Erm…hello minna-san? #readers wake up from waiting# Er…sorry for taking so long? #readers pick up sharp objects that they were laying next to# NOOOO! I'M SORRY! #readers start throwing the sharp objects# Aiiiiii!
Nah, really, I'm sorry everybody. Camp, volunteer, and some summer stuff overtook my typing time! Although my Strings Camp (it's for all string instruments: violin, cello, etc.) was fun. We played some cool songs. I'm violin! I was Violin I, 5th chair! Cool! -.-;;
And two years ago at that strings camp, guess what we played? PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN! It was so cool! And somebody played percussion with the string orchestra! #sighs# I luv playing that song…And speaking of PotC, whose seen the second one? IT WAS AWESOME! Ahhh, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp…#swoon#
Yay! My summer vacation is coming up! First were gonna go to Corpus Christi and see the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington. Wohoo! And then we're going to Six Flags Fiesta Texas! Fun! Vacation right before school! Boy will I be tired (lol). I promise to type on the road!
Last thing is…me thinking that I'm psychic and/or psycho. I had a dream of Pirates of the Caribbean! Surprisingly enough, it helped me with this chapter…I had writer's block on a part of it, and the dream helped me…weird! My other dream was…even weirder. I had a dream that something bit me on my right arm (can't remember what), and I woke up right afterwards…with my arm hurting like hell, and a bruise forming next to my elbow! My God, I'm going crazy!
And thank goes to Katie for pointing out one of my mistakes! Hopefully all of them are now fixed! Please everybody, don't be afraid to write long reviews, say your opinion, or point out my mistakes! Feel free to do that!
And after this chapter, I'll tell you why I now think that this fic is cursed. Till then, read please! And I'm sorry, this chapter's slightly shorter than some of the others!
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Chapter 10 – Orcs, orcs, and more orcs!
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Legolas' eyes widened at the scene before him…
…it seemed to all happen in slow motion…
…Aragorn was overpowered as the orcs targeted his broken arm, smashing their clubs against it, before slashing him with their swords…
…Elrond was pierced with a black arrow as he ran to help Aragorn…
…they still fought…
…and then an orc strayed past the battle inside of the room, heading straight for Legolas…
…he raised his sword high as Legolas' eyes widened even more in fear…
…before everything went black.
"No!"
"..Legolas!.."
"No!"
"LEGOLAS!"
Legolas' eyes quickly opened, his breath coming in quick gasps. Elrond was on his right side, trying to hold Legolas' arm down as gently as he could with one hand, the other holding down his leg. Aragorn was on his right side, holding down his left arm with one hand, but Legolas' left leg was left alone; the human's left arm was still broken after all. Aragorn was also sporting a new bruise on his right arm. Legolas blinked in confusion. When did that happen?
Aragorn sighed in relief, loosening his hold on his friend. "Finally you've calmed down."
Elrond mimicked the sigh and also loosened his hold. "Aye, you were putting up quite a fight. What is wrong Legolas?"
Legolas had started looking wildly around the room as soon as Aragorn and Elrond had loosed their hold. "Th-the orcs, they were in here—"
"Calm down penneth, be at peace. There are no orcs in this room the last time I checked," Elrond said, trying to mollify Legolas.
Aragorn nodded. "Yes, nothing besides an elf who fights in his sleep, and punches and kicks like there's no tomorrow!" he said, trying to lighten the situation.
Legolas sighed as best he could, considering his swollen throat. "But the dream was so vivid…"
Elrond sat in the chair next to Legolas' bed. "It is best not to worry about things like this, Legolas. We are safe here."
The golden-haired elf looked like he was about to start talking again, when a scratchy-sounding gasp emitted from his throat as pain lanced up and down his throat. I guess I've been talking too much…he thought in dismay, even though it was only two sentences.
But Elrond was prepared. He reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a cup. "Here, Legolas," he said, lifting the cup to Legolas' lips. "Drink this."
Legolas obliged, before giving Elrond and Aragorn a look that said, 'Prepared, huh?'
The father and son laughed softly as Legolas slowly drank the contents of the cup. Elrond didn't want to say that they had to take the best care possible of Legolas' throat before…before he lost his voice. Whether the damage to his throat and voice will be temporary or permanent, I cannot be sure…
When Legolas finished the drink, he started to sit up. Aragorn rushed over, propping pillows behind the elf's back. "Legolas, what are you doing! You still need to rest!"
Legolas shook his head, before looking at Aragorn and Elrond. "I've rested long enough," he said, his regular voice now hardly a whisper. "Answers. Now."
Elrond seemed to still debate this, but Aragorn sighed and said, "Ada, he has rested…"
"But he didn't rest long!" Elrond protested. Ai, and I still do not have the heart to tell him of the poison…
"Long enough," Legolas said, his arms folded.
"Ada, we have to tell him."
Elrond was silent for a minute, before finally sighing and then asking Legolas, "Penneth, you are ready?"
Legolas inwardly flinched at the way Elrond was so hesitant, but nodded.
Elrond took a deep breath before launching into his explanation…
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Narentil's brow was furrowed in concentration as shouts and yells could be heard distantly. No doubt about it…the orcs are coming. All around and behind him he could hear the rest of the elves shifting restlessly. Narentil knew what they were thinking; Orcs attacking Imladris? Hardly anybody could recount an attack like this one. But…the reason why was what the elves were especially nervous about. Sauron was their leader.
But because Imladris was hardly ever attacked, except by some rouge groups of orcs, their army wasn't the big…it was a good-sized army, but not big. That's what made Narentil worry; nobody really knew how big the group of orcs that were coming was.
Then Narentil remembered what Aragorn had said to him a little while ago…
Elves were still running, but this time not in chaos. Guards and soldiers were dashing to their positions, whether it be as an archer or swordsman, or maybe even both, everybody was running somewhere. Amid the nervous soldiers was a human, looking for a certain stand-in commander…
"Narentil! Narentil!"
The elf in question turned toward the sound of the voice, slightly surprised to find Aragorn running towards him.
"Hello my lord," Narentil said, before bowing. "It's unusual to see you here; Lithendel told me that you were watching over Prince Legolas."
Aragorn sighed. "Well, I'm glad you can be so calm right now."
Narentil gave the human a slight smile. "A commander cannot look panicked in front of his already-anxious soldiers."
"True…" Aragorn said, running a hand through his hair. "But I didn't come for conversation."
The raven-haired elf nodded, assuming as much. "Please say what you need to then, my lord."
"I wanted to let you know that I sent a missive to Mirkwood, asking for reinforcements to help with this attack," Aragorn informed Narentil.
A smile graced Narentil's face as he bowed. "You have my thanks, as well as the rest of the soldiers, for that my lord."
"Yeah, well I don't think Legolas is going to thank me as quickly," Aragorn grumbled.
Narentil raised an eyebrow. "And why not, my lord?"
"Because ada made me write about the poison that ails Legolas."
Narentil smiled slightly. "Does that mean?..."
Aragorn sighed in defeat. "Yes…that probably means his father is coming too."
Narentil shook his head slightly at the thought. King Thranduil will not be happy at all…
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The forest was silent, save for the sound of hooves pounding the ground as three horses rode through the green forest. Elladan, Elrohir, and Lithendel were riding their horses through the foliage covering the ground and trees. Each had a determined expression on their face. Right after the three had mounted their horses at Rivendell, one of the elf guards ran up to them and led them to a part of the forest that they were sure was clear of orcs…for now. So far, the ride had been uneventful; meaning that they hadn't run into any orcs…yet.
Up ahead of them, a small stream trickled down from a formation of rocks; it probably went into the river that Aragorn and Legolas had been at. Elladan glanced at the stream as the three horses ran across it, splashing water everywhere. "Weathertop shouldn't be too far now," Elladan told the two other elves. "This stream is close to Weathertop."
"How much longer do you think it will take us to get there now?" Elrohir asked.
"…I think only maybe a – ahh!" Elladan was cut off from his sentence as Uial neighed in fright and reared onto his hind legs, throwing his front legs in fright. Elladan, who had been busy thinking about how much longer they had to ride, was caught off-guard by this sudden movement; he yelled as he was thrown backwards and fell to the ground hard.
"Elladan!" Elrohir yelled as he pulled on the reins of Lúme, causing him to stop. Lithendel did the same to Gailim. As the younger elf rushed toward his hurt twin, Lithendel looked at what had made Uial to be so frightened, while tending to the scared horse. The commander's had stopped stroking Uial's mane as he saw what had scared the horse…
…a black arrow.
Quickly whipping out his bow and an arrow, Lithendel shouted a warning to the twins; "Elladan! Elrohir! There are orcs here!"
Elrohir quickly nocked an arrow to his bow, searching for any orcs in sight. Suddenly, a gang of orcs rushed out of the bushes, seven with swords and two with crossbows, already ready for shooting. Lithendel wasted no time in shooting down one of the orcs with the crossbows, while Elrohir picked of the other. The orcs were already nearly upon them, and Lithendel only had enough time to kill one more orc before having to put up his bow and pulling out his sword. Elrohir was still near Elladan, and had more distance between him and the band of orcs. He kept shooting at the orcs, standing near his brother's body the entire time. When there were only two orcs left, Elrohir decided that he could take a quick glance and see how Elladan was doing. The last he saw, Elladan had his eyes closed, and Elrohir wanted to see what was wrong. Elrohir turned around, and his eyes went wide with fear at what he saw.
An orc was standing not to far from his and Elladan…an orc with a crossbow.
An orc with a crossbow pointed right at Elladan.
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Legolas stared at his hands as he numbly went over what Elrond had told him. Lose…my voice? Never to talk again? That can't be possible…
Elrond and Aragorn looked at Legolas nervously, their hands fidgeting slightly with anxiety. Ever since Elrond had finished telling Legolas of the Dínencuil, he had been quietly staring at his hands, a look of dismay and loss on his face. Aragorn finally couldn't take it anymore, and walked over to the chair on the left side of Legolas' bed. The devastated elf barely even acknowledged Aragorn as the human put a comforting hand on Legolas' left hand. "Mellon-nin...remember what we just said. Elladan, Elrohir, and Lithendel are getting the elessfea right now! It wont be long before they come back, ada can make the antidote, and then your throat will be healed. It…just might take a little time…" Aragorn trailed off as he thought of how his best friend was feeling right now came to him.
"It's okay, Estel…" Legolas said hoarsely, the look of dismay and loss still on his face. "I'll wait…" But how long will I have to wait? Ai, to live without talking…singing…and sooner or later, maybe even breathing. Closing his eyes, he sighed softly. He needed some fresh air. Legolas looked up at Elrond, opening his eyes, which almost had a pleading look in them. "Outside?"
Elrond and Aragorn both knew what he meant. Elrond slightly bowed his head; he knew that Legolas wanted to go outside to hear the trees, to breathe fresh air, and to see and feel the sun. "I am sorry Legolas, you cannot go outside."
Legolas looked questionly at the older elf, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You apologized for it. It's not a strict order?" The sentence was longer than what he could handle, and Legolas started coughing again, his face showing how much it hurt as his body shook with each cough.
Elrond hurried to make the same drink that Legolas had had before while Aragorn tried to help his best friend through his coughing fit. Legolas breathed shakily as the coughing subsided, and almost snatched the cup from Elrond when he came close to his bed. Ai, this pain is horrible! I never knew a swollen throat could be so painful…although I know what many other injuries feel like. Legolas mouth twitched slightly upward from the thought as he finished the drink. Elrond and Aragorn both looked oddly at Legolas, both thinking the same thing; What the heck does he find funny?
"Legolas, what are you thinking?" Elrond asked, unable to quell his curiosity.
The golden-haired elf's mouth twitched upward again as he got a weird look on his face. "So many injuries…"
Both Elrond and Aragorn chuckled slightly at that. "Isn't that the truth…"
Legolas shook his head slightly, remembering why his coughing fit had started in the first place. "Outside. Why?" he whispered, trying to use as few words as possible.
Elrond and Aragorn glanced at each other. What do we say? "Well, you see mellon-nin…" Aragorn started, "outside's not the best place right now…" At Legolas inquiring gaze, Aragorn sighed in defeat. "Okay, outside isn't the safest place right now. For anybody."
Legolas didn't even need to speak at this. His look was clear: 'Why?'
"Because…of the orcs." Legolas gaped at the human and elf at this. "Orcs? More?" he asked.
Elrond nodded gravely as Aragorn gave a short explanation on how Lithendel had found out about the orcs goal; to kill every elf in Imladris. And who's to say that they would stop there? Mirkwood could be next! Legolas thought frantically, immediately thinking of his father. "Mirkwood?" Legolas whispered in fear.
The lord of Imladris looked away. "We're not sure Legolas…but we have sent a missive to your father earlier in the morning. We asked for assistance, as Mirkwood has a larger army than we do. And…we also said…" Elrond fidgeted slightly as the sentence drifted off.
A look of fear crossed Legolas' face. If not for the situation, Aragorn would have laughed. "You told him!" Legolas said as he blanched in horror.
Aragorn scratched his head sheepishly. "Afraid so mellon-nin."
Legolas buried his head in his hands. "Ai…"
Elrond smiled slightly at the expression. "You know we have to tell him. What if he had come himself, and then he would see you here, poisoned without his knowing. He would be more furious that he would if he had already known."
Legolas looked like he was about to say something, but stopped. His eyes widened in horror.
But the older elf didn't see the expression, and continued. "And if the guards had come, word surely would have gotten back to your father…Legolas? What's wrong?" Elrond looked in concern at Legolas, who had his right hand loosely around his throat, his eyes still widened in panic.
Before anybody could say anything else, an anxious voice was heard on the other side of the door, apparently arguing with the four elven guards.
"I need to go in! I have to talk to Lord Elrond!" a male voice shouted.
"You must tell us what your business with Lord Elrond is. We cannot have you simply barging in," a guard stated.
But before the voice could answer, Elrond hurriedly walked to the door and opened it. "What is this noise about?" he asked. The guards started slightly, and the elf that was there looked relieved. By the looks of it, the elf was an archer, most likely ready to help in the battle with the orcs.
"My lord, I have a message from Sir Narentil!" the archer said, a mixture of fear and anxiety on his face.
Couldn't he have told one of the guards? Legolas needs rest…Although this archer looks so anxious that he probably didn't think of it…"Yes? What is the message?" he asked.
"The orcs! They're here!
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Hulking figures wrapped in black cloaks sneered as the sound of yelling met their ears. Up ahead, many forms were seen darting everywhere, weapons clanging against their backs and waists.
Three shadowed figures approached from behind the cloaked party, riding merciless-looking beasts. The vicious creatures growled as they were lead forward, eager to begin the fight. The figure riding in the middle sneered, sensing the panic of the elves.
It's time to begin the destruction of the elves!
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Oh no! They're coming!
This is no time for running,
There an antidote to be found,
And orcs to be bound!
Okay, so you would kill orcs and not bind them. But I'm in a rush, and that's all I could think of. Sorry! Not my best poem I guess.
And why I think this story is cursed…because through the first half of July, my throat hurt horribly, and I could hardly talk! I think this story caused it…
And PLEASE everybody, PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews mean the world to me, the make me incredibly happy and inspire me to write more, and to improve my writing! So please review, and please forgive me for my erratic updating. Ciao for now!