Heehee, it seemed my little 'warning' worked. The day after I put Chapter 10 up, I had SEVEN reviews in one go! And they're the only ones I have had…but never mind! I'm happy, and have now got plenty of ideas for the story.
I'm really happy with the way this story is going. I know it sounds like I'm bragging a bit, but I am. It always pleases me when a story goes well, and all you writers out there will know what I mean.
Ok, I'll stop ranting now, and get on with replies to reviewers. Thanks to all! ^_^
~Lainfaer~
Oh, and by the way…I just realised that I put Thilivren in this story. He was in Unádith! Oops! I'm getting my stories muddled! So Thilivren is now Rédethuil! Hope that doesn't confuse anyone! Sorry for the error!
~Lainfaer~
smetterling- I know what you mean about the dialogue, I just thought as they were such close friends, it would be quite a sweet thing to do. Everyone has nicknames, so I gave them some! Thank you for your review, I do agree with them being honest.
Volcanic Plug- It was just a warning for people, don't worry! It is a great feeling when you get reviews isn't it? Glad you liked it anyway! ^_^
Bec- I just found that error too! Oops! It does get a bit confusing when you are writing about twins though. You reviewed chapter 6. Thank you for your lovely review. I did get more for chapter 10! ^_^
Espel- Here you go!
Gywn- Glad you liked it!
Deana- Thank you!!!!! I know, poor Legolas! L
ElvenRanger13- I know, I know, its just having no reviews AT ALL is a bit depressing! Especially after a whole week. Thank you for reviewing again anyway! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
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Chapter 11: The Journey, Part 2.
By noon the next day, all the Elves said they were fit to continue. Elrond checked them all over, just to make sure, then they started on their way again.
They avoided the place of the battle, so as not to disturb anyone. The Elves had piled the carcasses, and left them burning. Carrion would soon get rid of the rest.
By night, they were a few miles from the entrance to the Pass. They stopped again, as many were tired. Watches were once again set up, but there were no disturbances that night. They would be splitting tomorrow, to enter the Pass.
However, the next day, as they were waiting to enter the Pass, Legolas had a funny feeling at the back of his neck. He felt a strange sensation come over him, that he had felt before.
"We're being watched," he whispered to Elladan beside him. The third group was just about to enter, and Elladan would be leading them. His brother was in that carriage, and he refused to leave its side.
Elladan looked at him. "I know, I can feel it too." He looked over his shoulder. The road was quiet, and empty behind them. In fact, it was so quiet and empty, it sent shivers down the two Princes' spines.
"I don't like this road one bit," Legolas said, also looking behind him. They faced the front. "What do you think could be watching us?"
"Anything. It could be a band of Orcs, or just the woodland creatures. I remember one time, Elrohir, and I were out riding, and we got this feeling, and all it was, was a deer, hiding in the undergrowth. But it felt so strange, and when it bounded out onto the path in front of us, we both jumped and reached for our swords." He laughed softly as he went over the memories.
"That's also happened to me. Its worse when you're on your own," Legolas agreed. He looked over his shoulder again. "But I've never felt this uncomfortable."
"Lets just keep an eye out, and if anything does appear, we're ready for it." They instinctively lay their hands over their sword hilts.
A couple of hours dragged by. Soon, the sun had passed over them, and was heading to settle down in the West. The first group that had entered the Pass were well on their way to reaching the middle. Elrond was with them. He had the young Elf, Rédethuil with him.
"My Lord, I have had a funny feeling niggling at me all day. All the hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end. Have you felt it at all?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have Rédethuil," Elrond answered, looking at him. "It feels like we are being watched." Rédethuil shuddered a little. "I do not like this feeling my Lord."
"Neither do I," Elrond answered, looking at the darkening sky overhead. They would have to be stopping soon. They could not continue through the Pass in the dark. It would be too dangerous.
Gandalf was leading the second group. Balaremel was with him, and stationed at the back. Gandalf puffed away on his pipe thoughtfully as they continued along the dangerous path. If he squinted a little, he could just see the back of Elronds' group ahead of him. He too, looked at the sky.
It was blood red as the sun set. The peaks of the mountains were stained with her rays, and looked as if they were peaked with blood. The clouds had turned into orange and red waves, and the sky itself was a dark pinkish hue. He looked back onto the path ahead.
Elladan looked around him as he led the third group further and further into the Pass. The trees were tall and dark, looming over them like shadows. He knew this path relatively well, and knew that there were many caves in the mountainsides, which made good hiding places. For creatures such as Orcs. He tightened the grip on his sword hilt, and looked back at the carriage. It was entirely surrounded by the Elves, and would be well protected if anything was to attack.
Legolas was still waiting to enter the Pass as the sun started to set. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. It was growing darker by the minute, and Elladans' group was still not far enough into the Pass. He made a small sound of frustration in his throat. He was impatient to enter, as the feeling of something watching him was growing stronger and stronger.
The horses were restless and jumpy. They stamped their hooves impatiently on the spot, and snorted. They were not tired, just uncomfortable of being in this place. Legolas patted his mare, Nifredil. "Al-and hi. Maer gwen." (Not long now. Good girl.) Nifredil just snorted and shook her mane.
Eventually, he could wait no longer. "Come on, let's go," he called to everyone. They started to enter the Pass.
****
"We shall rest here for the night," Elrond called back to his group. The Elves stopped, and made camp. Elrond dismounted, and walked around, checking any wounds from the previous fight. None had been seriously hurt, and all were recovering well. He organised the watches, and then the group settled down to rest.
Gandalf and Balaremel also stopped once the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. Balaremel set up the scouts, whilst Gandalf checked the injured. They too, were all fine.
Elladan knew he had to go far enough into the Pass, so that Legolas could also enter, and be a safe distance away from the entrance. He still had that uncomfortable feeling nestling in his stomach, and he didn't want his friend to be in any danger. He went to check on his sleeping brother.
Elrohir looked peaceful and at rest, but Elladan knew he was dreaming. As twins, they had an extraordinarily strong connection between them, and even now, he was picking up an echo of his brothers' dreams, as he always could. When one was asleep, the other could almost see or hear their dreams. They could read each other like books, and always seemed to know what the other was thinking. Most people couldn't understand it, but the twins knew exactly what it was.
Elladan sat down beside his twin, and looked at his face. Apart from the Z on his forehead, Elrohir looked totally normal. Elladan relaxed himself, and concentrated trying to get through to his brother's mind. He seemed to drift into a very light sleep, and shut his eyes.
Elrohir was dreaming about…a girl. A tall maiden with long dark hair. Elladan frowned. It was her, Íríma. Why would Elrohir be dreaming about her? Then he realised. The Dagnir-o Lóre was in control of Elrohirs' dreams. He was torturing him. Elladan could feel his brother's restlessness and unease at these dreams, and he tried as hard as he could to break through the tough barrier that now separated them to try and soothe his troubled mind.
Legolas cursed in Elvish under his breath. He could still see Elladans' group, and they had stopped.
"Ok, we'll stop now for the night," he called back.
"But Prince Legolas, we are surely not far enough into the Pass?" questioned a Corporal maiden called Dolenmíl. She had been in the Mirkwood Army for almost 500 years now, and was one of Thranduils' most trusted advisors.
"Do not worry Dolenmíl, we are a safe distance away from the entrance," Legolas answered, smiling reassuringly. "We cannot go any further, as it is getting dark, and Elladan has stopped. Please help set up the camp."
"Yes my Lord," she said, bowing her head slightly. She turned, and went to the back of the group.
Legolas watched her go, smiling to himself. She was a nice girl, very friendly and loyal. He knew his father regarded her very highly, and she was well on the way to going up a rank from Corporal to Sergeant. She was also rather an attractive young maiden.
"We are stopping now, dismount and make camp," she announced when she reached the back. All the Elves halted and started to set up the camp.
"Everything alright?" Legolas asked, trotting up beside her.
"Fine thank you my Lord."
"There is really no need to always call me 'Lord' you know. Just Legolas will do."
She looked at him. "But you are my Lord, and therefore I must stick to the rules of calling you 'Lord', my Lord." She smiled slightly.
He raised an eyebrow, a characteristic he had inherited from his father. "Alright then, Corporal Dolenmíl. Call me 'Lord' if you must. If that is the case, then I must always call you by your rank name. Good evening to you." He bowed his head, and turned Nifredil around.
"Wait…Legolas," she called. He grinned, and faced her again. She was looking at him rather curiously. "Why do you insist that I call you Legolas?"
"Because," he replied, riding closer to her, "'my Lord' just sounds too formal and boring. I don't want people to see me just as the Prince of Mirkwood, heir to the throne. I want people to see the real me, not the outside me. So, I may call you Dolenmíl, yes?"
"You already have," she replied, grinning, and galloped off back to her companions.
He laughed and shook his head, smiling. She was a lovely girl, and he hoped they would become closer as this journey went on.
****
It took two full days for Elronds' group to get right through the Pass. When they did leave it, there was a feeling of happiness and overall relief in the air. The foreboding feeling of someone watching them had disappeared.
"We must now wait for the other three groups," Elrond told them. "Let us go on a little way, then camp until they arrive."
Gandalfs' group joined them a few hours later. "I can no longer see Elladan from the back of my party," Gandalf told Elrond that evening when they were resting.
Elrond frowned. "When did you lose sight of them?"
"A few hours ago, just before we were going to leave the Pass. We must have left that large grove of trees just as they entered. I have not seen them since we entered."
"Do you think they will be ok?"
Gandalf smiled. "Of course they will my friend, of course they will."
****
"I don't like these trees. I don't like them one bit Legolas," Dolenmíl admitted, moving her horse slightly nearer to Legolas'. Legolas shuddered a little.
"Neither do I."
It was early evening, yet no light could ever filter through these tees. They were dark and dense, with long branches overhanging the party like arms. The leaves were brown and withering, and the path was coated in them. They rustled in the slight wind that managed to sneak through the trees, and the sound sent shivers down the Elves' spines.
They had been travelling through here for a good hour, and still had not come out on the other side. If Legolas' memory served him well, it should only take them an hour and a half at the most to pass through the trees back into the sunshine. But now they had the carriage with them, and that slowed them down immensely. It kept bumping over roots and rocks, and the reigns that attached it to the horses kept snagging on branches.
"Are we anywhere near the end yet?" she asked.
"I'm afraid I'm not totally sure. Without a carriage, it only takes an hour to get through. But it is slowing us down, so we could be in here for quite a while."
"Oh," she replied, swallowing nervously. He looked affectionately at her.
"Do not worry. I have been through here many times before now, alone and accompanied, and have never had cause for concern. There is nothing to be afraid of. It is just the sounds the leaves make, and the darkness of the place."
"Exactly. It's dark and eerie. I don't like it, and I wish we were out of here right now."
"You've got to come back yet," he reminded her.
"Great."
"My Lord, you must see this!" came a sudden cry. Legolas looked up. He had sent a few Elves ahead to find the path, and one of them was now galloping back towards them at a tremendous speed.
"Hey Alagcelon, slow down. Whatever is wrong?" he asked, riding forwards to meet him.
"Its Lord Elladans' party
my Lord. They're up ahead, and its not good news I'm afraid." Legolas' heart
plummeted down to his feet. Something had happened to Elladan and his group?
"Lead the way Alagcelon," he said. "Dolenmíl, stay here, and make sure no one
else follows until someone comes back for you. Keep everyone calm, and do not
say anything of what has been said so far."
"Yes my Lord," she replied, reverting back to the formal tone. Whilst she was organising everyone else, Legolas followed Alagcelon.
The sight that met his eyes was horrendous.
Ooh, I love leaving cliffies like that! So, what did you think of that chapter? A lot of jumping to and fro from the groups I know, but not too much I hope. Anyway, please review, and I'll update when I get five or more reviews. Ok? Cheers. ^_^
~Lainfaer~
