Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.—Mahatma Gandhi
Thranduil slowly rolled his head and rubbed the back of his neck. His entire afternoon and evening was spent pouring over his old journals from he was younger. Occasional entries spoke of Bretharso and their antics. The entries spanned all the way up till a few years after Legolas had been born and Thranduil crowned. The elf king couldn't find anything to suggest why Bretharso was attacking his family.
Tossing aside another journal, Thranduil leaned back and allowed his eyes to slide shut with a heavy sigh. Everything that he could normally do in only a few minutes was now taking a few hours. His mind kept drifting to his son and what he might be going through alone. Where was he? Was he in danger or trouble? Some people saw Thranduil as a strict, uncaring father but that was what everyone on the outside saw while looking in. Those close to the family knew that Thranduil was a loving father away from prying eyes. Thranduil and Legolas had a special bond that only they understood.
He sighed again and forced himself to relax. He was no use to anyone if he was this scatter brained. A cool night breeze brushed through the room and ruffled the king's golden hair. Something suddenly slammed into his senses and he moved but it was a moment too late. His feet pushed his chair to the side just as a sharp blade plunged into the back of his upper bicep, missing his heart. The chair and king crashed to the ground as Thranduil rolled to face his attacker. The gasp leapt from his throat as he looked at the cold and impassive face. Legolas stood over him holding a bloody blade in both hands. Dried blood marred his exposed flesh and fresh blood dribbled down his arms. Black eyes glared at Thranduil as the young archer advanced on the king. Thranduil jumped to his feet and held his upper arm to stabilize his arm. Blood was pouring from the wound and his entire arm was numb and tingly as he backed away.
"Legolas! What is wrong with you?"
He jumped to the side and grabbed one of Legolas' blades that had been left in his chambers. Legolas had the other blade and swept towards Thranduil. They locked blades and Thranduil yelled for someone. A moment later the door bust open just as Legolas slammed an elbow into Thranduil's face. Elladan, Elrohir, and the guards stared in shock at the prince attacking his father.
"Protect Thranduil!" Elladan yelled to the guards as his twin and he rushed Legolas.
The three tumbled to the ground as one of the twins struggled to pin Legolas to the ground and avoid the blade. Elladan gasped when Legolas grabbed the front of his tunic and physically threw him across the room. He slammed into the mantle above the fireplace and felt a searing pain ignite where his back hit the mantle. He collapsed bonelessly onto the floor in dazed shock and knew immediately something was wrong with his back. He had felt his wrist snap also from landing on it and knew easily that it was broken. Also, Legolas should not have been that strong; oh, Elladan knew that his friend was strong but not that strong.
A moment later Elrohir slammed into the bookcase and fell to his hands and knees as books rained down around him. Elrohir looked over his shoulder at the teetering bookcase as Legolas leapt out of the window. The younger twin's eyes widened as the bookcase started to fall towards him. Rolling forward out of the way, he rolled onto his feet and started running after the Mirkwood prince as the bookcase crashed behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his twin still on the floor unmoving as he leapt off the balcony. Catching onto one of the tree branches, he swung onto the ground and landed running to follow the faint glow that filtered through the trees. Anger at whatever was going on in Legolas' head fueled him to run faster. Closing in on the running form, Elrohir launched himself at Legolas and caught him around the waist. Elrohir forced himself to land on top and immediately punched Legolas across the jaw. The Mirkwood elf went slack as he was forced into unconsciousness by the Noldor elf. Sighing, Elrohir rolled off and rubbed his face tiredly.
"Well, I never expected to stumble across this while coming through the forests of Mirkwood."
Elrohir looked up in shock upon recognizing the voice. He got another shock when he saw who was all there.
"Gandalf? Ada? Wha-? Why?"
"What have you and your brothers gotten into now? And who is this poor soul that has incurred your wrath?" Elrond asked with a joking grin.
"Both of you had better hurry to the palace. Everything has gone wrong that can go wrong."
Elrohir brushed aside the hair obscuring the elf's face and heard Elrond's muted gasp. Legolas' face was dirty and smudged with dirt, debris, and blood. Gandalf looked like he expected all of this and wasn't the least bit surprised.
"It is as I feared. Come, we must hurry and restrain him before he awakens," Gandalf said as Elrohir moved to pick up Legolas.
He hissed sharply as his bruised back protested and he rested his hands on his knees. Without a word, Elrond pushed his son's tunic up and frowned at the extensive bruising as Gandalf picked up Legolas.
"You have a lot to explain, my son," Elrond commented and signaled to the small contingent of warriors that stood in the shadows.
Elrohir nodded to the fellow warriors and slowly walked with them towards the palace. Everywhere was movement and activity that resulted from the assassination attempt. Extra guards and warriors spanned the hallways as the small Rivendell group moved towards Thranduil's study. Gandalf procured a set of bindings and immediately bound Legolas tightly.
Inside the study was utter chaos with healers tending to Thranduil and Elladan while warriors stood against the walls.
"Legolas!" Thranduil cried, seeing Gandalf carry his son in. "Why do you have him bound?"
"Explanation will come later, elf king, for now we tend to the injured. Elrond, your eldest needs you," Gandalf directed as Elrond hurried to where the healers were clustered around Elladan.
"Elladan, what happened?" Elrond asked softly once kneeling to look into his son's pain filled eyes.
"Thrown against the mantle…hit my back…something is wrong. I can feel it," he muttered and felt his father cut away his tunic to bare his back.
He concentrated on not moving; he knew that severity of back injuries and how careful they needed to be dealt with. One wrong move could paralyze him for the rest of his immortal life. The gently prodding of his back implied that Elrond had already started his examination. The elf lord carefully felt along both sides of Elladan's spine and counted the number of vertebras. Upon hearing his son's account, Elrond had immediately feared the worst; a broken back. It could not be that severe for Elladan was still breathing properly and on his own. Towards the center of Elladan's back, Elrond found the problem. A disc was dislocated and pressing against the spinal cord. Elrond praised Valar that his son had known to not move. The results could have been disastrous.
"Ada, where is Elrohir?" Elladan asked suddenly and Elrond looked up to the dark head.
"He is tending to Legolas' injuries and helping Mithrandir," Elrond soothed before turning to one of the other healers.
"I want to see him."
Elrond knew that it would be pointless to argue with his son. Arguing would also make him agitated and that was something that he wanted to avoid at all costs. He would have to sedate the young elf before slipping the dislocated disc back into place. Elrond called over Elrohir and motioned towards his brother.
"How are you feeling, brother?" Elrohir asked softly as he crouched next to his twin.
"I am quickly becoming tired to lying on my stomach. There is an itch on my arm which is slowly driving me mad and I can not scratch it."
Elrohir chuckled and followed his brother's directions to where the itch was and scratched it.
"Many thanks to you brother. And how are you doing? I saw you hit the bookcase so do not tell me that you are fine."
"I am well. My back will be one big bruise for a while and it aches fiercely but compared to you, I am fine."
"Yeah right. How are Thranduil and Legolas?"
"Gandalf is working on Legolas and seeing what is ailing him. Thranduil was bundled off to the healing wing to have his upper arm fixed. The blade seemed to have nicked a vital bundle of nerves. Ada is fixing up something for you, the warriors are righting the bookcase, and you are still on the floor," Elrohir commented dryly.
"Where is Estel?"
A cold knot of fear suddenly appeared in Elrohir's gut as he scrambled to his feet. Frantically looking around the room, he looked for his human brother. He had assumed that Aragorn would be somewhere in the middle of everything like usual but Elrohir could not see him anywhere. He reached out and grabbed Elrond's arm as he passed him.
"Ada, Estel is missing. He told Elladan and I that he was coming back to the palace to speak with Thranduil. I have not see him since. I fear something may have happened to him," Elrohir whispered and continued to scan the room.
"Somehow I am not surprised. I want you to take the warriors from Rivendell and some from Mirkwood. Talk to Thranduil and see what Estel spoke with him about."
"What of Elladan?"
"I am about to work on his back now but he will need to remain in the healing wing to allow the swelling to go down. I will also need to put his wrist in a cast so it can heal. I will need your help, Elrohir."
Elrohir nodded and crouched near his brother as Elrond did the same. Elladan's eyes quickly found Elrohir's and he frowned.
"Why are you not out looking for Estel? He needs help!"
"You need help first, Elladan. I am going to give you a powerful sedative before slipping the disc back into place. We can ill afford you to jerk away so I mixed in a mild muscle relaxant," Elrond explained patiently.
"I understand Ada, but are we going to look for Estel?"
"I will look for him after father and I have realigned the disc in your back. Now drink Ada's concoction," Elrohir ordered sternly.
Elladan glared at his brother before drinking the mixture. It was only a few moments before Elladan's eyes slid closed and his body went entirely slack. Checking the pupils and respiration, Elrond directed Elrohir on what to do before kneeling on one side of Elladan. Feeling the dislocated disc again, Elrond pressed both hands right against the disc. With a quick press, he felt the disc move away from the pressure. Checking again, the disc was back in place and Elrond nodded to Elrohir. The younger twin placed the wooden board next to his brother, and father and son worked to slide the board under Elladan. Buckling on the straps to keep Elladan stable, they picked up the board and started towards the healing wing.
Gandalf soon followed carrying Legolas and the study was left empty. Once getting Elladan situated on a bed, Elrond moved to stand by Gandalf as the wizard looked down at the Mirkwood prince.
"Are you going to explain, Mithrandir?"
"It seems that this dark elf has come into possession of a book once belonging to Morgoth. He has used it to bring his son's spirit back from Mandos and has instilled it into Legolas. That is why Legolas' eyes are black," he commented and lifted one of Legolas' eyelids to reveal the solid black eye.
"How do we fix it?"
Elrond and Gandalf turned to look at Thranduil who appeared silently behind them. The king had his shoulder wrapped and his arm was in a sling. Blood stained his tunic and he was disheveled beyond what a king should normally look like. He glanced down at his son before looking back to Gandalf.
"What can we do?"
"We must first wake him so I can extract Bretharso's son. Once this is done then we should start to look for Aragorn," Gandalf said and moved his staff to his other hand.
"How do we wake him?"
"He is coming out of it now," Elrond noted as Legolas started to shift restlessly.
Black eyes glared at them as he snarled and struggled against the bonds.
"Release me now," he growled as his eyes flashed.
"This is neither your place nor your body, Mathulius. You must go back to the Halls," Gandalf ordered and pointed his staff at the young elf.
"No!"
"Yes! Now leave Legolas Thranduilion be and return to your place!"
Gandalf slammed his staff into Legolas' forehead and knocked the elf back to the table unconscious. A violent wind swirled around the room and knocked over a small table and chair before the door to the balcony swung open and slammed into the wall. The room was left deathly quiet as Thranduil slowly moved off Legolas. When the wind had ripped through the room he had thrown himself over Legolas to protect him from any flying debris. Looking down at Legolas, Thranduil gasped and stepped back in shock. Black tears trailed down Legolas' pale cheeks and stained the sheets under him. His eyelids slowly started to flutter before finally opening to look around confused. Why did his father have a dark bruise on his cheek? Where was he? Why is everyone watching him warily?
"Ada? What happened?" he asked hoarsely.
"Is it really you Legolas?"
Legolas tried to sit up but stopped short when realizing that he was bound tightly. His eyes widened upon seeing Elladan unconscious on the bed with his wrist in a cast and Elrohir sitting as a healer rubbed ointment on his colorfully bruised back. Fear started to mask his confusion as Legolas turned back to his father.
"Tell me, father. I wish to know what is going on."
Thranduil sighed and slowly lowered himself into a chair that a healer pulled over for him. Gandalf undid the binds holding Legolas immobile and helped the young elf sit up. Legolas bit his lip and groaned softly before wrapping an arm around his abdomen. Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain, he continued to listen to his father as his guilt mounted. All of this was his fault. He had attacked his father, the twins, and possibly even Aragorn but he remembered none of it. Legolas stared down at the floor and listened to his father's account of events up to their present situation. Once he finished, Legolas slowly stood and felt himself weave a bit on his feet.
"I have to find Estel. He needs help," he muttered and reached for a clean tunic.
"Are you mad, Legolas? You are hardly in any condition to be battling a child, let alone Bretharso. You will be killed," Elrohir argued as he slowly pulled his tunic back on.
"It is a small price to pay if I can save Estel. He is in this because of my family and I; it is the least that I can do."
"It would be futile attempt, my son. Bretharso is as old as I am and is well trained in all weaponry of a warrior. He would kill you in a heartbeat without a moment's thought. He and I trained and sparred together so I know his strengths and abilities," Thranduil said while watching his son.
"What are his weaknesses? He has to have weaknesses."
"He and I trained together. Do I have any weaknesses?"
Legolas realized what his father was saying. Thranduil was one of the best warriors in the land, a side effect of being the son of Oropher and then king of the realm. He was also more well built than most elves and extremely strong. A few times Legolas was still amazed at his father's strength. Legolas has never been able to beat his father whenever they sparred and that was even when Thranduil downplayed his strength; though he would never confirm Legolas' guess. And Legolas wasn't at full strength so the battle would be over before it even started.
"So what do we do?" Legolas asked hopelessly.
"Do you remember anything of where you were kept?"
Legolas racked his memories and could only grasp at a few strands. Sitting back on the bed, his shoulder sagged and he shook his head.
"Nay; I remember nothing of where I was imprisoned."
Thranduil nodded while staring at a spot above Legolas' head. He seemed to be thinking through all of his options and weighing them one by one. While Bretharso's reasoning was still a mystery to him, he knew that something must be done. But where was Bretharso hiding? Aragorn had asked about Forest River before disappearing and Legolas appearing. Could that be the link? Thranduil looked at Elrohir and caught the younger twin's eye. Motioning towards the door, Thranduil stood and spoke a few words to the healer tending to Legolas before silently leaving the healing room. Elrohir was waiting for him in the hallway and bowed slightly to the king.
"Would you be willing to leave your twin and go with me to find your other brother?"
"When would we leave?"
"Once I collect my weapons."
"Are your personal guards accompanying us?"
"No. Bretharso is not stupid or careless, but he has a large ego. The easiest way I know to defeat him is by making him angry enough to make mistakes. He would see it as an insult if only we two come. And this is between Bretharso and myself, not my bodyguards. Meet me at the stables in five minutes with your weapons," Thranduil said as Elrohir nodded.
The two quickly departed to gather their weapons. Thranduil pulled off the sling and stretched out his arm to test the flexibility. He didn't have full range of his arm but it would have to do. Battling Bretharso was going to take every ounce of skill he possessed. He remembered sparring with his friend and how quick he could be. Bretharso's speed had been legendary during their time in Greenwood the Great. Thranduil hoped that he had gotten better since Bretharso's and his last sparring match. He remembered that he really did not like how it ended.
()()()()()()()()()()
Okay, I just now got down to the Author's Note and I have no bloody clue what to say. It was there a moment ago but now it is gone. Oh well, anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed for Chapter 7 and has waited patiently for this new chapter. And thank you to all those still waiting patiently for an update for Order of Glaurung and Reborn Warrior. I will update those as soon as physically possible. I am not planning any more trips this summer so hopefully my time can be devoted to writing. So here are the reviewers' responses and I will see all of you readers at the next update. Cheers!
Hiei-Rulez- Bretharso did THAT to Legolas! Heehee, yeah, I can be so cruel and mean to the characters when I want to be. It is a bad habit that I need to break…or not. And you can not use the shovel on me then I will not be able to write the next chapters and finish the story.
Linuvial Greenleaf- You still need to send me the chapters to your new story so I can put them up on my website and I also need to do the cover art for your story too. So many things to do! And get your mind out of the gutter! You do not know what has been in there already! My friends drag me out to a strip club called Platinum Plus a few minutes away because it is the only good club around and I have to admit. They have some very good music there.
Isadora2- I always seem to rig it that all the stories hit the climax at about the same time so then I have action going on in all of them when I write. My life is slowing down, thank the Valar.
Bragoldae- Well Bretharso really did not change Legolas into his son, just kind of used Legolas' body as a host for the son's spirit. Really morbid, I know. I will explain a bit more later on in the story. Well, probably in the next chapter actually; whenever I get it written. The next chapter will be very interesting when I get it up. Till next update, mellonin.
Astalder27- Sorry for taking so long on the update. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Ameliana- Well thank you so much for the compliment. I am sorry for taking so long to write but you started reading at a bad time. I was traveling everywhere and was not close to a computer to update. But I am back now and hopefully the updates will be coming quicker. Those little errors are ones that I overlook and do not notice. Usually I catch them when I type them but occasional one gets past my nets.
Gladriel evenstar- Oh yeah, everyone loves Aragorn angst.
Star-Stallion- Well, I must say that I am happy that I have made you scared. I consider it a compliment. I know exactly what you mean about being…attractive when he is evil. It is that woman's desire to be with a bad boy who looks good. We all go through that phase in our life while looking at men. Women have the fling with the bad boy but then they really want the good boy at the end to have a life with. But the bad boys are good while they last. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Elvendancer- I would really hate to put any stories on hold so I will just have to take it one story at a time. Work on this one a bit and then on this one or on whichever one is biting at the moment. I am sorry for taking so long for putting up the next chapter to Reborn Warrior. I am working on as quickly as I can and will hopefully get it up by the weekend. I am getting my sleep, thankfully. Till next update.
XxgemxX- It was one of those when you look back on it you want to smack yourself for not realizing it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you at next update.
Coolio02- Bretharso is evil, very evil and I am enjoying writing him because he is evil. All the action will be happening in the next chapter whenever I get it written and posted.
Roccovende- I had a blast in England and wrote a lot on the airplane. The altitude must make me want to write so I wrote. I am sorry for not getting another update out but I really did not want to rush the story; I wanted to let it flow from me and take its time. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others. Till next update, mellonin. Namarie.
Dha-Gal- But I love getting your reviews! They make me so warm and fuzzy inside. Evil Lego with black eyes is hot! Let me tell you. I just want to jump that bad boy! LOL. Heehee, yeah, I am running on fumes right now. But anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, till next update, mellonin.
Jadesaber- Next chapter is going to be a huge action chapter. I can not wait till I write it. Heehee. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, mellonin.
Deana- Brainwashing is fun! Yeah, right, Heehee. But anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.
Elven Kitten- Your story is great! I can not wait till you update. Oh have you already updated and I just missed it while in England and Ohio. I have just been in foreign countries for the past few weeks. And yes, Ohio is a foreign country; at least to me it is. Heehee. But I have a bunch of Ohio friends and they are great.
BabeyRachey- A NEW REVIEWER! I love new reviewers! Drinks all around for everyone! Aragorn angst readers are nowhere near as bad as Legolas angst readers. I swear I have read more Legolas angst, Aragorn comforting stories to last me several bloody lifetimes. I am sorry that it took me so long to update this story. The updates will come sooner now that I am at home for a while. Till next update.
Ringmarciel- I have the idea for a sequel but I am not sure about it yet. It still has to ferment a little while longer in my head. Hope you enjoy this chapter and see you at next update.
Got-lotr- If you could see me now, I am blushing a deep red. Thank you so much for the compliment. Hello little penguins! I do not like being turning into a fishy, they smell. So, here is the new chapter, hope you enjoy it.
Leggylover03- Estel pain is on the way!
Lynn-G- You are starting to post stories? YEAH! Drinks for everyone! I am sorry for giving you that nasty cliff hanger and then leave you hanging for a few weeks while I am in other countries. So sorry but here is the new chapter and I hope you like it.
Celbdil-Galad and Tinlaure- That is a really long name. I am so sorry for taking so long to update this story. Everything is just happening in my life but now everything is calmed down again and I can start to write a lot now. Thank you for the compliments and I hope you like this chapter as much as the others.
Bill the Pony2- The brain has had a vacation so everything is good now. The next chapter will be angst, or at least as much as I has planned. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others.
Lina Skye- That is a really long review! Heehee. I just fell over laughing when you put in that part about how Estel would look naked; I swear I almost wet my pants in laughter and then at the part with the thong. Have you seen Shrek2? That is a VERY good movie. You have to see it. Seriously honey, I was about to fall out of my chair laughing when I read your review. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others.
Elven-Star-of-Gold- I am not sure if a child, aka Mathulius, would so vengeful but I really did not go into him very much. Have you drunk too much soda? I hope not, soda is bad. Very bad.
Riva van Dyk- Yes, I have nostril flares. They are quite funny. Multiple stories are fun, my brain is constantly processing all of the stories and sometimes I accidentally mess up the stories and they mingle. My plot bunnies are breeding together also. Scary image.
Joshua Nenya- Well thank you very much for the compliment; I always love to hear compliments from my readers even though sometimes I feel that I do not deserve it. But I am sorry for taking so long updating and hopefully I will update quicker. Greetings back from South Carolina.
Grumpy- Well thank you very much for the compliment. Aragorn always gets himself into a mess without even realizing it.
Strider's Girl- It is okay; I know how hectic lives can become. What am I saying? I am in the middle of it right now. So, anyway, thank you so much for the compliment. I will be working on Order of Glaurung as soon as I can. I need to work on that one and Reborn Warrior. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others.
Wolf Jade- All these elfish words? There is a lot of them in here? Wow, I did not think that there was. If you need a good place to look go to Council of Elrond with the www and .com at the beginning and end and you can find a bunch of interesting and useful stuff there to use. I always think that a good character gone bad is bloody hot and sexy but that is me. I have no idea where it came from but it is there. Oh well, what am I to do? I so sorry that you have a headache, I know that I hate trying to write when I have a headache because I can not write. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others and my other stories. Till next update.
Snow-Glory- I love being out in the woods so I would be thrilled. I have done archery and all that fun stuff and now I am on sword fighting. Still having a blast with that..speaking of which. I need to clean my sword. Thanks for the reminder. This story is separate I believe; or at least I never intended for it to be with the other stories.
Linchi- I am so sorry for taking so long to update this story. There is no excuse that could make it up but here is the new chapter and I promise that I will not take so long to update again.
Tychen- Life has been conspiring against you also? I swear that I am on their hit list this summer. Linuvial Greenleaf is a sweetheart; she and I bounce ideas off each other all the time. She helps me with my stories and I help her with hers so it is all good. I am so sorry for not updating earlier but I promise that I will update sooner now since I am at home for the rest of the summer.
Sielge- Well thank you so much for the compliment; I am really blushing over here in South Carolina. I am about to hide under the desk from your praise.
Narouki- I am so sorry for not updating sooner; there is no excuse for it. I was a bad Spades. But here is the new chapter; hope you enjoy it.
Purplehonor- Well thank you so much for the compliment. I am so sorry for taking so long to update but the next chapters will be coming sooner.
Finally, I am done with the reviews. You never really realize how many you have until trying to respond to all of them.