Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.
A/N: Sorry for the wait. My reasons will be explained in the bottom author's note.
LOTRLOTRLOTR
Chapter Ten: Mistakes
Legolas, Elladan, and Sam reunited seamlessly with the rest of their companions, who were already prepared to move on. They all noticed Legolas's purple eyes and Elladan's healthier complexion immediately but said nothing, though the mood was much more cheerful as they continued forward. The three did not mention what had transpired in the woods, and none of their companions pressed them for answers, a wordless understanding passing between them all.
Their trek was mostly silent, with only the crunching of dirt and leaves beneath their feet and their soft breathes breaking the tranquil peace, but the quiet was no longer uncomfortable, nor heavy with regret. Even the forest itself seemed brighter, wisps of sunlight peeking through the thick canopy above them. Occasionally, Frodo, Sam, or even Elladan and Fili would adjust their straightforward gait in order to pass through the golden speckles the light cast across the ground, swerving back and forth as if they were walking on a winding path.
Legolas waited a short while before stepping in beside Eomer, memories of his other attempts to speak with the man fresh in his mind. The man glanced at him, opened his mouth, then decided against saying what he was going to and shut it, staring straight ahead intensely. The assassin bit his lip guiltily. He guessed that the man most likely felt anything he said was useless and would be ignored by the elf beside him.
Before he could attempt to speak to the blonde-haired man, Boromir stopped walking, peering up the trunk of a thick oak with branches that started just above his head.
"Esgal, can you help me climb this tree?" the Gondorian asked, seemingly at random.
The elf gave the man of Gondor a perplexed look before leaping into a branch above him and offering his hand. Boromir clambered semi-gracefully up the trunk with the assassin's help, until both their heads poked above the foliage. As proven by the spots of sunlight below, it was a surprisingly sunny day for a country claimed to be the "Darklands". For once the sky was blue, instead of the dreary gray mass that Legolas had slowly gotten used to. Boromir's sharp eyes looked east and he smiled, pointing at the large black shape that stood out on the horizon.
"That is the mountain the Temple is located on." he told the assassin.
Legolas's eyebrows rose. "Really? I did not know we were so close."
"It will take longer than you think to reach the mountain because of the terrain, but Erestor—" There was a slight wince in his voice as he spoke the scholar's name. "— told me that we would be able to see the mountain on a clear day like this."
Legolas glanced sidelong at the man, wondering why he was sharing this with him. Other than Boromir, none knew exactly where the Temple was, only that it was on a mountain. Before then, the assassin had been assuming the place where the Black Weapons was hidden was in the Red Mountains. To know they were so much closer to their destination... It was heartening to say the least.
The elf pushed away the ever-lingering thought that every day they traveled was another day that the people back home were dying, focusing firmly on the positive that they were almost there. The only thing that stood in their way was the green forest...
"Oh dear." Legolas murmured, frowning at the black scar that stretched across the land north to south, as far as the eye could see.
Boromir followed his gaze. "Are those Shadowed Trees?" he asked incredulously. "I thought they only existed in Mirkwood and Mordor."
"This realm is called the Darklands for a reason." the assassin murmured. "In hindsight, I'm surprised we haven't passed through a Dark forest yet."
The man hummed vaguely. "Do you think that there could be a Dark Fortress like Dol Guldor in there that is causing all that?" he queried, gesturing at the black area as a whole.
"Perhaps." the elf replied. "If there is one, we should do our best to avoid it."
The assassin carefully helped the man back down to earth, landing lightly. He heard Fili breath a sigh of relief. Apparently he was as anxious about Boromir being in a tree as he would be if he himself were so far off the ground.
He's almost as bad as Gimli when it comes to heights, the assassin thought fondly, even as a part of him missed his close friend. When dealing with trees, that is. Why is it that dwarves are perfectly happy dangling over chasms in caves, but putting them up a tree makes them run like a Balrog's on their tail?
Legolas smirked at the Prince of Erebor, eyes glinting mischievously. "Was that a disappointed sigh I just heard? Would you like to go into the treetops as well, Fili?" He asked in his sweetest voice.
The dwarf backed up a couple steps, out of the elf's reach. "No. This dwarf is staying on the ground."
"I estimate that we will reach the Temple in five to ten days." Boromir informed the group, interrupting before Legolas could continue to tease Fili.
"Really?" Frodo asked. "That's not very long."
"But," Legolas broke in, cutting off the Fellowship's excitement. "There's a section of Shadowed Trees between us and our destination."
"Can we go around them?" Fili asked, knowing how dangerous trees tainted by Darkness could be.
Bormir shook his head. "We could walk for days and not reach the end of their territory. In order to reach the Temple quickly, we'll have to go straight through."
Eomer's unhappiness was clearly visible on his face. "It seems we have little choice then. How dangerous do you think it will be for us?"
To Legolas's surprise, the Marshall directed the question at him. "It depends." the assassin said honestly. "I may be able to convince the trees to let us pass, but I doubt they will be as willing to listen as the ones in Mirkwood. Those trees knew me since I was an elfling. If these Shadowed Trees refuse to bargain, however... We'll have a fight on our hands."
Eomer studied the elf for a moment before nodding sharply. "Then let's carry on. There's still plenty of daylight left."
The Fellowship made their way beneath the trees with a spring in their steps that had been absent for quite some time. Even though they knew they were heading towards danger, the knowledge that they were so close to their goal lightened the hearts of the weary travellers.
Legolas walked beside Eomer once more, keeping pace with him as the man tried to hurry ahead. The assassin did not let him scurry away, speaking up once there was a noticeable distance between them and the others.
"I apologize for my behavior the past few days." Legolas said sincerely, making the man's steps slow. "I would like to claim that I was not myself, but I was the one who allowed myself to sink into such a... cold mentality, and I will not shift the blame onto anything but myself. I was selfish and ignored your orders, and I could have put this Company in danger because of it. I assure you, the source of my problem has been dealt with. It will not happen again."
Eomer walked in silence for a few moments before responding. "I accept your apology. I'll admit that I was partially at fault. I had a feeling that your apathy and... disobedience was how you dealt with grief, but I am the Marshal of the Mark. I am used to my orders being obeyed. I feel that I do have a right to make you follow my commands in the interest of this Fellowship, but you also have the justification to act without my permission. I am not an undisputed leader, and the Company is not an army."
"That being said... I was— I still am— wary of you. The years have not allowed me to be able to easily trust that use— that appear to use some type of Dark power." He held up a hand to stall Legolas's response. "I know that your abilities are not born from Darkness. I trust Aragorn and Gandalf's judgment... and your own word, to an extent."
"But I have fought Shadowed Elves. I've seen villages torn apart by unnatural powers that should not exist. And that wariness, that fear, is difficult to overcome, and it made me act in a manner unbecoming of your technical leader and comrade. I cannot trust you fully yet, and I am sorry about that, but I will do my best not to let it interfere with my leadership of you, and this Fellowship from now on."
Legolas acknowledged the man's words with a nod, his respect for the blonde-haired Rohirrim rising slightly. Most men would not tell of their misgivings so openly to the one they considered a threat, and the assassin considered Eomer's transparency as the man's first attempt to bridge the gap between himself and his ally. Lesser beings would not even attempt to change their ways, so the assassin appreciated the man's willingness to give him a chance.
"Thank you." the elf said.
Eomer dipped his head, and moved on to more relevant matters. "Where are the others in comparison to us?"
Legolas pinpointed Elrohir and his group immediately, so used to their presences that he could sense them when half asleep. "They are half a league to the South-West of us."
"They're slightly behind?" Frodo asked. "Should we slow down?"
"That's unnecessary." Boromir informed the hobbit. "I'm the one who knows where the Temple is, so they technically have to follow us through..." He paused, trying to think of a word to describe what they were doing. "... the magic connection thing." His expression shifted into one of amusement and puzzlement as he processed what he just said.
Legolas hummed vaguely and cast his sense out further, something brushing at the edge of his range. He blinked, frowned, and attempted to extend his area of aura-sensing. Everything blurred for a moment as a sharp pain ripped through his head and he winced, stumbling slightly. His sixth sense retreated inward rapidly, cringing like a hurt child, before extending slightly once more. Eomer's hands wrapped around Legolas's arm, steadying him.
"I'm all right." the assassin said instinctively, rubbing his forehead as he pulled his sixth sense back. "I tried to feel too far. It happens sometimes." He winced again as the pain his head scolded him for his actions. "I should know better by now. Ciaran always told me not to strain myself."
"Then don't do it again." Eomer commanded, but the elf could hear light teasing in his tone. "The last thing we need is for our sensor to collapse because of a little headache." His expression grew more solemn. "Will there be any side effects?"
Legolas hesitated, then asked. "Do I have blood coming from my nose?" When they shook their heads negatively, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I just won't bee able to sense as far for a few hours." the assassin informed him, concentrating despite the headache. "Right now, I barely have the other group in my range."
"What would happen if you were bleeding?" Sam piped up nervously.
The assassin shrugged dismissively. "I'd fall unconscious for a couple of hours. It's happened before... but I was still fine." He added hastily as the hobbit gave him an alarmed glance.
"You could be missing an arm and claim to be 'fine'" Fili muttered, only half joking.
Legolas thought of a half-dozen responses he could give, but opted to just shrug vaguely. He glanced at Elladan, who was still conversing silently with his brother, and debated whether Elrohir would be able to sense what he had more clearly. The idea was quickly dismissed as he knew the younger twin's range was not large enough to see the presences without them getting closer.
He did not want Elrohir knocking himself out by trying to sense too far. Especially since the others would panic, not know what was happening, and have no sensor or way to contact the other group. And knowing the reckless twins...
"Elladan." The assassin interrupted the twin's mental conversation. "First, tell your brother not to stretch his sensing area further. I mean it."
The silver-eyed elf gave him a perplexed glance and did as he said.
"Now, tell him I sensed something just outside both of our ranges. I could not tell what it was—" Legolas rubbed his forehead. "—but he should be wary, all right? And warn him about the Shadowed Trees up ahead." He added as an afterthought.
Worried glances were shot the assassin's way as Elladan relayed the message, expression pinching slightly. Fili's blue eyes were sharp as he watched the twin intently, teeth clenched and aura rolling with anger and fear. Legolas could not think of why the dwarf would be so upset.
He must be worried about his brother, he decided.
"Elrohir understands." Elladan reported. "He's passed on the message."
"Good." Eomer said. "I'm sure that what Esgal sensed was nothing." he added, noting the nervous glances being directed at the assassin.
Blue eyes met violet and Legolas frowned internally. You don't believe that any more that I do. "I could attempt to—"
"No." the Marshal said immediately. "Don't even try. Elrohir will be able to sense if... whatever it is gets closer. They'll be fine."
Famous last words, Legolas thought, and knew he was not the only one.
In less time than any of them would have liked, the Fellowship could spy the Shadowed Trees through the trunks. The difference between the normal and darkened trees was startling, the greens and browns abruptly turning into blacks and greys. At Eomer's command, the group stopped far out of the trees' reach, only the elf daring to walk closer.
Stupid flesh-mortals come territory OURS stay out kill.
Legolas listened for the Shadowed Trees' voices, cringing slightly as harsh, angry tones reached his ears. Their voices were like someone was stabbing glass shards into his ears. Compared to these trees, the Shadowed Trees of Mirkwood sounded as beautiful and eloquent as a maiden singing a complex ballad under the stars. He could barely understand their speech, if their jumbled rants could even be called that, but Legolas had to at least try to grant the Fellowship some measure of safety while within the angry trees' territory.
The elf put on a strong, unaffected front. Confident, but not arrogant. Firm, but not intending to force his will on the trees. He had to show he was unafraid, but respected the Shadowed Trees and their might.
Kill rip shred stay out flesh-mortals our place! The trees snarled, all but glaring at the Fellowship that hovered just out of their reach.
Hello. the elf greeted the trees carefully.
The trees paused in their rant, momentarily stunned. Elf-not-glow understand us?
Yes, Legolas told them in a calm voice. Elf-not-glow understands.
The Shadowed Trees ruffled their leaves, branches stabbing at the air like spears. Our place, Elf-not-glow. They hissed, Ours! Stay out!
Elf-not-glow knows is your place. Legolas replied soothingly, keeping his speech simple with slight difficulty. Elf-not-glows and flesh-mortals not here to steal your place. Elf-not-glows and flesh-mortals wish to go through your place, to place on the other side. Elf-not-glows and flesh-mortals are asking for trees' permission to pass through without the Great Trees harming us.
The trees considered this, limbs swaying back and forth lazily. Their attention was momentarily directed towards one of their kin to the south, but its voice was too faint for Legolas to hear. The Shadowed Trees' mood shifted, and if they had mouths, the assassin sensed that they would be smirking.
We will not attack Elf-not-glows nor your flesh-mortals. The trees promised abruptly, their sudden grammatical capabilities startling Legolas. Then they snarled. Quiet hush leave!
Understanding the last sentence was a dismissal from the conversation and not a denial of entry to the dark forest, the assassin retreated and turned to his companions.
"They have agreed to let us through. I would suggest we hurry before they change their minds."
Eomer was the first to step forward, looking at the looming shadows with determination. "Well done, Esgal. I agree that we should go before we wear out our welcome. Let's go!"
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As he picked his way over blackened brush and tree roots, Aragorn glanced sideways at Elrohir as the elf walked beside him. The twin's eyes were glazed, but not from tiredness as they had been for the past few days, but distraction as he spoke with Elladan. Compared to earlier, when his expression was pinched and his face was pale, the son of Elrond was positively glowing. Literally.
Beneath the leaves and boughs of the Shadowed Trees, Elrohir glowed like a beacon, even though his light was still slightly dimmer than it normally was. The Ranger— a competent hunter and master of stealth— felt slightly unnerved and stressed about his brother's glow, even though it indicated good health. In the dark forest, it felt like the glow could be seen for miles, like a candle in a starless night.
"You're glowing, Elrohir!" Apparently Aragorn was not the only one who had noticed the elf's increased light. Pippin looked at the twin with awed eyes, excitement and wonder on his face.
Elrohir's bright silver eyes focused on the hobbit and he smiled slightly. "Yes, I am. Have you not noticed before?"
"I have." Pippin proclaimed. "But for the past couple days your glow's been kind of dim. Sort of like a dying candle. But now you seem a lot better."
Ahead of them, Gandalf froze in his tracks. The Fellowship tensed, wondering if the Wizard has sensed something Elrohir could not, but he only turned to the elf. His sharp blue eyes were slightly wide, and his mouth settled in a grim line. The words he spoke surprised them all. "I sincerely apologize, Elrohir. I did not think of..."
"It's all right," the elf interrupted hurriedly, gaze flicking to Aragorn. "We're both fine now. Le— Esgal helped Elladan."
Gandalf relaxed, gaze softening. "I see. Good." He continued walking, staff tapping against the ground.
"What was that about?" Aragorn heard Merry hiss, and heard Pippin give a vague mumble of confusion in response.
The Ranger himself was also befuddled about the Istar's words. He glanced once more at his brother's steady but slightly dull glow, studying it silently, when realization struck him like an arrow to the heart.
I am such a fool. That's what Legolas meant, Aragorn thought, horrified. We didn't notice Elladan was fading and taking Elrohir with him.
And you call yourself a healer? A cold, mocking voice asked him with a sneer.
The Ranger ignored it, stepping up beside his brother as he tried to think of a way to apologize for not being there, for not helping him, for almost letting two more people he cared about die—
"Don't worry, Estel." Elrohir spoke up before he could say anything. "It's over. Neither Elladan nor I are going to fade."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Aragorn demanded, not quite accusing. His brothers had almost faded and he had not noticed.
Elrohir's silver eyes met his own. "What could you have done?" he asked gently.
The Ranger could not think of anything, and grit his teeth almost mulishly. "I would have figured out something, because apparently Legolas was able to—" Aragorn barely stopped himself from clapping his hands over his mouth, a blush crossing his cheeks. Stupid stupid stupid— "I mean, er—"
"You don't need to think of an excuse. I already know about Esgal's real name." Elrohir said casually, though in a low voice. His eyes twinkled with mischief for a moment before his amusement faded. "Esgal told Elladan when he was fading, and Elladan told me. I'm not going to shout to all of Middle-earth about it. Although I am a little irritated that I never figured it out on my own." The elf scowled in discontent.
Aragorn found himself smiling, glad that his brother was not making Legolas's identity seem like an important, realm-changing thing. His joy was immediately snuffed as the forest rustled around them, almost like a predator ready to strike. He glanced around warily, swearing for a moment that he could hear the trees hissing like a thousand venomous snakes.
The Ranger lowered his voice. "I'm glad you're feeling better, truly, but do you think you could dim your glow slightly? I don't think the Shadowed Trees like it."
This time, Aragorn definitely heard the trees growl. Elrohir did as well, his wide silver eyes scanning the area around him as if he had just recalled what type of place they were in. He pulled his hood over his head and the growling quieted slightly.
"Can we go any faster?" Gimli asked gruffly, eying the trees like they were going to eat him. "This place is worse than the blasted woods Esgal comes from."
"Of course it is." Gandalf murmured, blue eyes constantly scanning the sharp branches around them. "Back in Mirkwood, the trees love and respect Esgal. Here, they are merely conceding to his request because they are curious."
"We will be out of here before nightfall, right?" Pippin asked shakily, refusing to look directly at a branch he could see pulling away from them on the ground.
"Of course. We would not have entered these woods today if we had to spend the night." Gimli answered gruffly.
Another hiss sounded through the air and the Fellowship jumped, the dwarves and Aragorn reaching for their weapons. Merry stayed as close as he could to Pippin, staring stonily ahead as his teeth clenched.
"Just keep walking. Just keep walking. Just keep— AHHH!"
A branch draped down from the canopy, wrapping around the hobbit's arm. Pippin gave a terrified scream but before he could act, Kili was there slashing through the offending limb. Almost as if that were a signal, the Shadowed Trees came alive, dozens of wiry black limbs reaching for the Fellowship with the speed of striking vipers.
Aragorn cut through five branches in one swoop, dodging backwards as four more attempted to impale him upon their sharp points. Beside him, Elrohir ducked a sword-like slash from another wooden arm, rolling forward and turning the extremities into splinters with quick strikes.
"What happened?" Kili shouted as he defended against the trees' attacks. "Did we antagonize them?"
Gandalf's eyes were icy as he hit multiple trees with Light magic, freezing them in place. "I believe that our group may not have been included in Esgal's deal. Or the trees are simply tired of us."
"Forget all that!" Gimli bellowed. "I am not going to lose to kindling!"
A branch wrapped around Kili's waist but the auburn-haired dwarf hacked through the glorified stick before it could lift the Dwarf Prince off the ground. Aragorn slashed through four more creeping limbs, managing to reach the two dwarves in an attempt to form a defensive position.
Merry and Pippin were back to back, pale but fighting as they beat back the branches that poised over them, twitching and stabbing unnaturally. Through luck and sheer force of will, the man, dwarves, hobbits, and Wizard managed to stand together, decimating the seemingly endless barrage of wood when it came too close.
Only Elrohir remained outside of their desperate group, the elf attacking the clawing trees with a speed that would have impressed Aragorn in any other situation. None of the Fellowship knew that a branch wrapped around the Son of Elrond's ankle until pulled him to the ground with a sharp tug. Elrorhir gave a shocked scream as the limb eagerly retracted, not strong enough to lift the elf into the air. The elf's sword rose, and the Ranger could almost see the branch realize it would be at its victim's mercy in a moment. Unwilling to let its efforts go to waste, the tree limb lifted Elrohir with all its strength, swinging around like a whip... and snapped, sending the elf flying with the force of a catapult.
The elf's shocked yell cut off as he slammed into the trunk of an unforgiving oak, head smacking into the wood with a crack loud enough to hear over the tree's snarls. The elf fell a couple of feet, hitting the ground with a loud thud, and Aragorn could only watch in horror as blood trickled from a cut on his forehead.
More branches circled around his still form like vultures, ready to swoop down from above. With a war cry, Pippin dashed to Elrohir, swinging his sword haphazardly.
"Get away from him!" the brave hobbit shouted fiercely, managing to cut apart three of the deadly limbs.
A branch wrapped around his sword arm but Aragorn chopped it in half with ease. The rest of the Fellowship gathered around Elrohir, the two first responders moving aside so the six could create a circle of sharp steel.
More and more cursed limbs fell to their blades, the Shadowed Trees' growing hesitant as their ability to reach their victims dwindled. Slowly, the limbs retracted, returning to their natural stillness. The Fellowship stayed on their guard, looking up at the Shadowed Trees in suspicion.
Aragorn turned to check Elrohir, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt the steady pulse in his neck. He quickly retrieved a bandage from his bag and pressed it against the elf's lightly bleeding wound, and applied a temporary field dressing. He would look over the wound more carefully when the Fellowship was no longer surrounded by enemies.
"How much further until we get out of here?" the Ranger asked Gandalf quietly.
The Wizard grimaced. "A couple of hours. I can hopefully shield us from—"
Quicker than a blink the Shadowed Trees struck, wrestling weapons from the Fellowship's grasps. Gandalf cursed as his staff was among those taken, but before any of them could attempt to retrieve their blades, the black limbs shot out, wrapping around arms and torsos and holding the Fellowship in place.
"Blast it!" Gimli shouted, struggling against the wooden bonds.
Pippin looked upward, eyes wide with fear as sharp, deadly branches hovered above them. "Are they going to kill us?"
Aragorn noted the lack of further violence from the trees and frowned. "Apparently not yet. They're more than capable."
Kili twisted and thrashed, scowling in self-loathing. "We've been captured by trees. Trees! Fili is never going to let me hear the end of this."
Aragorn did not know how long they struggled to free themselves from their unexpected captors, but even the angrily stubborn Gimli could not escape the Shadowed Trees' firm hold.
By then, Merry almost looked bored by the whole affair. Since he guessed the trees were not going to kill them, it was rather dull standing there with nothing to do. "You know, its almost like they're waiting for something." the hobbit mentioned idly.
"Yeah. Waiting for us to starve to death." Pippin whined. "We missed evening tea. And dinner! And—"
"I do believe that dinner is the least of your worries." A smooth voice said, shaking with what could only be excitement.
Aragorn's mouth went dry as the speaker stepped out of the shadows, black eyes glinting with uncontainable joy as he surveyed the captured Fellowship.
"I honestly thought it would be tougher to catch you, but once I got the Shadowed Trees to agree to help... Oh well. Victory is easy."
The tree limbs snaked up over their captives' mouths, silencing them all before they could speak. More figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding the Fellowship on all sides and cutting off any hope of getting away.
Amulug smirked triumphantly. "Tie them up. It's about time my Master gets some answers."
LOTRLOTRLOTR
The Shadowed Trees of Mirkwood were doing a very good job of keeping Their-Elvenking and the Sanctuary safe, in their opinion. Not many enemies came close to their boughs, but if they did, the trees were always ready to fight-kill-maim any foes that even attempted to get inside Their-Elvenking's home. The trees loved Their-Elvenking and Daelas and Their-Elvenking's family very much and they would protect them with everything they had.
But they could not just stab-slaughter-shred any person who came close to Teir-Elvenking's safe-place. Sometimes those who came, like Daelas's-Man-Mellon and Little-Hairy-Feets and Man-On-Eagle were seeking the safety of Their-Elvenking's home.
So when a group of men and elves with not-Dark-But-Not-Right auras and not-Black-bug-evil eyes appeared at the edge of their woods, the Shadowed Trees were unsure of what to do. One elf— who looked much like Their-Elvenking with golden hair and blue eyes— approached the place where their boughs blocked the path, wrapped together like a deadly, thick basket.
"Great trees of Greenwood, please let me pass."
The voice was familiar. The Wrong-Right-Not-Right-Familiar elf was... familiar. They Knew-Did-Not-Know him. The Shadowed Trees were confused, so they did and said nothing. So focused on the Familiar-Right-Not-Right group were they, that they did not notice the elf inside Their-Elvenking's safe-place until he spoke.
"It's all right. You can let them all in."
The trees 'looked' at the Sinda elf with green eyes, wondering why he felt Not-Dark-But-Not-Right as well. Not as Not-Right as those outside Their-Elvenking's home did, but still Wrong.
"Do you not recognize who that is?" the elf who was asked incredulously. "That is the King of Greenwood!"
The Shadowed Trees almost attacked him for saying such a thing— Their-Elvenking was the leader of the safe-place!— but hesitated as they continued to study the men and elves waiting patiently outside. The one who had spoken was so familiar, as were many of the other elves. The trees knew them, vaguely may have remembered them, but for some reason the Shadowed Trees had not seen them in a long time...
"Please let us pass." the elf outside spoke again. "I need to find my son."
The words struck a chord within the Shadowed-Trees as they vaguely remembered Their-Elvenking's sadness about his own son, Daelas. Their-Elvenking had been so sad about being unable to reunite with Daelas, and now this elf looked very sad indeed to not be able to be with his own son...
The elf beneath their bows spoke softly to the trees around him, seeming to know their thoughts even though they had not shared them with him. "Daelas would be very happy to know you helped reunite a father and son. Please, let them in. They've been separated long enough."
Still uncertain, the Shadowed Trees relented.
The ones who the trees recognized-but-did-not-but-were-right-wrong passed through the opening, with quick, confident strides. A few paused, looking up at the trees and smiling or voicing their genuine thanks before hurrying forward.
The golden-haired elf paused beside the green-eyed elf inside, studying him for a moment. Then he smiled, and the smile was not quite right. "Thank you for your assistance, Amon."
"Always, Hirnin." Amon replied calmly, almost reverently, not even questioning how the elf could be standing before him.
The elf hurried along, leading the group beneath the silent Shadowed Trees. As they watched the newcomers walk deeper into the forest, the Shadowed Trees could not help but feel as if they had done something wrong. But they had recognized a few of the elves among their group, and none of those elves were Shadowed, so they could not be enemies...
...Right?
Of course they aren't, one tree said suddenley as it watched the elf at the front of the group. That elf there is First-Elvenking!
The Shadowed Trees were surprised, but realized it was right, and their joy rippled through each of their consciousnesses like an infectious wave as they finally remembered exactly who the elf was. They had not done anything wrong. Their-Elvenking would be so happy that First-Elvenking was here, that First-Elvenking was back.
And based on the expression on Oropher's face, he was just as excited about reuniting with his son.
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A/N: Dun. Dun. DUNNNNNN! XD Moving on.
I'm so sorry about the long wait. If you read my profile recently, you'd know that I had a bad time in the past month. My computer went kaput and my flash drive went through the wash, so I temporarily lost ALL of the chapters of ATR and The Shadow War, including this one. Luckily, I was able to get all of the old chapters back (Word of advice. Save your docs on multiple computers and flash drives. And your sibling's computer and flash drives.) but I had to completely rewrite this chapter from scratch. I think it turned out okay? A few of the future content things I was working on are still gone, but I can deal with that. I'm just so glad I managed to salvage what I did.
I was SO tempted to have Boromir say "weird-magicy-connection-thingy" when describing how the Fellowship was tracking each other, but I decided that was too Buffy-esque. XD
Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and/or favorited! And thank you all so much for your patience. :)
Please review!