Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any characters and/or places
thereof
Arabella Thorne: Yes, many people have pointed out this "error" to me. But perhaps if you thought about it (which most people probably have not) you would see why he can hear the orcs. To begin with, valleys can have echoes from great distances. Even excluding this, orc-cries would (I imagine) be quite loud, and Elven hearing is exceptional, as we all know. Now, you might think that with having them hear the orcs I implied a weakened border- guard. Quite the contrary. Imladris is not a huge kingdom, not like Gondor where reserve troops are always available. With smaller numbers, a smaller area could be more securely guarded. It is my story-line that the border- guard consolidates their forces, so that while orcs may get nearer than "a million miles" to Imladris, they will never get in.
*****
By a strange twist of events, Estel reached the Bruinen before the Elven party. Whilst they had taken the time to dress for such an event and taken weapons, Estel had only a candle, a dog, and his pyjamas. So it came that he stood before the Bruinen and shivered with the cold, drawing his arms closer around him.
"This is a scary place, Ranger," Estel confided in his companion. The Bruinen ran swiftly, far too swiftly for Estel to cross--he could swim, but not with such strength. "And I cannot cross the stream. But I cannot go back! What am I to do, Ranger?" Despairing, he sat on a rock near the waters. Ranger moaned gently and nuzzled Estel's neck, licking the boy's face as he often did. Neither had any solution, but having each other made the situation all the much brighter. "At least I know I shall always have you," Estel said, scratching Ranger behind the ears.
And there, between the swift-running river and the foreboding trees which so deftly blotted half the moon, despite the cold and fear, Estel felt complete. He worried for nothing, but felt free, freer than ever before. His mind soared and his heart, for the first time in many days, did not ache. He had nothing to be afraid of, Estel realized, nothing to dread. All that mattered was that he had a friend, a home if he wished it, warmth from the night, and light from the darkness.
And the candle-flame flickered, and was extinguished by the wind. Estel screamed.
*****
The cries of the orcs had long faded to the distance. Elrond could not bring himself to turn away. Something in him needed to know for certain, as an undeniable fact, that every last orc was dead. Just as he was wondering how he might account for this need, what stories he might tell to evade the embarrassing blood-lust of the truth, a voice called, "Ada! Ada, Elladan, Glorfindel, wait!" They paused and turned, and Elrohir came through the trees, then stopped just before them.
"What is it?" Elrond asked, when Elrohir offered no explanation. "Is something wrong?"
Elrohir nodded, then said, "Ada. . .Estel is not there. Not in his room nor any of his other usual hiding-places."
"What?" This certainly did nothing to improve the situation! Elrond cursed himself inwardly. How could he have gone off, thinking of nothing but death, when he had a frightened child to care for? After CelebrÃan came a period Elrond wished he could forget, a period when his thoughts were bent on nothing but blood. It had not been so awful, at the time, not as though he had abandoned his children: all of them grown, Arwen in Lothlorien and the twins often away. He never acted upon those thoughts, and had of late left himself unguarded against them. This was, now, unacceptable. He had a child to think of! "You looked everywhere?" he asked Elrohir.
"Everywhere, Ada, absolutely, and he was not to be found," Elrohir swore. "I came to find you as soon as I had searched. . ."
Before there any further questions could be asked the frail, high-pitched sound of a fear-shout interrupted the discussion. It was not an orc-shout or the cry of a wolf or bird. It was a sound far too fragile and frightened to be any creature but a child, and this particular shrill noise was easily linked to a specific child of the Edain.
The shout seemed to paralyze the Elves with the realization of what might be happening at that very moment. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the thirty- ninth heir of Isildur and heir to the throne of Gondor might be seconds away from being shredded by a wolf or any other creature of the night. Elladan was the first to break the spell, turning to the south-east and breaking into a run.
*****
To be continued
Author's note: Sorry, I could not help but write the comedic irony into this one. Only two more days until the election. . .please not Arnold, please not Arnold. . .Any Californians out there, I beg you! Do not vote for Arnold! Don't drive the state into the dust!
Arabella Thorne: Yes, many people have pointed out this "error" to me. But perhaps if you thought about it (which most people probably have not) you would see why he can hear the orcs. To begin with, valleys can have echoes from great distances. Even excluding this, orc-cries would (I imagine) be quite loud, and Elven hearing is exceptional, as we all know. Now, you might think that with having them hear the orcs I implied a weakened border- guard. Quite the contrary. Imladris is not a huge kingdom, not like Gondor where reserve troops are always available. With smaller numbers, a smaller area could be more securely guarded. It is my story-line that the border- guard consolidates their forces, so that while orcs may get nearer than "a million miles" to Imladris, they will never get in.
*****
By a strange twist of events, Estel reached the Bruinen before the Elven party. Whilst they had taken the time to dress for such an event and taken weapons, Estel had only a candle, a dog, and his pyjamas. So it came that he stood before the Bruinen and shivered with the cold, drawing his arms closer around him.
"This is a scary place, Ranger," Estel confided in his companion. The Bruinen ran swiftly, far too swiftly for Estel to cross--he could swim, but not with such strength. "And I cannot cross the stream. But I cannot go back! What am I to do, Ranger?" Despairing, he sat on a rock near the waters. Ranger moaned gently and nuzzled Estel's neck, licking the boy's face as he often did. Neither had any solution, but having each other made the situation all the much brighter. "At least I know I shall always have you," Estel said, scratching Ranger behind the ears.
And there, between the swift-running river and the foreboding trees which so deftly blotted half the moon, despite the cold and fear, Estel felt complete. He worried for nothing, but felt free, freer than ever before. His mind soared and his heart, for the first time in many days, did not ache. He had nothing to be afraid of, Estel realized, nothing to dread. All that mattered was that he had a friend, a home if he wished it, warmth from the night, and light from the darkness.
And the candle-flame flickered, and was extinguished by the wind. Estel screamed.
*****
The cries of the orcs had long faded to the distance. Elrond could not bring himself to turn away. Something in him needed to know for certain, as an undeniable fact, that every last orc was dead. Just as he was wondering how he might account for this need, what stories he might tell to evade the embarrassing blood-lust of the truth, a voice called, "Ada! Ada, Elladan, Glorfindel, wait!" They paused and turned, and Elrohir came through the trees, then stopped just before them.
"What is it?" Elrond asked, when Elrohir offered no explanation. "Is something wrong?"
Elrohir nodded, then said, "Ada. . .Estel is not there. Not in his room nor any of his other usual hiding-places."
"What?" This certainly did nothing to improve the situation! Elrond cursed himself inwardly. How could he have gone off, thinking of nothing but death, when he had a frightened child to care for? After CelebrÃan came a period Elrond wished he could forget, a period when his thoughts were bent on nothing but blood. It had not been so awful, at the time, not as though he had abandoned his children: all of them grown, Arwen in Lothlorien and the twins often away. He never acted upon those thoughts, and had of late left himself unguarded against them. This was, now, unacceptable. He had a child to think of! "You looked everywhere?" he asked Elrohir.
"Everywhere, Ada, absolutely, and he was not to be found," Elrohir swore. "I came to find you as soon as I had searched. . ."
Before there any further questions could be asked the frail, high-pitched sound of a fear-shout interrupted the discussion. It was not an orc-shout or the cry of a wolf or bird. It was a sound far too fragile and frightened to be any creature but a child, and this particular shrill noise was easily linked to a specific child of the Edain.
The shout seemed to paralyze the Elves with the realization of what might be happening at that very moment. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the thirty- ninth heir of Isildur and heir to the throne of Gondor might be seconds away from being shredded by a wolf or any other creature of the night. Elladan was the first to break the spell, turning to the south-east and breaking into a run.
*****
To be continued
Author's note: Sorry, I could not help but write the comedic irony into this one. Only two more days until the election. . .please not Arnold, please not Arnold. . .Any Californians out there, I beg you! Do not vote for Arnold! Don't drive the state into the dust!