Hi there!
Finally, here is the new chapter. I´m so sorry for the long wait, but sometimes life can get into the way of art...
I hope all you restless readers in fear for Legolas´ life are still around to read this, lol.
As always, your reviews blew me away. Thank you for taking the time to give them, and thanks also to those who read and reviewed "Galad a Duath". I included the responses to this story below, too, because there is nowhere else to put them.
Thanks to Mor and Any for their help.
Well, here goes the chapter. If I am not mistaken, there will be two more to this story and they should both be posted next week.
Enoy!
Alinah
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: Not mine
The safety of home
The world breathed again. Even though clouded by the fear that still held his soul in a shattering grip Elrond could feel the ripples of relief travel through the air, shimmering with joy as they spread on and on to deliver the news to each and every living creature. A sigh whispered in the trees, their branches leaning in towards each other as if they were conversing about recent events. Small sounds began to awake around them as nocturnal animals left their hiding places to make use of the remaining hours of darkness now that the danger had passed.
The Elven Lord took in the waves of gratitude that gently encompassed him, trying to open himself to their strength. He knew that he needed the help to recover from the weakness within him that still had not passed. His joined efforts with the Bruinen had shattered his foe, but he also sensed that something precious had been lost. It was maddening that he knew so much but not who had fallen to the demon´s final thrashes of brutality. He had tried to reach out to Estel and thought he had felt a response, but right now his senses were too high-strung to be truly trusted, and he knew it. All he could do was pray.
"There!" Glorfindel´s exited shout broke Elrond´s reverie and he looked up to see the dark bulk of a horse appear among the trees. It neighed excitedly and then turned, rushing off in the obvious conviction that they would follow. Gwaef! The stallion had never returned to the site of their battle after Aragorn had sent him away, and it came to no surprise that the horse had indeed found its master. His heart picking up its beat, Elrond urged his own tired steed on to keep up. Close by, the Bruinen sang in a voice that laced victory with urgent worry and fresh neighs rang through the night, not uttered by Gwaef, but for now the two Elves had eyes and ears for nothing but the still human form that they approached as fast as they could.
Elrond did not even realize that he dismounted and ran the last paces to his fallen son´s side. All his senses were fixed on the young man, desperately trying to asses his state even before the healer had reached his side. There was the low sound of laboured breathing. The fingers of one hand twitched ever so slightly. Life remained. Hope remained. And Elrond´s tears fell upon the human´s flushed face as he placed one gentle hand on the hot forehead, offering love and healing.
...........................................................................
It raged. The tiny spark of a black soul that remained had not been doused and neither had it lost its vicious need to destroy, but it was now limited to a body that was injured and unconscious. The demon´s anger flared hotly, but there was nothing it could do. It would have to wait. It would have to gather its strength and play its part in an effort to conceal itself until it was strong enough to rise once more as it had so often in the past.
The thought calmed the vampire and a low snicker shook its mind. Oh yes. It had risen before, after being slain, buried, drowned or burned. Always there had been a last flicker, a shining shred of pure darkness that it had managed to retain to grow again. Those who had shattered it would soon suffer its revenge.
The demon could feel the river tuck at the frail body it now inhabited, unsure whether to pull it back into a cold grave. As strong as the Bruinen had proven to be, it was unsure. It would not destroy when there was a chance that the elf could still be saved. The vampire´s anger abated in the face of the new possibilities. It would need to shroud itself in the ghost of the elf´s lost soul that still lingered about him, eager yet unable to harm him. It would need to hide deep within until it was ready to strike again, and this time would come soon.
From the distance, hoofbeats could be heard, and the vile creature sensed light and power drawing near, yet its plan was set and it settled into the safety of the elf´s shell, awaiting its chance.
..................................................................
"He lives", Elrond breathed, his relief so strong it almost overwhelmed him, "thank the Valar!" Glorfindel stood back behind his friend and ran a critical eye over the young human. He could tell that bones had been broken and would need time to mend, yet the ranger´s strong will shone from him like a beacon, blinding to an eye who could see. The elf lord smiled.
"Aye, my friend, and his soul burns brightly, no doubt eager for its body to overcome its current state of weakness and restore him to his full strength. The impatience that so strongly runs in his family already urges him to wake. You should take precautions."
"Why ever would you name me impatient?" Elrond replied, his usual dry mirth returning as he worked quickly in his effort to take away some of his son´s pain before he awoke. Glorfindel chuckled, both at his friend´s blind trust in him and at the fact that the halfelf never even grasped the fact that the Balrog Slayer had not referred to him but to the blood of Isildur´s line that so markedly bore human weaknesses and strengths in it. The elf did not correct the mistake. He was not even sure, now that he thought about it, whether Aragorn´s inner strength was due more to his blood or his upbringing in Imladris. Both had shaped the young man´s being.
"He has been tended to already", Elrond stated, speaking as much to himself as to Glorfindel. There was a frown on his face as he tried to grasp how this could be. "He has been given help by a knowledgeable healer and not long ago." He paused, then obviously pushed the thought aside as unimportant and looked up at his friend. "We will need to move him carefully. I shall send for help." The elf lord had hardly finished the sentence when his horse turned and shot away, heading for the Last Homely House. Elrond smiled, albeit tiredly, as he gazed up at the sky. "Dawn is near" he said, "and so is help."
Another neigh rang out, answered by a second not far away. The Bruinen raised its voice again also, and Glorfindel turned his head towards the sounds with renewed apprehension. "But as long as we are the only ones to offer aid, we shall need to offer it to all who might need it", the Balrog Slayer stated. A sharp look of guilt crossed Elrond´s drawn features at these words when the healer realized that his son might not be the only one who relied in his help. He made to rise, but a low groan froze his movements.
Looking down, Elrond took in the ghosts of intense discomfort that flickered across the human´s face as he slowly woke to a world of blinding pain. His chest heaved in an urgent breath and then another as he strove to deal with the torment. Elrond quickly settled down again and placed his hand upon Aragorn´s brow soothingly. He had to fight the urge to gather the young man into his arms, knowing he would only aggravate the human´s injuries. "Dinen, ion-nin" [Be still, my son] he whispered, "alrhinc, dinen." [Don´t move, be still.]
Brows knitted, silver eyes opened a fraction only to close tightly again, a fresh groan escaping the dry lips. It was mingled with a single word. "Ada?" Elrond´s breath caught at the pain in the sound and he gently caressed the human´s cheek. "Aye, im nev." [Yes, I´m here.] The halfelf glanced up at his friend and the conflicting emotions that marred his face urged Glorfindel to come to a swift decision.
"You stay with him, mellon-nin" the fair elf stated and turned before any protests could come, speaking on as he walked towards the river, "you need each other´s comfort. I shall see whether any further help is needed." He did not turn around to regard his friend´s reaction but the silent words that reached him made him smile. "Hannon le." [Thank you.] Sometimes, even a lord needed a load to be taken off his shoulders.
As soon as Glorfindel had turned towards the Bruinen, the river´s voice had increased its relentless calling. The elf could sense urgency and a touch of fear in the sound and quickened his steps, his senses once again sharpening and reaching out in search of dangers that might lurk in the shadows. He saw something white that gleamed beneath a bush and bent away the low branches to reveal the still bones of a fox. Looking around, he caught glimpses of more white around him, scattered about at the line where the trees thinned towards the Bruinen´s shore.
"Axor sérinte s" [The bones rest now] he said, addressing the ancient waters in the Old Tongue, "ente nwalyuvante etye lá." [they will not torture you (anymore).] The river´s urgency did not cease at this reassurance, it even seemed to increase. The water moved back and forth across the deep bed, all currents lost in the restless movements that formed great waves and released them only to capture the masses again, giving the liquid the impression of a body heaving and turning in impatience.
Glorfindel stepped over the still bones and glanced down the shoreline. He immediately saw the horses facing each other over two fallen figures. The river suddenly disappearing from his awareness, the elf began to run. His mind registered the confusion he felt at the stance the two animals had taken, aggression leaking from their postures, yet that also paled in the presence of the two prone elves that lay motionless, their bodies still halfway in the water. The brown mare he recognized as Calen´s danced back at his approach, ears flat and mane flying as it reared in agitation.
Faun, however, would not make way. The stallion´s eyes rolled, showing white. Blood covered his legs and oozed from his stab wound that had not yet fully healed. His chest and flanks were covered in foam and he bared his teeth at Glorfindel, snapping them threateningly. He danced in a restlessness that mirrored the Bruinen´s , his hooves narrowly missing Legolas prone form that he stood over in fierce protection.
Glorfindel stared at the horse in something close to disbelief, for he had never seen such a display of sadly misplaced loyalty, but there was no time to lose in gentle explanations. From where he stood, the elf could clearly see blood streaming from Legolas´s chest and Calen, who lay a mere hands-breadth behind the prince, seemed in immediate danger of being pulled back into the water. Swift actions were needed to save both.
"Heca!" [Be gone!] The elf lords ancient authority shattered to air it travelled through like a sword´s edge and it did not fail to provoke a reaction. Flinching as if he had received a blow, Faun backed off, stumbling in his haste. His hind legs caught on the roots of the first trees near the river and almost gave way. The stallion caught his balance barely and neighed again, desperation ringing in the sound. A rush of regret for his harsh actions washed over Glorfindel but he did not waste the time to ponder upon it.
Instead he hastened forward, quickly pulling Calen to safety before searching a pulse on both fallen elves. He sighed in relief when he found them and slumped down between the still forms. From his first quick assessment, Legolas was in the worse shape and so he directed his efforts at the young prince, muttering under his breath while he tried to stop the blood that flowed freely from deep marks in his chest. "Ai, mellon-neth, man garich hi?" [Alas, young friend, what have you done now?]
Above them, the sky lightened as a new day broke.
..............................................................................
The room was still - far too still considering that all three of his sons and the Mirkwood prince currently inhabited it. Usually, that would mean happy havoc to be wrecked at some point, but things were far from being as they once had been. Elrond sighed and shifted in the chair he had placed by the window, ensuring he could keep an eye on all four of his charges at once. He should not ponder so, he decided. He should rejoice in the knowledge that their victory had come at less a price than he had feared.
The twins lay on one bed nearby, inseparable as they had last been as young elflings. Elladan´s arm was loosely draped over Elrohir, even in his sleep carefully avoiding the numerous injuries his younger brother had suffered from his own hand. Although his physical wounds had been least of all, Elrond had worried the most for his oldest son, knowing full well that the weight of his guilt could have the strength to pull him into a sleep there would be no awakening from.
It had been Elrohir´s constant demands to be close to his twin that had saved Elladan. The trust that he had encountered when caring for his brother and the almost desperate need for his company had assured the older twin that he had been forgiven. Even though it would take a long time for Elladan to follow his brother´s lead and forgive himself, he would not abandon Elrohir now. Allowing them to stay close had aided the healing in both, and Elrond hoped that they would fully mend in time.
That the same could be said about Aragorn and Legolas was nothing short of a miracle. By now Elrond had gathered what had happened to them both, and the fact that they had survived long enough to be saved by the healer´s skills was a clear sign of their strength of will. Aragorn had passed a very painful first day of recovery. Elrond had been forced to keep him awake to ensure that his head injury would not cause him to slip into a coma, and it had been a blessing when the healer had finally been confident that it was safe to let his youngest sleep.
Legolas, on the other hand, had only awoken once for a brief moment. The bite marks on his chest had caused Elrond to worry for more than the prince´s life, yet again fearing that a trace of the demon´s darkness had remained behind, but his swift examinations in Legoloas´ short moment of waking had brought forth no hint that the young elf´s soul had been marred.
Indeed, it seemed that Legolas would be fully himself again when he recovered. No trace of his ancient namesake´s presence seemed to have survived the battle in the river, and even though the thought of this valiant soul finally lost saddened Elrond, he was relieved that it seemed to have been the only life taken down with the demon.
Even so, a restlessness remained in Elrond that he could not explain. The second day after the vampire´s defeat was nearing its end, and the valley still shone with relief and a burst of life that seemed to contradict the increasingly cold grip of autumn. The humans that had fled to the Last Homely House had been free to be on their way again, taking with them the word that it was once again safe to travel to Imladris. The tension should be gone now, replaced by thankful joy.
Elrond stood, turning to the window and looking out. The gates were still open, many of Imladris´ inhabitants only now returning from a day away in the newly found freedom of the woods. Yes, he reflected, he should be happy. It had to be the shadow of what could have been, the near loss of his sons, that still weighted down his soul. And this, too, would pass once the young ones had recovered.
A sudden noise from the stables turned the elf lord´s attention, and he sighed. He knew what was to come because he had seen it numerous times before in the last two days. Not only elves and a human had been affected by the recent events, the horses had suffered, too. One was now repaying them his suffering.
With a sharp neigh, Faun broke from the stables, leaving several muffled groans and shouts of protest in his wake. The stallion headed straight for the stairs that led into the house, and the guardians at the gates reacted quickly, dashing for the door in an effort to outrun the horse, but this time they were not fast enough. With a triumphant snort, Faun mounted the steps three at a time and easily pressed inside. "Faun, baw!" [Faun, no!] Elrond said, only just stopping himself from shouting in his sons´ sick room, and quickly strove to the door.
In the hall, he could already hear the clatter of hooves and he flinched when a loud smash announced that the interior was indeed not made for horses to run through. Surprised shouts echoed through the house, and for a fleeting second Elrond felt a smile touch his lips. It was almost as if Faun was trying to restore the usual state of happy frenzy to Imladris. The stallion was making a valiant effort to make up for the young ones forced inactivity.
Raising his eyebrow without even realizing that this gesture would work even less on a horse than it usually did on his sons, Erlond awaited the steed and quickly stepped into its way once it rounded the corner. Skidding to a halt on the tiles in a less than graceful gesture, Faun came to rest facing the wall and then turned his head, looking towards the door behind which his master rested with yearning.
"No, Faun!" Elrond said sternly, "you will not resume this madness. The house is no place for you. Legolas will be sure to visit you once he is able, but you will not enter this building again." The stallion´s grey head was cocked to the side now in an enquiring gesture that was so much like his master´s that the elf lord could not repress a chuckle to enter his next words. "By the Valar, Faun, who made you believe you would get through with this in the first place?"
To his surprise, he received and answer, even though it was not Faun who uttered it. "That would be me, my Lord", Calen said silently from the other end of the hall, "for I allowed him into Legolas´ room before. I am sorry and willing to make up for my lapse now by offering my aid in tending the wounded." Turning towards the young healer, Elrond caught a glimpse of Faun´s ears flying back but paid it no heed.
"Are you sure that you are well enough yourself?" He gazed at Calen intently, taking in the paleness of his features and the almost transparent quality of his skin. As glad as he was that the blond elf was recovering from almost drowning in the Bruinen in his attempt to save Legolas, Elrond was unwilling to led him push himself too far too soon. "You still look unwell..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a loud neigh and then stumbled to the side as Faun pushed past him roughly, teeth bared as he raced down the hall at a full gallop. He was headed straight for Calen.
TBC
Review responses "The Beckoning"
AliciA: Thank you - lol, to make you love and hate the story at the same time makes me kind of happy, I have to admit ;-))
NightShadow131: Thanks - good that you like the battles, I have to really, really concentrate on those because things tend to go "head over heels" in my thoughts. Nice that I seem to have succeeded in untangling what was happening.
Arayelle: Thank you!! Sorry for the slow update :(
Gasp!: (Now that´s a nice pen name, lol!) Erm, yes, you still need Legolas around for all the nice things you mention - but that does not vouch for the state he might be in...I hope this chapter helped you to relax a bit - "your elfling" still draws breath ;-)
White Wolf 1: I made you anxious, did I? LOL, sorry, couldn´t help it. And I was not kidding with the "too late", too bad that Elrond has not yet figured out what´s wrong...
Ertia: LOL!! Relax, mellon-nin and take deep breaths...Better now? Sorry, so sorry for the long wait, I hope you´ll forgive me. I´m glad you liked the river, it was important to me to "get" it right :)
Moralinde: Thank you!! Aragorn will get his (next) big show in the next chapter, don´t you worry.
StarFire: Oh oh , I hope after this long wait you still have the strength left to read (and hopefully review). Yes, poor everybody again, but you are right that all the characters carry exceptional strength in them, which will come in very handy indeed.
Candidus-lups-full Moon: Wow, thanks! I´m very happy that you see it like that because this chapter was not easy to write at all...
Silvertoekee: Thank you! Oh dear, all those nice words, one of these days my head will burst from them ;-) I hope you are happy that Aragorn is still around (even though slightly "damaged") and he´ll soon live up to his hero status yet again...
Someone Reading: Did I just say my head would burst from the nice words?! I´m really holding on to it now... Thank you so much!! And kudos to you to think of Calen´s hair color - very good thinking!! hands out cookie"Calen" actually means "bright", by the way (although it can also mean "green"), so way to go!
Elwen: Thank you!! I hope this chapter took away some of your fears.
Tychen: LOL, I have no permit to kill them?! Darn... But they are still alive (yet) - well, most of them. You are so right about the industrialisation - I liked the way they portrayed this in the movies, too.
Anon: Thanks! Well, so far all are "happily" back in Imladris, but the danger is far from over ...
Demon Faith: Hey, that´s fine, I know the trouble can give you (it´s no fun at all if you want to post and cannot....) LOL, nervous about Legolas, are we? Well, so far he´s still around, so keep your fingers crossed for him. You are right, by the way, his death would have grave consequences for some other characters.
Deana: Thanks, as always (and sorry about the slow update...)
Review responses "Galad a Duath":
Astalder 27: Thank you! Glad that you thought the portrayal was in character :) There will be no sequel for this particular story, but more friendship stories are sure to come!
Elvingirl 3737: Thanks! I hope the other fics were to your liking, too.
NightShadow 131: LOL, yes, this "inner voice" thing just struck me like that - I mean, what is he supposed to think? I would actually feel a bit nervous about anybody who could "reach" me like that, even for my own good... Thank you!!
Deana: Thanks - and "cool" might actually be literal here, don´t you think?
Ertia: Erm blushessorry. Yes, I know, that was a bit mean, but this story just ad to be written. And you are threatening me now, don´t you? Maybe I´ll need to get some bodyguards one of these days... Anyway, I´m happy you liked the story enough not to go after me with sword in hand, LOL. Phew! whipes sweat off brow
Sielge: You are very welcome. Thanks for reviewing.
Someone Reading: sighs happilyThanks. I´m so happy you liked it. Thanks for looking for grave typos, too (even though in this case I actually meant what I wrote) I really appreciate it that you take the time!! There are so many things that just slip past me sometimes.
Tychen: Yes, the dwarf´s involvement was a bit ironic, wasn´t it? I bet he would have shovelled the tunnel shut behind him had he guessed he would be helping an elf out with it, lol. And yes, Aragorn and gravity don´t seem to go too well together at the moment. I´ll have to keep an eye on that, one of these days he might encounter a cliff...
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! I cannot tell you just how rewarding your reviews are. Please keep them coming!