Lord Of The Rings Fan Fiction ❯ Legolas and the Rangers ❯ Of Sword Fights and Mud ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

 

Of Sword Fights and Mud

 

Glorfindel winced as he gently eased himself down into the bath he'd drawn not more than a few minutes ago. His muscles were screaming. He couldn't remember the last time Elrond had ever given him a fight like that.

 

He sighed and dug around in the small wicker basket beside the tub for a washcloth and a bar of soap. He should have seen it coming though. He'd noticed that Elrond was frustrated and hadn't stopped to think when he'd agreed to the practice fight. All he'd thought about was helping his friend to release that frustration. It hadn't even crossed his mind till the duel began that he would be the practice target.

 

Elrond hadn't held back and Glorfindel had almost forgotten how good his former student could be when it suited him. Still, it had been a good fight up until the moment when they hadn't realised that they'd fought their way out of the practice ring, through the throng of soldiers gathered to watch the amazing match of skill and straight into the fountain in the barracks courtyard.

 

Elrond wasn't quite ready to finish yet but had to concede when he twisted his ankle in the fall. Glorfindel only sighed inwardly with relief because it meant his Lord couldn't vent his frustrations on him for a while now.

 

Gingerly he rubbed some soap onto his skin and then massaged the muscles beneath, particularly those in his arms and shoulders.

 

`Curse the day Elladan and Elrohir decided to disobey their farther,' muttered Glorfindel.

 

* * *

 

Darkness lay all around, squeezing and twisting his thoughts all into one long, painful blur. Grimly he struggled to fight it off knowing that it was important but not exactly the reason as to why.

 

He groaned as his efforts were at last rewarded and the struggle ended. Groggily, he blinked and tried to clear his vision only to realise that he was sitting in total darkness.

 

He could here the distant sound of some clamour and gradually, his mind recognised it to be the sound of orcs. His wrists were bound painfully behind him and his sword, bow, quiver, hunting knife and even the dagger he kept in his boot were gone.

 

Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness and Blaen spotted his weapons hanging from a hook in the passage beyond. Carefully he tested his bonds but they wouldn't budge.

 

He considered pulling his arms back underneath him so that they were in front of him. That way he would have a better chance of freeing himself but he doubted if he could. It had always been a game amongst the younger rangers to tie one another up and then free themselves. Blaen had been good at it due to his flexibility and resourcefulness but it had been a long time since he'd attempted it and he did not know if he was so limber anymore.

 

He cursed softly as he thought of Legolas. The elf could probably do it with ease but Legolas wasn't here anymore and if he wasn't dead then he was certainly in a bad way. Still, he had to try.

 

Gathering his legs into his chest, Blaen maneuvered himself to slip his wrists under his body only to discover that he was also bound to a ring knocked into the wall behind him. A few quick tugs confirmed that Blaen wouldn't be getting free any time soon.

 

Hanging his aching head in defeat, Blaen settled back to wait. He knew it wouldn't be long before his captors came to check on him and when they did, that's when his troubles would really begin.

 

* * *

 

Elladan cursed his ill luck. A week's worth of rain had turned the slopes of the High Pass to what felt like a mud mountain. He and Elrohir had abandoned their horses just a day into the pass and sent them back down to roam on the plains.

 

`You know, this is all your fault,' grumbled Elrohir. `Mine?' snorted Elladan. `I didn't make you follow me, the choice was yours and you chose to come.' `And I didn't ask to be your brother either,' glowered Elrohir.

 

`And what is that supposed to mean?' asked Elladan incredulously. He turned back to look at his brother just in time to see Elrohir slip yet again and fall down on the muddy slope. He just rolled his eyes and moved to help his brother.

 

He was a little surprised and hurt when Elrohir swatted away his offered hand, climbed back to his feet and marched resolutely past his brother, his face set in a stony mask. Elladan followed, frowning at Elrohir's moodiness.

 

The twins bickered constantly but fought rarely and Elladan sensed that now was not a good time to say or make any sudden moves that he may later regret.

 

He followed his brother, venting his own frustration by randomly hacking at the small scrub alongside the pathway. It probably wasn't good for his blade but he didn't much care; it was just another weapon that he'd borrowed from the armory.

 

Still, if he wasn't slipping down slopes then he was nearly falling into hidden caverns. He and Elrohir had discovered several along the way and had taken to watching the road ahead of them for signs of cracks or weakness in the rocks. The sight of these yawning pits frightened Elladan and he very much feared that Legolas and Blaen had fallen into one and been lost.

 

He could not afford to lose hope however and had tried to brush off his misgivings.

 

Even as Elladan thought of the yawning caverns, he suddenly heard a terrible sound beneath his feet. In his heart, he knew that it must be one such cavern and despite his care, he hadn't managed to avoid it but his mind refused to take stock of the situation.

 

He acted on instinct alone and threw himself forward. Over the roar of the cavern, he heard Elrohir yelling at him to move. He hit the dirt and rolled back to his feet, springing forward into a dead sprint uphill towards his brother.

 

He could hear the cavern collapsing behind him and felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. At the last possible moment, he flung himself towards his brother just as he felt the ground fall away beneath his feet.

 

Elrohir caught his wrist and yanked him to safety. Both brothers fell back in a tangled heap upon the mountain path.

 

Panting, Elladan rolled of his brother and glanced back behind him. A yawning pit at least five yards wide and fifty yards long had opened behind him. Glancing into the broken cavern, he realised it was nearly a fifteen yard drop to the floor of the cavern and Elladan knew he probably wouldn't have survived it.

 

`Well that was lucky,' said Elladan, a little dazed. `Lucky! Elladan, you could have been killed!' yelled Elrohir disbelievingly at his brother. `Don't you ever scare me like that again,' and forgetting his earlier annoyance with his twin, he pulled his brother into a fierce hug.

 

Eventually he released his twin and helped him back to his feet. Other than a grazed knee, Elladan appeared to have escaped unharmed from the cavern collapse. Elrohir watched his brother, unsure now of what to say after his rash outburst.

 

Sensing his twin's discomfort, Elladan gave his brother a tired but relieved smile. `I'm sorry El; I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't know how to express my relief, `lucky' was all I could think of to say.'

 

Elrohir snorted as the tension was released between them. `Well that's a first,' he said. `I wonder what Adar would say to that.' `Probably that I am an even bigger fool than I realise,' answered Elladan dryly. Elrohir chuckled then turned and resumed his search.

 

Elladan followed his brother, still reeling from his miraculous escape.

 

`Do you think that's what happened to them?' asked Elladan quietly after a few minutes silence. Elrohir stopped and sighed. `Yes,' he answered softly. `But we can not give up now. We must not give up hope, not until we have found them.' Elrohir finally turned to face his brother and a deep sorrow lingered in his eyes.

 

`Oh El,' murmured Elladan embracing his brother. `We will find them, I promise.'