AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala


CHAPTER 5


Alone and waiting, Thalawen and Arwen sat staring at the wooden walls of their cell. At the moment, neither moved, neither said a word.

Then, as if on que, Thalawen opened her mouth to say that she wondered what was taking so long, when she was instead interrupted by a cry that ripped through each darkened deck of the large vessel. Filled with only that of high distress.

Thalawen pierced the door with narrowed eyes. Anger filled her and it showed by the noisy pulling of her chains. So that was what they were doing to her this time. Landailyn wouldn't just be returning with the simple bruises she usually did, today she would be in worse shape. Well, she knew exactly what the Elf was going through and knew she did not deserve it, just like she hadn't.

They listened helplessly for only a few seconds, until the sound stopped entirely. Arwen gasped at the abrupt silence. Though they didn't know it, together they silently prayed it didn't mean what they thought it only could.

"They come." Thalawen's words penetrated her thoughts, after a few minutes.

In the next few seconds, the door was unlocked and swung open with a loud squeaking. The same two stout figures of the guards carried in the much more slender form, throwing it on the boarded floor and re-chaining it to a far wall. Then retreating and locking the room, all the while snickering and mumbling between themselves.

"Landailyn?" Whispered Arwen, switching to Elvish and soothing words for perhaps a little comfort. "My friend, it is well, Thala and I are here."

Through what little light that came through the boards of the ship they could see her head rise, then nod, but she did not look at them.

Now she knew what it was Thalawen had gone through only months before. This was the third and worst beating she had ever recieved in her prolonged lifetime and this was counting the little fixes she, Legolas, and Aragorn had gone through years ago.

"Landy, I'm sorry this...had to happen..." This came hard for Thalawen to say and realized it was the second time she was apologizing to the Elf over being injured. She had wanted her new friend to come with them to Gondor, but didn't think they would end up where they were now and had been for going on ten days.

"No," Landailyn's voice cut in before she could say more, whispering so low that no mortal could have understood. "You should not have been the first time either. I'm just glad...they did not find that you are also Elves."

Arwen tried to hold back tears. It was like deja vu. So, was it this time that she would lose a friend? Or the next? But she prayed hard to the Valar that there would never be a next time.

The Wood-Elf said no more, her head slumped in unconsciousness, though the two continued to watch after her.

"What are we going to do, Thala?"

For once she had no real answer. "I don't know." What she did know was that they must escape. But how? And when? Landailyn must be better first, but if Faeroth continued like he did with her, Thalawen feared they might never make it out with her at their side. Saying, she and Arwen ever made it out themselves. "Don't cry, it'll be okay." She tried to soothe, hearing a small shudder come from the Elf nearest her.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


Much later in the night, the Elf awoke from a fearful dream to pain and aching and truly wished she had not awoken at all. Memories of a past injury on the same shoulder arose its panging and she knew what needed to be done.

In half consciousness, she tugged at the chains of her left arm. She was mostly coherent, but mumbled in broken Elvish. Thalawen looked up at the noise, to see what was going on.

"Landailyn?" Arwen had noticed her too. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and let her arm hang limp. "My right shoulder and wrist."

"What about them?" The princess continued slowly, undoubtedly having the feeling that the answer to her question was not going to be good news.

"They need to be set...he dislocated the shoulder...and broke the wrist."

Two things they could not have noticed before.

In alarm, Arwen looked over at her older sister in an obvious question of help. Thalawen knew what this meant from her adopted father's lessons in health and medicine, just as well as Arwen and apparently Landailyn did, but had no idea what to do about it.

They needed to get to her, but it was obvious they could not, being contained themselves as she was. They weren't even sure how long it had been now that she had been brought back to the cell.

"If they are not set soon...there may be permanent damage." The princess whispered in a very low voice, not sure if Landailyn had understood her and hoping she hadn't. "Landailyn?"

At her name, the Silvan Elf made an undistinguished noise that she was listening.

It was still Arwen's voice speaking softly. "I do not know of any other way to do this...but your setting must wait until they bring food in the morning. Do you think...you have that long?"

Landailyn thought a moment through the cloudiness in her mind. "I think so." Trying desperately to also think how many hours that would be.

"Alright, then get your rest. You shall need it."


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


"Are you sure we're on the right track?" Asked the youngest of Elrond's twins, for the tenth time at least.

"Yes, dear brother. Arwen said herself that they were heading by way of the Anduin. And I do believe we're almost there, I can just hear its fierce current."

Elrohir nodded and the two went on riding, keeping their horses and Asfaloth's paces quickened. They had been in the Gladden Fields some time now and were indeed about to come upon the eastern shore of the Great River. From there, they would follow it to find more clues as to what was keeping their sisters from reaching the White City.

Fifteen minutes later, they stood on the bank of the wide riverbed. And for nearly an hour, they searched its surroundings for any signs of what might have gone wrong with the she-Elves' trip, Elladan going as far as a small wood nearby. "Elrohir? Elrohir, have you found anything?" He called as he walked through it among the sparse somber trunks.

"Not a thing!" His brother called back, from somewhere to the right. "You?"

"No..." His voice trailing off as he looked up from the piling leaves around him. Several bodies lay within the closed area. From where he stood he checked them over, finding they were all Human men, dead either by arrows or wounds from a blade.

As his eyes browsed the ground for further clues, they alighted upon an object that almost blended in with the forest's floor and that much resembled leather. And as he neared it, he found that in fact it was leather, a dark leather, with gold adorning it in various places. Beside it, lay another object, longer and thinner, but of the same color.

"Elladan?" Elrohir wondered why his brother hadn't answered and appeared beside his squatting figure, having to step over one of the bodies. "Oh...wow. Hey, what's...?" He pointed to what it was Elladan was reaching for. As the twin picked it up, the two realized what exactly it was and more importantly whose it was. "You don't suppose it's...?"

"Landailyn's." Finished Elladan quietly. "Who else? No one but she and Legolas carry weapons exactly like these and the Fellowship did not travel this way, so they are not his." He was right, but one thing he didn't know, was that Legolas no longer carried a bow and quiver like these, since his gifts from Lothlorien.

Elrohir was forced to agree as they examined the quiver further, noting the straps had been sliced through and one of the knives was not in its sheath. "Well then, I'm guessing whatever has become of our sisters, she was caught up in it."

Elladan nodded. "Indeed, and now we have three missing she-Elves on our hands." He rose, clutching the quiver and bow and trying to figure out where the other knife could have gone. Elrohir joined in on the search and together they finally found it, not far behind from where the tree line had started, then collected the rest of her arrows to cleanse them of blood later.

The brothers combed the ground a little more for anything they might have missed. They found tracks, that could only be of a horse. Perhaps they were Asfaloth's, they would never be able to tell for sure. But fortunately, the trail of the Human prints were pointed southward and not straying from the river bank.

With this evidence, they knew they had to be on the right track now.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


The hours passed seeming to never end. Slow and tedious, holding no sleep for two particular Elves. But their wait had ended at dawn and their food finally came.

As soon as their chains clanked to the floor and the guards had gone, they were at Landailyn's side to catch her form from falling onto her bad shoulder, sitting her up straight and being wary of her injuries.

"Thala, you are going have to hold her back while I do this."

Thalawen nodded and placed a hand against the Elf's left shoulder, pressing it to the wall. The other hand going across to her right one, though more up on her neck, away from the dislocation.

Arwen took the arm gently and put it into position. "Landy, are you ready?" A nod was all she needed and without further warning, quickly tugged outward, popping the bones back into their rightful place.

Landailyn cried out at the new pain and as expected tried to lean forward, where Thalawen's part then came in to stop her. She was strong yet, but Thalawen managed to restrain her successfully.

The pain was intense and was worse than it should have been after being left up in a shackle all night, which also didn't help her broken wrist.

With that done, Arwen could hear the Elf's hitched breathing and tried to soothe her in Elvish once more, taking her limp arm into her hands and gently removing her vambrace, feeling for the break and unfortunately finding more than one.

An idea struck her mind and Thalawen watched curiously as her sister ripped a long piece off the bottom of her cloak and wrapped the wide band tightly around Landailyn's wrist several times. Then again tearing a longer piece and making a sling for her arm. "There are three breaks in your wrist, but I hope this helps." She whispered.

"Many thanks." Landailyn sighed, head resting back against the wall, eyes closed.

Arwen smiled up at her. "It was nothing. Eat, and I will take a look at those lashings I caught a glimpse of on your back and then you must get more rest."

"I do not feel like food."

"Landailyn, please...for me."

"Better listen to her, Landy. I for one do not want to have to listen to her, being rather stuck in here with her and all." Thalawen joked, smiling devilishly up at Arwen, who glared playfully back.

Landailyn watched the exchange, smiling as much as her sore throbbing wounds would allow. "Alright...for both of you, my friends."

Together they helped Landailyn move away from the wall, so that Arwen could work on the thin gashes the whip had produced, using more cloth from her cloak and a little of the water brought for drinking.

Meanwhile, Thalawen had picked up their edibles and brought them over, giving Landailyn and Arwen theirs. Almost carefully, she sniffed at her food, scrunching her nose at its smell. "Not exactly something I would normally choose, but..." She shrugged and bit into the luke warm meat of the fish, making a bit of a face as she chewed it slowly.

Landailyn chuckled. She didn't care for it either, but given the circumstances, it was all they had. So one had to take what was given without too much complaint. For it was surprising they were allowed food as often as it was offered to them, which was every other day.

"Honestly, I would much prefer a glass of wine, maybe a little smoked salmon, possibly a square of bread, and a block of cheese, to soak up the drink." She sighed into the food at the mere image in her mind. "Sounds good, doesn't it?" she asked as she looked over to her friends.

The sisters each had a look of distaste on their faces, but Landailyn couldn't tell whether this was caused by the food or her mind's eye's wish of food. "Yeah...sounds great. But don't talk about good food right now. It will make me feel like complaining," said Thalawen.

Arwen laughed at that and thought, "As if she hasn't been already."


TBC ...

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Notes from the authors ...

mirkwood-elf-2931 :
What are you doing to my character, Thala?! (and my computer!) *sigh* Well, I guess the only explanation is that Landailyn has been around Thalawen a little too long now and some of her traits have rubbed off!
Also, sorry if we're making this too funny in such a 'dramatic time' for the characters...but we can just imagine ourselves sitting in a cell bored out of minds and all of this is funny to us the way we discuss it and we thought our readers might like it!
To answer Sarah's question about Faeroth's master...well I'll go ahead and tell you all that we have no idea who he actually is! LOL We're not gonna make his character an 'important' one, he's just someone that gets mentioned a few times! Sorry! :)
Anyways, we have no idea how many chapters are left at this point...but I think I can say that its quite far from the end. Thanks so much to our reviewers once again! Everyone's comments are really keeping us going with this!

Thala :
Okay, now that I have fixed everything that I just BROKE! (sitting down to mirkwood-elf's computer I dropped the mouse, slammed the keyboard, and minimized the window somehow!)
Anyways, we won't get chapter six posted for a little while. Mainly because I am busy with school, but also because we are going to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival tomorrow. LOL! We're going in full costume! After spending so many hours, days, weeks, possibly months, making these dresses, we finally get to wear them. Pictures of us will be posted on mirkwood-elf's website, so go and see them sometime within this next week!
Oh ya, and sorry about Landailyn's little outbursts and stuff! That was my doing on this chapter and the last! Muahaha! But you probably won't see anymore of it. Usually mirkwood-elf writes her own character and I write mine, but at times we have writer's block and we write for each other!