Story Name: Dark of Night
Pen Name: Elena Roan
Disclaimer: Don't own any of them, written purely for enjoyment.
Rating: M
Warnings: very dark
Summary: When Legolas journeys from Mirkwood to Rivendell seeking answers to his unease and troubling dreams, little does he realise what awaits him and his gwador.
Editor: Michelle
Timeline: III 2990 (Aragorn 59 years old)
Note: AragornStriderEstel

Chapter 7: Dark Awakening

For a moment he couldn't tell that he'd awoken, the darkness was nearly complete around him. He held his hand up before his eyes, fearing that he was blind, and was relieved to be able to make it out glowing faintly with his elven glow. Strengthening the glow did nothing to help him pick out the details of his surroundings though and he resigned himself to stumbling around without being able to see.

Pulling himself to his feet he had to fight to keep from reaching for a support he knew was not there as he swayed unsteadily. Obviously he still was not recovered from the previous incident nor whatever it was that had brought him to this place. He forced himself to move; deciding that doing something, even when he didn't know where he was going, was better than doing nothing.

Time seemed to have no meaning as he stumbled around, odd creeks, groans and other strange noises sounded out of the darkness. Sometimes sounding so close at hand that he flinched, expecting a captor to melt out of the darkness and take him to task for attempting to escape. Sometimes the darkness seemed denser in places, sometimes it seemed to move, causing him to flinch every time that happened.

Abruptly he caught his foot on something on the ground and it sent him sprawling face down over someone else's body. A very familiar someone.

Hardly daring to hope he found the face and increased his glow again till he could make out details of the other person's face.

"Estel!" Legolas exclaimed in relief as his sight confirmed what his touch had suggested.

His relief was short lived when he couldn't rouse the ranger. Pausing for a moment to consider his options he picked up his friend, there was no way he was leaving him there though his own balance was shaky at best, and continued trying to find an exit.

---

"Find anything?"

Glorfindel looked around at his questioner. "Not yet, we shall have to increase the search area."

Elrohir sighed and ran his hands through his black hair, prompting Glorfindel to stand and come over to him.

"We WILL find them," he stated, taking the younger elf by the shoulders, "if for no other reason that I really do NOT want to explain to either Elrond or Thranduil how I managed to lose them." The quiet comment prompted a small, half-hearted chuckle from the other elf. "Go find Elladan; I shall catch up with you. There is one last corner of this area I would like to have a closer look at."

Elrohir nodded and left the older elf to finish his investigations, though the younger twin was slowly losing his hope. They'd been looking for Estel for quite a while now, and been looking for Legolas for over a day, and they still had found no trace of either of them.

---

'This is getting old,' were the elf's first thoughts as he struggled back to consciousness yet again.

He became aware of the body underneath him and managed to push himself off of it to get a better look. As he ran his eyes over the form of his gwador (sworn brother) he suddenly realised they were no longer enveloped in the impenetrable darkness but in a sunlit clearing, though how they had gotten there escaped his memory. Glancing over his shoulder he noted with a small shock that his tracks started from nowhere just a few paces behind them and behind that was a sheer rock wall of a dead-end canyon.

Deciding he'd rather be further away from whatever caused that oddity Legolas pulled Estel into his arms with a groan, forced himself to his feet and began moving deliberately towards the exit of the canyon they were in.

It was slow going and he hadn't got very far when a nearly iridescent glowing figure appeared in the entrance, a sword held at a useable angle. Legolas felt relief flood him; he knew that stance even if he could see no features. He tried to walk towards him but felt his legs buckle, going down hard on his knees he nonetheless managed to keep Estel from hitting the ground hard. Then Glorfindel was in front of him, having sheathed his sword, let his glow die down and sprinted to the two.

"What happened?" the Balrog Slayer pressed gently, bracing the prince's shoulders.

Legolas shook his head. "I do not know." Even to his own ears his voice sounded weak and shaky. "How long?"

"You have been missing for over a day."

"It seemed like longer...and yet...like it was nowhere near that long..." Legolas said, sounding confused.

Glorfindel gently pulled Estel out of his arms and laid him on the grass, confirming as he did so that the Ranger was still alive, then got Legolas to sit down properly.

Once he was sure the prince wasn't going to pass out on him the elven lord stood and turned towards the entrance.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" he yelled, hoping that they were in earshot.

Turning back to the two there he monitored both of them, trying to reassure the shaky prince with both his words and touch while he did so. Shortly the twins came bolting into the canyon. They stopped short, their eyes going wide as they took in the tableau, then nearly threw themselves across the area between them and the three on the ground.

"What happened?" Elladan questioned Glorfindel as he quickly checked Estel and tried to rouse him while Elrohir went to Legolas.

"I heard something and came to investigate, found Legolas trying to carry Estel. I had already checked this area, there are no exits."

Elrohir frowned and looked at Legolas. "A cave?"

The prince shook his head. "Not a cave, I did not run into any walls and only tripped over one thing." He gestured with a shaky hand at Estel before continuing. "And no cave I have ever been in has been pitch black."

"How did you find your way out?"

"I do not know," Legolas looked up at them. "Can we leave now?"

"Yes, we can," Elladan said quietly. "Glorfindel, could you support him to the cave? Elrohir and I will carry Estel."

"I can walk," The prince protested.

"Humour us," Glorfindel replied, slipping the other elf's arm over his shoulders and helping him stand while the twins carefully gathered Strider into their arms.

Upon their return to the cave they found a rather panicky Raven.

"I could not find you, I thought you had vanished too," he exclaimed on seeing them, then his eyes caught on Legolas and Strider. "What happened? Are they well?"

"What happened; we are not sure. Are they well; I think that would be self-evident," Glorfindel replied, lowering Legolas to a sitting position.

"Once we have packed up and given Legolas some time to get his strength back we shall be heading straight to Rivendell," Elladan added as he and Elrohir put Strider down on one of the sleeping rolls. "If you would like you can head back to the Dùnedain camp now."

Raven shook his head. "I would rather see you clear of this area first."

Elladan nodded in understanding from where he was monitoring Strider while Elrohir brewed a sweet tea that they both hoped would help Legolas. Raven went to help Glorfindel who was packing up the camp site and keeping an eye on Legolas as he did so. Legolas for his part had his eyes firmly fixed on Strider, almost as if he believed the man would vanish if he took his eyes off him for a moment.

"Here, try to drink this," Elrohir ordered softly, crouching down in front of the wood elf and handing him the tea.

"Hannon le (thank you)," Legolas murmured and sipped at the hot liquid cautiously. Elrohir, watching him intently for a few moments, smiled and went to join his twin who was still trying to rouse Strider with a soft steady stream of elvish.