Hello if anybody is out there! Im back! Strange right? I randomly stumbled across this half written chapter on my old laptop and decided it was now my life goal to try and get this story up and going again!
So more than a year after i started writing this chapter i finally get it finished! Go Me! Great achievement.
Please if there is anyone still reading let me know what you think!
ps-sorry for all the mistakes i just really wanted to get it posted.
"Where are you taking me?" Jon Snow stumbled alongside the Elven Prince wincing as the contact with the ground aggravated his swollen ankle.
They had been following the Old Forrest Path now for nearly half the day and every step was becoming more and more of a struggle.
Legolas ignored the complaints his eyes scanning the forest around him, listening for anything that might spell trouble. Haldir walked a few steps behind them helping escort the human out to the border his two brothers Orophin and Rumil had gone ahead to scout for danger.
"We are taking you back to the border so that you may return home" The Elven Prince finally replied sensing Jon's growing frustrations.
"You don't understand I cannot return!" The man made to stop but was rudely shoved forward by Haldir and with his hands secured behind his back nearly lost his balance.
"You humans complain a lot" The Lorien Elf remarked with disdain, to him all humans were like a bad smell that lingered and why they were letting this one go freely was completely beyond him.
"Gondor is not safe anymore! The dark army has come! I must get to Lake Town to warn them, to ask for their help!" Jon persisted
Haldir laughed loudly at this "Ask who? The drunk slob that calls himself the 'Master'? Or perhaps you could call upon the few fisher folk still left and they can row their boats to Gondors aid!" The tall Elf continued to laugh and Jon bristled.
"They will be more useful than the Elves of Mirkwood who hide behind their trees and high walls, too cowardly to ventur-"
"-I'd watch my tongue if I was you human scum!" Haldir hissed cutting in. the guardsman grabbed the back of Jon's cloak in one swift movement wrenching the man's head backwards a knife held to his throat.
"Leithio ho Haldir!" Legolas spoke up anger flashing across his usually calm face.
Jon was quickly released and the Lorien Elf took a reluctant step back holstering his knife.
"I think it is best if I take him the rest of the way" Legolas placed a hand on the man's shoulder and steadied him.
"Thrandui-" Haldir challenged but was quickly cut off.
"-I shall answer to my father when we return." The Elven Prince interrupted his voice firm. "For now find Orophin and Rumil and head south towards the East Bight".
Haldir did not move and his eyes flicked suspiciously from Jon to Legolas.
"Thranduil will not be pleased" He was visibly annoyed.
"I will see the human gets to his destination" The prince grabbed Jon's arm firmly "I shall meet you at the Bight when it is done" Legolas repeated and tugged his captive round turning his back to Haldir, ignoring the Elf's cold stare.
"As you wish my prince" The Elf bowed his head and melted into the forest knowing there would be trouble when they returned to the Mirkwood Halls.
Jon Snow managed a few paces forward before pulling his arm free and shooting an angry look at Legolas whose face was set in an unreadable expression.
"I can walk just fine on my own" He started again down the narrow forest path although his limp gave him away.
Legolas grabbed Jon's forearm again and he immediately went to twist from his captives grip when his hands suddenly came free, the twine that bound them severed.
"You will thank me one day Jon Snow" The Elven Prince slipped his knife back into his belt his bright blue eyes surveying the forest around them.
Jon took a step back nervously his body tensing expecting an attack.
Legolas didn't take much notice instead his gaze went to the trees above his eyes squinting as though trying to find something.
"You must go North until you reach the Forest river follow the current it will lead you to a dock where the lake folk do their trade" He finally turned to the man who looked deservedly sceptical at the Elf. "The way is heavily patrolled there are sentries all along the rivers bank tread carefully, you must not be seen. My father will not be so forgiving next time"
"This is a trap" Out of habit Jon's hand went to rest on the hilt of his sword only to find nothing but thin air. All his weapons had been taken the moment the elves had captured him and his father's sword lay locked inside the halls of Mirkwood.
"You must go now the light is already beginning to fade" Legolas pulled a small plain steel sword from his own belt and held it out to the dark haired man who immediately took another step back.
"Why are you helping me?" Jon watched the Elf suspiciously.
Legolas glared at his captive growing impatient at the constant questioning.
"If you wish to continue your journey with naught but your fists then by all means go ahead"
Jon knew the answer to that and slowly reached forward and took the blade which was a lot lighter then it looked but no less deadly. He balanced the steel in his hands getting a feel for the weapon.
The Elven Prince had already started to walk away his attention drawn to the treetops above him yet again. "I sense the growing darkness as you do Jon Snow" He stopped briefly "We share a common threat, one my father is still blind to". His voice grew grave and for a brief moment the Elf reconsidered his decision to free the human, the consequences of Thranduil finding out about his stunt would be severe…but then the thought of what was to come quickly reaffirmed his actions.
He would face the wrath of his father.
Nibenmir pressed herself against the thick trunk of the beech tree her lungs screaming for air as she held her breath waiting for her cousin's attention to fall back to the human.
Finally after an excruciating drawn out moment it did and she breathed in some much needed oxygen her body relaxing a little.
It had taken the elfling only a few hours to find her targets their going was slow the hardest part was staying concealed in the tree tops nearly every movement she made had brought the attention of her keen eared cousin , it was a miracle he had not spotted her.
She peered back down to the forest ground and nearly fell from her perch. Legolas had drawn his knife and was advancing towards her human!
Nibenmir froze and slapped a hand over her eyes shocked that Legolas would act so heartlessly, he told her Jon wasn't dangerous that he held no threat! Why would he kill him then if what he said was true?
The elfling could feel her heart beating through her tunic she wanted yell out to make her cousin stop but shock had stolen her voice and all she could do was wait...
A few more long seconds passed and suddenly Jon's voice could be heard Nibenmir peaked out from between her fingers and sighed with relief seeing her cousin had only gone to cut Jon Snows ties. She mentally apologised to her cousin for ever thinking he would do such terrible things.
The elfling quickly scrambled up a few more branches amongst the thicker foliage when she noticed Legolas again scanning the trees getting dangerously close to where she was standing.
She crept round the large trunk completely hidden from view and pressed her back against the smooth white bark listening for signs of movement.
The sun had long been in the sky and was slowly starting to set. Baineth would have probably checked in and found her missing, Thranduil would have been notified and no doubt half the kingdom would be out looking for her. Nibenmir gulped when she thought of the wrath she would have to endure from her Uncle, he would be furious with her and the prospect of being sent to Rivendell to suffer the company of her cousins was simply unthinkable.
They had seen a few more summers then her and last time they had come to visit the Mirkwood halls they had teased and picked on her the entire time.
The Elfling grimaced perhaps this was not such a good idea after all? She fiddled nervously with her sleeves the knot in her stomach tightening. It was a bit too late now.
There was a prolonged silence and Nibenmir peeked down her cousin had disappeared and now Jon Snow was all by himself, she searched the area for any trace of Legolas expecting him to appear in front of her any second and drag her home but when there was no trace of him she relaxed a little and slipped back down a few branches. Jon had started off again except he wasn't going the same direction instead he veered north and Nibenmir raised an eyebrow that was not the way to the forest border? Instead he would meet the river although at this rate he would surely not reach it before nightfall.
The elfling pulled out a piece of sweetbread and nibbled at what was left she had already gobbled back one piece and was trying to ration the last but so far that wasn't quite going to plan with only a few mouthfuls remaining. She wrapped it up and tucked it back into her pocket wishing she had packed more food away.
She leapt quietly from branch to branch staying just above Jon's head his pace had actually quickened a little and when she looked down she noticed his hand disappear into his pocket and pull out the piece of lemon tart, the piece of tart she had given him!
Her heart sped up a little as she watched him devour the treat making sure not to waste even a single crumb a grin of absolute delight spreading across her face.
"What do you mean she is missing?" Thranduil lowered his glass to the table, he was holding council yet again and was in the middle of a heated discussion when Baineth had burst in.
"She is gone my King! From her bed I-I went to check on her to see if she would come down to eat, b-but when I pulled back the covers there was nothing but a few pillows" The elleth brought a trembling hand to her chest still slightly out of breath.
Thranduils hand tightened its grip on the stem of his glass around him the council men had gone silent their heads turned to the head of the table.
"Did you check the gardens? The springs?" Thranduils voice remained steady his face a mask of calm although his eyes told another story.
"Yes I have checked all her usual hiding spots including the cells but there is no trace of her. Everyone I have spoken to has not lain an eye upon her at all today" Baineth's voice held a hint of hysteria to it now, she thought of Nibenmir as her own having had a hand in raising the elfling up.
Thranduil shifted uncomfortably in his seat completely forgetting the other company that sat with him. His niece would be in for a rude awakening when he found her that was for sure.
"My…my lord?" Baineths voice hitched in her throat when there was no response and the elven king took a few more seconds to reply.
"I'm sorry you will have to excuse me" Thranduil finally rose pushing his chair back with a loud screech.
"We shall retire for the day and reconvene when the time is right" there were murmurs around the table as Thranduil quickly made his way to Baineth and escorted her from the room and through the halls.
"I-Im sorry to have disturbed you in such a manor but I feel something is not right, you see there was bread missing from the kitchen a-and not even her friends had heard from her" The Elleth looked upwards towards Thranduil who still remained expressionless, he stopped at the end of the hallway and turned towards a guard who immediately bowed his head.
"Go to the stables and tell them to ready the horses we will ride out before this hour ends" the guard nodded and quickly disappeared down the steps.
The elven kind turned back to Baineth who was looking a little paler than usual.
"Do not fear" He placed a hand on her cheek.
"I will find Nibenmir myself and bring her safely home" he reassured.
Baineth nodded and tried to reassure herself that everything was going to be ok. That her Mir would be brought back safe and sound, and she could scold her and give her the mother of all lectures then more importantly she could hug the little elfling tight and make her promise to never be so reckless again.
This is what Baineth silently repeated to herself as she watched Thranduil disappear as she attempted to calm her racing heart but there was something about the way he acted that unsettled her so, he was too calm too composed and no matter how he tried to mask it the elleth could still see the sense of urgency that flashed in his eyes.
The sunlight was quickly starting to fade now as Nibenmir swung onto another branch the trees seemed to reach out to each other in comfort which made picking her way forward easy and at times it were faster travelling up high then on the ground. Many times Jon Snow had had to haul himself over large moss covered logs and fight his way through patches of dense scrub which clawed at his clothing and slowed his pace.
The Elfling felt a pang of worry when she saw him stop and rest on a stump taking the weight off his injured ankle. She crouched above him watching and contemplated coming down and revealing herself to him, he would be shocked of course but part of her hoped he would be happy to see her…although she probably couldn't help him much with his foot. She didn't know anything about healing yet and she was probably too short to even attempt to help him walk, the elfling sighed cursing her lack of height.
Below Jon had forged on again the limp a little more pronounced and Nibenmir scuttled along the branch slightly ahead of him now if she couldn't help him walk well then she was going to scout ahead for danger. She bounded from tree to tree stopping every now and then to get a good look around, this was definitely the furthest she'd been from the halls now Arthon and Bainor were going to be so jealous when they heard she helped escort a human through Mirkwood forest unaided.
Nibenmir grinned at the thought of seeing their faces and made to climb up a little higher when suddenly a strange smell caught her attention and she froze a chill running down her spine. She peered cautiously around but saw nothing amiss then slowly crouched down on the trees limb inching towards the side.
The scent became stronger it was like nothing she had ever come across, but it kind of reminded her of the time Legolas had come back from doing battle and he had the same strange stench on him although a lot less pungent.
Nibenmir covered her nose as she neared the edge it was now starting to reek like rotting meat and her stomach churned.
With a silent pray she finally peered over the side and instantly regretted it.
Below were the bodies of two men lying on the ground staring straight up at the elfling, only they weren't really looking at her or anything. They were just gazing wide eyed into space their mouths opened wide silently screaming. Their bodies looked to have been picked over recently it seemed, one had an arm torn right from his shoulder, it lay a few meters away only two fingers remaining. His torso like the other man had been ripped apart organs and meat strewn out on the forest floor, bits of white jagged bone protruding from a sea of red blood.
Nibenmir couldn't take her eyes from the gruesome scene it didn't look real, like a picture from a book and when her lungs started to scream for air she finally was forced to roll back and gasp some much needed oxygen, completely unaware that she had been holding her breath.
She lay still for a much needed moment her mind racing. Something had attacked the two men? Something that must have been big and strong and…hungry. She pushed up into a crouched position, what could do such a thing? Perhaps a spider? Often she had overheard her cousin speaking about these creatures that had made their way into the forest.
Well if it was that meant Jon Snow was heading straight into its trap! The Elfling spun round and started back from where she came, leaping from tree limb to tree limb as fast as her legs would take her, her long braids trailing behind occasionally catching a leaf or twig as she went. There was no doubt in her mind now about revealing herself to her human.
Finally he came into view and Nibenmir quickly descended swinging off the lowest branch and somersaulting gracefully through the air to land on the ground only a few feet from Jon who froze mid step stunned at her sudden appearance.
"STOP STOP!" Nibenmir squeaked her emerald green eyes wide in panic and chest heaving.
"Nibenmir is that you?" Jon looked around confused expecting to see more elfs appear.
"Yes! Now come on we have to go back!" she hurried up to him and grabbed his arm trying to tug him in the opposite direction.
"Wait- What are you doing out here" The watchmen resisted her attempts to move him feeling a little dazed like he might be in a dream.
The elfling took a few deep breaths and glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see a giant hairy leg come out of the bushes at any second.
"I-I followed you now come on we have to go NOW" she hurriedly spoke "we have to go please!"
Jon quickly placed his hands on the little girls shoulders in an attempt to calm the child who was growing more hysterical by the second.
"Nibenmir what is so urgent wh-"
"-THE MEN ARE DEAD! THE MEN ARE DEAD!" She shrieked the words tumbled from her mouth of their own free will and she quickly clamped a hand over her lips.
"What? What men?" Jon crouched down to the young ones level trying to make some sense of the situation.
"A…Ahead….I-I saw them…" there was a short pause as Nibenmir fought back sobs, green orbs filling with tears "something killed them…" her voice was barely audible and Jon had to lean in to hear.
It was at this moment that the bushes around them suddenly began to move and the sound of heavy footsteps rumbled the ground, Nibenmir gasped wishing that her cousin or uncle were there to protect her. She wanted to turn and run but her feet were rooted to the spot.
Jon Snow was quickly up drawing the blade Legolas had given him his dark eyes scanning the area. Around the two the forest grew eerily quiet not a bird nor insect could be heard and when the silence was nearly too much to bear it was suddenly broken with an ear piercing screech and the blood in Jon Snows veins ran cold he knew that call.
Orcs.