Round Robin
Chapter 8
By Louise

The skies were still dark around Rivendell--a definite reflection of Elrond's stony visage. His anger had unleashed itself upon his sons when he learned of Estel's nighttime flight. Shaking his head, he thought on the pig-headedness of humans, hoping to the Valar that his adopted son was all right. However, from past experience, his senses were laughing at his optimism.

Before dawn had broken, and mere hours after Estel had left, the search party headed out. Elrond looked out at the land surrounding him, the smell of the damp earth coming to him in abundance. The serenity of the forests did nothing to calm his spirit. His heart was crying out for the safety of his sons and Legolas.

"Estel..." he whispered into the dewy morning. In growing concern for the younger beings, he turned away from the balcony. All he could do now was wait...and worry.

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If there was one thing that the young ranger could deduce from this entire experience, it was the fact that a hay cart was not a comfortable bed--especially when one's hands and feet were bound with chains. His head swooned as he attempted to hoist himself upright, trying to look around.

The slavers had stopped for the night, and from what Aragorn could tell, it was going to be a lengthy night indeed. Already he was regretting jumping head first into this predicament and letting himself be caught in the first place. His shoulder (and his somewhat-wounded pride) were throbbing.

"Enough chastising yourself, Strider..." Startled, the human turned towards the low, hoarse voice coming from beside him. Legolas' fair features were illuminated by splotches of moonlight through the canopy above, the blood and bruises standing out on his pale skin.

"Who's chastising?" he retorted. The elf responded with a wry look. Rolling his eyes, Aragorn tried to look towards his hands, the tight chains digging painfully into his flesh.

Sighing in defeat, he resigned to flopping his head back down on the coarse wood beneath him. With Legolas in the condition he was in, and his own body protesting his every movement, escaping right now hardly proved to be the optimal choice, even if he could manage to free himself from the chains that held him down.

"Legolas?" he whispered.

"What?" croaked the elf, his sluggishness due to his injuries reflected in his tone.

"I don't suppose you might be able to get free?" A half snort, half cough returned to the ranger's ears.

"That's what I thought..." Aragorn grimaced. Things did not look good. Closing his eyes, he thought, 'Where are Elladan and Elrohir when I need them...'

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When he thought back on his father's reaction to Estel's flight from Rivendell, Elladan could not help wincing. There weren't many moments in his lifetime that he could say that he had seen Elrond truly infuriated, but this was probably one of those few moments.

A whistle from Elrohir jolted him out of his reverie. He and the others with him broke into a run, Elladan's heart thundering at the thought of what Elrohir might have found. Praying to the Valar as he ran, Elladan reached his twin as Elrohir descended from the branches of a massive tree, and was immediately troubled by the look in his eyes.

"What is it, brother?" he asked. Elrohir motioned towards the tree next to him.

"Come." Ascending the boughs, it wasn't long before they reached the top. From their vantage point, the entire area was visible to the two elves.

"We were tracking Estel in that direction," Elrohir said, pointing towards the horizon.

"I know that, Elrohir," replied the other, "your point?" After a sidelong glare, Elrohir continued.

"Look down there."

Following the trajectory of Elrohir's finger, Elladan squinted, searching for what had peaked his twin's interest.

"Elrohir, I don't see-" Elladan faltered.

"It has to be him," murmured Elrohir in recognition of what he was seeing. Confusion spread over Elladan's face.

"Brother, it looks like nothing more than a group of humans in a clearing."

"Look again."

Heeding his brother's advice, Elladan returned his line of sight to further scrutinize the location.

"Elrohir, I don't see anything overly suspicious that would suggest that Estel is down there." His twin sighed.

"How can you not see it? It's hidden in the trees, but it's still visible," he said, "look to the south of the camp."

"Two wagons of some sort... and one cart..."

"You can tell from the look of the camp that they're armed, Elladan. And, last time I checked, farmers didn't go to sell their crops with only one cart." Horror began to creep onto Elladan's face.

"Could..." A solemn nod from his twin was all that was necessary.

The pair raced down the tree.

They had to reach Aragorn before time ran out.

TBC...