As I promised, just a short wait for chapter 13! Once again, thanks to all of you for reading and to San for editing ((hugs)).
Please keep the reviews coming (responses below).
No enjoy!
Alina
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: Wished they were - but they are not...sigh
Paths Cross
The horse's breath danced in the cold morning air and drifted on the gentle breeze, shrouding Elrohir in a light coat of grey. The elf sat perfectly still as he surveyed the light forest around him. They were close, and he could sense them as surely as if their stinking breaths were gracing his cheek.
He smiled, yet no light touched his stormy eyes. They had stopped to ambush him, hiding upon the slightly raised crests to both sides and forgetting that their horses´ tracks would have given them away even to an elfling.
Humans.
The elf held his sword lightly in his hand and waited. Somewhere deep down he could feel the pain of his wounds, and, even deeper, there was a voice desperately calling for him to release it, to loosen the iron grip he had on himself. He was dimly conscious of the fact that at some point he would have to submit to these calls. Now, however, he could silence them enough to concentrate on his surroundings.
To his right, the bare branches of a tree rustled and some snow slid to the ground with a soft thud. Flapping wings announced the bird that had disturbed the peace, and the beast raised its rough voice as it took to the air, filling the silence with its croaks.
A raven. Elrohir´s head snapped up when he followed the bird´s ascend into the heavens, and he marvelled at the bluish gleam that reflected from the feathers where the rays of the sun graced them. The raven turned its head as if it felt being watched. Smart eyes darted down to meet Elrohir´s, and for a heartbeat their gazes locked.
To both sides of the still elf, horses sprang into action and their riders let out rough screams to announce their willingness to kill, but to the younger twin they were mere shadows now that bore down on him with a promise of darkness.
Not yet taking his eyes off the raven, the elf allowed his sword to snap up just in time to block the first swing at him, and he pushed the horse backwards a few steps to avoid the second. Only then did he let his winged brother out of his sight and turned fully towards his enemies. The smile had not left his lips, and in comparison to it, the winter´s morning was as warm as a summer´s day.
-
Legolas felt guilt nagging at him, and even though he tried hard, he could not chase it from his mind.
He had left Bowder´s house not long ago, whispering to him to take the boy to Imladris as soon as he considered the journey safe. The child had watched Legolas go with silent yearning in his eyes, but he had not given in to his obvious wish to beg the elf to let him come along. Instead, the human had pushed forward his chin in a gesture of defiance and had waved goodbye only for a second before seriously scanning the surroundings of the hut.
The display of honor had touched Legolas´ heart more than he cared to admit to himself. Before he had ridden into Imladris that stormy night that now seemed a lifetime ago and seen the child for the first time, humans had meant little to him.
Oh, he had helped them when he had found them in danger. He had fought them when they posed a threat to his home. There had been awareness in him that the human race could bring forth good and noble people, but he had never held any interest in them. His father had never cared to disclose much information on other races, especially their virtues, and Legolas had not felt the urge to fill this gap on his own. Mirkwood kept her inhabitants busy with more pressing matters.
Yet now, the elf began to wonder.
Before him in the glistening snow, the tracks left by Marhen´s son Slawn stood out starkly against the pure white that surrounded them. The trace was so easy to follow that Legolas had urged his steed into a light canter that was gentle on his injury. He was grateful that Bowder had lent him the horse, for otherwise he knew he would have been exhausted already and would never have had the chance to catch up with the equally mounted human.
The need he had felt to follow the man, whose destination had been a mystery to even to Bowder, had not lessened. There was an air of evil and dread even to the man´s tracks, as if his intentions had stained the snow more surely than the marks of his horse. Something was amiss, and Legolas´ instincts told him that the ambush he had suffered with his warriors was related to the danger at hand.
He had long learned to trust his instincts.
Then why did they tell him that he had been wrong to leave the little boy behind? He could not have taken a child to potential battle, could he?
Suddenly, a croaking call ripped him from his thoughts. Above him, a raven soared through the clear blue sky, its outline as distinct as its voice. The dark bird swooped down as if heading for the elf, then severed to the side to land on one of the snow-clad trees. A shower of white cascaded to the ground, the all was quiet again.
But a black spot now sat within the naked branches. Beady eyes bore into Legolas, and a chill ran down his spine as his dream came rushing back to him.
Ravens.
Ever since his early childhood these beasts had been more than mere birds to him; they had been the shadow of his greatest pain, the reminder of darkness. The secret side to two of his closest friends.
His anxiety grew and when a horse cried out in the distance, he turned that way without thinking twice, leaving Slawn´s tracks behind. The biting clang of steel meeting steel mingled with the animal´s misery. Legolas could not yet see what he was heading for, as the source of the sounds lay beyond a hill and was thus hidden from him, but there was no doubt in his heart that he would find a friend in need.
The rather heavy mare wove her way through the trees as best as she could. Legolas trusted her to find the way and concentrated on retrieving his bow. Even though Bowder had neither saddled the horse nor bridled it, he had equipped the steed with a leather strap used to hook either bags or weapons to. Legolas had been slightly embarrassed at the time that the man had read his current weakness so easily, but now he was grateful as he picked up his bow without straining his wound.
Before him, much closer now, the weakened whinny of the wounded horse rang out again in obvious pain, and the stench of blood filled the air. There was a scream and a thud, and then a second horse neighed in shrill panic. The angry roar of a fighter momentarily drowned the beasts´ noises.
The mare strained and breathed heavily as the ground rose to the small crest, yet once she had crossed it, she easily galloped down through the thinning trees, allowing Legolas to view the scene of battle.
A horse lay upon the snow, its leg twitching with the last agonies of a painful death. The snow beneath it was soggy with blood, the worst possible ground for the dark-haired elf to fight on. Yet there was no choice, for a still mounted man pressed in on him, his sword raining heavy blows upon the elf´s defensively raised blade.
Not far, a second human lay face down, red spreading beneath his unmoving body. A brown horse tried to flee from the battleground, but one of its front legs had somehow gotten entangled with the reins and now it stumbled, going down in a heap.
Legolas pulled his horse to a sudden stop, causing it to slither on the snow before it caught its balance. He recognized the elf as one of Elrond´s twins, but the revelation did not come to any surprise, as he had long sensed whom he would find. His heart beat furiously against his chest as he fought his wish to rush to his friend´s side. Forcing his breath to steady he nocked an arrow to the string and pulled in the same moment that the twin went down.
The dying horse had kicked out blindly, its last throes causing it to turn slightly, and one hoof had caught the elf in the knee. He still managed to partially block the furious stab the rider aimed at him, but the force of the impact drove his blade from his hands.
Legolas let the arrow fly without proper aim, sensing that his time was running out, and grazed the man´s horse across the neck. The steed reared more in shock than pain, and the movement caught the raider by surprise. With a curse, he titled backwards and fell heavily. Free of its burden, the horse raced away, passing the brown steed that still whinnied shrilly as it fought against the rein that bound it.
Retrieving a fresh arrow, Legolas angrily noted the way the pain in his wound slowed his movements. Ignoring the sharp stab it sent through his side, he pulled the bow once more but found he had indeed not been fast enough. Both the human and the elf had risen again, the latter rather unsteadily as he could not put full weight on his injured leg. Even so, the twin was the one to attack. There was no sound from him, but the force of his movements alone sent shivers down Legolas´ spine. He recognized the strength that drove his friend and it froze his heart.
The twin had his back to Legolas, but the wood-elf doubted that his friend would have seen him even had this not been the case. Acutely aware that his aim was not as it usually was, the archer hesitated as the fighters exchanged blows, for the dark elf blocked most of his view on the human. It was obvious though who was winning the battle, for the elf's injuries slowed him enough for his opponent's blade to graze him.
Grinding his teeth, Legolas lowered his bow and fixed his eyes upon the man's head that he could frequently see whenever the elf stumbled or dodged. Taking deep breaths, he allowed his instincts to take over, and when he raised the arrow and let it fly, he was not even aware of having made the decision.
The arrow pierced the air with deadly accuracy, heading straight for the twin's neck, yet this was the human's turn to place a blow. Legolas stared, willing his friend to dodge out of the way and almost calling out with relief when he did. The Mirkwood arrow slightly changed its path when it passed the elf, leaving a red streak on the side of his neck, but then found its mark just above the raider's eye.
The man fell without a word.
For a moment, the world stopped turning. Then the twin slowly sank to his knees, and the brown mare's cries suddenly slapped against Legolas´ ears with ferocity. Pushing his own steed forward, the archer pulled out one of his knives while he rode down the decline. He paused by the fallen horse long enough to reach down and slice the offending rein, setting the poor beast free and thus silencing its cries.
When Legolas slid down his steed at the other elf´s side, his legs surprised him by giving way and he knelt as well, staring at the twin with tense anticipation. Not speaking, the wood-elf waited for his friend to show any sign of recognition, but Elrond´s son sat with his head bowed, his dark hair hiding his face.
Just when Legolas reached out with one hand, tentatively trying to touch the other´s arm, the raven returned. Its croaks drifted down towards them from the skies, and the twin slowly raised his face to blankly stare up where the bird circled above them.
When he finally registered the elf before him, the dullness in his gaze began to fade. A fire burned beneath his exhaustion, and it now fought to gain control again. Very slowly, the dark elf´s fingers curled around the hilt of the sword that lay by his side in the snow. The pale features hardened with fierce anger, and the glow in the fiery eyes would have been enough to chill any warrior to the bone.
Legolas, however, did not flinch. He had seen this gaze before, more than once, and he remembered well the day he had run from it in horror. Today, he would not turn away.
Dropping the knife he still held in his right hand, he ignored the growing tension in the twin and reached across to gently cup the other´s cheek.
"Iston nîf-cîn" (I know your face,) he said quietly, "isto chen hi, Elrohir." (Know yourself now, Elrohir.)
The grey eyes that bore into Legolas´ blue ones slowly softened, and the bloodied fingers released the sword. A single tear slid down the grimy face, leaving in its wake a path that showed the glowing white skin underneath.
Legolas smiled softly. "Hannon-le" (Thank you) he breathed, "hannon-le estel-cîn." (Thank you for your trust.)
Elrohir´s eyes cleared further at these words, and a note of alarm appeared in them. His hand shot out and grabbed Legolas by the arm. "Estel!" the wounded elf exclaimed, "where is he? Where is my brother, Legolas?"
-
Above them, the raven watched the two elves that kneeled upon the bloody snow. Neither yet realized that a rider was heading for them from the east, cold breath dancing around him as the horse laboured through the snow.
Doubting from experience that the elves would long ignore him should he try to feed on the dead, the bird shifted its wings and headed away from the first-born. Flapping its wings, the raven sped up. Beneath him, the tracks the blond elf had left when he came to the other's aid ran further towards the east where they met with several others, but the bird paid no heed.
On the raven flew until it could make out the smoke that rose from a small house that lay nestled in the deeper woods. The bird had fed here before, and it was not disappointed today, either, when it made out the left-overs of a rabbit in the snow. The human had skinned it and taken away the meat, but there was plenty of innards left to ravage upon.
The raven settled down with its meal, angrily chasing away the smaller crows that tried to get their share, when a sudden noise caused the great bird to take flight again. Staring down, he saw a group of humans heading towards the hut. They pushed their mounts forward at an angry speed, and the weapons they held spoke of their intentions.
Annoyed, the raven turned and headed into the wilds. Where there were humans there was no peace to be had.
TBC
Review responses:
Romen: Yes, I would have liked to see the twins, too. I always sort of assumed that they are the ones re-forging Anduril in the movie... Legolas certainly is not happy having left Estel behind, trouble is sure to follow (both of them, that is)
Aranna Undomiel: Quite right - and yes, they almost DID have Elrohir back, that was tough luck (or a mean writer, hehe). I´m very glad that you continue to enjoy the tale.
QuinlanRamsey: Thank you - yes, good thing that there are some effective "teams" around, lol. I´m very happy you liked that sentence about Estel, because I always figured that his heritage would already shine though, so to speak.
Roguish Smile: ;-) I don´t think Elladan would object against his beloved twin having a fan in you, lol. Sadly, there will be trouble for the family...
NightShadow131: Hehe, happy you liked the wife. I was pretty sure that Legolas is not at all used to being talked to in such a fashion. You are right about the pain, sorry about that (waves an apology in the direction of the characters) - but I just cannot help it...
HarryEstel: Yes! He ran into half of the twins, so to speak, so you were right hands out cookie And a (late) Happy Valentines´ Day to you, too!
Red Tigress: Lol, at some point the dog will kick (or rather: bite) some arse... Of course more Legolas angst, I never run out of it...
Victorious Light: Thank you! You are quite right about the trouble - and keep looking for the strawberry, it will return (and have its own part to play).
Thank you all - you are great!