Before Green and Gold: Prologue - Legolas

Title: Before Green and Gold: Prologue - Legolas 3/4
Author: Kat (Legolas, calenamalthen@yahoo.com), Embervixen (Haldir, Arwen, cirle99@bellsouth.net), Leanan2000 (Glorfindel, hannally@aol.com), Cella (Elrond, silk_n_velvet_elf@yahoo.com), Melly (Celeborn, calenamalthen@yahoo.com
Type: slash
Pairing: Legolas/Haldir
Rating: R
Disclaimer: we own none of it, hai hail the mighty Tolkien
Summary/Notes: after finding strength in a newly-forming bond between them, Legolas and Haldir assist in exorcizing the evil from Elrond

The dark Legolas allowed Haldir to help him from the room. This body it had inhabited was wracked with pain and so weak. Tartharther they walked, the less control the darkness had over the body. Though it was an elvish body, it seemed to have reached its limit. Perhaps it was not time - the darkness curled back and away, leaving the body to the 'real' Legolas. If he died, it made no difference. But if he lived, the darkness would resume control.

Legolas wandered through a deep forest. His footfalls made no sound as he walked. Tendrils of mist twined through the branches of the trees and brushed across him with cold fingers. He shivered with the chill. The trees were strange to him, whispering in voices he did not know- not the dark wildness of Mirkwood or the silver beeches of Imladris, nor yet the redwoods of Lothlorien. He was lost, utterly and completely. Slowly he became aware of the feeling of eyes watching him, tracking his movements. He stopped and turned around, casting his gaze as far as he could into the darkness, but saw nothing. And yet the feeling raised the hairs on the back of his neck. Someone, something, watched. The presence was not benevolent. He moved forward again, slowly, all of his senses stretched to their limits, and still he found not what he sought. The feeling of eyes raked over his body, making his flesh crawl. His body trembled, and his muscles ached with the strain of holding himself back. He would not run; he would not.... He ran. He raced through the forest, his breath coming in harsh gasps. The trees seemed to reach out as he passed, grasping for his clothes, his hair, his face. But the malevolence kept pace with him. Abruptly he broke through the line of trees and into a clearing. The malevolence gained on him, and he pushed himself faster, faster, and then he was at the edge of a cliff, but he could not stop. He flew out over the edge. Arms outstretched, Legolas fell into the swirling mist.

He slammed to the ground and lay still, unable to move. The ground was cold underneath him, like marble. He tried to open his eyes, to look around, but could not. Slowly he became aware of a voice, choking. "Legolas, mellon nin. Oh Valar, help me!" Haldir's voice. When had Haldir found him? He could not recall.

Suddenly he felt hands pressed to his stomach, and he gasped as pain shot through him like the burst of the sun. He wanted to cry out, but the sound was lost between his soul and his mouth. With the sensation, memory flooded back, and he wanted to curl into himself and hide away. He wanted to disappear back into the forest, into the mist. He felt himself begin to drift, the mist gathering in the corners of his mind.

And then lips pressed to his, drawing him back into his body. He felt a presence above him, Haldir, holding him, shaking with sobs. He tried to respond, to make his lips answer, to move any part of himself, but his mind and body were not yet connected. Before he could pull himself together, the lips were gone, as was the comfort of Haldir holding him. A discordant scream rent the air.

Legolas could feel a vibrant desperation in the air, and an answering sensation rose in him. He had to do something, had to help Haldir! He pushed against the mist encasing his mind. It was not time to go. Not yet. He would help Haldir, and then he could leave.

The mist began to dissipate in the heat of his need, and then he was back inside himself, the shock of pain almost sending him spinning out again. But he gritted his teeth and would not allow himself to let go. He would do this. Summoning the last traces of strength in his body, he pushed himself to his knees, then reached for Haldir where he lay, thrashing on the floor. He placed a gentle hand on him, trying to hold him still.

"Haldir, mellon, I am here. Please. Come back to me." His voice was so thin he was not sure the other would hear him, but it was all he could manage. The movements had opened the cuts Elrond had made, and blood flowed down his legs. His head swirled, and he held tightly to consciousness. "Haldir, please." The mists threatened to swallow him.

Haldir struggled against the fuming blackness, gagging and gasping for breath, when a gentle hand descended upon his naked flesh, attempting to still his violent convulsions.

"Haldir, mellon, I am here. Please. Come back to me." The melodically pleading voice of the Mirkwood Prince reached through the harshness of the black veil that sought to pin him beneath
its fetid weight.

An unseen hand squeezed his heart, trying to stifle the flood of life, but Haldir's will was far stronger than that of any evil. With a lusty cry, the Haldir Within drew his scimitars and rushed to his aid, blades flashing and whirling, slashing through clo cloak of darkness as a brilliant white light streamed in from behind, and Haldir found himself standing amongst the sunlit fields, naked and unadorned, the mists of time swirling about his bare feet as a figure bathed in golden light stepped before him, flaxen hair streaming behind him like a silken banner of hope. Legolas.

Haldir reached for him, turning the Prince away from the mists of the forest, drawing him into his embrace, weeping like a child as he held the beautiful elf against his chest, feeling the warmth of his essence flood to mingle with his own, uniting them in a union far greater than
any physical act of love could ever touch.

"Meleth nin, I shall never let you go," Haldir breathed, and the two bodies fused into a single stream of all encompassing radiant light, surpassing the sun's brilliant rays.

It was then that Haldir realized he had spoken the words aloud. He looked up into Legolas' blue eyes, saw the worry, felt the unspoken depth of his love and reached for him, his hand brushing the soft skin of the Prince's cheek as Legolas leaned closer. Haldir sat up effortlessly, bringing his lips to Legolas', placing a gentle hand on the Prince's chest, feeling the warmth of his adulation spread through his fingertips like warm light, pulsating throughout his body and into that of Legolas until the sensation peaked. Haldir glanced down at Legolas' naked body. The wounds of torture had completely healed, and the horrible darkness had been vanquished at last.

Haldir reached a hand to Legolas who was staring at his once-again flawless skin in utter amazement. "Come, mellon. I heard the voices of Arwen and Saelbeth. We must reach them before Lord Elrond hears of their return," Haldir said as he pulled Legolas to his feet.

Legolas smiled at the other elf and laughed.

Haldir snorted. "Are you mad? I said-"

Legolas bent to retrieve the tunics and tossed one to Haldir. "If we arrive naked with swords drawn, they may believe us to be less than ourselves." He then moved to stroke Haldir's hair with one gentle hand. "Although, I do confess, I would much rather admire your beauty."

Haldir caught the tips of Legolas' fingers in his hand and kissed them softly.

"I will allow you to admire me properly once this is over, mellon nin," Haldir teased, pulling on his tunic hurriedly. "For now, find our swords. We must hurry!"

Legolas was already ahead of him, the discarded weapons in his hand. Once clothed, the pair raced towards the study where they met with the others who had gathered their and prepared for the worst.

Within a matter moments, Elrond appeared in the doorway, apparently shocked to find the band of elves armed and ready.

Haldir looked first to Elrond and then to Legolas who nodded, sword clasped tightly in his white knuckled grip. With a roaring cry, the two elves leapt for Lord Elrond, Legolas coming in low and to the left and Haldir to the right as they sought to pin the angry Lord in any manner they could without having to hurt him.

The evil combined with Elrond's natural strength and skill as warrior proved to be an almost insurmountable obstacle as the two elves fought blow after blow from the bellowing Half-Elven.

Haldir grunted as Elrond's fist smashed solidly into his jaw, yet he refused to harm the Lord of Imladris and sought to knock the weapon from his hand, lest he slice Legolas open from navel to nose! But the Mirkwood Prince was quicker still, taking several blows to the back as well as squarely landing a punch in the face that made blood stream from his mouth and now, by using the hilt of his sword, he managed to rap Elrond's knuckles hard enough to loosen his hold on the sword. It fell to the floor with a clink of metal.

Haldir took the advantage and slapped the sides of Elrond's hands with the flat of his scimitar blades as the Elven Lord screamed and cursed, seeking to kick them, bite them, claw out their eyes, anything to keep them from pinning him to the wall where Haldir and Legolas had
been previously shackled, but Haldir and Legolas refused to relent as they shoved the raging elf against the bricks harshly and cuffed his wrists with the metal shackles before springing away, panting and bleeding.

Haldir felt the strength suddenly ebb from his body, leaving him weak and shaken. He leaned against the wall for support, the full agony of his traumatized body culminating at last. The room spun dizzily as he strove desperately to remember just what had happened to bring the pain to such a heightened sensation. A flashback seized his mind.

Legolas lay limply in Haldir's embrace as he strove to find a way to keep the Prince from slipping from this wornd ind into the next. Drawing a deep breath, he closed his eyes and prayed silently. By the grace of the Valar, allow his pain to pass to me. Spare him. Please.

Haldir had not felt the weight of his wishful incantations until this very moment. The Valar had certainly done as he asked. A sweeping wave of blackness crashed over him, and he fell to his knees, his consciousness slipping into shadow.

~:~

Elrond was tense. He stepped back from the room, letting instinct take over. There were too many to fight! But before he had backed completely out of the doorway, a blur of flaxen hair was grabbing him from both sides. His sword, which had been grasped in both hands, was shifted to his left, his weaker hand.

He hollered out a warrior's anguished cry as he flailed, punching Haldir in the face. But Haldir's quick reflexes as he punched Elrond in the stomach forced him to let go, also serving to weaken him eversligslightly for a brief moment. He tried to bring the sword up, to slice Legolas from nuts to nose, but all he managed was to backhand him in the face, until pain coursed through his knuckles when Legolas drove the hilt of his sword into Elrond's hand. His sword clinked to the floor. He used every resource he could. His legs came out to kick, but the bloody robes were too restrictive. He tried to bite Legolas' hand but couldn't reach. He was dragged into the room, flailing, his arms pulled harshly above his head as he tried to kick out, and his wrists were shackled the same as he had done to his victims! He grabbed the chains above his head and pulled his entire body off the floor, kicking out both legs at Legolas who was moving away, but he missed by mere inches! An inhuman, sonorous screech issued from his lips, rattling the windows. He twisted and writhed, his long hair webbing about his face and shoulders in his struggles. Then he stopped, staring, seething, his breath panting, blowing out the strands of hair that draped past his mouth.

"I said it once before, but now the words are more than a threat, they are an ultimatum; this ends now." With Glorfindel's aid, Celeborn crossed the room. Elrond thought, I should have killed him when I had the chance! In passing, Glorfindel snatched up the blade dropped by Elrond in his struggles. "You see now that none of those you thought to take were broken by your dealings. If anything, the bonds between them have been made stronger."

Boldly, Glorfindel set the blade tip of Elrond's own sword under his chin, lifting his face. He watched through his hair as theescheschal spoke. "Mellon-nin," Glorfindel said softly, "I do believe you dropped this. You should be careful where you leave your sword, you never know who may desire it. Your time here is over." The blade clinked loudly as Glorfindel cast it aside. "We will free our people one by one from your clutches, and never be so vulnerable to you again. You have failed - light has again triumphed over darkness. Evil is nothing when faced with goodness and love."

"Arwen, this is your task," Celeborn encouraged, holding out one hand to his granddaughter. "Have faith in yourself as all those here have faith in you."

A loud voice shook the rooot Eot Elrond's and barely coming from Elrond, though his lips moved to form the words. "You think you have won!" The pure evil spoke, evil that to hear hurt the ears of Elves. All hands clasped over their ears, but still they could hear it. "I am the rage of the sea, the tempest of the earth, and none can destroy me for I have always existed. I will return to destroy every one of you!" In his eyes a red fire burned! "And I will kill this body before I go, so do as you will and watch your lord die!"

Arwen approached her struggling and now panting father, her head held high, her blue eyes betraying no fear as she came to stand before him, hands clasped in front of her, meeting the seething hatred that flickered deep within his stormy eyes with unflinching calm. "Father," she said softly, "I know that you are in there, and I know that you can hear me."

Her hand reached to touch his sweat soaked hair, and her fingers slid along the outlin his his jaw as she laid her hand against his cheek as Elrond struggled to speak, but the only sound that came forth was a strangled growl of raw anger as he cringed at the touch of her gentle fingers as if the heat of her skin against his own seared his flesh with pain. "And you," she said, her tone firm and commanding, still staring at Elrond yet addressing him as someone else entirely. "You have no place here. My father and his people are stronger than your evil could ever reach. You may seek to destroy us. You may seek to divide us. But in the end, you only draw us closer. Look around you." She indicated the roomelveelves with aepineping gesture of her hand, a gesture so like one of her father's that the others seemed to see his likeness blazing within her. "Do you not see the love that you have created in the wake of your evil? Can you not feel the vibrancy of its purity? You have done us no harm, but rather have helped us unite, and for that, I should thank you."

She stepped closer still, her hand moving to Elrond's chest and coming to rest over his heart. He had stopped struggling now, but was still trying with all of his might to glare defiantly at her. But she could also sense the indomitable will of Elrond intruding on hatred's hold, and she moved even closer, her hands touching either side of his tortured visage with feathered gentleness.

"Father, I love you so very much. You are my protector, my confidant, my wisest council, and now it is I who must protect you, and I would forfeit my life to see that your kind hand rules this land for all eternity. And if you must take someone, you shall take me. "

A hazy glow seemed to arise to illuminate Arwen's willowy form as she stared lovingly into the eyes of the Half-Elven Lord that she had loved all of her short life more than any person she could ever imagine. A collective gasp arose from those gathered as Arwen craned her neck and placed a gentle, chaste kiss upon her father's open mouth, breathing her love for him into his body, allowing the rush of emotion to flow fror lir lips in a quiet whisper. "Amin mela lle, Ada."

With a wailing cry, the entity, in a black cloud, burst from Elrond's mouth, knocking Arwen over backwards as it rose up and circled the air above them all, pulling out all the evils from the Hobbits and Glorfindel and Aragorn, reabsorbing all back into itself until it was a huge swirling mass above them. Thendippdipped and ducked through the room, knocking all over with its force before slamming full into Elrond, knocking him harshly against the wall, cracking his skull open, as it rushed from the room, from the house and dissipated into the air out of Imladris, away from Elves, on a path to Gondor.

Pain coursed throughout Elrond's body from the damage the evil had done. He heard the crack of his skull when the entity struck him, felt the sharp jab of pain, warm blood running down his neck, and for the briefest moment, he felt pride, pride for his daughter and those of Imladris, and knew they could make it without him. Then all went black.

tbc...