@feanen : Leave my bad habit? No. He! He! He! I like you all to suffer. Savvy?
Another cliffie coming up! And I'm kind enough to warn you beforehand!
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"Oh, no. Flash flood from upstream," Legolas uttered in horror.
"And we are directly in its way!" Keldarion cried out. "Go, Legolas! Go climb up the hill!"
"WHAT?!! But…but what about you?" Legolas was wide-eyed, incredibly dismayed that his brother would suggest such a thing.
"Just do as I say! Go, now! You don't have much time!"
"I cannot leave you here!"
"Yes, you can! You still have your legs. Leave, Legolas! NOW!!" Keldarion was frantically pushing at his brother, but Legolas won't budge.
"No! I will not leave you!" Legolas cried out. He quickly gathered Keldarion's upper body onto his lap. One handedly, he took off the strap of his bow and wrapped the leather around him and his brother and tied its end to a branch of the tree.
Keldarion grew panic. "Don't be stubborn at a time like this! I want you to go!"
"Don't push me, Kel! I will NOT leave you and that's final!!"
"There's no sense for us both to die here! You can still save yourself! LEAVE!!"
Legolas hugged his brother even tighter. "Make me."
Keldarion gazed sadly at his brother. "Legolas…"
"Please, Kel. Don't ask me to do it. I can't…"
Keldarion closed his eyes briefly, and then wrapped his arms around the trembling Legolas. "All right, little brother. We face this together. Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Nothing is over till it's over. Got that?"
Legolas nodded. "Got it. Loud and clear."
Then, the merciless churning water came and hit the two brothers, trying its best to drag them away in its powerful wake.
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Elladan and Elrohir sat huddled together under the outcropping of a large rock at the top of the hill, watching in apprehension at the fading storm beyond. The vicious gale had abated and the rain had dwindled to a drizzle.
"Is it safe to come out yet?" Elrohir asked, rubbing the sore spot on his knee where he had knocked against a rock when climbing to this spot a while ago.
Elladan nodded after taking a better look at the still gloomy weather. "I think so. The storm has lifted." Crawling out of their shelter, Elladan reached down and helped his brother. "Come. Let's get to Mirkwood before night falls."
They were slowly making their way through the aftermath of the storm when Elrohir suddenly said quietly, "Ell?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think Kel and Legolas survive the storm just now?"
Elladan stared thoughtfully at his brother. "I hope so. They could have found shelter like we did."
"But they are in the valley. Do you think they will be able to find one?"
The elder twin halted. His eyes widened as he understood what Elrohir had meant. "Oh, no."
"Should we go look for them, Ell?"
Elladan's only answer was by pivoting and rushing down the hill towards the valley, with Elrohir close at his heels.
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As the heavy water fell on top of him, Legolas was thinking, "This is it. This is the end. We are going to die here."
He felt himself being pulled viciously with the current, but the leather strap tied around him to the tree prevented him from getting swept away. He was about to drown in the powerful rushing water, yet he never let go of his hold on his brother. His chest was about to burst and his ears were ringing from the lack of air, but still he held on.
It's not over till it's over, Keldarion had said, so he held on.
Miraculously, the tree trunk stayed put and did not even move an inch in the powerful current. Its big roots were wedged between some boulders and it gave firm grips for the brothers to hold on to.
Keldarion lay stiff in Legolas' arms, either unconscious or was simply waiting stoically for the big wave of rapid water to pass. When the vicious wave finally passed over to leave a steady current in its wake, the depth of the stream ebbed.
Legolas broke the surface, dragging a big lungful of air. He choked and gasped for several moments before realizing that his brother was still engulfed by the water, pinned underneath the tree. "Kel!!"
The stream had only come to Legolas' neck in his sitting position, but Keldarion was not so lucky. He was trapped beneath the water, unable to raise himself.
Legolas knew that it might take at least an hour for the water to ebb completely. But Keldarion couldn't hold his breath that long. He will drown!
After taking a deep breath, Legolas pushed his face under the water. Pinching his brother's nose with one hand, Legolas forced the air out of his mouth into Keldarion's. Then, he came up for air and repeated the process again and again.
At first Keldarion was unresponsive that Legolas thought his effort was already too late. But then Keldarion weakly lifted his hand to place it on Legolas' forearm, signaling his brother that he was still alive.
Legolas diligently continued the mouth-to-mouth breathing to his brother, hoping that the water level will quickly ebb. He didn't know how long he could carry on the exhausting procedure. He had already felt drained and light headed but he didn't dare stop.
His brother's life was now in his hands.
TBC…
See? I've told you. Cliffie again!
