Chapter 14 reviews:
Elven Kitten: I'm glad you liked the chapter!
Kel: Doesn't everyone wish they were a good bargain shopper? I sure they would be glad. Wouldn't you be glad if someone you thought was dead wasn't and came back?
TheAmazingTecnoColorRingWraith: I don't think he's getting his horse back either. Oh well. I don't mean to torture you, honestly!
IwishChan: Oops, I didn't see that. Thanks for pointing out that mistake! Elrond is just nervous, so his imagination is playing every horrible scenario that could happen while he's gone. Elrohir doesn't really want the horse back, they never got along. It's more of a pride thing. The fact that his horse just let anyone take him wounded Elrohir's pride. I was thinking of doing that, but I changed my mind. I don't want people to think that I made Glory stupid or anything, cause I think that he's smart. Not as smart as other elves, but still smart, especially when it comes to wars and fighting and making plans and things like that. Hope that answers most of your thoughts/questions!
Rebell: I still think the beginning sucked. Happy to know that you disagree. Makes me feel better about my writing skills. ) For Chapter 13: lots of people liked chapter 13. That was also my favorite chap. so far. It was fun! For Chapter 12: I think that he needs to go out for a while. He's always working, working, working. Poor thing.
Xiaoweisan: Well, it was in detail cause I really didn't have anything to write about Legolas. If I didn't write the way I wrote it, it would have probable been at the most, half a page long. I wanted every section to at least be a page long. That scene doesn't have anything to do with the future...I think.
Mearas: I'll get to Elrond in Mirkwood in the next chapter, or if not in that chapter, the one after that. Hehehe, lets see what happens!
Chapter 15
Estel yawned. After Elrohir had stopped mumbling and complaining, there wasn't really anything for him to do. Elladan was still talking to Raindul, and Elrohir was looking just as bored.
He had never thought that traveling to Lothlorien could be so boring! But maybe that was because they were traveling with warriors who liked to be serious, at least in his opinion.
What I wouldn't give to have some entertainment around here! Estel looked around. There really wasn't all that much to see, seeing as they were still on the plains. He could see mountains in the background, but they were really tiny, meaning that they weren't going in that direction. He had been to the Golden Woods once before, when he was younger. He didn't really remember much about it, except that it was a really beautiful place, where the trees seemed to give off their own light. But other than that, he really didn't remember much. He let out a sigh.
Elrohir wasn't faring much better. He could probably fall asleep in his saddle if he wanted to, but he would also probably fall out of his saddle as well. Couldn't let that happen!
If I ever find Legolas, I'm going to beat him, then thank him. He didn't really care that much for Shadow. The feelings between them was mutual. Both of them hated each other. It was as simple as that. Maybe I should just give him Shadow, that way I could finally be rid of him. He smiled at that thought.
Suddenly he was brought out of his little world by one thought. Legolas! He had forgotten about him! For all that he knew, Legolas only knew that they were headed toward Lothlorien, but he probable didn't know which way he and his brothers were going. He groaned and rubbed his head with one hand.
Estel heard his brother and rolled his eyes. He's probable going to complain, again. Estel really wasn't in the mood to try and calm his brother down, but he wasn't in the mood to hear him whin either. Sometimes he wondered what he did to deserve brothers like the ones he had. Maybe he was cursed.
"Elrohir," Estel said, not looking at said brother, "please, don't complain. I'm not in the mood."
Elrohir shook his head. Estel looked sooooo bored! "Estel!" Elrohir didn't raise his voice over a whisper, after all, he didn't want the elves behind him to hear. He also moved his horse closer. "Did you tell Legolas which road we were talking to reach Lothlorien? Cause I didn't."
That caught Estel's attention. "No." He didn't talk any louder than Elrohir. "The last time I talked to him was when we were looking for him with Glorfindel and Raindul." This can't be good. As far as he knew, Legolas was probably running around looking for them. He might have gone in a different direction. "Elladan was the one who spoke to him last, ask him." Elrohir nodded and rode ahead.
As Elrohir got closer, he hear part of the conversation that the pair in front of him were having.
"That long?" Elladan asked. Raindul nodded his head. "Every male is taught how to use a sword. Training starts as soon as they are old enough to move out of their parents home. We need everyone we can get to help defend our home." Raindul said, though there was sadness in his eyes. The thought of your home being taken over by evil is not a happy thought.
"And these spiders you were talking about?" Elladan said. Anything to change the subject was good, in his opinion.
"Ah yes, the spiders. Most of them are the size of a man, both in height and width." Raindul said. He saw Elladan's eyes widen. "The smallest are about the size of your palm. Those are the most dangerous. They could easily sneak up on you without you knowing until its to late." Elladan's eyes got bigger, if that was possible. "But do not fear for us," Raindul said, "for those only live deep in the forest, an they don't hunt in groups, like the bigger ones do. I don't know why, I don't think anyone knows why, but that's better news for us." At that time, Elrohir was riding next to Elladan.
"Elladan, I need to speak with you." Elrohir put a hand on his twins arm, showing that he wanted to talk were no one could overhear.
Elladan got the message. "Of course." He turned to Raindul. "Could you excuse me?" Raindul nodded and both the twins fell behind until they were riding next to Estel. "What is this about?"
Estel began. "Elladan, did you tell Legolas where we were going?" He asked the question in a low whisper.
Elladan, understanding the need for secrecy, answered in a voice just as low, if not lower, than Estel. "I told him that we were leaving today in the morning. Why?"
Elrohir spoke next. "Did you tell him how we were going to get there, as in, which road we would be taking?"
There was a long silence as Elladan went through his last conversation with Legolas. Finally he looked at his brothers, who were just staring at him, waiting for his answer. "Oops, I knew I forgot something."
Legolas had slowed Shadow down to a walk so that he would be able to study the ground better. So far he hadn't been able to find any clue as to which direction the twins and Estel had taken. He let out a tired sigh.
Shadow, seeing that his rider was looking for something, had been sniffing the air, trying to catch the smell of anything in the air. But the wind wasn't blowing, so he wasn't much help.
Finally Legolas stopped Shadow and jumped off, wanting to stretch his legs, which still stung a little from the little stunt he did in the woods. He grabbed the bridle and pulled the horse behind him.
It was a little late in the afternoon by the time he stopped to take a break. He let Shadow walk around and niggle at the grass while he tried to think of all the different ways one could get to Lothlorien. And he knew so many ways to get there. He took a seat on a low rock and let his mind wander for a brief moment.
Shadow watched as his new master sat. He wanted to help him, he really did, but without the wind blowing, and not being able to catch a smell in the air except for the smell of grass, he wasn't doing his master much good. Shadow let our a frustrated snort.
Legolas looked behind him at Shadow, thinking he might of found something. As if reading his mind, Shadow shook his head and bend down to eat the grass. Legolas turned back around, put his elbow on his legs, and rested his head in his hands. Then he closed his eyes. It helped him think better.
Shadow wandered further away for Legolas, not that he noticed. Bending down to get some new grass, Shadow stopped as the smell of horse reached his nose. Looking over at Legolas, Shadow decided to find out where the smell was coming from. No use bringing his masters hopes up only to bring them back down if they didn't find anything. No, he better not tell his master.
Shadow moved further away from Legolas, all the while keeping alert for any sound that might mean danger. After a few more feet, he took another whiff. The smell was getting stronger. Quickly, he traveled a few more feet and took another whiff. Yup, he was going in the right direction. He did this several more times before he found himself in an area that looked as if the ground had been step on. Bending down until his nose almost touched the ground, he took yet another whiff. He head shot back up. He knew those scents! They belonged to a few of the horses that were in the same stable as he was!
Glad that he found the trial that his master must have been looking for, he turned around to head back. His master was just a speck in the distance. No wonder they couldn't find the trail! Quickly, Shadow galloped back over to Legolas, all the while neighing his excitement.
Legolas looked up when he heard Shadow coming back towards him. Once the horse reached him, Shadow began to shove him with his head, and after Legolas just sat there looking as if he horse had gone mad, Shadow grabbed the cloak, which Legolas had put on, and began to drag his new master over to the trail.
"Shadow! Stop it! I demand that you stop dragging me!" After Shadow stopped, Legolas managed to get up, and dust himself. "What was that for?" Legolas asked. Shadow began to paw the ground and walked around Legolas in a circle. "What? Did you find something?" At that, Shadow nodded his head. Legolas's eyes brightened up immediately. "Really! Where!"
Soon, both Legolas and Shadow were at the trail, Legolas bent down, trying to figure out which direction the group they were following went. "Looks like they went North. This trail is probable just a few hours old, meaning that we aren't that far behind." He turned to look at Shadow. "When we stop for the night, I'm going to give you several apples and carrots." Shadow neighed happily. He loved apples and carrots.
Quickly getting up on Shadow, Legolas set Shadow at a smooth gallop. "Come on Shadow, we could catch them by sundown!"
Darkness had set in. The small group from Mirkwood, along with the twins and Estel, began to set up camp near a couple of rocks. They managed to locate fuel for the fire, and know everyone was seated comfortably. Raindul had put sentries around the camp, just in case.
Elladan was staring into the fire, Elrohir was staring at the sky, since he was laying on his back, and Estel was just staring at both of his brothers. There was a lot of staring going on in the camp. The Mirkwood elves were staring at the brothers, at each other, or at the fires. To put things simple: they were all bored.
Estel coughed, which startled everyone. "Sorry." After that, everyone went back to what they were doing. At that time, Raindul came back from talking to one of the sentries.
"What are you all doing?" He asked.
"Nothing." Came the response from everyone. Raindul sweat-dropped.
Raindul took a seat next to Elrohir. "Elrohir, how long has it been since you visited your grandmother?"
Elrohir looked over at Raindul. "A long time. Probably around three hundred years, five or take a couple of years."
"Who's your grandmother?" One of the Mirkwood elves asked.
"Galadriel." Elladan answered.
"She's your grandmother!" A different elf spoke this time.
Soon, conversations and the sound of voices could be heard coming from the camp. It was a nice and welcomed break from the silence that was there only a few moments ago.
Suddenly, one of the sentries came running back to the camp. "Captain Raindul, a rider approaches!"
Raindul immediately began to call out orders. "Put out the fire. With sand, not water! Water causes smoke!" The fire was quickly put out. "Hide the horses and yourselves! We do not want the rider to know that there are more than," here Raindul pointed to Estel and the twins, "four of use!" The other elves hide behind the rocks, taking the horses with them.
By the time the rider, who had a hood over his head, appeared, the only ones visible were Raindul, Elladan, Elrohir, and Estel.
Raindul held a hand out. "Halt rider!" The rider stopped his horse.
Elladan poked Elrohir's arm. "Hey look! It's Shadow!"
Raindul overheard this comment. "Tell me, where did you get this horse?"
The rider got off Shadow and walked till he was standing next to Shadow's head. "This horse? I saved him. The man that was with him was treating him wrong. The poor thing looked miserable." The rider said as he petted Shadow. "I managed to get him away from the man that had him. After that, the horse followed me, wherever I went." Here, he scratched Shadow between the ears. "He's a smart horse."
Raindul still didn't look completely convinced. "Remove that hood from your head." Raindul expected to hear some sort of complain, most who have hoods on their heads complain when someone tells them to take it off. Oddly, the rider didn't. Instead the rider reached up for his hood, almost gladly, and quickly slipped it off. Raindul just stared. "An elf?"
The rider gave Raindul a friendly smile. "That feels so much better. It can get pretty warm wearing a hood and cloak on a night like this." The rider then turned his gaze to Estel and the twins. "Hi, I'm Legolas."
The three brothers gave their own greetings, then Legolas turned his gaze to Raindul. "And you are?"
But Raindul wasn't listening. Legolas...why does that name sound familiar? I feel as if I should have already known who he was... To say the least, Raindul was confused. That name sounded so familiar, as if he had heard it before, but from where? Feeling someone poke his arm, he snapped his attention back to reality. "Yes?"
Elladan raised an eyebrow. "He asked what your name was."
Raindul looked back to Legolas, who was patiently waiting with a small grin on his face. "You can call me Captain." He left it at that. He wasn't about to give his name without finding out what this elfs intentions were.
Legolas frowned, then shrugged and turned his attention back to Elladan. "I couldn't help but overhear what you said. This horses name is Shadow?" Soon after the twins, Estel, and Legolas were in a conversation, as if they were old friends.
Raindul shook his head. He wondered if the three brothers were like this to all strangers. If anything happens, I'm sure they can handle it. With that, Raindul went back to start the fire, signaling to his warriors to keep an eye on their 'guest'.
All done. I don't really like this chapter. Woe is me!