Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the world-renown bestseller, The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein. I do, however, own any original characters seen here.
Storm Clouds
By
Brin
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Chapter 6: Mornië Utulië
The Elves formally declared war on the goblins that afternoon. The declaration was signed by each Council member, along with Madoc Baggins and Gimli. Afterwards, each one to have signed the declaration of war was made the head of a department. Elrond was made head of foreign affairs. Aeriela was appointed head of resources. Gimli was chief of weapons storage and Madoc was head of treasury.
And Legolas?
Legolas, having become the head Elf, was the leader of them all, much like a president with a cabinet. He could no longer be the head of a single area.
The Council came to a close as the sun began to set and three of the hobbits and two of the dwarves returned home. Madoc and Gimli, having responsibilities here now that they had signed the declaration, stayed behind. They were given rooms inside Legolas's castle and several Elven servants of their own.
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Legolas turned in for the night after the sun had set. With the coming of nightfall, the temperature dropped considerably and a draft moved into the castle. He took a quick shower and when he came out, he was surprised to see someone sitting on his bed.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
Eve, facing away from the Elf (who was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist), shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me what I'm doing here. You seem to be the all-knowing and wise."
Legolas shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm a bit indecent, Eve. Do you think you could come back later?"
Eve put her hands over her eyes. "I'm not looking, Legolas."
The Elf put a hand to his head in frustration. "Please, Eve, don't do this. I told you not to come back here, ever. And I meant it."
"Why? What is it about me that you find so threatening as to kick me out of your life like that?" demanded Eve.
Legolas came over to the bed and sat down, shoulders slumping as he felt the weight of the day's events crashing down on him. "Because you expose everything about me. You seem to know what I'm thinking and I feel like I've let you under my skin. I can't let that happen, Eve."
"I got news for you," she said quietly, "I don't know what you're thinking. And I don't feel like I've gotten under your skin. You're a mystery to me, Legolas."
"You are a mystery to me as well," he stated seriously. "There is something about you that is different from most women I have encountered. Your presence is more imposing and commanding than average."
Eve shook her head and chuckled in spite of herself. "Me? Imposing? You've got to be kidding, Legolas. I'm about as imposing as Barney the purple dinosaur."
The Elven king's eyes softened. "I have lived for so many thousands of years it is hard to calculate, Eve, and over that period of time I have met so many women I wouldn't even bother to try and recall them all. But you, Eve… you are something different."
"Really? What about Aeriela? Or the wife that your father disapproved of?"
Legolas cringed. "Ah, Aeriela. She is an Elven queen; you can only expect her personality to be imposing and commanding." He looked as if he were about to say more on the subject, but then thought better of it and said, "And 'the wife that my father disapproved of' was much like you, but a bit more subtle in her prowess and just shy of five feet tall." He laughed in spite of himself. "Her name was Marie. I had just about given up on all hope for the Elven race when I married her. We were together for three years before my father killed her and our son in hatred and insanity. In turn, I killed him."
"You killed your father? Wasn't that hard?" asked Eve quietly, placing her hand on his shoulder, still moist from his shower.
"Of course it was. I almost killed myself afterwards, but Elrond intervened." He turned his head to face her. "So… are you willing to answer my questions now?"
Eve's eyes widened. "You have questions about me? What about me could possibly interest a multi-thousand-year-old Elf?"
"Why do you keep following me?" he asked.
Eve looked him up and down. His skin was still glimmering from the shower, his hair tousled. For the first time she noticed the tattoo on his left bicep of a broken arrow, just like it had said in his file… and, also for the first time, she noticed his ears were not covered by that black sock hat. His ears, though a bit pointier than Aeriela's, were just as intriguing as the she-Elf's, and Eve couldn't help but let stare at them. Her jaw moved up and down, but no sound came out.
"Something wrong?" Legolas's voice intruded her thoughts.
Eve shook the mistiness from her head. "Uh… no, nothing."
Legolas eyed her suspiciously a bit before saying, "So why do you keep following me?"
"Hey, I only followed you once!" protested Eve.
"Okay. Then why are you snooping around, trying to find information about me?"
"Well," Eve's shoulders slumped guiltily, "I was just curious. I mean, there isn't anything wrong with curiosity, right?"
"Curiosity about why the sky is blue and curiosity about the knife covered in blood on the kitchen floor are two very different things," commented Legolas.
"That's a bit morbid, don't you think?"
"No. I think it's true."
"Okay, okay, so maybe I strayed into hostile territory, but I did that by choice because I wanted to find more information on the mysterious stranger who saved my life. Is that so horrible, Legolas?" she asked, her voice becoming soft and expressing vulnerability. "I just want to help you fight the goblins. I mean, they almost killed my brother and me!"
Legolas bit his lip and sighed. "Eve, you are relentless… and I admire that." He stood up and faced away from her. "I will let you help me in this war… but you must promise me something."
"Anything."
He now turned around and carefully looked her up and down. "Promise me that you will not cause me to fall in love with you and that you will not fall in love with me."
Eve was more than just a bit taken back. "Legolas, how can I—"
"Please, just promise it!"
"Okay, okay. I promise."
"Thank you, Eve," he said sincerely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed."
Eve smiled mischievously. "And you actually think I would pass up the chance to see you naked?"
Legolas's eyes widened.
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"Does he kiss his mother with that mouth?" growled Eve as she stared at Legolas's shut bedroom door. "The nerve of that guy!"
"What did you do to him?"
Eve shrieked in surprise and turned around to glare at Aeriela, who was holding back a laugh. "Don't do that! I hate it when people sneak up on me!"
Aeriela bit her lip and shrugged innocently.
"Besides, I didn't do… much to him," said Eve, leaning against the door.
"Uh huh. Riiiiight." Aeriela crossed her arms over her chest and gave Eve an incredulous look. "Depends on what your definition of 'much' is."
Eve blushed a bit. "Well, it was just a joke."
"What was? Come on, Eve!" urged the she-Elf, her sky-blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "Do tell."
"I kinda came in while he was taking a shower and he was only wearing a towel when he came out… and when he asked to leave so he could get dressed me I sorta said something along the lines of 'Would I pass up the chance to see you naked?' Then he cussed at me in several different languages and threw me out."
Aeriela didn't even try and contain her amusement this time. She doubled over with hysterical laughter, much to Eve's irritation.
"It's not funny," she protested, turning bright red. "I was just kidding!"
"You have much to learn about ancient Elven Kings," said Aeriela as she got her laughter under control. "Such as the fact that most of them are severely old-fashioned in their ways."
"He doesn't seem that old-fashioned to me," Eve stated in a matter-of-factly tone.
Aeriela put her hand on Eve's shoulder and began to lead her down the hall. "Legolas is a lot more modern than most of his age or older, such as Elrond, but there is one ancient royal rule that all royalty follow."
"What's that?"
"If a Son or Daughter of Gondor should look upon a royal Elf in his or her natural grace out of wedlock and the Elf allows it then they shall both be shamed for all eternity and required, as an added punishment, to marry. The exception to this rule, of course, was in the case of Arwen and Aragorn, for they had intentions to wed anyway."
Eve's eyes widened. "You mean I…"
"Yep. You might as well have proposed to him right then and there," Aeriela teased as they continued down the long hallway. "But don't worry. He'll get over it."
"Are you sure? He only said one cuss word in English and it wasn't even as horrible-sounding as whatever he said in the other languages!"
The Elf laughed. "Do not worry, Eve. I'm sure he was just shocked."
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After raiding Legolas's refrigerator, they sat down in his dining hall to eat at the long table which could've seated at least a hundred people. Eve had swiped a carton of vanilla ice cream while Aeriela was enjoying a slice of chocolate cake.
"So… how could you have possibly married such an… 'emotionally unavailable' guy? I mean, not to be rude, but…?" asked Eve as she shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
Aeriela swallowed audibly. "I told you he hasn't always been like this. He changed."
"Well, if you're able to be friends for so long, doesn't that mean he's occasionally been in a playful or happy mood?"
"Occasionally is the key word here," said Aeriela, licking her fork. "The past year has been especially hard on him, but last year he seemed to be getting back to his old self. I was hoping he would just have a down year and then get back up again, but this war has eliminated any hope of that happening."
"Isn't there any way to get him to come out and play? I mean come on! There's got to be a way to make him stop being sadistic and morbid and negative and…"
Aeriela stopped her by holding up her hand. "Yes, yes, we all know he's those things, but you've got to sympathize in the fact that he's gone through about ten times as much turmoil as the most disturbed mortals. I'm surprised he still has the ability to laugh." She paused long enough to wipe a smudge of chocolate from her lip. "But, if you must know, to get Legolas to 'come out and play,' he must be totally relaxed or in a casual state of mind. He is accident prone while not on his guard, and it is easy to tease him. Eventually, when his ego starts nagging at him to retaliate, he will tease back. That is the only way to tell if he is in a good mood; if he will engage in verbal battle with you or constantly teases you or himself."
Eve nodded her head thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind." She put down her spoon and stared at the bottom of her bowl. "Um… I think I'll need to work off that ice cream. Do you think we could take a walk around the grounds?"
Aeriela laughed. "Are we best buds now or something?"
Eve shrugged, trying not to look embarrassed. "You want the truth?"
"That would be nice."
"Well… I'm kind of scared to walk around outside this place at night and my brother sort of took the car and…"
Aeriela chuckled and shook her head. "It's okay. I understand. Besides, Elves need their exercise as well. I am staying here for the night and I'm sure Legolas wouldn't mind if you did as well."
Eve smiled thankfully.
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Outside, the bitter night air bit into Eve's flesh and she shivered. Aeriela, however, didn't seem cold at all as they wandered through the seemingly endless, ever-silent Mirkwood forest.
"How do you do that?" asked Eve resentfully through chattering teeth.
"What?"
"Just… just look so warm and toasty when it's like five degrees out here!"
Aeriela chuckled. "Elvish textiles are much better than whatever you mortals use."
Eve scowled at the Elf, but then sighed and gave up. It was too cold to engage in verbal combat. She looked around at the trees that seemed to extend to the sky in wonder. "How long have these trees been here?"
"No one can accurately say, but I'd guess some have been in these woods over a 100,000 years, maybe more. This is the last remaining chunk of Mirkwood, Legolas's kingdom," said Aeriela, also gazing around at the trees. "It means a lot to him."
"I can see why. Everything here is so beautiful!" She came to the base of a tree and looked up into its jungle of branches. "I wonder what it's like up there."
Aeriela stared at Eve for a moment, then also turned her eyes upward. "Give me just a second."
"O…kay." Eve crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
Aeriela searched the treetops with her eyes carefully, then turned and ran with the agility and grace of a cat towards a nearby tree.
Eve watched, amazed, as Aeriela jumped at least twenty feet into the air to grab onto a "low" branch, flip herself upward, and land on the next highest branch in a crouching position. Eve's mouth dropped.
"How the hell did you do that?!" she cried, running to the base of the tree, dragging her jaw along the ground the entire way.
"It's an Elf thing," said Aeriela, smiling down at the mortal.
"I wanna get up there!"
Aeriela looked around. "Um… this'll work." She yanked what looked like a white rope from the mass of leaves and dropped it down to Eve.
"Well that's convenient," Eve commented aloud as she began to climb up the rope, which felt strangely soft. "What he heck is this stuff?"
"I think it's the web of giant spiders, but I'm not sure. The last one died of disease about twenty years ago but Legolas didn't bother with cleaning up the webs and things like that. He didn't see any point to it."
Eve stared at the material in her hand and almost let go with surprise and disgust, but since she consciously knew she was hanging fifteen feet in the air it didn't seem like a very good idea. "G-g-giant spiders?" She pulled herself onto the branch below Aeriela and wiped her hands on her jacket repeatedly.
"Yes. They lurked outside Mirkwood for thousands of years and Legolas allowed them to stay here, but with the lack of room and inbreeding they have all died away," explained the Elf, setting against the tree trunk. "I think you would've liked the Earth as it was during our time."
"How was the Earth 'during your time?'"
Aeriela turned her bright blue eyes, glowing even in the dim light, to Eve and shrugged, a smile escaping her control. "I honestly do not remember anything but the fact that the land was beautiful year-round and always full of life. Races lived side by side somewhat peacefully for awhile after the destroying of the One Ring, barely even conscious of the existence of some, like the hobbits. When I was born, the race of Men was just coming through a dark period in which they almost died out. Over the years some had married Elves and their offspring strengthened the gene pool. It is because of the Elves that you are what you are today… and it is because of Men that there are so few of my kind now."
Eve looked down at the ground below and ran her fingers through her hair. "You sure know a lot."
"Of course I do. I'm a Queen, I must know these things." The Elf's eyes twinkled mischievously as she went on, "Besides, we need to establish the fact that I am not arrogant, just a whole lot better than you."
Eve narrowed her eyes in mock-anger. "Is that so, you stinking, stuck-up, prissy Elf?"
"It is, you filthy, stupid human!"
"Alright, ladies I think that is quite enough," came a voice from below.
Eve shouted in surprised and fell backwards…
Right off the branch.
"Eve!" yelled Aeriela, moving to jump after the mortal.
"It's okay. I got her."
Aeriela sighed in relief when she realized that it was Legolas who had interrupted their conversation. She hopped from her branch to the lower one and watched amusedly.
"You can open your eyes now," Legolas whispered into Eve's ear.
Eve, who was holding his neck in a vice-grip, opened her eyes. A red blush crept up neck to her face as she realized what had happened. She had fallen for no apparent reason besides panic and, luckily, Legolas had been standing right beneath the tree and was able to catch her. "Um… t-t-thanks?" she stuttered. Legolas was holding her like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold. She flushed three more shades of red.
Legolas set down first her feet, but her arms remained around his neck. "Next time you plan on dropping in, warn me first."
Eve couldn't help but chuckle at his incredibly corny pun. That had to be one of the first 'jokes' she had ever heard leave his mouth when speaking to her. She remembered very well the teasing between him and Jack (or was it Izareth?), but it was a whole new feeling when the teasing was directed at her. Aeriela's advice of his good moods echoed in her head and she couldn't help but let a smile linger on her lips.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that Eve finally realized she was still holding onto his neck tightly, her dark brown eyes locked with his sky-blue ones and their faces mere inches away. Eve broke off from the gaze and let go of his neck only to find his hands on her hips, having loosened his hold on her legs so that she stood on her own two feet.
"Uh… um…" she stammered, stepping back and out of his reach.
Legolas smiled. "I have never quite seen that shade of red before. It is quite intriguing."
Eve's cheeks grew hot and she looked down at the ground as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
"Nor have I seen that shade. And I do believe that if your attempt at becoming a color spectrum continues, you will be purple by the time this is over. That would be most alarming, for I would be struck with the fear that a great maiden of Gondor had lost all her breath," said Legolas.
"Hey! Stop it!" protested Eve as, on cue, she became short of breath.
"Stop what?" asked the king, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "I fear I haven't the slightest idea of what you speak, Dark Maiden."
"Dark Maiden? Doesn't that sound a bit evil to you?"
Legolas laughed heartily. "Evil? My lady, if I were to call you a Fair Maiden it would be most unfitting. You are a Maiden of Gondor and your complexion is much darker than that of Elves, so therefore you are dubbed the Dark Maiden. Otherwise, I could refer to you as the 'Brown Lady.'"
Eve choked back laughter. "No… no, I think Dark Maiden sounds better."
"Well then from now on I will instruct my Elves to refer to you as the Dark Maiden of Gondor, One who has seen our secrets."
"Hm… I like it." They stood in companionable silence for a moment or two, then Eve suddenly looked up. "Where'd Aeriela go?"
"She went away towards the beginning of our conversation."
"Then how come I didn't see her?"
"Aeriela can avoid being seen if she chooses, and Elves are masters of camouflage."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact."
Eve now took a brave step towards him. "I think you Elves are full of yourselves."
Legolas raised his eyebrow indignantly. "That was a bit uncalled for, don't you think?
"No, I think it was fitting. Besides, it's not like you don't have a reason to be full of yourselves. Who wouldn't want pointy ears and evil, half-human/half-monster creatures following them around with a grudge?"
Legolas now narrowed his eyes. "You speak bravely, Dark Maiden. I think it would be wise of you to now… run."
Eve stared at him challengingly, then he took a wide step towards her and she turned tail and ran. She could barely hear Legolas's footsteps as they moved quickly and stealthily after her. Against her better judgment, she gave in to the urge and looked back to find…Legolas was gone. Eve stopped running. "Legolas? Chris?" Nothing. She turned her head to look the way she had been headed and—
"BOO!"
"AAAAAH!!" Eve fell over into a conveniently-placed pile of leaves.
Legolas doubled over with laughter. "You should've seen your face!!" He collapsed next to her and rolled back and forth across the ground.
"That's not funny!" protested Eve, her face growing hot.
The Elf continued to guffaw for a few more minutes before he finally got himself under control and solemnly looked up at her from his position sprawled out on his stomach. "Do you not like it when I laugh at you, my Dark Maiden?"
"Well… it's not so much that I don't like it, it's just that you scared the hell out of me!" she said truthfully, covering her face with her hands.
"I am sorry. I could not resist." He brushed a leaf from his hair and they gazed at each other for a moment or two, then Legolas raised himself into a sitting position. "Come. The night grows old and we must turn in." Standing up, the Elf held out his hand.
Eve stared the offered hand for a small eternity before taking it. "Yes. We must turn in."
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As they walked back to Legolas's castle, Eve noticed that the closer they got the less happy Legolas seemed to be. His smile slowly faded and his movements grew stiff and deliberate instead of relaxed and casual as they had been before.
"Something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
Legolas furrowed his brow. "No. I just…I just have this weird…feeling." He frowned and then a familiarly haunting voice reached both their ears, piercing the night silence like a sword through butter.
Legolassss! My King, my Master, my SLAVE! LEGOLASSS! Mornië utulië, Legolas!
The foul voice then faded, leaving both Legolas and Eve rooted to the spot.
"What did it say?" asked Eve, remembering the voice from strange book in the bookstore.
Legolas did not reply. Instead, he let go of her hand and took off at a run for his castle, quickly vanishing from view.
"Hey! Wait up!" shouted the young woman as she ran desperately after him.
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Legolas reached the front door of his castle to see a group of familiar faces standing outside, waiting for him.
"You brought it here!" growled the King of Mirkwood, his hands balled into fists down at his sides. "I did not give you permission to bring it here!"
A blonde Elf stepped through the group to face Legolas. It was Haldir. "Calm down, my friend! We meant no harm, but goblins attacked Lord Elrond's store and we had to save it from their filthy hands!"
"You had no right to bring that… that thing to my castle!" snarled Legolas, jumping back.
Haldir looked down at the Book that he held in his arms. It seemed harmless enough to him, but he knew what it had done to Thranduil and what it was capable of doing to his old friend Legolas. "We meant no offense."
"Get it away from me!" Legolas continued to walk backward. Then, the Book's voice entered his mind and he placed a hand to his forehead…
Mornië utulië. Aníron lîn iest, Legolas Thranduilion. Cuiva Legolas. Ú-reniathach. Reniad ne môr gwannen le narchannen.
Darkness has come. I desire your wish, Legolas son of Thranduil. Wake up. You will not stray. The journey in darkness left you broken.
"Stop talking to me!" shouted Legolas, covering his ears. He glared at Haldir. "Get it away from me!"
Haldir quickly handed the Book to Treflin, one of his constant companions and his royal messenger, who hurried away with it. The other Elves followed, not wanting to experience the wrath of the King of Mirkwood. As soon as Treflin was gone, Legolas started calming down.
"Old friend, I am sorry to have caused you pain," said Haldir, approaching the king.
Legolas sat on the ground and stared at his feet. "I won't let that damned Book control me like it did my father. I won't let it persuade my thoughts or poison my mind. Keep it away from me."
"You do know the power you could wield if you used the Book, right?" asked the other Elf, sitting next to Legolas. "The goblins wouldn't stand a chance against us."
"We've discussed this, Haldir. Nothing you say or do would change my mind about that… that thing. We will win this war without being dependent on the Book. I don't want to become like Sauron." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Nuruva quetis, Haldir."
"It speaks of death?"
"Yes. It said mornië utulië, 'darkness has come'. This war has begun, Haldir, and we have reached the point of no return."
Haldir nodded thoughtfully. "Of what dialect did it speak to you?"
"Some Quenya, some Sindarin. It was all mixed up. I don't doubt my father never taught it the difference between either language."
"Just goes to show… you shouldn't depend on something with no right mind." He paused and a mischievous grin passed over his face. "Wait… then that means we shouldn't depend on you, right?"
Legolas shook his head and allowed himself to grin. "Always the sarcastic one, eh Haldir?" He looked up at Haldir to see the Lórien Elf staring elsewhere. Legolas followed his friend's gaze and saw that Haldir was staring at none other than Eve, standing with a furious look upon her face at the edge of the trees.
"I think someone needs to speak with you," said Haldir, quickly rising to his feet. "You don't mind if I stay here for the night, do you?" Without waiting for Legolas to respond, he continued, "Of course you don't! I'll just be going inside now." He scurried away, leaving Legolas to the wrath of the Dark Maiden.
Eve stomped towards the Elf, eyes blazing. "What the hell did you think you were doing, leaving me like that?! I thought something was wrong and here you are, sitting and chatting with your best bud! You're no different than mortal men! Jeez!"
Legolas hung his head in feigned-shame, hoping to quell the Dark Maiden's ranting.
"You made me worried," she said, her voice softening. "Don't do that again."
Legolas raised his eyes and looked at her with eyes full of emotion. "I won't. Forgive me for worrying you, my Dark Maiden of Gondor."
Eve sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Okay, okay. I forgive you. Now, I am ready to flop into a bed and sleep until Christmas."
"Let me find you a room, milady," said the Elf, opening his castle door. "You first."
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Legolas showed her to her room, which was a few doors down from his own bedroom and in-between Aeriela's and Haldir's. "You shall sleep easy tonight under the protection of Mirkwood and all its visitors, Dark Maiden of Gondor. If you need anything, pull the rope next to the fireplace and one of my maids will get you what you need."
"Okay," said Eve, honestly impressed. "Do I have to pay rent?"
"I just might consider it," joked the Elf, eyes twinkling. "Sleep now. You need your rest."
Eve nodded her thanks and Legolas left, the smile never leaving his lips.
The room was expensively-decorated in almost all white save the ceiling, the mahogany bureau, bed, and chest at the foot of the bed. Painted on the walls were flowers of every kind, each one obviously hand-painted and slightly different. The ceiling was black with what Eve assumed to be quartz pieces stuck into it, giving the impression of stars. The fireplace was already full with dancing flames that cast a warm glow over the entire room.
Nice, Eve thought to herself as she shrugged off her jacket and pants and climbed into the canopy bed, pulling the snow-white bedcovers up to her chin. Very, nice. She snuggled into the feather mattress and was about to fall asleep when a melodic and soothing voice reached her ears:
An Elven-maid there was of old,
A shining star by day:
Her mantle was white hemmed with gold
Her shoes of silver-gray.
And then another, this time deeper but just as beautiful:
A star was bound upon her brows,
A light was on her hair
As sun upon the golden boughsIn Lórien the fair.
The next voice was distinctly female and of a more sweet than soothing tone:
Her hair was long, her limbs were white
And fair she was and free;
And in the wind she went as light
As leaf of a linden-tree.
Then, a voice that Eve could never forget. Legolas sung the next verses, his voice both calming and alluring whilst being comforting and saccharine:
Beside the falls of Nimrodel,
By water clear and cool,
Her voice as a falling silver fell
Into the shining pool.
Where now she wanders none can tell,
In sunlight or in shade
For lost of yore was Nimrodel
And in the mountains strayed.
The last of the song went unheard to the Dark Maiden, who had been lulled to sleep by the sweet song of Nimrodel and the melodic voice of Legolas.
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Eve awoke the next morning around eleven. The fire had died down to nothing more than heated coals and a chill had settled over the room. She peeled back the covers that had been keeping her body warmth hostage and was about to pull her jeans and coat back on when she discovered a baby blue robe neatly laid out beside the fire for her, pressed and ready. Relinquishing her dirty clothes, she quickly changed into the offered item and was pleased to find it very warm.
The next thing she sought out for was a shower. She was about to ring for a maid when she realized there was a door a few feet away from the bed that she hadn't noticed before.
"Oh, Legolas, you are too kind," she said to herself amusedly as she moseyed over and opened the white door. A gasp escaped her lips.
Sure enough, it was a bathroom, and what a bathroom it was! Almost everything was carved of white marble! There was a Jacuzzi large enough to seat five in the middle of the room, dug right into the floor; a shower in the corner with a silver showerhead; a huge linen closet along one wall and another door next to the shower that Eve assumed led to the toilet.
"I could get used to this," Eve commented aloud, walking over to the linen closet. A white bathrobe was hanging on the inside of the door and she traded it with her blue one before venturing to the Jacuzzi. "Oh yeah, I could get very used to this."
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It was noon when Eve forced herself to get out of the Jacuzzi, her skin wrinkled like a raisin. Waiting for her on the bed (which had been made with meticulous care) was a new change of clothes—black pants and a collared white shirt. She put these on and pulled her hair up in a wet ponytail, then considered her work in the mirror. Pleased, Eve then went out of the room and into the hallway, surprised to find it filled with Elves! Hundreds of them! And not only that, but curiously small men! Eve's eyes widened with curiosity as a stout little man with a beard so bushy it covered his entire face lumbered by.
An Elf with dark brown hair and blue-gray eyes, came up to her and bowed. "Good morning, Dark Maiden. Did you sleep peacefully?"
Eve nodded. "Yeah, um, what's going on here? Where did all these Elves come from?"
"King Legolas called for the Elven army to form. These Elves are all members of the army, the many Elven Councils, or have come to offer tributes to the war," answered the dark-haired Elf. He tugged on her hand. "King Legolas has called for your presence."
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Eve was led down the hall, up a flight of stairs, and down a completely empty hallway to a seemingly random door.
"What's inside here?" she asked.
The servant Elf bowed low at the waist. "Inside is the Council. They are discussing the last few issues of the war. Lord Elrond's bookstore was attacked last night, and an Elven weapons storage building was burned to the ground, along with a thousand arrows and three hundred bows."
Eve winced. "Ah. I see." She opened the door and went inside.
"And here she is now!" exclaimed Legolas, who was standing in the middle of a circle of tables. The room was eerily empty except for the tables and the maps and scrolls all over the walls.
Every person in the room turned around to look at Eve, who suddenly felt embarrassed and diminutive. She recognized none but Lord Elrond, Thrupolan, Legolas, Aeriela, and Dimitri from the first Council she had witnessed. There were also other beings besides Elves present: small men with big, burly beards and stout builds; even smaller men with heads full of curly hair and no beards or mustaches in sight; and, most surprising of all, there were normal humans sitting at one of the tables.
"Members of the New Alliance, I give you Eve, the Dark Maiden of Gondor, who will be aiding me in my rule during this war," said Legolas. "Please, come in." He gestured to the chair behind him.
As Eve moved forward, a young Elf came up and asked in a voice that was barely audible, if she would bow her head. Eve complied and a silver tiara was placed upon her head. Dazed, she took a seat.
"So this is the one who has saved our King from the death of his heart," said Dimitri, tapping a quill on the table thoughtfully. "We are forever in debt to you." He bowed his head.
Eve smiled nervously in return.
"Allow me to introduce you to the Head members of the New Alliance," stated Legolas, moving to the first table, where the group of small, burly men sat. "Gimli, High Lord of the Dwarves, and his helpers, Glóin, Thorin, and Dwalin."
Gimli rose from his seat and went over to Eve. "Very nice to meet you, milady." They shook hands and he sat down, removing his helmet and placing it on the table self-consciously.
"I assume you know Thrupolan, Dimitri, Elrond, and Aeriela from your little spying escapade." Legolas smiled in spite of himself and moved on to another table full of Elves that Eve had never seen before. "These are the representatives from other continents. The Council that I lead controls South America and North America." He then gestured to a tall, slightly built Elf with light blonde hair, exceptionally fair skin, and eyes the color of sterling silver. "This is Philendel, Ruler of Europe."
Philendel nodded his hello.
Legolas then pointed to a shorter Elf with dark brown hair, skin uncommonly dark compared to the fair skin of most of the other Elves, and hazel eyes. "This is Kiendos, Ruler of Asia, where there are few Elves but many half-Elves."
Kiendos smiled, "It is a pleasure, Dark Maiden."
"Then we have the Ruler of Australia, Haldir," continued Legolas, pointing to an Elf with features very close to his own.
Haldir wriggled his fingers at Eve and winked. Eve instantly liked him.
"And our hobbit representatives, Madoc Baggins and his helpers: Samwise, Peregrin and Isengar."
The four curly-haired men regarded Eve with curious bright blue eyes. She smiled at them amusedly; they reminded her very much of mischievous young children.
As Legolas continued on to the table full of humans, Aeriela rose from her seat and came over to sit next to Eve. "I don't like it over there. I'm the only female besides you here," whispered the she-Elf, shooting a glare to Philendel. "Watch out for that one. He's got eyes to die for and the charm to back it up."
Eve chuckled, then noticed that Legolas was talking in hushed tones with one of the humans. She leaned closer to Aeriela. "What do you think they're saying?"
Aeriela shrugged. "We'll just have to see."
Legolas stepped back and nodded to the mortal, then returned to his seat next to Eve, placing his hand over hers.
Eve stared at their hands for a moment, unbelieving, then her attention was turned elsewhere as one of the humans began to speak:
"Dark Maiden of Gondor, I do believe you would want an explanation as to why we, 'mere mortals', are here among the Council of Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits," he said, standing up. He had long dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a bushy goatee. The men sitting at the table behind him were very much the same save one, who had hair of a more auburn color and freckles.
"I guess it is a bit odd that you should be here," admitted Eve when he did not continue.
"As it should be. Out of the six billion humans on this Earth, I would say about fifty thousand know the secret of the Elves, Hobbits, and Dwarves. That is not very many, mind you, considering how many 'mythical creatures' there are on this earth. All who know are forbidden to speak of their encounters. If they do tell, we have no choice but to… execute them for betrayal."
Eve winced.
"But enough of that. I will tell you the story of the what happened to the race of Men and why they now rule the world." A brief pause. "I, fair Lady Eve, am the youngest descendent of Aragorn, late King of Gondor. My name is Tethir, though I am more casually known as Anthony, and these are my brothers, Faramir, Grandir, and Eomir.
"After the Destruction of the One Ring, Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, became King of the formerly decaying nation of Gondor. He rebuilt Gondor and brought it back to its old power and respect with the help of the Elves… though he could not totally rid the world of the flaws in the character of Men. One day, while King Aragorn was visiting King Legolas in Mirkwood, a band of rebels attacked Queen Arwen's former home, Rivendell, brutally slaughtering the few Elves still residing there but leaving Elrond to tell the story.
"When King Aragorn was returning home, they killed him as well. It was a dark day. His son, named after Boromir, took the throne. Boromir, however, was not as strong in heart and as half as noble as his father. He led a war against the Elves for three agonizingly long years, but was defeated by none other than King Legolas in the famous battle known as the Battle of Môr, or the Battle of Darkness. Boromir was exiled and later killed by an Elven war party of Lórien.
"After that, the race of Men flourished under the command of Boromir's brother, Isildus, but other races dwindled from the aftermath of the war. Many years passed. The Elves went into hiding as their numbers continued to spiral down and the race of Men took over Middle Earth. Three hundred years later, the Orcs emerged from the nearly-forgotten Mines of Moria in staggering numbers. Acting quickly, a Second Alliance was formulated by Lord Elrond, consisting of dwarves, Elves, Men, and twenty or so hobbits, and they clashed with the Orcs outside the White City.
"The Orcs, however, had more power than they had expected. Half of their army broke off and slaughtered all save a handful of the already scarce Lórien Elves, over half of the remaining Rivendell Elves, and all the Mirkwood Elves but seventy, leaving only about eight hundred Elves before the Second Alliance fought against the Orcs. The Orcs then proceeded to butcher the other races of the world.
"In the end, there were almost one hundred remaining Elves, three hundred dwarves, and ninety hobbits. The race of Men endured, however, and because of that Gondor met no further resistance when it began to spread into the other lands of Middle-Earth, which were rapidly changing as Middle-Earth geographically became what is modern Earth by things such as earthquakes and 'continental drifts.' Lórien and Rivendell faded into myth, Hobbiton was destroyed, the dwarf mines were caved in, and all that remains of Mirkwood is what you see around you. It is only by great sacrifice have I gained the trust of the Good Races to stand before you. And that, Dark Maiden, is the history of your people. Accept it or not, it is the truth." He looked at Eve, his head bowed, waiting for any kind of response.
Eve was stunned into silence. She stared at Tethir for a long, long time, then turned her eyes to Legolas, who had a dark look upon his fair face. The handsome Elf was looking straight at Lord Elrond; talking to the elder Elf with his eyes. Elrond bowed his head a bit and Legolas sighed, then stood. "And now that we have all reviewed our history lesson, I feel it is time to turn our attention back to the task at hand." He patted Eve's hand comfortingly, a signal that she had been let off the hook. "How many soldiers can each race spare?"
"The Orcs have declared war on us all," announced Madoc in a matter-of-factly tone, lacing his hands behind his head. "And they are especially mad that we have come together to fight as one great force."
"We can give you three hundred dwarves," rumbled Gimli, thumping the handle of his ax on the ground for effect. "Those damned Orcs won't know what hit 'em!"
Several Elves snickered under their breaths, receiving malevolent glares from the dwarves.
"Only two hundred hobbits," Madoc said, now leaning forward. "And believe me, our fighting skills have improved over the past hundred thousand years."
They all turned to Tethir questioningly.
"And what of the race of Men?" asked Legolas quietly. "How many can the proud descendents of Aragorn spare?"
Eve detected a hint of detestation and sarcasm in Legolas's voice, but she wasn't certain and forced herself to stop thinking about it.
"I know of at least three hundred Men that are willing to fight the Orcs. Most of them are half-Elves that have decided it is best to capitalize on their mortal blood instead of their immortal blood."
"And you do know that every Elf who can hold his own bow will fight the Orcs for you, right, King Legolas?" asked Haldir seriously.
Legolas scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't want any fighters younger than 21 from the Men, dwarves, and hobbits… and the Elven lords know of what age I speak of for their Elves."
"But King Legolas, that is ridiculous! That severs about one fourth of our fighting force!" exclaimed Grandir, rising from his seat.
"I will not risk the lives of the youth. We will have our senior fighters give it a try first, then, should it be needed, we will mix in younger fighters… but only if they are desperately needed, do you understand me?" said Legolas, raising his voice a bit.
"But if we do not attack first in large numbers then we will, in the end, be forced to use the youth! The chain reaction will be catastrophic!"
"No. You humans taught us Elves the art of attacking in small numbers very, very well," growled Dimitri. "We have the means and strategies to beat a force ten times larger than ours without massive loss."
Tethir opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment Therun burst into the room, blood leaking from one of his temples and his eyes wide with shock. The Council jumped from their seats and ran over to help him.
"What happened, Therun?" asked Legolas as he helped his guard down into a sitting position.
"Y… y … yrch! H-h-h-hundreds… of them!" Therun choked as Elrond called for a healer.
"Where?" asked Thrupolan.
"Ou-outside!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas stood outside his castle with a force of about six hundred Elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans behind him as he watched six hundred Orcs—a writhing black mass in the distance—advance on them at an agonizingly slow pace. They had all but obliterated Legolas's castle walls, killing most of the guards, and now they were scouring the forest as they moved through it for Elven scouts.
The New Alliance Army had not yet been formulated, but luckily Legolas had called for a the joining of the Elven army at the right time; five hundred trained Elves had been able to jump at a minute's notice.
"Tangado haid!" shouted Legolas after about five minutes of anxious waiting. The Orcs were almost within range now. He waited a few seconds before, "Hado i philin!" Arrows whizzed past his head, causing the first and second wave of Orcs to go down.
Elrond, who was standing next to Legolas, nodded approvingly.
"If I don't make it, Elrond, take care of Eve and Aeriela for me," said Legolas. The third wave of Orcs was hesitant to move into range. They had a few extra moments of precious life.
"You will not die this day, Legolas," said Elrond in a matter-of-factly tone. "You still have a ways to go before they will take you."
The far left side was hit with Orcs. Arrows sang.
"You're like a father to me, Elrond. Let it be known that I leave all my possessions to you if I die," continued the King of Mirkwood.
The far right side was dragged into the fight.
"And if I die, all my possessions are left to you," Elrond declared.
Legolas pulled an arrow from his quiver and…
The battle began.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the safety of the castle, Eve watched in horror as gray-skinned, deformed creatures ran like a black ocean of death into the temporary army Legolas had gathered. "I thought they couldn't move in daylight," she commented aloud to herself.
"It's not that they can't move in daylight, it's that they don't want to," Aeriela said softly.
Eve turned around. "What are you doing here?!"
"I do not fight, Eve. As much as I wish I could… I have never been taught the art of war or battle," the she-Elf confessed. "It is a terrible thing that this should happen." She looked out the window. "The Orcs have human blood running in their veins now, as do the goblins."
"What's the difference?"
"Orcs are larger than goblins. In the old days, that was the only difference… but now, they have formed a primitive government. The Orcs run everything; the leaders of the pack, and the goblins usually do the dirty work. It is most unusual that they should send their leaders into battle first…"
Eve slammed her fist on the windowsill. "I can't just sit here and do nothing! Why don't we just get a gun and destroy them all in one blow?!"
Aeriela winced. "Guns are forbidden in Ancient Wars, but even outside the wars we rarely use them."
"Why?!"
"Because they are: 1) too hard to get and 2) they are too barbaric for any Ancient Race's liking."
"Too barbaric?" asked Eve, incredulous. "Arrows seem more barbaric to me."
Aeriela shook her head. "Guns require hardly any skill except being able to pull the trigger and aim in the right direction. To be an archer takes intense concentration and practice. We prefer the bow to the gun, and that is that."
"Okay… then why do the Orcs follow this rule about guns?"
"Because Orcs and goblins prefer watching the long, agonizing deaths of their prey."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tira ten' rashwe!" Haldir yelled to the Elves around him as he cut into the Orc he was fighting. His bluish-green eyes quickly swept over the area and a horrible realization came over him. "There's more! They're still coming!"
"It's goblins!" shouted Legolas, running over to his friend. "They've deployed all their forces to smash us in one blow! We need help!"
"Shaalth!" Haldir called before ducking an Orc sword and then stabbing it in the back as it passed by.
A dark-haired Elf came running over. "Yes, Lord Haldir?"
"Go, as fast as you can, and find the summoning number dwarfish forces! It is on one of the desks in the Meeting Room! We need any help we can get! Go!"
The lieutenant nodded and ran off.
BOOM.
Legolas's head jerked up at the sound. He launched himself into a tree and began shooting the goblins as they ran by below. The Orcs were slowly retreating, but quickly being replaced with at least five of the smaller, less-experienced goblins.
BOOM. BOOM.
"No," mumbled the Elven king. "Not again." Words began to echo in his head…
"'We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the Bridge and second hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there.' The there are four lines smeared so that I can only read 'went 5 days ago.' The last lines run 'the pool is up to the wall at Westgate. The Watcher in the water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes' and then 'drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.'"
Legolas's eyes widened with fear. He looked to the left and right. Goblins were everywhere. He looked in front and behind. They were everywhere. He cursed and shot one as it tried to climb the tree.
They were trapped.
"Everyone form up!" shouted the king at the top of his lungs. He shot three more goblins as they approached. "Do not let them surround you or single you out! Fight as one!"
Suddenly realizing the grave mistake they had made, the Elves followed orders, coming together in one huge group.
"Forward!" commanded Lord Elrond. "Gurth gothrim lye!"
"Death to our foes!" chanted the army, raising their swords high. The goblins tried now to surround them once again, but were mowed down by the Elves, now working together, stationed on the outside of the formation.
From his position in the trees, Legolas's arrows sang again and again, killing his fair share of goblins and clearing them from the army's rear. He then ran out of arrows and took a brief moment to look around.
Bodies littered the ground, many of them Elves, dwarves, and hobbits, but most of them goblins. There were few Orcs. The blood of each race pooled together, creating a dark red ocean. He covered his mouth with his hand as he saw the mutilated body of Treflin, who had been a very young Elf, lying in an awkward position with his leg and arm twisted underneath him and an arrow protruding from his chest. He gulped and closed his eyes, only to open them again and see Therun also lying dead, his head near ripped off.
"King Legolas!" shouted a voice.
Legolas looked down to see Philendel staring up at him, blood smeared across his face.
"You must come! Lord Elrond is injured! The goblins are retreating, and we have sent our best scouts after them!" said the European King, jumping from foot to foot anxiously.
The Mirkwood King looked up and, indeed, the goblins were screeching to each other as they ran towards the destroyed castle gate, many of the slower ones getting shot. Their numbers had greatly decreased, much to the relief of Legolas. But it was not the time to rejoice yet. He jumped down from the tree. "Where is Elrond?"
Philendel led Legolas to the fallen Rivendell Elf. As soon as Legolas saw him, his heart dropped to his toes and his stomach threatened to expel its contents. He gasped with grief and fell to his knees next to Elrond. The old Elf had been stabbed twice in the chest and once in the stomach, blood covering him from head to toe. His breathing was ragged and strained as his lungs filled up with blood, his eyelids drooping.
"Dina," he whispered before Legolas said anything. "Be silent."
Legolas nodded and bowed his head, staring at the ground intently.
Elrond waved the other Elves standing around away, and they complied; quickly leaving the area. He then placed his hand on Legolas's shoulder. "You have been like a son to me for so long, Legolas. I know you to be headstrong, stubborn, and one hell of a fighter. I want you to keep that up for as long as you have to, Legolas, and remember this: the steps we take in life define the footprints we leave behind. Do not leave behind footprints you will regret, Legolas." Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.
"Do not leave me, Elrond, in a time when I need you most," Legolas cried.
"N'uma," commanded the Rivendell Elf, his voice a mere whisper but all the same authorative and strong. "Stop."
Legolas bit his lip. "I swear to you, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, I will not let the Elves diminish as long as there is life within me."
Elrond smiled up at the Mirkwood Elf, his eyes slowly misting over. "Stay strong…"
Legolas gulped as he watched the life fade from Elrond's eyes. The Rivendell Elf's hand fell from his shoulder, landing on the ground with an empty thud. Tears began to stream down the King of Mirkwood's face as he placed a kiss on Elrond's cold forehead then stood up straight and tall. He could hear light footsteps approaching from behind him.
"Is he… dead?" asked Eve's timid voice.
"Yes," answered the Mirkwood King quietly, his voice both strong and weak at the same time. "You should not be out here so soon after battle, Dark Maiden. Goblins may still wander about."
"I fear them not, for my valiant Elven King shall protect me," Eve whispered, attempting the sophisticated language style she had observed most of the Elves using.
"Even your 'valiant Elven King' cannot protect you from the yrch when they are in such large numbers. Look at the bodies strewn around you! Dark Maiden, you are less protected here than you are among your people."
Eve glanced around at the corpses littering the ground and became green around the edges. The stench of death had already begun to feel the air, flies gathering in black swarms. "This is so horrible." She covered her mouth with her hand.
"This is war," mumbled Legolas. He wiped his hand across his cheek, smearing blood on his face, and sighed. "Shaalth!"
His lieutenant and Therun's brother, Rienen, ran up and saluted him. "Yes, Sir?"
"Clean up this mess. Burn the Orcs and goblins. All others are to be returned to their respective races. Any and all officers are to be identified and given merits of war, do you understand?" instructed Legolas.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Okay. After you're done with that, collect any arrows that are still usable and put them into the weaponry storehouse."
"I'm on it." Rienen ran off.
Eve, who had been impatiently waiting for the Elven King to finish, now hurried over and grabbed Legolas's right hand. "You're bleeding!" She pointed to the deep incision across his palm.
"Yeah… I got nicked by an arrow while reaching into my quiver."
The Dark Maiden shook her head. "Get that bandaged! What would've happened if it had cut a major artery or vein or something like that? Hmm?"
"I am not the one in need of medical assistance at the moment, Dark Maiden, but I greatly appreciate your concern," he insisted, placing a light kiss on her knuckles. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"If it doesn't disturb you too much, would you please help my Elves look through the bodies for those who are still alive? We need all the help we can get." He pulled a knife from his boot and handed it to her. "Keep this. Just in case. Tira ten' rashwe. Be careful."
Eve nodded. "Alright."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eve wandered through the forest of Mirkwood, following what seemed to be an endless trail of bodies. She was considerably sickened by the way some of them were mutilated and smashed, but kept her head up and moved on. She found three injured dwarves huddled together and set a marker—a tall red flag—next to them since she wasn't able to carry them back.
After about ten minutes of finding no one, Eve came upon an Elf propped up against a tree, his eyes wide with fear. Blood spilled from his mouth but he had no other bodily injuries… his tongue had been cut out. The Dark Maiden felt the contents of her stomach quickly rising north, but she turned away and soon her churning belly settled down. Then, using all her resolve, she crouched next to the Elf.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently, brushing a bloodied strand of raven hair from his face.
The Elf shook his head wildly, blue eyes darting towards the trees repeatedly.
"What?" Eve looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing. "Calm down, it's fine. You're going to be just fine."
Now the injured Elf looked positively terrified as he waved his hands wildly, his gesture obviously meaning 'run.'
Eve narrowed her eyes as she looked around. A twig snapped somewhere in the distance and she tentatively drew Legolas's dagger from her belt. "Who's there?"
There was a rustling in the leaves to her left and a soft whimpering sound drifted through the air. Thinking it was an injured soldier, Eve hurried over.
"Is anyone there?"
Behind her, she could hear the injured Elf choking out incomprehensible sounds and struggling to his feet. Eve turned around and looked at him, exasperated.
"What is it?"
The Elf pulled a dagger from his boot and hurled it in the general direction of Eve, who screamed as the dagger flew right past her ear to embed itself in something fleshy a few inches from her ear. A wave of dread washing over her, Eve turned her head slightly and saw a dark gray-skinned chest. She lifted her eyes and looked up into the face of a slant-eyed, swart creature with long black dreadlocks falling over its shoulders. It lifted its thick hand and wrapped its fingers around her neck. She screamed.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"AAAAAAAAH!"
The shout reached King Legolas's ears as he searched for any sign of life within the piles of corpses everywhere. A sharp pang of terror and worry hit his chest and he quickly called for Haldir and Philendel. They too had heard the horrified scream and had come running when it occurred, so it was not long before they arrived in Legolas's presence.
"Eve is the one who screamed with such agony. We must find her! Hurry!" he said before bounding off into the forest, Haldir and Philendel heading in different directions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Queen Aeriela! Queen Aeriela!" shouted Rienen, bursting into the castle.
Aeriela's ran gracefully down the hall, her hair tousled. "What is it, shaalth?"
"Word is spreading quickly. The Dark Maiden has gone missing! King Legolas is about to go fight the goblins himself!" exclaimed the lieutenant.
"No…" whispered Aeriela, fear hitting her right in the chest and briefly constricting her breath. "We must find her!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"EVE!" shouted Legolas. He found another red flag next to a bunch of dwarves. They pointed towards the north and the king nodded thankfully before running off. Running at a desperately quick pace, he soon came upon an Elf with raven hair leaning against a tree, his tongue obviously cut out. "Have you seen the Dark Maiden, brother Elf?"
The injured Elf nodded, then hung his head gravely and pointed to the dagger lying a few feet away on the ground, covered in blood.
Legolas quickly recognized the dagger as his own. He gagged, nearly losing the contents of his stomach, but kept it down and walked determinedly over to the bloodied weapon and picked it up. An arrow lay quietly beside it.
"Yrch?"
Legolas turned around to face Aeriela, whose face was flushed and her demeanor uncharacteristically shaken. He shook his head. "No. These arrows are not the ones used by the Orcs or goblins and this one was placed her deliberately. I have not seen an arrow of this kind since…"
Aeriela stepped forward. "Since when?"
"Since the Ring was destroyed." He paused and picked up the arrow. "This is the arrow of an Uruk-hai."
TBC…