Chapter 18: Preparations
The last six days had kind of passed in a blur in front of her eyes and Selina wondered how they had arrived at this point. By day they ran until every muscle in their legs burned and refused to carry them any further. At night she rolled up beside Legolas and fell asleep almost immediately in his embrace, totally overwhelmed by exhaustion. They would spent the next day and the day after this in the same fashion. Running, stopping for a break, running, sleeping and running again.
These were really the most miserable days of her life and they would have really become unbearable if she wouldn't have been surrounded by friends. There was Gimli whose gruffness made her laugh when all she wanted to do was cry, Sulrathi who helped her with her wisdom and Legolas who comforted her with his mere presence and loving support.
Then the day came, the day when they spotted the first signs that they were coming closer to Tulrah. It started with tracks that were only one day old, continued with coal that still burned hidden under the cinder of an hastily extinguished campfire and ended with spotting the advancing army right in front of them.
Now they were lying, hidden by bushes, on the peak of an hill, looking down at the valley where the army was just setting up its camp. Pieces of conversation floated up to them, the screaming of superiors and the noisy clattering of weapons. Legolas motioned Selina with his eyes to retreat and tell the others what they had seen. They carefully crawled back to Gimli and Sulrathi who waited for them, hidden perfectly by the coppice.
"Well, what have you seen?" the dwarf asked them impatiently. "Their numbers are even greater than the elfish scout at Rivendell had estimated." Selina stated, a mixture of amazement and fear ringing in her voice. "They are well organised, equipped and excellently trained." Gimli looked at them with a grim expression on his wrinkly face. Legolas continued "We have to observe them, find out in which intervals the watch patrols and how the camp is structured. When we strike it must be well planed and quickly, we cannot afford any mistakes or we will die in the blink of an eye. Well, if we are lucky that is."
~
It had to be late in the night, because the horizon was already starting to brighten again, the grey colour creeping up slowly from the edge of the world. Legolas and Selina were both staring down at the camp intently, trying to memorise everything they saw as good as possible: who took which watch at what time, where did the soldiers pass by on their patrol, when did the next group overtake those duties and so on.
When they had seen enough they left their surveillance post and hid in the shelter of the trees and bushes. Legolas took a small piece of wood in his hand and began to draw the outlines of the camp in the dirt at their feet. Four circles and in the middle an X that marked the spot were Tulrah's tent stood. "This is our destination, we have to reach it at any cost." he pointed at the mark in the centre of his drawing. "Those other circle are, according to what I saw, ordered by the rang of the troops. Apparently he tends to keep the potential troublemaker close to him, probably to intimidate them. So we have Orcs and Uruk- hais in the inner circles and humans in the periphery." She silently nodded in approval and he looked up to smile at her briefly. Then he continued, remembering the task at hand. "Watches change every hour and consist only of members of one race. Obviously he had some trouble with discipline of his troops which could turn out to be a helpful information for us. I think we have as good as everything covered. We should be able to strike tomorrow night."
~
The next day seemed to stretch out eternally, every minute as long as an hour. A depressing tension hung over the heads of the little group like a rain cloud that was ready to wash over them. Legolas and Selina were walking a bit ahead of Gimli and Sulrathi, scouting the area with their keen eyes.
Selina kept repeating a few words in her head as if they were a prayer, 'I wish this was over' she thought incessantly, fearing the outcome of their mission and for Legolas's life and hers. Then and again she stole some hidden glances at the elf, full of sadness and fear. His face was covered by a mask of determination and an eerie air of calmness surrounded him.
She walked over, not being anymore able to continue in silence. "Do you not fear what is to come?" she asked him in a shaky voice. Legolas answered softly "More than anything else in my life." "Yes, now that there is so much to lose..." her voice trailed of and she looked at him with a mixture of sadness and love shining in her eyes. "There is so much I would like to do with you and a million plans are running through my head, yet they are all in vain. Who knows if we will live to see the next morning. I wish with all my heart that we will come out of this unharmed, but the facts speak against it. " Selina paused briefly before she continued to speak. "I love you and I couldn't stand losing you. So you have to promise me something." she looked at him questioningly and he nodded at her. "If I am captured don't try to save me. Please, don't risk your life." "You can't ask me to stand idly by." he protested and incredible anger flashed in his eyes. "Do you want us both to die?" she asked looking him square in the eye. "What sense is there in continuing without you?" his voice hushed and immensely sad.
They stopped walking and just looked at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Selina stepped closer and drew him into an embrace. They held each other tightly, never wanting to let go, as if they could freeze time with their embrace and it would continue running unstoppable through her hands when they stepped out of it. "Amin mela lle." Legolas said into her ear and a pleasant shiver washed over her skin at the closeness of his voice. "What does that mean?" Selina asked him in a husky voice after a while. He smiled softly "It means: I love you. I will never leave you again and nobody will be able to keep me away from you." She looked up at him and saw in his face that his words were true. She drew him closer and they shared a passionate and desperate kiss, that let them forget the world around them for a while. But they couldn't block it out for long, because Legolas suddenly felt a soft tug on the hem of his tunic. The two lovers broke apart and looked around in surprise.
Gimli stood before them with crossed arms, merriment shining in his eyes. Next to him on the ground sat Sulrathi that seemed to grin as contentedly as a cat that had just eaten a canary. "Now, now, you two love birds. The ghost of Sauron himself could sneak up on you like this and you wouldn't even notice him. Hope you don't get too distracted, because it would be highly embarrassing if we lost a whole army." the dwarf smirked cheekily.
~
Tulrah was in a especially good mood today, he whistled a song to himself and received some surprised looks from the soldiers riding beside him, which ceased immediately after he had hissed and bared his sharp fangs to them.
There was no beast in these lands that did not stand under his service. There was no bird, no squirrel, no wildcat, yes not even an insect that didn't lend his eyes to him. They had already informed him days ago that Selina and her friends were catching up on them and right now all he had to do was wait until she came to him. He wondered when she would stop hiding from him and would finally try her luck. His mouth curled in a vicious grin at the mere thought of it.
The last six days had kind of passed in a blur in front of her eyes and Selina wondered how they had arrived at this point. By day they ran until every muscle in their legs burned and refused to carry them any further. At night she rolled up beside Legolas and fell asleep almost immediately in his embrace, totally overwhelmed by exhaustion. They would spent the next day and the day after this in the same fashion. Running, stopping for a break, running, sleeping and running again.
These were really the most miserable days of her life and they would have really become unbearable if she wouldn't have been surrounded by friends. There was Gimli whose gruffness made her laugh when all she wanted to do was cry, Sulrathi who helped her with her wisdom and Legolas who comforted her with his mere presence and loving support.
Then the day came, the day when they spotted the first signs that they were coming closer to Tulrah. It started with tracks that were only one day old, continued with coal that still burned hidden under the cinder of an hastily extinguished campfire and ended with spotting the advancing army right in front of them.
Now they were lying, hidden by bushes, on the peak of an hill, looking down at the valley where the army was just setting up its camp. Pieces of conversation floated up to them, the screaming of superiors and the noisy clattering of weapons. Legolas motioned Selina with his eyes to retreat and tell the others what they had seen. They carefully crawled back to Gimli and Sulrathi who waited for them, hidden perfectly by the coppice.
"Well, what have you seen?" the dwarf asked them impatiently. "Their numbers are even greater than the elfish scout at Rivendell had estimated." Selina stated, a mixture of amazement and fear ringing in her voice. "They are well organised, equipped and excellently trained." Gimli looked at them with a grim expression on his wrinkly face. Legolas continued "We have to observe them, find out in which intervals the watch patrols and how the camp is structured. When we strike it must be well planed and quickly, we cannot afford any mistakes or we will die in the blink of an eye. Well, if we are lucky that is."
~
It had to be late in the night, because the horizon was already starting to brighten again, the grey colour creeping up slowly from the edge of the world. Legolas and Selina were both staring down at the camp intently, trying to memorise everything they saw as good as possible: who took which watch at what time, where did the soldiers pass by on their patrol, when did the next group overtake those duties and so on.
When they had seen enough they left their surveillance post and hid in the shelter of the trees and bushes. Legolas took a small piece of wood in his hand and began to draw the outlines of the camp in the dirt at their feet. Four circles and in the middle an X that marked the spot were Tulrah's tent stood. "This is our destination, we have to reach it at any cost." he pointed at the mark in the centre of his drawing. "Those other circle are, according to what I saw, ordered by the rang of the troops. Apparently he tends to keep the potential troublemaker close to him, probably to intimidate them. So we have Orcs and Uruk- hais in the inner circles and humans in the periphery." She silently nodded in approval and he looked up to smile at her briefly. Then he continued, remembering the task at hand. "Watches change every hour and consist only of members of one race. Obviously he had some trouble with discipline of his troops which could turn out to be a helpful information for us. I think we have as good as everything covered. We should be able to strike tomorrow night."
~
The next day seemed to stretch out eternally, every minute as long as an hour. A depressing tension hung over the heads of the little group like a rain cloud that was ready to wash over them. Legolas and Selina were walking a bit ahead of Gimli and Sulrathi, scouting the area with their keen eyes.
Selina kept repeating a few words in her head as if they were a prayer, 'I wish this was over' she thought incessantly, fearing the outcome of their mission and for Legolas's life and hers. Then and again she stole some hidden glances at the elf, full of sadness and fear. His face was covered by a mask of determination and an eerie air of calmness surrounded him.
She walked over, not being anymore able to continue in silence. "Do you not fear what is to come?" she asked him in a shaky voice. Legolas answered softly "More than anything else in my life." "Yes, now that there is so much to lose..." her voice trailed of and she looked at him with a mixture of sadness and love shining in her eyes. "There is so much I would like to do with you and a million plans are running through my head, yet they are all in vain. Who knows if we will live to see the next morning. I wish with all my heart that we will come out of this unharmed, but the facts speak against it. " Selina paused briefly before she continued to speak. "I love you and I couldn't stand losing you. So you have to promise me something." she looked at him questioningly and he nodded at her. "If I am captured don't try to save me. Please, don't risk your life." "You can't ask me to stand idly by." he protested and incredible anger flashed in his eyes. "Do you want us both to die?" she asked looking him square in the eye. "What sense is there in continuing without you?" his voice hushed and immensely sad.
They stopped walking and just looked at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Selina stepped closer and drew him into an embrace. They held each other tightly, never wanting to let go, as if they could freeze time with their embrace and it would continue running unstoppable through her hands when they stepped out of it. "Amin mela lle." Legolas said into her ear and a pleasant shiver washed over her skin at the closeness of his voice. "What does that mean?" Selina asked him in a husky voice after a while. He smiled softly "It means: I love you. I will never leave you again and nobody will be able to keep me away from you." She looked up at him and saw in his face that his words were true. She drew him closer and they shared a passionate and desperate kiss, that let them forget the world around them for a while. But they couldn't block it out for long, because Legolas suddenly felt a soft tug on the hem of his tunic. The two lovers broke apart and looked around in surprise.
Gimli stood before them with crossed arms, merriment shining in his eyes. Next to him on the ground sat Sulrathi that seemed to grin as contentedly as a cat that had just eaten a canary. "Now, now, you two love birds. The ghost of Sauron himself could sneak up on you like this and you wouldn't even notice him. Hope you don't get too distracted, because it would be highly embarrassing if we lost a whole army." the dwarf smirked cheekily.
~
Tulrah was in a especially good mood today, he whistled a song to himself and received some surprised looks from the soldiers riding beside him, which ceased immediately after he had hissed and bared his sharp fangs to them.
There was no beast in these lands that did not stand under his service. There was no bird, no squirrel, no wildcat, yes not even an insect that didn't lend his eyes to him. They had already informed him days ago that Selina and her friends were catching up on them and right now all he had to do was wait until she came to him. He wondered when she would stop hiding from him and would finally try her luck. His mouth curled in a vicious grin at the mere thought of it.
