Disclaimer, Notes and Acknowledgements: Please refer to Chapter 1

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Chapter 4 – Concerned Brothers

The night went by uneventfully, and morning swiftly approached. Legolas woke Aragorn shortly after dawn, and the two friends ate a quick breakfast before packing up for the final stretch of their journey. Throwing some dirt over the fire, the elf put out the flame and mounted his horse. Aragorn clambered onto his steed shortly after, and the two companions urged the animals into a quick gallop.

The morning sun crept out from behind the clouds, and her rays felt warm against his skin. Silently, the young ranger thanked the Valar for the beautiful weather. Despite the extra blanket, the human had still been chilled to the bones the night before, but the uninterrupted rest had refreshed him. He did not think that they would need to make long stops again before they reached home.

“I can’t wait to see Ada again! I missed him!” the ranger raised his voice so that he could be heard over the loud rushing sound of the wind.

“And your brothers?” Legolas winked at the wide-eyed human.

“You promised not to mention it!” Aragorn shot his elven friend a threatening glare that would have turned water into ice, but Legolas just threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh.

“I will get you for this!” the human shouted and raised his fist in mock anger, but that only made Legolas laugh harder.

“Come now, Estel! Do you really think that they will forget about it just because I fail to mention it?”

Aragorn let out an exasperated sigh. Legolas was right. He just had to face it and be teased relentlessly by his brothers, knowing that he could not avoid the inevitable. He only hoped that he would still be able to face the rest of the Rivendell populace after they were done with him.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad,” Legolas called out merrily as he spurred his horse past Aragorn’s. Little did he know that Elladan and Elrohir would not be there to greet them.

*****

The four figures moved with elf-like stealth through the forest. Behind them, their prisoners stumbled along clumsily as their leader mercilessly pulled them forward.

Still bound and gagged, Elladan and Elrohir were helpless in their situation and could only be led by the humans like animals on a leash. The wound in Elladan’s shoulder still bled sluggishly. Blood had saturated his sleeve some time ago and now stained his hands. Small crimson droplets dripped off the tip of his fingers, conveniently leaving a trail for someone with good tracking skills to follow.

Elladan felt weak, weaker than he should be. Cold sweat drenched his face and neck, and small rivulets were now running freely down his back, soaking through his tunic. The damp material clung limply to his pale skin, adding to the elf’s misery. His legs felt like they had turned boneless and could no longer support his weight, but he had to force himself to go on, for he knew that if he fell, his captors would not stop to let him regain his footing. His breathing had also become more labored and painful, which made him suspect that the powder used on him was more than just a muscle relaxant. Blinking hard as he tried to clear his fuzzy vision, the older twin bit down hard on the rag in his mouth and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

Elrohir tried to stay close to his brother. It hurt him to see Elladan in so much pain, but there was nothing that he could do to help him, except offer his silent support by nudging his twin’s arm with his shoulder whenever Elladan stumbled. Elrohir could see the gratitude and concern in his older brother’s eyes each time their gaze locked, and the younger twin would simply nod to let him know that he was all right. But he knew that Elladan did not believe him. Neither did he believe himself. The intense pain in his chest each time he drew breath told him more than he needed to know. His ribs were probably cracked or at least badly bruised, courtesy of Scar. His head throbbed ferociously, each heartbeat sending flashes of pain through his temples, and he had long since given up on trying to get his vision into focus. Holding back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, Elrohir took a deep shuddering breath and prayed that whatever games these men were playing, it would not involve his family and friends. However, he doubted that his prayer would be answered.

They walked for hours, and it was a miracle that the elves were still on their feet and moving on their own accord. Tremors shook their frail bodies, and their chests constricted tightly due to the poison and exertion. Elladan feared that if the gag in his mouth were not removed soon, he might pass out from lack of air. His face was flushed, and the world before his eyes wavered in and out of focus. The elf inhaled deeply through his nose trying to get more air into his starving lungs, but the breath turned into a small wheeze. A sudden fear washed over him as his surroundings started to turn gray and hazy. Heart hammering loudly in his ears, he knew that he could not hold on much longer. He urged himself to stay calm but it was to no avail. In a matter of seconds, he saw the ground rushing up to meet him.

Elrohir watched apprehensively as his brother stopped dead in his tracks, and a muffled scream left his throat as he witnessed his twin collapse. Disregarding the tight rope around his neck, Elrohir dropped down next to his fallen sibling, struggling wildly to break the bonds that were holding his hands so that he could help Elladan, but his actions only made the rope cut deeper into his already bruised and broken skin. The younger elf was devastated. Seeing his brother in trouble, but not able to help, was tearing him apart. He wanted to beg the humans to un-gag his brother, but the words only came out as a garbled muffle.

Leader yanked hard on the rope when he felt the sudden resistance, not knowing that Elladan was near collapse. His employer told him that elves were tough and could take much more pain and mistreatment than normal humans could, so he wasn’t worried about their condition until now. Twirling around when the rope in his hand went taut, he was shocked to see one of the elves curled up on the ground and the other one tearing madly at the cord around his wrists. Calling out to his other three companions who were walking slightly ahead of him, he halted the company and crouched down beside the elves. Quickly removing the wad of cloth from Elladan’s mouth, he hoped that he was not too late. His employer would not be happy if they delivered a dead elf. The human let out a sigh of relief when the elf started to gasp for air.

Elladan took large gulps of air in attempt to replenish his lungs of the deprived substance. His head started to clear a little as oxygen-saturated blood rushed into his brain. It took him several minutes to finally regain his bearings and realize that Elrohir was kneeling beside him, watching him intently with horror-filled eyes.

“I’m all right,” Elladan croaked, his throat parched and dry from being gagged for long hours. Straining to sit up, he groaned and fell back towards the ground when pain ripped through his shoulder and across his chest. He tried again, but this time he was prepared for the pain. Gritting his teeth, he used his legs to pull himself to a sitting position. Despite his efforts to stifle a cry, a small moan escaped his lips, and it took him a while to open his eyes that he did not remember squeezing shut.

“Un-gag my brother,” Elladan whispered, looked from Leader to the rest of the men. “Please.” The elf lowered his head dejectedly as he pleaded. “We will go with you peacefully.” He watched as Leader and his three companions huddled together, whispering to each other and finally deciding that there was no harm un-gagging the other one. Besides, the poison had rendered them too weak to escape, even if they were allowed to. Turning back to Elrohir, Leader pulled out the cloth from his mouth.

“If you do anything not to our liking, I will not hesitate to gag you again,” the cruel man stated coldly.

Elrohir nodded weakly, glad to be rid of the dry material from his mouth. Swallowing a few times to moisten his throat, he inquired about his brother’s condition.

“I am well, don’t worry.” Elladan gave his twin an encouraging smile. “How’re your ribs?” It was his turn to question his younger brother.

“Bruised, and probably cracked, but nothing that I cannot handle,” Elrohir told him truthfully. There was no point in hiding his injuries from Elladan since his brother could see right through him.

“All right! Enough fraternizing. Get up!” Scar took hold of the rope binding Elrohir and roughly pulled him off the ground.

Curly, on the other hand, hauled Elladan up by the front of his tunic, knowing that the elf was too weak to rise on his own. Shoving him forward, the group made their way towards their destination.

For another hour they walked, and finally the company slowed down as they approached an area with densely grown trees. Hidden behind the trees was a worn-down hut with a faint light flickering from the only window in the house. A shadow moved past the window, and the door to the house opened slowly.

TBC…