A/N: WOOO HOOOO!!!! Everyone jump and yell for joy!! Arquen finally
updated!!
Beta Helpers: I want to thank Eleni for beta'ing the first part and Tux for beta'ing my whole chapter after a few changes in the first part. *hugs*
*sigh* I'm really sorry for taking so long. Schoolwork has been very overwhelming and I'm just happy that I was able to write something. I know this chapter is short, but I'm hoping to have chapter 10 written in the next few weeks and longer than this one. Anyway, enough babbling at the moment. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 9: A Second Attempt
Eerie shadows played across the secluded campsite where Aragorn and the elfling were being held captive under the evil care of Mornince. Bright flashes of light crisscrossed the dawning sky as a low rumble of thunder warned of an oncoming storm.
Mornince looked up from where he sat on the ground. He had been inspecting the arrows he had stolen from the human a few days ago. It was almost surprising to find that the man's arrows were so meticulously prepared and that none of them had any imperfections. Bored, he tossed the arrow back into its quiver and gracefully stood up.
The storm was gaining on their encampment every minute and Mornince decided to make one last check on his captives before settling down until the storm was over. Walking over to the younger elf still tied to the base of a tree, he found that the elfling would no longer look at him. His blond hair fell over his face, covering his facial features from Mornince's view. Grabbing onto a loose end of the rope binding the elfling to the tree, he tightened it unnecessarily making the elfling gasp in pain from his already bruised chest.
Satisfied, Mornince couldn't help the smile that creased his lips as he reached over to ruffle the elfling's hair only to have the younger elf move away from his touch. It was readily apparent that the elfling had already lost all hope.
"Don't worry young one," Mornince said in an ominous tone. Bending over, he moved the elfling's hair behind his ears to find that he was staring into a tear stained face. The younger elf tried to avert his gaze, but the older elf would give him no such option. Grabbing the elf's chin, he forced the elfling to look at him. "You will not have to despair much longer."
Letting go of the elflings face, the elf stood up once more and searched the camp for an area less affected by the rain that was now trickling relentlessly through the thick canopy of trees above. Another flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder made the elf look instinctively at Aragorn's prone body lying face down on the ground, where a small puddle was forming a ring about the man's head.
Mornince relished the idea of leaving the human there to drown, but he angrily dismissed the idea. He knew that anything that happened to the man while under his watch would only result in his punishment. A shudder shook the elf's shoulder's as he remembered a long time ago the pain he was put through after his master found out he had killed five men needlessly. He was young then and he had learned how to restrain his emotions.
Unwillingly, he walked over to the ranger. Instantly he felt the constant drops of rain falling onto his clothes and into his face. Shaking his head at the sorry site of the human before him, he couldn't help it when his hand rubbed absently against the dagger dangling from his belt.
'It would be much better if we disposed of the human now.'
Groaning inwardly, he bent over the wounded ranger and grabbed a handful of Aragorn's dirtied tunic, lifting the man's shoulder's partly off the ground. Securing his footing, Mornince began pulling the man effortlessly, intending to move Aragorn to a drier place in the campsite.
A soft moan escaped Aragorn's lips, making Mornince stop in his tracks. By now, he was thoroughly drenched in water, but he didn't notice it much as he watched the human slowly regain consciousness and open his eyes. Purposely, Mornince released the man's tunic so that Aragorn fell onto the muddy ground with a soft thud.
The ranger barely registered being dropped. His mind reeled with a blind fury that sent white and yellow spots flashing before his eyes. Another moan escaped his lips unheeded as he tried to calm the agony that was coursing through his being. Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain he curled into a tight ball, hoping to find a temporary relief from the suffering.
Mornince let his amused gaze follow the ranger's movements having no intention in mind of helping the man out. Crossing his arms across his chest, he waited patiently for the human to notice that he was not alone.
A few minutes later, the hurt began to subside and Aragorn slowly unfurled himself from the tight ball he had positioned himself in. Opening his eyes, the ranger was able, for the first time, to take in his surroundings. He felt as if he was missing an important clue. The ranger could not remember where he was or why he was in so much pain.
A peculiar feeling that he was not alone arose in the pit of Aragorn's stomach. Turning around, his grey eyes caught onto familiar jet blue eyes.
"You're finally awake," a malicious voice said to him from above.
Cringing slightly from the voice, Aragorn's gaze hardened as memory hit him in an instant.
'So it was not a dream. Ai Elbereth.'
******
Legolas struggled with all of his might against the strong hold the two soldier's had on him. With his arms firmly pinned behind his back and possibly more soldier's on their way, the Mirkwood prince knew that his chances of escape were not good odds.
"Legolas, my lord, calm down," an elf to Legolas's left said under his breath. Turning his head as much as he could, Legolas tried to catch a glimpse of the soldier who had spoken to him.
"Saelmin-" the prince said softly, but his sentence was cut off as three more elves approached them.
"You will be taken to face your father, King Thranduil," Lamariiel said crisply before nodding to the two soldier's that still held a sturdy grip on Legolas' arms. "Saelmin, Carchian, you will escort him to the king." Glancing sideways at the two soldiers' on either side of him, the warrior turned around and motioned for the two others to follow, leaving Saelmin, Carchian and an annoyed elf prince staring at their retreating backs.
Legolas' gaze hardened as he was roughly pushed forward by the elf on his right.
"Carchian," Saelmin said with a bit of anger tinting his voice, "that was not necessary."
Carchian glared at the older warrior and turned back to the task at hand. Saelmin shook his head as he continued, "You may go Carchian. I can handle this. Go and tell Lamariiel that two soldier's are not necessary for escorting the prince." The other soldier looked as if he was about to argue, but Saelmin raised his hand to stop further questions. Reluctantly Carchian released his grip on Legolas' arm, knowing that he should always obey the higher in command. Raising an eyebrow at Saelmin, the soldier slowly retreated.
Saelmin watched as Carchian walked through the still open door. Sighing to himself, he turned toward Legolas. "I know what you are doing, my lord, and we need to hurry. It won't be long until Lamariiel finds out what I have done."
"I cannot let you do this-" Legolas began.
"Understand, then, that I'm doing it for you, for King Thranduil and for Mirkwood." Saelmin returned Legolas' hard gaze and gave a small smile to the prince for comfort. "Come we haven't much time. I have an idea," Saelmin said as he stared at Legolas's unusual outfit.
The prince's eyes sparkled with amazement and curiosity as the warrior before him began unbuttoning his tunic.
"Saelmin, what are you doing?" Legolas asked incredulously, absentmindedly looking towards the entrance of the tunnel.
"I'm giving you more time. Hurry Legolas, switch clothes with me," Saelmin said as he handed his uniform tunic over to the prince.
"Saelmin, I cannot let you do this," Legolas replied, shaking his head.
"You have no other choice. You must save Strider, and the elfling that is out there somewhere." Saelmin leveled Legolas with a stare.
Hesitantly, Legolas began pulling off Aragorn's cloak and his tunic in exchange for the soldier's uniform. "Hannon lle, mellon nin."
"You are welcome, my lord," Saelmin replied as he watched Legolas suddenly transform from a prince into a soldier. "Promise me, Legolas, that you'll come back."
Legolas didn't understand what the soldier had meant, but he clasped his friend's shoulder in thanks. "I will, mellon Nin."
Saelmin nodded as he pulled Aragorn's cloak over his head. Walking down the tunnel toward the garden, with Legolas following a few feet behind, Saelmin silently opened the door. In an instant a fresh breeze entered the tunnel, and the smell of rain lingered even after the soldier closed the door.
"A storm is headed our way," Saelmin said quietly over his shoulder. "A guard is stationed to the left."
Nodding his head Legolas spoke softly to his friend, "Be careful."
Saelmin smiled reassuringly as he opened the door once more and raced out into the storm. A few seconds later, a shout was heard above the wind, from the left and then the distant sound of running.
'So it begins once more..'
****************
To the reviewers:
Jack Sparrow1- *stays silent and waits for inevitable* I know I made you wait too long for an update, but I'm glad you like the last chapter. I'm hoping Legolas and Aragorn will meet again soon.keyword: hoping ^_^ *smiles evilly*
Anonymous- I have to thank you for telling me to hurry up.^_^.yeah, schoolwork is killer and I would have never found a way to update, but I did thanks to you and many other reviewers. I'm happy you liked chapter 8 and I promise not to take as long to update. Rhonda- *blushes* Thank you Rhonda!! I know you were another one who helped me write my chapter faster. ^_^ Aragorn pain will come up sometime..soon maybe.~_^. Sorry again that it took so long to update. *hides*
Pernauriel- I'm glad you like my fic! ^_^
Aranel of Mirkwood- I'm also happy that you like my fic!! This is a first attempt and I've learned that it's easier to write during the summer than during school.*mumbles about summers being too short*
Beta Helpers: I want to thank Eleni for beta'ing the first part and Tux for beta'ing my whole chapter after a few changes in the first part. *hugs*
*sigh* I'm really sorry for taking so long. Schoolwork has been very overwhelming and I'm just happy that I was able to write something. I know this chapter is short, but I'm hoping to have chapter 10 written in the next few weeks and longer than this one. Anyway, enough babbling at the moment. I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 9: A Second Attempt
Eerie shadows played across the secluded campsite where Aragorn and the elfling were being held captive under the evil care of Mornince. Bright flashes of light crisscrossed the dawning sky as a low rumble of thunder warned of an oncoming storm.
Mornince looked up from where he sat on the ground. He had been inspecting the arrows he had stolen from the human a few days ago. It was almost surprising to find that the man's arrows were so meticulously prepared and that none of them had any imperfections. Bored, he tossed the arrow back into its quiver and gracefully stood up.
The storm was gaining on their encampment every minute and Mornince decided to make one last check on his captives before settling down until the storm was over. Walking over to the younger elf still tied to the base of a tree, he found that the elfling would no longer look at him. His blond hair fell over his face, covering his facial features from Mornince's view. Grabbing onto a loose end of the rope binding the elfling to the tree, he tightened it unnecessarily making the elfling gasp in pain from his already bruised chest.
Satisfied, Mornince couldn't help the smile that creased his lips as he reached over to ruffle the elfling's hair only to have the younger elf move away from his touch. It was readily apparent that the elfling had already lost all hope.
"Don't worry young one," Mornince said in an ominous tone. Bending over, he moved the elfling's hair behind his ears to find that he was staring into a tear stained face. The younger elf tried to avert his gaze, but the older elf would give him no such option. Grabbing the elf's chin, he forced the elfling to look at him. "You will not have to despair much longer."
Letting go of the elflings face, the elf stood up once more and searched the camp for an area less affected by the rain that was now trickling relentlessly through the thick canopy of trees above. Another flash of lightning and a loud crack of thunder made the elf look instinctively at Aragorn's prone body lying face down on the ground, where a small puddle was forming a ring about the man's head.
Mornince relished the idea of leaving the human there to drown, but he angrily dismissed the idea. He knew that anything that happened to the man while under his watch would only result in his punishment. A shudder shook the elf's shoulder's as he remembered a long time ago the pain he was put through after his master found out he had killed five men needlessly. He was young then and he had learned how to restrain his emotions.
Unwillingly, he walked over to the ranger. Instantly he felt the constant drops of rain falling onto his clothes and into his face. Shaking his head at the sorry site of the human before him, he couldn't help it when his hand rubbed absently against the dagger dangling from his belt.
'It would be much better if we disposed of the human now.'
Groaning inwardly, he bent over the wounded ranger and grabbed a handful of Aragorn's dirtied tunic, lifting the man's shoulder's partly off the ground. Securing his footing, Mornince began pulling the man effortlessly, intending to move Aragorn to a drier place in the campsite.
A soft moan escaped Aragorn's lips, making Mornince stop in his tracks. By now, he was thoroughly drenched in water, but he didn't notice it much as he watched the human slowly regain consciousness and open his eyes. Purposely, Mornince released the man's tunic so that Aragorn fell onto the muddy ground with a soft thud.
The ranger barely registered being dropped. His mind reeled with a blind fury that sent white and yellow spots flashing before his eyes. Another moan escaped his lips unheeded as he tried to calm the agony that was coursing through his being. Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain he curled into a tight ball, hoping to find a temporary relief from the suffering.
Mornince let his amused gaze follow the ranger's movements having no intention in mind of helping the man out. Crossing his arms across his chest, he waited patiently for the human to notice that he was not alone.
A few minutes later, the hurt began to subside and Aragorn slowly unfurled himself from the tight ball he had positioned himself in. Opening his eyes, the ranger was able, for the first time, to take in his surroundings. He felt as if he was missing an important clue. The ranger could not remember where he was or why he was in so much pain.
A peculiar feeling that he was not alone arose in the pit of Aragorn's stomach. Turning around, his grey eyes caught onto familiar jet blue eyes.
"You're finally awake," a malicious voice said to him from above.
Cringing slightly from the voice, Aragorn's gaze hardened as memory hit him in an instant.
'So it was not a dream. Ai Elbereth.'
******
Legolas struggled with all of his might against the strong hold the two soldier's had on him. With his arms firmly pinned behind his back and possibly more soldier's on their way, the Mirkwood prince knew that his chances of escape were not good odds.
"Legolas, my lord, calm down," an elf to Legolas's left said under his breath. Turning his head as much as he could, Legolas tried to catch a glimpse of the soldier who had spoken to him.
"Saelmin-" the prince said softly, but his sentence was cut off as three more elves approached them.
"You will be taken to face your father, King Thranduil," Lamariiel said crisply before nodding to the two soldier's that still held a sturdy grip on Legolas' arms. "Saelmin, Carchian, you will escort him to the king." Glancing sideways at the two soldiers' on either side of him, the warrior turned around and motioned for the two others to follow, leaving Saelmin, Carchian and an annoyed elf prince staring at their retreating backs.
Legolas' gaze hardened as he was roughly pushed forward by the elf on his right.
"Carchian," Saelmin said with a bit of anger tinting his voice, "that was not necessary."
Carchian glared at the older warrior and turned back to the task at hand. Saelmin shook his head as he continued, "You may go Carchian. I can handle this. Go and tell Lamariiel that two soldier's are not necessary for escorting the prince." The other soldier looked as if he was about to argue, but Saelmin raised his hand to stop further questions. Reluctantly Carchian released his grip on Legolas' arm, knowing that he should always obey the higher in command. Raising an eyebrow at Saelmin, the soldier slowly retreated.
Saelmin watched as Carchian walked through the still open door. Sighing to himself, he turned toward Legolas. "I know what you are doing, my lord, and we need to hurry. It won't be long until Lamariiel finds out what I have done."
"I cannot let you do this-" Legolas began.
"Understand, then, that I'm doing it for you, for King Thranduil and for Mirkwood." Saelmin returned Legolas' hard gaze and gave a small smile to the prince for comfort. "Come we haven't much time. I have an idea," Saelmin said as he stared at Legolas's unusual outfit.
The prince's eyes sparkled with amazement and curiosity as the warrior before him began unbuttoning his tunic.
"Saelmin, what are you doing?" Legolas asked incredulously, absentmindedly looking towards the entrance of the tunnel.
"I'm giving you more time. Hurry Legolas, switch clothes with me," Saelmin said as he handed his uniform tunic over to the prince.
"Saelmin, I cannot let you do this," Legolas replied, shaking his head.
"You have no other choice. You must save Strider, and the elfling that is out there somewhere." Saelmin leveled Legolas with a stare.
Hesitantly, Legolas began pulling off Aragorn's cloak and his tunic in exchange for the soldier's uniform. "Hannon lle, mellon nin."
"You are welcome, my lord," Saelmin replied as he watched Legolas suddenly transform from a prince into a soldier. "Promise me, Legolas, that you'll come back."
Legolas didn't understand what the soldier had meant, but he clasped his friend's shoulder in thanks. "I will, mellon Nin."
Saelmin nodded as he pulled Aragorn's cloak over his head. Walking down the tunnel toward the garden, with Legolas following a few feet behind, Saelmin silently opened the door. In an instant a fresh breeze entered the tunnel, and the smell of rain lingered even after the soldier closed the door.
"A storm is headed our way," Saelmin said quietly over his shoulder. "A guard is stationed to the left."
Nodding his head Legolas spoke softly to his friend, "Be careful."
Saelmin smiled reassuringly as he opened the door once more and raced out into the storm. A few seconds later, a shout was heard above the wind, from the left and then the distant sound of running.
'So it begins once more..'
****************
To the reviewers:
Jack Sparrow1- *stays silent and waits for inevitable* I know I made you wait too long for an update, but I'm glad you like the last chapter. I'm hoping Legolas and Aragorn will meet again soon.keyword: hoping ^_^ *smiles evilly*
Anonymous- I have to thank you for telling me to hurry up.^_^.yeah, schoolwork is killer and I would have never found a way to update, but I did thanks to you and many other reviewers. I'm happy you liked chapter 8 and I promise not to take as long to update. Rhonda- *blushes* Thank you Rhonda!! I know you were another one who helped me write my chapter faster. ^_^ Aragorn pain will come up sometime..soon maybe.~_^. Sorry again that it took so long to update. *hides*
Pernauriel- I'm glad you like my fic! ^_^
Aranel of Mirkwood- I'm also happy that you like my fic!! This is a first attempt and I've learned that it's easier to write during the summer than during school.*mumbles about summers being too short*