Deana; :-) Here's some more for you!
kel; ;-) Thanks for reviewing!
Astievia; Ah; common sense reigns once more...
LEGOLAS: What's that then?
-sigh- I spoke too soon... LOL! Yes; I can think of a lot worse words than bloody... maybe I should say that to my teachers; maybe they wouldn't have such a go at me if I mentioned worse 'Unspeakables'... WOW!!! I WANNA TAKE A BOAT THROUGH THE DRIVE-THRU!!! Why do they spell through like that though? Thru... very strange... I'm glad you liked the long chapter! I hope you're in the mood for another, as this is one MONSTER of a chapter...
Terreis; Ah, good question! My answer to that is; it depends what the reviewers want! So, do people think Tebridë and Hal are a good match or not? Now THERE'S something to ponder...
ARAGORN: I'm a bit busy with this thank you! –pulls at Chinese finger trap-
Where the hell did he get that? o.O I love the crazy way Legolas sleeps too; I'm actually in the middle of doing a drawing for that which is quite funny! ;-) LOL!!! I can imagine that...
Middle-Earth Getaways! Are you in need of a LOOOOOOOOOONG vacation? Then look no further! Take a long weekend to the Shire; a peaceful, rural country, or if adventure is more your thing, why not try our special package holiday to Rohan, home of the Horse Lords? PERFECT for over-burdened Elven Lords..
LOL!
Mornflower; LOL! Isn't it just?! ;-)
galadriel evenstar; Ok! Angst in this chapter for you! –hands over angst on a silver platter- Enjoy! But don't let everyone else know; it's supposed to be a surprise! ;-)
Mellaithwen; YAY! –celebrates long chapter-ness- :-) Hey, I've just realised... you're ankle's like Elladan's! o.O Scary!!!
Stoneage Woman; I could say the same thing! :-) WOW! –realises that we have WAY too much in common- AAAAAH! o.O Separated at birth OR WHAT?! Actually, I say bloody absolutely everywhere... school, home... church... o.O Oops. Shouldn't have mentioned that last one! ;-)
Estel; LOL! You scared me for a minute there... Sidetracking? You're the Mistress hun... woah... imagine if a character literally grew on you?! o.O GAH!!! Jeez; I'm thinking about this Halloween stuff WAAAAAAY too much...
Manders1953; DUDE!!! Of course I say dude! ;-) WORSHIP THE DUDE-INESS!!! Lol! Meh; I'd say it was a combination of the two, but I'd probably lean more to the brotherly-teasing bit... ;-) DUDE!
Lindele; LOL! Don't worry; he glares at me constantly... ;-) You'll find out a bit about what's wrong with Hal this chapter! Read on to find out more!
elfobsession2931; Thanks! ;-)
Dha-Gal; Curse you Dha, curse you... :-S DROP THE EYEBROW THING NOW!!! –starts begging- Please?!
ELLADAN: Now THAT is a sorry sight... STAR! STOP KISSING HER FEET!!!
Sorry. :-( BUT, your review made me laugh!!! ;-) LOL! Have fun Ranger-Boy... –grins evilly- BWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Lexial147; THANK YOU!!! :-D
Faerlain; Yay!!! I wanted Hal to be cool; he's going to be featured in A LOT of stories from now on! :-D Why is he afraid? Well, 1) You'll find out soon, and 2) Quite basically, I was fed up of Leggy-Pops always being the claustrophobic one... –grins evilly-
shadowfox8; -blushes- I'm pretty sure I'm not THAT awesome; I'm just a regular writer on here... but thanks anyway! :-) I know; I always find the beginning hard because you have to hook your reader somehow, and then I always hate the endings. I always find it hard to end a story the way I'd like to, it often takes me a lot of tries!
I like showing the bond between Legolas and Hal; it's just fun to do! I wanted to give Legolas a brother, and more importantly one who was older than him, so Legolas could have someone to look up to and learn from. People with an older sibling often find themselves looking to that sibling as a role-model; something that both characters are going to find out throughout the series. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's the one everyone's been waiting for!!!
Shadowfaxgal; I hate homework. We should start a petition against it!!! -blushes- You're just saying that! :-) Thank you for the short but sweet review!
--------
Jeez... sorry for the wait guys; this has been the most difficult chapter to write!!! –kicks chapter, annoyed- Darned thing...
I'd like to mention something quickly. Someone asked why I didn't say that I'd written Gilraen out of the story... who said I had, or hadn't for that matter? –grins twistedly- I have 33plus stories up my oh-so-big-sleeves people!!! I still have a lot more tricks left...
Also, BLOODY FF.N is still insisting on removing the ë from Hal's name when followed by 's. It did it with Tebridë last chapter too. If anyone knows a way of getting around this, please tell me!
Oh; the song below actually belongs to me. My friends and I are starting up a band and, bored one night, I just wrote this. I was reflecting on Hal's feelings at the time (which you'll see in this chapter) and this is what came out... see, I don' tell them ALL my songs are based round my fics and not the other way round... they'd probably send me to rehab if I did... ;-) It's only the chorus, but if enough people ask to see the full thing, I'll put it in the next chapter... italics denote flashbacks!
I'll just keep the real me safely locked away,
Despairing, hide my soul from light of day,
And all the while I'll fix a false façade,
Wear a fragile mask and build a barricade,
As long as I look happy on the outside...
You'll be ok if I look happy on the outside...
On the Outside - Mannix
.: Chapter Three :.
Hallataulë hung around nervously at the cave mouth, unconsciously picking at his nails. His eyes darted around, trying to pick something out in the darkness. He really didn't want to be here...
Come on little whelp... whispered the voice in his mind. Come... or are you too afraid?
He jumped slightly at the light touch on his forearm. "Hal, come on," said Legolas reassuringly, smiling a little. He did not know that those words made his brother's soul freeze over just that little bit more.
They were both getting completely soaked; the rain plastered their hair down around their shoulders as the dark green Mirkwood tunics they sported, crafted of a rich royal velveteen-like fabric, became darker and darker in the spots where the fat watery droplets soaked through.
Elrond's children waited for them patiently in the mouth of the cave. Elladan was seated on a large rock, rubbing his sore ankle which had begun to throb again. Elrohir simply stood silently.
Whilst the twins; though anxious for their friend, naturally; had dealt with this in the past, Estel was concerned - he'd never seen the eldest prince like this before. It was a new and discomforting experience for him, seeing someone usually so strong-minded and spirited in such a timid state. The young man didn't like it one bit...
----
At the foot of the valley of Imladris lay a small dam built of sticks and branches. It had been made the previous winter to hold back some of the dangerously rising waters to protect the few homes close to the riverbank. It had done its job well, having been constructed by the Elves, and still, months later, those waters were still being kept at bay.
However, over the period of hot weather, the twigs had dried and cracked, the branches split and rotted; the once secure dam could not hold much more.
As the rain continued to fall accompanied by thunderous applause from the sky, the water level rose again. This time though, it was simply seeping through all of the gaps. Unrelenting, the downpour caused the water to rise to dangerous levels...
No-one noticed as the churning liquid began to wash down the valley, picking up speed as it headed on its destructive path...
----
Legolas watched his older brother carefully as he tried to find a spot close enough to the mouth of the cave that he could have some peace of mind but would not get soaked. This in itself was a difficult task, not in the way that it was hard to do but simply irritating.
The wind had picked up some speed, blowing towards and into the cave; not only did it freeze their fingers and make the cave cold and uncomfortable, but it also seemed to delight in their misery due to the fact it was blowing in most of the rain water at them. It seemed that the only remotely dry area of the cavern was right at the very back.
The younger prince was concerned. As Hallataulë finally accepted that he would get soaked wherever he sat, he chose simply to slump in a soaking wet puddle of water. He was probably thinking that it was bearable as long as he wasn't in the dark.
Legolas had the older Elf's thoughts pinned down exactly, though he did not realise it. Hallataulë watched the lightning streak across the sky outside, lost in contemplation while the voice inside his head continued to taunt him.
So it's finally come to this...
Thranduil had asked, nay, practically begged for him just to talk about... it, to him once.
You should have given up on yourself a long time ago...
He had refused.
Pathetic, worthless piece of dirt...
But that was a long time ago.
The Crown Prince of Mirkwood resorted to slouching in a muddy puddle in some cave. How fitting...
He couldn't let them know. He couldn't... he was the Crown Prince; the Heir to the Throne... a role-model to his little brother and a source of pride to his parents. No; they simply weren't allowed to know...
"Maybe you should get some sleep Hal..." said a voice beside him. He turned sharply to see Legolas standing there.
Sleep really was the last thing he wanted. He still remembered what had occurred the last time he tried to get some rest in this kind of mood. "We've only been awake a few hours-"
His younger brother cut him off quickly. "I know, but it might be better for you... you know; to take your mind off of things."
Hallataulë had to admit, he saw the reason behind Legolas' thinking. If he was sleeping then he wouldn't have to remember where he was at the moment. He could always wake again if his dreams showed him the past; a past of which he was so bitter. He slowly allowed his mind to wander, and his eyes glazed over in a restless Elven sleep.
"Is he alright?" asked Estel quietly. Legolas shrugged.
"I'm hoping so," he sighed. Looking back over to his now sleeping brother, he frowned. "You know, he never talks about it, to anyone; not even Ada or Ama. All we know is that he was caught by men and hurt. That's all he ever said; nothing more."
"Maybe he just needs more time?" suggested Estel.
"I guess..." said Legolas. "I just wish he'd let us help him; he bottles it up... and then..." He trailed away, staring at the ground.
"You know, I sometimes blame myself?" He allowed a small laugh; a giddy, almost delirious sounding little chuckle that worried Estel more than what he'd just said.
"If it wasn't for me," continued the Elf. "If they hadn't had to go to Lothlorien because of me. I guess they should have seen it coming; I was able to cause trouble before I was even born." He shook his head.
Estel was wondering where this was headed. He didn't like the faraway look in Legolas' eyes. He knew that the prince was remembering something, but what was a different matter.
"Ada told me once that I was a difficult birth and that was probably what made me such a difficult-to-handle infant," said Legolas. There seemed to be no emotion in his voice; a flat monotonic speech that seemed to be of no real significance unless you were to really listen to what he was saying.
"Mirkwood had been attacked quite recently by some vicious Orcs and the medical rooms were full to burst with soldiers and civilians who had been hurt. We had barely enough healers to cope with them. Ama was due to have me in a few weeks."
Ah. Now Estel knew where this was headed, and unsurprisingly, he still didn't like it.
"Ada, being the quick thinking Elf that he is, decided to send her to Lothlorien. Hal... well, he was so desperate not to be separated from Ama that he insisted on going with her. Then, about halfway through the journey, their party was attacked. The guards tried to protect both Ama and Hal, but the fact that most of the Royal Guard were still back in Mirkwood having wounds tended meant that there were hardly any on the trip."
"Obviously Ama was their main priority, being the Queen and with child, whilst Hal was a very close second. They tried, but it was no use. Hal was separated from the Contingent and taken... that's about all I know, except that it took almost two months to find him." Legolas stopped suddenly and looked at his friend, blue eyes full of regret and hurt. "Two months Estel! Two! I don't know how, but they managed it... but Hal; he was never really the same. He says that he's fine, but even I know he's not. And that's my fault."
That was it; the deciding sentence. It was what Estel had been thinking, and he was right. Legolas was harbouring guilt over what had happened to Hallataulë, even though he'd had nothing to do with it.
"It's not your fault Legolas," said the teenager. "Hal would never want you to think that."
Legolas opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a terrified scream...
----
A rough hand pressed the side of his face against the sharp rock, which grazed his cheek sharply. Hallataulë shut his eyes; the pressure was hurting old bruises and cuts already – he couldn't breathe. He had already consigned himself to his fate; either someone would have to come and save him or he would die here. They would kill him.
"Kormed, release him. We just want to hurt him, not smash his skull in!" barked a gruff authorative voice.
Suddenly, the rough hand was taken away from his face and the young Elfling was allowed to drop back to the ground. He slumped wearily against the wall, gasping for breath.
Kormed spat at the Elf, glaring at him. "When I tell you to shut it, you obey, alright?!"
Almost having his head knocked in had been a punishment for crying too loudly. Hallataulë had lost count of the number of days he had been there, wounds burning and smouldering like a hellfire; trapped in a small cave with no way of getting out, no hope of escape.
The walls were so close... the air so heavy and thick... and hot...
The man who had just shouted at Kormed was huddled over the fire. He seemed to be doing something there, but Hallataulë couldn't tell what as his back was to him. The human's name was Madros, and he was one of the worst types of men; quietly vicious, a sly, cunning parasite of a man... and, most dangerous of all, he was intelligent. It was a bad combination for the young Elf who'd had the misfortune to be captured by Madros' gang.
"I have a surprise for you rat," called Madros, laughing to himself. Hallataulë felt his breath catch in his throat. He knew what Madros' 'surprises' usually entailed...
Even so, the Elfling's eyes widened with cold dread as a branding iron, the tip glowing a fiery red, was brought into his vision. Kormed grasped Hallataul's shoulders from behind and held him fast. The Prince writhed and struggled, but it was no use; he could feel the heat radiating from the iron as it was brought slowly to his bare skin...
Hallataulë woke up suddenly, pulling hard away from the hand on his forearm. The elf did not realise it, but his panicked cry whilst dreaming had alerted the attention of the rest of the group. He shunted back quickly towards the wall, pressing against it.
A soft voice tried to soothe him. "Hal-"
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" he cried. All he could remember were Madros' gloating eyes, filled with some sort of filthy thrill as the iron had touched his skin... memories of the pain, the heat... burning... the smell as he burned...
The elder Prince felt his breath coming quicker than it should have done. He could see spots dancing in front of his eyes along with images from the past; knives, blood, the cold unfeeling darkness of the cave... those eyes...
A voice called him urgently yet calmly. "Hal! Hal, calm down. It's alright, you're safe. We're here... just be calm..."
Hallataulë tried to control his breathing, but it was just so hard! He could feel himself shaking.
Another blanket was draped over him and someone held his shoulders gently yet firmly.
"Hal, it's me, Ro."
Elrohir suppressed the shock that coursed through him as his friend's wild haunted eyes met his. Hallataul's eyes had been darting around the room, somewhat unfocused, but now all he was greeted with was an empty blank expression; a glazed over look; and no sound save the Mirkwood Elf's ragged gasps.
The younger twin had to keep to his plan though, ignoring the swelling panic. He had only ever seen Hallataulë have one panic attack, and as they had been by themselves it had been up to him to help his friend. That wasn't a happy memory...
"Hal?" he said again, slowly, looking his friend in the eyes. "Listen to me. You're alright. We're in Rivendell, remember? You're with your friends and family; Legolas is here, and Elladan and Estel and I. Just us, no-one else, understand? There's nothing here to be afraid of..." He held a water skin to Hallataul's mouth and tipped it gently, letting the Elf drink small sips at a time.
Hallataul's breath slowly came easier to him, much to the relief of everyone. As the Elf's chest became less tight and his head spun less, the adrenalin began to wear off and he felt more tired than usual. But he knew that he was safe. That was all that mattered.
Elrohir knew that he had some medicine in his pack that may help, and so he asked Estel to stay by their friend and keep an eye on him. Estel obliged more than willingly and knelt by Hallataul's side.
"Hal?" he asked gently. The Elf blinked momentarily before recognition came to his eyes.
"Estel... it's only you... only you..." He swallowed thickly. "That's good..."
The cryptic reply only served to confuse the teen.
Legolas faced Elladan. "Dan, we have to go back to your father."
Elladan shook his head. "I don't think that's wise Legolas. The storm; it could be dangerous, and anyway-"
"No!" said Legolas, a little more forcefully than he'd wanted to sound. "We've got to get out of here; think about Hal." The younger prince felt guilty about putting Elladan on the spot like this; he knew that, being the oldest of them all, Elladan often took the blame or accepted more responsibility for all of them than he really should, but he had no choice. The most important thing to him at this moment was Hallataulë.
Hearing his friend's words, Estel looked up from his place by Hal's side, before taking another look at the shaking Elf. Now that he knew Legolas' real feelings about everything that had happened, he felt that Legolas, though often wrong in matters like this due to his natural hastiness in a situation, was for once right in his judgement. "I agree with Legolas on this one," he said with an air of finality.
Elrohir nodded; a rare display of one twin going against the other's thoughts. "So do I."
Elladan had to admit defeat. 'Three against one, Dan, and you're the one losing...' he thought. To be honest he could see the sense in Legolas' statement. It was more than plain to see that Hallataulë wouldn't be able to stand being in here much longer. For him to suffer a panic attack revealed there was no choice in the matter; through the years he and Elrohir had known him, Hallataulë had been steadily improving in the many years since his ordeal. Something, probably the claustrophobic aura of the cave, had set it off again. This was a marked decline.
But there was a risk in going out in this weather. Elladan knew that there were dangers; lightning strikes, possibly mudslides... who knew what else. It was either stay here and try to keep his friend calm, which seemed extremely unlikely given the circumstances, or take their chances in the storm.
Lightning streaked through the sky suddenly, lighting up the other four in the room. In a split second he was able to tell exactly what he had to do.
"Alright," he admitted finally. A look of relief broke on Legolas' face. "We'll go back. We can cut through the lower part of the valley, near the dam; that will get us back quicker."
So it was that they packed up their things and, despite a niggling thought of protest at the back of Elladan's mind, headed out into the storm... unknowingly headed straight into the churning path of the wall of water...
----
They had been walking for about an hour, all of them soaked through. None of them had spoken a word since leaving. Perhaps it was better that way; he didn't know, but the silence was discomforting. Even the howling wind and whipping of the rain in their faces did nothing to instil the want to converse in them.
Hallataulë felt so much better now that he was in the open air again, but one look at the agitated scowl on Elladan's face made him feel guilty once again.
"Elladan," he began tentatively. "I... I'm sorry that-"
"I've told you Hal, you don't have to apologise," said the dark haired Elf. His words were kind enough, but his tone was somewhat sharp. He knew by the look on the prince's face that he'd hurt his friend somewhat, but right now, if he was totally, truly honest, he didn't care. He just wanted to get home.
Elrohir was going to chide his twin over the tone he was taking but thought better of it. Elladan in a mood was bad enough, but a soaking Elladan in a mood was even worse. And anyway, standing upright on the hill slick with mud was using up all of his power of concentration.
And Elladan was certainly in a bad mood. He was annoyed with Legolas for coming up with the stupid idea of leaving the cave; he was annoyed with his brothers for siding with the younger prince; he was annoyed with Hallataulë too, even though he had no real reason to. The person he was most infuriated with, however, was himself; simply for being angry at everyone else. What an 'everybody-loses' situation he was in now...
Estel slipped in the mud of the hill and slid straight to the bottom. Legolas rolled his eyes and quickly followed his friend.
"Are you alright?" he asked. The human nodded.
"Muddy, but fine," came the reply, accompanied by a wink.
"Nothing broken?" questioned Legolas cheekily, helping his friend up.
"Legolas, please. I only slid down a hill-" began Estel, but Legolas cut him off.
"Yes, but it's difficult to tell with you; you're a complete accident prone..."
As the three older Elves reached the foot of the mound, Elrohir rolled his eyes.
"Typical messy human..."
In fact, Estel's minor accident was the ice-breaker Elrohir had been waiting for; the awkward silence between them all had been too over-bearing. He couldn't help but notice though that Hallataulë and Elladan still seemed to be giving each other the cold shoulder.
They were all so busy either fussing over Estel or ignoring a certain member of their party that they'd had no idea of the impending danger that was crashing down on them. Now it was too late...
Suddenly the roar of water filled their ears. Elladan's eyes widened. The dam must have burst!!!
"Quick, get in the tree!!! Now!"
Elrohir managed to navigate the twisting turning branches first, quickly followed by Hallataulë. Elladan managed to clamber up the first few, but then a piercing pain shot through his bad ankle suddenly. He'd been told not too exert it too much, but at the moment it couldn't be helped. Hallataulë momentarily forgot that he was at odds with the elder twin, and with Elrohir's help, the two Elves grabbed his arms and pulled him up.
Legolas swung up into the branches, climbing swiftly in order to join them. It was then they heard a panicked cry from below.
Estel was frantically trying to climb up as fast as the Elves, but his less agile human body was slower than theirs. Legolas dropped down a few branches and lay on the branch precariously. One small tip either way and he would fall.
"Estel, give me your hand!" He reached down hastily for the human. Just as Estel grabbed his hand, the stormy waters rushed into the clearing.
The icy water hit the back of his legs first, and then suddenly washed straight over his head. Estel didn't even have time to draw any breath as he was pushed under by the current.
Legolas still had a grip on his friend's hands when the swirling dark water suddenly claimed him. Suddenly thrown off balance, the Elven Prince fell from the branch he'd been clinging to and tumbled into the rapids too.
Hallataulë made a grab for his little brother, but his arms wrapped around thin air. He could only watch in horror as Legolas splashed into the water and disappeared from sight.
"LEGOLAS!!!"
Elrohir looked at the swirling waters with wide grey eyes which darted about, scanning all of the rippling choppy surface hoping beyond all hope to catch a glimpse of wither his brother or his friend.
That hope did not come.
'No...' he thought, shaking his head. 'No!!!' Beside him, Elladan was facing the same turmoil.
Hallataulë wanted so desperately to know where the two friends had suddenly gone. It had all happened so fast. It was like waking from a terrible nightmare... only this was reality.
And it was all his fault. If he had not been so frantic earlier, if he had not suffered from his cursed weakness, they would all still be in that cave, safe... trapped; yes, that much was true, but they would be safe.
He cursed the fear which made his blood run cold, cursed his failing at trying to protect his younger brother and his friend.
'You've failed them both...' he thought.
A sudden sensation came over him. Perhaps if he were to follow them, he could make up for his mistakes; they might forgive him, and, more importantly, he would be able to forgive himself. After all, he was stronger than both Estel and Legolas at swimming...
"HAL, NO!"
Elrohir was just able to shake himself from the grip of shock to see his friend dive in after them...
And I'll think we'll leave it there for now... –grins evilly- Hee hee hee... Bloomin' Nora; 11 pages of writing!!! –refrains from fainting- Ok Mellaithwen; you're my official Chapter Length Measurer - did that beat the previous chappie? ;-)
Like I said, I'm seriously considering using Hal as the main character in an original story, but I would like some ideas as to what sorts of things people would like to see. I don't want to do the usual cliché stuff... obviously I'm going to be changing our dear prince's background a little as I don't want to plagiarise the Master (Mr Tolkien of course!) but I'm talking more about plot ideas... I have lots of little baby plot bunnies that need feeding up... who knows? Maybe if I fall in love with the result, I might consider trying to publish it... but THAT, dear readers (and lurkers! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!!!) is up to you... ;-)
Oh. And if he doesn't drown himself first of course...
And if anyone's remotely interested, I got the 2 flashback villians' names off of a menu for an Indian restaurant... basically, they're named after a chicken Korma and a dish called prawn in Madras sauce... -sigh- Don't look at me like that dear readers... you would do the same if you were starving...