Chapter 9
Aragorn ran further through the corridor and looked into every cell, but so far he had not found any clue to his friend's whereabouts. By now the ranger was really desperate. Was what this man had said true?
Everything in the man contracted at this thought and he immediately repressed it. No, Legolas was strong! He would not give up so easily! On the other hand, the Ranger did not know what they had done to the elf and in what condition it was.
Aragorn sighed in frustration. He urgently had to stop worrying about it, because this would only drive him crazy.
Finally, the man arrived at the last cell. Hopefully, the prince was here because the ranger did not know how much time he had left.
His heart beat faster and his fingers trembled as he took the keys and unlocked the door. It was difficult to open and it took a moment for the human to open it. Then he heard a sound. A soft, painful whimper.
Immediately, the Ranger's heart stopped for a moment and he looked around the cell. Then Aragorn saw something that made him freeze in horror.
A narrow figure lay huddled on the ground. The beautiful warrior's body trembled, which more than worried the human because normally the archer should not feel the cold. The light that always surrounded Legolas was very weak, which clearly showed how badly the prince was feeling. He was also very pale and sweat was on his forehead, which indicated a fever.
But that was not what shocked the ranger so much. A pool of blood had formed under the elf, his arms were covered with cuts, stab wounds, and bruises.
It took a moment for the man to move, and when he could, he ran to his friend with his heart beating fast. His heart was full of fear, despair, and sadness but also full of anger.
The ranger had to stop himself with all his strength from getting up and running back to the man to kill him after all. But he could not go now. The beautiful warrior needed him.
Nervous and horrified, Aragorn let himself sink to his knees next to the archer and at that moment two blue eyes opened. At that moment, the human's heart broke. They were full of pain, hopelessness, and fear. "Estel...", he whispered, his voice sounded surprised.
With a heavy heart, the ranger had to realize that Legolas had probably no longer hoped for rescue. "Sedho, Legolas. I am here. Nothing will happen to you," the ranger whispered back, his voice sounded strangely rough.
The blue eyes closed for a moment and panic rose in Aragorn. Even if the prince was tired and it broke the healer's heart, the elf was not allowed to fall asleep, because then the probability increased that he would not wake up again. And the human did not want to risk that in any case.
With a strange feeling in his stomach, the ranger set out to inspect the wounds of the beautiful warrior. The stab wounds were quite deep and quickly the man had to realize that the archer's forearm was broken and his shoulder dislocated. Apparently, he had been beaten, which had caused the bruises.
When the man's gaze fell on Legolas' back, he flinched in horror. How could one be so cruel? The beautiful skin was almost completely torn open and Aragorn feared that the blood on the ground was drained. "Legolas, do you have any other pain besides your back and arms?"
The prince's eyes were still closed, but to the ranger's relief, he responded to the question and nodded. "Head..." The human sighed softly. What had been done to him? "You must stay awake, Mellon-nin. I'll take you to Ada now."
Since they had to get out of here quickly, and since the continuing cold and darkness would probably not help the elf, the ranger took off his own cloak and wrapped it as gently as possible around his wounded friend.
But every movement seemed to be torture for the prince, for he groaned in agony. The sound broke the healer's heart once more. "Naethen. I will take you out of here now, Legolas."
Sedho, Legolas. - Be quiet, Legolas.
Naethen. - Sorry.