All right, six pages, this is a long chapter for me! Unfortunately, I have
no idea where the story is going after this. I hate posting before a story
is complete. Hey, ideas are welcome at this point. Like I said, ask and ye
shall receive! Now enjoy. Oh, and sorry the formatting has been royally
SCREWED UP, I will now separate scenes with the word BROUHAHA. (What can I
say, FF.net has made me sink to new lows!)
BROUHAHA
Legolas was struggling against several men like a caged animal. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that if he continued this, he risked injury to himself, but the panic had long since buried that thought.
"Would you just hold still? I can't hurt you. I've made a deal with your friends."
"Oh, the ones that abandoned me?" Legolas spat.
"Come now, you can't take everything I say seriously."
"Then how can I trust that you won't hurt me?"
"You keep this up and I might."
Legolas did not stop his struggling. There was nothing that could make him feel safe in front of Mar. Inevitably, he hear a loud pop, and pain laced through his shoulder.
Mar held his hand out, palm up. A yellow powder rested there. "Do you know what this is? It's a sedative with extreme side effects. Among them, complete paralysis. You may also notice that your pain threshold lessens greatly. Would you like me to use it?"
A string of elvish curses came as a reply. Mar shrugged, blowing into his hand. Legolas shook his head, trying to escape the powder.
"While that's working, I think you should see what I got out of that deal I was talking about." He moved out of Legolas' way. To the elf, it was like looking into a mirror. A blonde, regal elf was fighting off a handful of guards. Their eyes locked.
"Let him go!" Mithfalas raged, twisting his body out of the guards' hold. He leapt forward, but was dragged back down by an additional three guards.
Legolas' mind was already slowing, his body almost immobile.
"Ah, now you don't want to be doing that, Elf."
"We had an accord, you filth! Let him go!"
Mar only smiled coolly at the elf's rage. "I will. Calm yourself. But you forgot to realize that I never did promise how he would be returned."
"No!" Mithfalas yelled, nearly jumping out of the guards' hold again.
Legolas only shifted his gaze, his struggles almost non-existent. Mar took the prince's chin in his hand, forcing Legolas to look at him. "You must know by now that the Lady wants you dead. However, I cannot kill you. That doesn't mean I can't hurt you."
"No! You can't hurt him! Mar!"
"Quiet, Elf," He said, his eyes never leaving Legolas'. "You watch this or I'll make sure you hear it, do you understand my meaning?"
"Legolas! Fight them off! Come on, fight the drug! You can do it! Look at me, concentrate on me, Legolas!"
"Elf, I advise you to stop talking!" Mar continued to keep his attention on Legolas, whose lips were quivering. With mild awe, he realized that this was not from fear, but resistance to the drug. He laughed.
"You're actually trying to fight it off. That's almost admirable." He rammed a fist into Legolas' stomach. "Tie him to the tree and leave him," he ordered.
"Mar, you spawn of orc, leave him alone! He's nothing to do with this!"
"He's everything to do with this, dear Elf. How does it feel? After saving all of those slaves, and you can't even help your own brother?"
"I will kill you before this is over." He only stopped his struggling when Legolas' eyes sought his own.
BROUHAHA
Aragorn heard an unearthly scream and recognized it as Legolas'. He ran, following the noise, with Nifren on his heels. Within minutes, he could see the small clearing that trapped both elves.
"Do ye even know what yer going to do once ye get in there?" Another blood- curdling scream pierced the air. Nifren held the young ranger back. "Ye can't just go running in there. He'll kill ye and yer friends."
"I know," Aragorn sighed. "We wait until nightfall."
"They will have someone on watch."
"We can take down one or two guards without anyone waking." Aragorn climbed into the boughs of a tree so that he could keep an eye on both elves.
BROUHAHA
Legolas fell without resistance when his bonds were untied. Mithfalas was released and sprang forward, cursing Mar. He pulled Legolas to him, careful of the injuries the elf had sustained.
"You're all right, baby Brother. Focus on me. Just concentrate on me."
Legolas was clinging to his brother with his eyes. It was the only thing holding him from succumbing to the pain.
"Can you move?" When no response came, Mithfalas curled his body around Legolas, letting his hair hide both of their faces. He was crying.
"I am so sorry, Las. So sorry. I tried, I did the only thing I could think of. I would protect you to the end of the earth if it were in my power."
Legolas nodded weakly, nearly imperceptibly, as if to say, "I know."
"Is it the pain. . ." A long pause. ". . . or the drug?" Legolas nodded.
Mithfalas smiled. "You'd never admit that it was the pain, would you?" He wasn't expecting an answer. He picked up one of Legolas' hands. "I need to get these bandaged for you. If they aren't properly cared for, they won't heal."
Legolas closed his eyes.
"No, no you don't. Look at me, Legolas. There you are. I promised that they would heal, remember? Trust in me."
Night fell slowly. Eventually, the men started to fall into sleep's grasp. Only two remained awake to keep watch.
Mithfalas shifted his body, curling his legs under him. Legolas stirred, opening his eyes.
"Sh," his brother said, pressing a finger to his lips. "Stay silent."
Legolas nodded, stretching an arm. Mithfalas smiled. "You can move," he whispered.
Legolas looked at his arms, as if he wasn't sure that he had actually moved them. "I still can't feel my legs," we whispered back, apparently having tried to move them.
"That's okay, you'll get those back soon. You should be happy."
"My hands are burning."
"I can't do anything here. They won't let-" Mithfalas read the pain in his brother's eyes and sighed. He had to try. He walked towards the dying fire as quietly as he could, grabbed a bucket, and started back. A hand shot out and grabbed his ankle, but he managed to stay upright.
"What are you doin', elf?"
"I am taking water to my brother. He needs help."
"Put that bucket back," the man grumbled.
"He'll die otherwise," Mithfalas lied.
"Fine, but be quiet about it and don't complain when I tell the boss tomorrow."
"Fal, don't. Don't get in trouble here."
"Sh, Las. It's fine. Let me see your hand."
Legolas offered his right hand, the one that burned the most. Mithfalas looked him in the eye. "Make no sound."
Legolas nodded, but had to fight not to scream as his hand was submerged in cold water. The icy sting that ran up his arm was enough to make any being squirm.
Mithfalas tore strips from the bottom of his tunic to wrap around the prince's hands. Legolas was biting his lower lip.
A stone dropped next to Mithfalas, and both elves froze. A bird caw floated through the leaves. "Don't move," Mithfalas hissed.
"Where am I going to go without the use of my legs?"
Mithfalas waved off his brother's remark, peering into the foliage above them. "Someone's there," he hissed again.
"Fal, get Legolas!"
The elf nearly jumped back. "Strider, I've killed men for less than that."
"Get him and let's go."
The elder elf shook his head. "I need to finish tending to his. . . where are the guards?"
Strider smiled. "Out for a while. I'll see to his wounds."
"No! I would not risk you waking them."
Legolas could barely hear the conversation, the tones were kept so quiet. Mithfalas came back to him. "Give me your other hand."
The prince obeyed, forcing his lips to stay closed despite the pain. When his brother finished, he nodded. "Let's go."
"Not yet," he gently prodded his brother's ribs to prove his point. "You've too many injuries to risk overlooking something serious."
Aragorn lowered himself another branch. "We're losing time. Dawn is fast approaching."
Mar rolled over, his eyes wide open. Aragorn froze, trying desperately to blend with the tree. "What are you doing, Elf?"
"Nothing," Mithfalas replied calmly. "I am merely tending to Legolas' wounds."
"Were you given permission?"
Mithfalas placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him from saying anything they would both regret. Silence filled the glade.
"Well?"
"No."
"No what?"
Mithfalas opened his mouth to smart off, but thought better of it. This was for his brother. "No, sir." He kept Aragorn in the corner of his eye, making sure to keep Mar's attention away from the human. "Leaving him as he was is against my better judgment."
Mar rose, kicking into one of his companions as he crossed the distance to the elves. Aragorn, barely concealed by the leaves, held his breath. Nifren was poised, ready to grab his partner out of harm's way.
Mithfalas rose to his feet, walking towards Mar. He needed to keep as much distance between the two humans as possible.
The two enemies stood glaring at each other, malicious intents written in their eyes.
"I should kill him, just to spite you."
"Lay another hand on him and you won't have strength enough for spite."
"Is that a threat, dear elf?"
"It's a promise, loathsome human."
Another voice broke the tension. "Fal, back off. It's not worth it."
Mar smiled at Legolas. "You are wiser than I gave you credit for."
"This isn't your battle, Legolas," Fal turned his head as if he was looking at Legolas, but instead, he gave Aragorn a calculated look. The human understood and nodded. Fal turned back to Mar. "You've had your fun, now let him go."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you will have failed to hold your end of the bargain, so I too will fail my end."
Aragorn let his breath out slowly. If he could surprise Mar and kill him quickly, perhaps none of the others would wake. . .
"Fal, just back down."
Aragorn rolled his eyes at Legolas. He may not know Mithfalas very well, but he was anything like Legolas, there was nothing that was going to make him back down.
Mithfalas took a breath, nodded, and turned to his brother. "Come, Las, we're getting out of here."
Mar laughed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Mithfalas said nothing, pulling Legolas to his feet. He gave Aragorn a pointed look, then glanced off to the left.
Mar whistled and the camp sprang to action. Aragorn leapt to the top of the tree, Nifren pulling him up.
"What? What are you going to do, Mar? Kill us? Go ahead. Then what? You can't kill us until she's around! You know that!" He pushed Legolas away from him, somewhere towards the left. The younger elf stumbled and disappeared into the trees. No one seemed to notice as chaos ensued.
Aragorn met the stumbling elf just behind the line of trees. "Are you all right?"
"Fal! We have to help him!"
"Legolas, we can't, not now, they would kill us!"
Mar growled in frustration. He knew the elf was right. Technically speaking, he was supposed to hurt either of them-
"Where is?" He cursed, realizing the younger prince had just escaped his clutches. He barked orders for some of the men to start searching the surrounding forest. The elf was still partially paralyzed, he couldn't have gone far. "You will pay, you stupid elf!"
"I'm stupid? Funny, though, how you're the one that last his captive!"
Aragorn pulled Legolas away from the edge of the trees just before Mar struck Mithfalas. He helped push the elf up a nearby tree, Nifren grabbing him, pulling him out of sight of the men entering the forest.
Aragorn, however, was not so lucky to be unseen.
BROUHAHA
Yeah, Fal's an idiot. . . runs in the family, I suppose :-D
Reviewers: (Now that I feel incredibly stupid for separating scenes with BROUHAHA. Let's hope it at least works. . .)
Deana: Lol, I'm so horrible at this "posting quickly" thing. The next story will be loads better, since it's already written. I just needed this one as a filler to explain some things, and I'm more or less making it up as I go. Thanks for your patience!
Jazzy: Ooh, look at Fal, he's really a good dancer! (Hm, there was a spider on my wall a few minutes ago, and arachnophobe that I am, I wouldn't touch him, so I just watched him to make sure he couldn't jump or anything, then I got uncomfortable and forgot about him, and now he's not on the wall anymore. That's bad.) Anyway, lol, who knows, Leggy's probably drunk too. Camp counselor, fun. Been there, done that. Showers are a girl's best friend at camp, lol. Without being discouraging, all I can say is: have fun!
Lindahoyland: Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it. I always say that author's shouldn't write for the public, but the compliments and feedback really are what keeps us running!
Wildfire2: The spider that bit him on the spider hunt. (Leggy's not very good at taking care of himself, is he?) It was 3. . . no, 2, against thirty, if they followed and got caught, bad things would have ensued, and try carrying dead weight around from tree to tree, quickly, without making any noise. But see, look, Leggy's getting away now! And. . . I'd like to give you a hint or something, but. . . well, I'd like to say I'd give away too much, but I really don't know what's going to happen. I hate when author's say that, and leave ya hanging for a year. I won't wait that long to force inspiration though, I promise! And you're right, as you can tell from this chapter, Mar is not a man of his word.
Elainor: I am so thoroughly thrilled that everyone likes Fal so much. . . though I felt he was a bit out of character this chapter, but he's really mad right now, defending his brother, so he's got an excuse.
Lainfaer: Lol, don't worry, Leggy's got to make it to the Fellowship, so I can't kill him off yet. Yeah, I know, ff.net has been making me really mad too!
F h c: Fal did say yes to Mar's supposed trade. . . as one reviewer nicely pointed out, Fal doesn't seem like a man of his word, does he? But Mar's plan has been foiled again!
Until next time, BROUHAHA!
BROUHAHA
Legolas was struggling against several men like a caged animal. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that if he continued this, he risked injury to himself, but the panic had long since buried that thought.
"Would you just hold still? I can't hurt you. I've made a deal with your friends."
"Oh, the ones that abandoned me?" Legolas spat.
"Come now, you can't take everything I say seriously."
"Then how can I trust that you won't hurt me?"
"You keep this up and I might."
Legolas did not stop his struggling. There was nothing that could make him feel safe in front of Mar. Inevitably, he hear a loud pop, and pain laced through his shoulder.
Mar held his hand out, palm up. A yellow powder rested there. "Do you know what this is? It's a sedative with extreme side effects. Among them, complete paralysis. You may also notice that your pain threshold lessens greatly. Would you like me to use it?"
A string of elvish curses came as a reply. Mar shrugged, blowing into his hand. Legolas shook his head, trying to escape the powder.
"While that's working, I think you should see what I got out of that deal I was talking about." He moved out of Legolas' way. To the elf, it was like looking into a mirror. A blonde, regal elf was fighting off a handful of guards. Their eyes locked.
"Let him go!" Mithfalas raged, twisting his body out of the guards' hold. He leapt forward, but was dragged back down by an additional three guards.
Legolas' mind was already slowing, his body almost immobile.
"Ah, now you don't want to be doing that, Elf."
"We had an accord, you filth! Let him go!"
Mar only smiled coolly at the elf's rage. "I will. Calm yourself. But you forgot to realize that I never did promise how he would be returned."
"No!" Mithfalas yelled, nearly jumping out of the guards' hold again.
Legolas only shifted his gaze, his struggles almost non-existent. Mar took the prince's chin in his hand, forcing Legolas to look at him. "You must know by now that the Lady wants you dead. However, I cannot kill you. That doesn't mean I can't hurt you."
"No! You can't hurt him! Mar!"
"Quiet, Elf," He said, his eyes never leaving Legolas'. "You watch this or I'll make sure you hear it, do you understand my meaning?"
"Legolas! Fight them off! Come on, fight the drug! You can do it! Look at me, concentrate on me, Legolas!"
"Elf, I advise you to stop talking!" Mar continued to keep his attention on Legolas, whose lips were quivering. With mild awe, he realized that this was not from fear, but resistance to the drug. He laughed.
"You're actually trying to fight it off. That's almost admirable." He rammed a fist into Legolas' stomach. "Tie him to the tree and leave him," he ordered.
"Mar, you spawn of orc, leave him alone! He's nothing to do with this!"
"He's everything to do with this, dear Elf. How does it feel? After saving all of those slaves, and you can't even help your own brother?"
"I will kill you before this is over." He only stopped his struggling when Legolas' eyes sought his own.
BROUHAHA
Aragorn heard an unearthly scream and recognized it as Legolas'. He ran, following the noise, with Nifren on his heels. Within minutes, he could see the small clearing that trapped both elves.
"Do ye even know what yer going to do once ye get in there?" Another blood- curdling scream pierced the air. Nifren held the young ranger back. "Ye can't just go running in there. He'll kill ye and yer friends."
"I know," Aragorn sighed. "We wait until nightfall."
"They will have someone on watch."
"We can take down one or two guards without anyone waking." Aragorn climbed into the boughs of a tree so that he could keep an eye on both elves.
BROUHAHA
Legolas fell without resistance when his bonds were untied. Mithfalas was released and sprang forward, cursing Mar. He pulled Legolas to him, careful of the injuries the elf had sustained.
"You're all right, baby Brother. Focus on me. Just concentrate on me."
Legolas was clinging to his brother with his eyes. It was the only thing holding him from succumbing to the pain.
"Can you move?" When no response came, Mithfalas curled his body around Legolas, letting his hair hide both of their faces. He was crying.
"I am so sorry, Las. So sorry. I tried, I did the only thing I could think of. I would protect you to the end of the earth if it were in my power."
Legolas nodded weakly, nearly imperceptibly, as if to say, "I know."
"Is it the pain. . ." A long pause. ". . . or the drug?" Legolas nodded.
Mithfalas smiled. "You'd never admit that it was the pain, would you?" He wasn't expecting an answer. He picked up one of Legolas' hands. "I need to get these bandaged for you. If they aren't properly cared for, they won't heal."
Legolas closed his eyes.
"No, no you don't. Look at me, Legolas. There you are. I promised that they would heal, remember? Trust in me."
Night fell slowly. Eventually, the men started to fall into sleep's grasp. Only two remained awake to keep watch.
Mithfalas shifted his body, curling his legs under him. Legolas stirred, opening his eyes.
"Sh," his brother said, pressing a finger to his lips. "Stay silent."
Legolas nodded, stretching an arm. Mithfalas smiled. "You can move," he whispered.
Legolas looked at his arms, as if he wasn't sure that he had actually moved them. "I still can't feel my legs," we whispered back, apparently having tried to move them.
"That's okay, you'll get those back soon. You should be happy."
"My hands are burning."
"I can't do anything here. They won't let-" Mithfalas read the pain in his brother's eyes and sighed. He had to try. He walked towards the dying fire as quietly as he could, grabbed a bucket, and started back. A hand shot out and grabbed his ankle, but he managed to stay upright.
"What are you doin', elf?"
"I am taking water to my brother. He needs help."
"Put that bucket back," the man grumbled.
"He'll die otherwise," Mithfalas lied.
"Fine, but be quiet about it and don't complain when I tell the boss tomorrow."
"Fal, don't. Don't get in trouble here."
"Sh, Las. It's fine. Let me see your hand."
Legolas offered his right hand, the one that burned the most. Mithfalas looked him in the eye. "Make no sound."
Legolas nodded, but had to fight not to scream as his hand was submerged in cold water. The icy sting that ran up his arm was enough to make any being squirm.
Mithfalas tore strips from the bottom of his tunic to wrap around the prince's hands. Legolas was biting his lower lip.
A stone dropped next to Mithfalas, and both elves froze. A bird caw floated through the leaves. "Don't move," Mithfalas hissed.
"Where am I going to go without the use of my legs?"
Mithfalas waved off his brother's remark, peering into the foliage above them. "Someone's there," he hissed again.
"Fal, get Legolas!"
The elf nearly jumped back. "Strider, I've killed men for less than that."
"Get him and let's go."
The elder elf shook his head. "I need to finish tending to his. . . where are the guards?"
Strider smiled. "Out for a while. I'll see to his wounds."
"No! I would not risk you waking them."
Legolas could barely hear the conversation, the tones were kept so quiet. Mithfalas came back to him. "Give me your other hand."
The prince obeyed, forcing his lips to stay closed despite the pain. When his brother finished, he nodded. "Let's go."
"Not yet," he gently prodded his brother's ribs to prove his point. "You've too many injuries to risk overlooking something serious."
Aragorn lowered himself another branch. "We're losing time. Dawn is fast approaching."
Mar rolled over, his eyes wide open. Aragorn froze, trying desperately to blend with the tree. "What are you doing, Elf?"
"Nothing," Mithfalas replied calmly. "I am merely tending to Legolas' wounds."
"Were you given permission?"
Mithfalas placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him from saying anything they would both regret. Silence filled the glade.
"Well?"
"No."
"No what?"
Mithfalas opened his mouth to smart off, but thought better of it. This was for his brother. "No, sir." He kept Aragorn in the corner of his eye, making sure to keep Mar's attention away from the human. "Leaving him as he was is against my better judgment."
Mar rose, kicking into one of his companions as he crossed the distance to the elves. Aragorn, barely concealed by the leaves, held his breath. Nifren was poised, ready to grab his partner out of harm's way.
Mithfalas rose to his feet, walking towards Mar. He needed to keep as much distance between the two humans as possible.
The two enemies stood glaring at each other, malicious intents written in their eyes.
"I should kill him, just to spite you."
"Lay another hand on him and you won't have strength enough for spite."
"Is that a threat, dear elf?"
"It's a promise, loathsome human."
Another voice broke the tension. "Fal, back off. It's not worth it."
Mar smiled at Legolas. "You are wiser than I gave you credit for."
"This isn't your battle, Legolas," Fal turned his head as if he was looking at Legolas, but instead, he gave Aragorn a calculated look. The human understood and nodded. Fal turned back to Mar. "You've had your fun, now let him go."
"And if I say no?"
"Then you will have failed to hold your end of the bargain, so I too will fail my end."
Aragorn let his breath out slowly. If he could surprise Mar and kill him quickly, perhaps none of the others would wake. . .
"Fal, just back down."
Aragorn rolled his eyes at Legolas. He may not know Mithfalas very well, but he was anything like Legolas, there was nothing that was going to make him back down.
Mithfalas took a breath, nodded, and turned to his brother. "Come, Las, we're getting out of here."
Mar laughed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Mithfalas said nothing, pulling Legolas to his feet. He gave Aragorn a pointed look, then glanced off to the left.
Mar whistled and the camp sprang to action. Aragorn leapt to the top of the tree, Nifren pulling him up.
"What? What are you going to do, Mar? Kill us? Go ahead. Then what? You can't kill us until she's around! You know that!" He pushed Legolas away from him, somewhere towards the left. The younger elf stumbled and disappeared into the trees. No one seemed to notice as chaos ensued.
Aragorn met the stumbling elf just behind the line of trees. "Are you all right?"
"Fal! We have to help him!"
"Legolas, we can't, not now, they would kill us!"
Mar growled in frustration. He knew the elf was right. Technically speaking, he was supposed to hurt either of them-
"Where is?" He cursed, realizing the younger prince had just escaped his clutches. He barked orders for some of the men to start searching the surrounding forest. The elf was still partially paralyzed, he couldn't have gone far. "You will pay, you stupid elf!"
"I'm stupid? Funny, though, how you're the one that last his captive!"
Aragorn pulled Legolas away from the edge of the trees just before Mar struck Mithfalas. He helped push the elf up a nearby tree, Nifren grabbing him, pulling him out of sight of the men entering the forest.
Aragorn, however, was not so lucky to be unseen.
BROUHAHA
Yeah, Fal's an idiot. . . runs in the family, I suppose :-D
Reviewers: (Now that I feel incredibly stupid for separating scenes with BROUHAHA. Let's hope it at least works. . .)
Deana: Lol, I'm so horrible at this "posting quickly" thing. The next story will be loads better, since it's already written. I just needed this one as a filler to explain some things, and I'm more or less making it up as I go. Thanks for your patience!
Jazzy: Ooh, look at Fal, he's really a good dancer! (Hm, there was a spider on my wall a few minutes ago, and arachnophobe that I am, I wouldn't touch him, so I just watched him to make sure he couldn't jump or anything, then I got uncomfortable and forgot about him, and now he's not on the wall anymore. That's bad.) Anyway, lol, who knows, Leggy's probably drunk too. Camp counselor, fun. Been there, done that. Showers are a girl's best friend at camp, lol. Without being discouraging, all I can say is: have fun!
Lindahoyland: Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it. I always say that author's shouldn't write for the public, but the compliments and feedback really are what keeps us running!
Wildfire2: The spider that bit him on the spider hunt. (Leggy's not very good at taking care of himself, is he?) It was 3. . . no, 2, against thirty, if they followed and got caught, bad things would have ensued, and try carrying dead weight around from tree to tree, quickly, without making any noise. But see, look, Leggy's getting away now! And. . . I'd like to give you a hint or something, but. . . well, I'd like to say I'd give away too much, but I really don't know what's going to happen. I hate when author's say that, and leave ya hanging for a year. I won't wait that long to force inspiration though, I promise! And you're right, as you can tell from this chapter, Mar is not a man of his word.
Elainor: I am so thoroughly thrilled that everyone likes Fal so much. . . though I felt he was a bit out of character this chapter, but he's really mad right now, defending his brother, so he's got an excuse.
Lainfaer: Lol, don't worry, Leggy's got to make it to the Fellowship, so I can't kill him off yet. Yeah, I know, ff.net has been making me really mad too!
F h c: Fal did say yes to Mar's supposed trade. . . as one reviewer nicely pointed out, Fal doesn't seem like a man of his word, does he? But Mar's plan has been foiled again!
Until next time, BROUHAHA!