Chapter 5

For about an hour Aragorn followed Arod. By now he was deep in the forest of Bruchtal, but so far the ranger had not found any clue about the whereabouts of his friend. It was as if the forest had swallowed the Mirkwood elf and now hid him from him.

The fear in man's heart grew from minute to minute. He was afraid of the condition of his friend. His feeling told him that something had happened and Legolas was not well and they had to find him quickly.

Suddenly Arod stopped and the ranger found himself in a large clearing. He had never been here before. The man quickly got off his horse and inspected the clearing closely. When he spotted something in the tall grass, his heart beat faster. Aragorn's steps quickened as he headed towards the object. What he saw made his heart freeze.

An elaborately crafted and warped bow lay in the grass. With trembling hands, the ranger reached for the weapon and picked it up. His suspicions had been confirmed. Something had happened to Legolas. The human's heart beat faster at this realization and fear and worry spread within him. The prince would never just leave his bow lying around. "Oh, Legolas...", the man whispered desperately and looked up at the high trees.

Finally, Aragorn took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He had to be calm and concentrated to find the elf. His watchful eyes glided across the ground and he knelt down to find possible tracks. Indeed, they were clearly visible. Whoever had taken the archer with him had not bothered to cover his tracks. Once again, the ranger was glad that tracking was no problem for him. Well, anyone would probably have recognized these tracks.

The human went back to the horses, attached the bow to Arod, and stroked the white stallion's nose reassuringly. In the dark eyes of the beautiful animal, the fear and concern for his rider were clearly visible. "I will bring him back, Arod. I promise," breathed the ranger and briefly put his forehead to that of the horse.

Aragorn knew that he could not actually make such a promise, but he was determined to find the Mirkwood elf and bring him home. No matter how.

With this thought, a knot formed in his stomach. The man could only hope that the kidnappers did not harm the prince. He didn't understand anyway what one could want from this pure being to be captured. The blond elf was innocent and good through and through.

Finally, the ranger broke away from Arod and the white stallion ran back towards Rivendell with a quiet snort. With a soft sigh, the man took the reins of his own horse and went back to the trail. From now on he would have to walk to recognize it.

But a horse would be useful in any case, because nobody knew in what condition the prince was. Again, fear and despair returned, but Aragorn pushed them back. Not now. They had to hurry.

Attentively, the ranger followed the trail. It was more than clear that the kidnappers had made no effort not to be discovered. A smile flitted across the human face. Fortunately, because it was easier that way. Whoever these beings were, they were not the smartest.

After a few meters, the man noticed something that made his heart contract in fear. No, please don't. There was blood on the floor. And Aragorn guessed who it came from. Legolas was hurt! The man took a deep breath. Let us hope his friend was half all right.

The tracks led further into the forest and the ranger followed them with a strange feeling in his stomach. What had happened to the elf? Who were the kidnappers who had managed to overpower one of the best archers in the land, but didn't pay attention to their far too obvious tracks? "Hold on a little longer, my friend. I will find you."

If you have any suggestions for improvement, feel free to share them with me. I hope you like the story so far ;)