Chapter Twenty-One: Never Alone
Night was falling. The fading sunlight blanched the color from the sky in a glowing stream of brightest crimson and gold. In the darkening eastern sky, white pinpricks of stars began to flicker into light. But beneath the shadowy limbs of Mirkwood, there was nothing but darkness. The crescent moon was shrouded in cloud and only the frosty stars shone on the two figures moving slowly below.
On the last of his rapidly draining energy, Haldir staggered, nearly falling, and Legolas lunged forward quickly to catch his arm.
"Haldir!"
The older elf's face was ashen, his breathing labored and painful. Without warning, he heaved dryly, turning away from Legolas. He fell to his knees, shuddering at the onslaught of sudden pain that burned through him. The ache in his head had been growing over the last few hours and was now throbbing so badly it made his eyes smart and his stomach roil. He laid his head over his knees, gasping for breath and struggling to restrain the burning sensation he felt tickling the back of his throat. The poison in his blood was overwhelming his senses too fast.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and slowly looked up at Legolas who had dropped to his knees beside his friend. Haldir looked away again as he felt the growing throbbing pain arch through his head and spread slowly down his body, making his limbs feel sluggish and slow. Yellow patches blurred his vision. Dimly, he could feel a soft, cool hand on his brow and gentle words in his ears but none of it made sense.
Darkness spun around him and the night closed in.
Haldir snapped almost immediately back into the waking world, starting alarmingly. Legolas pulled back, relieved but afraid for his friend's eyes were still disconcertingly clouded. He touched the elder elf's shoulder, reassured when he looked at him.
"Haldir, you must stay awake. The poison… it slips into your bloodstream quicker when you are unguarded and can stop your heart." He had heard a healer say that once and the knowledge sent a shiver of fear through him. "You have to try to stay awake."
Legolas frowned deeply, his compassionate gaze concerned as he swept back Haldir's long hair. There was a hematoma the size of a button underneath his skin and the wound looked inflamed. He laid a cool hand on the older elf's brow, feeling a cold sweat underneath his fingertips. Haldir shrugged the hand and the warning aside, struggling not to worry the obviously anxious prince though he didn't think he could keep moving for much longer.
"I'll be fine," he reassured him with a shaky smile. "We'll be back at the palace by tomorrow." His brow creased and he brought his hands to his temples, rubbing at them agitatedly, wishing he could rub the headache away. The prince bit his lip and glanced around at the dark forest, his face tense and searching. Haldir followed his gaze.
"We cannot stay here," he said quietly. But, he wasn't sure if he could even mange to get to his feet. The poison had spread through his system faster than he had thought possible and he felt terribly sick- every joint in his body ached.
"We can stay near the river- by the falls," Legolas suggested. Haldir mulled it over for a moment and decided he would rather spend a night in a cave than in a spider's belly.
Using a nearby tree trunk for support, he pulled himself to his feet with a repressed groan, refusing Legolas' offer of help. The Lórien elf faltered slightly before regaining his balance and the little prince looked sharply at him.
"Haldir, are you all right?" The older elf nodded.
"I'm fine- just a little dizzy."
"Well, the waterfall's close by. Just hang on a little longer- we're nearly there," he said over his shoulder, already a few paces ahead.
Despite the young prince's reassurances, the walk seemed to last forever. Haldir forced himself to take one step and then another though the pain grew worse with every jolt and he stumbled no few times on the uneven floor as roots pushed up under their feet and nigh invisible rocks lay hidden on the path.
At last, Legolas heard the rush of water which grew steadily closer and soon the glint of starlight could be seen on the dark river rippling by underneath the creaking willow trees. Legolas glanced over his shoulder, his golden hair framed by the pale, cloud-washed moonlight that wafted across his face as they approached the makeshift stepping stone bridge.
"Spiders don't like water and it is drier inside."
Haldir nodded his agreement, struggling to keep his footing on the slick stones. His balance was failing him and he nearly fell several times before he ducked beneath the waterfall's overhang. The water was chill but the spray felt cool upon his sweat-streaked brow.
He felt a steadying hand grasp his arm and looked up into Legolas' anxious eyes. He smiled slightly to reassure him as the prince led him forward into the small alcove beside the beautiful pool that glittered with tiny lights cast by the blue stone at its far edge.
"Sit down," Legolas nearly commanded and Haldir gratefully complied, feeling exhausted and aching in every bone of his body. He laid his head back against the cool of the stone wall, already feeling his thoughts beginning to drift into welcoming oblivion.
Legolas immediately knelt next to him and shook him hard.
"You can't go to sleep!"
Haldir sighed softly, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Then, Legolas, speak to me. Tell me anything- everything. What are your memories? Your joys?" Haldir began, trying to force his mind away from the pain wracking his injured frame. He was determined to fight this numbing venom. He would not leave Legolas alone in this horrible darkness. The prince paused for a brief moment, wondering what he could say.
"What of your home?" he asked at last, thinking it would be easier to keep the other elf awake if he kept him talking. "What is it like in Lothlórien?" Haldir smiled wistfully, his eyes unfocusing slightly.
"It is beautiful. The trees… are silver in the spring through the winter… with golden blossoms. The Celebrant is usually cold at this time of year but Nimrodel sings so sweetly… and the golden flowers float in its foam," he seemed to drift half in a dream as he spoke so wistfully of his homeland. Legolas leaned forward slightly to hear him better.
"The mellyrn are not so darksome as here," Haldir said quietly, his voice a hoarse half-whisper. "And our Lady is fairer than the very sun."
Legolas glanced uneasily at him, something he had long been wondering niggling to the forefront of his mind.
"Is-is she kind?"
"She is no Kinslayer, Legolas," Haldir answered, seeing the unasked question in the younger elf's eyes. "And, yes, she is very kind."
"How is your wrist?" he asked suddenly, struggling to sit up a little straighter so he could look at his young friend's face.
"It's all right," Legolas said- though the limb in question hurt abominably. He didn't see the point of worrying Haldir further when he seemed in so much pain already.
"What are we going to do, Haldir?" Legolas asked thickly, his voice sorrowful as he sought an escape from the subject of himself. "I- I can't go back." He shook his head vehemently as his friend looked at him. "He'll kill me."
The older elf didn't have to ask who he was and Haldir silently agreed with the prince but he also knew that running away wasn't the answer; they wouldn't be able to run for long anyway before the patrols Ainan would ultimately send out to retrieve them found them.
If only his head would stop hurting then he might be able to think clearly!
"We will have to find my friends as soon as possible," Haldir said with a twinge of renewed unease at the disappearance of his comrades. Something had happened to them, he knew and his stomach twisted with guilt and anger as well as nausea as he realized he had left them.
"Where do you think they are?" the prince asked hesitatingly, a chill clutching at his stomach as he remembered Tindómëtir's vengeful face. Haldir shook his head.
"I-I don't know."
Legolas looked away from his friend, his own heart sinking in his breast. He glanced out towards the mouth of the cave, watching the falling water that curtained the entrance, pretending he was whirling away into the river being carried far away from all of his worries and his anxieties and his cares...
Then his stomach gurgled and his problems and worries returned with an unpleasant jolt.
"I am a fool," Legolas said, bitterly, his voice little more than a whisper. He could not help but feel that this was all his fault. "I believed him- and all of his lies…. I was so afraid." The young prince looked away and self-disgust laced his tone.
"I am what he said. I am a coward."
Haldir leaned forward slightly, wincing a little and Legolas looked up as the older elf eyed him sternly.
"There is no one less deserving of that name than you, Legolas," he said emphatically. "You knew. You were smart and obeyed your instincts by running away. You knew he would kill you if you stayed. You had no choice."
Legolas faced his back to his friend and silently folded his head in his arms. Guilt and anguish and so many other emotions that he'd kept trapped inside for so long were tearing at him, struggling to escape and it took all of his will power simply to keep them at bay. He shook his head, one phrase reverberating in his mind.
'By running away…'
"I left my mother behind, Haldir. I didn't even think of her when I ran-" Legolas blurted out, his voice thick with restrained tears.
"You had no choice, Legolas," Haldir repeated. "Your mother will be fine. I saw her before I left and made sure she was guarded." That wasn't the whole truth, rather a half-lie but Haldir knew Legolas needed to be reassured.
"You did?" the prince asked, raising his head a little. Haldir leaned forward and placed a hand on the younger elf's shoulder.
"You are still a prince of Mirkwood, son of Anariel and Thranduil, the rightful ruler of this forest. The dignity and nobility and bravery in that bloodline flows through your veins. And no one can take that from you. Ever."
Legolas had not been told something positive in such a long time, he could have cried. But he swallowed back his emotion as Haldir released him and sank back against the stone, his sudden energy spent.
Silence fell between them for a long moment.
Legolas remained still with his head bent over his knees, lost in his own thoughts. Haldir lay quiet, his eyes staring idly upward at the roof of the cavern where plays of dark color danced across the rock. Sweat beaded upon his upper lip and brow.
"Legolas… if anything happens to me…" he began.
The prince looked up and he could not contain his fear.
"Haldir, nothing's going to happen to you. I'm going to take care of you," Legolas said, struggling to keep his voice from breaking as he took his friend's hand.
"You're going to be all right."
Haldir squeezed the young one's hand to quiet him.
"Legolas, lasto nin, (listen to me,)" he said, his voice strong as he could make it. "If anything happens to me, I want you to get back to the palace as quickly as you can- do not linger here. Find your mother; get out of Mirkwood." He stopped as his breath caught short in his chest. Legolas stared at him in disbelief for a moment and slowly shook his head.
"I-I can't, Haldir, please. You're going to be all right."
The elf captain sighed.
"Do as I say, Legolas. Please," Haldir bade softly. The prince looked away and nodded with his eyes cast down. He needed to be strong now, for Haldir and for himself.
"All right."
Another silence fell; this one more prolonged as each turned towards his own thoughts.
"Your father's guard may find us." Haldir murmured half-hopefully after a while, his voice a low rasp, scarcely audible over the sound of the falling water that shielded the entrance of their hiding place.
"They were locked up in the cells," Legolas whispered into the silence.
"What?" Haldir opened his eyes.
"I promised them I'd free them. Tirien was there… I don't know how they got there," Legolas answered quietly.
Haldir sighed with a sinking feeling in his chest. Briefly he wondered how Legolas managed to find himself in the dungeons then that thought abruptly vanished as a fresh stab of pain pierced his stomach and he grunted in surprise and discomfort.
The prince looked at him, slightly startled then alarmed.
Haldir had lost even more color and his eyes were terribly glassy, losing focus. His chest rose and fell unevenly. Legolas bit his lip worriedly as he crawled over to the older elf and touched his brow with concern. Haldir was scarcely conscious though his eyes were open, awake, alert- to a certain extent.
"Water, please Legolas," he pleaded though his throat felt almost too swollen to swallow. Legolas nodded hastily and tore a strip from his cloak with the elf's knife. He let the water of the small pool absorb into the cloth and knelt beside his friend, allowing a little trickle spill into his mouth and down his chin before dampening his brow with the cool water. Then he slowly pulled back the collar of the other's tunic to get a better look at the wound.
He winced. The skin around it was blackened and ugly-looking, the wound itself red and enflamed. Legolas swallowed hard as he gently washed the wound, trying not to hear Haldir's suppressed gasp of pain.
He only half-knew what he was doing, trying to scrounge from his memory the bits and pieces his herbal teacher had taught him about treating wounds and which plants to use and such lessons that he had only half-listened to. Now he wished he had paid closer attention. With nothing at his disposal, the most he could think to do was keep the wound clean and free of infection. He hoped that the healing powers of the pool that his mother had wistfully told him of proved true.
Legolas smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner as he looked into his friend's half-glazed eyes. Those silver eyes had become fogged with the numbing pain and the long fingers grasped in the younger elf's hand felt icy and clammy.
Legolas looked hastily away as he felt an onslaught of tears squeeze his throat. He felt horrible about all of this; everything was his fault. And now Haldir might die because of his foolishness.
At that moment, his stomach grumbled loudly again and the prince flushed with embarrassment, rubbing the sore spot in his stomach. He had forgotten his hunger in his flight from his enemies and his concern for his friend.
Moving stiffly, Haldir fumbled in his cloak pocket for the leaf-wrapping of waybread he had brought with him. Though not unlike the lembas of Lórien, they were more like cram. But Legolas didn't care and nearly snatched them out of his hand, hesitating for an instant.
"You should eat something too," the prince urged, looking up from his own repast. Haldir shook his head with a grimace at the mention of food.
"I don't think I could keep anything down."
Legolas glanced down at the bread in his hands and immediately broke it in twain, pushing the larger half into his friend's lax hand.
"Try," he pleaded.
Haldir looked up at Legolas reprovingly and exchanged the bread in his hands for the smaller half.
"You look as though you haven't eaten in days," he remarked as he nibbled halfheartedly at the bread. It wasn't exactly a rebuke but it was close to it and Legolas felt slight shame flush his cheeks as he ate.
Feeling a little better in body if not mind, the prince glanced up at their small hiding place. It had begun to snow and little white flakes whirled through an opening in the ceiling melting before they hit the floor. It was an oddly tranquil place after all of the horror they had been through.
Legolas shivered as he folded his knees up to his chest again, the cold biting mercilessly through his tunic. Haldir gave him a slight, pained smile.
Slowly he sat up and drew an arm around the younger elf's shoulders. Legolas leaned back against his friend's warm shoulder, feeling comforted and grateful that Haldir was here. He knew he would never have been able to survive alone. He would have lost all hope if his friend hadn't been with him.
"You'll be all right? Won't you?" the prince asked quietly, twisting around to look up at the older elf, his eyes begging for assurance. Haldir smiled in return, unable and unwilling to hurt the young prince anymore. He squeezed the young elf's hand with astonishing feebleness in so usually strong a limb.
"It's all right, Legolas," he breathed. "I won't leave you."
It was a long night vigil to come for the elf prince. His stomach ached with hunger again, reminding him that he had only eaten a small crust of bread in two days. A long drink from the pool only made it sharper.
At every small night noise, he leapt to his feet, staring wildly towards the cave entrance. But there was never anything save the soft rush of falling water and the snow scraping against the rocks.
He did not sleep- dared not sleep; afraid that if he succumbed to fatigue, his friend would be the one to fall into eternal rest. Or if he slept to suddenly awake and find his enemies staring into the darkness of the cave with their eyes gleaming and blades bared. These terrible thoughts whirled through his mind and set his nerves on edge. He prayed that their pursuers had been fooled by their escape into the river and would not discover them but his fear and constant apprehension kept him awake long into the night.
Morning dawned bright and clear with the clouds drifting westwards and a crisp wind blowing from the east. Legolas awoke to the feel of the sun shining on his eyes. He blinked and sat up slowly, wincing at the stiffness in his back against the stone. Exhaustion had finally overtaken him sometime near dawn and he had slept the early morning away. Suddenly noticing the absence of comforting warmth at his back, he turned quickly.
He glanced back at his friend, sucking his breath in worriedly when he realized Haldir lay relaxed and unmoving beside him, his eyes wide, staring at nothing. Legolas edged forward, almost shaking with fear as he laid a chilled hand on his friend's brow. He sagged in relief as he felt warm skin under his fingertips and the stir of soft breath on his cheek.
Haldir had survived the night.
Leaning forward a little more, he gently pulled down the collar of Haldir's tunic, inspecting the wound while trying not to wake his resting friend. The swelling had gone down and the wound was no longer black or bleeding. Sighing quietly in relief, he rose slowly to his feet, stretching the kinks from his back and suppressing a yawn.
The waterfall sang tranquilly in the light of day as Legolas edged out from underneath its rainbow curtain. He would let Haldir sleep. For now, Legolas sought the warmth of the sun.
For the first time in a long time, Legolas nearly smiled at the peacefulness of the falls as he climbed up the steep rock slope to sit at the waterfall's edge. It was so beautiful with the softly falling water and the rainbows arcing through the spray as the black leaves floated in its foam. The breeze was stiff but the morning sun dappling through the branches was warm and soft upon his back.
The other elf was almost upon him before Legolas heard anything. He spun around as a shadow loomed above him and his eyes widened in panic as iron fingers dug into his shoulders.
Legolas lashed out fearfully and Tindómëtir recoiled with a yelp, a hand leaping to his face. Blood gushed between his fingers but he wiped it on his shoulder, his hands outstretched towards the prince who scuttled up onto his feet as quickly as he could. But there was nowhere to run. The steep rocky slope he had just climbed fell sharply along the edges of the water at his back.
The prince's heart thudded painfully in his chest as he chanced a glance down at the thundering, foaming water directly below.
Tindómëtir stepped forward slowly, his hands outspread, a red rivulet running from a bloodied nose.
"Easy, princeling. I will not harm you… Easy, now," he placated quietly, his dark eyes fixed upon the terrified child's. He could smell the fear in the air. Legolas' eyes filled with sorrow and horror as he closed his eyes and turned to face the churning water. Its roar echoed in his ears, drowning out any other words, any other thoughts as he cast himself over.
Tindómëtir lunged forward and the prince felt something tangle briefly in his hair- but too late. A flash of pain ripped through his scalp as he plunged down, down into the icy torrent below.
"Please, hir-nin (my lord). Mercy, I beg you. My brothers have been missing for days," a young elven soldier, loyal to Thranduil, entreated.
Ainan chuckled wickedly to himself as he settled his slender frame into the throne of the King. His throne. Things were panning out better than he had planned.
The former king languished in his own dungeon. His chief councilor and advocate was dead; the Queen and military forces he had long held under his command. Oh, there had been a few insurgents surely who had dared stand against him. He had quickly quashed them and sent them to join their king in the damp cells. The populace lived to serve him and little else. If they did not do as they were told, they died.
The strongest survived in this land. And he was the strongest.
His silver-blue eyes narrowed as he looked down at the elf before him. His eyes lifted abruptly towards the door as a black figure sidled into the room and eased the door silently shut behind him.
Ainan gave a small nod to the guards flanking the door who stepped forward and immediately took the unfortunate elf's arms who stood before him, pleading for the life of the family he would soon join.
"Well? What news?" Ainan demanded sharply of the dark elf who came forward at the summons once the guards and their captive had quit the room. Tindómëtir wordlessly held up a long, golden thing.
Ainan frowned as he slid the silken material in his fingers; it was a lock of hair as golden as wheat and familiar. He shot a glance up at the other elf through narrowed eyes.
Tindómëtir's head wrenched painfully to one side as Ainan struck him across the face with enough force to set his ears ringing.
"Idiot! I wanted the child alive!" Ainan hissed angrily. He sighed deeply and rubbed his left temple where he could feel a headache growing. Dried blood clung to the other elf's upper lip from a bloodied nose and Ainan nodded to it callously.
"My nephew can get the best of even you, Tindómëtir?"
The dark elf merely blinked in reply. Ainan's scowl deepened.
"What of the others- the elves of Lórien."
Now, a soft sigh of either longing or self-loathing escaped the other's lips.
"They live still, hir-nin (my lord). We have captured two of them; their leader was not among them."
Ainan closed his eyes slowly, his patience with his subordinate rapidly waning. He paced closer to the smaller elf. Tindómëtir was unmoved, his dark eyes staring straight ahead as his lord stood before him. Ainan stared down at the younger elf and abruptly tore back the other's black tunic, exposing the deep burn scar- stark against the pale skin on his chest.
He examined it for a long moment, a perverse, satisfied smile briefly lighting his lips as he traced it with a cold finger.
"Go!" Ainan commanded sharply, releasing him as he waved towards the door in curt dismissal.
"You know the price of failure." Bowing, Tindómëtir spun around and abruptly disappeared out the door.
"Legolas!" Haldir gazed around at the press of trees around him. His vision blurred briefly and he blinked his eyes furiously as he leaned against a tree for support. His back and shoulders hurt from sleeping on the hard stone but he was thankfully alive. Thinking to regain his strength and steady his legs a bit, he had gone in search of the young prince who had once again vanished.
Haldir pushed himself determinedly from the tree and stumbled towards the sound of the river, thinking to quench his thirst and clear his head. He wondered where Legolas had gone. It wasn't safe for him to be out here by himself.
He knelt beside the swiftly flowing stream and dipped his hands in the icy water, splashing it vigorously over his face. His eyes rested on a drifting bit of flotsam on the swiftly moving current and he frowned as the thing bobbed. His heart arrested as he realized with a sickening jolt that that jetsam had golden tendrils snaking out of it.
Without further thought, he plunged into the river and allowed the current to carry him as the thing swept downstream past him. He stretched out a hand desperately and swam forward with long strokes, fighting the growing pain in his neck and sore muscles. A wave of weariness passed over him and he unintentionally sank in the water, feeling his thoughts drift, his purpose slip.
Sleep, the water beckoned, willing him to let it carry him away on soft ripples under a dark canopy… Haldir fought the drowsiness and shook himself abruptly as thoughts of Legolas flashed through his mind. He forced aside the lethargy and seized the floating body under the arm, lifting the pale face above the water. He groaned softly as he saw Legolas' head flop limply back against his shoulder.
Haldir fought the current viciously, holding the limp body close to him even as it nearly dragged him under. He staggered up onto the shore, dragging the body of his young friend with him and collapsing beside it. His chest heaved as he sucked in lungfuls of precious air; the arrow wound in his back had reopened and stung painfully. But he ignored it as he rolled onto his side and bent anxiously over the prince, laying an ear to his chest and over his mouth.
He wasn't breathing.
"No, Legolas," the elf called brokenly, shaking him. "You will not give up on me now." Haldir compressed his chest and took a deep breath, forcing it into the younger elf's lungs. Long minutes passed as the elf continued to try to breathe life into the young prince and pressed upon his chest. Sweat slid down older elf's back as he took a last deep breath, tears filling his eyes as Legolas did not move.
Haldir felt his heart leap painfully as Legolas suddenly surged up and retched violently, ejecting river water from his lungs. He moaned softly and rolled onto his side, coughing. The older elf clapped him on the back, a tear rolling down his cheek which he hastily swiped away. Legolas wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then abruptly spun around, his eyes wide with terror. When his tired, waterlogged mind registered who knelt in front of him, he sagged in relief.
"Haldir," he breathed.
Legolas flung his arms around Haldir's neck, the young elf's body shaken with sobs as he tried to explain what had happened. Haldir only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying, muffled as the prince's voice was against his shoulder. But he did catch one sentence that sent a sickening jolt through his stomach.
"He found me."
Haldir felt his skin chill as he stroked the bedraggled hair soothingly, whispering reassurances as he glanced up at the shaded sun. The dark firs hissed overhead sounding almost threatening as the chill wind laughed in their rigid branches.
The prince was soaking wet and it would be better if he could get him into dry clothes. Several small cuts marred his fair face where sharp river stones had cut him but otherwise, he appeared all right. Haldir didn't ask how he had fallen into the river.
After Legolas had had a chance to recover a little, Haldir rose to his feet, wringing the water from his hair and tunic. They were both soaked to the bone and the winter wind howled through the branches, chilling them straight through.
Legolas was nearly done in. He was exhausted and could barely stand on his own. Haldir saw this and quickly bent down and helped the prince to his feet. Legolas wrapped his arms around the older elf's neck as Haldir hooked his own arms around the backs of the prince's legs so he could carry him easier.
"Don't worry, Legolas. You'll be home soon," Haldir whispered quietly, trying not to flinch as the younger elf's weight pressed against the wound in his back. The prince weighed little but any pressure still hurt. Somehow, Haldir managed to climb to his feet with the prince draped over his back
The dark river had carried them far downstream and Haldir followed it, knowing they would eventually return under the very bridge of the palace. Legolas drifted into a fitful sleep with his head lolling against the hollow of the older elf's neck, salty tear trails drying on his face.
I have to get him home Haldir thought desperately.
The afternoon sunlight slanted down onto their golden heads and Haldir marveled that it could shine on such black events. He wandered deep in thought, caring not for the aching pain in his arms and legs nor the exhaustion that called to him to lay down his burden and sleep forever under the dark trees. He had to get Legolas home safe, he reminded himself. Then, and only then, would he allow himself respite.
He realized suddenly that he had nearly dozed off on his feet and lifted his head, noticing that the sun had sunk considerably lower than he remembered. They were still following the river but had meandered slightly off course. The palace was near- if he hurried they could make it before full night fell.
There was no sound of birds or other beasts- not even a breath of wind stirring the old, battered leaves of the trees. Haldir frowned slightly, casting a glance around him.
Quite suddenly, he found himself surrounded. Tindómëtir stepped forward, two others flanking him before Haldir had even seen them.
"Give the prince to us, Lórien elf," he commanded sternly, his dark eyes flashing as his hair shone like ebony in the faint sunlight. Legolas woke as he felt Haldir's shoulders tense and the older elf lowered him to his feet, seizing his shoulder firmly as he searched for a weapon or way of escape. He groped for his saber but one of the elves drew an arrow to his bow faster than sight, the tip trained point blank on the Lórien elf's heart.
"That would not be wise," Tindómëtir said with a smirk. "There is no escape," he affirmed, guessing the other's thoughts. His frightful eyes flickered towards Legolas who met his gaze though Haldir could feel the tremble in his shoulders.
"I see you survived your fall, little one. The Valar must not favor you," a small leer quirked his lips as he turned his gaze back on Haldir.
"You will give him to me." Haldir shook his head firmly, his grey eyes flat and hard, a warrior's expressionless stare.
"Never."
"I think you will," Tindómëtir said quietly, his near-black eyes holding immense satisfaction as he raised a hand. Haldir turned slowly in the direction he indicated as two other elves materialized out of the trees, carrying two cloth wrapped bundles in their arms. With a swift shake, they flung two objects before the Lórien elf's feet.
Haldir's felt his heart fall through hi stomach as the broken bow rolled to the ground, the fluttering cloak sinking down on top of it. He recognized Ancadal's handmade bow and Rameil's cloak spun from the grey cloth of the Golden Wood- now slashed and bloodstained.
"What did you do to them?" Haldir hissed softly, his voice laced with furious anger. Behind him, Legolas shifted nervously, his wide eyes fixed on the broken weapon and torn cloak in horror.
"Your friends still live- for now. But for how long I cannot say," Tindómëtir said softly, a wicked smile briefly crossing his face. "It would be better if you cooperated with us."
Haldir merely glared at Tindómëtir who stood not two paces from him, a hand outstretched for Legolas.
"Give him to me."
Anger rose like a fiery tide in his veins as Haldir took a step backwards, unsure of where he could go. The spider poison was slowly eating at him again and he stumbled against one of the elves flanking Tindómëtir. The elf, thinking he was attacking, immediately retaliated and Haldir found himself jolted to his knees by a sudden blow to the back of his head. He desperately tried to hang onto both consciousness and Legolas but both eluded him as Tindómëtir pulled the younger elf from his failing grasp and he slid senseless to the snow.
Legolas thrashed against the grip holding him, his mind kicking into overdrive as he discerned the face of the one looming over him. He struggled furiously against his captor but Tindómëtir held him in a grip tighter than iron.
"Haldir!" Legolas called out desperately, not knowing that Haldir could not hear him. A hard blow connected with his skull and the world careened into blackness.
