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Scarred Fate	By : Massanie Category: +Third Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2051 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 4
CHAPTER 3: Suspicion

CHAPTER NOTES

SCRIPTS:

'Thoughts'; ~visions~; **mind speech**; -l-Letters-l-

Erestor's odd behaviour had gone on during that last day and night: hour for hour he had drunken from his small flask and when the evening finally came he had shut himself off from the others, shivering from the cold that he should not have felt to begin with. Brusquely he had turned down every concerned offer of help that he got from Glorfindel or his soldiers although his nightmares seemed even worse than the night before.

And there were other signs that clearly showed his quickly worsening health. He was pale and often closed his eyes for minutes, letting his horse find its own way. Glorfindel had him now quite openly observed to ensure that the advisor knew for certain that he was being mistrusted and therefore watched closely. Maybe the seneschal had hoped for a reaction from the now nearly apathetic counsellor but Erestor ignored them.

Then in the early morning hours, two days after they had started out from Imladris at the foot of the Misty Mountains, Erestor's large common raven was spotted on the horizon flying towards them.

The black haired counsellor's diminished elven sight did not allow him to see his dark bird as early as the other Elves around him and he stayed quiet, only extending his gloved hand for the raven to land on it when he finally saw him approaching very fast down the mountainside towards them in a dive.

Immediately the party stopped, the guards curiously waiting for some news of their lord and his sons and guards. Erestor gently stroked the black feathers and took away the little leather back that the bird had carried, cooing softly to it. While the loving gestures would normally have earned him odd looks and taunting remarks, the guards around him were too impatient to give them now.

Glorfindel had turned his horse where he had ridden at the head of the party and nearly galloped to where his guards were crowding around the chief counsellor. Immediately they let him through to Erestor, who was scanning a small piece of paper, the large black bird sitting on his shoulder.

"Erestor?"

The dark ellon looked up and with an indifferent expression gave the parchment to Glorfindel.

-l-

We were ambushed near the top of the High pass by Orcs. Elladan, Elrohír, some guards and I were able to save ourselves into a cave nearby on the mountainside of the pass, but we lost many.

We have enough arrows to keep them at bay for some days for they can reach the cave's entrance only by climbing. But they intend to starve us out and Elrohír has a poisoned arm wound.

Be fast, I fear for him

Elrond

-l-

Glorfindel swallowed and for a few moments the fear for the peredhil family, *his* family, petrified him and made his mind spin.

Then suddenly Erestor's words broke through to the surface of the raging sea of his thoughts:

'I dreamt we came upon Elrond and his party. They had saved themselves into a cave high above in the rocky side of one of the walls framing the High Pass just before it trails down towards Mirkwood. They were surrounded by enemies and they were too many for us to take on.'

Was the advisor involved in a conspiracy against Imladris? How could he have known? What if it was a lie?

Glorfindel looked at the dark counsellor's indifferent stone mask. Had he betrayed them? But why telling him about that dream? Maybe Elrond was not in danger, but Imladris was … they had left it without many defences to come to Elrond's rescue. And they had done it because Erestor had brought him a message from the sentries on the High Pass, claiming that a large group of Orcs had made their bolt hole near the High Pass to waylay passengers.

Both messages could be a lie. But if not, Elrond, Elladan and Elrohír would die along with some of his most trusted and best soldiers. They had to proceed and quickly.

But Glorfindel did not dare to take Erestor further along. He would send the advisor back to Imladris with a guard. Something was wrong with the quiet darkling – besides the drug he took; but he did not know what. Elrond and he would worry about that when they returned ... and if they returned.

"Erestor, you will return to Imladris immediately. I will not endanger lord Elrond's chief advisor like that. Two of my guards will accompany you to ensure your safe return." And moreover that you don't stray from the path. "Arveldir, Tauron. Lead him back to Imladris on safe paths."

"That is a mistake, my lord." Erestor tried, but Glorfindel would not listen.

"You will return now!"

"Please." Erestor seldom begged, he had no need to. Normally he gave orders or his counsel, but now he sincerely begged, his eyes pleading with the balrog slayer to not send him away.

"They have been waylaid, Erestor and are besieged in a cave by I don't know how many Orcs. This is no place for an advisor! You will go. "

"You taught me how to fight yourself lord Glorfindel ..." he urged his mount to get closer to the blond seneschal and directly looked up into the handsome face.

"Elrond took me in when he could have sent me back to certain death. I owe him. Please, my lord, let me accompany you. I am a versed healer and I have antidotes with me against the more common poisons used by Orcs."

The Imladris' guards followed the conversation with open curiosity. It was the first time that anyone heard about the advisor's reasons to accompany the rescue party for their lord. Maybe most did not believe them to be true, but they knew better than to cross their captain where Erestor was concerned.

"Then give them to me."

"You won't know what to do with them."

"But Elrond would."

"If he is not wounded himself."

"Erestor" Glorfindel growled "I said no."

The advisor looked aside, grinding his teeth. "As you wish, lord seneschal."

With this he dismounted and pulled a small box out of his saddle pack. Carefully he gave it to Glorfindel.

"You will probably need the ones in the green bottles. The sentries reported that the Orcs came from the northern regions of the Hithaeglir. Elrond and I noticed that those packs use the same poison the Hillmen of Angmar sometimes smear on their weapons. It is not very fast, but untreated it will cause death within some days in Elrohír's case. Much faster if the poisoned wound is on the torso.

Elrond will have tied off Elrohír's arm to slow it down, you will have enough time, if you hurry.

The antidote is strong so one who does not know how to dose it risks adding another and more deadly poison to the system of the patient. A normal arrow wound, when the poison was freshly and generously applied would need about four small drops of the counter-poison, three when you are not sure. Never use more at once! In this case it is better to let the body deal with a little bit more of the original poison than too much of its counterpart. "

Erestor paused for a moment, searching Glorfindel's eyes.

"There is a list in there that contains to which poison the antidotes react and in what proportion. It might be useful for lord Elrond, although I think he has memorized most of them."

An uncomfortable silence settled between the warriors and the one scholar as Erestor turned to his horse to mount it once again.

"Erestor, get home safely. Arveldir, don't let him out of your sight until you reach Imladris. If something happens to Elrond's chief advisor, it will be on your head."

Arveldir had worked long enough with Glorfindel to know the instructions for what they were: a warning to mistrust the darkling and to expect something like a flight. As did most of the other warriors nearby and they wondered what they missed.

Then the seneschal raised his hand, giving the signal to set out again. Three riders stayed behind: the dark haired Tauron, the more seasoned soldier Arveldir and the chief advisor of Imladris.

CHAPTER END NOTES

peredhil ~ half elves
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