OK, I present you guys with the next chapter. I hope you find it to your liking, for I had some serious doubts about how it should go further. Please let me know what you think? A BIG thank you for all those who reviewed the last chapter! I love them! 'Replies' are on the bottom again. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own them, just wish that I did… sigh. They belong to the wonderful professor named J.R.R Tolkien.

A/N: As you guys know: I'm not a doctor, so don't hold it against me if things seem off. Or if they are off on other subjects. I'm pretty sure I didn't mention it anywhere, but Gilraen, Aragorn's mother, had died a long time ago in this story. Just so you know…

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Chapter 8

Meanwhile, Elladan had led his brother and his long time friend to the study so that once again the story of what had happened could be told, although this time the speaker was different.

Glorfindel frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as soon as he had entered the study, watching as Elrohir found a nice spot leaning against the desk. He silently huffed. No matter what the situation, the sons of Elrond would never grow respect for the furniture!

Elladan unconsciously took up the same position as Legolas had; close to the bookshelves. The ancient elf gave him an encouraging smile, breaking the tension that was in the room. "Now… tell us, son of Elrond; what happened that made the dreams come back?"

The older twin looked up sharply at that. Of course… it was only logical that the dreams would resurface because of this event! "They're back?" He asked, feeling stupid afterwards for he already knew the answer.

Glorfindel nodded. "And you are the only one of us here present in this room that knows why, so I would beg of you to tell us and keep us no longer wondering the worst scenarios."

Elladan smiled sadly. "Of course, forgive me…" And he began telling them all that he had heard from Legolas and some of what his father had told him.

~~~

"Indeed, it will be a long time before he will get over it now, I fear." The blonde elf said after Elladan had finished. During the recounting he had kept his anger in check, for this was not the place, nor the people that should bear it. The anger Elrohir felt was only betrayed by his tightly clenched fists, showing completely white knuckles.

"And they are still on the loose!" Elrohir growled, standing up and waving his arms in supplication. "We must do something about this threat; we can't let them get away with what they have done to Estel!"

Glorfindel walked over to the youngest twin and squeezed his shoulders gently. "And we will not let them get away, but I think we should wait with hunting them. These are no ordinary orcs… They stray too close to Imladris and their actions were too bold. I'll prepare my warriors the best I can, but I fear that their plans might be too great for us alone to handle."

"Should we ask Ada to send a messenger to Lorien and Mirkwood for reinforcements?" Elladan asked.

Glorfindel shook his head. "Not yet, let's hear what Estel has to say when he wakens. If we do not know what will come, how can one ask for any number of elves? Times grow too dark to risk leaving the lands with too little protection. Alas! Estel might not even know what those foul creatures plan!"

"All the more reason to have a message sent! It is still a question whether Estel knows anything of their plans – he may have forgotten or he may not have known it at all! Let us send a messenger then asking for as many warriors as they can spare! Please Glorfindel!" Begged Elrohir.

None of the elves liked the feeling that had crept up on them. Indeed; the orcs were up to something. At last, Glorfindel sighed and nodded. "Alright then, I'll send the message and inform Elrond of this decision. Go now and rest." Upon seeing the protesting look on their faces, he said. "I need you in good condition when we go hunting." He studied the twins, who looked tired. It had been many hours since Estel had been brought in and ever since, neither of them had had any rest; constantly worrying. Normally, Glorfindel wouldn't be worried about their state, but they hadn't slept all that well the previous days either. The ancient elf would only allow them to go on the hunt if they were actually awake enough to determine when they were attacked; something which they would not be able to right now. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the looks hadn't changed and pointedly, he let his gaze roam once more over their tired forms. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I do assume that you want to be a part of the hunt?"

Knowing he could and would deny them the hunt if he felt they would be a danger to themselves, the twins nodded and swiftly left, leaving Glorfindel alone in the study. The elder elf sighed and looked around, finding ink and small parchments, meant for messenger birds to carry, on Elrond's desk. He swiftly wrote the messages to Lord Celeborn and Thranduil and closed them with the seal of Imladris. He then went to find Elrond.

~~~

He eventually found the Lord of Imladris in one of the more private gardens. In there was the memorial of Estel's mother, Gilraen. It was seldom that the elven lord visited this place, for death was something elves were unaccustomed to. Glorfindel silently watched his friend, not wanting to intrude for the moment, for his lord seemed deeply saddened.

Elrond stood in front of the memorial, running his hand over it and rubbing away some of the dirt and leaves that lay on it. Imladris is slowly fading. He thought. Like any other elven realm. The leaves seem to be falling more often now, as though an eternal autumn is settling over this elven refuge. He was saddened as he watched the elvish lettering on the stone, giving only a name. This place had been long neglected, for Estel rarely visited – it being too painful for him to be confronted with his human mother – and to most elves the memorial was none of their concern – being for a mortal woman they had not known. Even Elrond and his sons didn't come here all that often, for they believed that a mortal's soul should rest undisturbed.

But now, Elrond had visited this place; the near death of his youngest son fresh in his mind.

"How would your kind handle this, Gilraen?" He asked silently, not expecting an answer. "He's so young and already he has endured so much. I fear that his life will be a hard one, for even now I know that a great burden lies on his shoulders. What would you say to him to ease his suffering?"

"My friend, you can do no more than just be there for Estel and talk to him. You are doing what any parent would. Gilraen would be proud of you." A voice suddenly spoke behind him.

Startled, Elrond turned around and looked the ancient elf in the eyes, silently raising an eyebrow in question.

Glorfindel blushed, fearing he had spoken to brashly. "I'm sorry, Elrond. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I actually came here to inform you that I have written messages to Lord Celeborn and Thranduil, asking for any number of warriors they can spare. I will send them at first light. Has Estel woken up yet?"

Elrond sighed and shook his head. "He woke for a short period, but I doubt if he will remember it when he wakes again. It was too short to gain any information from. I agree with your decision on the messages; I fear we will need help. You have heard about the orcs?"

Glorfindel nodded. "I will ready my warriors for an orc hunt and to protect the valley…They are too near Imladris. They must have a purpose, for no orc is stupid enough to risk the wrath of an elven refuge unless they have a plan. And many in numbers."

"I do not want the twins to go hunting for them." The Noldor elf stated, already suspecting what his friend would ask next.

"Elrond! They are grown elves, you cannot deny them this!"

"It's not that I deny them the right to avenge them their brother, you should know that!" Elrond shouted. His voice turned into an anguished whisper then. "Not after their mother… However, I fear something will befall them if they go out now – their anger is too fresh and it will cloud their minds and senses. Please, old friend, I need them to be near Estel. For if it should happen that they invade Imladris, then I will need my best warriors to protect those I hold dear most. Estel is in no shape to even be out of bed, let alone defend himself!"

Glorfindel stepped closer to the other elf and clasped his shoulder. He smiled slightly, meeting the now confused face of the dark haired elf. "I understand, my friend. It will be so."

And with that, the blonde elf left the garden and its worried visitor.

~~~

Several hours had passed and still, the only sound to be heard in Estel's room was the quiet breathing of two beings deep in sleep. That changed all too soon, when the dark haired figure started muttering and tossing. This woke his companion, who shot up in an instant and surveyed the room he was in. Finding no threat, he turned to his still unconscious companion.

Estel was sweating and upon feeling his forehead, Legolas found it to be too hot.

"Shh, Estel. It's all right. You're safe now; nothing and no one will hurt you here." He soothed. "Shh… go back to sleep, little one."

The human gradually stopped tossing as violently as he had, but moans and small whimpers could be heard every time his body moved. Knowing that it was the fever that caused him to act like this, Legolas quickly jumped from the bed and fetched cool water and a cloth. A small voice made him turn around, thinking the speaker might be conscious.

"Don't…  leave…" His young friend breathed.

"Estel?" Questioned Legolas. "I'm here, don't worry; I will not leave you, my friend." He walked back and set the water on the table next to the bed. He looked at the form in it, seeing eyes that were still closed but that seemed to see something – moving quickly beneath the lids. He gently laid the back of his hand against a stubbly cheek, softly rubbing in what he hoped to be a soothing manner. He was surprised when Estel jerked his head violently to the right.

"NO! … Lugburtz… stop you!" The human hissed.

Legolas, surprised, carefully turned Estel's head back towards him and held it in place with one hand. He brushed several strands of the wavy hair from his face. "What's this about the Dark Lord's fortress?" He whispered, picking up the soaked cloth and dabbing his friend's face with it.

His friend, however, had not heard him and continued his mutterings. The only other words that the elf could make out were 'traps' and 'attack'.

"Shh now, little one. I'm sure your family is aware of this threat. I'll inform them of what you said, so sleep and recover your strength." And with that, the fair being began to sing softly again, his voice carrying none of the worry he felt deep within.

~~~

Somewhere near the borders of Imladris…


Grunting could be heard along with evil hisses if one listened closely. No one was seen, however, as the beings that were responsible for those sounds hid deep inside the tunnel they had laboriously hacked out of the stone surrounding the falls of Imladris.

The foul creatures were planning on entering the elven refuge and they knew of the one place that would not be guarded; the perfect place to enter the Last Homely House unseen by any.

Night and day, for many weeks, the orcs had worked their way under the stone hills in which the elven refuge lay; hacking away at the stone until it gave way. Their aim had been to build a tunnel that ended behind one of the waterfalls, near the river and close to the Last Homely House. Parts of the house were surrounded by water and just like their kin in Mirkwood, they had some sort of passage running from inside the cellars out into the river, though they did not use it for the same purpose as their kin.

The information the orcs had acquired told them of that passage. The only problem rested in getting to that passage unseen by any elves or other folk. So they had delved like the dwarves until finally – they were through!

"Oi!" Growled the same orc that had ordered Aragorn's legs to be broken, pointing at one of the smaller orcs. "You there! Go into the water and enter the passage. And be quiet or I'll have your head! No one is to be alerted, understood!"

The small orc looked back at his leader. With a pinched voice it whined: "Why me, Duzbak? The water's too cold! The current too fast! I'll be swept away for sure!"

Duzbak growled – an evil twinkle appearing in his eyes. He reached for the scimitar at his side and gripped it tightly. With one big sweep, he had decapitated the small orc. He turned around facing the other orcs. "Now let's try that again. You there! Go!" He said, pointing at another orc.

Swallowing silently, afraid what their leader would do if he made a sound, the small orc entered the water and made his way with some difficulty towards the entrance of the passage. He followed it all the way to the end and looked up.

There was a hatch in the ceiling only one foot above his head. He grabbed hold of the sides and lifted himself slightly out of the water, resting his pointed, twisted ear against it; listening for any sounds. When he heard none, he tried lifting the hatch. It wouldn't open.

Sighing, the small orc turned around and went all the way back to report to Duzbak.

"There's a hatch that's bolted in the ceiling, but I didn't hear no one." Said he, almost afraid of his leader's reaction. He did not want to follow after the other orc of whom he had seen no sign since his return. He shivered, knowing that it made no difference to the bigger orcs what kind of flesh they ate, not even if it was that of their own kin.

Duzbak only smiled. "Then it's time for us to prepare what we came here to do…" He growled. And with that, the orcs returned to the hiding place they had used for several weeks now. Their hard work would soon pay off, when all the traps were laid and all the players were in position. In the meantime, they could wait – eager for the killing they would be doing in only a few days…

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TBC



A/N2: I know that the distance between Imladris and the other elven realms would take a much longer time to travel than I will make it out to be, so please forgive this fault – it's fanfic after all. :)

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'Replies' to reviews:

Lina Skye: here you go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I'm hoping you will soon write another story!
grumpy: thanks for the review! BTW, you know, every time I see your name, it makes me smile. Don't ask… too weird.
Pernauriel: thank you! You think it's very good? *blushes* I'm flattered! :D
Sue: glad you like it so much… boy, if anyone knew how much I sometimes doubt if it doesn't sound too stupid… thanks for the review!
NaughtNat: and I'm anxiously hoping that you still find it to your liking.

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