Chapter 14:  show down

Elrond, Glorfindel and Elrohir hastened down the main street toward the town hall. The three Elves did not make much effort to hide their weapons.

Elrond was now determined to rescue his oldest son at all costs. Should the mayor again be unapproachable he would use all means necessary to free his child.

The time for talking was over. He would publicly confront the ruler of this city with the knife, proving that Elladan had acted in self-defense.

The healer opened his bond with his son, but again stony silence met him. Elrond gritted his teeth. He had hoped to get some information from the older twin to better judge the situation.

He briefly looked at Elrohir running next to him, but his face was unreadable. He was not sure if the brothers were in contact. Glorfindel´s gaze was also directed at their goal. Elrond inhaled sharply.

When they reached the place behind the town hall, it was crowded with many spectators, and the elves stopped momentarily; Elrond shuddered when he saw families with small children. The parents were eagerly pointing at the gibbet. Had this world gone mad? The crowd cheered and hooted as if they were visiting a local market.

Elrohir was rooted to the spot, wide-eyed. They mayor was already standing on the gibbet´s platform his booming voice could be heard into the last corner.

“Good people of Tharbad. Today´s the day we will expiate a great wrong. This elf ……”

Glorfindel held his breath when the man pointed at the corner of the platform. Only now he saw the older twin sitting there on a low stool, his hands bound behind his back and wearing a black burlap bag over his head. The warrior bristled. This was a disgusting farce.

“……..this elf has murdered the son of our good judge in cold blood……..”

“Hang him now!” an old man at the front row cried.

The judge standing in the background smiled thinly at the comment. Elrond swallowed. Now there was no doubt anymore that they were deadly serious.

Again, the healer reached out along his bond and this time he managed to breach the barrier.

`Ada?”

`I´m here my son.”

`I´m afraid.”

Elrond closed his eyes. With much effort, he repressed his rising anguish.

`Elladan we are here with you. Don´t do anything reckless.”

A mental nod was the answer.

When Elrohir was about to unsheathe his sword, Elrond grabbed his son´s wrist quickly.

“Stay your hand.”

The younger twin looked at his father, confused.

“I will not let them hang him…..”

Elrond quickly put a hand over the younger twin´s mouth. He dragged his son behind a pillar. Unfortunately, some of the bystanders had already seen the elves.

The healer looked at his son sternly while Glorfindel stepped up.

“I will not let this happen either, but with force we will achieve nothing.”

Elrohir looked at his father aghast.

“And what do you want to do? Ask them to a tea party?”

Elrond shoved his son further back into the alcove.

“Silence! Glorfindel you look after him!” Elrond thrust his sword into the warrior´s hand.

Not waiting for a confirmation, the healer returned into the crowd his hood pulled deeply over his face.

“Now let us continue to put this episode behind us. Hangman, proceed.”

“DARO!”

At the loud voice and unfamiliar word silence suddenly ensued. All eyes were directed at the dark-haired elf suddenly standing among them.

The hangman, already jerking Elladan toward the middle of the platform, quickly halted his steps; he was having a great deal of difficulty dragging the tall elf along with him anyway.

Before anyone could react, the healer had sprung onto the platform. Elrond´s eyes blazed when the hangman forced Elladan to his knees with a brutal kick to the back of his legs. Elrond could not see his child´s face for the black bag still over his head.

 Elrond turned to face the crowd.

“Hear me out. Your mayor is lying to you. My son is innocent. He has acted in self-defence while protecting his sister from being assaulted by HIS son.” Elrond pointed at the judge.

“And here I have the evidence.” He held up the knife.

Now chaos erupted.

The crowd cried loudly in confusion. The judge had sprung up and cried out something to the hangman.

“Ada look out!”

This was Elrohir!

Elrond whirled around when two sturdy man crashed into him. Momentarily stunned, elf and men tumbled from the platform. Elrond came back to his feet quickly, knocking the two men unconscious with lightning speed. He whirled around to search for the knife he had dropped during the fall.

Espying the knife, he grabbed it and sprinted back toward the platform. The hangman had meanwhile dragged the older twin over the trapdoor already putting the rope over his head.

Elrond hastened toward the mayor and grabbed the man in a headlock, holding to his throat the knife he had produced as evidence.

“Release my son, or this one will not see another sunrise.”

The healer pressed the knife to the other´s throat, already drawing blood. With cold eyes he looked at the judge. He knew that this man pulled all the strings.

Suddenly it was deadly silent in the courtyard.

The judge sneered.

“You of all demand justice? That´s hilarious. Your son really takes after you. A murderous family.”

Elrond blinked. What was this man talking about?

“You have killed his wife and her unborn child.”

The judge pointed first at the mayor and then at the healer.

A commotion in the crowd made Elrond turn; the knife still in place.

“Release him at once Elf, or I will kill this whelp quicker than you can draw another breath, believe me.”

With horror, Elrond looked at the jailor holding a semi-conscious Elrohir. The younger twin was bleeding heavily from a wound over his left eye.

Elrond shook his head. Where was Glorfindel?

He let out an enraged cry when the jailor raised a knife and plunged it down, yet the cry changed into a keening wail when the sound of an opened trapdoor reached his ears.

To be continued…………