Aragorn pressed himself against the wall as more soldiers ran past him. The dragon was the best distraction ever created Aragorn admitted as he jogged down the steps. Going to Elladan's cell first, he unlocked the door and stepped into the cell. Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness, a body slammed into him and fell onto his as they both hit the ground. The air was knocked out of him as he felt someone grab his dagger from his waist and hold it to his throat. His struggles stopped as the sharp blade scraped dangerously against his jugular.
"Elladan? It is I, your brother," he said softly, careful not to slit his own throat.
"Estel?" Elladan asked shakily and removed the dagger. "I thought you were Taltos."
"Let me have the dagger Elladan," Aragorn said and slowly held out his hand.
He leapt forward and caught Elladan as he started to collapse. Apparently attacking someone so soon after being beaten wasn't such a good idea for the weakened elf. Aragorn gently eased Elladan on the ground as something bumped into Aragorn's leg. Glancing down, Aragorn was shocked to see a young girl that was more concerned with Elladan than the strange man in the cell.
"Danny, are you okay?"
"We must leave now Elladan," Aragorn said and helped the elf to his feet.
"Are you Estel?" the young girl asked as Aragorn wrapped an arm around the elf's waist.
"That is one of my names."
"Have you come to save us? Danny said that you would save us," she said as Aragorn pulled open the door.
"If we do not move quickly then all of us will need to be saved," he replied and ushered the little girl down the hall.
Instructing the young girl where to go, the three reached the door quickly. Opening it, Aragorn waved over Elrohir and Gandalf that waited besides a non-burning building. He handed Elladan to Gandalf before turning and hurrying back into the stairwell. Moving to the specific door, he quickly let himself in and found Legolas still in the same position he left the elf. Knowing time was essential, he slid his arms under the elf and stood with his burden in his arms. Hoping his luck held up, he hurried down the hall and glanced down at the unconscious form in his arms. His worry increased ten-fold when he gazed upon the elf's face. It was still drawn and pinched with his eyes clenched shut; his breathing was thready and weak. Hurrying up the steps, his gaze dropped at the shocked expression of Elrohir and Gandalf.
"Legolas needs immediate aid, he is grievously injured," he said ashamed.
"Sauros!" Gandalf yelled before turning back to Aragorn. "You need to come with us."
"No, I can not. Please do not ask me Gandalf."
"I am asking and you will."
Everyone looked up as Sauros flew over them and grabbed up everyone in his front talons before lifting into the air. Sauros pounded the air and cut through the cold air and quickly put several miles between them and the town of Tharbad. He made for the ancient city of Annúminas that he regularly made his home. Not many people knew it still existed or still stood in the northern reaches. He could feel the humans and elves moving around in his front feet. A few minutes later he saw the stone structures in the distance and slowly flew closer to the tree tops. Slowing to a hover, he landed on his rear legs and folded his wings against his body. Lowering his claws to the ground and opening them, he watched as his passengers climbed off his palms.
They all stopped and gazed at the dilapidated city that was once a symbol of the past splendor of Gondor. Statues of powerful men decorated the stone walkways and winter plants grew out of cracks of the crumbling stone. Despite the crumbling city it still retained its beauty and magnificence that it had been built for. The snow on the ground and statues only served to make the city seem more ancient and mysterious.
"Quickly, into the main hall. This city is built above a hot springs and the main hall is heated," Sauros said and nosed everyone towards the largest building.
One of the walls of the main hall was collapsed to expose the inside if another wall hadn't been built to reinforce the wall. Sauros squeezed in barely with the others behind him. The massive room was warm and toasty despite the cold outside.
"Gandalf, I need more herbs if I am to tend to Elladan and Legolas," Elrohir said and shrugged out of his cloak.
Aragorn stepped away and stood towards the corner. Gandalf worked on Legolas quickly and tried to bring the elf back from the world he had placed himself. Elrohir worked on Elladan and continued to glance towards Gandalf and Legolas.
"I can not sense him. He pulls away from me as if he is scared of me," Gandalf said sadly as he shook his head.
"Are you sure Gandalf?" Elrohir asked worriedly.
"I am sure, I can not reach him. But Aragorn may be able to reach him," the wizard said and looked to the silent Ranger.
"You can not ask me to do that Gandalf. I will not," he argued and stepped back as Elrohir stalked up to Aragorn.
"I am asking you Aragorn. Legolas needs you now more than ever. Are you going to abandon him now like you did five years ago?"
"He is mute because of me and my incompetence! I might kill him this time!"
Elrohir knew he would never forgive himself for what he was about to do. Aragorn was not seeing things clearly and his medical knowledge and skill was needed. Elrohir was concentrating on his brother and couldn't stop in the middle of what he was doing. Gritting his teeth, Elrohir reared back and struck out to punch Aragorn directly in the jaw. The force knocked the young man back onto his back and split his bottom lip. Everything went silent as Elrohir and Aragorn stared at each other.
"Whether you want to believe it or not you are not responsible for anything. Legolas started talking again a few days ago when he was defending you against Sauros. You can believe it or not but it is the truth. We all came because we were worried about you. Father is worried about you and what has happened to you. Do not make me go home to tell him that you allowed Legolas to die because you were too scared to help him. That is not the Aragorn I know and love," Elrohir snapped angrily, hoping to smack some sense into his brother's head.
Aragorn bowed his head in shame before looking over to Legolas. For a split second he thought he saw Legolas looking at him pleadingly before it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Sauros looked at him unwaveringly as his eyes narrowed slightly to pierce the human's soul.
"I will do what I can," he said and accepted the hand Elrohir offered.
"There is an extensive conservatory of herbs behind this building. It should have every type of herb you would need," Sauros suggested to Elrohir.
"Would you go and get some Gandalf? Sauros, can you start a fire?" Elrohir asked and hurried back to Elladan and the little girl.
Aragorn slowly walked to Legolas and knelt beside the prone figure. He didn't even know where to begin. Evaluating the injuries, Aragorn realized that he needed to cure the mental wounds before battling the physical wounds. Reaching towards the elf, he stilled his hands a few inches from the body before going ahead. He rested a hand over Legolas' heart and placed his other hand on Legolas' brow. Allowing his eyes to drift shut, the world around him faded away as he slipped into another world.
His eyes opened again to find himself in a summer field filled with wild flowers. He heard someone singing to his left so he walked in that direction. A warm breeze swept past him to ruffle his long hair as he walked up the small hill. At the top he found Legolas laying on the grass with his hands laced behind his head. His legs were crossed at his ankles and he lazily watched the clouds. Aragorn walked up to Legolas and stood next to him as he looked down at the elf before sitting down next to him.
"Legolas?"
"Hello Aragorn. What are you doing here?" Legolas asked with a smile.
"I came to bring you back."
"I do not want to go back. The only thing there is pain and darkness."
"The darkness is no longer there Legolas; only the twins, Gandalf, Sauros and me. I know that the pain is waiting for you Legolas but you must come back. I will help you with the pain but I need you to come back to yourself."
"I do not know if I can Aragorn. I did to have my best friend there. I was alone," Legolas said sadly.
"I am there, waiting for you and I will help you Legolas but you have to trust me," Aragorn pleaded softly.
"Do you promise? Will you pull away again like you did five years ago?"
"I am sorry but I was ashamed of my weakness. I should have faced what happened instead of hiding from it. But I will be there when you awaken and I will stay there until death steals me away."
Aragorn still saw the doubt in his friend's eyes. Standing up, he reached out and offered his hand to the elf.
"Please mellonin, have faith in me as you once did."
Legolas reached up and grasped Aragorn's hand with a smile.
Aragorn jerked back to reality as his eyes snapped open in shock. His hands jerked back as Legolas arched up from the ground and gasped in pain. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, Aragorn reached out and quickly restrained the elf.
"Gandalf! A sedative, quickly!" Aragorn cried at the wizard.
Hurrying over with the cup, Gandalf forced it down Legolas' throat as Aragorn held the struggling elf. A few moments later Legolas slipped into a sedated sleep and relaxed in Aragorn's arms. Releasing the breath he had been holding, he gently laid Legolas on the coat under him. Gandalf handed him the herbs and everything else he might need. Aragorn sighed as he looked over the wounds that adorned his body before starting.
A deep gash oozed blood from his side where it looked like a knife had gouged into the flesh. The wound had stopped bleeding a while ago but it was still bad looking. Blood was dried around the edges and it looked on the way to become infected. Picking up the bowl of water and a cloth, he started to clean the wound and flush it out. Grimacing at the severity of the wound, Aragorn grabbed a pair of forceps and gently pulled out embedded pieces of dirt and filth. Once done he fixed up the healing paste and lathered it on the wound before wrapping it. Numerous cuts and bruises marred his body as Aragorn felt for any broken ribs. About three of them were cracked, he noted when he was done inspecting.
"Gandalf, I need your help," he called to the wizard. "I need to you hold him up while I check his back and wrap his ribs."
Upon seeing the condition of the elf's back Aragorn hissed softly. Whip slashes cut across the proud back and pale skin in rough lines. Most had clotted on themselves but still needed to be properly cleaned, stitched, and bandaged. Refilling the bowl with clean water, he started to clean the gashes and stitch them before applying the paste.
"Are you ashamed of me Gandalf?" Aragorn asked softly and kept his eyes to his task.
"No, my dear boy. You just stumbled on the path of life. Everyone stumbles and falls at some point. All that matters is that you get up, learn from the fall, and continue on. It makes us who we are. A wise woman once said that 'there can be no sweet taste of success without first tasting bitter failure.' It will make you stronger in the end."
Aragorn took the words of advice to his heart and committed them to memory. Wrapping Legolas' chest, he helped Gandalf to lay down the elf on his coat. Sitting back, he passed a weary hand over his eyes before reaching for a blanket and draping it over Legolas. Movement next to him pulled his gaze up to see Elrohir standing over him.
"How is Elladan and the little girl?"
"Elladan will be fine once the drugs are out of his system and his back heals. Lina only had a few cuts and bruises that I have already treated; she was asleep next to Elladan last I checked," Elrohir answered with a smile.
"She is a very endearing young girl."
"That she is, also very inquisitive for her young age. She is quite taken by Elladan."
Aragorn nodded as his fingers came up to feel his tender bruised jaw and split lip. He flinched at the sharp pain before he stood up.
"I apologize for striking you Aragorn," Elrohir said softly as he looked over to the young man.
"No need to apologize Ro. I deserved it and you possessed every right to hit me."
"Let me get something for your lip."
"It is fine. I am going to take a walk; I will be back in a while," he said and quickly left the building.
Aragorn stepped out into the cold and started to slowly walk down the old city streets. He didn't notice the dark figure that followed him as the setting sun cast an orange glow across the stone columns and snow covered ground. Holding his hand out, Aragorn ran his fingertips down a stone statue of an imposing looking man.
"That is Anárion, the younger son of Elendil, brother of Isildur. A relative of yours I understand."
Aragorn turned and looked at the powerful dragon that stood behind him. Sauros walked around the man and statue quietly as he looked at the carved stone. Turning his gaze to the human, Sauros observed the young man silently.
"A very distant relative," Aragorn admitted and looked back to the statue.
"What do you see when you look at him?"
Aragorn looked at the dragon oddly before stepping back from the statue. He slowly walked around the statue to organize his thoughts into words.
"I see a leader of men. A king in his own right, which the people can look up to and respect. He is an equal to Isildur, despite the age difference. He is courageous warrior, an intellect mind, a man worthy of everything."
"You see what he wants you to see. This statue does not tell you that he was afraid of the dark, or that he was terrible at arithmetic."
"Do you have a point to this Sauros?" Aragorn questioned as the dragon turned to him.
Follow me, young one, and I will explain," he said and slowly started to walk down the street. "All history books and stories tell of a king's accomplishment and victories but they leave out the most important thing and can you guess what it is?"
"No idea."
"You are not very good at this game are you?" Sauros questioned as he looked down to the human. "It does not matter. The answer is that everyone forgets the victor's failures. All men are mortal, they are allowed to make mistakes and they do," Sauros said as he stopped next to another statue. "Do you recognize her?"
"No, should I?"
"I suppose you should not. She was from many ages before you. She is known as 'Daughter of Twilight.'"
"It is fair Lúthien," Aragorn breathed as he slowly walked around the statue.
"Yes, it is. The lovely maiden of Beren. She loved that man more than anyone thought possible," Sauros said softly. "She loved him despite everything."
"Despite what?"
"Beren's faults and short comings. He made errors and mistakes like everything that lives. The fact is, a persons' good qualities over rule all the faults. Your brothers love you for who you are, not who you are trying to become. They know that you make mistakes and they would be hypocritical if they held it against you. A great measure of someone's strength is when they make a mistake, accept it, and learn from it before moving on. A great man is a humble man."
"What was one of Beren's faults?"
"Other than the uncanny ability of running into trees directly in his path? Everything else, but that was why Lúthien loved him," Sauros replied with a smirk.
Aragorn chuckled softly and sat on the base of the statue. He watched his breath mist in front of his face from the cold. Something tickled the top of his hands and pulled his attention to small flakes of something white that drifted down from the sky. Glancing up, he smiled as the snow danced through the air.
"Come young one, let us go back to the main hall," Sauros said softly.
Aragorn stood and walked beside Sauros silently. For the first time in five years he felt somewhat at peace with who he was and the decision he made.
"How many mistakes have you made Sauros?"
"Aragorn, I am just about as old as Arda is. I have made many mistakes and some of them I am not proud of but I did do them."
"Would you go back and rectify them?"
"I would not. Every choice you make leads you to where you are now. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction and my actions created my reactions."
"You are just as wise as Gandalf and Elrond."
Sauros snorted and rolled his eyes. "I knew Elrond when he was a tiny elfling still in diapers. As a child he made many mistakes, all of which he will deny."
"I find that very hard to believe," Aragorn smiled as he looked up to the tall dragon.
"Believe it little one," Sauros said as they neared the main hall.
Before allowing Aragorn to walk it, Sauros' tail curled around and blocked the human's path.
"Never forget Aragorn, they may not be of the same blood as you but they are your family. They love you and count you as their equal. Just like you they hurt; they feel like they failed you and the hurt runs deep. Confide in each other and everything will heal."
Aragorn turned and looked into the building through a broken window. Elrohir was helping his brother drink a broth before moving over to Legolas. Worry lines etched across the younger twin's face as he glanced towards the door Aragorn had left out of.
"Thank y-"
Aragorn no longer found the dragon behind him. Turning in place, the Ranger didn't see the dragon anywhere near him or the building. Casting one more look, he walked into the warm building.
Sauros cocked his to the side from his perch on one of the tallest columns. His red scales blended in well with the darkness as he watched through the window. Aragorn walked up to Elrohir and Sauros saw their lips moving as they talked. A moment later the two embraced tightly in a hug as Sauros smiled.
"And he shall find comfort among his family and those that know him best."
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HAHA! Take that writer's block! I am just thrilled beyond belief that I got this chapter out. I am so happy with this story and how it is going and I am happy with where the sequel is going; yes I have already started to work on it. Realized a few things a few days ago; I do not know how many people have this problem but I know that I do. After seeing The Matrix and then seeing The Lord of the Rings, I am expecting Lord Elrond (Huge Weaving) to morph into Agent Smith. That and I noticed that I really do not like the image of Lord Elrond in the movie. All the stories that I have read portray him as a caring, loving, calm, collected individual and yet in the movie it looks like he is about to yell at everyone. I think I like the stories portrayal of Lord Elrond.
A few days ago I was sitting in my butterfly chair which is directly next to the mirror on the back of my door. I just happen to glance over at the mirror (I was working on this story at the moment) and I swear I saw pointed ears on myself! I stared in shock for a moment before reaching up to double check that my ears are still the normal shape. I swear I have been working on these elf stories too much.
I strongly recommend people to read Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. That is a marvelous book and I fully intend to reread it several times and wear it in.
Nat-Where have you been? Hiding in the shadows? Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story; you have no idea how much I love reading reviews.
Astievia-YES! Everyone cheer for Lina! She had a very small part in this chapter and I am sorry about that but she will have more parts in the next chapter. I will keep the ransom idea in mind for later.
ThE iNsAnE oNe-Heehee; I was bursting out laughing when I read the little play between Elladan, Elrohir, TiO, and Estel. For some reason I could just picture this actually happening and I thought it was hilarious. It took me a few minutes to get my breath back after laughing so hard.
Snow-Glory-Well thank you so very much for the compliment. I can not wait till I update either. Legolas will get better…eventually. I am not going to make it easy for Aragorn.
A loyal fan (bighairythingwithtoomanylegs@yahoo.com)- Oh wow! You have it bookmarked? *blushing* You really like the story that much? I am so…honored. I was just about bouncing off my seat in excitement when I read your email in my inbox. I am immensely enjoying Sauros, he is that character than can say whatever the author is thinking that is Sarcastic and it does not fit well for the other characters to say it. Sauros is turning into my alter ego, I think.
Grumpy-Elladan and Legolas are out of the castle but not out of the woods yet. I am greatly looking forward to the rest of the story and to see what my little demented brain with that of my plot bunny can come up with. *rubs hands together with an evil smile*
Star-Stallion-I SHALL AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME! No, I will not hold it ransom but I will keep it in mind in case I need to pull out the threat again. Heehee, and yes you are my loyal reviewer. You have been with me since chapter one and have been supporting me all the way and for that I am thankful *bowing from waist and sweeping hand out to side*. Diola lle.