Author's note: Until he was 20, Aragorn neither knew his name nor his parentage. Fostered by Elrond, he was given the name Estel which means hope.
Everything went wrong with the first shot.
Estel hadn't even intended to take it. He had been instructed by Elrohir to merely observe the orcs and find out where they were encamped, but the orcs had been upwind and oblivious to his presence. Then one of them had to stick his big fat head out like a pointy-eared melon and Estel-who already had an arrow nocked and drawn just in case-had simply let go.
The arrow had buried itself in the orc s eye and punched through the back of his skull, just as when Estel's father had been slain by an orc. The surprised orc collapsed without a sound and a couple more orc heads popped up and looked around, apparently unsure of what had happened.
Estel quickly nocked and drew a second arrow, but his target spied him and ducked as he let the arrow fly. Another orc behind the first, peering into the gathering dusk, was struck in the back. He fell with a howl and a dozen snarling orcs popped up ready to counterattack.
Estel turned and fled into the broken lands of the Trollshaws. It was the worst possible time to start a fight with orcs. The twilight would soon give way to full night and the orcs would have the advantage.
He did his best to remember the lessons his foster brothers Elrohir and Elladan had tried to teach him of riding, shooting and hunting. He scampered from brush to rock to tree, pausing just long enough to wound an orc or two before hurrying away. He led the orcs in an outward spiraling circle, always trying to keep them off guard by attacking them from the side.
The orcs apparently caught on to his tricks. He paused behind a rock, nocked another arrow and leaned out to find a target. Two black arrows buzzed past like angry hornets, one of them slicing into his drawing shoulder. It immediately began to burn and Estel cursed himself as he turned and fled. Elrohir or even Elladan would have been happy to overlook this little transgression. They hated orcs more than anyone. But the arrowhead was almost certainly poisoned with orc feces, which meant a healer would have to attend to it, and that meant Elrond would find out. Estel wasn't going to hear the end of this, from Elrond or his mother, for some time.
Estel scampered up a cleft in a nearby ridge. He knew Elrohir was camped somewhere nearby and he hoped he was moving in the right direction. Black orc arrows clattered against nearby stones as he made for the summit. Once at the top, he paused to shoot back at his pursuers, not taking the time to aim a killing shot, but only seeking to wound another and slow their pursuit. He scrambled down the far side and circled around the hill hoping to take them again from an unexpected direction.
The orcs were lined up along the cleft, peering cautiously over the top. Arrows took the lead two in the side of the head and they fell. Everyone turned to the source and Estel saw his brother Elrohir standing boldly tall and proud in his elven warrior s robes. Estel quickly drew and shot, killing two more orcs.
The orcs looked around. With a third of their number no more than corpses tumbling down the hill and with half the remainder wounded-with one proud elf warrior drawing back his bow and who knows how many more hiding in the brush, the orcs did what all orcs do in such situations. They turned and fled with wailing cries, throwing down their bows as they scrambled over the rocks.
Estel and Elrohir took down two more orcs, and finished off the slower of the wounded. When they had finished, Elrohir lowered his bow and glared at Estel. "I thought I told you not to engage the orcs."
Estel shrugged with an apologetic smile. "How could I not when they asked so politely. I am generous to a fault."
Elrohir glared at him a moment longer, then gave a single barking laugh. "Still, it was well done. We must hurry back to Imladris though. If we don't make it back before sunup, father will have my head."
Estel glanced at his bleeding shoulder. "I fear it's already too late to escape his wrath."
