Belatedly Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my dear readers and
reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great thank you to all of you for the many reviews I received for the last chapter…
and a special thanks goes to Stephanie for sending me that nice email – it did push
me into writing as soon as I had recovered from the last weeks :I had a 3 week
business trip, birthday, christmas and new year… and all of it in december … so no
time for writing… but now the worst is over and here is a short chapter just to say hi
to all of you!!!

As always: special thank you to Little My for beta reading !!!

So, on with the story…

Oh… and please… do not forget to tell me if you like it!!!

___

It was a silent group that followed Jerim as he led the way through the forest. Only
the sound of footsteps assured the man that they were still behind him and the
ongoing silence unnerved him. From time to time he cast a look backward only to find
the dwarves walking behind him in the same manner as before, the elf in the middle
of their group.

Gimli stayed close behind the man, as much to keep an eye on him as to avoid
looking at Legolas. It was hard enough to keep the simmering anger under control
without seeing the usual graceful elf struggling to stay on his feet. They were still too
close to the camp. But soon... A feral grin appeared on the dwarf's face for a
moment and his fingers tightened around his axe as he allowed himself to think of the
near future.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Legolas fought against the mist that seemed to
have covered his mind. Struggling to remember, to make sense of his surroundings,
the elf desperately tried to shake off the lingering effect of the draught he had been
given repeatedly. But it was strong; a poison that even his elven constitution could
not eliminate that easily. Weakened as he was, it took most of his strength to keep
going but his warrior instincts rebelled against trudging along so meekly. He tried to
move his arms again and this time, over the sharp pain shooting through him causing
him to almost stumble had there not been a tight grip on his arm that held him
upright, another realization dawned. His hands were bound.

The shock of this revelation seemed to clear his mind for a moment, enough to allow
one definite thought to form: he had to get away. Looking around, he could see the
forms of his captors --there were not too many of them. He was so used to the
advantage of elven speed that the thought that whatever was hindering his abilities to
walk and think might also tamper with any attempt at escape never occurred to his
befuddled mind.

His sudden movement took Gudin by surprise as Legolas suddenly pulled away,
turning and taking off sideways into the protection of the forest. For a moment the
dwarf stood frozen, then he cried out.

'Legolas!'

The sudden sound of less than nimble elven feet had already alerted his
companions; the cry made them rush to his side. But Gudin was already following the
elf.

With a curse Gimli followed them, his quick mind understanding what had happened.
It should had been expected, he realized--the state the elf was in would hardly keep
him from at least trying to flee. The sound of trampling feet behind him told Gimli the
others were following them as his eyes found Gudin's shape not far ahead.

Legolas ran but his feet seemed slow--much too slow, for he could hear his pursuers
close behind. Frustration built as his body seemed to refuse to obey his orders,
moving too sluggishly. Then his foot got caught and he stumbled, his shoulder
connecting with a tree. A sharp cry of pain escaped him as once more his broken
bones were jolted, and for a moment darkness wavered at the edges of his vision.
But the wish to escape proved stronger as he once more forced himself to his feet.

Gudin came to a stop in front of the elf, just as he struggled to his feet again. He did
not wish to harm Legolas, so he hesitated for just a moment too long. Once more
Legolas turned to flee. But this time his way was blocked as the form of the man
appeared in front of him. Longer legs and less amour had been Jerim's advantage in
this race, and he had overtaken the dwarves and chosen the way of a practiced
hunter, cutting short the flight of his prey. He showed none of the dwarf's hesitation in
harming the elf as the hilt of his knife crashed against Legolas's unprotected head.
Without a sound, the elf collapsed.

It was the last straw.

With a howl of outrage Gimli lunged at the man, not caring about their plan any
longer. Within a heartbeat Jerim found himself on his back, the knife lost and an
enraged dwarf's axe at his throat. Not understanding what had caused this, he stared
up into a pair of burning eyes filled with fury and hate, and for the first time in his life
he knew a mind-numbing fear.

'Pray that he lives.'

It was Gudin who gently moved the still form of the elf, turning him on his side. His
fingers found a pulse and true relief colored his voice as he called out: 'He lives!'

The axe was withdrawn but the expression in Gimli's eyes did not change. For a long
moment he looked at the trembling man ere he rose to stand, disgust on his face. A
short command and Cerin appeared, axe in hand to stand next to the man without
ever looking at him. Yet Jerim knew better than to even try to move.

'What do we do now?'

Gimli ignored the question as he kneeled next to his friend, taking in the pale features
and the small trickle of blood running over his face and closed eyelids. With a growl
he removed a small knife from his belt, but his fingers were gentle as they sought the
rope that bound Legolas's wrists together. He cut the bonds without the blade ever
touching the elf's skin, as hands that were able to fashion the most delicate of jewelry
took care to not inflict further harm. Then he moved Legolas onto his back, carefully
arranging his arms to lie at his sides.

It was then as he moved the elf's left arm that something felt wrong. Sharp eyes
inspected the limb more carefully. The wrist guard still seemed intact, covering most
of the forearm. Grasping the elf's left hand in his own, Gimli gently turned the limp
arm to have a closer look. He could feel an unusual heat and with a quick look he
compared the fingers he held with Legolas's right hand to confirm his suspicion: they
were slightly swollen, indicating an injury still hidden from the eye. Once more the
dwarf used his knife with uttermost care, slicing through the bindings that kept the
wrist guard around the elf's arm. Gudin knelt next to him, watching with concern, his
hands reaching out to remove the leather once it was free.

What it revealed caused a mixture of renewed anger as well as self-disgust to rise in
Gimli. The bones were clearly broken, and their sharp endings had cut through the
thin layer of muscle and skin that covered them. He could only imagine what kind of
agony it must have caused to be bound like Legolas had been with an injury like this.
To think he could have eased his friend's pain if only he had removed the bonds.

'I do not remember this being part of your plan, friend Gimli.' A soft voice broke
through Gimli's dark thoughts. Raising his head, he looked into the smiling face of
one dark-haired elf. But the silver eyes held no mirth.

'How does he fare?'

Even without seeing the ring on the elf's hand, Gimli knew who he was.

'I would think you know more of this than I,' Gimli answered, to find the elf kneeling at
his side within the blink of an eye. Long fingers touched Legolas's brow for a moment
ere they wandered to feel along the broken bones, doing what Gimli had been afraid
of.

'Both bones are broken,' the elf whispered. 'I need water and bandages, and
something to splint his arm.'

The sound of movement told them that at least one dwarf hurried to bring what
Elrohir had asked for.

'Elladan?' Gimli's voice was only a whisper, his eyes still focused on Legolas's face.

'He still watches the camp. They prepared to follow you, at least ten of them. A very
brave kind of men they are.'

It came as no surprise and still it evoked another burst of anger.

'What is this?'

Now it was Elrohir's voice that had lost some of its calm as his fingers touched the
rope still around Legolas's neck. With another growl that said more than many words,
Gimli reached out. He gently lifted the elf's head from the ground, keeping his temper
in check so as not to rip the offending thing away, and removed it with care. He held
it up without a word and it was taken from his hands without prompting.

Gudin handed it to Cerin who shot their prisoner a dark look. The man did not need
further explanations but held up his hands to be tied. He winced at the strength the
dwarf used to secure his wrists together but knew better than to voice his protest.
Even if he did not understand why, he knew the dwarves to be much enraged and his
tongue had frozen in fear.

Furli returned, handing water to Elrohir and darting away again to find something that
could be used as a splint. His fingers moving faster than the eye could follow, the elf
cleaned away the dried blood from Legolas's arm. After a quick look at Legolas's face
to check that the elf had not awoken, Elrohir grasped the arm and with a quick pull
and some pressure the bones slipped back into their accustomed places. Just in
time, bandages and wooden splints were handed over and within a few moments the
arm was tightly wrapped up.

'It should heal quickly,' Elrohir spoke, knowing Gimli was waiting to hear it.

Then he rose, the healer turning into a warrior within a heartbeat.

'We should prepare. They draw nearer.'

'Let them come!'

It was Gudin who spoke, his eyes alight with battle lust.