Chapter 22 – Shrouded in Mist
(Ariedel's POV)

I hadn't slept in so long I forgot what it felt like to get a good night's sleep. A nap here and there didn't do me much good. Ever since I had that stupid dream I was afraid to close my eyes. The only way I was going to get any kind of rest was if I drank a gallon of the Elven wine they served during the evening meal. But I suspected it wasn't all that strong and might require more than a gallon.

The sun was just starting to peak over the eastern horizon. It was a huge ball of orange flame. Spectacular enough, but not quite as radiant as the three suns of my home world of Avalon. Sometimes I missed it a lot and missed my brother Seth. I had spent twelve years here, while only eight or nine months had passed on Avalon and Earth. This planet revolved much faster, making time pass quicker. I often wondered if it was because this planet was meant only for Elves, since they were immortal, time truly had no meaning to them.

I thought of one particular Elf. After our encounter the night before, I hadn't expected to find him in the dining hall. But he didn't eat and didn't sit with any of us. Instead he sat crouched on a windowsill, staring out at whatever seemed to draw his eyes. Every once in a while he'd turn and look in my direction or look at one of the others. But he never said anything.

We refrained from talking about him while we ate, but the tension could be felt around the table. Everyone had their own thoughts about what happened, but no one was going to do Legolas any good. Perhaps the only one that could have done something was Dr Oscar Leland, except he was dead.

The only one that hadn't been affected was Anwar. To her, Legolas was her father, nothing more, nothing less. She didn't understand what had been done to him or why he didn't remember anyone. She was just glad he was alive.

I wished I could feel as carefree about my feelings.

I still loved him. I just needed to sort out my fears and come to the conclusion that he was still Legolas and not going to turn into an alien when the moon was full. The ridiculous thought made me turn away from the sunrise and laugh. "You're an idiot," I said to myself.

When the sun had started to lighten up the sky, I left the bed chamber to see if Anwar had slept at all throughout the night. Her bedroom was between mine and Thranduil's. I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, only to stop in my tracks at the sight in front of me.

There was Legolas, resting with his back against the headboard, Anwar's head in his lap. She was asleep while he slowly stroked her pale blonde hair.

I didn't have to say anything because I knew he was aware I was there without even looking up.

"You fear I may hurt her," he whispered.

The thought had occurred to me when I first saw him. But deep down inside, I knew he wouldn't, even if he didn't remember who she was. "How long have you been here?" I asked as I took several more steps into the room.

"She called to me in the middle of the night and I came to comfort her."

"Why would you do that if you don't even recognize her?" I bit my lip, wanting to take back the bitter words.

Legolas gently pushed the hair from Anwar's face. "When she is near, though I do not find her face in my memories, I feel something in my heart." He carefully moved Anwar from his lap and stood from the bed. Then he moved toward me, stopping a foot away. "Just as I feel something for you."

My heart lurched into my throat and as he moved passed me, tears quickly filled my eyes. "Legolas?" When I turned around to face him, he stood with his hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn to face me. "I'm sorry."

He opened the door. "I know." Then he walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Ada?" (daddy)

I turned toward the bed.

Anwar's eyes were still closed, but she called out again. "Ada?"

When I walked to the bed and sat on the edge, Anwar opened her eyes and looked up at me. "He just left, honey," I told her.

She immediately sat up, wide awake. "Where is he going?"

"Hopefully to breakfast. Come on."

"You don't have to go," said Freak. "We've got it covered." He knew he wasn't going to win this argument, especially after seeing the determined look on the Elf's face.

Legolas checked the power elements of three pulse rifles resting on the table. "I need to do this." Then he unsheathed one of the long knives from the quiver beside the pulse rifles. He inspected the blade carefully.

"Fine, have it your way. But don't expect me to sit around and watch you have all the fun."

"I go alone," said Legolas with finality.

"You don't have a fucking clue what you're getting yourself into, Lego. This queen is a hellova lot worse than any either one of us has ever run into."

"You are correct. She seeks not to take hosts to birth her young. She intends to kill any living thing that crosses her path."

"I suppose she passed that bit of information on to you, right?"

"They project their images to me as if I were seeing it with my own eyes. She knows I will search for her and she welcomes it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I am a threat she needs to deal with."

"So you plan to just walk right into her trap?"

"Her confidence will be her undoing."

Freak barked out a sarcastic laugh. "Don't you think you're being a bit too confident yourself? Why do you feel you need to do this on your own?"

Legolas turned to Freak, unsure of how to respond at first. "I am the one she calls, therefore I shall be the one who will face her."

"Why not just tell her to take off and do a swan dive into the sea?"

The left side of Legolas's lips curled into a smile. "The queen may be capable of understanding what I say, but that does not mean she will obey me."

The sight of Legolas's alien canine teeth unnerved Freak. "Yeah, it was just a thought." He placed a cautious hand on Legolas's shoulder. "You can tell me to go eat shit and die, but that's not going to stop me from following you."

"Do what you must do." Then as an afterthought, Legolas turned back to Freak. "I will need one of your ships."

Freak grinned. "Oh, I see. Now I'm suddenly of some use to you. Yeah, fine, take one of Dropships. I'll just follow you in the other."

Legolas replaced the long knife in its sheath and proceeded to strap the quiver to his back. "Tell me something, Freak. How many worlds do you suppose are currently infested with these creatures?"

"If I knew, I'd be out there exterminating them all. Without the proper long distance tracking equipment, it's hard to determine where the bugs are. Lifesource had the right equipment, but the station became infested and had to be destroyed. You might not remember it, but you were there."

"Lifesource was the place Ariedel worked when she came to Middle- Earth. Aragorn told me all that transpired in the last two thousand nine hundred plus years of my life."

Freak laughed and then stopped when he realized Legolas wasn't making a joke. "You're really twenty-nine hundred years old? Wow," he laughed again. "I gotta get me some of that anti-aging cream they keep advertising back home."

Legolas ignored the man's humor. "Without Lifesource a ship would need to orbit a world in order to determine if there is an alien infestation. Correct?"

"Yeah, that's about it, Lego. I mean, we didn't know we were dealing with an alien population explosion until we were orbiting this planet."

"Does anyone hunt for them?"

"Some have been, mostly the marines. But they stick to covering the colonized worlds."

Legolas picked up the three pulse rifles and hooked the straps over his shoulder. "What about the creature's home world? Has anyone gone there to eliminate the source?"

"No one knows where the aliens originated from. The universe is a pretty big fucking place. To have that kind of time to search every single planet, shit, you'd have to be immortal."

Legolas stared at Freak with a glint in his eye before he headed for the door.

Gandalf, Thranduil and Ripley stood together near the well at the northern part of the courtyard where the Dropships were.

"I didn't recall anything about my previous life at first," said Ripley. "Certain things just triggered specific memories until I was finally able to fill in the missing pieces."

"How long did it take?" asked Thranduil.

"I don't know exactly. Maybe three or four months."

"Tis a short time for an Elf," said Thranduil as he turned to Gandalf. "We will make every effort to familiarize my son with all he has known in his life. He will regain his memories and all will return to the way it was."

Gandalf hoped the Elven king was right. "Perhaps taking him home will speed his recovery. That is, of course, if he wishes to go."

Thranduil stood up straighter. "We will return immediately, whether or not he agrees," he said with authority.

At that moment Legolas stepped into the courtyard and walked with purpose toward one of the Dropships.

Thranduil exchanged a glance with Gandalf before he quickly moved to intercept Legolas. "Legolas, my son, we have not had a chance to speak since you returned to Ilmarin."

"I have no desire to speak to anyone at this moment. I have things to do."

Thranduil quickened his steps to keep up with Legolas. "What things?"

"I go to hunt the alien queen."

"Alone?"

"Aye, alone."

"I shall accompany you."

Legolas rolled his eyes and stopped to face the Elf who said was his father. "Why does everyone here wish to accompany me? I am quite capable of killing the queen on my own. Apparently, from what Aragorn's told me, I have done it twice before."

"Legolas, we all care about you. We care what happens to you."

"And you?"

"I care greatly for you. You are my son."

"Then why are you conspiring to take me back to a home I do not know? Forcing me to remember will not bring back my memories."

"You must aspire to remember, Legolas. Your memories will not come if you do not try."

"I have tried!"

Thranduil saw the look of pain and despair on Legolas's face and wished he could take his son in his arms. But he knew it would only anger him further.

"My mind is shrouded in a thick mist and every time I try to pull a memory from it, my head feels as if someone is slicing off the top of it. The pain is unbearable," he uttered through clenched teeth. "And if that is not bad enough, my thoughts must contend with the images projected to me by the alien queen. She calls to me, provoking and challenging. If I cannot control my memories, then at least I can control my actions and kill her."

Thranduil could not find the words to respond to his son and he did not stop him when Legolas began to back away.

Standing near the open ramp of Dropship One were Zion and Sanchez. Overhearing the exchange, Zion raised his eyebrows. "He's got some serious issues."

Legolas turned away from his father and walked to Dropship One, only to be stopped by Zion who stepped in his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Zion.

"Out of my way," replied Legolas.

In the next instant, a blade touched the side of Zion's neck and the barrel of a blaster was aimed at Legolas's head. Both had drawn simultaneously.

"Put your weapon away," said Legolas, staring into Zion's eyes.

"You first," said Zion.

"Zee!"

Zion's eyes shifted over the Elf's shoulder as Freak ran out of the main building. Then he removed his blaster and slipped it back in its holster at his hip. The blade came away from his throat.

"Let him go," added Freak.

Zion eyed the Elf for another moment before stepping aside.

Legolas frowned over his shoulder at Zion as he headed up the Dropship ramp.

Freak walked up to Zion and Sanchez. "Get the other Dropship ready. We're following him." As Zion and Sanchez walked off, from the corner of his eye Freak saw Ariedel running out of the building he had just come out of.

"Legolas!" she called out as she ran toward the Dropship.

Freak stepped back as the ramp raised and the Dropship slowly lifted into the air. He grabbed Ariedel around the waist when she tried to grab one of the struts.

"Let go of me, Freak!"

"Take it easy, princess. He's just going for a little ride."

"Bullshit! He's going after the queen." Ariedel stopped fighting Freak as she watched the Dropship hover twenty feet in the air. The three struts pulled into the belly and then the ship began to move off, nose lower than the rest of the body. She turned to face Freak in anger. "Why'd you let him go?"

"Don't worry, me and my crew will be following in the other ship."

"I'm going, too."

Freak was about to protest, but Gandalf came up and put an arm around Ariedel's shoulder.

"Ariedel, I just received word that your presence is required in the Hall of Manwë," said Gandalf.

"I can't right now, Gandalf."

"Legolas will be fine. Come along with me."

Ariedel turned back to Freak with pleading eyes. "Don't let anything happen to him, please."

Freak couldn't make any promises. He just looked back at her as Gandalf led her away. Then he headed toward the other Dropship.

This part of the Alien vs Elf trilogy has almost come to an end. I'll tie up a few loose ends in the next couple of chapters and set up the conclusion that will lead to part three. I don't have a title for it yet, but you'll know it before the end of Nemesis.

I would really like to hear from readers so I know I'm not posting my fanfiction for nothing. I'm psyched about this story because it brings two of my favorite worlds together. I'd really like to know that other people are as excited about reading it as I am about writing it. I respond via email to all reviewers registered on this site.