Okay, lovely people, this is my first LOTR fic, I admit to not reading the books (Well, I've read The Hobbit and some of The Fellowship of the Ring, but my dastardly sister has taken the books on holiday with her, and I'm swamped with college work as my exams start soon, so technically I shouldn't be writing this story, but hey) Anyway, I'm rambling and I'm sure none of you care so I'll get on with it.

I would love you to Read & Review because it would give me an ego boost but if you think it's awful, don't hold back. This is my first story so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien, if they were mine… ooh the fun I would have, but they're not, so poo.

Author Notes: In this story, Aragorn witnessed his father's murder, and if there are any other moves away from the book, I apologise, please tell me and I'll either change the story to make it more accurate or I'll just gloss over it!

~*~ First Impressions ~*~

~*~ Chapter One – Ambush ~*~

The wind whistled around him, blowing his long hair across his eyes. The ground was hard; it had been a dry winter that year and rain had not fallen in over a month. Spring was slow in arriving but buds were finally starting to appear on the trees and the leaves were disguising the spindling branches once more.

Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, one of the most fair of elves, stopped at the edge of thick woodland and gazed across the wild land toward the borders of Rivendell. It was less than a day's journey away, a couple of hours if he rode quickly, and although he was anxious to see Elladan and Elrohir again for it had been over a decade since he had last visited, darkness had long since fallen and he was exhausted from the passage he had taken across the Misty Mountains that day. He dismounted his beautiful grey horse effortlessly, landing on the cool overgrown grass without as much a broken twig beneath his feet.

Taking his horse's reins, he wandered a little into the forest, not far, but deep enough to get some shelter from the blustery weather. Rain had not touched these parts for a goodly while, but it always seemed to pour when he visited his dear friends, no matter the season and was certainly looking like it would this time as well. He found a small clearing with a few dead logs strewn into a circle that had obviously been used by a number of rangers before; he threw his pack to the ground and sat down beside it. The blonde elf unwrapped a small package of seed cake, eating a small portion and took a swig from his water skin; his only provisions for the relatively short trip from Mirkwood to Rivendell. He relaxed against one of the old logs drowsily.

A pair of eyes sparkled from behind a scattering of nearby bushes, watching the sleeping elf with curiosity. He waited for a few minutes until he was sure the figure was asleep and gently stepped out into the clearing. He chose his path with immense care, stepping around the dead leaves and twigs that littered the floor, avoiding what most would had just trod on. A wry smile lit up his features as he picked up the seed cake from Legolas' belongings and clambered up a nearby tree silently.

An hour passed and Legolas stirred gently. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet, grabbing his bow. There were voices in the night. Shrieks and cackles from all directions. He immediately recognised the sounds. The horrible screeches of goblins echoed around the trees. Legolas strained to see where the voices were coming from and suddenly spotted movement in the darkness. 

The moon was all but hidden behind the heavy rain clouds that had gathered, but nevertheless, was enough to illuminate their menacing faces as they drew closer to the lone elf. One cackled at the sight of what looked like an easy kill and raised his bow.

Legolas released his arrow; it whistled accurately through the cool air and hit the snarling creature straight between the eyes.

A grotesque shriek echoed through the trees and the goblins began to charge at him. He tried to conceal his anxiety. He didn't show fear; it was a weakness. He cursed himself for taking the trip alone. Arrow after arrow whistled through the air, killing each goblin ruthlessly but there were so many swarming towards him relentlessly and was forced to drop his bow and pull out his elegantly deadly knives. He was not so nearly accomplished with the sword as he was an archer but continued to fight fiercely. A disgusting spatter of blood from one of the hissing creatures sprayed across his flaxen features as he slain another, he wiped it away desperately from his eyes before staunchly defending himself from another blow.       

A roll of thunder echoed through the skies. Rain began to fall viciously down upon him; visibility was beginning to fade, as it ran down his face and into his eyes. His blonde was soaked, and became matted as he fought bravely. 

Another sinister faced goblin fell at his feet, one more followed swiftly behind, far more skilled with a blade than the others. Legolas retreated, trying to get to more stable ground away from the scattered bodies that now littered the forest floor. Looking at the sheer number of dead goblins as he shifted back, Legolas, at any other time, would have a taken a moment to congratulate himself on his achievement, but it was clearly not the best time and his concentration reverted back to the large, imposing goblin who slashed ferociously at him.

Their swords cracked against each other, the rain splashing off their blades. His eyes narrowed as he whipped his dagger sharply through the air, clattering with his fierce opponent's sword with a wicked crack. Their swords ground against each other as they tried to overpower one another.

"Aaaargh!" Legolas cried out in agony.

A goblin blade had slashed at his shoulder, knocking him off balance. Another blow from behind, this time from a nasty leathery boot and he fell to the muddy ground. He lashed out with his blade, killing one instantly. The particularly large goblin, which he had duelled with, leant over him, cackling dreadfully.

He continued to desperately defend himself, managing to slaughter a few more before jumping to his feet again; ignoring the terrible pain that seriously limited his fighting ability.

Legolas hit the tree with a sickening crack before he even realised he had been struck. 

That rarely happened to an elf.

He was paralysed, mud seeping into his clothing; slumped against the tree, barely able to move. His body rippled with agony as he tried to swing his sword at the advancing beasts but failed miserably.

Legolas watched helplessly as the large goblin ran toward him, raising his sword for the kill…            

TBC…