A/N: Once again thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this story, and of course a special thank you to PegasusWingsVW for your fantastic review of the last chapter. You always make me smile! :)
Part 9 – The Disappearance of Gollum
For many hours Thranduil and his Elves followed the trail that led them deeper into the forest. Slender beams of sunlight had long since started to pierce through the small openings in the leaves above when they found themselves crossing over the Old Forest Road and continuing ever southward. The way then became ever more treacherous and all the Elves felt the menacing aura from Dol Guldur growing stronger as the trail took them closer to the enemy's stronghold.
Leading the main body of his army through an unpleasantly gloomy thicket, Thranduil abruptly brought the company to a halt upon seeing one of the advance guards hurrying back toward them – an expression of utter horror in his eyes.
'My King! In the old clearing! The guards – they – the orcs have –'
Without waiting to hear anymore from the distraught Elf, Thranduil accompanied by Legolas and Rainion rushed forward; their faces grimly set against what they would find when they reached the other advance guards whom they could see standing watch in the clearing ahead.
The scent of elven blood was overwhelming; the distinctive fragrance pervading the area acting like a siren call to any foul creature roaming through the woods.
And then they saw them. The three missing guards. All were dead, and such was the damage done to their bodies they were almost unrecognisable. Their limbs had been mutilated and their fair forms bore signs of grievous torment. But the worst violation was where their living flesh had clearly been torn from their tortured bodies.
'O Elbereth, queen beyond the western seas! With loving mercy be pleased to grant them peace and let not your grace depart from them.'
At their king's softly spoken words all the Elves present bowed their heads, a quiet stillness surrounding the small group as sorrow weighed heavily on their hearts. When the elven company eventually appeared from out of the forest they too were stricken into silence by the ghastly sight. After a moment, Thranduil beckoned an Elf to his side.
'Tirithon,' he said, 'select a contingent from the company to assist you in returning the bodies of our fallen to my halls. We will continue pursuing the trail of the orcs and the creature. Limdur, is their path still clear?'
One of the other members of the advance guard stepped forward. 'Yes, My King. It continues southward.'
'Then let us follow it,' Thranduil declared grimly, and without any delay the advance guards moved swiftly ahead as the Elvenking led the main body of his force after them; leaving Tirithon and a small group of Elves behind to attend to their fallen kin.
The trail then plunged ever deeper into the forest, and the number of dark dense cobwebs increased at an alarming rate – although no sign was seen of their foul creators even as the Elves destroyed each web they came across.
As the sun began its descent in the West, the Elvenking and his Elves continued the hunt; their keen eyes watching for any sign of their quarry as they hurried through the darkening shadows of the forest.
Then the shroud of night was upon them. The summer air was warm and still, while through the narrow opening in the thick branches overhead the gentle light of the stars could once again be seen. The perfect evening that should have been filled with mirth and merriment, was instead suffused with a grim silence as countless elvish feet raced soundlessly across the dried leaves scattered across the ground, following a trail that was leading them perilously toward the enemy's fortress of Dol Guldur.
And then, as they were passing through the area near to the East Bight, the Elves came to an abrupt halt. Though clear signs remained of the Orcs continuing direction, all traces of the creature Gollum suddenly vanished!
Long into the night the hunt continued, but search though they did through the thickest undergrowth and up the tallest trees, not a single lingering scent or footprint of Gollum's did the Elves find.
A new dawn was breaking across the eastern sky when Rainion approached the Elvenking. Crouched beside a hollow log, his oaken staff clasped in one hand whilst his other gently held a small fledgling wren, Thranduil whispered soothingly to the young bird as he slowly stood to hear the Elf's report.
'My King, regretfully I must inform you that we have not been able to locate any sign of the creature's whereabouts,' Rainion said. 'There is not a single hint that he remains with the Orcs, nor has his body been located. It is as though he vanished completely.'
'Unfortunately this little one cannot provide any further enlightenment on his location,' Thranduil revealed quietly, his soft voice a lilting melody that helped calm the trembling wren in his hand. 'He comes from a nest that was destroyed when the Orcs began to fight amongst themselves, but sadly he is the only one who survived. He says the creature Gollum was with the Orcs when they came here; but having sought refuge within the log after the fight began, he cannot tell how or when the creature disappeared.'
The little wren gave a sweet, but mournful, trill.
'You have no cause to apologise,' the Elvenking said kindly, and in response to another sorrowful note he offered, 'you may return with us to my halls until your wings are grown strong enough to bear you in proper flight.' As the wren gave a grateful chirp and nestled contentedly in his hand, Thranduil observed, 'I can see you will be a very polite guest.'
'By your leave, O King, are we to continue in hunting down the Orcs?'
After seriously considering Rainion's question, Thranduil finally shook his head. 'Nay, for we are drawing far too nigh to the dark shadows of Dol Guldur,' he said gravely, 'and our power is not sufficient to vanquish the evils that lie hidden within that foul fortress. We have all seen enough of our people slain this day, let us not recklessly add to their number.'
'And what of the creature Gollum?'
His expression grimly resolved, the Elvenking declared, 'as there is no sign he now remains with the Orcs, it therefore follows he is roaming about freely within these woods. From what Mithrandir disclosed about the creature's motives in leaving the Misty Mountains, he may even now be attempting to leave the forest by another route. We will continue the search, but it will be around the borders of the forest. Once his trail is discovered we shall follow it until he is recaptured. Summon all within the company – we shall return to the Old Forest Road ere nightfall comes again and from there will be dispatched two search parties to cover each side of the forest.'
As Rainion hurried to obey the order, Thranduil glanced down at the tiny form gently clasped between his slender fingers.
'You are certainly much smaller than the last king who entered my halls,' he informed the wren that was now sleeping peacefully, its little brown head tucked trustingly against his palm with both eyes closed. 'But I sense you will undoubtedly be more frivolous in your conversation than he.'
'I am sure Estel would agree with you, Father,' Legolas commented as he approached from behind. Walking around the Elvenking's side, Legolas looked upon their newest guest. 'Nithron will enjoy caring for this fine little king,' he said with a smile, before all the merriment left his face and gazing up he quietly informed his father, 'we found a corpse in the grove over the next hill. It was one of the younger Woodmen from the western settlements. He must have strayed too far inside the forest and been caught by the Orcs.'
His eyes clouding with frustrated sadness Thranduil shook his head. 'Ever will the young pay slight heed to the warnings of their elders,' he murmured. 'Many warnings have we sent to the chieftain of those settlements that these woods are become more dangerous, but the youthful arrogance of some of their young men makes them foolish in their pride. And so their act of folly leads to nothing but grief for them and their kin.' Releasing a deep sigh, Thranduil ordered, 'have preparations made for his body to be borne away with us. It shall be returned to his kin for proper burial according to their custom. Let word of the creature Gollum's escape also be sent so the mothers will be extra vigilant over their newborns' cradles.'
Recalling the horror of overturned cradles and missing babes from when Gollum first appeared in the woods many years ago, Legolas' expression was fierce as he replied, 'with your consent, Father, I will take the message to the Woodmen myself.'
Expressing no surprise at the request, Thranduil merely nodded, for in his mind too, lived the dreadful memory of the bereaved mothers' screams of anguish as they echoed throughout the forest until they reached the very borders of his realm. It was a sound he never wished to hear again.
References:
The eating of different flesh by Orcs is mentioned in The Two Towers, Book 3, Chapter 3 – The Uruk-Hai on several occasions. The character Uglúk even says, "We are the servants of Saruman the Wise, the White Hand: the Hand that gives us man's-flesh to eat," and, "we'll feast on horseflesh yet, or something better." I therefore find it very likely that the Orcs would not have been able to resist having a taste of elven-flesh when the opportunity arose.
"We came on his (Gollum's) trail among those of many Orcs, and it plunged deep into the Forest, going south. But ere long it escaped our skill, and we dared not continue the hunt; for we were drawing nigh to Dol Guldur, and that is still a very evil place; we do not go that way." Legolas in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 2, Chapter 2 – The Council of Elrond
"There they learned that Gollum had eluded both the Orcs that recaptured him, and the Elves that pursued them, and had vanished." Narrative from Unfinished Tales, Part 3: The Third Age (IV) The Hunt for the Ring, Of the Journey of the Black Riders etc
"The Elvenking had received news from his own messengers and from the birds that loved his folk." Narrative in The Hobbit, Chapter 14 – Fire & Water
"The Woodmen said that there was some new terror abroad, a ghost that drank blood. It climbed trees to find nests; it crept into holes to find the young; it slipped through windows to find cradles." Gandalf describing Gollum when he first travelled through Mirkwood in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book 1, Chapter 2 – The Shadow of the Past
Wren:
The calling of the wren "little king" comes from an old fable detailing the election of the 'king of birds'. Although in the end the owl declared the eagle 'King', throughout Europe the wren has many titles referring to it as a king: in Old High German it was called "Kuningilin" (kinglet); in modern German it is called "Zaunkönig" (king of the fence (or hedge); and in Dutch it is named "Winterkoninkje" (little winter king). Also, in Europe, the name 'wren' is commonly used to refer to species of Regulidae, which is derived from the Latin word Regulus meaning 'petty king, or king's son, prince'.
Also, when sleeping birds can close one eye and switch off one brain, and leave the other eye with the corresponding brain fully awake and alert as information from one eye goes only to the brain on the opposite side. So the left eye sends information only to the right brain and vice versa. Apparently they can turn this off and on depending on the circumstances. For example, with a large flock of geese roosting on a lake, the geese in the centre of the flock might have both brains asleep while the more vulnerable birds on the perimeter might have one eye open with its corresponding brain alert to look for predators. By closing both his eyes to sleep in the story, the little wren was showing he felt safe and protected in the hand of the Elvenking. :)
