Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Blue Yonder ❯ Deception's Cost ( Chapter 39 )

Disclaimer: As I say over and over, I am only doing this for fun, not profit. So I don't own anything that belongs to Tolkien, just my own characters.

Wild Blue Yonder

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Chapter 39 - Deception's Cost

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Elrond stared down at the two scrolls he had clutched firmly in one hand and sighed heavily. It was time, time that the three of them got together to clear the air. He could no longer stand the lies, the deception weighing heavily on his soul. It was time that they told the truth and he prayed that everything would be alright.

Lady Rain and her group should be reaching Laketown any day now and would be embarking on the most crucial part of the quest, the retrieval of the key. He had every confidence in her ability to complete this task, however he was worried about the outcome of this venture. He knew that Lady Rain had a very high value system and their deception in the matter surrounding her could very well backfire on them. He could only hope that she would see past the deception and into the real truth.

Looking up into the sky, he prayed to Valar that everything would turn out alright, before he turned and headed in the direction of the aviary, his heart and steps heavy.

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Elladan sat in the infirmary section of the aviary with the eagle, the one who had traveled so diligently from Mirkwood, perched upon his knee. His fingers gently caressed the breast of the bird as his gaze looked thoughtfully out over the room below him.

"So my fine feathered friend, you wouldn't happen to know what was contained within that scroll you carried here?" he said softly. The eagle peered sleepily back up at him before ruffling his feathers and hunkering down into a more comfortable position. Elladan chuckled softly at the birds' antics.

A commotion from the room below drew his attention away from the bird and his hand stilled as he watched his father stride into the aviary. The head keeper, he thought that his name was Durnial, hurried over to greet him. The eagle on his lap cried imperiously at the lack of motion and his hand automatically continued with the caress he had been doing earlier. He watched as his father and the keeper had a short conversation, in which his father handed over two large scrolls and then turned to leave. Two other keepers came forward with large hawks perched on their outstretched forearms. Standing up, he put the now protesting eagle back into his cage, ignoring the baleful eye the bird was glaring at him.

Closing the door to the infirmary behind him, he walked downstairs as the two keepers with the birds exited the aviary. Stopping behind Durnial, Elladan watched as the two hawks were sent flying off into the air, the scrolls trailing behind them.

Durnial turned and took a startled step back as he almost ran into Elladan. "Oh forgive me my lord, I did not see you there."

"Quite all right Durnial, I see that you are sending out some messages." Elladan inquired curiously, trying to contain his fervent desire to know the destination of the two birds.

"Yes, off to Mirkwood and Lorien they are, however would you please excuse me now, my lord. I must record their departure." Durnial said as he bowed quickly to Elladan and hurried off it his office. Elladan watched him for a moment before he turned a walked out the door, passing the other two chatting keepers.

His confused thoughts continued to run through his mind as his feet and body traveled down several paths unconsciously. What may have seemed a short time to his mind, was in actually much longer and by the time he became aware of his location, he had traveled several miles from Rivendell.

Looking around, he heard the soft fall of water and followed the noise. Pushing back a low lying limb of a tree, he stepped into a small sunlit glade. A small babbling brook cascaded merrily over moss covered stones and a soft patch of grass glistened lightly in the sun. Walking forward he sat down, drawing one leg up and draping his arm over his knee. Resting his chin on his arm, his mind turned back to the confusing thoughts that had been plaguing him for the past several days.

Ever since the eagle had dropped from the sky to his feet his father had been brooding, to the point that had begun to worry him. The line of worry and uneasiness had deepened on his fathers' face, to the point where he rarely had smiled in the last two days. So lost in his thoughts about his father, Elladan failed to notice the noises that were going on around him.

"Elladan, are you all right?" came a soft voice from behind him, and before he could turn a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Turning his head he looked up into the concerned gaze of his sister. A few paces behind her, carrying a large basket, was her husband Aragorn.

"I'm fine Arwen," he said as he straightened up and brushed dirt from his pants, "I see that I may be interrupting a picnic you had planned, especially since you only have a few days left before you return home."

"No, that is all right Elladan, we would be happy if you joined us. We have plenty of food and would be delighted with your company." Arwen said, still concerned about her brother.

"Yes, please stay Elladan," Aragorn said as he leaned forward and placed the basket on the ground next to his feet. "Actually we won't be leaving anytime soon. Elrond has asked that I stay until Rain has returned from her journey."

"Huh? What?" was echoed by both Arwen and Elladan, confused and startled looks spreading over their expressions. Arwen took a couple of steps closer to her husband and laid one hand on his arm.

"We aren't going home?" she asked softly.

"Maybe this has to do with why father is so worried lately?" Elladan murmured, more to himself than anyone else. However, both Arwen and Aragorn overheard what he had said.

"Worried, why would he be worried?" Arwen asked confusion in her voice.

"Father received a scroll from Thranduil two days ago and since then has been very upset. I cannot get him to tell me what is going on. Aragorn, did he say anything to you when he asked you to stay?" he replied.

"No, he just asked that we waited to return home until after Rain had returned." Aragorn answered, one hand coming up to rest thoughtfully on his chin. "But you are right however about him being worried. I noticed it also when I was speaking with him."

"What are we going to do?" Arwen said quietly, looked at the other two. The three lapsed into silence trying to figure out what was going on.

~*~

To the casual observer the group that crested the hill overlooking the long valley below was quite an odd assortment of individuals. Two male elves, one human woman, old grizzled old wizard and one wolf-like animal, along with four horses. As the group halted near the drop off, the woman dismounted and walked forward to stand at the edge.

Rain overlooked the valley below, her eyes drawn to the spectacular sight of the city before her. The valley spread out and towards the far end was a large lake. In the middle of the lake was a man-made island, connected to the shore by four bridges that radiated out like spokes on a wheel. The city rose gracefully from the man-made island, colorful and beautiful, flashes of green, red and brown spread out over the scenery. As Rain stood admiring the view, Legolas dismounted and walked over to stand next to her.

"So that is Laketown," she said softly, not turning to look at him.

"Yes, we should be there by later this evening if we keep traveling straight through," he replied.

She didn't answer him as her gaze traveled away from the town below her to the ominous towering black peak that resided behind the lake. Spiraling up from nothing, the black craggy peak caused a feeling of dread to wash over her, a coldness creeping up her spine that caused a shiver to run through her.

"Are you all right?" Legolas asked softly, noticing how pale she had become.

"Yes, I suppose we should get moving if we want to make it to town tonight," she said, turning away from the sight that filled her with a strange sense of dread and fear.

Legolas watched as she mounted Arod and turned him, trotting away from the group, Nanook on Arod's heels. Shaking his head in puzzlement, he wondered when he was going to begin to understand all of the depths within this remarkable woman.

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A/N: Sorry for the huge wait between chapters. I had a mid-term that was killer and then right on top of that the final was due three weeks later and it was even worse, but however it is now over and I have a break before my next class begins.

But just remember I work 40 hours a week, plus take classes and take care of my home. I promise that I will be a little better at getting the next chapter out sooner than this one. Have already started on it.

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. ~DBZ Vegeta