Shentree led the hurting Legolas towards the throne room. She was behind
the group, whom she knew were trying to think of how to escape.
"Don't any of you even think about escaping. I am more powerful than the last time we met," she told them with a smile.
Elrohir rolled his eyes at the statement, knowing at that moment that escape was a long way off. Probably non-existant unless something happened that went their way He looked at his brother and Aragorn, wondering what they were thinking.
Shentree forced them into the large room, where they were greeted by a familiar figure.
"Manlin! I should have known. You always did give me the creeps," Elladan said, not sounding happy at all.
"Oh really? That's good to hear," Manlin snickered as he headed towards them. "Shentree, I see you couldn't find Narcissis. That is a pity but the ones you brought with you will do indeed, especially since I see you have the prince with you. She will find her way here eventually or else I'm going to send you after her again."
Shentree nodded as Legolas gulped as he continued to look at Manlin. He glanced over at his father and at the burns and bruises over his body.
"What do you want with me? With all of us?" wondered Legolas, the pain still evident in his voice.
"What do I want, you ask? I want to see you and your father dead, that's what I want," came the reply. "Restrain them immediately!"
The twins and Aragorn soon found themselves being tied up by the gargoyles, caught off guard by the order that was suddenly given. The three looked at Legolas, who was nearby for there was nobody else to do anything about him. Shentree began to walk towards him but was stopped by a raised hand from Manlin.
"I'll take care of him," he told her before facing the prince. "Dear Legolas, it's a shame that your sister couldn't be here. She had such a pretty face. It's also too bad about what happened to her. I would have enjoyed doing this to three of you."
"You would know what happened to her, everyone knows what happened to her Manlin. She was killed by wolves," Legolas retorted.
"Of course but not everyone feels that way. I happen to know how you feel about Nanaylia's death," replied Manlin, a small smile on his face.
Legolas looked at him in disbelief. He was shaking his head.
"No! Not that!" Legolas cried, placing his hands over his ears and stepping back a few steps.
"Legolas, what is he talking about?" Arwen asked him, becoming worried.
"How do you know about that Manlin?" demanded Legolas, the tears falling down his face once again.
"I know about it because Narcissis told me about it when she came to us. You might know that she saw what happened to the three of you," Manlin replied, steadily walking towards the prince. "Tell them Legolas. Tell them what's on your mind about Nanaylia."
Thranduil slightly opened his eyes and looked at his son, slightly raising his head.
"Legolas," he whispered, the pain evident in his eyes and voice. "What is he saying?"
Legolas looked at his father and shook his head.
"I'm so sorry Father. I'm so sorry about Nanaylia. It's my fault that she's dead. Nanaylia is dead because of me," Legolas quietly said to the group as he fell to his knees.
Thranduil closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the floor.
***
Narcissis made her way through the palace halls. She was slowly becoming weaker and weaker. She stopped and looked at her surroundings. She found that she made her way down into the depths of the palace rather than towards the outside.
"I guess I went in the wrong direction," she muttered to herself as she managed to walk a few more steps. "I left my brother behind in my old home for this. I miss him so much. I wish I could see him again."
Her world soon became dizzy and she collapsed onto the floor, never knowing what was occuring upstairs. She lay there on the cold floor, waitng for whatever fate would deal her.
***
Elladan shook his head and mouthed the word 'no'.
"Legolas, we talked about this! You are not responsible for her death! It was an accident!" Elladan cried at Legolas.
Legolas fell to his knees, making the evil elf smile even more. Elrond looked over at Legolas as he tried to escape his binds.
"Legolas, it can't be true. I know it's not true. There must be more to this story other than the wolves and the two of you falling down the hill," he whispered to himself.
Arwen glanced at him, having heard what he said. She silently agreed with him before looking over at Thranduil, who had closed his eyes again and tried to take a deep breath. He couldn't help but cough, making him cringe in pain.
Manlin snickered as he walked up to Legolas and kicked him in the stomach, making him double over. Legolas soon fell onto his back. Manlin could see that the elf was in pain, almost screaming out.
"Legolas!" cried Elladan and Elrohir in unison.
"Stop this!" cried Elrond.
"You are pathetic. I have waited for this moment for a long time now," Manlin quietly told him, placing the rod next to Legolas' neck.
Legolas glanced at the hot rod sitting next to his face. He silently thanked that it wasn't touching him...yet.
"How long has it been?" wondered Legolas.
"Since before your sister died in that one incident with the wolves," Manlin replied as he hovered over the younger elf.
The elf placed the hot metal rod on Legolas' arm, just under the injury, making him cry out in pain. It seemed to Legolas that his arm was beginning to burn. It possibly was as he felt the rod travel down his arm to his hand.
"Shentree, lift him up," ordered Manlin.
The female gargoyle, her prisoner now being watched over by Banside, did as she was told, allowing Manlin to have better access to Legolas, who looked up at the elf before him.
"This keeps getting better and better. You don't even know that yet," Manlin told Legolas as he placed the rod on Legolas' other shoulder.
Legolas cried out as the others helplessly watched the spectacle. Thranduil tried to drown out his son's cries. He couldn't bear to listen but it was impossible to do so as his son's voice filled his ears.
The rod was soon taken away from his skin but the pain remained. Legolas lifted his head to stare at Manlin with a look that said 'why are you doing this?'
"Put him down," ordered Manlin.
Shentree allowed Legolas to fall to the floor in a heap as Manlin walked up to him.
"I have something to tell you Legolas," he quietly said.
Legolas snarled as Manlin leaned down so only the younger elf could hear what he had to say. The elf grabbed Legolas' shoulders, making the young elf wince in pain.
"These injuries will prove to be useful indeed. You want to know something? Well, I'm going to tell you whether you want to hear it or not. Remember the day that your sister died? I want to let you in on this little secret that I have to tell you before you die yourself," Manlin told him.
Legolas tried to hide a few winces from him, knowing that he probably wouldn't like what he was about to hear.
"Well, it turn out that those wolves that attacked you, your sister and your father were made of the same material those gargoyles outside are made of," Manlin whispered to him.
Legolas remembered the wolves all too well and he wasn't believing what he was hearing.
"That's right Legolas. I was behind the wolf pack. They weren't real. They were created by magic. I was responsible for her death, not you. I myself finished her off after the two of you fell down the hill and her body was fed to the real wolves. The only reason you survived that day was because of the fact that you weren't seen," Manlin quietly confirmed.
Now Legolas defiantely couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He wasn't responsible for his sister's death. He never was.
TBC...
"Don't any of you even think about escaping. I am more powerful than the last time we met," she told them with a smile.
Elrohir rolled his eyes at the statement, knowing at that moment that escape was a long way off. Probably non-existant unless something happened that went their way He looked at his brother and Aragorn, wondering what they were thinking.
Shentree forced them into the large room, where they were greeted by a familiar figure.
"Manlin! I should have known. You always did give me the creeps," Elladan said, not sounding happy at all.
"Oh really? That's good to hear," Manlin snickered as he headed towards them. "Shentree, I see you couldn't find Narcissis. That is a pity but the ones you brought with you will do indeed, especially since I see you have the prince with you. She will find her way here eventually or else I'm going to send you after her again."
Shentree nodded as Legolas gulped as he continued to look at Manlin. He glanced over at his father and at the burns and bruises over his body.
"What do you want with me? With all of us?" wondered Legolas, the pain still evident in his voice.
"What do I want, you ask? I want to see you and your father dead, that's what I want," came the reply. "Restrain them immediately!"
The twins and Aragorn soon found themselves being tied up by the gargoyles, caught off guard by the order that was suddenly given. The three looked at Legolas, who was nearby for there was nobody else to do anything about him. Shentree began to walk towards him but was stopped by a raised hand from Manlin.
"I'll take care of him," he told her before facing the prince. "Dear Legolas, it's a shame that your sister couldn't be here. She had such a pretty face. It's also too bad about what happened to her. I would have enjoyed doing this to three of you."
"You would know what happened to her, everyone knows what happened to her Manlin. She was killed by wolves," Legolas retorted.
"Of course but not everyone feels that way. I happen to know how you feel about Nanaylia's death," replied Manlin, a small smile on his face.
Legolas looked at him in disbelief. He was shaking his head.
"No! Not that!" Legolas cried, placing his hands over his ears and stepping back a few steps.
"Legolas, what is he talking about?" Arwen asked him, becoming worried.
"How do you know about that Manlin?" demanded Legolas, the tears falling down his face once again.
"I know about it because Narcissis told me about it when she came to us. You might know that she saw what happened to the three of you," Manlin replied, steadily walking towards the prince. "Tell them Legolas. Tell them what's on your mind about Nanaylia."
Thranduil slightly opened his eyes and looked at his son, slightly raising his head.
"Legolas," he whispered, the pain evident in his eyes and voice. "What is he saying?"
Legolas looked at his father and shook his head.
"I'm so sorry Father. I'm so sorry about Nanaylia. It's my fault that she's dead. Nanaylia is dead because of me," Legolas quietly said to the group as he fell to his knees.
Thranduil closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the floor.
***
Narcissis made her way through the palace halls. She was slowly becoming weaker and weaker. She stopped and looked at her surroundings. She found that she made her way down into the depths of the palace rather than towards the outside.
"I guess I went in the wrong direction," she muttered to herself as she managed to walk a few more steps. "I left my brother behind in my old home for this. I miss him so much. I wish I could see him again."
Her world soon became dizzy and she collapsed onto the floor, never knowing what was occuring upstairs. She lay there on the cold floor, waitng for whatever fate would deal her.
***
Elladan shook his head and mouthed the word 'no'.
"Legolas, we talked about this! You are not responsible for her death! It was an accident!" Elladan cried at Legolas.
Legolas fell to his knees, making the evil elf smile even more. Elrond looked over at Legolas as he tried to escape his binds.
"Legolas, it can't be true. I know it's not true. There must be more to this story other than the wolves and the two of you falling down the hill," he whispered to himself.
Arwen glanced at him, having heard what he said. She silently agreed with him before looking over at Thranduil, who had closed his eyes again and tried to take a deep breath. He couldn't help but cough, making him cringe in pain.
Manlin snickered as he walked up to Legolas and kicked him in the stomach, making him double over. Legolas soon fell onto his back. Manlin could see that the elf was in pain, almost screaming out.
"Legolas!" cried Elladan and Elrohir in unison.
"Stop this!" cried Elrond.
"You are pathetic. I have waited for this moment for a long time now," Manlin quietly told him, placing the rod next to Legolas' neck.
Legolas glanced at the hot rod sitting next to his face. He silently thanked that it wasn't touching him...yet.
"How long has it been?" wondered Legolas.
"Since before your sister died in that one incident with the wolves," Manlin replied as he hovered over the younger elf.
The elf placed the hot metal rod on Legolas' arm, just under the injury, making him cry out in pain. It seemed to Legolas that his arm was beginning to burn. It possibly was as he felt the rod travel down his arm to his hand.
"Shentree, lift him up," ordered Manlin.
The female gargoyle, her prisoner now being watched over by Banside, did as she was told, allowing Manlin to have better access to Legolas, who looked up at the elf before him.
"This keeps getting better and better. You don't even know that yet," Manlin told Legolas as he placed the rod on Legolas' other shoulder.
Legolas cried out as the others helplessly watched the spectacle. Thranduil tried to drown out his son's cries. He couldn't bear to listen but it was impossible to do so as his son's voice filled his ears.
The rod was soon taken away from his skin but the pain remained. Legolas lifted his head to stare at Manlin with a look that said 'why are you doing this?'
"Put him down," ordered Manlin.
Shentree allowed Legolas to fall to the floor in a heap as Manlin walked up to him.
"I have something to tell you Legolas," he quietly said.
Legolas snarled as Manlin leaned down so only the younger elf could hear what he had to say. The elf grabbed Legolas' shoulders, making the young elf wince in pain.
"These injuries will prove to be useful indeed. You want to know something? Well, I'm going to tell you whether you want to hear it or not. Remember the day that your sister died? I want to let you in on this little secret that I have to tell you before you die yourself," Manlin told him.
Legolas tried to hide a few winces from him, knowing that he probably wouldn't like what he was about to hear.
"Well, it turn out that those wolves that attacked you, your sister and your father were made of the same material those gargoyles outside are made of," Manlin whispered to him.
Legolas remembered the wolves all too well and he wasn't believing what he was hearing.
"That's right Legolas. I was behind the wolf pack. They weren't real. They were created by magic. I was responsible for her death, not you. I myself finished her off after the two of you fell down the hill and her body was fed to the real wolves. The only reason you survived that day was because of the fact that you weren't seen," Manlin quietly confirmed.
Now Legolas defiantely couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He wasn't responsible for his sister's death. He never was.
TBC...