This chapter is up at lot earlier than I thought it would be, but I was in the mood to write and this is the result. Some of you have asked me about the Elf Prince and whether or not I will continue it. I'm still debating it, but know that I will be writing a sequel to this. You will know of my decision soon, but if I don't continue TEP do you want me to leave it up, or take it down? Open to suggestions!

Anyway...enjoy this chapter.

Key:

"Blah" Westron

"Blah" elvish

Blah thoughts, dreams, memories, etc.

Warnings: there is torture in this chapter. Sorry if you don't like it.

The Immortal Hero

*~*~*

Tegalad reappeared several hundred metres from the ground, on a small outcropping of a cliff. He gulped as he realised how close he had been to falling and slowly leant back against the cliff. He was standing on the crumbs of what he recognised as lembas bread, and frowned. He didn't think that food was that plentiful that food could be thrown away without regard.

Turning his head from side to side he spotted a staircase carved into the side the cliff. Tegalad thought that it was more of a ladder than anything else, with an even worse grip. Going up or down would take a great deal amount of time to prevent any accidents from occurring.

Wondering what this area had to do with fulfilling his task, Tegalad slowly sat down to swing his legs over the side of the outcropping. He stared at the bread again and mentally considered who would have this bread in this location.

It would have to be Frodo and Sam, Tegalad thought sadly. Pippin should be in Minas Tirith, Merry is with Éowyn going back to Edoras, Aragorn and the others are in the Haunted Mountain, and it is far too unlikely for an elf to be this far from Lothlorien.

He looked around the landscape and wondered whereabouts in Middle Earth he was. It wasn't a place he recognised, not that that meant much. The air was cold and sent shivers crawling up Tegalad's spine. Far below him marched a black blob. Tegalad figured that it was one of the armies marching to Mordor's aid. It was probably moving towards Minas Tirith, that's where everyone else was headed.

Loose stones hit the elfling on the back of his head and he looked up startled. High above him was a body making its way down the stairs, not seemingly caring where its feet went. Tegalad stood up quickly but carefully and prepared to grab the body as it fell past him. He bent his knees slightly and grabbed the arm of the body, stopping the fall and coming face to face with Samwise Gamgee for the first time in months.

Sam was dirty, thinner and had tear tracks on his dirty cheeks. His lips were cracked from lack of water and his clothing was thin and had been torn in various places. The hobbit, at first, didn't realise he had stopped falling, but once he did he stared in shock at his saviour. Tegalad slowly let go of the hobbit's arm and pulled a water bag from his pack. He knew that Sam needed it more than he did. Once Sam had sculled down a good quarter of the water did the questions start.

"Tegalad?" he asked. "Is it really you? What are you doing here? How did you get here? Are the others alright? Why am I asking you these questions? I doubt you understand me anyway."

Tegalad smiled and shocked the hobbit by replying in slow but confident Westron.

"Yes, it is really me. I came here to help you. I used magic to get here. The others are preparing for war. You ask because you need to know."

"When did you learn how to talk?" Sam asked once Tegalad was finished.

"I always knew how to talk," Tegalad asked, deliberately being dense. "But Aragorn teached me how to speak Westron long times ago."

Sam nodded slowly and handed back the water bag. Tegalad put it back into his pack and for the first time noticed that Sam was alone. He asked where Frodo was.

"Frodo doesn't trust me anymore," Sam said miserably. "He believes that Gollum over me, all the time. I didn't eat the last of our food, I promise, that cretin must have done something to it."

Tegalad pointed to the ground they were standing on and Sam looked down. For a while he didn't say anything but when he looked up again, Tegalad took a quick step backwards at the fury he could see in the hobbit's eyes. Sam didn't say anything, but he turned towards the staircase in determination and started to climb. Tegalad followed at a distance, not wanting to stay on the cliff face now that he had found a familiar face.

The two of them lost their footing occasionally, but nothing drastic happened. Tegalad often called upon the assistance of the wind to give them both that little bit of help when it was needed. Still, even with the quick pace Sam had set, the two didn't reach the top for at least fifteen minutes, and by then Sam was angry, worried and scared for his friend.

As they crested the top of the staircase Tegalad quickly darted into the dark cave in front of them. There was a sense of urgency in the air that was almost palpable. Sam hurried along at his side, nervously looking around at the large spider-webs stretching across entire walls. As they maneuvered around a particularly thick web Sam cried out and rushed over to where a sword was hanging in the web. Tegalad followed him and recognised Frodo's sword instantly, having seen it in action in the Mines of Moria. He also spotted a glass vial on the ground and pocketed it while Sam was freeing the sword.

There was now a deeper urgency surrounding them, and Tegalad urged Sam to hurry, he didn't want to have to meet with whatever spider had made all these webs. Sam nodded and pulled the sword free. The two of them now almost ran through the caves with Tegalad leading the way.

"How do you know where we're going?" Sam asked breathlessly as they turned another corner.

"The air is telling me so," Tegalad replied as they burst out into the open air. The sky was dark outside and in the distance was a tower. Tegalad figured it to be a watchtower of some description, but was unable to focus on it for too long as he spotted Frodo walking towards the tower, and a giant spider poised above him. It was clear that Frodo was unaware of the danger above him, as the hobbit was walking along without checking for danger.

"FRODO, DUCK!!!" Tegalad screamed at the top of his lungs. He was lucky that Frodo obeyed him without question, narrowly escaping the spider's poisoned sting. Sam cried out behind him but Tegalad wasted no time in sending a jet of fire at the spider to distract it.

The spider screeched its agony and scuttled towards them, all eight legs moving simultaneously. Tegalad gulped as he summoned his sword and leapt to the side. He felt more than saw Sam make his way towards Frodo, who was watching them with a slack jaw, but ignored the two of them as he desperately evaded the spider's attacks.

As he was pushed to the ground he felt the glass vial in his pocket and pulled it out, sensing that it would help. It lit up like a strong lumos and sent the spider darting backwards. With his sword in one hand, the light in his other, he moved towards the spider, intent on pushing it back into its caves. The spider fought his advances and Tegalad did his best to deflect the attacks, the spider becoming more and more desperate as it was backed into a corner.

Sam and Frodo hid in a corner, both wanting to help but not wanting to get in the way. Frodo was clinging to Sam's jacket and watching Tegalad with wide eyes. Tegalad ignored the two of them, thankful that they weren't trying the play the hero. The spider was hard enough to concentrate on without worrying where the two hobbits were at the same time.

The spider was almost back into the cave when Tegalad stumbled on a loose rock and lost his balance. He landed heavily on his knee and was unable to completely stop the spider's next attack. He caught the sting on his arm, the sharp point penetrating the skin easily and its poison spreading through his veins instantly. Tegalad used the last of his strength to send a jet of fire at the spider, burning its underside and sending it scurrying back into the cave to recover from its injuries.

Tegalad stumbled as his muscles began to stop working. Sam and Frodo hurried to his side and Tegalad struggled to speak.

"Take…my bag…get to…the…mountain," he whispered as his vision started to darken. "You…must…des…troy…the…Ring."

He didn't hear if they replied to him. His vision clouded over and the poison finished its job. He went limp in Sam's arms, his green eyes clouded over and staring straight ahead. For all intents and purposes, he was dead.

Tegalad woke up naked and chained to the floor.

All his belongings were tossed into the corner as if they were of little value. Tegalad looked towards them and quickly saw that all his clothing could be identified, even the elvish cloak. Lifting his head further off the ground, Tegalad looked around the small room, trying to see where he was. The chains were connected to his wrists and ankles, allowing very little room to move. He was face down, and his arm still felt a bit numb.

The walls were plain looking, but Tegalad could see splashes of blood across the surface of it. It made him slightly queasy to look at it, knowing that the blood hadn't been donated voluntarily. Off to his right was rusty table that probably hadn't been cleaned since it was installed, and even then it had probably been dirty.

"Guess who's awake?" asked a gravelly voice from the other side of the room. Tegalad whipped his head around and saw his first orc who wasn't in the middle of charging at him, sword raised and teeth barred. Mentally doing a comparison, Tegalad wasn't sure which one he preferred. He had no idea what to expect from this one.

"Not very talkative huh?" the orc continued with an eerie smile. "Are you the suffer-in-silence type too? I suppose we'll find out soon, won't we? I've never tested myself on a child before."

Tegalad had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was stretched across the ground, chained from his ankles and wrists, unable to move, and completely vulnerable to what this orc had planned for him.

The orc walked closer and knelt down by his side. The nail the creature slowly scratched him with was sinister and promised much more. Tegalad flinched as the nail drew blood, and bit down on his lip to prevent himself from making a sound. The orc slowing drew scratches on his back from his shoulder blades, over his bare bottom, to the top of his legs. Tegalad was shaking fearfully and his head was turned away from what the creature was doing to him.

"Your blood is very red," the orc murmured. "So delicious."

It moved away briefly before returning and straddling Tegalad's lower legs. The elfling recoiled and tried to see what was happening. The orc forced his head down with a "tsk" and violently scratched his back. Tegalad gasped in pain, despite promising himself that he wouldn't make a sound. There was a subtle movement in the air, like something falling, and then pain flared from his back as something struck it. Blood dripped to the ground steadily as the creature raised the spiked wooden baton and swung it again at his back.

It was slow and painful, the orc taking the time between swings to run its hand across his wounds, aggravating them and causing more injury. Just before Tegalad was about to pass out from blood-loss and pain, the orc stopped its abuse of his back and stood up. Tegalad's legs cramped when the heavy weight was removed and he gasped involuntarily. Other than the small gasps he hadn't made a sound.

The orc returned and this time sat near his head. It placed a jar on the ground and Tegalad looked at it briefly, his eyes widening as he recognised that fine white powder it contained. It was his only warning as the orc dropped a handful of salt on his back and started to rub it in. His mind when blank as his back felt like it was burning. He could hear the orc talking about preventing an infection from occurring, but couldn't understand anything other than the pain he was in.

A low growl echoed across the room, causing the orc to freeze in his ministrations. Tegalad, however, opened his eyes wide at the familiar sound and his heart stopped beating in his chest for a split second. The orc gasped and his hand was removed from Tegalad's back violently. The chains on Tegalad's wrists melted quickly, freeing him from his vulnerable position on the floor.

Tegalad darted away from where the orc was, ignoring as his wounds stretched over his skin painfully. He looked over to where the orc was and was startled to see that the creature actually looked afraid.

Standing between the two of them was the burning apparition of Shadow. The wolf was growling at the orc menacingly. Tegalad stood up painfully and went to stand at Shadow's side. He looked down at the wolf in amazement and joy and the same words that had haunted him since the wolf's death echoed once again in his head.

Death is a part of life Little One. Your Shadow, if he were to die, would always be with you, just like your Hedwig would if she were to die. One of fire and one of air.

"I missed you Shadow," Tegalad whispered. "I'm glad you're here."

Shadow stopped growling to briefly whine at the elfling. Tegalad translated the whine to saying "I missed you too" and smiled fondly. The two of them turned to the petrified orc and the expressions turned harsh. Now that he had the support of one of his friends, Tegalad reached out with his fire abilities and burnt the orc from the inside out. The orc screamed in pain but it was short lived. Tegalad ended the torturer's life quickly and turned to put his clothes back on.

Everything was still there, the knives in his boots and the dagger on his belt. He guessed that the orcs either hadn't been paying attention, one of the Valar was watching him, or the orcs had some future plan for him and hadn't had time to go through his belongings as of yet.

Buckling the belt a bit looser than he normal would, on account of the wounds on his back and the top of his legs, Tegalad threw the cloak across his shoulders and made his way to the trap door off to the side of the room. He needed to get out of the tower so he could help Frodo and Sam.

Shadow growled from where he still stood in the middle of the room and waited until the elfling was looking at him before Jumping across the room in a flash of flames. Tegalad smiled at the wolf as he mentally berated himself for forgetting about his travelling abilities.

Gathering his magic around him he Jumped from the tower to where he had last see Sam and Frodo.

He wasn't surprised to see that they were gone and started to jog the way they were sure to have gone. He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious from the poison but the sky was still dark and everything still looked the same. He couldn't see Shadow anymore, but he could sense his presence by his side, protecting him and keeping him company until he caught up with the two hobbits.

Several times he was forced to hide in the shadows as an accompaniment of orcs would pass him by, but otherwise he maintained a semi-constant pace. At times he had to slow to a walk as his injuries were causing him pain, but otherwise he kept moving.

He saw no sign of Frodo or Sam until he crested a small hill and saw a sight he had hoped not to see.

An armed group of orcs, around twenty of them, were marching straight towards him. But what sent his heart racing were the two unaware hobbits who were walking slowly towards them, their heads bowed and not paying attention to their surroundings. Tegalad cursed silently as he ducked to avoid detection. He couldn't just let the two hobbits continue into danger, despite his state of health. Scanning the surrounding landscape quickly, Tegalad searched for an area where he could safely Jump to with two passengers. Spotting what looked like a cave some distance away and in the opposite direction of the orcs, Tegalad looked back to Frodo and Sam, and Jumped.

He appeared in front of Frodo and Sam without warning, grabbed their arms, and Jumped to the cave.

The last thing he noticed before blacking out was the concerned and shocked faces of the two hobbits, and then he was unconscious.

Tegalad woke slowly and with a headache. He remained still as he allowed his memories to organise themselves and opened his eyes. He was somewhat surprised to find himself still in the cave and undiscovered. Sam was sitting up against the wall, his head dropped on his chest as he slept. Frodo was near the entrance to the cave, wide awake and staring out at the landscape.

Not wanting to startle the conscious hobbit too much, Tegalad groaned and tried to sit up. His vision darkened as he moved position and he nearly passed out again until rough hands helped him up. Tegalad looked at Frodo gratefully and slumped on his shoulder while the ground stopped spinning around him.

When he was sure he wouldn't pass out again, Tegalad sat up straight, no longer leaning on Frodo and turned to look at the hobbit. Sam was still sleeping, clearly exhausted, and didn't so much as shift at the movement around him.

"How…are you…alive?" Frodo asked shakily. Tegalad's head snapped up to look at the hobbit and for the first time noticed how drawn and pale he looked. The Ring was clearly sapping his strength but it hadn't taken over completely yet.

"You'll find I'm very hard to kill," Tegalad replied softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Been…better," Frodo said with a tight smile. "The Ring…gets heavier…the closer we…get to…Mount Doom."

"You haven't let it control you yet," Tegalad said optimistically. "I'd say that increases your chances of winning."

Frodo somehow looked better after hearing that. He leant to the side briefly and pulled Tegalad's bag towards them. The elfling took the bag gratefully and quickly made sure that his stuff was still inside. Food was missing, and the water bag was almost empty, but Tegalad didn't care about that. He was simply happy to see that his wooden figurines were still inside.

"How…are the others?" Frodo asked while Tegalad studied his bag.

"They're good," Tegalad explained. "I think they're all on their way to Minas Tirith now…or they're already there. That's where the battle will be held."

"When did…you come back?" Frodo asked. "Weren't you…in…Lothlorien?"

"I left the forest when you were at the waterfall," Tegalad explained. "I did the Jump that you experienced before. It's one of my talents. Merry and Pippin were captured by orcs, we went to help them, Gandalf said they were safe–."

"Gandalf?" Frodo interrupted. "Gandalf died…in Moria."

"He explained how he survived, but I did not understand it all," Tegalad explained. "I was still learning Westron. But he is now White. He led us to Rohan where we defeated Saruman's army. Merry and Pippin joined us. Everyone was going to be in battle but I wasn't."

Frodo was staring at him attentively and saw how sad the elfling looked. He asked why he sad and Tegalad grinned humorlessly.

"I knew that I would not be going with anyone when they would go to war," he explained. "I was to go back to Edoras with Lady Éowyn and Merry. I wanted to say goodbye to Aragorn and the others who were leaving early. But Aragorn didn't let me. I think he thought I was trying to go with him. I was not! I promise! I just wanted to say goodbye!"

His voice was rising by the end of his explanation and tears appeared in his eyes. He was hurt that no one seemed to trust him, no matter what he did to prove he could be trusted. Aragorn's betrayal of his trust was also a cold blow, the man had promised that he wouldn't leave him again, but he did, and he didn't even say goodbye. He had just turned his back and continued on.

Frodo saw how distraught the elfling was becoming and pulled him into a hug. Tegalad tensed at the contact and his wounds protested sharply, but he desperately needed comfort, to know that he wasn't worthless, so he ignored his body and clung to Frodo as if he would leave as well.

Sam woke up near the end of the explanation and saw Frodo give the child a hug. He walked over to them slowly and sat near Frodo. He wanted to also give the elfling a hug, but he had seen the child's wounds and had seen how he had tensed when Frodo grabbed him. Sam instead tried to verbally reassure the elfling.

"I don't know if this is true," he began. Tegalad tensed and turned his head to stare at the other hobbit, his teary eyes staring at him intensely. "From what I know of Aragorn, he can be determined and focused to an extent that he doesn't worry about anything else. When he was looking after you in the Mines he still looked after us, but you were near the top of his priority list. He's about to be a part of a battle, one he may not survive. It is possible that he was just trying to protect you. I doubt there are many people out there who would want a child in battle, regardless of how able they are."

Tegalad pulled himself from Frodo's embrace but still remained close to both hobbits. Frodo nodded at his friend to continue so Sam took a breath to express his thoughts.

"If Aragorn stopped you from saying goodbye, he may have thought that you were trying to join them. If that's so then the only way he would think of telling you know that you wouldn't be able to, would be to say no before you could ask. I'm not sure of what he said, but he may have decided to address you as a soldier or maybe…as his son."

Sam hadn't known what he was going to say, but as he looked back on how he'd seen Aragorn and Tegalad react around each other, he knew that what they both needed was a family, and that was how they looked at each other. Tegalad needed a father, and Aragorn had been there to fulfill that role. Sam figured that it was also why Tegalad was so hurt by Aragorn's refusal; he saw it as his father no longer caring about him.

"Is that how he sees me?" Tegalad asked softly. "Why? Why would he see me as his son? I'm just a freak, not capable of having anyone love me."

Sam and Frodo both looked horrified at the words coming from his mouth. Sam wanted to say something to that but found that the words were trapped in his throat, unable to come out. Frodo instead spoke for him.

"Who…told you that?" he asked. "Why tell…a child they're…unlovable?"

"My Aunt and Uncle," Tegalad replied almost inaudibly. "They didn't want me. No one would ever want me."

"I know that's a lie!" Sam said passionately. "We haven't been with you for a while now, but I know that anyone in the Fellowship would lay down their life for you."

"That's because I'm an elfling," Tegalad said, as if the answer was clear. "Not because I'm Har–Tegalad."

"You have…another name?" Frodo asked curiously. He had heard the stutter before he said his name.

"I was once someone else," Tegalad replied evasively. "But that person died long ago."

"Who you were before has shaped who you are now," Sam said. "Just because you don't want to be that person anymore, doesn't mean that you can forget who you are."

"I was in a war!" Tegalad said hotly as he moved away from the hobbits safely. "I was the key fighter! If I died, so did everyone else! But even after I won it was too late. Everyone I loved was dead! I was tortured for ages, the enemy hoping that I would break. I did. I broke. I no longer cared whether I lived or died, until…"

Tegalad turned away and angrily brushed a hand across his eyes. Neither Frodo or Sam spoke, nothing they said would help the situation. Tegalad took a deep breath and raised a hand, palm up so that he could look at his wrists. Frodo gasped as he saw the scars, but Sam couldn't understand. It looked like the scars just appeared on his skin where there had been nothing before. Half a dozen scars, all stretching across his wrists, jagged and straight scars, all indicating multiple attempts to take his own life.

"I wanted to die so badly," Tegalad whispered. "Everyone I loved was dying around me and I was forced to watch it all. I tried so many times to die, but they wouldn't let me. I can't be killed. My destiny is to live, to live where others die. I had hoped it would be different here."

"Life…isn't fair," Frodo murmured. "But we…can't let that…pull us…down. Because…if we don't…fight…who…will?"

Tegalad nodded and stared at his arms until the scars faded again. Sam wanted to ask how he did that but it didn't seem like an appropriate moment. Tegalad turned to look out of the cave and turned to conversation away from the depressing topic they had been stuck on.

He found out that after the spider had poisoned him he had been carted away by a group of orcs. The orcs had been explaining loudly how the poison would paralyze its victim, letting them wake up hours later encased in a spider web ready to be eaten. Apparently the spider liked its food to struggle when it was eaten. Frodo and Sam had hidden in the shadows and once the orcs were gone, followed them.

It had been their intention to break into the tower to free the elfling, but due to Frodo's weakness and their slow pace, had lost where the orcs went and ended up stumbling around looking for a path that would lead them to where they wanted to go. Sam figured that it was about two hours after Tegalad was taken away when he reappeared in front of them in a flash of fire and disappeared with them again a split second later.

Tegalad had then slept close to three hours and then the elfling was up to date on everything that had transpired since his disappearance. As he was still weak, Tegalad told the hobbits that they would move positions in a few hours, after Frodo had had some sleep and he himself had recovered some energy. The two hobbits didn't protest as much as they could have and actually fell asleep again, curled up together for heat. Tegalad went to the edge of the cave to look at the landscape, not interested in sleeping. He pulled out his wooden carving, his dagger and set to work while the hobbits slept.

He was nearly finished, the lightning bolt just needed a few modifications and something to hang it on and then it would be completed.

Several hours later Tegalad was staring at his first completed wooden figurine. As had been his intention, it was the lightning bolt he saw whenever he looked in a mirror with a few differences. First was the fact that the figurine was slightly smaller than his palm and had a hole in the top for a strong of some description. The wood was half a centimeter thick all along the length and everything ended in a point at the end of the bolt. It was a simple design, as to be expected, and he had had a lot of fun in crafting it. For the string, he would use something more permanent later, but at the current time he used his own hair, tied together and braided to make it stronger. When he wore it, it sat just below his collarbone and out of sight.

Satisfied with the end result, Tegalad put his dagger away, looked at the unchanging landscape and went to wake Frodo and Sam. It was time to finish this quest once and for all.

Almost done! I'm predicting maybe two more chapters. They will be up in the not so distant future hopefully.

I must say this, the response for the last chapter was incredible. 42 reviews as I'm writing this up. Thank you everyone. Your encouragement motivates me to writing more and updating quicker. Thank you!

In the next chapter will be the fate of the Ring.

Looking forward to your reviews!