CRIPPLED PRIZE
by Mizalaye
Chapter Six: Consequences of Delays
Legolas halted his mount. "Someone draws near."
"Friendly?" Aragorn whispered in reply.
The elf shook his head. "I know not."
Gently, Aragorn shook the shoulder of the hunched figure who rode in front of him. "Doleth, you must wake. Someone is coming."
The girl's soft brown eyes fluttered open, and she raised her head from its resting place against her chest. "Forgive me, sir. I must have dozed off."
The slightest of smiles touched Aragorn's face. All through this past day and a half of their tedious journey, Doleth had made no complaint at the fast pace they had maintained. In fact, she had been nothing if not eager to please, seeming afraid to offend either of the warriors who escorted her. Aragorn's smile quickly vanished however, as it always did. Every slightest movement Doleth made reminded him of Dómiel in the most painful way – every toss of the head, every fleeting smile sent pulses of the ongoing mental pain through his spirit.
Legolas turned toward his king. "They follow the same path we follow."
"They could be the men of Molenth," Aragorn suggested.
"Or other men of evil intent," Legolas replied.
Aragorn made a swift decision. "Hide!"
Both warriors turned their horses quickly off the path and into the trees. Moving with the speed bred from decades – or centuries, in Legolas' case – of experience, both man and elf tied their horses to a tree and crept forward to the edge of the path to watch and wait. Doleth followed, hesitant and clearly frightened.
Minutes of total silence passed, as only the soft sound of the birds reached the listening ears of the trio concealed beside the forest trail.
Then, a party of armed men on horseback appeared from around the bend. The men bore black shields, and their faces were masked by their helmets.
A cry flew from Doleth's lips.
Instantly, Legolas clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The men had heard.
"Reveal yourselves!" cried the man who seemed to be in command.
None of the trio moved.
The commander turned to those behind him and gave a command. Six men drew out bows and arrows and aimed the deadly bolts at the thicket Aragorn, Legolas, and Doleth hid within.
Without warning, Doleth leapt to her feet. Legolas jumped up beside her, hoping to somehow shield her from the arrows that would surely fly.
The commander's eyes grew wide in shock. Then, they narrowed in fury. "Release her at once!"
Doleth cried out, "Don't shoot, Papa! They haven't hurt me!"
The Mayor of Molenth seemed confused. Aragorn, however, grasped the situation as soon as the term of affection had left Doleth's lips, so he rose to his feet. "Greetings, honored Mayor!" he called out. "I believe you are searching for this young one."
"Yes," the Mayor replied softly. "She is my daughter."
Immediately, Legolas released Doleth, and the girl ran from the thicket and clambered up onto her father's mount, crying, "Papa!"
The instant she reached the safety of her father's arms, Doleth began to talk, telling him the entire story of her capture and subsequent rescue. It took several minutes for the Mayor to finally understand that Aragorn and Legolas had not captured his daughter, but rescued her. When that vital piece of information had finally taken shape in his mind, however, he greeted the two warriors gladly.
"My name is Telithar, Mayor of Molenth, and all the resources of my small town are at your disposal, Master Ranger and Master Elf," he said fervently.
Aragorn bowed slightly. "All I could ask of you, sir, would be information."
"Gladly, but, first, let us make camp, for I would rest before beginning our joyous trip homeward." Obligingly, the soldiers began setting up a temporary camp in a small clearing. Aragorn and Legolas seated themselves near the edge of the clearing beside Telithar and Doleth, who refused to leave her father's side, even to have her injuries inspected.
Aragorn cut straight to his point. "Your daughter made mention of a group who often arranged kidnappings of this type. I am looking for information on this group."
Telithar nodded. "After the defeat of Sauron, Mordor became a gathering place for all evil, as remnants of his kingdom still linger there. Many men who had profited from Sauron's reign of terror – thieves, assassins, and the like – journeyed to the realm where that Master of Darkness had once lived and set up homes for themselves under the shadow of that evil."
Aragorn nodded. This much he already knew – evil still stirred in Mordor, despite Sauron's defeat.
"Several of those men," Telithar continued, "formed small bands of such evildoers in order to commit larger and more terrible crimes. They use the borders of Mordor as a base and travel all about this area of Middle Earth, committing their acts of evil. A few years ago, bands of these men began using kidnappings to raise money for their other crimes."
Aragorn leaned forward ever so slightly, concentrating completely on Telithar's words.
"Their methods are almost always the same. Some person of influence, or, even worse, loved ones of an influential man, vanish without a trace. Then, some days later, a loved one receives a note demanding vast amounts of gold or silver or gems or whatever that land has to offer for the safe return of the captured one. If the families do not pay, the victim is never seen again. Some say they are killed; others that they are sold into slavery. Either choice is unthinkable."
Struggling desperately to keep his face neutral, Aragorn merely nodded.
"What else do you wish to know?" Telithar asked.
"What do these men call themselves?"
"What they call themselves, no one knows," the Mayor replied. "Their ransom demands are signed merely with a symbol – a black-hilted knife. My people refer to them as the "Shadows of Mordor."
"Do you know where these Shadows of Mordor have their lair?" Aragorn asked.
"Indeed. The last time my dear Doleth fell into their hands, we were forced to track them nearly to the mountains where they live. I could tell you almost exactly where the caves they inhabit are located."
"I would find that most helpful," Aragorn replied, careful to keep his answer casual. As Telithar went over to his mount to find a map – trailed, of course, by Doleth – Aragorn caught Legolas' eye.
"I think, my friend," the elf whispered softly, "this delay has proven to be well worth its risk."
Aragorn shook his head, worry etched in his eyes. "I shall agree with you only after I have held Dómiel in my arms as Telithar held Doleth."
The Mayor trotted back a moment later, a piece of parchment in his hand, and Aragorn schooled his features once more.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Three days later
"We are nearly there now," Aragorn whispered, glancing once more at the roughly-drawn map Telithar had given him.
"I feel as if we are being watched," Legolas warned softly.
After a moment's consideration, Aragorn nodded in the direction of a rocky outcropping a few yards away. "Perhaps we can shelter the horses there."
The outcropping proved to be quite suitable for concealing both mounts, so Aragorn and Legolas left them there and crept further up the mountain on foot.
"There." Legolas pointed just up the mountain. A dark hole lay there, nearly concealed by brush and carefully placed boulders. "That must be the entrance."
"Heavily guarded, no doubt," Aragorn muttered darkly.
"Let us look for another entrance," Legolas said. "If we could sneak in through some abandoned tunnel…"
"That search could take days," Aragorn protested quietly. Then, he sighed. "But it is our best hope for success."
Without another word, the two set off around the edge of the small cliff which housed the entrance and began a long, and quite possibly futile, search for a lesser-used entrance.
Please review…please!!!! Also, (*WARNING – Shameless Plug!!!*) I have written a one-chapter angst fic called, "She Holds My Heart," which basically tells my personal theory as to why Legolas is the way he is. Since it's only one chapter, it doesn't get a lot of notice, but I would REALLY appreciate it if maybe some of you would go read it…thank you!!!!
PepperVL – Thank you so much for your reviews! And thank you for believing in Aragorn…as you can see, it did turn out well (so far…*grins*)
Littlefish – Thank you again for your encouraging reviews!!! I hope I helped out your curiosity a little bit…as least as far as Doleth's role goes. =o)