Fallen Leafs, Part VI
by Areli

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Gimli was roughly awakened to the sounds of his name.  

"Huh?" he mumbled.  

"They have taken Legolas." he heard Aragorn state.  

"What?" Gimli forced himself to put the pain he felt aside and think about what he had just heard.  

"He still has the ring?" Gimli asked.  

For a moment Aragorn said nothing and stared at the ground. That was all the answer Gimli needed.  

"We must find him." Aragorn said after a moment. He nodded.  

"You can track them?" Aragorn nodded. 

"The earth cries with every hoofprint their horses make. They would be easy enough to track."  

"Then what are we waiting for?" 

"I wonder if the wraiths took him to Isengard or Mordor."  

The two companions stood in silence. 

"Why not just follow the trail and see?"  

"Well if we knew which one I could get us there faster through shortcuts I know of. Time is essential." 

"We are wasting time sitting here pondering. Let us follow the trail and see where it leads." 

"You are right." Aragorn said. He looked down the trail and broke out into a run. Gimli close behind.  

 

Legolas heard voices before his eyes would allow themselves to be opened. He felt the cold ground beneath him and was chilled to the core by it.  

"He has the ring." he heard a voice whisper.  

"You are sure of this?" Legolas heard an old voice say. The voice bothered Legolas for it sounded full of evil and hate.  

The moment Legolas' eyes snapped open he wished he could simply close them and fade away.  

Three wraiths loomed over him along with an old man cloaked in white with a iron staff. They all peered down at him in wonder.  

"Why do you not simply stab him?" he heard a new voice say.  

His eyes searched his view and found a small goblin looking down at him as well.  

"Fool! Get out of here!" he heard the old man yell.  

If the Nazguls stab me, I could heal myself... Legolas thought numbly. At least he felt safer that they could not attempt to turn him into one of them.  

"He...is...awake..." he heard a wraith state.  

The old man stared down at him.  

"Ah so he has indeed. Welcome elf to Isengard." he said. "I am Saruman."  

Legolas lept to his feet and instinctively reached for his bow and arrows but found that they were not there. His two swords were gone as well. Fear curled into his heart. 

"Where are the hobbits?" Legolas demanded.  

"Ah. They were most helpful in telling us where the other two halflings were. We had no more use for them and disposed of them."  

Legolas' eyes widened. Tears filled his eyes as he tried with all of his might to hide his mixed emotions of fear and anger. 

"And the other two halflings...?" Legolas said shakily.  

"Destroyed as well although I found it remarkable that the one Frodo managed to get rid of the ring before he died and before we suspected. I sent out the wraiths to find it yet you managed to pick it up before them." Saruman said in a light voice.  

Legolas could no longer hide his emotions and cried out in a mixture of anger and sadness. He longed for his weapons. The sight of the horrid creatures almost laughing at his sufferings was completley unbearable.  

"You long to destroy us." he heard Saruman say. "Why not use the ring?"  

The ring! Legolas had forgotten that he had it. Still he did not move. It was an obvious trap.  

Aragorn had been right all along. He could not weild it's power and would fall to the shadows. He was teetering above the shadows as it was. It would take the smallest tap to send him over.  

"What will you do with me?" Legolas asked.  

"What indeed..." Saruman mused. He whisked his hand and the threw wraiths left without a word.  

Saruman went to his grand chair and stared at Legolas. 

Meanwhile, Legolas looked around, surveying the dark area for a way to get out. He didn't have a prayer.  

 

"We will never reach him in time!" Gimli yelled to Aragorn who was running madly through the forest. The trail was growing cold. Time was running against them.  

"Save your breath Gimli!" Aragorn replied.  

They found that the trail led them away from Mordor.  

Ah hah! Aragorn exclaimed to himself.  

"They have taken him to Isengard!" Aragorn reported as Gimli caught up.  

The sun was rising over the mountains as they ran off towards Isengard. 

Aragorn prayed that Legolas hadn't fallen to them yet. He prayed that their struggles hadn't all been in vain...

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