Chapter 3
Days 11-20

Day 11

That man came to see me today. Elrond was curled up sleeping out of pure exhaustion. He sneered at me, as though I were some untamed beast. I moved closer to Elrond. I will not let them hurt him anymore. I don't care the pain inflicted on me. Elrond is the Lord of Imladris and there is no way that I can allow him to be killed. "What do you want?" I demanded.

"This doesn't have to be this way. The two of you don't have to die."

I thought of myself and how horrible I must look. My hands are swollen and infected. I have cuts and bruises all over my body, but especially on my face. I cannot see out of my left eye. Elrond looks worse than I do. The two of us are close to death, I know that. "We will never turn to the Dark Lord. Get that through your head," I snapped. Truly, I didn't care anymore if they wanted to kill me.

The man smiled. "We won't even force you to turn to him. You can write in our tongue, can you not?"

As he spoke, he glanced at this journal, which I had inadvertently left open. He can obviously read no elvish, and obviously considers his tongue to be orders of magnitude harder than my own. Still, I was willing to hear this man out. "Some."

"Then come with me. You will write something for us. We will feed you and give you medical help."

"Elrond, too."

"No."

"Then I shall not come with you." I thought it horrible that these Men could not write. It disgusted me in a way. All elves, no matter how decrepit their poverty, can scrawl some words of elvish down. "I will not leave here with you unless you help my Lord."

The man sighed. "Very well. We will come for you tomorrow." He got up and left. A short while later, some men came in and bandaged our hurts. He put some salve on my hands, but admitted that he did not know if they could be saved or not.

Elrond appeared a little better afterwards, but he was feverish into the night. Valar, please protect us.

Day 12

I wrote their damned letter today. It was too some Man that I have never heard of. He is apparently in league with the Dark One as well. He will be coming to visit these Men. I discovered, too, that he will be taking us with him. I know nothing of this man, but I shall perhaps ask Elrond of him later, when Elrond wakes. So far, they have left Elrond alone. I am grateful for that. They feed us pretty regularly, as well. It does not exactly fill us, but it keeps our bodies alive.

Elrond woke late in the evening, and I told him what I had done. He smiled and asked me the Man's name.

"Aragorn," I said. "I know not who he is."

A strange expression appeared on Elrond's face. "Aragorn? You are sure of that name?"

"I had to write it. I am sure of it. Why? Is he someone that you have met?"

"I fostered a Manchild for about a year when you were in…Mirkwood. His name was Aragorn. Then his people took him away."

"Perhaps his hatred of elves will be less."

Elrond actually smiled. "If he has been associating with these men? I doubt it."

Day 13

Today the healers visited us again. The one seemed to insinuate that he wished to remove my hands. In clear language, I expressed to him what I would do to him if he ever even suggested that. He shrugged and told me that there was little he could do for them. I informed that they worked well enough to write daily in a journal and he told me that that was probably making them worse.

I care little for the opinion of Man. Elrond is a million times the healer of any Man here. I trust his advice. He told me to do this and so I will. I asked the Man when Aragorn would be coming and he told me tomorrow.

So tomorrow I will find out what manner of Man Aragorn is. He could be cruel and harsh like these Men. But perhaps he has some measure of compassion in him. I do not know. I wish I did. I wish I knew whether Elrond and I would be safe. I wish I knew whether we were even going to live.

Day 14

Now that the day is over, I shall relate the momentous events that happened. We were woken at dawn. I was more awake than Elrond, but I helped Elrond to stand and to walk. As we walked, his strength grew slightly and by the time we reached outside, he could walk unaided. The guard on us was very light, but I could see that it would be pointless to run. Elrond could not run more than a few hundred paces before he would run out of energy. I doubt I could run much further.

Aragorn was a young Man, as I reckon these things. He had the downy fuzz on his chin that I associate with youth in Men. He looked at the two of us over, smiled, and shouted some rude jest to the others that I did not quite comprehend. Then we were bound and thrown into the back of a cart. Aragorn drove the cart away.

When we were a good distance away, Aragorn stopped the horses and turned to us. "Are you hungry?" he asked in fair elvish.

Elrond appeared slightly surprised. "So you are the same Aragorn."

"Yes, Lord Elrond, though I fear that I remember nothing of you."

"You were but a babe," replied Elrond.

I turned the conversation back to more practical matters. "Where are you taking us and why?"

"I am taking you somewhere safer," he replied. "Now, as to my previous question, are you hungry?"

Elrond admitted that he was, and so I followed suit. Aragorn gave us some bread and water, admitting that that was all he had. He also informed us, though, that he had lembas at the place he was taking us too. I couldn't help but smile. It would be good to eat the food of my people again.

"When will we be reaching our destination?" asked Elrond.

"Tomorrow," was the only answer Aragorn gave. It was the last thing he said to us all day.

Elrond seems to trust this Man. For some reason, though, I do not trust him. Perhaps I have just grown wary of all Men. Perhaps he truly is a good Man.

Still, I do not trust him.

Day 15

We arrived at Aragorn's house in the middle of the day. Immediately, he took us to our beds. Elrond fell asleep quickly, but I could not sleep. I have never liked sleeping in strange places. I don't feel safe here.

Aragorn came in to see us later and gave us some lembas. Elrond ate some and was sick later. Aragorn said he was going to call for a healer. I'm not sure whether I believe him or not. I don't think that he has entirely altruistic motives for us. When I asked if I could write to Imladris to tell them we were safe, he denied my request.

This is the first time that I have really thought about Glorfindel. He will be out of his mind with worry. When I get back, he will never let me leave Imladris again. I do miss him. I hope that I see him again.

Elrond was able to eat a little more right before he fell asleep again. Something is seriously wrong with Elrond. I truly hope that Aragorn meant it when he said he was sending for a healer.

If not, he may soon have a very dead elf on his hands.

Day 16

A healer came today. He said that Elrond is very ill. He gave Elrond a number of potions and gave me others to administer later. He echoed the opinion of the last healer in saying that my hands should be amputated. I was slightly nicer to this healer, as he had done nothing to me. I still told him that there was no way I was sacrificing them.

Aragorn came to see us after the healer left and talked with us for a while. He is quite a scholar for a Man, and knows much of Elvish history. Our conversation allowed me, for a brief while, to forget what dire straits we are in.

Elrond even woke up for a little while. I saw a brief glimpse of the Elrond I knew. He talked and joked with Aragorn as if he were not our captor. Right before he left, I asked him what he intended to do with us.

He smiled sadly, and told me that it was still up in the air.

This worries more than anything. I want to know what will happen to us.

Day 17

I went for a walk today. Aragorn let me out unaccompanied. He knew that I could not go far without food or water and with the little strength that I have. Still, I grow a little stronger every day. Elrond, I think, is healing, too. He is awake more often. He seems a little more himself.

Back to my walk. In the distance, I thought I could see the city of Minas Tirith. So we are in Gondor. That is quite a ways from Imladris. There is no way that Elrond and I could escape from here and make it back there without considerable supplies. Still, it gives me hope that I actually know where I am. If only I could get a letter out to Glorfindel or anyone and tell them to come find us.

I asked Aragorn later if we were being held for ransom. He laughed and told me that that was not the case. So I asked him why we were being held.

His face turned solemn. "There are those that would like to see all of the Firstborn gone from Middle Earth."

"Are you among them?"

"Think of me as a messenger between those who would and those who wouldn't. I am holding you two here to see from whom I get a better offer."

"You are no better than a mercenary, then."

"You could call me that," he admitted.

"Do you know what the elves would give you to give us back?"

Aragorn shrugged. (How I hate that gesture). "That is not up to me. I do as I am told. If I am told to give you back to your people, I will do so without hesitation. If I am told to deliver you into the hands of those who will kill you, I will do so with a similar lack of hesitation."

I turned from him and walked away. I had thought him a bad Man in general, but he is much worse than I had imagined. He cannot even pick a side. He is a mercenary. That thought makes me sick to my stomach. I told Elrond about this, but he just smiled. "You worry too much, Erestor," he said.

I shook my head. "How can you be so calm, Elrond?" I demanded.

"We cannot order the Valar. All has been planned out already." And that was all he would say to me on the matter.

Is Elrond losing his mind?

Day 18

Nothing of importance happened today. I think that Elrond is sinking into madness, but there is little I can do for him there. I wish I could help him.

More than that, I want to be able to escape. I am nearly better, and I could escape soon if I wanted. But I could never leave Elrond behind.

Life here is becoming monotonous and routine.

Aragorn poisoned me I think I cannot think clearly and I can barely write this down there was no need for him to poison Elrond because Elrond is still so weak I think that the decision has been made and that things are going to change somehow I know that they will be for the worse not better Glorfindel please save me

Day 20

I have been told that I lost a day. Apparently, Aragorn did drug me. We were bundled into a caravan, me and Elrond. He appears the best I have seen him since we were captured. He was completely lucid and talked to me in an apparently cheerful mood. He knows little about where we are going.

It is not until the evening that I find out what fate has befallen us. The caravan stops, presumably to rest for the night. A man opens the door to our wagon and throws some food in. We are not animals and we do not chase after it.

"Where are we going?" I demand.

He sneers at me. "Learn to talk only when talked to."

"I will do as I wish," I said.

"That attitude does not befit a slave," the man said before slamming the door closed.

I am so numb. A slave? Elrond and I have been sold into slavery? I would rather die.

Author's Note: hee hee how I do love to torture my poor elves. review??