A/N. So... I finally have the next chapter up! Please read and review! Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: all belongs to Tolkien, except the OC's.

Chapter 5- Tracked

"Stop! In the name of the King!"

And the very blood froze in his veins.

Aelorothi sat bolt upright, all hopes of sleep now vanishing. He didn't know why his mind kept going back to the escape from the fortress, and he wished it would stop disrupting his sleep. He sighed, and looked quickly about the small clearing beneath the cliff. It was dark still, a few hours until dawn. Evard sat atop a distant boulder on his watch, wrapped tightly in his black cloak, his ever-watchful eyes scanning the mountain side as much as possible in the dark. It was quiet. Almost too quiet, Aelorothi thought.

Nearby, Rhunir slumbered like a child beside the dying coals of the small campfire, his fiery red curls splattered over his arm which he used in place of a pillow, and the captain lay just beyond, snoring softly. Namys and Waerhanuwa slept beside one of the large boulders, out of the reach of the icy wind, beside their own small campfire. Everything appeared alright, anyhow.

Aelorothi stood, wrapping his cloak around his shoulders, and moved softly over to Evard's boulder.

The man said nothing as he sat beside him, and they watched the stars in silence for a while. Aelorothi's eyes easily found his star. It was by far the largest star in the sky, a sparkling drop of liquid silver, illuminated with a bright, pure, white light. Somehow, it reminded him of Queen Aëtarmë- gave him hope, peace, a sense of belonging- and he relished it. It was like what home had felt like when his mother and his twin half-sisters had been there- lighting the dark fortress with their undimmed happiness, a simple joy to be alive. Then suddenly the thought struck him. He had no home. No home, no family, no place to go. He had given it all up for his freedom. Deep within, he knew it was worth it, that there was nothing left for him back at the mighty fortress of Cârn Dûm- yet, he felt completely lost. They had escaped from the fortress yesterday morning without incident but for the false alarm as they rode through the main gates. The whole day they had spent riding, and much to Waerhanuwa's displeasure, had ridden right past the waterfall of ice and continued on their way up into the mountains. They had not been followed as of now, but a patrol would likely be sent out by noon when he and the princess failed to show. He shook his head and concentrated on the stars once more, his eyes following the large silver one, as it twinkled in the sky.

After a while, Evard spoke softly in his heavy accented elvish. "Back home, we used to sit around the bonfires and watch the stars come out."

"And watching them now gives you hope." Aelorothi finished for him, understanding what the man meant. A fierce gale of wind tugged at his cloak, and he tugged back, holding it tightly with his cold hands.

"Hope that I will see my family again," the ranger said. "I had all but given up hope a long time ago," he admitted, looking ashamed that he had dared submit and surrender himself to the dark future, as what it had seemed to be not so long ago.

Aelorothi's curiousity rose. "Tell me about them." He had never really known what a true family was like; yet, he had always seen it as something precious, something to be guarded and treasured.

Evard smiled, and he was quiet for a few minutes before speaking in a soft, loving voice. "I have an older sister, Averyl. She is as happy as the day is long. She and her husband, Vidar, have two children. A boy and a girl- Eyvor and Eydis." He chuckled and grinned at Aëlorothi. "Those two can unintentionally cause more trouble than the rest of the children in our village combined." Evard looked sideways at his companion. "And you? Tell me about your family."

The ranger frowned slightly when the elf's expression darkened momentarily, and a flash of pain appeared in his eyes. "My father- you know about him," the elf muttered.

Evard nodded slowly, beginning to wish he hadn't asked about the elf's family.

"My mother died many years ago." The elf's expression brightened after a moment. "Her father, my grandfather, Alvarantu of Thronztjar, is both wise and kind. He is an excellent king, and he cares for the Thronztjari tribe like he would his children. And I have two half-sisters, Jarz and Tarj. Like my grandfather, I have not seen them since I was very young." Aelorothi let out a small sigh and concentrated on his star once more.

"You would like to see them one last time." It was not a question, but a statement. Evard clasped the elf's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Aëlorothi winced when his tone sounded snappish and sharp, and hurried to explain. "We have not the time to travel a hundred miles north. That is exactly where my father would expect me to go- north to Thronztjar. The roads will be crawling with warriors by the time we get half-way to the border."

Evard nodded. The elf made perfect sense. They would be returned to the fortress of Cârn Dûm before the week was out if they even attempted to travel north, and he and Rhunir and the captain would be dead by the end of the month.

Aelorothi and Evard sat in companionable silence for the remainder of the night. Dawn came soon enough after the last stars vanished, and Aelorothi finally stood up. "We should leave soon."

Evard yawned and nodded in agreement, stretching his long limbs like a great cat. He rose and followed the elf back into the camp, silently dowsing what remained of the fires with handfuls of snow. Aelorothi quietly roused the others, and within twenty minutes, they had eaten and broken camp, despite Waerhanuwa and her antics. The princess, it seemed, had determined to be as difficult as she could in return for being denied her visit to the crystal caves, and proceeded to do exactly that by first refusing to get up and help clean up camp, and then demanding Namys cook her a hot meal, and then finished off by attempting to escape after being forced to mount her horse, which she manipulated into weaving its way around stumps, boulders, the few trees, and narrow ravines. The poor animal seemed at its wits end by the time Rhunir caught the reins, and it took both him and Evard nearly a half hour to calm the nervous beast down enough to travel. Waerhanuwa was then extremely displeased at being forced to ride with Rhunir, and expressed this both vocally and by continuously jabbing her heels into his horse's sides, confusing the creature off the trail and knocking Rhunir into a snowdrift, after which she then attempted another escape, which ended with her being forcibly held to the ground by Evárd, and for the sake of both time and convenience, Aelorothi tied her wrists together behind her back. Namys was elated when later on that morning, they came to the unanimous decision to send the princess back to the fortress and rid them of her unpleasant company.

Waerhanuwa herself was quite pleased with this arrangement until she came to the understanding that she would be returning on foot- without her horse. She then went into hysterics, and in trying to silence her, Evárd was scratched a dozen times in the process, and finally gagged her. The captain, meanwhile, watched these entire happenings from his horse, an expression of concurrence and partially concealed amusement in his eyes.

Eventually, they calmed the princess down enough to remove her bonds and send her off without her horse, and the small company continued up the treacherous south-bound mountain path towards northern Angmar. The few leafless trees began to disappear, leaving boulders to brighten up the snowy mountainside. The rocky trail along the side of the cliff they were climbing became too difficult for the horses to navigate up, and they were forced to leave them and carry on with their meager food supply and packs slung across their backs.

Aëlorothi led the way easily up the icy trail, completely engrossed in his thoughts- an understanding that he could very well never see his grandfather or sisters again clouding his mind. Evárd followed, holding Namys' arm to prevent her from falling, and entertained her with detailed stories of his nephew and niece, and adventures of the Dunedain Rangers.

"They were found?" Namys asked, enraptured in the story about the ranger's niece and nephew.

Evárd grinned. "Yes. We found Eydis trying to bandage Eyvor's foot. Seems Eyvor shot himself in the foot with an arrow when he was trying to shoot the deer. Eydis was inconsolable. She was convinced Eyvor was dying."

He paused to help Namys up a particularly slippery section of the trail.

"What happened?" She asked when they continued.

"Well," Evárd replied, "They were scolded for running off into the forest alone where they could have been killed, and my sister told them the next time they wanted to shoot a deer for their daddy for his birthday, maybe they should ask Uncle to go with them. So I was volunteered to hunt a deer with them every winter for Vidar's birthday," he added, his tone indicating he disliked being volunteered for anything, but Namys could tell he secretly enjoyed the time spent with his sister's children.

She laughed. "And how old are Eyvor and Eydis now?"

"They were eight when I was captured, so they will be eleven now." Evárd bit his lip and looked sideways at Namys. "You don't think they've forgotten me, do you?"

The girl's green eyes widened and she glanced up at Evárd. "No! Of course they couldn't forget you. Now please, on with the story!" she begged eagerly.

Trailing behind them came Rhunir, set on prying bloody tales of the captain's each battle and adventure from him. The captain, in return, was just as determined to delay and irk his companion.

"Aye, I've got quite a tale to tell," he said, pausing beside a boulder to empty the snow from his tattered leather boot. Rhunir plopped onto the boulder with an earnest look, and the captain smirked to himself. "But what would a kid like you be wantin' with stories like them? Give you nightmares, they would."

Rhunir's jaw dropped. "Nightmares! Why you- they won't give me nightmares!"

The captain chuckled to himself. He enjoyed teasing Rhunir; he liked the boy quite well. He pulled his boot back on and stood up. "Well now-" he began, relenting, when suddenly Rhunir jerked oddly and a small cry escaped his lips. His green eyes widened with surprise, then closed, and he slumped forwards. The captain managed to catch him before he face-planted into the snow, and his cheerful expression turned venomous when he caught sight of the problem.

"Hey! Ranger!" He shouted frantically, falling back into his old habits as a captain of the Avari armies.

Evárd and Namys, already a distance up the cliff path, quickly turned to see the captain farther down the path, a senseless Rhunir slumped in his arms with a long black arrow protruding from his back.

Namys screamed, a gloved hand flying to her mouth. "Rhunir!"

Evárd clapped a hand over her mouth as her cry echoed off the cliff above them. "Shhh! Before you alert every Orc in Angmar to our whereabouts!" His voice was serious, but gentle and understanding. Tears fell down Namys' face as she struggled to free herself from the ranger's grasp. "Let me go to him! Evárd!"

Evárd's heart wrenched with pity for her, but his hold remained. There was nothing Namys' could do for the boy.

Aëlorothi, who had turned at the same time as the others, was already crouched beside Rhunir when another arrow hit the path beside him.

"Orcs!" He hissed with disgust. He helped the captain pull Rhunir behind the boulder and positioned himself, an arrow fit in his bow. Movement caught the corner of his eye, as Evárd pulled Namys behind a clump of boulders, and they waited, ready, for the enemy show.

But when the first Orc appeared far above them at the edge of the cliff, it disappeared just as quickly. Snow floated from the cliff-top as the sound of a scuffle and the clang of swords reached their ears, and then it was silent.

Aëlorothi and the captain exchanged confused looks, both wondering the same thing. What in Arda had just happened? Before any course of action could be decided, a head suddenly popped over the edge of the cliff, and Aëlorothi was just able to make out the handsome face of an elf.

"You're safe now!" The stranger called, his melodious voice floating down to them like a waterfall.

"Who are you?" Aëlorothi called back, not daring to trust the elf until he knew where his loyalties stood.

There was a moment of silence before the reply came. "We are elves of Harlindon, seeking our way home. And who might you be?"

The captain grabbed Aëlorothi's shoulder before he could reply and shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Have them come down, so that we may be sure they are who they say."

Aëlorothi nodded at the captain's reasoning and looked back up the cliff. "Come down here, so that we may talk."

The elf's head disappeared and bits of a mumbled discussion in a strange language reached their ears. A few moments later, the end of a light rope tumbled down the cliff. Apparently, the three elves had agreed. They climbed quickly down, and minutes later, three armed elves with pale gold hair stood before them. There was apprehension in their gray eyes, their stance cautious, and Aëlorothi didn't miss how their hands hung ready to put out their weapons if they deemed it necessary; he could also tell the three strangers would have nothing to gain by lying, and therefore must be who they said they were.

Aëlorothi put his hand to his chest in way of elven greeting. "I am Aëlorothi. The old man, we call him the Captain. The boy is Rhunir." He gestured behind the three elves to Evárd and Namys coming back down the path. "And the tattered Ranger is Evárd, and the girl, Namys."

"I am Avladion," the middle one said. He gestured to his right to the friendly-looking elf with gray-blue eyes, "And this is Dorléor, and Turlendil." He gestured at the tall, forbidding one. The three elves returned the gesture of welcome. "Where are you headed?" The one called Avladion asked, his defense posture beginning to relax.

"Anywhere south of Angmar, I guess," Aëlorothi said. He knelt beside Evard at Rhunir's side. "How is he?"

Evard's face looked grim as he tore a long six-inch wide strip of cloth from the bottom of his cloak. "The arrow-tip is poisoned. It needs to come out immediately, or the boy may die. The good news is," he continued, noting Namys' frightened face, "it glanced off his ribs, so it wasn't able to go farther. I should be able to pull it out without digging into him with a knife. Hold him down." Namys braced herself and held her brother's shoulders firmly. The captain took his legs. "Ready? Alright. Three, two, one…" Evard took a deep breath and yanked the arrow out. Rhunir let out a cry of agony and his body jerked roughly before he fell unconscious again. The ranger quickly pressed a piece of the material from his cloak over the wound to stanch the blood flow, and quickly tied it down with the other strip of cloth. "Do we have athelas?" he asked Aelorothi.

The Avari frowned, his brows furrowed together. "Athelas? What's that?"

"Kingsfoil- it's a plant."

"I never heard of it," Aelorothi said. "It's for healing?"

The ranger nodded slightly.

"I have a little I always carry with me," one of the newcomers said, pulling his pack from his back and rummaging through it. He pulled out a small sachet and tossed it to the ranger. "Here. You know how to use it?" he asked.

The ranger nodded as he untied the string holding the small bag closed. "Of course!" He looked a little insulted. "I am a Dunedain ranger!"

The captain would have chuckled had the situation not been so grave.

Aelorothi watched closely as Evard took a small amount of the crushed herb and pressed it to Rhunir's wound.

"We don't have time to boil water to prepare it," he explained to the elf, "so you just sprinkle it over the wound, and pull the bandage firmly over it, so the athelas will not fall out, or be wasted."

When the Ranger had finished dressing Rhunir's wound, he carefully tied the strips of cloth around the boy's abdomen, and then pulled his tunic and cloak back down to cover it.

"We should leave," the captain muttered to Aëlorothi, squinting warily up the cliff face and then back down the mountain.

By his manner, Aëlorothi sensed something was wrong. The captain apparently had the senses of a well-trained elven warrior. "What is it?" He asked.

The captain was silent for a moment, staring off in the direction of the Cârn Dûm fortress. "I am not positive, but I fear someone knows we are here."

Avladíon, the leader of the three strangers, stepped up beside them and spoke just behind Aëlorothi. "He's right.." His voice was soft, urgent, dark. "Someone- or something- is tracking us. We need to move. Now."

OoOoOo

A pair of bottomless black eyes smoldered like fire, boring holes into the floor at his feet, his lip curling in anger.

They have disappeared, my lord.

The words from the frightened guard still echoed tauntingly in his mind. Slowly he moved to the large window across the dark room and stood scowling at the heavy blizzard of snow whirling over the battlements outside.

They will not get far in this weather.

A black-gloved hand clenched at his side.

I shall find them.

He grasped the hilt of his sword tightly.

And be it the easy way… or the hard way…

A cruel smile touched his lips.

They shall die.

OoOoOo

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Pls review :D and if you do, I will have the next chapter up soon!!!

Thanks for reading :)

~Aërlinwë Greenleaf

Notes

Avladion- dirty-blonde hair, gray-blue eyes. Has a few secrets of his own ;) but you will find out later.

Dorléor- pale gold hair, gray-blue eyes. Very friendly and easy-going sort of person. An elf of Harlindon.

Turlendil- gold hair, gray-green eyes. Tall and tough looking; he is usually a very serious person. An elf of Harlindon.

Chapter 4 Reviews

A'Numireth: Thanks so much for your review! I'm so happy you enjoyed the chapter! :D

Guest: I guess I left you with a little cliffie again *ducks under the table to avoid flying objects* But I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Your review made my day, too :D