Chapter seven.

The two elves fought the corsairs moving in a rapid, deadly dance. They turned, ducked and stabbed their knives in a complex pattern that only they could understand. When in battle, Legolas thought of his brother not as a individual, but as an extended body part, that would pick up where he left off.
Legolas had heard tales of two elvish warriors that became one in a battle.
He had also heard of the battle of the Last Alliance where thousands of Elven spearman had moved together as if they had one mind. But he was not thinking about those fights anymore. All he was thinking about was this one. A battle that was imperative to win. All he focused on was the next move.

It was a highly effective way of fighting, because the two elves would always move faster than the clumsy and heavier Corsairs. They ducked and parried with excellent skill, just as they had practiced together for the twenty years of their captivity after they were locked in their cell for the night. But even their superior speed and skill was not enough. Both elves had suffered greatly the past score of years. The flesh wound on Legolas' neck made by the orc-guard during their escape from the prison had started bleeding again, and black spots disturbed his vision, making it increasingly difficult to focus on the moves of the corsairs.

But most of all, the numbers of corsairs where just impossible.
Lanthir ducked a knife-thrust from one of them and moved out of the way, when he suddenly stumbled on the body of a corsair that either he or his brother had killed earlier. When he tried to recover, he forgot to pay attention to the corsairs behind him.

When Legolas heard his brother yelling, his attention was drawn away immediately from the battle. He could see his brother as a separate person again. A separate person very dear to him, now lying on the floor with closed eyes.

There was only one reason, and one point in time, when elves would close their eyes. Because they could not open them.
Because they were dead.

The world seemed to stop. Legolas didn't think about ducking and evading anymore. All he could think of was reaching his brother and killing all who stood in the way. Everything happened in a blur. A couple of corsairs tried to stop him, but he payed no attention to them. It was like his knives were moving of their own accord. His arms formed patterns that Legolas' mind could no longer understand. All Legolas knew was that Lanthir was lying on the cold, hard ground.

A knife sliced his arm, but he didn't feel it. The pain there was nothing compared to the pain in his chest, in his heart. Nothing compared to the loss of Lanthir.
Then he felt something come in contact with his head, and the world went black.

When Legolas woke, his feet and wrists were chained together making it almost impossible for him to move. He remembered being chained this way a long time ago, when the corsairs had transported his mother, and siblings to Mordor.
The thought of Lanthir brought back the memory of his death.
Legolas thought the weight of his grief would crush him.
He had failed his little brother. He had failed his family. It had been his task to get his brother and sisters out of Mordor, but he had failed.

A sharp kick in the ribs abrubtly stopped his train of thoughts.
"Where are the others?" the corsair towering above him asked.
"What others?"
The consair dropped Lanthir's backpack in front of him. "Four blankets," he said. "And... girlie clothes. You and the dead one are male. My friends and I, we are not really interested in males. You will make a good price on the slavemarket, but that's about it. What we are interested in, are the females.
So..." the man smiled wickedly as he continued.
"Where. Did. You. Hide. The. Girls?" The cruel man punctuated each word with a sharp kick in the ribs, but he received no answer. The last thing Legolas wanted was to fail his sisters as well. He shivered when he saw the look into the corsair's eyes each time he said the word "girls."He thought about his sisters hidden in the opening behind the rock.

If he didn't tell the corsairs about them, they would die. There was no way Limloeth would be able to move the rock from the inside of the crack. They would die, and Legolas would be responsible for their deaths as well. His heart and soul was ripped to shreds when he thought of how badly he had failed them. How he would cause the death of the last two people he loved that were still alive.

But it was still better than to give their position away to the corsairs, and so he kept his lips shut, condemning them to death. The corsairs were beating him, but he didn't feel it. His thoughts were too overwhelming, all consumingly fixed upon his siblings. Lainfea would never see the stars.

She would die in a dark cave on the edge of the free world, in which he himself had put her and told her to be brave. She would never grow up to know the kindness and happiness the world had in store for her.

He thought of Limloeth, and how she would never see the trees of their homeland again. Never walk amongst the forest beside the river and gaze at the stars up above.

He also thought of Lanthir, who, given the chance, would have probably grown up to become a strong and powerful warrior, yet wise and intelligent at the same time. But he would never have that chance. None of them would, and it was all his fault.

Legolas retreated inside himself, shutting off the entire world and refusing to make any sound as the beating continued. Then, hours, maybe days later, the corsairs gave up. The wind had changed in their favor, they would have to get on board to depart. One of them grabbed Legolas and threw him onto the deck.

Legolas looked at the cave, at the dead body of Lanthir, still laying there, pale and still on the ground,
and the rock he had placed to close off his sister's hiding place. As the ships started moving he realized he couldn't do it. "WAIT!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "WAIT! My sisters are in there, behind that rock! JUST WAIT! DON"T LEAVE THEM!" The corsair that had been in charge of hisquestioning suddenly appeared at his side.
"You'll talk now??" he asked.
"Yes, "Legolas answered, knowing that his sisters would forever blame him. "My sisters. They are inside the cave. Please, PLEASE get them out. "
The consair shook his head.
"Too late. We won't stop the ship now. The wind is finally blowing in the right direction. Your refusal to speak has cost you your sisters. Maybe it will inspire you to loosen your tongue in the future. It has also cost us two valuable slaves. We will not forget it. You will repay the money you've lost.

IN BLOOD."

The words were meant to scare Legolas, but they didn't reach him. All he could see was the cave they were sailing away from. All that was dear to him was left into that cave. His siblings, his hope, his freedom and his soul.

All that was left now of Legolas Thanduillion was empty.

Empty, and dead, like the black plains of Mordor.

TBC

Randa-Chan: I know you said you don't like character-deaths.... but please keep reading the next two chaptres.. Please??? Than I promise you I will read your stories as well. (As soon as I can find the time to.)

s-belmyne: Thanks!

Nessa Ar-Feiniel: Too bad.. it were the elves who were outnumbered... (this time..) after all they are only elflings ..

Gemini969: Thanks and here is the update..