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.

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PART TWELVE

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      Legardo's feet pounded down the long halls toward the King's study.  He felt distinctly alone, and… and naked

      Maybe that wasn't too wise

      Actually, no.  It was certainly not too wise.  As a matter of fact, it was so profoundly unwise that he really felt like kicking himself (and doing Legolas a favor).

      He slowed down, and took the time to ponder the situation.  The impulse was admittedly foolish, most likely a mistake.  But was he ever one to do things halfway? Not really.  And could people really change? Not so quickly.  The situation, he supposed, simply provided too many tempting opportunities to deny.  Besides, his older brother had already redeemed himself.  He was simply buying out a chance to do the same.

      He stopped walking altogether.

      And so

      To turn back, and open the blasted doors he had locked? Or to press forward?

      I'm wasting all my cursed time

      …so much that in a span of breaths, the choice was effectively taken away from him by the marauding force of a particularly cunning foe…  She was a blur of movement in the stillness of the halls.  The entirety of her character surrounded the core instinct of a hungry predator. 

      Yasmina

      Or perhaps, the more morbidly humorous side of him reflected, the calm realization did her violence no justice.  It would have been more fair to say,

      Yasmina!!!

      He barely had any more time to regret his distraction and his grave, grave mistake, as her vicious strike took the pair of them to the ground, and brought her teeth down upon his defenseless flesh.

* * *

      "He tracks like a bloodhound in his anger," Gimli muttered to Aragorn as the trailed after Legolas, who was following the barest signs his foolish younger brother may have left in his flight towards greatness and glory (and most likely death).

      The three warriors paused at the end of the hall, where the ways split to the left and the right.  Legolas halted for a greater reason other than to make a decision-- the sight that met him was so earth-shattering that his heart skipped a beat, and it sank to his stomach.  He froze in shock, and then drew out his sword and lunged forward in blind anger.

      This time, it was Yasmina who committed a grave mistake in her ardent distraction.  She had barely looked up to see the intruder before she fell to the ground with the force of Legolas' attack.  He straddled her, and pinned her struggling arms over her head with one forceful hand, and pressed his knife to her neck with the other.  She looked up at him spitefully.

      "Is he alive?" Legolas asked over his shoulder, not tearing his eyes away from his captured enemy.

      "I'm alive, I'm alive," he heard Legardo speak, his voice shaking slightly.

      Legolas tightened his grip as Yasmina struggled.  ~Either kill me or unhand me!~

      ~You are in no position to make demands,~ Legolas snapped at her.  He kept his entire focus upon the captive, meeting her glare with his cold eyes.  "Will he live long enough to suffer my scolding?" Legolas asked of Aragorn.

      "There are…" Aragorn winced, there are bites… "Yes," he said instead, opting to simply answer the question.  Legardo looked at him gratefully.

      "I suppose I should be thankful over how foolish you are!" Legolas seethed, "Else we would probably have both found ourselves in your tenuous position."

      "Do you want me to say thank you?" Legardo snapped, "I've learned, all right? I'm feeling really rather embarrassed already.  Isn't the entire angry-protective-older-brother act a little too late to play by now?"

      The barb hurt Legolas, it did-- very deeply, and Legardo knew it right after the furious words left his mouth.  It was far too reminiscent of a past that was entirely too near, re-opening wounds that weren't even completely closed at all.

* * *

      Legolas drew his own weapon in a blur of motion, blocking Legardo's way.  Blade grated against blade.  Brother stared down brother.

      ~Lay it down, Legardo,~ Legolas told him coldly, ~It is over.~

      Legardo's chest heaved, his eyes afire.  He opened his mouth, and wished he could lie.  But his older brother's steely, frigid gaze only dared him to try it.  This was the face the Uruks feared, he realized.  The face that lent Legolas his legend on the battlefield.  This was what it meant to have Thranduil's truest son as one's enemy.  Legardo set his jaw instead, and took a step back, lowering his sword.

      ~It is over,~ Legolas told him quietly, warily lowering his own weapon.  His gaze softened as he stared at his younger brother, searching for answers, searching for reasons.

      ~Why?~ Legolas asked his younger brother.  To have a kingdom was a common dream, yes.  But it was not desire enough to kill one's own brother for; at least, it never was, for Legolas.  He could not comprehend what could be so great to gain in exchange for one's loved one, one's soul.  He could not comprehend the traitorousness, the madness, the utter selfishness of it.  His own blood… How had he not seen this festering evil? How could it have been a hatred so great and so well concealed?

      ~Oh, I did not dislike him,~ Legardo replied offhandedly after a moment wherein Legolas felt perhaps his question would not be indulged at all, ~I loved Lesandro, I did.  Who could not? And when I mourned for him I truly, truly grieved.  Each night ada and I would come to his grave, I mourned.~

      ~Then why did you kill him?~ asked Legolas, his voice a mere whisper in the room that was weighty with truths and secrets, weighty with a pain that thickened the air.  Old wounds will be shown this night, old ghosts will rise.  They will stir madly and break the heart before they can be put to rest at last.

      ~I did not,~ replied Legardo, looking away from Legolas and studying the gleaming sheen of his sword, ~At least not of my own will.  That day you two rode to hunt orc, I was out with a company of our men, learning how to be a proper soldier.  So that others may see me at last.  So that ada and you, and Lesandro too will see I am as good as all the rest of you.  I got separated from my group.  I heard a sound and I shot without knowing for a certainty what was there.  My arrow went wide.  But I knew for a certainty that I hit something.  It was only later did I realize it was him.~

      ~An accident,~ Legolas whispered, wondering if he should feel relief.  His brother was not so evil after all.  Perhaps he was just afraid.  He was young.  It was all right to be.  Legolas could even forgive what was done to him as a result of Legardo's inept shooting and subsequent secrecy.  He was young.  He was afraid.  All that he did afterwards was just a consequence of his one, unintended mistake.  But after all the flow of truth, it was Legardo who would not let the story end there.

      ~Of course,~ said Legardo, ~they thought it was you.  I was not a full soldier yet, from where else could I have gotten my arrows but from your stock in the palace? You had the arrows, you had the motives, you had the opportunity.  Who else could it have been?  And I was once more forgotten, but this time for the best.  My best.  I could not have come forward to save you, Legolas.  You must understand, it would have been daft of me to do so.  First because it meant giving up myself.  Then because it meant giving up the kingdom I will inherit.  But mostly, I did not wish to spare you. 

      ~Oh, how entertaining it was,~ Legardo continued, ~to watch the golden prince fall.  The golden prince of Mirkwood, kinslayer, and a coward killed in his pathetic attempt to escape.~

      ~Why do you hate me so?~ Legolas asked, heartbroken.  He loved Lesandro greatly, and it pained him not to have been as good a brother to Legardo as Lesandro had been to him.  He felt like a failure. 

      Legardo rolled back his eyes, ~You do not know how it is to grow up after you, Legolas.  Thranduil's truest son,~ he spat out bitterly, ~The beauty of his mother, the spirit and skill of his father.  You certainly left none for me, brother.  You have taken much.  I have only taken what is fair and right by me.~

      ~You have robbed me of my life,~ Legolas said shakily, his hands fisting with his mounting rage and frustration.

      ~And you have robbed me of mine,~ said Legardo, ~All is fair.  All is right.~

* * *

      "It is never too late to play it," snapped Legolas belatedly, already after a moment of unbearably weighty silence, "As long as you keep playing the cursed blasted fool."

      Legolas angrily gathered his feet and pulled Yasmina up with him.  He encased her in his arms and let the knife rest threateningly against her bare throat.

      "What are you doing, elf?" Gimli asked.

      "One turn deserves another," Legolas replied, pushing Yasmina forward, "Torres' wife in exchange for my father."

      ~I would rather die than have him yield,~ Yasmina retorted, struggling in the elf prince's yield.

      ~And I would gladly accommodate that request,~ Legolas told her coldly, ~My hand is stayed, however, by the unfortunate use you have to me.  And I guarantee you, I will have my way.~

      "All this madness began with her," Legardo said, rising to his own feet with a wince, placing a hand upon his wounded shoulder-- yes, she had come that close…

      "She attacked a servant girl," he continued, "And some guards.  Torres and the King ran into the scene, just as she was about to be shot down.  In an act of desperation, Torres took the King hostage, and then the entire kingdom hostage, to save her from our justice.  He had risked everything once, he will do so again."

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.

Torres – the leader of the Forgotten elves

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

THANKS TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ!!!

THANKS ESP. TO MY REVIEWERS: Insanechildfanfic, HalandLeg4ever, MSL, Stoneage Woman, Platy, Cotume, Gwyn, Starlit Hope, Amy and Dragonfly.

To Amy: haha, he's that bad huh? Well I'll probably 'get rid of him…' just not in the dire situation you may think (I hope you don't hate me!).  The theme of the story is, after all, things coming in full circle from "Exile" and "Escape."  We've had once-locked doors opened, we have exiles returning, things like that.  This story will be closure for Legardo too :)

To Cotume: It's all right, you don't have to :) I'm just thankful you even read at all! :)

To Stoneage Woman: a truly original thinker :) I never thought of distracting him in that fashion :) I've already decided an end for Legardo though, as you may guess after this chapter :)

THANKS EVERYONE!!! 'TIL THE NEXT POST!!!