Authors notes: - Thank you very much for all the nice reviews. The next
chapter, unfortunately, will be a little late as I will soon be leaving for
a place with no internet! Its only for a week and then I will post again,
sorry!! Hope you enjoy this chapter and please, if you can, spare a second
to write a review!!! Thanks!
** Legolas reached towards Astalder's reins but the stallion reared and danced away, nostrils flaring. Frustrated Legolas moved forward to snatch the reins but the horse once again backed away, sensing something was wrong with its master.
"Come here you beast!" he snapped but Astalder trotted off. Furious Legolas grabbed the reins of a nearby horse and mounted.
The battle still raged but Sauron was loath to lose his reacquired pet. Kicking the horse harshly he galloped outside the main defences. The shocked orcs froze briefly, surprised that an elf would have the gall or stupidity to ride straight at them. Just as they were about to change their minds Legolas drew the horse to a halt.
"Anyone who raises a weapon against this elf will not live to regret their actions." Legolas snarled in the black language, his face showing the full force of Sauron's malice. The orcs cowed confused at this elf that was speaking in their language and had an aura around him that was radiating pure evil.
"I command you to retreat but protect the elf at all costs!" The orcs looked disgruntled but their minds were made up as a hail of arrows descended on them. Legolas smirked as he heard the elves under his command calling to him in confusion. The horse he was on began to panic, the darkness scaring it. With a neigh of fright the horse reared.
'I will not go with you' Legolas cried struggling to regain control of his body but he was weakening.
'You will pet and this time there will be no rescue'
"LEGOLAS!" a voice cried and for a brief moment Sauron faltered and he turned to see Aeolian emerge through the forest followed by elves and men. It was then that he saw Thranduil, Mithrandir and Elrond.
The reinforcements charged the orcs.
"Kill them!" Legolas commanded. "Kill them all!" A mocking smile curved his lips as his eyes meet Thranduil's.
"You have not done well with your sons Thranduil. One died, crying like a coward and this fine elf, you have lost twice. This time he will not be returned to you. Your realm shall fall and your own son will strike your death blow!" Legolas shouted.
Thranduil's eyes flashed with anger and deep anguish.
"You are a coward, hiding in his body. I will get him back and you will be defeated!" Thranduil returned.
Legolas turned his horse but before he could get very far the tide of the battle shifted, the horse in panic reared and fell backwards taking Legolas with it and disappearing under the feet of booted orcs.
Aeolian saw him fall, as did his father. With two cries of anguish they charged towards him ignoring the cries of Elrond and Mithrandir. Aeolian and Thranduil fought side by side as if one in their desperate bid to help their brother and son. Despite their best efforts they were separated.
"Legolas!" Thranduil called desperately. He could see the battle was going ill; they would not be able to hold this ground for much longer. Suddenly Legolas appeared in front of him.
"Legolas?" he questioned unsure whether his son had regained full control of his mind and body.
"Yes father." He sneered and reached out, grabbing his throat and choking him.
Thranduil clawed at his throat surprised at his son's strength. "Legolas?" he croaked. "Fight it."
"I'm sorry father I can't quite hear you?" Malice shined in Legolas's eyes.
Dark spots began to dance across Thranduil's eyes but then suddenly the pressure lessened. Pulling away from his son he saw Legolas's looking down at his chest from where an arrow protruded.
"Ada?" Legolas gasped and pitched forward. Thranduil caught him and lowered him gently to the ground.
The orcs sensing that something ill and unexpected had occurred began to flee, those that weren't cut down retreated back to camps. Thranduil noticed none of this as he watched the blood flood out of the arrow wound in his son's chest. The wound was serious and Legolas was choking and gasping for breath as blood collected in his mouth.
"Father? LEGOLAS!" Aeolian cried as he saw his father knelt over his little brother; he ran and dropped down to his knees looking desperately around for help. Luckily Lord Elrond and Mithrandir joined them.
Quickly assessing the wound, Elrond pulled out some linen pads and bandages and then prepared himself to remove the arrow. As he reached towards it Legolas grabbed his arm, with surprising strength.
"Don't." he gasped.
"My son the arrow needs to come out." Thranduil said soothingly as if talking to an elfling.
"No. If I die he no longer has control. Leave it." Legolas stated firmly as a trickle of blood rolled down his chin.
"I will not lose you again Legolas. We can save you!" Thranduil pleaded. Legolas reached up to wipe away a tear from his fathers face before the arm fell limply to his side.
"You lost me long before this father. I have never been free..." Legolas choked and winced in desperate pain.
Thranduil turned pleading eyes to Lord Elrond.
"Save him!" he demanded. "He is not in his right mind."
Elrond sighed. "He is right. If we save him, Sauron will still be within his mind and Legolas is not strong enough to resist."
"But if he dies we lose the only tool that can help us win this fight." Gandalf stated reaching forward to sooth Legolas as he gasped in agony.
"So you are saying we save him and let Sauron have him?" Aeolian questioned incredulously.
"Yes but with Lord Elrond's help I think we can leave a little surprise for Sauron."
Thranduil face was crumpled in anguish as Legolas cried out as another wave of pain swept his weakening body.
"Help him." He cried. Elrond hesitated for only a second before settling a hand on the arrow.
"No." Legolas protested weakly but Thranduil talked softly to him stroking Legolas's hair off his now clammy forehead.
Aeolian moved to hold down his brother's arms and Elrond braced himself. With a deep breath he pulled hard. The arrow came free accompanied with Legolas's scream of pain. Legolas promptly lost consciousness. Elrond examined the arrow for poison.
"Its clean" he declared placing it aside. He then set about quickly bandaging the wound. It only took minutes and he was soon sat back watching as Legolas's chest rose and fell regularly.
"What now?" Thranduil demanded.
"He will be unconscious for a while. Mithrandir and I will put in place the trap within his mind and then he will be closely guarded until he wakes up."
"Trap?" Aeolian questioned.
"Sauron thinks that he has complete control of Legolas, the arrow wound will have made Legolas too weak to even attempt resistance. When he launches the attack he will be preoccupied and therefore he will weaken his hold on Legolas thinking that he has complete control. When this happens the trap will activate and Legolas will be able to fight back. The only problem is that Legolas will need to fight with all he has got to be successful." Mithrandir explained.
"Why is that a problem? Legolas will fight!" Thranduil stated resolutely.
"Because father, Legolas may not wish to return to us. When we talk I see how deeply scarred he is. You saw how he reacted there; he wished rather to die than to be allowed to be taken again. Yet we went against his wishes. Legolas is strong father but I cannot be certain that he will want to come back. Nothing can ever be as it was and he knows this." Aeolian said softly.
"I will not allow him to be taken."
"Then we will fall. Legolas is the key to your realms, no Middle – Earth's very survival."
"I am his father and I cannot condone more suffering."
"He is suffering now and he will suffer until this it over and we defeat Sauron or he dies. We could hold him here but the darkness within his mind will prevent us from ever saving him. Sauron will find a way to get him away from us and it will involve terrible bloodshed. If we let him go now Sauron will assume that he has achieved a great victory over us. His arrogance will be his downfall." Mithrandir explained.
"You talk as if he is lost to us already! I will not allow my son to be used as a pawn."
"Father" Aeolian said. "He is already lost to us. You and I both know Legolas and know that he will want us to save Mirkwood. He can defeat Sauron. I know he can."
Thranduil looked down at Legolas and reached out to brush a stray hair off his face.
"I failed him. We failed him. We promised that we would save him, that we would never let him fall into Sauron's hands again and now we are willingly going to send him back, to suffer torment and probable death. I am a poor excuse for a father." Thranduil whispered tears trailing down his face.
"No you are not. We all failed him and we are going to have to live with our mistake for the rest of our lives. I may not have known Legolas as long as you but I feel certain that before this all started Legolas would have wanted to defeat Sauron even if it meant giving his life. He may have changed but deep down he is still the stubborn elf that we all know and love. He will not fail for he is stronger than any of us. Let him go. He will not forgive us if anyone dies because of him, when he could have done something." Aragorn stated as he knelt by his friend.
There was silence. Eventually Elrond rose and summoned stretcher-bearers.
"Take the prince to my tent. I want him guarded, closely."
Legolas was quickly secured for travel.
"Go with him father. I will remain here to secure the citadel. Despite Sauron's best efforts, Legolas has given us a victory."
Thranduil nodded. "I will remain too," Aragorn said. "Just in case they attempt to reclaim it."
Elrond nodded and the group divided each to their appointed tasks. Mithrandir looked down at Legolas as he was carried and smiled.
"Even possessed by pure evil my friend you are still a force to be reckoned with. Aragorn was correct; you are stronger than any of us. You will triumph Legolas."
**
** Legolas reached towards Astalder's reins but the stallion reared and danced away, nostrils flaring. Frustrated Legolas moved forward to snatch the reins but the horse once again backed away, sensing something was wrong with its master.
"Come here you beast!" he snapped but Astalder trotted off. Furious Legolas grabbed the reins of a nearby horse and mounted.
The battle still raged but Sauron was loath to lose his reacquired pet. Kicking the horse harshly he galloped outside the main defences. The shocked orcs froze briefly, surprised that an elf would have the gall or stupidity to ride straight at them. Just as they were about to change their minds Legolas drew the horse to a halt.
"Anyone who raises a weapon against this elf will not live to regret their actions." Legolas snarled in the black language, his face showing the full force of Sauron's malice. The orcs cowed confused at this elf that was speaking in their language and had an aura around him that was radiating pure evil.
"I command you to retreat but protect the elf at all costs!" The orcs looked disgruntled but their minds were made up as a hail of arrows descended on them. Legolas smirked as he heard the elves under his command calling to him in confusion. The horse he was on began to panic, the darkness scaring it. With a neigh of fright the horse reared.
'I will not go with you' Legolas cried struggling to regain control of his body but he was weakening.
'You will pet and this time there will be no rescue'
"LEGOLAS!" a voice cried and for a brief moment Sauron faltered and he turned to see Aeolian emerge through the forest followed by elves and men. It was then that he saw Thranduil, Mithrandir and Elrond.
The reinforcements charged the orcs.
"Kill them!" Legolas commanded. "Kill them all!" A mocking smile curved his lips as his eyes meet Thranduil's.
"You have not done well with your sons Thranduil. One died, crying like a coward and this fine elf, you have lost twice. This time he will not be returned to you. Your realm shall fall and your own son will strike your death blow!" Legolas shouted.
Thranduil's eyes flashed with anger and deep anguish.
"You are a coward, hiding in his body. I will get him back and you will be defeated!" Thranduil returned.
Legolas turned his horse but before he could get very far the tide of the battle shifted, the horse in panic reared and fell backwards taking Legolas with it and disappearing under the feet of booted orcs.
Aeolian saw him fall, as did his father. With two cries of anguish they charged towards him ignoring the cries of Elrond and Mithrandir. Aeolian and Thranduil fought side by side as if one in their desperate bid to help their brother and son. Despite their best efforts they were separated.
"Legolas!" Thranduil called desperately. He could see the battle was going ill; they would not be able to hold this ground for much longer. Suddenly Legolas appeared in front of him.
"Legolas?" he questioned unsure whether his son had regained full control of his mind and body.
"Yes father." He sneered and reached out, grabbing his throat and choking him.
Thranduil clawed at his throat surprised at his son's strength. "Legolas?" he croaked. "Fight it."
"I'm sorry father I can't quite hear you?" Malice shined in Legolas's eyes.
Dark spots began to dance across Thranduil's eyes but then suddenly the pressure lessened. Pulling away from his son he saw Legolas's looking down at his chest from where an arrow protruded.
"Ada?" Legolas gasped and pitched forward. Thranduil caught him and lowered him gently to the ground.
The orcs sensing that something ill and unexpected had occurred began to flee, those that weren't cut down retreated back to camps. Thranduil noticed none of this as he watched the blood flood out of the arrow wound in his son's chest. The wound was serious and Legolas was choking and gasping for breath as blood collected in his mouth.
"Father? LEGOLAS!" Aeolian cried as he saw his father knelt over his little brother; he ran and dropped down to his knees looking desperately around for help. Luckily Lord Elrond and Mithrandir joined them.
Quickly assessing the wound, Elrond pulled out some linen pads and bandages and then prepared himself to remove the arrow. As he reached towards it Legolas grabbed his arm, with surprising strength.
"Don't." he gasped.
"My son the arrow needs to come out." Thranduil said soothingly as if talking to an elfling.
"No. If I die he no longer has control. Leave it." Legolas stated firmly as a trickle of blood rolled down his chin.
"I will not lose you again Legolas. We can save you!" Thranduil pleaded. Legolas reached up to wipe away a tear from his fathers face before the arm fell limply to his side.
"You lost me long before this father. I have never been free..." Legolas choked and winced in desperate pain.
Thranduil turned pleading eyes to Lord Elrond.
"Save him!" he demanded. "He is not in his right mind."
Elrond sighed. "He is right. If we save him, Sauron will still be within his mind and Legolas is not strong enough to resist."
"But if he dies we lose the only tool that can help us win this fight." Gandalf stated reaching forward to sooth Legolas as he gasped in agony.
"So you are saying we save him and let Sauron have him?" Aeolian questioned incredulously.
"Yes but with Lord Elrond's help I think we can leave a little surprise for Sauron."
Thranduil face was crumpled in anguish as Legolas cried out as another wave of pain swept his weakening body.
"Help him." He cried. Elrond hesitated for only a second before settling a hand on the arrow.
"No." Legolas protested weakly but Thranduil talked softly to him stroking Legolas's hair off his now clammy forehead.
Aeolian moved to hold down his brother's arms and Elrond braced himself. With a deep breath he pulled hard. The arrow came free accompanied with Legolas's scream of pain. Legolas promptly lost consciousness. Elrond examined the arrow for poison.
"Its clean" he declared placing it aside. He then set about quickly bandaging the wound. It only took minutes and he was soon sat back watching as Legolas's chest rose and fell regularly.
"What now?" Thranduil demanded.
"He will be unconscious for a while. Mithrandir and I will put in place the trap within his mind and then he will be closely guarded until he wakes up."
"Trap?" Aeolian questioned.
"Sauron thinks that he has complete control of Legolas, the arrow wound will have made Legolas too weak to even attempt resistance. When he launches the attack he will be preoccupied and therefore he will weaken his hold on Legolas thinking that he has complete control. When this happens the trap will activate and Legolas will be able to fight back. The only problem is that Legolas will need to fight with all he has got to be successful." Mithrandir explained.
"Why is that a problem? Legolas will fight!" Thranduil stated resolutely.
"Because father, Legolas may not wish to return to us. When we talk I see how deeply scarred he is. You saw how he reacted there; he wished rather to die than to be allowed to be taken again. Yet we went against his wishes. Legolas is strong father but I cannot be certain that he will want to come back. Nothing can ever be as it was and he knows this." Aeolian said softly.
"I will not allow him to be taken."
"Then we will fall. Legolas is the key to your realms, no Middle – Earth's very survival."
"I am his father and I cannot condone more suffering."
"He is suffering now and he will suffer until this it over and we defeat Sauron or he dies. We could hold him here but the darkness within his mind will prevent us from ever saving him. Sauron will find a way to get him away from us and it will involve terrible bloodshed. If we let him go now Sauron will assume that he has achieved a great victory over us. His arrogance will be his downfall." Mithrandir explained.
"You talk as if he is lost to us already! I will not allow my son to be used as a pawn."
"Father" Aeolian said. "He is already lost to us. You and I both know Legolas and know that he will want us to save Mirkwood. He can defeat Sauron. I know he can."
Thranduil looked down at Legolas and reached out to brush a stray hair off his face.
"I failed him. We failed him. We promised that we would save him, that we would never let him fall into Sauron's hands again and now we are willingly going to send him back, to suffer torment and probable death. I am a poor excuse for a father." Thranduil whispered tears trailing down his face.
"No you are not. We all failed him and we are going to have to live with our mistake for the rest of our lives. I may not have known Legolas as long as you but I feel certain that before this all started Legolas would have wanted to defeat Sauron even if it meant giving his life. He may have changed but deep down he is still the stubborn elf that we all know and love. He will not fail for he is stronger than any of us. Let him go. He will not forgive us if anyone dies because of him, when he could have done something." Aragorn stated as he knelt by his friend.
There was silence. Eventually Elrond rose and summoned stretcher-bearers.
"Take the prince to my tent. I want him guarded, closely."
Legolas was quickly secured for travel.
"Go with him father. I will remain here to secure the citadel. Despite Sauron's best efforts, Legolas has given us a victory."
Thranduil nodded. "I will remain too," Aragorn said. "Just in case they attempt to reclaim it."
Elrond nodded and the group divided each to their appointed tasks. Mithrandir looked down at Legolas as he was carried and smiled.
"Even possessed by pure evil my friend you are still a force to be reckoned with. Aragorn was correct; you are stronger than any of us. You will triumph Legolas."
**
