Authors notes: - Thank you very much for all the reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and brighten my day by telling me what you think, unless it is bad and then I will not be as brightened!!!!!!

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Legolas's face was twisted with the full force of Sauron's fury as the wraith stood before him reporting that Mithrandir, Aragorn and King Eomer had disappeared and the wood elves were still numerous, inflicting many casualties.

"Burn this forest down. Drive them out and kill them all. You fail me again and there will not be enough of you left to find." Sauron seethed.

"Yes my lord" The wraith got back on the Nazgul and the creature took off with a scream.

Sauron screamed his own fury and slammed his fist into a tree. A dull crack indicated that bones had broken and a he felt Legolas's pain for a brief moment. With a gasp the elf fell to his knees, Sauron was startled, something was wrong. He could feel his control of the elf weakening and to his complete amazement he realised that the elf was doing nothing.

"That blasted wizard!" he cursed as he fought to regain control.

"Master?" an orc crept forward unsure as to why the possessed elf was knelt on the ground as if in pain.

The elf turned black soulless eyes on the orc.

"Why I wonder are you STILL HERE?" he roared in fury. The orcs didn't need to be told twice and fled the clearing leaving him alone.

"So Mithrandir you still think you can defeat me?" Rising to his feet Sauron snarled to himself. He marched out of the clearing, killing an orc that didn't move quick enough, intent to inflict his black fury on some unfortunate elves. He did not get far and Legolas's legs gave way. Hitting the ground hard Sauron found he could no longer operate any parts of the elf's body.

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Legolas lay as Sauron had left him on the cold dirt. The Haven within his mind had crumbled; there was nothing but him, kept alive so Sauron may use his body for torment and destruction. No thoughts filtered across his mind he just breathed in and out waiting for the time that Sauron no longer needed him and he faded.

His eyes were glazed, focused on a distant point no one could see but him. Mithrandir gazed down with sad eyes at the broken battered figure. He knelt on the ground and brushed the dirty blonde hair back from Legolas's face.

"I am truly sorry for your suffering my friend."

"The meddling wizard returns." Sauron sneered as he regarded Mithrandir and the prince.

"I do not see what you are going to accomplish here. I am keeping him alive and you my friend are dead."

"If you think that I have come here for him you are mistaken. This has moved beyond him and the small matter of me being dead, well let's just say you have again failed old friend." Mithrandir spat the last two words bitterly.

Sauron's face became truly enraged. "I will see this forest destroyed!" he roared.

"Losing control? You are trapped here and I will destroy your hold on him. By the time you are even aware of anything again your forces will be destroyed and an army will be at your door. This weak elven prince as you think of him will be your downfall."

"Really? Your forces are scattered and slowly being picked off. You may not be dead but you are in no fit state to do anything and he..." Sauron indicated the prone elf. "He is catatonic and there is no way you could do anything to break him out of it. The last thing he wanted to do was die and I took that away from him. You could probably chop off an arm and he would not blink."

"True but that still does not alter what I am going to do." Mithrandir placed one hand on Legolas's head and locked eyes with Sauron. As much as he wanted to Sauron could not break contact. That was the last thought he had before everything exploded in a burst of light.

----- Aragorn growled as someone poked him repeatedly in the ribs.

"Would you like to keep the use of that finger Legolas?" he grumbled.

"Very much so King Elessar." An elven voice but not Legolas's floated through his sleepy mind. Blinking he turned to see Aeolian perched on the flet next to him.

"I'm sorry I forgot where I was." He apologised.

"It matters not. I still expect to see the mischievous imp laughing hysterically at something inane or some prank he had pulled."

Aragorn smiled a small smile and sat up. He stretched wincing as he heard several bones pop back into place.

"I did not intend to sleep so long."

"You needed rest. We have tended both your and Mithrandir's wounds. He will recover. Come with me, we have food and then we need to plan our next move."

"How many made it here, wherever here is?" Aragorn questioned looking around the series of flets that were positioned above the main canopy of the trees out of sight of anyone above or below them.

"Where we are is not important, just that we are safe here. The trees protect and hide our positions. There are about twenty of us and five men, all of whom are wounded and will play no further part in this fight."

"On their behalf I thank you." The man said as they moved onto a flet where three other elves were sat.

"There is no need to thank us we were grateful to do it. They were wounded in defence of our homeland we owe them much." Aeolian passed Aragorn some lembas bread and water.

"How is Mithrandir?" Aragorn asked.

"He is well enough to cause us substantial grief concerning his treatment. He said he had things to do and appeared to become unconscious." Aeolian shrugged. "Wizards are a law until their own, who knows what goes on beneath that pointed hat?"

Aragorn laughed but quickly sobered as the events of the day began to be discussed. Aeolian allowed him a few minutes peace before he began his report.

"Casualty numbers are extremely difficult to ascertain. Warriors of all races are scattered all over the forest. The attack succeeded in dividing us but apart from the slaughter just prior to the attack I don't think that we suffered major casualties. The elves would have taken to the trees and the dwarfs and men have probably sought refuge in the caves. So for now it appears that the enemy are not pursuing a scorch earth policy, they still seem to be on a search and destroy tactics but I fear that as they get more frustrated they may try and burn the forest. Then use the Nazgul to sweep down on those fleeing the flames." Aeolian stated.

"Your optimism in the face of such adversity is admirable but I fear that you overestimate the use that the remaining warriors would have in our plans. We know not how far the warriors have been scattered, or how many are still mobile enough to help us. We have no way of finding or informing the others of our plans and have no way of knowing if they are grouped together with their own plans or not. The situation is dire Aeolian and I fear we will be picked off slowly one by one until we can no longer form an adequate defence." Aragorn replied, his face grave. He wished not to dampen their optimism but they needed to be aware that it was very unlikely their home would be saved.

Aeolian's face was equally grave. "What you say is true but a plan needs to be put into action, we can not idly stand by or just pick off the odd orc."

"Mithrandir is wounded severely. I have not seen Gimli, Eomer, Lord Elrond or even King Thranduil since the attack began. I have no men to command and you have only a few. What do you seek to accomplish? It will only result in more deaths!"

Aeolian rose in anger. "Any course of action will result in more deaths but we are not afraid of dying! You said it yourself Mirkwood will be lost..." Aeolian took a shuddering breath as if on the verge of tears. "But I cannot tell those brave elves that no matter what they do, nothing will save us. I owe it to my father, to Kahari and Legolas to attempt it no matter the cost. If Mirkwood falls what do we have left? The Havens will offer us no comfort if we did not do all we could."

Aragorn sighed; he knew he would be the same if it came to Gondor. "You have done all you could no one could have asked for more."

"It is not enough but we cannot dwell on this now as much as it grieves my heart. We need to plan our next move. I know that many of the survivors were heading for the Citadel. We should head there, if we retake the citadel then that part of the forest will be easier to reclaim. If Mirkwood is lost we should try to save as many of the warriors as possible, I will not let them die needlessly. You can then retreat and set up defences on the borders and we will try to inflict as many casualties as possible."

Aragorn nodded but was disheartened at the fatalism that Aeolian possessed. Why did the Valor insist on forsaking these elves?

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