Thanks again for all the reviews. They do mean a lot to me, no matter how
short they are. Constructive criticism is welcome as well as tips on how to
improve. So please, please, please review. Thank you and Enjoy!
**
Voronwer swerved to miss a boulder and stumbled. Legolas shifted his weight to prevent the little horse from going down on his knees.
"Split up!" Balian cried as he slowed his horse to keep up with Legolas.
"No. If we cannot out run them then we will stand a better chance of surviving if we face them together." Legolas cried back as he urged Voronwer to go faster. The two horses matched strides and weaved in and out of the trees as if they were one. They knew their way back and needed no one to guide them.
"Just a way further and we will reach the sentries." Legolas yelled as he brought his bow into position and fixed an arrow. Turning in the saddle he used the natural balance that elf kind possessed to his advantage as he fired a number of arrows into the following Uruk Hai. Smiling in satisfaction as he heard the cries of those he had hit. The horses executed a sharp turn and Legolas spied the outer walls. Urging the horses faster the two elves clattered into the courtyard. Legolas heard the archers on the walls release arrow after arrow into the Uruk Hai who screams were heard across the palace.
Aeolian ran into the courtyard and struggled to take in everything at once. The cries of the archers, the screams of the Uruk Hai and the two elves sat upon two horses with heaving flanks.
"What is going on Legolas?" he demanded as he hurried up to the duo that had dismounted and handed the horses over to a couple of grooms, who led them away.
"I must see father straight away." Legolas said marching past a confused Aeolian.
**
Thranduil looked up as the doors opened and Legolas, Aeolian and Balian walked in.
"What news?" he asked.
"We scouted to Dol Guldur."
"You what?" Thranduil snapped at Legolas who actually cringed at the look of complete fury on his fathers face.
"We saw a huge army amassing."
"You saw what?" Thranduil's anger increased as he saw how much danger Legolas had put himself and Balian in.
"Father!" Legolas said loudly. "Yell at me all you want after you hear what I have to tell you."
Balian winced as Thranduil's face became bright red.
"There is a huge army forming that will be ready to march on Mirkwood within weeks. The host is so large we will not be able to repel the attack. They outnumber us at least twenty to one."
Thranduil's anger drained and he paled considerably.
"What?" he whispered. The other lords and captains expressions were the same.
"Father we cannot defeat them with the warriors we have now." Legolas said calmly. "We need to evacuate everyone except the warriors to the Haven."
"What?" one of the lords exclaimed. "Retreat! Wood elves do not retreat!"
"I have fought many battles, many of which were where we have been outnumbered but the odds are too much in their favour. These are not just orcs, there are Uruk Hai, those fire creatures that attacked us, warg riders, Nazgul. We cannot withstand an assault of that magnitude. Retreat is not cowardly in this case, it is necessary for our preservation."
"My lord we cannot do as he suggests. He may be used to retreating when in combat with his mortal friends but he has obviously forgotten the ways of elves."
Legolas growled but before he could reply his father beat him to it.
"He is your prince and a warrior captain in his own right, do not address him in that manner again." The King snapped.
"Father." Aeolian said stepping forward. He glanced around as he did so, looking at all those present. He was one of the most experienced warrior captains present and he was a full two thousand years older than Legolas, so his opinion should be taken better than Legolas's.
"We should call for aid. This force not only threatens us but Middle - Earth. If we cannot stop them they will over run Mirkwood and use it as a base to launch attacks."
"Aid, we need no aid." Lyran cried outraged at the suggestion.
"Listen to me." Legolas snapped. "We cannot contain this army. We will be over run."
"You are young. You do not understand." Lyran snapped back.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily. "I may be young but I have experience, maybe not in politics but I am a capable warrior captain who knows what he is talking about. As for addressing me, I am your Prince and I should not be reminding you of that fact."
Lyran blinked in surprise at the tone, the youngest prince had changed much in his time away. Thranduil, Aeolian and Balian also looked surprised.
Thranduil quickly recovered himself.
"I wish to see this army for myself."
Legolas moved to speak but Thranduil held up a hand and silenced him.
"Then we will decide on a plan of action if the situation calls for it. Messengers for aid will be sent and fortifications will be built. We will head out tomorrow at dawn."
** "Noro Lim Voronwer." Legolas whispered as he felt the stallion slow as exhaustion numbed his legs. Legolas was equally as exhausted by the long journey. He had pushed Voronwer to his limits and the little horse was killing itself by continuing the pace, but he could not slow down. The army was mobilising, its numbers greater than previously gathered. His father had been shocked at the numbers and immediately sent out his sons and lords as ambassadors to appeal for aid. Legolas had been told to ride hard to Rivendell, he was well known there due to his friendship with the twins of Lord Elrond and his friendship might aid him with the appeal. Lyran had been sent to Gondor, Azian to the Glittering Caves, and Aeolian to Lothlorien and Kahari to Rohan. Legolas knew that Aragorn and Gimli would aid them. He hoped the same was true of Rivendell although he knew prejudices ran deep among the lords and warrior captains. His arm hurt terribly. He had been ambushed by orcs and had broken his arm trying to defend himself. It was not healing as quickly as it should but that was the least of his concerns as Rivendell came into view, its buildings glittering in the early morning sun. Slowing Voronwer slightly he entered the courtyard and drew to a sharp halt, Voronwer's hooves slipping on the stone. With a grunt Voronwer lowered his head and gasped greedily as the cool air. Legolas slid off without the usual grace of elves and gave the reins to a startled groom.
"Legolas! What is wrong?" he heard Lord Elrond call as the lord of Rivendell entered the courtyard.
"My lord." Legolas said tiredly. "I must speak to the council immediately. It is extremely important." His eyes imploring the lord.
Elrond nodded and led Legolas inside greatly concerned.
**
"Why should we send aid to Mirkwood?" Reean a lord of Rivendell asked with a sneer. Elrond glared at him and turned his attention back to the young elven prince in front of the council. The young elf looked exhausted and had several bandaged cuts and a splinted broken left arm. His exhaustion was slowing his natural healing ability.
He watched as Legolas drew himself to his full height and he became every inch the youngest son of King Thranduil, a prince of Mirkwood.
"I know that relationships between Rivendell and Mirkwood are strained but I do not think that you would allow us to be slaughtered." Legolas responded holding Reean's look.
"I think the term slaughtered is a bit of an exaggeration your highness." Reean continued.
Bysal a captain of Rivendell's warriors watched the conversion progress with a sinking heart. He knew the young Prince after having served in a joint war party between the two realms where the young Prince also served. He also knew that he was fighting a losing battle, there would no help given by the council.
"I do not my lord." Legolas responded respectfully "We have been weakened by years of fighting the darkness that has infiltrated our realm. We cannot withstand an major assault."
"Sauron is defeated surely there is not a force strong enough to defeat the wood elves." Reean said sarcastically.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily "Aye there is and I am sure that Rivendell elves would fall too but I distinctly remember that we wood elves have had to put up with far more than you ever had." The blonde elf retorted.
"Peace Prince Legolas" Elrond said holding up his hands to calm the young prince.
"I apologise Lord Elrond, but I cannot stress enough the need we have for this aid. I am truly sorry for the bitterness that has soiled the relations between our two realms, please find it in your hearts to grant us this request and aid our defence." Legolas pleaded.
"Prince Legolas you rode in here injured and exhausted demanding an audience with the council but you have yet to explain what has exactly befallen Mirkwood that requires our aid, other than you were attacked and need aid" Elrond said.
Legolas seemed to shrink and he shuddered as though the memories chilled him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I was leading a border patrol. Orc activity had increased and we wanted to find to see if we could trace its origin. They were lying in wait for us. Two of our party were felled before we were able to draw our weapons. We sent calls for help and many responded. There were many and we could not hold them. We fell back to the palace. While leading a scouting party we saw a great army amassing. We have lost many. We regrouped and sent out messengers to appeal for help." Legolas's voice broke and he faltered as he looked into the stony faces of the lords and the sad expression on Lord Elrond's face.
He swallowed and stood tall.
"You will not help us." He said quietly.
"Prince Legolas please it is not that we will not help we can not. Our forces are too weakened and ."
Elrond stopped as Legolas held up his hand.
"I cannot stand here while you debate whether or not you will send us aid. My people need me. I will take my leave while you discuss politics." Legolas moved to leave.
"Legolas please" Elrond begged.
"I have sat in enough of my realm's council meetings to know when I am being politely listened to and that from the beginning you had no intention of helping me. I feel sorry for you, sorry that you cannot put aside differences to help us and sorry for myself that I believed that they could be put aside. Now if that is all I will return to my realm." Legolas turned and left. He could hear Elrond following him. Mounting Voronwer he turned to face Elrond.
"I will talk to them again." The elven lord said. "You are not alone."
"Nay we are alone." Legolas turned to Reean on a balcony over looking them.
"Just remember when we are defeated and the darkness moves onto other places and you are its next target, your list of allies will be sadly depleted as they would have been destroyed. I am truly sorry for you." And with that he turned and galloped away.
**
Elrond's heart clenched as he watched Legolas gallop away. He wished he could help but the warriors were leaving for the West. There would be very little he could say to them to get them to stay and fight, possibly die. The West was so appealing to them and Mirkwood, where tensions between the two realms were extremely high, was not. He could not ask such a thing of them. He knew the other lords felt that Legolas was over reacting about the threat and a small part of him sided with them, but he had known Legolas for many many years and knew the young prince well, he would not lie. Unfortunately and even though he was lord he could command them to go, he felt he no longer had the power and strength to enforce it, the West was just too appealing and bitterness and distrust had infiltrated deep into the minds of the other elven realms against Mirkwood. The time of the elves was over. He could not help and he prayed that this army was not as large as Legolas had made out.
**
**
Voronwer swerved to miss a boulder and stumbled. Legolas shifted his weight to prevent the little horse from going down on his knees.
"Split up!" Balian cried as he slowed his horse to keep up with Legolas.
"No. If we cannot out run them then we will stand a better chance of surviving if we face them together." Legolas cried back as he urged Voronwer to go faster. The two horses matched strides and weaved in and out of the trees as if they were one. They knew their way back and needed no one to guide them.
"Just a way further and we will reach the sentries." Legolas yelled as he brought his bow into position and fixed an arrow. Turning in the saddle he used the natural balance that elf kind possessed to his advantage as he fired a number of arrows into the following Uruk Hai. Smiling in satisfaction as he heard the cries of those he had hit. The horses executed a sharp turn and Legolas spied the outer walls. Urging the horses faster the two elves clattered into the courtyard. Legolas heard the archers on the walls release arrow after arrow into the Uruk Hai who screams were heard across the palace.
Aeolian ran into the courtyard and struggled to take in everything at once. The cries of the archers, the screams of the Uruk Hai and the two elves sat upon two horses with heaving flanks.
"What is going on Legolas?" he demanded as he hurried up to the duo that had dismounted and handed the horses over to a couple of grooms, who led them away.
"I must see father straight away." Legolas said marching past a confused Aeolian.
**
Thranduil looked up as the doors opened and Legolas, Aeolian and Balian walked in.
"What news?" he asked.
"We scouted to Dol Guldur."
"You what?" Thranduil snapped at Legolas who actually cringed at the look of complete fury on his fathers face.
"We saw a huge army amassing."
"You saw what?" Thranduil's anger increased as he saw how much danger Legolas had put himself and Balian in.
"Father!" Legolas said loudly. "Yell at me all you want after you hear what I have to tell you."
Balian winced as Thranduil's face became bright red.
"There is a huge army forming that will be ready to march on Mirkwood within weeks. The host is so large we will not be able to repel the attack. They outnumber us at least twenty to one."
Thranduil's anger drained and he paled considerably.
"What?" he whispered. The other lords and captains expressions were the same.
"Father we cannot defeat them with the warriors we have now." Legolas said calmly. "We need to evacuate everyone except the warriors to the Haven."
"What?" one of the lords exclaimed. "Retreat! Wood elves do not retreat!"
"I have fought many battles, many of which were where we have been outnumbered but the odds are too much in their favour. These are not just orcs, there are Uruk Hai, those fire creatures that attacked us, warg riders, Nazgul. We cannot withstand an assault of that magnitude. Retreat is not cowardly in this case, it is necessary for our preservation."
"My lord we cannot do as he suggests. He may be used to retreating when in combat with his mortal friends but he has obviously forgotten the ways of elves."
Legolas growled but before he could reply his father beat him to it.
"He is your prince and a warrior captain in his own right, do not address him in that manner again." The King snapped.
"Father." Aeolian said stepping forward. He glanced around as he did so, looking at all those present. He was one of the most experienced warrior captains present and he was a full two thousand years older than Legolas, so his opinion should be taken better than Legolas's.
"We should call for aid. This force not only threatens us but Middle - Earth. If we cannot stop them they will over run Mirkwood and use it as a base to launch attacks."
"Aid, we need no aid." Lyran cried outraged at the suggestion.
"Listen to me." Legolas snapped. "We cannot contain this army. We will be over run."
"You are young. You do not understand." Lyran snapped back.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily. "I may be young but I have experience, maybe not in politics but I am a capable warrior captain who knows what he is talking about. As for addressing me, I am your Prince and I should not be reminding you of that fact."
Lyran blinked in surprise at the tone, the youngest prince had changed much in his time away. Thranduil, Aeolian and Balian also looked surprised.
Thranduil quickly recovered himself.
"I wish to see this army for myself."
Legolas moved to speak but Thranduil held up a hand and silenced him.
"Then we will decide on a plan of action if the situation calls for it. Messengers for aid will be sent and fortifications will be built. We will head out tomorrow at dawn."
** "Noro Lim Voronwer." Legolas whispered as he felt the stallion slow as exhaustion numbed his legs. Legolas was equally as exhausted by the long journey. He had pushed Voronwer to his limits and the little horse was killing itself by continuing the pace, but he could not slow down. The army was mobilising, its numbers greater than previously gathered. His father had been shocked at the numbers and immediately sent out his sons and lords as ambassadors to appeal for aid. Legolas had been told to ride hard to Rivendell, he was well known there due to his friendship with the twins of Lord Elrond and his friendship might aid him with the appeal. Lyran had been sent to Gondor, Azian to the Glittering Caves, and Aeolian to Lothlorien and Kahari to Rohan. Legolas knew that Aragorn and Gimli would aid them. He hoped the same was true of Rivendell although he knew prejudices ran deep among the lords and warrior captains. His arm hurt terribly. He had been ambushed by orcs and had broken his arm trying to defend himself. It was not healing as quickly as it should but that was the least of his concerns as Rivendell came into view, its buildings glittering in the early morning sun. Slowing Voronwer slightly he entered the courtyard and drew to a sharp halt, Voronwer's hooves slipping on the stone. With a grunt Voronwer lowered his head and gasped greedily as the cool air. Legolas slid off without the usual grace of elves and gave the reins to a startled groom.
"Legolas! What is wrong?" he heard Lord Elrond call as the lord of Rivendell entered the courtyard.
"My lord." Legolas said tiredly. "I must speak to the council immediately. It is extremely important." His eyes imploring the lord.
Elrond nodded and led Legolas inside greatly concerned.
**
"Why should we send aid to Mirkwood?" Reean a lord of Rivendell asked with a sneer. Elrond glared at him and turned his attention back to the young elven prince in front of the council. The young elf looked exhausted and had several bandaged cuts and a splinted broken left arm. His exhaustion was slowing his natural healing ability.
He watched as Legolas drew himself to his full height and he became every inch the youngest son of King Thranduil, a prince of Mirkwood.
"I know that relationships between Rivendell and Mirkwood are strained but I do not think that you would allow us to be slaughtered." Legolas responded holding Reean's look.
"I think the term slaughtered is a bit of an exaggeration your highness." Reean continued.
Bysal a captain of Rivendell's warriors watched the conversion progress with a sinking heart. He knew the young Prince after having served in a joint war party between the two realms where the young Prince also served. He also knew that he was fighting a losing battle, there would no help given by the council.
"I do not my lord." Legolas responded respectfully "We have been weakened by years of fighting the darkness that has infiltrated our realm. We cannot withstand an major assault."
"Sauron is defeated surely there is not a force strong enough to defeat the wood elves." Reean said sarcastically.
Legolas's eyes flashed angrily "Aye there is and I am sure that Rivendell elves would fall too but I distinctly remember that we wood elves have had to put up with far more than you ever had." The blonde elf retorted.
"Peace Prince Legolas" Elrond said holding up his hands to calm the young prince.
"I apologise Lord Elrond, but I cannot stress enough the need we have for this aid. I am truly sorry for the bitterness that has soiled the relations between our two realms, please find it in your hearts to grant us this request and aid our defence." Legolas pleaded.
"Prince Legolas you rode in here injured and exhausted demanding an audience with the council but you have yet to explain what has exactly befallen Mirkwood that requires our aid, other than you were attacked and need aid" Elrond said.
Legolas seemed to shrink and he shuddered as though the memories chilled him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I was leading a border patrol. Orc activity had increased and we wanted to find to see if we could trace its origin. They were lying in wait for us. Two of our party were felled before we were able to draw our weapons. We sent calls for help and many responded. There were many and we could not hold them. We fell back to the palace. While leading a scouting party we saw a great army amassing. We have lost many. We regrouped and sent out messengers to appeal for help." Legolas's voice broke and he faltered as he looked into the stony faces of the lords and the sad expression on Lord Elrond's face.
He swallowed and stood tall.
"You will not help us." He said quietly.
"Prince Legolas please it is not that we will not help we can not. Our forces are too weakened and ."
Elrond stopped as Legolas held up his hand.
"I cannot stand here while you debate whether or not you will send us aid. My people need me. I will take my leave while you discuss politics." Legolas moved to leave.
"Legolas please" Elrond begged.
"I have sat in enough of my realm's council meetings to know when I am being politely listened to and that from the beginning you had no intention of helping me. I feel sorry for you, sorry that you cannot put aside differences to help us and sorry for myself that I believed that they could be put aside. Now if that is all I will return to my realm." Legolas turned and left. He could hear Elrond following him. Mounting Voronwer he turned to face Elrond.
"I will talk to them again." The elven lord said. "You are not alone."
"Nay we are alone." Legolas turned to Reean on a balcony over looking them.
"Just remember when we are defeated and the darkness moves onto other places and you are its next target, your list of allies will be sadly depleted as they would have been destroyed. I am truly sorry for you." And with that he turned and galloped away.
**
Elrond's heart clenched as he watched Legolas gallop away. He wished he could help but the warriors were leaving for the West. There would be very little he could say to them to get them to stay and fight, possibly die. The West was so appealing to them and Mirkwood, where tensions between the two realms were extremely high, was not. He could not ask such a thing of them. He knew the other lords felt that Legolas was over reacting about the threat and a small part of him sided with them, but he had known Legolas for many many years and knew the young prince well, he would not lie. Unfortunately and even though he was lord he could command them to go, he felt he no longer had the power and strength to enforce it, the West was just too appealing and bitterness and distrust had infiltrated deep into the minds of the other elven realms against Mirkwood. The time of the elves was over. He could not help and he prayed that this army was not as large as Legolas had made out.
**