Sequel to: By Some Evil Spell and Exiled
Part IV
Author: Elizabeth Goode
The four companions rode at a leisurely pace – Gandalf had assured them that while the quest was important, there was no need to rush madly to get there. Castagath would be there when they arrived. The important part was to make certain that the man departed with them for Rivendell.
For a week, they rode together without incident. The air was crisp and cool, the warm days giving way to early fall. The elves and the ranger were able to relax, to enjoy the weather and each other's company. After the first incident with Estel's dream, there had been no indication that he had had another. Elladan had been watching and listening, determined to discover what evil thoughts dared torment his youngest brother. On the seventh day of their journey, it had been several days since the last dream, and Elladan was beginning to have hope that perhaps the dreams had stopped, that the easy companionship of the past week had been enough to give Estel the strength and confidence to fight his dreams.
Elrohir had stood first watch, then had awakened his twin to take the mid-watch. Elladan wasn't sure how long he had been patrolling the perimeter of their camp when he noticed some slight movement from Estel's bedroll. He moved closer to his youngest brother, kneeling down beside him. Silent tears poured from eyes still closed in sleep. The sight was heart-wrenching.
Legolas was already awake, watching Elladan. "Do you wish to care for him, or shall I?"
Elladan met the grave eyes of the Prince of Mirkwood. "I will wake him and give comfort, as I did in his childhood. Go back to sleep, Legolas. I will wake you if I need assistance."
Legolas lay back down, but Elladan knew he was not sleeping, nor would he until he was satisfied that Estel would be all right.
"Estel! Estel, you must awaken, brother!" Elladan took a moment to remember which shoulder was the one that was still tender, and gently shook the other one. He had no wish to cause even the slightest pain. "Estel, awaken! Why do you weep, brother?"
Startled gray eyes opened quickly and darted frantically from side to side, searching. "Legolas?"
"Hush, Estel. It is Elladan. Legolas is resting. You were dreaming brother. The tears streaming down your face, but you made no sound."
Estel tried to cover his face with his blanket, but Elladan caught his hand. "There is no shame in your tears. I would know what causes you such grief, brother."
Shaking his head, Estel tried to protest. "No. It – it is but a dream. I am not so weak that I cannot weather an unpleasant dream. I am not a child, Elladan."
"True, you are no child, but I am your eldest brother, and it pains me to see you suffer so."
"I did not wish for you to see."
"But I have, and that cannot be changed. Allow me to comfort you as I did when you were a child. Accept my attempt, feeble that it is, to help you. Tell me what it is you see in your dreams that affects you so."
Estel sighed. In his mind's eye, he saw himself as a child of seven, held tightly in his elven brother's arms after a particularly bad nightmare. He remembered crying until his tears soaked Elladan's nightshirt, telling his brother what had frightened him, and the feeling of reassurance that nothing could harm him so long as he was held safely. That seven-year-old was a far cry from the powerful warrior he had grown into, but at the moment, he felt more like a teary-eyed child than a battle seasoned Ranger. He had not wanted his elven family to know of the dreams, but now that was a moot point. He sighed deeply and faced his brother.
"I dream of the things that I fear most. Battle, orcs, losing friends and family due to mistakes I've made …"
Estel stopped, and Elladan was certain that he was holding something back, but rather than cause his brother more distress, he accepted the half-answer he had received for the time being.
"Rest, brother. I will be here." Elladan pulled the blanket higher around Estel's shoulders, giving the dark hair a gentle pat. His human brother was already once again asleep.
It was ten days into their quest before they saw signs of orcs. A hastily buried campfire, a persistent reek of orc droppings, and evidence of a feeding frenzy, the unfortunate victim of which being a large buck, told the tale. For the rest of the day, there were telltale signs that orcs roamed the woods in this place. A hacked tree here, some orc dung there.
On the twelfth day of their journey, they stopped near a stream to water the horses and eat lunch. The day was warmer than it should be for the autumn, and so Estel stripped down to his underbreeches and plunged his body into the stream to cool himself. He felt the heat much more strongly than his elven companions, but as the cool water washed away sweat and dust, he wondered if perhaps he didn't enjoy the contrast of the cold water on his hot skin more than Legolas and the twins ever could.
"Ahhh."
Elrohir laughed. "I take it you are enjoying yourself, up to your neck in ice water?"
"It is not ice water, merely refreshingly cool. Join me?" Estel rolled over to float on his back in the waist-deep water.
Elrohir hesitated a moment too long, and found himself the victim of a rather forceful splash of water. There was no help for it now, he had to go in. Hastily, he stripped down to his underbreeches and joined his brother in a water fight.
When Elladan and Legolas returned with the refreshed horses, they found Elrohir and Estel wrestling and shouting in the water like elflings. A large splash of water that had been meant for Estel instead drenched Legolas and Elladan as they stood on the bank of the stream. It was only moments before there were three elves and a human engaged in a splash-fight in the stream.
When their energy was spent, four bodies lay side by side on the bank, waiting for the late afternoon sun to dry them out.
"How long until we arrive at our destination?" Elrohir yawned and stretched, then tucked his arms behind his head. "Because I could lie here for the rest of the day quite happily."
Elladan yawned, glaring at his twin. "You've made me yawn."
With a shrug, Elrohir replied, "What sort of answer is that? I cannot help it if you are so easily suggestible that you must do everything I do. How far along are we on our journey?"
Estel fought the urge to yawn unsuccessfully. "We are getting close. About two more days, and we should be there. The terrain is already beginning to change. Have you noticed that there are more rocks now?"
"Yes. More places for orcs to spring out of and catch us unaware." Legolas succumbed to the yawning epidemic as well. "We will have to practice extra caution from here on out."
"The orcs we have been tracking are at least a full day's travel ahead of us. They shouldn't cause us any problems, at least not unless they're heading for the exact location we are." Estel paused before continuing, "I'm more worried that there could be others nearby."
Legolas shook his head. "Let us not count orcs that do not yet exist. The more immediate problem is Castagath. Do we have a plan for getting Castagath to come back with us? Mithrandir seemed almost agitated, as though he fears Castagath will not be easily persuaded."
"Those caves are his home. He has lived there for more than half of his life. Leaving probably feels … wrong. As though a part of him is missing." The moment the words had escaped his mouth, Estel felt his face begin to burn with shame. He had not intended to rehash his exile from Rivendell – the subject was too raw for all of them, even though it was in the past. He had felt that his world had collapsed, that nothing would ever be all right ever again. Yes, he could understand why Castagath might not wish to leave his home.
Legolas saw the red flush of color that rose in Estel's cheeks and knew that his human friend understood all too well how it felt to leave all one knew behind. He laid a reassuring hand on Estel's arm.
The twins exchanged glances for a moment, and Elladan opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He had no wish to make Estel uncomfortable by probing for answers he was not ready to give. He wondered if Estel's outburst was in any way a result of his nightmares. Perhaps if his dreams would cease to torment him, Estel could try to forget.