Two Men and a Thorn Bush
By tHe InSaNe OnE
AN- Uh, *runs away and hides from all her irritated readers* I know I haven't posted in a while. But, uh *looks at the people sending strange creatures, such as balrogs and wargs after her* really folks, if you kill me, then how will you know what happens! *sweatdrops when nobody seems to care* ....eep.....
Well, here is the second installment of the story. I think it is the last one.......
Thank you so much for all your great reviews *hugs everyone* you all really make the world seem like a better place.
Well, read and enjoy, I am off to write the next chapter of "Inside the Beast". Cheers.
Dedicated to: angelface04, A.N.C, Shauna, Anita, Alilacia, Kaeera, Ciria, Freakizimi, shirebound, Carrie, Ainaechoiriel, Sue, Nili, Karri, Elladan, nayru, Halogatomon (halo, I request knowledge as to where your next chapter is), Emmithar (hurry, I'm dying for your next story), Chelsey, Mouse, evil spapple pie, RuByMoOn, estelcontar, HobbitsRFun, Erin-21 and Marie Kenobi.
~*~
Elrond's day had been normal for once. He had gotten up, eaten breakfast and then gone to his study to get some work done. He had taken lunch in his study and finished his work in a matter of hours. Now, he was relaxing. A good book and a nice peaceful atmosphere had done wonders for the elf, and he hadn't felt so at peace for ages. Literally. Ever since the twins had come about, his days had been full of mystical events. And then Arwen came, and she hadn't been the easiest child and then....of course, Estel had bounced in to his life. Yes, it was nice to have a child free day.
The elf's peaceful day was about to come to an abrupt end though. He knew that it was going to happen but he was not expecting it so soon. He understood that the hunting party would soon return and the twins would be making noise and causing general havoc once again. And when Estel and Legolas managed to get back, terror would be set loose. Elrond shuddered. A few more blessed minu-
"OHH!" The howl broke through the beautiful silence, shattering it forever. Elrond flinched, and set down his book on a table near his chair. One of his children (or two in the twins' case) was home and that child was singing. No, the child was attempting to sing because whatever his child was up doing, it sounded more like a warg cry than anything else. Somewhere outside, a high pitched giggle sounded and before Elrond could do another thing, the door to his study was flung open, and the twins stumbled in followed by a most disgruntled Glorfindel.
"Ada!" Elladan began his cheeks a slight red color, and his eyes far too bright.
"Oh loving Adar-" Elrohir interrupted, his own pink face appearing over the elder twin's shoulder.
"A great elf-" Elladan continued.
"An exceptional healer-"
"A caring, strong being-"
Elrond turned to Glorfindel who was shuffling his feet nervously. "Are they drunk?"
Glorfindel looked apologetic. "Not exac-"
"Drunk?" Elrohir exclaimed, in a horrified tone.
"Us?" Elladan questioned.
"Never!"
"We don't drink!"
"Do elves get drunk?"
"Not last time I checked."
"Ada?" Elrohir turned a pair of large, innocent, highly inebriated eyes towards his father. "Can elves get drunk?"
Elrond chose to ignore him, his full attention on Glorfindel.
"What happened?" The Lord of Rivendell asked in a dangerous tone.
"Menfil berries," Glorfindel mumbled softly.
Elrond's eyes widened. No, he must've heard wrong. "What was that?"
"Menfil berries," the blonde elf repeated his eyes lowered. He looked very much like a little child who had done something terribly wrong.
"Ada?" Elrohir whined, not liking that he was being ignored. "Do elves get drunk?"
Elrond looked into his son's obviously intoxicated face, and slowly started making his way back towards his chair. Sinking back down onto the soft surface, he wondered dazedly what happened to his perfect day.
"I'm sorry!" Glorfindel exclaimed, following Elrond over to the chair and kneeling before him. "I tried to stop them, but they never listen to me! They only had........sixty each."
"Sixty...." Elrond repeated faintly.
Glorfindel noticed that his friend had acquired a rather dull, glazed look to his eyes. Well, he did have good reason. They both knew that Menfil berries were extremely potent for elves (though they had little effect on humans). Only ten could send an elf into a stupor and the twins had downed at least sixty each. Glorfindel didn't have the heart to tell Elrond that they had probably had more. He looked at the twins and shuddered.
Elrond continued muttering to himself still off in his own little world. "And to think, I got up this morning with the strange, possessed little thought that I would have no worries today. I thought that the only thing that might bother me was not finishing my book-"
"BOOK?!"
During this time, the twins had been quietly speaking about the topic of elves getting drunk. After all, they had never gotten an answer so they decided to come up with one of their own. Sometime in the strange wanderings of this discussion, they had settled a few things as true and a few things as false. One thing was that elves could not possibly get drunk. Another thing was that this man that they referred to as 'Ada' could not be their father. Now, most would be incredibly confused as to how they came to these decisions but, in their minds, the explanation was obvious.
Elves didn't get drunk. Why? Because they were not like humans. They were stronger, wiser and knew when to stop intoxicating themselves. So, elves could not and did not get drunk. First problem solved. The second statement was derived from the first. This 'Ada' who was not really THEIR 'Ada' had a glazed look about him, and was talking to himself. He had to be drunk. So, if he was drunk then he was not an elf, and if he was not an elf, he could not be their father for they were elves. Any person who was not high would've patted them on the head, and told them to go lie down.
Unfortunately, no one was around to do so, and they were off the subject now. When the word 'book' was mentioned, their eyes lit up and they gave each other evil looks.
"Book?" Elladan repeated, grinning broadly.
"He said book," Elrohir agreed.
"Does he mean THE BOOK?"
At this point Glorfindel sunk completely to the ground and pressed his head into his hands. Elrond looked over at his children, his face twitching apprehensively. What could possibly happen now?
"I don't know, 'Dan."
"I don't believe he's speaking about THE BOOK, 'Ro."
"Why do you say that?"
"We've never told him about the book!"
"We haven't?!"
"No!"
"Well, then, we must educate this man who is not our Ada."
Elrond's face gave a large twitch. Oh, they were drunk, most definitely drunk. But, he thought evilly, there are ways to deal with drunken elflings.
Elladan cleared his throat. "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the west and Arwen is the sun!"
Elrohir scowled. "You're saying it wrong!"
"Oh fine, I'll say another part!" Elladan paused, looking thoughtful. "Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah poor-"
"You're married?!" Elrohir gasped.
"Yes......I mean, um, no uh......"
Wails. "But you promised me that I was your only love! How could you betray me?!"
"Now, don't take it the wrong way!"
More wailing.
"Come now, 'Ro, you know that I'd love you more than any husband of mine!"
Glorfindel let out a moan of utter and pure despair and started hitting his head against the chair. Elrond's eyes widened, and he twitched a bit more.
"Promise?" Sniffles.
"I swear upon THE BOOK!"
Elrond cleared his throat and the two turned towards him. The elf lord had managed to control his twitching, and he hoped that his voice was somewhat calm. Yes, there were ways of dealing with drunken elves.
"Boys?"
"Yes, the man who is not our Ada?" they chimed simultaneously.
"Do you know where your brother is?"
Elrohir looked at Elladan. "We have a brother?"
"The human one?" Elrond said, clarifying himself.
"Oh him!" Elladan exclaimed. He shook his head looking almost sober. "Nope, haven't seen him."
"Why don't you two go find him?" Elrond said, picking up his book and finding his place once more.
"But man who is not our father, we don't know where he is!" exclaimed Elrohir. Elrond sighed trying not sound exasperated.
"That's why I'm sending you to find him."
"Hey wait!" Elladan cried, grasping his twin's arm. "The thorn bush!"
"Do you really think...." Elrohir whispered.
"We'll never know until we look!" Before Elrond could say another word, they ran from the room giggling.
"My lord," Glorfindel began tentatively. He had finished abusing himself and now was hoping that Elrond would not murder him. "I do not think that they, uh, meant what they said just now."
Elrond did not look up and his voice sounded all too calm. "Oh, I know they didn't."
"You do?"
"Oh, yes."
"How...."
"I caught Elrohir kissing a servant girl a week or so ago."
"I see." Glorfindel stopped, not sure if he should go on. "Um, do you think it was wise to send them to find Estel?"
"Mmhmm."
"They are drunk." That was obvious.
"They won't be by the time they get back."
Glorfindel could tell by Elrond's tone, that the matter was closed so he shut his mouth. Standing up, he made his way over to the spare chair and settled down to wait. If the twins weren't back by sunrise, he was sending out a search party.
~*~
"IT ITCHES!"
Aragorn flinched as his badly abused ears were punished again. How he wished he could just cover his ears with his hands, but alas, the thorn bush had a good grip on him. He couldn't move at all, so he was stuck listening to the piercing wails of the elven prince next to him. Of course, Legolas was not just howling, no, it couldn't be that easy. He was struggling as well, and this struggling not only got him more caught in the bush and also shoved the thorns deeper into him. It also seemed that every time that Legolas moved, the thorns in Aragorn's skin moved deeper as well.
"Legolas, struggling only makes it worse," Estel said, hoping to calm the elf.
"BUT IT ITCHES! I'M GOING INSANE!" Legolas screamed. There was the sound of clothing tearing, and Aragorn sighed.
"Well, screaming isn't helping it at all...."
Silence answered Aragorn, and he wondered what exactly happened to Legolas. Hopefully he had screamed himself hoarse. The struggling stopped as well, and the silence became palpable.
"You are right, Estel. There is no reason to scream or struggle," Legolas said finally, in an all too calm voice.
"I'm glad you see it my way...." Estel felt the apprehension in him growing.
"How much longer 'til they notice we are missing?"
"I'm not quite sure." Aragorn wished he could move away. Perhaps, Legolas had gone insane.
"Alright then."
Silence fell between them again, and Aragorn looked up through the crevice. The stars were out already, and that meant creatures of dark would be about. That would be bad. Perhaps, Ada would not notice that they were missing and they would be stuck out in the dark all night long. No, he couldn't think of it that way.
"Estel?"
"Yes, Legolas?"
"How fast do you think one could run with this itching poison in their system?"
"Oh, not too fast. Once your free of the bush all you'll be able to do is scratch," Aragorn lied, hoping that the prince would believe him.
"Alright then."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Several more minutes passed without a word until something started moving up above them. Two sets of eyes were staring down at the two of them. The creatures that had these eyes looked large, and Aragorn felt fear growing in him. He couldn't protect himself and Legolas wouldn't be any help. In fact, Legolas would probably help the creatures get him.
"HULLLOO DOWNNN THERE!!" One of the things howled. Aragorn yelped and jerked to cover his ears. A similar sound came from Legolas, and the bushes shifted violently.
"Do you think that they are down there?"
"Nope, I think you were wrong."
"But, my dear brother, I am never wrong."
"That's true."
"Why do I feel as though you do not believe that statement?"
"I don't know, 'Dan."
"Perhaps it's your tone...."
"ELLADAN! ELROHIR! IS THAT YOU?!" Legolas shouted. Aragorn groaned. His head was pounding in a most unbearable way now.
"Yes, it is!"
"I think it is."
"Are we sure about that?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Perhaps we aren't Elladan and Elrohir."
"I'm so lost, 'Ro."
"Me too, 'Dan."
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Legolas screamed, his irritation reflected in his voice.
"I know that voice."
"So do I!"
"It's Legolas!"
"But we aren't looking for him!"
"Well, Legolas, I'm sorry but we can't help you."
"No, we would love to, but we can't."
"The man who we call 'Ada' said to find our brother."
"The human one."
"Good luck!"
"We hope someone finds you!"
Legolas was silent, either so horrified that he couldn't answer or he had lost his voice. Aragorn cleared his throat and sighed.
"Ono? Toro?" He called up softly.
"That sounds like him."
"What?"
"Didn't you just hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I heard our brother!"
"We have a brother?"
"We've been through this once tonight. We have a brother! The human one, remember?"
"Oh yeah...."
"Will you guys get us out?" Estel questioned. Why were they being so weird? He knew that they were naturally strange, but this was crazy even for them.
"Of course!"
"The man who is not our 'Ada' told us to!"
"Hang on!"
Elladan and Elrohir disappeared from above them and there were the sounds of scuffling and muttering. As those sounds drifted away, Aragorn began to wonder if the twins had decided to leave instead but soon, two shadowy forms of his brother's reappeared.
"We're gonna come down and pull you out."
"Correction. 'Ro is coming down to get you."
"But-"
At this point there is no reason to tell anymore of this story. All one needs to know is that Elladan had the sudden urge to push Elrohir into the crevice to get Estel. His logic had been that Elrohir had the rope tied around him and therefore, the elder twin was sure he could pull his brother back up. However, he did not realize that his foot was caught in the rope as well, and.......you can figure the rest.
~*~
Glorfindel was about to go out with the search party when three bedraggled figures limped into the courtyard in front of Rivendell. Three? Something was wrong then. After all, there were supposed to be four returning. Legolas, Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir....that was four. He frowned and walked towards the three, troubled by this. However, he was not troubled for long.
Aragorn was in the front of the party, his eyes half open. He looked exhausted, angry and pained. He gave no greeting but simply pushed past Glorfindel, and made his way towards his bedroom. There was nothing to say. He was soaked, he was cut and he wanted a nice warm bath and a comfortable bed. Well, at least the thorn bush was gone.
Now, Glorfindel fixed his gaze upon the twins and let out a sigh of relief. The two of them were carrying a third between them. His brow furrowed when he saw that Legolas was bound and gagged, and he looked at the twins in question. As Elrond had said, they were no longer drunk but they were also highly unobservant. They were speaking to each other in hushed tones.
"I never thought it would happen."
"Me neither."
"I mean, the three of us have fallen on it so many times."
Sigh. "Well, I guess four people were too many."
"True, true. What really surprised me was the stream underneath it."
"Aye, I don't think Estel was happy about it."
"I second that."
"He'll probably kill us in the morning."
"That's only if Legolas doesn't get to him first."
The two of them looked up and saw Glorfindel standing there, looking highly confused. They dropped the squirming Prince of Mirkwood at the elder Elf's feet and smiled innocently.
"Here you go, Glor," Elladan said with a smirk. "You take him to Ada. Tell Ada that the Thorn Bush has struck again for the final time." He scratched his one arm irritably. The poison did not affect him badly for he had gotten very little of it.
"Yes, yes." Elrohir nodded like a bobble head dog on dashboard.
"What happened?" Glorfindel demanded, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.
The twins looked at each other.
"It had to-"
"-do with a-"
"-thorn bush-"
"-and we figured out-"
"-that the ground underneath that thorn bush-"
"-was quite weak and well-"
"-there's an underground stream underneath it."
They both shrugged simultaneously and walked into the house, leaving Glorfindel there. The explanation had not helped the blonde elf at all, and he looked down at Legolas with vague curiosity. Well, if he hadn't made Elrond mad once that night, this would certainly send the Lord of Rivendell off. As he picked up Legolas and slung him over his shoulder, a phrase ran through his mind.
Don't shoot the messenger.
~*~
The End
For Now At Least.....
~*~
I thank all my wonderful reviewers from the last chapter, and I really want to respond to your reviews, and I will....I'll post another chapter or something. Right now, however, I have a brother and a cousin to entertain with my wonderful arrow shooting skills (haha...really now folks....I hit the target....most the time). I shall respond, and I will post the next chapter of "Inside the Beast" as soon as I can. Writers block is killing me....
By tHe InSaNe OnE
AN- Uh, *runs away and hides from all her irritated readers* I know I haven't posted in a while. But, uh *looks at the people sending strange creatures, such as balrogs and wargs after her* really folks, if you kill me, then how will you know what happens! *sweatdrops when nobody seems to care* ....eep.....
Well, here is the second installment of the story. I think it is the last one.......
Thank you so much for all your great reviews *hugs everyone* you all really make the world seem like a better place.
Well, read and enjoy, I am off to write the next chapter of "Inside the Beast". Cheers.
Dedicated to: angelface04, A.N.C, Shauna, Anita, Alilacia, Kaeera, Ciria, Freakizimi, shirebound, Carrie, Ainaechoiriel, Sue, Nili, Karri, Elladan, nayru, Halogatomon (halo, I request knowledge as to where your next chapter is), Emmithar (hurry, I'm dying for your next story), Chelsey, Mouse, evil spapple pie, RuByMoOn, estelcontar, HobbitsRFun, Erin-21 and Marie Kenobi.
~*~
Elrond's day had been normal for once. He had gotten up, eaten breakfast and then gone to his study to get some work done. He had taken lunch in his study and finished his work in a matter of hours. Now, he was relaxing. A good book and a nice peaceful atmosphere had done wonders for the elf, and he hadn't felt so at peace for ages. Literally. Ever since the twins had come about, his days had been full of mystical events. And then Arwen came, and she hadn't been the easiest child and then....of course, Estel had bounced in to his life. Yes, it was nice to have a child free day.
The elf's peaceful day was about to come to an abrupt end though. He knew that it was going to happen but he was not expecting it so soon. He understood that the hunting party would soon return and the twins would be making noise and causing general havoc once again. And when Estel and Legolas managed to get back, terror would be set loose. Elrond shuddered. A few more blessed minu-
"OHH!" The howl broke through the beautiful silence, shattering it forever. Elrond flinched, and set down his book on a table near his chair. One of his children (or two in the twins' case) was home and that child was singing. No, the child was attempting to sing because whatever his child was up doing, it sounded more like a warg cry than anything else. Somewhere outside, a high pitched giggle sounded and before Elrond could do another thing, the door to his study was flung open, and the twins stumbled in followed by a most disgruntled Glorfindel.
"Ada!" Elladan began his cheeks a slight red color, and his eyes far too bright.
"Oh loving Adar-" Elrohir interrupted, his own pink face appearing over the elder twin's shoulder.
"A great elf-" Elladan continued.
"An exceptional healer-"
"A caring, strong being-"
Elrond turned to Glorfindel who was shuffling his feet nervously. "Are they drunk?"
Glorfindel looked apologetic. "Not exac-"
"Drunk?" Elrohir exclaimed, in a horrified tone.
"Us?" Elladan questioned.
"Never!"
"We don't drink!"
"Do elves get drunk?"
"Not last time I checked."
"Ada?" Elrohir turned a pair of large, innocent, highly inebriated eyes towards his father. "Can elves get drunk?"
Elrond chose to ignore him, his full attention on Glorfindel.
"What happened?" The Lord of Rivendell asked in a dangerous tone.
"Menfil berries," Glorfindel mumbled softly.
Elrond's eyes widened. No, he must've heard wrong. "What was that?"
"Menfil berries," the blonde elf repeated his eyes lowered. He looked very much like a little child who had done something terribly wrong.
"Ada?" Elrohir whined, not liking that he was being ignored. "Do elves get drunk?"
Elrond looked into his son's obviously intoxicated face, and slowly started making his way back towards his chair. Sinking back down onto the soft surface, he wondered dazedly what happened to his perfect day.
"I'm sorry!" Glorfindel exclaimed, following Elrond over to the chair and kneeling before him. "I tried to stop them, but they never listen to me! They only had........sixty each."
"Sixty...." Elrond repeated faintly.
Glorfindel noticed that his friend had acquired a rather dull, glazed look to his eyes. Well, he did have good reason. They both knew that Menfil berries were extremely potent for elves (though they had little effect on humans). Only ten could send an elf into a stupor and the twins had downed at least sixty each. Glorfindel didn't have the heart to tell Elrond that they had probably had more. He looked at the twins and shuddered.
Elrond continued muttering to himself still off in his own little world. "And to think, I got up this morning with the strange, possessed little thought that I would have no worries today. I thought that the only thing that might bother me was not finishing my book-"
"BOOK?!"
During this time, the twins had been quietly speaking about the topic of elves getting drunk. After all, they had never gotten an answer so they decided to come up with one of their own. Sometime in the strange wanderings of this discussion, they had settled a few things as true and a few things as false. One thing was that elves could not possibly get drunk. Another thing was that this man that they referred to as 'Ada' could not be their father. Now, most would be incredibly confused as to how they came to these decisions but, in their minds, the explanation was obvious.
Elves didn't get drunk. Why? Because they were not like humans. They were stronger, wiser and knew when to stop intoxicating themselves. So, elves could not and did not get drunk. First problem solved. The second statement was derived from the first. This 'Ada' who was not really THEIR 'Ada' had a glazed look about him, and was talking to himself. He had to be drunk. So, if he was drunk then he was not an elf, and if he was not an elf, he could not be their father for they were elves. Any person who was not high would've patted them on the head, and told them to go lie down.
Unfortunately, no one was around to do so, and they were off the subject now. When the word 'book' was mentioned, their eyes lit up and they gave each other evil looks.
"Book?" Elladan repeated, grinning broadly.
"He said book," Elrohir agreed.
"Does he mean THE BOOK?"
At this point Glorfindel sunk completely to the ground and pressed his head into his hands. Elrond looked over at his children, his face twitching apprehensively. What could possibly happen now?
"I don't know, 'Dan."
"I don't believe he's speaking about THE BOOK, 'Ro."
"Why do you say that?"
"We've never told him about the book!"
"We haven't?!"
"No!"
"Well, then, we must educate this man who is not our Ada."
Elrond's face gave a large twitch. Oh, they were drunk, most definitely drunk. But, he thought evilly, there are ways to deal with drunken elflings.
Elladan cleared his throat. "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the west and Arwen is the sun!"
Elrohir scowled. "You're saying it wrong!"
"Oh fine, I'll say another part!" Elladan paused, looking thoughtful. "Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah poor-"
"You're married?!" Elrohir gasped.
"Yes......I mean, um, no uh......"
Wails. "But you promised me that I was your only love! How could you betray me?!"
"Now, don't take it the wrong way!"
More wailing.
"Come now, 'Ro, you know that I'd love you more than any husband of mine!"
Glorfindel let out a moan of utter and pure despair and started hitting his head against the chair. Elrond's eyes widened, and he twitched a bit more.
"Promise?" Sniffles.
"I swear upon THE BOOK!"
Elrond cleared his throat and the two turned towards him. The elf lord had managed to control his twitching, and he hoped that his voice was somewhat calm. Yes, there were ways of dealing with drunken elves.
"Boys?"
"Yes, the man who is not our Ada?" they chimed simultaneously.
"Do you know where your brother is?"
Elrohir looked at Elladan. "We have a brother?"
"The human one?" Elrond said, clarifying himself.
"Oh him!" Elladan exclaimed. He shook his head looking almost sober. "Nope, haven't seen him."
"Why don't you two go find him?" Elrond said, picking up his book and finding his place once more.
"But man who is not our father, we don't know where he is!" exclaimed Elrohir. Elrond sighed trying not sound exasperated.
"That's why I'm sending you to find him."
"Hey wait!" Elladan cried, grasping his twin's arm. "The thorn bush!"
"Do you really think...." Elrohir whispered.
"We'll never know until we look!" Before Elrond could say another word, they ran from the room giggling.
"My lord," Glorfindel began tentatively. He had finished abusing himself and now was hoping that Elrond would not murder him. "I do not think that they, uh, meant what they said just now."
Elrond did not look up and his voice sounded all too calm. "Oh, I know they didn't."
"You do?"
"Oh, yes."
"How...."
"I caught Elrohir kissing a servant girl a week or so ago."
"I see." Glorfindel stopped, not sure if he should go on. "Um, do you think it was wise to send them to find Estel?"
"Mmhmm."
"They are drunk." That was obvious.
"They won't be by the time they get back."
Glorfindel could tell by Elrond's tone, that the matter was closed so he shut his mouth. Standing up, he made his way over to the spare chair and settled down to wait. If the twins weren't back by sunrise, he was sending out a search party.
~*~
"IT ITCHES!"
Aragorn flinched as his badly abused ears were punished again. How he wished he could just cover his ears with his hands, but alas, the thorn bush had a good grip on him. He couldn't move at all, so he was stuck listening to the piercing wails of the elven prince next to him. Of course, Legolas was not just howling, no, it couldn't be that easy. He was struggling as well, and this struggling not only got him more caught in the bush and also shoved the thorns deeper into him. It also seemed that every time that Legolas moved, the thorns in Aragorn's skin moved deeper as well.
"Legolas, struggling only makes it worse," Estel said, hoping to calm the elf.
"BUT IT ITCHES! I'M GOING INSANE!" Legolas screamed. There was the sound of clothing tearing, and Aragorn sighed.
"Well, screaming isn't helping it at all...."
Silence answered Aragorn, and he wondered what exactly happened to Legolas. Hopefully he had screamed himself hoarse. The struggling stopped as well, and the silence became palpable.
"You are right, Estel. There is no reason to scream or struggle," Legolas said finally, in an all too calm voice.
"I'm glad you see it my way...." Estel felt the apprehension in him growing.
"How much longer 'til they notice we are missing?"
"I'm not quite sure." Aragorn wished he could move away. Perhaps, Legolas had gone insane.
"Alright then."
Silence fell between them again, and Aragorn looked up through the crevice. The stars were out already, and that meant creatures of dark would be about. That would be bad. Perhaps, Ada would not notice that they were missing and they would be stuck out in the dark all night long. No, he couldn't think of it that way.
"Estel?"
"Yes, Legolas?"
"How fast do you think one could run with this itching poison in their system?"
"Oh, not too fast. Once your free of the bush all you'll be able to do is scratch," Aragorn lied, hoping that the prince would believe him.
"Alright then."
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
Several more minutes passed without a word until something started moving up above them. Two sets of eyes were staring down at the two of them. The creatures that had these eyes looked large, and Aragorn felt fear growing in him. He couldn't protect himself and Legolas wouldn't be any help. In fact, Legolas would probably help the creatures get him.
"HULLLOO DOWNNN THERE!!" One of the things howled. Aragorn yelped and jerked to cover his ears. A similar sound came from Legolas, and the bushes shifted violently.
"Do you think that they are down there?"
"Nope, I think you were wrong."
"But, my dear brother, I am never wrong."
"That's true."
"Why do I feel as though you do not believe that statement?"
"I don't know, 'Dan."
"Perhaps it's your tone...."
"ELLADAN! ELROHIR! IS THAT YOU?!" Legolas shouted. Aragorn groaned. His head was pounding in a most unbearable way now.
"Yes, it is!"
"I think it is."
"Are we sure about that?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Perhaps we aren't Elladan and Elrohir."
"I'm so lost, 'Ro."
"Me too, 'Dan."
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Legolas screamed, his irritation reflected in his voice.
"I know that voice."
"So do I!"
"It's Legolas!"
"But we aren't looking for him!"
"Well, Legolas, I'm sorry but we can't help you."
"No, we would love to, but we can't."
"The man who we call 'Ada' said to find our brother."
"The human one."
"Good luck!"
"We hope someone finds you!"
Legolas was silent, either so horrified that he couldn't answer or he had lost his voice. Aragorn cleared his throat and sighed.
"Ono? Toro?" He called up softly.
"That sounds like him."
"What?"
"Didn't you just hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"I heard our brother!"
"We have a brother?"
"We've been through this once tonight. We have a brother! The human one, remember?"
"Oh yeah...."
"Will you guys get us out?" Estel questioned. Why were they being so weird? He knew that they were naturally strange, but this was crazy even for them.
"Of course!"
"The man who is not our 'Ada' told us to!"
"Hang on!"
Elladan and Elrohir disappeared from above them and there were the sounds of scuffling and muttering. As those sounds drifted away, Aragorn began to wonder if the twins had decided to leave instead but soon, two shadowy forms of his brother's reappeared.
"We're gonna come down and pull you out."
"Correction. 'Ro is coming down to get you."
"But-"
At this point there is no reason to tell anymore of this story. All one needs to know is that Elladan had the sudden urge to push Elrohir into the crevice to get Estel. His logic had been that Elrohir had the rope tied around him and therefore, the elder twin was sure he could pull his brother back up. However, he did not realize that his foot was caught in the rope as well, and.......you can figure the rest.
~*~
Glorfindel was about to go out with the search party when three bedraggled figures limped into the courtyard in front of Rivendell. Three? Something was wrong then. After all, there were supposed to be four returning. Legolas, Aragorn, Elladan, Elrohir....that was four. He frowned and walked towards the three, troubled by this. However, he was not troubled for long.
Aragorn was in the front of the party, his eyes half open. He looked exhausted, angry and pained. He gave no greeting but simply pushed past Glorfindel, and made his way towards his bedroom. There was nothing to say. He was soaked, he was cut and he wanted a nice warm bath and a comfortable bed. Well, at least the thorn bush was gone.
Now, Glorfindel fixed his gaze upon the twins and let out a sigh of relief. The two of them were carrying a third between them. His brow furrowed when he saw that Legolas was bound and gagged, and he looked at the twins in question. As Elrond had said, they were no longer drunk but they were also highly unobservant. They were speaking to each other in hushed tones.
"I never thought it would happen."
"Me neither."
"I mean, the three of us have fallen on it so many times."
Sigh. "Well, I guess four people were too many."
"True, true. What really surprised me was the stream underneath it."
"Aye, I don't think Estel was happy about it."
"I second that."
"He'll probably kill us in the morning."
"That's only if Legolas doesn't get to him first."
The two of them looked up and saw Glorfindel standing there, looking highly confused. They dropped the squirming Prince of Mirkwood at the elder Elf's feet and smiled innocently.
"Here you go, Glor," Elladan said with a smirk. "You take him to Ada. Tell Ada that the Thorn Bush has struck again for the final time." He scratched his one arm irritably. The poison did not affect him badly for he had gotten very little of it.
"Yes, yes." Elrohir nodded like a bobble head dog on dashboard.
"What happened?" Glorfindel demanded, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.
The twins looked at each other.
"It had to-"
"-do with a-"
"-thorn bush-"
"-and we figured out-"
"-that the ground underneath that thorn bush-"
"-was quite weak and well-"
"-there's an underground stream underneath it."
They both shrugged simultaneously and walked into the house, leaving Glorfindel there. The explanation had not helped the blonde elf at all, and he looked down at Legolas with vague curiosity. Well, if he hadn't made Elrond mad once that night, this would certainly send the Lord of Rivendell off. As he picked up Legolas and slung him over his shoulder, a phrase ran through his mind.
Don't shoot the messenger.
~*~
The End
For Now At Least.....
~*~
I thank all my wonderful reviewers from the last chapter, and I really want to respond to your reviews, and I will....I'll post another chapter or something. Right now, however, I have a brother and a cousin to entertain with my wonderful arrow shooting skills (haha...really now folks....I hit the target....most the time). I shall respond, and I will post the next chapter of "Inside the Beast" as soon as I can. Writers block is killing me....
