Hi everyone!
Dha-Gal; Funny you should mention Elladan angst... not this story mellonamin, but very soon, very very soon... i.e. next story maybe? =) Just wait for the preview...
Deana; Right... scribbles down CONFUSION Thank you!!! I think I'll give him a couple of leniencies because he's an Elf, but he is CERTAINLY not getting it easy!!! No way!!! =D
leggylover03; You DO realise that I changed a whole plot part JUST so you could have your Estel angst, don't you?!?! Oh well; I was wondering whether to do more anyway- you just set it in stone for me, so thanks for that!!!
Mysterious Jedi; Ok! LOL!
Astievia; Ooh!!! Nice! Ok, I'd ALSO buy... the school I go to, then burn it down (MWUHAHAHAHA!!! DEATH TO EDUCATION IN ALL ITS FORMS!!! Except Art, Drama, Music and English... I like those...) I'd buy a big plot of land and make an LOTR theme park... I'd buy two dogs and call them Sam and Frodo (!!!), and finally I would... buy the Moon. And a star... which I would officially re-name Ëarendil (sp?) instead of those dumb number-names they give them... yeah... please write the next chapter soon!!! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!!!
singingswede; Hellooooooo!
shadowfaxgal7; True, true... oh dear LORD I sound like a Budweiser advert... NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD!!! Actually, those bits where Estel was ill were based on a time I was ill; I'd just woken up and went downstairs when this wave of nausea hit me and I kinda spaced out; there were lots of swirling colours and little light-like things that sort of danced around... needless to say I went STRAIGHT back to bed... yup... spies sword Oo I have the mental ones reviewing my stories... bloody brilliant... --
The one called Anarya; Well, I reckon that if you can write a good story that tortures either Legolas or Aragorn (but preferably ELF TORTURE!!! =) ) then you will be more than worthy of joining our strange and dark cult of THE SADIST'S CODE!!! thunder and lightning all around Oh yes!!! That effect was money well spent... and just because I like you Anarya dear, you may see it again... SADIST'S CODE!!! thunder and lighting all around... again Oh yes! =) I can't kill Legolas in flashback? =) My dear Anarya... whoever said that this series wasn't a big fat AU? Hmmm? This is My World... Mine... and I Rule it... MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! thunder and lightning again I love that thing! Hearts of Stone? Well, I'll see what I can do...
Manders1953; Dude!!! I have now fallen in love with that word... =)
elfmage; OO' Like I said above... I get the mental reviewers... WHY?!?!?!?! ahem Please excuse that loss of control there... =S MORE Legolas angst?!?! For goodness' sakes, it's always "More Estel Angst!" or "More Legolas Angst!" with you people... I HAVE A WHOLE SERIES TO WRITE HERE!!! ahem Same apology as above... =S
silvertoekee; =) He he he... you'll find out what's up with our Estel soon...
Mellaithwen; So now the "whateverMaiden" bit is gone? phew! Makes my typing life just that bit easier; YAY!!! FABBYLUSHIOUSO!!! I'll let you use it hun; you're special...
eruve tinwen; I'm crossing my fingers for ROTK EE that something happens to him; anything- a cut, a bruise, a splinter, even an in-growing toenail...!!! Ok, so yeah; I'm getting a bit desperate, but hey!!! Baby Estel is sick. Sorry for being obvious, but that's the answer!!! =)
Terreis; Lol!
Lainfaer; Yummy... wine gums... And yes; that sentence DID make sense!!!
Amthramiel; Thanks!
Stoneage Woman; Actually, I do sing. blushes -.- Apparently I'm quite good but I get really scared in front of people... academically? Top group for English, Maths and Science, and A's and B's in my other subjects... the only ones I really fail at are RE and DT... Ah, that sentence! My spell/grammar check said it was correct, but I thought there was something wrong with it... basically I was trying to keep as much of Tiliath's identity secret till the last possible moment. Here's an improved sentence for you... "...The rider pulled the cloak around them tighter, head bowed so the hood attached to the top of it would block somewhat against the whipping snow..." Happy now?
Estel Elven Enchantress; Apparently ff.n ate some people's reviews... yup... the site was hungry man...
Coolio02; Yup; Leggy has been found and Estel is unconscious!!! What a lovely scenario, indeed... =) Hee hee hee...
Ggrixjfgkdyueifrhfie Gufierugeriughifuvh; Nice name... lol!!! Now there's no need to poke; I'm updating!!!
So... now that another novel length bunch of review replies is FINISHED (You do realize it was these that took me so long to update for, don't you?!) we can get on with this... just tell me one thing though... do you like Tiliath? Because if you DO then I think I should just make you aware that this is a new character I have created for the series, therefore he'll probably be in future installments... I have an extremely cool story lined up for him many years down the Nilmé Series timeline...
.: Chapter Seven :.
Tiliath rummaged through his pack, pulling out some dry clothing. The Elf had to get out of those wet clothes or he could very well die. Pulling off the youngster's shirt, he pulled one of his own onto him, before placing on his limp body a warm, long sleeved woollen pullover, and an overcoat. Then he changed the dripping wet leggings for his own spare pair of, albeit long, trousers. Finally he wrapped the blonde back up in the blankets.
The fire was slowly burning out into red embers, lighting up the cave slightly with their soft glow.
Tiliath checked the grey skies. Either his eyes were being cheated, or the snow was gradually letting up.
"Fingers crossed it is," he thought. His home wasn't too far away; if he got a good speed on Ferdilon, the Elf would stand a good chance.
He lifted the still unconscious Elf onto his faithful horse again, before taking off...
.......................
Where was he? He didn't know...
Why was he here? No answers for that either...
When did everything go so dark? Wait... it was dark?!
He was too confused to answer any of those questions now. All he wanted now was sleep... and sleep Legolas did...
.........................
Elrohir looked about him. The sun was beginning to rise in the east; Legolas had been out all night. That was bad. Somehow though, he felt that something was about to go their way.
"The snow is easing off!" he realised aloud. Sure enough, the number of crisp white flakes descending from the sky was decreasing.
"This is a good sign," said Glorfindel, patting the side of Asfolath's neck. The horse whinnied. "This will make it easier to find Legolas."
Elrond stopped mid-ride. The others in the party looked at him, wondering what was wrong. The Lord of Rivendell was caught in a vision...
Estel... the boy was sick; very sick... he was unconscious... he could be dying...
Elrond gasped as his sight cleared and he was back in the moment. He gazed fearfully at the others. "I have to get back now... it's urgent!"
Glorfindel knew that something was terribly wrong. "I'll accompany you." He turned back to the Twins. "You will both be alright looking for Legolas, won't you?"
They nodded in unison. "We'll find him..."
........................
The snow flew up from under the horse's hooves as the two Elves galloped back to the Elven haven. Glorfindel rode up alongside his friend.
"Do you mind telling me what this is about?" he asked, ducking under a low lying branch before it could relieve him of his head.
"It's Estel..." said Elrond. That was all he would say...
........................
Tebridë gasped in shock as the young human's knees suddenly gave out and he crumpled to the floor.
"Estel!!!"
She hastily knelt by Estel's side. The boy was unconscious; the only sign of any life in him was the pained expression on his face...
........................
They had searched almost everywhere. The only place left was the water hole...
Panic began to rise in both of the twins when they saw the huge hole in the ice. Elrohir immediately came to the notion that Legolas had fallen in... if he hadn't gotten out... the Elf shuddered. He didn't want to think about it.
Elladan had come to the same conclusion as his younger brother, but he had noticed something else. "Wait Ro... look!" He pointed to the trail of cracked floating ice. "He managed to get out!"
The pair looked around in the bushes and around trees and rocks, trying to find Legolas. He had been out all night; if he was still in the open he could be very critical. But, as we know, there was no sign of him. The twins found this out after a long search.
"Well then where could he be?!" demanded Elrohir. He just wanted to find his friend...
Elladan hung his head. He didn't want to go through all of it again... he didn't want to face losing another person... then he saw something on the ground. Horse shoe prints, perfectly pressed into the crisp white snow.
Every female Elf in Rivendell admired Elladan's wonderful tracking skills... almost as much as every male Elf envied them, including Elrohir and Hallataulë. The younger twin had his skills with nature and the weather; the older son of Elrond was the master with the practical side of things...
"Someone rode this way atop a horse..." Elladan followed the tracks. "They picked their way down the hill..." He walked down the slope. "And lifted up something... or someone, lying here..." He glanced back up the hill. "And bore them away on the horse."
He knelt in the snow, running his fingers lightly over the tracks. "These footprints press heavily into the snow."
Elrohir thought. "A human then. Now, how many humans do we know that live around here?"
Realisation suddenly dawned on Elladan. "Tiliath..." Elrohir smiled with relief.
"Thank Eru for that ranger..."
............................
Ecara placed her baby into his cot. Little Tolaith yawned and blinked innocently.
"Rest now dear," she whispered, kissing his forehead tenderly. She lay the infant down on his back, tucking him in. She looked down on her little one fondly. His father was coming home today after three months away with the Rangers; they were all looking forward to being a family again... for a while at least...
A faint neighing made her freeze. That was Ferdilon; she was sure of it. She grabbed her shawl from over her favourite chair and draped it over her shoulders, before running to the door.
Pulling it open, she had to squint against the snow that blew into her eyes, the wind blowing her red hair like long grass. There was Tiliath, her love, riding towards their little cottage through the snow. A bright smile crossed her face.
Then she saw the bundle in Tiliath's arms. She gasped as she recognised the limp form as a young Elf...
.............................
He woke up, feeling frozen. He was in a bed, propped up on soft warm pillows, blankets all around him. He was tucked in so tightly that he could not move. He glanced blearily around the room.
It was lit by a warm orange glow, and decorated with bottles and maps and a thick rug on the wooden floor. The windows were small, and slightly dirty, but Legolas could still see the white snow that had settled on the hills and boughs of the trees outside.
Where was he?
"Oh thank the stars above!" said a voice near him. Legolas' head snapped around to see a woman sitting on a chair by the fire, knitting a woollen jumper with some oaken needles. A dog lay lazily beside her, warming himself beside the crackling flames. His clothing lay over a wooden pole there, drying in the heat.
The woman rose from her chair, lifting her skirts from the floor and walking over to him, sitting on the large bed beside him. She laid a gentle hand across his forehead.
"You were a'tossing and a'turning something awful in your sleep there; we thought you'd never wake up!"
Legolas shook his head slightly. "We?" he mumbled. "But, who is we, and... where am I?" He felt sluggish and sleepy... very sleepy...
Ecara frowned as she watched the young Elf's eyes drift away slightly and his head droop. "Go to sleep little master," she soothed, stroking his hair back. Another blanket was draped over Legolas' skinny shivering body. "You need it. We'll explain all when you wake again..."
The words echoed away into sweet nothingness as he drifted into the world of dreams...
And so the end of another chapter... =)
Ways to Pronounce Original Characters' Names
Tiliath – TIL-EYE-ATH
Ecara – EH-KARA
Tolaith – TOL-EYE-TH
Tebridë – TEH-BREE-DAY
And even though he was only mentioned in passing in this fic but he's VERY important in future ones, Legolas' brother, Hallataulë – HAL-A-TAU-LAY (The 'AU' is pronounced like 'OW'!)
Just a few questions to those of my reviewers with medical knowledge... 1) Is it possible for a knife or other sharp object to go through that bit of your foot above your ankle, y'know, that starts going up your calf... you can put your fingers around it a little... between that bit and the bone? Ok...
2) Where is it possible to get a sword around the torso area to badly injure someone but NOT kill them...
3) Does anyone know any breeds of poisonous snake and what they look like?
4) Same as number 3 except for plants this time...
5) Is it possible to get a mix of sand, grit and dust in your eyes, go temporarily blind and then gain your sight back after a few weeks or something?
Thank you.
As you can see from those questions, Aragorn, Legolas, Dan, Ro, Hal, Elrond, Thranduil, Tebridë, Sólia, Tiliath, Glorfindel, and any other new characters I introduce through the series are in for a pretty tough time... =) 3) is especially important as it is for the next story in the series, so please help!!!
Oh, one more thing... how do you spell Celebrean? Or Celebrian or... whatever it is... =P