Minas Tirith emerged out of the gloom around mid morning. The hobbits were tired, the army was anxious, and Aragorn was sinking in memories.

The sky was always dark now.

Not in three days had he seen the sun, nor blue sky. It was always grey and dreary. Legolas was looking more wiry every day. He had bags under his eyes.

Aragorn had tried approaching him once, but Legolas had turned him down. "I need not your help, mellon nin. I am fine." Of course, Legolas was not fine.

Dawn had stayed hidden the entire trip, always walking a ways away from the group. She seemed to melt into the shadows. She looked awful, with swollen wounds, straggly hair, and puffy eyes. But the blue of her pupils always glowed.

The city's gates opened at the sight of the army. As they all entered, everyone stared in awe at the elves. Aragorn saw Dawn give an icy stare to a child, no more that six. She muttered something to the child, and walked away, melting into the gloom again.

She is cruel and not to be trusted, Aragorn thought. I don't care that she saved me.

The citadel offered warmth to the tired travelers. Merry and Fifi walked off to some rooms, and Haddy followed. Gandalf sighed. "Just like you, Peregrin." he laughed. "Those two would die for each other. I can see it." Sam sighed. He knew how that felt.

As Elrond entered the throne room, A soft laugh was heard from the shadows. "Father, it is I, Arwen."

"Arwen!" Elrond cried. He dashed to her as she appeared from behind a pillar. Father and daughter hugged tightly. Both had streams of tears running down their faces.

"I missed you so much, father." Arwen said. Elrond nodded. They stayed that way for a long time.

()()()()

Aragorn sat with Arwen in the throne room. Tables had been added to the white, mighty halls. They all sat around a circular table.

"Lady Galadriel," Aragorn said. "Please, tell us what has become of Eldarion." Arwen nodded. "Grandmother, please."

Galadriel did not smile. "Eldarion Evenstar cannot be reached." she said. "He has passed into shadow." Tears glimmered in her eyes. Elrond did not look surprised, only grieved. Aragorn's face crumpled. Arwen did nothing, only blinked as tears fell. Eowyn and Faramir's faced became white at the prospect of facing the monster. The hobbits gasped.

Aragorn began to shake. His eyes widened. He clenched his hands into fists. He got up from the table, and started yelling, smashing things to the ground. His eyes were angry and crazed. Tears glimmered in his eyes. He kicked a helmet across the room, smashed a flower vase, and eventually crumpled into a heap on the floor, moaning in sorrow."Ion nin, ion nin, ion nin."  He muttered that over and over again, his voice broken.

()()()()

His bowstring was taut. His eyes sharp. His hair pulled back.

A green hood pulled over his pale face, the elf hunted in the woods. He took a breath in, and let it out slowly, water vapor forming in the cold air around him. Shivers crept up his neck. This was why he loved hunting.

But now it felt useless.

Legolas let his arrow fly, but he did not feel any power in the arrow. He felt no passion in the hunt. The sight of his friend a sobbing mess on the ground had shaken him. Gimli was the most practical of them all.

"Crying won't give your lad back. Get out there!" he had shouted at Aragorn, through a closed door. There had been no response. "These tears you cry, the come too late!" Legolas had cried. It had done no good.

The deer fell as the arrow pierced her heart. Legolas thought of Aragorn's heart, pierced by sorrow. He suddenly saw the deer as someone else, someone whom he knew better that anyone else...

With a sharp cry, he dropped his bow and jumped back. He saw her hair, covered by snow...

He saw her anger, scaring even him...

He saw Barad-dur, and all it stood for...

He was screaming, clasping his head. His headache felt like it would rip him apart. He had not seen those things in many long years.

Footsteps crashed through the woods. Legolas hardy heard them. "No!" came a cry, from a familiar voice. Gimli had found him. "ARAGORN!" he yelled. A fresh wave of pain racked Legolas.

His sight was turning black...colors danced across his vision...

Then all was black.

()()()()

Dawn heard the screams. She knew that scream anywhere.

She was sprinting through the woods at full speed. Everything was a blur. "Legolas!" she screamed. "Legolas! Where are you?"

Only screams answered her call. "Legolas!" This time it was a shriek. "Legolas!"

Dawn's hands were covered in blood. Hers. She stood in a dark room. Whispers of the past were heard. She stopped short. She was in Sauron's throne room. But Barad-dur was gone...

Out of the darkness came a cloaked figure. He stared at her, and she saw grey-blue eyes. The hood fell. She gasped at who it was.

()()()()

Legolas woke up in the Houses of Healing. He immediately looked around in a wild panic. He saw Dawn sleeping in a bed next to him. Her face was sickly pale, and she thrashed in her sleep. He tried not to look at her.

A healer was by his side. She had curly brown hair. "My name is Adrona. Glad to see you are up." But she spoke in a monotone. She dashed over to Dawn and held her down. Legolas covered his ears as Dawn screamed.

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HE'S EVIL! HE'S COMING! THE END IS HERE! IT IS ALL MY FAULT, LISTEN TO ME!" Tears ran down her face.

The screams eventually faded to small whimpers of "He's here...save me...". Then she was silent altogether. Her hair was a matted mess. Legolas knew, no matter how much he regretted it, he hatted the elf.

But sorrow took him in its murky folds as blackness enveloped him again.