Chapter 4: The Elves Of Fel-Dunel *Tolkien owns all characters and places
He felt nothing but cold for as long as he could remember. Every time he woke back up more fluid was given to him. He did not mind taking it; it helped to numb the pain. He had also over heard one of them say that it would help to slow the poison. He looked up at the sky now as his eyes opened. He saw the sun it was so magnificent dancing in the sky with the clouds. The sun was warm on his face; it comforted him. Then he saw the jug come to his lips and he liquid was poured into it the last sound he heard was. "Were here, give him a little extra so he does not see where we are." The voice drifted off, as did he. And he felt the sun's comforting warmth being dragged away.

"God this guy is heavy." Said Zello. Zello stood about five and a half feet tall with green eyes and black straight hair that touched his shoulder pads. "Stop." Said a tall elf raising his hand as they came to a dead end. "What is it Celenas?" The Elf raised his hand and murmured a few words in an unknown tongue and the dead end of the path opened and they continued on. "Zello you don't know your own home!?" Snickered the elf carrying Darenth. "I'm walking backwards Haref! You should know that I am facing you!" Exclaimed Zello. Zello was carrying Darenth under his arms as to not disturb the wound on his back. While Haref carried Darenths legs and the boards they tied under him to keep him straight. "Whose idea was it to tie the board under him again?" Asked Zello already knowing the answer. "It was mine, you know that." Said Algale as she looked over her shoulder. "Why does she get to bring up the rear every time?" Asked Zello. "Because you would forget to make sure we are not being followed." Said Celenas who had been quite until now with a smile in his voice. "Why bother checking! We have to go through twenty-three doors and the Gel-Thak to even get to Fel- Dunel." Exclaimed Zello but there was no answer from Celenas. Instead he ventured ahead looking for the next door. The tunnel narrowed and widened over and over. It was meant to make you think you were lost. They were many turns very often and most of them ended in death. They continued down the slanted hallways for quite some time. They Opened doors, and hit symbols to open hidden passageways and continued onward, farther and farther into the cold dark earth. The doors always closed behind them, sometimes to quickly. Until at last they came to what seemed like any other fork; the passageway went left or right but forward. There they stopped. Celenas raised his hands and placed them on the wall and it parted and he and the rest of the hunting party known as Fels continued onward. This passageway remained straight for a long time and never parted. It was very narrow and has many holes in the walls both high and low. "You know.." Zello said breaking the lasting silence of footsteps. "I heard that those holes were made when Fel- Dunel was founded. I heard they would go into passageways behind those walls and stick their spears through the walls into unsuspecting orcs who were lucky enough to get this far." Before anyone could comment the passageway opened up into a magnificent hall. Two steel doors parted a little allowing them entrance into the room filled with torches that burned a white flame. "Ahh the Gel-Thak. Home sweet home." Said Haref with a smile on his face knowing what was coming. A tall elf approached them; he stood about six feet tall with brown eyes and long golden hair that came down to his golden lined shoulder pads. His armor glimmered from head to toe. It was mostly steel with gold trim and parts of it were covered with his dark green cloak that bore the symbol of Captain of the Fel-Dunel. "Ahh Fels you have returned.and what is this?" Asked Zethane pointing at Darenth. The sound of the Giant steel doors closing behind the hunting party filled the room and then quite. "We found him face first on the ground north east of the fork of the river Sirion." Said Celenas. "It is a miracle he is alive.He is bleeding badly and has been poisoned. So if you would excuse us Zethane." Said Zello in a commanding tone. "Of course.go right ahead. except you Celenas.i want to speak with you." Zethane motioned the others off as he and Celenas walked to the side. "Celenas where did you find him?" Zethane asked curiously with a concerned look on his face. "I told you. Relax we followed procedure he was drugged so to not remember where or how he got here." Said Celenas with a relaxed look on his face. "You know people are free to come and go as they please.but try not to drag in any more strays.especially when they are as beaten as this one." Said Zethane with a almost irritable tone in his voice. "But you didn't see what he did to get like that. From what the others and me can tell he is from Gondolin. He slayed two elite orcs whose bodies we found down by the riverbed. This man could be a powerful ally." Said Celenas still holding his relaxed look. "Maybe you are right Celenas.I am sorry for what I said earlier.you may go. Oh and where is your food that you collected?" Said Zethane. Celenas smiled and handed Zethane his pack, which was full of meat, and berries they had collected. Celenas walked down the hallway after his hunting party and Darenth.

"I have done what I can." Spoke the cleric woman in a soft voice. "Only time will tell." She said smiled and walks away to another patient. Zello, Haref, and Algale all stood around his bed. Darenth's memories came back to him as he opened one eye and then the other. He looked up to see Haref's cheerful smile, Zello's goofy grin, and Algale's Cloak covered face he could was smiling as well. "What-the.Where am I? Who are you people?" Said Darenth puzzled confused and scared all at once. "You are safe I am Zello and this Haref and Algale. What is your name?" Said Zello pleased that the man could talk. "We found you face down in the dirt covered in blood." Said Algale interrupting Darenth trying to figure out how he got there. "My name is Darenth and that's a funny story." Before Darenth could speak anymore he began to cough but it settled after a moment. Instead he pointed to his pack and they handed it to him. He opened his pack and handed him the scroll with the directions of how to get to Fel-Dunel. "Do you know how I can get there?" Asked Darenth eager to hear their response. At that moment Celenas walked into the room. "What did I miss?" He asked. "Oh not much," Said Haref "It seems our friend here wants to know how to get to a place called Fel-Dunel." Said Haref handing him the scroll. "This is a.One of the original scrolls the only other one of these I have seen was held by king Menglar himself." With that Celenas turned to Darenth and asked him "Where did you get this!?" "From my father." Said Darenth. "Can you help me get there?" Asked Darenth. "There is no need to.." Said Algale. With those words Darenth feared the worst that the city had died out. "You are already there." Said Algale now removing her hood and letting her long brown hair fall down and touch the sides of her cloak. "You are in Fel- Dunel my friend." Said Zello looking down at Darenth. Before either of them could speak another word the Cleric woman walked up and realized that they were talking to Darenth. "OH! your awake! Excellent well you must go back to sleep you were badly poisoned and have a broken rib and have lost a lot of blood." "Yes mam' we will go" Said Celenas. "We are going to borrow this ok Darenth?" He said pointing towards the scroll. Darenth nodded and shut his eyes as the thought of his mother came back into his mind. This time he did not push them back for he had finished what she had set out to do.