Many, many thanks to reviewers - detailed comments at the end - and to every one else who reads this, PLEASE review! I love it!
Chapter 3 -Trolls
Downstairs, the scouts were just returning. They had searched all day, but found nothing. There was no trace of the troll's lair, no traces of where they went after the latest attack on the travellers from Bree. They returned dispiritedly to report to Elrond.
It was clear new tactics were needed. Searches by day were pointless, there was nothing to be seen.
"They only move at night, so we need to be in position well before. I've been there at night, but haven't seen them, but they could be anywhere on those hills. It's clear we won't find them by chance, so I want several groups to lie in wait all around that area to see if they appear. We'll return night after night, if necessary, trying different areas, until we find them."
Elladan's plans were clear. If the troll's lair was so well hidden, the only chance they had was at night when the trolls would be out and about – and at their most dangerous.
Towards the end of this discussion, Aragorn returned from a patrol to the south of Imladris. Legolas greeted him warmly, surprised at how glad he was to see the ranger again after such a short acquaintance.
During supper Legolas described his journey, and what had happened at the ford.
"You'll have to warn your messengers, Elrond. When I return, I will send a patrol from Mirkwood to repair the damage. Possibly some of the woodsmen have already seen to it - they use the ford a great deal."
Elrohir shook his head. "You seem to have the luck of the Valar, Legolas. You could have been killed!"
"It certainly explains why you looked so bedraggled when I met you" said Elladan. I should have guessed you'd gone for a swim."
When the meal was over, Aragorn drew Legolas to one side. "You haven't told me how your patrol to Dol Guldur went. Did you find anything down there?"
"It all went badly wrong. Eléntia, Elthan and Math'rin were killed. We found at least two of the Nazgûl there, and the rest of us only just made it back."
Aragorn gazed at him in horror. "Legolas, I'm sorry. I had no idea. What happened?" His voice was filled with compassion. "I'm so sorry" he repeated, recalling the patrol he had ridden south with, their companionship, the herblore he had exchanged with Elthan.
Legolas shook his head. "Not now. I'll tell you another time." He changed the subject. There was a shadow of sadness in his eyes, and Aragorn let the matter drop.
The next evening they left Rivendell. They crossed the Ford of Bruinen and rode up into the hills that surrounded the Trollshaws. There were many outcrops of rock, cracked and fissured, where there could be caves where the trolls might be concealed. Legolas began to appreciate how difficult the terrain was to search, and how easily the trolls could hide. He had only been into the Trollshaws once before, long ago, and that had been at night. Goaded by Elladan, he and Elrohir had crept out of Rivendell, crossed the ford – strictly against Elrond's orders – and up to the wood. The fright he got then had been nothing compared with the fright he got when they had returned to find both Elrond and Thranduil waiting up for them. They talked their way out of it, but were still in a lot of trouble.
The hunting party split up, into groups of two or three, close enough to call to, just in sight, but far enough away to cover as much ground as possible. They settled into position as dusk fell.
Legolas was with Elrohir, concealed in a low tree. In the distance he could see Elladan and Arwen. Somewhere on his other side, hidden by bushes, were Aragorn and Raffael. The night grew darker, but then the moon rose, hanging low in the sky, a few days off full. The two elves sat back to back on adjacent branches, so they could watch as much of the land as possible.
All was silent. The night was broken only by the hoot of an owl, the cries of other night birds, and the high pitched cries of bats. It had surprised Legolas when Aragorn had said he was unable to hear the bats. He had not realised before how restricted a mortal's hearing was. They spoke in soft voices. Legolas had not been to Rivendell for many years, and had only seen Elrohir briefly since his arrival, so they had much news to catch up on.
"Elladan and Aragorn both said something about Mithrandir dealing with the last trolls. What happened?"
Elrohir gave a sudden smile at the memory. "He was coming here with a party of dwarves and a friend of theirs, a queer little fellow called Bilbo. They managed to get themselves caught by the trolls. They were about to be eaten when Mithrandir got the trolls arguing about how to cook them, who to kill first. Every time they reached an agreement, he started them off again! He kept them at it so long, the sun came up and turned all the trolls into stone."
Legolas gave a shout of laughter, but then quickly stifled it. "That must have been the same group of dwarves who came through Mirkwood later. I met some of them after the battle. I remember Bilbo, he seemed a strange little creature - a hobbit, or some such name. I'd never seen one before, but he tried hard to break the siege. Both my father and Thorin were being amazingly stubborn. I wonder what happened to him when he left? I don't suppose I shall ever see another hobbit, but Bilbo seemed very odd."
"He came back through Rivendell on his way home. Mithrandir said the dwarves had upset your father somehow, so he'd thrown them all in the dungeons!"
Legolas laughed at the memory. "It's true, he did. He realised almost immediately that he'd made a mistake, but you know how stubborn he can be - he couldn't back down without seeming to give in to Thorin's demands. If I'd been there, I'd have released them myself, but as it was, this Bilbo freed them somehow. I'm still not sure how he managed it!"
There was silence for a while, punctuated by the quiet night sounds. Elrohir moved slightly, feeling stiff. Legolas' voice came from behind him. "The stone trolls, are they near here?"
"A couple of day's journey away. If we have time, we'll ride up there so I can show you."
"If there's time. We have to catch these first."
The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Gradually the sky lightened as dawn approached. As the sun rose they climbed to their feet, stretching against the stiffness of remaining in the same position all night long. No one had seen any sign of the trolls, but as they rode wearily down to the Road and back towards Imladris they came across a scene of devastation.
A small group of dwarves, travelling from the Ered Luin to Erebor had been attacked. Wary of the trolls, they had moved off the Road and camped by an outcrop of rocks to the south. They had set guards to watch all night, and had not lit any fire that might attract attention. In short, they had done everything they could. Their camp had still been attacked, and three dwarves had been carried off.
The survivors were shaken, but the shock was giving way to anger. They vented it on the first plausible target – the elves whose realm bordered this area, and who should have done something. As Elladan and Elrohir tried to placate them, and reassure them that Elrond was indeed doing something about the trolls, Legolas kept in the background. His only dealing with dwarves had been ten years previously, at the Battle of Five Armies, and he was curious to see the outcome. In the end the dwarves were offered an escort to Imladris, and shelter for the night.
As they returned to Imladris, Legolas rode with Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn. "What I don't understand is why we're always behind them. They either strike in a place we thought was safe, or return to an area we've already searched and found no trace of them." Elladan complained. "It seems they know where we are, better than we know where they are."
"We must have searched every cave in these hills over the last few weeks," said Elrohir. "And we still can't find their last den."
"Perhaps they haven't got one" suggested Legolas. "Maybe they move around from one cave to another. That would explain why they keep striking in a different place. Have you got a map that shows where they've been?"
"Yes, of course," replied Elladan. "But there's no pattern in it, it seems random."
"Have you tried plotting it with the dates of attack? See if that shows up anything."
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other. "Why didn't we think of that?" asked Elladan.
"We don't live in a forest under constant attack from spiders and goblins" said Elrohir.
"Or orcs," added Elladan
"Don't forget the wolves" supplied Aragorn. "Mirkwood is a rather dangerous place. I found that out last month."
The four fell to inventing other dangers that lurked in Mirkwood for the unwary. The list included mist wraiths, tree spirits, banshees, giant frogs, carnivorous plants that could swallow a horse, and flowers that showered unsuspecting travellers with hallucinogenic pollen. After a while Legolas fell silent. He had discovered enough real terrors in Mirkwood without the need to make up more. Aragorn noticed his change in mood and moved Duathnir next to Pavisel.
"Homesick?" he asked, deliberately misunderstanding. "You must miss such a wonderful place. I'm surprised you can bear to leave it!" The tactic worked. Legolas laughed with him, and by the time they reached Imladris his despondency was forgotten.
They rode up into the hills above the Trollshaws again the next evening. This time Legolas was partnered with Aragorn. As they made their way to an outcrop of rocks which would make a good vantage point, Aragorn noticed what seemed to be a deeper patch of shadow at the base of the stones. He stopped and called Legolas back.
"Look there. Is that a cave? Let's go and look."
They approached the area cautiously. As they drew nearer, the shadow widened and they could see a deep cleft running back into the rock.
"You're right. It is a cave. Have they searched this one? It was only by the way the moonlight fell that you saw it."
"I don't know if they looked here yet. I don't think so - but we should go inside to check. Can you hear anything?"
Legolas paused at the entrance, listening intently. He sniffed the air inside the cave. "There's nothing in there now. But I think they have been, though not recently."
Aragorn seemed excited. "If they aren't there, it should be safe to go inside. Come on!"
Legolas hesitated. "You go. I'll stay here, keep watch in case they come back."
Aragorn kindled a torch and stepped warily into the cave. The flickering light from his torch picked up glints of quartz and mica in the walls. He turned, and could see Legolas silhouetted against the lighter darkness at the entrance. Soon the passage turned and then opened up into a high cave. By the uncertain torchlight he could see bones strewn on the floor, some small enough to be goats, some large enough to be from a horse or pony. Some of the bones looked horribly human. He moved further into the cave and looked around, then jumped and swore. He caught his breath on a note of horror. On a ledge of the cave, roughly at eye level, sat a human skull. It seemed to be looking at him from the empty eye sockets.
Aragorn took a final swift look around the cave. It was clear the trolls had been here, but not for some time, it appeared. As he turned to leave he could hear his name being called, and grateful for an excuse to hurry, went quickly back to the entrance.
Outside, Legolas watched as the glimmer of torchlight faded into the cave. It was ridiculous that he still felt this deep reluctance to venture into a cave. He had never been able to completely conquer the fear. He could force himself if there was no alternative, but would not go in if it could possibly be avoided. The halls of Lasgalen were different. They were known, familiar, well lit and lavishly furnished. Frequent windows were cut, allowing light, air and the sounds of the forest in.
He called softly. "Aragorn! Can you see anything?" He listened, and could hear the faint sounds of Aragorn's footsteps returning.
Back in the open, Aragorn told him everything he had seen. "They've obviously been there a lot, but not for a long time. At least we know one of their dens now!"
" I think we should plan to keep watch here, for as long as necessary. They may return eventually. It's the best sign we've had of them yet. We'll tell Elladan and Elrohir in the morning."
They continued to the top of the rocks to start the night's vigil. It was a clear, cloudless night, and the hillside was brightly lit from the moon. For a few hours nothing happened and they talked in quiet voices of their journeys from Mirkwood. As Legolas related the tale of his ill-fated attempt to cross the ford, he noticed shadows moving across the hillside below. Simultaneous with his realisation that there were no clouds to create a shadow, he saw smaller shadows, elves, following stealthily. They had finally found the trolls.
As Aragorn and Legolas moved silently down to the others, more groups converged on the hillside. Although the elves moved silently, the trolls suddenly became aware that they had company. With roars and bellows they rounded on those closest with terrifying speed. The elves darted out of range, but then a pitched battle began. The elves had speed and numbers to their advantage, but the trolls were also fast, and had brute strength, and hides impervious to arrows. There were only three trolls, and no sign of the other two. They were armed with heavy clubs which they wielded with deadly force, and even the swing of a fist sent Elladan sprawling breathlessly to the ground. He sat up, dazed, as Elrohir dragged him to safety.
Aragorn and several other elves who fought with swords attacked together. His blade rang dully and bounced off the troll's skin. None of their weapons seemed to have any effect, but the trolls could inflict serious injury if they ever managed to hit anyone. Fortunately the elves were too fast, and only a few minor swipes had made contact.
Suddenly there was a cry. A heavy swing from one of the clubs had struck one of the elves with vicious force, knocking him to the ground. He lay motionless. The troll roared in triumph. Despite his concern, it gave Legolas a sudden idea. Standing directly in front of the troll he fired an arrow straight at its face. The arrow bounced off uselessly, and the troll bellowed at him mockingly. Legolas stood his ground and rapidly fired two arrows into the troll's open mouth. Both arrows lodged deep in its throat.
For a long moment, nothing seemed to happen, and Legolas felt a bitter disappointment. Then the troll stopped. It coughed, looking almost puzzled, swayed, and with a thunderous crash fell forwards. It did not move. Legolas dodged out of the way just in time, and looked down at the fallen troll with satisfaction. He did not realise that his movement had brought him into the range of one of the other trolls. It had taken a wild swing at Elladan with its club and missed, but the backswing caught Legolas a heavy blow on the side of his head. The impact knocked him off his feet, into the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing. There was a moment of agony as pain crashed through him, and then nothing.
TBC
Author's Notes: I warned you this would be a cliffhanger!! Legolas had to learn that trick with the cave troll in Moria somewhere, didn't he?
In response to a point made by Odyssey, I've reposted chapter 1 with some minor alterations - you were quite right, I should have noticed that.
Response to reviewers:
gemstone - you'll get plenty of Elladan and Elrohir in this story, plus Aragorn as well. Lots of trouble as well!
Little My - 'beautifully descriptive writing' *sigh* - I love hearing things like that. Thanks!
Treehugger - thanks for your lovely long review. I know what you mean about Pavisel - but don't worry, I'm too much of an animal lover to hurt him! I sympathise with Elrond and Thranduil - I know there are things my children have got up to that I really don't want to know about! And you're right about 'trouble' - look out for future chapters, and even more in my next story, when Brethil will be making a guest appearance! Thanks for letting him visit.
ccg - there will be more of the twins and Arwen coming soon.
The trip to London was brilliant, really good fun - the kids were fantastic. In two days, we managed to see two shows (The Lion King and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and two museums, plus a return journey of 400 miles 'there and back again'. We were all totally exhausted, but it was worth it!