The Other Side of Reality: Part VIII
by Alexandra
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Legolas crept through the halls, an arrow notched to the string, all of his senses alert. He knew Aeglos was somewhere in these tunnels, they had often played there as children. He swiftly turned a corner, but was knocked backwards with a blow to his stomach.

"So my little brother Legolas has come to see me," said Aeglos, stepping into the cavern. "How is your wife by the way? The child within her didn’t seem to like me."

Legolas climbed to his feet, reaching for his bow. "My child is already a good judge of character."

Aeglos withdrew a dagger and threw it at Legolas’ bow, splintering the wooden handle. "I was always a better archer than you anyway." Legolas quickly dumped his quiver to the ground, ridding himself of the extra weight. Aeglos eyed the peacock on the quiver, a sign of the royalty of Mirkwood. "Your time as king has ended brother."

Legolas shook his head and drew his knives. "Whether I am done or not, the time will never be yours. It is over for you Aeglos. Now if you stop this foolishness, I would ask you to come back with me. You are still my brother and I will not dismiss you so easily."

Aeglos only seemed angered by the suggestion. He withdrew his own knives and for several minutes the air was filled with the sound of clashing metal. The two were pretty evenly matched. Aeglos was older, more experienced. Legolas however, was not chosen to represent all the elves of Middle-Earth in the fellowship for nothing. Their battle grew more intense with each blow.

They paused as Legolas took a step back, pressing his sleeve to his bloody cheek. "Why are you doing this?"

Aeglos smirked and twirled one of his knives idly. "Why? Because being king was all I had left after you came along. Perfect Legolas."

Aeglos attacked again in a flurry of movements. Legolas did all he could to block the blows. When he finally managed to fend Aeglos off, one of Legolas' knives lay across the cavern and he was bleeding from a deep gash in his leg.

"What do you mean, perfect Legolas?"

Aeglos sneered at him bitterly. "You were everything father wanted in a son. You were handsome, cunning, and skillful; father loved you more with each passing day. Even mother loved you unconditionally before she left for the Havens."

"Is that what this is all about?" asked Legolas, stunned and outraged at the same time. "You are threatening those I love simply because you didn’t receive father’s full love? Because you were not worshipped as royalty? Do you realize how childish you sound?"

"You had everything and I had the throne. Then even that was taken from me. Perfect Legolas could do nothing that would anger father and cause him to look at his older son!"

Legolas couldn’t believe his ears. "How dare you consider yourself as great as some of those of the firstborn. Your entire being is made of jealousy. Father gave no one his full love, not even mother. It was easy enough to anger him when I told him of my love for Adalia."

"Yes Adalia. How could you love a mortal and bring disgrace upon our family?"

"Do not speak of her so," hissed Legolas, mounting an attack of his own. Knives clashed once again as the two fought. But Legolas slipped on a puddle of blood from his leg and landed hard on his back. His head cracked against the hard stone as everything before his eyes went black momentarily. As his vision returned, he found that to his dismay his knives were both lost.

Aeglos chuckled. "My little brother. Such a sorry end you shall come to."

"Aeglos," pleaded Legolas, trying to reach for something with his outstretched hand. "Don’t do this Aeglos."

The elf grinned broadly. "Why not? It is time for you go to see Mandos Legolas." He hovered over him with his knife poised at Legolas’ neck. "Say hello to the Valar for me. And don’t worry about Adalia. I will make her my own. The children shall be taken care of as well."

Legolas was desperate. With a feeling of hope his fingers curled around the one thing left to him. With a sudden thrust, he buried one of his arrows from his quiver in Aeglos’ chest.

Aeglos dropped his knife that sliced into Legolas’ shoulder. He cried out, but pushed back on the arrow, sending Aeglos to the ground. Gasping with exhaustion, he climbed to his knees and crept over to his brother’s weakening body.

"Aeglos," he said quietly, hovering over him. "Aeglos."

The elf turned eyes to him, eyes still filled with bitter regret. "I guess I taught you that didn’t I? Taught you to never give up. And now I lay here, slain by my very own brother."

Aeglos tried to say more, but blood flowed freely into his mouth, cutting off his words. Legolas gripped his shoulders, unsure of what to do. "Aeglos, do not leave like this."

Aeglos’ last breath was spent giving off a bitter laugh. As his body went limp, Legolas’ face paled. He had just killed his own brother. Shaking his head in denial, he struggled away from the body. It was the last look in Aeglos’ eyes that hurt him the most. The hate that radiated from their blue depths was shattering to the heart.

Legolas couldn’t stay there; the grief was too much in that dark cavern. Not wanting to try and search for his weapons, he stumbled out. He was gravely wounded and would need to see a healer. He stumbled out of the caverns of the Misty Mountains and towards the palace.

He needed to see Adalia, see that she was all right. Several times his fatigue nearly caused him to stop, but his will wouldn’t allow it. His footsteps were heavy and uneven, much unlike an elf’s. All he knew for sure was that his grief over those last moments was great. He needed something to help him.

Reaching the palace a time later, he was greeted by worried elves. They asked him what had happened; that their king came back so disheveled. He was going to head to the healers when he heard something that caused him even more despair: Adalia’s scream of pain.

As best he could, he ran to their room, praying to the Valar that not everything was as bad as it sounded.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Adalia cried out as another contraction hit her. "Where’s an epidural when you need one?" she ground out through clenched teeth.

"The time is here Adalia," stated Laurelin. "The child is coming."

"No!" she screamed. "Legolas missed the birth of his first child, he will not miss this one!" She cried again, her hands grabbing at the sheets. "I am waiting for Legolas!"

"You don’t have to wait any longer," spoke Legolas, nearly hobbling into the room.

Adalia gasped. "Legolas, what happened? You look like you’re about to collapse!"

"I will hold for now. But the child comes lindor." She was reminded of the fact all too well as another contraction hit her. She grasped her husband’s hand tightly as she pushed, using all her strength.

A small wailing pierced the air and Adalia dropped back onto the pillows, exhausted. Legolas grinned at her. Aeglos’ death had caused him a great amount of grief, but the cry of his child washed away all of the pain.

After a few minutes, Laurelin laid the small child, wrapped in a rich green cloth, into Adalia’s arms. "Here is your son."

Adalia grinned broadly as Legolas leaned over her. "Let’s call him Thalion, which means strong or steadfast. He will be as strong as his father." She paused and smiled at the blue-eyed child before looking up at Legolas. "Luchador, what happened?"

Legolas shook his head, which caused dizziness to flow over him. "I will not speak of it now."

Things seemed to grow hazier as Adalia’s concerned voice came to him. "Legolas? Legolas!" His fatigue and blood loss finally took over as he fell away in a dead faint.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Adalia yawned quietly, hoping not to wake the sleeping Thalion in her arms. Legolas lay unmoving on the bed, having fallen unconscious yesterday. Elladen and Elrohir had arrived only an hour after Legolas’ return. They had taken one look at the elf and then ordered everyone out of the room.

Adalia sighed and leaned back in her chair. Legolas had frightened her beyond belief when he had collapsed. No longer preoccupied, she had really seen how battered he was. As much as she wanted to know what happened with Aeglos, her concern for him was far greater.

A soft knock came and the door opened admitting Elladen and Elrohir. Elladen moved to check some of Legolas’ bandages as Elrohir crouched next to Adalia. "How is the child?"

"Healthy, thank the Valar," she replied, allowing him to hold the small bundle. "In my world, when a child is born as early as Thalion, most do not live. However in my world there is no such thing as elvish medicine."

A small hand reached above the green blanket and Elrohir smiled at the awake newborn. "He looks strikingly like his father."

A soft groan permeated the air, and all looked to the bed. Legolas groaned again as he stirred. "Do not move," warned Elladen, placing the final bandages across his shoulder. He then sat back and ran a critical eye over Legolas’ form. "How do you feel?"

"As if Morgoth himself has struck me down," muttered Legolas, opening his eyes. Adalia moved to the side of the bed and he grasped her hand. "How are you lindor?"

"Better, now that you’re awake," she replied. "What happened?"

Legolas sighed and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Aeglos is gone. He would not listen to reason. Had I not acted, he surely would have killed me." The words were said more to himself than anyone. "It was one of the worst experiences."

Elrohir handed the child back to Adalia and she grinned. "Well, here is one of the best experiences. Thalion was wondering when his father would wake up to properly greet him."

Legolas took the child from Adalia. Thalion gazed up at his father with big blue eyes and gave a toothless grin. The baby’s pointy ears were revealed as the green blanket fell away, also showing the golden fuzz on top of his head. A small hand came out and clamped on a few strands of Legolas’ hair, causing Legolas to laugh.

Adalia smiled tenderly and then turned to Elrond’s twins. "Thank you for healing him."

Elladen waved it away. "Do not speak of it. Now we must return to Rivendell. He should rest, as should you."

She nodded. Hugging the both of them, they left and Rina came running into the room. "Daddy, you’re awake!"

Legolas smiled. "Yes. Are you all right Rina?"

She nodded vigorously. "I’m a bit tired, but I’m okay."

"You should have a nap," said Adalia, taking Thalion once again into her arms. "You too Legolas."

He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again at Adalia’s look.

Rina pouted at first, but then asked, "Can I take my nap with daddy?"

She looked over at him and he nodded. "All right, but be careful, daddy hurt himself."

Rina grinned and nestled up next to Legolas under the covers. He smiled tenderly at her before trying to go back to sleep. Rina’s voice came again though, soft and asking. "Can you sing to me mommy?"

"Sing what Rina?"

"Something in elvish and english." A soft sigh sounded before a sweet soprano voice filled the room. Adalia sang a song to Varda, across the great sea first in elvish, then in english.

"A Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna miriel o menel aglar elenath! Na-chaered palan diriel o galadhremmin ennorath, Fanuilos, le linnathon nef aear, si nef aearon!

"O Star-queen, Star Kindler, glittering down and sparkling like jewels from the firmament’s glory of the host of stars! To remote distance after having gazed from tree-woven middle-earth, Snow-white, to thee I will chant, on this side of the ocean, here on this side of the great ocean!"

Legolas was sad to hear the song end, but her voice had lulled him to the brink of sleep. He soon dropped off, content with his eldest child asleep at his side.

Adalia observed her sleeping family in silence. Legolas with his eyes glazed in sleep, Rina nestled against his side, Thalion also fast asleep. Raising her eyes to the ceiling, she silently gave up a plea to Varda. "Give me the strength to love them as much as I can. And give them the strength to live on once I’m gone."


| Part IX |
| Index |