Legolas crouched behind the rock, watching the dozen Orcs below him. Even from this distance, he could smell their foul smell and hear their guttural growls. While most Orcs were stunted creatures with crooked limbs, these were taller and stronger, shod in iron with crude swords in their hands.
Uruks. Legolas thought. We may have driven out the Necromancer from Dol Guldur but his foul works remain...
Unslinging his shortbow, Legolas knocked an arrow and took aim at the nearest Uruk. His bow sang as he let the arrow fly, a true shot that struck him in the neck. Even as he started to fall, he had loosed another arrow, killing a second Uruk before they realised they were under attack. With a roar, they turned towards him and charged, their teeth bared in their bloodlust. He killed another three before they reached him, the first thrusting his sword towards him. Legolas swayed away from his blow, his hand unsheathing his knife and slicing open his throat. Ducking under another wild swing, he swept the Uruk's leg from under him and plunged the blade between the plates of his armour. Then a shadow fell over him and a fist to crashed into his jaw, knocking him to the ground. He struggled to rise and a boot connected with his ribs, knocking him backwards to strike his head on the ground. The last thing that he saw before darkness claimed him was one of the Uruks advancing towards him...
When Legolas regained consciousness, it was to find himself lying on the stone floor of a cell with an insistent, pounding pain in his head. With an effort, he managed to sit up with his back against the wall, closing his eyes until the dizziness passed. Unsurprisingly, his weapons had been taken, but he was still alive. Considering what Orcs were known to do to their prisoners, however, that was not the most positive news.
Come on. Focus. You need to find a way out...
Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself to his feet and struggled towards the bars, kneeling down next to them. They were crude metal spars with a heavy lock that he could already tell would be impossible to break. With a sigh, he sat back against the wall and that was when he heard the laugh from the cell across the corridor. It was deep and throaty with a mocking edge that made him look round. Through the gloom, he could see a Dwarf behind the bars, a grim smile behind his thick beard.
'Here's something I never thought that I would see. A high-and-mighty pointy ear taken prisoner by Orcs. So much for the fabled skill of the Elves.'
'You seem to have fared little better.' Legolas said and the Dwarf scowled.
'My name is Gimli, son of Gloin, Elf. And I won't be here much for much longer.'
'This is one of the Necromancer's old fortresses, Gimli, son of Gloin. You can't just smash open the bars, even with a head as hard as yours.'
Gimli glowered and sat back, Legolas turning his attention to his own predicament, feeling around on the stone floor. There was no way to get out of the cell, but there were other things he could do to give himself an edge. His questing fingers found a shard of metal and he allowed himself a mirthless smile...
Legolas looked up when he heard a door open, an Orc descending the stairs towards them. He was shorter and scrawnier than the Uruks he had fought, which suggested why he had been given the job of jailer. However, he wore a crude sword at his belt, so he wasn't about to take any chances.
'You Orc maggot!' Gimli roared, coming to his feet and slamming his shoulder against the bars. 'If I wasn't in this cell, I would have killed you already.'
The guard sneered as he moved towards him, grinning evilly to reveal his brown stained teeth.
'But you are, Dwarf. And you will...urgk!'
The Orc's words were cut off as Gimli grabbed his head and twisted. Legolas heard the soft crack as the Orc dropped to the floor, his neck bent at unnatural angle, his eyes staring at nothing. Quickly, Gimli grabbed the keys from his belt and unlocked the cell, just as a shout came from the top of the stairs.
'Gaarg, what's going on down there?'
The door slammed open and three Uruk's entered, stopping when they saw Gimli.
'Set me free!' Legolas shouted as the Uruk's started down the stairs, but Gimli ignored him.
'Baruk Khazad!' Gimli yelled, charging toward the Uruks with his head down and driving the first one to the ground, ramming his head into the stone floor until he lay still. The second Uruk grabbed him and lifted him off his feet, his arms closing like a vice around him. Then, he staggered backwards as Gimli slammed his head into his nose, making the Uruk roar in pain. He dropped Gimli, the keys clattering away to land in front of Legolas' cell as he struck the ground. Legolas reached through the bars, his fingers brushing against the ring as the Uruk stomped down towards Gimli. At the last second, the Dward rolled aside, kicking out to catch the Uruk on the knee. His roar of pain almost drowned out the snap of bone as he collapsed sideways. Legolas managed to grab the keys, struggling to get them into the lock as Gimli rolled to his feet and charged towards the last Uruk, only to get his boot in the stomach. He crashed to the floor and there was a scrape of steel as the Uruk drew his sword, stepping over him with a cruel sneer.
'You are strong, Dwarf. When you die, it will be...argh!'
He gave a strangled gasp and slumped sideways with a shard of metal embedded at his side, Gimli looking up to see Legolas standing over him with blood on his hands.
'Are you going to lie there all day, Dwarf?' Legolas asked, glancing up at the stairs and Gimli scowled as he got back to his feet.
'If it wasn't for me, you'd still be your cell.' He growled, pushing past him towards a wooden door in the shadows.
'What are you doing?' Legolas asked as he kicked the door open with a splintering of wood. Ignoring him, Gimli stepped inside, returning a few seconds later with his dwarfish helmet and carrying a short-handled axe in one hand. In the other, he held Legolas' bow and quiver.
'Are you going to stand there all day?' He said, deliberately mimicking Legolas' earlier words with a sneer as he passed his weapons over. 'Come on...'
The Orcs were caught unawares as Gimli charged out from the cells, his dwarvish battle cries echoing off the stone walls. Those that didn't fall under the fury of his axe became victims of Legolas' deadly skill as his arrows unerringly found the chinks in their armour until the ground was littered with the dead...
'What will you do, now?' Gimli asked, as he pulled his axe from the body of the last Uruk, wiping the blood from it with disdain.
'I must report to my Father what has happened here.' Legolas said. 'And what of you, Dwarf? Will you return to your kin?'
'Glad to see the back of me, Elf?' Gimli asked and Legolas smiled.
'Of course. But, I will also take some comfort that the forces of Mordor have such dangerous foes to content with.'
'Hah.' Gimli said, sheathing his axe. 'The Orcs of Mordor know this already. You did well for a pointy-eared Elven princeling. There may be hope for you yet, laddie...'
With that, he slung his axe over his shoulder and strolled away, Legolas watching him until he was out of sight.
Farewell, Dwarf...