Chapter Two: The Spider
Legolas left Rivendell seven days after his arrival. It was pure coincidence that Aragorn also planed to depart on that day. In the week leading up to this departure they saw each other in passing a few times, but did not speak much. The conversation they had planed to have never occurred. So when they set out down the same path they were a bit uncomfortable. It was mid fall so dried leaves plastered the road, but both Legolas and Aragorn knew how to walk unheard. They journeyed for hours with out any speech. The sun shone down on the travelers and the cool autumn breeze whispered through the forest. Legolas was still immersed in his consultations with Elrond. The elf king spoke of leaving middle earth all together. This bothered Legolas, it felt too much like giving up, and besides the peril was not nearly that great. Yet Legolas knew if the darkness did come the elves would probably flee. Elrond was satisfied with this answer and Legolas knew his father would be as well, but to Legolas abandoning middle earth did not quite feel right. He was aware of the human traveling beside him, but this did not seem to be of much consequence.
Aragorn's thoughts were of a distinctly different nature. He was centuries younger than the elf and had not learned to prioritize his thoughts nearly as well. He tried to think of his home with the rangers, or Arwen, or the approaching darkness, but his thoughts always strayed to the elf beside him. The light shimmered off his corn silk hair illuminating his elven perfection. His gray eyes were sharp and soft all at once, set off by pale golden skin. It bothered Aragorn deeply that he noticed these things. He had been with men before, but this immortal elf obviously had no interest in him. Still, it couldn't hurt to admire his strange beauty. Aragorn spent many years among the elves and was familiar with their bizarre splendor, but for some reason is looked different on Legolas.
Suddenly Legolas stopped, halting Aragorn with an outstretched arm. Aragorn looked at him questioningly, but the elf gestured for silence. They stood in place for a few moments with out making a sound.
"I think I hear someone approaching from the south." Legolas whispered in the language of the elves. Aragorn strained his ears and sure enough a faint sound of leaves crunching was drawing nearer from that direction. It was so soft even Aragorn, with the trained ears of a ranger, would not have heard it if Legolas had not pointed it out. Aragorn did not have time to admire his companion's skill. The crunching was drawing nearer and the pair had to decide how to respond. Legolas gestured to the trees as if to say: If we climb high enough we will be able to see them before they see us. Aragorn immediately saw the wisdom of this plan. He did not waste time agreeing, choosing to simply climb the nearest tree. There were very few branches at the base of the great pine, so Aragorn quickly scaled a smaller willow near by and jumped back to the pine when there were enough branches to support him.
Legolas noticed Aragorn's almost elflike grace and agility as he slithered up an aged oak. He did not have time to reflect on this information however, so he filed it away for later. Instead he turned his razor gaze to the south, scanning for the maker of the noise. He locked onto a shadow quickly moving in their direction. With a start he saw that it was a giant spider, to which Legolas had never seen the like. He had fought spiders before, great packs of them the size of carriages, but this was different. This spider was the size of an inn. Its legs were as thick as the tree in which Legolas hid, the color of eggplant and covered in spiky hairs like needles. Its body was round and thick, big enough to sink a ship. And yet none of this compared to the head, polka doted with eight wriggling eyes black as beetles and each the size of Legolas's head. Under this two tusks protruded, yellow brown and razor sharp, dripping great buckets of spittle onto the ground. When Legolas saw the beast it was too far away for him to understand its enormity, it fact it was just a dark blip hidden in the woods, but Legolas saw it. He pointed it out to Aragorn, who squinted in the general direction of the beast. Neither of them comprehended the problem at this point, thinking the spider was merely large and together they would easily slay the creature.
As it drew nearer though the true sight of the spider stunted them. Both of them were acclaimed warriors in their right, but neither knew how to even attempt to slay this beast. They stood still but for a moment, nonetheless the spider traveled so quickly that it was half a mile closer by the time they got over their astonishment. They could now see the beast's pincers extended towards them piercing and each as big as a full-grown man. The spider had not yet seen them so Legolas gestured for them to keep hidden. They sank into the leaves of their respective trees. They peeped through the branches, watching the spider's advance with bated breath. Legolas wondered where such a beast came from and why he had never heard of it before. It was memorable enough to spawn tales and rumors. Aragorn was analyzing the monster's week points, looking for a conceivable plan of attack. He was actually glad for the distraction. Aragorn could focus on battle with all his energy and drive all thoughts of the delicious elf in the tree beside him away.
As the spider approached, at an alarming rate, its stench of rotten eggs and corpses filled the air. Both warriors stifled a gag, hoping the beast would simply pass them by. It was now so close now Legolas could see the individual hairs incasing its massive legs. He waited apprehensively as it scuttled passed him. The monster's head was only ten feet below him, its beady eyes staring decidedly ahead. Legolas knew not to exhale loudly as the spider moved passed his hiding place. Suddenly it stopped. Legolas froze. He had done nothing to give himself away, but it had not mattered. The spider's eyes rolled back to focus on Legolas staring at the elf as if he was a morsel of food. A lesser warrior would have frozen, but Legolas started firing arrows at the spider's eyes in a rapid succession. Five hit their targets before the spider lunged at Legolas forcing him to jump to the next tree. The spider's lunge was so forceful it nocked down not only the first tree and the second, but also the tree in which Aragorn hid. The three ancient trees splintered and crashed to the ground as Legolas and Aragorn hastily clung to near by trees that had not been toppled.
The Spider was still trying to figure out how to function with only three working eyes, so Legolas swung himself into Aragorn's tree.
"If you distract it, I can get close enough to kill the beast. Three well-placed arrows in the back of the neck from close range should be adequate." The elf proposed. Aragorn quickly thought this over. The plan would most likely work if executed properly, but one or both of them might die in the process. Seeing no better plan the man nodded his consent and launching himself from the tree. He landed on the monster's leg and it's barb like hairs dug into his skin. Nonetheless he proceeded in hacking at the leg with his sword effectively drawing its attention. Legolas lightly plummeted to the spider's hairy back. Softly treading towards its exposed neck. All seemed to be working, but suddenly that plan went horribly wrong. As Aragorn slashed and jumped from one leg to another more needles pierced his skin so despite his commendable swordsmanship he slowed as they were coated in a strong paralytic. When the spider's razor pincers descended onto him he did not slash quickly enough. The beast grabbed him and raised him high. Its pincers digging into his sides drew blood that welled up and gushed down like a waterfall. When Legolas saw this he immediately abandoned his task and dashed towards the extended pincer. He drew his knives as he flipped onto the monster's head slashing at the claws holding Aragorn. He stood right next to the monster's eyes, but paid them no heed. His attention was solely focused on freeing Aragorn. He did not have space in his thoughts at this time to notice how much he cared for a man he barley knew. The man in question had gone unconscious, his eyelids fluttered open showing only the whites, and his skin was pale from blood loss. Legolas was so absorbed in freeing Aragorn that he didn't see the second pincer until it was upon him. Luckily Legolas had fast reflexes even for an elf and managed to dive out of the way, but the pincer still caught him in the forehead. He ignored the wound and slashed at the limb imprisoning Aragorn one more time. It fell off the great spider with a crash. The beast tried desperately to shake off Legolas, but the elf was sliding down anyway.
He ran to Aragorn and painstakingly pried him from the tight pincer. When he was done he shot several arrows at the spider that was quickly getting over the loss of its right arm. This bought Legolas enough time to drag Aragorn into a hollow off the path. Having traveled this path many times before Legolas knew that it extended into a great cave perfect for hiding until he could figure out what to do.
