Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

Hmm, okay, I see your point.

There have been a few people who told me that Aragorn wouldn't have waited for so long in their opinion, and I guess that, if one goes with the general interpretation of his character here on FF.net, they are even correct. I, however, have always thought that that characterisation is not entirely accurate. I think that, even though he is just 22 at the moment, he would behave more mature and responsible than your average 22 year-old-human-boy nowadays (no offence to all the 22 year-old-human-boys out there). There is a difference between 20th-century education, manners and self-conception and those of medieval-Middle-earthian-whatever times, or so I think. Tolkien's Aragorn is vastly different to 'our' Aragorn, and even though he was 65 years older at the War of the Ring, I think he would have been different as a youth as well.

*coughs* Well, in short: I've always thought that yes, Aragorn may be young and impulsive, but he wouldn't necessarily act like that, or at least not to such an extent, not before thinking everything through. There was the very real chance that the elven scouts found something, so it would have helped no-one to run off headlessly into the woods. *shrugs* That's only my interpretation, so feel free to criticise me.

Now to the other topic that seems to greatly concern you guys: Elf-torture. *tired sigh* You people are blood-thirsty, did I ever mention that? So, I have to announce that yes, there will of course be ... some ... elf-torture, this is one of my fics, after all. *g* The bad news, however, is that it won't be here till chapter ... hmm, 14, I think. *several dozen readers break down weeping* Well, I'm sorry, but I really wasn't in the mood for it until now. So, chapter 14 it is. *friendly smile* I'm sure you'll be able to cope.


Very well, even though there's no elf-torture in this one, here's chapter 11, the last chapter before the twins arrive. *g* That's something, isn't it? Apart from that pleasant fact, we have a conversation between a rather agitated Thranduil and Celythramir and find out if and how Aragorn gets out of Mirkwood. *shrugs sheepishly* It's no torture, but, ah well. *evil grin*

Have fun and review, please!






Chapter 11


The next morning dawned gloomy and dark, with snow still falling to the ground in thick flakes. It was now the general opinion that this was the worst snow storm Mirkwood had seen for at least half a millennium, if not longer. There was a certain debate going on about it, but most Silvan Elves didn't think the topic to be worthy of too much attention, considering the problems they were facing at the moment.

The courtyard was already busy with several elves bustling about, readying horses and provisions that would be needed by the warriors that would be leaving in less than an hour to resume their search for the prince. Even despite the restless activity, an air of hopelessness and grief hung over the cobbled space, thicker and more intense over the warriors of Anardir's and Galalith's guard. To lose two of their most experienced and greatly loved members at once was more than even the battle-hardened Elves of Mirkwood could cope with, and that didn't even take Prince Legolas' disappearance into account.

The mood was no less dark and depressed inside the palace, and the elves that walked through the corridors didn't greet or look at each other. Everyone knew only too well what it would do to the king if his only son should be lost to him, and the thought of not only losing their prince but their king as well served to bear even more heavily on already troubled minds.

The uncomfortable silence that seemed to fill the halls was, however, quite suddenly broken when a voice rang out in the king's study, raised in an outraged shout. For a moment, the guards that were posted outside looked at each other, obviously trying to decide if their liege was in any kind of danger, but a second later they identified the voice as King Thranduil's and stood down again. Who could blame the king after all?

Inside the study, the golden haired Elvenking looked at Celythramir, his military advisor, with eyes that were very close to actually burning. Yes, Celythramir decided as he quickly averted his eyes and fixed them on a point right above his lord's right shoulder, any second now Thranduil's eyes would catch fire, he was sure about it.

"What did you say?" Thranduil hissed, slowly standing to his feet. He pushed the straight-backed chair he had been sitting on back and began to round his table that was covered with several layers of papers and maps, something that was highly unusual for the meticulous and tidy king.

A moment later the blonde elf stood in front of his advisor, too angry to even notice the way his long-time friend and advisor was cringing under his glare, something that did not happened very often.
"I must have misunderstood something. For a moment I really thought I had heard you say the words 'He is gone'. Please, do correct me."

Celythramir unconsciously straightened his back and clenched his teeth. There was no way out of this; o Elbereth, why him? He slowly redirected his gaze to his king's face, on whose features the word "doom" could be seen so clearly that it might as well have been written in large red letters on his forehead.
"I am afraid I cannot, my lord. The ranger is gone."

"Oh," Thranduil merely said, smiling benignly at the other elf, something that caused a reaction similar to a large bell that was rung in the other's head. "If that's all…" The friendly expression disappeared from his face in an instant, and he took a step closer to the silver haired elf. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

Celythramir shrugged helplessly.
"Simply gone, my lord. A servant discovered that he wasn't in his rooms an hour ago and informed me straight away, knowing perfectly well what that meant. The bed has obviously been slept in, but his gear and weapons are gone. I had the palace and the courts searched, your Majesty. He is not on the grounds as far as we can tell."

"Impossible," Thranduil stated flatly. "No human could leave my halls undetected."

"That is exactly what I thought," the silver-haired elf nodded grimly. "Yet it appears that Lord Elrond's sons taught him well. He is gone."

For a moment, the elf was rather sure that his king would really lose his temper – in which case he was fully prepared to make a mad dash for the door, proper behaviour or not – but then Thranduil shortly closed his eyes, seemed to count to ten and leaned back against his table, causing a stack of haphazardly piled papers to fall to the ground, something that went unnoticed by both elves. The blonde king took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes again.

"Where were the guards? I gave explicit orders to post two guards in the corridor to prevent such a thing."

"You did, my lord," Celythramir nodded, "And your orders were followed, of course. Estel did not leave through the door, that much is sure, for not even an elf could have made it past the guards unnoticed. We think he climbed down from the balcony."

"The balcony," the Elvenking repeated blankly. "I see."

"There is a letter, my lord," the other elf hurried to add, not really thinking that that fact would serve to pacify his lord, but deciding that it was definitely worth a try. There was no reason to walk willingly into certain doom, was there? "We found two letters on the chest of drawers in Estel's room. One is addressed to Lord Elrond and his sons, and the other to you."

Wordlessly, Thranduil held out one of his hands, and Celythramir dropped the hastily folded envelope into his king's opened palm. The elven king opened it with an impatient, angry move of his hand and unfolded the parchment, holding it so that his silver haired advisor was able to see the flowing script that ran over the page, clearly inviting him to read the message with him.

Celythramir quickly noticed that, while the makeshift envelope seemed to have produced in great haste, Estel seemed to have given considerable thought to what he had written, for the crisp, elegant elvish letters were drawn precisely, in a way that suggested that the author had known exactly what he was doing.

Celylith's father quickly skimmed over the text, his eyes lingering on the two paragraphs at the end of the short message.


"…and for that I beg your pardon, your Majesty. I do not mean to dishonour you, your house or my own with my actions, but I cannot act any other way. I hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me that I have stolen away in the night like a thief, but to declare my intentions openly would have complicated everything.

I must try to find Legolas, even though I know that you are right and he would wish me to remain in the safety of your halls. That is the one wish I cannot satisfy however, and I hope that you will forgive me with time, as will he. I will do everything in my power to find him, my lord, that I swear to you by Eärendil's star. I will fail neither you nor him, just as he didn't fail me these few months ago."


Celythramir lowered his head and tore his eyes away from the letter. A part of him could understand the man only too well, could understand that he would rather die while searching for his friend than stay here and do nothing, but another, at the moment incomparably larger part would have loved to strangle that irresponsible, reckless, insolent human.

"Young fool," the silver haired elf muttered softly. "Getting himself killed is the only thing he will do. I will never understand how young ones manage to survive even a decade. They're all like that, without exceptions."

Thranduil had remained silent and raised his gaze to look at the other elf now, the darkness that seemed to have been growing in his usually bright eyes even intensifying.
"So I have not only failed my son, I have also failed the trust Lord Elrond placed in me. I have lost both of them now."

His advisor shook his head, frowning sadly when he heard the hopelessness and grief in his lord's voice.
"You are not to blame, my friend. You could not have known what would happen, no-one could. Estel made his choice, and maybe he will even find that errand son of yours. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he did. One way or the other, we will find the prince, that I promise you."

"Oh yes," Thranduil murmured darkly and shook his head hopelessly. "But will we find him alive or will we find him dead?"

"My lord, we…"

"Do you think me daft or naïve?" Thranduil exploded, all his anger, worry and fear and for his son and also for his son's friend breaking out of him like a great wave. "I know perfectly well that we will not be able to track these humans in time! We don't even know where to start looking! What if his captors don't demand anything? What if it was a coincidence? What if they don't have a reason to keep him alive? What if he is already dead?"

"Then we shall find them and kill all of them," the silver haired elf said softly, not at all intimidated by his king's outburst. A dark, dangerous sparkle was in his eyes when he looked at the elf in front of him. "We do not know whether the prince still lives or not, but if he is indeed dead, those responsible shall pay dearly for their crimes."

"And my son will still be dead," the blonde elf said tonelessly.

Celythramir's face creased in worry and sorrow, and he quickly bowed his head to hide his emotions. What if Celylith had accompanied the prince, what if it were his son lying in the healing wing, covered with a white sheet? How would he feel if it were his son that had been captured and the prince had left to rescue him, most probably getting himself only into deep trouble himself? The silver haired elf shook his head slightly and sent a quick prayer of thanks to the One that Celylith had not been with Legolas this time, only to feel instantly ashamed and sickened by his own selfishness. If Celylith had been with the prince, everything might have turned out differently. Or, he added darkly, if Estel had been with him. Then again, another part of him piped up sarcastically, they would probably only have got themselves captured together.

"He is not, mellon nín," he said quickly, pushing his own troubles aside and grasping his king's forearm, a rare physical contact between the both of them. They had been friends for a long time, but he never forgot that Thranduil was his liege lord as well as a friend and rarely overstepped the unwritten boundaries. "Do not think such things; it will help none of us. Until we have found his body, your son is alive, and any who say otherwise will have to answer to me personally. Legolas needs you to concentrate on finding him; if you lose yourself in grief and despair you will help no-one, least of all him."

For a moment, Thranduil seemed upset about his advisor's words, but then he relaxed again and seemed to sag slightly.
"You are right," the king admitted tiredly, something that never came easy to him. "I simply cannot bear the thought of losing him, not after I've already lost his mother. I cannot."

"I understand, my friend," the other elf nodded. "If I were to lose my son now, I wouldn't know what to do either. How could I ever face my wife and daughter when I finally sail to the West, bearing the news of his death?"

"But it is something I cannot afford!" the king protested heatedly, his temper rising. "I mustn't put a single elf before the needs of the kingdom, not even if that elf is my son! I cannot think of anything but him, and yet I must! Never before has the burden of kingship weighted on me this heavily, not even in the dark days after my father's death or when … she left us."

Celythramir briefly closed his eyes in remembrance of dark events long past. He knew exactly who "She" was: The long-departed Queen of Mirkwood whose absence was still mourned by her family and subjects alike. He swallowed reflexively. That the king spoke with him about these subjects, no matter how distraught he was, was an enormous sign of trust.

"It is only natural, my lord," he told the irate king who obviously couldn't decide whether he should be angry with his advisor, with himself or with the world in general. "You have mastered such things in the past, and you will again. This is not the first time that your son has managed to get himself into trouble."

"No," Thranduil agreed tiredly, apparently deciding, however reluctantly, that anger wouldn't solve anything right now. "It is not, but I am still not entitled to such feelings."

The golden haired elf briefly reached out and placed a hand on the other's shoulder, holding onto him with a strength that let Celythramir suspect the amount of despair and fear that filled his heart. For a moment, the silver haired elf saw the turmoil of emotions in his liege's eyes before the king withdrew his hand and the shutter that hid his feelings from the rest of the world slammed down, leaving only the calm and emotionless façade he had watched him wear more times in the past than he could count.

"We should return to work, Lord Celythramir," Thranduil told the other elf lord briefly and turned around, walking back to his chair and sitting down again, his eyes fixed once more on the detailed map of the southern part of Mirkwood that was threatening to slide off the wooden table as well.

"We cannot do more about the search grids now. If Legolas is not found today, we shift to the West, South and further East, mile by mile if he have to. Oh, and please inform the warriors that, if they should by any chance run across that ranger, they are to bring him back here, willingly or not. After I have killed him as much as I can without actually killing him, I will lock him into the dungeons and keep him there until the twins arrive so they can finish the job."

"As your Majesty commands," the other elf bowed lightly, knowing when he was being dismissed. "The patrols are ready to leave now. I will see them off immediately."

"Do so," Thranduil nodded, his eyes already returning to the papers that were strewn across his table. The blonde elf's eyes didn't leave his tabletop as his advisor nodded as well and slowly retreated, turning around and moving soundlessly into the direction of the doors.

When he had reached the doors and was just reaching out to open them, the soft, nearly trembling voice of his lord stopped him.
"Lord Celythramir."

The silver haired elf slowly turned to look at his king, green eyes widening slightly when he saw the determined sparkle in the elf lord's eyes.
"Yes, sire?"

"Find him."

The two words were command, plea and quietly voiced hope in one, and so Celythramir simply nodded his head and stepped out of the king's study, hoping with all his heart that they would be able to follow his lord's order.




For the first time in many hours, Aragorn allowed himself to relax. Yes, he might still be in Mirkwood, surrounded by an uncountable number of things that were just waiting for the opportunity to make him their next meal, under trees that were standing together so closely that he might just as well have been riding in complete darkness, but for the first time since he had left the palace he felt himself relax slightly.

Now that he really thought about it, he mused thoughtfully, he still couldn't believe that he had managed to get out of Thranduil's palace. Well, if he was completely honest with himself, he wouldn't have got out of Mirkwood either, ranger or not.

In the beginning, everything had gone rather well, even though he had nearly broken his neck while climbing down his balcony onto an oak tree that grew right next to it. It had seemed a rather good plan at first – then again, he had been nearly out of his mind with worry and fear at that moment, so that probably didn't count for much – but he had quickly found out that climbing down an ice-covered, slippery tree burdened with as many weapons, blankets and provisions as he could carry, still weakened by illness and his nearly healed wound, was neither easily done nor funny.

He had nearly fallen down several times, and once, when a patrol had passed by the tree in which he had been sitting, he had been sure he had been discovered. That he hadn't been seen was still nothing short of a miracle in his opinion, and he still shuddered to think of what the warriors would have said had they seen him, clinging to that stupid tree, packed as a mule and looking probably like a desperate, untalented and highly ridiculous monkey.

They wouldn't have said anything, he concluded silently. They would have simply collapsed with laughter, and to make proud, dignified wood-elves collapse with laughter was no small feat indeed. This, however, would have done it, he was sure about it. If their positions had been reversed, he would have done the exact same thing, but as it had been, he hadn't thought the situation one bit amusing at all.

Be that as it may, the warriors had not seen him and had moved on, something he had greeted with a short, fervent prayer of thanks to Elbereth. A few minutes later, his feet had hit the ground as soundlessly as possible for a human, and he had been off into the direction of the remotest, most secluded part of the palace's large courtyard. He had needed to dodge several warriors and other elves on his way, and more than once he found himself cursing the moon which seemed to shine particularly bright this night; far, far brighter than usual which was natural of course. When had he ever been lucky in such regards?

At last he had reached the part of the palace wall that Legolas had showed him some time ago; he didn't recall when it had been. Probably during his last visit to his elven friend's home with his brother a little more than a year ago, he concluded now, when Legolas, his brothers and he had wanted to go and hunt spiders at night. The gates had been heavily guarded for orcs had been sighted near the Elvenking's halls, and so Legolas had led them here, to a small, hidden and almost invisible doorway that was, unlike the large, grey stone gates, not magically sealed but only barricaded by many wooden beams and iron bars.

Aragorn's heart constricted with grief, and his hands closed around his horse's reins more tightly when he thought of the amusement and mischief that had gleamed in the elven prince's eyes at that time. It still amazed him how very young Legolas could look, especially when he was enjoying himself or was getting those unfortunate enough to be in his company into trouble. Only that this time, he thought darkly, it was he who was in trouble – in trouble because he had gone alone and had been unable to defend himself against his foes…

The young man wrenched his thoughts away from that topic and picked his train of thought up where he had left it; at the small gate. This night he had managed to get there undetected indeed – but so had someone else…


He was watching the narrow, dark gateway with some suspicion, his body shivering slightly in the night breeze. He knew that he had to cross the distance that lay between himself where he was pressing his body against the smooth, cold surface of a storage building and the passage that would lead him out of the palace, and yet he had the feeling that something was not right.

Aragorn sighed inwardly and looked over his shoulder, for the umpteenth time since leaving his room. In fact, he had done this so many times that he expected his head to remain in the turned position – permanently – if he repeated the action one more time, but he couldn't help himself. His instincts told him that there was something or someone else close, and he had long ago learned to trust his instincts, namely ever since he had had the feeling that it was a bad idea to enter his room when he had been about five years old; one of his earliest memories at all.

And it had been a bad idea to enter his room, he nodded, for a second lost in memory, because when he had, a bucket of ice-cold water had come crashing down on him, closely followed by mocking elven laughter he had soon learned to loathe. It hadn't been the most inventive of pranks, true, but he had been only five years old at that time and had therefore been duly impressed by his elven brothers' ingenuity. It had in fact been the point when he had realised that he greatly desired to return the twins' favour, and ever since that day the House of Elrond hadn't been what it had used to be, namely a safe, quiet place of peace and serenity.

With a faint smile on his lips, the ranger turned his attention back to the gate Legolas had shown him so many months ago. He highly doubted that someone had placed a bucket with ice water over it; even though wood-elves were known to be mischievous, he thought it rather unlikely that they would resort to something as childish as that. Besides, he reasoned darkly, the water would have frozen solid in this kind of weather and he would probably get clobbered by it, sustain a nasty head injury and therefore die a most undignified death.

Inwardly, Aragorn snickered and winced to equal parts. It would most certainly be interesting to see what King Thranduil would say if he heard that one of his guests had been slain by an ice-bucket (then again, he wouldn't be there to see it, so the possibility lost some of its appeal), but on the other hand his brothers would be rather annoyed by his untimely demise. Besides, it meant that they would have to break the – amusing, but admittedly bad – news to their father, and that was something he wouldn't do to anyone.

The absurdity of his thoughts occurred to him a second later, and with an inward, slightly disgusted shake of his head he decided that he couldn't afford to lose any more time. It had taken him considerably longer than it should have to cover the distance between his room – or rather, his balcony – and this part of the courtyard, and if he didn't get a move on soon, he could have spared himself the whole effort.

He took a deep breath and stepped soundlessly out of the dark shadows that surrounded the storage building, extremely annoyed with the whole situation.
"I am here. Show yourself; I tire of this game."

For a moment, everything remained silent and unchanged, but then, a few seconds after his softy spoken words, a part of the shadows next to the high, imposing palace walls detached itself and took a few steps forward, and when a beam of moonlight touched it, it emerged as the figure of a solemn-faced, dark haired elf who looked at him with a mixture of disapproval and amusement.

"I had wondered when you would come, dúnadan. To be honest, I hadn't even suspected you to make it this far."

"We all get surprised from time to time, Erelas, even the Firstborn," Aragorn retorted and quickly closed the distance between them, looking once again over his shoulder to make sure that this one was indeed the only elf that had anticipated his actions. Had he really become so predictable and transparent?

"True," the elf nodded. "I should not have underestimated your people, Strider. The prince was right about it."

"He said that?" Aragorn arched an eyebrow as he threw his bags over his shoulder. He added his quiver and bedroll to the ever-growing mountain of satchels and bags on his back and looked up again, straight into the serious blue eyes of the dark haired elf.

"Indeed," Erelas inclined his head. "Does this surprise you?"

"Not at all," the man shook his head, rather annoyed with the other's cool aloofness. How could he behave as if nothing had happened and they were doing nothing but converse politely by the fire? "Legolas is always too kind with his words. As much as I would love to talk with you further, I am afraid I have to go."

The elf's face darkened slightly and he took half a step to the side, placing himself right in front of the small wooden gate.
"I fear I cannot allow that, Estel. How far do you think you would get on foot anyway?"

"As far as I have to," Aragorn answered curtly and stepped forward another few inches, not really wanting to quarrel with the elf about this topic, but highly unwilling to let himself be contained here. "If you knew I was coming, then why are you here alone, without the rest of your men? I am even sure that the king and most of the court would have been more than willing to accompany you here, and be it only to see me thrown into the dungeons."

Erelas' eyes narrowed a little and he opened his mouth to speak, but the young ranger was not yet finished, believing he knew what the other wanted to say.

"Believe me, Master Elf, I do not do this out of impudence or because I enjoy it to disobey orders. I know that the king doesn't wish me to leave, and I honour his decisions of course, as any of his guests should. Yet my own honour demands that I help my friend, and if I have to disobey his father's orders to do so, so be it. I have thought long and hard about this, Master Erelas, you can trust me on this. If there were any other way, I would gladly choose it, but there isn't. I have to go, and I have to go now, or it will be too late."

Aragorn closed his mouth with a snap and glared at the elf with a dark, thunderous expression on his face. Erelas, however, did none of the things the man expected him to do. All he did was cock his head to the side and smile, his eyes gleaming in the – still frightfully bright – moonlight.

"I know that, Strider. I know you do not act rashly. That is why I am here."

"I do not understand," Aragorn shook his head, truly puzzled now. What was Erelas talking about? "I thought you…"

The elf's smile widened. How very nice he was amused by all this, Aragorn thought darkly.

"You misunderstand me, ranger. I do not wish to keep you here, I merely wish to make sure that you get farther than two miles before the guards catch you."

"I …I don't…"

"I see that you don't understand," Erelas smiled, no, grinned. "There is a horse waiting for you in the small copse of trees next to the exit on the other side. If you leave now, you will still have several hours before anyone notices you are gone."

With an effort, the young ranger picked his jaw off the snow-covered ground and blinked.
"You are not trying to stop me?"

"Stop you?" Erelas asked with an air of great surprise. "In Elbereth's name, no! It would be futile, and if the king weren't so distraught, as all of us are, he would see it as well. Far be it from my mind to fight the inevitable, and this is the only way to ensure that you don't get yourself killed while trying to climb over the palace gates or something similarly foolish that would most certainly greatly embarrass King Thranduil when your brothers arrive here."

Aragorn narrowed his eyes; this was simply too good to be true. Then again, who was he to refuse a gift the Valar had just dropped into his lap?
"I thank you," he said slowly and looked at the dark haired being that gazed back at him, unperturbed. "But I will only accept your help if you promise me that you won't get into any trouble for aiding me. Will your men at the gates not notice your absence?"

The elf waved his hand dismissively.
"My men know where I am and what I am doing, or they do not deserve to call themselves warriors of Mirkwood. They will not tell anyone of my absence, and should someone inquire about my whereabouts, I am sure they will come up with a most convincing appointment I had to keep. My lieutenant is quite inventive, and he is also a relative of Galalith, I believe. He will do anything to cover up for me, believe me."

"You should not have to do this," Aragorn protested, already more than willing to accept the other's offer, but still reluctant to get him into any kind of trouble with his superiors. "Not for me."

"You misunderstand me again, ranger," Erelas shook his head softly. "I might have done something like this for you, maybe. I honestly don't know. I am doing this for my prince, because I know you can find him. I don't know how I know that or why I know that; I simply do. My men and I would do anything to help Prince Legolas, and, as you so eloquently put it, if I have to disobey his father's orders to do so, so be it."

"That is a rather thin line you walk there, Master Elf."

"Yes," the elf nodded seriously, "Yes, it is." He bowed his head and stepped aside, motioning the man towards the already opened gate. "I have made sure that the guards who are responsible for this sector will return in fifteen minutes at the earliest, which should give you more than enough time to get out of sight. Good luck, and may the Valar's grace go with you to whichever dark place you may walk."

Aragorn knew when it was foolish to question someone any further, and so he simply gave Erelas a slight bow and turned to the gate in front of him, sparing the white, gleaming snow that lay behind it only a short glance before he turned back to the dark haired elf, eyes large and dark in his face.

"I thank you again, Erelas. I know what it cost you to do this, and for that you have my gratitude, if you did it for me or not. If there is anything I can do to…"

Erelas raised a hand and interrupted the young man.
"Just find him, Estel. That is all we ask."

"I will," Aragorn vowed seriously, his eyes never leaving the elf's face. "I swear by Ilúvatar himself that I will, by any means necessary." The elf simply bowed his head, and Aragorn was about to walk through the open gateway when a sudden thought seemed to strike him, causing him to turn back in mid-stride, a teasing sparkle suddenly appearing in his eyes.

"And if anyone finds out about this nonetheless and asks you why you have helped me, simply claim that I surprised you and forced you to aid me."

Erelas had already turned around to head back to the main gates when the softly spoken, humourous words reached his ears, causing him to freeze on the spot in indignation.
"That you 'surprised' me? That you 'forced' me?"

In the matter of half a second he had turned around, blue eyes blazing.
"What is that supposed to mean, Master Human?"

Now it was the elf's turn to blink in surprise – which he did – for all his glare met were empty space and air. Where the ranger had stood a mere second ago there was nothing, and the first, cursory examination didn't show him even a single track that might indicate where he had gone. Erelas shook his head slowly, taken aback. How had he done it? It shouldn't be possible for one of the Second People to move so soundlessly or quickly!

Erelas slowly reached out to close the gate again and nimbly fitted the many bolts that secured it, all the while mumbling softly under his breath. You tried to help people and this was the thanks you got!
"Surprised me … surprised me, impertinent human – that is an outrage! I knew he was going to disappear, as if he could surprise me, not in a thousand years would he manage to do that, that little…"

A second later he realised that he was rambling and closed his mouth firmly, inwardly still fuming. He had never, ever, known a person that could infuriate him as easily as Strider! For a moment he remained where he was, staring at the closed door in front of him as if he could see right through it to look upon the man who had just disappeared so skilfully and offering the Valar what they wanted in return for his prince's and the man's safe return.

Then Erelas turned around and left, and a few minutes later he assumed his post at the gates to the knowing smiles of his men, acting as if nothing of interest had happened at all.


Aragorn shook his head slightly. If it hadn't been for Erelas, he would never have got as far as he had, he was sure about it. He had of course known that his chances of success were slim to none, but that hadn't deterred him at all from trying. He had to try and find Legolas, and if he was captured while trying – be it by King Thranduil's warriors or anyone else – then that was a risk he was more than prepared to take.

And, he decided with a wry grin, patting his horse's neck, considering his luck, he would probably be captured by someone. His brothers were insisting that he was unable to go anywhere without being captured, injured, bitten or otherwise hurt, and, no matter how reluctantly, he was slowly beginning to agree with them.

It was of course Legolas' fault, that much was clear. True, he had got into trouble before he had met the prince, but not nearly in as much or as serious trouble. So, he concluded, it was the elf's fault, and that was exactly what he was going to tell him once he found him – and after he had killed the ones who had killed Galalith and wounded Anardir.

Yes, he thought darkly, that sounded like a very good plan, if King Thranduil's warriors didn't catch him before he had even got out of Mirkwood, that was. He wasn't seriously worried about it; especially since he knew that the Elvenking had much more pressing problems at hand and had other things to do than send out scouts to look for him.

But still, it remained a possibility, even though midday had already come and gone and the shadows that lay heavily on the trees were beginning to deepen. There had been no sign of pursuers yet, and he was beginning to hope that he had really done it and managed to escape the palace undetected – and alive. He harboured no illusions about the way Legolas' father would greet his sudden disappearance, and he knew that the best he could hope for in case that he really was detected by a patrol was an extended stay in the dungeons, even though the much more likely possibility was definitely a painful, dishonourable death.

'Ah well,' he shrugged inwardly and spurred on his horse slightly, 'It's not as if I haven't been threatened with that before.' That thought served to cheer him up a little, and he quickly pushed back his hood and raised his head to the sky that was obscured by the dark, interwoven canopies of the trees to check if he was still going in the right direction, something that was rather hard to achieve, especially for a human who wasn't familiar with the terrain. And the snow that was still falling and was limiting the visibility to about half a dozen feet didn't help matters either.

He had gone north-east for a little while (just in case someone found his tracks and decided to follow him) before he had turned sharply to the south, heading now south-east instead of south-west as everyone would certainly expect him to do. To the south-west lay the place where Legolas had been taken, after all, and all would expect him to go there first – but that was only one part of the reason why he didn't.

The other part was harder to explain, even to himself. One other reason that he was going south-east was that, if he were the leader of a group of humans and had just captured an elf in King Thranduil's realm, it was what he would have done. He had seen maps of the area where Legolas had been captured, and if he were the leader of the men, he would make south-east as quickly as possible. Most of the elves Aragorn had spoken with had claimed that the humans had probably gone straight east as their tracks indicated; what had remained of them had led into the direction of the forest's edge, straight as a line drawn into the snow.

And that, Aragorn thought darkly, was exactly what was worrying him. It was too easy. The man who had planned this was no fool, something which was proven by the fact that he had managed to get his men in – and, until now, out – of Mirkwood without them being turned into pincushions. No, he shook his head, causing a small shower of snow to rain down on his shoulders, he was no fool at all. And if he was no fool, these tracks had been left there on purpose – yet another thing he himself would have done if he were in the man's place.

No, Aragorn was certain that the humans had headed south-east instead of east, because, even though that route didn't lead out of Mirkwood as quickly as the eastern one, it was the only way to circumvent Lake-town. The men wouldn't want to risk encountering anyone who might ask them questions about their intentions – and they would definitely be asked questions by any Lake-man they encountered, for the inhabitants of Esgaroth held great love and respect for any of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood, and to see a wood-elf bound in the company of unknown men would be enough to make any of them suspicious.

Still, it had been a hopeless task convincing the proud wood-elves that men were cleverer and craftier than they, and Aragorn had given up before he had even truly tried. Even Lord Celythramir had simply looked at him with a raised eyebrow that had reminded Aragorn eerily of the elf's son when he had carefully hinted that the men might be doing this on purpose and were anticipating them to follow them straight east, and that had been the point when he had realised that, if he failed to convince the silver haired elf, he could easily spare himself the work of trying to convince the Elvenking. Thranduil's pride and his unshakable belief that the elven race was far superior to all others were well-known in Mirkwood and beyond, and to try and convince him that common humans may have proven to be more cunning than his own warriors was something that could only be termed futile, foolish and a complete waste of time.

And time was something he could not afford to lose, because his feelings of dread and danger had been steadily growing worse and stronger, and there he was at the true reason why he was travelling south-east instead of east: Apart from the fact that it was the logical thing to do for the humans' leader and the fact that the wood-elves would least expect it of him, he simply knew that Legolas was south-east. He didn't know where this feeling originated, and had he had no other reason to believe that his friend's captors had taken this way, he would hardly have chosen to follow his feelings, but this way he was willing to give it a try.

As long as he found Legolas he didn't care in the slightest if he had done it by following tracks, obscure feelings or imaginary talking squirrels that only he could see. No, wait a second, he corrected inwardly, he would be willing to accept imaginary squirrels that pointed him in the right direction, but imaginary talking squirrels would be too much. That would be a downright crazy thing to see.

Not at all disturbed by the fact that anyone who would have heard these thoughts would have done a double take, would have declared him totally and utterly mad and would then have sent him back home trussed up like an animal – all for his own good, of course – he nodded to himself as he once again made sure that he was indeed going south-east. Squirrels – the non-talking sort, of course – would be highly appreciated right now, for even though he tried to tell himself time and again that his reasoning was sound and that he would find Legolas and his captors to the south-east, a tiny, persistent part of him remained ever doubtful. It refused to be silenced and continued to whisper teasingly in his mind, telling him that he would never find the elf and that what he was doing was a rare mix of foolishness, presumptuousness and sheer stupidity.

All those were terms his brothers would use once they got here, the very same part of his mind informed him in a tone of voice that managed to sound both frosty and gleeful at once. His brothers. The young ranger hung his head, this consideration serving to break through the circle of fear, worry and doubt.

No, he thought, Elladan and Elrohir would not be happy to arrive in Mirkwood and hear that he had gone after Legolas, and yet he knew they would understand. Well, they would understand after they had flown into one of their over-protective fits of fury and had cursed him and his stubbornness in every tongue they knew – which would take several days, if he wasn't very much mistaken.

Still, he would make sure that he did not cross their way any time in the near future – not that that should be hard, considering the way things were going right now. He was feeling guilty of course, not only for leaving the palace against the king's wishes but even more for leaving before the twins had arrived. They would have accompanied him, he was certain about it, but he had been unable to wait any longer, about that he was even more certain.

He couldn't get the images he had seen in his dreams out of his head, the images of his elven friend suffering and in pain; and the elusive, shadowy, pressing knowledge in the back of his mind, an inexplicable knowledge that Legolas would die in agony if he didn't find him soon, were nearly enough to drive him out of his mind with worry.

Aragorn shook his head, a cold shiver racing across his back that was owed to equal parts to the icy air around him and the memory of what he had seen last night. He had promised King Thranduil something, even though he hadn't been able to make that promise in person, and he intended to keep his vow, and if that was the last thing he ever did. He spurred on his horse again, causing it to pick up the pace and trot more quickly down the small, winding path that led south-east.

He would find Legolas, no matter how long it would take or what he had to do to achieve it. He would not sit back and wait for his dreams to come true, and even if they did not and turned out to be what he secretly expected – namely dreams, and nothing more – he would not suffer Legolas to remain the captive of a group of men who thought they could simply walk into Mirkwood, attack a patrol, kill and injure members of said patrol, grab the prince and walk out again, all at their own leisure.

Oh no, he thought darkly, he would find these humans and teach them that there were some things one simply did not do in an elven realm, and that the aforementioned things fell straight under that category.

And if his visions were true and these people had indeed hurt his elven friend, then may Eru show them mercy, for he would not.





TBC...
mellon nín - my friend
dúnadan - 'Man of the West', ranger




Yes, yes, yes, Aragorn is not exactly a happy camper right now. Neither is Thranduil, or Celythramir, or Erelas, or ... well, let's just say they're ALL no happy campers right now. *g* So, before you have a mental breakdown, yes, next chapters we will return to Legolas, and yes, the twins will also arrive. Good, eh? That and much more should be here on ... Wednesday or Thursday, I think. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and cherished. *g* It's sad, I know, but they make me happy. So: Review, please?



Additional A/N:

Aratfeniel - Yeah, as I said, they'll be here next chapter, don't worry. LOL, Legolas is indeed an impudent elf - and a rather stupid one too, but that's another story... *g* So, a Happy New Year to you too! *huggles*
LOTRFaith - Well, I'm sure you had a reason for not reviewing. I mean, there is allegedly something called "real life". Don't ask me where, that's just what I've heard... *g* Thanks, my Christmas was rather enjoyable, I hope the same goes for yours too? And, thanks again, I'm rather certain that 2004 will be the best 2004 I've ever had... *g* No, j/k, thanks! *huggles as well*
Jazmin3 Firewing - Oh yes, Legolas will still have some antagonising to do, but not that much now that I think about it. Teonvan is mad, he doesn't really need much encouragement... I do of course not know what kind of images you're getting, but this will stay PG-13, trust me. I think you're getting the right images though, and Teonvan would just love to get his hands on our favourite elven prince in that way, yes. But he won't. I coudn't write something like that... *shudders* Well, as I said in the A/N, I've always thought Aragorn more responsible, even though he's rarely described that way on FF.net. And you're right, Antartica sounds like a very good idea... *g*
Deana - Thank you! It's great to hear that you still like it, and I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long. Well, okay, I might have, but... *trails off* Ah, whatever. Thanks for the review!
Red Tigress - *g* Yeah, well, I did that only once when I was about 13 or 14 I think. It hurt like hell though, and the doctors said I was lucky I hadn't lost my right hand. *grimaces* Nili the One-handed doesn't sound too good, at least not as good as Beren the One-handed, now does it? *g* So, everything's alright here, I'm happy YOU didn't blow yourself up, and thanks for all your reviews!
E - Well, no. I'm sorry it sounded like that, but Teonvan hasn't 'played' with an elf before. He usually 'plays' with younger men, and no, I _won't_ go into detail here. In fact, Teonvan doesn't really care that Legolas is an elf, it's just an added bonus of sorts since that makes him prettier... *grimaces* Well, I can't really become more unambiguous than that, can I? And, as I said, I think Aragorn would have stayed, but that's a matter of personal opinion. *g*
Cicci - Oh, of course the twins will be a pair of happy, happy elves. Who wouldn't be? *g* Yeah, let's just say that the hostility between the bad guys will cause trouble for them, but not really in the way you think, methinks. Then again, who am I to say what you think? Hmm, about the sticking-your-head-into-water-bit: You don't do that? I mean, it's what _I_ do when I have a nightmare, well, maybe not stick it in completely, but close enough. It always helps to wake up completely, trust me... *g* And yes, Celylith is making a reappearance, he will in fact be back next chapter. *g* Yay Celylith!
Nikara - I guess no-one was really surprised; that might be because Aragorn is a stupid human and we all know that. *g* And just how did you know that Legolas wouldn't be the only one in need of a rescue? *suspicious look* Are you psychic?
Marbienl - I agree: 28 is quite a nice number. I hope to be able to do 28 chapters, even though I doubt it somehow. Uhm, about that one sentence: No, _Anardir_ would probably glad to die and join in friend in the Halls of Mandos. I knew it was slightly ambiguous, but I was too lazy to change it. *sheepishly* Sorry. But I agree: Hithrawyn probably doesn't like Aragorn all that much, one could even say not at all, I think. I wonder why? *g* And no, Teonvan wasn't talking about another elf, just about another prisoner. Btw, I'm glad you liked Frór and that you got Anca back, but I don't think that they would get along so well. Don't you remember The Hobbit? The dwarves were nearly eaten there! And yes, you're right, Anardir and Galalith were/are innocent. That simply makes them easier to pick on! *evil grin*
Mouse5 - LOL, 'as sure as God made little green apples'? Well, I don't know about that, but you might be right about the trees. Partly, at least. Don't worry, we WILL find out about the evil lord and his motives, but you're confusing me to be honest. What poor soul? You mean Teonvan's last prisoner? Well, he was just a young man I guess (no, I won't go into detail here), perhaps I'll even write a bit more about him. We'll see. *g*
Zinnith - *gasp* They don't have internet? How did you survive?? *g* No, j/k, I've spent months without computer access myself. It's doable, not easy, but doable... *g* The answer, however, is a laptop. *huggles her laptop* Wonderful machines, truly. I'm glad though that you understand that Galalith had to die and that yes, he will stay dead, too. I hate it too when people die only to be resurrected later... Well, I don't know about pansies, but I do know that all elves look gay. They just do, it's genetic or something... *g* I know exactly what line you mean. It's one of my favourites too. Btw, thank you. *takes carrot and gives it to Rashwe* Rashwe: *munches happily* And the second one... *gives carrot to Aragorn* Aragorn: Huh? What? *drops carrot which promptly impales him* Hmm, yes, you were right. Shouldn't have given it to him, huh?
Dha-Gal - *takes Skittles with a bow* I really think you shouldn't be giving my alter ego so many Skittles. They have a truly destructive influence on her... *shrugs* Ah, well, we can't be predictable, can we? So, I hope you'll forgive me for letting Aragorn leave now, but otherwise it would be far too easy. *evil grin* So you're the official Rub-Inner? That's definitely bad news... *g* Wow, thank you! *huggles* I'm the *Official Elf- and Ranger-Torturer'! Thanks a lot!! And no, we didn't tape _all_ our fingers, I was exaggerating. We merely taped the ones we had injured before - you know, sprained, cracked, broken, bruised... *g*
Gwyn - LOL, okay, so perhaps it was a steep downward slope. But that's the usual in my fics, sorry... *g* And yeah, don't worry, the angst factor will most definitely go up. You can never have enough angst, can you? Don't worry: Celylith will be back next chapter, and the twins will arrive too. Yay them!
Halfling - You're right, it IS a vicious circle, more than you may realise now. It's going to get rather ridiculous in the end I fear... It is cold, that's true, and I certainly wouldn't want to be out there at the moment. Aragorn is one stupid ranger indeed - or exceedingly stubborn. Then again, maybe he's both. LOL, Reran the popsicle! That's an interesting idea - rather unlikely, but interesting nonetheless... *g*
Calenore - Hmm, I'd say Hithrawyn is the scariest because he's _supposed_ to be on your side. Plus you're not allowed to kill him. Yet I agree; Hithrawyn would never - permanently - harm his liege's son. I think he simply loathes Legolas while he _hates_ Aragorn. *g* *blinks* Of course, riiiiiiigght - bad men have bad boots. Therefore all the boots in the camp are evil. *pats shoulder reassuringly* Sure thing. *g*
Iverson - Yes, poor Aragorn is not quite as mature and reasonable and wise and all that as the Elves. Poor him. *huggles resisting ranger* You'll get better at acting all grown-up and wise, darling. (Aragorn: *scowls*) *blushes* It's nice of you to say that you like 'my' Thranduil - to be perfetly honest, I think he's horribly OOC. I have no choice because I think that the 'real' Thranduil would rather cut off one of his own arms than befriend Elrond for example. He would ruin my stories, and we can't have that, can we? *g* Well, Aragorn would do well to heed your words, but that would be a sign of intelligence. *shakes head* Nope, not gonna happen. *g* Silvertoekee - Well, the 'vile man' might harm him, you know. *hastily* Later. Not now. And not really badly, just a little near-death-experience, you know - oops, did I just say that out loud? Just forget it, alright? *g* And yes, the twins will arrive next chapter, don't worry. A promise is a promise, after all. *g*
Firnsarnien - *holds bandages hand to chest* No, it did NOT bite me! You failed! Mhahahahahah! *evil grin* And I'll have you know that I wonÄt die a slow, painful, agonising, yaddayaddayadda death. I eat orc poison for breakfast - literally! You can't harm me, I'm immune! Mhahahahahaha! (Jeez, I've got to stop doing that! *g*) So, I won't remedy anything - besides, quite a few people liked the nightmares. Found them 'scrumptous', 'wonderful' and 'yummy' - sadists, the whole lot of them, but I can't disappoint them, now can I? But I can of course assure you that everything will turn out Okay in the end - all depends on your definition of Okay though... *g* I don't know Ever After, but I'll admit that, as tirades go, it was a good one. Well done. *pats her shoulder*
Merryelf - Whohoo! I got a lurker! *huggles* Thanks for de-lurking! I always love to hear from people who aren't my _faithful, loyal, wonderful_ (*g*) reviewers - it's a sign that more than 40 people read my stories, which is great to know. Well, I hate to tell you that the twins will be in chapter 12 rather than 11., but there was nothing I could do! They refused to shit up! *blinks* You tell your families about ... about this? About the sloth? Whoah... Interesting... Once again, thanks for the review, I really do love them!
Bookwork, .303 - That is a most interesting penname! It's definitely unusual... So, as I said in the A/N, the twins will arrive in the next chapter. not exactly in Mirkwood itself, but they'll make an appearance, I promise. It won't be soon enough to stop Aragorn, but it WILL be soon enough so they can feel guilty for missing him.*g* I'm evil, don't tell me.
Sirithiliel - Yup, Legolas is going to kill them - IF he gets loose. *evil grin* That's the interesting word about it. Great you liked that one bit, and thanks a lot for all your wonderful reviews!
Strider's Girl - Well, I guess Aragorn didn't want to take the chance that the twins were late. You can never know what happens suring such a journey, and they might easily have been held up for several days. Hmm, about your prediction: Let's say that at least one of the three will happen. Yes, most definitely. I don't know about the other two, but that might happen as well. We all know his luck, after all. Hey, wait! It's your birthday today! *huggles* Happy Birthday!!!! I hope you had/are still having a great day and got lots of lovely presents!!
Starlight - Ja, ich gebe zu, dass er es _eigentlich_ wissen muesste. Aber er ist - wie du ja auch feststelltest - ein wenig dumm, der Gute, und man kann darum nicht gerade erwarten, dass er intelligente Dinge tut, oder? LOL, du hast Recht, haette er auf Elladan und Elrohir gewartet, haetten sich die Unfaelle wahrscheinlich sogar noch multipliziert, wenn das ueberhaupt moeglich ist. Und wie ich in den A/N sagte, nein, ich bin nicht krank, ich wurde nur mal wieder Opfer der Distanzen. Du wirst schon noch sehen, was ich meine, und wenn man keine plot holes haben moechte... *g* Was soll man schon machen??
LegolasLover2004 - Uhm ... well, yes. There will be elf torture, you blood-thirsty creature. *g* Don't worry, but not in the next few chapters, sorry.
Firegirl353 - So it might make up for killing Galalith? Well, then that's what we're going to do, hmm? *g* LOL, CANKE? That's a very interesting idea, truly... And yes, I did know about Arod and Brego, even though the movie people made Brego up I'm afraid. The horse's name Éomer gave to Aragorn was Hasufel, as they showed in the movie as well. Legolas' horse's name was Arod, that's correct, but there was no Brego. The horse Aragorn used on his way to Gondor via the Paths of the Dead was Roheryn, a gift from Arwen, which the Rangers of the Grey Company brought with them south from Arnor. *re-reads sentence and hangs head* Another lecture, sorry. You shouldn't get me started, really. *g* And yes, we will find out who the lord is and what he wants, don't worry. But you're exaggerating, you haven't been waiting for 40 chapters yet - only 36, that's a difference! *evil grin* A Thranduil fic? Well, I'll think about it - I have too many possible stories floating through my head though, so... *shrugs* And of course I'll read your story! Just give me the URL or send me an email, I'd love to read it! And yes, to the East there are many things - the good thing about Rhûn is that so little is known about it! And I'm not on the track team, I'm just very good at hiding! *g*
Orlandofan13 - LOL, who doesn't love fanfic? It's a wonderful way to relax - not for poor Aragorn and Legolas or their families, but for everyone else... *evil grin* So you're new to this, huh? Well, an OC is an Original Character, one that is not canon and has been created by the author, like Celylith, Hithrawyn and lots of others in this story. A Mary-Sue is .. a plague, a cancer I tell you!!! *takes deep breath* Sorry, but I HATE Mary-Sues. Well, a Mary-Sue is a perfect, mostly female OC that falls in love with one of the main characters, in this genre mainly with Legolas. They're always perfect in every way: Are beautiful, kind, have had a difficult, tormented childhood, fiery, spirited, fight much better than Aragorn and Legolas combined yaddayaddayadda. Authors of these stories usually haven't read the books, their characters are OOC (Out of Character) and they don't even know what the word canon means. Can you tell I hate them? Nah, probably not... *g*
Elvendancer - Well, it's getting much MORE exciting, I think. But that's only my opinion... You really stayed up till 2 o'clock? Wow, that's dedication... *g* Thanks a lot for taking the time to review, I really DO love reviews! *huggles*
CrazyLOTRfan - Well, yes, you DO outrank me at the moment! But I COULD persuade all the other Valar to rebel against you, get Melkor back from the void and make WAR on you!!! What about that! Manwë does what I tell him anyway, so it should be easy enough!! Well, and Thranduil doesn't really expect Aragorn to listen to him, you'll see. It didn't do him any good, but he tried. *g* Hmm, Teonvan reminds rather a lot of people of Donyc - am I getting repetitive? Am I??? *panicked* Please tell me I'm not! And yes, that little incident in Straight Paths was the one in ch.2 of THOM. One and the same. *g*
Zam - LOL, you fight about the bathroom with your newly acquired armies? That's interesting - and perfectly understandable, sometimes I would LOVE to kill my sister for spending AGES in the bathroom... *g* And, somehow, I think I recognise that "What say you". I don't know wherefrom either... *g* I don't really see how Thranduil could take 'greedy son of an orc' for a compliment, but if there's one person who can manage that, it's definitely Thranduil. *g* Hmm, will E and E go with Aragorn to find Legolas ... hmmm, no? Sorry... *flees* So Celylith's beginning to like, uhm, love you? That's good! Congrats! And you have a torture sense? Wow.
Shauna - No, of course it wasn't fair. Whoever said that life was fair? I certainly didn't... *g* I'm sorry though, I liked him as well. Well, you're going to see both Thranduil's reaction and what Aragorn does to get out of the healing wing, yay! And you're right, there isn't going to be any fighting in this one. Well, you can't have everything, I guess... *g*
Tapetum Lucidum - You're right, if I were in Aragorn's place I would have gone insane a long time ago. A long, LONG time ago... *g* You're right, the king and his councilmen did a pretty good job - they aren't councilmen for nothing! Or is that councilelf? Hmmmm... And you're right, the palace guard is indeed on alert, not that that would have helped much... Poor guards. LOL, you're right, Aragorn might be young and uncertain, but he definitely know that the dreams are NOT GOOD. That's a start, isn't it?
Crystal-Rose15 - I don't see your problem - your review is still huge! If you write things like this when you're tired... *g* Anyway, thanks! *blushes until she resembles a beetroot* Thanks a lot for your compliments! It's great that you like the story so much, and yes, German is indeed my first language. It's ugly, but what can I do? *g* And yes, there's only one more chapter (this one) until the twins arrive, don't worry! LOL, the 'spirit of making fun of Legolas'? Poor elf... *g*
Maerz - Na, wenn du WEISST, dann werde ich doch gar nichts sagen. Wollte ich ja auch gar nicht. Ehrlich. *g* Dass dein Drucker allerdings noch nicht den Geist aufgegeben hat, wundert mich schon sehr? Diese Geschichten sind doch nicht zum AUSDRUCKEN gedacht, mein Kind... *schuettelt Kopf* Dein armer Drucker... Und Recht hast du mit dem Freund! Mein letzter wurde abserviert, weil er _zu viel_ sollte - ich kann klammern nicht ausstehen. Andereseits sind Freunde ja auch was ganz Nettes, nicht wahr? *g*
Firniswin - So, whenever I stop a chapter it's a cliffy? That's an interesting way of seeing it, really... Unhealthy too, I'd imagine. How do you do it? Uhm, I'm confused now. Whom shouldn't I kill? Aragorn? Legolas? Thranduil? Anardir? Sorry, a little confused here... *g* Sorry for this next 'cliffy'!
Laebeth - *grins sheepishly* Well, Teonvan doesn't really know what or what not Legolas has already been through, does he? Since he had no great, visible scars there's no way for him to know, is there? And believe me, there are quite a lot of things Legolas (or Aragorn, for that matter) hasn't been through yet. But you're right, especially with Cassia around it's hard to come up with anything new. Very hard, to be honest... Great you like this though, and thanks a lot for reviewing!
Alilacia - Well done! You beat FF.net - a rare feat! Bow before Alilacia, the conqueror of FF.net, the evil site from hell! *everything bows to Alilacia* *g* Really, congrats! FF.net is weirder than ever lately... To be honest, I would like to see a younger Estel as well. He must have been a very cute child... Three night shifts in a row? When I was working in Switzerland for four months I did all the night shifts as well, but I could sleep as long as I wanted to in the mornings. I really hope you managed to get some sleep by now! Most people tend to react strangely when they've had too little sleep for a few days... *gives Alialcia furtive glances*
Suzi9 - *g* What kind of music does your father like, then? It really can't be THAT bad, now can it? Well, to be honest, I haven't really seen that much of open Scottish-English hatred when I was up there, but I wasn't travelling with English people either. I guess they like us better up there - do they? *gives Suzi innocent stare* We're quite nice actually... *g* I knew that Old English is the language of the Rohirrim - if you see it written down somewhere you can understand quite a lot actually. Don't you have to learn that at school? We had to - Old German, of course. It was horrible, one of the worst things I've ever had to learn... *shudders* And I am doing a course on Scandinavian Runes at the moment as well, and I already know Latin! I rule! Ah yes, I like to rub it in... *evil grin* And about the Mirkwood thing: I went to a bookstore and had a look at that book. Well, it was more of a coincidence really, but still. So, to be honest, there is a small problem with it: I have honestly no idea where this man got that from, since, at the time he's describing, most of Germania was covered with forests. So, it might have been a smaller part of a large forest, but not an entire, big one. Go have a look at , it's a map of Germania between 12 BC and 16 AD. The dark green areas are woods, as are the light green ones. See the problem? And no, I haven't hurt poor Celylith. Promise. Not yet, anyway... *evil grin* The 'last one' was just a nameless prisoner I think. I won't say anything about that "last kidnapping attempt" here, I may write a story about it. Someday. *g*
Daft Donald - Yes, you're not the first one actually. I had another person asking me for that - I think for Aragorn though. You're right, it would be an interesting 'experiment', but I'm sorry to say that it won't happen in this story. Trust me, I gave it considerable thought and it's not doable, it would result in getting both Aragorn and Legolas killed, and we don't want that, do we? I might put it into another story though, I promise. Great you like my weird story, and thank a lot for reviewing!
Bailey - Uhm, to answer that question: No, he isn't. Not very smart, I mean. And don't worry, I'm sure you're not the only one who loves it when they get into trouble. I do as well, for example. The review was long enough actually, thanks! *huggles*
LUce1 - Well, can't you guess what Aragorn's going to do? Something STUPID, of course... *g* And I promise to TRY and not do anything too bad to them. But you know, there's this evil alter ego and she really LOVES it when people are hurt and... *shrugs* I can't guarantee it, that's all I'm saying. *g*
Leggylover03 - Yes, Estel's good as gone, in fact, he IS gone. Hmm, what Thranduil says once he finds out that he's missing you'll see this chapter, I'm not sure whether we'll see Elrond's reaction in this story though. I doubt it. *shrugs* Can't have everything, can you?
Karone Evertree - Doesn't matter, really. One can easily jump to the conclusion that the two are related, and it wouldn't really matter if they were. They were both freaks, so there. *g* And don't worry, it won't be too long before Aragorn finds Legolas. I think something like ch. 15. Not too bad, huh?
Snow-Glory - One story a night, huh? That's pretty fast, really... Well done! *claps on back* Indeed, well done! I agree though: Elrond and Thranduil are truly to be pitied. Then, however: Who says that Elladan and Elrohir are NOT going to get involved in the whole mess? There's much that can yet happen in this story... *evil grin* LOL, yes, I can indeed imagine that particular picture! You're right, Aragorn won't be very happy once he finds the elf... It's great to hear that you've onjoyed my other weird stories and this one as well, and thanks a lot for taking the time to review! *huggles*
Grumpy - Thank you, I think Aragorn liked the present as well. You can never have enough furs, I think, especially not when you're the only human among elves... *g* I have no idea either why so many people seem to think that Thranduil would abuse his children or more precisely Legolas. I mean, there was NOTHING that ever hinted at that in Tolkien's stories! *shakes head* And you're right, there are loads of bad Legolas stories out there. LOADS. It's sad, really.
Elenora1 - I know, I know, 'Real Life' can be rather annoying. It doesn't stop demanding one's attention... *sighs* Really persistant. Ah yes, Anardir ... you'll have to wait a bit to see what happens to him, I'm afraid. Quite a bit, actually. And the fun thing is that Teonvan doesn't even hate ELVES. He hates Legolas. You'll see, but it's not about his race this time. It's about him being a proud, obnoxious creature. *g* Sorry for keeping you waiting, and it does indeed give me thrills to know how much you're anticipating a new chapter! Mhahahahaha, I'm so evil! *runs off cackling madly*
Alex Mistress Squirrel - Well - yes. I think you could say that as well. Stupid, thoughtless ideas - plus bad karma, I think. *g* Poor them, really.

Now I must depart, I'm off to the cinema to see this new Tom Cruise-Samurai-movie. I think it's going to be really good! It has to be better than "The Hulk". I just saw a bit of that again - and boy, it's bad! *g*