Rain pelted the balcony doors outside Legolas' chambers. It was hard, violent, and came in unrelenting torrents. Thunder boomed overhead as lightning clashed like swords in the night sky. Strong wind gusts blasted through the trees of Mirkwood, shaking every dwelling to it's foundations. Within the Elven King's Halls however, the prince of the realm took no notice of the turbulent weather conditions outside.

      Inside, Legolas slept soundly, his eyes open in the dreams of Elven kind. His breathing was shallow, though that was to be expected. Rest came easily to his weary mind, a mind filled with troubles and worries beyond count.

      Without the Elf's realization, his own dreams switched paces. The bright happy thoughts which had occupied his mind only moments before were quickly draped in a black shroud of shadow. The dark presence reappeared. Though this time it was more terrifying than before...

      "Aragorn?" Legolas called out, standing in the midst of a never ending blanket of fog.

      Silently he crept forward, seeking out anything familiar within the mist. Eventually, Legolas came across a sight all too familiar... he had been there before.

      The Elf's path crossed with a deep depression in the ground, if the black spread before him could actually be considered ground. However, that was not the all too familiar sight which had brought Legolas to a stop. Within the depression, sticking up from it's very center, was an outstretched hand. The prince froze, not sure what he was seeing or if it were even real. However, within moments, Legolas kneeled onto the ground, grasped the outstretched hand, and pulled with all his might. Surprisingly, the hand grasped back and, seconds later, the occupant of the depression was free.

      The silence was broken by a gasp of shock and surprise. Legolas found himself starring directly into a set of ice blue eyes. Those same eyes belonged to him as well.

      "Why?" Legolas whispered, backing up slowly from the mirror image of himself whom he had freed.
      The mirror of Legolas smiled, "Simple. I am the you which the world shall see from this moment on."
      "Impossible..." The prince whispered, "You are a figment of my mind."
      "Am I?" the imposter asked, suddenly drawing a long Elven dagger and slashing rapidly at Legolas.

      The prince jumped back, barely managing to avoid a deadly strike to the stomach. His mirror image however, continued in it's attempts to attack. Legolas stepped to the side, attempting to draw his own weapons. Of course, since it was a nightmare not of his choosing, Legolas was defenseless.

      Ducking, the prince brought his fist up, connecting with his imposter's chin. The fake fell back and Legolas was upon him in moments. Pinning the imposter's arms to the black ground, Legolas forced the weapon from his mirror image's hand.

      "What are you?"
      The fake Elf laughed, "So foolish you are, Legolas. Do you not see? My darkness shall cover this land."
      Legolas grabbed the discarded weapon and forced it to his opponent's neck, "I ask once more. Who are you? What are you?"
      "Everyone you have killed was someone's son, someone's father, someone's brother."
      The prince blinked, "What does that have to do with who you are?"
      With a smile, the imposter laughed, "One could say I was the embodiment of all the hurts you yourself have brought upon the world... but... you would simply shake your head and deny my claims. No, I do intend to drive you to the brink of insanity with your guilty conscience, but not today. Today... I shall show you my true form. Today, you will truly know fear."
      "What?" Legolas stood, backing quickly away from his mirror image.
      "You once believe the Balrog to be your greatest enemy in this world, save Sauron himself... How wrong you were."

      Suddenly, the imposter stood to his feet, the mask of Legolas which it wore, quickly falling away. Darkness shrouded Legolas, springing into the sky and massing all around him. It was like a strongly woven web which none could escape.

      "I was one of the original evils of this world, young Elf, far older than you yourself. Ancient in my ways and forgotten save for lore of old. What I so desire, Legolas... is to consume all light in this world. Every last ray of the sun, every single spark of life which Elves and Men posses. It shall all be mine!"

      The darkness grew heavier as the image spoke. Soon, it began to take a monstrous shape. Larger than any creature Legolas had ever seen before, she stood. Her black covering of mist shrouding all that lay behind her. Eight spiked and pointed legs hefted her huge body high above the Elven prince. Numerous eyes, uncountable pin points of knowledge stared back at Legolas as the Elf fell to the ground in horror.

      "I hear no proud words from you now, Elf." The dark image spoke, walking toward the prince slowly.

      Legolas pulled away, her stench of evil making him physically ill. She was Morgoth's right hand so long ago, when the twisted Valar had attacked Valinor. She had swallowed the light of the two trees. Then, she had disappeared without a trace. Her spawn were everywhere, most in Mirkwood though her most famous offspring once dwelt in Mordor. The mother of Shelob herself.

      She was Ungoliant.

      "Now you begin to understand your weakness." Ungoliant hissed, reaching out one pointed leg toward the Elf before her.
      Legolas cried out as the huge spider stabbed him through the upper leg. "You can not be real..." He managed to rip the words from his throat. "You can not be real!"
      "But I am. And I shall kill you, I shall kill that King of Gondor, and I shall kill everything in this world until there is nothing left! I am the dark. I am never-ending evil for I have lived since time began."
      The prince shook his head, "No! I shall not believe it! Han pulu no!" ~[It can not be!]~

      As Ungoliant's dark laughter seeped through the Elf's mind, the true sound of evil, the darkness faded and Legolas realized, to his horror, that it had been a dream.

      "HAN PULU NO!"

      Legolas' eyes shot open to find Aragorn starring down intently at him.

      "Legolas? Legolas, what's wrong?"

      The prince sat up, holding his head in his slender hands. He could feel his friend's eyes on him, patiently waiting for an answer. After a few moments, Legolas felt he could finally speak.

      "I saw what has plagued my mind for many days. I saw the darkness, Estel. I saw that which stole my immortality and I felt it's evil presence upon my face." The Elf refused to look up, but just continued to hold his head in his hands. "We must go to Mordor, somewhere, within it's dark confines, lies the truth."
      "What truth, Legolas? What was it that you saw?" Aragorn asked, turning his friend toward him.
      The prince's eyes locked with his friend's as he uttered one unimaginable word, "Ungoliant."

      Within that week, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli were on their way. They left Mirkwood, saying that they needed to return to Minas Tirith as soon as possible. In all actuality, that was their destination. Well, Gimli was going to part from the companion's company once they passed through Rohan. The Dwarf wished to discuss rights to delving within the Glittering Caves. So, Legolas and Aragorn continued to the capitol of Gondor on their own. It would be there where they would decide what course of action should be taken. It would be there where plans to destroy Ungoliant would be laid out. It would be there, where the last major threat of evil in Middle-earth, would be destroyed.