Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.
A/N:
Wooohooooo!! I'm back!! *hugs her internet connection*
You cannot imagine how happy I am, I had to spend ONE WEEK without internet access. One week!! *tragic sigh*
Ah well, I managed, somehow, and have written a great many chapters - well, to be honest, two more, but that's beside the point. *g*
I'm afraid there is absolutely no way I will be able to post all of this before I'm leaving, but I promise I will try to post there as soon as possible. One way or another, the last chapter will be posted in the next three weeks. Deal?
Some of you asked how the heck Cornallar knows about the patrols and stuff. It is a very important question, but, unfortunately, a question that cannot be answered until chapter 19, I'm afraid. So, keep guessing and have a little more patience, okay? *evil grin*
Very well, finally, and without further ado, I present chapter 17, in which Estel and his 'friends' reach their destination, Donyc proves to be even more stupid than we thought, Elrond goes on his own little guilt trip, we finally find out just WHY Cornallar hates Anárion, and, as mentioned before, our intrepid trio runs into trouble. A whole lot of trouble... *g*
*shrugs*
The usual, really.
Have fun and review, then I might post the next part before I leave in a week!
Thanks!!
Chapter 17
"We're here."
The softly spoken elvish words brought Aragorn out of the trance-like state he had spent the past few hours in. After the humans had broken camp they had made their way north, following a small path that ran between the Misty Mountains and the Great River, riding as fast as they could in an effort to get to their destination as quickly as possible.
If Aragorn had thought he had hurt yesterday, he was soon set right as they seemed to fly across the country, causing every single bone in his body to scream in pain. He hadn't even known human bones could hurt like this, but every time his horse hit a stone or stumbled slightly, he found out that there were even more places in which one could hurt. Fiercely.
In the beginning he had tried to stay alert and search for any signs that Nólad had been lying and that there was a Mirkwood patrol nearby, but after a few hours he had given up, concentrating on the nearly impossible task of not falling off his horse, which proved to become more difficult by the second. He was so focused on this that he didn't even notice that the path became stonier and even harder to make out, nor that they turned away from it after a few hours, following another one that led up the slopes of the mountains again, cleverly concealed by shrubbery and small woods.
Under normal circumstances he would have been on the look-out for a chance to escape or would have at the very least been studying his surroundings closely, mapping the landscape in his mind to be able to find his way back later, but these were anything but normal circumstances. His body throbbed mercilessly, and he had soon decided that it was better to keep his eyes shut if he didn't want to aggravate his headache or the fact that the world seemed to blur together slightly once in a while.
At the fair haired elf's words he lifted his head and opened his eyes, thankfully noting that the world stayed still as it was wont to do. He almost gasped at the sight that presented itself in front of his eyes: In the middle of stony mountain peaks and wild woods lay a small valley, partly hidden by tall, beautiful trees and undergrowth, but there were glades full of green grass dotted here and there, and on the far side there rose a smaller mountain peak that looked as if there were several darker spots on it whose nature Aragorn couldn't identify right away.
The young ranger squinted and tried to follow the concealed path with his eyes; to him it seemed that the path was leading up right to the rock face, but it was hidden so expertly that even he couldn't say for sure. He shook his head slightly, astonished by the fact that there could exist something as beautiful as this valley in such an inhospitable environment.
Tearing his eyes away from the valley, he asked Nólad,
"We are where?"
"Home," the elf replied, shifting his upper body to look at the human, a small smile on his face, "The home we built us after we left Imladris nearly 3000 years ago."
A look of pain and sadness stole over his light grey eyes, as if in memory of events long past.
Casting a look at the humans that were gathering behind them, the emotions disappeared as quickly as they had come.
"Welcome to Eskadol, dúnadan." With a pointed look at Donyc, he added, "Let's see if your friends have already arrived, shall we?"
The dark haired human returned the glance, confidence on his face.
"They will be here, Master Elf, don't worry. My men know better than to let me wait."
Nólad looked at the human commander, raising a mocking eyebrow.
"We'll see," he said curtly and spurred his horse on, descending the steep slope that led down into the valley and pulling Aragorn's horse after him. Despite what he'd told the man, he firmly believed his words. He was sure Donyc's men knew indeed better than to disobey their commander, and he couldn't blame them.
As the horses started to move again, the young ranger tilted to the side, but managed to regain his balance shortly before he actually dropped out of the saddle. They drew nearer and nearer to the rock face and he noted that the path was indeed leading up to it, winding and dodging jagged rocks that seemed to grow out of the earth like giant grey trees. Here and there he could see small wooden buildings that seemed to blend into their surroundings just like most elven buildings tended to, and even though they were made of untreated wood and bore no adornments, they were still beautiful and reminded him painfully of his home.
Aragorn smiled softly when he remembered the day he had sat on the balcony railing with Elrohir, talking about Elladan's hair.
'Valar, was that truly only ten days ago? It feels like a lifetime or two! I wonder if his hair's still green though…'
His thoughts were interrupted when Nólad stopped his horse and prepared to dismount. The young human looked up and could very nearly not stop his jaw from dropping. His eyes growing wide, he bit down on his split lower lip in an attempt to stifle the laughter that rose inside of him.
Shaking his head and closing his eyes, he chuckled inwardly.
'Ah, Legolas, my friend, if you could see this!'
At the sound of the fair haired elf's amused voice he opened his eyes again, scanning Nólad for signs that this was an elaborate joke of some kind.
"Is there something funny you would like to share, young one?"
Aragorn took a deep breath and answered, fumbling for words,
"It's … it's a cave, isn't it?"
Nólad took his eyes off the dark openings in the rock face and studied the young ranger closely, wondering for a moment if all of this had proven to have been too great a strain on the human's sanity and he was slowly losing it.
"Yes, it is a cave. We only use the caverns closest to the rock face, and only two or three since there are only two of us left. Once you get used to it, it is actually quite a beautiful place to live, very much like the lower levels of the palace of Eryn Lasgalen, or Mirkwood as it is now called."
Aragorn closed his eyes again and grinned broadly. This was priceless.
'Just what I have been telling him since I first laid eyes on what they call the lower levels and the cellars! They are caves, and now I have the proof that elves truly chose them as homes…'
The elf watched the human's peculiar behaviour and decided that he really didn't want to know. He would never understand edain, he decided as he cut the rope that was connecting his horse to the ranger's, not even this one that was so much like an elf that it surprised him on a regular basis. He reached up and helped the man get off his horse, which caused the young human to hiss in pain and slump against him once his feet touched the ground, unable to support his weight on his own.
Without much effort Nólad gripped his left arm and pulled him upright, unconsciously tightening his hold when Donyc stepped closer, an amused smile on his face when he looked at the swaying ranger.
"Tired already, ranger?" he asked, receiving a withering glare from their captive who tried to straighten up and stand on his own, without much success however.
Still smiling broadly, the human commander turned to the elf that looked at him with disgust hidden in the depths of his grey eyes, and added, gesturing behind him,
"See, Master Elf, I told you so. They are here."
The fair haired elf's eyes strayed behind the human where a group of about twenty men rode up to meet them, shouting greetings at the men already present. He turned back to the dark haired human, giving him an insincere smile.
"I never doubted that, Master Human," he said, pulling the ranger upright who, despite his best efforts, was slowly tipping to the side again as his strength gave out, exhausted by the two days of travelling on horseback.
Fixing a stern look on Donyc, he pushed Aragorn forward slightly, motioning a man to come closer and take the young man from him.
"Have someone bring him up to the main cavern and make sure he doesn't get away. Your men can camp here, like the last time. Would you accompany me to your friends?"
Donyc nodded and turned to the man, giving him and Addramyr a number of orders concerning the design of the camp. Taking Aragorn's arm from the other human, Donyc's second-in-command gave him a rough shove into the direction of the caves, leaning forwards and whispering something in his captive's ear so softly that not even Nólad could understand it, but obviously, the ranger could, for he stiffened and muttered something under his breath that earned him another hard push and a blow to his head that caused him to stumble heavily.
The fair haired elf turned and followed Donyc to the men who had just arrived, wondering for a moment if the ranger was just stupid or had indeed a death wish, antagonizing the men the way he did.
'No,' he told himself, patting a horse on his way that whinnied softly and looked after him sadly when he walked on, 'He isn't stupid. He knows that Cornallar doesn't intend to let him live, so what has he got to lose? Besides, I think it runs in the family. The way I remember him, Elendil was much the same when he was younger, as were his sons."
The thought of Elendil's sons that had been dead for nearly 3000 years now, his heart once again clenched in fury and pain. Fighting off the unwanted memories of dead and broken bodies, bodies still fair and beautiful even in death, the bodies of people he had known and loved for centuries, he clenched his teeth and shook his head to calm himself as they neared the humans.
'Perhaps he is right after all,' he told himself firmly, ignoring the small voice of protest that piped up at that, 'Perhaps these pictures will finally fade once he gets his revenge.'
His mind still dwelled on this when Donyc stepped up to him, trailed by another man, apparently the leader of the humans who had just arrived.
"Master Elf, let me introduce Gwaer. To him we owe the fact that the men got here that quickly."
Nólad gave the man a slight nod before turning back to Donyc.
"Their presence is much appreciated. Now that we have enough men at our command, I'd suggest you and I confer on where to post the guards. There are several strategic points all around the edges of this valley, and if we post sentinels there, it will be nearly impossible for anyone to get past the perimeter without us noticing."
The humans nodded, and Donyc asked, slight confusion on his face,
"Do you think there will be anyone coming for him?"
He nodded into the direction Addramyr had taken Aragorn, a taunting twinkle in his dark eyes.
The elf looked at him unbelievingly, silently adding stupidity to the ever growing lists of character traits he kept about the human commander.
"If not for him, Master Human, they will be coming for the elf my lord is meeting with right now, of that you can be sure. I hope that whoever was surely following them has been … dissuaded from that course of action, but just in case they were not, I want to make sure that we know of their presence before they know of ours. Understood?"
He gave both of them a glare that discouraged the men from asking any more questions in the very beginning.
"Very well then. If you would follow me back to the caverns, we have a few maps there with whose help we can decide where to post your men."
He turned on his heel and walked off into the direction of his home, musings on how his friend and Lord Elrond were doing. As he watched the dark, looming openings of the caves come closer, he tried to suppress the voices that echoed inside his head, shrieking and questioning if it was truly the right thing he was doing.
The Lord of Rivendell watched the sun set over the Misty Mountains, turning the white, gleaming snow a soft pink colour, and wondered for the umpteenth time how it was possible that so many things had gone so very wrong in such short a time.
He could hardly remember the morning when it had all started, the morning he had made the first mistake in a series of many more spectacular mistakes, the morning he had ordered his friend and advisor to go against his instincts and leave for Lothlórien.
Dropping his eyes to the ground, Elrond shook his head softly, musing if perhaps everything would have been different if Glorfindel hadn't left when he had. Rarely had he felt that he needed his friend as urgently as now who masked his wisdom and understanding by a playful attitude and a merry laugh.
'Oh, mellonamin, if I have ever needed you, now is the time! But I ordered you to go, blind as I was to what the future would bring. I pray to the Valar that you arrive safely, and are spared from this storm that seems so intent on destroying each and every one that was ever dear to me.'
He shook his head again as he contemplated if he should return to the camp the men had pitched a few hundred feet to his right, or if he should just stay here, watch the sunset and dwell on old doubts that the encounter with Cornallar had brought back to life.
He hadn't thought about that unfortunate battle for a long time, a very long time, for after a while, when the first pain and shock had abated, he had been convinced that there really hadn't been anything that he or the last King of Arnor and Gondor could have done to save the squad of elven and human warriors. Nobody could have known that it had been an ambush, that the orcs had been waiting for them, attracted by the standards the men bore…
'Are you so sure about that?' another part of his mind whispered, sounding astonishingly like his former advisor, 'Who was the one gifted with foresight, Peredhil? You or Elendil? He couldn't have known, he was never exceptionally gifted in that particular skill, unlike others of the royal line of Númenor, but you, you could have known. You should have known. And you did.'
Elrond let himself sink down onto a small boulder that lay at the very top of the little rise that overlooked the glorious landscape of the mountains, staring into nothing, oblivious to the beautiful scenery or the biting chill of the wind.
Yes, somehow, he had known. He had had a very bad feeling when the troop had left, he had known that something wasn't right.
'Just like with Estel. You knew there was something wrong, you knew something was going to happen, and still you let him go. Why is that, o mighty Lord of Imladris? The Valar haven't gifted you with this only to have you ignore every single warning you receive. You failed them, your sons, Legolas and so many others…'
He was fast approaching the point at which the despair threatened to swallow him whole, but just short of that an image appeared in front of his eyes, shimmering in the cold air: The picture of his wife, his beloved Celebrían, smiling at him and telling him that he was a fool to burden himself with the guilt of all of Arda, blaming himself for things that had been far out of his control, that not even he could have prevented.
He smiled sadly when he could almost see the beautiful mischievous sparkle in her eyes he had adored so much whenever she told him to stop worrying and take a walk with her instead. A sparkle, he noted dryly, that he saw far too often in his sons' eyes of late. All three of them.
Elrond shook himself slightly and took a deep breath. Celebrían had been right, as usual. As had Elrohir, for that matter; sometimes it made his heart ache how much the twins took after their mother. He might have had a vague foreboding that fateful day 3000 years ago, but, then again, he had had that for the full length of the war. There had hardly been a day when he hadn't had the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and, usually, something bad did indeed happen. But there had been no way to predict when or where or even to whom it would happen, just like that day he had let his two younger sons go, a week ago.
'This was not your fault,' a soft voice inside his head whispered, 'You did what you could.'
The Lord of Rivendell smiled, for the first time taking in his slowly darkening surroundings. No, it had not been his fault, and he was sure that neither his elven sons nor Aragorn blamed him. He stood and straightened his tall frame, the despair that had shone in his eyes just minutes ago replaced by a sense of peace and determination. He wouldn't allow Cornallar to fill him with hopelessness, and neither would he fall for the obvious trap of letting himself be consumed by darkness and hate as his former advisor had done.
He understood the grief that the other elf was experiencing, now more than ever, but he would not permit it to steal away hope, light and love in exchange for an all-consuming hatred.
Watching the last rays of the red sun disappear behind the jagged, snow covered mountains, he turned and walked back to the camp, deciding that he could as well sit by the fire and worry there. And make the men feel uncomfortable by giving them the look, he admitted to himself after a second; while it was not helping his situation any, it was strangely satisfactory.
'Glorfindel wouldn't be too impressed by that attitude,' a reprimanding voice said sternly inside his head. Elrond grinned and shook his head; somehow he had the feeling that his old friend would understand his behaviour perfectly well under these circumstances. Even though he would have to be prepared for a serious conversation about acting like a millennia old elf lord should, Glorfindel loved these.
After a moment the camp appeared, and he noted, with some satisfaction, that the men did not look very happy to see him return. His grey eyes wandered over the men, and he noticed that Cornallar was waiting at the edge of the small concavity in the rock they had chosen for a camping spot, standing lightly on top of the snow.
And, unless the dark haired elf had invited some mountain goblins for dinner, which wouldn't have surprised Elrond in the slightest by now, he was waiting for him.
Trying to fight down the anger that threatened to overtake him every time he set eyes on his former counsellor, he stepped closer, not wanting to give the other elf the impression that he was afraid of him. His keen eyes soon found the grinning sneer on the other's face, and, thinking of what was probably happening to his sons and Legolas right now, the fury intensified tenfold, darkening his eyes and increasing to such levels that every sensible being, from hobbit to ent, would have considered running into the other direction.
Very, very fast and without looking back.
Cornallar was either not a sensible being, or he knew the elf lord very well. Elrond's fury was a helpless one, and both of them knew he couldn't do anything right now if he didn't wish to endanger his human son's life.
His enjoyment of this situation was very clearly visible in his dark eyes as he gave the Lord of Imladris a contemptuous smile and asked,
"Back already, Peredhil? I hadn't expected you back for some time, after all, a father needs time to come to terms with the loss of his children. But perhaps it is different for you?"
Elrond clenched his jaw tightly. Without a word he tried to brush the dark haired elf aside, telling himself firmly that nothing would be solved if he tried to kill him now. The only winner would be Cornallar, having finally been presented with a reason to have the humans kill Estel. Before he could get past his former advisor, a slender hand shot out and grabbed him by the arm, spinning him around slightly.
Looking down at the hand that held his arm in a firm grip, he slowly raised his eyes and fixed them on the other elf, barely restrained anger in his gaze.
"I am in no mood for your games, Cornallar. Let me pass."
"And I am in no mood for yours, my lord," the dark haired elf hissed back, stepping closer to him. "You are no longer in Imladris! You're nobody out here, don't forget that! And if you wish to see your little edan once more, I would advise you to answer me when I ask you a question!"
Elrond studied the dark, burning eyes closely. Cornallar wouldn't need much to snap now, so blinded was he by his hate and the near promise of revenge.
"They are not dead and nothing you or the humans say could convince me otherwise."
The other elf didn't let go of his arm, his grip tightening painfully.
"And how do you know this? Is this one of your famous visions?" Cornallar asked sarcastically. "As accurate as the one that promised my son a safe return?"
"I did never say that," the elf lord stated softly, his eyes adopting a slightly pained look. "I didn't know what would befall them. And neither did Elendil or Gil-galad. If I had known I would have done everything in my power to prevent it from happening, you know that."
Cornallar's fingers were digging into his flesh so painfully now that Elrond was sure that the other elf would have snapped his bone in less than a minute if he continues like this.
"Oh, I do not doubt that, Peredhil," he spat sarcastically, "I'm sure you would have done anything to save your beloved edain! But still, Tinánd is dead! And since you are the only one still alive I can punish for your actions…"
The dark haired elf's word trailed off as he gave the elf lord an evil smile.
Elrond lifted his head, his eyes burning with anger and contempt now.
"I know that, Cornallar! But you only speak of what you want, what you are going to do to get your revenge, you never even contemplate what he would have wanted! Don't you remember your own son? Tinánd would never have wanted this! He was a kind and understanding elf, and he would never have wished anyone harm who did all he could to help him! Neither would he have wanted innocent ones to die, not to mention the Prince of Mirkwood and a human child that hasn't even seen his 25th summer!"
Cornallar tightened his hold even more, and Elrond could have sworn he could hear the small, cracking noises of a slowly breaking bone. With his other hand he produced his dagger and held it up in front of Elrond's face.
"Do not tempt me, Peredhil! I told you not to speak his name again! This is the very last warning you will receive. And do not lecture me on what my own son was like! He was perfectly normal, behaving just as befitting a young lord, until you and that human poisoned his mind!"
Elrond's eyes strayed from the gleaming metal of the knife to the other elf's irate face.
'He really believes what he is saying!' he realized with some surprise. Cornallar couldn't really believe that he had changed Tinánd's behaviour, could he?
"This is not true, Cornallar," he said insistently, trying to get through to his former counsellor. "Neither I nor anybody else chose his friends for him. When he befriended Anárion, it was out of his own free will. And rarely have I seen a pair of more dedicated friends."
Cornallar scowled and his grip on the dagger tightened, his hand shaking slightly.
"A fine friend indeed!" he jeered, hatred distorting his features into an ugly mask, "A weak friend, a friend that got him killed! Nothing but heartache and pain can be the result when immortals mingle with lower races! You know that, don't you?"
Elrond looked at him in pity as he shook his head softly.
"Orcs killed your son, no one else. It was his decision to go, and no one made it for him, not I or Gil-galad, not Elendil or his elven friends, not even Anárion. No one is to blame for that, neither I nor the High King's younger son."
At this Cornallar smiled softly, but it was a smile that caused a cold shiver to run down the elf lord's back. He didn't want to see that smile on an elven face ever again.
"There I disagree, my lord," the dark haired elf whispered quietly, re-sheathing the knife and letting go of Elrond's arm that felt as if it had splintered into countless tiny pieces.
"And unless his worthless descendants hadn't died out a millennium ago, I would have made sure that they attended our little party as well. But, alas, you can't have everything! I'll have to be content with what I've got, wouldn't you agree?"
Elrond looked at the dark haired elf seriously.
"Nothing you plan will appease his soul or yours, Cornallar. He has found his peace already, of that I'm sure. Both of them have."
Cornallar looked at him unperturbed.
"We'll see. You should get some rest, my lord," he said mockingly, "We'll travel hard tomorrow. I wish to have crossed the mountains in two days, it would be very impolite to let the others and your beloved human son wait, don't you think?"
He turned and walked off into the direction Elrond had come from a few minutes ago, anger and hate radiating off him. The Lord of Rivendell watched him go before turning back to the camp, fetching his pack and retreating as far as possible to the side of the snow free rock overhang that they had chosen as shelter this night. Suddenly not even the thought of unsettling the humans appealed to him in the slightest.
Leaning back against the rock wall, hidden from the humans by a large boulder, he carefully examined his arm and came to the conclusion that it wasn't broken, only very badly bruised. His hands strayed shortly to the cut on his throat, making sure the wound hadn't broken up again. When he was convinced that he would live through the night, he let his head rest on the hard, cold surface he was leaning against and fell asleep swifter than he would have thought possible, sending a prayer to the Valar to watch over his sons and the prince.
"Well, if I needed any more reasons to hate goblins, they have kindly presented themselves. In abundance."
Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes for about the hundredth time since that accursed cave-in. Now even Elrohir was beginning to make smart comments. Not that he could blame the twins at all, he felt just the same. Every step he took deeper under the mountains was like a bit more weight put on his shoulders, threatening to drag him down into a bottomless abyss of darkness and hopelessness. But, actually, they were suffering worse than him, since he had been here once already.
'As if that would be of much help,' he thought wryly, 'If we don't get out of here soon, this darkness is going to choke me.'
Behind him, he heard the still slightly grumpy voice of Elladan tell his brother,
"Well, in all fairness, I don't believe they meant this … tunnel to be used by anyone but their own kind."
"I am not so sure of this," Elrohir replied, turning and looking at his brother without slowing his walk, "It could have been a cunning plan to lure stupid, foolish, crazy, reckless and idiotic elflings into this! What do you think, my friend?" he asked, turning back to face the elven prince, a wicked sparkle in his eyes.
Legolas ignored the teasing words of his friend and quickened his pace. It wouldn't help any of them if he throttled Aragorn's brothers. But then again, perhaps Lord Elrond would be thankful that he did not have to do it himself and would refrain from throttling him… Grinning evilly, the fair haired elf allowed himself to dwell on that thought for a little longer, until he felt a hand grab the back of his tunic, stopping his progress.
"Legolas? I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sorry if I have."
The younger twin's serious voice caused the prince to smile. Turning around, he let his eyes wander over the twins who stood before him, looking a bit guilty and anxious.
"You did not insult me, mellonamin. The darkness and the narrow tunnels are enough to make even a dwarf testy and nervous. Besides," he shrugged and gave them a lopsided grin, wincing as that movement caused his broken ribs to scream in pain, "You were right. I was young and stupid."
"Don't forget 'foolish, crazy, reckless and idiotic'," Elladan mumbled, receiving a dark glare from his brother that the older twin either missed in the nearly complete darkness that enveloped them or ignored superiorly.
"That is something still open to debate, I think," Legolas replied in mock haughtiness, causing the twins to chuckle merrily.
He watched them for a second or two before joining in, but stopped quickly when his chest and head informed him just what they thought of such actions.
"Stop it!" he managed to gasp, still slightly out of breath, "Laughing hurts. A lot. How is it that you two always gang up on me when we're alone?"
"Oh, dear friend, that's not fair," Elladan protested, holding his head that was apparently quite intent on parting company with his body once and for all, having decided that its current owner wasn't looking after it properly, "We don't gang up only on you. We are merely an excellent team, so we gang up on everybody else! We do it with Estel all the time when you're not there …"
That name sobered all three of them as effectively as if someone had taken a bucket of ice cold water and had emptied it over their heads. As if on cue, the young elves looked at each other.
"We should go on," three voices said in unison, and in all three could the strong determination to find their friend and brother be heard.
Giving the brothers a smile, Legolas nodded slightly.
"We should. We have made good time, tomorrow at this hour we should have reached the exit, and then we will be about half a day ahead of them. Perhaps there's even time to get some of our warrior to help."
Elladan retuned the smile.
"That would be very fortunate indeed. We would be most thankful for any help Mirkwood could offer."
"You shall have all the help we can possibly give, sons of Elrond. That I promise," Legolas said formally, gazing at the twins seriously. He knew his father would have no objections to that promise, not with Lord Elrond's and Aragorn's life at risk.
Accepting the nod of thanks from the dark haired elves, he turned back to his horse and led it on, on into the monotonous darkness of the tunnel. The elven prince shot the animal a quick look and was surprised to see that it was relatively calm for once. If the white horse had had a taxing character before all of this, then it was nearly unbearable now. Apart from that, he was sure that the beast had somehow come to the conclusion that the twins were to blame for all this. He had not missed the looks it had shot them, and he made a mental note not to let the animal alone with either of them. If Elrohir didn't want to explain to Aragorn why Legolas had been killed in a cave-in, then he didn't want to explain to his human friend why his horse had killed one or both of his brothers.
It was quiet for a while but for the soft hoofbeat of the horse and the almost inaudible sounds of elven footsteps, when the horse grew slightly agitated again. Sighing in exasperation, the fair haired elf stroked its neck gently and whispered elvish words into its ear, trying to calm the beast. When this didn't seem to work, Legolas frowned. This was quite unusual, the horse didn't seem ill-tempered this time, it was more as if…
Before he could finish that thought, Elladan's voice sounded from the back.
"What is the matter with that monster? It hates us, I know it does…"
"It hates you, brother. I had it under control quite well the last time we stopped."
The older twin snorted at his brother's comment.
"Oh yes, and how? That's something I'd like to see…"
The twins were so concentrated on their bickering that they nearly didn't notice that the prince stopped suddenly, still trying to soothe the horse that grew even more nervous now and cocking his head to the side in an attempt to listen more closely.
"What is it?" Elrohir asked, before freezing and drawing in a shocked breath when he heard what had spooked the horse and had caused his friend to stop: The sound of many heavy feet that caused the hard ground to rumble softly; even the stone didn't seem happy about being trodden on by whoever it was that was coming their way.
"Goblins," his brother whispered softly, looking at them in alarm.
Legolas nodded in agreement, his eyes darting around the tunnel for any possibility to escape detection.
"Or something of their kind. At least thirty, I would say."
The twins looked at him in shock.
"We cannot fight that many! We couldn't even fight twenty right now, none of us is in the condition for battle!" Elrohir said quietly, trying to move his left arm and groaning when a stab of white-hot pain shot through his shoulder.
"I know, my friend, I know," Legolas replied in a deceivingly calm voice, his mind spinning crazily as he tried to come up with a way to avoid the goblins.
'That's the second time in a week now,' a taunting voice inside his head noted.
As if he didn't know, Legolas thought irritated. This was getting really annoying. If he survived this encounter, he would gladly travel to the Gap of Rohan every time he needed to cross the Misty Mountains, the prince decided. What did it matter that this was a detour of several weeks? At least there were no mountain goblins there. Or caves, for that matter.
Elbereth, if Aragorn ever heard about this episode, he would never let him live it down…
"Legolas?" Elladan asked sharply. "Do you have an idea? Any idea?"
The fair haired elf shook his head slowly.
"None."
In the distance, the noise of rumbling feet grew louder and louder, resounding in the narrow confines of the tunnels and shaking the ground beneath the elves' feet as the creatures quickly drew closer.
TBC...
dúnadan - 'Man of the West', ranger
edain - humans, men (pl.)
mellonamin - my friend
edan - human, man (sg.)
*grins evilly* Well, yes, it's a cliffy, and I admit it. I just couldn't resist! There was no real cliffy for two chapters!! We can't have that, can we??
Okay, send me a review and I'll try to get the next part out sooner, in which we'll see quite a lot of Estel angst, something which I have badly neglected in the past, as my dear sister brought to my attention.
Just a few lines would make me happy and prompt the creative part of my brain to work overtime! Promise!!
Additional A/N:
ThE iNsAnE oNe - It's not! *points at flu virus* It's its fault!! We should set our wargs on it, really... I still have a slight cold, it's nearly unbearable - and annoying! *looks at Tio suspiciously* Well, I hope the next part comes out soon, for your sake. Otherwise I might get a little upset - and I have Elrond's chainsaw, remember that!! I hope you are better now, being sick is, well, annoying to say the least.
Zam - *whaps Zam and Lina* STOP - CALLING - HIM - THAT!!!! How many times have I told you... *takes a deep breath* Okay, I'm calm now... But you may keep hitting him, Cornallar is getting a bit of annoying, so go on, just let him live, okay? *grins evilly* Why did I know you would comment on the trees? But, come on, there is not much in a forest into which you can slam people, is there? *hands Zam a big cookie* Well done. You are one of the few people who noticed this really important remark - but sorry, I can't tell you anything. It would ruin the surprise... *evil grin* I'll go to have a look at the trailer right away, now that I'm back online I can do ANYTHING!! Yay Nili!!!
Miss Undastood - *blushes* Stop saying that, it will give me delusions of grandeur - but it has a nice ring to it... *g* No, don't worry, I have decided to let Seobryn live - live, mind you, I don't guarantee that he will be in a good condition or anything. Well, English is indeed not my first language. It's German. Ugly, stupid language if you ask me, most of the time, anyway. I mean, there are Goethe and Schiller (poets) and people like them, but otherwise ... ugly. Just have a look at the lines below. Ugly, isn't it?
Kaeera - Na ja, ich hoffe, du hast nichts dagegen, dass ich das hier jetzt als Anschauungsobjekt missbrauche, um aufzuzeigen, wie haesslich Deutsch sein kann. Oder? Tjajaja, die Zwillinge koennen schon ganz schoen dreist sein, oder? Darum lieben wir sie doch auch!*knuddelt sie* Keine Angst, die naechsten Kapitel haben noch eine Menge Zwillings-Action, und ich habe sogar noch eine Elrohir-Verletzung eingebaut (hm, eigentlich zwei), nur fuer dich! Musst allerdings noch ein bisschen warten...
Mouse - *narrows eyes* A breakfast spread? Then why are you calling it 'evil'? Can a breakfast spread be evil? *imagines breakfast spread that is trying to choke you when you are eating it* O-kay, that was a weird vision... Yay, more M&Ms!! Thanks!! Okay, so you want Legolas to kill Donyc? *looks around her* Don't tell anyone, but I'm thinking about something along those lines, too... *g*
Lina - His name is Cornallar!! CORNALLAR, for crying out loud, is that so hard to understand?? *glares at her* Got it?? *pats Lina's back* Don't worry, Cornallar will get what he deserves (in this case, a painful death *g*), there won't be anything left of him when I'm - or my plot devices - are through with him ... *evil grin* Well - yes... *studies Éomer* I mean, he's always cute, but he's _especially_ cute when angry and forceful. Very, very cute... *licks lips* Éomer: Uh-oh. LOL.
Imbefaniel - Uhm, no, but my connection is from a company who has made the biggest loss this year in this country's history - I wonder why?? *g* But thanks, my computer is better now, it's working again - for now. *gives computer evil glare of death* You never know.
Belle - See? *smiles nervously* It wasn't a week - only six days! And it wasn't my fault this time!! Hope you could escape your profs, here's another chappie to strengthen you for a while! *g*
TrustingFriendship - Yupp, I got it. You just have to be patient, it takes up to three or four hours until a chapter you have just posted becomes readable, don't ask me why. It's a weird FF.net rule... Oh, no, don't worry, they didn't do anything to Mirkwood, it's still fine. I think. *g*
CrazyLOTRFan - Oww, thanks, it's great you like it so much! And he _might_ find out, which wouldn't be a good thing, believe me... Thanks for the review!!
Alisha - *blanches* Alisha? *faint voice* You are not serious! Nooooooo!!! *runs away screaming and hides behind her chair* *comes back a second later* Sorry, it just took some time for the initial shock to wear off. And it was a shock! I mean, it's GREAT that you have decided to read it and that you even LIKE it, but it was still a shock! (I'm repeating myself here, I know *g*) I mean, I absolutely adored your story, and this one is so bad in comparison! I mean, they talk too modern, and are horribly out of character, and have MY sense of humour which is never a good thing, and and and ... *wails* I am not worthy!!! Ah well, it's too late now anyway. *sniffs* I am SO happy you like it. And it's quite long as well, I have just finished ch 19 and there are 203 pages now... Thanks a lot for reading it. Thanks!! *huggles her*
Reginabean - Phew! Not that you're away from that cliff, I may have some peace and tranquility for a while. *thinks again* Then again, maybe not... And hey, don't worry - computers hate me too. As you could see just last week. *scowls at computer, which ignores her* I know you heard me!! *g* Thanks for the review!!
E - *grins evilly* Well, what do you think? It's L/E/E we are talking about here!! *g* Oh, don't worry, he will get a lot madder before the end, just wait till he sees Aragorn. *winces at mere thought* That is going to be interesting, to say the least... Sorry, I couldn't make it sooner, but I hope it's still soon enough!
MidnightLoner - Okay, let me get this straight: Elladan and Elrohir are Elrond's oldest children, Elladan being the older of the twins. They are a little over 2800 years old now. Then there comes Arwen, who is about 150 years younger than them, I think, and then comes Aragorn, who is 22 right now. So: Elladan is the oldest, then comes Elrohir, both of them a little over 2800 years. Aragorn is 22 two, and I just guessed that Legolas is younger than the twins. I mean, he is definitely older than Aragorn, but Tolkien doesn't say for sure, so in my story, I pretend that he is a couple of hundred years younger than the twins, about 2300 years old or something. Oh, and, btw, Elrond is something about 6500 years old, if you want to know the exact dates, tell me, I just have to look them up again. I think the reason why you got confused may be that, sometimes, I call Elrohir the "younger elven son", which he is, of course. But the emphasis is on 'elven' here. *shrugs* Ah well. Everything clearer now? Thanks a lot for the reviews, and don't worry, I _will_ kill them, eventually. I think. *evil grin*
Darkphoenix - LOL, I should have done that! What a shame to waste an opportunity like that, I mean, if you have a road about to be paved anyway... *g* Owwww... *blushes* You missed me? That's so sweet! I missed you guys too! And your reviews, of course! *g* Well, I don't know about the Elrond-gets-to-Aragorn-chapter, because it's not written yet, but the Legolas-gets-to-Aragorn-chapter is awfully long. Really, much too long. But I had this idea for an ending in my head which demanded to be written, so who am I to resist my muses...
Alexa - Bingo! *hands her a cookie* Well done! OF COURSE there are goblins in this chapter, you didn't think I would let them get away so easily, did you? *evil cackle* And I'm really glad you like Elrond angst - there is a whole lot more in this chapter, but don't worry: Our favourite ranger is indeed going through some angst, but next chapter, not this. Right now he's too exhausted, he would probably faint, which is not a very manly thing to do... Okay, were did THAT thought come from?? And I'm really sorry, but there was nothing I could do! Really! I couldn't update sooner. BUT I posted it before Friday, so you won't miss this chapter, only the next ... and the next ... and the next ... *evil grin* And of course I have read C&S' stories! That's were I got my ideas from in the first place! I hope you have a great spring break!!
Firnsarnien - *grins* Yeah, you are right, it does make for an interesting picture...*stares* You can move my ears to my toes? Really?? NEAT!! Please, show me!! I've always wanted to be able to hear with my feet!! LOL, that's an interesting picture as well... Well, I'm sure about one thing: I wouldn't want to see the look directed at me, believe me! My mother has a similar look, and that's scary enough. Thanks for the long review, I'll try not to let it happen again. But there's nothing I can do if the computer decides to go bonkers...
Ciria - Hey, you are a lot cleverer than me! You save them! I don't, and lose all I have written on a very regular basis... *g* Ah well... *blushes* He scould call him something else, uhm, what about, I don't know... Truth to be told, I didn't mean it quite that literally. He could call him 'edan' or 'human' or 'your son' or something, it was just a 'Don't-laugh-about-my-son's-name-thing'. *g* Yupp, the 'weak piece' is Estel, stupid elf. I really don't like him. Oh, and we will see more Celebrían in this chapter, poor Elrond needs something to cheer him up... I guess Donyc got all his men from one place, the one where they teach their children to become minions of evil elves. Or human mercenaries, that's more or less the same. *g* Uhm, you mean how old was he when he learned the dwarven curses? About twenty or twenty-one, I guess. *scratches head* Phew, I dunno! I guess he would still have taken Estel in, but about the relationship with Arwen - I don't know. I always thought it was kinda like marrying your sister, but hey, Tolkien didn't think so... How has Elrohir hurt himself??? Last chapter, cave-in, falling rocks - remember? That goes for Elladan and Legolas as well. One last thing: There is more Nólad in here, so read on!! Thanks for the loooooong review!!
Alilacia - *pats her back* Don't worry. I was just sitting in my room crying because you didn't review, but nothing bad happened... Just kidding!! Well, yes, Seobryn is cute, I'm not sure what to do wirth him yet. We'll see. I still have three chapters to write. Wales... *sighs* I've never been there, unfortunately. But I've been in Scotland, and, boy, I love it! So beautiful!! Well, forget the warg, they aren't good for anything - but they like goblins, for dinner, that is... *g* Thanks for the review!!
Tbiris - *disgusted* Your brother would eat that?? I wouldn't eat Donyc, under NO circumstances... No way. *g* Thanks for reviewing!!
ManuKu - *grinst* Das Pairing magst du, hm?? Da muss man sich ja auch gar nicht wundern, wenn eure Chraktere am Ende schwul sind... *g* Was Nólad angeht: Meine Lippen sind versiegelt. Er koennte ueberleben - vielleicht allerdings auch nicht!! Tja, die Telekom hat aufgegeben, sie hatten nach ihren Milliardenverlusten wahrscheinlich Angst, mich als T-DSL-Grossabnehmer zu verlieren *g*...
Aralondwen - *reads review* O-kay... I see... You know, I know a great psychiatrist, he treats even the most insan... I mean, extreme cases. You should consider him, really! Because, frankly, I think you need HELP!!! *g* But I won't run away! I have survived worse, much worse!! Thanks for the ... uhm, interesting review!!
Aurienia - Ack! My father is a doctor too, those are the worst parents!! I mean, really, you are dying and they tell you it's just a little cold and to stop pretending! Horrible!! How was France?? *hands Aurienia a cookie* Well done!! Well, the sources have to remain secret, but they will be revealed in due time. Yes, Celylith and Glónduil are going to make an appearance, I think. And don't worry, goblins are coming up! Just wait a little longer, and then L/E/E are going to have soooo much fun with them. Not!! Hmm, the ghost idea sounds nice, but it's all better now. No need to spook anyone!! Thanks for your kind words and your great reviews!
Marbienl - Yeah, I write a lot at night, too. It's a lot more quiet and I can think. Well, as well as I ever can, which is not too great... *g* Don't worry, Aragorn is not dying - yet! *evil grin* Yes, he certainly isn't well, but well, he's going to get worse, so calm down, it's not so bad _now_. And Legolas and Elrond will find him. Eventually. LOL, 'crazy old dwarves'?? Dammit, I have already finished those parts, _that_ would have been interesting... I'm much looking forward to your future stories!! And torture sound just right!! *evil grin*
Salara - Tjajaja, die Telekom - es ist schon beeindruckend, ich kenne wirklich niemanden, der mit der Telekom noch keine Probleme hatte. Ich ziehe ja um, sobald ich aus England wiederkommen, und will gar nicht daran denken, was dann mit den Verbindungen passiert... *sich schuettel* Ohh, danke... *rot werd* Aus deinem Munde bedeutet so ein Lob schon 'ne ganze Menge. Danke!! *knuddelt Salara* MEINE REDE!! *schuettelt Faust* Es muss A.I. geben, das ist die einzige Erklaerung! Mein Computer, auch so passend "Arsch" genannt - ganz offiziell uebrigens - macht nur was ich will, wenn ich drohe, ihn Komponente fuer Komponente auseinanderzupfluecken! Was deinen Lieblingselbenlord angeht: Der kriegt noch relativ viel Zeit eingeraeumt, dieses Kapitel auf jeden Fall, und in Kapitel 19 auch. Da gibt es eine nette Szene, die ich gerade geschrieben habe... Elrond is cool! *seufz* Danke fuer's Gebet, hat anscheinend geholfen!! *g*
Phew! That's it. Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, it was so great to be able to go online and see them all at once! Thanks!! *huggles them*
A/N:
Wooohooooo!! I'm back!! *hugs her internet connection*
You cannot imagine how happy I am, I had to spend ONE WEEK without internet access. One week!! *tragic sigh*
Ah well, I managed, somehow, and have written a great many chapters - well, to be honest, two more, but that's beside the point. *g*
I'm afraid there is absolutely no way I will be able to post all of this before I'm leaving, but I promise I will try to post there as soon as possible. One way or another, the last chapter will be posted in the next three weeks. Deal?
Some of you asked how the heck Cornallar knows about the patrols and stuff. It is a very important question, but, unfortunately, a question that cannot be answered until chapter 19, I'm afraid. So, keep guessing and have a little more patience, okay? *evil grin*
Very well, finally, and without further ado, I present chapter 17, in which Estel and his 'friends' reach their destination, Donyc proves to be even more stupid than we thought, Elrond goes on his own little guilt trip, we finally find out just WHY Cornallar hates Anárion, and, as mentioned before, our intrepid trio runs into trouble. A whole lot of trouble... *g*
*shrugs*
The usual, really.
Have fun and review, then I might post the next part before I leave in a week!
Thanks!!
Chapter 17
"We're here."
The softly spoken elvish words brought Aragorn out of the trance-like state he had spent the past few hours in. After the humans had broken camp they had made their way north, following a small path that ran between the Misty Mountains and the Great River, riding as fast as they could in an effort to get to their destination as quickly as possible.
If Aragorn had thought he had hurt yesterday, he was soon set right as they seemed to fly across the country, causing every single bone in his body to scream in pain. He hadn't even known human bones could hurt like this, but every time his horse hit a stone or stumbled slightly, he found out that there were even more places in which one could hurt. Fiercely.
In the beginning he had tried to stay alert and search for any signs that Nólad had been lying and that there was a Mirkwood patrol nearby, but after a few hours he had given up, concentrating on the nearly impossible task of not falling off his horse, which proved to become more difficult by the second. He was so focused on this that he didn't even notice that the path became stonier and even harder to make out, nor that they turned away from it after a few hours, following another one that led up the slopes of the mountains again, cleverly concealed by shrubbery and small woods.
Under normal circumstances he would have been on the look-out for a chance to escape or would have at the very least been studying his surroundings closely, mapping the landscape in his mind to be able to find his way back later, but these were anything but normal circumstances. His body throbbed mercilessly, and he had soon decided that it was better to keep his eyes shut if he didn't want to aggravate his headache or the fact that the world seemed to blur together slightly once in a while.
At the fair haired elf's words he lifted his head and opened his eyes, thankfully noting that the world stayed still as it was wont to do. He almost gasped at the sight that presented itself in front of his eyes: In the middle of stony mountain peaks and wild woods lay a small valley, partly hidden by tall, beautiful trees and undergrowth, but there were glades full of green grass dotted here and there, and on the far side there rose a smaller mountain peak that looked as if there were several darker spots on it whose nature Aragorn couldn't identify right away.
The young ranger squinted and tried to follow the concealed path with his eyes; to him it seemed that the path was leading up right to the rock face, but it was hidden so expertly that even he couldn't say for sure. He shook his head slightly, astonished by the fact that there could exist something as beautiful as this valley in such an inhospitable environment.
Tearing his eyes away from the valley, he asked Nólad,
"We are where?"
"Home," the elf replied, shifting his upper body to look at the human, a small smile on his face, "The home we built us after we left Imladris nearly 3000 years ago."
A look of pain and sadness stole over his light grey eyes, as if in memory of events long past.
Casting a look at the humans that were gathering behind them, the emotions disappeared as quickly as they had come.
"Welcome to Eskadol, dúnadan." With a pointed look at Donyc, he added, "Let's see if your friends have already arrived, shall we?"
The dark haired human returned the glance, confidence on his face.
"They will be here, Master Elf, don't worry. My men know better than to let me wait."
Nólad looked at the human commander, raising a mocking eyebrow.
"We'll see," he said curtly and spurred his horse on, descending the steep slope that led down into the valley and pulling Aragorn's horse after him. Despite what he'd told the man, he firmly believed his words. He was sure Donyc's men knew indeed better than to disobey their commander, and he couldn't blame them.
As the horses started to move again, the young ranger tilted to the side, but managed to regain his balance shortly before he actually dropped out of the saddle. They drew nearer and nearer to the rock face and he noted that the path was indeed leading up to it, winding and dodging jagged rocks that seemed to grow out of the earth like giant grey trees. Here and there he could see small wooden buildings that seemed to blend into their surroundings just like most elven buildings tended to, and even though they were made of untreated wood and bore no adornments, they were still beautiful and reminded him painfully of his home.
Aragorn smiled softly when he remembered the day he had sat on the balcony railing with Elrohir, talking about Elladan's hair.
'Valar, was that truly only ten days ago? It feels like a lifetime or two! I wonder if his hair's still green though…'
His thoughts were interrupted when Nólad stopped his horse and prepared to dismount. The young human looked up and could very nearly not stop his jaw from dropping. His eyes growing wide, he bit down on his split lower lip in an attempt to stifle the laughter that rose inside of him.
Shaking his head and closing his eyes, he chuckled inwardly.
'Ah, Legolas, my friend, if you could see this!'
At the sound of the fair haired elf's amused voice he opened his eyes again, scanning Nólad for signs that this was an elaborate joke of some kind.
"Is there something funny you would like to share, young one?"
Aragorn took a deep breath and answered, fumbling for words,
"It's … it's a cave, isn't it?"
Nólad took his eyes off the dark openings in the rock face and studied the young ranger closely, wondering for a moment if all of this had proven to have been too great a strain on the human's sanity and he was slowly losing it.
"Yes, it is a cave. We only use the caverns closest to the rock face, and only two or three since there are only two of us left. Once you get used to it, it is actually quite a beautiful place to live, very much like the lower levels of the palace of Eryn Lasgalen, or Mirkwood as it is now called."
Aragorn closed his eyes again and grinned broadly. This was priceless.
'Just what I have been telling him since I first laid eyes on what they call the lower levels and the cellars! They are caves, and now I have the proof that elves truly chose them as homes…'
The elf watched the human's peculiar behaviour and decided that he really didn't want to know. He would never understand edain, he decided as he cut the rope that was connecting his horse to the ranger's, not even this one that was so much like an elf that it surprised him on a regular basis. He reached up and helped the man get off his horse, which caused the young human to hiss in pain and slump against him once his feet touched the ground, unable to support his weight on his own.
Without much effort Nólad gripped his left arm and pulled him upright, unconsciously tightening his hold when Donyc stepped closer, an amused smile on his face when he looked at the swaying ranger.
"Tired already, ranger?" he asked, receiving a withering glare from their captive who tried to straighten up and stand on his own, without much success however.
Still smiling broadly, the human commander turned to the elf that looked at him with disgust hidden in the depths of his grey eyes, and added, gesturing behind him,
"See, Master Elf, I told you so. They are here."
The fair haired elf's eyes strayed behind the human where a group of about twenty men rode up to meet them, shouting greetings at the men already present. He turned back to the dark haired human, giving him an insincere smile.
"I never doubted that, Master Human," he said, pulling the ranger upright who, despite his best efforts, was slowly tipping to the side again as his strength gave out, exhausted by the two days of travelling on horseback.
Fixing a stern look on Donyc, he pushed Aragorn forward slightly, motioning a man to come closer and take the young man from him.
"Have someone bring him up to the main cavern and make sure he doesn't get away. Your men can camp here, like the last time. Would you accompany me to your friends?"
Donyc nodded and turned to the man, giving him and Addramyr a number of orders concerning the design of the camp. Taking Aragorn's arm from the other human, Donyc's second-in-command gave him a rough shove into the direction of the caves, leaning forwards and whispering something in his captive's ear so softly that not even Nólad could understand it, but obviously, the ranger could, for he stiffened and muttered something under his breath that earned him another hard push and a blow to his head that caused him to stumble heavily.
The fair haired elf turned and followed Donyc to the men who had just arrived, wondering for a moment if the ranger was just stupid or had indeed a death wish, antagonizing the men the way he did.
'No,' he told himself, patting a horse on his way that whinnied softly and looked after him sadly when he walked on, 'He isn't stupid. He knows that Cornallar doesn't intend to let him live, so what has he got to lose? Besides, I think it runs in the family. The way I remember him, Elendil was much the same when he was younger, as were his sons."
The thought of Elendil's sons that had been dead for nearly 3000 years now, his heart once again clenched in fury and pain. Fighting off the unwanted memories of dead and broken bodies, bodies still fair and beautiful even in death, the bodies of people he had known and loved for centuries, he clenched his teeth and shook his head to calm himself as they neared the humans.
'Perhaps he is right after all,' he told himself firmly, ignoring the small voice of protest that piped up at that, 'Perhaps these pictures will finally fade once he gets his revenge.'
His mind still dwelled on this when Donyc stepped up to him, trailed by another man, apparently the leader of the humans who had just arrived.
"Master Elf, let me introduce Gwaer. To him we owe the fact that the men got here that quickly."
Nólad gave the man a slight nod before turning back to Donyc.
"Their presence is much appreciated. Now that we have enough men at our command, I'd suggest you and I confer on where to post the guards. There are several strategic points all around the edges of this valley, and if we post sentinels there, it will be nearly impossible for anyone to get past the perimeter without us noticing."
The humans nodded, and Donyc asked, slight confusion on his face,
"Do you think there will be anyone coming for him?"
He nodded into the direction Addramyr had taken Aragorn, a taunting twinkle in his dark eyes.
The elf looked at him unbelievingly, silently adding stupidity to the ever growing lists of character traits he kept about the human commander.
"If not for him, Master Human, they will be coming for the elf my lord is meeting with right now, of that you can be sure. I hope that whoever was surely following them has been … dissuaded from that course of action, but just in case they were not, I want to make sure that we know of their presence before they know of ours. Understood?"
He gave both of them a glare that discouraged the men from asking any more questions in the very beginning.
"Very well then. If you would follow me back to the caverns, we have a few maps there with whose help we can decide where to post your men."
He turned on his heel and walked off into the direction of his home, musings on how his friend and Lord Elrond were doing. As he watched the dark, looming openings of the caves come closer, he tried to suppress the voices that echoed inside his head, shrieking and questioning if it was truly the right thing he was doing.
The Lord of Rivendell watched the sun set over the Misty Mountains, turning the white, gleaming snow a soft pink colour, and wondered for the umpteenth time how it was possible that so many things had gone so very wrong in such short a time.
He could hardly remember the morning when it had all started, the morning he had made the first mistake in a series of many more spectacular mistakes, the morning he had ordered his friend and advisor to go against his instincts and leave for Lothlórien.
Dropping his eyes to the ground, Elrond shook his head softly, musing if perhaps everything would have been different if Glorfindel hadn't left when he had. Rarely had he felt that he needed his friend as urgently as now who masked his wisdom and understanding by a playful attitude and a merry laugh.
'Oh, mellonamin, if I have ever needed you, now is the time! But I ordered you to go, blind as I was to what the future would bring. I pray to the Valar that you arrive safely, and are spared from this storm that seems so intent on destroying each and every one that was ever dear to me.'
He shook his head again as he contemplated if he should return to the camp the men had pitched a few hundred feet to his right, or if he should just stay here, watch the sunset and dwell on old doubts that the encounter with Cornallar had brought back to life.
He hadn't thought about that unfortunate battle for a long time, a very long time, for after a while, when the first pain and shock had abated, he had been convinced that there really hadn't been anything that he or the last King of Arnor and Gondor could have done to save the squad of elven and human warriors. Nobody could have known that it had been an ambush, that the orcs had been waiting for them, attracted by the standards the men bore…
'Are you so sure about that?' another part of his mind whispered, sounding astonishingly like his former advisor, 'Who was the one gifted with foresight, Peredhil? You or Elendil? He couldn't have known, he was never exceptionally gifted in that particular skill, unlike others of the royal line of Númenor, but you, you could have known. You should have known. And you did.'
Elrond let himself sink down onto a small boulder that lay at the very top of the little rise that overlooked the glorious landscape of the mountains, staring into nothing, oblivious to the beautiful scenery or the biting chill of the wind.
Yes, somehow, he had known. He had had a very bad feeling when the troop had left, he had known that something wasn't right.
'Just like with Estel. You knew there was something wrong, you knew something was going to happen, and still you let him go. Why is that, o mighty Lord of Imladris? The Valar haven't gifted you with this only to have you ignore every single warning you receive. You failed them, your sons, Legolas and so many others…'
He was fast approaching the point at which the despair threatened to swallow him whole, but just short of that an image appeared in front of his eyes, shimmering in the cold air: The picture of his wife, his beloved Celebrían, smiling at him and telling him that he was a fool to burden himself with the guilt of all of Arda, blaming himself for things that had been far out of his control, that not even he could have prevented.
He smiled sadly when he could almost see the beautiful mischievous sparkle in her eyes he had adored so much whenever she told him to stop worrying and take a walk with her instead. A sparkle, he noted dryly, that he saw far too often in his sons' eyes of late. All three of them.
Elrond shook himself slightly and took a deep breath. Celebrían had been right, as usual. As had Elrohir, for that matter; sometimes it made his heart ache how much the twins took after their mother. He might have had a vague foreboding that fateful day 3000 years ago, but, then again, he had had that for the full length of the war. There had hardly been a day when he hadn't had the feeling that something bad was going to happen, and, usually, something bad did indeed happen. But there had been no way to predict when or where or even to whom it would happen, just like that day he had let his two younger sons go, a week ago.
'This was not your fault,' a soft voice inside his head whispered, 'You did what you could.'
The Lord of Rivendell smiled, for the first time taking in his slowly darkening surroundings. No, it had not been his fault, and he was sure that neither his elven sons nor Aragorn blamed him. He stood and straightened his tall frame, the despair that had shone in his eyes just minutes ago replaced by a sense of peace and determination. He wouldn't allow Cornallar to fill him with hopelessness, and neither would he fall for the obvious trap of letting himself be consumed by darkness and hate as his former advisor had done.
He understood the grief that the other elf was experiencing, now more than ever, but he would not permit it to steal away hope, light and love in exchange for an all-consuming hatred.
Watching the last rays of the red sun disappear behind the jagged, snow covered mountains, he turned and walked back to the camp, deciding that he could as well sit by the fire and worry there. And make the men feel uncomfortable by giving them the look, he admitted to himself after a second; while it was not helping his situation any, it was strangely satisfactory.
'Glorfindel wouldn't be too impressed by that attitude,' a reprimanding voice said sternly inside his head. Elrond grinned and shook his head; somehow he had the feeling that his old friend would understand his behaviour perfectly well under these circumstances. Even though he would have to be prepared for a serious conversation about acting like a millennia old elf lord should, Glorfindel loved these.
After a moment the camp appeared, and he noted, with some satisfaction, that the men did not look very happy to see him return. His grey eyes wandered over the men, and he noticed that Cornallar was waiting at the edge of the small concavity in the rock they had chosen for a camping spot, standing lightly on top of the snow.
And, unless the dark haired elf had invited some mountain goblins for dinner, which wouldn't have surprised Elrond in the slightest by now, he was waiting for him.
Trying to fight down the anger that threatened to overtake him every time he set eyes on his former counsellor, he stepped closer, not wanting to give the other elf the impression that he was afraid of him. His keen eyes soon found the grinning sneer on the other's face, and, thinking of what was probably happening to his sons and Legolas right now, the fury intensified tenfold, darkening his eyes and increasing to such levels that every sensible being, from hobbit to ent, would have considered running into the other direction.
Very, very fast and without looking back.
Cornallar was either not a sensible being, or he knew the elf lord very well. Elrond's fury was a helpless one, and both of them knew he couldn't do anything right now if he didn't wish to endanger his human son's life.
His enjoyment of this situation was very clearly visible in his dark eyes as he gave the Lord of Imladris a contemptuous smile and asked,
"Back already, Peredhil? I hadn't expected you back for some time, after all, a father needs time to come to terms with the loss of his children. But perhaps it is different for you?"
Elrond clenched his jaw tightly. Without a word he tried to brush the dark haired elf aside, telling himself firmly that nothing would be solved if he tried to kill him now. The only winner would be Cornallar, having finally been presented with a reason to have the humans kill Estel. Before he could get past his former advisor, a slender hand shot out and grabbed him by the arm, spinning him around slightly.
Looking down at the hand that held his arm in a firm grip, he slowly raised his eyes and fixed them on the other elf, barely restrained anger in his gaze.
"I am in no mood for your games, Cornallar. Let me pass."
"And I am in no mood for yours, my lord," the dark haired elf hissed back, stepping closer to him. "You are no longer in Imladris! You're nobody out here, don't forget that! And if you wish to see your little edan once more, I would advise you to answer me when I ask you a question!"
Elrond studied the dark, burning eyes closely. Cornallar wouldn't need much to snap now, so blinded was he by his hate and the near promise of revenge.
"They are not dead and nothing you or the humans say could convince me otherwise."
The other elf didn't let go of his arm, his grip tightening painfully.
"And how do you know this? Is this one of your famous visions?" Cornallar asked sarcastically. "As accurate as the one that promised my son a safe return?"
"I did never say that," the elf lord stated softly, his eyes adopting a slightly pained look. "I didn't know what would befall them. And neither did Elendil or Gil-galad. If I had known I would have done everything in my power to prevent it from happening, you know that."
Cornallar's fingers were digging into his flesh so painfully now that Elrond was sure that the other elf would have snapped his bone in less than a minute if he continues like this.
"Oh, I do not doubt that, Peredhil," he spat sarcastically, "I'm sure you would have done anything to save your beloved edain! But still, Tinánd is dead! And since you are the only one still alive I can punish for your actions…"
The dark haired elf's word trailed off as he gave the elf lord an evil smile.
Elrond lifted his head, his eyes burning with anger and contempt now.
"I know that, Cornallar! But you only speak of what you want, what you are going to do to get your revenge, you never even contemplate what he would have wanted! Don't you remember your own son? Tinánd would never have wanted this! He was a kind and understanding elf, and he would never have wished anyone harm who did all he could to help him! Neither would he have wanted innocent ones to die, not to mention the Prince of Mirkwood and a human child that hasn't even seen his 25th summer!"
Cornallar tightened his hold even more, and Elrond could have sworn he could hear the small, cracking noises of a slowly breaking bone. With his other hand he produced his dagger and held it up in front of Elrond's face.
"Do not tempt me, Peredhil! I told you not to speak his name again! This is the very last warning you will receive. And do not lecture me on what my own son was like! He was perfectly normal, behaving just as befitting a young lord, until you and that human poisoned his mind!"
Elrond's eyes strayed from the gleaming metal of the knife to the other elf's irate face.
'He really believes what he is saying!' he realized with some surprise. Cornallar couldn't really believe that he had changed Tinánd's behaviour, could he?
"This is not true, Cornallar," he said insistently, trying to get through to his former counsellor. "Neither I nor anybody else chose his friends for him. When he befriended Anárion, it was out of his own free will. And rarely have I seen a pair of more dedicated friends."
Cornallar scowled and his grip on the dagger tightened, his hand shaking slightly.
"A fine friend indeed!" he jeered, hatred distorting his features into an ugly mask, "A weak friend, a friend that got him killed! Nothing but heartache and pain can be the result when immortals mingle with lower races! You know that, don't you?"
Elrond looked at him in pity as he shook his head softly.
"Orcs killed your son, no one else. It was his decision to go, and no one made it for him, not I or Gil-galad, not Elendil or his elven friends, not even Anárion. No one is to blame for that, neither I nor the High King's younger son."
At this Cornallar smiled softly, but it was a smile that caused a cold shiver to run down the elf lord's back. He didn't want to see that smile on an elven face ever again.
"There I disagree, my lord," the dark haired elf whispered quietly, re-sheathing the knife and letting go of Elrond's arm that felt as if it had splintered into countless tiny pieces.
"And unless his worthless descendants hadn't died out a millennium ago, I would have made sure that they attended our little party as well. But, alas, you can't have everything! I'll have to be content with what I've got, wouldn't you agree?"
Elrond looked at the dark haired elf seriously.
"Nothing you plan will appease his soul or yours, Cornallar. He has found his peace already, of that I'm sure. Both of them have."
Cornallar looked at him unperturbed.
"We'll see. You should get some rest, my lord," he said mockingly, "We'll travel hard tomorrow. I wish to have crossed the mountains in two days, it would be very impolite to let the others and your beloved human son wait, don't you think?"
He turned and walked off into the direction Elrond had come from a few minutes ago, anger and hate radiating off him. The Lord of Rivendell watched him go before turning back to the camp, fetching his pack and retreating as far as possible to the side of the snow free rock overhang that they had chosen as shelter this night. Suddenly not even the thought of unsettling the humans appealed to him in the slightest.
Leaning back against the rock wall, hidden from the humans by a large boulder, he carefully examined his arm and came to the conclusion that it wasn't broken, only very badly bruised. His hands strayed shortly to the cut on his throat, making sure the wound hadn't broken up again. When he was convinced that he would live through the night, he let his head rest on the hard, cold surface he was leaning against and fell asleep swifter than he would have thought possible, sending a prayer to the Valar to watch over his sons and the prince.
"Well, if I needed any more reasons to hate goblins, they have kindly presented themselves. In abundance."
Legolas resisted the urge to roll his eyes for about the hundredth time since that accursed cave-in. Now even Elrohir was beginning to make smart comments. Not that he could blame the twins at all, he felt just the same. Every step he took deeper under the mountains was like a bit more weight put on his shoulders, threatening to drag him down into a bottomless abyss of darkness and hopelessness. But, actually, they were suffering worse than him, since he had been here once already.
'As if that would be of much help,' he thought wryly, 'If we don't get out of here soon, this darkness is going to choke me.'
Behind him, he heard the still slightly grumpy voice of Elladan tell his brother,
"Well, in all fairness, I don't believe they meant this … tunnel to be used by anyone but their own kind."
"I am not so sure of this," Elrohir replied, turning and looking at his brother without slowing his walk, "It could have been a cunning plan to lure stupid, foolish, crazy, reckless and idiotic elflings into this! What do you think, my friend?" he asked, turning back to face the elven prince, a wicked sparkle in his eyes.
Legolas ignored the teasing words of his friend and quickened his pace. It wouldn't help any of them if he throttled Aragorn's brothers. But then again, perhaps Lord Elrond would be thankful that he did not have to do it himself and would refrain from throttling him… Grinning evilly, the fair haired elf allowed himself to dwell on that thought for a little longer, until he felt a hand grab the back of his tunic, stopping his progress.
"Legolas? I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sorry if I have."
The younger twin's serious voice caused the prince to smile. Turning around, he let his eyes wander over the twins who stood before him, looking a bit guilty and anxious.
"You did not insult me, mellonamin. The darkness and the narrow tunnels are enough to make even a dwarf testy and nervous. Besides," he shrugged and gave them a lopsided grin, wincing as that movement caused his broken ribs to scream in pain, "You were right. I was young and stupid."
"Don't forget 'foolish, crazy, reckless and idiotic'," Elladan mumbled, receiving a dark glare from his brother that the older twin either missed in the nearly complete darkness that enveloped them or ignored superiorly.
"That is something still open to debate, I think," Legolas replied in mock haughtiness, causing the twins to chuckle merrily.
He watched them for a second or two before joining in, but stopped quickly when his chest and head informed him just what they thought of such actions.
"Stop it!" he managed to gasp, still slightly out of breath, "Laughing hurts. A lot. How is it that you two always gang up on me when we're alone?"
"Oh, dear friend, that's not fair," Elladan protested, holding his head that was apparently quite intent on parting company with his body once and for all, having decided that its current owner wasn't looking after it properly, "We don't gang up only on you. We are merely an excellent team, so we gang up on everybody else! We do it with Estel all the time when you're not there …"
That name sobered all three of them as effectively as if someone had taken a bucket of ice cold water and had emptied it over their heads. As if on cue, the young elves looked at each other.
"We should go on," three voices said in unison, and in all three could the strong determination to find their friend and brother be heard.
Giving the brothers a smile, Legolas nodded slightly.
"We should. We have made good time, tomorrow at this hour we should have reached the exit, and then we will be about half a day ahead of them. Perhaps there's even time to get some of our warrior to help."
Elladan retuned the smile.
"That would be very fortunate indeed. We would be most thankful for any help Mirkwood could offer."
"You shall have all the help we can possibly give, sons of Elrond. That I promise," Legolas said formally, gazing at the twins seriously. He knew his father would have no objections to that promise, not with Lord Elrond's and Aragorn's life at risk.
Accepting the nod of thanks from the dark haired elves, he turned back to his horse and led it on, on into the monotonous darkness of the tunnel. The elven prince shot the animal a quick look and was surprised to see that it was relatively calm for once. If the white horse had had a taxing character before all of this, then it was nearly unbearable now. Apart from that, he was sure that the beast had somehow come to the conclusion that the twins were to blame for all this. He had not missed the looks it had shot them, and he made a mental note not to let the animal alone with either of them. If Elrohir didn't want to explain to Aragorn why Legolas had been killed in a cave-in, then he didn't want to explain to his human friend why his horse had killed one or both of his brothers.
It was quiet for a while but for the soft hoofbeat of the horse and the almost inaudible sounds of elven footsteps, when the horse grew slightly agitated again. Sighing in exasperation, the fair haired elf stroked its neck gently and whispered elvish words into its ear, trying to calm the beast. When this didn't seem to work, Legolas frowned. This was quite unusual, the horse didn't seem ill-tempered this time, it was more as if…
Before he could finish that thought, Elladan's voice sounded from the back.
"What is the matter with that monster? It hates us, I know it does…"
"It hates you, brother. I had it under control quite well the last time we stopped."
The older twin snorted at his brother's comment.
"Oh yes, and how? That's something I'd like to see…"
The twins were so concentrated on their bickering that they nearly didn't notice that the prince stopped suddenly, still trying to soothe the horse that grew even more nervous now and cocking his head to the side in an attempt to listen more closely.
"What is it?" Elrohir asked, before freezing and drawing in a shocked breath when he heard what had spooked the horse and had caused his friend to stop: The sound of many heavy feet that caused the hard ground to rumble softly; even the stone didn't seem happy about being trodden on by whoever it was that was coming their way.
"Goblins," his brother whispered softly, looking at them in alarm.
Legolas nodded in agreement, his eyes darting around the tunnel for any possibility to escape detection.
"Or something of their kind. At least thirty, I would say."
The twins looked at him in shock.
"We cannot fight that many! We couldn't even fight twenty right now, none of us is in the condition for battle!" Elrohir said quietly, trying to move his left arm and groaning when a stab of white-hot pain shot through his shoulder.
"I know, my friend, I know," Legolas replied in a deceivingly calm voice, his mind spinning crazily as he tried to come up with a way to avoid the goblins.
'That's the second time in a week now,' a taunting voice inside his head noted.
As if he didn't know, Legolas thought irritated. This was getting really annoying. If he survived this encounter, he would gladly travel to the Gap of Rohan every time he needed to cross the Misty Mountains, the prince decided. What did it matter that this was a detour of several weeks? At least there were no mountain goblins there. Or caves, for that matter.
Elbereth, if Aragorn ever heard about this episode, he would never let him live it down…
"Legolas?" Elladan asked sharply. "Do you have an idea? Any idea?"
The fair haired elf shook his head slowly.
"None."
In the distance, the noise of rumbling feet grew louder and louder, resounding in the narrow confines of the tunnels and shaking the ground beneath the elves' feet as the creatures quickly drew closer.
TBC...
dúnadan - 'Man of the West', ranger
edain - humans, men (pl.)
mellonamin - my friend
edan - human, man (sg.)
*grins evilly* Well, yes, it's a cliffy, and I admit it. I just couldn't resist! There was no real cliffy for two chapters!! We can't have that, can we??
Okay, send me a review and I'll try to get the next part out sooner, in which we'll see quite a lot of Estel angst, something which I have badly neglected in the past, as my dear sister brought to my attention.
Just a few lines would make me happy and prompt the creative part of my brain to work overtime! Promise!!
Additional A/N:
ThE iNsAnE oNe - It's not! *points at flu virus* It's its fault!! We should set our wargs on it, really... I still have a slight cold, it's nearly unbearable - and annoying! *looks at Tio suspiciously* Well, I hope the next part comes out soon, for your sake. Otherwise I might get a little upset - and I have Elrond's chainsaw, remember that!! I hope you are better now, being sick is, well, annoying to say the least.
Zam - *whaps Zam and Lina* STOP - CALLING - HIM - THAT!!!! How many times have I told you... *takes a deep breath* Okay, I'm calm now... But you may keep hitting him, Cornallar is getting a bit of annoying, so go on, just let him live, okay? *grins evilly* Why did I know you would comment on the trees? But, come on, there is not much in a forest into which you can slam people, is there? *hands Zam a big cookie* Well done. You are one of the few people who noticed this really important remark - but sorry, I can't tell you anything. It would ruin the surprise... *evil grin* I'll go to have a look at the trailer right away, now that I'm back online I can do ANYTHING!! Yay Nili!!!
Miss Undastood - *blushes* Stop saying that, it will give me delusions of grandeur - but it has a nice ring to it... *g* No, don't worry, I have decided to let Seobryn live - live, mind you, I don't guarantee that he will be in a good condition or anything. Well, English is indeed not my first language. It's German. Ugly, stupid language if you ask me, most of the time, anyway. I mean, there are Goethe and Schiller (poets) and people like them, but otherwise ... ugly. Just have a look at the lines below. Ugly, isn't it?
Kaeera - Na ja, ich hoffe, du hast nichts dagegen, dass ich das hier jetzt als Anschauungsobjekt missbrauche, um aufzuzeigen, wie haesslich Deutsch sein kann. Oder? Tjajaja, die Zwillinge koennen schon ganz schoen dreist sein, oder? Darum lieben wir sie doch auch!*knuddelt sie* Keine Angst, die naechsten Kapitel haben noch eine Menge Zwillings-Action, und ich habe sogar noch eine Elrohir-Verletzung eingebaut (hm, eigentlich zwei), nur fuer dich! Musst allerdings noch ein bisschen warten...
Mouse - *narrows eyes* A breakfast spread? Then why are you calling it 'evil'? Can a breakfast spread be evil? *imagines breakfast spread that is trying to choke you when you are eating it* O-kay, that was a weird vision... Yay, more M&Ms!! Thanks!! Okay, so you want Legolas to kill Donyc? *looks around her* Don't tell anyone, but I'm thinking about something along those lines, too... *g*
Lina - His name is Cornallar!! CORNALLAR, for crying out loud, is that so hard to understand?? *glares at her* Got it?? *pats Lina's back* Don't worry, Cornallar will get what he deserves (in this case, a painful death *g*), there won't be anything left of him when I'm - or my plot devices - are through with him ... *evil grin* Well - yes... *studies Éomer* I mean, he's always cute, but he's _especially_ cute when angry and forceful. Very, very cute... *licks lips* Éomer: Uh-oh. LOL.
Imbefaniel - Uhm, no, but my connection is from a company who has made the biggest loss this year in this country's history - I wonder why?? *g* But thanks, my computer is better now, it's working again - for now. *gives computer evil glare of death* You never know.
Belle - See? *smiles nervously* It wasn't a week - only six days! And it wasn't my fault this time!! Hope you could escape your profs, here's another chappie to strengthen you for a while! *g*
TrustingFriendship - Yupp, I got it. You just have to be patient, it takes up to three or four hours until a chapter you have just posted becomes readable, don't ask me why. It's a weird FF.net rule... Oh, no, don't worry, they didn't do anything to Mirkwood, it's still fine. I think. *g*
CrazyLOTRFan - Oww, thanks, it's great you like it so much! And he _might_ find out, which wouldn't be a good thing, believe me... Thanks for the review!!
Alisha - *blanches* Alisha? *faint voice* You are not serious! Nooooooo!!! *runs away screaming and hides behind her chair* *comes back a second later* Sorry, it just took some time for the initial shock to wear off. And it was a shock! I mean, it's GREAT that you have decided to read it and that you even LIKE it, but it was still a shock! (I'm repeating myself here, I know *g*) I mean, I absolutely adored your story, and this one is so bad in comparison! I mean, they talk too modern, and are horribly out of character, and have MY sense of humour which is never a good thing, and and and ... *wails* I am not worthy!!! Ah well, it's too late now anyway. *sniffs* I am SO happy you like it. And it's quite long as well, I have just finished ch 19 and there are 203 pages now... Thanks a lot for reading it. Thanks!! *huggles her*
Reginabean - Phew! Not that you're away from that cliff, I may have some peace and tranquility for a while. *thinks again* Then again, maybe not... And hey, don't worry - computers hate me too. As you could see just last week. *scowls at computer, which ignores her* I know you heard me!! *g* Thanks for the review!!
E - *grins evilly* Well, what do you think? It's L/E/E we are talking about here!! *g* Oh, don't worry, he will get a lot madder before the end, just wait till he sees Aragorn. *winces at mere thought* That is going to be interesting, to say the least... Sorry, I couldn't make it sooner, but I hope it's still soon enough!
MidnightLoner - Okay, let me get this straight: Elladan and Elrohir are Elrond's oldest children, Elladan being the older of the twins. They are a little over 2800 years old now. Then there comes Arwen, who is about 150 years younger than them, I think, and then comes Aragorn, who is 22 right now. So: Elladan is the oldest, then comes Elrohir, both of them a little over 2800 years. Aragorn is 22 two, and I just guessed that Legolas is younger than the twins. I mean, he is definitely older than Aragorn, but Tolkien doesn't say for sure, so in my story, I pretend that he is a couple of hundred years younger than the twins, about 2300 years old or something. Oh, and, btw, Elrond is something about 6500 years old, if you want to know the exact dates, tell me, I just have to look them up again. I think the reason why you got confused may be that, sometimes, I call Elrohir the "younger elven son", which he is, of course. But the emphasis is on 'elven' here. *shrugs* Ah well. Everything clearer now? Thanks a lot for the reviews, and don't worry, I _will_ kill them, eventually. I think. *evil grin*
Darkphoenix - LOL, I should have done that! What a shame to waste an opportunity like that, I mean, if you have a road about to be paved anyway... *g* Owwww... *blushes* You missed me? That's so sweet! I missed you guys too! And your reviews, of course! *g* Well, I don't know about the Elrond-gets-to-Aragorn-chapter, because it's not written yet, but the Legolas-gets-to-Aragorn-chapter is awfully long. Really, much too long. But I had this idea for an ending in my head which demanded to be written, so who am I to resist my muses...
Alexa - Bingo! *hands her a cookie* Well done! OF COURSE there are goblins in this chapter, you didn't think I would let them get away so easily, did you? *evil cackle* And I'm really glad you like Elrond angst - there is a whole lot more in this chapter, but don't worry: Our favourite ranger is indeed going through some angst, but next chapter, not this. Right now he's too exhausted, he would probably faint, which is not a very manly thing to do... Okay, were did THAT thought come from?? And I'm really sorry, but there was nothing I could do! Really! I couldn't update sooner. BUT I posted it before Friday, so you won't miss this chapter, only the next ... and the next ... and the next ... *evil grin* And of course I have read C&S' stories! That's were I got my ideas from in the first place! I hope you have a great spring break!!
Firnsarnien - *grins* Yeah, you are right, it does make for an interesting picture...*stares* You can move my ears to my toes? Really?? NEAT!! Please, show me!! I've always wanted to be able to hear with my feet!! LOL, that's an interesting picture as well... Well, I'm sure about one thing: I wouldn't want to see the look directed at me, believe me! My mother has a similar look, and that's scary enough. Thanks for the long review, I'll try not to let it happen again. But there's nothing I can do if the computer decides to go bonkers...
Ciria - Hey, you are a lot cleverer than me! You save them! I don't, and lose all I have written on a very regular basis... *g* Ah well... *blushes* He scould call him something else, uhm, what about, I don't know... Truth to be told, I didn't mean it quite that literally. He could call him 'edan' or 'human' or 'your son' or something, it was just a 'Don't-laugh-about-my-son's-name-thing'. *g* Yupp, the 'weak piece' is Estel, stupid elf. I really don't like him. Oh, and we will see more Celebrían in this chapter, poor Elrond needs something to cheer him up... I guess Donyc got all his men from one place, the one where they teach their children to become minions of evil elves. Or human mercenaries, that's more or less the same. *g* Uhm, you mean how old was he when he learned the dwarven curses? About twenty or twenty-one, I guess. *scratches head* Phew, I dunno! I guess he would still have taken Estel in, but about the relationship with Arwen - I don't know. I always thought it was kinda like marrying your sister, but hey, Tolkien didn't think so... How has Elrohir hurt himself??? Last chapter, cave-in, falling rocks - remember? That goes for Elladan and Legolas as well. One last thing: There is more Nólad in here, so read on!! Thanks for the loooooong review!!
Alilacia - *pats her back* Don't worry. I was just sitting in my room crying because you didn't review, but nothing bad happened... Just kidding!! Well, yes, Seobryn is cute, I'm not sure what to do wirth him yet. We'll see. I still have three chapters to write. Wales... *sighs* I've never been there, unfortunately. But I've been in Scotland, and, boy, I love it! So beautiful!! Well, forget the warg, they aren't good for anything - but they like goblins, for dinner, that is... *g* Thanks for the review!!
Tbiris - *disgusted* Your brother would eat that?? I wouldn't eat Donyc, under NO circumstances... No way. *g* Thanks for reviewing!!
ManuKu - *grinst* Das Pairing magst du, hm?? Da muss man sich ja auch gar nicht wundern, wenn eure Chraktere am Ende schwul sind... *g* Was Nólad angeht: Meine Lippen sind versiegelt. Er koennte ueberleben - vielleicht allerdings auch nicht!! Tja, die Telekom hat aufgegeben, sie hatten nach ihren Milliardenverlusten wahrscheinlich Angst, mich als T-DSL-Grossabnehmer zu verlieren *g*...
Aralondwen - *reads review* O-kay... I see... You know, I know a great psychiatrist, he treats even the most insan... I mean, extreme cases. You should consider him, really! Because, frankly, I think you need HELP!!! *g* But I won't run away! I have survived worse, much worse!! Thanks for the ... uhm, interesting review!!
Aurienia - Ack! My father is a doctor too, those are the worst parents!! I mean, really, you are dying and they tell you it's just a little cold and to stop pretending! Horrible!! How was France?? *hands Aurienia a cookie* Well done!! Well, the sources have to remain secret, but they will be revealed in due time. Yes, Celylith and Glónduil are going to make an appearance, I think. And don't worry, goblins are coming up! Just wait a little longer, and then L/E/E are going to have soooo much fun with them. Not!! Hmm, the ghost idea sounds nice, but it's all better now. No need to spook anyone!! Thanks for your kind words and your great reviews!
Marbienl - Yeah, I write a lot at night, too. It's a lot more quiet and I can think. Well, as well as I ever can, which is not too great... *g* Don't worry, Aragorn is not dying - yet! *evil grin* Yes, he certainly isn't well, but well, he's going to get worse, so calm down, it's not so bad _now_. And Legolas and Elrond will find him. Eventually. LOL, 'crazy old dwarves'?? Dammit, I have already finished those parts, _that_ would have been interesting... I'm much looking forward to your future stories!! And torture sound just right!! *evil grin*
Salara - Tjajaja, die Telekom - es ist schon beeindruckend, ich kenne wirklich niemanden, der mit der Telekom noch keine Probleme hatte. Ich ziehe ja um, sobald ich aus England wiederkommen, und will gar nicht daran denken, was dann mit den Verbindungen passiert... *sich schuettel* Ohh, danke... *rot werd* Aus deinem Munde bedeutet so ein Lob schon 'ne ganze Menge. Danke!! *knuddelt Salara* MEINE REDE!! *schuettelt Faust* Es muss A.I. geben, das ist die einzige Erklaerung! Mein Computer, auch so passend "Arsch" genannt - ganz offiziell uebrigens - macht nur was ich will, wenn ich drohe, ihn Komponente fuer Komponente auseinanderzupfluecken! Was deinen Lieblingselbenlord angeht: Der kriegt noch relativ viel Zeit eingeraeumt, dieses Kapitel auf jeden Fall, und in Kapitel 19 auch. Da gibt es eine nette Szene, die ich gerade geschrieben habe... Elrond is cool! *seufz* Danke fuer's Gebet, hat anscheinend geholfen!! *g*
Phew! That's it. Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, it was so great to be able to go online and see them all at once! Thanks!! *huggles them*