I had this little fic for some time now. Never really had the guts to publish it, and I still don't think I should've published it anyway. It was quite challenging to write my first LOTR fanfic.
Well, since I finally posted it, enjoy!
Of Madness and Mischief
Year 2965 of the Third Age – Around the outskirts of Rivendell
It was not a common sight to have a man in the company of an elf. It was even more uncommon – or rare, even – for the two races to share a close bond of friendship. Yet the elves of Imladris, however puzzled they may be, are often treated to this unusual spectacle, which always consisted of a certain Archer of Mirkwood and a mischievous Ranger of the North.
Both man and elf, though considered youths amongst their kin, were far from being called children. One of which was the crown prince of the Woodland Realm, and the other was an heir to the Throne of Gondor. Though when in company of each other, whatever dignity they had were washed away, mulled over by the sounds of trouble, teasing, and – more often than not – accidents.
These two, man and elf in question, were currently perched on a low but sturdy branch of an oak tree. They were a short distance from the Bruinen, just out of reach from the safety of the Last Homely House. That, however, was of no concern to the two companions, who constantly sought for anything that could, or possibly land them in trouble.
"See those orcs over there?" the fair-haired elf said, pointing into the dense forest. "They are not exactly that far, nor quiet. Even a human like you should be able to see them from this distance."
"Ay, Legolas." The man agreed, "I noticed them even before you pointed them out."
A bunch of roughly forty orcs were trudging slowly through the forest with their backs to the two friends.
Legolas's eyes lit up suddenly, and he turned to the human. "Estel, what say we take them out without them noticing us?"
Aragorn made a small noise in his throat. "Why, that would be no fun at all."
But Legolas was no longer listening. He got lightly onto his feet, and stood tall on the branch. An arrow was already drawn and fitted into his bow. The elf needed no hesitation before releasing the arrow.
The unfortunate last orc of the pack fell to the ground with no more than the smallest hint of surprise, with an arrow pierced through its heart. The other orcs knew nothing about their fallen companion, and continued on their journey.
Meanwhile, Legolas turned to Aragorn with a raised eyebrow. "I bet you will have the entire pack heading for us if you tried to do that."
Falling for the bait, Aragorn glared at the elf, and pulled his own bow out of his pack. Standing up, the man placed his feet apart to balance himself before taking aim.
Another orc, a smaller one this time, crashed to the ground dead. The crunching sound of the body on the leaves was easily swept off by the loud footsteps of the army of orcs.
It was Aragorn's turn to give a smug look at the elf. "You were saying…mellon nin?"
Legolas gave him a derisive snort and nocked another arrow, bringing down yet another orc. But the elf did not stop there. A second arrow followed the first in quick succession, bringing his total to two dead orcs in less than two seconds.
Content, the elf allowed a smile to grace his lips as he tilted his head at the ranger. Aragorn needed no further prompt to recognize the challenge.
Unfortunately for the human, the pack of orcs were now much further than before. His first shot was not an immediate kill, for the orc let out a squeal as the arrow pierced his torso. Even before Aragorn could let loose his second arrow, the orcs had turned and were warned of the attack. The beady eyes raked through the forest grounds as they scanned for their opponent.
"Did I not warn you what would happen if you tried to sneak up on the orcs?" whispered the musical voice of the elf.
Aragorn scoffed and replied, "I intended for that to happen."
Legolas huffed in disbelief, but an idea lit up his eyes again. "Very well, Estel. Now you will pay for that."
"How so?" said Aragorn uncertainly. He had seen the exact same expression written on the elf's face all too often. Many a time, it involved him being in the most unpleasant situation.
The corners of Legolas's lips turned upwards and the elf leaned closer. "The orcs have not laid their eyes on us. You mentioned you wanted some fun, did you not? Then you can be the bait!"
Quicker than Aragorn could react, the elf shoved hard in the chest, tipping the human off balance from the smooth branch of the oak tree. Aragorn's feet slipped off the branch, and he fell backwards. Just before he could fall to the ground in the most un-ranger-like manner, the slender arm of the elf grabbed on to his forearm to break his fall, before quickly releasing him.
The browning leaves that littered the forest ground did far from attempting to muffle the sound of his boots on the floor. Instead, they made a loud 'crunch' sound, which was enough to inform the already alert orcs to his presence.
A second of silence lasted as thirty five ugly creatures turned their eyes on him.
Aragorn drew his sword from his belt, feeling the familiar leather grip in his hand. In less than a blink of an eye, the orcs charged at him, pointing their heavy blades in his direction, and growling at him. Aragorn figured that those creatures may not have taken the death of their fallen companions too kindly.
Bracing himself for the fight that was to come, Aragorn spared a glance at the oak tree he had 'fallen' from. The orcs seemed not to have noticed Legolas, which was a good and a bad thing at the same time. Good because that meant that Legolas could snipe at the charging orcs with his bow and arrows. Bad because Aragorn was the only target the orcs had, and every one of those creatures wished to have a hand at killing him.
His elven friend was perched on a branch, blending into the nature. The elf already had is bow in hand, full quiver slung over his back. The twin ivory blades went along with the quiver on his back. Legolas looked every bit the warrior Aragorn knew him to be.
The elf shot arrow after arrow, never hesitating a second to aim. Each arrow found its mark, thinning the front line orcs before they even reached Aragorn. However, it did not take long before the rampage of orcs were upon him, and he had to put his sword to use. Not that Aragorn was complaining, for it had been a rather dull three weeks since he had last encountered orcs lurking outside the borders of Imladris.
Aragorn swiped his sword in a wide arc, forcing the orcs to take a hasty step backwards. The first two unlucky orcs did not react quickly enough, and the blade cut them neatly in half. Seeing their fellow companions lying on the ground in no way discouraged the herd of orcs. They knew he was greatly outnumbered, and their eyes were feasting on the human flesh.
The orcs pressed forward, each of them wishing to be the lucky one to give the killing blow. Aragorn could feel their growl of anticipation as they threw themselves forward to pounce on him. One of them was even pushed forward that it threw itself on Aragorn's sword, impaling itself on the sharp tip. The ranger used his feet to kick hard on the chest of the dead orc, and tugged the blackened blade out of its body.
Meanwhile, Legolas, who somehow had miraculously kept himself unseen this whole time, noticed that the orcs were starting to form a circle around his friend. Fighting on two fronts was a practically impossible job with these many orcs, and could lead to some serious injury if the man was just a little careless. Legolas gave a snort at his conclusion. Aragorn was reckless when it came to picking up fights. In fact, he was the reason for getting himself in this position.
The elf slung his bow over his shoulder, and leapt soundlessly across to another tree branch, positioning himself just over the eye of the battle. As the orcs started to close up the circle, he jumped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground.
"Not a few seconds ago, I thought the revered prince of Mirkwood had fled from a fight," came the teasing voice of the ranger.
Legolas reached both his arms back to grasp the handles of his twin knives. He unsheathed them, and twirled them in his fingers before bringing his right knife to block a descending attack, and following up to slice the attacking orc with his left blade.
"You were obviously not a match for so many orcs, adan! You require my aid." The elf replied.
"I would have been able to handle them well on my own."
A smile crept onto the elf's' features as he recalled what had happened the last time Aragorn had said this exact sentence.
"Perhaps you would make it out alive, Estel. But I have no wish to drag you back to Imladris, and having to explain to your ada exactly why you are in the healer's ward again."
"I can get myself out of this without getting injured, elf!"
Legolas raised his eyebrow, even though he knew Aragorn could not see his expression as they were fighting back to back.
"Might I remind you of a particular event only a few weeks ago?"
Aragorn thrust his sword at a particularly resilient orc who tried to send a blow at his legs.
"That was your own fault!" Aragorn insisted, "If you had just stayed with me in the cave for a little longer –"
"Nay, Estel!" the elf interrupted. "The cave was too dark. Staying was not an option."
There were few orcs left now. The forest was littered with dead bodies and black blood of the orcs, which seeped into the grass. The air was dense and heavy, and carried a stench of blood. The remaining orcs took one look at their defeated brethren, and fled into the woods. The lush forest was peaceful again.
Aragorn wiped his filthy blade on his cloak and returned it back to the scabbard. His elven friend was searching the pile of dead orcs to retrieve any undamaged arrows. Legolas inspected each arrow before placing them into his quiver.
"Even you have to admit this was the most fun we had in the past week, Legolas. Elladan and Elrohir will be envious when we return."
Legolas laughed with mirth dancing in his eyes. "You and your brothers have a strange definition of 'fun'."
Both elf and man walked in the direction of the Bruinen, which would lead them back to Imladris.
"And so do you," nodded Aragorn.
The elf huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know that is not true."
"Stubborn elf."
"Meddlesome human."
The Lord of Imladris looked out of his study window as sunlight spilled into the valley of Rivendell. He caught sight of his son and the young prince walking on the grounds. To say that Lord Elrond was surprised would not be entirely truthful. 'Shocked' would not have covered it either.
No, he was in disbelief.
Many a time, or perhaps every time he granted permission for them to go out for a simple 'stroll in the grounds', at least one – sometimes even both of them – would return with something wrong. Be it a dislocated joint or a sprained ankle or even a flesh wound, however minor the injury was, it simply always happened without fail.
Those two were natural magnets for trouble. But this day, the keen eyes of the Elf-lord was stunned to see his son and the Woodland Prince not in any sort of danger for once. It was quite the change and he could do with getting used to this.
Hopefully.
Or so Elrond thought.
Sindarin Translations:
mellon nin – my friend
adan - human
ada – father (informal)
How's my first try on LOTR friendship fic? I really, really need reviews for this one. Please? Constructive criticism is welcome :)