What Would We Lose?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkiens magnificant works nor am I getting paid for this. None of the characters are mine except Caimac (OC), andNerdanel...whose name is from the Sillamarian but based on a character I made up...so she's mine. Again...I don't own any of the original character.
Rated: PG-13 some violence torture and cursing...not good for the little ones.
Summary: A close friend of Legolas' is in the hands of humans who want power over the Elven Kingdoms. How long will it take for them to gain the information they seek? how long will it take for that friend to be saved? How far will the bonds of friendship and duty go to keep that information safe?
Chapter 3: In Dreams I'll Be Free
Try and rest
Let the pain go away
I'll be there to help you
And support you back
Helping you through to the end
"Nerdanel…wake up. C'mon wake up. You can't sleep all day." The voice broke through sleep.
A groan of displeasure issued from under the pillow as the covers moved with the body beneath them. The blankets soon came to a stop as the seconds crept by.
"Get your lazy butt up! You have to leave soon" the female voice grew more annoyed as hands drew back the covers. The feminine figure beneath the coves curled into a ball as the brisk air hit her skin. "Get up before I call the king in here."
"I'm up. I'm up." Nerdanel groaned as she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. She had forgotten that today was the day she was supposed to go on a trip with Legolas and his father, King Thranduil. She shuddered as she thought of the king nad climbed out of bed.
The maid had left her a change of clothes and bit of leather to tie her hair back. Nerdanel took a bath put on the clothes. The dress was a dark forest green and went to the floor. The sleeves were close to her skin and tapered off at the end. Luckily the maid had remembered about riding and brought a matching pair of leggings to go with it as well. She smiled as she perched on the edge of the window sill looking out into the sunrise as she ran the brush through her brown hair. She tangled her fingers in it thinking about what to tell the prince that day when a hawk came and landed next to her with a note tied to its foot.
With quick fingers she undid the knot on the bird foot, and gave it a bit of food before it flew off. The note was on rich parchment that could only mean one thing: Legolas. Quickly Nerdanel undid the seal and unrolled the paper. The note told of how he and his father were leaving soon and he wanted her to come quickly. Gently cursing under her breath Nerdanel grabbed the leather hair tie and jumped out the window into the trees. She raced in the branches despising the fact she had to wear a dress as she was slowed by the wretched clothes. But on nearing the stable she slowed down and jumped to the ground. She walked slowly, calming her breath, smoothing out her hair and clothes and found time to pull her hair back in half/half mixture. Then she walked into the open to see Legolas pacing under a tree.
"Mellon nin. Thank you for coming." Legolas muttered his thanks as he wrung his hands together.
"We have to stick together. I just ran a little late that is all. So…are we just going to be tutor and student or what?" Nerdanel bowed to the prince.
"My father just wanted to spend time with me…I didn't want to do it alone. I…I am not very comfortable around him." Legolas found a deep interesting in the grass at his feet.
"I understand. We will review the different elvish languages…Sindarin and all that. Make it look like we are doing something important." Nerdanel calmed the prince down knowing how much he liked different languages.
"Thank you. That will ease my fears a bit." Legolas placed his hand over his heart.
"There is no need to thank me my lord. I am but a servant if you remember. But we had better be going. I do believe that your father might get a bit mad if we dawdle." Nerdanel smiled as she gestured for the prince to lead back to the stables.
"As you wish." Legolas turned on his heel and went back to his father, all sense of calm innocence was replaced with proud refined and harsh dignity. His demeanor completely changed. "Father. We can be on our way she's arrived."
Lord Thranduil nodded as he mounted his horse. His terse lips showed no emotion as he guided his horse next to his son as he mounted his own horse. The horse was obviously ready to go.
"Legolas, you do know we will be out all day do you no?." Thranduil spoke softly as he watched his son mount his horse with grace.
"I know father. Nerdanel is my tutor and is coming with us. She will keep me up with my lessons." Legolas replied bowing slightly to his father as he motioned to Nerdanel who was standing beside her horse.
Hearing her name and feeling the kings eyes fall on her she bowed in reverence. She still felt the king's eyes on her and decided to tell the king what she had in store for him.
"My lord, if you will permit, today I will be making sure the prince is getting better at his speech in Sindarian and other Elvish tongues. We might go over some Common as well if that is permissible." Nerdanel kept her voice low as she held the reign of her horse, waiting for Thranduil's consent.
The king nodded his consent and turned his back as he moved his horse over to the guards. Breathing a sigh of relief, Nerdanel quickly wasted no time in mounting her own horse and guided it over to Legolas' horse. The she Elf put a hand on the horses' neck as she looked at the prince out of the corner of her eye. He was so uptight. But she could do nothing at the moment. She was only a servant after all. She sat upright as the king came back sitting astride like normal maids did, uneasy sitting in the saddles. Thranduil made the motion to begin the trek into the forest and the horses moved ready to get out and move. Nerdanel stayed close to Legolas' side as she enjoyed the silence between the adults.
The forest was alive around them. Bird sang sweetly as a soft breeze caressed soft skin. The sun dappled through the treetops as leaves gently fell to the ground. A soft crunching could be heard beneath the horse's hooves as they broke dead leaves. The trees hummed with life as squirrels jumped from tree to tree. Nerdanel listened to their chatter, they spoke of the trees, the food they gathered, and the hawks that hunted them for food. The birds sang of the valleys far away to their children in the trees. A golden eagle flew through the trees, sitting on a branch watching the procession of Elves through its domain. While holding the reigns of her horse with one hand Nerdanel put her hand into the air. The great bird flew down from the heights and landed on her arm, keening softly. The sharp talons bit through the fabric of her dress but they didn't puncture skin. Nerdanel was amazed at the strength and the control the bird had over its own power. With a flick of its wings the eagle went back to its perch and Nerdanel couldn't help but want to sing-so she did. In a soft voice she sang, her voice ringing like bells.
The night keeps at bay
The suns golden wings grace thine eyes
Darkness will stay
Till the waters I cross
Golden eagle stay by thy side
Guide me like the sun in the sky
Tell me stories
Like the stars in the heavens high
Linger by this waters edge
Linger waiting
Sing this
Never ending
Song
Sweet trees sing sweetly to me
Tales of days long past
Wars I missed
Battles still fought
But the golden light
Keep on going
The tales keep spinning
I wonder down the path
Linger by this waters edge
Linger waiting
Sing this
Never ending
Song
Stop to take a break from this life
Immortal and precious
My heart is fading
Yearning for the open road
Keep me no longer
Bound to this road
Let golden wings lift this spirit high
Away from this path
Linger by this waters edge
Linger waiting
Sing this
Never ending
Song
Nerdanel stopped singing as she listened to the birds accompany her. Their trills still echoing in the forest. The chatter of the forest resumed to its normal as the caravan of Elves passed through.
"Legolas failed to mention that you were a song spinner, Lady Nerdanel." Thranduil spoke breaking the silence.
"You give me too much credit my lord." Nerdanel bowed her head as she spoke. "I sing rarely."
"That is beside the point." Thranduil waved a hand in the air banishing the thoughts. "The song is unfamiliar to me. Where did it come from?"
"I made it up as I went my lord." Nerdanel replied softly.
"Then you should be a song spinner. Write the histories if a language understood by all. Don't you think so son?"
Legolas sat up straight with the mention of his name. "Indeed father. She never mentioned that ability to me. We are just teacher and student." Legolas spoke his voice showing no emotion other then unease.
Thranduil's face creased with concern. Nerdanel could see that both had their problems with the other with trying to find common ground for which to speak on. Nerdanel could see the conflict but didn't tread where she had no place. So she just rode up next to Legolas and began to run over the lesson. A smile pulled at her princes lips making everything seem a little bit better as the casual teacher/student conversation went on.
The scene turned dark as Thranduil vanished and a dark wooded area surrounded Nerdanel and Legolas. The sounds of howling dogs, angry humans and frightened horses murmured in the air. Legolas clung to the Elf maiden's side as he held two identical swords at the ready. She kept an arrow notched in her bow as she stood protectively in front of her friend.
"Nerdanel-this wasn't supposed to happen." Legolas whispered as they hid behind a large tree as the sounds of the animals got closer.
"No it wasn't" Nerdanel whispered back pushing Legolas closer to the tree. "I have an idea."
"Good I was beginning to worry." Legolas smirked as he hugged the tree looking for their pursuers. "What is it?"
"You and I are going to switch places." Nerdanel whispered as she gave Legolas a boost to the lowest limbs of the tree.
"Okay…how?"
"We have to switch clothes." Nerdanel whispered as she pushed Legolas into the next tree keeping him moving.
"What!" Legolas cried out as the girl's slender hand covered his mouth.
"Yes. You'll have to wear my clothes and pass as me and I will be you. It's obvious these humans want you." Nerdanel admonished the prince harshly as she listened to see if the humans below them heard them.
"But what about…well…certain things?" Legolas blushed slightly as he looked at his friend in the eyes.
Nerdanel shook her head. "Don't worry about that. Just give me your tunic and I'll put it on and you'll put on my dress. You can keep your pants on…I always do." Nerdanel explained as she listened. "I won't watch you undress if that bothers you my lord."
"Shut up." Legolas blushed a darker crimson as he went higher into the trees to take off his tunic which was soon thrown down to Nerdanel who quickly got out of her dress, put on the tunic, and the feminine outfit up to her friend. "When my father finds out about this I'm going to be murdered for sure."
"No more than I if we get caught." Nerdanel whispered as she watched her friend move clumsily down to her level in a dress. "You look ravishing m'lady." She snickered.
"That is no way to speak to you lord." Legolas glared fiercely. "You look no better."
"I feel better." Nerdanel smirked then frowned as she listened to the humans getting steadily closer. Grabbing her friends shoulder she looked him square in the face. "Now you have to listen to me Legolas and do everything that I say. Our paths are going to split here. Stay here until all sounds have ceased, and do not come after me no matter what happens. If you do it will surely mean death for the both of us and I am sure that you don't want to see the halls of Mandos any time soon."
"What are we going to do?" Legolas listened to the voices coming closer with each second, a feeling of unease sat in the pit of his stomach.
"We…who said anything about we? You're going to stay here. I am going to distract them, keeping them away from you." Nerdanel smirked as she shouldered her quiver and bow making sure that both were secure.
"I can't let you do that Nerdanel. I forbi-" Legolas was stopped in mid-sentence as he looked at his friend.
"My lord I am sorry but I have to disobey. This is not your time to die." Nerdanel put a hand on the prince's shoulder. The winds picked up shaking the trees, a storm was coming.
"Neither is it yours." Legolas whispered as she held his friends hand in his own.
"But your life is more important then mine. My job is to protect my lord for as long as I can and to sacrifice my life if need be. And that is what I am to do whether I have your consent or not." Nerdanel stated firmly as she listened over the wind, the humans were getting closer.
"Find them men! Find them! There will be a bonus for the man who catches the prince!" a rough voice echoed through the trees over the wind as a chorus of cries agreed.
Nerdanel pushed Legolas back into the tree letting the leaves hide him. "This is good-bye my lord. Please don't follow me. For your own sake." Nerdanel looked at the prince one last time as he nodded his consent, before the girl vanished from the tree.
Nerdanel hit the ground running as fast as she could in the opposite direction of the tree past the group of men. She looked at them as she passed knowing they would follow her. So she looked scared and kept running Pell mel through the woods. Dogs barked viciously biting at her ankles. Angry voices could be heard nearing her as the wind rushed through her ears. But she didn't dare to look back or stop. It would only mean that Legolas had less of a chance. One of the dogs leaped at the Elf and bit her arm. Sharp teeth dug deep into skin as warm blood pooled around the teeth. Nerdanel tried not to cry out as she beat the dog on the head as she ran. Eventually the dog let go, but it wanted blood now. Pain dotted Nerdanel's eyes as the warm blood coursed down her arm. The humans were close now, and her strength was failing. But she wasn't going to stop until she had to so she turned in the road and began to fight.
Pulling out the blade she used she rushed into the band of humans head on. They weren't ready as she attacked. Men fell to the blade deadly bite. But once the attack began the men quickly got their acts together and began to fight back. Wire nets were thrown meant to pin the Elf down- but she just avoided most of them. Dogs were unleashed and were put down in bleeding pooled torn from the stomach down. Eventually the men decided it would be best to just attack. So as they attacked they threw the nets. Nerdanel was too caught up in fighting the men in hand to hand combat that she forgot about the nets and became ensnared.
Screaming like a wild cat Nerdanel fought against the net. The wires cut into her skin relentlessly keeping her against her will. But the more she fought the more she became ensnared. The feeling of being caged sent a wave of fear through her senses causing her to fight more-but she knew it was no use. She had gotten herself into that mess for Legolas to save and protect his butt. The men drew closer their weapons and spears pointed at her. She stopped moving, watching the men with contempt, her brown eyes cold and heartless. Her chest heaved as she breathed deeply calming her self but more fuming.
"Boys look like we've caught us a prize." A dark haired man walked forward through the band of men. "Look its a little Elfling." He knelt beside Nerdanel.
Nerdanel snarled and twisted to get the man but failed when spears jabbed at her chest pinning her to the ground.
"Now don't do that. We wouldn't want to spill any blood on that pretty little face of yours. And look. I do believe we have a prince elf." The man smirked joyously as he played with the fringe of Nerdanel's clothes which were Legolas'.
"Then you'd better look again human because you're blind." Nerdanel hissed fiercely.
"What's this? A she Elf?" the man spat incredulously as he kicked Nerdanel viciously.
"What were expecting? A man? A human?" Nerdanel asked through the pain.
"I told you to get me a prince. There is a prince in these woods and I want him now!" the dark haired man whirled around the men in the clearing.
"But Caimac, sir, there was only one." A man spoke up as the dark haired man stood before the soldier.
"Then you had better find me a prince. Now!" the man called Caimac ran the insubordinate soldier through and let him crumple to the ground. "Now that we have an understanding…we'll take this wench and find the prince through her."
The men roared with victory as they crowded around Nerdanel binding her hands and feet painfully together. Then one man slung her unceremoniously over his shoulder. Nerdanel looked up in the trees, her eyes meeting those of Legolas' as he ran away as she whispered his name before darkness consumed her heart again.
Caimac leaned against the stone wall, watching the female Elf with interest. It had been three days since he had interrogated Nerdanel and the wounds she sustained were taking their toll. A fever had set in the first full day after causing chills and minor delirium. Now she was talking in her sleep, garbled Elvish and other languages. Caimac was there the entire time, waiting patiently, listening intently, waiting for her to falter.
Every now and then guards would come and take their places before moving off into the darkness. This time one came to check up on the Elf.
"Sir." The soldier bowed to Caimac who nodded his approval.
"What do you want?" Caimac whispered demanding reverence.
"I thought we should check on the Elf sir. To make sure she isn't dying?" the soldier asked tentatively.
"Now why would we do that?" Caimac answered his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Because-"
"I know why you imbecile! But we are so close to getting our answers. Don't you see!" Caimac roared in fury as the soldier cowered before him. "We are so close!"
"I'm sorry sir I didn't mean to sir." The soldier begged.
Placing his head in his hand Caimac breathed slowly calming himself down. In his silence he heard Nerdanel begin muttering again and his eyes lit up in satisfaction. He motioned for the soldier to stay where he was as he walked into the cell. He knelt beside Nerdanel as she shuddered in her dreams. She was muttering something about getting away, running away.
"Where are we going?" Caimac asked his voice barely a whisper as he pried.
"We…we have to get…get away…you have…have to." Nerdanel whispered wincing inwardly.
"We? Who?"
"You…you have to go…leave me…go …go now." Nerdanel gasped.
"Who…who has to go?" Caimac leaned in closer to the Elf.
"You…you have to go Le..Legolas. Go…now." Nerdanel whispered as she fell back into oblivion falling silent.
"Legolas…Prince Legolas." Caimac smirked as he stood up. "It makes sense now."
"My lord?"
"Assemble the ranks. We're going hunting."
Hi Everyone. Hope you all loved the chapter. Sorry it was so short and all that. Hope you R&R cause I love to hear from you all.