Chapter 14

A Time To Die

"Where are we going?"

"To your death."

"I see."

Mornaeg laughed under his breath. "Ah, dear Lindo, brave to the death. But you don't know your fate yet, do you?"

Legolas allowed himself to be shoved along the dark path by a few grimy orcs on either side of him. "Mornaeg, what do you think you could possibly do to me at this point? What have I not seen?" Legolas found he was talking to himself more than Mornaeg. "You've killed Aragorn, killed Edren, alienated my father, put me through every painful segment of my entire past, terrorized these great woods, my home, and now you plan on drawing it all to an ashen conclusion."

"I know what you find the hardest to bear, Lindo. Don't you forget that." They came to stand in front of the hollow tree where Legolas and Aragorn had been imprisoned, and the two orcs grunted to move the stone out of the way.

Legolas was silent a moment, then, "And you made one of my best friends irretrievable. For that, I have the hardest time forgiving you."

Mornaeg turned slowly around and something odd happened. He looked confused. "Who-" then his cruel humor took over again. "Ahh, dear Átniir. I do wish-"

"No, you." Legolas shrugged, finding himself strangely calm all of a sudden. "You ruined a good person when you turned bitter, Tiro-Lim."

He struck the prince across the face, first to the left, then the right. "Don't you call me that!"

Legolas shook his head in something like morbid fascination. "After telling me a million times to?"

"Tiro-Lim is not one of your good people, Lindo, he is- I am- you will die! Do you hear me? Don't you try to guilt me into letting you go. I know that's what you're trying to do, and it won't work." Legolas nodded, but more to himself than Mornaeg. He made no further reply. "Go in there. I said MOVE!" Mornaeg snatched Legolas by the collar and threw him bodily into the hollow tree. He grabbed a torch from one of the orcs, and ran in after him.

He stood for a few moments at the mouth of the tree, Legolas before him, face dimly lit by the torch. When he spoke, his words were dripping with malice, with vindictive pleasure. "Now you die, Lindo. Now you die. Now, you will…now…" His smile was cruel, crazed. "Now you die."

"Is that all, Mornaeg? Now I die?" Legolas weighed his options. Perhaps he could break for the opening, but the orcs stood outside the narrow gap, and he'd have to barrel past Mornaeg first. So he didn't try. The prince looked about him a moment, then calmly sat on the dirt floor. "All right then, kill me."

"You…you…" He was pacing, muttering. "You did it, you did it, you did kill my brother, admit it."

"No, I did not." Always, always before this retort had wrought anger from the other elf, but Mornaeg did not shout this time. His eyes had become…desperate?

He jabbed a finger at the smaller elf before him, shaking it with each sentence. "You did, I know it, I've seen it. It must be true, Lindo, only admit it."

"Mornaeg, I loved your brother."

"Oh really? Then why did you kill him?"

"I didn't."

Then the anger came. "It is the only way! It is the only thing that is to be truth! It is my brother's death, it cannot be misunderstood!" The prince wasn't entirely sure what the elf was talking about, but somehow he understood. He fought to feel pity for him, but Aragorn's cries of pain and fear from so many long days of terror filled his head and he could not find it in himself.

"You. Will. Die." Mornaeg took the torch and walked about the room, dragging its flame against the wall. Legolas watched him silently, fighting back his fear. The walls caught fire like straw. He squinted, confused, at the ground beneath his feet, realizing he'd never really looked closely at this room, as it had always been in the dark. As the torch swung past the hole that Anorc had made (now filled in with gravel) the light came close enough to Legolas for him to see.

His heart turned cold. "Bengwiil."

A sickeningly sweet smile of morbid pleasure spread over Mornaeg's dim face. "I hope you enjoy your final moments, Lindo. Though somehow I think you will not."

The whole room was burning, the air filled with smoke and the grassy, syrupy smell of Bengwiil. Mornaeg was walking to the door, the orcs got behind the stone to heave. He can't! You can't let him! You can't die this way! Legolas silenced his panicked head, and squinted through the smoke at Mornaeg as he stood in the opening of the tree once more. I will not give him the pleasure of my fear. And I will not die that way either.

And so Legolas looked up at the dirt ceiling, leaned back till he was laying on his back, and closed his eyes, arms sprawled over his head. "Goodbye then, Mornaeg."

The stone slid over the entrance, the flames licked hungrily at the remaining oxygen, and outside, Legolas heard Mornaeg curse in the black tongue, and the orcs squealed as he furiously ran them both through. The prince could sense him standing by the closed entrance, listening, trying to think of a parting shot.

Legolas began to sing quietly. "The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where-"

"You are afraid to die, Lindo!" Mornaeg spat at the top of his voice, "You cannot fool me with your feigned courage!"

"I am not afraid to die," Legolas shouted back, and then paused. Yes. It was true, he wasn't. But-

"Why!"

"Aragorn." Legolas smiled to himself as the answer sprang from his mouth before his mind had time to respond. He opened his eyes, saw the flames climbing higher around him, and closed them again. "Aragorn." It really was the right answer.

There was soon a loud scratching of dirt outside the wall that slowly faded. Mornaeg had walked away. Legolas could hear Daurrè's voice echoing in his head still.

"What do you intend to do?"

"Let Mornaeg take me."

"Legolas, that's ridiculous, there has to be another way."

"No, I've thought it through. He won't rest till he has a victim; me. I'd rather be dead then let Estel or Edren die, mellon-nin."

"But…you mean to die?"

"Perhaps. But learn from my mistakes, Daurrè, and do not underestimate the love of a friend."

"Edren?"

"Aragorn."

In a whisper, with as little breathing as possible, Legolas began to sing again. "The Road goes ever on and on…"

Aragorn.

"Down from the door where it began…"

Estel.

"Now far ahead…"

The Road is gone. I must follow if I can. Perusing it with eager feet, until-

"Breathe, Legolas!" He was surprised by his own voice, and for a brief moment, dared to hope it was someone else's. But he'd coaxed himself out of the stupor. Why breathe if he was going to die? If he began to breathe, he'd begin to hallucinate, and would die without being in his right mind. The worst kind of death.

Why breathe?

Aragorn.

- - - - -

Mornaeg stood, cold fury creeping up his spine. Before him, his garden, his nursery of Bengwiil was billowing with smoke. Átniir.

She stood, torch held in her hand, unafraid defiance in her eyes. Beside her, Daurrè held his bow and arrow, poised. It was an odd moment. Mornaeg desired richly to run at them, to tear them to pieces if he could! But…he didn't. And it wasn't because of Daurrè, he wasn't afraid of some juvenile hunter with barely enough experience to instruct an infant. It was…

A spontaneous and unwelcome thought crept into his head. You've never killed a women before. So what? So what! "You ruined a good person when you turned bitter, Tiro-Lim."

He screamed. "Shut up, Lindo!"

"I have not yet found it in me, but I can forgive you."

He clamped his hands over his ears, shaking his head hard. Daurrè and Átniir could only watch in silence, utterly perplexed. Before Daurrè had a chance to consider shooting Mornaeg, the elf turned and ran into the forest, as his life's work went up in flames.

- - - - -

"I tried to kill myself, Aragorn." He didn't care. Had not every elf made his mistakes at some point? I don't care, Legolas, I don't…I forgive you.

Aragorn sat in silence next to Edren on the dirt ground, encircled by orcs whose spears, swords and various weapon-like devices pointed down at the two of them. He couldn't think what to say. For Edren, for himself…There wasn't anything, was there? Not really. And there was no knowing what was happening to Legolas at this moment. Surely he hadn't come running back to Mornaeg without a plan?

He did it for you. Aragorn buried his face in his hands at this thought. Yes, he probably did. "Oh Legolas…"

"What?" Edren's head turned at the sound of Aragorn's whisper.

"Oh…nothing," Aragorn shrugged, tearing absently at the grass blades in front of him.

"We've been here an awfully long time. Where is Mornaeg?"

"With Legolas," he sighed, the thought encouraging neither of them.

At that moment, Mornaeg broke through the circle of orcs and stood before the elf and human, eyes calm. Strangely calm. Edren looked up expectantly, but quietly. Aragorn acted as though he hadn't noticed. Still fiddling with the grass in his hands, he said, "Where is Legolas?"

Mornaeg paused before answering, then smiled. "Dead."

Aragorn shook his head. "No he's not. Where is he?" The answer seemed to displease Mornaeg. He scowled and opened his mouth, but Aragorn cut him off. "Is he in the tree? It's full of Bengwiil, I sensed it."

Mornaeg snorted at that. "You're a human, boy, you don't sense anything."

"What now, Mornaeg?" Edren asked, and Aragorn got the impression he was going to stick with the human's feelings for now and not worry about Legolas just yet.

"I told Lindo that I'd let one of you live and one of you die. I gave him the option to choose, but he gracious left it up to me." He sneered throwing his hands up. "And I simply cannot decide!"

Aragorn closed his eyes, trying to think. A plan…Why wasn't he thinking straight! There had to be a way out of this, there always was. They didn't stand a chance breaking for it, but Legolas was the only other one here on their side. And where was the prince, anyway? He wasn't dead, he could see it in Mornaeg's eyes. But where was he?

"I'll let you decide."

Legolas, help me here…what do I do?

"Who will it be, Estel?"

What would you do?…oh, Aragorn. You know what Legolas would do.

"Take me." Mornaeg cackled, high and loud, and it vaguely occurred to Aragorn that he laughed nothing like an elf. In fact, it was really nothing like a laugh at all.

"My my, so predictable! Take me, Tiro-Lim, let me be the hero!"

"Did you give me the choice or not?" Aragorn brushed himself off and stood, feeling Edren follow suit beside him. "Well I choose me."

"No, it's perfectly all right, you will both die anyway. Only, one will die right here, right now. The other one will get the slow, painful death. If you want to save the latter for Edren, that is commendable."

Aragorn's mind whirred at that. No, Edren would find a way to escape if he had the time. Elrond, his brothers, Thranduil…The one left living stood a chance, he was sure of it. Only one of the would die. Just one. "I'd like to be the first to go, thank you."

Edren, who had been holding back comment for several moments finally spoke. "No, Estel, Legolas would want you to live."

"Legolas wants you to live as well, Edren." Aragorn smiled, just a little sadly. "And if it were him making the choice, he would do what I'm doing."

"I can't let you do it," Edren shook his head vehemently.

"Yes you can. I need you to, Edren. Legolas-"

Aragorn had never been so relieved to hear the orcs squeeling in horror. Arrows came raining into their midst. About seven fell dead immediately, the rest began to return fire. Edren sprung for one of the fallen orcs' weapons the moment the arrows began to fall, and started swinging. Aragorn paused, however, eyes fixed on the rustling undergrowth where a face had briefly surfaced a moment ago.

"Elladan? Ellada-" Aragorn chocked hard as Mornaeg leapt up behind him, wrapping his arm around the human's neck, his dagger pressed across Aragorn's chest. The man flailed, trying to pry Mornaeg's grip off of him, but the elf jerked him hard, blocking all air briefly. Aragorn's head spun, his vision blurring, and somewhere in that brief moment, Mornaeg threw a loop of coiled rope around the his wrists, tying them crudely but tightly behind his back. He pressed the knife to Aragorn's throat, and hollered, "Cease your fire!"

He repeated about a dozen times before the arrows stopped flying. "Stop shooting or you'll lose your precious little brother like I killed his friend, the prince!"

"What have you done with Legolas?" Elrohir's voice demanded from somewhere in the trees.

"What I'm about to do with little Estel if you don't listen," he panted loudly in Aragorn's ear. "Put down your weapons now!" He started dragging Aragorn backwards, towards the forest. Aragorn's gaze met Edren's. The elf stood amongst a pile of dead orcs, both black and red blood staining his tunic, his eyes narrowed and his jaw tight as Mornaeg inched closer to the dark underbrush.

Suddenly, Mornaeg whirled, pulling Aragorn towards the forest. With the knife gone, Aragorn found his voice, and fought to stay outside the tree line. "Elladan! Legolas is-" Mornaeg jerked him hard, cutting off his breath momentarily, but Aragorn was determined. "He's alive, he's-" he gasped. "He's in the tree, Elladan!" another gasp. "The tree! THE BURNING TREE!"

"Shut up!" Mornaeg struck him hard in the stomach and dragged him into the darkness of the forest. Out from the brush stepped Aragorn's brothers, standing pale and a bit disoriented. Elladan ran to check on Edren, but Elrohir seemed rooted to the spot, watching where Aragorn had been.

"Estel-"

"Elrohir, he's going to be all right," Elladan admonished firmly. Elrohir only nodded as Elladan hollered off into the trees, "Adda, the tree! That way!"

- - - - -

He was dead. By the Valar…after all these years, he'd actually managed to die. Incredible. A warm breeze brushed his face, and he smiled at it. He let his eyes stay closed for awhile until they forced themselves open. He could see a white sky with yellow leaves waving at it atop deep red tree trunks. The leaves were glowing, but Legolas could not see the sun. He sat up slowly.

The grass he'd been lying in was gentle and soft despite the fact that it was a husky brown. He surveyed the sky again. Still no sun. Rising to his feet, he realized that he felt surprisingly light. Yes, definitely dead. Again, incredible! Could these really be the Halls of Mandos? They did not look at all how he had imagined them. For one thing- shouldn't there be others there? He began to walk, head tilted all the way back, still gazing at the sky.

It was then that he realized the light was not coming from the sky, it seemed to be coming from up ahead. A great light shone between the tall trees, casting long, black shadows across the dark grass. It must be a huge fire of some kind! Legolas, intrigued, took off at a run towards the ball of golden light, feet smacking with soft ground without a sound.

At last he reached a clearing. In a perfect circle of trees, there was a prefect circle of cobble-stones. And in the exact center of the stones, a small, round candle, barely as wide as Legolas' palm sat, its flame utterly erect. It took the prince a moment to figure out why this looked so odd to him. Then he realized, the flame was not moving at all. Even as a warm breeze swept up behind him, ruffling his tattered cloths and hair, the flame did not flicker.

Something was scratched in the stone beside the candle, and Legolas knelt to read it:

For Legolas

Beloved son, Honored prince,

Courageous warrior, True friend

Remember…

But the words written afterwards were obliterated as though blasted away with sand and time.

Remember? Remember what? He was dead, what did he have to remember? His eyes fell on the candle again. The flame continued to shine, unwavering. Like friendship.

What?

"Like friendship."

Legolas whirled, but no one was there. "Who speaks?"

"Frienship does not waver at a wind."

He faced the clearing again. Still no one. How could a voice be so clear, and come from nowhere? "And a friendship like ours-" His hand went to his mouth. Had- had he spoken? "Don't be afraid, Legolas." He said, kneeling beside the candle once more. The inscription in the cobblestone was gone, and replaced with a new one:

Don't be afraid, Legolas.

"A friendship like ours lasts forever."

Yes.

"Forever like an-" Suddenly, there was no inscription in the stone at all. Just the candle. Just the- "everlasting candle."

Silence filled the empty spaces around him. He couldn't die.

"Why not?"

Because…of the candle. Because of friendship. Because-

"ARAGORN!" Legolas sat bolt-upright, arms flailing for support. They found it. Strong hands were pulling on his tunic, dragging him. "I can't die, I'm not ready," he muttered pleadingly, "friendship, doesn't…it doesn't…the candle, grab the candle!"

"Legolas, look at me. Look at me!" The hands were now scrambling all over his body, looking for injuries, touching his forehead, his neck, his arms. Then both hands were on either side of his face, shaking him. "Legolas? Legolas!"

Legolas' eyes opened, and he was staring a dark sky with trees swaying over it. The ground beneath him was hard, and the air was full of smoke. And someone was kneeling over him. His eyes focused slowly on the face, and when they finally did, he still thought he was seeing incorrectly. "A…Adar?" Legolas hadn't noticed tears in Thranduil's eyes, but one slipped down the king's face and tapped the Legolas on cheek before Thranduil collected his son into his arms and held him tightly.

"Hannon le, Illuvatar. Thank you…Oh, Legolas, forgive me."

"I do, Adar-" Legolas gasped, still trying to pull himself together. "It's all right."

"Valar, you're alive…You're- you're all right."

Legolas could think of nothing to say, so he returned his father's embrace, and watched the tree in which he'd been held captive, go up in flames. Sorry, Mornaeg. Not this time. Then he remembered. "Adar- the candle!"

Thranduil held him at arm's-length. "The what?"

Legolas sat back on his heels, hands on either side of his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "The…oh, Aragorn. Aragorn, where is Aragorn?"

"Mornaeg has him." Legolas looked up and saw Elrond and his sons coming out of the tree line. It was Elrond who had spoken. "He managed to tell us where Morneag had taken you, but then the both of them disappeared. We can't figure out where they've gone, Legolas, they just disappeared."

Legolas rose shakily to his feet, swaying to the side. It felt like his head was still full of smoke. Thranduil quickly helped him stand, supporting his son against his shoulder until Legolas found his feet. Legolas nodded his thanks to his father, and then faced Elrond again. "I think Mornaeg will go back to the Halls. That's where all this started and I think- knowing him, it's where he'll want to finish it."

Elrohir couldn't seem to stop the words from spilling out, "Aragorn could be dead before we get there!"

"Calm, Elrohir," Elrond said sternly, and Elladan put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We will find a way."

When Thranduil spoke, his voice was low and hesitant. "There is a…a much quicker way. Anyway, it should still be there, I'm not sure…" No one spoke. Every eye rested on the king. He continued, "Well, it's a tunnel. It runs from the forest to the Halls' south-"

"What?" Legolas looked dumbfounded. "Are you sure?"

Thranduil nodded, looking at Elrond now. "It is…the only way to get to young Estel before Mornaeg does something."

Elrond nodded slowly, and Legolas sensed something unseen passed between the two elder elves' gazes. "Very well. Elladan? Take Edren, and the both of you ride towards the Halls fast as you can. If you meet Mornaeg on your way, do anything you must to get your brother back. I will stay with Elrohir and gather together the rest of the captives here, then we will ride with you. Thranduil, you and Legolas will go find this tunnel and get to the Halls"

Legolas was nodding vigorously as though every piece of instruction was meant for him. Finally, a plan, something that could work. Never again would he lose Aragorn. Never. "Daurrè is here as well, he can assist you with Elrohir."

"Good, we'll need the help," Elrohir put in, "Mornaeg may be gone, but there are many orcs."

"Perhaps…too many." Legolas was suddenly taken aback. Could he honestly leave Elrond, Elrohir and Daurrè here alone to battle the orcs?

Elrond smiled. "We will have help, Legolas, don't worry."

"Who?"

"Believe it or not, Elrohir and I have befriended a colony of dwarves who, according to Binwen, are even now on their way to assist." Legolas smiled back. The elves were to battle orcs with dwarves by their side. Who knew?

"Then we shall leave at once."

Elrond pressed his palm to his heart and pulled it out in a sweeping motion. Legolas, Thranduil and Elladan returned the gesture. "Safe passage to all of you."

- - - - -

"Where is it?" Legolas was beginning to pant, battling back the temptation to become tired.

"Almost there."

"Father, why would there be a tunnel in the-"

"Here it is! It's still here!" Thranduil ran up ahead, and Legolas, still swaying a bit on his feet, followed. He stopped short when he realized where they were.

"This is the cave. The one where Bodruith grew the first crop of Bengwiil, the ones with which he poisoned me." He looked quizzically at his father. "What are we doing here?" Thranduil seemed as though he were about to speak, but he shook his head and plunged into the cave. "Adar!" Legolas took off after him. Thranduil must have found some flint, because the torch he'd brought was all ready lit when Legolas reached him and lit his own.

"I cannot recall where it was…" Thranduil was searching the walls, covered in charred remains of Bengwiil. Legolas could still remember coming in here, watching this cave go up in flames not several days…by Valar, has it really been only a few days? He also remembered where he'd found Aragorn.

"Here, Adar, down here." He went for the hole in the floor, and found the rock at its mouth was still pulled back. Both the elves slipped into the narrow room below. "I found Aragorn down here when I rescued him." He pointed vaguely to the patches of dirt that were still black with dried blood. "This is all there is down here, though, just this room." But Thranduil was looking around the walls of the pit.

"Legolas, do you know where the Elestar star is from here?" Legolas closed his eyes, ears tuned for the star's voice. Finally, he pointed forward and to the left a bit.

"Though, I can't be sure, it's hard to hear them underground." Thranduil nodded, and went to the direction in which Legolas had pointed. "What is it, Adar?"

Thranduil dug his fingers into the dirt wall and wrenched a handful out. Before Legolas' eyes, the wall crumbled away, revealing the open mouth of a tunnel. "I have a lot to explain, Legolas."

- - - - -

As father and son ran down the tunnel, torches before them, Thranduil recounted his story. The true story. It seemed as though this tale had been buried in the tunnel and just now came back from the dead.

Bodruith had not been lying to Legolas, what felt like years ago, when he'd first poisoned him with Bengwiil. The dwarf's father had been caught in a cave-in while building this tunnel. The tunnel that led to the secret room under Legolas' bed. It all made sense now…

Thranduil had commissioned the dwarves to dig this tunnel as a safe-guard for his son. The king had become afraid for Legolas' life since the boy's mother died, and so he'd called on the masterminds of tunnel-building, despite his concern of involving the dwarves in their security. He'd felt as though he had no choice.

The dwarves were paid well, and everything went smoothly, until the accident. During the building of that escape tunnel, Browin had been caught in a cave-in, and his brother, Fulien, had run to the king for assistance. He knew of the fabled Bengwiil and believed it was the only thing that could save his brother. Thranduil told him that every trace of Bengwiil had been destroyed, but he lied. He'd kept small sample of it.

"Adar, why?" Legolas demanded, his voice echoing emptily off the tunnel walls.

"Legolas, I'd realized that- I discovered…" Thranduil sighed, kneading his forehead. "Because when I burn it, I see your mother again. I was terrified to use it again after what happened to Minaeg, but I was even more terrified to let it go completely and risk never seeing her again. So I kept some Bengwiil."

"Then…Bodruith did not lie. You did refuse him the one thing that could have saved his father?"

"I believe I did, Legolas…I'm sorry. I did not trust the dwarves with Bengwiil. As it was, they knew my son's only exit from the Halls. But what else could I do? The elves are not masters of the underground. It was the only way, but I could not risk giving them any more confidence than I all ready had."

Legolas wasn't sure what to say to that, but another thought entered his mind. "So- was it by accident that Bodruith stumbled across that cave- the one we were just in -and found the Bengwiil?"

"Legolas, I think now that I have heard your recounting of Bodruith's story, that it was no accident that he ended up in that cave. I believe he had every intention of coming down this tunnel, into your room and exacting his revenge on me." Thranduil's voice shook slightly. "I believe it was his finding the Bengwiil that saved your life, believe it or not."

"I thought Bodruith said he'd gone with the intention of letting the spiders in that cave kill him, but he discovered it was empty, so he simply left with the Bengwiil."

"Wouldn't you rather say you'd planned to end your life but changed your mind in favor or revenge?"

"I guess it sounds less like indecision than attempting one type of revenge and giving it up for a different kind."

Thranduil shrugged, taking off down the tunnel again, Legolas in-toe. "And anyway, it would mean indicating that I had every reason to distrust him, and he wanted the blame to be squarely on my shoulders." He sighed, pausing a moment. "Which it is. It really is all my fault, Legolas. I did wrong by you, by Bodruith's father and his uncle…it was dishonorable of me to lie." He came to a full stop, and turned to Legolas. "Can you forgive me, ion-nin? For many things?"

"For everything, Adar. I do."

Thranduil smiled, a corner of his mouth turning to bewilderment. "How, Legolas? How can you so easily forgive?"

Legolas smiled back, and then looked down towards his feet. "Adar…when I- well, fell apart after we thought Estel had died?" Thranduil nodded. "I tried…to kill myself." He did not wait to see his father's reaction. "But I told Aragorn this, and it tore him up inside, I could tell. And still he forgave me for it completely."

"How can you know that forgiveness is complete, Legolas?" his father asked quietly, his voice distant and perhaps desperate.

"You know? I didn't even hear Aragorn say he forgave me. He didn't get that chance." Legolas unbuttoned the top of his tunic, running his fingers over the skin where there'd once been a scar. "There can be no scars where there is forgiveness, Adar. I think you'll find the scars of your regret will disappear as well."

For the second time that evening, Thranduil let go of whatever it was that held him back as an affectionate father for years and held his son tightly. When he spoke again his voice was steady, but Legolas still knew he'd cried. "I love you, Legolas."

"Isten, Adda. I always knew."