Legolas jolted, and Eowyn, assuming that it was another one of his spasms, tried to gently push him back onto the mattress. But his eyes snapped open and he swung his head wildly. He locked eyes with her and scrambled away from her. He had the look of a trapped wild animal, head swinging wildly trying to find something that looked familiar.
"Mi van im? (Where am I?)" He cried out. He glanced at Eowyn once again before glancing once again around the room.
"Please, I am afraid I cannot understand you," Eowyn said gently, she tried to take a step forward but at his frightened look she made herself stop. "I wish to help you. I am Eowyn of Rohan." It was quite clear that he still did not trust her, and he still placed himself as far as possible away from him. He grasped at his side, on to discover that either whatever he had been looking for was no longer there. That was when he noticed the injured hand. He looked at it for a second, before turning back to the woman who was standing before him.
"Where am I?" He repeated, enunciating slowly in the common tongue. This language wasn't coming as easily in his confused state. He had never struggled before with the language of men, but he felt like he was underwater. He felt... fuzzy. Something was very wrong with him, something was affecting him, but he could not place it.
"You are in Edoras, in Rohan," The strange woman told him gently. "You are safe here." But he shook his head. Edoras? How had he gotten there? What had happened to him? Where was Forn? And suddenly he was filled with a sense of panic. Forn. Where was Forn? Where was Aragorn? Gimli? The hobbits? Boromir? What had happened last? He only remembered leaving Lothlórien. What had happened to him? What had caused these gaps? Was he safe? He did not know this woman. She could be lying to him. Where was Forn? Why has she left him? Why had any of them left him? Why was he alone?
"How..." It took him a moment to find the words. "How did... how did I get here?" Oh if only the common tongue was coming easily. He could not find the proper words to describe what he was feeling. He wished he could ask this woman all of his questions. He wished he knew what was going on.
"I believe that your friend brought you, Aragorn. Your dwarven friend, Gimli, was with you as well. I am afraid that I know nothing beyond that." The woman spoke kindly, but Legolas still could not trust her. He was too confused. "You were very sick." Sick? He was sick? What was his illness? Why did she not mention Boromir? Or the hobbits? What was he missing?
"A van?" He exclaimed suddenly, looking at her worriedly, before realizing that he had not spoke in her tongue. He gave a frustrated sigh and tried to think of the best words. "With what?" He finally repeated.
"I am afraid that I am not sure. Your friend believed it to be something magical."
"Magical..." Legolas repeated carefully. Suddenly he glanced back down at his hands.
"Your hand-" Eowyn started, in an attempt to explain what had happened, but she stopped herself when she realized that he was tearing at the glove covering his non injured hand, ignoring the bandages lacing the other.
"Legolas," She asked gently, causing him to flinch. "Please, let me help you." She came towards him slowly, only to have him turn away from her with a harsh word of denial. She stopped, at his command, but watched with worried eyes as he tried to move his broken fingers to claw off the glove. When he finally released himself from its confinements, his cry of shock is what drove her to his side.
"Ego!" He cried, clutching his hand to his chest. "Begone!" He translated, turned away from her and doing his best to slide the glove back over his hand while still keeping it hidden from her. Why were parts of it black? What did this mean for Forn? What had happened?
"Please, you are confused. Let me help you," Eowyn said, gently, turning him towards her. He was confused. Why is he not letting her help him? Why is he not trusting her? Why should he keep the mark a secret? Why did he ever keep the mark a secret? Where was Forn? Finally, Legolas released the tension from his shoulders in defeat. He handed the glove to her with his injured hand, but kept his good hand pressed to his chest.
"Would you like me to replace it?" She asked carefully, holding her hand out for him to place his into so she could slip his hand back into it.
"I am... I am afraid that I do not... understand," Legolas responded, his eyes held frustration and Eowyn could see that. She thought carefully before rephrasing her question.
"Do you wish for me to put the glove back over your hand?" She said again, with a soft smile on her face. This time Legolas understood, but slowly shook his head.
"Please... I need to find... need to find my friends." Suddenly his confusion seemed to momentarily clear and panic flew across his face. "I need to get out of here!" He exclaimed, searching around for an exit, he saw the door, and quickly made his way towards it.
"Wait! Legolas, please, wait! You cannot go out there!" Eowyn cried. The sound of distress in her voice was the only thing that got him to stop moving. "You are a prisoner here, please, you are still ill, if you stay in here I can continue caring for you. If you leave this room they will throw you in the dungeon!" Slowly, Legolas turned around.
"My friends, are they trapped in this dungeon of yours?" He spoke slowly, but Eowyn could tell that whatever was causing him trouble with her language had faded.
"I am afraid so, however, if you go looking for them there, you will be thrown in a separate cell and allowed no contact. Please, you still need care, you cannot leave this room."
"Can you deliver a letter?"
~*~
It was very dark in the dungeon when Eowyn approached. She carried a small bundle with her and had a crumpled piece of parchments tucked under her arm. She knelt down in front of the cell, carefully undoing the bundle, revealing a small loaf of bread. She carefully broke it in half, not making eye contact with Aragorn. She took the parchment from under her arm and placed half of the loaf on top of it. She slid it through a gap in the door before glancing around and fishing a quill and some ink from her pocket and sliding it under the door as well. She then got up and headed over to a different cell, Aragorn assumed it was to feed Gimli.
He turned to tear into the bread when he noticed that the parchment held writing. Aragorn quickly shoved the bread into his mouth, shaking the crumbs off of the paper so he could read it. He gave a cry of joy when he realized the writing on the letter was not in the common tongue and nearly cried when he saw the signature.
Confusion laced the letter, Aragorn realized. The curse had affected his friend more than he would have liked to admit. The gaps in his memory were concerning, but on the back of the paper, Aragorn did his best to quickly explain everything he was missing.
"Gimli!" Aragorn cried, unable to keep this wonderful discovery secret any longer. A gruff response came from some cell that Aragorn could not see. "Our prince has awakened!" He called and Aragorn could hear the happiness that came from the cry Gimli gave.
Suddenly Eowyn reappeared, holding her hand out quietly. Aragorn crept forward and placed the borrowed things back into her hand. She took them without a word and vanished up the stairs. Aragorn could not keep the smile off his face, his happiness blinding him to the one detail he forgot to mention in the letter.
~*~
Legolas read the letter that was returned to him, pacing across the room as Eowyn watched him with tired eyes. This was the third time he had read the letter, trying to fill in the gaps that plagued his memory.
A sharp knock at the door is what stopped his pacing. He quickly folded the letter, placing it into a pocket as Eowyn answered the door.
"Eomer," Came the soft voice of Eowyn as she recognized the person who stood beyond the door. Legolas noticed how she blocked the view of the room with her angle of door and the placement of her body. He wondered if she was trying to hide him.
"Have you made any progress?" The gruff voice of a man flowed into Leoglas' ears.
"I am afraid not," Eowyn responded. "He still needs my care."
"Yes," Came the male voice, laced with annoyance. "But is the elf awake?" So they were talking about him. Eowyn hesitated for a moment too long.
"No," She answered and the man gave a frustrated sigh.
"You have a duty to your king, sister," The man snapped. "There is no use lying to me. Let me into the room."
"Grima is not the king," Eowyn spit. "He is not our uncle! When the king can give orders himself I will listen, but your orders do not come from the king! And I will not let you into the room!"
"Why do you care so much for this stranger? He has done nothing for you. He has endangered our people. His companions have lied to us. He has brought a dragon into our lands, he may have information that is useful to us. For the sake of your kingdom, your people, let me into this room."
"Lady Eowyn," Legolas said softly. "Let your brother into the room. Do not commit treason for the sake of protecting a stranger." With a hard glare towards the elf, Eowyn stepped back, allowing Eomer to march into the room. Legolas raised his eyebrows at the coil of rope in Eomer's hands, but allowed the man to approach him.
"You wish to bind me?" Legolas asked, amused.
"I do not wish anything," The man responded. "But I have orders."
"Orders you do not wish to follow, I see," Legolas responded, but held out his hands, allowing the man to bind them together. The man gritted his teeth, put pulled Legolas forward. Legolas allowed himself to be lead, walking lightly behind the pounding steps of Eomer. Eowyn followed them, her face holding only anger as the elf was lead to the king.
The second Legolas stepped into the throne room, he knew something was not right. He stopped suddenly, causing Eomer to be yanked backwards as he stopped moving. The air held a dark feeling, something terribly different from the air in the upstairs room. He wished he could refuse to go any further, but knowing he was a prisoner, he took a small step forward, only to have chills sent down his spin. Whisperings filled his ears and he noticed the awful sight of the king, slouched on his throne. He recognized that voice. He recognized that voice from the mountain.
"Saruman," Legolas muttered, locking eyes with the king, completely ignoring the man who stood beside the king. He let himself be forced to his knees, but he never broke eye contact with the king.
"We have questions to ask of you, elf," The man beside the king snapped, but Legolas' eyes would not move from the king. "Do you have no respect? Look at me when I am talking to you!" The man ordered and slowly, Legolas turned his eyes to him, but kept his focus on the king.
"Why did your company bring a dragon into our lands?" The man asked.
"I do not remember the incident you speak of," Legolas responded cooly, turning his attention back to the king.
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" The man finally stood in front of the king, blocking Legolas' view of the king, forcing Legolas to commit his full attention to the interrogator.
"I am Legolas, from the Woodland Realm," The elf answered, not losing his cold tone.
"So you are a bastard son then, no father?" The man laughed, shaking his head.
"You asked me who I was," Legolas responded. "Not for my father's name. But even then I would not volunteer such information easily. The issue at hand is between yourself and me. My father has nothing to do with what you wish to ask of me."
"Fine then, who is Greenleaf?" The man asked, and Legolas blinked, his cold composure breaking as he looked back up at the man in front of him.
"How do you know that name?" Legolas snapped, he was suddenly very defensive.
"We believe it to be something alive," The man explained, knowing he had struck something inside the elf. "Something that can be used as a weapon, against the dragon that attacked our lands. The dwarf used that name to get the dragon to leave our men alone. We wish to find what this Greenleaf and use it to protect ourselves against the beast."
"You have no business using that name!" Legolas cried. "Servant of Saruman, you have no right!" Suddenly everyone in the room was standing at rapt attention, listening carefully to the conversation. "You are no king," Legolas spit. "Your king's mind is plagued by the words of a wizard. His fell voice is not hidden to me as it is to you. Only a true servant of that wizard would use this king for their own desires. Run back to your master and tell him to remove himself from this king!"
"You know nothing, elf!" The servant snapped, and used his hand to hit Legolas across the face. The rings decorating his hand split the skin, causing blood to stream down the elf's face, but Legolas only stared back at him in defiance. The only thing that drew the attention of their spectators away from the elf was the king, getting to his feet.
"Legolas Thranduilion of the Woodland Realm, you surprise me," The king spoke and Saruman's voice filled the air. "You refuse to answer my questions, so tell me, Greenleaf, what are you trying to hide?" Legolas stared at the king before spitting on the floor in front of him, a custom he had learned from men. "I know everything, Greenleaf," Saruman continued. "I know that the scar on your hand is slowly turning black. I know that you cannot remember how you got here. Soon enough, you will join your precious beast, right where you belong." And the king crumpled to the ground in front of Legolas and the whispering slowly subsided.
Legolas shakily got to his feet, ignoring the woman that came running towards him, ignoring the men that rushed towards the king and ignoring the men that came to detain Grima. He felt the ropes loosening on his hands and he glanced around the room before starting towards the door.
"Legolas, wait!" He heard the woman call him faintly, but he refused to stop, heading to the door without a response. He brushed past the guards who attempted to stop him and walked out into the streets of Edoras, ignoring the confused and scared looks he received. The throbbing in his injured hand returned, but he continued onward, finally coming to a stop just outside the city, falling to his knees he released a choked sob.
An arm was draped around his shoulders and Legolas recognized the heaviness of it. Slowly he allowed himself to be embraced by his friend, letting Aragorn pull him to his chest. Aragorn did his best, whispering comforting words, but nothing could subside the fear he was feeling. He knew he could kill his friends easily, and thinking of his power combined with Forn's against them made him sick to his stomach.
~*~
"Forn," Saruman's voice echoed in the chamber the hobbits were in, where they were being watched over by the dragon they used to call a friend. "I know where your Greenleaf is. He is being held by some very bad men in Edoras, it is your duty to find him and bring him back here where he will be safe."
Forn's eyes brightened and she turned her nose towards the open air. In a large gust of wind she was gone and the hobbits were more terrified then they were before.