Seylin Did I really say hawk? And will Hawkeye make his appearance? Hmm…we shall see, won't we?
Ceyxa Yep. That's Eldarion, just like his old man.
Rutu The brothers' fight won't hurt anyone, trust me. But if you want angst, I'll give you angst, coming up in the coming chapters.
Leralonde Kel's amazing restrain is due to thousands of years of training. He truly wants to say something to add to the 'virgin' thing, but he chooses to wait for the opportune moment.
A NuEvil Darion growing out of spanking? Err…I don't think so. I'll see to it that he doesn't.
Karriya KOH will be out here in Malaysia on May 5 too! I just can't wait!
Yami Tai : You re-read my stories? Aw…I'm so pleased. Yes, mellon, things will not turn out well for our favorite elf and his annoying beloved brother. They are in for another adventure! Angst and more angst. Who says their task would be easy? (Oh, and I take your advice and try not to be so stressed).
Legosgurl That's what brothers always do, fighting for no apparent reasons at all. Just ask my brothers. LOL!
Enigma Jade : Hey, nice to hear from you too! And good luck in your finals!
JoeAteMuffin Thank you my friend but I don't want cherry or apple pie. I want muffin! Cheese and blackberry muffin! And I want it now before you read this next chappie! (Actually, I really love apple pie. I don't know how to make one but I love to buy it from the McDonald's!)
TaniaNZ You are going to the Gold Coast? Cool! How about coming here to Kuala Lumpur afterwards? I can show you around.
ShayNA I'm so glad to know that you enjoy the T-series! My stories are not soap-operaish? Really? Oh, you just made my day, girl! Thank you!
Hello, everyone! I'm, not posting from my boss's office today, thank God! Starting from yesterday, my PC is back in working order—even though some of the system is still down. And guess what? I have tons of backlog paperwork on my table! Eeek! Help me!
Anyway, here's chapter 5. If I'm late updating afterwards, blame it on my boss!
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It took Legolas and Keldarion a two days ride from Minas Tirith before they came upon the sad remains of the pursued carnival troupe, right in the middle of an isolated traders' road leading to Pelargir.
It was a sad scene indeed, with dead bodies lying exactly where they had fallen and the content of the overturned wagons carelessly strewn about. The two elves had to breathe through their mouth, for the stench from the rotting corpses was highly overpowering. A group of vultures were seen greedily devouring the carrions, but the large scavenger birds instantly took off into the air at the brothers' arrival, screeching in anger to have their feeding cut abruptly short.
Keldarion gave a low whistle of dismay. "Ai Elbereth. What the blazes happened here?"
The two brothers quickly dismounted after they exchanged troubled looks. They left their horses to graze and started walking wordlessly through the wreckage, praying that they wouldn't find Eldarion among the mutilated bodies.
Legolas let out a huge sigh of relief a while later. "All right. He's not among them. But that leaves us with the next question—where exactly is he now? We were perfectly sure he was traveling with this company."
"Well, something dreadful just happened and he definitely would not linger anywhere near this place," Keldarion responded, grimacing at the awful sight of the body of a young man lying sprawl near a burnt wagon. The vultures had been cruel on him. They had picked out his eyeballs and tore open his belly to feed on his intestines. The condition of the other corpses was no better. Most of them lay in various stages of decomposition, almost beyond recognition.
Legolas was frowning as he looked at the devastation around him. "Based on their wounds, these people had been brutally attacked not more than four days ago. By a pack of robbers, maybe?"
Kneeling next to a headless female corpse, Keldarion nodded. "That's highly likely. Look at this one. Her head was severed clear off her neck—by a sharp sword, definitely. She also lost all her fingers, which made it easier for someone to steal her rings and chain—if she had been wearing any."
Legolas was rummaging through an overturned wagon. "I believe this was the owner's wagon. It's supposed to carry the troupe's earnings and treasures. And guess what, Kel? It has been completely ransacked."
Shaking his head in disgust, the younger elf walked back to his brother's side. "Estel has informed me that this area is highly dangerous for merchants and travelers. There have been many reports on robbery and highwayman encounters around here that Estel had to send out his army to apprehend the marauders, but it seems that they are very slick and elusive. On top of that, they are very bloodthirsty and—most often than not—they never left any survivor to tell the story."
The brothers stared anxiously at each other, thinking at the same thing.
Did Darion survive this?
On the day the princes left Minas Tirith, both Aragorn and Arwen had given them identical beseeching looks. The king and queen of Gondor had not the need to say the words, but the Mirkwood princes fully understood what was expected of them. They knew that everyone in the kingdom had high hopes that they would return with the lost crown prince, something which the brothers vowed not to disappoint.
Initially, Aragorn had suggested that Legolas and Keldarion take a squadron of Gondorim knights for escort. But the brothers had vehemently declined, saying that they moved and worked faster on their own.
"But the journey you will take might be dangerous." The man was clearly upset after the elven brothers had repeatedly said no. "No one knew where the tracking would lead you to. You need someone to watch your back!"
Legolas scoffed. "We are adult warriors, Estel—not foolish little boys. We can take care of ourselves."
"Oh, right." Now it was Arwen's turn to scoff. "The last time you ran off without your escort, a pack of foolish little boys took you captive."
Legolas glared at her, amid Keldarion and Aragorn's snickering.
"Don't worry, Arwen. I'll take care of him," Keldarion promised, smirking at his younger brother. "I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."
"Err…" Aragorn tried hard to hold back his grin. "But Kel, knowing Legolas, he will always drags you into trouble. That's the problem."
Legolas had to roll his eyes at that. "This conversation is getting us nowhere. We are leaving now—without anyone following. If I see any shadow behind us, I'll shoot first and ask questions later."
Arwen cocked her eyebrows at that. "Is that how you want us to explain to your wives when they inquire about the two of you?"
At that, the brothers had instantly fled, having not the courage to ponder upon their wives' reaction to what they were about to do. Riding blindly after a caravan was one thing, but traveling without additional reinforcement was another. Narasene and Aislinn would not be happy when they found out.
"Wait a minute. I think I saw something." Legolas suddenly stirred from his musings, his eyes staring at some point in the distance. "Is that another wagon down the road?"
On foot, they rushed towards the said wagon which lay broken on its side about five hundred yards away—hoping against hope that they would find Eldarion there. Instead, they found a half-naked body of a young woman, lying supine near a tree with a horrendous sword wound across her throat. Her attackers had slaughtered her after they had gang raped her.
Both brothers turned their eyes away from the ghastly sight, feeling deeply sorry for the girl. They could imagine the complete horror that she had gone through. Oh, yes. The brothers could perfectly imagine. They had gone through the same horror before, many years ago. Unlike the girl, they were lucky to have survived. Still, it was some experience that they would never easily forget. Not ever.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Legolas quickly walk back to the fallen wagon and cut away some of the canvas covering. He then covered the girl's body with it, silently offering a prayer for her soul. When he straightened, he saw Keldarion walking slowly around the site with intense gazes, searching for more clues and signs.
"She broke away from the main group and tried to flee, but they chased her until her carriage went off the road," Keldarion was saying, staring at the wheel marks and hoof prints on the ground. "There were several men—not more than ten, perhaps—and they dragged her here and had their way with her. She struggled to her last breath."
Legolas frowned back at the wagon, noticing that the animals pulling the entire caravan were missing. Obviously, they had also been stolen.
"She was too tiny to handle the team all by herself. I think somebody else was driving the wagon for her."
Keldarion paused and stared at his brother. "Right. But why is there only one body?"
Legolas' eyes widened at that. He swiftly scanned the ground, looking for something that his eyes might have missed earlier. Then he noticed the signs of scuffling not far from the girl's body. "There. You see those? Someone tried to help her but failed. From the look of that boot prints, there was another man. Maybe he was one of the troupe members. Her husband, perhaps?"
"She was too young to have a husband, Legolas. She was exactly Darion's age," Keldarion sorrowfully responded. "What a pity. She was very beautiful. Poor child."
Legolas ruefully shook his head. "There's nothing more we can do for her, except to bury her body with the others. I'll go find a spade."
As Keldarion went to look for a burial spot, Legolas rummaged through the broken wagon. Instead of a spade, however, he found something else.
"KEL!"
The elder prince started when he heard his brother's shout. Unsheathing his sword in one fluid motion, Keldarion ran back towards his brother, all prepared to meet any certain danger.
"Legolas! Where are you?"
"I'm right here!" came Legolas' voice from inside the wagon. "Look what I've found!"
"What is it?"
His face glowing with excitement, the younger prince emerged with a beautiful clear-crystal pendant attached to a broken silver chain wrapped around his fist.
"It's the Evenstar!" Legolas exulted, looking both worried and pleased by his discovery. "I found it between the floorboards. Kel, Darion was here!"
Keldarion took the pendant from his brother, remembering the million times he had seen it around Arwen's graceful throat. It was not a mere trinket, but a highly treasured heirloom for all descendants of Eärendil. Eldarion would never leave it behind intentionally, unless something terrible had happened to him.
"It's confirmed then; we are on the right track," said Keldarion, pocketing the pendant for safekeeping. "I had been worried that we were chasing after the wrong lead. The Evenstar has shown us that we are not far from Darion, though. If he is not here, then he is alive somewhere. We just need to follow the trail that leads out from this site."
"I think he has been taken away, probably by the group that attacked this caravan." Legolas stared hard at the ground where various signs and prints started to become more sensible to him. "Hopefully, he stays strong while facing whatever horror that comes his way. His abductors will not be gentle with him, especially if they find out that Darion is the crown prince of Gondor. Estel has lots of enemies in this land."
Keldarion placed a hand on his brother's stiff shoulder. "We'll find him alive and strong, Legolas. Darion is so like his father, too hardheaded to admit defeat."
He then gave Legolas a sheepish grin. "What am I babbling about? Darion is exactly like you! Always getting into foolish scrapes but too stubborn to die. Remember the thousand times you were abducted and I had to drag you home by your tail and…"
"All right, all right! I got your point! Sheesh!" Legolas gave his brother a killing glare. "Lay off my past embarrassments, will you? So tell me, what's the plan now?"
Serious again, Keldarion inclined his head towards the clearly visible hoof prints. "We only have one choice. We'll follow the trail."
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Eldarion jerked awake from his light slumber by rough hands yanking him clearly off his mount. He went tumbling down and crashed to the ground with a bone-jarring impact.
After crossing the Anduin River they had untied his bonds, except for the one on his wrists, before dumping him on top of a mare. He had problems to pull himself upright with his arms still restrained, so someone grab the back of his shirt and jerked him to his feet. He was then dragged along in a fast trot. It drained him to keep up because he was thirsty and hungry, and his legs were still wobbly after long hours of riding. But, determinedly, he tried to match his captor's step, trying not to show any sign of weakness.
His head reeling, Eldarion looked around to take in his surrounding. It was late afternoon, and they had just stopped at the bank of River Poros. The river was not as wide as Anduin, though. And there was even a sturdy wooden bridge span over it. Laden with goods and occupants, several wagons were taking turns to make their crossings. A couple of tents had been erected alongside the water, offering various kinds of products and services from expensive genuine oliphaunt tusks to a cheap and quick tupping with one of the painted ladies behind the canvas screen.
Patch-eye had his men busy unloading their stolen wares and finding the buyers. Eldarion watched wide-eyed at the scene, finding the place not much different from the common markets in Minas Tirith, with the men haggling outrageously and arguing over the value of the merchandises. The only difference was that there were no sign of honest faces around. These were all thieves and smugglers who used this location as an entreport to barter the goods in exchange of other riches. A very active black-market, indeed.
"Where the blazes are we?" Eldarion couldn't help but muttered in anxiety as he was dumped next to a fallen log near the riverbank.
"Near the Fords of Poros. Don't try to escape, boy. You won't succeed, I'll see to it!" came the terse reply. Eldarion looked up and got a full look at the man who had dragged him here. His heart fell. The man he had injured right before they crossed the River Anduin was glowering down at him.
Gulping uneasily, Eldarion forced away his fear and tried to look brave. "Oh, it's you. I should have known. What now, dumb-head? Want me to bust the other ribs too?"
In response, the man swung his arm and hit the boy squarely in his jaw, causing Eldarion's head to snap to one side. The man raised his fist again but someone roughly shoved him aside.
"Stop that, you fool! We need him whole to give us the heaviest gold!" Patch-eye snapped at his minion, his eyes glinting dangerously. Squatting in front of Eldarion, the head robber gripped the boy's jaw and stared calculatingly.
"Good. Not too much damage there. I knew someone here who will pay a costly price for those good looks and strong muscles."
Eldarion jerked his chin out of Patch-eye's hand. "I'm not for sale! I'm a pr…!"
The lad quickly bit down his lip right before he could declare that he was a prince. He knew it was not a good time to disclose his real identity. It would only bring him more harm than good.
Unaware of Eldarion's slip, Patch-eye stood, laughing gaily. "You can complain all you want, boy, but your luck is not going to change. Now where is Movrak, that useless pig?"
Shortly after, a stout looking man came near with a proud smirk on his face. "So, this is the 'goods' you've been telling me about just now?"
Patch-eye crossed his arms. He shrugged in an offhand manner. "This is it. What do you think?"
"Make the boy stand up straight. I can't see anything that can impress me."
Chuckling, Patch-eye grabbed a fistful of Eldarion's dirty hair and yanked him to his feet.
Movrak stared curiously at the rising flush of anger on the boy's ears and neck. "Nice enough face, but he is too high-spirited to my taste. I don't want to accidentally become a eunuch, you know what I mean?"
The men around him roared with laughter, much to Eldarion's puzzlement. He didn't understand the joke, and was not eager to find out what it was all about.
"Yes, I know you like them soft and yielding." Patch-eye grinned. "Still, you can break this boy's spirit in no time at all. Put him to work in your field. Give him a month, and afterwards he will gladly entertain your needs."
Eldarion was smart. He saw the way Movrak was staring at him, and he could instantly figure out that this ugly man favored boys rather than girls. Panicked, the young prince swiveled around and tried to run. Patch-eye easily caught Eldarion by the hair and yanked him back in front of Movrak.
"Come on, Movrak. Here's my offer; fifteen gold nuggets." Holding Eldarion firmly steady by the scruff of his neck, Patch-eye carried on with business.
"Fifteen? That's absurd!" Movrak cried out incredulously. "Are you trying to rob me here?"
"As I am a robber, I guess the answer is…" Patch-eye shrugged. "Yeah."
Movrak grinned in spite of the high price. "I can see that you are. But are you sure he is strong?"
"Definitely. He broke Rodem's ribs two days ago. You can see that this stupid peon of mine is still wincing every time he talks."
As the two men laughed, Rodem glared at Eldarion, blaming the boy for his current humiliation. Eldarion returned the glare with equal hatred while the bargaining continued on.
"Nah. I'll give you five nuggets. Fifteen is too high, only fit for a prince," Movrak was saying, causing Eldarion's heart to jump.
You don't know how very correct you are, Movrak, the boy dryly thought.
"You are sucking my blood dry here, Movrak." Patch-eye shook his head. "Twelve nuggets. That's my last offer."
"Take off his shirt. After I see what I need to see, then I'll consider," Movrak ordered.
Noting Eldarion's intention to struggle, Patch-eye clouted the back of the boy's head. Rendered too senseless to even speak by the blow, Eldarion couldn't escape the hands that began to tear the threadbare tunic off his body. Held upright between Rodem and Patch-eye, Eldarion silently suffered Movrak's careful scrutiny of his naked torso.
"Nice. Very nice," Movrak murmured, touching the prince's lean, muscle-toned chest. "What did you say he was just now?"
"A carnival performer, or maybe one of the troupe's technicians." Patch-eye cocked his head to one side. "He doesn't look much like a performer, does he?"
"Nope. More like a young knight." Movrak nodded. "Look at his arms. He is used to lifting swords and spears, I gather. Eight nuggets."
"Strong enough to lift other kind of tools for you after this, Movrak. Ten nuggets!"
"Done! Ten nuggets it is!"
With increasing horror, Eldarion watched the two men shake hands at the final arrangement. Movrak carefully counted the gold nuggets in his purse before passing them over. Then the two marauders left without even a backward glance at the boy.
Eldarion was shaking, both in fear and fury. He couldn't believe that it was all over. He couldn't believe that he had become someone else's chattel, a property to be sold and bought so easily. He, a noble-born prince, had become a slave.
Two burly looking men had come near at Movrak's signal. They grabbed Eldarion by the arms and dragged him off to follow the stout 'merchant'.
"Where are we going?" Eldarion cried out, planting his feet stubbornly as he resisted to be taken along. "Where are you taking me?"
Movrak paused and turned. "Why, we are going home, of course."
"Where, blast you!"
The man gave the boy a calm smile. "Into the desert—in Haradwaith."
Haradwaith
Eldarion nearly fainted to hear that. "No…"
Movrak clucked his tongue when he saw the boy slumped to his knees, turning incredibly pale. "Poor child. Give him something to drink and eat. And then lock him in one of the wagons. I don't want a corpse in my hand when we get home."
Movrak's two hirelings effortlessly picked up the half-conscious boy and carried him swiftly to Movrak's caravan.
Staring numbly at the blue sky above, Eldarion felt something wet trickle down his cheeks. He was dismayed to realize that he was crying.
Forgive me, father, for I've done you great wrong. I was so stupid! Oh, mother, what am I going to do?
TBC…