Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
A/N: Hey there folks! Thank you all so much for your incredible reviews. They truly make my day! Many, many thanks to my lovely beta enb2004 who has a fantastic HP story that you have to read! As promised, here is Chapter Twenty. Wow, Chapter Twenty already, when did that happen? Have fun!
After having told his siblings where he was going, Iaurdil rode hard back into the depths of Mirkwood. Delelen and Thilloth had wanted to come with him but he had forbidden it. Someone had to stay with their Ada and brother. Reluctantly, they had agreed but only because they knew that Iaurdil's mind had already been made up.
As he took in the dreary landscape, Iaurdil started to debate his wisdom in making his brothers stay home. How in the name of the Valar was he supposed to find anyone out here? His father was certain though that Elrond and the twins were out here searching for Estel and Legolas. Iaurdil didn't doubt that they were searching but what would make them think to look in Mirkwood?
Nonetheless he was searching the boundaries just in case. He had to admit that it did feel good to get out of the palace for a little while and actually do something constructive.
Just sitting and watching Estel becoming worse and worse while he could do nothing to help had been making him miserable.
Sighing, he dragged himself away from thoughts of Estel and Legolas and took in his surroundings. He berated himself for losing himself in his thoughts in these parts of the woods. He knew better than that!
Now aware of his surroundings, he suddenly realized that he was precisely where he had first came upon Estel and not all that far away from where the warg carcasses were.
Without really knowing why, he turned his horse in that direction with a sense of urgency and urged it into a fast gallop. Something about that area was disturbing him although he didn't know what.
As he got closer to the site of the warg massacre, he heard the clinging of swords and elvish curses, as well as that of the black speech, ringing in the air. Cursing, Iaurdil urged his horse to go at an all out gallop.
When he came upon the scene, he gaped for a moment as he saw Elrond, the twins, and Glorfindel in desperate battle with a horde of orcs. From the looks of it, the orcs had come looking for their wargs only to have found them massacred. Elrond, the twins, and Glorfindel had probably just happened to run into them.
Seeing the orcs were attempting to circle in on the Noldor elves, Iaurdil dismounted and threw himself into the fray with a battle cry and started to slaughter the orcs all around him.
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From his horse, Elrond scowled at the twins, who were in front of him and couldn't see the scowl. He could see that the twins had pushed themselves to far and to fast by journeying out this far. They were exhausted and they knew it too. They just would not admit to it and were far to proud to ask to stop for a while.
"Mellon nin, scowling at their backs will not make them stop and take a break," Glorfindel said with slight amusement.
Elrond sighed and looked over at his long time friend. "Aye, I know. One can hope however. They are just so stubborn!"
"I don't know about you Elrond, but I have known about their stubbornness since the day they were born," Glorfindel said with a smile.
Elrond could not but help smile as well. Indeed, the twins had shown their stubbornness very early on. When Celebrian had been pregnant with them, they were forever kicking her as though they wanted out of the womb right there and then.
As it was, the twins had come nearly a month and a half early, scaring both himself and Celebrian half to death. Everything had turned out fine though and the twins were born perfectly healthy, if a little on the small side.
"We heard that Glorfindel!" Elrohir exclaimed suddenly which jerked Elrond out of his thoughts.
"You were meant to young ones," Glorfindel said with a snicker. He knew how much it irked the twins to be called young.
"We are not that young!" the twins exclaimed.
"Oh yes...." Glorfindel started to say but stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes suddenly riveted on the clearing that they were coming up on.
Elrond and the twins immediately became serious and looked where Glorfindel was.
They had come upon a field that was littered with warg carcasses and blood. The blood staining the white snow a bright shade of crimson.
"A battle was fought here," Elladan stated unnecessarily as he eyed the dead bodies with distaste.
"An understatement to be sure. These carcasses are old though, about three, nearly four days I would say," Glorfindel said.
"Unusual. Normally the bodies would have been burned. I wonder why they weren't?" Elrond muttered aloud.
"I think that I may have found the reason," Elrohir said, his face pale.
"Elrohir? What is it?" Elladan asked.
"Blood, elvish blood. An injured elf lay here," Elrohir said indicating a spot in the snow that was covered with blood and had a slight indentation in it.
"Valar, no wonder they did not burn the carcasses. The patrol must have been forced to take the injured elf home before any other creatures came across this site," Glorfindel said.
"I agree. We should not linger here either. Foul creatures will be attracted to this, especially now that the storm has ended," Elrond said motioning at the now clear sky.
"I'm forced to agree," Glorfindel said in a strained voice.
Elrond looked up anxiously to see what had made Glorfindel sound so tense.
"Oh no," he whispered.
"Orcs!" Elladan and Elrohir hissed.
With no time to spare, they all dismounted off their horses and urged them to go and hide until they were called.
"They outnumber us. Stand back to back," Glorfindel ordered once they had dismounted.
No sooner had they done that then the orcs came into the clearing heading straight for the elves.
"Elladan, behind you!" Elrond warned ducking a scimitar while plunging his dagger into the nearest orcs chest.
Elladan ducked and spun around in a tight arc before stabbing the orc in the neck.
"Ada!" Elrohir warned suddenly.
Cursing, Elrond turned around only to see a blonde blur pass in front of him and parry a scimitar that seemed to have come out of nowhere.
"Watch yourself mellon nin," Glorfindel said once had had finished off the orc that had dared to threaten his friend and lord.
Elrond nodded and turned back to the battle.
The battle continued on for some time but the orcs were many and the elves were tiring quickly. The orcs seemed to sense this and began to circle in on the elves, getting ready for the kill.
Suddenly, a blonde blur suddenly stepped in front of Elrohir and delivered a swift killing blow to the orc that had been about to stab him.
Elrond was confused for a moment for he was certain that Glorfindel was behind him. When the blonde elf turned around though, Elrond immediately recognized the elf as Thranduil's eldest son Iaurdil who also happened to be his godson.
There was no time to thank Iaurdil, though, and the battle continued on, this time in favor of the elves. Within twenty minutes, the battle had ended with the remaining orcs fleeing for their lives.
As soon as the last orc disappeared back into the woods, Elrond eyed everyone and found to his satisfaction that no one had been seriously injured although Elladan and Elrohir did look exhausted.
"Is everyone in one piece?" Glorfindel asked eyeing the twins in particular.
Elrond grunted and turned towards the former Balrog slayer. "More or less."
Having seen that there were no major injuries, Elrond turned to their unexpected savior.
"Iaurdil, thank the Valar that you came upon us when you did. I fear that we may have lost that battle had you not found us," Elrond said embracing Iaurdil.
Iaurdil smiled slightly before his face became grave. "No Elrond, it is I who thank that Valar that I found you. I have been searching for you for some time. Come, we must make haste for Mirkwood," he said.
"Nay Iaurdil, sit for a moment and catch your breathe. Pray tell though, why you were searching for us?" Glorfindel asked.
"Nay, we can not afford to rest! You must come now! Did you not receive my father's letter?" Iaurdil asked while trying to get the others on their feet.
Elrond and Glorfindel looked at one another in confusion. "What letter Iaurdil?" Elrond asked.
For a moment, Iaurdil stared at Elrond with huge eyes. Elrond had not received the letter. He didn't know about Estel's condition nor that he had even been found. Oh sweet Valar why did he have to be the one to tell Elrond about Estel's condition?!
"Iaurdil, what is it?" Elrohir asked noticing that Iaurdil seemed to be on the verge of panic.
"Iaurdil, what letter?" Elrond asked again impatiently. Something in his heart told him that he was not going to like Iaurdil's response.
At Elrond's stern tone, Iaurdil turned to face Elrond reluctantly. "You didn't receive the letter did you? Oh sweet Valar. Not five days ago, I found Estel and Legolas in the woods. In fact, I found Legolas right here," Iaurdil said.
"Thank the Valar you found them! We have been searching them for days!" Elrond exclaimed. "Tell me, how is my son?"
Iaurdil looked pained for a moment but continued on. "As I said, we found them but neither were in the best of shape. Estel had been exposed to the elements for far to long and Legolas had a severely broken leg. Legolas is on the mend but Estel is not doing so well. Himband has never dealt with mortals and their illnesses. He has not been able to treat Estel successfully. He fears that Estel may not live."
For a moment, there was absolute silence before everyone exploded into action. Elladan and Elrohir leapt up and one and ran to get the horses. Glorfindel quickly scoured the field for any of their weapons that might still be in some of the orcs.
Elrond turned to Iaurdil and hurriedly led him away from the bustle. "Iaurdil, tell me every symptom Estel has displayed, not matter how minor. Also, how was it that you came to find Estel and Legolas?"
"Estel is very ill and that is really all I know. Himband believe he may not make it but I am not one to say if he is right or wrong. I am not familiar at all with healing elves, let alone mortals, so I'm afraid that I do not know that much."
"Estel will make it, he has to make it. I refuse to believe otherwise. Tell me, how did you come across Estel and Legolas?" Elrond asked.
At Elrond's question, Iaurdil's eyes darkened with fury as he remembered the first time he had seen Estel.
"We found him quite by accident. We had heard a chilling scream in the forest earlier that day and we went to investigate it. Following the scream, we ran into a patrol of orcs who were about to torture a child. Before they could do the child any harm we quickly intervened and killed them," Iaurdil said reassuringly.
"Estel was in an orc camp?" Elrond whispered in a horrified voice.
"Aye, but we were able to free him before any harm befell him. The orcs never touched him," he answered quickly. Iaurdil was all to aware of Elrond's past history with orcs and loved ones.
"Valar be praised. I am in your debt more than you know," Elrond said.
Iaurdil looked at Elrond with confusion but did not press the elder elf for answers. This was not the time nor place.
"Ada, the horses are ready," Elladan said suddenly.
Elrond nodded. "Very well, let us go. Iaurdil, if you would lead the way?"
"Of course," Iaurdil answered.
Hastily, they all mounted their horses and set off at a hurried pace for Mirkwood where a very ill Estel was waiting for them.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Ion nin: My son
Mellon nin: My friend