Author's note: I've noticed a distinct lack of reviews for the previous chapter. Well, if you don't want me to update...
***
Within a few minutes, two of the men returned to the camp. One held the boy, the other guided the girl before him. The boy squirmed in the arms that held him and the girl looked terrified, but neither of them appeared hurt.
"Why did you run away?" the lord asked them. The girl replied using her own language. Legolas didn't understand the words, but could hear the defiance in her voice. The man used the same language, speaking for a perhaps a minute. The other children, roused by the disturbance earlier, were listening intently. One of the boys asked something and the lord turned to him, answering with no sign of annoyance or anger.
Legolas had no idea what he was saying, but it seemed to calm the children. They were looking at each other, almost cheerful at what they were being told. Legolas wished he could understand, but it had never seemed important to learn the tongues of men, aside from the common tongue that was understood almost everywhere.
The man continued form some time, answering questions the children asked. At last he turned away, and the girl took her brother to the others. Neither of them were bound, they simply lay down to sleep.
"What did you tell them?" Legolas asked as the man passed him.
"The truth," was all the answer he got.
"That's not much of an answer," Legolas said.
"I never pretended it was." It was immediately apparent that Legolas couldn't hope to get anything more out of the man tonight.
He ordered his men back to their beds, telling another man to take over as watch.
"My lord," Damial protested, "what happened tonight will not happen again."
"No," the lord replied, "it will not. You will not be allowed to sit watch again. If two children are able to sneak past you undetected, how can you be expected to notice any enemies or thieves?"
Legolas hated being on watch, and knew that most people did too. Almost everyone would like the chance to be allowed off watch, but to be dismissed as useless was worse than sleepless nights. Legolas almost felt sorry for Damial, so put down in front of all the other men.
***
He was roused early the next morning, barely having returned to sleep. The men were swiftly dismantling the camp, loading the tents and supplies in one of the wagons. The children were helped or lifted into the other, and Legolas was taken over to that one.
The men cut the bonds on his ankles to let him walk, but his arms remained tied behind his back. They put him in a corner of the wagon at the front, a loop of rope passing through his bound hands and secured to a ring set into the wagon. His arms were already cramped from being held behind him all night and were now beginning to become unbearable.
The company moved northwards at a fast pace all that day. Legolas tried briefly to undo the ropes around his wrists, but gave it up as futile. The children in the wagon spoke to each other in their own language, no longer afraid. Legolas wondered again what the men's lord had said to them the night before.
After they had been travelling perhaps an hour, one of the boys asked Legolas something, speaking in the language Legolas didn't know.
"I don't understand," Legolas replied honestly in common.
"He asked your name," the oldest of the girls said.
Legolas hesitated. "I would rather not tell you," he said, "because I don't want them to know it." He moved his head in a gesture to indicate the company of men.
The girl let go of her brother, whom she had been cradling, and crossed the wagon to sit close beside Legolas.
"You don't trust them, do you?" she asked in a whisper so that the men driving the wagon wouldn't hear.
"No."
"I'm not sure I trust them either."
"Then help me," Legolas entreated, "and I will help you. We can all escape together." The girl shook her head.
"The man was honest about one thing. I can't look after my brother on my own, and I've no home or family to go to. We'll either die in the wild, or be made slaves to someone else. We have to stay with him, and hope that he's honest about the rest."
"What did he tell you?" Legolas asked.
"That he doesn't like slavery, especially with children. He bought us so that we could be free in his country instead of slaves in our own."
"What country is he taking us to?"
"He didn't say," the girl said, as though the thought hadn't occurred to her. Legolas thought it questioned the man's story. If he had been honest, he would have told them where they were going at once.
"Did he say why he bought me?" The girl shook her head.
She went back to her brother.
"My name is Eltha," she said, "my brother is Marly. This is Hayma," she introduced the girl, "and these two are Jafly and Petry."
"I'm pleased to meet you all," Legolas said, feeling rather rude to not share his own name. It was unlikely that these humans would recognise it, but he didn't want to risk them learning that they had a prince of Mirkwood as their prisoner.
They stopped at midday to rest the horses and for the men to take some refreshment. There was no sign of water nearby, so one of the men took a half-full barrel of water and allowed the horses to drink from it in turn. The men dipped cups into a separate barrel.
The children got out of the wagon and ran around the company to ease cramping muscles. Legolas would have loved to do the same.
Ethindal came up to him with a cup and plate.
"I will release your hands," he said, "but you will not get far if you attempt to flee or fight." Legolas nodded, and the man untied the ropes. Legolas massaged his sore wrists for a moment, surprised that the ropes hadn't cut into the flesh.
Then he set about devouring the food he had been given, a meagre helping of bread and salted meat and a small piece of dried fruit.
"I wish I could enjoy my meals so much," Ethindal laughed, seeing how quickly it vanished, "but after a few weeks of this fare I'm growing desperate for a change." Legolas could understand why, but he'd eaten little enough recently and was very glad of a decent portion.
"I will let you walk around for a while," Ethindal went on, "but your hands are to be bound at all times." The way he said it made it seem as though Legolas had an option, but there was none. His hands would be bound whatever happened.
He held his arms out in front of him, hands together. Ethindal gave a half-smile, then used a gentle hand to imply that Legolas was meant to turn round. There was no strength used against him, but even so Legolas couldn't easily resist. He turned and allowed his hands to be bound behind him and then climbed down from the wagon.
The man remained immediately behind him as he walked through the camp, but Legolas was allowed to choose both pace and direction. All the men were armed and Legolas suspected that if he ran he would feel a blade in his back for the few brief moments he continued to live.
***
Author's note: Not much of a cliffhanger, but it'll have to do.
***
Within a few minutes, two of the men returned to the camp. One held the boy, the other guided the girl before him. The boy squirmed in the arms that held him and the girl looked terrified, but neither of them appeared hurt.
"Why did you run away?" the lord asked them. The girl replied using her own language. Legolas didn't understand the words, but could hear the defiance in her voice. The man used the same language, speaking for a perhaps a minute. The other children, roused by the disturbance earlier, were listening intently. One of the boys asked something and the lord turned to him, answering with no sign of annoyance or anger.
Legolas had no idea what he was saying, but it seemed to calm the children. They were looking at each other, almost cheerful at what they were being told. Legolas wished he could understand, but it had never seemed important to learn the tongues of men, aside from the common tongue that was understood almost everywhere.
The man continued form some time, answering questions the children asked. At last he turned away, and the girl took her brother to the others. Neither of them were bound, they simply lay down to sleep.
"What did you tell them?" Legolas asked as the man passed him.
"The truth," was all the answer he got.
"That's not much of an answer," Legolas said.
"I never pretended it was." It was immediately apparent that Legolas couldn't hope to get anything more out of the man tonight.
He ordered his men back to their beds, telling another man to take over as watch.
"My lord," Damial protested, "what happened tonight will not happen again."
"No," the lord replied, "it will not. You will not be allowed to sit watch again. If two children are able to sneak past you undetected, how can you be expected to notice any enemies or thieves?"
Legolas hated being on watch, and knew that most people did too. Almost everyone would like the chance to be allowed off watch, but to be dismissed as useless was worse than sleepless nights. Legolas almost felt sorry for Damial, so put down in front of all the other men.
***
He was roused early the next morning, barely having returned to sleep. The men were swiftly dismantling the camp, loading the tents and supplies in one of the wagons. The children were helped or lifted into the other, and Legolas was taken over to that one.
The men cut the bonds on his ankles to let him walk, but his arms remained tied behind his back. They put him in a corner of the wagon at the front, a loop of rope passing through his bound hands and secured to a ring set into the wagon. His arms were already cramped from being held behind him all night and were now beginning to become unbearable.
The company moved northwards at a fast pace all that day. Legolas tried briefly to undo the ropes around his wrists, but gave it up as futile. The children in the wagon spoke to each other in their own language, no longer afraid. Legolas wondered again what the men's lord had said to them the night before.
After they had been travelling perhaps an hour, one of the boys asked Legolas something, speaking in the language Legolas didn't know.
"I don't understand," Legolas replied honestly in common.
"He asked your name," the oldest of the girls said.
Legolas hesitated. "I would rather not tell you," he said, "because I don't want them to know it." He moved his head in a gesture to indicate the company of men.
The girl let go of her brother, whom she had been cradling, and crossed the wagon to sit close beside Legolas.
"You don't trust them, do you?" she asked in a whisper so that the men driving the wagon wouldn't hear.
"No."
"I'm not sure I trust them either."
"Then help me," Legolas entreated, "and I will help you. We can all escape together." The girl shook her head.
"The man was honest about one thing. I can't look after my brother on my own, and I've no home or family to go to. We'll either die in the wild, or be made slaves to someone else. We have to stay with him, and hope that he's honest about the rest."
"What did he tell you?" Legolas asked.
"That he doesn't like slavery, especially with children. He bought us so that we could be free in his country instead of slaves in our own."
"What country is he taking us to?"
"He didn't say," the girl said, as though the thought hadn't occurred to her. Legolas thought it questioned the man's story. If he had been honest, he would have told them where they were going at once.
"Did he say why he bought me?" The girl shook her head.
She went back to her brother.
"My name is Eltha," she said, "my brother is Marly. This is Hayma," she introduced the girl, "and these two are Jafly and Petry."
"I'm pleased to meet you all," Legolas said, feeling rather rude to not share his own name. It was unlikely that these humans would recognise it, but he didn't want to risk them learning that they had a prince of Mirkwood as their prisoner.
They stopped at midday to rest the horses and for the men to take some refreshment. There was no sign of water nearby, so one of the men took a half-full barrel of water and allowed the horses to drink from it in turn. The men dipped cups into a separate barrel.
The children got out of the wagon and ran around the company to ease cramping muscles. Legolas would have loved to do the same.
Ethindal came up to him with a cup and plate.
"I will release your hands," he said, "but you will not get far if you attempt to flee or fight." Legolas nodded, and the man untied the ropes. Legolas massaged his sore wrists for a moment, surprised that the ropes hadn't cut into the flesh.
Then he set about devouring the food he had been given, a meagre helping of bread and salted meat and a small piece of dried fruit.
"I wish I could enjoy my meals so much," Ethindal laughed, seeing how quickly it vanished, "but after a few weeks of this fare I'm growing desperate for a change." Legolas could understand why, but he'd eaten little enough recently and was very glad of a decent portion.
"I will let you walk around for a while," Ethindal went on, "but your hands are to be bound at all times." The way he said it made it seem as though Legolas had an option, but there was none. His hands would be bound whatever happened.
He held his arms out in front of him, hands together. Ethindal gave a half-smile, then used a gentle hand to imply that Legolas was meant to turn round. There was no strength used against him, but even so Legolas couldn't easily resist. He turned and allowed his hands to be bound behind him and then climbed down from the wagon.
The man remained immediately behind him as he walked through the camp, but Legolas was allowed to choose both pace and direction. All the men were armed and Legolas suspected that if he ran he would feel a blade in his back for the few brief moments he continued to live.
***
Author's note: Not much of a cliffhanger, but it'll have to do.