Finally! Here is the beginning of the second part. One done, two to go.

THE TWO TOWERS

Chapter 10

'My son … what news is there?"

'My lord, the prince left Rivendell in a fellowship with -'

'The girl?'

'Yes, she went too'

The king clenched his fist.

'My sons always has his weak spot, I fear she is one…. Go! Leave me in peace"

'As you wish, my lord'

Thranduil sat alone once again in his study where he had last seen Legolas. That look in the eye of his son he could never forget. He just hoped he was safe.

Xxx

The band of Uruk Hai are swiftly running across the plains. On their backs are Merry and Pippin who are both tied.

"Merry! Merry!"

The group stop in a valley like area of stones as a band of Mordor orcs appeared.

"You're late our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire-rats now."

"I don't take orders from Orc-maggots. Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them."

Merry wasn't responding to Pippin when he was calling so he began to raise his voice higher.

"Merry! Merry? Wake up"

Pippin looked up at the Uruk Hai who was drinking from a flask

"My friend is sick. He needs water. Please!"

"Sick, is he? Give him some medicine, boys!"

The Uruks began to pour the liquid from their flasks into Merry's mouth, who woke up coughing and spluttering

"Stop it!"

An arrow briskly flew through the air and pierced through the orcs skull who fell lifeless to the ground. The uruks looked up in alarm as another fell. Pippin recognized the arrows.

"Arquenniel?"

Arquenniel stood above the uruk group on the edge of a cliff sending down an arrow every few seconds she could. She knew she wouldn't win but this was the best chance she had. As she reached for another arrow she was hit by a force which sent her bow tumbling down at the uruk group. She quickly drew her swords as several orcs had found her hiding spot but she was outnumbered. The effects of the arrow hit she had gained before was evident. She stumbled backwards and fell.

Pippin winced at the sound of Arquenniel form hit the ground.

"Well well what do we have here, elven-scum?"

Arquenniel was stunned by her fall as she watched the ugly uruk stand above her. It grabbed her by her throat and lifted her up. She struggled but she was too weak, the uruk was surprisingly strong.

"A she-elf boys!"

"Let- let them go …"

The big uruk laughed which only made her angry. She spat in its face. The uruks eyes flashed with rage as he brought the end of his weapon down on Arquenniels head. She then fell to the ground unmoving.

"No!"

"She was with the group at Amon hen…What is it? What do you smell?"

"Man-flesh"

"They've picked up our trail"

"Aragorn." Pippin could sense more help coming.

"Let's move!"

"Carry the elf scum"

The Uruk-hai band ran off with Merry and Pippin still tied to their backs, with his mouth Pippin pulled off his elven leaf brooch from his cloak and threw it to the ground hoping Aragorn would find it.

Xxx

"Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent. Hurry!"

"Come on, Gimli!"

"Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell."

The three hunters ran as fast as their legs would let them. Legolas was driven on emotion as he ignored his aching body and ran on.

"Legolas wait! … Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall."

"They may yet be alive" Legolas said with hope as he returned by Aragorn's side.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come"

"Come, Gimli! We're gaining on them!"

Gimli was struggling to keep up. His small dwarven legs were doing him no favors especially at the pace that Legolas was taking.

"I'm wasted on cross-country. We Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances."

Gimli watched Legolas and Aragorn run up to a hill. When he catches up he sees the plains of Rohan.

"Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There's something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us."

Legolas ran ahead to get a better look.

"Legolas! What do your Elf-eyes see?"

"The Uruks turn northeast. They are taking the Hobbits to lsengard."

"Saruman" Aragorn knew this wasn't good. The hobbits would never survive in Isengard.

Legolas appeared to be frustrated as he agitatedly kicked a pile of rock which stumbled down the hill.

"Legolas?"

"…Where is she? She went after the hobbits.. But –"

"Legolas my friend. Please try not to worry we will find her. I'll make sure of it"

Legolas nodded slowly with doubt still in his mind. He knew Arquenniel would have been outnumbered he just could bear to think of what the orcs would do to her.

Xxx

The uruks finally stopped after a day of running. Everyone was exhausted.

"We're not going no further...until we've had a breather" one spat.

"Get a fire going!"

The uruks and orcs start to move to the trees and began to chop firewood. Merry and Pippin were thrown harshly to the ground together as Arquenniel was dumped ungracefully near them. An orc began to bind Arquenniels legs together.

"Now we can't have our prize elf running away, can we?"

Arquenniel was semiconscious as she rolled over to her back as she tried to take in the current predicament she was in.

"Merry! Merry!"

Pippin whispered worryingly. Merry had a large cut on his head and wasn't looking to good. But he was conscious.

"I think we might have made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin"

Pippin grins in agreement and turns his attention to the orcs and uruks. A loud deep noise was coming from the forest.

"What's making that noise?"

"It's the trees"

"Arquenniel! Your awake!"

"yes, dear hobbit. I am sorry I couldn't save you"

"It's ok, you tried" Merry replied reassuringly

"What do you mean it's the trees?"

"I am a wood elf; my knowledge of trees is great. This is without a doubt Fangorn forest"

"Fangorn?"

"Yes, Pippin. You remember the Old Forest, on the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall...and come alive."

"Alive?"

"Trees that could whisper...talk to each other...even move"

"You are right Merry"

xxx

"I'm starving. We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days"

"Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?!" The orcs gaze turned to the hobbits.

"What about them? They're fresh"

"They are not for eating."

An Uruk-Hai drags Merry and Pippin away from the orcs. Arquenniel tries to follow their direction.

"What about their legs? They don't need those."

Merry and Pippin look astonished and scared as they glanced towards Arquenniel who was furiously trying to free herself.

"They look tasty"

"Get back, scum! The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled"

"Alive? Why alive? Do they give good sport?"

"They have something. An Elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war"

Arquenniel heart dropped. The ring.

"They think we have the Ring"

"Ssh! As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead"

A orc had creeped behind the hobbits and rose his blade.

"Look out!" Arquenniel screamed helplessly.

"Just a mouthful...a bit of the flank"

The large uruk rose his scimitar and cut off the orcs head which rolled off on to the hobbits shoulders.

"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys"

The Uruk-hai pushed past Merry and Pippin, throwing them to the ground again as they fought to get to the body.

"Let's go"

They begin to crawl away to get Arquenniel but suddenly they are stopped as another orc places a foot on Merry's back.

"Go on. Call for help. Squeal. No one's going to save you now"

The orc then raise his blade but received a spear to its back and falls off. The Rohirrim appeared on their horses slaying the orcs and uruk-hai.

"Pippin! Arquenniel!"

They are caught in the middle of the attack.

Arquenniel finds a stray blade and cut the hobbits bonds along with her own.

"Run hobbits! In the woods!"

"What about you!"

"I'll follow!"

Arquenniel struggled through the fight to retrieve her bow and blades. She is successful as she dodges various spears thrown towards her. She stumbled clumsily towards Fangorn to follow the hobbits.

Xxx

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night" Legolas senses a terrible battle has taken place.

The three hunters continued running. Aragorn paused to look at tracks on the ground until they hear the sounds of neighing and thundering hooves. Aragorn beckoned to Legolas and Gimli to follow him as they hid behind some rocks.

A large group of horses and horsemen thundered past them over the brow of the hill. Aragorn decided to come out of hiding, followed by Legolas and Gimli.

"Riders of Rohan...what news from the Mark?"

Eomer the leader of the horsemen raised his spear and the horsemen circled round and galloped back to the Hunters, circling around them with spears drawn. Eomer rode through the men, and stopped in front of them.

"What business does an Elf, a Man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

Gimli did not receive his tone to kindly and gave a harsh reply.

"Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine."

Eomer dismounted from his horse and walked towards Gimli.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf...if it stood but a little higher from the ground"

Legolas quickly in less than a second drew an arrow and aimed at Eomer's head.

"You would die before your stroke fell" Legolas replied with anger laced into each and every word.

The Rohirrim all pointed their spears at Legolas. Aragorn stepped between him and Eomer and held Legolas' arm down sending him an alarming look.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king"

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from even his own kin"

Eomer replied taking of his helmet and instructing the Rohirrim to lower there spears.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king...and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say...as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets"

Legolas returns a fierce look back to Eomer. His increased annoyance was becoming more obvious every minute. He wanted to find her, he didn't want to talk.

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friend's captive"

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night"

"But there were two Hobbits. Did you see two Hobbits with them?"

"They would be small. Only children to your eyes"

Eomer shook his head sadly. He felt sympathetic towards the group.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them" he said pointing to a pile of steaming carcasses in the distance.

"Dead?" Gimli whispered in disbelief.

"I am sorry"

Eomer whistled

"Hasufel! Arod! May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell"

Eomer placed back on his helmet and mounted his horse.

"Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands. (he shouts to his men) We ride north!"

The Rohirrim rode away leaving Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to mount their new horses in shocked silence and to go and see the carcasses for themselves.

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rode up to the smoking pile and dismounted. Gimli began to dig through the pile of burnt bodies with his axe until he picked up a belt.

"It's one of their wee belts"

Legolas bowed his head in sorrow "Hiro hyn hîdh… ab 'wanath..." (May they find peace in death)

Aragorn violently kicked an Uruk helmet, screaming and falling to his knees

"We failed them"

Aragorn turns his attention to tracks on the ground.

"A Hobbit lay here. And the other..They crawled. Their hands were bound" Aragorn began to crawl and follow the tracks.

"Their bonds were cut! They ran over here. They were followed"

Legolas and Gimli were closely following Aragorn forming some more hope.

"Tracks lead away from the battle..."

They stopped running and stared at the forest before them"

"...into Fangorn Forest"

"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?"

Next chapter will be more independent in terms of writing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I really appreciate reviews! xx