Fading Light

Found

Estel came to himself many hours later. It was dark and he was laying up against a tree, but he was no longer in the same forest he had been in before.

What happened?

Estel struggled to recall what had happened when he suddenly felt a burning pain in his back as he moved.

Then he remembered, he had been attacked by a wolf and had been rescued by the elf he was searching for.

At least I hope it's the elf.

Estel felt confident that he had been the elf Gandalf had asked him to find. The question was, where did he go?

As if to answer his question the elf suddenly appeared at his side, arms crossed and staring down at him.

His hood was covering his head and a black covered the bottom half of his face, revealing two narrowed, blue eyes.

Estel didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all.

"Can you walk?"
Estel blinked in surprise at the elf's question.
"What do you mean?"

"Can you walk or will I have to carry you the rest of the way?"
The elf asked impatiently.
"Where are you taking me?"
Estel asked drilling the elf with his own hard stare.

"To a place where you can receive proper healing. I have nothing to treat your wound with and if you want to live to see another day I suggest that you answer my question."

Estel wished he could strangle the elf as he carefully stood to his feet. His wound had been bandaged but Estel knew that it needed to be properly cleaned if he didn't want infection to set in.

Usually, he could treat himself if he had been injured, but he couldn't reach the wound on his back, and he doubted that the elf would help him.

Should I tell him that Gandalf sent me?

Estel decided to wait until he was certain that this was, in fact, the elf he was looking for.

"I did not ask you if you could stand, I asked you if you could walk."
Estel glared at the elf as he took a small step forward.

He stumbled and fell to his knees, cursing under his breath as he struggled to get up.

The elf sighed and walked over to him. He extended a hand to Estel; who grudgingly took it.

"It seems that you will need help walking."
Estel wanted to draw his sword and teach the arrogant elf a lesson, only to find that it was gone.

"Are you looking for this?"
The elf drew Estel's sword and held it in front of him.
"I will return it to you once we have arrived."

"Arrived where?"
Estel clenched his fists together as he watched the elf resheath his sword.

"That is none of your concern."
"I will not follow you to an unknown place."
"Then you will die here."

Estel groaned in frustration. What choice did he have?

"If you do not want to follow me I can render you unconscious again and drag you through the snow again if you like."

"YOU DRAGGED ME HERE?"
The elf shrugged which only added to Estel's anger.
"Do you wish to get going or do want to stay out here and freeze?"

Without waiting for a reply the elf walked over to Estel and put one of his arms over his shoulder.

"We are not that far, we should be able to arrive before dawn."
Estel allowed himself to be supported by the elf as they walked through the snow.