Chapter Two:
Silad was expecting them when they came, but he was surprized to see Limmon, not Raunion, sitting on the great charger. As they drew closer he could see the signs of battle on them and he drew in a stiff breath.
Limmon was injured, it was obvious now why he was upon the horse, and by the smell of them they had had an encounter with spiders.
Silad exhaled with a gratefull thanks to Manwe that the two elves had sent the precious little Melbennion away when they did, for surely the little one would not have survived a spider attack and most likely one of the two full grown elves would have been killed trying to protect him.
The child had run upto the gates shouting 'my uncle is home, my uncle is home' at the top of his lungs. Silad had asked him where his uncle was and Melbennion told how he had tackled Limmon who was talking with a strange dark eyed elf that looked like his brother and that the stranger introduced himself as Raunion before Limmon sent him away to tell his mother.
Silad, captain of the gate-guard and brother of Celairiel, called out a greeting to the two approaching elves and motioned for the gate to be opened.
The golden gate had been made in long yenni past by the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain when they were still friendly, and were a constant source of awe and pride. The beautiful gates, which had been forged to resemble two trees in bloom with interlacing branches, only opens to those who are friends of the elves and of Mirkwood and were as silent as stone, never needing greaseing or oiling.
The two rather worse-for-wear elves passed through the great gate entering the first cortyard of the city and hatled at the water trough where Raunion helped the wounded Limmon down as the horse drank deeply.
"Limmon, had an accident with the spiders again, I see." Silad called down from the wall, "and I see you have brought along a friend."
Raunion gazed with curiosity at the gate captain who jumped an alarming way down from the wall top and jogged over to where they stood.
"Suilad hir nin Raunion. It has been a long time since you last were seen in these woods."
Raunion bowed his head to the gate captain, "Mae govannen, captain. I am afraid you have the advantage over me."
Limmon chuckled, "Ai, he is sharp is he not, Silad? My lord Raunion, may I introduce you to Captain Silad Tobadirion. Silad, this is your late brother- in-law's brother, lord Raunion Henvainion."
Raunion and Silad shook hands earnestly in soldiers fashion, gripping one another's forearm.
"So, we are kin, it seems," Raunion said slowly with a small smile.
Silad, beeing much younger and far merrier than his newfound kinsman, grinned widely and gave Raunion a bearhug that threatened to break ribs and caused the recieving party to wince inwardly as bruised body parts began sending jolts up his spine in complaint.
"So it would seem," Silad joked and let go of the hurting elf.
There was a moment of sudden silence and akwardness.
"Well," Silad broke the silence and stepped back, "I should return to my post and you two" he looked pointedly at Limmon, "should go to the medical wing and see the healers before you do anymore greeting. Le cenithon ned lû thent."
With that the blonde elf turned and left the two to make their way to the healers' quarters.
"I see they have not changed the location of the infirmary since I was last here," Raunion commented as they both headed off in the same direction, to his relief. It would have disheartened him if much had changed in his absence.
Limmon only shrugged, "they are so much older than any of us that they would get lost if the locations were changed. I should recomend it to the prince. He'd find it very ammusing to annoy the healers - he looks for ways and oppourtunities to aggrivate them."
"Then I see that Thranduil hasn't changed in the least bit since he was an elfling," Raunion laughed.
Limmon halted and raised an eyebrow at the older elf, "I was speaking of prince Legolas. Thranduil has been King now for ages! Did you not know or only forget?"
Raunion kicked himself for his forgetfullness, "ai oi, I only forgot."
Limmon grinned and patted the troubled lord's shoulder, "it's okay, it's only old age and decrepitcy kicking in."
"Oi oi oi, Lasto lalaith nín! Oi oi oi," Raunion shouted with a grin and smacked Limmon like a rude elfling who turned tail and ran to the healers, Raunion giving chase.
"You'll ne're catch me, old one. I'm too fast and nible for you," Limmon shouted gleefully as he vaulted over a low bench, "You'll only wear yourself out!"
Unfortunately Limmon wasn't as aware of his surroundings as Raunion was and, before the latter could shout a warning, ran straight into a pretty elleth that had turned round the corner into his path.
SLAM!
"Limmon!"
Raunion dashed over to his prone friend's side and rolled him onto his back as the now disgruntled elleth began chideing them for being reckless and acting like elflings. Limmon burst into hysterical giggles when she picked up a head of lettus and began waving it at them in anger but was cut short by a stabbing pain in his arm and his giggle ended in a loud groan as he gripped the wound.
"Raunion, my arm! Oh Eru, it hurts! Daro, hiril nin, daro!" Limmon cried as the alarmingly enraged elleth began pitching bruised tomatoes and broken carrots at them, "im naer, im naer! Goheno nin!"
Raunion, split between anger and complete amusement, pulled the now tomatoe juice covered elf up off the ground and quickly steered him away from the fuming she-elf and ran the rest of the way to the infirmary.
"Gweston," Limmon breathed once they stopped infront of the entry to the halls of healing, "nad dithen!"
Raunion swatted his mumbling but happy friend, "you hurt your arm again. You're going to be in for it now. Who is chief healer? Still ol' Glaerdan or his brother Glawar?"
Limmon had no time to answer as the doors were pulled open quickly and the two were drawn in and nearly dragged through the enterance and parlour to the chief healers' officer.
Raunion was so startled he didn't even have time to see who it was that had greeted them and sooner than he thought possible they were seated in chairs infront of the tall and imposeing chief healer.
"Well well well, look what we have here! Young Limmon and the long lost lord Raunion! Mae govannen," the healer grasped Raunion's hand and smiled warmly at him, "I am Caladaradol, I was only an elfling when you were last in this neck of the woods, hir nin. You may remember my father, Glawar?"
Raunion remembered a sunny little boy with intelligent eyes following the healer Glawar around night and day in the healing halls, studying everything he saw with eyes eerily similar to his fathers'.
He nodded and smiled, "yes, I remember you. You look almost exactly like your father! Speaking of which, how fares he?"
Caladaradol paused before answering, "He is well, for all I know, my lord. He departed for the west along with my uncle and mother."
Raunion bowed his head, "Oh, forgive me I had not heard. How long ago?"
"They left with the Queen and prince Eregon after the spider raid three and a half yenni ago. The entire royal family was poisoned by the spiders - only the three youngest, Legolas, Rílaiss, and Eregon, survived of all the children, but the Queen had taken in much more poison and she was sent to the west and she took the youngest with her. I assume you heard naught of any of this?"
Raunion shook his head, "nay, I heard none of it. I did not even realize that Thranduil was married."
Caladaradol opened his mouth to say more when he suddenly seemed to remember why they had come.
"Where and how badly are you injured? Spiders or orcs?"
Raunion gestured that he was fine and pointed at Limmon, "it's not me, it's Limmon here who has the battle wounds. He was swiped by a spider's claw in the upper arm."
Limmon pulled up his sleeve and extended his arm stiffly, his arm was red and swelling around Raunion's bandage. The young healer carefully unwrapped the material with approval but frowned as the wound was revealed. The paste Raunion had applied had kept the wound clean but the ragged edges around the torn skin had turned a deep purple and looked jelly-like. Limmon groaned and turned away in disgust.
"Gweston! It smells like a skunk that was beaten with a rotting salmon, urgh, it's sickening," Limmon gagged and covered his nose.
Both healer and Raunion leaned forewards, despite the terrible smell,to observe the wound.
"How in Iluvatar's name could the spiders have become so venomnous, changed so much and multiplied so greatly in such a short time? Spider cuts used to take days if not weeks before they became this bad, and often were healed long before. This happened just under two hours ago," Raunion breathed.
Both Limmon and Caladaradol raised their eyebrows and chuckled silently.
"You forget, hir nin, that you left while I was still an elfling and in my life run so far there has been many yenni of change and darkness. This has been happening for a long time, even to the eyes of the immortal, yet this is the fastest I have seen the posion work. I will have to drain the wound and apply some healing compresses, and it looks like you will need stiches, mellon."
Raunion stood as the healer pulled up his patient and pulled him over to an inner door to the healing rooms. "If you have no more need of me, young Caladaradol, I will depart and find my kin." He patted Limmon on the shoulder and smiled, "don't worry, young'un, I'll come visit you once you have been tended to."
Limmon grinned and made to say something when he yelped in pain, Caladaradol had grabbed his wounded arm and proceeded to pull him into the healing rooms.
"Le cenithon ned lû thent," Limmon called through the closing door and Raunion waved before the door was shut and he was alone.
When he stepped back out onto the street he paused and smiled. The city was as beautiful and quiet as the time when he had first brought Ionvain here...
"Ron, come on! We're going to be late! You and Berioron promiced to take me to the city today and the sun is almost up! Wake up!"
Raunion groaned and pushed the little elfling off his bed and onto a pile of worn clothes.
"Quiet, squirt! Wake us once the crock has crowed and no sooner," he shoved his head under the pillow .
SPLASH!
Raunion nearly screamed as a bucketfull of icecold water was dumped on his head.
The cold, wet and furious elf jumped up to catch his little brat of a brother to find his elder brother holding an empty pail and grinning.
"Morning sunshine! Oh good, you've already showered, now you get dried off and dressed and we can be gone in half and hour," Berioron grinned. "We wouldn't want to be late for our little brother's first trip to the city, eh?"
Raunion grumbled something and Berioron literaly beamed, "I thought not. Chop chop!"
The two smiling siblings giggled as their wet and angery brother pushed them off his flet to the common story of the boys' talan where they already had their gear packed and waiting.
Drying off, Raunion pulled on dry hunting clothes and a long green cloak before combing and braiding his long orange brown hair.
When he finaly jumped down to the common flet his brothers were gone.
Raunion jumped down to the ground and walked down the lane to the stables - the horses were gone and one glance at a note sent him running madly back down the lane towards the city shouting for his troublesome brothers to stop.
"Daro, si daro!"
As he sped silently around the bend two grinning elves, two horses and one pony came into view and it seemed that all five began to laugh at the furious sprinting elf.
"Ai, na vedui," Berioron laughed as his red-faced brother lept effortlessly on to the riderless horse.
The little Ionvain giggled for half the journey to the hidden capital city of Mirkwood, and the second half was spent drifting off to sleep, pestering his brothers, and trying to make his pony gallop.
Of course, the little thing would not allow that to happen and the elfling eventually gave up in frustration, taking then to mimicing the sounds of squirrels and birds.
When they finaly arrived the little one was so excited and awestruck that all he could do was hop up and down and gaze around him with wide eyes.
His older brothers liked him best like that.
He had been so cute.
Silad was expecting them when they came, but he was surprized to see Limmon, not Raunion, sitting on the great charger. As they drew closer he could see the signs of battle on them and he drew in a stiff breath.
Limmon was injured, it was obvious now why he was upon the horse, and by the smell of them they had had an encounter with spiders.
Silad exhaled with a gratefull thanks to Manwe that the two elves had sent the precious little Melbennion away when they did, for surely the little one would not have survived a spider attack and most likely one of the two full grown elves would have been killed trying to protect him.
The child had run upto the gates shouting 'my uncle is home, my uncle is home' at the top of his lungs. Silad had asked him where his uncle was and Melbennion told how he had tackled Limmon who was talking with a strange dark eyed elf that looked like his brother and that the stranger introduced himself as Raunion before Limmon sent him away to tell his mother.
Silad, captain of the gate-guard and brother of Celairiel, called out a greeting to the two approaching elves and motioned for the gate to be opened.
The golden gate had been made in long yenni past by the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain when they were still friendly, and were a constant source of awe and pride. The beautiful gates, which had been forged to resemble two trees in bloom with interlacing branches, only opens to those who are friends of the elves and of Mirkwood and were as silent as stone, never needing greaseing or oiling.
The two rather worse-for-wear elves passed through the great gate entering the first cortyard of the city and hatled at the water trough where Raunion helped the wounded Limmon down as the horse drank deeply.
"Limmon, had an accident with the spiders again, I see." Silad called down from the wall, "and I see you have brought along a friend."
Raunion gazed with curiosity at the gate captain who jumped an alarming way down from the wall top and jogged over to where they stood.
"Suilad hir nin Raunion. It has been a long time since you last were seen in these woods."
Raunion bowed his head to the gate captain, "Mae govannen, captain. I am afraid you have the advantage over me."
Limmon chuckled, "Ai, he is sharp is he not, Silad? My lord Raunion, may I introduce you to Captain Silad Tobadirion. Silad, this is your late brother- in-law's brother, lord Raunion Henvainion."
Raunion and Silad shook hands earnestly in soldiers fashion, gripping one another's forearm.
"So, we are kin, it seems," Raunion said slowly with a small smile.
Silad, beeing much younger and far merrier than his newfound kinsman, grinned widely and gave Raunion a bearhug that threatened to break ribs and caused the recieving party to wince inwardly as bruised body parts began sending jolts up his spine in complaint.
"So it would seem," Silad joked and let go of the hurting elf.
There was a moment of sudden silence and akwardness.
"Well," Silad broke the silence and stepped back, "I should return to my post and you two" he looked pointedly at Limmon, "should go to the medical wing and see the healers before you do anymore greeting. Le cenithon ned lû thent."
With that the blonde elf turned and left the two to make their way to the healers' quarters.
"I see they have not changed the location of the infirmary since I was last here," Raunion commented as they both headed off in the same direction, to his relief. It would have disheartened him if much had changed in his absence.
Limmon only shrugged, "they are so much older than any of us that they would get lost if the locations were changed. I should recomend it to the prince. He'd find it very ammusing to annoy the healers - he looks for ways and oppourtunities to aggrivate them."
"Then I see that Thranduil hasn't changed in the least bit since he was an elfling," Raunion laughed.
Limmon halted and raised an eyebrow at the older elf, "I was speaking of prince Legolas. Thranduil has been King now for ages! Did you not know or only forget?"
Raunion kicked himself for his forgetfullness, "ai oi, I only forgot."
Limmon grinned and patted the troubled lord's shoulder, "it's okay, it's only old age and decrepitcy kicking in."
"Oi oi oi, Lasto lalaith nín! Oi oi oi," Raunion shouted with a grin and smacked Limmon like a rude elfling who turned tail and ran to the healers, Raunion giving chase.
"You'll ne're catch me, old one. I'm too fast and nible for you," Limmon shouted gleefully as he vaulted over a low bench, "You'll only wear yourself out!"
Unfortunately Limmon wasn't as aware of his surroundings as Raunion was and, before the latter could shout a warning, ran straight into a pretty elleth that had turned round the corner into his path.
SLAM!
"Limmon!"
Raunion dashed over to his prone friend's side and rolled him onto his back as the now disgruntled elleth began chideing them for being reckless and acting like elflings. Limmon burst into hysterical giggles when she picked up a head of lettus and began waving it at them in anger but was cut short by a stabbing pain in his arm and his giggle ended in a loud groan as he gripped the wound.
"Raunion, my arm! Oh Eru, it hurts! Daro, hiril nin, daro!" Limmon cried as the alarmingly enraged elleth began pitching bruised tomatoes and broken carrots at them, "im naer, im naer! Goheno nin!"
Raunion, split between anger and complete amusement, pulled the now tomatoe juice covered elf up off the ground and quickly steered him away from the fuming she-elf and ran the rest of the way to the infirmary.
"Gweston," Limmon breathed once they stopped infront of the entry to the halls of healing, "nad dithen!"
Raunion swatted his mumbling but happy friend, "you hurt your arm again. You're going to be in for it now. Who is chief healer? Still ol' Glaerdan or his brother Glawar?"
Limmon had no time to answer as the doors were pulled open quickly and the two were drawn in and nearly dragged through the enterance and parlour to the chief healers' officer.
Raunion was so startled he didn't even have time to see who it was that had greeted them and sooner than he thought possible they were seated in chairs infront of the tall and imposeing chief healer.
"Well well well, look what we have here! Young Limmon and the long lost lord Raunion! Mae govannen," the healer grasped Raunion's hand and smiled warmly at him, "I am Caladaradol, I was only an elfling when you were last in this neck of the woods, hir nin. You may remember my father, Glawar?"
Raunion remembered a sunny little boy with intelligent eyes following the healer Glawar around night and day in the healing halls, studying everything he saw with eyes eerily similar to his fathers'.
He nodded and smiled, "yes, I remember you. You look almost exactly like your father! Speaking of which, how fares he?"
Caladaradol paused before answering, "He is well, for all I know, my lord. He departed for the west along with my uncle and mother."
Raunion bowed his head, "Oh, forgive me I had not heard. How long ago?"
"They left with the Queen and prince Eregon after the spider raid three and a half yenni ago. The entire royal family was poisoned by the spiders - only the three youngest, Legolas, Rílaiss, and Eregon, survived of all the children, but the Queen had taken in much more poison and she was sent to the west and she took the youngest with her. I assume you heard naught of any of this?"
Raunion shook his head, "nay, I heard none of it. I did not even realize that Thranduil was married."
Caladaradol opened his mouth to say more when he suddenly seemed to remember why they had come.
"Where and how badly are you injured? Spiders or orcs?"
Raunion gestured that he was fine and pointed at Limmon, "it's not me, it's Limmon here who has the battle wounds. He was swiped by a spider's claw in the upper arm."
Limmon pulled up his sleeve and extended his arm stiffly, his arm was red and swelling around Raunion's bandage. The young healer carefully unwrapped the material with approval but frowned as the wound was revealed. The paste Raunion had applied had kept the wound clean but the ragged edges around the torn skin had turned a deep purple and looked jelly-like. Limmon groaned and turned away in disgust.
"Gweston! It smells like a skunk that was beaten with a rotting salmon, urgh, it's sickening," Limmon gagged and covered his nose.
Both healer and Raunion leaned forewards, despite the terrible smell,to observe the wound.
"How in Iluvatar's name could the spiders have become so venomnous, changed so much and multiplied so greatly in such a short time? Spider cuts used to take days if not weeks before they became this bad, and often were healed long before. This happened just under two hours ago," Raunion breathed.
Both Limmon and Caladaradol raised their eyebrows and chuckled silently.
"You forget, hir nin, that you left while I was still an elfling and in my life run so far there has been many yenni of change and darkness. This has been happening for a long time, even to the eyes of the immortal, yet this is the fastest I have seen the posion work. I will have to drain the wound and apply some healing compresses, and it looks like you will need stiches, mellon."
Raunion stood as the healer pulled up his patient and pulled him over to an inner door to the healing rooms. "If you have no more need of me, young Caladaradol, I will depart and find my kin." He patted Limmon on the shoulder and smiled, "don't worry, young'un, I'll come visit you once you have been tended to."
Limmon grinned and made to say something when he yelped in pain, Caladaradol had grabbed his wounded arm and proceeded to pull him into the healing rooms.
"Le cenithon ned lû thent," Limmon called through the closing door and Raunion waved before the door was shut and he was alone.
When he stepped back out onto the street he paused and smiled. The city was as beautiful and quiet as the time when he had first brought Ionvain here...
"Ron, come on! We're going to be late! You and Berioron promiced to take me to the city today and the sun is almost up! Wake up!"
Raunion groaned and pushed the little elfling off his bed and onto a pile of worn clothes.
"Quiet, squirt! Wake us once the crock has crowed and no sooner," he shoved his head under the pillow .
SPLASH!
Raunion nearly screamed as a bucketfull of icecold water was dumped on his head.
The cold, wet and furious elf jumped up to catch his little brat of a brother to find his elder brother holding an empty pail and grinning.
"Morning sunshine! Oh good, you've already showered, now you get dried off and dressed and we can be gone in half and hour," Berioron grinned. "We wouldn't want to be late for our little brother's first trip to the city, eh?"
Raunion grumbled something and Berioron literaly beamed, "I thought not. Chop chop!"
The two smiling siblings giggled as their wet and angery brother pushed them off his flet to the common story of the boys' talan where they already had their gear packed and waiting.
Drying off, Raunion pulled on dry hunting clothes and a long green cloak before combing and braiding his long orange brown hair.
When he finaly jumped down to the common flet his brothers were gone.
Raunion jumped down to the ground and walked down the lane to the stables - the horses were gone and one glance at a note sent him running madly back down the lane towards the city shouting for his troublesome brothers to stop.
"Daro, si daro!"
As he sped silently around the bend two grinning elves, two horses and one pony came into view and it seemed that all five began to laugh at the furious sprinting elf.
"Ai, na vedui," Berioron laughed as his red-faced brother lept effortlessly on to the riderless horse.
The little Ionvain giggled for half the journey to the hidden capital city of Mirkwood, and the second half was spent drifting off to sleep, pestering his brothers, and trying to make his pony gallop.
Of course, the little thing would not allow that to happen and the elfling eventually gave up in frustration, taking then to mimicing the sounds of squirrels and birds.
When they finaly arrived the little one was so excited and awestruck that all he could do was hop up and down and gaze around him with wide eyes.
His older brothers liked him best like that.
He had been so cute.