Legolas had his eyes closed. He was listening intently to a far off birdcall. It was irregular, and hinted at some danger. �Remember, if we don�t come home with at least two deer, Father will be very suspicious.� The human laughed. �I think he is already, Dan.� �Do you suppose you should go around the riverbed? Legolas hasn�t been there before; not since we discovered that new cave.� Elrohir was more thinking aloud than talking to anyone, but Elladan agreed with him anyway. Aragorn kept peacefully quiet. �I think he might enjoy that. There is rumor of a band of orcs near there,� Elladan smiled. �It�s just a rumor,� Elrohir too smiled, mischief dancing in his eyes. They went on this way for some time, following the winding river. The twins were debating the itinerary, with occasional input from Aragorn. Legolas was intent on interpreting the bird�s cry. It posed no real threat. If there had been real danger in the woods, the birds would be silent. Perhaps this one was only telling of the Rivendell arrivals. There was definitely something odd in its mannerism, though. �Legolas,� Elrohir�s voice pulled him from his concentration. �Kindly stop dominating the conversation.� �Forgive me,� Legolas laughed. �But I think the birds know of our approach.� He would not admit the possibility that there was something else in the woods. He knew these woods all too well, and they were coming dangerously close to Tarduain�s territory. He shuddered involuntarily. Only Elrohir noticed this movement. He moved his horse next to the prince. He spoke quietly. �Tarduain�s gone, remember? He�s locked away in your own dungeons. He�s probably deceased of old age by now. His people have changed greatly from the last time you encountered them. Be at peace here.� Legolas nodded. Aragorn noticed the look of distress on the prince�s face. �Scared of a couple of orcs, are you?� Legolas turned his head slowly to the human. Elladan and Elrohir fell silent, waiting to see what would take place. Legolas licked his lips thoughtfully. �Tell me, Estel, how old are you?� �What business is that of yours?� Elladan chuckled. �Answer him, young one.� �I am 22.� �Care to venture how old I am?� Aragorn held the elf�s gaze squarely. He wondered where this was going. �I don�t know,� he admitted carefully. �I am 2,219. That is considerably older than you.� Aragorn nodded. �I have seen more of the world than you, simply by default of my years. I have also been friends with your brothers since long before your birth. That in itself gives me much experience of the world,� He gave a quick, friendly glance to the twins, �I have encountered orcs more times than I can remember. I have been taken captive by orcs more times than I can count on my fingers. I have been taken captive by the race of men, your race, and escaped. I have even been taken captive by my own race, twice. If you thought orcs were brutal and savage, you have never been a prisoner of an elf. Would you like to ask me now if I am scared of a band of orcs?� Aragorn was silent. Legolas gave a curt nod, moving his horse next to Elladan, who was leading the small group. Elladan smiled broadly. �That was quite amusing. I don�t think I�ve ever seen him put in his place so quickly before.� �People who don�t know me learn soon enough that I am not to be trifled with.� Aragorn was about to mumble something to Elrohir, but Legolas hissed at him suddenly. �Do you hear that?� he whispered after a second. �Hear what?� �Exactly. The birds have gone quiet. I do believe an enemy is near.� Elrohir turned to his elven brother. �How close are we to their camp?� �Miles still, I�m sure. But they couldn�t be out- it�s still daylight.� �They�re behind us,� Legolas whispered in elvish. He spun his horse, and froze. The others followed suit. There, now in front of them, was a group of hooded archers- men by their stature. �Calm yourself, Legolas. Nothing is going to happen, lay calm,� the prince was trying to soothe his nerves. �You are in the borders of Rivendell! Lay down your weapons!� �You are not in Rivendell, elves.� �They�re right, Elrohir, we crossed the border, I�ve just realized.� Instinctively, Elrohir and Elladan moved their horses in front of the prince and Aragorn. �We mean no harm,� Elladan offered. �You are trespassing on the king�s land! State your business!� �We are Elrohir and Elladan- your king has granted us permission to be here.� The man who seemed to be the leader of the group turned and quietly conversed with another archer. He then turned back to the small group from Rivendell. �You know of the orcs that patrol these borders?� Elrohir nodded. �We have heard of them, yes.� �I would advise you to be careful out here. These orcs move in daylight.� He nodded his head to his men. �We are sorry we bothered you.� With that, the men who gone as swift as they had come. �I told you they were different, Legolas,� Elrohir smiled. Legolas shook his head slowly. �There�s just something about that particular scene that seemed oddly familiar.� Elrohir smiled, and changed the subject. �Orcs that travel in sunlight?� �He couldn�t have meant Uruk- hai, could he?� �Not so near to Rivendell, surely.� Legolas stopped the curious questioning. �I think we are about to find out.� The four became silent, listening with a dreadful apprehension to the approach of foul creatures. The first appeared within seconds. Between the four of them, (including the prince,) all things elvish were cursed. Elladan quickly readied his bow. �They did mean Uruk- hai!� �But is doesn�t make sense!� Elrohir protested, also readying his bow. �I don�t think that matters right now!� The first arrow was released- the attack had begun. They felled the foul beast rapidly, but there seemed to be no end to them. Elladan�s voice could scarcely be heard above the noise of the battle. �Dismount! Send the horses home before harm befalls them!� The other three obeyed. The battle lasted far longer than it should have. The elves were fairing well, save the fact that they were now recycling arrows from the dead bodies around them. Aragorn, however, was not so lucky. Being human, he was tiring quickly. His breathing was heavy, and his movements slowed considerably. Legolas was closest to the man. As much as he distrusted Aragorn, he would not see him killed by one of these creatures. He took it upon himself to do what he could to protect the man- to make him fight as little of possible. Another hour dragged by. Legolas hadn�t noticed until now that he could no longer see Elrohir or Elladan. He called to them, but received no answer. He looked to Aragorn. The human looked panicked. He shrugged in response to the prince�s questioning glance. He had forgotten that he disliked the prince. At times like these, petty notions seemed to vanish. He and Legolas were fighting together now. �Estel!� Aragorn spun around as the prince yelled- just in time to sink his sword into another attacking beast. When he turned around, Legolas was nowhere to be seen- until he looked down. There, at his feet, was the prince with an arrow embedded deep in his chest. �Oh, Melkor take it all,� he cursed. He only had time to realize that Legolas had thrown himself in front of Aragorn to save him from the arrow that had been meant for him. A second after the realization, metal was brought down against his skull, and blackness claimed him. |
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