A/N: Uhhh... 14=7+7!! A TURNING POINT?! YAY!! I haven't been myself lately, so if this chapter sucks (which it most likely does), blame it on... something or someone (that was Merry's line on SotR, wasn't it? *spooky*). What I REALLY mean is: let me know, and I'll condemn it to hard labour for life. Personal thanks and replies to reviews at the end (trust me, those are *VERY, VERY LONG*, and leave them for after reading the chapter!!) This is a long chapter as well!! The longest so far, methinks, and the one I like best as of yet! =D
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Chapter XIV - Gatherings
The man to Elladan's immediate right pulled back his hood, revealing himself to the nearer guard and nodding his head in salutation. The other acknowledged it, and turned to the hiding elf. Elladan was looking elsewhere, pretending to be unaware of his presence and silent inquiring, but trying desperately to think of a way to escape.
His mind raced so fast that he had the distinct impression he could not think. Every idea flowed right past him, and he could not grasp a single one. ~Don't, Elladan. Stop. Think cool. Calm your head and think of something!~ Hunched forward and with his head low, he searched and searched for any excuse that would get him out of there.
He focused on the company he'd arrived in, all eyes turned towards him, but showing themselves relatively uninterested. Around, nothing but trees, trees and an unending sea of dark trees. Those would have covered him well, he wasn't sure if even elven eyes would see anything hiding in the middle of all those tangled branches. But he was already exposed, he would not have the chance to escape. He needed something else, but what?
He thought for no more than a few seconds, but it had been too long for the guards already. The one standing closer signalled with his hand, and the elf would not look still. They moved to surround him, for they were getting suspicious. Elladan looked, but there was really nothing but trees, men and horses there. Horses he would not be able to use to escape. Not even Sûlfin, his agile steed, close to his left, could help him leave. His time was up, he could stall no more. Either he revealed himself now, or the men would do it for him. He clutched the sword by his side, preparing to fight as much as he could before being taken down. There was no hope of winning this fight.
A moment of calm passed, and, giving up from the game of hide and seek, the elf took out his dark cloak and stood proudly on the horse. The guards were taken by surprise, but not for long. They took out their weapons and pointed them at him, demanding his surrender, but Elladan remained motionless. This angered the men, who advanced towards him with looks on their faces that promised much pain to be caused.
Elladan's mind was now busy with something else, he was thinking of whom to strike first, which men would be more dangerous and of whom should he be wary. He was planning, attempting to stand his ground for as long as possible. The horses, too, were growing restless, feeling the tension on the air, and some whinnied as well.
The guards waited no more. Patience was not their greatest virtue, and having an intruder in their domain was the kind of situation they preferred to deal with quickly. They would have one more prisoner in their dungeons this night, and, even if unexpected, it was not totally unwelcome. Before Elladan could attempt to defend himself, before even the men had raised their arms, however, the horses moved. They had plans of their own.
Sûlfin and his brother, along with Mornië and every other horse in that clearing, started kicking, attacking and, with it, distracting the fell men and protecting their fair elven friend. Shocked, Elladan thanked his four-legged companions and Elbereth under his breath, and quickly seized the opportunity he was being offered to flee into those dark trees. The horse he mounted, which at the beginning had tried to expose him, gladly took him, and some others followed, but most of them stayed behind to stall the men.
Elladan was not sure of where to go, he had never ventured very far in those forests, for the shadow oppressed him. He dismounted and sought for somewhere he could hide, until the men quit searching for him, but he could see nothing and nowhere to go.
Suddenly, a hand covered his mouth and another one pulled him to the side and against a tree, turning him so he could face him. It was Legolas. He had a somewhat relieved look on his face, but an urgent one as well. He pointed upwards and disappeared into the branches of the tree. Elladan got the hint and, after once again thanking the horses, he followed the wood-elf.
"Hantal, roccornya málor, hantal! Nai ranyalyë mirima sina taurissen ho sín, ar lá ve mól sina firio! Auta sín! [Thank you, my horse friends, thank you! May you wander freely in these woods from now on, and not as thralls to these men! Go now!]"
The two elves sat on the branches of a tree that had a particularly thick foliage, and listened to the sounds of the men moving below and shouting at each other. They said nothing and moved not, just waited for the situation to calm down. The elves' horses had disappeared in the confusion, but Elladan was sure they were not too far. Were he to whistle, he knew they would come back.
The men had scattered throughout the forest, encircling the citadel, and those that stayed by its entrance still, were collecting the wild horses and showing them what punishment they received for not obeying their masters and causing such a wonderful captive to escape.
The elves just overlooked it all, from their vantage point, and only some time later did they dare speak to one another. Turning to face each other at the same time, they whispered thus as well.
"Where is Elrohir?"
"What happened?"
And they exchanged the stories of all that had befallen on each of them. Elladan told Legolas of his return trip to the clearing and of his encounter with the men. He recounted how he had blended in the group, pretending to be one of them, after falling down from the cliff into the Bruinen, and after fighting the rider sent to make sure he was dead. On his part, Legolas told Elladan of what had happened after their parting.
"As you know, Elrohir and I went across that plain from the ford after the three riders that had Estel. We followed their tracks easily enough, for they seemed unaware of our pursuit. Sometime later, though, as we were looking at the trail, we noticed that it was different from the one before. There were only two riders following through there now, one had strayed from it. We paid little heed to it then, deciding that that separation had little importance and continued after the main group. We suspected those were the ones who still held Estel. The tracks never left the Eastern Road, and we followed it as well.
"After that plain, the Road crosses two steep red hills and goes down between the two. That's where things went wrong. Perhaps we should have been more cautious, perhaps there was no way of knowing it at all, but I cannot stop feeling that we should have been prepared. We had had previous warnings, after all. That rider who had wandered from the path had set up a trap, and we fell right in the middle of it. He'd gone to the top of one of those hills and waited for us to start crossing the road. He then, somehow, threw down the rocky head of the cliff upon us.
"There was little to be done. Elrohir and I ran for the trees on the sides of that stretch of road, hoping their branches would offer us some protection. It was hard to get there, for there were many boulders falling and often we had to dodge them. I know not how that man got it to tumble down on us, but he did. To escape everything was impossible, and we both took quite a few hits before reaching the trees. The nearer to the cliff wall we were, the safer we'd be, so we tried to get as close from it as possible.
"As I was going, though, a rock hit me and I fell unconscious. I do not know how no other boulder simply crushed me then, while I was lying there. The last thing I remember was watching Elrohir coming to my side, and then darkness claimed me."
"And Elrohir?!"
"From there, all I know are mostly suppositions, things I discovered from what tracks I found after that landslide. Between fallen rock and crushed tree, I looked everywhere for Elrohir, but found no signs. Not a single footprint or drop of blood. With a heavy heart I continued on the Road to see what remained of the trail and what I could make of it." He paused here, gathering the strength to tell Elladan of the news. "Mellon, I believe that not only do they have Estel, but that they're also holding your brother Elrohir captive in this damned fortress." Elladan was expressionless, staring ahead.
"How can you be so sure? Maybe-"
"I'm sure. The tracks I found left little doubt and, as I progressed on the Road for several days, it completely vanished from my mind. I believe that after the lands settled, the rider came down. He must have found Elrohir and took him with him. Whether he was conscious or not, I do not know, and whether he saw me or not, or simply thought me dead, I know not either.
"What I do know is that he dragged Elrohir all the way here. And that would suggest your brother to be out cold, because otherwise he would have undoubtedly tried to stand and walk along the horse, but no such efforts were made, at least not that I could tell. At some point, I did find blood.
"I can also tell you that the man was in no way gentle to Elrohir. He moved fast and the terrain grew harsher on the final stage of the journey. I arrived here this morning and have been inspecting the place ever since. I still have not seen any signs of Estel, nor of Elrohir as of yet. And I was beginning to wonder if they had taken you too, mellon! You had me worried!"
"If anything happens to my brother, I will personally slay each and every single one of these men, on the Valar I swear!"
"Peace Elladan! Say not such things!"
"Say not- Legolas, this is my brother! My twin! This is not just about Estel any more, it's Elrohir too! And even if Elrohir was not in there, Estel is still my distant cousin! It's my family we are talking about! How can you expect me to be calm?!" Legolas waited patiently for the other to finish pouring out his ire, his fears and frustrations, and only at the end resumed his talk, holding Elladan by both shoulders, hard, and looking at him straight in the eye, with a stare so intense that weaker men would not have been able to hold it.
"I know! But you must keep your cool! You know, as do I, that if it were my family in there, I would be the same as you, mellon, perhaps even worse! But you mustn't let that control you or dictate your actions! Think rationally, think as the warrior you are!"
The Rivendell Elf looked down and timidly nodded his understanding, while taking deep breaths to calm himself. With a voice yet full of emotions and faltering sometimes, he spoke again.
"You said you have been here ever since morning. What have you found about this cursed place?" Legolas gave him a look and, after making sure Elladan was indeed regaining his wits, he answered.
"Not much. I could not get very close to it. See those windows? Most are sealed from inside, and those that are not have guards patrolling the corridors they lead into, but as of yet, I have not discovered how they secure the roof. There's an entrance there, for I have seen one of them sending out a messenger bird from there earlier. I know not what was in it, or whom it was sent to, but I think it must surely have something to do with their cells' recent acquisitions. We must get them out, and soon!"
"Curse them! We have to get in there! But how?..."
~*~
~Ai, Elbereth!... Where am I?~
Dark, dark, dark, nothing but oppressive and intruding darkness around him. ~Ai! I cannot move...~ His back was burning with abuse and he felt sour everywhere. He could not move, but neither did he want to. He was lying on a straw-made sort of bed, and each stem felt like the sharpest of swords, burying itself on his back. But if he moved, he knew the pain would just be greater, so he waited for numbness to spread over him. As it was starting to resemble something more bearable, the sound of a heavy door opening made itself heard and light invaded the room.
It took a while for Elrohir's eyes to adapt, but before they did, someone came forward and pulled him up from the bed, pushing him towards the door. The elf's legs refused to support him, for they felt as strong as the straw he had been lying on. He fell, but the man behind him got him standing again, making sure to unnecessarily rub his hands on the sensitive back. Elrohir winced, but forced his reactions to stay in check from there on and made no further response.
Elrohir walked the best he could, for the man had made his point clear when taking out a dagger and pushing it against the elf's back. Another stood by the door, waiting. They did not stop there, and the two urged the elf onwards through many different hallways, following a well-known path to them, but one that eventually confused Elrohir and got him disoriented. It was long and had many turns and crossed many stairs, and every single corridor and hall seemed to be exactly the same as the one before it.
He was surprised to find that the source of the light that had blinded him so, was no more than a few rustic torches spread here and there on shadowy halls of dark stone. There were hardly any windows to grace the corridors he walked on with Anar's bright and pure radiance, and those he did find were sealed.
At some point, though, Elrohir could truly give not another step. He fell on his knees upon the cold granites of the floor. The two men, made impatient by the need to hurry, did not force the elf to walk on his power alone from there. Each picked up an arm and dragged the elf to their master's room, which was where they were heading.
When they got there, Elrohir could barely keep his eyes open and his ears just picked up snippets of the talk. But he saw the room he was lead to with lucidity enough to realise what it was.
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The ultimate A/N (picture "The Terminator II" movie here, somehow it fits in):
szhismine (brace yourself, it's going to be a looooooong ride!) - OO?? You were joking, right? If not, then...
*kneels down on the floor (which happens to be completely wet because there's a damn storm outside) and pleads* No, wait. Not the pleading part yet... I'm still too on too high a ground! *hurriedly goes down from the attic and jumps from the window to the street, forgetting, of course, to take the keys and thus efficiently getting looked out of the house until 22h* Ouch!! Long fall... It's the 4th floor!! But still not low enough! *runs down the street and crosses it, then almost gets hit by a huge truck driven by some random drunk fellow on a street that has about meter and a half in width, but still runs madly ahead, and when reaches its end, takes a sudden right turn and stumbles upon a mad, irate pitbull; swerves left (luckily no car was passing by) and finally reaches the subway station gasping for breath* Perhaps... I... «gasp» should... «gasp» go... down?... *goes down the unending staircases (stupid elevator's not working!!) until getting to the boarding platform* Just a few... «gasp» more meters down and... «gasp» it'll be perfect!...*waits for the subway train (?) to go by and then jumps on the tracks (having the care of not touching them directly of course) and finally gets to the pleading/ VERY SERIOUS part* I'M SO SORRY!!!!!! I DIDN'T MEAN ANY OF THAT!!!!!! MEA CULPA!! MY FAULT!! Really, I'm *always* joking with people, mocking indignation and stuff!!!! I should have known you could have taken it the wrong way... stupid writing! The right intonation does make the difference!... I would *never* *ever* say that to someone and actually *mean* it!! (Apart from this stupid spoiled brat in my class, but he's just something else...) Okay? I guess I'm just that kind of person that runs from the "Now here's a joke:" situation like the devil from the cross... (I hate that expression!! Why did I use it?!) *insert your favourite(s) puppy-dog eyes here* Honest, you'll never find anyone more comprehensive than me in that aspect (and in about everything else as well)! Sometimes I may seem not too sane, but I do have my moments of seriousness! They just don't happen to match the times when I'm writing... And I may throw in a couple 'mouths' (sorry, I have absolutely no idea of what's the expression used in English to say this, hope you understand the general idea) now and then, but I'm ALWAYS kidding!!
In case you *were* kidding as well... er... *goes back to the subway station and hides in some dark corner to die of embarrassment* And sometimes, I'm just a 'duh'... more often than I should... It's really bad for my health! AND my self-esteem... speaking of which: *goes to that corner anyway and starts crying helplessly, made desperate by all known existential problems and thoughts of suicide, plus two new (yet undiscovered by psychologists, and scientists in general) kinds of mental disturbances* eheh...
OO!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Don't take Legolas!!!!!!! How, then, am I supposed to write his part in the story???? Well, I already did in this chapter, so... all is back to normal here? And if you *do* take Legolas (*glares*) I will be forced to switch him with one of those talking dummies that just repeats two or three words the whole time (or just doesn't talk at all and simply stares ahead while the world comes to an end around him)!! You wouldn't want that, now would you?... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! I have now complied. If you do insist on taking *glares* MY! *glares* ELFY!! *glares* hostage, then consider yourself warned of the consequences!!!!!! I DO NOT make idle threats!! ;)
Sorry about the long rambling (OO!!! A PAGE LONG?!?!?!?!?! Ok, I'm NEVER answering your reviews AGAIN!! Think what you will of me!!!!! ;D)... maybe I should have e-mailed you over it?... Too late!... ANYWAY!! *and please note the obvious attempt at changing the subject here* What does your name mean?? S-Z-HIS-MINE?? SZH-IS-MINE?? oO?? What's SZH?... Oh!! And one last thing: ELROHIR!!! LEGOLAS!!! FINALLY!!! Well, not exactly what you wanted, but HEY! Things might yet change... Was it up to your expectations?! I could tell you were dying to read it... I WOULD!! eheh... Sorry again! =)
Shauna - Shauna, Shauna... It was a pleasure writing this chapter, mellon, and all thanks to you! =D I never thought it could feel so good to thwart one's plans... MWAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Well, I do admit you *were* right... not anymore though!... I guess that's the beauty of twins. If you can't have one, use the other! That's why they come in *pairs*... TO SUIT MY VENGEFUL PURPOSES!!!!! Nothing more!! MWAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Ahhh... it's so good to be the author sometimes!... Hope you're not *too* mad at me! =/
It wasn't that easy to contradict you, you know! There I was, with all my nice plans set in my not so nice head, and you came along guessing everything!! *glares* But I've got to thank you for it, though! This way things turned out more interesting! Eheh... but tell me, am I *that* predictable?? I hate it! I'll have to work on it... so yes, lets keep this little game up, mellon, shall we? Eheh... MWAHAHAH!!! ;)
I spent some time doing maths with timings, speeds, etc... but let me know if you don't buy it or think it's just plain impossible! I'll soon convince you otherwise! LOL! ;)
But now I am the curious one... What's "TOODLE PIP, MLA"???? oO????
Erenriel Dreamweaver - Shucks... Do you really think so? Geez... Am I really that odd? Ah!, you're just saying that!... *blushes* And yes, I do agree. For someone claiming to be as delusional as me (perhaps we're twins separated at birth and that trauma caused us both some severe brain damage?! oO??), that was a rather normal/serious review... *tisk-tisk-tisk* LOL! I'm looking forward to the next one so I can see for myself just how badly traumatised thou art, O twin of mine! LOL!
Serious part now: thanks for noticing about the detail! I do take extreme caution with it! After all, I'm working on a masterpiece, don't want to completely ruin it! It would be like spilling hot coffee on the Gioconda, because when you drank it you forgot it had just been made and was still too hot, and you happened to have the painting on the floor. Now why this stupid comparison, you ask? *Why this stupid comparison?* Because, my dear twin... ok. Emptiness took over my mind... IT'S A REBELLION!! I don't even like coffee! EEK!! And, no, I do not have Leonardo da Vinci's priceless works around my house. But only because my cat would use them to sharpen her claws!! Eheh... TOLKIEN?? *goes hurriedly fetch thermometer to see how high the fever is* I'm honoured, really am! But that's just a little too high a flight for me to partake, I think! Geez, anyway! Thanx for the comparison (not a stupid one)! =D
Your review was especially nice to read, because I've been on a *very* bad mood lately; things haven't been going well at all these last days... hope it doesn't reflect on the writing, because then, you'd all be in for mass murdering, be they Elf, Man or Orc - NONE WOULD ESCAPE MY WRATH/ DEPRESSIVE MOOD!!! MWAHAHAH- *cysne #287 is suddenly cut off by Tar-Dxprezwen* -Please excuse us for a minute... we're going to take a nice long walk down to the nice men dressed in white, aren't we cysne? *mumbles* -That's a nice cysne... *some days later...*
OH! Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be sure to read it (when I get the time to...), since I too am a fanatic for/ worship detail! (hmm... what do you say you look like?) =D
tapetum lucidum - hmm... is your name in Latin? Er... lucid carpet? ANYWAY (and never mind my macarronic Latin), it's cool, I love it! ;) You like my twins? Thanks!! Want to know a little national (er... homely) secret? I have three cats: mother, father and daughter. The father, Lince, is very peaceful and very considerate: he's Elrond. The mother, Celta, is very sweet to her younglings, but can also be possessive and sometimes somewhat aggressive (not to people, mind you, but to other cats!): I write Gilraen thinking of her sweet side. Now, the little one, Lianor, she's very clumsy because she has this problem with her back legs, but she's as crazy as me, very playful and nice too: she's Elrohir. Elladan is a different matter: I picture a little more serious version of Lia! (Wouldn't it be great if this cat-Muse thing was actually true?) When I started to write them, though, I wasn't very sure if the twins should be so playful, etc. (being Elrond their father!) but then, as I was re-reading "The Hobbit" to write the scenes at Imladris, I stumbled upon this fantastic song from the Rivendell Elves. One of the verses was, and I quote *fetches book*: "O! tril-lil-lil-lolly" Others like it followed. I think it speaks for itself... =D
And don't worry about Estel! I assure you, mellon, that everyone will be very well at the end, since they have to be alive and healthy for LotR! Eheh... Hope you keep enjoying this! =) And... *stares and eyes pop out of their orbs, while the drool falling on the keyboard is starting to cause a tiny little problem with the computer* Is that a... summary?... YYYAAAAYYY!!!! Thank you, mellon!!! Many, many thanks!!! I shall start immediately the construction of a temple for you!! How would you like it? In chewed paper, matches or something else? I await your instructions, O Sacred One! ;) Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! May Saturn grant you long life and Elbereth everlasting good fortune!! =D
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*looks back and re-reads all that's written* Pathetic. And sad. I simply CANNOT control myself. Were those longer than the chapter itself? MOST LIKELY, YES!!! Oh my... So sorry... it's all the reviews' fault, you know. I just *HAVE* to comment/answer everything! And your reviews to cp. 13 were *SO* great!!... I'd feel real bad (well, worse than what I already am) if I didn't reply! So, I guess that in order to fix this... YOU MUSTN'T REVIEW ANY MORE!! (I'm VERY joking! Don't you *DARE* do that!!) I'll try not to write any A/N next chapter... it has been a great ambition of mine for some time now. *hysterical laughs followed by the sound of several objects falling are heard in the distance* LAUGH ALL YOU WANT TAR-DXPREZWEN!!!!!! I *will* do it!! And someday I might get rid of you as well... Do review, pliz!
OH! Just so you all don't die because of the suspense, next chapter I will probably (and finally) get back to Estel... just need to make sure of a few things and I'll start working on it!