Freedom Part 2

Legolas rose as quietly as possible from his bed, he was desperate not to wake the twins. It wasn't even light yet. As suggested by Elrond Legolas finger tips were tender for the next few days as the skin repaired the damage, and with in a couple of days Legolas was ready to start building the calluses up again, there was one problem; Elrond said that he wasn't allowed to work with his bow for another week. Checking that the twins were indeed still asleep when he was dressed he slipped from the room with his quiver on his back along with a small bag, he knew that Elrond would have warned most of the household staff that should he be seen with his quiver that he should be told. Taking as many of the lesser used corridors possible he slipped from the palace and headed for the butte. Raw energy buzzed in his chest the closer he got, catching sight of the workshop and realising that Lolindir was already at work he switched to a sprint.

Lolindir gently sanded the strong wood beneath his fingers, he was working on the princes bow, he had been since the request. He relished the feel of the wood beneath his hands as he sculpted, he could connect with such things as the wood he used. He became aware of a presence the was at the door of his workshop and was surprised to see that the Prince stood there, Elrond had informed him that the Prince was not to handle a bow for another week. "My Lord. What can I do for you?" He thought he knew the answer but hoped that he was wrong. "I was wondering if I could borrow that bow again?" No such luck then. Lolindir stepped away from the work bench and survayed the Prince. "You are aware my Lord, that Lord Elrond has decreed that your hand is not healed enough to handle a bow for another week. That we are to inform him should you be seen anywhere near the butte?" Lolindir suddenly flet very mean, Legolas face had fallen and he looked like a kicked puppy. "Please Lolindir I am desperate. Please, my hand is fine and... and I will wear a leather guard." Lolindir felt his resolve to keep his prince as far away from a bow as possible, he looked so eager. Like there was nothing in the world that would make him happier than to loose arrows. He sighed deeply, Elrond was going to have his head for this. "Do you swear to ware the guard?" Legolas nodded eager again now. "Right I will give you the same bow as last time. I have restrung it so, you wore that last one out." Against his better judgment and feeling in the pit of his stomach he pulled the bow off the wall and handed it over. "My Prince please don't stay out too long." Legolas nodded not really listening as he caressed the bow. Yelling a thank you over his shoulder Legolas dashed off into the forest away from the butte and prying eyes.

Elrohir woke and rolled into where he thought Legolas should be, it was cold. He opened his eyes careful of the sunlight that filtered in through the windows and cast a look to the rest of the bed, no Legolas. He listened, no sounds came from in the chambers that would indicate the presence of the other elf. He shook his brother and woke him "Elladan, do you know if Legolas left?" Elladan shook his head and climbed from the bed pulling a robe around himself and opened the bathroom door, nothing, even the hot water was cold now. "It's not that late? He may be at breakfast." Elrohir nodded and began to get ready, it was then that he noticed that something was missing from the room. He began franticly searching around for the quiver hoping that it had just been moved. "Elrohir whats the matter, what are you looking for?" Elrohir didn't stop searching. "Legolas quiver it's gone. I'm hoping that he has just moved it." Elladan didn't even bother entertaining this hope, he pulled Elrohir out of the room and down the Royal chamber corridor. They were just coming up on their fathers room when the doors swung open and Elrond came out, not concentrating on their surroundings they walked straight into him.

Elrond picked him self up off the floor and then helped his sons up, brushing himself off he waited for an explanation as to their unfocused walking. "Well I can imagine that it has something todo with the Prince. But what?" He asked when they stayed silent and tried to walk away. "His quiver isn't in our chambers and neither is he." Elrohir state knowing that his father could at least put two and two together. Elrond sighed and rolled his eyes, using the door frame as a support he leaned back into the chamber. "Glorifindel, Time to rise and shine. We have a prince to track down before he does any more damage to fingers." There came a groan from the sheets on the bed and a golden head popped out. "I am going to tie that prince down when I find him." Glorifindel groused as he climbed from the bed and took residence next to Elrond in the doorway completely naked. The twins quickly took a deep interest in the ceiling, Glorifindel was certainly well built and if it wasn't for the fact that he was the lover of their father they would have commented on this. "Where has our wayward prince run off to now?" Elrond rolled his eyes and pushed the warrior back into the room. "Get dressed and we will find out. Raise Thranduil while you at it." Glorifindel made a comment but Elrond didn't catch it. He stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind him. "I suggest we start with the butte."

Aragorn sat a little straighter in his saddle as he neared Ithilien, he has decided that he was going to surprise his best friend by coming to his kingdom. There was the ulterior motive of ensuring that there was nothing foul about the way that the twins were conducting themselves, although he was also there to settle the matter with which Legolas had asked his help and he had to admit that when Legolas went for a political mishap he went for it properly. Most of it wasn't his fault actually he had handled the situation perfectly it was the other party that we creating the misconduct. He had brought only a few guards and had left Faramir in charge for the first time since his appointment to hand of the king. He watched as the eaves of Ithilien drew closer rising up over the heal, he was ready for the elven guards to drop from the canopy and question his entry as they were charged. He knew that he would be receiving his friends best hospitality with in the next couple of hours, this thought alone encouraged him to speed the horse slightly.

Legolas drew another arrow and winced as the pain shot up his fingers, he relaxed the bow and un-notched the arrow. He had only loosed ten or elven in the first two hours, his finger tips were burning and the very middle had started to bleed again but Legolas just bound that finger and lifted it way from the string before he loosed the arrows. But it was hurting to much now, he couldn't keep the tension on the string long enough to aim properly. It was only a little wound it shouldn't hurt this much, he tore off the guard and gave a scathing glare towards his fingers. They were shaking slightly and he could barely straighten them. He used his could hand to pull his bag closer and rummage inside and pulled out the bundle of bandages that he had secreted in there, holding one end under his arm he began to wrap all three fingers together tightly bring the bandages down over his hand and looping them round his wrist. Pulling them tight with his good hand and teeth he tied them, flexing them under the bandages and he was pleased to feel that he barely felt any pain now. He used his knife and slit the thread the partitioned the fingers on his guard to create something like a mitten and jammed it over the bandages. Tightening the wrist section he stood and flexed once gain before picking up his bow and notching an arrow, taking a deep breath and mentally preparing himself for the pain a raised the bow and drew the arrow back. There was a slight pull but nothing like the pain he had been feeling, he loosed the arrow. It was straight and true, his the knot of the tree dead centre. He smiled and notched another, loosed it, another and another and another. Soon the know looked like a forest of arrows. He flexed his fingers again and was pleased to feel only a slight burn.

Thranduil and Glorifindel walked briskly to catch up with Elrond and the twins when they came upon Laebon heading in the opposite direction. He was walking with a purpose that spoke of one on a mission. Thranduil stopped him "Laebon if you are looking for Legolas he is currently not in the palace. We believe that he has gone against his healers better advice and has gone to archery practice. Laebon rubbed the juncture between his eyes. "He always has the most perfect timing for these things. My Lord Thranduil, the guards have declared that they have seen Aragorn of Gondor on the horizon heading for the citadel, he should arrive within two hours. What shall I do with him should arrive and the Prince has not been found?" Thranduil looked at Glorifindel and thought. "Take him to Legolas receiving chambers, make sure he has everything he needs and tell him what has happened but only him." Laebon nodded and brushed passed to begin taking care of preparations. Thranduil and Glorifindel renewed their movements towards the butte. "Legolas certainly now how to make the most of a morning doesn't he." Glorifindel joked, Thranduil frowned at him, Glorifindel shrugged. "Yes rather, he gets it from his mother. She could alway have the palace in chaos before breakfast if she so wished."

Elrond and the Twins headed straight for the workshop across the butte, Lolindir was working on the bow again when they arrived. Seeing the three Lord he closed his eyes and prayed to the Valar before he faced them. "Good morning My Lord, what can I do for on such a fine day." he tried to act innocent and casual but realised that he may have well tried to convince them that he was the Lady Galadriel. "Lolindir where is he? and when did he go?" Elladan didn't even bother asking if he had supplied Legolas with a bow, it was obvious by the guilty look that pervaded on his face. "He was here about three maybe four hours before sunrise. He headed towards the forest. I'm sorry Lords, he was so eager and he promised to ware a finger guard." He added the last bit in hopes that he might give them reason to leave him with his job. Elladan and Elrohir eyed him before striding off towards the forest. Elrond looked at him with his piercing gaze "Their are few who are immune to the Princes gaze but next time please try and maintain some mental integrity." With that he turned away and headed in the same direction as the twins and Legolas. Elrond spotted Thranduil and Glorifindel walking towards the butte and signalled to them to hurry towards the forest.

The pair met them at the edge of the forest, Thranduil informed Elrond of the pending arrival. Elrond took this in his stride nodding and working out the best way to find the prince. "I don't think we should split up, he could have done more damage to his fingers. We should hear the impact of the arrows on his target if we are lucky." He spoke out loud as the made their way through the forest. They had been walking the forest for nearly an hour and a quarter when they all heard the unmistakeable whistle of an arrow then then it's impact into a tree. They all headed in the direction of the noise making certain to circle behind it so that they would not get shot by a wayward arrow. Soon enough the trees thinned enough that they could make out the form of Legolas with his bow drawn aiming at the tree. Elrond signalled that they should stay back a little as he made his way closer, he waited till Legolas loosed the arrows before calling his name. "Legolas!" The named elf spun on the spot looking like a deer that had been caught in the sights of a hunter. "E...Elrond...um. I... can...explain?" He finished lamely seeing that he was in trouble no matter what he said or done. A prince of his own kingdom and he was going to be chastised like an elfling. "You can explain? You can explain why the Twins nearly ran me over this morning in their search for you, or why I have had to search this forest with your father and Glorifindel for you." Legolas head dropped to his chest. Elrond softened, he could understand Legolas need for archery, it was as natural to him as breathing but at this moment it was doing more harm than good. "Legolas, when I tell you that you shouldn't do something because of an injury I tell you it for a good reason. You could have some serious nerve damage from trying to use a bow while you fingers were still healing." Legolas suddenly look frightened he knew that nerve damage would mean that he may never shoot again. He dropped the bow like it was on fire and backed away clutching his hand to his chest. "Legolas, we need to have a look at that again. I can see you hand shaking from here. Lets go back to the palace and we can have a look at it. Anyway Aragorn had come from Gondor and I should think that you would like to greet him." Legolas nodded and smiled at the thought of seeing Aragorn again so soon. Elrond led him back to the group where he hugged chastised and kissed all in equal measure from his father and the twins. As Glorifindel snuck passed and gathered all Legolas belongs he heard a lot of "Never do that again." and "What were you thinking."

Aragorn sat in the plush receiving chamber waiting with a glass of wine and some fresh fruits his mind milling over what he had been told. It was true what many had said, drama and adventure followed the elven prince constantly. He had talked at length with Laebon about the twins and their current conduct and was pleased to hear that they had been doing so much better. He was surprised to learn that his father and Thranduil was hear along with Glorifindel. He hadn't been expressly told that Glorifindel was there but he tended to follow Elrond, so it was a good bet that he was lurking a sip from his wine he thought over what Laebon had said about Legolas hand, he remembered when he had been a teenager a few years shy of manhood, he had watched Legolas do something similar with his long knives when he had got into an argument with his father. He was pulled out of his reminiscence when the door the chambers opened and Elrond pushed Legolas through it in front of himself. Legolas caught sight of Aragorn and smiled broadly, his fear momentarily squashed by the pleasure at seeing his friend again. Aragorn smiled and spoke "I hear that you have been a naughty elf Legolas." Legolas frowned and then found himself being pushed into a chair. Thranduil sat next to his son on the arm of his chair after nodding to Aragorn in greeting. "Elladan fetch a bowl of cold water please." Elrond ordered. He gently pulled away the finger guard, he didn't like the look of the blood stained tip of the bandages. He could see how tight Legolas had tied the guard and bandages and realised why he couldn't feel any pain from the working of the damaged digits. Legolas hand began to shake badly now when he saw the blood again, how could he be bleeding if they didn't hurt anymore maybe he had damaged the nerves. Elrond inspected the knot in the bandages and came to the conclusion that there was no way he was going to undo it, he was going to have to cut it. Glorifindel was already ready holding out a scalpel from Elrond healing bag, he had fetched it when they had passed Elrond chambers. "Legolas listen to me, this is going to hurt. You have done these bandages so tight that you have restricted the blood flow, this could have worked in staunching the blood flow from the injury but any damage you have done today you will feel when I release the tension. Understand?" Legolas nodded and buried his head in his fathers stomach. Elrond slipped the long sharp blade beneath a couple of layers of bandage and cut them. suddenly all the tension that was keeping the bandages tight and Legolas pain free was gone. Legolas felt uncheck pain bolt up his entire arm never receding just multiplying like his muscles weren't relaxing at all just tightening, his fingers began ti curl into his palm. He couldn't take the mounting pain any longer. He screamed.

Chapter one of part two. Please read and review. Thank you to may faithful followers as well. Exams start next week so updates might take a little longer please bare with me.