Chapter Four

Legolas pulled Nimros up so suddenly that Aragorn almost went into the back of him. The Sun's first pale rays were just beginning to show over the peaks of the Misty Mountains on the horizon.

"What is it?" the Ranger asked quickly. Legolas was focused intently on something in the distance, but, try as he might, Aragorn simply couldn't see it. He just didn't have the eyes of an Elf.

Legolas tore his gaze away from whatever had caught his attention, and without any aids, using some form of telepathy, spurred Nimros into a gallop.

"Yrch! I've found them! Hurry!"

"Yeah!" Aragorn cheered and slapped the reins on Roheryn's neck. The graceful Elven horse surged forward gracefully, muscles rippling under his glossy coat.

Soon, Aragorn was able to see the Goblins for himself. There were about three score of the beasts, and they were moving fast.

"Aragorn!" Legolas cried in dismay and halted, "He's not with them! Woe is this day! What has happened?"

The Ranger pulled up and squinted at the Goblins. "Perhaps they sent some of their number ahead with the captive?" he suggested hopefully.

"Perhaps. I certainly hope so! Let's kill these ones anyway, to show that we mean business! They can't see us yet, with their poor eyes, so once I get, say, within…half a mile of them, I'm going on foot. I don't want to risk Nimros."

"Okay!" Aragorn grinned and touched the pommel of his sword before galloping on.

A few minutes later, the two stallions neighed in greeting as a herd of wild horses scattered as they passed.

"Right. I'm getting off!" Legolas halted and jumped off Nimros's back. The white stallion pranced off and stood under the shade of a large tree. Legolas and Aragorn moved towards the Goblins, bows strung and at the ready.

Unfortunately, due to Roheryn and Nimros's noise, the Goblins had sighted the animals and their riders. They turned as one and charged towards the four, bellowing.

Legolas stopped beside a small tree and waited calmly for them to come into range, two arrows nocked in his bow; bowstring drawn so far back that his arm shook. Once the Goblins were within about two hundred and fifty yards of the Elf, Legolas released his bowstring with deadly effect. Two Goblins were felled – one took the shaft through the gut and the other took it through the throat. Legolas fitted another two arrows to the string.

Aragorn's bow was much smaller – a hunting bow – so the Ranger had to wait until the Goblins were at least seventy five yards away, but nevertheless, he still managed to shoot one down before slinging his bow over his back, drawing his sword, and galloping into their midst, Roheryn ploughing three down as they went.

Legolas retreated behind the tree and continued his deadly rain of arrows. Soon, though, there wasn't room to shoot a bow, and so the Elf slung it over his back and leaped into the fray, wielding his two White Knives. Black blood covered the ground as Goblins fell like ninepins all around him.

Suddenly, Legolas heard the scream of a horse in pain. Roheryn must have been injured. He hoped the horse was alright, for though he did not own the beast, the Elf was fond of him. Legolas effortlessly beheaded a Goblin. The severed head took a few moments to detach itself from the creature's neck, spraying blood in all directions, and finally tumbling to the ground. The lifeless body flopped over into the dirt. Legolas managed to avoid most of the bloodspray. The Elf looked about, and was relieved to see that apart from a few minor cuts, Roheryn seemed fine. Aragorn, too, looked good, and seemed to be having a lot of success with his sword.

Legolas quickly stuck both knives through a Goblin's middle. He pulled them sideways and out, and the beast crumpled to the ground, its innards spilling out into the dust. The creature's weapon, a short bow, slid across the ground. It was abruptly snapped in two when Roheryn galloped past and stepped on it. Legolas chopped both hands off a Goblin that had been trying to attack him. It howled in agony. The Elf put an end to its suffering by thrusting a knife through its black heart. He gave one of the still twitching hands a kick, sending it spinning through the air, and landing with a slap in the face of a Goblin which was abruptly decapitated as Legolas moved in on it.

Suddenly the Elf stopped fighting. Something had caught his eye. Something horrible. Something white. Lying on the ground by the big tree. No! His heart in his mouth, Legolas turned and sprinted towards Nimros, but as he was passing the small tree, an arrow went right through his left shoulder and pinned him to the trunk. There were only two Goblins left, and one of them just happened to be an archer.

The Elf gave an angry snarl and tried to yank the arrow out of himself, but released it with a cry. Barbed. Legolas cursed and snapped off the fletchings. He put his right arm behind his back and dislodged the arrowtip from the tree bark. He grasped the tip, intending to pull the arrow from the opposite way that the barbs were facing. It should come out without too much trouble. Legolas pulled, but again had to release the arrow. It was stuck fast, and every time he pulled, he could feel the barbs tearing at flesh and bone. He winced. He'd get Aragorn's help later – the Ranger was a skilled healer – but right now, he had to get to Nimros.

Leaving the last two Goblins for Aragorn, Legolas raced to his horse's side. Immediately, his heart sank. The beautiful white stallion was dying. He had an arrow embedded deep in his throat. Desperately, though inwardly he knew it was no use, Legolas tried to pull the arrow out. Nimros struggled convulsively and screamed in pain, and the Elf realized with an overwhelming sense of guilt that it had been his own horse, not Roheryn, that he had heard earlier. Oh! It was all his stupid fault that Nimros was going to die!

The arrow wouldn't come out – it was obviously barbed, like the one that was currently through his shoulder. The white horse suddenly stopped struggling and laid down his head in Legolas's lap.

"No, Nimros! Don't go!" Hot tears were falling steadily down the Elf's face as he watched his beloved friend die. He leant over and undid the horse's light tack, which he threw roughly aside. He stroked Nimros's head and gazed into the horse's warm, liquid brown eyes, which were so rapidly clouding as death came closer and closer. In them, Legolas saw pain, sadness, joy, hope, and love, such love. Then they went blank, and the great white Elven horse, Nimros, was no more.

Legolas gave a howl of fury and anguish. Then he gently closed Nimros's eyes, buried his face in his dead horse's mane, put his arms around the animal's neck, and wept. And that was how Aragorn found him, when he came riding up, triumphant, having killed the last of the Goblins.