DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LORD OF THE RINGS

This disclaimer applies to chapters 15, 16, and 17.

I would like to extend special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter:

LegolasIsMine; X2 Aeon Darkness IX; DarkFire77; SilverTearz; ElvenScript; Caffeinated-Maniac; MordeMe; Heatherika; GarfieldBoxersShorts; AarienStar; Inwe; Blu-Eyed-Belle; and Chichiri's Wanderer.

I would especially like to thank everyone who has kept up with the story. I realize that it has been nearly three years since I started it! Reading it over, I am amazed that you loyal ones stuck with it, LoL. I would like to think that my writing has matured and that it grows better with each chapter. I would also like to think that my handling of critical or less-than-polite reviews has improved, now, as well, LoL. So please be so kind as to leave a review! My reading them is what got this chapter up!

So please enjoy and review!

The nobles of Mirkwood and several distinguished individuals had all gathered into King Thranduil's study for a meeting. Everyone wore anxious expressions and several were glancing warily about the room, as though Morier would leap through a wall at any given moment.

When everyone had arrived, Thranduil swept into the room, the thick, wooden doors closing softly behind him. Gracefully, yet with an air of determination, he sat himself behind his desk and folded his hands on top of it.

"My Lords," He began. "You are all aware that Lord Morier has finally returned to Mirkwood. Most of you realize what a tender situation this is. Some of you, however, are unaware of his history. So please allow me to explain circumstances to you."

"The Mornië family, his, lived in Mirkwood since the beginning of its existence. In the city's infancy, when it was still Greenwood, the family was just as any other—honorable, kind, and reputable. It was after the fall of Morgoth, when Sauron began seeking revenge for his master, that there were whispers. The peoples of Middle Earth knew that the times were hard-pressed, that anyone may have been seduced by the rising Sauron. It was not discovered until The Battle of the Five Armies, however, where Sauron fought Isildur, that the Mornië's were one such family. They, like their master, were presumably defeated in the battle. No one spoke of their betrayal again, until, that is, an unknown son of Mornië came back to Mirkwood."

"It was quite some time before the War of the Ring, still, and he came to us, saying that he had left his family and their ideals before The Battle of the Five Armies. They had, in turn, disowned him, which was why no one knew of him until then. His name, he claimed, was Morier. Being that there was no evidence against Morier, and that he was apparently opposed to his family's history, he was allowed back into Mirkwood, and given back his family's land. It was agreed, however, that a watchful eye would be kept over him. When the War of the Ring began, though, this eye was drawn away from him and into more important matters. No one thought anything of it, as Morier had proved himself to be an upstanding member of society—or so it was thought. After his first few years here were quiet, and since he was of the same age as my son, I saw no harm in allowing them to befriend one another," Thandruil sighed regretfully. He swallowed and continued.

"I thought that perhaps Legolas's standing in society would rub off of the young elf and that he would be accepted more easily and not judged for his family's failures. This relationship became both a blessing and curse. With it, Morier was able to engage in his lunacy with much less suspicion. It was, thankfully, because of their friendship that Morier's wrongs were discovered, though. A few days before my son was to leave for the Council of Elrond, he went to Morier's home, to collect him for a last hunting excursion. It was in a dark, unknown passage of Morier's home that Legolas found him. The elf was raving there, surrounded by tools for the blackest actions, the dark arts. After a bitter struggle, where he made an attempt on my son's life, Legolas was able to apprehend Morier. Times were troubled enough, however, with the War of the Ring looming, and there was hardly time for Morier. He was simply banished. No one thought he would be seen again, despite that fact that his banishment was only for a short term. And it seemed that this assumption was correct—until now." Thranduil paused again, his eyes closed in deep thought.

A tentative voice rose. "Was he…is he—working for Sauron?"

"No," It was Legolas who answered. "At his trial, he admitted that he had, in fact, abandoned his family for their ties with Sauron. This is not, however, because he did not have devious intentions himself. He thought that the magic that he had found was more powerful than Sauron's. He did not want to be a puppet. He wanted to be the master. He was going to collect power for himself, overthrow Sauron, and take his own control of Middle Earth."

There was a pause—they were in shock.

"But…but how? What sort of magic are we talking about here? He is not a wizard, is he?"

"No, he is not a wizard," Mithrandir spoke now. "And he does not wield the magic that we have here, on Middle Earth."

Again, the stunned silence.

"His family had strong ties not only to Sauron, but to Saruman, before it was known that Saruman had betrayed the Istari. At a meeting between the two, Morier apparently stumbled upon an artifact that Saruman had in storage. How this relic came into Saruman's hands in the first place, even the Valar do not know, but it is clear that Saruman was unaware of its potential. Morier, on the other hand, was ambitious, and worse, curious. He stowed the object in his robes and took it home for further examination. Something about the object appealed to him, and his instinct proved right. It was a key to another world. Through much experimentation, Morier discovered this, and ventured into this other world. It was there that he learned his dark arts."

"When he realized the power of this little artifact, he denounced Sauron, knowing that with this key, he could come into his own power. His family disowned him for not serving their beloved Sauron—they had no idea of the key in his possession. After that, he hid away in deep forests before using the key to enter the other world. When he returned, he came to Mirkwood, spinning his lies." Thranduil finished.

"What relic was this?" Asked another noble.

"It was one whose likes I had never seen before, and haven't seen since" Mithrandir answered. "It was small, about the size of my palm, and circular. In the center of the circle was an object with five corners, each corner connected to the others and touching the inner rim of the circle. I took the object from him at his trial and it has been in safe hiding ever since." Gandalf explained.

"You're sure?" Demanded another.

"Of course," Came the calm reply of the Istari.

Thranduil spoke again. "According to the laws of banishment, after his term is served, we cannot deny Morier re-entry to his home. He has not retrieved this relic, and to our knowledge, has not found another. For all the evidence, he is harmless. Naturally, though, it will be difficult to believe him, as he came to Mirkwood a 'different elf' once before."

There were solemn nods of agreement all around the room as they thought about the situation.

"This does not mean, however," Thranduil continued. "That we must welcome Morier with open arms. If the people choose to shun him, that is their business, but we cannot refuse his return."

There was quiet once again, and then Aragorn spoke up. "Am I correct when I say that according to the laws of banishment, no gathering of elves may take a banished elf into their midst?"

"You are, indeed, correct." Thranduil nodded.

"Then how did he get a wife? To my knowledge, there have been no other banished elves, from any city, since Morier. So how did they meet? Did someone take him in? If he has lingering allies from the time when he attempted power, we must find them." Aragorn's voice was firm, yet his words cast uneasiness over the group. Several eyed one another through the corner of their eyes.

Thranduil sighed wearily once more. "I do not know how he met his wife. I imagine that if he were questioned, he would not admit to having allies of the sort, either."

"Then let us question her," Someone declared, to more nodding heads.

Thranduil shook his head. "We cannot question Lady Inwe. We do not even know whether she is aware of her husband's history or not. If she is, it is unlikely that she would admit it. If she does not know, then we should allow her the bliss of ignorance."

Legolas's expression hardened. "If she is unaware, then she should be warned."

"I doubt the lass knows," Gimli, who had been silently following the exchange, spoke up now. "She is far too innocent of a person to knowingly marry a person like that."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Lord Gimli," Mithrandir said softly. "Perhaps she does know."

"I think she is merely his pawn to prove that he is 'changed'," Legolas spat. "For as you said, Gimli, who would willingly marry such a vile creature? No. I think that he has some hold over her, and that he is using her to 'prove' to us that he can love and be loved."

"Whatever her situation, we will not discover it by sitting here and arguing," Thranduil concluded. "It is time, anyway, for the meeting with Morier himself. We are meeting him in my throne room. Please follow me."

Everyone rose to their feet and quietly trailed their king.

Aragorn grabbed Legolas's wrist before he disappeared amongst the nobles.

"I know that you were close to Morier before his crimes were discovered, but surely you have come to live with it. What has you so troubled, old friend?" He questioned concernedly.

"I…it's just that…well…his wife, Aragorn. I think we know her."

Aragorn looked startled. "We know her? I have never met Lady Inwe in my life."

"Except that she wasn't Lady Inwe, then. When we knew her, she went by 'Fay'."

Aragorn's hand dropped off of Legolas's shoulder, where it had come to rest. His expression was as close to shock as the collected Aragorn could get.

"No. It can't be. She…she would never… And besides…she was human…"

"You forget," Legolas replied coldly, his hate for Morier coming out, "the crime that Morier was committed for. Magic, Aragorn, dark magic. We never knew the extent of his powers. Who's to say that he could not have changed her into an elf?"

Aragorn fervently shook his head. "No, it cannot be. Even the Valar could not…"

"He is different from the Valar, Aragorn. His power is foreign to us."

Aragorn continued to shake his head. "I know you are upset that she ran away, Legolas, but I do not think that Fay would join up with Morier."

"Not willingly, no. As I said in the meeting, I suspect that he has a hold over her, and a very strong one, at that."

"I…I don't know. I am sorry, my friend. You could be right…but it is so farfetched…"

"Aragorn," Legolas took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Out of everything that you have seen in your life, how can you, of all people, find something farfetched?"

Aragorn was quiet a moment. "You're right. Of course, you're right."

There was another long, silent moment. "Come," Aragorn began. "We should get to the meeting before your father worries."

King Thranduil sat upon his throne, Legolas next to him, and the nobles on each side of the room. Morier, directly in front of the king, stood from his bow.

"Your Majesty, it is most gracious of you to have me back in Mirkwood." He stated.

"Lord Morier, you know very well that were it not for the laws, you would not be here right now." Thranduil replied bitterly.

"Yes, yes of course, your Majesty," He bowed his head again.

"You were summoned here in warning," Thranduil continued. "If it is ever again discovered that you are returning to your dark ways, there is no force on Middle Earth, or any other world, for that matter, that will save you from sure and sudden death. I do not know how much your wife knows but…"

"She knows everything, your Majesty," Morier interjected hurriedly. "Before we were married, I knew that it would be wrong not to tell her, even if it meant that she would reject our marriage. She was surprised, of course, but she quickly came to accept it. The past, she said, is over for a reason. She loves me unconditionally, and I have never, and will never, betray her trust."

There was a long moment of stillness.

"Tell me, how did you come to meet your wife?" Thranduil asked, knowing that he was unlikely to receive the truth.

Morier smiled, as if the memory brought him great joy. "Her family was one in a clan of roaming elves. They never stayed in one place for very long. I had made myself a home that was not far from Mirkwood's borders after my banishment, and one day, her clan traveled nearby. The camped for the night by a stream. Not knowing they were they, I went out one morning to the stream to collect its water. She was also there, just south of her camp, exploring. It was love at first sight." His smile grew bigger.

"Then?" Thranduil pushed, ignoring Morier's sentiment.

"After a wonderful day together, she insisted that I meet her family, and she took me to their camp. They insisted that I become part of their clan. So I returned home, gathered everything that I would need, and then made my way back to their camp without ever looking back at my little home. I suspect it is in ruins, now."

"You are aware," Legolas growled, leaning forward slightly. "That you broke the laws of banishment in joining with other elves?"

Surprise crossed Morier's face. "I thought that the rule only applied to elven cities, your highness. I thought that since they were nomadic elves, my being with them was perfectly legal. And, to be truthful, being around them after so many years only confirmed my mistake to me. You do not know how lucky you are until you don't have your luxuries anymore. Finally being around elves again, Inwe, specifically, showed me the error of my ways. I would never, ever risk kinship, or, more importantly, my wife, for that black power, again."

There were small murmurs from the nobles, a few nodding heads.

"I am very glad to hear that, Morier, for if you return to your crimes, not only will you be sentenced to death, but your wife will be severely punished, as well. All of these nobles will bear witness to the fact, if ever the need arises." Thranduil declared seriously.

"I would never forgive myself if Inwe suffered, your Majesty. You have my word that I am a changed elf. I will bring only joy to Mirkwood." Morier swore.

"Very good, then, you are dismissed." Thranduil replied, and, after a bow, Morier was gone. The nobles began to disperse as well. Only Mithrandir, Aragorn, and Gimli stayed with the king and his prince.

Thranduil sighed. "What do you think, Mithrandir?"

The old wizard sighed as well. "His eyes were on you, your Majesty, so I could not judge his truthfulness by them. Everything he said may be somewhat truthful, but he must be vigilantly watched. I am sure that he is not completely changed."

"I do not trust him in the slightest!" Legolas declared. "He is a snake and he will destroy Mirkwood the first chance that he gets!"

"Aye! I agree!" Gimli growled.

Thranduil nodded. "It would be deeply appreciated if you three would stay longer and help me with this matter until things begin to settle down."

"Of course," Mithrandir smiled, and Aragorn and Gimli nodded.

Okay, I got the Mornië family name straight from the Lord of the Rings movie soundtrack. In the song "May It Be" on the Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack, it says that 'mornië' means 'darkness' in Quenya. So that's just to let you know where I got it from :)

I also realize now that after the War of the Ring, Mirkwood was cleansed and renamed Eryn Lasgalen. As I stated at the beginning of this chapter, this fic has been a learning experience, and I was unaware of this information when I started it. So since I have naively been calling it Mirkwood, I will continue on this road for reasons of consistency, unless I find a better solution :)

In case it wasn't clear, the 'relic' that Morier had was a pentagram/pentacle (over-used by Hollywood, I know, but it serves its purpose here). He used it to come to our world and learn a witchcraft (not Pagan, Wiccan, Voodoo, or anything like that; just some anonymous 'craft' that would be deadly in Middle Earth because they have never heard of it and do not know how to fight it). He also learned a very powerful hypnotism of sorts here.

So I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review now!

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