Into the Labyrinth
Author: Amorous
Rating: PG-13 (For violence)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Lord of the Rings. Any unrecognizable characters are most likely mine, though.
*Chapter 11: A Lead and A Brawl*
Elrohir wove his way through the dusty, crowded road. It was late morning and he was wearily making his way toward the next stop on his mental list, which happened to be yet another bar. He had long ago tired of visiting such places, but it had now become a necessary action. He glanced at the sky, the sun blinding him, and found not a single trace of cloud. The air was dry but heavy with heat, with only an occasional cool gust of wind from the Misty Mountains, a large, formidable mass rising just beyond the skirts of western Rahma.
Isorfinduil followed him quietly, amiably allowing the other to lead the way. Elladan was not with them. The older twin had gone to Rahma's security headquarters to speak with the chief there and see if he could gather any further information on the fighting ring and find out if anything was being done about it. It had been decided without discussion that if any pairing was to be made, Elladan and Isorfinduil would not be together.
Elrohir and Isorfinduil enjoyed the other's company and were quickly becoming fast friends. Each was curious as to the other's lifestyles and found they had much in common, at least as far as principles, values and views were concerned. They had spent the early morning strolling from one bar to another, lightly talking and jesting with one another. Only now when the streets became too crowded to walk side by side had Isorfinduil dropped behind.
Coming up to their next destination, Isorfinduil laid a hand on Elrohir's arm, eyeing the sign warily.
"Perhaps I should stay outside." He suggested. "This is where Elladan almost lost his temper with Jase. I don't believe it would be good if the man happens to be in there again and catches sight of me. His party would be none too happy if they remember it was I who fooled them last night."
Elrohir nodded in agreement. "Wait for me here. If Jase is indeed inside, he will believe I am Elladan and I will be able deal with him more quietly than my brother."
Elrohir passed through the doorway and Isorfinduil leaned on the wall to await his friend's return. He watched the crowded street with slight interest. The townspeople seemed the same as they did at their arrival. The people bustled about their business, paying him no mind. Although several times, Isorfinduil noticed a few young ladies stealing glances at him and smiling as they passed by.
Looking down the street to his left, a small group of men caught the Wood-Elf's eye. He tensed as he recognized the bearded Jase marching confidently in the lead. Though they had not seen him yet, they were headed in his exact direction and closing the distance swiftly. Knowing he could not stay where he was and risk being caught alone, he quickly stepped forward and melted into the crowd. He figured this was better than entering the bar, in the event that the group was returning to their favorite hang out spot. The young Elf twisted his way through the crowd as rapidly as he could without causing a large disturbance, hoping the men coming his way would miss him.
**
Upon entering the near-empty bar, Elrohir saw only the bartender and so walked up to the burly man, trying to look as polite as possible.
"Excuse me sir, may I have a moment of your time?" He asked as the man turned to face him.
"Depends on what you want, sonny." Then the bartender squinted his eyes. "You look familiar."
"Yes, I was here last night."
"Oh, right. You were the one who didn't want anything."
"Yes, that was probably me. May I ask you a few questions?"
"I suppose." The grisly man hefted a tray full of dirty mugs onto his meaty shoulder and went past Elrohir towards the kitchen.
"If I describe two people who were together in detail, do you think you would be able to remember whether they were here last night?" The dark-haired Elf hurried to follow the man into the kitchen.
"I can try." Was the short reply.
"Both were slightly shorter than me -"
"I think most people would be."
"- and both were wearing worn black overcoats. They are young, only 20 years old, both of them." Elrohir wondered amusedly how Legolas would react if he were to find out that his friend had described him as a 20-year-old human. "One was also wearing a black knit hat. That one would be fair of face with dark brows and piercing blue eyes. He would most likely keep to himself." At this point, the bartender set his tray down on a counter and faced Elrohir, taking in all that the other said, his mouth working as though trying to remember someone of that description. "The other has shoulder length dark brown wavy hair and no hat. He has a more rugged appearance, with a small beard and deep blue eyes. He probably got something to drink while the other did not."
He finished and took a breath, waiting for the bartender's reply. The man stood there for a moment, looking at the Elf. "Must be good friends of yours." Elrohir nodded. "I do think a couple of kids came in here last night that would fit that very…defined…description."
**
Isorfinduil was halfway across the swarming road when his sharp ears picked up Jase's voice exclaiming to his companions. Hoping it was not he that they were becoming worked up about, the Elf quickened his pace to reach the other side of the street. He did not dare to glance behind him, even to see the whereabouts of Jase and his buddies. He had just pushed his way to the other side of the road when a strong hand grasped his shoulder and spun him about. It was Jase.
"I thought it was you!" The bearded man declared, his face set in affirmation after getting a good look at the Elf.
"What do you want? I have things that must be done." Isorfinduil replied impatiently, glancing at the men that were standing about him and blocking his escape.
"So do we, but I think we need to have a little chat first." Jase's friends nodded, looking on with growing anger.
"That is fine, you may have a chat. Just without me if you don't mind." The woodland Elf said strongly and made to push his way through but Jase suddenly seized the front of his coat and slammed him into the building behind him.
"You lied to us last night thinking you were saving your pretty boy friend from a fight, didn't you?!" He roared with a sudden fury. Wondering if it was possible that a man could be eternally drunk, Isorfinduil tried to keep his cool and met the man's glare. Some people from the street glanced in their direction, but no one stopped.
"Well there wasn't any fight, now was there?"
Jase's face burned red in anger as he tried to think of a response. "You made us into fools!" He finally growled. His buddies nodded again, their eyes ablaze.
"The Creator did that, my friend." Isorfinduil answered automatically. Without warning, Jase's fist came flying up and hit the young Elf hard on the left temple, snapping his head to the side.
**
Elrohir's heart rose at the bartender's answer and he gestured quickly for the other to continue.
"I only remember them at the bar briefly." The burly man scratched his chin thoughtfully, the tray of mugs momentarily forgotten. "It was kind of odd, actually. I remember they seemed very preoccupied and when I asked them what they wanted, they just said they had to leave. And they left. But one of them, the more rugged one so you say, was watching these two other kids as they were leaving. It looked like they were following them."
Elrohir nodded, taking in the information intently. There was a pause. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"I don't believe so, son."
"Did you see which direction they went?"
"Nope. Didn't pay them much mind after that."
"What did the other two kids look like?" The Rivendell Elf asked eagerly.
"Well I don't remember those two as well. All I recall is one with short black hair and the other…might've had…brown, or something…" The man trailed off in thought then suddenly looked at Elrohir suspiciously. "What's all this about, anyway?"
**
Isorfinduil tried to push away the intense pain in his temple as he lifted his head to glare at Jase stubbornly. The man's face was still a flushed red color and his friends were now looking on eagerly, obviously enjoying their leader's actions.
"I've had enough of your wit!" Jase stated, bringing his face close to the Elf's in a threatening manner.
"Jealous?" Isorfinduil knew that he should stop saying things that would further anger the group, but his pride would not allow him to back down so easily. Besides, he thought, he's leaving himself open to it every time. The pain in his temple had not abated in the least and Isofinduil concluded that Jase had hit a pressure point. He hoped it was chance that had landed the punch in that particular spot and not the man's prowess in combat.
Isorfinduil caught a movement in Jase's arm and ducked just in time to have the man's fist fly over him and smash into the wall with a crack. Jase howled and shook his hand, grimacing.
"I see no reason for you to hit me." Isorfinduil declared almost conversationally. Jase scowled at him, rubbing his hand.
"Maybe not at first, but you've given me plenty of reason."
"Not at first? Then why ever are you here?"
"I'm warning you not to fool with us like you did last night."
"Oh." Isorfinduil looked around at them. He glanced quickly at the bar across the busy street and saw no sign of his friend. "Well consider me warned then. Good day to you all." He started forward and surprisingly, they did not try to stop him. Then he paused. His mind screamed at him to just walk away, but he couldn't help one last poke at the bearded man.
He turned and leaned in a bit, gesturing at Jase's hand. "I'm sorry about that." The woodlander said sarcastically, continuing to step away. "You have to watch out for these houses, it seems they're a more worthy opponent than one would think."
Jase yelled furiously, his face flushing crimson once again. He charged after the nimble Elf, his companions only one step behind him.
**
"They've gone missing, that's all." Elrohir replied dismissively.
"Probably hung over in some alley." The bartender muttered, his callous demeanor returning as he lifted the tray of dirty mugs again and began to amble away.
"Thank you!" Elrohir called after him and then left the kitchen. He passed back through the public room and stepped out the door and into the beating sun again, thinking about this new information and what it may lead to. It wasn't exactly a breakthrough discovery, but at least it was something and they now had a place to start.
He looked around slowly, suddenly realizing that Isorfinduil was not where he said he'd be. His eyes searched the street for the familiar faded blue headscarf and the golden hair but his friend was nowhere in sight. Then the twin heard a commotion from across the street and saw people beginning to cluster about something. The Elf quickly pushed his way into the street, instinctively knowing that Isorfinduil would be there. As he pressed his way forward he heard gasps coming from the crowd and the distinct sound of scuffling.
Finally breaking though the ring of people, he quickly surveyed the scene before him. Three men lay sprawled on the ground, one weakly struggling to gain his feet. In the center, in a cloud of dust, Jase was struggling to keep the headlock he presently held on Isorfinduil. But then as swiftly as lightning, the golden-haired being twisted his body and heaved the large man over his head and into the ground, breaking the grip around his neck. The woodlander glanced up and saw Elrohir watching.
All four men had finally staggered back to their feet watching Isorfinduil warily and Jase raised his hands to ward the other off.
"Fine, fine." He conceded, backing away. "We don't need to deal with this."
Several retorts sprung to Isorfinduil's mind but he forced himself to remain silent. Then Jase looked around and saw Elrohir watching.
"Oh hi, pretty boy." He smiled. "Come to join your friend?"
"What, in beating you?" Elrohir responded, allowing himself the momentary fun. Isorfinduil did not try to hide the huge grin that broke out across his fair face. Several of the townspeople chuckled softly and Jase's face lit up bright red. But it was apparent that he'd had enough for one day and did not want any more trouble with these two strangers. He growled and stalked away, shoving through the crowd, and his friends staggered after him.
The townspeople began to disperse, going back to their daily business. Those that walked near Isorfinduil gave him a goodhearted clap on the back and respectful glances. Elrohir just stared at the younger Elf, wondering exactly what had happened while he was in the bar.
"If your wondering what happened while you were in the bar, it is quite simple really." Isorfinduil spoke up suddenly and casually. "I saw them coming and so I tried to disappear in the busy street but they saw me and followed me over here." He said simply, dusting himself off and readjusting his scarf as though nothing had happened. He didn't mention the pain that continued to spike through his temple and hoped that Elrohir wouldn't ask.
"Somehow I don't think that is all." Elrohir looked at him with a critical eye. "Did they come looking for a fight?"
"I can't be sure." Isorfinduil replied thoughtfully. Then he glanced up under his thin brows, somewhat sheepishly but at the same time completely resolute. "I admit, I could have avoided most of it."
"I'll bet all the practice you've had with Elladan had something to do with that, hm?" Elrohir said knowingly as he turned to go back down the street.
Isorfinduil started to say something, but as they stepped out of the shade of the house, the sun blared full force in their eyes, sending a wave of pain through the Wood-Elf's head. He hissed and brought a hand up to his head, turning away sharply.
Elrohir quickly pulled him back into the shade. "What is wrong, Isor?" He asked worriedly.
Isorfinduil just shook his head, blinking in the heat. "A headache, that is all. Nothing to be worried about." He stepped confidently into the road again, though this time the twin noticed that the younger Elf cautiously kept his head down or to the side. "Jase threw the first punch." He said, returning to the original topic.
"But I'm sure he did not do it simply because you fooled them last night." Elrohir replied, keeping an eye on his younger friend.
"I did say some things that could have possibly caused him to get angry."
"I see."
"Where are we going?"
"To The Stone Troll."
"Why?" Isorfinduil wondered. Then his face seemed to light up. "Did you speak with the bartender? What did he say? Did you get a lead?"
Elrohir laughed. "Yes. I spoke with him and yes, I got a lead."
Isorfinduil nodded, smiling. "By the way," he looked up at Elrohir, eyes sparkling, "You seem to have a bit of a clever streak yourself when it comes down to it."
Elrohir sighed. "That's what happens when you have brothers such as mine."
**
Alright, this is going to be kinda short. An ex-boyfriend and good friend of mine just died in a horrible car accident and I'll be on my way to his wake soon. And…I'm sorry to say that I'll be gone for a week starting Thursday. I get back august 6th. I originally planned to get two chapters out for you guys before I left, but then the accident happened and I was kinda preoccupied for a while. So it may be a good two weeks before the next chapter arrives, but stay tuned…because chapter 12 is Aragorn's first fight!!!
Thank you so much to those who reviewed: Marianne and Callie, Betsy, Anime Soccer Lobos, leggylover03, nightcrawler's girlio, Callie, and chris. I'm sorry I can't respond to you personally.
Everyone have a nice week!
