Author's Note: Yes, I'm still alive! Sorry as always for the terrible
update, but finals are coming up again, so I thank everyone for their
patience.
Chapter 11
After what seemed like an impossible amount of time, Legolas had never thought that the dwarves could possibly dig that deep into the mountain, he was finally ordered to stop. To his right, Legolas could only dimly make out a crudely cut door in the stone. It was small, barely large enough for a dwarf, one that he would definitely have to stoop to get through.
One of the dwarves stepped forward and unlocked a padlock that was nailed into the door. Legolas did not doubt that it was made of the same alloy he had had to use Gimli's axe for before. After the lock was pulled free it took two of the dwarves to pull the heavy door open, and it opened with the sound of rock grating upon rock that caused Legolas to wince from the assault on his sensitive ears.
"In there," Thror demanded when it was pulled open all the way.
Legolas glanced inside, his eyes barely making out the inside of the room from the torches being held outside. It was small, with no mirrors for light inside. Legolas had not wanted to cause any trouble, he had figured the best thing would be to simply comply with the dwarves and did not want to risk injuring any of them, if only for the sake of Gimli. But he hesitated at the door, and could not bring himself to go any further.
"In, elf!" Thror said.
Legolas tried to reason with him. "Thror, you know I had nothing to do with this."
"If it were up to me you had everything to do with it," Thror said, and then he swung one of the long wooden spears so that it landed neatly across Legolas' back. Legolas stumbled forward from the force and almost ended up on his hands and knees, but quick reflexes saved him and he stayed on his feet.
"In or we'll force you in," one of the other dwarves said.
Taking a deep breath, partially to steel his nerves and partially to get through the pain now throbbing from his back, Legolas took a small step forward. He crouched down and made his way through the door.
No sooner had he cleared the doorway then the dwarves swung it closed. It slammed and Legolas doubled over in pain, holding his hands over his ears. The echo created by the small room was deafening.
When the echo died away, Legolas could hear the padlock being returned to its place and then a few pats on the door, as if to ensure that it was going to stay put. And Legolas had no doubt that it would, even his strength would not be enough to break out of this stone prison.
There was some laughter and jeering from outside, and then Legolas heard the stamping of their feet as the dwarves walked away. The torches they were carrying went with them of course, and soon what little light could be seen from around the cracks in the door created from the torches was gone.
And then he was left with nothing.
After contemplating what to do, Legolas sat down in the middle of his confines and tried to calm his breathing. His back and temple were sending steady traces of pain throughout his body, but Legolas only closed his eyes and tried to focus on nothing but his breathing. He knew there was a possibility of him panicking in such a room, and he wanted to keep himself as calm as possible. He figured if he kept his eyes closed, then maybe he could convince himself that the darkness was just from that.
As he breathed, the pain dulled and he did begin to calm somewhat, but soon his senses began to betray him. In an absence of light and sound, his eyes and ears automatically sharpened, straining to establish something of his surroundings. And that was exactly what he did not want to do. If he could focus his mind on anything but his situation, he might be able to save his sanity.
And it worked.
For the first few hours.
Even as he tried to valiantly think of open fields and clear skies, the pressure of the darkness and closeness of the walls finally started to bear down on him. His skin started to crawl as he could think of nothing but the walls that he would be able to touch if he moved but a little to either side. Even as he told himself it was impossible, he began to get the feeling that they were closing in on him, caging him.
Legolas' easy breathing started to quicken again and sweat made his skin feel moist. Almost in desperation, Legolas began to sing, a song of Elbereth and the stars, but his own voice was just thrown harshly back at him from the walls, reminding him of what he was trying to forget, so he stopped.
'Just breathe, that is all, breathe and keep the eyes closed. Keep the eyes closed,' Legolas told himself over and over.
But the pressure kept building, and his panic kept rising.
Legolas opened his eyes.
There was nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Not the faintest glimmer of a shape or even an outline of the walls. Nothing but the blackest of darks, a heavy and stifling curtain draped all around him. He could feel his eyes bulging, straining to bring in the slightest ray of light so he could see something, anything.
He should never have opened his eyes.
Panic started to well up fast within him and he stood so swiftly he hit his head on the low ceiling. He recoiled from the shock and instinctively backed up, only to collide the wall behind him. He reached out with both hands and could easily feel both walls on either side of him. He was caged, imprisoned.
Trapped.
Quickly he tried to regain what was left of his sanity, to just sit back down and try to wait this out. But even as the rational corner of his brain tried to take control, everything else in his body was screaming at him to escape. It was the first time he felt a pure primeval fear, the fear of all wild things in a trap. Now he knew why animals would rather chew off their own leg than stay in a trap.
Only he had nothing to sever to set him free.
Legolas began to feel along the stone walls, first slowly, then more frantically. He circled his prison, striving to find any sort of give in the walls. But it was not long before he realized that he did not even know which wall was the one with the door in it anymore. He had turned himself around and there was nothing with which to regain his bearings.
Legolas closed his eyes again, tried to convince himself that that was the only reason there was no light. But they did not stay closed for long and then another fear gripped him. He began to wonder if he would even be able to tell if his eyes were open or closed.
Legolas began pounding on the walls with his fists. His breath was coming in short gasps, but no other sounds would come from his mouth. Pain started to register up his arms from the repeated beatings on his fists and his palms felt sticky with the blood that was now dripping into them from the cuts and abrasions he was giving himself, but that did not stop him.
He had to get out, get out of the trap.
Nothing could survive for long in a trap.
Legolas stopped.
His arms hung loosely at his sides and he could hear the pattering of blood on the stone floor from his hands as it echoed dully.
But that was not why he had stopped.
He could hear footsteps again from outside.
Using the sound as his bearing, Legolas turned towards the wall he figured the door had to be in. Then he crouched down facing it, every nerve in his body alert as he felt the blood rushing through his veins. This was his chance to get out, get away from the trap.
It might be his only chance, he had to be ready.
Tense and alert, Legolas prepared himself for a fight to the death if need be to escape his madness.
Author's Note II: I know, I know, I'm awful for leaving you with another cliffhanger! But I swear I'll make it up to you guys, I don't want to upset any of you, even though it does look like I'm trying to kill you. But look at this way, at least you got some elf angst, and trust me, there's plenty more coming :)
Chapter 11
After what seemed like an impossible amount of time, Legolas had never thought that the dwarves could possibly dig that deep into the mountain, he was finally ordered to stop. To his right, Legolas could only dimly make out a crudely cut door in the stone. It was small, barely large enough for a dwarf, one that he would definitely have to stoop to get through.
One of the dwarves stepped forward and unlocked a padlock that was nailed into the door. Legolas did not doubt that it was made of the same alloy he had had to use Gimli's axe for before. After the lock was pulled free it took two of the dwarves to pull the heavy door open, and it opened with the sound of rock grating upon rock that caused Legolas to wince from the assault on his sensitive ears.
"In there," Thror demanded when it was pulled open all the way.
Legolas glanced inside, his eyes barely making out the inside of the room from the torches being held outside. It was small, with no mirrors for light inside. Legolas had not wanted to cause any trouble, he had figured the best thing would be to simply comply with the dwarves and did not want to risk injuring any of them, if only for the sake of Gimli. But he hesitated at the door, and could not bring himself to go any further.
"In, elf!" Thror said.
Legolas tried to reason with him. "Thror, you know I had nothing to do with this."
"If it were up to me you had everything to do with it," Thror said, and then he swung one of the long wooden spears so that it landed neatly across Legolas' back. Legolas stumbled forward from the force and almost ended up on his hands and knees, but quick reflexes saved him and he stayed on his feet.
"In or we'll force you in," one of the other dwarves said.
Taking a deep breath, partially to steel his nerves and partially to get through the pain now throbbing from his back, Legolas took a small step forward. He crouched down and made his way through the door.
No sooner had he cleared the doorway then the dwarves swung it closed. It slammed and Legolas doubled over in pain, holding his hands over his ears. The echo created by the small room was deafening.
When the echo died away, Legolas could hear the padlock being returned to its place and then a few pats on the door, as if to ensure that it was going to stay put. And Legolas had no doubt that it would, even his strength would not be enough to break out of this stone prison.
There was some laughter and jeering from outside, and then Legolas heard the stamping of their feet as the dwarves walked away. The torches they were carrying went with them of course, and soon what little light could be seen from around the cracks in the door created from the torches was gone.
And then he was left with nothing.
After contemplating what to do, Legolas sat down in the middle of his confines and tried to calm his breathing. His back and temple were sending steady traces of pain throughout his body, but Legolas only closed his eyes and tried to focus on nothing but his breathing. He knew there was a possibility of him panicking in such a room, and he wanted to keep himself as calm as possible. He figured if he kept his eyes closed, then maybe he could convince himself that the darkness was just from that.
As he breathed, the pain dulled and he did begin to calm somewhat, but soon his senses began to betray him. In an absence of light and sound, his eyes and ears automatically sharpened, straining to establish something of his surroundings. And that was exactly what he did not want to do. If he could focus his mind on anything but his situation, he might be able to save his sanity.
And it worked.
For the first few hours.
Even as he tried to valiantly think of open fields and clear skies, the pressure of the darkness and closeness of the walls finally started to bear down on him. His skin started to crawl as he could think of nothing but the walls that he would be able to touch if he moved but a little to either side. Even as he told himself it was impossible, he began to get the feeling that they were closing in on him, caging him.
Legolas' easy breathing started to quicken again and sweat made his skin feel moist. Almost in desperation, Legolas began to sing, a song of Elbereth and the stars, but his own voice was just thrown harshly back at him from the walls, reminding him of what he was trying to forget, so he stopped.
'Just breathe, that is all, breathe and keep the eyes closed. Keep the eyes closed,' Legolas told himself over and over.
But the pressure kept building, and his panic kept rising.
Legolas opened his eyes.
There was nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Not the faintest glimmer of a shape or even an outline of the walls. Nothing but the blackest of darks, a heavy and stifling curtain draped all around him. He could feel his eyes bulging, straining to bring in the slightest ray of light so he could see something, anything.
He should never have opened his eyes.
Panic started to well up fast within him and he stood so swiftly he hit his head on the low ceiling. He recoiled from the shock and instinctively backed up, only to collide the wall behind him. He reached out with both hands and could easily feel both walls on either side of him. He was caged, imprisoned.
Trapped.
Quickly he tried to regain what was left of his sanity, to just sit back down and try to wait this out. But even as the rational corner of his brain tried to take control, everything else in his body was screaming at him to escape. It was the first time he felt a pure primeval fear, the fear of all wild things in a trap. Now he knew why animals would rather chew off their own leg than stay in a trap.
Only he had nothing to sever to set him free.
Legolas began to feel along the stone walls, first slowly, then more frantically. He circled his prison, striving to find any sort of give in the walls. But it was not long before he realized that he did not even know which wall was the one with the door in it anymore. He had turned himself around and there was nothing with which to regain his bearings.
Legolas closed his eyes again, tried to convince himself that that was the only reason there was no light. But they did not stay closed for long and then another fear gripped him. He began to wonder if he would even be able to tell if his eyes were open or closed.
Legolas began pounding on the walls with his fists. His breath was coming in short gasps, but no other sounds would come from his mouth. Pain started to register up his arms from the repeated beatings on his fists and his palms felt sticky with the blood that was now dripping into them from the cuts and abrasions he was giving himself, but that did not stop him.
He had to get out, get out of the trap.
Nothing could survive for long in a trap.
Legolas stopped.
His arms hung loosely at his sides and he could hear the pattering of blood on the stone floor from his hands as it echoed dully.
But that was not why he had stopped.
He could hear footsteps again from outside.
Using the sound as his bearing, Legolas turned towards the wall he figured the door had to be in. Then he crouched down facing it, every nerve in his body alert as he felt the blood rushing through his veins. This was his chance to get out, get away from the trap.
It might be his only chance, he had to be ready.
Tense and alert, Legolas prepared himself for a fight to the death if need be to escape his madness.
Author's Note II: I know, I know, I'm awful for leaving you with another cliffhanger! But I swear I'll make it up to you guys, I don't want to upset any of you, even though it does look like I'm trying to kill you. But look at this way, at least you got some elf angst, and trust me, there's plenty more coming :)