Legolas stormed through the forest. He ignored his injured leg.
As far as he was concerned it was healed enough.
Everything Amarth had said about him ran through his mind.

He had wanted to defend himself, to deny everything that Amarth had been saying, to asure Aragorn and Gimli that it wasn't true.

But then he would be lying.

He loved killing, he loved the thrill of cutting down hundreds of enemies with only his two knives or shooting down larger foes with his bow.

But when he had used a sword, it had made him feel powerful, and stronger.
A vision of Legolas killing men and woman in a small village ram through his mind.

He saw himself shooting down men from the shadows, but not to where it had killed them.
He had always killed with a sword.

He had killed those elves with a sword, they had been powerless to stop him, he remembered the energy rushing through him...

He had loved it.
He still did.
Legolas wanted to feel it again, he wanted to kill something. Just to have that feeling again.

But there was nothing to kill.
He needed to find something...
Or someone.

Legolas' eyes widened in terror and he threw down his brother's sword, he had grabbed it while he had been lost in thought.

Legolas stared down at the sword in horror.
How could he have thought that?
It wasn't right! It wasn't him.

But it is. And you know it.

Legolas dropped down to his knees.
He couldn't escape from the beast inside of him...
It was always trying to break free.

It was only a matter of time before it did.

Legolas looked at his brother's sword. His father had given it to him after he had sworn to only kill servants of Sauron, and to never harm an innocent person.

But Legolas hadn't dared to use it. After what had happened, what he had done, he had never used a sword again.

It reminded him too much of what he had done...
And when he had been forced to use one...
It had always brought back the memories.

Legolas heard soft footsteps approaching.
Someone was coming, maybe it was Aragorn.
No, the footsteps were to quiet for a man, or a dwarf.
Was it Amarth?

No, Aragorn wouldn't let hin roam free by himself.
Then who was it?

He stood to his feet and grabbed his bow, he fit an arrow into the string and spun around.

"Haldir?"

()()()

Legolas lowered his bow.
What was he doing here?
Then it dawned on him.
He was here to bring him back.

"Legolas, your father has ordered you to return home immediatly."
Haldir walked towards him cautiously.

Legolas kept his bow aimed at him.
"Why did you tell my father about Alatar?"
He demanded.

"You do not understand Legolas. You don't know what Alatar is capable of. Your father does. He is only trying to protect you."

"By making me a prisoner in my own home?"
Legolas' hands were shaking in fury.

"I did not know that your father would react that way, it was wrong. But he demands that you return home, now."

"I will not go back."
Legolas glared at Haldir.

"Legolas! He is your father, and your king!"

"He cannot control me. He may be my father but he is not my king. I will not go back to Mirkwood, and you can tell him that."

Legolas lowered his bow and turned to walk away.
Suddenly his legs were kicked out from under him.

He landed on the ground dazed, from shock and pain.
His leg was still injured, and Haldir noticed.

"Forgive me Legolas."
Haldir grabbed Legolas' bow and threw it away out of his reach.
"But unlike you, I obey my orders."

Legolas rolled away from the elf and sprang to his feet.
He ignored his injured leg and glared at Haldir.

"You are going back to Mirkwood Legolas. Nothing you do will change that."

Legolas drew his knives, Haldir drew his sword.

"I will not go back."
Legolas took a step forward.

"Yes you will."

The two elves raced towards eacj other, Legolas brought his knives down on Haldir but he easily blocked them with his sword.

Legolas stumbled backwards, pain showed on his face.

"You cannot win Legolas."
Haldir looked down at him
"You are injured, and outmatched. I have been training for thousands of more years than you."

Haldir waited for a response.
But Legolas remained bent over, one of his hands grasping his injured leg.

Finally he looked up, his voice made Haldir's blood run cold.

"But you were never trained like I was."
Before Haldir could react Legolas attacked.
He fought more fiercely than any elf Haldir had seen before.

He could barely keep up with him. All Haldir could do was try to get away from Legolas, but it was no use.

Legolas sliced one of his knives across Haldir's chest.
The elf gasped in pain.
Legolas used his other knife to cut Haldir's hand.

His sword fell to the ground and Legolas forced him to the ground.

He looked up at Legolas in fear.
He had one of his knives pointed at his neck, and the other pointed at his heart.

"Legolas!"

Aragorn ran up behind Legolas and was about to grab him, when suddenly Amarth shoved him aside and blocked a blow from one of Legolas' knives.

Amarth used his swords to disarm Legolas.
He pointed them at Legolas' chest. The elf didn't move.

Amarth looked down at Aragorn.
"Don't you remember what happened last time you tried something like that?"

()()()

Aragorn looked up at Amarth.
Whether he liked it or not he had saved his life.

From Legolas.

Aragorn turned towards his friend.
Legolas was standing in he guessed to be shock.

Legolas looked at Amarth's swords, which were still pointed at his chest, and then at Aragorn.

It was to dark to see what his expression was.

Gimli had gone over to Haldir to see if he was alright.

"Aragorn! He's wounded."

Haldir stood to his feet and was trying to stop the blood that was coming from the slash on his chest.

Aragorn stood also and made his way over to him.
He was still surprised that he was there in the first place.
Although he'd already guessed the reason.

Aragorn looked over at Amarth and Legolas.
"We need to go back to camp. Is he alright?"

Amarth glanced at Legolas.
"Probably not."
Aragorn sighed.
Turning to Gimli he said, "Stay with him until he's better."

The dwarf nodded and cast a wary glance at the two elves.

Aragorn helped Haldir back to their camp.
Once they reached the small fire Aragorn tended to Haldir's wounds.

"You came for Legolas."
He said.
Haldir winced, and then nodded.
"Yes. I did."

"You do know that he won't go back?"
"I know that better now."
Haldir sighed.

"Thranduil is worried about him. And so am I. He does not need to be going after Alatar, not with the way he is."

Aragorn felt his heart twist at Haldir's words.
He was right. Legolas was unstable, dangerous.
He could not be trusted.

He is your friend Aragorn!
Of course you can trust him!

Can I? How do I know that he won't kill me?

Aragorn looked up and saw Amarth, Legolas, and Gimli return.

Amarth face was expressionless,
Legolas was stunned, and Gimli looked afraid.

Aragorn glanced at Legolas and quickly looked away.
What he saw wasn't his friend, it was a monster.