Chapter One
They moved as quickly as was safe through Moria, all of them almost desperate to see sunlight again, even Gimli. With the death and destruction that the Fellowship had seen, the mines had lost some of their magic for the dwarf.
The instant they left the darkness of Moria behind and emerged into the light, the four Hobbits dropped to the ground, trying to catch their breath. They kept their eyes fixed on Gandalf, all of them wondering why the wizard would have chosen to fall from the bridge at Khazad-Dum.
They were only allowed a moment's rest though. Aragorn had them back on their feet and walking almost before they realized it. Merry jogged over to the Ranger, pulling on his cloak to get his attention. "Can't we take a short break, Strider? We're getting awfully tired."
Aragorn shook his head, dropping to a knee next to the exhausted Hobbit. "I'm sorry, Merry, but we must reach Lothlorien before nightfall. Once the sun sets these hills will be swarming with orcs."
Merry sighed, but trudged over to Pippin to help pull the younger Hobbit to his feet. "Come on, Pip. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we get to sit down for a spell."
And so the company moved on with Aragorn and Gandalf in the lead, followed closely by the Hobbits and Gimli. Boromir trailed behind the dwarf and Legolas followed slowly after the Man, his blue eyes constantly flitting around the landscape. Despite the fact that the Fellowship was so near to the woods of Lothlorien, the elf still felt a chill creeping up his spine.
The closer they came to the Golden Wood the more anxious the blond elf became. Several times he had to stop himself from reaching back and gripping his bow. He thought that the feeling would leave him once they entered Lothlorien, but it only grew stronger. Legolas began to make his way towards the front of the company, finally deciding to speak of his feeling with Gandalf. But before he could reach the wizard the entire Fellowship was surrounded by blond elves, all wielding bows.
Legolas found himself face to face with Haldir, an arrow pointed directly between his eyes. He thought about drawing his own bow, but quickly realized that it would be an exercise in futility. Instead, Legolas simply spread his empty hands in front of him, meeting Haldir's eyes passively. The elf of Lorien smiled faintly before lowering his bow and signaling the other elves to do the same.
"Greetings, Greenleaf. Tell me, where was your mind wandering? I could have killed you before you even realized you were not alone."
Legolas felt heat darken his cheeks, nearly reaching to his ears. He smiled gratefully at Aragorn as the Man smoothly slipped in front of him and faced Haldir.
"We have come for help, Haldir of Lorien. We seek the protection of the Lady Galadriel."
Haldir glanced at the rest of the Fellowship, his eyes resting the longest on Gimli. After a moment of silence he nodded, turning back the way he had come. "The Lady wishes to speak with you. Come; she is waiting."
The other Lorien elves melted back into the trees as the nine followed Haldir, walking steadily further into the Golden Wood. By the time the sun began to set the Fellowship was standing before Galadriel and Celeborn. The four Hobbits looked up at the two golden elves in wonder while Gandalf stood perfectly at ease. Aragorn and Legolas were respectful and silent, but Boromir seemed to almost be in pain. He would not meet the Lady's eyes, his own fixed on some point near his feet.
Galadriel looked over the Fellowship, her eyes coming to rest on Aragorn and Legolas. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Rest will be given to you here and you shall sleep in peace." She fell silent for a moment, allowing Haldir to lead seven of the nine to their rooms. Once only Legolas and Aragorn remained, she spoke again.
"Beware, Heir of Isildur. An evil comes that would rival the darkness of the Ring. He seeks for it, and he shall soon have the power to use it." Galadriel's eyes then turned to regard Legolas. "He shall also seek for you, Prince of Mirkwood." She turned and walked away, her voice ringing in their minds. 'Come, and look into the mirror. You shall see the evil that you face.'
Aragorn glanced over at Legolas, shrugging when he saw the questions in the elf's blue eyes. The corner of the elf's mouth turned up in a small smile and the two slowly walked after Galadriel. Soft singing filled the air of the Golden Wood but never seemed to touch the three as they walked. They came to a halt in front of a small stone basin into which the Lady poured water from the nearby spring.
"Would you look into the mirror and see what shall come to pass? It is yet in the future, and so it may be possible to avoid this fate, but it was not shown to me how this may be."
The Ranger met the blond archer's eyes and as one they looked down into the mirror. A faint mist covered the water, but quickly parted allowing them to see the flowing images. Aragorn gasped as he watched, unable to tear his eyes away from the image of a beaten and bloody Legolas chained to a stone wall. Then a man entered the image, dressed in a dark robe with a very familiar golden ring on his finger. He stalked fluidly toward the bound elf, stopping only a few feet in front of him. He began to speak, but the words were unfamiliar to the Ranger.
Aragorn suddenly found his attention caught by something on the ground by the strange man's feet. His eyes widened when the lump moved, and his face grew pale when he realized that what he was seeing was a man. The air left his lungs when the man in the image raised his head to glare at the strange man. The man on the floor was him.
He couldn't look away as the man reached and drew a sword, thrusting the blade through the heart of the Ranger's mirror image. At that moment, the image in the mirror suddenly darkened and the mist returned to the water. Aragorn looked over at Legolas to see the elf regarding him with wide and pain-filled eyes. Then they both turned to look at Galadriel.
The Lady met their eyes, pain and sorrow mingled in hers. "I know what it is you saw, for it is also in my mind. I wish that it were not so, but this shall almost certainly come to pass."
Legolas took a deep breath, forcing his voice and expression to a calmness that he did not feel. "Is there nothing we can do, Lady?"
She clasped her hands behind her. "You must remain true, to the quest and to each other. No other path has been shown to me." She smiled at them sadly. "Now, go and rest. This evil can be dealt with on the morrow." Then she turned and walked away, leaving Legolas and Aragorn looking at each other in shared worry.
TBC
On to: Chapter Two