Chapter Forty Three

Morning arrived late. At least, the light of morning did. The storm was still raging in Imladris, and the low, dark clouds kept the light of the new day to a minimum. Between the clouds and the rain, the world was draped in a cloak of flat gray. The word gloomy hardly did justice to the world that surrounded the elven realm.

Life was stirring inside the Last Homely House. Sunshine or rain, the inhabitants had their duties to perform. The kitchen especially was starting to move into full swing, getting ready for the morning meal. The laundry, too, was gearing up for the day’s needs. Barring an emergency, no one was going to be riding on a day like this. yet in the stables, the horses had to be fed, watered and curried. Life, indeed, was continuing as normal. For some in Rivendell, however, life was far from normal.

~*~*~

After knocking on Elrohir’s door, more to announce his arrival than to obtain permission to enter, Elladan walked into his twin brother’s room. He stopped and stared, as he saw Elrohir sitting on the floor amid an array of objects. “What in Arda are you doing?”

Elrohir looked up and grinned. “Can you not tell, brother?”

The elder elf shook his head. “If I could tell, I would not have asked.”

“Since you seem to be so dense, at the moment, I will tell you. I am making crutches for Legolas.” He smiled. “You know the prince will not stay in that bed for long, broken bones or not.”

“Crutches are a great idea, Elrohir, except for one tiny detail.” Elladan sat down on the floor across from his younger twin.

Elrohir looked at his brother in confusion. He then surveyed the pieces of wood he had spread out around him. “There are two long poles, which I measured against myself. I took an inch off of the length, because I am an inch taller than he is. There are the two cross pieces that go under his arms, which I will wrap with this cloth.” He indicated some soft material that was piled up to his right. “And, I have the two little pieces for his hands to grip, so he can hold onto the crutches. I have the mallet and nails to put it all together. I even have two pieces of thick leather to put on the bottom tips as pads.” He pointed to his left. Everything seemed to be there. He looked at Elladan again. “What is the detail I have missed?”

“You just said it a moment ago.”

Elrohir was becoming a bit annoyed that his brother would not just come out and say what he was talking about. He could be so exasperating at times. “Said what?” he asked in irritation.

“Broken bones. Honestly, Elrohir, sometimes I wonder about your clarity of thought. How is Legolas supposed to hold onto the crutches, never mind putting pressure on his hands, if he has two broken wrists?”

The younger brother burst out laughing. “You idiot. Did you really think I had forgotten that? It is logical to assume that his wrists will be healed much quicker than his ankle. As soon as Ada takes the splints off of Legolas’s hands, which could be today, his wrists will be mended, so he can use the crutches until his ankle also heals. They will be ready for him, when that time comes.”

Elladan eyed his twin suspiciously. He wondered if Elrohir had really thought of that on his own, or if he was just too embarrassed by his brother’s reminder that he pretended it had occurred to him already. Elladan knew how innocent his brother could appear to be, when it was to his advantage to do so, but in this case, he believed Elrohir’s claims. “Of course.” He smiled to take the edge off of the seemingly sarcastic words.

“Would you like to help?” Elrohir asked, as he handed Elladan one of the wooden cross pieces and two pieces of fabric, one folded up to be used as padding and one to wrap around it.

Taking the offered items, Elladan replied, “I would like very much to help.”

Thunder rumbled, and a flash of lightning hit very close to the Last Homely House. The twins looked out through the balcony doors, which were closed, and then stared at each other.

“I have not seen a storm this bad in many, many years,” Elrohir said, holding back the urge to shiver.

“Nor have I,” Elladan agreed, also holding back a shiver. The elf was not afraid of lightning, but he had a very healthy respect for it, knowing how powerful and potentially dangerous it was. He knew that Elrohir shared his view.

The twins then turned their attention back to the making of the crutches for their inured friend.

~*~*~

The rain was coming down so hard that anyone looking out at the garden could see only a blur of dark green. It seemed as if someone high overhead was pouring water out of a bucket onto Rivendell.

Elrond and Glorfindel were two elves, who were staring out at the torrent. “You seem unsettled, mellon nin,” Glorfindel said.

Elrond sighed. “This storm is a strange one,” the dark-haired elf lord replied thoughtfully. “I have not seen its like in many centuries.”

Glorfindel watched, as Elrond seemed to unconsciously rub Vilya. “Do you think that there is some dark magic at work here?”

“I cannot say for sure, but I do not believe that it is magic of any kind causing the storm.” Elrond continued to rub the Ring of Air. “However, I do sense a foreboding that I cannot put my finger on. It may just be that the storm is intensifying that feeling. It’s arrival may be purely coincidental. If so, I do not know the origin of my unease.” Elrond shook his head. The cause of the apprehension seemed to be just out of his reach. He hated the feeling of frustration that not knowing brought. With all that had happened lately, he was beginning to fear that this foreboding would grow within his mind. Had not they all, especially Legolas, been through enough already?

Glorfindel continued to question. “Do you think it has anything to do with Legolas?”

Elrond looked at his friend and arched am eyebrow. “You must feel something, as well, for you to think along the same lines that I am.”

“Perhaps, I have spent too much time in your company.” Glorfindel did not look at Elrond, but his lips curved into a small smile. It was a comment he often made.

“Perhaps,” was Elrond’s usual reply. After a brief pause, he continued. “Yes, I do think it has to do with our prince. If not for the fact that Mordraug is dead, in a way he richly deserved I might add, I would say he was somehow involved.”

“We do indeed think along the same lines. Mordraug came to my mind, as well. That pathetic excuse for an elf cannot still have a hold over Legolas, surely. The poison was neutralized. You did that yourself.”

“Did I?” Elrond questioned.

“Of course, you did.” Glorfindel was adamant in defending his friend and brushing aside his doubt.

“Can we be so sure?”

“Elrond, we all saw what happened, when you administered the antidote.” Glorfindel winced slightly at the memory of the convulsions that wracked Legolas’s slender body, as it became the battleground between the venom and the anti-venom.

Elrond‘s eyes moved down to his hands, which were resting on the window sill in front of him. “Yes,” he replied softly, “His body is seemingly free from the venom. But, what lingering effects there may be to his mind or his spirit, none of us can know.”

Glorfindel considered Elrond‘s answer just as a very loud clap of thunder rattled the window pane. “Can the storm be controlled with Vilya?” The blond elf lord was becoming concerned over the storm’s ferocity.

“I am reluctant to invoke Vilya’s power on a natural occurrence. Yet, despite the fact that Imladris is built on solid mountain granite, I would not risk the foundations of our buildings being weakened by such a downpour. If it continues in this manner beyond this morning, I will use Vilya’s power.”

Glorfindel said nothing, as the two friends exchanged concerned expressions. They then turned their attention to the torrent of water that was continuing to beat against the window they were looking through.

~*~*~

Aragorn had watched Legolas closely, trying to discern if his friend was in any pain. The troubled look on the elf’s face had not lessened but neither had it intensified. Once on his back, though, Legolas had not stirred nor made any displays of discomfort. The man relaxed. He was not going to wake Legolas just to ask, if he was all right. The elf hated that question, no matter what the circumstances. Had he known what was going on in the elf’s mind, he would have had his friend awake in an instant.

~*~*~

Legolas found himself back in the same enclosed room that he had been in an earlier dream. All was as it had been then, except that this time he could clearly hear thunder rumbling, as well as the sound of rain hitting the roof overhead.

The elf stood and stared at the ceiling.

It then occurred to him that if Mordraug had been in this room in the other dream, he would most likely show up in this one, as well. As if on cue, the dark elf did just that.

Before, Legolas had been shocked to find Mordraug facing him. This time was different, so instead of just keeping still and reacting to whatever Mordraug had to say, Legolas rounded on the elder elf. “Why do you come here? I will not let you intimidate me. You must realize that.”

Mordraug laughed. “Poor little prince. You really do not understand, do you?”

“You said I would begin to, when I woke up. I think that there is nothing to understand. You are a liar, who is just trying to make me doubt myself.” Legolas was angry, and he had no qualms about insulting this evil creature.

There was a look of pity in Mordraug’s eyes, though it was a cold pity totally devoid of sympathy. “You are so pathetic,” Mordraug retuned with an insult of his own. “Is it my fault that you are unable to comprehend the peril you are in?”

Legolas narrowed his eyes and demanded, “What peril?”

Mordraug closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head in exasperation. “Very well. I will tell you what you have failed to grasp on your own. You are becoming a burden to those who are trying to help you. All of this you have gone through has been going on for almost a month now. How long do you think they will put up with your neediness? Even your father has left you.”

“My father did not want to leave. He had business to take care of at home.”

“Did he now? Are you so sure? Perhaps, he arranged for the messenger to come and pretend he was needed in Greenwood to give him an excuse to leave?”

“That is not true!”

“You put him through a lot. Perhaps, he wanted to get away. He even left knowing he may have to face this raging storm. Does that not tell you how much he wished to be free of you? Admit it. He has abandoned you.”

The dark elf was enjoying the angry reaction he was watching play across Legolas’s fair features. He had to be cautious, though, because it may not be so easy to convince this young archer that he had alienated everyone, who cared for him. But, the end result was going to be most enjoyable to witness.

“You continue to lie. My father would never abandon me, nor would any of my friends.”

“Do you really think they would not tire of taking care of an elf so physically weak he cannot take care of himself? Ask yourself why they would wish to constantly care for someone who can no longer function as a normal elf? You may be healing physically, but inside, you have grown into a mental cripple. They cared for you once, but you have become a tedious burden to them.”

With no warning, Legolas lunged at Mordraug with both hands outstretched, fully intending to choke the dark elf.

Mordraug stood his ground, knowing that the attempt would be futile. Legolas knew it too, as soon as his body moved completely though that of the Avari, and he found himself facing nothing and no one.

Mordraug’s laughter errupted behind him, and Legolas whirled around to face the evil one once more. The expression on the younger elf’s face had suddenly lost much of its fierceness. He was beginning to realize that there was really nothing he could do to get rid of the ghostly spirit he faced. He literally began to shake from the effort of trying to keep control of his emotions.

Mordraug saw the effort and laughed harder. “I can see that you truly are beginning to understand---finally.” It seemed that Legolas’s attempt to choke him had done more to convince the prince than any words Mordraug had uttered. He pressed the advantage. “You cannot get rid of me nor can you honestly deny the truth of my words. Think about it, princeling.” With that he vanished, as completely as he had the first time.

Legolas stood still for a moment, trying to calm down. He forced his mind to push thoughts of Mordraug away. He didn’t want to think about what the dark elf had said. Giving thought to his words would somehow give them credence.

Then once again, he sat down cross-legged on the floor and waited to wake up. He turned his concentration on reaching out to the conscious world. Nothing happened. He wasn’t waking up. Thunder continued to rumble all around him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the storm had anything to do with his inability to waken. That made no sense, but then none of what was happening did.

Totally without his effort or permission, Mordraug’s taunts came back to him. Could his father really have fled to Mirkwood to get away from him? Were his friends here in Rivendell tired of taking care of him? He seemed to remember thinking that Estel felt that way. Had that been real? If so, did that mean that all of what Mordraug said was really true? And, the most frightening thing of all: Had he truly become a mental cripple?

Legolas jumped up and held his fists in the air above his head. “No!” he screamed out loud. It was not true! It could not be true! Abruptly the doubt came. But, why couldn’t it be true? No matter how much he denied it, he kept coming back to the questions that reinforced the doubts.

Laughter announced the arrival of Mordraug once more. “Have you given my words some thought?”

“I do not believe anything that you say,” Legolas declared defiantly.

“No? Well then, I guess I will have to alter my approach.”

“What do you mean?” Legolas was very sure that that was the one question he didn’t want to know the answer to.

“It seems that you have doubts here in your dreams. Then, when you awaken, those doubts begin to fade. You completely forgot the other dream I was in after spending time with that human friend of yours. And, I know that you are a very stubborn elf. You will stay awake for a long time to keep me away.”

A very bad feeling was forming in the pit of Legolas’s stomach. He was quite certain he wasn’t going to like the next thing Mordraug was going to say. Unfortunately, there was no place he could go to get away from this maddening elf.

Mordraug smiled. “I have decided that I will stay with you, awake or asleep. No matter where you go, even into the deepest recesses of your mind, I will be there, doing my best to convince you of the truth.”

The archer just stood and stared at Mordraug. This whole thing was becoming too surreal. “You are a ghost. You cannot follow me into my waking mind.”

“Are you so sure that I cannot? Besides, it is you who have labeled me a ghost. I never told you that is what I am.”

That statement was true enough. Mordraug had told Legolas that he could call the dark elf a ghost if he chose. But, he never did admit to it. “You were but an ordinary elf in life. The real power of what you did came from your snake, and it is dead.”

“I used my pet to carry out my wishes expediently, it is true, but that does not mean that I have no powers of my own.” Mordraug let the thought hang for a moment before saying, “I am here in your dream, am I not? You must admit that you are not in control. I am.”

That declaration had the desired effect, as Legolas’s eyes grew large in shock. Did this evil being have the power to do what he said and follow Legolas into wakefulness and reside in his mind? The whole idea of such a thing was terrifying.

“Think about it, little prince. I will give you time to consider what I have told you, not that it will make much difference.” He inclined his head and smiled once again. “I will see you, or rather talk to you, on the other side of consciousness.”

As Mordraug’s form vanished into nothingness, Legolas’s legs buckled under him. He sat down heavily on the stone floor. His mind was too stunned to get a single coherent thought to come forward.

Thunder split the air, as the elf just sat and stated at the far wall. One thought finally did detach itself from the jumble. *What am I to do now?*

TBC