I am back from vacation all! I had a wonderful time and I got to see 'Pirates of the Carribean' because it was still showing in theatres in Ontario! Very happy about that let me tell you. I found it funny in moments – and it was a fun thing to go and watch at any rate.
Welcome to my newest reviewers – FallIntoNothing and Pirate-chicha.
Sorry to those of you who I have not reviewed yet. I have been very busy and I will get to it asap. That all being said – here is the next chapter!
Chapter #29 ~ To Those Who Survived...
Aragorn paced uneasily along what remained of the wall of Helm's Deep. The loose chunks of stone were slowly being cleared away or repaired and the bodies of the dead were being moved away, either to be prepared for burial or to be disposed of. There were so many fallen - so many dead.
The ranger pushed such thoughts from his mind, knowing that if he dwelt too long on them he would have no choice but to despair. He faced war at its most brutal and revealing instant - the moment after the fighting had died, and slowly those who survived could look around and take stock of the devastation. Though they still lived, this could not be considered a victory. Too much suffering and pain, too much loss had to be endured.
As the children, women and elderly had been released from the underground caverns they had taken shelter in, they had quietly begun the tedious task of tending the wounded and aiding in the general clean up process. Yet tears streaked the faces of many, and although the people of Rohan grieved with a quiet sort of dignified sorrow, it did not lessen the pain that could be felt upon the air.
Too much had been sacrificed.
Aragorn paused in his pacing, kicking a stray chunk of loose stone from his path angrily. The ranger had been almost continually helping the injured, his skills as a healer being in great demand, and although he recognized the importance of what he did another part of him wished to ignore this duty in favour of simply tracking down and finding Legolas, for the elf had yet to be seen in the aftermath of this battle.
Sighing and pushing damp hair from his eyes Aragorn stared out over the new forest that engulfed Helm's Deep. Since their initial approach the trees had not moved; settled they seemed now in their spots and inanimate. They had spoken to none, and only a few staggered survivors had emerged from beneath the forest boughs. The people of Rohan feared travelling through them, in search of other survivors, and Aragorn could not blame those for their hesitation - for there was a palpable feeling of anger about the forest that could not so easily be breached.
"Any sign of him?" a gentle voice questioned from beside him.
"Nay Lady. Legolas has yet to emerge," Aragorn sighed, feeling his shoulders slump in weariness. One of his hands came up to gently stroke the pendant at his throat as he stared forward. "Am I needed back?" he asked, certain that Éowyn had been sent to fetch him.
"No. You need rest, my Lord. I would escort you to a place where you might find it, if you would but follow me," she replied, her tone attempting to sound reasonable, though she was aware her chances of getting the ranger to sleep were almost nonexistent.
"Lady," Aragorn began patiently, "I will not rest until my services are needed no longer and the safety of my comrades has been assured."
"The hobbit recovers well enough. He woke briefly and we got some broth into him - which will do him no end of good. He will mend well," Éowyn assured.
"And Legolas?" Aragorn probed. "How shall we ever know what has become of him unless we organize a search party to enter there?"
The shield-maiden turned her gaze back to the darkness of the forest, a silent mass of greenery rising stonily upwards to cradle the sinking sunk in their branches. "We do not know if it is safe to send people in there. Though these... these Ents have aided us there is a certain..." she trailed off here as she considered how best to word her reply. "They do not seem to want us to enter and walk among them. They project anger and hostility so loudly that ever we children, born of the plains, sense it. I think we must air on the side of caution. We cannot risk sending people in, nor what might happen should we do so. Legolas is strong and I am certain he will be all right," she reassured gently.
One of her hands came forwards tenderly to momentarily caress the back of Aragorn's hand, which hung loosely at his side. The intimacy of the contact struck Aragorn and he looked at her startled, unsure of what to make of it.
She merely shook her head, cutting off what he might say with a small, sad but knowing smile. "Forgive me, my lord, I am tired and am not myself," she owned quietly, withdrawing a few steps from him.
Aragorn looked after her, feeling sympathy well within him as understanding took hold; the intensity of her gazes in the past suddenly holding the truth of their meaning within his memory. "I..." he started, wishing to lessen her pain and offer comfort, yet she held up her hand once again, silencing him quickly.
"Tell me of her. The woman who gave you that jewel," she asked lightly, though she did not look at him as she inquired.
Aragorn touched the stone gently, his mind absorbing with gladness the fond memories he held of the daughter of Elrond, distracting him, if only momentarily, from the horror which currently surrounded him. He could remember the softness of her skin, the radiance of her beauty, the tenderness of her voice. So real, the image could almost have been alive, yet as he exhaled and opened his eyes once again the moment passed and the present once again imposed itself upon him.
"She will sail west, with what remains of her kin," he spoke hollowly.
"No. No, she will not," Éowyn said softly, conviction and certainty marking her words. "For that would make her a fool and you would not have given your heart too such a one."
"Lady..." but again she cut him off firmly with a dismissive hand gesture.
"Let us say no more of this, my lord. I am sorry I have breached such a subject, for it is surely none of my affair." Shaking hair from her eyes she forced a somewhat contrived smile upon her lips, wincing before the action even reached its completion, her face a mass of bruises.
"As you would have it, Lady," Aragorn said lightly, though sorrow was evident in his tone, as a gift that had been offered freely was denied.
"So will you take rest, if only briefly? You shoulders are stooping with weariness and your eyes are darkened beneath. You are close to collapsing," she said, diagnosing him with a critical eye.
"But Legolas..."
"My brother has ordered that none are to enter there until we have been granted permission. He would risk no more lives or the possibility of conflict this day. You will have to have patience, my lord."
Aragorn sighed dejectedly. "I could not sleep, no mater what my body might wish. If I cannot look for Legolas then I will return to tend more of the injured, for there is no shortage of people who are in pain."
"As you wish, my lord. Would you be so kind as to check on my brother once again as well, for despite his denial he is still in much pain?"
"I would be glad to, Lady, though I doubt your brother will like the thought of my coddling him," Aragorn said with a slight hint of laughter.
"If he complains too much then place the blame on me, my lord, for I do not fear his temper or moods," she replied with a mischievous grin. "I shall brave his wrath and see to it that he submits to your examination."
Aragorn laughed, feeling suddenly lighter at heart, despite the fact that the situation had not changed at all. "Valar be praised that I was spared the cunning nature of a sister," he said, his tone light and playful, making Éowyn smile all the more.
So the two dissolved into the throws of hysterical laughter, leaning on each other for support and wiping half-heartedly at the tears that streamed down their faces.
They were still alive.
~*~
"For the Shire," Pippin groaned miserably. "A pox on those bright days that now mock the headache I experience." Moaning uncomfortably, the hobbit tried to shield his tender eyes from the sinking light that poured in through the window near his bed. "Let the night come, enough with this lingering annoyance," he grumbled, his complaints earning him a chuckle from the King of the Mark, who rested nearby.
"I would have thought that after the trials of this past night you would not so quickly embrace the darkness again, little one," Éomer commented dryly.
"Perhaps, but the night time air will not make these spikes of pain lance my head and cloud my vision," Pippin moaned theatrically.
"Ah. I am sorry that you suffer on behalf of my people," the horse-lord said quietly then, his mirth fading quickly to sorrow. He sighed despondently as he shifted his gaze from his companion to the window.
The hobbit blinked. Turning to look at the human with concern. "We all suffer. I would suffer wherever I happened to be if not here. So shall we all continue to as long as the darkness of Mordor approaches," he spoke, a certain wisdom coating the words that had come with the loss of his innocence.
"You are a contradiction, master hobbit," Éomer said, stirred by the simple passion of Pippin's words. "You give the appearance of such innocence, yet I think from listening to you that you have a much closer familiarity with what we face then I myself do. I could easily wish to possess you conviction."
"Think you that you lack it?" Pippin asked in shock. "You, who led our victory here and saw to it that your people lived to see another day? It is simple for an individual to see the truth and act upon it, but it is much more of a burden to lead a group and be all of their eyes, ears and hearts. No, my lord, do not doubt your strength in this. I am and always will be but a simple hobbit."
Éomer laughed lightly. "I would not choose to describe you as simple."
The hobbit shrugged, his physical discomfort forgotten momentarily as he was easily distracted by his conversation. "Then you would be one of the few," he said, smiling.
"Then many have underestimated you, halfling. For there is a quiet strength about you."
Pippin grinned, feeling a flush of pride swell within himself as he absorbed the full implications of the compliment. "I think any person could find strength, lord, if they followed under your banner," he said quietly, suddenly knowing that he would serve Rohan gladly till the end of his days if it meant that these people could achieve peace and thrive.
The human smiled at him warmly, but the moment between the two was broken as Aragorn and Éowyn entered, still smiling and laughing lightly together.
"Ah, so our patients are both awake," Aragorn said happily, his eyes raking over the two prone figures.
"Awake but not whole," Pippin complained. "Have you no drugs that might lessen the pain?"
Aragorn snorted. "Master hobbit. Long have I travelled with you now and I think I have you firmly pegged, enough to know that you take a certain delight in engrossing the nature of your battle scars. Your throws do not move me."
Pippin opened his mouth to protest but ended up laughing slightly instead. "Well we cannot all claim to be as you, Strider, and infallible." The company laughed lightly, while the ranger looked on somewhat sheepishly. Pippin sobered quickly though. "Is there any news of Legolas, for I would thank the elf for saving my life?"
The ranger's face delved into an expression of utter unhappiness before he was better able to mask his emotions. "Not as of yet, but do not lose hope. An elf thrives best in the forest and knowing Legolas he has completely forgotten about us and the passage of time as he converses with the Ents, for I am sure there would be no greater a treasure to one of the first-born," Aragorn said lightly.
Pippin nodded, immediately accepting the words to heart. He smiled lightly. "Well when he does arrive send him up to me so I can scold him for his tardiness and lecture him for the worry he has caused us all by making us wait," the hobbit instructed Aragorn.
"I would leave such a task to no other. You shall have the first go at the elf, as long as all present here recognize my claim to have the second at what remains of him when you are finished," Aragorn replied, a small smirk across his face.
"So be it," Pippin replied, laughing heartily.
Aragorn moved closer to Éomer, kneeling beside the other man's bed stiffly. Though the ranger would not own to it his own body felt incredibly unresponsive and pain would throb mercilessly throughout his form with each movement he made. "My king, if you would sit up, I would examine that cut you took to your ribs once again."
Éomer eyed Aragorn for a moment before looking mutinously at his sister. "There is no need. I am as comfortable as can be expected and the wound has been well tended once already," he said, his gaze still locked with Éowyn.
"All the same, my lord, I would see it once more for some orcish poisons are slow to manifest themselves and it had been several hours since I last examined this," Aragorn said, trying to sound as reasonable and sure of himself as possible.
Éomer sighed, sitting up slowly, the smallest of grunts of pain escaping his lips as he completed the motion. Undoing the ties of his shirt he let it hang open, giving Aragorn access to the bandages that wrapped his torso and ribs. The ranger proceeded with his examination quickly, redressing the injury once he was finished.
"It appears clean, though deep. The stitches seem to be holding it well, yet it will keep you bedridden for a few days more," Aragorn quickly held up a hand to silence the protest Éomer began to make upon hearing this. "No. It is important that you keep still for I do not want you stretching or tearing the wound any more then it has already been."
"I will see to it that he follows your instructions," Éowyn assured quickly, ignoring the scowl she received from her brother after speaking.
"Rest for now, King of the Mark," Aragorn said. "I shall keep a close eye on your progress and if you follow my instructions diligently then we might have you up and moving again more quickly then I can foresee at this point of time."
Éomer sighed unhappily, sinking back down into the soft blankets of his bed. "Well... give me a report on how my people fare," he requested, realizing he would not be allowed to go and check on these things himself.
"Well," Éowyn started, "the construction..."
~*~
Legolas felt heavy, in the sense that there was a weight upon him, digging painfully into his back and shoulders. He lay upon the ground, his face pressed into its hard surface, not moving as his mind slowly once again embraced consciousness. Blinking his eyes open, though they felt heavy and were slow to respond, the elf tried to push himself upright, yet lacked the strength to dislodge whatever was atop of him off.
Slumping back down in defeat, he breathed out deeply; enjoying the scent of pine, damp leaves, and the rustic aroma of bark. It was so comforting to be once again surrounded by the familiar odours and Legolas soon found himself caring little of anything else. He sucked in deep breaths through his nose and could easily have laughed at the perfectness of the moment, so overjoyed was he to once again be surrounded by the comfort embrace of the forest.
His head throbbed in dull agony, making the darkness behind his closed eyelids swirl - if one patch of ebony could be so distinguished for the same hue of another. The elf spent several moments contemplating the nature of blindness as he looked upon the insides of his eyes and he briefly wondered how humans could embrace such an unnatural state with such enthusiasm as they slept.
Forcing his eyes open once again proved just as difficult in this second attempt as it had been in the first, yet the elf managed to keep them open, though they watered unabashedly with pain; salty tears dripping from his face to be absorbed by the cold, unforgiving ground.
He was lying in such an awkward position and half of his body already felt numb with the barest of sensations from the lack of circulation. Coughing out a mouthful of metallic tasting bile and blood he turned his head slightly, so that it was lying more on its side now then directly face-first in the dirt.
Sunlight steamed down in patches through the thick canopy of leaves above, and the elf watched with detached fascination as the light splayed across the rough bark of the closest trunk; the brown colour being transformed into a million different shades that had yet to be defined or categorised by language. The elf in Legolas immediately desired to give voice and identify the rarity of the moment - yet that which held him pinned to the ground had yet to move or be shifted and as Legolas' mind cleared more and more he felt inclined to investigate his own position better.
Trying to command one of his sleep-numbed limbs, he slipped his right hand from beneath him so that it was stretched out, groaning as feeling slowly started to tingle its way to the tips of his fingers. As the limb slowly became more and more responsive he brought it to his forehead, feeling the crusty remains of blood dried on his face and knotted in his hair. With a grimace of disgust he tried to ignore what his appearance must be, and reached back heavy-handedly to feel what was currently on top of him.
Rough, spiked leather met his probing fingers, before cold, slippery skin did. With a loud, repulsed gasp the elf quickly retracted his hand, sure that at one point whatever was on him had lived. Trying to calm his minds overwhelming mind to panic with steady deep breaths, Legolas attempted to roll over, so that both of his hands might be free.
The maneuver was slow, but with an unflinching determination Legolas slowly rolled over so that he now rested on his back, staring up into the dead, unblinking eyes of an orc. The elf tried to recoil backwards, only to be impeded by the ground. Trying to restraint the overwhelming urge to scream or sob, Legolas slowly pushed the heavy bulk from him and once free of its weight he shuffled away, crying slightly until his back came to rest against a tree.
Taking deep breaths the elf closed his eyes once again in an attempt to calm his wildly racing heart and clear the foggy uncertainty of his mind. Everything seemed so hazy, so unreal - yet at the same time the elven prince was certain that he did not dream.
The forest remained unnaturally quiet. No birds sang, nor did a wind stir the boughs or rustle the leaves. It remained coldly quiet and, in almost a pleading desperation, Legolas reached out to the trees, listening to their cold hatred with a feeling of fear and dread. The forest was hostile and the elf was suddenly frightened of that overwhelming anger.
Trying to withdraw from the contact, Legolas crawled on unresponsive, heavy limbs away from the orcish corpse. His breathing was erratic and the ground in front of him swirled. Tears slide down his face, stinging as the salty water came in contact with wounds. The elf's entire being throbbed with pain and his body shook unsteadily with tremors - yet his desire to escape kept him conscious and moving.
The forest emanated such hostility. It was nothing that Legolas had ever felt before, even as his body collapsed, failing him and leaving him completely vulnerable. Curling tightly into a ball Legolas tried to make sense of the various sensations, yet his mind was too scattered and in his initial fear and pain he could not reason with his own emotions. The forest was screaming at him and he was incapable of keeping out its cry.
Covering his ears, his eyes snapped tightly shut, Legolas tried to ignore their pain and fury, yet he was weakened and incapable of doing so. He felt himself being torn apart as he was railroaded with outside stimuli, floored beneath the agony of nature itself.
Fighting to maintain a focus on himself as an individual, Legolas felt himself scream, as he tried to rip the voices from his head. As suddenly as the assault began, it faded. The trees seemed to realize the pain they caused him and they retracted their voices quickly, their anger melting in consideration of their concern.
The elf lay on his side trembling, sobbing into his drawn up knees and slowly he began too once again gain notice of that around him. A small tickling sensation gently caressed his cheek then, tender in its actions. Legolas blinked slowly, twisting his head until he could look up, the outline of a tree silhouetted against his vision.
"Forgive us, child. Long has it been since my people were able to converse with one of the first-born and I am afraid we might have overwhelmed you with our call," a deep rumbling voice said, a voice that reached down and vibrated throughout Legolas' body.
Blinking clear teary eyes, the elf was struck with the thought that if he dreamed he would wish to dream a bit longer - for the chance to talk directly to a tree. Yet his body demanded rest, and so it was that he once again slipped unconscious; his last glimpse of anything substantial being a large set of soulful eyes...
Reviewer Responses:
MoroTheWolfGod ~ Here is more – and I hope you enjoy the Legolas angst. Your continued support means a lot to me. ^_^
Lisette ~ I know! If it were up to me I would post a chapter a day but I simply don't have the time that would be required for that luxury. The end of the summer is going to be really hectic for me too before I return to school – but I will continue to try and post when I have the time. I love my cliffhangers. I know I have made some particularly evil ones – but I just cannot help myself, *grin*. When I read your review I was tempted to write in Gandalf – but in the end, after much debating, I choose not too – but thanks for the plot bunny – I almost borrowed it.
SpaceVixenX ~ I am glad you liked the battle scene from the last chapter – and I am sorry for taking so long to post this one. I was going to try to get it up before I left on vacation but I had to disconnect my laptop and so I missed eLLe mailing it back to me last Saturday night. Anyway – here it is now – with lots of elf angst so I hope that makes up for the wait.
Wellduh… ~ I am so glad it was good. You have no idea how much trouble I had writing a battle scene. I struggled over it and, well, I am just so pleased that it was pulled off in the end.
White Wolf ~ I am so pleased you liked my imagery. I got all pink at reading that compliment. Your fear for Legolas was well founded. He really did not come out of that fight all in one piece and then his rather overwhelming encounter with ents did not help much in the end there. Anyway – I hope my writing continues to provide you enjoyment.
Elfling ~ I loved your review! It was so original and I giggled all the way through it. ^_^ I am also pleased you enjoyed it. I love writing Pippin. He is one of my favorite characters to write – if not my favorite overall. I enjoying doing his dialogue so much. So, yes, I got to see PotC. It was pretty funny and there were some classic lines. I found the ending rather sappy but I suppose it was a disney film so… Johnny Depp did a brilliant job and Orlando Bloom was drop dead gorgeous. All in all it was a cute film and I am so happy to have finally seen it. I am so happy I am done my job too – I will not miss it and I am glad in three weeks I will simply a student once again.
Niori ~ So glad the last chapter was to your liking. As battle scenes go I was pretty happy with it too – and I am all eagerness to see what you have planned for some of your stories! Lots of sugar is good and I love the buzz that comes after eating a lot of it, lol.
Gwyn ~ You had me pegged. I hope I am not getting too predictable, lol. Anyway – I hope you liked the elf angst! See I even gave you more elf when I usually switch groups with each chapter. ^_^
Sirithiliel ~ Glad you liked it. I will try to get the next chapter back to you soon. This is the first real day I have had computer access since getting back – so it is on my list of things to do.
FallIntoNothing ~ So glad you enjoyed this and have joined the ranks of my reviewers. I welcome all comments and the knowledge that people are enjoying my writing just gives me such pleasure. Thank you for your kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy.
Rosie ~ Yes. I agree that writing action scenes is very difficult. Practice makes perfect though and most people seemed to enjoy it – which makes me happy.
Shaan Lien ~ Glad you liked the Aragorn and Legolas interaction in the last chapter. I had fun writing it – and I admit that I liked that scene too. Thanks for your review.
Pirate-chicha ~ Sorry for the evil cliffhangers, lol. I have a tendency to write those. Well – at least Pippin is all right, lol.
Kate Banancik ~ Thanks for reading my entire story and I am very much enjoying your own story. Please update it soon, hint hint.
Artemisa ~ Sorry – I am addicted to my cliffhangers. I hope the start of your semester is going well. I will be returning shortly too. Glad you are enjoying.
Lady Lenna ~ Glad that last chapter left you guessing and that you enjoyed it, lol. Eomer is cool and maybe Faramir will grow on you, lol. Thanks for your continued support.