Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

Well, I really do think that you guys have a few serious issues. Quite a lot of you seem to suffer from uncontrollable bouts of screaming, insulting and threatening poor, innocent authors... *g* Who am I talking about? Well, me of course... *innocent puppy dog look*

My sister's gone which is quite nice, since I didn't have much time to do anything than lie by the pool - or, with 100 °F (about 38 °C) here in ENGLAND, _in_ the pool - or try to show her London in a day - which is impossible, as every sensible person knows. *shrugs* Once again proof that I'm not sensible. But we did have quite a lot of fun, even though she didn't stop complaining about everybody driving on the wrong side of the road... *g*

Unfortunately, I still can't promise more frequent updates since that STUPID college paper (if I ever get my hands on Hannibal or Scipio Africanus, they will wish they'd never been born, and I get an awful lot of practice with that stuff! *grrr*) has to be finished on the 21st. After that perhaps, even though I doubt it, knowing my life... *g*


Very well, enough ranting, I have the great pleasure to present chapter 20, in which we see a little bit of Legolas/Aragorn whumping! *almost all the readers cheer* I am beginning to get routine in torturing them, which is beginning to scare me a bit. *g* Plus, there's more of Frór and his fellow dwarves, and a cliffy of course, because I know how much you LOVE them. *evil grin* There are even more coming, I somehow really got in the mood lately...

Enjoy and review, please!



Chapter 20


Legolas was pushed into the direction of the pole until he came to a halt in front of it, yet he didn't give it a single glance since he had fixed his eyes unwaveringly on the young man's face. There was no reason to make this Geran not feel at least a little bit uncomfortable, that was the least he could do – and the only thing he could do right now, he admitted rather dryly to himself.

He felt a knife move between his wrist and cut the rope there, but all thoughts of escape were quickly driven from his mind when one of Aragorn's guards placed the blade of a dagger under the young ranger's chin. Sighing inwardly, he let the men bind his hands in front of him again. He might have been able to eliminate his two guards and Geran before they had had time to act, but he wouldn't be fast enough to take on them and get to Aragorn before his guard cut his throat.

He was pulled forward as his hands were secured to the wooden post, and Legolas did his best not to think about all the situations he had already been in that had started similarly - and how these situations had ended. More often than not, they had resulted in an extensive stay in the healing wing, but that wasn't something he wanted to think about right now.

When he was convinced that his prisoner was bound securely, Geran stepped closer, beginning to circle the pole once more. The elf stared straight ahead, inwardly deciding with an untypical flash of fury to break this man's legs in the near future.

"So," the man said, looking at the fair haired being from every angle. He leaned closer, talking to Legolas like an old acquaintance. "It is fortunate that you came here, do you know that?" When it became clear that the elven prince had no intention to answer him any time soon, Geran shrugged slightly and continued, taking up his circling once more. "As I said, it is fortunate, because I now have the chance to try out a … a toy of mine which I have been working on quite some time."

He gave Hanar a small sign and the other man dashed off into the direction of a tent on the far end of the camp. Geran looked from the elf to the ranger, who was white with fury and looked at him as if at this exact moment nothing would have pleased him more than to be able to rip his heart out – which was probably true, he admitted with a small smile.

After a moment, Hanar was back, carrying something Aragorn couldn't quite identify, but whose shape caused his heart to plummet straight into his stomach where it started bouncing around, making him feel definitely sick.

With a wide grin Geran took the object from his subordinate, turning back to his elven prisoner. He held it out as if to inspect it, and grinned mockingly when he saw the elf's eyes grow wide.

"You see," he said friendly, stepping closer to Legolas and making sure that he could see every inch of the object displayed, "This is a kind of new invention. I know," he nodded his head with a smile as if he was having a nice little chat with a friend, "It looks like a normal whip, but as you can see if you look closely, it is not."

A calm and detached part of Legolas' brain noted that the man sounded very much as if he wanted to sell him one of his new "inventions", and if his situation hadn't been as dire, he would even have laughed aloud at that thought.

"No," Geran continued, oblivious to the other's thoughts, "As you can see, there are three tails, not only one, and they have these little ingenious spikes sewn in on the edges." He grinned again. "But the best parts are obviously the ends." He ran his fingers over the leather thongs until he reached the ends where metal lumps were attached, each about the size of a balled children's fist. "I am very proud of them, but, unfortunately, I have made the experience that men don't survive much more than two dozen lashes."

Geran took a step back, still grinning at the elf.
"I am very curious to see how long you will last."

"You're insane," Aragorn stated coldly and stared hard at the man, ignoring his friend's pointed look that very clearly said that he should keep quiet, for Elbereth's sake. "Why are you doing this?"

Geran stepped back another few feet and turned half to the side, looking at the other man.
"Because I have my orders, ranger," he said and raised a mocking eyebrow. "And because I can."

Aragorn was about to reply that that had got to be the sickest reason he had heard in a very long time when he caught Legolas' gaze that positively pleaded him not to say another word. He could probably survive this, the elven prince tried to convey without words, but he was rather sure that Aragorn wouldn't be so lucky if Geran's attention turned to the young man, no matter what Adruran had said about not killing them.

Legolas barely noticed that one of the men had stepped closer and cut his shirt off his body, so busy was he staring at his human friend, berating himself for not going to greater lengths to perfect the look. Finally Aragorn lowered his eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly, and the elf gave an inward sigh of relief. The last thing he needed on his conscience was that Geran decided to use his little creation on the young ranger.

The feeling of triumph that swept through him was rather short-lived, actually, since a few seconds later the first blow hit him, feeling eerily as if a horse had just kicked him into the back. That was, before the searing pain told him unambiguously that that couldn't be true, since a rather ill-humoured balrog was busy ripping the skin off his back right now. He was so startled by the intense pain that he might even have screamed aloud, but since he suddenly had no air left, nothing but a small gasp escaped him, something for which he was rather grateful.

Before he had time to convince his lungs to co-operate again, the whip connected with his back once more, the spikes ripping through the skin of his back and causing crimson blood to well up. But somehow the blows of the metal lumps that smashed into his back and ribs were even worse, serving to drive the air out of his lungs and leaving him fighting for breath as well.

Legolas grasped the post so tightly that he was sure his knuckles showed whitely through the skin, but since his vision seemed to blur and darken with every new blow that hit him, he couldn't be so sure about that. The fourth and fifth blow slammed his body forwards against the hard wooden spike, and another small gasp of pain escaped his lips. That was the moment his body decided to conserve as much energy as possible and use all its strength to survive this, and because his hearing faded into nothing, he didn't hear the scuffle that broke out behind him.

Aragorn's readiness to comply with his friend's silent request not to interfere lasted for exactly three blows. When Geran drew back for the next strike, he decided that Legolas had no right asking this of him, that in fact no-one had the right to. He would not stand here and watch them do this to his friend, no matter how much Legolas wished him to. The young ranger knew that the elf only wanted to protect him, but he simply couldn't stay here and watch.

Since his guards were very interested in what was happening in front of them, he managed to twist out of their grasp and slam his shoulder into the stomach of the one to his right, throwing the human hard to the ground. He whirled to the left, coming face to face with his other guard that had looked away unwillingly from his "entertainment" and stared at him unbelievingly. His reaction was a little too slow, however, and so he quickly joined his groaning companion on the ground, holding his head and wondering how exactly he had got there.

Aragorn looked up a little bit startled and shook his head, trying to clear his vision from the blood that flowed freely from the old, nearly healed cut on his temple that had reopened when he had butted his head against the other man's.

'Great,' he thought to himself, 'Now what are you going to do?'

There was the small matter that he was still bound, and had absolutely nothing resembling a plan; he had acted merely on instinct. Before Geran and the other two men had time to react, he was rushing forwards, half hoping to be able to surprise the humans, when something rather heavy slammed into his back from behind, throwing him to the ground.

Of course, he thought tiredly, waiting for the ringing in his ears to subside, he had forgotten about Hanar. He hadn't thought of him, so intent had he been on helping his friend.
'Of course not,' the voice once again piped up, sounding eerily like Elladan. 'That is the problem, you are not thinking. You are never thinking.'

Someone grabbed him by his bound arms and pulled him to his feet, and he looked up to meet Hanar's gleaming eyes before he was distracted by the long, curved dagger he held in his hand.
"One reason, ranger," he man said quietly, placing the knife at his throat and pressing down, drawing a little blood. "Give me just one reason."

Aragorn was very tempted to give him more than one reason, preferably a dozen in form of punches, but while the reasonable part of his brain was still explaining to him just why that would be a really stupid idea, Geran stepped closer, the now bloody whip still firmly in his grasp. The young ranger's eyes darted to the form of his friend who was now slumped in his bonds, his back ripped open and bleeding from about a dozen weals.

Hot, burning fury coursed through him, almost stealing his breath away in its intensity. How dare these people hurt his friend like this, they were going to kill him if they kept going like…

His thoughts were interrupted when a powerful blow connected with the side of his face, snapping his head to the side. Aragorn shook his head dazedly, running his tongue over the inside of his cheek where his teeth had cut the flesh open. That would become a colourful bruise, that much was sure…

Geran grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look him in the eye.
"Don't do that again, ranger," he advised him friendly. "You are breaking my concentration. If you cause any more trouble, I will flog him within an inch of his life. Understood?"

"You are killing him," the young ranger tried to make the other man see reason. "Not even elves can survive this for long!"

Geran grinned at him, a cold, emotionless grin that made a cold shiver of fear run down Aragorn's back. He turned back to the bloodied figure of the fair haired elf that was trying to get back to his feet right now, eyes closed and face drawn with pain.

"He doesn't have to, ranger," he said, cold eyes fixed taxingly on Legolas. "Half an hour will suffice, that is, in case you have to say something…" He trailed off, looking at the other man expectantly.

Aragorn took a deep breath and stared straight ahead, unwilling to look at him. He would give his right hand to end this, to spare his friend this pain, but if he told them that they were here by a mere coincidence, they would be dead. Rather quickly, and judging by this man's expression, by rather ugly means too.

Geran chuckled, grinning broadly.
"I thought so."

Hanar and another man took a firm hold of his arms and shoulders, and so the only thing Aragorn could do was watch helplessly as the man stepped closer to his friend once more and brought the whip down onto his unprotected back again and again.

The leather found skin with a swishing sound, followed by dull thuds when the metal lumps impacted with the back or ribs. Legolas grabbed the pole in a grip so tight that his fingernails burrowed deeply into the wood, wishing for nothing more than that his elven strength would finally desert him and that he would lose consciousness. After another dozen lashes he couldn't remain silent anymore, and with every hit he took the elven prince cried out softly as the pain finally became too much.

For Aragorn, it was the longest half hour of his life, although he strongly suspected that it felt much longer to Legolas. He was still struggling half-heartedly against his guards, but Geran's threat served to keep such tries feeble. He believed the other man when he said that it would only get worse for his elven friend if he tried to escape again, but every time he heard Legolas cry out the red haze that filled his vision grew and intensified until he could no longer see or hear anything but the swishing sounds of the whip and the soft sounds of pain that could be heard from his elven friend.

He honestly couldn't remember having ever been this angry, not even when Cornallar had captured his father. To watch this … this man do this to Legolas was taking every ounce of strength he possessed.

Just when he was sure that he would explode if he couldn't rip off Geran's head soon, the fair haired elf slumped forwards against the post, consciousness finally fleeing his body. Aragorn forgot every single word Geran had said, all his thoughts focused on the broken body of his friend.

"Legolas!" With renewed vigour he tried to twist out of the men's restraining grasp, only thinking of reaching the blonde elf's side. "Legolas!!"

A blow to his side left him gasping for breath, and Geran stepped closer to the elf, whip dangling nonchalantly from his left hand. With his right he grabbed a handful of pale golden hair and lifted the bound elf's head, looking into the pale face that looked white even against the glistening snow of their surroundings. A thin trickle of blood ran down his chin from his lower lip he had bitten to stop himself from crying out.

"Almost five dozen lashes," Geran said quietly, nodding slightly to himself, "I am impressed." He shortly placed a hand under his captive's chin. "And he's even still alive."

He said more, but Aragorn couldn't hear it over the pounding of blood in his ears. Legolas was still alive, thank Ilúvatar and all the Valar…

Geran let go of the elf's hair and lazily wandered over to the ranger, twiddling the bloody whip in his hands. He took up his circling again which Aragorn ignored completely as he stared at his elven friend, torn between wishing him to move and wishing him to remain unconscious. A part of him wanted to see and hear himself that Legolas was alive, but another, bigger part wanted his friend to remain in blessed darkness as long as possible.

"I wonder," Geran began, still circling the ranger that was held by Hanar and another man, "I wonder how long you would last, ranger." He stopped in front of the younger man, looking him in the eye.

All he saw in the silver depths was hatred and an overwhelming fury, however, not the fear he did expect. This was not at all amusing, he decided, grinning slightly at his captive to mask his annoyance. Why weren't the two of them afraid? Where was the fun in the whole thing if your victims weren't afraid?

"But then again," he continued, noting the look of utter disgust the ranger gave him and the whip he still held, "I don't think you would survive for long, and I wouldn't want to disobey my orders." He suddenly reached out and grasped the other man's chin, still grinning at him. "Are you even listening to me, ranger?" Geran ignored the burning glares Aragorn gave him and turned his head to the side, inspecting the forming bruise on his cheek.

"You know what?" Geran asked, letting go of the young ranger's chin. "You bore me. Your friend was fun, but you are tiresome, that's all." He looked at the night sky, judging the positions of the stars. "I think I will have a look around and make sure we are not disturbed. I will be back in an hour, that should give us enough time to talk before Adruran returns."

He turned and walked off, scarlet blood from the whip dripping onto the white snow. After a few moments he turned back and looked at Aragorn, mouth twisted into a smug smile.
"I will leave you in Hanar's capable hands, I am sure you two will have a lot of fun."

Aragorn blinked at the other man's retreating back, deciding that he would kill him in the near future. For these remarks alone he deserved death, he mused inwardly, trying to ignore Hanar who was coming closer, a malicious smile on his lips. He once again cursed their luck. He really didn't know how they got into all these situations all the time, there simply was no logical explanation for this…

The cold steel of a knife was placed at his throat, and he looked up, straight into Hanar's eyes who looked very much as if he had just received a present he hadn't hoped to wish for but had got nonetheless, somehow. He didn't like that gleam one bit, he decided instantly. The other man simply kept smiling at him, which served only to increase the young ranger's nervousness and fear, and slowly moved his blade down the front of Aragorn's body, cutting open his shirt.

That was another thing, Aragorn mused detachedly, shivering slightly in the cold night air, people not only kept insisting on yanking his head around or beating him without obvious reason, they kept destroying his clothing as well. This would make his father very unhappy, he decided when Hanar was slowly cutting open the bandages that still covered his torso. Elrond insisted that he superiorly held Imladris' record of destroyed tunics, coats and blankets, considering his age that was, of course. And if he had been bad as a child, he was even worse now, his elven father tended to claim, an expression of weary acceptance on his ageless features.

His shivering increased when the bandages fell off, and only partly because of the chill of the wind. The expression in Hanar's eyes let him reconsider that statement; his father would never have the opportunity to be unhappy, since there was little chance that Legolas or he escaped to tell him about it…

Hanar reached out with one hand and lightly ran his fingers over the nearly healed burns, even though the young ranger tried to scoot away from his touch. Two of the guards held him firmly in place, and he couldn't move more than an inch in any direction.
When the other man was starting to burrow his fingers in the tender flesh of his chest, Aragorn closed his eyes and bit his lip so hard that he could taste blood. Eru, it hurt, and it only brought back memories he had thought he had left behind. Suddenly he was back in the warehouse with Lomar, and this time there was no Legolas or Celylith to save him…

'Of course not!' a voice told him wearily. 'Legolas is unconscious, tied to a post, and Celylith is…'

Dead, he finished the sentence inwardly, fury beginning to once again course through his entire being. His merry, silver haired friend was dead; he would never get the chance to see his father again or join the rest of his family in Valinor. He was dead, dead, dead, and he would never be reunited with Calowiël either, his sister about whom Celylith had spoken with so much pain and longing in his voice that it had touched Aragorn's heart deeply all these weeks ago.

Hanar withdrew his now bloody hand, and Aragorn opened his eyes, fury blazing in their grey depths. He would not get lost in the past again, he swore to himself, glaring at the other man and doing his best to ignore the renewed pain that consumed his chest. He would make sure these men paid for slaying his friend, and he would get Legolas out of here, somehow…

The other man unconsciously averted his eyes, taking a great interest in the burns he had just reopened.
"Lomar has spent some time with you then, I see," he told his captive, beginning to grin again. "Well, let's see what we can come up with then, shall we?"

Aragorn merely looked at him, silver eyes serious and dark, only the tiniest hint of pain in them.
"You will all die for what you've done. It is simply a matter of time."

Hanar wanted to retort something, but somehow he seemed to be unable to break the eye contact with the young ranger. Surely the boy had simply said that to intimidate him, to unsettle him, but when he looked into his eyes, all he could see was a fury so fierce that it seemed to fill all the space there. When he looked closer, there was also a calm seriousness; serenity instead of the false bravado he had expected, and with a pang of fear he realised that the other man meant what he had said. All he could see in these grey eyes was the promise of death, and it was made so calmly and confidently that it scared him a lot more than he wanted to admit.

With a rather uneasy smile he turned away from his prisoner and walked over to the post the still elf was tied to. He grabbed him by the long hair and pulled his head up, checking if he was still unconscious. Satisfied that he wouldn't disturb his fun any time soon, he released the fair being's head that promptly connected with the hard wood with a dull thud. Grinning at the murderous look that the ranger gave him, he took up a small bag he had brought when Geran had sent him to fetch his whip.

He slowly walked up to the ranger again, grinning even wider when he saw the quickly masked uncertainty flitter across his features.

"You know," he began pleasantly, opening the bag when he stood in front of the other man, "I think these … burns, are they? … look quite bad. I really think we should do something to ward off infection." He fell silent for a second and looked at the young ranger, reaching into the leather bag and withdrawing his hand that glistered with white crystals in the firelight. "Salt will do that for you."

Aragorn had barely enough time to understand what Hanar had just said before he felt the hands of the men that held him tighten on his forearms. A second later, the fire in his chest intensified tenfold, and he couldn't stifle a cry of pain when sharp, biting agony raced across his left side, plunging his world into sudden darkness.

After a few moments, the agony receded to only unbearable pain and he began once again to pant for breath, hanging limply in his guards' grip while Hanar continued to rub salt into the opened burns.

Finally, an excruciating eternity later, the man stopped, looking with dark, gleaming eyes at the young man who looked back at him, silver eyes unfocused and glazed with pain.

"Perhaps you're right, ranger," he told Aragorn, leaning forward a little, "Perhaps we are all going to die. But you and your little elven friend will go first, believe me."




Frerin was still grumbling when they reached the bottom of the incline.

He simply couldn't believe this, he ranted inwardly, here he was, a respectable dwarf, engaged to marry a beautiful dwarf maiden from the Iron Mountains in a few years, and what was he doing? He was scrambling down a mountain, in Aulë's name! And to make matters worse, he was scrambling down a mountain to get the body of a dead elf, an elf that they would never be able to get up to the path again without unduly jostling him.

But that, he grumbled inwardly, was of course something his oh-so-perfect brother had forgotten in his ridiculous quest. Frór should really pay attention, he decided darkly, or he might wake up one day clean-shaven like a human babe…

The four dwarves quickly made their way over to the large boulder where the elf's body lay, the stones not moving under their feet. They were all relatively young for their race, and even the youngest and most inexperienced dwarf knew how to walk on top of rocks without disturbing a single pebble.

Frerin eyed the tracks the humans had left behind disdainfully. Even the most untrained eye could see that they had stumbled and fallen several times. He snorted softly. It was truly ridiculous how clumsy humans could be when faced with a small heap of stones.

Just then they reached the large stone, and such thoughts were quickly driven from his mind. Great Mahal, he thought with a frown, this looked really bad.

He eyed the broken body of the elf closely. Even thought he did not like elves, and certainly hadn't liked this one, he was sure that not even he had deserved such a death. Studying the bloody face, he decided that he wouldn't even have recognised him, hadn't he known whom to expect.

"Well," he said quietly, suddenly reluctant to step closer, "At least it's not their king's son."

"No," Frór agreed, carefully taking a step forwards, "It's his companion, what was his name again…"

"Celdith," the youngest member of their party suggested. "Or something like that."

"It's an elven name," the fourth dwarf shrugged dismissively.

"It doesn't matter," Frór interrupted sternly. "Let's get him up the slope before a pack of wolves shows up and decides that we are a tasty meal."

That made sense to all of them, and so they were soon standing around the still body of whatever-his-name-was, arguing how to get him up the incline. They were still arguing whether they should simply carry him up on one of their cloaks or whether they should cut down a few small trees when Nabur, the youngest dwarf, timidly interrupted their conversation from where he sat next to the elf's body.

"Frór?"

The leader of the patrol didn't even turn around for he was too busy staring at his stubborn brother.
"Yes, Nabur?"

"Elves are different from us, aren't they?"

Now Frór did turn around, looking at him quizzically.
"Of course they are, everybody knows that. They're a strange lot."

"Oh," Nabur nodded, his still rather short beard moving swiftly up and down. "That explains it."

Frór grunted and turned back to Frerin and the other dwarf, about to argue that they didn't have time to chop trees, when Nabur's words seemed to register in his brain. He turned back again, giving the young dwarf an exasperated look.
"It explains what, young one?"

The other dwarf smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
"Well, you said they were different, so…"

"So?" Frerin prompted, intrigued as well now.

"So it explains why he is still breathing when he's dead."

The three older dwarves stood there as if rooted to the spot, staring at their young companion who looked at them with wide, innocent eyes. Nobody spoke or moved for a second, but then they all rushed forward as one.

"Breathing?" Frór asked, crouching down next to the elf. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yes," Nabur nodded. "I almost missed it, but when you are sitting next to him for a few minutes you see it. So he is not dead at all?"

Frerin shook his head, deciding that he would need to explain a few things to the lad, including that dead beings do not breathe, not even elves. He put a gnarly hand on the elf's throat and closed his eyes, trying to detect a heartbeat. For a long time he could feel nothing, and when he was just about to turn around and state that Nabur must have imagined things, he finally detected something, a very weak, very erratic beat that faded again almost at once.

"Mahal!" he gasped, looking at his brother in shock. "He is right, the elf still lives!"

Frór blinked twice before jumping to his feet and starting to give orders.

"Nabur!" he spoke quickly and pressed his torch into the young dwarf's hand as he reached out and pulled him to his feet. "Run to the mountain as fast as you can and tell the Lord Ori what has happened here. Ask him to send a few men with ponies and a litter, the largest they have, and tell them to hurry. I don't know much about elves, but this one doesn't look as if he will survive much longer if we tarry here. Go!"

The young dwarf nodded and moved as quickly as possible into the direction of the mountain path, the light of his torch soon disappearing in the distance. The blonde dwarf turned to the other dwarf in their party.
"You will cut at least two young trees, but make sure they are straight and not too thick. We will need something like a litter to carry him up to the road, if we want him to survive, that is."

The other nodded and dashed off into the direction of the nearest cluster of trees, close to the river's banks. Frór sighed and turned to his brother, looking at him questioningly.
"So?"

"So what?" Frerin shot back, eyes gleaming darkly under the rim of his helmet. "He's still alive, that is all I can tell you. Do I look like an elven physician?"

"No," Frór grumbled irritated, turning the elf onto his stomach as carefully as he could. "You look like an idiot! Now come and help me, in Aulë's name!"

Frerin looked at him unwillingly but obeyed, holding his torch over the body of the silver haired elf while his brother cut away the fabric around the dark shaft that protruded from the being's back, finally exposing the wound.

Frór grimaced slightly, looking at the dark wood that had hit the elf in the middle of his back, just a little left of the spine.
"This is bad," he announced unnecessarily, giving a soft, experimental tug on the arrow. "We can't remove it here, he would surely bleed to death if we would. Let's bandage it and get him to the mountain as quickly as we can, if he has a chance to survive, then it is there."

The dark bearded dwarf nodded and began to hand him bandages from his pack. After a minute he looked at his brother, cocking his head to the side.
"Don't you think we should bring him to Dale? They surely know more about elves than we do."

Frór quickly shook his head.
"It's too far, he would never make it there, I think. I will not be responsible for the war that will surely come to pass if we let him die or cannot find the other two."

Frerin nodded thoughtfully, looking at the pale, bloody face of the elf.
"What do you think happened to them?"

His brother shook his head, his blonde beard swinging from side to side with the movement.
"I don't know. I truly don't know."

He finished wrapping the wound as best as he could and opted for not trying to clean the bruises and other injuries he could see, that would take too much time and could wait.

"I don't know, brother. I just hope that he will live long enough to tell us."




Legolas couldn't remember the last time he had been in this much pain. He was in fact not even sure if he ever had been in this much pain before at all, but since this train of thought neither helped him to get his mind off his body's discomfort nor to find a way out of this predicament as a whole, he abandoned it and leaned back, resting his head against the tent-pole he'd been tied to – again. The way he saw it, he already hurt so much that it hardly mattered if he leaned back or not.

He quickly looked over to where Aragorn was bound in a similar fashion to the other pole of the tent they occupied, which was slightly larger so it had two main poles instead of one. The young ranger was still unconscious, and in Legolas' opinion that was for the best as well. He didn't know what exactly they had done to his friend, but judging by the gleeful expression on Hanar's face when he himself had woken up again, it had been neither painless nor over quickly.

The elven prince bit his already split lip and suppressed a wince when he remembered the past hours, and once again vowed that he would kill these men for all they had done to Aragorn … and Celylith…

He lowered his head and closed his eyes, intense grief once again stealing over him and making his body hurt even more, something which he had thought highly improbable, if not entirely impossible.

He would kill them, and he would start with Geran … or with Hanar, he wasn't that picky…


Legolas was attempting to find enough energy to shake his head to clear it of some of the pain and confusion that seemed to have invaded his thoughts, but failed miserably.
In fact, he hadn't even the strength to lift his head, and not even the burning fury that coloured his every thought seemed to be able to aid him.

He didn't know how long ago he had awoken, for he had spent quite some time floating between unconsciousness and reality, or what he thought was reality. Because if it wasn't, it was the worst and at the same time most realistic nightmare he had ever had, a nightmare he was more than willing to wake up from.

By now he was even able to identify what had woken him: Somebody's soft cries of pain, and now that he thought about it, he was rather sure that they were Aragorn's. Under normal circumstances the mere presumption that someone was hurting his human friend would have proven to wake him up in an instant, but, unfortunately, these weren't normal circumstances.

Not even Estel's sounds of distress could pull him back to awareness completely, and when the cries finally stopped, Legolas wasn't sure whether or not he should be relieved. After some time he gave up on that thought and concentrated on fighting his way back to consciousness, but his body had apparently decided to rebel against him and the tyranny of a mind that was so obviously not looking after it properly and stubbornly refused to obey his commands.

So now here he was, still tied to that pole for all he knew - and judging by the pain in his wrists that now supported the weight of his entire body, a task for which they had never been designed, and was trying to find out what was going on here. His back and ribs hurt so fiercely that he was sure that there wasn't a patch of undamaged skin left, and his head throbbed mercilessly from a wound he couldn't even remember sustaining.

Suddenly, sounds seemed to assault his ears, but since his hearing wasn't working properly yet, he wasn't sure if they were real or if he was imagining them.

"...still alive? The elf?"

Another voice mumbled what was probably an answer, and a moment later a terrible cold washed over him, serving to bring him to reality in a flash. He moaned softly and spluttered as a cold liquid ran over his face and torso, only now realising that the men had emptied a bucket of ice cold water over him.

At least it woke him up completely, and when a hand tangled in his hair and jerked his head up, he managed to open his eyes which, after a short, rebellious pause, fixed reluctantly on the emotionless face of Adruran.

"My, my, my, you were right Geran," he said to someone on his right, but Legolas neither had the inclination nor the strength to turn his head and look for the other man. "So they are both still alive, I must admit I am somewhat surprised."

Legolas' eyes began to slide shut, enormous relief washing over him. Aragorn wasn't dead, he was merely unconscious, thank Ilúvatar…

The hand's grip tightened, and the fair haired elf suppressed another moan of pain. Even his hair hurt, another thing he had never known to be possible.
"No, elf, stay awake! You have some questions to answer! Who else knows that you are here? Is your king coming to Dale?" Adruran's voice sounded beyond annoyed now. "Great Ones, answer me!"

The elven prince was beginning to drift off again, but a blow to his ribs brought him back quickly. His eyes snapped open with a moan, and he decided that Geran's little invention had broken at least one rib on this side of his chest.

Adruran lifted his head a little higher, turning him slightly so he could see the bloody, twisted and thankfully unconscious figure of his human friend that lay on the snow covered ground.
"Look at your friend, elf! Do we really have to wake him? I grow tired of these games, I'll admit that freely, but I think Hanar can go on for quite some time yet! The question is, can he?"

For a moment, Legolas was actually very tempted to simply tell them that it all had been a coincidence, nothing but the worst luck of the past age. Fortunately, his common sense returned to life before he could open his mouth, telling him clearly that that would be their death sentence. Adruran and his men would kill them without a second thought, and no-one would be standing in the way of their plans. No-one would know what had happened here, and no-one would avenge Celylith's death.

No, he decided, drawing a little strength from this decision, he would not tell them, not after what Aragorn and he had gone through to keep this secret. As long as they were still alive there was hope and the chance of escape, and he would get his friend out of this, somehow…

The elven prince looked past Adruran at the prone body of his friend, vowing that he would kill all of them for what they had done to him. What he could see of Aragorn's body was bruised and bloodied, and there were traces of something white glistening on his chest…

Legolas turned his eyes on the brown haired man in front of him, silver-blue orbs boring into dark ones and all the fury he felt lying in his gaze when he spoke with a voice rough and hoarse with pain.

"You and Hanar can go and visit Angband for all I care. Neither I nor him will tell you anything."

He closed his eyes, and things got rather unpleasant from then on.


A soft moan brought him back to the present, and Legolas opened his eyes to look at his human friend who was attempting to do the same right now. The elven prince leaned forward as much as his bonds would allow him, calling out softly to the man so the guards outside the tent wouldn't hear him.

"Estel! It is alright, you can wake up now, my friend. Come now, wake up! Please!"

Slowly, the young ranger's eyelids fluttered open, and he stared at the blurry figure in front of him until it shifted into focus, allowing him to identify his companion.

"If this is 'alright'," he whispered in a hoarse, pain-filled voice, "Then I would truly hate to see what you consider 'bad', mellonamin."

Legolas grinned broadly, ignoring the fact that this reopened the cut in his lower lip.
"It can always…"

"…get worse," Aragorn finished his sentence, starting to nod and freezing when pain shot through his temples. "That reminds me of something my brothers used to say."

"What was that?" Legolas asked, more than willing to take his mind off their current situation for a moment.

"It was a saying," the young ranger explained, grimacing when his body started to make his injuries known to him. "It went something like this: 'And out of the chaos a voice spoke to me, saying: Smile and be merry, for it could always get worse.'"

He lifted his head and grinned at his elven friend, wondering inwardly how it came that they were really able to joke in such a situation.
"'And I smiled and was merry, and it did get worse.'" He blinked slowly and added, "I think we can make that our motto, don't you think?"

Legolas gave his friend an amused look.
"I can see a certain parallel there, yes." The fair haired elf's amusement turned to concern in a matter of seconds. "How are you, Estel? What did they do to you?"

Aragorn's grin faded quickly.
"I am fine, considering the circumstances. I can still walk – I think."

The elven prince simply gave him the look, a rather convincing version by the way.
"Estel."

The young ranger took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Nothing as bad as what they did to you. They just beat me and had some 'fun' with their knives. Nothing that won't heal in a few weeks."

Legolas' keen eyes wandered quickly over his friend's body, and now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see the slashes that marred the young man's chest and back and that were nearly hidden by the remnants of his ruined shirt and cloak and the dried blood that seemed to be everywhere.

"There is something … white on your chest, a powder or something," Legolas stated simply, looking at the ranger's bruised face.

A grimace flittered over Aragorn's face, too quickly for Legolas to identify.
"Salt."

Legolas felt his fury go up yet another notch when he heard the barely whispered word, his heart going cold when he imagined what that Hanar had done to his friend and how much it must have hurt him.
"I will kill them, that I swear in Elbereth's name," he hissed fiercely, temporarily forgetting his own pain.

Aragorn simply nodded and eyed the elven prince closely. He couldn't see Legolas' back from here – something he was rather thankful for, since he was sure that it wasn't something he wanted to see – but on his elven friend's face and chest there were bruises he could not remember. "How are you? Be warned, if you say 'fine' I will do something horrible to you in the near future."

Legolas resisted the temptation to do just that and smiled slightly which turned into a grimace quickly when his bruised face let him know what exactly it thought of things such as smiling.
"I will heal, I suppose."

The dark haired ranger sighed dramatically and glared at his friend.
"That does not answer my question, stubborn elf. What happened?"

Legolas resented himself to the fact that Aragorn would annoy him until he had told him everything that had transpired.
"When I woke up, you were already unconscious," he began, deciding that that was stretching the truth just a little bit. "A bit later Adruran came back and he … well, he wasn't very happy that I didn't want to answer his questions."

"They beat you." Aragorn's voice was soft and matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Legolas admitted. "I … well, it didn't last too long though since I wasn't really conscious, and after a while they decided that they were wasting their time with us and brought us here."

The young human nodded as far as his aching head would permit him.
"How bad is it?"

That was something Legolas wasn't sure about himself, so he decided to assume the best.
"I may have some broken ribs, but apart from that not too bad, I think."

Now it was Aragorn's turn to look incredulously.
"Please, Legolas."

The elf shrugged lightly and sighed.
"Truly, my friend, I do not know. The back's quite bad though, I suppose."

That must be the understatement of the century, Aragorn thought wryly, remembering what his friend's backside had looked like, ripped open so deeply that you could see the whiteness of a rib shining through now and then…

Wrenching his thoughts away from that topic since it only served to increase his feelings of anger and helplessness, he stated quietly,

"So they have decided that we won't tell them anything."

"Yes," Legolas nodded. "It appears that their 'visit' to the Lake-men's camp was successful. They have captured the Lake-men and will have found all of the treasure in a few days. I think they will be gone soon, so it doesn't really matter to them anymore."

"Then why are we still alive?" Aragorn wondered. "I would have thought they would have killed us instantly."

The elven prince grinned wryly.
"To be honest, Estel, I do not think I want to know." He cocked his head to the side, listening briefly. "But I think we are about to find out."

Aragorn strained to hear what his elven friend already had, and really, there were footsteps coming closer that crushed the snow loudly, footsteps of at least five men, if he heard correctly. Right now it wouldn't have surprised him if he had taken the footsteps of an orc for those of a hobbit though, so he resented himself to the fact that he would have to wait and see.

After a few seconds the front flaps of the tent were thrown aside, and Adruran stepped into the small space, followed by Geran, Hanar and four other men.
'Seven all in all,' Aragorn nodded inwardly. 'Not too bad.'

The tall, brown haired man stopped at the entrance, looking at them with something akin to exasperation, as if looking at two stubborn, headstrong children.
"As you probably already have guessed," Adruran began slowly, "We have no more use for the two of you."

Aragorn forced himself to keep looking calmly at the other man. So this was it, he thought inwardly. He had never thought he would die like this, trussed up like an animal waiting to go to slaughter…

Legolas decided that, if they were about to die, he could at least find out why.
"So you're only interested in the money." He shook his head in disgust. "You are ready to kill so many for gold and other dead things?! How very human! What would you or your master want to do with it? You will not even be able to get it away from here."

He shot Aragorn a quick look, receiving an almost imperceptible nod in return. Maybe Adruran would tell them something if they kept taunting him.

The older man however was not willing to divulge much of his plan to them.
"A nice try, Master Elf," he smiled almost friendly, "But I am not stupid enough to fall for that. All you need to know is that yes, my master desires this treasure and that I am planning to bring him what he wants. The growing hostilities between Erebor and Dale are only an added bonus, although your sudden appearance has most likely put a stop to that."

Adruran leaned forward a little, giving both of his captives a serious look.
"I truly wish that you had never come here, this whole episode is highly unnecessary in my opinion."

"Believe me," Aragorn said quietly, studying the older man emotionlessly. "So do I."

"That, ranger, I do believe," the other man said and shook his head slightly. "However, it is too late for these thoughts now. As I said, you are a liability, one I do not intend to let me slow down."

He took a step back and looked at his captives, eyes dark and not betraying his thoughts.
"You should have talked, this way it would have been over quickly." He turned and gave his men a sign to cut the two prisoners loose and get them to their feet. "But, as I said: Have it your way."

Aragorn and Legolas traded nervous looks when they were brought outside, or rather dragged outside, since they both needed some time to convince their bodies to co-operate. The young ranger's feelings almost developed into a full-fledged panic when he realised that they were being led away from the camp, their guards pushing them after Hanar and Geran who looked very much as if they had just won the entire treasure for themselves.

'This is not good, not good at all,' he repeated inwardly, attempting not to stumble when one of the men behind him gave him a shove in the back. He shivered in the cold morning air, paying no attention at all to the glorious sunrise. His slashed shirt and cloak did little to protect him from the biting chill of the wind, and he briefly wondered how much worse it had to be for Legolas who had only his nearly ruined cloak to keep him warm and that was rent and torn in so many places that Aragorn was sure that the elven tailor who had made it would have a fit if he ever saw it again. But then again, Legolas was an elf of course, and didn't freeze as easily as humans did.

His thoughts began to spin faster and faster in his head the farther they got away from the camp. He was sure that Adruran intended to kill them, but why didn't they just do it in the camp? It would have been a lot easier to cut their throats there, a sarcastic voice in his head noted.

While he was still trying to silence that particular voice – dark thoughts he already had in abundance, thank you very much – they drew nearer to the foothills of the nearby Lonely Mountain, and to Aragorn's surprise his panic even increased when Hanar turned slightly and sent him a gleeful grin. He stared back at the man until he averted his eyes, deciding inwardly that he really did not want to know what had put him into such a good humour

That wish went unheeded though, for after they had followed the rock walls for some time, they stopped at the mouth of a dark cave. Said cave seemed to make the guards exceedingly nervous, yet another thing that Aragorn added to his ever growing not-good-list. The young ranger tried to suppress claustrophobic memories that washed over him when he merely looked at the opening that was just big enough for a grown man to step through. With some surprise he noted that Geran was speaking to him, and fought to listen to his words.

"…you see, ranger? This even gives you something of a chance."

Chance, he thought confused, what chance? Before he could ask Geran what in Ilúvatar's name he was talking about, Legolas' voice spoke up, sounding angry beyond measure.

"Chance? What kind of chance is that supposed to be? You want to put him in there??"

Oh no, Aragorn thought, muscles tensing at the mere thought. He couldn't go in there! It would be just like in Eskadol, the darkness would swallow him whole, he couldn't go in there, he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't…

The rushing blood in his ears was nearly enough to drown out all the sounds around him, but he dimly heard Geran's answer.

"Oh, yes, Master Elf," the man said, turning to the fair being that looked very much as if he was contemplating how exactly he would be killing him if he ever got the chance. "You know, I have something else planned for you, and we can't have him disturb that; it would ruin the game."

"Game?" Legolas spat, ignoring his guards that were tightening their grips on him. "This is no game!"

"Ah, but it is," Geran chuckled "You'll see. But first we need to get rid of your little friend."

The two men that held Aragorn began to push him forward, and when Legolas' eyes darted to the entrance of the cave, he noted the two crude struts that were supporting the entrance, as if it had been an old mining shaft once, which was rather likely this close to Erebor. Just when the men dragged his human friend over to the mouth of the cave, Legolas understood what they meant to do.

"No!" He tried to twist out of his guards' grip, but he was too weak to put up a real fight and the humans quickly subdued him. "You cannot do that!"

Geran gave him a cold smile, fingering one of the poles while his men pushed the resisting young ranger into the cave.
"It appears I can, Master Elf. Do not worry, he will die soon."

Aragorn was trying with all his might to break free, which was not nearly enough in his current state.
"Legolas!" he called, eyes wide and filled with panic and memories, begging him for help.

The elven prince once again began to fight against the men's restraining hands, inwardly seething that he was too weak to deal with two humans. One of Aragorn's guards still held him in place just inside the cave, while Hanar and another man loosened the struts that held the weight of the stone above the entrance.

Legolas stared with wide at his human friend that looked very close to actually panicking now. Damn these men, he thought angrily, why a cave? This was the last thing Aragorn needed right now… He took a deep breath and stopped fighting against his guards, it would be futile anyway and only deplete his strength. Somehow he needed to calm his friend down, needed to make sure that he wouldn't lose his head in there until he could help him…

"Estel!" he spoke loudly and as calmly as he could, trying to get through to his friend. He continued in Elvish, not willing to let these people understand what they talked about. "Estel! Lasto! Telithon dal le, gweston!"

Aragorn stared at him with wide eyes, obviously trying to combat the panic that was beginning to envelop his entire being, and so he added, "Ú-awarthathon le, Estel, estelio nin."

The young man's eyes clung to Legolas' face and he slowly nodded, just before the men pulled away the struts.
"Derithon al le, Legolas."

Before he had even spoken the last word, his guard stepped hastily out of the cave, and Hanar gave him a hard shove that send him flying backwards, deeper into the darkness. A mere second later the struts were withdrawn, and large boulders were beginning to fall, sealing off the entrance of the cave.

"Strider!" Legolas called, instinctively trying to rush forward and come to his friend's aid. "Estel!!"

Geran turned to him and shrugged, grabbing the elven prince's upper arm and pulling him away from the blocked cave entrance.
"You would do best to forget about him, if he isn't dead yet, he will soon be. Let's get to our own game, shall we?"

Legolas was dragged off into the direction of a small cluster of trees that could be seen some distance away down the slope, and therefore had little time to ponder what exactly Geran had meant by that. He nearly stumbled and had to concentrate all his thoughts on staying upright and keeping up with the men, trying to ignore his fiercely hurting back as best as possible. He would come back, he would get Aragorn out of there, somehow, he would not leave him there…

Inside the cave, the stones slowly settled down. Dust still hung thickly in the air, and smaller stones and pebbles continued to fall. After some time, a small pile of stones began to move and to utter some curses that would have earned anyone who had spoken them in polite company – or any company for that matter – at least shocked glances, if not a punch to the face.

Aragorn continued to try and free himself of the rubble, cursing under his breath and asking himself how it was possible for a human being to feel so much pain at once and still be conscious. He had landed on his burnt left side when Hanar had pushed him, and that pain alone had almost been enough to make him lose consciousness. And now there was what felt like about a ton of debris on top of him, he thought grimly, and it was … dark.

Elbereth, how dark it was! There was no light filtering through cracks in the pile of stones, only darkness, black, suffocating, all-consuming darkness that threatened to pull him even deeper into despair.

'Stop it,' he told himself firmly, pushing himself into a sitting position and cursing even more fiercely when he realised that his arms were of course still tied behind his back, 'Legolas will come back for you, it is only a matter of time. He promised he would, and he has never broken a promise before. All you have to do is hold on…'

Aragorn slowly, painstakingly managed to get to his feet, leaning against a cave wall for support. One of the bigger rocks seemed to have hit his ribcage, and he didn't even waste time contemplating whether the ribs were broken or not. It did hardly matter, and they hurt just the same.

Wonderful, he mused inwardly, now he only needed to find a way to get his bonds off and then he could lean back and wait for Legolas. The thought of his elven friend did not exactly serve to improve his mood. What was Geran planning? What did he want with Legolas?

The young ranger forcefully took his mind off that topic and was trying to ignore his body that was very clearly stating that it had had enough for today and was more than ready to rest for a while, preferably an age or two, when he heard it: The sound of someone or something breathing heavily, somewhere deeper in the cave.

Aragorn froze, thinking that the darkness was already getting to him and he was starting to imagine things, but then he heard it again: Someone's or something's breathing that seemed to be getting louder by the second, and this time he was sure that he was not imagining things.

There was no doubt about it: There was something else in this cave, and judging by the low growl that could be heard now, it was none too pleased to have its rest disturbed.





TBC...





 mellonamin - my friend
Estel! Lasto! - Estel! Listen!
Telithon dal le, gweston - I will come back to you, I promise
Ú-awarthathon le, estelio nin - I will not abandon you, trust me
Derithon al le - I will wait for you




Well, to all the people who actually thought I'd killed Celylith: Hello? How stupid do you think I am? I mean, I haven't not done it because I am kind-hearted or anything, nor because I want to spare Legolas mental anguish, but because I love being alive, and I am a little bit afraid of the Celylith Lives Foundation. *shakes head* A vicious crowd, them... Well, hang on for the next chapter which will be here on ... hm, Tuesday or Wednesday, I think! What about a review? Please? 'Cause I was so nice and let him live? Pretty Please??



Additional A/N:

Raven-of-a-Took - Wow, that must have been quite a marathon then! Congrats! *g* I have to admit the flagpole threat was not bad, that's at least a 7.9 on my death threat score, even thought the stuck-in-Mordor-with-a-sign-round-my-neck is even better. *g* And of course I like death threats, what kind of author doesn't? Thanks a lot for the review!
Halo - *g* I hate youn too, Halo. I see you have spelt realise with a 's' too - I'm still not over that one! *g* And see if I care whether or not you go and see PotC with me - I have lots of people here who want to go with me! *g* J/k... Ah! Not the hair! Not the hair! I will do whatever you want to, even save Celylith, but not my hair! *g* See? He's fine, Jeez...
Imbefaniel - You called me an evil bitch? That's definitly NOT nice! But I'll see what I can do about the Geran death thing - I haven't written that one yet, but I will take it under consideration... *g* Uhm ... *splutters* ... I don't know, your Ex sounds rather strange - you sure he is harmless? And I'm sure everything's already better now, isn't it? At least I hope so.
Coreinha - *dodges newspaper* Now I know what a dog feels like! *g* Besides, I'm not bad, I'm evil, I still think there's a difference! LOL, 'make him not dead'? Well, I'll see what I can do about that! *g* And congrats on the pics! You look great!
Aratfeniel - What certain someone could you have been talking about? I don't know... *g* And I think you're right, had Legolas been killed, there would definitely be reason for concern... And who said that Geran would be uninventive? Just wait, and Hanar isn't that conventional either - I hope!
Amelie - I didn't promise, and if I did, I lied, okay? That's what I am, evil, you know... *looks at her twitching* Well, you should calm down, I think, that's right, calm down... And I am really afraid that Geran will touch Legolas, more or less, anyway - but then again, where would be the fun if he didn't? But I'll see what I can do about his death, I am sure that something can be arranged... *g* But I think there's a flaw in you reasoning: You see, when I wrote the A/N for chapter 5, I hadn't even planned father than chapter 10 and was still intending to send Celylith back to the palace. The storylines evolve quite a bit while I'm writing them. And Celylith wouldn't be able to do much if he survived with an arrow in his back, now would he? I mean, elf or not, there are some limitations, right?
Lina - *evil grin* Well, that's the question really, did I or didn't I? I hope you aren't _really_ crying - I mean, it's only a story after all! But I'll admit that it was pointless except for the fun I had while doing it! And as long as Zam is only crying - what's your problem? I have rabid readers out there after my blood... *evil cackle* Oh, how could I ... being evil helps, I guess...
Jack Sparrow1 - Yeah, about the revenge - let's just say that I really think that Legolas too has other things on his mind than exacting revenge on _Aragorn_... *g* Great you like it so much, thanks for reviewing!
LOTRFaith - You are another one of these people - violence never solved anything! And yes, I am planning to kill most of them - I am not yet sure about one or two of them, but most of them will die, I think. LOL, I like the skinning-then-burying-bit! But it's winter and the ground is frozen solid, so the burying part might be a little bit tricky... *g* Thanks for the funny review!
Reginabean - Snarl? You're snarling? Well, that is NOT a good sign... And I have the sinking feeling that you could get quite a bit of support for that Whack-a-Nili-Club of yours, at least at the moment! *hides behind her balrog* It's just a story, Jeez...
BlackRose1356 - Nope, not even a little hint! *g*
Zam - Well, that you would go into denial was to be expected - you did the same with Nólad, I can very well remember... Who, btw, did have a dramatic death scene! And please, could you just consider not killing my villains before the time? I really need them for a little bit longer... *evil grin* *pats her back* That's the spirit, dear, there's always hope!
Lina AND Zam - Gosh, you guys really took this chapter a bit too seriously, didn't you? I mean, look at yourselves... *g* I have to admit that the mere thought of having angered BOTH of you is truly terrifying - as is your Army of Doom Inc. I especially liked the One Squirrel's army, that's a real scary thought... LOL, Lina, as a hobbit, dressed in a Rohirric armour? That is past terrifying and downright I don't know what... *grabs bowl of ice cream* No, no hard feelings, guys - if this is double chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookies and sauce, I am prepared to forgive anything... *g*
Alilacia - *grrr* I still haven't seen it, but I will soon! *shakes fist* Nobody will stop me! And I KNOW! It's past hot! It's suffocating, or it was - now it's a lot nicer and cooler, although I got a sunburn - again... *sighs* Yes, Aragorn is quite mad at the moment, and Hanar's bad news indeed... So you're close to Plymouth? I've never been there, but I am planning to someday - I loved all these Hornblower stories when I was younger, and since the fleet was always leaving from Plymouth... *g* I hope they're not giving you too much trouble at work, sometimes these people can be just SO annoying! *g*
Dragonfly32 - Yes, how to save Celylith - and you're right we should really do that, since Legolas IS quite heartbroken at the moment... *g* And you're right again, sooner or later Adruran and Co. are going to regret having ever laid hands on them. Thanks a lot for reviewing!
TrinityTheSheDevil - Uhm, I think you are taking the whole barbecuing thing a bit too far - no roasting the author! You hear me? That is very bad for my imagination! And you are horrible! You should be grateful that Geran chose to have some 'fun' with Legolas instead of Aragorn - but no, you're complaining... But don't wory, there's still Hanar, isn't there? You guys are really sick, not even I enjoy ranger pain that much... *g*
A Person - I made you sad? Sorry, I didn't mean to, really... And believe me, I thought about killing Legolas, but I think I REALLY wouldn't have survived THAT, even though I quite wanted to... And if you want me to write the whole rest at once, you would have to wait, since I am only two chapters ahead at the moment, so cliffies aren't that bad, are they?
Maranwe1 - Ah yes, denial - a wonderful thing... *evil grin* And I agree, Remus was fun too, even if not to the same extent as Sirius, I'm afraid. LOL, intimidating bad guys can indeed be lots of fun, especially if it's the only thing you can do... Finally! Someone who 'likes' Adruran! I like him too, at least a little bit, and I'm not yet sure what to do with him. *shrugs* We'll see. *rubs hands* Oh, so many nice adjectives, just for me! Thank you very much! And thanks for the review, I hope you'll decide to review again!
Sr - I know! Miki's having trouble with her account - but I don't really believe she'd be updating anyway... *g* I hope this was soon enough? Thanks a lot for reviewing!
Elladan - Well, I'll admit that the whole thing wasn't particularly nice, no, but I am an EVIL author, I don't do nice things, or not very often... *g* Uhm, you don't have to get down on hands and knees, just read on, okay? *gives her funny look*
Firnsarnien - So you're the leader now, huh? You guys are really dangerous, you know that? Orcs will tenderise me? That's not very nice, you do realise that that would seriously impair with my ability to write and post?! *g* And yes, I _can_ hide! Essex is quite big, you know, you will never find me! Plus I have two very dangerous dogs with me! Mhahahahaha!
Mouse5 - Well, I don't know about that yet, it appears to take a bit longer than three chapters. I don't know yet how long exactly, but a bit, I think... These characters just refuse to shut up. *g* And right now I'm thinking about the Geran-Legolas-fight, perhaps I'll do something like that. *g* Perhaps.
Strider's Girl - Evil? Yes! I AM evil, and I'm enjoying it immensely... How can I be so mean to you? Hm, let me see: I'm evil? Yes, I think that's it, it helps quite a lot, actually... *evil grin* And you want Estel owies? Alright, Ma'am, coming up now!
Shadow Warrior - Yes, Legolas is in a bit of trouble now - as is Estel, so I may be mean, but at least I'm fair. Great you liked this chapter, despite the whole Celylith thing! Thanks for reviewing!
TrustingFriendship - Well, Celylith would definitely need elven healing powers, you're right there. *huggles Legolas* Yes, the poor little elven prince is quite sad at the moment indeed, and he just might get a little bit angry. *grins evilly* Just a little bit of course. Great you still like the story! *huggles her as well*
Vampy2k - *shrugs* I'll just stop commenting on Celylith, I think. I'm glad you like him though. And I'm sorry to disapoint you, but neither the twins nor Elrond will be back in this story, I'm afraid. They're in Rivendell right now and they're going to stay there for the winter, but I'm thinking about putting them and Glorfindel into the next story, what do you think? *g*
Sirithiliel - I know! I'm never particularly nice, am I? And, my friend, the whole thing about cliffies is to leave the readers in suspense, I'm afraid! *g* I hope the update was soon enough so it wasn't TOO bad for you?!
Surreal13 - *g* Thanks! I found it quite hard to write that scene, since Tolkien didn't really say much about the whole breaking-heart-dying-of-grief-bit... *huggles her* Indeed! I _am_ evil! Somebody noticed! Thanks for your review!
CrazyLOTRfan - *smiles* I knew you would like it! And no, they didnt exactly NEED more bad things to happen to them, but admit it, you like it! And not only because of the cliffy potential... *evil grin* And you're right, Thranduil will most likely not come, with or without army, since he really doesn't have a reason to, now has he? *shakes head* Would make things a lot easier, though...
Elenora1 - Yes, the suspense - I love it! *evil grin* And, according to other reviewers, the shrieking is perfectly normal, since only a few people truky _like_ cliffies. I do, but you can't expect everybody else to share your strange likings... *g* I have a devilish mind? *huggles her* Thanks a lot! That's a very nice thing to say! And thanks a lot for reviewing too!
LadySandrilene2 - I do not only claim to enjoy death threats, I really do! I don't know either, I just do... Aragorn/Legolas H/C is quite a nice thing, I agree. And you're right, he's provoking Hanar to distract attention from Legolas - which goes under brave, but stupid. *g* Well, Rashwe ... to be honest, I haven't exactly thought about that yet, since I most certainly am not obsessed with horses. I had almost forgotten about it, but I'll think of something. *shrugs* That's the problem if you don't really like a character, you keep forgetting about them...
E - Well, I would have the heart to kill Celylith, but the bravery ... that's the thing. The Celylith Lives Foundation is truly evil and very threatening... *g* And rabid reviewers are a very real danger right now ... *looks about her nervously* ... they are everywhere...
Angel - Yes, I definitely do! Enjoy being evil, I mean... So you like the story this far? Great, and thanks for reviewing!
Emerald-Eyed Elf - I don't really know, I don't think Adruran has lost his marbles. I mean, he wants answers, and Geran is more than prepared to make sure that he gets them. But you're right, if they knew they are invoking the wrath of the reviewers, they would probably think again... *evil grin* I'm trying to keep the canon intact as far as possible, with some small exceptions (for example the Gilraen matter), since I really hate the many non-canon stories out there - again, with some exceptions... *g* Keep your DCR away from me and I promise to think about keeping Aragorn in one piece. Think, mind you. *g*
Alex Mistress Squirrel - *nods sadly* They do seem to attract this kind of situations, don't they? I hope you'll like this bit as well, but to find out just how exactly they are going to get out of this one, you will have to wait a bit longer, I'm afraid... *g*
Critternut - Well, that's what I'm thinking right now too - quite a lot of people were a bit upset by the last chapter... And YES, Johnny Depp is hot, although I can't say for PotC - and I'll admit that he looks quite funny with all the mascara there... *shrugs* See, I don't think that Legolas is hot. I think Orlando Bloom per se is okay, but as Legolas he just looks effeminate and gay. *shrugs again* Everybody has his or her favourites...
Tapetum Lucidum - They _are_ insane, aren't they? *g* So what do you mean, Yay that Adruran left Geran with Legolas or No? Make up your mind! LOL, Aragorn is 'too crispy'? Well, I don't think that they will really see it your way... *evil grin* Mhahahaha, oh yes, Thranduil will be very angry indeed once he finds out - if he finds out that is...
One15 - Mhahaha, du wuerdest mich hier nie finden! Ich habe Freunde und Bekannte ueberall, ich werde einfach untertauchen! Mhahahahahahaha! Und das mit Mandos und Manwe waere ein wenig uebertrieben, lies einfach mal weiter... *g* LOL, 'aba dalli-dalli'? Ich hoffe doch, das hier ist schnell genug? *g*
Musical Misfit - Thanks for you compliments, but Marmite is simply disgusting, and so are Bovril and Vegemite. It's all the same. Horrible stuff, simply disgusting... *g* Thanks a lot for your review! They really encourage me, a lot!
Fliewatuet - Yes! I am evil, and I relish it! Mhahahahahaha! *takes a dep breath* Sorry about that, happens all the time... And you're right, I am really expecting the Celylith Lives Foundation to come rushing through my front door any second now - _they_ are evil, that's what they are... *g* Thanks for all your reviews, btw!
Stacee Phelps - Yes, everybody seems to want more chapters - days would need to have at least 36 hrs. each, then I could do something about that... *g* Thanks for reviewing!
Nilbrethiliel - *g* Wusste ich's doch, dass dir das mit dem Gesicht aufgefallen ist... Aber mal keine Angst, wenn er ueberlebt, dann werden ihm seine elbischen Regenerationsfaehigkeiten schon weiterhelfen, nehme ich an... *g* Ja, bei mir wohnen noch ein paar andere Leute, aber ich bin _sicher_, dass du mich gefunden haettest! *g* Na ja, ich nehme schon an, dass unsere beiden Lieblinge so etwas wie ein Brueder-Verhaeltnis haben, aber du musst dazu sehen, dass sich Legolas und Celylith ueber 2500 Jahre kannten, nech? Ich meine, dagegen sind 2 Jahre nicht SO viel...
NaughtyNat - *g* You needn't have gone to Florida! The weather's been so great lately - but I guess you already know that... *evil grin* And I love dwarves too - they are truly adorable... Great you liked the last few chapters, hope you'll like this as well! Thanks for the review!
Bailey - LOL, true, as long as there is an elf and a ranger to console you, everything's just fine... *g* I'm glad you apparently still liked the chapter, thanks a lot for reviewing!
Nikara - Well, yes, I feel sorry for them, too. I mean, I kinda enjoy tormenting them, but then I pity them too... *g* Thanks for the review!
Gwyn - I have no idea! People just read it, I don't know why either! If I keep getting over 50 reviews a chapter though, I will have think of a new way of responding to the reviewers - it already takes an awful lot of time... *g* Not that I'm complaining though... You are right of course! All this has been highly amusing, all the people nearly hyperventilating and all that... *chuckles* You saw right through my plan though - dammit... *g*
MG - Thanks for the compliments! Oh, and about the spelling: You are wrong there, I'm afraid. I am writing in English, not American, and in English 'realise' is spelt with 's', not 'z'. Just like paralyse, centre, honour, defence and all that. So it's correct, only English. *shrugs* Sorry.
LOTRMatrixStarwarsfan - In fact more than one persons _have_ stolen him from me - but I always got him back! Yay Nili! Nobody steals my characters! And I agree, if poor Estel and Legolas would go through even a third of what we do to them, they would have gone insane or commited suicide by now... *g* And yes, it's their charm - and their good looks, of course...
Marbienl - Too long? Reviews can never be too long! About the quote from AEFAE: That was my quote, and one I never wholly liked, btw. I somehow always thought it sounded weird, but if you like it, great! And you're right, Adruran doesn't really get the whole friendship thing - that's his problem, huh? And Aragorn sounding grown up: Well, you realise that he IS grown up, right? I mean, with 22 you are more or less grown up! Uhm, and no, I haven't been listening to Isengard Unleashed or anything, in fact I have been listening to Sting a lot lately, and to be honest, I wrote that sentence in a few seconds just before I posted it. And I really can't see Frór acting fatherly towards an elf, I mean, he's a DWARF, for crying out loud! No way, if you ask me... Not even for Estel, I think. A bit perhaps, but dwarves aren't exactly known for showing their feelings in public, so that's a No again... And my laptops's still okay, never fear! *huggles it* I won't let anything happen to you, baby! And congrats on finding an internet café! Well done!
TigerLily713 - *evil grin* No, of course you don't have to be happy about it ... I still enjoy being evil though! *g* Thanks for the review!
Alisha B - Getting tired of hearing that a chapter was great? Are you kidding me? No? Never!! *g* And you are indeed very smart! You saw right through my evil plans! Your reasoning is good, except for the I'm not that cruel bit - I would have loved it, but I am too afraid of the Celylith Lives Foundation. *g* _They_ are evil! And your threat not to review helped too! I mean, the mere thought of you not reviewing is ... Ah! No! It burnsssss usssss! And thanks, finally someone who agrees with me that even if Celylith survives all this, there is no way that he can just get up and help them! *shakes head* Jeez, he's an elf, not Superman...
Leggylover03 - I will not comment on this. You are just too sick, you and your Estel pain... *shakes head* You people...
Cestari - *g* No, right now I don't think anyone likes the nasty humanses... Hold on to that thought though! *g* Celylith will be ... yes, what will he be? Read on and find out! Thanks for all your reviews!
Firniswin - Well, to be perfectly honest, I CAN kill him if I want to. I mean, I am the author and have created him, so I can kill him as well! *evil grin* I am evil, don't tell me... *g*
Asha Dreamweaver - Thank you! Great you liked the past chapters, I hope you'll like this one as well! Thank you for your review!
XsilicaX - *g* Yes, he'll do all that - and more! I mean, he's SuperCely after all, an arrow in the back and enough cuts and bruises for three elves is nothing that could stop a SuperElf like him! I don't have much time to write either, I'm about to run outside and try to get rid of the last bits of my skin that are not sunburnt yet... *g* Thanks for reviewing anyway!
ThE iNsAnE oNe - Uhm, you're really a bit exhausted, aren't you? If you ask me, I would get a few Uruk-hai bodyguards if I were you - I think Elladan and Elrohir are planning something... *g* LOL, Legolas is making voodoo dolls? That is really not a good sign, I think I would run if I were Aragorn... You have to study Algebra? Poor you, I always HATED everything that even remotely looked like math... And what's so bad about the dwarves? I mean, they're not going to kill him again, right? *gives FF.net evil looks* I really hope that you get your account back, and then you'd better update, or I will introduce you to my balrog! And he's ill-tempered right now! *g* You are threatening to hang me? Well, that's something new... Update soon, you hear me? Soon!!
Aron - Technically speaking, it is very much possible for Celylith to die. I mean, he's my OC, so I can kill him anytime I want to. But I agree with you: Poor, poor Celylith... *g* And I think that you're right, there are quite a few people around here that would probably enjoy killing/maiming/mutilating a few of Adruran's men. Slowly, of course. You're sensing pain for our fav ranger and elf? *innocent look* Whatever gave you that idea? I really don't know... *g*
Salara - Ob du's glaubst oder nicht, dass sagt meine Mutter auch immer! Das Problem ist nur, dass alles in Deutsch nicht halb so gut klingt... *seufz* So ist halt das Leben... *g* Aus irgendeinem Grund mochten viele Leute die Legolas-Szene, obwohl ich da nicht unbedingt zu zaehle. Keine Ahnung, irgwndwie fand ich sie seltsam... *Schultern zuck* Na ja, wie dem auch sei... LOL, das mit der Zwergen-Mami ist eine gute Idee, aber ich glaube nicht, dass ich Zwerginnen reinbringen werde, da ich mir immer noch nicht sicher bin, ob sie auch Baerte haben! *g* Der Hintermann taucht auch noch auf, spaetestens im letzten Kapitel zwecks foreboding fuer die naechste Geschichte... *fieses Grinsen* Danke fuer die guten Wuensche, momentan geniesse ich England schon sehr!

*sits stunned* Thanks a lot for this _mountain_ of reviews! Now I'm positive that I never got so many - thank you! *huggles reviewers* Thanks a lot for all your support!