Hey! Look! I am posting within a WEEK'S time! Oh I am so proud…what was that? No, this is not a cruel hoax, there IS a chapter underneath the author notes. /pouts/ Contrary to popular belief, I CAN get a chapter out on time, I just have to be proper motivated. My muse mentioned something about painful doom and despair falling upon my head if I didn't deliver in a timely fashion so I figured I could shift my lazy gears, ignore my homework and set to work.:)
Anyhoo, last time left the twins in kind of a nasty position, so lets see how they get out.
In one swift move, Elladan's blades were in his hands. He heard the shouts of triumph turn to horror as the front runners suddenly realized that their intended victims were not so unassuming after all.
Elladan leapt forward, only to have his sword blocked by the first man in his path. With lightning swiftness, the young elf lord brought his dagger up swiftly into his opponent's ribs.
They had been tricked.
Quickly, he freed his blade and spun to meet the next assailant.
Tricked! And very neatly, said an admiring voice from the back of his head. Elladan mentally snarled at the voice to shut up if it couldn't offer anything useful; however, he was forced to agree. It had been neat. It made him furious. Rage cast a bright red veil in front of his eyes.
These were not the humans that had taken Estel. Somewhere along the line, he and Elrohir had been tricked into following them instead of their original quarry. Probably at the place with the mishmash of footprints. He could see it now. They had joined, tramped around to disguise the fact, then sent this decoy group off in the wrong direction while Halith led the others and they concealed their tracks.
Worry for Estel fed his intense wrath, making his blood boil. The humans near him looked into his gray eyes and saw their death. With a inarticulate cry, Elladan flung himself at his foe, his blades tracing shimmering, deadly patterns through the night air.
0-0-0-0
Elrohir spun in a graceful circle, his sword trailing a bright streak through the moonlit night. A man cried out and fell. Elrohir did not even bother to cast a glance at his foe, his attention already spinning to the next. He knew, as his twin did, that these were not the ones they sought.
A man swung at him with a club, and Elrohir blocked the blow, grimacing as the shock sent tingling waves down his forearm. The dark haired elf brought his foot up, kicking the man hard in the center of his chest. The human stumbled back with a 'woof', and Elrohir quickly stepped forward, bringing the hilt of his sword down on the man's head.
As he moved forward, another human leapt at him, and the young elf lord skipped backwards nimbly to avoid the the curving sweep of a blade. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough. A bright, searing, ribbon of pain flew across his rib cage. Elrohir gasped, and struck back, swiftly finishing his opponent. A blow from behind! A thick pugil stick landed heavily on the younger twin's slender shoulders, driving him to his knees.
Even as he fell, Elrohir was moving. He allowed his right leg to bend into a crouch, putting all his weight on it as he swung his left in a quick arc. His limb caught his foe behind the knees, bringing him down. Before the man could even think of rising, Elrohir pounced with his dagger. Another opponent gone.
The humans were frightened now. Their ambush had not gone nearly as well as they thought it would. The elves were obviously better warriors, asides from being able to see perfectly in the shadow broken moonlight. More importantly, the twins fought with a wild energy that burned like a forest flame. All the worry of the past few weeks channeled itself into the violence they metted out.
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A fist to the face! Elladan reeled from the blow. Blood poured from a cut on his forehead, obscuring his vision. The human must have had some type of weapon in his fist…
He could not see! Dim shapes moved before him as he desperately tried to clear his eyes. Something large suddenly eclipsed his view. Elladan stumbled backward as he heard one of the horses scream shrilly. There was a heavy thud. Finally clearing the last of the blood from his eyes, he stared in horror at the body of his steed. The human who had hit him was tugging at a spear imbedded in the animal's side. The horse had moved in front of Elladan just as the human sought to skewer him.
The human looked up from his labor just in time to see dark braids flying around a pale face, terrible with rage. It was the last thing he ever saw.
They knew the fight was a lost cause. Retreating became the order of the day, and the humans ran from the elven warriors.
Elladan stood trembling, his chest heaving as he fought down the righteous wrath that threatened to consume him. He could hear the remaining humans fleeing through the woods, and everything within him told him to follow and destroy them.
Well…almost everything.
The only thing stopping him was an image that swum into focus in his mind's eye. A boy. Human. Dark hair curled down to his shoulders in unruly locks. His silver eyes gleamed as they gazed up adoringly at his brothers.
With a shuddering sigh, the dark haired elf turned his back on the fleeing opponents. He did not have time to pursue them. Not when they had lost so much time already following a false trail. They needed to backtrack, and quickly.
Estel needed them.
A soft sound behind him made him spin around, his sword coming up, the light of battle flashing into his eyes…then he stopped. The remaining horse looked politely perplexed, but his twin smiled wearily at him as he sheathed his own weapon and leaned back against a tree. Leaned hard against it, Elladan suddenly realized.
"You are wounded." Even in the moon's dim light, he could see the dark stain soaking through Elrohir's tunic.
"You are one to talk." The younger twin gestured towards his brother's forehead.
Elladan swiped at the wound impatiently, ignoring the blood that smeared itself across his palm as he did so. "It is not serious."
"Neither is mine."
"Which means it is serious."
"Only Estel speaks in euphamisms when it comes to his health."
"So, you will ignore my wound if I ignore yours then?"
" Done."
0-0-0-0
It took nearly a full day's travel to get back on track. The sun was sinking into the West, sending blood red ray's through gaps in the trees by the time the twins returned to where the trail was confused.
Elrohir ground his teeth in frustration. He and Elladan had made good time, but it frustrated him to no end to know that they had lost over two days. More than a day wasted by the false trail…and then the time to make their way back. Hissing through his teeth, the younger twin slid from the steed's back, his light feet touching on the trampled ground they had passed before. It was here that Halith had confused the trails. He was sure of it.
Elladan also dismounted, his gray eyes burning brightly in a pale face. Elrohir winced when he saw his twin's expression. Elladan blamed himself for being fooled. He was taking too much on his shoulders, as always. They had both been deceived, but the elder twin had a tendency to accept more than was his fair share. It was his duty as the 'eldest', as he constantly reminded both his twin and younger brother.
It was a tendency that could drive anyone to distraction, if they were not already there. Unfortunately, Elrohir noted sourly, he himself was beyond distraction, so now he was rapidly being pushed into complete and utter madness with worry for not only his younger brother, but his older.
"Dan," Elrohir said sternly, "it was not your fault. Neither of us saw the trick."
"I should have," Was the snapped reply. Elladan was already crouched down, his fingers trailing lightly over the mish mash of confused prints. Dark curtains of hair hung on either side of his head, keeping his face hidden.
Elrohir groaned softly. With a grimace, he conceded defeat for the moment. Now was not the time for an argument. Not if they wished to find Estel as quickly as possible. Stepping lightly, the younger twin moved to the very edge of the trampled area, and slowly began to circle it, surveying the nearby growth carefully. He stopped, abruptly. There. A snapped branch. Not enough for a trail…but if they covered their tracks… Elrohir moved forward, trying to quell the hopeful feeling that rose in his chest. It could very well be a deer or other animal that did that. Another branch. A scuff against a tree. Brush marks on the soft dirt. Someone had tried to cover something.
Elrohir opened his mouth to call back to his twin…unfortunately, his heart chose that exact moment to leap from his chest and take up residence in his throat, strangling his cry. His gray eyes grew wide and he fell to his knees, his slender fingers groping in the dust. He was sure he had seen…he knew that he had seen it…
A flash of the dying sun's last rays shot over Elrohir's shoulder, hitting the green stone in Barahir. It glittered in the dirt, and Elrohir seized it with a choked cry. Estel was alive, and he had come this way. For a few moments, all Elrohir could do was hold the ring tightly, clenched within his palm.
But he could not allow himself the luxury of relief. Estel was still in danger, and they needed to move quickly.
"Elladan!"
0-0-0-0
Aragorn's breathing came quick and shallow. The fiery pain that radiated from his back had increased over time, something he had not thought possible. Obviously, Daeion had not been lying about the poison coating his spine covered wands. They had let him down, after a time, but his arms still burned from the weight that had hung from them.
How long had he been here? He didn't know. Time had ceased to have much meaning as hour after hour trailed away and blurred together. Very few things stuck out with any clarity, but those that did were horribly vivid. A shiver shook his aching body as he recalled Daeion's last visit.
Every so often, Halith would appear, but his visits were strange. He would only come when Daeion was already there, and he did not speak through the entire ordeal, but his mouth would grow grimmer and grimmer as the session went on. More than once, Aragorn had heard him speaking with his master right outside the door. Halith wanted to kill him.
There were times when Aragorn wished Daeion would let him.
But they did not know he could hear them when they spoke together.
They did not know his hearing was sharper than any other man's. They did not realize that he knew what they wanted to hear him say. Daeion wanted to be sure that Rivendell was unprotected. And that was exactly what Aragorn would tell him.
But he could not tell him yet. He had to wait until he really was almost broken. If he gave in too easily, they would be suspicious. Aragorn knew this was true. He could see it in Halith's face every time the man entered the room. The cruel, dark eyes showed quite clearly that they did not expect the young ranger to say anything at all.
Aragorn chewed his lip. The moment he told Daeion what he wanted to know, Halith would insist that the young ranger should die, and there would be no reason to postpone it. Aragorn's head hung limply. He did not want to die. But for his father and his brothers, he would. It was the least he could do for them. Remembering the last harsh words he had spoken to his family, the dark haired man winced. Tears pooled in his silver eyes, but he did not let them fall. How he wished he had never spoken any of the hurtful phrases! Why could he not have acted more like the man he wished to be thought of?
Too late. It was too late. And his family would most likely never know how much he regretted his words.
The door creaked open, and light spilled through, illuminating his body. Aragorn raised his head slowly, his eyes cold and hard.
Daeion entered with an unpleasant grin. "Good morning…Strider."
Though he showed nothing on the outside, Aragorn quailed inside. And yet, there was almost a sense of peace within him. It wouldn't be long now…
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Elladan halted, his gray eyes narrowing as he surveyed the forest floor. They had been proceeding on foot for some time now, Elrohir leading the horse. It would simply be too easy to overlook something from the back of a steed. Slowly he bent down. The marks were not hidden carefully, and he could guess what had happened here.
"I believe Estel was found out."
For the past few hours, they had been following the concealed trail, helped along by the clues their younger brother left for them. Small pieces of cloth, a boot strap, even buttons from his overcoat. But now, it appeared that he had been discovered. Someone had struggled…and fallen. Most likely, they had knocked him unconscious, then carried him the rest of the way.
They would have to be extra careful now, looking for the things the men had failed to conceal. Elladan nearly ground his teeth in frustration. That would take time. It would slow them down considerably. However, he was forced to concede, it would take more time to miss the trail due to lack of observation, as they had already discovered once.
Elrohir peered over his brother's shoulder, his own eyebrows drawing together. "We'll have to go more carefully." Obviously, the younger twin's thoughts were running parallel to his brother's. That much was plain to see by the frustrated look on his fair face.
"Indeed." Without another word, Elladan rose smoothly to his feet and proceed onward, his mouth set in a grim line, worry eating holes through his composure.
0-0-0-0
Halith leaned against a tree and stared blankly at the building where he knew Daeion would be 'talking' to Strider. Four days. It had been four days since they had arrived. He had yet to hear more than a gasp from the young ranger's lips.
It amazed him.
To be subjected to the wands was usually more than a full grown man could take for anything over twenty-four hours before they were screaming for mercy. And yet this boy had made no sound. Nothing. Every time he entered the cell, Halith was met with his cold, steady gaze. It made him uneasy. Every time he saw the dark haired young man, he felt sure that the best course would be to kill him quickly, before he had a chance to…
To…
To what? What was he so afraid of? Why did this young ranger unsettle him like nothing else had ever done?
He could only hope that Daeion would soon see that he was correct and allow him to end Strider's life.
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Soon.
Another wave of pain enveloped him. Aragorn allowed a brief cry to slip through his lips. It galled him to do so, but if he did not make a sound, they would never believe that he had truly been broken. His hands were bound behind his back, but it really did not make a difference any more. The pain had taken most of his strength. He would not be able to do anything even if his hands were free.
Soon.
Daeion jerked on the ropes that wrapped around the young man's torso once more, sending fiery stabs of agony piercing through Aragorn's back. The young man cried out again. "Are you ready to tell me what I need to know?"
Yes. Yes, he was ready. It would be convincing enough for Daeion, and Halith was not here. "Yes…"
The slender hand froze in mid-air. Daeion's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Really? Then tell me. What are the defenses that protect your home?"
"There are…no…defenses…" Aragorn kept his voice defeated, allowing his ragged breathing to add to the picture of complete dejection. "None. The elves are peaceful…" His voice trailed off, and he hung his head, as though he had no strength left. Unfortunately, that was very nearly true. The pain that washed over him was sapping his energy. He just wanted it to end…a grain of fear rose in his mind for an instant. What if Daeion did not believe him? What if he continued to torture him…?
"Excellent." The slight man stepped back and smirked at the young ranger. "Thank you, Strider, you've been most helpful."
It would happen now. Daeion would kill him. He could not use him for anything else…
To his surprise, the man turned, and walked away. The door opened, then closed with a bang, shutting Aragorn into darkness. He was shocked. Why was he still alive? Why had Daeion not finished him off?
0-0-0-0
Halith straightened from his leaning position as he saw Daeion approach. There was a bounce in his step that the older man had not seen since the ranger had been brought to him.
"Prepare the men," Daeion said with a grin as he neared his second in command. "You're going to the elves."
Perhaps he had finally reached the conclusion that Strider would never tell him anything. "What happened?"
"You were right, you know. There are no defenses. Nothing to stop us."
A very quiet alarm bell started ringing in the back of Halith's mind. "He talked?"
An amused smile spread over Daeion's face. "I told you he would. No one has ever resisted those little devices. Though I will admit, he's lasted longer than anyone else. For a while, I was worried that you might be correct!"
This wasn't right. It just wasn't right. Something was wrong here. Halith opened his mouth to speak his suspicions, but Daeion cut him off. "I want you to leave as soon as possible. A full complement of men. There might be no defenses, but a full valley of elves will be a considerable task, even with the element of surprise."
Daeion kept talking, but Halith stopped listening. It didn't matter what he said. Any doubts he had would be overridden. All he could do at this point was follow orders and push the nagging thoughts to the back of his mind. Hopefully, he was wrong. Perhaps it had been too much for Strider to bear. Perhaps he had been broken.
Halith recalled with unsettling clarity the steely strength behind the silver eyes.
Perhaps he would tell the men to carry extra weaponry.
"What's going to happen to him now?" Surely Daeion would not keep him alive.
"Do not concern yourself," the slender man answered, slightly annoyed at being cut off in the middle of his flow. "He will be killed of course. I'll have someone deal with him later."
That was better than nothing, but not by much.
0-0-0-0
"What are they doing?"
"They're leaving."
"How many?"
"I count at least five score, all on horseback. Perhaps more."
"I wonder how many are left at their base."
"There cannot be many. Probably only a few to protect their master."
"Quiet, they are coming."
"Human hearing. Do not make me laugh. As if they could detect anything over the noise they're making."
Elrohir rolled his eyes. Yes, in all fairness, it was unlikely that the humans would be able to detect the soft elven voices above their heads, but he did not want to take any risks. He and Elladan were both wounded, and fighting off at least a hundred humans did not sound like an enjoyable prospect to him. They had hidden their horse deep within the forest at the sound of approaching feet and took to the trees. The younger twin settled himself more comfortably on the branch where he crouched, gray orbs watching the humans that filed beneath him closely. He saw several that had been in the group that took Estel. A soft growl rose in his throat as he gazed on his brother's tormentors.
Elladan's eyes widened suddenly. His strong fingers clamped around his twin's shoulder and his free hand shot forward, pointing. Elrohir followed his gaze and swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to leap from the branch and fling himself at the figure Elladan was pointing at.
Halith.
The weathered man rode to the side of his small army, a grim expression on his lined face. There was no sign of Estel.
Elladan's fingers were digging into his shoulder with almost bruising intensity. Elrohir quickly covered his brother's hand with his own, shooting him a look that let him know he understood exactly what he was feeling.
As soon as the humans were away, Elladan leapt from his perch, landing lightly on the ground. Elrohir joined him without a second thought. Estel had not been among the group leaving. That meant that wherever these men had come from, that's where their brother would be. The twins moved forward silently, their feet making no mark, and no sound. Eyes cold and hard, their dark hair whipping around pale faces like raven's wings.
0-0-0-0
"Ah, Strider. I would like to thank you for all the help you have given. Such a pity that you cannot remain with us for longer."
Meaning, Aragorn knew, that Daeion meant to have him killed.
The slender man stood before him in the doorway, a guard behind him. The guard had a drawn blade in his hand. "Did you hear them leave, Strider? Quite a few of them. They've gone to see the elves."
That was hours ago now. He had heard. A small spark of triumph glowed within his aching body. He had done one thing right at least.
"I don't think that you ever received a tour of our fine accomadations, did you?" Daeion nodded to the guard. Immediately, the man stepped forward and jerked Aragorn to his feet.
The rough handling did not suit Aragorn. He gasped and hissed as pain shot through him. His legs were weak, and he was trembling where he stood. He would not be able to walk far. Why did they have to make him move anyway? Couldn't they just finish him off quickly and peacefully? Oh, but how had he forgotten? The Valar hated him. Gritting his teeth, Aragorn stumbled forward.
"Come, Strider, this way." Daeion swiftly set off down the hall. As they continued on, the floor started to slope downwards. The walls grew damp. Moss sprouted between the stones.
A curious rushing sound reached Aragorn's ears. It sound almost like…water. A river, he would have said had he been outdoors.
They rounded a corner, and the young ranger's mouth dropped open. It was a river. An underground river. And Daeion had been clever enough to find it, and use it.
"As I mentioned before," Daeion said casually. "I abhor bloodshed."
Aragorn's eyes were immediately drawn to the large rock that sat near the edge of the river, a rope already tied around it. He swallowed hard.
"It didn't have to be this way, you know," Daeion said, his voice almost regretful. "I could have used someone like you. But I suppose it's too late for regrets." A scornful look crossed the slender man's features. "You gave up your life for elves, Strider. And it doesn't even matter. They're going to die. My men will wipe them out." A cold laugh spilled from his lips. "No defenses! They'll be slaughtered. Halith will see to that."
The smallest flicker of a smile creased Aragorn's stubbly cheeks. Cold and hard, it was not a pleasant expression. A laugh was building inside of him. One of triumph, if not real mirth. It burst from him, echoing eerily against the stone.
Daeion looked at him as though he had gone insane. "Did you not understand me?"
"I understood you perfectly." Aragorn's voice was icy steel. There was no trace of the defeat he had shown previously. The young ranger raised his head and met Daeion's gaze. It took a lot of effort to keep his chin up, but he would not allow himself to falter. "Now you understand me. When your men reach Rivendell, they will be destroyed. There are guards everywhere. They will be hidden in the trees and your men will never see them, never hear them until it's too late." He took a moment to enjoy Daeion's horror stricken face.
"You said…You said… there was nothing…"
"I lied." A flame burned brightly in silver eyes. "And do not think that you will be forgotten. No matter what happens, no matter what torture you put me through or whether you kill me or not…you will not escape the fate of your men." Again, a coldly unpleasant smile spread across his face. "The elves will come for you."
There was a moment of deathly still silence in wich Daeion's face twisted from shock, to very real fear, and then flickered to rage.
Daeion wheeled. "You!" He seized the guard's shoulder in a desperate grip. "Get a horse! Ride after them…" Even as he said the words, an awful truth seemed to become clear.
"Sir," the man sounded as though he would rather die than impart bad news. "There are no horses left. They were all taken… You said you wanted the men to arrive as quickly as possible…"
"He'll never catch them on foot," Aragorn said quietly, but with triumph in his voice.
"Go now!" Daeion hissed into the guard's face. "I don't care how you do it, but you will catch up to them." He pushed violently, sending the man spinning into the hall. "GO!" As the man fled, Daeion turned back toward the young ranger. Violence and pain glittered evilly in his eyes. "You! You did this!"
Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance. Before a word came out of his mouth Daeion flew across the room. One blow sent the young ranger flying onto his stomach. Landing beside the river's edge, he weakly tried to move away but Daeion was already upon him, leaning his full weight into Aragorn's spine. He could not resist or fight back. The pain exploding from his back had taken whatever strength he had.
With murder glinting in his eyes, Daeion seized Aragorn's hair and pushed his head beneath the surface of the water.
Evergreene- Wow, this chapter was actually up in a decent time frame! Yeah, Aragorn really is being put through the wringer here, but that's how everyone likes it.:) I can be evil? Really? Woohoo! Best thing I've heard all day. However, I don't TRY to leave the ranger and elf in horribly painful situations. Well…at least I don't try very hard.:)
Greeneyedelf001- Everybody loves torture. Including me! I don't know what it is, but there's something really great about having the heros get the stuffing beat out of them. And I actually updated soon!
Ainu Laire-Well, the twins aren't too bloody…a little bloody, but not horribly bad. Not like Legolas and Aragorn.:) Yes, they are all in for a nightmareish time, and I so wish I could feel bad about that…but I just can't.
Stoneage Woman- Actually, I lay the blame for my methods of torture with my muse, and my sister's alter ego. Mostly my sister's alter ego in this story. Actually, I think that when we first started hammering out the plot, the torture was the first thing we thought of. However, even though there is some rather intense whomping, I am at least posting soon this time, right? That's a good thing, isn't it:)
QueenofFlarmphaqal- Now I will admit that wargs ARE a very good source of angst and pain, but I was thankful that I did not have them at my throat this week. In fact, I'm posting soon enough that no one will have to threaten me! That makes me soooo happy. Glad you thought the last chapter was very nicely angsty. I try.:) No, I don't believe Aragorn will enjoy those spikes ONE BIT. But hey, he's the character and I'm the author. (Aragorn) Shouldn't I at least get SOME say…? (Me) No. Thanks for mentioning the glare. I always love putting in stuff like that, those are some of my favorite bits.
Helluin-trip- Well I followed your advice, and that must have been one heck of a cookie, cause my muse just spat this chapter out.:) Of course we want to inflict as much damage as possible on the poor ranger…Now THAT just sounds disturbing. But true. I mean, what's a story without a whomping? Glad you like the spikes. My amazing sibling beta came up with that idea when we were just hammering out the plot for this story.:)
Arranna Undomiel- ha! I am down to ONE week for and update! Yay me! Yes, poor Estel. He's in for a rough time. And I really did feel almost sorry for the humans that attacked Elladan and Elrohir. They had NO idea what was in store for them. I think everyone here loves angst. In fact, if someone didn't love angst, I would really wonder what on earth they were reading MY stories for. After all…I kind of thrive on angst.:)
Tiz02uk- Your wish is my command! Glad you are enjoying the story so much, and here is your next chapter.:)
Deep Sorrow- well sibling, be proud of me. Here I am, posting. And it hasn't been a month since the next chapter! What do you say? Do you think I can do it next week too? I think so. Espescially since we are getting to the really good horribly angsty part and my muse is just itching to write it. No, really, she's itching. One of the heros threw itching powder on her and BOY is she mad…I think she may have some kind of twisted personal revenge linked into these next few chapters… But thank you for dissuading my from choosing the easy way out and writing the same old same old character that has popped up in numerous places. You know what I mean, the pain seeking sadistic (hopefully I got the whole word there) sociapath. Looking forward to the next chapter!
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Well, that was so much fun I think I'd like to try it again! Meaning, that I will most likely be posting another chapter next Saturday. My muse has been looking forward to writing the next few chapters for forever…/evil laughter/ See you all then, and thank you for the wonderful reviews!