Author: Mirrordance

Title: Return

Summary: Post-LOTR. Legolas always felt at odds with his home kingdom. Though it's King by birthright, he fled it, building a prosperous colony in Ithilien. Just when all seems well at last, great dangers in Mirkwood call for the return of THIS King home.

* * *

PART NINE

* * *

      Legolas led the way down the familiar old tunnel. 

      Estel walked apace with Legolas, whom he was watching from the corner of his eyes.  The Mirkwood elf breathed as if each one was a memory.  Legolas caught him, and raised an eyebrow in innocent inquiry.

      Estel shok his head, nothing, he lied wordlessly.  He wondered if the elf was missing some things in all his overwhelming feelings over returning home.  The situation was dangerous enough without the added distraction.  

      Legolas knew from the look on the human's eyes that he was bothered by something; well the entirety of the situation was after all, disturbing indeed.

      "You needn't worry," he whispered soothingly, his voice echoing in the emptiness of the lengthy, dimly-lit, narrow hall that they walked in.  It was a long way along the winding secret passage from the royal mausoleum to the palace living quarters, turning, rising, twisting… at least it was as blessedly empty now as it had always been. 

      They stopped at the end of the long hall.  Legolas knew this particular door would open up to Lesandro's bedroom.  The crown prince strategically had the best access to the escape path, to keep the line alive in case of invasion.  He remembered with fondness that his old room was connected to Lesandro's.  Legolas would come through the door all hours of the day and the night, and Lesandro would happily welcome the intrusion…

      That was decades ago, Legolas reflected.  The last time he returned to his home using this very passageway with Aragorn, he was fighting to reclaim his kingdom too.

      Legolas pushed the door open, letting light into the secret hall.  Cautiously, he looked about the room to ensure it was empty, before stepping aside to let the others in.  The group of fourteen entered the unused room, and Legolas closed the secret door behind them.  Gimli the dwarf noted with appreciation that it melded so well with the walls that no one could have known it was there.

      The group stood still and silent, as if trying to listen to their surroundings.  Legolas glanced at Elrohir, who nodded in satisfaction that the area was empty enough.

      "We are in the wing of the royal sleeping quarters," Legolas whispered, facing the elven soldiers, "Once we step out that door, go left and search for the hostages.  The rest of us will go right."

      Some of the elven soldiers were from Mirkwood after all; they ought to know their way around.  The Gondor men, therefore, would have him as their guide.

      "All hostages found will be led back to the passageway and out to safety," Legolas continued, "In small, quiet groups.  Remember: secrecy is the key.  Try not to kill the aggressors unless they make it absolutely necessary.  Keep them alive, if you can."

      The group walked to the main double doors. 

      "Oh and Gimli," Legolas whispered, "No battle cries, all right?"

      "Why are you telling only me?" the dwarf retorted.

      "Shhh!"

      The mighty dwarf had the grace to look embarrassed.  Legolas almost smiled.  Elrohir pressed an ear upon the door.

      "Hall's empty," he declared.

      Legolas took a deep breath and nodded.

      The group filed out the door.

* * *

      The halls were dimly lit by single candles situated once every few feet, lending the ways an eerie, heavy feeling.  There were others of course, but were either melted completely with the wax spilling from their iron holders to the ground, or headed that way quick.  Once in awhile, a strange, foreboding breeze would make the little light left flicker and dim. 

      "Short of candles?" Elrohir murmured to Legolas.

      "So it seems," Legolas murmured back, his eyes darting left and right, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.  But it was painfully clear that long, straight hall lined by doors leading to room after room was too quiet to have been used.  It was ironically stiflingly empty, feeling as if it's been neglected for days.

      "I do not think they made use of this wing," Aragorn observed.

      "Which is in a way, very lucky for us," Legolas said.  They moved along anyway, and stopped before the only pair of doors that were open along the length of the hall.

      Legolas' jaws set, and his eyes took on a dangerous glint, a fiery anger.  There was blood across the floor, leading up to ravaged, graceless corpses.  The sight and smell sickened him, but not as much as the violence, the brutality his people were subject to.

      "You still want them alive, laddie?" Gimli asked him quietly.

      Legolas decided not to answer.  He stepped into the empty room.  The curtains of the window swirled with the night breeze.  He peered outside cautiously, and found the lower levels of the palace strewn with Forgotten Elves bearing the Kingdom's armor, fortifying the outer walls and preparing for the attack.

      "Most of them are outside," Aragorn said softly, peering behind him, "We have a chance, in here."

      Legolas looked at him and nodded, knowing his perceptive old friend-- the not-so-foolish dreamer and perpetually hopeful adan, was turning his head towards possibilities, rather than the defeats of a helpless past.  As always.

      They strode out the door, and walked away from the room and all its horrors.  The end of the hall curved to a right, leading to an indulgent, massive stairwell.  It was at the top of these stairs that they heard the clinking and clanking of armor, and voices from below.

      "There's another way down," Legolas whispered, backing up quickly and stepping inside a room at random, "Each of these rooms are connected to the others in some way.  I did not get a chance to explore all of them, but my brothers and I, we did try.  They are escape routes, and routes to the servant's quarters, so that the palace guests may be safe, and may be served at all hours of the day and night."

      The group started feeling along the length of the walls for secret knobs and switches.

      "You had brothers," Legolas said to Elrohir quietly, "And a huge home to play in.  Not to mention a harried and overburdened father.  You ought to be good at finding these secret ways."

      "He was the best," Elrohir said wryly, nodding at Aragorn, "He has an uncanny talent for finding trouble."

      The Gondor soldiers looked at each other, nervous over the situation but amused to hear of their mighty and legendary king being spoken of so irreverently.

      Aragorn, feeling the need to reclaim some of his legend, opened his mouth to say something.  But he held his tongue, when a brush of his palm along the wall caused it to slide aside and open to yet another secret passage.

      Elrohir looked at him pointedly, and the King jauntily bowed them forward.  What else could he say, really?

* * *

      Outside the palace walls, Haldir found Elladan of Rivendell sitting upon the ground, looking up at the night sky that hung over the palace before them.

      ~You couldn't possibly expect that signal so soon,~ Haldir told him wryly.

      Elladan did not bother to turn and face him, and stayed his stare.  ~You never know, with the brand of troublemakers we've released in there.~

      ~A fair assessment,~ Haldir declared, the thin clinking of his armor making for strange, comforting music in the quiet night, as he stepped towards Elladan and sat beside him.

      ~If you don't mind,~ the Lothlorien elf said belatedly, already having settled in.

      ~Of course not,~ said Elladan, glancing at Haldir and smiling at him uncertainly.

      ~It's a pain to be left behind, isn't it?~ Haldir asked.

      ~Yes,~ agreed Elladan, ~With my pair of brothers inside and Legolas, who is as good as one to me as well.~

      ~This entire situation leaves a foul taste in my mouth,~ Haldir said dispassionately, ~These Elves… they could have been you or me.~

      ~Life can be cruel,~ Elladan agreed.

      ~Can they be cured, you think?~ asked Haldir.

      ~If ada were here…~ Elladan sighed, ~But then he's not.  Why must I ponder these impossibilities… hm.~  He smiled wistfully at the other elf, ~Let us survive this night first.~

      ~I think our survival is not a question at all,~ said Haldir coolly, ~We will win, you know.  It's really rather plain to see.  The only question is how much it's going to cost.~

* * *

      There was a small anteroom beside the great hall, which Legolas knew very well from his youth.  The great hall housed glamorous balls, and the most important of meetings, or gatherings.  But the anteroom was his refuge.  It was linked along the maze of ways that the servants used.  During the gatherings, the food was prepared here, and the footmen waited in this very room to serve the guests.

      He and Lesandro, however, used the small space for something else altogether: it was their hiding place, especially when the mothers of young female elves arrived and set their eyes upon the Mirkwood heirs.  Sometimes, the King Thranduil would enter and try to pry his wild sons out to join the social fray.  Mostly, he ended yup getting waylaid himself.

      This time around, it seems the anteroom would save them again.

      Legolas had an ear pressed against the door from the anteroom leading to the hall.  "People inside," he said quietly.

      "Can't we just storm in?" Gimli grumbled.

      "I would not risk it," said Legolas, "With the little information that we know."

      Elrohir had an ear pressed against the door that connected the anteroom to the main halls.

      "Guards outside too," Elrohir murmured.

      Legolas' brows furrowed in thought.  Gimli stared at the elf; it was curious, how expressive that face was, especially compared to the rest of his kin.  He could practically hear the wheels turning inside that diabolical! mind.

      "We need to draw their attention away from the people," Legolas said, "If there are guards inside, we need to draw them out."

      Gimli bit his lip in thought, "Do you think they would have an appetite for dwarves?"

      "Oh, all that flesh?" chuckled Elrohir, "Why not.  They would obviously try everything once.  But you don't look very…"

      "Very what?" growled Gimli.

      "Appetizing?" Elrohir gambled, his eyes dancing.

      "Why you—"

      "Please, master dwarf," sighed Legolas, "Don't tell me you are offended over not being a palatable meal? What's on your mind, mellon?"

      "I'm not very good at quick and secret movements," Gimli admitted, "I really might as well."

      "Might as well what?' Aragorn asked, raising an eyebrow at him, not really liking where this seemed to be heading.

* * *

      Gimli peered out the door, the bulk of his body inching its way out in a cautious and almost comical manner.

      The Forgotten Elves outside, numbering about ten, turned at the sound of the curious and unlikely new arrival.

      They stared at him with jaws dropped, as if they were wondering if he was truly there.

      The dwarf blinked at them.  And grinned.

      He turned his back on them and ran down the hall, in the opposite direction from the great hall.

      The soldiers of Gondor stood poised and ready by the door to ambush the elves who would make the monumental mistake of pursuing the dwarf.

      Legolas, Elrohir and Aragorn stood by the other door, the one that led from the anteroom to the hall.  They waited a breath.

      When the first sounds of pursuit erupted from the outside halls, the three burst into the great gathering room.

      The dark elves guarding the hostages were preoccupied by the commotion outside, all ten of them loosely glancing out the halls, or trying to peer past the backs of their comrades to see what was happening outside.  Thus did Aragorn, Legolas and Elrohir come upon them.

      ~Surrender and be spared!~ Legolas told them.

      One of the Forgotten Elves froze at the sight of the intruders for a breath, before baring his teeth at Legolas, and with surreal speed, reached out for the nearest hostage he could grasp…

      Legolas released an arrow, and caught him between the eyes.  He fell dully to the ground.  But he would not be the last to dare to take some of the folk of Eryn Lasgalen with him to his ultimate doom.

      Legolas released more arrows in quick succession, Elrohir and Estel doing the same beside him.  He looked about the room, knowing that the pair had things on that end well in order, to see if there were other threats about.

      There was only one, and this was not even as much of a threat as he was a bad habit

      Legardo.

      Legolas recognized the all-too-familiar face of his younger brother amidst the sea of hostages.  He blinked in indecision, before unsheathing one of his white knives and tossing it to the other elf.  Legardo rose to his feet and caught it cleanly by the handle.  He dashed to his older brother's side.

      ~Took you awhile,~ Legardo commented wryly, as he jumped into the fray.  Legolas glanced at his younger brother's back warily, before keeping his bow and arrows in favor of his close-contact fighting weapons.      

      It did not take long before the ten Forgotten Elves were downed and defeated upon the floor.  Legolas jumped towards the door at the sound of reinforcements, and he shut it just as it nearly burst with the force of the new arrivals.  Taking an arrow from his quiver, he shoved it into the keyhole to reinforce it.

      ~That will not hold them long,~ Elrohir said breathlessly.

      ~We lend our arms outside the halls,~ Aragorn said, dashing towards the anteroom doors, trailed by Elrohir and Legardo.

      ~Everyone stay their ground!~ Legolas told his people, following after the marauding warriors.

* * *

      Gimli the dwarf, and the more than capable Gondor soldiers who accompanied him made an impressively quick work of the Forgotten Elves.  The corridor was strewn by the bloodied bodies of their fallen enemies by the time the three elves and the King of Gondor stepped out the hall.

      "Is everyone well?" Aragorn asked his men, who seemed bedraggled but otherwise unharmed.

      "They are not very clever with the weapons, sire," said one of the soldiers, "You will find it strange, they were harder to deal with without their arms."

      "Aye," agreed Gimli, "They soon figured the futility of fighting with inadequate skills.  They threw aside their weapons and literally lunged at us.  Such power they have, Aragorn.  It took strike after strike before they were stilled," he pointed to one corpse, "That one tried to take a bite out of me."

      "Did it succeed?" Legolas asked him urgently.  What was it Elias had said?

      He took a good bite out of me, and I think then, I began to share the insatiability of their hunger…

      "Nay," replied Gimli, sighing in relief, "You were right, Master Elf.  I would much rather be regarded as an unpalatable meal.  Those infernal teeth came much too close."

      "Was anyone bitten?" Aragorn asked his men.  They all shook their heads, and seemed to blanch at the idea.

      "Did anyone get away?" Elrohir asked Gimli, "Was an alarm of any kind raised? Or is our secret still kept?"

      "None escaped," Gimli said proudly, "But I do not think we were very quiet."

      "The palace is large," Legolas said optimistically, "Perhaps luck is still on our side."

      The group stepped into the anteroom, and then into the great hall.  Legolas stood amidst his people uncertainly, and they were regarding him with a mixture of awe and reserve. 

      What's new

      He took a deep breath, looked upon their expectant faces.  He was admittedly very nervous.  Their trusting, watchful eyes were more threatening to him than the elves he had just felled.  He did not even have time to catch a breath in the melee earlier, much less time to ponder how he was perceived by them.

      He opened his hands up before them, as if he was temporarily at a loss for words.  He searched the sea of hostages for a familiar face, or perhaps a friendly one.

      He recognized the wryly smiling Lord Sala.

      ~At your service, my liege,~ the irreverent noble said to Legolas, reading the questions upon the prince's face.

      ~Where are the other hostages being held?~ Legolas asked.

      ~They kept the soldiers in the dungeons,~ he replied, ~I know not where the King is.~

      ~I know where he is,~ Legardo said quickly, ~I can lead you.~

      Legolas turned to the Gondor soldiers, "Lead the people back out to the camp.  To safety.  Do it in groups of five.  Use the secret ways.  Stay hidden.  Take them to safety quickly and quietly."  To Sala, he said, ~If you would arrange the groups, my lord.  The children first, and then the women.  And then the men.~

      ~As you bid, sire,~ Sala said, his teasing eyes turning a curiously fiery glint, as if he was suddenly determined, as if he was suddenly bestowed a great honor.  Suddenly there was respect in those sharp, wily eyes.  He was dealing with one whose spirit was mightier than his. 

      He was dealing with a King.

      ~Welcome back, Prince Legolas,~ he said quietly, almost begrudgingly; to admit to the other's greatness was to admit to his own inadequacy.  It was a stretch for one whose pride and ambition was always rather… overwhelming.  Nevertheless, he bowed low.  The rest of the Mirkwood folk did not hesitate to follow suit, save perhaps for the perpetually awkward Legardo, who bit his lip in hesitation, before quickly bowing his head.

      Legolas took another deep breath, and blinked at his people in surprise, before returning the gesture.  He moved quickly, as if he was still uneasy, although the movement retained all the grace of his nobility.

      ~There will be time for such things… later,~ he declared.  He turned to Aragorn and Elrohir, "I would feel better if one of you stayed to supervise the evacuation."

      "Where might you be going?" Elrohir asked.

      "With Legardo," said Legolas, "To free the King and the soldiers."

      "I'll go with you," Aragorn offered.

      "I'll let you," Elrohir said quickly, smiling jauntily at his adoptive brother, "But it being that I love you dearly, I must warn you.  Speaking from personal experience, I would happily go the other way if I were you.  The last time I had those hideous pair of Mirkwood brothers in my hands, I gained a rather unhealthy patch of white hairs.  You know.  Like ada's whenever you and Legolas return home…"

      …Elrohir decided to stay his ground.  This was a fight of brothers, with a history of anger and pain that only they themselves can resolve. Besides, it seemed Legolas had things well in order. 

      More or less, he corrected himself…

      "…Well we all know how that ended," he finished, sighing, "One of them bleeding and dying on the ground.  What will it be, Estel?"

      "I'll take my chances," Aragorn said wryly, "I gain far more white hairs not knowing whatever it was Legolas might have gotten himself into."

      "Has anyone forgotten we are here?" Legolas snapped, "Or that time is of the essence?"

      "Let us move," Legardo insisted.

      "Well they agree on one thing," Elrohir said to Estel, winking, "Good luck."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Original Character Guide:

Lesandro was the much-beloved heir to Mirkwood and Legolas' older brother, until he was murdered in the 2800's. 

Legardo is Legolas' younger brother, and was the murderer of Lesandro, as Legolas finds out in "Exile."  He tries to kill Legolas too, but fails and is imprisoned.

Lord Sala is the cowardly but opportunistic Mirkwood politician who tried to take the throne from King Thranduil by accusing Legolas of Lesandro's murder.

Lady Andrada is an old elf woman who fell in love with Thranduil but staged her own death to escape her unreturned love and subsequent despair in Mirkwood.  She staged Legolas' death as well, to keep him from being a pawn in Sala's ambitions.

Esse and Mical are Mirkwood brothers and eccentric geniuses who followed Legolas to Ithilien, also introduced in "Return."  Esse is the Royal Gardener and Mical is the Royal City Planner.

Elias – one of the Forgotten elves, the first one whom Legolas and company find.

Torres – the leader of the Forgotten elves

Yasmina – Torres' beloved wife, also one of the Forgotten elves

SOME REPLIES NOTES AND THANKS

MASSIVE THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS: Kit Cloudkicker, Po-Pla, Cotume, Starlit Hope, Insanechildfanfic, MSL, Stoneage Woman, Konzen, Sodalite, Tychen, Gwyn, Platy, HalandLeg4ever and Dragonfly.

To Dragonfly: are you always worried? Lol.  I'm having fun with the idea of Andrada, the strange mother figure with the tragic past.  The muses seem to like her too, for I've not had any ideas about taking her out of the story… just yet, haha.

To Stoneage Woman: Aragorn… yes, he's not so pivotal in this fic, is he? I love him to pieces but I guess I just didn't feel compelled to go in that direction.  I suppose you can say his musings about who he was going to be this time around was as much my musings of who I was going to make him, because I wasn't entirely sure.  His resolution to be the friend who stands by is eventually what happened :) You are as perceptive as ever! :)

THANKS TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ!!! Hope it was okay and 'til the next post!!!