-o0o-
Glorfindel was riding hard eastwards towards the pools. He could not afford to waste time in finding Estel, Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir. As fast as Belroch's hooves would carry him they hurried through the falling night. He silently thanked the faithful and persistent elven horse for its strength and loyalty. Already they had all but completed the journey that would normally take two hours. Elladan's horse would deserve quite a treat once everyone was safe.
Glorfindel crested the last hill before the pools and could finally catch a glimpse of his destination. In the darkness of the almost starless night he could not see much, but he could make out a significant change in the landscape. There was no way to be sure, nothing that he could pinpoint, but the line of trees was wrong, the silhouette of the rocks around the pools changed. Clearly something bigger than he had expected had happened here.
Fighting the urge to rush forward and closer, Glorfindel instead reined Belroch back, trying to maintain his famous composure. He had a bad feeling about what lay ahead and thousands of years of experience told him to listen to his own misgivings, to be careful and objective.
He continued towards the pools, but slowed down and led Belroch off the beaten track. As he continued, he soon caught unexpected noises: Noises that were all too familiar. He must be mistaken. Never had he expected to hear the noise of a band of orcs moving along a path this close to the Last Homely House, right inside the valley. How had the enemy made it past their borders? Where were the elven warriors protecting this realm?
But questions would have to wait. Now was a time for action. His knew, intrinsically, frustratingly, that he could not fight these many creatures, that attempting to do so would put every living being in the Hidden Valley at risk. There was only one thing that he could do, the thing that he must do: Ride back to Rivendell and assemble his warriors to fight the foe. And yet the seneschal hesitated. He had not forgotten Lord Elrond's sons and the Mirkwood prince. Clearly they were in dire danger and a part of him wanted to rush at the enemy in the vain hope of finding the missing elves and human, no matter the odds of his own survival.
But while he could hear the orcs move, could hear the clinging of metal as they walked, there were no sounds of combat. No shouts, no jeers, no weapons crossing in a shower of sparks and with a ringing of metal on metal. The orcs were organizing for an attack on Rivendell, not facing the twins or - Glorfindel added darkly - having sport with prisoners. He had to hope that this meant the twins, Estel, and Legolas were not in immediate danger. With a fervent prayer to the Valar that he was correct, Glorfindel turned to follow through with his decision to return and get help.
It was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make, but he could not risk the safety of his home and of all the elves in Rivendell, not even for the missing four. His duty was to all of Rivendell.
He would ride back and return with his warriors as fast as possible. All he could hope was that Legolas, Estel and the twins would hold on until his return. He had taught Elladan and Elrohir himself, had even given a few lessons to Legolas whenever he was in Rivendell. Rationally, he knew that they were capable warriors that had faced worse odds and survived. It was the thought Glorfindel was clinging to as he urged Belroch around and back the way they had come, the thought he conjured like a litany, a steady reminder. Unfortunately, other thoughts intruded on his carefully held composure. Worry born of love for the missing four, and of unfortunate experience; For all four had a tendency for finding trouble like few others could.
But those thoughts helped him little and he steeled his heart against the pain of abandoning them. For now, he simply had to trust that they would be fine, that they would look after each other and little Estel. They had to stay safe. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the sons of Elrond and Thranduil.
-o0o-
Legolas held his breath as the two orcs proceeded along their way. At one point the foul beasts had been close enough to touch if he had but reached out, and Legolas breathed a prayer of thanks to the Valar that Estel had stayed quiet. He might have been able to take these two orcs, but that would have raised all the uruks nearby and would have spelled their end.
He breathed out slowly in relief and relaxed slightly. Hiding behind bushes was not exactly secure, but at least there seemed to be no more orcs moving their way. Instead, the beasts seemed to spread out and explore the area close to the cave-in. There could be only one explanation for the orcs' sudden appearance: They had come from the tunnels below - the tunnels where the twins were most likely still caught. His worry for Estel's brothers increased dramatically.
He knew the twins would have found them by now if they had left the passages below. And they should have been able to reach the cave-in and climb back out well before nightfall. They would have, Legolas was certain, unless they had been swept dangerously far along the underground river or been delayed by injury. And any delay would have made it highly likely that the twins had run into these very orcs. Unarmed and outnumbered...
'No, stop thinking like that and focus!' Legolas told himself firmly. He did not know what had happened to the twins and he was in no position to do anything about it anyway. There was no point in agonizing over the unknown. His focus, for now, had to be on keeping Elladan's and Elrohir's little brother safe.
So he and Estel needed a plan. They could not stay here and wait for help as he had originally planned. With all those orcs between them and their way back to Rivendell, they were stuck in an even more dangerous situation. With Estel in his care and with his back injured he did not dare try and get around the orcs. No, they needed to find a place to hide. A better place than flimsy greenery. The horses had made for Rivendell, help was on the way. They only needed to hold out until it arrived.
Maybe there were some caves nearby, beyond the waterfalls where the mountains rose up, or perhaps he could find some large boulders they could hide behind. Legolas vaguely remembered seeing some earlier while looking for the horses. Those would probably be their best option.
His thoughts were interrupted when Estel gasped, the small sound harsh and loud in the night's silence, and he immediately moved to cover his mouth. Estel struggled against him, his eyes wide with fear, and Legolas realized that the little boy was terrified. He must have seen the orcs. His struggles continued to increase and frantic Legolas tried to restrain him, to hold him. Estel needed to calm down before they were discovered, but the boy was beyond reason. And Legolas had no idea how to calm him without speaking. Growing frantic himself, Legolas checked the way the orcs had gone - and saw that both creatures had turned in their direction.
The orcs had heard them.
There was not a second to spare. Legolas grabbed Estel while still covering his mouth and changed their position as quickly and as quietly as possible. Moving along the line of trees and bushes, he kept to the shadows as best he could.
By some miracle the orcs did not seem to see their escape in the shadows and were now examining the spot he and Estel had just been. It gave him and Estel a few seconds respite, but with their good sense of smell, the orcs would be on their tail in no time. They now knew that elves and humans were nearby and would hunt them down. These beasts would not stop.
He and Estel needed a good hiding place, needed to throw the orcs off their scent, now! But how? Where? Legolas could not keep carrying Estel. Already, his back was bathed in white hot agony and carrying the boy was slowing him down. Without the threat of the nearby orcs and the adrenaline coursing in his veins, Legolas was sure he would have passed out by now. He had to put Estel down, had to rely on the boy to be calm and run on his own.
When they reached a small copse of trees Legolas put the child down and hushed him. Estel looked back at him with terrified eyes, but at least he was not screaming or bolting into the dark. Legolas had seen this type of fear before, had felt it himself on his first patrols, and his heart broke for seeing it in someone so young. But he also knew that in the wild, terror would get you killed. Marshaling his most reassuring voice, Legolas whispered: "Estel, I know you are scared, but you need to be very brave now. We have to find a good hiding place, one where the orcs will not smell us and we do not have much time. They know we are here and they will come looking. You need to do exactly as I tell you and be as quiet as you can."
Estel nodded like he was in a trance, but Legolas was sure the boy had understood him. Grabbing Estel's hand he pulled him along. The boy followed willingly. At least they moved faster now and although Legolas' elven ears could make out sounds of pursuit, those were still some distance off.
They reached some of the boulders Legolas had noticed earlier, but to his dismay they were mostly bare rocks without cracks or gullies. They would never serve as a hiding place. Making a split second decision, Legolas turned north towards the spring of the river that had fed the pools. After a few hundred meters they reached the part of the river that was still flowing above ground. Hopefully the water would help hide their tracks.
"Come!" he told Estel and pulled him along into the water. Legolas followed the bend upriver. The foliage was getting thicker here and would hopefully hide their flight. Unfortunately, the water slowed them down again, especially Estel. The river almost reached the boy's waist, so it was very hard for him to move quickly. Fighting the stabbing pain in his back, he lifted Estel into his arms again and trudged on.
"Legolas, I can hear the orcs coming," Estel whispered frantically.
Alas, there was no way to miss the sounds of the orcs as they entered the water. Even Estel's human ears could not miss all that splashing. Although he was not sure exactly how many were following them, there were certainly more than two orcs now.
Quickening his own steps as much as he dared, Legolas tried to reassure his little friend: "Be calm, Estel. They are still too far away to see us in the dark and they will lose our scent soon enough. We will just have to find a good hiding place upriver."
He felt Estel nod against his shoulders and his little arms tightened across Legolas' shoulders for a moment. Estel was trying to be brave. Just like Legolas. For in honesty, Legolas felt that they were moving too slowly, and feared that the orcs would be upon them at any moment, but he was not going to stop or look back.
Finally, they rounded another bend in the river and blessedly Legolas saw a wide waterfall tumble over a large cliff, breaking on a mound of large boulders. Blessed Eru, it was perfect. They moved towards the rushing waters as fast as Legolas' feet could carry them and disappeared into the mist at the bottom of the waterfall.
-o0o-
He had had enough of this Eru-forsaken underground passage, with its deafening river and its treacherous footing, Elladan decided. He clung to the irritation as his foot caught on another stone, sending him stumbling again. Annoyance and sheer stubbornness might be the only thing driving him by now, the only thing that gave him the energy to lift his leaden feet and place them on the shifting, blurry ground for one more step.
His head was throbbing with every beat of his heart, every breath he took and the ringing in his ears almost drowned out the roaring of the river. The waters seemed to be getting wilder again, faster … Elladan's thoughts trailed off as he looked at the stream, gauging the distance of the far shore. Was the tunnel getting narrower? He could not be sure. The tunnel was too dark for even his elven eyes to pierce, his own soft light not an adequate source of illumination.
For a moment he stood there unmoving, until suddenly he snapped out of whatever daze had fallen and shook his head, for once welcoming the sharp sting of pain that the movement brought. It helped to clear a fraction of the fog that seemed to dowse his senses.
Every thought seemed to take longer to form and he had given up on listening for sounds of pursuit hours ago. Over the sound of the ringing in his ears he would not hear a horde of oliphants, he was sure. Even his awareness of his bond with Elrohir was dampened, diminished like a flame flickering in a storm.
He turned to glance behind him but his foot caught on the ground once more and this time his arms were too slow to search for the solid support of the walls. His impact with the rough ground was jarring and a sharp pain exploded between his temples. He groaned in renewed frustration.
Sitting up he leaned back against the cave-wall once more, his eyes firmly closed, waiting for the surge of his headache and the accompanying nausea to subside. A thought was clamoring for his attention, fighting through the mire that was his brain right now. When he could finally grasp it, it cut through the fog like a hot knife through butter. His eyes snapped open.
Elrohir!
Where was his fussing brother with his silent 'I told you so'?
With a jolt he realized that the path behind him was empty, his roaming eyes caught no sight of Elrohir. He had lost his twin! How was that even possible? He struggled to his feet, finding new energy in the face of Elrohir's sudden absence. His mind was abuzz with self-recrimination and his thoughts, so sluggish a moment ago, went into overdrive as he tried to piece together when he had last turned around, had last heard his brother's steps beside his own.
Surely, he would have noticed Elrohir just disappearing? He groped for their bond once more, still faint and muted, and a new thought occurred to him.
What was Elrohir hiding? Had he truly, foolishly thought that Elrohir would have remained unharmed – or be forthcoming about a possible injury?
His face darkened. Once he found his ill-fated, irresponsible, unthinking … Elladan broke off as he caught sight of movement on the path. His eyes were slow to focus on the dim shape of his brother, shuffling through the shallow end of the river lapping at the tunnel wall, but it was Elrohir.
He breathed a sigh of relief. His twin had merely fallen behind, had not been snatched by the pursuing orcs or some other long-forgotten terror of the dark. Yet, for all his relief, finding Elrohir did nothing to lessen his worry.
Even at this distance and in the darkness Elladan could see his brother was struggling. He was cradling his arm close to his chest as if protecting it from being jarred as he made his way over the uneven ground with slow, heavy steps. And he was too pale – the reason that Elladan had not spotted his brother before was painfully obvious: Elrohir barely stood out from the darkness of the cavern, the soft light of his fëa was all but invisible.
As he watched, Elrohir finally looked up, and there, much too late was the reaction he had expected minutes ago. When Elrohir caught sight of him, his whole posture changed. Somewhere he must have found new energy for he hurried forward, crossing the last few steps that lay between them in fast, fluent strides that would not fool Elladan even if he had not seen his painful shuffling before.
There was clear concern in his brother's gaze and he sounded dismayed when he breathed his name. "Dan! Are you…"
"What did you do?" Elladan interrupted him, his voice hard. Elrohir's obvious worry for his well-being served only to incite him further. How dare his reckless brother be worried for him while hiding something of this proportion? Elrohir's breathing came in short, straining gasps, so loud that Elladan wondered how he had not heard his brother before seeing him.
Elrohir, for his part, made no move to deny anything. He raised his hand and Elladan caught it in his own, seeing the ugly, small cut just before Elrohir said: "I cut myself."
"On an orc blade." Elladan finished for him, even as dread seemed to close off his throat. Darkness was rushing in to suffocate him. No! No, this could not be happening.
He looked up and found nothing in Elrohir's eyes to sustain the fire of his anger. Just empty, bleak acceptance. They were caught in the dark without supplies, pursued by orcs. There was nothing they could do about a poisoned wound.
"Why did you not tell me?" he asked, defeated, somewhere between despair and accusation.
"I did not notice at first," Elrohir answered, and when he caught Elladan's look of disbelief he added: "Truly!" His breath hitched on the word and he visibly struggled to force another breath into his lungs and suddenly things fell into place. Their rest! Elladan had even then noticed his twin's ragged breathing but had thought nothing of it.
He reached out to place his hand on Elrohir's chest, just over his lungs, a healer's touch. With dismay he noticed the heat radiating from his twin's body but steadfastly ignored this obvious sign of poisoning. Reaching out with his fëa he probed deeper. He could sense the black taint of the poison as it coursed through Elrohir's veins, wreaking havoc, stealing his very life away. Elrohir's body and spirit fought against the onslaught but Elladan could feel him weakening, feel his energy flagging, his body failing. And Elladan had no supplies, no power to heal his dying brother.
"We have to get you to Adar."
Elrohir reached up to place his own hand over Elladan's and gave it a small squeeze. The corners of his mouth lifted as he said: "Luckily, we are on our way already."
Elladan rolled his eyes, and regretted it instantly when a sharp spike of pain shot through his head. He more felt than saw Elrohir tense under his touch and Elladan was quick to reassure him. "I am fine."
"It is not that," Elrohir answered, breathless. "I can hear orcs."
-o0o-
tbc...