Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.
A/N:
*grins and pats readers' shoulders* Don't worry, my friends, the spiders won't be back in this story, at least I think so. Perhaps in the next or the one after that, since it would be really cruel not to let Celylith see his little butterfly again, wouldn't you agree?
Just a word of warning: The next weeks (hmm, thinking about it, until end of September, really! *g*) will be quite stressful for me, I'm afraid, and sometimes you just can't escape college, and believe me, I've tried long and hard. So, _don't_ panic, all I'm saying that some updates might not be on time, okay? I will most definitely not abandon this story, never fear, I'm far too obsessed for that...
Okay, be that as it may, here's the next bit, and, once again, a little bit angst because I know you love it, and don't even try to deny it! *g* It's just a little bit, anyway...
Well, so we have ... angry elven twins ... good-byes ... evil men and learn a little bit about Estel's nightmares. *shakes head* Gosh, that boy IS stubborn, isn't he? Oh, and btw, this time I blame the songs "Evenstar" and "Forth Eorlingas" from the TTT soundtrack. *points accusingly at Howard Shore* He makes me write sad things! It's all HIS fault!!
So, read on, dear friends, and review, please!
Chapter 5
Elrohir's consciousness returned slowly to his comfortably numb body. Slowly was just fine with him, and the dark haired elf saw absolutely no reason to rush things. He didn't really know what he was doing here – wherever 'here' was – and why his neck hurt as if someone or something had just taken a huge chunk out of it, but he was too happy to just lie here with his eyes closed to care.
'Wait a minute,' he thought shortly afterwards, 'With my eyes closed?'
He tried to blink, and when that didn't produce any results whatsoever and his vision still remained dark, he grew a little bit worried. He was lying in a bed that was definitely not his, out of reasons he couldn't remember, and his eyes stubbornly refused to open. The younger twin growled inwardly. If this was another one of Estel's stupid jokes, he would strangle his young human brother, no matter what their father said about it.
Elrohir once again tried to open his eyes, and this time, it worked, Elbereth knew why. This was another thing he would never understand, he thought as he tried to focus on the room he was lying in. He would never understand why one could sometimes recover from unconsciousness much quicker than on other times. It was something he should probably know, but right now he was neither capable nor in the mood for the strain trying to find out would take.
Suddenly a face appeared in his vision, and a rather anxious-looking face at that. With only minimal struggle Elrohir identified it as Elladan's who looked relieved beyond measure as he beamed down on him.
"Brother! You are awake!"
The younger twin resisted the urge to close his eyes and bit back the sarcastic comment that was on the tip of his tongue.
"Of course I am," he stated, surprised how rough his voice sounded.
His twin hurried to get him some water, and while he was carefully sipping the gloriously cool liquid, he wondered what in Eru's name had happened. Strange imagines swirled before his mind's eye, but he dismissed them quickly. He was the first to admit that Elladan, Estel and he had got into their fair share of trouble during the past decades, but not even they could possibly be that stupid, could they?
When he had emptied the glass, he leaned back into the pillows, noting for the first time that he was in the healing wing in the palace of Mirkwood, a place he seemed to visit far too frequently of late.
He smiled at his brother who was watching him apprehensively.
"I had the strangest dream, brother," he said, frowning as he tried to hold on to some fragments of memory that were trying to slip out of his grasp. "I dreamt we had been ambushed by spiders while trying to get rid of that abominable creature Celylith adores so. Odd, I know, what a perfectly silly dream!"
He heard a chocked, coughing sound behind him and slowly turned his head. He noticed with some annoyance that someone had seen it fit to wrap enough bandages round his neck to ensure that he couldn't move it more than a couple of inches in either direction. Still, it was enough, and so he laid eyes on the Prince of Mirkwood who sat on the windowsill, the pale morning light lighting up his blonde hair so that it seemed that he was surrounded by a soft, golden glow.
Elrohir merely raised a dark eyebrow and waited for the other elf to elaborate.
Legolas shot his friend a lopsided grin, putting the book he had been reading down next to him on the windowsill.
"Well, it wasn't … exactly … a dream."
The younger twin raised his other eyebrow, a perfect picture of someone who knows something to be true but desperately wishes it weren't so.
"All of it was real? It really happened?" he asked in a hopeless tone of voice.
His twin that had been walking around his bed sat down on the edge of the mattress. He shot his brother a wry look.
"Yes."
"Valar," Elrohir breathed and closed his eyes. After a second he opened them again and fixed an intense stare on Elladan's face, worry and slight panic in the grey depths. "Estel? Celylith? Are they alright?"
Elladan nodded quickly to reassure him.
"Yes, they are fine. Estel sleeps in his rooms and Celylith … where is Celylith?" he asked, turning to his elven friend while he placed one of his hands on his brother's to stop him from fiddling with the bandage that wound round his neck.
Legolas grimaced slightly.
"Sulking, I think. He really liked that spider."
Elrohir snorted, sounding disconcertingly like his father.
"Oh yes, and why would he not? It was adorable after all… But please, tell me, what exactly did happen? I can remember letting Wilwarin go, thinking of many different ways of hurting Celylith and then … nothing."
Elladan smiled at his brother, inwardly thinking how hard it was to keep his younger siblings from harm. He had always thought Elrohir and Arwen were bad enough, but since Estel had joined their little family he had been shown how naïve that assumption had been.
"If you promise to lie back and relax we will tell you," he announced, giving his younger elven brother a stern look. "If father comes to check on you and finds that you are not rested enough, we will have to stay here. And I really do not think that that would agree with Hithrawyn's sanity."
The elven prince winced at his friend's words. Yes, Hithrawyn looked very … stressed lately. One could even say he was on the brink of insanity and with one foot already on the way down the dark abyss of madness. He was sure that the healer would either leave for the Grey Havens or do something truly drastic to all of them if the twins didn't leave soon.
He listened quietly while Elladan described what had happened since the younger twin had gone down at the beginning of the fight, only interrupting to correct small mistakes or exaggerations so gross that not even he could ignore them.
It had been close, he mused as he listened to a slightly distorted version of how they had retreated into the direction of the path (funny, he couldn't remember screaming repeatedly 'Have at thee, foul beast!'). Far too close for his liking. Those things had very nearly eaten all of them. And, knowing the kind of luck that seemed to follow Estel wherever the young human went, things would only get progressively worse from this point on.
'A Elbereth,' he thought, 'I will have to do better than this if I want that reckless human to survive even a week here! There is no telling what trouble we will get into next…'
"… and then we got caught by the palace guards."
"You got what?" Elrohir queried, grinning broadly now.
"Caught by the palace guards," Legolas repeated Elladan's words, giving the younger twin a nasty look. "You are a lot heavier than you look, did you know that?"
"What?" Elrohir hissed, eyes blazing with indignation.
"Oh, you heard me, son of Elrond," the prince repeated, apparently not intimidated by the dangerous glint that had appeared in the dark haired elf's eyes. "I always knew you were a peredhel, but I never knew you had some dwarf-blood as well."
"What??" both twins repeated, glaring at their snickering friend who was slowly backing away from them.
"I really don't think…" Elladan began.
"…that we can stand for this, brother," Elrohir finished his brother's sentence, about to climb out of his bed. "In fact, I think we should…"
"…teach young Thranduilion here a lesson. I agree."
Legolas only laughed harder, looking at the slowly advancing twins with mock concern.
"Really, Elrohir, you should lie down and rest! I don't think you should put any weight on that leg just yet. What would your father say if he saw you like this?"
"He would ask, young prince, what exactly he thought he was doing," Elrond's soft voice interjected, causing all of them to freeze and look guiltily at the elf lord who had just entered the room.
Legolas shook his head in amazement. How was Lord Elrond doing this? To appear out of nowhere every time one did expect him the least to was truly a rare gift. He unconsciously rubbed the spot on his chest where the half-healed cut was located. Well, it was healing well, Lord Elrond couldn't be after him this time.
"I, uhm, I…" Elrohir stammered, looking at his twin with wide eyes, silently pleading for help. Elladan could only stare back however; he just couldn't think of a suitable excuse himself. This seemed to happen to them more and more frequently of late. Their father either grew stealthier with every year that passed, or their ability to detect the presence of others was slowly but steadily diminishing.
The fair haired elf would have grinned if Lord Elrond hadn't been present. It was a memorable sight indeed to see the usually so eloquent Elrohir at a loss for words.
"I see," Elrond said wryly, raising an amused eyebrow as Elladan helped his brother to lie down again. Just as Elrohir opened his mouth, he added, "And I know you feel fine. And, this time, I even believe you."
The three young ones' mouths fell open.
"You believe me?" Elrohir asked, inconspicuously eyeing his father for signs of illness. Perhaps the stress of having to patch them up yet again had been too much for him? He had never before believed him, Elladan, Estel or any other of his patients who insisted to be fine, at least not for the past 1500 years.
"Yes," his father stated calmly, acting as if that statement was the most normal thing in the world.
"Oh," was the only thing the younger twin could think of, totally unable to come to terms with Elrond's sudden change of behaviour.
Elladan was the first to recover from the shock.
"We'll be going, then," he said quickly, shooting Legolas a furtive glance and reaching out to help his younger brother to his feet, unwilling to let this unique chance pass by.
Before Elrohir could even straighten up though, a slender hand shot out and pressed him back down.
"I said I believed you," the Lord of Rivendell said with a small grin that was more than a little bit smug, "I didn't say you could leave that bed."
"But, ada…"
Elrond gave his younger elven son the look which caused him to fall silent immediately.
'At least it is working on someone around here,' Elrond thought pleased, remembering how much more 'persuasion' was necessary to make his human son comply.
"I mean it, my son," he said, busying himself with changing the bandages on Elrohir's already half-healed leg. "If we want to leave tomorrow, – and I would strongly recommend it, and not only for Hithrawyn's sake – you will need all your strength. Do not be mistaken, Elrohir," he said, gazing at the younger elf seriously, "You will feel weaker than usual for quite a bit, I fear. Elves do have the best chances of survival when it comes to spider bites in general, but somehow the dwarves are the race best equipped to deal with the after-effects."
"Oh, then there's no need to worry, my lord," Legolas mumbled, doing his best to hide the wide grin that was forming on his lips. "He'll be back to normal in no time."
Elladan and Elrohir shot the blonde prince a look so scathing that it surely would have caused Gandalf to jump to his feet and clap enthusiastically while their father merely gave him a mildly questioning stare.
Looking at the murderous faces in front of him, Legolas decided that he had definitely overstayed his welcome here and rose to his feet.
"My lord," he said, inclining his head to a slightly startled Elrond, "Now that I know that your son will make a full recovery, I think I will go and see how Estel is doing; he should wake as well in a few hours."
The Prince of Mirkwood turned and walked out of the door, his light footfall quickly fading in the distance.
Elrond turned back to his sons, about to ask them what this was all about, but when he saw the dangerous glint in their eyes, he quickly reconsidered. He really didn't want to know, he decided with an inward sigh, this way he could later claim that he hadn't known about it when the twins did it to Legolas, whatever 'it' may turn out to be.
But one thing he knew for sure, and that was that he didn't want to be in the proximity when 'it' happened, not for all the mithril in the world.
Aragorn was pulled out of a dreamless sleep to awareness rather abruptly, leaving him to wonder what it had been that had caused this to happen.
Soon, however, it became apparent: Somebody or something was pulling on his left arm with enough force to wrench the whole appendage from its socket.
He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, something that, had it been understandable, would have been highly insulting to whomever was disturbing his rest. A second later however, a clear, pealing laughter could be heard, and Aragorn burrowed his head in his pillow. Couldn't Legolas leave him alone for once?
"Go 'way," he muttered, trying to drift back to sleep.
"'Tis already late morning, my friend," the Prince of Mirkwood said cheerfully, once again tugging on the young human's arm. "Get up. Do all humans need this much sleep?"
"No," Aragorn grumbled irritably, "Only if we are up all night and are being chased by spiders. Then we do. Now leave me alone."
"No," Legolas simply said, pulling on the other arm for a change. "I have already had a highly unpleasant talk with my father, so the least you could do is get up and keep me company."
At that the ranger opened one eye, looking his friend over who was sitting on the edge. When he had made sure that Legolas seemed to be in good health and was apparently missing no limbs, he closed it again with a tired sigh.
"Go 'way," he repeated, pulling his covers over his head. "Ada's sleeping draughts are always quite potent, it's a miracle you managed to wake me up at all. Your father has obviously not harmed you, so now be quiet and let me sleep."
Legolas rolled his eyes and began to peel back the multiple blankets his friend had pulled over his head. He had almost forgotten how many layers humans needed to keep themselves warm in winter, it was a miracle they didn't suffocate under the weight.
"Please, Aragorn," he said earnestly when he had managed to expose his friend's dark head. "They can be here any minute now. Get up. Now!"
That got the young man's attention.
"Who?" he asked suspiciously, reluctantly lifting his head.
"Your brothers," Legolas answered, cocking his head to one side to listen for any sounds that might indicate that said elves were nearing the room. "Your father will have released them by now, I think, and it shouldn't take them too long to find out where I am."
He didn't mention to his human friend that he – in a fit of temporary insanity – had told them himself.
"What have you done now?" Aragorn asked tiredly, sitting up and glaring at his friend.
Legolas scowled at the dark haired human. As if it was him that was getting them constantly into trouble!
"I have done nothing, human," he said indignantly. "It is hardly my fault if your brothers behave childish and erratic, is it?"
Aragorn merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Legolas shrugged while he got to his feet and looked around the room for some of the ranger's clothes.
"Well," the elf admitted, taking up a dark tunic and throwing it into the direction of the bed, "We might have had a small disagreement."
"About what?" his friend questioned, catching the garment and preparing to pull it over his head.
"Ah…" Legolas sighed, picking up the young man's boots and breeches and dumping them on his bed, one ear always attuned to their surroundings. "I think it was a disagreement concerning their ancestry…"
Aragorn winced.
"What exactly did you say?"
Legolas turned back to the door, listening intently now.
"Oh, not much…"
"Legolas!!"
The prince turned to the half-dressed human who was about to put on his boots.
"Well, the term 'dwarven ancestry' might have been mentioned."
Aragorn stared at the prince.
"You called them dwarves?"
The blonde elf nodded a little bit sheepishly.
"Something like that, yes."
His human friend shook his head, looking around his room. Legolas, in the belief he knew what the man was looking for, grabbed a hairbrush that was lying on a shelf next to him.
"Here," he said, tossing the object to Aragorn.
The ranger just stared at the brush, turning confused eyes on the elven prince.
"And what should I do with this?"
Legolas returned the stare in kind.
"Brush your hair. That's what brushes are for, brushing one's hair."
Aragorn snorted, tossing the brush back.
"Well, I am sure you do a lot of that, elf, but I was looking for my weapons. Brushes won't help us with my brothers. You are as good as dead."
"No," Legolas protested, giving his friend a wicked grin and taking a step forward to grab the other's sleeve, "We are, mellonamin. You are coming with me."
"Oh, am I?" the dark haired ranger asked, trying to twist out of his friend's grasp.
"Yes, Strider, you are. The twins won't dare hurt you, and that is the reason why I won't let you out of my sight until they're gone."
"So you would hide behind me, o mighty Prince of Mirkwood?" Aragorn teased, allowing the fair haired elf to pull him with him down the corridor.
"Definitely," Legolas retorted, grinning at the human. "If the matter has any ties whatsoever to those two, I am willing to use whatever means I have to make sure they don't catch me alone."
How true, Aragorn thought as they were making their way down to the Great Hall, Legolas looking anxiously over his shoulder every so often. He could very well relate to that feeling.
Elrond hid an amused smile, watching his twin sons who eyed the Prince of Mirkwood very much like a pair of predators that were stalking a victim just out of their reach. Actually, they had looked like this since yesterday morning, which had been the moment the blonde elf had decided not to leave his human son's side again in a desperate attempt to save his life, or at least his dignity, for whatever the twins had planned, it just couldn't be good.
And Legolas really hadn't left Aragorn's side for a moment, it was almost as if someone had tied those two together with a length of invisible cord. But then again, Elrond could understand that perfectly well. The twins would never let their little brother get in the way of their revenge, and so they had been condemned to doing nothing.
He shook his head slowly as he guided his horse round a fallen tree that blocked the path leading from the palace to the west. He would actually miss the chaos those four seemed to create whenever they were together, he admitted to himself. But this was the best for all of them; the three moths would provide him with enough time to recover his strength, and Estel really wasn't up to the long, arduous journey that lay ahead of them. They had probably already lingered for too long, for the promise of snow lay already heavily in the air.
"Amazing," a wry voice next to him commented, and the Lord of Rivendell looked up into the fair face of the King of Mirkwood, who had decided to escort them a few miles to the west. In Elrond's opinion it was to make sure that they truly left his realm, but it may have been to make sure that Legolas didn't get attacked by another horde of spiders.
"What is amazing, my friend?" he asked, smiling at the other elf.
"I think it is the first time that I have witnessed the failure of one of the twins' plans," Thranduil said, casting a quick look behind him to survey the small troupe of warriors that followed them.
"You should savour this moment, your Highness," Elrond said, his smile broadening. "'Tis truly a rare occurrence, and I doubt we will see it again in this age. Your son is very wise and crafty indeed if he has managed to avoid them this long."
"That he is, my lord, that he is," Thranduil said, more than a little bit of paternal pride in his voice. Changing the topic, he asked, "So you will accept the escort?"
Elrond sighed softly.
"If you insist, your Majesty."
"I insist, Lord Elrond," the golden haired king assured the other elf lord. "Lord Glorfindel would have my head if I let anything happen to you or your sons. As would the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien, Mithrandir, Lord Círdan, Estel and countless other people. The warriors will travel on to Lórien, they have business there anyway."
"In that case, we gladly accept your generous offer," the dark haired elf nodded gratefully, turning very serious. "I am deeply in your debt and that of your healers. You have given back to me what I had already thought lost forever."
Thranduil only inclined his head solemnly.
"It was nothing, my lord. It was nothing more than every other would have done as well. Besides," he looked at the Master of Rivendell seriously, "it was no more than you have done for my son countless times."
Both of them remained silent for a while, listening to the taunts and jokes that the three brothers, Legolas and the younger members of the guard exchanged.
"One day though, Aragorn will…" Thranduil carefully began after a short while.
Elrond's head shot up, his face expressionless and his eyes cold as ice.
"I know. Oh, I know only too well. But … not now, not yet. I hope to be in the Undying Lands with my wife when that happens." He took a deep breath and added in a whisper, "But it will hurt just as much, perhaps even more."
"I know, my friend," Thranduil agreed softly, his eyes distant with dark memories. "It always does, no matter how much time you had to prepare yourself."
"Aye," the elf lord said sadly, thinking of his twin brother Elros who had left this world so many ages ago. "Aye, it does."
They rode on in silence until the king called for a stop, reining back his horse.
"This is where we leave you, my lord," he said, forcefully pushing down the black mood. "I fear that if we accompany you any further, something terribly might befall all of us. Travelling with these four is a kind of invitation, I fear."
Ignoring the indignant sounds of protest, Elrond nodded, his eyes still a little darker than usual.
"We thank you for your hospitality, Lord Thranduil. Please give my regards and unending gratitude to your master healer."
Thranduil nodded, hiding a smile.
"I will, Lord Elrond. May we meet again under more fortunate circumstances than this time."
Behind them, the three brothers and Legolas were just biding each other farewell.
"Take care, little one," Elladan said, tousling his younger brother's hair. "And please, do not get yourself in another one of your 'situations', I really do not want to save your hide yet again."
Aragorn scowled at him although there was a playful twinkle in his eyes.
"Don't worry, o ancient one," he retorted, ducking quickly when Elladan aimed a swipe at his scratched forehead. "Legolas will be there to help me if I do."
Elrohir snorted.
"Ha, as if that's going to do any good," he muttered, earning himself a dark glare from the elven prince who was carefully staying out of their reach and who now spurred on his horse to join his father. The twin turned to his human brother, a hurt look in his bright eyes. "I still don't see why you didn't help us, Estel. You are our brother, after all!"
Estel shook his head, chuckling merrily.
"He is my friend, and I know exactly what you are capable of. It would have been nothing else but homicide to do so."
"Traitor," Elrohir muttered, but quickly pulled his young brother into a brief hug, wincing when his still sore neck protested. "Be careful, Estel. Come back to us safely in the spring."
"I will," Aragorn assured his brothers as they closed the distance to their father and King Thranduil. "Nothing will happen, and I will be back before you know it. You two take care yourselves."
Lord Elrond and the King of Mirkwood were watching the brothers say good-bye when Legolas joined them, smiling slightly at the Lord of Imladris.
"Safe journey, my lord," he said, bowing slightly in the saddle. "May you and your sons reach your home without incident for once. I seem to be unable to do so."
Elrond returned the smile.
"I have noticed, young one." He looked at the elven prince gravely. "Look after him, please. He will need your help, and not only to keep him out of trouble."
Legolas nodded, returning the other's stare unblinkingly.
"I will do everything in my power to keep him safe. No harm will befall him if I can help it, that I swear."
The dark haired elf nodded his thanks.
"Thank you, young prince. May the Valar watch over you until we meet again."
By now the three brothers had reached them, and Aragorn manoeuvred his horse next to his father's to give him a quick hug.
"Namárië, father. May Elbereth watch over your path."
"And over yours, my son," Elrond replied, letting go of the human and giving him a fond smile. "We will expect you as soon as the snow has melted and, if possible, in one piece."
Aragorn only smiled.
"I will try."
"That is all I ask for," his foster father said, his smile broadening. "Namárië."
With one last look at their human son and brother, Elrond and the twins turned their horses and slowly rode down the path leading to the Misty Mountains and the High Pass that would take the small group of elves into the lands of Eriador and finally to the Elf-haven known in the common tongue as Rivendell.
Aragorn looked after his family until they disappeared from his human eyesight. It would actually be a nice change not to be mothered all the time, but still, he would miss them…
Legolas shot his sombre friend a quick look and said, trying to lighten the mood,
"Well, that was interesting."
The ranger quickly shook his head and looked at his friend.
"You have no idea how lucky you are, my friend. This is the first time that I have seen one of their plans fail. But don't feel too safe just yet. They might have bribed some of the servant staff."
Legolas very nearly toppled off Rashwe's back at that. That was a possibility he hadn't even considered.
"Do you really think so?" he asked the broadly grinning human, looking at him in fright.
Aragorn shook his head laughing.
"Peace, Legolas. No, I was merely joking. I think you should be reasonably safe." He made a mental note to remind Legolas to enter his room through the window, just in case. One could never know what kinds of booby-traps the twins had left behind.
Legolas gave his friend a mock glare.
"That was not funny, Estel!"
The young man only grinned more broadly and spurred on his horse, steering the beast into the direction of the palace.
"Oh, but it was! You should have seen the look of absolute panic on your face," he called over his shoulder, giving Legolas a sly look. "Leafie."
Thranduil watched his son's face turned a rather interesting shade of pink up to the tips of his pointed ears, a colour rather unbecoming an elven warrior.
"Strider!" the prince called after his laughing friend, spurring on his horse to catch up with him, "You promised!"
"I did not!" sounded the human's reply.
"You just wait, human," Legolas grumbled quite audibly as he disappeared out of view, "You just wait. There is nobody here to save you now. Three months are a very, very long time."
The woodland king stifled a smile and motioned his guards to precede him, which they did, the older elves mumbling about the irresponsibility of youth and the general lack of respect said youth was willing to pay their elders.
He had to agree, Thranduil thought as he was riding through the dark woods of his home, three months were an impossibly long amount of time.
Adruran sighed, running a callous hand over his tired eyes.
Six days.
They had been here six days, and except for rumours and gossip they had learned effectively nothing, much to his dismay.
And unless they found out something soon, he would have to send a report to his lord, admitting their failure. And after that he could as well slit his wrists, for that would be a lot better than what would wait for him if he returned home empty-handed.
'Eru,' he cursed silently, letting his gaze wander over the tiny room he had rented in one of Lake-town's many inns, 'How did it all go so very wrong?'
The room offered no answer to that, of course, not that he had really expected it to. Just when Adruran was beginning to question his own sanity at having taken on this assignment, a knock sounded on the door and Tiddryr, his lieutenant, entered the room. His superior noted with satisfaction that the younger man was all but melting into the shadows that lay heavily on the creaking floor boards of the room and that his passage made nearly no sound.
'Well,' he thought, 'Not as good as a ranger, but a close second.'
Tiddryr grinned at his captain, a single ray of moonlight highlighting his copper hair.
"We've got a lead."
The brown haired man sat up on his bed, eyes gleaming with interest and carefully masked hope now.
"What?"
The other stepped closer, relief visible on his face as well. Nobody wanted to get on their lord's bad side.
"Geran and his group found someone who might know where they have disappeared to."
Adruran slowly got to his feet, his thoughts racing. Before entering Esgaroth he had divided his men into four groups to avoid any unnecessary attention a group of twenty strangers might attract. He and five of his men had entered the newly rebuilt city via the large wooden bridge that led into the centre of the town that was built half on the shores and half on the Long Lake itself. The other groups had chosen smaller bridges and gates to get into the settlement, and they had taken up residence in inns in different parts of the town. One could say what one wanted about Adruran, but he was neither careless nor stupid.
He walked over to the window that overlooked the broad canal that ran between two rows of houses standing on high poles, the shimmering surface already covered with a thin sheet of silvery ice.
"Has he now?" he asked softly, gazing at the water. He just couldn't understand why the Lake-men hadn't rebuilt the city entirely on the shores as the old city had once been, before the coming of the dragon. With Smaug dead, there was no longer a need to take refuge on the surface of the lake, but it had probably something to do with tradition and all that.
Adruran snorted. Tradition! Just another thing that would be swept away once his lord was ready to take what should be his.
"Sir?" Tiddryr asked, slight confusion colouring the word.
The tall man at the window straightened his shoulders and turned back to his lieutenant.
"Where is he now?"
"Geran and the others are waiting in the western part of town, beyond the wooden bridge on the shore. The target is in one of the inns near the fish market there. He is awaiting your orders," Tiddryr reported.
Adruran nodded in satisfaction. Perhaps he had misjudged Geran after all. His actions in this matter had been exemplary this far.
"Alright, take me to them. It is time to get this thing finally started."
The red haired man nodded and turned on his heel, leaving the room as soundlessly as he had come. Adruran quickly took up his thick winter cloak and fastened it around his neck, made sure his second knife was in the hidden sheath strapped to his left forearm and prepared to follow the other.
Indeed, it was time to do his job. He was tired of watching and waiting in the shadows. The sooner that 'someone' told him what he wanted to know, the sooner they could leave and get what his lord wanted.
He smiled grimly when he stepped out into the cold night air, his eyes flickering toward the heavens that were shrouded in dark grey clouds heavy with the promise of snow.
And tell him the man would. They all did, sooner or later. Most just needed the right kind of encouragement, which he was more than prepared to provide.
As long as he got to leave this accursed town, he didn't care if he had to twist an arm or two.
Legolas awoke in the darkness of his room, blinking once to help his eyes adjust to the near-complete blackness. He frowned and tried to discern what exactly it had been that had woken him, but as far as he could see, there was nothing amiss in his room. There was no one else here and everything was still and quiet, except for the occasional ruffling of the embroidered curtains that moved in the night breeze, letting a gush of cold air into the room once in a while.
That was nothing that could have bothered him; he was an elf after all and not nearly as bothered by the cold as a human would be.
He leaned back into his pillow and once again tried to fall asleep. He had probably imagined things, even if that was highly unusual for him…
When he was just about to drift back into the realm of elvish sleep, he heard something, a sound so soft that he had almost missed it. Legolas sat up, knitting his brow as he tried to discover where it had come from. It didn't sound as if it had come from within his rooms, besides, he would have sensed it if someone else had been present; that left only…
"Aragorn," he breathed softly when he heard it again, a soft sound somewhere between a whimper and a small moan. The prince quickly got up and donned a dark tunic, ran a hand through his un-braided hair and opened his door, listening intently for any sounds that might indicate that someone else was out in the corridor. His father really didn't like it when he was sneaking around the palace at night.
Legolas quietly closed his door and quickly moved over to the one leading to his human friend's rooms that was only a few feet away from his own. Not even bothering with knocking, he soundlessly opened to double door and slipped inside.
The room was dark except for the soft glow of a dying fire that still flickered weakly in the hearth, casting a soft golden glow over its surroundings. Legolas frowned; if the fire was still burning, Aragorn hadn't gone to sleep until one or two hours ago. He had already suspected something like this. To every seeing person it was obvious that the young ranger didn't sleep well or enough, and the dark circles under his eyes had been ever deepening since Lord Elrond and the twins had left five days ago.
Quietly, the elven prince stepped closer to the bed, casting worried eyes on the fitfully sleeping form of his human friend. Aragorn's forehead was creased in a frown, and his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. His eyes moved restlessly under the closed lids and he tossed his head from side to side in obvious agitation, an agonised expression on his face.
Another small whimper escaped the young man's throat.
"No … please … not again … father … I can't ... not him too, please ... No!!"
Legolas clenched his teeth when he heard the pain and despair in his friend's voice. He quickly closed the distance between them, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Aragorn!" he called softly in the grey tongue, taking the ranger's shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Estel! Wake up, 'tis nothing but a dream! Wake up, my friend!"
The dark haired human's eyes shot open, pure panic in their silver depths. He made a move as if to start fighting against the hands that held his shoulders, but did a double-take when he finally recognised the person that was bending over him.
"Legolas?" he asked in a weak voice, tense muscles slowly relaxing. "What…"
Now certain that Aragorn was aware of his surroundings, Legolas let slowly go of his shoulders, watching the confused, drained face in front of him.
"I heard you cry out in your sleep," he explained softly.
"Oh," the young ranger muttered, sitting up and burying his face in his hands. After a few seconds he pushed back the covers, got up and stumbled over to the wrought metal basin filled with cold water and, without hesitation, dunked his head into it.
Just when Legolas was about to go and check if he had perhaps drowned, the dark head emerged, spluttering and shivering in the cool air. The fair haired elf watched silently how his friend grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair and face vigorously, as if to chase away the last shreds of the dream. Finally he returned to the bed and dropped heavily onto it.
"Thank you," he quietly said, lowering his eyes. "I am sorry for having woken you. I'm alright now."
Legolas just stared at him in disbelief.
"Alright? Estel, if I have ever seen someone further away from 'alright' I can certainly not remember it!"
Estel just stared emotionlessly at his hands.
"I'm fine. As you said, it was just a dream."
"But it wasn't the first one!" Legolas exclaimed, glaring at his friend. "Don't even try to tell me otherwise! I know you are having them again since your father left."
The man only shrugged, still scrutinising his hands. What Legolas said was true enough, but what was he supposed to say?
The elven prince looked imploringly at his friend.
"Tell me," he said softly, although he had a rather good impression of what the dreams were about. "Tell me what it is that haunts your sleep, my friend. It might help you to overcome this."
"No!" Aragorn's head shot up, eyes huge and dark in his pale face. "I … I will not burden you with this, mellonamin. Please, do not ask me to."
Legolas gazed sadly at his human friend, inwardly cursing the entire Line of Elros and its members' stubbornness. But, he told himself, forcing Aragorn to talk about the nightmares would probably do more harm than good.
He bowed his head, silently vowing not to give up this easily.
"As you wish."
Aragorn looked as if he wanted to say something, but obviously thought better of it and simply nodded his head in gratitude.
"Thank you," he said quietly, giving his friend a hesitant smile. After a few seconds during which he desperately tried to come up with a way to lead Legolas' attention away from the former topic, he asked,
"Have you asked your father for permission?"
Legolas looked sharply at the young ranger, but decided to go along with Aragorn's change of topics.
"Actually, I have."
Estel looked at him, a real smile slowly beginning to spread over his face.
"And, what did he say?"
The elven prince returned the smile, rising to his feet to stoke the fire.
"Well, first he stared at me. Then he began laughing loudly, and when he realised I was being serious, he started yelling at me." The smile on his face broadened. "In the end he promised he would think about it."
"So he will permit us to escort Seobryn to Lake-town?" the dark haired human asked eagerly, suppressing a yawn.
"I think so," Legolas replied. "There's at least a good chance since Esgaroth isn't far away."
He watched as Aragorn's eyes began to drop and the young ranger pried them open again. Hesitantly, he offered, "If you want to, I can get you something that'll help you…"
"No," Aragorn quickly replied, shaking his head. "I cannot take sleeping draughts indefinitely; besides, it will never come twice in the same night, and not if there was someone here."
Legolas shook his head, sighing loudly.
"You are so stubborn, reckless human."
"As are you, elf," the other replied, sleepily.
The prince snorted softly, sitting down on an armchair in one of the dark corners.
"Go to sleep, Strider. If my father allows us to go, we will need to leave in a few days. I can't have you dropping off your horse because you can't keep your eyes open."
Aragorn opened one eye and glared at his friend.
"I never fall off a horse!"
"Of course you don't, Estel," Legolas reassured him with a wicked grin. "Sleep now."
The ranger was too exhausted to argue with the elf, and, not even thinking to ask why his friend wasn't returning to his own room, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, forcefully pushing back the fears that tore at his soul, fears that the dreams would return to haunt him.
Legolas settled down into the padded armchair, relaxing as he watched the young human fall asleep. He rested his head against the soft back of the chair, hoping that his father would allow them to go. The little journey might be enough to distract Aragorn from his dreams, since he would surely love to accompany Seobryn and had often talked about how much he had always wished to visit Lake-town.
The elven prince smiled thinly, his eyes not leaving the sleeping form of his friend. He would stay here tonight; sleep would elude him anyway after this. And if his friend could draw some comfort from his presence, then he was more than willing to stay.
He once again shook his head, marvelling at the stubbornness of Lord Elrond's family. One of them was worse than the other, and in his opinion Aragorn topped them all.
But, he thought grimly, that stubbornness had gone far enough. Should he ever witness Aragorn having these nightmares again, he would make him tell him about them, even if he had to break every single of the human's bones to achieve that goal.
He wouldn't watch one of his friends, and his best friend at that, suffer like this, not if he could do anything to ease the pain.
With that promise on his mind, Legolas curled up in the chair to watch over the young human and make sure that nothing unfriendly disturbed his rest once more this night.
TBC...
peredhel - Half-elf
ada - father (daddy)
mellonamin - my friend
Ah, yes, and the plot thickens! *g* What will happen? The answer to that is rather simple, dear readers: A lot, and most of it unpleasant. Mhahahaha! *runs away cackling maniacally* Gosh, I'd better stop doing that... *shakes head in disgust* Okay, so stay tuned for the next chapter which has even _more_ of the evil men and a conspiracy that unfolds in Mirkwood. *shivers in anticipation* I love dropping mysterious hints... *g*
Okay, so please review? For some reason I cannot even begin to comprehend FF.net once again screwed with my reviews - but still! Pretty please??
Additional A/N:
Gwyn - *sighs* I know, studying.... Highly overrated, in my opinion, but from time to time necessary nonetheless. Unfortunately. *g* 'Until Legolas finds himself at death's door'? Gosh, you _are_ bloodthirsty, but let me think .... I guess that would be a careful chapter 8. Might be 9 though, I've only just started writing it, so I don't know yet.
Halo - *blushes* Is 'reckon' wrong? Is it an American slang term or something? That is the problem with me, I read or hear things like that and just use them. *shakes Halo* Is it wrong? Tell me!!! And sorry to disappoint you, but there'll be no killing poor Celylith. After Nólad you guays would probablly kill me... admit it! *huggles Halo* Thanks for reviewing!
Mer - As I said, that happens sometimes. You've just got to wait for a few hours, usually FF.net just needs some time to ... do whatever FF.net does when you post a new chppie. *shrugs* This website will remain a mystery to me. Thanks for the mail!
TrinityTheSheDevil - *g* Thank you very much. I very much enjoy being evil, I've always though good guys are boring - most of the time, anyway. Glad you like your new pet spider, but don't forget ickle Stan. He likes gnawing a little on a little too obsessed reviewers... *g* Thanks, I got some rest, but with a paper on Hannibal due in a week, I don't think that will last long... Thanks for the review!
Coreinha - I do NOT have an obsession with arachnids! I resent that! I hate spiders - but I kinda liked Wilwarin... She was cute. Oh, and don't worry about Elrond and Thranduil. They are too happy to have them all back alive to do anything ... drastic to them. *fearfully eyes Coreinha and her squirrel* Well, calm down, the update's here! See? And rthey are fine - physically, that is... *casts down eyes* I will read your fics - some day. I just can't right now, there is so much to do and I have barely enought ime to write my own and... *takes deep breath* Later. In a lifetime or two, I think, okay?
Firnsarnien - Well, the *look* is a version of my mother's look, actually... I know she's merely a mortal and all that, but hers is ... terrible. Never get my mother angry at you. *shudders* The twins, Aragorn and Legolas are trouble-magnets? *sarcastic, cynic voice* No, really? I hadn't noticed! What do you mean, ch 5 wasn't so bad on the cliffy? There _was_ no cliffy, for cryin' out loud! The next real cliffy is coming up in ch 7, I think. Great you still like it, though. Thanks!
Kaeera - Ja, ich weiss, FF.net kann einen ganz schoen fertigmachen, huh? Am besten keine scharfebn Gegenstaende in der Naehe des PCs rumliegen lassen, das ist meine Devise. *guckt Kaeera von der Seite an* Du mochtest also das Kap.? Na, dann keine Sorge, in diesem wacht dein Lieblingszwilling auf. *fieses Grinsen* Da hast du mir aber eine wirklich gute Idee gegeben! Ich meine, das waere doch mal was, eine Elrond/Thranduil geraten in Schwierigkeiten Geschichte! *Haendereib* Das waer doch mal was... Uhm, nun haben sie Granatwerfer? Das ist gar nicht gut, da verdrueck ich mich doch mal lieber! Ciao!
Mouse - Ah well, I don't think Legolas will enjoy it too much though - Thranduil has no sense of humour whatsoever sometimes... *g* Poor Leafie indeed... Great you still like it! Thanks for the review!
Jenny - Hoi! Jenny! *huggles her* You! I remember you! Thanks for reviewing again!And yes, I stayed behind to watch the trailer for the third movie, but somhow I think it just made it worse... Whatever. Thanks for reviewing!
ManuKu - *wink muede ab* Ach, das war doch nicht grauslich! Und das v.a. aus dem Munde einer Autorin, die gerade ein paar Menschen von Fledermaeusen in Hackfleisch hat verarbeiten lassen... Tja, Legolas hat's erfasst: Sauron ist nichts gegen Elrond. Finde ich auch, uebrigens. *fieses Grinsen* 'Wann ich ihnen so endlich wehtun werde'? Lass mich ueberlegen, wir haben in naher Zukunft noch ein wenig Aragorn angst, aber wehtun ... Ich glaube das ist in ch 8, und zwar mal zur Abwechslung Legolas. *zuckt Schultern* So ist das Leben, armer Leafie.
Helen T - Well, no, Aragorn's not well yet. I mean, Númenórean or not, sometimes you just need some time to get over things... And _I_ know that he should talk about them, but you try telling him that! I tried to get him to talk to Legolas in this chapter, but he just refused! I tried the same with Celylith in chapter 7, but still nothing! I don't know what to do! *g* Thanks for the review!
Cestari - Well, I'll admit that Celylith is a bit ... strange, yes, but he just ... likes spiders? The spider-bite- healing-thing: Nope, I don't think so. That's just one of the things that demanded to be written, I don't know why either. Perhaps I'll put it in another story. Well, my head hurt a bit because I was tired and because I really should have declined after the first bottle of Vodka. But hey, is it my fault when it tastes so good with orange juice? I don't think so! Uhm, well, Seobryn: He will be in the story again, in chapter7IthinkI'mreallysorrybye. *g* Don't be too angry, okay? And I think Cassia has gone somewhere, on vacation or something? She mentioned something like that, but I can't remember. Japanese, huh? My sister tried it for a couple of months at school and soon gave up - better luck to you!
Lina - Uhm, I _really_ don't think that given you to those spiders was a good idea... *reads how Lina emerges from the spiders as their Mistress* I knew it! Now it's going to be even worse! As if Zam's orc horse wasn't bad enought! *gives a big sigh* Remind me to buy Éomer something really nice and expensive in the near future - he just saved all of us. Plus he got rid of you for a few days - did I say that out loud? Ooops! Sorry... *smiles sheepishly*
E - The Hitchhiker's Guide, huh? I simply _loved_ the book! 'Mostly harmless', that's us... *g* But you're right, panicking never helped anyone ... *takes several deep breaths* ... I'm calm now. *winkles head in slight confusion* I don't really know if I understand what you mean and how I can change it, but I'll try. So you like serious chapters? Let me think, this one is rather serious, chapter 6 quite a bit, and chapter 7 is angst pure. Celylith angst, Aragorn angst and Legolas angst. Only the mental one, but still, angst. And in chapter 8 things are starting to get interesting... *evil chuckle*
Zam - *pouts* What do you mean, 'finally'? That was pretty fast, I think... *blinks* Okay, I won't ask, if you don't want to see the most _awesome_ movie since TTT, then please, be my guest... *evil grin* Now you have an orc horse and demonic frogs? Life's not fair! You want to elope with Celylith? No ma'am! No way! He is a plot device, and I need him! He stays here! *pats Legolas' back and glares at Zam* Look, you've made him cry again! First the tree and now his bow! Do you _hate_ him or what??? *blinks as Gimli and Celylith fight over Zam* Now that's interesting... I'm curious about who'll win... *g* Ah well, Adruran ... let's just say he isn't the nicest of persons, shall we? *thinks* Geran's probably worse though... And if you ask me like that: No, Geran is definitely not Seobryn II. Rather Donyc II if you ask me, not as sadistic, but still... *evil laugh* I already said too much, didn't I? Uhm, gottagobye!
Elladan - *huggles Elladan* Great to see you again! Thank you very much for your very nice and supportive reviews!
Xsilicax - *pats her back* Don't worry. They won't be back, I promise - I think... *g* Well, I didn't - really - write the lectures, I thought they'd be too boring. You'll just have to imagine them, I'm afraid... Thanks a lot for your great reviews!
Alilacia - I absolutely agree with your assessment about spiders: Icky. I HATE them! Well, I really like 'Live'. They make very nice rock music, if you ask me. Right now I'm listening to a particular good song of a German rock band, called 'Die Toten Hosen', which, translated, means as much as 'The Dead Pants', which is a pretty stupid name, I'll admit that. But the song ('Pushed again') is in English and rather nice if you're feeling - well, if you're not in that bright a mood, I'd say. If you put it into Kazaa you might even find it on my computer... LOL, Lasum, huh? Nice, too! *singing* Why can't you just leave me alone.... Sorry, I love that song. Thanks for the review, it was great as always!
Marbienl - *shakes head* That's pretty stupid, leaving your LOTR copy in England. Well, I carted it over there and back again without even reading it, but I couldn't know that, could I? LOL, Celylith's mother was a spider? That's an interesting idea, really! But quite improbable, I think... *g* *rolls eyes* You _are_ bloodthirsty, did I ever tell you that? I mean, really! Give the boy a break! We both know that he will get into his fair share of trouble later... I agree with you, btw, I fear for Mirkwood's Halls... *evil grin* Good thing they won't stay there for long. *huggles Estel, Legolas and spider plushies* Thanks a lot!! Thank you!!
Miss Understood - *small voice* Uhm, I'm sorry? Really? Well, you can try to set Bobble on me, but Stan (my balrog, and he's far older than yours) wouldn't look too kindly on that, I'm afraid... Well, I have to agree, Elrond is the perfect dad. I don't get along well with mine either, in fact, I think I haven't spoken to him since I was, what, 12? So, nine years now... C'est la vie. *shrugs* Seobryn and chapter 7 ... yes, quite a bit, I think. Not too much, but he's definitely there, okay?
Surreal - Aha! A lurker! Gotcha! *chuckles* No, only kidding, I'm very grateful indeed that you decided to de-lurk. You have no idea how much it helps to read what people think about your story! I mean, really it's so bad that you're counting the reviews and think the chapter was bad because there aren't 32 but 28 this time... *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing, and it's great that you like it!
Nikara - *grins and nods* You have no idea how hard it is to come up with a new injury for any of them! I mean, they've been through the most incredible things already! *nods* You're right. There _never_ is enough time for anything... *sighs* That's life, I guess. Thanks a lot for the review!
Firniswen - *shrieks too* I hate them too! I have the world most serious case of arachnophobia! And I like to see them slaughtered by our heroes! Don't pull your hair out, the nect chapter's here! Thanks for reviewing!
CrazyLOTRfan - *shakes head* You're the first one who seriously _complained: about a lack of cliffies. Well, never fear, we have one in chapter 7 and 8, okay? *stares-not-so-patiently back* Here it is! Hope you still like it, even though there's no cliffy either - I think. *g*
Dragonfly - *nods solemnly* Poor Legolas. I fear he really won't get rid of that name so easily... Glad you liked ot though! Thanks for the review!
Nilbrethiliel - *grinst* Ich ahbe diesen Titel geliebt. Manchmal habe ich das so (wie bei AEFAE mit "Once more, with feeling"), da kann ich mich den ganzen Tag freuen, dass ich einen so schoenen Kapiteltitel gefunden habe... LOL, Elrohir, der Lila-Pause-Snack? Na, das ist mal was neues! Ach, komm! Das war doch nun wirklich kein cliffy! Was ist es immer mit euch Leuten! Egal, wie gut ich ein Kapitel abschliesse, immer bruellen alle gleich "cliffy"! *g* Nicht fair!! *guckt sehnsuechtig aus dem Fenster* Tja, der Sommer, wem sagst du das! Ich muss morgen in einer Woche ein Referat halten und habe noch nicht -so viel gemacht...
Salara - *rot werd* Och, so viele nette Sachen - danke! Ich freue mich doch immer, wenn meine Kapitel gefallen... *fieses Grinsen* Na ja, die Menschen... Wir werden noch mehr von ihnen in diesem und im naechsten Kapitel sehen, und spaetestens nach dem naechsten wird ihr Beliebtheitgrad sicher rapide absinken... *unschuldiger Blick* Was, du meinst die Menschen und A/L könnten einander begegnen - darauf bin ich ja noch gar nicht gekommen! Danke fuer die Idee! *g*
ThE iNsAnE oNe - *nods in satisfaction* Yes, serves them right if your wariderels eat all of them. I have no idea how or why, but they messing with my reviews yet _again_ ... *grrrr* Die, FF.net, DIE!!! *takes squarg and wariderel with dubious look* Uhm, thanks I guess - just what I've always wanted... I'm glad you like Nólad though. If he's happy that makes me happy.... *huggles TiO* Thanks for all your long, funny, funny, funny reviews! Give my regards to Nólad!
Tapetum Lucidum - *growls threateningly* We hatessss FF.net, yesss we doesss, preciousss... No, I haven't read "Elrond's Most Forgettable Birthday", I'm afraid. I will though as soon as I have a little bit time on my hands - so that would be in two or three months? *g* I absolutely agree with you, Legolas will always look yummy, no matter what he does... I'm afraid you will have to wait a bit until you find out what the evil men want. Just a few more chapters. And I'm not Russian, I'm German! And I think that would be a little problem, since Germans and Russians don't - always - get along so well. Not as bad as Polish people and Russians, but a close second... But I'll think about it, thanks! I'm sure General Hammond and I would get along just fine! *g*
Aron - *blushes* Thanks so much! It's great you like it! Don't worry, I will keep writing, otherwise the insane plot bunnies would never leave me alone! Thanks a lot for the review!
Alexa - No need to apologise, it's great that you review at all! I ´know what it feels like with exams creeping ever closer... And yes, the next chapter is - at least partially - the aftermath of their little excursion . Good luck with your exams and thanks a lot for taking the time to review!
Aurienia - *g* Yes, Wilwarin and her mother are touching, aren't they? Ah, sorry to disappoint you, but I _really_ do not think that it would be a good thing if Thranduil and Elrond found not. No, definitely not. Thanks so much for reviewing! Even though you had to study! Thanks! *huggles her*
Reginabean - *nods* Yes, FF.net has been acting weird lately, hasn't it? ARGH? That's yll you have to say? Well, I think it says quite a lot, actually... *blinks at Reginabean's little 'outburst'* Uhm, so you liked it? Great, thanks! I hopw you'll enjoy the rest as well!!
Ciria - Yay me! I've got an icecream! *g* Yeah, that Agent Smith line was great! I loved him, he was perfect! *nods* I would have fainted, too! I absolutely _loathe_ spiders! I dunno if Wilwarin will grow as big as her mother, but I think, in time, she might! Well, yes, I admit that Elladan sounds a bit like an elfling, but he's very worried. And so he should be, spider poison - eek! *huggles Ciria* I'm so glad to 'see' you again! Thanks for the nice long review!
Okay, that's it, I've got to go now! I _should_ be working on a paper about Hannibal right now, and who am I to let one of the most brilliant generals of the past 2500 years wait? *g* A huge thank you to all my reviewers! Thank you so much!
A/N:
*grins and pats readers' shoulders* Don't worry, my friends, the spiders won't be back in this story, at least I think so. Perhaps in the next or the one after that, since it would be really cruel not to let Celylith see his little butterfly again, wouldn't you agree?
Just a word of warning: The next weeks (hmm, thinking about it, until end of September, really! *g*) will be quite stressful for me, I'm afraid, and sometimes you just can't escape college, and believe me, I've tried long and hard. So, _don't_ panic, all I'm saying that some updates might not be on time, okay? I will most definitely not abandon this story, never fear, I'm far too obsessed for that...
Okay, be that as it may, here's the next bit, and, once again, a little bit angst because I know you love it, and don't even try to deny it! *g* It's just a little bit, anyway...
Well, so we have ... angry elven twins ... good-byes ... evil men and learn a little bit about Estel's nightmares. *shakes head* Gosh, that boy IS stubborn, isn't he? Oh, and btw, this time I blame the songs "Evenstar" and "Forth Eorlingas" from the TTT soundtrack. *points accusingly at Howard Shore* He makes me write sad things! It's all HIS fault!!
So, read on, dear friends, and review, please!
Chapter 5
Elrohir's consciousness returned slowly to his comfortably numb body. Slowly was just fine with him, and the dark haired elf saw absolutely no reason to rush things. He didn't really know what he was doing here – wherever 'here' was – and why his neck hurt as if someone or something had just taken a huge chunk out of it, but he was too happy to just lie here with his eyes closed to care.
'Wait a minute,' he thought shortly afterwards, 'With my eyes closed?'
He tried to blink, and when that didn't produce any results whatsoever and his vision still remained dark, he grew a little bit worried. He was lying in a bed that was definitely not his, out of reasons he couldn't remember, and his eyes stubbornly refused to open. The younger twin growled inwardly. If this was another one of Estel's stupid jokes, he would strangle his young human brother, no matter what their father said about it.
Elrohir once again tried to open his eyes, and this time, it worked, Elbereth knew why. This was another thing he would never understand, he thought as he tried to focus on the room he was lying in. He would never understand why one could sometimes recover from unconsciousness much quicker than on other times. It was something he should probably know, but right now he was neither capable nor in the mood for the strain trying to find out would take.
Suddenly a face appeared in his vision, and a rather anxious-looking face at that. With only minimal struggle Elrohir identified it as Elladan's who looked relieved beyond measure as he beamed down on him.
"Brother! You are awake!"
The younger twin resisted the urge to close his eyes and bit back the sarcastic comment that was on the tip of his tongue.
"Of course I am," he stated, surprised how rough his voice sounded.
His twin hurried to get him some water, and while he was carefully sipping the gloriously cool liquid, he wondered what in Eru's name had happened. Strange imagines swirled before his mind's eye, but he dismissed them quickly. He was the first to admit that Elladan, Estel and he had got into their fair share of trouble during the past decades, but not even they could possibly be that stupid, could they?
When he had emptied the glass, he leaned back into the pillows, noting for the first time that he was in the healing wing in the palace of Mirkwood, a place he seemed to visit far too frequently of late.
He smiled at his brother who was watching him apprehensively.
"I had the strangest dream, brother," he said, frowning as he tried to hold on to some fragments of memory that were trying to slip out of his grasp. "I dreamt we had been ambushed by spiders while trying to get rid of that abominable creature Celylith adores so. Odd, I know, what a perfectly silly dream!"
He heard a chocked, coughing sound behind him and slowly turned his head. He noticed with some annoyance that someone had seen it fit to wrap enough bandages round his neck to ensure that he couldn't move it more than a couple of inches in either direction. Still, it was enough, and so he laid eyes on the Prince of Mirkwood who sat on the windowsill, the pale morning light lighting up his blonde hair so that it seemed that he was surrounded by a soft, golden glow.
Elrohir merely raised a dark eyebrow and waited for the other elf to elaborate.
Legolas shot his friend a lopsided grin, putting the book he had been reading down next to him on the windowsill.
"Well, it wasn't … exactly … a dream."
The younger twin raised his other eyebrow, a perfect picture of someone who knows something to be true but desperately wishes it weren't so.
"All of it was real? It really happened?" he asked in a hopeless tone of voice.
His twin that had been walking around his bed sat down on the edge of the mattress. He shot his brother a wry look.
"Yes."
"Valar," Elrohir breathed and closed his eyes. After a second he opened them again and fixed an intense stare on Elladan's face, worry and slight panic in the grey depths. "Estel? Celylith? Are they alright?"
Elladan nodded quickly to reassure him.
"Yes, they are fine. Estel sleeps in his rooms and Celylith … where is Celylith?" he asked, turning to his elven friend while he placed one of his hands on his brother's to stop him from fiddling with the bandage that wound round his neck.
Legolas grimaced slightly.
"Sulking, I think. He really liked that spider."
Elrohir snorted, sounding disconcertingly like his father.
"Oh yes, and why would he not? It was adorable after all… But please, tell me, what exactly did happen? I can remember letting Wilwarin go, thinking of many different ways of hurting Celylith and then … nothing."
Elladan smiled at his brother, inwardly thinking how hard it was to keep his younger siblings from harm. He had always thought Elrohir and Arwen were bad enough, but since Estel had joined their little family he had been shown how naïve that assumption had been.
"If you promise to lie back and relax we will tell you," he announced, giving his younger elven brother a stern look. "If father comes to check on you and finds that you are not rested enough, we will have to stay here. And I really do not think that that would agree with Hithrawyn's sanity."
The elven prince winced at his friend's words. Yes, Hithrawyn looked very … stressed lately. One could even say he was on the brink of insanity and with one foot already on the way down the dark abyss of madness. He was sure that the healer would either leave for the Grey Havens or do something truly drastic to all of them if the twins didn't leave soon.
He listened quietly while Elladan described what had happened since the younger twin had gone down at the beginning of the fight, only interrupting to correct small mistakes or exaggerations so gross that not even he could ignore them.
It had been close, he mused as he listened to a slightly distorted version of how they had retreated into the direction of the path (funny, he couldn't remember screaming repeatedly 'Have at thee, foul beast!'). Far too close for his liking. Those things had very nearly eaten all of them. And, knowing the kind of luck that seemed to follow Estel wherever the young human went, things would only get progressively worse from this point on.
'A Elbereth,' he thought, 'I will have to do better than this if I want that reckless human to survive even a week here! There is no telling what trouble we will get into next…'
"… and then we got caught by the palace guards."
"You got what?" Elrohir queried, grinning broadly now.
"Caught by the palace guards," Legolas repeated Elladan's words, giving the younger twin a nasty look. "You are a lot heavier than you look, did you know that?"
"What?" Elrohir hissed, eyes blazing with indignation.
"Oh, you heard me, son of Elrond," the prince repeated, apparently not intimidated by the dangerous glint that had appeared in the dark haired elf's eyes. "I always knew you were a peredhel, but I never knew you had some dwarf-blood as well."
"What??" both twins repeated, glaring at their snickering friend who was slowly backing away from them.
"I really don't think…" Elladan began.
"…that we can stand for this, brother," Elrohir finished his brother's sentence, about to climb out of his bed. "In fact, I think we should…"
"…teach young Thranduilion here a lesson. I agree."
Legolas only laughed harder, looking at the slowly advancing twins with mock concern.
"Really, Elrohir, you should lie down and rest! I don't think you should put any weight on that leg just yet. What would your father say if he saw you like this?"
"He would ask, young prince, what exactly he thought he was doing," Elrond's soft voice interjected, causing all of them to freeze and look guiltily at the elf lord who had just entered the room.
Legolas shook his head in amazement. How was Lord Elrond doing this? To appear out of nowhere every time one did expect him the least to was truly a rare gift. He unconsciously rubbed the spot on his chest where the half-healed cut was located. Well, it was healing well, Lord Elrond couldn't be after him this time.
"I, uhm, I…" Elrohir stammered, looking at his twin with wide eyes, silently pleading for help. Elladan could only stare back however; he just couldn't think of a suitable excuse himself. This seemed to happen to them more and more frequently of late. Their father either grew stealthier with every year that passed, or their ability to detect the presence of others was slowly but steadily diminishing.
The fair haired elf would have grinned if Lord Elrond hadn't been present. It was a memorable sight indeed to see the usually so eloquent Elrohir at a loss for words.
"I see," Elrond said wryly, raising an amused eyebrow as Elladan helped his brother to lie down again. Just as Elrohir opened his mouth, he added, "And I know you feel fine. And, this time, I even believe you."
The three young ones' mouths fell open.
"You believe me?" Elrohir asked, inconspicuously eyeing his father for signs of illness. Perhaps the stress of having to patch them up yet again had been too much for him? He had never before believed him, Elladan, Estel or any other of his patients who insisted to be fine, at least not for the past 1500 years.
"Yes," his father stated calmly, acting as if that statement was the most normal thing in the world.
"Oh," was the only thing the younger twin could think of, totally unable to come to terms with Elrond's sudden change of behaviour.
Elladan was the first to recover from the shock.
"We'll be going, then," he said quickly, shooting Legolas a furtive glance and reaching out to help his younger brother to his feet, unwilling to let this unique chance pass by.
Before Elrohir could even straighten up though, a slender hand shot out and pressed him back down.
"I said I believed you," the Lord of Rivendell said with a small grin that was more than a little bit smug, "I didn't say you could leave that bed."
"But, ada…"
Elrond gave his younger elven son the look which caused him to fall silent immediately.
'At least it is working on someone around here,' Elrond thought pleased, remembering how much more 'persuasion' was necessary to make his human son comply.
"I mean it, my son," he said, busying himself with changing the bandages on Elrohir's already half-healed leg. "If we want to leave tomorrow, – and I would strongly recommend it, and not only for Hithrawyn's sake – you will need all your strength. Do not be mistaken, Elrohir," he said, gazing at the younger elf seriously, "You will feel weaker than usual for quite a bit, I fear. Elves do have the best chances of survival when it comes to spider bites in general, but somehow the dwarves are the race best equipped to deal with the after-effects."
"Oh, then there's no need to worry, my lord," Legolas mumbled, doing his best to hide the wide grin that was forming on his lips. "He'll be back to normal in no time."
Elladan and Elrohir shot the blonde prince a look so scathing that it surely would have caused Gandalf to jump to his feet and clap enthusiastically while their father merely gave him a mildly questioning stare.
Looking at the murderous faces in front of him, Legolas decided that he had definitely overstayed his welcome here and rose to his feet.
"My lord," he said, inclining his head to a slightly startled Elrond, "Now that I know that your son will make a full recovery, I think I will go and see how Estel is doing; he should wake as well in a few hours."
The Prince of Mirkwood turned and walked out of the door, his light footfall quickly fading in the distance.
Elrond turned back to his sons, about to ask them what this was all about, but when he saw the dangerous glint in their eyes, he quickly reconsidered. He really didn't want to know, he decided with an inward sigh, this way he could later claim that he hadn't known about it when the twins did it to Legolas, whatever 'it' may turn out to be.
But one thing he knew for sure, and that was that he didn't want to be in the proximity when 'it' happened, not for all the mithril in the world.
Aragorn was pulled out of a dreamless sleep to awareness rather abruptly, leaving him to wonder what it had been that had caused this to happen.
Soon, however, it became apparent: Somebody or something was pulling on his left arm with enough force to wrench the whole appendage from its socket.
He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, something that, had it been understandable, would have been highly insulting to whomever was disturbing his rest. A second later however, a clear, pealing laughter could be heard, and Aragorn burrowed his head in his pillow. Couldn't Legolas leave him alone for once?
"Go 'way," he muttered, trying to drift back to sleep.
"'Tis already late morning, my friend," the Prince of Mirkwood said cheerfully, once again tugging on the young human's arm. "Get up. Do all humans need this much sleep?"
"No," Aragorn grumbled irritably, "Only if we are up all night and are being chased by spiders. Then we do. Now leave me alone."
"No," Legolas simply said, pulling on the other arm for a change. "I have already had a highly unpleasant talk with my father, so the least you could do is get up and keep me company."
At that the ranger opened one eye, looking his friend over who was sitting on the edge. When he had made sure that Legolas seemed to be in good health and was apparently missing no limbs, he closed it again with a tired sigh.
"Go 'way," he repeated, pulling his covers over his head. "Ada's sleeping draughts are always quite potent, it's a miracle you managed to wake me up at all. Your father has obviously not harmed you, so now be quiet and let me sleep."
Legolas rolled his eyes and began to peel back the multiple blankets his friend had pulled over his head. He had almost forgotten how many layers humans needed to keep themselves warm in winter, it was a miracle they didn't suffocate under the weight.
"Please, Aragorn," he said earnestly when he had managed to expose his friend's dark head. "They can be here any minute now. Get up. Now!"
That got the young man's attention.
"Who?" he asked suspiciously, reluctantly lifting his head.
"Your brothers," Legolas answered, cocking his head to one side to listen for any sounds that might indicate that said elves were nearing the room. "Your father will have released them by now, I think, and it shouldn't take them too long to find out where I am."
He didn't mention to his human friend that he – in a fit of temporary insanity – had told them himself.
"What have you done now?" Aragorn asked tiredly, sitting up and glaring at his friend.
Legolas scowled at the dark haired human. As if it was him that was getting them constantly into trouble!
"I have done nothing, human," he said indignantly. "It is hardly my fault if your brothers behave childish and erratic, is it?"
Aragorn merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Legolas shrugged while he got to his feet and looked around the room for some of the ranger's clothes.
"Well," the elf admitted, taking up a dark tunic and throwing it into the direction of the bed, "We might have had a small disagreement."
"About what?" his friend questioned, catching the garment and preparing to pull it over his head.
"Ah…" Legolas sighed, picking up the young man's boots and breeches and dumping them on his bed, one ear always attuned to their surroundings. "I think it was a disagreement concerning their ancestry…"
Aragorn winced.
"What exactly did you say?"
Legolas turned back to the door, listening intently now.
"Oh, not much…"
"Legolas!!"
The prince turned to the half-dressed human who was about to put on his boots.
"Well, the term 'dwarven ancestry' might have been mentioned."
Aragorn stared at the prince.
"You called them dwarves?"
The blonde elf nodded a little bit sheepishly.
"Something like that, yes."
His human friend shook his head, looking around his room. Legolas, in the belief he knew what the man was looking for, grabbed a hairbrush that was lying on a shelf next to him.
"Here," he said, tossing the object to Aragorn.
The ranger just stared at the brush, turning confused eyes on the elven prince.
"And what should I do with this?"
Legolas returned the stare in kind.
"Brush your hair. That's what brushes are for, brushing one's hair."
Aragorn snorted, tossing the brush back.
"Well, I am sure you do a lot of that, elf, but I was looking for my weapons. Brushes won't help us with my brothers. You are as good as dead."
"No," Legolas protested, giving his friend a wicked grin and taking a step forward to grab the other's sleeve, "We are, mellonamin. You are coming with me."
"Oh, am I?" the dark haired ranger asked, trying to twist out of his friend's grasp.
"Yes, Strider, you are. The twins won't dare hurt you, and that is the reason why I won't let you out of my sight until they're gone."
"So you would hide behind me, o mighty Prince of Mirkwood?" Aragorn teased, allowing the fair haired elf to pull him with him down the corridor.
"Definitely," Legolas retorted, grinning at the human. "If the matter has any ties whatsoever to those two, I am willing to use whatever means I have to make sure they don't catch me alone."
How true, Aragorn thought as they were making their way down to the Great Hall, Legolas looking anxiously over his shoulder every so often. He could very well relate to that feeling.
Elrond hid an amused smile, watching his twin sons who eyed the Prince of Mirkwood very much like a pair of predators that were stalking a victim just out of their reach. Actually, they had looked like this since yesterday morning, which had been the moment the blonde elf had decided not to leave his human son's side again in a desperate attempt to save his life, or at least his dignity, for whatever the twins had planned, it just couldn't be good.
And Legolas really hadn't left Aragorn's side for a moment, it was almost as if someone had tied those two together with a length of invisible cord. But then again, Elrond could understand that perfectly well. The twins would never let their little brother get in the way of their revenge, and so they had been condemned to doing nothing.
He shook his head slowly as he guided his horse round a fallen tree that blocked the path leading from the palace to the west. He would actually miss the chaos those four seemed to create whenever they were together, he admitted to himself. But this was the best for all of them; the three moths would provide him with enough time to recover his strength, and Estel really wasn't up to the long, arduous journey that lay ahead of them. They had probably already lingered for too long, for the promise of snow lay already heavily in the air.
"Amazing," a wry voice next to him commented, and the Lord of Rivendell looked up into the fair face of the King of Mirkwood, who had decided to escort them a few miles to the west. In Elrond's opinion it was to make sure that they truly left his realm, but it may have been to make sure that Legolas didn't get attacked by another horde of spiders.
"What is amazing, my friend?" he asked, smiling at the other elf.
"I think it is the first time that I have witnessed the failure of one of the twins' plans," Thranduil said, casting a quick look behind him to survey the small troupe of warriors that followed them.
"You should savour this moment, your Highness," Elrond said, his smile broadening. "'Tis truly a rare occurrence, and I doubt we will see it again in this age. Your son is very wise and crafty indeed if he has managed to avoid them this long."
"That he is, my lord, that he is," Thranduil said, more than a little bit of paternal pride in his voice. Changing the topic, he asked, "So you will accept the escort?"
Elrond sighed softly.
"If you insist, your Majesty."
"I insist, Lord Elrond," the golden haired king assured the other elf lord. "Lord Glorfindel would have my head if I let anything happen to you or your sons. As would the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien, Mithrandir, Lord Círdan, Estel and countless other people. The warriors will travel on to Lórien, they have business there anyway."
"In that case, we gladly accept your generous offer," the dark haired elf nodded gratefully, turning very serious. "I am deeply in your debt and that of your healers. You have given back to me what I had already thought lost forever."
Thranduil only inclined his head solemnly.
"It was nothing, my lord. It was nothing more than every other would have done as well. Besides," he looked at the Master of Rivendell seriously, "it was no more than you have done for my son countless times."
Both of them remained silent for a while, listening to the taunts and jokes that the three brothers, Legolas and the younger members of the guard exchanged.
"One day though, Aragorn will…" Thranduil carefully began after a short while.
Elrond's head shot up, his face expressionless and his eyes cold as ice.
"I know. Oh, I know only too well. But … not now, not yet. I hope to be in the Undying Lands with my wife when that happens." He took a deep breath and added in a whisper, "But it will hurt just as much, perhaps even more."
"I know, my friend," Thranduil agreed softly, his eyes distant with dark memories. "It always does, no matter how much time you had to prepare yourself."
"Aye," the elf lord said sadly, thinking of his twin brother Elros who had left this world so many ages ago. "Aye, it does."
They rode on in silence until the king called for a stop, reining back his horse.
"This is where we leave you, my lord," he said, forcefully pushing down the black mood. "I fear that if we accompany you any further, something terribly might befall all of us. Travelling with these four is a kind of invitation, I fear."
Ignoring the indignant sounds of protest, Elrond nodded, his eyes still a little darker than usual.
"We thank you for your hospitality, Lord Thranduil. Please give my regards and unending gratitude to your master healer."
Thranduil nodded, hiding a smile.
"I will, Lord Elrond. May we meet again under more fortunate circumstances than this time."
Behind them, the three brothers and Legolas were just biding each other farewell.
"Take care, little one," Elladan said, tousling his younger brother's hair. "And please, do not get yourself in another one of your 'situations', I really do not want to save your hide yet again."
Aragorn scowled at him although there was a playful twinkle in his eyes.
"Don't worry, o ancient one," he retorted, ducking quickly when Elladan aimed a swipe at his scratched forehead. "Legolas will be there to help me if I do."
Elrohir snorted.
"Ha, as if that's going to do any good," he muttered, earning himself a dark glare from the elven prince who was carefully staying out of their reach and who now spurred on his horse to join his father. The twin turned to his human brother, a hurt look in his bright eyes. "I still don't see why you didn't help us, Estel. You are our brother, after all!"
Estel shook his head, chuckling merrily.
"He is my friend, and I know exactly what you are capable of. It would have been nothing else but homicide to do so."
"Traitor," Elrohir muttered, but quickly pulled his young brother into a brief hug, wincing when his still sore neck protested. "Be careful, Estel. Come back to us safely in the spring."
"I will," Aragorn assured his brothers as they closed the distance to their father and King Thranduil. "Nothing will happen, and I will be back before you know it. You two take care yourselves."
Lord Elrond and the King of Mirkwood were watching the brothers say good-bye when Legolas joined them, smiling slightly at the Lord of Imladris.
"Safe journey, my lord," he said, bowing slightly in the saddle. "May you and your sons reach your home without incident for once. I seem to be unable to do so."
Elrond returned the smile.
"I have noticed, young one." He looked at the elven prince gravely. "Look after him, please. He will need your help, and not only to keep him out of trouble."
Legolas nodded, returning the other's stare unblinkingly.
"I will do everything in my power to keep him safe. No harm will befall him if I can help it, that I swear."
The dark haired elf nodded his thanks.
"Thank you, young prince. May the Valar watch over you until we meet again."
By now the three brothers had reached them, and Aragorn manoeuvred his horse next to his father's to give him a quick hug.
"Namárië, father. May Elbereth watch over your path."
"And over yours, my son," Elrond replied, letting go of the human and giving him a fond smile. "We will expect you as soon as the snow has melted and, if possible, in one piece."
Aragorn only smiled.
"I will try."
"That is all I ask for," his foster father said, his smile broadening. "Namárië."
With one last look at their human son and brother, Elrond and the twins turned their horses and slowly rode down the path leading to the Misty Mountains and the High Pass that would take the small group of elves into the lands of Eriador and finally to the Elf-haven known in the common tongue as Rivendell.
Aragorn looked after his family until they disappeared from his human eyesight. It would actually be a nice change not to be mothered all the time, but still, he would miss them…
Legolas shot his sombre friend a quick look and said, trying to lighten the mood,
"Well, that was interesting."
The ranger quickly shook his head and looked at his friend.
"You have no idea how lucky you are, my friend. This is the first time that I have seen one of their plans fail. But don't feel too safe just yet. They might have bribed some of the servant staff."
Legolas very nearly toppled off Rashwe's back at that. That was a possibility he hadn't even considered.
"Do you really think so?" he asked the broadly grinning human, looking at him in fright.
Aragorn shook his head laughing.
"Peace, Legolas. No, I was merely joking. I think you should be reasonably safe." He made a mental note to remind Legolas to enter his room through the window, just in case. One could never know what kinds of booby-traps the twins had left behind.
Legolas gave his friend a mock glare.
"That was not funny, Estel!"
The young man only grinned more broadly and spurred on his horse, steering the beast into the direction of the palace.
"Oh, but it was! You should have seen the look of absolute panic on your face," he called over his shoulder, giving Legolas a sly look. "Leafie."
Thranduil watched his son's face turned a rather interesting shade of pink up to the tips of his pointed ears, a colour rather unbecoming an elven warrior.
"Strider!" the prince called after his laughing friend, spurring on his horse to catch up with him, "You promised!"
"I did not!" sounded the human's reply.
"You just wait, human," Legolas grumbled quite audibly as he disappeared out of view, "You just wait. There is nobody here to save you now. Three months are a very, very long time."
The woodland king stifled a smile and motioned his guards to precede him, which they did, the older elves mumbling about the irresponsibility of youth and the general lack of respect said youth was willing to pay their elders.
He had to agree, Thranduil thought as he was riding through the dark woods of his home, three months were an impossibly long amount of time.
Adruran sighed, running a callous hand over his tired eyes.
Six days.
They had been here six days, and except for rumours and gossip they had learned effectively nothing, much to his dismay.
And unless they found out something soon, he would have to send a report to his lord, admitting their failure. And after that he could as well slit his wrists, for that would be a lot better than what would wait for him if he returned home empty-handed.
'Eru,' he cursed silently, letting his gaze wander over the tiny room he had rented in one of Lake-town's many inns, 'How did it all go so very wrong?'
The room offered no answer to that, of course, not that he had really expected it to. Just when Adruran was beginning to question his own sanity at having taken on this assignment, a knock sounded on the door and Tiddryr, his lieutenant, entered the room. His superior noted with satisfaction that the younger man was all but melting into the shadows that lay heavily on the creaking floor boards of the room and that his passage made nearly no sound.
'Well,' he thought, 'Not as good as a ranger, but a close second.'
Tiddryr grinned at his captain, a single ray of moonlight highlighting his copper hair.
"We've got a lead."
The brown haired man sat up on his bed, eyes gleaming with interest and carefully masked hope now.
"What?"
The other stepped closer, relief visible on his face as well. Nobody wanted to get on their lord's bad side.
"Geran and his group found someone who might know where they have disappeared to."
Adruran slowly got to his feet, his thoughts racing. Before entering Esgaroth he had divided his men into four groups to avoid any unnecessary attention a group of twenty strangers might attract. He and five of his men had entered the newly rebuilt city via the large wooden bridge that led into the centre of the town that was built half on the shores and half on the Long Lake itself. The other groups had chosen smaller bridges and gates to get into the settlement, and they had taken up residence in inns in different parts of the town. One could say what one wanted about Adruran, but he was neither careless nor stupid.
He walked over to the window that overlooked the broad canal that ran between two rows of houses standing on high poles, the shimmering surface already covered with a thin sheet of silvery ice.
"Has he now?" he asked softly, gazing at the water. He just couldn't understand why the Lake-men hadn't rebuilt the city entirely on the shores as the old city had once been, before the coming of the dragon. With Smaug dead, there was no longer a need to take refuge on the surface of the lake, but it had probably something to do with tradition and all that.
Adruran snorted. Tradition! Just another thing that would be swept away once his lord was ready to take what should be his.
"Sir?" Tiddryr asked, slight confusion colouring the word.
The tall man at the window straightened his shoulders and turned back to his lieutenant.
"Where is he now?"
"Geran and the others are waiting in the western part of town, beyond the wooden bridge on the shore. The target is in one of the inns near the fish market there. He is awaiting your orders," Tiddryr reported.
Adruran nodded in satisfaction. Perhaps he had misjudged Geran after all. His actions in this matter had been exemplary this far.
"Alright, take me to them. It is time to get this thing finally started."
The red haired man nodded and turned on his heel, leaving the room as soundlessly as he had come. Adruran quickly took up his thick winter cloak and fastened it around his neck, made sure his second knife was in the hidden sheath strapped to his left forearm and prepared to follow the other.
Indeed, it was time to do his job. He was tired of watching and waiting in the shadows. The sooner that 'someone' told him what he wanted to know, the sooner they could leave and get what his lord wanted.
He smiled grimly when he stepped out into the cold night air, his eyes flickering toward the heavens that were shrouded in dark grey clouds heavy with the promise of snow.
And tell him the man would. They all did, sooner or later. Most just needed the right kind of encouragement, which he was more than prepared to provide.
As long as he got to leave this accursed town, he didn't care if he had to twist an arm or two.
Legolas awoke in the darkness of his room, blinking once to help his eyes adjust to the near-complete blackness. He frowned and tried to discern what exactly it had been that had woken him, but as far as he could see, there was nothing amiss in his room. There was no one else here and everything was still and quiet, except for the occasional ruffling of the embroidered curtains that moved in the night breeze, letting a gush of cold air into the room once in a while.
That was nothing that could have bothered him; he was an elf after all and not nearly as bothered by the cold as a human would be.
He leaned back into his pillow and once again tried to fall asleep. He had probably imagined things, even if that was highly unusual for him…
When he was just about to drift back into the realm of elvish sleep, he heard something, a sound so soft that he had almost missed it. Legolas sat up, knitting his brow as he tried to discover where it had come from. It didn't sound as if it had come from within his rooms, besides, he would have sensed it if someone else had been present; that left only…
"Aragorn," he breathed softly when he heard it again, a soft sound somewhere between a whimper and a small moan. The prince quickly got up and donned a dark tunic, ran a hand through his un-braided hair and opened his door, listening intently for any sounds that might indicate that someone else was out in the corridor. His father really didn't like it when he was sneaking around the palace at night.
Legolas quietly closed his door and quickly moved over to the one leading to his human friend's rooms that was only a few feet away from his own. Not even bothering with knocking, he soundlessly opened to double door and slipped inside.
The room was dark except for the soft glow of a dying fire that still flickered weakly in the hearth, casting a soft golden glow over its surroundings. Legolas frowned; if the fire was still burning, Aragorn hadn't gone to sleep until one or two hours ago. He had already suspected something like this. To every seeing person it was obvious that the young ranger didn't sleep well or enough, and the dark circles under his eyes had been ever deepening since Lord Elrond and the twins had left five days ago.
Quietly, the elven prince stepped closer to the bed, casting worried eyes on the fitfully sleeping form of his human friend. Aragorn's forehead was creased in a frown, and his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. His eyes moved restlessly under the closed lids and he tossed his head from side to side in obvious agitation, an agonised expression on his face.
Another small whimper escaped the young man's throat.
"No … please … not again … father … I can't ... not him too, please ... No!!"
Legolas clenched his teeth when he heard the pain and despair in his friend's voice. He quickly closed the distance between them, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Aragorn!" he called softly in the grey tongue, taking the ranger's shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Estel! Wake up, 'tis nothing but a dream! Wake up, my friend!"
The dark haired human's eyes shot open, pure panic in their silver depths. He made a move as if to start fighting against the hands that held his shoulders, but did a double-take when he finally recognised the person that was bending over him.
"Legolas?" he asked in a weak voice, tense muscles slowly relaxing. "What…"
Now certain that Aragorn was aware of his surroundings, Legolas let slowly go of his shoulders, watching the confused, drained face in front of him.
"I heard you cry out in your sleep," he explained softly.
"Oh," the young ranger muttered, sitting up and burying his face in his hands. After a few seconds he pushed back the covers, got up and stumbled over to the wrought metal basin filled with cold water and, without hesitation, dunked his head into it.
Just when Legolas was about to go and check if he had perhaps drowned, the dark head emerged, spluttering and shivering in the cool air. The fair haired elf watched silently how his friend grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair and face vigorously, as if to chase away the last shreds of the dream. Finally he returned to the bed and dropped heavily onto it.
"Thank you," he quietly said, lowering his eyes. "I am sorry for having woken you. I'm alright now."
Legolas just stared at him in disbelief.
"Alright? Estel, if I have ever seen someone further away from 'alright' I can certainly not remember it!"
Estel just stared emotionlessly at his hands.
"I'm fine. As you said, it was just a dream."
"But it wasn't the first one!" Legolas exclaimed, glaring at his friend. "Don't even try to tell me otherwise! I know you are having them again since your father left."
The man only shrugged, still scrutinising his hands. What Legolas said was true enough, but what was he supposed to say?
The elven prince looked imploringly at his friend.
"Tell me," he said softly, although he had a rather good impression of what the dreams were about. "Tell me what it is that haunts your sleep, my friend. It might help you to overcome this."
"No!" Aragorn's head shot up, eyes huge and dark in his pale face. "I … I will not burden you with this, mellonamin. Please, do not ask me to."
Legolas gazed sadly at his human friend, inwardly cursing the entire Line of Elros and its members' stubbornness. But, he told himself, forcing Aragorn to talk about the nightmares would probably do more harm than good.
He bowed his head, silently vowing not to give up this easily.
"As you wish."
Aragorn looked as if he wanted to say something, but obviously thought better of it and simply nodded his head in gratitude.
"Thank you," he said quietly, giving his friend a hesitant smile. After a few seconds during which he desperately tried to come up with a way to lead Legolas' attention away from the former topic, he asked,
"Have you asked your father for permission?"
Legolas looked sharply at the young ranger, but decided to go along with Aragorn's change of topics.
"Actually, I have."
Estel looked at him, a real smile slowly beginning to spread over his face.
"And, what did he say?"
The elven prince returned the smile, rising to his feet to stoke the fire.
"Well, first he stared at me. Then he began laughing loudly, and when he realised I was being serious, he started yelling at me." The smile on his face broadened. "In the end he promised he would think about it."
"So he will permit us to escort Seobryn to Lake-town?" the dark haired human asked eagerly, suppressing a yawn.
"I think so," Legolas replied. "There's at least a good chance since Esgaroth isn't far away."
He watched as Aragorn's eyes began to drop and the young ranger pried them open again. Hesitantly, he offered, "If you want to, I can get you something that'll help you…"
"No," Aragorn quickly replied, shaking his head. "I cannot take sleeping draughts indefinitely; besides, it will never come twice in the same night, and not if there was someone here."
Legolas shook his head, sighing loudly.
"You are so stubborn, reckless human."
"As are you, elf," the other replied, sleepily.
The prince snorted softly, sitting down on an armchair in one of the dark corners.
"Go to sleep, Strider. If my father allows us to go, we will need to leave in a few days. I can't have you dropping off your horse because you can't keep your eyes open."
Aragorn opened one eye and glared at his friend.
"I never fall off a horse!"
"Of course you don't, Estel," Legolas reassured him with a wicked grin. "Sleep now."
The ranger was too exhausted to argue with the elf, and, not even thinking to ask why his friend wasn't returning to his own room, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, forcefully pushing back the fears that tore at his soul, fears that the dreams would return to haunt him.
Legolas settled down into the padded armchair, relaxing as he watched the young human fall asleep. He rested his head against the soft back of the chair, hoping that his father would allow them to go. The little journey might be enough to distract Aragorn from his dreams, since he would surely love to accompany Seobryn and had often talked about how much he had always wished to visit Lake-town.
The elven prince smiled thinly, his eyes not leaving the sleeping form of his friend. He would stay here tonight; sleep would elude him anyway after this. And if his friend could draw some comfort from his presence, then he was more than willing to stay.
He once again shook his head, marvelling at the stubbornness of Lord Elrond's family. One of them was worse than the other, and in his opinion Aragorn topped them all.
But, he thought grimly, that stubbornness had gone far enough. Should he ever witness Aragorn having these nightmares again, he would make him tell him about them, even if he had to break every single of the human's bones to achieve that goal.
He wouldn't watch one of his friends, and his best friend at that, suffer like this, not if he could do anything to ease the pain.
With that promise on his mind, Legolas curled up in the chair to watch over the young human and make sure that nothing unfriendly disturbed his rest once more this night.
TBC...
peredhel - Half-elf
ada - father (daddy)
mellonamin - my friend
Ah, yes, and the plot thickens! *g* What will happen? The answer to that is rather simple, dear readers: A lot, and most of it unpleasant. Mhahahaha! *runs away cackling maniacally* Gosh, I'd better stop doing that... *shakes head in disgust* Okay, so stay tuned for the next chapter which has even _more_ of the evil men and a conspiracy that unfolds in Mirkwood. *shivers in anticipation* I love dropping mysterious hints... *g*
Okay, so please review? For some reason I cannot even begin to comprehend FF.net once again screwed with my reviews - but still! Pretty please??
Additional A/N:
Gwyn - *sighs* I know, studying.... Highly overrated, in my opinion, but from time to time necessary nonetheless. Unfortunately. *g* 'Until Legolas finds himself at death's door'? Gosh, you _are_ bloodthirsty, but let me think .... I guess that would be a careful chapter 8. Might be 9 though, I've only just started writing it, so I don't know yet.
Halo - *blushes* Is 'reckon' wrong? Is it an American slang term or something? That is the problem with me, I read or hear things like that and just use them. *shakes Halo* Is it wrong? Tell me!!! And sorry to disappoint you, but there'll be no killing poor Celylith. After Nólad you guays would probablly kill me... admit it! *huggles Halo* Thanks for reviewing!
Mer - As I said, that happens sometimes. You've just got to wait for a few hours, usually FF.net just needs some time to ... do whatever FF.net does when you post a new chppie. *shrugs* This website will remain a mystery to me. Thanks for the mail!
TrinityTheSheDevil - *g* Thank you very much. I very much enjoy being evil, I've always though good guys are boring - most of the time, anyway. Glad you like your new pet spider, but don't forget ickle Stan. He likes gnawing a little on a little too obsessed reviewers... *g* Thanks, I got some rest, but with a paper on Hannibal due in a week, I don't think that will last long... Thanks for the review!
Coreinha - I do NOT have an obsession with arachnids! I resent that! I hate spiders - but I kinda liked Wilwarin... She was cute. Oh, and don't worry about Elrond and Thranduil. They are too happy to have them all back alive to do anything ... drastic to them. *fearfully eyes Coreinha and her squirrel* Well, calm down, the update's here! See? And rthey are fine - physically, that is... *casts down eyes* I will read your fics - some day. I just can't right now, there is so much to do and I have barely enought ime to write my own and... *takes deep breath* Later. In a lifetime or two, I think, okay?
Firnsarnien - Well, the *look* is a version of my mother's look, actually... I know she's merely a mortal and all that, but hers is ... terrible. Never get my mother angry at you. *shudders* The twins, Aragorn and Legolas are trouble-magnets? *sarcastic, cynic voice* No, really? I hadn't noticed! What do you mean, ch 5 wasn't so bad on the cliffy? There _was_ no cliffy, for cryin' out loud! The next real cliffy is coming up in ch 7, I think. Great you still like it, though. Thanks!
Kaeera - Ja, ich weiss, FF.net kann einen ganz schoen fertigmachen, huh? Am besten keine scharfebn Gegenstaende in der Naehe des PCs rumliegen lassen, das ist meine Devise. *guckt Kaeera von der Seite an* Du mochtest also das Kap.? Na, dann keine Sorge, in diesem wacht dein Lieblingszwilling auf. *fieses Grinsen* Da hast du mir aber eine wirklich gute Idee gegeben! Ich meine, das waere doch mal was, eine Elrond/Thranduil geraten in Schwierigkeiten Geschichte! *Haendereib* Das waer doch mal was... Uhm, nun haben sie Granatwerfer? Das ist gar nicht gut, da verdrueck ich mich doch mal lieber! Ciao!
Mouse - Ah well, I don't think Legolas will enjoy it too much though - Thranduil has no sense of humour whatsoever sometimes... *g* Poor Leafie indeed... Great you still like it! Thanks for the review!
Jenny - Hoi! Jenny! *huggles her* You! I remember you! Thanks for reviewing again!And yes, I stayed behind to watch the trailer for the third movie, but somhow I think it just made it worse... Whatever. Thanks for reviewing!
ManuKu - *wink muede ab* Ach, das war doch nicht grauslich! Und das v.a. aus dem Munde einer Autorin, die gerade ein paar Menschen von Fledermaeusen in Hackfleisch hat verarbeiten lassen... Tja, Legolas hat's erfasst: Sauron ist nichts gegen Elrond. Finde ich auch, uebrigens. *fieses Grinsen* 'Wann ich ihnen so endlich wehtun werde'? Lass mich ueberlegen, wir haben in naher Zukunft noch ein wenig Aragorn angst, aber wehtun ... Ich glaube das ist in ch 8, und zwar mal zur Abwechslung Legolas. *zuckt Schultern* So ist das Leben, armer Leafie.
Helen T - Well, no, Aragorn's not well yet. I mean, Númenórean or not, sometimes you just need some time to get over things... And _I_ know that he should talk about them, but you try telling him that! I tried to get him to talk to Legolas in this chapter, but he just refused! I tried the same with Celylith in chapter 7, but still nothing! I don't know what to do! *g* Thanks for the review!
Cestari - Well, I'll admit that Celylith is a bit ... strange, yes, but he just ... likes spiders? The spider-bite- healing-thing: Nope, I don't think so. That's just one of the things that demanded to be written, I don't know why either. Perhaps I'll put it in another story. Well, my head hurt a bit because I was tired and because I really should have declined after the first bottle of Vodka. But hey, is it my fault when it tastes so good with orange juice? I don't think so! Uhm, well, Seobryn: He will be in the story again, in chapter7IthinkI'mreallysorrybye. *g* Don't be too angry, okay? And I think Cassia has gone somewhere, on vacation or something? She mentioned something like that, but I can't remember. Japanese, huh? My sister tried it for a couple of months at school and soon gave up - better luck to you!
Lina - Uhm, I _really_ don't think that given you to those spiders was a good idea... *reads how Lina emerges from the spiders as their Mistress* I knew it! Now it's going to be even worse! As if Zam's orc horse wasn't bad enought! *gives a big sigh* Remind me to buy Éomer something really nice and expensive in the near future - he just saved all of us. Plus he got rid of you for a few days - did I say that out loud? Ooops! Sorry... *smiles sheepishly*
E - The Hitchhiker's Guide, huh? I simply _loved_ the book! 'Mostly harmless', that's us... *g* But you're right, panicking never helped anyone ... *takes several deep breaths* ... I'm calm now. *winkles head in slight confusion* I don't really know if I understand what you mean and how I can change it, but I'll try. So you like serious chapters? Let me think, this one is rather serious, chapter 6 quite a bit, and chapter 7 is angst pure. Celylith angst, Aragorn angst and Legolas angst. Only the mental one, but still, angst. And in chapter 8 things are starting to get interesting... *evil chuckle*
Zam - *pouts* What do you mean, 'finally'? That was pretty fast, I think... *blinks* Okay, I won't ask, if you don't want to see the most _awesome_ movie since TTT, then please, be my guest... *evil grin* Now you have an orc horse and demonic frogs? Life's not fair! You want to elope with Celylith? No ma'am! No way! He is a plot device, and I need him! He stays here! *pats Legolas' back and glares at Zam* Look, you've made him cry again! First the tree and now his bow! Do you _hate_ him or what??? *blinks as Gimli and Celylith fight over Zam* Now that's interesting... I'm curious about who'll win... *g* Ah well, Adruran ... let's just say he isn't the nicest of persons, shall we? *thinks* Geran's probably worse though... And if you ask me like that: No, Geran is definitely not Seobryn II. Rather Donyc II if you ask me, not as sadistic, but still... *evil laugh* I already said too much, didn't I? Uhm, gottagobye!
Elladan - *huggles Elladan* Great to see you again! Thank you very much for your very nice and supportive reviews!
Xsilicax - *pats her back* Don't worry. They won't be back, I promise - I think... *g* Well, I didn't - really - write the lectures, I thought they'd be too boring. You'll just have to imagine them, I'm afraid... Thanks a lot for your great reviews!
Alilacia - I absolutely agree with your assessment about spiders: Icky. I HATE them! Well, I really like 'Live'. They make very nice rock music, if you ask me. Right now I'm listening to a particular good song of a German rock band, called 'Die Toten Hosen', which, translated, means as much as 'The Dead Pants', which is a pretty stupid name, I'll admit that. But the song ('Pushed again') is in English and rather nice if you're feeling - well, if you're not in that bright a mood, I'd say. If you put it into Kazaa you might even find it on my computer... LOL, Lasum, huh? Nice, too! *singing* Why can't you just leave me alone.... Sorry, I love that song. Thanks for the review, it was great as always!
Marbienl - *shakes head* That's pretty stupid, leaving your LOTR copy in England. Well, I carted it over there and back again without even reading it, but I couldn't know that, could I? LOL, Celylith's mother was a spider? That's an interesting idea, really! But quite improbable, I think... *g* *rolls eyes* You _are_ bloodthirsty, did I ever tell you that? I mean, really! Give the boy a break! We both know that he will get into his fair share of trouble later... I agree with you, btw, I fear for Mirkwood's Halls... *evil grin* Good thing they won't stay there for long. *huggles Estel, Legolas and spider plushies* Thanks a lot!! Thank you!!
Miss Understood - *small voice* Uhm, I'm sorry? Really? Well, you can try to set Bobble on me, but Stan (my balrog, and he's far older than yours) wouldn't look too kindly on that, I'm afraid... Well, I have to agree, Elrond is the perfect dad. I don't get along well with mine either, in fact, I think I haven't spoken to him since I was, what, 12? So, nine years now... C'est la vie. *shrugs* Seobryn and chapter 7 ... yes, quite a bit, I think. Not too much, but he's definitely there, okay?
Surreal - Aha! A lurker! Gotcha! *chuckles* No, only kidding, I'm very grateful indeed that you decided to de-lurk. You have no idea how much it helps to read what people think about your story! I mean, really it's so bad that you're counting the reviews and think the chapter was bad because there aren't 32 but 28 this time... *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing, and it's great that you like it!
Nikara - *grins and nods* You have no idea how hard it is to come up with a new injury for any of them! I mean, they've been through the most incredible things already! *nods* You're right. There _never_ is enough time for anything... *sighs* That's life, I guess. Thanks a lot for the review!
Firniswen - *shrieks too* I hate them too! I have the world most serious case of arachnophobia! And I like to see them slaughtered by our heroes! Don't pull your hair out, the nect chapter's here! Thanks for reviewing!
CrazyLOTRfan - *shakes head* You're the first one who seriously _complained: about a lack of cliffies. Well, never fear, we have one in chapter 7 and 8, okay? *stares-not-so-patiently back* Here it is! Hope you still like it, even though there's no cliffy either - I think. *g*
Dragonfly - *nods solemnly* Poor Legolas. I fear he really won't get rid of that name so easily... Glad you liked ot though! Thanks for the review!
Nilbrethiliel - *grinst* Ich ahbe diesen Titel geliebt. Manchmal habe ich das so (wie bei AEFAE mit "Once more, with feeling"), da kann ich mich den ganzen Tag freuen, dass ich einen so schoenen Kapiteltitel gefunden habe... LOL, Elrohir, der Lila-Pause-Snack? Na, das ist mal was neues! Ach, komm! Das war doch nun wirklich kein cliffy! Was ist es immer mit euch Leuten! Egal, wie gut ich ein Kapitel abschliesse, immer bruellen alle gleich "cliffy"! *g* Nicht fair!! *guckt sehnsuechtig aus dem Fenster* Tja, der Sommer, wem sagst du das! Ich muss morgen in einer Woche ein Referat halten und habe noch nicht -so viel gemacht...
Salara - *rot werd* Och, so viele nette Sachen - danke! Ich freue mich doch immer, wenn meine Kapitel gefallen... *fieses Grinsen* Na ja, die Menschen... Wir werden noch mehr von ihnen in diesem und im naechsten Kapitel sehen, und spaetestens nach dem naechsten wird ihr Beliebtheitgrad sicher rapide absinken... *unschuldiger Blick* Was, du meinst die Menschen und A/L könnten einander begegnen - darauf bin ich ja noch gar nicht gekommen! Danke fuer die Idee! *g*
ThE iNsAnE oNe - *nods in satisfaction* Yes, serves them right if your wariderels eat all of them. I have no idea how or why, but they messing with my reviews yet _again_ ... *grrrr* Die, FF.net, DIE!!! *takes squarg and wariderel with dubious look* Uhm, thanks I guess - just what I've always wanted... I'm glad you like Nólad though. If he's happy that makes me happy.... *huggles TiO* Thanks for all your long, funny, funny, funny reviews! Give my regards to Nólad!
Tapetum Lucidum - *growls threateningly* We hatessss FF.net, yesss we doesss, preciousss... No, I haven't read "Elrond's Most Forgettable Birthday", I'm afraid. I will though as soon as I have a little bit time on my hands - so that would be in two or three months? *g* I absolutely agree with you, Legolas will always look yummy, no matter what he does... I'm afraid you will have to wait a bit until you find out what the evil men want. Just a few more chapters. And I'm not Russian, I'm German! And I think that would be a little problem, since Germans and Russians don't - always - get along so well. Not as bad as Polish people and Russians, but a close second... But I'll think about it, thanks! I'm sure General Hammond and I would get along just fine! *g*
Aron - *blushes* Thanks so much! It's great you like it! Don't worry, I will keep writing, otherwise the insane plot bunnies would never leave me alone! Thanks a lot for the review!
Alexa - No need to apologise, it's great that you review at all! I ´know what it feels like with exams creeping ever closer... And yes, the next chapter is - at least partially - the aftermath of their little excursion . Good luck with your exams and thanks a lot for taking the time to review!
Aurienia - *g* Yes, Wilwarin and her mother are touching, aren't they? Ah, sorry to disappoint you, but I _really_ do not think that it would be a good thing if Thranduil and Elrond found not. No, definitely not. Thanks so much for reviewing! Even though you had to study! Thanks! *huggles her*
Reginabean - *nods* Yes, FF.net has been acting weird lately, hasn't it? ARGH? That's yll you have to say? Well, I think it says quite a lot, actually... *blinks at Reginabean's little 'outburst'* Uhm, so you liked it? Great, thanks! I hopw you'll enjoy the rest as well!!
Ciria - Yay me! I've got an icecream! *g* Yeah, that Agent Smith line was great! I loved him, he was perfect! *nods* I would have fainted, too! I absolutely _loathe_ spiders! I dunno if Wilwarin will grow as big as her mother, but I think, in time, she might! Well, yes, I admit that Elladan sounds a bit like an elfling, but he's very worried. And so he should be, spider poison - eek! *huggles Ciria* I'm so glad to 'see' you again! Thanks for the nice long review!
Okay, that's it, I've got to go now! I _should_ be working on a paper about Hannibal right now, and who am I to let one of the most brilliant generals of the past 2500 years wait? *g* A huge thank you to all my reviewers! Thank you so much!