Family Ties

Sometimes it could be quite simple. Patting myself on the back mentally, I called out muffled, "Here, Legolas."

The stairs down were a nightmare, at least for me. Since the tunnel had been renovated for years, the stairs were not made of stone or concrete, but of metal, through whose bars you could look down unobstructed.

My hands were drenched with sweat as we worked our way down step by step. When we reached the bottom, I sent a prayer to heaven.

I looked around. We were all alone and our every breath could be heard. Directly in front of me, the right of the two tunnel tubes led dead straight to the other end of the Elbe river. The dim light made me nervous. That's why I asked, "So, picking up any vibrations yet?"

"Shht." He put his finger to his lips and listened.

Except for the steady trickle of water, nothing could be heard. I looked back and forth between the two tunnel tubes and finally decided on the one on the right. Cautiously, I took a few steps inside and ran my fingers over the tiles. It was always impressive how shiny they still were.

"This way." The elf had followed me so far, but now took the lead.

Halfway through the tunnel, we stopped and Legolas began to scan the wall. His fingers slid over the tiles and the decorative elements embedded in the wall every few inches. What was he doing there? Did he think there was some kind of secret passage in this tunnel? That was impossible; after all, we were surrounded by water. There could be nothing here!

One of the decorative elements gave way and slid into the wall.

I jumped back as an opening appeared. The tiles had simply slid to the side and now revealed a small room carved into the middle of the wall. It had to be between the two tubes!

Inside, there was not much except a cot, an oil lamp and a desk with a chair. The walls were concrete. Now that I was looking more closely at the room, my eyes were magically drawn to an object lying in the middle of the desk.

I felt my pulse quicken.

It was Narya. The ring that had been stolen. Of that I was absolutely certain.

"I was wondering when you were coming."

The voice cut the silence like a knife and I whirled around.

Behind us stood a man who resembled Legolas almost to a hair, except for the fact that he had to be older. In particular, his eyes sparkled in exactly the same way. Eerie.

Legolas pushed me behind him and then fixed his eyes on the newcomer. "Hello, Father."

My spit caught in my throat. Had he just...? Was it really...? No, it couldn't have been.

I stared at the man over Legolas' shoulder. So this was Thranduil, king of the wood elves. I couldn't believe it.

The longer I looked at him, the more questions exploded in my mind. Had Legolas known this? And then why hadn't he mentioned it in a word? Why had he spoken of an old friend? Was his father a friend? And if so, of whom?

I shook myself a little to be able to think straight again. When I thought about it, it made sense that he had preferred not to mention anything. Who liked to admit that their own father wanted to bring down the world they had fought so hard for? And while we were at it: Why had Thranduil done this? Why had he...?

"I'm glad we finally meet again." The older elf's voice was as velvety as silk and reminded me fatally of Sattler.

I saw Legolas tense at his father's words and felt the danger emanating from Thranduil almost physically.

"I have waited a long time for you to come, son."

"And I have long hoped that it would not be you," Legolas murmured.

I thought of how pale he had turned in the interrogation room. Oh yes, now I understood even better. How would I feel if my father had betrayed me and all the people I cared about like this?

I swallowed.

Thranduil took a step to the left and Legolas followed him. He covered me, shielding me from his father's gaze.

"You have not yet introduced me to your companion. Have I not taught you better manners?"

Legolas's back tensed even more. "She is of no interest to you."

"Oh, but she looks very bright. Too bad she has to die."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, but thought it better to just say nothing at all. Instead, I took a step backward, and when I was sure that Thranduil's attention was fully focused on Legolas, I took another.

I bumped my butt against the edge of the desk and pretended to lean on it. But in reality, I was reaching for the ring.

I wouldn't do that if I were you, beautiful.

I gave a strangled cry and grabbed my temples. They burned like fire, worse than any migraine. His voice was in my head. In my head! I whimpered.

Legolas glanced over his shoulder and that was enough for Thranduil.

He leapt at his son, as deft and swift as a cat, as deadly as a warrior. Legolas could only block his attack with difficulty.

The next attack followed on his heels. And then another, and another. With hands pressed to my head, I forced myself to look.

This would not end well. It couldn't. I had to do something. Now!

In pain, I disengaged my hands from my temples and reached for the damn ring. It lay cool and somehow reassuring in my hand. Then I noticed the sword leaning against the wall next to the cot. I reached for it and shouted, "Legolas, catch!"

He whirled around and actually caught it. Respect.

Now the fight was more even and the pressure on my temples was blown away. Probably Thranduil needed all his strength to stand against his son.

I thought feverishly. Surely there had to be something else I could do? Something that would decide the battle - in our favor.

But for the life of me, I couldn't think of anything.

The two elves pranced back and forth in front of the entrance. If I hadn't been so nervous, it would have been almost aesthetic how their bodies ducked, rose again, only to lunge in each other's direction the next moment.

Something banged, and Legolas winced. That had been a gunshot. Shit. Why did I have the feeling that we were going to have company?

"Ina, hide. Close the door, they mustn't..." Thranduil caught his son by the shoulder and Legolas leapt to safety. But I saw that he had been hit. Where Thranduil's dagger had touched him, his shirt turned red.

Another shot rang through the hallway. Orders were barked. Patter of feet.

The agency was approaching.

I put Narya on the finger and then, summoning all my strength, tried to close the door. But the cursed thing just wouldn't. It seemed to be resisting, as if it had a will of its own. It was almost as if...

Something went through my hand and up my arm. I cried out and staggered back. Pain exploded in the place of my hand where I had touched the stone. This was Thranduil's doing. This had to be it.

I felt the throbbing sensation spread frantically up my arm and it went completely numb.

"Hands up, now!" That had been Sattler. How had he regained consciousness so quickly? I peeked out from the entrance and saw him and five of his men standing at the entrance to the tunnel, armed to the teeth.

I knew immediately that something was wrong. Where this feeling came from I could not say, but it was there. Instinctively I wanted to warn Sattler, but it was too late.

He took a step forward and ran into some kind of wall. It had to be something like the barrier that had prevented me from closing the door.

At first, Sattler only staggered back. Then the gun slipped from his grasp.

His men tried to catch him, but even as they touched him, whatever Thranduil had plotted seemed to jump to them as well.

Sattler screamed.

The sound was so unreal and painful that it sent cold shivers down my spine. Then he toppled forward and lay motionless. His men followed one by one.

Thranduil turned and fixed me. "Give me the ring, lady."

"No."

He smiled, but his eyes remained cold. "Very well."

Numbness climbed faster through my body.

Why wasn't I dead yet?

That was the only thing I could think as Thranduil's presence bore into my mind again. I sobbed. Where the hell was Legolas?

In pain, I went to my knees.

He was torturing me. And he was enjoying it.

"Give me the ring."

"N... no."

My field of vision was narrowing and the numbness was by now not only in my arms, but paralyzing my chest like a ravenous snake. Soon I would run out of air and pass out. Where was the elf? Had his father stopped him?

"Legolas?" I coughed.

Thranduil had almost reached me now. "He cannot help you. Give it to me!"

He stretched out his hand to mine and pulled the ring from my finger.

We had lost.

My heart raced faster than it ever had before, desperate to pump blood through my body. I gasped for air.

To no avail.

"Thank you so much," Legolas' father said harshly, turning away.

No, I could not let that happen!

With the strength of desperation, I reared back and let my full body weight topple forward.

I hit him and took him down with me.

We were half in the tunnel, half in the secret room. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. My eyes were fixed upwards and the only thing I saw were the tiles of the tunnel under the river.

It was over. So this is where it would end.

I felt Thranduil trying to free himself from my weight. But even a person as small as I was, condemned to complete immobility, had to be extremely heavy.

And that was his downfall.

I sensed Legolas before I saw him, and heard the hiss of a sword so close to my ear that I felt as if it had driven into Thranduil's body only inches from me. Probably it was.

In one stroke, the numbness and pressure was lifted from me.

Panting, I rolled to the side, frantically catching my breath over and over.

"Are you okay?"

I grabbed my throat, cleared it, and whispered, "I've been better. Thank you for asking."

I heard Legolas breathe a sigh of relief as he helped me sit up. Leaning against the tunnel wall, I stared at the motionless body I had just been lying on. Realization trickled ever so slowly into my still fogged consciousness. "We made it?"

The elf settled down beside me and followed my gaze. "Yes, we did."

"I'm sorry. If I had known..." I sounded terribly weak.

His fingers raked through my hair. "Then you couldn't have changed anything. It was his choice."

"But he was your father."

"Yes."

We fell silent.

After a while, I looked over at the agents. "Are they dead?"

Legolas stood up and walked carefully toward them. He bent down and felt their pulses. "All but him."

By that he meant Sattler. I shook my head mentally. A cat has nine lives.

"You'll take care of him later, Ina. It's time for me."

My heart stopped.

I had forgotten all about that. Somehow, with all the fighting, it had totally slipped my mind that there was a goodbye at the end.

I quickly pulled Narya from Thranduil's finger and held the ring out to Legolas. He took it and nodded at me.

"How... how do you go?"

"The same way I came."

I frowned. "On a busy intersection full of cars?"

He smirked. "No, not quite that dramatic."

We looked at each other.

So much had happened. It was as if I'd lived a lifetime in the short time we'd known each other. I didn't want him to leave. But at the same time, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop it.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, but I couldn't stop the tears. What would become of me? As much as I had wished for my normal life back, it now seemed impossible to lead such a normal life again.

Legolas pulled me to my feet and into a hug. "You are a brave woman, Ina. If you survived this, you'll find your way back to everyday life, too."

I smiled. How did he always know exactly what I was thinking?

He pushed me at arm's length from him and additionally put a few more steps of safe distance between us.

Wind came up.

"No galu govad gen." His voice sounded calm, and I couldn't have told if he was as emotionally affected as I was. I raised my hand in greeting.

And then he was gone. Just like that.

I stood still for a moment, staring at the spot where he had disappeared. Tears streamed down my face. After everything we had been through together, and even though I had constantly wavered between fear, anger, and trust, I would miss him nonetheless. He had been the most confusing encounter of my life. And probably always would be.

I sighed, turned, and walked over to Sattler. I was still a little dizzy, so every time I blinked a few black dots danced around in front of my eyes.

I poked him with the tip of my foot. "Come on, wake up. I'm certainly not cleaning this place up by myself."