A/N : Hello, guys! So sorry for the long wait. I got married last week and just returned from my honeymoon. LOL! Just kidding, guys. (Wouldn't it be nice if it were true, though?)
Actually, I went through hell finalizing the company's 2005 financial reports for our coming Board Meeting. Yep. Again. Why me? Because I'm the Accounts Executive cum Admin Officer cum Clerk cum Despatch cum Receptionist cum Tour Assistant cum…Okay, okay! I think you all got the picture. Anyway, I'm back to my normal schedule and managed to finish this chapter in two days.
Read on.
Warning You might need some Kleenex.
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"Legolas? Legolas, are you well?"
The voice came very close to his ears, pulling him back to consciousness. He groaned out loud. "Oh, go away. I'm trying to sleep."
Someone chuckled. "You are all right, then. I'm so glad."
Legolas blinked, squinting a bit. "Darion?"
The young prince of Gondor grinned down at him. "Our plan works, Legolas. You are free!"
"Yes. I guess I am," the elf managed to respond with a smile, albeit weakly.
Eldarion's lips quivered, his eyes watering. With a soft cry, he wrapped his arms around Legolas and hugged him tight.
"Oh, Legolas. I was so worried! When we had to leave you behind this morning, I was…it was…it nearly killed me to do so. We didn't want to, but we had to do it. I'm so sorry that they put you under the rock. It was supposed to be me. It was supposed to be me…"
As the boy wept against his shoulder, Legolas blinked again, still dazed. He wanted to hold Eldarion, but realized that his arms were still bound behind him. He winced as Eldarion's embrace caused his injuries to scream in protest.
"Err…Darion?"
Sniffling, the boy leaned back. "Yes, Legolas?"
"Would you please…uh…untie me?"
"Oh. Sorry about that. I completely forgot," Eldarion said, grinning sheepishly as he wiped away his tears. He quickly reached down to work at the knot.
Legolas frowned when he looked around him. The wagon was no longer moving. "Where are we?"
"Inside the barn, behind the boarding house," the boy said, tugging the scarf off the elf's wrists. "We are stopping to restock our supplies—food, water, clothes, and some feed for the horses. We will leave the city after we have got everything."
Rubbing at his wrists to get the circulation going, Legolas lay back down, unable to keep himself vertical without the world spinning around him. "Where is Kel?"
"He went back to the boarding house to gather the rest of our gear and settle the bills." Eldarion unhooked a water skin from his belt. "Are you thirsty?"
"Now that you mention it—yes, I am." Legolas nodded. He took the water skin and chugged down greedily.
Keldarion suddenly appeared at the door, tossing in their packs. "Darion, stop wasting time. Go help Gallard with the water barrels. We need to make a move as soon as possible."
A bit taken aback by Keldarion's terse command, the boy sat frozen on his haunches for several heartbeats. Then, smiling ruefully, he gave Legolas' shoulder a brief squeeze before stepping out of the wagon.
"Kel." Beaming with joy, Legolas reached out for his brother, expecting to be crushed in those familiar strong arms. Instead, Keldarion just glared at him in return.
At his brother's cold and grim expression, Legolas faltered. His arms dropped, his smile wavered.
Without a word, Keldarion turned away and shut the wagon door with a bang. Shocked and hurt, Legolas could only stare, openmouthed.
What the heck was that all about?
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Back at Movrak's keep, the four guardsmen were still standing sentinel outside their master's treasure vault. They were highly fidgety and restless, and for good reasons.
"What the blazes is he doing in there?" one of the guards complained. "We have been waiting here for hours!"
"Maybe he is still praying for his ancestors' soul," his colleague beside him responded, looking a bit skeptical himself.
"But why is it taking him so long?"
"He must have lots of ancestors then."
"Quiet, you two!" The guard with the red hair glared at his underlings. "Be patient. Lord Movrak will come out soon."
"But I cannot wait any longer. I need to pee!"
Red rolled his eyes, muttering expletives under his breath. He glanced at the doorway, willing for their master to quickly materialize there.
"I just can't believe that our master let in no one else but Rowan and that slave boy to see his treasure," the fourth guardsman said, stifling a yawn. "If I even took a step in, Lord Movrak would surely have my head!"
That caused Red to freeze. Something struck his chord all of a sudden. "The slave boy," he muttered. "I thought he belongs to Lord Movrak now."
His colleagues stared uncomprehendingly at him. "What are you talking about?"
"If Lord Movrak has bought him, why did Rowan take the slave boy away with him?" Still mumbling to himself, Red went on hurried steps towards the doorway and rushed inside. "My lord? Lord Movrak, where are you, my lord?"
No answer. There was no sign of the merchant. The rest of the guards had followed after Red. And now they were staring at him with growing anxiety.
"What's going on? Where is he?"
"I don't know. But something is wrong here." Red looked around him with narrowed eyes. "Spread out. He must be in here, somewhere."
It didn't take long for one of them to cry out in alarm. "Over here! I found some blood."
The all rushed towards the back of the vault and found their friend standing between the sarcophaguses. He pointed at the damp patches on the ground. Some were splattered against one casket wall.
"Look. It's still fresh. Wonder what happen here?"
Red already knew what happened, but chose to say nothing until he had seen the merchant with his own eyes. He placed his hands on the lid and began to push, much to his companions' horror.
"Are you mad? What are you doing?"
They were yelling at him, but Red ignored them and kept pushing until the lid fell off. When he took a look inside, his face instantly drained of all color. He straightened, gulping with distaste.
"I believe we've found him."
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The wagon door reopened a while later. Gallard and Eldarion climbed up, carrying a water barrel between them.
"Hello again, elf!" Depositing the barrel in one corner, the draq walked over to squat next to Legolas. "How are you doing?"
"Not very good, I'm afraid." Legolas made a face at his bloodied and filthy state. "And I look only a little better than an orc."
"Well, hang in there, buddy," Gallard said, patting the elf's knee. "We will depart as soon as we've loaded in all our supplies."
"Will you be all right? Do you need anything?" Eldarion asked, frowning with concern.
With a small wave, Legolas replied, "No. I'll be fine. Carry on with your task. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can leave this city."
The next half hour saw Gallard and Eldarion continued to haul in two more water barrels and several large sacks containing Valar-knows-what. Legolas continued to watch their progress as he lay on a crude pallet they had thoughtfully prepared for him, the entire while hoping for his brother to appear.
But Keldarion never showed his face again until they were about to close the wagon door. He was carrying a bundle in his arms.
"Hide yourself under this," Keldarion ordered, tossing the bundle at his younger brother.
Grimacing slightly from pain, Legolas took the bundle off his chest and started to unfold it. He stared, perplexed. "It's a rug."
"Ah. I'm glad there's a part of your brain that still functions. Now do as I say," Keldarion retorted. He then turned to Gallard. "Put some of the sacks on him. Make sure he is invisible. We don't want the guards to discover that we are smuggling out a vexing stupid elf."
Legolas knew that the cover was necessary to guarantee their successful getaway, but he didn't appreciate his brother's callous way of saying it. Gallard and Eldarion exchanged looks of disbelief, not happy with it either.
"What are you all waiting for?" Keldarion barked as they kept staring at him. "Come on. We don't have much time. Get moving!"
He stormed away, leaving his three companions gaping and blinking like a bunch of idiots.
Gallard finally broke out of stupor, and went to kneel by Legolas' side. He picked up the rug. "Here. Let me help you with this."
"Thanks." With a grateful nod, Legolas let his friend drape the rug over him.
As Gallard was tugging the heavy cloth to cover Legolas' head, the draq noticed the deep hurt in those silver eyes. Softly, he said, "Don't take heart, elf. Kel will come around. He can't stay angry with you forever."
"I know." Legolas smiled ruefully. "He is my big brother, remember? But I've never seen him this mad. It will take him ages to cool down."
Patting the elf's shoulder with consoling words, Gallard covered him completely and worked together with Eldarion to place the packs strategically on and around him. When they finished, Legolas convincingly resembled a mound of cargo waiting to be shipped out.
"Are you all right under there?" Eldarion queried anxiously.
"Yes," came the muffled answer.
"We will take them off you right after we have cleared the gate," Eldarion said. "This won't take long, I promise."
If the elf responded to that, the two didn't hear it. So they climbed off the wagon, shut the door close and went to the front.
Legolas was left in silent darkness once again.
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They met no trouble at the city gate. The guards there did make a swift inspection of the wagon but found nothing suspicious with the freight inside. They only saw the water barrels and the large sacks, which Rowan the mercenary explained to them contained grains and expensive spices he had traded for in the city.
And then they were off, like bats storming out of a cave. Gallard drove the wagon, while his two companions were on horseback. As expected, Legolas was still not fit enough to be up and about, so he remained supine inside the wagon.
It was late afternoon, with several hours to sundown. The desert was still cloaked by the day's heat. Nevertheless, Keldarion and his company pushed hard without looking back. They needed to cover as much distance as possible before the city guards could learn what had happened to Movrak and send out an army after their heads. By the time the sun had set and the company decided to stop to rest the horses, Harodem was already leagues and leagues away behind them. So far, there was no sign of anyone following.
Legolas climbed off the wagon with Eldarion's support. He tottered over to sit on the sand with his back against the wagon wheel, under the shade of a lean-to that someone had quickly erected. A few yards away, Gallard was putting up another makeshift tent while Keldarion tended to the horses.
"Are you hurting, Legolas? Are you comfortable?" Eldarion couldn't stop fussing over his injured friend.
The elf gave the boy a wobble grin. "I feel a lot better out here than in there. Believe me, cramp space and sweltering heat combined is not your idea of a comfy journey."
"Sorry about those heavy sacks. I hope they didn't suffocate you."
"They almost did. But, hey, the ploy works, right? Those guards at the gate didn't know I was there."
"No thanks to you," Keldarion suddenly interrupted. He had just finished feeding and watering their mounts. "If you had not been so stupid, we won't even need such a risky ploy in the first place."
Deeply chastened though angered by those words, Legolas had trouble meeting his brother's steely gaze. Clearly uncomfortable, Eldarion also avoided Keldarion's eyes.
The air above them was so thick with tension for several moments until, luckily, Gallard broke it, announcing, "The tent is ready. You can rest in here, Darion."
Discarding his shirt and turban, the draq walked closer towards them. "I'm going to fly back to Harodem, to see if someone is tailing us. Expect my return in an hour."
He paused to stare hard at the two elves. "Don't kill each other while I'm gone."
That warning caused Keldarion to glare ferociously in reply, which Gallard responded with a sharp glower of his own. Nodding at Legolas, the draq turned, broke into a run and leapt into the air, already an eagle. He became a small dot in the sky in mere seconds.
Looking not the least bit impressed by their friend's extraordinary ability, Keldarion was back to scowling at his two charges. "Darion, get inside the tent and get some sleep. You need it."
"But…Legolas…his wounds…"
"I know about healing a lot more than you do." Keldarion gave the boy a slight push in the back. "Now, go. Rest. You look exhausted."
Eldarion opened his mouth to say more on this, but the elder elf gave him a withering look that could cause normal humans to start shaking in their boots. The young prince of Gondor was no exception. He gulped nervously and quickly scurried away for his tent.
Despite his earlier protests, Eldarion had to admit that he was indeed incredibly wearied. Lying down, he slowly became aware of the bumps and bruises that still covered his body. The heat was also getting to him, making him grow increasingly drowsy. Seconds later, he was out like a light.
Keldarion brought over his saddlebags and began to rummage through. He pulled out packets of healing herbs, along with rolls of bandages and some clean cloths. He then went to fetch a small basin and a water skin to soak the cloths. Looking grim, he bent over Legolas' injured leg and started to examine the arrow wound—speaking not word to his brother the entire time.
Legolas was equally quiet, staring anxiously at the top of Keldarion's head. Lacking his usual gentleness, his elder brother simply jabbed in his fingers and tugged out the arrowhead without giving him any warning. The pain was intense, but Legolas managed to bite down his scream of anguish before it could escape his lips and humiliate him.
Fine. I deserve that, he thought, trying to make out Keldarion's features among the black spots that were filling his vision. His brother was now diligently cleaning the wound.
"You have rights to be angry with me," Legolas said, breaking the silence. "I was wrong to make you worry. Forgive me."
A sharp glare was Keldarion's only reply. He turned his attention back to the task at hand, prodding at his brother's wound none too gently. There was no sign of blood poisoning or infection, so it didn't need to be cauterized. Not for the time being, anyway. Instead, he slapped some crushed althelas on the wound before wrapping it with bandages.
"I was only doing what I thought was right, Kel."
Still no reply.
Legolas began to loose his temper. "Will you stop with that long face already? Everything works out fine! We found Darion! We got him out of there! We got ourselves out of there! Everyone is safe, and now everyone's happy!"
It was totally unexpected. The next thing Legolas knew, his head was snapped to one side and blood was trickling form the corner of his mouth. He stared, shocked, when he realized what had just happened.
His elder brother had viciously backhanded him.
"Happy? You think I'm happy?" Keldarion was hissing in anger, his face red. "Do I even look happy to you?"
"Look. Kel…"
"No, you look, you annoying stupid brat! I've been saving your hide over and over and over for ages you start taking me granted. You take actions at your will, be damned the consequences, not listening to what I tell you, always expecting that I will come to undo the mess that you create. What am I to you exactly, Legolas? Your keeper? Always at your beck and call when things go wrong?"
"But I never thought that of you."
Keldarion gave him a sharp rap on the head. "Why have you been so stupid? I thought I taught you better than that!"
"Kel, stop it."
"Use your brain, Legolas! It is there for a purpose, not to just fill in the void!" Keldarion jabbed his index finger repeatedly against his brother's temple to prove his point.
"That's enough!" Legolas exploded. He swung his fist, hitting Keldarion square on his left cheek. That caused the elder elf to stumble backwards.
Keldarion instantly righted himself. He touched his smarting cheek, finding a bleeding cut there. Growling, he grabbed a fistful of Legolas' shirtfront and jerked him closer until their faces were inches apart. "You listen to me, you ungrateful little imp. You put me through all that again and I'll kill you!"
Chests heaving, the brothers stared at each other, unaware of everything around them. It was as if time had stood still. One of them was visibly trembling with fright, while the other was shaking with spent fury. And both of them had tears brimming in their eyes.
Terribly shaken, Keldarion promptly released his brother and leapt to his feet. He started running, away from their camp across the still hot desert. He didn't care where he was going. He just wanted to be out of anyone's eyes and ears.
When he thought no one could see or hear him, he collapsed to his knees in the sand, buried his face in his hands, and began to sob uncontrollably.
He was like that for a long time, even after the sun had fully set.
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Gallard still had not returned when Keldarion walked back into camp. His brother remained where he had left him earlier, looking so small and frail as he sat there in melancholic silence, staring numbly at the stars.
A huge lump formed in Keldarion's throat at the sight. He had to clear it to ask, "Are you hungry?"
Legolas slowly turned to look at him. He nodded.
Rummaging through his pack, Keldarion took out a familiar looking sack. He tossed it to his brother. "Here. This is the reason why you failed yourself. Eat to your heart's content."
Catching the sack in mid-air, Legolas gave his brother a brief meaningful gaze. He peered into the sack to find the muffins and orange cake he had bought at the bakery only the day before. Still not speaking, he reached inside and began eating like someone who had not eaten for a week.
Watching his brother wolfed down the muffins, realizing how hungry he must have been, Keldarion's heart broke again. But he was still too angry to let Legolas off the hook that easily.
"You gave me the orange cake to mollify me, didn't you?"
Legolas stopped eating. He looked up, guilt written all over his face.
With a hard stare, Keldarion added, "I don't take bribes, brother. I would appreciate it if you don't try that again."
Nodding, Legolas looked away and continued to eat, much slower this time. After the third muffin, he took a long drink from a water skin, consciously aware of Keldarion's gimlet stare. Curious, he lowered the water skin and glanced at his brother. "What?"
"You stink," Keldarion shortly replied, wrinkling his nose.
Legolas' face fell. He quickly took a sniff at himself and had to agree. He smelt like a pig.
That was the last straw. He knew he won't win any beauty contest, knew he resembled a walking rubbish bin, but to hear his brother frankly remarked on it…
Well, that hurt. A lot.
To his great dismay, his tears gushed over like a broken tap as he started weeping like a babe. All the horror he had gone through during those long hours in Movrak's captivity came crashing back on him, mixing with his current hurt and remorse. He took several deep breaths to gather his wits but the dam had already burst beyond repair. Everything came up to surface all at once, laid out completely bare in the open.
Nerves. It's just high-strung nerves. So get a grip, Legolas! You're being a complete idiot! he thought angrily to himself.
Still whimpering, Legolas soaked a cloth and made a clumsy job wiping his face clean. He was covered with layers of dirt and grime, and it took thorough scrubbings to rid them off his skin. Of course, his hair was one big disaster. It was badly tangled and caked with vomit and filth, so he decided to chop them off. He was reaching for the nearest blade when a hand stopped him.
"I'll see to the hair," Keldarion queitly said, putting down the pail of water he was carrying. "You just sit still. I'll take care of everything."
Legolas blinked, nodding dazedly. He thought he was losing his mind, but it was Keldarion who had just spoken. His elder brother was even now running gentle hands through his long dirty tresses, trying patiently to unravel the tangles. His itchy scalp felt cool when water was poured down his head, making him all wet.
Someone else might find it terribly embarrassing, but Legolas was so grateful he didn't care if anyone were watching.
What a way to uphold my ego. Look, everyone! My brother is giving me a bath!
After he finished washing the hair, Keldarion turned his attention to his brother's torso. He helped Legolas strip to the waist and began inspecting the blisters and blue-black bruises. They looked terribly painful, but the Ithilien lord complained not even once. When their eyes met briefly, Legolas even mustered a small smile, trying valiantly to play down the pain.
Never failed to be astounded by his brother's strong resilience and stubbornness, Keldarion shook his head and reached out for a wet cloth. He gently wiped the remains of blood and dirt off Legolas' face, pausing at the tears on his brother's cheek before wiping them away too. He rinsed the cloth and gingerly ran it across Legolas' belly, chest and shoulders, and then down his arms and under his armpits.
"That tickles," Legolas complained, jerking away slightly.
"Oh, be quiet," Keldarion retorted, keeping hold of his brother's arm to keep him still. He continued with his work, running the damp cloth all over Legolas' back and neck, giving extra attention to the area behind the ears.
"You are taking this job too seriously," again Legolas complained, but with a touch of amusement in his voice this time.
In response, Keldarion gave his brother a playful swipe at the back of the head, also smiling. From his pack, he took out a small pot that contained the juice from aloera plant, which was good to ease burns and blisters.
When the gel-like liquid was spread onto his skin, Legolas sighed with pleasure as the stinging pain quickly subsided. Afterwards, when his hair had been toweled dry, he was given a clean shirt to wear.
"Now lie down. Try to get some sleep," Keldarion said, pushing until his brother's head rested against a folded blanket. Already nodding off from sheer exhaustion, Legolas didn't bother to respond. He fell asleep almost instantly.
Even then, Keldarion still had a bit more to do. He got rid off Legolas' soiled leggings and began to wash the trace of urine from his brother's crotch and legs. Then he put a pair of fresh leggings and his own spare boots on him.
Drowsy himself, Keldarion put away all the healing supplies and lay down next to his brother. He drifted into a doze, only to wake up shortly afterwards when Gallard returned.
The draq brought with him troubling news. A squadron of Harodem army had been seen leaving the city gate, highly in pursuit of Rowan and company.
"We need to move on," Gallard said. "They will catch up with us if we linger much longer."
Therefore, they quickly roused their sleeping companions and broke camp. Not long after, they were back on the road.
They rode hard all through the night. But by dawn, their horses were so spent they refused to go any further. Reluctantly, Keldarion gave the order to set up camp. He desperately wanted to continue on to stay ahead of the Harodem's hunting party. Still, he knew there was no use killing their mounts over it.
Like before, he and Gallard respectively took over the tasks of tending to the horses and pitching up tents. Eldarion went into the wagon to assist Legolas down. Seconds later, the boy scrambled back out, looking panic-stricken.
"Kel! Something's wrong with Legolas. He said he can't move!"
TBC…
Err…cliffie anyone? He he…
A/N : Many of you might not realize that a friend of mine has created a Yahoo Group for my stories (thanks Rutu!). It is called the Manyan Chronicles Group. I've just put up there the forbidden story 'Tormented' and the rejected one, 'Triple Jeopardy'. I've also posted a pic of my favorite nephew, Kimi. Even one of the members has put up some fantastic pictures of the imaginary Keldarion! Wow!
So, come on everyone! Join us. Check my bio-page for the link.