Into the Labyrinth
Author: Mirfaen
A/N: The general consensus has been to continue the story as I am, posting as I finish each chapter. I promise to do my best to be as quick in getting them out as possible without failing school or loosing too many brain cells due to over-excursion! Although I'm not sure I have too many to begin with. Anyhow, my thanks goes out to those of you who offered your opinion! It is greatly appreciated. So, unless I hear a sudden overwhelming desire from readers to write the whole story then post much faster, I will post as I write. Thanks again!
Chapter 22: The Storm Gathers
"You cannot keep doing this, brother," Elrohir stared at the doorway of Cadell's headquarters, the doorway through which Isorfinduil had stormed out of in anger not moments ago.
Elladan moaned and held his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the table. "I can't help it. I can't stop myself, Elrohir. Believe me, I have tried before. But he doesn't help matters, I hope you can see."
"I know. But you must know that he is trying the same as you."
"It doesn't seem that way. Although I'm sure it doesn't seem as though I'm trying either. Please forgive me, Elrohir. I told Elrond that I would not let our friction endanger the mission, but it seems I am coming close to breaking my word."
"But you have not broken it yet. You both need to just push it down long enough for us to get to Legolas and Estel and expose The Labyrinth. After that you two will have plenty of time to offend each other. Perhaps I should just send you into the woods and let you fight it out," he said with a slight smile.
"That's probably what we need," Elladan replied somewhat ruefully. He paused for a moment as three soldiers walked by their table carrying armloads of scabbards. Then he glanced back to his twin and his eyes became concerned. "I fear for him, Elrohir. That comes partially from Jase and The Labyrinth, but mostly I fear for him because of me. There is something inside me that awakens when I become angry and it is becoming harder and harder to suppress. In my moments of rage, I feel as though I am another person. I would never tell him this, but I regret many of the things I've said to him. I know I've hurt him and I wish I could take those things back. I feel a connection with him, though, and maybe that is why I push him away."
Elrohir nodded in agreement to his brother's words. "I think you see his self-confidence and his hardheadedness and you admire him for that but you also dislike those qualities in him and wish you did not admire them. So you provoke him and look for excuses to dislike him."
Elladan's eyes glittered in amusement. "Perhaps that is part of it, oh wise philosopher."
Elrohir shrugged. "Just stating my observations."
"And he provokes me as well. He has his own issues."
"I know."
"He's probably out in the street right now wrestling some innocent bystander."
Elrohir laughed at the thought, clapping his twin lightly on the arm. "Just wait until we find those Lavi brothers. Isor can be our secret weapon; we'll just steer him in the right direction and let him loose. He'll tangle with everything in his path."
"He's like a tornado. Be glad you don't have this problem with him."
"He can be the most loyal of allies as well, though. Can you see that in him?"
"Of course I can. Just look at how he is with Legolas. They would do anything for each other."
"Do you think it is possible for you and he to become like that?"
Elladan sighed in thought and gave a small shrug. "I honestly don't know. If we do it won't be any time soon, unless some huge change occurs. He just rubs me the wrong way. Really badly. I can't stand him. But I kind of like him, too."
Elrohir shook his head. "If he heard any of this, he'd probably either just walk out again or challenge you to a duel. Or insult you."
"Or all of the above. I just hope that both of us can work together for the next few days. I can't do it on my own. I rely on him not being annoying."
"He's only annoying to you, you know, and it's only because he points out your faults. Try to accept it as helpful criticism. Or a joke. Just don't let yourself get so angry at him."
Elladan shook his head, his black hair rustling on his shoulders. "It's not that easy when it comes down to it. I honestly can't stop myself sometimes. My emotions take over and he's always the target."
Elrohir didn't respond right away but instead glanced out a window on the far side of the room and saw that the sun was leaning toward the horizon. The afternoon was waning. "Hopefully he's gone straight back to the Stone Troll and is waiting for us. We should not have let him leave. If he doesn't make it to the Sleeping Demon tonight to meet with Kenan, it might be a long while before we find Aragorn and Legolas."
Isorfinduil's heartbeat steadily increased as he walked down a side street of Rahma. He passed other travelers here and there along with the occasional vendor but for the most part the street he was on did not maintain the active bustle of the town's main road. His frustration at Elladan had passed long ago. He started back to the Stone Troll immediately after exiting the guards' house to wait for the twins and now began to doubt the wisdom of his decision.
Seeing an alley opening suddenly on his right he darted into it and sprinted down its length, coming out onto an even less traveled road. Searching around himself quickly, he saw several loose boards on the side of a house behind him. Grasping one and jiggling it to be sure it would hold him, he climbed up the side of the house and crossed the rooftop with silent feet, crouching down low on the other side and overlooking the road that he had previously been traveling on.
There. A man came into view, his head craned as he searched the road before him, pushing people out of his way as his pace quickened.
Isorfinduil suppressed the urge to roll his eyes but instead shook his head slowly. These people just did not give up. Backing away from the edge, he crossed the roof but stopped short of climbing down the other side. Was that man the only one on his trail? There had been at least two or three last time, he was sure. How could he be certain that there were not more men waiting for him on this street as well? He stood still, considering his options.
Stepping quickly back over to the edge of the roof, he looked for his pursuer and saw him several buildings ahead, his head moving this way and that as he searched down each side-alley. The pursuer then turned around and started to come back and Isorfinduil dropped to his stomach, laying flat on the cool tiles of the house. A second man appeared in the street and met the first when they were directly below him.
"…I had him in my sight the whole time, then someone passed in front of me and he was gone. I swear, we had him. I don't know what happened."
"Well did he know he was being followed?"
"I don't know!"
"Well it would explain why he just disappeared. I can't believe I let you be the tracker."
"Shut up, you would have lost him too."
"We haven't lost him yet."
"Well we don't know where he is, do we?"
"Someone else may have seen him. Maybe they're on his trail now, we should go to Charlie's checkpoint and find out."
"No! If he knew he was being followed, he may have just hidden himself somewhere around here and is waiting for us to leave. I'm not going to let him just walk out of here."
The second man sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing around at the citizens passing them by. He raised his hands in defeat and frustration. "Whatever. We have no way of knowing where he is, so we might as well stay here and keep watch for him. Even if he left, he may double back."
The tracker didn't respond but stood watch at the corner of the house Isorfinduil was on top of. The second man moved into position several buildings down the road.
Isorfinduil rolled onto his back and mentally groaned. There was no way out of this situation except to wait them out and hope they did not think to check the roof. The houses on either side of Isorfinduil were too far away for him to jump. Perhaps he could have made it but the landing would be rough and they would surely catch sight of him. Considering the possibility of more men patrolling the adjacent street, climbing down the other side of the house was a risk that he was not yet willing to take, so he prepared himself to wait on this roof until the men either left or discovered him.
Elladan was going to rip him apart if he ever got back to the Stone Troll.
"He better be in trouble, otherwise I'm going to kill him when he gets back."
"Either way it appears to be a lose-lose situation for him."
"Should we wait for him?"
"No," Elrohir said quickly, already walking toward the stairs. "You know he's smarter than to take a detour on his way back."
"What if he's just letting his anger dissipate? You know how he always wants to be alone when he's like that."
"No. It doesn't feel right to me. And I know it doesn't feel right to you either."
"It doesn't. Who should go?"
Elrohir gave his twin a pointed look. "Who do you think should go?"
"You."
"I will come back with him or not at all."
"I would prefer the former. But if you can't find him you must come back. He may yet return on his own. Take care, Elrohir. You and I must also be very wary now."
A bizarre feeling of discontent was moving in over the town. Its effects moved the citizens of Rahma, though they were not yet aware of the change. Two traders involved in conversation suddenly paused as though they had been given bad news. Confused at their own actions, one laughed half-heartedly. The other looked over his friend's shoulder at the Misty Mountains as though their formidable shapes would offer some explanation. A woman on her way to buy pork strips for the following day's meal slowed her hurried walk and frowned. She was strangely tired and ill at ease. Seeing the meat pantry just ahead, she quickened her pace again, eager to get back home to her husband. Three small children playing in the road in the warmth of the waning sunlight abruptly found each other to be poor playmates and after a superfluous squabble, scampered inside to astound their mothers with their early retirement.
Time wore on for the three Elves in Rahma. Isorfinduil laid silent on his rooftop, idly noting the strange frothy clouds over his head and leaning to his side from time to time to watch for any movement from his guards. Elrohir's piercing gaze swept down the main street, taking in every turning head, every motioning arm. He passed alleyways slowly and though he looked down them with an air of carelessness, he drank in the sight with a single glance. Elladan sat on the edge of Isorfinduil's bed and stared at the blank wall opposite him, his mind running with a million thoughts of Elrohir and Isorfinduil, of Legolas and his foster brother Aragorn. Every time a dark possibility seeped into his head he forced himself to try and dismiss it. Worrying did not help his friends. Only action would help and right now the only thing he could do was wait.
But the waiting gave birth to new opportunities for doubts and groundless anxiety to lodge in his heart. He felt he was losing control, as though it was another form of him that sat on Isorfinduil's bed and struggled with darkness while the real Elladan stood and watched helplessly from the doorway.
On the opposite side of town, Aragorn hugged his arms over his chest and listened to the sounds of two men quite literally tearing each other apart in the chamber outside his room. He shivered as the mob in the stands hooted and cheered.
Legolas phased into consciousness with dulled senses, not quite aware where he was or why he was there. The only thing he was aware of was a powerful sensation of brooding gloom. There was something much larger than himself stirring with malice just beyond the reaches of his mind. It was with this predominant thought that he opened his glazed eyes and was made aware of his injurious position.
Elrohir stopped short and backtracked several feet to look down a dusky side alley that he had just passed. There was nothing there except large wooden crates and stray trash. He wondered if his eyes might have been playing tricks on him because he thought he'd seen a figure dash long the street that was parallel to his own. As he pondered the credibility of this thought, however, three men raced by.
The searching Elf needed no more convincing and sprinted down the main road, pumping his legs as fast as they would carry him. He weaved between clusters of people who stared after him with intrigued expressions and dodged carts full of fruit and bread. He glanced down each alley that he passed, hoping to catch sight of the fleeing figure. A slight breeze picked up, blowing the dust of the road into his face, and he raised a forearm to block his eyes as he ran.
In several seconds he had caught up and was running parallel to the figure. His head snapped back and forth in order to get a better look at the person while looking where he was going. He saw a long muddy jacket that was flapping at the person's legs as they ran and golden hair that was partially covered by a worn, blue piece of cloth. The instant he made the recognition, however, the runner took a swift turn down another road.
No! Elrohir thought. He was too far away to call out. Isorfinduil had better remember where he was going and not get turned around in these back streets. He changed direction himself and found that keeping his friend in sight while keeping himself out of sight proved to be a difficult task. Minutes of hard running passed and the now unfamiliar buildings around him took on an intense glow from the sun that was edging toward the horizon.
He heard a chorus of shouts somewhere nearby and moved down another vacant street to follow the noise. Blocks ahead of him he saw a large warehouse and he quickly raced around it. A group of men - now more than just three – had the runner up against the wall where two buildings met and were laying into him with their fists.
Charging into the fray, Elrohir grabbed two men by their shirts and gave them a powerful yank backwards. They tumbled back out of view and he took another man in both hands, slamming him into the wall and shoving him aside. The men were slow to recover from their shock at his appearance and he took advantage of it, wading through the bunch and landing blows where he could.
A golden-haired form lay on the ground, his arms covering his head protectively. The men seemed to retreat slightly, giving Elrohir room and he knelt down, resting a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Isor," he whispered, turning the Elf over with his hand.
He was met with the face of a strange human. He snapped his hand back as though he'd been burned and jumped to his feet. The human rose as well, unhurt, with a slight smile as he glanced at the men over Elrohir's shoulder.
"So that's his name, eh?"
Elrohir spun to face Rabonu, Lanin, and the other men from the bar. His stomach flip-flopped. Half a dozen hearty men stood behind them.
"Never thought you'd show up, Elro," Rabo said with a sarcastic grin.
"What are you doing?" Elrohir replied suspicously, his eyes shifting over the men that barred his escape.
"We're doing several things. You see," Rabo stepped forward with a thoughtful expression. "You see, you made a good impression on us at the bar. A very good impression. We're in the market for new recruits as I'm sure you have the intelligence to figure out. But then we found out that you were traveling companions with this 'Isor' guy and our employers have him first on the list of people to meet, you could say."
Elrohir had the urge to step back when Rabo came close but he realized he would only corner himself farther if he did so. He forced himself to stand stoically as the bearded man began to circle him.
"I want you working for us, doing what we do. But since our employers want your friend captured to be a fighter, I realized you might not be willing to work for us anymore. So we came to convice you."
Isorfinduil took the stairs of the Stone Troll two at a time and knocked rapidly at their door. Mid-knock, the door flung open from the inside and Elladan stared at him for a moment, then glanced down the stairs behind him.
"Where's Elrohir?" Elladan demanded.
"What? What do you mean, I left you two together," Isorfinduil replied with irritation. "Can I come in please?"
"Where the heck were you? He left long ago to look for you!" Elladan pulled Isorfinduil through the doorway. "Did you meet up with him?"
"No." Isorfinduil moved toward his bed but did not sit. "I was a little preoccupied."
"Why do you always just leave like that? Everytime you do that something happens. Now I'm going to have to go looking for him."
"Why don't you give him the benefit of the doubt and let him come back himself. He's smart enough to return here when he can't find me."
"You have to stop thinking so simply, Isorfinduil! There are so many things that could be happening out in the town right now. We don't know who might have caught on about what we're really doing here. Rabo could have decided that he doesn't want to wait for Elrohir's answer anymore."
"Try to have just a little optimism, Elladan," Isorfinduil said disdainfully.
"I'm being realistic, Isorfinduil, and so should you. You cannot always assume that everything will work out on its own."
"I'm not assuming anything like that! If you recall, I'm the one taking most of the action around here."
Elladan turned with a bitter remark on his lips but when he looked at Isorfinduil's resolute face, the retort faded away. His own face relaxed and he sighed discontentedly, glancing away. A look of confusion flitted briefly over Isorfinduil's features. Then the younger Elf shook his head and lay down on his bed, spreading his arms over his head and staring at the ceiling. He grabbed the scarf from his head and tossed it aside.
"How long ago did he leave, exactly?" he asked, running his fingertips over the bedspread absent-mindedly.
Elladan glanced out the window at the red sun and moved over to light a candle on the small table by the door. "I'm not sure. An hour? Half hour? It's hard to say really."
"You weren't watching the time?"
"I was worried!"
"…about what?"
"Never mind."
Isorfinduil snorted and tilted his head sideways to look at Elladan's profile. The older Elf's brows were furrowed and his face was tight as he looked down on the road outside. He realized that Elladan had been worried for him. Automatically, his defenses seized up and words came from his mouth before he knew he was speaking.
"I certainly hope you weren't worried about me." He immediately swore at himself in his head and closed his eyes for a quick moment.
"I was worried about you ruining the mission!" Elladan said quickly and defensively. "You can't handle this job! You are so headstrong that you can't see what's going on around you!"
"Elladan I'm sorry, I did not mean to say that."
"Words don't come to mind unless they are meant, and you clearly are only thinking about how amazingly independent you are."
"That's not true! I said it without thinking."
"We have to work as a team if this is ever going to work out in a good way. You can't leave us whenever you feel like being alone, you can't go off and do things without consulting us, and you can't sit in a corner, come up with your own plan and expect us to go along with it."
Isorfinduil had sat up on the bed and was glaring furiously at Elladan. "What about you? You hardly ever give my ideas a second thought! Unless you come up with the plan yourself you think it's not good enough. If you welcomed my thoughts perhaps I'd share them with you more often."
Elladan eyes were glimmering. He shook his head scornfully, crossed to his bed and began to strap on his weapons.
"I don't have time for this. I'm going out to find my brother."
Isorfinduil snapped and he jumped to his feet, facing Elladan across the bed with seething anger. "You bloody hypocrite, stop alienating me! Don't tell me to be a team player and then cast me aside!"
Elladan, who had just picked up his sword, turned and pointed at the younger Elf across the bed with the tip of his blade. "Watch what you say. I have a very low tolerance for you right now so I suggest you shut your mouth and let me go."
Isorfinduil hit the flat of the blade with his forearm, knocking it out of the way. "You can threaten me all you want but I'm not going to let you walk away from this one. You are a hypocrite, and you are more bullheaded than I am. Do you know why? Because I can admit it and you can't! You can't even say the words!"
"You need to stop talking." Elladan turned his back and tightened his weapons belt around his waist. His face was burning with heat and anger and he felt that uncontrollable fury rapidly taking him over. He needed to get out of that room. "Just stop talking and we'll figure this out later."
"You don't care about me in the least. You didn't even ask why I took so long to return. I was trapped on a rooftop, being staked out by a bunch of hit men. Does that matter to you at all? Or do you just care about yourself still?"
"For Valar's sake, shut up!"
"Admit it, Elladan. If anything happened to me, you would hardly notice. Since day one you've only cared about yourself and your own best interests. Theanil was nearly crippled for life because of you on the day we met! Admit that you're a hypocrite. Admit something!"
Elladan turned to stare at Isorfinduil across the bed again and his face was a mask of horrible rage. "Learn when to stop, Edhelneth, or it's going to cost you! Do you not know that you are a disgrace because of your words?! Don't talk with such disrespect and count yourself worthy to be one of the firstborns! You are an embarassment!"
Isorfinduil's brows lowered and his eyes flashed. "You are unworthy of the title, Son of Elrond! You and your bloody family are only half-Elf! So do not tell me I am a disgrace, because it is your heritage that has tainted the blood of the firstborns with the race of humans!"
Isorfinduil expected those grey eyes to boil like the clouds of a storm and for their owner to step toward him and spit out cutting words. What happened next, however, took the woodlander completely by surprise. Elladan leapt over the bed in a flash and punched him full in the face. His head snapped to one side. Staggering backward, he hit the nightstand and toppled to the floor. Hot wax from the candle splashed over his chest and neck, burning the skin through his thin shirt. Almost before Isorfinduil hit the floor, Elladan was on top of him, gripping his shirt in one hand to keep him down and slugging him madly with the other.
"Don't you dare dishonor my family and my ancestors!" Elladan screamed at him as he went at it, his black hair flying wildly. His features were twisted in raving passion.
Elladan hauled a shaken Isorfinduil to his feet and ran him back into the wall, then snatched the fallen nightstand up by its legs and brought it down towards the other Elf with all his strength. Isorfinduil flinched to one side and the wood hit him over the shoulder, splintering into several pieces and clattering to the floor. Feeling the front of his shirt twisted in an iron grip once again, Isorfinduil looked up into Elladan's eyes, terrified of how far the older Elf would go in his rage. Startled, Isorfinduil found that there was something bizarre in those gray eyes that did not fit a Son of Elrond. No matter how angry Elladan had gotten in the past it had never gone this far and no matter how heated the arguments got between them Isorfinduil had always felt strangely safe with him. Whatever emotions had gotten a hold of Elladan, they were not from his own heart. That much was clear.
A fist slammed into his cheek and the back of his head hit the wall. Sliding to the ground, the pained Elf saw the door just behind Elladan and made a break for it, scooting around the older Elf's feet and grasping wildly at the doorknob. He stumbled to his feet as he passed through, slamming the door behind him and racing down the stairs three at a time. In seconds he was out in the road and heard no noise of pursuit behind him. He was breathing hard and adrenaline pumped madly through him but he did not slow his breakneck speed.
The young Elf did not allow himself to dwell on what just happened to him. There was no time to think. The sun was already hitting the horizon and sliding under and dusk was settling in. Kenan would be waiting even now for him at the Sleeping Demon and Isorfinduil had an hour's walk to get there. If he sprinted the entire way he might be able to cut the time at least in half but that might not be enough.
His head throbbed from the abuse and he felt slightly dizzy. A dark arcane force pressed in on him seemingly from the very air and when he tried to place its source a deep rumbling sound rolled over him. Not sure at first whether it was simply a figment of his imagination, he glanced around and realized the street was completely deserted. Looking up, he found the Misty Mountains to be a dark red in the setting sun and just above them, massive clouds the color of coal twisted slowly in a circling motion. He was running straight into the storm.
Happy Thanksgiving, all! Well, I have a lot to be thankful for (as cheesy as that sounds) despite a current sinus infection and a work schedule of 10 hours per day every day this weekend! So much for vacation. I even have to work tonight, on Thanksgiving! Well I'm thankful that I have a job so that I can save up for a car and college! :) I hope everyone is doing well and is not getting too stressed out by school or the impending holidays or whatever is happening in your own lives. My sister just came home from college so I had to move out of her room back into mine…and we had to give our cat away. (Long story). My life should hopefully begin to calm down because I was in the school play and it just ended. The Fiddler on the Roof, has anyone heard of it? It's a great musical. I can't stop singing "Sunrise, sunset…sunrise, sunset…swiftly fly the years….one season following another, laden with happiness and tears…" I was just a villager because I don't have much of a solo voice but it was a lot of fun. Well that's the tip of the iceberg of my current life, but I'll stop rambling and get on to the reviews!
Deana – Haha, I'm glad you're a nut! Believe me, I am too in my own way. Boy I wish I could just sit down one Saturday and write out the entire story! That would sure make my life a lot easier. Unfortunately Saturdays for me are as busy as weekdays! But I'm going to try my hardest to be quick with the posts! Thank you so much for the review and your opinion!
Elenillor – Aha, see, you clearly have far more brain cells than I. I originally planned to have the entire thing written out beforehand as well, but I think in my excitement I just had to start putting them up to see what everyone thought. But it's so long ago now I can hardly remember…lol, isn't that sad? Anyway thank you for the review and the lovely compliment! Yes, I'm a senior in high school. I still can hardly believe that it's my last year in public schools. It's a beautiful thought! :)
Kel – I guess it would be best to just keep plugging ahead, huh? Thanks for your opinion on the matter!
Mymiriel – I'm so glad you were cheered up! I hope this one cheered you up too. And thank you for letting me know what you thought about the posting question!
Niani – Thanks for the great review! You're a twin? That's awesome, are you two identical? I agree, I'm a big fan of Elladan and Elrohir and I wish they were in the movies. Even a glimpse would have been nice. And I also agree on the romance bit. I think it is overdone in many instances and takes away from what Tolkien originally laid out for his characters. I'm so so glad you like Isy (and of course you may call him that)! Like I said I have to make myself take the focus off him at some points and go back to Aragorn and Legolas! I don't know if it is the same way with you but I think what appeals to me about him is his firey attitude. I don't know, but I always find myself stressing that about him. Well thanks again and hope to hear from you this time around as well!
Rose – Thank you so much for reviewing! I absolutely love it when new reviewers come out of the woodwork. Have no fear, the remaining horses are completely safe! I have to tell you, it is a struggle to keep all the characters' personalities going at their own rates, it really is. So I was really glad to hear that you thought it was okay. And yes, I tried to show through Seon that the fighters themselves are not an evil lot. They've had no choice in the matter. Don't worry, he's safe too! Thanks so much for the review and I hope to hear from you again!
Thanks again everyone and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays!
Mirfaen
