And things are finally taking off! Yes, yes, I know, if things are just now taking off what have I been doing for the past eleven chapters? Setting the scene my lovies, setting the scene…


Chapter Twelve: They're Here…They've Come…

Legolas suddenly stopped, rigid on the soft ground. Fuiniel continued darting forward a moment until she noticed that he was no longer with her. She ran back the few paces to him and hissed, "hurry! We cannot stop, they will soon be upon us!"

When Legolas turned his small face towards her, Fuiniel's heart seemed to have somehow lodged itself in the back of her throat, making it impossible to swallow. His blue eyes, usually twinkling even after the most grueling run or fearful race, were suddenly and terrifyingly bleak.

"They already are," he whispered hoarsely.

……………

When the night had started, they had not been in such danger. Indeed, despite their fears of a bad omen a few days ago, the extra darkness of the eclipse seemed to have shrouded them from their pursuers, for they had not heard a hint of yrch since then. Hope renewed in their faltering hearts, the two elflings had run with light feet through the trees when they saw the small stream.

"Here," Fuiniel had told her companion with what passed for her as a smile, "is where we shall turn and begin to cut back towards the palace. I believe that we have gone more than far enough to prevent the yrch from chasing us, for they now risk discovery."

Legolas had been beaming with joy, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward eagerly. "Oh Fuiniel," he had cried, "we are almost home!"

The girl's face had dimmed and she coldly detached her hand from the young prince's. "Yes," she said flatly, "home."

There had been silence for a long moment as shadows swirled in her dark eyes.

"Fuiniel, I am sorry," Legolas had stammered. "I did not mean to—"

"Of course not," she had said shortly, and was sorry. She had not meant to be cross with him, she had just needed to be upset with someone. Otherwise she would have risked crying, and she knew that that was something she could no longer do. "Do not worry," Fuiniel had continued in a softer tone, taking his hand again, "I know what you meant."

"Then you will live with ada and I?" he had asked eagerly, good spirits restored. "I am sure that ada will be pleased, and I would be very pleased, if you would," he added politely.

"We…will see what Aran Thranduil has to say about that," she hedged.

"Do not worry," Legolas had reassured her confidently, "I am certain that ada will be happy."

Fuiniel had her doubts—both about how the king would react to the news of a permanent, orphaned house-guest, and about whether or not she was truly ready to face her people again. About whether or not she was yet ready to give up her vengeance against the yrch—for she was certain that Aran Thranduil would not allow an elfling free rein to hunt yrch while she lived in his home.

But was not hunting down the yrch all she had left? What else was there to justify her life?

……………

But Legolas's high spirits were contagious, and soon the two elflings had been chatting away merrily about all their plans once they finally arrived at the palace.

"We will lay in bed all day and not even change out of our bedclothes."

"We can stay up from dawn to sunrise, and not see the nighttime for a month."

"We shall corner Tiraran and make him tell us stories all day and act out all the parts."

As they went on, the ideas became more and more outlandish and impossible—and more certain to be vetoed by Thranduil—and they became less and less watchful of the forest around them.

"We will stand on top of the parapet and be statues, and throw candy to anyone who salutes us—"

"And nuts to anyone who does not!"

"We will never have to eat nuts again. "

"We shall have a feast entirely of spun-sugar and sticky-wafers!"

Excitement after so long under stressful fear quite ran away with the children, and they forgot that they had not yet reached safety.

They were abruptly reminded when the stumbled into the orch.

Actually, they did not stumble, and certainly not into anything. They simply turned the corner at a bend in the small stream they were following—now on the ground rather than in the air, for after climbing down to get a drink they saw no reason to climb back up, not now when they felt so safe. The moon was just beginning to wane and the stars were bright, both overhead and reflected in the water by their feet, and the colorful leaves made as nice a carpet underfoot as they did a canopy overhead.

Then they saw the orch.

Actually, it was three yrch, and the foul creatures were at least as surprised as the elflings were at the encounter, if not more so. For a long moment yrch and Elves stared at one another, jaws gaping in mirrored expressions of shock. Then as if at some unseen signal, everything shattered and started moving again.

Fuiniel tugged Legolas's hand and shouted, and the two disappeared into the trees. At the same moment the yrch yelled even louder, and two of them bolted after the elflings while the third, yelling at the top of its lungs, raced off no doubt to summon the rest of their foul horde.

The children ran as fast as they could, but the two yrch were only a few paces behind them; too far to suddenly turn and catch them off-guard enough to stab them, yet too close to either string and shoot a bow or to scramble up a tree and disappear into the leaves. While they cannot run through the branches as an Elf can, yrch can climb speedily and well. They would have been on top of the children before they could flee—and so all the two small elflings could do was run, hands intertwined in the darkness out of fear both of being separated and of the foul pursuit on their heels.

After a time, the fleet-footed Elves drew away from their pursuers. Fear sped their steps and the yrch were not nearly so graceful in running over tree-roots and fallen branches as were the Elves. But Fuiniel and Legolas did not turn to see. Terror has clenched their minds and came close behind them. Even as their sharp senses told them that they were drawing away, they could not bring themselves to pause and take to the trees or to hiding. Fear was now their master, and even as that abated slightly with distance from the yrch they could not break free entirely of its hold.

So they ran. And ran and ran and ran, while about them the night grew steadily darker and their footsteps led them further and further away from safety.

……………

"What do you mean, they are upon us?" Fuiniel gasped, wide-eyed.

"Can you not hear them?" Legolas whispered, voice quavering ever so slightly.

"Verily?" asked the girl, hand tightening on her sword.

Legolas nodded, chewing on his lip.

"Very well," said Fuiniel, voice suddenly calm and face cold. "Then we shall have to fight our way out. Here," she reached to her back and pulled the large bow from its clasp on her quiver. "How is your aim? Shall you shoot, or shall I?"

Legolas looked at the large bow and larger sword with dismay, then his own face calmed. "I think that I should do better with the bow than the sword; I have not spent near so much time learning blades as I have archery. It is…enjoyable…" he finished in a fading whisper; enjoyment seemed such a small thing now, with death only a few steps away from them.

Fuiniel nodded calmly and handed him the bow, then pulled a handful of arrows from her quiver. "Here. Use them well."

Legolas nodded solemnly, blue eyes large but resolute. "I will."

……………

When the yrch saw the small elfling holding bent a bow over half as tall as he was, determination on his small face, they were not afraid; they were amused. Their coarse laughter echoed harshly through the trees.

Legolas loosed his first arrow, and one orch's laughter turned to gurgling as it embedded itself securely in its throat. The child's next shot was less perfect, catching the orch he was aiming at in the shoulder instead. But by that time, death had dropped on the yrch from above as well.

Living up to her name, the Daughter of Darkness fell from the shadows upon the foul creatures, her sword flashing silver in the pale moonlight—for a moment. Soon, thick, black blood coated the blade and smothered the gleam. The yrch had charged right past her towards Legolas, but they had stopped when their first companion fell dead—exactly where the two children had planned for them to halt.

Legolas had fired all but two of his small handful of arrows that had been stuck in the side of a dead trunk beside him when Fuiniel, black blood dripping down her small form, detached herself from the fray that had resulted from her surprise attack. She grabbed the other elfling and dragged him away—he had just enough time to snatch his two remaining arrows—and they disappeared into the trees. With any luck, it would be some minutes before the yrch realized that the elfling had slipped free of their fight.

Of course, if they had any luck, they would be running for home right now—not away from it.

……………

With sunlight came—for a moment—hope, although neither elfling though to ceasing or even slowing their race. They ran heedless of direction until the sun was high in the sky when at last they collapsed, trembling with fright and exertion, in a small clearing. The sunlight was bright here, for the trees were thin, and they felt safe in its warm golden beams.

"Fuiniel?" Legolas said in a very small voice after a moment. "I am sorry."

The other elfling sat up, staring at the small prince in shock. "What?" she asked sharply in her surprise, and he flinched at her harsh tone.

"I—I am sorry that I distracted you. I forgot that we were not home yet and now I have the yrch chasing us and it is all my fault and I am sorry—"

"Peace!" she interrupted quickly. "Legolas, it was not your fault," she shook her head. "I ought to have known better. If there is blame to be assigned it ought to go to me."

"Yet I am the one who distracted you, and if it were not for me you would never have forgotten and we would not be in danger now and—"

"Legolas, I said it was not!" Fuiniel took a deep breath to calm her still racing nerves. "Do not blame yourself, for you are not at fault. Blame me, rather, for was it not by my decision that we took that path? I am the one used to the yrch and the one whose obligation it was to be cautious of them. I am the one to blame, and I am sorry for that." Her face fell as she realized the truth of her hastily spoken words, and she hung her dark head. "I am sorry. It is my fault; almost were you home, but my laxity has now placed you in greater jeopardy than before."

Legolas now sat up as well and frowned at her. "No it is not," he objected. "If it were not for you, I would already be dead." There was silence for a moment as Fuiniel fumed at herself for her lapse. "Since you say it is not my fault, and I say it is not yours, then perhaps we are both right," the younger elfling said at last. "Perhaps there is no one to blame, and it was simply ill fortune."

Fuiniel looked up at him and blinked, thinking over what he said. Could it be true, that they had simply fallen into the yrch through evil chance? She shook her head, not certain that she agreed with that; if she had not relaxed her vigilance, they would have passed carefully and quietly through the trees over the heads of the yrch with no harm or danger. Aloud, she said, "it may be you are right. If that is the case, let us hope that no further ill favor dogs our footsteps." Silently, she decided that it was indeed her fault, but that she would not let it occur again. She would be on her guard and she would not make another mistake like that.

But Legolas smiled brightly, happy to have reassured her. "I am glad; I do not want you to feel bad," he said simply.

Fuiniel almost laughed. No matter how well-intentioned, no one could stop that. She no longer knew any other way to feel.

Yet sitting here peacefully in this small clearing with sunlight overhead and autumn leaves on the ground, almost she did feel at ease. After their close fright, it felt…good to just sit here and, for the first time in more than two months for Legolas, and far longer than that for Fuiniel, simply enjoy their surroundings. Fuiniel laid back in the soft grass, her head pillowed by autumn leaves and heather. She heard Legolas humming softly, but did not open her eyes, letting the warm sun play upon her face. For a moment, she was completely relaxed.

Then Fuiniel leapt to her feet. The small bird that had apparently befriended Legolas took flight from his fingers as he stared at Fuiniel in startlement. "Hurry!" she gasped, grabbing her sword from where she had left it in the leaves, "we have to go!"

"What?" Legolas asked in confusion, "why?" But even as he questioned, he obeyed, picking up the bow and two loose arrows once more. Fuiniel signaled, so tense she was quivering, and he hurried after her as she sprinted from the clearing. "What is wrong?" he asked, worry shaking his voice slightly.

"Yrch!" she exclaimed. "The yrch are moving!"

Legolas nearly stopped in shock as he stared at her, openmouthed. He shook his paralysis off in a moment and hurried after her. "Yrch?" he repeated dumbly. "But…it is daylight!"

"I know!" Fuiniel replied, frustrated. "I do not understand it! Yet I am certain of it! I felt their feet shaking the earth as I lay!"

Legolas opened and closed his mouth a few times but could not speak. If the yrch were willing to move in daylight to find them they were in far worse trouble than either elfling had imagined.

The children sprinted pell-mell through the trees and leaves, small feet leaving little imprint in the soft ground which soon faded as the leaves sprang back. Fear once more coursing through their limbs, eyes wide and wild, they ran as if their lives depended on it—which, they were both all too aware, they most likely did. Terror driving their steps, they ran desperately long past dusk. They did not notice that the trees around them were steadily thinning until the broke through the copse at the edge of the woods and found themselves no longer under Greenwood's protective boughs.

The elflings gasped and froze. They shrank together, staring at the naked sky in fear. Neither one had ever left Greenwood—'ere now—and they felt open and exposed. They drew back towards the trees then jumped at the rustling sounds of yrch moving in the distance. With no time to think, they turned in horror and darted blindly across the grass, more frightened of the yrch than of the open sky. On the empty plains, they had nowhere to flee to, no safety to retreat towards—but by the time they realized their mistake, it was too late to go back, for their pursuers were there.

The stars above shone brightly, casting a shallow silver glow over everything as the night slowly deepened towards darkness. That light shrank back in revulsion—and perhaps a little horror—from the foul black mass that exited the trees next. A living shadow moved across the plain, trailing darkness and evil in its wake. The grass shifted back into place as they passed, but a hint of the shadow remained long after all other sign of their presence had faded.

Evil had walked that land, and the land would not soon forget.


Reviewer Responses:

Alma —thank you! Yeah, my one attempt at symbolism, like, ever…lol. Glad it worked! And I'm glad you're attached and happy with the pacing. Your opinion means a lot, because I love the way you handle your characters so much. Thanks!

Aranna — Well, if you want me to slow down and update more rarely I'll be glad to do so if it will make life easier for you. Yes? Thanks for not being normal for me! I appreciate it, and I'm sorry you're tired. Try some chai tea, it's yummy! Danger to the elflings? Hmmm, spider-sense tingling…

EastCoastie1500 — yay, glad you're back and Ohio was fun! No, we don't want Thranduil to turn inside out…and then explode…er, sorry, Galaxy Quest there… Don't worry, I'm sure Thranduil's quest (speaking of mission, quest, things) hasn't been quenched yet. Thank you for enjoying it, and for the pretty reviews! And I'm glad you can't guess the ending seeing as how that would mean a waste of, like, twenty-some chapters…lol. Consider me rejuvenated!!!!

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm happy with this chapter yet or not, but it gets us where we need to go next. Apparently I have trouble writing happy children. Go figure. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas of how to better this one, please don't hesitate to critisize dramatically. I'd work on it some more, but so far I've been working on it since before I went on break and it still won't get better so I obviously need another perspective if I'm going to fix it--or else it will just sit as a half-decent transitional chapter, which is really what it is. Anyway, enough of my whining, you're not here for that. Yes, as I said, the story is starting to move now. We're going places, hope you like them! Scene has been set, and onward little elflings! :)

And of course, thank you all! Your reviews are so wonderful and I just had to tell you all again. I really appreciate the feedback. Love you all!