"A gargoyle! That's impossible!" Gimli protested. "Elves cannot turn into gargoyles! Not even by magic!"

"No, it's not impossible and you're wrong. It is by magic that this is happening," Aragorn replied. "I should have seen this coming. Ever since the mines, I should have known that Shentree had done something to him."

Gimli glanced between everyone, somewhat confused. Theoden was more than surprised with the situation since he hadn't seen a gargoyle before. He looked between the elves and Legolas, who was not about to move anytime soon from his corner.

"How is this possible? Gargoyles are creatures of legend! They do not exist, if they had at all. If they had, there couldn't possibly be any left!" Theoden said.

"They exist all right. They've managed to stay alive for centuries although their numbers have dwindled dramatically over the centuries," Nanaylia replied. "Unfortunately for them, they have yet to deal with me. Shentree will pay for doing this to him."

She began to storm towards the door. Haldir grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere. She stared him down with an angry look but it did not phase him one bit.

"Let me go Haldir. I have to find her and make her pay for what's she's done to him," she snarled at him.

"And how do you propose you find her? She could be anywhere in Middle Earth by now after she left the Fellowship at the mines," Haldir replied.

Nanaylia pretended not to listen but she heard him anyway. She crossed her arms and snorted. She angrily stood beside him.

"You cannot help him if you are not around. Stay here with him, please. You're probably the only one who knows how to handle him with your previous experience," Haldir told her in a quiet voice.

"Listen to him. He knows what is best for you and Legolas at the moment," Aragorn agreed as he walked up to her.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. Behind them, Gimli was becoming a bit angry with the situation and Aragorn could tell. The man stepped away from the elves and stood beside the dwarf.

"And the three of you knew about this before now? Not that I knew her or himthat well. So why did you keep this information from us? We all could have benefited from it. Those other two gargoyles were one thing, this is another situation entirely," he wondered.

"We didn't want you to become alarmed. That and the fact that you probably would have continued to ask questions about them. We know something about them, not everything. I'll explain everything later, when Legolas is in his right mind," Aragorn replied.

Aragorn glanced over at Gimli before his stare returned to Nanaylia. Haldir was still trying to talk her out of heading after Shentree, despite all their attempts to stop her.

"I think now is the best time for some explanations," Aragorn replied.

He turned to Theoden, becoming angry himself. Haldir took notice of the pounding and began to help the others to barricade the door, leaving Nanaylia behind to keep an eye on Legolas. Not that she minded but she wanted to do nothing more than to head out, find Shentree and kill her.

"You're demanding explanations from me about Legolas but what about you? You had said this place would never fall while your men defend it! Your men still defend this place. They have died defending it!" Aragorn angrily told him. "Is there another way the women and children can get out of the caves?"

When no one answered him, he turned towards the king.

"Is there no other way?" he repeated.

"There is one passage that leads into the mountain. They won't get far, the Uruk-hai are too many," Gamling replied.

"Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass and barricade the entrance," Aragorn told him.

He turned towards Nanaylia, who was now standing in front of her brother. Legolas was still growling and it seemed that he was favouring his one leg, the arrow still embedded in him.

"Can you get him to move away from here?" he asked her.

"No, I can't. Not only will he not move, I do not want to risk the lives of these people. Legolas is too much of a threat to be around," she replied

"So much death has occured. What can we do against such reckless hate?" Theoden wondered.

Aragorn thought for a moment, trying to think of a reply.

"Ride out with me," Aragorn finally told him. "Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory?" Theoden asked.

"For Rohan. For your people. We need to keep them away from your women and children so that they can escape. We also need to keep them away from Legolas and Nanaylia. She needs time to deal with him and the situation he's in. They have a bond deeper than you realize and she knows more than what she lets on," Aragorn explained.

"The sun is rising," Gimli mentioned.

Aragorn looked up to see that the sun was indeed peeking through the window. Gandalf's words echoed through his head.

'Look to my coming. At the first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east,' he remembered Gandalf telling him.

'Gandalf's coming. Maybe he can help Legolas with this! She said that he was probably the only one who could!' Aragorn thought to himself.

In the back of his mind, he heard Theoden talking. He heard the king saying that the horn of Helm Hammerhand was to sound in the Deep one last time. Aragorn listened to the king as he unsheathed his sword. He glanced over at Nanaylia, who was trying to figure out a way to deal with her brother. Legolas was keeping her from getting any closer than what she already was.

"She'll be able to deal with him," he heard someone quietly told him. "They'll be all right. They're both survivors."

Aragorn's stare now turned towards Haldir, who gave him a small smile. Aragorn gave a smile himself, believing the elf. Their horses soon galloped out of the building towards the Uruk-hai, leaving the brother and sister alone. She watched them leave before turning back to her brother, who had taken a defensive position.

"Why are you here?" Legolas snarled.

"I am trying to help you," she replied. "I know what you're going through."

"No you don't. You're an elf. Elves don't know the pain of being hated by everyone around them," he snapped back.

'Oh my, he really believes that he is a gargoyle. What do I tell him now? I know that I cannot simply tell him the truth. At least not right away,' she thought to herself. "What is your name then? I am curious to know for I have met a few gargoyles but not you."

"My name? That is a stupid question. My name is..." he started.

He stopped, his mouth open slighty. No words came out and this caused Nanaylia to smile. She knew that this would happen.

"I don't know my name," he finally replied. "How did you know?"

"I went through the same phase at one time, that's how I know," Nanaylia replied.

"I don't believe you! You are an elf! How could you possibly change into a gargoyle? I am still wondering how I got here. I was in the Dark Forest, next thing I know I wake up here and see strangers all around me," Legolas snarled back at her.

Nanaylia grew surprised at what he had said. She stepped towards him, causing him to back away, despite his injury.

"What did you just say?" she asked him.

"I was in the Dark Forest and I somehow ended up here," repeated the gargoyle.

Nanaylia growled as she began to look around the room.

"Where are you? I know you're here, now show yourself!" she yelled out.

A figure jumped down from the rafters and stepped before the elf. The two stared at each other. Nanaylia could feel the anger welling up inside her and she wanted nothing more than to kill her right then and there.

"Stop telling him all these lies Shentree. He's not yours to control," Nanaylia told him.

"Just because you decided not to stay with Banside, Sathed and myself, doesn't mean your brother has to make the same choice. He'll enjoy the life of a gargoyle, just like you did once, whether you want to believe it or not," Shentree replied.

"We're not your pawns. We never have been and we never will. You and your kind have been threatening my people for far too long," Nanaylia snarled.

"This coming from someone who was, at one time, under our control with no idea who she was. Just like someone else here in this room," Shentree told her.

Legolas had limped his way to Shentree's side. He was snarling at Nanaylia and she couldn't help but feel knots in her stomach.

"Face it, he's a gargoyle now. I know you are somewhat still but that's not the point. Your brother is lost to you, just like you were lost to him all those years ago. You cannot possibly help him for I will not die as easily as Manlin did! He let his guard down way too easily!" Shentree quietly said.

She lunged for Nanaylia, who jumped out of the way.

00000

Gandalf watched as the Uruk-hai began to flee from the battle scene. He sighed as he looked over at Aragorn. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced over at Haldir, who was coninually glancing over at one of the doors. The wizard rode over to the elf.

"You seem worried Haldir. What is the matter?" wondered Gandalf.

"I am worried... about Legolas and Nanaylia," replied Haldir.

Gandalf became slightly surprised at this comment. Haldir and Aragorn could tell that he was slightly confused with the situation.

"Nanaylia is here? Does she know what is happening to her brother? How does she know? How did she get here?" Gandalf demanded to know.

Haldir glanced around to see who was around and seeing that no one was close except Aragorn, he leaned in close to the wizard's ear.

"He's turning into a gargoyle. The transformation is nearly complete and Nanaylia says that you'd be the only one who can help him. She knows because she went through the same thing a long time ago," Haldir quietly explained.

Gandalf's eyes widened as he turned towards the door. From inside, screaming and growling could be heard. He hurried towards the door and opened it. Haldir, Aragorn and Gimli quickly followed him.

"Make sure no one comes inside," Gandalf told them without turning around.

The three nodded and stopped once they got to the door. Gandalf went inside and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Nanaylia appeared to be unconscious, lying face down on the floor with a strange gargoyle towering over her. Gandalf noticed that this new gargoyle had simliar features to Legolas and so figured that it must be him. It looked like he was ready to take her life as Shentree stood a few feet away, snickering at the whole scene.

TBC...