Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.
A Twist of Fate
Chapter V – Troubling Matters
Aragorn and Legolas were dumped unceremoniously on the hard ground. The elf lay where he was unmoving for a few moments, catching his breath. He felt gentle hands being placed on his shoulder as Aragorn carefully examined the arrow wound.
The Son of Elrond bit his lip as he stared at his friend's injury. He consoled himself that sometimes injuries looked worst then they actually were. But if he was right, this had to be paining his friend quite a bit.
What remained of the arrow had been removed by their captors. They had yanked it out of the elf when they had been found, but the rough removal and the splintered wood had made the wound worse.
Splinters of wood were embedded in the sore flesh around the place where the arrow had entered and the opening of the wound had been torn open further when the arrow had been removed. The bleeding had slowed though, and dried blood now encrusted the underside of the tunic as well as the injury.
Legolas moaned slightly as Aragorn's fingers brushed lightly against his shoulder and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes as the Son of Elrond moved around to face him and remove his tunic and undershirt. The movements agitated his sore shoulder and he bit his lip hard to stifle a small cry of pain.
They had been provided with some water and Aragorn used a little of this to wash the dried blood from the arrow wound and the cut on the elf's forehead. The rest of the water he gave to the elf, drinking only a little himself. With the amount of blood that his companion had lost, he needed it more. Then he tore off long strips from his own clock to bind his friend's hurts.
By the time he was done, the elf was staring at him through half closed eyes. He too felt quite weary. The escape attempt had taken a lot from them. Tiredly, he helped his friend get into a comfortable position before he lay down to rest himself.
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Legolas leaned on the tree against which he had been tied, in a light slumber. Aragorn lay near him asleep. The elf had awakened just before dawn and was on his guard. Any slight movements near them and he would be awake in a second.
He was not going to take any chances with these men. At the present, he was not too worried; they were bound to run into a Mirkwood Petrol when they traveled deeper into the woods. In fact, it was rather surprising that they had not already been detected by one.
He shifted slightly, his shoulder pained him more then he cared to admit and he felt a little weakened from the loss of blood.
A twig snapped under an approaching someone's foot, and Legolas was instantly on the alert. He nudged Aragorn hard with his foot and the ranger was just stirring as four of their captors approached. One of them gave a look of utter distaste as he stood before them, surveying the two. His eyes met the hard gaze of the elf and he was taken aback by the steely gaze of the captive, unable to bare the probing look of one of the first born for very long, he turned away.
Aragorn and Legolas were led towards two horses. Their hands were bound and attached to a rope which other end was attached to the back of two horses. With a sinking feeling, Aragorn realized there were to be made to run. Normally, this would have been no problem, but in the state Legolas was in… he knew his friend had all of his race's endurance but felt worried all the same.
TBC…
Give me your reviews! BTW I'm trying to decide whether or not to develop the parts about the men more, so who's for going more in depth in that area?
Usually, I try to keep it at about three pages a chapter. This is only about half of that, BUT it has more words then other chapters so I guess it all evens out…
Response to Reviewers
Anastasia Who: Thanx for the review as always! :o)
Deana: Poor Legolas?? The worst is yet to come…
Aranel of Mirkwood: Wow… another elf angst enthusiast! Why am I not surprised? :o)
Blackbird10: Spooky? * Checks last chapter~* Really?
Snowy: I hope this was soon enough for you…
Colagreenleaf: I'm not battering him!!! It's the men … remember? ;o) A mutiny amongst the men? I'm not sure if I'm going to develop the story about the men much, after Legolas and Aragorn… erm… err… never mind. Anyway, I may put them in a sequel.
Sennay: You're hooked? YEA!!! Another person who's going to be reading to the end! I hope…
Gwyn: Elf angst IS yummy.
Elfmage: Four reviews at one go! All the chapters! You are great!!! Thanx!!! You seriously think my writing is good? You may change your mind in later chapters… though I'm trying to keep improving. And your writing is great too- I've read your fics. So… crying in shame and jealousy… is totally out of order. No, the arrow is not poisoned. Or maybe it is… I'm not telling :o)
Jessie: They're not in serious trouble… yet.
Star-stallion: Yup, poor them, always being dragged into trouble. I'd update sooner but I was trying to finish chapter 6 before I posted this one. Thanx for reviewing! :o)
Elven Kitten: So you're an Aragorn fan then? Since you're only hugging Estel… :o)
Devie Saves: This story won't be unfinished! I resolve to finish it no matter how long it takes!
