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.

24. A Spider In the Web

Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

Hmm, yes, I knew this would be coming up sooner or later. Alright, the Asfaloth-thing. Now that the third person has inquired about what the heck I have been thinking, I'd better explain it. Well, I guess there isn't much to explain. *g* I don't know either whether or not elven horses live longer than 'normal' ones, even though I suspect it since Roheryn got quite old as well I think. The only reason why I keep referring to Glorfindel's horse as Asfaloth is actually that I did the same thing in AEFAE in chapter 2 I think. I may have many character flaws, but I stick to my mistakes. Hmm, now that I think about it I guess that's yet another one, but hey. *g* So you can either pretend that Asfaloth is _the_ Asfaloth from FOTR, Chapter 12, or that Glorfindel has no imagination whatsoever and calls all his horses Asfaloth. *shrugs* Whatever makes you happy.

Alright, now to the important things: Thank you! *huggles stunned readers* I thank you all so very much for your wonderful death threats! I _love_ death threats, they make me feel all happy and warm inside... *g* But I have to agree with you of course: They should have known better. All of them should have, in fact, especially our (perhaps rather unimaginative) dear golden haired balrog slayer. *shrugs* Well, it's not exactly their fault I guess. I just couldn't resist, and Girion wanted to gloat so much that I just couldn't refuse him. I know, I should learn to say No to my characters. *g*


Well, here we are at least, with the conclusion to last chapter's cliffy. I don't know if this one has yet another one - I don't think so - but I have made the experience that, no matter what I do, a third of you screams "Cliffy! Evil! Mean! Sadistic!" anyway. *g* Be that as it may, here's chapter 24, with more of Cendan and his friends, more of Legolas (the stubborn ranger's still asleep, I'm afraid) and the resistance whose members aren't overly happy at the moment and, last but certainly not least, Glorfindel and Co. who find themselves in deep, deep trouble. *evil grin* Who'd have thought?

Enjoy and review, please!

---

Chapter 24


Legolas' would later swear that his heart stopped for at least ten seconds. The temperature in the small, stifling attic seemed to drop below the freezing point, and for a few moments it felt as if the floor opened up beneath him and he went into a free fall that seemed to last for half an eternity.

Why did it have to be Cendan? There had to be dozens, no, hundreds of lieutenants in Girion's army, and which one led the search in this house? Cendan! By the Valar, this was no bad luck; they were cursed, they really were!

A part of Legolas wanted to jump up and run down the stairs, but try as he might, he couldn't move a single muscle. He seemed to have frozen to the spot, frozen to the cool, dust-covered floorboards. Not even an apparition of Ilúvatar and all the Valar could have made him move even an inch, and all his attention was fixed on the room a level beneath him.

Any second now, a shrill voice inside his head told him almost spitefully. Any second now Cendan would turn around to his men and proclaim that they had all done a great job and had found one of the prisoners. Perhaps he'd even do a little victory dance – even though that would be highly out of character for the dark haired lieutenant…

Cendan appeared indeed as averse as humanly possible to doing a dance, for he remained where he was, staring emotionlessly at the uncovered face of the young ranger lying in the bed. Ten seconds passed, then twenty and maybe even more, and still did he not say anything, apparently engrossed in the sight in front of him and oblivious to the tension in the room. Laenro was doing his best to hide the worry and fear that wanted to break through his carefully erected façade while the soldiers standing in the doorway, especially Menvan, were slowly beginning to look definitely impatient.

Why didn't he do something, Legolas asked himself, feeling both worried out of his mind and more confused than he could ever remember being. Why didn't he say something, why was this infuriating man just standing there? He had never truly understood Cendan's actions and wouldn't claim that he knew how the man's mind worked, but one thing he had never doubted was the lieutenant's devotion to his mission. Why wasn't he doing something??

Nearly half a minute after he had thrown back the blanket Cendan straightened back up, the calm, emotionless mask still firmly attached to his face.
"Your … cousin doesn't look too good."

"No," Laenro agreed, looking about as shaken and confused as Legolas felt. "No, he does indeed not. The healers were quite worried for a while as well." He paused for a moment and added, "They even thought the sickness might be contagious."

Cendan arched an eyebrow, appearing amused more than anything else.
"If that is so, then it may be best if we left you to care for your kinsman, Master Laenro. Forgive us our unannounced intrusion."

"Certainly," the younger man nodded eagerly, apparently still waiting for the other shoe to drop. "You are simply following your orders."

"Precisely," Cendan agreed, a mirthless smile on his lips. He nodded at Menvan who nodded back and turned around, beginning to usher the soldiers back into the direction of the stairs. The dark haired lieutenant waited for a few seconds before he followed his men, but stopped on the threshold and turned back to look at the younger man whose face was still so pale that it effortlessly might have been confused with a ghost's.

"I have need of a few small, well-made barrels to transport some goods to the house of some distant relatives of mine," he told Laenro conversationally. "I need them soon, for my relatives will be leaving within in the week – to the West. It would be most unfortunate if they left too soon. I will return tomorrow at dawn so we can discuss the … details of our future transaction."

"Oh, yes, of course, Lieutenant," Laenro managed to say, still not having moved an inch since he had been shoved to the side by Cendan only minutes earlier. "Feel free to look us up any time you wish to."

"I fully intend to," Cendan retorted, giving Aragorn a last look. "Trust me, Master Laenro. I fully intend to. A pleasant night to you and your … cousin."

Another dark, but still amused look flittered over the lieutenant's face as he turned around and disappeared out of the door, his footsteps soon fading as he walked down the stairs. A minute later the sounds of the soldiers leaving the house faded as well as the door once again swung shut, and Laenro slowly sank down onto the chair next to the ranger's bed, apparently still greatly shocked.

The brown haired man looked up when the wooden stairs once again creaked softly in protest against the weight placed on them, and a few seconds later two men appeared in the door, looking as if they had just escaped certain death – which they had, actually.

"They're gone," Sero, Laenro's grey haired second-in-command, reported. "They have entered the shop next to us and seem to have lost interest in us."

Laenro merely nodded, leaning back in his chair. He nodded at the second man and weakly waved a hand.
"Get them out of the attic. I have no idea what is going on, but I know they will not return."

The grey haired man looked rather doubtful but complied, turning to the left and swiftly disappeared down the corridor into the direction of the hidden door. The other man shook his head and stepped into the room, running a slightly shaking hand through his hair.
"Well, that was … different."

"Oh yes," Laenro nodded, noticing the creaking noise somewhere to his right that indicated that Sero had opened the door leading to the attic. "And I don't know if I like that change. I think I would be less ill at ease if they had simply arrested all of us and dragged us to the dungeons. Not that I'm complaining, of course, but…"

A moment later footsteps could be heard, and sooner than any of the men had thought possible the fair haired elf appeared in the door, his face the colour of blotched marble. His eyes darted from the two men to the bed, to the door and then back to the bed again.
"They're really gone?" he breathed.

"Yes," Laenro nodded, his eyes turning hard and distrustful once again. "Yes, they're gone, and I would very much like to know why."

Legolas did not answer and merely sighed deeply, walking slowly up to the bed and sitting down on the empty chair. Thesieni gave the four men and the elf a quick look and disappeared down the corridor into the direction of the stairs, mumbling something about healing herbs.
"Thank Elbereth," he said softly. "I thought this was it."

"This still might be it, elf!" the brown haired man exclaimed, leaning forward to glare at the blond being. "What was this all about? Who was that, and why did he just leave? Don't tell me he didn't recognise your friend here!"

"No," Legolas shook his head while he carefully placed a hand on his human friend's forehead, "He did recognise him, you're right. That was Cendan, the second-in-command of the captain whose men captured me and my friend."

"So he knew who he is and that you were most likely in the building as well?" Laenro asked incredulously. "Then why didn't he arrest us and took credit for your capture? Girion would have been most pleased and would surely have promoted him!"

"I don't know," the elf admitted softly. "I do not have any answers for you. Cendan's behaviour is as mysterious to you as it is to me. I never had the feeling that he might be willing to betray his lord or his mission."

"So the dear lieutenant had a sudden change of heart and decided that he valued your and your ranger friend's lives above his own?"

"As I already told you," Legolas repeated, a sharp edge in his voice, "I do not know. I think that we will receive answers once he decides to come and 'visit' us – not a second earlier."

"That is unacceptable," Laenro answered curtly. "Do you know for how many people I am responsible? Do you know how many people I and my friends here could betray, or how many people could unwittingly betray themselves by coming to this house? I cannot just sit here and wait for one of Girion's officers to make up his mind about whether or not he should turn us in!"

"He won't turn us in," the elf shook his head. "He could have done that a few minutes ago. I do not know why he is doing this or even what exactly it is he is doing, but he won't turn us in."

"He's an Easterling," one of Laenro's companions shrugged dismissively. "Or at least half of him is; it is as clear as the light of day. No-one knows what goes on inside their heads behind those emotionless façades of theirs."

"Well," Legolas said a little bit sharper than he had wanted to, "this particular Easterling is even more introvert and harder to read than most. All I can tell you that he hates Teonvan and was loyal to Captain Reran, yet he never openly opposed him after the latter's death."

"I've heard some rumours," Laenro nodded thoughtfully. "Is there truth in it that Teonvan killed the captain?"

"Aye," Legolas nodded, staring at his sleeping friend's face, lost in thought. "He did, that much is sure. Cendan knows it too, and so do most of his men, I think."

"Does he hate Teonvan enough to help us?"

Legolas shook his head, thoroughly annoyed now.
"As I said, Master Laenro, I don't…"

"You don't know," Laenro nodded. "I am sorry, Master Elf. But something like this has never happened before."

"So I see," Legolas mumbled softly.

"I assume to try and convince you to leave would be pointless?" Laenro asked darkly.

"Extremely," Legolas nodded dryly with a small, exhausted move of his head. "I will not leave my friend here alone."

The brown haired man and his companions shared a quick look, and after a nod from their leader the two of them soundlessly got to their feet and left the room. Laenro stayed for another few moments before he rose as well, giving the elf a look full of annoyance, exasperation and even a little sympathy.

"Before all this is over, I will kill my sister, that I promise you," he told the elf darkly who seemed to have lost even the small reserve of strength that had enabled him to keep going until now. Realising that he might just as well try to talk to a statue, he added, "There is nothing we can do now. I will instruct my men to spread the word among our people that this place is no longer safe and will send as many as I can to other safe houses. We can only wait for that Cendan to make his move and try to contain the damage already done as best as we can."

Legolas nodded emotionlessly, exhaustion slowly beginning to overwhelm him. He knew that he couldn't let his guard down, that they weren't safe here in this house, especially not now, and that he couldn't leave Aragorn alone, but he also knew that did no longer have a choice in that matter. He hadn't slept for more than two days, and that on top of his injuries was beginning to take its toll. That near-heart attack he had suffered less than half an hour ago when Cendan had entered the room had done nothing to help matters either.

Laenro smiled, one of the few genuine smiles the elf had seen on his face until now.
"I will ask Thesieni to come and check on your friend once again. I will also see if my men can find a bed that fits in here. You need rest. We still have a lot to talk about, but nothing will change in a few hours."

"I…" Legolas began, deciding that someone had replaced the air all around him with a thick, syrupy liquid; it was becoming harder and harder to keep his eyes open and to keep track of what was happening around him. He did not doubt that, in five minutes at the most, he would keel over and fall face-down onto Aragorn's chest and would most likely break a few of the man's ribs in the process. That would be just their kind of luck, wouldn't it?

"You need rest," the man shook his head stubbornly, looking much like his sister for a moment. "Thesieni told me so herself, and far be it from my mind to upset her. You will rest and tomorrow morning before the sun rises we will sit down and talk. If this Cendan comes here and wants to expose us, we will have to be ready."

With a tremendous effort, Legolas blinked and pulled himself together. As much as he hated to admit it, the word "rest" sounded most appealing, and "bed" was nearly enough to send him to sleep immediately.
"Very well," he inclined his head, noticing to his dismay that it was disconcertingly hard to convince his neck to lift it again. "If Thesieni thinks it necessary, I will comply with her wishes, of course. It is never wise to antagonise a healer."

"Indeed," Laenro smiled again, suddenly appearing much younger. "They are the only beings I fear more than Grion or his guards." He gave the elf a curt nod and turned around to leave the room. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then. We have much to discuss before the dear lieutenant arrives here."

A few seconds later he was gone, and Legolas was alone with his unconscious friend. He was still trying to muster enough strength to reach out and wet the cloth on Aragorn's forehead – he had been able to move his hand at least ten inches in the past five minutes, which was quite an achievement in his eyes – when Thesieni appeared in the door, trailed by two men who were carrying a narrow pallet that looked as if it just might fit into the small room.

The next few minutes passed far too quickly for Legolas to really comprehend, and all he could later remember was that Thesieni announced that Aragorn's condition had improved and that she expected him to wake up tomorrow morning and that the men somehow managed to wedge the pallet into the narrow space between Aragorn's bed and the wall without disturbing the sleeping ranger.

The next thing the blond elf knew was that he was lying on something soft and rather comfortable, and not even the memory of Cendan's peculiar behaviour and the danger they were all in could stop him from drifting off to sleep in a matter of seconds.

Menvan's eyes were boring holes into his back, something that wouldn't have bothered him at all him under normal circumstances. These, however, were certainly anything but, mainly because he couldn't believe himself what he had just done.

Cendan forced the worried frown off his face and stared at the wall of the room his men were currently searching. They had searched this house before, and they would most likely search it again, even though he – and Menvan, apparently – knew perfectly well that they wouldn't find what they were looking for.

The dark haired lieutenant shook his head, inwardly marvelling at his own stupidity. What in the name of all the Gods had he been thinking? Why had he done something so foolish? If he had observed such behaviour in someone else, he would have stated without hesitation that that someone was mad, completely and utterly mad. What he had just done was treason; it was as simple as that. And there was only one punishment for treason.

"Sir?" Menvan's soft voice drew him out of his musings, and he looked up, straight into the other man's large brown eyes that were as expressionless as always. "There is something you should see, out in the garden. I think the men can cope without us for a few moments."

Cendan let his gaze wander over the soldiers who were taking their duty very seriously indeed. What had once been the orderly storage room of a small grocery store was only one step short of descending into complete chaos: Barrels had been opened and thrown over, boxes had been moved and every single square inch of the floor was in the process of being meticulously examined in the search for hidden trapdoors. The lieutenant grinned inwardly. A pity they wouldn't find anything.

"Indeed," he nodded at Menvan after a second. "Lead the way."

Menvan nodded and turned around, and Cendan followed him after giving the soldiers a long, dark and admonishing stare that threatened them with a lot of unpleasant repercussions should they interrupt their work for even a second. None of the men returned his look or even met his eyes, and so he left the room only a few seconds after the brown haired soldiers, confident that they would work on as efficiently and quickly as if he were standing right behind them. Sometimes, he thought somewhat amusedly, a reputation like his, not to mention his ancestry, did have its advantages after all.

They came past several other groups of soldiers who were very busy turning the house upside down, passed the house's owners who were apparently torn between anger and fear and finally stepped out into the garden. It wasn't truly a garden, merely a small empty space enclosed by walls on all sides. Now it was snow-covered and barren, but Cendan suspected that the house's owners used it to grow some vegetables and herbs.

Menvan had stopped at the far side of the garden, the side opposite the door they had just used. Their men were still in the front part of the house, and if there was a spot where they could be relatively sure not to be overheard, it was here. Cendan walked over to the other man, his boots crushing the white blanket of snow. It took him only a few seconds to reach Menvan's side, and when he came to an abrupt stop, his face betrayed none of his emotions.

While he was studying the crisp whiteness of their surroundings, he suddenly felt how the doubts that had clung persistently to his heart fell away, leaving only a steely determination and calmness. What was done was done, and there was no way for him to change anything now. In the moment he had recognised the ranger's face and had not alerted his men he had chosen almost certain death, and now it was a path he had to follow to the end. He nodded inwardly, enjoying the brief moment of crystal clarity. He might die, yes, but he would die with his honour intact, in an attempt to avenge his captain's death. That was all that mattered.

"So," he began after a few seconds, not really wanting to ask his subordinate what he wanted, but unable to wait any longer. They did not have forever, and he had behaved far too conspicuously already this day. "I am loath to tell you this, Menvan, but I have seen snow before."

"I do not doubt it, sir," Menvan nodded calmly, his harmless, slightly clueless expression firmly attached to his face. "But there is something I want to ask you, Lieutenant, if you'll allow me to speak freely."

Cendan inclined his head, leaning back against the windowless wall behind him and already knowing what Menvan would say.
"Go ahead."

The somewhat daft expression disappeared from the brown haired man's face as quickly as if it had been blown away with the wind that was beginning to pick up now, and he raised his head, disbelief and fear in his eyes.

"What in the name of the Gods are you doing, sir?" he asked sharply. "Are you insane? The others weren't with us on the mission and would probably not have noticed anything even if they had, but I am no fool! That ill cousin was the ranger, and we both know that the elf is in that house as well if his friend is! We could have captured both of them!"

"Aye," Cendan nodded expressionlessly. "We could have. And what then?"

Menvan frowned.
"I do not understand, sir. We would have brought them back to the castle, of course."

"And let Teonvan take credit for their capture? Turn them over to our lord to have them killed and allow him to wage his ill-fated war on Wilderland, a war in which we and all our men will die? A war which will destroy our home in the end, be it by the armies of the kings of the North or my kin? Or if we survive, so we can keep serving a man who has no honour and condones the actions of a murderer like Teonvan? Is that what you want?"

"No, sir, of course not," Menvan shook his head. "You know me too well to think such a thing. Yet we are soldiers, and all soldiers can do is to follow orders. There is no other way."

"Isn't there?" Cendan asked softly. "Come, Menvan, I know you are cleverer than this."

The brown haired man swallowed hard. To suspect what his lieutenant would say and to actually hear him say it were two entirely different things.
"An insurrection?" he whispered tonelessly. "But, sir, the last one…"

"No," the dark haired lieutenant shook his head. "I do not want to lead a rebellion, or a revolt or something like that. I think the dear Master Laenro and his associates are far more willing to plan and execute something like that than I am. No, I do not want something like that, Menvan. I aim for something far simpler."

"And what would that be, Lieutenant?" Menvan asked, his brown eyes narrowing.

"To kill Teonvan," Cendan hissed darkly. "He killed our captain, and he will pay for that. If Girion gets killed in the process, so be it. He is without honour and not worthy of the loyalty and allegiance you and I have given him for so many years."

"It is hardly a matter of loyalty," the other man shook his head. "I couldn't name more than a dozen soldiers I know who are actually loyal to him or his officers. It is all about fear, sir, you know that. The fear of Glamir and his dungeons keeps the men in line, and neither you nor I are eloquent or influential enough to change that."

"You are right," his lieutenant nodded. "I know that, I have in fact been thinking about nothing else these past days. But all you need to do if you want to cripple this city is to cut off the head. The limbs will crumble into dust faster than you can watch."

"For that you need fearless men," Menvan argued, inwardly not believing what they were doing. They were openly discussion possibilities of opposing and killing their lord – by the Gods, they must be insane! "And I think we both know what the Easterlings will do once they perceive a weakness. There won't be a stone left on the other after they're finished."

"Let the Easterlings be my worry," Cendan shook his head, his dark blue eyes glinting in the dying sunlight. "They haven't come here for a common goal or to fight a common enemy like the Wainriders all these years ago. They're here because Girion has paid them well, and as soon as that money stops flowing, they'll be at each other's throats. There are too many feuds and old enmities for them to work together without an incentive such as gold. Trust me," he repeated, "and let them be my worry."

Menvan blinked, deciding that to trust people had always been a weakness of his.
"Even if that is so, sir, it still leaves us with the problem of finding fearless men. There are none in this city."

"Aren't there?" Cendan asked thoughtfully. "I don't know about you, Menvan, but I can think of at least two."

"You are insane!" Menvan whispered, apparently awed by his superior's lack of rationality. "The elf and the ranger? They would rather kill us than do anything we want."

"They won't have any other choice," Cendan said coldly. "I believe that they and their newfound friends will be a bit more inclined to listen to me than you think."

"If you say so," the other man muttered unconvinced. He took a deep breath and obviously tried to pull himself together. "What do you want me to do?"

"What makes you think that I want you to do something?" Cendan arched a dark eyebrow, an unreadable glint in his eyes.

"Because, sir," Menvan retorted and grinned slightly at the dark haired lieutenant, "you wouldn't have told me all this unless you wanted me to do something – and unless you already knew that I would agree to do it."

"I could still kill you now," Cendan offered, and Menvan wasn't really able to figure out whether or not the man was serious.

"Well – yes, sir, you could. Which would be awfully ostentatious, of course. Even Teonvan might start asking a few questions."

"I seriously doubt that," Cendan shook his head derisively. "But you are right. I would very much prefer it if you'd agree to help me. But that doesn't mean that I would not be willing to resort to … more extreme measures should the necessity arise."

"Undoubtedly," Menvan nodded wryly. "But you already knew I'd agree when you started talking about all this, didn't you?"

"Of course," Cendan inclined his head as well. "I am no fool."

"And that, Lieutenant," the brown haired man said slowly, "is the reason why I will indeed agree to do whatever you want me to. Teonvan deserves death, and if we let our lor… Girion march out, our city will be destroyed in the chaos that will follow." He paused for a moment, and then added calmly, "What is it you want me to do? To talk to the men? Most of them will obey you, you know that."

"No, not yet. I want you to watch Teonvan," Cendan answered promptly. "I want to know about his every move. I want to know where he goes, what he says, which people he meets, what he eats, everything. You are the perfect man for that task; no one will notice you."

Menvan nodded curtly.
"I can do that. Neither he nor his two goons will notice me. What are you going to do, sir?"

"Today?" the young lieutenant asked with a quirked eyebrow, "Nothing. I will continue to follow our orders and search our quadrant and will – most unfortunately, of course – find nothing. This will take most of the evening, I think. Meet me in my quarters tomorrow two hours before dawn. We have much to discuss."

"So you really intend to go back to them," Menvan stated somewhat unbelievingly as his superior steered the both of them into the direction of the door leading back into the house.

"Oh yes," Cendan said, appearing almost surprised that he had actually asked. "Oh yes, I do. It should be a most interesting meeting, don't you think?"

Menvan inwardly shook his head as his lieutenant entered the house. He gave the peaceful garden a long look before he followed the other man, sensing that this was the last bit of peace either of them would have for a long time. Most likely, a voice inside his head noted dryly, they would both be dead in a few days.

An interesting meeting, he thought incredulously. Whatever the lieutenant said.

Girion leaned back into his chair, feeling a curious mixture of emotions war inside his chest. He wasn't quite sure if he should feel content, furious or downright amused. He cocked his head slightly to the side as he took in the sight in front of him, and decided spontaneously that the last was the case. This was … amusing.

Yes indeed, he thought, this was amusing. But it was also a nuisance and highly irritating, which was the precise reason why he was not smiling. Then again, neither were his … "guests", which made the whole thing of course even more amusing. The only thing that bothered him was that he didn't know what they wanted here – even though he could guess it well enough. As he had told the blond elf before, he was no fool.

He was torn out of his thoughts when the councilman who had brought the elves here bowed low before him, looking smug but also a little bit afraid. He apparently did not know how his lord would react to their visitors.
"The guests that were announced earlier are here, my lord. They seek an audience with you."

Girion nodded benignly and scrutinised the four tall figures that were standing behind the man. While all of them were stood tall and proud and were bright-eyed, they could not have looked more different. Two were identical, with dark hair and grey eyes that looked cold and dark right now. The third was even taller than the two who had to be twins, and was nearly the exact opposite of them. He was golden haired with deep blue eyes that looked as serene and calm as bottomless pools, and even Girion knew that he had to be very old, even for one of the elven kind. The last elf looked more like him than the other two, for his hair was fair, even though the colour was as deeply silver as the other's was golden. There was, however, a different air about him, a more troubled, darker air that set him apart from the other three.

The golden haired elf cast a quick look around the room, eyeing it with the same distaste that the elf and the ranger had displayed when they had been brought here. That thought served to bring the dark haired man out of his observations. These four mustn't leave this city again. Even if they had nothing to do with his prisoners whom he had so inconveniently ... misplaced at the moment (something he seriously doubted, by the way), they could have found out about his allies – or would do so soon. No, he shook his head inwardly. He mustn't let them go.

Glorfindel returned his eyes to the man sitting on the throne-like chair in front of them, having to summon all his experience and memories of the many council meetings he had attended to keep from shivering. He had known this had been a mistake, he had known it from the very beginning; why hadn't he stopped this folly while there had still been time? As Elrond would have said: This kind of attitude was exactly what had got him killed for the first time in the first place. Usually, Glorfindel wouldn't have agreed with his lord, but right now he was willing to admit that his half-elven friend might be on to something.

The vision of the way Elrond would look at him when he heard about this entire story – and hear about it he would, Elrond always heard about everything – brought him back to the present, and he quickly gave the man a bow which was just deep enough to satisfy etiquette.

"My lord," he began, trying to shake off a feeling of intense dislike that welled up inside him when he looked up at the man in front of him, "thank you for seeing us on such short notice. My name is Glorfindel, and I bring greetings from my Lord Elrond of Rivendell, far to the West of here on the other side of the Misty Mountains."

The twins and Celylith were too experienced and skilled in diplomatic exchanges to even blink when they heard the words, and Glorfindel smiled inwardly. Well, he was sure that Elrond would have said something like that if he'd had the chance.

Girion gave the elves a smile that did not look very genuine.
"Thank you, Lord Glorfindel. And your companions are…?"

"Of course, forgive me," the golden haired elf inclined his head. "These," he motioned at the two brothers, "are my lord's sons, Lord Elladan and Lord Elrohir. And this," he turned to the silver haired elf who looked at him strangely imploringly, "is Lord Celylith, son of Celythramir. We are looking for some friends of ours who disappeared two weeks ago close to Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood?" Girion asked, apparently greatly surprised. "What makes you think that they are somewhere around here?"

Glorfindel narrowed his eyes, sensing the wave of mistrust and dislike that emanated from the three young elves behind him. Celylith seemed even tenser and more ill at ease than the twins, something that the golden haired elf couldn't really explain.
"We found some … clues," he said evasively. "They might be somewhere around here, or even further East. Have you heard anything that might indicate that they are in your realm or have lately passed through here, my lord? Would you know who might have taken them captive?"

The man narrowed his eyes as if deeply in thought, a frown creasing his brow.
"No, I am sorry. I don't think I can help you. Two elves, that is something that would stand out here, and there are none in my realm who would dare do such a thing."

"One of them is a man, a ranger," Elrohir interjected. "His name is Strider, a friend of our family, and the elf we seek is called Legolas."

Girion felt how his mind froze and a mighty explosion of fury slammed through his entire body. He retained enough presence of mind to nod absent-mindedly and not to show too much of his feelings, even though he had the feeling that at least the fair haired elves were not fooled for a second.

"No, I don't think so," the man said thoughtfully and stood to his feet when Teonvan appeared in the door leading to his study. "Please excuse me for a moment. This will take only a second."

Without waiting for the elves to say or do anything he strode over to the door and pushed the man into the other room, closing the door behind them after a last look at the guards that were remaining with their "guests".

Teonvan looked at him surprised, but inclined his head and quickly began to report.
"The search is still going on, sir, but we haven't found them yet. The Lieutenants Cendan, Caellan and Lybran are still searching their sectors, but until now we've found nothing. It appears that they've been swallowed up by the earth."

Girion barely heard what his captain was telling him, his thoughts going round and round in his head. After Adruran's death last autumn he had looked into how and when exactly that mission had gone wrong. His agents in Dale and Lake-town had found out quickly enough that there had been two main reasons for his late captain's failure: A man and an elf.

They had apparently turned up out of nowhere and had ruined the whole operation with an unparalleled efficiency and speed, something that Girion found still somewhat hard to believe. The one thing that had really shocked him had been that the elf had been no other than the Elvenking's son, at least by some accounts.

Girion ground his teeth. He had not wanted to jump to conclusions until now – after all, what were the chances of the same two beings getting in the way of his plans twice? – but now it appeared that that had been a mistake. He had never heard of this Strider before, but his late father had always attached great importance to history lessons. King Thranduil had only one son, and his name was – and this was the interesting part – Legolas.

"What was the elf's name?" he interrupted Teonvan in mid-sentence. "What?!"

The brown haired captain blinked and lowered his eyes, not daring to meet his lord's eyes.
"He said his name was Lasseg, sir."

Girion felt how his hands began to twitch. Lasseg. Little Leaf. No elvish parent would give his son such a name. He closed his eyes for a moment. Legolas. Green Leaf. Little Leaf. O the Gods, what kind of fool had he been? He slowly opened his eyes again, glaring darkly at the captain.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded to know.

"Well, sir, I did not think it…"

"You think too much, Teonvan!" Girion hissed at the other, his hands shooting out and grasping the front of the captain's tunic. "Or too little! Do you know who that elf is? Do you??" He did not wait for the other to answer but continued, rage shining brightly in his eyes. "He is the Elvenking's son! You had the Elvenking's son for the entire trip and you did – not – tell – me?!"

"I did not know who he was," Teonvan shook his head, unable to take his eyes off his lord's furious face. "Captain Reran…"

"Do not try to shift the blame on the dead now!" Girion thundered. "It is you who made the mistake, not Reran!" He let go of the brown haired man's clothes, narrowing his eyes when he looked into his terrified, yellowish face. "You will return to your duties. I expect you to find the two of them."

Teonvan suppressed a cough and resisted the urge to rub his throat.
"Of course, sir. We will find them."

Girion merely gave him a cold stare and walked back to the door, but stopped and turned back around, fixing his cold, angry eyes on the captain.
"I hope so for your sake, Teonvan, because otherwise I might come to regret having promoted you after all." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I do not care what you have to do. I do not care whom you have to threaten, whom you have to bribe and whom you have to kill. I do not care how many men you need or how long it will take. I want them found – alive! Do whatever you have to, but – bring – me – that – elf!"

The brown haired man nodded quickly and bowed his head, watching his lord turn back to the door leading to the audience chambers where he had left his four visitors who had remained standing in the dark, ominous room. By now all of them had – independently and simultaneously, one might add – come to the conclusion that this had been a very, very bad idea and that their respective fathers (or in Glorfindel's case, his lord) would kill them, a feeling they covered up with friendly smiles and calm countenances.

While he was still smiling brightly at the councilman who was standing a little to the right of them, Celylith leaned closer to Glorfindel, his eyes wandering over the room and giving him the appearance of a person who was studying the architecture.

"I roch nes sant, hîr nín," he began conversationally, "Renin cha." He looked in Glorfindel's not very surprised face, sensing the twins stiffen next to him, and added with an admiring look at the dreadful chandelier behind the large chair in front of them, "Ha i roch i Estel mamp."

No emotion could be seen on the golden haired elf's face, even thought he was thinking frantically. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the atrocity that was apparently meant to be a large chandelier and asked with a friendly smile and without looking at the silver haired elf,
"Tanc istach hen?"

Celylith nodded only once, as if agreeing with a statement the elf lord had just made about the room's décor.
"Carin."

"How unfortunate," sounded the calm, controlled voice of Girion who was leaning casually against the doorframe to their left. "The horse. Another loose end no one ever cared to eliminate." He shook his head slightly, as if greatly saddened by the unfairness and hostility of the world. "It is so hard to find decent help these days, wouldn't you agree?"

Glorfindel returned the man's mocking stare emotionlessly, only his eyes betraying the fury that was beginning to build inside of him – fury at these people, fury at this man, but, most importantly, fury at himself because he had allowed himself and his charges (for he indeed saw them thus) to get into such a situation. He had underestimated this man and his men, and he had underestimated them greatly.
"Where are they?"

"Around," Girion waved his hand vaguely. "I must say that I was rather surprised how much trouble the two of them are – especially Prince Legolas." He smiled slightly at the elves' surprised faces, noticing how the dark haired elf's face who had told him that name coloured in shame. "Oh yes, I now know who he is. He, on the other hand, must have … forgotten to inform me about his ancestry. That is something we will have to discuss in the near future."

The other dark haired elf balled his hands to fists and took a threatening step forward despite the guards that were beginning to close in on the fair beings, before his brother and the silver haired elf reached out and restrained him.
"Let me rephrase Lord Glorfindel's question, human," Elladan hissed at the man who had still not moved from his place at the door. "Where in the name of the Valar are our friends and what have you done to them?"

"Do you realise that, with your actions, you bring King Thranduil's and our father's wrath onto you and your house?" Elrohir asked incredulously, tightening his grip on his brother's arm. Elladan's entire body was as taut as a drawn bow, and any minute now his older twin would lose his temper and do something incredibly stupid.

He narrowed his eyes at the dark haired human, deciding that, considering the circumstances, his promise to Glorfindel not to give any of these men the look was null and void.
"Why are you doing this? Who are you, and what do you want with Lord Thranduil's son and Strider?"

"Is this an attempt to extort ransom?" Celylith asked quietly, midnight blue eyes the colour of dark, smouldering coals as he looked at the one who had ordered Galalith's death and his prince's capture. "If that is so, you can be assured that you will gain nothing but certain death from this. My king will never bow to any demand you might make, not even to save his son."

"Ransom?" Girion asked, apparently torn between amusement and indignation. "What would I want with gold?

"You are a man," Celylith merely retorted, scorn and contempt in his eyes.

"Indeed," Girion smiled, apparently not very bothered by his answer. "And as such I recognise an opportunity when I see one. 'Your king' will not bow to any demands I might make, you say? Another Mirkwood elf, then. How … intriguing."

Celylith opened his mouth to say something, his eyes having darkened so far that it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the dark blue irises and the pupils, but Glorfindel shot him a look that would have made Elrond very proud and the younger elf remained silent. Glorfindel didn't know what was going on here and he didn't know what this man wanted, but he did know that it would be a bad idea to allow the young ones to insult the human.

"I would advise you to bring our friends here," he said slowly and clearly, hoping that this obviously demented man would understand him if he only spoke calmly enough. "Bring the prince and the ranger here, now, and you just might escape the fate of having to lay eyes onto an army sometime in the coming fortnight. An army which will be led by a very displeased King of Mirkwood."

The man only looked at them with a bright sparkle in his eyes before he threw back his head and laughed, apparently greatly shocking his guards who had drawn a very close circle around the four elves by now. Glorfindel wasn't exactly shocked, for the human's reaction only proved to him what he had already known: This Lord Girion was mad. No person, elf, human, dwarf or otherwise, would laugh when confronted with the possibility of having to face King Thranduil when the elven king was in a bad mood. Inwardly, the golden haired elf lord winced. King Thranduil wouldn't be in a bad mood, he would be in a downright terrible mood – nay, he quickly corrected himself. The word that would be capable of describing the mood the Elvenking would be in wasn't even invented yet, and he would hate to be there when that changed.

Girion finally seemed to pull himself together and stopped laughing, much to the guards' relief. It was unheard of to witness their lord laughing, and if past experience was any indication at all, this sudden bout of mirth couldn't be a good sign.
"Forgive me, Master Elf," the dark haired lord finally said, "This is simply very amusing. Trust me: In a fortnight the dear king will have entirely different problems."

"For example that army that was camping on your doorstep?" Elladan asked scornfully. "You are a fool if you think that the Easterlings will obey you. They will turn against you, sooner or later. 'Tis simply a matter of time."

"My, you have been busy," Girion shook his head and raised a hand, causing the soldiers to step even closer to the elves and draw their weapons. In a matter of moments eight crossbows, four swords and a rather interesting-looking spear were pointed at them. "If you would be so kind to hand over your weapons?"

The twins and the two fair haired elves traded quick looks, and Glorfindel almost imperceptibly shook his head. Now he knew why they had been allowed to keep their weapons – because they wouldn't do them any good. There were thirteen guards in this room and only four of them. Usually, that would have been rather good odds, and had it only been him, Glorfindel would have drawn his sword a long time ago. But apart from this obviously mad lord and his guards there were dozens of soldiers in the castle, and even more currently searching the city. There was absolutely no way for them to fight their way out of this situation, and he would not return to the Lords Elrond and Celythramir bearing the news that their sons had died because he hadn't been able to keep his temper in check.

With another silent curse that would probably even had made Girion blush to the roots of his hair Glorfindel shook his head a second time and unbuckled his sword belt. It went against all his instincts to do what this man wanted, but there was really no other way. Fighting would avail them nothing, and he absolutely refused to die through anything less than through the hands of a balrog or one of the Nine. He had a reputation to uphold, after all.

He nodded at his companions who looked at him unbelievingly but obeyed some moments later. They were intelligent enough to realise that they were trapped as flies in a spider's web, no matter how loath they were to admit it. It took the three young elves considerably longer to comply with the man's request, and for a moment Glorfindel though Elladan wouldn't be able to do so at all. The older twin's hands were shaking with rage, so badly that it took him very long to loosen the belt that hung around his waist.

"It is so nice to see that we are able to deal with each other like gentlemen," Girion said friendly while his men relieved his "guests" of their weapons. "You are much more reasonable than your friends, believe me."

Celylith took a step forward, sensing that Elladan was close to lunging at the man again (as was he, for that matter), but this time it was Elrohir who had to be restrained by his brother. The younger twin's usually so calm grey eyes were filled with a choking mixture of self-loathing, guilt and overwhelming fury and contempt as he raised his chin and stared at the dark haired man.

"You are a fool," he told Girion in a dark, incensed tone of voice. "You lead all your people into certain doom and yet you laugh about it? What have you done to our friends? What is the meaning of all this? Who are you, and why are you doing this? Neither we nor our people will forget what has occurred here, that I promise you, and if either of the two is hurt in any way, I will kill you, and if that is the last thing I'll ever do."

Girion's eyes darkened slightly and he straightened up, beginning to walk over to the four elves.
"Careful, elf, I would be careful if I were you. You are in no position to threaten anyone, least of all me."

"What do you want from us?" Glorfindel interrupted the man, intent on drawing his attention away from Elrohir and his equally foolish brother who was apparently just thinking about killing all humans currently present in the room slowly and painfully. "What do you want from Strider and the prince? What do you want with an army of seven thousand Easterlings or more?"

Girion narrowed his eyes at the golden haired elf.
"I have neither the inclination nor the desire to answer your questions, Lord Glorfindel," he said teasingly, motioning the men to step closer to the elves and take a hold of them.

The silver haired elf whom they tried to grab first evaded the soldiers' hands with a movement almost too fast to follow, his right hand automatically going to the now empty space at his waist that his sword had occupied a few minutes ago. Girion sighed and shook his head slightly, the calm mask once again laying itself over his face.

"I would suggest a little bit more co-operation," he told them friendly. "You wouldn't want your friends to suffer for any foolishness of yours, would you?"

The two dark haired elves and their silver haired companion stiffened visibly at his words, but the blond elf merely narrowed his eyes and cocked his head slightly to the side.
"You do not have them," he stated dispassionately. "They escaped, didn't they? They are the 'criminals' your men are searching for. That is why you need us. You let them slip away right under your very nose before you got from them whatever it is you want."

Girion averted his eyes under four dark elven glares but shook his head minutely, ignoring the guards' wide eyes, who were apparently impressed by the golden haired elf's deductive skills. Foolish cretins, the man thought furiously.

"Maybe," he nodded, his temper rising quickly. "Maybe you are right, but are you willing to bet your friends' lives on it? Perhaps only one of them escaped and I still have the other? Or perhaps I was just informed that we recaptured them? Or perhaps you are completely wrong? Are you willing to risk that? I don't think you are. You are just as foolish and sentimental as the ranger if you ask me."

Elladan glared darkly at the man and was just thinking about informing him about the fact that no one had in fact asked him, but stopped himself just in time. This man might be insane, yes, but he wasn't stupid. None of them was willing to risk Aragorn's or Legolas' life like that, and that human knew that perfectly well.

A moment later the men grabbed their arms, and this time none of them resisted. Girion grinned as he sat down on his large, carved chair and studied the enraged faces of his four new prisoners.
"I take it none of you is inclined to tell me if you have any companions, what your lords' plans are and a few other, similar questions?"

Dark, contemptuous silence was his only answer, and the man shook his head again, appearing not very disappointed.
"I had expected nothing less," he told them. "Though I have to admit that this is becoming slightly boring. Your friends made just the same decision." His grin widened. "They changed their minds before long though, and so will you."

He turned slightly and nodded at the guards' lieutenant, ignoring the elves' murderous stares.
"Take them to the dungeons. Glamir will be more than happy to attend to them, I think. Tell him that I expect answers this time."

The man nodded and was about to give his men the sign to take the prisoners away when the golden haired elf cocked his head slightly to the side, studying Girion as if the man had just openly declared that he was planning to walk up to the front door of Barad-dûr and challenge the Dark Lord to a fair duel.

"You will not succeed," he told him softly. "You are a fool to think that you could conquer Mirkwood or Rhovanion with an army of Easterlings. They are loyal to no one but themselves, and the only thing that can unite them is their hatred for the southern kingdom." He paused, serious eyes fixed on the dark haired man's frozen face. "Wilderland is not Gondor. They will turn on you, rather sooner than later. I have seen many people like you, and I have watched them fall. You will die as they have. Be it in this city by our hands or on a plain to the north by the hands of one of our kin, you will not see the next summer."

Girion's face darkened and it was very clear that he was a mere step away from losing his temper as he leaned forward, searching the elf's face for any signs of fear, and, to his chagrin, finding none. The golden haired elf was simply looking at him as if he was an insolent, misguided child – which he probably was in his eyes, but that was nothing the man was willing to admit.

The dark haired man gritted his teeth in fury and nodded at one of the guards that were grabbing the elf's arms, who backhanded the prisoner sharply across the face. The golden haired elf almost immediately raised his head again, the ugly red imprint of four fingers plainly visible on his cheek.

"You Elves are all alike, aren't you?" Girion asked softly. "Proud, arrogant and oh-so-sure of yourselves. You always think you know the answers to everything, and yet if someone needs your help, you are nowhere to be seen." He narrowed his eyes at the impassionate face of the blond elf in front of him who looked about as interested in his words as if he had been telling him about the mating rituals of millipedes. "Let me give you a piece of advice," he added friendly. "I would be careful with my words if I were you. It seems to me that I need your three companions, but not you. The silver haired one is one of the Elvenking's subjects, and who knows, he might just be a good substitute for the dear prince if he continues to be so stubborn. And your lord's sons might come in handy too, but you – I don't need you, do I?"

The elf did not answer, but both of the twins raised their heads, their eyes so hard and dark in their faces that the man was taken aback for a moment.
"If you harm my father's seneschal – or any of us, for that matter," one of them said in a quiet, controlled voice, "you will have a war on your hands that will stop only when you and all your men are dead and your city has been burnt to the ground. He and King Thranduil fought in the great war against the Dark Lord. To take your city will be child's play for them."

If anything, Girion looked amused as he gave the soldiers a sign to take the prisoners out of the room.
"There is only one problem, elf," he all but chuckled. "I won't be here should they really get here, and neither will my men. And a war is what I want anyway. Two more players should make everything a lot more interesting, wouldn't you agree?" He turned to the guards. "Take them away."

The two dark haired elves and the blond one were turned around and dragged out of the room, and before the silver haired elf's guards could follow their companions, Celylith fixed an angry, contemptuous stare on the dark-clad man as he voiced the conviction that had been growing in his mind for the past few minutes.
"You are insane."

One of the guards thrust his elbow into the elf's ribs, causing him to double over as the other man dragged him out of the dark, dimly lit room. He looked after the men and the four elves as they exited the hall and smiled thinly, a smile that the two soldiers who had remained on their posts next to the door had seen quite a lot of times. It had never been a good sign.

"Maybe," he said softly to himself as he leaned back in his chair. "And maybe not. We'll see soon enough."

The door closed behind the soldiers and their prisoners, and a dark gloom once again settled over the room, shrouding the men's faces in darkness.

Legolas was dreaming, and he knew that perfectly well, too. It was quite a nice dream though, and so he really had no complaints.

For one, he wasn't in pain, which was a rather nice change for once. He also wasn't uncomfortable in any way, nor was he wet or bound, which was quite astonishing, because he knew that that wasn't going to last for much longer once he stopped dreaming. He didn't know where he was – besides, it couldn't really be important since this was, after all, only a dream – but he somehow knew he was safe and warm, and more importantly, Aragorn was too.

He didn't question his friend being here since it seemed perfectly normal to him, even though he knew that he hadn't seen Aragorn look so healthy in a long time. He couldn't remember what exactly should be different, but he knew that there should be something different, that he should be hurt in some way, and yet he wasn't.

The young man appeared perfectly fine and normal, and with the sudden, abrupt change that seemed reasonable and normal his father suddenly appeared next to Aragorn, closely followed by Celylith, the twins and even Lord Elrond. The Lord of Imladris didn't even strangle him as he had expected him to, and neither did his father, which proved to him that this was indeed a dream. There was no way he would get off the hook so easily.

Before he could make his way over to the others, faceless figures appeared out of nowhere, drawing a circle around his friends and father. They were either too surprised to move or could not at all, and soon they were surrounded by the shadows. Legolas tried to come to their aid, but found that he couldn't move an inch; he was frozen to the spot. A mocking, cold voice suddenly could be heard, speaking words he knew he had heard many times already, and a second later Teonvan appeared out of the mist that had begun to envelop him and the others. Glamir was not far behind the man, and neither were Caellan and Lybran, Teonvan's brutal lieutenants.

The four of them began to move towards the encircled elves and the man who seemed not to be able to move away, just like Legolas. The elven prince tried with all his might to break free of the invisible bonds that held him back, but could not free himself, no matter what he did. He needed to get to Aragorn, his father and the other, he needed to help them, but how was he supposed to fight what he could not see? He couldn't even move a single inch, he could do nothing!

Teonvan reached the motionless group and reached out with his hands to touch his human friend, a malicious grin full of anticipation on his face, and Legolas renewed his struggles to break free. He couldn't let this man lay hands on his friend again, he couldn't, he had to help him, he had to…

Suddenly he felt how the invisible hands that held him back tightened their hold on him, and with sudden confusion he realised that they were beginning to shake him. He was still too focused on the scene in front of him to pay that much attention, but soon it became too insistent for him to ignore. The mist that surrounded him grew and began to obscure everything in sight, and with a cry of dismay Legolas realised that he could no longer see Aragorn, his father or any of the others. What was Teonvan doing to them, he couldn't see them, he needed to get closer to them!

Suddenly Legolas realised that the hands that were grabbing his shoulders and shaking him were only too real, and that the murmuring that had been growing in the past few minutes were in fact voices, voices that were speaking to him in an increasingly impatient tone of voice. With a half-stifled cry he bolted upright, his flailing hands reaching for his belt in search of a weapon.

His wrists were caught in a strong grip and he frantically blinked to clear his vision of the last, shadowy remnants of his dream, still fighting against the hands that held him down. A few seconds later he remembered where he was and who was leaning over him, and he relaxed his tense muscles, allowing his body to fall back onto the bed's soft mattress.

"Elbereth," he mouthed shakily and then nodded at the man standing over him. "I am awake."

"Good," Laenro nodded as well and released the elf's wrists. "You nearly knocked me to the ground once or twice."

"I am sorry," Legolas apologised, slowly sitting up and massaging his wrists that had begun bleeding again. The raw wounds several kinds of bindings had left on the tender skin of his wrists had not yet begun to truly heal and had broken up again. "I did not mean to…"

"No apology necessary," the man shook his head. "Everybody who has spent some time in Girion dungeons is entitled to a few nightmares in my opinion."

Legolas smiled forcedly and was about to say something when he realised that it was dark in the room, very dark. Why would the man wake him if it was still far from dawn?
"Estel!" he gasped, sitting up fully with a start and looking wildly to the bed next to him. "The ranger, is he…"

"Your friend is fine. He is still asleep," Laenro assured the elf quickly, his eyes darting to the room's door. Legolas followed his eyes and saw that Ethoani was standing there, the hood of her cloak thrown back and exposing her white face. Laenro looked at his sister, looking decidedly displeased with her being in this house. "Something has come up."

"What?" Legolas asked hesitantly, sagging a little in relief when he absorbed the fact that Aragorn was fine. After that dream he had really thought for a moment that something terrible had happened to him, that he had died while he had been sleeping. "What has happened?"

"I have news from the castle," the brown haired girl said quietly and took a step into the room. "Bad news."

She stopped next to Legolas' bed and held out her hand, a longish object resting on her palm. For a moment, the elf merely looked at it without comprehending what the young woman wanted to tell him, but then he realised that the object was in fact a dagger, complete with its unadorned sheath. Legolas took a deep breath and slowly reached out for the weapon the girl was offering him, knowing whom it belonged to without needing to draw it out of its sheath. Of course he knew it, he thought as he grasped the knife, he had been there when its owner had received it from his sister after all…

His fingers tightened around the weapon, and Legolas slowly closed his eyes.

"Celylith, you reckless fool," he whispered softly. "What have you got yourself into this time?"

TBC...

I roch nes sant, hîr nín. Renin cha - The horse in (the) courtyard, my lord. I remember it.
Ha i roch i Estel mamp - It (is) the horse that Estel took.
Tanc istach hen? - You know this for sure?
Carin - I do




Well, if this was a cliffy it was a very minor one. *g* Don't blame me for the 'mamp' in the dialogue, btw, it's authentic, no matter how funny it sounds. *g* Anyway, the next chapter will be here in a week as always, with lots more of the twins and even a little argument between Ethoani, Laenro and Legolas. *shakes head* That elf really _is_ stubborn, hm? Reviews might help me to tear myself out of the Pre-exam-panic that is currently threatening to take hold of me. *g* Meaning: Review, please?

---

Additional A/N:

Sirithiliel - I love the twins too. I think _because_ they can be so very stupid! *g* Great you liked it so far, thanks for all your reviews! *huggles*
Carrie - *g* Well, Cendan just might do that. Not exactly out of these reasons, but it's a good guess! *wide eyes* You want Celylith to take you home and ... tame you? *backs away slowly* Whatever you say ... just don't let Zam hear you. She's rather protective... *g* And you're right of course, Celylith might just pay a little but more attention to his surroundings. Glorfindel too. AND the twins. In fact, they're all kinda stupid, aren't they? Even though they won't act quite as stupid. LOL, 'Oh, well can we have him back? No? Oh well, we'll just be on our way then. No? You want to throw us in the dungeons now? Well, certainly! That'll be fun, down this dark tunnel is it?'! That certainly cracked me up! *grins widely* And 'warrior' doesn't equal intelligence, does it? And don't worry, your ramblings aren't insane. At least not very. *g* Thanks a lot for the great review!
Linuvial Greenleaf - LOL! Your brother really did that? Well, that's perfectly evil! The poor cat!! *notices her dark looks* Oh, and poor YOU, of course! I hope it's only one bruise - I would hate to hear that I more or less caused you to get seriously hurt! And your brother really needs a hobby! He had been standing there for ten minutes? Really? *shakes head* Men. Great you liked it so far and thanks a lot for sharing that story! It _was_ really funny!
Aratfeniel - Yes, I guess Celylith is a little bit strange. But who could resist the charm of a wild ox or an evil spider?! Well, me for example, but that's another story... *g* I hope you have lots of fun on your vacation!
Alariel - *g* Don't worry, I figured that you meant the Easterling and not the Southrons. I'm not sure about the fire-breathing dragon yet though. *g* It might or might not appear... Thank you very much for all your compliments! *blushes* I hope you'll like the rest of this slightly insane story as well!
Firniswin - Great that was enough Aragorn to make you happy. I fear he won't really wake up till chapter 26. *sheepish smile* And the cliffy wasn't even so bad - was it? And your brother really has an interest in ruptured spleens? That is quite weird - I tease Jack all the time about it! I mean, ruptured spleens? Hello? Hmm, you want a prize? I don't know - I will have to think about it. *g* I don't really know how long this is going to be, I think about 32 chapters. I hope. *g*
Iverson - Uhm, yes they are. Stupid I mean. *g* And I told everyone from the very beginning that "rescue party" is a very, very vague term. I never said they would actually manage to rescue them, did I? LOL, you want Celylith to keep the ox and ride to Legolas' rescue? *pictures it* Well, that sounds ... interesting. Not to mention insane, of course. *g* About the OCs: Believe it or not, I don't actually plan them all that much. I just have the names and their rough function when I put them into the story, and then they simply ... grow. I don't really know how, they have a life on their own. *g* A CNA and a paramedic, huh? Wonderful, then I can ask you for medical advice! *g* I hope life won't get _too_ busy for you! Thanks a lot for taking the time to review nonetheless!
Gwyn - You do? Really? Dislike me? I really don't know why... *evil grin* Well, maybe I do. *g* I agree with you though, Legolas would do something really, really suicidal. Figures, doesn't it? *g*
Deana - Your heart was hammering, huh? Well, that's good - I think. Great you liked it so far, and here's chapter 24. Yay! *g* Thanks for the review!
LOTRFaith - I understand you completely. When I read stories "TBC" become my greatest enemies as well. *g* Oh, don't worry, Legolas will lie down and rest soon. He's not very happy about it, either. *evil grin* I hope the waiting wasn't too terrible (and I do hope that "shuddering" was only a figure of speech)?! *g*
Red Tigress - My story does that? Teach a hatred of the military? Well, it's entirely unintentional, but I don't like the military overly much, that's true. *smiles sheepishly* And I tend to agree: That wasn't one of the smartest things Glorfindel's ever done. *g* LOL, 'When Animals Attack Silly Elves'? That would be something Celylith would like, wouldn't it?
CrazyLOTRfan - Uhm - wow! That was ... great! I mean - really! It was almost right! The German translation of elf is "Elfe", that's right, but as far as I know (I've never read the German books) they tranlated it as "Elb" (male) and "Elbin" (female) to set it apart from the elves in the fairy tales. I think you mean "gefangen", not "verfangen" - the latter means tangled, at least more or less. And 'zunaechst' means more 'first', I think you mean 'als naechstes'. But other than that - and considering that you've only just started learning German - it's very good! *pats her back* Please don't take this as a flame or something, I just want to help. Really. It was very good. *g* Oh, don't worry, there won't be a reunion. The twins would have a heartattack! Once again, the German was great! Congrats! *huggles*
Snow-Glory - Uhm, yes, I guess they are. And yes, they just might be the ones to tell Girion who Legolas really is, but not quite like "Hey, we're looking for Prince Legolas, have you seen him?" But yes, it's their fault. *evil grin* No, Legolas isn't doing something just as stupid as that. Besides, Cendan would just have said something like "Thank you!" and would have taken both of them back to the castle. *g* That would have made Girion quite happy! *g*
Shirley - No, he hasn't seen Rashwe. He was _sitting_ on Rahwe at the moment. It was Ráca, Aragorn's horse he got from Erelas. And you're right, it would be really bad if they captured Aragorn, because Girion really doesn't need him. Poor ranger. *g* Thanks for the review!
Starlight - Na klar, Klausuren sind definitiv nichts Schoenes. Dir sei verziehen. *g* Das waren fast drei Cliffies? Echt? Ich seh' nur einen, moeglicherweise jedoch auch zwei. Aber drei? *kratz sich am Kopf* Wenn du meinst. LOL, ich muss die zustimmen: Celylith hat den letzten Rest seines Elbenverstandes verloren. *g* Armer Junge. Nicht nur verrueckt nach komischen Viechern, auch noch dumm ist er. *g* Ich wuensche dir ganz viel Spass im Urlaub! Ich hoffe, du faehrst irgendwo hin, wo's warm ist! *g*
Strider's Girl - Oh, it's GCSE time already? Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great! I am sorry for not putting in more Aragorn, but he really needs some sleep. He doesn't get nearly enough - then again, neither does Legolas. Excuse me for a moment... *hides large hammer behind her back and stalks off to find enhausted elven prince* I'm sorry for not updating every day - I would love to! But for that the day would need to have about 48 hours... *g*
Crippled Raven - Well, I guess I would like Chemistry better if we'd have had a decent teacher. We didn't though, and so I still don't know what the little numbers mean. I'm serious, I really don't know. *g* Your teacher sounds like fun though! To be perfectly honest, I don't know myself if elves are so stupid, but we would have no stories to write if they weren't. *evil grin* And your brother wanted what? Are you serious? More importantly, is he insane? I HATE spiders! I really, really hate them! And I like your Maths teacher! He's right, btw! Money IS everything. If you're healthy, that is. I would love to have LOADS of money... *starts dreaming* Ah, you mean ... *searches on keyboard* _this_ (ß) little letter? I like it, but I don't usually use it 'online' (meaning in emails or html documents) because you never know what it might get turned into. Most of the time, something like ^-%³. *g* Well, Cendan just might do something like that, and even though I think that he would love going on a killing spree, I think Cendan will be a little more ... subtle. *g* And yes, he's adorable, isn't he? *huggles Cendan*
Chibi Noin - LOL, yes I think Celylith is quite unusual. I don't like spiders overly much myself. I don't think that these animals are as dangerous as one of the Nine, but ... *looks at snorting ox* Well, on second thought, it might. *g* And you don't like Baredlen? Really? I have no idea why... *innocent smile* At least someone likes my homour - my sister calls me weird all the time. *g* Thanks for all your reviews!
Koriaena - Well, I guess the answer to that question is: Yes, he is. I don't know what goes through his head either, and I think I'm quite happy about that. *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing!
Marbienl - That is the whole point. You are supposed not to be sure about Laenro's motives, mainly because he really doesn't like our heroes - only too understandable if you ask me... *g* I'm not so sure about Celylith's abilities to tame a dangerous animal one day. There are reasons why other people hate and fear them after all... But I agree with you of course. It's perfectly evil and mean to imprison such an adorable, sweet little ox. Don't worry, the men are going to regret their actions soon enough... *evil grin* Legolas couldn't carry Estel to the attic because a. he didn't have the strength (I know, not a real reason but I wanted to mention it somehow) and b. Thesieni said he was not to be moved. He was too ill, and moving him would have been too dangerous. Hmm - I like your scenario, but it's not gonna happen, sorry. *g* And it might be some more chapters until he wakes up again. Make that ... chapter 26? Sorry! *sheepish smile*
Elvendancer - Thanks! I'm glad you liked the cliffy - I liked it quite a bit myself. And yes, it does make me very happy that you liked it. *g* Thanks a lot for reviewing!
MIKI!!! - MIKI!!! *huggles* O my God, is that really you? Really really? I thought you ... well, I don't really know what I thought. Where've you been? Is everything alright at home? If I remember correctly, there were a few ... family issues. I really hope it hasn't been too bad? I know exactly how horrible something like that can be... I am so glad you're back! I missed you reviews, I really did! I am sorry for the twins and Nólad though, it sounds as if they were having a good time - well, you know what they say: All good things must come to an end... *evil grin* At least they still have Menfil, that's something, right!? I have only one question: Since when are you a cat?? Don't get me wrong, I love cats, we have five of them, but ... well, I was just wondering. But if you are a cat and were in fact in that bag all that time, it explains quite a lot, I think. I really have to have a little talk with the twins. *very evil grin* LOL, so this story has been thrown into "complete and utter chaos"? Well, I'll just try to take that as a compliment... *g* Thank you so much for your review! I really missed you! *huggles her never to let go*
*Falling Star* - Hey, you're not bothering me. Don't worry. *g* Really! And I know what you mean with waiting for your favourite TV-show. A few years ago I was really addicted to Stargate SG-1 and was waiting for every single episode! And what on Earth makes you think I would want to kick you out of my 'readers 'club'? I like your reviews! I really do! *huggles her and the reviews*
Elenillor - The Wizard of Oz, hm? I could never really connect to that story, somehow. But I know what you mean, dress rehearsals _are_ horrible. I hope it hasn't been too bad, and don't forget to sleep! Everybody needs sleep, even the elves. Some, that is. *g* It's great to hear that you're enjoying this, thanks for the review!
Shauna - A heart attack _and_ a stroke? Well, that's ... interesting... *g* You didn't _really_ pull out half your hair, did you? And screaming and yelling and all that - are you serious? I mean, come on, the cliffy wasn't THAT bad, was it? And I most assuredly didn't _turn_ you into a crazy person, you already were crazy. I am sorry for not posting sooner, but I am really busy and would like to _stay_ two chapters ahead if possible. Your feelings aren't too bad btw - Cendan just might do what you think! *g*
Tychen - I absolutely agree. Insanity makes life a lot more interesting! And the speen is indeed personal. For some reason, I don't really know why, Jack has this obsession with ruptured spleens. She really is quite strange. *g* And you just might be right, it might be residual brain damage. We'll never know for sure, I think... *g* You are right about Cendan btw. He really isn't interested in much except for revenge. And can you blame him? *evil grin*
Jazmin3 Firewing - Oh, I did mention it? Really? That detail must have slipped my mind... Uhm, Glorfindel just might be a little too busy to think about Celylith's pets for some time to come. *g* And for some reason, I can really imagine Celylith doing that. He might try to catch a war-oliphaunt thought. I guess they're very adorable as well... *g* And no, Legolas can't do that. It would be quite suicidal, not to mention stupid of course... Then again, that should be a reason for him to do it, shouldn't it - they're all stupid, aren't they? *shakes head sadly*
Karone Evertree - Uhm, nope, he will never learn, He just likes these kinds of animals. They are stepping into a cage? Do you mean trap? I mean, a cage would be quite weird... *g* And they had to come because all the people asked me to. I didn't plan to put them into this story in the beginning, but changed my mind eventually. I think it's a curse, too. Maybe they did something to Gandalf once... *g*
Alasse Tiwele - Actually it was quite a good place to stop. You just didn't like it. *g* The worst-cliffy-ever-award? Thank you! That's very flattering! And I absolutely agree, I would love it if I would be allowed to finish my story first. Not gonna happen, I know, but it's a nice idea. *wistful smile* And I don't think that this story has a cliffy, so give me a cookie! I want a cookie! A chocolate cookie, to be precise! Please!
Galadhriel Vornionien - LOL, Argh? Well, that's quite ... unambiguous. It's quite gratifying to hear that I have made you lose your reserve. *g* I know, I'm evil. I hope the waiting wasn't too horrible! *g*
Stacee Phelps - Well, yes I can. *evil grin* I really couldn't find the time to post sooner, sorry. College is horrible at the moment. The pics should be there already, I really hope you got them. *g* Great you still like the story so much!
Firnsarnien - Utterly idiotic? Uhm, yes, I think that would be quite an accurate desription... *g* I didn't really twist your gut, did I? I mean, it seems that I am already responsible for several heart attacks, I wouldn't want to be responsible for a twisted gut as well! I see that you prefer sharp objects - you really have to be careful where you point them! Somebody might get hurt... *g*
Narina Nightfall - *nods carefully* If you say so. Hollowed-out bones are quite nice - or so I've heard... You have Triskaidekaphobia? I've always thought that 13 is a nice number - well, but I AM afraid of spiders, so I guess I shouldn't be talking... Hmm, let me see, Eöl the Dark Elf. Okay, from what I remember right now and to make it short, he was a Sinda, kin of Elu Thingol himself. He was a great metal-smith and dwarf-friend (I know! Another one!), but not a very nice person since, sometime in the First Age, he married Aredhel, the granddaughter of Fëanor and sister of Fingon and Turgon, the King of Gondolin, not really voluntarily on her part. They had a son, Maeglin (who later betrayed Gondolin to Morgoth, but that's another story), but when he was away some years later, they left him and fled to Gondolin to Aredhel's brother. Eöl followed, but was caught and, according to the laws of the Gondolindrim, forbidden to leave again since he had found the city. In a fury Eöl tried to kill first his son and then himself, but Aredhel threw herself in front of her son and died of the poisoned dart that was meant for him. The Gondolindrim weren't very happy with him and cast him over the cliffs of Caragdûr to his death. *g* And that was the story of Eöl. Oh, and I don't think that Legolas thinks all humans are dirty (well, maybe he does), but it's rather strange to find a nice, smooth, clean door in a dungeon, isn't it? I didn't know that 'ruth' existed either, but I looked it up in the dictionary and it's actually there. So I guess you're right. *g* LOL, I agree: Violence IS the answer. Always. When in doubt, use brute force, that's what I always say... *g* WWAF? Well, then just read on, I say! And yes, Legolas was worried about exactly that kind of touching. As I said, Teonvan is really, really sick. *shudders* I know, I need help. *huggles* Thanks a lot for your huge review!
Smile Neumann - Oh yes, he most certainly is in trouble. So is everyone else... *g* Well, I think they all knew that it wasn't a very good idea to come to that place, but there wasn't a whole lot they could do, was there? I mean, they could have waited for days for something to happen, and that was just something they couldn't really affort. *grins evilly* Besides, I needed them to go inside, so they didn't really have a choice. Poor them.
Bailey - Well, no, he wasn't supposed to leave. Don't hate Cendan, hate me. I didn't want him to leave. I mean, honestly, how stupid to you think he is? He didn't became a Lieutenant, as a half-Eaterling, by being stupid... *g* But I agree with you: Glorfindel and the others ARE stupid. Very very stupid. *g*
Someone Reading - Exactly, they weren't thinking. I think that's their main problem... *g* I am glad you decided not to harm me - always remember, dead authors tend not to update very regularly. *g* Great to hear that you still like it, thanks a lot for all your reviews
MorierBlackleaf - *g* It's very nice to see that someone else likes my sense of humour. It happens quite a lot that people simply stare at me with wide eyes and just shake their heads. *g* Glad to hear that you didn't hate the cliffy too much - I liked it, but I like all my cliffies - and thanks a lot for taking the time to review!
Irked - Well, believe it or not, I know. Someone told me a week ago, but I somehow didn't have the time (or forgot) to change it. There are actually loads of mistakes in that chapter since I didn't have enough time to proof-read. *shrugs* All my fault. Thank you a lot for pointing it out though!
Jera - Hmm, now I see your point. THIS review is huge. *g* Well, I think about everyone hates oral exams. The thing is that is horribly important - but I won't think of that now. *g* And to be honest, I thought the exact same thing about the "Sure, no problem..." bit. I even thought about deleting the sentence, but, well, I ... *smiles sheepishly* ... liked it somehow. Don't ask me why, I just felt like writing it. I know that it doesn't really fit, but at least I don't use 'okay'. *g* Okay, I know that that's a horrible excuse. *grimaces* Hmm, is it really? No-one - No one ... well, you're the native speaker, you must know. I'll try to keep it in mind. And please don't even start with the "that/this" and "these/those" thing. *smiles sheepishly* I _know_ that 'that' is farther away and all that, but I really have trouble deciding when something IS farther away and when not, if you know what I mean. It's one of these things I will never learn. *sighs sadly* I have one question about "untamable" versus "untameable": One of my dictionaries only has "untamable", and while the other has both, my (British English) spellchecker didn't like it. So I decided to use "untamable" to be on the safe side. So, does that mean that the British version isn't used anymore, that you can use both or what? About the Gods: You are right, Tolkien expressly states that the Valar aren't gods, they're merely powerful spirits. But that's something only the Elves and people who have come in contact with them know, since the Firstborn have actually lived with them, and Tolkien says in the Valaquenta: "The Great among these spirits the Elves name the Valar, the Powers of Arda, and Men have often called them gods." I am aware that that was most probably more or less the case only for the first few Ages, and not necessarily the Third, but I think that news don't exaclty travel fast in Rhûn. Superstition is quite powerful, and I think most more 'primitive' Men in the East and South wouldn't care much either if their Gods were merely guiding spirits. Besides, the only ones who call them Gods in my story are Men anyway, elves or rangers or even more 'civilised' Men always refer to them by their names. LOL, trust me, no coalition is going to turn up in one of my stories. Over my dead body, in fact... *g* Thank you very very much for your huge, wonderful review! Thanks a lot for pointing all these things out, really! How am I supposed to learn otherwise? Thanks!!
LegolasGreenleafGil-Estel - You are quite evil, aren't you? To torment your poor sister like that... *shakes head, then grins* Well, it's just what I would do... And yes, they do have a gambling problem, even though that is going to be the least of their worries soon, trust me... *evil grin* Sorry, but the spiders won't turn up this story (or the next, for that matter), but they might one of these days! And no, I didn't kill Adruran. He simply disappeared, but that's something the villains don't know. As far as they're concerned, all the soldiers from THOM died. You might be right, you know, Teonvan is a little bit like Geran. Just a little of course. *g* Thank you very very much for all your reviews! *huggles*
Miaow Artsy - Lemon cake? Well, I guess you can never have too much of that... *g* Hmm, Laenro and Ethoani - Seobryn... The answer to that is: No, not really. While I have vague plans to bring Seobryn back one of these days, I don't think they'll be back. Sorry. But then again, everything's possible. *shrugs* Especially around here. Hmm, let me see, ten square feet should be about 3.3 m², which is definitely big enough for a cot (about 1.80 m x 0.50 m or something). But I admit that it's quite small, so maybe it's a little bigger than 3.3 m². *g* Or I got the whole foot-metre thing wrong, which still happens from time to time. In that case, just ignore it. *g* Thanks for pointing that out though, I'll have to think about it! Thanks for the review!
Zam - Great you liked Wolf-Sauron. He's just misunderstood, really! *tries to pat him* Adorable, isn' he? LOL, I can just imagine the Valar doing something like that! Popcorn and all! And Nienna wouldn't find it funny - her job is crying after all, so... 'I shall name him Oswald, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Oswald'?? ROTFL! Well, that's ... a good name! Really! Fëanáro is so ... old, Oswald IS way better! Even though Spalding is nice too... *g* So Celylith has turned against them, huh? Well, I don't really know if that was such a good idea... *shrugs* We'll see. And SADOMA sounds ... well, _wrong_. Just a little bit. *g*
Suzi - Well, you once again wrote a novel. *g* J/k, I envy you! How can you write such HUGE reviews? Thanks so much! *huggles* And yes, I am indeed pleased that you have someone else to blame, even though I do enjoy death threats. Somtimes it can become too much even for me... *g* LOL, sleep deprivation, huh? Well, it's more or less a side-effect, I think. Even though sometimes it's their own fault. I didn't stop Legolas, did I? I mean, he could go to sleep, no problem, but he's so busy worrying about Estel that he doesn't. *shrugs* His fault. Oh, and don't worry, I think it will be Aragorn's term to drug Legolas next story. Perhaps even in this one, I don't know yet. LOL, Teonvan is a Nazgûl in disguise? Well, that's interesting - and slightly frightening... *g* Oh, never fear, Celylith will soon be far too busy staying alive to concentrate on his gambling problem. Trust me. *evil grin* Yup, theit behaviour was most certainly Fëanor stupid. I mean, HE was stupid, wasn't he? And I really don't think that it would be a good idea to allow Celylith to keep the adorable little ox. Wilwarin might get jealous. *g* *blinks* Your topic does sound interesting. More interesting than mine. *g* So Suzi's your real name? I like it, and you're right, it's not very Scottish. *g* Your father is a very lucky person! You can tell him that - I'm glad to hear that he's okay. It's no wonder he crashed his car, because, as my sister told me when she was visiting me in London last summer, you all drive on the wrong side of the road. We actually wanted to ask for an audience with the Queen to tell her that, but we ran out of time... *g* And if you give us some time, we'll come up with a very embarassing death! Don't worry. Once again, thanks so much for the huge review! *huggles*
Sabercrazy - *bows* Thank you! It's very kind of you to say that! I love being evil! *huggles Sabercrazy* And don't worry, I am thinking about writing a female villain next story. My sister hasn't appeared yet in one of my stories and it's really time... Besides, she would be an awesome villain! So, we'll see... *g* And I have to agree: Even a short evil Celylith would be rather ... disconcerting. Maybe even a little frightening. *grabs the back of her shirt* Please stop hurting our favourite stupid elves! They only did what they did because I needed to get them into the city so Glorfindel could be tortured as you asked me to, so it's all your fault! And yes, the Gofi torture is coming, even though there won't be so much I'm afraid. I can't write much more of these scenes, I'm afraid. But don't worry, it will be here, but in chapter 26 or something like that. So you still have to wait a bit, sorry. *g* Anyway, thanks for the great - and slightly insane as always - review!
Tapetum Lucidum - Wow, it worked? Yay! *confetti falls* Well done! You conquered the horrible FF.net, congrats! If I were you I really would go and buy a lottery ticket. *g* I guess you're right, Legolas should be a little more patient with Laenro, but I think neither of the one is willing to put up with the other for long at the moment. Males. *shakes head* And, strictly speaking, Ráca doesn't even belong to Legolas, it belonged to Erelas' father, I guess if it HAD belonged to Legolas, Celylith would have recognised it sooner. And yes, I think Legolas IS quite panicky at the moment. *evil grin* Who wouldn't be? I most certainly would.
Amelie - Oh, don't worry about that. I simply looked it up in the dictionary; it's one of these words I know but don't know exactly what they mean. *g* Where would I be without my dictionary? Still in seventh grade, I think... *g* And why is everyone smacking Celylith? That's not really fair, you should smack Glorfindel and the twins too! Hmm, and let't just say that Cendan was loyal to Reran, not to Teonvan. And since all the condoning-Teonvan's-action-business he doesn't like Girion all that well either... *g* I hope this is not a cliffy, and I guess there will be another story after this one. IF I manage to finish this one, mind you.... *g*
Littleadryan - Well, thank you! It's nice to hear that you like my insane little story! *g* I might write a sequel to this, I am not yet sure, but there's quite a good chance - if I can manage not to get side-tracked. *shakes fist* Damn all these evil plot bunnies! *g* Thanks a lot for the review!

It's finally springtime! It's great and sunny and warm and I had my first real ice-cream this year today and and and... *trails off* Oh, yes. As always, thanks a lot for your great reviews! See you in a week!