Cale au Aratar 14
Not soon after Legolas had spoken of his friend Arathron did exhaustion force him to close his eyes and even though his body demanded for him to rest was his mind still refreshed from the short slumber he had just had.
Was this how his life would end he asked himself? Was this really the end of someone who was immortal? He knew the theory of what he was experiencing, what happened to those who died of Morgoths Tears - or a broken heart - and yet he had even days ago not been able to apply this theories on himself. Morgoths Tears were slowly eating their way through his body, travelling from the wound to all parts of his body, first the flesh around the wound and then slowly to every other part. His whole body felt as if it was continuously wounded and tortured but he could still tell how far the poison in itself had come: he knew that it had nearly reached his lungs and that he soon would have great difficulties to breath... but it would be worse when the poison reached his heart, every heartbeat would become torture to a point where he would seek his own death. It was not clear to him if that was worse than what would happen when the poison finally reached his brain and he would suffer under illusions till he would no longer be able to recognise his own family and under the uncontrollable urge to seek a mate.
Only four of Morgoths captives had survived this torture and had been able to flee his stronghold before he was able to force them reproduce. Only one of them had survived the search for a possible antidote - not because one was found but because he had taken in his desperation an other poison that would have killed him if he had not been found. This poison, Sereg-Nen, Blood-Water, contained not only the water of the enchanted river that flowed through his homeland but also the poisonous sap of different plants. It was this poison that Elladan had given him when they had arrived in Minas Tirith: it would slowly drive Morgoths Tears out of his body as it was normally pressing the blood out of its victims, leaving a dry shell. While there was no antidote for Morgoths Tears there was an antidote for Sereg-Nen that he could take as soon as the other poison had left his body.
But while both poisons were painful as was the wound the arrow had left he felt most of the time almost none of them. All he could feel was the pain his breaking heart caused. If he should describe the pain to anyone he would say that it felt at first as if every small wound his heart had received over the long years of his life and that had already scarred were breaking open again, bleeding heavier than when he had received them. New wounds were opening fast, till his heart broke apart. His fathers heart had broken when he had lost so many of his family, his wife and youngest child included. Had it not been for him his father would have faded those years ago: he was the band that held all the broken pieces of his fathers heart together, should he die his fathers heart would break, taking the kings life.
Long ago, when his fathers heart had broken he had promised him - and himself - that he would not fight for his life should his heart ever break as not to become like his father, unable to express other emotions than pain and anger. Yet he felt that he would not be able to keep this promise, how could he just give up when he knew that it was not only his own life that he would be ending but also the life of his father and his beloved Althilwen? How could he just give up when he knew that so many would follow him if not to Namos halls than to Valinor? Celeborn and Galadriel would surly not stay when also the heart of their second daughter had broken and most if not all Eldar from Lothlorien would follow them - as would most of Eryn Lasgalen when both their Prince and King had faded.
Yet even though he still had the wish to fight for his life, to survive, he knew that that will would soon fade. The more Morgoths Tears spread through his body and the more time went by since his heart had started to break the more his will to live would fade. He was still able to find joy in the face and voice, even the sole presence of his beloved and his family and friends but he already felt how that joy lessened and was replaced by resignation and pain. Pain that he would leave them, worse yet that he would cause them pain and even their death.
Slowly his mind registered the soft strokes of a thumb on his hand and the broken breathing that indicated that the person was trying to suppress their tears - and failing.
"Quildë Estel, Quildë" (Hush Estel, Hush)
he spoke without opening his eyes, knowing that it was Aragorn who was stroking his hand. Slowly he opened his eyes, their blue deeper than before they had left Imladris.
"Don't grieve Estel! ...
Please don't grieve."
Legolas added softly while he looked intently at the king of Gondor before he turned his eyes to look at Althilwen who stood after a soft nod up and indicated to his father and the ilsa tirnoë to follow her out of the room, at the door she turned again to look at her betrothed. With a heavy heart she closed the door behind her. It seemed to have been only the day before that she had met him and yet more than three millennia had past since then.
He had already courted her for more than six centuries when he finally proposed: it had been already late evening when he had waited for her like he often did at her talan, asking her if she would take a walk with him. As soon as she had recognised the direction he was taking she had wanted to turn back because although she loved him with all her heart she was not willing to follow him to one of the smaller hot springs of her home. Only when he insured her that he just wanted to show her something - and nothing more - did she follow him.
That was the only promise he ever broke after he had given it to her: when they had reached the spring that was in a small clearing he asked her to lay down and look up at the sky. The constellation she saw there made her almost forget where and with whom she was, four stars were forming a line, Eärendil pointing directly down on them. It was beautiful and she had to agree with him, nowhere in Arda or even there in her home Lothlorien would this miracle have been as impressive as it was in that small clearing.
After a while she had noticed that Legolas had not lain down beside her but was watching her instead of the sky, the love she saw in his eyes was overwhelming and she could have cried out of joy when he asked her to spend the rest of eternity at his side as his wife and queen.
Years later Legolas had confessed that he hadn't asked her sooner to marry him because he had hoped for the blessing of the Valar, Eärendil had pointed him out that clearing and the right day the day they had first met and since than he had known that he had to wait for the day Eärendil would shine on the spring before he could propose her. Their wedding had been planned for the following summer but Saurons darkness spread to that time through Arda and they had postponed their wedding to a time after the impending battle when it would be safer.
Only it never became safer, the battle was won by the free people of Middle Earth but the Ring of Power survived and whit him Saurons spirit, a spirit who knew of the existence of an heir of Erenion, the High King Gil-Galad, who was far more powerful than any other elf before him. The Light of the Valar, in one person united the blessing the Valar were giving the First Born. To protect her and his family Legolas had ordered that his identity should be kept secret from everyone who was not one of the Eldar and together they had decided that they should only wed when the One Ring was found and destroyed.
How could they have known that the destruction of the Ring would mean for Legolas his end? They had known since the Rings creation that the Ring had no power over him - but that while it had no ability to manipulate his mind and heart it had the power to poison his body.
Irmo had warned him in a dream, to never touch the Ring or anything else that was created by the Herald Morgoths. Legolas had never told her the reason for that warning as he kept almost everything that concerned his friend Celebrimbor from her and everyone else. She herself had never met Celebrimbor but she knew that her father, who had once been the smiths best friend was preferring even now more than four thousand years not to speak of him.
Through Elrond, her brother in law she and her sister Celebrian had finally learned the reason for their fathers behaviour: both Celeborn and Celebrimbor had fallen in love with her mother and even after she had sealed the bond with their father did Celebrimbor woe her, still hoping that she would change her mind and turn to him.
With surprise Althilwen noticed that not only Elrond and Mithrandir but also her parents -even her father - were talking about Celebrimbor; upon seeing her and king Thranduil enter they bid them to come over to them.
"Thranduil, did Legolas ever spoke to you of his last visit in Eregion, about the last time he saw Celebrimbor?"
addressed Mithrandir as soon as they had reached their group. Puzzled by the question Thranduil thought back to the day Legolas and his guards had returned from the falling city; he remembered that Legolas had been even more silent and thoughtful than ever before and had said nothing of his visit.
"No, Legolas never spoke of his last visit to Eregion... but a few days after he returned, we were just eating our evening-meal, did he pause, he was just raising a goblet of red wine to his lips. Unseeingly he was staring before him, a band of sweat on his brow his whole body shaking. Suddenly with a shout of pain his fingers broke the stem of his silver-goblet, spilling wine all over him...
It looked as if someone had slit his throat and his blood were running down his body...
He was crying, silently tears were running down his cheeks and all he said was: Eregion and its master have fallen, Celebrimbor is dead
Since that day Legolas has to my knowledge spoken of neither Eregion nor Celebrimbor."
During Thranduils account Galadriel had paled and only on the bidding of the others did she finally speak:
"He has seen Eregion fall, he has seen Celebrimbor being slaughtered... His throat was slit open, the hilt of the sword in his hand broken..."
"But today he broke his silence, he has spoken to Aragorn of a fourth ring, a ring of earth, of life..."
Elrond picked up as his mother in law fell silent. Hope flickered over the faces of Thranduil and Althilwen as they heard this news, a fourth ring, could it help their son, their betrothed?
Sensing their thought Mithrandir dampened their hopes,
"We do not know if a fourth ring would be able to help him - and Legolas is the only one who knows where it is hidden. Worse yet, as Legolas told Aragorn Celebrimbor created the ring for himself and later asked Legolas to be its bearer... Legolas would be the only one who could use the ring till he chose an other bearer, something he is not able to do at the moment!"
"So there is nothing the Rings of Power can do for him?"
Althilwen spoke almost to herself, hope slowly leaving her.
Placing an reassuring hand on her daughters shoulder Galadriel spoke:
"Althilwen, you know that the Rings have been slowly loosing their power and now that the Master Ring Sauron created is destroyed we don't know if they have any power left - but even if we can't use the Rings to help Legolas we won't give up. There is still life in him and as long as there is life there is hope!"
Yes, thought Galadriel, she would not give up to search for a way to help Legolas, her future son in law, the only surviving child of Thranduil, Legolas - Luin-Nor her prince, her king.
She had seen to many die, her family, her friends... she would not allow her second daughter the pain of a breaking heart. She had not been able to save her first daughter from that pain, she had not been able to prevent Celebrians capture and torture.
Even if she knew that neither of the three Rings of Power they possessed could do anything to help Legolas did it not mean that they would not try to use them. Maybe with the help of Cuilya they could help Legolas but none of them knew where her old friend Celebrimbor had hidden the fourth ring, no-one but Legolas. The pain that radiated from all those in this chambers was almost tangible, for all in the room Legolas was a friend, a son, a nephew, a loved one and every one of them would give their life for him - and yet so far none of them had been able to help him.
When Elrond had had the vision in which the Valar told him of a heir of Erenion she had been shocked. Not just because she feared the death of Erenion and Elrond whom she had both raised as her own children but also because she feared for the child who was burdened in that way. Erenion had often suffered under the responsibility he carried and often it was only his strong will who allowed him to carry on with his duties; how should a child grow up knowing that one day he would rule over all of the First Born, worse yet be the chosen one to unite the Eldar and give them once again the choice between the Elven-home and Arda - a choice the Valar had taken from them after the betrayal of the Noldo, her ancestors.
Should Legolas, Luin-Nor, die it would not only be a personal tragedy but would also mean the end of the First Born on Arda as they all would flee that shores to Valinor, hoping to be able to forget their former home as they would never again be able to return.
While his family and friends were trying to find a way to save him, Legolas was trying to lessen the grief of the man he loved like a son, pain filled him, and he felt his heart bleeding faster at the thought that he was the one who caused the pain and grief, the tears that were flowing down the edains face.
"Quildë, Estel, quildë."