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.

23. Hide And Seek

Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

*sighs happily* Finally. One of the evil college papers from hell is done! I have lots of time now! *thinks for a moment* Well, there IS that oral exam in two weeks, and the second evil college paper from hell, _and_... *wails* I'm going to die! *g* No, no problem. The worst is still to come (I HATE oral exams), but soon it's all over. Well, either that or I'll get bad grades and will have to start studying in earnest. *g* I'd really prefer the first.

Second: Jack has finally reviewed! Yay! Let's welcome her into our happy little family! *readers wave cluelessly* Let me introduce her to you: She's helped me a lot with coming up with evil ideas for our favourite heroes. The idea for the spikes was, essentially, hers. Don't ask me why she chose "Jack" - she's also slightly insane. *g* And then there's her obsession with ruptured spleens - but that's definitely a story for another day. *g* So, I just wanted to say Hi to her. *waves* Hi!

Okay, that being said, I can also say that I am very glad that you liked Ethoani. Yes, I promise that she won't become a Mary-Sue, and to prove it she's not even in this chapter. She's not really a main character, so she can't be a Mary-Sue, right? *wipes forehead* It's really sad, I know, but as soon as I create a female character I'm afraid she might be misinterpreted. Especially when she's under fifty. *g*


So, here is chapter 23, which has yet another cliffy! I am sorry, I really am, but there are even more coming. My alter ego's particularly evil lately, I guess. *evil grin* So, apart from that Aragorn wakes up (well, kind of at least), we hear a bit more about the little resistance movement's history, Cendan makes an appearance and Glorfindel, the twins and Celylith do something so incredibly stupid that only the term braindead satisfies. I'm serious, people. *g*

Have fun and review, please!

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Chapter 23


The reasonable part of Legolas' brain later informed him that only a few dozen seconds could have passed, or maybe half a minute at the most, before the door was thrown open and several humans rushed into the room, at the front a very determined-looking Thesieni. In a matter of half a second she had scanned her patient and reached his side, trying to feel his forehead around the restraining arms of the elf who did his best to keep the man still.

"What happened?" she asked calmly, managing to place a hand on the ranger's hot forehead. "For how long has he been like this?"

Legolas shook his head, helplessness filling his entire being.
"I don't know. Not long. Half a minute, a minute at the most. What is wrong with him?"

"He dreams. It's the fever," the woman answered curtly, beginning to sift through the bag she had left next to the bed before turning back to the men at their back. "Bring me cold water. I had hoped the medicine would lower his fever, but now we need to resort to more drastic measures."

The humans scrambled out of the room to do her bidding, apparently more than used to obeying the elderly healer's commands, and Thesieni returned her attention to the elf who looked utterly lost and helpless.
"Talk to him. Calm him down somehow. We must get him to drink more of the medicine before we can start and try to lower his temperature."

She turned to the side and began mixing said potion with some herbs in a wooden cup, leaving Legolas to stare at his agitated friend. Calm Aragorn. Sure. No problem. He carefully placed both his hands on the young human's shoulders, trying to prevent the man from doing himself – or him and Thesieni, for that matter – any more harm. He began to whisper to the man in a disjointed mix of Common and Elvish, relaxing a little when he saw that his friend began to calm down minutely when he heard the soft words.

"That's it, calm down, Estel … it's alright, we're safe, no-one will hurt you…" The elf quickly realised that Aragorn reacted better to the elvish languages, and so he continued in a curious mixture of Sindarin and Quenya. "Sedho, mellon nín … Sí lertalyë serë; narelvë varna, meldonya…"

After another few moments, the man's body finally relaxed and he stopped fighting against the elven prince's hands that restrained his movements. The lines of fear and pain smoothed on his face, and Legolas carefully sat back, releasing Aragorn's shoulders one by one. He chanced a look at the healer next to him, but did not cease his quiet, soothing monologue. Thesieni merely gave him an encouraging look and pressed the cup into one of his hands, nodding into the young man's direction.

Legolas did not stop whispering to his friend, but gave the wooden cup a dark look. Why was it always him who had to give Aragorn various kinds of medicines and potions? He was beginning to suspect that this was one of the Valar's own, personal jokes: Putting him into situations where he would have to drug the young ranger who was never happy about it once he woke up. The elf shuddered inwardly. He could still remember how Aragorn had reacted the last time he had forced him to drink medicines he hadn't wanted to drink…

One of the elderly woman's eyebrows began to arch in a definitely impatient way and Legolas quickly drew himself out of his thoughts, moving a little closer to his friend who was still moving restlessly under the blankets. He slipped one arm under the man's head to elevate it, wincing slightly when it pressed down onto his cut and bruised flesh, and slowly began to coax the liquid into the other's mouth.

He was getting quite good at this, he decided while he whispered to the ranger over and over again that everything would be alright, first in Sindarin, then in Quenya and then in his mother tongue again. He once again found that Aragorn was a much more docile and reasonable patient when unconscious or delirious, and so he managed to make him drink all of the medicine after a relatively short amount of time, something that surprised no-one more than him. He knew how stubborn that man could be, after all.

What positively astonished him, however, was that, just when he had handed back the cup to the healer, Aragorn's eyes flickered open, their grey depths wide and unfocused. A wide grin spread over the elf's face and he leaned forward, one hand carefully reaching out to cup the man's face, trying not to wince openly when he felt the heat that emitted from the other's skin.
"Strider?" he asked softly. "Estel?"

Aragorn blinked tiredly, trying unsuccessfully to focus his eyes on the source of the voice. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he vainly tried to form words, but then he managed to speak, even though his words were so soft that even Legolas' keen ears had trouble understanding them.
"Ada?" the young man whispered confusedly. "Father?"

Legolas swallowed thickly and shook his head, still smiling at the human.
"No, my friend, I'm sorry. It's only me. Your father and brothers await you back at home. You must not disappoint them, Estel, you hear me?"

The dark haired ranger frowned, clearly not comprehending what was being said to him.
"Legolas?" he asked weakly, blinking again in a vain attempt to bring his world into focus. "Teonvan … where…"

"Shhh," the elf soothed his friend, grinding his teeth firmly when he saw the barely disguised panic flicker over the man's face. "It's alright, he's gone. We escaped." Aragorn simply stared at him, and so he added softly, "Sleep, my friend. Recover your strength. I promise everything will be fine. Men beriar aen, Estel. Losto…"

Whether it was beacuse of his words or because the young man's strength had simply given out Legolas would never know, but a few seconds later Aragorn's eyes closed again and his head lolled to the side as he once again fell back into unconsciousness. For a moment, Legolas didn't truly know if that was a good or a bad thing, but then Thesieni nodded next to him, satisfaction and approval on her face.

"Well done, Master Legolas," she told the elven prince, placing a hand on his forearm. "You did well. He should sleep for a few hours now, long enough for us to try and bring down his temperature." She smiled at the wide-eyed elf, trying to set the other's clearly distraught mind at ease. "Your true name does not concern me, Master Elf. It may not be the name Ethoani told me, but I do not care. I will not tell anyone about it if you do not wish it."

"I would be grateful if you did not, my lady," the elf inclined his head. "It might cause certain … complications."

Legolas' eyes returned automatically to the pale, bruised face of his friend, and Thesieni smiled again, a reassuring expression on her face.
"It will be alright, son. He's survived this long, he'll not let a fever get the best of him."

The elf shook his head, wondering shortly why every other being he met called him "son", "lad", "boy" or variations of the above. He knew that he looked young to anyone who was not of his race, but even the most unobservant person had to notice that his eyes were anything but. He was not a child, in Eru's name!

If the woman noticed his mild displeasure, she either didn't care or didn't comment on it. A moment later the door opened again and two of the men returned, carrying heavy buckets with cold water. For the next few hours, the elven prince forgot everything around him as the healer and he did all they could to lower the ranger's temperature, and only when the sun was already beginning to slowly sink below the horizon did he lean back in his chair, almost overcome with fatigue. His own wounds were far from healed, and apart from the physical exertion that came from holding down his human friend's thrashing body, having to soothe the young man's feverish murmurs and pleas had drained him more than he had thought possible. The only thing that reassured him was that Thesieni seemed to be as exhausted as he was.

"Well," the woman remarked wryly, pushing a strand of grey, sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes, "I think I am getting too old for this."

"You have my thanks, Thesieni," Legolas inclined his head. "Thank you. Thank you for not letting him die."

"It was your doing more than mine, Master Elf. Your voice kept him in this world, I am sure about it," the woman shook her head and slowly stood to her feet, a last time touching the young ranger's forehead. "His temperature has gone down. He is still too ill to be moved, but if he rests enough, he will be fine, I think."

Legolas opened his mouth to say something, but she merely shook her head, giving him a small smile on her way to the door.
"I am glad I could be of service, Master Elf. I have no love for Girion or his men, believe me, and anything that makes them unhappy makes me very happy in return." She paused for a moment, already on the threshold. "Call me should there be any change. Barring any unforeseen complication he should sleep for many more hours."

She turned back around to leave the room and almost collided with Laenro who had nearly soundlessly appeared on the doorstep, proving to Legolas that he was indeed much more tired than he had thought. He should have noticed the man a long time ago, but all he could hear was his own, inexplicably loud heartbeat and Aragorn's soft, still laboured breathing. The woman gave the younger man a quick nod and disappeared around the corner, leaving the elf and the dark haired man staring at each other.

After a second, Legolas shook his head, feeling much too tired, worried and exhausted to quarrel with this hostile man.
"Yes, he's still alive and no, he won't die in the near future either. I am sorry to disappoint you."

A wry smile flittered over the man's face as he stepped into the room.
"I hadn't expected anything else. Thesieni is a skilled healer and your friend appears to be too stubborn to die. No, I came here for another reason. They are gone."

"Pardon me?" Legolas frowned in confusion, his eyes not leaving Aragorn's face that one of his hands was cupping once again.

Laenro raised an amused eyebrow.
"You didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" the elf retorted, what little he had left of his patience quickly dissipating. The last thing he needed at the moment was to mince words with this man who didn't even try to hide the fact that he wished them to be dead and out of his hair.

"That the guards are gone," Laenro answered somewhat cheekily. "They left half an hour ago."

"There were guards here?"

"Oh, aye," the man retorted. "And, to be honest, it was very hard getting rid of them."

"Please, Master Human," Legolas shook his head, turning around slightly to look at him. "I have neither the patience nor the energy to drag every single word out of you. If you have something to say, say it."

"Alright," Laenro nodded, apparently not too perturbed by the elf's answer. "I am still a little bit shaken myself; I nearly didn't get them to leave without inspecting the whole house."

Legolas turned even paler than he already was as he imagined what would have happened if Girion's soldiers had come up here. They wouldn't have had time to conceal themselves; besides, Thesieni had told him clearly that Aragorn was not to be moved. No, he thought darkly. That would not have been too fortunate, would it?

"I see you realise how lucky we have been," the man nodded, noticing the elf's blanching face. "The leader was not as stupid as guards usually are. The soldiers are a force to be reckoned with, but guards aren't too quick-witted as a rule. This one, however, was not fooled at all. He ordered his men to leave only after a most thorough search of the lower levels. I haven't seen him before," Laenro added thoughtfully. "He was a strange fellow. I think he had brown hair, but I'm not sure anymore. He had one of these faces that just aren't memorable. I could pass him on the streets and not recognise him."

Legolas didn't know why, but these words triggered something in his mind, something that was very important and struggled to rise to the surface. Try as he might though, he couldn't remember what it was, and so he merely nodded back at the man.
"Will they come back?"

Laenro shrugged and sat down on the chair next to the elf, a clueless expression on his face that reminded the elf suddenly of how young he really was. He couldn't be more than three or four years his sister's senior, which placed him at about the same age as Aragorn. Suddenly a large part of Legolas' resentments and anger he felt for this man melted away. He was a child, really, a child who had apparently been thrust into a situation he had never expected himself to be in.

"I don't know," the man confessed. "Usually, they wouldn't, but it appears that the usual rules don't apply anymore. They might."

Legolas nodded softly and carefully leaned back in his chair, making sure with a quick look that Aragorn seemed to be sleeping as peacefully as could be expected at the moment.
"How did this start?" he asked softly. "You said you didn't have a choice, and yet you did. You could have chosen to duck and hope not to be noticed."

"You do not know what you are talking about, Lasseg. That's your name, isn't it?" Legolas nodded quickly, encouraging the man to continue which he did, covering his eyes with a hand. "You know how this city was founded?"

"I do," Legolas nodded again. "Your lord was kind enough to inform us about it."

"He is not my lord," the man replied sharply. "He may rule this town, but that does not mean I admit any claim of his over it or myself." He leaned back into his chair as well, eyes staring unseeingly at the wall. "When Dale was destroyed, Girion's ancestor and many other families came here, among them my own. With time other people joined us, from the settlements around Lake-town or from the South, from Gondor, but not anymore. There are even some who have taken wives among the tribes living around the city, even though they are few. Easterlings, or even children from these marriages, are barely accepted here."

"That was in the past?" Legolas inquired. "People don't come to settle here anymore?"

Laenro laughed; a short, dark and bitter sound.
"Tell me the truth, Master Elf: Would you voluntarily come and live here?"

"Well," Legolas began, "I don't…"

"You wouldn't," Laenro cut off his words. "And neither would any sane person I know. Girion is mad, as you have probably noticed by now."

"Yes," the elf nodded wryly, "I have been suspecting something like that for some time now."

"Aye," the brown haired man grinned at the other, looking suddenly younger and more carefree. "It's rather obvious, is it not? I think it's a family trait that is getting out of hand. From what my parents and grandparents told me, his predecessors weren't much saner either, but Girion is exceptional even for this line. His ancestors have been getting more and more paranoid, more and more distrustful and suspicious. A hundred years ago you could still live quite well in this city, but now…"

Legolas did not interrupt him, sensing that the young man had nearly forgotten that he wasn't alone in the room.

"Girion and before him his father and grandfather have become obsessed with this, with their war to take back what their ancestors lost and yet didn't even possess in the first place. If he had any sense in him, it has long left him over this. He will not abandon this war."

"So he has no support in the city?" Legolas asked. "Then why…"

"…is there no uprising?" the man finished the elf's question. "Oh, there were several. The last was over before it had even truly begun, when Girion took over the rule from his father – whom he allegedly poisoned, but that's another story . In the end two hundred 'ringleaders' were rounded up and executed, along with most of their immediate families."

He shook his head, for the first time looking the elf straight in the eye.
"His hold over this city is too strong. There are too many soldiers, even without the Easterlings he has allied himself with now. Of course he has some support, especially from the wealthy families whose members become councilmen and higher officers. They have much to lose, and know that they would not live long either should he fall."

"The main problem, however," the young man added darkly, "is that the people are afraid. They have been so afraid for so many years that they no longer know what it is not to be afraid. They live in the constant fear that Girion's eye may come to rest on them and that they or their families may end their lives in Glamir's dungeons. He has acquired quite a reputation in the short time he has been here."

"He's not from Baredlen?" Legolas asked, feeling a cold shudder race down his spine at the mention of the small man's name.

"No," Laenro shook his head. "He came here from Northern Gondor about five or six years ago. He is just what Girion had been looking for, if you ask me."

The elf nodded thoughtfully as he reached out and touched his friend's forehead. Aragorn's skin felt cooler, something he noted with great satisfaction. He returned his attention to the man next to him, looking at him seriously.
"How did you get involved? What caused you to decide to act instead of hoping to go unnoticed?"

Laenro didn't answer at first, but then he shrugged lightly, his hand running through his dark hair in a nervous gesture.
"My parents died when I was still young. My sister had just been born when a fever took my mother who was still weak from giving birth. She died, and my father followed her soon after. We were taken in by my uncle, who cared for us until I was old enough to provide for her with his help. That was ten years ago when I was fifteen."

He fell silent for a moment before he continued.
"A year later, Girion came to power. My uncle had been leading the resistance that staged the uprising and was one of the few who were indeed guilty of the charges that were brought against them. Since we were no immediate family and were no longer living with them, Ethoani and I were spared, but my cousins weren't so lucky. They were executed with their father, even though they were hardly older than me."

He swallowed hard, apparently struggling with the memories.
"Their mother had luckily died some years ago; something for which I thank the Gods now. I can still remember their faces as if I had seen them yesterday. They were only seventeen – they were twins, you know. I had grown up with them, had played and studied with them as if they had been my own brothers, not my cousins. And I watched them die that day nine years ago, I watched them die for something they had had no part in."

"I understand," the elf mumbled softly.

"Do you?" Laenro asked, but without spite. "I don't think so. They were younger than me in a way, since their father had sheltered them for their entire life, especially after they had lost my aunt. It was that day, when I watched hundreds of innocent people die, among them my cousins who were still little more than children, that I understood that I had to do something. I took over what was left of my uncle's men and organisation." He leaned forward, his eyes boring into the elf's. "I do not care if I die or not. I do not care if I am killed for what I do. All I care about is that Girion pays for what he's done."

"And about your sister," Legolas added softly.

"Aye, about her as well," Laenro nodded. "I asked her a thousand times not to go back into the castle, but she does not listen. I want to protect her more than anything else in the world, if she would only let me."

"She's stubborn," the elf nodded wryly. "And very brave."

"I call it foolish," Laenro shook his head. "She shouldn't be doing this. She's too young to die – and die she will, just as we all. Anyone who opposes Girion dies, sooner or later. Yet she doesn't listen to me."

"Why?" Legolas asked curiously. "You are her brother. After your father's death…"

"She is not very obedient, if that is what you mean," the man smiled dryly. "Besides, she has her own reasons for hating Girion and his men."

The elf only nodded, knowing instinctively that this was a topic the man was unwilling to pursue any further. His gaze wandered over the small, sparse room, idly noticing that the sun had sunk even lower, judging by the light that filtered through the wooden shutters. They had escaped their prison not much more than twelve hours ago, and still so many things had happened.

"What will happen to us?" he finally asked softly.

Laenro blinked, mild confusion on his face as he returned from a realm of dark memories.
"As I said, we will get you out of the city. We have to wait until your friend is well enough to travel and the excitement has died down sufficiently, but then we will supply you with horses and get you out of here. With luck, there will be too much unrest and confusion when Girion and his army have marched out to bring you out of the city safely. And if we are lucky, he will die and never return."

Legolas nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Do you really think so?" he asked quietly.

"No," Laenro answered darkly. "Without the information he wants from you, he might not be victorious, that is true. His armies might be defeated, far away from here, but he will be back. No-one will try to attack him here, not when he is in league with the Easterlings. To march to Rhûn without a force of many thousands of men is suicide, as the kings to the North know as well. No," he repeated hopelessly, "He'll be back. And everything will become even worse than before."

The man shook his head forcefully, as if to disperse the dark thoughts.
"But we can hope. That is all that keeps this 'resistance movement' alive anyway, hope. We are barely more than a hundred men, not nearly enough to challenge Girion's power even when he is away on campaign. He must not have you, Master Elf, or he might achieve what he desires and all our hopes will crumble into ashes."

"Nothing is certain," the elf shook his head. "Not even the Wisest can foretell with absolute certainty what the future will bring. Have hope, Laenro. You will manage to free your city, one day."

"Are your people able to look into the future?" the man asked somewhat mockingly.

"Some of them are, yes," Legolas nodded, deciding to ignore the other's unbelieving tone of voice. "I, however, am not one of them. I am telling you this because I have learned some important things in my life, and one of them is that you cannot hope to forever rule a city or a country by fear. The more drastic the measures you choose to ensure your rule, the more certain it becomes that it will fail in the end. You cannot rule through terror and fear alone. In the end the sun will always break through the clouds and the shadows will be fade; it is only a matter of time."

"Then," Laenro replied dryly, "I only hope that Ethoani and I will be able to see it. The way things are going at the moment, there is the very real possibility that we will not."

"That is of course always the problem," Legolas admitted in an equally dry voice.

A flicker of real humour could be seen in the brown haired man's eyes and he opened his mouth to speak when both of them froze in their chairs when two booming, reverberating sounds could be heard, seemingly echoing forever through the still house. It took Legolas' exhausted mind another second to realise that it were two hard knocks on the entrance door a level beneath them.

The elven prince's eyes widened as he looked at the equally shocked man next to him. That couldn't be good.

It wasn't.

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but that has got to be the dreariest city I have ever seen."

Elrohir inwardly rolled his eyes at his brother's attempt at humour, but couldn't deny the truth of his words. For once, Elladan was correct. The city that was lying in front of them, its grey buildings and walls faintly touched by the light of the dying sun, was indeed the dreariest city he had ever seen, and that included the ruins of Annúminas he had visited a few times in his life.

"For once, I have to agree with you, my lord," Celylith nodded next to him. "It makes Dol Guldur appear like a positively cheerful place in comparison."

"Even though that is, of course, a gross exaggeration, I think there might be some truth in your words, my friend," Elrohir inclined his head as well. "But I will have you know that I will turn and ride away should I see even a tiny bit of the Dark One or his servants."

"I don't think that that will be the case here," Glorfindel shook his head with a small smile. "But I have to agree. I wouldn't want to face the witch-king again, not to mention his master, of course. Once is enough for me."

"I have never seen one of the Nine, and I have no desire to change that either," Elladan shook his head. "Even though I think that to be highly unlikely as well. This is a city of Men, not of wraiths and servants of Sauron."

"But you're right," Celylith said, shielding his eyes against the glaring beams of the setting sun as he surveyed the city in front of them. "This town is … dark. Sinister, somehow."

"Yes," Glorfindel nodded, "I feel it too. There is something wrong here."

"This is Rhûn," Elladan mumbled softly, reaching out to pat his slightly agitated horse. "Show me a place with which nothing's wrong and you'll get my favourite bow."

"Your Lothlórien bow?" Celylith instantly perked up. "Well, in that case…"

"Ah," Glorfindel raised his hand. "Stop it, both of you. If I have to listen to one more of your arguments, I will lose all my self-restraint, I swear it. Every time that happens, my senses tend to get slightly … confused. I have been known to mistake elves for orcs once or twice." He sighed in mock sadness. "It can lead to horrible tragedies. There was that one time I…"

"Yes, Glorfindel," Elrohir sighed and spurred on his horse. "You told us before."

"I have?" the golden haired elf asked as if greatly surprised. "In Elbereth's name, that must have slipped my mind."

"Of course it must have," Elladan grinned at the elf lord as he followed his brother into the direction of the city gate closest to them. He turned seriously immediately as he looked at the tall, grey, forbidding walls of the city. There was something wrong here, somehow, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Have you ever thought about it?" his twin's voice interrupted the silence. "The name, I mean? 'Baredlen' – that is a rather strange name for a human town, is it not?"

"I have thought about it as well," Celylith admitted as he vainly tried to convince Rashwe to walk in a straight line. "'Exiled Home'. Rather melodramatic if you ask me."

"Exiled from where?" Elladan wondered aloud, his eyes once again wandering over the imposing walls. "And who would pick such a name, in Elvish at that?"

"I don't know," the silver haired elf admitted, for the umpteenth time cursing his stubborn mount. "They could have been from virtually anywhere. Rhûn is far away from all human kingdoms and larger settlements."

Glorfindel barely heard what the three younger elves were saying. They were still at least a day away from the Sea of Rhûn, but they had made much better time than he had thought. He had expected them to reach this city tomorrow morning at the earliest, but the horses had seemed to sense their urgency and had borne them as swiftly as the Mearas themselves.

The elf lord eyed the sight in front of him warily, feeling that Asfaloth did not like it either, which was usually a certain sign that something was amiss. He had long ago learned to trust his horse's keen senses; besides, his own were telling him just the same, namely that trouble was waiting for them in this town. He hadn't lived nearly three ages of this world to ignore such a warning.

His eyes narrowed as his gaze swept to the left of them, and a second later he reined back his horse, motioning his companions to do the same.
"To the left," he said curtly. "There was a large camp there."

The other elves' eyes wandered over to the left, straining to see what the other had spoken about, obscured as the view was by a small copse of trees and the city itself.
"Lord Glorfindel is right," Celylith spoke first. "There was an encampment there. You can still see the fireplaces, and the ground is trampled and was disturbed by many feet."

"It hasn't been abandoned for long," Elrohir nodded as their horses continued to carry them slowly closer to the city. "I'd say yesterday evening, or even today. And it was huge."

"Then whose camp was it?" his twin asked with a puzzled frown. "It would have been quite a large marketplace."

"I think we all know what kind of camp it was," Glorfindel shook his head darkly. "The only question is, where did the soldiers go?"

"The tracks are leading around the city," Celylith informed them quietly. "My guess is that they have withdrawn behind the forest we could see earlier. There is no way we could have missed their presence if they're not concealed by the woods or have moved even farther away."

"I do not like this," Elladan stated evenly, a hard glint in his eyes. "I trust no-one who has an army camping on his doorstep. Especially not in Rhûn."

"There are no signs of an attack or a siege," Elrohir nodded, the same glint creeping into his eyes. "If that had been the case, I'd have said that this city was attacked by the Easterlings. I saw a few axes and the remains of a chariot among the things left behind in the camp. The men who had their tents pitched there hailed from the East, that much is sure."

"Then we have to decide what to do," Glorfindel told them seriously. "It is not too late to turn around and leave. We are not yet in range of any of the towers and our horses are swift. If we ride now, we will not be caught up with."

"No," Elrohir shook his head. "We cannot leave. We do not know what is going on here, and we will not find out by running away and hiding. The lord of this city or anyone else here might have some information about Estel or Legolas. I will not leave before I have found out where my brother is."

"I concur," Celylith nodded. "It is a risk we must take. We cannot hope to sneak into the city, for that it is too well-protected and elves are too rare a sight here; we wouldn't even get past the gates. All we can do is ask for an audience with the lord of this place and hope that he can shed some light on all this."

"I agree as well," Elladan told his brother and friends. "I am even willing to pretend that I didn't see that camp; all I am interested in is if someone has seen Legolas or Estel."

Glorfindel studied the three young elves' serious faces for a moment before he nodded, admitting to himself that that was the course of action he himself wished to undertake. If they had had more time, he would have gladly advised the young ones to withdraw and bide their time, to watch the city before proceeding, but he knew they had none. Every hour that passed was an hour more Aragorn or the young prince were in the hands of these unknown men, and that alone was enough to make his blood boil hot and cause him to desire to throw all caution overboard. Still, he hadn't lived this long by behaving idiotic. Well, he admitted after a heartbeat, at least not by behaving entirely idiotic.

"Alright," he nodded, giving all of them and especially the twins hard looks. "But keep your eyes open at all times. It might very well be that we must retreat rather hastily. Keep in mind where your horses are and how to get to them. I do not trust this town."

Elladan rolled his eyes, wondering for a moment if this was how Estel felt all the time.
"We are not elflings, Glorfindel. We are…"

"…irresponsible and reckless at times," the elf lord interrupted him impassively. "And because of that I will be the one doing the talking. You," he looked at Elladan, "will keep your temper in check. You," he nodded in Elrohir's direction, "will stop spearing everyone with your father's look, and you," he looked at the very surprised Celylith, "will refrain from strangling the first human who claims not to know where your prince is. Understood?"

The three younger elves traded a slightly exasperated, hurt look, but nodded a moment later. Content that they wouldn't ruin everything from the very beginning, Glorfindel turned back to the city, once again suppressing a shudder as he looked at the tall grey walls. He really didn't like the look of this in the slightest, and he was beginning to have the feeling that this was a mistake of truly extraordinary proportions.

Still, he thought defiantly, what was there he could do? He would not return to his lord bearing the news that his son and Legolas had disappeared and could not be found because he'd had a bad feeling about something. But no matter how hard he tried to suppress his anxiety it continued to grow, and when they had reached the gates leading into the city, he was very close to turning Asfaloth around and leaving instantly.

He squared his shoulder and did his best to smile at the man who had stepped in front of them, wearing a grey and black livery and a dark scowl. Behind the human, more guards could be seen who looked anything but happy about having to greet four elves. Glorfindel sighed inwardly. He truly did not know why most men were so afraid of the Firstborn.

"Greetings," he said in his friendliest voice as it became apparent that the men didn't plan on speaking any time soon. "This is the city of Baredlen?"

"Depends on who is asking," the man said, fingering his sword in an obvious gesture of nervousness.

Glorfindel suppressed an annoyed growl, sensing that the temper of the three young ones was rising as well. He had neither the desire nor the time to put up with an insolent human.
"I am Lord Glorfindel of Rivendell, a realm far to the West of here," he answered curtly, his blue eyes boring into the man's. "I and my companions are here to ask your lord for an audience. We are here on very urgent business."

"What kind of business, elf?" the man asked, his men slowly beginning to edge forward to encircle the four elves.

"Business I will discuss with your lord, not with you," Glorfindel retorted icily, staring at the human with an expression of cold disdain that had taken him ages to perfect. "Unless you have the authority to refuse my request, I would advise you to step aside and let us pass."

It was probably the mention of that word that caused the man to finally nod and step aside, but only after he had motioned two of his men to step closer.
"Alright," he glared at the four definitely smug-looking elves. "Alright, I will allow you to pass. These two here will accompany you up to the castle. If you stray from the main road or disobey their orders, it will be considered a hostile act. We are at the moment conducting a search for escaped criminals, and it would be for your own safety if you followed their lead. I think Lord Girion will see you."

Glorfindel simply nodded without another word, and the men stepped aside, allowing the four elves to ride through the gates and enter the city. Their two guides wordlessly took point and began to walk up the street leading up to the grey, very dark and intimidating looking castle, giving them enough time to survey their surroundings with leisure.

The first thing the golden haired elf lord wondered was how anyone could escape that castle anyway. It looked as inescapable and impregnable as anything he had ever seen, and not even the warm beams of the setting sun managed to make it look any less dark. The second thing he noticed was that there were so many guards and soldiers on the streets that he was hard-pressed to see one or two humans not wearing the grey-black livery, and those he did see looked anything but happy. It might have been because they were afraid of these … criminals that had allegedly escaped, but he wouldn't have wanted to bet on it. The fear that permeated this city ran deeper, far deeper than that.

"Girion. Interesting name, don't you think? I don't like this," Elladan mumbled again next to him, keeping his voice so low that the golden haired elf barely heard the soft Elvish words. "These people are afraid, just like those in the village were."

"Even more so," Elrohir shook his head minutely as he smiled brightly at a human soldier who had stopped and was staring at them. "I am beginning to think that this just might have been a mistake."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," Celylith agreed, his face emotionless while he continued to survey their surroundings. "This city is clean and the houses are well-kept but their inhabitants are too afraid to even look up. One would have thought that seeing four elves would be something of an event here, but they don't pay us any attention."

"Which is not good," Glorfindel agreed as he guided his horse around a cluster of guards who refused to step to the side. "Even worse are the looks the soldiers give us. They don't like us."

"I can live with that," the older twin grumbled softly. "I don't like them either. Not one of them has an honest face about him."

"Unlike you, of course," his brother chimed in softly, earning himself a dark glare from the slightly older elf.

A moment later the softly sloping road ascended slightly, and all of them looked up, noticing that they had just entered a large marketplace. The bridge that stretched over the castle's moat was no more than a few dozen yards ahead, and in the middle of the place there was a small stone fountain that was now covered with a glistering mantle of ice and snow. The snow all around it was churned up and trodden almost completely flat. The reason for it became apparent: It was apparently the main market place, even though there were few stands visible and even fewer potential buyers.

The main thing that caught Glorfindel's eye, however, was the large, iron cage that stood right next to the fountain, or, more precisely, the animal that occupied it. Next to him, Elladan seemed to have spied the cage as well, for he stopped his horse and stared wide-eyed at the beast inside it that looked like a very large, very ill-tempered and very wild ox.

"What in the name of the One is that thing?" he finally asked, disbelief and disdain in his voice as he looked at the two guards that were walking in front of them.

The two men stopped and turned around, apparently not all too eager to reach the castle themselves.
"It's one of the wild oxen that populate the area around the Sea," the younger of the two answered. "One of the chieftains living close to here gave it to our lord as a gift."

"How … unusual," the older twin smiled somewhat nervously and turned to his brother, wonder on his face. "The Kine of Araw! I thought them to be only a myth!"

"No," Glorfindel shook his head, cocking his head to side to study the animal more closely, "They're not. They have been the favourite quarry of Gondorian nobles for many years."

Elrohir nodded, knowing that to be the truth. The wild cattle that lived around the Sea of Rhûn was much larger and wilder than your average oxen, and was therefore said to descend from Oromë's cattle itself. Whether that was the truth and the animals were descendants of the Vala's giant cattle or just a legend he was not sure, but he knew that many hunters had come from Gondor and other places to hunt them. Vorondil the Hunter had been among them, ancestor of the current Steward Ecthelion, but not all of them had been as lucky as he and had returned to their homes. The beasts were immensely strong and untamable, and many men had paid for the desire to slay one of them with their health or their lives.

"Well," Elladan's voice tore him out of his musings, "I think I am rather glad that it's in that cage and I'm not."

"You should be, elf, " the other man interjected gloomily before he turned around and continued walking up to the castle. "They are known to tear apart those who come too close to them."

"Charming," the older twin muttered and spurred on his horse to follow his brother and Glorfindel. "Really, really charming."

They rode on for a few seconds before either of them noticed that something was amiss, but then the twins stopped their horses simultaneously, ignoring Glorfindel's questioning expression and exchanging a very annoyed look.
"Celylith!"

Glorfindel turned around on his horse and saw that the silver haired elf had not followed them but had remained where he was, oblivious to the fact that he was blocking the better part of the road. The younger elf's blue eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the cage and the snorting, stamping beast occupying it.

"Celylith!" Elladan repeated and swiftly urged his horse into the other elf's direction. "Celylith! We need to go!"

"What?" The silver haired elf seemed to snap out of a kind of trance.

"I said," Elladan ground out impatiently, "that we need to go. We need to get to the castle to ask this lord about the prince and Estel, remember?"

"Oh," Celylith said, his eyes returning to the cage as if drawn there by an invisible force. "Oh, yes. I'll be right behind you."

"No," Elrohir added, "You won't. And before you ask: No, you may not keep it."

"But look at it!" Celylith exclaimed, looking at the animal with almost tender eyes. "Isn't it adorable? It's even happy to see us, look!"

The twins first looked at each other and then at the snorting beast, an identical expression of loathing on their faces. The ox did not pay them much attention but continued to shift its weight from one heavy, fur-covered fore hoof to the other, giving a very good impression of an animal that wanted nothing more than escape its prison and thrust its huge, slightly curved horns into the chests of all people present.

"Are you mad?" Elladan finally asked. "No, wait," he added after a second, reaching out to grab the younger elf's forearm, "ignore that question. Of course you are. Come on."

"But…" Celylith protested.

"No," Elrohir firmly shook his head and grabbed his other forearm, virtually forcing him to follow them, sandwiched between the two of them. "It's not a pet, it's not adorable, and it's not happy to see us. It would be happy to gut us, but that's another story."

"You just don't understand," the silver haired elf shook his head as well. "Nobody is willing to give these kinds of animals a chance to prove that they're different than everybody believes. All people ever want to do it kill them."

"That's because they aren't different than everybody believes," Glorfindel said incredulously, inwardly debating why the twins hadn't told him that their friend was mad. It just must have slipped their minds, he decided after a second; they weren't what one would call sane either. "I have hunted creatures like them many times in the past. They're all malicious and ill-tempered. One could just as well try to keep a spider as a pet!"

Next to him, Elladan seemed to choke on something, and Elrohir developed a sudden coughing fit. Celylith's face turned an interesting shade of pink up to the tips of his ears, and he found an abrupt interest in the cloudless sky. Glorfindel studied the faces of his companions, and once again understood what his lord had told him more than once when faced with the twins' antics: He didn't want to know.

He had just opened his mouth to inform the young ones about that fact when they reached the bridge, and all thoughts of mirth fled from his mind. In a matter of seconds they had crossed the heavy, very solid-looking gates and entered the courtyard, only to come face to face with even more soldiers. The place was huge and milling with people, and the most of the buildings on the right seemed to contain barracks, armouries and the like. There were several buildings that looked like stables as well, and Glorfindel's keen eyes could even see a large pigeonry on the far right of the courtyard.

It was a place of almost frantic activity, and over every single man and woman seemed to hang a sort of dark fear, as if they were expecting something terrible to befall them should they stop for even a second. Glorfindel shook his head, dismissing these dark thoughts. The stifling atmosphere of this city was beginning to get to him, and he was beginning to see shadows behind every corner – then again, there were shadows behind every corner in this town. Still, he did have the feeling that a good part of the soldiers were laughing inwardly, or, more precisely, laughing about them. There was something they were missing here.

The two men who had guided them here motioned them to stop and hurried over to a man dressed in a long, costly embroidered robe. They bowed low before him and began to speak, and a few moments later they returned, wearing that somewhat smug grin about every other person in this city seemed to sport. Glorfindel growled inwardly. He did not enjoy being toyed with, and he enjoyed it even less in a situation such as this one, when he was responsible for three of the most accident-prone young elves in Middle-earth.

The man in the robe followed more slowly, at what he probably thought a dignified pace. He waited for the four elves to dismount before he gave them a small bow, an emotionless expression on his face that seemed even smugger than the smiles on the two soldiers'.
"Welcome to Baredlen, my lords. Please excuse the rather … impolite reception. There are several criminals on the loose; they escaped last night from their prison. We cannot allow them to get out of the city. I hope you understand."

"Of course," Glorfindel lied smoothly, feeling more and more alarmed. If even a third of the things this man had just said was true, he would personally eat his own pack including his bow and quiver. "No offence was taken. We understand your need to protect your people. Your guards have informed you about the reason for our visit?"

"Yes," the man smiled oilily. "You seek an audience with our lord."

"Indeed we do," the golden haired elf lord nodded, shooting a warning glance at Elladan who appeared close to losing his patience despite his earlier admonitions. "Would you show us to him then, my lord? Our business is most urgent."

"Certainly," the man smiled again. "Please follow me."

He turned around and began to walk into the direction of the grey main building that featured disconcertingly few windows. The four elves traded a dark, anxious look before they began to follow the man, not missing that several guards trailed after them. The sun chose just this moment to sink below the horizon, dimming the light and giving the buildings an even darker appearance, if such a thing was even possible.

Celylith walked a few paces behind the twins, noticing with amusement that was mixed with mild anxiety that the brothers looked a lot like their father at the moment, with that dark, serious sparkle in their grey eyes. He quickly shook his head and hurried to catch up with the others, his eyes being drawn to a large, black horse that was just being urged back into the direction of the open stable doors at the far side of the courtyard.

The animal triggered something in his mind, something he knew was important, and he nearly stumbled over the first step of the stairs that led up to the building. He followed his companions into the large, dark house, and after walking down more narrow, tunnel-like corridors than he had ever wanted to see, they stopped in front of a thick wooden double door, the guards behind them coming to a softly rattling stop.

While he watched the man wearing the costly robes raise his hand and knock, he suddenly felt as if an invisible maniac had emptied an invisible bucket of invisible water over his head. The horse – he knew that horse! He had seen it before, and that could only mean…

Celylith was just taking a step forward to inform his companions of what he had just found out, but then the doors were opened from the inside and they were invited to step inside, and that was the moment he realised that it was far too late now.

Legolas stared at the face of the man next to him, reading on it the same horrible conclusion to which he had come himself a moment ago: The guards were back, and this time they wouldn't content themselves with only searching the lower levels of the house.

Another two heavy, impatient-sounding knocks sounded from downstairs, bringing both man and elf out of the rigour that seemed to have taken hold of them. As one they shot to their feet, an identical look of fear and shock in their eyes.

"So soon!" was all Laenro gasped before he seemed to get a hold of himself and took a deep breath. "Alright," he finally said, "come with me."

"Come with you?" Legolas repeated incredulously, eyes wide and unbelieving. "What about my friend?"

"He can't be moved, you heard Thesieni yourself," the man shook his head and impatiently grabbed the elven prince's arm. "We are running out of time, come with me!"

"No," Legolas shook his head as well and wrenched his arm out of the human's grasp. "I won't leave him here alone to be recaptured!"

Downstairs the small, creaking sound of an opening door could be heard, closely followed by the sound of many booted feet that stomped into the building. Laenro looked at the elf with almost panicked eyes, urgency emanating from every single pore of his body.
"We don't have time!" he repeated. "We…"

At this point Thesieni appeared at the door, her wizened face amazingly calm and composed.
"Tell him, Laenro," she advised the young man. "Or we'll all be caught."

Laenro gritted his teeth, daggers shooting out of his eyes, but he relented, listening intently to his second-in-command's voice who did his best to stall the soldiers.
"Alright," he snapped at the elf who was glaring darkly at him. "You and Thesieni must not be found. You're an elf and stand out as easily as a black sheep, and Thesieni must not be seen here. We have an attic right above this room whose entrance is well-concealed. You will stay there until they're gone, and should they discover your friend here, you'll escape over the roof. Thesieni will take you to a safe place."

"Absolutely not!" Legolas shook his head, eyes seemingly aflame. "I will not leave without him and escape while he is brought back to that castle!"

"Yes, you will," Laenro retorted dispassionately and grabbed the elf's arm again. "I will tie you up and gag you if I have to, but I will not risk my men's lives for your misplaced sentiments! They will be here in a minute! Master Elf," he said insistently as he dragged the other into the direction of the door, "there is no other way! If you do not do as I say, we will all be captured, including your friend here! This way we have at least a chance!"

Later Legolas realised that it had probably a good thing that he had been so utterly, completely exhausted and simply did not have the strength to fight the man. Had he been hale, he would have undoubtedly stayed where he was, but the way things were at the moment, he was pushed out of the room and down the corridor before he could even blink.
He was still trying to force his jumbled mind to come up with something that would cause that man to let go of his arm and stop dragging him around when they stopped in front of what looked like the end of the narrow passage. To the left another room branched off, apparently a small bedroom that was a mirror image of the one they had just left, but in front of them the corridor stopped in a wall that was panelled with dark, age-worn wood.

Legolas glared at Laenro and was opening his mouth to tell him just what he thought of his actions, but remained silent as the young man reached out and reached for a small nub protruding from the wood, almost invisible to the human eye. The man's fingers closed around it and pushed it backwards, and Legolas could only stare as the apparently solid wall moved back and then to the side, revealing on opening about three feet wide and five feet high. Sunbeams danced over the wooden steps visible just behind the false part of the wall, lending it a much more cheerful appearance than the dark corridor.

The silence was interrupted when Laenro's second-in-command's outraged voice sounded from below, the underlying fear well hidden beneath indignation.
"You cannot just barge in here and turn this building upside down! We have done nothing wrong and I have told you that we do not know where that dratted elf is! Why should we care anyway!? You cannot just go up there; these are the Master's private rooms!"

The young human seemed to snap out of his short paralysis and motioned Thesieni to step through the opening, grabbing and shoving Legolas forward a second later without any concern for his injuries.
"Go!" he hissed, already reaching for the wooden wall to swing it back into place. "I'll try my best to keep them out of your friend's room, I promise. Get up into the attic and stay there, in the Gods' name!"

Before Legolas could protest, the concealed door closed behind them with a soft click, swiftly followed by the sound of Laenro's footsteps that retreated as the man hurried back to Aragorn's room. The elf felt a hand on his arm and raised his head, looking up into Thesieni's sympathetic eyes.
"Come, Master Elf," she whispered softly. "There's nothing we can do now."

The reasonable part of his mind accepted the validity of the elderly woman's words, and yet Thesieni had to more or less drag him up the stairs. A few moments later they entered the dusty, almost empty attic, which seemed to be a small compartment that had been separated from the rest of the attic. The small room they found themselves in was no bigger than ten square feet and had housed other fugitives before, judging by the small cot in the one corner and the supplies in the other.

Thesieni nodded at Legolas who was standing like a statue, motionless as he listened to the guards who were noisily climbing the stairs to the second level of the house now.
"Here," she whispered and pointed at a spot on the floor, "We are right above your friend's room. You can see all that is happening below if you look through this crack between the floorboards. I have done it before."

As quickly as his injuries would allow him the elven prince had dropped to his knees, cursing his protesting ribs on the way, and lowered himself onto the rather dirty floor. On every other occasion he would probably have thought at least once about his quite undignified pose, but now all he was interested in was the room he could see beneath him.

Laenro was sitting in the chair Legolas had been forced to leave only minutes ago, hiding his feelings of anxiety and fear admirably well. Aragorn was still deeply asleep, but Ethoani's brother had covered his still form up to the neck with blankets, no doubt to hide the numerous bandages that adorned his body. Laenro had also covered half of the unconscious ranger's face with the top blanket and had adjusted the cool cloth on his forehead so that a large part of his face was shielded from view. Had Legolas not been on the verge of panic, he would have nodded in approval. It was well done and didn't look deliberate in the slightest.

Heavy footsteps drew him out of his thoughts, and two soldiers in the familiar livery stumbled into the room, stopping in their tracks when Laenro slowly got to his feet, a look of indignation and fury on his face that would have fooled more intelligent people than the two guards.

"What is the meaning of this?" the young man demanded to know. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"We…" one of them began.

"Yes?" Laenro thundered, having apparently decided that attack was the best means of defence. "I hope you have a reason for this behaviour!"

"We are here to search for the escaped prisoners!" the second guard answered boldly, his eyes sweeping over the small room.

"Does my cousin look like an elf to you?" the young man retorted icily. "He is ill and needs rest, and your stomping through his room will not help matters!"

"Well, no," the soldier admitted. "But there was a man with him. Our orders are to search every house in the city."

"Then you may go back to your superiors and report that you have not found them here," Laenro answered darkly and was about to turn back to the young ranger. "And now leave, before I and my guild file a complaint with Lord Girion himself."

The two soldiers traded a quick look and stepped out of the room, causing Legolas to breathe a sigh of relief – prematurely, as it turned out a moment later. The guards hadn't fully turned around when a shadow fell across the threshold as another man appeared in the door, closely followed by another. The elf felt how his heart froze in his chest. O Elbereth, no.

"What is going on here?" the newcomer asked, in a deep, calm voice that Legolas would have recognised everywhere. Cendan. The Valar help them.

The dark haired lieutenant quietly entered the room, his blue eyes locking with Laenro's for long moments. Behind him, Menvan nodded at the two soldiers, telling them in a low voice to help search the rest of the upper level. Cendan took another step forward, his menacing presence seemingly filling the entire room.

"I asked a question, Master Laenro," the lieutenant said softly. "I expect an answer."

Laenro swallowed hard, apparently hard-pressed to free himself of Cendan's dark gaze. His eyes quickly flickered to the insignia on the other's uniform as he came to the conclusion that there was no way he would fool this controlled lieutenant as easily as the two soldiers who had just left the room.

"I really must protest, Lieutenant," he said nonetheless. "Your intrusion is understandable and we honour the laws, of course, but my cousin is gravely ill! He needs rest."

Cendan merely stared emotionlessly at the younger man, his thoughts hidden behind his calm façade as always.
"Your cousin," he finally said. "How unfortunate. What ails him?"

"A sudden fever," Laenro shrugged, even managing to exude sympathy and concern for his "relative". "The healers assured us that he will be well again with enough rest and if he is not unduly disturbed."

The other man wasn't overly impressed by the other's admonishing voice and turned back to Menvan who was standing on the threshold together with several of his men who had finished searching the upper level of the house.
"Anything?"

"Nothing, sir," Menvan shook his head, looking slightly puzzled.

Above them, Legolas held his breath, not even noticing that his lungs were beginning to burn from lack of oxygen. 'Please let them leave,' he thought to himself, balling his hands into fists. 'Please, Eru, let Cendan be fooled, please let him leave, please, please, please…'

His hopes turned to ashes as the young lieutenant suddenly whirled around, back to Laenro and the bed. Cendan's eyes were hard and determined, and Legolas could read in them what would happen as clearly as if it had been written on parchment.

"I am familiar with many wounds and illnesses," the dark haired lieutenant said, taking a step forward. "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"That won't be necessary," Laenro shook his head quickly. "The healers…"

"Ah, but I insist," Cendan answered smoothly and stepped forward, shouldering the other man aside when he didn't move on his own. Laenro did not put up any resistance, knowing that it would be suicide with a dozen armed guards only an arm's length away.

Cendan stopped next to the narrow bed, gazing at its still, motionless occupant, and without another word he reached out and pulled back the blanket that covered the unconscious ranger's bruised face.

TBC...

Sedho, mellon nín (S.) - Be calm, my friend
Sí lertalyë serë; narelvë varna, meldonya (Q.) - You can rest now; we are safe, my friend
ada (S.) - father (daddy)
Men beriar aen, Estel. Losto (S.) - We are safe, Estel. Sleep.




Well, only two things come to mind: When will Celylith go and try to tame the adorable little ox and what the heck have the four of them been thinking?! Oh, and there's also the question of what Cendan will do, of course. *evil grin* I mentioned I love cliffies, didn't I? Okay, the next chapter will be here in a week, with more of Cendan, Menvan and his friends, more of the stupidest elves in all of Arda and a little more of the dear Girion, who, due to popular demand, finds out whom he just let slip out of his grasp. No, he's not happy. *g* As always, review please!!

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Additional A/N:

Twinlakeshgrl - Yes, I know that the other version is more common. The one I used isn't even mentioned in most texts. It's just that I thought that, if a shorter version existed, Aragorn would use it in that situation. You know, it's easier to hiss. *g*
Deana - *g* I'm sure you're not the only one! Aragorn and Legolas must be rather relieved as well... *g* Thanks for all the reviews!
Firniswin - Well, I'm sorry about the cliffy. You know, there's another one coming up, and to be perfectly honest, there just _might_ be another one coming up after that... And there won't be much Aragorn talking in this chapter either. He's not really up to it, and he won't be either in the next few chapters, I fear... BUT he'll wake up. That's something, isn't it?
Nara - *snorts* You could say that. He just might be a tiny bit protective. Just a TINY bit of course. I for my part place Legolas' age at about 2600, which of course means he's about 2550 years past his majority, but that's up to each one of us, I guess. *g* Thanks a lot for the review!
Marbienl - Don't worry, I wasn't planning to see Gothika. I thought the trailer was stupid, and I don't like Halle Berry very much. It's good to know that it's bad. *g* You're right, of course. It takes me about a day to reply to all the reviews and to proofread the chapters. I didn't even have time for the latter the last time. *sheepish grin* *snorts* Anamaria, eh? Well, I'm not really sure if that's good or bad. *shakes head* Really, I know no person who jumps to conclusions as quickly as you do! No, she's not related to Adruran, and no, he won't turn up again. LOL, yes, the guard who reported to Girion was brave. He was also slightly stupid, but that's another story. *g* I don't know about the waking up-part, to be honest, since he won't do it any time in ther near future. I'll see what I can do though, perhaps I could put some confusion into it. *g*
Red Tigress - *g* I'm glad you see it that way. I never really watched Batman, so you could tell me anything you wanted and I would still believe you. *g* I feel very sorry for Cendan, to be honest. And you're right, of course, their freedom is at least seriously jeopardised... *evil grin*
Linuvial Greenleaf - Well, thank you! It's great to hear that you like my insane little stories! I am not a great fan of slash fanfic either, because I really think that Tolkien intended most of them to be just friends, even though I have to admit that it's rather funny to see what pairings some people come up with. My personal favourite is Thranduil/Dáin. *g* I really hope the cliffies aren't too bad - I love them, did I mention that? I guess so... Thanks a lot for the great feedback!
Amelie - Oh, don't worry. Real Life can be a b****, and I know you have lots to do - being sick, for example. I really hope you're better, and I am of course not angry with you. And that was really ... cheerful. Honestly. *smiles sheepishly* And yes, I said it before, but I'll tell you again: Girion wants to know about Mirkwood's defences because he knows that the Elves won't stand idly by and watch him conquer all of Wilderland and their allies. King Thranduil would never do that, Girion knows that, and so he wants to be prepared for the very likely case that the Elvenking will go to war about Lake-town and Dale. And I really hate Mary-Sues, they give all the female characters a bad name. *shudders* And perhaps I'll burn the paper once I get it back, thanks for the suggestion! *g*
Sadie Elfgirl - *g* Thank you. I like to be honest! So you should reward my frankness and put down your weapon, don't you think? *g* Great you liked Ethoani. I like her myself (she's kinda my friend Jack's alter ego), but she's not a Mary-Sue. She's not even really a main character... *looks at Sadie the giant pretzel* Well, that looks ... interesting! Painful, but interesting! *g* And I agree with you: It should have been Teonvan. *sighs* This is really not a perfect world... *g*
Smile Neumann - *g* Just HOW did you know that? Yes, you're right, he lives. I know, LotR and all that might have been a little give away, but... *g* And who am I too mess - too badly - with Tolkien? Never! *g* Thanks for the review!
Lyn - Please, _never_ hesistate to offer any suggestions, especially when you want to point out mistakes. There were especially many of them last chapter since I didn't have much time to proofread. *g* Thank you for pointing the mistakes out, they just slipped through. They do that all the time. *g*
Bookworm, .303 - Well, yes, they are, kinda, anyway. I mean, you should define "rescue", I think. They're getting to the town at least, that's something, right? And you're right of course, Elrond wouldn't be too happy if I killed Estel. Ah well... *shrugs* Then I won't.
Sonnylover - Yeah, I guess you did read it after all. *g* Oh, I was thinking about doing archaeology myself, but then I saw what my friends who do it have to do. It's too much aesthetics more my taste, and too much about architecture. I know, that's what the whole thing is about, but still. Too much for me. *g* LOL, I can imagine that you would inflict a different torture on our dear ranger. I don't really know what he'd prefer, though... *evil grin* Thanks for the great emails!
Thorn of the Green Leaf - LOL, indeed! They have the worst luck EVER. So you're hooked now? Well, I really hope this story won't truly endanger your life, thanks a lot for the review!
Grumpy - Yeah, it was supposed to be a surprise. I didn't want Cendan to come and rescue them, since it something he'd never have done and it would have been far too predictable! Oh Jeez, you're right, I did move the tents. I'm sorry, I didn't think. (what else is new, I know) I guess the matches would still work, though. I don't know who's going to kill Teonvan, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. It's more fun this way. *evil grin*
Crippled Raven - LOL, that doesn't suprise me one bit! We too did several things in Physics and Chemistry I just can't remember and would be able to swear I've never seen before... I just hate all sciences except Biology. *shudders* They're evil, that's what they are. Sorry to hera that your week was bad, but life after school IS even worse. I know, after the A-levels everyone said "Just you wait, you're going to miss school!" and I always said "No way in Hell", and, well, I have to admit that school was so much easier. *shrugs* Whatever. So you know one German swearword? Do I dare to ask which one? And I think you deserved detention, it's not very nice to greet someone by insulting him, huh? *g*
Chibi Noin - Oh yes, I'm currently on page 421, I think. It's horrible, really, I can't make them stop. *wails* They don't listen to me! And as long as you don't start growing fur on your feet, I think your appetite is fine with me! Thanks for the review!
Tychen - *blinks* Well, thanks, I guess. That sounded serious. But you're right, of course. We all watched Star Wars, after all, right? *g* And I had these random images as well. Well, to be honest, I have them all the time, no matter whether I'm in pain or not. *creepy grin* Don't tell me, I'm insane. And you are right! You are one of the few who didn't say that Glorfindel and Co. were going to rescue them! They're going to join the fray, but that's about all... *evil grin*
Jazmin3 Firewing - Uhm, you don't? Well, I'm sorry to hear that, of course. What can I say - I love cliffies? And you're right, it would have been VERY funny if they had all fallen into the Enchanted River and had got eaten by Wilwarin and her family. *evil grin* Well, I'll see what I can do...
Elvendancer - Yes, I guess you could say that. Some of us like cliffies more than other, and some of us even LOVE them! *g* I for example! I adore cliffies! *insane grin* Uhm, sorry about that. Just a little outburst. Great you don't mind them too much. You were in trouble too if you did... *g*
Gwyn - Well, let me put it this way. The twins will ARRIVE now, but I never said they would find them, did I? Nope, I'm reasonably certain I didn't. And sorry, Legolas won't be recaptured, he's about the only person lucid and/or conscious who knows what's going on. I need him, otherwise I'll get nothing done here. But don't worry, there are still loads of other people who are just waiting to be captured... *evil grin* And thanks for pointing the mistake out. I didn't have enough time to proofread last time, so there are lots in that chapter! *sheepish smile*
Aromene - Well, it wasn't all that bad, actually. The only thing that really bothered me about the topic were all the _stupid_ reasons these people gave for killing their enemies. Reasons so stupid that you might want to cry. *shakes head* People are so stupid. Glad you liked Girion. He can be wonderfully angry, can't he? *g*
Jenihenpen - Yes, I guess our dear elven prince is stubborn. No, let me rephrase that: He most definitely IS stubborn. And I am very sorry to say that, but there will be no Elrond in this story. Lots in the next one, but not this one. Not enough time for him to even get there. Damn those mountains. *g* Sorry.
Aratfeniel - Ah, I don't know, I think Boromir was rather nice too. Very pincushy, if you ask me. *g* Great you liked Ethoani, but I am sorry, there won't be much Rashwe in this chapter, at least I think so. Too many other things to write about, sorry. *g*
Sirithiliel - Great to hear that you had fun. Nice to see that you enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you'll like this one as well! Thanks for all the reviews!
Jack - Jack, huh? Well, it's an interesting name, that's for sure. *g* I don't even want to know why you chose it. Probably something to do with 'Milzriss', huh? *g* But I have to admit that I didn't know that you were you (if you see what I mean *g*) until I read the last sentence. Well done, congrats! And I can tell you where such a nice person such as myself gets all these evil ideas: From you! Does the word "spikes" or "Zitteraal" mean anything to you? *g* I thought so... What a ... surprise (*g*) to hear that you like Ethoani, and thank you very much for all your help! This fic would be less insane and evil without you! *huggles*
Tapetum Lucidum - Yes, I know, FF.net is being especially difficult once again. It's horrible, really. *shakes head* It hates me, I swear it does. But it also might be connected to your small internet supplier. Honestly, "AOL"? Never heard of it... *g* Great you liked it so far. And you're right: Legolas might have stood out just a little without the cloak. Just a tiny little bit, of course... *g* *hangs head* You're right about them having lost some family members. I am getting rather predictable, aren't I? And Legolas is most definitely going to be stressed out... *evil grin* Oh yes. Well, thanks for the review! *huggles*
Stacee Phelps - Don't we all? Need more, I mean? More time, more sugar, more diet coke, more... *trails off* Oh, you were talking about the cliffy? Sorry... I promise to get everything ready this weekend, I hope that's okay. I'll take it over to my friend's and we'll see what we can come up with. Okay?
Zam Kenobi - I AM SO SORRY! I MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY AGAIN! I mean, I knew when it was, I even put it into my diary (which I never use, but still), and I missed it! I am so sorry! Happy Birthday!!! What's a week among friend, huh? *insecure grin* See, I even got you a present! *Zam takes large box* *Zam unwraps large box* *Zam faints with scream of terror* It's Wolf-Sauron! Right from the War of the Jewels, isn't he adorable? *large wolf tries to bite off her hand like Beren's* Sweet boy! Oh, and I could have told Eöl that working for you was a mistake. But does he listen to me? Noo, of course not... Once again, sorry for missing your birthday, I hope you'll forgive me! *falls down at her feet and grovels* Please?!
CrazyLOTRfan - Uhm, yes, 'a little bit upset' is quite the correct term, I believe. I don't know why either, Girion is SOOO short-tempered... *shakes head* You caught a cold? Stay away from me then! *g* No, j/k, I hope you're better now. This is just the perfect time and weather for colds - at least here. *g*
Elenillor - No computer access for so long? And you survived? Jeez, you are a very brave person... Thanks for reviewing now, anyway. Enjoy your computer!
TrustingFriendship - Well, I guess everybody in this story is at least caught once. Some even more, I think. I'm mad, I know. *g* You are indeed right, our favourite rescue party will indeed not be very capable of blending in. *g* Poor them, huh?
Firnsarnien - Yes, that was more or less the idea, to surprise you guys. Oh, and let me state here and now that this is a work of fiction. It's not supposed to be a mirror of current events in the world. I did not think for a second of Saddam when I wrote this, and there won't be a "coalition" force coming to liberate (or invade, depends on your view) Rhûn. In fact, if it somehow should, I'll personally kill my alter ego. *g* But you are more than welcome to try and kick Girion's butt, of course. And a week isn't that long, is it? *ducks blunt objects* Well, maybe it is, sorry...
Shauna - To be perfectly honest, I didn't do it to you personally. I did it to all my readers! *runs off cackling evilly* But I have to tell you that I didn't change anything since I'm always two chapters ahead. So this chapter was already written when I posted ch. 21. *g* Sorry that I didn't update sooner, but I really don't have the time at the moment. *g* Sorry.
Bailey - *g* Yes, I think that's quite a good summary! Well done! Even though I wouldn't necessarily call them traitors. They're more resistance fighters. You know, like in the Résistance in France. I've always liked them. But you're right of course, Girion wouldn't share that view. *g*
Katie - Not bad, really! Three days for the three stories, two of which are rather long - kudos! *g* To be perfectly honest, I did never like Goethe (or Schiller for that matter) overly much. I liked Faust though, but only the first part. Try as I might, I just didn't understand what they were talking about in the second. *g* Weimar Republic is rather interesting though, even though it's really hard to read all the stupid reasons these people came up with for killing other people. The sad fact is that they really believed what they were talking. *shakes head* Truly sad. Well, thanks for the review!
Karone Evertree - Yeah, we humans need an awful lot of sleep, don't we? *snickers* Poor Legolas, he needs to be really patient... Thanks for the good wishes, one of the papers if done. I don't know if it's bad or good yet, but we'll see. *g*
Snow-Glory - It's nice to hear that you like Ethoani. I like her myself, even if she's a rather complicated character. But then again, aren't they all? I can't make any promises about Girion getting them again, but only because I haven't planned everything yet. Sorry. *g* Thanks for all your reviews!
*Falling Star* - *blushes* Thank you! It's great you like it so far! I'm glad it didn't actually fly you into the dungeons - though I have to admit that saving them wouldn't have been so bad. Then again, I would have been captured in a matter of seconds - I'm a hopeless case. *sighs* LOL, great you didn't forget eating. I would hate to hear that one of my reviewers actually starved to death. *g*
Maranwe1 - Yup, I have to agree. The three of them are actually rather similar. There are subtle differences, of course, but essentially they're all insane and evil. *g* Uhm, to be honest I don't know what I meant anymore. I really was in a hurry since I had to get to my sister's gig (which was ... interesting *g*) and can't remember what I meant. Just ignore it. *g* Uhm, no, Weimar isn't in Russia. It's more in Germany; the Weimar Republic usually describes the period between the revolution in 1918 and 1933 when Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Officially it was never abolished till '45, but the Third Reich was hardly a republic, so... And I was assigned, more or less. I had to pick a course about that period, and so I chose "Violence in the Weimar Republic". Don't ask me why, I must have been insane. But I didn't choose the political murders, even though they are among the more interesting topics. And yes, the twins ARE that stupid, sorry. Must be genetic. *g* So there's no "it were"? Okay, I'll try to remember that. It's just hard, since it's one of these things that exist in German and not in English. I'll never really remember that, I fear. And I'm glad you didn't write down all the mistakes last chapter. I didn't have time to really proofread, so there are lots. *g* Uhm, how do you pronounce the healer's name? Well, something like [θe:zıεnı]. *frowns* I hope I got that right. More or less like like it looks. LOL, you're right, Thesieni might be DEAD!! *g* That's a rather funny idea. I mean, I think it's funny, so it probably isn't. *g* I'm evil, I know.
TrinityTheSheDevil - You are the only person I know who would comment Aragorn pain with "Yum". *g* Which, essentially, means that you are insane. *blinks* "The ever freezing, fanfic reading Trin-pop, available in many flavours"? *backs away slowly* Aalllriiiiiight, whatever you say... *g*
Jera - Short? You call that short? Well, if you say so... LOL, yes indeed, Vive la Résistance! I've always liked them. Glad you liked the random thoughts. I have them quite often often actually, even when I am completely pain-free. Which is not good or normal, I know. *g* I'm rather glad you're contemplating Cendan, to be honest. I think he's a much more adorable character than Sangwar, who is just a minor character anyway. I think he won't get much more than one other scene in this story. Poor him. *g* The really interesting thing is that the twins and Co. don't even know that Girion is behind the whole thing. Just because he's the lord of a town in Rhûn doesn't mean he's responsible for their kidnapping, does it? Hey, I don't think you're a geek - well, maybe you are, but so am I. I know more Sindarin than French, and, considering France is right next door, that's really pathetic. Oh, and I read an article about that topic, and don't worry, English won't take over the world, or so they claim. It will only be one among a group of important languages, such as Russian and Chinese and Spanish and Arabic, and they will take over the world together! Ain't that great? *sarcastic grin* And your job sounds very interesting! It really does - I really have to get one like it! And I know exactly what you mean, I just hate this kind of tourists myself. They're an embarassment to their respective countries if you ask me. *g*
Suzi - Hmm, last evening I was very well indeed, thank you! How are you this fine evening? *g* The political murders were alright, I guess. I now have this stupid paper about the Dutch-Spanish conflict in the colonies between 1609 and 1621. Wonderful, huh? Well, that lecture sounds interesting, and I would say that the Oedipus conflict always adds to social tension? I mean, if you want to kill/replace your father - that's a little tense, isn't it? *g* LOL, the dreaded G word? Well, girls aren't that bad, are they? Hey, you are one! *points accusingly* Wait a second, so am I! And yes, we'll have a littl run-in with the patriarchal, chauvinistic, sexist society that is ME, in form of her brother who would rather have his sister at home knitting or something. *g* And I guess they didn't like Éowyn much, but that's okay. Neither do I. *g* Exactly! Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you! And I like the name James. I mean, there are names I like better, for example Connor (don't tell your cousin) or Ian (don't ask me why, I just love them), but James isn't bad! And I envy you - we never had a secret passage. We had a very large scary cellar though. *g* Sorry to hear about your family crisis, I hope it's not too bad! *huggles her and gives her cookies* Here, this should make it better! *g*
Carrie - Well, that's enough for me, don't worry! *g* And I'm not THAT evil! I mean, I can be nice to them! I know that I'm not very often, but that doesn't mean that I can't - right? Anyway, thank you very much for taking the time to let me know what you think - I really appreciate it! Thanks! *huggles*
Sabercrazy - *pats her back sympathetically* I know how you feel. It's an evil website from hell, bent on driving all of us insane. The worst bit is that it's succeeding! *beams* I am a new breed of evil? That's so sweet, thank you! And I hate to say it, but a _Mini_-Celylith isn't very scary. And you're right, these people are products of my mind - but I don't like them! I know, it's hard to understand, but I don't necessarily like the people I create. I hate Teonvan, for example. I liked Geran, but I don't like Teonvan. *shrugs* I'm random, don't tell me. *wide-eyed* Me? A female villain? *looks at plans for next story* Never! LOL, I LOVE the tag team! I can just picture it! *snickers* And yes, more fun to come! And this time with Celylith, Glorfindel and the twins! Yay! *g* Thanks for the long review!
Iccle Fairy - *narrows eyes* Where is that slang translator when you need it? Well, never mind... I'll just guess you liked it! Thanks a lot! I also like cliffies, I'm afraid, but they're not TOO bad, are they? I really hope you managed to wait without ripping all your hair out, thanks a lot for the review!
Alasse Tiwele - Oh, I'm sure FF.ner ate the review. It does it all the time; I think it hates me. *g* I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but I really don't have the time at the moment. Glad you liked it so far, thanks for taking the time to review!
Ellyrianna - *g* I know what you mean. There's never enough time, the day should have at least 28 hours if you ask me - mainly so you can sleep 4 hours longer! *g* *watches as cement feather crushes Legolas* Well, that is an interesting way to go, that much is sure... *g* You like Laenro? Well, I don't think he's very much like Faramir, at least not like the Book-Faramir. I hate the Movie-Faramir, but I guess Laenro might be a bit like him. Poor Laenro. *g* LOL, so my chapter titles are disappointing? Well, I have to admit that it's becoming kinda hard to come up with good ones - after all, including this chapter, I have had to come up with 76! But I have to admit I like at least some of them, for example the one for ch. 24 or ch.7. But you just might be right, you know. *g*
Iverson - I completely understand, don't worry. It's very kind of you to review at all when you have so little time, so I'm most certainly not complaining. *g* Great to hear that you still like it though. *g* Don't worry about the reviews! *huggles*
Isadora2 – Also, ich muss doch aufs Heftigste protestieren! Laenro und Co. gleichen der Judaeischen Volksfront nicht im geringsten! Es gibt auch keine Suizidabteilung oder aehnliches! Das sind alles aeusserst ernstzunehmende Terroristen, also keine fiesen Witzchen hier! *g* Und wie genau soll ich das verstehen, ich soll Aragorn schimmeln lassen? Was sollen denn dann die Zwillinge sagen, wenn sie ihren kleinen Bruder mit einem gruenen Schimmelpelz bedeckt finden?! *g* Aber keine Angst, der dumme blonde (ziemlich sehr dumme, wenn du mich fragst) Waldelb wird sich noch ne Weile sorgen. Dass macht er doch auch so gut… Und das mit dem Blind Date muss ich mir mal ueberlegen. Habt ihr Schotten? Ich liebe den schottischen Akzent, da liesse sich dann was machen… *g* Okay, wie immer, danke fuers Riesen-Review und noch viel Spass beim lesen!

Yes, I know that the twins and Co. are behaving exceptionally stupid! Must be genetic - at least for the twins... *evil grin* Thanks a lot for all the wonderful reviews!