Soccer-bitch: Here you go! This time I am remembering to write my credits!
Thanks for reading my story and reviewing!
Deana: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Yes, poor Legolas! I was thinking that if the elf was capable of skate-boarding down a flight of steps and could also walk on snow then he had a good chance of being able to keep on top of the snow during an avalanche, especially if he kept to the outside edge. However, if he hit a stationery object, such as a tree with a branch, then boo-boos may happen.
Dragonlady25: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you are enjoying Anayah. I know she if not "cannon" but I was using her as a character before I even knew what fan fiction was. The Lady is definitely her own woman.
Dazzler420: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you continue to enjoy my story as much as I am enjoying writing it!
* * * * *
Man na prestannen ion nín? What is disturbing you my son?
* * * * *
Chapter 27
Nightmares
Even at night the gardens of Imladris, lit only by light from the heavens, provided sanctuary to all those with heavy hearts. King Thranduil had found the lush and fragrant gardens a suitable companion for his present state of emotional unrest and had been walking there for some time when he sensed the approach of another. Lord Elrond, always sensitive to the happenings of Imladris as well as to those living within its borders, had felt the disappointment of the Mirkwood King when Anayah had arrived in Imladris without his son. Although, the Sindarin Lord would never begrudge another's happiness, his father's heart still wept because the one brought home was not his own. Now Elrond sought out the King, hoping that his company might help ease the elf's worried mind and heart.
For a time, the two Lords stood in companionable silence, both taking comfort in the unobtrusive presence of the other. Finally, with a sigh, Thranduil spoke to the Noldor Lord.
"I miss him, Elrond. I miss him with every breath I take and with every fiber of my being, every moment of every day. If he does not come back to me alive I do not know how, or even if, I will be able to go on without him."
Even without looking, Elrond knew the King's eyes held unshed tears.
"So you would fade from the grief your heart now holds even before you know for certain there is a reason to grieve?" His tone was sharp, and was only meant to get the emotional attention of the other.
Thranduil glanced sharply at Lord Elrond and saw for the first time, not only a ruler and a wise man, but also a father, brother, and husband, who truly understood what loss was.
Knowing that he had successfully reached the King, Elrond continued. "He is coming back to you, Thranduil. My daughter will bring him home or die in the attempt."
"Are you speaking as one who has foreknowledge of such an event or do you speak as a father?"
"I must admit to you, my friend, that it is my heart that refuses to give up hope. If I were to lose Anayah, your son, or any of my children for that matter, it would tear my heart to pieces - this I know for a certainty! However, I will not give up hope, indeed, I refuse to give up hope, as should you!"
Thranduil smiled, comforted by the words he had heard and taken to his own heart.
* * * * * *
Lord Elrond left the King in the gardens, stronger in both mind and spirit. As he was walking back to the Last Homely House, Elurin, the butler, ran up to him and stopped before his Lord, out of breath.
Elrond put a comforting hand on the elf's back as he stood for a moment, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. When he had finally managed to slow his breathing and heart rate to an acceptable level, he looked up into the concerned eyes of the Lord of Imladris.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, for rushing upon you as I have, but there is an urgent need for your presence in the Healing Wing."
"What has happened, Elurin? Has something happened to my youngest?" Elrond was immediately concerned. When he had last seen Aragorn, he had been resting comfortably, though his fevered dreams still plagued him."
"In a way, Lord Elrond, I am afraid something has happened to him. He is awake and is trying to leave his bed to follow his sister. Lords Elladan and Elrohir are attempting to restrain him at the moment but they have sent me after you in hopes that you might have better luck in calming the young man down as he is extremely distraught!"
After listening to what the butler had to say, Elrond calmly told him to return to the Healing Wing and inform the twins that he was on his way.
Elurin bowed to his Lord and quickly ran toward the Healing Wing of the Last Homely House to deliver his message.
Elrond took a few moments to calm himself, breathing deeply of the many soothing scents of his garden, then turning toward his home, walked quickly toward the Healing Wing. As he went, those elves walking in the gardens could hear him muttering to himself.
"Eru help us, do none of my children have any measure of common sense?"
* * * * * *
Although the sounds of the disturbance in the Healing Wing reached Lord Elrond's elvish ears long before he arrived, the Lord was not prepared for the confrontation and chaos he saw when he finally stood in the doorway. Somewhere along the way, Glorfindel had appeared at his side and now stood slightly behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
At the sound of the Elrond's loud, booming voice, everyone froze, healers, wounded as well as young Lords trying to help. Even Glorfindel winced at the volume and intensity of the words. Aragorn stood with his back to the wall, swaying back and forth, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. Elladan and Elrohir stood in front of him, trying to block his path of escape. Three healers nervously huddled together, at the far side of the room, obviously wanting to help but not knowing how. Everywhere overturned chairs, pillows, medical supplies and bedding lay in various states of disarray, giving mute testimony to the young human's attempt to leave. Even Aragorn's bed lay on its side where it had come to rest during his attempt to escape the twins.
It was apparent that Aragorn was delirious and did not know where he was, much less what he was doing. As Elrond entered the room and slowly walked toward his youngest, Glorfindel remained standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. The Gondolin elf was not about to let anybody by him.
Laying a gentle hand on each of the twins' shoulders, the two stepped aside to let their father through the barrier they had made with their own bodies as they tried to calm the angry young Ranger down.
Elrond looked closely at the young man before him as he swayed unsteadily, determined to keep on his feet. The bandages that covered most of his upper body showed the red of new blood. What disturbed Elrond the most, however, was the look in the young ranger's eyes. The young man was feverish and unaware of how badly he was hurting himself as he struggled to leave the room.
"Estel? Estel, can you hear me?"
When he got no response, Elrond switched to elvish.
"Ion nín? Estel? Man na prestannen ion nín?"
The delirious young man didn't seem to see his father standing in front of him. His glazed eyes roamed the room, searching for someone or something. In puzzlement, Elrond turned to his twins.
"Do you know what troubles him, what it is he is searching for? Elurin mentioned that he was trying to go after his sister."
"Truly, father. When he first woke he asked for her and when I attempted to explain that she was not here he became very agitated as if he knew his sister had gone and wanted very much to follow. He looks for something else now, something that frightens him, something he tries to evade as if it chases him. What it is I do not know." Elladan had tried to convey to his father everything that he had heard and thought in a very short time. Both he, his twin and his father could see that Aragorn was harming himself in his delirious state and needed to be calmed down quickly.
Elrond looked at his youngest and rightfully concluded that there would be no reasoning with him. Quickly, he placed his hand over his son's eyes and whispered several elvish words, after which the young man's knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground. Elladan and Elrohir managed to catch him before he could hurt himself further.
The twins carried their brother back to bed and by the time his father had finished resewing and rebandaging all the injuries again, Aragorn was showing signs of stirring. Elrond looked at the twins, frowning.
"It would not be wise to mention his previous agitated state."
They nodded then waited patiently and expectantly for Aragorn to come fully awake. When he did, his eyes, though still glazed with fever and distress, were more lucid than they had been before. Seeing his father and brothers sitting on the edge of his bed, he paused as if trying to remember who was missing.
"Legolas?" His voice was almost a whisper.
"No son, Legolas is not here." Elrond laid a comforting hand on his youngest's arm where it lay above the blanket.
Aragorn nodded and closed his eyes and the three elves had just began to think he had fallen back to sleep when suddenly his eyes opened wide and started to frantically search the room, trying to find someone or something. When his eyes met his father's, the elder Lord tried to keep his attention.
"Who is it that you search for, ion nín?"
"Sister ... where ..." His voice was so low that even the sharp ears of the elves could barely hear him.
Elrond was about to speak when, Aragorn suddenly began to panic. His hands flew to his chest where they tried to brush away an unseen attacker. He began to scream and continued to scream as the vivid images of his torture came back to him. The twins, this time with the help of Glorfindel, restrained their brother once more as Elrond rushed to his medical supply cabinet and opened it, retrieving a small vial and a folded linen cloth. Pouring a small amount of liquid on the cloth, he recapped the bottle and handed it to a nearby healer then quickly moved back to the bed. Carefully and gently, he placed the cloth over the nose and mouth of his thrashing son and held it there until the young man's frantic movements stilled once more.
Though not unconscious, Aragorn was much calmer. Elladan and Elrohir both released his hands then Elladan sat on the edge of the bed while Elrohir left to prepare a sleeping draught for his brother. When the worried father looked down into his youngest son's grey eyes, he saw them begin to fill with tears.
"Where is my sister, Ada?"
Knowing that even in his present state the young man would know if he was being less than truthful, Lord Elrond decided to tell him the truth.
"She has gone back for Legolas."
Elrohir appeared at his side with the sleeping draught his father had silently asked him to make and between the three of them managed to get Aragorn to drink it.
"Ada."
"Yes, my son?"
"Don't let them get her."
"Don't let who get her?" The elder Lord asked, puzzled.
"The rats."
After he had spoken, his eyes drifted shut and the pain-ridden young man finally found the peace of unconsciousness.
Things clicked into place and the elves looked at one another, too stunned to speak as realization hit them hard. All those concerned with Aragorn's care had seen the strange wounds on his chest and stomach but because Anayah had left so soon after her arrival, none had been able to ask her how the wounds had come to be caused. Now they did know and each of them was sickened by that knowledge.
Elrohir sat back in his chair, stunned by what his younger brother had gone through while the more emotional Elladan walked to the window and remained there, staring out into the darkness. Both father and brother could tell Elladan was trying to get his dark anger under control. He had not been this angry since the time their mother had been captured and tortured by Orcs many centuries before.
Elrond remained sitting on the edge of the bed holding Estel's hand while he tried to master his own turbulent feelings. Now that he knew what had made the strange wounds on his son's chest, he was horrified, and it took all the grace and bearing he had been born with and had learned over the many millennia of his life, not to storm off and start throwing and destroying things. He, too, was angry ... very angry.
"Is he better?"
Elrond, his two son's, and even Glorfindel jumped at the sound of Thranduil's voice as the tall Sindar Lord stood in the doorway of the room.
"My apologies, my lords. I did not mean to startle you."
Though both of the twins had yet to master their emotions, Elrond thrust his own aside for the moment as he rose to face the Mirkwood King.
"For the moment, yes, he is better. Thank you for your concern."
Thranduil nodded his head and continued to speak.
"Every day I am amazed anew at the depths of depravity beings in Middle Earth are capable of sinking to." He paused a moment shaking his head and gazing at the form of the young man laying in the bed before him. "Even though he seems to be forming a close bond with his new sister, I fear he will need all your combined strengths, and all the love you have to give him to get over this. Be his strength until he again finds his own." The King then turned and left the room.
* * * * * *
Sometime during the night when Lord Elrond and Glorfindel had left the Healing Wing to see to other matters and both twins were dozing lightly in overstuffed chairs placed next to their human brother's bed, a small creature entered the Healing Wing. It was soundless in its approach except for the small skittering sound made by its tiny feet on the stone floor. The tiny creature passed unnoticed by all those in the room, save one, who followed its progress as it crossed the room and approached the bed. Jumping lightly to the top, it continued its journey, pausing now and again to see if anyone had awakened. When it saw the man looking at it, it paused as if awaiting permission to approach.
Aragorn smiled and raised his hand and arm so the tiny one could come nearer. It had brought the man a gift, then after looking carefully at him, and as if it knew he needed comforting, curled up and laid down on the bed, not quite touching the human's chest. Still smiling, though the smile did not reach his eyes, Aragorn took the small gift and wrapped it carefully around his hand. It still bore her scent and because of that, brought him closer to her, to the one connected to him by trial as well as by the blood of mutual ancestors.
Those who woke early the next morning, looked at the now peacefully sleeping young man and marveled, not only at the green ribbon wound tightly around his hand, but also at the fluffy black squirrel curled next to his chest. Both man and friend slept peacefully on.
TBC
Deana: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Yes, poor Legolas! I was thinking that if the elf was capable of skate-boarding down a flight of steps and could also walk on snow then he had a good chance of being able to keep on top of the snow during an avalanche, especially if he kept to the outside edge. However, if he hit a stationery object, such as a tree with a branch, then boo-boos may happen.
Dragonlady25: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you are enjoying Anayah. I know she if not "cannon" but I was using her as a character before I even knew what fan fiction was. The Lady is definitely her own woman.
Dazzler420: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you continue to enjoy my story as much as I am enjoying writing it!
* * * * *
Man na prestannen ion nín? What is disturbing you my son?
* * * * *
Chapter 27
Nightmares
Even at night the gardens of Imladris, lit only by light from the heavens, provided sanctuary to all those with heavy hearts. King Thranduil had found the lush and fragrant gardens a suitable companion for his present state of emotional unrest and had been walking there for some time when he sensed the approach of another. Lord Elrond, always sensitive to the happenings of Imladris as well as to those living within its borders, had felt the disappointment of the Mirkwood King when Anayah had arrived in Imladris without his son. Although, the Sindarin Lord would never begrudge another's happiness, his father's heart still wept because the one brought home was not his own. Now Elrond sought out the King, hoping that his company might help ease the elf's worried mind and heart.
For a time, the two Lords stood in companionable silence, both taking comfort in the unobtrusive presence of the other. Finally, with a sigh, Thranduil spoke to the Noldor Lord.
"I miss him, Elrond. I miss him with every breath I take and with every fiber of my being, every moment of every day. If he does not come back to me alive I do not know how, or even if, I will be able to go on without him."
Even without looking, Elrond knew the King's eyes held unshed tears.
"So you would fade from the grief your heart now holds even before you know for certain there is a reason to grieve?" His tone was sharp, and was only meant to get the emotional attention of the other.
Thranduil glanced sharply at Lord Elrond and saw for the first time, not only a ruler and a wise man, but also a father, brother, and husband, who truly understood what loss was.
Knowing that he had successfully reached the King, Elrond continued. "He is coming back to you, Thranduil. My daughter will bring him home or die in the attempt."
"Are you speaking as one who has foreknowledge of such an event or do you speak as a father?"
"I must admit to you, my friend, that it is my heart that refuses to give up hope. If I were to lose Anayah, your son, or any of my children for that matter, it would tear my heart to pieces - this I know for a certainty! However, I will not give up hope, indeed, I refuse to give up hope, as should you!"
Thranduil smiled, comforted by the words he had heard and taken to his own heart.
* * * * * *
Lord Elrond left the King in the gardens, stronger in both mind and spirit. As he was walking back to the Last Homely House, Elurin, the butler, ran up to him and stopped before his Lord, out of breath.
Elrond put a comforting hand on the elf's back as he stood for a moment, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. When he had finally managed to slow his breathing and heart rate to an acceptable level, he looked up into the concerned eyes of the Lord of Imladris.
"I'm sorry, my Lord, for rushing upon you as I have, but there is an urgent need for your presence in the Healing Wing."
"What has happened, Elurin? Has something happened to my youngest?" Elrond was immediately concerned. When he had last seen Aragorn, he had been resting comfortably, though his fevered dreams still plagued him."
"In a way, Lord Elrond, I am afraid something has happened to him. He is awake and is trying to leave his bed to follow his sister. Lords Elladan and Elrohir are attempting to restrain him at the moment but they have sent me after you in hopes that you might have better luck in calming the young man down as he is extremely distraught!"
After listening to what the butler had to say, Elrond calmly told him to return to the Healing Wing and inform the twins that he was on his way.
Elurin bowed to his Lord and quickly ran toward the Healing Wing of the Last Homely House to deliver his message.
Elrond took a few moments to calm himself, breathing deeply of the many soothing scents of his garden, then turning toward his home, walked quickly toward the Healing Wing. As he went, those elves walking in the gardens could hear him muttering to himself.
"Eru help us, do none of my children have any measure of common sense?"
* * * * * *
Although the sounds of the disturbance in the Healing Wing reached Lord Elrond's elvish ears long before he arrived, the Lord was not prepared for the confrontation and chaos he saw when he finally stood in the doorway. Somewhere along the way, Glorfindel had appeared at his side and now stood slightly behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
At the sound of the Elrond's loud, booming voice, everyone froze, healers, wounded as well as young Lords trying to help. Even Glorfindel winced at the volume and intensity of the words. Aragorn stood with his back to the wall, swaying back and forth, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. Elladan and Elrohir stood in front of him, trying to block his path of escape. Three healers nervously huddled together, at the far side of the room, obviously wanting to help but not knowing how. Everywhere overturned chairs, pillows, medical supplies and bedding lay in various states of disarray, giving mute testimony to the young human's attempt to leave. Even Aragorn's bed lay on its side where it had come to rest during his attempt to escape the twins.
It was apparent that Aragorn was delirious and did not know where he was, much less what he was doing. As Elrond entered the room and slowly walked toward his youngest, Glorfindel remained standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. The Gondolin elf was not about to let anybody by him.
Laying a gentle hand on each of the twins' shoulders, the two stepped aside to let their father through the barrier they had made with their own bodies as they tried to calm the angry young Ranger down.
Elrond looked closely at the young man before him as he swayed unsteadily, determined to keep on his feet. The bandages that covered most of his upper body showed the red of new blood. What disturbed Elrond the most, however, was the look in the young ranger's eyes. The young man was feverish and unaware of how badly he was hurting himself as he struggled to leave the room.
"Estel? Estel, can you hear me?"
When he got no response, Elrond switched to elvish.
"Ion nín? Estel? Man na prestannen ion nín?"
The delirious young man didn't seem to see his father standing in front of him. His glazed eyes roamed the room, searching for someone or something. In puzzlement, Elrond turned to his twins.
"Do you know what troubles him, what it is he is searching for? Elurin mentioned that he was trying to go after his sister."
"Truly, father. When he first woke he asked for her and when I attempted to explain that she was not here he became very agitated as if he knew his sister had gone and wanted very much to follow. He looks for something else now, something that frightens him, something he tries to evade as if it chases him. What it is I do not know." Elladan had tried to convey to his father everything that he had heard and thought in a very short time. Both he, his twin and his father could see that Aragorn was harming himself in his delirious state and needed to be calmed down quickly.
Elrond looked at his youngest and rightfully concluded that there would be no reasoning with him. Quickly, he placed his hand over his son's eyes and whispered several elvish words, after which the young man's knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground. Elladan and Elrohir managed to catch him before he could hurt himself further.
The twins carried their brother back to bed and by the time his father had finished resewing and rebandaging all the injuries again, Aragorn was showing signs of stirring. Elrond looked at the twins, frowning.
"It would not be wise to mention his previous agitated state."
They nodded then waited patiently and expectantly for Aragorn to come fully awake. When he did, his eyes, though still glazed with fever and distress, were more lucid than they had been before. Seeing his father and brothers sitting on the edge of his bed, he paused as if trying to remember who was missing.
"Legolas?" His voice was almost a whisper.
"No son, Legolas is not here." Elrond laid a comforting hand on his youngest's arm where it lay above the blanket.
Aragorn nodded and closed his eyes and the three elves had just began to think he had fallen back to sleep when suddenly his eyes opened wide and started to frantically search the room, trying to find someone or something. When his eyes met his father's, the elder Lord tried to keep his attention.
"Who is it that you search for, ion nín?"
"Sister ... where ..." His voice was so low that even the sharp ears of the elves could barely hear him.
Elrond was about to speak when, Aragorn suddenly began to panic. His hands flew to his chest where they tried to brush away an unseen attacker. He began to scream and continued to scream as the vivid images of his torture came back to him. The twins, this time with the help of Glorfindel, restrained their brother once more as Elrond rushed to his medical supply cabinet and opened it, retrieving a small vial and a folded linen cloth. Pouring a small amount of liquid on the cloth, he recapped the bottle and handed it to a nearby healer then quickly moved back to the bed. Carefully and gently, he placed the cloth over the nose and mouth of his thrashing son and held it there until the young man's frantic movements stilled once more.
Though not unconscious, Aragorn was much calmer. Elladan and Elrohir both released his hands then Elladan sat on the edge of the bed while Elrohir left to prepare a sleeping draught for his brother. When the worried father looked down into his youngest son's grey eyes, he saw them begin to fill with tears.
"Where is my sister, Ada?"
Knowing that even in his present state the young man would know if he was being less than truthful, Lord Elrond decided to tell him the truth.
"She has gone back for Legolas."
Elrohir appeared at his side with the sleeping draught his father had silently asked him to make and between the three of them managed to get Aragorn to drink it.
"Ada."
"Yes, my son?"
"Don't let them get her."
"Don't let who get her?" The elder Lord asked, puzzled.
"The rats."
After he had spoken, his eyes drifted shut and the pain-ridden young man finally found the peace of unconsciousness.
Things clicked into place and the elves looked at one another, too stunned to speak as realization hit them hard. All those concerned with Aragorn's care had seen the strange wounds on his chest and stomach but because Anayah had left so soon after her arrival, none had been able to ask her how the wounds had come to be caused. Now they did know and each of them was sickened by that knowledge.
Elrohir sat back in his chair, stunned by what his younger brother had gone through while the more emotional Elladan walked to the window and remained there, staring out into the darkness. Both father and brother could tell Elladan was trying to get his dark anger under control. He had not been this angry since the time their mother had been captured and tortured by Orcs many centuries before.
Elrond remained sitting on the edge of the bed holding Estel's hand while he tried to master his own turbulent feelings. Now that he knew what had made the strange wounds on his son's chest, he was horrified, and it took all the grace and bearing he had been born with and had learned over the many millennia of his life, not to storm off and start throwing and destroying things. He, too, was angry ... very angry.
"Is he better?"
Elrond, his two son's, and even Glorfindel jumped at the sound of Thranduil's voice as the tall Sindar Lord stood in the doorway of the room.
"My apologies, my lords. I did not mean to startle you."
Though both of the twins had yet to master their emotions, Elrond thrust his own aside for the moment as he rose to face the Mirkwood King.
"For the moment, yes, he is better. Thank you for your concern."
Thranduil nodded his head and continued to speak.
"Every day I am amazed anew at the depths of depravity beings in Middle Earth are capable of sinking to." He paused a moment shaking his head and gazing at the form of the young man laying in the bed before him. "Even though he seems to be forming a close bond with his new sister, I fear he will need all your combined strengths, and all the love you have to give him to get over this. Be his strength until he again finds his own." The King then turned and left the room.
* * * * * *
Sometime during the night when Lord Elrond and Glorfindel had left the Healing Wing to see to other matters and both twins were dozing lightly in overstuffed chairs placed next to their human brother's bed, a small creature entered the Healing Wing. It was soundless in its approach except for the small skittering sound made by its tiny feet on the stone floor. The tiny creature passed unnoticed by all those in the room, save one, who followed its progress as it crossed the room and approached the bed. Jumping lightly to the top, it continued its journey, pausing now and again to see if anyone had awakened. When it saw the man looking at it, it paused as if awaiting permission to approach.
Aragorn smiled and raised his hand and arm so the tiny one could come nearer. It had brought the man a gift, then after looking carefully at him, and as if it knew he needed comforting, curled up and laid down on the bed, not quite touching the human's chest. Still smiling, though the smile did not reach his eyes, Aragorn took the small gift and wrapped it carefully around his hand. It still bore her scent and because of that, brought him closer to her, to the one connected to him by trial as well as by the blood of mutual ancestors.
Those who woke early the next morning, looked at the now peacefully sleeping young man and marveled, not only at the green ribbon wound tightly around his hand, but also at the fluffy black squirrel curled next to his chest. Both man and friend slept peacefully on.
TBC