No Ordinary Day
Summary: What starts out as an ordinary day full of frustrating boredom turns into a day wrought with peril as two friends try to merely survive.
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien; go figure!
Chapter One
Rain. It seemed as though it had been raining always, though it had been but four weeks. Each day it had rained, sometimes the soft drizzle as fine as mist, other times the large, cold, hard, drops that drenched through clothes in a matter of seconds. Large puddles covered the ground as soil too saturated to absorb more moisture finally refused to allow the water to sink in. Mud was everywhere and still more water dripped from trees, brush, plants, and flowers.
Two faces peered through the glass of the large, ornate window that faced east toward the rising sun. One pale and fair, the other dark and ruddy, both set with stony eyes and frowns.
"It is raining," said one.
"I can see that," replied the other angrily.
Legolas looked at his friend who stood beside him. They had been cooped up for weeks, and at this point, they were ready to do each other bodily harm. Both felt that their nerves had reached a breaking point. Though the elf seemed to find more things to fill his time, both were now unable to find anything to do that they had not already done a hundred times over.
"Would you like to play chess?" suggested Legolas. He was most unused to not doing anything, and needed something to do, if just to keep his hands and mind busy.
"Nay, I do not wish to play chess, I do not wish to read, I do not wish to fletch arrows or sharpen weapons, I do not wish to inventory medical supplies, nor do I wish to tell tales or sing songs. I wish to be free of these walls. I wish to get out of this house!" Estel replied, getting louder and angrier as he spoke.
Legolas had taken several steps backward as his friend's ranting grew louder, a look of disbelief and surprise on his face over Estel's loss of control.
"My goodness, Estel, do try to hold your temper," said Elrond as he walked into the room.
"Father, make it stop. Use Vilya, you must, I cannot stand this any longer," Estel pleaded.
"Nay, you know I cannot Estel. That would be an abuse to the power of Vilya, it would be wrong," replied the elf lord, a look of concern on his face. He knew his son was not accustomed to this forced inactivity, and he had tried to help him by finding things for both of them to do.
"This boredom is making me crazy! I do not know how much longer I can stand it without doing harm to someone," he turned to face Legolas, "I am sorry to have raised my voice to you, mellon, I did not mean to."
"Look, Estel. The sky is not so dark as yesterday, and the rain is not so hard. I think the rain will stop, or at least not be so hard," Legolas stood to face Elrond, "perhaps we can go for a walk?" Legolas knew Elrond was hesitant for Estel to go out in the rain, as he was prone to illness, being a human. Several months ago, he had had a bout of pneumonia, and it had taken many weeks to recover his strength.
Elrond looked at them both. Although he worried for his son and did not wish for him to become ill again, he knew he needed to get out. Slowly nodding, he replied brightly, "Aye, a fine idea," he had to grab at his sons sleeve as both elf and human made to dart from the room, "dress warmly, Estel. I do not wish for you to become ill," he whispered with concerned eyes. Estel nodded in reply, and followed his friend quickly up the stairs to their chambers.
He quickly changed into a heavier tunic and pants, grabbed his sword belt and tucked his dagger into his boot. He met Legolas in the hall and both took heavy cloaks from the pegs on the walls, fastening them with silver clasps. Elrond met them at the door. He held out a small pack that contained food and a small medical kit.
"Be careful, nin ion. Be home before dark."
Estel and Legolas headed through the door into the courtyard. They walked quickly through the front gardens; a fine mist filled the air and everything in the garden was drenched and dripping. Neither cared, however. They were both too glad to be free from the confines of the Last Homely House to care.
"Where shall we go?" asked Legolas as he followed Estel along the path, leaping lightly over a fallen log.
"I do not care, as long as we go!" Estel replied with a smile in his voice.
They entered the forest where the canopy of branches above stopped nearly all the rain from reaching them. Still it was incredibly wet and it seemed as if mist sprang from the ground as well as the sky.
They walked on in silence for an hour, picking their way carefully along the path. The ground was wet and muddy, and in several places, Estel managed to sink into it up to his ankle. Even Legolas sunk into the muck in many places, though he weighed considerably less than the ranger. After the first hour, both were wet and mud covered, but neither cared.
The amount of rain that had fallen, along with several severe storms, had done quite a bit of damage in the forest. Large and small trees had fallen, their root systems too overloaded with moisture, the ground too wet and soggy to sustain them. This mostly occurred along small ledges and cliffs, where the trees had leaned too far to one side, compromising the support of their roots. Large branches that had become too waterlogged and had fallen also blocked their path in several places. But this was something to occupy their time, and the two friends found themselves working as they went along to clear the path. After a league or so, both were drenched nearly to the skin, their wet hair plastered to their wet faces. They were dirty and scratched, but extremely happy.
"I wonder how high the river has become?" said Estel as they sat under an overhang of rocks, eating a small snack of fruit.
"Let us find out," replied Legolas as he rose, brushing his hands on his leggings and hoisting the pack onto his shoulder.
They headed toward the River Bruinen that flowed through Rivendell and into the Misty Mountains beyond. They had not walked more than a half league before Legolas detected the faint footfalls of a creature nearby. The noise increased as more creatures joined the first, and Legolas was sure it the light foot steps of wolves that he heard. He pulled his bow from his back and reached for Estel's sleeve, stopping the human before saying, "Estel, I hear." but he was cut off by the fearsome sound of howling nearby.
Estel's eyes grew wide, and he pulled his sword as Legolas pulled an arrow from his quiver. Legolas looked around, but still could not see any of the creatures that he could hear so close by. The wood was thick here, and the cloud filled sky added to the shadow that filled the forest, making it seem more like twilight than the middle of the day.
"This way," stated Estel as he pulled Legolas forward. They headed on up the path swiftly, moving quickly over the trees in their way and skirting around puddles of mud and water. Branches reached out along the path, tearing at skin and clothing as they sped by. Estel knew the path they were on led to a high cliff edge that ran along the river, but it then turned to the sides, running from there both upstream and down. The path that headed downstream led back to the house and grounds of his father, and he knew it was patrolled by his father's guards.
"How many can you sense?" he asked with a worried tone to his voice.
"At least a dozen, if not more. We cannot outrun them, Estel. They are too swift." Legolas' voice was also filled with concern. Neither was afraid to fight, but they were clearly outnumbered. Wolves could be cunning and they were better suited to attack and fight in the deep woods. Legolas thought they should take to the trees, but he knew Estel was not as proficient a climber as he, and the rain had made everything slippery. It was too great a risk, and he would not leave his friend on the ground to face this danger alone. There only hope was to meet up with the patrols or get closer to the house where there was more noise and light.
They reached the end of the path where it branched out to run along the river when a large white wolf jumped out into the path, just at their heels. The lone wolf was quickly joined by two others, and the rest of the pack ran along as well, though deeper in the trees on both sides of the path. They made no sound as they moved through the forest.
Suddenly, Legolas felt a heavy weight on his back as the first wolf made his attack. He felt fangs bite into the flesh at his left shoulder, through both his cloak and tunic, and he gasped in pain. He stumbled forward, unintentionally pushing Estel forward. He landed hard, the impact jarring through his body and he felt the wolf reluctantly let go of his shoulder, tearing skin and muscle. His bow flew from his hands upon impact, and the arrow he had been holding skittered away. He bit back a cry of pain, and tilted his head up just in time to see Estel teetering on the edge of the path, arms windmilling in the air in a desperate attempt for balance, and then disappearing from sight as he went over the edge.
Summary: What starts out as an ordinary day full of frustrating boredom turns into a day wrought with peril as two friends try to merely survive.
Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien; go figure!
Chapter One
Rain. It seemed as though it had been raining always, though it had been but four weeks. Each day it had rained, sometimes the soft drizzle as fine as mist, other times the large, cold, hard, drops that drenched through clothes in a matter of seconds. Large puddles covered the ground as soil too saturated to absorb more moisture finally refused to allow the water to sink in. Mud was everywhere and still more water dripped from trees, brush, plants, and flowers.
Two faces peered through the glass of the large, ornate window that faced east toward the rising sun. One pale and fair, the other dark and ruddy, both set with stony eyes and frowns.
"It is raining," said one.
"I can see that," replied the other angrily.
Legolas looked at his friend who stood beside him. They had been cooped up for weeks, and at this point, they were ready to do each other bodily harm. Both felt that their nerves had reached a breaking point. Though the elf seemed to find more things to fill his time, both were now unable to find anything to do that they had not already done a hundred times over.
"Would you like to play chess?" suggested Legolas. He was most unused to not doing anything, and needed something to do, if just to keep his hands and mind busy.
"Nay, I do not wish to play chess, I do not wish to read, I do not wish to fletch arrows or sharpen weapons, I do not wish to inventory medical supplies, nor do I wish to tell tales or sing songs. I wish to be free of these walls. I wish to get out of this house!" Estel replied, getting louder and angrier as he spoke.
Legolas had taken several steps backward as his friend's ranting grew louder, a look of disbelief and surprise on his face over Estel's loss of control.
"My goodness, Estel, do try to hold your temper," said Elrond as he walked into the room.
"Father, make it stop. Use Vilya, you must, I cannot stand this any longer," Estel pleaded.
"Nay, you know I cannot Estel. That would be an abuse to the power of Vilya, it would be wrong," replied the elf lord, a look of concern on his face. He knew his son was not accustomed to this forced inactivity, and he had tried to help him by finding things for both of them to do.
"This boredom is making me crazy! I do not know how much longer I can stand it without doing harm to someone," he turned to face Legolas, "I am sorry to have raised my voice to you, mellon, I did not mean to."
"Look, Estel. The sky is not so dark as yesterday, and the rain is not so hard. I think the rain will stop, or at least not be so hard," Legolas stood to face Elrond, "perhaps we can go for a walk?" Legolas knew Elrond was hesitant for Estel to go out in the rain, as he was prone to illness, being a human. Several months ago, he had had a bout of pneumonia, and it had taken many weeks to recover his strength.
Elrond looked at them both. Although he worried for his son and did not wish for him to become ill again, he knew he needed to get out. Slowly nodding, he replied brightly, "Aye, a fine idea," he had to grab at his sons sleeve as both elf and human made to dart from the room, "dress warmly, Estel. I do not wish for you to become ill," he whispered with concerned eyes. Estel nodded in reply, and followed his friend quickly up the stairs to their chambers.
He quickly changed into a heavier tunic and pants, grabbed his sword belt and tucked his dagger into his boot. He met Legolas in the hall and both took heavy cloaks from the pegs on the walls, fastening them with silver clasps. Elrond met them at the door. He held out a small pack that contained food and a small medical kit.
"Be careful, nin ion. Be home before dark."
Estel and Legolas headed through the door into the courtyard. They walked quickly through the front gardens; a fine mist filled the air and everything in the garden was drenched and dripping. Neither cared, however. They were both too glad to be free from the confines of the Last Homely House to care.
"Where shall we go?" asked Legolas as he followed Estel along the path, leaping lightly over a fallen log.
"I do not care, as long as we go!" Estel replied with a smile in his voice.
They entered the forest where the canopy of branches above stopped nearly all the rain from reaching them. Still it was incredibly wet and it seemed as if mist sprang from the ground as well as the sky.
They walked on in silence for an hour, picking their way carefully along the path. The ground was wet and muddy, and in several places, Estel managed to sink into it up to his ankle. Even Legolas sunk into the muck in many places, though he weighed considerably less than the ranger. After the first hour, both were wet and mud covered, but neither cared.
The amount of rain that had fallen, along with several severe storms, had done quite a bit of damage in the forest. Large and small trees had fallen, their root systems too overloaded with moisture, the ground too wet and soggy to sustain them. This mostly occurred along small ledges and cliffs, where the trees had leaned too far to one side, compromising the support of their roots. Large branches that had become too waterlogged and had fallen also blocked their path in several places. But this was something to occupy their time, and the two friends found themselves working as they went along to clear the path. After a league or so, both were drenched nearly to the skin, their wet hair plastered to their wet faces. They were dirty and scratched, but extremely happy.
"I wonder how high the river has become?" said Estel as they sat under an overhang of rocks, eating a small snack of fruit.
"Let us find out," replied Legolas as he rose, brushing his hands on his leggings and hoisting the pack onto his shoulder.
They headed toward the River Bruinen that flowed through Rivendell and into the Misty Mountains beyond. They had not walked more than a half league before Legolas detected the faint footfalls of a creature nearby. The noise increased as more creatures joined the first, and Legolas was sure it the light foot steps of wolves that he heard. He pulled his bow from his back and reached for Estel's sleeve, stopping the human before saying, "Estel, I hear." but he was cut off by the fearsome sound of howling nearby.
Estel's eyes grew wide, and he pulled his sword as Legolas pulled an arrow from his quiver. Legolas looked around, but still could not see any of the creatures that he could hear so close by. The wood was thick here, and the cloud filled sky added to the shadow that filled the forest, making it seem more like twilight than the middle of the day.
"This way," stated Estel as he pulled Legolas forward. They headed on up the path swiftly, moving quickly over the trees in their way and skirting around puddles of mud and water. Branches reached out along the path, tearing at skin and clothing as they sped by. Estel knew the path they were on led to a high cliff edge that ran along the river, but it then turned to the sides, running from there both upstream and down. The path that headed downstream led back to the house and grounds of his father, and he knew it was patrolled by his father's guards.
"How many can you sense?" he asked with a worried tone to his voice.
"At least a dozen, if not more. We cannot outrun them, Estel. They are too swift." Legolas' voice was also filled with concern. Neither was afraid to fight, but they were clearly outnumbered. Wolves could be cunning and they were better suited to attack and fight in the deep woods. Legolas thought they should take to the trees, but he knew Estel was not as proficient a climber as he, and the rain had made everything slippery. It was too great a risk, and he would not leave his friend on the ground to face this danger alone. There only hope was to meet up with the patrols or get closer to the house where there was more noise and light.
They reached the end of the path where it branched out to run along the river when a large white wolf jumped out into the path, just at their heels. The lone wolf was quickly joined by two others, and the rest of the pack ran along as well, though deeper in the trees on both sides of the path. They made no sound as they moved through the forest.
Suddenly, Legolas felt a heavy weight on his back as the first wolf made his attack. He felt fangs bite into the flesh at his left shoulder, through both his cloak and tunic, and he gasped in pain. He stumbled forward, unintentionally pushing Estel forward. He landed hard, the impact jarring through his body and he felt the wolf reluctantly let go of his shoulder, tearing skin and muscle. His bow flew from his hands upon impact, and the arrow he had been holding skittered away. He bit back a cry of pain, and tilted his head up just in time to see Estel teetering on the edge of the path, arms windmilling in the air in a desperate attempt for balance, and then disappearing from sight as he went over the edge.
