This Side of Paradise (Legolas Fanfic)

Part 3 (25)

       He speaks as though he wants to impress us with his words while also turning us away. "Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth," Gandalf commands. "I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm!" He raises his staff and the slimey man finally shows his fear and backs off.

        "His staff! I told you to take the wizard's staff!" Wormtongue yells in horror. Men rush towards us to try to subdue us but he manage to fight them off with our hands, clearing a path for Gandalf to make his way to the king.

       "Theoden, son of Thengel, too long have you sat in the shadows," Gandalf addresses. Gimli catches Wormtongue before he can go anywhere, pressing his foot onto the man's chest to keep him still, finalizing our fight with the rotten guards. "Hearken to me, I release you from the spell," Gandalf says, stretching his hand out to Theoden. A vibration is felt in the air but the king is unchanged.

       In fact he laughs at Gandalf's words. "You have no power here, Gandalf the grey."

       He laughs again, angering Gandalf enough to throw off his robe. This causes Theoden to press up against the back of his throne, as if pushed there by some invisible force. "I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." A girl rushes in and tries to stop what happening but Aragorn holds her back before she can get in the way.

       "If I go Theoden dies," "Theoden" threatens.

       "You did not kill me, you will not kill him!" Gandalf retorts.

       "Rohan is mine!" A voice that is not his own come from Theoden's mouth.

       "Be gone!" Gandalf commands and touches his staff to Theoden's head. He falls back into his throne, the battle is done. He groans and the girl frees herself from Aragorn's grasp, rushing over to her king. He lifts his head looking around anxiously as some wrinkles disapears from his face, color returns to his face and hair, and the cloud that was in his eyes evaporates.

       "I know your face," Theoden whispers to the girl. "Eowyn... Eowyn." His niece. "Gandalf?"

       "Breathe the free air again, my friend," Gandalf says. Theoden stands and a grin speads on my face. I find myself glancing at Legolas and see him also basking in our victory.

       "Dark have been my dreams of late," Theoden remarks looking at his hands, them finally being his hands once again.

       "Your fingers would remember their old strength better is they gripped your sword," Gandalf recommends and the sword is brought over. Theoden draws his sword but catches the sight of Wormtongue. Who is very quickly thrown from the castle. He tries to dissuade Theoden from banishing him but Theoden doesn't have any of it.

       Theoden tries to swing his sword at Wormtongue but Aragorn catches his sword. "No, my lord, enough blood has been spilled on his account." The people hail their king as the worm runs from what used to be his hole.

       Theoden suddenly catches sight of me and his face is overcome with shock. "Astra?"

       "It's good to see you, Theoden," I smile warmly. He walks over to me and gives me a bearlike hug. When he lets me go I see his face fall. He asks about his son. Gandalf walks Theoden over to the boys grave. The rest of our party let them go alone, to let Theoden properly grieve his son.

       "So," Gimli starts as we walk back into the palace. I sigh, knowing what's coming. "What exactly was that with King Theoden?"

       Aragorn tries not to appear as though he's awaiting the answer as eagerly as Legolas and Gimli are. "We had a relationship of sorts." Aragorn seems to have already guessed that, Gimli seems to be already thinking about his next question, and Legolas looks distant, almost unsettled by this thought. "It was about twenty years ago, right before he took his wife. I saw that she loved him and I didn't want to give him hope where there was none so I left. That really all there is."

       "It doesn't appear that was all there was for him," Legolas says so lowly only I can hear. Shocked, I watch him walk away from us.

       After a few moments of just waiting around Theoden and Gandalf come back in but they're ushering children into the room. "Get a good meal and a jug of water," I order a guard immediately. I only just notice the weird looks I get but he follows orders anyways. They put them on the bench and trying to get the boy that passed out to wake back up.

       They remind me of myself, when I lost my parents, my whole world, everything. I might not have lived with the elves long but before I was abandoned they were able to instill upon my the importance of children. Nothing is more important than a child's life. They leave Eowyn and I to deal with the children. I was able to wake the boy up while Eowyn calmed down the younger sister.

       "I know that you don't want to talk right now but we need to know what happened," I say softly.

       "Wildmen," The boy answers gruffly around some of his bread. I see him look at his sister out of the corner of his eye, I can only imagine heavy the weight on his small shoulders must feel. "They came suddenly, with smoke behind them. They burned down the whole village, they..."

       "That's all we need, thank you," I say. Eowyn tells them what the boy was able to tell us.

       "Where's mama?" The girl asks and I feel as if there's something in my throat trying to choke me. Legolas catches my eye as Eowyn puts a blanket over the girls shoulders. Damn him, why does he have to know. Gandalf goes on about how Saruman is capable of so much more than just this. Aragorn advises Theoden to face war but Theoden argues that his forces are too far away. A tension fills the room and as argue.

       "What would you do, Astra?" Theoden asks tiredly and all eyes turn to me.

       "You know I would not make a good king Theoden," I remind him, trying to find a solution to this that would not let any blame fall on me either way.

       "You used to have good counsel though," He reminds me and I roll my eyes, knowing he simply trying to goad my into giving him an answer.

       After a quiet pause Gandalf asks "Then what is the king's decision?" Theoden decides to tell his people to go into hiding in Helm's deep. This anger Gandalf but he doesn't argue against it, we can't exactly tell him what to do when it's his kingdom. He gives us food and shelter.

       After everyone goes to sleep I find myself tossing and turning in my bed. I finally throw the covers off of me and go for a walk. I find Legolas looking over the surrounding city on a balcony. I realize that I'm still in my nightgown as I come up beside him, keeping my eyes fixed on the moon. "They'll all have to leave their houses," He breaks the silence, sighing angrily. "Why are we even here if we can't help these people keep their own homes? Does it make you feel as helpless as it makes me feel?"

       He searches my eyes, clearly angry with this whole situation. "Helpless is definitely a way to describe this situation," I agree. I move my hand over on the banister just enough so that the sides of our hands are touching. He jumps but doesn't pull away. "We are helping these people, you are helping more people than just these. Even if we don't succeed we are fighting for this whole realm.

       "These people can't stay in their houses, but your fighting to keep and many other alive. So... don't sell yourself short," I shrug awkwardly. I feel a nervous feeling in my stomach grow.