Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.
A/N (I):
Okay, just to make one thing clear: HE IS SICK!!!! ILL!!! POISONED!!!
*takes a deep breath* Well, whatever, but Legolas is really not to blame. He is not, and I repeat, NOT thinking clearly.
I have divided the Author's notes in parts I and II this time, because I don't want to spoil anything for you now. *g*
For those who asked: The story will be about 20 chapters long, I think. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't really know, since I'm writing ch 12 right now (which is so aptly named "The Chapter Which I Really Do NOT Want To Write"), but I think not much longer. But hey, that's coming from a person who originally planned to let Legolas arrive in Rivendell in ch 8, so... *g*
BUT NOW HE IS!!! ARIVING IN IMLADRIS, I MEAN! REALLY!!! *readers faint in shock* I know, hard to believe, but still... *g*
Oh, and the answers to - some - of the questions will be provided in chapter 11, so, only one more chapter of complete confusion!! *g*
Okay, and here is Chapter 10, which will probably NOT increase my popularity, but hey, the characters have yet to complain. That _might_ be because they're unconscious all the time, but... *evil grin*
Enjoy!! And do not hesitate to tell me how much you hate me! *charming smile*
Chapter 10
Legolas watched the play of the shadows that danced across the forest floor with a keen interest. Cocking his head to one side, he studied a rather interesting shape he was just approaching.
'It looks like a lizard … no … more like a spider, that's it!' he thought happily and would almost have laughed aloud, something which caused the ever decreasing reasonable part of his brain to frown in concern. Suppressing the laughter that threatened to overtake him, Legolas shook his head and tried to focus his eyes on his surroundings, which had started to shift in and out of focus in a rather unsettling manner.
Damn that heat, he thought furiously, how was one supposed to think clearly or find one's way through a wood whose trees would insist on switching places when it was hot like this?
His scattered thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices ahead of him, human voices, and quite a lot of them, at least twelve. The sudden adrenaline did wonders to clear his head, and he moved one hand to grasp his bow, while he reined in the horse with the other to a walking pace. The elven prince's silver-blue eyes pierced the undergrowth effortlessly, and he made out a camp of what appeared to be hunters about half a mile down the road that wound its way around thick tree trunks.
Legolas shook his head slightly and frowned in confusion as he drew closer, they looked like perfectly ordinary humans, dressed in dark and earthen coloured clothes made out of rough home spun linen, but … something didn't feel right about them. There was something just slightly odd about them, as if they were trying too hard not to look into his direction and were behaving just a bit too cheerful.
When the prince's horse came into calling distance one of the men, tall, dark haired and very much in command, lifted his head and called out a greeting, an easily visible look of unmasked surprise on his face.
"Good day to you, Master Elf! 'Tis a rare occurrence to meet one of the fair folk on the roads these days. Let me introduce myself: I am Donyc and this is my second-in-command, if you want to call it that way, Addramyr," he said, nodding at a dark blonde human at his side.
Legolas studied the human in front of him closely, even though he acted friendly enough, the elven prince needed only to take a good look at his eyes to decide that he couldn't stand him.
"Greetings, Master Human!" he replied politely. "What is a group of men doing here, so far away from the next human settlement?"
"We are hunters, looking to fill the storerooms before winter sets in," the dark haired human replied just a bit too quickly, taking a step closer to the elf's horse. "Would you like to dismount and join us at the fire? It's been a long time since we've met any of your kind, and we would like to hear a story or two about what's going on in Middle-Earth."
The fair haired elf shuddered at the mere thought of settling down next to a fire, did this foolish human really believe he needed any more heat?
Forcing himself to concentrate on the situation at hand, Legolas eyed the man wearily, trying to find signs of deception, but oddly enough he didn't feel as if Donyc was planning to harm him. That he was concealing something was evident, but he was a stranger after all, and an elf at that, so why should he tell him everything about himself?
'Besides,' he decided, 'I really don't feel so good right now. Perhaps I'm imagining things.'
Letting his gaze wander over the humans in front of him, he tried for the last time to pinpoint the reason for the unease he felt, but there was nothing unusual about the camp in front of him: A few humans were leaning against trees, talking among themselves or looking after their horses, some were gathered round a fire over which a wild boar was roasting on a stick, closely supervised by a young human with wavy light brown hair who shot awed looks at the fair elven prince. Others were resting on their sleeping mats, blankets partially pulled over their heads.
"Master Elf?" he heard Donyc's voice ask in what he probably thought was a concerned tone of voice, but which sounded to Legolas elven ears impatient and more than a little bit ill at ease.
Legolas shook his head, wincing as that movement sent the world into a sickening spin.
"No thank you, Donyc, but I'm in a hurry and am trying to reach my destination as quickly as possible. Good luck with your hunt."
The fair haired prince did not miss the identical looks of relief that flashed across the humans' faces so quickly he wondered for a moment if he had imagined them.
'Well,' he decided, 'Whatever it is they are hiding from me, it can hardly be my concern.'
Donyc nodded silently and stepped back from the elf's horse, making room for him to pass.
"I understand. Thank you and may you find quickly what you seek."
Legolas gave the men a slight nod and spurred his horse on, his senses screaming at him that something was wrong, that somehow he needed to go back, but his mind was too fuzzy and tired to comprehend why. All he wanted was get to Rivendell as quickly as possible, possibly before he dropped out of the saddle because of this cursed heat.
When the white horse had moved out of sight, Addramyr let himself sink to the forest floor, running a hand over his face.
"That was close for a moment," he muttered, raising his eyes to meet his friend's.
"Yes, that it was," Donyc agreed, a slightly disappointed look in his dark eyes.
Well, he decided inwardly, you couldn't have everything. It would have been a lot more fun to torment the ranger by making him witness his friend's pain, but well, he would think of something else. Something even better.
When Nólad returned to the hastily pitched camp about half an hour later, the men were already busy packing up their belongings and readying themselves to continue eastwards. He and his friend had remained in the trees to make sure the Prince of Mirkwood had really left before returning to the ground to rejoin the humans.
Nólad frowned slightly when he remembered the sight of the prince when he had spoken with Donyc in the camp. To every elven eye it had been apparent that the young prince had been unwell, his posture had been too stiff and his face far too pale.
'That explains at least why he didn't notice me in the tree,' he thought, dropping out of the trees, 'But he must have been sicker than I thought; I didn't think he would be fooled by this.'
He still remembered the last time he had seen the younger elf, about a year ago and in the company of his human friend, both of them full of life and laughing merrily. Nólad shook his head, wishing not for the first time that he and his lord had never left their home that day. If his friend had never seen the ranger and had not inquired about his identity, all this could have been prevented.
Seeing that Cornallar was already talking to Donyc, who was shouting orders at his men now and then, he hurried to catch up. He arrived just in time to see his friend give the human an ironic smile.
"Well done, Master Human, you could almost have fooled me. The boar was a very nice touch and I really liked your parting words, 'May you find quickly what you seek'; don't you think you laid it on a bit too thickly there?"
Donyc gave the two elves an arrogant grin.
"Well, thank you, even though I still would have preferred to shoot him or take him with us. But well, it's too late now anyway. I was slightly surprised myself how smoothly it all went."
Nólad wondered for a moment if he should tell this presumptuous human that the only reason why he had been able to fool the prince was that he was obviously quite ill, but reconsidered quickly. Somehow he doubted that information was something the man wanted to hear.
His friend looked around the camp quickly and asked the human commander,
"Where did you hide the ranger?"
The man's grin broadened even more and he led the elves over to one of the sleeping mats, pulling away the blankets and exposing the still body of the bound human.
"As you said, Master Elf, if you want to hide something, then do so in plain sight."
The fair haired elf looked down at Aragorn, who was lying on his left side, his dark hair caked with blood where Donyc had struck him, and inwardly winced in sympathy. When he awoke, he would have a mighty headache, that much was certain.
Cornallar nodded, turning back to the dark haired man.
"Well done indeed, Donyc. We will leave in ten minutes. Make sure he is secured on his horse, we wouldn't want him to fall and get hurt in the process, would we?"
Donyc laughed and turned round, walking over to Addramyr to tell him of their new orders.
The two elves turned when they heard the sound of light hoofbeat on the forest floor, and were greeted by the sight of their horses, which came plodding into the camp, looking quite pleased with themselves. Walking over to them, Nólad grasped his horse's halter and stroked its nose gently, much to the animals delight.
Fixing light grey eyes on his friend, he asked,
"So you are going to accompany us to the foot of the mountains and return the day after tomorrow?"
His friend nodded absent-mindedly, patting his horse's neck.
"Yes. It's best if you continue alone from then on. I will make sure we get what we want."
His voice troubled, the fair haired elf insisted,
"Are you sure this is the way? It's not too late to stop yet, my friend. We can still leave him here, pay the edain and vanish without a trace, just as we have done before."
His companion turned his head slowly, hatred etched into every inch of his face.
"Yes, mellonamin, I am sure. I will finish what we have started. I will not allow him to get away with what he's done so easily, even after all those years."
Nólad lowered his head, and when he raised his eyes again to meet his friend's dark ones, his face was bare of expression.
"Are you so sure he will do what we ask?" he queried in a soft voice, looking at his friend.
Cornallar's eyed burned with fierce hatred and a determination so strong that it stopped all questions right from the start.
"Oh yes, my friend, he will. Unless he wants to get his beloved little human son back bit by bit, he will do exactly as we ask."
Legolas breathed a deep sigh of relief when he finally saw the roofs of Rivendell appear in his vision. Well, at least they appeared shortly in his vision, before shifting out of focus again. He shook his head, which didn't help matters in the slightest, because that suddenly and unexpectedly caused the world to turn upside down.
Frowning slightly and glaring at the sky that was where only minutes ago the path had been, he arrived at the decision that this was definitely weird. The part of him that was still capable of coherent thought gave a mental sigh of relief that he finally understood what it had been trying to tell him for the whole trip, a trip that had taken a lot longer than it ought to have taken, for darkness had fallen some time ago and all that was preventing him from plummeting to his doom down into the ravine were the keen senses of his horse that bore him safely and soundlessly through the night.
'Well,' the elven prince decided as the white horse began to climb up the short path that would take them to the main gates, 'The fact that it has taken me so long to get here might even have its advantages. Perhaps Lord Elrond has already retired for the night and I can slip past him unnoticed.'
The reasonable part of his mind roared with laughter at that thought, but Legolas chose to ignore it. He would have to think of a way to pacify the Lord of Rivendell and at the same time prevent him from sending a message to his father. His mind spinning with ideas that went from bribery to poisoning the carrier pigeons, he finally crossed the gates and rode into the courtyard, not really expecting to find anyone but perhaps a few stable hands there, but he was mistaken: A rather large group of elves and their horses occupied the large space, having apparently just returned from a longer trip.
The fair haired prince frowned in confusion and searched the crowd for familiar faces, which wasn't really an easy task since every person seemed to exist twice. After a while he had found the face of one of the twins – it could have been both of them as well – and called out a greeting.
The dark haired elf's head swivelled round to identify the newcomer and his face broke into a welcoming smile, even thought the prince thought to have seen a look of disappointment flash across the fair features.
"Legolas! Thank the Valar you have arrived safely, mellonamin!" Elrohir called, suppressing the disappointment he felt when he saw that it was Legolas, not his human brother.
He took a few steps into Legolas' direction and prepared to say more before he took a good look at the prince's face and hurried his steps.
"Legolas? Legolas, are you alright?"
The fair haired prince did not answer, he just kept staring at the younger twin, head cocked to one side and squinting at him.
Elrohir took in his friend's appearance; he was far too pale and a cold sweat covered his brow. His silver-blue eyes were huge and unfocused, and his posture was unsteady at best. The twin's keen eyes scanned his body quickly, wandering over the slashed leather vest and focusing on the slowly spreading crimson stain on the prince's tunic.
He quickly covered the distance that lay between him and the white horse, Estel for once forgotten as he grasped the horse's reins.
"You are injured."
Legolas tried to decide to which one of the heads he should speak to, but gave up quickly and chose a point right in the middle of them to focus his eyes on.
"That's probably a rather accurate assessment … Elladan," he hazarded a guess.
Elrohir frowned and looked up at his friend, he must be quite sick indeed to confuse him with his brother. He hadn't done that for more than two thousand years.
"Come, my friend, let me help you. We need to get you off this horse and into the house."
Legolas looked as if he wanted to protest, before his glazed eyes wandered to the left and came to rest on another elf that was approaching, or two other elves, from his point of view.
"I don't think that will be necessary, mellonamin," he said, trying desperately not to fall as the twin helped him to dismount and stifling the scream of pain that rose in his throat, "I feel well. There's no need to disturb your father."
His eyes narrowed to mere slits as he looked at the approaching twin.
"Elrohir, why is your hair green?"
At Legolas' question Elrohir's eyes grew wide when he watched his brother's reaction that ranged somewhere between anger, annoyance and sadness as Elladan remembered the last time he had though about his hair – when Estel had still been there.
The stress and worry of the past few days resurfaced, and soon the younger twin found himself lying on the ground, giggling madly.
Legolas looked down at him and tried to decide if this was normal behaviour for the dark haired elf.
'Yes, quite normal,' the sensible part of his brain supplied. Satisfied, the elven prince gave a nod and tried to escape the twins' help as quietly as possible. There was no way he would face Lord Elrond if he had any other choice.
Unfortunately, in his current condition moving quietly was not an option, and so he soon found that a hand had grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.
"Legolas, you are not thinking clearly. We need to get you inside, father needs to take a look at your wounds," Elladan said, trying to get through to his friend. He turned to Isál, who had stood at the side, watching the whole spectacle unfold with unbelieving eyes.
"Isál, could you please go inside and alert my father that Prince Legolas requires his help? He is supposed to be resting, but I'm quite sure that he is awake, especially with all this racket that is going on here."
Isál tore his eyes away from the sight of one of his young lords rolling on the floor laughing hysterically and the other one restraining a very obviously ill Prince of Mirkwood who tried, for an elf in his condition rather skilfully, to escape his friend's grasp, and nodded at Elrond's oldest son.
"Yes, my lord," he murmured, swallowing the laughter that threatened to overtake him and moving quickly up the stone stairs. In this house it truly never got boring.
After a firm kick that the older twin had directed at his shin, Elrohir regained his composure somewhat and rose to help his brother force their unwilling friend into the direction of the main house.
"Everything is going to be alright, Legolas, father will be able to help you," he muttered reassuringly and pushed the prince forward slightly.
Legolas looked at the doors in front of them that loomed as darkly as the gates of Barad-dûr itself in his restricted view and frowned.
"Oh yes, I do not doubt that, it's the look he will give me while doing it that worries me," he mumbled as his eyelids grew heavier and large grey spot began to dance across his vision. After a second he added, confused,
"Where is Strider? I haven't seen him, wasn't he with you?"
At the prince's question the twins looked at each other, the same look of pain and fear flashing across their identical faces.
Elladan took a deep breath and lied,
"He will be here soon, Legolas. Don't worry. We will talk about this once you wake up, you will feel better then."
Legolas didn't answer and the twins felt the body under their hands go slack. They exchanged a worried look and quickened their pace.
'I will not lose him as well,' Elrohir thought furiously, 'Not after Estel, not now…'
He shifted his grip on his friend's arm as they moved through the corridors, causing servants and elven lords alike to scatter out of their way as they raced into the direction of the healing wing, carrying the unconscious elf between them.
When Aragorn awoke, he lay very still, not moving a muscle. If he had learned anything at all about head wounds, then it was that one should move as little as possible if one didn't want one's head to fall off one's shoulders and roll away.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut against the pain in his head and decided after a while that the tiny industrious dwarves had apparently received reinforcements. Reinforcements, by the feel of it, in form of at least a dozen cave trolls that were beating themselves up with their clubs.
He decided that listening to his surroundings might help him to ignore the pain and dizziness he felt, so he tried to hear something else than the sounds of the hacking dwarves and grunting trolls, which wasn't easy in the beginning, but after a while he managed to make out some noises.
He was apparently lying on his back, his hands bound behind him, and somewhere nearby he could hear the loud breathing of a human. The sounds of other men echoed a bit away, as well as the cracking and popping sounds of a fire and the soft sounds of horses that were grazing nearby. Fighting the nausea that rose in his throat, he opened first one, then two eyes, thankfully acknowledging the fact that it was dark. The thought of sunlight was really not a pleasant one right now. He heard the man near him move and seconds later he saw a bearded face appear in front of his eyes.
"Ah, woken up, have we?" the guard asked, nudging him in the ribs with his club for good measure. The club hit bruises and cracked bones, and with a soft cry Aragorn tried to curl himself up, which made flashes of light appear in his vision. Quickly deciding that his head would probably burst if he moved another muscle, the ranger froze and concentrated on breathing deeply, forcing as much oxygen into his lungs as possible. After a while, the ground stopped shaking and spinning beneath him and the pain in his chest subsided, and he opened his eyes again to see Seobryn approach with a water skin and something that looked to his slightly blurred eyes like an old rag.
The boy kneeled down in front of the bound man and uncorked the water skin, wetting the cloth.
"Don't be afraid, ranger, I will not hurt you. Nólad has sent me to clean your head wound."
Aragorn tried to give him a smile, but by the look on the boy's face it probably didn't even look remotely like one. Suddenly remembering something, he bolted upright – or he tried to, freezing and gasping in pain before he had even moved more than a few inches. Blinking through his hazy vision, he ground out,
"Legolas? What happened to him? The elf that you met, is he alright?"
Seobryn pushed him back onto the ground, understanding dawning on his young face.
"He is fine. He stopped briefly to talk to Donyc and rode on. Relax now and let me work, he was not harmed."
Aragorn held still while Seobryn carefully washed away blood and dirt and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of cold water on his skin. He sighed inwardly; he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Legolas was fine, and he and the twins would find him, of that he was sure.
He must have dozed off for a while, because when he opened his eyes again, Seobryn was gone, and Nólad kneeled next to him, inspecting his face.
The fair haired elf looked at him, an ironic gleam in his eyes.
"You will live," he told the ranger in Elvish, rising smoothly to his feet.
Aragorn gave a short laugh and regretted it instantly, squeezing his eyes shut again against the wave of dizziness and pain that rolled over him.
"Yes, I am forced to agree," he managed after a few seconds, looking up at the elf.
Nólad's face was expressionless as he gazed down at the bound human, and he turned round to make his way back to the camp, but stopped when he heard the human's soft, still pain filled voice ask,
"Why? Why is he doing this? What has Elrond done to him? And what do I have to do with it?"
The fair haired elf sighed, turned back towards the human and studied his face closely.
"A long … a very long time ago he lost someone that was very dear to him. Someone that was his last bond to all that once was, and all that could ever be. He blames Lord Elrond for that loss, as well as your forefathers. He will make sure he gets his revenge, even if it destroys him and all those involved in the process. He has nothing left but hatred now," Nólad explained softly.
"But whom? Whom did he lose?"
Nólad smile sadly at the young ranger, clearly caught in some memories only he alone could see.
"His son. He lost his son nearly three thousand years ago. He wants blood for blood."
Aragorn was still sitting staring straight ahead after the elf had already left, soundlessly disappearing into the dark trees. His son … Even despite the situation he was in, despite the pain and fear, he felt pity for his captor; he knew how hard it could be on a parent to lose his or her child, and especially hard for elven parents, who did reckon with the possibility of their children's deaths even less than human ones.
He relaxed his body as best as he could in the position he was in at the moment and suppressed a shudder when he remembered Nólad's words. "He lost his son … he wants blood for blood." That did not sound good for his immediate future, he thought.
'It is finally time to make use of the tricks the twins taught me,' he decided, weariness once again stealing over him, 'Tomorrow morning I will make sure I have enough scope to work on these bonds. I will not stay here and wait for this crazy elf to do with me as he pleases.'
With this he closed his eyes and gave in to the sleepiness that had tugged at the edges of his awareness, thanking Elbereth that she had watched over his friend and kept him from harm.
Legolas' mind was spinning faster than a wheel on a cart by the time his consciousness finally decided to return to his body. He tried to bring some order into the chaos that filled his head, with only limited success. He vaguely remembered travelling to Rivendell, and for some reason it had seemed urgent to reach it quickly, but why he couldn't say. There were some images of humans he had talked with, memories of a man with dark, shrouded eyes, but when had that been? The prince remembered riding into the courtyard and speaking to the twins, but everything got blurry after that.
Resigning himself to the fact that he would have to open his eyes if he wanted to get some answers, he struggled with the impossibly heavy lids and managed to pry them open after a few tries. Blinking slowly, he waited until his eyes had adjusted to the early morning light that found its way through the gap between the closed curtains and surveyed the room. He was where he usually stayed in Imladris, a spacious room on the upper floor, next to Aragorn's and only a few metres away from the twins'.
"Aragorn!" he suddenly gasped, all of a sudden remembering why he had been in a hurry to get here in the first place. He scanned the room quickly, but to his surprise couldn't find the young man anywhere. Legolas frowned in concern; this was a most unusual behaviour for his friend. If his experiences with the ranger in the past had taught the elven prince one thing, it was that if he was injured, even if it was only a scratch, the human would refuse to leave his side until he deemed Legolas hale again. And, in Legolas' experience, that took quite a long time.
The fair haired elf took a deep breath as the memories came flooding back, memories of his forebodings, the vision of Estel's prone body…
'Well,' Legolas decided wryly as he made up his mind and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, 'Lord Elrond will get his chance to glare at me after all.'
He stopped shortly to inspect his wounds; both his arm and side were wrapped in clean white linen and when Legolas breathed deeply, he could still smell the lingering scent of athelas on them. But the most important thing was that neither hurt him anymore, well, if he didn't move too quickly, that was. He could already feel his elven body begin to mend torn skin and muscle. Grinning sheepishly, he got to his feet and grabbed a robe that someone had placed over the back of the big armchair that was sitting next to his bed.
'Perhaps Aragorn dragged it here and merely had to leave for a second,' the prince mused as he made his way out of the room and down the corridor, intent on reaching Lord Elrond's study as quickly as possible. Clinging to the hope that his friend was here somewhere and had not managed to get himself into trouble once again, he reached the main staircase that led to the lower levels and froze when he heard Elrohir speak Estel's name with such pain in his voice that it made his heart go cold.
"I don't know what to do, father. We couldn't find any tracks yesterday, all we can do is fan out and look randomly for Estel, in the hope of stumbling over something by chance."
Legolas clenched the railing with both hands. He was too late. Too late to help his human friend, too late to warn them… He took a few steps forward on suddenly slightly shaking legs, stopping on top of the stairs to look down into the hall, which was empty except for Lord Elrond and his sons.
Elladan ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.
"I don't know either, ada. I will go back and see to Legolas though, I think he shouldn't be alone when he wakes up. He might be confused and will worry if Estel's not there. Besides, I think we should wait till he's woken; perhaps he has seen something on his way here."
Elrond nodded tiredly and opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when his eyes came to rest on the lithe figure of the prince that stood on the top stairs.
"And just how long have you been standing there, out of bed without my permission, son of Thranduil?" he asked, giving Legolas the look.
Legolas swallowed nervously.
"I beg your pardon, my lord, and far be it from my mind to do anything that displeases you," he interrupted himself to shoot the broadly grinning Elrohir a warning glare, "But it is of utmost importance that I speak with you immediately. Or," he corrected himself as he came down the stairs and lowered himself onto a wooden bench, brushing off the twins' help, "It was. For it is already too late, it appears."
At this Elrond lowered his eyes and the twins' identical grins disappeared as quickly as they had come.
"Please, Lord Elrond," he begged quietly, "Tell me. What has happened to Aragorn?"
Elrond sighed and raised his head to meet Legolas' worried gaze, eyes filled with heartrending pain.
"We don't know, Legolas. He disappeared almost three days ago. We've sent out search parties, of course, but all we could find were the tracks of those who took him, leading to the north. They lose themselves in the wilds. We don't know," the Lord of Rivendell admitted softly.
Legolas blanched at these words, his heart filling with worry and fear for his friend, and a burning fury for those who had done this.
He had just opened his mouth to ask what they knew of the people who had captured his friend, when the main doors were pushed open and Elvynd entered and bowed before his lord.
Legolas studied the elf closely, he had spoken to him quite often in the past. He was a good friend of Isál, one of the younger captains of the guard like him, and kept watch over the paths leading into the valley from the north-west.
'And right now,' he decided thoughtfully, 'He is far too pale.'
Elvynd swallowed twice in an attempt to regain his breath; it was obvious that he had run to get here as quickly as possible.
"My lords, I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, but we found something you should see."
With that he pulled out a small messenger tube, which looked quite ordinary, except for the fact that neither the sender nor the addressee was noted on the outside. Elvynd handed the tube to Elrond, who took it, looking at it as though it might turn into a baby spider and bite him without warning. When Elrond began to open the leather straps that kept the tube closed, the young elf added,
"It was attached to one of the boundary posts to the north, the one close to the ancient ash tree. We did not read it, but there's something in there … we brought it back as quickly as possible."
Elrond nodded and tilted the messenger tube slightly, closing his fingers tightly around the object that came tumbling out and unfolding the piece of paper.
Legolas watched with growing concern as the Lord of Rivendell paled while reading the letter, up to the point where the twins unconsciously edged closer to their father's side should he collapse. When Elrond reached the end of the text, he looked as though he had just met the ghost of Sauron himself, his face so pale Legolas was sure he could see the veins beneath the bloodless skin.
With a gasp Elrond let go of the piece of parchment, which fluttered away in the breeze that carried golden leaves into the brightly lit room, and let himself sink into a chair.
"Father? Father, what is it?" Elladan asked concerned, crouching low in front of the chair to look into his father's face.
The older elf closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, clearly having forgotten about their presence.
"Cornallar. O the Valar, please, not Cornallar," he whispered so softly the other elves could hardly understand him.
"Legolas?" Elrohir asked his friend, confusion and helplessness in his voice.
But Legolas hardly listened to the sounds around him, his eyes fixed on the object that had fallen from Lord Elrond's hand when he had collapsed into the chair.
It was a small item, not much more than an inch in diameter, a small silver, leaf-shaped brooch used to close a cloak or wide shirt. It was lying on its side, but what the prince saw of it was enough for him to identify its owner.
He had seen the design before, the delicately forged silver with the single word on it, engraved in beautifully wrought elven characters. He kept staring at the small leaf until the outline of the brooch started to blur.
Estel's brooch.
TBC...
edain - humans, men
mellonamin - my friend
ada - father (daddy)
A/N (II):
*peeks out from behind her pet balrog's back*
Okay, I KNOW you are quite upset right now, so let me explain a few things, okay? *readers mumble angry threats, but nod reluctantly*
Well, first Legolas needed to get back to Rivendell, since he had been poisoned, okay? He needed Elrond's help.
Second, I couldn't have him collapse and/or get captured by the meanies, because he had been, once again, poisoned, and would have DIED there. Nólad may know a thing or two about healing, but let's face it, he's no match for Elrond, right?
And third, admit it: Now there is the possibility for an amazing guilt trip for our dear elven prince in the next few chapters, and I just couldn't resist the temptation. *evil grin* Besides, Elladan/Elrohir/Elrond will need all the help they can possibly get.
That's logical, isn't it? *ducks several heavy objects* Gosh, you are stubborn, aren't you?
Oh, and last but not least, about the brooch:
I just couldn't think of anything else. First I wanted to take his sword or a dagger, but then I realized that it would hardly fit into the tube. Then I thought about jewellry, but that would have meant that Cornallar would have found the Ring of Barahir, which would NOT have been a good thing for out dear ranger.
But, hey: My sister wanted me to have Cornallar send a finger, or the tongue or some ... other things. She insisted that no serious kidnapper would just send a brooch. But I figured you wouldn't be too happy about that, so the brooch it is... *g*
Well, don't hesitate to tell me why I am mean and evil and sadistic and ... I love to hear what people think, especially about things like this.
Meaning: Reviews are much appreciated. That's a rather weak term, actually... *g*
Additional A/N:
E - *hangs head* I'm sorry. Really! But as I said, he _needed_ to get to Rivendell and since _some _ people here insisted that I poison him... I hope you still liked it, at least Legolas is okay now! *nervous smile* That's something, isn't it? ISN'T IT??
Alexa - Wow! Four, no five reviews! Thanks! *huggles her* Well, I'll admit, the note last time was fake, just to make you nervous, as you see, nothing happened to Legolas. I know that doesn't make me very popular right now, but it was the right thing to do. *folds arms across chest* Yes. It was. Hmm, Legolas-Elrond-interaction... I dunno right now. I think I have more Elladan/Elrohir/Legolas interaction, but I'll see what I can do - anything to keep my readers happy! *g* Oh, and I totally agree - someone should give Aragorn a helmet or something! *evil grin* About Legolas' age nothing is known, but I've always assumed the same. The twins are (in III 2953) 2823 old though. Thanks for the reviews! *hugs her*
Firnsarnien - *grins evilly* Yes, I know, I and cliffies - not a good combination! Nor a healthy one for the readers, mind you... *blushes* Thanks for the compliments! And, to be honest, I'm always one or two chapters ahead, right now I'm writing ch 12. Thanks for reviewing!
Imbefaniel - Sorry! (Why do I have the feeling I will have to say that a lot more times today? Could it be a kind of ... foreboding? A premonition? Or logical deduction?? *g*) But you're right, it would indeed have complicated things - too much! And since I didn't want poor Legolas to die ... and I couldn't resisit the potential guilt trip... Ah well. I'm evil, that's it. Hope you still liked it!
Kaeera - *kichert* Ja ja ja, wer mag denn Drama/Angst nicht? (Legolas, Aragorn, Elrond, Elladan/Elrohir heben die Hand: ICH!!!) Ach, seid IHR mal still... *g* Und seid unbedorgt, edle Dame, ich glaube nicht, dass sich da was in naechster Zeit aendern wird! V.a. Kapitel 12... *schaudert* Mensch, ich bin doch nicht C&S! Warum musste ich sowas unbedingt hier drin haben... *schuettelt Kopf* Ich Idiot. Na ja, genug gelabert, danke!! Ich hoffe, es gefaellt dir weiterhin! *umarmt sie*
Alilacia - *points proudly at chapter* This one _isn't_ a cliffy! Well, not a real one, anyway... Please, DON'T hurt my characters! I know Donyc is a jerk and evil and sadistic, but I need him! And don't worry, once his family/friend get their hands on this evil troupe of idiots, they will regret having ever cometo Rivendell in the first place! *evil grin* I can hardly wait!!
Lina - *removes her pink fluffy earmuffs which have protected her against Lina's screams of protest* What did you say? *looks down at earmuffs and strokes them lovingly* Aren't they great? Every author should have a pair of these! *edges backwards slowly* Okay, Lina, everything's going to be just fine... *remembers ch12* ... eventually ... *looks at Éomer* Is she safe to approach now? (Éomer: *shrugs* I dunno. But she thinks I'm cute! *grins*) Heck, Rohirrim... Well, but he's right, I wouldn't kill our dear Estel - hurt him is an entirely different thing though... *evil grin*
Miss Undastood - *gulp* You really wouldn't stop reviewing? *hastily* Okay, okay, I'm posting, see? *huggles her* Thanks for all your reviews (including your future ones *wink wink*), and your lovely compliments! *blushes* Thanks!
Halo - *huggles her some more* See? Your prayers have been heard, Legolas was not harmed! He is in Rivendell and safe and with his friends... *someone: What about Aragorn, though?* Ah well, you can't have everything, can you? He'll be fine... in the end ... *evil grin* Thanks so much for reviewing, I LOVE seeing your reviews! *gives her another hug for good measure* Thank you!!
CalliTrakand - *pats Calli's back* That's a very sensible attitude! Really! Reviews are just soooo great, they really DO make me post faster! Really!! *confused* Cut back on the cliffies? Why? They are soooo much fun!! *evil grin* Well, I don't know, but somehow it just happens! There's nothing I can do!? It's my alter ego, I swear, she makes me do these things! But I'll see what I can do, although ch11 is another one, sorry, it's already finished... That's the chapter in which you find out about the evil elf's motives as well, so only a few more days (hmm, considering that FF.net is closing on Friday and Saturday, really some more!) and then you'll understand... *g*
Aurienia - *blushes* Wow ... so many compliments ... thank you! *outraged* What do you mean, knowing me something's gonna happen? I resent that!! *g* Okay, so maybe it happens sometimes in the story... *g* *slaps Aurienia's hands* Stop biting nails! If you think _this_ is bad, you won't have any nails left by the end of the story! Well, yes, Nólad, I haven't quite decided yet, but I think he's more on the good side. A bit. At least right now. Might change, though... *evil cackle* Everything's possible!
Zam - *tries to keep her back with one hand while with the other grabbing Lina* Éomer! Help me!! They're getting away! They will start beating up my characters again! Help!!! *looks at Zam's visions in disgust* Only YOU could've come up with something like that! Typical! LOL, the 'worry gene'?! You could say that... And then it WOULD be all his fault, as well... *g* *slaps Zam* Stop being mean to poor Elrohir! *huggles him* OF COURSE he is wise, he's an elf, after all... *hides behind Stan* I AM SORRY! But as I explained, it was necessary not to let Legolas get captured! Otherwise he would be dead right now, do you want that? DO YOU??? *pokes her*
Carrie - *takes off her pink earmuffs hastily and grabs Carrie* No!! Don't! Stop it! Don't hurt him! We still need him to get to Aragorn in time and save him from this crazy elf... Don't worry, Estel's gonna be fine - sometime in the future, that is ... not right now... *evil grin* Besides, it's not really Legolas' fault, I'm not really sure whose fault it is though... *shrugs* I'll have to think about it.
Larus - I'm not blackmailing! All I do is make a friendly suggestion ot two! *fake smile* But I think I will have to come to Legolas' defence here: The poor boy, uhm, sorry, elf was sick! He was hot and ill and hurt and poisoned and ... *takes a deep breath* Okay, let's just say he wasn't feeling well, okay? I mean, even elves can get sick (if they are poisoned first, that is), and then they can act just like sick humans do... Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this as well!
Salara - *erschaudert* Netz- und Computertechnische Probleme? NEIN!!! Um eine wunderbare fanfic zu zitieren "That's the herald of DOOM!!!" (namens "The Swear Box", ich weiss leider nicht von wem, ist aber tierisch komisch!!!) Jajaja, Entschuldigung akzeptiert, das hatten wir doch alle schon mal... *mitleidiges Kopfschuetteln* Danke! *grinst froehlich* Ein Lob von einem von euch beiden ist doch was! Tjajaja, die beiden sich auch immer weiter, und zwar in Richtungen, an die ich am Anfang gar nicht gedacht hatte ... sehr merkwürdig... *g*
Ciria - *g* Very happy! Every review makes me VERY happy indeed... *shakes head* Don't be so curious! Everything shall be revealed in due time... Oh, and O'm sure that IF elves could get grey hair, Elrond would have got the first ones ages (literally!) ago... *g* Thanks for reviewing! *munching cake* Thanks!
Jenny - *freezes in fear* NEVER say that! NEVER EVER say that! If you say "Can things get any worse" life will find a way to prove that yes, indeed, they can, thank you very much. *g* Thanks for the review, and I'm sorry about the cliffy!
TrustingFriendship - *frowns* Hey, I like your idea! That would have been a smart thing to do - but hey, we are talking about Legolas, right? And a sick Legolas, that is... *evil grin* It's too late now anyway. *shrugs* Thanks for the review!!
ManuKu - Tja ja, der Alltag - das ist wirklich etwas, auf das ich gut verzichten koennte ... *g* Wow! *grosse Augen krieg* Ich werde in eurer Fanfic-schreib-Hotline erwaehnt? Was fuer eine Ehre!!! *stolz in die Runde guck* WOW!!! *fieses Grinsen* Na ja, wenn du bei einem kleinen Messer schon Schauder bekommst, dann will ich gar nicht wissen, wie du auf den Rest reagierst... *kichert* Nein, ich glaube nicht, dass sich Seobryn oder Nólad auf diese Art von unserem Lieblingsranger angezogen fuehlen... *zuckt Schultern* Tja, ich fuerchte Legolas ist jetzt hier - nach mir, versteht sich - die meistgehassteste Person ... Na ja, damit muss man leben! *g*
And, again, a huge thanks to all reviewers! You guys are great!!! You manage to brighten my day, even if it's snowing like so often these days ... *grumbles* Snow! I'm always on the look-out for mountain goblins, you never know... *g*
A/N (I):
Okay, just to make one thing clear: HE IS SICK!!!! ILL!!! POISONED!!!
*takes a deep breath* Well, whatever, but Legolas is really not to blame. He is not, and I repeat, NOT thinking clearly.
I have divided the Author's notes in parts I and II this time, because I don't want to spoil anything for you now. *g*
For those who asked: The story will be about 20 chapters long, I think. To be perfectly honest with you, I don't really know, since I'm writing ch 12 right now (which is so aptly named "The Chapter Which I Really Do NOT Want To Write"), but I think not much longer. But hey, that's coming from a person who originally planned to let Legolas arrive in Rivendell in ch 8, so... *g*
BUT NOW HE IS!!! ARIVING IN IMLADRIS, I MEAN! REALLY!!! *readers faint in shock* I know, hard to believe, but still... *g*
Oh, and the answers to - some - of the questions will be provided in chapter 11, so, only one more chapter of complete confusion!! *g*
Okay, and here is Chapter 10, which will probably NOT increase my popularity, but hey, the characters have yet to complain. That _might_ be because they're unconscious all the time, but... *evil grin*
Enjoy!! And do not hesitate to tell me how much you hate me! *charming smile*
Chapter 10
Legolas watched the play of the shadows that danced across the forest floor with a keen interest. Cocking his head to one side, he studied a rather interesting shape he was just approaching.
'It looks like a lizard … no … more like a spider, that's it!' he thought happily and would almost have laughed aloud, something which caused the ever decreasing reasonable part of his brain to frown in concern. Suppressing the laughter that threatened to overtake him, Legolas shook his head and tried to focus his eyes on his surroundings, which had started to shift in and out of focus in a rather unsettling manner.
Damn that heat, he thought furiously, how was one supposed to think clearly or find one's way through a wood whose trees would insist on switching places when it was hot like this?
His scattered thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices ahead of him, human voices, and quite a lot of them, at least twelve. The sudden adrenaline did wonders to clear his head, and he moved one hand to grasp his bow, while he reined in the horse with the other to a walking pace. The elven prince's silver-blue eyes pierced the undergrowth effortlessly, and he made out a camp of what appeared to be hunters about half a mile down the road that wound its way around thick tree trunks.
Legolas shook his head slightly and frowned in confusion as he drew closer, they looked like perfectly ordinary humans, dressed in dark and earthen coloured clothes made out of rough home spun linen, but … something didn't feel right about them. There was something just slightly odd about them, as if they were trying too hard not to look into his direction and were behaving just a bit too cheerful.
When the prince's horse came into calling distance one of the men, tall, dark haired and very much in command, lifted his head and called out a greeting, an easily visible look of unmasked surprise on his face.
"Good day to you, Master Elf! 'Tis a rare occurrence to meet one of the fair folk on the roads these days. Let me introduce myself: I am Donyc and this is my second-in-command, if you want to call it that way, Addramyr," he said, nodding at a dark blonde human at his side.
Legolas studied the human in front of him closely, even though he acted friendly enough, the elven prince needed only to take a good look at his eyes to decide that he couldn't stand him.
"Greetings, Master Human!" he replied politely. "What is a group of men doing here, so far away from the next human settlement?"
"We are hunters, looking to fill the storerooms before winter sets in," the dark haired human replied just a bit too quickly, taking a step closer to the elf's horse. "Would you like to dismount and join us at the fire? It's been a long time since we've met any of your kind, and we would like to hear a story or two about what's going on in Middle-Earth."
The fair haired elf shuddered at the mere thought of settling down next to a fire, did this foolish human really believe he needed any more heat?
Forcing himself to concentrate on the situation at hand, Legolas eyed the man wearily, trying to find signs of deception, but oddly enough he didn't feel as if Donyc was planning to harm him. That he was concealing something was evident, but he was a stranger after all, and an elf at that, so why should he tell him everything about himself?
'Besides,' he decided, 'I really don't feel so good right now. Perhaps I'm imagining things.'
Letting his gaze wander over the humans in front of him, he tried for the last time to pinpoint the reason for the unease he felt, but there was nothing unusual about the camp in front of him: A few humans were leaning against trees, talking among themselves or looking after their horses, some were gathered round a fire over which a wild boar was roasting on a stick, closely supervised by a young human with wavy light brown hair who shot awed looks at the fair elven prince. Others were resting on their sleeping mats, blankets partially pulled over their heads.
"Master Elf?" he heard Donyc's voice ask in what he probably thought was a concerned tone of voice, but which sounded to Legolas elven ears impatient and more than a little bit ill at ease.
Legolas shook his head, wincing as that movement sent the world into a sickening spin.
"No thank you, Donyc, but I'm in a hurry and am trying to reach my destination as quickly as possible. Good luck with your hunt."
The fair haired prince did not miss the identical looks of relief that flashed across the humans' faces so quickly he wondered for a moment if he had imagined them.
'Well,' he decided, 'Whatever it is they are hiding from me, it can hardly be my concern.'
Donyc nodded silently and stepped back from the elf's horse, making room for him to pass.
"I understand. Thank you and may you find quickly what you seek."
Legolas gave the men a slight nod and spurred his horse on, his senses screaming at him that something was wrong, that somehow he needed to go back, but his mind was too fuzzy and tired to comprehend why. All he wanted was get to Rivendell as quickly as possible, possibly before he dropped out of the saddle because of this cursed heat.
When the white horse had moved out of sight, Addramyr let himself sink to the forest floor, running a hand over his face.
"That was close for a moment," he muttered, raising his eyes to meet his friend's.
"Yes, that it was," Donyc agreed, a slightly disappointed look in his dark eyes.
Well, he decided inwardly, you couldn't have everything. It would have been a lot more fun to torment the ranger by making him witness his friend's pain, but well, he would think of something else. Something even better.
When Nólad returned to the hastily pitched camp about half an hour later, the men were already busy packing up their belongings and readying themselves to continue eastwards. He and his friend had remained in the trees to make sure the Prince of Mirkwood had really left before returning to the ground to rejoin the humans.
Nólad frowned slightly when he remembered the sight of the prince when he had spoken with Donyc in the camp. To every elven eye it had been apparent that the young prince had been unwell, his posture had been too stiff and his face far too pale.
'That explains at least why he didn't notice me in the tree,' he thought, dropping out of the trees, 'But he must have been sicker than I thought; I didn't think he would be fooled by this.'
He still remembered the last time he had seen the younger elf, about a year ago and in the company of his human friend, both of them full of life and laughing merrily. Nólad shook his head, wishing not for the first time that he and his lord had never left their home that day. If his friend had never seen the ranger and had not inquired about his identity, all this could have been prevented.
Seeing that Cornallar was already talking to Donyc, who was shouting orders at his men now and then, he hurried to catch up. He arrived just in time to see his friend give the human an ironic smile.
"Well done, Master Human, you could almost have fooled me. The boar was a very nice touch and I really liked your parting words, 'May you find quickly what you seek'; don't you think you laid it on a bit too thickly there?"
Donyc gave the two elves an arrogant grin.
"Well, thank you, even though I still would have preferred to shoot him or take him with us. But well, it's too late now anyway. I was slightly surprised myself how smoothly it all went."
Nólad wondered for a moment if he should tell this presumptuous human that the only reason why he had been able to fool the prince was that he was obviously quite ill, but reconsidered quickly. Somehow he doubted that information was something the man wanted to hear.
His friend looked around the camp quickly and asked the human commander,
"Where did you hide the ranger?"
The man's grin broadened even more and he led the elves over to one of the sleeping mats, pulling away the blankets and exposing the still body of the bound human.
"As you said, Master Elf, if you want to hide something, then do so in plain sight."
The fair haired elf looked down at Aragorn, who was lying on his left side, his dark hair caked with blood where Donyc had struck him, and inwardly winced in sympathy. When he awoke, he would have a mighty headache, that much was certain.
Cornallar nodded, turning back to the dark haired man.
"Well done indeed, Donyc. We will leave in ten minutes. Make sure he is secured on his horse, we wouldn't want him to fall and get hurt in the process, would we?"
Donyc laughed and turned round, walking over to Addramyr to tell him of their new orders.
The two elves turned when they heard the sound of light hoofbeat on the forest floor, and were greeted by the sight of their horses, which came plodding into the camp, looking quite pleased with themselves. Walking over to them, Nólad grasped his horse's halter and stroked its nose gently, much to the animals delight.
Fixing light grey eyes on his friend, he asked,
"So you are going to accompany us to the foot of the mountains and return the day after tomorrow?"
His friend nodded absent-mindedly, patting his horse's neck.
"Yes. It's best if you continue alone from then on. I will make sure we get what we want."
His voice troubled, the fair haired elf insisted,
"Are you sure this is the way? It's not too late to stop yet, my friend. We can still leave him here, pay the edain and vanish without a trace, just as we have done before."
His companion turned his head slowly, hatred etched into every inch of his face.
"Yes, mellonamin, I am sure. I will finish what we have started. I will not allow him to get away with what he's done so easily, even after all those years."
Nólad lowered his head, and when he raised his eyes again to meet his friend's dark ones, his face was bare of expression.
"Are you so sure he will do what we ask?" he queried in a soft voice, looking at his friend.
Cornallar's eyed burned with fierce hatred and a determination so strong that it stopped all questions right from the start.
"Oh yes, my friend, he will. Unless he wants to get his beloved little human son back bit by bit, he will do exactly as we ask."
Legolas breathed a deep sigh of relief when he finally saw the roofs of Rivendell appear in his vision. Well, at least they appeared shortly in his vision, before shifting out of focus again. He shook his head, which didn't help matters in the slightest, because that suddenly and unexpectedly caused the world to turn upside down.
Frowning slightly and glaring at the sky that was where only minutes ago the path had been, he arrived at the decision that this was definitely weird. The part of him that was still capable of coherent thought gave a mental sigh of relief that he finally understood what it had been trying to tell him for the whole trip, a trip that had taken a lot longer than it ought to have taken, for darkness had fallen some time ago and all that was preventing him from plummeting to his doom down into the ravine were the keen senses of his horse that bore him safely and soundlessly through the night.
'Well,' the elven prince decided as the white horse began to climb up the short path that would take them to the main gates, 'The fact that it has taken me so long to get here might even have its advantages. Perhaps Lord Elrond has already retired for the night and I can slip past him unnoticed.'
The reasonable part of his mind roared with laughter at that thought, but Legolas chose to ignore it. He would have to think of a way to pacify the Lord of Rivendell and at the same time prevent him from sending a message to his father. His mind spinning with ideas that went from bribery to poisoning the carrier pigeons, he finally crossed the gates and rode into the courtyard, not really expecting to find anyone but perhaps a few stable hands there, but he was mistaken: A rather large group of elves and their horses occupied the large space, having apparently just returned from a longer trip.
The fair haired prince frowned in confusion and searched the crowd for familiar faces, which wasn't really an easy task since every person seemed to exist twice. After a while he had found the face of one of the twins – it could have been both of them as well – and called out a greeting.
The dark haired elf's head swivelled round to identify the newcomer and his face broke into a welcoming smile, even thought the prince thought to have seen a look of disappointment flash across the fair features.
"Legolas! Thank the Valar you have arrived safely, mellonamin!" Elrohir called, suppressing the disappointment he felt when he saw that it was Legolas, not his human brother.
He took a few steps into Legolas' direction and prepared to say more before he took a good look at the prince's face and hurried his steps.
"Legolas? Legolas, are you alright?"
The fair haired prince did not answer, he just kept staring at the younger twin, head cocked to one side and squinting at him.
Elrohir took in his friend's appearance; he was far too pale and a cold sweat covered his brow. His silver-blue eyes were huge and unfocused, and his posture was unsteady at best. The twin's keen eyes scanned his body quickly, wandering over the slashed leather vest and focusing on the slowly spreading crimson stain on the prince's tunic.
He quickly covered the distance that lay between him and the white horse, Estel for once forgotten as he grasped the horse's reins.
"You are injured."
Legolas tried to decide to which one of the heads he should speak to, but gave up quickly and chose a point right in the middle of them to focus his eyes on.
"That's probably a rather accurate assessment … Elladan," he hazarded a guess.
Elrohir frowned and looked up at his friend, he must be quite sick indeed to confuse him with his brother. He hadn't done that for more than two thousand years.
"Come, my friend, let me help you. We need to get you off this horse and into the house."
Legolas looked as if he wanted to protest, before his glazed eyes wandered to the left and came to rest on another elf that was approaching, or two other elves, from his point of view.
"I don't think that will be necessary, mellonamin," he said, trying desperately not to fall as the twin helped him to dismount and stifling the scream of pain that rose in his throat, "I feel well. There's no need to disturb your father."
His eyes narrowed to mere slits as he looked at the approaching twin.
"Elrohir, why is your hair green?"
At Legolas' question Elrohir's eyes grew wide when he watched his brother's reaction that ranged somewhere between anger, annoyance and sadness as Elladan remembered the last time he had though about his hair – when Estel had still been there.
The stress and worry of the past few days resurfaced, and soon the younger twin found himself lying on the ground, giggling madly.
Legolas looked down at him and tried to decide if this was normal behaviour for the dark haired elf.
'Yes, quite normal,' the sensible part of his brain supplied. Satisfied, the elven prince gave a nod and tried to escape the twins' help as quietly as possible. There was no way he would face Lord Elrond if he had any other choice.
Unfortunately, in his current condition moving quietly was not an option, and so he soon found that a hand had grabbed his shoulder, holding him back.
"Legolas, you are not thinking clearly. We need to get you inside, father needs to take a look at your wounds," Elladan said, trying to get through to his friend. He turned to Isál, who had stood at the side, watching the whole spectacle unfold with unbelieving eyes.
"Isál, could you please go inside and alert my father that Prince Legolas requires his help? He is supposed to be resting, but I'm quite sure that he is awake, especially with all this racket that is going on here."
Isál tore his eyes away from the sight of one of his young lords rolling on the floor laughing hysterically and the other one restraining a very obviously ill Prince of Mirkwood who tried, for an elf in his condition rather skilfully, to escape his friend's grasp, and nodded at Elrond's oldest son.
"Yes, my lord," he murmured, swallowing the laughter that threatened to overtake him and moving quickly up the stone stairs. In this house it truly never got boring.
After a firm kick that the older twin had directed at his shin, Elrohir regained his composure somewhat and rose to help his brother force their unwilling friend into the direction of the main house.
"Everything is going to be alright, Legolas, father will be able to help you," he muttered reassuringly and pushed the prince forward slightly.
Legolas looked at the doors in front of them that loomed as darkly as the gates of Barad-dûr itself in his restricted view and frowned.
"Oh yes, I do not doubt that, it's the look he will give me while doing it that worries me," he mumbled as his eyelids grew heavier and large grey spot began to dance across his vision. After a second he added, confused,
"Where is Strider? I haven't seen him, wasn't he with you?"
At the prince's question the twins looked at each other, the same look of pain and fear flashing across their identical faces.
Elladan took a deep breath and lied,
"He will be here soon, Legolas. Don't worry. We will talk about this once you wake up, you will feel better then."
Legolas didn't answer and the twins felt the body under their hands go slack. They exchanged a worried look and quickened their pace.
'I will not lose him as well,' Elrohir thought furiously, 'Not after Estel, not now…'
He shifted his grip on his friend's arm as they moved through the corridors, causing servants and elven lords alike to scatter out of their way as they raced into the direction of the healing wing, carrying the unconscious elf between them.
When Aragorn awoke, he lay very still, not moving a muscle. If he had learned anything at all about head wounds, then it was that one should move as little as possible if one didn't want one's head to fall off one's shoulders and roll away.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut against the pain in his head and decided after a while that the tiny industrious dwarves had apparently received reinforcements. Reinforcements, by the feel of it, in form of at least a dozen cave trolls that were beating themselves up with their clubs.
He decided that listening to his surroundings might help him to ignore the pain and dizziness he felt, so he tried to hear something else than the sounds of the hacking dwarves and grunting trolls, which wasn't easy in the beginning, but after a while he managed to make out some noises.
He was apparently lying on his back, his hands bound behind him, and somewhere nearby he could hear the loud breathing of a human. The sounds of other men echoed a bit away, as well as the cracking and popping sounds of a fire and the soft sounds of horses that were grazing nearby. Fighting the nausea that rose in his throat, he opened first one, then two eyes, thankfully acknowledging the fact that it was dark. The thought of sunlight was really not a pleasant one right now. He heard the man near him move and seconds later he saw a bearded face appear in front of his eyes.
"Ah, woken up, have we?" the guard asked, nudging him in the ribs with his club for good measure. The club hit bruises and cracked bones, and with a soft cry Aragorn tried to curl himself up, which made flashes of light appear in his vision. Quickly deciding that his head would probably burst if he moved another muscle, the ranger froze and concentrated on breathing deeply, forcing as much oxygen into his lungs as possible. After a while, the ground stopped shaking and spinning beneath him and the pain in his chest subsided, and he opened his eyes again to see Seobryn approach with a water skin and something that looked to his slightly blurred eyes like an old rag.
The boy kneeled down in front of the bound man and uncorked the water skin, wetting the cloth.
"Don't be afraid, ranger, I will not hurt you. Nólad has sent me to clean your head wound."
Aragorn tried to give him a smile, but by the look on the boy's face it probably didn't even look remotely like one. Suddenly remembering something, he bolted upright – or he tried to, freezing and gasping in pain before he had even moved more than a few inches. Blinking through his hazy vision, he ground out,
"Legolas? What happened to him? The elf that you met, is he alright?"
Seobryn pushed him back onto the ground, understanding dawning on his young face.
"He is fine. He stopped briefly to talk to Donyc and rode on. Relax now and let me work, he was not harmed."
Aragorn held still while Seobryn carefully washed away blood and dirt and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of cold water on his skin. He sighed inwardly; he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Legolas was fine, and he and the twins would find him, of that he was sure.
He must have dozed off for a while, because when he opened his eyes again, Seobryn was gone, and Nólad kneeled next to him, inspecting his face.
The fair haired elf looked at him, an ironic gleam in his eyes.
"You will live," he told the ranger in Elvish, rising smoothly to his feet.
Aragorn gave a short laugh and regretted it instantly, squeezing his eyes shut again against the wave of dizziness and pain that rolled over him.
"Yes, I am forced to agree," he managed after a few seconds, looking up at the elf.
Nólad's face was expressionless as he gazed down at the bound human, and he turned round to make his way back to the camp, but stopped when he heard the human's soft, still pain filled voice ask,
"Why? Why is he doing this? What has Elrond done to him? And what do I have to do with it?"
The fair haired elf sighed, turned back towards the human and studied his face closely.
"A long … a very long time ago he lost someone that was very dear to him. Someone that was his last bond to all that once was, and all that could ever be. He blames Lord Elrond for that loss, as well as your forefathers. He will make sure he gets his revenge, even if it destroys him and all those involved in the process. He has nothing left but hatred now," Nólad explained softly.
"But whom? Whom did he lose?"
Nólad smile sadly at the young ranger, clearly caught in some memories only he alone could see.
"His son. He lost his son nearly three thousand years ago. He wants blood for blood."
Aragorn was still sitting staring straight ahead after the elf had already left, soundlessly disappearing into the dark trees. His son … Even despite the situation he was in, despite the pain and fear, he felt pity for his captor; he knew how hard it could be on a parent to lose his or her child, and especially hard for elven parents, who did reckon with the possibility of their children's deaths even less than human ones.
He relaxed his body as best as he could in the position he was in at the moment and suppressed a shudder when he remembered Nólad's words. "He lost his son … he wants blood for blood." That did not sound good for his immediate future, he thought.
'It is finally time to make use of the tricks the twins taught me,' he decided, weariness once again stealing over him, 'Tomorrow morning I will make sure I have enough scope to work on these bonds. I will not stay here and wait for this crazy elf to do with me as he pleases.'
With this he closed his eyes and gave in to the sleepiness that had tugged at the edges of his awareness, thanking Elbereth that she had watched over his friend and kept him from harm.
Legolas' mind was spinning faster than a wheel on a cart by the time his consciousness finally decided to return to his body. He tried to bring some order into the chaos that filled his head, with only limited success. He vaguely remembered travelling to Rivendell, and for some reason it had seemed urgent to reach it quickly, but why he couldn't say. There were some images of humans he had talked with, memories of a man with dark, shrouded eyes, but when had that been? The prince remembered riding into the courtyard and speaking to the twins, but everything got blurry after that.
Resigning himself to the fact that he would have to open his eyes if he wanted to get some answers, he struggled with the impossibly heavy lids and managed to pry them open after a few tries. Blinking slowly, he waited until his eyes had adjusted to the early morning light that found its way through the gap between the closed curtains and surveyed the room. He was where he usually stayed in Imladris, a spacious room on the upper floor, next to Aragorn's and only a few metres away from the twins'.
"Aragorn!" he suddenly gasped, all of a sudden remembering why he had been in a hurry to get here in the first place. He scanned the room quickly, but to his surprise couldn't find the young man anywhere. Legolas frowned in concern; this was a most unusual behaviour for his friend. If his experiences with the ranger in the past had taught the elven prince one thing, it was that if he was injured, even if it was only a scratch, the human would refuse to leave his side until he deemed Legolas hale again. And, in Legolas' experience, that took quite a long time.
The fair haired elf took a deep breath as the memories came flooding back, memories of his forebodings, the vision of Estel's prone body…
'Well,' Legolas decided wryly as he made up his mind and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, 'Lord Elrond will get his chance to glare at me after all.'
He stopped shortly to inspect his wounds; both his arm and side were wrapped in clean white linen and when Legolas breathed deeply, he could still smell the lingering scent of athelas on them. But the most important thing was that neither hurt him anymore, well, if he didn't move too quickly, that was. He could already feel his elven body begin to mend torn skin and muscle. Grinning sheepishly, he got to his feet and grabbed a robe that someone had placed over the back of the big armchair that was sitting next to his bed.
'Perhaps Aragorn dragged it here and merely had to leave for a second,' the prince mused as he made his way out of the room and down the corridor, intent on reaching Lord Elrond's study as quickly as possible. Clinging to the hope that his friend was here somewhere and had not managed to get himself into trouble once again, he reached the main staircase that led to the lower levels and froze when he heard Elrohir speak Estel's name with such pain in his voice that it made his heart go cold.
"I don't know what to do, father. We couldn't find any tracks yesterday, all we can do is fan out and look randomly for Estel, in the hope of stumbling over something by chance."
Legolas clenched the railing with both hands. He was too late. Too late to help his human friend, too late to warn them… He took a few steps forward on suddenly slightly shaking legs, stopping on top of the stairs to look down into the hall, which was empty except for Lord Elrond and his sons.
Elladan ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.
"I don't know either, ada. I will go back and see to Legolas though, I think he shouldn't be alone when he wakes up. He might be confused and will worry if Estel's not there. Besides, I think we should wait till he's woken; perhaps he has seen something on his way here."
Elrond nodded tiredly and opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when his eyes came to rest on the lithe figure of the prince that stood on the top stairs.
"And just how long have you been standing there, out of bed without my permission, son of Thranduil?" he asked, giving Legolas the look.
Legolas swallowed nervously.
"I beg your pardon, my lord, and far be it from my mind to do anything that displeases you," he interrupted himself to shoot the broadly grinning Elrohir a warning glare, "But it is of utmost importance that I speak with you immediately. Or," he corrected himself as he came down the stairs and lowered himself onto a wooden bench, brushing off the twins' help, "It was. For it is already too late, it appears."
At this Elrond lowered his eyes and the twins' identical grins disappeared as quickly as they had come.
"Please, Lord Elrond," he begged quietly, "Tell me. What has happened to Aragorn?"
Elrond sighed and raised his head to meet Legolas' worried gaze, eyes filled with heartrending pain.
"We don't know, Legolas. He disappeared almost three days ago. We've sent out search parties, of course, but all we could find were the tracks of those who took him, leading to the north. They lose themselves in the wilds. We don't know," the Lord of Rivendell admitted softly.
Legolas blanched at these words, his heart filling with worry and fear for his friend, and a burning fury for those who had done this.
He had just opened his mouth to ask what they knew of the people who had captured his friend, when the main doors were pushed open and Elvynd entered and bowed before his lord.
Legolas studied the elf closely, he had spoken to him quite often in the past. He was a good friend of Isál, one of the younger captains of the guard like him, and kept watch over the paths leading into the valley from the north-west.
'And right now,' he decided thoughtfully, 'He is far too pale.'
Elvynd swallowed twice in an attempt to regain his breath; it was obvious that he had run to get here as quickly as possible.
"My lords, I'm sorry to interrupt you like this, but we found something you should see."
With that he pulled out a small messenger tube, which looked quite ordinary, except for the fact that neither the sender nor the addressee was noted on the outside. Elvynd handed the tube to Elrond, who took it, looking at it as though it might turn into a baby spider and bite him without warning. When Elrond began to open the leather straps that kept the tube closed, the young elf added,
"It was attached to one of the boundary posts to the north, the one close to the ancient ash tree. We did not read it, but there's something in there … we brought it back as quickly as possible."
Elrond nodded and tilted the messenger tube slightly, closing his fingers tightly around the object that came tumbling out and unfolding the piece of paper.
Legolas watched with growing concern as the Lord of Rivendell paled while reading the letter, up to the point where the twins unconsciously edged closer to their father's side should he collapse. When Elrond reached the end of the text, he looked as though he had just met the ghost of Sauron himself, his face so pale Legolas was sure he could see the veins beneath the bloodless skin.
With a gasp Elrond let go of the piece of parchment, which fluttered away in the breeze that carried golden leaves into the brightly lit room, and let himself sink into a chair.
"Father? Father, what is it?" Elladan asked concerned, crouching low in front of the chair to look into his father's face.
The older elf closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, clearly having forgotten about their presence.
"Cornallar. O the Valar, please, not Cornallar," he whispered so softly the other elves could hardly understand him.
"Legolas?" Elrohir asked his friend, confusion and helplessness in his voice.
But Legolas hardly listened to the sounds around him, his eyes fixed on the object that had fallen from Lord Elrond's hand when he had collapsed into the chair.
It was a small item, not much more than an inch in diameter, a small silver, leaf-shaped brooch used to close a cloak or wide shirt. It was lying on its side, but what the prince saw of it was enough for him to identify its owner.
He had seen the design before, the delicately forged silver with the single word on it, engraved in beautifully wrought elven characters. He kept staring at the small leaf until the outline of the brooch started to blur.
Estel's brooch.
TBC...
edain - humans, men
mellonamin - my friend
ada - father (daddy)
A/N (II):
*peeks out from behind her pet balrog's back*
Okay, I KNOW you are quite upset right now, so let me explain a few things, okay? *readers mumble angry threats, but nod reluctantly*
Well, first Legolas needed to get back to Rivendell, since he had been poisoned, okay? He needed Elrond's help.
Second, I couldn't have him collapse and/or get captured by the meanies, because he had been, once again, poisoned, and would have DIED there. Nólad may know a thing or two about healing, but let's face it, he's no match for Elrond, right?
And third, admit it: Now there is the possibility for an amazing guilt trip for our dear elven prince in the next few chapters, and I just couldn't resist the temptation. *evil grin* Besides, Elladan/Elrohir/Elrond will need all the help they can possibly get.
That's logical, isn't it? *ducks several heavy objects* Gosh, you are stubborn, aren't you?
Oh, and last but not least, about the brooch:
I just couldn't think of anything else. First I wanted to take his sword or a dagger, but then I realized that it would hardly fit into the tube. Then I thought about jewellry, but that would have meant that Cornallar would have found the Ring of Barahir, which would NOT have been a good thing for out dear ranger.
But, hey: My sister wanted me to have Cornallar send a finger, or the tongue or some ... other things. She insisted that no serious kidnapper would just send a brooch. But I figured you wouldn't be too happy about that, so the brooch it is... *g*
Well, don't hesitate to tell me why I am mean and evil and sadistic and ... I love to hear what people think, especially about things like this.
Meaning: Reviews are much appreciated. That's a rather weak term, actually... *g*
Additional A/N:
E - *hangs head* I'm sorry. Really! But as I said, he _needed_ to get to Rivendell and since _some _ people here insisted that I poison him... I hope you still liked it, at least Legolas is okay now! *nervous smile* That's something, isn't it? ISN'T IT??
Alexa - Wow! Four, no five reviews! Thanks! *huggles her* Well, I'll admit, the note last time was fake, just to make you nervous, as you see, nothing happened to Legolas. I know that doesn't make me very popular right now, but it was the right thing to do. *folds arms across chest* Yes. It was. Hmm, Legolas-Elrond-interaction... I dunno right now. I think I have more Elladan/Elrohir/Legolas interaction, but I'll see what I can do - anything to keep my readers happy! *g* Oh, and I totally agree - someone should give Aragorn a helmet or something! *evil grin* About Legolas' age nothing is known, but I've always assumed the same. The twins are (in III 2953) 2823 old though. Thanks for the reviews! *hugs her*
Firnsarnien - *grins evilly* Yes, I know, I and cliffies - not a good combination! Nor a healthy one for the readers, mind you... *blushes* Thanks for the compliments! And, to be honest, I'm always one or two chapters ahead, right now I'm writing ch 12. Thanks for reviewing!
Imbefaniel - Sorry! (Why do I have the feeling I will have to say that a lot more times today? Could it be a kind of ... foreboding? A premonition? Or logical deduction?? *g*) But you're right, it would indeed have complicated things - too much! And since I didn't want poor Legolas to die ... and I couldn't resisit the potential guilt trip... Ah well. I'm evil, that's it. Hope you still liked it!
Kaeera - *kichert* Ja ja ja, wer mag denn Drama/Angst nicht? (Legolas, Aragorn, Elrond, Elladan/Elrohir heben die Hand: ICH!!!) Ach, seid IHR mal still... *g* Und seid unbedorgt, edle Dame, ich glaube nicht, dass sich da was in naechster Zeit aendern wird! V.a. Kapitel 12... *schaudert* Mensch, ich bin doch nicht C&S! Warum musste ich sowas unbedingt hier drin haben... *schuettelt Kopf* Ich Idiot. Na ja, genug gelabert, danke!! Ich hoffe, es gefaellt dir weiterhin! *umarmt sie*
Alilacia - *points proudly at chapter* This one _isn't_ a cliffy! Well, not a real one, anyway... Please, DON'T hurt my characters! I know Donyc is a jerk and evil and sadistic, but I need him! And don't worry, once his family/friend get their hands on this evil troupe of idiots, they will regret having ever cometo Rivendell in the first place! *evil grin* I can hardly wait!!
Lina - *removes her pink fluffy earmuffs which have protected her against Lina's screams of protest* What did you say? *looks down at earmuffs and strokes them lovingly* Aren't they great? Every author should have a pair of these! *edges backwards slowly* Okay, Lina, everything's going to be just fine... *remembers ch12* ... eventually ... *looks at Éomer* Is she safe to approach now? (Éomer: *shrugs* I dunno. But she thinks I'm cute! *grins*) Heck, Rohirrim... Well, but he's right, I wouldn't kill our dear Estel - hurt him is an entirely different thing though... *evil grin*
Miss Undastood - *gulp* You really wouldn't stop reviewing? *hastily* Okay, okay, I'm posting, see? *huggles her* Thanks for all your reviews (including your future ones *wink wink*), and your lovely compliments! *blushes* Thanks!
Halo - *huggles her some more* See? Your prayers have been heard, Legolas was not harmed! He is in Rivendell and safe and with his friends... *someone: What about Aragorn, though?* Ah well, you can't have everything, can you? He'll be fine... in the end ... *evil grin* Thanks so much for reviewing, I LOVE seeing your reviews! *gives her another hug for good measure* Thank you!!
CalliTrakand - *pats Calli's back* That's a very sensible attitude! Really! Reviews are just soooo great, they really DO make me post faster! Really!! *confused* Cut back on the cliffies? Why? They are soooo much fun!! *evil grin* Well, I don't know, but somehow it just happens! There's nothing I can do!? It's my alter ego, I swear, she makes me do these things! But I'll see what I can do, although ch11 is another one, sorry, it's already finished... That's the chapter in which you find out about the evil elf's motives as well, so only a few more days (hmm, considering that FF.net is closing on Friday and Saturday, really some more!) and then you'll understand... *g*
Aurienia - *blushes* Wow ... so many compliments ... thank you! *outraged* What do you mean, knowing me something's gonna happen? I resent that!! *g* Okay, so maybe it happens sometimes in the story... *g* *slaps Aurienia's hands* Stop biting nails! If you think _this_ is bad, you won't have any nails left by the end of the story! Well, yes, Nólad, I haven't quite decided yet, but I think he's more on the good side. A bit. At least right now. Might change, though... *evil cackle* Everything's possible!
Zam - *tries to keep her back with one hand while with the other grabbing Lina* Éomer! Help me!! They're getting away! They will start beating up my characters again! Help!!! *looks at Zam's visions in disgust* Only YOU could've come up with something like that! Typical! LOL, the 'worry gene'?! You could say that... And then it WOULD be all his fault, as well... *g* *slaps Zam* Stop being mean to poor Elrohir! *huggles him* OF COURSE he is wise, he's an elf, after all... *hides behind Stan* I AM SORRY! But as I explained, it was necessary not to let Legolas get captured! Otherwise he would be dead right now, do you want that? DO YOU??? *pokes her*
Carrie - *takes off her pink earmuffs hastily and grabs Carrie* No!! Don't! Stop it! Don't hurt him! We still need him to get to Aragorn in time and save him from this crazy elf... Don't worry, Estel's gonna be fine - sometime in the future, that is ... not right now... *evil grin* Besides, it's not really Legolas' fault, I'm not really sure whose fault it is though... *shrugs* I'll have to think about it.
Larus - I'm not blackmailing! All I do is make a friendly suggestion ot two! *fake smile* But I think I will have to come to Legolas' defence here: The poor boy, uhm, sorry, elf was sick! He was hot and ill and hurt and poisoned and ... *takes a deep breath* Okay, let's just say he wasn't feeling well, okay? I mean, even elves can get sick (if they are poisoned first, that is), and then they can act just like sick humans do... Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this as well!
Salara - *erschaudert* Netz- und Computertechnische Probleme? NEIN!!! Um eine wunderbare fanfic zu zitieren "That's the herald of DOOM!!!" (namens "The Swear Box", ich weiss leider nicht von wem, ist aber tierisch komisch!!!) Jajaja, Entschuldigung akzeptiert, das hatten wir doch alle schon mal... *mitleidiges Kopfschuetteln* Danke! *grinst froehlich* Ein Lob von einem von euch beiden ist doch was! Tjajaja, die beiden sich auch immer weiter, und zwar in Richtungen, an die ich am Anfang gar nicht gedacht hatte ... sehr merkwürdig... *g*
Ciria - *g* Very happy! Every review makes me VERY happy indeed... *shakes head* Don't be so curious! Everything shall be revealed in due time... Oh, and O'm sure that IF elves could get grey hair, Elrond would have got the first ones ages (literally!) ago... *g* Thanks for reviewing! *munching cake* Thanks!
Jenny - *freezes in fear* NEVER say that! NEVER EVER say that! If you say "Can things get any worse" life will find a way to prove that yes, indeed, they can, thank you very much. *g* Thanks for the review, and I'm sorry about the cliffy!
TrustingFriendship - *frowns* Hey, I like your idea! That would have been a smart thing to do - but hey, we are talking about Legolas, right? And a sick Legolas, that is... *evil grin* It's too late now anyway. *shrugs* Thanks for the review!!
ManuKu - Tja ja, der Alltag - das ist wirklich etwas, auf das ich gut verzichten koennte ... *g* Wow! *grosse Augen krieg* Ich werde in eurer Fanfic-schreib-Hotline erwaehnt? Was fuer eine Ehre!!! *stolz in die Runde guck* WOW!!! *fieses Grinsen* Na ja, wenn du bei einem kleinen Messer schon Schauder bekommst, dann will ich gar nicht wissen, wie du auf den Rest reagierst... *kichert* Nein, ich glaube nicht, dass sich Seobryn oder Nólad auf diese Art von unserem Lieblingsranger angezogen fuehlen... *zuckt Schultern* Tja, ich fuerchte Legolas ist jetzt hier - nach mir, versteht sich - die meistgehassteste Person ... Na ja, damit muss man leben! *g*
And, again, a huge thanks to all reviewers! You guys are great!!! You manage to brighten my day, even if it's snowing like so often these days ... *grumbles* Snow! I'm always on the look-out for mountain goblins, you never know... *g*