Title: Delw yomenie (Deadly encounter)

Characters: All Peredhels, mainly Strider, Legolas……and something/someone deadly….

Timeline: Before FOTR

Rating: T (!)

Warnings: Cruelty and maniacal behaviour. WIP.

Summery: Our Middle-Earth friends encounter something deadly…..

Feedback: YES! Please!

A/N: Many thanks to Trini for ther beta!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the works of Tolkien. Neither books, nor movies. I just borrow them and try to give them back in one piece later. I make no money with this story. Please, do not sue me.

Chapter 17 – Arrows and swords

Time stood still. The arrow flew through the air, bringing the death to whomever it would imbed itself in. An elvish arrow never missed from such a distance and shot at a target such as this.

The scream of denial, of horror and pain that rose in Elrond´s throat never left his mouth as the pain of what he had done had robbed him of his voice. Now, as the arrow flew and he took a closer look, he saw that his son's hands were bound behind his back and that Estel had not voluntarily left the cover. In the bright light of the same bolt of lightening that had reflected in his son´s eyes, Elrond could clearly see the silver tip of a sword being pressed at his son's unprotected back.

The Lord of Rivendell needed only the split of second to take this all in and to simultaneously feel his heart cramp in his chest. What had he done?

His eyes widening in sheer pain, Elrond watched helplessly as Estel locked eyes with him, as if he had always known that his foster father had been standing in that tree. Estel had obviously seen the arrow race towards him, because he looked at it briefly, then back at his father, all in a fraction of the same second and then, a small smile flittered over his tired face.

Then, the arrow hit.

Time seemed to speed up again as the arrow with the green fletching of Imladris, mingled with the silver stripes of the House of Elrond, found its mark. But if it had been the helping hand of the Valar or if Elrond had suspected to see his son step from behind the rocks and this unconscious thought had led his hand to change the direction, no one would ever know. But for the first time in many millennia, the Lord of Imladris had missed his mark. Not completely, though.

The arrow that had been meant to kill the human on the spot, piercing his heart and freeing the soul, was now embedded within the ranger's left upper arm, stopped by the bone and therefore not going through cleanly.

Elrond watched as his son was propelled backwards a bit by the force of the projectile, only to be pushed back almost instantly by the human hunter that walked behind him. His son's face was pale and to Elrond's fear already covered in bruises and with his elven sight, the healer in him was able to tell that his foster son had a fever, as the slight red tinge to his cheeks indicated.

Being pushed forwards by a rude hand and a sharp blade, Elrond saw how his son set his jaw, not even looking at the arrow in his arm, but instead at the ground before him, before he lifted his gaze again to take a look at his surroundings, searching the trees for other elves beside his father, his eyes brightening only imperceptible as he saw the many warriors that stayed hidden in the trees. Another human might not have seen them, but as Estel had grown up in Imladris, he knew what he had to look for. The small rustling of leaves, the little waving of branches, tiny twigs that fell to the ground, a bit of green here and a bit of brown there. Yes, the ranger definitely knew what he had to look for.

With fear still in his heart and overwhelming horror and guilt at what he had done crushing his soul, Elrond watched how his son walked the short way from the rocks to the space directly between the trees the elves sat in and the boulders the human's hid behind, standing now in the line of elven and human fire.

The other human, a white haired tall man with strange eyes walked directly behind Estel, the tip of his shining broadsword pressed at the ranger's back. Elrond had never seen this human before, but from what he had heard from the twins and later from Legolas, this must be the hunter that had been in his home, the human who had kidnapped his son; the leader presumably.

Thunder boomed in the stillness that had settled over the scene, shaking the tree Elrond stood in. Feeling his trusted advisor Glorfindel tense beside him, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. Whatever was going to happen, he needed to have a clear mind right now.

When Estel had stopped in the middle of the space that covered the distance between elves and hunters, the man behind him pressed the blade deeper, making him flinch slightly as he felt the cold steel slice through his tunic and touch the tender skin of his back. Placing his free hand on the ranger's left shoulder, the hunter used the youngest Elrondion as cover as he looked up at the trees. After searching for a moment or two, his eyes finally found the tall figure of the elven Lord. Dagnir might not have been a ranger, but as a hunter he also knew what to look for when searching for elves.

Looking directly at Elrond, who still stood as if rooted to the tree on a high branch, the captain of the hunters said more than just a bit sarcastically: "Greetings, Master elf. I can't say it is a pleasure to meet you. You come unexpected. May I ask what lead you here?"

Elrond was sure that the human below did not expect an answer. But on the other hand the elf Lord did not even understand why that human was talking to him. Why he was here? For him the only cause for his presence was to rescue his sons and to make sure that Legolas was alright, to see that his sons would be home soon, safe and sound, all of them.

As soon as the Lord of the elven haven had laid eyes on the captain, his senses had started to ring, telling him that he could not trust the human. Of course not, Elrond thought, that human had not only injured Legolas but also kidnapped my son. But deep inside he felt that there was more to it, that the hunter below was only waiting for him to do something that would then cause the hunter to react. Not wanting to play the hunter's game and not willing to give away that they had read the letter sent to them by the Prince, he said nothing. Too soon he realized his mistake.

Helplessly he watched as the white haired human slid his hand from his son's shoulder, only to grab the arrow that still protruded from Estel's upper arm, twist the shaft and then pull it out cruelly. The mighty elven Lord saw as his son closed his eyes from the pain, his face becoming even paler and his jaw set in a grim line to keep himself from crying out.

Elrond was only dimly aware that Glorfindel had grabbed him by the arm, holding him back and therewith hindering him from jumping from the branch and onto the earth. Soft elvish words reached his ears: "Elrond, daro! (Stop!). It won't help Estel. Stay calm, mellon nin (my friend)." Feeling his friend's grip tighten on his arm, Elrond nodded slightly. Aye, he needed to stay calm, even if it was hard to do so.

When his eyes focused again on the scene before him, he saw that the hunter stood still behind his son, the arrow held before his ashen face. With his keen elven hearing Elrond had no problem understanding the words that left the captain's mouths, nor his son's reply.

"If I remember correctly, ranger, we've had that already, seems you make a habit out of it."

"Let's switch places for a change and see how you'd like it," Estel answered.

The captain only smiled cruelly, and then he flung the blood smeared arrow onto the ground. Looking up to the trees once more he said, louder this time, his voice void of all emotion except hate and anger: "We make a deal, elf, " Dagnir spat that last word as if it was poison, "you let us go and I will not kill this scum here," he said, shaking Estel slightly for emphasis.

Elrond felt how the tiny hairs on his neck stood on end. They have had "that" already? What were they talking about? And how, in Elbereth name, dared this hunter talk about his son?

The Lord's first question was soon to be answered, as he took a closer look at his human son and saw the red stain on the ranger's leg and noticed also that Estel had taken off some of his weight from his injured leg, standing bent slightly to the left. But before the elf had found an answer to his second question, or to that of the captain, a soft hiss reached his ears.

Dagnir had pressed his hand around Estel's upper arm, adding pressure to the new arrow wound and making the warm blood flow more freely down the ranger's arm, making the youngest Elrondion flinch at the pain. It was all the father in Elrond needed to make a decision.

"Do I have your word?"

The captain, still holding on to his captive's arm, showed a full fledged smile, his eyes gleaming evilly in the darkness, making his face look unnatural.

"Aye, elf. You have my word. You let us go and I will not kill the ranger."

Nodding, the Lord of Imladris agreed: "Then it is settled."

Elrond watched how the hunter that had used his own son as a shield whispered something into the ranger's ear, before letting Estel's arm go and walking back to the rocks, all the time facing the trees and therewith the elven warriors.

Estel stood still, albeit on slightly unsteady feet, his back to the hunter. Then he turned his eyes upwards to meet the dark brown ones of his father. When their gazed locked, the ranger shook his head slowly and almost invisibly, indicating that something was not as it should be.

Frowning, Elrond tried to figure out what it was that his son was trying to tell him. He knew that he could not trust the hunter, but what should he have done? The Lord of Imladris had no doubt that the captain would have killed his son on the spot, no matter the consequences. He could not risk his human son's life. Or the lives of the twins, for that matter, as he could neither see neither Elladan nor Elrohir, although he knew from the other elven warriors that they had been with the party of riders.

Watching the hunter retreat, Elrond sent a quick prayer to the Valar that his decision had been right and that none of his sons would be hurt, or worse, killed.

Xoxoxoxo

Legolas watched from behind his log how the human captain, Dagnir, whispered something into his friend's ear, only to walk back to the rocks the next moment, leaving Estel alone in the middle of the small space that separated the rocks from the trees in which the elves stood in.

From his place behind the large log, the archer had a perfect view on the scene before him and furthermore, he was even able to see some of the human hunters behind the boulders, although he had not been able to shoot one of them.

Pressing his body flat against the fallen tree, the Prince held his breath and watched the captain retreat even further, unhindered by either elves or the other hunters. The trees around him whispered of evil, but Legolas paid it no heed, his concentration was solely directed at the form of his friend and the human hunter.

The wind rushed through his long blond hair, playing with it for a moment and letting it fly into Legolas' face. Irritated, the Mirkwood Prince used his free hand to wipe a few strands of hair out of his line of vision. When he next looked at the scene before him, his heart skipped a beat.

Without so much as a second thought, he jumped from behind the log and raced towards his human friend as fast as his tired legs would carry him, screaming "no" in his head all over again, not having the breath to scream aloud. It could not be true, no, not now, not when they all were so close to being rescued.

Thunder growled above him and lightening flashed at the sky. He saw how Estel turned his head to look at him, a look of utter disbelief and confusion in his eyes. Mobilizing his last strength and propelling himself forward, he slammed into Estel, sending them both crashing to the ground.

The same moment Legolas slammed into his friend, a black arrow hit the earth at exactly the same spot where the ranger had stood only a heartbeat before. Both friends simultaneously turned their heads into the direction of the hunter's captain. Dagnir cursed loudly, then turned on his heels and ran, seeking shelter behind the rocks. And there, behind the boulders, the tall second-in-command stood, bow in hand and already notching a second arrow.

Neither Legolas nor Estel heard Lord Elrond's and Lord Glorfindel's yelled command, as the clouds decided in this moment to open and heavy and thick rain fell to the ground, drenching everything within seconds and reducing the vision to a few feet; heavy thunder sounded right above them, deafening the earth and drowning the screams and yells that followed. The storm had been set free.

Xoxoxoxo

Elrond watched how a green shadow flew over the ground, a blond shimmer trailing behind it. He saw how Legolas threw himself towards his son and how both crashed to the hard ground. Wondering what had caused Legolas to so such a thing and asking himself in the same second where the blond archer had come from, he nearly jumped when the soft thud of an arrow hitting the wet grass met his ears.

There, right where his human son had stood, a black arrow protruded from the ground, the shaft still quivering. Lifting his own bow and pulling the string tight, he saw how the captain turned and tried to flee, another human standing behind the rocks, bow in hand and trying to notch another arrow. Elrond heard himself yell and was not surprised to hear his advisor give the same command: "Gurth an gyth vin! (Death to our foes!)"

The sky opened up, showering them with rain and dimming the light even further. Soon, the air was thick with elvish arrows. Grimly, Elrond was aware that the human hunter had not even broken his word. "I will not kill the ranger", the hunter had said, and he had not, but the captain had let his fellow hunter do it.

It was all the same to Elrond. All that mattered now was to get his sons and Legolas to safety. Therefore, he shot arrow after arrow through the rain, not really seeing at what he was aiming or if his arrow flew true. A pained cry from the other side was all that he needed to proceed and let arrow after arrow fly into the storm.

Xoxoxoxo

Rain plastered his hair onto his skin and fell into his eyes, making his vision blur. But perhaps it was blurry because of the pain that radiated through his whole body, starting at his leg and straight up to his pounding head. He felt awful and the weight on his chest made breathing not easier.

Taking another hurtful breath, he silently spoke, a hint of humor in his drained voice: "If you don't mind, Legolas, would you please get off of me?"

To Estel's amusement, the blond archer whipped his head down to him, so fast that Estel wondered for a short moment if Legolas' neck would crack with the movement. Big blue eyes found his own, filled with concern and relief, worry and joy, all at the same time.

As Legolas only stared at him, his jaw dropped slightly, the ranger lifted one elegant eyebrow. Breathing became more difficult with every moment, as his chest felt crushed and his broken rib hurt fiercely, but he would never tell his friend. As it was, Legolas had just saved his life and Estel felt enormous joy well up inside of him at the sight of his friend. His friend was alive, he was with him and he was well. Although he was forcing the air out of his lungs.

Startled, the elf lay still for another moment and then, with the speed of the elves, pushed himself off of his friend, only to kneel beside him and give him a worried look. "Estel, are you alright? Amin hiraeth (I am sorry)."

Before the ranger could reply, an arrow whizzed past them, embedding itself into the trunk of a tree not that far away from them. Lightening crashed down, hitting a nearby tree, sending sparks down onto the earth, but the fire was instantly extinguished by the heavy rain.

Not wasting any more time, Legolas drew one of his ebony handled daggers and swiftly cut the rope that bound the ranger's hands to his back. Estel righted himself into a sitting position, weakly massaging his wrists; it was all he could do, as his right arm was stiff from the cold and the lack of use, where his left arm was in agony. What the hungry flames of the fire had not devoured, the arrow had injured. But Estel would never blame his foster father. Never, because he knew that Elrond would never in his long eternal life injure him on purpose.

A muffled yelp of pain floated through the rain to their ears, indicating that another elvish arrow had flown true. Legolas and Estel looked at each other, the same worries and fears plain to see in their eyes. They stood, helping each other as they did so. The human turned and walked the few steps to one of the dead hunters that had been one of the first victims in this fight, felled by an elvish arrow. Bending down and wincing as he did, the ranger took the sword the rider had carried. He would need a weapon and as he could not handle a bow with his injured arm, a sword was the best alternative.

And, Estel thought, he was more familiar with a sword, as he had preferred this weapon since he was a small child and had watched his brothers during one of their training lessons. Gripping the handle of the broadsword tightly and wiping soaked hair out of his eyes with the other hand, although it hurt fiercely to do so, Estel turned around to face the archer.

Legolas' blond hair was dripping with rain, the blond warrior braids long gone. His green tunic was muddy and torn in several places, his face pale and marred by some scratches where twigs and branches had hit him. But in Legolas' big, blue eyes, as clear and sparkling as the night sky in a cloudless and star bright winters night, reflected the same determination that Estel felt.

In unison they turned and ran as fast as their maltreated bodies would allow them. They ran in the direction of the rocks. There was a score to settle and two elves and one adan child to rescue.

Xoxoxoxo

Elladan had been helpless and had only been able to watch how the captain had grabbed his human brother, after sharing some quick words with the other hunter, only to push him out of the cover of the rocks and into open terrain. He had seen how the other tall human, Bauglir, had shoved Elrohir into the arms of one of his fellow hunters and had then grabbed his bow, notched an arrow and waited.

Not able to see what was going on on the other side of the stone formation, the older twin had tried to listen to everything that had been said, flinching sympathetically when he heard his human brother hiss in pain. As he had not been able to see how his father's arrow had hit his brother, he had no idea of what had happened, but assumed that Dagnir had hurt his brother somehow.

As the tall second-in-command had straightened and loosened an arrow, Elladan had known that something had gone wrong. The captain came running and cursing, throwing himself behind the rocks for cover as the heavy rain poured down from the gray sky. The older twin knew not what had happened, but it was apparent that whoever the arrow had been meant for had not been hit. And Elladan had little doubt as to the intended mark.

Muffled through the sheet of rain and the thunder that shook the earth, the older twin could barely make out the yelled command, but he was sure that it had been his father's voice that had uttered the battle cry. Hope flickered in his heart and when he looked at his twin he saw the same hope reflected in Elrohir's. Indeed, their father had come with the elven warriors to rescue them.

But their hope did not burn long as the captain of the hunters, as soon as he had reached safety, barked out a command to Bauglir. "Come, we need to go, hurry. Leave the others!" And with that, without a second glance back to ensure that his second-in-command was heeding his orders, Dagnir rushed to Elrohir's side and without warning slammed the hilt of his sword into the side of the younger twin's head, knocking him out cold.

As Elrohir crumpled to the ground, no sound leaving his lips, his eyes closed, the captain grabbed the child out of the limp elf's arms, turned and ran to the trees that flanked this side of the mountains.

Elladan, too shocked to react, saw how his twin fell to ground, blood oozing from a gash at his head, almost at the same spot where he had been injured by the wolf some days ago. The rain that pounded down mingled with the blood, making it look more than it really was, but Elladan spared no thought at that. All that he saw was his brother, bleeding and unconscious on the wet ground.

As he rose to his feet to help his twin, a dark figure blocked his way, tall and wet, a bow in the one and a sword in the other hand. Before he knew what was happening, the tall hunter slashed out with his sword and it was only because of his long years of training that Elladan managed to escape the sharp blade.

Stumbling backwards a few feet, the older twin looked at the hunter's face and almost flinched as realization hit him. There before him stood Bauglir, Dagnirs cruel second-in-command. And it seemed that the man was not so eager to follow his captain's orders to leave, as he swung his sword again, this time at Elladan's midsection.

With his hands still bound in front of him, all the elf could do was try to escape the blow. Jumping to the side and bending his body back, the blade missed his chest and only sliced through his tunic and not his skin.

Furiously, Bauglir advanced again, his eyes mad with anger and his sword raised. Panic rose in the older twin. How was he to escape? What could he do?

When the hunter aimed another blow at the elf, Elladan stepped back, but as the ground was by now drenched in rain, he slipped on the wet grass, landing heavily on his back.

Within a second the tall human towered over him, grinning evilly, the bow abandoned and the sword held in both hands high over his head, ready to strike. Lighting crashed down, reflecting on the deadly blade, rain dripped from the sword onto the ground. Watching powerlessly as the blade came down, Elladan closed his eyes, praying to the Valar that his end would be swift and that his brothers and Legolas would be spared the same fate.

Another clap of thunder, a painful gurgling sound and then a heavy weight that fell on the elf, pressing the air out of his lungs and crushing him, surely breaking every bone in his slender body. He lay unmoving, almost not daring to breathe, his eyes still closed. He felt the rain pour onto his face and the wet grass below him soaking his clothing. Then, as he was sure that the weight on his chest would crush him into tiny little pieces, he felt the weight being lifted from his body.

Still not opening his eyes, but filling his lungs with the much needed air, Elladan felt how someone kneeled in the mud beside him and then placed a cold but slender hand at his cheek. Blinking, the oldest Elrondion opened his eyes, rain obscuring his vision. When his vision had cleared enough to recognize the person kneeling beside him, his heart jumped in relief.

"Legolas! You're here? Are you alright?" Smiling the blond archer replied: "Aye, it is me. And yes, I am well." As if to underline his words, he reached out and helped Elladan into a sitting position, then, in the same fluid motion onto his feet.

Nodding his thanks to Legolas, Elladan's eyes widened at what he saw directly before him. Because there, laying in the mud and being drenched in rain water, eyes open in disbelief and mouth slightly open in a silent gasp, lay Bauglir, the evil hunter that had hurt his brother so often. One of Legolas' yellow fletched arrows was protruding from the man's neck; it must have killed him instantly. For Elladan, the death of this man had come too quickly and too painlessly, but it gladdened his heart that the hunter had found his end.

Turning his head in the direction of his twin the elf wanted to make sure that Elrohir was alright and that the blow to his head had not been serious. As he did so, another wave of relief washed over his senses.

Stumbling forward, he fell to his knees beside his twin and threw his still bound arms over his human brother's head - as the ranger had knelt down to check Elrohir over while Legolas freed Elladan - hugging him fiercely, for the moment forgetting Estel's injuries. Tears of joy mingled with the rain that ran down Elladan's cheek.

Everything was going to be alright now. When that hunter had forced his little human brother to stand up and leave the cover of the rocks, Elladan had thought that that had been the last time that he had seen Estel alive. But here he was, alive and well. They were together, Bauglir was dead, they alive and surely Elrohir would be alright also, it just had to be so. Hiding his face in his human brother's shoulder, Elladan muffled something incomprehensible, but he did not care. To see Legolas and Estel beside him, both alive was all that he had wanted.

Not willing to release his brother so soon, Estel partially needed to force the elf to release him. Grabbing his brother's shoulders gently, he drew a bit away so that he was able to look into his brother's face. Large wet eyes greeted his own and the ranger could not suppress the smile that stole itself on his face. He sighed softly, still holding eye contact with Elladan, and when he was sure that his older brother had pulled himself together sufficiently, he asked jokingly: "Elladan, may I have my neck back, please?"

All the elf could do was grin back at his brother, relief evident on his face. Nodding, he lifted his arms from his brother's shoulder, releasing Estel, who immediately slumped forwards a bit as the support of the elf was withdrawn.

Blinking against the heavy rain and suppressing a wince, the ranger took the sword that he had taken from the dead hunter and cut the bonds around the older twin's wrists, freeing the elf. When Elladan was freed, he leaned closer to Estel and watched him concerned. It had not gone unnoticed by the elf that his brother had slumped forwards, nor the new traces of fresh blood that stained the left sleeve of the ranger's tunic.

"Estel, are you alright?"

"I will be, Elladan. I will be. Now let's get our brother out of the rain and to shelter." Only now did Elladan notice that the grass they were sitting on had turned into mud that slowly seeped into Elrohir's clothes and that numerous arrows still flew through the air. Not all of the hunters had fled, some were still fighting against the elven warriors of Imladris, but the humans were so occupied with saving their own lives that they did not care about the former captives.

Nodding to Estel, Elladan took Elrohir's arms while Legolas took the elf's legs, as the ranger had not the strength to do so, and together they carried the still unconscious elf to the shelter of some high boulders, out of the direct line of fire and partially safe from the pouring rain. Placing the younger twin gently on the ground and settling his head onto Elladan's lap, Estel took another look at the head wound his brother had sustained.

Through all the blood and the rain water it was difficult to tell whether the wound was serious, but as the elf had not stirred yet, the ranger suspected that Elrohir had at the very least a bad concussion. He felt the skull as good as he could with only one good hand and sighed in relief as he felt no fracture.

Looking up, his eyes met Elladan's and he answered unasked his brother's unspoken question: "I think he will be well, but I will feel better after ada has taken a look at him." Again, a look of relief washed over Elladan's face. The elf's hand was stroking his twin's brow, in very much the same way Elrohir had done only a few nights ago for Estel.

An arrow scraped the rock that they were sitting behind, alerting the friends of reality once more. There was still a fight to fight. The older twin watched as Legolas shouldered his bow and took out his ebony handled daggers, the hilts gleaming in the lightning, the archer's blond hair wet and clinging to his shoulders. When Legolas shared a determined look with Estel and both nodded, the ranger gripping the hilt of his broadsword tighter, Elladan felt despair in his heart.

As another arrow whizzed past them, the blond archer gave the oldest Elrondion a promising look, then ducked and sprinted out of the shelter and back to the fight. Estel looked at his friend's retreating back and then to his older brother, a look of sorrow on his face.

Taking a deep breath and looking deep into the elf´s big eyes, he said softly: "I have to go, Elladan."

Breathing deeply and smiling one of those smiles that do not reach ones eyes, Elladan answered silently: "Iston, gwanur (I know, brother). Be careful." Estel nodded and, after another look at Elrohir, he turned and followed the Prince into the rain and the storm.

Yes, Elladan thought, I know that you have to go, Estel. I would do the same. But please, little brother, come back to me. Come back to us. I have not gone this long way to find you only to lose you again.

Cradling his still twin tighter against his strong chest, the elf proceeded to stroke his brother's dark hair, keeping him protected from the storm and the deadly arrows, whispering soothing words of comfort to him. And deep inside he hoped and prayed that the night would pass without another one of his family or friends being wounded or worse, killed. Elladan was not sure if he would be able bare it.

End of chapter 17

Tbc….

The next chapter is called " The Chase"

Another short remark: Many thanks to all the kind reviews. It seemes I have found the magic key. Get the ranger and the archer into a deadly situation and then end at a very nasty cliffy. They will hate you for doing it, but they will review to you! He he. Anyway, it was a really long day today and I am quite tired. So, no personal reviews today. Amin hiraetha. But, to make up for this, the next chapter will be up tomorrow as soon as my coffee machine works. :-)