Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

Well, you are a lucky bunch, did you know that? I wanted to go out tonight, but since I somehow managed to twist my knee or something during a simple run ( I swear Estel is beginning to rub off on me! *g*), I'm staying at home. So, instead of tomorrow you get this today! Great, I know... *grumbles*
That really hurts! I never knew - the next time I need something evil and painful to do to our favourite ranger, I will just let him twist his knee...

Okay, I think I'll stick to 22 chapters, so that means there will be only two more after this one. Sad sad sad, I know, but right now I'm thinking - thinking, mind you! - about writing another one. Perhaps a sequel with all the characters that managed to survive? LOL, in that case I'd have to think of quite a lot of new ones. *evil grin*
We'll see...


Very well, here is chapter 20, revised and renamed just for you! Originally it was called "The Chapter In Which Everything Goes Straight To Hell", but since there is no hell in ME - although I'll admit that a few people would definitely deserve to spend one or two eternities there! - I had to think of another name.
It's the longest one yet, and my inability to end it sooner really annoyed me, while I guess it won't disturb you much...

Everything gets even worse for our favourite elves and human, and things begin to really heat up in Eskadol. Literally. *evil grin*

Enjoy and review, please!!



Chapter 20


Legolas' first instinct was to take his knife and use it to wipe that smug look off the human's face. Fortunately, his common sense quickly returned to life, telling him in no unclear terms what a terribly stupid thing that would be.
Gently the elven prince pressed his human friend against the back wall of the cave, sensing that the ranger wouldn't be able to stand for much longer on his own. Placing himself in front of Aragorn, he glared at the dark haired man, his gaze holding such intensity that the three humans behind Donyc unconsciously averted their eyes.

"You."

Donyc suppressed a sudden cold shudder that raced across his back; he hadn't known anyone could put so much and fierce fury into a single word.

Covering up that feeling, he grinned at the seething elf in front of him, the knowledge that his men could kill the fair haired being before he had even taken more than two steps giving him a certain feeling of security.

"Yes, me, Master Elf, or should I say Prince Legolas? Can you still remember me?"

Legolas scowled, only the slumped body of his friend behind him preventing him from lunging at the man.
"Of course, Donyc. Where is Addramyr? Did you really think I would forget the man that kidnapped my friend and let his men build the fakest looking camp of all time?"

The human commander's grin faded a little at that. This one was just like the ranger; he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
"Careful, elf, I would be very careful. If you don't want to end up like your friend, I would advise you to hold your tongue."

The elf's eyes seemed to flare up at that.
"You did this."

It was a statement, not a question, a statement made so coolly that Donyc got suspicious immediately.

"Yes, of course, Master Elf," he said mockingly, peering around the elf to get a look at Aragorn, who was leaning against the wall, barely conscious. "He is quite stubborn, but I'm sure you know that. It takes quite a lot to make him scream, but, in the end, he does, just as loudly as everybody else."

If Donyc had expected the elven prince to attack him or at the very least curse him in every language he had ever encountered during his long life, he was disappointed.
Instead, Legolas closed his eyes shortly, and an aura of intense fury seemed to spread from his lithe figure, filling the whole space of the tunnel and causing shivers of fear to run down the men's backs.

After a moment, the elf opened his eyes again, and Donyc looked into the coldest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen, eyes so cold that they reminded him of the clear sky on a winter's day. Eyes that held not a bit of mercy when they fixed on the human's face.

Legolas pierced the man with his gaze, and, as much as he wanted to, the dark haired human just couldn't avert his eyes. He was forced to keep looking at those cold, cold eyes that spoke of nothing but death.

"I will kill you for this, Donyc," Legolas said softly, but his voice was clear and chilled the men to their bones. "On my own honour and that of my house I, Legolas Thranduilion of the House of Oropher, swear to you that you will die for what you have done to him."

Donyc still gazed at the seemingly calm elf in front of him, and, in a moment of astonishing clarity, he realized that he spoke the truth. If the elf should ever get the slightest chance, he would do as he had just promised, and the last thing he would ever see would be those cold blue eyes, looking at him with the promise of death in their depths.

Shaking off the morbid thoughts, Donyc forced himself to a grin.
'Well then,' he thought, still badly shaken, 'I will have to make sure he doesn't get such a chance.'

"We'll see," the dark haired human said, hiding the sudden fear that threatened to freeze his limbs. "But if you don't want to find out how it feels to be hit by a crossbow bolt, you should put down that knife and hand over your other weapons."

Legolas hesitated, studying the men closely. If he was fast enough, there was still a chance…
Donyc seemed to have guessed his thoughts, for he stepped back and to the side, giving the men behind him a clear line of fire.

"Don't," he warned the elven prince, "I know your kind is fast, but you're not that fast. And even if you were, your little friend is in no condition to move quickly. He would die instantly. Do you want that?"

The fair haired elf didn't answer, fixing his eyes unwaveringly on the humans in front of him. Donyc sighed. If this whole thing had taught him one thing, it was to never again accept an offer from an elf. Everything to do with elves was more trouble than it was worth. He raised his hand, and the men beside him shifted aim slightly, all of them pointing their weapons at the young ranger now.

"Your weapons, Master Elf," Donyc said slowly, smiling at the elf, "My patience is wearing thin. If you don't want him to die, you should hand them over now."

Legolas glared at him before returning the blade to its sheath and reaching behind his head to remove the quiver from his back. Donyc was right, he wouldn't be able to avoid three crossbow bolts, and neither would Aragorn. He seriously doubted his human friend was in the condition to do anything than stay upright right now, and even that wouldn't last long. When he was just pulling off his quiver, he heard a soft voice behind him, speaking quietly in Elvish.

"Don't. Please, my friend, you can still escape."

Legolas half turned and looked at Aragorn, who had forced his eyes open once more, leaning against the wall for support. His silver eyes were clear and determined though as he looked at his friend.
"Don't let them catch you too," he added, "Get out of here."

"Be quiet, Estel," Legolas replied, removing his quiver and bow from his back, "You must be delirious. There is absolutely no way I'm leaving you here alone."

"Legolas…"

"Hush, human," the elf said sternly, "I said no. I am not returning to your brothers bearing the news that I left you here. I am not leaving you behind."

Donyc waved his hand impatiently, gesturing at the two friends. Although he didn't understand what they were saying, it was not too hard to guess.
"Touching, really. Your weapons, Master Elf, now."

Legolas turned around and stepped forwards, out of the cavern, handing one of the men his weapons. He fixed his eyes on Donyc's grinning face and once again wished for nothing more than to be able to throttle him.
'A Elbereth, he is going to pay.'

The human commander studied the elf in front of him; it was truly surprising how easy it was to get someone to comply when one threatened his friends. And this time it had been even easier than he had first thought. He gave one of his men a sign to step closer. When the elf saw the human approach with a length of rope, he stiffened and tensed his muscles, clearly unwilling to let himself be bound like that. Donyc sighed softly.
Why did these elves have to make everything so difficult?

With two quick steps he had reached the ranger's side and, pulling his head up by the hair, placed a dagger at his throat.
"Don't make me hurt him," he said threateningly, locking eyes with the elf and regretting it instantly when a wave of pure fury seemed to blaze up in those silver-blue eyes. "For everything you do, he is going to pay. Understood?"

Legolas glared at the dark haired human, but allowed the other men to step closer, search him for concealed weapons and then bind his hand tightly in front of him. During the whole time it took them to do this he didn't take his eyes off the dark haired man, something that Donyc didn't seem to enjoy at all.

Once Donyc was sure that the elf was bound tightly, he let go of the young man's head, who shot him a good reproduction of the glare the elf had been giving him the whole time. The human commander wondered idly if that was a trait you picked up when you lived with elves.

"Well, ranger, this is getting old, wouldn't you agree? This is the second escape attempt in less than a week. Don't you remember the 'conversation' we had about this the last time?"

Aragorn gave no outward reaction, but the small flicker of fear in his eyes was not lost on the other human.

"Ah, I see you remember," Donyc said, chuckling evilly. "But I am not a cruel man."

At this point Aragorn had to stop himself from laughing uproariously. He was quite sure that his body would quit on him if he tried, and he knew from experience that Donyc had no sense of humour whatsoever.

Oblivious to his captive's thoughts, Donyc continued.
"Besides, I promised to let you live, and I am a man that keeps his promises. But still – I can't just ignore this, can I?"

The human commander patted the ranger's cheek, and Aragorn recoiled as far as he could, loath to let himself be touched by this man. He looked into Donyc's dark eyes and frowned in confusion. The sadistic sparkle was still there, but, somehow, it was different this time…

The second Donyc started to move, Aragorn understood what the man was going to do.
"No!!"

His shout echoed through the cave the exact same moment the other human reached the elven prince and let the hilt of his knife connect with the side of the elf's head.
Brilliant stars seemed to explode in front of Legolas' eyes, and as he sank to his knees, unable to stay upright any longer, he wondered dreamily whether it had been a mistake to remove Elrohir's bandage.
'Probably,' the annoying voice noted dryly, 'It might have absorbed some of the blow.'

The voice was about to say more, but just then something connected with his ribcage and sent him crashing against the wall. Through the hammering pain in his head he heard someone utter a small cry of pain, and, while he curled in on himself and tried to protect himself from the blows that rained down on him, he realized with odd detachment that that someone had been him.

With his arms bound in front of him there wasn't much he could do, and he was helpless to avoid the punches and kicks, and he concentrated only on breathing and staying conscious, something which was becoming nearly imposible, especially since a second blow to his head sent him to the very brink of passing out.

Suddenly, after an eternity, it stopped and Legolas heard agitated voices talk somewhere close to him, but he just couldn't understand them. What language were they speaking? It didn't sound like any language he knew, but then again, he didn't understand a lot right about now…

Aragorn watched in horror as Donyc and two of the men began to hit and kick his friend, and they didn't even stop when their captive was on the ground, his attempts to protect himself growing weaker quickly. Struggling desperately to free himself from the firm grasp in which the third man held him, the young man gave up soon, deciding that even a hobbit child could probably hold him back right now.
"Stop it! Donyc, stop it, for Eru's sake!!"

The human commander just grinned at him and aimed another kick at Legolas, catching him in the ribs and eliciting a moan of pain from the elven prince. Aragorn stared at his friend with mounting concern; he shouldn't be hurt so badly already, he must have been injured when he had arrived here.
'Stubborn elf!' he thought furiously, his fear for his friend's well-being turning into irrational anger, 'When this is over, we will have to have a serious talk about this!'

Taking a deep breath and swallowing his pride, Aragorn tried again.
"Please, Donyc. Let him go. It is me you want, not him. I beg you!"

The human turned at that and motioned his men to stop as well, glee on his face.
"Would you repeat that, ranger?"

Aragorn clenched his teeth and glared at the man, grey eyes flashing with anger and hatred.
"Please let him go. He has done nothing to you."

Donyc seemed to contemplate this for a second, before grinning evilly at the young ranger .
"Sorry, boy, but what I told him goes for you too. For everything one of you does, the other is going to pay. If you try to escape, he is paying the price for your actions."

"No! Stop it!" Aragorn pleaded, trying to wriggle out of the man's grasp to get to his friend's side.

Donyc turned around to kick the elven prince again, but just as his boot was about to connect with his captive's side, a hand closed around his arm, pulling him back.

"What is it?" Donyc asked furiously, glaring at Addramyr who had appeared on the scene followed by a few of his men.

"Remember the elf's words? Cornallar said not to harm that one when we met him in the forest," the blonde human nodded at Legolas who was still on the floor, eyes closed and gasping for breath, "Or he would be 'displeased'. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see that happen! He won't be happy that we had a bit of fun with the ranger, but if you injure the elf further, he will be furious. Let it be enough."

Donyc clenched and unclenched his fists, looking very much like a child that had just lost its favourite plaything. After a few seconds he nodded his head slowly, ignoring the way Aragorn's shoulders sagged in relief.
"You are right. There is no need to infuriate our employer."

He gave Legolas one last kick before stepping in front of the ranger, grabbing his chin tightly.
"This is not over yet, boy. Tomorrow the elves will be back, and I'm sure I will find a way to continue with this 'conversation', if not with him, then with you. Count on it."

Aragorn gave the human the fiercest glare he could manage, pushing aside all the pain and fear he felt at the moment.
"You are right. It is not over, not by a long shot."

Donyc's eyes seemed to darken even more at that, and his hand shot out and caught his captive across the face, causing the cut to start bleeding again.
"Hold your tongue, ranger," he growled threateningly.

With one last look at the defiant fire in the young man's eyes, he let go of his chin and stepped out of the small cave, giving the men a sign to follow him.
Turning back to Addramyr, he told him,

"Make sure they are bound tightly and secure them to the rings. Post a guard and take him," he nodded at the slumped body of the guard Legolas had knocked out, "With you. We will have to have a little talk with him once he wakes up."

Giving Aragorn a friendly smile, he added,

"Sweet dreams ranger. I will see you tomorrow, that I promise you."

He turned and disappeared down the tunnel, followed by all of his men except for Addramyr and the man that still restrained Aragorn. Donyc's second-in-command nodded at the man who gave the young ranger a hard shove that send him crashing to the ground. Grabbing Aragorn's still bound hands, he ignored his soft moan of pain as his numb arms were yanked around and checked if the bonds were still wrapped tightly around the young man's wrists and forearms. Satisfied with what he saw, he grabbed the rope one of his companions had left behind and secured Aragorn's arms to the lowest ring, tugging at the ropes to make sure they would hold.
At the same time Addramyr had grabbed the still stunned elven prince and dragged him over to the rings, ignoring his feeble attempts to resist. Seeing that there was not enough space, he left about two feet of rope between the prince's hands and the ring so he could sit on the floor next to Aragorn and still be secured to the same metal ring.

The two men stepped back, and Addramyr gave both of them a smug smile.
"Much better," he said, nodding his head.

Telling the guard in no unclear terms what would happen to him if one or both of them should escape, he turned and walked off into the direction of the main cavern, dragging Aragorn's former guard with him and mumbling under his breath how terribly annoying those elves could be. Not to mention the ranger, he was almost as bad as them.

The guard gave Aragorn and Legolas a stern look.
"Behave. You won't like what will happen if you don't."

Aragorn waited until the guard had retreated back into the tunnel before turning huge, worried eyes on his friend.
"Legolas? Are you alright? I am so sorry, mellonamin, 'tis all my fault…"

His elven friend smiled slightly, wincing as that minute movement caused his lip to burst open again and trying to ignore the very tempting urge to lose consciousness. Opening his eyes carefully, he tried to reassure his friend.
"I am fine, Strider. Just a little blow to the head, nothing more."

The young ranger looked at the prince as if he had just stated that he had decided that Donyc was a really nice person.
"'Just a little blow to the head'?? Valar, Legolas, that has got to be the understatement of the century! You weren't well to begin with! How many ribs are broken?"

Legolas glanced at Aragorn, who had a determined, indignant look on his face, scolding him for getting himself injured. Sighing softly, he decided that all three sons of Elrond were behaving far too much like their father for their own good.

"Two," he lied smoothly, but when he saw the look on his friend's face, he amended quickly. "Very well, three. Perhaps a few more now."

Giving Aragorn an evil look, he asked,
"How many of yours are broken?"

The young human averted his eyes, finding a sudden, keen interest in the ceiling. It was really a rather fascinating ceiling, he decided, all these cracks in the rocks were just…

"Well?" Legolas' voice prompted, drawing him out of his survey.

He returned his eyes to his friend and grinned sheepishly.
"I don't know. A few, I'd say."

The elven prince's eyes darkened at that.
"Donyc did that? For an escape attempt?"

Aragorn nodded and suppressed a shiver of fear.
"Yes. It is quite hard to get away when there are elves around, you know. He grew quite agitated when I wouldn't do what he wanted."

When his friend raised a questioning eyebrow at that, he added, softly,
"Beg. He wanted me to beg him to stop. I … just couldn't. I couldn't do it, although he made me wish that I had rather soon."

Legolas' heart clenched in fury when he saw the pain in Aragorn's eyes. He would make sure he somehow got the chance to fulfil his promise; he would make sure the dark haired human regretted having ever laid hands on his friend.
The elf reached out with his bound hands and put his fingers under Aragorn's chin, lifting his head until their eyes met.

"Listen to me, Aragorn. I am here, and I will not let him hurt you again, not while I'm still alive and have some strength left to prevent it. I promise."

The young man smiled at him, switching his speech to Elvish.
"I know, my friend. Thank you. But don't use my name again, please. It is not safe."

Legolas winced and cursed himself for his own carelessness, musing that he had probably got hit harder on the head than he had thought.
"I know, Strider, I'm sorry. Your father told me that you would be in danger if Cornallar ever found out about your lineage, though I don't know why."

Aragorn smiled wryly, carefully leaning back against the wall.
"Well, I can tell you. We have some free time at our hands anyway, so I can tell you everything from the beginning. And then you can tell me how it came that you and my dear brothers very nearly got buried in a cave. And where they are."

The fair haired prince nodded.
"Agreed. But you go first."

Aragorn grinned.
"Stubborn elf."

"Reckless human."

Some hours later, they had told each other what had happened those past two weeks, having earned many unbelieving looks from the other. Legolas had almost laughed out loud when Aragorn told him - highly embarrassed - that he had fallen off a tree, while the human had to stifle a fit of hysteric laughter when Legolas told him about the journey under the mountains with a horse that wanted to kill his brothers.

The elven prince studied his friend's face closely, noting the way his eyelids began to drop yet again. Giving Aragorn a stern look, he pressed him back against the wall.
"You need to rest. You will need all your strength tomorrow. And I have to think of a way to get us out of here."

Aragorn nodded slowly, much too exhausted to be able to quarrel with the elf. He closed his eyes, and it became silent for a while, until he opened them again and fixed tired silver eyes on his friend's scratched and bruised face.
"Legolas … would you do me a favour?"

Legolas looked at him, hiding his surprise.
"Anything you want, Estel. You know that."

The young ranger dropped his eyes to the floor and blushed slightly.
"Would you … sing to me? I haven't heard a song in ages, that's at least what it feels like. I miss it, it reminds me of other places, of ... home."

The elven prince smiled softly and nodded earnestly.
"Of course, my friend. What would you like to hear?"

Aragorn was about to shrug when he remembered that his body wouldn't thank him for that movement.
"I don't care," he mumbled sleepily and closed his eyes again, "As long as it's not the 'Fall of Gil-galad', I don't care. I don't think I could stand that right now."

Legolas chuckled softly.
"Very well, I shall sing a song about one of your forefathers, Eärendil the Mariner. I heard it from a hobbit in Mirkwood, about thirteen years ago. He had read about him somewhere in Rivendell, I believe… But that's a different story," he added as he saw Aragorn's eyes open again, a sparkle of curiosity flickering in their grey depths.

"Sleep, Estel," he said and drew the human's head down on his shoulder, "Listen to the song and sleep, and if anything unfriendly disturbs your dreams, I will be here."

The young ranger didn't protest, and soon the sweet, clear sound of Legolas' voice filled the small cavern, singing of conquered darkness, love and hope and chasing away all feelings of helplessness and fear as Aragorn swiftly fell asleep.




Elrond looked at the well concealed mountain path, his anxiety growing by the second. He wasn't afraid of what might happen to him, he was afraid of what he would find once they reached their destination. Neither Cornallar's gleeful hints nor Nólad's furtive pitiful glances had helped him to get rid of that feeling.

Nólad…
To be honest, Elrond had been surprised when he had seen the fair haired elf yesterday evening, waiting for them at the mountain's foot.
'Why?' a small voice asked. 'He has been Cornallar's friend ever since they met each other as elflings, so what did you expect? As long as you can remember he has been loyal to him, following his every order. Why does it surprise you now?'

The Lord of Rivendell shrugged inwardly, studying the elf that rode in front of him. True, he had always been loyal to Cornallar, but he had never been the kind of person that just followed orders blindly, without thinking about the consequences. Or about the reasons for said orders, and he had been perfectly capable of coming to his own conclusions about right and wrong in the past. So why was he following Cornallar now?

Elrond straightened his shoulders and manoeuvred his horse closer to that of the fair haired elf. This was something he had learned very early in his time as Lord of Imladris: If you don't know something, then ask. After doing everything in your power to obtain said knowledge, of course, including bribery and threats.
As Glorfindel would say: Elf lords do not appear clueless in public; very special circumstances excluded.

'Well, these are definitely special circumstances,' he decided and rode up to the other elf, making sure Cornallar was at the head of the column and wouldn't be able to overhear them.

Nólad seemed to stiffen when he noticed the elf lord approach him, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Elrond narrowed his eyes and studied him closely.

"How is he?" he asked finally.

The other elf looked at him at that, light grey eyes locking on dark grey ones.
"The human? He is alive," he said slowly, searching Elrond's eyes for something. A small smile played at the corners of his lips when he found what he was looking for.
"You really care about him," the fair haired elf said quietly.

Elrond nodded without hesitation.
"Of course I do; Estel is my son by all but birth. He is … a very special person," he said with a soft smile, clearly remembering an incident long past.

Nólad agreed silently; the ranger was anything but ordinary.
Elrond looked at him again, frowning slightly.

"Why? Why do you follow him, Nólad? I can still remember what you were like in Imladris, this is not like you! Surely you see that this course of action won't solve anything? It will not help chase away the images, nor give your hurting souls the peace you seek."

The fair haired elf simply looked at him, sadness on his eternally youthful features.
"But he believes that, and nothing you, I, or anybody else says could change his mind now. It is far too late for that, and you know it, my lord."

Elrond noted that Nólad used that title without any of the hatred or contempt that seemed to mark every single one of Cornallar's sentences. The only thing that he could sense about him was a weary acceptance.

The elf lord opened his mouth to say something, but Nólad shook his head, silencing him.
"No, Lord Elrond, please don't. I know that it is wrong, that all of this is wrong, but I cannot help you or the ranger. He is my liege lord, and my friend."

Elrond looked him in the eye, and when he saw the pain, despair and quiet determination shine brightly in their depths, he relented with a sigh.
Nólad would never be able to turn against his lord and friend, not after all these years.

"Then you must do what you think is right," he said quietly.

The fair haired elf looked pained at that, but was spared from answering when Cornallar's voice sounded from the head of the small line of riders.

"Finally, Peredhil: We are here. Just a few minutes now and you'll see your little human son. Isn't that wonderful?"

Elrond closed his eyes shortly, repeating once again all the reason there were for not killing the dark haired elf.
'Think of Estel, think of Estel, think of Estel…'

It was truly a good thing that they had finally reached the elves' home, he mused, he really didn't know for how much longer he would have been able to restrain himself from doing something drastic to his former advisor. Something involving throttling him. And that was just for starters.

While they were riding through the small valley called Eskadol as he had learned, he barely had eyes for his beautiful surroundings. Consciously prying his closed fists apart, the Lord of Imladris took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Elbereth, if anything had happened to his son, he would never be able to forgive himself…

Finally they reached the rock face, and much to his surprise Elrond saw that it was dotted with the dark entrances of caves that loomed black and dark, standing out sharply against the grey surface of the rock.
'Caves?' he asked himself, flabbergasted. 'Well, this is extreme, even for Cornallar…'

He surveyed his surroundings, and quickly counted the men present. Thirty-seven, he finally decided, those who had accompanied him on his way over the Misty Mountains already included. Those were not good odds. But then again, he'd had worse. Shuddering when he remembered the last battle of the War of the Last Alliance, the battle in which he had lost his friend and king, he nodded grimly. He had seen and survived odds much worse.

His mind spinning as he tried to come up with a plan, he dismounted and searched for Cornallar. He found him a second later, standing next to a human with dark hair and eyes that were as cold and lifeless as the rock he leaned against. Elrond stepped closer, not willing to wait any longer.

"Where is he, Cornallar?"

The dark haired elf looked up and smiled at him, a smile that seemed to light up his whole face. Elrond suppressed a strong feeling of dread. This was not a good sign.

"Calm down, my lord. Five minutes will change nothing, the game will not end just like that."

Cornallar turned to the dark haired man and nodded at him.
"Bring them out."

The man grinned evilly and turned into the direction of the caves, calling out a few names and ordering the addressed men to follow him.
Elrond looked at his former councillor, who had drawn one of his knifes and was idly turning it over in his hands, and asked himself only one thing: '"Them"?'




Legolas nudged his friend slightly, growing even more concerned than he had already been. Aragorn was far too tired and had slept far too long. He had only woken once in the morning, when the boy had come to visit them.


Legolas cocked his head to the side when he heard the unmistakable sound of an approaching orc that was trampling through the tunnel, nearing their position. He frowned in thought for a second, how was that possible? Not even Cornallar would work with orcs, would he? Trying to peer into the corridor, the elven prince gently shook his friend awake, careful not to touch any of his injuries, which was quite hard, since every bit of skin he could see seemed to be covered with either a cut or a bruise. Or both. Legolas clenched his teeth again as he watched Aragorn struggle towards consciousness, pain he was quick to hide clearly visible when he opened his eyes.
He would get Donyc for what he had done to his friend.

The soft voices of two humans could be heard in the tunnel, and soon the footsteps of one man drew closer. Had this one made the noises? If that was the case, then he truly was the clumsiest human the prince had ever met. Legolas glanced up and looked into the face of a child – a young human, he corrected himself hastily, he couldn't be more than two years Aragorn's junior – who was looking at them with wide eyes, carrying something that looked like Aragorn's overcoat and shooting Legolas frightened glances.

The boy stopped, suddenly uncertain what to do.
"I … brought you this," he said finally. "Addramyr's orders. He doesn't want the elf to see what happened right away."

Legolas glared at him, which caused the young man to literally shrink under his gaze.
"How very thoughtful of you," he said acidly.

Aragorn shook his head slightly, smiling at the boy.
"It is alright, Legolas. Seobryn only does what he is told."

A few moments later, the young ranger once again wore his overcoat, and it had even been quite easy to put it on, even with his arms bound behind his back, considering the way it was slashed at most places. That pleased the elven prince; he hadn't missed the way Aragorn had shivered with cold last night. The young man turned to leave again, but the Aragorn's soft voice stopped him in mid-motion.

"Seobryn," he called quietly, causing the boy to turn back to them, wiping a strand of brown hair out of his eyes with a nervous move of his hand. "Listen to me. If you want to live, then leave. Leave now."

Seobryn looked at the young ranger in shock.
"What do you mean?"

Aragorn leaned forward slightly, his eyes boring into the other man's.
"You know that the elves will be arriving today. Whatever happens after that, you don't want to be involved, believe me."

"But my uncle…"

Aragorn interrupted him, shaking his head firmly.
"He doesn't matter. Addramyr's anger is nothing compared to the wrath of the elves that will descend on all those who are involved in … this. They will be coming for the elf your employer is meeting with, and they will punish every single one of those responsible for any harm that should have befallen him. Listen to me, Seobryn: Seize this chance and leave. Get as far away from here as possible, and forget those past seven years. Do that and you may live. Stay, and you will die with the rest of them."

Seobryn looked at him with wide eyes, fumbling for words and failing. With one last look at the ranger and the grim looking elf he turned and positively fled the cave.

Legolas raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"Did you have to scare him like that?"

"I didn't try to scare him," the young human replied, letting his head sink back in exhaustion or pain. "I mean what I said. He doesn't want to be involved in all this, especially not if you are right and Celylith, my brothers and the rest of your men arrive here."

"They will probably not make it in time."

Aragorn smiled resignedly.
"I know."

Legolas shook his head, glaring at his friend.
"Don't you dare give up hope now! We will get out of here, somehow! I just need some more time to think, that's all."

"Oh, if that's all…" his human friend mumbled sarcastically.

"Ungrateful human!" the fair haired elf muttered ironically. "Don't forget that I came to rescue you!"

Aragorn let his eyes wander over their small prison, from ceiling to wall to floor and back up. Raising a mocking eyebrow, he replied,

"Oh. Yes, I forgot. Thank you."

Legolas followed his friend's eyes around the cave.
"Don't mention it," he said wryly, grinning at the ranger.

Aragorn smiled back, his eyes drifting shut again. The elven prince leaned back and pulled the man back with him, leaning against the wall.
"Rest a little more, Estel. I will wake you should anything happen."

The young human wanted to reply that he seriously doubted that, but before he could utter a single word, sleep once again claimed him, and he relaxed against the wall, his head falling on Legolas' shoulder once more.


Legolas nudged the ranger again. Someone was coming. Aragorn stirred and opened bleary silver eyes.

"What is it?" he asked tiredly, his word slightly slurred.

"They are coming," Legolas informed him softly, placing his bound hands on his friend's shoulder in a reassuring way.
"Remember: We will get out of here," he said quietly just before the men reached them.

Aragorn gave a small, insincere smile, his eyes fixed on the cave entrance, a small shudder racing down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold air in the cave. Legolas grimaced sympathetically. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Donyc again either, and he had only seen him twice yet.
'You won't be seeing him more often,' a small voice inside his head noted. The fair haired prince balled his hands to fists. Indeed not, for he would kill that human soon…

He looked up when he heard mentioned human greet them with far too much joy in his voice.
"Good morning! Or should I say good day? Well, it doesn't really matter, the view in here is somewhat lacking, don't you think?"

Legolas decided that that was the first thing he agreed on with the human commander.

Unperturbed by the friends' silence, Donyc continued.
"Very well, let's get moving, shall we? They're here, and we don't want to let them wait."

He gestured at two of his men who stepped forward and undid the ropes that were securing the elf and ranger to the ring, pulling them upright. While the elven prince straightened up quickly and tried to shake off the man's hands, Aragorn sagged slightly, and only the human's firm grip on his arm prevented him from falling back down again.

The human commander grinned evilly at the young human, taking his arm from the human and pushing him forwards.
"Not feeling so well, are we, ranger?"

Aragorn didn't reply; he was far too busy trying to stay on his feet. He very nearly fell down several times as they descended the steep path leading down into the valley, and by the time they had reached the humans' camp, he felt ready to drop. Trying to give Legolas a comforting smile, he struggled to keep up with Donyc as he steered him into the direction of a big tree under which a camp fire flickered, gleaming and lightening the gloomy day.
'Great,' he thought sarcastically, eyeing the tree, 'Another one.'

Just under the tree stood a small group of people. He recognized Addramyr, Gwaer, several other men he had … met in the course of the past week, and a boy with wavy brown hair that looked scared out of his mind. Aragorn sighed softly. Why hadn't Seobryn left while he had still had the chance?
When they came closer, the young ranger could see that there was Nólad as well, and next to him stood Cornallar. He suppressed a shiver of fear; he really hadn't wanted to see the dark haired elf again. Ever. Aragorn narrowed his eyes, behind the elf there was someone else, almost completely concealed by Cornallar's tall figure. That someone seemed to glare daggers at his elven captor, but turned and looked into their direction as he heard them approach.

Aragorn's heart seemed to skip a beat when he realized whom he saw.
"Father!!"

"Estel!" Elrond made a move as if to rush forwards, but was stopped before he had moved more than two inches as Cornallar grabbed his arm and nonchalantly placed the dagger he had been playing with against the elf lord's chest. Elrond shortly tore his eyes away from his human son and gave the other elf a fiery glare. If one looked closely enough, one could almost see the tiny bolts of lightening shoot out of his eyes.

"Estel!" he repeated, fixing worried eyes on his youngest child, who looked as if the only thing that kept him upright was brutal grip of the dark haired man whom he had seen earlier.

'That must be Donyc,' Elrond decided, clenching his hands into tight fists. His fury reached new, unheard-of dimensions when he studied the young human more closely. Aragorn looked far too thin and pale, and every bit of exposed skin seemed to be either cut or bruised. The boy still wore his now slashed overcoat, and Elrond was sure that it hid even more injuries.

The young man stumbled slightly, and was roughly pulled back to his feet by the other man. Automatically Elrond tried once again to break free, whether to get to his son or to strangle the human commander, he wasn't quite sure himself. Cornallar's tightened his hold on his arm, and the knife started to dig into Elrond's skin.

The elf lord turned and glared at his former advisor.
"What have you done to him, Cornallar?" he asked in a barely controlled voice, his eyes positively burning with fury. "You will regret this, I promise you that…"

Before he could say more, the small group had reached the campfire, and Donyc stopped a mere ten feet from them. It might as well have been ten leagues, Elrond mused dryly. Aragorn looked so young now, so very much like the child that had somehow found his way into Elrond's heart, and the Lord of Imladris wanted nothing more than take the young human in his arms, telling him that everything would be alright as he used to do when the boy was younger.
"Estel, are you alright? Please, answer me, my son!"

Aragorn turned worried silver eyes on his foster father and gave him a slight smile, trying to reassure him.
"I am fine, ada. Thank the Valar you are as well! I'm sorry, I should have listened to you and been more careful…"

Elrond had just opened his mouth to tell him that there was absolutely nothing to be sorry about, when his eyes fell on a lithe figure he had overseen in his immense relief to see his human son alive.

"Legolas?" he asked, unbelievingly, staring at the battered Prince of Mirkwood, who gazed back, looking somewhat guilty. "You … but how? My sons, are they…"

The fair haired elf shook his head quickly, interrupting the elf lord.
"No, my lord, they are fine. Your sons live."

Elrond closed his eyes for a second, feeling almost dizzy with relief. Elrohir and Elladan were alive, and so were Legolas and Estel, Ilúvatar be praised…

Cornallar's mocking voice interrupted his short prayer of thanks as the dark haired elf stepped closer to the elven prince, having assigned the duty to guard the Lord of Rivendell to two other humans.
"What honour! The Prince of Mirkwood, in my humble home…"

The elf trailed off when he noticed the darkening bruises on Legolas' face. He turned to Donyc, anger darkening his eyes.
"I thought my orders had been unambiguous, Master Human. I told you not to harm him."

The human commander shuffled nervously, avoiding the elf's gaze.
"Well, he tried to free the ranger and …"

Cornallar ignored the human, turning back to Legolas.
"We will talk about this, Donyc. Later. But you, my prince," he gave the younger elf a mocking half-bow, "I should have known you would find a way to return for your little edan. Although I have to say that I'm impressed; I hadn't thought anyone could get out of that alive. So the other two made it out as well? I have to admit, I don't really care."

Legolas gave him a cool stare.
"I don't leave my friends behind, Cornallar. If you had any honour left, you would understand that."

The dark haired elf only looked at him, shaking his head slowly.
"You are just like him, son of Thranduil. Tinánd wouldn't listen either when I told him what would come to pass if he insisted on mixing with that accursed human."

"Then your son was wiser than you will ever be!" Legolas shot back, heatedly. "If you still think that the race of a person is all that matters, you have truly lived your life with your eyes closed and your heart dead."

Cornallar scowled at him and took a step to the side, grabbing Aragorn by the coat and dragging him closer, ignoring Elrond's renewed attempts to get to his human son's side.

"Yes, my heart is dead, prince! Dead because of the weakness of his race! Can't you see it? Look at your precious human! He will die anyway one day, and if you're not careful, he will take you with him! I am actually doing you a favour in getting rid of him!"

The dark haired elf was about to say more when he felt his right hand close around something small in the ranger's pocket. He turned his eyes on the young human who was desperately trying not to show the panic that was slowly beginning to creep up on him.
"What is that, ranger? Are you hiding something from me?"

He motioned Donyc to hold Aragorn in place while he searched his pockets, paying no heed to the young ranger who was trying to pull away.

"What have we got here?" he asked, his curiosity sparked as Aragorn tried to escape his grasp, now nearly desperate, only to be held back by the dark haired human commander.

"I'm really hurt, dúnadan. You should know me well enough to know that I am no common thief, and I think…" Cornallar's mocking voice trailed off as he inspected the small object he had retrieved from the human's pocket, turning it over and watching closely as the sparse sunlight caused the gleaming metal of the ring he held in his hands to sparkle.

"It's not possible," he whispered in shock, his eyes fixed on the beautiful piece of jewellery. He ignored the questioning glances Donyc shot him and grabbed the ranger's chin, staring into Aragorn's eyes as if looking for confirmation of something he had found out surprisingly seconds ago.

Letting go of the young human after a few seconds, Cornallar started to chuckle quietly, a sound that caused all those present to shiver more or less openly.
He opened his eyes again after a few moments, shaking his head in amusement.

"Ah, you never know what the future holds, do you?" he asked, forcing himself to calm down again. "Now everything is much clearer. No wonder our revered Lord of Rivendell took you in, you are kin from afar, after all. I might have known, you look just too much like your ancestors, and even take more after him than Elendil's older son… Which makes the whole affair even more enjoyable, of course."

The elf's hand closed tightly around the silver ring as he stared at the young ranger, looking at him with burning hatred and as if he had just received an unexpected, but very welcome gift. Aragorn glared back, attempting not to think of what Cornallar would do to him now that he knew who he was. There were things he really didn't wish to contemplate, and he had the nagging suspicion that imagination might not do the real thing justice in this case.

The dark haired elf turned, still smiling slightly, and walked over to Elrond, who looked even paler and grimmer than before.
"How very fortunate, wouldn't you agree, Peredhil? Now we are all here, all those who this concerns. I have truly underestimated you; your pieces are much more than they appear to be at first glance. And I even begin to understand your hesitation to sacrifice this one," he nodded into Aragorn's direction. "He is the last of your brother's line, isn't he? And he is, several generations removed, the nephew of the edan who was responsible for the death of the only person I had left of my home. This whole little get-together has just become a lot more interesting, just consider all the possibilities…"

Elrond shook his head, trying to ignore the two men that held him back, silent fear in his eyes.
"Please, Cornallar, let him go. He has done nothing to you, and neither have his forefathers. Even if they had, he is not them, you can't hold him accountable for what happened millennia before his birth. Leave him out of this, I beg you. Take me instead; it is me you want."

Aragorn looked at his father with wide eyes.
"Ada, you can't be serious! Don't…"

The elf lord interrupted the young man sharply, his eyes still fixed on the other elf.
"Be still, Estel. Not another word."

Cornallar watched the Lord of Rivendell smiling, noting the growing desperation in his eyes with amusement.
"How touching, my lord. And so very noble, too. You were right, you know," he said jovially, jumping topics so quickly that those present could barely follow his train of thought, "One cannot plan for every eventuality, and, to be honest, I would never have thought to get so lucky. I certainly hadn't planned for this, but there's something else that makes a good player: Flexibility. I wanted to make you suffer like I do, and then, just before you died, I wanted to see the look in your eyes when I killed your precious little human. But I think I have found another way that will be much more fun."

He gave Elrond another smile and motioned Nólad to step closer.
While the fair haired elf was making his way over to his lord, Elrond tried to ignore the looks of horror on his son's and Legolas' faces and to come up with a way to make Cornallar see reason. Despite his anger and fury he didn't really want to kill the other elf, at least not before having made sure he had done everything in his power to find another solution.

'Well, he will kill you soon, so better think quickly,' a small voice in his head noted. He grimaced inwardly. That was exactly what Glorfindel would have said, after telling him "I told you so!" in every language he knew. And the golden haired elf knew a lot.

Watching the insane light that shone even more brightly in Cornallar's eyes now, Elrond realized with a heavy heart that he wouldn't be able to convince his former advisor to do anything but what he had already planned in that twisted mind of his. The other elf was far beyond reason by now.

Cornallar grinned at his companion that had slowly pushed his way through the throng of humans that crowded around the hot fire.
"Well, mellonamin, it is time that for you to have some fun as well. You see, Lord Elrond, originally I hadn't prepared for your little son, but for you. Do you see your sword?" he asked, turning to look at the elf lord.

"Well, in case you don't, it's in the fire. By now it should be quite hot, don't you think? Hot blades tend to give someone nasty burns, as you well know, but for an elf they are hardly life-threatening. With a human though," Cornallar looked shortly into Aragorn's direction, shooting the young man who was obviously struggling to regain control over his emotions an evil smile, "It's an entirely different thing. They are so much less resilient than our kind…"

"Don't you dare, Cornallar," Elrond growled, struggling with his guards who had problems holding the irate elf lord back, "You are a coward, nothing more! Do you need to pick on children now?"
He shot the other elf a threatening glare that would have had Sauron thinking twice before doing anything rash, his fear for Aragorn reaching indescribable heights.

On the other side of the camp, Legolas renewed his attempts to free himself as well, with just as little success, while the young ranger seemed to have frozen in place.

Cornallar wasn't impressed by his words.
"That may be, my lord," he said, his dark eyes fixed unwaveringly on Elrond's increasingly desperate face, "But sometimes you have to use rather ugly tactics to obtain your goals. Another thing you will never understand. Nólad," he said without turning around, "Now it's your chance to enjoy yourself a little. Get the sword."

The fair haired elf swallowed once, obviously trying to calm himself. He closed his eyes shortly, taking a deep breath, before opening them again, his face blank.
"No."

His friend blinked twice, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. Slowly turning to face the other elf, he asked unbelievingly,

"What did you say?"

Nólad met the dark haired elf's burning gaze calmly.
"I said no," he said, his voice stronger now. "I cannot do what you ask, my lord, I'm sorry."

"You betray me," Cornallar said, a hurt look flashing across his face.

The other elf took a step closer, his eyes pleading.
"No, my friend, I am not betraying you! I do not turn against you, I never could and I never will. I simply cannot do as you ask. It is wrong, don't you see that? All of this is wrong! I lost many of those I loved as well, but I will not, I cannot be a part of this."

"You knew," his friend accused him, his eyes darkening with burning fury, "You knew who that whelp was, and you didn't tell me! If that isn't betrayal, then what is, my friend?"

Nólad nodded slowly, for the first time lowering his eyes to the ground.
"Yes, I knew, I won't deny that. I knew you would kill him – slowly – should you ever find out, and I couldn't let you do that."

"Why? Why not? What has caused you to betray me like this?"

"I have never agreed with your methods, Cornallar, and you know that," the fair haired elf explained insistently, willing his friend to understand him. "If you want to kill them, then do so, but do it quickly. They are not just some edain or orcs or foul things like them! And if you don't see it like that, then think of Tinánd! I knew him, and so did you. You know he wouldn't have wanted any of this, least of all the death of one of his best friend's kin. He might have changed after he met Anárion, I'll grant you that, and I don't know if for better or for worse, but even before that time he would not have wanted you to do this! Don't force me to be part of something which my very heart tells me is wrong!"

Cornallar stepped up to the other elf until they were only inches apart.
"This is your last chance, Nólad. Obey me now, or face the consequences."

His friend shook his head sadly.
"I am not your enemy, my lord, and I never will be. This isn't just black and white. I will not hinder you in any way, but I will no longer follow your orders in this matter. This is the wrong way, your son wouldn't have wanted it, and it will not help any of us. Their souls are beyond our reach now, and I know that more bloodshed will do nothing to appease mine."

The dark haired elf stared at him for a second as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. When Nólad didn't make a move to change his mind, Cornallar's dark eyes narrowed, his whole body speaking of an intense fury and a feeling of deep betrayal. His face contorting into a mask of pure rage, he struck out with his right, catching the fair haired elf just under the jaw and sending him tumbling backwards where he crashed against the tree, sliding down the trunk stunned, staring at his friend with unbelieving eyes.

"You are wrong, mellonamin," he spat, glaring at Nólad full of contempt, "Those who are not on my side are against me! You will regret your betrayal, you can be sure of that!"

He turned back to his captives.
"But now to you, ranger" he said, eyeing Aragorn full of hate.

Fixing his eyes on Donyc who looked entirely confused by now, he asked,
"Whose side are you on, Master Human? Choose quickly!"

Donyc gave his employer a cautious smile, tightening his grip on the young man who once again tried to wriggle out of his grasp. No, he decided, no money was worth all this. Elves…
"On yours, of course, Master Elf. We want to get paid, after all. Besides, I would never miss entertainment such as this."

He gave Gwaer a sign to get the sword out of the fire for him.
"I will be very glad to assist you in any way I can."

Cornallar gave a satisfied nod and watched with relish as Aragorn was finally unable to school his expression any longer and stared at the human who was nearing the campfire, about to pull out the hot blade.
"Afraid now, are we, boy?" the dark haired elf asked softly, grinning evilly at him. "You should be."

Elrond made another attempt to break free, and one of the men placed a knife at his throat, thoroughly annoyed now with the resistance their captive was putting up. As the elf lord felt the dagger dig into his neck, re-opening the healing cut there, he reluctantly stilled his movements to avoid slashing his own throat.

"Don't do this, Cornallar, I beg you! You have to see that this isn't right!" he pleaded, his eyes on Gwaer who had grasped the sword's hilt and was pulling it out of the hot ashes now. Taking a look at the other elf's gleaming eyes, he tried again.
"Please, Cornallar, he is just a boy. He has nothing to do with all this, let him go."

Behind Aragorn and Donyc a small scuffle broke out, but was ended rather quickly when Addramyr rammed his elbow into Legolas' ribs, very nearly sending him to his knees in pain. The young ranger himself didn't seem to notice any of this, his eyes fixed on the red-hot sword that the man carried round the fire, a gleeful look on his face.
Cornallar watched the whole scene with amusement, virtually drinking in the fear and despair that radiated off the Lord of Imladris.

"Oh, he has everything to do with this, my lord," he said mockingly, watching the human approach the young ranger who had finally snapped out of his trance and was now trying to squirm out of the human commander's grasp, but was far too weak to put up anything resembling a fight. "He is the piece you wanted to protect at all cost, and, right now, you have manoeuvred him into a corner from which he will not escape. How does that feel, Peredhil? You are about to lose all you have, as you said. The game's up. I win, and you lose."

Aragorn had stopped listening to the elf's tirade about ten threats ago, his mind filled with terror and increasing disbelief. This was not happening to him, he decided. It was not fair, Elbereth, it was not fair… As he watched Gwaer come closer, the hot sword blade now only a few feet away, he finally gave up struggling and began to accept the fact that he was going to die, here, now, today, at the hands of this crazy elf and his cronies.

'The only thing I regret is that ada and Legolas have to watch it,' he told himself, oddly detached from what was happening around him. 'No, that's not true,' he amended after shooting a quick glance at Cornallar's sneering face and his father who was still trying to argue with the other elf, 'I regret dying in the first place. I wish I could see Elladan and Elrohir one last time, I still haven't apologized to Elrohir and who knows what Elladan's hair looks like right now…'

With effort he averted his eyes from the approaching form of the human and fixed them on his foster father, trying to put all his love for him into one long look, smiling at the elf lord who had fallen silent and was staring at him with wide eyes. Behind him he could hear the sounds of Legolas who was desperately struggling with his guards, trying to free himself, without success it appeared. He closed his eyes shortly, remembering the many good times they had had together.

'Stubborn elf. He will get himself killed one day, without me to look after him.'

He opened his eyes again as he felt the heat of the blade come closer, vowing not to let them see how afraid he really was. Donyc tightened his grip on him, but Aragorn didn't try to escape; he knew it would be futile. Fixing a fierce silver glare on Gwaer, he watched with some satisfaction as the man dropped his gaze to the floor, until his head snapped up and his eyes grew wide.

Aragorn frowned, only now realizing that the human had been propelled back a few feet. His numbed brain tried to find the reason for this, and for the swishing sound he had heard only seconds earlier. He watched as Gwaer slowly let the hot sword sink down to his side, his fingers seemingly opening on their own account to let it fall to the ground clashing loudly. The man's other hand slowly travelled to his chest where a dark arrow protruded from his heart, touching it as though he couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Slowly, his body lost all tension and he dropped to the ground, his body hitting the grass with a dull thud.

For a heartbeat or two, it seemed as if the world had frozen in place as men and elves alike stared at the dead man in their midst and the arrow that had hit him with such deadly accuracy. Then the paralysis seemed to lift as everybody jumped into action at once.

And that was the moment everything got completely out of control.





TBC...




mellonamin - my friend
ada - father (daddy)
edan - human (sg.)
dúnadan - 'Man of the West', ranger
edain - humans, men (pl.)




*coughs* Ah well, what can I say? I love cliffies! I couldn't do anything, really, I just _had_ to do it! It was my alter ego, she made me do it again, I'm sorry! *grins evilly* But I had soooo much fun writing this... Okay, so the next chapter should be here on Sunday, I think, and, finally, Cornallar, Donyc and all the other bad guys will get what they deserve! Yay!!
Oh, and: What about a review to keep me suitably motivated? Let me know what you think!? Please please please???






Additional A/N:

Midnight Loner - *g* Yeah, you're right, they are a bit like Superman... *imagines L/E/E in spandex costumes* Uh, distracting picture here!! Well, I can't tell you who will arrive when, you'll have to read on - it's quite obvious now, though...
E - *hurt look* What, you don't like my cliffies? Why not?? Well, see? Elrond's here, right here - although probably not very happy right now... And I agree: Glónduil and Donyc ARE stupid. Both of them. But hey, I needed a few idiots! Glónduil is a real moron, and in due time Donyc will find out just why it is not wise to anger an elf. Not this chapter, but we're getting there.
Pernauriel - Well, there are quite a few people I know who hate Marmite as well, but what's the slogan again? 'You either love it or you hate it.' How true... And hey, I quite enjoy driving on the left side here, although I still think that a sadist invented shifting gears with the left hand... Or a left-handed person... *g* Thanks for the review, everybody (well, not everybody, but quite a lot of them) _will_ get home in the end. More or less in one piece.
CrazyLOTRfan - *looks at the ground* I know, it's not normal - but I absolutely LOVE cliffies!! Love them, love them, love them.... *coughs* Sorry about that. That was her again, just ignore it. Well, great you still like it, and we can't have you go mad, can we? The next bit is here, yay!
Reginabean - *raises eyebrow* I take it you liked the cliffy then? That was a shout of approval, wasn't it? *g* And don't scream so loudly, we can't have all those gorgeous elves arive yet - that would spoil the whole thing! *evil chuckle* Ah, I'm so evil...
Analia - Awww, thanks... *blushes* I'm glad you like it. Okay then. *pulls out a long list* Analia: Tear Donyc apart, slowly... *looks up* I decided to start a list, there are actually quite a few ... interesting ... suggestions for what to do with Cornallar and Donyc. Well, I will see what I can do!
Alisha - *stares transfixed at dagger* Ohhhh, nice and shiny.... Can I have it? I like daggers! *g* Ignore me, my knee hurts which makes me grumpy which makes me say weird things... *grins* Did I? I took you by surprise? Great! I had so feared that everybody would stand there after chapter 15, yelling: "It's Glónduil, that bastard!" Yeah well, it was kinda obvious, wasn't it? But Legolas just attracts trouble! It's part of his character, and who am I to change his character? (even more than I already have, that is... *g*) Well, as I said in the A/N, there will be two more chapters, but they will be quite long. I thought about writing three, but then there would be 23 chapters. 22 looks much nicer. *shrugs* I'm weird, I know. Thanks for the review!!
Kereberos - *continues writing her list* Kereberos: Kill Donyc, slowly and painfully, involving lots of pain. Got that. Well, don't worry, our dear human commander won't survive the next chapter! Mhahahaha!! *runs away cackling evilly*
TrustingFriendship - You want me to let Elrohir avenge himself on a horse? Well, don't you think that's a bit ... well, beneath him? And the horse wasn't really evil, it was just incredibly annoyed. Besides, my sister would kill me if I'd harm the horse, she loves horses... And don't worry, help's on the way, but will it arrive in time? Mhahaha!! (God, I've got to stop doing that... *g*)
Pessimistic Drip - *nods and hands her a cookie* Right you were. It _was _ Glónduil, that stupid little... Okay, I won't go into that right now... Don't worry, Celylith will be fine, I need someone to eventually save them, huh? Yay! Constructive criticism! *blushes* God, I _knew_ it sounded funny! Thanks so much for telling me, it helped me avoid making the same mistake again in ch. 21. And 'this' and 'that' and 'it' always kind of confused me. *shrugs* You get that in every language, I guess. I am by no means insulted or anything, how shall I learn when no-one (hey, it IS 'no-one' here, isn't it?! *g*) tells me what I'm doing wrong? Thanks a lot for telling me! *huggles her* It really helps!
Mouse - Awww, come one, it would have been worse if I had posted _this one_ before I left, wouldn't you agree? Besides, I am rather proud of the chapter 19/20 cliffies. *shrugs* Well, I'm just evil, I guess. Don't worry, I think I will indeed let out dear elven prince have a little 'conversation' with that ... human. A very long, very bloody conversation...
JoX5 - *grins happily* Great you like it so much! Thanks so much for the review, it's always nice to hear that people actually like what you're writing, weird as it may seem... *g*
Firnsarnien - Well, actually, no, I didn't take lessons! I'm a natural I think, the born sadist you could say... *g* Hey, I don't need to leave England to be able to write! We have computers here, too!! *g* I'm writing as fast as I can, really!! Don't worry, the story will be finished in about a week, what do you think? That's soon enough? *hugs her* Thanks for all the reviews!
Ciria - Chemistry? Poor you, I've always _hated_ chemistry. I hope it went well for you? *shudders* Well, Marmite and Bovril... It's better not to know, dear friend. There's some things that are too scary. Well, I am visiting some friends, and we're doing lots of things, like going to London - frequently. I love that city! *g* Yes, well, the horse could hail from their village, couldn't it? But it's an elven horse, so probably not... *raises eyebrow* Well, it was of course Legolas who said that, there were only the three of them. Well, yes, Legolas was the only person who could ride that horse, plus he wanted to get to Aragorn asap, of course. *gives her weird looks* You are _really_ obsessed with that blonde elf, aren't you? *shakes head* Her again... Well, Estel will point out the parallels between Eskadol and Mirkwood, if not in this story, then probably in the next. *wide-eyed* Uh, interesting ideas! Really! Sorry, I have something slightly different in mind, I hope that's okay with you... *g*
LOTRMatrixStarwarsFan - *waves* Hi! Nice to see you again! *grins evilly* Well, yes, a bit of torture never hurt, did it? (Legolas/Estel/Elladan/Elrohir/Elrond: YES IT DOES!!!) 'Previous outburst'? When was that? I can't remember, but I am not sadistic! I'm ... just different... *g* Hmm, German is quite ... harsh. Ugly. Rough. However you want to call it. Huh?? Germany drew with whom? To be honest, I have no idea what you're talking about, I never liked football. We could have lost all matches since 1990 and I still wouldn't have noticed... Eek, SARS? Poor you, you are not really infected are you??
One15 - Was schlimmes passieren? Bei mir? Wie kommst du denn _darauf_?? Also wirklich... Na ja, ein wenig Geduld muessen die beiden schon noch beweisen, aber keine Angst, Hilfe kommt schon noch! *murmelnd* Irgendwann auf jeden Fall... Und du kommst aus dem Sueden, sehe ich, deinem Suedstaatenslang (Ah, muss man Bully nicht einfach lieben??) nach zu urteilen? Na ja, und wie gesagt: Ich denke gerade darueber nach, Ein vager Plot formt sich langsam in meinem verdrehten Kopf, aber da muss ich noch einiges recherchieren! Tja, hoffen hilft bei einglischem Wetter nicht viel. *vielsagender Blick auf Regen* Aber na ja, danke fier den Versuch. *g*
Miss Undastood - Oh, come on, it wasn't THAT long, was it?? Uhm, the horse doesn't have a name. I didn't want to introduce too many unfamiliar names, but maybe I'll think of one, in case I write a sequel. Ack, Marmite crisps? That's even worse, but I do have to admit that I like the salt-and-vinegar-ones...
Zam - *g* Another one of your parties? Yay!!! So _you_ invited the goblins? That explains a lot, I never figured out just why they appeared on my doorstep one day, demanding to be put in the story... Wow, so you have an orc horde _and_ a demon pony? Life's just not fair, all I have is a balrog, okay, and a warg, but Fred doesn't really count... Well, to be honest, I had always planned to have Glónduil 'betray' them, it wasn't your fault - not this time!! Ack! Zam, that's just DISGUSTING!!! I liked that scene very much, and now I want to throw up every time I read it... *pats Zam and Lina on the back* Don't worry, I will not kill Celylith, and I'm angry too! I liked Laener as well! *shaked fist* Damn you, C&S!! Well if you want to marry Nólad, then you will have to get in line, I'm afraid. Ciria is quite taken with him as well... *coughobsessedcough* *sighs tiredly* Why did I know you would say that? HE IS NOT GAY!!! He's a sadist, but not gay! Jeez, you'll be the death of me... *g*
Darkphoenix - It may be cruel, but it's not usual - at least not for me! (*giggles* 'Cruel and unusual punishment...') Well, at the moment I'm not doing much *grumbleStupidKneegrumble*, but I'm here to visit some friends, go to London a lot more often than I should, and, generally, have fun! Yay Nili! And, yes indeed, I am still writing the last chapter. And then I will try to think of another story, I think, all this is soooo much fun!!
Xsilicax - *g* Well, considering that I AM in the south of England, that won't be so far... *g* West Essex counts as south, doesn't it? I agree, the weather has been great. Past tense! Now it's positively aprilish... *grumble* Hmmmm, I like Shepherd's Pie, Mint Sauce and driving on the left side of the road, but I HATE Bovril, Marmite, warm beer and Steak-and-Kidney-Pie. _Kidneys_, for Christ's sake! *grins proudly* See? I told you I was a responsible author, but, ah, this one's a cliffy as well and... *shrugs* Sorry. It's the english food, it's making me mean! And even eviller than I was before!! J/K!! *g*
Isadora - Well, English or not English, that is the question! Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to.... Sorry, TiO hat mich mit ihrem Shakespeare-Getue angesteckt. Ich bin ueberaus geehrt, dass ich die erste aller deiner reviews bekomme! *verbeugt sich* Danke! Nun ja, ich weiss nicht, ob es mutig ist, es war so 'ne Art voruebergehender (oder nicht ganz so voruebergehend!) Wahnsinn. Ausserdem weiss ja keiner wer ich bin, und DAS hilft ungemein! Yay, ein Hoch auf die Anonymitaet! Tja, mein Hauptziel hier ist eigentlich Freunde treffen und Spass haben! Danke fuer die liebe review!!
Elladan - *grins evilly* Quite easily, actually... I just ended the sentence and put the three most-hated letters of the FF community under the text: TBC. Mhahahaha!! *cackles evilly* Well, I'm so happy you like the story, I will try to post the last two chappies as soon as possible! Promise!
ThE iNsAnE oNe - LOL, poor Elrohir! So confused! Here, baby, have some more menfil berries... *g* Yes, wargs are quite useless, aren't they? Fred sr. got beaten to a bloody pulp by a poodle yesterday!! He just doesn't like fighting... *wide-eyed* Uhm, you don't like Donyc then, I guess?? I have no idea why, he is a noce chap ... put down that dagger, I was only joking!! Really!! Well, yes, I agree, Nólad is kinda stupid as well, but he had to leave. Why? Because I said so! And I needed a cheap excuse for more Estel-torture!! Mhahahaha! You really _should_ calm down a little, you are beginning to frighten my characters, and how shall Legolas help Estel when he is to scared to come off that blasted tree? *g* Glad you like that little line, that's just something I would say. And because I'm not in that story (Estel: Thank the Valar!!), Legolas has to say such things... Thanks so much for the huge, funny, hilarious and highly motivating review! Your new story's great btw, but I still demand more of ITB!!!
Kaeera - Na ja, noch nicht direkt zurueck, aber wieder online. Das macht alles wieder wett! Hey, magst du etwa X-Men nicht? Ich mochte Wolverine! Er war cool - und gutaussehend, aber das tut natuerlich nicht zur Sache... *g* Tja, das Pech-Faktor-Pendel hat die Hoechstmarke von 10 gerade ueberschritten und naehert sich unaufhaltsam der 15! Arme kleine Babies... *schuettelt Kopf* Nie tun diese beiden Elben was man ihnen sagt! Einfach entsetzlich! Was habe ich denn noch hier in der Tasche? Yorkshire Pudding, exzellent... *fieses Grinsen* DU solltest auch mal updaten, ansonsten habe ich noch etwas koenstliches Haggis (*wuerg*) fuer dich...
Alexa - *g* You could say that! Here, this is as fast as it gets! I hope you still like it!
Alilacia - *nods head* Finally, a sane person. Marmite and Bovril are just disgusting. Well, the weather WAS goog. Now it's just aprilish. No, you are right, Legolas is a very unhappy elf at the moment. And I shudder to think of what he would have done if Glónduil had actually refused to tell him... I don't even want to know! *evil grin* Yeah well, Donyc is evil, but that's part of his job, I'm afraid... And well, you can't feed him to the wargs, at least not now. I need him for two more chapters, but after that, you can do what you want with him. Thanks so much for all your great review!! *hugs her* Thanks!!
Saint - *embarrassed* Okay, I admit it! I LOVE tormenting my readers! I love it love it love it love it... *takes deeo breath* My alter ego again. Sorry. *g* Okay, ah, a wild rampant goldfish? Well, I've been threatened with all sorts of creatures, but this is new! Sound scary though, so: Here's the next bit! And a bit of Legolas-torture is indeed included!
Arahirien - Well, thanks! I'm glad you like it, and this update is as fast as I can possibly write! Thanks for reviewing!
Shandrial - Oh, that's okay, RL has the tendency to demand some attention from time to time. It's great you still like it, thanks for not forgetting about me!
Belle - *smiles* This is soon enough for you? To be honest, I am getting quite concerned about you, your college sounds like a really weird place. Are your profs supposed to be green? Our are red from time to time (with anger, that is), but green... *g*
Aralondwen - *grins proudly* Yes indeed, I AM evil!! I am very evil, I LOVE being evil! Mhahahahaha!! *shakes head* Gosh, I really need to do something about that maniac laugh... *starts typing like mad* Uh, we can't have you get sick! I'm typing, I'm typing! Ghe next chapter's here!! See?
Imbefaniel - Cool! A real longbow? I've shot myself, but with the 'normal' bows they use for tournaments and stuff. I am not bad, but it's not the same as a real bow... *sigh* Well done you!
B.B. - Uhm, did I kill you? In case I did, I'm sorry. I only mean to torture my readers, not kill them... Don't worry, it will all be over in a week, do you think you can bear the suspence that long? Well, you don't get a choice, do you? Mhahahaha! *runs off cackling evilly* Thanks so much for the review!
Aurienia - *broad grin* Thanks so much! I'm glad somebody likes my weird sense of humour - my family doesn't, that much is such... *g* *pulls out long list* Okies, let Legolas squash Donyc to marshmallows. That's a new one, got it... *ducks behind her chair* Jeez, calm down! It was only a cliffy - and because you liked it so much, here's the next one!! Have fun!! *runs away laughing evilly* I feel sorry for your family, I really do... You too? Zam calls Cornallar 'Corn-puffs', and you call him 'the Corn'! You are impossible. But then again, when I plan the chapters, I call him ED, short for Evil Dude. *shrugs* Whatever.
Marbienl - Oh no!! He is NOTHING like Gríma Wormtongue! Really, Marbienl, he isn't that bad, is he? He is a bit stupid, but not really that seduced-by-evil-kind of person! I agree with you though, 5 minutes are more than they's need... Well, about the spider: That's actually a bit like something I'm still thinking about. Perhaps he will keep one. We'll see. Yeah, Donyc's logic is kinda weird, isn't it? Not to mention evil, of course... He'll get what he deserves. Don't worry, he will...
Acacia - *whistles innocently* Oh, not much more, there are only three chapters left, anyway. There is not enough time to do anything to him ... nothing serious, anyway... *g* Yummy, curry!! Definitely better than Marmite! Thanks for the review!
Froggy - Phew! You're not dead! That's good to hear! I'd hate losing a reviewer... *g* Well, here's the next bit, we wouldn't want to die for real or anything! Thanks for reviewing!
Nikara - *blushes* Thanks so much for saying that! It's not that good, though... Yes, I agree, good stories are hard to find. Why don't you try Lina Skye, HaloGatomon, The insane One, Cassia&Sio, Acacia, Alilacia, Marbienl, Kaeera .... God, there are so many good authors here! An absolut must-read is Jocelyn, if you're a Legolas fan. Her stories are amazing!
Saige - Yes indeed, at least poor Estel has some company now. That's something, isn't it? I'm so happy you like it so much, I hope the suspence was not too much for you!!
Mommints - The Mummy! Of course, I _knew_ I had seen your name before! I'm not really into the Mummy or anything, but I like the movies and check out the FF.net page about once a month. *g* Don't worry, the next bit is already here! See? You can stop your pacing, sit down and read it! Great, huh?
TrinityTheSheDevil - Well, that's an interesting name! *shuffles nervously* I like cliffies! I'm sorry, but I really do... *hastily* See? Update! Within the time limit!! *eyes Gandalf's staff nervously* See? See?? No need to whack me! Thanks for the review!!

Wow, this is getting longer than the actual chapter! Well, perhaps not longer than this chapter, but still... *g* Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews, and sorry again for not replying to the last lot.