Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.
A/N: Well, let me seize this opportunity to express my total and absolute HATE for FF.net! *tries to strangle the computer*
It has deleted my story and is still refusing to let me replace the text version of chapter 2 with a much, much nicer html version!! I just don't understand ... it hates me ... what have I done ... *starts crying*
And all the great reviews are GONE!! Irreplacable documents - lost!! *wails* 'Tis truly a black day, my friends...
But thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I got, even if you can't see them anymore. *tries to smile bravely*
For those of you who wondered: No, the plant Aragorn used to dye Elladan's hair is not real. I just took the Sindarin words for "green" and "brilliance of" and built a new word, which should mean "brilliant green", and voilà, calenril was born! *g*
Anyway, here is chapter 3, and, finally, some action!! *rubs hands*
I think this would be the perfect time to annouce that you are about to read my first cliffhanger ever! No need to thank me!! I'm very proud... *looks at angrily advancing readers* Well, uhm, I gotta go now, I've heard Antarctica is very nice this time of year... *runs off*
Chapter 3
Aragorn stood in the middle of his room in front of his door, shooting it suspicious looks. It looked like a perfectly normal door on a perfectly normal sunny morning – but the young ranger knew better than that. At least he thought he did.
He had been ready to leave for a while now. He had dressed in his beloved worn leather overcoat, and armed himself with his bow and sword – his ranger outfit, as his brothers called it. Aragorn shot the door one last irritated look. If he wanted to get some breakfast before he, Glorfindel and the twins had to leave, he would have to get moving now.
Sighing he turned and went over to the balcony, careful to examine his surroundings for possibly hidden traps. Silently cursing Elladan and his vague threats, he climbed on top of the carved railing, and moved, carefully balancing his weight, to the right and the very end of the balustrade.
Mentally calculating the distance he would have to cross, he jumped down carefully, landing sure-footed on the balcony next to his with a soft thud.
He brushed himself off and quickly made his way inside, asking himself why even his brothers seemed to be so intent on making his life miserable.
'It's probably my charming personality,' he decided with an inward grin just as he reached the stairs that led down to the hall.
Rushing down the stone steps, he greeted the elves present and, after sniffing it suspiciously, began wolfing down his food.
Elladan and Elrohir arrived only moments later, both fully dressed and prepared to leave.
"Good morning, Estel! Did you sleep well?" Elladan asked, grinning slightly.
Aragorn shot him a venomous look and continued eating.
"You know, I could swear I saw someone jump from balcony to balcony a bit earlier," Elrohir added thoughtfully.
"Weird, I know, who would do such a thing?"
Blushing slightly, Estel tried to ignore his teasing brothers and come up with a witty reply at the same time, but his father chose just this moment to enter the hall, Glorfindel, who had exchanged his precious robes for a more convenient attire, right on his heels.
Motioning those present to keep their seats, Elrond studied the scene in front of him and turned to Estel and his twin sons.
"Good morning, my sons, are you ready to leave? Estel, what took you so long?"
Disregarding his snickering brothers, Aragorn swallowed the last of his hurried breakfast, slipped an apple into one of his pockets and rose from the table.
"Good morning, ada. I'm ready to leave now, just give me a moment to prepare my horse," he told his elven father and added, shooting his brothers a dark look, "I was delayed this morning; I met with some … unexpected obstacles."
Elrond watched as the young human left the hall, closely followed by the broadly grinning twins. He turned and gave Glorfindel a warning glare. "I will not ask. This is by far the best course of action, believe me. I just don't want to know."
Gazing at him seriously, the golden haired elf replied, "A very wise decision, my lord."
Resisting the urge to slap the other Elf Lord, Elrond turned and made his way slowly out of the hall to the stables.
"So you have got all the letters I entrusted you with? Some of them are quite important and they need to reach their destinations as quickly as possible," he asked his advisor and nodded to a servant who was fastening new metal fittings on the front doors.
Glorfindel quickened his pace slightly to catch up with his friend.
"Of course. Do not worry, Asfaloth and I will see to it that they arrive safely and in time."
Nodding distractedly, Elrond walked down the steps, heading for the stables where his sons were already mounting their horses, bickering among themselves.
"Good. Good," he murmured, not looking at his fair haired friend.
A moment later he felt a slim hand on his arm that halted his progress rather abruptly, and looked up to see Glorfindel's worried face.
"Elrond? What is wrong with you? You've been quiet and rather subdued for the past week," he asked, studying the dark haired elf's face closely.
"What is it? Have you foreseen something?"
The Lord of Imladris shook his head slightly and smiled at his friend.
"Ah, you know me far too well, mellonamin. But to answer your question: No, I did not foresee anything. At least," he added, seeing the disbelieving look on the other elf's face, "nothing specific. It is more like … something dark growing in my mind. Whether it is a fear or a premonition, I cannot tell."
Glorfindel nodded. "I will stay."
"No," Elrond shook his head adamantly, "As I said, some of these letters are important, and I would want them to reach the Lady Galadriel and the others as quickly as possible. It is nothing more than a vague foreboding anyway. You have to leave."
Sensing that his friend's mind what set on this, Glorfindel nodded reluctantly.
"Very well then. But if something happens, don't say I didn't warn you," he said smugly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Besides," he added as an afterthought, "I really do not want to be present when Prince Legolas arrives in less than a week and he, Estel and the twins renew their attempts to ruin this fair house. Alas!" he cried, eyes laughing, and surveyed his surroundings, "I will miss it!"
Elrond smiled and rolled his eyes. "Just how long were you staying in Lothlórien again, my friend?" he asked in a mocking voice and started to walk towards the horses once more.
The twins were still whispering quietly among themselves, while Aragorn had been watching his father and Glorfindel, his forehead wrinkled slightly in confusion and concern, having witnessed the last scene.
"I can't believe he really jumped rather than try the door!" Elladan snickered, shaking his head.
"Well, can you really blame him, brother?" Elrohir grinned and patted his horse's neck reassuringly.
Their soft conversation was interrupted when the two Elf Lords arrived and Glorfindel mounted Asfaloth, taking the reigns from a stable hand.
Aragorn studied his father's face concerned.
"Are you alright, ada? You looked worried."
Elrond looked at his youngest son lovingly.
"Yes, Estel, I am fine. Just be careful. The times grow dark and more and more foul things roam these lands, even in the daytime."
Gracing all of his sons with a stern look, he added, "That goes for all of you. Please do not take any unnecessary risks, and, for once, at least try to avoid trouble!"
Smiling innocently at his father, Elladan took up his reigns.
"Why, ada, of course we will be careful! We always are!"
"Yes," Elrohir nodded, manoeuvring his horse alongside his twin's, "It is not our fault that trouble always seems to find Estel."
"Me? Need I remind you of the time you decided that hunting that band of orcs was a brilliant idea and…"
"Excuse me? I would like to reach Lórien before the cold weather sets in and blocks the Redhorn Pass, if possible," Glorfindel interrupted the brothers, winking at Elrond, who had grasped his friend's hand.
"Namárië, mellonamin, may Elbereth watch over you."
"I think you will need her grace more than I do, my friend. Namárië," the fair haired elf replied smiling and, without spurring his horse on in the slightest, he and Asfaloth were gone, leaving the main gates behind in an instant.
Intent to catch up, the brothers urged their horses forward.
"Do not worry, ada, nothing will happen. We will be back by nightfall!" Aragorn called out over his shoulder, crossing the gates and disappearing out of his father's line of sight.
Elrond remained where he stood, gazing after them.
'Oh, I do not doubt that. It is the condition you will be in that worries me,' the Lord of Rivendell thought with a frown and, with his robes swishing softly behind him, he returned to the main house to attend to his daily duties.
'This is going to be a long journey,' Legolas thought despairingly at the same time as they left the palace gates behind, causing guards to stand at attention at their passing.
With a mental sigh he let his gaze wander over his travelling companions, on which his father had insisted after his last near-fatal journey to the neighbouring Elven kingdom.
Legolas smiled slightly when he remembered the argument he had had with his father about this subject.
"Absolutely not, my son. If I let you journey to the Mountains alone, I will tempt fate to put any obstacle in your way possibly imaginable to elf, man, dwarf or other. Have you already forgotten what happened the last time you insisted that 'Nothing will happen, ada, I will be just fine'?"
Legolas sighed at his father's words , brushing back a strand of fair hair that had somehow escaped the braids and kept falling into his eyes, "It was not my fault that stupid spider's nest decided to drop down right in front of me! Normally they stay in the treetops, where they belong! Besides, nothing serious happened to me anyway."
Thranduil arched a fair eyebrow.
"Nothing serious? I seem to remember a certain delirious young elf who dragged himself back to the palace and had to spend quite a long time in bed because, unsurprisingly, he had been bitten and poisoned!"
Legolas cast down his eyes and mumbled, "Funny, I cannot remember that part."
Thranduil smiled wryly.
"I thought as much."
He eyed his only son compassionately; everybody knew how much Legolas hated it when people made a fuss about him.
"Very well, Legolas. If you take Glónduil and Celylith with you, I shall be content. They can return and re-join their guard once you have arrived safely in Rivendell."
Legolas lifted his head, a hopeful sparkle in his silver-blue eyes.
"They can escort me to the High Pass, this way they wouldn't have to cross the Mountains. You never know what the weather will be like this time of year. It would be really unfair to have them cross the Misty Mountains twice in less than two weeks just because of me."
The King of Mirkwood gazed into his son's determined eyes and relented with a sigh.
"Alright, they may escort you to the Pass. But promise me you will be careful!"
Legolas jumped up, relief shining in his eyes, "Of course I will, father. When have I ever not been careful?"
Thranduil looked at his son incredulously and decided that this was probably supposed to be a rhetorical question and best left unanswered.
"Be off, then. Please deliver my letter to Lord Elrond and give him and his sons my best regards. And do not forget to stress how very grateful I am to him for allowing the four of you to have this little reunion in his house, not in mine. This palace couldn't survive another visit of all three sons of Elrond!" Legolas' father announced, smiling ironically.
Turning serious, he added, "May the Valar watch over you, my son."
"I will. Thank you, ada," Legolas hugged his father and left the room smiling happily, his thoughts already on the road that would take him to his friends.
Well, he decided, coming back to the present, it was a lot better than having to endure the two other elves for more than a week. He would manage for a few days.
'But it was not always so,' he thought wistfully, looking at his companions, who flanked him left and right.
Actually, he, Glónduil and Celylith had been friends ever since they had been elflings intent on escaping their nursemaids as often and as long as possible. Until they had joined the warrior training, and even after that, they had been inseparable, their silver, blonde and dark heads always thinking of new ways to pull a prank on one or more of the unlucky inhabitants of Mirkwood.
'Well,' Legolas mused sadly, 'that was until I decided that befriending a human was not beneath me. Celylith is not that bad, he even seems to like Strider, but Glónduil…'
He took a good look at his friends' faces, and, sure enough, at least Glónduil seemed extraordinary unhappy about having to escort Legolas so he could visit his human friend.
He returned his gaze to the forest road in front of him.
'Yes,' he thought wryly, 'This is going to be a very long journey indeed.'
The dark haired elf once again found his right hand reaching for his quiver. Silently cursing his lack of restraint, he pulled the errant limb back.
It would be so easy now, he reflected bitterly. All he had to do was wait for them to catch up a bit and then…
He shook his head firmly. No, he told himself, we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for the mighty elf lord, would we? Smiling grimly, he once again started moving to stay slightly ahead of his quarry.
He had been following the three elves and the young human for the entire day, always careful to stay just out of reach of their senses. They had chosen a road that took them almost directly to the south, the golden haired elf in front and the three dark headed beings somewhat behind him, all of them talking merrily to each other.
From what he gathered, the three dark ones were indeed the sons of Elrond, even the human, which still surprised the listening elf, even though he had known for nearly a year now that the Lord of Rivendell had accepted an edan as his son.
'And that,' he mused while he moved through the treetops with ease, trying to find a good spot to wait for the following brothers to catch up with him, 'Is exactly why I'm here today.'
Finally finding a favourable place in the higher branches of a big oak tree, he settled down to await the trio's arrival, but stiffened suddenly when he felt a clearly evil presence draw nearer to his hiding spot.
He jumped down into the lower branches to try and get a look at what was causing this feeling, and smiled evilly when he saw the beings that had caused his senses to scream at him in warning.
'Yes,' he thought as he followed the creatures into the direction he knew the elves and the human to be, 'This should be amusing. I just hope they don't rob me of my chance to kill them myself.'
He hurried his steps and moved as effortlessly and silently through the colourful trees as the beings did on the forest floor, now closing in on what they had identified as worthwhile prey.
Aragorn was enjoying this little trip immensely.
They had parted with Glorfindel over two hours ago, who has taken his leave looking strangely relieved, mumbling – according to Elladan and Elrohir – under his breath curious things like "Finally", "Peace and quiet", and "Thank the Valar". He hadn't looked too unhappy to lose their company, and he and Asfaloth had quickly disappeared down the road leading to the south, while the brothers had turned their horses around to travel back home.
'Thinking about it,' Aragorn decided with a wry grin, 'I think even Asfaloth looked quite happy to get rid of us.'
About an hour ago Elladan had decided to retell the tale of how Elrohir had managed to set fire to their father's library when they had been a mere 150 years of age, much to the delight of his young human brother.
Of course, Elrohir had seen it necessary to defend his honour, and so the twins had spent the last hour or so recounting various mishaps and near-catastrophes they had been involved in during their long lifetime. And there were a lot of them.
Elladan was just about to launch a new story involving his elven brother, Glorfindel's robes and an ensuing near-death experience, when he and Elrohir suddenly stopped their horses and began to watch their surroundings anxiously.
Aragorn frowned and had just opened his mouth to ask them what was wrong, when he felt something wash over his senses like a tidal wave: A presence of pure evil seemed to close in on them, seemingly blocking out the sun and causing a sudden drop in temperature to freezing levels.
He suppressed a shudder. Something big and evil was coming their way, and by the feel of it, a lot of somethings.
His brothers obviously agreed with his assessments.
"Wargs," Elladan said quietly, bringing his horse closer to his brothers' and drawing his sword, "Whether they travel with orcs, I cannot…"
"Look out!" Elrohir screamed and, faster than the eye could see, he reached for one of his knifes and let it fly inches past his brother's head, where it burrowed itself in the throat of a warg that had chosen just this moment to jump at the dark haired elf, intent to throw him off his horse.
Unfortunately it didn't stop the foul creature's momentum, and the heavy body landed on top of Elladan, knocking him right out of his saddle and into Aragorn, who had not enough time to react and landed on the ground along with his brother with a dull thud a moment later. Scrambling to his feet and shaking his head to clear his suddenly blurry vision, the young ranger tried to comprehend what had just happened, but his musings were cut short when he saw two giant wolf-like creatures close in on him, baring their teeth and snarling dangerously. He had just enough time to draw his sword before the first one was on top of him, trying to get to his unprotected throat.
The two riderless horses bolted and tried to escape the melee, which just added to the complete confusion of the moment. Elladan dispatched another warg, trying to free his sword of the body as quickly as possible, and used a sudden lull in the fighting to survey the scene.
Elrohir was still on top of his horse, which snorted in barely suppressed panic. His blade dripped with the dark blood of the creatures careless enough to come within his reach.
Estel was standing with his back to a large tree defending himself against three wargs, sword moving with lightening speed and silver eyes blazing defiantly.
Deciding that his human brother needed his aid more than Elrohir, he began to fight his way through the snarling bodies of the wolf-like creatures to his brother's side, constantly dancing out of reach of their claws and teeth.
Thrusting his sword deeply into the chest of an attacking warg, Elladan risked a quick glance in the direction of his elven brother, who was busy fending off two wargs which were jumping back and forth snarling viciously, nabbing at the horse's legs. Something about this behaviour was very unusual, Elladan thought frowning. Scanning the immediate vicinity, his eyes widened in shock when he noticed a third warg which had taken advantage of Elrohir's momentary distraction and was sneaking up on him, getting ready to pounce.
"Elrohir!! Behind you!!"
Elrohir had just enough time to twist his body to the side and bring his sword up in front of his face before the big creature jumped, impaling itself on his sword with a yelp and very nearly unseating the elf.
The moment of distraction cost Elladan dearly. Still staring in relief at his brother who had jumped off his now clearly panicking horse and joined the fight, he had only a heartbeat's warning before he felt a heavy weight slam into his back, knocking him to the ground.
He desperately tried to twist his body around, but to no avail: He was pinned under the spitting animal as tightly as a bookmark in one of his father's volumes. He increased his struggles when he heard two more wargs close in on him.
Trying to ignore the body of the warg on his back that was scratching at his clothing and trying to get close enough to his neck to fasten onto his throat, he rolled over bit by bit, gripping his blade tightly in his hand and trying to get a look at the other two creatures that he knew nearby.
Aragorn stifled a scream when he felt the sharp teeth of a warg tear through his tunic and burrow in his left side, drawing blood. Tugging at his sword which refused to move from where it was imbedded between the ribs of a dead warg, he drew his last elven dagger with his left and thrust it with all his might into one of the little red eyes that twinkled madly, seemingly taking delight in his pain.
Howling with agony, the beast let go of the human and collapsed a few feet from him, limbs twitching spasmodically.
Forcefully freeing his sword, Aragorn readied himself to face another attacker – only to see Elrohir kill the last of the wargs with a forceful stroke of his sword that stopped the snarling beast at full speed.
He leaned against the trunk he had been using as a shield and winced when his hand touched his throbbing wound.
Opening eyes he hadn't even realized he had closed, he smiled at Elrohir who came over to him, bleeding from a nasty scratch on his cheek where the animal's paws that had nearly thrown him off his horse had grazed him, checking warg bodies for signs of life on his way, and answered the unspoken question he could see in his elven brother's eyes.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch."
He drew in his breath sharply when he and Elrohir realized the same thing at once.
"Where is Elladan?"
"Have you seen Elladan?"
Looking at his brother with wide eyes, Aragorn pushed himself back onto his feet and began to scan the surrounding carnage for sign of his oldest brother. Nearly frantic with worry, he didn't even hear Elrohir call out his twin brother's name in an increasingly panic-stricken voice.
When he was just turning over a body with the tip of his sword, grimacing when he saw the razor-sharp teeth, he heard Elrohir's horrified gasp.
"O Elbereth, no!! Elladan, brother, don't do this to me!"
Turning as quickly as he could in the direction of Elrohir's voice and at the same time dreading what he would see, he looked at his elven brother, who was rushing up to the piled bodies of three wargs at the far side of the clearing.
Aragorn squinted in the slowly dimming light and tried to see what had caused Elrohir such dismay.
Suddenly the trees seemed to blend together into a formless mass of red, yellow and brown, and all he could see with unnatural clarity was the pale, bloodied hand of his oldest brother that was almost buried beneath the corpses of the wolf-like creatures.
"Valar save us! Elladan!" he breathed tonelessly.
A/N: Well, let me seize this opportunity to express my total and absolute HATE for FF.net! *tries to strangle the computer*
It has deleted my story and is still refusing to let me replace the text version of chapter 2 with a much, much nicer html version!! I just don't understand ... it hates me ... what have I done ... *starts crying*
And all the great reviews are GONE!! Irreplacable documents - lost!! *wails* 'Tis truly a black day, my friends...
But thank you very much for all the lovely reviews I got, even if you can't see them anymore. *tries to smile bravely*
For those of you who wondered: No, the plant Aragorn used to dye Elladan's hair is not real. I just took the Sindarin words for "green" and "brilliance of" and built a new word, which should mean "brilliant green", and voilà, calenril was born! *g*
Anyway, here is chapter 3, and, finally, some action!! *rubs hands*
I think this would be the perfect time to annouce that you are about to read my first cliffhanger ever! No need to thank me!! I'm very proud... *looks at angrily advancing readers* Well, uhm, I gotta go now, I've heard Antarctica is very nice this time of year... *runs off*
Chapter 3
Aragorn stood in the middle of his room in front of his door, shooting it suspicious looks. It looked like a perfectly normal door on a perfectly normal sunny morning – but the young ranger knew better than that. At least he thought he did.
He had been ready to leave for a while now. He had dressed in his beloved worn leather overcoat, and armed himself with his bow and sword – his ranger outfit, as his brothers called it. Aragorn shot the door one last irritated look. If he wanted to get some breakfast before he, Glorfindel and the twins had to leave, he would have to get moving now.
Sighing he turned and went over to the balcony, careful to examine his surroundings for possibly hidden traps. Silently cursing Elladan and his vague threats, he climbed on top of the carved railing, and moved, carefully balancing his weight, to the right and the very end of the balustrade.
Mentally calculating the distance he would have to cross, he jumped down carefully, landing sure-footed on the balcony next to his with a soft thud.
He brushed himself off and quickly made his way inside, asking himself why even his brothers seemed to be so intent on making his life miserable.
'It's probably my charming personality,' he decided with an inward grin just as he reached the stairs that led down to the hall.
Rushing down the stone steps, he greeted the elves present and, after sniffing it suspiciously, began wolfing down his food.
Elladan and Elrohir arrived only moments later, both fully dressed and prepared to leave.
"Good morning, Estel! Did you sleep well?" Elladan asked, grinning slightly.
Aragorn shot him a venomous look and continued eating.
"You know, I could swear I saw someone jump from balcony to balcony a bit earlier," Elrohir added thoughtfully.
"Weird, I know, who would do such a thing?"
Blushing slightly, Estel tried to ignore his teasing brothers and come up with a witty reply at the same time, but his father chose just this moment to enter the hall, Glorfindel, who had exchanged his precious robes for a more convenient attire, right on his heels.
Motioning those present to keep their seats, Elrond studied the scene in front of him and turned to Estel and his twin sons.
"Good morning, my sons, are you ready to leave? Estel, what took you so long?"
Disregarding his snickering brothers, Aragorn swallowed the last of his hurried breakfast, slipped an apple into one of his pockets and rose from the table.
"Good morning, ada. I'm ready to leave now, just give me a moment to prepare my horse," he told his elven father and added, shooting his brothers a dark look, "I was delayed this morning; I met with some … unexpected obstacles."
Elrond watched as the young human left the hall, closely followed by the broadly grinning twins. He turned and gave Glorfindel a warning glare. "I will not ask. This is by far the best course of action, believe me. I just don't want to know."
Gazing at him seriously, the golden haired elf replied, "A very wise decision, my lord."
Resisting the urge to slap the other Elf Lord, Elrond turned and made his way slowly out of the hall to the stables.
"So you have got all the letters I entrusted you with? Some of them are quite important and they need to reach their destinations as quickly as possible," he asked his advisor and nodded to a servant who was fastening new metal fittings on the front doors.
Glorfindel quickened his pace slightly to catch up with his friend.
"Of course. Do not worry, Asfaloth and I will see to it that they arrive safely and in time."
Nodding distractedly, Elrond walked down the steps, heading for the stables where his sons were already mounting their horses, bickering among themselves.
"Good. Good," he murmured, not looking at his fair haired friend.
A moment later he felt a slim hand on his arm that halted his progress rather abruptly, and looked up to see Glorfindel's worried face.
"Elrond? What is wrong with you? You've been quiet and rather subdued for the past week," he asked, studying the dark haired elf's face closely.
"What is it? Have you foreseen something?"
The Lord of Imladris shook his head slightly and smiled at his friend.
"Ah, you know me far too well, mellonamin. But to answer your question: No, I did not foresee anything. At least," he added, seeing the disbelieving look on the other elf's face, "nothing specific. It is more like … something dark growing in my mind. Whether it is a fear or a premonition, I cannot tell."
Glorfindel nodded. "I will stay."
"No," Elrond shook his head adamantly, "As I said, some of these letters are important, and I would want them to reach the Lady Galadriel and the others as quickly as possible. It is nothing more than a vague foreboding anyway. You have to leave."
Sensing that his friend's mind what set on this, Glorfindel nodded reluctantly.
"Very well then. But if something happens, don't say I didn't warn you," he said smugly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Besides," he added as an afterthought, "I really do not want to be present when Prince Legolas arrives in less than a week and he, Estel and the twins renew their attempts to ruin this fair house. Alas!" he cried, eyes laughing, and surveyed his surroundings, "I will miss it!"
Elrond smiled and rolled his eyes. "Just how long were you staying in Lothlórien again, my friend?" he asked in a mocking voice and started to walk towards the horses once more.
The twins were still whispering quietly among themselves, while Aragorn had been watching his father and Glorfindel, his forehead wrinkled slightly in confusion and concern, having witnessed the last scene.
"I can't believe he really jumped rather than try the door!" Elladan snickered, shaking his head.
"Well, can you really blame him, brother?" Elrohir grinned and patted his horse's neck reassuringly.
Their soft conversation was interrupted when the two Elf Lords arrived and Glorfindel mounted Asfaloth, taking the reigns from a stable hand.
Aragorn studied his father's face concerned.
"Are you alright, ada? You looked worried."
Elrond looked at his youngest son lovingly.
"Yes, Estel, I am fine. Just be careful. The times grow dark and more and more foul things roam these lands, even in the daytime."
Gracing all of his sons with a stern look, he added, "That goes for all of you. Please do not take any unnecessary risks, and, for once, at least try to avoid trouble!"
Smiling innocently at his father, Elladan took up his reigns.
"Why, ada, of course we will be careful! We always are!"
"Yes," Elrohir nodded, manoeuvring his horse alongside his twin's, "It is not our fault that trouble always seems to find Estel."
"Me? Need I remind you of the time you decided that hunting that band of orcs was a brilliant idea and…"
"Excuse me? I would like to reach Lórien before the cold weather sets in and blocks the Redhorn Pass, if possible," Glorfindel interrupted the brothers, winking at Elrond, who had grasped his friend's hand.
"Namárië, mellonamin, may Elbereth watch over you."
"I think you will need her grace more than I do, my friend. Namárië," the fair haired elf replied smiling and, without spurring his horse on in the slightest, he and Asfaloth were gone, leaving the main gates behind in an instant.
Intent to catch up, the brothers urged their horses forward.
"Do not worry, ada, nothing will happen. We will be back by nightfall!" Aragorn called out over his shoulder, crossing the gates and disappearing out of his father's line of sight.
Elrond remained where he stood, gazing after them.
'Oh, I do not doubt that. It is the condition you will be in that worries me,' the Lord of Rivendell thought with a frown and, with his robes swishing softly behind him, he returned to the main house to attend to his daily duties.
'This is going to be a long journey,' Legolas thought despairingly at the same time as they left the palace gates behind, causing guards to stand at attention at their passing.
With a mental sigh he let his gaze wander over his travelling companions, on which his father had insisted after his last near-fatal journey to the neighbouring Elven kingdom.
Legolas smiled slightly when he remembered the argument he had had with his father about this subject.
"Absolutely not, my son. If I let you journey to the Mountains alone, I will tempt fate to put any obstacle in your way possibly imaginable to elf, man, dwarf or other. Have you already forgotten what happened the last time you insisted that 'Nothing will happen, ada, I will be just fine'?"
Legolas sighed at his father's words , brushing back a strand of fair hair that had somehow escaped the braids and kept falling into his eyes, "It was not my fault that stupid spider's nest decided to drop down right in front of me! Normally they stay in the treetops, where they belong! Besides, nothing serious happened to me anyway."
Thranduil arched a fair eyebrow.
"Nothing serious? I seem to remember a certain delirious young elf who dragged himself back to the palace and had to spend quite a long time in bed because, unsurprisingly, he had been bitten and poisoned!"
Legolas cast down his eyes and mumbled, "Funny, I cannot remember that part."
Thranduil smiled wryly.
"I thought as much."
He eyed his only son compassionately; everybody knew how much Legolas hated it when people made a fuss about him.
"Very well, Legolas. If you take Glónduil and Celylith with you, I shall be content. They can return and re-join their guard once you have arrived safely in Rivendell."
Legolas lifted his head, a hopeful sparkle in his silver-blue eyes.
"They can escort me to the High Pass, this way they wouldn't have to cross the Mountains. You never know what the weather will be like this time of year. It would be really unfair to have them cross the Misty Mountains twice in less than two weeks just because of me."
The King of Mirkwood gazed into his son's determined eyes and relented with a sigh.
"Alright, they may escort you to the Pass. But promise me you will be careful!"
Legolas jumped up, relief shining in his eyes, "Of course I will, father. When have I ever not been careful?"
Thranduil looked at his son incredulously and decided that this was probably supposed to be a rhetorical question and best left unanswered.
"Be off, then. Please deliver my letter to Lord Elrond and give him and his sons my best regards. And do not forget to stress how very grateful I am to him for allowing the four of you to have this little reunion in his house, not in mine. This palace couldn't survive another visit of all three sons of Elrond!" Legolas' father announced, smiling ironically.
Turning serious, he added, "May the Valar watch over you, my son."
"I will. Thank you, ada," Legolas hugged his father and left the room smiling happily, his thoughts already on the road that would take him to his friends.
Well, he decided, coming back to the present, it was a lot better than having to endure the two other elves for more than a week. He would manage for a few days.
'But it was not always so,' he thought wistfully, looking at his companions, who flanked him left and right.
Actually, he, Glónduil and Celylith had been friends ever since they had been elflings intent on escaping their nursemaids as often and as long as possible. Until they had joined the warrior training, and even after that, they had been inseparable, their silver, blonde and dark heads always thinking of new ways to pull a prank on one or more of the unlucky inhabitants of Mirkwood.
'Well,' Legolas mused sadly, 'that was until I decided that befriending a human was not beneath me. Celylith is not that bad, he even seems to like Strider, but Glónduil…'
He took a good look at his friends' faces, and, sure enough, at least Glónduil seemed extraordinary unhappy about having to escort Legolas so he could visit his human friend.
He returned his gaze to the forest road in front of him.
'Yes,' he thought wryly, 'This is going to be a very long journey indeed.'
The dark haired elf once again found his right hand reaching for his quiver. Silently cursing his lack of restraint, he pulled the errant limb back.
It would be so easy now, he reflected bitterly. All he had to do was wait for them to catch up a bit and then…
He shook his head firmly. No, he told himself, we wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for the mighty elf lord, would we? Smiling grimly, he once again started moving to stay slightly ahead of his quarry.
He had been following the three elves and the young human for the entire day, always careful to stay just out of reach of their senses. They had chosen a road that took them almost directly to the south, the golden haired elf in front and the three dark headed beings somewhat behind him, all of them talking merrily to each other.
From what he gathered, the three dark ones were indeed the sons of Elrond, even the human, which still surprised the listening elf, even though he had known for nearly a year now that the Lord of Rivendell had accepted an edan as his son.
'And that,' he mused while he moved through the treetops with ease, trying to find a good spot to wait for the following brothers to catch up with him, 'Is exactly why I'm here today.'
Finally finding a favourable place in the higher branches of a big oak tree, he settled down to await the trio's arrival, but stiffened suddenly when he felt a clearly evil presence draw nearer to his hiding spot.
He jumped down into the lower branches to try and get a look at what was causing this feeling, and smiled evilly when he saw the beings that had caused his senses to scream at him in warning.
'Yes,' he thought as he followed the creatures into the direction he knew the elves and the human to be, 'This should be amusing. I just hope they don't rob me of my chance to kill them myself.'
He hurried his steps and moved as effortlessly and silently through the colourful trees as the beings did on the forest floor, now closing in on what they had identified as worthwhile prey.
Aragorn was enjoying this little trip immensely.
They had parted with Glorfindel over two hours ago, who has taken his leave looking strangely relieved, mumbling – according to Elladan and Elrohir – under his breath curious things like "Finally", "Peace and quiet", and "Thank the Valar". He hadn't looked too unhappy to lose their company, and he and Asfaloth had quickly disappeared down the road leading to the south, while the brothers had turned their horses around to travel back home.
'Thinking about it,' Aragorn decided with a wry grin, 'I think even Asfaloth looked quite happy to get rid of us.'
About an hour ago Elladan had decided to retell the tale of how Elrohir had managed to set fire to their father's library when they had been a mere 150 years of age, much to the delight of his young human brother.
Of course, Elrohir had seen it necessary to defend his honour, and so the twins had spent the last hour or so recounting various mishaps and near-catastrophes they had been involved in during their long lifetime. And there were a lot of them.
Elladan was just about to launch a new story involving his elven brother, Glorfindel's robes and an ensuing near-death experience, when he and Elrohir suddenly stopped their horses and began to watch their surroundings anxiously.
Aragorn frowned and had just opened his mouth to ask them what was wrong, when he felt something wash over his senses like a tidal wave: A presence of pure evil seemed to close in on them, seemingly blocking out the sun and causing a sudden drop in temperature to freezing levels.
He suppressed a shudder. Something big and evil was coming their way, and by the feel of it, a lot of somethings.
His brothers obviously agreed with his assessments.
"Wargs," Elladan said quietly, bringing his horse closer to his brothers' and drawing his sword, "Whether they travel with orcs, I cannot…"
"Look out!" Elrohir screamed and, faster than the eye could see, he reached for one of his knifes and let it fly inches past his brother's head, where it burrowed itself in the throat of a warg that had chosen just this moment to jump at the dark haired elf, intent to throw him off his horse.
Unfortunately it didn't stop the foul creature's momentum, and the heavy body landed on top of Elladan, knocking him right out of his saddle and into Aragorn, who had not enough time to react and landed on the ground along with his brother with a dull thud a moment later. Scrambling to his feet and shaking his head to clear his suddenly blurry vision, the young ranger tried to comprehend what had just happened, but his musings were cut short when he saw two giant wolf-like creatures close in on him, baring their teeth and snarling dangerously. He had just enough time to draw his sword before the first one was on top of him, trying to get to his unprotected throat.
The two riderless horses bolted and tried to escape the melee, which just added to the complete confusion of the moment. Elladan dispatched another warg, trying to free his sword of the body as quickly as possible, and used a sudden lull in the fighting to survey the scene.
Elrohir was still on top of his horse, which snorted in barely suppressed panic. His blade dripped with the dark blood of the creatures careless enough to come within his reach.
Estel was standing with his back to a large tree defending himself against three wargs, sword moving with lightening speed and silver eyes blazing defiantly.
Deciding that his human brother needed his aid more than Elrohir, he began to fight his way through the snarling bodies of the wolf-like creatures to his brother's side, constantly dancing out of reach of their claws and teeth.
Thrusting his sword deeply into the chest of an attacking warg, Elladan risked a quick glance in the direction of his elven brother, who was busy fending off two wargs which were jumping back and forth snarling viciously, nabbing at the horse's legs. Something about this behaviour was very unusual, Elladan thought frowning. Scanning the immediate vicinity, his eyes widened in shock when he noticed a third warg which had taken advantage of Elrohir's momentary distraction and was sneaking up on him, getting ready to pounce.
"Elrohir!! Behind you!!"
Elrohir had just enough time to twist his body to the side and bring his sword up in front of his face before the big creature jumped, impaling itself on his sword with a yelp and very nearly unseating the elf.
The moment of distraction cost Elladan dearly. Still staring in relief at his brother who had jumped off his now clearly panicking horse and joined the fight, he had only a heartbeat's warning before he felt a heavy weight slam into his back, knocking him to the ground.
He desperately tried to twist his body around, but to no avail: He was pinned under the spitting animal as tightly as a bookmark in one of his father's volumes. He increased his struggles when he heard two more wargs close in on him.
Trying to ignore the body of the warg on his back that was scratching at his clothing and trying to get close enough to his neck to fasten onto his throat, he rolled over bit by bit, gripping his blade tightly in his hand and trying to get a look at the other two creatures that he knew nearby.
Aragorn stifled a scream when he felt the sharp teeth of a warg tear through his tunic and burrow in his left side, drawing blood. Tugging at his sword which refused to move from where it was imbedded between the ribs of a dead warg, he drew his last elven dagger with his left and thrust it with all his might into one of the little red eyes that twinkled madly, seemingly taking delight in his pain.
Howling with agony, the beast let go of the human and collapsed a few feet from him, limbs twitching spasmodically.
Forcefully freeing his sword, Aragorn readied himself to face another attacker – only to see Elrohir kill the last of the wargs with a forceful stroke of his sword that stopped the snarling beast at full speed.
He leaned against the trunk he had been using as a shield and winced when his hand touched his throbbing wound.
Opening eyes he hadn't even realized he had closed, he smiled at Elrohir who came over to him, bleeding from a nasty scratch on his cheek where the animal's paws that had nearly thrown him off his horse had grazed him, checking warg bodies for signs of life on his way, and answered the unspoken question he could see in his elven brother's eyes.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch."
He drew in his breath sharply when he and Elrohir realized the same thing at once.
"Where is Elladan?"
"Have you seen Elladan?"
Looking at his brother with wide eyes, Aragorn pushed himself back onto his feet and began to scan the surrounding carnage for sign of his oldest brother. Nearly frantic with worry, he didn't even hear Elrohir call out his twin brother's name in an increasingly panic-stricken voice.
When he was just turning over a body with the tip of his sword, grimacing when he saw the razor-sharp teeth, he heard Elrohir's horrified gasp.
"O Elbereth, no!! Elladan, brother, don't do this to me!"
Turning as quickly as he could in the direction of Elrohir's voice and at the same time dreading what he would see, he looked at his elven brother, who was rushing up to the piled bodies of three wargs at the far side of the clearing.
Aragorn squinted in the slowly dimming light and tried to see what had caused Elrohir such dismay.
Suddenly the trees seemed to blend together into a formless mass of red, yellow and brown, and all he could see with unnatural clarity was the pale, bloodied hand of his oldest brother that was almost buried beneath the corpses of the wolf-like creatures.
"Valar save us! Elladan!" he breathed tonelessly.
TBC...
Ada - father (daddy)
edan - human, man (sg.)
mellonamin -my friend
Since all the reviews have been deleted *gives FF.net Evil Glare of Death*, I need more!! A lot more!! Please let me know what you think, I'm quite nervous about the action scenes, it took me ages to write them!! Please?? Please Please Please???
edan - human, man (sg.)
mellonamin -my friend
Since all the reviews have been deleted *gives FF.net Evil Glare of Death*, I need more!! A lot more!! Please let me know what you think, I'm quite nervous about the action scenes, it took me ages to write them!! Please?? Please Please Please???
Additional A/N:
Forest Elfin - Don't let Elladan hear you say that!! *looks around suspiciously* He is NOT happy about his hair, believe me... The next chapter's up, here you go! *g*
( ) - Well, that's a nice name! Saves a lot of time, I guess... *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing, it means a lot to me! Since it's my first story ever, I'm dying to hear what people have to say about it...
Jenny - Thank you soooooo very much!! I mean, I know I don't deserve being compared with the divine C&S, but, well, thanks!! I'm really glad you like it so far, and don't worry, I try to update frequently! Not every other day, but at least twice a week, so every three ot four days.
Sailor Gaia - *hides behind her pet balrog* Uhm, you like it when nobody gets hurt? Well, then, uhm, forget what you've just read, okay? _ Technically_ speaking, Elladan is not really a main character, is he? And Estel's wound is not life-threatening, so... *evil grin* And thanks a lot for the compliments, I love writing the Rivendell elves and Estel; I'm always kind of nervous when I have to write Legolas... He is a bit more complicated... Well, don't worry, there will be a few more "quiet" chapters, they have to get some rest sometime! Especially when you consider what I have in store for them next... *evil cackle*
Zam: Zam, haven't I told you before, keep your orc horde out of my story!!?? I mean, really, you can't keep running around cutting down trees and kidnapping the Prince of Mirkwood and stuff... *takes Urkwûsh and Zam* Out!! Out out out! And if you cut down one more tree, I swear I will.... *mumbles threats under her breath*
And thank you for reviewing twice! So there are at least a few reviews, thanks a lot... *huggles Zam and Urkwûsh* Thank you! I know you will find out who is behind this new devilry... Just don't let Éomer help you, he is a bit ... slow ... *g*
Lina: *laughs* Your mental picture is very ... interesting, to say the least... I can just imagine them doing that, especially Elrond (Mr. I-just-don't-want-to-know)... *g*
*tries to escape Lina* I'm sorry, but I can't tell you!! I'm sorry, really!! Éomer, don't make me zap you! No, I won't tell "Lady Lina Skye", and no, I cannot promise you that her baby won't be hurt, in fact, he already is...Éomer, don't do this, you will regret it... Éomer... *zaps him* Sorry, Lina, but NO. And thanks for the happy dancers, but could you tell them to leave? My mother is always giving me these weird looks, and, frankly, it's beginning to annoy me... *g*
ThE iNsAnE oNe - Sounds as if our dogs are very much alike... Mine wouldn't harm a fly, but when she sees something to eat ... wow! She can be real scary, then... *g* *hides behind pet balrog Stan* Argh! A warg named Fred? Well, you DID see what my friends *points at Elrohir and Aragorn* did to the others, did you? Don't hit Legolas! He will be in enough trouble soon! Not the kind Elladan or the others are in, but hey! Trouble comes in many forms... *g*
Thanks for reviewing twice! I was sooo happy when I saw your second review, really! And I'm writing as fast as I can, don't send Fred after me, please... *g*
Rachel - Thank you! *huggles her* I'm glad you like it! And I think PG-13 is okay, but if you think it should be anything else, tell me! It's not getting much worse than this ... Well, maybe a bit ... Okay, quite a bit ... Fine, a lot ... *g*
Christy - I will keep going! I tried to ignore the plot bunnies for a while, without success, so I will finish this - one way or the other! *g* Thanks for reviewing!!
Lotrmatrixstarwarsfan - Wow, that's quite a name you have here!! Well, you do have good taste, I love all of the movies and/or books! And Elladan is not finished yet, he will have a bit of fun with Estel in the future... *evil grin* Thanks a lot for the review!
Just Jill - *pouts* Oww, you don't like Elladan's hair? Well, he didn't like it too much either, so that's okay, I guess... *g* I try to update twice a week, but there's still college and stuff...
Alia - I'm glad you like the hair! Even though Elladan might disagree... *evil grin* And a furious Elf Lord - even a relatively young one like Elladan - can be quite scary ... Thanks for the review!!
Antigone - *blushes slightly* Thanks for the compliment! I try to do my best, and the tension will keep building, I'm afraid... I'm just starting chapter 6, and there it's starting to get really interesting, I think... *g*
MegumiFuu - *stares wide-eyed* There are bits where verb tensions changed? OMG, I will find them!! It's fine if I use a word in the wrong context or if it's sounding awkward or something, but changing verb tenses?? My old English teacher would sooooo kill me if he knew... Excuse me! *runs off to find the mistakes* Oh, but thanks for the review! It means a lot to me! *muttering under her breath* Changing verb tenses, WAIT till I find you, you stupid little words... *g*
Mouse - *bows low* Thanks you very much! I don't like slash either, I mean, if you like it, fine, I just don't.. (What kind of sentence was THAT? *g*) I'm working on bringing Legolas into the whole thing a bit more, but I find him hard to write, somehow... Well, once he gets to Rivendell, it should be easier. IF he gets there... *evil cackle*
Alaskantiger - I'm writing as fast as I can! I will update every three or four days, I think, depends on how much I have to do for college, and since there's a LOT to do right now ... But don't worry, I have already finished a few more chapters, so I will be able to post even if I don't have time to write more - clever, isn't it? *g*
Vana Burke: Well, no problem, I guess. *g* It was more or less a coincidence that I put it at the end, I just figured that it would take too much space. And I'm not too fond of it either, all you want to do is read the fic and then there's is this monster header... *g*
Halo: Hah, elven curses are nothing, wait till you've heard Legolas' dwarven curses! They are amazing!! *evil grin* Thanks so much for reviewing! I almost thought you'd forgotten all about me! *sniff* But now I'm happy again!! *does a little happy dance* See? Stop zapping the Eye Of Sauron! I mean, really, the guy's lost his favourite ring and then you go and zap his eye? That's not fair! Poor Sauron, uhm, I mean Saurbob! *grins at Zam* Thanks for pummeling FF.net! *big grin*
A huge thanks to all my reviewers! You really make me write faster! You and the fact that the rabid plot bunny won't leave me alone... *g*
Forest Elfin - Don't let Elladan hear you say that!! *looks around suspiciously* He is NOT happy about his hair, believe me... The next chapter's up, here you go! *g*
( ) - Well, that's a nice name! Saves a lot of time, I guess... *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing, it means a lot to me! Since it's my first story ever, I'm dying to hear what people have to say about it...
Jenny - Thank you soooooo very much!! I mean, I know I don't deserve being compared with the divine C&S, but, well, thanks!! I'm really glad you like it so far, and don't worry, I try to update frequently! Not every other day, but at least twice a week, so every three ot four days.
Sailor Gaia - *hides behind her pet balrog* Uhm, you like it when nobody gets hurt? Well, then, uhm, forget what you've just read, okay? _ Technically_ speaking, Elladan is not really a main character, is he? And Estel's wound is not life-threatening, so... *evil grin* And thanks a lot for the compliments, I love writing the Rivendell elves and Estel; I'm always kind of nervous when I have to write Legolas... He is a bit more complicated... Well, don't worry, there will be a few more "quiet" chapters, they have to get some rest sometime! Especially when you consider what I have in store for them next... *evil cackle*
Zam: Zam, haven't I told you before, keep your orc horde out of my story!!?? I mean, really, you can't keep running around cutting down trees and kidnapping the Prince of Mirkwood and stuff... *takes Urkwûsh and Zam* Out!! Out out out! And if you cut down one more tree, I swear I will.... *mumbles threats under her breath*
And thank you for reviewing twice! So there are at least a few reviews, thanks a lot... *huggles Zam and Urkwûsh* Thank you! I know you will find out who is behind this new devilry... Just don't let Éomer help you, he is a bit ... slow ... *g*
Lina: *laughs* Your mental picture is very ... interesting, to say the least... I can just imagine them doing that, especially Elrond (Mr. I-just-don't-want-to-know)... *g*
*tries to escape Lina* I'm sorry, but I can't tell you!! I'm sorry, really!! Éomer, don't make me zap you! No, I won't tell "Lady Lina Skye", and no, I cannot promise you that her baby won't be hurt, in fact, he already is...Éomer, don't do this, you will regret it... Éomer... *zaps him* Sorry, Lina, but NO. And thanks for the happy dancers, but could you tell them to leave? My mother is always giving me these weird looks, and, frankly, it's beginning to annoy me... *g*
ThE iNsAnE oNe - Sounds as if our dogs are very much alike... Mine wouldn't harm a fly, but when she sees something to eat ... wow! She can be real scary, then... *g* *hides behind pet balrog Stan* Argh! A warg named Fred? Well, you DID see what my friends *points at Elrohir and Aragorn* did to the others, did you? Don't hit Legolas! He will be in enough trouble soon! Not the kind Elladan or the others are in, but hey! Trouble comes in many forms... *g*
Thanks for reviewing twice! I was sooo happy when I saw your second review, really! And I'm writing as fast as I can, don't send Fred after me, please... *g*
Rachel - Thank you! *huggles her* I'm glad you like it! And I think PG-13 is okay, but if you think it should be anything else, tell me! It's not getting much worse than this ... Well, maybe a bit ... Okay, quite a bit ... Fine, a lot ... *g*
Christy - I will keep going! I tried to ignore the plot bunnies for a while, without success, so I will finish this - one way or the other! *g* Thanks for reviewing!!
Lotrmatrixstarwarsfan - Wow, that's quite a name you have here!! Well, you do have good taste, I love all of the movies and/or books! And Elladan is not finished yet, he will have a bit of fun with Estel in the future... *evil grin* Thanks a lot for the review!
Just Jill - *pouts* Oww, you don't like Elladan's hair? Well, he didn't like it too much either, so that's okay, I guess... *g* I try to update twice a week, but there's still college and stuff...
Alia - I'm glad you like the hair! Even though Elladan might disagree... *evil grin* And a furious Elf Lord - even a relatively young one like Elladan - can be quite scary ... Thanks for the review!!
Antigone - *blushes slightly* Thanks for the compliment! I try to do my best, and the tension will keep building, I'm afraid... I'm just starting chapter 6, and there it's starting to get really interesting, I think... *g*
MegumiFuu - *stares wide-eyed* There are bits where verb tensions changed? OMG, I will find them!! It's fine if I use a word in the wrong context or if it's sounding awkward or something, but changing verb tenses?? My old English teacher would sooooo kill me if he knew... Excuse me! *runs off to find the mistakes* Oh, but thanks for the review! It means a lot to me! *muttering under her breath* Changing verb tenses, WAIT till I find you, you stupid little words... *g*
Mouse - *bows low* Thanks you very much! I don't like slash either, I mean, if you like it, fine, I just don't.. (What kind of sentence was THAT? *g*) I'm working on bringing Legolas into the whole thing a bit more, but I find him hard to write, somehow... Well, once he gets to Rivendell, it should be easier. IF he gets there... *evil cackle*
Alaskantiger - I'm writing as fast as I can! I will update every three or four days, I think, depends on how much I have to do for college, and since there's a LOT to do right now ... But don't worry, I have already finished a few more chapters, so I will be able to post even if I don't have time to write more - clever, isn't it? *g*
Vana Burke: Well, no problem, I guess. *g* It was more or less a coincidence that I put it at the end, I just figured that it would take too much space. And I'm not too fond of it either, all you want to do is read the fic and then there's is this monster header... *g*
Halo: Hah, elven curses are nothing, wait till you've heard Legolas' dwarven curses! They are amazing!! *evil grin* Thanks so much for reviewing! I almost thought you'd forgotten all about me! *sniff* But now I'm happy again!! *does a little happy dance* See? Stop zapping the Eye Of Sauron! I mean, really, the guy's lost his favourite ring and then you go and zap his eye? That's not fair! Poor Sauron, uhm, I mean Saurbob! *grins at Zam* Thanks for pummeling FF.net! *big grin*
A huge thanks to all my reviewers! You really make me write faster! You and the fact that the rabid plot bunny won't leave me alone... *g*