-snatches Cairdor away from memyselfandi- hey! You can't kill him yet! I need him! –grins- how about this, you can have him at the end of the story –waves magic keyboard fingers and Cairdor's hair re-appears-
So, as I sit here, writing this lovely chapter, I am eating a most unusual snack…mushrooms. So, now that I feel sufficiently hobbit-like I will let you get on with the reading part of your job! -grins-
Time seemed to stop for the elven prince as he watched his friend plummet to the ground.
"Estel!" his own harsh cry echoed in his ears as he moved towards his friend. He could see Elladan, he could see Lamaeneth, and he could see them moving forward, but he did not register their existence. He had only one goal; get to Aragorn.
"Strider, Aragorn, Estel, for the Valar's sake look at me!" Legolas said hoarsely. The human didn't stir, and Legolas found himself being pushed aside by one fretting healer.
"Out of my way, princling, if you know what is good for you!" the elleth said forcefully. She efficiently checked the human's vitals, and then checked for a fever. "Amarth feag! Why this, why now!" the healer muttered angrily.
"Lamaeneth?" Elladan questioned.
"I do not know what is wrong! An illness like this, I have never seen! He needs the help of a human," she said, she stood up. "I will find that woman," she strode off. Elladan shook his head.
"More guts than Godéad will ever have, that one. She's fiery. The only healer I have ever seen Glorfindel and even Erestor obey. "You do not question Lamaeneth, it is simply not done."
Legolas nodded numbly, one hand was idly stroking Aragorn's hair, and the other was clenched so tightly into a fist his knuckles were white.
"Valar as my witness, I will not let this go unpunished; they will pay," Legolas seethed. He looked at the rest of the foul meat, entirely untouched by the elves, and his face paled. This was his fault, all his fault.
He closed his eyes and touched Aragorn's face softly.
"Forgive me mellon nin, I beg of you, forgive me…" if the human died…no! No. That would not happen, he would be fine.
A few minutes later one clearly annoyed healer and one equally frustrated Cairdor appeared.
"I will take him to my healers, elf, and you will not say another word on the subject!" Cairdor said hotly, his eyes narrowed. Lamaeneth stood to her full height and fixed him with a look that clearly said 'do not mess with me.'
"No, I will accompany him to make sure your healers do not worsen the situation. He may be a valuable asset to you, but he is my Lord's son and I will not see him die!"
"Lamaeneth, be silent," Elladan said quietly. The elleth turned to him, her eyes wide with anger. "Please," he added.
Legolas watched dazed as Lamaeneth removed Aragorn from his arms and walked away, towing a confused, irritated, and slightly amused Cairdor behind her. He sat back and watched, hoping that anything that came about from this would be good.
If his friend died, someone would pay dearly.
---&---
Morwen looked at her traveling companion; so far the elf was silent.
"You do not like inns," she said quietly.
"Yet it was my idea to come. I must find my Prince, I refuse to tell Thranduil that he died," he said. Not to mention Lord Elrond, Randir thought, yes, I most definitely do not want to get two of the most influential elven lords/kings mad at me. Legolas, if you die I will…well…killing you won't work. Oh well. I'll figure something out if it comes to that.
"Randir?" the queen said, glancing up at him.
"Did you say something?" Randir said, pulling away from his thoughts. They had been on the road for a few days, occasionally stopping at taverns or inns to see if there was any news.
"Listen to that man over there, the one with a black hair," Steelsheen replied quietly. Randir turned his full attention on the man, catching fragments of each statement.
"…elves…slave…trade…new….overseer…elvish…" the man was saying.
"Rohech!" Randir said quietly, "I cannot hear him! I need to know more…" he pulled his hood tighter over his ears.
"No! You are an elf, here, let me do it," Morwen said. She shed her cloak and pulled down the neckline of her dress. The queen sauntered over, looking every bit a barmaid.
"I am sorry to interrupt," she said, "but I couldn't help overhear your…conversation. I've been looking to buy a new slave to suit my needs, you wouldn't know of a place I could get an elf, would you?" the queen asked, smiling at the men. The black haired one, who had been talking, was clearly drunk, smiled at her.
"Why, 'ave a sit down lass and I might oblige you!" he said, laughing uproariously. Morwen smiled and plopped herself down on the man's lap, smiling again.
"Well, do tell, if you would, and I might oblige you," she said, still smiling. The man's grin widened.
"Looks like I've got me a keeper, boys! Of course, in Rhûn lass, 'ere's a man called Godéad, 'e's my main supplier 'e is. He just got a new shipment of them elves in," he smiled when Morwen scrunched her nose as though in disgust, "and I 'ear, through the grapevine, that 'ere's a real purty blonde one. Somthin' 'bout some prince or 'nother. 'E'll be worth your money, 'e will!"
Morwen smiled a rose, nodding to the gentlemen, "why thank you, have a nice night boys, mayhap I'll see you later?" she gave a flirtatious wink and walked away. She moved quickly out of the bar, waiting for Randir.
The elf came out with eyes so wide they should rightfully have popped out of his head.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked in surprise.
"Well, I was the daughter of a wealthy lord in Gondor; you didn't expect me to spend my time sewing! It is quite the useful skill, in fact, I met Thengel doing that," she said with a smile. Randir's eyes widened even more, if possible.
"Women," he muttered, rolling his eyes.
"I hope that's a compliment!" she said. "Come on, we have to get moving. Godéad is the man's name, I wonder at his motives…"
"Whatever his motives may be, rest assured, my queen, we will find him. And he will pay for his crimes."
"That is comforting knowledge, but we must go. First…I have some post I need sent, there is a carrier pigeon stand down the road, come."
The letter was in code; she could only hope they would know what she meant.
---&---
Legolas was pacing. Three days. Three days, Aragorn and Lamaeneth had been gone. Three days without news on the state of his friend. Lamaeneth was right, Glorfindel had awoken. He had awoken in time to stop a devastatingly irate Elladan from murdering a snide Lorien elf who had made a harsh comment about his human brother.
Of course, Glorfindel had definitely not told the elf in very detailed terms exactly what he would be telling Galadriel about her warden's attitude towards her adoptive grandson, whom she thought particularly charming.
No. Of course he hadn't said that all…
Legolas drew his thoughts away from the obnoxious Lorien elf, who, when they got away from this place, he would quite happily teach a lesson. Ah, there I go again, stop thinking about that elf! It made him think about Aragorn, and when he thought about Aragorn he got…nervous. Aragorn would have called it twitchy…but then again that human did have some unusual terms…STOP! I will not think about him…I will not think about him…I will not…oh, this isn't working at all! He decided, thoroughly irritated. Pacing is not befitting of an elf prince, Legolas. Straighten your spin, princes do not slouch! The lesson his tutor had given him when he was naught but one-hundred popped into his brain, ah, if only Faegon could see him now…he would be thoroughly disappointed. Oh well, it wasn't like Legolas had listened to those lessons anyways…
"Leafie," one of the overseers called. Legolas cursed under his breath, he would kill Elladan for saying his translated name in front of Ambyre, by the Valar he would!
"Leafie!" another man called out angrily.
Legolas rose and sauntered over to the men with one raised eyebrow, "Yes?" he asked.
"You are wanted in the healing wing, come with me…Leafie," he added the name as an afterthought, trying to provoke the stoic elf.
Legolas glared at him but said nothing. He quietly followed the man away, they went up two stair cases and reached ground level. One more set of stairs and a turn to the right landed them in a plain white room that Legolas recognized as the aforementioned healing ward. The first thing he saw was Lamaeneth leaning over a large man on a bed.
"He will live," she pronounced, distaste evident in her words. A young boy, no more than thirteen nodded and darted off. Lamaeneth brushed her hands off on the skirt of her dress and began walking away, without turning she inclined her head, "If you would follow me, Prince Legolas," she said. Legolas followed her warily, what would he see when he came around the corner?
When he did see it was hard not to smile. Elladan lay asleep on the bed, curled up with his head in the bed's occupant's lap. The occupant of said bed was tenderly brushing strands out of the elf's face.
"Strider! You…do not ever scare me like that again," Legolas said, glaring at the man. Yet he spoke softly; he didn't want to wake Elladan up.
"Legolas, mellon nin my apologies, I wasn't thinking you know. I forgot to do that as I passed out," he smiled.
"It isn't funny, Aragorn!" Legolas said. But then he shook his head and sat down next to his friend. "How long have we been gone?"
"Nearly a month now, I asked Lamaeneth, she said she has been here for a week. They arrived only days before we did, but it is a longer journey than from Rohan. Ada must be worried sick…" Aragorn said slowly.
"How have you been, mellon nin? You have been here for nearly three days!"
"I am sorry for worrying you, but Elladan has been sleeping so much better up here, I couldn't make him go back. The bed rest is driving me mad, but Elladan is doing better," he punctuated his words by gently running his hand over the elf's dark locks.
Legolas was silent, was there any answer he could rightly make, he didn't want Aragorn to return to that dark hole, and he didn't want Elladan to. Yet every time he entered that cave he had to stop and take a deep breath, he needed Aragorn; he just did.
Aragorn nodded sympathetically, smiling at his friend. Legolas shuffled his feet a bit.
"I am sorry…about the other day. I was just worried…you know, about Glorfindel. It is just hair," Legolas admitted.
Aragorn just smiled at him.
---&---
"Can we not go any faster?" the elf asked for the fifth time that night.
"No, Randir, you are an elf, you are far older than me. SO tell me, why do I feel like your mother?"
"Um…"
"Exactly. Now be silent and keep moving. If we go any faster our horses will drop dead, and do you really want a dead horse on your hands?"
"No…" the elf grumbled.
"Good," Morwen answered, wondering if she had finally put the elf at ease for the night. She was pretty sure she was exceedingly patient, a mother of, what was the count now? Ah yes, four, and the wife of the most impatient man she would ever meet…or that's what she had thought.
But then she had met Randir.
She chuckled lightly, though dread weighed heavily upon her heart. The elf she traveled with raised an eyebrow but did not choose to comment.
For that the queen was grateful.
---&---
Elrohir heard the pecking on his window. His eyes cleared and he was shaken groggily from sleep.
Tap
Tap
Tap
"All right!" Elrohir grumbled, sitting up in bed. A small grey pigeon sat on his window, tapping insistently. He opened it and the pigeon flew in, landing gracefully on his shoulder. He took the letter from the small bird and opened it, one hand idly stroking the pigeon.
Dear Lords Elrond and Elrohir,
It was not your son and brother who received your note; it was I. To tell you too much would endanger their lives, for I do not doubt this post is being tracked, as I know I am... Hope and Greenleaf alike will fade in the clutches of Rohan's good dead. May the twin ships not have them!
Steelsheen
Elrohir's face paled drastically, "Ada!" he all but screamed as he left the room at a run. "Ada!"
"Ion nin, man sa?" the elven lord asked quietly.
"It is Estel and Legolas, look! Here, I received a letter from the queen of Rohan…"
Elrond read the letter slowly, his eyes traveling over the parchment at a speed Elrohir would have previously called impossible.
"Hope and Greenleaf alike will fade in the clutches of Rohan's good dead…Oh Valar. The man who has them is named Godéad, I know not who…or what he is. But he has a grudge against the elves. I think perhaps he would be good dead."
"Ada, we have to do-"
"We cannot do anything. We must trust Morwen," the Lord of Imladris replied.
"You mean to leave Estel and Legolas to that madman, Ada, what of Glorfindel, he is your best friend!"
Elrond closed his eyes, pain flooding his features, "you think I do not know that! Elrohir, there is nothing I can do from Imladris, we must trust Morwen in this matter!"
"But Ada!"
"She was named Steelsheen for a reason, ion nin."
This chapter was a tad rushed, but I really wanted to get the Imladris scene in there. How do you like Morwen's Hidden talents? –grins- I know, great Queen. But hey it got done what needed to be done.
Anyways, I'm looking for a BETA reader, any takers?
We got to 100 reviews! –huggles reviewers- you all rock, thanks so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much!
Rohech- curses
Amarth faeg- evil fate
Mellon nin- my friend
Ion nin- my son
Ion nin man sa- my son, what is the matter?