Disclaimer: I am not Tolkien, nor do I claim to be. I do this for pleasure not profit. Enough said.
THE L AND L ADVENTURES: VANWA
Beneath the night sky of the northern wasteland of Middle Earth there trudged a band of Men and Orcs. In this band were some captive Elves and an elfling. All of these were headed towards the looming black mountains of Ered Engrin. The tallest of these mountains was the three peaks of Thangorodrim. At the base of Thangorodrim was a set of tall black doors. Through the tunnel behind those doors was Angband, fortress of the Dark Lord Morgoth.
Fortunately for those being held captive their destination was not Angband but the camp of the Easterlings to the west of Thangorodrim. Fortunate, because being a slave to Men was infinitely better than being a slave to the Orcs within Angband. Although being a slave to Men could not be called fortunate by any means, since the Men under Morgoth's control were so twisted by evil that any mercy and kindness had long since left their hearts. But at least Men were less likely to beat you just for fun as Orcs liked to do.
As the band drew closer to Angband the Orcs split off so they could take their plunder to their master, Morgoth, within Angband. The Men, with their captives, worked their way further up the mountains above Angband to their camp. As they entered the camp the Men started wandering off to their various different homes. Most of the Men stayed in tents while they were there, but those with a permanent posting there or those of high rank stayed in crudely made cabins. There were also several long low buildings that were even more sloppily made then the cabins. It was to one of those buildings that the captives were herded to, for that is where the slaves were kept when they were not working.
The first impression the elfling had of his new home was the smell. The combination of unwashed bodies and cramped living quarters nearly made the elfling gag. The second impression was the lack of light. A quick inspection revealed that there were no windows, no lamps, and only one door. Large cracks in the walls were the only source of light when the door was closed. Unfortunately that meant that the cold northern winds also made their way inside.
"Hey, L, got some more for ya," the captain of the Band of Men's sudden shout scattered the elfling's thoughts and brought his attention to an Elf coming towards them.
The one addressed as L had long golden hair, or at least it would be golden if it were not covered in dirt. He had the slim build of an elfling not yet fully grown, but moved with the grace of an experienced warrior. When he stepped into the light from the door the elfling could see he had the youthful face of an Elf in his early forties. But his intelligent blue eyes held wisdom beyond his years. When he caught the eyes of the elfling he gave him a small smile that instantly set the elfling at ease from the sheer kindness within it. But when he faced the captain his bearing easily shifted into one of stern authority.
"I can see that, Fain, I can also see that some of them have wounds that have not been tended to properly. Workers cannot work if they are weak from infected wounds. Your masters will not be pleased with you for bringing in workers who cannot work." L's voice was clear and firm with the musical lilt native to all Elves, but there was a slight accent to it that the elfling could not identify.
Fain glared at L a moment before speaking, "As long as I get 'em here, Elf Boy, my masters are pleased. What happens to 'em once they're here is on your head, not mine." With that said Fain turned on his heel and stormed out. The guards who were with him followed him out and locked the door behind them.
The Elf smirked at the closed door for a moment before turning to the newcomers. He studied them briefly, checking their general health. The newcomers, in turn, studied this strange young Elf that seemed to have such authority over the Easterlings.
"Welcome to the camp of the Easterlings, friends," said L with a warm, if somewhat wry, smile. "My name is Lorien, but you can call me L if you wish. My brother and I are in charge of all the workers within this camp. So if you have a problem or are injured you come to us. We will also be telling you what your daily tasks will be, but that can wait till morning. For now I suggest you get some sleep. If you are injured please follow me and I will make sure your wounds get tended to as best we can." With that said L, or rather Lorien beckoned to the elfling to follow him and walked further into the barracks. The elfling had taken an immediate likening to Lorien so he followed closely. The injured Elves followed while the others wandered off to find a place to sleep.
Lorien led them about midway through the building to where there were some Elves fussing over some healing supplies. As Lorien approached the Elves got to their feet out of respect. As Lorien instructed the healers to look after the injured Elves the elfling took a closer look at his new home. There were probably a hundred slaves crammed into a building that could hold no more than seventy people comfortable. Everyone was covered in black dirt that the elfling would learn came from working in the mines. The elfling also noticed that the ellyth outnumbered the ellyn, and that there were very few elflings. Any elflings that were there were usually older, at least in their thirties making him the youngest at twenty-one. He also noticed that the ellyth stayed towards the back of the barracks with the elflings, keeping the ellyn between them and the door. He could see exhaustion on every face and sadness lingered behind almost every expression. But the elfling found watching people's reaction to Lorien the most interesting. Any time Lorien caught anyone's gaze he would give a smile or a nod and every time he did that person would visible brighten. Even the most tired and saddest face would gain a determination and hope that had not been there before.
"Are you injured, little one?" Lorien's soft question prompted the elfling to hold up his raw burnt hands. Lorien gentle inspected them making the elfling hiss when he stretched out the small fingers.
"I will have to clean and wrap your hands, little one. I am afraid it will hurt but it must be done. Will you let me do this, little one?" Looking into the sympathetic eyes of this Elf that he had know for less than an hour the elfling found himself completely trusting him. So the elfling nodded and Lorien proceeded to clean and wrap the small hands. The elfling tried very hard not to cry but by the end tears of pain were running down his face. When Lorien finished he gathered the elfling into his arms and held him till he had calmed himself.
"You are very strong, little one, do not let anyone tell you otherwise. And there is no shame in tears when the cause is sufficient." Lorien set the elfling down and dried his face with a cloth. "Now, how about telling me your name so I do not have to keep calling you little one."
But the elfling frowned and shook his head sadly. When Lorien still appeared confused, he touched his throat and shook his head again.
"Do you mean you can not talk, little one?" The elfling nodded in response. "Well that makes things more difficult, but not impossible. Can you write, little one?" A nod. "Write your name in the dirt here then," said Lorien as he smoothed a patch of the dirt floor.
The elfling carefully wrote "Vanwa" with his bandaged hands.
"Mae govannen, Hir Vanwa," said Lorien with an overly courteous air. "Would thou do me the honor of sleeping next to me? I am afraid mine brother has business at another barracks tonight and I dislike sleeping alone." Vanwa grinned at Lorien's teasing and gave a shy nod to staying with him. So Lorien led him over to where he had his blankets and they curled up together and fell asleep on the cold dirt floor.
"Awaken, young Vanwa, it is time to start the day." The words and a gentle rocking motion penetrated Vanwa's dreams. When he blinked the sleep out of his eyes he saw that Lorien was crouched beside him and was shaking him awake. Vanwa could hear the quiet murmurs of the other Elves as they awoke. "You are even harder to wake up than Las," Lorien muttered under his breath as he stood up. Vanwa looked down for a moment as he sat up and when he looked back up he was astonished to see that there were two Loriens standing there.
"Greetings, Vanwa, I am Legolas," one of the "Loriens" said with a smile. "And, yes, I am Lorien's twin brother."
Lorien laughed, "I do not know why you always say that. A person would have to be blind not to see that we are twins, brother."
"Yet people always ask us if we are twins. I am merely clearing up any confusion."
Lorien snorted. "You, clearing up confusion, now that is a laugh."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" was Legolas' indignant reply.
The twins spent the next five minutes arguing about something Legolas had done that had apparently caused a lot of confusion. Most of the conversation went over Vanwa's head since he did not know what the twins were referring to, but listening to the twins' playful teasing he was able to tell that the twins loved each other very much and were great friends as well as brothers.
Vanwa felt his heart lighten as he listened to the brothers' bickering. And looking around he saw that he was not the only one who enjoyed listening to the brothers. Everyone who could hear them, which was practically the whole barracks, would glance over and start smiling. Watching the brothers Vanwa realized that no one was enjoying themselves more than the twins. Lorien's face had a joy to it that had not been there the night before, and Legolas seemed to have a permanent twinkle in his eyes.
Lorien and Legolas somehow managed to keep up a continues string of playful insults with each other while at the same time informing the newcomers of who they would be partnered with till they had "learned the ropes," as they put it. Vanwa was to stay with either Lorien or Legolas throughout the day. Soon the guards were unlocking the door and everyone went to their tasks.
Most of the slaves worked in the mines that snaked through much of the Iron Mountains, bringing up iron and coal for the forges of Morgoth. Those who had any smith craft worked in the forges making weapons and armor for the enemy under the watchful eyes of the guards. Others worked in the animal pens taking care of the many animals that were needed to provide for the large army. And a few worked directly for the Easterlings as servants. Since Vanwa was so young he was one of these, although he worked with the animals sometimes too.
Vanwa spent the next several months working, often with Legolas or Lorien, and he got to know them quite well. Although Vanwa could not talk Lorien and Legolas still made an effort to engage him in conversation. And since Lorien had started teaching him to make signs with his hands in place of words, which Vanwa would forever be grateful for, they were able to learn more about each other.
Vanwa explained, as best he could, how, when Vanwa was seven, his father had gone to fight for Fingon in the Battle of Unnumbered Tears and never returned. He and his mother had lived in Dor-Lomin hiding from the Easterlings for fourteen more years after that. Then a band of Easterlings had stumbled across their little village on their way to Angband. The Easterlings killed anyone who tried to fight and captured everyone else. Vanwa's mother hid him in their cottage and went to go fight. Vanwa saw an Easterling run her through with his sword not ten paces from their home. He tried to go to her but she had barred the door from the outside and the windows were too strong for him to break. After the fighting was done the Easterlings set fire to the buildings, including Vanwa's home. Vanwa managed to escape the building after one of the walls collapsed, but by that time he had inhaled enough smoke to permanently damage his voice. He had also burned his hands pushing his way through the rubble. An Easterling spotted him when he stumbled out of his cottage and took him captive. Which probably saved Vanwa's life since he would not have been able to survive long in the wild as young and injured as he was.
Even as the twins learned more about Vanwa so did Vanwa learn more about them. Although most of what Vanwa learned came from observation or from eavesdropping on the other slaves or guards, for Legolas and Lorien spoke little about their past. But by listening and observing Vanwa was able to piece together a bit of their story.
For instance, Vanwa discovered that the twins had been captured, along with their mother, at the age of seventeen, and that they were now forty-one. Which is still young for an Elf, since Elves did not come of age till they are fifty. He also learned that the twins' mother had died several years before. Why she died he had not been able to learn, for the twins never spoke of her and none of the other slaves had been there long enough to know.
Of their father Vanwa heard little. Only that he had been killed before the twins and their mother were brought to Angband.
Vanwa also learned a bit about how the twins came to be in charge of the barracks. Years ago there had been no one in charge of the slaves; the guards had just picked at random which slave they wanted to go where. And because the guards cared nothing for the slaves they would often die unnecessarily from wounds or starvation, for the guards often stole the slaves' food and supplies. When the twins arrived from Angband they immediately saw the problem and made a plan to fix it. The twins went to the Leader of the Easterlings and told him they knew how to improve efficiency. The Leader admired their bravery enough to not kill them for their impertinence. The twins explained their plan to appoint a slave to be in charge of each barracks and have them report to another slave who could then approach the Easterlings with their requests. The Leader approved the plan with the condition that the twins had to be the ones in charge of making it work. The twins quickly set their plan in motion and soon there was a leader in each barracks who was in charge of the food, medicine, clothing, and work appointed to that barracks. Each barracks leader would report to one of the twins if they needed any supplies or had a problem they could not handle. The twins were in charge of the overall distribution of food, medicine, clothing, and work for the slaves. The twins were also the only ones who could approach the Easterlings with requests for more supplies and such.
The result of this was that the Easterlings were happy because they had less work and better results to show their master. And the slaves were happy because they had better living conditions and strong leaders to look up to. And Legolas and Lorien were happy because they now had thousands of slaves under their command with which to stage an escape. A fact which mercifully never occurred to the Easterlings or if it did they dismissed it as impossible.
The more time Vanwa spent with the Ls, as some people called them if they were referring to them as a unit, the more he came to respect them as good leaders and love them as older brothers. In turn the twins treated Vanwa like a beloved little brother and did their best to protect and care for him.
One day nearly four months after Vanwa was captured, he found something that had the potential to release hundreds of slaves. Vanwa came across it by pure chance, or more likely the will of the One, while cleaning an apprentice healer's quarters. It was an innocuous little piece of paper lying on the ground by the bed. Vanwa nearly threw it in the fire pit as trash but he glanced at the writing first and would have whooped for joy if he had a voice. As it was his mouth just opened and closed a few times making him look ridiculous but thankfully nobody was there to notice. Written in neat penmanship on that paper were instructions on how to make the antidote to the slave poison.
The slave poison was what all slaves were given when they came to Angband. It was the reason the slaves did not revolt and run away. The slave poison was a very strange poison in that it had no side affects. In fact you could get infected with the poison and not even know it till you dropped over dead two days later. What was also strange about the slave poison was that if given small amounts of the antidote daily the poison would not kill you. That is what made it so effective in keeping the slaves prisoner. Every day the slaves would have to get a bit of the antidote or else they would die. But if given enough of the antidote they could be cured. But the Easterlings only gave out small portions at a time so the slaves were never cured.
Vanwa had once heard Legolas say that if he just knew how to make the antidote he would be able to free all the slaves. Until now that knowledge had been carefully guarded. But now Vanwa had that knowledge in his hands! Vanwa started to run out of the room to go tell the twins before he realized he could not take the paper without it being missed. Thinking quickly Vanwa found the apprentice healer's writing kit and carefully copied the instructions. He then put everything back exactly where it was, finished cleaning the room, and went to go find the twins. But it was not until nighttime when all the slaves were back in their barracks that Vanwa had an opportunity to show the twins the paper and explain how he got it.
"Vanwa you are absolutely brilliant!" said Lorien as he picked Vanwa up and threw him in the air before giving him a bone-crushing hug.
Legolas was nearly dancing with glee but he restrained himself when he noticed the stares the other slaves were giving them. "You are brilliant, Vanwa. Now we can finally go through with our escape plans!"
Although more pleased by their praise than he would ever admit, Vanwa felt it his duty to remind the twins of a few problems that had been weighing on his mind, namely the fact that they did not have the antidote only the knowledge of how to make it. Plus the fact that even without the slave poison as a factor it would still be hard to escape. There were Easterlings, roving Orc bands, and a large wasteland to overcome before they reached the free lands.
But Legolas just laughed at Vanwa's observations and said, "Those things we can overcome with some preparation and caution, the slave poison has always been the thing holding us back. We have been waiting twenty-four years for just this opportunity. We can finally put our many escape plans into action, thanks to you." Vanwa blushed to his ear tips at the praise. "Now all we have to do is decide which plan to use."
The twins called over a few of their most trusted friends and they spent the rest of the night making plans. Vanwa wanted to stay up with them and he did for several hours but Lorien made him sleep for a few hours before dawn. By morning everyone had agreed on a plan.
The plan was for Lorien and Legolas to sneak out of the barracks the next night and make as much of the antidote as they could which they would use to treat as many slaves as they could. Then they would combine the daily antidotes of the cured slaves to treat other slaves and so on till all the slaves were cured. Then on a night when all the slaves were cured they would free each barracks as quietly as possible. They hoped that with everyone escaping at the same time the Easterlings would not be able to contain everyone even if some were recaptured. Once everyone was free the slaves would scatter in different directions to spread thin any forces chasing them and to give themselves a better chance of escape.
Food and weapons would have to be quietly gathered if the slaves were to survive in the wasteland surrounding Angband. In this everyone was grateful for the management of the twins since they had been hoarding as much food as they could without being noticed. They had not been hoarding it for themselves but for others so that there would always be something to eat even if the Easterlings did not give them enough food or if they needed to escape quickly.
The next day Lorien and Legolas went around to each barracks leader and informed them of the plan. The twins were sensitive in their approach of each leader since everyone's cooperation was needed for the plan to work. Of course each barracks leader gave their full support to the plan and to the twins' leadership.
While the twins talked to each barracks leader Vanwa ran interference with the guards. He made sure that none of the guards interrupted or overheard the twins' conversations.
That night the twins told everyone in their barracks of the plan while they waited for the Easterlings to settle into sleep. Once everyone's questions had been answered they told everyone to get some sleep. Then the twins slipped out some loose boards in the back of the barracks while everyone else attempted to get some sleep.
Legolas and Lorien stealthily made their way through the slumbering camp to the healer's quarters. The favor of Eru was with them for there were no injured that night and the healers had retired to their beds leaving the cabin empty.
Legolas stood watch while Lorien gathered the necessary herbs to make the antidote. A problem occurred to Lorien as he worked. "Las, they are going to notice that a bunch of their herbs are missing," he whispered. "Any bright ideas?"
"My ideas are always bright," Legolas retorted while he thought. "Keep making the antidote and when you know how much you will use I will get that much from storage. The Easterlings rarely go in the storage shed themselves and it should not be missed till we are gone. Is that a bright enough idea, Lor?"
"Bright as the sun, brother," Lorien said with a grin.
Several hours later Lorien started on the last batch of antidote and he told Legolas how many herbs he had used. Legolas slipped out and returned with the replacement herbs just as the last batch of antidote was finished. The twins gathered up the antidote and returned to their barracks minutes before the first healer came into the healer's quarters.
By the beginning of fall the final stage of the plan was ready to be put into action. The ellith and elflings had received the antidote first and now the ellon were cured as well. Food and weapons had been gathered in great enough supply to get the nearly thousand slaves to the free lands. The closer the day came when they could escape the more restless the slaves got. It is a testament to the strong leadership of the twins that the slaves did not revolt before the proper time.
"Everybody ready?" Legolas' whispered question was met with nods or quiet "yeses" from everyone within the barracks. "Good. Off you go then, brother."
Lorien slipped out the loose boards at the back of the barracks then circled around to the front. He quietly knocked out the guard standing watch by the door and unlocked the door for the other prisoners to get out. Legolas then took the unconscious guard dragged him into the barracks, tied him up, gaged him, and stripped him of his weapons and outer clothing. The weapons were given to the ellyn who would be protecting the ellyth and elflings and Lorien put the guard's clothes on so that the other guards would not notice that there was not a guard on duty. Meanwhile Vanwa had sneaked out to keep watch for any Easterlings roaming around. With Lorien working the door and Vanwa warning him through sign language of any danger they got out all the slaves in their barracks.
Everyone stuck to the plan and went to their assigned places quietly. Some of the armed ellyn went around to the other barracks to free them. Another group of armed ellyn, led by Legolas, went to go stampede the animals. The animals were the best diversion they could think of since not only would they cause a lot confusion and destruction they would also divert the majority of the Easterling's attention as they would have to catch the animals if they wanted hoses to ride or meat to eat. The rest of the ellyn stayed with the ellyth and elflings to protect them as they made their way out of the camp.
As Lorien let the last of the slaves out of the barracks Vanwa came over to join him. At that time the sound of hooves could be heard followed closely by the sound of men shouting. Lorien shot Vanwa a triumphant grin that was only slightly tinged with worry for his brother. Lorien and Vanwa made up the tail end of a long line of sneaking slaves as they made their way west out of the Easterling's camp. The further they got away from the camp the tenser Lorien became. Vanwa realized that if Legolas did not show up soon Lorien would charge back into the camp and drag him out by his ear. Vanwa made up his mind then to follow Lorien even if it meant his own recapture. His reasoning was that Lorien needed someone with him that could keep him from doing something crazy, like taking on the entire Easterling army single handed, and if Vanwa had come to love Lorien like a father and Legolas like an older brother that was beside the point.
The slaves had waited for only a couple minutes at the place they had agreed to meet Legolas and the other Elves that had gone with him when a group of Elves appeared. Lorien started scowling when he realized Legolas was not with them and immediately began questioning the Elves about the whereabouts of his twin. They told him that Legolas had gotten recaptured trying to set fire to the armory. Vanwa was sure the only reason Lorien did not give a length lecture on sticking to the plan was that it would have taken too much time, as it was Lorien just said a few sharp words that made the battle hardened Elves look like misbehaving elflings. Lorien commanded one of the older Elves to lead the former slaves to safer lands to the west or south then he turned on his heel and strode back towards camp.
When Lorien noticed that Vanwa was following him he opened his mouth to tell him to go back to the other Elves but a fierce glare from the normally timid elfling shut him up. "I am staying with you," Vanwa signed to Lorien. Lorien did not have time to argue and Vanwa knew it.
"Eru save me from stubborn elflings and impulsive brothers," Lorien muttered under his breath and Vanwa smirked because he knew that meant he could come with.
The duo marched side-by-side till they got to the edge of camp then Lorien took the lead in sneaking around the buildings. They had nearly gotten to their barracks before they spotted Legolas being marched towards them. He had a guard gripping each arm and Fain held a sword to his back. But what set Lorien and Vanwa's blood boiling was the fact that he had clearly been beaten. Fortunately for Legolas, Fain had him march right past Lorien and Vanwa's hiding place and the second he was past it Lorien sprang into motion.
Lorien did not have a weapon on him and there was nothing around except a wooden bucket so that is what he used. He crept up behind Fain and swung the bucket at his head. Fain had not even reached the ground before Legolas twisted out of the guards' grasp and sent one sprawling with a blow to the head. The other guard managed to partially draw his sword before Lorien knocked him out with a well-aimed bucket.
The twins gave each other identical assessing looks, the only difference being Lorien looked concerned by what he saw while Legolas looked amused. Legolas' face was bruised and already his left eye was swelling shut. He had blood splattered on his tunic from a broken nose and from the way he moved Lorien could tell that he had broken or at least bruised some ribs.
"Do not worry so much, Lor. It looks much worse than it really is." Lorien was not convinced but decided to chastise Legolas for his injuries later. "Besides, I am curious to hear how buckets came to replace the bow as your weapon of choice."
"Do not be ridicules, Las; you know it was the only thing at hand," said Lorien as he and Legolas dragged the guards and Fain out of sight. "You know the bow is my weapon of choice. Although I must admit a bucket does work quite well. I still would have preferred to have a bow though."
"Well here is a sword at least." Legolas handed Lorien one of the guard's swords, he kept Fain's sword for himself. Lorien had been checking the other guard for anything useful and found a long dagger which he gave to Vanwa. Legolas found some throwing knives on Fain and he kept those as well.
Now reasonably armed the twins and Vanwa started towards the edge of camp. They had gotten to the last building when a small group of Easterlings caught sight of them. The Easterlings were too close for them to make a run for it so the twins drew their swords and attacked.
For a moment Vanwa stood frozen but when an Easterling came at Lorien from behind he drew his dagger and entered the fray. He managed to knick the Easterling threatening Lorien and that distracted him long enough for Lorien to finish him off. Lorien kept Vanwa right by his side the whole fight. Which was a very good thing for Vanwa, considering he had no knowledge of warfare and would have been killed several times if Lorien had not been there. Fortunately there were only a few Easterlings in this group and the twins were able to finish them off with a skill and grace that Vanwa marveled at. By the time the last Easterling fell Vanwa was breathing hard, more from adrenalin than exertion, but the twins, who had done most of the fighting, might as well have just finished a pleasant stroll for all the heavier they were breathing.
At that moment more Easterlings came running into view having been drawn to the sounds of fighting. Lorien and Legolas glanced at each then grabbed Vanwa's arms and started running as if their lives depended on it, which they did. They ran south down the mountain and had nearly reached the plain before the Easterlings started gaining on them. Normally the twins would have been able to outrun the men but Legolas' injuries were slowing them down and Vanwa was tiring quickly.
The Easterlings were nearly upon them when Legolas let out a piercing whistle. Lorien shot Legolas a surprised look then started laughing. Vanwa was very confused about what could be funny about whistling while running for their lives but soon understood when several horses came galloping towards them. The Easterlings had made the slaves take care of all the horses and Legolas had used that opportunity to teach them to obey him. Legolas was calling all the horses in camp to him using the whistle he had trained them to come to.
As soon as one of the horses was close enough Legolas scrambled onto it bareback. Lorien shoved Vanwa on behind Legolas then jumped onto a different horse. Legolas whistled again and then they were galloping down the foot of the mountain and across the plain called Anfauglith.
Besides the two horses the twins and Vanwa were riding, nearly two-dozen other horses had answered Legolas' call and were now following them. Vanwa knew this was only a portion of the horses the Easterlings had and he correctly assumed that the men had caught the rest before Legolas had whistled. This concerned him since he knew the Easterlings would want their horses back and as long as the Easterlings still had horses they could still catch up to them if they were determined enough.
Vanwa's worrying was interrupted when Legolas started slumping forward on his and Vanwa's horse. Vanwa grabbed him and managed to keep them both on the horse and whistled to catch Lorien's attention. Lorien immediately brought his horse alongside and reached over to steady Legolas as he slowed the horses' gallop down to a walk.
"Las?" Lorien's voice was worried and it seemed to rouse Legolas from his stupor.
"I'm fine, Lor," slurred Legolas. Vanwa was exasperated by the obvious lie and would have made his displeasure know if his hands had not been occupied with keeping Legolas upon their horse, as it was he had to settle for rolling his eyes and sighing.
"No you are not," was Lorien's blunt reply. "You are injured and you are going to tell me where and how badly, Legolas."
Legolas knew better than to argue with Lorien when he used his full name so he meekly listed his injuries. His ribs had been cracked when the men had beaten him and riding had caused them to break completely. He had bruises all over his head and torso and probably a mild concussion. He had also gotten a gash on his thigh in their last fight and running had caused it to lose a lot of blood.
When Legolas mentioned his thigh Vanwa looked at it and felt gorge rise in his throat when he saw white bone peeking through the cut. Lorien also saw the cut and knew it was a very serious wound and needed immediate attention. Lorien led them to where there was a slight dip in the land and then he helped Legolas dismount. Legolas groaned as the movement jostled his ribs. Vanwa felt sick when he saw that the right shoulder of the horse was completely covered in Legolas' blood.
"We can not stay here, Lor," Legolas protested weakly once he was lying down.
"We have to get the bleeding stopped or you could bleed to death, Las. Vanwa give me your water skin." Vanwa tossed his water skin down from where he was on top of the horse. "I will need your help Vanwa."
Vanwa glanced at the ground that suddenly seemed very far away. Vanwa had never ridden a horse before and in the excitement of the escape he had not given much thought to how tall horses were. But Lorien needed his help so he plucked up his courage and carefully slid down the side of the horse that was not covered in blood.
Lorien carefully cleaned the cut and wrapped it with strips of cloth he had torn from his extra shirt. He knew it needed stitching but there was nether time or supplies for that. Lorien carefully checked Legolas' ribs and found that at least two of them were broken. Legolas had passed out from the blood loss by then so Lorien had Vanwa hold him up while he tightly wrapped his ribs to give them support. He swiftly checked for any more injures and found only bruises.
At that moment Vanwa heard the sound of horses coming toward them. He franticly gestured to Lorien but Lorien merely gave him a grim look. "I knew when we stopped that the Easterlings would probably catch up with us," he murmured.
"We have to run away," Vanwa signed urgently.
"I would not be able to get Legolas onto a horse quick enough and they would still catch us eventually. No, it is best that we fight and finish this now. I want you to stay with Legolas, Vanwa, whatever happens stay with him," Lorien said firmly.
Vanwa was terrified but he drew his dagger and crouched down by Legolas as the Easterlings bore down on them. As they got closer Vanwa could see that there were ten Easterlings coming toward them and that one of them was Fain. Lorien had drawn his sword and moved away from where he had laid Legolas in hopes that the Easterlings would only fight him and leave Vanwa and Legolas alone. Lorien waited till the Easterlings were quite close than he called out "Daro," which is Elvish for stop. The Easterlings did not know Elvish but their horses recognized the command and stopped immediately. All the Easterlings were caught of guard by the sudden stop and some of them fell off their horses. Lorien did not wait for the Easterlings to recover but rushed to the men that had fallen and began fighting them.
When the horses that the Easterling were riding saw that one of the kind Elves who had taken care of them was being threatened they revolted against their masters. The Easterlings were shocked and angered when their own horses refused to obey them no matter how they beat them. Not a few horses started bucking and biting in response to their harsh treatment and within a few moments more Easterlings had joined their comrades on the ground, having been thrown from their horses. The few Easterlings that managed to stay on their horses had to abandon them anyway when they refused to go anywhere near Lorien.
From where he was crouched beside Legolas Vanwa had a clear view of the whole fight and was very impressed with the horses' loyalty to Lorien. What was even more impressive was the way Lorien was fighting. He seemed to flow from man to man with a speed and skill that the Easterlings were completely unable to match. Despite the fact that he had already killed two of the men and gave mortal wounds to two others Lorien was still outnumbered and the six remaining Easterlings were now working as a group. Lorien was moving even faster than before trying to escape being surrounded or skewered by one of the Easterlings.
"Give it up, Elf boy, you're trapped," Fain growled once his men managed to surround Lorien.
Lorien's only response was to strike out at the man closest to where Vanwa was, giving the Easterling a grievous enough wound to disable him, breaking out of their circle, and once more coming between the Easterlings and his brother and friend.
Fain finally took notice of Vanwa and Legolas and when his men attacked Lorien again he started running towards them. Lorien noticed the movement but there was no way he could disengage with the other four men without getting a sword through his back. Vanwa gulped when he saw Fain coming towards him sword drawn, but he stood his ground with dagger held up in front of him; determined to defend Legolas with his life if necessary.
Fain swung at Vanwa in an attempt to disarm him but Vanwa managed to dodge it and take a swipe at Fain's extended sword arm. Fain's yell of pain at the small but deep gash caused Vanwa to flinch, which saved his life when Fain's sword swung through the space his head had just occupied. Vanwa tried to back away from Fain but tripped and landed hard on his back. Before Vanwa could regain his feet Fain was there, one hand taking his dagger, the other hand squeezing his throat till Vanwa saw stars.
Lorien had been fighting desperately to get away from the other Easterlings and had taken one out of the fight but the other three were working together so he could not attack one without the other two attacking his back. But when Fain held Vanwa's own dagger against Vanwa's throat and called for Lorien to throw down his sword Lorien immediately dropped the stolen sword. The Easterlings had just started moving forward to tie up Lorien when Fain suddenly yelled and clutched at his side. The Easterlings spun around to see what was wrong with their captain and that was their undoing. Lorien quickly snatched up his sword and had given all three mortal wounds before they knew what was happening.
At the same time Vanwa had kicked up with his feet and pushed Fain off of him. He quickly snatched up his dagger from where Fain had dropped it but realized it was not necessary. Fain was already dead from the wound in his side. Vanwa stared uncomprehendingly at the throwing knife in Fain's side till realization hit and he glanced at Legolas. Sure enough Legolas was sitting up with another knife poised to throw if necessary. By that time all the Easterlings were dead and Lorien was trotting over so Legolas slid the extra knife back into its sheaf.
"How is that for timing, Lor?" Legolas asked with a cocky grin.
"Lousy," responded Lorien but his smirk showed he was teasing.
The complete normalcy of the twins teasing each other calmed Vanwa and he forced himself to turn away from the sight of Fain's blood pooling on the ground and focus on the twins. He realized they were arguing over something and when he tuned into the conversation he realized Legolas was saying they needed to move on while Lorien held that Legolas was still to weak to be moved. Lorien won that argument when Legolas tried to stand up on his own and nearly passed out.
"Do not worry, brother, we will move on soon. The Easterlings will not be looking for us for a few hours since they will think Fain captured us." Lorien shoved a water skin in Legolas' hands as he talked. "You need to drink as much water as you can manage and than you need to rest. You lost a lot of blood, Las; you need to regain some of it before you can get your strength back. I am going to go see if Fain brought us anything useful."
Legolas grumbled a bit but he drank the water and fell into sleep a moment later. Lorien came over to Vanwa and after looking him over for any injuries gave him a hug. "Are you alright?" he questioned softly.
Vanwa gave a jerky nod and signed, "I am uninjured."
"I did not ask if you were injured I asked if you were alright," Lorien corrected gently.
Vanwa glanced at Fain's body and shuddered as he thought that he was almost that body lying on the ground, or worse he might have been become a slave again. But Fain was dead and he was not so Vanwa mustered up a small smile and gave Lorien a firm nod. "I could take care of the horses as you check the Easterlings."
"Thank you, Vanwa, for both the offer and for protecting Legolas, that was very brave of you."
Vanwa blushed at the praise. "Legolas did most of the protecting himself."
Lorien laughed at Vanwa's comment. "He is rather annoying that way is he not? As soon as all the work is done he shows up and steals all the glory. But Legolas' actions do not make your actions any less brave."
Vanwa went about checking the Easterling's horses for anything they could use with a lighter spirit thanks to Lorien's praise. He found that all ten of the Easterling's horses had saddlebags on which contained some food and clothing. He was thrilled to find a basic healer's kit in one of the bags, which contained thread, needle, bandages, and a few medicines. Meanwhile Lorien was laying the Easterlings' bodies together and stripping them of everything beside their clothes and boots. When Vanwa came running over with the healer's kit Lorien abandoned that task in favor of stitching his brother's leg wound. After stitching Legolas' wound closed, fortunately Legolas slept through most of it, Lorien finished searching the Easterlings and put all their things in a pile.
"What are you going to do with it all?" Vanwa signed to Lorien.
"I am going to bundle it onto some of the horses and take it far from this land so it can never be used for evil purposes again." So Lorien and Vanwa did just that. They carefully tied the swords, shields, knives, and armor unto the saddled horses, taking care to not over burden any of them.
"What are you doing?" questioned Legolas when he woke up and saw them tying the last of the stuff on the horses.
"Working, unlike someone I could mention," was Lorien's answer. Legolas was obviously very tired when he could not think of a come back to the tease. "I am glad you are awake, brother, we need to be moving on."
Lorien helped Legolas to his feet while Vanwa led over one of the horses. Legolas nearly refused to get on when he saw that the horse had a saddle on. He claimed he did not need such infantile equipment but a firm "Legolas" from Lorien made him get on with minimal fuss. Lorien helped Vanwa mount another saddled horse and then he swung up behind Legolas. Legolas whistled for the other horses to follow and then they were moving across the dry plain once more.
As Vanwa rode beside the twins' horse he thought of his capture and all that had brought about. While living as a slave was horrible Vanwa realized that several good things had come from his time among the Easterlings. One good thing that had happened was that many of slaves had been freed which might not have happened if Vanwa had not found that paper. Another good thing was that Vanwa had gained a confidence and a maturity that he had not had before. The best thing that had happened was his friendship with Legolas and Lorien. The twins had made living as a slave bearable and had had been family to the orphaned elfling when he so desperately needed someone to love him. Vanwa prayed to Eru that his new family would not be taken from him like his blood family had been. He also made a vow to himself to enjoy his time with the twins and to do his best to make sure that time was long.
The End… for now
Elvish translations: ellyth (Elven women) Ellyn (Elven men) mae govannen (well met) hir (lord)
A quick comment to clear up any confusion; the Legolas in this story is not Tolkien's Legolas, whether of Gondolin or Mirkwood. The Legolas here is a character of my own invention who simply got stuck with the name Legolas by a long convoluted process I shall not explain here.