"Where are they?" asked Pippin desperately, searching everyone's' faces for
answers. "I mean, they are of no real use to these Elves, so there was no
reason for them to be taken."
"We do not know that," said Aragorn sadly. "The only possible thing we can do is wait, harsh as it may seem."
Frodo let out a deep sigh, and cast his eyes across to where Sam and Merry had been not that long ago. Four unfamiliar guards had come in, wordlessly unchained the innocent Hobbits, and then proceeded to drag them from the cell. That had been just under an hour back, and no news had been received of what had happened to Sam and Merry.
"Legolas, I don't suppose I could ask you something, could I?" said Boromir, uncertain of what the reaction to his question would be.
The Elf looked up, and slowly nodded his head. "Of course you can." Truthfully, Legolas was slightly wary, for he knew that something was about to be said concerning something which he had no desire to speak about.
"I do not wish to cause any trouble for you," began Boromir, "but I thought that as Calaen is your brother, you could talk to him, and maybe find out why he is holding us here against our will. Surely he would tell you."
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," said Legolas. Although he had in fact been told of why they were being held captive, he did not yet feel ready to reveal Calaen's plans: added pressure would be put on the Prince from all the mixed reactions of the Fellowship, and that was the last thing he needed right now.
"Can't you at least try?" asked Pippin, the emotion he felt showing clearly in his voice, and tugging at the heartstrings of everyone sitting there.
"There is nothing I can say or do which will persuade him to tell me anything," said Legolas wearily. "Calaen knows how to stir fear in people, so that is why he has kept his thoughts hidden. Wait until Sam and Merry are returned; maybe they will have been told something."
Aragorn sighed deeply; for he knew just how much his next words would hurt Legolas, possibly even upset him. However, there was no choice in a situation like this. "Mellon nin, it is not because Calaen will not speak that you do not do as is asked of you. It is because you are still afraid: afraid of both your brother and your past. But although Calaen is not so easy to get rid of, the past is slightly more. It will never leave, but if you stop dwelling on it, eventually it will fade."
"That is not why I refuse to speak with Calaen," said Legolas through gritted teeth. "I just see no point in me trying, for he will tell me nothing."
"But you cannot be certain," said Aragorn. "Will you at least ask to speak with him for a short while? There is no need for you to even ask to leave this room. We will all be here with you. Look, you know why we set out from Rivendell. We have to destroy the Ring of Power. Have you thought about that? What if Calaen wants it? What if he is going to try and take it?"
"Estel, *daro," said Legolas in a low voice.
"Just speak to him," pressed Aragorn. "It's all you have to do. You could well find out why we are here, and maybe then we can reason with Calaen. Will you please just-?
"Daro!" shouted Legolas, pulling furiously at his chains, eyes flashing silver in he darkness. He sighed then, and slowly shook his head in defeat. "If you really want me to speak with him, I will. But do not get your hopes up, any of you. And I will speak with Calaen on my own, away from anyone else."
Stunned silence fell on the room, for this was the last thing they expected. Frodo and Pippin kept their eyes lowered, for they knew that Legolas should not be antagonized further, however they found it hard to keep their gaze away from the fuming Elf. Gandalf was looking at Aragorn in such a way that it was impossible to tell whether he was irritated or not that Legolas had been pushed to the limit.
"Forgive me," said Aragorn quietly.
Legolas sighed, and rested his head against the wall. "Do not ask me for forgiveness. You are right, I suppose. It is time for me to lay the past to rest, and move on. When Calaen next comes in, I will speak with him."
"Hannon le, mellon nin," said Aragorn, smiling gratefully at Legolas.
The Elf returned the action, though a little more vaguely and a little less enthusiastic than Aragorn. Maybe it was foolish, not telling the Fellowship of Calaen's plans, but until he got thins slightly straightened out in his head, Legolas would keep silent.
Just as he was about to reassure Aragorn that everything was alright, - the Ranger still looked worried that he had upset his friend – the door flew open, and two guards came in.
"Valar..." breathed Aragorn, straining his eyes to try and identify what was being carried in the guards' arms. The two bundles looked suspiciously like Hobbits.
"Merry! Sam! What have you done to them?" cried Pippin.
The two guards glanced uneasily at each other, before laying their loads gently on the floor, resting against the wall. They did not bother with chains, though the despicable restraints would've been most welcome at that point: both Hobbits, clearly unconscious, fell forwards so they were lying on their sides. Blood was trickling slowly from the corner of Sam's mouth, and Merry's chest was rising and falling slowly.
"What in all of Middle Earth have you and your so called ruler done to them?" hissed Boromir. "What have they done to deserve such...such cruelty?"
"We can say nothing," replied one of the guards, following his companion across to the door. They were halted though, by a soft voice which trembled with anger.
"I wish to speak with my brother right now," said Legolas firmly. "You two will unchain me and take me straight to Calaen."
One of the guards arched an eyebrow, and surprisingly pulled out some keys from his pocket and went straight across to Legolas. The remaining conscious members of the Fellowship watched in absolute wonder as their friend was unchained and pulled to his feet.
"You read Prince Calaen's mind," said the guard, pushing Legolas across to the door. "He wanted to see you at some point today."
"Maybe it is something we share as brothers," mused Legolas, putting a strong emphasis on his last word.
The guard stared at the younger Elf for a brief moment, before hissing in impatience and pushing Legolas once more. "Get out!"
.............................................................................................................
Calaen raised an eyebrow as Legolas shoved the two guards away from him, and stormed forwards into the council room. The younger Elf's eyes were blazing furiously, and he stunned his brother by going to stand right in front of him.
"I would expect a lot from you, but never would I expect you to vent your anger and frustration on two beings half your size!" hissed Legolas. "You have done some awful and horrific things in your life, but this is unbelievable, disgusting. They are Hobbits, Calaen. Maybe it would be different if they were able to defend themselves."
"True, they could not do that," remarked Calaen calmly. "But you could've saved them from going through that."
Legolas was just about to question this, but drew in a sharp breath as realization dawned. Although his anger did not die down, his voice softened. "You did this as a harsh way to pull me across to your side. You think that because they have been hurt, I will comply with your wishes."
"Aren't you clever," sneered Calaen.
"That is sick. What have they done to you?" demanded Legolas.
"Absolutely nothing. But maybe you will now re-consider your decision to come and fight for me. Merry and Sam are not the only ones who will suffer, should you refuse," said Calaen. "There are two other Hobbits, after all."
Cursing under his breath, Legolas lunged forwards and grabbed the front of Calaen's tunic. "Don't you dare touch them. Hurt me as much as you want, and cause me any pain that you mean for them. Just don't hurt my friends."
"You know, I never really thought very much of you," commented Calaen, calmly flicking Legolas' hands away from him. "But now, after all these years, you are showing remarkable braveness."
"I care not for your thoughts," said Legolas in a low voice. "They are only dark and evil."
Calaen shrugged, and started pacing slowly up and down. "You are indeed very brave, Legolas. If I were in your position, I would not speak that way to my elders and betters. However, it is admirable."
"You may be my elder, but never will you be my better!" spat Legolas. "You have once again stooped so low as to endanger the lives of those weaker than you. How was it done this time? Did you tie them up and blindfold them, then pretend to be someone who they love? Have you now destroyed their lives that were once worth living? Have you...?" Legolas broke off as he realised with a jolt of annoyance that something had happened for the first time since Airëlus' burial service: tears pricked at his eyes.
"This has nothing to do with the Hobbits, does it?" asked Calaen slowly. "This all about the pain that I put you through when you were just a child, really. You cannot forget about the past, can you?"
"Those guards told me how you ordered Merry and Sam to be beaten, and since finding that out, my thoughts have been of nothing else!" shouted Legolas.
"I only had them beaten as a warning to you. The longer you refuse to help me, the more pain and torture your friends are put through," said Calaen. "You can help them, Legolas."
The younger Elf shook his head, and resumed pacing where Calaen had left off. "You ask too much of me. I cannot and will not betray Mirkwood, or my father. I am no traitor, Calaen. I am not like you."
"I want Mirkwood, and I swear to you now that I will take it, with or without your help," hissed Calaen, stepping forwards and gripping Legolas by the arm. "If you decide not to aid me, I will kill your friends and make you watch them dying. After that, I will get into Mirkwood and kill Thranduil, also making you watch. Then, I will-
"What? You aid that my father would-
Calaen snapped a hand up into the air, right in front of Legolas' eyes. "I have not yet finished. I said that Thranduil would live if he bowed to me. However, I have changed my mind, and hopefully this will be enough to change yours. If you help me, your father will live."
Stunned, Legolas drew in a sharp breath and lowered his eyes to the ground in disbelief. "How can you ask this of me? Calaen, if I do what you want to save the lives of my father and friends, they will have nothing more to do with me. I will have to live with the guilt, and Thranduil will be humiliated, having to bow to you. But if I don't, then they will..."
"They will all die," said Calaen firmly.
Legolas put a hand out to steady himself as he was overcome with dizzying shock, but found nothing except thin air. As the room spun around him, the Prince stepped back against the wall, and slowly sank down it until he was sitting on the floor. Calaen exhaled, and knelt at his brother's side.
"We can put the past behind us and forget everything that happened when we were younger. Come, Legolas. We can be brothers once more, friends as we used to be," said Calaen gently. "Do you remember the close bond we shared when you were an Elfling, before our mother died? We can have the same relationship as we did then, just without the hide and seek games."
Legolas smiled briefly at the memory, but quickly shook himself. "You speak of everything that I have ever dreamed of. But the words come too late. I have said this before, but will say it again. Maybe you will understand this time. I will *not* betray my father and Mirkwood. I will *not* destroy everything that my father has worked so hard for."
"No? Alright then. I did not want it to come to this, but I am afraid you leave me no choice, *gwador," said Calaen, spitting out the last word as though it were poison. He clapped Legolas on the shoulder, before standing up and going to the door.
"Valar, no," breathed Legolas, jumping to his feet as he saw who was being brought in. Fear rose in his heart, and he stepped forwards to try and help his friends. It was not long though, before he was being forced back down to the ground.
............................................................................................................
*daro..................stop *gwador...............brother
fea alda: Yeah, he does still have it. That substance made it permanent.
Rachel13: Wow, that's a lot of things! But yeah, you should really add comedian to that list! LOL By the way, I absolutely love your torture ideas for Calaen! Let's keep them in mind!
Legolas-gurl888: Yeah, it is very different! I wonder who you'll call 'poor' this time around! LOL :)
Haldir's Heart and Soul: When Calaen was speaking about 'their mother', he meant his and Legolas'. And yes, Aradan called him 'Ada'. Aradan's own mother was killed by Orcs, and Calaen is his father.
Wow, I had to type this chapter really fast cos I'm just about to go out, but now my wrist is about to fall off. Ah well. See you tomorrow! Luv Misto x-x
"We do not know that," said Aragorn sadly. "The only possible thing we can do is wait, harsh as it may seem."
Frodo let out a deep sigh, and cast his eyes across to where Sam and Merry had been not that long ago. Four unfamiliar guards had come in, wordlessly unchained the innocent Hobbits, and then proceeded to drag them from the cell. That had been just under an hour back, and no news had been received of what had happened to Sam and Merry.
"Legolas, I don't suppose I could ask you something, could I?" said Boromir, uncertain of what the reaction to his question would be.
The Elf looked up, and slowly nodded his head. "Of course you can." Truthfully, Legolas was slightly wary, for he knew that something was about to be said concerning something which he had no desire to speak about.
"I do not wish to cause any trouble for you," began Boromir, "but I thought that as Calaen is your brother, you could talk to him, and maybe find out why he is holding us here against our will. Surely he would tell you."
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe," said Legolas. Although he had in fact been told of why they were being held captive, he did not yet feel ready to reveal Calaen's plans: added pressure would be put on the Prince from all the mixed reactions of the Fellowship, and that was the last thing he needed right now.
"Can't you at least try?" asked Pippin, the emotion he felt showing clearly in his voice, and tugging at the heartstrings of everyone sitting there.
"There is nothing I can say or do which will persuade him to tell me anything," said Legolas wearily. "Calaen knows how to stir fear in people, so that is why he has kept his thoughts hidden. Wait until Sam and Merry are returned; maybe they will have been told something."
Aragorn sighed deeply; for he knew just how much his next words would hurt Legolas, possibly even upset him. However, there was no choice in a situation like this. "Mellon nin, it is not because Calaen will not speak that you do not do as is asked of you. It is because you are still afraid: afraid of both your brother and your past. But although Calaen is not so easy to get rid of, the past is slightly more. It will never leave, but if you stop dwelling on it, eventually it will fade."
"That is not why I refuse to speak with Calaen," said Legolas through gritted teeth. "I just see no point in me trying, for he will tell me nothing."
"But you cannot be certain," said Aragorn. "Will you at least ask to speak with him for a short while? There is no need for you to even ask to leave this room. We will all be here with you. Look, you know why we set out from Rivendell. We have to destroy the Ring of Power. Have you thought about that? What if Calaen wants it? What if he is going to try and take it?"
"Estel, *daro," said Legolas in a low voice.
"Just speak to him," pressed Aragorn. "It's all you have to do. You could well find out why we are here, and maybe then we can reason with Calaen. Will you please just-?
"Daro!" shouted Legolas, pulling furiously at his chains, eyes flashing silver in he darkness. He sighed then, and slowly shook his head in defeat. "If you really want me to speak with him, I will. But do not get your hopes up, any of you. And I will speak with Calaen on my own, away from anyone else."
Stunned silence fell on the room, for this was the last thing they expected. Frodo and Pippin kept their eyes lowered, for they knew that Legolas should not be antagonized further, however they found it hard to keep their gaze away from the fuming Elf. Gandalf was looking at Aragorn in such a way that it was impossible to tell whether he was irritated or not that Legolas had been pushed to the limit.
"Forgive me," said Aragorn quietly.
Legolas sighed, and rested his head against the wall. "Do not ask me for forgiveness. You are right, I suppose. It is time for me to lay the past to rest, and move on. When Calaen next comes in, I will speak with him."
"Hannon le, mellon nin," said Aragorn, smiling gratefully at Legolas.
The Elf returned the action, though a little more vaguely and a little less enthusiastic than Aragorn. Maybe it was foolish, not telling the Fellowship of Calaen's plans, but until he got thins slightly straightened out in his head, Legolas would keep silent.
Just as he was about to reassure Aragorn that everything was alright, - the Ranger still looked worried that he had upset his friend – the door flew open, and two guards came in.
"Valar..." breathed Aragorn, straining his eyes to try and identify what was being carried in the guards' arms. The two bundles looked suspiciously like Hobbits.
"Merry! Sam! What have you done to them?" cried Pippin.
The two guards glanced uneasily at each other, before laying their loads gently on the floor, resting against the wall. They did not bother with chains, though the despicable restraints would've been most welcome at that point: both Hobbits, clearly unconscious, fell forwards so they were lying on their sides. Blood was trickling slowly from the corner of Sam's mouth, and Merry's chest was rising and falling slowly.
"What in all of Middle Earth have you and your so called ruler done to them?" hissed Boromir. "What have they done to deserve such...such cruelty?"
"We can say nothing," replied one of the guards, following his companion across to the door. They were halted though, by a soft voice which trembled with anger.
"I wish to speak with my brother right now," said Legolas firmly. "You two will unchain me and take me straight to Calaen."
One of the guards arched an eyebrow, and surprisingly pulled out some keys from his pocket and went straight across to Legolas. The remaining conscious members of the Fellowship watched in absolute wonder as their friend was unchained and pulled to his feet.
"You read Prince Calaen's mind," said the guard, pushing Legolas across to the door. "He wanted to see you at some point today."
"Maybe it is something we share as brothers," mused Legolas, putting a strong emphasis on his last word.
The guard stared at the younger Elf for a brief moment, before hissing in impatience and pushing Legolas once more. "Get out!"
.............................................................................................................
Calaen raised an eyebrow as Legolas shoved the two guards away from him, and stormed forwards into the council room. The younger Elf's eyes were blazing furiously, and he stunned his brother by going to stand right in front of him.
"I would expect a lot from you, but never would I expect you to vent your anger and frustration on two beings half your size!" hissed Legolas. "You have done some awful and horrific things in your life, but this is unbelievable, disgusting. They are Hobbits, Calaen. Maybe it would be different if they were able to defend themselves."
"True, they could not do that," remarked Calaen calmly. "But you could've saved them from going through that."
Legolas was just about to question this, but drew in a sharp breath as realization dawned. Although his anger did not die down, his voice softened. "You did this as a harsh way to pull me across to your side. You think that because they have been hurt, I will comply with your wishes."
"Aren't you clever," sneered Calaen.
"That is sick. What have they done to you?" demanded Legolas.
"Absolutely nothing. But maybe you will now re-consider your decision to come and fight for me. Merry and Sam are not the only ones who will suffer, should you refuse," said Calaen. "There are two other Hobbits, after all."
Cursing under his breath, Legolas lunged forwards and grabbed the front of Calaen's tunic. "Don't you dare touch them. Hurt me as much as you want, and cause me any pain that you mean for them. Just don't hurt my friends."
"You know, I never really thought very much of you," commented Calaen, calmly flicking Legolas' hands away from him. "But now, after all these years, you are showing remarkable braveness."
"I care not for your thoughts," said Legolas in a low voice. "They are only dark and evil."
Calaen shrugged, and started pacing slowly up and down. "You are indeed very brave, Legolas. If I were in your position, I would not speak that way to my elders and betters. However, it is admirable."
"You may be my elder, but never will you be my better!" spat Legolas. "You have once again stooped so low as to endanger the lives of those weaker than you. How was it done this time? Did you tie them up and blindfold them, then pretend to be someone who they love? Have you now destroyed their lives that were once worth living? Have you...?" Legolas broke off as he realised with a jolt of annoyance that something had happened for the first time since Airëlus' burial service: tears pricked at his eyes.
"This has nothing to do with the Hobbits, does it?" asked Calaen slowly. "This all about the pain that I put you through when you were just a child, really. You cannot forget about the past, can you?"
"Those guards told me how you ordered Merry and Sam to be beaten, and since finding that out, my thoughts have been of nothing else!" shouted Legolas.
"I only had them beaten as a warning to you. The longer you refuse to help me, the more pain and torture your friends are put through," said Calaen. "You can help them, Legolas."
The younger Elf shook his head, and resumed pacing where Calaen had left off. "You ask too much of me. I cannot and will not betray Mirkwood, or my father. I am no traitor, Calaen. I am not like you."
"I want Mirkwood, and I swear to you now that I will take it, with or without your help," hissed Calaen, stepping forwards and gripping Legolas by the arm. "If you decide not to aid me, I will kill your friends and make you watch them dying. After that, I will get into Mirkwood and kill Thranduil, also making you watch. Then, I will-
"What? You aid that my father would-
Calaen snapped a hand up into the air, right in front of Legolas' eyes. "I have not yet finished. I said that Thranduil would live if he bowed to me. However, I have changed my mind, and hopefully this will be enough to change yours. If you help me, your father will live."
Stunned, Legolas drew in a sharp breath and lowered his eyes to the ground in disbelief. "How can you ask this of me? Calaen, if I do what you want to save the lives of my father and friends, they will have nothing more to do with me. I will have to live with the guilt, and Thranduil will be humiliated, having to bow to you. But if I don't, then they will..."
"They will all die," said Calaen firmly.
Legolas put a hand out to steady himself as he was overcome with dizzying shock, but found nothing except thin air. As the room spun around him, the Prince stepped back against the wall, and slowly sank down it until he was sitting on the floor. Calaen exhaled, and knelt at his brother's side.
"We can put the past behind us and forget everything that happened when we were younger. Come, Legolas. We can be brothers once more, friends as we used to be," said Calaen gently. "Do you remember the close bond we shared when you were an Elfling, before our mother died? We can have the same relationship as we did then, just without the hide and seek games."
Legolas smiled briefly at the memory, but quickly shook himself. "You speak of everything that I have ever dreamed of. But the words come too late. I have said this before, but will say it again. Maybe you will understand this time. I will *not* betray my father and Mirkwood. I will *not* destroy everything that my father has worked so hard for."
"No? Alright then. I did not want it to come to this, but I am afraid you leave me no choice, *gwador," said Calaen, spitting out the last word as though it were poison. He clapped Legolas on the shoulder, before standing up and going to the door.
"Valar, no," breathed Legolas, jumping to his feet as he saw who was being brought in. Fear rose in his heart, and he stepped forwards to try and help his friends. It was not long though, before he was being forced back down to the ground.
............................................................................................................
*daro..................stop *gwador...............brother
fea alda: Yeah, he does still have it. That substance made it permanent.
Rachel13: Wow, that's a lot of things! But yeah, you should really add comedian to that list! LOL By the way, I absolutely love your torture ideas for Calaen! Let's keep them in mind!
Legolas-gurl888: Yeah, it is very different! I wonder who you'll call 'poor' this time around! LOL :)
Haldir's Heart and Soul: When Calaen was speaking about 'their mother', he meant his and Legolas'. And yes, Aradan called him 'Ada'. Aradan's own mother was killed by Orcs, and Calaen is his father.
Wow, I had to type this chapter really fast cos I'm just about to go out, but now my wrist is about to fall off. Ah well. See you tomorrow! Luv Misto x-x