Legolas awoke to a feeling of warmth that extended from his heart to every inch of his body. He would have leapt from the bed immediately but a feeling of weariness soon washed over him as he attempted to move. He reeked of fatigue, his limbs heavy. He was so tired he could barely think, he was entirely occupied with one thought. She's here.

~*~

"He is weak," Aragorn spoke to Forn quietly as she rested outside of the walls of Helm's Deep. Aragorn promised her Greenleaf was inside. "Eowyn has been caring for him." 

Forn turned her eyes to the walls, searching for something she couldn't see.

Aragorn. Her voice was soft, hurt. I do not trust this.

"What is there not to trust?" 

Forn glanced at the darkness that still plagued her underbelly. 

How do we know the curse is broken? How do we know I will not hurt him?

Aragorn paused. "We don't." He finally said with a defeated sigh. 

Then I must go. Forn readied to launch herself into the sky. She looked at Aragorn. Tell him I love him. Tell him I'm sorry. And with one last sorrowful glance, she launched herself into the sky, vanishing in the clouds. 

"What happened?" Gimli asked and both man and dwarf watched her go. 

"Fear." Aragorn responded mournfully. 

~*~

Legolas' dreams turned sour, his soul burned cold. A woman was screaming, begging for his help. Legolas couldn't move. 

~*~

"She left?" Eowyn was pacing. Her eyes glanced continuously towards Legolas, lying motionless on a bed.  Her brow furrowed as a tortured expression appeared on his face, contorting beautiful features into something nearly hideous. 

"I cannot blame her," Aragorn sat heavily in one of the chairs, Gimli beside him. "We have no knowledge of this type of magic. She fears the curse has not been broken, only stopped temporarily."

"Do we have any knowledge of where she has gone?" Gimli asked, he scratched his bread miserably. 

"None," Aragorn admitted. He looked towards Legolas. "I am guessing quite far away." 

"Can we not get her back?" Eowyn sat in the chair closest to the bed. "He may not recover without her presence." 

"Legolas is our only link to her. She will not come back unless she wants to."

~*~

Legolas tried to tell his body to stop, but his movements did not falter. The man he loved as a brother was stabbed through the chest. Legolas held the knife.

~*~

As much as Eowyn loved her uncle, she stayed far away from the man. They may have ridded themselves of Grima, and send him running back to his master, but Saruman had not been removed from the king. Not yet. 

Some say it was treason to lock the king in the dungeon and many protested the action. But as acting king, Eomer had agreed to it being the best solution. He had kissed her brow and left to find a solution, leaving her in charge of a terrified and angry kingdom as well as a dying elf. Eowyn did not doubt her brother often, but she could not imagine a world where their situation could get better. 

She consulted with Aragorn and Gimli often, but they too left her alone. They, along with groups of her kingdom's men, left Helm's Deep to scout. They were searching for anything. Signs of Forn, of Orcs, of someone who possessed the magic to give the king back his throne. Day after day, they came back empty handed. No solution to any of their problems. Just dirty boots and weary souls. 

Eowyn was beginning to run out of hope.

~*~

Legolas had relived Boromir's death countless of times. Of Forn's initial contact with the curse. His throat burned from screaming.

~*~

Eowyn was exhausted. Legolas had begun screaming last night. A wretched, horrible sound. Eowyn did her best to sooth him, but it seemed to be of no use. She was forced to wait it out, listening to his voice become strained from the effort. 

"How is he?" Aragorn asked, sitting down heavily in a chair. Legolas had stopped his cries, but Eowyn could not shake her worry.

"He has started screaming." Eowyn felt tears well up in her eyes. She felt so useless. She could not help Legolas, she could not help her kingdom. "He refuses water and food." She sighed heavily. "Aragorn... I am afraid."

She looked to Aragorn for comfort, but all she could see was her fear echoed in his eyes. She felt a sinking feeling inside and her tears began to fall. Aragorn rose from his seat and took her into his arms, she cried into his chest. 

They parted after a moment, Aragorn slipping from the room. Eowyn's tears did not cease. She moved to the chair beside the bed, lacing Legolas' nimble fingers with her own. She held his hand, silently sobbing.

~*~

Part of Aragorn wished that Forn would return. The other part wished for her to remain away. He did not want to imagine what their fate would be if the curse returned. 

The choice was difficult. With Merry and Pippin still missing and Legolas possibly dying, Aragorn was torn between staying and going. He did not want to know what possible torture the poor hobbits were forced to endure, but Legolas was his brother and he could bear to leave him. The choice remained unclear, and Aragorn spent many nights lying awake pondering this decision. In the end, Aragorn decided to go. 

Aragorn decision to leave was not received happily by Eowyn, but she understood. Aragorn was meant to search for clues on the location of the hobbits and find a nearby town. The legend of dragon riders was one told by many and Aragorn needed to know more. Someone must know how to wake his friend up. And they couldn't abandon the hobbits. 

~*~

Gimli watched Aragorn spur his horse into motion with a heavy heart. Part of Gimli wished to be joining him on the adventure, the other knew that he must stay. Saruman must know they were hidden in Helm's Deep. It was only a matter of time before the wizard attempted to storm the place, murder its inhabitants, and seize Legolas.

Gimli had no choice but to stay. The Helm's Deep army was made up of farmers and their sons. Few warriors remained, as many fell victim to Forn or joined Eomer to search for answers. The men needed a leader and Gimli was all they had left. And yet, even though he knew he had made the right choice in remaining, Gimli couldn't help but think about how their fellowship was once again splintering. Gimli just prayed fate would be kind enough to bring Aragorn back. One dwarf could not fight a war. 

But, Gimli thought as he watched Aragorn's form get smaller and smaller, one man could not either. Nobody should have to fight alone. His heart sank as his mind turned to Legolas. Legolas, was very much alone.

~*~

Legolas was sitting in the branches of a tree, a spot he commonly found himself as a young elf. The air was cool against his cheek, but it caressed him welcomingly. Legolas looked down, realizing his feet were bare. It reminded him of the frequents runs he had made as a child, barefoot through the forest, racing the birds that flew above him. 

He looked between the branches of the tree he was perched in. Sunlight trickled through, bathing him in its warm light. He tilted his face upwards, letting the sun kiss his face. His eyes drifted shut. He was truly at peace.

And then he was falling. The branch gave way beneath him, sending him plummeting to the ground. As he fell the world around him changed, the forest turning to stone walls, the sunlight morphing into torch light. 

He landed on his knees on the dirty stone floor. He took a moment to regain his bearings. He was in a place he did not recognize, kneeling in front of an empty throne. The steady rhythm of footsteps brought his attention away from the gilded throne. He realized someone was circling him, like a hunter stalking his prey. 

"Greenleaf." Legolas recognized that voice. It was the voice he heard in the mountains, in the throne room. "Welcome." 

"Saruman," Legolas gasped. His throat felt raw, the air suddenly felt heavy, acidic. Each breath burned. Fingers ran through his hair, stroking it. Legolas was filled with disgust. This wizard was touching his hair, he should not be allowed to touch his hair. 

"It is only a matter of time, my dear Greenleaf." Saruman's voice was near his ear, he was so close Legolas could feel his breath. "Forn may have broken the curse, but I know where you are. When I have you, Forn will once again be mine. Together you will fight for me."

"I will never, raug (demon)," Legolas hissed. The fingers in his hair stopped their motion. They twisted suddenly, grabbing hold and pulling, causing Legolas to yelp as he was forced to look upwards. Saruman towered over the elf, his eyes staring into Legolas'.

"You will."

~*~

Eowyn made her way to the dungeon, a platter of bread and water balanced precariously near her hip. She struggled not to spill as she made her way down twisted stairs, descending into the darkness that awaited her. 

She brought a guard with her, she believed his name to be Foldan. He was young, inexperienced, but the only one willing to guard the king. Eowyn had the suspicion it was due to her, the kin of the king, no, a woman, asking a favor. He held the torch as they walked together. No words were exchanged. She felt badly leaving him with the task of watching over a sickly king, with strict instructions to fetch her when he inevitably began to beg for help. He was not to touch him, only fetch her. She could see the toll it was taking on him, the dark bags under his eyes, the youthfulness of his face seemed to have vanished, replaced with the sorrow of a seasoned warrior. Eowyn wanted to know what the wizard was saying to him through the voice of his king, but she knew better than to ask. Forcing Foldan to relieve those memories would not work in her favor, and perhaps she was better off not knowing.

Eowyn made her decent into the dungeon after Foldan had woken her from a fitful sleep by knocking at her door. The wizard was speaking through her uncle, begging for help. She recognized the weariness in his voice and she wondered how much he had endured before coming to get her. 

They reached the cell where the king lay, and she was surprised to see he was sitting up. His body seemed too frail to do so. She nodded to Foldan to unlock the door, which he did after a moment of hesitation. He opened the barred door for her and she slipped in, placing the tray of food and water in front of the shell of her uncle. She set it down and began to straighten herself, but as she did, boney fingers encased her wrist. She attempted to pull away but released a small cry as the king's grip only tightened, yanking her towards him, the water she had placed on the ground spilling. Foldan started to move forward, but she ordered him to stay back.

"I offer a trade," The wizard stated utilizing the raspy voice of her uncle. "I will release your uncle from my control... if you relinquish the elf. Give him to me and Rohan will regain its king." Eowyn did her best to recoil with his fingers still clutching her wrist, keeping her captive in a conversation she wished to have no part of. 

"That is a trade I am afraid I cannot make," She whispered. She missed her uncle terribly and Rohan needed him desperately, but she could not doom the world to save her kingdom. 

"The elf will be mine eventually," The wizard responded with a shrug. "You are simply making this harder for yourself, and your kingdom." His grip tightened on her wrist and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I will tear Helm's Deep apart, brick by brick, everyone inside will be slaughtered. Give me the elf and perhaps I will change my mind. Bring me your answer tomorrow. Choose wisely, my dear." The grip on her wrist slackened as the king collapsed. Eowyn caught him, lowering him gently to the floor. 

"What did he say to you?" Foldan questioned as she backed out of the cell, feeling very shaken. She struggled to keep the tears from falling from her eyes. She looked at him and shook her head.

"I am not fit to rule this kingdom, Foldan. I am afraid I am not enough."

~*~

Merry and Pippin had awful jobs. Scraping the floors of the muck the Orcs tracked in with them, chains linking their ankles together, an increasingly angry wizard ordering increasingly hungry Orcs to watch over them. 

And when they were done with the floors they polished the throne. And when they were done with the throne they were interrogated by the wizard himself. And when they were done with the interrogation they cleaned the cells. And then when they were done with the cells they were separated for the night, slept on the cold hard ground, and began the day all over again. Pippin cried himself to sleep each night, and Merry was struggling to stay strong for the both of them. 

They were cleaning the throne when Legolas appeared. Merry shouted his name and Pippin cried out in joy at the sight of their friend, but both quieted quickly when Saruman approached.

"He cannot hear you, hobbits," The wizard sneered. "Alas, he is not actually here." Both hobbits watched as Saruman circled the kneeling elf, dragging his fingers over golden locks. They watched as Saruman whispered something in his ear, and watched him reply, but the words were blocked from their ears. When Saruman yanked his hair and forced Legolas to meet his gaze, Pippin couldn't stay silent and watch.

"Stop!" He cried. "You're hurting him!" Merry tried to keep Pippin quiet, but soft sobs emitted from the small body. Saruman glanced in their direction and released the elf. Legolas dropped suddenly, his body vanishing as he hit the ground. 

"Don't worry hobbits," Saruman grinned. "You will see your friend soon." Saruman left the throne room, the door slamming shut behind him. The hobbits were left alone, shaking in fear and wondering if the words he spoke were true.