Fallen Leafs, Part XIV
by Areli

-----

After a while the horses simply refused to go any further into Mordor. Gandalf sighed and told them to release them. They knew the way home.  

"Such evil that dwells in these lands..." Legolas breathed. 

"Yes there always has been." Gandalf said as they walked through the mountains of Mordor.  

"How are we to do this? I am sure it is guarded now more than ever." Aragorn said. "They will expect us."  

"I am sure we will have no troubles." Legolas said.  

"Oh? And you are so certain of this are you?" Gimli asked, annoyed. "And how are you so certain Master Elf?"  

"I can sense that they do not wish to be near us." Legolas said looking off into the distance.  

"I sense no such thing." Gandalf replied, walking down a slope. 

Legolas leapt past him gracefully and continued walking through the ranges. Soon he was completely alone.  

He kept walking, his very thoughts were completely bent on returning this ring to Mordor. It did not matter if he lost the others along the way.  

"I cannot see him!" Aragorn called to Gandalf. "Do you think he realizes that he is suddenly very alone?" 

"Perhaps he is very aware of this..." Gandalf said softly.  

 

An arrow hissed past Legolas' ear as he walked through a passage. Another one landed in front of him.  

He whipped out his bow and an arrow. Within fractions of a second, two orcs lay dead at his feet.  

"Such fools to challenge an elf..." he said in an amused tone.  

Two more attacked him before he reached the gates of Mordor. It was odd that only four total had attacked him. The gate was not guarded as well.  

It was more than likely a trap but Legolas did not care in the least. He walked through the gates after only a few moments of struggeling with opening them. There was a long dark path that led to the fortress deep within Mordor. 

Legolas went on the path and walked past the way towards Mt. Doom.  

 

"Where is he?" Aragorn yelled over the fighting that was taking place. Around thirty orcs had appeared out of no where and they were fighting horribly. They at least were not loosing. 

"We could certainly use his help!" Gimli snarled.  

Gandalf called out a spell that sent forth fire that burnt the rest of the orcs that remained standing.  

"We must hurry. He is not taking the ring to Mt. Doom." Gandalf said. Aragorn and Gimli looked at him in disbelief. 

"Then where is he taking the ring?" 

"To Sauron."  

"Traitor!" Gimli yelled. 

"I do not understand." Aragorn looked at the ground, dumbfounded.  

Had he not just saved him from the evil that had tormented him so? And now he was working with those that had caused him such pain. It was simply not logical in Aragorn's mind. 

"Nor do I." Gandalf said. "We must stop him." His eyes narrowed on the Man and the Dwarf. "At all costs."  

They quickened their pace but were soon stopped again when goblins and orcs attacked. Some other creatures appeared to join in the battle that had not been named by the people of Middle Earth.  

Legolas should have been attacked Aragorn thought. 

As he slayed his enemies, thought raced through his mind. The pieces came together.  

Legolas had been rejected by the horse since he was impure. He did not go in to Fangorn since the forests would give away what he truly was. He was eager to get to Mordor and especially cheerful for what little time they were still with him. And then he ran off and did not stop. It began to make sense to Aragorn. 

Yet one major piece went against him. 

Why was he near death in the dungeons of Saruman? Would Legolas really have been insane enough to risk dying in order to have one piece of evidence against him being a traitor?  

The battle finally stopped and they kept going. Sprinting by the end of it. To their surprise no monters attacked them until they reached the gates.  

The gate was packed with monsters trying to get to them. They backed away from the gate and looked for alternative roots. 

"We may have to fight." Aragorn said sadly. 

"We may die." Gandalf added. Aragorn nodded.  

Gimli's eyes filled with the fire of battle. He was ready for death. He had been since he had seen Moria. There was no future for him.  

"Then let them open the gates. We shall beat them back!" Gimli yelled.  

The gates opened as if on cue. 

Monsters swarmed them like a tidal wave. They were sputtering before they could react.  

Still, they managed to regain their composure and were beating off every monster that came to them.  

Things were going well for them after a while. Yet the monsters did not seem to stop coming.  

The battle raged for one hour...then another...it seemed that it would never end.

| Next |
| Index |