I'm back!!! Yes, there's more coming. Originally, this story was going to be 4 chapters long, with no cliffies, but stories have a way of getting longer even if you're not trying. And cliffies are so hard to resist...AAAHHHH!! TEMPTATION!! Somehow, this time, I managed to resist it.
THANK YOU, ALL YOU WONDERFUL REVIEWERS!!!!
Guess what, with this chapter, we get to see who will be the 10th reviewer! Winner gets an Elrohir plushie! But, if we get to 15, I will give *everyone* who reviewed an Elrohir plushie! Offer for a limited time only.
QTpie-pippinsgurl: Here's more for you. You can stop twitching now.
Alia: Thank you, I'm glad you like the way I write. And I'm sorry you don't like killing elves...I'm afraid there might be more.
Eneth: *hands over box of tissues* I didn't think it was THAT sad. If Elrohir doesn't like being dead, maybe he's just lonely. Do you think he'd like some company... *grins evilly, as only authors know how* Oh, guess what! as my wonderful beta, I named a character after you!
Leafy: Concerned about Elladan? I can't imagine why...don't worry, all will be revealed in this chapter! Well, not all, but some. Oh, (shameless plug alert) I have a story and a poem up on fictionpress.net that I would really like your opinion on. Could you read them? (and possibly review?)
Oh, and for those of you who have read Cassia's Stars of Harad you already know about Laener...well, as a tribute to Cassia, I have named an elf in here Reneal (Laener spelled backwards). For those of you who haven't read Cassia's Stars of Harad, go read it and the rest of the Mellon Chronicles RIGHT NOW! (Well, after you read this.) It's some of the best stuff on FanFiction.net
FYI- I decided that the story title is too long. Since everyone's calling it "worth of water" anyway, I'm gonna change the title to: The Worth of Water . See, now isn't that better.
Wow, how's that for a monster header.
Anyway, here's the chapter.
The Worth of Water
Chapter 3
Explanation and Disbelief
Elladan was slumped over Elrohir's body, and was very, very still. Estel gave a small cry and nearly flew to his brother's side. He felt fumblingly for a pulse. Where is it? Oh no. Estel started to get really scared. There was no pulse!
Suddenly, he found it. Weak, but there. He sighed with relief; Elladan was only unconscious. The shrieks came again, along with the howls, and they were much closer this time. I have to get out of here, fast. As he tried to lift Elladan off of Elrohir, he realized his wound was worse than he thought, and was getting worse by the moment. There was a spreading stain on his pant leg, and every time he put pressure on his left side it felt like he had been stabbed. Poison. Great.
Again, there was a howl. Estel hauled Elladan up, and realized that he could only take one elf with him. He could not carry two. Though he was loathe to leave Elrohir, he had to save Elladan. Elrohir was dead, and there was nothing the orcs could do to him. Elladan, on the other hand...Estel didn't want to think about that.
After a few steps, however, Estel wasn't even sure he could carry Elladan alone. He put the elf down so that he wouldn't drop him if his leg chose to give way. He needed help, but he couldn't leave Elladan to go get it, and it was quickly becoming clear that he couldn't take Elladan with him, either.
As chance would have it, a minute later, a horse galloped into the clearing and skidded to a halt as the rider caught sight of the three. An elf dismounted. Estel sighed, with relief and anxiety. The elf was Reneal, one of the twins close friends. "Estel! What happened?" he asked, concerned.
"We, um, had a fight with some orcs, Reneal," Estel stammered. "I think Elladan took a blow to the head, and...and..."
"What happened to Elrohir? Is he unconscious, too?" Reneal asked, with a hint of worry in his voice.
"N-no. Elrohir...Elrohir is dead."
"Estel, that is not funny, at all. What really happened?"
Estel shook his head, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Elrohir is dead, Reneal. He...he was stabbed in the abdomen, and died from the poison..."
Apparently, Reneal still didn't believe the man. The elf strode over to Elrohir, knelt beside the body, and placed his fingers on the elf's neck, feeling for a pulse. He gasped. "Valar, no! No, it is not true! Elrohir...no! He is alive, he is alive, he is not dead..." The elf searched in vain for the pulse. Estel looked on, sadly.
"He is dead, Reneal, don't you trust me? Would I lie about something like this? Reneal, I know he was your friend, he was my brother, but he is dead."
"No..." Reneal started sobbing. "Elrohir...no...Elrohir...no..." His sobs were interrupted by a long, low howl.
"Reneal, I know you're sad, but can you hold it in until we get away from the wargs and orcs?" Estel asked, disturbed by how close it was. "If they catch us, there will be no standing against them, with Elladan unconscious and Elrohir dead. And then we'll probably all die, and how would Elrond feel then? It's going to be hard enough for him already, but if Elladan dies..." he let it hang there, waiting for the elf to respond.
"You...you are right. I was hunting with four others, if we can get back there, then we should be fine. You ride Nimeneth," he said, gesturing at his horse, "and take...take Elrohir. I will carry Elladan."
The trip to their camp was short, especially at nearly a gallop; Reneal was one of the fastest runners in Imladris. When he warned the four other elves that there were orcs approaching, they wasted no time packing and getting the horses ready. No one asked about either of the twins, they concentrated on getting away. Less than a half of an hour after Estel got on the horse, he was off again, safe in the valley of Imladris.
"Now, Estel," one of the older elves, Elentir, said, turning to the human, who handed Elrohir to Reneal and dismounted. "What happened? How badly are they hurt?"
"Um...we were attacked by orcs...Elladan's unconscious, he took a blow to the head," the human replied planting his feet on the ground. "..." Reneal cut him off.
"Elrohir is dead."
Elentir looked sternly at Reneal. "Reneal, that is not a good jest. Estel, what happened?" He did not notice that Estel was still gripping the horse tightly.
"He speaks the truth," Estel muttered, tears welling up in his eyes. "Poison." Now that they were out of danger, Estel had time to react to Elrohir's death, and not to the orcs. The tears spilled out of his eyes.
"Estel, stop, he isn't dead...is he?" There was a hint of worry in the older elf's voice. "Stop this, you two." The whole camp was silent, everyone had stopped to listen to the conversation.
Estel only nodded. His throat had closed up, and no sound would come out. Elentir still refused to believe. He walked over to where Reneal was holding the body to see for himself. The entire camp heard his gasp.
Elentir took a deep breath and stood away from Elrohir's body. "It is true. He is dead."
Estel shook his head. "I told you." He let go of the horse and tried to walk, but his left leg crumpled beneath him, and he cried out in pain.
"Estel! You're injured! Why didn't you say something!" Elentir scolded. "Lithtinwë..." But the female healer was already there.
"It needs to be cleaned, immediately," the elf diagnosed him. "You've lost a lot of blood, and you need to rest it." She quickly set about boiling water, cleaning and bandaging the wound.
* * * * * *
That night, Estel lay awake, staring at the stars. It was his fault. He should have told Elrohir which way the deer went. He had heard the orcs, too, but had dismissed them. He had not thought that they would have come that near to Imladris. He should have gone to get Elrohir, or gotten Elladan and Elrohir. My practical joke cost him his life. And it might cost Elladan his life, too. The remaining twin was still unconscious, and, according to Lithtinwë, who was caring for him, the wound was more serious than they had though at first. Finally deciding that sleep was beyond him, he started to limp (his leg was very stiff, and still pretty painful) over to help Lithtinwë.
She addressed him before he was halfway to the fire in the center of the camp. "Go back to sleep, Estel," she told him sharply. "I don't need any help, but it looks like I'll be up all night. And you need to rest your leg. Leave it to three of you to attract all the orcs in the area. And besides, you shouldn't have split up."
Estel didn't answer immediately. He needed to be doing something, just to escape his guilt. He and his brothers shouldn't have split up; the words echoed his own inner thoughts. He turned away. "I'll just go...check on the horses or something," he replied, slightly dejectedly.
"No, Estel..." Lithtinwë called from behind him. He turned back to face her. "I'm sorry, Estel, I didn't mean it like that. I...I was really good friends with Elrohir, and...I...it's affecting me, badly. I snapped at Elentir, too. Here, can you watch Elladan? I'm running low on herbs and I have to go pick some more."
Estel strode over and squatted next to her. "I'm so sorry, I should have...never mind. Go get what you need." She smiled at him and walked out of the ring of light around the fire.
Estel stared after her for a few minutes after she disappeared. She seemed to have taken the news of Elrohir's death the best of anyone, although, she might have been just focusing on Elladan. Turning back to Elladan he saw why she had had no time to focus on anything else. The unbandaged wound on Elladan's head was oozing, not just blood, but a nasty yellow substance as well. From the looks of things, she had been trying to clean it, but had not been having much luck. Placing his hand on the elf's forehead, the human's eyes widened. Elladan was way hotter than was safe, or even natural. I was so stupid! Estel thought, angrily and guiltily. I was warned about the orcs, but because of me, we split up, Elrohir died and Elladan is well on his way!
Feeling the fallen elf's pulse, Estel's anxiety grew. The pulse was too fast, and speeding up by the second. Lithtinwë hurried into the clearing and felt the Elladan's forehead. "It's gotten much worse," she muttered.
TBC...
oh, did I say I managed to resist the cliffies? I lied!
Four of the names in this chapter are Elvish. Just incase anyone's wondering what they mean:
Elentir- (literally, "star watch") Watchful Star
Lithtinwë- (literally, "ash's spark") Spark in the Ashes (I know, it calls for a back story-maybe I'll write one!)
Nimeneth- (exactly translated, named after my beta) White Mist
Estel- (no duh!!) Hope
Sorry if there are any mistakes: my beta's on vacation.
REMEMBER!! The title is changing to "The Worth of Water"
