Chapter Fifty Four

Elrond stood and puzzled about the screaming that was assaulting him from all sides. He knew instinctively that it was not aimed at him. It sounded mindless. That was of little comfort, since the high-pitched wailing pained his ears, just the same.

He was startled when the screaming suddenly stopped, followed by a long silence. Then, he had the unsettling feeling that someone was behind him. Even before he turned, Elrond knew exactly who he would see.

The elf lord found himself staring into the dark eyes of Mordraug, standing no more than six feet from him. He did not speak but waited for Mordraug to do so first. The tone of the whole confrontation might be set in these first few minutes.

A look of surprise had appeared on the Avari’s face. He clearly was not expecting to see who it was he was looking at. It didn’t take long for that look to be replaced with a sneer that quickly formed on the dark elf’s face, so wide it bared his teeth like a grinning wolf about to devour its victim. “Elrond, Lord of Imladris. I should have known you would come to fight the princeling’s battle for him. He is too weak to do it on his own. He tried to kill himself just to stop me, as if that would have worked. I cannot be stopped!”

“You seem very sure of yourself, Mordraug.” Elrond’s comment was calm by comparison.

Mordraug ignored the statement and continued with his own chain of thought. “I have waited too long to let you or anyone else interfere with my plans.”

“It seems to me that Legolas has already done just that.” Elrond forced himself to hold back his regret and sadness at the thought of what the young prince had felt driven to do. He refused to let this accursed elf see his pain.

”That youngest whelp of Thranduil’s might think he has saved his family, but there are other ways to get what I deserve and also get revenge on him and all his kin.”

Elrond looked at Mordraug with something akin to pity in his eyes. It angered Mordraug, but with an effort, he managed not to comment. “If you are so convinced that you are unstoppable, why were you screaming in rage just now? I presume it was from what Legolas did.”

The question and the following statement clearly upset Mordraug. He narrowed his eyes. Knowing Elrond would likely detect a lie, he said, “I had a momentary lapse. I did not expect the foolish little prince to cave in the way he did and try something so stupid.”

“You battered him relentlessly, both physically and emotionally. You killed him. Yet, in the end, you were unable to control him, because he found the will, even in his torment, to thwart you.”

“I told you I will not be stopped,” Mordraug growled. “And, I assure you that I will not be caught so unaware again.”

“You know that I am here to hinder you from doing any further damage, whether you think it can be done or not. I have not been emotionally battered the way Legolas has. But, we do have one thing in common: I will fight to save my own family and Legolas’s. You will not kill him,” Elrond added firmly, thinking that that was surely the ultimate goal after the rest of royal family had been destroyed.

“You do not understand any more than that pathetic little elfling. I have no plans to kill him.”

Elrond raised his eyebrows in surprise. Mordraug laughed. “Have you not figured it out yet, great lord?”

Elrond clenched his fists down by his side but uttered not a word.

Mordraug was so proud of his plan, he couldn‘t avoid bragging about it. “My plan all along has been to rule Greenwood, as I rightfully should. I, myself, believed that when I died my plan had died with me. When I discovered my spirit still inhabited this land, I decided that revenge would be my all-consuming ambition. Now, I have discovered that I can indeed fulfill my original dream of claiming Greenwood.” He looked at Elrond, waiting for the way to accomplish this to dawn on the other elf.

When it did, Elrond couldn’t hide it. “You intend on using Legolas.”

Mordraug smiled triumphantly. “Of course. Think about it. Most of the elves of Greenwood would probably not accept me as their king, being corrupted by Thranduil and his ilk. Naturally, I could force them, but that would take time and energy. However,” he said, his grin widening, “when I take over Legolas’s mind completely, I can rule the kingdom, using his body. The silvan elves will certainly welcome their youngest prince as their king with open arms, since he would be the last of the House of Oropher. By the time they figured out the truth, if any of them ever did, it will be far too late. Perfect, is it not?”

Elrond, fists still clenched, did not comment on what Mordraug considered a brilliant plan. The dark elf had become so single-minded in his obsession that he wasn’t even thinking about the fact that Legolas could be paralyzed, and therefore, could not be used to complete his plan. In his heart, however, Elrond knew that if it turned out that Legolas wasn’t paralyzed and Mordraug wasn‘t stopped right here and now, the Avari’s plan could very well work. He held back a shudder at the very thought of it. In defiance, he said, “You will never rule Greenwood or any other realm in Middle-earth, Mordraug. I will see to that.”

Mordraug struggled to hide his rising anger. He would have liked to dismiss Elrond as little more than a pompous elf lord full of himself and claiming a glory throughout Arda that he did not deserve. Yet, despite his madness, there was one tiny part of the Avari’s mind that was till rational enough to recognize the fact that Imladris‘s lord could be a most formidable opponent. Thinking anything less could be a fatal mistake. After all, had he not just found a way to transport his living spirit into Legolas’s mind? Even so, it did not diminish Mordraug’s extreme arrogance. The dark elf had no doubts he would win, just as he had done every time he had gone up against Elrond and the other elven lords in the past. No one had stopped him then, and no one would stop him now.

Mordraug eyed the elf in front of him. He believed that Elrond might just try some other trick he knew nothing about. Rushing in blinding… Well, thinking about that could lead to defeat, and that word wasn’t in the dark elf’s vocabulary. At any rate, it was for that reason that Mordraug decided to proceed with caution, determined to enjoy the upcoming battle and the eventual victory he would win. He would claim two on this day: Elrond‘s life and Legolas‘s mind.

“What do you intend on doing now?” Elrond asked, not completely sure that Mordraug was quite vain and confident enough to actually tell him. Then again...

A grin spread across the Avari’s face. “Let us invite Legolas in to join in on the fun, shall we?”

Elrond could not suppress his anger. “This is now between you and me. Leave him out of it?”

“Surely, you jest. We are in his mind, are we not? He is very much in the thick of this battle.”

Elrond sighed inwardly. It had been worth the try to spare Legolas this confrontation, if he could. In addition, Mordraug would no doubt try to use Legolas against him. He did not fear for himself, but the young archer could be hurt further in the process. Elrond regretted his effort hadn’t worked.

Not having been in such a situation before, Elrond did not know in what condition Legolas would be, if he appeared in this room. Would he be in the same condition as in the outside world? Or, would he appear in his own mind as he always had been? Either way, Elrond had no idea how to prevent the prince’s appearance. This lack of control over the situation had to be corrected and corrected soon.

The elf lord hid his dismay, when Legolas suddenly materialized beside Mordraug. However, he couldn’t hide his joy at seeing Legolas standing tall and straight, with no sign of infirmity.

Legolas was surprised to see Elrond standing in front of him. He smiled broadly and started to rush over to him. He was hindered in the move, when Mordraug reached out and grabbed the archer’s right forearm and jerked him back roughly.

Legolas frowned and looked down at the hand gripping his arm. He tried to pull away, but the grip only tightened. He couldn’t understand how the dark elf could hold him so firmly with only one hand. He seemed to have some sort of extraordinary strength. Legolas looked into Mordraug’s face and scowled.

“You stay with me,” Mordraug growled, pulling Legolas a few inches back until the young elf stood beside him again.

Legolas thought about trying to fight the dark elf, but when he glanced at Elrond, the elf lord was shaking his head every so slightly. It was clear he did not want Legolas to take any risks, at least not yet. He was sure that very high risks would have to be taken before the coming confrontation was over. But, it was not yet the time.

Elrond narrowed his eyes at the dark elf. Tilting his head slightly, he said, “I thought you could not be stopped from gaining what you most desire. Do you fear that Legolas, the weak princeling you scoff at, can do something to harm you?” Elrond knew he was taking a chance that his words would cause Mordraug to hurt Legolas, but he hoped that, if the dark elf became enraged, he would aim it at the one who provoked him.

A quick glance showed him that Legolas was not afraid. His slight frown did reveal that he understood what Elrond was attempting and would not let the elf lord confront Mordraug alone.

It was not a lack of confidence in Elrond’s abilities. It was simply the act of surprise that prompted Legolas to spin around and slam his left fist into the Avari’s mouth, as hard as he could.

Elrond had seen the look in Legolas’s eye just before he moved. He didn’t have time to call the young elf off from what he was planning. All he could do was be ready to react.

The blow shocked Mordraug, but much to the dismay of both Elrond and Legolas, it did not render the dark elf ineffective. His grip on Legolas’s arm only slipped the barest bit, but it was not enough for the archer to pull free. In what seemed like less than a heartbeat, the grip not only tightened but became more painful, threatening to cut off circulation.

Elrond had closed the distance between himself and Mordraug in a flash, but when he saw Legolas wince in pain, he stopped his momentum. Mordraug had been faster.

“Very smart to back off, Elrond. I will twist his arm off. He may be whole here in his mind, but whatever happens to him here will carry over to the outside world. He may not be able to feel the pain of such an injury, but he will not have a right arm, either.”

Elrond did not know if that claim was another of Mordraug‘s lies or not. But, he couldn’t take the chance. That was the one thing that frustrated him the most. This was all so new, he couldn’t be sure how it all worked. Mordraug was a consummate liar, but he told the truth just often enough to cause doubt.

The painful grimace on Legolas’s face was real, however, so Elrond backed off to his original position. He also became furious at the grinning sneer on the Avari’s face. His words did not help Elrond‘s mood any, either.

“I see you finally realize who it is you are facing. I am no ordinary elf. That should have been clear to you before now. Too bad you did not comprehend it sooner. You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble and him,“ he indicated Legolas with the jerk of his head, “a lot of agonizing pain.”

With an increased sense of satisfaction that he knew something that the great Lord Elrond didn’t, Mordraug continued. “Have you never wondered just how I am able to appear in Legolas’s mind, when I am dead?” He paused, waiting for Elrond to ask how he had done it. He was disappointed, when the elf lord just stared at him with an unreadable expression.

“I will explain it to the both of you.” His tone was one of an adult trying to explain something to dull-witted elflings. “You know that my pet snake had special powers concentrated in its venom. The venom was deadly, killing me the same as it did the little prince here and all the others that were bitten. Well, it seems that the powers of the venom were transferred to me, when I was injected with it.” He turned to Legolas. “You might have had the same powers had Elrond not neutralized the venom. Of course, you would have died again.” He shrugged. “No matter. The point is that I have those powers now, and I can do anything I choose to the princeling here.”

“How is it that your spirit survived here, when all the other elves you killed did not?” Elrond asked, unable to hide the bitterness that edged his tone.

Mordraug merely shrugged. “I have no idea, unless it had to do with me working closely with the snake for over a millennium.“ He shrugged again. “However it happened, I accept my good fortune. Perhaps, Eru himself decided that I should have Greenwood after all.”

“Then, why did he not bring you back to life the way he did Legolas?”

Mordraug made a snort of impatience. “No more questions, Elrond. What is---is That is all I know and all I care to know.”

Elrond knew that, unfortunately, Mordraug was probably telling the truth about all of this, especially the part about how he came to be here in Legolas‘s mind. He, himself, had entered the young elf’s mind, using Vilya’s power. To do the same thing, Mordraug would also have had to possess some kind of extraordinary power. That he might have the power of the snake’s venom was not beyond the realm of possibility.

Elrond tried to keep his face a mask. Inside, however, he was having to scramble to reassess the possibilities that were suddenly confronting him---them. He couldn’t ignore Legolas’s part in all this, much as he wanted to.

With this newfound information, Elrond feared that Mordraug’s threat to use Legolas to gain the throne of Greenwood could actually be carried out. Whatever the Avari did to the young archer here could well happen in the outside world. This put a whole different light on what Elrond had been contemplating doing. The stakes had just risen to an almost intolerable level. He had no choice but to proceed from where he now found himself.

With a deep sigh, he knew it was time to start taking chances. No battle was ever won being overly cautious. “Are you too much of a coward to face me alone? Do you feel that you can only win, if you threaten to do Legolas further harm?”

Mordraug smiled. “I know that you are trying to get me to push him away, so you and I can face each other alone. It will not work.” The dark elf squeezed Legolas’s arm, now almost numb from having the nerves compressed, until the young elf was forced to his knees. Mordraug looked down at him. “Do not think that you can knock my legs out from under me while you are down there, little prince. You will pay dearly, if you try.”

Mordraug glanced toward Elrond, making sure the elf lord was not using Mordraug’s averted eyes to make a lightning fast attack. Elrond had not moved. The Avari grinned. He had that insufferable elf right where he wanted him. “You are too soft, Elrond. You let your affection for others weaken you. I would never let such an emotion for this whelp or any others not of my own blood to keep me from doing what I wanted to do.”

“I do not think you would let even a blood relation halt your evil aims,” Elrond scoffed. “Have you ever even felt love for someone besides yourself?

Elrond knew he had struck a nerve, when Mordraug roared in anger. “You do not know anything about who I have or have not loved in my life!”

A snort of derision escaped from Legolas. It earned him a painful twist of his arm, despite the suddenness of the move, he did not cry out. That was one satisfaction he was not going to give Mordraug.

When Legolas raised his head and looked up at Elrond, he saw the determination in the elf lord’s eyes. Just as Elrond had decided to challenge Mordraug, Legolas had decided to offer Elrond the best chance of taking the advantage. His eyes bored into the elf lord’s. As soon as he saw that Elrond understood that he was about to do something, he acted.

Legolas jerked himself backwards, ignoring the incredible pain that lanced through his right arm. It apparently wasn’t as numb as he had thought. As he flipped over onto his back. Mordraug was pulled down toward him, and Legolas took that opportunity to kick out with his legs. Both feet connected with Mordraug’s jaw, and the dark elf’s head snapped back.

Elrond had recognized the look in Legolas’s eyes, but was not able to voice his objection before Legolas made his move. As soon as Mordraug was hit, Elrond lunged forward and hit Mordraug with his shoulder, jerking the Avari’s hand free of Legolas’s arm. Elrond landed on top, as both elder elves crashed to the floor.

Mordraug roared in rage, as he put both hands around Elrond’s neck. It was time for this pompous elf lord to die. He began squeezing, his hatred of Elrond concentrated in his hands.

Elrond tried to pull Mordraug’s hands off of him, but he soon found that the grip would not lessen. The strength that had held Legolas firm with one hand was now brought to bear against the Lord of Imladris. To increase the hold further, Mordraug rolled over until he was on top.

A sudden scream from Mordraug was accompanied by the release of the dark elf’s grip. Elrond spent no time wondering what had happened. He rolled free of Mordraug and came to his feet immediately. He saw Legolas standing on the other side of Mordraug and realized that the young archer had evidently stomped down on Mordraug’s left leg, which was now being held tenderly by the Avari.

When Elrond bent down to grab Mordraug, the dark elf swung his own legs around and kicked upward. Elrond saw it coming and ducked to the side. Before he could do anything more, Mordraug came to his feet and crouched in front of the other two elves. Most of his concentration was on Elrond. However, he knew that Legolas, while not able to actually defeat him, could cause enough trouble to allow Elrond to take the advantage.

With a loud cry and a wave of his hand, Mordraug sent Legolas crashing backwards into the wall behind him. The young elf slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He grabbed his aching head with both hands, unable to keep a moan of pain from escaping him. He was feeling the exact same kind of attack that he had experienced in the garden. The room spun and his stomach lurched on the verge of losing everything in it. His next moan was one of frustration.

Elrond became furious. His healer’s heart urged him to go to the young prince to offer comfort, if nothing else. But, the elf lord was an experienced warrior with centuries of battles and wars behind him. He knew to keep his attention focused on the foe he faced. He also knew not to let anger interfere with what needed to be done.

TBC