Chapter 5 - More Troll Hunting

When Legolas awoke again it was daylight, and he was alone. The headache had receded to manageable proportions, and his vision was clearer.

"How do you feel?" Arwen stood in the doorway.

He looked at her and considered the question. "Better," he conceded. "Do you think your father will let me get up?"

"I would think so. I don't see him being able to stop you, anyway." She came into the room and looked at him carefully. He stood cautiously. Arwen hovered at his side. She did not offer to help – he would only refuse – but kept close enough to catch him if he fell. He walked to the window and leant on the sill, looking down through the trees to the river below. She gazed at Legolas assessingly.

He was very pale, and the dark bruise only accentuated the pallor of his skin. One eye was swollen and half-closed. The jagged cut, nearly four inches long, was surrounded by a scraped, painful looking graze, only now beginning to scab over. "You look terrible," she told him bluntly.

"Thank you so much. Have you got a mirror? Let me see."

She found one, and handed it to him wordlessly. He looked at his reflection and sighed. "He calls that lucky? Oh well, I suppose it will heal. What time is it?" he changed the subject.

"About midday. I came to see if you were awake and wanted any lunch."

Legolas frowned, trying to reconcile the hours. "Midday? It must have been near dawn when we fought the trolls. Was that only this morning?"

"That was yesterday. You've been - asleep - since then."

"I see," he said, a little horrified that he had been unaware for so long.

"You woke up for a while last night. Don't you remember?"

He thought back. There was a dim memory of Elrond, of Aragorn at the end of the bed, telling him about the trolls. "I think so. But it's a bit - hazy. Your father was there. And Aragorn. And - Elrohir?"

Arwen smiled at him. "Good. You do remember. I'll give you a few minutes to get dressed, then you can meet us downstairs."

A short time later, Legolas joined Arwen, Aragorn and the twins over the noon meal. He was keen to hear full details of what had happened to the other trolls.

"Well, I saw how you killed the first troll, so I tried the same thing. I didn't think it was going to work at first, but then it went down like a tree falling!" explained Elrohir enthusiastically. "But then the last troll saw that we'd killed his friends, and started to get really annoyed!"

"Yes, it grabbed him, just as the sun came up." added Elladan. "It was turned to stone. Elrohir was lucky he got away in time!"

Elrohir shivered. "Yes, that was close!"

"What do you think would have happened if you hadn't got away from the troll?" Legolas asked Elrohir curiously.

"Maybe you'd have been turned to stone as well!" exclaimed Aragorn ghoulishly.

"Or else you'd have to wait for a handy dwarf to come along with a chisel to free you," suggested Arwen.

Legolas shook his head and laughed. "I wish I'd seen it! It sounds like I missed all the fun. When are you going out after the other two?"

"There's another search party tonight. We're going south of the road this time, we haven't been there for a while, but there's been no reports of trolls anywhere for days. It's gone very quiet. I hope we'll be able to find them soon!"

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly. Elladan and Elrohir left on pursuits of their own, Elrohir saying something about visitors from Lorien. Legolas took the opportunity to replenish his arrows. He had lost most of his in the Anduin, and wanted to replace them. He collected the supplies he needed, then set to work. Aragorn watched as the arrow heads, with lethally sharp points, were fitted and bound to the shafts with thin strips of leather. Then Legolas sorted through a handful of feathers, selecting the ones he wanted for fletching. "Pass me that knife, please?"

Aragorn handed Legolas the knife he had been using for the arrow heads. "No, not that one! The fletching knife, there!" he snapped.

Aragorn changed knives, giving his friend the correct one. "Sorry."

Legolas sighed. "No, I'm sorry. There was no need for that. I'm tired." In truth, the detailed work and concentration needed were not helping a persistent headache, and his vision still blurred disconcertingly at times. It was making him uncharacteristically bad tempered. He finished the fletching, then added the final detail, a tiny golden oakleaf symbol, etched on the arrows near the fletching. He stowed the completed arrows in the quiver, and returned with it to his room. Aragorn left to get ready for the night's search.

Towards the end of the afternoon, the hunting party assembled once again in the courtyard. Aragorn was talking to Elladan and Elrohir while they waited by the horses.

"There's only two of them left, and if they stay together we could search from now until Yule until we find them." complained Elrohir. "I don't want to be spending every night out after them. There's a girl from Lorien, a healer, who's just arrived. I want ..." he broke off, looking over Aragorn's shoulder at the steps from the house. "Oh. I wondered when he'd appear."

Aragorn and Elladan turned to follow his gaze. Elladan gave a snort of disgust. "He's mad if he thinks he's well enough to come tonight. I'm surprised father hasn't stopped him."

Legolas stood on the steps, his bow slung over his shoulder, a quiver full of newly-fletched arrows on his back. Elrond stood behind him, looking resigned.

Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir made their way back to the house. All three started on Legolas at once, who quickly became defensive. "I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. I just want to get on with this. Will you all stop fussing!" His voice rose to a near shout.

Aragorn watched the argument wryly. Legolas' stubbornness had collided head-on with the twins' steely determination. It would be interesting to see who won. After five minutes of fruitless discussion, when none of them had yielded an inch, Aragorn decided to call a halt, using more subtle methods. Moving around behind Legolas, he caught Elrohir's eye. When there was a lull in the furious flow of words, he spoke sharply behind his friend. "Legolas!"

Legolas turned quickly - too quickly. He went pale, and swayed as a wave of dizziness hit him. He glared at Aragorn, who was regarding him with what could only be described as a smirk. "Still think you're well enough to come?" the ranger asked sardonically.

"That was a low trick!" snapped Legolas.

"But necessary" said Elrond, firmly. "I trust there will be no further discussion?"

Legolas glowered at all four. "All right. I'll stay here - tonight." Without another word, he turned and went back into the house.

Aragorn realized that Elrond, Elladan and Elrohir were looking at him in admiration. "That was nicely done, Estel. Much simpler than a long drawn out argument." praised Elrond.

"But why didn't you just put your foot down?" Elladan asked his father.

"Because he would have resented it, and me. Besides, I have no authority to forbid him to do anything. This way, he can decide for himself."

~*~*~*~*~

Legolas watched from the windows in Elrond's library. If he could not participate in the hunt, he could at least search for references to other troll attacks. He turned as Arwen came to join him in his research.

"You wish you were with them" she said sympathetically.

Legolas simply nodded.

"I know how you feel. Sometimes Aragorn thinks he should look after me, that I need protecting."

Legolas looked at her in disbelief. He could hardly imagine any woman less in need of protection than Arwen, except possibly Taniquel. He remembered her fearless companionship when he had been injured, the deadly accuracy of her arrows when he had once taken her on a spider hunt through Lasgalen. "What do you tell him?"

"Most times I point out his error. But sometimes - sometimes I let him. He has a tendency to take responsibility for things he can't really control. He can't help it - it comes of being a ranger."

Legolas considered her words. It certainly shed a new light on Aragorn - he had not suspected this trait in his friend. And the thought of Arwen in need of protection was still mind-boggling. He could easily imagine her 'pointing out' Aragorn's error. It was very revealing that she did not do so every time.

"You love him."

Arwen nodded, almost sadly. "Yes. And I will have to make the same choice as Luthien in time. But it's no choice at all, really." She shook off her melancholic mood and changed the subject. "Anyway, what about you?"

Legolas smiled suddenly. "Ashia is due to return from Lorien some time next year. Then she's going to start training our healers in the techniques she learnt there. I had a letter from her a few months ago. She says she's learnt more from your Grandmother than she ever believed possible!"

~*~*~*~*~

Early the next morning, the hunting party trailed back to Imladris, cold, wet, miserable. It had rained all night, and once more, there had been no sign of the trolls. Thereafter, patrols continued every night, with no more success. Elrond varied the hunters out searching so none became too exhausted or despondent, and between them they covered every inch of ground surrounding Rivendell, but found no sign of the remaining trolls. There were no new caves found where they might lie hidden, and no new traces in caves they had already searched. However, at least there had been no new attacks reported.

Four nights after the fight with the three trolls at the Trollshaws, a large party, including Legolas, rode out from Rivendell. There had been a message that travellers were again braving the road between Bree and the mountains, and Elrond was taking no chances.

Elladan and Elrohir were planning to conduct a further search of the many caves in the area, including the one Aragorn and Legolas had found. They were discussing tactics when Elrond spoke behind them.

"Legolas. I would speak with you, if I may."

Legolas slowed Pavisel until Elrond caught up with him.

"You warned me when you arrived of the renewed evil that dwells in Dol Guldur. But you have not told me all that occurred there. I sense a shadow on you. What happened?"

Legolas hesitated, looking down at Pavisel's mane. "The mission - was not a success. Of the six who rode out, three did not return. We were returning from Dol Guldur when we were ambushed - I should have sensed it! One of the warriors, Math'rin, was killed instantly. We fought the orcs, and eventually defeated them, but Elthan had taken a grievous wound. He died before we could help him."

"I remember Math'rin when we fought together at the Last Alliance" said Elrond sadly. "He was a valiant warrior. He used to play for us, and could charm the birds from the trees with his harping! And Elthan, he came here many, many years ago to learn from our healers. I'm sorry for your losses." He paused, waiting for Legolas to continue, then: "What happened to the third of your companions?"

Legolas hesitated, his voice distant as he was forced to confront Eléntia's death again. He said slowly: "One of my warriors, Eléntia, was taken by orcs. We followed them, but they reached Dol Guldur. The Nazgûl were there. They are - truly evil." Legolas' voice dropped to a bare whisper. Then he continued: "One described in great detail what they would do to her, wanting us to take that message back to Lasgalen, so no others would approach the tower." He stopped again, seeing in his memories the tower, Eléntia chained against it, the towering figure of the Nazgûl, the chill of fear they had felt as it turned to them, and hearing once more its cold voice.

Elrond watched him closely, saying nothing. He could guess what had happened then, and the terrible burden Legolas carried.

Eventually Legolas continued. "I had no choice. Rescue was impossible, there were hundreds of orcs and trolls. Once they took her inside the tower - we could not let that happen, could not abandon her to that fate." His voice dropped again, so even Elrond, riding beside him, could barely hear. "I had no choice."

"Do you regret what you did?"

Legolas looked at the Elf lord, a little surprised by the question. "No. I regret that it was necessary, would give anything to have been able to rescue her. But I do not regret what I did. It is not easy to live with, but to have done nothing, to have left her there - that would be impossible to live with." He realised that for the first time, he did not regret what he had done. He looked at Elrond. "Thank you" he said simply.

Elrond gave him a sudden smile. "Away with you, elfling. Go and see what my sons are up to."

Legolas rode away from the main party, over the hill to the rock outcrop he had seen with Aragorn. As he drew near the cave, he could see no sign of the twins or Aragorn. They must have gone inside, as the three horses waited patiently outside. He was still several hundred yards away when he saw a dark shape moving slowly past the rocks towards the cave. He watched in disbelief for a long second, too long, then called a sharp warning.

"Aragorn! Elladan, Elrohir! Get out of there, the troll is coming back!"

The creature turned at his shout, and regarded him with an idle curiosity. Then it resumed its path and lumbered towards the cave entrance. Legolas turned to look for Elrond, but there was no one else in sight. He slid off Pavisel. "Go and find Elrond, now. Bring him here!" Then he turned and ran towards the cave. The troll had already reached the entrance and gone in. For a long moment, nothing happened, then he heard a wild shout, a furious bellow, and a startled cry.

As Legolas reached the cleft there was another yell from the troll, a crash, then the thunderous roar of collapsing rock. A shockwave of dust and fetid air blasted out of the cave mouth, and he reeled back, coughing. Then there was a groaning, creaking sound, another rumble, and a further cloud of dust. Gradually silence fell, and the cloud dispersed.

The cave had collapsed, and the entrance was completely blocked.

TBC

Author's Notes: Well, I warned you there would be a cliff hanger! Stay tuned to find out what's happened!

Responses to reviewers:

Alisha: Is this posting soon enough?

Kellen: Glad you like this. As you can see, that head injury can cause problems!

ccg: Yes, poor Linhir. But at least we didn't know him well. I won't be making that mistake again!

gemstone: Well, the after effects weren't too bad. And you'll have to wait and see which of the remaining three need treating by Elrond!

Raider 314: Well, there's this, and at least one more battle to come!

Treehugger: I wasn't really sure what would have happened to Elrohir, so thought I'd let them all discuss it. And as I said before, at least we didn't know Linhir. Not like certain other characters, who I really regret killing off! And Arwen indulges in a little more horse-stealing later on .... ;) Like the cliff hanger? Hope I didn't disappoint you!

IrishElf: If you check out my bio, there's two more stories up - it's not too late to read and review! And yes, please feel free to send me your story - I'd be glad to help!

PuterPatty: Look! I haven't killed anyone this chapter! Loved your comment about the decreasing elf population! You can see that Legolas' head injury still caused a few problems, but nothing to worry about.

Analorien: You like Arwen? Good! Hope you like this chapter, and there's more of her in the next one too.