Fallen Innocence
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. J.R.R. Tolkien does or rather he did. Or he still does. However you see it.
A/N: Well, this is slightly AU. And it's slash, too, so if you don't like that don't read it. **Don't** flame me! I warned you. It also has rape so don't read it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Chapter 1 (Angels fall first)
They had left Moria a few hours ago. They had run until their lungs were burning and their feet were no longer able to carry them, but they still hadn't reached Lorien. Aragorn had allowed them to take a short break; the Hobbits were too tired to walk on. Everyone, but Legolas was asleep; the Elf couldn't sleep, anyway, and so he watched over his friends. He looked up at the moon that was ever present. He had thought that Gandalf was like the moon, too, that he couldn't die. But Gandalf had done the impossible. Legolas fought with tears. He was almost three thousand years old, but the loss of a friend still hurt him. Death wasn't something you could get used to. It certainly wasn't.
He walked a bit away to be alone. The others were asleep, but they still disturbed his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder to the main source of disturbance: Aragorn. He knew that all of this was very difficult for the ranger. Aragorn still had to fight with the shadows of the past ... with Isildur and now he also had to lead the group. Legolas sighed and walked over the short grass until he reached a few gentle hills when he suddenly felt a hand on his mouth. That and cold metal on his throat. Strong arms got a hold of him and dealed easily with his protest. He at least managed to turn a bit to see who was carrying him. Orcs. Five or six orcs from Moria! He kicked and tried to scream, but it was useless: the Orc who was holding him had his dirty hand still pressed down on Legolas' mouth and even if he hadn't, they were too far away from his friends. They couldn't hear him. Aragorn couldn't hear him.
"Stop fighting, Elf," the Orc said in the Common Language. "I'm stronger than you and the more you fight the greater your punishment will be."
Legolas didn't doubt the Orc's threat. He just wished he could do anything. An open fight he could deal with, but not with this. He didn't know what the Orcs were planning on nor where they were taking him.
They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a small piece of wood. They hadn't gone into the direction where Lorien was, but the opposite so there was no help for Legolas. The Orcs tied him up and against a tree. He expected them to beat him up or to kill him or anything like that, but not what should happen next. The Orc who had carried him used Legolas' own knife to cut his clothes open. That was when the Elf realized what they were about to do. He screamed and screamed and the Orcs laughed.
The pale moon was the only witness to what they did.
After they were finished they laughed at him again; a sound he should never forget.
"Why?", he asked. "Why?"
"You and your friends killed many of our kin. We had to take revenge, Elf. You have to understand that. And you're a pretty one, too ...," the one who had kidnapped him, replied.
With that said he took his bow and shot an arrow right into the Elf's heart. Then they left.
Aragorn woke up, covered in sweat. Nightmares kept haunting him and he felt like they had stayed at that place for too long, anyway. He got up to find that Legolas was gone. He frowned. That was not like him. He wouldn't leave the group behind and without protection like this. He followed Legolas' footprints until he found them crossed by others. Orcs.
He rushed back to the others and woke them as fast as possible.
"What's the matter?", Pippin asked until he realized where they were. He expected that Aragorn wanted them to walk on.
"Where's the Elf?", Gimli wanted to know. He was the first one to discover that Legolas was gone.
"I followed his footprints," Aragorn explained. "He didn't walk away for too far, but ... there were Orcs, too, it seems."
That was enough for the fellowship. They followed the footprints until they reached the woods. When they saw him they almost wished they hadn't found him. Gimli immediately covered Merry's and Pippin's eyes with his hands to protect the young Hobbits from this sight.
Blood trickled over Legolas' thighs and down his legs. His fair face was bruised and covered in blood. His whole body had been used and broken. And there was this arrow in his chest ... Frodo ran a bit away to vomit on the ground with Sam behind him while Gimli led the younger Hobbits away. Even Boromir who had seen many cruel things in war before had not the heart to look at Legolas.
Finally Aragorn walked over to him. He felt for the Elf's pulse, but didn't really expect to find one. He pulled his hand back like he had burnt it.
"He is alive," he whispered.
They continued their journey even more desperate than before. They had to reach Lorien soon or Legolas would die. Aragorn hadn't been able to do much for him.
If only Gandalf was here ... If he had been there this wouldn't have happened. If Legolas dies I will never forgive myself. Not Legolas. Please not him ...
A few hours later they met Haldir and were led to the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel.
"Take the Prince of Mirkwood to his chambers immediately," she ordered one of her servants. "No, I'll take him there," Aragorn contradicted.
"Hurry," Galadriel simply replied. "Or everything will be too late."
The Lady of the Wood stayed with Legolas for several hours. When she came out of his chambers she looked tired and defeated.
"The arrow was close to his heart. He is strong like all Elves are, but not even I can tell what is going to be. If he finds the will to fight death he may live, but I don't think that he wishes to fight," Galadriel said, finally.
"But ..." Aragorn was at a loss for words.
"The Orcs did not only hurt his body with their actions, but also his soul," Galadriel answered the question he had never asked.
"And yes, they did to him what you feared the most."
Aragorn never left Legolas' side and while he watched him he got to see a different side of the Elf. He was not the emotionless warrior anymore. Something inside him had broken and had changed him. Maybe forever. The ranger couldn't read Legolas' mind, but it was obvious that dark dreams and memories tortured him and hurt him even more. He felt so sorry and so guilty, but there was more. He felt fury for something dear to him had been hurt.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. J.R.R. Tolkien does or rather he did. Or he still does. However you see it.
A/N: Well, this is slightly AU. And it's slash, too, so if you don't like that don't read it. **Don't** flame me! I warned you. It also has rape so don't read it if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Chapter 1 (Angels fall first)
They had left Moria a few hours ago. They had run until their lungs were burning and their feet were no longer able to carry them, but they still hadn't reached Lorien. Aragorn had allowed them to take a short break; the Hobbits were too tired to walk on. Everyone, but Legolas was asleep; the Elf couldn't sleep, anyway, and so he watched over his friends. He looked up at the moon that was ever present. He had thought that Gandalf was like the moon, too, that he couldn't die. But Gandalf had done the impossible. Legolas fought with tears. He was almost three thousand years old, but the loss of a friend still hurt him. Death wasn't something you could get used to. It certainly wasn't.
He walked a bit away to be alone. The others were asleep, but they still disturbed his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder to the main source of disturbance: Aragorn. He knew that all of this was very difficult for the ranger. Aragorn still had to fight with the shadows of the past ... with Isildur and now he also had to lead the group. Legolas sighed and walked over the short grass until he reached a few gentle hills when he suddenly felt a hand on his mouth. That and cold metal on his throat. Strong arms got a hold of him and dealed easily with his protest. He at least managed to turn a bit to see who was carrying him. Orcs. Five or six orcs from Moria! He kicked and tried to scream, but it was useless: the Orc who was holding him had his dirty hand still pressed down on Legolas' mouth and even if he hadn't, they were too far away from his friends. They couldn't hear him. Aragorn couldn't hear him.
"Stop fighting, Elf," the Orc said in the Common Language. "I'm stronger than you and the more you fight the greater your punishment will be."
Legolas didn't doubt the Orc's threat. He just wished he could do anything. An open fight he could deal with, but not with this. He didn't know what the Orcs were planning on nor where they were taking him.
They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a small piece of wood. They hadn't gone into the direction where Lorien was, but the opposite so there was no help for Legolas. The Orcs tied him up and against a tree. He expected them to beat him up or to kill him or anything like that, but not what should happen next. The Orc who had carried him used Legolas' own knife to cut his clothes open. That was when the Elf realized what they were about to do. He screamed and screamed and the Orcs laughed.
The pale moon was the only witness to what they did.
After they were finished they laughed at him again; a sound he should never forget.
"Why?", he asked. "Why?"
"You and your friends killed many of our kin. We had to take revenge, Elf. You have to understand that. And you're a pretty one, too ...," the one who had kidnapped him, replied.
With that said he took his bow and shot an arrow right into the Elf's heart. Then they left.
Aragorn woke up, covered in sweat. Nightmares kept haunting him and he felt like they had stayed at that place for too long, anyway. He got up to find that Legolas was gone. He frowned. That was not like him. He wouldn't leave the group behind and without protection like this. He followed Legolas' footprints until he found them crossed by others. Orcs.
He rushed back to the others and woke them as fast as possible.
"What's the matter?", Pippin asked until he realized where they were. He expected that Aragorn wanted them to walk on.
"Where's the Elf?", Gimli wanted to know. He was the first one to discover that Legolas was gone.
"I followed his footprints," Aragorn explained. "He didn't walk away for too far, but ... there were Orcs, too, it seems."
That was enough for the fellowship. They followed the footprints until they reached the woods. When they saw him they almost wished they hadn't found him. Gimli immediately covered Merry's and Pippin's eyes with his hands to protect the young Hobbits from this sight.
Blood trickled over Legolas' thighs and down his legs. His fair face was bruised and covered in blood. His whole body had been used and broken. And there was this arrow in his chest ... Frodo ran a bit away to vomit on the ground with Sam behind him while Gimli led the younger Hobbits away. Even Boromir who had seen many cruel things in war before had not the heart to look at Legolas.
Finally Aragorn walked over to him. He felt for the Elf's pulse, but didn't really expect to find one. He pulled his hand back like he had burnt it.
"He is alive," he whispered.
They continued their journey even more desperate than before. They had to reach Lorien soon or Legolas would die. Aragorn hadn't been able to do much for him.
If only Gandalf was here ... If he had been there this wouldn't have happened. If Legolas dies I will never forgive myself. Not Legolas. Please not him ...
A few hours later they met Haldir and were led to the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel.
"Take the Prince of Mirkwood to his chambers immediately," she ordered one of her servants. "No, I'll take him there," Aragorn contradicted.
"Hurry," Galadriel simply replied. "Or everything will be too late."
The Lady of the Wood stayed with Legolas for several hours. When she came out of his chambers she looked tired and defeated.
"The arrow was close to his heart. He is strong like all Elves are, but not even I can tell what is going to be. If he finds the will to fight death he may live, but I don't think that he wishes to fight," Galadriel said, finally.
"But ..." Aragorn was at a loss for words.
"The Orcs did not only hurt his body with their actions, but also his soul," Galadriel answered the question he had never asked.
"And yes, they did to him what you feared the most."
Aragorn never left Legolas' side and while he watched him he got to see a different side of the Elf. He was not the emotionless warrior anymore. Something inside him had broken and had changed him. Maybe forever. The ranger couldn't read Legolas' mind, but it was obvious that dark dreams and memories tortured him and hurt him even more. He felt so sorry and so guilty, but there was more. He felt fury for something dear to him had been hurt.