5th of June, 2015

Hello! Sooo, I'm still alive. And here you have another LotR/Hobbit Story. I know, I'm wayyyy behind with my spn updates but I'm just not in the mood right now, with Season 10 just being not what I thought it would be and the show generally being long past its expiration date.

But whatever. To this story. I have a story planned where Legolas gets hurt at Ravenhill, actually. I'm still writing it though and while I did, this little sidestory came to my mind. It blossomed out of a little flashback Tauriel had in one of my scenes. So yeah. Legolas is wounded during one of their first patrol runs in the forest, back when Greenwood wasn't called Mirkwood yet, when the trees used to be strong and the darkness wasn't as pressing. This covers the beginning of that darkness creeping in (should be obvious). I have this story almost finished but I'm going to wait for some feedback before continuing updating. After that it should be fairly fast though.

Be warned. This could contain a bit Legriel (LegolasxTauriel). If you're not that into that you could try to read past it though, it's just a few hints (since their story isn't that far along yet). It's still sweet and angsty though (I hope). Also, worried!Thranduil later. yay.

Sooo...hope you like it! Enjoy :)

His blood in the snow

Part I

Tauriel was perplexed when she saw that the white miniature cotton balls of snow had actually managed to reach the soil of the forest. Her delicate leather boots made soft crunching noises every time they touched the ground surface. The small band of elven guards didn't leave any traces and the noises were so soft that ears that were not of elvish birth would never have heard them. Their dark green and brown uniforms stood out more than they usually did and their soft, relaxed breath blew steam into the air.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a soft voice behind her startled her from her thoughts.

"Yes, it is indeed." She turned around, her red hair stood out against the snow white forest. In contrast to her, her friend's pale exterior and hair almost completely blended with the scenery around them. He smiled at her.

"The tree crowns are unusually thin this year for the snow to make it through in such amounts." The blond noted. His crystal blue eyes flew around the forest, seemingly taking in every single inch. Then he turned his steady gaze back to Tauriel. It was small moments like this, the posture in his shoulders, the way he seemed to glow even more than the snow in the winter sun, that threw back at her how obvious it was that he was royalty.

"We should head back and report to the king." Tauriel stated. They had toured their usual route through the greenwood forest, making sure everything was in place. It was a daily routine that normally counted as the most boring job an elf could get around here. It was mostly reserved for young recruits like they were, newly in the guard and working hard to get up the ranks. This time though, they had the prince with them. He was a formidable warrior who would have easily ranked high up from the start if it wasn't for his own insistence upon starting like everybody else.

And of course there was Tauriel. She had trained with the prince for many years and even though she had also just entered the guard, every superior could see her moving up really fast really soon. There was swiftness in her movements, fire in her spirit and she was favored by their king.

"I do not like the way the trees are developing. They seem…ill." A sigh came from the prince as he just nodded to his friend's comment. He stepped further into the clearing on his own, put the bow on his back and knelt down when he spotted something on the ground. Tauriel noted how the other two behind her, Glamrenor and Naeron, switched their feet nervously from one foot to the other. A party of four was unnecessary large for a (normally completely unnecessary) control patrol and they wanted to get back to the palace as soon as possible. After all they had journeyed all the way to the other side of the forest for several hours now, making the big round through the kingdom and even with their speed and agility, it was tiring them down. The sun would set soon, making the light around them appear brightly red instead of white.

Suddenly, a cracking sound disturbed the layer of absolute silence around them. Under the cover of early winter snow, the forest was always quieter than usual, with the animals retreating and the cotton-like snow dimming all other noises. But right now, all their ears at once noticed movement to their right.

Immediately, all three of the other elves were by the prince's side, assuming their trained positions of defense between the royal and the danger. Tauriel saw how the other guards wanted to shield the prince but immediately, they earned an icy glare from both the heir and Tauriel herself. So they all stood back to back in a loose formation, bows out and several arrows in their shooting hand so they could fire one quickly after the other.

"Show yourselves." The voice of the prince boomed over the quiet surrounding them.

And from one second to the other, they were surrounded. Screams were filling the air, arrows flew through the quiet and later, Tauriel would wonder how creatures as black and dark as these could have snuck up on them at all.

Orcs. There were orcs in their forest.

And it was more than Tauriel could count in the split second she had time to. They were pouring into the clearing but the elves shot them rather fast so there were bodies of orcs pouring upon the snowy forest floor just as soon as they arrived. The clearing was their battlefield as the orcs closed in despite their efforts. Their numbers were simply too many and there were just four of them.

When this was all over, Tauriel would thank the stars that she didn't go alone with her best friend. That would have meant death for both of them. As it was, they were doing rather well. Whatever Orcs were attacking them were killed before they reached them.

But with their numbers rising and the darkness creeping in due to nightfall, the elves were driven back further and further. Not that it could get any closer than back to back, really. They subconsciously crowded around their prince and that may have been their biggest mistake. Tauriel's tension rose, she took short breaths and her ears picked up the orcs' screams and how one of them at the back ordered quietly:

"Aim for the blond one!" and out of the darkness of the night, as if they had been waiting for them to tire out, arrows came flying towards them this time. There weren't many orcs left but they hid behind the trees and aimed strangely carefully. They were all still busy fending off the blunt attackers and Tauriel barely had time to register what was happening. She heard the order, saw the archers and her body wanted to fly around and shield her friend, just to realize that in fact, Legolas was not beside her any longer but at her back, basically protecting her instead. Their formation was broken when a few orcs had reached them and Legolas as well as Naeron had to switch to close combat. No, but she had to…

Legolas, completely unaware of the Orc's new plan, had been entirely concentrated on fending the enemies off with his own arrows and then sword. Even though they were in full armor, the Sindar hit their weak spots every single time, his technique with the bow as excellent as rumored throughout the kingdom. Naeron, one of their comrades, was hit with the first orc arrow. He stumbled and fell, dead immediately. A hit to the heart. Legolas saw it and his shock was followed by anger. The next dead orc was the one who shot first.

But the next arrow hit the prince's unprotected abdomen anyway. And the force behind it made the air leave his lungs, let him stumble in shock and that was when the second arrow pierced his shoulder, closer to the heart this time.

"LEGOLAS!" her high pitched scream cut the air just as piercingly as the arrow did the prince's skin.

So that was the first chapter! Sorry, little cliffhanger here haha.

Love it? Hate it? Please tell me :)

All reviews are appreciated! EVEN just a word would really help me out :3 Thank you in advance *hugs*