Chapter 2
Lies
It was starting to rain. Aragorn blinked water out of his eyes, and tried to see through the mist. It looked as though it were getting dark. When will we stop? something in him demanded, and his thoughts landed on an unpleasant answer; we're not going to.
He was getting frustrated with himself. Usually, he had much more stamina than this! But he knew what was wrong…he did his best to make it look as though he was simply tired, for Legolas' sake…but he was sick. And getting sicker. And come to think of it, it was doubtful Legolas ever thought otherwise.
Aragorn knew he probably would have toppled over, half-alive, four hours ago, but his determination to help Legolas was stronger. He's lost Edren, and is being held captive by a former friend. He doesn't need me going and dying of Bengwiil again.
The human's frustration rose. Dying. I seem to be doing that to Legolas a lot lately. Good heavens, are humans always so frail, or am I just frail? "No," he whispered quickly, shaking his head. "No, that's the Bengwiil…" I will not hate myself for what I cannot help!
…oh, you could have helped it all right. Had you been stronger. Legolas is unfortunate to have a human for a friend.
"S…stop." Aragorn had little breath left in him, it felt, and certainly not enough to be talking. But the words came out in short, quiet gasps all the same. He had to conquer the Bengwiil's lies this time. There was really no alternative.
Why do you bother, Aragorn? Why do you even bother fighting? You might as well just fall over dead now, before Legolas catches up with you, and you hurt him.
"I won't hurt him…"
Oh yes you will, you always do. You'll yell, and scream, and say things you never meant to, and you'll scare him again.
"I won't."
You can't help it.
"I'll fight it."
You're erfiér. Such a struggle is beyond you, Aragorn heir of Isildur. It's not your fault, you're just- too weak for this.
"Us nin er."
/leave me alone./
Please, don't bother, Aragorn. Think of lying down and giving up. Such relief!
"Leave me alone, I know…" his voice cut off in a gasp. The stitch in his side was becoming unbearable, and his vision was blurring. "I know I'm…I'll…" His throat felt dry from harsh breathing, and his head spun crazily.
"Enough talking!" the orc snarled, and tugged on Aragorn's rope harshly. The human flew forward, and stumbled to avoid falling.
"Quicken the pace!" Mornaeg shouted from somewhere just behind Aragorn. "Faster, all of you, noro lim!"
So Aragorn kept running blindly on, heart pounding feverishly against his ribs. At least with his breath panting raggedly in his ears, he couldn't hear those lying voices anymore.
Legolas' feet pounded against the ground dully. He was beginning to lose all feel in his knees, and his chest ached from breathing in the damp wind at such a rate. It seemed like hours ago when Mornaeg had last screamed, 'Faster, all of you, noro lim!' and he was beginning to wonder if the elf intended to kill them this way.
He wished he was beside Aragorn, and was hoping constantly the human was all right. The elf prince's body had started to throb horribly hours ago, and he could only guess how badly Aragorn felt, he being a human, and sick with Bengwiil besides.
Angrily, he reprimanded himself for not fighting their way out hours ago. Now, they were both too weak to get away. All they could do was run.
At long last, Mornaeg made his way back to the front of the group, just behind the small cart being tugged by Horthor.
"Mornaeg!" Legolas cried, swallowing his pride to ask, "Please let us stop, Aragorn is only a human-"
"Weak you mean?"
Legolas just bit his lip.
"No, Legolas, I don't think we'll be stopping tonight." The elf had the gall to act apologetic. "Maybe tomorrow night, though. Ask me in twenty-four hours."
"Mornaeg, please!"
"Are you begging, Lindo?" Mornaeg seemed thrilled at the idea.
Legolas' jaw set, and he broke decisively his eye-contact with Mornaeg.
"Too bad," the other sighed. "But, since you bothered to ask to stop, I can't let you go un-rewarded, can I? Gamdag!"
A sneer-ish orc with more earrings than armor came ambling up from Legolas' right. "Yes, Adar?"
"Let's see if we can run that human a little faster. Double the speed!"
Gamdag seemed to simply light up, and turned around, shouting, "Uk-ash thrack!" The bulky orcs shouted and banged their armor in approval, the scrawnier ones whined about "just too much running…" and in moments, the sound of pounding feet filled the air.
Legolas' eyes snapped to Mornaeg as he was yanked down the forest path. "'Adar', Mornaeg? You have taught the black beasts of Mordor your own Noble Tongue!"
"I said I was the father of a new future for them, and told them to therefore assign the noble word of 'Adar' to me. Father."
"I know what Adar means, Mornaeg," Legolas spat, nearly tripping twice in his rage. "But- you taught this to orcs, are you mad!"
Mornaeg smiled unperturbedly. "Perhaps, Lindo. But let me tell you, by the time I am finished with you and your mortal tagalong, you will very much wish you hadn't wasted your energy on indignance. In fact- perhaps you have a little too much energy. Gamdag! Faster at it, I think Lindo has some excess energy to run off."
Legolas' heart panicked. "Mornaeg, you're going to kill Aragorn with this!"
"Well that is too bad, Lindo, I must say."
Legolas' tone became softer. "Mornaeg? Wh…why do you not call me Legolas?"
To the prince's surprise, the façade on Mornaeg's face seems to crack, and with a glare of absolute loathing, he turned and galloped to the head of the line once more like a frightened fly.
Legolas attempted to hang back, desperate to find Aragorn, but through the roaring and pounding of the orcs, he couldn't even guess where the human was. At last, he gave up looking, and called over his shoulder, "Estel! Uvva le rado an nin?"
/can you find a way to me/
thudduhduh thudduhduh thudduhduh the sound of Aragorn's boots against the damp ground were becoming a monotonous pattern.
He felt like he was being propelled only by momentum, and really had no strength in him. He was sure he'd fall over any minute, and not be able to get up. The scene of hitting the ground played over and over in his head, and it felt as though he were putting it off just a step, and then a step more, and one more…
Aragorn, you'll never make it. You cannot be expected to be strong anymore, you're nothing but mortal! How could you ever-
"-lone." He wanted to scream 'just leave me alone!' but only the very last part came from between his dry lips. I'm sure I could fight it if only I knew where Legolas was, he thought desperately.
As though in reply, from somewhere discouragingly far ahead, he heard elvish words…"Estel! Uvva le rado an nin?"
He can't make it, Legolas, he doesn't even know where you are!
"He's…so far…" he gasped.
You'll never make it, will you?
No.
You're just a human.
Yes.
Poor mortal…alas! You are a friend of the immortal, and you cannot compare. You are weak, Isildur's heir.
Am I? Am I really…?
Yes.
Aragorn knew, somehow, that he was simply giving in. Allowing the lies to be true to him…but it was beginning to feel like there was no alternative, and arguing with himself only wore him out more.
"Rado an nin, Estel!" Legolas' voice called a second time.
/find a way to me, Estel/
He was trying to help. Trying to give him the determined strength that Aragorn normally possessed. Strength triggered by a valiant speech or brave proclamation.
But he didn't seem to have that strength anymore.
What do I do?
Give up.
Why?
You can't do anything else, Aragorn. You're just not strong enough.
I know…I'm sorry, Legolas.
So Aragorn did. He gave up. And the moment his heart conceded with his head, the rest of his body followed, and his knees crumpled beneath him.
"Oh, what a wonderful idea, Lindo," Mornaeg scoffed, doubling back to ride by Legolas again. "Call the human, have him get even with you so you can talk together."
Legolas glared blankly back at Mornaeg, and if only to spite him, turned around again, and shouted, "Rado an nin, Estel!"
"Whatever it is that pleases you, Lindo, you go right ahead and waste your energy. I don't mind."
Leoglas opened his mouth to respond, when a great din built up from further back in the crowd of orcs, and the whole group came to a standstill. A bony orc with staples all the way up the side of his face, dashed up from the direction of the noise. "The human fell over!" he almost whined.
"Keep going," Mornaeg dismissed easily.
Legolas mind shocked. "You can't!"
"Drag him until he wakes or dies," the elf added as an afterthought, and then reined his horse around to keep going.
"Mornaeg, you can't do that, you'll kill him!"
"Oh dear," the other repeated airily.
"Please, put him up on the cart!"
"No."
"He won't slow the pace, he-"
"No, I don't think so, Lindo."
"Please!"
"My, my, mellon-nin, are you begging now?"
Leoglas froze, and his jaw started to set itself automatically. But he fought it. Swallowed it. Only for Estel. "Yes."
"What?"
"Yes, Mornaeg, I am."
A slow smile stepped across Mornaeg's face. "Then say it, Lindo."
"I…I beg you to put Aragorn on the cart until he wakes up. Please, Mornaeg."
The other elf's eyes were triumphant, and he nodded with an infuriating smile. "Very well, little Lindo. Brog!"
After a few moments, a huge, blocky sort of orc shoved to the front. "Adar?"
"Take the human, and tie him onto the cart."
Brog nodded, and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Legolas and Mornaeg alone for a moment. Legolas couldn't meet the other's eyes, knowing what he'd find there. Probably, Mornaeg didn't want Aragorn to die anymore than Legolas did, since the human was his only leverage against Legolas. He simply couldn't risk it.
Brog came bursting through the crowd a few moments later, with Aragorn carelessly slung over his shoulder. The human's hair was stringy from sweat and rain, and it made him look all the more vulnerable.
Brog flipped Aragorn over onto the small, wooden cart, tying the rope dangling from the end of the human's wrists, to the top rung surrounding the bed of the cart. Aragorn didn't stir once, leading Legolas to the horrible conclusion that even he had underestimated the human's illness. Surely if it was a fever again, Aragorn would have at least moved by now. But he was out cold.
"If he's going to survive, he'll need some water," Legolas told Mornaeg frankly.
"Oh, but Lindo! There's water falling from the sky," Mornaeg responded smoothly, and then pressed to the front of the line, calling, "Noro-lim!"
The horde pressed forward into the forest once more, and never once did Legolas' eyes leave the limp form of Aragorn, as it was tossed back and forth across the bed of the cart. Be all right, Estel. Hang on.
It was probably midnight. That's what it felt like.
The last hour had become a routine; move one foot forward, and then move the next foot forward. Over and over and over and over and over…
Leoglas couldn't really guess where they were going. It was starting to feel like they were making their way to the Misty Mountains or the Grey Mountains, depending on whether they were going West or North. He was fairly certain they weren't headed South, because they would have either crossed the Halls of Thranduil again, or the Forest River. Of course, if they were going West, they really should have crossed the Forest River by now anyway…
It was starting to drive him crazy, really.
Part of him demanded that he simply break down and ask Mornaeg, but he couldn't seem to catch up with the other elf, who stayed at the front of the line constantly right now. And besides…he wasn't in the mood to be taunted again.
Every time Mornaeg called him 'Lindo', it struck a harsh cord in Legolas' chest, and made him angry. The injustice of Mornaeg using the childhood memories -memories Legolas had only just gotten back himself- against him was intolerable. Somehow, it was better simply not talking to Mornaeg.
Leoglas' knees ached, but he actually felt fairly all right, considering the miles he'd probably walked. He was still worried about Aragorn, but seeing the human rocking back and forth in the cart was rather a comfort right now.
At least he doesn't have to walk. At least he can rest.
Despite the fact that Mornaeg would obviously use Aragorn against Legolas eventually, it was good to know that the elf didn't intend to kill him…at least not yet. Until that time came, the human was safe.
Now, all there was left to do was worry about what exactly Mornaeg had in mind for when they reached their destination. So Legolas worried his way through another long, dark, and rainy hour in the Mirkwood forest. During that whole hour, the only sound was his feet on the forest floor…
…until at long, long last, Mornaeg shouted, "Mae Govonnen, Lindo, to Mandossea."