To Walk In Night

by Nili

Just before Aragorn should travel back to Rivendell, a Mirkwood patrol is attacked and Legolas captured. When Aragorn finally finds him and his captors, both come to realise that a dark force is stirring in Rhûn that might destroy all they hold dear.

22. Motive And Opportunity

Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

Well, I am sorry, but I don't have time for any stupid remarks right now. I just have spent 10 hours in the library researching political murders in the early years of the Weimar Republic (horrible topic, don't tell me), for the forth day in a row one might add, and today is my sister's band's first gig, something which I have to see, of course. *g*

So I have to leave you again, sorry, but I'm sure you'll cope. I have the very bad feeling that you think my comments random and slightly insane anyway. *g*


This chapter we find out who decided to drop by last chapter (and let me tell you, I am very pleased to see that most of you guessed the way you did), see Girion angry and have yet another little cliffy. I know, I'm on a roll right now. *g*

Have fun and review, please!

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Chapter 22


For a moment, Legolas felt very much as if the cell's ceiling had crashed down on him and a particularly large rock had hit him on the head.

That would explain quite a few things, he thought darkly. For example the headache that had been persistently clinging to the insides of his temples, but also the fact that he was apparently beginning to suffer from delusions or apparitions. That was the only thing that could possibly explain … this.

He blinked slowly as his eyes travelled over the figure standing on the threshold of the cell, holding a small, half-covered lantern. It quickly looked over its shoulder before stepping into the room, pulling the door closed behind it and fully uncovering the lantern once darkness had fallen again.

Legolas had been about to say something, but the words died on his lips when his eyes had got used to the bright light once again. He had expected quite a lot of people, among them Teonvan, Glamir, Girion or even Cendan, but certainly not … a girl. More precisely, his still stunned mind supplied, it was the servant girl he had seen earlier today – no, yesterday – when they had been on their way to be introduced to the charming lord of this equally charming place.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the girl who had stepped closer now, her eyes large and anxious in her face. She wore a dark cloak over her grey and black uniform, but now she pulled back the hood, revealing a heart-shaped face that was pale and tense, but appeared determined enough. The girl returned his stare emotionlessly and quickly reached under her cloak, pulling out a knife and crouching down next to them.

Instinctively, the elf tightened his hold on his unconscious friend and drew away from the perceived threat, causing the young woman to halt her movements and scowl at him.
"I don't want to harm you. We have to hurry."

If his stay in this place had taught Legolas anything, it was not to trust anyone.
"Why?"

The brown haired girl shook her head impatiently and moved closer to them again, her hand that was holding the knife moving swiftly forward and up, slicing neatly through the bonds that bound the elf's hands in front of him.
"Because the guards will soon be back, that is why." She returned the knife to its sheath and stood up again, a large bunch of keys appearing in her hands. "Come. We must get away from here before they return to their posts."

"Who are you?" Legolas retorted, using his now free hands to draw Aragorn closer to him.

"Is it important?" the girl asked back, her accent reminding the fair haired elf of the accent of Reran and most of his men. She definitely was from this town, Legolas decided.

"Yes," the elf replied, looking darkly at the young woman. "Even very important."

"My name is Ethoani," the girl answered with a sigh and obviously resisted the urge to place her hands on her hips in a gesture of exasperation. "I am a chamber-maid working on the second level of the castle, and if you want to live, you'll come with me. Does that answer your question?"

"No," Legolas shook his head stubbornly. This could very well be a game, a trap, something to trick him into telling these people what they wanted to know. He would not trust this woman with his life, and, more importantly, he wouldn't trust her with Aragorn's life. "No, it does not. What is a chamber-maid doing here in the dungeons?"

"Saving your lives," the girl answered impatiently. "I do not have time for answering questions right now, Master Elf. Either you come with me, or I will leave without you."

"Why should I trust you?" Legolas asked, ignoring the young woman's words.

"Because you and your friend will die if you don't," the girl replied. "I heard Teonvan has taken an interest in the two of you." She shook her head sadly. "Trust me, it's not going to be a pretty or clean death either. I know what I am talking about."

In retrospect, it was probably Teonvan's name more than anything else that prompted Legolas to accept the girl's offer. In a matter of seconds he was on his feet despite the pain that throbbed through his body, one arm looped firmly around his unconscious friend's waist. He looked up once he had made sure that Aragorn wouldn't slip out of his grasp, straight into the wide blue eyes of the young woman which seemed far older than they should have.

"Can you carry him for a long way?" she asked impassively. "If you cannot, he will have to remain here."

Legolas glared darkly at her and took a deep breath, having to work hard not to lose his temper.
"I can carry him."

Ethoani merely nodded at him and turned to the door, once again covering the small lantern with the edge of her cloak. Before she could unlock the door, Legolas took a step forward, his eyes boring into the young woman's.
"Why do you do this?" he asked softly. "You are risking your life by being here. Why are you helping us?

For a moment, the elf saw fear, nervousness and uncertainly in the girl's eyes before the indifferent mask once again slipped into place.
"Because Girion wants you," she answered simply. "That is enough."

Legolas didn't truly know what the young woman was talking about, but he didn't really care either. As long as they got out of here, he didn't care about this mysterious girl's motives. For all he cared, she could be doing this as a hobby – which was highly unlikely, he admitted that to himself, but still.

A moment later, he heard the key move in the lock, and with a noise that sounded as loud as the screeching of a great eagle the door swung open again. Legolas was expecting a contingent of guards to come storming around the next corner, but it seemed that the noise had only appeared overly loud to his own, over-anxious ears. No-one seemed to have heard anything, and so they stepped out into the corridor without being noticed. The girl closed the door behind them, the turning of the key once again sounding impossibly loud to the elf, and soon they were hurrying down the corridor before they turned to the left into a smaller, narrow passage.

Legolas soon lost his bearings while they were navigating through that maze of corridors and passages, and he quickly concentrated on setting one foot in front of the other and somehow carrying Aragorn's weight as well. He knew it wasn't possible since they had been given only little food, but for a moment he would have sworn that the human had put on weight. He frowned, wholly concentrated on not losing sight of the girl who was walking in front of them. He would have to think about that...

He was so deeply in thought that, from one moment to the next, he looked up to see that the girl … Ethoani, yes, that was her name, had ... disappeared. The elf stopped in mid-motion, barely managing to keep Aragorn from falling to the floor. Legolas tightened his hold around the human's waist. Where in the name of the Valar had she gone?

While he was still musing if this had all been a kind of elaborate joke after all, the girl's head appeared apparently out of the wall, wearing an anxious and at the same time annoyed expression.
"If you have changed your mind, just say so. I can even take you back to your cell if you wish it."

Had Legolas been in a calmer and more patient state of mind, he would most probably even have appreciated her attempt at humour, but with the things being as they were, he was anything but amused. Mumbling a Sindarin curse under his breath, the elven prince stepped closer, only now realising that Ethoani was standing in what looked like a hole in the wall that was covered by a tapestry that reached from ceiling to floor.

The girl pulled the fabric to the side to let the elf and the ranger he carried pass and anxiously looked left and right to check if no-one had followed them, and that small gesture somehow appeased the fair haired elf. This young woman wasn't trying to be overly smart or funny, she was merely scared out of her mind. She was risking much, no, probably everything by aiding them to escape, and that gave her in Legolas' opinion the right to make a few bad jokes. Besides, he'd endured much worse jests from Aragorn and his brothers.

The hole they were standing in didn't reach far into the stone wall, and even when the girl let the curtain fall back into place Legolas had no trouble seeing that they were only a few feet away from a large, wooden door. Ethoani all but shoved him further aside, walked up to the iron-mounted door and began to search through the keys that hung on a large metal ring on her belt. The metal keys rattled on the ring, a noise almost unbearably loud to the elf's keen ears, until after what felt like an eternity the girl found the right one and turned it in the lock.

If the chamber-maid felt any relief, she did not show it, but simply pushed open the door and stepped to the side, allowing the elf to pass her by. A few moments later, the door was locked again and they hurriedly walked down the dark, long tunnel that had opened up before them, the only light being the small lantern the girl carried.

For a while, Legolas followed the young woman silently, all his thoughts concentrated on holding Aragorn and himself upright and moving, but then he decided that he could just as well try and distract himself from the pain that was beginning to spread through his body. Besides, he might have accepted Ethoani's offer, but he didn't trust her.
"Where did you get the keys to our cell and this door?" he finally asked, watching her face closely.

"I am a chamber-maid," the brown haired girl answered curtly with a small, wry smile. "I have many keys."

"Hardly the keys to a secret passage and to a cell in your lord's dungeons," Legolas retorted, equally dryly.

"He is not my lord!" the girl hissed and whirled around, a hateful expression on her face. "He is a tyrant and a murderer, nothing more!"

"You will hear no objections from me," Legolas said quickly, taken aback by the intensity of the hatred on the young woman's face. This was the first real reaction he had seen from any of this city's inhabitants, and it was one he could understand completely, too. "I agree with your assessment of his character. Still, you did not answer my question."

The brown haired girl narrowed her eyes at the elf and turned back around, continuing to walk down the corridor. For a moment, Legolas thought she wouldn't answer him, but then her voice could be heard, sounding calm and a little bit mocking once again.
"It took us a long time to collect them," she offered in a manner of explanation. "And even longer to find out about the secret passages. We still know just about approximately a third of them; there are many, many more. The masters of this castle have ever been paranoid and over-cautious."

"'We'?" Legolas asked as he struggled to keep up with her. "Who is we?"

"A group of people who share my views of Girion and his family," Ethoani said darkly, a shadow seemingly falling over her face. "We are not many, but enough to keep informed about what goes on in the castle." She paused for a second. "That is where I'm taking you. The others will decide what to do with you."

It took Legolas' tired brain a moment to truly understand what the girl had said, but when he did he looked up sharply, his eyes cold and cautious in his bruised face.
"What do you mean by that? Do the 'others' not know what you are doing?"

"No, Master Elf, they do not," Ethoani answered without stopping or turning around. "I saw you arriving yesterday and did not have the opportunity to inform or ask anyone. I simply saw my chance and took it. I may only be a woman, but I am currently the only one of our people here who has both the experience and the means to move freely in the castle."

"What happened to the last one?" Legolas asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

The girl walking in front of him stiffened almost imperceptibly, and her voice was emotionless and as cold as ice when she answered.
"He died. He was discovered seven months ago, tortured and finally executed."

"I am sorry," the elf said softly, meaning every word of it. After having spent an evening in Glamir's company, he felt pity for every single one of the small man's victims.

"So am I," Ethoani retorted. "Believe me, so am I."

Silence fell once again as they continued to walk – or, in Legolas' case, stumble – down the narrow passageway that was beginning to slope upwards, something that filled the elf's heart with the first spark of hope he'd felt in a long time. That could only mean that they were nearing the exit of the tunnel, couldn't it? Suddenly he felt like running, even though he knew that he wouldn't have been up to it even if he hadn't had to carry Aragorn's weight. He would see the stars again, or at least the sky!

"Where does this tunnel end?" he asked his guide, barely able to keep the excitement out of his voice. "Outside of the castle walls?"

"Aye," the girl nodded. "It has its end in an abandoned shop a few dozen yards away from the outer wall. It's close enough to a tavern so that no-one would get suspicious if there are people on the street after dark. The guards patrol there seldom since it's so close to the castle and its soldiers, and if they do come there, they usually stop at the tavern. If we are quick, we should manage to pass there unnoticed."

"Where are you taking us?" the elf demanded to know, pain, tiredness and anxiety causing him to become slightly irritated. "Far from that store?"

"You'll see," Ethoani answered cryptically and raised the lamp a little, shedding a cone of light on another heavy door. She fumbled for the ring key ring on her belt and added, "You do not expect me to trust you, do you?"

"Well," Legolas shot back, "I don't really care if you trust me, since I do not trust you or your people either."

The girl looked up from the keys and gave the elf a grimace that was probably meant to be a smile, but looked more than a frown. Once again Legolas was reminded of her youth and of the fact that she too was apparently in far over her head.

"I see your point." She found the right key, turned it in the lock and looked back at the elf. "No, it is not very far. A mere fifteen minutes." She trailed off and shot the unconscious ranger in the elf's grasp a quick look. "Well, maybe twenty."

Legolas followed her gaze and looked at his unconscious friend. The ranger's head had sunken forward onto Legolas' shoulder, and what was visible from behind dark, disarrayed strands of hair was so pale that the elf was sure he could see the blood move beneath the white skin. The young man's skin was beginning to feel positively scalding hot, and Legolas was beginning to suspect that Glamir had cheated him after all. Maybe this … liquid Teonvan had poured into Aragorn's wounds was poisonous, something the small man must have known but forgotten to mention.

"He needs a healer," he told the young woman urgently. "He will die if he isn't tended soon."

"And we will die if we don't leave now," Ethoani retorted as she pulled the door open and motioned the elf to move forward. "We will do what we can for him once we reach our destination, but if we linger here longer we will all find ourselves back in that cell of yours faster than you can even blink. I don't know how long the escape will remain unnoticed, I hope for several more hours, but I do not intend to put it to the test."

Legolas ground his teeth but knew she was right, and so he stepped through the door, taking care not let the ranger slide out of his grasp. While the girl was locking the door once more, he quickly cast a look around, his eyes piercing the gloom that lay over the room effortlessly.

The room really looked like an abandoned store, he quickly decided. Years ago this must have been a small grocer's shop, but now the long counter that took up most of the space was empty and covered with dust, and cobwebs were visible almost everywhere, glistening silvery and mysterious in the light of the small lantern. Numerous boxes and barrels filled the room, all of them dirty and looking as if they had been here for several years. The floor was covered with splintered wood, old rags, various other garbage and the remnants of what appeared to be a pottery's yearly output – broken into a thousand pieces. First, it appeared random and chaotic, but then Legolas realised that all these things had been strewn across the floor on purpose, to hide any signs humans would leave on dust-covered stones or floor boards.

"Clever," he said quietly to the girl who pulled the ragged curtain that had hid the door back in place. "Very clever."

"We have to be," Ethoani replied darkly and lightly walked over to the door, having to step over a few large wooden beams in the process. "Girion is anything but stupid, and so are his guards, for the most part. And no matter how clever we are, we are still caught, one by one."

"Like your friend from the castle?" Legolas asked softly.

"Yes," the girl nodded, a pained grimace flashing over her face as she motioned the elf to walk over to her. "Just like him."

After a quick look back at the elf, the girl opened the door leading to the street and stepped outside, holding it open so the elf could pass. Just when Legolas was about to step outside, her hand shot out and grabbed his arm, and the elf looked up, startled and barely able to retain his balance.

"Wait," she told him and fumbled with the strips that secured her cloak at her throat. She quickly shrugged out of the garment and draped it over the elf's shoulders, taking care to cover the fair haired being's head and especially his ears. "There aren't many elves in these parts; you are the first I've ever seen, in fact. Everyone saw you arriving yesterday, and were you to be recognised, the guards would be upon us in a matter of seconds. People are afraid of you."

"But you are not," Legolas stated softly and watched her lock the door behind him.

Ethoani locked the door, returned the keys to her belt and finally lifted her eyes from her grey, woollen skirt to look at the elf, her eyes open and honest for the first time.
"No, Master Elf," she answered and smiled minutely. "I am not. I have seen what men do to those they hate and to those who are unable to defend themselves. I have been in Girion's dungeons many times, and I have witnessed atrocities you could not imagine. I know nothing about your race, but your people cannot do worse things than those I have seen."

Legolas returned the small smile, deciding that this was not the time to rob the girl of her illusions about the elven race and enlighten her about the darker aspects of elven history.
"I am glad to hear it."

The girl inclined her head and turned around, beckoning him to follow.
"Come. It is this way. Keep your head bowed and do not speak to anyone, for your voice would be recognised as foreign. Pretend that the ranger is drunk and you are helping him home, and we just might make it."

And they did make it, even though Legolas was certain many times that they had been discovered. Only a few feet from the store they entered a rather large plaza that looked like a market place of some sort and that was not quite as deserted as it should have been this early in the morning. Legolas' heart was very close to stopping when they had to pass a group of five guards that had apparently decided to take a small break from their arduous duties and had sat down next to a small stone fountain. For a moment it appeared as if the soldiers would stop them, but in the end all they did was to make a few very unambiguous offers to Ethoani which she politely refused, much to the disappointment of the men, it appeared.

The young woman somehow managed to get them across the plaza without them being stopped by the patrol, and Legolas let out a sigh of relief when they disappeared in the dark street leading to the west. His companion quickly shot a look over her shoulder to make sure that they were not being followed by an especially persistent member of the patrol before she once again hurried ahead, the small lamp lighting the way rather inefficiently. Ethoani however seemed to know where she was going or at least where she had to go, and so they indeed arrived after not much more than fifteen minutes at a very ordinary looking street that branched off from the larger one.

Without another word the brown haired girl walked down the street and stopped in front of a middle-sized house that looked just as ordinary as the houses around it. It was plain and built of dark stones and wooden beams, and seemed dark and deserted like most of the other buildings in this street. It was still too early for anyone to be awake, and even the bakers and shopkeepers were still fast asleep.

Someone in this house appeared to be awake though, for the young woman had barely knocked on the door when it was carefully pulled open, just wide enough for someone to peer through. A second later the door was opened fully and Ethoani quickly slipped inside, followed closely by Legolas who was sure his legs would give out from under him any second now. He hadn't been well when they had arrived here in the first place, and his little "conversation" with Glamir and his guards hadn't helped the situation any.

A second later they were inside the house and the door closed behind them. A thick, dark curtain was pulled in front of the doorframe to prevent any light from escaping outside and half a dozen lamps were lit, blinding Legolas for a moment. When his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he saw that he was standing in a rather large, quite plain room. A fire was going in a small stone fireside, and a large table and two long benches were sitting right in front of it. And, his mind supplied sarcastically after another second, there were five men standing in front of him, holding loaded crossbows and staring at him and Aragorn as if they had just been thrown into their worst nightmares.

For a while, it was perfectly silent, but then a tall, lean man with dark brown hair cocked an eyebrow, his blue eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"You did not inform us about any guests, Ethoani."

"There was no time," the young woman defended herself and placed the now extinguished lantern on a small shelf next to the locked door. "I saw my chance to free them and took it. I will not apologise for that."

"Oh, but you should!" the man retorted heatedly. "You doom us all by bringing them here! Do you want us all to die?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ethoani snapped, whirling around to face the tall man. "Girion wants them, Laenro, and he wants them badly! That is reason enough to make sure that he doesn't get to keep them!"

The man said something in an even darker tone of voice, but Legolas was long past caring. Ignoring the crossbows that the majority of the men had still trained on them, he began to walk over to the table and gently eased himself and his unconscious friend down onto one of the benches. His surroundings faded out completely when he began to look at the ranger's injuries in the bright firelight. The elf swallowed reflexively, telling himself that it looked worse than it actually was, something that he fervently hoped to be the truth. Now that he could properly see the wounds, they looked even more serious than before, and if there had been any doubt in his mind about whether or not Aragorn was running a fever, it was quickly removed when he looked at his friend's flushed face.

After a few minutes he looked up, realising that the young woman and the man she had called Laenro were still arguing. All the gratitude he had felt for their rescue evaporated in an instant, and he opened his mouth to speak, silver-blue eyes dark and angry.

"Excuse me," he began, his voice sharp as the steel of a blade. The two humans looked at him, apparently rather startled, and he continued, indignation and fury on his face. "I do not know who you are, or what you are, or what you are planning, but I can tell you that I do not care in the slightest. I owe you, my lady," he nodded into the young girl's direction, "my gratitude and my thanks, for saving both the ranger and me. But I will not sit idly by and watch you quarrel like ill-bred children while my friend is dying! He needs warmth, and bandages, and herbs, and I would strongly recommend he receives what his body requires to heal, or you might come to regret it."

"Are you threatening me, elf?" Laenro asked darkly, raising his crossbow once again.

"I am not," Legolas answered curtly, clutching Aragorn's body a little bit tighter to him. He was beginning to lose what little patience he had left. "I am merely stating a fact. If my friend is not tended to, now, I will make sure myself that he received what help he needs, and I will not care in the slightest if I bring all the soldiers in this town down upon this house!"

For a few moments, the two humans simply stared at the angry elf, and Legolas was taken aback by how much alike the two of them looked. Laenro continued glaring at the elf, apparently not willing to back down even the tiniest bit, but Ethoani sighed and shook her head, looking at the man next to her with exasperation in her eyes.
"He'll do it, Laenro, no doubt about that."

"I can see that, sister," the young man ground out. "And let us not forget who brought them here, shall we?"

"I did what I had to," Ethoani shook her head. She nodded at the other four men who were standing in the room like puppets that the puppeteer had forgotten. "Stop this. They are not our enemies. Help me get the ranger upstairs."

The men hesitated for a moment, but obeyed her when her brother finally lowered his weapon and gave them a curt nod that spoke of barely suppressed annoyance.
"Do what she says." He returned his crossbow to the hook at his belt and gesticulated at his men to step closer. "She is right, and I won't have him die here in my house."

Legolas would almost have thrown up his hands and thanked the Valar for their intervention – and intervened they must have, since these two humans were among the most stubborn and annoying he had ever seen. He wouldn't go as far as to say that they were as stubborn and annoying as Aragorn, but they came rather close. He had been very close to strangling them when they had been arguing instead of helping his friend!

Only because of his grudging acceptance of the fact that he wasn't in the condition to carry anything heavier than a single feather (and that only if the feather wasn't exceedingly large), he allowed the men to take up Aragorn's body and carry him off through another door into the rear part of the house. Legolas was already on his way to follow them and Ethoani who was just disappearing through the door when a hand closed around his arm, holding him back. Legolas looked up, annoyed, into the equally annoyed face of Laenro.

"Why were you brought here? What does Girion want with you?"

The elf contemplated what to say for a moment, but then settled for the truth, or more or less the truth.
"My name is Lasseg, I am a wood-elf from Mirkwood. That madman that calls himself lord of this place wishes to gain information about the kingdom and our defences in case my people decide to get involved in that grand war of his he is planning. Two weeks ago a group of his soldiers attacked my patrol, killed one of my men and took me prisoner."

The hold on his arm tightened shortly, sending a bolt of pain through his arm and shoulder.
"What have you told him?"

"Nothing," Legolas wrenched his arm out of Laenro's grasp. "I would never betray my king."

For several moments, elf and man stared into each other's eyes, until the brown haired human averted his gaze and bowed his head slightly, very reluctantly it seemed.
"I see now why my sister freed you. You are not safe here and Girion must under no circumstances catch you again. We will need to get you out of Baredlen as soon as possible."

"You can do that?"

"Aye," the man smiled mirthlessly. "It will take some time and a lot of luck, but it can be done."

"Then I thank you," Legolas inclined his head, meaning every single word. "You, your men and your sister risk much for us. We are greatly in your debt."

"She risks too much, that is true," the young human agreed softly. A second later he shook his head and looked up at Legolas, the impatient, arrogant expression once again back on his face. "And don't flatter yourself, elf. We are not doing this for you. Girion wants to know what you know; we are simply making sure that he does not get the chance to learn what he desires. If worst comes to worst and they should find us, I will be the first to kill you rather than let you fall into his hands again."

Legolas knew that the man's words were meant totally serious, and yet he inclined his head slightly, earnest blue eyes boring into the man's.
"And for that I thank you as well."

Laenro merely looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face before he turned around in a jerky motion and stalked off, disappearing somewhere behind the elf. Legolas did not care in the slightest where this highly irritating man had gone but rather continued his walk that had been interrupted a few minutes ago. He quickly found the wooden staircase that led up to the higher level of the building and climbed the many creaking steps quicker than he had thought possible.

Once upstairs, he paused for a second to listen for anything that might indicate where the humans had gone, only to see the men who had carried Aragorn away step out of a door down the corridor to his left. Without waiting for them to invite him to step closer he brushed past the men and stepped into the small room they had just exited.

It was truly only a small room, in which only a bed and two chairs seemed to have fitted. There was a fire place in the one corner and a small window in the wall behind the bed that was right now covered with very solid, wooden shutters. Ethoani was in the process of lighting several bright lamps, and next to her stood an elderly woman who was shifting through a large bag of what seemed to be healing utensils.

The younger woman looked up when the elf entered, his bloody and bruised face concerned and anxious and becoming even more concerned and anxious when he looked at the still, fever-flushed body of the young ranger. Legolas made it to the side of Aragorn's bed before his legs finally gave out and he dropped heavily to his knees. The elven prince reached out to brush a sweat-soaked strand of hair out of the dark haired human's eyes, seemingly oblivious to the other persons in the room.

"Master Elf?" the young woman's voice drew him finally out of his thoughts. "Master Elf, if you want us to help him, you must tell us what has been done to him. This is Teonvan's work, is it not?"

"Yes," Legolas whispered after some moments. "Yes, it was him. From what Strider has been able to tell me before the fever took hold he poured a kind of … brew into his wounds, a concoction of some sorts. I cannot tell you more."

"You do not need to," Ethoani shook her head in disgust, having traded a quick look with the older woman. "It is one of Glamir's favourite … methods of persuasion. If poured into an open wound, the liquid causes tremendous pain for the victim, but also high fever." She lowered her head a little. "Your friend is still alive, so there is still hope. A large percentage of the men whose blood has been tainted by this brew die in the first eight hours. Since he still breathes, he might recover if we manage to keep his fever under control."

Legolas gave no outward sign that he had heard what the girl had said other than clenching his jaw so tightly that it should rightly have broken into two.
"Can you help him?"

"I can't," Ethoani shook her head and stood to her feet, placing the last lamp next to the bed. "I couldn't stop a nosebleed if my life depended on it. Thesieni here, however," she nodded at the other woman who was already readying bandages and various herbs, "can help your friend. She is a wise woman and very skilled in herb lore; if there is anyone in this town who can save … Strider, it is her. Besides, I must return to the castle before anyone notices my absence."

Ethoani shook her head again when she saw the disbelieving look flitter over the elf's face.
"I am not using the same way we used to leave the castle. I am using the gate, like every maid who has a sweetheart in the city. The gatekeepers are used to my nightly visits, they will suspect nothing."

Legolas tore his eyes away from the flushed face of his human friend and inclined his head gracefully to the young woman, regretting it for a moment that he didn't possess the strength to stand.
"I thank you, my lady. I realise that you did not save us out of sympathy, but I still wish to thank you for saving our lives. My friend would not have seen this coming dawn had you not come."

Ethoani who was already on the threshold seemed to stiffen for a moment, but she turned around for a second, her blue eyes full of suppressed sorrow.
"As I told you, I know what Teonvan likes to do to his prisoners. No-one deserves that."

With a hasty nod at the kneeling elf she whirled back around and hastened down the corridor, the echo of her footsteps on the stairs fading quickly in the cool, still air that filled the room. Legolas was just returning his eyes to his friend, a frown marring his face, when the soft voice of Thesieni caused him to return to the present with a start.

"Could you give me a hand please, Master Elf?"

The fair haired elf shook his head quickly and hastened to help the grey haired woman to tend his friend, and soon he was far too busy cleaning and bandaging Aragorn's wounds and battling the fever that raged in the young man's body to wonder about the most curious situation they had managed to get themselves into.

It was a minor miracle that no-one could see the dark clouds that hung over Girion's head, since the dark haired man was in the middle of one of his worst fits of rage anyone could remember, and that meant quite a lot in most people's opinion.

In fact, the man wasn't even furious, he was almost mad with rage, Cendan decided with an amused inward headshake. He knew that his lord might very well come up with the idea of having all of them executed, just to vent his fury, but that didn't truly concern him because it would mean that Teonvan died as well, which would be more than worth it.

The dark haired lieutenant would almost have smiled as his eyes came to rest on the captain's terror-frozen face. It was almost a shame that it hadn't been his new, much-beloved captain who had had to inform their liege of the elf's and the ranger's escape. His gaze fell on the crumpled, bloody and very dead body of the unfortunate guard whose duty that had been which still lay next to the door since no-one had been brave enough to take away his body in the face of Girion's wrath. Their lord wasn't known to be understanding when faced with bad news.

Cendan very quickly remembered where he was and lowered his eyes again, not in the least willing to draw any attention to himself. At dawn, when the guards had wanted to bring the two prisoners some water, it had been discovered that they had disappeared without a trace. The whole castle had erupted into frantic activity, and search parties were still combing every single inch of the grounds. It was all for nothing, the lieutenant knew that in his heart. He didn't know where that knowledge came from, but he knew that the elf and the ranger were no longer inside these walls, a thought that filled him with quite a bit of malicious joy.

Other than Teonvan and his two lieutenants who had about the combined intelligence of half a slice of bread, there were also most of the members of their lord's war council present, and Glamir and the captain of the guards. All of them looked as if they would very, very much like to be somewhere else, in fact anywhere else, a feeling that Cendan understood only too well because he himself felt exactly the same way.

"…tell me!" his lord's voice thundered and brought the young lieutenant out of his musings.

Cendan raised his eyes and lowered them immediately when he saw that the dark-clad man was staring at all of them, a look of such fury on his face that just had to be the harbinger of impending doom. Suddenly he wished very much to look as inconspicuous and common as Menvan and not to stand out as much as he did, with his almost black hair and darker complexion. Now would not be a good time to draw attention to himself.

Girion glared at the assorted men in front of him, not even being in the mood to feel satisfaction at the way they averted their eyes.
"I ask again: How did they escape?! I want an answer, now! Glamir! What happened?"

The small, scholarly-looking man did not raise his eyes, his entire posture changed from the behaviour he had displayed earlier in the dungeons.
"I followed your orders, my lord. After I had finished with the elf for the night, I had him brought back to the cell. I do not know what happened after that."

"Oh yes," the dark haired man hissed. "We have to talk about that too. The elf fooled you!" He bunched up the parchment that had been waiting for him on his desk this morning. "Nothing he said makes even the remotest bit of sense! These here are lies, from the first word to the last!" He took a deep breath in an obvious attempt not to lose the last bit of his composure and finally added, "How did they get out of the cell?"

"The door was closed and the guards were doing their patrols," the captain of the guard answered softly. "The door wasn't forced open; it was in fact found locked. The guards swear that they locked it before leaving, and I believe them."

"I see," Girion said friendly, sitting down behind his desk. "The two of them just disappeared out of their cell. Maybe they turned into a pair of beetles and scurried away through the keyhole?"

Cendan winced. It was never a good sign when his lord became sarcastic – and yet he found that he didn't really care. It somehow seemed to him that much of his fear for the man in front of him had originated from the respect he had somehow always held for him. It had been the respect for an intelligent, ruthless superior, but that was now gone like sand blown away with the wind. All Cendan saw was a man without honour, a man who did not care for the order of things and was not willing to punish his men unless it served his purposes.

He was, however, intelligent enough to keep his face emotionless and not to show what he was thinking, something that did not apply to the captain of the guard.

"Well, no, my lord," the man began doubtfully. "The elf might have cast a spell on someone. Everybody knows how they are, practicing dark magic and sorcery and all that..."

"Nonsense!" Girion bellowed. "The only dark magic around here is your men's incompetence! I want to see all of them hang this evening!"

"My lord," a member of his war council said, trying with practiced ease to take his liege's attention off that particular subject. "We must consider another possibility. The fact that the lock seems to be undamaged suggest that the prisoners were aided in their escape - aided by someone who knew the duty roster well enough to somehow get them out of the dungeons."

"Which brings me to another very interesting topic," Girion nodded, calm and composed in a very eerie, disconcerting way. "You and the rest of your esteemed colleagues told me, no, assured me that this little band of traitors wouldn't pose a problem."

"That is what we thought, my lord," the man nodded his head, knowing full well that that wasn't exactly the best thing to say. "What we learned from the last spy in the castle and, more recently, from the one man who had been posing as a trader, indicates that they neither have the resources nor the manpower to seriously endanger your plans."

"Well, someone has apparently been mistaken!" Girion bellowed. "My prisoners are gone, the elf is gone! I want him found so I can watch him die for lying to me!" His dark eyes wandered over to Teonvan who was doing his best to become part of the dark wall panelling. "Captain Teonvan!"

"Yes, sir?" the brown haired man asked subserviently.

"I want the castle searched," Girion informed him in a deadly tone of voice. "I want every square inch searched, and if you cannot find them here, I want you to search the city. They can't have got past the city walls, not in the night and with the troops encamping just beyond them. I want you to find them, Captain. Do what you have to do, take all the men you need, but I want them and those who aided them! Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord," Teonvan answered smoothly. "As you command. At least the ranger couldn't have got far. There's a fair chance he's already dead anyway."

"Then," the dark-clad man said icily, "I would advise you to get out of my sight and start doing your job. I will be very, very displeased if you return to my house this evening without something to show." He turned to the captain of the guard. "The same goes for you. And now get out, all of you, except for you," he nodded at the member of his war council, "and the dear Master Glamir. We have much to discuss."

Teonvan and the others might be many things, but they were not suicidal. In a matter of seconds they were all gone, all undoubtedly glad that they were still in possession of their heads and their limbs, and Cendan and the captain of the guard had even enough common sense to pick up the dead messenger that had been so unfortunate to be the bearer of bad news. When the doors had closed behind them, Girion turned slightly to look at the two remaining men who looked very much as if their last hour had come.

This was all highly … displeasing, he thought while he continued to stare darkly at the men in front of him. A mere hour ago he had had a highly unpleasant conversation with the ambassador of the tribe living closest to the Sea, one of the more powerful eastern tribes. Girion frowned darkly. He had had to remind the man, insistently and several times at that, that they had an agreement he did not intend to let anyone ignore, least of all him. In the end it had probably been more the man's fear of the other Easterlings and the reminder how much money he would receive for his tribe's services than his threats what had convinced him to remain patient and to keep to the plan, something that did not sit well with Girion at all.

Yes, he though darkly, his "allies" were growing impatient, and if he had learned one thing in the past, it was never to trust an Easterling. In the almost 185 years since his ancestors had founded this city, the tribes living around them had tried to sack and destroy it at least eight times, and had come close at least twice. He knew that if he showed any weakness or insecurity, any at all, they would put aside their differences and betray him, without a second's hesitation.

He had ordered the ambassador to move his men to the east of the city, further into the woods where they wouldn't been seen so easily, and intended to order the other ambassadors to do the same as soon as he was finished here. Apart from the fact that they wouldn't be seen so easily by anyone nearing the city, they would also be farther away from the city – which, considering the way things were going at the moment, would be the most important thing. He did not intend to practically invite the Easterlings to walk into his city, thank you very much.

Girion growled inwardly. Why had that dratted elf had to choose this moment to disappear into thin air?! He had underestimated him and the ranger, he admitted to himself, he had underestimated them greatly. The elf had retained enough presence of mind to lie to Glamir, something that considered quite a lot of skill because the smaller man was, despite his inexperience concerning matters of war, not an easy man to deceive.

Oh yes, he thought, the elf would pay when he got his hands on him. And so would that ridiculous little resistance movement he had never thought important enough to eradicate – an error he was more than willing to rectify. Whoever had helped his two prisoners to escape would pay, and pay dearly at that. Before this week was over, he would watch with great satisfaction how the elf, the ranger and these silly freedom fighters died, as slowly and painfully as Glamir and his significant experience could make it.

"Alright," he nodded at the councilman and Glamir. "Let's compile what we know about that little resistance cell of ours. I do not intend to underestimate this merry little band of traitors for a second time."

He leaned back into his dark, wooden chair as he listened to the men's reports, a cold smile on his lips that caused even Glamir to cast down his eyes and not raise them again for the rest of the meeting.

The sun had risen a long time ago and was nearing her zenith, heralding another glorious, yet cold winter's day. The sky was blue and cloudless, and even in the depths of the city the song of birds could be heard, wafting softly through the cold air.

The springlike atmosphere did not reach the inside of the small room though, and to Legolas it might as well have been darkest night. No matter how much he had wished to see the sky again, he did not pay the outside world any attention, and for all he cared it could have ceased to exist altogether. All he did care about was the bed in front of him, or, more precisely, its occupant who was still lost to what was going on around him.

The elven prince sighed and wrenched his eyes away from Aragorn's face over which the sunbeams which had managed to filter through the half-closed shutters had laid a faint, slightly flickering pattern. He reached for the cloth on his friend's forehead, frowning heavily when he felt how dry and hot it already was, and dipped it into the bowl with cool water that was sitting next to him on ground. Thesieni, the older woman skilled in herb lore and healing, had tried to convince him to lie down and rest as well, but had soon realised the futility of that particular enterprise.

Legolas smiled wryly as he replaced the now cool, wet cloth on the ranger's forehead, trying very hard not to think about how hot his skin still felt to the touch. Thesieni was indeed a very wise woman, for she had quickly given up on trying to persuade the elf to leave, who had stubbornly been shaking his head no the entire time. With a dark look that all healers seemed to possess she had told the fair haired being to at least stay in his chair and to call her should her patient's condition change even in the slightest and had finally left, with an annoyed flick of her grey head.

The small smile on the prince's face faded as his eyes returned to the man's pale, bruised and unconscious face. His blood ran still cold when he thought back to the small hours of the night when the woman and he had tended Aragorn's wounds, and if he had thought that he had hated Teonvan before, he had quickly realised that he had been mistaken. Now he hated him. Back in their cell he had barely been able to see his hand in front of his eyes due to the pitch black darkness, but here he had seen every single wound that … man, if one could call him that, had inflicted on the young ranger.

Thesieni hadn't said anything during the whole time it had taken them to clean and bandage the numerous injuries, but her mouth had tightened into a thin, bloodless line by the time they had been finished. If Legolas had had any doubts about her skills or healing abilities, they had quickly dispersed, and he had got the nagging suspicion that Aragorn's wounds weren't the first of this kind the woman had treated. She had given the elf a medicine the young man needed to drink every few hours to counteract the brew that had been poured into his wounds, and still his fever had not gone down.

Legolas sighed deeply, hoping against hope that Aragorn would wake up and look at him. He knew that no such thing would happen, for that the human was far too deeply in the darkness of fevered dreams, but yet he hoped, even though it was a hope that died bit by bit the longer the man remained unconscious. Thesieni had left him with no illusions about his friend's condition. She had very plainly told him that most men died after about eight hours, and the main part of them had had fewer wounds than Aragorn. The healer seemed to be surprised that the young ranger was still among the living, even if only barely, and had told Legolas that there still was the very real chance that he may succumb to the fever that raged inside his weakened body.

So Legolas did the only thing he could do at the moment: Sit next at his friend's bedside and wait. He did not doubt Thesieni's words or her experience, but he hoped that there was enough elvish blood in the man to fight this poison, whatever it may be. And even if there was not, he tried to cheer himself up, Estel was stubborn enough for three men. He wouldn't die without a fight, about that he was certain, and he would definitely not die from something like this!

The elf was still deeply immersed in his troubled thoughts when he heard heavy footsteps on the floorboards close to the room, and he turned around as quickly as his battered body would allow him to. The elderly healer had treated him as best as possible, but he still felt as if he had taken a little tumble down the steepest and stoniest slope of Mount Doom.

Legolas had just turned fully around when the closed door opened, revealing the still scowling figure of Laenro, Ethoani's brother and apparently owner of this house. The elf inwardly shook his head. How was it possible that this human was constantly ill-tempered? He understood that the man was worried about his sister, about whom he seemed to care a great deal, but all this was hardly his or Aragorn's fault, was it?

The dark haired man merely remained standing on the threshold for several moments, his eyes fixed on the room's two occupants, and when Legolas was beginning to contemplate if he was perhaps waiting for an invitation, he took a step forward and closed the door behind him.
"So he is still alive?"

Legolas gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm, reminding himself that this man was all that was standing between them and Girion's dungeons at the moment.
"Yes, he is still alive. And he won't die either."

"Don't be so sure," the man advised darkly. "I have seen many men die after receiving such wounds. Many of them were my friends."

"I am sorry to hear that," the elf retorted, doing his best to really feel any sympathy with the human. He paused for a moment and studied Laenro's dark, forbidding face. "What news of the castle?" he finally asked softly, once again removing the warm cloth from Aragorn's forehead.

"They are beginning to search the city," Laenro answered emotionlessly. "They are still in the southern district, but they will be here in about an hour." Legolas' head shot up, clearly alarmed, and so the man added, "They won't come up here, at least not at first. We are well-respected coopers, or so they think, and if they don't find anything downstairs, they will most likely leave. A kind word and a few coins usually help in that regard as well."

Legolas nodded slowly, placing the once again cool cloth on the ranger's forehead, who was beginning to toss and turn slightly. It appeared that, once again, fevered nightmares were beginning to plague the young human, and the elf sent another prayer to the Valar to see his friend through this.
"I see," he told the man. "How did all this start?" he asked softly. "When did you decide to … well…"

"…throw away my life? Endanger my family? Fight a fight I know I cannot win?" the man completed the sentence. "In this city, Master Elf, you do not have to decide such things. They are decided for you."

Legolas looked up from his friend's suddenly flushed face and raised an eyebrow in question.
"What do you mean?"

"What I mean," Laenro answered, "is that such things are decided for you before you are even born. Every man in this city who has some backbone left fights the fight I am, even though most of them do it in a much more … subtle way than I." He leaned back against a wall of the small room and shook his head wryly. "All you have to decide is how much you are attached to life and how much you want to achieve before you're executed."

"You are leading a resistance movement," Legolas simply stated.

"A noble word," the brown haired man snorted. "I wouldn't call it that, even though Girion would probably agree – now, that is. Before all this, he hardly considered us worth his while, a situation we could very well live with, to be honest."

The blond elf merely looked at him, and the man finally lowered his eyes.

"I understand Ethoani's motives," Laenro finally added, rather reluctantly it seemed. "Girion must not be allowed to get his hands on you again. I know," he raised his hand as Legolas started to protest, "I know that you didn't tell them anything, and that does you credit. But believe me: If Glamir ever gets to finish what he's started, you will. I have seen it happen many, many times. You will tell them everything, it is just a matter of time. Everyone can be broken, and with an elf it will take Glamir merely a day or two longer. If you're really lucky, you'll die before they're finished with you. I wouldn't count on it though. He is…"

"…very good at what he does," Legolas finished the sentence, his eyes cold and hard as ice. "Yes, so he's told me."

"Then you understand why he cannot, why he must not learn what you know," Laenro shot back. "All we can hope for at the moment is that he marches out with his army and gets himself killed. If you tell him what he wants to know, he just might succeed and come back." A dry smile flittered over the young man's face, reminding the elf of the slightly desperate humour of his younger sister. "And we don't want that, do we?"

The human's sarcastic, fatalistic attitude half scared and half astonished the elf. Who would take up a fight with such a frame of mind? This man had lost all hope in achieving his goals or even getting out of all this alive a long time ago, the elf mused; then again, if faced with an adversary such as Girion and his soldiers, he didn't know if he wouldn't have done the same…

He was still trying to come up with an answer when, next to him, Aragorn's body suddenly stiffened, a small moan escaping his lips. Legolas' eyes darted back to the no longer still form of his human friend just in time to see the man arch his back, his bandaged arms tangling themselves in the many blankets that had been draped over him.

"Estel!" Legolas called out, his heart falling straight into his stomach. "Estel! Calm down, my friend, you're safe … Strider!"

The man obviously did not hear his words and continued fighting against foes only he could see in his feverish dreams, and after a second of total paralysis Legolas' hands shot out and grasped his bandaged wrists, trying to calm his friend down before he injured himself further. The elf shifted his grasp slightly in order not to press down too hard onto the wounds the metal bindings had left on the young ranger's wrists and did his best to restrain him, whispering softly to him in a frantic mixture of Common, Sindarin and Quenya.

A few seconds later his head whipped back around to the wide-eyed human, using all his remaining strength and agility to hold Aragorn down onto the mattress without hurting him further.
"Get the healer!" he told the man curtly, doing his best not to let the panic that was beginning to fill his entire being leak into his voice. "Go!"

Laenro remained where he was for a moment, frozen to the spot by surprise and mild shock, before he nodded and quickly disappeared out of the door, calling out for Thesieni in an increasingly urgent voice. Startled voices from other men in the house answered his calls, and soon a fair-sized chaos descended onto the building as people frantically began to search for the elderly woman.

Legolas, however, did not notice any of this as he tightened his grip on his trashing friend, praying to Ilúvatar and all the Valar not to let it end like this.

TBC...

Okay, next chapter in a week. I'm sorry about the cliffy (not really), I promise Ethoani won't turn into a Mary Sue (even though I am planning a love story between Legolas and Thesieni at the moment - just kidding! *g*) and Glorfindel and the twins will arrive as well. Now they're all in the same mess, ain't that great? *g* Reviews are, of course, greatly appreciated, which means Review Please!

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Additional A/N:

Mouse5 - Well, as long as I don't have to hear the names, I think it's okay. Well, even if I did hear them it would be okay because I have a rather thick skin... *g* I agree with you, of course, Glamir is freaky. I was tired of 'normal' bad guys. *g* I'll think about letting Legolas kill Teonvan, but to be honest I am thinking about letting someone else do the honours... *g*
Ellyrianna - Yes, of course I am an evil person. We all knew that, didn't we? But I'm really sorry for posting late, I didn't mean to. I am running out of time again rapidly 'as we speak' (or rather, as I write) , so I just hope I'll be able to reply to all the reviews. *g* Great you liked Glamir, though I think I have to disappoint you: It's not him at the door. That would be slightly OOC, wouldn't you agree? LOL, you are worried about Legolas' sexiness? You _are_ slightly mad, right?
Red Tigress - Alright, it was still a cliffy. What can I say, I like them? *g* Glamir reminds you of whom? Al Ghul from Batman? I'm sorry, but I have NO idea what you're talking about. I was never a very big Batman fan, sorry... *g*
Gwyn - It WOULD be nice, I agree ... but you have to admit, it would be rather unlikely, right? *g* You didn't really think that Legolas had told them what they wanted to know, did you? You know how stubborn - not to mention stupid - he is...
Stacee Phelps - Yeah, emotional things DO tend to make people cry.... *evil grin* Well, if you liked AEFAE, it's alright. Don't worry about our 'deal', I think I'll be able to send it to you next week. *g*
Aratfeniel - LOL, Aragorn - the living pincushion? You are quite optimistic, aren't you - about the living part, I mean? *evil cackle*
Deana - It's FUNNY that Legolas gave them fake info? Well, that's an interesting way of seeing it... *g*
Someone Reading - Oh, you're using that book. It's alright, it's just that she, well, isn't very precise. Just take "hi" - it's the lenited form of si, meaning now. I don't know where she got "this" from, really... *g* So, what you wanted to say is "Sen echuiant", you have to add a pronominal ending to the verb, which is echuia-, btw. I am using some books in German, so if you know German, let me know and I'll give you the titles.Great you liked the chapter, and sorry for correcting you again!
Elenillor - Well, I hope you weren't too excited - too much excitment is bad for you! *g* Thanks a lot for the review!
Sabercrazy - Jeez, you were right? That IS scary... *g* LOL, you will create an evil Mini-Celylith? Sounds like a good plan to me! Don't worry, I have always liked the villains myself. That's why I like Glamir too, I guess... You are wondering what kind of person Rashwe would be? Well, let me tell you: Donyc II. *g* And don't let Glorfindel hear that! I am rather sure that he wouldn't appreciate you comparing his dead friend to a demon horse! *evil grin* And I don't think I'll write that story. I'll just keep dropping hints and will drive all of you to the brink of madness! Mhahahaah! And yes, it did sound a little as if you were kissing up. Just a little, of course. Uhm, why would it be an elf? More importantly, who would it be? That doesn't really make sense... *frowns*
Firnsarnien - Yes, it was a little cliffy. There are worse ones to come! *evil laugh* This is the grimmest you have ever seen them look? Really? Well, I'll have to try harder in the future then... *g* Believe me, I am _trying_ to get the papers done. The first one is due on Monday, so I'd better hurry... *g*
Alasse Tiwele - Yay! *takes the-most-evil-cliffy-Alasse-has-read-in-a-long-time-award* * huggles it* *takes the-one-of-your-favorite-authors-award* *huggles it* Thank you! I love awards! I have to agree though: A LOT can happen in two days, but you're right, they just might arrive a little earlier... *g* Thanks a lot for the reviews - and the awards, of course!
Carrie - Oh, don't mention papers, will you? There's still this evil one that's due on Monday... *shudders* Glamir is meant to be worse than Teonvan, great you think so too. I still dislike Teonvan more, I don't know why either... But I really can't tell who's going to kill whom yet, since I really don't know. Legolas _might_ kill him though. But then again, I might let Rashwe eat him, that's definitely an interesting idea... *g*
Grumpy - I am the Queen of Cliffies? Thank you! *huggles* That's SO flattering... LOL, Teonvan did NOT turn Aragorn into a piece of swiss cheese! Well, maybe only a little bit... *g* And I'll think about the dragon. Then again, I don't like to include such beasts... But it would be interesting, I'll give you that. *g*
Crippled Raven - Well, you MIGHT be right. They don't. It's nice to hear you like my style, of course - my sister calls it "weird", I think... *g* Uhm, yes, I do speak German, which fits quite nicely since I also live in Germany, with German parents, which makes me a German too, I think. *g* Well, actually my family is from all around the country, inclusing various parts which are no longer German and various neighboring states, but still... Your sentence was perfect except for a little apostrophe that belongs between the 't' and the 's', but that's nitpicking. And all that Maths stuff is out of eleventh grade, so you still have time. Praise God and be merry. *g* Thanks for the compliments, even though my English is _far_ from perfect! Hmm, yes, I see your point, I guess they would good at lying, but only small lies. For big ones you need a lot of practice! Thanks a lot for the huge review!
Strider's Girl - Don't worry, I understand. Teonvan IS mean. Hmm, you're right about the twins' reaction - then again, you just assume that they'll be able and in the shape of going on a killing spree! *runs off cackling madly* No, there's no more 'real' ranger torture coming up, and we had quite enough too, I think. Well, you know what I think about too much torture: It can destroy the best stories... Great you found the right summary btw! Thanks for your reviews!
Sirithiliel - *g* Well, I'm short on time too, so we're even! Thanks for reviewing anyway, and have lots of fun on your trip!
Marbienl - To be honest, I think Girion's main fault is that he's mad. But that's only my opinion... *g* I guess you're right about Glamir, but he didn't know about the wound. Otherwise he'd certainly have stopped the guards. If you must know, I pictured it like holes in the sides of his chest, maybe between several lungs. I don't think that Teonvan really pierced bone, because you would have to be really strong for that if you only have a relatively short spike. LOL, I agree: The twins wouldn't be too happy if they knew they're the comic relief! Poor elves... *g* *shakes head* No, the water will be fine, don't worry. Uhm, sorry about that, but Súliat isn't even there. He's in Isengard where he belongs, planning the destruction of all of ME... *g*
Elvendancer - LOL, I agree! They have the worst luck I've ever seen or even heard of... *g* I'm very glad to hear that you aren't throwing things at me, I really hate it when people do that... *shakes head* My own fault I guess. I just love cliffies too much.
CrazyLOTRfan - I can do *roughly* alright, I think. I'll do my best. *g* Climbing up the wall would most certainly be madness, nothing brilliant about that at all, I fear... *smiles* Hey! That was a German word! And even spelt correctly! Vielen Dank! You get two weaks' spring break? *grrrr*
Aromene - Poor you! Welcome to the club of those who have to spend their live researching stupid, annoying, boring things... *g* Yup, the horse is possessed. It's a demon, I'm not sure which one yet, but it's definitely a demon. *g*
Sadie Elfgirl - I have the bad feeling that these people aren't interested in discussing anything - calmly or not... I totally agree with you on Teonvan. He's a slimy, stupid git. I hate him too, and I created him, so that means something. *g* LOL, yes, I guess a rabies ridden mountain lion woudl be less dangerous! And you're right: I love jerking my reviewers around! I am evil! Mhahahahah! *g* And I know you wouldn't tell anyone (not), but I like watching you suffer. Sorry. *evil grin*
Jazmin3 Firewing - Well, I guess there are ... uhm, strange artists? Let's just assume that Glamir is a _very_ strange, rather demented one? *g* Thank you, I'm glad you liked the names. Especially Súliat took me some time to come up with... Congrats, btw! What does it feel like now to be brace-less? (You don't have to answer that, it's a rhetorical question *g*)
Tychen - LOL, you're right - even though I have to admit that I'd totally freak out if Glamir were sitting next to me on the train... *g* Precisely! Finally someone who understands! *huggles* These two are only human, uhm, elven - whatever. You can't just put holes in them etc. and expect them to be back on their feet tomorrow! So 'your' Rashwe is called Pasha? Mine was called Puccini - horses DO have stupid names, don't they? *g* But I think yours sounds worse than mine ever was...
Chibi Noin - Uhm, yes, it's quite long. About four hundred pages now at chapter 24, I think... I don't think you can damage cour brain with too much oxygen though, I think. I hope not! LOL, 'ambrosial'? I'll have to admit that's a new compliment - thank you very much! I am very glad you like this so much, and I really hope you'll enjoy the rest as well. I hope your appetite will be sated with this new chapter, thanks a lot for the many reviews!
Alilacia - You're moving again? Well, have fun! I've always liked it - as long as I didn't have to go to a new school or something like that - but it can get slightly annoying, huh? Oh, now I get the Wormtongue thing. Yeah, he liked balck, that's true. I hope you didn't forget something important, that you managed to set up your computer and that everything went smoothly! Thanks for reviewing despite everything!
Zam - ROTFL! "Out to lunch"? Well, that IS pathetic - but I've always known that your orcs were slightly ... different. I'm sorry your plan didn't work, though. Really. *fake smile* Eek, Legolas is gnawing at that dead guy? Now that's simply disgusting! *hangs head* I knew I shouldn't have mentioned Eöl. Elvensniths like him and Celebrimbor should stay dead if you ask me... *clamps hand over mouth* Forgot I mention that one, will you? I've always liked librarians really, to be honest. I just decided to insult their kind with that comparison. No reason for that, really. *shrugs* I'm evil and random. LOL, I think I like your version better. It sounds ... more authentic, somehow. Sorry, Elladan, I know you too well. *pats elven twin* I'll leave you now to your plans for Arda-domination! Good luck!
Karone Evertree - Thanks. *sniff* I was really afraid you guys might be angry. I really would love it to have more time, but, alas, it's not meant to be. Too bad. And I know what you mean, I absolutely hate it when people just stop posting. *grrr* Evil.
Bailey - Well, okay, we can agree on the fact that it wasn't a nice cliffy. But it wasn't really evil either. Don't worry, the twins and Co. will get here next chapter, which will make everything even worse, of course. Did you expect anything else? *shakes head sadly* No, I guess no-one did.
Shauna - Uhm, yes, I've been hinting at it, but still no. Mhahahaha, I LOVE being unpredictable! *g* Don't worry about not reviewing the last chapter. Such things happen, especially with FF.net. *g* I'm glad to hear that you liked Glamir; I wanted to have a 'different' villain for once! Thanks for the review!
Snow-Glory - I agree. They've most definitely have had enough of small, enclosed spaces. Too bad they don't get to choose, right? *evil smile* Well, Rashwe might be a mere horse, but he's a demon-horse! You would be afraid too! I agree, a healer would be unexpected, but ... no, sorry. *g*
Galadhriel Vornionien - Do I now? Have you ready to resort to violence? Well, I'll just take that as a compliment, I think... *g* I'll take the arrows, by the way. Don't ask me why. I like arrows. I have to admit that pearls DO sound very nice - but it's a little too late for that now, right? *sighs* Well, next time. *g*
Crystal-Rose15 - Nope, I agree with them: Honey is NOT nice. You are evil, did you know that? And the twins _are_ cuddly, even though I can see why they wouldn't like that term. LOL, of course Celylith is testy. I mean, who wouldn't be? Having to spend so much time with Glorfindel and a pair of anxious elven twins... *shudders* I would be VERY testy. And you're right, they are Noldor too! I don't know if this was the 960th review, but I loved it nonetheless! Thanks!
Maranwe1 - Wow! You! *huggles* I missed you, I really did! Thanks for the corrections, though. I've always had trouble with the there it were/it was thing. One of the things I am beginning to fear I'll never learn. *sighs sadly* Thanks for telling me. I'll try to remember it from now on. And I absolutely agree with you, orcs and wags aren't very different. Four legs, two legs - just details. About the twins: Would you believe me if I said that, more or less, that's exactly what they'll do? I did mention that they're stupid, didn't I? *g* Let me check my timeline. The army is meant to set out in five days. I have a huge timeline so that everything fits in the end... Sorry to hear about your story. It's so annoying if you have to change something when you're, technically, already done, isn't it? Thank you so much for your HUGE review, I wish I'd have more time to reply! *huggles* Sorry about that, and thanks again!
Twinlakeshgrl - Don't worry, I would never mistake criticism for a flame, especially when it's about Elvish. And I have to admit that yes, "lamb" was not necessary in that sentence. I know that "Quenya" already includes the language bit, but ... well, I like the word? I know, it's a rather stupid reason, but it's true. I don't know if it's expressly false, but I simply like it. So, on this account you're right. About the other thing: I also know that the imperative is formed "" (or just "a" when the first syllable of the following word contains a long vowel or diphtong) + a simple infinitive or endingless aorist form. BUT there are a few other attested forms of imperatives, for example "ela!", "heca!" (WJ:364) or, most famously, Eru's command "Ëa!" (which, admittedly might only be because "" would look really stupid. Besides, "to be, exist" was never an easy word). Helge Fauskanger, whom you'll probably know, (if not, one of the most respected Tolkien scholars) thinks that basic verbs (to which queta belongs, as you said) have an alternate imperative with the ending -a, so instead of "à quetë!" just "queta". I simply thought that, if he was right (and he usually knows what he is talking about), it would make more sense that Aragorn would be using the shorter form in this situation. Well, that were my reasons. If you really have a Quenya teacher, I would be very grateful if you could ask her/him so we could get a second opinion. I know that 'your' version is the 'usual' one, but I really think that this might be an alternative. *shrugs* Be that as it may. Thanks for the review!
Cosmic Castaway - *blinks* Well ... alright then. Great you liked the torture. And I'm glad you saw it that way - that it's always easy to say "He shoudln't have done that..." from where we're sitting. I think so too. *g* I'll leave you to your flowers, I think. Have fun! *raises eyebrow*
Nikara - Yeah, Legolas was showing a bit of common sense. Surprise, surprise... *g* I know, there are quite a few people who are interested in that particular story, but I promised not to tell anyone. Sorry. *g*
Jera - Well - nice to see that you like Glamir. I don't think there are many people who agree with you, but still... *g* I'm sorry for embarassing you in front of your computer's owner. I didn't mean to, I swear - but is IS an interesting side effect... *g* I like the bets. I can't tell you anything, of course, but I do believe you could earn quite a lot of money... LOL, you speak Klingon? Really? Well, I got never past "Qap'la!", or however you spell it. I always thought it sounded somewhat like fighting dogs... *g* And if you thing the English have stolen lots of words, wait till you learn German. We have stolen from the French, have taken Yiddish, Polish, Danish, Italian and words and thousand others and now we're busy stealing half the English language. I hate it the last bit, but what can you do... *shrugs* What kind of job IS that? It sounds very interesting, but slightly - dangerous. Quite dangerous, actually. *g* Thanks so much for your great, huge review!
Leggylover03 - *g* Thank you! I am doing my best! I expected you to like the Estel pain/angst, of course! Thanks a lot for the review!
Sonnylover - I'll reply to the email here, I hope that's okay? Well, if not, you won't read this, so whom am I talking to... *walks off mumbling under her breath* It is very nice to hear that you like the story so much. I am also an Aragorn fan (I know, I know, who'd have thought? *g*) and I am very glad that you liked 'my' version of him. So you want to become a librarian then? *looks at Glamir* Have fun... *g* Thanks a lot for the mail!
Suzi9 - Wow! Huge review! I am sorry that I don't have the time to answer properly now, but I have to go in ten minutes... Let me see... I also like Quenya better, which is because I like Finnish better than Welsh, I'm afraid. It's softer, at least Quenya is. *g* I COULD give Teonvan to you guys, you're right. But I wouldn't expect too much from Zam's orcs, they're kinda useless. *g* I like Cendan too, he's quite nice. I have the feeling though that Legolas wouldn't agree with that assessment of his character... *g* Sorry I caused you to become paranoid. I spend lots of time in the library too, I know what you mean. And I agree: Demons don't let you be. They simply annoy you more. *g* LOL, so it's Drákon? That explains a lot! Thanks for the cookies, I am waiting for the pics, and thanks for the review!
Uineniel - Wow, you needed only two hours? *blushes* Thanks a lot for the compliments, I'm glad you liked it so far. I would love to stay and chat a little longer, but I still have another reply and must dash. Thanks for the review!
Isadora2 - Keine Angst, keine Angst, eher um, na ja, 22.15 h. Ich muss jetzt gleich zum Konzert meiner Schwester, darum faellt das hier auch ein bisschen kuerzer aus, sorry... *g* LOL, Freitag ist Nili-Day? Na, danke! Und DU traeumst auch? Ist doch ... nett? *g* Allerdings nett im Sinne von beunruhigend... Ist allerdings schoen, dass du meiner Light-torture-Entscheidung zustimmt. Ich kann so viel am Stueck einfach nicht schreiben... *schuettelt sich* ROTFL! NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!! Ich LIEBE diesen Sketch, ehrlich! *g* Keine Angst, keine Angst, der dumme Rangeboy braucht noch 'ne Weile und der dumme Waldelb darf sich noch 'ne Menge sorgen. Ich bin wahrscheinlich im Sommer wieder in London, und werde mir dann auch einen Journalisten grabschen! *g* Danke fuer die superlange Review!
Firniswin - Yes, of course I'm evil, but I think you should have known that already. I think I'm not going to comment on your obsession with "manly sweetness" - no, I think I will most certainly not. You are insane, girl. And the chapter is really here, oh the joy! *g*

Sorry for the shorter-than-usual-replies. I really don't have the time to write more, sorry! Thanks a lot for the great feedback!