A CONSPIRACY UNMASKED
By : mirkwood-elf-2931


CHAPTER 2


"Will he be all right? Will they all be all right?" Landailyn had appeared at the side of Calatria, as the healer checked Deyinar's current vitals.

The medical Elves that had treated the male Elf found that he had been penetrated with an arrow through his right side, but it had not been very deep and had been removed, most likely by one of his companions, before any serious damage had been caused.

She smiled over at the captain she had intensely cared for in Isengard nearly two years before and who she had barely seen since. "They will. How are you? I'm deeply sorry to hear about your friend." Calatria had held the Noldor she-Elf in contempt then, as she knew that Landailyn's deadly shoulder wounding had been her fault. But on the way to Lothlorien, after overhearing a few conversations between the two during the nights in camp, she realized Thalawen had never meant or wanted to hurt Landailyn at all.

"Thank you. And I'm doing well. I came to see if Deyinar had awoken, so I might speak with him."

"Well," The older she-Elf sighed. "I fear it might be a while, if you're prepared to wait. Or I could find you when he does."

"Actually, I wish to sit with him, if it's all right?"

"Of course." Calatria beamed brightly. "I'll be around, if you should need me."

An hour had passed when it was that the captain's second in command awoke to uncomfortable feelings and sensations. A groan caught her attention and she spoke soft Elvish words to let him know where he was and what was going on.

His eyes fluttered open to hearing her peaceful voice.

"Deyinar? Do you remember what I'm telling you?"

"Yes, my captain." The Elf smiled faintly, sucking in a deep breath, trying to regulate his breathing around his injury. "How are the rest?"

"Calatria has told me they will be fine. And your families have been notified. I already know how you're feeling, so I'm not even going to ask." Landailyn sat back again in her chair for another wait, folding her arms across her chest. She was going let him be awake for a bit, before she would ask him to tell his story.

But she wouldn't have to.

Once fully alert, Deyinar realized he needed very much to tell someone what had taken place that morning for those who had gone on the hunting trip. Sitting himself up half way in bed, he began. "They had tracked us since Emyn-nu-Fuin...we were attacked not a quarter of an hour ere we arrived here."

Landailyn looked over at him, sitting forward in her seat.

"There were many...Orcs, of course, what else…both large and small. There were few at first, but their number grew larger by the second, at least a hundred against us twelve in the end. With Dol Guldur destroyed, I assume they now dwell there. I fear they may think we will retaliate and decide to come here first. Myael, Palan, Ornir and Rokko." Shaking his head, he named off the companions that had fallen from the rest of the injured group. "We could not bring them with us, there was no time, we had to get away." He looked shamefully from her gaze.

"It is well, Deyinar," She put a consoling hand on his forearm. "You did all you could. We should only be grateful to have lost no more than we did." She rose and went around to the other side of the small bed.

"Is it night yet? Are you going home?" He wondered casually.

"Yes, it is night. And no, I'm staying for a while, but I leave you now to get more rest, as I must speak with Lord Thranduil and Prince Legolas. Thank you for telling me what happened. I'll come see you again on the morrow."

He nodded and she left to seek out the two lords.


~*~*~~*~~*~*~


The captain and prince of Eyrn Lasgalen stood before its elder high-ruler. Landailyn had only finished relating what Deyinar had told her and now the three were trying to come up with a solution to yet more possible threats against their home.

"Father, we must eliminate them ere they can try anything." Legolas did not want to take their army out to this 'war', he would fight them all himself if he could, but four were already dead because of these Orcs as it was.

And this was something even Landailyn could not see being helped by anything or anyone else, but their own legion of warriors.

"Nay, it is too great a risk." Thranduil tried to wave the subject off, refusing to look at either of the young Elves in the room.

"Then we are risking the lives of our people! We cannot just do nothing while waiting for them to come here, which is most likely what will happen!"

"My lord," Landailyn stepped forward, trying to get through to the king for Legolas' sake. "Do you not remember what has happened the last two times now? We lost so many because we were attacked unawares even though we were in our own territory. If we reversed this, we would most likely claim victory more quickly and without such a great loss. We cannot keep recovering our army with new warriors every time we lose more. Soon there will be none left to recruit."

A moment went by, where Thranduil looked as though he would argue in return, but he could see that Landailyn and his son were right. And when still he said nothing, he merely looked up into their faces. He could feel a sense of desperate pleading from both of them, even see it, but how could he let either of them go? How could he let them go into battle when they could very well be sending themselves to their own deaths? Although he rarely showed it, he loved his only son more than anything and did not know what he would do if this cost Legolas his life. For during the War of the Ring when Mirkwood was not receiving word of their prince's current well being, he often wondered if his son was even still alive.

And what would he tell his closest friends, Landailyn's parents, if their daughter did not return?

"Father, you need not worry about us." Legolas figured this to probably be what was going through his father's mind right about now. "This is nothing compared to what we have faced in the past." He spoke of his time with the Fellowship, though his father did not know just how many Orcs were in the battles he and his friends had been in, thousands upon thousands each time from the armies of Mordor and Isengard. But he also spoke for Landailyn, she had never been in any battles quite so large, but she had seen and fought enough all at once to imagine what it had been like.

"Nay, my lord, and I assure you I have Legolas' back." She smiled at them.

"And I have Landailyn's."

Thranduil closed his eyes, his decision made. "Alright, you may do as you think best."

"Thank you, Father."

"Yes, thank you, your highness and I bid you good night." Said Landailyn, bowing and turning to accompany Legolas out of the room. "We set out at dawn?"

"I don't have a better time. How many men are we taking?"

"I say at least a hundred."

"I suppose that will be enough...in case we too are ambushed."

Thranduil listened to their fading words. He could not deny the bad feeling he had about all of this. "Please, keep them safe." He prayed to the Valar, now that he was alone. "They must come home."


~*~*~~*~~*~*~


The next morning, just before sunrise, Landailyn stood before one hundred of her best warriors in the side courtyard; explaining in short to them why they had been called there.

When her speech was done, she saw nothing but determination gleaming in each pair of eyes, such as that of a soldier ready for a war that he more than expected to win. So to this plan, no one objected.

She nodded. "I am not for sure how long we will be gone, but gather whatever weapons, armor and traveling supplies you think you can carry. We leave in an hour."

After dismissing her soldiers, Landailyn went to see Deyinar to tell him of where they were going. Of course he wished to come, but she forbid it and simply ordered him to get well and to soon be on his feet to relieve the temporary second in command in his place and take over.

"Good morning. Are you ready?"

Landailyn came from the room to see Legolas coming toward her down the hall. "Almost, I must tell my parents, then I'll be ready."

He nodded, trying not to laugh and bid her farewell for the time being. "Good luck." He then added when she had turned her back.

"Oh," She stopped to glance back with a glare. "Thanks."

She rode quickly to her own attractive little home in the surrounding forest. Slowing her horse to make a stop in the front, she dismounted and hurried inside.

"Good morning, my daughter!" Her mother stepped into the dining area. "Finally, you come home! What happened last night that kept you?"

What her parents didn't know, is that she had come home to sleep in her own bed for a few hours, but left again before they arose for the day.

Landailyn gave a one-shouldered shrug. "What a warrior at a palace does."

Her father chuckled, as he entered the room. "Your mother just loves the simple answers you give, don't you, dear?"

Andolan pressed her lips together forming a thin line; she was not very amused.

Landailyn smiled and moved past her. "I stayed on duty to discuss things with Legolas and Lord Thranduil and I just came to retrieve a few things."

"For what?"

"Are you going back?"

They both began asking questions at the same time, following her to different rooms as she gathered different items.

"Yes," She replied simply, but had to explain further this time, for she would be gone for more than one night. They watched as she took off her weapons to put on her brown riding cloak, then refastened everything again, speaking quickly. "For also yesterday, only some of my men returned from a hunting trip near Emyn-nu-Fuin and there was not one of them that was not wounded...the rest were slain at the hands of Orcs. Lord Thranduil has given Legolas and I permission to ride out with our men and see what they're doing there and where they have come from. We leave in less than an hour."

Mylthar raised his dark brows at this news, watching Landailyn load her quiver tightly from her own stash of arrows.

"Setting out again so soon?" Asked Andolan. She didn't take much liking at all to her only, young child going on adventures, putting her life in danger and leaving home for so long at a time.

"Yes, Mother, they were tracking my men. And being so close they pose a threat against our people and it will not be possible for us to hold out if there is another attack upon this city. If these are their intentions and we do not acknowledge them, we will be besieged and none of us will go down without fighting back first. Whether you like it or not, I am a captain and I have responsibilities."

Her father smiled understandingly, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Be careful, Landailyn."

She nodded. "Thank you, Father, I will." Then she hugged her sighing mother. "I am sorry, but do not worry yourselves, we may not even be gone a week. But perhaps it may take longer, depending on if we are getting the answers we want or not." Finally, she had everything she had come for and went out the front doorway.

They followed their daughter down the steps of their house, watching her jump upon her horse and turn in its saddle.

"Tenna san, im meleth lle." [Until then, I love you.] She said and with a command her horse bolted in the direction of the royal house.

They watched her until she was out of sight, silently praying that she would return and it would not be the last time they ever saw her again. "Like she said, do not worry. She can take of herself. Why else do you think Thranduil and Legolas made her captain of our entire army? That should show so much in itself. Our daughter is a great fighter, you should believe in her." Mylthar put an arm around his worrisome wife and led her back into the house.

"Maybe so, but she has also been wounded many times in the past, always facing life and death situations." She reminded her optimistic husband.

"Warriors have to get hurt sometime, my love, they are not all perfect."


TBC ...

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mirkwood-elf-2931 :
Thank you guys so much for all the reviews so far! I'm so glad you all like this so much already! And I know it isn't starting out like I have the summary written as that being what the whole story is about, but that's ok, isn't it? LOL I mean, I did the same thing for An Unexpected Journey, but I just added more to the end instead of the beginning. On this fic I just felt that a little something had to happen to threaten Thranduil's realm again (and all I could think of were Orcs, since Mirkwood in the past seemed to have a problem with them) before the main event took place, cuz' this all has nothing to do with it! I don't know why I like to skip around on my stories! But they still make sense, don't they? :)
Thank you, Marcede, Maya and Lyn; I really hope it works out with Tony and me too! We just went on our first date Friday night! And it wasn't just our first date with each other either; we had never been on one with anyone before! LOL So we double dated with Beth and her boyfriend and we all went shopping at the mall and then we went to see Cold Mountain! And he bought me a horse ornament at the Hallmark store! It's so adorable! It's dressed like a fireman, cuz' Tony is a volunteer fireman where he lives!