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


CHAPTER 10


They searched a half hour more, until Faeroth called it off. They had not time to waste on her, but it didn't matter now anyway, perhaps it was good that she was gone, she had only caused them trouble from the day they had captured her.

"We are to remain here a few more days." Faeroth spoke to a group of his men as they worked at various jobs on the main deck. They had already been set back a couple days from their required arrival, what were a few more? And figuring that the Elf just might come back for her new friends and when she did, he would be waiting.

In the background, he could hear a faint whistling coming from one of the workers on another part of the ship.

Whistling. Where did he last hear this? Finally the thought hit and anger flared within him. Of course. "Bring the other two to my cabin immediately!" He ordered to the two guards nearby, the ones that had helped with Landailyn and he stormed off toward his private quarters.

The men who had caught Landailyn didn't think twice about the whistle they never bothered to tell their captain about. They had heard hoof beats in the distance and dismissed it as Landailyn either calling her horse or sending it away. Only it wasn't the Elf's horse, it belonged to another they still held against her will.

Thalawen and Arwen were half dragged to the captain's chambers, going mostly without struggle. Faeroth looked over from his pacing, as the two were shoved in and forced onto their knees.

"You little..." He stood before them, staring down with hatred in realization as to what they really were. With a single hand, he reached toward Thalawen's face. She tried to jerk away from the implying touch, but the guard behind her held her head firmly. Faeroth pulled back a handful of lengthy black strands, revealing his suspicions. Then did the same to Arwen.

"Both of you Elves! You knew her all along, didn't you?! Why didn't I think of it before? And she whistled to you, didn't she?! I heard it, but at the time I didn't think anything of it! You weren't that far up the river from where we caught her! Just too worried about that trouble maker, I suppose." He shook his head. "Well, now that she's gone...you two will pay the price."

What did this mean? Was Landailyn gone as in dead, or gone as in a successful escape?

"No," Arwen whispered. She couldn't help but think of the possibilities to her questions she'd thought of only a few nights before. Had it come true now? Had she lost a friend? Perhaps it was true, she and Thalawen both saw her fall. And if that hadn't done it, she didn't doubt that Faeroth finished her off himself, just so he wouldn't have to put up with her inability to comply anymore.

"Yes, and this time, she won't be able to help you. She would have been a harder one to break anyway and most likely would never have done her work for trying to escape every chance she could get, only costing us more valuable time. Now," He began pacing in front of them again, looking over the two carefully. "Which one of you first..."

"Me." Said Thalawen quickly. Of course protecting her sister as always, also thinking she might buy them some time so that Arwen was never touched, this was to say if Landailyn was even still alive. She knew she would come back for them and Thalawen prayed it was soon. She knew not how long it would be before they turned on Arwen.

"So quick to volunteer? You have been a bit of a menace, just like your friend 'Landy' was." He added, hoping to create more despair, only then would these Elves be easier to control and give in to serving them.

Both Thalawen and Arwen tried not to show what they felt at that little word. Was. Though they still did not know if death had anything to do with it, not trusting a word that came out of this Human's mouth.

The two guards that had been ordered to bring them in came to take Thalawen's riding coat off. Underneath, they found she wore a warrior outfit much like their escaped Elf, only in dark shades of brown instead of green.

"Don't, Thala..." Arwen pleaded quietly, as she was taken aside simply to watch. She would not see her in pain once more just because she was trying to protect her. Being a daughter, a sister, a friend, a betrothal, a princess and the youngest out of her family and closest friends, she was plain tired of being protected by everyone from everything. Though not that she hadn't ever or didn't appreciate it all this time. She was not made of glass and would not break as easy as some might often think.

Thalawen gazed over at her and gave a shake of the head. She didn't want Arwen to interfere and get herself into the trouble she was in now, sooner than she had too, if at all. More than ever, she wished for a rescue and she didn't care who came to do it.

Just before she fully felt the first crack of the whip on her back, she re-thought her last wish, taking it back. She wanted Landailyn to be the one that rescued them, because she wanted her friend to be alive.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Elrohir's opinion became known to his four companions, after Landailyn had thoroughly explained what she thought might win their friends back and defeat the ruthless group of corsairs.

"Well if everyone knows they're part, then let us put it into action!" None of them objected so Elladan raised his unsheathed sword and started off in the Great River's general direction.

The rest followed, with Landailyn taking it more slowly at first, but as soon as she had gained her usual bearings and demeanor, she easily sped up to join the older twin, who was still far in the lead.


*~ *~ * ~ * ~* ~*


Screams filled the upper decks; the sound flowing down through the cracks in the floorboards. These screams were not of agony, but of indignation and fury. "How dare you touch me, you filthy sea dog!" Thalawen yelled at the top of her lungs. The pain was drowned out by her white-hot wrath. "If I were unbound, you would be at the end of my sword!" Then painstakingly she remembered it was far away out of her possession.

The men growled and resumed whipping her. She was still bound by the wrists and faced the wall on her knees. With each crack of the whip, the worse her anger became, and the more she was determined not to give in. She only hoped that torturing her would be enough, and that they'd leave Arwen alone.

Faeroth sat at his desk, resting his forehead on his fingertips, only looking up once in a while. He wondered if the blonde haired Elf really would come back. His wonderings were instantly interrupted when a knocking on wood sounded from across the room. He looked up at it with creased brows.

He quietly gestured for his men to continue their lashings of the captive and went to answer the door himself, but who stood behind it startled him greatly.

"Remember me?"

"How could I forget." His hands shot up to hang in the air on either side of him, as the tip of Landailyn's knife rested in the middle of his throat, making a dent in the skin as she pressed further so he would back up to his desk and have nowhere to go.

"It's over, Faeroth. The little game you're playing with our lives is up. Release them."

No one moved.

"Do it!"

The men acted as though they would carry out her solicitations, but instead pulled their cutlasses from their belts. Landailyn may have been one armed, but it didn't matter, she was ready for them and the two were dead within seconds. In a flash she had turned back to the captain, resting her blade in the same position as before.

He had just reached a hand back on his desk for his basket hilted sword, but he quickly removed it.

"Now, would you like to do the honors?"

He gave a small sigh of fury and whispered a threatening promise to her alone. "You will pay dearly for this."

"As will you." She simply replied, when he finally moved to untie her friends.

Thalawen was helped up by Arwen. Her back stung intensely, but she was able to get around. Slowly they backed out, Landailyn still pointing her knife menacingly at the lead corsair and before he could stop her, she had slammed the door and Elladan and Elrohir let go of the rope they each held, dropping a huge heavy crate in front of the door, barricading him in.

Quickly they hid around a corner and all smiled as they could hear the man inside cursing and pounding on the wood.

"That was easy enough...but it's not over yet." Landailyn looked around, getting ready to go back into the fighting.

"You're alive!" Arwen came to hug her, as if just realizing she had been the one to rescue them.

"What? You thought that cliff was enough to do me in?" She joked. "Faeroth and his men couldn't even catch me. Why, I even brought some help."

"I knew Asfaloth would tell them." Put in Thalawen, leaning for support on the ship's surrounding railing.

"But Lord Elrond sent a message telling Aragorn, for he and Legolas are here as well." Landailyn nodded to he and Legolas, knowing she needed to join them soon. "Well, you know what to do." She turned to Elrohir, who nodded and made Thalawen put an arm over his shoulder, who in turn protested at his aid.

Elladan handed Arwen a sheathed Hadhafang. And the princess was surprised they were letting her fight, but it seemed they needed all the help they could possibly get.

Landailyn went first, running and jumping on the top railing of the steps that led up to Faeroth's cabin and down into the battle below. Elladan and Arwen followed suit, jumping over further down.

"Hey!" Thalawen began to squirm in Elrohir's grasp, but the one word shout was not a protest of her sister going off without her, she knew their brother and Landailyn would have her back. "Where's my sword?! Let me go!"

"Thala, you're really not in the shape to..."

"Elrohir!"

"Okay! It's right here, if you'll just keep it down." He took Carafang off his hip where it had been hidden by his cloak. "We are going to get the keys to the cells and help the other prisoners escape."

"How?" She said, checking out her weapon. "I don't exactly see them anywhere. They're probably in with the captain..."

Suddenly, there was a clank on the floorboards in front of them. It was a large set of silver keys. They had been thrown up from the lower main deck by Elladan, who'd just found and killed the guard that carried them. "That's how." Elrohir reached out to retrieve the rusting metal ring.

"You five just had this all planned out, didn't you?"

Elrohir simply smiled. "Mostly Landy's ideas. Come on."

The two snuck down to where the action was, hiding behind crates and barrels out of the way.

"They're down here." Thalawen tapped her brother on the shoulder, snatching the jingling key set out of his hand and going forth toward a narrow hallway lined with doors that each contained a barred window.

Elrohir followed closely, seeing for himself that she was right.


TBC ...