Disclaimer: All Facts and Characters related to Tolkien's works are his.
The Core of the Stone
Chapter II – Trouble Brewing
Aragorn awoke to a beam of warm sunlight shining onto his face. The air was cool and a slight mist hung about the slowly waking town. He opened his eyes, and blearily looked around the room. He wasn't surprised to find his friend missing. Indeed, it would be a strange thing if he was still there when the ranger had awakened. He knew the wood elf preferred the outdoors to the restrictive four walls of a house.
As though he had read his thoughts, the elf walked into the room and closed the door carefully behind him. A frown marred the youthful face of the woodland prince and his lips were set into a grim line.
"What is it Legolas?" Aragorn finally ventured after a few moments of tense silence had fallen over the place.
Legolas answered slowly, still mulling over his thoughts.
"There has been a …break in."
"Was anyone hurt?"
"Not really…"
The elf was being annoyingly vague and a note of irritation had begun to creep into the man's voice when he next spoke.
"So what has happened?"
Sensing his friend's anxiety, the elf raised his eyes and gave Aragorn his full attention at last.
"A man is dead. They know not who could have done it… I think it would be best if we leave this place as early as possible. Danger lurks around the corner.."
Living around elves for most of his life, Aragorn knew it wise to heed the feelings of one. He nodded his head in agreement and began to pull on his boots. They would leave before the sun was highest in the sky.
~*~
Aragorn tucked into his breakfast ravenously, smiling friendlily up at the girl who had served him. He glanced at Legolas who sat silently next to him, his silence broken only by the slight crunch of an apple as he bit into it. The elf's thoughts were far away…
… Legolas had awakened early as was his wont. Not long after he had left the elven dreams of his people, he had gone outside to enjoy the crisp air of the morning. His light feet barely made imprints in the dirt as he strolled slowly down the empty streets. He sang softly to himself as he walked along, his head lifted to greet the brightening sky. The sun spread her long arms over the earth, sweeping over the land and embracing it with her warmth. The leaves of a skinny tree by the roadside trembled as the wind passed by. All was quiet. The town of men was just beginning to stir.
When he returned to the inn, the feeling of unsettledness was tangible. The atmosphere in the house seemed almost too still and if one sniffed hard enough, it seemed as though they was the slight smell of something rotting, in the air.
Four men appeared at the top of the stairs, a white stretcher between them. The innkeeper's distressed voice could be heard in low undertones, just behind them.
"Careful now… easy there… watch the stairs. Don't want to wake the others do we?" He whispered almost under his breath. The four men traveled carefully down the stairs. Their faces were solemn. As they neared the bottom, Legolas could see a mass shrouded in white lying on the roughly made stretcher. One of the men stumbled and the cloth slid slightly off, revealing the head of the body beneath. Legolas started slightly before regaining his composure. The cloth was hurriedly pulled back into place.
The innkeeper's eyes met his as the men left the building with him in the rear. The old man looked ten times older than the elf. Lines radiated from the corners of his eyes and there were dark bags under his eyes. His brow was furrowed with worry and he looked haggard and pale. His eyes pleaded with Legolas not to share what he had seen with others. Legolas gave an almost imperceptible nod and turned away.
The body which had been carried away had died horribly. A large gash across the throat, which had severed the windpipe, had killed the victim. The gruesomeness of the murder was not what bothered Legolas. What bothered him more was the secrecy in the death. Why was the innkeeper not at all in a state of shock… He had simply accepted it calmly, as though it was an ordinary happening…
A loud belch from a nearby table made Legolas attend to the present once again. Aragorn gave a chuckle at the look of disgust at the refined elf's face. He sobered though, when the serious expression on Legolas' face remained. The peaceful feeling from the day before was gone leaving in its wake a sense of anticipation which the ranger couldn't quite place.
One thing was for sure, the sooner they left this place, the better.
~*~
Aragorn paused on his way out of the inn, he could hear the muffled sounds of a scuffle coming from inside the kitchen. The sound of flesh hitting flesh followed by painful sobs had halted his footsteps.
His lips curled in disgust as he moved closer to the entrance of the door to the kitchen and realized it was the innkeeper's wife who was hitting one of the servants. Upon closer examination, he realized that it was the girl whom had served him earlier. His frown deepened as he saw the women reach out a hand and twist the girl's ear viciously.
He wondered if he should interfere. It was not his place after all, but surely this was not right? His mental dilemma lasted only a few seconds more he saw the older women box the girl's ears cruelly.
He stepped forward determinedly into the room. The girl looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. Fear was written all over her face. The innkeeper's wife turned sharply towards him
"What do you want?" She snapped angrily. Aragorn hesitated, not knowing quite what to do.
A warm hand on his shoulder told him that Legolas was behind.
"I am sorry for bothering you, my lady… but there is a man at the back door who requires your presence and sent us to look for you."
The polite tone of the elf seemed to placate the female and her ire cooled a little. She gave the girl a few short orders and left to see to the supposed visitor.
The girl whom they had saved from further abuse gave them a grateful glance and hurried away to carry out her chores. Firmly, the elf led the ranger out of the inn.
"You are too impulsive for your own good."
"You are not actually implying I should have let her go on hitting the girl."
"From what I know, I think it is quite a common occurrence in human kind… the hitting of their young when they disobey orders… or fail to follow instructions." Aragorn fell silent at this. He knew it was not a big deal. Children were punished this way all the time. He followed Legolas in silence, barely noticing as they squeezed through the crowded street.
TBC…
Who wants more? Review!!!
Note: I'm not supporting child abuse… but from what I know, I think physical punishment used to be more common in the past.
Response to Reviews:
Anastasia who: I love that you always review. :o) It really helps me to keep motivated. Yes, I did change my name, and I just realized it matches this story rather well… hope you'll enjoy this story. Thank you for reviewing as always!
Deana: elf angst will arrive shortly… thanx for reading and reviewing :o)
Iccle fairy: I would NEVER kill Aragorn… maybe put him through a bit of pain and misery but… kill? Nope! Where would be the fun in that? Thanx for the review!
Inwe Elendil: You'll have to wait a couple more chappies for the Legoangst to come on, I'm afraid… writing as fast as I can, so hope you stick around :o)
Elven Kitten: Thanx for the compliments!
Coolio02: You'll find out who was killed in later chapters… thanx for reading!