Disclaimer: All characters and facts related to Tolkien's works are his.

These Burdens We Carry

Chapter VI  Soul Cleansing

The surface of the lake, which mirrored the innumerable stars in the sky, was disturbed by a slight breeze as it blew lightly across. The wind whispered in the trees and somewhere further out in the water, a soft plop could be heard as a broken branch dropped into the lake.

The silence was broken suddenly as a being burst through the trees out into the open. It fell onto its knees and bowed its head. Quiet sobbing broke through the air.

Small dewdrops of water rolled down Legolas' otherwise flawless face and fell onto the damp grass. He did not know what to do. All reason and logic had been driven away by his grief and in its place was a dark empty void. He felt isolated from the rest of the world. The beauty around could not be reached, the sorrow in his heart formed a barrier between him and anything else. He tried to break through the wall but it was too difficult for his hurting body and mind.

He could not see the next step, the next course of action in his long life. He was miserably trapped. He was long past panic, it had overwhelmed him before, now he felt calm acceptance. The salty tears stung his eyes and he blinked but his vision remained blurred.

He rested his head against the steady trunk behind him tried to resist the edges of darkness pulling at him. Helplessly, he failed and sank deep into a lightless pit which seemed to have no bottom.

When next Legolas became aware of his own being, he opened his eyes and looked down only to find himself knee deep in a pool of thick blood. He felt repulsed but there was no high ground around to climb onto. To his horrer, the liquid seemed to be rising like a horrible red tide. Within the blink of an eye, it was up to his waist, and then his chin and soon it engulfed his entire body.

He cried out and immediately choked on the blood. It filled his nose and mouth and years and coated his hands and every inch of skin. His blonde hair felt like there were congealed lumps of blood entangled in it.  He felt like a dead weight. Suddenly, a rotting skull appeared before his eyes amid the sea of crimson. The hollows of its eyes glowed evilly and he thought he heard the cackling of laughter.

Was this death he wondered? Have I died of grief? Just as he thought his lungs must have become completely choked up with fluid and he had surely drowned, his surroundings changed abruptly.

The encompassing red was replaced by a pale blue. He was on solid ground. He climbed to his feet and found his whole body still stained with blood. The turquoise lake beckoned and he heeded its call, with a graceful leap he penetrated the shimmering water. It was cool and refreshing and it washed away the stains on his person His skin glowed white again and his clothes were washed clean. The cleansing liquid seemed to permeate his being if that was possible. He seemed to feel himself being revitalized. His grief was being washed away. He felt weightless in this water body, he carried no burdens here.

Golden Sunlight reached under the surface of the water and drew him upwards. He was met with a boundless marbled sky, the snowy clouds forming swirls and patterns in the vast above. Nature had not a care in the world. The trees bore fruit, the sky and the lakes simply existed, the birds lived day by day.

For a while, he seemed to float bodiless in the large open space surrounded by nature, he felt lighter then he had been since many hundreds of years…

~*~

Legolas grabbed his quiver from where it rested against the wall and strapped it on. With light footsteps, he approached his horse and stroked it gently as it nuzzled its head against his neck. He smiled to himself, his eyes lighting with pleasure.

"Are you ready for the journey back, old friend?"

His horse seemed to neigh with delight and nipped Legolas' ear affectionately.

The elf sensed footsteps behind him and inclined his head slightly in that direction. As Aragorn looked upon the elf's face, he sensed a difference in his friend. Something had changed in the course of the night. The creases of worry were gone from his face; his shoulders seemed more relaxed, as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He approached the elf tentatively.

Legolas reached out his hand and clasped the ranger's shoulder tightly in assurance. \no words needed to be said. His appearance and the light in his eyes told all.

He led his horse out of the stable and past the ranger.

"I will be fine, Aragorn. Just fine."

Aragorn caught the quiet words and they soothed the worry in his heart.

He watched as Legolas mounted his horse and joined the other elf. Together, the two of them began their return journey home. Although Legolas carried about the same number of things which Aragorn had found him in the mountains with, his load was lighter.

He had left a heavy burden behind somewhere deep amongst the trees of Rivendell.

~*~

 End

Epilogue (in which Legolas' miraculous recovery will be explained) up soon…

Review!!! Please…

Many thanks to past reviewers… I'm sorry but I just don't seem to have the time to reply to them, that doesn't mean I don't read everyone of them and grin like a loon to my comp- in joy!!!!