God bless New Orleans and America! Pray for them and the entire country, but especially the victims of Hurricane Katrina!

Ripples

CHAPTER FOUR

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The Crimson Tendrils

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Having ridden behind Arandur and his Elves (which were still holding Voronwë captive) for more than an hour, Aragorn was beginning to find himself fighting off more and more of the fear that clung to his frozen insides. Over half of his fear was fueled by a heavy onset of confusion. These events that had taken place many years before his birth were, at this moment, completely beyond his comprehension. He was worried for Legolas, who was looking rather…confused and on edge not to mention sort of stiff.

Deciding that this silence was unacceptable, the young ranger glanced sidelong at his friend before he dared to ask a question of the Elf. "Legolas, who is Voronwë? Why did Arandur mention banishment and call him a 'cold hearted murder'?" Aragorn ventured cautiously as he paid close attention to his friend's face.

Legolas looked straight ahead into the thickening mists that were separating him and Aragorn from Arandur and his Elves. For that Legolas was grateful because there was something about them that he didn't think he would ever come to trust. If my life depended on putting my faith in them I would die, Legolas decided pessimistically. At length he gave an answer to Aragorn's inquiry, unsure how exactly to respond. It was still a subject that hit close to home –too close. "Voronwë is my cousin, on my mother's side that is," he partially answered in a soft tone.

He then drew a heavy sigh and went silent, clearly trying to form his memories into words that would do them justice. Aragorn only nodded and waited patiently, knowing that Legolas would tell him the rest when he was ready. He knew from being around Legolas and his people long enough that their long memories were ridden with deep wells of sorrow that were painful when tapped into.

"His father is Lostiâ, my recently returned uncle and my mother's brother." Legolas refused to meet Aragorn's eyes and for a moment and Aragorn wondered if he had caused hurt. However, Legolas didn't want Aragorn to think he had caused the pain so he refused to let the man see it. Hesitantly he continued, slowing his horse's gate to a walk as he did.

"There was murder committed, long ago before you were even a thought. My uncle's best friend and Voronwë's mentor was brutally stabbed to death. When he was found, so was Voronwë crouched by his body. In fear we automatically had him arrested and tried."

When Legolas fell silent, Aragorn looked at him mournfully, knowing that there was no way that he could ever understand all the tiny details of the tragic incident that were extremely significant in Legolas' mind. Patiently, Aragorn rode in silence as he watched Legolas struggle to make his thoughts audible.

"I could not believe that Voronwë would do such a horrible thing -but the evidence was so strongly against him that I went against my feelings. By law, Voronwë should have been shot when he was found guilty, but my father could not find it in his heart to sentence his nephew to death, especially so soon after my mother's death. So, he had Voronwë exiled from Mirkwood for 1,000 years under pain of death."

Legolas stopped speaking as he felt the mists press in closer, making his clothes stick to him in the heavy condensation soaking the air. He could see his breath and Aragorn's coming out in small white puffs of steam, condensing in the thick but cool air before quickly dispersing into the night. Looking to his friend's face, Legolas finished his explanations.

"I always feared Voronwë would return and that things better left alone would be roused. Lostiâ, was always cold to me after my mother died and I blamed myself. But since Voronwë's banishment it is not hard to tell that he loathes me." The prince finally pulled his horse to a gentle stop, looking back briefly to make sure Aragorn did the same. "Lostiâ and my father have never truly been friends or close as brothers in law should be."

"None of this explains why Rána would want to murder Voronwë, if what your cousin told us is credible," Aragorn pointed out, looking to Legolas for affirmation. He shuddered, as the mists seemed to settle thickly now that they had stopped riding and remained in one spot for the water vapor to fix on. Even the dark seemed to press in closer he noticed, building to his already mounting displeasure with the circumstances.

Legolas even seemed uneasy and Aragorn could tell he was wishing he had remembered his weapons. In Legolas' opinion it was bad enough that he couldn't trust a single Elf in the place anymore, most definitely including the warriors that rode ahead, but now he was fair game for anything in mind for a succulent Elf-prince. The only thing and it was a truly significant thing, that he could put his trust in, was that Aragorn had his back. However, he didn't appreciate in the least how that put Aragorn in such a dangerous position. He knew that the man would be more than willing to place himself in such peril, which was no comfort either.

"No, it doesn't," Legolas finally agreed. "Rána was in close friendship with Lostiâ. But he also appeared to be the one with a sense of reason." Looking ahead, he could barely see the Elves riding now far in front, seemingly unaware they had left Legolas and Aragorn far behind. Not that Legolas minded; that had been his purpose for slowing down and eventually stopping. A small smile tugged at the corners of the prince's lips as he realized he had temporary victory.

"We've lost them," Aragorn said with a tense smile at Legolas, who seemed pleased if that were at all possible in this situation.

"But I fear we haven't seen the last of them," the prince muttered in dark premonition. His insides still felt like they were entombed in a hard case of ice. His heart, which had been going at least a mile a minute for quite some time, had only just begun to slow down. There was some comfort in this, he decided hazily.

"Most likely not," agreed Aragorn gloomily. He started to urge his horse forward when Legolas' arm shot out of nowhere, hitting him across the chest so hard it nearly hurt…nearly. Glaring at the Elf, whose blue eyes were narrowed into slits while his brow was creased in concentration, Aragorn nearly hit him back. After brief moment though, he noticed that Legolas was chewing on his lower lip.

"Legolas?" Aragorn ventured cautiously. Lip biting was also the sign of a devious scheme being brewed up; Aragorn had learned that much a long time ago and not the easy way, mind you.

"I think we should return home by a different path," replied the fair-haired Elf shortly, turning his horse suggestingly to the right using solely his heals and lower legs. "I believe I know a short cut."

"A 'short cut'?" the ranger repeated as he incredulously raised a brow. An involuntary shiver ran down his back as he felt the moisture of the dark and damp forest soak through his last tunic. That just about figured…

"Yes," the Elf replied with a small smile as he eyed the rightfully suspicious human. "A short cut." Having taken note of Aragorn's shivering, Legolas gave a small laugh and his hands went to his throat, pinching the clasp to his olive-green, opening it and sliding the material inconspicuously from his shoulders.

Aragorn continued to look perfectly dubious. "Legolas wasn't it you who told me that it was unwise to take 'short cuts' through Mirkwood?" he tried to wave the cloak Legolas was offering away but the Elf insisted until the man reluctantly accepted it with a disapproving glare.

"I was younger and then and more reckless?" he asked hopefully, giving a thin smile as Aragorn's eyes narrowed even further.

"It was last year and you are more reckless now than ever!" declared the human boldly, his annoyed glower beginning to give way to a small smile.

Legolas chuckled softly, though his heart wasn't really behind it thanks to the ugly circumstances they had found themselves in…again. He couldn't easily shove this aside for mirth, could he? However, Aragorn did lighten his heart and mood considerably and so made things easier to bear. "Perhaps," the Elf's voice was thoughtful. "But mellon nin, I would rather risk taking a short cut and getting turned around than an attack…or worse." Right now though he really didn't want to think about what could be worse.

The fact was that he had no idea who these Elves were or what their entire purpose was. Past experience with back-stabbers told him that their symptoms were a telltale sign of worse things to come, much worse things if he had things figured correctly.

Aragorn followed closely behind Legolas as the Elf turned his horse towards the darker and more forbidding looking part of the forest. Aragorn could only pray to Eru that the prince did know his home as well as he thought he did and wouldn't get them lost or even killed. Unfortunately, both prospects seemed all too likely. Aragorn knew Elrond was going to absolutely kill him if he knew half of what he and Legolas had gotten themselves into so far! Valar! It had to be around one in the morning!

Legolas suddenly spoke, wheeling his horse around abruptly and facing Aragorn with a completely alarmed face. "Estel, Rána wouldn't have known Voronwë was back unless he had been waiting for the day his exile would expire and he could return!"

Aragorn frowned, realizing that Legolas was entirely correct. This put a whole new dimension on things and created an entire new line of questions. First and foremost being, why had Rána been waiting for Voronwë to return? If his exile was over he was allowed back into the forest, of course. Shaking his head and connecting wide gray eyes with Legolas, he could tell the Elf was mulling over the same things and not liking the new twist anymore and quite probably less.

"So perhaps Voronwë was telling the truth!" Legolas spoke for both of them. Which, if this was true, he reasoned, made Rána a very good liar or him very stupid. Hot anger began to melt the icy fear from Legolas' insides, putting a fierce glow in his eyes. As a matter of fact, his Elven bodily glow even increased slightly, pushing the darkness of Mirkwood back ever so little.

"They'll kill him before we can find out," Aragorn warned cautiously. But Legolas was already urging his horse into a gallop and darting ahead, clearing having had the same thought. Aragorn called on his horse for speed to match, desperately wanting to call out to Legolas to wait for him but feared Arandur and his companions, who couldn't be too far away, would hear him.

The branches seemed to press in closer and he felt his face and hood being pelted by them as he urged his mount to go faster, somewhere along the lines of neck-breaking speed.

As the friends sped through deeper and less known part of the forest, like swift shadows, Aragorn was really beginning to doubt whether or not Legolas knew his way through this 'short cut'. To him it appeared that given a few more minutes they would be lost beyond salvation. Actually, he felt obligated to amend that thought. They were already lost beyond salvation.

After thinking all these rather unhappy and discouraging thoughts Aragorn was pleasantly surprised when they charged into the courtyard, tearing up the grass. Legolas' gamble had pulled though it seemed, which was a hopeful sign if not anything else. But he noticed with more than a little suspicion that he didn't see a single sentry. This may or may not be a sign of good things to come but they had no time to split hairs at the moment. Legolas had already dismounted his horse while it was still whirling into the courtyard and had left it to its own intentions praying it didn't decide to make a feast of the flower beds. Aragorn quickly followed suite, rushing to catch up with his fast paced friend.

Legolas' eyes connected with Aragorn's, giving him a silent warning as he saw the man run up. 'We aren't alone and nothing is as it seems. Be doubly on your guard.' His warning was brief but potent enough as he waited a bit impatiently for Aragorn to bound stealthily up the stone steps to his side before the companions proceeded to walk into the vast and dark corridors of the descending palace of the Wood Elves. Legolas went first, clearly wanting to place himself between Aragorn and any hidden adversary or other sudden perils. But before his second foot was planted on the other side of the threshold, Aragorn had grabbed the back of his tunic, holding him back. "As I said before," he whispered in Legolas' pointy ear. "More reckless."

Legolas just smiled thinly and looked into the hood at the determined eyes questioning his actions. An inward voice told him he couldn't argue with what Aragorn had just said without looking like a total idiot. "Well then lets be reckless together," he suggested with all seriousness but coupled with a belaying lopsided grin.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Aragorn whispered back as he and the fair-haired Elf stepped through the door simultaneously, their feet hitting the floor at the exact same time. Both suddenly felt they had entered an intense war zone.

The first thing that alarmed Legolas was that the room -all the halls and corridors -were darker than pitch. The mists of the forest seemed to have crept in and Legolas felt a dark and brooding malice fall upon him like a suffocating heavy cloak. Aragorn felt his stomach clench as ice slithered around his insides once more and the celerity of his heart increased. He gave a shudder and wondered what Legolas' face looked like at the moment, because neither of them could see anything.

Legolas didn't have to tell Aragorn that this was completely unnatural and out of character of his people. Not a single glow-globe was lit and it was enough to make Legolas feel ill to his stomach. "Estel," he whispered in a tight voice as his throat constricted. "It was this night two thousand one hundred and thirty one years ago when my mother died."

Both of the friends suddenly jumped at the wind as it picked up and the double doors to the palace slapped and shuddered roughly and them slammed shut with a heart-stopping bang. Everything suddenly felt tight with proximity and breathing seemed to be an extremely loud exercise.

"Wonderful," Legolas was the first to break the silence as he muttered in dark sarcasm. For the first time ever in his home, which descended underground in a cave like fashion, he was reminded of the mines of Farlost. These were not fonder memories, certainly not ones he wanted to remember now of all times. Not allowing his feelings to own him, Legolas pressed them aside.

"It was just the wind," Aragorn said uneasily, as much to relieve and try and assure himself as Legolas. He could feel the Elf beside him growing tense and he knew well what memories were returning to Legolas' mind.

Legolas shook his head and murmured thoughtfully, "let's hope." He honestly had his doubts and was well aware that Aragorn was experiencing them too, which didn't comfort him any. It was obvious what they were both thinking it could have been: Arandur and his Elves. But there was no way to prove it and they didn't have time that they could afford to waste by musing.

Shoving aside the disturbing notion, Legolas promptly suggested, "I wonder if we should go and check on Rána in the Healing Ward?" it was a simple suggestion but there was more behind it than one would initially think. There really was no sense on waiting for Arandur to show up with or without Voronwë.

Aragorn drew a deep breath and obviously hesitated before answering his friend, who was patiently waiting. "Legolas, I think I should go and see to my father. After the events I just want to make sure everything is all right. Elladan and Elrohir would never forgive me if something happened to him and I couldn't blame them." The frightened and alarmed tone of Aragorn's voice made Legolas pause.

He hadn't even thought to check on his own father, something that sent a stab of guilt to penetrate his conscience that was still bleeding profusely. He had been more concerned with seeing a possible traitor than the Elf who had raised him from a tiny Elfling and loved him after everything he had done.

All the same a lot of things depended on getting answers from Rána as quickly as possible -preferably before Arandur and his… minions showed up and stirred whatever mischief he suspected that they were plotting.

"Alright, but promise me that you will be careful!" Legolas whispered, knowing that keeping Aragorn from seeing his father was going to hurt more than it would help. "And need I remind you that I am completely serious?" he added with a belaying half-smile that was lost in the dark.

"Am I not always completely careful?" questioned the young ranger, finding Legolas' shoulder in the blackness and placing an assuring hand on it, giving a consoling and gentle squeeze. "I am sure that everything is all right but if I don't know for sure I think what sanity I have left will leave me completely."

Legolas moved and placed his hand on Aragorn's shoulder, returning the comforting gesture in camaraderie with the ranger. "Just watch your back, reckless human. You know I wished you wouldn't do this, don't you?" he asked one more time, to affirm to himself that Aragorn was really going to leave him. Some feeling, like dark premonition, was telling him neither of them should walk alone.

"I know you do Legolas, believe me, I know. But how would my brothers look at me if something happened to father? I hardly think I could bear living with them." Here he couldn't help but smile despite the entirely serious nature of the gloomy situation. "Valar knows it's hard enough already."

Legolas shook his head mournfully and said in response, "I wouldn't know." But then he quickly went on, "meet me back at the Healing Ward. And as I have already said, keep an eye on your back. If Arandur and his companions show up I am not sure what we can expect."

Aragorn nodded gloomily in complete agreement and then reminded his friend; "you shot Rána, Legolas. It will be you they come after; I believe I would be an after thought." He released his grip on his friend's shoulder before saying, "I will meet you in about fifteen minutes providing all goes well."

Legolas removed his hand reluctantly, not knowing for sure if he would see Aragorn again and then sighed heavily to make his disagreement with their separation obvious. But even though his feelings said they should stay together and he wanted that, he wondered if it might not be safer for Aragorn to stay with Elrond. If he came to meet him in the Healing Ward there could be a trap laid and then he would walk right into it. Legolas pulled himself free of his thoughts long enough to reply.

"I will wait for you but if something should happen and I am not there don't you even consider for one moment coming after me," he commanded with a flat and serious tone. The prince went tense before he turned to venture to the Healing Wards. They didn't have much time, Arandur and his Elves could be here at any given moment.

Aragorn knew Legolas' home well enough in the dark but without his friend by his side it felt creepy and foreign. He sensed a strange hostility close at hand, as though it was in the air about him and a feeling of alienation, of being different…set apart and unwanted. It made an ill feeling akin to fear, spread in his stomach like a spilled noxious solution. But it also hurt like a small sting.

Taking a deep breath he did his best to put his fear and suspicions at ease by reminding himself that he was accepted here as a friend. They would never hunt or harm him unless he provoked them and even then there were only a select few that would ever want to take his life. But these unpleasant thoughts were not helping him concentrate and so he stuffed them hastily into the corner of his mind reserved for such pessimistic musings.

Reaching out in the pitch dark the man smiled numbly, as he was pleased to recognize the smooth touch of cold marble against his palms. Feeling like he was relieved enough to kiss and pat the inanimate stone, the man nearly continued on in a skip. But the fact Legolas wasn't by his side and that the darkness seemed to press in closer to make up for his new found merriment reminded him there really wasn't all that much to rejoice about and his dark mood was forced back down upon him.

Groping along the cold stone of the wall Aragorn began to count the number of doors he stumbled across. One…two…three, ah, he should turn right here if he remembered correctly. Traveling further, he counted some more doors before he came to the fifth one and paused, drawing a deep breath before his shaking hand settled on the doorknob and he gave it a smooth twist.

Legolas paused outside of where he knew was the Healing Ward. Everything was still incredibly dark, which was strange for a Healing Ward, especially if there was a patient. There was regularly at least one glow-globe sending faint bluish rays through the room. But right now he couldn't see his hand in front of his face as he waved it and clenched and unclenched the fingers methodically.

Heart in his throat, Legolas walked cautiously in through the open door. He had the feeling of eyes on his back and danger before him, something that made his stomach perform some sickening antics.

Deciding that the window across the room might allow some moonlight to slip in if he cast aside the curtains, Legolas began to pad quietly across the room.

Reaching the window in complete safety, Legolas was beginning to wonder if his imagination had gotten the better of him…again. Feeling the rich silky material of the large curtains, Legolas smiled warmly at the return of fond memories. Of sitting at his mother's feet, watching in awe as she weaved and embroidered these very curtains, putting her heart and soul into them as she did everything. Gingerly, with great respect, the prince started to pull the heavy drapes aside but to his dismay, he noticed that he was staring out into an equally black yard. He could feel the wind picking up and small drops of rain patted against his face, dusting it lightly with moisture. A bolt of lightning rushed across the sky in a purple blaze and Legolas sighed desolately.

Standing there, listening to the rain and other sounds of the fast approaching gale, painful memories he had not thought of for over a long time were breaking over him like waves tossed on a beach. Every time one hit him and withdrew to be replaced by another, a little piece of him was taken away. When he had touched the curtain so many things long forgotten had seemed to transfer to his memories again and they were heart wrenching.

Lost in thought, Legolas was oblivious to the adversary approaching stealthily behind him until it was altogether too late.

In moments everything happened too fast.

TBC….Alright! First cliffy of the story! Ur…bad us! –grin-. Review, please! We really appreciate them and we are absolutely on the edge of our seats to know what you guys all think! Thanks for the five reviews from chapter three! You guys made our day! Those responses will be mailed before the end of the day Wednesday.