Title: The Sea and The Flame
By: Elvensong
Rated: PG
Feedback:  europa494@yahoo.com I love feedback, let me know what you thought of the 
story. 
*******************************
Chapter 4 – Arrival
Follow my voice on the wind, feel my song leading you on.  Hear my words, and 
be comforted, for all shall reveal itself soon.  I am the irresistible force, I am the all-
knowing protector of the Firstborns.  Come to me, for there is no where else in all the 
lands that can bring you the peace I offer.  The sea is reaching out to you, do not retreat 
from her grasp.  Fair Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, come to me now!'
            The singing voice was so loud and clear it confused the Elf that the others, 
especially Gandalf, could not hear it.  It was a call that he had never heard in his many, 
many years of life.  He had seen many things during his time, many generations come 
and go, but nothing had this much power over any race before.  He could not imagine 
what this could be that would have such a power over the fairest, and now, rarest species 
on Middle Earth.
 
            It was true. By the time the four friends had begun traveling, seeing an Elf was a 
rare occurrence in most of the lands of Middle Earth.  Their beauty now only a rumor, a 
long forgotten vision.  It amazed Legolas that their magical race could be so quickly 
descended into fairy tales.  The one fact resurfaced into his mind.  If one does not see an 
Elf for a while, their magic can disappear from one's eyes very quickly.  
 
            Maybe they weren't all gone then. Just because people hadn't seen Elves for a 
while doesn't mean we've all vanished.  We do not vanish.  There has never been a time 
without Elves, we live forever. We are as old as the sky, old as the moon. We can be 
hunted, trapped, we can even be killed, but we do not vanish.
 
            "Legolas?" Aragorn noticed that his friend's focus was beginning to wander.  
            "My apologies, Aragorn. My thoughts have gotten the better of me."
            "I understand, Legolas. I cannot imagine the many feelings that invade your soul 
right now."
            "It's odd, Aragorn. To feel this great calling from afar, but a sense of dread from 
the same direction. It is enough to drive one mad."
            Gandalf grew suspicious, "A sense of dread you say?"
            "Yes, Gandalf. As though something else waits for me at this destination.  I've 
never felt it before.  However, I have never been this close to the sea before.  Now, the 
calling to too strong to ignore, but this other feeling. It unnerves me to my core, but it is 
too late to stop now.  Too late to warn anyone who might be far enough away to still 
resist the call.  All I can do is warn you.  If the danger grows stronger, you should turn 
back." 
            Gimli stood firm, "My place is by your side as you face this mystery.  I will not 
leave you now that the stakes have grown. Dwarves are not as crazy as Elves."
            "Ah, but they are much stupider.  I speak true, my friend.  If there is evil waiting 
at the end of this road, it is obviously meant for my kind, and you needn't risk 
yourselves."
            Aragorn put a hand on Legolas' shoulder, "We will stand by you until we know 
what this is. Do not attempt to convince us to turn back, it is only wasted air."
            "Aragorn is right," Gandalf spoke with words wise and true, "I cannot allow the 
most mystical and wondrous race to just disappear from these lands without knowing 
their fate.  Your kind have brought too much to this word for us to allow you to fade to 
quietly.  Silent beauty may work well for your kind, but I am not elvish."
            Legolas smiled and continued, the voice ever clearer and the danger ever stronger.
 
            That night they camped on the edge of the woods they had traveled through.  
There was nothing in front of them but open prairie, which lead to rocky lands, which 
finally lead to the sea.  The others slept that night, but sleep would not come to the Elf.  
He had volunteered to take the watch until he grew weary, but he knew sleep would be a 
gentle maiden that would not lay her hands upon him.  No matter, he didn't need rest.  
 
            From here, he could almost hear the ocean's waves crashing on the distant shore.  
 
            They seemed an odd melody, played on instruments too beautiful and unique to 
ever have been heard by any being, mortal or immortal.  The moon shone down it's 
bright light and Legolas stood into the wind.  He could feel it, the wind had come from 
the ocean not long ago.  Only moments before it blew through his hair it had blown over 
the open waters that beckoned him.  Their temptation was almost too much to endure.  
 
            Gimli awake and looked up from where he lay. There, in front if him, was the 
Elf.  
 
            He stood not far, facing out into the plains.  The wind played with his hair, which 
looked of silver in the moonlight.  He always carried with him a glow that was not of the 
mortal world.  The Dwarf sometimes complained about it when they were on the journey 
with the one ring.  Saying it would keep him awake at night and the Elf should sleep 
underneath a pile of blankets.  
This night, though, it was increased ten fold.  He glowed as brightly as the moon 
this night, looking like some angelic figure carved onto glass.  He appeared as some 
beautiful glass sculpture with the sun shinning behind it.  Gimli had never seen anything 
like it before.  His breath caught in his throat as he watched his friend standing there, 
eyes closed and looking as though he were absorbing the night wind.  
 
            Legolas opened his eyes and turned to Gimli.  The Elf smiled, gently at his 
friend.  In that moment, Gimli knew that this was his private farewell from his friend.  
That he might not have time to say goodbye later on, for even the wise old Elf had no 
idea of what awaited them.  There was no need for words.  Words would only break the 
moment.  Gimli knew not of what to do, so he did what felt right in that moment.  He 
smiled back. 
 
            Dawn came too quickly in the Dwarf's opinion.  Soon they were on the final 
stretch towards the sea, they would be there around nightfall.  The day passed without 
them seeing anything, anything at all.  That was quite strange, one cannot journey an 
entire day anywhere in Middle Earth and encounter no other being.  Finally, after not 
even seeing a tree, an object came into view on the horizon, coming their way quickly.  
 
            A bird. A seagull.  Legolas stopped in his tracks and watched the bird, its song 
speaking to him in a manner he had never heard a creature speak in all his years.  
            "Come, Legolas. We have almost arrived, yes?"
            "Yes, Aragorn.  The sea is just over those rocks."
 
            They kept going, Legolas setting a quick pace as he led the way of the calling.  
Something was changing.  The calling was not as sweet, but had turned into a sour note.  
It was so strange, the land had become so hard and gray for the majority of the day, it was 
not natural for land to be so dead near the ocean.  Gandalf knew this better than all of 
them, for he had visited the sea many times, even before Legolas' birth.  There was 
something not right about the land they were on now, as if it had been cursed.  
 
            "There is a shadow and a threat on my mind, but I cannot turn back now.  I must 
see the ocean, there is nothing else I can do now.  The calling is not sweet, but now ten 
times as powerful.  If I had the strength of one hundred Elves I could not defeat this 
voice."
 
            As the sun set, the rocks began to gave way.  They climbed the last layer of tall 
stones and it finally stretched out in front of them.  The target of the entire journey, and 
the ending of the Elf's torment.  
 
            The sea. 
 
            Legolas stood almost in shock.  The run was slowly descending, beginning to 
touch the gentle waves, which called out to him.  The voice was gone, now there was just 
the gentle song of the waves.  
 
            He began to walk forward, towards the water.  
            "The voice had been quieted."
            "You hear it no longer?" Gandalf couldn't understand why it would stop now, 
when he was so close.
            "All I hear is the calling of the waves, which can call to Man, Dwarf and Hobbit."
 
            The Elf reached the waved and felt the mist shower on him, cooling and salty.  
            "There is nothing now."
            Gandalf was quite confused, for the first time in quite an age.
            "You feel nothing, Legolas?"
            "Quite true, my friend.  I feel as if I could turn around and leave right now."
            Aragorn was frustrated, for none of their questions had been answered.
            "So where are the other Elves then? Why are they not here, or nearby?"
            "I am not sure, Aragorn.  However, there is something strange about this sea. It 
shines with a special magnificence.  Something I've never felt in any body of water.  My 
instincts tell me they might be there, in the ocean beyond the tide.  Yes, something tells 
me they are there, but there is something more"
            Gimli grew increasingly nervous.
            "They are not there by choice, but rather" he trailed off, suddenly putting his 
hands to his head as if in pain.
            "What is it, Legolas?" Aragorn looked for the source of his friend's discomfort.
 
            "Something is coming."
            
 


*****************************
Chapter 5 – The Phoenix
 "Something is coming." 
 
            No sooner had those words escaped from Legolas' lips than the ground itself 
began to shake.  
 
            Suddenly, a cloud began to form on the shores near them.  The group watched, 
unsure of which was to run, as the cloud intensified.  Then, as quick as it had come it 
began to dissipate, revealing a castle.  A great stone fortress, dark and looming nearby.  
 
            "A very powerful spell indeed." Gandalf was quite impressed by this display of 
power.
            "But why would it reveal itself now?" The answer to Aragorn's question came 
with a roar.
            
            Fire began to form above the great structure.  A great fireball seemed to appear in 
the sky, coming from nowhere, but there was something extremely strange about this 
fire.  There was no smoke.  It was a great flame.  A great unnatural flame.  The company 
stood in awe, not knowing what to do.  
 
            Then they realized it was forming a shape, the shape of a great bird.  A bird of 
prey.  
 
The Phoenix.
 
"What is this Gandalf?" Gimli held his axe close.  Fearful of this new evil, 
knowing his steel would probably not harm this creature of fire.
 
"The Phoenix of great flame.  What it is doing here, or what it wishes I do not 
know."
 
The bird formed into an almost solid figure of destruction, inspiring fear from all 
whom looked upon it.  Without knowing the great creature's intent, there could not know 
which way to run.  They stood there, waiting for the phoenix to makes it move against 
them, or in peace.  Either of which they could not know.
 
The bird of flame began to fly towards the heavens above and for one brief 
moment, they thought themselves saved from its wrath.  But this relief was short lived.
 
The phoenix swooped down suddenly, heading straight towards the company.  
They turned and begun to run, but there was no beating this foe in the realm of speed.  
The bird came down and passed just over their heads, the heat of the flame dancing in 
their midst.  They dove down and rolled in different directions.  When they tried to 
recover and join back together, the great bird worked to keep them separated.  They could 
not regroup.  
 
"We must try to stay together!" Aragorn could see the others on the different sides 
of the open plain they had been running across.  
 
Then a great cry was heard, a great cry from the bird of prey coming down from 
the heavens above.  She saw her target.  She would never mistake his identity.  No matter 
how hard one of its kind would try to hide, she would always know what it was.  
 
Phoenix dove with a vengeance, gaining speed as it neared its target.  When the 
Elf looked up all it saw was the bird heading straight towards him, the flames reaching 
out into the night sky.  
 
"Legolas!" Gimli saw the enemy coming straight at his friend.
 
Fear. Fear was the only thing Legolas could comprehend.  He did not hear his 
friend calling out to him.  All he saw was the phoenix, and all he felt was the heat.  He 
stood and he ran with everything he was, everything he had.  
 
It was obvious who the foe was sent against.  Legolas tried to dodge the enemy, 
trying to be more nimble, agile and quick, but there were some creatures who had the 
ability to keep up with an Elf. 
 
"Do something!" Aragorn yelled to Gandalf. "Smite this enemy!"
"No! I must know its intent! All this would have been in vain and we may never 
know where the others are. The phoenix can't want to kill the Elf.  She could have done 
that easily by now.  She appears to be driving him somewhere, but I do not know to what 
end."
 
The Elf tried to stay ahead, running with all the grace and speed his magical body 
possessed.  He leaped over bush and rock, nothing on the ground could have kept up with 
him, but the phoenix was not of the ground. Then the target for the Elf became clear, she 
had this whole time been leading him towards her destination.
 
The sea.
 
"Of course!" Gandalf cried, "She's leading him to the sea, to join the others! 
That's where they must be, actually in the sea! The call must bring the Elves here and the 
great phoenix drives them into the sea to remain!"
"Why would anyone wish her to do that?"
"I do not know."
Gimli was getting very upset, "We cannot let him join the others! He is one of the 
last! We cannot allow them to be taken from us if we have the power. It's not fair!"
 
Gandalf thought, began to try to think of a way to save this Elf from the fate of his 
kin.  Then he thought of a way, a way to hide Legolas from the view of the phoenix, for 
the bird had great power.  He couldn't hide the Elf's identity forever, but maybe for 
enough time to get some answers. He stepped forward, towards the path which stood 
between Legolas and the others of his kind in the murky beyond.
 
He cast a spell, a great spell, a spell which could overpower and change a 
Firstborn.  This magic did not come easy, an Elf has natural defenses against spells that 
might be cast upon it.  
 
One moment, Legolas knew he was running with all that he was.  He saw 
Gandalf, his friend, standing nearby chanting to the winds.  
 
Great lightning split the sky.
 
Then everything went black.  
 
 
 
 
*****************************************
Chapter 6 – Loss of Self
The great Phoenix of flame halted.  The group could no longer see their friend, for 
the flames stretched out across their view.  
            "What have you done, Gandalf?" Aragorn didn't know whether the giant creature 
of flame was going to attack them, or whether it had decided to kill the Elf, but 
everything was in limbo.  Like some dream, suddenly remembered in a flash.  
            Then the Phoenix departed into the sky, its flames dissipating and as soon as it 
had arrived, it was gone. The cold immediately returned into every crevasse of the night, 
the land and the sea.  For now the sea was so close, their friend had come within yards of 
joining the rest of their kind.  Middle Earth almost lost another of the fair folk.  
 
            After the shock of watching the magnificent, terrifying creature faded, Gimli ran 
to see what had become of Legolas.  There lay his friend among the rocks of the shore, 
unmoving.  The Dwarf slowed, afraid to find his friend departed from this world.  
Aragorn ran passed Gimli and held the Elf close, turning him over to better inspect him 
for any injury.  Then he saw what had happened.
            "What did you do to him?"
            Gandalf slowing approached, knowing full well the results of his spell.  Aragorn 
lifted hip partly up off of the rocks and into his lap where he could see better.  Aragorn 
pulled his hair back behind his ears, which were no longer the pointed ears of an Elf.   
            Gimli gasped. 
            "Is this an illusion? Tell me you did not actually do this?"
            "It is true, Gimli. It was the only way I could think of to save him. The Phoenix is 
magic and power incarnate, I did not have the time to cast a spell on her, so my thoughts 
turned to the Elf.  The Phoenix would always recognize him for what he was.  The magic 
and light of his kind are unmistakable, you could not see him as anything other than one 
of the immortals.  As long as he was an Elf, the Phoenix would always pursue him, so he 
had to become something else.  Something humble and plain."
            "But, a human?" Aragorn held him close.  The markings of humanity were all 
over his friend.  His mystical beauty, which no mortal could ever describe, was gone.  His 
ears were rounded and his glow extinguished.  The light was gone, like a candle in a 
summer wind.
            "It was the only way to prevent him from being taken.  In this form, we can fool 
the Phoenix for a short time.  Not forever, though, for she will see through him 
eventually.  An Elf's true nature will show through any spell.  Their kind is quite 
stubborn in their ways, must be the immortality causing that.  We should go to the castle 
and discover who resides there and if they are the ones who sent the Phoenix on her 
hunt.  If they are the ones casting out this call to the Elves."
            Aragorn cared not for the Wizard's words, having been raised by Elves, he knew 
Legolas would be direly affected by this change, to what extent he did not know.  The 
only thing he did know, is that everything Elves hold dear had been stripped away from 
him.  Anger welled up in the man.
            "You don't understand, you take this as just something that had to be done.  You 
have lost him! You trapped him in a human body, he'll go mad!"
            
The raised voices slowly drew Legolas out of his spell-induced sleep.  When his 
eyes opened one thing struck the three others who stood there. The brilliant color of his 
eyes, which could only belong to a Firstborn, remained.  Everything else about him was 
gone, but his eyes still contained the beauty, wisdom and depth of the ages.  
 
"Legolas? My friend?" The prince slowly regained his senses, taking in his 
surroundings.  One moment his was running for his life, the next he was in Aragorn's 
arms.  
"Am I dead?" 
"No, you're far from it." Aragorn's mind wondered, 'Or as close as you've ever 
been or ever going to be' he thought to himself.
"I'm not with the others, I wasn't taken to the sea?"
"No, Gandalf has saved you." 
'In a manner of speaking.' Aragorn tried to desperately to shut his mind up.
 
Slowly, Legolas began to rise from the ground, still very dazed.  Something was 
very wrong, he could feel it throughout his entire being. He felt heavy, as if great weights 
had been placed on his back.  He tried to walk and fell forward onto his knees.
"I am so heavy." He touched his forehead to try to steady himself.  When he went 
to tuck a piece of his long, golden hair back behind his ears, he felt what had changed.
"What have you done to me?"
Gimli ran to his friend, "Legolas, don't upset yourself."
"How can you say that?"
Legolas stumbled to a nearby puddle of water, a small pool separated and 
protected from the sea.  There the water was calm enough for him to get a good look at 
himself.  What he saw was like an image from a nightmare.
 
"You turned me into a human? A man? How could you have done that? I'm an 
Elf! How could you think of changing everything that I am?"
"Legolas, please." Gandalf tried to calm his friend, wanting to make him 
understand.
"I wish you had let the Phoenix take me!" He started shaking from the stress, "I 
can feel this body dying all around me!"
 
"Listen." Gandalf sat by the distressed former Elf. "We need to solve this mystery 
of what has happened to your race. In this form, you can come with us. Otherwise, we 
would have lost you too, and I refuse to loose another creature of light to the darkness."
"Gandalf, I am old. I am ancient. Mortal's histories are my yesterdays.  How can I 
live as a mortal, after so very long?"
"You will survive, Legolas." Gandalf stood straight, preparing himself for their 
journey to the castle. Legolas sat, taking in all the new emotions. He had never felt this 
many emotions before, he always had time to feel each emotion in its due time.  Now, 
they all came at once.
Aragorn knelt beside his friend.
"Legolas? Will you be able to continue with us?" Legolas looked into the man's 
eyes.
"I am afraid of this humanity, more than I was of the Phoenix. More than I was of 
the fate in the sea. It is chilling me right into my soul."
 
Gimli stood by his friend, "We are with you, friend. You shall come away from 
this experience stronger than any Elf who has ever lived."
Aragorn helped him up, "Gimli is correct.  You will not journey this path alone."
 
Legolas tried to walk, but was having problems. Elves are always so light on their 
feet, they can walk on newly fallen snow and not leave a mark. The heavy nature of his 
new human body was difficult to control.
"How do you keep yourself from falling under your own weight, Aragorn?"
"It is something you get used to."
"I hope to never get used to it."
 
Slowly, Legolas began to walk with more confidence, trying to control himself 
under these circumstances.  He tried to hold his stoic Elven nature, his quietness and 
patience of the ages.  It was very difficult to control all his senses. They felt dulled, like 
having a sheet placed over his head. He turned and stared out into the depths of the sea. 
His kind awaited him there, and now here he was. Part of him wished he were with them 
now.
 
They began their journey towards the castle ahead of them.
            

 
  


.