Aragorn gently felt his split lip with his tongue and cast a look to Glorfindel. Glorfindel looked up at the human and looked like he was searching for the sign. Aragorn groaned to himself and glanced over at the group of orcs that were fighting amongst themselves. Looking away, he tried to pinpoint where everything started to go wrong. He figured it was probably when he accidentally fell off the stone wall and onto Glorfindel. Glorfindel probably did not see it as accidental when Aragorn had toppled onto him. Providing a cushion for Aragorn had cost the elf a broken collarbone that hampered the elf's fighting ability. Aragorn came away with an arrow pierced through his thigh among other scratches and scrapes. Now he was hanging from his wrists under a strong tree limb with Glorfindel bound on the ground under him. He was lying on his stomach with his hands bound behind him with his ankles. Personally, Aragorn was amazed that Glorfindel was still conscious. He knew the position was putting an enormous amount of strain on the bone and burned red-hot pain.
"I am starting to think that the sign is visible only to the bad guys," Aragorn muttered ruefully.
"I pity Legolas."
"Why?"
"He is the one commonly in this position when he travels with you. I can identify with him now."
"Sometimes it is his fault if we get into these types of situations."
"I doubt that seeing how it was you that fell from the wall," Glorfindel retorted and struggled to keep the pain from his voice.
"I did not fall, at least not on purpose," he said and leaned his head back to try and ease the pain in his shoulders.
He looked up at the darkening sky as thunder rumbled down from the sky. He blinked as rain started to fall from the sky and soak him. Soon, it was a downpour with lightening and thunder. Rolling his eyes at his luck, Aragorn looked at the orcs as they stopped fighting and turned their attention to the captives.
"What should we do wit 'em?"
"Chop 'em up an roast 'em."
One kicked Glorfindel in the gut and jeered at him as they circled around them. Aragorn tensed as one grabbed the arrow and twisted it deeper into his thigh muscles. He bit his bottom lip when the shaft snapped and left the arrowhead in the muscles. Valar, why him? Did all Rangers get into as much trouble as he did, or was it just him? Did this type of stuff happen to Legolas when the two of them were separate? Aragorn would have hated to have all this fun without his good friend.
"Looks likes he needs some healin'."
An orc poured some kind of liquid onto the gaping wound that sent a bolt of fire through Aragorn. Gasping, he jerked his good leg up and kicked the orc in the face. A few of the orcs laughed at their comrade while others converged on the human. They forced the liquid down Aragorn's throat to cause the human to gag and start choking. The orcs laughed and released Aragorn as his head lolled back weakly. His vision blurred suddenly and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Strider?" Glorfindel asked upon hearing the labored breathing.
"I do not fell well," he murmured and tilted his head back towards the rain.
He started to curse his luck and whatever liquid it was the orcs gave him. His stomach started to clench painfully into knots as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He really didn't like where this was going.
Legolas slowed his horse and motioned for Lina to do the same. He listened carefully and blocked out the rain sounds. Lina held her bow and watched the elf from beneath her hood as her horse snorted under her. Legolas turned and looked towards the left when his ears caught a sound. Without a word, he spun his horse and rode up through the foliage with Lina right behind him. Water splashed up from the horses' pounding hooves as they weaved around the trees and reached the crest of the hill. Lina's horse half reared at the abrupt stop as Legolas pointed down the hill.
"There."
His horse was already going down the hill, half running and half sliding as Legolas pulled out an arrow and notched it. The arrow zinged through the air and pierced the orc's black heart. Lina urged her horse after him and reached for an arrow as Legolas galloped headlong into the group of orcs. The rain continued to fall as Legolas slipped off his horse and pulled out his double blades. The heavy-footed orcs were not match for a light-footed elf and the pouring rain. He would kill one orc and already be attacking another before the first fell dead to the ground. Lina jumped off and swore loudly when her feet slipped in the mud and she saw an orc blade aiming straight for her neck. Throwing the rest of her weight backwards, she slid on her back over the mud and sliced through the orc's calves. When she slid into something that effectively stopped her slide, she rose onto one knee and stabbed the orc in the chest before he would grasp his blade. She spun on her knee and looked at what she had slid into. The hood hid her widening eyes as she looking upon the bound elf as he looked over at her. Moving closer to him, she sliced through the ropes and handed him one of her blades.
"Get your friend down," she said and nodded towards the convulsing human.
She rose quickly and sliced an orc all the way up his front and kicked him away. Legolas killed the last orc near him and looked around for any others. A flash of lightening illuminated Lina as she sliced through an orc with one move. He hurried over to Glorfindel and helped him with Aragorn as the elf cut the rope that suspended the human. Gently cradling Aragorn in his arms, Legolas eased him onto the soaked ground as Lina quickly looked him over.
"We need to find shelter before I can help him," she said loudly over the downpour of rain.
Legolas nodded and turned to Glorfindel before gently touching his shoulder. The older elf hissed in pain to cause Legolas to quickly retract his hand. His eyes narrowed slightly before whistling sharply for the horses. He helped Lina put Aragorn atop his horse and held him there as Legolas mounted behind him. Glorfindel was adamant that he could ride his own horse so Lina left him as she collected everything from their destroyed camp. Mounting her horse with all the supplies and equipment, they soon rode off quickly in search of shelter. Legolas held on tightly to Aragorn and wrapped his cloak around the convulsing human. His eyes searched for a relatively dry place to camp and hoped to find one soon. He finally saw something that could serve as a shelter for a while. Guiding his horse around the trees, they reached the rock out cropping that created a sheltered area under the rock. It wasn't the best, but it would suffice for what they needed it for.
"Hand him down to me," Lina said once she dismounted her horse and moved next to Legolas' horse.
He passed Aragorn down to Lina before sliding off his horse and taking back Aragorn. Lina helped Glorfindel off his horse and towards the back of the earth made cave. Legolas quickly searched through Lina's packs and pulled out everything she could possibly need. Hurrying back, he collected all the dry wood he could and quickly built a fire. Lina glanced over at Glorfindel as she looked over Aragorn's wounds.
"What did they do to him?" she asked and brushed aside the sweat soaked hair.
"Forced some kind of foul liquid upon him and on his thigh wound," he answered and flinched as Legolas felt along his collarbone.
"Legolas, help me with him."
They carried Aragorn out and into the rain a few yards from the small campsite. Legolas pulled his cloak over the human's shivering body. They put him on his knees as Legolas held his upper body.
"What are you going to do?" Legolas asked as she knelt in front of Aragorn and him.
"Make him throw up what he has not ingested so far. Then I shall work on what he has ingested," she said and gently opened Aragorn's mouth. "I hope he does not bite me."
Holding his jaw with one hand, her fingers on her other hand felt in his mouth for the specific spot. When she found it, the reaction was almost instant as Aragorn lurched forward. Lina pulled her hand clear just moments before Aragorn expelled everything that was in his stomach. The contents were tinged black and speckled with blood from the foul liquid in his belly. Soon it was just dry heaves that stopped eventually and left him sagging weakly in Legolas' arms. Lina directed him to bring Aragorn back under the rock as she pulled off her cloak and followed them. While Legolas changed Aragorn into dry clothes, she cleaned the thigh wound, removed the arrowhead, and mixed a healing paste. Quickly stitching the wound, she slathered on the paste and bound the wound. Turning to the mixture bubbling over the flames, she removed it and strained the mixture.
"Use that paste on Glorfindel's shoulder before you bind it; it will help numb the area. And make sure the bone is properly aligned," she said as she pointed to the paste she used on Aragorn's thigh.
Lifting Aragorn's upper body and resting him against her chest, she carefully coaxed the liquid down his throat until the liquid was entirely gone. Setting aside the tin cup, she pressed two fingers against his throat and under his jaw. Legolas moved next to her as she eased Aragorn to the ground and placed her folded up cloak under his head. She rubbed her face tiredly and ran a hand through her spiky hair before looking up to Legolas.
"How is Glorfindel?" she questioned and glanced over at the golden haired elf.
"At the moment he is sleeping. He muttered something about a sign before he fell asleep but I believe it was just babbly. How is Aragorn?"
"Sleeping. I gave him something to counteract the orc's brew and to help him sleep. His body will purge the rest of it on its own. I expect an infection or some sickness and I will have to deal with it when it comes. He should be fine after he rests though," she answered and glanced out towards the wet forest.
"How long?"
"At least five hours until he wakes, I would guess," she said and sat down next to Aragorn before resting her hand over his heart.
Legolas nodded and stood slowly as he looked around their small camp. Reaching for his bow, he looked down at Lina.
"I will be back later tonight. Call if you need me; I will hear you," he said before sprinting out from under the shelter.
His oiled cloak allowed the rainwater to run off him in rivulets as he leaped into the trees. His feet and hands were sure and confident in their movements as he climbed the trees with the grace of the Wood-elves. Finding a decent tree with a strong branch to serve as his perch, he stopped on it and rearranged his cloak. He balanced on his toes and lightly grasped the wet wood between his feet as he held his bow with his other hand. The cloak cocooned him and the hood covered his blonde hair to allow him to effectively melt into the darkness. Perched there, he allowed his mind to wander and think about things he wouldn't allow himself to think about during the day.
The Mirkwood elf thought about things that elves commonly didn't think about. The future concerned Legolas more than he knew it should have. He felt the sea longing call to him like a sweet lover's song. The longing sometimes woke him at night and sometimes attacked him during archery practice. He also knew that he wouldn't submit to the calling for a while. His intentions were to be there when Aragorn took his rightful place on the throne of Gondor. He also had the feeling that it wouldn't happen for several more years. Aragorn was still reluctant to talk about that subject even with his good friends. He feared that the weakness of Isildur would corrupt him and lead to his downfall. He worried about a weakness that had no power over him. Legolas knew what strength resided in Aragorn, son of Arathorn. He could see it in the human's eyes and the way he held himself, with pride and confidence that only a descendant of Elendil could possess. Legolas knew in his heart that Aragorn would be a king that would be spoken of with the utmost respect because he earned it and not demanded it. He knew what it was like at the bottom and would never forget who he was. Aragorn was a man first, then a Ranger, then a king. That was what truly made you a great king. Seeing who you really are inside, and admitting it.
Early the next morning, the Mirkwood elf jumped down from his perch and sprinted back to the camp as the sun peeked over the horizon. The rain had stopped during the night and the forest was fresh with the rain and earth smell. Everything looked new and bright as he slowed to a walk when he neared the camp. Glorfindel stood near the horses, quietly murmuring to his mount and looked up when Legolas approached.
"Greetings son of Thranduil. Needless to say, I was shocked to see you last night," the golden haired elf said as he placed his free hand over his heart and swept it to his side.
"Many greetings to you Lord Glorfindel; I am surprised to see you traveling with Aragorn. I believed I was the only one crazy enough to travel with him," Legolas replied and returned the greeting.
"Lord Elrond made me."
Legolas threw his head back and laughed. Glorfindel reminded him of a young elfling charged to watch their younger sibling. A chaperone to watch over the heir of Gondor and keep him out of trouble. Or try to keep him out of trouble at least. Legolas knew first hand how problematic that could prove to be.
"How is your shoulder?"
"Achy but fine. Who is the young woman with Estel?"
"That is young Lina from Tharbad. We stayed in her father's inn and Elladan grew fond of her."
"That is Lina? Elladan could not stop talking about her when they came home."
Legolas agreed and moved under the rock to check on the two humans. Lina leaned against the wall asleep with her hand resting over Aragorn's heart. Her eyes were fluttering open as Legolas crouched in front of her and waited to speak until she focused on him.
"Good morning Master Elf," she murmured and glanced to Aragorn.
She carefully felt his pulse at the side of his throat before touching his forehead with the back of her hand. He was slightly warmer than normal indicating a small fever that wasn't unexpected. She glanced up at Glorfindel as he neared before looking to Legolas.
"He has a slight fever but it is not bad. I will fix him some willow bark tea and check his thigh wound," she said and slowly climbed to her feet.
"You fix the tea and I will unwrap his thigh," Legolas said and moved closer to the injured limb.
Lina looked at Aragorn's wrists and noted how chafed and red they were. Picking up a few more select herbs, she started to mix a new batch of healing paste. While it was cooling, she coaxed the tea down his throat and was pleased to see that he was responding to the taste of the bitter tea. Laying him back down, she carried the small pot to Legolas and helped him with the thigh wound. Once rewrapping it, Legolas excused himself to go and speak to Glorfindel privately. Sitting cross-legged next to Aragorn, Lina gently took one of his wrists into her lap and gently massaged the paste onto the rope burns and sores. The hand she was holding suddenly twitched slightly causing her to jump slightly and look at his face for more signs of waking. His eyelids slowly opened and blinked a few times to focus before turning his gaze to her.
"Welcome back Lord Aragorn."
//////////////////
I am so sorry for taking so long on this chapter. Exams were beating the living stuffing out of me this week. Also, I was fully intending to send the chapter out to my beta readers on the night of the 15th but my good friend had a major guy crisis/problem and I was called up with her close to tears and I made a house call to her place to listen and lend a shoulder to cry on. From then on we ate popcorn, watched XMen2, and got drunk. Well she got drunk and I pretty much drank but stayed sober to keep an eye on her. Therefore I did not leave her place till like midnight or one in the morning and then I had to take a shower when I got home and this morning I woke up with a case of nausea. Yeah, so the afternoon of the 16th I sent the chapter out to my beta people after getting it all typed up and I am finally getting the chapter posted before I pack up my laptop to go home for Christmas break. *sigh* I should charge for bloody home visits. So anyway, please review for me and I will consider it an early Christmas present.
Deana- Yes I emailed to you and it did not come back to me so I assumed that you received it. Thank you for the offer to Beta but I have two lovely ladies doing it for me. I will give you a holler if you would like to beta for a new story of mine. Whenever I write it.
Ringmarciel- I love Lina to death now. I hope this story will be longer that the last one. I know it will be over 15 chapters long, at least I fully intend it to be.
Bill the Pony2- Exams are beating me to a bloody pulp! I am losing my bloody mind! You like skittles? I like skittles, I get them all the time from Dha-Gal whenever she reviews for me or I review for her. Love her to death too.
Grumpy- Glorfindel is going to sort of the comic relief in this story. Oh I feel bad for him already. Now, see I went without sleep for three and a half days once. But those were my horse show days and I was a bit younger at the time. I slept for like a week after that incident. My parents were not amused.
Balrog_Lover- Seriously though. This morning I thought orcs were stomping around in my head and before my biology exam they were digging around in my poor little brain. Thank god for extra strength Tylenol. Well thank you so much for the compliment; I love hearing comments like that. I wonder who they would have cast Glorfindel as? Heath Ledger? Oh, oh, I got it! Brad Pitt! Heehee. But anyway, yes I am thrilled to have Lina back in the story. Lina is going to turn into the female form of Aragorn, eh gads, help us! "I am perfectly fine." *passes out*
Star-Stallion- Oh Aragorn will be fine, he always is in the end. He is like the freakin energizer bunny, he keeps going and going and going *shakes head* geez. Elf angst will be coming eventually.
Elvendancer- Heehee, yes I always need my sleep. I fully intended to go to sleep early yesterday but no, my friend had to call me at 9 in the evening crying her eyes out over a guy so I had to go and keep an eye on her while she cried into her drink. And of course I had to drink with her. Is your sister…Gwyn? Just curious, because the two of you and your reviews seem to coincide.
Snow-Glory- Yeah, I had a good bit of time elapse between the two stories. It fit better with my plot line if I had a chunk of years go by. The piece of paper will coming up later in the next chapter about what was on it and what it means.
Gwyn- Yeah! *cheers* You caught up! Well I normally get the updates up quickly but it is exam week/hell week so it took me a bit longer than normal and for that I apologize.
Elven Kitten- Well thank you so much! I like Glorfindel a bunch, there is just something about him that…I do not know. Just something about him I guess.
Lauren- I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. Thank you so much for getting back to me quickly with the proofread copy of the chapter. Hannon lle. *bows and sweeps hand to side from over my heart*
