You know, I am so jealous. Cassia and Sio get people flocking to read their stories. What's the secret. *pouts* I'm really not that difficult to please. Just read and say 'good' or something to that effect. If you suffer nicely through this story, I promise the second (which I'm already working on) will have plenty of Legolas and Aragorn. Plus plenty of torture, though I won't say anymore. I'm already on chapter 4! *looks around hopefully for more reviewers*

Bill the Pony: *curtsies* Why thank you, kind sir. This chapter is just for you. Apparently literally, since you're they only reviewer I got this time around. *g* Enjoy.

Before the Council

It was later than he would have liked when Aragorn finally stumbled across the bridge that led to Lord Elrond's house. He was aware that elven sentinels had noted his presence long before and probably already informed Elrond of the return of his adopted son--back too soon after his departure--and the disheveled state he was in. The human might have laughed if he had not been too weary to even contemplate how his reception would go after the long battle with the orcs and then his fairly speedy sprint back to Rivendell on a slightly shorter route than he had taken out.

He paused briefly before leaving the bridge, taking the opportunity to try and gain back some of his breath. Light footsteps falling quickly warned him a moment before they appeared that his brothers were approaching.

They paused, looking him up and down, as he straightened. "Estel, what happened?" Elladan demanded, moving forward until he was by the young man's side, a hand poised near the Ranger's arm, ready to catch him if he stumbled.

"Orcs," Aragorn replied with a shake of his head. "Maybe a hundred. I couldn't exactly count them." He took a deep breath as his heart beat stopped running the marathon it had been bent on. "I stumbled upon a band of Orcs while they were in the middle of a . . . meeting. I must talk to Father." He started forward again, a little stronger now that he had managed to regain his breath.

Neither twin opposed him, but followed the human back towards the house, where Lord Elrond stood waiting on the porch facing them. His hands were folded behind his back and his expression was grave as Aragorn approached.

"Are you injured, Estel?" he asked.

"Nay, Father," the human replied. "A cut on my head is all. But that's not important. I bear bad news, my lord."

The elf lord nodded. "Come, DĂșnadan, we will discuss it."

Aragorn followed Elrond down the hall towards the elf's study. On the way, the elder stopped a messenger and quietly gave him some instructions. The other nodded quickly and darted off, quickly carrying out whatever instructions he had been given. The ranger was too preoccupied to puzzle out what the elf could have possibly said. He was tired and his thoughts were spinning uselessly around his head, seeking something solid and finding nothing to gain purchase on.

The Hall of Fire was empty when they arrived, and Elrond turned to look at his youngest son, locking eyes with the man before him. "Come, we have a few minutes. Have some tea, Estel. If I did not feel that this was important, I would insist it wait until you had rested, for you are obviously weary."

Aragorn nodded, too tired to reply but understanding he need not argue. He accepted the tea easily and drank readily, the warm liquid spreading through his belly and wiping out some of the tense anxiety that kept his thoughts in turmoil. After a few minutes, the ranger felt better and his mind had cleared. He smiled.

"Thank you, Father. I feel much better now."

Elrond nodded just as the door opened and several others walked in; Glorfindel, Elladan, and Elrohir among them. The elf lord answered his questioning look, "More need to hear your tidings than just I. I suspect this effects us all."

Aragorn nodded slowly. He watched as a group of twelve elves seated themselves around the room, the chairs pulled forward to form a half circle facing the human and the elf. Elrond stepped forward, his expression grave.

"I have asked you hear to bear witness to the testimony of Strider, Ranger of the North. He has been north, and has discovered something deemed important to hear. Listen, my friends."

That said, he motioned the young man forward and took a seat himself. Aragorn stepped forward and bowed, though he did not need to. He took the moment to gain a better handle on his emotions and consider, at least for another moment, what he desired to say. He glanced around him. "I have indeed traveled north, though not as far as I had planned. A little further than three days travel, I stumbled upon a band of Orcs, maybe a hundred strong. They did not notice my presence and I was able to overhear their conversation. They spoke of 'them' or 'they' and while I do not know who 'they' are, I would wager they are dangerous, for the Orcs seemed to fear them, and seemed to believe you had reason to as well.

"One spoke of a plan. He proposed the Orcs venture further south and harass Rivendell to gain your ire and convince you to pursue them back into the lands they have claimed as their own, where you could be hunted by 'them.' I can only think that perhaps 'they' are who I was heading north to find, and if that is so then they are more dangerous than I had previously imagined."

"The Orcs said this?" Tirian queried, and Aragorn groaned inwardly.

He knew this particular elf was none too fond of him and was always willing to oppose whatever he said. "Yes, and I have never known them to fear much of anything when their numbers are so great."

"But how do we know that 'they' are not of greater numbers?"

Aragorn took a deep breath, using the moment to consider. "I do not believe they are. Only one has ever been seen when attacking convoys, if they are indeed the same creatures, and these convoys were rarely small or sparsely armed, yet only one needed to be present."

"You are speaking on conjecture," Tirian interrupted in disdain.

"Perhaps," Aragorn allowed. "But conjecture is better than unexpected. Evil is stirring, something must be done to counter it."

"Evil that would not be stirring if not for your ancestors."

The cold words struck Aragorn like a slap to the face. He had not known that Tirian held Isildur's actions against him, had not thought that any of the elves in his father's realm considered him to be anything like Isildur, but he knew he should not have been surprised; the failure of his distant ancestor had caused the elves great pain and heartache. It had demeaned many sacrifices and heightened many losses by denying the goal that had been the purpose of the whole fight. Not entirely, perhaps, but when Isildur had taken the ring, he ensured the fight was not ended, and that was difficult to bear, especially since the elves could remember the days of peace that men could not, for it allowed the darkness to continue.

Still, it was news he would have preferred to do without. There were enough elves who held him at arms length more because of his ancestry than any personal reason than those who simply did not like him, and he found the former reason harder to bear. He could accept a being not liking him because he had done something to garner their ill favor, but it galled him to have the opportunity of befriending them taken away when he was not even around to defend himself. He said nothing. There was nothing he could say; the words were true, if unfair.

"Do not place blame on the shoulders of one who should not bear it," Glorfindel spoke up quietly, surprising the ranger. "Aragorn has done you no harm, and the tidings he bears deserve consideration in their own right without dismissing them because of the messenger. It would be folly to ignore this message simply because the messenger does not agree with you, Tirian."

"I was not suggesting we dismiss the information," Tirian returned calmly. "I simply wished to note that Men sometimes make mistakes."

Aragorn grit his teeth so as to keep his mouth shut and insure he did not say anything stupid.

"The source is not in question." Elrond put an end to any further comments on his credibility before they could be voiced. "We have come to determine what is to be done. The threat, real or imagined, must be considered."

Elrohir spoke next, his voice soft and cold. "Orcs cannot be allowed near Rivendell." Everyone present knew what had happened to the twin's mother and had known instinctively what the brothers' response would be. This, every elf just happened to agree to.

"Indeed," Glorfindel seconded. "But how shall we stop them? I would not wish to wait for their arrival, but is it not just as foolish to hunt them when we know so little as to pretend they are no threat at all?"

"Not quite as foolish," Elladan countered. "At least if we hunted them we would be expecting to find them."

"And if we found more than we were expecting?" Tirian countered.

"It is dangerous ground we tread," Elrond spoke up quietly.

Aragorn watched intently as the Elves spoke, trying to figure out what he considered their best course of action to be. He knew what he wanted to do. He absolutely despised waiting around for the enemy to find him. He would rather head out and face the threat, folly though it be, and he suspected that was one reason Tirian was leery of him as the elf insisted on carefully considering each option before choosing a course of action. Tirian considered him impatient and impulsive. The problem was the ranger could not honestly deny the claim.

The silence stretched still further. "Could a scouting party be sent?" Aragorn finally inquired of the silence after it had lingered far too long for his tastes.

Startled faces looked at him with various expressions, ranging from thoughtful to flat disdainful. He could just imagine what response this latest idea would evoke. He waited.

"A scouting party?" Tirian inquired as if the ranger had suggested Sauron was the nicest being on all of Middle-earth. "What good would a scouting party do against a threat that has wiped out whole convoys?"

"They could gain more information to add to your collection and perhaps provide better insight into a responsible course of action."

"I could not in good conscious order any of my warriors to check such a thing, knowing how very dangerous it could be," Glorfindel said with a frown.

"Could you in good conscious leave the people you defend defenseless because you would not do your job?" Aragorn countered, continuing quickly before anyone could pounce on that last statement. "Nay, you could not, and I would ask neither of you. More than likely you would have some warriors willing to volunteer after they learned of the situation. I dare say it would not be necessary to command such an assignment." He paused a moment, then continued, still holding the blonde elf's gaze. "Indeed, I would go if such was to be your course of action." He did not add that he would go regardless.

Silence followed, and the DĂșnadan wondered who would comment on his declaration first.

He was surprised again when no one made any comment to his statement, simply staring in various directions, thoughtful expressions on their faces. This time, though, he let the silence be. He could think of nothing else to add, and knew from experience that pushing further would gain him nothing and could hinder any preparations which would be made. He did, however, know one thing: whatever was finally decided, he would be returning north to complete his search. Regardless of whether he was accompanied or not, he would go and they would not be able to stop him since he would be perfectly within his rights. He suspected his brothers might try anyway, knowing that more was known--or suspected--about the threat they were facing.

Finally, Glorfindel spoke. "I would feel better if we knew more about this threat that endangers not only us, but the other peoples of Middle-earth." His glance took in the others in the room. "It is an uneasy feeling having no knowledge of what we might be facing, and if this is the work of Sauron, we had best know of it."

Elrond nodded slowly. "I agree."

Aragorn slowly let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. Action would be taken; it was a start he would readily accept.

"I would learn more about them as well," Elladan spoke up from his position. "I would scout out this threat."

"Me as well," Elrohir chimed in. Few would have expected differently. Where one twin was, the other would not be far away, so inseparable were they.

This Aragorn was not pleased with at all. He did not want his adopted family, his only remaining family, put in so much danger. Rationally, he knew his brothers' did not want him in danger either, but that just ensured he would not object, not like it. So while his jaw clenched in agitation, he made not a sound. Who was sent in a scouting party was out of his hands, and really, he had expected nothing less, even if he had not wanted to acknowledge what he knew. Elladan and Elrohir were relentless when it came to orcs and would pursue anything connected to the vile creatures if they did anything to gain the attention of Rivendell.

Glorfindel looked to Elrond. "I'm sure I can find another two to join them," he stated, before his gaze slid sideways to include Aragorn. "The five of them should be able to move quietly in and out and hopefully find what they need to know and bring it back to us with minimal trouble."

It briefly amused the young man that the elf had assumed he would be included. He supposed they had learned enough about his stubborn nature to know he would not back down nor be excluded simply because he was human. By the frown on the twins' faces he knew they were no more happy about his involvement than he was about theirs, but they also held their tongues.

Lord Elrond nodded. "Very well. They will leave tomorrow. The necessary arrangements will be made before departure." The elf's blue eyes surveyed those around him, pausing briefly on his sons. "May you all come back to us."

With that, he stood and left the room. The rest followed, some talking quietly amongst themselves. Glorfindel immediately departed, walking quickly to talk to his men to find out who would wish to go. Aragorn had a feeling the blonde elf would join the party if he was able, but he was not sure what commitments the other had here which would hinder his movements. The ranger was anxious to be gone, now that the decision had been made. But his fatigue, which he had managed to ignore till now, came back with a vengeance and the ranger wavered slightly on his feet.

"Easy there, brother," Elladan said, his voice light with amusement, as he slipped his arm through his the man's arm, keeping him upright.

Elrohir assumed a similar position on the other side. "Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself before the hunt now would we," he teased. Aragorn looked between the two, his gaze slightly dazed as his tired mind tried to keep up with the conversation now that the adrenaline that had kept him on his feet was leaving his system and leaving him more fatigued than he could remember being in a long time.

Both elves laughed at the perplexed look that crossed the Dunadan's face.

"Come on," Elladan urged, starting the trio walking. "It's time for bed. There will be plenty of time for discussion once you are rested, Estel. I would hear more of this Orc attack."

Aragorn nodded, then yawned. He smiled sheepishly. "As soon as I can think straight," he promised.

Somehow, Aragorn ended up in bed. He was asleep before he hit the pillow.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You're sure?"

"Yes. They will come looking for us."

"They cannot succeed. The master would not be pleased."

"I want the man."

"Not too easy for you, Kelt?"

"Let me worry about that."

"Fine. He's yours. See that you don't mess up."

Kelt smiled fiercely and turned away. She had preparations to make before she began the hunt. The man would not escape her. She would make sure of it, and prove to her companions that there had been no mistake in including her. They would see. She would make sure of that, too.