CHAPTER NINE

A RESCUE

Elrohir rode hard to the west along the rocky, hilly terrain of the Ettenmoors. He had a feeling that his companions had gone too far east while looking for a place to ford the river and had thus missed the strange band of creatures who had probably taken Gilfanon captive. He hoped that Gilfanon was still alive and that they had not killed him and left his body somewhere in the wilds where it would never be found. For Bethos' sake he wanted to find the creatures, rescue Gilfanon and be able to take him back to his loved one.

The relentless staccato pounding of his horse's hooves was the only sound that reached Elrohir's ears in the vast wilderness through which he traveled. Blue, purple and pink clouds streaked across the western sky as the sun began to set. Birds of prey hovered high above the lands. The wind had died down and the air was now very still and smelled of damp earth and grass. Hopelessness never entered Elrohir's thoughts although his search in a terrifyingly boundless land for a small group of people that he had never seen before would be a daunting task for even the most seasoned warrior. It would have been daunting for someone who was not of Elrohir's mettle.

Finally it grew dark as the shadows of night closed in upon the hills. Elrohir brought his horse to a halt when he feared they could not go further lest there be danger of falling into a gap amongst the rocks. Frustrated, he quickly unpacked his gear but instead of pitching his tent right away he sat down upon a flat-topped rock, wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, and brooded over the day's events.

Although he had been disturbed by the terrible things that Bethos had told him, he found his mind wandering to the conversation they had had about Bethos' feelings for Gilfanon and why these strange people who attacked them may have mistreated the two Elves. It was possible they had done so because they felt that their pairing was blasphemous or evil. Elrohir thought long upon that. His meditations dwelt on Bethos' pain and the obvious love he bore for Gilfanon, the purity of his emotion, and the beauty of his innocence. And he reflected upon the gentleness of their relationship and the offensive and foul way in which the two Elves had been sundered. Anger and sympathy both grew in Elrohir's mind as he contemplated, sitting upon his rock, a lonely figure in the wilds.

He was about to start pitching his tent when a light caught his eye, glimmering from atop a nearby hill. It flickered like fire, and leaving his horse tied to a stump in the ground, Elrohir advanced toward the mound, sword and knives, bow and arrows at the ready. His bloodlust for battle had been inflamed and he ached to fight the creatures that he expected to find upon that hilltop.

He crept forward swiftly but silently along the uneven ground until he was at the foot of the barrow, where he stopped to listen. He could hear a low voice, speaking words he did not recognize. He inched forward, climbing up the hill on his belly toward the sound of that voice. When he approached the summit he stopped and listened carefully. The voice spoke in an odd, staccato manner, and Elrohir heard many of the same words repeated over and over in chanting notes, though he knew not what they meant. He pulled himself along the ground to a large boulder with tall grass sticking up all around it, using it as a screen through which to peer at the gathering.

He saw a group of robed figures standing around a crackling bonfire. He could not see Gilfanon though he looked for him. He saw some of the robed people lifting stones and setting them in a mound to the side of the bonfire. Others brought armfuls of kindling and set them on the ground at the base of the pile of stones. There were fourteen of the figures altogether, Elrohir noted, and he pulled two arrows from his quiver, setting them both against his bowstring, holding their fletchings between two of his fingers. He had seen Legolas do the same, and hoped that he could fell two of the creatures with one shot, reach back for two more by which to fell another two, until the rest rushed him, when he would finish off the remainder of these foul beings with his sword.

He stood up, nocked the two arrows, took aim and let them fly. Two of the robed figures fell with arrows piercing their hearts. He quickly nocked two more arrows as the startled creatures looked about for the source of the deadly shafts. Elrohir shot two more of the foul beings, and the remainder suddenly dispersed, running and hopping down various parts of the hillside. Most of them seemed to disappear like puffs of smoke before Elrohir's eyes, but he kept watching one who was carrying a torch, running down the slope of the hill and up another hillock with huge rocks and boulders at its feet. Elrohir gave chase to this figure. It darted between the boulders until it reached a cave entrance and disappeared inside.

Elrohir followed the fugitive into the caves, traversing carefully and silently the unknown darkness ahead of him. A long tunnel twisted its way through the deep space under the hill of rocks and continued for many meters before it opened into a wide and spacious cavern. Elrohir smelled the dampness of the cave and another stink of rot or something else very foul – the reek of blood or dead flesh.

The robed figure crossed to a torch on the wall and lit it with the one it carried, and lit another in the same fashion, and then another, until the light that filled the cave became quite bright. Elrohir looked around the cavernous space until his startled glance fell upon a pale figure chained hand and foot to the cave wall, its feet held several inches above the ground. Elrohir had hidden himself behind a rock just inside the cave entrance and now he waited quietly until the robed figure turned its back to him. It was busy fiddling with something – Elrohir could hear tin utensils clanking against one another – and he advanced swiftly, coming up behind the figure in such a way that it had no chance to defend itself.

After a brief struggle, Elrohir squeezed the creature's neck with a strong arm held pressed against the other's larynx until its breath was gone, and releasing it so that it fell to the ground unconscious. After that he wasted no time in approaching the naked form hanging upon the wall. He could see that it was an Elf with filthy blond hair. The Elf's head hung down upon his chest so that Elrohir could not see his face. He was thin with the outline of his ribs apparent through his fair skin, and he appeared to be either asleep or unconscious. Elrohir reached upward and cut the chains from the Elf's hands with his sturdy knife, and the limp body fell against him, its head lolling against his shoulder. Carefully, he bent his knees and lowered himself, supporting the Elf's weight upon his shoulder so that he could reach down and cut the chains from his feet. Then he laid the freed Elf upon the ground and smoothed the tangled hair away from his face.

"Why, it is Legolas!" exclaimed Elrohir with a start. "Legolas! What luck that I have chanced to find you!" He patted the unconscious Elf's cheeks with a gentle hand, trying to rouse him. The Mirkwood prince moaned softly but did not open his eyes. Elrohir glanced quickly about the room before getting to his feet. He spied a flagon of water and some tin cups and plates upon the rough wooden table with which the robed figure had been fiddling when he first entered the cave. Upon the table were water, bread and some apples. Elrohir grabbed everything together hastily, shoved it into his satchel and slung it over his shoulder. He rushed to Legolas' side, lifted him into his arms and carried him back through the tunnel to freedom.

'I must make haste to get as far away from here as quickly as possible',' thought Elrohir. 'My first inclination was to speak to the creature in hope of discovering who it is and why it and the others are capturing people, but I can get that information from Legolas when he awakens. My main concern at this moment is to try to bring him back to health.'

Elrohir lifted the motionless Elf to his shoulder, draping the limp body over it and holding onto the flaccid knees while he ran as fast as he could to safety. Bearing Legolas' weight, he raced back to the stump where he had left his horse tied. He did not sense that any of the creatures were still about, but he felt that it was better to try to get away from this area as soon as possible. When he reached the horse he quickly saddled it, packed all of his gear onto it and then took off his cloak and wrapped it around Legolas's naked body. He lifted the still-unconscious Elf onto the saddle and leapt up behind him. Urging the horse to a gallop he let Legolas' head fall back against his shoulder as he leaned forward, the horse following his instruction to go faster.

He was worried about Legolas. He appeared to be hurt badly, although no wounds had been visible at a cursory glance from Elrohir. Since Elrohir wanted to get as far away as possible before stopping, they continued to gallop onward. Rather than traveling east in an attempt to rejoin the rest of his group, Elrohir decided to make his way due south in order to take the route back through the forested area to Rivendell. His reasoning was that Legolas would be of no use to the others in his condition and would serve only to slow down their hunt for Aragorn and Gilfanon. Not only that, but the Mirkwood Elf needed healing that Elrond would be able to provide. He had faith in his brother Elladan and the others that they would eventually find the rest of the creatures, and discover where Gilfanon and Aragorn were being held. It was possible that they could be imprisoned in a cave somewhere as Legolas had been.

Eventually, they reached a thickly-wooded area and Elrohir entered it with caution. The moon had risen and provided enough light to traverse a path through the trees, but it was still very dark and almost impossible to see at any distance in front of them once they had traveled deeper into the woods. Finally they reached a clearing into which the moon shone with its silvery light and Elrohir decided to stop. Carefully, he lifted Legolas down from the horse and laid him gently on the soft grass. He unpacked the tent and quickly pitched it, lined it with blankets and lifted Legolas inside. He laid him down and wrapped the prince in his own cloak before he went to unpack the rest of the gear from the horse and remove its tack.

Once he was finished, Elrohir returned to the tent. He removed his shoulder pads, breastplate and vambraces and set them aside. Then he took off his outer tunic and boots and lay down next to Legolas. The blond Elf's body felt too cold for Elrohir's liking. He pulled a blanket over both of them and snuggled up close to Legolas. Placing his arm around the prince he fell asleep within a few minutes.

Elrohir awoke the next morning stiff with cold, but he could feel some warmth coming from a thin shard of light that beamed through the narrow tent opening. From this he had some hope that the day would warm up quickly. Elrohir had rolled away from Legolas while they slept and he now jumped into a sitting position, afraid for Legolas' condition because there had been very little warmth throughout the night. He turned to give his attention to the blond Elf, laying his hand against the side of the prince's face. He was pleased to discover that Legolas' skin was slightly warm and that a bit of colour tinged his cheeks. Legolas' eyes flew open at Elrohir's touch and he blinked. His eyes focused and he looked puzzled, a frown appearing between his brows.

"Legolas," said Elrohir softly, trying not to startle him.

The Mirkwood prince licked his dry lips and looked questioningly at Elrohir. He tried to say something but only a weak whimper emerged from his parched mouth.

"Do not try to speak yet, mellon-nin," said Elrohir. "I will fetch you some water." He left the tent briefly, returning with a water skin which he handed to Legolas, who took it with a trembling hand and drank from it greedily.

"I am going out to build a fire and then I will make us a proper breakfast," said Elrohir. "When I return I hope we can talk. There is much I would like to know about your capture and imprisonment." Then he left the tent to gather kindling and a few large logs with which to start a fire. He extracted a small tin pot from his bags and began to boil the water in it.

Once he had started some hastily-prepared soup cooking over the fire, Elrohir returned to the tent. Inside he found Legolas trying to sit up, but the poor Elf was so weak that he kept flopping back down onto the blankets, unable to hold up his own head. Elrohir crawled to his side and lifted Legolas so that he could sit. However, the blond Elf could not stay seated and slumped down again. "I will get you something on which to lean," said Elrohir and went to retrieve his backpack, carrying it back to the tent. He propped the prince against the backpack so that he was in a position where he could drink some soup and tea. When he judged that the food was ready, Elrohir brought it to Legolas.

After he had helped his companion to drink both the soup and tea, Elrohir tidied the campsite while Legolas rested. The prince was exhausted from the sheer effort of eating his meal, but Elrohir felt that the hot food, as little as it was, would help to refresh him and enable some of his former strength to return. When he had finished putting everything in order, Elrohir opened the tent flap to look inside at the blond Elf. Legolas had fallen asleep again, but there was more colour in his face than there was before. Elrohir sighed with relief and returned to sit outside by the fire.

He reflected upon his old acquaintance from Mirkwood. He did not know Legolas very well at all, but he knew that the prince had always been strong and energetic, full of vitality and confidence. This Legolas who had been rescued from obvious torture and possible death was alarming. Elrohir was quite shaken by the sight of him, and clutched his bent knees in his arms to still their trembling. Legolas appeared to have suffered more than had Bethos, his kinsman, and Elrohir vowed to protect him. Elrohir had felt protective of Bethos who was no longer under his care, so he vowed to take care of Legolas until the prince's former strength returned.

Elrohir wished he had had a chance to examine Legolas' wounds before this. He did not know if there were any injuries that needed immediate attention because it had been too dark to see Legolas properly when he found him. As soon as the Mirkwood Elf awakened, Elrohir would conduct a proper examination, but first Legolas would need to be bathed and cleaned. Elrohir rose to his feet and decided to search for a woodland stream in which they could wash.

After walking around the perimeter of the clearing, moving in an ever-widening circle, Elrohir discovered just what he was seeking: a small stream, running with clear water and perfect for bathing. It had grassy banks and a muddy but stony bottom, and was full of tiny silvery fish darting about in the water. Many frogs lived along its banks and some of the bright green creatures leapt out of the way of Elrohir's feet as he walked alongside the stream. He poked into the muddy bottom with a stick. The water was only about knee-high, but one could sit down in it as if in a bathtub.

Pleased with his discovery, Elrohir raced back to camp to see if Legolas had awakened. After checking inside the tent, Elrohir saw that the prince was still sleeping, so he went outside to wait. He considered the problem of clothing. Elrohir contemplated what he had with him in the way of attire that he could give Legolas to wear. There was his cloak, his armor, outer heavy tunic, inner light tunic, leather outer leggings, thin doeskin leggings and long underpants. He had only one pair of boots. Legolas' feet were much smaller and more slender than Elrohir's, therefore he would have to remain barefoot, but they could share the other clothing at least. Elrohir thought he could wear the heavier outer garb, and that Legolas could wear the lighter clothing as well as the cloak for warmth.

Elrohir realized that his underclothing was probably quite soiled since he had not changed it for many days. He decided to take everything off and wash it while Legolas was still sleeping. He walked back to the stream after retrieving a bottle of liquid soap from his saddlebag, removed all of his clothes and began to wash his under-tunic, underpants and thin leggings for Legolas to wear. Then he stepped into the stream and soaped himself all over, shampooing his hair as well, undoing his braids and letting his hair flow free. He lowered himself into the water to rinse his body, his hair and his clothes. The water was clear and cool but quite comfortable and refreshing.

When he was finished he laid out the wet clothing on the grass in the sun. Its rays were warm and he thought it would not take long for everything to dry. He walked naked back to camp to check on Legolas once more.

This time when Elrohir opened the tent flap to look inside, Legolas' eyes were open.

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