Disclaimer: See Chapter One
A/N: The two previous chapters have been changed very slightly. Basically, I just added Anarion into the visitors from the past. Also, if any of you counted the number of people introduced to Denethor, you would have realized that I only had nine there. I forgot that Cirdan was there as well, so I put him in there. Anyway, on with the story!
Out of Time
Chapter Three
"How are you faring today, brothers?" Elladan asked as he strode into the room.
Aragorn and Elrohir scowled at the eldest son of Elrond. He knew very well that his brothers hated being confined to their beds as much as he did, and he did not have to gloat just because he had managed to escape that particular fate, although he did not escape without his right arm in a sling to keep weight off his injured shoulder.
"As you well know, Elladan, we are perfectly fine. However, Ada seems fit to have us remain in these thrice-damned beds for two more days!" Aragorn exclaimed.
"You are lucky to escape with your lives after all the orcs we faced off against!" Elladan argued.
"Orcs that you alerted to our presence by following off the tree!" Elrohir pointed out.
"I wouldn't have fallen out of the tree if some ranger hadn't lost his balance!"
"I wouldn't have lost my balance if Elrohir hadn't turned around so quickly!"
"Ahem."
All three looked up to see the Lord of Imladris staring at them with an amused expression on his face.
"I hate to interrupt your…conversation, but a letter just arrived for a Thorongil from the Steward Denethor of Gondor," Elrond said, holding out the letter to Aragorn.
"Denethor sent me a letter?" Aragorn wondered aloud as he opened it and scanned its contents. His eyes widened and he had to read it again. "I think he has finally lost his mind. Either that or he's toying with me."
"I hardly think the Lord of Gondor would waste time writing to you if it were not a grave matter, even if he has lost his mind," Elrond commented. "What does it say?"
"According to him, eleven figures of the past recently appeared in Ithilien and he wants me to come and 'collect' them."
"I agree with Estel, he has lost his mind," Elladan put in.
"Who has he said has come, Elendil and Gil-Galad?" Elrohir asked with a teasing grin.
"To name two," Aragorn deadpanned.
"Do not disregard this as a hallucination of a crazed man. Something has been growing in my mind as of late, and this may be what it is. Who else does he report appearing?" Elrond asked.
"Well, you, for one, and Glorfindel. Also Anarion and Isildur, as well as Cirdan, Galadriel, Celeborn, Oropher, and Thranduil," Aragorn replied.
"Very well, I will have your companions ready to set out in a week. That should give you three a little time to completely heal. After that, we will have a little over a month to ready Imladris for the Council," Elrond stated before exiting the room.
"What?" Elladan and Elrohir asked in unison.
"How did we just get volunteered for this?" Aragorn asked rhetorically.
OoooOoooOoooO
Oropher was not a man known for his patience. The King of Greenwood the Great was not accustomed to waiting on anything, let alone waiting with nothing to occupy his time with. And here he was, holed up in some Valor-forsaken citadel of a human kingdom with no king, not allowed to step foot outside a designated area lest he 'alarm' anyone. He had had enough, which he made quite clear as soon as the sons of the Steward made one of their customary visits.
"This is outrageous!" he raved at Faramir and Boromir. "It has been four months! Why do you and your Lord insist on caging us here needlessly? If you are so concerned about causing alarm among your people, then let us leave on our own! I do believe we can make it to one of the elven kingdoms on our own!"
Boromir fixed the elven king with a cold stare. When he spoke, it was with a cool calm that belied his fury at the thoughtless words. "I am afraid, my lord, that we cannot allow you to venture out on your own. I'm sorry to tell you, but the land has changed in the last three millennia. Also, do you not think we are doing this for your own protection? Sauron's army is still out there, as you have been impressed upon. Do you not think that the Dark Lord will want revenge on all of you for your parts in the Last Alliance? I regret that you feel you have been inconvenienced in waiting, but I cannot make the distance from here to Rivendell any shorter. However, you better get used to waiting because you have just as long or longer to wait before they arrive here."
With those words said, he looked to his brother and nodded, indicating that they should take their leave. After they had left, Gil-Galad looked in annoyance at Oropher.
"Was that really necessary? For the past months, they have been nearly are only allies. And in two minutes you have managed to alienate them from us."
"Me alienate them? They who been nothing but patronizing and arrogant in their knowledge and have allowed us nothing but the bare necessities. They have alienated themselves."
"They have done more than they had to," Gil-Galad argued.
"They did only enough to ensure that we survived, merely because it benefited them not to change history," Oropher stated. "If we had died, Sauron would have control over this world."
The tempers and egos of these two elven kings would have struck together hard at this moment and created many sparks and tension had not Celeborn, acting as a peacemaker in this instant, not intervened.
"Perhaps," he said, "they are helping us because they need us. But we shouldn't forget that we need them as well. If we do not bide our time for the moment, we may run out of it. Regardless of their motives, we need them."
The words rang true in all of their hearts. The truth may have been harder to bear for some than others, but they could not deny it. For better or worse, they were at the mercy of these brothers for the duration of their stay in Minas Tirith.
Tbc…
A/N: Yes, it does take about four months to get to Rivendell from Minas Tirith on horseback. In the Appendices, in the timeline, it says that Boromir left at the beginning of July and arrived at the end of October, and he was on horseback. Just thought I'd point that out. Also, on the World category, would this story be considered Alternate or Book? I know it's not Movie because I've relied to heavily on the book. I'm leaning toward marking it as Alternate. What do you think?