Disclaimer:The Lord of the Rings does not belong to me.

How far will you go?

Prologue

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The year was 2419 and the days were calm and quiet, which was a relief to those who wished to return to their homelands for it was safe. During that time of many long journeys, Legolas Greenleaf of the woodland realm, together with his family and people made their arduous way back to join their king in Mirkwood. The young elf was only twelve-years-old then and was not entirely aesthetic about returning back to Mirkwood as the road was long and Mirkwood was not as pleasant as it used to be.

"How are you feeling Legolas?" Dior asked. Legolas looked up at his older sister and frowned.

"Tired. I want to go back to Imladris." The child spoke softly as he kicked a pebble into the stream they were travelling by.

Dior smiled. She was many years older than her brother but she could still remember what it was like to be his age. Whiney and impossible. The only difference between her and her brother was that Legolas was very often shy and soft-spoken and she was extremely talkative. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair as it were a brush and sighed as the young male scowled. She had wished for a little sister instead of a brother but now, she decided it did not matter anymore because Legolas was just as beautiful and she would be leaving her family for her fiancé's soon.

"Do you not miss Father? I am sure he is wondering about us right this moment." The princess said.

"Well, I do to a certain degree. But I hardly know anything about him. I have never really spoken to him before. Last time I saw him was when I was seven. But yes, I suppose I am excited about meeting him again. It is returning to Mirkwood that does not bring me pleasure," Legolas replied with another frown. He clutched the belt around his waist. It was a family heirloom, one of which his father had given to him and his father's father before him. The silver buckle felt cool and smooth beneath his fingertips and he always felt like he knew where he belonged whenever he touched it.

"You do not like Mirkwood?" She asked, raising a surprised eyebrow. How could he not like his own home?

"Its not that... its just really... murky." The younger sibling answered, his last word almost inaudible but his sister heard him and laughed.

"Silly child." She chuckled as she pulled on his cheek, an action which Legolas hated absolutely.

"Stupid dwarf." Legolas muttered rudely. Their mother heard this and was not pleased.

"Legolas!" She exclaimed. "Watch you tongue, young one. That was uncalled for, apologize to your sister."

The young elf mumbled an insincere apology because he knew he could not argue with his mother. However, when she was not looking, he gave Dior a playful pinch on her arm.

"You ghastly little..." Dior started but was cut off with the sound of a horn that filled the air.

"We're under attack!" An elf named Ruen shouted at the top of his lungs as he pulled out his bow and arrows. He hurriedly positioned himself behind a tree and motioned for Dior and Legolas to join him while everybody else was in a panic and running around and screaming for they were mostly females and elflings. Dior quickly grabbed Legolas by his wrist and dragged him to where Ruen was.

The three of them stood behind the tree with their mouths open wide and gaping as they peered out at the chaos that was created before their eyes. Men in dark grayish green hoods were shooting arrows at everyone they could hit. Actually, it seemed that they were aiming for the males but it was hard to tell if the elves were male or female from a distance and usually, they mistook some females for the males and they were shot as well. Legolas wanted to scream but Ruen cupped his mouth and turned him around to face him. He felt sorry that the child should have to see such a grotesque sight.

In the corner of his eye, Ruen saw a man blast balls of flame from his hands and another man managed to control the fireballs and they were able to get direct hits at their targets. He could not believe it, how could such power exist amongst men?

"This is a huge tree, but it will not keep us hidden for long. We have entered what seems to be a forbidden territory that was not marked in our maps. But we are not far from the borders of Mirkwood." He explained as fast as he could. Dior nodded in understanding.

"What should we do?" Dior asked in a hushed voice. She was still holding tightly onto her brother.



Ruen thought for a moment and then spoke, "Do you recall a small cave opening just before our entrance into this forest?"

Dior nodded again. "Yes, but barely."

The male elf took a hard swallow of his saliva and then he said, "You do not have much of a choice, although our destination is near, it is not close enough to run without being caught. The best thing you can do now is take your brother and run. Run as fast as you can and do not look back until you reach the opening it is south from here. if you miss it and if danger is too close, climb a tree. From what I have seen, these people are not tree dwellers and hunt on ground, it will be safer up there."

"What about you?" Legolas finally asked. He had not said anything for a while because he was in shock. He had never come close to death in his life, or even seen it to say the least. Now he was watching arrows blast brains out and he felt like throwing up.

"I will stay and try to help the others. Please be careful!" He said as he gave the two an encouraging push for them to proceed with their escape to safety. He did not say anymore and charged out of their hiding spot, with an arrow in his hands. He decided it would be best to rid the enemies of their fire creators first and the best way to do it was by close range. He could not use his bow in such an event.

Dior looked desperately back at Ruen and then at Legolas. Her heart was anxious, she did not want to leave Ruen behind. But she needed to save her brother too and so that was what she did, she tore the helm of her skirt which hindered her and tightened her grip around her brother's wrist. With that, she ran and did not look back.

It was a shorter trip back to where Dior had last seen the cave opening because they had ran and Dior was so thankful that she did not take a wrong turn. She quickly brought her brother into the cave and they rested there, taking in the huge amounts of air that they lacked. Legolas held tightly onto her. He was still afraid and he was about to cry but she hushed him because the cave caused sound to echo and she did not want to risk being heard. Instead, she pulled him close to her and stroked his hair, lulling him to close his eyes and hoping he would sleep. And it was not long before the young elf did.

At realizing her brother's unconsciousness, Dior got up and walked out from the darkness of the cave and into the danger zone, knowing that she may well not be able to come back alive. She had to find Ruen. She needed to see him again. She was not afraid, she went out because he was her fiancé. And because she loved him with all her heart and would not live without him.

The elven maiden treaded aimlessly through the forest in search of her lover. She felt lost and her heart sank when there were no sounds of screaming anymore, only of sobbing. It was a horrible moment, when she finally arrived the place where she had left Ruen. Many of her people lay limply on the ground in pools of blood, either dead or dying. She wept as she walked over to a few bodies but could not find Ruen. So many she-elves holding onto their brothers and fathers and whatever family and friends that had been killed. They cried and mourned for them, softly singing laments.

Suddenly, she heard a weak call from behind her and recognized who it was immediately. She spun around and found Ruen leaning against a tree, with one hand clutching his stomach. At first she did not notice the pain he was experiencing and said," Thank goodness you're not hurt." But when he removed his hand, she realized that he was bleeding. It was not long before he collapsed on the floor with Dior trying to hold him up.

"I love you." He let out a breathless whisper. "The best thing I could hope for would have been to die in the arms of the one I love. And I did and I am glad." He said as his head fell back slowly and he said nothing after that.

"If you die, I do not have the will to live either." Dior cried as she rested his head on the ground. She took a hard bite out of her tongue and after a few hours, she lay motionless together with Ruen.

Meanwhile, Legolas also awoke to a horrid wailing sound. He thought everything that had just happened was just a dream, a very bad one but when he found himself in a cave, he knew it was all too true to begin with. The wailing sound scared him a little but he made no attempt to run. He called out for his sister, instead, the wailing stopped and he heard the voice of another calling, "Mama?"

Legolas turned around and saw what he did not expect to see in the dim light on the cave. A little girl.

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Plasmolysed cell membrane: whoopee! Its a Lego-fic! Hope you guys like it! I'm not sure if I've got my fact right but mm... yeah! Please tell me what you think about it.