Author's Note: Reviewer Responses are going out right after I post this chapter. Thank you everyone for sticking with me through this story and my untimelyness with updating. And I realized a bit earlier that I am really beating up Elladan in both my stories. Heehee, poor baby…not! Anyway, enjoy! Oh and, Viviana for some reason I think the email may not get to you because it was bounced back at me last time or it may get to you this time. Hope it does. Spades
(I)(I)(I)
Elladan blinked as he emerged from his sleep to find the sun peaking over the horizon. Sitting up, he looked to where Aragorn stood with his arms crossed cross his chest and staring at the sunrise. Elladan moved to Aragorn's side and watched the sunrise with his brother.
"Sometimes I forget how beautiful a sunrise can be," Aragorn murmured and took a deep breath.
"Aye, they are a sight to behold. Today should be a good traveling day if we continue to move quickly."
Aragorn nodded and turned his head to look at the two elves sleeping behind them.
"Should we wake them?"
"I thought Elrohir was taking the second shift?"
Aragorn shrugged before answering. "I woke up and could not sleep afterwards so I took the watch after Legolas. I do not think Elrohir will mind."
"We shall see when he wakes up," Elladan chuckled and turned to waken his brother.
Aragorn grinned and walked to Legolas' side. Kneeling by Legolas, Aragorn watched the elf's eyes for a sign when the elf woke. Aragorn knew to never try and physically wake an elf; especially one that he wasn't very close to. He could gently touch Elrond to wake him up but Elrond did not need to be wary at home. One time when he touched a sleeping Elladan on the arm, he had quickly felt a dagger pressed against his throat. From then on he had been wary near a sleeping elf.
"Legolas," Aragorn said softly and saw the elf's eyes clear immediately. "Time to be moving on."
Legolas blinked as he sat up and watched as Aragorn stood and moved back from the elf. Aragorn quickly packed up and tied everything to the horses. He avoided Elrohir as they broke down the rest of the camp and mounted. Legolas watched Estel silently and continued to evaluate what he had learned so far of the adopted son of Elrond. He was actually feeling a form of friendship growing from seeing how close the twins were to this human. He smiled faintly upon seeing Elrohir berate his human brother for taking his shift. Could he really learn to be friends with a human? The descendent of Isildur? The man who was the cause of the deepening shadow at his home. Legolas nudged his horse faster and trotted up beside the human. Elrohir glanced at Legolas and slowed his horse until reaching his twin's side. Aragorn looked at the blond haired elf that rode by his side.
"Yes, Master Elf?" he asked and watched as Legolas slipped his bow from his shoulder.
"I find myself in a quandary, Strider."
Aragorn raised an eyebrow and waited for the elf to explain.
"And what quandary would that be?"
"I find myself starting to like you and I wonder how that can be."
Aragorn was silent for a moment as he thought over the comment. "Is that a compliment, Master Elf? Or should I be insulted?"
"I believe it is a compliment, Estel," Elrohir said from behind the two.
"Ah, I see. Well, my friends are few and far between. Most find it too dangerous to be friends with a Ranger. Are you willing to take that chance?" Aragorn asked and glanced over at Legolas.
"From what I have seen so far…yes. I am willing to take the chance."
Aragorn chuckled and guided his horse down a slope. "I hope you are ready for an adventure. Being my friend is never boring."
"I look forward to it."
Elrohir glanced over to Elladan and brightly smiled. The four new friends rode through the rest of the day until two hours past dark. The town was in sight but no movement was visible from the outskirts. They stopped their horses on the outskirts and stayed there silently as Aragorn slouched in the saddle. He stared at the small village in thought before quietly sighing.
"Do you want to go in now, Estel? Or wait until morning?" Elladan asked and glanced over at his brother.
"Now…the townsfolk may be injured. I do not know of what Nasin is capable of," Aragorn murmured and nudged his horse forward.
Everyone flanked Aragorn as they rode towards the town in silence. It looked like a ghost town as they rode down the main street of the town slowly. Every elf had an arrow notched in their bow and eyed each corner and shadow. A dog padded across the street and stopped to look at the visitors before scurrying off. Aragorn flexed his grip on his sword's handle and felt a chill run up his spine. They stopped in the center of town and looked around.
"Nasin! Where do you hide?" Aragorn yelled and the elves flinched at the sudden loud noise.
Silence responded to Aragorn's cry as everyone looked around. Elladan's bow came up in a blink of an eye as he sighted a movement in a doorway.
"So, you have come out from hiding, Strider. Your father must be so proud of you."
A man stepped out from the shadows of a building holding a sword at his side. Aragorn laid a hand on Elladan's forearm and glanced to his brother. A small shake of his head made Elladan lower his bow but kept it ready. Aragorn turned his attention back to Nasin and took a calming breath.
"Where are the townspeople, Nasin?"
"Somewhere where they will not interfere with our conversation."
"What do you want?"
"You know what I want. You killed my son and I want revenge. You took my boy away."
"I killed him but your son was taken away by someone else. He was possessed by the Nazgul and nothing could have helped him," Aragorn soothed as his horse shifted under him.
"My son was not possessed! You lie to save your own life!"
"My brother does not lie!" Elrohir snapped and Aragorn shot the elf a glance.
"You and I, Strider! Here and now, so I can kill you," Nasin snarled and pointed the blade tip at Aragorn.
"If that is what will solve this, Nasin."
Aragorn slipped from his horse and pulled off his coat to drape it over the saddle. Glancing to Elladan, Aragorn moved towards the center of the street. Nasin followed as each man eyed each other warily. Legolas looked to Elladan and saw the Noldor's jaw muscle flex. He could see that neither Elladan nor Elrohir were very happy about the current arrangement.
Aragorn glanced back at the twins and Legolas as the elves watched. "Do not interfere."
The two brothers growled softly as Aragorn faced Nasin again. He drew his sword and held it ready. The two men tapped swords to signify start. Nasin swung out with the sword making Aragorn jump back out of the sword's range. Aragorn parried to next stroke and danced aside to stay in the open. Nasin was a better swordsman than Aragorn first anticipated as he blocked several more attacks. Aragorn knocked aside Nasin's sword but didn't see the older man's fist snap up. The blow snapped Aragorn's head back and he instantly tasted blood on his tongue. The blow dazed him just long enough for Nasin to knock the sword from his hand. Aragorn ducked under Nasin's arm and dove for his sword. Just as his hand closed around the sword's handle, he heard an orc cry and the sound of arrows leaving bows. He heard the elves yelling as he grabbed the hilt. An arrow buried into his forearm and he screamed as another pierced his calf. Looking around, he saw a whole horde of orcs and goblins storming the town numbering about forty. Elrohir was bleeding from a cut on his cheek, Elladan was bleeding heavily from an arrow in his abdomen and Legolas had an arrow in his right upper chest. A shadow fell over him and his free hand grabbed the sword from his hand and blocked Nasin's blade. He sliced low and felt the blade go through the other man's ankles. When Nasin fell, Aragorn dropped his sword and reached up to draw the arrow out. It came out with one jerk as he gritted his teeth. Moving awkwardly, he jerked the arrow from his calf and tossed it aside.
Getting to his feet, he killed the nearest orc and turned to the next one. His wounds bled freely as he fought several more orcs. He eventually found himself down another street and all the orcs were dead. Leaning against a building, he wiped the blood from his sword and paused for a moment before pushing away from the wall.
"Elladan?" he yelled and limped onto the main street.
He counted the number of dead orcs and knew instantly that there weren't enough orc bodies. Tracks led out of the village so the other orcs must have ran from the village.
"Elrohir?" he yelled and stopped to listen.
"I am here," a rough voice responded and coughed.
Aragorn limped to where Elrohir was slowly sitting up. He shoved a dead orc off his legs and carefully stood up before looking around. The horses had originally scattered when the orcs attacked but they were slowly approaching again. Nasin's body was about seven feet away and his head was about twelve feet away. Aragorn grimaced and continued to look around for Legolas and Elladan.
"I do not see either of them," Aragorn muttered and limped down the street.
"They must be here," Elrohir replied and moved around the street looking for his brother and friend.
Biting his lip, Aragorn limped into the building Nasin had come out of. It was a small goods shop that sold soap, parchment, lamps and other individual items. Taking the burning lamp from the counter, he moved through the building and eventually found a securely locked the door. The sign on the door said "Cellar/Storage" and Aragorn unlocked the two locks. Opening the door, he held the lamp aloft to illuminate several upturned faces.
"Strider!" a voice from the back of the crowd cried.
"Valina?" Aragorn asked as a figure moved up the steps and through the crowd.
Valina was Girath's older sister that had, Aragorn thought, been getting married. He wondered if the marriage had actually been completed. He saw the bright red hair first before the young woman came into view.
"Where is Nasin?" she questioned and looked over the bloody Ranger.
"Nasin is dead. While we were battling a horde of orcs stormed the city. Tell the men they need to find weapons and search the village. Is anyone injured?"
"A little roughed up but nothing serious," Valina replied and ushered everyone out of the cellar.
"Valina, one of my brothers and another elf are missing. Tell the men to look for both of them, please," Aragorn whispered to the woman and she nodded.
"I will. Are you going to the Healer's Office?"
"Yes, to patch myself up before I collapse from blood loss," he weakly grinned.
Valina was giving the men instructions when Aragorn limped from the store and moved towards the Healer's building. Elrohir joined his side as he crossed the street and opened the door.
"I could not find either of them," Elrohir said softly and lit a few other lamps to illuminate the room.
"Marvelous. The orcs must have taken them. We will follow in the morning," Aragorn said and opened a cabinet to collect herbs and bandages.
"Aye, it is too late to travel now and track them," Elrohir muttered but Aragorn could hear how much he disliked the idea.
"Elrohir, come and help me with my wounds. We will collect Elladan and Legolas tomorrow."
"I hope they can survive until tomorrow."
Aragorn locked gazes with Elrohir and both were plagued with worry. Everything was unknown until they found their brother and friend tomorrow. Hopefully they would be found alive.
(I)(I)(I)
Legolas awoke with a jerk when pain throbbed through his body. The stench struck him next as he almost gagged. Painfully lifting his head slightly he glanced around and only saw orcs and goblins. He saw a flash of pale flesh to his left and guessed it was Elladan. His arrow wound was pulsating in pain with every running step the orc took. The shaft had broken off close to the skin and was forced into the muscles. It was still night so they had to have traveled a short distance from the village. His wrists and ankles were bound tightly as he tested the bindings. He heard something in Black Speech and the horde slowed before stopping. The next instant, Legolas was dropped to the ground and he bit back a groan and played limp. He heard another thump next to him and he waited a few moments before cracking open an eye.
Elladan was unconscious next to him with blood dribbling from his nose. The front of this tunic was stained with blood from the severe abdomen wound.
"Elladan? Elladan, awaken," Legolas whispered and carefully shifted closer to his friend.
His friend made no motion to indicate that he was awake. Legolas squeezed his eyes shut to press back the pain before opening them again. With every breath his chest moved and therefore moved the muscle that the arrow was buried in. Every breath was pain as he tried to make his breathing shallower. Glancing over his shoulder, Legolas counted the number of orcs and estimated at least twenty-one. What were the possibilities of getting out of this one? He did not see Elrohir or Estel so they must be back at the village still. The orcs must have missed them when they stormed the village. He looked back to Elladan and started to worry about his friend.
Elladan's face was extremely pale and his breathing was shallow. He had lost a lot of blood from what Legolas could see. Legolas moaned softly and pressed his forehead to the dirt. He knew that Elladan was on borrowed time as it was. Orcs were not known for treating their captives kindly and he doubted that Elladan could take any form of abuse.
"Hurry, Elrohir," he whispered with pain lacing his words.
(I)(I)(I)
Aragorn drank the mixture quickly and followed with some water to wash away the disgusting taste. It was still an hour till sunrise and they were about to leave the village to track the orcs. His wounds were bound tightly and he had slept for a few hours to rest himself. The mixture would suppress the pain and keep him awake at the same time. Both of the healing packs were packed full of herbs and bandages for when they found Elladan and Legolas. Aragorn had seen the arrow wound in Elladan's abdomen so he knew he would need everything in his pack. He only hoped they wouldn't be too late.
"Where do you think the orcs are taking them?" Elrohir asked and secured the packs to his horse.
"I do not know. We should see what the situation is and form a plan based on that," Aragorn replied and turned to look up the street.
Valina approached the man and elf, carrying a thick bundle in her arms. She had offered them anything they needed and did everything they asked of her. She smiled to Aragorn and Elrohir as she held out the bundle.
"The men found the elves' weapons. The store owner donated three bundles of arrows to fill the quivers. They are ashamed of what Nasin has done and brought down on you. They do not want you to think badly of this village," she said and brushed away a strand of red hair.
"Many thanks, Valina. I do not think badly of this village; you had no control over Nasin or anything else that happened." Aragorn paused as a smile slowly spread across his lips. "Should you be married yet?"
Valina blushed about as red as her hair and she smiled brightly. "We were married before Nasin took the village."
"Many blessings for you and your partner, Valina. I hope to see you soon again," Aragorn said and kissed Valina on the cheek.
Elrohir and Aragorn mounted their horses and rode out of the city as the eastern horizon slowly brightened. The orc tracks were easily visible as Aragorn watched the trail and Elrohir watched their surroundings. The weapon bundle was secured on Aragorn's horse and his hand never strayed far from his own sword. An hour from the village, Aragorn stopped his horse and carefully dismounted before kneeling.
"One of them is bleeding heavily," he murmured and looked up at Elrohir.
"Probability?"
Aragorn didn't need to ask what Elrohir was asking.
"Factoring in all the different variables…four to five hours or so," Aragorn replied as he stood and mounted.
"So we have four or five hours to find them before one of them dies from blood loss."
"In short…yes."