Hi!

And another chapter - decided to upload as many as I can get ready tonight, hope you enjoy.

Alina

Rating: PG 13

Disclaimer: Nothing´s changed...

Friends and Foes



When Aragorn reached the downstairs chamber, he found Telias standing in the door, guilt still showing on his face. "Is your friend all right?" he asked anxiously. "Fine for the moment, but he needs to rest some more."

Aragorn was pleased to see that his response relaxed the child a bit. Still, he would have liked some time alone in the room. His distrust towards Daramus had reached a level that made him want to search the mill. So many things were yet unexplained, not the least of them the mysterious light that had saved Legolas and himself from the darkness and, of course, Daramus´ own whereabouts. He considered sending the child outside but one look into the curious eyes the boy had fixed on him made him doubt that the child would indeed stay away. He could not risk involving the little boy. He would need to do this later, alone, or better still with Legolas´ assistance once his friend was up to the task.



"Let´s go into the village, shall we? I would like to thank your mother for her troubles." Telias face lit up. Obviously glad to leave the mill behind, the boy happily bounced ahead of Aragorn who followed at a much more reasonable pace, favouring his tender knee. As he neared the village, the ranger took his time to absorb the details. A few people could be seen, going about their daily chores. What struck him at once, though, was that there were no roads or even well-used paths leaving the place. Only among the houses he could see that the grass was worn away by daily travel. A small number of tracks led to the preciously few fields and meadows. Some cows and sheep were to be found, chickens pecking away among the buildings, some vegetable patches and a few fruit trees next - but all in all, Aragorn seriously doubted that the villagers could sustain themselves like this. He frowned.

Remembering the boy´s plea to him earlier, he asked: "Tell me, Telias, do your people go out to hunt a lot?" The child stopped his bouncing and immediately was at the ranger´s side. "No, but I want to go, really! Father used to say..." He suddenly stopped, and a wave of pain crossed his features that was so huge it seemed to swallow his whole small frame. His lower lip began to quiver, and Aragorn quickly intervened. "I´m sure you would make a great hunter, Telias. We´ll see what can be done about it."

When the boy nodded, a smile fighting his tears, Aragorn went on: "How about fishing, then? I´m sure that little stream holds quite some tasty meals..." To his immense surprise the child´s eyes grew huge and he shook his head so hard it sent his wild hair into further disarray. "No, no", he whispered and urgently drew Aragorn´s arm, forcing him to bend down to understand his words at all. "Don´t go near the stream, never! First rule, mum would be so upset - first rule, she says, never go near the river. Nobody should, not even you!"

The ranger glanced up again at the peaceful brook that wound its way down from the mill and halfway around the village before disappearing to the east. Try as he might, he could see nothing dangerous about it. Riddles over riddles.

"Promise!!" He found two round brown eyes staring at him. Telias´ face was set in wild determination. "Promise you won´t got to the river!" Puzzled, the ranger stroked the child´s head to calm him. "I promise you I won´t get into trouble at the river", he said. Telias furrowed his brow at that, too skilful himself at subtly refining promises to completely miss something wrong, but then nodded, satisfied for the moment.

Suddenly, the boy´s expression changed yet again as he caught sight of something behind the ranger. "Mommy, mommy!" he yelled at the top of his voice, tearing away from Aragorn and running down the soft green slope towards one of the houses, "look who´s coming to visit!"

As Aragorn turned, he saw a woman who had stepped out with a basket under her arm. The chickens quickly surrounded her as she fed them, but her eyes went up to take in the child that raced towards her. A smile very much like that of Telias lit her round features and when the boy scattered the chickens around him in his hasty approach her scolding remained half-hearted. She looked like a woman used to hard work, and a hidden sadness lingered in her eyes, a sadness which melted away when she looked at her son, though. "Really, Telias, you should know better! And running in front of Master Aragorn like that, where are your manners?!"

`Yet another one who knows my name´, Aragorn thought to himself. He had not really realized it with Telias, assuming that Daramus had filled him in, but he was now pretty sure he had never even given his name to the old man - nor had he been addressed with it, Legolas being unconscious.

Storing the information away on the growing list of mysteries he encountered in this place, he walked up to Telias´ mother with a smile. "Well met", he greeted, "and thank you for providing me with a wonderful meal and such a trustworthy messenger to deliver it. He was even kind enough to stay and have a conversation with me. " The woman laughed out loud at his graceful description, the fond look she gave the boy showing that she suspected Telias had done more than talk while Aragorn was eating.

"Well met, Master Aragorn. My name is Telanna." He bowed his head lightly and she continued, the smile widening a bit. "I´m glad that you liked both the food and the company. I see you have not brought your friend. Is he sick still? I could try to offer some relief, though I have never treated one of the Eldar..." She hesitated slightly. "...or even met one." Aragorn was gladly surprised by the prospect of having found a healer of some sort - although, knowing Daramus´ abilities , he was amazed another healer was needed in a place as small as this.

"He is better", the man replied truthfully, "just not well enough yet to walk around. I´m sure he will be glad to meet you soon. But healing herbs would be much appreciated, should you have some." "A small collection - please, come in." Telanna showed him to her kitchen, Telias following at their heals, and he immediately saw that she had a good collection of useful herbs, both dried and growing in small pots on the windowsill. "Take what you think will aid you", she said, "I usually use them on the animals only, but I´m sure they´ll work on humans, too, or elves..."

She trailed of, sounding a bit nervous now. Aragorn quickly hid his reaction to her words, not wanting to alarm her. He was more than aware that a good number of these herbs could not be used on animals at all. Glad to stock his supplies, he went through her collection. No athelas, sadly, but many other things that might come in handy. Telias was watching him intently, and obviously his mother was having no more of this.

"It is time you remembered your other chores, young man" she said sternly, "the sheep could need a guardian on the upper meadow, you know the fence still needs repairing." The boy pouted visibly at this. "But - I´m sure Master Aragorn wouldn´t mind another of your visits tomorrow." The ranger nodded at that, and Telias reluctantly made his way out to the sheep. Alone with Telanna now, Aragorn pondered whether to question her, but he could sense her unease and decided against it.

"Thank you very much", he said when he closed he healing pouch, freshly filled. She inclined her head. "Happy to help. You should rest some more yourself, your journey here must have been troublesome indeed."

Aragorn left Telanna and walked around the village. There was not much to see, but the villagers clearly avoided him. They cast down their eyes when he passed them by and their replies to his greetings were muffled at best. An almost suppressing blanket of unease covered them all, and Aragorn soon found himself wishing to be gone from this place. He slowly made his way back to the mill, lost in thoughts. He felt the riddles were becoming too countless to all approach at once, and he desperately wished for Legolas to be awake and ready to talk when he returned.

He had almost reached the mill, when to his surprise Daramus rushed out of the building, looking flushed and hurried. He started when he saw the ranger, the look and his face wavering between anger and worry. For a few seconds they just stared at each other, dread growing in Aragorn´s mind as he picked up the scent of danger. "What!" he all but yelled at the old man when no answer was forthcoming. Daramus flinched at the sound, his eyes flashing for a moment before worry flooded his features.

"It´s your friend - something happened to him but he wouldn´t let me help. I was just about to search for you..." Aragorn heard the last words only faintly as he sprinted up the stairs to the upper room. This couldn´t be, the elf had been on the mend, had his healer´s senses betrayed him so...

The sight that greeted him almost took his breath away. The room clearly showed signs of a fight, the one chair under the widow turned over, Legolas´ bed shoved away from the wall, the covers on the floor. Drops of some sort of black liquid splattered the blankets. It took the ranger a few frantic seconds to locate his friend sprawled on the ground behind the bed. He lay face down, covered in the sickly dark fluid that drenched his clothes and matted his hair.

Aragorn was at his side in the blink of an eye, quickly turning him over and pulling him into his lap. "Legolas, can you hear me?! Pedo gwa-anim!" //Speak to me!// With a sickening feeling he realized that the elf was not breathing. He could feel his friend´s heart hammering frantically beneath his hand, but his chest was still.

Countless hours of training as a healer allowed Aragorn to judge and act in a flash. "Drowned" was the word that jumped into his mind and despite the situation, he never questioned himself but wiped the elf´s face clean, noticing the paleness and slight tinge of blue to the lips, placed him down flat and breathed for him.

The few moments it took the elf´s body to react and begin to cough was eternity to Aragorn. Part of his mind had detached itself and marvelled at the impossibility of it all, but all that mattered now was the breath of life.

When Legolas brought up the dark water that had somehow ended up in his lungs and stomach, Aragorn turned him over quickly to keep him from choking. The coughs shook the elf´s slender frame without mercy and the ranger felt himself flinch with each single one, sure that the barely healed injuries would reopen.

The amount of dark liquid that poured from Legolas with each painful gasp made Aragorn cringe even more. "Thuio, thuio" //Breathe, breathe"// he encouraged his friend, more to say something and let him know he was there then anything else. Finally, the spasms ceased. Aragorn drew the elf against his chest, gently resting his head against his shoulder, and pulled a blanket around his now violently shivering form.

His friend´s breaths were as rapid and irregular as his heartbeats, and if Aragorn wanted him to live through this, he needed to calm him. "Thuio, mellon-nin, dinen, im nev, dinen..." //Breathe, my friend, quiet, I´m here, quiet...// Aragorn repeated the quiet words again and again, an endless warm stream of comfort, until he finally felt some of the tension leave his friend. He breathing relaxed, though it remained painfully raw, and his frantic heart found a more steady rhythm.

Aragorn allowed some of his focus to draw away from his friend, keeping him securely against his chest. The realization of how close he had come yet again to lose the elf, and under what circumstances, made his fury boil. Fury at himself for being unable to judge where the danger was coming from, fury at Daramus for whatever part he had played in this, fury at his lack of memory.

He remained sitting like this for a while, both to make sure Legolas would not suffer a relapse and to allow his mind to take control of his anger. He knew from experience that it would not do him any good to act before he had calmed himself.

Suddenly, a wild howl disturbed the silence. Aragorn jumped and involuntarily caused Legolas to tense again, too, sending him into another coughing fit that kept them both occupied for minutes. When it had finally passed, rain splattered against the window and an unnatural darkness had crept over the mill. In a flash of white lightning, Aragorn saw Darmus standing in the door, looking down on them with an unreadable expression. "Darkness has come early tonight", he said, belying the fact that it was merely late afternoon, "I will light the candles and get you water and fresh dressings to tend to your friend."

With that, he left. Aragorn could feel his skin crawl at the mere thought of what awaited him outside, sure without a doubt that the dark evil they had so narrowly escaped less than a day ago was back, barring his route of escape.

Whatever thoughts there had been in the back of his mind to leave the mill and take Legolas away from here vanished, drowned in the merciless roar of the storm. He would have to spend one more night in here, and whatever happened, he would remain at his friend´s side from now on. He would not leave him alone again, that he vowed.

The wind screamed against the mill´s bulk, making the wood creak and groan under the onslaught. Aragorn felt Legolas´ shivers intensify again and gently pulled him closer. "Im dartha nev"//I [will] stay here.// he whispered into the elfs ear, "believe me, my friend, I will not fail you again." He only hoped that this was a promise he would be allowed to keep.

TBC