dsclaimer: jrr tolkien's stuff, i'm just putting in what he didn't want to
mention, lol.
~~--~~*~~--~~
rosethorn: yeah, you know what's going on in the fic all the way through chapter five, and maybe six, and hopefully that bitch muse of mine will do her job. hehehe, you know i heart you!!
deviltalons: i'm glad you liked it, and although i don't have any fics about legolas, that doesn't mean i don't have any in mind. *evil grin*
evening nightshade: glad you liked the prologue. i was kind of worried that it wouldn't catch anyone's attention, but i'm happy to see that it did. and as for story concepts, i try to do what i can. even if it does hurt my head. or maybe that's just my muse (she has a way with inflicting pain upon me).
erika palad: i'm glad that you enjoy my stories, i enjoyed your too! they're really very good and they held my interest better than most legolas fics can. and so it is with this said that i dedicate this chapter to you, my most inspiring reviewer. i hope you enjoy!
IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT
now that i have your attention, here is a short guide on this fic, since i'm picky about things like this. the following is how you pronounce the names of the characters in this fic: aidan - EYE-dahn; airsyn - EYER-sehn; adele - AH-deh-lay; amiens - AH-mee-ens; sesile - SEH-sill-ay; talen - TAH- layn.
and i should take this time to say that i know you hardcore tolkien fans (kind of like myself) are really good with dates and stuff, and would know that from the time boromir dies to the fall of barad-dur is about a month. well for the purpose of later chapters of this fic (which have already been written), the time needs to be expanded to about three months instead. just add random days to normal occurances. you'll kind of see why. something about Théoden, i dunno. ; )
anyway, enough of the rambling and onto the fic!
~~--~~*~~--~~ Chapter One: On the Bank of the Anduin ~~--~~*~~--~~
"Aidan!"
A man of about twenty looked up at the sound of his name. Closing his knapsack, he walked over to the base of a large tree where his brother Airsyn was situated and keeping watch twenty feet above his head. Alike in both voice and appearance, the twins could not be told apart by anyone aside from their own mother.
"What do you see?" Aidan asked.
Airsyn climbed down from his branch, falling through the limbs with ease before hitting the ground with a soft 'thud'. He dusted himself off and pointed to a spot in the distance ahead where the river Anduin ran its course into the heart of Gondor.
"Maybe it's nothing, but it warrants a look," Airsyn said, as he collected his things, untying his horse from a low branch.
Aidan called to his horse and the animal came trotting over from his grazing spot in an open patch of grass nearby. The man mounted his horse and nudged it to go so that they would catch up with the other horse and rider.
"When will you stop tying your horse up everytime you leave it to go do something?" Aidan asked with a laugh.
Airsyn ran a hand through the animal's mane in affection.
"When he learns not to run away anymore," Airsyn replied. "It took him a week to come home last time. Do you remember?"
Aidan smiled and nodded in response. His smile was soon taken away as they came upon the river and the thing that had been so shiny from afar. Both men jumped off of their animals, Airsyn forgetting to bind his horse as they rushed over to the figure that had washed up on the bank.
A man wearing thick leather and heavy chain mail lay on his back in the mud. His skin was pale and his chest did not rise and fall with breath. He looked dead even as Aidan and Airsyn bent down to inspect him.
"Is he alive?" Aidan asked as Airsyn pressed his fingers into the cold skin of the man's neck. Doing this stirred a reaction from the man and he coughed up a mouthful of water. His eyes opened slightly and looked first at Aidan, then at Airsyn. A slight groan escaped his lips before his eyes rolled back into his head.
Airsyn pulled his hand away and motioned for Aidan to help pick him up. Together they lifted his heavy body and carried him to where the horses stood with their mouths to the ground.
"I can feel a faint heartbeat, but he will not make it if we do not get him home," Airsyn said as he mounted his horse, the man in front of him laying lifeless against his chest. "Soon."
Aidan mounted his own horse and took off after Airsyn, who was already galloping several hundred feet in front of him. As disobedient as the animal was, Airsyn's horse was strong and speedy. But would it be fast enough?
Through the rest of the morning and through the afternoon the two men raced toward their home on the outskirts of the Riddermark without looking back or stopping. If this man was to live, he would need medical attention, and their mother was the closest thing to a healer they had.
Halfway through their journey it began to rain. The heavy drops pelted the faces of the two riders. Aidan's eyes burned as he took the lead to assure that mud or rising water would not hinder their attempt to get the man home.
By the time that the sun had gone behind the moutains and the rains had cleared, home became a close figure in sight. The view of smoke rising out of the chimney and lights in the window greeted them as they skidded to a hault outside. Carefully Airsyn slid the stranger off of the saddle and into Aidan's waiting arms. Once Airsyn was down they kicked open the doors to the house and carried the man in.
"What is this?" Adele, their cousin, asked as she stood from her chair by the fire.
"He washed up on the banks of the Anduin. He needs help," Airsyn said roughly as they laid the stranger on the bed in the guest room.
Adele ran to the man's side, searching for any sign of life while Aidan went in search of their father, Amiens. The man was found out back chopping wood, and came running inside at the news of the arrival.
"Who is he?" Amiens asked as Adele began unbuttoning the stranger's shirt, looking for other wounds that might have been the cause for his lack of breath.
"Oh my!" Adele exclaimed as she saw the three holes where arrows had once been lodged. "This man has been wounded beyond my skill. Where is your mother?"
Aidan was quickly pushed out of the way as a woman made her way into the room with a bag in her hand. She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling out supplies that the others could only assume would aid this man in recovery. If he was not already dead.
Amiens grabbed both sons by the shoulders and pulled them into the hallway outside of the guest room.
"Where did you find this man?" he asked fiercely.
"On the Anduin," Aidan replied, with a worried frown.
"We saw him from a distance and stumbled upon his lifeless form when we went to inspect," Airsyn added.
"He was barely alive when we came across him. Should he survive we will gain more knowledge of his origin," Aidan said.
Amiens nodded and looked up as Sesile, his wife, came to the doorway. She looked hopefully at her sons.
"Did you find everything required of my list?" she asked.
Aidan reached for the pouch at his waist and pulled it free, handing it to his mother.
"Supply was small. The weather must have killed off most of the plants."
The three men watched into the room as the women began mixing pastes and liquids of strange colors. Adele reached up and opened the man's mouth, pouring an odd green substance down his throat. Not caring to watch any further, Amiens left the hallway and walked out into the main room to enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Aidan and Airsyn soon joined him, taking their own favorite spots to comfort.
There was much quiet throughout the house as the three men waited on any word of the man's condition. It was not until several hours later when the fire had become no more than a pile of hot embers did Adele come out of the guest room with news.
"It would only be correct to assume that arrows are the cause of the three holes in his chest as we pulled the tip of one from his shoulder," she said as she held out her hand, the tip of the arrow resting there.
Amiens stood and took it from her, bringing it closer to the firelight of a nearby candle to inspect it. He ran his fingers over the edges of the blade to feel the roughness there.
"Many races use arrows crafted such as these, but none done so poorly as those made by orcs. This man was harmed by orcs," Amiens pronounced. "Have you found anything as to his identity?"
Adele reached in a pocket in her dress and pulled out a green leaf made of metal. She handed it to her father who looked surprised at it.
"I have not seen many of these," he said as he brought it clsoe to his face. "Of the few elves I have ever seen, the ones with hair that glint like gold and dress in the colors of the forest sport these on their cloaks. How a man came to be in possession of one I do not know."
Adele took the leaf back from her cousin and put it in her pocket.
"I do not remember his face from Edoras, so perhaps he belongs to one of the other cities of Men?" Adele asked.
"There are more villages and towns in the Riddermark than Edoras, so do not be so quick to make assumptions."
"He does not carry the symbol of a Rider," she countered.
"No, but he does carry this," Sesile said as she walked into the room, a dagger laid across her hands. She offered it to Amiens.
"Minas Tirith," Amiens said as he stared at the markings of the White Tree upon the blade. "He comes from Minas Tirith."
Adele took the dagger from her cousin and inspected the markings for herself before sheathing it once again and holding it tightly in her hand.
"Will he live?" Aidan asked.
"If he makes it through the rest of the night, he has a chance; but his wounds may become infected, in which case he could die. It is hard to tell right now," Adele answered.
There was a moment of tense silence before Sesile motioned for Adele to follow her, leaving the men alone to think.
~~--~~*~~--~~
a/n: yeah, so this hard-worked on masterpiece now dubbed 'my baby' should be reviewed. free figurative cookies to all that review!! PLEASE? the more you review, the more likely i'll post chapter two within the week..... *evil grin*
~~--~~*~~--~~
rosethorn: yeah, you know what's going on in the fic all the way through chapter five, and maybe six, and hopefully that bitch muse of mine will do her job. hehehe, you know i heart you!!
deviltalons: i'm glad you liked it, and although i don't have any fics about legolas, that doesn't mean i don't have any in mind. *evil grin*
evening nightshade: glad you liked the prologue. i was kind of worried that it wouldn't catch anyone's attention, but i'm happy to see that it did. and as for story concepts, i try to do what i can. even if it does hurt my head. or maybe that's just my muse (she has a way with inflicting pain upon me).
erika palad: i'm glad that you enjoy my stories, i enjoyed your too! they're really very good and they held my interest better than most legolas fics can. and so it is with this said that i dedicate this chapter to you, my most inspiring reviewer. i hope you enjoy!
IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT - IMPORTANT
now that i have your attention, here is a short guide on this fic, since i'm picky about things like this. the following is how you pronounce the names of the characters in this fic: aidan - EYE-dahn; airsyn - EYER-sehn; adele - AH-deh-lay; amiens - AH-mee-ens; sesile - SEH-sill-ay; talen - TAH- layn.
and i should take this time to say that i know you hardcore tolkien fans (kind of like myself) are really good with dates and stuff, and would know that from the time boromir dies to the fall of barad-dur is about a month. well for the purpose of later chapters of this fic (which have already been written), the time needs to be expanded to about three months instead. just add random days to normal occurances. you'll kind of see why. something about Théoden, i dunno. ; )
anyway, enough of the rambling and onto the fic!
~~--~~*~~--~~ Chapter One: On the Bank of the Anduin ~~--~~*~~--~~
"Aidan!"
A man of about twenty looked up at the sound of his name. Closing his knapsack, he walked over to the base of a large tree where his brother Airsyn was situated and keeping watch twenty feet above his head. Alike in both voice and appearance, the twins could not be told apart by anyone aside from their own mother.
"What do you see?" Aidan asked.
Airsyn climbed down from his branch, falling through the limbs with ease before hitting the ground with a soft 'thud'. He dusted himself off and pointed to a spot in the distance ahead where the river Anduin ran its course into the heart of Gondor.
"Maybe it's nothing, but it warrants a look," Airsyn said, as he collected his things, untying his horse from a low branch.
Aidan called to his horse and the animal came trotting over from his grazing spot in an open patch of grass nearby. The man mounted his horse and nudged it to go so that they would catch up with the other horse and rider.
"When will you stop tying your horse up everytime you leave it to go do something?" Aidan asked with a laugh.
Airsyn ran a hand through the animal's mane in affection.
"When he learns not to run away anymore," Airsyn replied. "It took him a week to come home last time. Do you remember?"
Aidan smiled and nodded in response. His smile was soon taken away as they came upon the river and the thing that had been so shiny from afar. Both men jumped off of their animals, Airsyn forgetting to bind his horse as they rushed over to the figure that had washed up on the bank.
A man wearing thick leather and heavy chain mail lay on his back in the mud. His skin was pale and his chest did not rise and fall with breath. He looked dead even as Aidan and Airsyn bent down to inspect him.
"Is he alive?" Aidan asked as Airsyn pressed his fingers into the cold skin of the man's neck. Doing this stirred a reaction from the man and he coughed up a mouthful of water. His eyes opened slightly and looked first at Aidan, then at Airsyn. A slight groan escaped his lips before his eyes rolled back into his head.
Airsyn pulled his hand away and motioned for Aidan to help pick him up. Together they lifted his heavy body and carried him to where the horses stood with their mouths to the ground.
"I can feel a faint heartbeat, but he will not make it if we do not get him home," Airsyn said as he mounted his horse, the man in front of him laying lifeless against his chest. "Soon."
Aidan mounted his own horse and took off after Airsyn, who was already galloping several hundred feet in front of him. As disobedient as the animal was, Airsyn's horse was strong and speedy. But would it be fast enough?
Through the rest of the morning and through the afternoon the two men raced toward their home on the outskirts of the Riddermark without looking back or stopping. If this man was to live, he would need medical attention, and their mother was the closest thing to a healer they had.
Halfway through their journey it began to rain. The heavy drops pelted the faces of the two riders. Aidan's eyes burned as he took the lead to assure that mud or rising water would not hinder their attempt to get the man home.
By the time that the sun had gone behind the moutains and the rains had cleared, home became a close figure in sight. The view of smoke rising out of the chimney and lights in the window greeted them as they skidded to a hault outside. Carefully Airsyn slid the stranger off of the saddle and into Aidan's waiting arms. Once Airsyn was down they kicked open the doors to the house and carried the man in.
"What is this?" Adele, their cousin, asked as she stood from her chair by the fire.
"He washed up on the banks of the Anduin. He needs help," Airsyn said roughly as they laid the stranger on the bed in the guest room.
Adele ran to the man's side, searching for any sign of life while Aidan went in search of their father, Amiens. The man was found out back chopping wood, and came running inside at the news of the arrival.
"Who is he?" Amiens asked as Adele began unbuttoning the stranger's shirt, looking for other wounds that might have been the cause for his lack of breath.
"Oh my!" Adele exclaimed as she saw the three holes where arrows had once been lodged. "This man has been wounded beyond my skill. Where is your mother?"
Aidan was quickly pushed out of the way as a woman made her way into the room with a bag in her hand. She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling out supplies that the others could only assume would aid this man in recovery. If he was not already dead.
Amiens grabbed both sons by the shoulders and pulled them into the hallway outside of the guest room.
"Where did you find this man?" he asked fiercely.
"On the Anduin," Aidan replied, with a worried frown.
"We saw him from a distance and stumbled upon his lifeless form when we went to inspect," Airsyn added.
"He was barely alive when we came across him. Should he survive we will gain more knowledge of his origin," Aidan said.
Amiens nodded and looked up as Sesile, his wife, came to the doorway. She looked hopefully at her sons.
"Did you find everything required of my list?" she asked.
Aidan reached for the pouch at his waist and pulled it free, handing it to his mother.
"Supply was small. The weather must have killed off most of the plants."
The three men watched into the room as the women began mixing pastes and liquids of strange colors. Adele reached up and opened the man's mouth, pouring an odd green substance down his throat. Not caring to watch any further, Amiens left the hallway and walked out into the main room to enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Aidan and Airsyn soon joined him, taking their own favorite spots to comfort.
There was much quiet throughout the house as the three men waited on any word of the man's condition. It was not until several hours later when the fire had become no more than a pile of hot embers did Adele come out of the guest room with news.
"It would only be correct to assume that arrows are the cause of the three holes in his chest as we pulled the tip of one from his shoulder," she said as she held out her hand, the tip of the arrow resting there.
Amiens stood and took it from her, bringing it closer to the firelight of a nearby candle to inspect it. He ran his fingers over the edges of the blade to feel the roughness there.
"Many races use arrows crafted such as these, but none done so poorly as those made by orcs. This man was harmed by orcs," Amiens pronounced. "Have you found anything as to his identity?"
Adele reached in a pocket in her dress and pulled out a green leaf made of metal. She handed it to her father who looked surprised at it.
"I have not seen many of these," he said as he brought it clsoe to his face. "Of the few elves I have ever seen, the ones with hair that glint like gold and dress in the colors of the forest sport these on their cloaks. How a man came to be in possession of one I do not know."
Adele took the leaf back from her cousin and put it in her pocket.
"I do not remember his face from Edoras, so perhaps he belongs to one of the other cities of Men?" Adele asked.
"There are more villages and towns in the Riddermark than Edoras, so do not be so quick to make assumptions."
"He does not carry the symbol of a Rider," she countered.
"No, but he does carry this," Sesile said as she walked into the room, a dagger laid across her hands. She offered it to Amiens.
"Minas Tirith," Amiens said as he stared at the markings of the White Tree upon the blade. "He comes from Minas Tirith."
Adele took the dagger from her cousin and inspected the markings for herself before sheathing it once again and holding it tightly in her hand.
"Will he live?" Aidan asked.
"If he makes it through the rest of the night, he has a chance; but his wounds may become infected, in which case he could die. It is hard to tell right now," Adele answered.
There was a moment of tense silence before Sesile motioned for Adele to follow her, leaving the men alone to think.
~~--~~*~~--~~
a/n: yeah, so this hard-worked on masterpiece now dubbed 'my baby' should be reviewed. free figurative cookies to all that review!! PLEASE? the more you review, the more likely i'll post chapter two within the week..... *evil grin*