SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!!!!!! Therefore; I am happy, therefore; I shall write more, therefore; Legolas and Aragorn had better watch their backs... =)
Deana; Thank you!!! Here's a fairly quick update for you... enjoy!
Lainfaer; blushes Thanks!!! =)
Lynx Yamato; Thank you! =)
Anarya; Oh no!!! Oh well; at least you'll have lots of lovely updates here when you get back!!! ;-)
Dha-Gal; Sirius?!?! What are you doing here?!
SIRIUS: I got bored...
8-. O-kaaaaaaaaay then Siri... 8-p Strange little guy Siri... ANYWAY! Do you realise how much I laugh at your reviews?!?! You should make a little fanfic series on them, lol!!! =)
Manders1953; I know I'm cruel – I think it's in my blood... my parents are VERY cruel, never letting me do anything... but THAT is for a teenage trouble page, not here... thanks for reviewing!!! ;-)
lindahoyland; blushes... again Thank you for the nice review!
Zammy; Ok! ;-)
eruve tinwen; LOL!!! Hmmm, are you sure you should be reading this if THAT'S the reaction you have?! ;-)
leggylover03; Hmmm, I think that after this they're all gonna need to bathe in Persil washing powder; apparently it removes blood, sweat and tears... very handy if you're in one of these fics... ;-)
Mellaithwen; Y'know, that's actually a REAL challenge. I keep having to look back to make sure I have everyone in the right situation and with the right things, like in this chapter; I couldn't remember if I'd specified any of Hal's weapons so I had to check up on that... it's pronounced HAL-A-TOW (as in "Ow!")-LAY... hope that helped! Oh, so were trying to jump to conclusions now are we?! Hmmm, we'll just have to fix that... never assume the ending of a story when I'm concerned honey... read on to find out WHY... =)
Estel; Hmmm, interesting review... =) LOL, I'm kidding! Thanks hun! =)
shadowfaxgal7; Killing off characters? Well, I guess it just depends on the mood I'm in... =) You'll be crushed if I kill someone?! Oh dear... if only I'd known... =)
galadriel evenstar; Hmm, rather disheartened by the end there, eh? =) Lol!!! Well, now you'll have to see whether Danny's going to live or not...
Joslin; Ok, ok!!! =) Lol!
Terreis; Well, you ought to be PROUD to be a tree!!! Seriously... hides the laughter I KNOW!!! I've suddenly developed this fascination with the twins... lord knows where from... ah, WHO CARES?! =) YAY! I enjoyed coming up with the birds/twins connection, it was really cool to write. Sometimes I come up my little moments of deepness; that's when I'm in my most creative mind. So I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this one too!!!
Celebrean; YAY!!! You're back! I'm glad to see you again mellonamin! =)
So, now that that's over, let's get on with the story, eh?
.: Chapter Six :.
Elrond stared out into the night. There was a cool breeze that hour and it calmed him slightly, though not enough to give him complete piece of mind.
He knew there was something wrong, and he knew it somehow involved his children and their friend. Now Glorfindel had mysteriously disappeared somewhere as well, simply making matters worse. Now Elrond hadn't a clue what to do.
He ran long fingers through dark hair. A frown creased his features too; the Elf was the picture of worry.
And then, in a distant tone, came the faint sound of thundering hooves...
-=-=-=-
Elladan's head rested limply on Glorfindel's shoulder. The younger Elf groaned, and the elder noted with growing alarm that he could easily feel the heat radiating from Elladan's body through his clothing. That was a very bad sign.
He raced through the main gates atop Asfolath, calling loudly for any help at all.
Elves appeared from their homes all about the Elven haven and realised with horror that the earlier hunting trip must have gone terribly wrong. They were right.
As he slowed Asfolath to a trot then finally stayed him, Glorfindel looked about frantically, praying for someone, anyone, to come and help.
From the healer's ward came someone who, at any other time, Glorfindel of Rivendell would be highly relieved to see. Unfortunately that person was the last person he wanted here at the moment.
Elrond...
-=-=-=-
Legolas pulled against the ropes that bound him fast. Knowing how much pain Garvorg could inflict, he refused to let Estel go through the same harsh treatment again.
He watched as Garvorg unwound the whip, the sharp barbs glinting hauntingly in the moonlight. They reflected in Estel's widened eyes.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" he roared angrily. The gag however stopped up his mouth, but not even that could hide the fury in his voice. Garvorg forgot Estel and turned his ugly head towards the young prince.
There was a deadly silence as the two stared at each other across the glade, fury glinting dangerously in both sets of eyes.
Garvorg sidled over, never taking his eyes off of the Elf.
"D'you wanna tell me instead?" he asked darkly. Legolas glowered at him, silent. Garvorg smirked.
"I'll take that as a yes then..."
It happened so fast that it took a moment for the action to register in Estel's mind. Garvorg suddenly lashed out and struck Legolas across the face with a spectacular punch, catching him directly in the eye; the Elf's head snapped back and collided with the tree hard. Legolas leaned heavily on the tree, teeth clenched.
Garvorg leaned in close, and the look on his face told Legolas that he got some morbid thrill out of hurting people.
"You're comin' with me pretty boy," hissed the Orc. With that, he tied another thick coarse rope around the Elf's neck before cutting the ropes that held him to the tree. "And if you try anything, it's your neck that ends up broken, you 'ear?"
Estel shook his head desperately. Legolas shot him a look, and in that moment, he suddenly understood.
'Don't worry about me,' it said. 'Just run...'
And then it was broken; Legolas was dragged into the darkness of the forest by Garvorg, leaving a small trail of blood that dripped from the still bloody gash over his stomach behind him.
Elrohir had watched the whole exchange silently, but anyone who was paying attention to him would have seen the bell-bottomed tear snaking down his cheek. This was all his fault...
-=-=-=-
"Elladan!" cried Elrond, seeing his eldest child lying perfectly still in his friend's arms. He ran over.
"What happened?!" he demanded desperately. Glorfindel swallowed hard.
"I found him in an Orc trap; he has a broken ankle and he's been bitten by a Covri."
Elrond looked at him with disbelieving eyes, eyes that pleaded to all the powers that the statement wasn't true.
"There was no sign of the others," finished Glorfindel quietly. Everything suddenly seemed to spin around Elrond; the other held out a steadying arm as the Elf lord almost stumbled.
"Quick... get him inside," he told Glorfindel absently. He couldn't concentrate, he knew he couldn't.
But he had to. Elladan's very life depended on it...
-=-=-=-
Hallataulë had been galloping hard through the trees when he heard the sounds of an argument up ahead of him. Drawing to a halt, he dismounted.
"Dartho sinome," he whispered to the horse. [Stay here] The animal nickered softly for a moment before allowing him to leave.
Silently he crept, unsheathing the long dagger at his belt. Crouching low, he peered over the top of a leafy bush at the scene before him.
He watched in complete rage and horror as Garvorg hit Legolas. It took all of his warrior's discipline not to leap up and kill the Orc where he stood. The elder prince knew that he had to wait; if he took action now, the second Orc who stood guard over Elrohir (who, to his great concern, was still slumped against the tree) could easily kill any of them.
He watched, seething, as Garvorg cut his little brother's bonds and dragged him away.
Now, as the two disappeared into the darkness, was his chance.
Shardûg had almost no idea what hit him as a clenched fist rammed into his stomach. The skinny Orc doubled up, his breath knocked out of him.
Hallataulë spun on his heel and sprinted towards Estel. The young man stared up at him with surprised yet relieved eyes. The Elf sawed quickly at Estel's bonds, the ropes fraying as he did.
"Estel, I want you to go and help Legolas, understand?" he told him. Estel nodded fervently. The ropes suddenly fell loose around Estel and the human got to his feet, steadying himself on the tree.
Shardûg gulped down air and glared at Hallataulë with a fiery, crazed look. The Elf knew this.
"Estel, go, now!!!" he ordered. Estel ran off, following the trickles of blood Legolas had left behind, leaving the older prince to fight.
Suddenly Shardûg was on top of Hallataulë, tackling him to the ground. They rolled over each other for a moment, before the Elf drew his legs up and kicked out, catching Shardûg in the centre of his chest.
The filthy Orc flew off him, giving him a chance to stagger to his feet. Shardûg leapt up and hurled himself at Hallataulë...
The Elf shoved his long dagger forward into mid-air. Shardûg fell straight into it.
As Shardûg dropped like a weight to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest, Hallataulë finally released the tension of his grip on the handle of his knife. His knuckles faded from a rage-induced white to their normal colour.
He turned suddenly as the hideous sound of dry retching reached his ears.
"Ro!!!"
-=-=-=-
Elrond ran a hand through his hair frantically as he swished the mixture he had made in the small porcelain cup. Glorfindel, previously watching him intently, now turned his attention to Elladan who was lying unconscious on the bed of the healer's room.
They had set his broken ankle already and stitched up the wound after cleaning it. Now they had to combat the venom. Judging by the symptoms; a red irritated throat, dilated pupils, paleness, sweating, fever, and loss of consciousness, the healer's had guess that they had about an hour left to save him. That was not long.
The crushed herbs, mingled with the lukewarm water, gave off a disgusting stench, but the desired effect would be worth it. Elrond held the cup in his hand, nodding towards Glorfindel.
The blonde Elf raised Elladan's head a little and Elrond slowly and carefully poured the concoction down his son's throat. He couldn't do it too fast of Elladan would choke- he couldn't do it too slow either; they didn't have that kind of time.
As Elladan reflexively swallowed the last of the liquid, Elrond noted half-heartedly that it was as though his child was just a small Elfling again, so fragile and vulnerable he seemed. Elrond almost wanted to return to that time; a time when everything was so much simpler. He had always wanted to keep his sons from harm, but he had known they would have venture out someday. He just wished it wasn't always like this...
"So what now?" enquired Glorfindel uncertainly.
Elrond was roused from his memories and thoughts by the question. He gazed sadly at the pale, seemingly lifeless Elf lying in deep sleep on the bed.
"Now, we wait..."
-=-=-=-
It shocked the prince just how terrible his friend looked. Cutting Elrohir down, the dark haired Elf had simply dropped forward into Hallataulë's arms, all ounce of strength he once had gone without a trace of ever being there.
Holding Elrohir tightly in his arms, Hallataulë looked around frantically for a way to help his friend. His friend's held drooped lifelessly onto his shoulder and he looked down, seeing in horror Elrohir's eyes sliding shut.
"Ro, no!" cried the golden haired Elf. The Elf couldn't fall asleep, not with poison this potent coursing in his veins; if he did there was the high possibility that he would never wake up again. "You have to stay awake, alright? Do you understand me?"
There was no response.
"Ro, I said do you understand?!" Hallataulë was desperate. He was met with a groan from his friend. It was good, but not good enough. "Tell me yes or no Ro."
"Yes..." moaned Elrohir, his eyes opening just a crack.
The eldest Prince of Mirkwood sat cradling his friend, racking his brains. He had to keep Elrohir awake. He noticed that Elrohir was beginning to drift off again...
"Ro, please don't sleep," he said. How could he keep Elrohir talking? "Do you remember what happened at Estel's last birthday?" He hoped so; that had been a wonderful night which none of them would forget.
Elrohir blinked wearily. "I... think so..." he began, his normally plain and musical tone of speech now slurred and broken. It hurt Hallataulë's heart to see his friend in this state. That other Orc would pay for what he had done. Elrohir swallowed thickly and continued.
"Fireworks... there were, fireworks..."
"And what colour were they? Can you tell me that?" asked Hallataulë, pulling his friend towards him and getting a better grip. He had to get him on the horse.
"Yellow... no, blue... red... and green... Estel's favourite colours..."
The Mirkwood Elf nodded. "That's right! That's good Ro, now, what else do you remember?"
Elrohir was finding this difficult. Part of his mind simply wanted to drift away and fade, but another part of him wanted to stay with his friend. He couldn't choose both.
"Dancing... and... and..." His voice trailed away, fading into the darkness of the night.
Hallataulë shook him slightly. "Come on Ro..."
But it was not enough. Elrohir had slipped into deep unconsciousness. Only a miracle would save him now...
-=-=-=-
Estel pushed back thin whip-like branches as he sprinted, still following the blood trail through the undergrowth. It was becoming alarming now; the amount of silvery-red liquid seemed to be increasing.
He suddenly became aware of his surroundings. This place was familiar! They were close to Rivendell, up at the top of the waterfall and the cliffs above the valley.
Feeling a new surge of confidence, Estel ran onward. The trees were becoming thinner and less condensed now; he had to be getting close.
He burst out onto the cliff top, stopping dead at the sight before his eyes.
Garvorg had removed the rope from around Legolas' neck and was now holding him tightly by the arm just over the edge of the cliff. All tha was needed was just a small nudge, the tiniest of pushes, and even Legolas' superior Elven balance wouldn't stop him from toppling over the edge.
"Should've expected you to get 'ere..." said the Orc, sniggering. Estel clenched his fists as he shook with anger. Legolas still had the gag tied tightly around his mouth so he could make no noise, but his wide-eyed pleading look was enough.
"Let him GO!!!" shouted the young man. Garvorg grinned; a twisted morbid smile that struck a chord of fear in the human's heart.
"With pleasure..." growled Garvorg.
The last thing Estel saw of Legolas, his best friend, was the utterly terrified look on his face as Garvorg released him and he fell over the edge of the cliff...
WOW, what a cliffie!!!
Literally!
=)
Please excuse my morbid sense of humour there; I've been watching the Happy Tree Friends... =) MWUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I wouldn't recommend that site to ANYONE under the age of 12 or who loves all things cute and fluffy... my mind is now WARPED!!! ='( Now head off and mourn my loss of innocence... after you reviewed of course! =) Please pretty please?!