People all drop dead of heart attacks.
"She updated!" they all whisper in horror.
Yes, yes, yes, I know it has been ages!! And I truly am sorry for that. Its not like I am going to make excuses or anything…but I was very busy with *thinks* school work and, umm – ok, other stories. There, I admitted it. I got carried away with other stories and total forgot about this one, and when I did remember, it was too hard to write it as I had no real plan or plot. (Which, when you think about it, is not something uncommon for me, look at The Blood of the Innocent, 6 chapters before I even started to think of a plot. Lol.) But, I promise I will try to update this more frequently, it is just that, with my busy life, I can only really do one chapter per week, so by the time I do the ones that haunt me all the time, others get left out. But I shall try harder from now on!
LOL. Ok, I have a secret to tell. This is to all the people who said, "you write battle scenes very well" and that I "Write battle scenes with an ease" and the like. I thankyou so much for your wonderful complements yet I must tell you that it is not with such ease that I come up with this stuff. For instance, the bit where Legolas caught the arrow and spun, sending it into the Orcs throat, I had the aid of two yellow connector pens and a brown one. The yellow I used as his blades and the brown as the arrow, and I acted the whole thing out, to make sure I got it right. The bit when he spun and sliced at the Orc and his wounded arm fell short, I did that too, making sure to keep my arm stiff and slower then the other one. I must admit to have doing this to most of my fight scenes (even the staff scene in The Blood of the Innocent, which, in one try, the bloody broom hit me in the head! Lol) but hey, it works, and it works well and does seem to create a very visual/real affect, so I am glad that you all like it and hopefully appreciate the lengths I go through to get these as visual and real as possible! Lol.
Oh, and the bit in here that sees Aragorn trying to work out what happened is kinda weird. I wanted to get inside his mind and see how he, being a ranger, would see the cluse that were left. Obviously, not everything that he 'sees' (that bit is in italics) is right, so please don't say, "you made a mistake cause that's not what happened" because I know that and have done that deliberately. I found that bit fun to write, as I have long wanted to be a forensic scientists and it was just like that. I got to look at what would have been left after such a fight, and then try to piece it together from an outsiders perspective, so it was a lot of fun! Lol
Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed with your words of encouragement and praise *feels loved.* normally, it would make me write faster, but in this case it didn't, BUT, I am up to the Elf torture now so it will come quicker and easier.
Legolas: why do you like to hurt me so much?
Minka: because it is fun!
Legolas: *little pouty face* but I thought you loved me.
Minka: *all sweet* I do, my love, but *changes mood* love hurts so you better just start to deal with it! Now, sit there and be a good muse!
Legolas: *pouts*
Minka: Good Elf boy!
Legolas: Don't call me Elf!!!!!
Minka: Ok, Elf boy! *gets knocked off her chair by a pissed off Legolas*
On with the story.
Shadows Within; Darkness Without.
Part Four
Death is only the Beginning.
…A face he knew almost as well as his own.
"Gimli?" Legolas gasped, struggling for the air that did not seem to come to his lungs. The look on Gimli's face horrified the Elf, it was one of terror and fear, but above all it was one that showed no hope.
Gimli had wasted no time in rushing to his friend's aid and he had quickly forgotten the threat of the armed Orc. When he had reached the Elf's side, he had subconsciously thrown his axe away so to lift the Elf's head into his hands.
But as he held the shaking Elf, he saw the Orc approach from behind Legolas's back. With a movement that was considered quick for his race, he reached down and grabbed one of Legolas' disregarded blades and threw it up at the large Orc. The blade held true to his aim and it would have struck it in the heart if the fell beast had not dodged it. Instead, the knife found its way into the shoulder of the Orc.
The Orc still advanced and Gimli noted that it had its heart set on killing his Elven friend. The beast approached and lifted its sword up above its head, in a position that, after taking another three steps, would cleave the wounded Elf in half.
Legolas watched this scene unfold before his eyes, utterly unable to do anything about it. The pain in his back and chest was like nothing he had ever felt before and he found that his entire right side was slowly going numb. Poison! His mind screamed at him, desperately trying to banish the affect it had on his body and the panicking emotions within his head. My own arrows coated in poison. He turned horrified eyes up to Gimli, trying to tell him what was wrong.
The dwarf felt as if the Elf had actually spoken and soon realized Legolas' plight.
Yet the Orc still advanced, quickly closing the three steps needed to kill the Elf, and Gimli had only one idea. As the Orc pulled its blade further past its head, its eyes enlarged at the anticipation it was feeling for this kill. The blade embedded in its shoulder slowed down its actions ever so slightly, but that was all Gimli needed to grab hold of Legolas' waist and haul him off the ground, as the Orc blade came crashing down.
The sharp steel bit into the ground at the exact spot that Legolas' chest had been only moments before and the Orc growled at the Elf's escape. Suddenly, the loss of blood got to the to the Orc and it hesitated, swaying slightly while it tried to get its senses back.
Gimli pulled Legolas to his feet, and as the Elf swayed in his arms, he vainly tried to pull him along. The fact that Gimli was about half the height of the tall Elf made this maneuver even harder, but Gimli was not going to give up. He placed the Elf's limp right arm around his neck, causing the Elf to double over, while he wrapped his arms around his waist and led him on.
Legolas' eyes were slightly glazed over, not really seeing anything, and his steps were heavy and clumsy, almost to the point of making Gimli look graceful. His blond hair hung over his shoulders, cloaking his face and its pain from any that could see.
Gimli dragged Legolas on, forcing the Elf to place one foot in front of the other. The Dwarf could hear the Orc's heavy footsteps falling on the soft dirt behind him, and he soon realized that there was no hope of outrunning the evil beast.
"Ok, crazy Elf, I need some help here." He muttered using the nickname he had long given Legolas. The statement was more to himself than it was to the limp body of his friend and he was completely shocked to hear a rasping voice come in reply.
"How, stupid dwarf?" Legolas choked out through gasps of pain. He moved his head slightly so he could see Gimli's face, and in his eyes, he saw a glimmer of hope.
*******
Merry and Pippin's cries echoed throughout the dark forest, mingling in with the stomping of Orc feet. The two hobbits were each slung over the shoulder of an Orc, their hands and feet bound tightly.
Merry had a nasty looking gash along his head from where he had struggled with the Orc that held him, and the blood seeped down his face, clouding his vision. He could hear Pippin calling to him, trying to get a better response than the screams for Aragorn, but he could not bring himself to speak. His head hurt him beyond anything he had ever felt before and that, mixed with the loss of blood, caused him to feel lightheaded.
The Orc that carried him suddenly lost its footing and stumbled slightly. Thankfully, it did not fall, but the jerk caused the metal plate that it wore on its shoulder to dig into Merry's stomach painfully. The sudden impact on his body felt like a kick to the stomach and Merry found himself dry retching. His stomach held nothing to let pass, but the feeling of a stomach churning was enough to aggravate his captor more, and he felt a harsh tug on his feet.
Merry's head sunk low, down to resting on the Orcs back, the coarse cloth of its clothing rubbing painfully on his head wound until a blissful blackness crept over him.
*******
Legolas lay on the ground in an open clearing, utterly exposed to any that came by. His right side was completely numb, yet occasionally it went into spasms that he could not control. A cold sweat had broken out on his face and the salty substance dripped down into his eyes, causing him to constantly blink.
Legolas turned his head to the left slightly, searching for any sign of help, but none was to be found. He then redirected his gaze to the right, and thus back the way he had stumbled with Gimli. He waited for the approaching hunter.
Terror was in his heart, but he knew that he had to keep his head clear and concentrate on what he had to do. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to keep his breathing shallow and unnoticeable. He let his mind wander just at the borders of the dream world of his people, granting him a deathly stillness. His face was pale and still, no signs of the drawing in or exhaling of breath could now be seen. He knew that the wind was blowing his hair around his face and it took all his will power to stop himself from twitching at its light and teasing touch.
Legolas prayed that this would work "Elbereth, lothron im gar i bellas eitæ!" [Varda, may I have the strength to do this!] he pleaded. This had to work, too many lives rested on this one moment. If by some twist of fate he failed, than all hope would be lost.
As he heard a footstep fall to his right, he tensed inside, being careful not to show any signs of movement. A snarl traveled through the air to come to his ears, and the only movement he would allow himself was to tighten his left hand over an object that was carefully concealed by his side.
The footsteps came closer and closer and Legolas found his heart beating faster. He desperately longed to draw in a long and fulfilling breath but he knew better than to let his fears get the better of him.
So he waited.
Leaves and twigs crunched under the feet of the Orc that he knew was approaching him. The same one that had stolen his bow and arrows. The same one that had shot him with one of his own arrows. The one that had coated the arrow in poison. His mind was pulled forcefully back from the pleasant dreams that had diminished his fears, and he dug his nails into his clenched left hand in order to keep still.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the heavy steps stopped near the right of his head. He could feel the Orc watching him, waiting for him to move, to see if the Elf was really dead.
Legolas was holding his breath, not risking even a shallow breath. He felt the air move around him as he realized that the Orc was kneeling down, and his hand tightened on the object in his left hand.
In Legolas' mind, he was replaying the scene that was to hopefully happen. He saw the Orc lean down, coming to check on the Elf's vitals, to see if it was worth taking him for whatever sick reason it would have. And that's when he would strike. He only waited to feel the Orcs breath on his skin, waited for precisely the right moment.
And when that moment came, he was ready.
*******
A figure stood shadowed within the concealment of the trees, watching with interest. An Elf lay on the ground in the middle of the clearing, not breathing. The Elf's face, while being fair and delicately accented by the moon, was deathly pale and still, as was his entire body. Blood seeped from a wound in his upper chest that still showed the gleam of an arrowhead poking out.
The figure gripped a large tree branch in one hand and a rock in the other, ready for anything that would come at it. It kept watching as an Orc melted out of the woods and headed straight towards the wounded Elf. The fell creature looked on the pale being with disgust, yet a slight, twisted smile crossed his face. It knelt down and placed its large hand over the Elf's still lips. As the figure watched this, it could hold back no more and it came crashing out of the woods with a loud yell.
*******
The Orc leaned down to cover the Elf's mouth with his hand, to feel if any air was escaping it, and when it felt none, it was utterly disappointed.
Legolas kept totally still and bit back the urge to retch when the Orc's hand covered his mouth. His heart raced and he only hoped the fell beast would not think to feel for a pulse, for if he did, the game would be lost for good.
Suddenly, a loud and deep yell filled the clearing, and Legolas felt the Orc turn, while still remaining on its haunches. As the Orc turned, the last thing it saw was the Elven prince's eyes snap open.
The Orc, caught between facing a new charging foe and the now alive Elf just behind him, panicked, not knowing what to do. In doing so it stopped it from carrying out anything in the way of an attack as a sudden pain hit him.
Legolas heard Gimli's cry and his eyes flew open in an instant. His left hand gripped its object harder and, with one swift movement, he forced himself to roll slightly onto his right side while pulling out the Elven blade he had concealed under his upper left leg. With a shout of his own, he sent the silver blade singing through the air to come in contact with the Orc's neck. Thick black blood spurted out of the fresh wound and fell heavily onto Legolas' face but the Elf ignored it as the Orc tuned back on him.
The Orc reared up and let out an anguished cry and began to spin back to the Elf. With a strong arm, it knocked against Legolas' inside left elbow and the Elf's arm painfully hit the ground. The Orc pulled the blade from its neck and threw it aside, while forcing Legolas' hand to stay crushed on the ground. With its other hand it reached forward and clenched the small visible shaft of the arrow and pushed down on it ruthlessly.
Legolas cried out in pain as the wooden arrow was sent through him, forcing a slightly different hole, due to his angle. He fought as much as he could, but the Orc was far too strong for him. His entire right side was numb and out of his control, and his left hand felt as if it were crushed within the Orc's grasp. In one final try, using his Elven flexibility, he sent his left leg up and came in contact with the Orc's head, forcing it to let go of the painful grasp it had on the Elf.
Gimli saw his Elven friend whirl into action and he quickened his steps. But hope soon fled his heart as he saw the Orc turn on Legolas, and, while he was not sure what it did, for its bulky body blocked his vision, the cry of agony that escaped Legolas' lips was enough to send him mad with hatred. He then witnessed Legolas kick the beast in the head as he continued his quick run. Gimli dropped the rock he was clenching and gripped the branch with both hands as he neared his opponent.
The Orc's head was sent back due to the powerful kick that Legolas had sent into its face, and, as it pulled back, it was hit fiercely from behind. Gimli pulled the branch back and aimed yet another powerful swing at its head, and as it struck again, its head snapped forward with a sickening snap, and its lifeless body slumped on top of a gasping Legolas.
Legolas let out a moan, half out of pain as the heavy body fell on him, crushing his wound more and half out of relief. Gimli wasted no time in quickly bending down and pulling the bleeding creature off his Elven friend, and after doing so, he went about checking Legolas' wounds.
"How are you faring, crazy Elf?" he asked, the concern obvious in his husky voice.
"I will admit to having been better," Legolas hissed through clenched teeth. "You stupid dwarf, that's the last time I ever listen to you. You and your bright ideas." Gimli let out a slight laugh despite the worry he had for Legolas. His wound was bleeding a great deal and the head of the arrow could no longer be seen.
Before Gimli had helped Legolas to the ground to carry out their plan, he had broken the end off the arrow so not to hurt the Elf any more than could be helped. But now it was red and inflamed, showing the tell tale signs of poisoning.
"Ok, Legolas," Gimli said while slipping a hand under his friends form and raising his to a sitting position, "let's get you out of here and to Aragorn." Legolas simply nodded in reply, in too much pain to form a rational sentence.
With the aid of Gimli, Legolas soon found himself hobbling on his left foot and leaning heavily against his shorter friend. When Gimli was sure he had a good grasp on Legolas' waist, he started off, helping the Elf as best he could.
*******
Aragorn felt his face hit the dirt as Boromir knocked him down. At first he was slightly confused as to what had just happened, but soon Boromir's pain-filled scream filled the night with a new terror.
Showing his agility, Aragorn used his hands to spring himself up to his feet and grabbed the sword that he been knocked out of his hand in his fall. Boromir lay on the ground, an arrow penetrating from his throat, and with that one glance, Aragorn could tell that the man was already dead. As he continued to survey the situation, he saw that marry and Pippin's captors were already disappearing over the hill and blending into the trees. There was nothing he could do for them yet. Luckily, with them went most of the Orcs, leaving him only three to fight, the archer not one of them.
One of the Orcs came at him from the right and he twisted his body in a full rotation and swung his sword. The blade came at the Orc from behind and as Aragorn let it fly, it took off the Orc's head.
The two others wasted no time in both coming at the man with surprising speed. The one on the right raised its blade up and brought it down to be blocked by Aragorn's. With his left foot, the ranger kicked out and caught the other one in the stomach, causing it to stumble backwards. He parried off the other blade and turned to the Orc on the left and ran Andúril through its middle.
He pulled the blood stained blade free and turned again to face his last opponent.
Aragorn stood with his feet apart and his sword held high. Without warning, his foe charged at him and delivered blow after blow, which Aragorn skillfully deflected. The Orc's attack took the man slightly by surprise and he found himself being driven backwards. The Orc seized the opportunity and lashed out with his leg, catching Aragorn in the stomach.
The man gasped, letting his guard down only to have his feet swept out from under him by a skillful leg. He fell to the ground, pain jarring up his body and looked up in time to see the Orc raise his sword above his head, readying itself for the strike. Aragorn wasted no time in thrusting Andúril upwards, sending the blade right through the Orc. The man reluctantly let go of his sword in order to roll out of the way of the falling body and the sharp sword it still held.
And there he lay for a moment, trying to catch his breath and calm his nerves. With a great sigh, he pushed himself to his feet and rolled the Orc body over to retrieve his sword and it was then that he realized that he was utterly alone. No living thing was in the clearing, good or evil, and with sickening realization, he knew that that could be the way it really was - Merry and Pippin in the hands of the Orcs, Boromir dead to save him, Gimli in search of Legolas. And Legolas, what of his dear friend? Aragorn had not seen him since much earlier that evening, and the last he had heard was his startled cry at Boromir's hands. His heart was most troubled over this friend, and while he did not doubt the Elf's strength or abilities, he knew how Orcs hated elves. They would swarm Legolas by paying much more attention to him that any other of the fellowship.
It was then that Aragorn remembered that he had Legolas' bow and quiver, and he quickly set off to find it. But when he got to the tree where he had left them, they were nowhere to be seen. He cast his eyes to the ground and soon picked up on a set of Orc footprints leading straight to them. Aragorn swallowed hard, knowing what might have happened, and with one quick look around the clearing and a lingering look at Boromir, he set out, tracking the Orc that he was sure had taken Legolas' weapons.
*******
Aragorn had been running for close to half an hour when he came across a dead Orc. From the bow that lay still in its hand he could tell it was an archer, and when he turned it over he saw the signs of two small blades, one across its face, the other slightly lower on the shoulder. Legolas. Relief ran through him, but he continued to scour the clearing. After but a moment of looking, something shiny caught his attention and as he stooped to pick it up, Aragorn knew it was one of Legolas' blades.
The man's heart fell as he knew that his friend would go nowhere without his knives unless it was absolutely necessary. As he continued around the small clearing he saw two other things that sent shivers up his spin.
One was Gimli's axe, thrown into the bush and obviously forgotten. And the other was the worst. In the center of the clearing was something, that if Aragorn was not as good a ranger as he was, he would have missed. There was something slightly wrong with the way the grass was standing.
He slowly made his way over to the area, careful not to disturb any of the other evidence that he may not have seen yet. The grass was slightly flattened by something that was light, but that had fallen. In the middle of the patch, there was a glistening substance, and when Aragorn placed his forefinger in it, he soon realized that it was blood. Red blood. Blood that was not from an Orc. His heart skipped a beat at the realization of the only person it could have been - Legolas. He also saw the way that the Elf was pulled back by someone, and the deep slice made in the ground where the Elf had lain, and the scene was suddenly recreated in his head.
Legolas killed the archer and had not seen a second archer behind him. The Elf was then shot, and fell to the ground where he squashed the grass slightly and his wound bleed upon the green blades.
Aragorn stood and walked around until he saw a set of heavy yet small tracks that led from the bush to the place were Legolas lay.
He could see Gimli coming out from the trees, running to aid his friend, throwing his axe carelessly to the side in order to help Legolas.
Aragorn then saw the footprints of the Orc, and the cut in the grass under the Elven prince's body.
The Orc stepped up to the helpless duo and then -
Then the blade, it was not near the body and cover thickly with Orc blood. Aragorn closed his eyes and let his instincts take over.
Legolas threw the blade at the Orc and it connected with some part of the Orc's body, somewhere that would have slowed it down, but not stopped it. But it kept coming, and as it lifted its blade above its head -
Aragorn bent down and inspected the flattened grass again. There was a defined shape where Legolas had fallen, but as the body was pulled along, it formed a slight arch.
Gimli was nursing Legolas' head as the blade swung towards the Elven prince. The dwarf quickly pulled Legolas back and away from the blade. Legolas' position changed as he was pulled, and the Elf was more on his side, thus creating a flattened arch with his upper body. The blade bit into the ground right where Legolas had been.
Aragorn could see where Gimli had pulled Legolas to his feet and half dragged the Elf out of the clearing. This meant that something happened to the Orc, otherwise they would not have had the time to escape. But the Orc did not fall, or did not leave, for its footprints followed that of Legolas and Gimli.
Happy with his deduction for the moment, Aragorn set off at a run, following the three sets of footprints from the clearing.
*******
Legolas and Gimli struggled on. It was getting harder and harder for Legolas to even drag his right side along and Gimli knew that they could not go much further.
Suddenly Legolas stopped, causing Gimli to curse under his breath and come to a jerking halt as well. Legolas quickly hushed the dwarf, and mouthed one simple word. "Orcs."
Gimli froze and listened as well. Sure enough, the unmistakable sound of Orcs could be heard to the right, and as he looked into the woods, he could make out their shapes, proving just how much danger they were really in.
The Orcs were heading right at them, and any hope the two held of not being seen was crushed when the lead Orc called out and pointed right at the two friends.
Gimli tightened his grip on Legolas and pulled him around, half dragging the tired Elf through the woods. But they were soon overtaken and the Orcs surrounded them. Each of the Orcs wore a grin of pleasure at the sight of the weakened Elf that stood before them. There were far too many to even think of fighting and both knew that this was the end in one way or another.
Legolas' eyes darted around the group, wishing that he had his bow and a full quiver, or at least some control of his right side. But he was not that fortunate.
Gimli looked on in terror. Not only was he in danger, but his best friend was as well, and probably more then he. He knew that they would just kill him, but Legolas…Legolas they would take and make sport with until the Elf broke. He pushed the frail Elf behind him as best as he could, wishing he had held onto the branch he had used earlier to kill the last Orc.
A shrill cry broke through the eerie silence and Legolas and Gimli looked to see Merry and Pippin in the grasps of the Orcs.
Pippin had called out to Legolas in fear of the pale Elf that he saw leaning over on Gimli. Sadly, the Orcs used this distraction as an advantage and jumped the two friends.
Gimli punched the one that came at him, and quickly reached down to grab a large rock that was at his feet, but as he did so he was aware that Legolas had been grabbed from behind. And when the dwarf heard the Elf call his name he spun to help, but was too late.
Legolas had seen the Orcs lunge forward and was too preoccupied with the ones that came at him from the front to even pay any attention to those that came from behind. He was about to strike one in the stomach with his left hand when he felt an iron like grip grab both shoulders and pull him backwards. Unintentionally, he called to Gimli as he felt a knife pressed to his throat.
Gimli whirled around to see his close friend in the clutches of the Orcs, a knife pressed dangerously hard at the Elf's throat. As an automatic reaction, he quickly dropped the rock he was holding, a look of terror and dismay across his face.
Legolas winced at the sight of Gimli defenseless, and he desperately willed his body to obey him just this once. But it was not to be and he found that he was slowly sinking within the Orcs grasp, the loss of blood and fatigue finally catching up with him.
The Orc let out a slight laugh, one that hurt Legolas' ears just to hear, and with a movement of its hand, the other Orcs closed in on Gimli. Legolas could see their arms swing back and come into contact with what he knew was Gimli and he struggled weakly.
"Gimli!" he yelled, terror in his voice. "No! leave him be!"
"Silence Elf." The Orc held him yelled as yet another rain of fists descended on Gimli.
Even if Legolas had wanted to stay quiet he could not, and he continued to weakly call out for his friend. "Irlíeg nin min mellon!" [Forgive me my friend.]
Gimli could hear Legolas' desperate yells, and wondered what was happening to his friend, not caring about the fists that fell on him. He knew that what he went through was only small compared to what Legolas would soon suffer. But the pain was so great, and he felt himself grow weaker with each and every hit. He was aware of the fact that he was laying on the ground, and that the fists had been replaced with feet. He could also hear the little ones' cries for both he and Legolas. As he felt darkness creep over him, his last thoughts were on his dear friend, and he vowed he would get him back.
Legolas saw the Orcs cease in their beating of Gimli, but continued to struggle with what little strength and control he had left. As the group parted he caught a glimpse of his friend. Gimli lay on the ground, covered in blood and bruises that were already forming, and from his location, he could not see Gimli breathing. He found himself still calling out, but his yells were cut short when the Orc that held him spun him around.
"You should stop worrying about your little friend and start worrying about yourself, my pretty." He snickered, while lifting his arm to hit Legolas roughly over the head.
Legolas felt his world plunge into darkness as the screams of the hobbits echoed in his ears.
*******
tbc…
Minka sits there with an ice pack on her throat and Legolas has one on the back of his head. They take a moment to glare at each other and turn their attention back to the computer.
Minka: Well I hope you all enjoyed that.
Legolas: I on the other hand, did not. *points his finger at Minka accusingly* she made me play dead on the cold tile floor so you people can have you good little battle scenes!
Minka: Better you then me - and what are you complaining about Elf boy? You are an Elf, you don't feel the cold!!!
Legolas: Damnit!
Minka: Anyway, I will hopefully update this much sooner this time and the Elf torture will begin!!! Bye bye! And REVIEW Damnit!!!!! Please??????