Fan Fiction ❯ Demons in the Dark ❯ Chapter 12

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Italics indicate memory or dreams.

Commonly used Sindarin words:

Ai: Oh!
pen-neth: young one
muindor: brother
gwador: sworn brother, not those by blood
Ada: dad
melethron: lover
a'maelamin: lover
ernil-nín: my prince
ion nín: my son

*~*~*

The riders tied their horses up loosely and continued on foot. They could go more quietly, even Estel, being of the race of Men. As they approached the caves Glorfindel had spotted, they could hear the Orcs, the sentries talking loudly, giving away their position. Glorfindel led slowly, right hand resting on the hilt of his sword, the twins following, arrows notched and ready.

They hid in the brush not far from the mouth of the cave. It seemed to be an outpost, not the main orc stronghold that the Elves knew to be deep within the mountains, but had no success in finding. The guards seemed to be lax, confident in their security.

Glorfindel waited then glanced around, receiving a gesture of readiness from all the elves and Estel. He gave the signal and the archers let their arrows fly. The orcs went down, but not without raising the alarm.

The elves burst forth from the wooded area, arrows flying, and swords and knives being drawn as more orcs poured from the mouth of the cave. Two elves hung back, firing arrows into the swarm. Elladan and Elrohir dropped their bows and waded in with Glorfindel and Estel.

Elladan's goal was to get inside the cave. They hadn't been far when he'd felt a peculiar tug on his heart. He'd turned to Glorfindel and Elrohir, eyes wide, knowing exactly what it had meant. Legolas was dying. Glorfindel understood instantly and urged them on faster, knowing their time was short.

"Go, Elladan!" Elrohir urged, removing his blade from the orc he'd impaled.

Elladan nodded, rushing forward, blade swinging. He dodged through the swarm of orcs, fighting off those who attacked him, but leaving most of them for his brothers and Glorfindel. He felt a sharp pain on his forearm but ignored it as he removed the head of the orc that cut him. Arrows sang as they were loosed and impacted the dark bodies around him. Elladan reached the mouth of the cave and slipped inside.

It was suspiciously quiet inside. An eerie darkness filled the cave, despite the bright daylight and sounds of battle just behind him. It truly must have been an outpost, Elladan thought, as he cautiously crept forward, if the cave had been emptied that quickly. With luck, the battle would be a short one. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dark and he looked around, trying to find some clue of where the orcs could have been holding a captive.

Elladan began to move more quickly as he felt the tug on his heart again, stronger than before. Either he was getting closer, or Legolas was fading further. He found a fork at the back of the cave, and instinctively, he continued straight. As he moved deeper into the cave, he thought he saw a faint glow ahead, and slipping his sword into its sheath, he ran forward.

The seal for the cavern was ajar and Elladan slipped through it, and felt his heart nearly break. Legolas lay on the ground, bruised and bleeding, his chest barely rising as the breath wheezed passed his dry, cracked lips. He noticed the makeshift splint on one of the Prince's ankles.

"No," he whispered as he fell to his knees next to his lover. "Legolas, melethron, open your eyes," he urged quietly, running the fingers of one hand over the pale chest, trying to sense the extent of the blonde's injuries while the other fumbled for the flask of water attached to his belt. The coolness of his skin frightened him, as did the lack of response to his touch. He moved his hand to the Prince's bruised and cut face, and his dismay increased to find it hot to the touch, and just as dry as his lips.

"Elladan?" His twin's voice echoed through the cave.

"Back here!" he shouted back. "Bring Glorfindel!" His father's lover had his own experience with field medicine, and Elrohir had spent considerable time at his father's side, learning his craft. He got the water off his belt and shifted around so he could set Legolas up against his chest. "Drink a little of this, ernil nín," he said softly, keeping his voice level despite the emotion threatening to overwhelm him. He tipped the flask, dribbling a small sip of water into the Prince's mouth, relieved when it was swallowed. He continued to feed him small sips of water, trying to keep himself calm.

"I'm here, Legolas. You're going to be fine, we're going to get you to Ada and you'll be fine, and we'll be okay, and everything's going to be alright, melethron," he said. He kept repeating it, that it was going to be okay, trying to reassure himself as much as his unconscious lover. Absently, he stroked the Prince's belly with the hand that was holding him up.

"Elladan?"

He looked up into his twin's face. "Help him, Elrohir," he whispered.

"I will," Elrohir said, kneeling. "Calm down, muindor. You must stay calm." He laid his hand on Elladan's shoulder.

Elladan felt himself calm with his brother's touch, realizing how not in control of his emotions he must have been for Elrohir to make mention of it. "I'm trying," he whispered.

"I know," Elrohir squeezed gently, then turned both his hands and his attention to the half naked body in front of him. Glorfindel arrived just then, pushing the door the rest of the way open before joining the twins on the floor of the cave.

The three conscious elves filled the room to capacity. Knowing how little Legolas liked small enclosed spaces, Elladan had an idea of how tormented his lover had been, even if there hadn't been traces of beatings on his body.

"Keep talking, Elladan," Glorfindel prompted as he gently moved the clenched fist from the Prince's belly. The fingers relaxed and Elladan's ring was revealed. Glorfindel reached for it, passing it to Elladan for keeping.

"You still have my ring, ernil nín," Elladan said softly, amazed. "I didn't think you would, after what I said to you. I'm so sorry, Legolas. I didn't mean it. I just wanted things to be easier this time."

"We need to get him back to Ada," Elrohir said softly. "I can't treat him here. He's running a fever, probably from being poisoned, but I can't find the source of the injury."

Elladan snaked his hand around to the Prince's back, feeling heat against his torso. "His back," he sighed as his hand came in contact with blood, both dried and sticky. "It's hot to the touch," he said. It was covered in dirt and Legolas' hair stuck to the fresher of the blood.

"Hold him there, Elladan," Glorfindel said. "I don't want to turn him over yet, not with his breathing."

"Aye," Elrohir agreed. "He's got at least two broken ribs, and I think that one of his lungs is punctured." He reached into a pack on his belt for some herbs. "Add these to your water, Elladan. It'll help bring down the fever."

Elladan obeyed, shaking the flask to mix it before continuing to feed his lover small sips. "Ada will be glad to know you're okay," he kept talking. "And so will your father, I imagine. He probably won't like that you'll have to stay with us for a while longer, but it'll all be okay, love."

"I'm going to get Estel and others, and have them go fetch the horses. We must set out immediately." Glorfindel rose without waiting for a response from either of the twins. Elrohir was still running his hands over the Prince's chest, concentrating, trying to get a sense of anything he might have missed.

"Estel is back from Lorien, Legolas. Glorfindel too," Elladan continued. "Ada had to be happy Glorfindel returned. He get so lonely sometimes." He smiled a little at Elrohir's snort. It was a common teasing point among the family that Elrond tended to get somewhat broody when Glorfindel was absent for long periods of time, not unlike Elladan when Legolas had to return home. "I'm just grateful my rooms are on the opposite sides of the manor."

"Elladan," Elrohir spoke up. "We need to get him ready to move."

"Okay." Elladan moved out from behind his lover, gently settling him back down against the stone floor. Part of him was relieved when a quiet noise emerged from the Prince, and part of him cringed for causing his lover pain.

"He's going to be fine, muindor," Elrohir said quietly. "He's strong."

"Stronger than I am," Elladan whispered. "To have survived this-"

"He will survive," Elrohir asserted, standing and stripping out of his outer tunic. "I will not let him go, and neither will Ada, Estel, Glorfindel, or the whole of Imladris. Now strip, I need your tunic."

Elladan did as he was told and helped his brother prep his lover for the long trip home.