I'm a little depressed by the lack of review on the previous chapter, but I guess that's the price I have to pay for being a bad writer. Anyway, here comes another chapter, not with a month in between, or two…

Hope you enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The darkness was now compact around them but Aragorn did not notice. All his attention was directed at Legolas who lay unconscious on the ground. The arrow in his back had broken in half, which probably had caused the tip to press in further. Elves were hard to kill, but that did not mean they were immortal when wounded and he would need medical attention soon. Very, very soon.

' I'm so sorry', he whispered, hating the sight of Legolas' blonde tresses soiled in the mud. Gently lifting him up, he let the heavy rain wash some of it out.

' We have to get him inside', someone said and Aragorn looked up. Haldir crouched next to him, looking as worried as Aragorn felt. No, nothing could compare to how worried Aragorn was right now.

' We have to get the arrows out first.'

Maybe it was best to get him indoors before that was done, but Aragorn could not stand to see those arrows point out of something so precious, not even for another second. It wrenched his heart and he knew that even if Legolas was unconscious, he felt the pain. And apparently Haldir agreed.

' Carry him to that oak over there.' Following close beside, Haldir unsheathed a small silver ornamented knife and occasionally stroked some water from Legolas' face. ' Lay him down on his side.'

Carefully placing wounded elf on the ground, Aragorn had no thought of the two armies standing opposite of each other. He probably would not even have care if they had started to fight. Haldir on the other hand was a little more rational thinking, because he ordered his elves to lay down their weapons, which calmed everyone down.

' I will take this one out first', Haldir murmured to himself, feeling with his fingers around the wooden shaft in the left shoulder to see how far in the arrowhead had gone. ' If he moves, hold him tight. I do not want to cut something vital.'

Aragorn could do nothing but nod, grabbing a strong hold of Legolas' arm.

With trained skill, Haldir pushed down the narrow blade alongside the shaft, slow but deliberate and then eased the arrow out. When that was done, he tore a part of his shirt off and pressed it against the wound and secured it with Legolas' own tunic.

' Turn him around, easy.'

The arrow in his right shoulder had indeed been pressed deeper into his flesh. Upon seeing the damage, Haldir cursed long and in a dialect of elvish Aragorn was unfamiliar with.

' What is it?'

' The arrowhead is barbed, if it has pieced a muscle, I am unsure if I could get it out without harming him further.'

' How do you know it is barbed?'

Looking up for only a second, Haldir grunted something incoherent before answering. ' Because it is my arrow.'

Of course it was. Aragorn looked at the piece Haldir had already removed.

" And that one is mine", he thought bitterly and squeezed Legolas arm apologetically. If there is some way I can make amends for this, I will.

' Do what you can, Haldir.'

Meeting his eyes for a little longer, Haldir eventually nodded. Taking a deep breath, he bent down over Legolas back and felt around the wound again.

' Elrohir', he called over his shoulder. The Rivendell prince appeared behind him and looked down at the scene before him. Something flashed in his eyes when he saw Aragorn, but he said nothing and which pleased the Man. Legolas had to come first. ' I need you to push the wound open when I cut here', Haldir continued, seemingly oblivious to Elrohir and Aragorn. Elrohirs features paled slightly at the notion, but he nodded and sat down. When Haldir made the first cut, only a small amount of blood seeped out. It worried Aragorn. Much more than if it had been a fountain of it.

' Damn it', Haldir breathed, but continued his work. Elrohirs hands shook a little when he opened the wound up, but did it without looking away.

The arrowhead was visible now, silver grey metal surrounded by flesh and blood. It looked artful in a grotesque kind of way.

' Hold him very still now.'

Pressing the knife down, he small groan could be heard from Legolas. Aragorn stiffened and unconsciously pressed his hands down harder. ' He will not move', Haldir said, looking at him. Aragorn nodded but only released the pressure a little. Legolas was an unpredictable elf.

***

As they rode away from Minas Tirith, Elladan could not help but feel like he abandoned everyone. Aragorn was his friend, no matter how much they fought and pretended to dislike each other, all for Arwens sake. Elrohir was his twin brother, his right hand and soul mate. He knew he would never be able to help one without disappointing the other and what he did was the absolute best thing. But that did not put his mind at ease.

' You would know if anything has happened to Elrohir, you two are connected', Arwen tried to calm him, though it had little effect.

' That will not help me much if I should feel something. I can do nothing to help him.'

' Trust me when I say that Aragorn would never hurt Elrohir. No matter what have happened, they are friends.'

Pouting slightly, just enough for Arwen not to notice, he pulled his hood up with a quick jerk.

' But did that stop him from riding out? We both heard the Horn, Arwen. That you cannot deny!'

Catching her chocked expression in the corner of his eye, he regretted lashing out at her. This was not her fault, not in any way. But do you know who to blame? he asked himself and felt if possible even more depressed. This time Arwen said nothing, probably not wanting to waste her breath.

They had been riding for several hours now, starting well before nightfall and by then the feel of war was inevitable within the city walls. Looking back at least two dozen times, he had hoped to find a way to split himself in two, so he could help them both. Arwen had not said much either, though she showed no outer signs of concern. Sitting gracefully on her white horse, with her long dark hair flowing in soft curls down her back, she was the image of complete serenity.

When they came to lands they recognized, they both felt the pull from Rivendell, welcoming them back. Although, neither of them was in a rush. They were actually trying to stall a little. At best their father would be furious at them for leaving like that, without telling anyone and when they had promised they would not.

They never talked about it as they began to see the lights from Rivendell through the darkness, but both their minds tried to figure out a way to take all the blame to save the other.

Halfway home, they both sensed someone closing in on them. This close to their home, guards were posted all day around, but whoever watched them was doing it intently. When it got too strong, they stopped, trying to see better.

Elladan was the one who saw him first, a dark figure on a dark horse standing just at the tree line.

' There', he whispered, nudging Arwen in her side nodding in the riders direction. Sitting silent on their horses for quite some time, the rider suddenly sighed and rode closer.

' I see you have neglected your senses when riding through the land of Men. I spotted you several miles back.'

Staring at the approaching rider, Elladan sighed heavily and cursed inwardly. Of all the people they had to run into tonight…

' I apologize, Glorfindel, I just did not notice you were there…' It may not sound like it, but it was the one thing that could really push Glorfindel off his high horse. He hated not being noticed.

Grunting indignantly, the count turned his horse roughly and started a steady pace towards Rivendell. Exchanging a glance in the dark, Arwen and Elladan followed.

' Though I think you deserve whatever punishment he finds suitable', Glorfindel drawled back at them without turning. ' I have to tell you that you are lucky your father is not at home.'

Frowning at the idea of Elrond not being in Rivendell, it was Arwen that voiced the question.

' Father is not at home?'

' No, daddy is away', the obnoxious count said in his most patronizing voice making Elladan want to really shove him to the ground, not disapproving if his horse accidentally stepped on him.

' Where did he go?'

' He never said', Glorfindel actually sounded bitter. ' But he was in a hurry. I assume he is on his way back.'

Why had their father left Rivendell? And without leaving a message? Usually Glorfindel was the one that held all the answers and you always had to pay a high price to get to know them, but this time even he was left in the dark.

' I would not worry though, I am sure he has not forgotten what you have done.'

Getting really tired of his sarcasm, Elladan rode up alongside, staring at his childhood friend until he met his gaze.

' I am really tired after riding the whole night and the past few days has not been good for my sleep. So, I would appreciate if you dropped the superior act and say what it is you know. And should you know nothing, I suggest you keep that to yourself.'

Looking back at him levelly, Glorfindel simply bent his head once and said nothing. But all the way back, Elladan could feel his eyes in his back.

When they had freed their horses from their reins, Arwen caught Elladans arm and stopping him until Glorfindel was out of hearing.

' I agree with you, completely, but you should be careful with what you say to him.' She nodded towards the disappearing count and sighed. ' He used to be so nice to us, I wonder what has happened.'

' He has realized his own imaginary importance. I am not worried about him.'

He started to walk up the stairs to the house when he heard Arwens voice like a whisper.

' I would be.'

***

Sitting under a tree alone in the darkness with soaked clothes was not Ithiels idea of fun. And waiting for a man she knew hated her did not make it any less boring. All she wanted to do was to leave, but she had promised to guard the horses and the longer she sat there, the more reason she would find for her to consider staying. Though, she knew she would leave. But not until she was absolutely certain that Haldir was alright. She hoped Aragorn was too, for Legolas' sake. Lots of things had come in between those two, but yet they still could not let the other one go. She knew what it felt like, but not how it was to have the feeling returned. If she only knew that Haldir at least cared for her, she could manage. He had yet to show her any kind of emotion that was not anger and now he might never get the chance.

" He is the one who is missing out", she tried to convince herself, but all men she had had any connections with were Men. She wondered what it would be like with an elf, considering the sensation she had felt when she had touched Haldirs hand. He was electrifying. And she was giving it up, because of stubbornness. Hers and Haldirs. Darenwa was grazing around her, the other horses tied up loosely to a fallen tree. They had barely made a move since they were tethered there. They would not go anywhere.

The night would soon be changing to morning. Why had not anyone come to tell her anything? She had no doubt in her mind that Haldir would be able to fight the Men off, not with an army like that. And this was not a war, only the beginning of one. He was certainly not holding a victory party.

" He is probably just want you to sit here and wait. And when they finally return, you will show all of them what a fool you really are. They have probably placed bets on whether or not you are staying."

She did not want to prove anyone right, but that lead the way of a very hard question, one she had yet to answer. Where would she go?

Erith was not an option. She had only been away for roughly two days and everyone would think she had given up. Gotten scared and went straight back to father.

Wiron would understand, but with his pride and the fact that he had already said goodbye, he would give her a real hard time.

Fact remained though, she did not really want to go back. Not only was her father right about the lives on her conscience, but she also had this strong urge to discover the world. All she knew about it stretched from the far border of Erith to Minas Tirith, though she had never been there. Now probably was not a good time to go there, either. But many places remained. Many just seemed like someone's fantasies, but she still wanted to see if they were real or not with her own eyes. They had not seen much.

But where should she go first? And where could she go, now when no place seemed to be safe anymore, if they ever had been?

Her mixed heritage made her decision harder. The elven genes made it impossible for her to blend in amongst the humans, but her human side caused great differences between her and the elves. She did not want to go anywhere where her feelings would have to be put aside again, or even denied.

" You may be part elf, but that does not make you inhuman."

Dreaming back of days when decisions like this was unheard of, she remembered a verse from a song her mother used to sing to her at bedtime:

Days in the Mirkwood are long and bright

There no one fears the dark from the night

Never there have been signs of a foe

Where the trees of hope eternally grow

Mirkwood. That was where Legolas was from. From what she understood, that place had yet to be touched by the evil that had infested Lothlórien and parts of Rivendell. And if everyone where only half as kind as Legolas, she would no doubt love it there.

" What do you think, Darenwa? Do you want to see Mirkwood?" Her horse neighed softly, nuzzling her head under her arm. " You like that idea. Then Mirkwood it is!"

Without thinking too much about it - if she did, she would probably feel guilty for leaving - she reined Darenwa and mounted.

Giving the camp a last look, she turned her horse and galloped away. Not once looking back.

***

Leaving Thranduil was not hard, he really wanted to return to Rivendell. Elrond and the Mirkwood king had been trying to figure something out the entire day and they had just finished up after nightfall. Thranduil had offered him to stay another night, to rest, but he had declined. He had things to take care of at home.

He worried about his children, not knowing where they were or if they were safe. And he had not heard a sound from Galadriel and he hoped his visit had not caused her trouble. Sending her a message was a bad idea and Thranduil had made that very clear. Maybe Celeborn had found a way to channel Galadriels visions to himself and no doubt he would then receive his message. Elrond did not believe Celeborn could do that, only block Galadriels gift but he did not want to take any chances. Something else bothered him too. Celeborns messages. He had told Thranduil about their mysterious disappearance, but they had not reached a conclusion. Thranduil had suggested that someone posed as him, but Elrond had been in Lothlórien many times before and was widely known. Any messenger knew him and what he looked like. He feared that someone in his own court was secretly serving Celeborns purposes. And when he returned, he would deal with that thoroughly.

He was halfway home when the sun came up over the horizon. Blood red. His heart was caught in his throat when he realized that the second battle between elves and Men had taken place and blood had been shed. And judging by the purple linings in the clouds, elven blood had been spilled too.

' You better not have caused damage to any of my children, Haldir. You will not live to regret it.'

After a while, when the sun came higher and the red and purple faded, Elronds thoughts returned to the mission he had been given.

A delegation of his men would leave at the first winter day for the Reihas territories and Thranduil would send one to the Lomarin. He did not believe he would have an easy time with the Reihas, they had a reputation of being notoriously stubborn and closed minded, but he would not trade with Thranduil. The calling of the sea was the final call you would get and Thranduil was probably right when he thought many of his men would not return.

He send a thought to Arwen and prayed she would take reason and sail to Valinor. There she would be safe and at least he knew where he had her. He made a mental note to give Aragorn a few words of his thoughts too.

It was late morning when they rode in to Rivendell, the familiar trees calmed his racing mind. There were not much he could do anyway, so why worry more than necessary? Because I am a father.

' My Lord, you have returned!'

A servant came to meet him, with him followed others that tended to the horses.

' I had to stop by Mirkwood, but now I am back. Any word from my children?'

' Yes, my Lord. They are waiting in their rooms.'

His eyebrows went high, since that was the last thing he had expected to hear. He had thought they would disobey him a while longer.

' They are back?' he asked no one in particular and began to worry why they had come back. (A/N: Typical parent-behaviour.)

' I will take you to them, my Lord.'

' Not necessary. I know where they are.'

He practically ran to their rooms, mind swirling with mixed feelings. They were back and safe, but they had left without his knowledge and disobeyed him.

Just as he was about to storm into Arwens room, Glorfindel stopped him.

' I am glad to see that you are back safely, my Lord. We have been very worried.'

' I am sure you have, but I need to speak with my children, Glorfindel. I will talk with you later.'

' Of course, my Lord. I would not dream of intruding.'

With a slight bow, the count left the same way he had arrived and Elrond sighed. That elf made him tired by just talking to him.

Not bothering to knock, he went inside and immediately saw Arwen, standing by the mirror and brushing her hair. She stopped when she noticed him and with a faint smile lay down the brush and walked towards him.

' Please father, we did what we had to do.'

Before he could answer, Elladan rose from Arwens bed where he had been sitting, standing himself in front of his sister.

' It was my idea, father. I wanted to go after Elrohir to see if I could talk him out of it.'

' I assume that did not work.'

' No, father. I never had the chance to meet him.'

Nodding, Elrond tried to figure out where to begin. He wanted to lecture them, but he also wanted to hug the air out of them.

' Where have you been, father?' Arwen tried to change the subject and stepped around Elladan to stand beside him rather than behind.

' I have visited Lothlórien, but I fear that there is nothing to be done there. Evil has rooted itself strong. I also went to see Thranduil and we came up with a plan to get a hold of some of the Rings. But that is not what I came here to talk about.'

Arwen and Elladan exchanged a glance and Elrond frowned. Knowing he was weak for her smile, Arwen flashed her pearl white teeth and hooked arms with him.

' Father. You must be hungry and so are we. We can speak about this over breakfast.'

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I'm cutting the chapters a little shorter. I've noticed that it's quite hard to read something with such a mass of words. Maybe someone stays long enough to read it all through and leave a review if I make them more "readable."

// Zierra