Title: Runes
Author: Reona
Email: [email protected]
Part: 1/5
Fandom: LotR
Pairing(s): Glorfindel/Elrond
Rating: R
Summary: Elrond is kidnapped by humans for his skill in reading runes. But the secret those runes tell could destroy the world.
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I do own this story and any odd characters that show up.
Warning: Attempted rape. I'm not nice to poor Elrond in this.
Authors Note: Uial is my creation; he's Elrond's horse. I'm guessing at the Elvish and so are you.
***
A group of thirty horses and three wagons rode under the bright sun, lazy pillows of clouds drifting across the blue sky above them. They had just crossed the Sîr Ninglor, or the Gladden River as it was known in the Common Tongue. The road before them was dry and the horses able to trot easily. To their left in the far distance was the Anduin River and the shadows of the Misty Mountains stood to their right. A hawk called shrilly from the air and a fox leapt nimbly through the long grass of the plains, both seeking out small rodents for a meal. The two animals looked curiously at the long train of Elves that traveled southward toward Lothlórien. The red fox bounded through the grass and stopped next to the road, his bright amber eyes looking up as they past.
One black horse riding in the center of the line carried two riders, one Elf with long dark hair and a small human child. The child cried happily and stretched his hands out toward the fox when he spotted him. The animal puffed itself up and rolled around on the ground, must to the child's delight. The Elf smiled gently down at the fox and the animal raised one paw to his muzzle, no doubt embarrassed to have such a gaze directed at him. The fox yipped and raced away into the tall grass. "Did you see the fox, Glor?" asked the child.
The blond Elf that rode slightly in front of them only grunted, his gaze directed to the sky where the hawk soared above them. "I do not believe he is paying attention, Estel," said the dark haired Elf with the child.
"I am too," replied the blond Elf, Glorfindel. He lowered his head and turned slightly in his saddle to look at the two behind him. "The fox was very pleased to have the attention of such a beautiful Elf lord upon him." Elrond blushed slightly while Estel giggled. Glorfindel smiled at them when a loud yelp caused him to look forward.
"Watch what you're doing!" Elrohir ducked and jerked the reigns of his horse to the side, nearly colliding with the guard next to him. Elladan grimaced sheepishly and continued to draw his bow from his shoulders. No longer in danger of having his eye poked out, Elrohir neared his brother again. "Hoping for some practice, Elladan?" asked the younger twin.
"Indeed. And, barring that, I can always resort to using you," replied Elladan, looking at his younger brother smugly.
"Ha!" cried Elrohir. "I'd like to see you try and hit me!"
A message passed down through the ranks of guards stopped the twins' arguing. "A rider approaches. A human, by the looks of it."
Glorfindel stood up on Asfaloth's saddle, the white horse coming to a stop and adjusting for his rider's balance. "Is he armed?" The blond Elf signaled the line to stop and his hand drifted down to his sword at his waist. The Elves slowed and stopped. The twins slowly edged themselves back to their father's side and Elrond smiled softly at his sons.
"No obvious weapons, my lord," answered one of the guards. "He seems to be distressed."
Elrond frowned in concern. "Maybe he needs help?"
Glorfindel fought down the prickle of unease that traveled up his back and keyed Asfaloth forward. "Hail, friend!" called Glorfindel to the rider.
The lone rider wore only trousers and a tunic, and the horse was without tack and looked to be a bit old. The trail behind him in the long grass seemed to come from a clump of trees about two miles away from the road. "Help!" yelled the rider as he neared them. "You've got to help us! A river snake has bitten my brother! He's dying!"
Elrond appeared next to Glorfindel, although Estel was no long with him. "How long ago was your brother bitten?" he asked the human youth. He appeared to be only 20 years of age and fear filled his eyes.
"About a half an hour ago. I don't know! You have to help!" exclaimed the human.
"We will help you, young one," said Elrond. He turned his gaze to Glorfindel and the blond Elf fought down a sigh.
"Continue on to Lothlórien," ordered Glorfindel. The twins, Elladan now holding Estel, nodded in understanding. "Tirith, choose five of your men and follow us. We will continue to Lothlórien after we have treated the human." The dark haired guard nodded and quickly pointed out five other Elves.
"You can led us back to your brother?" asked Elrond.
The human nodded. "Yes, we are just within those trees," he answered. "Please hurry." Glorfindel felt his stomach twist as Elrond gently reassured the human that everything would be fine and then they began to ride through the grass, leaving the main escort on the road. Another prickle of unease ran up his back as they entered the trees, dimming the bright sunlight around them. Another few minutes brought the group to a small clearing where several other people stood. All were men dressed like the first but they were rather older than the youth, some with grey in their beards. One of the men, a little older than the first, was lying next to a small fire. They could hear the rush of the river near by over the young man's soft moaning.
The youth that had led them here jumped from his horse and went to the man's side, picking up his limp hand. "It will be alright now, Bram. I have brought help. Elves! They can heal you," said the youth. Around the lower leg of the man upon the ground was a strip of cloth tied tightly, the bottom of his pants rolled up around his knee.
Glorfindel gazed around at the men, his eyes narrowing as he helped Elrond from his horse. The half-Elf turned to search through his bags, not noticing that all of the men's eyes were fixed upon him. One of the men came forward, this one with a touch of grey near his temple but still in his prime years of life. "You can really help Bram, sir Elf?" he asked, his voice rough.
Elrond nodded and smiled at him, he who seemed to be the leader of the small band of humans. "I will have to draw the poison from the snake out and then pack the bite with athelas. He will be a bit weak for a while but he will recover with time," said the Elf lord.
The man seemed to relax. "Thank you, sir Elf," he said. Elrond smiled again and walked over to the fire. The Elf lord knelt next to the young man, Glorfindel coming to stand behind him. The other guards remained scattered between the fire and their horses, sharp Elven eyes glittering in the firelight.
Another human neared them, this one slim and willowy in stature. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked just as Elrond began to unwrap the cloth around the snakebite.
Glorfindel turned to the human that had asked but shook his head, unease still in his heart. "No, thank you," he answered politely.
Elrond unwrapped the cloth, being as gentle as he could because he knew that snakebites often made the limb sore. He pulled away the cloth and noticed there was no blood upon the cloth from the wound. He began to look for the twin holes that signaled a bite but was unable to find them on the man. "There is no bite here," he said in confusion. Elrond yelped as the man he was treating reared up and grabbed his arm, all traces of pain gone.
Glorfindel had already drawn his sword before Elrond had finished speaking, turning aside the lunge by the man that had asked if he wanted a drink. One of the other guards flew past him, engaging another man who had drawn an ax. Glorfindel turned to where Elrond was and growled. "Release him!" he yelled. He took a step forward but a weight collided into his side, throwing him away.
"Glorfindel!" cried Elrond as one human tackled the blond Elf. "Let go!" he hissed, swinging up his free hand to strike at the youth holding his arm. The other, the young human that had pleaded for their help, caught his limb and Elrond quickly found himself in a tangle of four arms. He kicked and felt his foot connect with flesh, one of the youths grunting near his ear.
"Turgan, hurry damn it!" yelled one of the humans. The clash of metal against metal began to fill the air and Elrond heard his horse Uial give an angered cry.
Glorfindel jumped to his feet and swung his sword in a wide arc, scattering the humans trying to ring him. His face was grim as he saw that one of the Elven guards lay upon the ground, blood surrounding him in a pool. "We were trying to help you!" he snarled to the leader.
The man smiled a little sadly. "It's nothing personal, sir Elf. It's just that a certain lord is willing to pay a lot of money for the safe delivery of Lord Elrond to him." The man's eyes shifted to look over Glorfindel's shoulder and something heavy slammed into the blond Elf's head. The trees suddenly became the sky as Glorfindel fell, the world quickly turning white and then black. Distantly, he could hear Elrond scream his name but he was fast losing the fight for consciousness. A small little moan escaped his lips and Glorfindel knew no more.
Elrond screamed as he saw a human club Glorfindel on the back of his head, seeing blood cover the blond hair. He screamed again as he watched Glorfindel fall limply to the ground and wrenched his left arm free. Things were becoming distorted as Elves and humans rushed around the clearing, the firelight dancing off the trees. Another human appeared above Elrond and the Elf lord tried to twist his head away as a cloth covered his mouth and nose. He reached up blindly with his free left hand and heard someone curse as he clawed their cheek. A sickly sweet smell filled his lungs and Elrond fought to free his head, fearing they were trying to kill him with poison. "Just relax," someone whispered. Elrond jerked his head fiercely at that but his legs and arms were beginning to feel heavy. A cry of pain echoed in the forest but Elrond could not place it; it could have been another of his Elven guards falling. Little black dots crept across his vision as he saw the face of the man he had been trying to treat above him, his features becoming blurred. Finally, Elrond's grey eyes fluttered close and he went limp in the arms of the humans. Another cry of pain sounded in the forest clearing and then all was silent.
A nightingale sang mournfully in the darkened forest, hidden by the tall Mallorn trees. The moon shone through the leaves, falling to the ground in silver pools. In one talan platform, the windows were lit with the golden glow of many candles. "Something is wrong." Elladan turned sharply on his heel, pacing. "We should go after them." Outside the talan window it was dark, night ruled Arda now. "It has been hours since we left them. They should be here by now."
"I agree," said a silver haired Elf. Haldir nodded respectively to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. "We should send riders to where Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindel should be. The time for their safe return has past," said the March Warden.
Galadriel lowered her eyes as Celeborn sighed. "Perhaps we should send someone after them," said the lord.
"Elladan and I will go," said Elrohir, a sleeping Estel in his arms.
"I feel a disturbance in the winds. Something is happening," muttered Galadriel.
"That's it!" exclaimed Elladan. He stormed toward the door. "We're going after Ada."
Celeborn swiftly stood and accepted Estel from Elrohir. "Haldir, take a patrol and go with them. They may need aid if something foul has happened," the lord ordered, worry in his eyes. The silver haired Elf bowed and hurried away with the twins. Celeborn turned to his wife and frowned, seeing her head still bent. "Galadriel?" he asked.
"Something is happening," muttered Galadriel again.
Celeborn felt a shiver run up his spine and gently laid Estel on a couch, putting the 10-year-old child where he could rest. The lord of Lothlórien then came and knelt before Galadriel. Gently, he took one of her hands in his. "My love?"
Galadriel's head slowly rose and Celeborn bit his lip when he saw the unfocused look in her eyes. He knew that her gaze was far away and wide. "It is waiting," the she-Elf whispered.
"What is waiting?" asked Celeborn.
The ring that Galadriel wore burned cold on her hand. "Ilúvatar's first thought," she muttered. Galadriel's head lowered, hiding her face behind her long hair. "It is waiting."
Horses rode at a full gallop down the road, led by the twins. The bright moon lit the road before them, turning the wide plains into a silver sea. In the long grass beside the road, a fox crouched down and flattened his ears, feeling the heightened emotions coming from the Elves. His nose quivered and the animal raced away into the darkness. Elladan slowed his horse, holding up one hand to signal the other riders. His brother was beside him, keen Elven eyes fixed on the grass. In the moonlight, they could clearly see the path that their father and Glorfindel had taken across the plain.
"This was the place where they left the road," said Elladan, glancing at Haldir.
The silver haired Lothlórien Elf nodded, leaning down from his horse to look at the bent grass. "To the clump of trees?" he asked. The twins nodded and Haldir looked grimly at his guards. "Stay together," he ordered sharply. The grey clad riders followed the path through the grass, entering the woods carefully.
The twins fought down the urged to call out for their father, worry in their hearts. They followed the slight signs of the horses through the forest until they came to a small clearing. There, they found the Imladris party that had gone to help the humans. Haldir cursed and quickly swung off his horse, going to the nearest Imladris guard on the ground. Seven Elves were scattered around the clearing, small pools of blood near each and wounded but still living. The Elf's horses stood by each body, concern for their masters in their liquid eyes. Three humans were also about the clearing, laying face down, but they were dead and cold. "Ada?" called Elladan, breaking his silence. A soft whicker answered them and in the dark they could see a white horse. Elladan and Elrohir rushed forward, recognizing the animal.
"Asfaloth!" cried Elrohir. The white horse was standing above the body of a blond Elf and the twins fell to their knees. Red blood stained the golden hair but when Elrohir gently turned Glorfindel over he was surprised to see his blue eyes open. "Glorfindel?" asked Elrohir. The blond Elf's eyes moved slightly but could not focus on the dark haired Elf.
Pale lips parted and Glorfindel choked out, "They took him."
Haldir leaned over Elladan's shoulder. "Took whom, my lord?" he asked.
"Elrond," whispered Glorfindel heartbrokenly.
"Ada?" asked Elladan. Glorfindel could only cough but the twin knew that his father was the one he was speaking about. "Which way did they go?" demanded Elladan.
Glorfindel's eyes rolled. "Uial…" The blond Elf finally went limp, his eyes closing.
"Ada's horse?" asked Elrohir, looking up at his brother.
Elladan nodded, looking excided. "Uial would have followed Ada!" he exclaimed.
Elrohir snapped his fingers. "Of course. And Uial will give us clear signs to follow," he said.
"Smart horse," muttered Haldir. He stood and called to the others, his voice hard, "Gather the injured and lets return to Caras Galadhon. Leave the humans, they deserve no less."
"We have to rescue Ada!" yelled Elladan, standing. His grey eyes smoldered and his brother looked the same.
"We must return to Lothlórien, my lords. We are too small a group and too unprepared to follow Lord Elrond. It would do him no good even if we did catch them," said Haldir. The twins gritted their teeth at the silver haired Elf, understanding his logic but not liking it. "We will save you father. I swear."
The twins looked away and knelt again beside Glorfindel, easing him onto Asfaloth's back as the white horse kneeled. "Yes, we will," they muttered to each other.
A gentle rocking motion soothed his aching head but a bright light burned at his closed eyes. He did not know where he was; the last thing he remembered was the band of humans they were trying to help attacking them. Was he still with the humans? Or had there been time for a rescue after he had been drugged and he was with his family? He remembered Glorfindel falling under the attack of a human and a small moan of worry escaped him. A soft touch caressed his forehead but Elrond drew away as it was not a touch he recognized. His hearing was as if cotton was stuffed into his ears but he was still able to hear a person above him speak, "Turgan, he is waking up." A buzz of voices followed this announcement, sounding as bees to the Elf lord.
Elrond begged his limbs to move, to struggle. Turgan had been the name that the young man he had been treating, Bram if he remembered correctly, had called before he had been drugged. He was only able to move his head weakly as another cloth covered his mouth and nose. An order to his body not to breathe soon had to be disobeyed and the sweet smell of potent herbs filled his lungs again. The rocking motion and the voices faded away and blackness took control.
The mid-night black horse pressed its hoof into the soft earth, leaning all its weight upon the one leg. Finally, it pulled its leg back and inspected the deep imprint. Satisfied, Uial snorted and hurried after the group of humans. As the stallion passed a tree, his sharp teeth yanked a strip of bark from the trunk, letting the shred fall to the ground. A roll in the grass left a large gap in the meadow, clearly noticeable. And thus Uial followed his master southward across Middle-Earth.
Author: Reona
Email: [email protected]
Part: 1/5
Fandom: LotR
Pairing(s): Glorfindel/Elrond
Rating: R
Summary: Elrond is kidnapped by humans for his skill in reading runes. But the secret those runes tell could destroy the world.
Disclaimer: I don't own LotR. I do own this story and any odd characters that show up.
Warning: Attempted rape. I'm not nice to poor Elrond in this.
Authors Note: Uial is my creation; he's Elrond's horse. I'm guessing at the Elvish and so are you.
***
A group of thirty horses and three wagons rode under the bright sun, lazy pillows of clouds drifting across the blue sky above them. They had just crossed the Sîr Ninglor, or the Gladden River as it was known in the Common Tongue. The road before them was dry and the horses able to trot easily. To their left in the far distance was the Anduin River and the shadows of the Misty Mountains stood to their right. A hawk called shrilly from the air and a fox leapt nimbly through the long grass of the plains, both seeking out small rodents for a meal. The two animals looked curiously at the long train of Elves that traveled southward toward Lothlórien. The red fox bounded through the grass and stopped next to the road, his bright amber eyes looking up as they past.
One black horse riding in the center of the line carried two riders, one Elf with long dark hair and a small human child. The child cried happily and stretched his hands out toward the fox when he spotted him. The animal puffed itself up and rolled around on the ground, must to the child's delight. The Elf smiled gently down at the fox and the animal raised one paw to his muzzle, no doubt embarrassed to have such a gaze directed at him. The fox yipped and raced away into the tall grass. "Did you see the fox, Glor?" asked the child.
The blond Elf that rode slightly in front of them only grunted, his gaze directed to the sky where the hawk soared above them. "I do not believe he is paying attention, Estel," said the dark haired Elf with the child.
"I am too," replied the blond Elf, Glorfindel. He lowered his head and turned slightly in his saddle to look at the two behind him. "The fox was very pleased to have the attention of such a beautiful Elf lord upon him." Elrond blushed slightly while Estel giggled. Glorfindel smiled at them when a loud yelp caused him to look forward.
"Watch what you're doing!" Elrohir ducked and jerked the reigns of his horse to the side, nearly colliding with the guard next to him. Elladan grimaced sheepishly and continued to draw his bow from his shoulders. No longer in danger of having his eye poked out, Elrohir neared his brother again. "Hoping for some practice, Elladan?" asked the younger twin.
"Indeed. And, barring that, I can always resort to using you," replied Elladan, looking at his younger brother smugly.
"Ha!" cried Elrohir. "I'd like to see you try and hit me!"
A message passed down through the ranks of guards stopped the twins' arguing. "A rider approaches. A human, by the looks of it."
Glorfindel stood up on Asfaloth's saddle, the white horse coming to a stop and adjusting for his rider's balance. "Is he armed?" The blond Elf signaled the line to stop and his hand drifted down to his sword at his waist. The Elves slowed and stopped. The twins slowly edged themselves back to their father's side and Elrond smiled softly at his sons.
"No obvious weapons, my lord," answered one of the guards. "He seems to be distressed."
Elrond frowned in concern. "Maybe he needs help?"
Glorfindel fought down the prickle of unease that traveled up his back and keyed Asfaloth forward. "Hail, friend!" called Glorfindel to the rider.
The lone rider wore only trousers and a tunic, and the horse was without tack and looked to be a bit old. The trail behind him in the long grass seemed to come from a clump of trees about two miles away from the road. "Help!" yelled the rider as he neared them. "You've got to help us! A river snake has bitten my brother! He's dying!"
Elrond appeared next to Glorfindel, although Estel was no long with him. "How long ago was your brother bitten?" he asked the human youth. He appeared to be only 20 years of age and fear filled his eyes.
"About a half an hour ago. I don't know! You have to help!" exclaimed the human.
"We will help you, young one," said Elrond. He turned his gaze to Glorfindel and the blond Elf fought down a sigh.
"Continue on to Lothlórien," ordered Glorfindel. The twins, Elladan now holding Estel, nodded in understanding. "Tirith, choose five of your men and follow us. We will continue to Lothlórien after we have treated the human." The dark haired guard nodded and quickly pointed out five other Elves.
"You can led us back to your brother?" asked Elrond.
The human nodded. "Yes, we are just within those trees," he answered. "Please hurry." Glorfindel felt his stomach twist as Elrond gently reassured the human that everything would be fine and then they began to ride through the grass, leaving the main escort on the road. Another prickle of unease ran up his back as they entered the trees, dimming the bright sunlight around them. Another few minutes brought the group to a small clearing where several other people stood. All were men dressed like the first but they were rather older than the youth, some with grey in their beards. One of the men, a little older than the first, was lying next to a small fire. They could hear the rush of the river near by over the young man's soft moaning.
The youth that had led them here jumped from his horse and went to the man's side, picking up his limp hand. "It will be alright now, Bram. I have brought help. Elves! They can heal you," said the youth. Around the lower leg of the man upon the ground was a strip of cloth tied tightly, the bottom of his pants rolled up around his knee.
Glorfindel gazed around at the men, his eyes narrowing as he helped Elrond from his horse. The half-Elf turned to search through his bags, not noticing that all of the men's eyes were fixed upon him. One of the men came forward, this one with a touch of grey near his temple but still in his prime years of life. "You can really help Bram, sir Elf?" he asked, his voice rough.
Elrond nodded and smiled at him, he who seemed to be the leader of the small band of humans. "I will have to draw the poison from the snake out and then pack the bite with athelas. He will be a bit weak for a while but he will recover with time," said the Elf lord.
The man seemed to relax. "Thank you, sir Elf," he said. Elrond smiled again and walked over to the fire. The Elf lord knelt next to the young man, Glorfindel coming to stand behind him. The other guards remained scattered between the fire and their horses, sharp Elven eyes glittering in the firelight.
Another human neared them, this one slim and willowy in stature. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked just as Elrond began to unwrap the cloth around the snakebite.
Glorfindel turned to the human that had asked but shook his head, unease still in his heart. "No, thank you," he answered politely.
Elrond unwrapped the cloth, being as gentle as he could because he knew that snakebites often made the limb sore. He pulled away the cloth and noticed there was no blood upon the cloth from the wound. He began to look for the twin holes that signaled a bite but was unable to find them on the man. "There is no bite here," he said in confusion. Elrond yelped as the man he was treating reared up and grabbed his arm, all traces of pain gone.
Glorfindel had already drawn his sword before Elrond had finished speaking, turning aside the lunge by the man that had asked if he wanted a drink. One of the other guards flew past him, engaging another man who had drawn an ax. Glorfindel turned to where Elrond was and growled. "Release him!" he yelled. He took a step forward but a weight collided into his side, throwing him away.
"Glorfindel!" cried Elrond as one human tackled the blond Elf. "Let go!" he hissed, swinging up his free hand to strike at the youth holding his arm. The other, the young human that had pleaded for their help, caught his limb and Elrond quickly found himself in a tangle of four arms. He kicked and felt his foot connect with flesh, one of the youths grunting near his ear.
"Turgan, hurry damn it!" yelled one of the humans. The clash of metal against metal began to fill the air and Elrond heard his horse Uial give an angered cry.
Glorfindel jumped to his feet and swung his sword in a wide arc, scattering the humans trying to ring him. His face was grim as he saw that one of the Elven guards lay upon the ground, blood surrounding him in a pool. "We were trying to help you!" he snarled to the leader.
The man smiled a little sadly. "It's nothing personal, sir Elf. It's just that a certain lord is willing to pay a lot of money for the safe delivery of Lord Elrond to him." The man's eyes shifted to look over Glorfindel's shoulder and something heavy slammed into the blond Elf's head. The trees suddenly became the sky as Glorfindel fell, the world quickly turning white and then black. Distantly, he could hear Elrond scream his name but he was fast losing the fight for consciousness. A small little moan escaped his lips and Glorfindel knew no more.
Elrond screamed as he saw a human club Glorfindel on the back of his head, seeing blood cover the blond hair. He screamed again as he watched Glorfindel fall limply to the ground and wrenched his left arm free. Things were becoming distorted as Elves and humans rushed around the clearing, the firelight dancing off the trees. Another human appeared above Elrond and the Elf lord tried to twist his head away as a cloth covered his mouth and nose. He reached up blindly with his free left hand and heard someone curse as he clawed their cheek. A sickly sweet smell filled his lungs and Elrond fought to free his head, fearing they were trying to kill him with poison. "Just relax," someone whispered. Elrond jerked his head fiercely at that but his legs and arms were beginning to feel heavy. A cry of pain echoed in the forest but Elrond could not place it; it could have been another of his Elven guards falling. Little black dots crept across his vision as he saw the face of the man he had been trying to treat above him, his features becoming blurred. Finally, Elrond's grey eyes fluttered close and he went limp in the arms of the humans. Another cry of pain sounded in the forest clearing and then all was silent.
A nightingale sang mournfully in the darkened forest, hidden by the tall Mallorn trees. The moon shone through the leaves, falling to the ground in silver pools. In one talan platform, the windows were lit with the golden glow of many candles. "Something is wrong." Elladan turned sharply on his heel, pacing. "We should go after them." Outside the talan window it was dark, night ruled Arda now. "It has been hours since we left them. They should be here by now."
"I agree," said a silver haired Elf. Haldir nodded respectively to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. "We should send riders to where Lord Elrond and Lord Glorfindel should be. The time for their safe return has past," said the March Warden.
Galadriel lowered her eyes as Celeborn sighed. "Perhaps we should send someone after them," said the lord.
"Elladan and I will go," said Elrohir, a sleeping Estel in his arms.
"I feel a disturbance in the winds. Something is happening," muttered Galadriel.
"That's it!" exclaimed Elladan. He stormed toward the door. "We're going after Ada."
Celeborn swiftly stood and accepted Estel from Elrohir. "Haldir, take a patrol and go with them. They may need aid if something foul has happened," the lord ordered, worry in his eyes. The silver haired Elf bowed and hurried away with the twins. Celeborn turned to his wife and frowned, seeing her head still bent. "Galadriel?" he asked.
"Something is happening," muttered Galadriel again.
Celeborn felt a shiver run up his spine and gently laid Estel on a couch, putting the 10-year-old child where he could rest. The lord of Lothlórien then came and knelt before Galadriel. Gently, he took one of her hands in his. "My love?"
Galadriel's head slowly rose and Celeborn bit his lip when he saw the unfocused look in her eyes. He knew that her gaze was far away and wide. "It is waiting," the she-Elf whispered.
"What is waiting?" asked Celeborn.
The ring that Galadriel wore burned cold on her hand. "Ilúvatar's first thought," she muttered. Galadriel's head lowered, hiding her face behind her long hair. "It is waiting."
Horses rode at a full gallop down the road, led by the twins. The bright moon lit the road before them, turning the wide plains into a silver sea. In the long grass beside the road, a fox crouched down and flattened his ears, feeling the heightened emotions coming from the Elves. His nose quivered and the animal raced away into the darkness. Elladan slowed his horse, holding up one hand to signal the other riders. His brother was beside him, keen Elven eyes fixed on the grass. In the moonlight, they could clearly see the path that their father and Glorfindel had taken across the plain.
"This was the place where they left the road," said Elladan, glancing at Haldir.
The silver haired Lothlórien Elf nodded, leaning down from his horse to look at the bent grass. "To the clump of trees?" he asked. The twins nodded and Haldir looked grimly at his guards. "Stay together," he ordered sharply. The grey clad riders followed the path through the grass, entering the woods carefully.
The twins fought down the urged to call out for their father, worry in their hearts. They followed the slight signs of the horses through the forest until they came to a small clearing. There, they found the Imladris party that had gone to help the humans. Haldir cursed and quickly swung off his horse, going to the nearest Imladris guard on the ground. Seven Elves were scattered around the clearing, small pools of blood near each and wounded but still living. The Elf's horses stood by each body, concern for their masters in their liquid eyes. Three humans were also about the clearing, laying face down, but they were dead and cold. "Ada?" called Elladan, breaking his silence. A soft whicker answered them and in the dark they could see a white horse. Elladan and Elrohir rushed forward, recognizing the animal.
"Asfaloth!" cried Elrohir. The white horse was standing above the body of a blond Elf and the twins fell to their knees. Red blood stained the golden hair but when Elrohir gently turned Glorfindel over he was surprised to see his blue eyes open. "Glorfindel?" asked Elrohir. The blond Elf's eyes moved slightly but could not focus on the dark haired Elf.
Pale lips parted and Glorfindel choked out, "They took him."
Haldir leaned over Elladan's shoulder. "Took whom, my lord?" he asked.
"Elrond," whispered Glorfindel heartbrokenly.
"Ada?" asked Elladan. Glorfindel could only cough but the twin knew that his father was the one he was speaking about. "Which way did they go?" demanded Elladan.
Glorfindel's eyes rolled. "Uial…" The blond Elf finally went limp, his eyes closing.
"Ada's horse?" asked Elrohir, looking up at his brother.
Elladan nodded, looking excided. "Uial would have followed Ada!" he exclaimed.
Elrohir snapped his fingers. "Of course. And Uial will give us clear signs to follow," he said.
"Smart horse," muttered Haldir. He stood and called to the others, his voice hard, "Gather the injured and lets return to Caras Galadhon. Leave the humans, they deserve no less."
"We have to rescue Ada!" yelled Elladan, standing. His grey eyes smoldered and his brother looked the same.
"We must return to Lothlórien, my lords. We are too small a group and too unprepared to follow Lord Elrond. It would do him no good even if we did catch them," said Haldir. The twins gritted their teeth at the silver haired Elf, understanding his logic but not liking it. "We will save you father. I swear."
The twins looked away and knelt again beside Glorfindel, easing him onto Asfaloth's back as the white horse kneeled. "Yes, we will," they muttered to each other.
A gentle rocking motion soothed his aching head but a bright light burned at his closed eyes. He did not know where he was; the last thing he remembered was the band of humans they were trying to help attacking them. Was he still with the humans? Or had there been time for a rescue after he had been drugged and he was with his family? He remembered Glorfindel falling under the attack of a human and a small moan of worry escaped him. A soft touch caressed his forehead but Elrond drew away as it was not a touch he recognized. His hearing was as if cotton was stuffed into his ears but he was still able to hear a person above him speak, "Turgan, he is waking up." A buzz of voices followed this announcement, sounding as bees to the Elf lord.
Elrond begged his limbs to move, to struggle. Turgan had been the name that the young man he had been treating, Bram if he remembered correctly, had called before he had been drugged. He was only able to move his head weakly as another cloth covered his mouth and nose. An order to his body not to breathe soon had to be disobeyed and the sweet smell of potent herbs filled his lungs again. The rocking motion and the voices faded away and blackness took control.
The mid-night black horse pressed its hoof into the soft earth, leaning all its weight upon the one leg. Finally, it pulled its leg back and inspected the deep imprint. Satisfied, Uial snorted and hurried after the group of humans. As the stallion passed a tree, his sharp teeth yanked a strip of bark from the trunk, letting the shred fall to the ground. A roll in the grass left a large gap in the meadow, clearly noticeable. And thus Uial followed his master southward across Middle-Earth.