Okay first things first. I am very sorry for the delay in posting. I have
been revising hard and have just finished 2 weeks of exams. Stress upon
stress!!!! I hope you enjoy this new chapter and again if you think
anything can be improved or added feel free to email me with pointers. I
don't bite.much!! :)
* Legolas walked down towards the stream, he felt eyes watching him both good and evil. He was tired and his usual graceful movements were clumsy and slow. Stumbling to his knees on the bank he stared into the slow moving water. He watched his face wobbling in the currents. Reaching out with a shaking hand he ran it over the neatly stitched cut that ran from just above his right eye to into his hairline. He then moved to his stitched lip and the bruises that marred his pale features. Crying out in frustration he smashed his hand into the water destroying the reflection. A whinny caught his attention and he looked up to see a white stallion splashing through the river towards him.
"Voronwer" Legolas whispered. The stallion let out a joyful cry as he sprayed his master with water and came to a halt beside him. Legolas blinked in surprise, he had thought Voronwer had been killed.
Flashback
Legolas pushed Voronwer harder as he tried to cut off the orc advance towards his home. Suddenly out of the trees burst a party of warg riders. He heard the cries of the elves behind him and he tried desperately to turn his panicked horse to face the attack.
"Legolas!" Balian cried. "There are too many." Legolas turned from impaling an orc on his sword, his arrows long spent and his bow lost, to see his friend take a blow to the head.
"Balian!!" Legolas screamed, he turned Voronwer and then the ground was rushing up to meet him. Crying in pain he turned to see Voronwer lying still on the ground bleeding from claw wounds in his side. Struggling to his feet he ran towards where he had last seen Balian and stopped dead. Balian was lying on the ground with a massive wound in his stomach that was bleeding profusely, the dark haired elf's head turned towards him and he reached out his hand.
"Legolas." He mouthed. "NO!" Legolas cried again.
End flashback
Legolas let out an anguished sob as he clutched his head in his hands. Voronwer sensing his master's distress rubbed his head against Legolas's arm.
"I want to go home." He whispered softly as he rubbed Voronwer's cheek. Voronwer nudged him gently and carefully lowered himself to his knees and then completely to the ground. Legolas turned and ran his hand over the horses white side, large scars from the claws of the wargs had left their mark and again Legolas despaired. Had nothing he knew from Mirkwood survived unchanged?
"I am sorry mellon" he whispered. The horse shook his head and nudged him with a soft whinny to show him that no apology was necessary. Legolas carefully moved his injured body onto Voronwer's back.
"Noro lim Voronwer." He whispered as he buried his hands in the silky mane of the white stallion as with a cry joy the elven horse galloped in the direction of Mirkwood. He heard his name being cried but he ignored it as he relished the movement of the horse beneath him and the wind moving through his hair.
*
Ciryn cursed in every language that he knew as he watched Legolas gallop off. He turned to the elf that was with him.
"Follow him, report back if he shows any indication that he is going towards Mirkwood." The elf nodded and disappeared. Ciryn again cursed himself and set off back towards Rivendell.
*
"And he was sat there with a huge grin on his face the pointed eared." Gimli's tale dissolved into a rant in dwarfish about certain elves and his axe, which had the assembled group in hysterics.
"Master dwarf." Elrohir wheezed as he tried to get his breath back and stop his sides from hurting "how you and Legolas ever managed to get anywhere without killing each other is one of the mysteries of Middle Earth."
"A feat of great restraint on my behalf I assure you master elf." Gimli said with a sigh, which had the group in hysterics again.
"Elves." Gimli muttered before downing the rest of his wine.
Aragorn marched into the room, a look of annoyance and concern on his features.
"Gimli, Elladan, Elrohir come with me. Legolas has found himself a horse and is heading towards Mirkwood." The trio was immediately on their feet and following Aragorn. Instead of heading towards the stables he led them to Lord Elrond's private study.
"Why are we not going to the stables?" Gimli asked.
"Because Legolas will be well on his way to Mirkwood now and probably knows a large number of ways into the forest that we have never and never will discover. It is pointless."
"He will lead the spies of Sauron to him and any wood elves he finds alive." Elladan said.
"We know Elladan." A new voice said "and that is what worries us." Gandalf was sitting in a stuffed chair next to the fire smoking his pipe. Lord Elrond was at his desk.
"What worries us is that not all the wood elves were killed." Elrond said
"What?" Gimli roared. "You had us tell Legolas that all his people had died and watched him sink more and more into depression due to guilt when really they were alive and well."
"We do not know how many remain alive, nor where they are."
"Then how do you know some survive?" Aragorn asked.
"The elves of Mirkwood have disappeared. We can found no trace of them."
"Orcs still reside in the forest, you cannot know that they all have disappeared." Aragorn said.
"If they have disappeared and you can't find them, how do you know they are some survivors!" Gimli demanded.
"Wood elves are secretive creatures by nature. They have disappeared before and no trace of them found for years and then they reappear. We know of a myth concerning a hidden valley that they supposedly hide in deep within Mirkwood. It is Gandalf's and my belief that the survivors have retreated there."
"How do you know that some made it there?" Aragorn asked.
"We don't but the wood elves and King Thranduil are the most resilient of elves. They would not have been destroyed, some of them would have survived and they will retaliate." Gandalf said.
"And that is why they need out help. A year ago we, I made a mistake and that mistake has cost many lives of our brethren. We did not come to their aid when they appealed for help because of our petty differences and pride. I have had to live with that every day and seeing what Sauron has done to Legolas only compounds that. Legolas will try to find his people and he will lead Sauron to them. I will not allow the last of them to die or for Legolas to be - captured. I will not fail them again." Elrond said his voice full of the anguish that had been inside him for a year.
The room was silent and the twins looked shocked at the frank confession of the elven lord.
"Lord Elrond is right." Gandalf said offering his long time friend silent support as he stood beside him. "We need to raise an army and quickly, for although the wood elves will fight hard and bravely they will be defeated. I will not allow the race of wood elves to be destroyed."
*
* Legolas walked down towards the stream, he felt eyes watching him both good and evil. He was tired and his usual graceful movements were clumsy and slow. Stumbling to his knees on the bank he stared into the slow moving water. He watched his face wobbling in the currents. Reaching out with a shaking hand he ran it over the neatly stitched cut that ran from just above his right eye to into his hairline. He then moved to his stitched lip and the bruises that marred his pale features. Crying out in frustration he smashed his hand into the water destroying the reflection. A whinny caught his attention and he looked up to see a white stallion splashing through the river towards him.
"Voronwer" Legolas whispered. The stallion let out a joyful cry as he sprayed his master with water and came to a halt beside him. Legolas blinked in surprise, he had thought Voronwer had been killed.
Flashback
Legolas pushed Voronwer harder as he tried to cut off the orc advance towards his home. Suddenly out of the trees burst a party of warg riders. He heard the cries of the elves behind him and he tried desperately to turn his panicked horse to face the attack.
"Legolas!" Balian cried. "There are too many." Legolas turned from impaling an orc on his sword, his arrows long spent and his bow lost, to see his friend take a blow to the head.
"Balian!!" Legolas screamed, he turned Voronwer and then the ground was rushing up to meet him. Crying in pain he turned to see Voronwer lying still on the ground bleeding from claw wounds in his side. Struggling to his feet he ran towards where he had last seen Balian and stopped dead. Balian was lying on the ground with a massive wound in his stomach that was bleeding profusely, the dark haired elf's head turned towards him and he reached out his hand.
"Legolas." He mouthed. "NO!" Legolas cried again.
End flashback
Legolas let out an anguished sob as he clutched his head in his hands. Voronwer sensing his master's distress rubbed his head against Legolas's arm.
"I want to go home." He whispered softly as he rubbed Voronwer's cheek. Voronwer nudged him gently and carefully lowered himself to his knees and then completely to the ground. Legolas turned and ran his hand over the horses white side, large scars from the claws of the wargs had left their mark and again Legolas despaired. Had nothing he knew from Mirkwood survived unchanged?
"I am sorry mellon" he whispered. The horse shook his head and nudged him with a soft whinny to show him that no apology was necessary. Legolas carefully moved his injured body onto Voronwer's back.
"Noro lim Voronwer." He whispered as he buried his hands in the silky mane of the white stallion as with a cry joy the elven horse galloped in the direction of Mirkwood. He heard his name being cried but he ignored it as he relished the movement of the horse beneath him and the wind moving through his hair.
*
Ciryn cursed in every language that he knew as he watched Legolas gallop off. He turned to the elf that was with him.
"Follow him, report back if he shows any indication that he is going towards Mirkwood." The elf nodded and disappeared. Ciryn again cursed himself and set off back towards Rivendell.
*
"And he was sat there with a huge grin on his face the pointed eared." Gimli's tale dissolved into a rant in dwarfish about certain elves and his axe, which had the assembled group in hysterics.
"Master dwarf." Elrohir wheezed as he tried to get his breath back and stop his sides from hurting "how you and Legolas ever managed to get anywhere without killing each other is one of the mysteries of Middle Earth."
"A feat of great restraint on my behalf I assure you master elf." Gimli said with a sigh, which had the group in hysterics again.
"Elves." Gimli muttered before downing the rest of his wine.
Aragorn marched into the room, a look of annoyance and concern on his features.
"Gimli, Elladan, Elrohir come with me. Legolas has found himself a horse and is heading towards Mirkwood." The trio was immediately on their feet and following Aragorn. Instead of heading towards the stables he led them to Lord Elrond's private study.
"Why are we not going to the stables?" Gimli asked.
"Because Legolas will be well on his way to Mirkwood now and probably knows a large number of ways into the forest that we have never and never will discover. It is pointless."
"He will lead the spies of Sauron to him and any wood elves he finds alive." Elladan said.
"We know Elladan." A new voice said "and that is what worries us." Gandalf was sitting in a stuffed chair next to the fire smoking his pipe. Lord Elrond was at his desk.
"What worries us is that not all the wood elves were killed." Elrond said
"What?" Gimli roared. "You had us tell Legolas that all his people had died and watched him sink more and more into depression due to guilt when really they were alive and well."
"We do not know how many remain alive, nor where they are."
"Then how do you know some survive?" Aragorn asked.
"The elves of Mirkwood have disappeared. We can found no trace of them."
"Orcs still reside in the forest, you cannot know that they all have disappeared." Aragorn said.
"If they have disappeared and you can't find them, how do you know they are some survivors!" Gimli demanded.
"Wood elves are secretive creatures by nature. They have disappeared before and no trace of them found for years and then they reappear. We know of a myth concerning a hidden valley that they supposedly hide in deep within Mirkwood. It is Gandalf's and my belief that the survivors have retreated there."
"How do you know that some made it there?" Aragorn asked.
"We don't but the wood elves and King Thranduil are the most resilient of elves. They would not have been destroyed, some of them would have survived and they will retaliate." Gandalf said.
"And that is why they need out help. A year ago we, I made a mistake and that mistake has cost many lives of our brethren. We did not come to their aid when they appealed for help because of our petty differences and pride. I have had to live with that every day and seeing what Sauron has done to Legolas only compounds that. Legolas will try to find his people and he will lead Sauron to them. I will not allow the last of them to die or for Legolas to be - captured. I will not fail them again." Elrond said his voice full of the anguish that had been inside him for a year.
The room was silent and the twins looked shocked at the frank confession of the elven lord.
"Lord Elrond is right." Gandalf said offering his long time friend silent support as he stood beside him. "We need to raise an army and quickly, for although the wood elves will fight hard and bravely they will be defeated. I will not allow the race of wood elves to be destroyed."
*