THE SPACE BETWEEN
Author's note :
Hi everyone! Well for a good part of the week we had snow! Yippee! But now, sadly it's all gone away. Oh well it will be back soon! I hope.
Sorry for the weirdness of the last Chapter, I don't know why I came up with some of the stuff. Well this one's here isn't much better, I don't think its weird, its just pointless really. I'm hoping to get the story moving one of these days. I have a clear picture where I want to go, its just how to get there that's another story! Oh just a note to let you know that there are some direct quotes from The Two Towers book, they're not very hard to find… Plus I put them in italic just to say that its not mine… Thanks!
Thank you so much for the reviews! It's unbelievable! I'm really humbled and grateful for all of them!
13 out of 10! Really! Wow thanks Elistar Alleyne! I'm soo glad you like it! Well I guess you'll see what's happening to Willow and Legolas very very soon… I hope you like it:) And thanks for reading!
Alright, A-mon Andne I finally have the answer to your question… This is how Gimli can pat Legolas on the Shoulder... when the Elf is sitting down... How about that! Sorry it took a while for my small little mind to completely register your question... Thanks for reading and I'm sorry you though Legolas' outburst was weird… it was and very occ too.
Hey Treehugger! Yes its good thing there were Ents around… What would have happened otherwise? You know what? I didn't realise what Eowyn does in ROTK until after I wrote this chapter… funny, but a very good idea!
And I fear Legolas will have much to worry about, for some reason his mind is incredibly slow and he doesn't realise what it is yet…
Well sorry for the delay! I wrote quite a bit for the next chapter during my lectures in school they are soo boring! Either I write fanfics or fall asleep! Have a nice day everybody and I hope you like the next chapter despite its uselessness! Thanks again! And don't be shy to send it your comments of any kind, good or bad!
Chapter Eleven
Black Tangled Hearts
Seeing the Elf had lost his footing, nearly two dozen Uruk-Hai rushed for their prey in the hopes of tearing him to bits. They shoved him to the ground, using feet and clubs to render their victim as defenceless as possible, relishing in their cruelty. Feeling helpless and overwhelmed, Legolas curled on the ground in a futile attempt to protect himself for the vicious blows he subjected to.
Fortunately, Éomer and Aragorn weren't far from his position. They had witnessed their comrade's faulty step and the horde of Orcs thrashing at him. The two men rushed towards their enemy, swords brandishing high. They managed to eliminate a sufficient amount of Orcs to allow Legolas to get back on his feet.
The Elf felt dizzy, tired and now filled with a growing fear in the back of his mind; a new splinter driving him mad, yet he continued to fight as best he could despite his new injuries. It was not long after that Gandalf had returned with the help he promised when he had left earlier. Legolas, Aragorn and Éomer climbed inside the fortress. It was over.
While the wounded soldiers were being tended, Legolas leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, hugging his knees, weary and drained of all his strength. With his eyes closed, he took into account his injuries. They were not serious, mere cuts and bruises. He did not hurt much, he simply felt completely worn out. As did Aragorn, who slowly slid down next to the Elf, his back pressed against the cool stone wall.
"How do you feel?" Asked Legolas, opening his eyes to stare at his friend, fatigue audible in his rough voice.
"Terrible. How about you?" He replied his own voice equally exhausted.
"Not much better." The Elf turned his face away from the Ranger and closed his eyes again, taking the next few moments to rest. Aragorn did the same.
A stout figure stood over the slumbering Man and Elf. It was a sight to see, both friends huddled side by side on the floor, their eyes closed. "Forty-two, Master Legolas! How is it with you?"Legolas' face illuminated into a wide smile as he opened one eye. "You have passed my score by one. But I do not grudge you the game so glad I am to see you on your legs!"
Gimli smiled at the Elf. "Well it seems I have interrupted your rest, I shall leave you."
"Nay Gimli, stay." Said the Elf as he stood up stretching his limbs.
"Well Master Elf, you look as though you faired as well as the Orcs that have fallen under you bow."
Legolas leaned on the stone wall. "And you just as well friend Gimli."
The dwarf's head was bandaged and he no longer carried his axe. The Elf's smile faded as a shadow loomed over him.
"What is it Legolas?" Asked Aragorn.
"I don't know, something is wrong, terribly wrong." He replied cryptically.
"What then! Speak Legolas!"
Legolas stared with sad eyes at the dwarf. "I wish I knew."
"Come friends, let us rest a while before we depart this evening." Said Aragorn clasping the Elf on the shoulder.
What happened next was nothing but a blur. There was a fight, yes she distinctively remembered struggling against evil clawed hands gripping her. She also recalled fighting back against her assailants, taking down a few, but in the end all was futile. Then everything went black and she awoke alone in this never-ending darkness. Her left arm was sore as was her the back of her neck.
There was nothing but darkness, silence and the cold humidity chilling the Elf to the bone. Willow had no recollection of how long she stayed in the darkness, she assumed it was not very long for her small injuries still felt new. She heard a faint familiar sound, it was footsteps. She gulped realising someone was coming her way. She heard the snap of the bolt and the door creaking open. A thin stream of light filtered into the room, forcing Willow to shield her eyes against the brightness, thus preventing her from seeing the dark cold being enter the room.
"I told you, we would meet again." The being said chillingly staring down at the Elf. Willow removed her slightly trembling hand, her eyes hardening as they fixed on the slithering worm in front of her.
"Wormtongue. I should have known, you weak, pathetic excuse of a man!"
Seizing her roughly by the arm, Wormtongue screeched through clenched teeth. "We shall see who will be weak and pathetic in the end, Elf!" He pulled her to her feet dragging her out of the room. Willow angrily pulled his hands away and walked out on her own, chin up with pride. The man renewed his hold on the Elf and bound her hands, there was no way he could or would ever trust such a creature.
"The Master wishes to see you. Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to he afraid." He grumbled under his breath.
Willow laughed sarcastically. "Afraid of what? You? You are weakness itself! You keep hiding behind your Master, you cannot even think for yourself! Others have to think for you!"
"And you!" Spat Wormtongue his voice filled with spite. "You hide behind your pride and that accursed Elf! He is your weakness, but not for long. When our plans come to realisation, there will be nothing left of your Elf for you to recognise!"
Willow looked away, raising her chin even higher, which gave her an air of aristocratic superiority. Of course, deep down she was terrified. Not of Wormtongue, he was something to mock. She knew whom she was going to see and she had a vague idea why. But Willow had no clue what to expect, what exactly did Saruman want with her?
A great horrifying chill gripped her heart as Wormtongue stopped in front of an imposing set of black doors. She gasped inwardly. The man opened the doors and shoved the Elf in. Willow stood in the centre of the Istar' dark throne room, her head held high, her dignity effectively cloaking her sentiments of fear behind a mask of pride. Wormtongue bowed ridiculously low before Saruman, who waved him out of the room.
Saruman circled the Elf, his gaze hard and piercing always transfixed on Willow. He stopped and examined her neckline, there was a scratch, yes, he could tell from her dishevelled appearance that the Uruk-Hai that brought her to Orthanc were less than delicate. Turning his gaze away from the Elf, he called for the head of the Uruk-Hai. The Orc approached the wizard fearfully, sensing his coming wrath.
"Who is responsible for this?" Asked Saruman angrily as he grabbed the Elf by the collar to show the claw marks on her neck. The Orc replied in Black Speech, forcing Willow to wish she could cover her ears, he was pointing to another Orc in the far corner of the room. Saruman called forth the Orc, who came towards him, trembling.
The wizard regarded the two Orcs cruelly. "Did I not tell you that the Elf was not to be harmed?" He exclaimed, his arms wavering in the air. "Did I not tell you that not one strand of hair was to be touched? You were ordered to deliver the Elf unscathed!"
The two Orcs fearfully nodded their heads in agreement. Saruman scowled. "Then what is this?" He shouted again, showing off Willow's claw marks. The Elf didn't understand what was going on, they were Orcs, it was inconceivable to think they could handle anything, let alone an Elf, delicately. This proved how much Saruman did not know much about Orcs. Willow laughed inwardly at his lack of judgement, yet she knew to fear his wrath, he was not a man to be crossed. Of course knowing, Willow, she would test Saruman's limits. She intended to take him to the very edge.
On the other hand, Saruman was not laughing, neither were the two trembling Orcs. The chief Uruk-Hai never saw the sword cleanly cleaving his comrade's head, nor did he realised that the same sword was now swishing in his direction. Closing her eyes shut, Willow's heart stopped, as the second Orc was decapitated. She was certain that neither of them knew what was happening, in fact, nor did she. She could not conceive how it was possible to murder two beings for simply scratching a person they were meant to take captive. It was illogical.
Saruman wiped the blade clean, his temper having returned to normal as quickly as it had risen. "I must apologise for that, my dear. Orcs truly are unintelligent minions, you must explain to them everything in the slightest detail, and it gets very tiring after a while. It is fortunate for them I have much patience. However these two have been wearing it thin, their destruction was inevitable."
Willow stared at him, her mouth gaping. She knew it would be wise for her to keep her cool and not speak the way she spoke to Wormtongue. This was the reasonable logical Willow that spoke now. Unfortunately or fortunately sometimes, the more audacious and impertinent Willow would win over and shove the logical being into a dark corner of the Elf's mind. Where did she get that kind of spirit? She wondered, it was obvious it came from someone she knew, a reckless Elf Prince who would blindly run into elven maidens while chasing Orcs. Willow smiled inwardly thinking of her Prince, he would come, wouldn't he?
"So this is the fabled Heir of Sauron?" Saruman's voice brought the Elf back to present time, it was not time to think of sweet memories but concentrate on the situation at hand, she was a prisoner of the wizard, not a pleasant thought.
"Fabled?" Asked Willow in her slightly mocking tone pushing the rational part of her away, allowing her dauntlessness take over. "I thought you knew all about Aryon O Huine. Are you not the Fabled Saruman the White, the Istar who is said to be the wisest being on all of Middle Earth?"
"I am he." He said calmly. "Long have I studied all there is to know about you. I welcome you to Orthanc. You no longer need those." He was referring to her bonds. Quickly they slipped off her wrists magically, the rope falling on the ground in a neat pile. Wormtongue had taken the liberty to bind her gentle wrists, he hoped it would prevented her from attempting anything against him. The Elf was a prisoner of Orthanc, but the man feared she could cause sufficient damage to him and the occupants of the tower.
"You are my guest. Let me offer you a place to sit and some refreshments." The Elf waved her hand in refusal, she wanted nothing that came from him, nothing at all. "I must apologise for my Orcs, they are mindless." Willow was incredibly confused, why was this wizard treating her as a prisoner and now as a respectable guest.
Suddenly it dawned on her, she was Aryon O Huine. He was Saruman, the Istar that had betrayed the free peoples of Middle Earth, permitting his own selfish greed take over his mind. He wanted something from the Elf, he wanted something more than just the ring, else she would not be here. Unless of course he knew the ring was now beyond his grasp, for if one has the Heir, he does not need the little trinket.
"It is a pleasure and an honour to finally meet you." He said bowing slightly.
"Believe me, the pleasure and the honour is all yours." Replied the Elf. The Wizard's face darkness but he said nothing, he had what he wanted, she held more power that the ring. With her, it was impossible for Saruman's plans to not come to pass. With as much effort the Istar could produce, he spoke as gently as possible.
"Well I am certain that you must be wondering why are you here." Willow did not acknowledge his words, she intended to give him as much of a hard time as possible, she knew that, if she truly was Sauron's heir, and that he was aware of her existence, the Dark Lord would not allow her to perish, for now.
"I know how you feel. I can see through you, you are confused, lost and afraid and do not fully understand your importance."
Willow smirked imprudently. "So they say." Where was the fear that gripped her so strongly when she arrived? The Elf truly did not understand this change, she was defiant.
"Of course, you are a being of great power. You may not realise to what extent your powers grow, but they are there. Certainly Celeborn and Galadriel have kept many things from you. I am willing to offer myself as a guide to help discover your strengths and help you realise your full potential as possibly one of the most powerful beings in all of Middle-Earth."
The Elf laughed at that. "That is incredibly generous of you! To offer your help in such a manner, one would think there was an ulterior motive to such an offer."
Saruman smiled uncomfortably to some degree, the Elf was seeing through him, this irritated him greatly. "Of course if I were to help you, I do ask for one small favour in return."
"Here it comes." Whispered Willow.
"Let us be honest, you and I are two incredibly powerful beings, if we were to unite our strengths and share our power, we could be invincible!"
"And what good would that accomplish? Do you intend to put an end to the Darkness, free the peoples of Middle-Earth from Evil's hold? What of the Dark Lord, surely you did not forget about him, I am certain he still remembers you." Willow stared deeply into Saruman's eyes as she spoke, constantly studying his reactions to her words. Surely what she said was certainly not something the wizard had thought of.
"Well then, Milady O Huine, what do you intend to do with your gifts? What would you do?"
"Me?" Asked Willow, pointing her hand towards herself. "Well, I would destroy the ring, it is said that if I am not Sauron's ally, I am to be his destroyer with the help of Isildur's Heir. I shall do all that I can to put an end to darkness. Seeing Middle-Earth and her people free from Sauron's grasp is all I desire to accomplish with my gifts, as you call them."
Saruman laughed. "You would follow you preposterous little friends to have the ring destroyed and see the end of the Dark Lord's reign? And you expect little Aragorn's help and his pathetic little followers?"
Raising her chin, the Elf nodded.
"You are braver than I believed! Or completely deranged!" The Wizard laughed aloud, then sombered suddenly. "Do not follow the weak, for they shall fail! All of them shall fail! There is no possible way for Aragorn and his small friends to accomplish anything except meet their own destruction. Let us unite our forces and become yet even more powerful! Who would stand against us? I, Saruman the White, wisest of all beings in Middle-Earth and you, the Heir of Sauron, Aryon O Huine, bearer of his strength and power! What use does a ring have to us? We need it no more. There will be no one to stop us, Middle Earth shall be ours to command!"
"You truly enjoy listening to yourself speak, do you not? I can only imagine the length of the White council when you spoke. It is folly! Do you truly believe Sauron will allow his Heir, his ally to fall underneath your grasp? Thinking such foolishness is purposeless, your head is filled with nonsense. Your greed and unquenchable desire for power has corrupted you. It was poisoned whatever light you once had. It is sad to see such a wise and powerful being go to terrible waste. Truly I grieve this loss. Power is a cursed, cursed thing." Willow spoke angrily, it was unthinkable for her to even consider an outrageous offer such as that one.
"You do not know what you speak of, Little Elf! All your life you have been denied the truth, you have been deprived of the knowledge of your potential, of your true heritage. You have never tasted real power, if so you would not be speaking such folly! Little Elf, you understand nothing, you are an idealist and naive. The world has changed, the time is for us to come, the time of the Elves is ending and the time of Men shall come to an end. How you understand so little!"
Ire sparkled dangerously in the dark violet eyes. "I understand the importance of staying away from fallen Istari. It is very dangerous to play with such games. What do you expect to accomplish by keeping me here? Do you truly believe Sauron shall share his power with you?"
Saruman growled angrily. "I shall not tolerate such insolence coming from you! Have not Galadriel and Celeborn taught you to respect your elders and those who possess superior wisdom?" Asked the wizard.
Willow smiled. "Why, yes of course. Celeborn always told me to respect those worthy of my respect, he taught that those who serve evil and Shadow shall never be worthy of anything but my scorn and the dirt off my shoes." She said unfaltering, her tone eternally sarcastic.
"Child! You do not know what you speak of! I grow tired of your insolence!" Snapped the Istar. "Wormtongue!" Screeched Saruman. Willow flinched at the harshness of his voice.
Moments later the man walked in his head bowed in submission. "Yes my Lord." He responded pathetically.
"Remove the Elf from my sight! Take her back to her cell. Perhaps she will come to her senses after some time spent in the darkness."
Wormtongue nodded respectfully towards the wizard. Grabbing Willow roughly by her arm, he dragged her out of the room leaving Saruman alone with his thoughts.
The Elf was getting under his skin, this was not was he was expecting. He knew there would be some resistance, but not to this extent. The Shadow's hold was not yet strong. Perhaps indeed she needed time. Surely after a long while in solitary confinement the Elf would change her mind. Saruman would not harm her even though the desire passed through him many a time. That would not be the best strategy if he desired to gain an ally out of the She-Elf. Breaking her to his will was not an option, so we would wait. The Istar calmed himself down and planned a little talk with the Heir, perhaps then he could find the means to persuade her.
King Théoden and his company were half way through their journey towards Orthanc. Much did they desire to confront Saruman in the hopes to set things straight. Gandalf wanted to speak with is fallen comrade, of what, the others ignored. Legolas rode on his friend Arod, Gimli seated behind him. Earlier Legolas was compelled to remain among a grand forest of strange trees that had appeared out of nowhere. A strange sentiment emanated from the trees, it was as if they were speaking to the Elf, urging him to act upon his impulses.
Legolas urged Arod forward to ride next to Gandalf. They rode side by side for a few moments, enough for the Elf to gather his courage. Over the past few days, the Elf had much time to reflect upon the last events. They let him to think much of his family situation and such. There was something picking at him since they had uncovered Willow's true identity. He wished to set the record straight.
"Mithrandir, you know my father well." Legolas asked timidly.
The Istar turned to the Elf and smiled. "Why yes of course. Legolas, why do you ask?"
"I do not know. I have many troubling questions in my mind. It is my father. I do not understand him or his actions. He confuses me greatly."
"Your father? Well I must admit I am not surprised. In fact what surprises my is the length of time it took you to come to me. I suppose it concerns a certain elven maiden no doubt."
The Elf smiled sheepishly. "Yes."
"Well then go on." Encouraged Gandalf.
Legolas spoke nervously, constantly searching for his words. Gandalf strained his ear in order to listen properly. "Why would he, my father, well you know, do what he did, so long ago?"
"You mean, prevent you and Laiella from seeing each other?"
"Yes." The Elf whispered.
Gandalf smiled sympathetically. "Well my dear Elf, there are so many things you need to take into account. Thranduil, yes he does act rashly and passes judgement rather quickly, but do not condemn him for his shortcomings. No one ever expected you to fall in love with, let alone meet, Laiella. It was never something that we were concerned with."
"Mithrandir, I met Willow quite unexpectedly. If it weren't for my losing track of the Orcs, I would have never ran so far away from the others. It was a chance meeting, oh did its effect ever linger in my heart. I still feel it."
"You see, by a simple twist of fate, the two of you met and fell in love. From the very beginning, Thranduil wanted no part of having Laiella in his realm, let alone have his heir fall in love with her. Of course when you father discovered who was the she-Elf that had stolen your heart, he acted on impulse, he did what he believed was best for you and for Mirkwood. Of course he could not tell you openly that Laiella is Sauron's heir, that knowledge was forbidden to pass on.
But, Legolas, listen to me. Believe me when I tell you that your father loves you. He loves you and Minolas so dearly it breaks his heart. Believe me I have seen how much he loves you. You were barely a few days old when I first met you and already then, Thranduil's love for you radiated openly. He felt the same way for your brothers, Minolas and Endaren. Oh how much he loved his sons, every one who crossed his path would know immediately how he adored the three of you. When Endaren and you mother died, a great part of him died also."
Legolas turned away, the pain from these two loses welling up in his chest. It was a long time ago, yet the pain still felt fresh.
"You and your brother are all he has left. He would do anything not to lose you, it was his best judgement to keep you away from Willow, in order to protect you."
"You are right, I do remember some memories from my youth, he did love us, but I still cannot forgive him for what he did, it still confuses me. Did he not know what Willow means to me? Does he not understand?"
Mithrandir shook his head sadly. "No, he never knew your love was so strong. He did not realise it until it was too late, when you were returned to Mirkwood by force. Legolas, it broke his heart. Yet of course as you and I know Thranduil, he was far too stubborn to let it be known."
Legolas shook his head. "So many things have happened since then. Somehow I fear he might be right."
Gandalf regarded him with sad eyes. "Do not judge Willow so rashly just because of a mere detail. She is what she is and none of that should change your feelings."
"They do not. It is just, that well a have a strange feeling that has been growing in my mind for quite some time. I cannot get it out, it is something that I do not understand."
The Istar sighed. "Well my friend, to be honest, I too, fear something ill is afoot in Orthanc and it is something else than what is expected. I fear we may be greeted with an unpleasant surprise."
"I hope it has not to do with my premonitions. Thank you, Mithrandir." Said Legolas as he left the Wizard.
"Think nothing of it, my young friend." Replied Gandalf as he watched the Elf ride back towards Aragorn. The road to Isengard continued as the fear kept growing in the Prince's mind.