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World of Shadows
As Legolas gained consciousness he was aware of a sharp pain on the back of his head and he was also disoriented as to where he was. He opened his eyes and waited as the room came into focus. Elves did not sleep with their eyes shut as men did and the feeling of awaking from a bed in this manner was strange to him. He seemed to be back in his room in the tower. He reached up and felt that a bandage had been wrapped around his head.
As he sat up and carefully felt his injury, he spotted Gimli in his room. Gimli was standing by the door with his arms crossed and his ax at the ready, clutched tight in his hand. Legolas noticed that Gimli looked very cross.
"Gimli?" Legolas said as he pressed on the back of head to test his wound. "What happened? Was there a battle? I cannot remember how I have become wounded."
Gimli did not answer him with words. Instead the dwarf drew himself up taller and the look on his face grew angrier.
Legolas was growing alarmed now. Why was Gimli behaving so strangely?
"Why do you stand there like that? I have not seen you look at me like that since the day I met you. Have I done something to anger you?" Legolas said.
"So!" Gimli spat out. "You only inquire about your own selfish needs. You have no care for the one you have harmed!"
Legolas felt a growing dread inside and he stood up as he said, "What has happened Gimli?" Then a memory filled his mind, a memory of Gilraen yelling at him and slapping him. "Gilraen!" he exclaimed suddenly as the memory of her aggressive behavior returned to him. "Are you saying she has been harmed? I must go to her!"
Gimli stepped firmly in front of the door, halting Legolas's steps. "You will stay here until the King has decided what should be done with you!"
"What? Gimli what are you saying?" Legolas was growing frantic with a need to see Gilraen. "Let me pass!"
"You may be able to get by me if you tried," said Gimli, "but you will not get by all the guards posted outside this door. So get yourself back away from me and await your sentence."
"My sentence for what? What has happened to Gilraen?" Legolas was now yelling at Gimli. His worry for Gilraen was causing him to lose his calm.
"Tell me Gimli, please!"
Gimli studied Legolas carefully. He began to suspect that the bump on Legolas's head had affected the elf's memory somehow. Gimli was hurting inside as well, but in a different way. He had felt betrayed by his best friend. He thought he knew Legolas better than anyone. He had come to know him as an honorable and kind friend. Never would he have thought Legolas would be capable of doing what he did. He was disappointed now, not only in Legolas, but in himself for being such a blind fool in this friendship.
"Well let me refresh your memory then!" said Gimli in a disgusted voice. "You tried to force yourself on that sweet girl and if it wasn't for Mendir and his branch you would have succeeded! Now remain quiet and wait. It sickens me to hear your lies."
Legolas was stunned for a moment at these words. Force myself on her? Never! He could never do that. Mendir must have come upon them when he was trying to prevent Gilraen from removing his own clothing. He remembered that he had to hold her hands down after she slapped him. Mendir must have gotten the wrong impression. But how could he tell this to Gimli? Would anyone believe that it was Gilraen who wished to force him? Legolas could not even bring himself to say that. He would not slander Gilraen in such a way, even if he had to take the blame.
But Legolas worried for her. Something was not right about Gilraen and he suspected that it had something to do with that Silmaril. Yet he promised her he would not say anything about the jewel. He could not break her trust or slander her name.
Legolas stepped backwards and sat on his bed in a stunned daze. "I did not do this thing Gimli. Though it may appear one way, there are circumstances that you do not know of. Just tell me one thing, for the sake of the friendship you used to feel for me. How is Gilraen?"
Gimli's face filled with sadness, "She will not wake up."
Legolas felt his heart drop, "What do you say?" He feared that perhaps Gilraen had passed on to the Halls of Mandos. "She has … died?"
Gimli shook his head, "She lives, but she will not wake."
Legolas put his head in his hands. He could not believe these things were really happening. "I wish to speak with Aragorn," he mumbled through his grief.
Gimli glared at Legolas again. "He will not see you! He is ashamed to have called you friend all these years, as am I. The mention of your name brings him great sorrow and he has enough to worry about with Gilraen at the moment. He will not leave her side to hear your excuses!"
"Gimli," Legolas looked at his friend in all sincerity, "have you ever known me to harm a maiden? Do you truly think I would do such a thing?" Gimli gave him no answer. Legolas tried some more, "I love her Gimli. We have both professed to love each other. Why would I ever harm her?"
Gimli had remembered that Legolas had been acting very distracted lately and the looks between him and Gilraen had not gone unnoticed. But the evidence he had heard was too damning.
"If you loved her, then why would you force her?" Gimli asked.
"I did not!" Legolas exclaimed. "I would never hurt her! It was true that we have had a disagreement lately and that we quarreled, but I was not trying to force myself on her, I was trying to calm her!"
Gimli's demeanor shifted slightly and he grew confused. He wanted to believe Legolas. He really did. But then he said, "Why would you rip her dress in a quarrel? Why would you speak of having pleasures of the flesh while you grabbed at her? Why would she scream and struggle? Mendir has told us all he saw and heard."
Legolas stood up in indignation. "I did not do such things!" he said incredulously. "Mendir has told an untruth! I did not rip her dress! I did not speak those words!" He paced the room, seething with anger as Gimli watched him.
The truth was Legolas had no memory of anything after he had fainted on top of Gilraen. He did not know that another had taken over his body in those moments. He could not recall being hit on the head.
"Why would Mendir lie about such a thing? Does the lad have a reason to dislike you?" Gimli asked the pacing elf.
"I never thought so before," Legolas said. "I don't understand any of this!"
"Are you saying that Mendir ripped her dress after hitting you?" Gimli asked in a disbelieving voice.
"None of this makes sense!" Legolas said. "I need to speak to Mendir. Can you get him for me Gimli?"
Gimli sighed with indecision. Then he said, "I will ask if it will be allowed." He looked at Legolas for a few more moments then turned to leave.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The King and Queen as well as Celeborn and Elladan sat around Gilraen's bed chanting elvish healing prayers. Herbs were burning and filling the room with their pungent smells. They were doing all that they could think of to do but still Gilraen did not wake.
Aragorn ran a frustrated hand through his hair. So many times had he healed others with various wounds, yet he could not seem to call his daughter back from the place she had receded to. He had checked her head carefully for lumps or wounds and found none. He could not understand why she would not wake when her body seemed to be in good health.
As they chanted, Arwen stroked her daughters head with her cool hand, hoping that wherever Gilraen was she could still feel her mother's presence.
Celeborn opened his eyes and looked at Arwen. "There is something in this room that is causing me unease," he said. They halted their chanting and gave him their full attention. "I feel its presence."
"What is it?" asked Aragorn.
"An energy, a power," Celeborn said in a slow, hypnotic voice. "It circles around us, through us."
Elladan shut his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I feel this as well," he said.
"Is it harming Gilraen?" Aragorn asked in growing fear.
Before Celeborn could answer the King, Radagast in his crow form flew through the window and transformed immediately before their eyes. They watched as he approached the princesses' bed. Standing at the foot of her bed his face grew solemn with sadness. "I have been outside, listening to your prayers for many hours now," he said without taking his eyes from Gilraen. "My heart weeps in sadness at this ill turn of events."
"Can you do anything for her?" the King asked Radagast.
"She walks in the land of shadows," Radagast sadly replied. "When one goes to the land of shadows, one has the choice to return. She is choosing not to return."
"No!" exclaimed Arwen. "She would not make that choice!"
Lord Celeborn rose from his chair, looking at Radagast in growing anger. "I do not believe that Gilraen would choose the shadow. Do you not feel something here? You are a wizard. Do you not feel the power swirling about Gilraen?"
Radagast gazed for a long moment at Gilraen and then looked at Lord Celeborn. "Yes, I feel it. Perhaps all is not as it seems." He looked around at the worried faces of the King and the Queen. "I will attempt to seek her."
"How?" Aragorn asked in wonder. A new hope was beginning to rise in his heart. Could the wizard bring her back?
"I will go to the land of shadow and speak with her," Radagast said, "if she will allow me."
"You must try," pleaded Arwen.
"Then you will have to trust me. You must all leave the room. I must be alone with Gilraen," Radagast told them.
Lord Celeborn approached Radagast and stood before him. He examined the wizard's eyes carefully looking for any sign of insincerity or ill intent. He found none. He nodded to the others and turned to leave.
When Aragorn passed Radagast he paused and said, "Tell her to come home to us. Tell her that we love her and we sorely miss her."
Radagast looked at Aragorn in pity. He could see how much these troubles were wearing on the King. The King appeared unkempt, tired and sad. His heart had been shattered at the news of his best friend's crime against his daughter. And now Aragorn and Arwen were desperate not to lose their daughter.
He nodded gently to the King and waited as all left her room, shutting the door behind them. Radagast made his way to the side of the bed where Arwen once stood and sat down. Shutting his eyes and taking deep breathes, he prepared his consciousness to seek the land of shadow.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
In the hallway outside of Gilraen's room sat all others who worried over the princess. When the King, Queen, Celeborn and Elladan came out into the hall they all stood up in question.
"How is she?" asked Eldarion quickly.
Aragorn looked at his son gravely. "Radagast is with her now. He attempts to bring her back to us."
"You have left a wizard alone with her?" Elfwine asked. He no longer trusted wizards since the evil deeds of Falcroun. Everyone turned their heads to Elfwine and looked at him in surprise. One did not question a King's decision in such a manner. He quickly realized his mistake and said, "Forgive me. I worry for her as well."
Aragorn nodded and found a place to sit with Arwen as they waited.
Gimli soon came into to crowd as quietly as a dwarf could. He looked around and spotted Elladan leaning against a wall and trying to comfort Teslan. He walked up to them and said in a very low voice, "May I speak with you alone?"
Gimli did not want to disturb the King and the Queen. He knew that the last thing Aragorn wanted at the moment was to deal with Legolas. When the news of the attempted rape had reached the King he ordered Legolas immediately imprisoned in his room until he could decide what to do. When the guards carried the unconscious elf past the King, Aragorn had turned his back in scorn.
Everyone was having a difficult time with this disturbing event. Never in a million years would they have expected Legolas to do such a thing. Shock and grief was apparent on all faces who knew Legolas.
Elladan followed Gimli down the tower stairs and into a private reception room. Then Gimli turned to face him and said, "Legolas claims that Mendir was mistaken. He wishes to speak with him."
"Mistaken?" Elladan said in astonishment. "How so?"
"Legolas says that he did not rip her dress and he was not trying to … well … you know," Gimli said uncomfortably. "He claims they were in love."
"Are you saying that Mendir ripped her dress? Are you saying that he hit Legolas for no reason?" Elladan said in growing ire. Elladan knew his nephew was honest and honorable. Never would he be deceitful in this manner.
"Now calm down. I didn't accuse Mendir of anything!" Gimli said. "I mean only to…"
"No! I will not allow Mendir to go to him. I will not have my nephew around such an elf," Elladan said and he turned and left Gimli alone in the room.
Gimli sighed and made his way slowly back towards Legolas's room. He had serious doubts about Legolas's words as well. The evidence was too clear. Yet, he would give anything for Legolas's story to be true.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Radagast wandered through the thick mists in the land of shadow searching for the light of Gilraen. He called out to her, "Gilraen…Gilraen…speak with me child. Gilraen!"
He paused and listened carefully. In the distance he could hear a girl weeping. Gilraen! He made his way over to the sound and the weeping grew louder and louder. He spotted Gilraen sitting on a log, her hands covering her eyes as she cried.
"Gilraen? What do you here? Why do you not return to those that love you?" he asked.
"I cannot," she said.
"You can," he said as he took a step closer. But then he was halted in his tracks by an invisible barrier of energy. Pushing with his own energy, he tried to break through but he could not. This was highly unusual. Gilraen was trapped behind this barrier!
"Now you see why I cannot return," she said as she looked at him with sad eyes. "They will not let me."
Radagast looked around, "Who do you speak of child?"
Behind Gilraen materialized seven specters of dark haired elves looking at Radagast with menace on their faces.
"What do you here?" Radagast demanded of them. "Why do you not go to the Halls of Mandos? The land of shadow is not for the dead!"
The specters just glared at the wizard in mistrust.
"They are tied to the stone," Gilraen now said. The moment she had entered the land of shadow, all things became apparent to her. These were the ones responsible for the deceitful voices in her head. These were the ones who had taken over Legolas's body and made him try to harm her. Now she could only weep for the injustices done to her Legolas for she felt she would never be able to return to him and make things right once more.
"What stone Gilraen? What do you speak of?" Radagast said.
The elf specters seemed to grow in stature and power. A black anger rose around them as they circled about Gilraen, trying to prevent further communication between her and Radagast.
"No!" yelled Radagast with his hands pressed against the barrier. "Let her go!" The largest specter raised his arms and sent a black cloud hurling towards Radagast.
The last thing Radagast heard before he was shoved out of the land of shadow was the fearful voice of Gilraen yelling, "Help me."
Radagast awoke on the floor of Gilraen's room and sat up looking about. When he stood he faced the body of the princess on the bed and said, "What stone Gilraen?" His eyes traveled around the room. "You have not cared for the riddles I have given you in the past. Now I must solve your riddle." His eyes rested on her peaceful face again. "I will do this for you Gilraen. Do not fear."
Radagast knew that he must figure this out on his own for he was sure that he would not be allowed in the land of shadow again. Why did they want Gilraen? Why did they not move on? These thoughts troubled him as he set about searching for the stone that Gilraen spoke of.
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