Disclaimer: I own nothing.

WARNING: This chapter contains racial themes and foul language. Anyone offended by either of these things should stop reading NOW. You have been warned!

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Ch 13

The thundering bang that resonated in the air sent a nesting murder of crows into a frenzied flight, cawing with fear as they took to the open sky.

Elrond flinched, his grey eyes reflectively squinting, so certain his life was about to end. But after a resounding moment of silence passed, bringing no pain nor the gentlest of touches, his eyelids slowly peeled back open, both surprised and relieved that he still drew breath. Glancing up, he caught the horror-struck gaze of the Al-Qaeda Captain in front of him, his mouth working its self soundlessly for a split second before rivulets of blood started dribbling down his chin. The lively glaze in the Man's eyes faded, and he fell face-first to the dusty ground with an reverberating thump.

Before the Elf lord could even begin to contemplate what was happening, a shout from behind the gates that sounded very much like a battle cry rose up, and as comprehension seemed to dawn upon the Al-Qaeda soldiers faces, the doors ignited with a roaring crack of fire.

The dust had not the chance to settle before a cavalry of Men on horseback burst through the opening, weapons drawn while the soldiers quickly pulled out their own and scattered. It was not soon after that the sound of weapons fire and the neighing of horses filled the air as the Men of the different races battled against one another.

"What's happening?" Erestor exclaimed, flinching as the piercing sound of weapon's fire sang past his delicate Elven ears. But there was no response as Gandalf and the other Elves looked equally confused.

The thundering of hooves bellowed around them as the Men fought, some jumping from the backs of their mounts to fight hand-to-hand. Blood soon splattered the sandy ground, along with the moans of the dying.

Among the chaos, the Wizard and his companions glanced around them, their glimpses short but calculating. These new Men were different, their flesh paler, and their garb very different in style. Judging by their vocalization they even spoke differently.

They started when a dark buckskin stallion came to a halt before them, and the rider; a slim man with a short beard and a wide brimmed black hat, dismounted, unsheathing a small hidden knife from his pocket. Elrond tensed as the Man approached him and raised his hand, but when the weapon came down and severed the Noldo's bonds, his expression changed to one of bewilderment.

"You alright, buddy?" the Man asked.

But before Elrond could even take a guess as to what had just been said to him, he was forcefully nudged aside, and he turned just in time to see the Edan free a weapon from its hoister and fire it at the chest of an advancing soldier. The Elf Lord was then thrown a spare knife.

"Here, untie your friends!"

Though he could not understand him, Elrond caught his meaning very well. He quickly turned, cutting the ropes that bound Legolas beside him.

When the Silvan Elf was free, his eyes darted to the ground, his warrior's instincts long suppressed emerging after over a thousand years. He saw no immediate weapons littered across the earth, but Gandalf's abandoned staff half buried in the sand. He darted for it, using it like a weapon and smacking down the enemies as they closed in on him.

Glorfindel, too, was quick to search for a weapon he could use once he was freed, his battle hardened senses reflexively taking over.

"This is not our fight!" Erestor objected, his logic mind taking into effect. Or perhaps it was suppressed fear. He was a scholar, after all, not a fighter. "We have no right to intrude!"

"We have every right to intrude!" the Balrog Slayer shot back, the Al-Qaeda's treatment of them far from forgotten, the ghost of an ache pulsing where he had been shot. Reaching down, he retrieved two knives not too far apart from one another and tossed one to the dark haired Elf. "Here!"

And Erestor held it out at arm's length with reluctance, staring down at it as if it was going to jump up and bite him.

After untying Celeborn, he and Elrond carefully but swiftly released Galadriel. Had her husband not been there to support her, she surely would have collapsed to the ground. Even with him, her legs buckled under her bodyweight, and so the Elf Lord scooped her up into his powerful arms.

"Head towards the gate and take cover," Mithrander commanded as he massaged his chafed wrists, "She is in no condition to fight! Give me that," he snapped at Legolas, wrenching his staff from the Elf's grasp.

Celeborn obeyed without conscious thought, edging towards the gap in the large, broken wooden doors, picking through his path carefully. He bore no weapons and cradled his injured wife in his arms, and thus was vulnerable and susceptible to an attack on his person. Fighting and death and blood were all around him, and it took nearly all his willpower to keep his mind on his appointed goal.

Had Men changed so little after these many millennia? Not just slaughtering beasts, but their own species as well! If anything, they seemed to have evolved into more malicious creatures. It was rather sad to see what Men had become, what they had reduced to.

Once they cleared the party of Men they had just brought down, Mithrandir beckoning the others to follow the Lorien Elves and form a protective ring around the two, and headed for the gates.

"A fine situation the Valar have decided to throw us in," Erestor muttered, his attention captured by the fighting around them.

"The Valar have hardly been on our side as of late," Glorfindel snorted.

"You speak blasphemy," the Wizard reprimanded. "Do not lose your faith in Iluvatar! Whatever happens, there is a reason for it!"

They silenced as a trio of horsemen barrelled past them, shouting to one another in hurried speech. Noticing a small alcove between the gates that would suffice as a temporary form of cover, Elrond beckoned the others to follow him.

"It would be so much simpler if we understood what they were saying," The Elf Lord said, "then we could, perhaps, shed some light on what is happening, here."

"You are right, perhaps," the Wizard replied, a thoughtful look in his ancient eyes.

Then, with a bellowing curse, Gandalf raised his staff into the air, slamming the base into the ground as a blinding aura that none of the Men seemed to notice swept across the encampment. And as he listened, their voices that had been nothing but rambling gibberish to his ears before, slowly began to make sense. He could understand the languages of these Men.

"Mithrandir," Legolas started in surprise, "what-"

"Silence!" The Wizard spat. He concentrated, choosing one voice and listening carefully to it.

"…we can overtake them. Find our people and get them out of here as quickly as you can. Raid the tents and see if you can find any important documents- tapes, blueprints, logs, anything useful."

"What about the Al-Qaeda? What should we do with them?"

"One thing at a time. We'll decide on what to do with them later. For now keep a sharp eye, but don't shoot to kill. We may need them for questioning later."

"Even after what those bastards did to us? No offence, Sir, but they don't deserve our mercy. They've taken our people as hostages, raped and tortured them to death, dropped bombs on some of our greatest cities, and kill anyone that doesn't agree with their beliefs, kids included! Not to mention what they did to the U.S. a few years back when they flew into the Twin Towers and all this bullshit started. We should just-"

"You have your orders. I better not catch you doing otherwise, understand, boy?"

There was no reply, but from what the Wizard could decipher, there was a grunt of acknowledgement that he took as a sign of grudging submission.

"Mithrandir!"

Eyes jolting open that he did not realize had closed until that moment, Gandalf turned to face his companions. He was then unceremoniously grabbed by the shoulder of his robes and pulled swiftly along the fence.

"What was that all about?"

The small group came very close to becoming walking targets, dodging stray bullets and thrown knives, while all but Celeborn who cradled the injured Galadriel in his arms warded off the Men who came charging at them.

When they had finally made it out into the open, Legolas' keen Elven eyes picked out a suitable hiding place for the time being- a large boulder surrounded by thick shrubs on the borderline of the forest- they crouched low, breathing heavily as they regained their strength.

"This is not an unprovoked attack, from what I understand," Gandalf eventually said, "these newcomers are retaliating. Our captures, these 'Al-Qaeda' as these men call them, appear to be terrorists. Though, I can tell you little more than that."

A number of gunshots went off in the background, and the Elves and Mithrandir startled. Though, sheltered behind the imposing figure of the boulder, there was little chance they would be seen.

"How do you know all this?" Elrond demanded, his facial features truly an expression of bewilderment.

"The spell I cast," Gandalf explained with a twitch of his staff, "it grants me the ability to understand the languages of these men, by delving deep within their minds and registering their thoughts."

"You can read their minds?" Glorfindel asked.

"Not exactly-" There was a booming sound of one of the rifles, followed by a cry of pain that interrupted the Istar. "Though, I hardly think we should be discussing the art of spells at the present time!"

"Perhaps we should leave here," Elrond suggested, his eyes darting around the noisy scenery. "A battlefield is no place to cower behind rock and trees, we could be killed."

"We could get killed if we're spotted," countered Legolas.

"And I don't think I can go any further, Elrond," Erestor interjected between shallow pants. "After being at the hands of those Men for so long, and then trying to outrun them and fight for my life, I have little strength left in me. And Lady Galadriel's worse off then I am." With a lift of his chin in to his left, the dark haired Elf nodded towards Celeborn whom was propping his wife gently against the rock's broad surface.

The Golden Lady was still pale, several healing wounds beginning to bleed again. But what was worse was the still- haunted look in her eyes, and though she tried to assure her concerned husband she was well, Celeborn continued to gaze worriedly at her.

"We really have no choice but to wait," Gandalf murmured, "at least until Galadriel and Erestor have regained some of their strength."

The ricochet of bullets continued, never ceasing in their thunderous bellows as they were shot from their pistols and rifles in a one way journey to end another person's life. Legolas peered over the edge of the boulder, his ancient eyes sweeping over the battleground and the growing number of bodies that covered the earth before Glorfindel tugged on his sleeve, urging him to get down.

"What could have caused them to despise one another so?"

"Since the dawn of time, hatred has existed," Glorfindel replied. "Even between Elves."

"But we do not kill each other so needlessly. Not since…" The Greenwood Elf trailed off, realizing he was treading on forbidden territory.

"The Kinslaying." Galadriel finished softly. She shifted her body uncomfortably, but she managed herself to gaze firmly at the younger Elf. "Your father has begrudged me for many millennia because of my Noldorin heritage, Legolas, this you know. Prejudice is not beyond us. We are not violent, no, but we still have our faults, as do all creatures. We should not judge an entire race by only a small minority's actions."

"Gandalf, what exactly did you hear those Men say? Did they mention why they were attacking these… 'Al-Qaeda' ?" Celeborn asked.

"I only heard part of the conversation," the Wizard replied, "but it seems the Al-Qaeda warriors had attacked the newcomers first, and so they were retaliating. They came to rescue some hostages from their own village."

"Hostages," Glorfindel murmured, and then clarity sunk into his brain like a sharp slap in the face. "Those heads on the stakes…" A shudder passed down his spine then, as he thought back to the row of pikes they had seen when they first entered the encampment, each one bearing the recently severed scull of a human- some no more than children.

"Did they speak of anything else?" Celeborn inquired.

"Only to pillage essential things that the newcomers required. My concentration was broken before I heard anything more." Mithrandir said.

"You worried us for a moment," Legolas retorted. "It was if you were in a trance and could not break free."

"Even so," Erestor said, "that was quite a spectacle. I was amazed that none of the Men even noticed the blinding light that swept across us all. But why is it that you were the only one effected, Mithrandir? I would much like to hear what is going on for myself."

"This particular spell cannot be directly passed on to another. It is a complicated spell that Maia seldom use. I may, however, be able to transfer it to each of you through telepathy. Though I will not guarantee it will work.

"In any event, I was quite aware of my surroundings. Had I wanted to, I could have stopped listening at any given time."

"Interesting," Elrond spoke as a thoughtful finger rubbed at his chin, "I had no idea the Istari possessed such a power."

"We do not use it lightly," Gandalf replied, "such an invasion of the privacy of one's thoughts aren't normally permitted. But I had no choice. We are in the most desperate of situations. For now, all we can do is sit here and decide what we are to do now."

The evening grew on with the un-silenced butchery that continued to ring out across the normally peaceful country. Cries could still be heard as slugs were released from their gauges, ending life after miserable life. The fight eventually broke out into the field and saddled horses ran freely as the thunderous noise spooked them into a frenzy. Gandalf and the Elves remained behind their shelter, listening and waiting until the ongoing ruckus finally came to an end, and with it, cheers of victory that rang up into the darkening sky.

"Do you hear that?" Legolas exclaimed, peeking over the oversized rock. "The Al-Qaeda fighters have been defeated!"

"Hush," Celeborn warned, "Once the cavalry has dispersed and they are clear from sight we will leave. There's too great a chance yet of them finding us."

"Agreed," The Wizard replied.

"Agreed," Elrond chorused. "We must proceed with great care. Any action we take henceforth could very-well cost us everything we have left,"

"Everything we have left?" The Balrog slayer snorted, "There certainly isn't much left, is there?"

"Don't talk like that, you'll tempt fate against us again!" Erestor admonished.

"Oh, come now, Erestor, do you truly believe after all that's happened, after all that we've suffered, fate will just turn the other cheek and let us on our merry way? Nay, my friend, life is not so simple. You'll do well to open your eyes and see the true nature of things. Things will never be as they once were, and we have very little chance surviving in a world ruled by Men."

"I don't ever recall you being a pessimist, Lord Glorfindel."

"I am merely being realistic, Erestor. Pessimism has nothing to do with it."

"Glorfindel, that will do." The Peredhil warned. "I think, perhaps, that our hunger and exhaustion is taking a toll on us all. Please, let us not argue in such dire times. We cannot afford to draw a rift between ourselves now.

"At any rate, I don't believe these newcomers mean us any harm. They could have killed us, had they wanted to back in that quarry, yet they were merciful and helped us escape."

"Or we may have just been in their way."

"I'm not saying they aren't a danger," the Noldo Elf sighed, "I'm merely saying it's very unlikely that they are. Even if we're not-"

"Get down! Get down!" Legolas exclaimed as he jumped down from his perch by the top of the boulder. The others had no time to question him as they heeded the wood elf's warning.

Horses bearing their riders thundered across the open grassland as they headed towards the forest trail. It was only a small group of seven, a patrol most likely, broken off from their comrades whom were still among the tents, searching and gathering random items. But though the stray party was small, they were alert and vigilant nonetheless. They bore tools as they rode, not weapons but elongated bars that seemed as if they each held a captured star inside and shone brighter than a candle in the dark.

Enchanting though they were, the Elves cursed the wretched things, for if not for them, they never would have been discovered. The light was nearly blinding when directed in one's eyes, but Gandalf, with a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, figured that was the least of their worries as heavy hooves indicated they were surrounded.

"Who are you?"

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Author's Note: I am SO sorry for the long wait, guys. I know I deserve to have my arse kicked. For the longest time I've had writer's block, and between my other fic I'm working on, not to mention the on-goings at home, I just haven't had the time of day to work on Two Worlds. I know, I know- it's been a year. All I can say is that mini-vacastion of mine is over, and I'll try to update more regularly.

Thank you all for your patience, and again I apologize for the wait.

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REVIEWS:

LadyAlariel: (laughs nervously) I'm really sorry for the long delay. Feel free to chuck tomatoes at me.

Regnet: No problem! I'm sorry I haven't WRITTEN in such a long time. Ah, don't worry… as you saw, Elrond is fine :P

Marilla: Grins happily Glad you love it… I hope my neglect of this story hasn't turned you away from it. And don't worry about old Elrond… he made it out alive, as you saw above ;)

Mystical Full Moon Maiden: Hehe, thanks. I love giving our dear old Elves and Wizard a hard time ;P Again, sorry this took forever.

DreaminofLorien: I completely agree with you! It bugs me too when people write Legolas OOC. Any character, really. That's why the best thing to do is read the books first to get his personality straight. LOL, sorry to scare ya like that :P

ElrondRox: You're absolutely right, hun! That's exactly why Gandalf couldn't escape… which really sucks 'cause it could have saved them a lot of trouble… meh, I'm cruel, I admit it :P Regarding 'the person who stole my fic's name'… I wouldn't really worry about it. I've seen quite a few fics in this fandom with the same title. I know it gets confusing, and I do wish people weren't allowed to do that, but it would be childish to get all huffy about it. Thank you, though. It's nice to know there are people out there watching out for me. J

ArcherofDarkness and Callie: That would have made it way too easy for them to escape :P Besides, Gandalf was restrained… would be pretty hard to summon his staff when both hands are tied behind his back.

INMH: Wow, you're still actually waiting for me to update? Wow, and I figured people abandoned this fic long ago. You're right… a year is way too long to postpone a fic. Bad me. Hope this one makes up for my- er… vacation from fan fiction, lol. Sorry I made you wait so long.