Love of thy Father (2?)

Note: Thanks to Liz, Lindsay, Willie, Aragorn4eva, grrbaby, Setri-an, Arien, Laigolas, Saruman, S, Shadowgirl, Ravens Quill, Elanya Dulin and Kaiti for reviewing this and giving me the most reviews on any single chapter I've written in 3 years!

Disclaimer: See previous part.

Story: The children of the remaining fellowship are kidnapped by the dark and challenge their fathers to find them.

Aragorn was riding hard northwards alone. He would allow no one to go with him, despite his injuries claiming that Legolas's people would see to them when he arrived but he could not wait for them to be tended in Gondor. It took him a week to reach the borders of Mirkwood and he found himself greeted by a company of grimfaced elves. It was rare that a smile would not grace the face of an elf unless some grievous tragedy had occurred, but Aragorn was far too distracted to pay much heed. His horse was shivering and a sweating with the exertion of the last mile of the ride

"Legolas, I need to see Legolas." Aragorn gasped out. His agitation was shown to the elves not only by the lack of any formal titles but also by his not dismounting. One elf stepped forward and it took Aragorn a few moments to recognise Glorfindel standing in front of him. "Glorfindel! Old friend, please, I must see Legolas!"

"He's expecting you, Elssar." and Glorfindel spoke to his horse in elfish before starting off into the forest with Aragorn following behind.

When he arrived at the cabin he found Gimli sitting outside the door smoking his pipe, looking as distressed as he himself felt.

"About time you got here." The Dwarf informed him more gruffly than he would usually be wont to do.

"Good to see you too." Aragorn dismounted and walked towards his friend "Where's Legolas?"

"In his throne room. He refuses to see anyone except Glorfindel." Aragorn moved forward only to be held back by Gimli "That includes us."

"He didn't send you out?" he asked concerned.

"Yes he did. After hearing why I'd come, he sent me away with all the others. That was two days ago." Gimli peered up at the King of Gondor who had spun around with surprise at that little declaration.

"Wha-"

"-He hasn't let me be neglected, Aragorn. And he has been busy; this place has been like a bee hive of late." The dwarf gestured toward the elves that rushed from place to place with a determined stride that the human found almost alien. Such focus of purpose, such activity, all of which was a complete mystery to both of them.

"Why are you here old friend?" Aragorn asked. He allowed Gimli to lead him to a gathering of rocks

"Same reason as you."

"Gerlot?"

Gimli nodded as he knocked out his pipe on the stone he was sitting on. Aragorn sat besides him, his hands twitching restlessly as if longing to part some orc necks from their bodies. They must have been sat in silence for an hour or more when the call went out for their dinner. Aragorn and Gimli were about to walk off and follow the others when a voice cried out behind them.

"My friends, I apologise!" They knew the voice well and turned to find Legolas on the step of the largest cabin. Aragorn smiled briefly at the sight of the elf in travelling cloak and clothes, just as he'd last seen him after his crowning. It was almost comforting. Gimli had gone forward before him and brushed past the Elven King with a gruff 'Crazy elf.'

Aragorn went in next and Legolas closed the door after them. The table was laid ready for a mini-feast and they all sat down together in grim silence.

Lothlorn woke with a headache for the second time since he'd been kidnapped. The orcs seemed loath to touch him and so he'd been slung across the back of their leaders' horse. But tonight, for night it indeed was, he found he had company in his cold corner against a tree. Two female someone's were lying in front of him and he recognised them both.

"Alleria! Gertol!" He whispered. He moved himself so that he could reach them with his feet and promptly kicked them. It worked. They woke at once and stared at him.

"Lothlorn?" they asked. They had already spent one night in each others company on the way to rendezvous here, so were not shocked at seeing each other. However the Princeling did indeed shock them.

"Do you know what's going on?" Alleria asked, managing to get herself sat up. She was terrified; however she was her fathers' daughter and kept her head.

"Not a clue. Don't think they want to kill us though."

"How'd you know that?"

"They haven't killed us already."

"Our Father's will save us." Gerlot told them firmly. Alleria agreed readily, wasn't her father the King of Gondor after all? Hadn't all three of their fathers helped to defeat Sauron?

Lothlorn kept his silence and wished he'd never woken them up. He was sure his father would not be coming to fetch him. His father was always scolding him. He was never good enough for his father, never had been. He couldn't remember his father smiling a true smile in his direction in years.

To distract himself from the girls' hopeful chatter he glanced around. He could see only one or two orcs nearby but around the fire he saw three figures, all robed in black and all of them different in size. One appeared taller than the others by a good two feet, another was almost painfully thin, and the remaining seemed perfectly normal except that his eyes when he turned his head to look straight at Lothlorn...they were completely black. They had no iris or pupil nor any whites. They were black holes in his skull, and they paralysed Lothlorn for the second they watched him. Then their terrible attention was turned back to their owners' companions.

Lothlorn prayed to his birth stars that if their fathers found them that they'd find them before anything could happen to them.