Chapter 25
Estel glanced over to the young ellon walking at his elbow. His face was twisted in a conflicted manner, and Estel couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips.
Legolas suddenly turned on his heel and began walking in the exact opposite direction.
"Estel I think we should—"
Estel quickly grabbed his elbow and steered him back on track.
"Legolas, no."
They walked in silence for a few more minutes before the ellon turned on his heel again back in the reverse direction. Estel shook his head and sighed in exasperation and once again steered his friend back forward.
A few more uncomfortable minutes of silence passed. Unable to take it any longer, Legolas stopped in his tracks and threw up his hands in frustration.
"But what if he's—"
"He's fine."
"But Estel—"
"No."
"Please just lis—"
"Legolas. We cannot go back. The rebels may have already arrived, and I'm not going to see you get bruised and battered by them ever again!"
"That's what I'm worried about. What if he didn't get away in time. What if—if—"
He dropped off with a defeated sigh. He raked his fingers through the remains of his mussed braids and twiddled with the ends of his hair. He was as taut as a bowstring at full draw. Estel could see how difficult it was for him to restrain himself and refrain from going after his father and the other elves that were left behind.
Estel smiled kindly. "You really love him don't you?" Legolas gave him a strained smile as an affirmative. "I suppose I can't blame you. I would have already been back there if it was any of my family."
The young human smiled again in understanding and embraced his friend, clapping his back in the manner of men. Even though Legolas was a good bit taller than him, he felt much like comforting the little brother he never had. "When the Eagle comes back, maybe he can fly over the clearing behind us and see what's going on." When he pulled away, the ellon was smiling.
"If anything goes wrong, I'm blaming you," Legolas admonished gleefully. "As a matter of fact, I'm famished. I hope you brought something good."
He was back. Estel laughed. "That I did, mellon-nin, that I did."
After downing a quick breakfast of dried fruits and dehydrated venison—the typical travel meal— they resumed walking into the sunrise. East.
oOo
Thranduil ruffled through the documents and bit his lip in concentration. I really need to stop doing that, he chided himself. After scanning them over, he shoved them back in the folder and put them in his pack and slung it on.
"We go west. Start with the towns right outside the forest and along the Anduin. They all appear to be Edain towns."
Thranduil sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. All four elflings peered up at him, their hands behind their backs. He couldn't return them to the stronghold, and didn't want to risk looking for their parents should they run into more Edain. So, they would just have to come with him; he would not let them out of his sight.
He would have to figure out what to do about Minaitir's home later.
"Do any of you have weapons?" he asked. After hearing their stories and reasons for leaving home he had seen this children differently. More... individually with the young flame in their heart burning brightly and at its finest; not as just a few disobedient elflings.
"Well, I have my knife, Hir-n—uhh, Thranduil," Helgilion said, pointing to the small sheath at his side.
"And I took this from Ada's operating set," Estella took out a good-sized knife that she had tied to her thigh.
"Couldn't find anything else." She shrugged.
Thranduil nodded approvingly and turned to the other two.
"I lost mine," Minaitir chirped. Then, he smiled wryly. "In the Man's leg," he snickered.
Thranduil gave him a withering look and unclipped the broad dagger from his belt and attached it to Minaitir's. It was more of a sword than a dagger to the elfling, but it would do. The little ellon looked up at him with surprised gratitude.
"Keep it. It might need to be sharpened but it shouldn't be too dull," Thranduil said.
Minaitir's eyes turned wide with shock and disbelief and shone with unshed tears. He slowly unsheathed the blade and traced the inlaid silver designs on the hilt and swirling designs that crawled up the middle of the blade. This weapon was obviously very expensive and looked to belong to the King himself. He swung it experimentally and was delighted with how perfectly balanced it was and how the hilt seemed to melt into his hand. He looked at the tall blond ellon with a new light of respect. He had never been given anything before. Much less something this beautiful. Well, except his mother's dresses, but then again they had never really been his. Gindorelle had burned them in a fit of grief before Minaitir ever had the chance to smuggle one.
Minaitir sheathed his new blade with new-found pride.
Fararth shook his head and spread his hands in a 'I don't have anything' gesture.
"Well, we'll have to find you something. Traveling through this forest isn't some sort of holiday so you all have to make sure and stay right next to me and—"
"—not touch anything because it might have spiders' web on it—" Estella piped.
"—not eat anything before showing it to you because it might be poisonous—" Fararth said admonishingly.
"—not drink water before we're sure it's clean and not enchanted—" Helgilion added wryly.
"—and if orcs attack climb as high as we can in a tree no matter what happens to you," finished Minaitir. "We know."
Thranduil smiled and ruffled the nearest elfling's hair—which happened to be Fararth. "Well. I suppose you do. Come along now; it's time to get moving."
He absently fiddled with the Ring on his finger.
oOo
Everything hurt. Terribly.
Tauriel groaned and took a deep breath and rolled onto her back with a grimace. She was finally able to pry her eyes open, but then closed them abruptly. The light burned and stabbed into her head with a sharp, throbbing sensation. Her ears were filled with the monotone ringing of a million little bells and her left arm hung limply at her side.
Something hard dug into her back and after several minutes of discomfort, she reached behind her and tried to move the rock-hard lump away. Her fingers froze in their struggle to move the object. This was far too smooth and the edges were too sharp to be just any rock...
Her hand slid up and she suddenly jerked into a sitting position with a gag after feeling the unmistakable feel of fur. She had been leaning against a dead horse. She scrambled away as fast as she could and collapsed back onto her elbows, panting.
Her nerves felt as if they were sizzling and the air stung inside when she drew breath.
She looked blearily around the smoking clearing. Pieces of wood littered the entire area, along with some unfortunate souls who had not been able to get away from the explosion in time. They were all human as far as she could see.
Tauriel looked down at her hands. They were smeared with black soot and the skin underneath was an angry red color. The morning light filtered through a milky mist that hung in the air besides the smoke that burned her eyes.
But there was one body that stood out from among the rest. That body a short shock of deep red hair.
Tauriel struggled to her feet with the help of a singed young tree. The world tilted and spun and wavered around her while the ringing intensified.
A step. Her legs trembled. Another step. Then another, and another. Jaseric's body neared with each step. Two more steps. She panted. Her lungs were on fire. Her legs shook. One more step. She collapsed. Her aching muscles protested violently to meeting the ground. She lifted her head once again. He was so close!
She rose to her elbows, then her knees. She dragged herself forwards. After what seemed all day, she arrived.
Tauriel unclipped her cloak and wrapped his body in it, leaving his face uncovered. Blessedly, it was mostly unmarred. It would only hurt more to realize what happened to the rest of him.
She cradled his body and pressed her cheek to his cool forehead. She ran her fingers through his sooty hair and cupped his face.
Not a tear escaped. She let out no cry of grief. She was hollow inside; empty. She gave her all and now it was gone. She had nothing left.
She was alone.
She began to speak.
"Say hello to Nana and Ada for me. And tell them I love them. That we missed them," she whispered, "I love you muindor. I wish you didn't have to leave me. You gave the best hugs, you know that?" She stroked his cheek with her thumb. Her gaze was far away. She huffed out a chuckle. "Remember that one time, that I insisted you help me into that old ash tree? And then realized how high it was and you had to come back up to carry me down. I didn't let go of you all night." She huffed again with a watery smile. "You couldn't even eat supper that night because I wouldn't let go."
She lightly kissed his forehead and rested her cheek on it. She rocked back and forth and held him tighter. "I'll see you in my dreams..."
Her eyes drifted closed and her breaths evened. She was asleep.
oOo
Dorthion let out a deep sigh. He had accounted for the whole Royal Guard, except for the healer and his wife and the General, not to mention the King, Prince, and Captain themselves. They had several injured and needed to return to the stronghold very soon.
That blasted filthy traitor Advisor had gotten away. How Dorthion wanted to ring his skinny neck.
They were returning to the clearing now; most of the elves were uninjured and they could handle any nosy Edain.
He couldn't stop his hands from shaking. He saw what happened and dearly hoped they wouldn't find the lifeless bodies of any of his leiges.
And Tauriel. How dearly he hoped she was alright.
He quicker his pace and urged the others to do the same.
oOo
He saw the archer; she didn't. He knew her. He couldn't bear to see another one of his kind killed.
Tears rolled down his cheeks. What a fool he was. What a fool.
The human drew back the string to full draw. She didn't move. She looked to be asleep.
He ran. The arrow loosed.
Pain erupted in his shoulder. Evlani restrained a cry. Gilgan was at his side at an instant.
He heard them. They were coming from the trees. He pushed Evlani away. It hurt but he would be fine. He gestured to the motionless elleth clinging to her brother's dead body. She nodded and went to the elleth, taking a fine cloak with her.
oOo
Tauriel felt something warm envelop her shoulders. Warm breath brushed her neck as a low voice whispered: "This was his; thought you might want it."
Tauriel sat up and looked about her. The red-haired woman she had seen only briefly at the camp was crouched next to her with a sympathetic smile on her face. A body she didn't remember seeing before lay in the dirt, an arrow jutting out of the shoulder. The young human messenger sat next to it. She looked closer at the face and was shocked to find it was Denisale.
She whipped her head around just in time to see a human body thud out of the trees, face-down with an arrow in his chest, his bow still clutched in his hand.
Elves flooded into the clearing. The edges of her vision began to darken.
Someone picked her up and she heard and order for Jaseric to be taken with them. The elf holding her called out an order to arrest Denisale, Evlani, and Gilgan. She shivered and looked up at the elf holding her. Dorthion.
She was safe.
She dropped into unawareness.
oOo
Legolas stopped abruptly, a confused expression on his face. The moon illuminated the silver threads in his cloak and workings of silver in his weapons.
"No," Aragorn said automatically.
"Estel, wait. Where are we going?"
Aragorn continued on his way. "Wherever you're leading," he called over his shoulder.
"I thought you were leading?!" Blast it; you fool! Where is your head, Legolas?!
At this, Estel stopped as well. "What do you mean?! This is your forest!" his voice rose in pitch and squeaked. He would never admit it, but this forest gave him the creeps.
"Well technically, it's not—"
"So you mean this whole time we've been wandering around like some mindless bird-brains, just waiting to be eaten by some abnormally massive, hungry creature that would more than anything like to tear us limb from limb!?"
"Your overreacting, mellon-nin—"
"Not to mention we could have just walked back into one of those rebel camps and—"
"Estel hush!" The young human's fear of the forest reeked of Elladan and Elrohir's slightly—to say the least— exaggerated stories.
Legolas had crouched defensively, warily peeking into the boughs above. He stung his bow with slow movements, never taking his eyes off the black, gnarly, web coated trees.
"Oho! Wouldn't that be dandy for me! Then I'd get torn apart by a horde of angry elves if anything happened to you!"
Valar! What on Arda did those twins tell him!
Legolas suddenly froze and his face blanched. He eased an arrow from his quiver and crouched down lower, his eyes still trained on the branches above.
"I don't think you would have to worry about the camps." The ellon's voice was low and quiet. His eyes flicked to the left and he caught the faintest of scuttling in the raggedy foliage.
Everything suddenly seemed darker; ominous. He nocked the arrow and adjusted his grip on the bow, all with slow, gentle movements. "No one would dare camp here." His voice had dropped into a low rumble under his breath. "We have found a nest."
Estel finally snapped out of his rant and his head whipped towards Legolas. A word formed on his lips but no sound came forth. His face could've blended in with snow. Legolas glanced sidelong at him, not moving his head. His posture was set in stone.
"You ever fought spiders before, Estel?" his voice remained at that low rumble.
The human unsheathed his blade and mimicked Legolas' crouch.
"No," Aragorn's voice was a hoarse whisper. His young age suddenly seemed all too apparent. Like Legolas, his eyes were darting among the branches above. The twisted trees suddenly seemed like they were surrounding him and weaving around the small space they were standing in. The tense silence played on his nerves stronger than ever. The of contrast of the ebony-white webs on the black bark of the trees gave the whole scene a skeletal appearance.
"Aim for the eyes. Slash between the plates of exoskeleton at the abdomen and behind the head. Mind the stingers. I don't suppose you brought any anti-venom?"
"No." All Aragorn could think of were the illustrations of Ungoliant from Erestor's library. If Morgoth feared the beast, Estel felt he had every reason to.
Legolas' bow was at full draw and he was slowly lifting it to aim. "Then you better hope we don't get stung."
A hoarse screech sounded from the trees and yellow blinking dots marked the creatures' bulbous eyes. Their legs scraped nearer and nearer.
Legolas released his arrow and had another nocked before the other had even hit its target. A large black body thudded into the dirt, a black ichor oozing out of the entry wound where the creature's eye used to be.
Most of the tension drained out of Estel's limbs and was replaced by the usual pre-battle adrenaline. He repeatedly thanked the Valar. He was expecting creatures the size of Ungoliant herself. Elladan and Elrohir have it in for themselves...
Legolas blew out a breath as the creatures gathered around them with grating furious shrieks. He glanced at Estel once again. He hoped with all his heart that this human knew how to fight.
"Welcome to Mirkwood," Legolas muttered under his breath, and plunged into the fray.
oOoOoOo
Well then. The Twin Terrors strike again :P So sorry if Estel seems OOC (if anyone does actually; if they do plz let me know) he's just very young and can't be fabulous ALL the time. (What am I saying he's fabulous even when terrified)
What?? One more time and I will be convinced classical music is magic because this is the second chapter that's happened in one sitting in a r o w. *mind blown*
Much thanks to everyone who is reading/reviewing on this story!! This is mainly so gain experience with Wurds so I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism or any kind of advice actually :P
This chapter is also unbeta-ed (safe travels Scribbles!) so it might be a bit rough /
Until next time..!