Chapter 9 Spring is coming
The day was bright and beautiful. The sun made the snow on the ground melt where its rays fell and made it sparkle like diamonds, but in the shadows, winter still held sway. The air was still cold, but it held the promise of a time soon to come when winter would have to loosen its grip on the lands and once more allow summer to rule for a time; until it was once again time for the roles to be reversed.
Today was the first day of spring, soon the passes would be free of snow and they would be able to set out again without the danger of being trapped.
Elrohir had longed for that day for weeks now. Hoping each morning to see Arnor's rays conquer the snow that had so effectively cut them off from their brother, and now that the day when they would be able to set out seemed not so far away he was getting restless.
Hold on Estel, he thought. We are coming.
He sat long before the window, just looking out, not noticing that time passed by. Suddenly he was brought out of his reverie by the sound of the door behind him opening. He quickly turned to see what caused the disturbance and his eyes fell upon a servant standing in the door, her arms filled with clean bed linen.
"I'm sorry, my lord," she apologized. "I did not expect to find anyone here at this time of day. Please forgive my intrusion." She looked down and made to turn around and leave the room, but Elrohir stopped her.
"No it's all right, you don't have to apologize. I just didn't notice that time had passed." Usually Legolas would have been by to try to lift the twins' moods, but for some reason today he had not come. She smiled and began to do what she had come here to do in the fist place, and Elrohir couldn't resist helping her, it did not sit well with him to just stand idle while she worked, somehow it just didn't seem right.
"I haven't seen Prince Legolas today," he said while he was holding the corner of the linen she was putting on the bed. "Would you happen to know where he might be today?" he inquired. Elladan had left early in the morning to go to the armoury; some of his weapons needed tending to.
She smiled sadly at him, then answered, "Prince Legolas' presence in court was required." She sighed sadly then continued her tale. She was very talkative and loved to speak to all people. "You know, last summer when Prince Legolas set out for Imladris he met a strange human. Or to say he "met" the human is not exactly the right way to describe it, actually he found the human lying in an opening surrounded by orcs and can you imagine what happened when the human woke and saw the prince?" She did not wait long enough for Elrohir to answer. "He knocked the prince out." They had now finished putting on the bed sheet, and went on to change the duvet case, the maiden all the time chatting away. "Of course he was brought here and questioned by the court, but he is a strange one this man, he would not tell of his family, claims he doesn't have one, he wouldn't even tell where he came from, he said he didn't have a home, that he lived no where. Yet he speaks elvish, or he has an elven name. He calls himself Thorongil. But that…" She kept talking, but Elrohir wasn't listening anymore.
Thorongil. That had been one of Estel's pet names, of course it could be someone else, but… But, he just had to know.
He interrupted her flow of talk, not really knowing what she had been saying. "And he's in the court right now, this man, Thorongil?" he asked too worked up to be polite. He barely dared to hope, but somewhere inside him a flame had been kindled and now it refused to go out without a fight.
"Yes he's there…" But she didn't get to say anymore before Elrohir had left the room, heading for the great hall.
Here he was, once again seated in the, by now only too familiar, chair before Thranduil's throne. It had been a long time since he had last been above ground and he had missed it. The feel of fresh air almost made it worth the pain of another questioning, almost.
"Why did you attack Prince Legolas? What were your motives?" Thranduil's sharp voice cut through his awareness and he was abruptly pulled from his thoughts and back to the present.
Estel sighed and answered the question he felt like he had been asked so many times that it felt like a lifetime. "I didn't attack him."
And just as surely as always the next question that came was, "If it wasn't you then who was it?" This was not going to be any different than usual, Estel thought and he braced himself for the far harder questions he knew would soon be asked. He would endure them once again, he had to.
"Then who was it?" Thranduil's voice had taken on a dangerous edge as he repeated himself when the human did not answer right away.
Aragorn gathered his thoughts and answered softly almost sadly, "An orc My Lord,"
"Liar, the orcs had fled, you told me as much yourself. Why should I believe your word when all the evidence is against you? Where do you belong, will anyone be willing to guarantee for you?" Thranduil asked harshly, he wanted answers and he wanted them now, today he would have to voice his final sentence upon the man. When the human left this room there would not be another hearing and his fate would be irreversibly decided and Thranduil didn't want to do that before he had proof of the truth whatever it might be, but knew that he would have to.
"I have neither home, nor family and no one will want to claim me, My Lord," Aragorn said, his tone laced with sadness and despair. He knew what would happen now. He would once again be condemned to the cell: to his lonely nightmare.
"Let me in!" Elrohir demanded, a little out of breath, when he arrived at the huge doors leading into the hall in which the hearing was being held.
"I cannot let you enter," the guard said formally "A private hearing is going on, and the King ordered that no one be allowed to enter."
"But I must be allowed to enter," Elrohir persisted, his sense of haste heightened. He somehow felt like he had to, like someone was urging him on, telling him that whether or not it was truly Estel who was in there it was important that he be allowed to enter. Suddenly he heard Thranduil's voice through the door and he strained his ears to hear what was being said.
"…belong, will anyone be willing to guarantee for you?"
That voice belonged to Thranduil, and it sounded angry.
The next part was far more difficult to make out, but Elrohir heard it, albeit faintly. The next words stole his breath away and made his heart clench.
"I have neither home, nor family and no one will want to claim me, My Lord,"
The voice belonged to Estel! He had been right under their noses the whole time. The thought of his brother having been imprisoned here in Mirkwood all this time, and that he and his twin had even been offered to go to see him but had refused. Elrohir felt ill. And what was it Estel had said, he said that he had no family, why would he think that? Elrohir's thoughts were suddenly back to the day when Estel had left Imladris and suddenly he understood.
Oh, Estel, Ada didn't send you away. We love you. You are not unwanted no matter what heritage you have
Elrohir pushed the sick feeling down and glared hard at the guard once again. "I insist that you let me enter." His voice was dangerous and tolerated no defiance, yet the guard stood his ground.
"I cannot allow that." The guard repeated; intent to not disobey his orders.
TBC
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