Disclaimer: I don't own any bit of LotR or it's characters, I'm just borrowing! Lol. No profit is made here either…crap
Note: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Hugs, Hugs, and more Hugs!* Thank you guys so much! And since I was feeling pretty good and cause of so many nice reviews I decided to update quickly! Within a few days, pretty good huh? Although, I must warn you, this chapter isn't very good. Be sure to read the bottom note though!
Sorry for the confusing beginning to the last chapter, I was afraid of that. Glad you guys understood it for the most part though! I hope this one isn't like that too, though it might just clip that edge. Please be sure to tell me what you think! Don't hold back or anything either! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Note: -Blah blah blah- are thoughts of characters.
Chapter Seven: From Within
Elves moved rather quickly, it was their nature, and Syla was no exception…especially when fed by adrenaline. She had given her keepers no warning, no hint, no time to catch up. She had been sitting there in the shadows of their fires and as she listened as the Sons of Thranduil horses come even nearer, she could not risk staying any longer.
Her swift feet glided over the forest floor as she ran hands bound and all. She could hear the others behind her, loudly stomping and running through the forest shouting orders and threats here and there. They were large creatures and unfortunately for them it made them clumsy and slow. Some of the leaner ones made it through the forest quickly, but not as quick as an Elf.
Syla barely realized that the road was just ahead until she barely caught herself from falling down an incline into the river that lined the outer rim of Mirkwood. Were they that far?
Glancing back only a moment she hurried down the incline.
* * *
"Legolas?"
The Prince of Mirkwood did not need to turn around to see Gimli's worried face. Here he stood, and had been standing, on the balcony of his room that he had been trapped in all night, a thick blanket around him in the early morning.
"Are you well my friend?" The dwarf asked quietly as he neared slowly.
Legolas took in a breath then let it out slowly, "No." He was not going to lie to his good friend, "No, I am not well Gimli." He glanced over his shoulder to see the dwarf looking very distressed and discouraged. "A fear seeps through me that no one should feel." Legolas added quietly.
"Aye, you are right." Gimli replied moving to join the Elf. "No one should, but they do."
Legolas eyed the dwarf suspiously. What was he getting to?
"Your wound causes you problems?" the dwarf suddenly veered subject.
The Prince shifted slightly and shook his head, "Little if any."
"Then what are ye doing here?" Gimli asked quietly, leaning forward as though it was a secret. Legolas frowned slightly and Gimli shook his head at his friend's confusion, "You are pained into a stand still my friend, unsure of what to do."
"What are you speaking of Gimli?" Legolas asked with a frown.
Gimli sighed slightly glancing at the slowly lightening sky. "Your love, who you just got back at that, is missing Legolas. Will you merely stand here watching the sun rise not knowing where she is or if she can see the same?"
Legolas stared at the dwarf a moment. Arwen's words of warning came back. She had told him to be easy and careful, but she had not told him to stay to bed. He was certain she would not like him to be riding all over the country side but..would she really stop him? That look of despair in her eyes when she had spoken to him, was that a silent order to find her friend?
"Ah, and he thinks further." Gimli muttered, a smile behind his thick beard.
Legolas looked at his dwarven friend slightly amused through his full despair. "And the wisdom of a dwarf guides an Elf…an interesting combination, but one I am grateful for."
"You would be best to remember that." Gimli shook his finger at him.
"Legolas."
The Prince turned to see Aragorn standing at the doors of the balacony. He eyed him as he was dressed as if to travel. "My friend?" He questioned in Elven.
Aragorn looked him up and down, "I do hope you do not plan to travel in that attire."
Legolas frowned through a smile and looked between his two friends. He glanced at the dawn one more time before he patted Gimli's shoulder and turning to go inside the Home again.
* * *
Syla struggled to keep her breathing even as she looked with only her eyes above her to where she could not see. The Uruk-Hai had come dangerously close before she was about to splash into the river and she resorted to disappearing under this small indention in the side of the incline covered well by brush and tall grass.
She could hear her closest pursuer sniffing the air loudly. Silently she closed her eyes and prayed that he would not catch her scent. Slowly he faded away, but she could still hear others walking around her. Their voices had fallen silent, no doubt an order, but they were all still there, she could hear them.
Trying to calm her racing heart she tried to think of how long it had taken her to get here and how long still it would take to get to the roads. All this had to be brought in to how fast royal horses were, they had to be almost past her by now.
The trees swayed in distress. They could feel her anxiety, one of their children was in danger. Limbs moaned in protest to the walking of the Uruk-Hai and their deformed leaders and leaves blew in their parent's winds but this did little to take notice from the Uruk-Hai. Suddenly things went silent. Not really silent, the Uruk-Hai were still moving and such, but the trees stopped their noise and Syla was not the only one to take notice.
Thrundir. Thrundir would notice. Perhaps he already had. The forest was telling him something was wrong! Oh thank the Valar! Syla begged for the eldest royal son to have some wits and hear what his blood was telling him as it was burning in her. Hindirn, for the sake of the stars, he could notice this couldn't he?!
Syla listening in the silence of the forest as she did not hear any running of hooves. They had to of stopped. They did hear! They had to have!
-Thrundir, Hindirn, if you never had sense before, have it now!-
The trees suddenly blew again, completely the opposite direction they had been. They meant well, but the song of the living was loud and Syla's Elven scent was carried from her hiding and directly to the dripping nostrils of an Uruk-Hai.
"There!" He spun with a snort. His company froze as they all turned the same direction as the forest fell silent in its mistake. He took a large swiff of the air again and grinned, a low growl coming from his chest as he knew he had her. She was just over…
A cry shot up in the air just after the sound of an arrow buzzing through the air stopped. All eyes snapped to the East but found nothing.
"What trickery is this?" Biefir questioned as he looked at the fallen Uruk-Hai in mere displeasure.
Another arrow zipped through the air and this time it struck the higher race. Doycr growled loudly as he simply looked at the arrow in his shoulder. All Syla heard was this growl then the snap of the arrow being broken. Shock from the living wrestled to life around her. This was not natural. She could feel it as could the forest.
Thrundir looked at his brother to his far left. Youngest of the Royal Sons he was still a remarkable shot, and that recent shot should have taken his target down…only it didn't. These were creatures he had never seen before. Even further deformed Uruk-Hai spread through the dimly lit forest in the lightening sky above. They were looking for something and he wanted to know what.
Thrundir signalled to the three Mirkwood guard with them; Dairo, Vilis (Brother of Vilnor), and Niorn. Each of the three, arrows already notched and ready, released their bows and their points of death sped through the air. Two brought down two Uruk-Hai, another embedded itself into another larger Uruk-Hai, or what ever evil it was. Again this one merely broke the arrow in frustration.
Thrundir was troubled by this. He looked to Hirdirn who only looked back helplessly. What were they to do? They had not been caught or seen, they could get out now and warn others without a threat…but again, what were these creatures doing in Mirkwood in the first place? Thrundir looked back to their prey and sighed again. Silently he signalled the others to fall back. They silently crept back into the deeper forest.
Syla listened intently. There was nothing for some time.
-Thrundir, where did you go?!-
"Find the Elf!"
Dread swept over her. She looked, again, above her only to see earth as she could hear breathing again. She was silent and still as she waited.
The Elf Keeper did not even have the chance to scream as the greenery covering her was ripped away and a clawed hand clamped over her mouth.
"Hide and seek? I do not think so!" Boeir growled pulling her out roughly.
* * *
"I think we should ride back to the city, tell them of what we saw." Dairo suggested quietly. They were back on the road now, horses eager to go, but none mounted.
"I agree. We cannot do anything here my Lords, there are not enough of us." Niorn added.
"And they are not even normal Uruk-Hai." Vilis said realistically. "Not even our arrows would budge them. That is not normal my Lords!"
Hirdirn looked to his older brother. He was not sure what had made his brother stop at first, but when Hirdirn had as well he felt the silence of the forest, the eerie feeling of something gone horribly wrong. Dread still hung over the trees as they wilted in discouragement.
"Hirdirn?" Thrundir inquired.
The youngest Elf glanced among them then nodded saying, "I agree brother, we cannot stop them here. We do not even know what they want. For all we know Vilis's brother might already know their here but are devising a plan…We could ruin it staying here."
Thrundir sighed thinking on all of this. They all made sense, so why was he still so reluctant? Something in him was telling him not to go, that he was missing something.
"We are not detected my Lord, we could make it quickly." Niorn added trying to prusuad his Lord.
Thrundir looked between the four around him then back the way they came. What was that feeling? It was now that he would decide to follow it or not. They could leave, or he could tell them they were staying. What was that voice trying to tell him? Even the forest was not normal, more so than just these creature's in its area. The forest knew something, and it had told him it knew something when it had fallen so silent then moved restlessly to the South.
"Thrundir? We must decide now. Dawn is breaking." Hirdirn told his older brother stroking his impatient horse who wanted to run as it had for days.
Thrundir looked to his brother. That was another thing. Legolas was home now and it had been long since they had seen him. ..Finally he made his decision saying, "Then we will ride. We will ride hard, we do not wan them spreading."
"Very well." Dairo replied mounting swiftly with his other guards.
Hirdirn glanced back the way they came as well, he was not as intuned as his brother was, but he felt something was not right as well. He looked to Thrundir as he too looked to him.
"We must ride hard brother, I fear we may be making a mistake.." Thrundir told him setting a firm hand on his shoulder.
Hirdirn nodded and turned away as they both mounted. The company of five were soon off at a fast sprint..bringing them farther and farther from someone who needed them so badly.
* * *
Legolas grimaced as he looked at his faithful stead. He had tried so hard to carry them back to safety and this was what was given to him. The white horse's corpse was completely mutilated, mercilessly. The horse Legolas was on at the moment, one of his father's, danced unnerved beneath him. The sight of his follow stead made him uneasy and he could sense the evil that still lingered on his body.
"Was it here Legolas?" Aragorn asked, the company of Elves that had come with them steadied their horses and waited in silence.
"Yes, I left her here." Legolas replied glancing at his friend. Gimli was riding with Aragorn for once, mostly because they knew Legolas would get up and down often as he dismounted at the moment.
The Elf's eyes filtered over the ground quickly, taking in every small detail. The slightest disturbed leaf was something to pay attention to at the time and he moved effortlessly over the leavy floor until he found himself in the brush where he had left Syla.
He looked over the ground to find it greatly disturbed and over turned. Deep foot prints were hard to miss as something was obviously here with her. Something heavy. The tracks were even larger than an Uruk-Hai's.
Legolas suddenly glanced to the side to see Aragorn there with him, his expert eyes flashing over the ground as well in the early morning's light.
"What do you see Ranger?" Legolas asked.
Aragorn's eyes continued to play over the ground as he moved around, trying his best not to disturb the ground as well. "He was crouched here." Aragorn came to a spot where he could tell there was uneven pressure of something crouched down. "Others as well. There..was not much of a struggle, if any." The King of Gondor told his friend as he walked the path of the invisible advorsy.
"She was here." Legolas pointed to a spot below the tree. He could tell she used it as a brace from the way the leaves twisted as she pushed herself up. It was hard to tell, for she was an Elf, but so was he and used to tracking them.
"She..hit the ground here. And taken out." Aragorn was hesitant in his wording as he saw a faint outline of where she hit the ground, just disturbed leaves in a strange pattern signalling a body was there. He motioned out of the brush were they moved in following of the tracks.
As they came out of the dense brush and into the more open forest trail they were a short distance from Gimli, the small band with them, and the horses. Legolas crouched down and fingered the upturned leaves. They began running, he noted at the change of the tracks; they probably ran all night..
Legolas still had an unsettled feeling in him. He knew all that was wrong, but yet it seemed it could still get worse. Something was still looming in the distance. "Aragorn." He said to get the King's attention. He glanced at him to make sure he was looking at him as he stood. He was and he continued, "I am asking you to stay here, in the city."
Aragorn frowned, "What?"
Legolas looked to him again, "I want you to stay while we go. I have a dreading feeling."
"Legolas, it is obvious why." Aragorn said motioning to the tracks.
"It is not of the past! Syla is gone, I know that, do you not think I do?!" Legolas retorted, he didn't mean to be so sore about it, but he was wearing thin on any patience or understanding as rage was beginning to creep further into his mind with every minute. "I am sorry but this is barring down on me my friend…and I can feel something Estel, something to come. The forest whispers of it and it is not of good nature." Legolas said quietly in Elven, much to Gimli's disliking as he grunted on the horse he was on, barely balancing on his own.
Aragorn glanced among the trees as Legolas added, "They whisper of you my friend." still in Elven.
The King looked at him and slowly sighed, "If you truly want me to stay, then I shall stay."
"Then stay my friend." Legolas said, relieved beyond doubt. He could feel it no matter if others could or could not, he would not ask. "Stay in the city until we return or send word. It would ease my already heavy mind and heart greatly."
Aragorn looked at his friend a long moment then nodded slightly, "Then I shall stay Legolas."
* * *
"Did you think you were going to escape?"
Syla was again looking at the original creature she had come to. She tried not to cringe as the grimey hands gripping her shook her slightly to answer, but she did not.
"Where were you going to go? There is no where to go in this forest Lady, you know that. You are not stupid, I know that for I am not either. What was it you were running to?" Kilier, as others had called him, growled.
Syla, unwilling to give away that she was running to catch others, glared at him and veered subjects, "What is it you want..beast?"
Kilier glared at the title.
"You told me last evening, but you spoke riddles and anger..What is it you want from me? What will I do here?" She questioned, barely keeping the fear from her voice.
"You are not the only one we will get." Kilier told her, motioning behind him. "Others are with us, aligned in a great thing." He laughed a little. "But what do I want from you Lady Elf? You are very dear to Prince Legolas are you not?"
Syla merely glared back at him, unwilling to give him credit.
Kilier laughed again and as did the others. "Silent now are you? Then you shall listen. That Elf you love, and do not deny it for his safety for I can see it in your eyes when his foul name is spoken, is a hard warrior, you know that do you not? But one thing every foe must know about the other is how to bring them down. Your Elf Prince is a hard one my Lady, very hard indeed, thousands of years brought him to that, but when you cannot kill the warrior by blows you bring them down from within."
Syla was slowly piecing this together. She had the general idea from what she actually heard when he first spoke to her, too intimidated to hear else. He wanted to harm her to harm Legolas even more. That was their plan, and silently she concluded that their plan would actually give them credit. Legolas was strong but he would do anything for those he held dear. She knew this, and obviously they did too.
"Do you understand now?" Kilier asked.
"..Why Legolas?" She asked quietly.
Kilier sobered from his amused state and glared down at her, "Because if not for him, a simple man, and a few others that war would have fallen to us. Your Elf Prince is a tie, he brought others together as did a hand full more and they will all be punished in similar fashions, I assure you…You will not be alone for long." He stopped there, unwilling to reveal any more to the she-Elf.
Syla, however, had completely understood his last statement. Others would suffer..and she was certain that Aragorn was one of them and if she understood correctly it would not be long before Arwen was with her..
* * *
Arwen glanced up as she heard a noise to her acute hearing. "Aragorn?" she called into the echoing hall.
King Thranduil had finally retired, after much of her convincing. He had actually, at first wanted to join his son, but he had been tired, Arwen knew that and had convinced him otherwise. She was now on her way, alone, back to her chambers..but she swore she heard something. Aragorn perhaps..but…
It was then when she heard cloth swaying, as if a cloak. Who was wearing a cloak in these halls this time of the day? Barely morning. "Hello?" She called down the empty hall, slight worry seeping into her voice.
"You call out as if frightened my Lady Evenstar..Are you frightened?"
- - -
Ok! I updated fairly fast that time right? I thought it was kind of bad, I'm sure this time I'll have some agree with me cause it was terrible! I'm really starting to piece the entire fic together though up here *Points to her head* Be afraid! Be very afraid!
Anyway, what I was getting to, was I can't wait for what I'm going to do with it, it's just getting there that's killing me. Well, please, just bare with me! Thanks guys! Please tell me what you think!!!! *Hugs*
D.Night
