Legolas slowly began to awake, what had happened came back to him and his eyes shot open.

His eyes flew around the dark room he was in, trying to figure out where he was.

His arms were tied to his sides, he was standing upright against a black pillar and he had been gagged.

His eyes suddenly rested on Amarth.
The elf was standing next to a strange table, a look of pure terror was in his eyes.

Legolas wanted to ask him what was happening, but he couldn't.

Suddenly he felt fear overtake him. Alatar was coming.

He walked into the room, Legolas wanted to run, he struggled against the ropes that held him as Alatar walked over to him.

Alatar smiled.
"It's good to see you again Legolas. Although I doubt that the feeling is mutual."

Legolas looked up at him in fear.

"I apologize for having to bring you into this. Believe me, if I had any other option you would not be here."

Confusion briefly passed Legolas' face before fear once again took over.

"Do not worry, everything will be explained. You see, ever since I first appeared in Minas Tirith I had a plan. I would kill Aragorn, and then the rest of the kings in Middle Earth. But after I discovered that Amarth was alive..."

Alatar glanced at Amarth.
"My plans changed."
Alatar turned back to Legolas.
"I knew that Amarth would try to kill me, and I knew that he would probably ask you for assistance."

"So at first, I tried to stop you from reaching me. I sent Rilath after you, my wargs, and I planned on killing you when you entered my lair. Until I realized that Aragorn traveled with you."

"Then my plans changed, I figured that in order for my plan to work I had to turn the free peoples against each other. So I poisoned their minds, forced the to go to war with one another..."

"And had Aragorn kill your father."
Legolas bristled when he said this, Alatar smiled in amusement.

"Since everyone was divided, I journeyed here to Isengard to carry out the final part of my plan. Are you familiar with Morgoth Legolas?"

Legolas narrowed his eyes.
"Oh that's right, you cannot answer me. Well, you should know that Morgoth was the first evil to enter Middle Earth. His power was greater than Sauron's, and mine."

"The Valar imprisoned him thousands of years ago, but now, I will free him."

Legolas' eyes widened in fear.
He couldn't release Morgoth!

"I know what it is you fear Legolas."
Alatar said.
"But you do not have to worry, I only plan to release Morgoth long enough for me to harness his power. Then I will destroy him for good, and then I will destroy Middle Earth."

"After this world is destroyed, I will create a new one. A better one, with beings of my own creation. And everyone who lives here now will be destroyed."

Alatar grinned.
"And that is where you come in Legolas, you and Amarth."

Legolas looked over at Amarth, his eyes were still wide with fear.

"In order to release Morgoth, I will need the blood of two elves.
An Avari," he gestured to Amarth, "and a Noldor."

Legolas looked at him in confusion.
He wasn't Noldor or high elf, he was Sindarian, like his father and grandfather.

"You may not know this, but you have the blood of the Noldor in you. Your mother was a high elf. She married your father, a Sindarian elf. You are of the Noldor and Sindarian. Very few elves on Middle Earth today are of the Noldor, but you are, and now I can carry out my plan."

Legolas stiffened. He didn't know what to do. Alatar couldn't release Morgoth, he would never be able to harness his power!

Whether he would be able to or not didn't matter, Middle Earth would be doomed either way.

"Oh! I left one thing out. Another reason I need you specifically Legolas is because the elves have to be Scarred."

Alatar narrowed his eyes.
"Except, you are no longer Scarred."

Alatar grabbed Legolas' head and turned it to the side.
He inspected where the scar used to be.

"This will be a problem."
Alatar released him and pulled out a familiar black dagger.
Legolas tried desperately to free himself.

"Don't worry Legolas, I won't be scarring your face."
Alatar said calmly.

He looked over at Amarth.
"His face is not where his scar is. It is his heart that is Scarred."
Legolas' blood turned to ice when he realized what Alatar was about to do to him.

Alatar smiled wickedly when he saw Legolas' reaction.
"Don't worry, I will try and do it as fast as I can."

Alatar stepped forward, the knife pointed at Legolas' heart.

He struggled in vain, he could not escape this.

"Leave him alone!"
Amarth shouted desperately.
Alatar turned to him.
"You cannot release Morgoth! You will bring doom to us all!"

"I will redeem this broken world!"
Alatar shouted.
"You are the bringer of doom Amarth. Ever since you were born you have brought nothing but death to everyone you cared  about!"

"Neither of you will escape from the darkness I will bring!"
Alatar glared at Amarth.
"You will always be a slave, serving the darkness forever!"

Alatar then turned to Legolas.
"And you will always be a prisoner to darkness! You will never be free! The darkness has claimed both of your lives!"

Then he turned to Amarth.
"I was going to do this myself, but it seems like Amarth would be much better at it."

Amarth stared at him in horror.
"Come here Amarth."
Alatar ordered.
The elf walked forward, Legolas could see the reluctance, grief, and fear in his eyes.

"Do you know what I've done to Amarth? I control him the way Sauron did you, the only difference is, you were unaware when Sauron controlled you. But Amarth is awake."

Alatar placed the knife in his hand.
"And he is going to be the one to scar you once again."

Amarth held the knife in his hand, he looked desperately at Legolas.

There was nothing he could do.
He walked forward, the black knife in his hand.

Legolas closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come.

"Wait."

Amarth stopped and Legolas opened his eyes.

Alatar gently removed the rag from Legolas' mouth.

"I want to hear you scream."
Alatar turned to Amarth.
"Do it."

()()()

Merry had been trying to make sense of the dream he and Sam had.

It had come to him while they had been in the Grey Havens.
At first, he hadn't thought much about it.

He thought that it had just been a nightmare or memory from when they had been prisoners in Isengard.

But then the dream kept coming back.
He told Sam about it and he hadn't known what to make of it.

Merry had tried to forget it, but it came to him one more time.
And this time a voice had spoken to him.

It had said, You must save your friends to save Middle Earth.

Merry hadn't known who the voice belonged to, but he had taken the words seriously.

He'd gone to Sam again, only to hear that Sam had had the same dream.

Then they spoke with Elrohir about it, and he told them to listen for the voice again.

Merry had dreamed again.
The voice had told him to meet his friends in Rohan.

So Sam and Merry had set out at once.

"And that's what happened."
Sam finished their story.

"But what do our dreams mean?"
Merry asked.
"The voice said that we had to save our friends in order to save Middle Earth."

"Perhaps Legolas is the one we need to save."
Haldir suggested.
"But the voice said "friends" not just Legolas."
Sam pointed out.

"Who else do we need to save?"
Merry asked.
"We will have to wait and see."
Aragorn replied grimly.

He slowed his horse to a stop.
"Isengard."
He said slowly.

They had arrived, and the final battle was about to begin.