Oh my god, don't kill me! I'm sorry it took this long, but I got to Tuesday and I still wasn't happy with it, then all the random cogs and wheels in my vastly underused brain started to whir and I thought: Fuck it, who the hell wants to read a god-awful rushed chapter on a Wednesday, when they can read a longer, far better chapter that I spent all week on, on Saturday? And here it is. It was enormously difficult to write and any Estel fans may want to look away… Speaking of Aragorn, I am now officially the proud owner of his cardboard cut out! Wahey! Technically, I'm not sure if I am its owner; me and my friends spotted it at a cinema after watching Finding Nemo and being the strange fellow I am, I squealed and we joked about taking it. I walked to the door and suddenly I hear my friend scream "RUN!" and found myself tearing down the street holding Aragorn under one arm! The legs were unfortunately sacrificed during transit, but it was mainly advertising anyway. So now I have Aragorn in my bedroom… ah, every girl's fantasy! Oh and mixed news, I am on half term now, so I have time to write the chapter this week, but considering my footie team is playing my family's footie team, I may not survive past 4:45pm today as my sister may beat me to death with her elf boots if results go a certain way.

Chapter Twelve: Re-acquaintances  

Crouching in the gloom, he watched their dark figures standing in the small clearing. He was near enough to hear what they were saying and Donvan's words had chilled the blood in his veins. They were heavy on their feet, sensing how close they were to recapturing their target and were no longer covering their tracks. Torture was not on their agenda this time. Donvan was clearly in charge now. Recover and kill.

Where was Estel now?

The elf was furious with himself for losing him. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he ventured closer, knowing that anger with himself would lead to carelessness which would do nothing but aid their deaths. He frowned. Something had caught his eye next to Raenir and he slipped through the trees swiftly and silently until he was less than ten yards away. They were still talking amongst themselves. Legolas stared at the bramble at the man's feet; the spindly stems were broken and a small spatter of blood stained the leaves. Spotting the small gap behind, he smiled slightly but was uneasy of how close his friend was and what state he was in.

A plan whirred through his head and he clenched his jaw, deep in thought. He shifted to the left of the small glade until he was at a right angle to the tree Estel was cowering beneath. His slender fingers grazed across the forest floor and he picked a small pinecone up. It was an old trick, but usually effective. Throwing it as far in the opposite direction as he could, hearing it hit something about thirty yards away, the four men strode off in that direction and Legolas made his move. Stooping as low as he could, he disappeared behind the tree Estel hid under and listened to his ragged breathing.

"Estel, it is I." He whispered.

A low groan was the only reply he could manage.

The fair elf frowned with concern. "Listen to me carefully. No matter what you hear me say, stay where you are. Do not move, I will return for you later. I promise." He uttered firmly, not waiting for a response.

Backing away carefully, making sure they would not spot him near the youngster's hiding place, Legolas took a deep breath, pushing a few drifting strands of his plaited hair out of his face, and stepped into view, crunching a few leaves for extra effect. He felt their eyes fall on him, and he sped away, darting through the trees.

"Run, Estel! This way!" He cried, disappearing into the darkness.

Raenir and Grudoc were quickly in pursuit of him, their heavy boots thundering against the damp ground. Donvan narrowed his eyes and stopped his last companion from joining them.

"I do not think he is strong enough to keep pace with the elf." He spoke softly, eyes glancing suspiciously at their surroundings. "We should search nearby, it is far more likely that the boy is hiding somewhere and he's creating a diversion of sorts."

"Then we should call the others back." Carinyc whispered.

"No. We need the elf dead as well, he is cunning and astute, without him, the boy will not stand a chance. I will not rest until they are both dead." He growled. "You search west, and search thoroughly, every tree, hole, bush and nook is a possible hiding place."

Estel curled up in the hole, he could not make out what they spoke of, but their lingering presence concerned him greatly. He could feel Carinyc nearby. It was getting colder and his body shifted from burning to freezing too often for comfort. Suppressing a shiver, Estel listened, as the sound of heavy footsteps grew nearer. They scraped against the soft earth and he held his breath, knowing that his heavy breathing would give away his location instantly. Carinyc paused, slapping his hand against the tree trunk casually, causing Estel to almost jump out of his skin, before stalking away slowly. He sighed, and manoeuvred himself cautiously so he could examine his arm. Although it was too dark to see much, he could feel the short length of wood sticking out painfully. It wasn't bleeding much, but the poison was seeping out and he wiped it gently with his clammy fingers. Tasting it, he grimaced, recognising the bitter taste. It was an extract of a flower native to Rhudaur, he knew it well and the effect it would take in the coming hours. He had to remove it quickly while he was still relatively clear-headed.

It was going to hurt though, he could still remember the scream that had rang through the halls of Imladris following he and Glorfindel's 'little accident'. He couldn't help but smile at the memory but promptly sobered to the prospect of doing the same thing. Pulling his cloak from underneath him, he stuffed as much of it as he could into his mouth and gripped onto the inch of timber that was accessible. He took a deep breath through his nose, the rich scent of soil soothing his nerves slightly, and tugged it as hard as he could. The searing pain brought tears to his eyes, and he let out a muffled groan.

Panting anxiously, he let the arrowhead fall to the ground and slumped his head back against a tree root. He spat out the cloth and hissed; his lungs felt as if they would burst but by removing the head he could now suck out the poison. He had to move swiftly, he knew that. It wasn't easy but he managed to turn his arm enough to reach the now bleeding wound and clamped his lips over it.

It took three or four attempts to remove as much as he could. The horribly bitter taste of the poison, mixed with mouthfuls of blood made his stomach heave and he threw up. Estel wiped his face with his sleeve, partly relieved he had vomited as it had washed the poison from his mouth, and felt a little better, though he knew some of the toxin was already in his blood and would make him quite ill for a day at least. The young boy groaned slightly, pushing his sweaty black locks out of his face and traced the ground, looking for the discarded arrow. Clasping it in his fingers, he grimaced, the pungent smell of the vomit combined with the overwhelming scent of the poison, made his eyes water. He couldn't remain here. His presence was too obvious.

His head still reeled uncomfortably, but the pain was slowly subsiding. Clambering to the entrance, his eyes darted around, checking his surroundings warily. He couldn't hear anyone. Estel knew he had to get out now, despite what his friend had instructed. Where he would go, he had not a clue. He wouldn't be a sitting target. He had to use the cover of darkness to full advantage. Taking a last glimpse, he scrambled out into the open once more, and crept lowly into the denser part of the unfamiliar forest. His step was more laboured than usual, and he struggled to move through the trees without disturbing something beneath him. Pausing, he heard the river running to the west of him and he shifted his course to meet it. At least by following the Bruinen upstream, he would have some sense of direction and he was pretty sure Legolas had fled that way too.

The leaves crunched quietly under his boots and the unfriendly hoot of an owl startled him. Wiping away the beads of sweat forming on his tanned forehead, he winced. His arm still ached and the chill of the wind was stiffening his limbs, cutting through the thin fabric of his oversized tunic. He had been forced to dump his cloak as it stank, but now the cold was biting, his fingers numbing by the minute. Trudging on unthreatened for ten or so minutes, he began to relax a little, but was still alert to every sound.

Estel froze.

He could hear someone nearby. His heart quickened and breathing became shallower with alarm. It was not Legolas. Too heavy on foot. It was Carinyc. He could feel it. He was muttering about something to himself and Estel scurried to the shelter of a nearby bush.

Carinyc halted in his tracks, looking around the shadowy trees. Something had moved. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, drawing his smaller knife. A slight smile drew across his face.

"Little Estel…" He sighed. "Cannot bear to be without me?"

Estel closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing but couldn't stop a shaky gasp escaping his lips. The blue-eyed human's head snapped to the side, his eyes locking in the terrified boy's direction.

"Oh, come now, surely you missed me as much I missed you?" He laughed coldly, taking a few steps closer.

A tear rolled down Estel's cheek as he crouched unmoving in the gloom. He wanted to run, but he remained rooted to the spot. He glanced down at the arrowhead in his hand, he was now holding it so tightly that the sharp blade pierced his skin and was bleeding painfully. The silver eyed youth hissed and pulled it from his flesh. Carinyc's footsteps grew louder. Closer. Estel took a deep breath and rose to his feet, to see his tormentor a few feet away. Carinyc lunged at him but he managed to scramble out of his grasp.

He cried out, and stumbled away, bursting between saplings and ancient tree trunks as fast as his trembling legs would take him. Throwing himself against a thick pine tree, he disappeared from view, his chest heaving and hands shaking. Estel held his breath, hearing the human approaching once more.

"Aren't we the swift little one?" He hissed. "But no matter how fast you run, you'll never escape me."

Estel didn't move. His head thumped, remains of the poison were still in his system and were hampering him. Blood ran down his hand mercilessly, staining the bark and pattering onto the overgrown plants.

"You're beginning to annoy me, boy. Remember how I am when I'm annoyed?" Carinyc growled, leaping forward and slashing the foliage of a bush next to the petrified child.

The vicious blade sliced through the spindly branches and caught his arm. Estel screamed, watching the blood soak into his sleeve momentarily, before turning to run. He sprinted over the uneven ground, faster than he could imagine. Leaping over a log and past a rabbit warren, he glanced back. Carinyc was still on his tail. Darting from side to side, his nimble footwork hindered the ferocious human, and he stumbled to the ground with a thud. Estel continued to speed away, not looking back anymore.

The human rose to his feet quickly, and pursued him relentlessly. The small figure was getting away. He wouldn't let that happen. Estel was too much fun to lose. He wanted to hear the child scream again. To feel his body tremble. Finish the job he'd started. To satisfy his craving. Carinyc raced along, gaining on the frightened creature. He was only ten feet away and could smell his fear.

Tears ran down Estel's cheeks, he had no idea where he was going and Carinyc was rapidly gaining on him.

"Legolas!" He cried out speculatively, hoping that the elf was close.

Silence greeted him and he checked back on his torturer's progress.

He didn't see it coming.

Falling down the trench with a thud, he spluttered and moaned softly. He glanced up at the torn ivy that had hidden the ditch, and gulped. Carinyc's icy eyes twinkled wickedly, clenching his fists; he swooped down, his boots landing with a splash. Standing over Estel, he grunted with satisfaction and broke into an evil smirk. The frightened boy tried to take a deep breath but couldn't steady himself, and shifted backwards. The rich scent of the damp earth surrounded him, intoxicating his slightly feverish senses, but his presence alone was enough to sober him. His lip trembled as he tried to get away. 

Carinyc grabbed his foot and dragged him back toward him, laughing coldly. The dark haired man knelt over him, trapping Estel's legs with his. He pulled his head from the ground by his hair and leaning in closer to the terrified child. Burying his nose into Estel's hair, he inhaled deeply.

"I've missed your smell." Carinyc murmured in his ear.

He ran his fingers through the trembling youngster's wavy locks and smiled. "Alone at last." He whispered, tracing Estel's jaw line softly.

Estel clamped his silver eyes shut, willing himself away. He struggled, his arms thrashing about underneath the older human. He wasn't here. This wasn't happening. Suddenly, he felt his hand tighten round his throat.

"Open your eyes!" He growled. "Look at me!"

He couldn't. Tears poured down his cheeks in a stream of fear and hysteria. Estel struggled for breath, his throat being easily crushed by Carinyc's powerful hand. His lungs were about to burst. This was not happening. This was a horrible dream; he'd wake up any moment and be alone.

"LOOK AT ME!" He roared, striking him across his face.

Reluctantly his eyes wrenched open, bloodshot and ablaze with terror and Carinyc released his grasp. His nose and mouth were bleeding gently, and he choked as it ran down his throat. The older man smirked cruelly, letting Estel squirm underneath him, before shoving him back against the ground, his back thumping against a rock painfully. His whole body shook, fighting desperately but ineffectively as Carinyc tugged and grabbed at his clothes.

"Go on, squeal." He hissed. "Scream."

Estel grimaced at the hot breath on his neck and pulled his arms over his face protectively. This was not happening. He heard the tunic he wore rip and the cold night air against his bare skin. His skin crawled as Carinyc's rough hands touched his torso and his fingers drew round the edges of his bandages.

"How… disappointing." His voice so soft, he could barely hear him. "My handiwork has been all patched up. I guess we shall just have to start afresh."

"Just do what you will and kill me." Estel coughed, his voice muffled by his arms.

"Oh, come now, little boy. Where is that fighting spirit I adored? Will you not at least amuse me?"

The smaller human moaned despondently, blood covering his face from his nose and the wounds on his arms. They were pulled away and he was forced to look into his tormentor's cold eyes once more. Those eyes that he'd tried to remove from his memory. His top was torn from his body, leaving his upper body naked and vulnerable, the cool soil soaking into his dressings on his back. Breathing panicked and ragged. He was crying uncontrollably now, tears soaking into his bloodstained face unrelentingly.

"Don't do this." He whimpered.

Carinyc cackled and pulled the weeping boy into a sitting position, close to his chest. Thrashing out of his clutches and shoving the broad man backwards, Estel crawled up the bank, the forest coming back into view over the ridge. Two powerful hands gripped onto his boots and yanked him back down the slope on his stomach, smearing him with dark mud. His fingernails scraped into the earth frantically, he cried out, clinging onto the hope that anyone would find him. Even if it were Donvan, at least he'd die before Carinyc could touch him again.

"Don't do this!" He shrieked.

He felt the ebony haired figure lean down so that his stomach pressed against his sore back and pushed back his locks. Lips kissing his neck roughly, hands groping at him freely. His cries of protest crumbling into despairing sobs. Carinyc's fingernails scratching his skin, his forceful grip bruising his flesh painfully. Teeth grazing his earlobe. Estel shirked away quickly, burying his face into the ground, the man's presence enough to make him physically sick. With all his might, Estel kicked out, catching him in the thigh and he felt Carinyc climb off him.

He lay there, unmoving, weeping quietly. The wind murmured through the thinning leaves in the trees, the light rustle the only sound in the forest. Noticing the sudden hush, he shifted a little and glanced to the side, hoping that by some miracle, Carinyc had disappeared. A boot connected with his ribs and he slid to the bottom of the ditch, landing in a heap in the thick mud. Estel groaned in agony, rolling onto his back as Carinyc strode toward him. He curled into a ball, staring at the ground, avoiding those eyes.

"I was going to be gentle." He snarled. "But now I'm going to make you scream so loudly that your pretty elf will hear and find what's left of you once I'm done. He will kill you himself - out of mercy." 

The vicious human dragged Estel by his hair, and forced a harsh kiss on his bleeding lips. He managed to push him away and collapsed back to his knees, throwing up. His hands sunk into the freezing sludge. His eyes widened. Carinyc was tugging at his waistband. He let out a horrified yelp, his mud-spattered curls falling over his teary eyes as he fumbled for something to fight back with. Anything. His hands were caressing the small of his back. He whimpered, snivelling fearfully. His fingers stumbled upon something in the mud and gripped it.

Spinning onto his back, he lashed out speculatively, unsure of what was even in his hand, hoping it to be a rock or something similar. Carinyc cried out, clutching his face. Blood gushed from a long slash across his cheek and Estel looked down at what he held; it was the arrowhead he'd dropped when he had fallen. The broadly built human pounced on him, striking him ferociously across the chin. He kicked Carinyc in the knee and turned to run, but was shoved in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground once more.

"Don't waste your breath fighting me, you'll have no energy to scream for mercy later!" He snarled, but laughed cruelly with that.

Grabbing the bleeding youth, he turned him around so they faced one another and pulled a knife, about the size of his hand, out of his belt, and pressed it against his throat, choking and cutting into his skin with same action. Estel tried to wriggle from his grip with his legs but he quickly clambered on top of him, pinning him down. Carinyc used his free hand to stroke the quivering boy's cheek, brushing his eyelashes with his sweaty fingers.

"You really do have the most striking eyes I have ever seen." He murmured. "They do not disguise a thing. All your fear… that beautiful innocence being ripped apart in front of me."

Slowly, he trailed his grubby fingers down Estel's torso and unbuttoned his trousers, wrenching them down. Carinyc leant in, kissing his cheek and moving to the child's lips. Thrusting his tongue into Estel's mouth, his hand stroked the boy's thighs and slowly moved higher. He broke the imposed kiss, to see his victim's eyes were shut tightly, his face screwed up bleakly.

He dug the knife further into his throat. "Look at me."

Estel's eyes unwillingly crept open, though now at least his vision was blurred from the tears and Carinyc was now just a nightmarish haze.

"This is going to hurt you more than you can imagine." He whispered casually.

His hand slid between his legs and Estel stared up at Carinyc, eyes wide with terror, begging him to stop, but was simply met by his lusty grin.

"NO!" He shrieked hysterically and slammed his hand against the man's chest in a last desperate attempt to push him away.

His eyes widened. Grip loosened around his neck. Hands rose to his chest. He let out a low moan.

Estel gaped at him, with no idea of what had happened.

Scarlet surges of sickly blood streamed though Carinyc's fingers, seeping down and dripping onto the weeping boy's body. The older human moved his hand away and Estel spotted the familiar splinters of Donvan's arrow protruding from his chest. He gasped; he hadn't even realised it was still in his hand. Carinyc looked at him, his blue eyes dazzled with shock, his face draining of colour and hands shaking violently. He slumped down on top of Estel, body still.

Estel froze, completely stunned. He gawped at the man laying on him, mouth hanging open. He could feel the fractured wood scraping against his skin and the hot blood draining onto him. A shaky sigh of horror and relief passed from his lips, his lungs heaving with panicked, ragged breaths. Scrambling from underneath his weight, he retreated to a few feet away, and watched him as the moonlight blanketed them in a surreal silvery glow. The wide-eyed youth sat there, rooted to the spot, covered in the dead man's blood. His tears dried and he simply looked at him silently.

A few minutes passed, and he slowly rose to his feet, not taking his eyes off the unmoving form of Carinyc. His dark hair hung limply on his shoulders and blood ran sluggishly from his nose and mouth. He took a step back, almost stumbling to the ground at the forgotten slope. Tearing his eyes away, he glanced down at his mud soaked trousers that hung loosely at the top of his thighs. He cringed mournfully and pulled them up tentatively but leaving them unbuttoned, deep stinging fingernail scratches low on his stomach making it too uncomfortable. Scratches and quickly darkening bruises littered his trembling body and he frantically tried to wipe away the dirty mass of the other's blood, but it only smeared across his arms and soiled his trousers. His body was a muddle of mud and blood, only a few inches of his skin remained unblemished.

He stepped a little closer, and nudged Carinyc's head with his boot. He was dead. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, unsure of how he felt. He felt sick. He'd killed someone. He was glad Carinyc was dead. But it was an accident. Estel staggered backwards, climbing out of the ditch. His lip trembled and he clasped a blood stained hand over his mouth. Taking one last look at his dead tormentor, he edged away unsteadily, still watching the corpse, as if he might suddenly wake. He turned away and bumped into someone, falling to the ground.

Estel looked up fearfully at the figure standing over him and a tear rolled down his bloody cheek.

TBC…

Ah, my reviewers, you always make my Monday mornings bearable!

Jadelyn Rashwe – Ah, don't get yer knickers in a twist, it's all about the English humour, deal with it! Bloody Americans…

Seanthi – Oooh, that sounds like fun! I was always shit at skipping so I could just jump on them…

Lita of Jupiter – Celeborn? I don't understand either, make it Elrond at least! Did you find them? Oh, and I really am having them, you can't stop me. I need sleep dammit! And feed your fangirls, they're chewing on the bars. Oh, and if you disable me for life, then I will so get offended and just refuse to finish the story. Trust an American (I have no idea if you're American but hey) to have a pet gun, I have a cat/llama, can't you leave it as that?!

Leggylover03 – You can claim compensation for that… but not from me, 'cause I'm a poor student and that's not fair. I don't think you can just crawl into Imladris from where they are… but if I get bored, you never know.

Astievia – Our favourite twins will pop back in when they stop chasing those bloody strippers in Las Vegas. Sigh. I think they've stolen someone's credit card. On a serious note, you'll have wait and see, that's as much as I'll give away. Which, in fact, is nothing.

TigerLily713 - *Groan* Trust me to ask the scientist to make me look stupid… bah. Oh well, at least Polar Bears are my people, and I can wage my war, the last war, that will cover all the world in shadow, or rainbows depending on how I feel that day, against all the 'orrible righties. Mwahahahahaha! I may need scientists, you wanna hop on board?  

Grumpy – Oh, you will give me back my Aragorn, I'll give you my Pepsi cut out in exchange, that or I will be forced to whack you with my keyboard! Feel free to whine, or swear, I can't swear at home anymore as it costs me money.. Stupid fucking bastard wankers! Aargh! Discrimination! I have undiagnosed Tourettes..ahem.

Alex Mistress of the Dirty Ugly Rodents Who Pollute This World – Insane freak? Ooh, you don't want to offend me lass, I've been to I-raq, I have friends there who will do my bidding! Mwahahaha! Glad you like my story!

TrinityTheSheDevil – Ah, how nice! I want the throne though, not the rickety stool next to it. You'll have to move out though (How you move out of hell, I'm not sure) I don't share power. Oh, and I don't do torture, I have a manicure to protect. I'll be the biggest diva in hell…

Dragonfly32 – They're the same thing aren't they? Don't get stressed, my cliffies help soothe the soul and create good karma. You wouldn't have any other way.

Eph – Well, now you have long and erm… not sweet.

Maranwe1 – Oh, totally, me and the calculator got married, now it wants kids. I'm not sure how that'll work out…When you say awful, I hope you mean horrible, rather than shit.

Vana E – Of course I dedicated it to you, you've been going through a really tough time and you still reviewed, I should be the one squeaking, but I don't squeak…English genetics. Damn, I can't promise elf torture… I'll try! Okay, maybe not this story, certainly not the one after, but the one after that, I can absolutely guarantee Legless torture.

Tithen Min – Aha! One vote. That's one step toward total world domination…*plots quietly* Of course I'll get rid off the odd couple, I'll string them up in Trafalgar Square so you can throw inanimate objects at them to your heart's content. Tith, do you think I'm remotely afraid of you? I have I-raq behind me and ginger cat with a complex, you on the other hand, have a medical cupboard. Yeah, you shake that finger and I'll blow it off with my newly acquired Uzi. That'll teach you.