(-)Chapter 6(-)
Aragorn shook his head, still in shock from what he had just found out. They were now on their way to his house, so they could change and clean up before heading to the trial.
They ran the entire way back, including the many steps of the city.
Teralin parted ways with them once they reached the sixth level and the other three quickly got to the house, changed and headed up to the citadel after cleaning up.
Ecthelion met them outside the doors with a sigh, "I really am sorry."
Aragorn nodded, "Aye, perhaps, we can only wish for the best. But, I would like to be allowed to speak, should things take a turn for the worst."
"Of course."
They then went in and quickly took their spots.
Aragorn shifted in his seat, staring at his friend and father, -Well this is just perfect... this is just my luck... the second we think we're in the clear something like this happens and it seems worse than before.-
Teralin glanced over at his friend, who had regained the blank, unemotional look. He sighed slightly and turned back to listen, this was not going to be fun.
Three hours later the trial had ended.
Aragorn glanced around him nervously, not ended completely... the group of men sitting with him would sit silently a moment, processing everything they'd heard before, before telling whether they thought the two elves innocent or guilty. The man had indeed ended up standing and saying what he thought. But though he was respected he knew the other men wouldn't base everything on what he had said.
Ecthelion nodded, he looked to anyone else in the room perfectly calm and unfazed. Inside his mind was reeling, he believed the elves were innocent, but the other man had put up a good fight and he wasn't sure how this would go. Many of the men in the small group had been giving the elves distrustful looks.
"And what say you now?" he muttered, glancing at the men.
Aragorn forced himself to look calm but immediately dropped the look when the final decision was made.
Guilty.
Aragorn's eyes widened and he glanced over at Teralin, who looked almost as distressed as he.
Ecthelion flinched, that was it, he slowly nodded, "So it must be," he muttered, "death... is punishable by... death."
Aragorn couldn't move, even as everyone stood to leave.
Elrond glanced over at the blond elf and shut his eyes for only a second before turning back to the man, "Nay, let it not be this way," he motioned to Legolas, "he had naught to do with it, it was I alone."
Aragorn flinched but forcibly shook his head, there was no way it could end like this.
"It is too late for that," one of the men grumbled before leaving the room.
Aragorn's hard gaze came up to glance about the room, nay, it would not end this way, there had to be something he could do, he shot the two elves a look before standing and leaving, heading towards the libraries.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Aragorn sighed slightly, rubbing his eyes, he had not slept for three days, since the trial. Neither had he left the library, the elves execution was to be the next day, he glanced sadly out the window at the setting sun, at daybreak. He lifted another book and continued reading.
Only about ten minutes before the sun would rise he leaped to his feet, quickly marking the book he had been reading and fled the room, heading for the Stewards chambers, not actually caring for once that he may not be welcomed in them, but not before unconsciously grabbing his bow which for some reason even he didn't know he had brought with him.
As soon as he reached the room he pounded on the door, shifting, wide-eyed, waiting for the man to open it.
The second it was opened he immediately ran in, slamming the book on the desk and flipping it open, leaving a rather shocked man standing the doorway in his nightclothes.
Aragorn pointed to the page and glanced over at the Steward, "Right here! Read this!"
Ecthelion blinked in shock at the intrusion and from his captain apparent loss of respect but just shook his head slightly and did as the man had basically commanded of him. He swiftly read the paragraph and his eyes widened, glancing up at the man.
"We haven't had anyone on trial here before under my rule from another realm before, I had heard of this of course, I can not believe I had forgotten it!"
"This means it was a mistrial!" Aragorn exclaimed, shifting awkwardly, and sounding unusually jumpy yet thrilled.
"Indeed it does!" the steward looked incredibly relieved.
Aragorn froze as he glanced outside, the first threads of light were appearing, they didn't have any time, they had to go now or they would be too late.
"We have to go!"
The Steward simply nodded and pulled a robe over his nightclothes, knowing full well he had no time to change.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Elrond went silently as he and the prince of Mirkwood were lead onto a small wooden platform. He gently squeezed the younger elf's shoulder before they were seperated and stood on top of two trap doors on the floor on the platform.
Legolas stared out into the crowd, half of the people seemed slightly smug and gave the two elves nasty looks, the other half watched them sadly.
Elrond stared as well, his gaze, though, was searching for one being in particular. He didn't know whether he wished his son was here or not. He did not wish for his son to have to witness their deaths, but he dearly wished he could look upon him one last time. He bowed his head when he realized he was not there.
Legolas had looked for the man as well, he wished to see him again too, as neither of them had seen him since the trial. He didn't really know what to think. He was slightly surprised at the fear he felt, he had faced death many times and yet, never once had he been sure it would happen. Now that he was faced with it, he was afraid, it was not something elves accepted as the way things were as human's did.
Elrond glanced over at the archer and felt his heart break at the fear in his eyes, "Deadelos al, Legolas, ha úva ann." (Fear not, it will not be long)
"Im tur-al deri ha," the elf muttered, shifting uncomfortably. (I can not stop it)
Elrond was silent a moment, "Glorfindel antúlien uf gurthu, ha al foeg ha nauth." (has returned forth from death, it (is) not (as) bad (as) it (is) thought)
Legolas nodded slightly and stared blankly into the crowd of men.
"A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna míriel
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!"
Elrond sighed and closed his eyes.
Legolas smiled slightly at the familiar elven words, and not wishing to listen to the silence began softly singing the westron version of the song.
"Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O Light to us that wander here
Amid the world of woven trees!"
"Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!
Clear are thy eyes and bright they breath,
Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee
In a far land beyond the Sea."
Legolas smiled as the older elf quietly cut in with the second verse before he continued.
"O stars that in the Sunless Year
With shining hand by her were sown,
In windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!"
"O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy starlight on the Western Seas."
The elder elf quieted at the end and fell silent.
Legolas shook his head sadly, "Lord Elrond," he muttered quietly, "I cannot help but wonder, what will happen after we're... gone?"
The elf shook his head, "'T is impossible to say and you know this as much as I."
"With the... shadow?"
Elrond sighed, "We need to have hope."
Legolas glanced over to the crowd, scanning it quickly and shook his head sadly, "But we don't."
Elrond didn't reply and simply stared ahead silently.
Legolas stiffened as a rope was tightened around his neck.
Elrond didn't even blink.
The sun finally made its way over the horizon.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Aragorn wasted no time with the stairs, and abandoning any caution slid down the rails, Ecthelion trying his best to keep up with the other man.
He dropped the next few level as fast as he could, trying his best to keep from stumbling.
Ecthelion was having even more trouble, despite the fact that he was rested, he watched the man in front of him with a growing amount of awe and respect.
Aragorn glanced up fearfully as the great star finally emerged fully above the horizon.
The men entered the execution area just as they were about to drop the doors from beneath the elves.
"Wait!" Aragorn cried.
The doors were dropped and the two beings fell.
A/N
Elven Kitten: Hola:) I decided to post again this week... basically cuz I'm bored... XP lol but yeah...
viggomaniac - Lol, I'm glad you liked the story so far:) Thanks for the tip... I'm probably not doing any better... once I get into my stories I rarely look back to check for mistakes... and the program I have to use doesn't have spell check... XP I want my Microsoft Word back... XP lol
sielge - Lol, I updated soon:P Hope you liked it! Innocent smile
Kalayna - Lol, yes they are supposed to be free! Does not mean they must be. Attempted and miserably failed innocence XP Me? Be that evil? Never:)
Bubble-Sheep - Yupses... and only one more now... It's always sad... finishing a story... XP lol, I hope you enjoyed the chapter:)
IwishChan - lol, actually they were kind of... re-caught... in a way... at the end... :P
Microchips - Lol, ish ebil sometimes... yesh... XP Thank you for the great confidence you've bestowed upon me! "The ending sucks." XP Very nice... you ebil minion of Morgoth... Lol, you go right ahead and threaten, good luck with finding help with destroying the world. XP
marbienl - Lol, I had to do that... it just seemed much too short without it. :) ...yipes... I don't think I'd ever be that bored... or at least on any other day! But yeah... no... not today either... XP lol, very good logic! Unfortunetly I've tried that before... it doesn't work... XP it's gone now... almost anyhow... but I just KNOW it's gonna come back... XP lol, but yeah... if only it were so easy... 't is just not to be... Sniff :P
Nessa Ar-Feiniel - Lol! You really should have. :)
E.K.: OKAY! I just got a quick idea... literally... just... XP lol. Turns out I might be doing a single-chaptered short story next, it'll be simple if I do... fluff stuff :) I think it's time for a brief reprieve from the ebilness... trust me there'll be plenty of it in my next story... :P So, I'm off to see if I can get this working:) Namarie:)
Elenmeoi
