Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings is not mine. :)

"All for one, and one for all."
–The Three Musketeers, just about any version you can name

Chapter Seventeen
'Summer Vacation'

"Angelica, what can I do?"

"You really want my advice?"

"Yes, definitely." They were alone in Athos' room. Morgan had been taken out.

"You need a break."

"A vacation? Now?"

"Yes. You wanted my opinion."

"You know, that actually sounds good."

"Special orders?"

"Don't kill the Hobbits. I don't care what you do to the others."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Even Morgan?"

"Yes. I no longer care." He disappeared.

"That's not you, Athos," Angelica whispered. "That's not you at all."

Latano whistled and Rainbow came flying down. Bergil, Balo, get on," the elf ordered. Go as fast as you can. Find Ronosa and Nora."

"Why us?" Bergil asked.

"Because Balo knows where she's going and you're small enough to fit on Rainbow with two elves and a kyte," Noka answered. "Just go."

Balo jumped on and Eowyn lifted Bergil up. Balo whispered in the horse's ear and Rainbow took off.

"Something's wrong," Merry sighed. "The others weren't gone nearly as long last time."

Suddenly, there came a voice inside the young Hobbit's head, a voice that, from Rivendell to Emin Muil, he'd come to know and love.

Not too far away, Faramir heard the same voice, but was amazed at what his brother was saying . . . singing.

"The stars at night are big and bright,
Deep in the heart of Texas.
The prairie sky is wide and high,
Deep in the heart of Texas."

"The rest of the words, little brother. You know them. The others are coming for you, little brother. Just hold on."

Angelica settled herself into a chair and blew her whistle. Two gleems immediately appeared at the door. "Leave the two in the dungeon there," she ordered. "Bring the others here."

Within moments, the gleems came down the hall with Peter, Faramir, and Morgan. "Angelica!" Morgan exclaimed. "Where's Athos?"

"I'm in charge here. Athos is on vacation."

"Vacation?" Peter asked suspiciously.

"Yes, and I have orders to do what I want with you three."

"But not with the Hobbits–Merry and Sam?" Morgan asked.

Angelica nodded. "I'm to leave them alone."

'Morgan, any news on Legolas?' Peter asked.

'He's safe, but I don't know what good telling her will do. Athos, yes. Not her.'

'Can you reach Athos?' Faramir asked.

'No. He's blocked himself off from me.'

'Then try telling Angelica,' Peter suggested. 'She might surprise you.'

'And I'm Finrod Felagund,' Morgan sighed. Then, to Angelica, "Legolas was fooling you. He's alive."

Angelica looked surprised, but not concerned. "It matters not," she said, smiling. "He was poisoned. It's lethal. He'll be dead before nightfall."

Morgan instinctively glanced out the window. The sun was slightly to the east.

"What do you want?" Peter asked.

"Nothing I can do will save Legolas now. I have Athos' permission to kill you three, but I'm giving you a last chance. I guarantee it is the last. I can give you the same poison as Legolas, only slower and more painful. There is no cure. Or you can join us. To refuse is certain death."

"How many times have I heard that?" Peter asked.

"From Athos, Peter. He wouldn't do it. I will. You know that."

'She's right, Peter,' Morgan said reluctantly. 'I've heard a lot about her personality from Athos. Her goals are different than his. She will do it.'

'I don't care,' Peter said. 'That has never stopped us from doing the right thing.' He gently touched a wooden cross that hung around his neck. Faramir hadn't noticed it before. He had gotten it from Athos, who had gotten it from Aramis. That was all the answer Morgan needed. Peter was ready to follow Aramis' example. And she would follow his, no matter what.

'You two are crazy, but you're right,' Faramir agreed. 'I'm with you. I'm not afraid of death.'

"Angelica," Peter said calmly. "We respectfully decline."

Morgan forced a smile. It was a line from Star Trek, spoken by her favorite character, Spock. She knew better than to expect the polite, "Very well. You've earned the consequences," that Spock had received. What she did get was a harsh, "Gleems, kill them," and then, "Would you three want to die separately or together?"

"Together," they all said at once, quietly placing their hands on top of each others'. For a moment, they looked like the Three Musketeers. Then all was chaos.

"Balo, anything from Morgan?" Bergil asked. They were just lifting off from the kyte-village, where they had gone after the elf-village. They'd found both Nora and Ronosa, but Nora had insisted she could get there faster if she didn't have to make a stop at the kytes' place first. She'd gone on by herself.

"Nothing since Uncle told her Legolas was safe," the young elf said. "They took him back to the forest, so any gleems that might come looking for him won't find anything."

"Morgan won't respond, or she can't?" Ronosa asked.

"Normally, I'd say the second. She'll almost always talk to me. But this time, I don't know. It's almost like she's shielding herself from us, or shielding us from something else."

"Curious. How strong is your bond?" Ronosa asked. "Would you be capable of feeling pain through it?"

"Yes, we've done so before, and . . . that could be it."

Ronosa nodded. That was Morgan. And his old friend, Peter.

Bergil nodded, as well. That was Faramir.

Peter had felt it before, the past night. Morgan was well used to pain and the gleems' poison. Faramir was no stranger to this kind of thing either. Nevertheless, all three were glad the others were there, and Morgan was glad for the chance to use her strange gift . . . one last time.

She connected their minds; they shared the pain, resisted together as best they could. Each could tell what the others were going to do, where they were going to move, what to do next.

The gleems weren't concerned; Morgan's efforts only delayed the inevitable. The gleems' weapons were coated with poison. One stroke would've assured they would die. Each was struck many times before finally collapsing.

"Get them out of here," Angelica ordered, "and send someone in here to clean up the floor."

Todd turned and continued to pace the floor of the kitchen. He had to do something. He just had to. But what could he do? He was just a cook, and Angelica had only ever trusted him because Athos did. He'd need help.

Just then, help appeared–literally out of nowhere. Avanwë, Gimli, Aragorn, Frodo, Pippin, Radagast, Gandalf, Elrond, Eowyn, Eomer, Tandro, Noka, Eric, Susan, Samuel, Glorfindel, and Rona suddenly appeared in the kitchen. Balo, Bergil, Latano, Nora, and Rona had stayed with Legolas.

Todd took a step back and nearly knocked over a pot of stew. "Who are you guys?" asked the cook, more than a little startled.

"Are you frightened?" Aragorn asked mysteriously. Frodo grinned. It was funny when Aragorn did it to someone else.

"So, I'm used to guys appearing out of nowhere." Frodo couldn't tell if he was being serious or sarcastic.

"Good," Avanwë said. "Now, Todd, we need your help."

"Anything."

"I need you to stay here so Angelica won't suspect you. One of the Woodland Wanderers will stay with you so you can talk to us."

"Um . . . Avanwë, there's a slight problem with that," Eric said. "Morgan usually relays the messages to us. We don't have that kind of direct . . . connection . . . bond . . . thing."

Pippin smiled. Eric had done it on purpose. The Hobbit had told him about that, among other things.

"Rats," Avanwë sighed. "In that case, does anyone else have a suggestion?"

"I do," Eric said.

"How is he?" Latano asked.

"Latano, this is nothing I've ever seen," Nora admitted. "It's sort of like two dozen other things I've seen, but not really close. Not close enough that I can be even halfway sure what to do about it."

"I second that," Ronosa said reluctantly. "Much as I hate saying it, there's nothing I can do."

Athos opened his eyes, took a few steps backwards, closed them, and opened them again. "Uh-oh," he managed to say.

He was in a forest, old with all kinds of trees. This was not where he'd been trying to go at all. Now he was really in trouble.

Angelica was right. That hadn't been him speaking back at the tower. It had been his anger, his frustration, grief, even. He didn't want anyone killed. He didn't want to be responsible for anything more.

All he'd ever wanted to do was help the world, feed the starving people, make everyone equal. What had gone wrong?

"You cannot have life without problems, mellon nin," came a voice from behind him.

"What do you know of my problems?" Athos asked without turning.

"I know of the world you come from, how you were raised believing you could save it, bring peace to everyone. A fine goal, to be sure."

Athos turned. Before him was a lady in a white dress, with long golden hair like a summer's day. "Who are you?" he asked, though he already guessed the answer. "Can I really be where I think I am?"

"This is Lothlorien, and I am Galadriel."

Athos nodded. "I should probably leave."

"Why?"

"I don't belong here, my Lady."

"And where do you belong?"

"With my family. With the gleems."

"I thought you were on vacation."

"I think I've changed my mind."

Galadriel smiled. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

"You're sure it's . . . ?"

"Athos, we let the Ring come through here. You won't damage the place."

She led him along the paths of the forest until they came to a small clearing. In the center was what looked like an oddly-shaped stone bowl with water in it. "Come and look," Galadriel motioned to the bowl. "I think what you see will ease your pain."

"If you're going to show me what happened to Legolas right before he was shot, I'd really rather not." He came over anyway, curious more than anything.

"I do not know what the mirror will show you."

"Then I'll find out, I guess." He cautiously looked in, keeping his distance should the images become too painful. At first, he only saw trees, and took them for reflections of the trees all around him. But this forest he recognized. The Unknown Forest.

An Elf lay there, with a few friends around him. Athos nearly jumped with surprise and joy when he saw the Elf breathing. Legolas was alive! He fought hard to contain his relief. He couldn't let Galadriel know how much it had bothered him to think Legolas dead.

Then he saw three hands, crossed over each other in a strange sign of unity. The image hit him immediately, and then he could see the faces. Peter and Morgan he recognized instantly, and then Faramir. Then everything went black.

Slowly, out of the blackness came an ocean, and in the ocean a ship. One person only was sailing it, scarcely visible to any save Athos, who alone had been able to see through his brother's disguises. Athos saw a big wave headed for the ship. He saw his brother proudly raise a small sail, with a tree on it, green and brown. He saw the small ship engulfed by the wave, and the flag floating gracefully over the waves that followed. Then he looked away.

"What does this mean?" he asked the Lady of the Golden Wood.

"The effects of your anger, your guilt, they have reached Middle-Earth. Legolas lives, but perhaps not for long."

"What do you mean?"

"You know the answer to that."

"What . . . oh, no. I told the gleems not to test that yet!"

"As I recall, you told Angelica to do what she wanted."

"The Hobbits?"

"They are fine."

"There's nothing I can do for Legolas. There is no cure."

"That you've found yet."

"He has until nightfall. Then he will die."

"The others?"

"They have about the same, but this thing is untested. I don't know how different the effects will be from Elves to Humans. None of them have long. Period."

"Do you still wish to go home?"

"To face this? No, I don't wish to. But I have to."

Muahahahaha. Poor Athos. Hate to do this to him, I really do, but it makes for a good end of the chapter. :)

Kabuki773701 – Confuscious. That's Chinese, right? Need to remember that.

Anonymous – Legolas does have a tendency to get hurt, doesn't he. :)

xWhiteXstaRx – Hmmm, it's okay if you don't review all the chapters. :) Of course, if you're bored and have nothing better to do than review all the chapters, go right ahead. :)