Disclaimer and Acknowledgement: As in Chapter 1

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Chapter 17 – Unbreakable Bond

The three riders whispered to their horses urging them on as the first raindrops fell from the overcast sky above their heads. The beasts, sensing the urgency in their masters’ voices broke into a fast trot. The travelers had ridden continuously for the past two days, stopping briefly only for food and water. Finally, after days of tedious searches, they finally found some traces of the elf and ranger that they were desperately tracking but the faint trails also revealed that there was a third person among their midst, most probably a child judging by the lighter and smaller set of prints. The tracks led them to a river and continued along the bank towards the east. The sky darkened rapidly as they pressed on.

Elrond shifted tensely on his horse. The recurring dreams had turned into a waking nightmare, constantly plaguing him throughout their journey. The intense images sometime sent the elf lord doubled over on his mount but the stubbornness in him refused to stop and rest despite his twin sons’ constant protests. Elladan and Elrohir rode silently on either side of their father, ready to catch him if he should fall. The older elf gave his sons a weary smile, the visions had left him emotionally drained and exhausted. A deep frown had etched itself into his face ever since the day they left Imladris.

"There’s a village ahead, Ada… about a mile away," Elrohir bent forward slightly on his horse and peered through the heavy fog that had formed some time after they came across the river.

"They must have taken refuge inside." Elladan added as he pulled up closer to Elrond.

"Let’s hope they are safe," the Lord of Imladris dug his heels gently into the horse's side and prodded him on.

The rain got heavier as they rode hastily towards the village. Pulling the hoods of their cloaks over their heads to shield themselves from the rain and also to conceal their appearance, the three elves drew their horses to a stop in front of the tall gates. Dismounting from his horse, Elrond made his way to the heavy doors and knocked. Elladan and Elrohir stood behind their father, their heads slightly lowered to avoid having rainwater trickle into their eyes.

Elrond waited patiently as the rain continued to pour down in torrents, soaking the three figures to their skins but there was no answer. The elf lord pounded on the door again, a little harder this time and a small slot in the door slipped open with a loud squeak.

A gruffly face appeared in the opening and the unhappy guard glared at the intruder that had dragged him rudely out of his comfortable hut into the pouring rain. "Go away! We don’t welcome outsiders!" the man behind the doors shouted over the sounds of rushing water.

"We are looking for our friends," Elrond raised his voice so that he could be heard. Water soaked through his hood and trickled down the sides of his face, dripping off at his chin. Brushing a strand of wayward hair out of his face, the older elf continued. "I believe they had passed by here not too long ago and was wondering if you have seen them."

"They were nothing but trouble! We got rid of them," the guard snapped annoyingly and slammed the slot shut but before he could get it to close completely, Elrond stuck his hand into the hole and pried it open.

"What do you mean you got rid of them?!" The elf lord’s heart sank at those words. Were the visions true? Was he too late? The images flashed across his mind again… Aragorn kneeling on the floor, blood pooling around him...Legolas lay curled up on the ground, a thin trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth...people surrounding them...suffocating...pain, intense pain. The overwhelming images and sensation caught him off guard and the elf lord staggered backwards, his hands gripping tightly at his chest as his knees buckled under him but before he crumpled unceremoniously onto the ground, strong arms gripped him tightly around the waist.

Elrohir lowered his father onto the muddy grass and looked worriedly at him. They knew the visions were coming closer and faster. The severity grew with each one and they feared that they were running out of time.

Elladan marched back to the door and pounded furiously on the closed slot. The human had obviously taken the opportunity to shut of the peephole while Elrond suffered another of his vision attack.

"Where are our friends?!" the older twin demanded ferociously, his voice telling the guard that he would not leave unless he got an answer.

The slot flew open. "We threw them out!" the drenched guard sputtered out before slamming the slot shut again.

"Ada… Ada can you hear me?" Elrohir shook his father and the older elf stirred looking at his son through tear filled eyes.

"Estel... Legolas...pain..." Elrond muttered but was unable to finish when another wave of images hit him. This time it was different. The vision had shifted to two figures collapsed in the middle of a grassy trail...bloodied bandages...tear stained face…a silent scream. The images faded to a large oak tree. Two figure on the ground...one doubled over, retching miserably...one pale and still as death…a bloody palm...and excruciating pain.

"We must hurry for they do not have much time left," the elf gasped and shook violently. He saw in his visions his son and Legolas both so close to death. "We must find them for death seeks them at this very moment."

"If they are out here, they must be heading south back towards Rivendell," Elrohir reasoned as he and Elladan helped their father back onto his feet. "Time is pressing. We must hurry."

Elrond gave a curt nod and straightened his tunic as his sons mounted their horses swiftly beside him. The elf lord mounted his own several seconds after and the threesome spurred their horses on into the night.

Elladan sat upon his horse, the sense of dread he felt spreading to his twin. Would they make it in time to save their brother and friend? That was a question that only time could tell. All he could do now was hope and pray to Valar that they would not be too late. Elrohir shared his brother’s doubts and he felt a single tear slide down his face for he knew the hurt it would cause this family to not find them in time.

*****

Legolas shivered, more from the pain that was wreaking his body than the icy cold wind the rain had brought on. The elf clung tightly to the human beside him, his fingers digging painfully into the cloak that was providing what little protection against the merciless storm. His ragged breathing added to the pain in his chest and he could feel the warm blood seeping out from the deep incision across his ribs. Blood mingled with water soaked through his tunic and dribbled down his side but Legolas could not tell how badly he was bleeding because of the rain.

The elf turned his thought inwards thinking of more pleasant events and places, somewhere warm and dry, a comfortable bed mounted with pillows and soft blankets. The rainwater stung the healing wound over his left brow. The bandage around his head had slipped off some time ago during their travel and the prince did not bother to replace it, saving all available supplies for Aragorn. Now the wound throbbed painfully with every beat of his heart and he desperately hoped that he pounding headache that he had developed several minutes ago would go away and leave him alone in his misery. He was tired, so tired but was still fighting hard to stay awake for the sake of his mortal friend even though there was nothing left to be done. He hated feeling so helpless and weak but fate was determined to put his elven pride to the test. Unable to anchor his body onto the world of the waking any longer, Legolas’ eyes drifted shut without his knowledge, his last thoughts were of a fireplace and a hot meal before consciousness finally fled him and sent him into a peaceful oblivion.

Rain continued to pour from the sky, masking the two still figures behind the curtain of water.

*****

To Be Continued...