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.

31. Complications

Disclaimer: For full disclaimer, please see chapter 1.


A/N:

I tried. I tried very hard, really, but I have to admit that I gave up in the end. Once again I have been bested by my characters who simply refuse to shut up! growls darkly You have no idea what I'm talking about, right? readers shake heads cautiously Well, let me explain then. I tried to write a nice, simple chapter - you know, full of the funny, amusing things: Blood, mayhem, chaos, death, destruction and so on and so forth. The problem was that I reached page 38 and hadn't even killed all the villains, which was essentially the point when I decided that it really was TOO LONG. Yes, I needed 38 pages to realise that. g

So I have to announce that there will be two more chapters after this one, not one as I had planned in the beginning. I am still rather unhappy about having 33 chapter instead of 32 as I intended, but I would have ended up with a 50-pages-chapter, which would have been a bit excessive even for me. The cliffies that inevitably popped up in this chapter are also unintentional, because I hadn't even planned to write two separate chapters. g This time you can't even blame my alter ego, which will most certainly not stop most of you. g


Okay, I won't bother you with any more of my mindless blabbering, because I guess you want to get to the interesting part about the blood, mayhem etc. g There is quite a lot of it in this chapter too, in which we also see Legolas who carries out the second part of his brilliant plan (snicker), a bit of Aragorn and Glorfindel and also a bit of Laenro and Cendan. Sero, Menvan and a multitude of face- and nameless minions make an appearance too, as well as one of our missing prisoners. No, I won't tell you which one now. evil grin

Have fun and review, please!

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Chapter 31


If Legolas hadn't been expecting Cendan's actions, the speed and efficiency with which they were executed would have surprised even him. He had indeed been right about one thing: The half-Easterling lieutenant was an extremely dangerous man, and he was glad he wouldn't have to fight him – at least not straight away. He didn't trust him implicitly after all, and he was still not sure where exactly his loyalties lay.

The way things were, however, he didn't even need half a second to adapt to the new situation. Before Cendan had even turned back around, Legolas' fingers had closed around the knife's handle and he had swivelled to the left, into the direction of the second guard who had flanked him and had still not fully understood that half of the guards were turning against him and his companions.

Cendan's men had just begun to lunge at the other soldiers when Legolas closed the distance between himself and the man and slammed the hilt of Cendan's knife against the guard's skull. The man crumbled to the floor without a sound, his blade clattering onto the wooden floorboards, and Legolas avoided his falling body with the agility that long practice brought and turned to the left. He just managed to avoid a guard that had shaken off his temporary paralysis, his sword held in front of him like a spear in the very clear intention of running him through.

Legolas swore inwardly and moved backwards and to the side, his back nearly hitting the wooden wall behind him. The guard rushed past him, unable to compensate for his "victim's" quick movements, and in the moment the man passed him Legolas gave him a kick that sent him flying forward. The man impacted with the wooden railing with an audible thud that was quickly followed by a gasp as the breath was knocked out of him, and before the man had time to gather his wits the elf was behind him and slammed his head hard against the carved balustrade.

The guard collapsed just as soundlessly as his comrade had a second earlier, and the elven prince let go of his head, not even trying to find some sympathy or remorse in his heart. In his eyes every soldier in this city deserved what he got, and they could count themselves lucky if he didn't kill them right away – something he was more than willing to do now that he thought about it.

Legolas abandoned that train of thought and quickly turned back around, taking a few seconds to survey his surroundings even despite the urgency that nearly overwhelmed his senses. A starker contrast to earlier was not thinkable, and the elf would nearly not have recognised the small space. Cendan's men seemed to be just as effective as their commander, the elf decided in a split second as he watched the dark haired lieutenant's guards dispatch their former colleagues with practised efficiency. At least half a dozen men were already lying on the ground, most of them motionless and surrounded by quite a bit of blood.

Still, Legolas thought darkly, the situation was far from under control – and if he was perfectly honest, he would be very much astonished if they managed to get it under control, his more pessimistic side whispered softly. More soldiers were beginning to rush up the stairs, and Girion's personal bodyguards had drawn a tight circle around their lord, Teonvan and several of the councilmen who had been lucky enough to be close to Girion when the attack had started. The men were undoubtedly professionals, and the ease and skill with which they fought to protect their charges was something that, as admirable as it may have been under different circumstances, was decidedly annoying now.

Legolas didn't have any time to dwell any further on that rather depressing subject, because Cendan's voice could be heard over the noise of the fighting, sounding mildly troubled, which was probably the lieutenant's equivalent of deep concern.
"Elf! Get down!!"

No matter how much or little he trusted the dark haired man, he was not stupid enough to ignore such a warning in the heat of battle. With hesitating for even a second, the elf allowed himself to drop to the floor, wincing slightly as his side hit the hard floorboards. A split second later he heard something cut through the air above his head where his chest had been only a moment ago, and after another second a dagger imbedded itself in the wall behind him. Legolas remained where he was for a moment, slightly stunned by the impact, before he scrambled back to his feet and narrowly avoided being skewered by another guard who had apparently decided to seize this chance to kill the troublesome elf once and for all. He hadn't counted on his intended victim's speed though, and so he quickly joined his fallen companions on the floor, clutching his bloody arm.

Legolas spared the man not even a second glance and quickly scanned his surroundings, cursing softly when he saw that a large number of guards had moved between him and the part of the room that was overlooking the field, surrounded by the carved wooden balustrade. The elf cursed again as he rushed over to the men that had clustered around Girion's abandoned chair, his grip on his knife tightening. How much time had passed since the dark haired man had given the order to hang Glorfindel, thirty, forty, fifty seconds? He shook his head quickly, the dread in his heart only intensifying. No matter how much time it was, it was too much.

The elf side-stepped a group of Cendan's men who were trying to stop Girion's men who were still rushing up the stairs, at least until their companions in the crowd could offer them some assistance. In a matter of moments he had reached the group of guards who had apparently decided to make their stand here, and immediately began attacking the man standing closest to him, trying not to give the men enough time to come to terms with this new threat.

It were about a dozen men that were separating him from the railing, and while Legolas was spinning and dodging blows, he asked himself once again why – and when – exactly he had thought this to be a good idea. Well, he thought as he danced to the side to avoid a sword that would have pinned him to the wall like a worm on a hook, this was the only place from which an archer could hope to be of any help here. The field was too flat for anyone to fire an arrow and there were too many people anyway, the castle was too heavily guarded and the houses of the city were too far away, so the only structure available that was higher or as high as the scaffold was this one.

Still, he decided, now that he was actually on said structure and in the process of being cut to pieces by a group of rather ill-tempered guards, it did not appear like a very good idea. He should have listened to Aragorn after all – even if that was something he wouldn't tell the man, at least not voluntarily or in a sober state.

He had dwelled on this for half a second too long, and one of his adversaries was quick to use his short time of distraction. The elf gritted his teeth and gripped his dagger more tightly as one of the guards managed to break through his defences while he was fighting two others, and the man's sword left a long, bleeding line on his left arm. Legolas forced himself to ignore the injury and switched the knife from his right to his left hand, which was about the last thing the man had expected him to do. Before the guard could even react, the elf's knife had buried itself in his right shoulder and the man stumbled back, screaming in pain as his blade fell to the floor with a clanking noise.

Legolas yanked the knife back with a sudden movement, not trying to cause the man any more pain, but not overly concerned about being gentle either. The other men fell back for a second, and Legolas felt how his face twisted into a dark, annoyed grimace. He didn't have time for this, he thought desperately, he didn't have time to trifle with these men. The plan had been that Cendan and his men held the other guards back so he could get to the balustrade for a few seconds, but it appeared that both they and the dark haired lieutenant had underestimated the number of guards that would be present.

The urgency began to spread, only fuelled by the roaring of the crowd he could hear but not see. It could mean any number of things, from mere excitement to surprise to readiness to try and help Laenro and his men, but Legolas' worried mind automatically came up with the worst scenarios imaginable. With an inward growl he switched the knife back to his right hand, noticing that the left began to become slick with the blood that was flowing down from the cut in his upper arm, and a moment later he moved forward, right into the midst of the men that were still watching him, their eyes full of apprehension and hatred.

The first two men were too surprised by his sudden, to the human eye unbelievingly fast movements, and were incapable of putting up much of a fight, but the resistance of the rest of the guards wasn't so easily overcome. Legolas sensed how he became increasingly frantic and desperate; this was taking too long, far too long! He should have been finished already, if he didn't manage to eliminate these men in the next few seconds he'd be too late and then…

A sudden, swishing noise startled the elf and caused him to move to the side on instinct, and only half a second later something black and vaguely cylindrical was protruding from the chest of the man Legolas was currently fighting. Legolas narrowed his eyes at the object, truly puzzled for a moment, but then he realised that the object was in fact a knife hilt. Another soft noise drew his attention to the left where another guard collapsed with a gurgling sound as another knife found its mark in the middle of his throat, and a second later three men joined the fray, pushing Legolas' remaining adversaries back and catching them totally by surprise.

Legolas used this short reprieve and thrust his own weapon into the side of the only guard close to him that had managed to withstand the onslaught of the three newcomers. The man went down without uttering a sound, and Legolas rushed forward, already knowing who the three men would be. Just as he had thought, he saw Cendan and two of his men who were rather earnestly occupied with eliminating the shrinking group of guards and preventing any of Girion's soldiers from coming to their aid.

Cendan, now lacking his knives that usually hung from his belt, wrenched his sword out of the armour of one of the soldiers he had just killed and gave the elf a dark look, who appeared to be torn between coming to their aid and rushing over to the balustrade.

"You should have told me you have a death wish, elf," he told him quickly before ducking under a blow that had been aimed at his head. "I could have accommodated you." The man ignored the annoyed look on the elf's face and added, "Go. I will keep my part of the bargain, so go and keep yours. We'll make sure no one disturbs you."

Legolas merely gave the man a curt nod and raced over to the balcony, for the first time feeling as if the plan just might work. He didn't really trust Cendan, but he believed what he had just said. He had given him his word that he would cover his back, and if Legolas had learned one thing in the past, it was that Cendan would never break his word.

The optimistic feeling lasted for only a second, and when he reached the wooden balustrade where Girion had stood and watched the crowd only a few minutes ago, he felt how his heart and with it his composure fell straight into his stomach. The elf didn't notice the sleet that hit his unprotected face, he didn't notice the wind that whipped his hair around his face; all his attention was focused on the sight that spread out in front of his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that Laenro had indeed not exaggerated when he had promised that his men could throw the field into chaos within a matter of minutes. Even Legolas' elven eyes had trouble identifying which people were which, and every square inch of the large area seemed to be covered with groups of people who were either fighting or trying to escape the mêlée. Legolas watched as a group of humans who appeared to be trying to leave the field stopped, and after a second of arguing, launched themselves at a pair of soldiers who were busy fighting a few of Laenro's men. Girion's men were overwhelmed almost instantly, and the small part of Legolas that was still capable of reasonable thought noted with satisfaction that at least some of the town's inhabitants were willing to help them.

All this the elf saw in less than a second, for his eyes were drawn almost immediately to the tall figure of Glorfindel who was standing on the wooden platform, his head held high in a manner that told every observer that he had nothing but contempt for the people around him. The lines of the guards that surrounded the scaffold were still strong and unbroken, and Legolas saw in an instant that it would take Laenro's men several more minutes to reach it – minutes they did not have. It was just as they had thought, the guards were too many and there was no way to reach Glorfindel before…

The elf's thoughts trailed off into nothing, and he watched as if in a trance how one of the officers who were trying to organise their men into something resembling a fighting formation shouted something at the men standing behind the other elf. One of them nodded fervently and motioned to his companions, and all Legolas could do was stare as one of the men reached out and pulled a lever at the back of the gallows.

Surprise flickered briefly over the golden haired elf's face as the trapdoor he was standing on opened and the ground was pulled out from under his feet. Legolas thought he heard Aragorn scream as the elf fell, even though it might only have been his imagination, because screaming was exactly what he wanted to do now. The sounds of fighting and even of the excited crowd below faded as time seemed to speed up again and Legolas sprang into action, feeling as if he had just been dumped into the Forest River in mid-winter.

Without waiting to see whether or not Glorfindel had survived the fall Legolas whirled around, his eyes wandering fervently over Girion's chair. Where was it, he screamed inwardly as his hands desperately searched the base of the seat. Menvan had said it was here, it should be here, what would he do if it wasn't here, what…

His nearly frantic musings were cut short as his fingers closed around a hard, smooth, comfortingly familiar object someone had cleverly hidden in the folds of the dark red velvet that had been draped decoratively over the carved chair, and with an inward prayer of thanks to whichever Vala was listening right now he pulled it out of its hiding place. Legolas didn't even stop to give his quiver which he had never expected to see again a second look and turned back around to the balustrade, his hands pulling the bow out of the quiver without thinking. The beautifully crafted weapon instilled him with new confidence, and he knew with certainty that it had been the right decision to persuade Cendan and his second-in-command to get him his bow. If he had to get used to another one now, he was rather sure that all this would be in vain.

How long could an elf survive without air, the fair haired prince mused frantically as he struggled to string his bow. Two minutes? Three? More? Less? Aragorn would probably be able to tell him, a part of him provided quietly, if the man was still alive, that was. If he knew him at all, he would do everything in his power to get to Glorfindel, and Ilúvatar alone knew what kinds of situation he would get himself into…

The elf cursed Cendan several times for not already stringing the weapon – something which the man would have been unable to do, of course, since it must have been hard enough to get the weapon here at all, but Legolas was really not in the mood to be reasonable about this – and after what felt like several ages the elf's fingers finally managed to force the string into place. He took a step forward, his eyes wandering over the scene in front of him. Relief so strong that it nearly sent him to his knees raced through him as he saw that the other elf was still alive – slowly suffocating and desperately struggling while he was beginning to spin around his own axis, but alive.

Legolas sent another prayer to the Valar and raised his bow, doing his best not to think about what consequences a failure on his part would have. This was not how it had been planned, he thought furiously as he reached for an arrow and notched his bow. He had been supposed to shoot the men guarding Glorfindel, to distract the guards and to buy them some time until Aragorn, Laenro and the others could reach him, and not to do anything like this! That had been their wonderful master plan, and if he had known it would come to something like this he would have…

…done just the same, he decided in a split second while he carefully took aim, blocking out both the other elf's increasingly red features and the sounds of battle behind him. This was not the time for self-doubt or diffidence; if he failed, Lord Glorfindel would die, it was as simple as that. He had made shots far more difficult, even though he could remember few made under direr circumstances. The visibility was poor but good enough, the wind was bearable and not strong enough to knock an arrow off course, he had clear view of his target that was moving in a reasonably predictably way and … he was out of time.

The blond elf's struggles were beginning to grow weaker, and even though Legolas did his best not to look at his face for fear of losing the rest of his composure, the elven prince saw that the elf lord's eyes were slowly beginning to drift shut. If he wanted to do something, he had to do it now.

Legolas took a deep breath and pushed all the fears and doubts that still preyed on his heart back, concentrating only on his target as he had been taught when he had still been an elfling and dreaming about fame, glory and exciting adventures, just like about every young male of that age did, regardless his race.

A moment later he exhaled and let the projectile fly, and in the moment the arrow left his bow the elven prince found himself praying that Aragorn had been right and that the trust the young human had put in him had not been misplaced.

A part of Aragorn had frozen with fear and panic when he had seen Glorfindel fall, while another part of him was angry, no, that wasn't the right word to describe it. He had left angry far behind and was now furious, so furious that he would have been hard-pressed to name an occasion when he had been more infuriated.

A scream he couldn't remember uttering was still echoing in his ears, reverberating through his head and threatening to rob him of the last shreds of his composure. With an unarticulated growl of rage the young ranger threw himself at the nearest guard, ignoring the cautioning call of Laenro or one of his men. Aragorn thrust his sword forward and down, eliminating two guards in the process, all this attention focused on the wooden structure and the struggling figure of his teacher who was beginning to spin around his own axis by the thick rope that hung from the gallows.

How dare these people, he thought furiously as he pushed forward, engaging the next guard and then the next. How dare they do this, how dare they try to kill his friend, his father's friend! The sudden image of his adoptive father's face appeared in his mind's eye, the elf's grey eyes filled with tears and looking so desolate that Aragorn's heart broke at the mere thought of it. It would be a crushing blow to Elrond to lose his best friend like this, after so many ages and all the battles the two of them had survived together, a blow from which the half-elven lord would most likely never fully recover.

Aragorn tightened his grip on his sword and slammed the hilt into the face of an attacking guard, his healing wounds protesting against the strain placed on them by the abrupt movements. He would not return home to his father bearing such news, he – would – not. There was absolutely no way he would allow these people to kill Glorfindel just like that, and he would make them pay for even attempting it. Suddenly a hand grabbed his coat and over shirt and pulled him to the side, causing a sword to miss him by inches. Aragorn didn't turn to see who had just saved him from injury or death and brought his own sword down, thrusting the blade into the shoulder of his opponent who went down with a scream.

A moment later he looked up and to the right, straight into the face of Laenro's second-in-command. Sero's grey hair had come loose of its braid and flew wildly around his head, something that, in combination with the grin on his face, served to give him a reckless, bloodthirsty look. Aragorn smiled slightly at the older man who returned it, apparently enjoying himself immensely.

"Careful, boy," the older man advised him with a wide grin, "Don't be so eager to get yourself killed, or these gentlemen just might oblige your wish."

Aragorn shook his head unwillingly, already pushing forward again, into the directions of the wooden platform. He didn't have time for idle conversation, couldn't this man see that?
"Help me get to the gallows!" he yelled curtly over the sound of battle that nearly drowned out all other noises around them. "We have to help him!"

"We will be too late," Sero yelled back and thrust his sword into the side of another attacking guard, doing his best to stay close to the obviously rather insane lad. He had taking a liking to him, he didn't really know why, and he would most certainly not allow him to get himself killed on a fool's errand. "Your friend wasn't fast enough. There's nothing we can do but try to get to Girion's podium and stop him from escaping!"

Before Sero even knew what was happening, the younger man had whirled around, a look of such fury and determination in his silver eyes that Sero would nearly have taken a step back. Even without the now blood-stained sword one of the men had thrust into the boy's hands before all this had begun the ranger looked more than ready to kill him and anyone who tried to stop him from coming to his friend's aid, and Sero suddenly found himself wishing that he had kept his mouth shut.

"I don't care about Girion!" the younger man hissed at Sero, eyes hard and steely in his face. "I will not let Glorfindel die! Legolas will think of something, and now you can either help me get to my friend or you can be quiet and leave me be!"

Sero shook his head at the younger man, inwardly asking himself if no one had ever taught this youth to respect his elders. Apparently not, he decided with an inward grin as he saw the determined, dangerous sparkle in the ranger's eyes, and instead of an anwer he took a step forward and slammed his fist into the face of a guard who had decided to use their moment of distraction.

"After you, boy."

Aragorn nodded at the older man and followed his example, throwing himself at the next guard who was following in his comrade's wake. How much time had passed since the guard had pulled that lever? Two minutes? Even more? He honestly couldn't tell, and that was beginning to send him into a state closely resembling a panic. He knew that elves, even more so than humans, could survive strangulation for several minutes, and that even when a person stopped breathing, he or she wasn't necessarily dead, but that didn't comfort him in the slightest. That the elf's neck hadn't been broken once his body had been jerked to stop was a blessing, but he knew that, unless Legolas did something or they reached the golden haired elf in the next minute or so, it wouldn't matter and would in fact have been more merciful if his neck had been snapped on impact.

'Please, Legolas, do something,' he found himself wishing with all his heart while he did his best to break through the slowly crumbling lines of guards that were still guarding the scaffold, flanked by Sero and a few of his men. 'Do something, I know you can make it, mellon nín, you are the only one who can. Do something, please…'

It was almost as if the fair haired elf had been able to hear his fervent pleas, for half a second later a brown feathered cut through the air a few metres ahead of them, nearly impaling one of the guards that jumped to the side in sudden fright. The arrow continued its trajectory and sliced through the rope wrapped around the golden haired elf's neck. It was no perfectly clean shot since it severed only half of the rope, and the frayed threads gave way abruptly, dropping the still weakly struggling elf another few inches. He was still far too high up for him to get his feet under his body (even if he'd had the strength to attempt such a thing), and Aragorn was just turning to Girion's gallery to look for Legolas when a second arrow passed over their heads, this time slicing neatly through the remaining fibres of the rope.

Aragorn released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding when Glorfindel dropped the remaining seven or eight feet to the ground, hitting the frozen earth hard. A moment later another arrow imbedded itself in the throat of the guard who had pulled the lever, something that filled Aragorn with far more satisfaction than it should have. The next one hit the officer who had given the order, and that was the moment when the guards still standing on the scaffold realised that it was a bad idea to remain where they were like sitting ducks and let themselves be killed one by one. A mad dash for the stairs set in, and Aragorn realised that this was his best chance to get to the fallen elf before any of the soldiers could get the idea to kill him rather than allow him to be freed.

"Cover me!" he yelled at no one in particular and rushed forward, completely ignoring Sero's calls for him to wait and side-stepping two guards who were quite intent on putting as much distance as humanly possible between themselves and the platform. In a matter of moments he had reached the base of the scaffold and with it the last remaining guards separating him from the unmoving elf and Aragorn threw himself at them, fuelled both by his mounting worry and the fury that still filled the bigger part of him.

He realised a moment too late that it just might have been a mistake to engage a group of eight humans all alone and not up to his full strength, a suspicion that was only fortified when a blow he could hardly block threw him back against a wooden pole at his back. The impact stunned him for a few seconds as pain flared to life in his still healing wounds, and he couldn't react in time when another guard stepped forward and, an insufferably smug smile on his face, thrust his blade through the young ranger's left shoulder, securely pinning him to the pole.

For a moment, Aragorn didn't feel anything, but then pain exploded in his upper arm and he would have sunken to his knees if the sword through his shoulder hadn't kept him upright. The young man couldn't quite suppress a pained scream as the guard wrenched his blade out of his shoulder and, paralysed with pain as he was for the moment, he could do nothing but stare as the man drew back and prepared to thrust his sword through his middle.

Before the soldier could impale him though, the man's body was thrown forward and to the side as an arrow hit him in the back of his shoulder, the force of the impact spinning him around. A second arrow hit the guard next to Aragorn in the throat, and a second later two more men others joined their companions on the ground, both of them holding bloody arrow wounds. Aragorn needed only a second to react, and a few moments later all the guards lay on the cold earth or had fled.

The young ranger gritted his teeth and sheathed his sword, doing his best to ignore the pain in his shoulder. He quickly turned around and made sure that there were no more soldiers that posed an immediate threat before his eyes searched for Legolas' figure among the fighting men that could be seen on the other wooden structure. A flash of blond hair caught his attention, and Aragorn smiled and waved quickly as Legolas raised a hand in greeting before notching another arrow to his bow with lightning speed and letting it fly, hitting a man in the chest who had been sneaking up on the distracted ranger.

Aragorn whirled around, the pain in his arm forgotten for the moment, and shook his head as he saw the dead man behind him who had come disconcertingly close to running him through.

"Show-off," he muttered between gritted teeth and turned around to rush over to the motionless elf. Sero and two of his men arrived on the scene just as he was turning to the scaffold, and without waiting for them to say anything he once again told them to cover him and began to run over to Glorfindel's body.

His heart was beating in his chest so quickly that Aragorn feared it might explode, and when he had reached the golden haired elf, he was sure that he was dead. They had been too late after all, they had been too late to save Glorfindel and now he was dead, and it was all his fault. All he could think about was the fact that he would never again speak to the wise re-born warrior from Gondolin, whose death would surely destroy his father, he was sure about it…

With hands shaking with grief, fear and suppressed pain he gently grasped the fair haired elf's shoulders and turned him onto his back, his breath catching in his throat as he saw his injuries close up. The man pressed a hand against the elf's throat next to the rope, hoping against hope that he would find a heartbeat there, and nearly fell over in surprise when he did feel the weak beating of a heart and even detected the soft signs of breathing.

For a moment, Aragorn was too stunned to react, so much had he expected to find the ancient elf dead, but a second later he shook off the shock that had laid itself over his senses. With a movement almost too quick for the human eye to follow he had drawn the knife Laenro had reluctantly provided him with and had sliced through the noose that was still wrapped tightly around the elf's throat. Another second later he had cut the bonds that secured the other's hands behind his back. As soon as the ropes fell away, the blond elf coughed and sucked in a deep breath, his hands automatically going to his bruised throat, and Aragorn was helpless to suppress the wide grin that spread over his face as he decided that he had never heard a more beautiful sound than Glorfindel struggling to draw air into his lungs.

The noise of fighting seemed to fade away as Aragorn helped the semi-conscious elf to sit up, so concentrated was the young human on his elven friend. After a few more seconds the elf's breathing had evened out a little and he had stopped coughing, and a moment later he opened his uninjured eye, a slightly amused sparkle shining through the pain and last remnants of panic that still filled them.
"That was … about time."

The grin on Aragorn's face widened even more as he looked at the elf he held upright, his eye narrowing in concern when he saw the raw, red marks on Glorfindel's throat where the rope had bit into his skin.
"Forgive us, my lord," he answered lightly. "You are right; Legolas and I have to be severely reprimanded for our tardiness. The next time we will try to rescue you more quickly and without causing you so much inconvenience."

"I seriously … hope so, Estel," Glorfindel all but croaked. "I must admit that I was beginning to … get slightly … annoyed towards the end." He paused for a moment before his head flew up anxiously. "The … twins?"

"Are fine," Aragorn soothed softly. "Do not trouble yourself. They are safe. And I am very sorry about all this, my lord," Aragorn bowed slightly. "We'll do better next time."

An answering grin began to spread over Glorfindel's face and he struggled to sit up on his own, something he managed to do after a few seconds with the young ranger's help.
"There won't be a next time, young one," he shook his head, wavering slightly back and forth. "I will tell your father about all this, and if Elrond has any sense at all, he will lock you in the cellars and will never allow you to leave Imladris again." He grimaced slightly. "And he'll kill me, but that's another story."

"Most likely," Aragorn agreed and looked about him, slowly beginning to take in their surroundings again. His eyes wandered over the chaotic field in front of them and he inwardly shook his head in slight self-reproach. They had lingered far too long here already. He returned his attention to the elf in front of him, a concerned expression on his face. "Can you stand, my friend? We must hurry."

"Stand?" Glorfindel echoed unbelievingly and struggled to get to his feet. "I can do more than that! Give me that knife of yours and you'll see how well I can 'stand'."

Aragorn smiled as he pulled the elf into a standing position, inwardly frowning when he sensed how much weight the blond elf had lost. Glorfindel had always been broad-shouldered and muscular for an elf, and right now the man had the feeling that he weighted not nearly enough. Once he was sure that Glorfindel wouldn't collapse immediately – something that most likely only the elf's pride prevented – Aragorn quickly shrugged out of his cloak and draped it over the elf's bare shoulders. He ignored the other's protests and pressed his dagger into his hands, smiling once again when he saw the dark, indignant expression on his face.

"Don't waste your breath arguing with me," he shook his head and touched the other's arm, motioning him to follow him. He would have liked to stay close to the elf to make sure that he wouldn't stumble or fall, but he knew better than to offer any more assistance. "You are hurt and need the warmth."

Glorfindel gave the far younger being a dark look as he followed him out from under the scaffold, his eyes wandering over his surroundings. The pain in his body had lessened considerably as it was suppressed by the adrenaline that flowed through his veins, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he would reach his limits. He had still trouble drawing breath, his throat feeling as if someone had squeezed it in a vice (which, now that he thought about it, wasn't even that far from the truth), and the welts and cuts and his broken ribs were still a dull, ever-present painful throbbing at the back of his mind.

He was still of the opinion that nothing could ever hurt as much as his encounter with the balrog all those ages ago, but he had to admit that being hanged did have its disadvantages as well. The feeling of falling into nothing had already been highly unpleasant, but to feel the rope tighten around his neck and start to suffocate slowly had been even worse. There were few things that could wake panic into one's heart quite like the inability to draw breath, and Glorfindel was honest enough to admit to himself that, in the end, he had been close to terrified.

To make matters even worse, he thought wryly, he had landed on his shoulder when the rope had been severed, and he was rather certain that, if his collarbone hadn't been broken before, it was now. Still, he added stubbornly as he hurried to keep up with the young man, these were things he wouldn't tell a child like Aragorn.

Soon he needed most of his concentration to keep standing and to follow Aragorn, who was reasonable enough not to offer him any assistance. They needed only a few seconds to step out from under the scaffold, and Aragorn quickly saw how much the field had changed in the past few moments. The fighting had moved off into the direction of the castle and the edges of the area, and even though it was still hard to tell, it appeared that Laenro's and Cendan's men had managed to push the main part of the guards back and away from the scaffold and Girion's gallery. The soldiers' lines were still holding, but it was clear that it was only a matter of time before they would crumble. One could almost watch how the soldiers either fled or even changed sides once they saw that their officers were dead, and suddenly Aragorn realised that they really might make this plan work.

Before he could turn around to Glorfindel and tell him to follow him over to the wooden gallery, they were joined by Sero and two of his men who appeared as if out of nowhere from around the scaffold. Sero appeared unhurt except for a large cut that ran over his left cheek, and the blood that covered most of his face only added to the rather disconcerting impression that he was having the time of his life.

The grey haired man raised an eyebrow and looked at the slightly swaying elf, who looked healthier than he had thought anyone who had just been nearly hanged and had spent several days in Glamir's dungeons could look. He shrugged inwardly. Maybe some of the old stories were true after all: Elves were not normal, which was something he should have realised by now, really. The blond one had been something of a giveaway, hadn't he?

Sero gave the elf a curt nod before he redirected his attention to the dark haired ranger who had acquired a rather bloody hole in his left shoulder since he had last seen him.
"We need to get over to the others. The guards are retreating to the castle, but the rest of Cendan's men is waiting for them – if you can trust his word, that is, which I don't. Not even for a minute."

"You can trust him, at least in this matter," Aragorn assured the man. "Where is…"

Before he could say more, a man wearing the grey and black livery of Girion's house came running up to them, and Aragorn felt Glorfindel tense next to him as the elf's eyes narrowed to take in the new threat. The ranger would almost have reached for his sword as well, but then he saw the strip of red cloth the man had wrapped around his sword arm, the sign Cendan and Laenro had agreed on to prevent their men from killing each other. A moment later Aragorn realised that it was Menvan who was now skidding to a halt next to them, an urgent expression on his blood-stained face.

Sero merely cocked an eyebrow at the younger man and waited for him to regain his breath sufficiently to speak. It appeared that he liked Cendan's second-in-command about as little as his lieutenant. Menvan needed another second to gulp air into his lungs before he looked up at the four men and the elf, not even flinching when he saw the fair haired being's injuries. He had seen much worse in his time, and he was an elf, after all.

"Girion's escaped," he finally gasped out. "We need to get to the castle to stop him, or all this will have been in vain. As long as he lives, he'll try to retake the city. We must kill him now, before he can rally his men or get out of the town."

"Teonvan?" was all the ranger asked, a dark glint in his eyes.

"Gone as well," Menvan answered just as curtly. "He and his lieutenants managed to break away from the main force and escaped with Girion and some of the councilmen while Girion's bodyguards covered their escape." He grimaced and something that may have been regret flittered over his face. "They fought well, just as I had known they would."

Nobody needed to ask what had happened to the bodyguards, and Aragorn finally shook his head slightly, noticing that the pain in his shoulder was once again starting to distract him.
"Where are my friend and Cendan? And Laenro?"

Now it was most definitely regret that was visible on the brown haired man's face, and something like anger and disapproval quickly mixed with it.
"They went to the dungeons," he replied tensely. "The lieutenant keeps his word. He will show them the way down there, even if it means that he has to let Teonvan escape." He shook his head. "The castle is not secure, far from it. The fighting has shifted there now, and they are only a small group. They'll get themselves killed for sure."

He said more, but Aragorn hardly heard his words. He should have known Legolas would rush to the dungeons as quickly as he could; there was absolutely no way the elf would allow Celylith to stay there any longer than necessary. For a few moments his thoughts were in turmoil, but then he quickly turned back to Menvan, a determined expression on his face.

"Take us to the castle," he ordered curtly. "We must buy them enough time to get to the dungeons and free Celylith and the girl. If we can find and stop Girion, fine, but we need to cover their backs and give them enough time to carry out their plan."

Sero hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded and turned to his two companions, giving them a few brief instructions. A moment later he turned back to the young ranger and gave him another nod, seriously wondering if he would see this reckless boy ever again.
"Alright," he told Aragorn quickly. "I'll give you all the men I can spare. I need to get to the gates so we can barricade them just in case the dear lieutenant's kin don't keep their word. We'll do our best to keep the soldiers occupied and away from the castle."

Menvan's eyes narrowed slightly and it appeared that he wanted to say something in defence of his lietenant's honour, but Aragorn cut him off quickly.
"Thank you. Good luck to you and your men, Sero."

"You'll need that, not me," the older man shook his head and motioned to the men he wanted to accompany him. "Do me a favour and look out for Laenro for me … and Ethoani, should you find her. Please."

"Consider it done," Aragorn nodded and was already turning into the direction of the castle. Sero gave him a last nod before he and his men disappeared into the direction of the eastern gates, and the ranger turned to his elven friend while he nodded at Menvan to take point. "My friend, I think…"

"If you think that I will remain here like a meek child while you go off to fight that madman, you are mistaken, Estel," Glorfindel shook his head darkly, ignoring the way his neck protested against the movement. "I will not let you out of my sight until we get home."

"My lord…"

"No, young one," the elf shook his head and began to follow Menvan and his men who were already hurrying into the direction of the castle. "Do not even think about saying it. I have a score to settle with Girion and his men; they will pay for laying hands on all of you. If I can't go and help the prince to find his friend, I will stay with you and make sure that you don't get yourself killed."

Aragorn was about to argue, but then he saw the determined, steely sparkle in the elf's eyes and closed his mouth with a snap. He had neither the time nor the desire to fight with the blond elf about this now, and he knew that it would be futile anyway. Nothing but an order from the Valar themselves or maybe Elrond's reasonable voice would be able to sway the elf now, and since he was neither a Vala nor his elven father, he didn't even try to persuade him to stay behind.

The man merely inclined his head at the golden haired elf and hurried to catch up with Menvan and Sero's men, inwardly praying to Ilúvatar to keep Legolas and the others safe, and be it only long enough so they could come to their aid.

Legolas was beginning to have trouble keeping up with Cendan, Laenro and the few men that were accompanying them, something that bothered him immensely. Oh, and he was beginning to doubt his sanity, but that was neither anything new nor as annoying as his inability to keep pace with mortals, especially when the mortals were Cendan and Laenro.

The elf wrenched the sword he had … "borrowed" from one of Girion's fallen guards out of the body of another who had so foolishly refused to surrender and paused for a moment, trying to force his surroundings back into focus. After a couple of seconds he succeeded and pushed the pain that raged in his head to the back of his mind.

It was his fault that he had been injured, of course. He had been so focused on keeping Aragorn safe earlier on the gallery that he had failed to keep some of his attention on what was happening behind him, and so Cendan's warning cry had reached him too late. Just after he had watched the ranger disappear under the scaffold a soldier had managed to break through the lines of Cendan's men behind him and had very nearly run him through.

Legolas hadn't managed to jump to the side fast enough to avoid the man completely, and the human had managed to get a hold of him and to slam him head-first into the very solid back of Girion's chair. His attacker had quickly been shown how stupid it was to attack a wood-elf, be he distracted or not, but the entire episode had resulted in him having suffered a rather spectacular-looking head wound so that he now bore the close resemblance with someone who had just been dunked into a pot of red paint.

The elf growled inwardly. That in itself wouldn't have been too bad, of course, at least not in his opinion – he was sure Aragorn and the rest of his friends would see it differently though. He had deserved it to some degree since he really should have paid more attention, and what was really bothering him was that the attack had made him drop his bow, which had of course fallen promptly over the railing. He truly didn't know why every other person seemed to want to separate him from his weapon, but this man had definitely succeeded, something that filled him with quite a lot of annoyance. The last thing he needed now was that someone hit him in the side and his day would be positively perfect.

The blond elf took his thoughts off his beloved weapon and the question of whether or not he would ever find it again and returned to the present, just in time to throw himself down and to the side to avoid an arrow that would have hit him straight in the throat. Two of Cendan's bowmen whirled around and tried to locate this new threat, and a moment later the formerly hidden archer sailed through the air and made contact with the cobbled ground with a rather sickening thud.

Legolas scrambled back to his feet and once again began to make his way over to the side entrance where the dark haired lieutenant and Laenro were already waiting, giving the much better guarded front doors a wide berth. Some minutes ago they had reached the courtyard which more or less resembled an anthill after someone had poked it repeatedly with a stick, a comparison that nearly caused the elf to start giggling. There were people running around everywhere, and no one seemed to have even the slightest idea what to do, which was of course exactly what they had been counting on from the beginning. It appeared that Cendan and his men had been rather successful in eliminating most of the higher-ranking officers, and, unbidden as that thought may have been, he was now rather glad that the dark haired lieutenant was willing to pursue his goals so ruthlessly.

A moment later Legolas reached the door that was being held open by Cendan who seemed to be rather amused, even though he didn't show it openly in the face of the elf's obvious annoyance.
"Are you having trouble keeping up with us, Master Elf?"

The elf turned around to him, pushed a strand of blood-soaked hair out of his eyes and gave him a glare that made the man very glad that looks couldn't kill.
"Not at all," he answered curtly, his fingers fingering his sword hilt in a faintly threatening manner. "Lead the way, Lieutenant. I'll be right behind you, trust me."

"With pleasure," the dark haired man retorted emotionlessly, but an amused sparkle shone in his eyes which Legolas decided to ignore. "Just try not to get lost." He turned to Laenro who was beginning to look so impatient that it was a miracle he hadn't started tearing out chunks of his own hair. "That goes for you too. I promised you to take you to the dungeons, but I won't be chasing you through the castle. Teonvan has an appointment with my knives, and it would be most rude to keep him waiting, wouldn't it?"

Cendan ignored the outraged expression on the elf's and the other man's face, turned and began to hurry down the corridor, past several wooden doors that seemed to lead to storage rooms of some sort. The man quickly divided his men into three groups and ordered one of them to stay behind and try to keep the guards off their backs as long as possible. The second was sent off further into the building to try and cause as much confusion as possible so that only the third remained, a rather small group of humans now that Legolas thought about it.

The fair haired elf ignored the dark whispers and predictions of doom the more reasonable part of him insisted on running through his head and hurried his steps, rushing through the dark, depressing corridors as quickly as he could. The burning pain in his cut arm worsened, and Legolas sent a quick prayer of thanks to the Valar that it had been his left arm that had been injured and not his right. Now that he had lost his bow he had to rely on his sword arm – not that he bow would have done him much good anyway in these narrow corridors.

These contemplations served to bring his thoughts back to Aragorn and Glorfindel, and he found himself desperately wishing that they were alright. He had lost sight of them after that one guard had had confused his head with an exercise device, and soon after that Cendan, Laenro and he had left and fought their way over to the castle. The lieutenant had pointed out that they needed to hurry if they wanted to free Celylith and Ethoani, something which both Legolas and Laenro were very well aware of. They both knew that there was the very real chance that someone would get the idea that it was more advantageous to Girion if his prisoners were killed rather than freed, and no matter what differences may stand between them, they were united in their determination that they wouldn't allow that to happen.

Legolas clenched his teeth as he looked at the grey-faced Laenro next to him. He was sure that his face would have been the same colour if it hadn't been so covered with blood. The anxiety that had been residing in the pit of his stomach had developed into a full-blown panic, and he was hard-pressed not to let that feeling show, especially considering the way that dark memories were beginning to well up inside of him. Cendan would most likely enjoy it immensely if he lost it here and now.

'Just wait until I get my hands on that stupid, reckless excuse for an elf,' the elven prince fumed in mock fury. 'I will teach him to stay in the palace when he's told to do so, Eru help me…'

He had barely noticed that they had begun to climb down several sets of stairs, and he was still musing on what he would do to Celylith when they would finally reach the dungeons, when it was brought to his attention that they had in fact been there for quite some time. The were just rounding a corner, about to climb down some more stairs, when they came face to face with a group of rather startled guards who were apparently in the process of rushing up the stairs to aid their comrades.

For a second, the two parties merely stared at each other, but the spell was quickly broken when Legolas reacted first and gave the guard standing at the front a kick, sending the man crashing backwards and down the stairs. The other men were rather slow to react, and so most of them were unable to step aside and were pulled down the stairs with him. Laenro, Cendan and the others quickly joined the fight, and a moment later the stairs were littered with the bodies of the dead guards.

Legolas made sure that there weren't more soldiers lurking around the corner and leaned against the damp stone wall for a second, willing his head to stop spinning. He had tried to deny this as long as possible, but it was beginning to become apparent that his little knock to the head was more serious than he had first thought. He had enough experience with concussions to know when he was suffering from one, and for a split second he saw Elrohir's grinning face in his mind's eye, who appeared to be overjoyed that he wasn't the only one with this particular kind of injury.

"Elf?" Laenro's voice ripped him out of his brief reverie. "Are you alright?"

Legolas opened his eyes, looking at the young man who appeared rather unconcerned about whether or not he was alright. Laenro was most likely only concerned about him delaying all of them, and so Legolas quickly nodded his head which promptly very nearly exploded.
"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go."

Laenro didn't even nod back but merely turned around, his eyes darting over the bodies. It took the elf's pain-filled mind a moment to realise that the man was looking for Cendan, who was just standing to his feet and returning a bloody knife to its sheath.
"The girl is down here and then to the left," he nodded down the stairs. He returned his gaze to the body of the man lying in front of him. "He died before he could tell me where the elf is, but I think he said something about Glamir. I'm not sure."

Legolas was very surprised that his heart didn't actually freeze in his chest, and found himself nodding calmly. With a tremendous effort he pushed the fear and panic that threatened to overcome him at the lieutenant's words to the back of his mind, forcing himself to think logically. It wouldn't help anyone if he ran off and started searching every cell in the dungeons; it was far more reasonable to get the girl first and then search for Celylith.

The elf ignored the part of him that wanted to throw reason and logic out of the window and nodded again, his face pale and devoid of all emotions.
"Lead the way then. We'll find him, sooner or later."

He didn't add that he would turn this entire castle upside-down until he had found his silver haired friend, not that he would have needed to. The expression on his face spoke of his determination not to leave before he had found the other elf, and this time not even Laenro said anything. Cendan nodded at one of his men to take point and a second later they were moving once again, rushing down the stairs with renewed urgency.

It quickly became apparent why Cendan had picked this particular man to lead them, since he appeared to know exactly where he was going. He led them down the stairs and then down the left corridor. They reached another corner, but before they could catch up with their guide, the man had pressed himself to the wall and looked back at them with wide eyes. It immediately became apparent why the man had stopped so suddenly: Voices were beginning to float down the corridor, and a short burst of coarse laughter interrupted the eerie silence of the dark passageway.

"… told them to be a bit more careful," one voice said, the grin its owner was surely wearing plain to hear. "It's rare to have one quite as pretty, and what do they do? Go and ruin everything!"

A second voice snorted.
"The captain was a bit overeager, yes. She won't make it long now; it's probably for the best, too, all things considered."

"Just like that elf," the first voice agreed. "Gods, I will enjoy watching the two of them die! I have never met more annoying creatures, and I really find it hard to tell which one is worse."

The second voice said something, but Legolas was too concentrated on not losing his temper to listen any further. Laenro seemed to have much the same problem, and the two of them only exchanged a quick look before gripping their swords more tightly and rushing around the corner. Cendan raised his eyes to the dark grey stone ceiling and once again asked himself just why he had agreed to lead the two of them down here; it was easier to keep track of a pair of five-year-old children. The sounds of fighting died down quickly, and the lieutenant gave his men the sign to follow the elf and Laenro with an annoyed gesture of his hand.

He wasn't very surprised by what he saw when he rounded the corner and spared the two fallen guards not even a second glance. He had never liked the men who worked down here, most of them were far too much like Teonvan, at least in his opinion. When he reached the two of them, the elf was just slowly getting back to his feet, pulling his sword out of one of the guards' side. Laenro was still kneeling next to the other soldier, searching his clothing, before he finally shot back to his feet, a small ring of keys clutched tightly in his fist.

The brown haired man turned to Cendan, an almost wild look in his eyes.
"Which one?"

The lieutenant needn't be told what the other man was talking about and merely nodded at one of the cell doors a bit further down the corridor.
"Over there."

Without another word Laenro whirled around and rushed down the corridor, skidding to a halt in front of the door Cendan had pointed at. In less time than anyone would have thought possible he had found the right key, had thrust it into the lock and turned it. A moment later the cell door swung open with an ominous, creaking sound that sent shivers down Legolas' spine, and one of the men stepped forward, bringing his torch closer to the now open door.

It took the men and even Legolas some moments to adjust their eyes to the darkness of the small room, even despite the burning torch, but soon a heavy, grim silence fell over the small group. No one moved a muscle until Laenro finally took a step forward and walked into the cell as if in a trance, moving with the slowness of a man who was desperately hoping that what he was seeing was not real.

Laenro stopped next to what Legolas had thought to be pile of rags on first glance, and which he would hardly have believed to be a human being if not for the pale hand that stuck out from the bundle at an odd angle. The man let his sword fall down next to him, paying the clattering sound it made when it connected with the stone floor no heed, and slowly sank to his knees, reaching out with one hand to turn the body in front of him around.

Cendan gave the body in the cell only one look; the only outward reaction that was visible was a brief clenching of his jaw muscles. Then he turned back to his men, giving them a hard look that was not to be disobeyed.
"Search this part of the dungeons. Get everyone who is in here up into the courtyard and then help the others. Menvan and his men should already be here, and if they are not, they will get here soon. I'll join you later."

"But sir," one of them shook his head, his eyes darting unsubtly from Legolas to the other man in the cell, "What about you? We can't just…"

"I'll be fine," Cendan said curtly. "Go. Now."

Legolas heard the young lieutenant's words only dimly and he didn't truly notice the other men leaving, for he had followed Laenro into the cell, his keen eyes seeing far more than he wanted to see. Laenro had turned his sister's body over onto her back, and if Legolas' face hadn't already been so white, he would almost certainly have paled. He had seen the girl only a few times, but he seriously doubted that even people who had known her for most of her life would have recognised her in this condition.

The first thing he noticed was that it wasn't only the young woman's one hand that was bent at an odd angle. Her other hand looked just the same, and Legolas knew without really looking more closely that the wrists were broken, and had been for some time. Most of her clothing was ripped and torn, and every bit of visible skin – and there was quite a lot of it – was either bruised or cut. Ethoani's face looked even worse if such a thing was even possible, her nose obviously broken and her mouth bloody and swollen and of an alarmingly blue colour.

Legolas swallowed hard, feeling strangely numb inside. He had thought that Cendan had sent his men away because of the girl's barely decent state of dress, but now he realised that, if that had been one the lieutenant's reasons, it hadn't been the only one. Cendan had made sure that Laenro had some time alone with his sister to say good-bye, and Legolas couldn't honestly say that he disagreed. He had seen many people just before their souls left their bodies, and most of them had looked more lively than this girl.

If Laenro was aware of that fact, he hid it well, but he was unable to hide the horror and fear on his face as he carefully pulled up his sister's broken body, peering intently into her bruised, apparently unconscious face.
"Sister? Ethoani? Answer me! I need you to wake up now, little one, we need to get you out of here! Ethoani? Can you hear me?"

Legolas' heart broke when he heard the hope in the brown haired man's voice, and slowly stepped closer, allowing himself to sink to his knees next to Laenro and his sister. Maybe he could help, a small voice inside his head whispered, perhaps what all his instincts were telling him was not true and there was still a way to save the girl... She had saved Aragorn, the twins and him, and he owed her a debt he would never be able to repay. She had got caught because of him after all; he should have stopped her from returning to the castle, just like Laenro had tried…

The elf gave Laenro a quick look, asking for permission, and when the man ignored him and just kept whispering softly to his younger sister, he carefully reached out and began to examine the girl, the irrational hope in his heart dying bit by bit the more of her body was revealed. Laenro barely noticed that the elf was even in the same room and continued trying to rouse his sister, a task on which he was so focused that, at first, he didn't realise that he had succeeded. Whether she had heard her brother's voice or had somehow sensed his presence they would never know, but a few moments after Legolas had knelt down next to her Ethoani's eyelids opened slowly, her eyes staring straight ahead.

It took Laenro a moment to realise that his sister was awake, but when he did a rather shaky smile spread over his face that looked more than a little bit fake and forced.
"Thank the Gods!" the man breathed softly. "Stay awake, little one, we will get you to Thesieni as quickly as possible."

The girl needed some time to get the face that was hovering over hers into focus, but she finally smiled as well, only faintly and with no real mirth or strength behind it.
"You … should not … have … come."

"Aye, I shouldn't have," Laenro agreed shakily. "But I did nonetheless."

"Typical," Ethoani smiled weakly. "Stubborn…"

"Yes, I am, and that is why I won't let you go back to sleep," Laenro nodded, his eyes bright and desperate. "You will be fine, you'll see. Just stay awake."

His sister wanted to say something, but a sudden coughing fit caused her to double over, gasping for breath. Laenro held her as best as he could and looked at Legolas, his eyes fixed pleadingly on the elf's bowed head. Legolas sensed very well that the young man was looking at him, that he was searching for a bit of hope, and simply couldn't raise his head to tell him that there was none.

He was no healer, but he had seen enough wounds like these to know that the girl would die, here and now and in agony. It hadn't taken him long to find the broken ribs, but they weren't even remotely as serious as the hard, rigid muscles of her abdomen. He timidly applied the tiniest bit of pressure on the girl's upper left abdomen which, even though she was so busy coughing, nearly caused her to jump off the ground with pain. Legolas ignored Laenro's murderous look and suppressed a tired sigh. He recognised internal injuries when he saw them, and judging by the way Ethoani's heartbeat was weakening by the minute, she had been suffering from them for some time now. He seriously doubted that even Lord Elrond or Hithrawyn would have been able to help her in this condition, when she was so far gone already. There was nothing they could do.

Legolas finally took a deep breath and looked up, meeting Laenro's eyes with some reluctance. He didn't have to say anything or even shake his head, and only a few seconds later understanding spread over the man's face, causing the tentative smile on his lips to freeze. He stared at Legolas for a few moments, until Ethoani blindly grasped for her brother's hand despite the pain that movement must have caused her.
"I didn't … tell them anything, I swear I … didn't…"

"Shhh," Laenro soothed, gently taking her hand. "I know you didn't. It doesn't matter now, save your strength."

"No," the girl shook her head stubbornly. "The elves … Girion's mustn't have them."

"We already freed one of them and will find the other, too," the brown haired man said quietly. "Girion is falling, sister. The town is in an uproar and most of the soldiers are on our side. We will overthrow him this time, Ethoani. This time we will win."

It took the dying girl some time to understand what her brother was saying, but finally a genuine, happy smile spread over her face.
"Good," she whispered. She paused for a moment, regret appearing in her eyes. "I should have listened … to you, brother. I'm … sorry…"

Laenro bowed his head and said nothing, obviously struggling not to lose control over his emotions, and so Legolas edged a bit closer and smiled at the young woman.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Ethoani. You saved my friends and me as well. We are in your debt, and couldn't repay you in a thousand years."

"I did what I had to do," Ethoani simply whispered, the blue colour on her lips intensifying.

"No," Legolas shook his head earnestly, the sadness he felt visible in his eyes. This girl was barely more than a child, barely younger than Aragorn, and there was nothing he could do to stop her from passing from this world, nothing at all. "You did what you chose to do, and that took a lot of courage. I thank you, my lady. Thank you for saving our lives."

Ethoani merely nodded tiredly, the lines that pain and fear had burrowed into her face slowly smoothing. Legolas had seen this too many times in the past not to know what it meant, and so had Laenro, it appeared.

"No!" he exclaimed, tightening his grip on his sister. "You cannot die, sister! I promised our father and uncle to look after you; you can't leave me, not now that we are achieving all we ever dreamt of! Don't go, please, not now…"

The young woman merely smiled, her body already beginning to relax as it began to accept the inevitable.
"Laenro," she said softly, her eyes fixed on her brother who was crying openly now. "Laenro. Girion will die and … our home will be free, is this … not so?"

"Yes," the man nodded through the tears that were streaming down his face. "Yes, I promise."

"Then I am content," she whispered, the smile widening before a look of sadness flittered over her face. "I only wish that … Ciran could have seen it, he would have loved to…"

Ethoani's words had dropped to a whisper and she finally fell silent in mid-sentence, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on her brother's face. For a few moments both Legolas and Laenro simply stared at the young woman before they realised what had just happened, and when the man did not move at all for what felt like at least several minutes, the elf reached out and gently closed the dead girl's eyes, grief and guilt warring in his heart. Her brother kept staring at her now relaxed face, and finally nodded, tears still running down his cheeks.

"You are right, little sister. He would have."

Legolas slowly got to his feet, the numbness that had been filling him torn asunder and his entire being filled with conflicting emotions. As much as he wanted to stay here longer, he knew that he couldn't. There was nothing he could to help Ethoani or her brother, but Celylith may very well still be alive. Now that he had seen what had happened to Laenro's sister, the fear in his heart had grown to incredible proportions, but he still couldn't find it in him to simply leave the young man.

The elf stopped at the open cell door, trading a quick look with the stony-faced Cendan whose presence he had completely forgotten, and when he was just turning back to Laenro he saw that the man was gently placing his sister's body on the ground, treating her with such tenderness that Legolas' heart once more clenched inside his chest. The brown haired man slowly stood to his feet and picked up his sword, opening the brooch that secured the cloak at his neck and draping the heavy cloth over Ethoani's body. He remained where he was for some more moments, staring at the body of his sister, before he turned around to the door and began to walk out of the cell.

"Wait!" Legolas said urgently when the man was passing them. "Where are you going?"

For a few seconds it appeared as if the man wouldn't stop, but he finally did and turned to look at Cendan and the elven prince. Legolas wasn't sure if he had ever seen such a look in a mortal's eyes before; there was so much pain and hatred and grief in Laenro's gaze that the elf was simply rendered speechless. He didn't protest again when Laenro turned into the direction of the stairs they had used to get down here without uttering a word and began walking, the purposeful walk of a person who had only one goal left in his life.

Not even Cendan said anything and merely shook his head, turning back to look at Legolas when Laenro had disappeared around the nearby corner.
"Let him go," he said softly, almost as if to himself. "They were both fools. Only fools fight against such odds."

"Oh?" Legolas arched an eyebrow, too tired and in too much pain to argue with the young lieutenant. "What does that make us then?"

"Point taken, Master Elf," Cendan smiled thinly. "Point taken indeed." He gave the still body of the dead girl a last look before he turned around and motioned to the elf to follow him. "Come. I don't know if that guard spoke the truth, but I will take you to Glamir's chambers. From then on you're on your own, I have to…"

"…kill Teonvan," Legolas finished the man's sentence as he forced himself not to touch his still lightly bleeding head wound in a vain attempt to ease the pain that pounded through his skull. "Yes. I know."

Cendan ignored the elf's comment and began to lead him down the maze of corridors, and Legolas quickly lost his bearing just as he had lost them the first time he had been here. He was no dwarf, after all, and one dark corridor looked just like the next to him. They walked through dark, damp passageways that were only lit by few torches here and there for what felt like an eternity, but finally Cendan turned to Legolas before returning his eyes quickly to his surroundings, his gaze guarded and cautious.

"We should be there soon," he informed the elf curtly. "There is a fork in this corridor a few yards ahead. The passageway to the right leads up to the main staircase. Just ignore it and follow this one until you reach a door to your left which…"

"I know," Legolas interrupted the man curtly. "I'll recognise the door, trust me."

"I see," Cendan said dispassionately. "Well, then I think I can leave you there and…"

The lieutenant trailed off in the same moment he stopped as if rooted to the spot, and only Legolas' quick reflexes prevented a graceless collision. Knowing that there would be a good reason for Cendan's abrupt behaviour, the elf looked up quickly, inwardly deciding that he had to be hurt worse than he had thought; he should have been able to hear whatever had caused Cendan to stop a long time before him.

Legolas raised his head and felt how his eyes grew wide and his hands automatically clutched his still drawn sword more tightly. He realised that they had reached the fork the man had spoken of, and to his surprise he recognised the spot. It was the place where Ethoani had led him and Aragorn only three days ago, something he would have noticed sooner hadn't he been so busy keeping up with his human guide. The tapestry that concealed the secret passage he remembered so well had been pushed to the side, and the wooden door behind it stood open, partly blocking the corridor.

The elven prince felt how his mouth went dry, because, no matter how dark the memories were he associated with the long trek through the narrow passage that had been overshadowed by fear of recapture and worry for Aragorn, they didn't measure up to the sight in front of him.

Cendan had had a very good reason to stop, indeed. Next to the open door stood Teonvan, one of his lieutenants and a contingent of guards, all of them looking at least as surprised as Legolas felt.

The courtyard reminded him of something, Aragorn thought dimly as he and the others entered it at a run. It looked almost like … like an anthill that someone had poked repeatedly with a stick, yes, that was it. A moment later he shook his head, inwardly asking himself from where he got these ridiculous ideas. He was reasonably certain that no one else would liken this courtyard to an anthill – at least nobody with his or her sanity intact.

He didn't have enough time to dwell on this any further, since he had just enough time to twist to the side to escape a spear that was rudely being thrust into his direction. He had wondered how long it would take the remaining soldiers in the courtyard to realise that a new group of hostiles had arrived on the scene. Well, now he knew, he thought wryly. Not very long.

The young man ignored the way his shoulder was protesting against the abrupt movements and brought his body fully around so that he was facing the man who had just tried to impale him on his spear. A moment later the guard fell to the ground, almost crushing his weapon which had been wrenched from his grasp a few moments earlier, and Aragorn quickly took the time to survey his surroundings.

The courtyard was full of fighting people, and even though Laenro's and Cendan's men wore the red marks around their arms, he was hard-pressed to say which side was which, at least for a moment. It quickly became apparent that the men wearing the red strips of cloth were outnumbered by those who didn't, and Aragorn realised with a quick stab of fear and dread that went through his heart that even with the reinforcements Sero had sent with them, it would merely even the odds a little. They were still fewer in number than Girion's men.

Menvan who had stopped next to him and Glorfindel seemed to come to the same conclusion, and Cendan's second-in-command narrowed his eyes, already beginning to direct his men to split up. He sent one part of his men to strengthen the main group close to the middle of the courtyard that was slowly being pushed backwards into the direction of the gates, mainly men wearing the black-grey livery of Girion's house and the red strip of cloth around their arms. The man took a step forward to avoid and strike down one of the soldiers that had managed to get past his men that were beginning to rush forward to aid their comrades, and turned around to Aragorn and the white-faced elf next to him when the ranger called his name.

"Menvan!" Aragorn all but yelled, trying to make himself heard over the sounds of battle. "Where are the entrances to the dungeons?"

The brown haired man wrenched his sword out of the body of the man he had just killed, realising with curious detachment that he had had a tankard of ale with him once, and used it to point into the direction of the main gates, and from there to the smaller door Legolas and the others had used.
"There are two main entrances: One close to the great hall and Girion's audience chambers, and the other further to the right, over there." He nodded at the small group of Cendan's men who were still defending the smaller gates furiously. "It appears that they went that way."

"What makes you say that?" Aragorn asked wryly, wincing slightly as another stab of pain went through his injured shoulder. "The dark cloud of doom hanging over the door or the horde of guards trying to break it down?"

Menvan shot him a look cold enough to freeze a hot spring, and Aragorn suppressed a sheepish smile. He had forgotten that not everybody had the same tolerance as Legolas and his brothers for his way of dealing with stress.

"Alright," he nodded thoughtfully. "We need to help your men to hold their positions. If the guards break through, they'll surprise Legolas and Cendan before they know what has happened."

"We don't have enough men to do that and to prevent this group over there from outflanking us," Glorfindel pointed out calmly, his mind that had been schooled in more battled than he could count taking in the situation at a glance and analysing it in mere seconds. "Our men will be pushed back, right into their main group if we don't help them."

"We need a diversion," Menvan nodded at the elf, taking his eyes off the sight in front of him only for a second. "Maybe we can draw enough of them away from the side entrance so all of our groups can hold their positions."

"Yes," Aragorn nodded slowly and began to walk forward, beginning to increase his pace until he was almost running. He motioned to Glorfindel and the men to follow him with a curt gesture, his eyes fixed on the side entrance. "Come! We'll just have to persuade them to follow us over to the main gates."

"Wait!" Menvan called, hurrying after him after giving the elf an accusing glare. He wasn't really at fault for anything here, but he appeared to know the ranger. He didn't have any proof, but he was sure that the elf was at least partly to blame for the man's reckless nature. "Just how are you going to 'persuade' them to 'follow' you to the main entrance?"

"Oh, that's easy," Aragorn shrugged without turning around to the other man. "I'm going to make them angry."

Menvan would almost have stopped and had to force himself not to grind his teeth, a habit that was beginning to get out of hand lately. He continued walking, gesturing his men to follow, and just barely heard the elf mumble something under his breath he couldn't understand. It didn't sound complimentary though, and judging by the way the ranger's shoulders stiffened slightly, Menvan was rather sure that it had been a particularly dark threat. He didn't have time to dwell on the subject any longer, because they reached the side entrance only a few moments later.

Before Menvan even knew what was happening, he was in the midst of the fighting, and he quickly realised that they really needed to draw a part of the guards away, or all of his men would be killed. Their lines were beginning to crumble slowly but surely, and he knew that it was only the respect and loyalty they held for Cendan that enabled them to keep fighting. Another thing he realised was that the ranger was either incredibly lucky or incredibly insane.

Most likely both, he thought to himself, side-stepping the falling body of a guard who had just made the mistake to underestimate one of his men. He was sure that without the blond elf's assistance, who was staying as firmly at the young man's left side as if someone had glued him there, he would have been killed right in the beginning. The dark haired man was constantly darting forward and back again, engaging as many men as he could, but never staying in one spot long enough to actually fight them properly.

Menvan shook his head inwardly as he saw that the elf mimicked the young man's actions, and soon mounting frustration could be seen on the men's faces. As unhappy as he was to admit something like this, but it appeared that the ranger's plan was working. A sizable part of the men was clearly beginning to get quite annoyed, in fact so annoyed that Menvan and the others were pushed back after a few more minutes, into the direction of the main doors. After a few dozen steps Menvan was beginning to think that the ranger might not be quite as suicidal as he had thought, and he dispatched his latest adversary and used the brief respite to cast a look behind him. His eyes widened as he saw that they had nearly been pushed back to the doors, and called out a warning just in time so that the men at his back could turn around and engage the men who were guarding the main gates.

Wonderful, Cendan's second-in-command ranted inwardly, this was just wonderful. Now they were trapped between two groups of enemies – two groups of angry enemies – that wanted to do nothing but cut them into little pieces. A sharp blow he barely managed to block nearly sent him to his knees and brought him back to reality, and Menvan suppressed a hiss when he felt his opponent's knife cut through his shirt and skin and draw blood. He threw himself into the fight with renewed fierceness, and a few moments later he turned to the dark haired ranger who was right now in the process of being pushed back against the wall at his back.

"Well done, ranger!" he called, his voice positively dripping with sarcasm. "You wanted to make them angry? They're angry!!"

Aragorn didn't have time or enough breath left to answer, and barely managed to duck under a blow that would nearly have taken his head off. He managed to twist to the side to avoid the next blow, but before he could bring up his sword to fend off his opponent's next attack, the man's eyes suddenly grew wide and he fell to the floor without another sound. He blinked and looked up, straight into Glorfindel's bruised face that looked remarkably amused.

"The human has a point, pen-neth," he told the ranger breathlessly. "They are angry."

Aragorn didn't answer but merely thrust his sword forward, missing Glorfindel's chest by inches and impaling a man who had come up behind the elf and was just about to bring down his sword onto the distracted elf's back.

"Indeed," the man grinned slightly while they were pushed back through the main gates and into the entrance hall. "And I wonder why."

"It's a family trait," Glorfindel provided, his eyes darkening with pain while he did his best to ignore his left, very broken collarbone as he tried not to let himself be cut to pieces by a pair of very determined guards. "Elrond, the twins, and you … you are all the same. No one can infuriate people as quickly as the four of you."

Aragorn would have loudly protested against such an outrageous accusation, but right now he was rather busy fending off a very big and obviously very angry guard. While he was avoiding the man's axe, his eyes swept over their surroundings, and with a small pang of surprise he realised that they were already rather deep in the castle. He had just managed to eliminate his latest opponent as they reached the end of the corridor they were currently fighting in, and for a second the ranger feared that they had been pushed into a dead end and were trapped now. A moment later he saw that there was a door to their right which burst open now, soldiers streaming out of it. For a second Aragorn saw Girion at the back of the room before he disappeared through another door, and a small sigh escaped his lips. As much as he wanted to stop this madman, it was just their kind of luck to run straight into him and the rest of his bodyguards when they were already outnumbered, wasn't it?

Menvan had apparently seen the other man as well, for a dark, dangerous sparkle appeared in his eyes and he attacked the newly arrived guards with wild ferocity, trying to force his way through their lines to pursue him. The numbers of the soldiers who were still fighting them in the narrow corridor shrank slowly, and Aragorn was just thinking that they were really going to make it and was beginning to look around for Glorfindel from whom he had been separated in this last attack, when another soldier stepped in front of him. The other man's figure seemed to literally block out the light the flickering torches cast over the chaotic scene, and it took Aragorn's eyes a disconcertingly long time until they had travelled up the man's massive chest to his face.

Aragorn groaned inwardly and felt how his wounds were beginning to ache anew at the mere sight of the other man. It was Caellan, Teonvan's large, brutal lieutenant, who had surely some troll-blood in him, that was something Aragorn had concluded a long time ago. The tall, burly man grinned at him, the grin of a cat that had just cornered a mouse, but there was a dark, furious sparkle in his eyes that wasn't completely hidden by his obvious enjoyment of the situation.

The young ranger groaned again, this time out loud, and gripped his blood-stained sword more tightly, trying to push the exhaustion and pain he was feeling to the side. He had really managed to get most of the men angry, hadn't he?

"Well, well, well," the other man said and slowly came closer, causing Aragorn to back away, into the direction of the corridor's end and away from the main fighting. "If that's not the little ranger who disappeared so suddenly. You and I have unfinished business, boy."

"We do?" Aragorn inquired and arched an eyebrow, his eyes not leaving the other man's face.

"Oh yes," Caellan grinned somewhat stupidly, something that did not lessen the malice and hatred in his eyes. "The captain had promised us some fun with you after the elf had talked. We never got round to doing anything, did we?"

Aragorn suppressed a shudder and tried not to think of the "fun" Teonvan had had with him the last time he'd seen him.
"Teonvan is a coward and a liar; you of all people should know that, Caellan."

"And you, ranger, are a dead man," the larger man hissed at him, brandishing his sword in a threatening manner. Not that there was an unthreatening manner in which one could brandish one's sword, a part of Aragorn's mind provided wryly. Caellan took a step closer to the younger man, a grin beginning to spread over his face. "But before I kill you, I think I'll have some fun after all."

"Then, by all means," Aragorn answered softly, grey eyes boring into his opponent, "Come and try to get me."

"You read my mind, boy," the other man grinned, displaying a rather fragmentary set of teeth. "I am planning to do just that."

Before Aragorn could even think of a reply, the large man had lunged at him, and all the young ranger could do to avoid being impaled on the man's sword was jump to the side, hitting the wall in the process – hard. For a few moments, Aragorn's vision clouded over with pain as his body impacted with the stone wall, his old injuries and the fresh shoulder wound shrieking with pain, and he just barely managed to stagger to the side to avoid the next attack that came so quickly that Aragorn nearly did not seen it coming.

With an effort, he finally pushed the pain to the side as best as he could and concentrated on not getting cut to pieces, and while he was parrying the larger man's blows as best as he could, Aragorn smiled wryly even despite his pain and exhaustion.

If there was one thing he could do really well, it was making people angry, that much was certain.





TBC...





mellon nín - my friend
pen-neth - young one




I won't even try to convince you that I'm sorry. You won't believe me anyway... g It's not really my fault, you know. There is my evil alter ego to consider, after all, and Jack is not really all that innocent either. She made me do it, since Ethoani was the character I wrote for her, kind of at least. I didn't really have a choice. g So, the rest of this interesting little fight scene will be here soon, I promise I'll try to update sooner than Thursday. I'm aiming for Tuesday, but it will depend on how much work I'll get done during the weekend. I'll try my best though, I promise. Reviews might help, as you probably know by now. g So: Review? Yes please!

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Additional A/N:

Deana- sheepishly Yeah, well, and chapter 32 as well now, I'm afraid... It's not my fault. Really. It's not. That's what I try to tell me all the time, that is. g And "=" works as well? Hmm, that's good to know, but I think "/" is still the best replacement for my stars. I still miss them. sighs sadly
Red Tigress - g Yes, I knew that. I was just kidding. So you're looking forward to the chaos, huh? It's come to my attention that quite a few of you people have expressed that particular sentiment. You're beginning to scare me. I'm serious. g
CSI3 - You don't have to feel "honoured" or anything of the like! It's just a way to repay you guys for your faithful and wonderful reviews; it's the least I can do. I love every bit of feedback I get. g Hmm, I see, but I have to tell you that I'm not really frightened of your pet balrog. I have one of my own, you know, Stan's his name. He's rather sweet and has been with me since ... hmm, Winter 01/02, I think. Wow, it's been really that long... g Well, time flies when you're having fun.
Ellyrianna - huggles Thanks for the star! It's not really bothering me that much anymore; I've got used to it - mostly. Sometimes I still suffer from uncontrollable bouts of screaming, but I'll get over it eventually, I guess... g Legolas IS an idiot, yes, I'm the first to agree with you on that. It's also nice to know that you like Cendan so much - I like him quite a lot myself. huggles Cendan He's adorable, in an evil sort of way. g I can't promise you that Teonvan will be killed by Legolas; in fact, I can tell you now that he won't. Sorry about that, but we had that in AEFAE and also in THOM, more or less, anyway. Can't get repetitive, can I?
Jazmin3 Firewing - winces Wow, I'd better not be here when you've read THIS chapter - if you're reacting like that after ch. 30, I'd hate to see what you're going to be like after this one... I'm saddened by the news that you will kill my alter ego the next time I need to hide for some time, but now that I think about it, it might be quite a nice way to finally get rid of her. evil grin I'll have to think about that. Just take a deep breath and repeat after me: It's only a story. g
AngelMouse5 - hangs head It's not use denying it, huh? I have to admit I have been planning this scene for some time. There are a few scenes I've always wanted to put into one of my stories, and this was one of them. Another is one of the last scenes in ch. 32, you'll see what I mean, I think. g
Sirithiliel - Yes, I'm very happy. huggles Thanks! Five stars, that's enough to keep me happy for several minutes. g At least. Great you liked the chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy the last two as well!
LOTRFaith - Yup, I totally understand your friend. I just HATE spiders, I can't even tell you why. I think it's because they have too many legs. They can move too fast, and they have a way of ... "feeling" with their legs before they move that just freaks me out. shudders Horrible little things. And yes, this is ch. 31. It's terrible, I know. I never wanted to have a story longer than 30 chapters, but alas, it seems that the characters just won't learn how to shut up. Ah well, could be worse...
Someone Reading - Uhm, yes, that's what I call a little cliffy. The one in this chapter is quite a big one though, I'll admit that. g I'm glad you liked the twins and their birthday-problem, I think that's something that can just happend when you're worried out of your mind and need something you can distract yourself with. It's something that would happen to me if I was in that kind of situation - which I wouldn't survive for more than a few seconds, but that's another story... g
Firnsarnien - I don't understand why you don't like orcs. I think they're ... interesting. Yes, they might be evil, but that's only a small triviality if you ask me. g LOL, you could indeed say that Fëanor was a bad elf. I mean, he started the Kinslaying and all that, so yes, I guess he wasn't really your epitome of kindness. g LOL again, Girion is what? A twisted sick puppy? I have to admit that that's one of the most interesting descriptions I've ever heard. Hmm, Celylith is indeed in the dungeons, that's all I can tell you. I'm evil, I know. g
Katie - I completely understand. It happens to me all the time as well, and when I write I review, I always copy it before I try to post it. FF.net has deleted more than one of my reviews as well. grrr Evil site from Hell. Hmm, to be honest I have never really considered writing an "early days" story about Celylith and Legolas. It would depend on how early, I guess. I am not very good at writing children, so it would have to be after them reaching their majority I guess. shrugs I might write a little one someday, if I can find the time. g LOL, so my story meanders around? I'll try to take that as a compliment... g Don't worry, you're not behind schedule or anything. I'm sure you'll encounter an evil megolomania bent on conquering/destroying all of the world soon enough. g I am indeed thinking about writing another story, and I am sure there will be quite a lot of villains just lining up near Rivendell. g Elrond will be so happy about that, won't he? Oh, and you just might be right about Celylith's shoulder. evil grin Poor elf. Well, thanks a lot for the great review, I'm glad you liked the story so far!
Falling Star - Well, thank you. It's nice to know that you liked the chapter, even though you don't have words to decribe what you think. g I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this insane little tale as well!
SeventhSpanishAngel - I liked the cliffy, actually. I also like the cliffies in this chapter. But then again, I love ALL cliffies, as long as I don't have to read them. g Thanks so much for saying that you like the chapter titles. I literally spend days thinking of something that will describe each chapter. Sometimes it's really easy, but sometimes it really takes me ages. shrugs I'm a little obssessed with them, I guess. The end will take a bit longer now, I'm sorry. It wasn't what I had planned.
LegolasGreenleafGil-Estel - Yup, he's insane. Really, did it take you so long to figure that out? g And you're insane too, really. I mean, Glorfindel's neck is in considerably more danger than Legolas' now. You were reading the chapter at school? Shame on you! g Then again, I do it sometimes as well, soI shouldn't complain...
Strider's Girl - Yeah, well, all good things must come to an end. I'm actually rather glad that it will end soon, because ... well, the story isn't really beginning to annoy me, I'm just getting a bit tired of it. I just want to wrap it up and be done with it. Well, only one more chapter to write, so that should be doable. g I really appreciate all your kind words, and thanks a lot for taking the time to review! I hope your GCSEs are going well! I'm sure they are. nods
Dragonchic1 - Thank you on both accounts! It's very nice that you decided to drop me a line, and just as nice that you want to add me to your favourites! Thanks!
Crippled Raven - Well, my friend, that's the POINT, isn't it? To stop at an evil place? Otherwise it wouldn't be a real cliffy, and you know how I love them. g Maybe you're right, I just might be a little control freak. thinks Actually, I don't think I am, but that's beside the point. LOL, great you loved that line so much. It was actually kind of late when I wrote that part, I think about 1 am. or something, so I guess I was in a rather strange mood. You'll have to wait a bit longer to find out who'll kill who, though, sorry. It just got too long. shrugs Second set sounds like fun. I would have loved it, but we had this horrible Maths teacher whose main characteristic was cynicism. Strangely enough, I got even worse when we got another teacher who was actually quite nice. shrugs I still blame the probability calculations. I hated them. I'm sure you'll do well in Maths, though. Don't aske me how I know that, I'm psychic, I think. g LOL, you're right: FF.net IS out there to get me. Figures, it's just my kind of luck. g
Elvendancer - Sure, blame me. They all blame me, but in the end they just do it so that they don't have to admit that they were insane to begin with. g I hate all you people, btw. School's out? I have two more months to go... sighs hopelessly Well, I guess that's not your fault. I think.
Bailey - Uhm, well, yes, I think it was. Evil, that is. I love being evil, which would explain it. g You're right of course. The twins don't need to worry - we love Aragorn and Legolas too much to kill them. Then again, hurting them intensely is an entirely different thing... evil grin You hope everything will go according to plan? pitiful smile You keep hoping that, mate. Who knows, it might even help. thinks No. It actually won't, but still. g
Aratfeniel - You're not the only one who loves chaos. A couple of other people expressed the same sentiments, in fact. looks at her suspiciously You people are beginning to scare me. Great you're not too upset about the cliffy - let's see how you deal with this one! Mhahahaah! runs off cackling madly I like your song btw. It's nice and cheery. g
Alariel - nods I want my stars back too. But it appears FF.net doesn't like them overly much... grrr Hmm, what was the silly elf thinking? The answer it: He's not thinking. That's his problem, he doesn't THINK! almost chokes I wrote it in a more reasonable way, huh? Well - just you wait. I haven't even begun yet. g LOL, yes, something bad is going to happen to the two of them yet, but I think we all knew that. It happens all the time, after all. g
Pyro - Of course it was fair! I can't really tell you why or in what way, but I'm sure it was fair! It might also have been evil, but that's another story... g No, I haven't done a "how they met" story. I don't really know if I want to write one. Right now I don't, but that might change. shrugs We'll see. Thank you very much for taking the time to review!
Iccle Fairy - shakes head You too? A disconcertingly large percentage of you guys loves chaos and mayhem. I would like to say that it surprises me, but... g LOL, yes, Legolas' plans ARE quite terrible. That's why Aragorn doesn't like them. Then again, his aren't much better either, are they... g You're living in a "majorly mental and crazed and deranged etc. world"? Well, it DOES sound like fun - kind of. g
CrazyLOTRfan - Yeah, the poor twins. Their little brother and friend are walking into almost certain doom AND they don't have honey-cakes! Poor them. g And you're right of course. Estel will need all the Valar's protection if he wants to reach his 23rd birtday... g So you liked Legolas' speech? Well, at least someone did; neither Girion nor Teonvan were really all that fond of it. I don't know why either. g LOL, Canada's PM is an evil dictator? I admit I didn't know that - but wait, he just decided to have reeletions, didn't he? I think I read it somewhere a few days ago. No need to overthrow him then... g Great to hear that you enjoyed the cliffy, there are a few more in this chapter. I think two. Might be more though. shrugs I lost count.
Snow-Glory - LOL, yes, Cendan does have some fighting to do at the moment. You may huggle him later - if he survives all this, that is. evil grin Hmm, let me think. The main reason that Lord Súliat's delegates were in this story was indeed to make Girion angry. Oh yes, and to give a little political side story. And a few other reasons, I think, I just can't remember them now. They'll make an appearance in the end, don't worry. Your English teacher really did that? That really sounds ... interesting. Rather frightening, but interesting nonetheless. g There will probably be another story after this one, but not for some time I'm afraid. I need a break.
Smile Neumann - Ah, don't worry about the stars. I'm actually getting used to it. LOL, no, this was not all of Legolas' plan. You're right, if it were, I wouldn't allow him to make any more plans either. g Everybody could have made a better plan. Even Teonvan. No, not him now that I think about it. But everyone else. g Just give him some time. He might surprise you yet. Might being the main word here, of course. evil grin
Tychen - No, things never go quite according to plan. It's a curse, that's what it is. g Hmm, your feeling might be correct - or it might not. I know, that's an evil thing to say, but I really can't tell you. So you have a broadband connection now? I couldn't live without mine! huggles her ADSL modem I love it! I would die if I had to use ISDN or a gulps "normal" modem! g Don't tell me, I need to get a new hobby. I hope you'll have loads of fun on holiday! I'm sure you will.
Grumpy - Well, the Lay of Leithian isn't exactly something I would read to my child. It really might start giving someone the wrong ideas. shrugs I bet Elrond read it to the twins as well, so it's his fault. g Great to hear that you liked the chapter, thanks a lot for all your reviews!
Narina Nightfall - huggles Great to see that you're back. I missed you - but I hope you had fun in the void, wherever it may be. g LOL, you would steal Legolas out of the dungeons? You know, I actually believe you. That's scary. I've always had trouble making these sandwiches myself. The worst thing is that I don't even like them, and always had to make them for someone else. sighs Poor me. And poor Ethoani too, of course. They're all rather sad at the moment. g Oh, and I never gave you or anyone else any guarantee that Celylith would survive. He's an OC, and not needed for LOTR, so, essentially, he's fair game. g Great to hear that you like Oswald Spalding. I like him too, he's simply adorable! I have th bad feeling though that he doesn't talk, so he can't embarass Legolas or anyone else. Uhm, yes, I used the word bovine? Why? Is it wrong or something? anxiously I hope not. Hmm, Súliat. Let me make that clear once and for all: Súliat is Saruman. There. I said it. I don't think I will write a story about him anytime soon. Sorry about the word, but I REALLY can't tell you. Glorfy - I mean Glorfindel of course, sorry - would kill me. He really would, and Erestor as well. Sorry. Hmm, I guess you're right about eternal life, but only when you think of something like Highlander. If you're an elf, you won't necessarily associate so much with other races. Your family and friends will be elves as well, and therefore don't die. Even if they do, you know that they will eventually be released from the Halls of Mandos and you'll see them again in Valinor. So, it's not really that bad if you ask me. g
Alison H - You know, when I got your review, Jack (who was visiting) and I just looked at each other and said: "She printed ALL the stories??" I mean, Wow! You really did that? Please, tell me what kind of printer you have! Mine would have given up after page 1200. g It's great to see you de-lurking! huggles Thanks! You really are a twin? Wow, that's ... well, great! You know I was really afraid to read on for a few moments, but now I'm very glad that you approve of the way I write the twins. I was rather nervous that you'd tell me something like "Get real, girl. It's not like that at all!" g Hmm, I would actually take the chocolate buttons. Skittles are the most perfect sweets ever invented, but chocolate is a close second if you ask me. Thank you so much for all your kind words, and I really hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story as well!
Chip - takes box Thanks! I love stars! LOL, you want to pet Celylith and Glorfindel? Well, I guess as soon as they're free and more or less patched back together, you can pet them, if you promise not to break them, that is. g Thanks a lot for taking the time to review! I'm glad you liked it so far!
Celebdil-galad Tinlaure - Well, I guess it's because I'm evil. It helps most of the time. g Celylith ... hmm, yes, I guess he's in the dungeons at the moment. LOL, yes, I understand your desire to put out Glamir's "eyeses". Nice idea, really. g Hmm, your next prediction isn't too bad either. Not entirely true, of course, but very close if you ask me. g How can you join the CLF? Well, I have no idea actually. I think you just have to .. do it. I don't know. Ask Firsarnien, I think she's a kind of chairman or something. Oh, and I understand the spider thing. I HATE them, I really do. It's silly, but I can't help myself. I don't have anything against snakes though. g Hmm, about Stacee: I would be more than willing to help, of course, I mean, I know her, after all. The only thing is that I don't think it would work that way. I mean, no matter how much you told me about the story, I still couldn't really begin to understand the characters and what was really going on. Besides, it wouldn't be HER story anymore, if you know what I mean. I don't really think I can actually explain this, but I just don't think that it would work. Writing summaries or beta-reading for someone is one thing, but to actually write a part of the story if you're not the co-author... I don't really think so. If you really want me to, I could try to come up with something. I just think it wouldn't really fit the rest of the story, but hey, that's just me. g
Marbienl - Well, trust me, I hadn't heard about it either. I knew about the rebellion and Count Alba and all that, but no details. Now I know more about Spínola and Oldenbarneveldt and Prince Maurits and the VOC and the WIC and all that than I ever wanted to. I even know where Ostende and Breda and all the other nice towns are. g A biography won't really help me much, I fear. If you have something about the Dutch expansion in the East though I'll love you forever. g No, Legolas would most likely not appreciate it if I shaved his head. He has no sense of humour, really. shakes head I don't think that Glorfindel would be ashamed of dying or anything like that, I just don't think that he would willingly talk about it. It's just that I don't think that it's something he would discuss with the broad public, if you understand what I mean. Nope, you're not evil. Keep telling yourself that. g I think Aragorn has forgotten about his birthday, actually. I'm rather sure that Legolas will remember though. Hmm, I think the twins would be celebrating their birthdays, even though most likely not in the way we do. Oh, and don't even try it! I won't decide on a date for Legolas' birthday. No one knows how old he is, so I won't just invent a date. g Thanks a lot for the huge review - as always!
Cosmic Castaway - Oh yes, firewalls can be tricky. I have one myself, which works fine though. At the moment. g ducks knife Well, thank you! It's nice to hear that you like it so far! Thanks for the review!
Karone Evertree - Your weekend sounds busy indeed. I hope it's a bit more relaxed now. g And I know exactly what you mean. Before I got my own computer and put up a network, I had to fight with my siblings for the right to use the internet all the time as well. shudders It was horrible. g
Bookworm, .303 - Uhm, yes, I guess you could say that: They're all silly elves and rangers. g Very silly in fact - and stupid, reckless, slightly suicidal, impertinent... Should I go on? g No, I don't think I need to. You knew all that from the beginning, hm? g
Linuvial Greenleaf - blushes Don't say that ... really ... ah, what the heck! Thank you! It's very nice of you to say something like that - it will give me delusions of grandeur one day, but it's nice to hear nonetheless. g I'm glad to hear that your cat is okay. I love cats. Younger brothers, on the other hand... g Thanks for the review! It's very nice to see that you're still enjoying this!
Jera - I'm sorry to hear about the jeep. I mean, not the jeep per se, but the fact that you were stuck in a village. I just hope you weren't bitten by a venomous snake or something like that. g That's a nice theory about the owners of FF.net. They would have to be especially sadistic copyright owners though. g LOL, yes, they might start fighting each other for the right to kill Teonvan. I'm not sure if that's scary or just insane. And I know what you mean. I can tell you almost exactly where every little town is in ME (and patly even in Valinor, Númenor and Beleriand), but I have no idea how many states Germany has. Could be 16. Or 17, I just don't know, and I could even begin to tell you where the majority of the cities is. sheepishly That's rather pathetic. LOL, it's one of my pet theories too, that Glorfindel annoyed Mandos and all the other inhabitants of his halls so much that he was kicked out in the end. g I think I can tell you that yes, Sangwar and Halyo will be just fine, don't worry. They'll get out of this alive, even though I don't think their lord will be overly pleased. Hmm, I don't think we have a Glorfindel POV scene this chapter, sorry. It would have been nice, you're right, but it's already too long as it is. There might be one in ch. 32 though. Once again, thanks for all your reviews!!
Crystal-Rose15 - blinks Well - congratulations. I'm sure you and the DVD will be very happy together. g I don't think I wil buy it right away. I hate to say it, but I didn't like the movie all that much. I guess I'll buy it eventually (I'm far too obsessed not to), but I think I can live without it for a while. So you're on summer vacation, huh? I hate you. I have two more months to go. grrr Don't worry about your computer though. Mine eats things all the time as well. I think they all do. g No one knows how old Legolas really is, and I don't believe PJ's version. I've always thought him younger than the twins, about Arwen's age. But that's just my idea. And no, I haven't read that. Is it good? I think I read a review once. I just can't remember if it was good or bad. g
Kathleen LaCorneille - Wow, you typed all that in twenty seconds? Not bad... g Thanks for taking the time to review if you had only twenty seconds left, it's great to hear that you stilllike it! huggles

Once again, I'm sorry for dividing this into two chapters. There was really no other way. Ah well, what's done is done. Thanks for all the reviews!