Once more: thank you to all of you for the unbelievable amount of reviews I
have received so far. as English is not my first language I am more than
happy to hear how well my stories are written. :-) and how much you enjoy
them.
a big thank you goes to my beta reader Little My!!!
so many asked for an update but RL is intruding once more and limited is my time for writing. so this chapter is very short, but I will try hard to post the next one as soon as possible.
So thanks to my faithful readers and one extra big thank you to everyone who took the time to write a review. It is deeply appreciated!!!
So, on with the story. and please. let me know if you like it
___
The twins silently passed through the woods, and no word was spoken until they had moved out of earshot of the dwarves. Then Elladan's hand came to rest upon Elrohir's arm, an enquiring glance directed at his brother. It was all that was needed between them for Elrohir to understand the question on his brother's mind.
'I do not believe them to be bushrangers,' he explained in a hushed voice, speaking thoughts he had kept to himself before. 'I counted close to two dozen and all of them on horseback.'
'Too valuable are horses for a group of bushrangers to possess so many.' Elladan agreed with his brother's unvoiced conclusion.
'Aye. That leaves not many other possibilities.'
'My guess would be a group of Rohirrim, searching for what we have already found. If the dwarves have been informed by Aragorn of what befell Gimli, then he will have sent a messenger to Eomer as well.'
'I do not doubt it, for it would do no good to keep the King of the Mark uninformed of the tidings in his own land. But we know not for sure if these riders are Rohirrim.'
'Nay, we do not. This is why we creep through this wood like two thieves,' Elladan smiled. 'Is this the right direction or have you lost your way?'
Elrohir shook his head in something very close to exasperation. 'I never lose my way, brother mine. That is your speciality, if I remember correctly. But I wish to make sure Legolas is still well. To have left him like this fills me with unease.'
A short nod was all that was needed to signal his twin's agreement, and only a few moments later they reached the place where they had left Legolas. Kneeling down Elrohir quickly checked his condition, finding him still unconscious but stable. A quick smile told Elladan that all was well and they moved on again, sparing no glance at the bound man who had watched them with a mixture of fear and hate.
'What do you think our proud Mirkwood elf will say if he finds out he has been bought by Gimli?' It was Elladan who asked, his voice low enough to only be heard by the sharp ears of another elf.
A look of surprise crossed Elrohir's face at that.
'I did not think of this before,' he confessed as a grin slowly formed on his face. 'But it is true--he belongs to Gimli now.'
'Aye, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about it. I doubt not that the dwarf will take great pleasure in telling him this.'
'But did Gimli not take back the piece of jewellery he traded for Legolas?' Elrohir could see the sly grin on his brother's face. 'What did you do?'
'Nothing.' A most innocent expression passed over Elladan's face. For a moment he held up a small thing, glittering silver and red. A soft chuckle escaped Elrohir.
'You took it?'
'Aye. I wished for Legolas to see what his worth is in mithril and gems.'
They shared a grin, mischief sparkling in two identical sets of grey eyes. But as quickly as it had come the moment of bantering had passed
'We need to go west.'
More years of experience in travelling and hunting together than a mortal could imagine made words unnecessary, as they quickly made their way in the direction of the riders. At one point they separated without sharing much more than a short glance, each of them disappearing into their surroundings without a sound.
After only a few steps Elrohir chose to leave the ground, leaping up into a tree as effortlessly as he had been walking on the ground. A few quick movements and he was up high, allowing him to overlook his surroundings. Keen eyes searched for any movement that would tell him the position of the riders, but he could not make out anything. So he went lower again, moving forward through the trees until he could feel the tension in the air that told of strangers in this forest-- intruders of which these woods were wary.
Once more he climbed higher and this time he could see movement some distance away. Only a few heartbeats later he could hear the sound of horses moving. The elf leaned forward a bit, concentrating as he made out the sound of voices. Keen ears tried to catch the words, to learn more of those strangers. He closed his eyes as he strained his sense of hearing, solely focusing on the voice he could hear speaking.
So it came that the soft sound of rustling close to him took a few moments to register, then his eyes snapped open and his hand darted towards his long knife. But he froze in mid movement, the sight of an arrowhead aiming at his left eye enough to immobilize him.
@@@
'Use rope, their belts and everything you can find to bind them.'
Gimli's voice was calm as he spoke, not betraying the feeling of unease that had settled over him. He knew not who it was that Elrohir had made out approaching them, but there was a high possibility of them not being friends. And that would mean a lot of trouble for them. On foot there was no way to outrun horses, and while the elves were able to disappear into the forest without leaving a trace, dwarves surely could not.
And then there was Legolas. Elrohir had calmed Gimli's worry when he had assured him he would recover quickly but right now the dwarf knew his friend to be unconscious, which meant that in the case of a fight he would be unable to defend himself. Carrying him would mean another hindrance for a quick escape. The odds were not with them, the dwarf concluded grimly.
His dark mood was reinforced when he searched Karim's pockets without finding what he was looking for. The man was half-mad with pain, the agony his broken shoulder caused him clouding his mind. He only whimpered, staring at Gimli with unseeing eyes as the dwarf asked him for the piece of jewellery that had been the price for Legolas.
But even the dark anger in the dwarf's eyes had not penetrated through the haze Karim was lost in, and finally Gimli had to admit defeat. A feeling of deep loss overwhelmed him for a moment as he turned from the man. It had been the only thing to remind him of Nirith.
But then he remembered an elf's laughter and his heart lifted. If this had been the price to pay for Legolas's life and freedom then it had been worth it. For a moment he imagined the feeling of loss had he not found the elf alive and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. No, he would rather give away the Glittering Caves themselves ere he faced this.
The task of immobilizing their captives finished, the dwarves collected their weapons and prepared to leave. The unease Gimli had felt for leaving Legolas behind had returned and he chose to throw caution to the wind, not caring for silence as they made their way back in haste.
With great relief Gimli found his friend in the same position as he had left him, still covered and protected by the Lorien cloak. Kneeling down he studied the elf carefully, taking in the pale face as well as the even breathing. There was no sign of the elf waking up but still he tried, calling his name and shaking him, careful not to jostle the wounded arm. No response came and the small hope Gimli had harboured fled, leaving a feeling of dread in its wake.
A sudden sound, loud in his ears, made him jump to his feet, fingers curling around the haft of his axe. Around him his companions took a battle- ready stance as well. But he recovered instantly, tension leaving him with a relieved sigh as he took in the cause of the noise.
A big horse slowly trotted towards him, as if it was the most natural thing that it would be here.
'Arod,' Gimli hissed in surprise. They had left the horses behind, which meant in the way of the elves that they had unburdened them and let them go free, to call for them when needed. It was a method Gimli had never learned to trust completely, not fully understanding how the horses would know when they were needed again.
'Worry not, my friend,' Legolas had once explained to him. 'The wind and the trees carry the call of their owners towards them, so it will reach them wherever they are.'
He had not called for Arod now, and neither had Legolas, of that he was quite sure. Still the horse was here and looking at him with large, dark eyes.
Staring back, it slowly dawned on Gimli that he might be just the solution to their problem. On foot, the dwarves would not have been able to escape the riders. But on horse the odds were completely different. If Arod was here, Gimli was sure Selena was not far away and the twins would know how to summon their horses.
This seemed to be just another of those elven ways he did not understand. Legolas would probably tell him that the trees had spoken to Arod, telling him he was needed. Whatever the reason might be, Gimli would not question it but simply be glad the horse was here.
His heart lighter than before, Gimli watched as Arod stopped next to Legolas, his head bowing down to prod the silent form.
'No, Arod,' Gimli spoke in a soft voice, causing the horse to look at him once more. 'Leave him be.'
Letting out something that sounded like a snort the horse obeyed, stepping back. With a smile Gimli reached out to pat him.
Using the moment to quickly have a few bites of food and drink some water, the dwarves settled down, each of them ready to leave at a moment's notice. Tension was visible on their faces and hardly a word was spoken as they sat and waited for the twins to return.
so many asked for an update but RL is intruding once more and limited is my time for writing. so this chapter is very short, but I will try hard to post the next one as soon as possible.
So thanks to my faithful readers and one extra big thank you to everyone who took the time to write a review. It is deeply appreciated!!!
So, on with the story. and please. let me know if you like it
___
The twins silently passed through the woods, and no word was spoken until they had moved out of earshot of the dwarves. Then Elladan's hand came to rest upon Elrohir's arm, an enquiring glance directed at his brother. It was all that was needed between them for Elrohir to understand the question on his brother's mind.
'I do not believe them to be bushrangers,' he explained in a hushed voice, speaking thoughts he had kept to himself before. 'I counted close to two dozen and all of them on horseback.'
'Too valuable are horses for a group of bushrangers to possess so many.' Elladan agreed with his brother's unvoiced conclusion.
'Aye. That leaves not many other possibilities.'
'My guess would be a group of Rohirrim, searching for what we have already found. If the dwarves have been informed by Aragorn of what befell Gimli, then he will have sent a messenger to Eomer as well.'
'I do not doubt it, for it would do no good to keep the King of the Mark uninformed of the tidings in his own land. But we know not for sure if these riders are Rohirrim.'
'Nay, we do not. This is why we creep through this wood like two thieves,' Elladan smiled. 'Is this the right direction or have you lost your way?'
Elrohir shook his head in something very close to exasperation. 'I never lose my way, brother mine. That is your speciality, if I remember correctly. But I wish to make sure Legolas is still well. To have left him like this fills me with unease.'
A short nod was all that was needed to signal his twin's agreement, and only a few moments later they reached the place where they had left Legolas. Kneeling down Elrohir quickly checked his condition, finding him still unconscious but stable. A quick smile told Elladan that all was well and they moved on again, sparing no glance at the bound man who had watched them with a mixture of fear and hate.
'What do you think our proud Mirkwood elf will say if he finds out he has been bought by Gimli?' It was Elladan who asked, his voice low enough to only be heard by the sharp ears of another elf.
A look of surprise crossed Elrohir's face at that.
'I did not think of this before,' he confessed as a grin slowly formed on his face. 'But it is true--he belongs to Gimli now.'
'Aye, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about it. I doubt not that the dwarf will take great pleasure in telling him this.'
'But did Gimli not take back the piece of jewellery he traded for Legolas?' Elrohir could see the sly grin on his brother's face. 'What did you do?'
'Nothing.' A most innocent expression passed over Elladan's face. For a moment he held up a small thing, glittering silver and red. A soft chuckle escaped Elrohir.
'You took it?'
'Aye. I wished for Legolas to see what his worth is in mithril and gems.'
They shared a grin, mischief sparkling in two identical sets of grey eyes. But as quickly as it had come the moment of bantering had passed
'We need to go west.'
More years of experience in travelling and hunting together than a mortal could imagine made words unnecessary, as they quickly made their way in the direction of the riders. At one point they separated without sharing much more than a short glance, each of them disappearing into their surroundings without a sound.
After only a few steps Elrohir chose to leave the ground, leaping up into a tree as effortlessly as he had been walking on the ground. A few quick movements and he was up high, allowing him to overlook his surroundings. Keen eyes searched for any movement that would tell him the position of the riders, but he could not make out anything. So he went lower again, moving forward through the trees until he could feel the tension in the air that told of strangers in this forest-- intruders of which these woods were wary.
Once more he climbed higher and this time he could see movement some distance away. Only a few heartbeats later he could hear the sound of horses moving. The elf leaned forward a bit, concentrating as he made out the sound of voices. Keen ears tried to catch the words, to learn more of those strangers. He closed his eyes as he strained his sense of hearing, solely focusing on the voice he could hear speaking.
So it came that the soft sound of rustling close to him took a few moments to register, then his eyes snapped open and his hand darted towards his long knife. But he froze in mid movement, the sight of an arrowhead aiming at his left eye enough to immobilize him.
@@@
'Use rope, their belts and everything you can find to bind them.'
Gimli's voice was calm as he spoke, not betraying the feeling of unease that had settled over him. He knew not who it was that Elrohir had made out approaching them, but there was a high possibility of them not being friends. And that would mean a lot of trouble for them. On foot there was no way to outrun horses, and while the elves were able to disappear into the forest without leaving a trace, dwarves surely could not.
And then there was Legolas. Elrohir had calmed Gimli's worry when he had assured him he would recover quickly but right now the dwarf knew his friend to be unconscious, which meant that in the case of a fight he would be unable to defend himself. Carrying him would mean another hindrance for a quick escape. The odds were not with them, the dwarf concluded grimly.
His dark mood was reinforced when he searched Karim's pockets without finding what he was looking for. The man was half-mad with pain, the agony his broken shoulder caused him clouding his mind. He only whimpered, staring at Gimli with unseeing eyes as the dwarf asked him for the piece of jewellery that had been the price for Legolas.
But even the dark anger in the dwarf's eyes had not penetrated through the haze Karim was lost in, and finally Gimli had to admit defeat. A feeling of deep loss overwhelmed him for a moment as he turned from the man. It had been the only thing to remind him of Nirith.
But then he remembered an elf's laughter and his heart lifted. If this had been the price to pay for Legolas's life and freedom then it had been worth it. For a moment he imagined the feeling of loss had he not found the elf alive and his heart clenched painfully in his chest. No, he would rather give away the Glittering Caves themselves ere he faced this.
The task of immobilizing their captives finished, the dwarves collected their weapons and prepared to leave. The unease Gimli had felt for leaving Legolas behind had returned and he chose to throw caution to the wind, not caring for silence as they made their way back in haste.
With great relief Gimli found his friend in the same position as he had left him, still covered and protected by the Lorien cloak. Kneeling down he studied the elf carefully, taking in the pale face as well as the even breathing. There was no sign of the elf waking up but still he tried, calling his name and shaking him, careful not to jostle the wounded arm. No response came and the small hope Gimli had harboured fled, leaving a feeling of dread in its wake.
A sudden sound, loud in his ears, made him jump to his feet, fingers curling around the haft of his axe. Around him his companions took a battle- ready stance as well. But he recovered instantly, tension leaving him with a relieved sigh as he took in the cause of the noise.
A big horse slowly trotted towards him, as if it was the most natural thing that it would be here.
'Arod,' Gimli hissed in surprise. They had left the horses behind, which meant in the way of the elves that they had unburdened them and let them go free, to call for them when needed. It was a method Gimli had never learned to trust completely, not fully understanding how the horses would know when they were needed again.
'Worry not, my friend,' Legolas had once explained to him. 'The wind and the trees carry the call of their owners towards them, so it will reach them wherever they are.'
He had not called for Arod now, and neither had Legolas, of that he was quite sure. Still the horse was here and looking at him with large, dark eyes.
Staring back, it slowly dawned on Gimli that he might be just the solution to their problem. On foot, the dwarves would not have been able to escape the riders. But on horse the odds were completely different. If Arod was here, Gimli was sure Selena was not far away and the twins would know how to summon their horses.
This seemed to be just another of those elven ways he did not understand. Legolas would probably tell him that the trees had spoken to Arod, telling him he was needed. Whatever the reason might be, Gimli would not question it but simply be glad the horse was here.
His heart lighter than before, Gimli watched as Arod stopped next to Legolas, his head bowing down to prod the silent form.
'No, Arod,' Gimli spoke in a soft voice, causing the horse to look at him once more. 'Leave him be.'
Letting out something that sounded like a snort the horse obeyed, stepping back. With a smile Gimli reached out to pat him.
Using the moment to quickly have a few bites of food and drink some water, the dwarves settled down, each of them ready to leave at a moment's notice. Tension was visible on their faces and hardly a word was spoken as they sat and waited for the twins to return.