Into the Mines
By: Max Pilote
Chapter Five - Bowstrings and Arrowheads
"Aw," said Ryldor in mock disappointment, "you didn't even read the note."
"You can't sneak up on me."
"I did at the falls."
"Lucky break."
The two stared each other down for several minutes, letting a thick silence fall over the room. Ryldor stood with a smirk on his face. It was the same malicious smirk that he had always looked at Legolas with. The prince stood with a cold glare on his face. He had not seen Ryldor when he woke up at the falls, but had not assumed he was dead. He knew his enemy was smarter than that.
"A challenge," said Ryldor, breaking the silence.
Legolas raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I want to fight you," further explained his enemy, "in a duel."
"Can this wait?" asked Legolas with a sigh. "I'm tired and aching."
"I've been training and waiting ten years for this battle-for this one duel."
"Did you ever think about getting a job? Or maybe a wife and some children?" retorted Legolas, turning back and moving his quiver to the bedside table. He tucked the note inside the quiver.
"You enjoy mocking me?" asked Ryldor, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"More than anything," answered the prince. He reached for his bow and froze. The bowstring was not on it.
Unfortunately, he realized too late. With an evil smirk, Ryldor pulled the bowstring around Legolas's neck.
"I thought you said that I couldn't sneak up on you," remarked the elf in a cold yet mocking tone as he held the prince against him.
Several seconds later, the prince was unconscious, but Ryldor did not loosen the string.
"Good night, Legolas Greenleaf..."
"Legolas...Ada sent me to check on you. Do you need anything?" asked a voice from behind the door.
"Until next time," whispered Ryldor as the door began to open. He tossed Legolas to the floor and escaped through the window.
The door opened fully and Elladan walked in. He saw Legolas and smiled softly. He must have fallen asleep before he could reach the bed. Elladan picked the prince up and put him in the bed.
"Rest well, mellon nin."
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"Is Legolas awake?" asked Elrohir, sitting up.
"He shouldn't be," responded Elrond, not looking up from his book, "and neither should you be. Go to sleep. You need rest."
"Is Elladan awake?"
"Elladan is busy."
"Estel?"
"Asleep as you should be! Now, go back to sleep."
He sighed heavily and laid back down. "I am not tired," explained his second child.
"Yes you are. I can tell," protested the elf-lord. "Do you need me to fix you some tea?"
Elladan walked in and smiled, "Legolas is asleep."
Elrond blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"
"Legolas is asleep," repeated his oldest son.
"He listened to me! Tomorrow we will rejoice!" said Elrond in cheerful sarcasm.
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The next day seemed to come very quickly. Elrohir was not allowed to join his brother in the hunt for their orc enemies, but Merion took his place. Legolas did not speak of what had happened last night, but Estel was quick to notice that he seemed a little agitated. He did admit that his throat hurt, but told the boy that it was from his capture the day before. Instead of going out to find Ryldor, he replaced the string on his bow, and went out with Estel to go find where the orcs had relocated to.
"Where are we searching today?" asked the human resident of Imladris as Elladan came into the main hall.
"You and Legolas will go search the High Moors, but be extremely careful," advised his brother. "We do not need anymore incidents such as yesterday.
"As for Merion and myself," he continued, "we will be patrolling the Main Path and then to Stone Seat. Do not fight the orcs. Just note their location and come back right away."
The two friends nodded and started to leave.
"Be careful!" exclaimed Elladan, trying to get his point across.
Estel laughed, "You sound so much like Ada."
It did not take long for the human and elf to reach their assigned destination. As they stood near the edge of the small forest against the cliff, they saw no sign of their enemy. What Estel didn't know was that Legolas was not just looking for orcs.
"Estel," started Legolas, "if I told you something, and pleaded with you not to tell anyone else, would you?"
"Of course not...why do you ask?"
"I..." His voice faltered and he frowned. "Nevermind, it's nothing."
"You are strange," answered Estel. He turned abruptly to the forest. "Did you hear that?"
"No, but we might as well go see if there is something there."
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Merion frowned as he looked down the path. "Do you think a small army of orcs can just disappear within a few hours?" he asked.
"I have heard of stranger things," responded Elladan, crouching beside him. "Do you see anything ahead?"
"No, do you?" responded Merion, returning the question.
The warrior shook his head up at his companion. "All is quiet and clear. We should keep moving."
They continued walking down the path.
"Merion, did you notice Legolas acting strange this morning?"
"No, but I noticed you were a bit more sluggish than usual," responded the guard. "Rough night?"
"Yes, Elrohir would not go to sleep. It was hell, you might say," responded Elladan with a laugh. "Ada was in a good mood most of the night, though. He was given a boost of confidence when I told him that Legolas had gone to sleep."
Merion laughed, "A miracle?"
"Sent from the gods."
"Ah, so they shine upon us on this day," he laughed again. He looked at Elladan, who had suddenly turned somber. "Is something bothering you, mellon?"
"No," started Elladan, then he frowned. "Wait, yes there has been. I found Legolas on the floor last night, actually. I thought he had just passed out from exhaustion, then I noticed the window was open."
"I do not suppose it is possible for Legolas to have opened the window before he passed out?" suggested Merion.
"I thought about that, but it didn't seem possible. He would have had to cross the room and come all the way back to the door. It doesn't seem likely."
"Seems likely to me."
"For as long as I have known Legolas," argued Elladan, "he has never slept with a window opened."
"There is a first time for everything," insisted the guard.
"Why are you arguing with me?" asked the son of Elrond with a frown.
"Just opening your mind."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Please don't wander out of my sight," said the prince as he walked behind his eager young companion.
"You are being overprotective," argued Estel, turning back to his friend. "What is bothering you, Legolas?"
"Worried, 'tis all."
They stopped walking and stared at each other for a several moments. Estel suddenly frowned.
"Legolas, what happened? Your sore throat this morning...that had nothing to do with the orcs."
The wood-elf continued walking, passing Estel without a response. The human growled and grabbed his friend's wrist.
"You're starting to worry me!" he exclaimed. "You know I don't like it when you keep things from me that are hurting you."
Legolas pulled his arm away from Estel. "It was nothing, now let's keep going. We aren't done searching."
"Promise me..."
"Promise you what?" asked the elf, turning back to Estel.
"When whatever you are going through is over, promise me that you will tell me what was wrong," demanded the human, a little agitated.
"Fine," replied his friend with a smile, "I promise."
A faint whistling caused Legolas's ears to prick. An arrow flew threw the space between the two warriors. Within seconds, the prince had pushed Estel to the ground and shot back at their unseen attacker. The human watched as Legolas expression went from one of anger to realization.
"Run!" commanded the prince.
"But-"
"Damnit, Estel, just run!"
So he did. It was then that their mysterious attacker revealed himself.
"What a surprise," said Legolas sarcastically. "If it isn't my arch enemy. Are you still looking for that duel, Ryldor?"
"You might say that," responded the elf. "Are you willing to fight me here?"
The prince responded by rolling his eyes and turning to walk away. Before he could react, though, Ryldor had shot an arrow into his shoulder. It caused him to stumble forward. He turned, regaining his balance.
"You have my attention," he said with a frown, his hand going up to grip the arrow shaft.
Ryldor walked forward and put his hand on Legolas's. Violently, he tore the arrow out. Legolas let out a small, stifled cry. His assailant smirked and gripped the injury tightly.
"It's not so much as the duel now, Legolas, but the pleasure of watching you suffer."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Something is wrong," whispered Estel, speaking to himself as he leaned against a tree trunk. "He should have been here by now if he had been following me."
It was obvious that Legolas had not been following him after several minutes of waiting. The human was on the verge of deciding to go back, but realized his friend would not quite appreciate that. Then again, the elf could be hurt.
Estel started running, running back towards Legolas. He drew his sword. It was only moments later, he came upon the scene.
"I won't fight you," argued Legolas as Ryldor's grip tightened on his shoulder.
"Then die a coward!"
Estel swung at Ryldor, who threw Legolas to the ground before moving away. The blade barely missed cutting his arm off, leaving a tiny cut on his shoulder.
"Until next time," repeated the elf, "when I really will get you."
He ran off into the trees. Estel moved to go after him, but Legolas stopped him. "There is no point," he explained. "He will only kill you."
"Are you all right? Does it hurt?"
"Of course it hurts, but I will be fine," replied his friend. "Come, we will search to the cliff before we turn back."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryldor growled as he watched the two walk through the forest, happily talking and joking.
"You will rue the day you crossed my path, boy. First you, then your royal friend," he muttered. With great speed, he went ahead of them, passing their slow pace with ease. He came to a crudely constructed archway. It looked, actually, like a door frame was built right into the cliff side. With a smirk, he set to work.
The elf worked for almost an hour before Legolas and Estel came into view.
"Good night, Legolas Greenleaf," he whispered with a smirk before hiding in a tree nearby.
By: Max Pilote
Chapter Five - Bowstrings and Arrowheads
"Aw," said Ryldor in mock disappointment, "you didn't even read the note."
"You can't sneak up on me."
"I did at the falls."
"Lucky break."
The two stared each other down for several minutes, letting a thick silence fall over the room. Ryldor stood with a smirk on his face. It was the same malicious smirk that he had always looked at Legolas with. The prince stood with a cold glare on his face. He had not seen Ryldor when he woke up at the falls, but had not assumed he was dead. He knew his enemy was smarter than that.
"A challenge," said Ryldor, breaking the silence.
Legolas raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I want to fight you," further explained his enemy, "in a duel."
"Can this wait?" asked Legolas with a sigh. "I'm tired and aching."
"I've been training and waiting ten years for this battle-for this one duel."
"Did you ever think about getting a job? Or maybe a wife and some children?" retorted Legolas, turning back and moving his quiver to the bedside table. He tucked the note inside the quiver.
"You enjoy mocking me?" asked Ryldor, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"More than anything," answered the prince. He reached for his bow and froze. The bowstring was not on it.
Unfortunately, he realized too late. With an evil smirk, Ryldor pulled the bowstring around Legolas's neck.
"I thought you said that I couldn't sneak up on you," remarked the elf in a cold yet mocking tone as he held the prince against him.
Several seconds later, the prince was unconscious, but Ryldor did not loosen the string.
"Good night, Legolas Greenleaf..."
"Legolas...Ada sent me to check on you. Do you need anything?" asked a voice from behind the door.
"Until next time," whispered Ryldor as the door began to open. He tossed Legolas to the floor and escaped through the window.
The door opened fully and Elladan walked in. He saw Legolas and smiled softly. He must have fallen asleep before he could reach the bed. Elladan picked the prince up and put him in the bed.
"Rest well, mellon nin."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Is Legolas awake?" asked Elrohir, sitting up.
"He shouldn't be," responded Elrond, not looking up from his book, "and neither should you be. Go to sleep. You need rest."
"Is Elladan awake?"
"Elladan is busy."
"Estel?"
"Asleep as you should be! Now, go back to sleep."
He sighed heavily and laid back down. "I am not tired," explained his second child.
"Yes you are. I can tell," protested the elf-lord. "Do you need me to fix you some tea?"
Elladan walked in and smiled, "Legolas is asleep."
Elrond blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"
"Legolas is asleep," repeated his oldest son.
"He listened to me! Tomorrow we will rejoice!" said Elrond in cheerful sarcasm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day seemed to come very quickly. Elrohir was not allowed to join his brother in the hunt for their orc enemies, but Merion took his place. Legolas did not speak of what had happened last night, but Estel was quick to notice that he seemed a little agitated. He did admit that his throat hurt, but told the boy that it was from his capture the day before. Instead of going out to find Ryldor, he replaced the string on his bow, and went out with Estel to go find where the orcs had relocated to.
"Where are we searching today?" asked the human resident of Imladris as Elladan came into the main hall.
"You and Legolas will go search the High Moors, but be extremely careful," advised his brother. "We do not need anymore incidents such as yesterday.
"As for Merion and myself," he continued, "we will be patrolling the Main Path and then to Stone Seat. Do not fight the orcs. Just note their location and come back right away."
The two friends nodded and started to leave.
"Be careful!" exclaimed Elladan, trying to get his point across.
Estel laughed, "You sound so much like Ada."
It did not take long for the human and elf to reach their assigned destination. As they stood near the edge of the small forest against the cliff, they saw no sign of their enemy. What Estel didn't know was that Legolas was not just looking for orcs.
"Estel," started Legolas, "if I told you something, and pleaded with you not to tell anyone else, would you?"
"Of course not...why do you ask?"
"I..." His voice faltered and he frowned. "Nevermind, it's nothing."
"You are strange," answered Estel. He turned abruptly to the forest. "Did you hear that?"
"No, but we might as well go see if there is something there."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Merion frowned as he looked down the path. "Do you think a small army of orcs can just disappear within a few hours?" he asked.
"I have heard of stranger things," responded Elladan, crouching beside him. "Do you see anything ahead?"
"No, do you?" responded Merion, returning the question.
The warrior shook his head up at his companion. "All is quiet and clear. We should keep moving."
They continued walking down the path.
"Merion, did you notice Legolas acting strange this morning?"
"No, but I noticed you were a bit more sluggish than usual," responded the guard. "Rough night?"
"Yes, Elrohir would not go to sleep. It was hell, you might say," responded Elladan with a laugh. "Ada was in a good mood most of the night, though. He was given a boost of confidence when I told him that Legolas had gone to sleep."
Merion laughed, "A miracle?"
"Sent from the gods."
"Ah, so they shine upon us on this day," he laughed again. He looked at Elladan, who had suddenly turned somber. "Is something bothering you, mellon?"
"No," started Elladan, then he frowned. "Wait, yes there has been. I found Legolas on the floor last night, actually. I thought he had just passed out from exhaustion, then I noticed the window was open."
"I do not suppose it is possible for Legolas to have opened the window before he passed out?" suggested Merion.
"I thought about that, but it didn't seem possible. He would have had to cross the room and come all the way back to the door. It doesn't seem likely."
"Seems likely to me."
"For as long as I have known Legolas," argued Elladan, "he has never slept with a window opened."
"There is a first time for everything," insisted the guard.
"Why are you arguing with me?" asked the son of Elrond with a frown.
"Just opening your mind."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Please don't wander out of my sight," said the prince as he walked behind his eager young companion.
"You are being overprotective," argued Estel, turning back to his friend. "What is bothering you, Legolas?"
"Worried, 'tis all."
They stopped walking and stared at each other for a several moments. Estel suddenly frowned.
"Legolas, what happened? Your sore throat this morning...that had nothing to do with the orcs."
The wood-elf continued walking, passing Estel without a response. The human growled and grabbed his friend's wrist.
"You're starting to worry me!" he exclaimed. "You know I don't like it when you keep things from me that are hurting you."
Legolas pulled his arm away from Estel. "It was nothing, now let's keep going. We aren't done searching."
"Promise me..."
"Promise you what?" asked the elf, turning back to Estel.
"When whatever you are going through is over, promise me that you will tell me what was wrong," demanded the human, a little agitated.
"Fine," replied his friend with a smile, "I promise."
A faint whistling caused Legolas's ears to prick. An arrow flew threw the space between the two warriors. Within seconds, the prince had pushed Estel to the ground and shot back at their unseen attacker. The human watched as Legolas expression went from one of anger to realization.
"Run!" commanded the prince.
"But-"
"Damnit, Estel, just run!"
So he did. It was then that their mysterious attacker revealed himself.
"What a surprise," said Legolas sarcastically. "If it isn't my arch enemy. Are you still looking for that duel, Ryldor?"
"You might say that," responded the elf. "Are you willing to fight me here?"
The prince responded by rolling his eyes and turning to walk away. Before he could react, though, Ryldor had shot an arrow into his shoulder. It caused him to stumble forward. He turned, regaining his balance.
"You have my attention," he said with a frown, his hand going up to grip the arrow shaft.
Ryldor walked forward and put his hand on Legolas's. Violently, he tore the arrow out. Legolas let out a small, stifled cry. His assailant smirked and gripped the injury tightly.
"It's not so much as the duel now, Legolas, but the pleasure of watching you suffer."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Something is wrong," whispered Estel, speaking to himself as he leaned against a tree trunk. "He should have been here by now if he had been following me."
It was obvious that Legolas had not been following him after several minutes of waiting. The human was on the verge of deciding to go back, but realized his friend would not quite appreciate that. Then again, the elf could be hurt.
Estel started running, running back towards Legolas. He drew his sword. It was only moments later, he came upon the scene.
"I won't fight you," argued Legolas as Ryldor's grip tightened on his shoulder.
"Then die a coward!"
Estel swung at Ryldor, who threw Legolas to the ground before moving away. The blade barely missed cutting his arm off, leaving a tiny cut on his shoulder.
"Until next time," repeated the elf, "when I really will get you."
He ran off into the trees. Estel moved to go after him, but Legolas stopped him. "There is no point," he explained. "He will only kill you."
"Are you all right? Does it hurt?"
"Of course it hurts, but I will be fine," replied his friend. "Come, we will search to the cliff before we turn back."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryldor growled as he watched the two walk through the forest, happily talking and joking.
"You will rue the day you crossed my path, boy. First you, then your royal friend," he muttered. With great speed, he went ahead of them, passing their slow pace with ease. He came to a crudely constructed archway. It looked, actually, like a door frame was built right into the cliff side. With a smirk, he set to work.
The elf worked for almost an hour before Legolas and Estel came into view.
"Good night, Legolas Greenleaf," he whispered with a smirk before hiding in a tree nearby.
