Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings is property of Tolkien and there are many references throughout to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I only own what you do not recognize. The character Chinky is not meant to cause offence and is named after a real horse whose name has been shortened from a Fiat Cinquecento (Chinky – Chento).
Chapter 28: Awakening
He floated outside time and memory in an endless void of nothingness. Life halted and sleep froze. Nothing persisted other than the surrounding pool of emptiness.
BREAK
Amy scanned the surrounding blood soaked land, searching frantically for the blond elf who held her heart. Lightly stepping over a disembowelled orc she wiped her blade off; the black blood would start to corrode the metal if left too long.
Carefully placing it back in its scabbard she smiled, she loved that sword, and in the last few years it had served her well. Her smile turned to a frown as something moved. Looking down the frown disappeared from her face, an orc was pulling itself slowly across the floor towards a sword, and she doubted she would have noticed if it had not been for elvish sight. Grinning she walked to the sword and placed her foot on it. Just as she suspected the orc ceased moving.
"Looking for something?" She said looking at the orc. It didn't move.
"Are you sure? Because if you don't tell me I'm just going to force it out of you." She said calmly.
The orc twitched slightly; taking that as an 'I'm not telling you anything' twitch she picked up the sword and stabbed him through the back.
"Oh well your loss!" They said dropping the sword and walking off.
BREAK
Life? What was life? It felt like an age since this 'life' had been in him. What did it feel like? What did it smell like? What was it?
BREAK
Legolas walked confidently over to Gimli – who was sitting on an Uruk – and started looking fondly at his bow.
"At a final count, forty-two," he said, somewhat smugly.
"Forty-two!" Gimli announced sounding shocked.
Legolas grimaced inwardly he knew that sarcastic tone. "Yes, forty-two."
"Well then that's not bad for a pointy eared young princeling. I myself am sitting happy on forty-three!" Gimli said grinning from one ear to the next.
Legolas tried to refrain from gulping. 'Damn that dwarf!' Keeping his gaze level he quickly drew an arrow and shot it at the uruk-hai that the dwarf was sitting on.
"Forty-three." He said smugly.
"That doesn't count, it was already dead!" Gimli said in outrage.
"It was twitching."
"That's because my axe is imbedded in its nervous system!" Gimli said. To add to his point he shook the axe and the uruk-hai's leg started twitching madly.
"Now now, don't get angry master dwarf, its not Legolas' fault he didn't kill as many as you!"
Legolas turned towards the voice and was ready to scowl deeply, but refrained as he saw Amy lightly stepping towards him.
"See the girl has sense!" Gimli said to Legolas looking very pleased with himself.
Legolas grimaced; he had a huge urge to stick his tongue out at the dwarf. He decided against it as he remembered the punishment he had taken – at a very young age – at the last time he had done that. His cheeks flushed slightly.
Legolas wasn't really mad at the dwarf for killing more; in fact he was glad that the dwarf had made it out alive. Shaking away his thoughts he lightly lifted Amy off the floor and into his arms and hugged her. God he was glad she had made it. Breathing in her sweet scent he sighed into her hair as she nuzzled her way closer into his arms.
He tensed slightly as he felt her soft breath on the tip of his ear.
"You do know that you probably killed more than him." She whispered lightly. "From what I have heard, with all the ladders you shot down, you could have killed hundreds!"
"I know," he whispered back, "but I didn't want to hurt his feelings!"
Amy laughed loudly as her feet were lowered back to the ground. "Now then Gimli forty-three is a good count, though I personally lost count after the first hundred!" She said leaning against Legolas and trying to wind the dwarf up.
"That doesn't count! You cheated! No magic powers allowed!" He said smiling. He had a soft spot for the young elf, and he knew if it weren't for her wards, he would probably be dead by now.
"Come where is Aragorn? I saw Haldir come, did he help at all? Wouldn't surprise me if he didn't though. He never was one for getting his hands dirty!" Amy said.
At the mention of Haldir Legolas and Gimli's smile faded. "He fell." Gimli said quietly.
Amy's eyes glazed over as tears formed. 'If you don't learn to trust him again then he will fight till his death.' Those words rung through her skull, Galadriel knew this was going to happen, and warned her. Yet Amy was too caught up in her own anger to care.
Legolas wrapped an arm round her as tears fell from her cheeks. "I am sorry, he saved many lives, and without his coming many of us would be dead. I am sorry."
"Take me too him. Please take me too him."
Legolas nodded and led her slowly towards the Deeping wall where Aragorn would be with Haldir.
BREAK
The emptiness vanished a spark flickered gently in a non-existent breeze. Light, there was light, very weak, but it was there.
Suddenly everything landed with a crash, memories flooded back in a jumble of colours, pain, oh the pain. Everything was red, blood red. Where was he?
A memory flashed before him and stayed. It didn't waver like the rest.
A dark haired female elf sat lightly before a blonde haired elf. They were smiling and laughing, as they cantered through woods with trees that reached to the sky. The dark haired elf turned around and smiled at the other before going back to laughing. A long two-handled sword hung at her side, dragons snaked their way down the scabbard.
The memory was gone as soon as it arrived. Who was the blonde elf? Why did he seem familiar? He had seen the girl before, she was so beautiful, but where?
The blonde haired elf looked down and grimaced; the woody floor was twenty feet below his feet. The elf suppressed a scream as suddenly the floor came rushing up to meet him.
It was the same elf. Who was he? What were these memories? Something told him that the dark haired female elf had something to do with the other one falling. Though he could not figure why.
The blonde haired elf was backed against a tree. Anger was flashing in his eyes. A younger, more regal elf held him. 'Face it she is nothing but a demon.' The blonde haired elf said. Pain and a fist in the stomach answered his words.
He knew that other elf, where did he know him from? He could have sworn that the dark haired female elf was the demon. But why? Who was she?
A blonde haired elf stood bravely before two more elves. Fear was present yet he knew what he must do. 'I will fight with her, I will fight for her, and most of all I will fight to protect her from herself. I will keep my feelings at bay. Under your leave I will gather what can be spared of my guard and march within the hour.'
There he was again! That same elf! Why did he have a feeling that everything was linked to the dark haired one?
The blonde haired elf looked around as he fended off another Uruk. 'Haldir!' He heard someone yell. 'Get out of there! Get to the keep!' The elf tried to turn around, something hit him. Pain lanced through his body as he felt the weapon imbed its self deeper. Darkness took him.
Ahh so the blonde elf was called Haldir was he? Why was that name so familiar? He knew it but he could not place it. The memories came round again, repeating and repeating. Who was the blonde elf? Repeating and repeating for what felt like an age.
Someone was calling for the blonde haired elf. Why were they calling for him? Who was he?
"Haldir, Haldir!"
Finally the image of the dark haired elf flared up. Amy, that was her name.
Before another cycle of memories happened he felt himself get heavier. Feeling was coming back. The voice, that was calling him, were they calling for him or Haldir? Was he Haldir?
In an instant shock lanced through his side as he was brought back to reality and the place he knew as Middle Earth.
BREAK
Amy ran to the elf on the floor. Haldir lay on his back, limp and lifeless like a broken doll. His once golden hair was going limp and grey; his skin was slowly losing its elvish light.
Aragorn placed a hand on her shoulder, as she picked the elf up in her arms. His spark was gone, not a glimmer left. She drew on her power in effort to regain herself, to calm herself before she broke out sobbing. Too late, tears racked her body as she rocked the broken warrior.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I forgive you, I truly do. I'm sorry." She stammered out before another wave of tears hit her.
His spark was gone. Yet what was that? Holding the power she used flows of Spirit to search his body.
"I'm sorry." She said again laying his head back on the floor. She checked him again with the power. The spark that she believed gone was still hanging by a thread. She apologized again, and the spark grew.
Smiling madly she apologized again, and again. Checking him over each time. Yes, he was still alive, barely but he was alive.
Aragorn and Legolas looked at her with confusion. Why did she keep apologizing? Why was she smiling? Then they saw it, a faint twitch of his hand.
"Amy is he alive?" Legolas asked incredulously.
"By a thread. If I heal him I am afraid it will take all my strength."
Slowly she wove flows of Spirit and Water drawing more and more power she let the weaves sink into him. If she did save him, it was likely he might not remember anything, but she had to try at least.
As the last weave settled on him, he awoke, the first thing he saw was the dark haired elf black out and land on the cold floor with a thud.
