(10 Hours Earlier)
"No, Aragorn."
"Please? You never let me go with you, and now I am no longer under the protection of Ada so I can do as I please, but you still won't!" The young man countered, chasing after the elf.
"Just because you're 20 years old doesn't mean you get to automatically get to join me on a dangerous mission," Legolas stopped and turned around to face Aragorn. "Besides your bad luck." He added without cracking a smile.
Aragorn's jaw fell open, "Bad luck? Who was alone and hanging from their foot over the Enchanted River? Who had to be rescued from an angry stag who wanted to gut you? Who had to be set free from an empty spider's lair because he fell in? Now who did you say was bad luck?"
Legolas crossed his arms, "Fine," he snorted out a laugh. "But be ready to go in half an hour."
The elf winced as Aragorn whooped and set off at a loud run down the hall. Rolling his eyes, Legolas allowed the sarcasm to slip free, "Humans."
"So...where are we going?" Aragorn queried, buckling his belt and trying to catch up with Legolas.
"The Mountains of Mirkwood," Legolas replied, opening the stable door.
"And...What are we doing there?"
"Checking to make sure that no spiders are dwelling there again," Legolas answered. "It's an annual routine so I hope you won't get caught in another web."
Aragorn winced at the embarrassing memory Legolas had just revived. Deciding to ignore the elf, the young man continued his barrage of questions.
"What if there are spiders there?"
Legolas sighed, "We come back and report and a hunting party will extinguish them."
"What will we do if the spiders attack?" Aragorn continued
"Fight and run," Legolas' voice bordered on dangerous.
"And if we…"
"Wait and see," Legolas replied shortly, before he turned and walked away. He opened a stall door and whispered in elvish to a lean black stallion.
"Naroch, why do humans ask so many questions?" Legolas whispered, rubbing his horse's mane.
At the horse's snort, Legolas rolled his eyes, "Yes, I know I just asked a question."
Feeding Naroch a carrot, Legolas finger-combed the horse's mane and softly scratched the black withers.
"Carry me now, mellon nin?"
Naroch bobbed his head and Legolas pulled himself into the sable. He backed Naroch up out of his stall and waited for Aragorn. Grunts and moans could be heard from outside the stall where the young man was saddling and bridling his mare, Winny. Minutes passed, and finally the human emerged astride a Rabicano mare, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Took you long enough," Legolas commented. "Be easier if you didn't have to use that stuff."
"I need it," Aragorn grumbled.
"I forget sometimes," Legolas tilted his head thoughtfully. "That you are only Mortal."
The young man glared at the elf, siding his horse up beside Naroch. Without a warning, he dug his heels into Winny's side and she charged forward. Legolas stared at the small cloud of dust exiting the stable doors.
"I think the Mortal just challenged us," Legolas noted, patting Naroch's neck.
The black horse bobbed his head and snorted as if to say, And we will beat the Mortal and his horse at his own race.
"Good," Legolas smiled. "Noro lim, mellon!"
Naroch shot out of the stables faster than an arrow from the string. It was seconds later that they caught up to Aragorn and Winny, and just a minute afterward when they passed the two. Neighing in triumph, Naroch stopped just outside a row of trees, waiting for the Mortal and his horse to catch up. Aragorn huffed a sigh as he rode up.
"Hmm, 35 wins to your 9," Legolas blew at his knuckles.
"Don't brag about it," the human looked mildly irritated.
"Oh I intend to," the elf responded. "Especially to two brothers that you and I both know."
"You wouldn't," Aragorn groaned.
"I would," Legolas grinned in delight.
"Oh the humiliation!" Aragorn cried in mock despair.
"Come on winice," Legolas looked sternly at his friend. "We have a job to do."
Muttering something about 'You'll regret that' Aragorn nudged Winny into a slow trot beside Legolas and Naroch.
"It's dark in here," Aragorn noted.
"No kidding," Legolas sighed, rubbing a hand on smooth rock.
They had left the horses behind a little ways, taking only their packs, a couple of torches, and their weapons. Now, after stepping only a little ways into the caves, the human was complaining about the dark.
"Would you like to be of some use and hold your torch up?" Legolas asked
"Wait," Aragorn stopped. "I'm supposed to work?"
"Unfortunately your entertainment is boring, so yes," Legolas hid a smirk.
Rolling his eyes, Aragorn pulled his torch up, and to the elf's pleasure, ordinary, normal sized cave spiders made these cobwebs. Not the giants he was making sure did not invade.
"We will go a little deeper," Legolas determined.
Aragorn nodded, following the elf, waving his torch back and forth.
"What's this?" Legolas asked, trying to shine his torchlight through the crack in the wall.
Aragorn squeezed through right behind the elf, who thought it necessary to investigate the crack, before moving on to the next cave. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the small cave only having a few loose rocks and a little pool.
"Alright, let's go back," Legolas said.
Aragorn turned back to the crack, only to find that he had been turned around a bit. Searching the cave wall for the crack a small fear rose inside his heart. The crack was no longer there.
"Legolas?" Aragorn cringed as his voice shook a little.
"Yes?" the elf queried, blissfully ignorant of their situation, having stopped to adjust his pack.
"Where did we come in?" the human shivered.
"Oh, right there," Legolas stepped forward, pointing his torch to the wall.
The wall without a crack. Frowning, the elf began to sweep the cave with his eyes. Slowly, he examined the room, holding his torch close to the wall.
"Now that's funny," Legolas hesitated. "It was just right here…"
The elf circled the cave once, then twice, peering at the silent stone barrier that separated him from the rest of the cave.
"Oh!" The relief flooded the elf's voice. "Here it is! This cleft of rock was hiding the entrance!"
Aragorn quickly crossed the space, joining Legolas. His nose curled at the ghastly smell belching from the crack.
"Ugh," he coughed. "I don't think it's the same crack, things didn't smell that bad out there when we entered."
Legolas looked worried, "Well I can't find the other one, so this must be it! Maybe a stink cat sprayed."
"Doesn't smell like one," Aragorn muttered, squeezing into the crack after Legolas.
This crack was easier to get out of, the young human noticed. He stepped out of it, almost running into Legolas, who had frozen in the middle of the path. Huge cobwebs hung from the ceiling and corpses dangled in their faces. This was definitely not the crack they had entered in to begin with. As if their frozen state had been lifted, both Aragorn and Legolas whirled around to go back. But the crack had disappeared, as had their freedom.
Thank you for the lovely reviews! Honestly this is a strange one and written to primarily hurt Legolas...so be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of crazy.