Chapter 10
Legolas woke to see that Aragorn was gone. With him, the mysterious mist left as well. Legolas stood from his bed of leaves and examined the ground. His ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. He turned to see Aragorn.
"If we climb down that way, we can possibly cross the river just before the waterfall." he explained. "There are some stones only a foot under the water, we can cross there. Legolas stretched and yawned.
"Mind if I eat some breakfast first?" he asked.
"Go ahead, I already ate." Aragorn sat on his bed of leaves. Legolas could see so much more now that the mist had left. Legolas ate some of the berries that were left over and drank some water that they had carried with them in a small flank. When he finished, he tossed aside all but two knives. He pulled his sword out of its case and stabbed it into the ground.
"Legolas?" Aragorn watched him kneel in front of the weapon. After murmuring a few words in elvish, he stood and pulled five branches from the tree. He shaved them, and made the ends of the four small, straight ones sharp. He placed them upright in his bag once he was finished. Then he bent the longer one and tied a string on both ends, holding it in place.
After about thirty minutes of shaving, tying, and sharpening, he stood and armed an arrow in his bow. He fired it at the tree above the sword. Then he turned to Aragorn.
"In memory of Rivendell." he said in a thin voice. They walked away in silence, leaving Legolas's sword, given to him by Gimli the dwarf, behind. It was a memorial of the place where many elves grew up and lived all their lives.
The waterfall's crossing was only about a kilometer away, Legolas saw that the river before it was white with foam until it reached the drowned stepping stones. Aragorn took a breath before he headed into the water. The river was maybe a whole league across, and it would take them all day to cross it. Aragorn was up to his knees in water and in a step, he was down to his ankles.
"This is the first stepping stone." he said over the roar of the falls. "Watch your step, and lean upriver. He continued on his way. Legolas headed into the water, feeling it soak through his boots. It was a pretty stressful situation, being on the edge of a fifty-foot waterfall beside the whitest waters you could imagine.
Legolas held out his arms to help him balance. It felt rather different without his sword; he had been wearing it for the last eight days. As he made his way to the stepping stone, he remembered traveling with the fellowship on top of the snow. He could look down at everyone else, wading through it up to their waists. He laughed when he remembered the long journey. His friendship with Gimli had ended long ago, when he died.
That was part of what made Legolas so nervous. Gimli had died drowning in this very river when he was walking nearby it. A storm had caused him to run for cover, but he had slipped into the river and drowned. An old coot of a hobbit found him dead.
Legolas shook the thoughts from his mind. He was an elf! His grace and speed was much greater then Gimli's. However, that wasn't enough to convince him.
He stepped on the first stone and looked ahead. Aragorn was two stones ahead of him. Legolas was surprised to find how slippery the stone was. He found a grittier part and leapt. He landed with a splash on the next rock. He was unbalanced, and fell.
He gripped the edge of the rock and landed on his knees, fighting the current and struggling to get up. He had to take the chance to get up. He took a breath and straightened his legs. He was standing again, carefully placing his footing on the rock. He heard Aragorn call to him.
"You all right?" he asked. Legolas looked at him and nodded. Aragorn watched his next leap, which was accomplished more easily. The current grew stronger as the stepping stones went further into the river. Aragorn landed on a slanted one and nearly lost his footing. He did the same as Legolas and gripped the rock as he fell into the river. Legolas leapt so that he was one stone away from him.
"Aragorn!" he called. Aragorn reemerged and climbed back onto the rock. He was dripping with water. Legolas sighed in relief.
"Try to grab that one when you land on it." Aragorn advised him. Legolas nodded and leapt after him.
They were almost halfway across the river now, and they were very tired, both soaked to the bone from nearly falling. Aragorn leapt again, leaving Legolas two stones behind him again. He turned to see how far they had come.
When Legolas caught his gaze, he felt that something was very wrong. Aragorn's eyes were wide, looking beyond him. He was trembling, standing up straight. He was breathing hard, gazing over Legolas. Legolas turned.
Forty, no fifty Beasts stood at the bank, watching them. At the front, one that was twice as large as the others. Two scars were bared on his arm and leg. He had a snout that snarled at them. It raised a sword into the air and cried:
"Kill the elf! Take the man!" A Beast dove into the water, and began to swim towards them with unbeatable speed. Untouched by the current, he was followed by two more.
Aragorn brought his eyes away from the face or Hirmianal to Legolas.
"Run!" he cried. Legolas didn't need to be told twice. They were leaping across the rocks with the most speed they could bear, but the Beast still advanced. Legolas didn't dare look back until he was three quarters across. A log was drifting down the river, and hit his leg. He tripped.
He grabbed onto the rock, fighting the current. The beast was maybe four feet away.
"Legolas!" cried Aragorn.
"Go!" sputtered Legolas. The Beast was very near, and it drew a weapon. It stopped in front of Legolas and stood. It was maybe seven feet tall out of the water. It held a gleaming knife in its hand. Its hairy face snarled at him, Legolas stared at it, the fur under it's eyes was wet, it's nostrils were opening and closing. It raised the knife.
"Legolas!" called Aragorn. Legolas let go of the rock and grabbed onto the beasts legs. He pulled, and brought the beast down. The current caught them and threw them both into the mists of falling water, over the waterfall.
Legolas woke to see that Aragorn was gone. With him, the mysterious mist left as well. Legolas stood from his bed of leaves and examined the ground. His ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. He turned to see Aragorn.
"If we climb down that way, we can possibly cross the river just before the waterfall." he explained. "There are some stones only a foot under the water, we can cross there. Legolas stretched and yawned.
"Mind if I eat some breakfast first?" he asked.
"Go ahead, I already ate." Aragorn sat on his bed of leaves. Legolas could see so much more now that the mist had left. Legolas ate some of the berries that were left over and drank some water that they had carried with them in a small flank. When he finished, he tossed aside all but two knives. He pulled his sword out of its case and stabbed it into the ground.
"Legolas?" Aragorn watched him kneel in front of the weapon. After murmuring a few words in elvish, he stood and pulled five branches from the tree. He shaved them, and made the ends of the four small, straight ones sharp. He placed them upright in his bag once he was finished. Then he bent the longer one and tied a string on both ends, holding it in place.
After about thirty minutes of shaving, tying, and sharpening, he stood and armed an arrow in his bow. He fired it at the tree above the sword. Then he turned to Aragorn.
"In memory of Rivendell." he said in a thin voice. They walked away in silence, leaving Legolas's sword, given to him by Gimli the dwarf, behind. It was a memorial of the place where many elves grew up and lived all their lives.
The waterfall's crossing was only about a kilometer away, Legolas saw that the river before it was white with foam until it reached the drowned stepping stones. Aragorn took a breath before he headed into the water. The river was maybe a whole league across, and it would take them all day to cross it. Aragorn was up to his knees in water and in a step, he was down to his ankles.
"This is the first stepping stone." he said over the roar of the falls. "Watch your step, and lean upriver. He continued on his way. Legolas headed into the water, feeling it soak through his boots. It was a pretty stressful situation, being on the edge of a fifty-foot waterfall beside the whitest waters you could imagine.
Legolas held out his arms to help him balance. It felt rather different without his sword; he had been wearing it for the last eight days. As he made his way to the stepping stone, he remembered traveling with the fellowship on top of the snow. He could look down at everyone else, wading through it up to their waists. He laughed when he remembered the long journey. His friendship with Gimli had ended long ago, when he died.
That was part of what made Legolas so nervous. Gimli had died drowning in this very river when he was walking nearby it. A storm had caused him to run for cover, but he had slipped into the river and drowned. An old coot of a hobbit found him dead.
Legolas shook the thoughts from his mind. He was an elf! His grace and speed was much greater then Gimli's. However, that wasn't enough to convince him.
He stepped on the first stone and looked ahead. Aragorn was two stones ahead of him. Legolas was surprised to find how slippery the stone was. He found a grittier part and leapt. He landed with a splash on the next rock. He was unbalanced, and fell.
He gripped the edge of the rock and landed on his knees, fighting the current and struggling to get up. He had to take the chance to get up. He took a breath and straightened his legs. He was standing again, carefully placing his footing on the rock. He heard Aragorn call to him.
"You all right?" he asked. Legolas looked at him and nodded. Aragorn watched his next leap, which was accomplished more easily. The current grew stronger as the stepping stones went further into the river. Aragorn landed on a slanted one and nearly lost his footing. He did the same as Legolas and gripped the rock as he fell into the river. Legolas leapt so that he was one stone away from him.
"Aragorn!" he called. Aragorn reemerged and climbed back onto the rock. He was dripping with water. Legolas sighed in relief.
"Try to grab that one when you land on it." Aragorn advised him. Legolas nodded and leapt after him.
They were almost halfway across the river now, and they were very tired, both soaked to the bone from nearly falling. Aragorn leapt again, leaving Legolas two stones behind him again. He turned to see how far they had come.
When Legolas caught his gaze, he felt that something was very wrong. Aragorn's eyes were wide, looking beyond him. He was trembling, standing up straight. He was breathing hard, gazing over Legolas. Legolas turned.
Forty, no fifty Beasts stood at the bank, watching them. At the front, one that was twice as large as the others. Two scars were bared on his arm and leg. He had a snout that snarled at them. It raised a sword into the air and cried:
"Kill the elf! Take the man!" A Beast dove into the water, and began to swim towards them with unbeatable speed. Untouched by the current, he was followed by two more.
Aragorn brought his eyes away from the face or Hirmianal to Legolas.
"Run!" he cried. Legolas didn't need to be told twice. They were leaping across the rocks with the most speed they could bear, but the Beast still advanced. Legolas didn't dare look back until he was three quarters across. A log was drifting down the river, and hit his leg. He tripped.
He grabbed onto the rock, fighting the current. The beast was maybe four feet away.
"Legolas!" cried Aragorn.
"Go!" sputtered Legolas. The Beast was very near, and it drew a weapon. It stopped in front of Legolas and stood. It was maybe seven feet tall out of the water. It held a gleaming knife in its hand. Its hairy face snarled at him, Legolas stared at it, the fur under it's eyes was wet, it's nostrils were opening and closing. It raised the knife.
"Legolas!" called Aragorn. Legolas let go of the rock and grabbed onto the beasts legs. He pulled, and brought the beast down. The current caught them and threw them both into the mists of falling water, over the waterfall.