All right, here we go with the next chapter…
Chapter 40--Mirkwood At Last
They were very close to Mirkwood and it was clear how eager Legolas, but when they topped a rise where Mirkwood was a shocking sight met them. An army of Men faced an army of Elves.
"By the Valor, that is Gondor's standard!" Aragorn exclaimed.
"And Mirkwood's, what is happening?" Legolas asked.
Aragorn frowned. "I am not sure, but it does not look good," he said.
"What are we doing to do? We cannot very well ride down there into their midst," Gimli said.
"Indeed, I can see it now, excuse me soldier, would you let us pass, we are just bringing the youngest prince of Mirkwood home," Boromir mocked.
"We will go to Rivendell, my father will need to know what is going on if he does not all ready and perhaps we can return with help," Aragorn decided.
"But Aragorn--" Legolas began.
"I am sorry, Legolas, but we cannot get through without being seen. I promised your father to keep you safe," Aragorn said.
Legolas looked back toward the army then nodded reluctantly. "You are right, we must go to Rivendell," he said. Suddenly he stiffened. "There are riders coming up from behind us!"
They looked and saw ten riders in the distance coming toward them. "Damn, scouts from Gondor's army, we have to get out of here, ride!!" Aragorn ordered. They spurred their horses into a gallop and fled.
One of the riders shouted something and they pursued. "They want us to stop and surrender," Legolas said to Aragorn.
"We definitely do not dare do that. We will have to outrun them or we are all going to be in peril," Aragorn growled. "My father is a ruthless man."
The companions' horses were doing the best they could, but their pursuers' horses were fresher and they were rapidly catching up.
"We are not going to be able to lose them, we are going to have to fight!!" Syri shouted.
"I know, but we need to find someplace where we have a slight advantage, the scouts are often some of the better warriors and trackers!!" Aragorn shouted.
Boromir nodded in grim agreement. "He is right and I have trained most of them. We will need any advantage we can get," he said.
Finally they came to a high ridge. "Stop!!" Aragorn shouted. "This is probably the best place we will find!!"
They stopped and dismounted. Legolas helped Qui secure the horses. The riders arrived just as they finished. They stopped forty feet away.
"Stay close to Qui, Legolas, everyone be ready," Aragorn directed. They drew their weapons and waited.
One of the men rode out in front of the others. "Well, look who we have here, the former prince of Gondor and the former captain of the guard. King Arathorn will be pleased with this catch. Throw down your weapons and come quietly or it will go badly for you," he said. The guard noticed Legolas and smiled. "It seems we have also captured an elf and hopefully a valuable source of information."
"You have not caught any of us yet and we will not surrender to the likes of you," Aragorn said defiantly. "Get away or you will be sorry."
Syri smirked. "We do not have the handicap of wanting you taken alive," she pointed out. "We will not surrender meekly, I swear that to you."
Qui nodded his agreement, eyes hard and determined. He held his sword tightly and glared at the men without flinching.
Seeing the horses would be more hindrance then help the speaker rode back to the other scouts. They dismounted and tethered their mounts as well. Drawing weapons, they moved toward their targets. All of them knew the fight would be fast and bloody…..
I'd planned to end it on a happy, sappy note, but for some reason this idea just popped into my mind. *SIGH* I hate it when the story takes over!! R/R--also does anyone want a sequel to this?
