Author's note; Hi everyone ! Hope all is well with you. This little chapter has been giving me trouble for some reason, I 've found it slow & hard to write so I'm posting what I have come up with so far so there won't be too much of an up-date delay but it means it might be a wee bit on the short side – sorry ! Anyways hope you enjoy it and as always please feel free to tell me what you think, good/bad – Thanks !
Chapter Twenty One ; Memories (Part Two)
The young Prince's eyelids began to flutter as consciousness slowly returned to his foggy and dazed mind and yet almost as quickly as his body began to rouse itself, the elfling found himself wishing for the comforting oblivion to claim him once more, for he had awoken into an icy world of pain and darkness.
As his confused mind struggled to clear away the mists of deep sleep, his acute senses gradually returned to their usual heightened state. It was then that he felt intense pain and discomfort, the likes of which he had never experienced before.
Forcing himself to focus, he tried to make sense of the pain, to locate and catelogue the worst of his injuries.
He felt nauseous and strangely dizzy and for some reason his head hurt, it throbbed as though a dozen dwarves had pounded it for sport.
His right arm lay trapped and twisted behind him and though he knew it to be there, he could not feel the limb at the moment.
His chest felt restricted a little, as though a dead weight lay upon it and his back ached in several places, no doubt his normally pale skin would soon be dappled with a fine collection of colourful bruises.
But the worst hurt was undeniably coming from deep within his left thigh, which was currently submerged in frigid, icy water.
As he struggled to concentrate on his leg to determine the damage, the pain intensified without mercy, jolting his mind to sudden clarity and with a hissing gasp he inhaled sharply and opened his eyes.
He was immediately surrounded by a suffocating darkness though high above him he could detect the faint light of a torch balancing precariously at the edge of the abyss and his eyes were drawn to the flickering orange glow and the small comfort it offered.
As his frightened, wide eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he realised with sudden dread that the constricting weight upon him was infact the still body of his friend, Galadon.
The unexpected sight shocked him into moving, he needed to see if his friend lived. Clenching his jaw tightly to stifle any cries of pain, Legolas moved his free left arm to his friend's hair. Carfully he brushed aside the damp golden locks and checked his throat for a pulse. It was there.
The young Prince closed his eyes momentarily and said a prayer of thanks to the Valar.
Then with considerable effort, he slowly began to pull his right arm out from under him. His discomfort increased once again as the blood began to rush freely through his veins. Thousands of pin pricks assaulted the previously numb limb, the pain was eerily similar to the biting sting of the cold water surrounding him.
After a few moments he felt confident enough to move it, just small rotations at first until he had full control of his arm once more.
Then with both arms free and working, he began to check over, as much as he could, the limp form of his friend for injuries.
It seemed as if Galadon had been spared from serious injury, save a blow to the head.
A considerable lump had formed in his friend's scalp just over his right ear. The thin delicate skin had been severed by the impact and had bleed freely, staining the front of the Prince's tunic but for now, thankfully, it seemed to have stopped.
Gently, he tried to rouse his companion, he lightly shook his slack shoulders and called his name, pleading for him to wake up but Galadon was still under the tight hold of sleep and so, disheartened, he allowed the pale face of his best friend to rest against his chest once more.
With only the muffled echoes of his laboured breaths for company, Legolas' mind began to ponder on his predicament.
He was trapped in a deep well with his unconscious friend, his own leg was broken, they were waist deep in icy water and their only source of light came from a wanning torch.
But it was not these disturbing thoughts that caused tiny, silver tears to fall…………no, it was something much more frightening…………it was the knowledge that absolutely nobody knew they were here.
Earlier in the palace…….
Luinsil rapped tentatively on the doors to his King's study. Sindadur stood beside him, his imposing figure and fierce glare always unsettled the more passive advisor.
And now it seemed as if he were in the tutor's disfavour again for he had been the one to disturb him from his training session with the novice warriors.
They were in the middle of a gruelling practice with the wooden staff, one of the hardened warrior's favourite weapons. He looked as though he had been thoroughly enjoying himself, one quick glance at the novices revealed that they infact were not.
Several already sported bright colourful bruises on their torsos and judging from their dishevelled appearances, it would seem quite a few had already been knocked to the soft earth and wood shavings scattered about the floor of the training arena.
Luinsil promptly relayed Thranduil's request, to which Sindadur merely nodded silently in acquiescence. He donned his tunic, straightened his appearance and retrieved his laden quiver and bow. Before leaving he instructed the novices to keep practicing, warning that anyone who failed to successfully perform the newest manoeuvre on his return would be held back for extra tuition.
It was rather amusing, Luinsil thought, to note the increased levels of fear and dread in the novice's eyes and the advisor silently thanked the Valar for helping him to choose the right path in life.
On the way to Thranduil's study Sindadur wondered what it could possibly be that the King wanted. They had only met for a council the previous evening with several other Captains and the King had been fully briefed on the current state of his defences. Updates from the numerous patrols were meticulously relayed and progress reports on the latest batch of novices were discussed in detail. They had even gone over the weapons and supplies inventory and discussed what materials would be needed to replace used and damaged arms and equipment.
Unless he wished to discuss Legolas, Sindadur thought, the young Prince's skills were developing nicely and he showed a lot of promise but the advisor had said it was an urgent matter and this had left the warrior slightly confused, a feeling which did not sit well with him.
No doubt he would find out soon enough.
As they came to a halt outside the private study, Sindadur watched as Luinsil gently knocked on the King's door, he noted the slight shake in the advisor's hand.
Just as well he holds nothing more dangerous than a quill in that hand, he thought derisively.
The King's voice sounded from within the study.
"Enter."
Luinsil opened one of the doors and crossed the threshold into the room, Sindadur followed close behind him. Both bowed then waited respectfully at the doorway for their Lord to speak.
Thranduil looked up at the familiar faces from behind an impressive mountain of documents. Taking a small comfort in the slight distraction from his work, the King spoke.
"Yes Luinsil, what is it ?" he asked.
"I have brought Sindadur my Lord," the advisor explained, gesturing to the surly warrior beside him.
"Yes, so I see and why have you brought me my trusted Captain ?" the King questioned once more with growing curiosity.
"Because my Lord requested I bring him," Luinsil clarified, though he was starting to feel a little less sure of himself.
Sindadur instantly suspected something was amiss, Thranduil was not in the habbit of arranging meetings and then forgetting about them.
The King lay down his quill and pushed his chair back slightly from the desk so he could get a better look at his callers.
"And when exactly did I request Sindadur's presence my friend ?" Thranduil asked softly, wondering if the old advisor was beginning to imagine things.
"Less than half an hour ago my Lord………….well that is…. the request came from you through Prince Legolas," the advisor replied nervously, also suspecting that all was not well, "unless he…………."
There was an audible sigh from the King's direction and he cast his eyes to the painted stone ceiling of his study.
"Was he alone ?" the King demanded.
"Nay my Lord he was with…..." Luinsil began but was cut off by the King's raised hand.
"Let me guess………………Galadon," the King practically growled.
"Yes my Lord, they were together," the advisor confirmed and felt slightly relieved that it was not he who was at fault.
Thranduil sat in silence for a moment, closed his eyes and allowed one long, slender finger to massage the bridge of his nose. His young son was at an age where he was becoming increasingly more adventurous in his play, pranks were quite popular at the moment and he knew exactly who to thank for that particular influence.
Separately Legolas and Galadon were a challenge, together they were like fire and brimstone, reigning down chaos on an unsuspecting Kingdom.
He looked to his friends once more and apologised to them for having their time wasted.
Luinsil replied humbly, stating that it was no trouble, after all elflings were elflings.
Sindadur typically accepted the apology with a silent nod, his mind already conjuring up ways to discipline his wayward student and his partner in crime.
Oh yes, he could see several lectures on the horizon and perhaps a time spent working in the palace's stables.
As Luinsil and Sindadur turned to leave, the King called out.
"Sindadur while you are here now, I should like to discuss how the young prankster is coming along with his studies and training."
"Aye my Lord," the tutor complied.
"And Luinsil," the King continued.
"My Lord."
"Should Prince Legolas and his companion be spotted, send them both to me," Thranduil instructed.
"Of course my Lord," the advisor obeyed, bowed low and quietly left the room, closing the sturdy wooden door behind him.
The old advisor happily returned to his own work, he wished to finish up the last of the guest lists for tonights feast.
He sat down at his desk and reached for his favourite quill.
It was gone.
oOoOoOoOo
Review Responses;
Swasti; Hi there ! Don't mind the gooey mess, just covering the story in Super glue ! Heehee ! Now you'll really have to stick with it Mbuhuhahahaha ! And thanks a million, glad you're enjoying it so far.
Ellisk; Greetings my friend ! Many, many thanks for dropping by and reading & reviewing both here and at OSA, always great to hear from talented writers like yourself. Thanks for the compliments ! - big girly grin overload -
Sylvie; Hi there Sweetie ! Oh I so look forward to your comments, they're like little doses of concentrated happiness ! Mushy but true ! and don't worry, major guilt trip for Gwaithwen on the horizon. Hope everything went well with the finals ! Good Luck !
wolenczak2004; Hi there and most welcome ! it's so nice to hear from new people who've just found the story. Thanks for reviewing, hope you're in it for the long haul.
Jebb; Hello ! Hello! Ah yes Gimli tends to be a bit mother-hen at times, doesn't he ! Thrilled you liked the Pelennor Fields bit, don't actually know if our beloved hero was injured but I thought 'what the heck – go for it' so I'm glad it seems to have worked ok. Thanks again !
daw the minstrel; Hi ya daw ! Yep my first feeble attempt at a 'cliffie', hope it worked ok. Glad you enjoyed the treasure hunt plot line and yes that dragon's egg is going to be more trouble than Smaug himself ! Heehee!
Opalkitty; Hi 'big wave' !oh yes there will be trauma, sweet angsty trauma and pain (evil snigger) ah well they say we often hurt the ones we love ! Glad you're still enjoying the story, hang in there !
PS; Thanks again folks and sorry about the chapter length.