✓ Wizard's Apprentice | Legolas |

Book Two: Chapter Nine

Aragorn turned with his sword raised up and charged the army of orcs. Then we followed. I took my mother's advice for once. Magic it would be. Here and there I would catch unsuspecting orcs on fire until I decided to tryi something else. Something that Gandalf had tried to teach me. Light. You have to have a pure heart and soul in order to use it. It conquers all things evil.

I took a deep breath.

"Be gone and go back back to the fires from where you came!" Suddenly, a bright white light shot forth from my hand before a about a hundred orcs turned to dust. For some reason, this magic didn't drain me. Actually, it gave me more energy. I continued to fight until I heard a loud rumble from Mount Doom. When I turned to look at it, I saw that it was exploding. Frodo and Sam had finally done it!

I got off of my horse in triumph when I felt a pain shoot through my abdomen. I looked down at my stomach to find a dagger lodged into it. Someone had thrown it at me. I pulled it out with a cry of pain. I gabbed onto Baralin, trying to keep my balance but even my vision was becoming blurry. I fell to the ground as I heard my name. Legolas, I think it was.

My eyes closed and like that, my life was over.

***

Legolas's P.O.V.

I pulled Arietta into my lap. She wasn't breathing anymore. By now, a crowd had gathered around us, some sobbing, some gasping.

"You can't do this to me. What about our future?" I whispered into her ear. She wasn't going to reply with one of her sarcastic retorts. She wasn't going to reply at all.

Another gasp went through the crowd but I didn't look to see who it was. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Son, let me take it from here." I looked up to see a man with gray hair and red robe. I quickly stood up and joined Adalia who looked stunned. The man then sprinkled ash onto Arietta before turning to us.

"Our family's main power is fire and healing. There are rules to our powers. When a volcano erupts, though, those rules do not apply due to the fact that we are strong enough to canel them out. Enough to allow me to bring back a person from the dead." I stared at him in disbelief as he began singing.

And death shall have no dominion.

Dead man naked they shall be one

With the man in the wind and the west moon;

When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,

They shall have stars at elbow and foot;

Though they go mad they shall be sane,

Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;

Though lovers be lost love shall not;

And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.

Under the windings of the sea

They lying long shall not die windily;

Twisting on racks when sinews give way,

Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;

Faith in their hands shall snap in two,

And the unicorn evils run them through;

Split all ends up they shan't crack;

And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.

No more may gulls cry at their ears

Or waves break loud on the seashores;

Where blew a flower may a flower no more

Lift its head to the blows of the rain;

Though they be mad and dead as nails,

Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;

Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,

And death shall have no dominion.

I saw Arietta's chest begin to rise and fall before she opened her eyes. She sat up quickly before I rushed down beside her.

"I'm alive! I'm alive!" she weeped into my chest. She then looked up at the man.

"Grandfather?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes?"

"You did this?" He nodded before Arietta embraced him into a hug. She then came back to me.

"I'm ready to go back to Minas Tirith."

***

Arietta's P.O.V.

I stood beside my mother as Gandalf was getting ready to name the new king of Gondor. Or the return. Same difference.

"Now comes the days of the king. Many they be blessed." Gandalf placed the crown on Aragorn's head and the crowd erupted into applause. Aragorn slowly rised and turned to us as Gondor's King.

"This day does not belong to one man but to all," he began."Let us together rebuild this word that we may share in the days of peace." Then in elvish he sang,"Out of the Great Sea to Middle Earth I am come. In this place will I abide and my heirs, unto the ending of the world." He walked slowly down the white paved path and each of us bowed in respect. He stopped and turned to me.

"Watch out for that beard. I can see it already." I smiled at him.

"Just remember this: I'm Arwen's cousin." He laughed before I sai a flash of sorrow. I grabbed his hand and lead him over to the elves. They stepped aside to reveal Arwen. She ran up to him they kissed. Then I saw my mother run up to Elrond and she kissed him as well. I thought that my jaw was going to drop.

"I thought you knew," Arwen said, Aragorn's arm around her waist.

"I...uh...didn't." Arwen and Aragorn both laughed before walking away. With all this kissing, I needed to find Legolas. I walked over to Legolas who was chatting with another elf from Mirkwood. When the elf saw me approach, he walked away quickly. Odd.

"Legolas, were you talking about me?" I asked suspiciously.

"What? No, of course not," he said too quickly and I giggled before leaning in for a kiss. To my surprise, Legolas pulled away before my lips could connect with his.

"Okay, what waws that?" Legolas took both of my hands into his.

"Before we get too far, I want you to meet my father." I rolled my eyes.

"Legolas, you can't go much further than making love other than getting pregnant which kinda goes hand-in-hand with that," I said.

"Please come."

"Remember the story of Luthien and Beren?" I asked and Legolas nodded.

"She fell in love with a mortal. They both died. One of wounds, the other of grief."

"But they came back to life," he reminded me.

"You don't get it, do you? When elves fall in love with mortals, their fate is uncertain and bad."

"We won't turn out like that," Legolas assured me. "So will you go with me?" He looked at me with pleading eyes. I sighed.

"Fine, but I know that your father won't like it."