Chapter 36~ Evacuate
Elrond sighed wearily, elbows propped on his knees and rubbing his brow as if it pained him. A hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked up to the gentle smile of healer Aldaner.
"Are there any leads as to who would do such a thing?"
Elrond shook his head, studying his hands folded in his lap. His body ached from sleepless nights and his face was tired and drawn. Everything was falling apart through his fingers! An elf was killed right under his very nose for heaven's sake!
"There's no question as to who has done it. It was those Edain. I found their cell empty with the keys in the lock and the only way for them to get their hands on them were if Denisale brought them down."
Aldaner bit her lip thoughtfully, brow creasing. "I never wish to think a fellow kinsman guilty, but why do you suppose he was down there in the first place? Could it be possible that he was collaborating with them?"
Elrond stood and leaned against a window frame, trying to give his tired eyes a new view, but even then he could see nothing but treetops and thick grey smoke rising from the encampments and smothering the horizon with a sooty haze.
"It is possible, but not very probable in my eyes. If he was working with them it would make no sense for the Edain to kill him. Perhaps I am biased, for he had most likely assumed the high position of captain with no small deed, and I would rather like to think him to be a victim of this plot just as the rest of us." The Noldo absently traced the edge of a tapestry hanging by the window and continued, "However, I do remember him mentioning that he had grown close to the adan boy, and Ausocitin had used the child as leverage to draw Denisale into this in the first place. The questioning last night had gone well and the female adan, Evlani, I believe her name was, all but confessed she was working hand in hand with this mutiny. I merely needed a king's seal to convict them both."
Aldaner nodded and cast a wistful glance outside the south-facing window as well. "Adan or not, he was just a mere boy. He should not have to see such cruelty. In his own mother no less. It saddens me." She shook her head and fiddled with the end of the braid draped over her shoulder.
Elrond absently began braiding the tapestry's golden tassel and sighed. "Indeed. At times, I look at our world, the people, and how some can simply not see that what they do is wrong, or do it anyways even if they know. It makes me wonder what happened to them to turn out so."
Aldaner ducked her head over a smile. Yes, he is the right choice of a leader to bring us out of this.
The Noldo huffed out an empty laugh and continued braiding. "I never thought I would say this but I truly wish Thranduil was here."
Aldaner returned the mirth. "He does have a way of getting out of the strangest things. He almost reminds me of your twins. I do not think he ever truly grew up," she said with a wry smile, she had all but raised the little prince along with her Feren.
Elrond switched the group of the half-plaited strands of the tassel to one hand and withdrew a crumpled note from his pocket. "'We have a plan. Do not look for us. Please forgive the mess. Elladan and Elrohir.'" Elrond laughed after reading the note aloud. "I am inclined to believe you," he said with a smile that tried to hide the pain brought to the forefront at the mention of two of his missing sons. He found himself staring at the note and quickly shoved it back in his pocket;
Too quickly to realize he had used the hand still clutching the tapestry's braided tassel. A small yelp escaped Aldaner's throat and she jumped out of the way just as the tapestry came crashing down on top of the Lord of Imladris with a billow of dust, knocking him clear off his feet.
She fumbled to help him up from under the heavy weave and couldn't help the laugh that burst from her lips at the site of his normally sleek and pinned hair in an outrageous disarray as it clung to the ornamental rug. At first he looked too shocked to articulate and then burst into a true, clear laugh. He rose from the floor and straightened out his robes.
"I am suddenly glad that Thranduil was not here for this moment," he said wryly, voice stretched with his pretentious smile.
Aldaner chuckled. "Or alternately," she said, "he would have been the one to get swept off his feet like a fish in a net."
Elrond shook his head in mock-seriousness. "What I would give to see that—"
The mirth fell from his face as he broke off and all turned to seriousness.
"M' lord...? Oh!"
Elrond walked stiffly over to the wall and crouched down to look at the large gaping hole that had been hidden by the tapestry and the large cloud of dust its downfall had initiated.
"Do you know anything of this?"
Aldaner looked just as surprised as he did. "No, no I do not think I have ever heard of such a thing!"
"Oh! Oh Valar!" Elrond said, his hand shooting up to massage his temple.
"Elrond if you do not tell me what is going on in that silly little head of your this instant I will—"
"Legolas!"
"What—"
"Legolas was ambushed in the dungeons by the rogue general. Me and my sons were the first ones down there and he had disappeared..."
"Through a tunnel such as this," Aldaner finished, understanding dawning on her countenance.
Elrond peered through the hole again. "Who do you think knows of these?"
"You can try asking Tauriel... oh! And Nestael. General Haldaner's wife," she amended.
"Right."
oOo
"There is indeed a network of tunnels all throughout these walls," said Tauriel, nodding in acknowledgement to a thin elleth who entered the room. Her eyes were red as if she had recently been crying and her cheeks were pale and hollowed.
Elrond cut off his response with returning the elleth's curtesy with a nod and a half-smile, but his eyes were quickly clouded with concern.
Aldaner rushed over to her side altogether. "Ai, dear! Whatever has happened to you?!"
The elleth smiled sheepishly, if not uncomfortably. "A mix of things I suppose," she began softly. "There has been no trace of my husband for a while now, and Captain Denisale had been a good friend of our family; we often supped together, and he was a good ellon. I always wondered why he never did marry."
Aldaner squeezed Nestael's shoulder's in a reassuring, motherly way.
"But that is not all," Elrond prodded slowly, his intuition observing the elleth's face.
Nestael bit her lip as if in attempt to stop any pending tears and took a shuddering breath accompanied by a shaky smile. Her voice wobbled as she spoke. "My son 'Gili—I mean Helgilion—has been missing since the day my husband left." She paused to regain her composure. "And now my daughter is missing."
Aldaner guided her onto a bed and Tauriel looked guiltily down at her hands. My mistakes have caused much pain...
Elrond lowered himself onto the edge of a bed and buried his face in his hands. "None of this makes any sense," he groaned.
Just then, Dorthion entered the room with a a respectful bow towards Elrond, who thought he saw Tauriel perk up the slightest bit at the ellon's presence. He lowered himself next to Tauriel and took her hand in his own.
"Pardon my tardiness. Is anything amiss here?" Dorthion asked in careful concern.
"Our next step is a difficult one to find," said Nestael solemnly.
Dorthion rubbed his chin. "Well I inquired with the soldiers patrolling any possible exits and they have seen no sign of the two Edain, which must mean they are still in here somewhere."
Elrond bit his cheek and lifted his head. "Any developments on the missing persons? I have a hunch your daughter is being kept with them, Nestael."
She turned glistening, hopeful eyes to him. "I only pray she is alright. She is yet young, though she is my oldest."
Aldaner offered another comforting squeeze to her shoulder.
Dorthion shook his head sadly in response to Elrond's inquiry.
Tauriel studied the floor in contemplation. "Dorthion, do you know of the network of tunnels within these walls?"
Dorthion looked sharply at her. "I do. As I said, any possible exits are being guarded, so I do not think the Edain would have been able to escape had they wanted to. They are still inside the stronghold, I can say that for certain."
"Elrond, earlier you mentioned that they are guilty of willingly collaborating with the mutiny. The boy was one of the few successful infiltrators and most likely used the tunnels to poison Elrohir," said Aldaner, "could they have something to do with the missing party? We already know they are being used to keep all the other officials away from taking leadership."
"Perhaps," Dorthion intervened. "But I believe the key question here is motivation. Why are the Edain involved in the first place?"
"Wealth," Elrond said automatically. "Just like the rest of the Edain mercenaries." He gestured widely around them, indicating the siege line.
Dorthion nodded energetically. They were finally getting somewhere. "And where is the majority of the wealth inside the stronghold located...?"
"The treasury," Tauriel and Aldaner said simultaneously.
"Well then," said Elrond with a growing smile as he rose to his feet. "We have work to do."
oOo
"Inside?" Daesíl, a Silvan soldier renowned for his stealth, asked in puzzlement. "The treasury would be very difficult to guard from the inside, hir nin. Many things obscure one's path of sight and there is no view to outside of the room lest these Edain try to enter, as you said."
"But that is the point," Elrond said with a touch of impatience, "we want the Edain to break in."
Daesíl kneaded his brows. He was utterly lost. Who ever thought of putting a Noldo in charge...? "I am afraid I do not follow you, Lord Elrond."
"What he means is he wants the Edain to break in so that you may follow them and perhaps they may lead you to where the missing persons are being kept," Aldaner amended.
Daesíl nodded and chewed his cheek. "What then?"
"Then we catch the Edain," Elrond finished.
"And if they make off with any gold..."
"We will collect it after we catch them," said Elrond.
"Ah. So you want me to let them go to catch them again?" Daesíl said slowly and disbelievingly as if telling Elrond 'listen to yourself and see if it makes sense'.
"Precisely."
"Will do, Lord Elrond," said Daesíl with a concerned purse to his lips. He gave a polite bow and turned to fulfill his duty. "Noldor are strange," he muttered to himself.
Elrond, of course, was near enough to hear the side comment. "Not as strange as the very elves who would rather run in the boughs than on the ground," he muttered in return.
He and Aldaner exchanged glances then burst into laughter.
oOo
The night was dark and dreary. Nothing but the utterly flat, rocky expanse was before him. Great spires—heads wreathed in cloud and piercing the drab grey sky twirled in the distance, mere black looming shadows against the horizon.
A great sound of grinding and shifting stones rang through the threshold, so that only then did Elrond notice the silence that had previously created the oppressing atmosphere.
Rock rose before him right out of the ground, boulders parting and rolling from the large bulk that was awakening with a wake of rumbles. The rumbling and roaring did not cease once the precipice had risen up. A blinding flash licked the great spires in the distance and set the orbiting clouds afire. Ah. Thunder and lightning then.
The stone began to crumble beneath his feet. Heart leaping into his throat, Elrond ran as an invisible something ate the ground from under his flying heels. But then it stopped. Lighting flashed again, cold and sharp so that it blinded him.
His breath was rapid and pulse erratic. His exhales misted into wisps of mist before being whisked away by the urgent wind concealing the brewing storm.
Crates were piled high in a haphazard stack, the boom of the thunder shaking them. The sound they made was strange; like the high-pitching clinking of glass.
Two figures erupted into his line of vision, black cloaked silhouettes spinning and leaping with blades ringing together in a lethal dance. Lighting flashed again and thunder roared so near that it shook the very mountain to the core.
Elrond could only watch, entranced, as the two figures twirled and struck, ever nearing the stack of crates.
One of the figures was relentless, hitting his blade upon the other with such ferocity his anger was made plain through his movements, no longer the liquid dance they had once been, but the vicious attack of a starved wolf. The victim cowered and inched back. The leader made an underhand twist and caught the victim's hand. They both lost balance and crushed backwards into the stack of crates behind and everything erupted into a flash of light.
The impact of the blast sent Elrond sprawling to the ground, unnatural waves of power crashing over him and beating him into the rock, driving all the breath out of him. Once the pulses lessened he raised his head and blinked against the red haze of fire that leaped up before him.
His heart dropped with the sickening realization of it. It was the stronghold. The stronghold was burning—
oOo
Someone was shaking his shoulder. He sat up with a gasp and a wild glaze to his eyes.
"Elrond!" Aldaner. "Elrond come quickly, they caught the Edain! You must come quickly!"
Taking a deep breath and wiping the perspiration with the back of a shaky hand, Elrond swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was still wearing his clothes from the previous day. But by the look of it, it was the middle of the night; so perhaps still the same day.
It seemed it was then that Aldaner noticed his condition amidst the excitement.
"Elrond! What happened, are you alright?"
He took another wobbling breath to steady the rapid pounding reverberating in his chest. He was thoroughly disturbed. He was very shaken and drained and his súlë itself felt slumped in his chest. That could only mean one thing, and that is why it disturbed him so. He had just had a flash of foresight. The stronghold was burning; we must flee!
First he must deal with the matter at hand.
He had been about to request a draught of miruvor, but then promptly dismissed it; he did not want to cause worry. Not just yet anyways.
"I have an urgent matter at hand. We must take action immediately."
Aldaner did not seem to gather the full impact of his words. She practically pulled him to his feet by his arm and dragged him out the door. She tapped her foot impatiently as he slipped on his boots and followed her on legs that felt to be made of a pile of jelly. He actually had to brace himself against the walls a few times during their translation. This flash of foresight must be extremely urgent. It is not the first one I had of the stronghold burning, he thought, recalling the dream he had when trekking through the forest with Galion and his sons upon their arrival. He willed himself to pick up his pace.
It seemed like ages passed before they had finally arrived at their destination; the treasury.
A gathering of soldiers stood about the hall bearing the entrance to the stone vault. Evlani and Gilgan were being effectively restrained by a set of warriors and two plump feed sacks were sitting against the wall. His ruse had worked then, it seemed.
What truly drew his attention though, was an entirely different group of elves loitering uncertainly apart from the soldiers. More elves were rushing into the hall with each passing minute and the ringing of urgent footsteps signified the coming of many more. Nestael kneeled on the ground, holding a sobbing elfling with a lively head of auburn curls as if she was a lifeline.
They had found the missing elves, then. He smiled despite the weariness that shook him and hung on his eyelids.
Dorthion approached him, revealing a wide grin after giving the customary polite bow.
"It worked, hir nin! The missing elves were being held in a wider crevice within the hidden tunnels, just as you suspected. Quite clever on their part," he tossed his head in the direction of the two scowling Edain, "though I fail to believe how they made off with abducting several full-grown ellyth."
Elrond continued to watch as the elves streaming in searched the small crowd and threw themselves into a loved one's embrace, whether it was elleth and child or husband.
"Well they did disappear a the day before Thranduil left, so I assume this was the doing of General Gindorelle."
Dorthion nodded warily, now enlightened, though his previous joy turned a bit hard and his tone terse. "It's Aran Thranduil, Lord Elrond. I mean no disrespect but do not think yourself king in his absence."
Elrond lowered his head. That remark was very... Silvan, yet it inspired him.
"My mistake, goheno nin."
Dorthion gave him a curt nod.
"Shall I give the order to take the Edain to the dungeons, hir nin?"
"No. I wish to talk to them."
Dorthion beckoned the soldiers holding Evlani and Gilgan over.
Elrond scrutinized them up and down in an unsettling manner and Evlani's scowl deepened considerably.
The Noldo finally spoke. "You have have many charges hanging over your head. Yet your latest is the murder of one of our own kinsman. That is not a deed that will lightly be looked over, but I see that you are aware of this."
Gilgan ducked his head and looked uncertainly to his mother, who's hard features had softened.
Elrond continued. "King Thranduil is not present, and therefore cannot be the judge of the situation. I am no king, but I have been put into the confidence of the elves of Greenwood and say that what you did was no small crime. However, the Eldar are not cruel, and providing the circumstance, I shall have to amend your sentence."
Evlani shot Gilgan a venomous glare that said 'I told you so'. The elves remained stone-faced.
"You are free to go." At this the area quieted and the Edain snapped their heads up to inspect Elrond's face to decide if he was truly serious. "You are proclaimed exiled and may never again enter the woodland realm under pain of death. Go, now, and be warned. Daesíl, I ask you escort the guilty to the gate and be sure they do not turn back."
The elves stared at him in bewilderment, but he gazed back at them serenely to show that he was truly serious. Daesíl shook his head and was first to break the hesitation and turn to carry out the sentence.
Dorthion stared after the retreating escort with rumpled brows. "Why did you do that?"
Elrond was already beyond weary. His hands had not ceased shaking and he ambled absently over to the nearest south-facing window to brace against it.
"You know that of my gift, correct?"
"Pardon, hir nin, I do not."
"I have the gift of foresight and occasionally—"
The sight that met him at the window nearly had his knees giving out from his beneath him.
"Lord Elrond what—?!"
The customary line of flickering firelight in the distance was now a large, black smoky haze. The siege line. The siege line was broken.
Valar knows what on Arda caused—
"Oh," Dorthion breathed, coming to stand at the Noldo's elbow at the window.
Elrond didn't know what to think, nor did he have the time to do so. All he knew is they all had to leave. Now.
The Silvans would not want to, he knew. He needed someone to back him up. Yet as far as he knew, everyone thought him a bit crazy. Hopefully the fact that his absurd idea for catching the Edain had proved successful would spur them to follow him with all urgency.
He doubted it would.
"I want everyone to gather their belongings and be at the gate before the first light of dawn! Prepare to leave immediately."
Nestael rushed over to his side with anxious steps, lithe fingers still clinging to her daughter. "Lord Elrond! What is the meaning of this?! Why must we go?!"
"The siege line is broken and we must move before it is once again reassembled. I have already had two visions of the burning of the stronghold, and that cannot be taken lightly. We must—oof!" He had taken a step forward but his strength had failed him. He collapsed to his knees and clung to Dorthion's outstretched arm for support. He looked up pleadingly to the elleth. If he could not convince everyone to leave... he did not want to think of it. He must succeed. "Saes... we cannot let the people burn." Elladan and Elrohir are out there... all alone...
Nestael looked to Aldaner, in conflict. The sight of the collected Noldo Lord kneeling and grasping Dorthion's arm with shaking limbs, serene grey eyes swimming with such anguish...
"You must believe me; get everyone out."
Aldaner grasped Nestael's shoulder in resolve. They could be walking into certain demise but she couldn't help but fiercely believe Elrond knew something they didn't. Perhaps he had been sent here for this very reason. He had gotten them through this much, and it was time to lend him a bit of trust.
Nestael turned to face her. "We go."
oOo
The siege line had indeed been broken.
The mass breached a grassy knoll overlooking the stout, towering shadow of the stronghold. Edain skittered below, cowed by the sight of such a large party steadily approaching, as if to end them once and for all. A vast majority of them fled, deeming any promised payment too small a reward for possible death. Then any remuneration would be worthless.
Elrond could almost jump up and shout for joy. They were breaking free. At last.
He look uncertain steps to the crest of the knoll, surveying the bramble and ferns that crowned it like a flowery wreath upon an elleth's brow.
His foot hit something. He reached down to retrieve it. A sword lay in trembling palms. Not just any sword; his son's sword. He bent down and studied the area where he had found the sword. The grass was definitely flattened as if someone had lain there for a stretched period of time. He lifted his head, Dorthion sidling up to him.
"Lost something, Lord Elrond?" he asked with a hint of playfulness.
"My sons," he murmured. "They were here, and not too long ago..." His eyes alighted on a gap in the bramble thicket. Dorthion caught on and moved it aside.
Elrond gasped and nearly toppled over backward as a large bulk barreled into his chest. The sweetest voice he could ever wish to hear was smothered in his hair.
"Ada! Oh ada I'm so relieved that you came I didn't know what to do and—"
Elrond elatedly returned the embrace and laughed at the cross "EL!" that called out from the bush. Dorthion smiled and turned away to join hands with Tauriel, giving the reunited family some space.
Elrohir broke away with the widest possible smile and crawled back into their little hideout to help Elladan emerge from the tight, prickly space. He looked around for the first time.
"Did you evacuate the stronghold ada?" Elladan asked.
Elrond nodded and stayed where he was, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. Elrohir suddenly dropped Elladan with a grunted protest and took his adar's hand in his own. It was still shaking rather violently.
"You had another vision?"
Elrond nodded but then paused to study the makeshift bandage swathed around Elladan's thigh in sudden concern.
Elladan caught his eye and smiled almost sheepishly. "Don't worry ada, it wasn't poisoned."
Elrond shook his head with a pained, exasperated smile and enveloped the older twin in his arms.
He suddenly pushed Elladan back by his shoulders and gave them both a sharp look.
"I forbid you two to ever make an exit like that again," he bit out in a very stern voice so that both twins immediately sobered. "You scared me half to death you two, oh—" He hooked each twin in his arm and pulled them up to him. "You two are insufferable, you know that?"
The twins laughed, relishing in the comfort of being in familiar arms again.
"I'm not nearly as insufferable as Elrohir," Elladan said matter-of-factly. "He's the one who forced a sleeping draught down my throat and then told me to read a book."
Elrohir looked affronted and straightened into a sitting position. "I'm insufferable? If it wasn't for me you would still be back there, used as some trophy for mortal children to look upon with an arrowhead in your leg!"
Elrond was interested at this point.
"I wouldn't of even had an arrowhead in my leg if I hadn't followed you and your fool ideas!"
"Well if you think they're foolish, why did you follow me in the first place? Look who's foolish now!"
"Only a lunatic would think of riding a dragon."
"A what—" Elrond was now alarmed.
"Yeah? Well that dragon saved your skinny neck so you just—"
"You'll what? I know better than any Edain, Elrohir, I know you can't eat my soul or—"
"Just what did you two do?" Elrond asked guardedly.
The twins exchanged wry looks, the argument gone and forgotten in an instant in favor of giving Elrond the scare of his life.
"Well you see ada, there was this dragon—" Elrohir began but then abruptly cut off, his mischievous smile vanishing and his head whipping from one direction to the other, eyes wide.
Elladan gasped as murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.
Two parties of unknown identity were coming towards them. From wiry to stout figures, all were but shadows against the darkness of the early dawn.
One from the southwest and one from the northeast—
"Oh no," Elrond whispered, his veins running cold.
They were trapped between them.
oOoOoOo
A/N: If all goes as planned, there will only be about three to four more chapters left to this story! I have also stared major revision from the very beginning of this story, where I hope to work out the kinks that have been bothering me and get them beta-ed. The updated version will be released when the title changes :). Thank you all!