This, And My Heart Beside *added ch. 20/part 1*

A/N: I did it again. Over 3 months since my last update. *sigh* I'm so very sorry, and to everyone who is still reading and following this story, thank you so much for your patience. Several RL issues messed me up for a while, but things are on a much more even keel now. This chapter is un-beta'd, due to the fact that my dear friend and beta, Laurelin, was out of town this weekend, and I've already taken too long to finish this chapter. So, I get the full credit for any typos, etc. ;)


CHAPTER 19/PART 2

The area beyond the campfire’s light went dark again, and Aefic strained his eyes in an attempt to discern the tall figure that he *thought* he had just seen. Within seconds, another burst of lightning lit up the same spot. Nothing. Damn me, he thought, I could have *sworn* …….

“There’s no one there, Caedmon,” he said calmly.

When the leader of the thieves made no reply for several seconds, Aefic turned to look up at him. His blue eyes bulged in his head, as he clenched his jaw angrily.

“Yes, there bloody *is* someone there!” he bellowed. “Cyril! If this is your idea of a joke, I’ll string you up in the trees, gutted, for the crows to feast on!”

The tall figure stood unmoving, his face invisible within the depths of his dark hood.

“That ain’t Cyril”, Bregowine whispered dryly. And in the flickering firelight, Aefic saw something in the huge man’s eyes that he had never seen there before…….fear.

A powerful gust of wind whipped through the campsite then, bending the fire’s flames nearly to the ground before extinguishing them completely. The only light in that clearing now, was the sporadic wavering of the lightning. When it surged brightly again, the dark figure was gone.

The two brothers looked about wildly, their hands clutching convulsively at the knives hanging from their belts.

“Who are you, what do you want?” the brothers yelled belligerently into the night.

In way of reply, they were both sent sprawling by forceful unseen hands slamming into their backs. Jumping up quickly, they turned to face their assailant, but he was gone. Again.

Spinning in circles, with knives drawn, Caedmon and Bregowine looked in vain for the figure that had blended into the night.

“Where is he?” Caedmon shouted frantically.

The campfire re-ignited at that moment, and the eyes of the three thieves darted to the spot where Isalith stood, his hand extended toward the pile of timber that had been robbed of its flame by the buffeting wind just moments before. Aefic stared. He did that with a simple gesture, he thought.

The beautiful dark Elf stood, making no move to elude their sight this time. He was taller than any they had ever seen, dressed in darkest midnight blue. He had discarded his cloak, and Aefic could see the numerous weapons he had strapped to his lithe body. Isalith gazed at the two brothers, his astonishing gray eyes glittering with an unfathomable expression; his waist length hair had been drawn back and clasped loosely at the nape of his neck, and the dusky waves cascaded over his shoulder.

“What do you want with us?” Caedmon again demanded loudly.

One simple word. “Retribution.”

Bregowine laughed gruffly. “This is about that Elf we caught the other day, brother,” he said over his shoulder as he began to advance on Isalith.

Caedmon laughed, too, with exaggerated bravado. Holding up his hand to show the dark Prince that Legolas’ ring was safely nestled on his finger, he sneered. “And I suppose you want this back, too? You can have it, when you strip it from my cold, dead hand.”

Isalith inclined his head almost politely. “As you wish,” he said softly.

Aefic watched all of this silently, hardly daring to breathe. **Shut your mouth, Caedmon, if you want to live** Because Aefic was close enough, he could see the coiled raw fury that the Elf was somehow able to hold in check. It almost hummed through him, although his face revealed no emotion at all.

For a moment, Bregowine sized up the Elven Prince, sensing that he could very well be out of his league. But in the next moment, his ego won out and he rushed at Isalith, roaring like a bull.

The dark-haired Elf stood motionless until the thief was within three feet of him. Then he extended one arm, with his hand raised, as if to merely stop him. But when Bregowine’s massive chest collided with that hand, he was flung backward, landing nearly twelve feet away. He jumped shakily to his feet, and shook his head to clear it.

“Brother!” Caedmon called to him, and threw to him the large sword he had pulled from Bregowine’s pack. Hefting it in his enormous hand and swinging it menacingly, Bregowine again charged at Isalith. The Prince reached over his shoulder to draw his own broad, arced blade, and waited.

The brutish thief came to him willingly, his sword raised, lips curled in a feral snarl. He brought his blade down forcefully, and Isalith raised his own in an almost casual gesture. When they joined, Bregowine stopped in his tracks; the impact was so violent that a sharp pain shot from his hand to his shoulder. The shock of it caused him to blink rapidly, unable to make a sound. He retreated a few steps to catch his breath, and Isalith watched him dispassionately. The blow had not moved him so much as an inch.

“Stop fooling around and take him, you idiot!” Caedmon yelled from behind. Bregowine glanced backward over his shoulder irritably before facing Isalith with an evil triumphant grin. He quickly transferred the sword to his other hand and charged again. This time Isalith raised his weapon and strode forward to meet him. Aefic could see the resolve in his slate-colored eyes, and he shrank.

The battle, although fierce, was short. Bregowine’s brute strength was no match for Isalith’s speed, agility, and Elven strength, and he tired quickly. After several moments, he backed away, and gasped for breath. Sweating freely, he began to be afraid….and it made him careless and foolish.

Watching Isalith’s eyes for a reaction, he purred, “That blonde Elf was a real beauty. If we hadn’t had to run off so quickly, I would have loved to have him.” One beefy hand snaked downward to languorously stroke his groin. “Or, is he *your* property?” he added irrevently.

It was over so quickly after that, that Aefic could hardly believe his eyes. The dark Elf took the offensive now and swiftly advanced on his opponent. Bregowine raised his sword for the last time and rushed clumsily forward. Aefic braced himself for another brutal union of metal against metal; but instead of countering the thief’s sword thrust, Isalith stepped slightly aside and dropped to one knee, holding his blade horizontally.

Bregowine’s eyes widened in fear just seconds before the momentum of his attack propelled him unstoppably into the Elven weapon. Isalith remained still, his head bent almost as if he were meditating. The thief ran several yards past him before stopping and turning to stare at the Elf in disbelief.

“You….” He whispered. His eyes slowly dropped to look at his torso; it was then that Aefic saw the thin red line around his middle. Bregowine’s sword fell from his numb hand and as he sank downward, the top half of his body separated neatly from the bottom half before he toppled to the ground, dead.

The Prince then turned his attention to Caedmon, who stood silently, gaping. When he realized that Isalith was watching him, panic filled his eyes and his mouth opened and closed again and again, although he made no sound. The blonde thief nearly fell over his own feet as he wheeled around to run, but he righted himself and sped toward the edge of the forest behind him.

Aefic looked to Isalith to see what he would do, but the Elf stood motionless, watching Caedmon flee. When the young man looked around again, he saw the reason. Caedmon was within four yards of the forest when the shadows within it began to swirl and shift, taking form. He stumbled to a halt as an enormous black shape stepped from the darkness.

Hithrawyn tossed his head and stamped his powerful hooves, as he advanced on the thief threateningly. Caedmon took three faltering steps backward, then checked himself when he realized that he was being herded in the direction of the waiting Elf and his deadly blade.

Enough of this! The blonde thief had no intention of dying this night, and it was clear that the stallion wasn’t going to step aside willingly. His hand closed tightly around the knife it still held, and a smug smile spread across his face. He struck viciously at Hithrawyn’s shoulder, intent on doing him grave harm. But Caedmon missed his opportunity. The horse swiftly retreated and reared, slashing out with his front hooves. They connected powerfully with the thief’s hand, knocking the knife from his grip.

Howling in pain, Caedmon fell backward and sprawled in the grass, holding his broken hand against his chest. His eyes bulged in terror as Hithrawyn towered above him, whinnying angrily…..and then they bulged even more. For, as the stallion hovered overhead, Caedmon saw the massive wings that extended outward from his shoulders at full spread.

It was the last thing the thief saw.

Hithrawyn dispatched him quickly, pounding down on him with terrifying force and reducing him to bloody pulp within seconds. When Caedmon lay broken and dead, the horse cantered gracefully to Isalith as Aefic looked on in stunned silence.

The Elf stretched his hand forward and Hithrawyn nestled his nose into the upturned palm affectionately. Isalith and the stallion stood silently, their foreheads touching as the Elf spoke to him in a voice too soft for Aefic to hear. When, after a moment, the dark-haired Prince suddenly turned his gaze on him, Aefic froze in fear.

“There was another,” Isalith said.

Aefic started. Cyril. He had forgotten about him.

“He….he went to fetch water from the pond.” Aefic started to add “he should have returned by now”, but he realized that what had just happened had taken place within a matter of minutes.

Isalith nodded slightly and studied the young thief thoughtfully for a moment. He walked to where Aefic still sat by the fire and extended his hand downward to him. The thief glanced at the offered hand warily before gazing into the striking gray eyes of the Elf who leaned over him. But there was no sign of wrath or vengeance in those eyes now…..Isalith even smiled a little.

Aefic reached up to clasp his hand and was pulled easily to his feet. “You had no part in it,” the Elf said certainly.

The thief hung his head in shame. “No, but I could not stop it, either. They wouldn’t listen.”

Isalith placed a reassuring hand on Aefic’s shoulder.

“Men of their kind *never* listen. There is nothing you could have done….they would have killed you, had you tried. You bear no blame in this.”

“Why do I not find comfort in knowing that?” Aefic asked miserably.

“Because, my friend, unlike your partners, you have a conscience.” Now Isalith *did* smile, and the radiance of it was like the sunrise in the dark forest clearing.

Suddenly Isalith’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he gazed at Aefic, and for a brief moment the young robber believed his life was over. He’s changed his mind, he is going to kill me, he thought in wild panic.

And when the Elf drew the long knife from the scabbard at his hip, Aefic closed his eyes and missed all that happened next. He only heard the sound of the knife as it sailed through the air, spinning end over end, followed by a short strangled cry.

Aefic opened his eyes in surprise and realized that Isalith was turned away from him, gazing at a spot at the edge of the clearing. The thief tilted his head to look over the Prince’s shoulder, and his eyes widened at the sight that met him.

Cyril *had* returned, and Aefic had neither heard nor seen him. He hadn’t seen the jittery man as he stood in stricken silence, taking in the sight of the two brothers who lay dead; hadn’t heard the soft gasp of shock he gave.

Unfortunately for Cyril, Isalith *had* heard him, to his doom. The Elf’s knife had pierced his back, pinning him to a large tree as he had turned to flee into the woods. He dangled there like a broken doll, head lolling back. Aefic couldn’t feel the tiniest twinge of grief for any of them. They died as they had lived…….violently.

Isalith turned to face Aefic again, and his face was peaceful now. “It is over.”

Aefic nodded. “Your friend? Is he…..?”

“Recovering,” Isalith smiled again. “He is well.”

The young thief nodded again, relieved. “His ring!” he suddenly remembered, and he looked over to where Caedmon laid.

“You take it,” Isalith replied. “Sell it, and use the money to start a new life. Leave the way of the thief behind; you are a good man. Robbing others is beneath you.”

Aefic stared at him. “But, he said it had been a gift from his father!”

“King Thranduil will have another ring crafted for him, one that is not tainted with the memory of brutality or cruelty. Take the ring, and put it to good use.” Isalith clasped his shoulder reassuringly before turning to walk toward Hithrawyn, as he waited patiently.

“Thank you, I will,” Aefic said gratefully. “And I will tell everyone I meet about what I saw here tonight.”

Isalith looked back over his shoulder, and smiled. “I was hoping you would.” He vaulted gracefully onto Hithrawyn’s back, and Aefic stared at the stallion, confounded by a sudden realization.

“Sir, your horse,” he said haltingly. “I *did* see wings a few moments ago……didn’t I?”

“You did,” Isalith applied with a wry grin. “But he does not belong to me……he is my friend.”

Still smiling as the stallion turned to bear him back to his family and his love, the dark-haired Prince added, “And where he is concerned, I ceased asking questions a long time ago.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH, TO EVERYONE WHO IS STILL READING THIS STORY! I WAS SCARED TO DEATH THAT ALL INTEREST IN IT HAD DISAPPEARED. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!! OH, AND THE NEXT CHAPTER IS IN PROGRESS, AS I SPEAK.

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I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate their encouragement on my story. I haven't abandoned it, or you, I promise. You're the ones who keep me going......I could never do it without each one of you. It turns out that the bumpy ride I was on for a while had only slowed down, not come to a complete stop. But I'm taking steps to heal myself of the scars left over from an emotionally and verbally abusive marriage. I WILL finish this story, and have made plans for others afterward....including a couple of original fics with Elven characters. But I wanted to thank you all so much....that you took the time to write a line or two, encouraging me to continue with TAMHB, was EXACTLY the lift I needed. I'll see you all soon......promise!!!