Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Please, please review. Should acknowledge the Secret Diaries again. Certain things are inspired by Cassie Claire's writings, you will probably recognize it when you see it =) Found love poem by Richard Watson Dixon to base Aragorn's poetry on. Made some changes though. Bryan Adams song "Please forgive me" is also used =)
Response to reviews:
Calcus Angel and mibu no ookami: I actually agree that Aragorn has every right to be angry. I also portrayed the twins as kind of silly at times and a bit 'odd'. On the whole, I agree that the Rivendell side got the raw end of the deal. Thought I should say here that I concur with both of your opinions =) I am the first to admit I am a very biased person towards Legolas(my favorite movie Elf) and Haldir(my favorite book Elf).
I also agree it is harsh for Elladan to hit Aragorn, but we are talking about one of the twins here who isn't exactly 'normal' or 'compassionate'. Elladan is definitely overreacting (Aragorn only threatens people with violence when they speak ill of Lasgalen), but as one of the incorrigible twins, hitting the Man is something in character.
As for why is everyone falling for Legolas, well, he is gorgeous now, isn't he =D And of course, there is the fact that I am in love with him =) But to clarify matters, Glorfindel was smitten by the Prince long before this story began when Legolas first visited as a diplomat, so things aren't so all of a sudden.
Believer: Thanks for pointing out about the horses. That's one of the things I have no experience in whatsoever. Will keep that in mind =) But the CG Legolas horse-mounting bit before the Wargs in TTT, drool.. sorry, not exactly normal today =)
Author's note: Please assume all dialogues between Elves (Aragorn included) to be in Sindarin where only the English translations are included. There is no way I am going to write that many Sindarin lines. It takes me like hours to write a couple of them...
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Chapter 23:
Aragorn arrived at the barracks to find the Prince's room empty, not just devoid of people empty, but missing all personal belongings empty. He wondered if Legolas had fled after lying to the Lord of Rivendell. He certainly hoped not, for that would mean lots of trouble for the young Elf when he was found. There was, however, one thing that still remained, the cage that held parrot Estel. When the bird's bleary eyes poor little parrot had been crying caught sight of his human counterpart who broke its beloved's heart, it began to scream, "Bad Estel! Go away, bad Estel!"
The Man was in no mood to take insults from a bird, even if it was Arwen's favorite pet. He was of a mind to go over to the cage and smother the critter in his hands when Elladan arrived. "What are you doing here?" asked Aragorn caustically, eyeing the dark-haired Elf with animosity.
"Taking Estel back to my sister," answered Elladan, with enough venom to cause a lesser Man to run for cover.
"Where is Legolas?" demanded the Man, seeing that the older twin knew the whereabouts of the spy and his company.
"Why do you care?" retorted the older twin in a low whisper, still angry with Aragorn for insulting the Elf of his dreams.
"Tell me where he is now before I decide to give you a lesson you will not forget," threatened the Man as he moved menacingly towards the older twin.
Normally, Elladan would have said something to placate Aragorn or fled in fear. But tonight, the dark-haired Elf did neither. For his love, he stood his ground silently against his very scary and violent foster brother. Hands tight on Anduril's hilt, the Man advanced; he did not really wish to harm the dark-haired Elf, but he needed to know where Legolas was. He needed to finish the conversation they started by the pool today.
The tension was broken by the sudden entrance of Lady Arwen, who rushed to embrace the cage that held her little pet. "Oh, I missed you so much!"
"How do you know Estel is here?" asked Aragorn as he forced himself to relax.
"I saw Elladan and those recruits at the stables earlier. I overheard the blond one asking him to bring Estel back to me. I just thought I will come and collect him myself," answered Arwen sweetly, cradling her 'magical parrot' joyously in her arms.
When the euphoria of finding her dying pet in perfect health subsided, the Lady suddenly realized it was strange that both her brother and her lover were here in the golden Elf's rooms. Elladan, she expected, but Aragorn? "Why are you here, darling?" she asked in a sugarcoated voice. The Man knew he was in trouble just from her tone.
"I wish to speak with Legolas on our relationship," replied Aragorn truthfully. He could no longer stand playing this game with his Lady. Even if the Prince was gone, he could not continue to pretend he loved Arwen.
"Your relationship?" exploded the Evenstar, glaring at her lover.
"Yes, I am in love with him," answered the Man, looking Arwen squarely in the eye.
Before another word could be said, the enraged Arwen the destroyer launched her attacks. Invisible arms hurled the sparse furnishings of the room at the Man. Drawing Anduril, Aragorn sought to break the attacking furniture into smaller pieces to minimize the damage to his person. But before the bulky projectiles reached him, an invisible shield surrounded him, stopping the furniture in mid-air.
"Stay out of this, Elladan," warned the Lady. While Elrohir inherited Elrond's healing abilities, the elder twin inherited the 'spirit magic' from their mother's side. The Lady, being the only daughter, was gifted in both types of magic. Though her eldest brother very seldom used his powers, Arwen knew she could not easily take her revenge on her cheating lover if Elladan were to interfere.
"Sorry, little sister, I can't. I am on Aragorn's side on this one," replied the older twin calmly as he exerted more power to force the furniture to return to their original position. It was a show for Arwen, to let her know she could not have her way this time. Aragorn would survive breaking up with the Evening Star of the Elves.
"You win this time. But this isn't over!" exclaimed Arwen as she marched out of the room, face flushed with anger at her defeat.
"Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" remarked a stunned Aragorn. He never knew Elladan had magic; he had never seen the elder twin use it before in a fight.
"Do you mean what you told Arwen? That you love him?" asked Elladan, ignoring the Man's comment.
"Will you tell me where he went if I do?" inquired the Man quietly in defeat. As hurt and angry as he was, he could not deny that, in his heart, he still loved the golden Elf.
"They left. Haldir is returning to Lothlòrien to consult the Lady of the Woods. The rest ride for Mirkwood to sound the alarm," replied the elder twin, feeling genuinely sorry for his foster brother. It hurt very much to let the Guardian go; Aragorn must felt the same way about the Prince leaving.
"How long ago?" asked Aragorn urgently, grabbing the dark-haired Elf's shoulders.
"It doesn't matter, little brother. We cannot go after them. We are needed at tomorrow's festival as well as for preparing the recruits for war," replied the older twin sadly. He wished to ride with Haldir, but his responsibility dictated that he stayed here. It was the same for his foster brother.
Nodding numbly, the Man asked, "Do you think I still have a chance when he returns?"
"I don't know, little brother. When I saw him off this afternoon, he was like a different person. He was so confident and composed, exuding a regal aura in his movement and speech. He really put Elrohir and I to shame, you know, all of us being sons of Elf-lords and all. I am sorry to I have to say this, but don't get your hopes too high, all right?" replied Elladan, pulling Aragorn into a loose embrace, animosity forgotten.
After all, he had insulted Lasgalen numerous times before the same way the Man insulted Haldir this afternoon. The irony was that both of them were right in everything except what mattered the most - that despite all the intrigues, the fair-haired Elves were romantics at heart who had invested their true emotions into this adventure.
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The battle lines were drawn. The alliance began when the scheming younger twin approached his sister after lunch. Tonight, at the harvest festival, both would have their revenge. The plan was simple; Elrohir would slip the hallucination potion into his brother's drink, which would be delivered by Arwen. While drugged Elladan was busy making a fool of himself, Aragorn would be 'unprotected' and the Lady would be free to do as she pleased with her former lover. It was a most satisfactory arrangement to both siblings.
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Aragorn was not of a mind to attend the harvest festival. He could not stop thinking about Legolas; whether the Prince truly loved him or whether they would still have a chance of being together after what occurred. He had spent the night before and the day in a daze, staring into a distance at nothing in particular. In his mind, he rehearsed how he would act when he gets his chance to finish his conversation with Legolas.
Aragorn decided that he would keep calm and remain neutral. He would ask his questions and get to know the Prince for who he really was before making his decision whether to forgive the Elf. He would not rush to take the beauty into his arms at the first promise of love, nor would he walk out in a rage. The Man had done both of those things before and that had led him here, sitting alone with a broken heart. This time, he would be ready; he would not give in so easily, no matter what his heart told him to do.
His musing was interrupted when Elladan entered and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You should get ready for the feast, little brother."
"Right, I suppose they would object to my 'outdoor Ranger' look," replied Aragorn with a weak smile as he stood.
Sniffing loudly and wrinkling his nose in jest, the elder twin answered, "I am sure they would, filthy human."
The Man gave a soft laugh and retorted, "Go do your nails or something, Elf boy!"
"Well, at least I don't smell," quipped Elladan as he made himself comfortable sitting on Aragorn's bed.
After giving his foster brother a mock-angry glare, the Man went into the bathing room and began preparing for the evening. When Aragorn emerged wearing only a towel, Elladan whistled and joked, "What a babe! You will surely be getting lots of attention if you go like that."
"Oh, shut up! You think the black velvet suit will be okay?" asked Aragorn. The harvest festival was very important to the Elves. The Man did not wish to slight them by being underdressed.
"You wore that last year, and the year before that too," commented the older twin, leaving his spot on the bed to walk to inspect the Man's limited wardrobe.
"I suppose I will wear the brown one then," concluded Aragorn as he took the brown tunic and matching leggings from the dresser.
"You wore that to father's birthday this year," said Elladan, taking the clothes from the Man's hand and stuffing them back into the drawer. "Here, wear this one. You've only wore it once and that was a number of years ago."
"No way! That outfit is cursed! Do you remember what happened when I last wore that thing?" exclaimed the Man, jumping back to avoid touching the garments.
"Yes. But that was before you realize feywine is stronger than the normal things you usually drink. It won't happen again. Besides, it's not like you have that many choices here," reasoned Elladan, flinging the clothes at his foster brother.
"Excuse me if I spend more time in the wilderness fighting creatures of darkness than brushing my hair and looking pretty," retorted the Man as he caught the silver-grey tunic and black breeches. "If anything bad happens tonight, I am holding you personally responsible!"
Ignoring his foster brother's threat, the dark-haired Elf laughed and left to allow Aragorn to dress. At least things seemed to be returning to normal, as each of them struggle to find their own way of dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane that was Legolas and Haldir.
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The company had been riding without rest. They had left the forest of Imladris; tonight they would reach the foot of the Misty Mountains. There, they would camp for the night for the mountain roads were too dangerous for their horses to travel in the dark. Ramiren, being the fastest rider, led the group, followed closely by Haldir. The two younger Elves rode much slower, Legolas because Gimli was with him and Yulion because he wanted to ride alongside the Prince. There was not much reason for the maneuver, since talking while riding was difficult. But the Rivendell Elf truly admired the sight of the golden beauty on his mount with his tousled hair and focused expression. His appraisal was interrupted suddenly when Ramiren and Haldir both stopped abruptly and signaled them to halt.
When the thundering of their mounts' hooves ceased, all the Elves, even the young ones heard it, the sound of footsteps, heading their way. "What's wrong?" asked the Dwarf, unable to hear from himself the approaching danger.
"Orcs," whispered Haldir in disgust.
"How many?" asked Legolas softly. Though his senses had improved enough to sense the presence of their enemies, they were not so well-honed that he could tell their number.
"Three hundred, at least," replied Ramiren, his worry clear in his voice.
"I am guessing that is only their advance troops. The entire mountain groans under their ruthless feet," commented the Guardian of Lòrien, realizing that it was Rivendell that Sauron planned to attack.
"How can I be so stupid?! I should have known the Dark Lord will strike at Rivendell first, to wipe out the Joint Army before the troops are ready," hissed the Prince in self-admonishment. They would attack tonight, during the harvest festival when all the Elves were celebrating and defenseless.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, laddie. There must be something we can do to delay them. If we can hold them until dawn, everyone at Rivendell will be ready for battle," reasoned the Dwarf.
"Five against three hundred? It is hopeless. We can ride back to Rivendell to raise the alarm now," suggested Yulion, shaking his head at Gimli.
"Legolas?" asked Haldir as he watched the youngest Prince furrowed his brows. He knew his friend would have a better plan.
"Ramiren, ride back to Rivendell and warn them." Without waiting for another word, the Crown Prince of Mirkwood turned round and raced towards the Elven city. Seeing his brother was on the move, Legolas continued, looking at the dark-haired Elf, "Yulion, is there a dam at any of the rivers to the East of the city?"
"Yes, there is one, southeast of Rivendell. It was built so that travelers and horses could just walk across. I don't see how this is related," replied the dark-haired Elf with a frown.
"Perfect. Is there any settlement down stream of the river?" asked the Prince urgently.
"There is a small fort built by some human hunters, nothing else. The river ends in one of the small falls in Rivendell," answered Yulion, still puzzled.
"Haldir.." began Legolas, turning towards the archer.
But before he made his request, the Lòrien Elf answered, "I'm on it," and rode off.
"Yulion, do you think you can light an arrow on fire and shoot it?" asked the Prince, looking at the Rivendell Elf.
"Yes, but..." Yulion did not even have time to finish his answer when Legolas dug out a small pouch from his pack and threw it at him.
It was a gift from Saruman the White before he turned to evil. Truth be told, the Prince did not know why he brought it with him to Rivendell. It was not something one would use in normal combat, given its destructive power. But since this was Legolas' very first non-diplomatic mission, he brought along every single war-related gadget he owned that he could fit into his pack. At the moment, he was extremely glad of his overzealous preparation for the trip.
"Go to the dam. Put this at the base. Get as far away from it as possible. When you hear the war-cry of the Orcs, shoot a flaming arrow at it. Be sure to be out of the flood range of the river when you do so. It will bring down the dam," instructed the Prince, looking solemnly at a very shocked Yulion. "Can you do this for me?" asked Legolas, shaking the Rivendel Elf out of his trance.
"Yes, I will not let you down," promised Yulion as he rode off to the dam.
"That leaves you and me, Gimli. Ready to fight some Orcs?" asked Legolas, glancing back to look at the Dwarf.
"Yes!" exclaimed Gimli, very excitedly. "Let me at them!"
"Great. But we are going to do this my way. It is time for Legolas, youngest Prince of Mirkwood, to show his quality," said the Prince with a cunning smile before urging his horse away from their enemies.
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Things were not going well for the conspirators. Elladan and Aragorn were staying too close to the two Lords of Rivendell throughout the night for them to carry out their plans. After circling around for two hours with a goblet of drugged wine in hand, Arwen decided she could not wait any longer. This was a feast; as the most beautiful maiden there, she was flooded with offers for a dance. But because of their revenge scheme, the Evenstar could not enjoy her evening in the arms of the various handsome awe-struck Elves. The situation was unbearable. She would give the wine to Elladan now and risk exposure by the ancient Elf-lords.
"Father, Lord Glorfindel, Elladan, Aragorn," curtsied the Lady as she joined the group containing her eldest brother and former lover.
"The wine tonight is magnificent. Did you open the ones grandpa sent us, father?" asked Arwen, pretending to take a sip out of the drugged wine.
"Yes, I am glad you like it," replied Elrond, pleased that his favorite child was enjoying herself.
"Can I try some?" asked Elladan, who had always been curious about the feywine from Lothlòrien. On more than one occasion, the twins had considered stealing a bottle to try; but fear of repercussion stopped them.
"Sure," replied the Lady, smiling sweetly as she handed the chalice to her oldest brother. This was way too easy, she thought in silence.
What she did not expect was for Aragorn to step in and seize the glass before it reached his foster brother with a smirk. "You really need to work on your reaction time, Elladan. I am afraid you will have to get your own." The Man raised the goblet in mock salute to the dark-haired Elf, and emptied its contents with a gulp.
The two ancient Elf-lords sighed at the young ones' juvenile antics as they shook their heads. But then, they were glad that the two seemed in a better mood. With the impending war, it would not do for two of the commanders of the Joint Army to mope about on the problems in their personal life. As the music softened at the end of a dance, Lord Glorfindel raised his voice and warned, "Do not drink too much tonight. We will prepare for war tomorrow morning."
The two commanders of the Joint Army led the groups' answer, a resounding "Yes, my lord." Pleased at the discipline shown by the recruits and Rivendell warriors, the two Elf-lords turned their attention back to Aragorn and Elladan. To their surprise, the Man had suddenly turned pale. "Are you feeling well?" asked Elrond in concern.
"Yes, I am feeling great!" replied Aragorn dreamily, wondering why his foster father was wearing a purple dress. Not just any purple dress, but Arwen's favorite purple dress. The Man felt this strange urge to tell Elrond that purple made him look like an eggplant.
"Aragorn?" said Glorfindel worriedly. It was clear that something was wrong with the Man. He had been with Aragorn and Elladan most of the night, except for the glass of wine from Arwen, the Man barely had anything to drink. He could not possibly be drunk.
Unluckily for Glorfindel and Aragorn, the Elf-lord had blond hair, not the same shade as the golden Prince, but one could not expect the hallucinating Man to be able to tell the difference. The enamored Aragorn grasped the fair-haired Elf's hand, knelt on one knee and professed his feelings. "To have touched one little ripple free of golden hair, or held a little hand is better than to be rolled up in vestures stiff with golden thread, or upon a throne o'er many a bowing head."
"Aragorn! What is wrong with you?" hissed Glorfindel, pulling his hand out of the Man's grasp, looking in horror at the scene they just created.
"Please forgive me, if I need you like I do. Please believe me, for what I say is true. Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you," hummed Aragorn, still on his knee.
"I think he is mistaking you for someone else, Glorfindel," whispered Elladan to the horrified Elf-lord.
"I think my foster son has been drugged," fumed Elrond, scanning the crowd for his mischievous daughter. The Man must have broken up with Arwen finally. Though he understood the Evenstar must be upset, but the timing for her revenge was horrible. There was still much they need to discuss with Aragorn tonight in preparation of their march to Mirkwood.
"Elladan, take your foster brother to his rooms. Stay with him until I come," commanded the dark-haired Lord of Rivendell. His presence was required at the festival until the moon reached its zenith. As soon as he was able, he would see what he could do to bring Aragorn back to normal.
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As chance would have it, as soon as the dark-haired Elf finally managed to wrestle the Man away from Glorfindel and out of the foyer, Ramiren rode into the feast.. literally. The two Lords of Rivendell were more than a bit upset to have a horse in the middle of the dance floor. They could recognize a son of Thranduil anywhere, and the intruder certainly was one of them.
"Perhaps in Mirkwood, it was customary to ride a horse into a banquet. But in Rivendell, it is considered very impolite," remarked Elrond caustically with frown. Other than his father angry, Ramiren decided that was the most frightening sight he had ever seen.
"I am sorry," stuttered the Mirkwood Elf. Now, the Crown Prince understood why Legolas was the only diplomat from their lands. He wondered how his shy little brother managed to speak in front of these intimidating Eldars at all. Legolas was definitely braver than he was given credit for.
"As you should be," concurred Glorfindel, a little harsher than usual. But he was still deeply disturbed by Aragorn' behavior earlier.
Squirming under the intense disapproving gaze of two ancient Elf-lords, Ramiren barely remembered why he was here. Before his mind melt under the heat from the Eldars' eyes, the Crown Prince managed a soft, "Orcs..here.."
"What did you say?" asked Elrond gently, the young Elf's words overwriting his annoyance.
At the Elf-lord's change of tone, Ramiren relaxed and delivered his message, "My lord, the huge Orc army that Legolas spoke of, it is heading towards Rivendell as we speak."
"The feast is over. Glorfindel, ready our troops. Joint Army recruits, gather in the training field. I will get my sons. We ride in an hour," commanded the Lord of Rivendell as he spun round to march into the palace in search of the twins.
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The small stream Yulion mentioned was in sight. The Prince dismounted and surveyed the forest floor. The ground was soft and muddy, still wet from the rain three days ago. "Here is good," he said as he unsheathed his sword and used the sheath to begin digging. When Gimli stared at his friend, Legolas teased, "Aren't you going to help me? I thought Dwarves are really good at making holes in the ground."
"What is it for?" asked Gimli, still perplexed but began to help the Prince with the blunt end of his smaller axe.
"It's a trap. We will prepare a couple more along the way before we go meet our enemies. The trick here is to slow them down AND enrage them. When everything is set, I will be the bait that brings them into the river. You will wait for me on the other side. Together we will fight those who makes it across," explained the Prince, half expecting his friend to disagree at his scheme. He knew Gimli preferred charging their enemies head on.
The Dwarf merely stopped his digging to pat him on the leg and smiled, "You are full of surprises, Master Elf."
"You think you can handle this one on your own?" asked Legolas, wanting to set up another type of trap for the Orcs. Variety was the key to success in 'guerilla' warfare.
"Leave the digging to the Dwarf, Legolas," replied Gimli with confidence as he very quickly and deftly widened and deepened the hole in the ground.
"Be sure to cover the pits with some branches when you are done," called out the Prince from a tree.
Using the ropes from his pack and some rocks he brought from the forest floor, he set up a variety of traps. Some when triggered would drop rocks onto their victims; others would hoist their unsuspecting victims by their foot off the ground. After two hours, Legolas was pleased with the various pits, nooses and ropes that decorated the surrounding forest. They were ready. "Gimli, go to the other side and wait for my arrival."
Though Gimli disliked leaving the Prince to face the Orcs alone, he knew he would be slowing his friend down if he went. Reluctantly, the Dwarf nodded, "Take care of yourself, laddie."
"I will," replied the Prince as he rode towards the advanced troops of the Orc army.
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His enemies were now close; though they traveled in silence, the earth shook under their feet as they marched towards Rivendell. Legolas knew his time to prove his worth had come. He must draw the troops away from their original path into his trap. One mistake, not only his own life would be forfeited; those in Rivendell would suffer the consequences. As he thought of his beloved in the Elven city, he knew that no matter what happens, he would not fail. Even if he died tonight, he would give the Joint Army this victory.
Boldly, the Prince rode up to the flank of the Orc army, firing deadly arrows at the soldiers. When the beasts realized they were under attack, which took several minutes, as they were not too intelligent, they charged their single assailant en masse. Not stopping to ascertain how many of the creatures actually followed him, Legolas turned round and headed towards the traps they prepared.
With single-minded determination, the Orcs pursued the Elven 'scout'. They were told that this was to be a surprised attack; if they allowed the Elf to get away, the surprise would be spoiled. In their limited intelligent, they ruled that stopping Legolas was imperative and required the attention of the entire regiment. They were not so dumb, however, to not realize that they too have bows and arrows.
As they marched after the fleeing Prince, the Orcs in the front began to fire arrows at their moving target. Luckily for Legolas, the Orcs' aim was not excellent. Through the instinct of self-preservation of his stallion and his riding skills, the Elf was able to dodge the arrows. But the task was getting more difficult by the second as more and more archers began to shoot. The Prince knew that sooner or later, one was bound to hit him if this continued.
Luck was again on Legolas' side. He reached the section of the forest laden with traps before the Orcs managed to hit him. Carefully, the Prince weaved through the forest, drawing the pursuing beasts into his traps. He did not have to look back to know that a number of Orcs had been ensnared. Their cries of fury were clear enough indication. Now, the creatures were no longer as keen on shooting at him; stupid as they were, they realized they should be paying attention to the ground in front. As Legolas rode towards the river followed by hundreds of enraged Orcs, all he could do was pray that Yulion would not fail him.
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The Prince's prayers were answered when he heard a loud explosion. Riding at full speed, Legolas raced into the shallow river. He could hear the distant roar of the tides rushing towards him. He stopped midway and turned round to see if his enemies were following him.
At the loud noises, the Orcs hesitated for a minute, before deciding to follow the fleeing Elf. In their reasoning, if the Elf thought it was safe to stand in the middle of the stream, it must be safe for them to cross the river as well. As the beasts closed the distance between them and their quarry, Legolas turned and rode across the river.
The Elf and a handful of Orcs had reached the shore when the flood arrived, sweeping away over half of Sauron's advance troops. The other half was on the opposite side of the surging river, screaming in fury but unable to cross. Gimli stepped out of the shadows by the bank to join the Prince. Fighting side by side, the two warriors easily killed the few Orcs that had followed Legolas across.
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"We should leave now," said Gimli as he buried his axe into the last of the beasts on their side of the river. Even the Dwarf could see the water was beginning to recede. Soon the enraged Orcs would be able to cross. As much as Gimli hated to admit it, there were still too many for the two of them to fight alone.
"No, we have to delay them further to give Rivendell more time," answered the Prince resolutely, gazing at the river.
"We cannot fight them alone," emphasized the Dwarf, pulling on Legolas' hand.
"Not alone," said a voice in the forest as Haldir rode into view, with a band of human hunters.
"We lost our fort because of those accursed Orcs. We are more than happy to fight by your side against them," announced the leader of the groups, eliciting loud cheers from his people.
"How many?" asked Legolas, looking meaningful at his Elven friend.
"A hundred or so. We have about thirty," replied Haldir, glancing at the opposite bank.
"One to four, it's not bad. My people are excellent archers," commented the leader of their new allies.
Nodding his assent to the human hunter's assessment, Legolas searched through the bodies of the slain Orcs for arrows he could use. The more they could take down before the beasts reached their shore the better. The Prince was startled out of his task by the sounding of Orc horns. He turned to look questioningly at Haldir, who was now frowning. "The main force will be here in less than an hour."
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The Rivendell troops and the Joint Army were in the forests of Imladris when they heard the explosion. As the saying goes, 'great minds think alike', Lord Elrond realized it must be one of Legolas' traps, set to give them more time to prepare. The Elven armies were riding East, towards the Misty Mountains to meet the Orcs. But the sound came from south of their current position, close to one of the dammed rivers. Knowing the Golden Prince's ability to draw attention, the Lord of Rivendell knew Sauron's armies would be there.
If their attacks were planned properly, this would become the greatest bloodless victory in the history of Middle Earth. Elrond signaled for the Elves to halt and gathered his two sons and Glorfindel for discussion. After several minutes, the members of the Ruling House of Rivendell parted and ordered the soldiers to dismount. Separating into four smaller units, the warriors marched towards their destinations on foot. All the Lord of Rivendell could pray for was that Legolas' wits would hold Sauron's forces at bay long enough for them to carry out their plans.
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All Rivendell was empty saved for the women and children and one Man, an unconscious Man to be exact. There was no time to give Aragorn the proper medical attention because of the pressing situation. Elrond simply resorted to giving his delusional foster son a very powerful sleeping potion to prevent him from further harming or embarrassing himself in his condition. In his haste, the Lord of Rivendell had forgotten something very important - to warn his lovely daughter to stop seeking revenge against Aragorn. So it was that, as the stage was set for the battle between good and evil near a river to the Southeast of Rivendell, a more personal confrontation was about to begin in the Elven citadel itself.
Would Legolas and co. be able to prevail against the odds? Would Elrond and co. succeed in defeating the Orcs? Would Aragorn survive Arwen's wrath? Only time, or should I say the next chapter, would tell.
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Special thanks to Sly-chan whose review inspired me to add the last paragraph into the chapter =)
Please, please review. Should acknowledge the Secret Diaries again. Certain things are inspired by Cassie Claire's writings, you will probably recognize it when you see it =) Found love poem by Richard Watson Dixon to base Aragorn's poetry on. Made some changes though. Bryan Adams song "Please forgive me" is also used =)
Response to reviews:
Calcus Angel and mibu no ookami: I actually agree that Aragorn has every right to be angry. I also portrayed the twins as kind of silly at times and a bit 'odd'. On the whole, I agree that the Rivendell side got the raw end of the deal. Thought I should say here that I concur with both of your opinions =) I am the first to admit I am a very biased person towards Legolas(my favorite movie Elf) and Haldir(my favorite book Elf).
I also agree it is harsh for Elladan to hit Aragorn, but we are talking about one of the twins here who isn't exactly 'normal' or 'compassionate'. Elladan is definitely overreacting (Aragorn only threatens people with violence when they speak ill of Lasgalen), but as one of the incorrigible twins, hitting the Man is something in character.
As for why is everyone falling for Legolas, well, he is gorgeous now, isn't he =D And of course, there is the fact that I am in love with him =) But to clarify matters, Glorfindel was smitten by the Prince long before this story began when Legolas first visited as a diplomat, so things aren't so all of a sudden.
Believer: Thanks for pointing out about the horses. That's one of the things I have no experience in whatsoever. Will keep that in mind =) But the CG Legolas horse-mounting bit before the Wargs in TTT, drool.. sorry, not exactly normal today =)
Author's note: Please assume all dialogues between Elves (Aragorn included) to be in Sindarin where only the English translations are included. There is no way I am going to write that many Sindarin lines. It takes me like hours to write a couple of them...
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Chapter 23:
Aragorn arrived at the barracks to find the Prince's room empty, not just devoid of people empty, but missing all personal belongings empty. He wondered if Legolas had fled after lying to the Lord of Rivendell. He certainly hoped not, for that would mean lots of trouble for the young Elf when he was found. There was, however, one thing that still remained, the cage that held parrot Estel. When the bird's bleary eyes poor little parrot had been crying caught sight of his human counterpart who broke its beloved's heart, it began to scream, "Bad Estel! Go away, bad Estel!"
The Man was in no mood to take insults from a bird, even if it was Arwen's favorite pet. He was of a mind to go over to the cage and smother the critter in his hands when Elladan arrived. "What are you doing here?" asked Aragorn caustically, eyeing the dark-haired Elf with animosity.
"Taking Estel back to my sister," answered Elladan, with enough venom to cause a lesser Man to run for cover.
"Where is Legolas?" demanded the Man, seeing that the older twin knew the whereabouts of the spy and his company.
"Why do you care?" retorted the older twin in a low whisper, still angry with Aragorn for insulting the Elf of his dreams.
"Tell me where he is now before I decide to give you a lesson you will not forget," threatened the Man as he moved menacingly towards the older twin.
Normally, Elladan would have said something to placate Aragorn or fled in fear. But tonight, the dark-haired Elf did neither. For his love, he stood his ground silently against his very scary and violent foster brother. Hands tight on Anduril's hilt, the Man advanced; he did not really wish to harm the dark-haired Elf, but he needed to know where Legolas was. He needed to finish the conversation they started by the pool today.
The tension was broken by the sudden entrance of Lady Arwen, who rushed to embrace the cage that held her little pet. "Oh, I missed you so much!"
"How do you know Estel is here?" asked Aragorn as he forced himself to relax.
"I saw Elladan and those recruits at the stables earlier. I overheard the blond one asking him to bring Estel back to me. I just thought I will come and collect him myself," answered Arwen sweetly, cradling her 'magical parrot' joyously in her arms.
When the euphoria of finding her dying pet in perfect health subsided, the Lady suddenly realized it was strange that both her brother and her lover were here in the golden Elf's rooms. Elladan, she expected, but Aragorn? "Why are you here, darling?" she asked in a sugarcoated voice. The Man knew he was in trouble just from her tone.
"I wish to speak with Legolas on our relationship," replied Aragorn truthfully. He could no longer stand playing this game with his Lady. Even if the Prince was gone, he could not continue to pretend he loved Arwen.
"Your relationship?" exploded the Evenstar, glaring at her lover.
"Yes, I am in love with him," answered the Man, looking Arwen squarely in the eye.
Before another word could be said, the enraged Arwen the destroyer launched her attacks. Invisible arms hurled the sparse furnishings of the room at the Man. Drawing Anduril, Aragorn sought to break the attacking furniture into smaller pieces to minimize the damage to his person. But before the bulky projectiles reached him, an invisible shield surrounded him, stopping the furniture in mid-air.
"Stay out of this, Elladan," warned the Lady. While Elrohir inherited Elrond's healing abilities, the elder twin inherited the 'spirit magic' from their mother's side. The Lady, being the only daughter, was gifted in both types of magic. Though her eldest brother very seldom used his powers, Arwen knew she could not easily take her revenge on her cheating lover if Elladan were to interfere.
"Sorry, little sister, I can't. I am on Aragorn's side on this one," replied the older twin calmly as he exerted more power to force the furniture to return to their original position. It was a show for Arwen, to let her know she could not have her way this time. Aragorn would survive breaking up with the Evening Star of the Elves.
"You win this time. But this isn't over!" exclaimed Arwen as she marched out of the room, face flushed with anger at her defeat.
"Wow, I didn't know you could do that!" remarked a stunned Aragorn. He never knew Elladan had magic; he had never seen the elder twin use it before in a fight.
"Do you mean what you told Arwen? That you love him?" asked Elladan, ignoring the Man's comment.
"Will you tell me where he went if I do?" inquired the Man quietly in defeat. As hurt and angry as he was, he could not deny that, in his heart, he still loved the golden Elf.
"They left. Haldir is returning to Lothlòrien to consult the Lady of the Woods. The rest ride for Mirkwood to sound the alarm," replied the elder twin, feeling genuinely sorry for his foster brother. It hurt very much to let the Guardian go; Aragorn must felt the same way about the Prince leaving.
"How long ago?" asked Aragorn urgently, grabbing the dark-haired Elf's shoulders.
"It doesn't matter, little brother. We cannot go after them. We are needed at tomorrow's festival as well as for preparing the recruits for war," replied the older twin sadly. He wished to ride with Haldir, but his responsibility dictated that he stayed here. It was the same for his foster brother.
Nodding numbly, the Man asked, "Do you think I still have a chance when he returns?"
"I don't know, little brother. When I saw him off this afternoon, he was like a different person. He was so confident and composed, exuding a regal aura in his movement and speech. He really put Elrohir and I to shame, you know, all of us being sons of Elf-lords and all. I am sorry to I have to say this, but don't get your hopes too high, all right?" replied Elladan, pulling Aragorn into a loose embrace, animosity forgotten.
After all, he had insulted Lasgalen numerous times before the same way the Man insulted Haldir this afternoon. The irony was that both of them were right in everything except what mattered the most - that despite all the intrigues, the fair-haired Elves were romantics at heart who had invested their true emotions into this adventure.
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The battle lines were drawn. The alliance began when the scheming younger twin approached his sister after lunch. Tonight, at the harvest festival, both would have their revenge. The plan was simple; Elrohir would slip the hallucination potion into his brother's drink, which would be delivered by Arwen. While drugged Elladan was busy making a fool of himself, Aragorn would be 'unprotected' and the Lady would be free to do as she pleased with her former lover. It was a most satisfactory arrangement to both siblings.
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Aragorn was not of a mind to attend the harvest festival. He could not stop thinking about Legolas; whether the Prince truly loved him or whether they would still have a chance of being together after what occurred. He had spent the night before and the day in a daze, staring into a distance at nothing in particular. In his mind, he rehearsed how he would act when he gets his chance to finish his conversation with Legolas.
Aragorn decided that he would keep calm and remain neutral. He would ask his questions and get to know the Prince for who he really was before making his decision whether to forgive the Elf. He would not rush to take the beauty into his arms at the first promise of love, nor would he walk out in a rage. The Man had done both of those things before and that had led him here, sitting alone with a broken heart. This time, he would be ready; he would not give in so easily, no matter what his heart told him to do.
His musing was interrupted when Elladan entered and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You should get ready for the feast, little brother."
"Right, I suppose they would object to my 'outdoor Ranger' look," replied Aragorn with a weak smile as he stood.
Sniffing loudly and wrinkling his nose in jest, the elder twin answered, "I am sure they would, filthy human."
The Man gave a soft laugh and retorted, "Go do your nails or something, Elf boy!"
"Well, at least I don't smell," quipped Elladan as he made himself comfortable sitting on Aragorn's bed.
After giving his foster brother a mock-angry glare, the Man went into the bathing room and began preparing for the evening. When Aragorn emerged wearing only a towel, Elladan whistled and joked, "What a babe! You will surely be getting lots of attention if you go like that."
"Oh, shut up! You think the black velvet suit will be okay?" asked Aragorn. The harvest festival was very important to the Elves. The Man did not wish to slight them by being underdressed.
"You wore that last year, and the year before that too," commented the older twin, leaving his spot on the bed to walk to inspect the Man's limited wardrobe.
"I suppose I will wear the brown one then," concluded Aragorn as he took the brown tunic and matching leggings from the dresser.
"You wore that to father's birthday this year," said Elladan, taking the clothes from the Man's hand and stuffing them back into the drawer. "Here, wear this one. You've only wore it once and that was a number of years ago."
"No way! That outfit is cursed! Do you remember what happened when I last wore that thing?" exclaimed the Man, jumping back to avoid touching the garments.
"Yes. But that was before you realize feywine is stronger than the normal things you usually drink. It won't happen again. Besides, it's not like you have that many choices here," reasoned Elladan, flinging the clothes at his foster brother.
"Excuse me if I spend more time in the wilderness fighting creatures of darkness than brushing my hair and looking pretty," retorted the Man as he caught the silver-grey tunic and black breeches. "If anything bad happens tonight, I am holding you personally responsible!"
Ignoring his foster brother's threat, the dark-haired Elf laughed and left to allow Aragorn to dress. At least things seemed to be returning to normal, as each of them struggle to find their own way of dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane that was Legolas and Haldir.
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The company had been riding without rest. They had left the forest of Imladris; tonight they would reach the foot of the Misty Mountains. There, they would camp for the night for the mountain roads were too dangerous for their horses to travel in the dark. Ramiren, being the fastest rider, led the group, followed closely by Haldir. The two younger Elves rode much slower, Legolas because Gimli was with him and Yulion because he wanted to ride alongside the Prince. There was not much reason for the maneuver, since talking while riding was difficult. But the Rivendell Elf truly admired the sight of the golden beauty on his mount with his tousled hair and focused expression. His appraisal was interrupted suddenly when Ramiren and Haldir both stopped abruptly and signaled them to halt.
When the thundering of their mounts' hooves ceased, all the Elves, even the young ones heard it, the sound of footsteps, heading their way. "What's wrong?" asked the Dwarf, unable to hear from himself the approaching danger.
"Orcs," whispered Haldir in disgust.
"How many?" asked Legolas softly. Though his senses had improved enough to sense the presence of their enemies, they were not so well-honed that he could tell their number.
"Three hundred, at least," replied Ramiren, his worry clear in his voice.
"I am guessing that is only their advance troops. The entire mountain groans under their ruthless feet," commented the Guardian of Lòrien, realizing that it was Rivendell that Sauron planned to attack.
"How can I be so stupid?! I should have known the Dark Lord will strike at Rivendell first, to wipe out the Joint Army before the troops are ready," hissed the Prince in self-admonishment. They would attack tonight, during the harvest festival when all the Elves were celebrating and defenseless.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, laddie. There must be something we can do to delay them. If we can hold them until dawn, everyone at Rivendell will be ready for battle," reasoned the Dwarf.
"Five against three hundred? It is hopeless. We can ride back to Rivendell to raise the alarm now," suggested Yulion, shaking his head at Gimli.
"Legolas?" asked Haldir as he watched the youngest Prince furrowed his brows. He knew his friend would have a better plan.
"Ramiren, ride back to Rivendell and warn them." Without waiting for another word, the Crown Prince of Mirkwood turned round and raced towards the Elven city. Seeing his brother was on the move, Legolas continued, looking at the dark-haired Elf, "Yulion, is there a dam at any of the rivers to the East of the city?"
"Yes, there is one, southeast of Rivendell. It was built so that travelers and horses could just walk across. I don't see how this is related," replied the dark-haired Elf with a frown.
"Perfect. Is there any settlement down stream of the river?" asked the Prince urgently.
"There is a small fort built by some human hunters, nothing else. The river ends in one of the small falls in Rivendell," answered Yulion, still puzzled.
"Haldir.." began Legolas, turning towards the archer.
But before he made his request, the Lòrien Elf answered, "I'm on it," and rode off.
"Yulion, do you think you can light an arrow on fire and shoot it?" asked the Prince, looking at the Rivendell Elf.
"Yes, but..." Yulion did not even have time to finish his answer when Legolas dug out a small pouch from his pack and threw it at him.
It was a gift from Saruman the White before he turned to evil. Truth be told, the Prince did not know why he brought it with him to Rivendell. It was not something one would use in normal combat, given its destructive power. But since this was Legolas' very first non-diplomatic mission, he brought along every single war-related gadget he owned that he could fit into his pack. At the moment, he was extremely glad of his overzealous preparation for the trip.
"Go to the dam. Put this at the base. Get as far away from it as possible. When you hear the war-cry of the Orcs, shoot a flaming arrow at it. Be sure to be out of the flood range of the river when you do so. It will bring down the dam," instructed the Prince, looking solemnly at a very shocked Yulion. "Can you do this for me?" asked Legolas, shaking the Rivendel Elf out of his trance.
"Yes, I will not let you down," promised Yulion as he rode off to the dam.
"That leaves you and me, Gimli. Ready to fight some Orcs?" asked Legolas, glancing back to look at the Dwarf.
"Yes!" exclaimed Gimli, very excitedly. "Let me at them!"
"Great. But we are going to do this my way. It is time for Legolas, youngest Prince of Mirkwood, to show his quality," said the Prince with a cunning smile before urging his horse away from their enemies.
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Things were not going well for the conspirators. Elladan and Aragorn were staying too close to the two Lords of Rivendell throughout the night for them to carry out their plans. After circling around for two hours with a goblet of drugged wine in hand, Arwen decided she could not wait any longer. This was a feast; as the most beautiful maiden there, she was flooded with offers for a dance. But because of their revenge scheme, the Evenstar could not enjoy her evening in the arms of the various handsome awe-struck Elves. The situation was unbearable. She would give the wine to Elladan now and risk exposure by the ancient Elf-lords.
"Father, Lord Glorfindel, Elladan, Aragorn," curtsied the Lady as she joined the group containing her eldest brother and former lover.
"The wine tonight is magnificent. Did you open the ones grandpa sent us, father?" asked Arwen, pretending to take a sip out of the drugged wine.
"Yes, I am glad you like it," replied Elrond, pleased that his favorite child was enjoying herself.
"Can I try some?" asked Elladan, who had always been curious about the feywine from Lothlòrien. On more than one occasion, the twins had considered stealing a bottle to try; but fear of repercussion stopped them.
"Sure," replied the Lady, smiling sweetly as she handed the chalice to her oldest brother. This was way too easy, she thought in silence.
What she did not expect was for Aragorn to step in and seize the glass before it reached his foster brother with a smirk. "You really need to work on your reaction time, Elladan. I am afraid you will have to get your own." The Man raised the goblet in mock salute to the dark-haired Elf, and emptied its contents with a gulp.
The two ancient Elf-lords sighed at the young ones' juvenile antics as they shook their heads. But then, they were glad that the two seemed in a better mood. With the impending war, it would not do for two of the commanders of the Joint Army to mope about on the problems in their personal life. As the music softened at the end of a dance, Lord Glorfindel raised his voice and warned, "Do not drink too much tonight. We will prepare for war tomorrow morning."
The two commanders of the Joint Army led the groups' answer, a resounding "Yes, my lord." Pleased at the discipline shown by the recruits and Rivendell warriors, the two Elf-lords turned their attention back to Aragorn and Elladan. To their surprise, the Man had suddenly turned pale. "Are you feeling well?" asked Elrond in concern.
"Yes, I am feeling great!" replied Aragorn dreamily, wondering why his foster father was wearing a purple dress. Not just any purple dress, but Arwen's favorite purple dress. The Man felt this strange urge to tell Elrond that purple made him look like an eggplant.
"Aragorn?" said Glorfindel worriedly. It was clear that something was wrong with the Man. He had been with Aragorn and Elladan most of the night, except for the glass of wine from Arwen, the Man barely had anything to drink. He could not possibly be drunk.
Unluckily for Glorfindel and Aragorn, the Elf-lord had blond hair, not the same shade as the golden Prince, but one could not expect the hallucinating Man to be able to tell the difference. The enamored Aragorn grasped the fair-haired Elf's hand, knelt on one knee and professed his feelings. "To have touched one little ripple free of golden hair, or held a little hand is better than to be rolled up in vestures stiff with golden thread, or upon a throne o'er many a bowing head."
"Aragorn! What is wrong with you?" hissed Glorfindel, pulling his hand out of the Man's grasp, looking in horror at the scene they just created.
"Please forgive me, if I need you like I do. Please believe me, for what I say is true. Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you," hummed Aragorn, still on his knee.
"I think he is mistaking you for someone else, Glorfindel," whispered Elladan to the horrified Elf-lord.
"I think my foster son has been drugged," fumed Elrond, scanning the crowd for his mischievous daughter. The Man must have broken up with Arwen finally. Though he understood the Evenstar must be upset, but the timing for her revenge was horrible. There was still much they need to discuss with Aragorn tonight in preparation of their march to Mirkwood.
"Elladan, take your foster brother to his rooms. Stay with him until I come," commanded the dark-haired Lord of Rivendell. His presence was required at the festival until the moon reached its zenith. As soon as he was able, he would see what he could do to bring Aragorn back to normal.
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As chance would have it, as soon as the dark-haired Elf finally managed to wrestle the Man away from Glorfindel and out of the foyer, Ramiren rode into the feast.. literally. The two Lords of Rivendell were more than a bit upset to have a horse in the middle of the dance floor. They could recognize a son of Thranduil anywhere, and the intruder certainly was one of them.
"Perhaps in Mirkwood, it was customary to ride a horse into a banquet. But in Rivendell, it is considered very impolite," remarked Elrond caustically with frown. Other than his father angry, Ramiren decided that was the most frightening sight he had ever seen.
"I am sorry," stuttered the Mirkwood Elf. Now, the Crown Prince understood why Legolas was the only diplomat from their lands. He wondered how his shy little brother managed to speak in front of these intimidating Eldars at all. Legolas was definitely braver than he was given credit for.
"As you should be," concurred Glorfindel, a little harsher than usual. But he was still deeply disturbed by Aragorn' behavior earlier.
Squirming under the intense disapproving gaze of two ancient Elf-lords, Ramiren barely remembered why he was here. Before his mind melt under the heat from the Eldars' eyes, the Crown Prince managed a soft, "Orcs..here.."
"What did you say?" asked Elrond gently, the young Elf's words overwriting his annoyance.
At the Elf-lord's change of tone, Ramiren relaxed and delivered his message, "My lord, the huge Orc army that Legolas spoke of, it is heading towards Rivendell as we speak."
"The feast is over. Glorfindel, ready our troops. Joint Army recruits, gather in the training field. I will get my sons. We ride in an hour," commanded the Lord of Rivendell as he spun round to march into the palace in search of the twins.
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The small stream Yulion mentioned was in sight. The Prince dismounted and surveyed the forest floor. The ground was soft and muddy, still wet from the rain three days ago. "Here is good," he said as he unsheathed his sword and used the sheath to begin digging. When Gimli stared at his friend, Legolas teased, "Aren't you going to help me? I thought Dwarves are really good at making holes in the ground."
"What is it for?" asked Gimli, still perplexed but began to help the Prince with the blunt end of his smaller axe.
"It's a trap. We will prepare a couple more along the way before we go meet our enemies. The trick here is to slow them down AND enrage them. When everything is set, I will be the bait that brings them into the river. You will wait for me on the other side. Together we will fight those who makes it across," explained the Prince, half expecting his friend to disagree at his scheme. He knew Gimli preferred charging their enemies head on.
The Dwarf merely stopped his digging to pat him on the leg and smiled, "You are full of surprises, Master Elf."
"You think you can handle this one on your own?" asked Legolas, wanting to set up another type of trap for the Orcs. Variety was the key to success in 'guerilla' warfare.
"Leave the digging to the Dwarf, Legolas," replied Gimli with confidence as he very quickly and deftly widened and deepened the hole in the ground.
"Be sure to cover the pits with some branches when you are done," called out the Prince from a tree.
Using the ropes from his pack and some rocks he brought from the forest floor, he set up a variety of traps. Some when triggered would drop rocks onto their victims; others would hoist their unsuspecting victims by their foot off the ground. After two hours, Legolas was pleased with the various pits, nooses and ropes that decorated the surrounding forest. They were ready. "Gimli, go to the other side and wait for my arrival."
Though Gimli disliked leaving the Prince to face the Orcs alone, he knew he would be slowing his friend down if he went. Reluctantly, the Dwarf nodded, "Take care of yourself, laddie."
"I will," replied the Prince as he rode towards the advanced troops of the Orc army.
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His enemies were now close; though they traveled in silence, the earth shook under their feet as they marched towards Rivendell. Legolas knew his time to prove his worth had come. He must draw the troops away from their original path into his trap. One mistake, not only his own life would be forfeited; those in Rivendell would suffer the consequences. As he thought of his beloved in the Elven city, he knew that no matter what happens, he would not fail. Even if he died tonight, he would give the Joint Army this victory.
Boldly, the Prince rode up to the flank of the Orc army, firing deadly arrows at the soldiers. When the beasts realized they were under attack, which took several minutes, as they were not too intelligent, they charged their single assailant en masse. Not stopping to ascertain how many of the creatures actually followed him, Legolas turned round and headed towards the traps they prepared.
With single-minded determination, the Orcs pursued the Elven 'scout'. They were told that this was to be a surprised attack; if they allowed the Elf to get away, the surprise would be spoiled. In their limited intelligent, they ruled that stopping Legolas was imperative and required the attention of the entire regiment. They were not so dumb, however, to not realize that they too have bows and arrows.
As they marched after the fleeing Prince, the Orcs in the front began to fire arrows at their moving target. Luckily for Legolas, the Orcs' aim was not excellent. Through the instinct of self-preservation of his stallion and his riding skills, the Elf was able to dodge the arrows. But the task was getting more difficult by the second as more and more archers began to shoot. The Prince knew that sooner or later, one was bound to hit him if this continued.
Luck was again on Legolas' side. He reached the section of the forest laden with traps before the Orcs managed to hit him. Carefully, the Prince weaved through the forest, drawing the pursuing beasts into his traps. He did not have to look back to know that a number of Orcs had been ensnared. Their cries of fury were clear enough indication. Now, the creatures were no longer as keen on shooting at him; stupid as they were, they realized they should be paying attention to the ground in front. As Legolas rode towards the river followed by hundreds of enraged Orcs, all he could do was pray that Yulion would not fail him.
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The Prince's prayers were answered when he heard a loud explosion. Riding at full speed, Legolas raced into the shallow river. He could hear the distant roar of the tides rushing towards him. He stopped midway and turned round to see if his enemies were following him.
At the loud noises, the Orcs hesitated for a minute, before deciding to follow the fleeing Elf. In their reasoning, if the Elf thought it was safe to stand in the middle of the stream, it must be safe for them to cross the river as well. As the beasts closed the distance between them and their quarry, Legolas turned and rode across the river.
The Elf and a handful of Orcs had reached the shore when the flood arrived, sweeping away over half of Sauron's advance troops. The other half was on the opposite side of the surging river, screaming in fury but unable to cross. Gimli stepped out of the shadows by the bank to join the Prince. Fighting side by side, the two warriors easily killed the few Orcs that had followed Legolas across.
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"We should leave now," said Gimli as he buried his axe into the last of the beasts on their side of the river. Even the Dwarf could see the water was beginning to recede. Soon the enraged Orcs would be able to cross. As much as Gimli hated to admit it, there were still too many for the two of them to fight alone.
"No, we have to delay them further to give Rivendell more time," answered the Prince resolutely, gazing at the river.
"We cannot fight them alone," emphasized the Dwarf, pulling on Legolas' hand.
"Not alone," said a voice in the forest as Haldir rode into view, with a band of human hunters.
"We lost our fort because of those accursed Orcs. We are more than happy to fight by your side against them," announced the leader of the groups, eliciting loud cheers from his people.
"How many?" asked Legolas, looking meaningful at his Elven friend.
"A hundred or so. We have about thirty," replied Haldir, glancing at the opposite bank.
"One to four, it's not bad. My people are excellent archers," commented the leader of their new allies.
Nodding his assent to the human hunter's assessment, Legolas searched through the bodies of the slain Orcs for arrows he could use. The more they could take down before the beasts reached their shore the better. The Prince was startled out of his task by the sounding of Orc horns. He turned to look questioningly at Haldir, who was now frowning. "The main force will be here in less than an hour."
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The Rivendell troops and the Joint Army were in the forests of Imladris when they heard the explosion. As the saying goes, 'great minds think alike', Lord Elrond realized it must be one of Legolas' traps, set to give them more time to prepare. The Elven armies were riding East, towards the Misty Mountains to meet the Orcs. But the sound came from south of their current position, close to one of the dammed rivers. Knowing the Golden Prince's ability to draw attention, the Lord of Rivendell knew Sauron's armies would be there.
If their attacks were planned properly, this would become the greatest bloodless victory in the history of Middle Earth. Elrond signaled for the Elves to halt and gathered his two sons and Glorfindel for discussion. After several minutes, the members of the Ruling House of Rivendell parted and ordered the soldiers to dismount. Separating into four smaller units, the warriors marched towards their destinations on foot. All the Lord of Rivendell could pray for was that Legolas' wits would hold Sauron's forces at bay long enough for them to carry out their plans.
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All Rivendell was empty saved for the women and children and one Man, an unconscious Man to be exact. There was no time to give Aragorn the proper medical attention because of the pressing situation. Elrond simply resorted to giving his delusional foster son a very powerful sleeping potion to prevent him from further harming or embarrassing himself in his condition. In his haste, the Lord of Rivendell had forgotten something very important - to warn his lovely daughter to stop seeking revenge against Aragorn. So it was that, as the stage was set for the battle between good and evil near a river to the Southeast of Rivendell, a more personal confrontation was about to begin in the Elven citadel itself.
Would Legolas and co. be able to prevail against the odds? Would Elrond and co. succeed in defeating the Orcs? Would Aragorn survive Arwen's wrath? Only time, or should I say the next chapter, would tell.
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Special thanks to Sly-chan whose review inspired me to add the last paragraph into the chapter =)