With the light of morning, Aragorn greeted the Mirkwood Healers as they left the prince's room.
      "How is Legolas?" he asked, a worried Gimli at his side.
      The Healers bowed their heads, allowing their leader to speak, "He fares no better, King Elessar. His condition changes not, but he is wracked with fitful dreams and a fever that we can not break. What evil plagues him, our knowledge cannot tell."
      "Then there is no hope?" Gimli asked.
      "We have done all that we know to do, Master Dwarf. Time will tell, and maybe the coming of Lord Elrond can change his future."
      With that, the group of Healers departed and Gimli bowed his own head. Aragorn, his heart heavy with despair, looked at the open door to Legolas' room and took a step forward.
      The Dwarf's hand stayed him, "I fear it will not be pleasant, Aragorn. However," he released the King's arm, "You cannot lose all hope, even in this dark hour."
      The man turned, "You speak of Lord Elrond's words?"
      Gimli nodded.
      "If you do not give up the light of hope, neither shall I dear Gimli." And with that, the duo entered the prince's chambers.

      A lit candle glowed by the bedside and, in a chair, sat the Lord of Mirkwood. Thranduil's head was bowed, as if in deep thought or prayer, but he stirred at the sound of their entrance.
      "Come to bear more ill news, Dunadan?" the King asked, not bothering to look in their direction.
      Aragorn took in a deep breath and walked toward the bed, "I bring no news that you do not know already, Lord Thranduil. We merely wish to be with our dear companion in his most darkest hour."
      The Elven Lord stood, "Then do so. As much as I hate to, there are matters of this realm that I must attend to and cannot put off for another day." He walked toward the door, passing Gimli as he did so, "Alert me if his condition changes."
      Gimli nodded, hiding the scowl that was upon his face. And, when the Elven Lord had left the room, the Dwarf walked to the foot of the bed. Aragorn took up the chair Thranduil had left vacant.
      The King of Gondor looked to his dearest friend and his heart wept, "Mellon nin..." his voice failed as it trailed away. He lifted the prince's cold and limp hand into his own, "Im pulu edaved anim..." ~[I cannot forgive myself...]~

      By now, Gimli had seated himself on a bench next to the far wall and he silently watched. Of course the Elf was one of his dearest friends as well, but something told him that Aragorn was suffering far worse than he himself did. Gimli knew that the King of Gondor blamed his own actions to be Legolas' downfall, though it were not true. But the race of Men was stubborn, especially a man raised by the Elves.

      All through the day and long into the night, Aragorn kept his vigil of watching over the prince. Though Gimli came and went, reporting nearly ever hour or so to King Thranduil, on his son's condition.
      It had not changed.
      In the early hours of the morning however, the prince stirred. Though it was not as if he were to waken, but something had crept deep into his innermost thoughts, tormenting his body and mind.

      "Where am I?!" Legolas cried, his voice sounding hollow in the dark space which he now found himself. "Aragorn! Gimli! Legede! Ada!"
      No voice came to answer his call.
      The Elf bent his head, "Then I am truly alone... but alone where, I know not. If I had but a light, maybe all would become clear."

      And, to his very wish, a light began to grow far off in the distance. Seeing it's warm and soft glow, Legolas used every ounce of strength and willpower he possessed to run towards that light. Suddenly however, something sticky reached out of the blackness and wrapped itself around his slender ankle. The Elf fell to the ground and, twisting his body, spied the very thing which threatened him.
      It was a sickly shadow with many tentacle-like limbs, each reaching into the darkness, groping to find a firm hold, so as not to let the Elf escape. Legolas knew that it's malic was directed toward him, but he knew not why.

      "What are you?!" The prince yelled into the dark, half hoping that it would not respond.
      The shadow drew itself up taller than before and it spoke, using the dark tongue of Mordor, "I am your captor, your future, and your death..."
      Legolas closed his eyes, the very speech of the hideous thing driving its way into his mind like a knife.
      He cringed visibly but did not let his voice falter, "You are not fate, for it cannot be decided by a mere puppet of my enemy!"
      The shadow laughed, a deep sound that echoed all around the Elf, "I am your fate, young Eldar! For none have ever escaped my grasp in this cold dark place. That light ahead cannot save you and you shall never again feel it’s warmth upon your skin." The shadow drew closer, "Such fair skin... it is not becoming of one who should live out his days in darkness. We shall have to change that."
      And, before Legolas could cry out, the shadow engulfed him completely, swallowing the Elf into it's sinkhole of darkness.

      Aragorn was on his feet in an instant. He reached out, grasping Legolas by the shoulders as the prince began to thrash in his sheets. A gasp worked its way from his throat and the King of Men realized that it was not just Saruman's hold over his body that caused him pain, but another evil as well.

      "Legolas." Aragorn whispered to him, his voice calm and soothing, "It is a dream, Legolas. You cannot be beaten by a nightmare, not a noble prince such as yourself. You are the Elven Lord of Ithilien, hero of the War of the Ring, and my dearest friend. Wake up, Legolas!"

      He released the Elf's shoulder for a moment and dipped a small cloth into a bowl of water. It had sat by the bed and contained the contents of crushed athelas and boiled water, though it had gone rather cold by this time.
      Aragorn wiped the prince's sweating brow with the cloth, "Legolas..." he could think of no more words to speak and instead, began to sing a song of hope.

      It was a song which had been written after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, by a young minstrel who had witnessed the terror of that last stand. On the companions' ride back to Rivendell, Aragorn had spent some of the time translating the song into the tongue of the Elves, and Legolas had always delighted in hearing the King of Gondor sing it's uplifting words.

      I Elensar hen an i auth haim ~[The Minstrel boy to the war has gone]~
      Ned i dor ned le innas hir hon ~[In the ranks of death you will find him]~
      In ada lang ho garo hur bo ~[His father's sword, he hath girded on]~
      An in breg gannel gling adel hon. ~[And his wild harp slung behind him.]~

      As the King of Gondor sung these words, tears welled in his eyes for he believed them to be the only thing keeping his friend from losing all control. Legolas' body shivered, as his fierce struggle ceased for the moment.

      'Dor ned laer!' pedo i maethor elensar ~['Land of Song!' said the warrior bard]~
      'Ind pan i ardhon gwerio le ~['Though all the world betrays thee]~
      Min lang, na nibin, lin tir tan tirith ~[One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard]~
      Min sadron gannel tan eglerio le!' ~[One faithful harp shall praise thee!']~

      I Elensar delu, dan i dirgud angwedh ~[The Minstrel fell but the foeman's chains]~
      Pulu tegi sen aglareb faer nu ~[Could not bring this proud soul under]~
      I gannel ho fanu pedo ad ~[The harp he loved never spoke again]~
      An ho risto ten hithlain hado. ~[For he tore it’s chords asunder.]~

      Gimli ran into the room, but his speech was halted when Aragorn raised a hand to ward him off. The man continued to sing and, as he did so, Legolas' chest began to fall and rise normally.

      A pedo, 'U angwedh tan gwaur le ~[And said, 'No chains shall sully thee]~
      Le faer ned meleth a gorn! ~[Thou soul of love and bravery]~
      Lin laer dortha an i sooon a lain ~[Thy songs were made for the pure and free]~
      A tan fanu ru ned mul!' ~[And shall never sound in slavery!']~

      As the Dwarf walked closer, as quietly as his feet would allow, he saw a spark of hope come to Aragorn's eyes. He was starring intently at the face of their friend and, in that dark morning hour, when all other hope seemed to fade, Legolas awoke.
      "Estel...?" he whispered, turning his head slightly to allow for a better look.
      Aragorn could not hold the tears back any longer and joy overwhelmed him, "By the Valar... Legolas, you are awake!"
      Gimli could hardly believe it and, though he wanted more than anything to rush to his friend's side, he remembered the grieving figure of Legolas' father and rushed to find Thranduil.
      "I heard you singing, Estel... It was the song of the Gondor minstrel. Even in my darkest hour, your hope shone through..." his eyes unfocused for a moment however, and the King of Gondor feared that Legolas would once more slip into unconscious dreams.
      "It was, Legolas, it was. But you must stay with me." he gripped the prince's hand in his own, "You must try to stay awake a little while longer."
      The Elf smiled slightly, "It seems that I have been asleep for some while. What happened?"
      Aragorn's face nearly paled at the sound, "What was the last thing you remember?"
      "I..." a puzzled look came to the prince's eyes, "I was talking with you and with Gimli. We were in the forest, north of here I think, and Legede was with us."
      "You were badly hurt, mellon nin." Aragorn answered, "The Healers worked on you all through last night and, in the morn, they feared you were beyond aid. But your father did not lose hope and, thou he is not here now, Gimli has rushed to find him. Never have I prayed to the Valar so hard, not in all my long years."
      Legolas closed his eyes for a moment but reopened them before the man became worried, "I feared I was lost..." he whispered, memories of his capture by Saruman flooding into his mind, "If not for you, Estel... I would have died upon the battlefield and, more important still, I would have been lost to the darkness of my own mind. Im gwennen le, Aragorn." ~[I am in your debt, Aragorn.]~
      "Nay." The man shook his head, "Nay, you are not. I did only what you would have done for me."
      "I think I've heard this conversation before." Replied Gimli, who now stood in the doorway.
      From behind him, in rushed Thranduil, a smile of great joy upon his features. "Legolas, Im meren le mae." ~[Legolas, I am joyous thee is well.]~
      "Ada, le gar Aragorn an hennaid an nin nestad." He replied, smiling. ~[Father, you have Aragorn to thank for my healing.]~
      The King of the Woodland Realm turned his head to his guest, "Im gwennen le, Aran Elessar." ~[I am in your debt, King Elessar.]~
      But Aragorn held up his hands, "As I told Legolas, no one is in my debt. He is my dear friend and I would go to my own death for his sake."
      "You are much more humble than need be." Thranduil said, a smile upon his face, "But I do not wish you to go to death, for my son has finally returned home."

      As Aragorn and the King spoke, both overwhelmed to have the prince return to his normal self, something happened. Neither of them, not even Gimli noticed the shadow come over Legolas' face. It flickered then disappeared, as if it were just a trick of the light, but the pressing question was.
      If it were not a mere play of the sun's first rays, then what was it?