The day was rapidly growing darker. Not because of the onset of evening, which was still an hour or two away, but because of the sinister storm that was now completely overtaking the sky. The sun had long since become a prisoner to its darkness, and was now nothing more than a faint glow, suffocating in the immense blackness.

"Those clouds do not look too friendly," Finleann said, nodding at the sky. He was riding side-by-side with Elrohir, keeping the pace slow and steady, since they weren't in too big of a hurry to reach their destination. However, now with the prospect of a rather unpleasant storm hitting them, Finleann was more than willing to speed up the pace, and set up camp before the storm reached them. He urged his horse forward, and noticed Elrohir do the same.

"How observant of you, my friend," Elrohir replied dryly, turning his own eyes towards the darkening sky. He was not in a good mood. He was upset about having left Elladan behind. He was upset about having been so deceitful to his brother and Finleann. And most of all he was upset that he was even on this "fun" camping trip at the moment. He didn't want to be here, and it was not just because of the inevitable rain storm that was heading their way.

The apprehensive feeling that had been with him as he rode out of Rivendell earlier that day had been growing on him all afternoon, and was now heavily weighing against his nerves, pleading with him to be wary of something, to realize that something was not right with his current situation. Other than the coming storm, what else could I possibly have to worry about? Elrohir wondered to himself. The obvious answer to that, of course, was his dream. But I took care of it, Elrohir told himself firmly, desperately trying to convince himself and make his uneasiness go away. That horrible scene will never become a reality! But even as he thought it, he couldn't help but wonder once again about that dream. What would have happened to Elladan that would have caused him to end up all alone and crying in the rain? What could have happened that would have prevented Finleann and him from being there to help his brother? Well, he concluded, I'll never know because Elladan is still in Imladris, sleeping soundly in the stables. But...he thought to himself as a sudden understanding was slowly dawning on him...Of course, Elladan wouldn't have been the cause of that scene in my dream...Something else would have caused it...And while I did foil the dream by leaving Elladan safely behind...I've done nothing to prevent whatever caused his anguish to keep from happening...! Even if Elladan is not here to be the recipient of some evil deed, by just keeping him from being present does nothing at all to stop the actual deed itself from occurring! Elrohir thought to himself frantically, trying not to confuse himself with his sudden realizations. Valar, if only the dream had shown me more! Are Finleann and I in danger?! Shades, why am I such a fool? Why didn't I tell Ada about my dream?

"What troubles you so, Elrohir?" Finleann asked, having noticed the pained expression on Elrohir's face. "It's just a bit of rain, it isn't anything to get so upset about,"

Elrohir looked to Finleann, worry and fear still evident in his eyes. "It isn't the coming rain that has me so upset, Finleann," he said, feeling he had to somehow express what he was feeling. He went on, "An unknown threat has been growing on my mind all afternoon. I try to tell myself it's nothing, but no matter what I just can't shake the feeling..." he felt his troubled mind ease a bit after finally voicing his concerns.

Finleann looked into his friend's troubled face, nodding slowly. "So you have sensed it also," he said in a serious tone.

Elrohir's gray eyes snapped to meet his friend's. "You mean to tell me that you share a similar feeling of foreboding?" he asked, as he drew his horse to a halt.

"Yes, Elrohir," Finleann said, now mirroring the same fear in his eyes, as he also pulled his horse to a stop. "I have also been trying to convince myself that it was just the coming storm that was putting my mind at unease, but it is now clear to me that it is more than just that. An evil lurks nearby..." He whispered the last sentence and turned his gaze to the trees that lay up a steep bank to the left of their path.

The two elves sat still upon their horses, breathing deeply yet silently, hastily scanning the trees for any sign of danger. Their elven vision was keen and sharp and would have been quick to spot anything out of place in the woods. However, their frantic searching brought up no results. Their elven ears listened for any threatening sounds, but they heard nothing, save the distant roar of the Bruinen and the occasional rumble of approaching thunder.

The two companions glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, each questioning the other as to what they should do next. It was Elrohir who spoke.

"Let's move on quickly, Finleann," he said, "If we go fast enough, we could reach the Ford in a little over an hour."

Finleann nodded his consent and they both nudged their horses into a fast trot. As they sped along the path they noticed a thin blanket of fog was beginning to set in. It was at this time that they also felt the first drops of rain. They were light at first, and quite annoying, causing them to blink and squint each time one landed in their eyes. But the increasing rain was very least of their problems.

Something shifted in the trees to their left and immediately caught their attention. They turned their gaze from the road ahead to the woods and they both gasped at what they saw.

"Yrch!" Finleann shouted, as several orcs suddenly burst through the trees, no more than fifty yards away to their left.

Elrohir panicked as he watched the foul creatures emerge from their hiding. Orcs?! he thought frantically. What in Valar's name would orcs be doing so near to our borders?! What do we do?! Stand and defend, or run? These thoughts flashed through Elrohir's confused and panicky mind instantly, as he frantically searched himself for a weapon. He had two long knives strapped to his back next to his quiver of arrows, but his bow was tied with his pack to the horse. Oh, Valar, he thought, as he unsheathed the knives, These are not going to be very useful for fighting while riding horseback.

The horses had also either seen or heard the coming danger because they were now beginning to panic as well. They reared up and turned this way and that, refusing to obey their rider's commands to hold still and face the coming ambush. Running away now would do no good, lest the riders were willing to take an arrow or two to their retreating backs.

It was also becoming increasingly difficult for Elrohir and Finleann to see. The daylight was failing and the rain was steadily increasing, and their cowering, jumpy horses were only making matters worse.

Time seemed to slow down to Elrohir as he turned on his saddle to check on the position of the orcs. He saw it coming but he was in no position to do anything to stop it. His eyes widened in disbelief as he felt something slam against him with such force it threw him backwards, knocking him completely from his horse. He felt a great shooting pain dart up his leg as his right ankle twisted in the stirrup, and when he hit the ground he almost blacked out from more immense pain, completely unrelated to his leg.

He had a brief moment, lying there on the ground, in which he was able to briefly glance down at his body and discover a thick black arrow, protruding cruelly from his left shoulder. The next moment, before the shock he was feeling could even register on his face, Elrohir felt himself jerked about roughly as his horse took an arrow to its rear flank, and immediately bolted out of fear. Elrohir's foot was still firmly tangled in the stirrup, and he was dragged along like a limp rag doll as his horse fled the scene of battle.

His body bumped and bounced along the rough path, receiving a new bruise with each advancing step the horse took. The arrow had long since snapped, leaving the tip and part of the shaft still imbedded deep within his shoulder. And still, the horse dragged Elrohir on, oblivious to his pain and groans of protest. Elrohir couldn't believe his body could take such a beating without passing out yet. As each agonizing second passed he vaguely wished he would black out, or that his horse would stop its mad galloping, or that something, anything, would end his pain.

It almost came as a relief when, as his horse was rounding a particularly sharp turn in the path, Elrohir's foot abruptly slipped free of the twisted stirrup, and his body was thrown down a rather steep bank to the right of the path, where it rolled and bounded down, before landing in an exhausted, limp heap at the bottom.

He lay there in the rain, unmoving, and unwilling to believe what had just happened. The intense pain he felt was dulling his mind and sending his body slowly into shock. His breathing was oddly shallow and quick, and he felt strangely feverish. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Why do I feel so odd...? He wondered vaguely and half-heartedly as he stared blankly into the dark sky and the rain beat a steady rhythm on his face. And then a realization slowly dawned on him, and he laughed faintly. Of course! He thought to himself, his muddled mind close to hysteria. The arrow! It was poisoned! Of course it was poisoned! And being so near to my heart, it couldn't have taken very long for it to spread! he thought to himself. He didn't really know why he found that funny, but he laughed to himself none the less. He was clearly delirious, though he couldn't see it himself. Ah, Elrohir, you fool, he thought to himself, still slightly chuckling. Look at yourself now. Look at how it's going to end for you. You fool! You couldn't even defend yourself. You couldn't even fight. And now you're all alone. And you're going to die alone. What would Elladan think if he could see you like this?

And suddenly, with the thought of his twin, his absurd laughing turned into tears. They burned and stung his eyes and ran in crooked paths down his cheeks. Elladan, he said to himself desperately, We'll never see each other again...

"Forgive me, brother..." he whispered between gasps and sobs. He was crying audibly now, and it was painful for him. The gasping breaths he was forced to take made his wound ache and bleed more freely. He wished he would stop, but he was in such a state of despair and delirium that he couldn't get a hold of himself. And so he lay there, motionless and crying in the pouring rain, wishing his brother were there with him to make his death less painful to accept.

And as he lay there, his delirium passed for a moment and allowed his mind a chance to think clearly. And with his clear mind, he immediately came to yet another sudden and shocking realization.

Darkness. Rain. The dream! he thought to himself, bewildered. This is it...it was me...all along it was me! He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. He cried out in despair. Oh Valar, I truly am a fool, he told himself. His vision began to blur, and the sky above him started to spin. He could feel the black oblivion of unconsciousness creeping up on him, only this time he wasn't so sure if he would ever be able to climb out of it again. His last thoughts were of his twin. Elladan, he thought, I'm so sorry, my brother. You're my best friend; you're part of me. I'll miss you forever.

And as he slipped into the darkness, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and then he heard no more...

TBC

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A/N: Okay, well, I'm sure all you clever readers predicted this was going to happen, but even if it didn't come as a big surprise, I hope that didn't make it less enjoyable to read. I'm sorry this chapter is considerably shorter than that last three, and still took me over a week to post. I'm going to try to at least get one chapter out each week, and hopefully sometimes two. I hope you're liking this story, and are looking forward to upcoming chapters, because there's more fun stuff coming up! Thanks so much to those that have reviewed. Your input and thoughts are always appreciated. :-)