Warning: There is a very brief flashback, in which Aragorn remembers a moment from my first story, "When Hope is Gone". If it makes no sense to you just ignore it. The two stories are not connected in any way, so you don't need to have read it to read this. I didn't actually mean to include this, but I just spontaneously typed it while I was writing the chapter, and it seemed to fit. Besides, more than half of my reviewers on this story have read my other story, so I thought I could keep it. I apologize to those who haven't read my first story, you don't need to, and I don't plan to make any future reverences to it. Anyway, it's just a couple of lines, and the rest of the story should be clear to everybody.
Part II
"Gimli!" Legolas shouted, as he quickly descended down the tree. "Get off the road!" He jumped down lightly and took Eldarion off his back. "Orcs coming."
The three friends ran into the forest and hid behind a rock. Gimli chuckled. "Legolas, could you tell me how it happened so that we meet orcs, when we don't have our bad-luck-bringing human with us? Maybe it's my bad luck this time?"
"Not at all," the elf smiled. "But it's not mine as well. We didn't come across any orcs before we met Berehil."
"Oh, I see. So all humans have bad luck? Elven logic is unbreakable."
Eldarion was confused, "Are you saying that the orcs are here because of me?"
"No," Gimli answered. "It's just that the Elf can't have a trip without getting into trouble, and he always blames the innocent humans around him."
"Be quiet," Legolas whispered. "They are coming."
"Oh, are they?" Gimli sounded amused. "How convenient."
Legolas shoved him aside. "Be quiet, Dwarf!"
"Should we fight them?" Eldarion asked. The child was quite excited. He had never been in a real fight before.
Elf and Dwarf stared at him. "We?" Legolas asked in shock. "There is no 'we'. I hope to avoid fighting, but if we can't, Gimli and I will fight them. You stay here."
"No!" Eldarion protested. "I can fight. I can help you!"
"You are just a child, Berehil! You are not going to fight!" Legolas was incredulous. Were all humans so insane and willing to get themselves killed all the time? He thought it was just Aragorn, but obviously all humankind shared that trait.
Eldarion was disappointed. Fighting seemed so much fun to him. His memory took him back to the times when he was very little and his father still used to tell him stories about his friends. The King had two friends who always used to argue who the better warrior was. So every time they fought, they made a competition who would kill more enemies.
"Legolas, please, let me fight!" the child asked. "We can even have a competition. We can count the number of orcs we kill and then compare the results."
Gimli and Legolas exchanged a surprised glance. "Where did you get that idea from?" Gimli asked.
"I don't know." The child answered. "It just seems to me a natural thing to do."
"Natural or not, you are not fighting." Legolas repeated. He suddenly quieted, as the orcs appeared on the road where they were standing minutes ago.
The orcs were going to pass by, when one of them stopped and sniffed around. "I smell something," he said and grinned. "We are not alone."
"Great," Gimli murmured. "They smelled us."
"Us?" Legolas raised an eyebrow. "They might have smelled you, my friend. I don't think they smelled me."
Gimli just silently glowered at him. "Berehil, don't you sometimes feel the urge to punch that Elf?"
Eldarion chuckled. "So we are fighting!"
"You are not fighting!" Legolas almost shouted. "Come on Gimli! Let's not wait for them here. Let's meet them on the road and not give them a chance to find Berehil."
The two friends rushed into the fight. Legolas fired ten arrows before they reached the orcs, each of them finding its target. When the orcs were too close for shooting, he pulled out his twin blades and swung them in deadly arcs. Gimli swung his axe and rushed among the orcs, leaving a path of dead behind him.
They had started the battle well. The two warriors had managed to surprise their attackers and kill a lot in the very beginning. Now a few orcs had remained, and Legolas and Gimli almost saw the victory.
Legolas turned back and cut an orc's throat. But what he saw made him stop in dismay. Eldarion had picked a dead orc's sword and had entered the battle.
The elf blinked, hoping that his eyes were deceiving him. That crazy little human. So it was true. All human children were completely insane and never thought about their own safety. At least all human children Legolas had known.
"I said no!" Elladan repeated, his tone leaving no room for objection. "Estel, you are not coming to the hunting trip with us!"
"Why not?" the nine-year-old child asked. "I can hunt! I learned to shoot with a bow."
"I don't care." His elven brother stated. "It's dangerous!"
"It's dangerous for you as well!" the boy protested. "But you still go!"
"We can protect ourselves, but you can't! You are not coming and that's it!"
Anger and disappointment shone in the proud gray eyes. "You have no right to decide what I can and can't do!" the child shouted and rushed back inside.
Elladan sighed. "This human will be the death of me."
"Yes," Elrohir agreed. "I don't know what we did that Eru decided to punish us with such a brother."
"You are being unfair," Legolas commented. "Would you prefer Estel to be any other way?"
The twins turned to him in unison. "No!" they both replied and the three elves smiled.
The three hunters went back to the house to get their backpacks with food and supplies. Then they mounted their horses and rode into the forest.
They had ridden for about six hours, when Elrohir felt something behind his back move. Surprised, he stopped and took off his backpack. The three elves watched in shock as it opened by itself, revealing a smiling child.
"Estel, are you mad!" Elladan shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here…" the child thought for a moment. "Well, considering how much time you would lose escorting me to Rivendell and coming back here, I think I am coming with you." Estel's voice was confident and victorious.
"No, you are not coming!" Elladan stated. "There must be another way."
"Alright than." Estel smiled triumphantly. "Let me hear the other way."
Elrohir stirred, "Well, we can't actually go on. Estel took my supplies out and now there are four of us with food for only two."
"That's not a problem," Estel countered. "Elves don't need that much to eat."
"The trip will be long," Elrohir replied.
"There will be no trip!" Elladan said. "We are all going back."
"There is no need for that, Elladan," Legolas stopped him. "Take my supplies, Elrohir," he handed his backpack to the dark-haired elf. "The two of you can go to the hunting trip. I'll take Estel back."
"Are you sure?" Elladan asked and Legolas nodded. "Alright then. But be careful."
The blond elf smiled. "What could happen, we are not that far from Rivendell."
"Knowing the two of you, everything could happen," Elrohir replied, picked Estel, and handed him to Legolas.
"No!" The child screamed and kicked his brother. "I'm not going back!"
Legolas held him, "I'm sorry Estel. You'll go hunting when you grow up."
The child didn't reply, angry at his elven friend. They rode back.
Just minutes later, Estel's anger disappeared completely. "I'm sorry you missed all the fun because of me, Legolas." He muttered.
"Missed all the fun?" the elf smiled. "Don't you think I'll have much more fun with you?"
A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on Estel's face. "I have an idea. We can go to our own hunting trip without them!"
Legolas laughed. "I don't think so. We are going back."
"Why?" the child asked. "We don't need to go to a long hunting trip. Just today." The child's big eyes were full of hope. "Please, mellon-nin. Just for a few hours."
Legolas sighed. "Do you realize that Lord Elrond will hang me if he learns that I've been spoiling you like that?"
"Who said he would ever learn about it?" Estel smiled, already knowing that he had won. "Hannon le, Legolas."
The elf turned his horse back and rode into the forest.
As it might be expected, they merely survived that adventure and Elrond wasn't happy at all.
Legolas smiled at the memories, but tried to take them out of his mind. He had to concentrate on the battle now. Eldarion was fighting an orc. The elf was actually surprised at the boy's technique. Moreover, the child was quite quick and agile. His disadvantage in terms of physical strength, however, was apparent.
The elf didn't wait to see if Eldarion was going to win this fight or not. He just raised his bow and shot the orc. Two angry eyes flashed at him.
"Why did you do this!" Eldarion shouted. "I could have killed him myself!"
"I'm sure about that!" he shouted back. "Now get out of the battlefield."
Legolas turned back, when he suddenly noticed than an orc had raised his bow. His heart stopped in horror when he saw where the foul creature was aiming. He threw a knife at him, but it was too late. The arrow was already fired, flying straight to Eldarion's heart.
"Berehil!" Legolas shouted in alarm. The child turned and his eyes widened in horror. There was no time to react.
Suddenly, Eldarion felt something knock him down. He fell on the ground, feeling some weight on top of him. He felt something wet and sticky on his back. He touched it and looked at his hand.
Blood?
He was not injured. Whose blood was it?
Eldarion rolled over to see what has knocked him down. He froze in horror when he saw the arrow stuck in Legolas' chest.
---
Aragorn ducked to avoid another arrow. "The archers are hiding in the forest!" he shouted at his men. "Get them out!" He fired several arrows in the trees, took out his sword and ran towards their attackers. He quickly killed two of the archers, but then an unusual event attracted his attention.
One of his men was wounded in the leg. He suddenly dropped to the ground and didn't move. His eyes were closed. The man had no other wounds. Aragorn quickly looked around and noticed that an unusually high number of his men were already down, and almost none of them had severe injuries. His mind came to the dreadful conclusion.
"The arrows are poisoned!" The King shouted at his men. "Don't get yourselves shot! Even the slightest injury may kill you!"
Aragorn was quite surprised at the potency of the poison. It was taking effect fast. He quickly dropped to the ground, letting three arrows fly above him. Then he rose and lunged at one of the archers. The mercenary took out a sword and the two men engaged in a fierce duel.
With a quick move, Aragorn cut through the man's stomach. The archer gasped and fell down. The King bent down to do the final blow, when the dying man suddenly took an arrow out of his quiver and stuck it in his arm. Aragorn immediately pulled it out and brought the tip close to his face. Besides the familiar smell of blood and metal, he could sense something else.
The arrow was poisoned.
Aragorn could only hope that he has pulled the arrow fast enough, so that the poison hadn't entered his blood. His hope soon disappeared, however, as he felt uncomfortable lightheadedness.
No, this was not possible. He couldn't die. He had promised Arwen to return. To return with their son. For a second his thoughts drifted to Legolas. He hadn't even managed to say a final goodbye. But his friend was in Valinor now and would probably never learn what had happened to him. And he probably didn't care, otherwise he wouldn't leave him like that.
Then he thought about his son. What would happen to Eldarion now? Would he ever manage to get away? Or would he die like him?
A horrific image from the past came to his tormented mind. Once again he saw himself locked in the dark cell in Mordor, hoping that his best friend would open his eyes one more time.
"I was afraid you've left me." He said when Legolas finally woke up.
"Human memory is remarkable, my friend," the elf replied. "How many times do I need to tell you that I'm not going to leave you? I told you I can't."
"Why did you leave me, mellon-nin?" he whispered, as he fell to the ground.
---
"You are quite lucky that you were moving when the arrow struck, laddie," Gimli commented, while he was cleaning his friend's wound. "The arrow didn't go deep and the lung isn't punctured. By the way, I killed twenty-three." He said triumphantly.
"Then you win this time," Legolas muttered. "But it's only because I was injured and didn't fight until the end."
"Oh, yes." Gimli chuckled. "You should be happy you got injured. That way you have an excuse."
Legolas glared at the dwarf and Eldarion just stared incredulously. So they had really used his idea and made a competition?
The elf gasped. Gimli was cleaning the wound carefully, but he didn't manage to do it in the most painless way. "Leave it to a dwarf to tend on your wounds," Legolas whispered. "You might get in one piece at the end, but you'll die of pain before that."
"Ungrateful Elf," the dwarf murmured unhappily. "Maybe I should leave you to take care of your wounds yourself."
"Maybe in that case I have better chances of survival," Legolas jested, earning himself a glare from his friend.
"May I try?" Eldarion asked. "I know how to tend wounds."
"You?" Gimli asked surprised. No, he would never leave this boy, who probably wasn't ten yet, to take care of his wounded friend. "Berehil, that Elf might get on my nerves from time to time, but I certainly don't want him dead."
The young prince seemed offended, "I know how to do it! My father is a healer, he had shown me what to do. I have helped him with the wounded warriors."
"Let him try," the elf said. "I doubt anything could be worse than you, my friend." Gimli reluctantly moved away, murmuring indistinguishable phrases.
Legolas was quite surprised at how gentle and thorough the child was. So he was telling the truth. He really knew what he was doing.
"You shouldn't have done it, Legolas," Eldarion spoke while he was bandaging the wound. "The arrow was for me. I made the choice to fight. You should have left me bear the consequences." He looked sadly at the elf. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. I still don't know why you did it."
I wish I knew, Legolas wanted to say. He still couldn't understand what made him want to protect this boy so much. To keep him safe. To fight for him. To die for him. "No, I'm happy I did it, Berehil. It is you who shouldn't have done it. You should have stayed hidden. That was foolish."
"It was not!" Eldarion said almost angrily. "I know how to fight! What happened doesn't prove anything. It's not my fault that the orc fired that arrow at me. It could have happened to anyone."
"You are not ready to go into battle and fight!" Legolas replied. "You can't fight well enough yet."
"I can!" Eldarion shouted. "My father has taught me how to fight. And he is the best swordsman in Middle-earth."
Legolas sighed. Of course, almost every little boy believed that his father was the best in everything. But he had to break the childish illusions. The boy had to face the truth that he was not ready to fight. "Berehil, your father is not the best swordsman in Middle-earth. And you need some more training before you go into battle."
"He is!" Eldarion stated, firmly believing his words.
"It's natural for you to think that way. But he is not. I don't know him, he might be very good, but I'm sure he is not the best. You probably believe your father is the best in everything he does. You probably think he is the best healer in Middle-earth-"
"Yes!" Eldarion replied immediately. "My father is the best healer in Middle-earth."
The elf sighed again. It was exactly as he thought. "Look, Berehil, I know it is hard to accept it, but you must. For your own safety you should have a realistic idea of your and your father's abilities. I told you I don't know your father and how well he fights with the sword, but I know several men who surely fight better than him."
"Oh, you do?" Eldarion raised an eyebrow and stared at the elf.
"Yes. For example our friend, the one we are going to visit in Gondor. I am absolutely sure he fights better than your father."
"That's not possible." Eldarion stated simply.
"Should we do a fencing match between the two of them when we get back?" Legolas suggested.
Eldarion got really angry. Why didn't Legolas believe him? He was telling the truth. "Your stupid friend is no match for my father!" The boy shouted.
Now it was Legolas' turn to get angry. He rose, grabbed Eldarion's tunic and pulled the boy closer to him. "You don't know my friend! Don't speak about him like that!"
Eldarion pulled away. "And you don't know my father." He whispered. The child turned and walked away. Finally, he sat on the ground, a few paced away from the two friends, his back turned on them.
Gimli observed the whole scene. "Leave it to an Elf to talk to a child." He chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Legolas asked.
"Well, you've been a child such a long time ago. You have obviously forgotten all about it and can't imagine how a child feels."
"Oh, you think so? Maybe you could have done better, Master Dwarf?" Legolas looked at him. "Then why didn't you try?"
"It was so interesting and educating to watch you, my friend. It's like having a lesson: 'How you shouldn't talk to a child'" Gimli laughed and jumped to the left to avoid his friend's fist, flying in his direction.
---
Aragorn slowly opened his eyes and tried to rise, but his hands and feet were bound. He took a look around. All of his men were lying bound on the ground, and some of them hadn't woken up yet. So it hadn't been poison. It had been just a sleep-inducing drug. Obviously, their captors wanted them alive.
Why? What did they want? Aragorn suddenly realized why they had been attacked. Their captors wanted King Elessar. They didn't know if he was one of them, so they had to be questioned.
He observed his captors. From the looks, clothing, and accent they seemed to be from Near Harad. But what did they want? Gondor had had problems with the Haradrim before, but this people have never tried anything serious. The King was sure that these men were only mercenaries. Apparently, there was someone behind all this. But who?
An hour later all Gondorians were awake. Mrak came close to one of the men. "Tell me," he asked, "who is the King?" The man just shook his head and Mrak kicked him. The Haradrim leader rose and eyed all of his captives. "One of you is King Elessar. You will tell me who! I will kill you one by one until you do!"
Aragorn shuddered. He couldn't leave his men die because of him. But he couldn't admit that he was the King either. Who would save Eldarion then? His son needed him. Arwen needed him. And now Gondor needed him. If he and Eldarion were killed, the line of Kings would be broken forever. He was responsible for his people and couldn't leave them.
Everyone was silent. Mrak frowned. "So you won't tell me? Who wants to be the first one to die? If I kill all of you, I'll sooner or later kill the King. Is this what you want? Is this what your King wants? He seems a coward to me. I don't see why you still protect him."
He crouched close to a young boy. "Would you let this child die instead of you, Elessar?" he said loudly. "Can you live with this? Do you have no conscience?" He looked at the captives. No one stirred. "Obviously you don't." Mrak grabbed the boy's tunic and raised him up.
Aragorn's heart was tearing apart. This boy couldn't die instead of him. He had to tell that he was the King… but that would be a betrayal to his people. Aragorn almost wished that one of his men would speak and spare him the decision. But no one did. Their loyalty was too strong.
One of the mercenaries came to Mrak and placed his knife at the boy's throat. "Should I do it, my Lord?"
Mrak raised his hand. "No. It's too fast. I want it to last longer. I want Elessar to remember it. I want it to haunt him for the rest of his life."
It did.
Mrak looked at the boy, various methods of slow killing running through his mind. When he finally picked a way to kill him, his face brightened.
He made a sign to a tall and bulky man, who came forward, bringing a piece of rope tied in a ring. The ring was about a man's head in diameter. But was strange thing about it were the knots. There were about ten equally spaced knots on the rope. Aragorn stared at the device. What was its purpose?
The tall man placed the rope around the boys head. It fitted loosely. The young man paled and tried to pull away. "Please don't," he whispered, but Mrak didn't seem touched. "Don't ask me," he said. "Ask your King. It all depends on him now. He seems to care about his people a lot," the Haradrim grinned.
Aragorn knew that the man was doing everything possible to distress him, and he shouldn't give in, but he couldn't be indifferent. How could he? He was starting to suspect the purpose of the knots, and this only added to his agony.
The tormentor put a wooden rod through the rope ring and rotated it, making it tighter around the boy's head. He rotated it again, and the knots started to sink in his head. The young man cried out softly, but the Haradrim continued to rotate the rod. The boy's face turned white as snow, and his lips went blue.
"Stop it!" Aragorn shouted. "There is nothing we could tell you. King Elessar didn't come with us. He stayed in Minas Tirith."
Mrak approached and kicked him fiercely. "How dare you lie to me! Do you want to be the next one to die?"
Actually he did.
Mrak leaned closer. "We know for sure that the King left Minas Tirith. So don't lie to me anymore," he hissed.
His words surprised Aragorn. How did they know that he had left Minas Tirith? Was there a traitor among his men?
After a signal from Mrak, his man turned the rod several time. The knots sank deeply in the skull. Soon the boy dropped dead.
Aragorn felt his heart break into pieces.
"Next one!" Mrak grinned and approached another boy.
Why did he have to choose the youngest ones? Aragorn had already seen that the Haradrim leader was no fool. He obviously didn't want to accidentally kill the King. He would probably never learn it. No, he wanted to kill King Elessar after he had learned his identity. Besides, if an older man was killed, the captives could easily lie that he had been the King. Finally, Mrak knew that the death of the young ones was more effective.
Aragorn knew that his heart wouldn't take another sight like this. "There will be no next one," he stated. "I am King Elessar."
Horror shone in all of his men's eyes.
"You are the King?" Mrak turned to him.
"You don't need to lie to safe me," one of the Gondorians suddenly spoke. "I am the King."
Aragorn was shocked. He couldn't let this man sacrifice his life for him. He was about to protest, when he heard another voice. "Stop it, both of you! I am King Elessar!"
"I am the King! I am King Elessar!" voices were coming from all directions. Every single man claimed to be the King of Gondor. Aragorn's eyes filled with tears at this display of loyalty.
Mrak was furious. "Quiet, all of you! Quiet!" The voices didn't stop. He gave Aragorn another kick. "You think you are very smart, don't you?" He considered him responsible for what happened. "Well, let me tell you something. You are not in the position to be smart. I don't know if you are the King or not, but you will pay for this. I'll make sure you suffer."
Mrak looked at his men. "Give them a good beating. All of them. Maybe this will teach them some reason." He glanced at Aragorn and grinned. "And take special care of my favorite."
---
The Corsairs had assembled. They were all exited. A raid was coming. Everyone was listening intently to Captain Dargmor.
"The King is either captured, or will be soon," Dargmor spoke. "Prepare for war"
An ecstatic cry greeted his words.
---
Legolas woke up as a hand gently touched his forehead. He was so used to this situation – he was injured after another misadventure, and Estel was caring for him. He opened his eyes and smiled at his friend.
Two worried, gray eyes greeted him. Fool. Of course it is not Estel. "What are you doing here, Berehil?" he asked surprised.
"I'm sorry I woke you up," Eldarion said softly. "I was afraid your wound might have gotten infected and I came to check if you have fever. Fortunately you don't. Are you feeling any better?"
Legolas smiled. A real healer. "Yes, I'm better, thank you," he replied.
The boy looked down. "I am so sorry, Legolas. I'm sorry for how I spoke to you. You risked your life to save me, and this is how I return the favor." He sighed. "And I am really sorry for what I said about your friend. I am sure he is a great man if he has a friend like you."
"You don't need to apologize," the elf said. "You were right, I don't know your father. I have no way of knowing if he is the best swordsman."
Eldarion raised his head and grinned. "Maybe you are right. We should organize a fencing match between your friend and my father."
These words made Legolas smile. Should I tell him that my friend is the King of Gondor? No, I don't want to intimidate him. It will be a good surprise when we arrive back.
The young prince looked at his friend. Should I tell him that my father is King Elessar? Surely he has heard about the King. No, not yet. For the first time I am not the Prince of Gondor. I can be just me. "I'll be looking forward to the fencing match," he said instead. "Although I'm sure who is going to win."
"Me too," Legolas smiled.
They were both right.
---
Arwen listened worriedly to the news. This was not possible. She couldn't deal with this.
The Corsairs of Umbar were invading Gondor. Now, when the King was gone. It was not hard to figure out that this was not a coincidence.
The Queen was greatly troubled. Every minute she was thinking about her son and her husband, and the dreadful omens she had seen in her dreams. And now this. Entire Gondor was in danger.
Arwen took a piece of paper and started writing a letter. He had to know. Only he could help her now.
Gondor was at war.
To be continued…
Sorry that it took so long to update. It was impossible to post this sooner, but I'm sure I would have posted it much later if it weren't the wonderful reviews I got on the first chapter. Thank you!
Once again, the memory with Mordor is from my previous story, I apologize to everyone who hasn't read it.
Note: When the Gondorian boy is killed with the rope with the knots, this is an original Ancient Egyptian method. I didn't invent it.
I wish I could promise that the next update won't take that long, but unfortunately I can't. I'm going to a ski trip and I won't be back before Dec. 31. My computer access up to now was limited, there it will be nonexistent. I'll try to work fast when I come back.
Actually this chapter was initially planned to be a little bit longer, but then it would have ended at another place with a really evil cliffie, so I decided against it. I guess this could be my Christmas present for you :)
Thank you one more time for the great reviews!
Merry Christmas!
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