Chapter Five

Legolas awoke to find himself in a large cave. To his right, black chasm opened beside the road and on his left, the cliffs stood as embattled walls. Before him was the impregnable Darkness. He was cold as stone and his heart barren and forsaken.

A! Elbereth Gilthoniel! He cried, calling out to the Beloved Queen of the Elves.

As though his words were a command, a light blazed forth suddenly with the radiance of white flame, slicing through the Darkness ahead. Legolas shielded his eyes.

Ahead of him, he saw a figure lying prone on the ground. She had flaxen-pale blond hair and was dressed in a wine-red gown. In her hand, she held a red object and it seemed to Legolas that the white light emanated from it.

A voice spoke up to him-Keep her safe, Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil! A long path lay ahead for both of you yet.

And the entire vision disappeared…

The orcs' voices were getting louder. Callysta stood stock-still, unsure of her next move. All of a sudden, a figure leapt up at her from behind a bush. She almost screamed but the figure clamped her mouth with his hand and the scream died in her throat.

"It's me, Jyohen! Hurry, let's go!" Callysta heard him say in a harsh whisper. He turned back to where he came from, swallowed by the darkness.

Callysta faltered. She stole a glance back at the three of them and doubt crept into her heart.

Go Callysta! Her mind urged her but her feet remained planted firmly on the ground. She found that her heart could not bear to leave kind Figwit, grumpy Gimli and most of all, Legolas. Against all logic, she ran back towards them.

You are going to regret this! Her mind warned her heart.

Already the three of them were awake and on their feet when she returned. Figwit gave her a spare sword. No words were exchanged. They stood silent, waiting for the intruders. The moon peeked out again and in a distance, Callysta could see the company of Orcs running with their long loping strides. They kept no order, thrusting, jostling and cursing. After the fall of Sauron, his minions of Orcs scattered and formed small bands of their own, living like scavengers without a true leader.

Legolas set an arrow to the string of his bow. When the Orcs came within range, Callysta heard a sharp twang. Legolas had loosed his bow with deadly accuracy and the foremost Orc fell with the elvish arrow in its throat. The Orcs shrieked and scattered, realizing that they had been ambushed. Thus, battle and chaos ensue…

Figwit's blade rose and fell, gleaming with a white fire, pitting pure goodness against evil filth. Gimli hewed a couple of two-handed strokes and laid several Orcs headless before him. The bow of Legolas was singing and even Callysta managed to bring down a couple of Orcs herself.

To watch Legolas in battle was like witnessing poetry in motion. Huge rambling Orcs charged at him with their stained swords and he fell each of them in a quick successive fluid movement. His agile manoeuvres were in stark contrast with his good companion, Gimli's. The stout Dwarf was shorter than most of the Orcs but that did not daunt him. And he had a few tricks up his sleeves to teach huge, nasty Orcs.

When one particular Orc decided to tackle Gimli, the Dwarf promptly kicked him in the groin. The Orc dropped to a fetal position in pain. Gimli's axe swung and swept back and the Orc fell headless. Another Orc tried to seize him from behind but the Dwarf managed to duck down in time. The poor Orc tripped over the Dwarf and impaled himself on his dead comrade's sword.

Figwit and Callysta found themselves hemmed in by the Orcs. Undeterred, Callysta fought back with hard ferocity. She was busy fending them off when she spotted an Orc standing not too far away from them, fitting an arrow into a bow. The arrow was aimed at Figwit.

Without thinking, she pushed Figwit out of the arrow's range, shouting, "Watch out!" No sooner had she said that, she felt a hot searing pain radiate up her left arm and shoulderblade. The arrowhead, which was tipped with poison, had buried itself deep in her flesh and already its poison was seeping into her bloodstream.

Callysta gritted her teeth and winced at the pain. With a cry, she pulled out the arrow. Bad mistake. Blood poured out in rivulets from the ugly gash. Almost fainting from the excruciating pain, yet she raised her blade and drove it into the nearest Orc. As she pulled her sword out from the dead Orc, she was breathing laboriously.

Darkness was stealthily creeping into her brains. She shook her head to clear away the fog and when she glanced up, she saw Figwit by her side. His lips were moving, they were saying, "Callysta, please don't-" That was the last thing she heard and saw before she fell into a heap on the ground.

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Legolas laid the last Orc on the ground with his arrow. As he looked up to find his companions, it was just in time for him to see Callysta drop to the ground. His heart froze at that sight. As he ran up to her, he felt for the first time his legs were weak and realized that he was sick with fear that she might be dead.

"She's been shot but she's breathing." Figwit said and Legolas found that he himself could breathe again.

"Wait." Legolas told the other Elf, as he went back to their camp and rummaged through his pack. Inside, he found some dried kingsfoil. These were herbs with potent healing qualities. They were similar to the herbs Aragorn had used to treat Frodo's wounds during the War of the Rings when Frodo had been impaled by a Wraith's blade.

Legolas carefully cleaned the devastating wound and applied the crushed leaves to it. Then, he bound her left shoulder tightly. The herbs started to work immediately and soon, Callysta regained her consciousness. The first thing she saw was Figwit bending over her, wiping the caked mud off her forehead. She smiled but in her heart, she was disappointed that it was not Legolas.

I doubt if he cares whether I'm alive or not, Callysta thought, sourly.

"Are you alright? What you did was a valiant thing, Lady Callysta. You risked your life to save mine." Figwit said, his eyes showed that he was grateful and he looked at her in a different light.

"I just did it out of a natural instinct." Callysta shrugged, and then winced at the pain on her left shoulder.

"Do not aggravate yourself. Legolas had treated your wounds and he's there yonder, preparing some medication for your hurts." Figwit said.

Callysta touched her shoulder gently. Maybe he does care a little about me, she smiled inwardly and turned her gaze towards the fair Elf who was kneeling beside the fire.

"You are a beautiful Lady, with an even more beautiful heart to match." Figwit told her. Callysta smiled, uneasily, not knowing what to say.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. After drinking the potion Legolas made, Callysta fell into a deep slumber. The next day, they started early. Again, Callysta was to ride with Legolas but this time, he seated himself behind her. Callysta was feeling much better already but her face was still pale from the loss of blood and the shock.

Looking at her ashen face, he said to her, "We shall not ride fast today and we will rest oft so that you will not weary yourself. Lean against me if you feel ill while we are riding."

As they rode off, Callysta rested her head upon Legolas' chest, lulling her heart with the strong beats of his. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drown in the warmth and security he emanated, something she had been deprived of for as long as she could remember. For the first time, Legolas felt something unbidden stirred in him. Fearing what he might discovered if he probed into it, he dismissed the feeling and concentrated on the journey ahead.