#like i was asleep but suddenly woke up with the clearest view of the world

[ourstochoose9]

*working on my dnd character sheet, thinking about how to distribute a few ability score points*

Me: Hey, my character's based on VR-LA, I'll take a look at his stats!

*scours the internet for one of those official art images with the stats on it, ends up on RWD twitter page*

*sees this exact image*

Me (realization hitting me like a truck): BILEYG IS A COLUMBO REFERENCE

[arianaofimladris]

The outside world

Chapter I is here: https://arianaofimladris.tumblr.com/post/186445900757/for-arafinwean-week-day-7-legacy-arwen

Chapter II

It was dark. After the hot, sunny day came the evening that soon turned into the night. The fresh breeze coming from the mountains brought the clouds that covered the stars and the moon. The rain that followed was brief, and left the earth and stones emanating heat mustered during the day. The air seemed stuffy, but even in the clearest night the sons of Elrond would not have felt any better.

They were prisoners. The lands were supposed to be safe, especially so close to Lothlorien and Khazad-dum, yet here they were, dragged and pushed and heading towards the mountains they didn’t know. The path they followed could hardly be called a path. Once the night came, it was hard to keep up, especially as they couldn't use their hands. More than once did they fall on their knees; face-flat, when unlucky. And as it started to rain, it was nigh impossible to avoid slippery stones and not to lose their footing.

In the darkness and then in the fog slowly rising above the ground it was hard to keep track. They were pushed on and on and each step took them farther away from their kin. And from Arwen.

***

Arwen woke to cold raindrops falling on her cheek. At first, still foggy, she tried to reach for her cloak to cover her head, only her hand found nothing but the bushes. Why...? Her brothers always made sure she was well protected from rain and cold, so why...

Groggily, she sat and sought the twins. It was getting cold and unpleasant and she wan...

They were nowhere around. Nobody was. All the memories from the last evening came to her and Arwen felt her lip tremble. Elladan and Elrohir had not come like they had promised. They had left her all alone in these foreign lands.

Arwen scrambled out of her hideout and shivered as more water fell on her from the branches. She climbed on her toes and looked over the lake, but the rain and the mist rising above the water surface obscured her view. She could no longer see the stone Elrohir had pointed her. How could she get there if she had no idea where it was?

"Nana..." she whimpered to herself. Nana was not here, she had stayed far away in Imladris. So had Ada... And Arwen was so cold, with no cloak to protect her and no brothers and....

A rustle came from the southern side. It was distant at first, easy to lose in the raindrops falling on the leaves around her, but then it neared. Someone was coming. Remembering how her brothers had reacted, Arwen fell face flat between the wet ferns surrounding her. She bit on her hand to stop the sobbing and tried to stay still.

The noises were getting closer.

***

They went on for the most part of the night. The orcs were clearly in a hurry as the summer days were long, leaving but a short time for travelling in darkness. They dragged and pushed their prisoners, regardless of their flailing strength. The dawn was coming slowly, damp and foggy, meaning they had been walking for several hours with their injuries untreated.

Elrohir could barely focus on staying upright, as each step and each stumble jolted his ribs, but he had learned the hard way that his attempts to slow down or stop for a moment resulted only in rough kicks and lashes. He tried to remember what his father had once told him when he had some accident, but he found no way to relax and calm his hroa; not when he was so tensed and frightened.

Before him, Elladan lost his footing on the wet rocks and fell forwards. In his attempt to protect his face, he turned and landed on his right arm instead. He cried out, then bit his lip and curled; only his chest moved from laboured breathing.

The nearest orc barked something that sounded like an order. When Elladan didn't react, he kicked him hard in the back, and the elf screamed again.

"No!" Elrohir rushed forwards. "Leave him!" He never got to his brother. The rope the orcs held pulled him back and he stumbled. A brutal blow sent him on his knees and he couldn’t suppress a cry.

The orc kicked Elladan again and gained nothing but a moan; it was clear the elf would not get up. Elrohir watched them in horror as the orcs spoke quickly among themselves; he could not guess what they intended to do, his mind too foggy.

Someone dragged Elladan up and pressed a waterskin against his lips. Elrohir wanted to warn his brother not to touch it, Eru knew what was inside, but at the same time the orc holding him gave him something too. Stinking, burning liquid was forced down his throat and Elrohir gagged. He bent forwards as much as the hands holding him allowed it, coughing and gasping, desperately trying not to vomit; heaving was the last thing he wished for.

The orcs grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to Elladan. He was unceremoniously dropped on the rocky ground and he needed a moment to gather his wits, before he realised the orcs had scattered around with no attempt to go on. One of the orcs tied his hands in the front and Elrohir curled immediately. A sigh of relief escaped his lips before he could stop it, as his arms, so far twisted behind his back, stopped pulling at the muscles around his broken ribs. He barely acknowledged that the rope that the orcs had held was now tied to a tree.

Elladan, however, didn’t welcome the change. He yelped as the orcs moved his dislocated shoulder and for a brief moment Elrohir thought he had passed out, but he could feel his presence.

"Dan?" Having cleared his mind a bit, Elrohir tried to move towards his brother. "Dan!"

"'Feel'n' sick," hissed Elladan. "A moment..." He closed his eyes and laid still, his breathing still far from normal, then suddenly moaned softly and rolled on his left side, and shook in empty heaves. “Hit my kidney,” he groaned and curled back as much as he could.

“We need to set your shoulder,” whispered Elrohir, his eyes watching the orcs warily, but they seemed not to pay attention to them. “The sooner the better.”

“I know.” Elladan winced. “Don’t want them to do it...”

Elrohir laid as still as possible and slowly his muscles relaxed. Each movement had set his chest aflame, so after the whole night of the nightmarish journey the moment of rest was more than welcome. Exhausted as he was, he could almost fall asleep on that rocky ground, oblivious to the surroundings. Almost. The fear that Elladan would not be there once he awoke prevented Elrohir from closing his eyes, so he laid still and watched his brother. It would be useless, should the orcs decide to harm either of them, but the prospect of being taken by surprise was even worse than awaiting the unknown.

Elladan seemed to be resting too, his frame shaking occasionally as the muscles of his back or shoulder twitched. Unlike Elrohir, he kept his eyes shut. At first he laid still in a vain hope that it would help. It didn’t last long, though. Soon he shifted in discomfort, then again and again until he finally pushed himself into sitting position.

“Dan, don’t,” whispered Elrohir, his eyes focusing momentarily at the orcs resting around them. No good would come from attracting their attention; not when they had finally let them be.

“Have. To.” The need behind Elladan's hiss was plain enough. The look he sent his brother was helpless as he realised that sitting up did not solve his problem. "Help me."

As much as he wished to spare his brother humiliation, there was little Elrohir could do. Even with his hands tied in the front, it was unlikely he would be able to unfasten Elladan's ropes. And doing so without alarming their oppressors seemed an impossible task. But perhaps he could help him with the trousers...

Slowly, Elrohir sat too and moved closer, but barely had he managed to grasp his brother's hands when four arms pulled him roughly back and his chest exploded in pain. Elrohir let out a cry, but instead of curling back on himself, he looked up right into fey yellow eyes.

"We are not doing anything!" He objected, the muscles of his shoulders tensing so much under the foul touch that it hurt. "He just needs..."

The hoarse, gurgling noises that erupted around them were laughter, Elrohir realised in horror. He exchanged glances with Elladan, then froze as he felt cold steel on his neck. One of the orcs untied his brother and motioned him to get up.

Elladan, pale and sweating, looked like he was going to be sick. He was pressing his good elbow to his stomach, his other arm hanging limp. He stumbled on his feet, his hand shaking badly as he unfastened his belt. The orcs laughed and shouted something Elrohir could not grasp. He could barely breathe with the knife yet again pressed against his throat, but for some reason he didn't fear they would hurt him. They wanted amusement and right now Elladan provided it; he was but a reassurance that the other elf would not run away.

'It's alright,' he sent his brother a silent message, but Elladan had shut himself out completely. He stumbled towards the trees, but the orcs made it clear they would not let him walk anywhere, leaving him no options. Shutting his eyes in humiliation, he relieved himself.

As soon as he was done, the orcs pushed him roughly on the ground and tied his arms again. Elladan didn't make a slightest noise, his face pressed against his good arm, his eyes still squeezed shut. His breathing was quick and shallow, and his shoulders shook slightly. All Elrohir could sense was distress and humiliation.

"Elladan," he whispered and, gritting his teeth, moved inch by inch until their foreheads touched. "Dan, it's just me."

Elladan took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes. “We need to get out of here.” The humiliation was mostly gone, replaced by grim determination. He backed a few inches and looked over Elrohir’s head. “They won’t go anywhere now.”

“I hope so...” Elrohir winced at the prospect of moving. “But we need to be gone by the evening. Can you do anything with the ropes?” he whispered.

Elladan fumbled for a moment, still watching the orcs to see if his actions would attract unwanted attention. “No way,” he said disappointed. “I can’t move my right hand at all, it’s gone numb.”

“That’s not good,” Elrohir looked at his brother’s swollen arm with concern. “We can’t do anything about it now, but perhaps...” he let out a hiss as he lowered himself a bit. “Perhaps I can try. Watch them, would you?” He asked as his fingers grasped the knot on the rope binding Elladan’s hands.

“Anything,” Elladan nodded with determination. “But... provided that you succeed, and that I somehow manage to untie you, will you be able to run?”

“We’ll see,” Elrohir cut him off and settled on slowly trying to work on the ropes.

The story can be also found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19897702/chapters/48017497

If you read, please let me know what you think. I’m open to any kind of discussion, ciriticsm too.