Disclaimer ; The same as ever.
God! If I can kiss u all for those wonderful reviews, I would ! Mmmmwahhh!!!
Now, another chapter before I went for a two-days holiday.
The small family of Thranduil was moving silently about the dungeon. They kept to the shadows, praying the whole time that they would not encounter any orcs or Garmadris zombies.
The dungeon was huge with many tunnels and passageways. But Thranduil knew the way. Leading his sons, he entered an entrance here and ducked into a tunnel there. Legolas was limp and shuddering in his arms, moaning softly now and then. But at least, he was still conscious. The king could feel Legolas's blood seeped through the cloak into his own arms, so bad his wounds were. An amount of it ran down the prince's thigh to his leg before dripping onto the floor, leaving bloody trail marks along the way.
Then the king halted. "Kel, there's another cell up ahead, unguarded. Do you think the key will fit?" The crown prince moved forward. "I'll check it out." He approached the cell and saw the faces of the royal guards. One of them he recognized greatly. "Linden!"
The guard commander looked up. "Your highness?" He and his fellow comrades hastily stood up and stared at Keldarion, then Thranduil in amazement. "My lord! How did you…?"
"No time for questions, Linden," said Thranduil. Keldarion was already working at the lock, unlocking the cell door. He pulled it open and the guards rushed out. They were twenty in all, some was terribly wounded but at least most of them can still stand strong. "Try to confiscate any weapon you could find. We must get out of this hole."
"Aye, my lord!" The guards gathered around the royal family, shielding them from any sudden attack. Linden saw the unmoving form that Thranduil was carrying. "Let me take the prince, my lord." Reluctantly, the king passed his son to his commander. Linden gasped when he saw how grave Legolas's injuries were. But he said nothing. Only the dangerous glint in his eyes showed how furious he was with Arulin's cruelties.
They were near to the dungeon's exit when they encountered a group of orcs that were coming down the stairs bearing swords and scimitars. No one knew who were the most surprised, the orcs or the elves. But the guards of Mirkwood quickly gathered their wits. Unarmed, they charged at the orcs in full magnificent valor. They attacked with their bare fists and fast kicks, sending the orcs sprawling to the ground. They grabbed at fallen swords and brandished it in pure fury and desperation.
Linden had set Legolas down on the floor, standing tall over the prince, ridding off the orcs that dare to come close. Keldarion used the dagger to cut through an orc's neck, stabbing one in the eye, and stabbed the heart of another. The king was roaring in anger, swinging the scimitar he had snatched earlier in powerful stroke, causing one orc to lose its head.
It all happened in not more that five minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime. When they finished, orcs bodies lay dead at their feet. Black blood covered the floor, the stench unbearable.
Picking up Legolas once more, Linden led their small troop towards the heart of the palace.
**************
From atop the tree, Lord Elrond surveyed the situation silently. The whole Mirkwood palace was swarming with orcs!
"Ai! Aren't they the elves from Garmadris?" Elrohir whispered urgently, pointing at the zombies moving about dazedly. "Is something wrong with them?"
"They are no longer alive. Only their bodies are active, their soul already lost," said Elrond. "They are zombies, creation of evil."
The two brothers looked at each other in disbelief. "Zombies?" Elladan then rolled his eyes. "Great. Orcs were not enough, let's have some zombies thrown in for fun!" He turned to his father. "What do we do now?"
Elrond still have his eyes on the palace's courtyard. "We must find a way to get inside. Only Valar knows what fate the king's family is having right now."
"I know a way in!" Elrohir exclaimed.
"You?" Elladan asked skeptically.
"Yes, me," Elrohir countered. "Remember when we were here last summer, when Legolas and I went missing one whole night? He had shown me the way to his balcony on these tree branches. Come on, I'll show you the way!" Without waiting for an answer, Elrohir rushed forward.
"Elrohir!" Elrond hissed. His son halted and looked back, raising his eyebrows questioningly. Elrond sighed and said, "Be careful. All of you. I want you to take extreme caution. We are supposed to be here for a wedding, not our own funeral." His two sons grinned and the Rivendell elves proceed to follow their 'guide'.
Elrohir jumped nimbly ahead; so confident he was with his sense of direction. They were very near to the palace wall now when he halted, suddenly confused. His brother rammed into his back, not able to stop in time. "What now?" Elladan asked.
Elrohir looked back at him and said sheepishly, "I forgot about this one." He stared back at the wide gap between the tree and the palace balcony.
"You what?"
"I said I forgot, okay?"
"How can you forgot? This is not a good time to forget anything so important!"
"But there was supposed to be a branch here, reaching towards Legolas's chamber. And it's not here now!"
Elrond sighed. He knew he sighed a lot tonight; his sons were really giving him the headache. If only they were not in a very dire situation, he would love to knock their two stubborn heads together! "What's the problem now?"
"This bright brain here made the stupid mistake of forgetting his way!"
"I told you there was supposed to be a branch reaching his balcony!"
"Do you get the right balcony?" Elrond asked. Elrohir blinked and looked back at the balcony in question. It looked similar to Legolas's but… "Ai! It's the wrong balcony! Legolas do not have the wisteria climbing up his window." He started to move the other way. "I believe it face the garden. Come, this way."
Elladan rolled his eyes heavenward. "I hope we're not lost. On the tree branches of all places!!!"
*************
Thranduil and his small troop were coming near to the throne hall when Arulin appeared with her army. "You escape!" She shouted in anger. "Kill them!" The orcs charged forward, growling and yelling menacingly. How they loved to hurt the elves. Only now they were given the freedom.
Legolas was put down to the floor once more, with Keldarion now watching over him. "Give me…the dagger," Legolas requested. Keldarion looked down at his brother, his hand held tightly to a sword.
"I don't want…to be left unarmed." Legolas was still adamant. Keldarion snatched the dagger tuck at his waist and folded his brother's hands over it. "I look over your back, you look over mine."
Legolas smiled. "Deal."
Keldarion then turned to block an orcs sword, kicking and slashing at it. Their father was right beside him, holding the orcs at bay. The elves were fighting like mad now, even though the odds were not good at their side.
Keldarion was so intent in a sword match with an ugly orc that he was not aware he was in the way of a falling scimitar of another orc behind him. But Legolas saw, and threw the dagger with all his might. It flew in beautiful arcs and hit the orc squarely in the forehead. The orc was dead even before it hit the ground. Giving the orc in front of him the fatal blow, Keldarion looked back at Legolas and nodded gratefully. Unarmed now, Legolas could only looked on anxiously.
Then more orcs poured in, armed with bows and arrows. The Mirkwood elves felt that doomed was already over their heads. They knew they could not outlast the orcs, but they still keep on fighting.
That's when their help arrived, in the form of the elves from Rivendell. They came from another door across the hall, drawing arrows in lightning speed, felling the orcs one after another. The orcs retreated from this counter attack, taking cover behind the many pillars.
The elves from Rivendell took the slight opening to grab the remaining of the Mirkwood elves that were still standing into the nearest door; the Mirkwood gallery. Elrond himself lifted Legolas into his arms and rushed away, following the other elves.
Elladan was engaged in a sword fight near the door when Elrohir saw his brother already targeted by a flying arrow. Not enough time to shout a warning, he moved in front of his twin…and took the arrow in his arm instead.
"Elrohir!" Elladan cried out in horror. He grabbed his brother and dragged them both through the door, Linden hastily closing it behind them. Elrohir stumbled to his knees, gasping.
"What do you think you were doing?" Elladan shouted in panic.
"Saving your neck?"
"What the hell for?!"
"Because you still owe me that blasted dagger?!" Elrohir was also shouting by now, grimacing in pain.
Elrond looked at the two brothers and shook his head. His sons were not really fighting, that was just their way to show concern towards each other. Assured that Elrohir's wound was not gravely serious, he turned his attention to the Mirkwood prince in his arms. His paternal heart bled involuntarily when he saw the terrible condition Legolas was in. If this were his son, he would not know how he'd react. It's a wonder Thranduil was still sane. The Mirkwood king sat down beside them, still panting from the excitement of the fight. "You are early."
Elrond smiled widely and indicated his sons. Keldarion was now with them, helping Elladan bandaging Elrohir's injury. "My boys are not the patience elves." Elrond said. Then his face became grim. "Legolas's condition is not good."
Thranduil looked down sadly to his now unconscious youngest child. "She hurt him terribly. I'm afraid that he's already fading from us."
They looked up when a loud thump came at the gallery door. Then another, and another! "They are trying to break in!"
Thranduil looked back at Elrond. "You are now involved in all this. What do you suggest we do now?"
Relinquishing Legolas into Thranduil's arms, Elrond stood up, holding his sword steadily, watching the weakening door. "We will fight to the end."
TBC…