Disclaimer: I didn't get any hot Elfy or Ranger under my bed on my birthday, so... Nope, not mine. Darn.
Chapter 11: Mirkwood II
Estel found himself in a large room that was cast in shadows. The heavy curtains at the windows had been drawn, shutting out the Sun. He shivered involuntarily. The room felt like Death.
The Elven King strode over to a window and flung back the curtains. The sudden change from dark to light made the Human wince and put up his hand to shield his eyes. His gaze fell upon the still figure on the bed, now illuminated by the afternoon sun.
It was Legolas.
His eyes were closed and the bedclothes covering him barely moved as his chest rose and fell slightly. His skin was pale, almost to the point of transparency, and his lips were white.
If Estel had not known better, he would have thought a corpse lay on the bed.
Elrond was shocked as well. "He did not look this bad when I was here last."
Thranduil did not reply, but Estel thought he saw a tear fall from the King's face as he bent over his son. As he straightened, he asked, "Where is it?"
Without thinking, Estel stepped forward and drew the cover off the portrait, presenting it to the Elven King.
Thranduil's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the painting that imprisoned his only son.
"So, this... is what we've been searching for all this while..." he said quietly. He walked over to the window and stood there for a long moment, leaving Estel clutching the painting.
Suddenly, the King struck his fist against the wall and exclaimed bitterly, "Curse you, Danin! Curse you, for making a mockery out of my son in this fashion!"
Elrond sighed. "Thranduil..."
Thranduil whirled and stalked towards them, an angry gleam in his eyes, his fury barely suppressed. "When I get my hands on that Elf, I swear he will wish he had never laid eyes upon my son!"
He stood in the middle of the room, chest heaving, hands clenched at his sides. Elrond raised an eyebrow at him.
Abruptly, the Elven King turned away. "I apologise for that outburst. Now, all that's left for us to do is to find out how to get Legolas back."
He stepped towards Estel and gently took the portrait from him, carrying it over to the window where he scrutinized it under the sunlight. "It really looks like him, doesn't it? So real, almost as though he was standing right here in front of me..."
Elrond turned to Estel and motioned to him to leave the room. Estel complied.
It was not until he found himself in a hall, surrounded by numerous doors that looked exactly the same, that he realized belatedly that he had no idea where he was supposed to go. And there was the fact that his twin brothers were nowhere in sight...
"Estel!"
"There you are!"
Two identical voices exclaimed in unison as Elladan and Elrohir hurried towards him, covered in a slimy substance.
"'Dan! 'Ro! Oh, thank the Valar both of you are alright!"
"Did you miss us already?" Elrohir smirked.
Estel rolled his eyes. "Not with the way you look and smell now. Are you hurt?"
Elladan shook his head. "The Mirkwood patrols came just in time. If they had arrived just a little later, we might have already been spider fodder."
Estel made a face. "That is disgusting."
"By the way, where's Ada? And what are you doing all the way here?" Elrohir asked he took his brother's arm and walked him in the direction of the guest chambers.
"Ada's in that room with the King and Legolas. And, the real Legolas isn't looking too well."
The twins exchanged a look.
"Let us pray that Mithrandir arrives soon, then," Elladan said grimly.
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xXThranduil had requested that he be left alone with his son that night, so it was with mixed feelings that Estel went to bed.
He was glad that he'd be able to get a proper night's sleep after the journey from Rivendell, but on the other hand...
It felt a little strange knowing that he wouldn't have to entertain a certain blonde Elf while others slept peacefully.
He shrugged it off and drifted off to sleep, hoping that the nightmares he'd been having would not plague him that night.
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
"Ada!"
"Legolas!"
The Prince practically flew into his father's arms as soon as he had emerged from the portrait.
"I missed you so much, Ada."
"As did I, my little Greenleaf."
Thranduil wiped the tears from his son's face and smiled down at the shining blue eyes. He had almost forgotten how it was like to hold his son and hear his voice.
"I never thought I'd see you again. It feels as though I'm dreaming."
"You're not dreaming, Legolas. Trust me. Soon, you'll be back home for good."
Thranduil sent up a petition to the Valar as he hugged his son tightly, ignoring the fact that he could not feel any warmth coming from the lithe body. 'Please, I'll do anything, just... don't let me lose him again.'
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
It was a much happier Thranduil who joined the Rivendell Elves at breakfast the next morning. His eyes held a new determination that had not been there previously.
As soon as the meal was over, he leaned forward and addressed Elrond, "I suppose that all we can do now is wait for Mithrandir to arrive?"
Elrond was about to reply when a hurried knock sounded on the door and an Elf peered in. "Your Majesty, Mithrandir is here."
The relief on the King's face was apparent as he gave his leave for the Istar to be shown in.
Moments later, the grey-clad wizard strode into the room, his eyes sparkling with something akin to excitement. "Well? Is it true that the painting has been found?"
"Yes! It has! And we were just waiting for you to come so that you could free Legolas!" Thranduil was almost bursting with joy and anticipation.
The wizard shook his head. "Don't get your hopes too high yet, I might not be able to help him. But come, let's see that infamous painting of Danin's and I'll do what I can to help your son."
As the King led the wizard back to Legolas' room, Estel lagged behind and asked Elladan, "What does he mean by saying he might not be able to help? I thought that Mithrandir is able to do anything, as long as it concerns magic?"
His brother shook his head. "I don't know either. But I suppose that even Istari are not all-powerful."
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
The Elves and Human stood in silence as Mithrandir examined the painting closely, muttering to himself as he fingered the frame and looked at it from different angles. Finally, he set it down and paced back and forth, a frown upon his face.
"Well?" Thranduil asked expectantly.
The wizard started and looked up, before giving a chuckle. "Dear me, I'd quite forgotten I wasn't alone in the room."
Thranduil shook his head impatiently. "Never mind about that, can you help him?"
Mithrandir sighed and ran a hand through his beard thoughtfully. "It is more... complicated than we had expected."
"What do you mean?"
"The spell that Danin used, it belongs to one of the heretic orders. I am unfamiliar with it and cannot reverse it."
"What?!"
The wizard held up a hand before Thranduil started ranting. "And even if I knew the spell to use, I'm afraid that I still wouldn't be able to reverse it. He used his blood in the binding process, and we need his blood to do the unbinding."
Thranduil growled in frustration. "But, the Seers have been searching for him for centuries without any luck! How are we to find him with barely a month left before..."
"That is because they are using magic to find him."
"Well, how else are they supposed to find him? No one knows where he is, or even if he still lives!" Thranduil started pacing agitatedly.
"I might be able to help on that," the wizard offered.
He gestured to them to sit down, then walked over to the window and stared contemplatively out of it.
After a long silence, he began to speak. "I've been doing some searching of my own, these past centuries. It occurred to me that, perhaps, Danin has fled to join the company of others like him. When the witch realm of Angmar was destroyed, not all its people perished. There are rumours of some who escaped, and formed small tribes of their own. They kept their magic alive and secret, and so little is known of them that even I am not sure as to how much knowledge they possess of such arts.
"It seems that in time, most of these separate tribes converged to form a small realm - one that has been kept hidden by their magic, such that none can find it unless they are fated to. It is my belief that Danin is in this hidden realm of mages."
"Where is it? What is it called?" Estel asked excitedly.
The wizard smiled fondly at the eager Human. "Have you ever heard of the hidden village of the Onbekend?"
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
"It sounds a little unbelievable, if you ask me," Legolas said skeptically as he sat cross-legged on the bed, his father, Mithrandir, Estel and the Rivendell Elves seated around him.
The wizard shook his head slightly. "Perhaps it does, but there is a high chance that the answer lies in the hidden village."
"Do you even know where it is?" Elrond asked.
The wizard snorted. "As I said, it is veiled from all who use magic, thus ensuring it's secrecy. But from the information I have gathered, its likely location would be somewhere in the forest around Dol Guldur."
Thranduil almost jumped out of his chair. "What?! You mean all these years he's been so close by and I - "
Elrond interrupted the King, "You must remember, my friend, the shadow has only left Dol Guldur recently. The mages might only have relocated there recently as well. Besides, as Mithrandir says, they are hidden from your Seers, and you commanded your soldiers not to venture too near to it lest they be taken by the Shadow that haunted it. Although I certainly do not see why anyone in their right mind would take up residence near Dol Guldur."
Mithrandir smiled. "Yes, that puzzled me too. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Dol Guldur may have been deserted by the Shadow, but dregs of power still remain. If those mages are able to use that power to hide their existence better, then I believe they would rather stay near to danger than come out into the open and be persecuted by everyone."
"If that's the case," Estel wondered out loud, "how come you didn't find that village and Danin? I meant no offence, Mithrandir," he added quickly as he realized how that comment sounded.
The wizard gave a laugh. "My dear Estel, if I'd walked into the village I probably would not have walked out alive, assuming that I managed to find it in the first place. The fact that they are heretics is a very sore point, and they would not like to have it rubbed into their faces if I, an Istar, were to walk into their midst and demand that they hand over one of their comrades. I believe I'd most probably have been burnt at stake for that."
"Then, how are we ever going to find Danin?" Elrohir asked, puzzled.
"Not we, you."
Elrohir's jaw dropped. "Me?"
Mithrandir nodded. "Yes, you and your brothers. I will give you directions as to the location of the village. Assuming it is there, you will have to bring Danin back using whatever method you choose."
"But, why them?" Legolas protested.
"It would look suspicious if your father left; you are unable to go in this state; Lord Elrond has to stay to make sure nothing happens to your body while they are searching for Danin; I can't go, otherwise I'll put your friends into danger. And I don't suggest that you send your army out either, Thranduil. You might end up with a war with the mages in your hands."
Thranduil opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it and scowled at the wizard. "How did you know I was going to do that?"
Mithrandir smiled at the King. "Because you are as impulsive as your father, and it appears to run in the family."
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
"So, you'll be leaving tomorrow?" Legolas asked the Human.
Estel nodded. "Better that we leave as soon as possible. We might run into delays."
The two of them had been left alone in Legolas' room after the rest had gone to bed. Thranduil would have stayed if his son had not requested to be alone with his Human friend. He had left grudgingly, but was not willing to deny any request from his newly returned son.
"That's good then." Legolas looked down at his sleeping form. "At least this way I'll know there is hope for me."
Estel watched the Elf curiously. It felt so surreal, to see the soul next to the body like that...
Legolas stretched out his hand hesitantly to touch the translucent skin of his body, then gasped in shock as his hand went right through the flesh.
"Estel - "
In a flash, the Human was beside him, hugging the trembling Elf and whispering comforting words into his ear. "It's alright, Legolas. You probably can't touch your real body because, well, you're only the soul. I'm sure it's nothing."
"No," the Elf whispered, dazed. "It's not nothing. My time here is almost at an end, Estel."
"Don't say that."
"It's true! I can feel it... all the time... and," he broke away from the Human and gestured at the body on the bed, "if I wasn't dying would I look like that?"
Estel was silent for a moment before he asked, "But do you really believe that?"
"I don't know. I don't know anymore. It's just that... It's getting harder to come out now."
"What do you mean?"
Legolas sighed and shook his head in frustration. "You won't understand. It feels like... I'm being swallowed. By this, darkness that refuses to let go. I don't know how much longer I can fight it."
"I know how it feels. I've dreamt of it. I... hear you calling me."
"You do?"
Estel nodded, then laid a hand on the Elf's shoulder. "You must be strong. Wait for us, we will find a way to free you."
"I know, but, somehow, I have a feeling what you seek will not be there, in that village."
Estel tightened his grip on the Elf. "You must not give up. Promise me; promise you will wait for us. That you will fight, to the end if that is the case. You must not give in, you hear me?"
Legolas nodded, then hesitantly placed a hand over the Human's. "I will. I'll try my very best. I'll wait until I have no choice but to leave."
Estel nodded. "That's good then."
They sat, staring at each other until Estel realized what kind of position they were in. He cleared his throat loudly and hurriedly stood up. "I guess I should be going to sleep now."
Legolas smiled. "Sleep well, Estel." He watched the Human exit the room, a wistful look on his face.
"Hurry, Estel," he whispered to the empty room. "I fear that there will be nothing left by the time you come back to me."
X.x.X.x.X.x.X.xX
TBCAuthor's notes:
Chapter in honour of my birthday!!! A very big thank you to all the nice birthday wishes you wonderful reviewers left, and hope you like this chapter! It's the one before all the action starts so... ((wink wink)) Updates will be every other Tuesday again, unless I miraculously finish this story in the next 2 days. Which is highly unlikely, so look out for the next instalment on the... ((whips out calendar and counts)) 9th of November.
Anyway, on to my ramblings about this chapter. This is where the whole AU thing and my over-active imagination kick in. I can't really remember what I wanted to comment about this chapter, considering that I wrote it a really long time ago, but the idea for the whole mage village has to do with the 2 blue Istari who came over to ME with Mithrandir and Saruman. If I'm not wrong, there's mention of them in "Unfinished Tales of Middle Earth" and also some info in the website glyphweb. com / arda (without the spaces, add the triple w in front etc) under blue wizards. Maps of Dol Guldur can also be found there, just do a little site searching.
Reason for Dol Guldur? None at all. It was just the most convenient place I could think of. Right at Thranduil's doorstep. (hint hint) Erm... name of the village – Onbekend... I wish I could claim to have made it up myself, but given the inspiration I have for original names... it's actually Dutch for ((drum roll)) "unknown". ((falls down)) Yes, yes, very bad imagination and unoriginal to boot when it comes to names. ((digs a hole and hides)) The way I come up with names is to dig up all sorts of foreign dictionaries online, type in the root word I want, and then pick the most exotic sounding name of the lot. ((sheepish grin))
Okie, review replies for the previous chapter! ((takes deep breath of sugar dust and starts typing furiously))
Goldmund1110: And there you have Estel's reaction and a rather... dramatic reunion of body and soul. ((bounces)) And unfortunately the soul can't just get sucked back into the body, everyone lives happily every after, because... hehehe, Estel wouldn't have an excuse to save Legolas etc if that happens. XD Forgive me if I'm not making sense again, my brain kinda shut down from playing too much computer games the whole afternoon. :-D
Kitty: Oh wow, thanks! I'm glad you liked the action scene. I think it's the first I've ever written... Apart from 1 paragraph in another story that is. ((beams happily))
Someone Stupid: ((jams halo on top of horns; shoves tail behind fake fluffy wings)) I really was sweet and innocent once... I used to be the angel of the group/shield when my partners-in-crime wanted to play tricks on our teachers. XD Then they corrupted me so... here I am today. Tee hee. And I agree that they really want each other... all the shoulder-groping and private conversations in Elvish in the movies... ((crazy fangirl screaming)) Plus the fact that Legolas dressed up so prettily like a bride at the end of RotK, but Aragorn being the dumb Ranger that he is didn't notice and went for Arwen instead. Tsk tsk, he doesn't know a good thing even when he's hit on the head with one. XD
Marbienl: Heh... Actually, I'm a pretty big fan of Cassia and Sio's stuff... I stayed up till 3 for a few nights running to read all their stories the time it dawned on blur old me that all the nice, long and interesting stories I had been keeping track of were coming from them. And I think it kinda rubbed off... I never noticed that line is actually the title of their latest story! Erm... Spiders biting the painting... maybe it'd break a fang? XD Or perhaps the fibre from the frame would aid its digestive system. XD Evil me. As for covering the portrait, I guess it's to protect it so it doesn't get ripped by accident, and to make sure Estel doesn't get too caught up with staring at it that he brains himself on a tree. XD
Sielge: Thank you! ((ego inflates)) I think my ego is getting too happy over all the birthday wishes from everyone... ((bounces happily))
Nienna Coamenel: ((rofl)) That's alright. I'm having problems writing when it comes to having Leggy-the-soul and Leggy-the-body in the same room, makes me want to just hang tags on them with the label "LTS" and "LTB" respectively. XD More Estel and Leggy stuff coming soon!
Lil-Legolas-2931: ((roflm)) Ouch... ripping the blindfold off has got to hurt... ((giggles)) Thanks for interrupting them (now, I wonder WHAT they were doing) to get them to sing me a birthday song. XD Glad you're enjoying the story, hope you like this chapter as well! XD
Dawn: Oooh, I like your logic about the toy store... but then the sales assistants give me strange looks whenever I drop by with my friends to cuddle stuffed toys... maybe 'cos I bounce too much? ((whistles innocently)) And omg, you're a teacher... let me start worshipping you... I did a relief teaching stint for half a year and I felt like killing my students in as slow and painful a manner as possible. Thank goodness it's the hols now. ((sigh of relief)) But about the personality change thingy... ((imagines self as a rabid fangirl in 20 years time)) ((roflm)) Ahem. Anyway, glad both of you liked the chapter!
The-Serious-Padfoot: Hmm... But if you read this stuff in the car, wouldn't whoever's beside you be wondering what you're reading and trying to sneak a look? Anyway, being a passenger's more fun than a driver, that way you can sleep at anytime you want and you won't get into trouble. XD Hehehe... well, at least that's what I think. My mum's been trying to make me stay awake so I can memorise more routes now that I can drive... Sob sob... no more car-napping...
Empath89: Hahahaha... I go into warped-fangirl-overdrive sometimes when I read "normal" stories too... I think it's just the state of my warped little mind. ((whistles innocently)) But it's not implied slash in this story, just non-graphic. So you won't have to imagine too much, although there are several "fill-in-the-blanks-with-any-scene-you-like" moments coming up later... ((wink wink))
Sorry, u don't know mi: Err... cute name. You sure I don't know you? Maybe I'm your secret stalker... ((evil laughter)) And thanks for the song. :-D
Tmelange: Thank you! ((bounces and waves birthday streamers))
Blade6: Yup, sugar keeps me going ((waves sugar addicts anonymous flag)) It's my external power source that works a leetle too well. I used to bounce throughout physics lectures after eating a bar of chocolate back in school... I think I drove all the people behind me nuts 'cos I couldn't keep still. Happy Halloween to you too, hope you had fun trick or treating! Good thing we don't do that over here... I'd probably eat all the candies before nightfall. XD
Child of Magick: ((grins)) Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter!
Grumpy: Yup, he took the late watches so he could have Leggy all to himself. XD Ahem. I guess Thranduil didn't exactly have much say in whether or not Estel could stay or not, 'cos I think Elrond would never send the blundering Human™ back to Rivendell just because a certain Elven King threw a tantrum... Oooh.. I'd like to see Thranduil throw a tantrum. He'd be soo... CUTE!!! XDXD
Losing Grip: Nah, I think Thranduil is just a little anal-retentive when it comes to matters concerning his precious son. But he has to be nice to Estel sooner or later considering that he's Estel's future father-in-law. XDXDXD
RMC: ((lol)) No problem... Actually, I can't remember what I wrote in reply to your last review either... must go and dig out the file... argh, forget it. I'm getting really stoned now, so erm... I'll give you a more hyper and nicer reply the next time, ok? Suffering from lack of sleep... bleh.
That's all, folks! If I missed anyone out, really sorry about that! My eyes are closing on me and I'm starting to see stars from staring at the screen for so long... Good night and happy Halloween! (even thought I think it's over on my side of the world already... O.o I need to sleep.)