Two slaves fought against each other in the pit with dirt and grime coating them. What made it worse was that he recognized one of the slaves. His blonde hair was knotted and gnarled and hit the elegantly pointed ears. Dried blood marred his skin as did countless bruises and gashes. Aragorn schooled his features to mask the anger that threatened to overwhelm him. The other slave beat Legolas and declared the winner as Legolas laid unconscious on the floor. Two other burly men entered the pit and dragged Legolas out as Aragorn carefully watched. Seeing where they took his friend, Aragorn slowly moved through the crowd. Spying the door with a guard standing next to it, Aragorn raised an eyebrow as he formed a plan. Positioning himself in a specific place, Aragorn quickly elbowed two men back to back and stepped back as the two started fighting. The guard moved to try and break up the fight as Aragorn slipped through the door. He moved quickly down the hall, glancing to all the cages around him with people trapped in the small cages. Normally he would try to free all the slaves but he was focused on only one before looking to the others. He could smell death all around him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Hearing the sound of footsteps ahead, Aragorn slipped into the deeper shadows and wrapped his cloak around him. Bowing his head under the under the cloak's hood as two burly guards came around the corner. Recognizing the two men as the ones that took Legolas from the pit, Aragorn waited a few moments after they passed before hurrying in the direction they had come from. This new hallway was murky and moldy as Aragorn grabbed a torch from the wall and held it in front of him. Spotting a glint of blond in the corner, he hurried over and broke the lock to the cage. Slipping his hands under his friend's arms, Aragorn pulled Legolas out and carefully laid him on the ground. Aragorn's hands came back bloody when he released his friend. Wishing he had time to look over his friend but knowing he didn't, he pulled off his cloak and laid it out next to Legolas. Moving the elf onto the cloak, he wrapped the cloak around Legolas' entire body before lifting up the light elf and slinging him over his shoulder. If Legolas was conscious, he would yell to be set down. 'Good thing he is unconscious,' Aragorn mused silently.
He searched for a new exit but the way he came seemed to be the only way in and out. Swearing softly, Aragorn started for the exit and pushed the door open to the large room. He made it five steps before a hand came down on his shoulder. Trying not to flinch, he slowly turned and looked at the soldier.
"What's that?"
"A corpse from the slave cells. He died after his match was over," Aragorn responded, dropping his tone lower.
"Good, he'll stink up the place if we leave him."
Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief as the other man left. Walking again, he quickly left the crowd and was almost free when a shouting voice stopped him. Slowly turning, his eyes locked with a pair of brown eyes as recognition dawned in both men. Gorgias' surprise lasted for only a heartbeat before he yelled for his soldiers. Aragorn started running for the closest way out which happened to be a window as pounding footsteps followed him. Reaching the window, his fist plowed through the glass and brushed away the shards. He bit back a yelp when an arrow buried into his upper bicep from the side and his grip on Legolas faltered. Thankfully they were on the main floor and the elf didn't have far to fall when Aragorn accidentally dropped his friend. Swearing loudly, he jumped away from the window just moments before a sword sang through the air where his head had been just moments before. His forearm brace took the brunt of the second blow and he easily felt the bite of the sword through the thick leather. Jumping back from his attacker Aragorn slid out his sword and went on the defensive. Gorgias glared at the Ranger before lunging with his gleaming sword. No words were spoken between the two men as they fought.
Slamming his elbow into Gorgias' abdomen, Aragorn dove out the window and grabbed the cloak wrapped body. Whistling sharply into the cool morning air, Aragorn hefted Legolas up and over his shoulder to run for the main street. Aragorn's mare galloped around the corner and towards her master with dirt scattering around her from her pounding hooves. She flung her head up as she stopped in front of Aragorn with a nicker. Pushing Legolas' body across the saddle, he put one foot in the stirrup and grabbed onto a chunk of mane before yelling at her to run. The horse jerked him off his feet as she dug into the ground to push off and gallop down the main street. Swinging up and behind the saddle, Aragorn pressed a hand to Legolas' back and leaned over his friend as the horse galloped out of town. Aragorn guided the horse towards the mountains and thick forest while occasionally glancing behind him. The terrain quickly changed as the horse weaved between trees and pounded up the incline until they were a mile and a half into the thick forest. Slowing the mare, Aragorn searched for a flatter area to tend to Legolas.
Finding a placed that was a few yards away from a small creek, he swung off the heaving mare and carefully pulled Legolas from the horse's back. Laying his friend on the forest floor, he pulled the cloak away from his friend's face and bit his lip in concern. The elf' face was deathly pale and dirt marred his once clean features. He could see blood caking the blond hair and knew it came from a head wound. Standing, he grabbed his pack from the horse and started to dig through it in search of several items. Setting down the items, he collected a bundle of dry wood and built up a small fire until it was burning hot. Grabbing his small cooking pot and a bowl, he filled them both with water and set the cooking pot one on the fire. While the water was warming, he set about discovering all of his friend's wounds. Pulling aside the cloak, he cut away the minimal bits of what was left of a tunic and searched for his wounds. He dealt with the wounds as he came across them. A dislocated shoulder from his battle in the pit which Aragorn quickly popped back into place. He frowned deeply when Legolas just groaned softly from the pain and didn't move or wake. The next problem came when Aragorn gently felt the elf's right forearm. The bone was solid but not straight, like it had been broken and healed incorrectly. Rubbing his forehead, Aragorn turned to the cooking pot and gripped the handle with a thick cloth to pull it from the fire. Carefully choosing his herbs and mixing them into the warm water, Aragorn cradled Legolas' head and slowly administered the liquid. The liquid was a powerful pain killer that would effectively numb the elf's arm. He would have to re-break the bone to align it properly so it could have the opportunity to mend correctly. Starting another pot of water to warm, he laid out the things he would need and unloaded his horse of his other things. Patting the animal's neck and praising her he carried everything to the small camp and laid out his bed roll. Taking the pot from the fire, he mixed together several herbs as the mixture started to thicken. Setting it aside to cool, he gently picked up the arm and found the exact location of the break. Gripping the arm in his strong hands, a quick twist re-broke the arm and he could hear the audible crack. Legolas jerked away and groaned as Aragorn slowly pulled apart the bone and muscles. Soon the bone slipped into place and Aragorn released his grip upon the arm before wiping away the sweat on his forehead. Checking the temperature of the paste, he spread it on the forearm and gently bound the arm before laying the arm beside Legolas. Once ridding Legolas of his torn leggings, he found a gash running the length of his left thigh. Infection had already set in and the skin had tried to heal over the wound. Sanitizing his blade, he held down his friend's leg and slowly reopened the wound while gnawing on his bottom lip. Legolas was shifting and groaning under the physical assault as Aragorn glanced worriedly up at him. Softly whispering soothing words to the elf, he cut away the dead flesh and cast it into the flames. Cleaning the wound out and stitching it, Aragorn bound the vicious wound before sitting back. As gently as he could, he scooped Legolas up and moved him to the bedroll and pulled a blanket over Legolas' body to keep out the chill. Dipping a clean cloth into some cool water, he wiped away the dirt and blood from his friend's face. Legolas' eyes fluttered slightly under his ministrations as Aragorn moved closer.
"Legolas? Mellonin, can you hear me?"
The elf moaned softly as his eyes slowly opened. Unfocused eyes looked at Aragorn but the painkiller had the upper hand and was not relinquishing its hold on Legolas. The blue eyes wandered around unsteadily as he slowly blinked to try and hold onto consciousness. Aragorn sighed and gently brushed his fingertips over the elf's eyes to close them. Legolas slipped into unconsciousness again as Aragorn finished cleaning off the blood and dirt and checked the head wound. His gentle fingers found the head wound and carefully felt for any fractures before lifting the elf's eyelids and checking the dilation.
Slowly sitting back, Aragorn glanced down at his shoulder and glared at the arrow that protruded from the flesh. While tending to Legolas, he had blocked out everything else, including the pain from his wound which was now hurting fiercely. Gripping the arrow shaft, he took a deep breath before jerking the arrow out swiftly. Moaning softly at the pain, he held a cloth to the wound until the flow of blood had slowed and finally stopped. Awkwardly, he bound his own shoulder and slowly rotated the arm to test the range of motion. It hurt like anything but it was usable.
Tossing another piece of wood on the fire, he sat next to Legolas and the morning passed. He knew that Gorgias and his men would come after them once he rounded up everyone. Aragorn could not afford to stay in one location for long with Legolas as injured as he was. He would travel to Mirkwood with all haste and try to outrun Gorgias. Standing, he kicked dirt over the fire and effectively smothered the flame. Calling for his mount, Aragorn packed everything and secured the pack to the saddle and turned to Legolas. Kneeling next to him, he quickly checked everything to ensure that Legolas was well enough to travel. Checking the elf's broken arm, he looked up as the elf shifted and moaned at the probing.
"Legolas? Open your eyes, my friend," Aragorn said softly as the elf's eyes fluttered wildly.
Blue eyes slowly appeared and focused on Aragorn. Instead of relief or friendly recognition, fear was in Legolas' eyes as he scrambled away from Aragorn.
"Get away! Let the ghosts haunt me no longer! I am sorry I killed him! I did not mean to kill hope!" he cried and gasped as he curled into a painful ball.
"Legolas! It is I, Aragorn! Calm down!" he said and tried to stop the elf from hurting himself.
"Speak no more, ghost!"
"Damnit, Legolas, I am no ghost!" Aragorn snapped and grabbed Legolas' unharmed arm.
Trying to hold down the elf, Aragorn took Legolas hand and pressed it over his heart. The elf's struggles and cries slowed as he felt the strong heartbeat under his hand. His cloudy blue eyes focused on his hand pressed against Aragorn's chest and flickered up to Aragorn's face.
"Aragorn? Is it really you?" he murmured, his hand flexing under Aragorn's hand.
"Aye, mellonin. It is."
Legolas weakly grinned before passing out in Aragorn's arms. Rolling his eyes, he laid the elf back onto the blanket and searched his pack for a clean tunic and pair of leggings. Gently dressing the elf in the over-sized clothes, he wrapped a blanket around the elf and carefully lifted the light weight being. Cueing his horse to bow, Aragorn sat behind Legolas as the horse surged to its feet. Tapping the horse onward, the animal started up the mountain as Aragorn held Legolas close to his chest. He would have to be wary of how quickly they traveled and where. Gorgias would more than likely have a good tracker and they might ride through the night so he would have to move quickly or cover his trail. On foot and alone he could do it easily but on horseback with a wounded elf would be extremely hard to do it effectively. He hoped that the tracker was inexperienced and he could stay on rough terrain to lose the group. He wasn't going to chance hiding Legolas so he could take out the group slowly. He could be caught or defeated and Legolas would be alone in the wilds alone, unconscious and without weapons. He couldn't chance it; this was one of the few times that Aragorn willingly ran from a battle. He would deal with Gorgias at a later date.
(I)(I)(I)
Wrapping his cloak around Legolas, Aragorn ran his hands up and down the elf's arms vigorously to create warmth. It was night time and they still traveled with a chill coming with the darkness. Pulling out his water pouch, he carefully coaxed some liquid into the unconscious elf as the horse wove up the small mountainous path. He needed to find a secluded place for the night to rest and look over Legolas' wounds. A small, uninhabited cave would be ideal if he could find one within the next few minutes. He could feel the feverish heat radiating from his friend but his body trembled with chills. Swearing to himself, he nudged the horse faster up the trail until he saw exactly what he wanted. Stopping the horse outside the cave, he pressed Legolas forward to lean on the horse's neck as he quickly slipped off and pulled his bow from his back. Holding an arrow notched and ready, he silently crept into the cave and investigated the small area as his ears strained to hear anything. It smelled of orcs but the scent was old and it looked to have been empty for some time.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he slipped the arrow back into his quiver and turned back to his horse and friend. Dropping his pack near the entrance, he glanced up to the dark sky as clouds slowly moved across the moon and cast shadows across the land. Walking to his horse, he reached for Legolas and never expected what happened next.
Launching out of the saddle, Legolas tackled Aragorn to the ground where the man landed with a loud grunt as all the air was forced from his lungs. He struggled for air to calm Legolas but his lungs seized up as hands grabbed the lapels of his coat and slammed him into the ground.
"What did you do with him? Speak to me, spawn of Mordor!" Legolas ground out from adrenaline and pain.
Aragorn gasped as pain exploded from his abdomen. Looking down his body, he saw the dagger he normally kept in his saddle buried up to the hilt in his left side. In shock, he looked up to Legolas just as the clouds cleared the moon and the silver light fell on his face. Legolas locked gazes with the human and Aragorn saw recognition and realization slam into the elf and what he'd just done. Legolas scrambled off Aragorn and away until his back slammed into stone. Cradling his throbbing arm, he stared in shock and horror at Aragorn lying, bleeding, on the floor. Aragorn weakly lifted his head and looked at the dagger before looking to Legolas. Dropping his head back to the ground, he bit his bottom lip and willed himself to not pass out. One hand slowly reached out towards his pack and carefully felt around for the bag while his other hand held the wound. He had a sinking feeling that he was going to have to bandage his own wound and withdraw the blade. Something he was not looking forward to but Legolas looked to be in no condition to help. Closing his eyes in frustration when he couldn't reach his pack, he looked towards Legolas when he heard slow movement. The elf took the pack and set it next to Aragorn before moving away again.
"Legolas…Legolas, look at me," Aragorn ordered softly as the elf's blue eyes slowly lifted.
"I need…your help, mellonin. I do not…think that I…can remain conscious…after withdrawing the blade…You will need to…clean it, stitch it…close and bandage it," he ground out as he breathed shallowly.
Legolas slowly shook his head as his gaze dropped to the ground.
"Legolas…please. I can not…do this…alone."
The elf slowly limped over and sat heavily next to Aragorn. Pulling the bag open more, he shifted through the bandages and pulled out the things he would need. Aragorn squeezed his eyes shut and held on tightly to consciousness. He knew he wouldn't be able to remain conscious for much longer. He worried about Legolas' current state of mind and how it was going to affect him. Legolas seemed to have difficulty differentiating between reality and his hallucinations.
"What…what do I need to do?" Legolas asked softly as Aragorn slowly opened his eyes.
"Once I…withdraw the dagger…stop the bleeding and…stitch the wound cl-closed…use the cream i-in…the tin with the r-red…marking…then bandage it," he ground out in pain.
Legolas nodded as he held a folded square of cloth with his good arm. Biting his lip painfully, Aragorn held the dagger's handle and swiftly pulled it free. His cry was muffled as Legolas pressed the cloth tightly to the bleeding wound. The dagger slowly rolled from Aragorn's fingers as he slipped into unconsciousness and his eyes fluttered shut. Unbeknownst to the unconscious Ranger, the elf was far from calm on the inside as he swapped out cloths to stop the bleeding.
Legolas' thought were darting from one thing to another. He saw Aragorn dead on the dais in the mourning room of Mirkwood. Bretharso haunted him from around every corner with a dagger jutting from his throat. He couldn't decide which figures were real or created from his own mind. But he knew the blood on his hands was real and the injury he had inflicted on his friend was real. He could have sworn that it had been Bretharso that had reached for him instead of Estel. The blood flow had finally stopped and he picked up the threaded needle to painstakingly stitch the wound shut. Digging through the bag, he found the tin Aragorn had spoken of and smeared the cream over the wound. Bandaging the wound, he pulled Aragorn to the wall and leaned the human against him as he leaned against the wall. His gaze slowly wandered around them watching for any enemies. But were those enemies real?
(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)(I)
Thank you everyone for the warm reception for 'An Ancient Bond's' sequel. If I could ask a small favor: if and when you review could you tell me what you liked about 'An Ancient Bond'? I was wondering about a few things and I wanted to see if I was correct. But hope everyone enjoyed this chapter; until next time.
Deana- My dear Deana! How are you doing? Hope this satisfies your craving Enjoy!
Alariel- Thank you very much for the compliment. My head is swelling so you better stop feeding my ego. LOL. Hope you are equally impressed with this chapter.
Elven Kitten- Hope you liked this chapter.
Invisigoth3- Blackmail is such an evil word. I prefer persuasive reasoning. You can thank Linuvial Greenleaf for me updated. I was talking to her and she commented on this story and I thought that I would type up whatever I have on paper and then realized that I was already on chapter 3 and that I could post chapter 2 so here we are! I just finished writing a paper and I have a test tomorrow evening so I will be studying tomorrow after turning in the paper. Bleh, I dislike school.
Linuvial Greenleaf- Well here is chapter two to the sequel of your all time favorite story. So how many times have you reread it already? Heehee. That is abuse. I could barely stand to watch the previews for "Saw." Bleh, too much blood and gore for me. Hope you are better now; just like me last night with the porcelain king, paying homage.
Randa-Chan- I enjoy my cliffies. Hope you like this chapter.
Siennawoods- I am seriously blushing over here. I have been called a lot of things but rarely creative; or at least in a good way. Enjoy!
Sielge- Yuppers, the sequel. I hope this chapter has answered your questions.
Nietta- My betting is five down on the other guy…but then again I know what happens so bad me. Probably should not be betting either.
Shadowed Flames- Oh, I love new reviewers! I think we should throw a huge party and do keg stands. But I have school for another week. Blast! No keg stands for me. You read all of my LotR stories? Wow, I am impressed. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Snow-Glory- Yes! The sequel is finally here and here is the second chapter. Hope you like this chapter!
Wolf Jade- I am not sure; are you supposed to know what is going on? I never know what is going on anymore. All I know is school, sleep, write, school, sleep, write; maybe eating scattered in there somewhere. Well, get some sleep, maybe reread 'An Ancient Bond' and try again. Or I may have screwed up somewhere; it is very possible. Hope you get some more sleep.
Aranna Undomiel- Well thank you very much for the compliment. Yeah, I will admit, it is kind of a leap from 'An Ancient Bond' to here. Probably should read them back to back. Hope you enjoy!
NycteaScandiaca- Wow that is a very impressive name. I gave up on trying to pronounce it after about the sixth time. Well anyway; I am so glad that you are enjoying the story so far. 'An Ancient Bond' was a good story; I am very proud of that one. You are seriously making me blush really bad over here and my ego is about to burst. I am still taking bets. Heehee.
Catmint- Well thank you very much for the compliment, Catmint. My ego is swelling, you had better stop or I will not be able to get out of my room and go to class. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time.
Elvendancer- The updates will be here and there but not on a regular basis. Yeah, people who do not take a hint are really annoying, especially when you want to get rid of them. Like telemarketers but I usually have fun with them on the phone. I really freak them out and it cracks up my friends whenever they hear it. Hope you enjoy this chapter and do not get a phone call while you are reading it.
