Color of Distress
Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings, it's characters, places, events, etc. does not belong to me in any way, and this fic has been written for my own entertainment purposes, and for the entertainment of those who chose to read it.
Chapter 15 - "These are strange times…"
Gimli sighed contentedly and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, muttering incoherently. He rolled onto his side, still half-dreaming about roast meat and warm fires. Gimli scratched the side of his neck and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. He heard a light swish and the sound of something hit the ground next to his head. Gimli was up immediately, and next to him was one of Legolas' arrows. He snatched it from the ground and stared at it, confused.
"Have you suddenly lost your mind and decided that I was an orc?" Gimli called to Legolas, who was standing far out.
"Wake Aragorn. It is time we moved on." Legolas replied without turning around.
"Normal people do not wake their friends up by trying to kill them." Gimli said, looking forward to banter with Legolas.
"I would like my arrow back when you are finished."
"Ah. Very well." Gimli figured that Legolas was just cranky from a lack of sleep, and went to wake Aragorn.
"Legolas tells it is time to move on." He said while he shook Aragorn awake. "And he's not in a very good mood today, either." Gimli added as an afterthought.
Aragorn grunted. "I don't blame him." He rubbed his eyes and stood up to begin packing his things.
Gimli brought the arrow to Legolas, who placed it into his quiver without a word. "The orcs are now completely out of sight." He said finally, and turned his somber eyes to the dwarf.
"Is anything the matter?" Gimli asked.
"Look to the sky. There has been a battle, and much blood has been shed. Do you see the sun rising? It is painted red."
Aragorn came up and clasped Legolas' shoulder. "I never thought you believed in these superstitions." He said amiably, trying to lift Legolas' foul mood.
Legolas' flinched slightly from his touch, and turned around to face the man, miffed. "These are more than superstitions; they are truths." He said. "Are you ready to go?"
Aragorn watched Legolas stalk off pensively with an expression that gave none of his thoughts away.
They had been running for perhaps two hours when Aragorn stopped suddenly and kneeled on the ground. Gimli, huffing with effort, caught up to him.
"What is it?"
Aragorn brushed the grass with the tips of his fingers. "The orcs had come this way." He replied thoughtfully, and moved further, studying flattened grass intently.
Legolas came and stood by them without a word, but with a rather impatient look on his face. A faint gleam on the ground caught his eye, and he motioned Aragorn over.
Aragorn picked the object up. "It is one of the brooches we received in Lothlorien. It must be Merry or Pippin's." he said, and stood up, brushing off his knees.
"But…but then… the hobbits?" Gimli trailed off with an uneasy face, not wanting to voice what he was thinking.
Aragorn gave a small smile. "Have faith. I'd wager that one of them dropped it here for us, and it is as good a sign as any that they are still alive and well." He looked at Legolas. "Is that not good news?"
"Of course." Legolas replied, and turned his gaze into the distance. After a long pause, he looked back. "A large band approaches."
"How far are they?" Aragorn asked brusquely, going to stand next to Legolas, squinting. "I cannot see them."
Gimli joined them. "That's where those elvish eyes are useful." He said wisely, but opening his eyes wide and trying to see them as well.
"Perhaps another quarter hour would bring them to where we are." Legolas said. " They are about two hundred of them… men, to be sure, and riding horses. I cannot clearer see their flags, so I do not know where they stand."
"Good work!" Gimli said, grinning. "So here is my plan. We shall hide, and if they are foes, we remain hiding. But if they appear to be friends, we jump out at them and ask them if they happened to pass a horde of orcs on their way here."
Legolas watched them through veiled eyes, and kept his turmoil hidden. He was grateful that Gimli and Aragorn hadn't noticed beyond his 'foul mood'. His head pounded with the effort of remaining silent when he wanted to scream.
He did not ask for help, nor did he want it right now. To ask for help would have taken effort in silencing the voice first, and he didn't want to break the delicate balance between himself and the voice by doing that. He had just come to the perfect compromise of submission and resistance.
Legolas kept his hands in firm fists by his side, not wanting to risk hurting his friends. Like this morning; the incident with the arrow, he nearly shot through Gimli, but regained his senses at the last moment and shot it to his side instead. He also kept slightly more apart from them, speaking only when he needed to, avoiding any sort of contact
And now, he leaned drooping against the rock, exhausted from not even being able to sleep a bit, although he told Aragorn and Gimli otherwise. Legolas let his head rest on his knees drowsily, listlessly listening in on Aragorn and Gimli's conversation to his left.
He stared at a patch of green grass between his knees, wondering disinterestedly how something could still manage to grow and flourish while others could be in such suffering. A snatch of a song began nagging at his mind, desperately trying to find it's way out.
"A Elbereth… Gilthoniel…" He whispered to the ground. The wind blew at him insistently, tugging at his memory. "silivren…. Penna… míriel..." Legolas gained a bit of confidence, and sat up a little more, struggling to recall the words. For some reason, he felt that if could remember the song, all would be well again. "O menel - "
Gimli gave a low shout. "Here they come. There were much faster than you thought, Legolas."
Legolas was close to crying. He had lost his train of thoughts and could not remember anymore. The voice chuckled, and he doggedly ignored it, turning his attention to the men. He watched the riders approach, and to his surprise, surround them at an astonishing speed.
"What is your business here?" The man in the lead barked, eyeing the warily. "We do not welcome strangers in the Riddermark, especially in times of strife."
Gimli snorted in amusement, to show he did not think the man was very authoritative. "Our business is our own."
"This is the land of my people, and as a result, all business being conducted should be known to us." He pointed his sword at Gimli in warning.
Legolas, although in a clouded state of mind, felt such loyalty to Gimli that he was startled enough to draw and arrow and fit it into his bow. "You will not touch him." He growled in a voice quite unlike his own, one full of menace and danger.
Aragorn cast them a dark look, and raised his palms to show the riders he had no ill will towards them. "A band of uruk-hai kidnapped out friends and have been traveling through these lands. We are looking for them, and are merely passing through."
The man, seeming not to mistrust them as much as he did earlier because of Aragorn's civilities, dismounted his horse and stood inspecting them. "You mean that ragged orc army that was running at a frightening speed?" Seeing Aragorn's nod, he continued. "My men and I did battle with them last night, and we left none alive. We killed everything in that camp."
Legolas looked at the ground, taking in the earth-shattering blow in silence. Another two are gone…
"Are you sure?" Gimli said loudly. "Are you quite sure? Our two friends are hobbits, they'd appear child-like to your eyes." His eyes were bright with disbelief, and the shakiness of his voice betrayed his anguish.
"I am sorry. We killed everything in that camp." He repeated, and took off his helmet in deference to them. "My name is Eomer, the third marshal of Rohan."
Aragorn threw off his hood and unsheathed his sword, holding it before them the bright blade of Anduril. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." For a moment, Legolas was moved out of his misery in awe of Aragorn's commanding tone.
Eomer took an involuntary step back, and inclined his head to Aragorn with uttering a word.
"This is Legolas, son of Thranduil of the Mirkwood realm, and my trusted companion, along with Gimli, son of Gloin." Aragorn said.
Legolas' heart ached at the introduction. The mention of his father made Legolas wish that he were there to help him. As for trusted companion…
"These are strange times." Eomer said, almost to himself. "That I should meet you, or see an elf in the company of a dwarf." He sent Legolas and Gimli a look of apology. "Why, last summer, we even had a wizard visit us."
"A wizard?" Aragorn inquired mildly. "Tell us, what was his name?"
"Gandalf, as he told our king. Theoden is mightily displeased with him when he came into the hall and warned us that Saruman would wage war from Isengard. Theoden didn't believe him, but now it seems what the wizard had said was coming true. To make the king even more angry, Gandalf took Shadowfax, our swiftest steed." Eomer glanced at them to see if they were still listening, and continued with a faint hint of pride. "The Rohirrim are known for their excellent horses."
Eomer remembered himself and motioned to some of his men, who came forward with two horses. "I would like to help your quest, but it seems impossible at the time. But take these horses and ride towards Fangorn, and perhaps you can search for your hobbit friends. You can still see the smoke from where we burned the orc carcasses, just ride out towards it."
Aragorn took the reins of the first horse and mounted it, not noticing Legolas' distressed face at the mention of Gandalf.
"That one it named Hasufel. Its original master was lost in last night's battle." Eomer turned to Legolas, who had automatically removed the saddle and handed it to one of the men. "And the name of the horse you are now seated on is Arod."
Gimli remained firmly standing on the ground, looking around uncomfortably. "I'd prefer not to ride a horse."
Legolas, who was petting the horse gently, straightened in his seat. "You cannot run alongside us, although we do know you are a swift and able runner." He said, smiling slightly but trembling inwardly. Legolas was afraid to be cheerful, and knew the voice would attack him hardest when he was happy. "Come and sit with me, and I will make sure you stay firmly in your seat."
Gimli gave a small moan, and approached Arod cautiously. The two men who brought forth the horses dismounted and helped him up behind Legolas, whom he clutched tightly. Arod whinnied and moved on its feet, upsetting Gimli who clutched Legolas all the more tighter. Legolas spoke a few soft words to the horse, which quieted immediately, nickering in affection for it's new master.
Eomer climbed into his own saddle again, ready to ride off. "I wish you good speed and good luck." He called to them, and with a shout, rode off with his men.
"Well then, we're off as well." Aragorn stirred his horse and began galloping off to the pillar of smoke that Eomer had spoken of.
"Ready, Master Dwarf?" Without waiting for a reply, they were off, following Aragorn closely.
Gimli shut his eyes tightly as they flew on, afraid that he would empty his stomach if he watched the passing landscape. It was a lot faster than running, but much more dangerous, in his opinion. As he clung to Legolas, he noticed that the elf felt unnaturally cold. He risked opening his eyes a crack to see the side of Legolas' face. From what he could tell, the elf's eyes held a strange light and dullness at the same time. It was a frightening sight, for he looked both dead and alive.
Gimli squeezed his eyes shut again, thinking hard and fast. At Amon Hen, Legolas had mentioned the return of the voice, but not once afterwards. It might be back and Legolas was just not saying anything to him or Aragorn. Or perhaps Legolas was plain exhausted. Gimli admitted to himself that he was ready to drop and sleep for a full month, maybe it was the same with Legolas. He discarded that thought immediately, saying to himself it was not in the nature of the elves to tire so easily.
What if he grieved for Boromir? He had taken the death of Gandalf quite hard. Gimli did see Legolas' expression when Eomer spoke about Gandalf, and noticed it hurt him still. But Aragorn was closer to Boromir than Legolas and did not show as much grief.
Gimli sighed in relief as they approached the dense forest, but then groaned lowly in agitation. Was there no end to this riddle?
To be continued….
I have purposely left the part out about what the voice did to Legolas as a bit of an experiment. ^_^ That's all I'm going to say for now, because the gap was intentional…. Oh… there was something else. I know that they met up with Eomer on the fourth morning, but I really wanted to condense this part of the story, so they met Eomer on the third morning instead. Hope you didn't really mind so much.
Hookay. You will not believe the week I'm having. You have to see this to believe it. On Tuesday, I had a religion test. Wednesday, I had a chemistry test. Thursday, I'm having a chemistry debate, a physics test, and another religion test. Friday, I have an English test. To top it off, I have to finish reading Les Miserables. All one thousand and something pages of it. Oh yes, Thursday night I'm starting a swimming instructor's course that runs to late at night, so there goes any time I have for studying for the English test. Miserable teachers and the cramming their doing to get in the mid-term marks…. *growls* Stupid education system, it's getting no one anywhere. Haven't they heard that ignorance is bliss???
On a lighter note… wait, there's no lighter note. Thanks to reviewers: Wandering-Ranger, Erhothwen Stary Night, Silent Angel, and Kaimelieamin.
Cheysuli – Wind… oh yes! I know where I got that idea. I had read Many Waters, by Madeline L'Engle, and one the main characters learned how to listen to the stars and wind, and I found that really great for some unfathomable reason. So I figured, heck, why can't elves listen in to the stars and the wind if they're so in tune with nature?
Dream Keeper: _I_LIKE_THE_UNDERSCORE_THING_YOU_DO_!!! ^_^ Okay, that's me being dumb. I'm eating chocolate covered espresso cookies, or that's what the wrapper is telling me, but whatever it is, it's helping stay awake right now. And thank god, because there is a heck of a lot of work to be done. *sighs*
Merrylyn: Hahah. If I ever EVER got to hug dear Leggy, I would swoon and faint. Anyways, I thought about the eyebrows of doom while I was writing my chem. Test today, and I just began cracking up. It's a good thing I had my periodic table and solubility chart to muffle my hysterical laughter.
RainyDays: Legolas calling out was an open-ended, take it as you see it thing. So sure, Legolas calling out for Aragorn all the way!
Soulsearcher-Arbariel: I've been popping anti-stress pills, aka chocolate covered espresso cookies by the load. It helps a lot. Especially when one needs to chain themselves to study. Oh that evil evil word…. As for "Tiro nin!" that was whoever you thought it was. Except for maybe Arwen, because she can't exactly pop in to the middle of the scene and scream that. Although she did pop into the movie to save Frodo, while poor Glorfindel was totally cut out. Darn it, I promised myself I wouldn't go ranting about that.
Torture_the_elf: I looked the orc/uruk/uruk-hai up (I check the majority of my facts before I write about them), and from it this is what I understood: The complete race of them are the orcs, while one of the subdivisions are uruk-hai. Uruk just a shortened term for uruk-hai, and literally means orc in the black speech. Sometimes I'm so busy I can barely keep up with my own fic, but I promise to check your fic out.
Lady-Daine: Ooh, make the membership of NSFWBCTOL to 3.422829, because my turtle has officially decided to join!
Well, hope you liked this chapter, and since things can only go up when you're down… by next week, I'll have an entirely busy-free week!