Please let me know about any more of my html flukes, etc., or any helpful hints.
Oh, and YUCK- I was skimming through the previous chapters to see what dialogue had gone on. Man, I'm horrible.
----------------------------------------------------
"I'm still not sure if I understand his reasoning," Elladan said, roughly an hour later.
The three children of Elrond were on horseback, ambling down the road. Elrohir was aboard his black mare, Elladan upon a bay stallion, and Arwen sat bareback on Asfaloth. It was only in the early afternoon, but to them it felt like they had been mounted nearly forever.
The messenger's horse could not be expected to make the journey home, so Elrond improvised. He sent his reply to Galadriel with the twins. Maybe not the most reliable way, but one could hope, he reasoned. They couldn't make up an excuse not to get there... it was urgent. Orcs were becoming braver, wandering into lands previously untouched by the foul creatures. Lorien was not alone... Gondor, Ithilien, Mirkwood, and other lands were all experiencing it, and found it reasonable cause for worry.
Arwen sighed in response to her brother. Elrohir initially shrugged, but decided to speak up. "Personally, I didn't think his level of mutual trust extended this far with us..."
"Oh, it doesn't," Elladan replied with a smile.
"For being warriors and whatnot, honestly... lasta. Ada, Glorfindel, and the others... they'll have little problem gathering what forces Rivendell has. But if there is trouble around Lorien, he thinks it wise to send you both, though I'm not sure why," Arwen said, with a note of exasperation. (Lasta ... listen. Ada... Father.)
"You only wish you had our maturity," Elrohir countered, acting quite serious. Acting, of course, for he broke out into a grin after a few seconds.
"And what does he expect of you, exactly?" Elladan asked his younger sister.
"Even if orcs are abroad, it is safer there than in Rivendell," Arwen said, not looking thrilled about going back to the Golden Wood.
Elrohir and Elladan exchanged a look. "Oh yes... those wardens, very skilled, aren't they?" Elladan asked of his brother.
"Yes, they are. Good archers and all. A bit intimidating. But you do have to muster some pity for a few of them... what was that one's name?" Elrohir answered, grinning. Arwen shut her eyes and sighed at the turn of conversation. They were positively insufferable at times...
"H... Hal... Haldir!" "Oh right... a crushing blow, it must have been"
"Indeed..."
Their banter would have gone on for the rest of the journey, save Arwen's next word, said in a hiss of a whisper. "Dina..." (Be silent)
Elrohir just waved an eyebrow, not taking her seriously. "Upsetting? I'm sure it was for him as well..." As he trailed off, both brothers laughed quietly until she held up a hand, looking dead serious.
Slowly she pointed a finger in the direction they were traveling. Still speaking in a whisper, she looked to the brothers who had finally fallen silent. "Ya naa tanya?" (Who is that?)
All three stopped their horses, looking ahead suspiciously at the rider before them. He had dismounted, apparently to give his horse a break by walking at his side. Traveling in the same direction as the elves were, he didn't appear to be too much of a threat.
After another exchanged glance, Elladan shrugged, a slight twinkle in his eye. Then they both spurred their horses into a canter, much to Arwen's displeased surprise. Nevertheless, she trotted after them, keeping a bit of distance.
She watched them approach the man, who turned to them. No hostility... good. But who was he? She let Asfaloth open up his stride to catch up. After a few more seconds, she glimpsed the assumed stranger's face.
The last day was proving to be quite interesting. The stranger was none other than Estel, and he wore an expression that clearly conveyed his own surprise at the meeting.
"Unlooked for, but not unpleasant," he said in his initial greeting.
"Meant to be, I should think," Elrohir answered. "We were cut short this morning."
"Ada would insist on making everything serious," Elladan added, shaking his head.
"Dull, you mean." Elrohir interrupted.
Aragorn laughed. "Never with you both, though." As he finished, Arwen reached them. The two just exchanged another smile and nod of greeting. Intuitively they both thought it best not to alert either of her brothers as to what had happened the night before.
Elrohir glanced down the road. "So, Rohan, I believe you said this morning?"
Aragorn smiled half-heartedly, knowing his lie had been caught. "You never know... I might end up there." He grinned.
"And we might end up in Lothlorien." Elladan smirked. Aragorn rasied an eyebrow, curious.
"Why there?"
"Playing messenger between the two... it's better than sitting around in Imladris, admittedly."
"Just as beautiful, though."
Elrohir paused, the same mischievous grin resurfacing. "Everything's beautiful there, it seems. Though you could elaborate, I'm sure?" He directed his question to Arwen, who flushed and gave him a nasty look.
Summoning her dignity, Arwen drew back her shoulders and smiled lightly. "You'd do best just to drop the subject."
Elrohir smirked and shrugged, conceding for the moment. He turned back to Aragorn. "Ride with us," he said abruptly. Elladan nodded in agreement.
Aragorn sighed, then dipped his head slightly. Company would be nice, for once, he admitted to himself. "Seeing as I have little agenda elsewhere... lead the way."
The twins grinned and each picked up a canter. Aragorn followed suit, glancing back once to Arwen. She was shaking her head, smiling lightly, but loping after them all the same.
Within a few seconds, that lope was a canter, and then a hand gallop, and then flat out... she passed the twins and settled into an easier rhythm. She wasn't pursued, for Asfaloth had little competition. Aragorn, however, moved his own stallion up a bit, watching her figure disappear around a bend. His trailing thoughts were shaken by the recently renewed banter between the other two elves just ahead of him. Soon he was caught up in their conversation, catching up on the past years and skirting the would-be awkward moments and questions. As long as he could keep that up for the rest of the time... quite the challenge.
----------------------------------
A/N. Okay, well, hey, short is better than nothing, oui? I felt like I didn't have enough dialogue, so I tried to do more in this one... so it ended up being like 75 percent dialogue. Ha ha. Well, whatever. Can't decide whether or not to just plow ahead with my AU-ness and screw up the distance-time thing... apparently it took 7 months from Rivendell to Gondor, and one story I read and loved got completely flamed for that... but I also don't intend on writing every day. Heck, they might be there by the next chapter... will have to think. Opinions? R/R! And once again, my apologies!
(I SPELL CHECKED! And read completely through it! Wow.)