Legolas hadn't spoken to anyone since his father's funeral.

Haldir had taken charge during that time, and although he didn't want to tell Legolas, the elves were waiting for him to take his place as king.

Haldir stood outside of Legolas' room. He hadn't come out in days.

Haldir knocked on the door.
No reply as usual.

"Legolas?"
He called.
Nothing but silence answered him.

He sighed and knocked again.
"Legolas, I'm coming in."
Haldir opened the door, preparing himself for whatever he would find inside.

What he saw was Legolas, sitting on the floor in the dark, up against the wall.

His eyes were grieved and unfocused.
He looked lost and defeated.

The sight broke Haldir's heart.

He sat down beside him.
"Legolas?"
He said softly.
"He's gone Haldir. He was all I had left. My mother, my brother, and now my father. They're all gone."

Haldir didn't know what to do.
"My father and one of my brothers are dead."
He told him.

Legolas didn't look at him or react in any way.
"My mother and younger brother sailed to Valinor."
He continued.

"You are not alone Legolas, I have lost family too."
"But it is not the same. One day you will be able to sail to Valinor yourself and see your mother and brother again. I will never see my family. They are gone forever."

Haldir was at a lost for words.
What was he supposed to do?
"Legolas, you do know that your people expect you to take the throne."

Legolas closed his eyes.
"I cannot lead them Haldir."
"But you must."
Haldir insisted.
"They look to you now. You are the only heir to the throne, you must accept your path."

"Why Haldir? Why must I accept it?"
Legolas' voice went from grieved to enraged.
"What did I ever do to deserve this? Why did I have to get captured by Sauron? What good did it do to have me serve him?"

"Why did my mother have to die? And my brother? They did nothing to deserve death! Neither did my father! They all deserved to live more than I do!"

"I am the one who served Sauron, I am the one who murdered hundreds of people!
I couldn't save the one I loved from death, or Pippin, or Eowyn!"

"I had to watch them all die! Why can I not die? I don't want to live on this cursed earth anymore! There is nothing here for me but death and pain!"

"I do not even have my friends, they have abandoned me, I have no one Haldir! No one!"

Legolas stood to his feet and stormed out of his room.
Haldir wanted to follow him, stop him from leaving.

But he himself was enraged.
What had Legolas done to deserve everything that had happened to him?

It wasn't fair, none of it!

Haldir sighed. He feared that Legolas wouldn't be able to fight off the grief this time.

He feared that he would truly fade this time.

Eru please... Give him the strength to overcome this.

()()()

Legolas left the palace and entered the forest.

It seemed that even the trees were in mourning.

Legolas found a small clearing and sat down up against a tree.

He didn't know what to do.
His family was gone, his friends, he had no one to guide him.

No one to help him along his path.

He had never felt more alone in his life.

He felt himself growing weary.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

()()()

Legolas knew at once that he was back in Dol Guldur, and he knew what awaited him.

"So this is what you have been reduced to Legolas."
The dark version of himself stepped out of the shadows.
"A sad pathetic excuse for an
elf."

Legolas ignored him.
"Why do you keep fighting? Wouldn't it be so much easier..."

Legolas waited for him to finish his sentence.
"To die?"
Before Legolas could react he was stabbed in the shoulder by a knife.

Legolas gasped in pain and stumbled forward.
"Both of us cannot live Legolas."
He said as he walked towards him, the knife red with Legolas' blood.
"One of us has to die."

Legolas clutched his shoulder, his eyes blazed with fire.
He wouldn't take this anymore.
He stood up and glared at the monster.
"Then it will be you."

The monster flew at him with a cry of rage.

Legolas rushed towards him at the same time, they crashed into each other and fell onto the ground.

"You cannot win this fight Legolas."
The monster grabbed him and threw him into a wall, he fell to the ground and winced in pain.

"You may as well give up now. It would make everything much easier."

Legolas tried to stand only to be kicked in his side.
The monster continued to beat him.

Legolas tried desperately to protect himself, but his strength was failing.

"What do you have to live for anyway? Your family is dead, your friends have left you, you are alone."

Legolas knew he was right. He had no one, he was alone.

No.

Legolas heard a soft voice in his head, it sounded familiar...

You are not alone Legolas, we will always be with you ion.

Legolas opened his eyes.
A new light shone in his eyes, his strength returned to him.

He would not die. He would live.

Legolas looked up at the monster who glared at him in confusion and anger.

Legolas stood to his feet and faced him, his hands were clenched into fists.

"I am not alone."

The monster rushed towards him again, his hand clenched into a fist and ready to strike him.

Legolas dodged the blow and the monster missed and hit the wall, his hand began to bleed.

Legolas grabbed his arm and pulled it out of its socket.

The monster screamed in rage and pain.

He tried to attack Legolas with his other arm but Legolas grabbed his wrist and snapped it, the monster's hand hung uselessly at his side.

Legolas kicked him in his stomach and he fell onto his back.

Legolas retrieved the knife that had stabbed him and raised it over the monster's heart.

"You are making a mistake!"
He growled.
"You are nothing without me!"

"You are wrong."
Legolas brought the knife down on his dark self's heart.
"I am free."

The dark Legolas' body jerked, his eyes clouded and dark blood poured from his heart.

Legolas took a step back.

Everything began to fade, soon he was in complete darkness.

Then he saw a small light.

He turned around and saw a beautiful elleth standing in front of him.

She was clad completely in light, and Legolas recognized her immediately.

"Naneth..."
His mother smiled.
"Hello, Legolas."

She took him into her arms and held him tightly.

Legolas hugged her back, tears filling his eyes.

"Why are you here? How-"
She silenced him and smiled.
"It is good to see you ion. But I can only stay for a little longer."

Legolas' heart sank.
His mother touched the side of his face, the one with the scar.

Legolas felt life return to him, he felt his light return to him.

His mother looked into his eyes and smiled.

"I love you Legolas, I am proud of you."
Legolas took her hand.
"Please, don't leave me."

She smiled.
"I never left you Legolas. Neither did your brother, or your father.
We will always be with you."

She gently pulled away from him. Legolas watched as she disappeared from his sight.

()()()

Legolas awoke, not by the tree he had been resting by, but in the center of the clearing.

He felt different, he felt alive again.

Legolas stood to his feet.
His mother's words came back to him.

We will always be with you.

Legolas smiled, he wasn't alone, he had never been alone

He noticed that something seemed to be missing.

He reached his hand up and touched the side of his face.

The scar was gone.

Legolas lowered his hand and smiled, then he laughed.

He was free, truly free.

His light had returned to him, he had been healed.

Legolas wanted to run back to the palace, he wanted to tell Haldir what had happened, and then he needed to go to Aragorn, and tell him that he was forgiven.

Before he could move a blade was placed against his neck.

He stiffened in fear.

"I'm sorry Legolas."
He recognized the voice.
"Amarth?"
He exclaimed in disbelief.

"Forgive me Legolas!"
Amarth's voice shook with fear.
"I do not want to do this!"

Legolas felt a something strike his head, and his world faded to blackness.