Chapter 34
Legolas left the blade behind, lying in the new green grass. His ride was far from smooth, but comfortable. There was a short bed in the carriage along with a table with a goblet of wine set in a groove nearest him. Legolas took in the scent of Mirkwood on the blankets and the drink. He missed that smell so badly, but not near as much as he did his father and Elenest. They would round the edge of Mirkwood for two days until they came to the road and entered.
By mid-day the sky was clear and the weather warm. The high trees had been following them for awhile and appeared high and mighty alongside.
The day passed and Legolas ate food from his home eagerly. Crispy breads, fresh greens and a small cut of cooked meat that had been reheated during their short break. They traveled on into the night. Legolas was sleepless thanks to the constant rocking of the cart, but not that alone. He felt too anxious to get home and see his family again.
The next day was dark and rainy, but Legolas could only feel joy. The elves showed now sign of emotion as most guards did, but normally Legolas would talk with them whenever he was traveling. He hadn't a conversation in the last twenty-four hours and was desperate for one now.
He leaned his head out the window and took in the scent of the rain. The elf beside him was wet but still rode on as though made of a strong crystal.
'Will it rain for long?' Legolas asked.
'No, your highness.' responded the elf without looking at him. 'It will begin to snow before long.'
'That's a shame. Is there snow fallen at home?'
'Yes, your highness.' said the elf, finally turning to look at him. 'You'll find there are a lot of changes.' Legolas suddenly felt a piece of ice fall down his shirt. He shuddered and pulled himself inside, but found that the shiver was still there. That look the escort guard gave him... it was so strange.
They finally stopped at the end of the day when they had reached the road and Legolas got to sleep. His dreams were not peaceful.
Whirls of shadows, fire, knives, and screeches of pain from all around. He moaned in his sleep from stabs of burning that appeared and faded quickly. He heard Elenest screaming and the wailing of a child. He saw bright red blood and his soul froze.
He saw a baby. A child in his hands, dying. He was by a farmhouse with broken windows.
The child had blonde hair.
Pointed ears.
The child was dead.
Legolas awoke with a yell. He was breathing hard and fast. Sweat was pouring off his temples. He was moving, bouncing up and down and swaying left to right. He lost his mind for a moment and fell off the bed in his carriage.
Waves of panic and confusion were hitting him from all sides. It was like he was in a disaster zone where a flood or rockslide had just buried many people. His eyes were wide and alert. A scream echoed through the air.
He looked out the window and saw... nothing. There was snow falling peacefully around the carriage going through the forest on a wide road with frozen ice patches that made the ride almost bumpier then when they were traveling outside the forest.
Another wave of sensed panic fled over him, but the scene around him was so peaceful, so quiet and serene.
The trees...
The trees were panicking.
The trees were screaming.
'What's going on?' cried Legolas. 'Why is Mirkwood in such panic and confusion?'
'One of the changes before you left, your highness.' said the guard who he had tried to talk to before. 'I think you'll be quite anxious to see it.'
Legolas wished he had his blade. This was not an elf of Mirkwood, this was the guard of some evil place and part of why the forest was in such fear.
He withdrew his head again and looked around the carriage. This was the first time he realized there was no weaponry in there. He looked around silently as another wave of the panic hit him.
Legolas looked over his shoulder to see the guard watching him with dead eyes. It was like the pupils had suddenly disappeared so they were blank.
Slowly, Legolas reached down and grabbed one of the table legs. He began to twist it, trying to turn it loose from the floor and tabletop.
Like a flash of lightening, a sword from the other window opposite of the bed came hurling towards him. He duck out of the way and it grazed his ear, cutting some of his hair off in the process. The tip of the sword stuck in the wood on the other side and Legolas stood up quickly, kicking out the window to make the man let go.
After yanking the sword loose from the wood he leapt out of the back of the carriage. The horses reared and the elves screamed angrily. Legolas shut his eyes tightly as he swiped at the knees of one horse. The steed whinnied in pain and collapsed, the rider rolling away into the ditch. Legolas barely had time to block another attack from an approaching horseman.
He thrust the blade into the gut of another horseman and he fell from the horse. Legolas sprinted and caught up with it. He leapt on top and began to turn around, galloping towards the two other riders.
The clang of swords and trotting of hooves was the only sound that echoed through the forest where the snow fell quietly.
Legolas's horse tripped on the body of the first rider he killed and screamed like a human when it landed. Legolas knew that it must've broken a leg and felt for it. It wasn't this creature's fault. It was innocent.
He didn't have time to delay since another attack came at him from the elf whose horse he had crippled. Legolas spun and elbowed him in the gut. It was like hitting rock and he could feel a harsh pain all over his arm.
The battle continued on until Legolas was forced to try and run. He knew he wouldn't get far, the road was straight and there was nothing to hide him from the other two rider's blades. He was already out of breath and had to drag his arm which was growing numb and sore.
It wasn't long before the riders caught up and began to circle around him. He lifted up his sword, his arm dangling uselessly at his side.
Just as the rider lifted his sword, a whinny erupted from the woods. Legolas looked over his shoulder just in time to see a huge horse with a bay coat headbutt him. He was in the air for a moment before bouncing on the horse's back. He dropped his sword and grabbed at the mane with his good arm. When he looked down he was shocked.
It was the horse he had bought and freed in Rohan!
.
Did I not tell you that horse would come back? Didn't I? Didn't I?
Well, there's the first chapter of the last book, WAIT! What is that below? Read on and see!
Legolas didn't have to look over his shoulder to know the two riders were catching up. The horse had been free for awhile now and had grown fat from feasting somewhere where green grass still grew. It was slowing down.
Legolas kicked the horse's flanks but it could go no longer. It reared and spun around. Legolas began to slide off the back. A rope suddenly clutched the horse's hoof and if fell. Legolas cried out at the pain in his arm and rolled over the fresh snow, leaving behind a pressed path.
He made impact with a tree. He felt as though a loud bang ripped through his body and blackness took him over.
Legolas left the blade behind, lying in the new green grass. His ride was far from smooth, but comfortable. There was a short bed in the carriage along with a table with a goblet of wine set in a groove nearest him. Legolas took in the scent of Mirkwood on the blankets and the drink. He missed that smell so badly, but not near as much as he did his father and Elenest. They would round the edge of Mirkwood for two days until they came to the road and entered.
By mid-day the sky was clear and the weather warm. The high trees had been following them for awhile and appeared high and mighty alongside.
The day passed and Legolas ate food from his home eagerly. Crispy breads, fresh greens and a small cut of cooked meat that had been reheated during their short break. They traveled on into the night. Legolas was sleepless thanks to the constant rocking of the cart, but not that alone. He felt too anxious to get home and see his family again.
The next day was dark and rainy, but Legolas could only feel joy. The elves showed now sign of emotion as most guards did, but normally Legolas would talk with them whenever he was traveling. He hadn't a conversation in the last twenty-four hours and was desperate for one now.
He leaned his head out the window and took in the scent of the rain. The elf beside him was wet but still rode on as though made of a strong crystal.
'Will it rain for long?' Legolas asked.
'No, your highness.' responded the elf without looking at him. 'It will begin to snow before long.'
'That's a shame. Is there snow fallen at home?'
'Yes, your highness.' said the elf, finally turning to look at him. 'You'll find there are a lot of changes.' Legolas suddenly felt a piece of ice fall down his shirt. He shuddered and pulled himself inside, but found that the shiver was still there. That look the escort guard gave him... it was so strange.
They finally stopped at the end of the day when they had reached the road and Legolas got to sleep. His dreams were not peaceful.
Whirls of shadows, fire, knives, and screeches of pain from all around. He moaned in his sleep from stabs of burning that appeared and faded quickly. He heard Elenest screaming and the wailing of a child. He saw bright red blood and his soul froze.
He saw a baby. A child in his hands, dying. He was by a farmhouse with broken windows.
The child had blonde hair.
Pointed ears.
The child was dead.
Legolas awoke with a yell. He was breathing hard and fast. Sweat was pouring off his temples. He was moving, bouncing up and down and swaying left to right. He lost his mind for a moment and fell off the bed in his carriage.
Waves of panic and confusion were hitting him from all sides. It was like he was in a disaster zone where a flood or rockslide had just buried many people. His eyes were wide and alert. A scream echoed through the air.
He looked out the window and saw... nothing. There was snow falling peacefully around the carriage going through the forest on a wide road with frozen ice patches that made the ride almost bumpier then when they were traveling outside the forest.
Another wave of sensed panic fled over him, but the scene around him was so peaceful, so quiet and serene.
The trees...
The trees were panicking.
The trees were screaming.
'What's going on?' cried Legolas. 'Why is Mirkwood in such panic and confusion?'
'One of the changes before you left, your highness.' said the guard who he had tried to talk to before. 'I think you'll be quite anxious to see it.'
Legolas wished he had his blade. This was not an elf of Mirkwood, this was the guard of some evil place and part of why the forest was in such fear.
He withdrew his head again and looked around the carriage. This was the first time he realized there was no weaponry in there. He looked around silently as another wave of the panic hit him.
Legolas looked over his shoulder to see the guard watching him with dead eyes. It was like the pupils had suddenly disappeared so they were blank.
Slowly, Legolas reached down and grabbed one of the table legs. He began to twist it, trying to turn it loose from the floor and tabletop.
Like a flash of lightening, a sword from the other window opposite of the bed came hurling towards him. He duck out of the way and it grazed his ear, cutting some of his hair off in the process. The tip of the sword stuck in the wood on the other side and Legolas stood up quickly, kicking out the window to make the man let go.
After yanking the sword loose from the wood he leapt out of the back of the carriage. The horses reared and the elves screamed angrily. Legolas shut his eyes tightly as he swiped at the knees of one horse. The steed whinnied in pain and collapsed, the rider rolling away into the ditch. Legolas barely had time to block another attack from an approaching horseman.
He thrust the blade into the gut of another horseman and he fell from the horse. Legolas sprinted and caught up with it. He leapt on top and began to turn around, galloping towards the two other riders.
The clang of swords and trotting of hooves was the only sound that echoed through the forest where the snow fell quietly.
Legolas's horse tripped on the body of the first rider he killed and screamed like a human when it landed. Legolas knew that it must've broken a leg and felt for it. It wasn't this creature's fault. It was innocent.
He didn't have time to delay since another attack came at him from the elf whose horse he had crippled. Legolas spun and elbowed him in the gut. It was like hitting rock and he could feel a harsh pain all over his arm.
The battle continued on until Legolas was forced to try and run. He knew he wouldn't get far, the road was straight and there was nothing to hide him from the other two rider's blades. He was already out of breath and had to drag his arm which was growing numb and sore.
It wasn't long before the riders caught up and began to circle around him. He lifted up his sword, his arm dangling uselessly at his side.
Just as the rider lifted his sword, a whinny erupted from the woods. Legolas looked over his shoulder just in time to see a huge horse with a bay coat headbutt him. He was in the air for a moment before bouncing on the horse's back. He dropped his sword and grabbed at the mane with his good arm. When he looked down he was shocked.
It was the horse he had bought and freed in Rohan!
.
Did I not tell you that horse would come back? Didn't I? Didn't I?
Well, there's the first chapter of the last book, WAIT! What is that below? Read on and see!
Legolas didn't have to look over his shoulder to know the two riders were catching up. The horse had been free for awhile now and had grown fat from feasting somewhere where green grass still grew. It was slowing down.
Legolas kicked the horse's flanks but it could go no longer. It reared and spun around. Legolas began to slide off the back. A rope suddenly clutched the horse's hoof and if fell. Legolas cried out at the pain in his arm and rolled over the fresh snow, leaving behind a pressed path.
He made impact with a tree. He felt as though a loud bang ripped through his body and blackness took him over.