Sirnonenath--Heh, you know what, I had reread that part, and I thought to myself, "That is completely unnecessary for Legolas to knock Glorfindel unconscious." But, it was all ready written, and perhaps that just shows how weird he's getting? Sorry, if you thought that was a bit too OOC. :) Oh, and don't worry; I definitely have the twins in here. Somewhere :) I know; I had thought the same thing after I saw Legolas fail to take down the Uruk-Hai in TTT. I always wondered if he felt really bad about it. I suppose he would. Anyways, if you wish hard enough, you shall receive ;)

Deana--Thanks! I am slightly computer illiterate, so I'll attempt to get the italics working :) I am really glad you like it! That means a lot to me, because you are such a fantastic writer! I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to finish your last one yet; I'm getting on it! :)

Now that he was all alone, there was naught to keep the hallucinations at bay. A full range of torment can be used when all ties to reality are severed. Legolas had sought refuge with the trees, but a shadow seemed to deafen him to their murmurs of comfort. He felt his sanity slowly slip away.

"Poor Greenleaf. All by himself. Mayhap it was not such a good idea to go off on your own."

"Go away," Legolas mumbled. He was sitting with his legs straight out in front of him, his head resting against a tree. He had ridden his horse hard the last day and a half. Legolas knew the horse would go as long as it possibly could, but he did not want to wear the poor creature down. The prince shifted his head so he could keep an eye on Haldir.

'Why will he not just leave me alone?' the elf wondered. It has been days since the elf had gotten any sleep; he was about to collapse from pure exhaustion. The only thing that kept him going was the fear of what might happen to his friends if he gave in. To add to Legolas's complete misery, Haldir came quite frequently now, taunting and mocking him. 'I just do not understand! Why is he haunting me? We were close friends in life.'

"'Go away'?" That is the best you can do?" Haldir strode to the elf and crouched down so they were eye to eye. Haldir gripped Legolas's chin, hard. "Becoming tired, my prince? You are not going to give up, are you?"

Legolas stared helplessly into the other elf's grey-ish blue eyes, hard as stone. Frowning, Legolas remembered every ghost story he had heard from when he was an elfling. 'Ghosts cannot touch living objects,' he thought accusingly. Sapphire eyes narrowed.

"What are you?"

Haldir dropped his hand and stood up. "What do you think I am?"

"You are not Haldir," Legolas replied with new confidence in his voice.

Haldir let out a barking laugh. "No? And why not, pray tell?"

"Because Haldir would not do this," Legolas explained calmly.

"No?" he repeated. "You really are a naïve being. You may be old in comparison to the mortal world, but I have been around so much longer."

"Then you are not Haldir. He is not much older than me."

"I was referring to evil." The Lorien elf slit his eyes as he gazed downward at Legolas. "Evil has been in this world since the beginning. And it will be here the last day."

"Haldir is not evil," Legolas argued, jumping to his feet. He could not stand to let that thing claiming to be Haldir look down upon him. Standing tall, he held the figure's gaze despite the fact that his sudden movement made his head whirl.

"Not whilst I was living. I died in such an evil place, surrounded by creatures from the bowels of Mordor. My life was taken by one, and as I lay dying, their blood mixed with my own, their last breaths evaporated with my own, their bodied piled on top of my own.

"After death, I was denied the passing over. If only you had saved me, Prince Legolas," Haldir spat the title out, "I would not be bound here, unable to join either side, forever cursed to wander in-between worlds.

"It is your fault. You claim we were such good friends? Where were you when I was struck down from behind? Where were you when your 'best friend' Aragorn fell over the cliff in an almost fatal journey? Did you know, the day you left patrol early, because you were tired, there was an attack? Methrall was killed," Haldir maliciously whispered in Legolas's pointed ear.

"Nay! You speak lies!" he shouted.

"Tis true. I watched as he was struck down. You see, he was outnumbered. If only there had been one more elf to help him..."

"Speak no more!" Legolas shrieked. In his mind he wept. 'How can Methrall be dead? Surely he is not. For if he is, then I am truly at fault.' For a moment the Mirkwood elf was frozen, stricken with grief.

"So what are you doing now? Traveling to Rohan to further burden you already burdened friend. And Elrond has sent his sons in search of you. Tis a dangerous path for two to be journeying on." Haldir's smile held nothing but malice, making his message perfectly clear. "Not only that, but you left Glorfindel unconscious, and then he had to make the rest of the way to Imladris alone and injured. It would have been easy to pick him off."

Legolas tried in vain to keep his face expressionless and composed, but Haldir could read every emotion the elf was feeling through his eyes. Pain. Self-doubt. Guilt. Self-loathing. Oh, yes, his plan was working. Haldir continued, "Because of your selfish wants and ways, everyone you hold dear is being hurt. Is that what you want?"

"Nay." It was barely even a whisper, but Haldir still heard it.

"Oh? Because of you, everyone you love and cherish will die." Haldir almost laughed with glee at the pained expression Legolas's face now displayed.

He did not want anyone to be hurt. This was his problem. Others did not need to bear this problem. "What should I do?" Legolas was not certain whether he was asking himself, Haldir, or the Valor. Did it matter? Confusion set in with everything else, and Legolas just wanted to know what to do.

Haldir cocked his head and gazed at the prince in what could have been sympathy. Sympathy for the sake of fooling Legolas, anyhow. "You must go on alone. The longer you seek the aid of others, the closer they come to death."

"But where shall I go?" Legolas asked, closing his eyes as his mind and heart and soul battled within him.

"Go to the Aeterna Forest. You have heard of it and its location, have you not?"

"Aye, I have."

"Good."

Legolas waited for more, but none came. He cautiously opened his eyes, but Haldir was gone.

Pain slammed into his chest so fast and hard it literally knocked the breath out of him. Falling to one knee, the elf panted and gasped while clutching his chest. Lights danced in front of his eyes while darkness settled in...

A rough jolting caused a moan to fall from Legolas's mouth.

"Easy, now. We are finally here."

Legolas felt extremely groggy and disoriented. 'Where am I?' His conversation with Haldir played back for him. 'Wait. I fell to the ground. Why do I feel like I am moving? And who is speaking to me?' Panic coiled deep in Legolas's stomach. He started squirming and flailing.

"Do not move, Legolas. Hold still, I say! Aragorn is coming; I sent my companion ahead for him. He will help you."

'Nay, do not let him near!' Legolas tried to voice his words, but his lips and tongue would not co-operate. He racked his brain for who this could be, as he recognized the voice, and the person obviously knew him. 'It is Eomer,' Legolas decided. Then a voice rang out, a voice he had wanted to hear for so long but now dreaded.

"Eomer! What has happened? How badly is he hurt?" came a frantic string of exclamations.

"I do not know, Aragorn. My companion and I found him lying on the ground, a couple hours from here. He has been unconscious the whole time, but I think he is coming to. I do not see anything wrong with him, though. No blood."

Legolas felt himself lifted down, and another pair of arms enclosed around him. "Estel," he muttered weakly. "Nay, you cannot..."

"Tis all right, my friend." Aragorn spoke soothingly to his distressed friend. "Nothing will harm you here."

'You do not understand,' he thought anxiously, but before he could make a sound, his consciousness cut out again.

"Legolas?" Aragorn gazed down at his friend when he felt Legolas's head fall against his shoulder. He looked back up at Eomer. "He is unconscious."

"Come. Carry him up to the healing room."

The two walked into the castle, Legolas in Aragorn's arms. When they finally reached the healing room, Eowyn now in tow with Eomer filling her in, Aragorn laid his friend down on a bed. The room was otherwise unoccupied.

He removed Legolas's boots, tunic, and shirt. The ranger frowned when still no wounds or cause for his friend's unconsciousness were present. He gently lifted Legolas's head and studied the back of his neck.

"Did you find anything wrong?" Eowyn was now peering anxiously over Aragorn's shoulder. Eomer looked equally as concerned.

"Nay, I see nothing wrong," Aragorn admitted, sounding puzzled.

"So, we will just have to wait until he awakens, then."

"I suppose you are right." Aragorn stood straight and let out a small sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You two may go. I am going to stay and keep watch over him."

The two nodded. Before leaving, Eowyn laid a hand on Aragorn's arm. The man was staring forlornly at the elf.

"He will be all right; he is strong. We will find out what happened when he awakens."

"I know." Aragorn tore his gaze away from his best friend long enough to give Lady Eowyn a small smile. "Thank you."

She smiled and shook her head in a dismissing motion. "There is no need." Then she followed her brother out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Aragorn sighed again and sat down on a chair beside the bed. "Please, wake soon, Legolas," he pleaded.

No answer or sign that he had heard Aragorn came from the elf. Aragorn reclined as best as he could in the wooden chair. He had a feeling he was in for a long night.