I dedicate this chapter to Dreaming N Watercolors and LorienRangerElf. You two are awesome and without your great reviews and encouragement, this story wouldn't have continued.
The torture seemed to go on for ages. Rhov was beginning to weaken; the Witch King of Angmar knew it and pressed harder and harder, however, neither reckoned on the presence of another.
"Take it, Morohtar. Long have we waited for this time and you may join us in eternal life if you but stretch out your hand and take the Ring."
Rhov did not answer but began walking toward the King, hand outstretched to seize the prize. Before his fingers touched the rim of gold, blinding white light shot from a space in the darkness and blinded Rhov, sending him stumbling backwards away from the Witch King.
"Touch it not, my son! Come back to the living world; do not forsake your friends and loved one! A great destiny lies before you, do not destroy it for a Ring of Power."
The dark-elf recognized the voice and tears slid unbidden down his cheeks. Turning his back on the Witch King, he strode toward Galadriel reaching for her hand, which was extended toward him.
"You witch, for witch thou art!" The King of Angmar screamed in an eerie falsetto. "Now it shall always be war between I and thee and thy whelp will feel the pain of it as well." And with that, the King disappeared and pure, white-blue light now filled Rhov's mind.
Galadriel grasped his freezing hand and began chafing it with panic born of urgency. Rhov felt new life surging into his veins, after a while, the cold no longer penetrated him, and heat instead took hold of him. He gazed at Galadriel with puzzlement and saw her smiling.
"The fever is beginning to break, sweet one." Putting both her hands on his cheeks, Galadriel kissed him on the forehead and vanished.
Rhov began to feel himself pulled away from all light and darkness, but before he truly awoke, a tall, blond elf stood before him.
"They have let me see you, once last time. Your mother you will always see when you are in deepest distress but it is not my part to help you so, although I begged them with all my heart. I killed the Witch King of Angmar, or thought I did, many years ago but he has returned as Sauron has strengthened. He will dog your every footstep if you stray but a little from the right path." The great king of elves put his hand on Rhov's shoulder and spoke, his voice thick with emotion, "Always be loyal to your comrades, Rhov, but there will come a time when you must let them go on their own journey.
"My time is up, my son. May the Valar protect you and blessed be the Lady of Light. When you see her, tell her that Gil-galad thanks her." Gil-galad, last King of the Elves, disappeared and Rhov never saw his father again.
Legolas stopped pacing, Gandalf appeared out of his smoke, and Galadriel backed away from her mirror, exhausted yet exhilarated tremendously. Her brown child was safe once again.
Birds were singing to the rising of the sun and a new day when Rhov opened his eyes after five days. Leaves swished softly in the breeze that had sprung up in the middle of the night. The tent flaps beat against one another while voices outside reminded Rhov of where he was.
No one was in the tent with him now and that was welcome as the memories of his dreams flitted through his mind, confusing him to no end. Hobbits, men, Legolas, Aragorn, Galadriel, even Gil-galad had visited him and he knew not why.
A figure suddenly strode by the open tent flaps breaking Rhov's thoughts. "Halbarad!"
Halbarad whipped around and poked his head into the tent. What he saw sent him streaking across the camp where Aragorn and Elrohir were eating their first meal in a long while. The Ranger was waving his arms around, his face a picture of shock and joy.
"He's alive! He's alive! He's alive!" he shouted repeatedly without stopping until Aragorn jumped up and clapped a hand over Halbarad's mouth. He calmly continued eating his bread and cheese while Elrohir shoved the last bit of apple in his mouth and chewed quietly.
"You don't say…" Aragorn said dryly when the last of cheese had been devoured. "Don't you remember Elrohir telling you that his fever broke in the middle of the night? And what do you think you're doing here when your friend, no doubt, wishes to speak with you?"
Halbarad's eyes lost their glazed, slightly lunatic expression and he bounded away a huge smile plastered all over his rugged face. Elrohir swallowed the rest of his apple and hurried after Halbarad, eager to scold Rhov for scaring them all out of their wits. Aragorn, meanwhile, silently thanked the Lady of Light for her visit that night, grateful he wouldn't have to see his friend suffer any longer.
"Come, my lord, the elf wishes to speak with you!" shouted one of the many rangers huddled around the tent.
Once Aragorn stepped into the tent, a white-faced Elrohir and a confused looking Halbarad left, pulling the tent flaps closed while the other Rangers cried out indignantly. Ignoring his squabbling command, Aragorn sat down on an all-too-familiar bench waiting for Rhov to speak.
"Aragorn, what do you know of Gil-galad?" Rhov finally asked.
Taken aback by the strange question, Aragorn sat for a moment processing the question several times over. "Not very much except for the fact that he tried to kill the Witch King of Angmar and died on the foot of Mount Doom during the Second Age. Why?"
"Do you remember anything about a wife or child?"
"Nay, I thought the Great King left Middle-Earth with neither kith nor kin." Aragorn answered, his brow becoming folded in thought.
"He called me son."
"What!"
"Aye, he visited me, just before I woke if I remember correctly. He said he was not allowed in the Halls of Mandos for some wrong he had committed." Rhov said, his eyes a very pale green. "Would you know what it could be?"
Aragorn could now understand Elrohir's tight-lipped expression as he departed. The son of Gil-galad! It was mind boggling to say the least! "I am afraid I wouldn't know, Rhov." He answered, not quite able to fathom this new and shocking news.
"Oh, bother." Rhov grumbled. How he hated riddles like this and this was a very strange riddle, this dream of his. Then seeing his friend's flabbergasted expression, he laughed aloud and the world began turning again. The Rangers outside blessed the beautiful sound while Elrohir turned his natural color and laughed right along with Rhov. Death had not conquered, yet.
"It was probably just a vision brought about by my fever, Aragorn." Rhov said when his laughter had subsided. "If it will help your mind, I will speak to Mother about it later. Promise."
A year later
"I did not!"
"Did too, and don't you dare try to deny it! I know a guilty look when I see it!" Elladan fumed as Elrohir's innocent face became increasingly blank. How Celebrian had thought it was so pretty was beyond him! "Now you will apologize to Glorfindel or else…"
"Or else what?" Elrohir said, pushing his voice into something between a pout and whimper. How did Rhov pull it off so well?
"Or else I will tell father and that means you won't be going on the orc hunt with the Rangers!"
"But, but, but…" Elrohir sputtered entirely losing his façade. "You can't do that!" he finally gasped.
"Oh, I can and I will. Just watch me!" Elladan said and began to stomp out of the room.
"Agh! No, I'll do it, just don't tell father." Elrohir yelped, grabbing his brother's arm. "Please don't tell him what I did!"
"Fine. Nevertheless, don't you dare do it again, or I swear, I'll… I'll… do something!"
His cheeky smile reappeared again and Elrohir dashed out of the room to tell Rhov how the haranguing had gone. Long recovered from his wound, Rhov was visiting Rivendell with Elrohir before they disappeared into the wild again with the Rangers. They had been in Rivendell for a month, a tad longer than they had expected.
Wishing to spy out the Land of Holly, the two had taken a slight detour from the woods surrounding the Shire. Upon their arrival in Holly, the first person they met was Glorfindel, who was someone with little or no sense of humor. As, of course, both Rhov and Elrohir knew well.
Deciding it would be a delicious joke to play on the lordly elf, Rhov flopped over his horse so that his legs and head hung down over opposite sides of the saddle. Elrohir lead Rhov's horse and did his utmost best to look devastated which was rather hard since Rhov was trying to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle a mouthful of snickers.
Thus it was that Glorfindel saw them as they approached him. A week away from Rivendell was not extremely good territory and as Glorfindel approached he came to the conclusion that the dark-elf had been hit by an orc arrow and had died of the poison. Spurring his horse forward, the elf came abreast of them and then all hell broke loose.
A solitary orc had been stalking the two since they arrived in the Land of Holly at the foot of the Misty Mountains. Now he saw a chance to kill one of them and the dark-skinned maggot would get the first arrow. Sniggering uncontrollably, the orc pulled back his arrow and let it go.
Glorfindel had been out of sight to the orc and had been talking to Elrohir as the cheeky rogue began weave what would have been a lovely tale, when Rhov groaned with the impact of the arrow. Elrohir spotted the fleeing orc and drew an arrow out of his quiver. The orc didn't have a chance.
Now Rhov had recovered, against all expectations, within a month and was ready to leave except for the fact that some amends had to be made to the infuriated Glorfindel. Fortunately for them, Arwen had arrived in Rivendell to tend her little brother and Rhov had scared her out of all her wits.
"Arwen…, when I … die… burn my body… and scatter the ashes… at the base of the Misty Mountiains…" and you just don't say that sort of thing to a highly emotional female of any race let alone an elf!
Glorfindel had been witness to the tongue thrashing Rhov had received later and felt wholly gratified. With Rhov anyway. Elrohir on the other hand, was still in very deep trouble.
"I may have a ticket out of here!" Elrohir said, bursting into Rhov's room.
"Oh yes, and what is it?" Rhov asked not looking up from petting Lath. The poor wolf had missed his master immensely –and vise-versa- over the last year and a half. Lath had loved Rivendell so much, Rhov felt it would be cruel to take his pet with him and left the wolf in the care of the elves of Imladris.
"All I have to do is apologize to Glorfindel and I'm gone!" Elrohir replied.
"Isn't that what I, and Elladan, have been telling you for the last two weeks?" Rhov asked, shaking his head.
"Well… the thought has taken some getting used to."
"Then do it, for all love, and let us leave! Is it enough to ask that we are gone before Arwen departs once again?"
"Very well, very well." Elrohir grumbled and slammed the door to Rhov's chamber.
They left the next day with Elladan in tow as the serious twin was traveling to Mirkwood for a little change of scene. After several miles, the two cheeky elves waved goodbye to Elladan and parted ways.
"Look out!" Rhov suddenly shouted just before Elladan was out of earshot, "A wild, crazed, absolutely lunatic wolf! Right behind you!"
Elladan whipped around. Birds twittered, branches swayed, and tiny chipmunk ran across the path. Elladan turned around to yell back at Rhov, but he and Elrohir had disappeared. "They do that quite a bit I've noticed." He grumbled as he kneed his horse forward.