Chapter Fourteen

Like someone searching a deep black cave without a torch, Legolas's mind cast itself through the darkness, probing relentlessly. The truth was there. He was sure of it, and he was determined to find it.

As he continued to search, a light appeared in the far distance. Then, without warning he felt himself being propelled forward at an alarming rate until he suddenly burst into the light.

~*~*~

The brilliance faded leaving only a soft glow, and Legolas found himself in the same clearing where he had shot the rabbit. With his elven sight, the clearing now appeared almost as bright as would a cloudy day under the trees. To confirm to himself that he was in the same place he remembered, he looked down to see the rabbit lying on the ground in the same spot where he had last seen it.

Feeling the hair on the back of his neck  rise, Legolas looked up and saw a strange elf, dressed all in black, standing several feet from him. He had never seen this individual before nor had he seen any elf that looked remotely like him. The elf had black hair and black eyes to match. Even his skin was darker than any elf Legolas had ever seen. he knew immediately that this was no ordinary elf.

Because of the black clothing, it took Legolas several moments of close head to toe examination of the elf before he noticed the black snake wrapped around the stranger's left arm. With its head resting on the back of the elf's hand near the base of his fingers the whole thing gave the appearance of being a large elaborate bracelet. Legolas couldn't tell if it was real or not.

The dark elf, who had waited patiently for Legolas to finish his examination, now smiled. "I see you have noticed my pet. Beautiful, is he not?"

*So, it is real,* Legolas thought. Ignoring the question about the snake, he dragged his eyes from the serpent and moved them up to the other elf's face. There was something in those black eyes that Legolas didn't trust. He wasn't sure what it was, but he kept his guard firmly in place. "Who are you?"

Deciding, for the moment, to humor the young elf by answering his question, the dark one said, "My name is Mordraug." He waited for a reaction, but when none was forthcoming, he said, "Have you not heard of me?" He watched closely to see if Legolas was making an effort to hide any recognition he might have had.

The archer shook his head. "No. Should I have?"

*So, Thranduil has not told his son about me and what happened in Greenwood, when this one was just an elfling.* Mordraug knew that no matter where this conversation led, he would have the immense pleasure of revealing the truth to this Thranduilion. To Legolas, he said, "I thought perhaps my old friend, Thranduil, might have told you about me."

Legolas's curiosity had suddenly peeked. He couldn't help but be aware of a prickling feeling in the back of his mind. "You know my father?"

"Thranduil and I go a very long way back. I have not seen him in many centuries. How does he fare?"

The remarks and the question sounded innocent enough, almost friendly, but Legolas's instincts were telling him that all was not as it seemed. For one thing, he felt an unexplained stab of fear at the mention of his father. Also, he wondered if this elf was the reason for the uneasiness he had been experiencing, since first laying eyes on this forest. He asked, "How do you know who I am?"

Mordraug laughed. "I know a great many people and a great many things."

That enigmatic reply didn't exactly answer Legolas's question. He decided not to pursue that subject for now. The blond elf decided instead to try and get some information from this elf and see where it led. Therefore, in a neutral tone, he said, "My father is well. Did you often visit Mirkwood?"

"Ah, I had forgotten that the name has changed. It was called Greenwood the Great, during my times there."

"That was indeed a very long time ago---before Dol Guldûr." It was Legolas's turn to observe the other elf's face. He was looking for a reaction to the mention of one of Sauron's strongholds, even though almost twenty years ago the Necromancer had been driven out by the forces of the White Council and was now rebuilding Barad-dûr in northwest Mordor.

Taking a chance that his next remark might be offensive, he said, "I am sure my father would have mentioned you, if the two of you had truly been friends." Did he see a quick flare-up of anger in the other elf’s dark eyes? He pressed on. "Where have you been for all these centuries that you have lost touch?"

A shadow crossed Mordraug's face at the question. His dark eyes flashed in anger once again. The elder elf took a deep breath. He didn’t want to let this young elf bait him, even if it might be unintentional, though Mordraug figured that as Thranduil’s son, the prince would likely be both intelligent and clever.

Then, he thought *Why not? Let us get everything out in the open.* That decision made, the Avari said, "I was forced into seclusion---by your father." With a snarl, he added, "He is the reason I have been gone from this land for almost two thousand years!" His voice rose, as he made this last declaration.

Legolas immediately tensed even more, seeing that the pretense at friendliness was gone. This elf was definitely what he had been dreading. His fear began to rise, and fear for his father was increasing accordingly. Revenge was in the dark elf's manner. Legolas could read that as clearly as if Mordraug had actually said the words.

Legolas's eyes widened when the snake, who had until now been inert, lifted up and hissed, sending its forked tongue flicking rapidly in and out of its mouth. It hissed again and swayed slightly, seeming to dislike the aroma that it was encountering with its sensitive tongue. Had the scent of honor and goodness upset the creature?

Too late, Legolas heard a noise behind him. Before he could turn around to see what it was, hands on both sides of him grabbed both of his arms and pinned them firmly to his sides. He tried to pull free but his struggles went for naught. Attempting to kick his captures only resulted in both arms being painfully squeezed and twisted until he was forced to stop struggling. He looked to each side, noting that both beings who held him were orcs much larger than he was. He chided himself for being so distracted by the snake that he hadn't heard the less than graceful orcs approach him. He was sure that Mordraug had counted on just that.

Finally, realizing he was not going to get loose, Legolas ignored the orcs and turned his own anger toward the dark-haired elf in front of him. Much to his consternation, his anger was tempered with a fear that was stronger than he could ever remember feeling before, from orcs such as these or from the giant spiders that inhabited southern Mirkwood. Even wargs had never frightened him so. He fought hard to control the trembling that began to invade his body. He knew he hadn't been successful, when he heard both orcs laugh. It was obvious they were taking pleasure in his fear.

Mordraug walked up closer to Legolas. He stared into the younger elf's blue-gray eyes. "Your father rules the forest realm that should have been mine. He tried to destroy me, when I went to Greenwood to reclaim it. He stole it from me."

"He stole nothing from you or anyone else. My father rules because he was Oropher’s heir. You have no right to our land." Fear was not keeping this prince from having his say. He had never run from anything in his life, and he wasn't about to start now. For the moment, anger overrode the fright he felt.

"You know nothing," Mordraug declared dismissively. "Oropher took what did not belong to him. He was killed, a death much too easy for him. I tried to kill Thranduil, but the coward brought his powerful friends and warrior guards to protect him."

"My father is not a coward!" Legolas's voice rose in anger. He took several breaths to calm himself. He didn't want to lose control in front of this elf. It wasn't just pride that made him repeat what he had said much more quietly. "My father is not a coward." He couldn't afford to antagonize this dark elf into doing something drastic. It was just too dangerous, though in truth, he believed that Mordraug’s course of action had already been well planned.

"I would expect you to defend him. You learned at his knee, did you not? Nevertheless, I know the truth." Mordraug's calmness was derived from the fact he totally believed what he was saying, not to mention that he certainly had the upper hand in this current situation.

Again the snake began to hiss and flick its tongue. Mordraug smiled. It was a cold smile, completely devoid of warmth. "He likes you," the dark elf said in a deceptively silky voice, stroking the serpent's head affectionately. "Perhaps, the two of you should get to know each other better." Mordraug moved even closer to the blond archer. There was a palpable evil that emanated from the pair.

Legolas clenched his teeth. His instinct was to move backwards, away from the hideous reptile, but he forced himself to remain in place. His heart may be full of trepidation, but he didn't want to display it to the elf he faced. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that he remembered he couldn`t have moved if he tried.

The younger elf's attempt at bravery didn't fool Mordraug, as he said, "I see you fear my pet." With a level gaze, he added in a tone so cold, it almost froze Legolas where he stood. "You should fear him." Those words sent shivers down Legolas's spine.

"Thranduil will soon suffer an agonizing death. Too bad you did not see the others die, like...." Mordraug was clearly going to say more but stopped short. He decided he would save that bit of news for a later time. "If you had watched them writhe and heard them scream, you would truly know terror beyond comprehension. When you die, Thranduil will suffer such an agonizing loss of one more he loves before he also dies. You, my little prince, will bring him to me, to watch you die and meet his own end."

Had ice fallen from Mordraug's lips or frosty air poured forth on his breath, Legolas would not have been surprised. The words were spoken with a cold hatred that seemed to chill the air around them.

What had this dark elf meant when he said that Thranduil will suffer such an agonizing loss of one more he loves? Legolas's first thought was of his mother. But, what had her death to do with Mordraug? The archer didn't understand, so he concluded there was no connection.

The snake hissed yet again, and Legolas turned his attention back to it. He couldn't keep his eyes off of the serpent so close to his face. Ridiculous as it seemed, the snake looked as though it was smiling at him, imitating its master, the look in its eyes just as frigid. An involuntary shiver went down Legolas's spine once more. At that moment, he felt more fear for his father than he did for himself. "I will never betray my father," Legolas finally said in defiance to the dark elf.

"I think you have no choice in the matter. Your father will come to me to try and save you, but his pathetic attempt to do so will be in vain."

Legolas tried to analyze Mordraug's plan and come up with a plan of his own to stop the evil elf before he could make good on his intentions. Legolas's heart fell, because he knew there was truly nothing he could do to intervene. Nothing in all of Middle-earth would keep his father from coming to save him, and they would both die horribly, or so Mordraug had said, and the archer had no reason to doubt him.

The Avari looked up at the orcs that held Legolas tightly in their grasp. He nodded his head toward them.

While one orc moved behind Legolas and pulled his arms around so that he alone could hold their captive, the other orc grabbed Legolas's jaw and jerked it down and quickly shoved his fingers in each corner of the elf's mouth and held it open. The very thought of the foul creature's fingers in his mouth made Legolas's stomach lurch. He almost gagged. He tried to bite down on the claw-like fingers but couldn't quite manage it. The attempt brought a painful squeeze on both of this arms from the orc that held him from behind.

Legolas was terrified. He didn't know, at first, what Mordraug was going to do. He tried to jerk his head away, but as was the case with his arms, it was held firmly in place. He couldn't imagine why his mouth was being held open like this. His mind reeled, and his heart pounded, as it raced within his chest. His breathing became shallow and rapid.

Legolas knew that the vile reptile was not there just to intimidate him. He was certain it was poisonous, and he was just as certain that he was going to get bitten. After all the years as a warrior fighting in numerous battles, defending his home, family and friends, was he now about to die from a snake bite? The thought was ludicrous, so his mind tried to reject it. It didn't work.

The snake unwound the top portion of its body from Mordraug's arm and extended its head toward the elf. Hissing loudly, it flicked its tongue against Legolas's face.

The elf was repulsed by the touch of the forked tongue that felt like cold, wet leather on his skin. He clenched his eyes tightly shut, knowing he couldn't move out of the serpent's reach. It continued to flick its tongue, up and down his neck, along his jaws and cheeks, across his forehead and along the edge of one of his sensitive ears and even over his closed eyes. That alone made the elf cringe in revulsion. But, it wasn't until its tongue flicked into his open mouth and touched his own tongue with its cold, wet one that nausea came close to overwhelming him. However, he knew he would most likely only end up choking himself, so with a monumental effort, he forced the nausea down to a manageable level.

Suddenly, the flicking stopped. Legolas waited a moment and then slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of the snake staring at him with its unblinking yellow eyes. It began to move side to side, undulating, as it rose higher into the air. It's movements were slow and hypnotic, its head moving in counterpoint to its swaying body. Side to side. Right to left and back again. Legolas was so mesmerized that he couldn't have taken his eyes off of it had he been suddenly set free and told to run.

When the snake was as high as it could get while still keeping the back half of its body wrapped firmly around Mordraug’s arm, its eyes flashed with an eerie red inner glow, and then it lunged down at the young elf’s face.

In a lightning strike that was no more than a black blur, the serpent's sharp needle-like fangs embedded themselves in the soft tissue under Legolas's tongue. His eyes went wide with pure terror, as he felt a fiery liquid being injected into his flesh. *This cannot be happening! Dear Elbereth, please, help me!*

He tried to scream, but only a gurgling sound came out. Yet, in his mind the screaming was full blown and continuous. He thought his heart would stop, and right then, he wasn't so sure he didn't wish it to do so.

The serpent withdrew its fangs, folding them back against the roof of its mouth. It moved backwards, slithering slowly, as it wrapped its body back around the dark elf's arm. The serpent lowered itself so that only its head was raised. It continued to stare at the woodland elf.

The sharp pain from the snake's bite intensified, causing Legolas's whole mouth to feel like it was on fire. But, he had no defense against it, nor against the venom he knew was now beginning to course through his veins. His whole body shook violently, as somewhere in a distant, detached part of his brain he again wondered if this was the way he was going to die.

*Ada!* Legolas was calling for salvation from the one person he had counted on his entire life. The silent cry went unheard.

Mordraug couldn't help but laugh at the distress of the young Mirkwood prince, son of the elven king he despised. The dark elf had waited a very long time for this portion of his revenge. It pleased him to see such pain and terror and to know that it was he and his pet, who had caused it. How delicious this was.

However, torturing this young one was not his main goal, so the joy he felt, as great as it was, would only be complete, when Thranduil watched the body of this beloved youngest child being twisted and deformed in excruciating agony until it was unrecognizable, just as it had happened with his mother all those centuries ago. Then finally, seeing Thranduil die that same way would be the crowning glory to his years of rage, frustration and planning. How delicious that would be.

Mordraug had waited almost two millennia for his opportunity, and it was now within his grasp. He licked his lips, as he savored the anticipation of his ultimate revenge. *Oh yes, that will be worth waiting for.*

On a silent command from Mordraug, the orcs let go of Legolas, but the young elf did not fall. He felt as if his body was suspended in midair. Everything began to swim around him, swirling in waves of distortion. Had he not known better, and he really couldn't be sure of anything at this point, he would have believed he was looking at the world through a curtain of moving water. Was he the one actually moving or was the world the one that was spinning? He didn't have the answer nor, at that moment, did he have the mental capacity to figure it out.

The last thing the Wood elf heard was Mordraug's almost hysterical laughter accompanied by the hissing of the snake. Both sounds fused together and echoed through his mind.

Legolas suddenly felt himself being propelled rapidly again, only this time he was moving backwards, away from the light that was swiftly fading into the distance. He was soon greeted again by total darkness.

Then, his shattered mind shut down and all awareness ceased.

TBC