Chapter Twenty-One: Goodbye, Hello, Hollow

THOOM!

The menacing rumble shook the earth, followed swiftly by the scraping of crumbling stones. Legolas saw each mote of dust that trickled from the ceiling. He raced to the door, Daesīdh and Mornestel in his grasp, and the Black Bow vibrated with repressed excitement at the prospect of battle. Pallando lunged for him but he evaded the Blue Wizard's grasp, flicking a throwing dagger into his palm. Pallando wisely raised his hands.

"I apologize." he said. "You cannot run out there."

"They must." Alatar interrupted before Legolas could reply. His sharp eyes flicked from the elf to Gimli and back. "You must go. There is a safe passage out of the Temple. It should allow you to pass by our enemies without being noticed." He raised his hand, stopping any protests before they could be voiced. "You have the Weapons, and two of the Wielders. You must leave with them."

"If the Void is here we should fight him." Gimli argued. He gestured, shoving Dūrcuil at the Blue Wizard. "Or what do you think these are for? Sitting on a stand and looking pretty?"

Alatar remained unmoved. "You need to leave and attack the Void when he is not expecting you." He looked to the Easterlings, who stared back dispassionately. "We will cover your escape."

"We cannot leave you." Sam protested.

The Wizard shook his head, rigid and unmoving. "You must. You will. The Temple is now an empty sanctuary. There is nothing worth protecting here."

"He is right." Gandalf said before Sam could protest again. The Wizard's blue eyes were shadowed. "We cannot needlessly defend the Temple. It has served its purpose. We must move on."

Sam looked helplessly from the Grey Wizard to the two Blue. "At least come with us. You do not need to throw your lives away."

Alatar's stern gaze softened slightly. "Your heart is too kind, Master Hobbit. But this is our purpose. Do not try to make us shirk it."

That silenced Sam, though he still looked miserable.

"Aragorn needs assistance." Elladan interrupted tightly.

The elf still knelt by the Ranger with his twin, whose smelling salts did not rouse him. Legolas forced his gaze away from Aragorn's still, pale frame. Instead he glared at Mornestel. Daesīdh's warning hiss suggested the Black Sword had not taken kindly to his glower, but even when irritated, Mornestel would not harm another Wielder. Legolas shoved Mornestel into its sheathe, placing it on his back. Daesīdh whined in protest but he hushed it.

"We must leave." Gandalf repeated. "Esgal, where is the enemy?"

"Why did Elladan call him 'Legolas' earlier?" Pippin whispered.

"Not the time, Pippin." Merry hissed.

Fili gave a startled, high-pitched laugh. The dwarf clearly knew the significance of that name. Legolas decided to address that at a later time. Or maybe not at all if he could avoid it. He closed his eyes and cast his senses out, identifying the large group of presences outside. He could vaguely sense Shadowed Elves, Men, orcs, and some strange, drifting presences that flickered strangely. It was almost like they were not truly there...

Another presence took his breath away. He retreated before he could truly sense it, but even that small glimpse felt like a knife directly to his heart. It was not merely Dark like Minas Morgul or the Witch-King. It was hollow. It was nothing. It was only a chilling, endless void of absolute emptiness that would drive Legolas mad if he tried to look into it too long. That mere half-glance was enough to steal the assassin's breath from his chest, as if a simple look had nearly caused his soul to be torn from his body. He dare not scrutinize that brief glimpse of that unfeeling, hollow existence or the futility may overwhelm him.

Daeīdh snarled protectively at the edge of his thoughts, and Legolas could almost appreciate the irony that such a dark weapon seemed soothing when compared to the emptiness he just experienced. There was no question as to who— or what— the presence belonged to.

"Legolas!"

Legolas came back to himself and realized he was on the ground. He blinked the blurriness clouding his vision away to see Eomer and Gimli looking down at him. "I'm alright." He clasped the man's offered arm and allowed him to pull him up. "The enemy is outside of the mountain on the western side." he reported.

"What's left of the mountain." Gimli growled.

Legolas ignored him. "Iãgaw is here."

Alatar's face drained of color. "You sensed him?"

"Yes." Legolas said shortly. "Elrohir, do not attempt to do the same. The Void is... It is..." He trailed off, shivering.

Elrohir barely noticed. He picked up Aragorn, settling him over his shoulder. "Lead us to the exit. Too many of us are injured to risk a confrontation with Iãgaw now."

The Easterlings looked to Legolas and Gimli. Legolas exchanged a glance with his fellow Wielder and grimaced.

"Very well." Legolas said heavily. "Do as he says, please."

A couple Easterlings broke away from the group and one gestured for the Fellowship to follow. Gimli lead the way out, and Legolas waited for the others to exit first. Elrohir did the same, with Eomer hovering nearby, glancing worriedly at Aragorn. Legolas stood in place until they exited the door and made to take up the rear of their group. He paused when Alatar smiled.

"May you find victory in the future." the Blue Wizard said calmly. "Fare thee well."

Legolas could only nod. They both knew the Wizards would not survive this fight. The assassin hurried after the rest of the Fellowship. He took the steps two at a time, halting only to brace himself as another shudder went through the Temple. Sam was less lucky, having just stepped on the edge of a stair, and he wavered. Only Kili's quick reflexes saved him from a nasty tumble back down.

"Thank you." He said.

He hobbled for a couple paces and Legolas wondered if he had twisted his ankle. Eomer helped brace Elrohir and Aragorn as yet another tremor shook the earth. Elrohir cursed softly, glancing at the ceiling.

"We are running out of time." He glared over his shoulder at Aragorn, lips thinned and eyes swimming with frustrated, terrified tears.

Eomer saw the expression and voiced what the elf could not. "Your brother is a noble fool." His blue eyes shifted to the Ranger and he gritted his teeth. "You should not have touched Mornestel. But… I understand why you did." His gaze drifted behind him to the sword on Legolas's back. "Your desire to defend this world with something so… so dark is admirable. I commend you for it, Aragorn."

Aragorn's eyes fluttered. Elrohir gasped but could not lay his brother down to check on him. The Ranger remained unconscious, and the elf's face fell. They made it to the top of the stairs and down a thin hallway.

One of the Easterlings paused at a blank wall and pressed a stone near its top. It rumbled lowly and swung aside, revealing a dark passageway. The other Easterling grabbed a torch from the wall, gesturing for the others to do the same. Boromir and Fili obliged. They hurried into the darkness, and Legolas closed the passageway behind them without being asked. The stone corridor sloped slowly upward, and Legolas was relieved to find no traps in this one.

"Where are we going to exit outside of the Temple?" Boromir asked.

The Easterlings stared at him.

"(Where are we going to exit outside of the Temple?)" Legolas asked in the Easterling's language.

"(At the base of the mountain.)" the assassin with a torch replied in a soft, lilting voice. "(Our comrade will be waiting with horses a few leagues away.)"

"(Thank you)." Legolas said. "We'll exit at the base of the mountain." He reported.

"That means we'll likely have to fight some of Iãgaw's forces." Gandalf murmured.

"Let them come!" Gimli growled, brandishing Dūrcuil.

Aragorn groaned, shifting on Elrohir's back. The elf froze in place as his brother's eyes opened. His silver irises were barely visible around the blackness of his expanded pupils.

"What is happening?" Aragorn mumbled weakly.

"The enemy is here. We are leaving." Elrohir said, voice clipped.

Aragorn laid his head against the elf's back, breathing heavily. "I cannot fight." he admitted.

Legolas's stomach twisted.

"Do you feel the Black Weapon's curse?" Elrohir asked shakily.

It took ten heartbeats for Aragorn to respond. "I do not know? My… my wounds are burning..." He trailed off, slumping.

Elrohir hissed a curse.

"Oh dear." Sam whispered, distressed.

"Aragorn is unconscious." Elrohir confirmed testily.

"And we're facing an army." Merry murmured.

"Indeed." Elladan said levelly, but the tendon in his jaw quivered. "Pick a couple off and retreat. Do not allow them to corner you."

"We should also stay together." Legolas added. "If the Void truly is here, it could be fatal to separate."

"I hope the legend that the Black Weapons will protect us from that life-draining power of his is true." Fili said faintly.

Daesīdh's projected smugness suggested it was. Legolas sighed in relief but did not share that information with the Fellowship. He did not want to give the others a false sense of security if the Black Weapon's assurance came from arrogance rather than truth.

"Let me take him." Eomer said abruptly. "Then you can watch him."

Elrohir hesitated but nodded. He carefully handed Aragorn over to Eomer, who grunted, adjusting his hold on the unconscious man. Elrohir hovered at their side the entire way, expression pained.

They continued on, halting at the end of the tunnel and an Easterling took out a knife. He slashed his palm, pressing it against the stone in front of him, and it glowed red. Slowly, the rock shifted aside, but before Legolas could relax, the Easterling's legs buckled. Boromir caught him before he could hit the ground, touching his neck instinctively, and the man gasped.

"He's dead."

A shudder went through the other Easterling and he knelt next to his comrade, briefly gripping his hand and bowing his head. Legolas put a hand on Sam's arm to stop him from speaking, giving the assassin a moment to grieve. After a pause, the Easterling stood, eyes hard once more as he exited the tunnel. Gandalf halted next to the fallen Easterling and touched the assassin's face. His gaze darkened.

"Another sacrificial blood ritual." Gandalf said, voice low. "Alatar, Pallando, what became of you…?"

He shook himself and walked out into the sun. Legolas winced, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, and blinked at the large hunks of stone surrounding them. He slowly recognized them as pieces of the mountain, and a chill went up his spine. His head snapped up.

"Incoming!"

Armored enemies jumped down from above, landing among the Fellowship. Legolas stabbed one through the eye and ripped his dagger free. Gimli struck a Shadowed Elf in the gut while Boromir separated an orc's head from its body. Legolas spotted more enemies on the remains of the mountain. As one, the archers aimed and fired at them, sending their bodies plunging to the ground.

Daesīdh whined in disappointment when Legolas used his old bow, but the elf could not afford to lose any Black Arrows. That appeased the Black Weapon somewhat as it preened at the confirmation that it was irreplaceable. Legolas shook his head, exasperated by its childlike nature. Truly, these were the Weapons meant to—

Panic tore through his mental shields as Mornestel shrieked.

Legolas acted on instinct and a knife appeared in his hand. Faster than a blink he threw it at Eomer, who flinched. The knife flew past his and Aragorn's heads, sinking into the throat of the Shadowed Elf that had been sneaking up behind them. Eomer stared at the dead enemy for a second before glancing back at the assassin.

"...Thank you." he said.

Legolas considered the Prince of Rohan and the Heir of Isildur he carried, a suspicion prodding at his mind. He did not voice it. He could not afford to be wrong. A man raced at him and he aimed his bow— the Black Bow— and realized too late that he'd released a Black Arrow. It struck the man in the neck and he crumpled, dead before he hit the floor.

Not wasting time to gape at the unnatural suddenness of his demise, Legolas retrieved the Black Arrow, yanking it from the man's neck. Like a child with a new toy, Daesīdh squealed in delight, happy to be used in battle at last.

Legolas compromised and used the Bow to fire his regular arrows, taking out a few distant foes along with the other archers. Something brushed the edge of his consciousness and his head snapped towards the treeline ahead.

"Everyone, get back into the tunnel." he snapped.

No one questioned him. Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin and carried them into the tunnel, while the others rushed inside single file. Legolas and Gimli remained at the entrance, standing just inside the stone and the protection it hopefully would provide.

Legolas's gaze was drawn to the treeline far away and the odd, alive-but-not presences— thankfully not the Void's— prodded at his senses. As he watched, a mist fell over the land ahead of them, and vague, green-tinged figures appeared among it. A chill fell over the Fellowship, and their breath puffed in the air as the temperature steadily dropped. Slowly, the figures emerged from the fog, yet even then they remained translucent and faded.

He heard Elrohir gasp. "The Oathbreakers." he breathed.

The King of the Dead glared at the elf, who tensed, a shudder going through him. Aragorn shifted on his back but he did not wake to see the men that had not come to his ancestor's aid as they had promised.

"What are you doing here?" Gandalf demanded of the ghosts."

"Is it not obvious?" The Ghost King asked coolly. "We work for the Void."

The hobbits had no reaction, but those who were aware of the Oathbreakers' tale could only stare at the ghosts in disgust.

"He seeks to destroy Arda!" Gandalf thundered. "How can you side with such a monster again?"

The King of the Dead was unaffected by his rage. "He can free us." the Ghost King said. "Since Sauron is defeated, no one else can. Our oath was to fight Sauron alongside Isildur. We can no longer keep our side of the deal, so no one can release us, not even the Heir of Isildur." Elrohir and Elladan moved defensively in front of Eomer— and by extension, Aragorn. "This is the only way we can be freed."

Gandalf raised his staff. "Then we will do what we must."

Light flared like a fallen star and he blasted the King of the Dead, but the light passed harmlessly through him and his ghostly men. Merry whimpered softly.

The Ghost King smiled coldly. "Your magic cannot slay us, Wizard. You can try."

"'Try'?" Gimli echoed. "Bah! A dwarf does not settle for trying!"

Before anyone could stop him he lunged, swinging at the Ghost King. The specter stared in cold disinterest as Dūrcuil arced towards his midsection, only to gape as it sliced through him. The Ghost King fell to the ground in two pieces and faded into nothingness.

Gimli blinked. "Oh. That worked." He grinned viciously. "Who's next?"

A few of the ghosts backed away, fleeing into the trees. The rest rushed forward. Gimli met them with a roar, spinning in a circle and taking out ten in one sweep. Legolas raised Daesīdh and aimed, firing. The Black Arrow sank into the ghost's forehead with a wet thunk, snapping his head back. The ghostly form crumpled to the ground and vanished into smoke.

The Arrow vanished with it, disintegrating into ash.

Legolas cursed mentally, dropping his hand from the quiver of Arrows. "I fear I have limited Black Arrows." He reported, deceptively calm.

"You're joking!" Kili spluttered as he angrily fired an arrow at the ghosts, only for them to pass harmlessly through the faded figures. Fili stopped his brother from reaching for another arrow, shaking his head.

"I am not joking." Legolas said testily. "It appears that killing the unkillable disintegrates my Arrows."

"Blasted elf!" Gimli growled. "Of all the times to leave it to me… Not that I'm complaining, of course."

He beheaded another ghost with a grin. Daesīdh pouted and whined about being left out, insisting the Legolas join in, but the assassin gently declined the offer. He needed the Arrows for Iãgaw. As for the Bow—

A green haze filled his vision. Legolas paused long enough to adjust his grip on the Bow, swinging it at a ghost. It sliced his neck open and he fell with a soundless gurgle, fading away. The assassin smiled. Apparently the Bow was as sharp as it appeared. He apologized to Daesīdh for his previous denial, but the Bow was too busy squealing in glee to notice or care.

Gimli glowered. "Show off!"

"Get back here." Fili snapped at the dwarf. "The passageway is more easily defensible."

Gimli grumbled but retreated to the entrance of the passage. A few of the ghosts grinned and floated to the mountain, only to bounce off the stone instead of passing through it. Silently thanking the Blue Wizards, Legolas and Gimli slashed every ghost that approached, not letting a single one by. Legolas struck high, Gimli struck low, and no matter how many ghosts tried to swarm them, none were allowed to reach their friends.

Eventually, the green haze of translucent figures faded, and the mist faded with it. The cold stopped pricking Legolas's skin and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That could have been messy." Gimli said casually, putting Dūrcuil over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Daesīdh." Legolas said, and the Black Bow preened.

Another stab of agitation echoed through Daesīdh's bond with its fellow Weapons and Gimli winced. "Blast it, Mornestel! Stop sulking like a rejected maiden."

The Black Sword hissed. Not in Legolas's mind, but audibly like an enraged serpent. Pippin stared at the incensed Weapon and backed away from it, eyes round.

"Don't mind it, lad." Gimli said gruffly. "Mornestel is just grumpy about its lack of a Wielder at the moment."

Smug amusement prodded at Legolas's thoughts. After all, Daesīdh had been found by its Wielder first.

Elladan walked out of the passageway, glaring at the place the final ghost had faded in. "It's awful enough that Void is using corrupted elves to fight us," he growled. "But to use cursed souls as soldiers…?"

"I cannot believe they sided with him." Boromir murmured.

"They had no hope left." Gandalf said gravely. "They felt it when Sauron was destroyed, and knew that he had been defeated without them. They had no chance to redeem themselves."

"Do you think that they will go to the Halls of Mandos?" Legolas asked quietly. "We killed them, not released them. Did they die or did their spirits fade completely?"

Gandalf hesitated. "I… do not know." He shook himself. "There could be more. We must be prepared."

"We are lucky we ran into them when we did. If we were in an open area, we would be overwhelmed." Frodo murmured.

"Now is not the time to think of what may have happened." Fili interrupted. "We are in the middle of an escape in case you have forgotten?"

"How could we forget, brother?" Kili asked cheerfully.

He ducked and an arrow struck the stone by his head. He returned fire and his enemy fell. The others ran forward fearlessly, driven only by their master's desires to see the Fellowship dead. Legolas stabbed an orc and threw its body at its kin, knocking them down.

Merry darted in and stabbed two of the orcs before he was forced to retreat, barely evading a swing from an axe. Legolas disposed of the final orc and turned, retrieving a Black Arrow and firing. It shot through three orcs before embedding itself in a tree.

Legolas retrieved it, and the remaining Easterling halted at his side, motioning for the others to follow. "(This way. Hurry.)"

"Come on!" Legolas called to the stragglers.

Eomer sliced a Shadowed Elf's throat and ran to his side, sword blackened with blood. Aragorn hung limply from his back, oblivious to the carnage around him. The rest of the Fellowship hurried after them and they retreated into the trees. A rumble shook the earth and Legolas looked back in time to see the mountain crumble in on itself, sending dust and dirt into the sky like smoke from a wildfire. He closed his eyes, taking a breath, and turned away, following the Easterling into the woods.

"(How far until we reach your comrade and the horses?)" he asked.

"(A few hours.)" the Easterling replied. "(We prepared for this.)"

Legolas forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. "(Thank you, my friend.)"

Soon heavy breathing and the crackle of twigs breaking under their feet became all they heard, and Legolas could not be more grateful. Aragorn was still unconscious, Frodo was paling rapidly, and Sam had a noticeable limp. Boromir murmured a question and scooped the hobbit up a second later. Sam's ears were red but he did not protest, gripping Boromir's shoulders tightly as he was carried along.

"Legolas, are we clear?" Gandalf asked abruptly.

Legolas cast his senses out. "There are no enemies nearby—"

Emptiness rushed through him and he fell to his knees, gasping. He was drowningstarvingemptyweakeningnothingthere'snothingdyingstopstopstopstopstopstopstop— Daesīdh shrieked in worry in his mind and he clung to the Black Weapon's presence, using it to drag himself out of the vile aura that tried to consume him. Sweat beaded his brow and his chest heaved, bile clogging his throat.

"Esgal!" Kili gasped. "What's wrong?"

Legolas could not find his voice to warn them.

Pippin screamed.

Legolas's head snapped up, and a chill settled in his heart.

Alatar and Pallando's dead eyes stared blankly at the Fellowship, their expressions permanently etched into looks of horror and fear. Their bodies hung from the trees, each impaled through the chest by a black branch. Seeing the limited amount of blood around the wounds, Legolas knew it was not the impalement that had killed them.

Below them, sitting casually on a tree stump, was what appeared to be an elf. His hair was blacker than the darkest of nights. His skin and clothes were equally dark, drawing in the light around him and devouring it like a tasty treat. His eyes were red pools of blood as he stared neutrally at the Fellowship, his head tipped in a thoughtful, contemplative manner.

Legolas wished he could delude himself into questioning who— what— this 'elf' was.

Iãgaw smiled, revealing pearly, shark-like teeth. "Hello there. Oh, I must apologize for arriving without warning you. Were you hoping to avoid me?"

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A/N: Oh wow. A cliffhanger. I bet none of you were expecting that. *innocent whistling*

I loved reading your reviews last chapter. Honestly, seeing your reactions makes this worth it. I would have given up on this long ago without you.

And no, I totally did not randomly decide to update at eleven on a Tuesday night because I was bored and went "It's Wednesday somewhere". Why would you think that? ;)