A/N I cannot help but mention Sir Christopher Lee, who has many of you more than likely know, passed away. He was the best Saruman any of us could have asked for and a good human being. Thank you, for being awesome.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter Five
Though it was late into the night, the candles in the King's study burned bright. Faramir, Éowyn, Arwen (who was cuddling a sleeping Eldarion), Aragorn and other various members of the King's Counsel were gathered, picking their brains desperately for a plan.
"Two hours," Faramir said tersely after a long pause in the conversation. He had been staring out the window into the dark sky, noting the passing of time. They had two hours to think of a plan before leaving for the gorge.
Aragorn closed his eyes, panic beginning to set lower and lower in the pit of his stomach, but he continued to pace. "We need money," he said, not for the first time. The royal treasurer, a large man, sighed and repeated the words he had been saying all night.
"We do not have that large of an amount, not currently, and we could never collect it in time."
"Then an ambush," Éowyn stated in exasperation, rubbing at her temples as she leaned forward in her seat. They were going in one endless circle and the end wasn't anywhere in sight. Arwen pointed out that they were most likely watching the trade off area and that it would be too difficult for a surprise attack without getting Legolas killed.
"But it is the only way!" the shield maiden of Rohan cried, "We don't have the money, that is all that there is too it. They not just going to give Legolas back if we walk up and ask extra politely, telling them that we have no money."
"You have a point," Aragorn murmured, shaking his unruly mess of hair out his eyes. Once again they trailed off into silence.
"One hour and forty minutes," Faramir quietly said, once again being the breaker of the silence. Eldarion stirred at the sound, but drifted right back off, his thumb stuck securely in his mouth.
"What –what if we attack from behind," Éowyn asked hesitantly, her eyes unfocused as she gazed into the fire. "They will not watch their back as intently."
"They will kill Legolas before we could get close," Aragorn said dully, his stomach clenching tightly as he spoke. He was going to lose his best friend and there didn't appear much he could do about it.
"I think it is our best shot," Faramir insisted, his brow furrowing, "We don't have much time. We have to act." He looked around the room, meeting their eyes steadily.
"We can discuss the finer points on the way there," Éowyn agreed, jumping up and crossing to the door. Faramir looked to Aragorn, and when his king nodded, he hurried after his wife. Others began to file from the room to prepare and Aragorn turned to his wife.
"I do not know when we will be back," he whispered, allowing Arwen to read the pain and desperation in his eyes. They were scrambling at straws and he knew it. It was an act of pure desperation, but she smiled confidently, leaning forward and kissing him lightly.
"I will be here waiting," she whispered. He brushed his hand along Eldarion's small head, and then left the room.
NOFINERFRIENDS
The darkness of night still lingered in the new day, but it was growing ever lighter and Aragorn shifted nervously, glancing up momentarily at the red tinged clouds that filled the sky, before back at the path. He and Faramir lurked behind a large tree, waiting. Éowyn, who had refused to be left behind, and a couple other trusted soldiers were scattered nearby, clutching their weapons hard enough to cut off circulation as they tried their patience.
The time had come. Either Legolas was going to be a saved, or there was going to be a much less happy ending to the story. While riding, they had come up with the best plan possible, but it was going mostly on luck, unfortunately for the elven prince.
Silently, they waited, hardly daring to breath.
The first sound of Legolas and his captors approaching was the soft clatter of hooves. Aragorn was instantly alert, straining his ears as hard as he could for any further signs. Leaning out from behind his tree, he gave Éowyn a subtle nod. She had also heard the noise and nodded back.
A minute later two horses, a black one and a brown one, came into view as they cleared a towering boulder. Two men sat astride, each wearing a dark cloak that concealed their bodies and made telling any defining features hard. Across the back of the second horse hung what looked like large bag, but Aragorn had a sinking feeling that it was Legolas.
The two horses drew nearer and Aragorn's heart began to race. Licking his suddenly dry lips, the king watched, focusing an expert eye on Legolas. The elf had been covered by a blanket, but his tell-tale blonde hair was swing softly as the horse walked.
The thicker set man of the two stopped and held up a fist, drawing the other to a stop as well and Aragorn stopped breathing.
Surly, surly, they could not have seen us. Please let us have remained hidden. Aragorn pleaded, for surprise was the only tool working in their favor. However, much to the horror of Aragorn and his fellow friends, the man began to speak in a loud, sturdy, voice, "I know that you are there. Kill the elf."
The second man twisting in the saddle and faster than the eye could follow, swung a silver blade high, plunging towards the exposed elf's back.
Aragorn had a split second to decide what to do, and what he did he did without thinking.
"STOP!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, leaping out from behind his tee and waving his arms frantically, his sword still clutched in one hand. The other warriors who had joined the group gave each other confused glances, but stayed put until further instruction. The man, mere inches away from stabbing Legolas, pulled his hand back sharply and Aragorn felt his stomach drop with relief. A cruel laugh echoed from the bigger man's hood and the king swung towards him aiming his sword in that direction as he did so.
"You are lucky we want the money, or your friend would be dead by now," the cloaked man stated dryly. Aragorn frowned. The voice sounded strangely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on when he had heard it before.
"You didn't give us enough time to gather the money." Aragorn contradicted, beginning to pick his way across the rock strewn ground. Casually he caught Faramir's eye, giving his head the smallest of shakes. Stay where you are.
"Move again and the elf dies!" the second man shouted, the knife back in danger zone. Aragorn held up his hands up peacefully and planted his feet where he stood. The man started speaking again, "As for the money, if you really wanted to gather it, you would have."
"No, we only had last night," Aragorn said diplomatically, sticking his sword in the ground and leaning on it as if his happiness did not depend on the outcome of this conversation. "We did not receive your letter until late last night. Give us a chance and we will raise the desired amount."
The two men shared a glance, and then turned back.
"Why should we do that?" the bigger man demanded.
"Because a dead body isn't worth that of a live soul, I won't give you much, if anything, for a body," Aragorn bluffed, his eyes finding the elf's limp form once more as if his intent stare could make the elf show some sign, any sign, of life.
"You would pay any amount of money I named," the man snarled, and Aragorn jerked his attention back.
Growing desperate, Aragorn threw caution to the wind, "But we didn't have time to gather it yet. Give us time and I swear by the Valar that I will pay you. Just keep Legolas alive until then." The men shared a look, and then glanced back at Aragorn. The king held his gaze daringly, though sweat was starting to break out as his nerves got the better of him.
"You have one week. One week, understand?" the smaller man called, turning his horse around swiftly. Jerking his head at his companion, he motioned for him to do the same, before yelling out a final instruction, "Stay here for thirty minutes." The meaning was clear of what would happen if Aragorn tried to follow them.
"Wait!" Aragorn hollered, as he began to scramble across the ground towards them, painfully stubbing his toe against a rock as he went. "Let me care for him, I'm a healer. I promise I won't do anything besides treat his wounds."
The man whose voice was familiar to Aragorn laughed harshly. "Oh, don't you worry, we will take care of him every day that you don't have the money."With that last, biting remark, they turned and left.
Aragorn felt dark rage shoot hotly through his veins and was about to lunge forward when a gentle hand on his arm stopped him.
"You can't do anything now," Faramir stated, pulling him back and keeping a firm grip on his arm.
"Watch me," Aragorn growled, jerking his arm free and taking a step forward. Faramir recaptured him none to gently.
"Thirty minutes," he reminded urgently, giving Aragorn a small shake. "I do not doubt that this time they would kill him."
Aragorn slowly stopped, but he didn't look happy about it. His eyes gazed longingly in the direction that the men had left, but all he said was, "Legolas is in trouble." Turning, he sat down hard on a fallen rock and crossed his arms, gazing off into nothing. The friends and soldiers he had brought with him began to edge out of their hiding spots, looking around with worry at their liege.
The half-an-hour dragged past with all the speed of a turtle out of water and after a while Aragorn got up and began to pace. At twenty past, the ranger in him won over and he began to carefully examine the horse's hoof prints. To add to the fury that threatening to explode to the surface, Aragorn found small droplets of blood staining the dust and rocks. Legolas may be in more trouble than he had first imagined…
Shaking his head angrily, Aragorn shuffled forward, now following the blood splatters rather than the horse's hooves.
"Do we head back to Minas Tirith, Aragorn?" Faramir asked coming up behind the king and leading his own horse and Aragorn's. His face was the perfect picture of disappointment and fear. To the captain's surprise, Aragorn shook his head, handing the reins back to his friend, "I'm walking back," he explained as he squinted up through the ever brightening sunlight.
"Aragorn, it is over an hour back on a horse," Faramir stated, disbelief dripping from his voice as he narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on Aragorn's shoulder.
"I know." Aragorn said simply, going back to studying the ground intently, crouching down to get a better look at something. Faramir's eyes widen dramatically as he realized what his king was going to try and do and blurted in a low whispered, "You are going to tract them! Don't you want to bring along reinforcement?"
"No!" Aragorn instantly snapped, and he threw Faramir an apologetic look, continuing more softy, "They may disturb important information, this is something I need to do alone." Faramir frowned, giving him an I-don't-trust-that-you-won't-do-something-stupid-if-you-are-alone look.
Aragorn, as if reading his mind because he had gone back looking at the ground, said in reluctance, "I promise that I won't attack the men without backup...unless there is no other choice," he finished under his breath. His second in command sighed unhappily, not liking the situation, but knowing that he would never change the king's mind.
"The best of luck, Aragorn, and may the Valar go with you," he replied hopefully. If anyone could save Legolas, it would be Aragorn. Calling out to the rest of the people milling around, he began to gather them up and heading them off on the ride home, taking the long way around the gorge as not to disturb the tracks that Aragorn planned on following.
TBC...
Well, at least this time Aragorn should hopefully be able to head in the right direction. :)
Oh, and please take note that I going out of town this next week and will not be able to post. :( At least I didn't leave you all on a major cliffie!
Review Reply:
LOTCR: HAha, I doubt that they will never, ever again forget that fact! Yup, after all this time they figured it out! And they continue to figure it out! I am sure that Aragorn would have loved your gold...too bad. :( (I will take that gold, though, if you won't miss it. Money. *sigh* ) Thanks!