews mellon nin!!! Don't die!! Heres what happens!!
EnglishMystic: ty! sorry its been a while!
ElizabethBlack4: OK!! He's gonna try, anyway! Not gonna tell you if he succeeds or not though... *evil grin*
lulu bell: Dia De Los Muerto? Whats one of them when they're at home? lol!
kurafoxgirl: I *love* cliffies! Aah, the suspense... :D
Elven Girl: Aww sorry, I didn't mean to make him come across quite like that - but at the end of the day, its cos of Turion...does that help?
cherryfaerie: I'm not gonna say whether Thranduil lives or dies... and I don't have regular posting times, just whenever I get a spare moment! Sorry! Glad you like though!
Wow that was a lot of space! On with the fic!!!!!!
Gandalf had been stunned by the revelation he had just had. No wonder he had sensed something wrong earlier! Dark magic had being used against Legolas, but it had been used for his brother to take his place. And now Turion was pretending to be his brother - why? Why not just come home and let everyone know he was alive?
Gandalf had known Turion before the accident, and the change in him worried him. That he could be in charge of orcs, in league with a witch - and not just any witch - Morrigan, and that he could be so evil to the one person in the world closest to him...the wizard couldn't believe it. And the problem was, what to do about it? He didn't know if he should confront Turion and find out what was going on, or should he go to the king? For the first time in his long life, the Istari was stuck for ideas. It would be so simple were it not for the involvement of Morrigan.
In the end, he decided to wait until Galadriel and Elrond had arrived. Galadriel was due to be there in the morning, and Elrond soon after. He left to check on Aragorn once more, and then retired to his own rooms.
.
The next morning dawned crisp and clear - it would be very hot later in the day. Galadriel and her party arrived soon after dawn, and once the formalities were over, Gandalf drew her aside from her group. She could tell just by looking at him that there was something wrong. "What is it?" she asked him once they were alone. "We have a problem. You noticed that Legolas was not here to meet you? That is because the real Legolas is somewhere in the mountains east of here, and in grave danger. The one you will see as Legolas is really his brother Turion. I cannot explain it, and I have told no-one else, but what I have seen of Turion's actions disturbs me greatly." "Tell me everything." Galadriel replied as she led him away towards her appointed rooms.
.
Barely an hour later, Galadriel knew everything Gandalf did. Both thought it best to confront Turion in front of his father. And they both knew it had to be soon - whatever Turion had in mind, it wasn't good. Once Gandalf knew that foul play may have been involved, he had gone back to check again on Aragorn. And had promptly found that the reason his wounds weren't healing was because of Turion's interference. Now that he knew, he had managed to treat him. With any luck, he would be alright by that evening. Which was exactly when they planned to question Turion.
A few moment later, they headed out of Galadriel's rooms to find out when Elrond would be arriving. They passed Turion on the way there, heading in the opposite direction. He didn't stop. Galadriel let out a small gasp as he brushed gently past her. "You're right." she told Gandalf once Turion had gone. "That is not Legolas - his spirit is evil."
.
It was late evening when they got their first chance to confront the prince. Everyone had gathered in the large hall, even Aragorn had been well enough to attend now that Gandalf could treat him, and they had finished discussing the most pressing matters, when Gandalf stood up. "My lord, there is one more matter we need to discuss. We - Galadriel, Elrond and myself, fear that dark magic has been used on your son by a particularly dangerous witch named Morrigan. And we have some very serious allegations to make against the one who sits beside you and claims to be Legolas. We have reason to believe that this is not Legolas, and that it is in fact his elder brother Turion, and that the real Legolas is in grave danger."
Author's note: Laketown, for those of you who haven't read the Hobbit, is a human town not far from Mirkwood. The Mirkwood elves do business with them I believe. Also, for those who are confused, Morrigan is the honey-haired witch.
The entire room had been stunned into silence by Gandalf's remark. Some in the room turned to look at Thranduil and his son to gauge their reaction, while others turned to look at those beside them, as if checking that they had actually heard right. Eventually the king got over the shock of the wizard's announcement. "Gandalf, these are very serious allegations you make. My eldest son Turion has been dead for two centuries. You know this, and you also know that this is no time at all for elves. This tragedy is still fresh in our minds. How can you say these things?"
It was not Gandalf who replied, but Galadriel. "My lord, you have been deceived. This is Turion." she turned to the prince. "We can see through Morrigan's magic Turion. All it takes is one simple spell and everyone will know the truth. It would be easier for you to simply admit your identity now."
Fear had gripped Turion the moment Gandalf had first stood up. He may have been discovered, but Morrigan had said as long as he didn't admit to anyone... "I do not know what you mean. How can you claim me to be Turion? He is dead, and none felt more grief at his passing than I."
To everyone in the hall other than Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond, this was an angry and upset Legolas before them. The three keepers of the Elven rings however, saw a desperate Turion fighting to keep his plan together. They could also see the fear he felt each time he looked at them.
Galadriel decided to risk reaching out to his mind. She could see that he was close to the edge before she even tried. When she did see his mind, she immediately withdrew and turned to Gandalf, telling him silently, 'He is going to kill Thranduil. He feels that it doesn't matter if his father dies by his hand - as long as he is the only viable and present heir, no-one can deny him the throne, and he's right. He's going to do it any minute - we have to stop him.'
Of course, Elrond had not heard any of this, and had started to talk to Turion. "...and so you see, all we have to do is lift the spell that is blocking Aragorn's memories, and it will all be over. You could make it much easier on yourself if you just admit who you are now." Galadriel placed her hand on Elrond's arm in a gentle warning to stop. Meanwhile, Turion's hand strayed un-noticed to the knife hidden at his side...
.
While Gandalf was challenging Turion, the mountain hunters were holding a meeting to discuss Legolas' situation. At the young hunter's insistance, he had been brought back to the village, regardless of the ominous warning in the cave. If they knew what effect it was having on the elf, they might have thought better of their actions. Morrigan's spell had been that while Legolas lay in the cave, he would see every thing that Turion was doing to destroy his home and family, and while his brother rested, he would be plagued by nightmare images. In this way, there would be no peace for him.
However, the second part of her curse was that should he be removed from the cave, the horrendus nightmare visions that plagued him would haunt him all the time, although there would be no outward change, so none would know the torment his mind was being put through with no escape.
There was much debate over whether to take him back to Mirkwood, or send a messenger to the elves. Winter was coming, and the village desperately needed supplies before the weather closed in, in a matter of weeks. In a fortnight there would be no hunting left in the area - all the prey would have migrated to lower, safer ground, and it would be no longer safe to go on long expeditions to find them. However, they knew that they could not care for the elf over the winter - he needed his own people to tend to him, and none wanted the Elven king's wrath visited upon them should the prince die in their care.
It had come down to two choices. Send a group of their much needed hunters to take the prince home, or send one or two as messengers to alert the elves. In the end, the young man who had insisted on bringing Legolas down from the mountain spoke. "I will go to Mirkwood, and I will take the prince with me. I have never produced a kill to feed the village, so you can easily spare me, and as it will be a two week journey each way, I will not be able to return before the weather makes the return too dangerous. That is not a problem - I have friends in Laketown, and I can stay with them. I owe my life to this elf, and I intend to return the favour. As such, I ask none to risk their lives to come with me." 'But you would be most welcome if you did', he thought to himself. He was relieved when his closest friend stood up.
"I will accompany you. I may be deemed too young to join the hunting parties, but do not deny me this. I have never spent any time around elves, although I have wanted to for some time now." The young man was seventeen, but men in the village were not allowed to join the hunts until they turned eighteen.
And so it was settled. The pair would bear Legolas home in the morning, and would be provided with the only horse that the village could spare, along with what supplies they had to offer.
.
None had been able to stop Turion, and Thranduil had seen the blade a moment too late, and so had not moved fast enough. The knife had not made the killing blow that Turion intended, but instead sank to the hilt into the king's shoulder, narrowly missing his heart.
Before Turion could even remove the knife to strike again, a group of guards wrestled him to the ground and away from the king, who had now collapsed on the ground and was surrounded by concerned attendants.
While Gandalf and the guards took Turion away, Elrond and Galadriel took care of Thranduil. Galadriel cleared his attendants away as they were doing more harm than good, and together they took him out of the hall.
.
Some time later, Gandalf entered the room where Elrond was treating the king. "How is he?" "I won't deny that it's bad. Not only was the blade heavily poisoned, but it broke in the wound, and I cannot find the tip. It is deeply lodged, and so the poison on it is still entering his system." Elrond didn't look up but carried on searching for the broken blade.
"Can you treat the poison?" "I can, it's the same as the orcs use on their weapons, I think, but not until I get the last piece out. Until then, it won't matter how much of the antidote I give him, the source of the poison will still be in there." He looked up for a moment, then resumed his work. "How's Turion? Has he said anything yet?"
Gandalf almost smiled. "He has said rather a lot actually."
The wizard sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the king's bed from Elrond. "He admitted that he was Turion, and that seemed to be what it took to break the spell that shielded him from being seen for who he truly is. He has told us everything except for where Legolas is - which he refuses to do - although I have some idea where he might be."
Elrond thought for a moment. "I will send the elves that came with me out to find him. I assume that there will be Mirkwood elves searching too?"
Gandalf did smile this time. "Oh yes. Volunteers are pouring in. These people love their prince deeply, that is certain. They will not rest until they find him."
"That is good to know." After a moment's pause, he carried on, "I've got it.", and promptly pulled out the end of the blade. "Now, if it is just orcish poison, he will be alright. However, I fear there may be something else. He should not be this pale or cold. If anything, he should be developing a fever."
Deana: Thankyou! *blushes* hardly awesome! Glad you like though!
elfmage: *huggles* I love getting your reviews mellon nin!!! Don't die!! Heres what happens!!
EnglishMystic: ty! sorry its been a while!
ElizabethBlack4: OK!! He's gonna try, anyway! Not gonna tell you if he succeeds or not though... *evil grin*
lulu bell: Dia De Los Muerto? Whats one of them when they're at home? lol!
kurafoxgirl: I *love* cliffies! Aah, the suspense... :D
Elven Girl: Aww sorry, I didn't mean to make him come across quite like that - but at the end of the day, its cos of Turion...does that help?
cherryfaerie: I'm not gonna say whether Thranduil lives or dies... and I don't have regular posting times, just whenever I get a spare moment! Sorry! Glad you like though!
Wow that was a lot of space! On with the fic!!!!!!
Gandalf had been stunned by the revelation he had just had. No wonder he had sensed something wrong earlier! Dark magic had being used against Legolas, but it had been used for his brother to take his place. And now Turion was pretending to be his brother - why? Why not just come home and let everyone know he was alive?
Gandalf had known Turion before the accident, and the change in him worried him. That he could be in charge of orcs, in league with a witch - and not just any witch - Morrigan, and that he could be so evil to the one person in the world closest to him...the wizard couldn't believe it. And the problem was, what to do about it? He didn't know if he should confront Turion and find out what was going on, or should he go to the king? For the first time in his long life, the Istari was stuck for ideas. It would be so simple were it not for the involvement of Morrigan.
In the end, he decided to wait until Galadriel and Elrond had arrived. Galadriel was due to be there in the morning, and Elrond soon after. He left to check on Aragorn once more, and then retired to his own rooms.
.
The next morning dawned crisp and clear - it would be very hot later in the day. Galadriel and her party arrived soon after dawn, and once the formalities were over, Gandalf drew her aside from her group. She could tell just by looking at him that there was something wrong. "What is it?" she asked him once they were alone. "We have a problem. You noticed that Legolas was not here to meet you? That is because the real Legolas is somewhere in the mountains east of here, and in grave danger. The one you will see as Legolas is really his brother Turion. I cannot explain it, and I have told no-one else, but what I have seen of Turion's actions disturbs me greatly." "Tell me everything." Galadriel replied as she led him away towards her appointed rooms.
.
Barely an hour later, Galadriel knew everything Gandalf did. Both thought it best to confront Turion in front of his father. And they both knew it had to be soon - whatever Turion had in mind, it wasn't good. Once Gandalf knew that foul play may have been involved, he had gone back to check again on Aragorn. And had promptly found that the reason his wounds weren't healing was because of Turion's interference. Now that he knew, he had managed to treat him. With any luck, he would be alright by that evening. Which was exactly when they planned to question Turion.
A few moment later, they headed out of Galadriel's rooms to find out when Elrond would be arriving. They passed Turion on the way there, heading in the opposite direction. He didn't stop. Galadriel let out a small gasp as he brushed gently past her. "You're right." she told Gandalf once Turion had gone. "That is not Legolas - his spirit is evil."
.
It was late evening when they got their first chance to confront the prince. Everyone had gathered in the large hall, even Aragorn had been well enough to attend now that Gandalf could treat him, and they had finished discussing the most pressing matters, when Gandalf stood up. "My lord, there is one more matter we need to discuss. We - Galadriel, Elrond and myself, fear that dark magic has been used on your son by a particularly dangerous witch named Morrigan. And we have some very serious allegations to make against the one who sits beside you and claims to be Legolas. We have reason to believe that this is not Legolas, and that it is in fact his elder brother Turion, and that the real Legolas is in grave danger."
Author's note: Laketown, for those of you who haven't read the Hobbit, is a human town not far from Mirkwood. The Mirkwood elves do business with them I believe. Also, for those who are confused, Morrigan is the honey-haired witch.
The entire room had been stunned into silence by Gandalf's remark. Some in the room turned to look at Thranduil and his son to gauge their reaction, while others turned to look at those beside them, as if checking that they had actually heard right. Eventually the king got over the shock of the wizard's announcement. "Gandalf, these are very serious allegations you make. My eldest son Turion has been dead for two centuries. You know this, and you also know that this is no time at all for elves. This tragedy is still fresh in our minds. How can you say these things?"
It was not Gandalf who replied, but Galadriel. "My lord, you have been deceived. This is Turion." she turned to the prince. "We can see through Morrigan's magic Turion. All it takes is one simple spell and everyone will know the truth. It would be easier for you to simply admit your identity now."
Fear had gripped Turion the moment Gandalf had first stood up. He may have been discovered, but Morrigan had said as long as he didn't admit to anyone... "I do not know what you mean. How can you claim me to be Turion? He is dead, and none felt more grief at his passing than I."
To everyone in the hall other than Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond, this was an angry and upset Legolas before them. The three keepers of the Elven rings however, saw a desperate Turion fighting to keep his plan together. They could also see the fear he felt each time he looked at them.
Galadriel decided to risk reaching out to his mind. She could see that he was close to the edge before she even tried. When she did see his mind, she immediately withdrew and turned to Gandalf, telling him silently, 'He is going to kill Thranduil. He feels that it doesn't matter if his father dies by his hand - as long as he is the only viable and present heir, no-one can deny him the throne, and he's right. He's going to do it any minute - we have to stop him.'
Of course, Elrond had not heard any of this, and had started to talk to Turion. "...and so you see, all we have to do is lift the spell that is blocking Aragorn's memories, and it will all be over. You could make it much easier on yourself if you just admit who you are now." Galadriel placed her hand on Elrond's arm in a gentle warning to stop. Meanwhile, Turion's hand strayed un-noticed to the knife hidden at his side...
.
While Gandalf was challenging Turion, the mountain hunters were holding a meeting to discuss Legolas' situation. At the young hunter's insistance, he had been brought back to the village, regardless of the ominous warning in the cave. If they knew what effect it was having on the elf, they might have thought better of their actions. Morrigan's spell had been that while Legolas lay in the cave, he would see every thing that Turion was doing to destroy his home and family, and while his brother rested, he would be plagued by nightmare images. In this way, there would be no peace for him.
However, the second part of her curse was that should he be removed from the cave, the horrendus nightmare visions that plagued him would haunt him all the time, although there would be no outward change, so none would know the torment his mind was being put through with no escape.
There was much debate over whether to take him back to Mirkwood, or send a messenger to the elves. Winter was coming, and the village desperately needed supplies before the weather closed in, in a matter of weeks. In a fortnight there would be no hunting left in the area - all the prey would have migrated to lower, safer ground, and it would be no longer safe to go on long expeditions to find them. However, they knew that they could not care for the elf over the winter - he needed his own people to tend to him, and none wanted the Elven king's wrath visited upon them should the prince die in their care.
It had come down to two choices. Send a group of their much needed hunters to take the prince home, or send one or two as messengers to alert the elves. In the end, the young man who had insisted on bringing Legolas down from the mountain spoke. "I will go to Mirkwood, and I will take the prince with me. I have never produced a kill to feed the village, so you can easily spare me, and as it will be a two week journey each way, I will not be able to return before the weather makes the return too dangerous. That is not a problem - I have friends in Laketown, and I can stay with them. I owe my life to this elf, and I intend to return the favour. As such, I ask none to risk their lives to come with me." 'But you would be most welcome if you did', he thought to himself. He was relieved when his closest friend stood up.
"I will accompany you. I may be deemed too young to join the hunting parties, but do not deny me this. I have never spent any time around elves, although I have wanted to for some time now." The young man was seventeen, but men in the village were not allowed to join the hunts until they turned eighteen.
And so it was settled. The pair would bear Legolas home in the morning, and would be provided with the only horse that the village could spare, along with what supplies they had to offer.
.
None had been able to stop Turion, and Thranduil had seen the blade a moment too late, and so had not moved fast enough. The knife had not made the killing blow that Turion intended, but instead sank to the hilt into the king's shoulder, narrowly missing his heart.
Before Turion could even remove the knife to strike again, a group of guards wrestled him to the ground and away from the king, who had now collapsed on the ground and was surrounded by concerned attendants.
While Gandalf and the guards took Turion away, Elrond and Galadriel took care of Thranduil. Galadriel cleared his attendants away as they were doing more harm than good, and together they took him out of the hall.
.
Some time later, Gandalf entered the room where Elrond was treating the king. "How is he?" "I won't deny that it's bad. Not only was the blade heavily poisoned, but it broke in the wound, and I cannot find the tip. It is deeply lodged, and so the poison on it is still entering his system." Elrond didn't look up but carried on searching for the broken blade.
"Can you treat the poison?" "I can, it's the same as the orcs use on their weapons, I think, but not until I get the last piece out. Until then, it won't matter how much of the antidote I give him, the source of the poison will still be in there." He looked up for a moment, then resumed his work. "How's Turion? Has he said anything yet?"
Gandalf almost smiled. "He has said rather a lot actually."
The wizard sat down on a chair on the opposite side of the king's bed from Elrond. "He admitted that he was Turion, and that seemed to be what it took to break the spell that shielded him from being seen for who he truly is. He has told us everything except for where Legolas is - which he refuses to do - although I have some idea where he might be."
Elrond thought for a moment. "I will send the elves that came with me out to find him. I assume that there will be Mirkwood elves searching too?"
Gandalf did smile this time. "Oh yes. Volunteers are pouring in. These people love their prince deeply, that is certain. They will not rest until they find him."
"That is good to know." After a moment's pause, he carried on, "I've got it.", and promptly pulled out the end of the blade. "Now, if it is just orcish poison, he will be alright. However, I fear there may be something else. He should not be this pale or cold. If anything, he should be developing a fever."