*laughs hysterically* You guys are so funny. *hides behind elven army* Please don't kill me.
And just for all of you who didn't understand, yes. Aragorn stabbed Legolas. I was trying to be all dramatic in the end, but you people wouldn't let me. I rewrote the ending so you'll all understand. Here...
"Le adar cuinar. No na sîdh, nin caun." He whispered, the dark smile turning to kindness as the Arandant king watched. "Ten na-or." ("Your father lives. Be at peace, my prince." "It is over.")
Then he thrust his hunting knife into the prince's stomach and watched in sadness as the pelf's eyes filled with joy and his body slid to the floor, his hands wrapping around the blade imbedded in his stomach. Dark red blood spread around Strider's dagger, seeping through Legolas' fingers in tiny rivulets, and the Ranger smiled as tears slid from his eyes.
*walks away grumbling about silly people who don't understand the essence of drama*
:)
" Leaves of Glass "
Chapter 16 - The King of the Arandant
The world was far too still. The paths of Mirkwood's gardens were empty save for the two Noldor elves that walked their stone ways. The sun shone brightly overhead, glaring down on the twins, heating the forests. The birds in the trees barely made any sound. Elladan and Elrohir watched the dark forests warily.
"It is far to quiet in these woods, brother." Elrohir said quietly, almost afraid to break the silence for fear of the storm it would bring.
"Ai." The elder twin agreed. "Something is not right. The same something I believe, that is not right with our beloved prince."
"I'm glad Thranduil agreed to remain in his rooms with Lindelen and Avarilas."
Elladan nodded. "The only time in his long life the king of Mirkwood has ever set aside his stubbornness, and I believe it was the best time to do so."
"Ai. Look." Elrohir stepped from the path into the dark woods. "Estel's pack."
Elladan pulled the travel pack from the dense bush, brushing away the debris. He flipped the top open and pulled the two white parchments from the top. Adar, one read in smooth elvish script. Taur Thranduil, the other said. Elrohir took the latter and broke the purple sealing wax. His eyes scanned over the neat words. With each passing line his eyes grew wider, his began beating faster.
"What is it, El?"
Elrohir turned wide, frightened eyes to his brother. "We must find Legolas. Now."
**
For a moment Strider couldn't bear to pull away from Legolas' pain-filled eyes. Tears swam in their deep depths, running from the corners to mix with the blood that had filled his mouth to run out in a small stream down his cheek. Ragged breaths convulsed through the prince's body, but other than that he lay perfectly still. He blinked up at the Ranger, a small smile forming around the grimace on his face.
Strider nodded solemnly; then he stood quickly, dragging his eyes from the prince and spun around to face the king. The dark man was laid out flat on the floor, writhing in pain as he clutched at a wound that wasn't there. Strider stormed over to the dying man and placed one booted foot in the center of his stomach.
"Tell me how to break the link." He demanded icily, his gray eyes flashing with a tirade of emotions as he stared down at the man that had taken his friends life, for that was how he was determined to look at it. For now.
Dark red blood an identical line to the blood that stained the prince's skin, ran from the king's mouth. He sneered and spat at Strider. The Ranger grimaced and wiped blood from his face. He glared down at the man, his anger rising, and put pressure on his foot, digging his heel into the man's stomach. The king screamed; Strider flinched at the sharp cry that came from behind him.
"If he dies, you die with him." Strider sneered, pressing down harder. The king howled, writhing beneath his foot. "Tell me how to break the link!" A little more pressure.
The dark man screamed again, his voice gargling around the blood in his mouth. He lifted one shaking hand and pointed to the bed, at the dark cloak that was draped across the middle. "P-Pocket. In my...pock... I have... to drink it... I..."
Strider pulled away and ran to the bed, feeling through all the inner pockets until he found a small glass bottle, its wide mouth stopped with a cork. 'Torlin didn't know about this.' Strider thought, as he walked back to the dying king.
He pulled the cork from the top and crouching beside the dark man's head, pouring half of the liquid directly into his mouth. The king gagged, rolling onto his side, most of the liquid coughed out onto the floor. Strider kicked his shoulder, forcing the man back onto his back, then knelt beside him, one knee digging into his arm. He pinched the man's nose and poured the rest of the liquid into his mouth, forcing him to swallow so that he could breathe.
Once the liquid had been swallowed Strider stood and backed away from him. The king sputtered as he lay on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth, gagging on the mix of copper and sweet from the potion. He gasped, shook sweat from his brow. After a moment he sat up, wiping the blood from his face, taking in deep breaths.
"Is it done?" Strider asked as the king felt his stomach where the pain had been. He nodded.
Strider nodded back, then he took two steps closer to the king, pulling another knife from his boot as he moved. When he reached the dark man, the man he hated more than he thought he could ever have hated another living being, and he thrust the blade into the dark man's shoulders, piercing his heart. He took no joy as the man screamed when he twisted the blade. The Ranger lifted one foot and pushed on the king's body, pulling as he fell to the floor, his dark eyes open in surprise, but never to see again.
Strider spared no second look to the evil man, to the man's whose life he had taken. He spun around quickly and raced back to Legolas' side, kneeling beside the dying prince, cradling his head in his hands. The golden locks turned red with the king's blood.
"You're... very tal... talented..." Legolas gasped. His eyes were lowered, almost shut; his tears had run dry.
"Hush now, nin caun." Strider said softly. He laid the prince's head gently in his lap, then he pulled the cloak from his shoulders, tearing a large section from the bottom. He wrapped the cloth around the wound, stopping the blood flow. "I'm going to get you help. I tried not to make it fatal, but I..." (... , my prince.")
The Ranger's reassuring words trailed off as a dark figure stepped out of the shadows across the room. Strider immediately reached for the knife he had returned to his boot. The man was clapping, a sneer twisting his lips.
"Very impressive, my young friend. Very impressive." He said. Legolas jerked in his lap.
Strider recognized the man; he was one of the lower captains that had traveled with the king. He was older, his short hair graying at the temples; he was short in height but well muscled. He looked like any other of the men that had traveled with the king.
"Who are you?" Strider demanded, his dagger clutched tightly in his hand. One of Legolas' bloody hands reached up, grasping for his wrist. His breathing became erratic and harsh. Strider stilled him when he tried to rise.
The man across the room laughed. "You recognize me, do you, prince?" The elf's eyes darkened as he watched the man; he tried to gain Strider's attention but did not have the strength. As all his energy was drained away his body went slack in Strider's hold and he growled in frustration.
"My name is Orin and it seems, after all, that you are not a murderer, prince. But your friend is." The man walked over to the corpse that was bleeding out on the stone floor and prodded at it with one foot. "Though in truth he does me a favor. Mallekin was becoming rather obtrusive. Seemed to forget rather often lately that he was not the king of the Arandant."
Strider sputtered, his eyes widening in surprise. "He's not the king?!"
"No, of course not." The man said, turning from the body to look into Strider's stunned eyes. "I am." The man looked down at Strider, one eyebrow raised, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips.
"You... You?"
"Yes. Me. What, you think a true king would simply tell people in hostile territory that he is the king? No, I would have every assassin in the area out for my head. 7 were killed attempting to kill Mallekin while we were on the outskirts of the forest." The man, the king, had begun walking around the room as he talked, picking up items that decorated the ample space. "Mallekin was just a pawn. A puppet I controlled with magic. When my kingdom is established I would have killed him and taken my place as king. You've saved me that step. And now that I have the most powerful army in all of Arda at my fingertips I need not worry for my safety."
Legolas' eyes shot open and he tried to rise again, Strider gently held him back down. He began to absently run his fingers through the elf's long hair, soothing the exhausted creature. "You do not have the elves. Their king still lives. I told them what you are going to do." He said confidently.
The king turned away from the statuette he was looking at. "Did you? Hmm." He turned to the shadows that he had emerged from just minutes ago. "Seize him."
Strider watched two elves step from the darkness. Their bodies were shaking, their hands were clenched into fists, and their faces spoke of pain and denial. But their feet brought them to Strider's side and their hands wrapped in vice grips around his arms.
As the Ranger was pulled to his feet Legolas' head slid from his lap and fell limply to the ground with a dull thud. The dark blue eyes of the elves turned to look at their beloved prince as he moaned in pain.
"Ignore the prince." Orin demanded. Strider could feel the tension in the elves' bodies as their eyes slid from Legolas to the man that controlled them. "You see, my young Dunedain, the poison that Mallekin gave to your prince was in the food that was served this night. They all answer to me now. Kill him." The king said, waving absently at the Ranger.
The elves immediately began to drag him away. As they pulled him from the room his eyes saw Legolas struggle to get to his feet, saw the prince stumble and land again on his wounded stomach, saw the defeat in his eyes as he reached out for his last lifeline. But his heart saw nothing but the ruin of the people and the world he loved.
*
Once the Ranger had been pulled from the room, failure in his eyes, Orin turned to Legolas. "Now, prince. I still need you, so let's see about this wound, shall we?"
To Be Continued...
Okay, it's short, but it's early. And I fixed it! See? See? I fixed him. He's not dead! *hides* I know that was mean, but I had to. I just had to. You don't understand. But I'll never ever ever ever do it again I promise. *runs away screaming*
To my reviewers who are so easily manipulated *laughs hysterically* *runs away* -
silvertoekee - Hahahaha! Yes, I am evil and darn proud of it. But it's better, see.
evil spapple pie - Well, it was the case. So back off. *hides behind bodyguards*
Templa Otmena - Yeah, I think I may actually see an ending in the near future. Wow.
Hellmarie - Well don't cry. Goodness. He's better okay? *hands you a tissue*
Arrana Undomiel - Naughty, yes. A murderer, no. I could never kill off our dear prince.
Estel Elven Enchantress - *steals back a few chill pills from MG87* *hands them to you* Was that regrettable?
Alaria - Oh, see, that's cute cuz you said gut-wrenching and I gutted Legolas. *giggles* *walks contemplating great thing*
Slea - Yeah, what is that about us? I just love to torture my reviewers. *grins*
Lyn - Oh, technicalities. In a world of magic none of that matters. And ummm... what in the world did you mean in those last few lines? Lose... Rode... Huh? I'm so confused!
Silvertongue - That's a good question. Why?
sheelf2 - I agree whole heartedly about the Oscars. Especially the Sean Astin part. To quote a friend of mine 'He carried him up the mountain!'. It made me very mad that none of them got a nod for acting. And thank you so much for all your lovely comments. I do fully intend on finishing, and I'm glad to hear you don't want it too end. And no worries on the long reviews. The longer the better, actually.
Deana - Please see note at the top. *grumbles some more* Just kidding hun. I think maybe, maybe mind you, I was being a bit too vague. Oh well.
Gozilla - Thank you!
Kept-Secret - *cackles* I'll eat your chicken for breakfast. No wait, lunch. No, roast chicken sounds really good and that's more of a dinner meal. Wait, what were we talking about?
Chilamala - He stabbed him cuz he would rather die than kill his family, and even though he thought his father was dead, his brother was still alive. And it was the only way to get to the king. The not-king. The... whatever.
Angel Ecstasy - Worshipers. Wow. *sits down on throne* Please continue.
Gwyn - I take great pleasure in confusing you yes. But, me being the nice person that I am I had to go and fix it.
Viresse0 - *hands you a piece of paper* This is a court order for Anger Management therapy. Go now. *hides*
Vicki Turner - Hmmm. I think you missed the more important issue here. I PRETENDED TO KILL LEGOLAS!! Did you not notice? Were you too shocked to say anything? What? You were the only person that did not mention Legolas' supposed death, let alone try to kill me. You took me quite by surprise.
cheryfaerie - Elves don't scar. I think. But I did kill the king. Sort of. Whatever.
LalaithoftheBruinen - Thank you.
Ruby Foxburr of Loamsdown - Hands you a tissue. All better now?
Coolio02 - Hell yeah! *grins*
Nesuli - Thank you very much. *walks away nibbling tasty cookie*
MG87 - Gasp! I listened. I haven't done an early update in a while. Happy now?
Elven Kitten - Oh, I dare alright. I dare.
Sparrow Greenleaf - Really? I'd think at this point you'd pretty much be expecting something like this..
Cosmic Castaway - Ummm.... I think you need to go to Anger Management with Viresse0. Yup. I do. *tries to grab gun* *runs away screaming when I fail*
candidus-lupus-full Moon - Thank you.
azla - Never! And thank you!
temalange - I don't do cheesy dream sequences. Is this better though?
tay - But of course.
