Disclaimer: None of Tolkien's characters nor the world of Middle Earth are mine and I do not aim to make any money from this story. I merely borrow the toys and play in the sandbox.
Rating: PG-13 (T)
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Gravity
Chapter 3
Legolas had his eyes closed, focusing his attention on the tree, whose branch he was sitting on. He could hear the soft whisper of the oak's melody as it brushed against his mind. First calm and quiet, then brighter and more vivid as it noticed his presence and welcomed him into its embrace.
Communicating with trees was never straightforward but Legolas did not mind. He was content just to listen to the innate song of the sturdy tree, in tune with its leaves that swayed gently in the winds above. It was almost like being back home.
There was a sudden shift in the song, a soft murmur that alerted him to a subtle change even before the sound of approaching footsteps reached Legolas' ears. He looked up to see one of the twins walking towards him. Remembering the way he had dashed past the sons of Elrond in the corridor of their own home earlier, in his reckless endeavour to spend the time before his lessons outside, made him feel suddenly unaccountably foolish. And after he had spent so much time and effort to convince the twins that he was no longer the elfling they had tossed back and forth on their last visit to the Greenwood. What if they told Arwen?
As the twin stepped closer Legolas recognized Elrohir. He hastened down the branches of the tree, wondering if he had misjudged the time, was he late for his lessons? He paused briefly to lay an appreciative hand on the oak's rough bark, thanking it for its time and companionship, before he jumped from the last branch, landing smoothly in front of Elrohir.
The twin smiled at him. "My father sends me to tell you your lessons for today have been cancelled." He continued before Legolas could react to the news. "I am on my way to scout the River Path, some reports say there might have been a rockslide that is blocking the passage. Would you care to accompany me?"
Legolas nodded eagerly, for a moment forgetting the mystery as to why his lessons were cancelled. He could ask that later. For now all that mattered was that he would get to spend the day outdoors, exploring more of the elven haven he would be staying in for a good while. It also did not hurt that it felt nice to be asked on a scouting mission and his earlier thoughts regarding this morning's behaviour were quickly forgotten.
"Then let us go."
They ascended the steep stairs to the top of the cliffs first and followed the path southwestalongside the Bruinen. The valley that hid the Last Homely House narrowed in this direction until not much more remained than a small path on either side of the riverbed enclosed by the steep cliffs that the river had carved into the rock over the ages. Further south the terrain would even out, the cliffs lower to become almost level with the waters of the Bruinen as they neared the ford. Here, almost an hour's walk from the stairs they took earlier, the cliffs were already lower than in the main village, but they remained tall, and the path below them stayed hidden.
The River Path was rarely used by travellers these days, most people following or knowing only the direct path from the ford to Imladris, but this route offered the better protection. With the river under Vilya's control, Elrond could monitor it more closely - and close it off if needed. Some of the men in the villages close to the Hidden Valley still used this path to travel to the elven realm, in search of aid or lucrative trades. As such it was kept open for them. If a rockslide had truly buried the path it would need to be reopened.
Elrohir waited for Legolas to catch up to him when the younger elf got caught in a tangle of shrubs growing on the rocky soil. The top of the cliffs were harder to navigate than the true path below them, at the river's edge, would have been since no paths crossed the wild tangle of plants up here. But if they wanted to get an overview of the whole path and assess the damage of a possible slide, then he needed the higher ground up here.
"There", Legolas said, panting slightly as he reached the twin's side. He was pointing at a jagged edge in the otherwise smooth corners of the cliff face, muddy ground was visible here where shrubs and grass should have been covering the ground.
Elrohir nodded his agreement. This was where the rockslide had been. "Let's have a closer look."
Carefully the two elves approached the open space that gaped like a wound in the cliff face.
Signalling the younger elf to stay behind a bit, Elrohir crouched low at the very edge of the cliff, trying to assess the damage of the rock slide and the extent of the blockage to the path below. From here he would also be able to see if further slides had occurred along the cliff side.
"It seems to be limited to this area. But it has created quite the barrier, it will need to be cleared before it can be used again." Shaking his head at the realization, Elrohir got to his feet and turned around. It would take them a long time to reopen the River Path and with the orcs he and his twin had seen last night possibly approaching, they would not have the time to do so. They could only hope that no humans would venture down the path, possibly getting stuck between the rocks below and the advancing forces of the orcs.
A sudden noise snapped Elrohir from his thoughts. A noise as if a boot had been pulled from a swamp, the sound of an air pocket being released from slick soil as too much pressure was placed upon it.
It was the sound of the washed out mud that held the cliff face together giving way.
Before he had a chance to fully register what was happening the ground beneath Elrohir disappeared and with a crashing of debris, rocks and dirt the twin was dragged from sight.
For a moment Elrohir's eyes met Legolas' and the young woodelf was surprised to see no fear in the grey eyes of the twin, only surprise. His own body was frozen with dread. A terrible few moments passed in which the noise drowned out everything, even his racing thoughts. When it stopped the land was plunged into a tense silence.
Legolas drew a shaky breath, not even aware until then that he had held it, and finally the paralyzing fear seemed to fall from him. Only to be replaced by a terrifying helplessness. What was he to do?
Heedless of the danger he rushed to the edge of the cliff and fell to his knees. Leaning forward as far as he dared he looked at the depth. "Elrohir!" he yelled, not really expecting an answer.
"Elrohir!" It was less of a shout this time, almost a sob as the reality of what had just happened, of what might very well have been Elrohir's fate, dawned on him.
He shook his head vehemently, trying to dispel the images in his head. Images of a broken body at the bottom of the ravine, of lifeless limbs buried beneath stones.
He had to do something. Before the paralysis could grasp him again, Legolas moved.
Taking a few hasty steps back from the cliff, too aware suddenly of the possibility that it could crumble further and take him over the edge as well, he looked around frantically. He had to get down there.
He wracked his brain furiously. What did he know about this part of the valley? Legolas had not been here before though he had looked at the maps with the twins and Erestor, inherently fascinated with maps and the defences of the Hidden Valley. He tried to remember them now but there was no useful information stored in his memory.
He sighed in frustration.
Rising to his feet and deciding to walk along the cliff's edge, Legolas followed the outline of the rock face carefully. He might find a place gentle enough for him to climb down.
He would have to be careful, the rain of the previous days would not only have destabilized the cliff itself, but would have also made handholds slippery and unreliable. So, with as much speed as he dared, he ran along the edge of the cliff, worry constantly on his mind, hurrying his steps. His desperation mounted when the cliff's wall remained a steep, seemingly insurmountable obstacle, and the further he ran, the longer it would take him to get back to Elrohir's side.
Time was of the essence.
If the twin was even alive, a small voice in the back of his mind noted, but Legolas chose to ignore it. He would not accept any other possibility, not until he saw the gruesome truth with his own eyes.
After what felt like an eternity but had in truth not taken him further than a few hundred yards from the site of the rockslide, Legolas' eyes finally spotted what he had been looking for. A small copse of valerian grew against the side of the cliff in a small furrow that split the smooth outer edge of the precipice. The bluff sloped a bit more here and the trough with the hardy plants might give him enough traction to climb down. Without waiting for his mind to decide otherwise Legolas set his foot on the improvised path and carefully half climbed and half scuttled down its length.
When he finally reached the bottom of the ravine, he took a moment to catch his breath and orient himself. In front of him, behind the path, the Bruinen was rushing by, a swirling mass of water, barely confined by its tight banks. The rains of the last few days had made the river swell more than normal for the season.
Setting his gaze to the path that he knew would take him back to the site of the rockslide, Legolas set out. He ignored the growing feeling of unease, the small whispers in his mind that he would not like what he would see, but he hurried on regardless. Nothing mattered right now except finding Elrohir.
He rounded the last corner in his path and ran towards the cliff face, fearing the worst despite his most valiant efforts to stay positive. The relief he felt when he saw the younger twin, leaning heavily against the cliff but on his own two feet, was almost enough to send him to his knees.
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The elves of Rivendell were riding hard, their horses' hooves effortlessly chipping away at the hard stone floor of the River Path. With the horses it would take them far less than an hour to reach the site where Elladan was sure he would find his twin.
Suddenly the older twin reined in his horse, momentarily forgetting the need for speed and the elves following along behind him. It was only when his father, riding up alongside him, placed a gentle hand on his arm that Elladan was pulled from his reverie. The look in his father's grey eyes was calm and collected but questioning.
"He is close", Elladan said simply, trusting that his father would realize the implications. He could feel Elrohir again. And though his twin appeared to be in considerable pain, a fact that he chose not to share with his father just yet, the simple fact that Elrohir seemed to be awake and close by gave him new strength, new hope.
With a gentle nudge to his horse's side Elladan urged the animal forward again. His twin was awake and he would not rest ere he was safe as well.
They rode on until the sight that greeted them behind the next bend made them halt once more.
The path was blocked.
From the high cliff down to the shore of the rushing Bruinen, the path had been covered in mud and rocks the size of grown men. It was the very rockslide that Erestor had suspected might have occurred last night, the one that Elrohir went to investigate before something dreadful had happened. And now it stopped their advance.
But Elrohir was close, so very close that Elladan could feel the tingle of their bond in the back of his mind, could feel the pain radiating from their unique connection. Much more pain than Elrohir would allow him to feel if he had the strength to keep it to himself. It urged Elladan forward.
With a quick movement he left his horse's saddle and rushed towards the rockslide. For a brief moment he contemplated digging through the giant mass of boulders, an irrational fear that his twin was trapped somewhere beneath them taking hold. It was an icy, paralyzing fear that threatened to rob him of conscious thought and the ability to act as dreadful images of his twin, wounded and alone, buried beneath cold stone where no light could reach him, assaulted his mind.
With great effort he dragged his mind away from his fears and forced himself to think rationally. Where was Legolas?
They did not know what had happened to the young woodelf who had accompanied his twin on the trip. Had he fallen victim to the same incident that had injured Elrohir? Was he buried beneath these stones? Or was he alright and with his twin right now?
Only one way to find out.
Elladan was dimly aware of the other elves in their company also approaching the rockslide on their feet now as he took two steps back. Raising his face to the top of the pile of rock and mud he shouted.
"Legolas!"
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to be continued…
A/N: As usual a big thank you to my wonderful betareader frannysnow and to the amazing people who left a review on the last chapter: sian22, Lady Lindariel and Gondorian Elf.
I hope people are still reading this story. If you are please consider telling me what you think, reviews really do help me find the motivation to keep writing this story.
