Author's Note-I've had a couple of you ask if there's a connection between
the gargoyle and Legolas' sister. Well, the answers are going to have to
wait for now but Narcissis' origins will be explained later on in the story
so don't fret. (And I know gargoyles don't exist in Tolkein's Middle Earth
but having them in works well with the storyline.)
******
The elf ran to find his father, who he found sitting with Thranduil in the library. The two older elves looked at him with a bit of worry in their faces.
"Elladan, what's wrong?" demanded Elrond as he stood up.
"It's Legolas! He's disappeared!" Elladan replied, almost shouting it out.
"What? How could he have gotten out? There are guards at his door!" Elrond wanted to know.
The three of them hurried to Legolas' room to find it was truly empty. Thranduil looked around the room and soon came to the window.
"He left by his window! We have to find him before he hurts himself even more," Thranduil said with a sigh before heading for the door.
Elrond and Elladan glanced at each other before following him.
***
The group of three soon met up with Aragorn and Elrohir in the hallway. They heard a commotion come from out in the hallway and they ventured out to investigate.
"What's going on?" Elrohir wanted to know.
"Legolas is missing. He went out his window," Elladan replied as his brother started walking beside him.
"Missing? Where could he have gone to? Why would he have gone?" wondered Aragorn.
Elladan shrugged as Thranduil and Elrond led them to the guards. Thranduil ordered them to go search for his son.
"What can we do?" asked Aragorn.
"Nothing at the moment. We will need you here in the event Legolas comes back," replied Elrond.
The three nodded, knowing it was for the best.
***
A few hours later, the guards came back, with no sign of the missing prince. Thranduil was more worried than ever for Legolas' safety. He began to pace back and forth, a hand over his mouth as he looked out at the sun in the sky. He sighed for he knew it wouldn't be dark soon but he wouldn't want to leave Legolas out all night.
"Where could my son be? It will be dark in a matter of hours," he asked himself as Elrond, the twins, Aragorn and Arwen looked on.
"They've searched everywhere. He is nowhere to be found. They didn't even find any tracks to where he might have gone to. He couldn't have possibly gone far in his condition," Elrond mused. "Does he have any hiding places?"
"I am aware of all his hiding places and they have all been checked," Thranduil replied.
"So there's none that he's only aware of?" Arwen sighed. "Nothing that noone knows of maybe?"
Thranduil perked up and faced the female elf. He smiled as if realizing something.
"He's gone there! Why didn't I think of it sooner?" he said as he headed for the door. "Thank you Arwen."
"Gone where?" Elladan said as he, Elrohir and Aragorn followed him.
"No questions until we get there. Just follow me," the king replied.
***
Thranduil led the three into the forest and they looked around at the trees in awe.
"Why didn't we know about this place sooner?" Aragorn quietly wondered.
"That's because I did not want everyone to know about it. I brought Legolas and Nanaylia here only once and that was the time she was killed," Thranduil explained.
The four soon came across a clearing and sure enough, sitting on the ground was Legolas. His hands were up to his head, covering his ears. He appeared to be trembling. They couldn't tell from where they were if it was from fear, the cold or his injury.
The twins got off their horse and hurried over to him, Aragorn soon following. As they became closer, the three of them were hearing his mumblings more clearly but barely.
"Nanaylia, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Please come back. I don't want to be alone anymore," they heard the elf say in a barely audible voice. "I want to have you back. I miss you so much."
"Legolas," Elladan said in a soothing voice.
The blonde elf turned his stare towards the three of them. He soon broke down into tears.
"Legolas," Elrohir told him as he walked up to the crying elf. "Tell us what's wrong."
"No, I can't talk about it. I won't talk about it. Go away! Leave me alone!" Legolas demanded of them.
"We will listen to you," Aragorn told him.
"But you won't understand what I'm going through. What I've gone through for the past few years," Legolas replied. "Now leave me alone!"
"We heard you say something about Nanaylia. If it concerns her, it concerns us as well! You know that! She was part of our own family as well!" Elrohir told him as he slowly placed a hand on the shoulder of the still grieving elf.
"You will never understand!" cried Legolas, his hands still covering his ears, jerking his shoulder away.
It was almost as if he was trying to block out some unheard noise. At least that's what it appeared to the group of four.
"No! Go away! I want to be alone!" cried Legolas as his father walked into view.
"Legolas, I miss her as much as you do. Do not think you are the only one," Thranduil said with a slightly stern face.
Legolas looked straight ahead, tears still brimming. in his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at his father.
"Father," he managed to choke out.
"Please tell us what and we will try to understand what you are going through," Thranduil sternly told his son.
Legolas gulped at the tone of his father's voice.
***
Manlin walked into a building to see the four gargoyles leaning against the walls.
"We've gotten the female elf a long time ago. Now all we have to do is get the brat that's still alive. Right now, he's missing but I believe we know where he is right now. Anyone care to go after him?" Manlin told them.
The four gargoyles looked at each other with smiles on their faces.
"I'll go after them," Narcissis soon spoke up, stepping forward. "It will be a pleasure to do something like this."
Manlin also gave a smile as she headed out the door.
"Oh yes, Narcissis, one more thing before you leave," the elf called out to her.
"Yes?" she said as she stopped in the door.
"Bring him here alive," Manlin told her.
"Of course," she replied before leaving.
"Now we've got him," Manlin said to the other three as he watched her disappear.
"Yeah, we do," agreed Shentree.
***
"I won't talk about it, not even to you Father," Legolas said.
The group of four sighed and glanced at each other, knowing that they probably won't get anything out the saddened elf.
"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" came a female voice.
The group looked up to see a gargoyle towering above them. Thranduil was amazed to see her as he looked over the colouring of her skin and hair.
"Where did you come from?" he asked. "How did you find us here?"
"I'm not telling you. Right now, these moments will be your last," she replied as she pulled out a bow and arrow.
Legolas clumsily climbed to his feet. He found that his shoulder was beginning to hurt again and he had some trouble walking. He made his way over to the others.
"What do you want?" Elladan asked.
"It's more like who I want than what," she replied as she flew down to them.
They found that they could surround her easily and she didn't seem to notice it. She yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she put away the bow and arrow.
"So pitiful," she said before going to her hands and feet.
She ran towards Legolas and pinned him to the ground, causing him to cry out in pain. His shoulder protested against the rough movement.
Arrows were now aimed at the gargoyle, who got up from the ground with Legolas in her arms. She placed one arm around his neck. He tried to protest but he found he couldn't.
"One move and he's going to get it," she called to them as she held a dagger to his throat.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" Thranduil said to the others, holding out a hand. "What do you want?"
"I want your son, that is all. We will meet again another time King Thranduil," she told him.
She began to rise into the air and she disappeared.
"We have got to find him but where do we even begin looking for him?" Aragorn said.
"We begin looking in the one place that gargoyles are found: the 'Dark Forest'," replied Thranduil as he began to head back to the palace.
TBC...
******
The elf ran to find his father, who he found sitting with Thranduil in the library. The two older elves looked at him with a bit of worry in their faces.
"Elladan, what's wrong?" demanded Elrond as he stood up.
"It's Legolas! He's disappeared!" Elladan replied, almost shouting it out.
"What? How could he have gotten out? There are guards at his door!" Elrond wanted to know.
The three of them hurried to Legolas' room to find it was truly empty. Thranduil looked around the room and soon came to the window.
"He left by his window! We have to find him before he hurts himself even more," Thranduil said with a sigh before heading for the door.
Elrond and Elladan glanced at each other before following him.
***
The group of three soon met up with Aragorn and Elrohir in the hallway. They heard a commotion come from out in the hallway and they ventured out to investigate.
"What's going on?" Elrohir wanted to know.
"Legolas is missing. He went out his window," Elladan replied as his brother started walking beside him.
"Missing? Where could he have gone to? Why would he have gone?" wondered Aragorn.
Elladan shrugged as Thranduil and Elrond led them to the guards. Thranduil ordered them to go search for his son.
"What can we do?" asked Aragorn.
"Nothing at the moment. We will need you here in the event Legolas comes back," replied Elrond.
The three nodded, knowing it was for the best.
***
A few hours later, the guards came back, with no sign of the missing prince. Thranduil was more worried than ever for Legolas' safety. He began to pace back and forth, a hand over his mouth as he looked out at the sun in the sky. He sighed for he knew it wouldn't be dark soon but he wouldn't want to leave Legolas out all night.
"Where could my son be? It will be dark in a matter of hours," he asked himself as Elrond, the twins, Aragorn and Arwen looked on.
"They've searched everywhere. He is nowhere to be found. They didn't even find any tracks to where he might have gone to. He couldn't have possibly gone far in his condition," Elrond mused. "Does he have any hiding places?"
"I am aware of all his hiding places and they have all been checked," Thranduil replied.
"So there's none that he's only aware of?" Arwen sighed. "Nothing that noone knows of maybe?"
Thranduil perked up and faced the female elf. He smiled as if realizing something.
"He's gone there! Why didn't I think of it sooner?" he said as he headed for the door. "Thank you Arwen."
"Gone where?" Elladan said as he, Elrohir and Aragorn followed him.
"No questions until we get there. Just follow me," the king replied.
***
Thranduil led the three into the forest and they looked around at the trees in awe.
"Why didn't we know about this place sooner?" Aragorn quietly wondered.
"That's because I did not want everyone to know about it. I brought Legolas and Nanaylia here only once and that was the time she was killed," Thranduil explained.
The four soon came across a clearing and sure enough, sitting on the ground was Legolas. His hands were up to his head, covering his ears. He appeared to be trembling. They couldn't tell from where they were if it was from fear, the cold or his injury.
The twins got off their horse and hurried over to him, Aragorn soon following. As they became closer, the three of them were hearing his mumblings more clearly but barely.
"Nanaylia, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Please come back. I don't want to be alone anymore," they heard the elf say in a barely audible voice. "I want to have you back. I miss you so much."
"Legolas," Elladan said in a soothing voice.
The blonde elf turned his stare towards the three of them. He soon broke down into tears.
"Legolas," Elrohir told him as he walked up to the crying elf. "Tell us what's wrong."
"No, I can't talk about it. I won't talk about it. Go away! Leave me alone!" Legolas demanded of them.
"We will listen to you," Aragorn told him.
"But you won't understand what I'm going through. What I've gone through for the past few years," Legolas replied. "Now leave me alone!"
"We heard you say something about Nanaylia. If it concerns her, it concerns us as well! You know that! She was part of our own family as well!" Elrohir told him as he slowly placed a hand on the shoulder of the still grieving elf.
"You will never understand!" cried Legolas, his hands still covering his ears, jerking his shoulder away.
It was almost as if he was trying to block out some unheard noise. At least that's what it appeared to the group of four.
"No! Go away! I want to be alone!" cried Legolas as his father walked into view.
"Legolas, I miss her as much as you do. Do not think you are the only one," Thranduil said with a slightly stern face.
Legolas looked straight ahead, tears still brimming. in his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at his father.
"Father," he managed to choke out.
"Please tell us what and we will try to understand what you are going through," Thranduil sternly told his son.
Legolas gulped at the tone of his father's voice.
***
Manlin walked into a building to see the four gargoyles leaning against the walls.
"We've gotten the female elf a long time ago. Now all we have to do is get the brat that's still alive. Right now, he's missing but I believe we know where he is right now. Anyone care to go after him?" Manlin told them.
The four gargoyles looked at each other with smiles on their faces.
"I'll go after them," Narcissis soon spoke up, stepping forward. "It will be a pleasure to do something like this."
Manlin also gave a smile as she headed out the door.
"Oh yes, Narcissis, one more thing before you leave," the elf called out to her.
"Yes?" she said as she stopped in the door.
"Bring him here alive," Manlin told her.
"Of course," she replied before leaving.
"Now we've got him," Manlin said to the other three as he watched her disappear.
"Yeah, we do," agreed Shentree.
***
"I won't talk about it, not even to you Father," Legolas said.
The group of four sighed and glanced at each other, knowing that they probably won't get anything out the saddened elf.
"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" came a female voice.
The group looked up to see a gargoyle towering above them. Thranduil was amazed to see her as he looked over the colouring of her skin and hair.
"Where did you come from?" he asked. "How did you find us here?"
"I'm not telling you. Right now, these moments will be your last," she replied as she pulled out a bow and arrow.
Legolas clumsily climbed to his feet. He found that his shoulder was beginning to hurt again and he had some trouble walking. He made his way over to the others.
"What do you want?" Elladan asked.
"It's more like who I want than what," she replied as she flew down to them.
They found that they could surround her easily and she didn't seem to notice it. She yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she put away the bow and arrow.
"So pitiful," she said before going to her hands and feet.
She ran towards Legolas and pinned him to the ground, causing him to cry out in pain. His shoulder protested against the rough movement.
Arrows were now aimed at the gargoyle, who got up from the ground with Legolas in her arms. She placed one arm around his neck. He tried to protest but he found he couldn't.
"One move and he's going to get it," she called to them as she held a dagger to his throat.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" Thranduil said to the others, holding out a hand. "What do you want?"
"I want your son, that is all. We will meet again another time King Thranduil," she told him.
She began to rise into the air and she disappeared.
"We have got to find him but where do we even begin looking for him?" Aragorn said.
"We begin looking in the one place that gargoyles are found: the 'Dark Forest'," replied Thranduil as he began to head back to the palace.
TBC...