Elladan walked away from the group and to the edge of the cliff to look down at the churning water. Lina's voice echoed in his memory as he replayed the scene just minutes ago and wondered again if there was anything else he could have done. Crossing his arms across his chest, he bowed his head and stared at the mud that marred his soft leather boots. Several elvish sayings raced through his head that could be said for the dead but none seemed to fit this death. He really did not know a thing about her. The last time he had seen her was in Tharbad, when she was a little girl. Then she suddenly appeared in Imladris with a message from Legolas and she was a young woman, skilled in the ways of the wild. He would have to go and find her brother; he remembered her mentioning him during some point of their journey. The brother use to work in the barn at the inn that Elladan first met her at on their way to Tharbad.
"Would you mind some company, Master Elf?"
Elladan turned and looked over his shoulder at Sauros as the dragon watched the grieving elf. Shaking his head, Elladan looked back out to the sea as Sauros lumbered over to him and sat on his haunches quietly. Sauros had sensed the weight difference when everyone had climbed on to leave Gondolin and knew it had to be Lina. He had seen Aragorn climb on and Lina was the only other human that weighed more than the elves. He grieved for her for she would have grown up to be a strong lady and have many adventures. But death was a common occurrence, especially among humans; the race that she was unfortunate to be born to. One more flower to fall from the tree of human life, he thought to himself and flicked his forked tongue to the wind.
"You felt the need to protect her."
Elladan looked over at the dragon and raised an eyebrow before looking back to the sea and sighing.
"Yes, I did. I protected her as a young girl in Tharbad and this time I failed. She should never have come on this journey with us. It was far too perilous for her. She was only a child, far younger that Estel; she was a mere babe by elvish standards. Her death was too early," Elladan muttered softly and uncrossed his arm to run his fingers through his long black hair.
"It was her decision to join us; we did not force her. Her life was full of her own adventures and she had seen much more of this world than normal women her age. She had seen her friend's mutilated body after orcs had abducted her and abused her in more ways than one. She has suffered through too much."
"But she still should not have died that way. It was a dishonorable way to die," Elladan commented quietly and stretched his head back to look towards the sky.
His eyes drifted shut as he breathed deeply, trying to wash his grief away. Elves always felt death very close to them and were often amazed by it. Death was not well known by elves but it was felt closely. The death of a young one was always a shock and dismay to the elvish community.
"She died helping others; is there any better way to go? She pushed you out of the way to save you. What is dishonorable about that?"
"It should have been in battle. That is how a warrior is supposed to die."
"But she was not a warrior, Master Elf. She was a young woman searching to find herself and help those in need by lending her abilities. Healing people was what she wanted to do, not battle others but she knew it was unavoidable. It is dangerous when you travel through these lands alone and she knew that and accepted it," Sauros commented with a small puff of sulfurous air into the sky.
Elladan nodded and continued to clear his head. Sauros sat there for a moment silently before turning to lumber off towards the rest of the group. The dragon had said all that he could to ease the elf's pain. He would have to work through everything else on his own. Sauros shook his head slightly when Elrohir looked up at him. The younger twin worriedly looked over at his twin and pressed Aragorn back down to the ground. He had just finished re-stitching and bandaging his little brother's arm while occasionally glancing over towards Elladan. Elrohir was getting worried about his other brother. Elladan felt close to Lina and was probably taking her death hard which Elrohir really didn't find that shocking. Elladan had always been a very emotional elf but he hid it while in battle but it came out in full force when one of his family members was in danger. Pointedly glaring at the human, Elrohir slowly moved towards his twin and stood behind him for a moment while trying to gather his words. Being twins, Elrohir could feel the pain and anguish that Elladan was going through as if it were his own. He hadn't been as close to Lina as Elladan had been but also felt sorrow at her passing. Stepping up, he gently laid a hand on Elladan's shoulder and squeezed it to show that he was there for his brother. Elladan tipped his head slightly to glance out of the corner of his eye at his twin and nodded before turning back to stare at the sky again.
"Are you well, brother?" he asked softly and stepped closer to stand by his brother's side.
"I will be, eventually. It would be better to leave tomorrow morning so we can spend the entire day traveling. We would only get in a few hours of traveling today if we leave now."
Elrohir glanced up towards the placement of the sun and nodded in agreement. It would be better if they stayed there for the night and rested from their dash through the ancient city. He also wanted to wash the mud off from his fall from the roof and into the mud puddle that seemed to be the whole city.
"We will wait till tomorrow to leave. It will take us about six or seven days to reach Cloudyhead," Elrohir commented quietly and his twin nodded. "Is there anything I can do, Elladan?"
"Nay, brother, there is nothing."
"Elladan, I apologize for earlier. I was just so thrilled about learning of our next destination and getting away from the city that I did not realize that Lina was not with us. I do not know how it slipped my mind like that."
"Lina was always quiet when we all worked together. I think she did not want to make herself seem like a burden to Estel since he was first against her traveling with us. She was a quiet one."
Elrohir glanced back towards the camp and saw Legolas leave to find something to fix for dinner. Aragorn and Glorfindel were quietly talking between themselves and Sauros was blowing smoke figures into the air. Elrohir glanced back at Elladan and watched his brother's face. Elladan suddenly turned around to face his twin and slowly looked over his face. There were times when he was shocked at how similar Elrohir and he were like in some aspects; oh he knew that they looked practically identical but they both felt the same emotions about certain things. They could read the other's expression and eyes just as easily as reading a book from their father's library. Elrohir sighed and pulled his twin into a hug to feel the elder twin's arms wrap around him tightly. They always pulled strength from the other in times of need and comforted each other. There were times when no one else could comfort them and they would only let their twin near them. When Celebrían had passed to Valinor, the twins had found comfort in each other before going to their father and sister.
"She knew what was at risk when she decided to accompany us on this journey. Her life will not be forgotten, big brother," Elrohir murmured and rubbed his brother's back.
"I will have to find her family and tell them what has happened to her. She had an entire family; a mother, father, and a brother. Her death will come as a shock to them which I do not look forward to giving them. She was too young to die."
"I know, my brother. I know."
Elladan sighed and glanced back towards the ocean before turning and walking with Elrohir back to the campsite. The others remained quiet and glanced towards him as he sat by the pile of wood and carefully selected a piece of wood. Pulling a knife from his boot, he started to carve an arrow from the piece of wood and let his mind wander.
"We should be leaving for Cloudyhead soon," Aragorn said and stood from his seat next to the fire.
"We are not leaving until tomorrow morning, Estel. Tonight we will just relax and regroup," Elladan commented and continued to work on the piece of wood.
"Glaurung will not wait for us while we waste our time here."
"Waste our time? Taking time to grieve over the loss of a young one is a 'waste of time'?" Elladan asked as he stood, the arrow forgotten.
"Elladan, I grieve fo-"
"You do not grieve for her so do not even say you do! You have done nothing but shown contempt for her since she has been traveling with you. Glorfindel told me all about it and how she came back to save your ass when you almost got Legolas killed in that mud slide!"
Everyone froze and silence fell as everyone stared at Elladan and Aragorn. Elladan's chest heaved under his tunic as he stared at Aragorn and watched the realization dawn on the human's face. Aragorn backed a few steps in shock as he stared at his big brother before jerking his gaze away. He gulped down air as images raced through his mind. He saw Legolas' shocked expression as the mudflow raced towards him and catapulted him into the air; the accusation on Glorfindel's face as they search for Legolas down the flow. Guilt had flooded through Aragorn with each new injury that Glorfindel and he found on Legolas and Lina. Aragorn blinked a few times to ensure that this was real and he wasn't just dreaming this nightmare. Elladan also froze when he heard the words that he spoke; knowing that he could not take them back.
"Estel, I-"
"No, Elladan, you are right. I did almost get Legolas killed and I got Lina killed. Her blood is on my hands," he softly muttered and slowly backed up before turning and walking away.
"Strider! Wait a moment!" Legolas yelled and reached out for Aragorn's arm.
"No!"
Aragorn jerked his arm away and held up his hands to imply for Legolas to back off. Shaking his head, Aragorn walked away and disappeared between the few trees that bordered the campsite on the right. Elrohir stared at his twin as Elladan dropped his head to his hands and cursed under his breathe. Glorfindel looked between Aragorn and Elladan, not knowing which one to go after. Which one needed him more? Valar, he was so going to have a long talk with Elrond when he got back. And then he will go on a long needed vacation to Lorien. That sounded so nice to him right about then. Glorfindel motioned for Legolas to stay with the twins as he jogged after Aragorn and leapt into the trees. He quickly tracked the human and stayed in the trees to quietly watch one of his charges. It would be just his luck that the human stumbles across a horde of orcs with the soul intent of poisoning the human and torturing him to the welcome mat of death's very own door.
Aragorn stalked through the forest before finally stopping and leaning against a tree. Running his fingers through his hair and gripping it, he clenched his eyes shut and leaned his head back against the tree. He turned his mind to the forest and listened closely to the sounds from the animals, letting them relax him. He knew in his heart that Elladan did not mean what he had said but it still hurt nonetheless. His brothers and he rarely exchanged harsh words between each other but it occasionally happened. It would only take a day until they both apologized for the incident and go on being siblings. It was probably the fact that if one of them went out of Imladris, that individual may never come back and the harsh words would remain between them. Ruffling his unruly hair, he moved to a soft patch of grass and slowly lay down to lace his hands behind his head. He focused on relaxing every part of his body as he once learned from another healer from a town he had visited. Every once in a while he had to relax and center himself to become more aware of himself and his surroundings. Glorfindel watched quietly as Aragorn's breathing visibly slowed and his entire body relaxed. A few more minutes passed and the human was still and quiet, his chest barely moving as he breathed deeply.
"You may come down from the tree now, Glorfindel."
Glorfindel started when Aragorn spoke quietly before opening his eyes and turning his head to look directly at where Glorfindel hid. The human had sensed the warrior's presence when he had finally relaxed and expanded his awareness of the area surrounding him. Aragorn watched as the elf dropped from his perch and walked towards the human to stop a yard or two away. Clasping his hands together in front of him, Glorfindel watched the young man quietly as the two stared at each other. Aragorn raised an eyebrow as Glorfindel did the same and the human smiled.
"You seem in a better mood than when you left the camp."
"I am. I knew that Elladan did not mean what he said but it still hurt. This adventure is beginning to wear on me more than usual. I fear that I am starting to take it out on the others," Aragorn commented as he shrugged his shoulders.
Aragorn sat up and accepted Glorfindel's hand to help him stand before dusting off his clothes. Unbeknownst to him, the elder elf was impressed by the human's ability to relax himself and look past his brother's words. The mentor felt a twinge of pride as he looked at the young man and remembered how small he use to be when he first came to Rivendell after his father was killed before his very eyes. The pain and anguish in his eyes when his mother left to live with her own people and when she finally died years after. Glorfindel had seen him mature into a young, confident man from an unsure, scared boy. His pride just about equaled that of Elrond's when he looked at his sons.
Both of their heads suddenly snapped around when they heard sounds of fighting coming from the direction of their camp. Glorfindel tossed one of his twin blades to Aragorn as they both ran through the forest and emerged into the clearing. Glorfindel ducked quickly and rolled forward as a sword swung towards his head. Rolling onto his feet, the elf quickly lashed out with his sword and killed his opponent. Kneeling over the figure, he looked over the black robes that the figure wore before pushing back the deep hood. The face was old, far older than Glorfindel expected. The wrinkles went deep and a black marking was tattooed on his forehead. It was a square with three stripes going across it and the stripes merged together to one line and streaked beside his eye and down his cheek. Glorfindel stored the tattoo to memory and moved to join the rest of the fight. He suddenly heard a piercing screech and looked over to see one of the winged creatures that the Nazgul usually rode upon. Sauros was fiercely battling the other winged creature and the robed figure that sat upon its back. Sauros roared angrily and reared back as the creature's talons torn into his flesh.
Aragorn dodged a blade and blocked a blow as his bandaged arm reminded him of his earlier wound. He saw Legolas by his side, sweeping his blades around him, cutting down any of the robed figures nearing him. Elrohir's bow sounded somewhere to his right as he killed another robed figure and looked around for another. Finding none others, he looked around for each of their group to check that they had come out of the battle unscathed. Legolas was cleaning off his twin blades; Elrohir was collecting arrows; and Glorfindel was also looking around. Sauros was staring off into the distance, watching the black figure retreat in the sky.
"Where is Elladan?" Aragorn called out to Elrohir and saw the other twin look up from his task.
"I had seen him walk in that direction before the attack," Legolas offered and pointed in the direction away from the forest.
Everyone started to search the area for any sign of Elladan and widened the circle bit by bit, hoping to find any sign of the elder twin. Legolas' cry alerted them all and they ran towards the Mirkwood elf as he knelt to the ground. He carefully picked up something and Elrohir gasped when he realized what it was. Legolas held Elladan's broken bow in his hands and slowly passed it up to Elrohir. Glorfindel walked a few steps ahead and picked up a single blade before spying its mate a few yards further ahead.
"He was taken," he muttered what everyone else was thinking.
"Who were they?" Legolas asked while glancing around at the dead robed figures.
"They reeked of Glaurung. They were the order," Sauros commented angrily.
"There is a tattoo on the forehead. What does that mean?" Glorfindel asked and described it to the dragon.
"It is of Glaurung's make. Those loyal to him have it tattooed onto their forehead."
"Who are the order and why would they take Elladan?" Elrohir asked as he carefully wrapped his twin's weapons in a blanket and stored them for the journey.
Sauros hissed softly as he gently licked at his wounds from his battle. He knew of the order, or at least heard of it. The dragon clan knew of the history and rumors that circled around Glaurung and the order.
"The order consists of those that have sworn their soul over to the darkness. They serve Glaurung and bring him what he needs to rejuvenate and nourish himself. They are almost like his slaves. They only reason I can think of why they took Elladan is too feed him to Glaurung."
"What?"
Sauros started back when everyone yelled the question at him. Elrohir looked slightly woozy and sick at the sudden information about what was awaiting his twin. Aragorn also looked sick as he looked around him in a daze.
"If everyone is ready, we can fly after them and hopefully stop it," Sauros said and was suddenly staring at nothing as everyone scattered to collect their things.
It was only a few short minutes until everything was bundled together and all weapons were strapped on. Sauros knelt down and ushered everyone onto his back before beating his wings to lift into the sky. His nose lifted into the wind and smelt for the scent trail of the men and winged creature that they were chasing. Everyone leaned closely over his back to avoid being buffeted by the wind as Sauros glided over the air streams and pressed his speed. He noted that the scent was leading him towards Cloudyhead and knew that his earlier assumption was probably correct. His sharp eyes caught sight of the black winged creature ahead flying and he pressed his body into a more aerodynamic shape as he shortened the distance.
"Be ready to jump off," Sauros called back to everyone as his talons and teeth grew.
Touching down outside the cave, everyone slid off just moments before Sauros leapt higher onto the mountain where the other winged creature sat. Aragorn and the others faced the robed figures that rushed towards them as another clump of them rushed down into the cave with a bundle being carried between them.
"Elladan!" Elrohir screamed and saw the bundle start to struggle before one of the figures struck it hard.
Anger boiled through Elrohir's veins as he pulled out his sword and started to battle any that came near him. No one harmed one of his brothers and got away with it. Their opponents protected the cave entrance fiercely as the small group of elves and one human fought their way through. Wounds both minor and deadly, were acquired by both sides as they battled. Legolas looked around tiredly as the battle ended and he leaned over his knees to catch his breathe. During the battle, an elbow had found its way into his gut to knock the air from his lungs and leave him breathless. Breathing slowly and shallowly, he lifted his head and looked around at his companions. Elrohir sported a shallow cut along his cheek that oozed blood down to his chin and drip to the ground. Glorfindel had a bruise at his jaw and a split lip. Aragorn was gripping his bicep where his earlier wound had started to bleed again and Legolas only had to guess that the human had somehow ripped his stitches out. Glancing back to Glorfindel, the elf lord nodded and started towards the cave's entrance and the others followed without a word between them.
()()()()()()()()()()
If we could have a moment of silence for Lina.
Well, here is the new chapter. It was a whole lot easier than the last chapter. I just waited for it to come and I took my time and let it roll around in my mind for a while. That and I had a lot of help with a new friend. But I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Linuvial Greenleaf- I am so proud of making you cry, even as depressing as that may sound. I have gotten a good bit of back lash about the death of Lina but I believe it was necessary. Hope you are enjoying your present, heehee. Oh, I just can not get over that. Tell your brother hi for me. Heehee.
Star-Stallion- (hands over a tissue) I am sorry that it was sad but it was needed. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Hiei-Rulez- I like Uncle Bubbles, well other than having a bad attitude, but what are you to do? I have my small moments of self doubt when I think that I can not write worth a crap but it is usually when I hit writer's block. I think I will have Lina actually remain dead; I do not want to kill her and then bring her back upon realizing how much she was liked by people. I am sorry about your Hamster. Goober (my hamster) died a few years ago but I had only had him for a few months so I had never bonded much with him. Elladan will get over this with some time.
Ringmarciel- It did come from Dragonheart but I did not remember that when I wrote it…bad Spades (slaps back of hand). I just had to kill off Lina, she had served her purpose. That sounded really wrong. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Elvendancer- Do I need to hide from your sister? (glances around before grabbing a hat and a pair of sunglasses) Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Wolf Jade- Have I read your story yet? Probably have but I can not remember what stories I have read anymore. Did I review it? If not then bad me. I will head that way after posting and refresh my memory. Oh, babysitting a two and four year old must have been hard work. You like this one better than 'Unspoken Words'? First time I have heard that one; most people like 'Unspoken Words' better.
Catmint- Please no! (pulls out all VHSs and DVDs from entertainment center and hides in there before closing doors) Please do not hurt me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Sielge- Well thank you so much for the compliment. Reborn Warrior will be updated next and I was working on it a little earlier today when I was waiting to hear back from my beta slave. So, hopefully it will be out soon. Cross your fingers. You are seriously making me blush over here. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Bill the Pony2- I did kill Lina, I am sorry. She will be remembered. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Neoinean- It took me forever to get around the Gondolin problem. I tossed ideas back and forth with another writer and LotR fan in Charleston for a while before we eventually came up with the sea-dragons. She loved the idea of the character being named Uncle Bubbles. I had originally imagined him being like Bubbles from Finding Nemo but I could not work that well. Lina was overlooked and that was probably when I realized that I need to kill her. Lina is really dead; I miss her already.
XxgemxX- Thank you so much for the compliment. It was so hard for me to type that part about killing Lina but I knew that it had to be done eventually.
Alariel- It was sad that I killed off Lina but she died honorably; at least I think she did. The others did need a harsh slap to clear their bungled heads, but they are men so what can I say? Information overload? That sounds exactly like what I have, honestly! Well, sadly, Fading Flame is finished (marvelous story) and I can not concentrate on my three stories and I actually have a number four in the works but that is just a side project. This story is almost finished as is 'An Ancient Bond', so pretty soon I am not going to have anymore stories up here that are in progress. But I will take is easy and not rush anything. I think my problem is that I am writing this story directly into my laptop and I usually write out my stories and then put them on the laptop. With the paper, I can take it to different places and get a good change of scenery without worrying if my laptop battery is about to die. I admit, I am fighting for quality. I see some stories out there that have only dialogue and absolutely no description and I just fear that my stories will turn into that so I work really hard at making the story good. I have taken up eating Dove chocolate bites and those are really good and I found something else to help me relax so I am doing marvelously now and everything is flowing at an easy rate. I took my time with this chapter and reread several parts that I had and edited a bit so I am happy with this chapter. Thank you so much for the input and inspiration and confidence. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Lynn-G- It was cruel, very cruel, but necessary. Poor Elladan, poor everyone, poor me; I liked her.
Elven Kitten- Who is creepy? Uncle Bubbles? Or someone else? I so lost! Heehee, but yes, I killed off Lina. I had too; she was turning out too good to be true. I am working as hard as I can.
Andunea the Shapeshifter- I am sensing some sarcasm coming from your corner…wait, correct that, I am sensing a lot of sarcasm. Yes, the night owl has been getting her sleep. About two weekends I was doing horrible. I was getting up at about 6:45 in the morning so I could start painting and working on my room early before the sun started to shine into my room and making it god awful hot even with two fans going on high. This chapter will surprisingly be posted by 5:30 in the evening (gasps) I KNOW! I am actually posting early in the day and not some night at some hour that very few knew existed. I was having a hard time deciding on how I wanted to kill Lina and I figured that was a pretty unique way, no blood like there usually is. I like all of those, skittles, sweet-tarts, M as along as they have sugar in them. That is really bad too because I am a diabetic. I have this perfect scene planned out for when they all come home and Glorfindel sees Elrond for the first time. Heehee, I think it will be hilarious. The male species is actually very interesting. We should put them all in an environment together and watch the interaction and only take them out for experiments and studies. Heehee. Those little bits with the past and present adjectives, I usually spot them but sometimes a few will slip past my nets and hide in a really long paragraph towards the end. They are sneaky. I usually use very proper English in my speech and writing but sometimes my hand does not write what my mind or mouth is saying. There is a communication problem between those two.
Snow-Glory- Sweet-tarts are yummy. Might get some at the movies tonight.
Dha-Gal- Quick question for you. Were you the one that always talked about Les Miserables? If you are then I finally read it a few months ago. I never see you on IM anymore so I could not tell you then so I will tell you here. I thought it was a really good book. Did you know that Hugo (or perhaps someone else; found this out a few weeks ago) wrote something sort of a sequel to it? I thought it was interesting. Skittles with supernatural powers? (grabs bag and starts pouring into mouth). 'Ope yu 'ad a go'od 'cation.
Kelly Kragen- The reason that Keanu Reeves was on the banner was because I needed someone to pose as the twins (I admit that it was a bad idea) and I thought that they might be good twins. It was an error on my part. Dragons everywhere! Sauros is a trip; he is like everything that I think in my head that I really can not say out loud or I will get into trouble. Which is not out of the ordinary but still. Thank you so much for putting me on your favourite authors and author alerts. I am extremely honored. 'Reborn Warrior' will be the next to be updated and then 'An Ancient Bond' and then this one again. You are really making me blush over here with your compliments. I never handle compliments well. Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing was bloody hot! Yummy; not sure how Sauros reminds you of him but oh well. I will take it as a compliment. Sauros says thank you too. I have a little three or four inch tall Sauros sitting on my bookcase. I found him hiding in London when I was last there a few weeks ago. He is my cute little dragon.
Astievia- I killed poor Lina (wails) I am so sorry! (sobs). Enjoy.
