Hi, everyone! I'm back and completely recovered, thanks to the therapy of my beta reader, Anarril. Thanks, 'Ril! And the next chapter is up! YAY!!! NE way… I should be saying the disclaimer and such, and responding to my reviewers, so I'll do that.
For full disclaimer and such, see first chapter.
Italics denote thoughts.
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Legolas caught his friend as the ranger stumbled over a hidden tree root while risking a look back to judge the amount of time they had left to get to safety. Aragorn nodded his thanks to the prince and moved ahead of the elves to find the cave he had hidden out in sometime earlier in the day. He found it with little difficulty and slipped inside. Despite the small entry, the cave itself was larger than Legolas had thought it would be. There was room enough for them to stand without fear of hitting their heads on the roof, and there was room for at least 30 people to fit in there comfortably and still have room for supplies for about a month.
"I'll admit, Strider, you really outdid yourself this time. I'm impressed. How did you find this?" Legolas caught the look the human gave him and laughed. "Don't tell me you tripped over a rock and fell headfirst into the opening. You did, didn't you?" Aragorn nodded, grinning sheepishly. "When will you learn to watch where you're going? Honestly, Strider, one of these days you'll really hurt yourself doing that." Suddenly, he held up a hand to stop the comment that Aragorn was going to say. "Shhh…" Legolas listened for a second. "They're close now." He cautioned, slipping closer to the opening of the cave.
"Where are they? You let them get away, you lazy oafs! What are we going to tell the master when he gets back?" the man who spoke was obviously in charge. The others cringed.
"Captain, we couldn't find they're tracks after they entered the forest. It's like they just…… disappeared." One of the other men spoke.
"You buffoon! Nobody can disappear! That's impossible!" the captain stalked off, the rest of his men trailing.
"That was close. Mariana, you did a good job covering our tracks. Thank you once again for saving my skin." Legolas commented, sliding to the floor of the cave. Then he turned to Aragorn. "Why are we here? You obviously had a purpose in mind if you rescued us back there."
"I need your help with something." The ranger said, sitting down himself.
"Yes, and what was it? We're listening." Mariana sat down on the other side of Legolas.
"I need your help to track down a ranger. I would have asked my fellow rangers to help me, but he would have known their faces too well. So I thought I'd ask you to help me. His name is Zanzibar." He stopped when Legolas shuddered at the name. "What is it?" Aragorn asked, concerned. Mariana placed a hand on Legolas' shoulder.
"Zanzibar… you mean that rebel? The one who instead of helping people kills them? I've heard of him. All of too many times. He kills my people for fun. I'm with you. I want to put a stop to him for good." Legolas snarled, a strange light coming into his eyes.
"Yes, that's the Zanzibar I'm talking about. He's killed more than just elves. He's killed rangers too. And many others. He needs to be stopped." Legolas nodded in agreement. "He leads a band of rangers in like mind, most of whom are only acting on his commands because they are either being forced to or because they fear him. They plan to attack a village named Cortiago later this month and I want to stop him before that comes. I need a way to distract him until I can get more information on what day he's planning to attack the village."
"How did you get the information about what village he's attacking? And I can see why you are worried about the village. If they manage to take that over, that brings them much too close to Rivendell. Tell me, how large is his band?" Legolas asked the ranger.
"I have a friend in Zanzibar's band who isn't of like mind, but wants to keep his life. He's worried about Cortiago because he has family there. Zanzibar has a large force, possibly large enough to mount an attack on Rivendell and cause much damage." Aragorn took a breath. "I need one of you to become like his closest advisor, which is the position that Sarban, the friend I told you about, holds. I plan to meet him in a few days when we reach the meeting place that we arranged to exchange news and tell him about my plan. Will either of you do that?"
"I'll go. I might be of more use there." Legolas said right away.
"Legolas, if he finds out that you are the prince of Mirkwood, what's to stop him from killing you? You're putting yourself in danger here!" Mariana exclaimed, tightening her hold on his shoulder.
"Mariana, you understand that Aragorn may need your help to keep him out of danger. I can never seem to do that. Besides, you'll be putting yourself in danger if you do that. He may kill you for no reason." Legolas removed her hand and turned to the ranger. "Don't try to stop me from doing this. I've already made up my mind. Now, how do you plan to get me into his camp?" Aragorn sighed.
" Well…"
* * *
"That's your plan? Getting him captured?" Mariana stared at the human in disbelief. Legolas rolled his eyes.
"Sometimes I don't understand why your brothers let you out of their sight. Isn't there another way?" Legolas glanced at Aragorn. The ranger shook his head, looking sorry.
"That's the only way that he'll get into camp."
"And what if I get killed instead? What then?" Legolas brought up that point.
"I think that he might think that you might be useful to him. I'll have to discuss this with Sarban to see if he has any other ideas. We're meeting him in two days, if I can manage to get us out of this area by tomorrow." He looked at the ground and missed the look that passed between the two elves. Legolas rested a hand on the other's shoulder.
"You don't think that you can do that, do you?" Aragorn shook his head. "Oh, come on, Strider. You have to believe in yourself a little. You'll get us out of here. Besides, I think that the men who were looking for us might have given up." Legolas grinned and Mariana chuckled at the human's confusion. "Mariana whipped up a little surprise for them around the time that we found this cave. I'm confusing you more, aren't I?" The ranger nodded, turning to Mariana.
"Legolas, just tell him. You know that you can trust him." Mariana slapped the prince.
"Fine, but only if you stop slapping me." Legolas looked at Mariana, who nodded. "Good. Alright then. What you don't know is that Mariana can… well, I don't know how to say this… Mariana, why don't you tell him."
"I can't believe you!" Mariana looked at Legolas in indignation, then turned her attention back to the ranger. "Well, I can pretty much transport myself from one place to another. I've always been able to do that." Aragorn looked stunned.
"So do you think that you can get us out of this area before those men come back?" he asked.
"I don't know if I can. I've never tried with three people. Just with two it takes up a lot of my strength." Mariana sighed. "I'd have to read your mind to get a clear picture of the place. And even then, I'm not too sure about the results."
"Ever tried drawing on another's strength to help you? It might work." Legolas mused. Mariana looked at him and raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Are you suggesting that I draw on your strength?" Legolas nodded. "It may work, but it may not."
"There's always a first time for everything." Aragorn said softly
"Yes, but the first time might be the last time for the same thing. If it doesn't work, what'll we do?" Mariana shook her head. "Looks like our only choice." She sighed and thought about the option for a while. "I'll do it." She turned to Legolas "Now, I want you…"
"I know, I know. You want me to relax. I've had something like this done to me before. I was the only elf, and the only way that the process will work is if an elf donates some of their strength to the person performing the transportation. It left me drained, but there was a reason for that: there were four others. It worked. You need to try it. Just trust yourself." Legolas laid a hand on Mariana's shoulder. She gripped his arm and motioned the ranger to join them.
"Thank you Legolas. Strider, relax and get a clear picture of the place in your mind. Legolas, you know what to do." Legolas gripped his human friend by the arm tightly and gave him a reassuring smile before closing his eyes and slowing his breathing. Mariana did the same and everything faded to a dull brown.
Suddenly, with a burst of green, they arrived in a large clearing. The elves opened their eyes, and Mariana suddenly collapsed into Legolas' arms. He lowered his friend to the ground and looked up to the human for confirmation. Aragorn looked at his surroundings, stunned at their method of transportation. He caught Legolas' glance and nodded.
"This is it. It worked." The young human whispered in awe. Mariana gave a weak smile.
"I wasn't sure if it would. That really surprised me." Mariana said. Legolas gave a small chuckle.
"Well, that saved us about a day or so of hard travel. I think your friend may be surprised to find us here early." The elf commented, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Legolas…" the ranger warned.
"I was jesting. I wasn't serious." Legolas let out a sigh. "Out of curiosity, when does he usually come?"
"Usually towards the early morning hours. I think he might be surprised to see that I've brought some elves with me." The ranger caught Mariana's look. "Oh, no, he doesn't fear elves. It's just that he wasn't expecting me to bring any company."
"Uh huh. Does he ever come earlier than you planned?" Mariana asked, sitting up and brushing off Legolas' hands, paying the prince no heed. Legolas rolled his eyes and sighed.
"He has once or twice." Aragorn leaned against the trunk of a tree. "Night is falling, and I think that we might want to get some sleep. I'll take first watch. Legolas, would you mind taking second?" the prince shook his head. "Alright. I'll wake you some time around midnight." The ranger pushed himself off of the trunk and the elves settled down for sleep.
* * *
Legolas scanned the underbrush for any signs of movement before leaping into a tree for a better view. Suddenly he stiffened and narrowed his eyes, staring at a patch of trees growing close together. What was that? A flash of movement caught his eye. There it is again. Out of the shadows, a hooded figure appeared, looking furtively back at the forest behind him. The prince's eyes narrowed even more and he moved silently through the treetops until he was behind the figure. Unsheathing one of his knives, he dropped down to the forest floor and placed the knife blade at the figure's throat. The figure let out a small gasp as the metal drew a small drop of blood.
"Don't move or you risk your head." The prince whispered. The figure froze instantly. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sarban. Is there a ranger called Strider nearby?" the figure replied softly. Legolas released the man, who turned around to study the elf in mild surprise. The man chuckled to himself and removed the hood of his cloak, revealing dark locks framing his youthful face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was Strider. The elf motioned the human to follow him, trusting the human enough to turn his back.
Upon reaching the camp, Mariana promptly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She saw the young man behind Legolas and glanced questioningly at the prince, who ignored the look. He leaned over the sleeping human, gently shaking him awake. Aragorn rose grudgingly, looking irritated. The look faded as soon as he saw the other ranger standing behind the prince. He smiled in greeting, and turned his attention back to Legolas, asking for an explanation. Legolas shrugged and mouthed 'I don't know. He just appeared suddenly.'
"Strider, how are you?" Sarban asked softly, seating himself as Legolas moved away to speak softly with Mariana.
"Better than I was at our last meeting." Aragorn replied, grinning slightly at the memory. The elves moved over to the humans and sat. "Let me introduce you to my companions. This is Mariana, an archer from Mirkwood." Mariana smiled in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady." Sarban murmured softly, lightly kissing her hand.
"The pleasure is mine. Please, just Mariana." Mariana replied and Legolas rolled his eyes.
"And this is Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood." Aragorn grinned as Legolas glared at him. "His brother could not be here to join us." Sarban inclined his head in respect.
"My lord." Sarban said softly.
"No formalities. We are all friends here. Now, Strider tells me that you have news from Zanzibar's camp." Legolas changed the subject.
"He plans to attack Cortiago in two and a half weeks. We're all moving to attack. From what I've heard, after destroying the village, he plans to mount an attack on Rivendell to see if he can take control of the valley. He may have help from within, but the mentions of it have been few. I'm not even sure if the rumors are true. What's your plan?" Sarban looked to Aragorn. The elder ranger outlined his plan and the younger man stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"THAT'S your plan? Getting Legolas captured?" The prince and the ranger exchanged glances.
"I'm already decided on that. Don't try to dissuade me." The elf replied. Mariana laid a hand on Sarban's arm.
"When he's made up his mind, there's nothing that can sway him from his decision." Mariana said softly.
"I guess you're right. It is your decision, Legolas. I just hope the Zanzibar decides not to kill you." Sarban sighed. "When?"
"I hope as soon as possible. What's your opinion on this?" Aragorn asked. Sarban let out another sigh and added his thoughts on Aragorn's plan.
* * *
The next morning, Aragorn went over the plan for the tenth time.
"Alright, we do it tonight. Legolas…"
"Strider, would you mind shutting your mouth? I know what to do already. And it's not too hard to remember. Sarban knows what to do, and all you and Mariana have to do is to wait for a while until I manage to stop this madman." Legolas was irritated with the ranger. Aragorn hastily apologized.
The elves and their human companion set out later that day, heading towards the place that Sarban had deemed safe for the human and Mariana to wait. The sun was at its zenith in the sky when they reached it. The three of them stopped to take a meal before Legolas bade them farewell and moved on alone. It was nearing evening, and the prince was starting to wonder when Sarban would put his part of the plan into action when he sensed a presence behind him and whirled around.
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TBC
Well, I'm not as good at cliffies as some of the other authors are. Not even close to Cassia. I think it comes with the time you spend writing catchy stories, and then you get into the habit of writing cliffies. Hey, first try at a traditional cliffie.
And I called the first chapter a monster chapter. This is the monster chapter. NE ways… please review! I love feedback! It helps me improve!
Namarie!
*~Mariana Nimeneth~*