"Legolas!" Aragorn cried out. "It's me, Aragorn."

The man grasped Legolas' shoulders, trying to make the elf face him.

"Legolas, I am alive. I am here. I have not come back to haunt you. What has gotten into you to make you think that?" Aragorn told him.

Legolas had his eyes tightly shut but when he heard Aragorn talk to him, he slowly opened them up to see the man standing before him. It was at that moment, he took notice of the man grasping his arms.

"Then I am not dreaming?" Legolas managed to get out. "You are actually here?"

"Of course I am here. What made you think you were dreaming? What made you think I was truly dead?" Aragorn asked him.

"He told me you left because of me, that it was my fault," Legolas barely managed to say.

Aragorn was confused by the statement. He glanced around to see several people staring at them. He led the elf towards a corner, out of earshot of the others.

"Who did?" Aragorn asked. "Who told you I left because of you?"

Legolas stared away from Aragorn, unable to look at him straight in the eye. Legolas was a bit uncertain whether or not to tell him. He gulped and nodded slightly.

"Manlin did," Legolas finally replied.

"What?" Aragorn had to ask.

"Manlin told me you left just like my mother and sister had left," Legolas continued on, completely ignoring what Aragorn had said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Legolas, you killed Manlin years ago. Your sister was returned to you at the same time when she was finally released from his imprisonment," Aragorn protested. "As for your mother, I never knew her or the events surrounding her death but I don't think you were the reason she died."

He wasn't believing what he was hearing from Legolas. He stepped away from Legolas for a moment, wondering how he should go about this situation.

"When did he tell you this?" Aragorn asked.

"Just now," Legolas quietly replied.

"That's impossible Legolas! Manlin is dead! He has been for years now. Remember?" Aragorn almost cried out.

"I know that but he told me now just the same. Sad thing is, even though I knew he was lying, I began to believe him, just like when I was younger. I don't know how he got here but he did just the same," Legolas told him. "He was here at least in spirit, if not in body."

'Now that doesn't make any sense. Manlin just told Legolas this lie, even though he's been dead for many years? I wish Nanaylia were here. She might know what's going on here. But what if she wouldn't know? Either way, we have a problem on our hands,' Aragorn thought to himself. "Come on Legolas. I have to go see the king. We have much to discuss."

Legolas slowly lifted his head to stare at his friend and nodded. Legolas lifted his hand as if to hand his friend something. Aragorn noticed this and took the object that Legolas gave him. He saw that it was Arwen's Evenstar. Aragorn smiled.

"Thank you Legolas," Aragorn quietly told him. "Just to let you know, I would never 'leave' because of you."

Legolas gave a small smile but his eyes read sadness and Aragorn could see that.

'I wish you would tell me what's wrong, my friend,' Aragorn thought to himself.

00000

"How many?" Theoden asked.

"10,000 strong at least," Aragorn replied.

"10,000?" Theoden had to repeat.

"It's an army bred for one purpose: to destroy the world of men. They'll be here by nightfall. We should be prepared for when they come," Aragorn replied.

Theoden wasn't believing what he was hearing. Aragorn was watching both the king and Legolas, who was ever fidgeting, which was something he had never known the elf to do.

'He wants to get out of here, I can tell but why? Is there something or someone in here that is making him nervous? Or is he still trying to get over the shock of the fact that I'm still alive?' Aragorn wondered. 'There is definitely something wrong with him but what? He is mentally incapable of fighting tonight but we still need his help.'

He walked over to the elf as king the began to head out the door.

"What is wrong?" Aragorn quietly asked the elf.

"Nothing is wrong," the elf snapped back. "I simply have to get out of this room to get some air."

Aragorn was a bit surprised with the elf's reaction but he nodded as they followed the king outside. He began to tell them their plans for the upcoming battle. Aragorn soon began to tell the king of his worries andTheoden told Aragorn of what could be done.

"They are not coming to destroy Rohan's crops or villages, they're coming to destroy the people, every last one," Aragorn protested. "Send out riders. You must call for aid."

"Who would you have me go call the aid from? Elves? Dwarves?" Theoden wondered. "No my Lord Aragorn. We are alone in this fight and long afterwards."

Legolas decided to step forward. Aragorn tried to stop him but the elf moved around him.

"King Theoden, you must understand one thing," Legolas said.

Theoden was a bit surprised that the elf had anything to say. He gave a nod of his head, indicating that Legolas should continue.

"You feel alone within your own kingdom, the danger coming from afar. Where I come from, we feel alone while the danger comes within. We cannot trust our own people," Legolas told him.

"I cannot fully trust my own people either. Look what happened with Grima. Thanks to his dealings with Sarumon, the wizard had me down on my knees," Theoden protested.

"But Grima was working for someone. The elf I was thinking about was working for himself and he almost succeeded in taking over my kingdom completely. My father and myself did not realize this until it was too late," Legolas replied. "He actually did for a short time."

"I really don't know the point of this conversation," Theoden quietly said before heading away.

Aragorn and Gimli followed him, but not before they each gave Legolas a worried look. The elf watched them leave, a cold stare on his face.

"I would not have been here to help. Events leading up to this day may have been greatly different because of Manlin. I believe that was what I was trying to get across," Legolas quietly said.

He was almost snarling and he wasn't even realizing it as he headed in the other direction.

00000

Aragorn walked up to Legolas, who was standing along the wall, staring out at the sky.

"What're you thinking about Legolas?" Aragorn wondered.

Legolas broke out of his trance and turned enough to see that Aragorn was behind him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Legolas told him with a shake of the head.

"I would not have asked if I wasn't curious at all," Aragorn replied.

Legolas smiled as he returned to staring at the sky again. He stared at the birds flying about.

"I was thinking how it would feel like to fly," Legolas confessed.

"Fly? As much as you'd like to Legolas, you won't be able to fly. Neither will I. No one can besides the birds and gargoyles can fly," Aragorn replied.

At the mention of gargoyles, Legolas lowered his head slightly. Aragorn knew he brought back bad memories.

"I wish I could make all three of them pay for what they did to my sister, like what I did with Manlin but I know I never will. They're too far out of my grasp. I don't even know where Shentree is anymore, even though we only recently saw her," Legolas quietly said.

Aragorn nodded, indicating he understood. His concerns grew slightly when he saw Legolas place a hand on his face.

"What is the matter Legolas?" Argorn wondered.

"Nothing is wrong," he lied.

Aragorn narrowed his eyes, knowing there was something wrong with the elf. He just didn't know what it was that time. He began to head back down to determine who was going where, leaving Legolas stand there.

'I coudn't tell him that I was beginning to feel nauseous. Since elves do not feel sickness, Aragorn would have insisted I stay out of the battle tonight. For some strange reason, I feel like I have to fight tonight. As if I have to prove something,' Legolas thought to himself.

He began to head after Aragorn and realized that the man was in just as bad shape as he was in.

00000

Legolas and Gimli looked around at the men who were forced to get ready for the upcoming battle. Legolas was feeling a great sense of claustrophobia well up within him. He was almost to rushing out of the room, it was so overwhelming.

Argorn was nearby, talking to himself about the types of people who were getting ready.

"These are no soldiers," Aragorn was saying.

"Many have seen too many winters," Gimli said.

"Or too few," Legolas put in. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes."

Almost immediately, all eyes were on Legolas. He turned around, away from Aragorn and some of the others.

'And they should be. 300... against 10,000?' Legolas said in Elvish.

'They have a better hope defending themselves here than at Edoras,' Aragorn replied.

'Aragorn. They cannot win this fight. They are all going to die!' Legolas cried out.

"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn angrily replied in the Common Tongue.

Legolas gave him a disbelieving stare before Aragorn began to walk out of the room. Legolas quickly blinked only once as he watched the man leave.

'Why did I say that now?' Legolas asked himself. 'I didn't mean for that to come out, it just did. Or did I unconsciously mean to say it? I don't know but I have to go after him to apologize.'

He began to head after Aragorn to apologize but Gimli grabbed him by the arm.

"Let him go lad. Let him be," Gimli told him. "Give him some time to calm down."

Legolas turned to look at Gimli. He hesitated for one moment before starting to head out of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gimli called after him.

"I have to get some air," Legolas called back.

Gimli gently shrugged his shoulders, allowing the elf to leave.

00000

Legolas made his way through the crowd of people, hoping to find a more secluded area. He soon found one in the same room he found refuge in earlier. He leaned against the wall and began to slide down it. The pain was returning and it was greater than ever.

"Why is it coming back now? I can't be worried about this and the battle tonight," he quietly wondered.

But before he could wonder about anything else, an excruciating pain suddenly shot through his back. He cried out, unable to stand it. He took notice that even though pain crept all over, it was centered on two vertical areas on his back, just under his shoulders. He reached around to see if anything was there but what he found more than what he was expecting. His hand moved up and down the area, making him more worried than ever.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

He had come across - something - coming out of his back and it didn't appear to be stopping.

TBC...