The Wrong One
By Nefhiriel
A/N: Well, I'm to exhausted to say anything brilliant today : b So I guess I'll just leave you to read the chapter in peace...
See chapter one for disclaimers. Reviewer responses at end of chapter.
Chapter 14: The Perfect Revenge
First Elladan and Elrohir were secured to one tree and then Legolas was tied to another, just a few feet away.
"What're you goin' to do with this one?"
Magog jerked Aragorn's wounded arm as he talked.
"Just drop 'im over 'ere. He's not about to escape. Even if he could stand up he's not about to leave 'is friends behind—are you, elf lover?"
Dagron took his other arm and, together, he and Magog "dropped" Aragorn next to the tree Legolas was tied to.
"You take nine other men and watch 'im for twenty minutes, Magog. After that, the pleasure is all mine."
"Estel, are you okay?" Elrohir, who, besides Legolas, was the closest, asked.
"I'm alright."
Aragon, with difficulty, pulled himself up until his back was resting against the tree.
"Sleep while you can, Estel." Legolas whispered in elvish, "I'm afraid Dagron won't leave us in peace for very long."
Legolas knew more fully the extent of what they had subjected him to, and the way Aragorn was laboring for each breath was worrying him.
Normally, Aragorn would have protested, but he realized that his body was reaching it's limitations and he would hate for it to decide to break down in front of his brothers. He didn't want them to start worrying, like Legolas already was. Right now he was all too glad to comply.
Aragorn was asleep instantly. His breathing evened out and his head fell sideways to rest on Legolas's shoulder. Legolas looked fondly at the exhausted ranger, whose bruised face was finally relaxed in sleep.
"Estel?" Elladan asked, craning his neck around Elrohir and looking anxiously Aragorn. "He's never fallen asleep that quickly before." the look Legolas gave him only enhanced his anxiety.
"Legolas, what have they done to him?" Elrohir asked the question they were both afraid to know the answer to.
Legolas related the conversation he'd heard between Dagron and the other men.
"The heartless cowards!" Elladan spit the words out.
Dagron, with perfect timing, decided to come back just at that minute. If looks could have killed, then half the camp would have been dead at one glance from Elladan.
As if unaware of the ire directed at him by the three pairs of intensely angry elven eyes, Dagron marched right over to tower over Aragorn.
"If you so much as touch him again..." Legolas glared Dagron with an amount of fire in his fierce blue eyes that would have melted the ice on the Helcaraxë.
"You'll do what, little elf?"
"Kill you." Elladan growled, protectively eyeing the sleeping ranger.
"And just how would you go about doin' that?" Dagron remained unmoved.
"We may be powerless now, but Valar help me, once I'm free you'll pay ten times over for what you do to him."
The passion in Elladan's voice, coupled by his, Elrohir, and Legolas's menacing looks, testifying to the truth of the statement, finally got a reaction. Dagron took a uncertain step back, giving the elves a moment of victory. But a moment was all he gave them. He recovered himself and spoke even more arrogantly than before.
"And who says you'll ever be free to carry out those pretty words of yours?" he sneered, "Oh yes, that's a very pretty speech, but it's take more than words to distract me from doing whatever I want. Just seein' the looks on your faces makes the work all the more enjoyable!"
Bending down, Dagron grabbed Aragon by the arm and pulled him away from the tree. Aragorn woke with a start, but without surprise. He was used to Dagron's methods of rousing people. That didn't mean it hurt any less when his wounded arm was twisted in Dagron's vise-like grip. His sudden drop to the hard ground was hardly comfortable either. After the rude awakening his senses seemed to fall back into a sort of a haze. Most of his body was still rejecting the "suggestion" of waking up so soon, and after such a wonderful reprieve.
"Leave him alone!"
Elrohir broke through the anger that was threatening to choke him to shout at the man who was daring to hurt his little brother.
"Now elf, I thought we'd already discussed this." Dagron spoke as if he were explaining things to a little child. " I'll be doin' whatever I want, and there's nothin' you can do to stop me."
Aragorn felt supremely and pleasantly numb. All he wanted, at the moment, was to stay that way. The twenty or so minutes of sleep had left him slightly groggy, but that was fast leaving him,and with its departure came a feeling of renewed strength. He was numb physically, but mentally he was processing everything more clearly than he had for some time.
Right now, though, he wished he could see what Dagron was up to. He cursed his blindness, not for the first time that week, and attempted to gather with his hearing more of what was going on around him. Before he even had a chance to tune in to the voices around him pain exploded in his senses. Oddly, he couldn't pinpoint were the pain was coming from. Was it his side? More pain. He tried to grasp onto the last threads of his passive, numb immunity to the feelings assaulting him. It was pointless. He was just preparing to surrender to his body's desires and groan, when the assault of pain inexplicably stopped.
"Shut up! You 'ear me!?" Dagron screamed at the three elves.
Aragorn listened in bewilderment as he finally began to connect names to voices.
"Nadorhuan!"
"Fuinion!"
The three elves weren't about to quit their cursing. Whatever it took to draw his attention away from Aragorn and back to them, that was what they would do. Only, they were running out of fit appellations.
"Llie n'vanima ar' lle atara lanneina!"
Legolas was obviously down to his last credible insults. Aragorn couldn't help but smile. He'd have to remember that one.
Dagron had no clue what the three elves were calling him, but even his slow mind registered from their voices that they weren't complimenting him on his apparel. After Legolas's latest string of contempt filled Sindarin he made another threat—one he was certain they would listen to.
"So you don't want me to hurt 'im?"
"Is it that obvious?" Elladan said between clenched teeth.
"Oh, you're very funny, elf. I'm in no mood to be played with, and the more you shout that fine language of yours the angrier I get." Dagron circled the prostrate form of the ranger. "And you want to know what I do when I get angry?" he dealt a blow to Aragorn's side that made all the elves flinch in unison. "Well, let's just say I tend to get a little violent." satisfied with the silence he was receiving, he smiled. "See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Legolas cried out in horror as Dagron drew his dagger.
"Estel!"
Aragorn had no idea what was going on, but from the dismayed sound of his friends voice he prepared himself for the worst. He waited.
Nothing happened.
"Oh, don't worry your 'ead , little elf—I'm not goin' to 'urt your friend!" he laughed and surprised them all by cutting the ropes that held Aragorn's hands behind his back. "I just want to play a game with 'im, that's all!"
None of them liked the sound of this. If his idea of a "game" were anything like his idea of "fun", then things were looking very badly for Aragorn. They watched every move Dagron made with trepidation.
Enjoying every minute of the agonizing suspense he was keeping them in, Dagron casually paced around the limp ranger, dagger in hand. He slammed the blade down into the ground, just inches from Aragorn's face, and then walked back a few steps.
"Now, elf lover, I'll let you 'ave the first turn." Dagron confidentially noted Aragorn's complete inability to move his hands, even though he was now untied. "Come on, it's your turn first, take a throw at me!" He grinned "Just remember, it's my turn next."
Aragorn grit his teeth and tried to move his hands only to find them uncooperative. Their blood supply had been cut off for too long. Still, he had to try. He moved his weary right arm forward until his hand was touching the dagger. That was some success. He tried to curl his fingers into a fist but they refused to bend. Dagron laughed tauntingly. Oh, how he wanted to silence that irritating laughter... He closed his eyes and let adrenaline take over as he focused on making his fingers work. He was rewarded.
Dagron's laughter suddenly turned into a howl of pain. Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas looked disbelievingly at the dagger that was now protruding from his leg. Aragorn could hardly believe it himself. He'd actually thrown the dagger—and hit him? For the three elves, their first reaction was to smirk, their second was to cringe in alarm. Without a doubt Aragorn was in big trouble now.
"Magog!" Dagron clutched his leg and yelled for his friend.
Magog hurried over to the wounded Dagron and gasped as he saw the blood. Dagron kept one hand on his leg but pointed at Aragorn with the other.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot, the prisoner almost killed me!"
Pouncing like a rather clumsy cat, Magog grabbed Aragon by the front of the shirt and pulled him up to eye level.
"You'll pay for that."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
A few yards away Acharndil sat smoking his pipe. He watched with detached interest all that was happening to the prisoners.
Sometimes he couldn't help but flinch for the defenseless ranger. He was not a cruel man by nature, years of scheming to take the lives of two fellow creatures had hardened him into what he was. Now he was able, without too much difficulty, to ignore the fact that another was suffering, and go on with his smoking.
The ranger was superfluous. If his misery was the supplier of good morale for his men... Then he wouldn't ruin their fun. The same went for the blond elf. They could have their fun with those two, all he was interested in was making the two dark-haired elves suffer. But therein lay his dilemma—how to make them suffer? He was certain physical pain wouldn't give him enough gratification. At least, that wasn't the primary step, he would kill them later but first... First what?
Acharndil's glance drifted away from Dagron and Aragon and carefully studied Elladan. He was startled at what he saw. Rage. Pure rage. He studied Elrohir. Sorrow. Unspeakable sorrow. Their faces mirrored his own raw feeling from all those years ago. He had felt the same way when Hadron, his brother had died... His brother. Why was he so startled at their feelings? Their brother's life was on the line. Of course it would cause them pain. How slow he had been.
There was only one thing he could do that would cause them adequate pain to pay for the lives of his family. It was their hearts that he must break. As seasoned warriors they would have learned to block out physical pain, but what about mental pain? He smiled. This would sting twice as badly. Not only would they watch their brother die, they would watch with the knowledge that they were responsible.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Elrond rode composedly at the head of fifteen elves. The serenity on his face was admirable, but the company of warriors behind him sensed his turbulent thoughts and rode mostly in silence.
The elven Lord ducked a low hanging branch and sighed. He kept telling himself that any minute they would come around a bend and run straight into his sons—all three of them.
He wished he could say that Legolas, Dolenil, and Moranuen would keep Elladan and Elrohir from doing anything rash, but knew better than to linger on such unlikely fantasies. None of them had enough self-control when it came to rescuing each other and he wasn't sure any of them would have the patience to make stable plans. Part of him kept arguing that they probably hadn't even found the place where Acharndil was holding Estel. Another part of him knew the truth. His sons were more than likely heroically charging the enemy, dragging Legolas and the others along with them.
Wait 'til I get my hands on the two of them...
Elrond could only hope that when he got his hands on them they wouldn't already be in need of major medical assistance. More wishful thinking. Yes, he would without a doubt be spending the upcoming weeks trying to keep them in their beds until they were healed.
He comforted himself with the thought that they had been in similar situations before, very often. They always came out more or less alive.
Usually less, He was forced to admit to himself.
After all the times Estel, Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas had come back from trips all but dead it was a mystery why his hair hadn't turned as silver as Celeborn's. Very likely he owed a great part of his amazing knowledge in rare healing skills to the four of them.
It was hard to keep himself from thinking about how eventually their "luck" had to run out. The Valar unquestionably had their hands full keeping his sons alive... Sometimes, the number of times they escaped from near death experiences lead him think Manwë must have assigned them each their own "guardian Miar". That would have been a reassuring thought.
Elrond's head shot up. Horses. There were horses coming. Moranuen and Dolenil shot out into the path in front of them and both parties reigned in their horses in surprise.
"My Lord. Thank the Valar!"
Moranuen quickly bowed his head as he recognized Elrond. Elrond saw with apprehension that the elf was having difficulty meeting his eyes. His fears were confirmed when he noted the three rider-less horses behind him.
Elrond closed his eyes briefly and, with a struggle, gathered his depleted strength around him. Moranuen also managed to steady himself.
"Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas have been captured. We can take you to Acharndil's camp."
To Be Continued....
Reviewer responses:
HarryEstel: Glad you liked it. Thanks for dropping me a review on the run : )
viggomaniac: Harharhar...very funny... I'm not afraid to say it: BETWEEN DARKNESS AND DAWN! Ha! See? I'm not afraid of FOUR little words! But, with all your taunting, you leave me no choice but to taunt you right back! Let's see, what are her interests... Aha! I got it – she likes Aragorn! (picks up magazine with cover picture of Aragorn) Just look at this! The 'Official LotR Fan Club Magazine' – with an interview by VIGGO MORTENSON – part one! And look at THIS! (picks up another magazine, this time with Eomer's picture on front) An interview with KARL URBAN! (smiles fondly as she picks up a third magazine with Faramir on its cover) Oh yes... (smiles wickedly) And here's one with DAVID WENHAM... (eg) So there, I've had my childish revenge, now I can talk pleasantly with you : ) Oh, I'm fortunate to be getting review from you at all – who cares about promptness? I will not remark upon the rest of your comments in this paragraph (I might start ranting again...MC addict going into withdrawal: not a pretty sight). Tormenting the Helpless Ranger with the Beautiful, Unseeing Eyes... You should start writing the lyrics! LOL. Yes, our minds seem to be working along the same lines (I'll never be able to surprise you! Shucks!), as you can see, Estel is going to be knee-deep in angst...(eg) Oh, but I have your permission to hurt him? Thank you...I think... It was very handy to have the level-headed Dolenil around to do the unpleasant, unwanted role of being practical. LOL. Mahadsanid! (Thank you! – Somali, East Africa)
Star-Stallion: Acharndil... Yes, I can't wait to see what you all think of the way I dealt with him at the end of the story. I'm glad, though, that I've succeeded in making you pity him, at least. Thanks!
Mornflower: Oo...You're not doing too bad with that foresight of yours! (but that's all I'm going to give you ; ) Oh, I have a joke (of sorts) for you too, my mom got this in an e-mail:
With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it
is worth reflecting upon the death of a very important person, which
almost went unnoticed last week. Mr. Larry La Prise, the man who wrote
"The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part
for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg
in, and then the trouble started...
This even got my VERY quiet Father laughing : ) Anyways, thanks for reviewing!
Kathira: Yes, the twins... Middle Earth just wouldn't be the same without them, LOL. Oh, I'm so glad you think I handled everything plausibly! Yep, Estel has at least finally got Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas to keep him company. And there are more sensible elves on the way, too ; ) Thank you so much for the feedback!
jacquelinestel: Oh Estel...you never cease to astound, amaze, confound, and generally dumbfound me... British sitcoms?!?! Oookaaay....If that's what you like, then don't let me put a damper on your enjoyment. But I have to agree with Jacqueline, of all the TV shows that you could get addicted to, did it have to be on the BBC? You're a queer one alright... LOL. Well, we got back to Estel – happy? I'm just going to say it for the hundredth time: poor Estel... Thank you!
polingly: Forgive me if I go dramatic on you...it's been a long, stressful day for me too : b But I'll do my best to be comprehensible and possibly even logical – hope I make sense... Yes, the hideous Acharndil just becomes more hideous, as you can see. And things are going very badly indeed for all of them. But Elrond's coming and then...Oops, better not give anything away : ) Sorry this is so short, but I've really got to go, in this state there's not telling what I might give away! I really better go to bed before I go TOTALLY insane...LOL. Hannon le!
sielge: Oh, I'm glad you thought it was another good chapter : ) Thank you so much for reviewing!
Naesse: I certainly hope to keep it up : ) (blushes) I'm so glad you think I write well, and the you love my story – thank you!
Tinorial Peredhil: I'm so glad you liked all the stuff about Mora and Elladan : ) Me? Enjoying myself too much? What EVER would give you THAT idea? (looks innocent) Why would I want to purposefully get my favorite characters into so much trouble? (smiles sweetly) I'm glad you liked...er...didn't like my cliffies ; ) Oh, mellon-nín, you had me grinning like an idiot for hours! I'd imagined with trepidation the many reactions I might get to my OCs, but that someone might suggest dressing up like Dolenil for Halloween...well, THAT'S one scenario I never thought of! If you do actually dress up like Dolenil...(giggles) You'd HAVE to send me a picture, LOL. Don't worry, I know exactly how RL can be...as a matter of fact, it's bugging me right now to get off the computer : b Sorry this is so brief – I really appreciate the detailed reviews!
zeetus: Hehehe, so your friend was giving you strange looks? I know how that is! I think that most of my friends (the few that I have...that is) think I'm partially, or entirely, insane. LOL, it's actually kind of amusing... Oh yes, I can just imagine the look on Mora's face when he realized that Legolas has ditched them too : ) Hmm, I think that Elrond, Mora and half the inhabitants of Rivendell have considered, on more than one occasion, locking up Estel, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir – permanently. LotR fan fics just wouldn't be the same without those reckless twins, though... Thanks for rambling, I NEVER get enough!
Troubles8806: Hi! Oh, I'm so glad you found my story : ) It's always encouraging to get reviews from new people – at least I know that people are still finding my story. Hehehe, I know how it is: you start reading a story, get really into it, and then find out that it's not all posted yet! I always hate that, so I'll try to keep posting regularly... Yes, I know, wasn't Legolas horrible not to tell them he'd found the tracks? I mean, you'd expect that sort of behavior from the twins...but Legolas? I'm so glad that I've managed to confuse you with the plot! I know, that sounds bad... But I'm just glad that I'm not being predictable! As you've read by now, Estel is still captured – I couldn't just let him be released, could I? My writers motto: "Never pass up an opportunity for Aragorn-angst!" LOL. I hope this post was soon enough for you : ) Thank you SO much for reviewing – it means a lot to me!
Lizzie Blakeney: Oh, hi there! Well, I'm glad you found this last chapter exciting. Yes! I've got at least one person on the edge of their seat! Thanks so much for saying that – its VERY encouraging to hear. Thank you! (huggles a wide-eyed Lizzie)
elvingirl3737: Oh, I'm relieved to hear that you liked the fighting scene! I confess, it is my first time ever attempting to write a battle scene...(gulp) Yeah, I definitely like the visual of the two "dark-haired elves spinning in a dance of death..." (joins elvingirl in drooling) I'm so glad that you're thinking along the same lines as me for the way Acharndil should take revenge...It's always annoyed me the way so many villains can never quite figure it out that it hurts the heroes more if you hurt their loved ones, then if you hurt them. (am I making any sense at all?) But you'll just have to wait and see if that really is how things are going to work out... (eg) You never know who this evil author might start picking on next! Anyways...Thanks for reviewing!
A special thanks to Booklover Fanatic for adding me to your author alerts!
Ok, I'm really tired today, so I'd better be quiet before I say something REALLY stupid : b
Chapter fifteen will be called "Breaking Their Hearts". Sounds good, huh? I'll try to have it up Tuesday or Wednesday.
Please review!
- Nefhiriel
Vice President and Co-founder of the SNWCG & member of the F.F.F.F.F