Author's notes: I am writing this story and a digimon one as well so updates may be slightly slower.
Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings and characters belong to the great master Tolkien.
Second Games. Chapter Two.
Legolas sniffed slightly as he stared at the moon from his windowsill. He had been locked in his room and a maid had brought him his food later. He could escape by climbing down the tree in front of him, but he didn't want to get into any more trouble. The face of his disappointed father swam into view, and the words he had said rung round his head. He groaned and curled up into a ball, maybe he was a bit naughty but there was something dark down there, something that needed to be got rid of. If only they would listen. His eyes unfocused and he slipped into sleep, his body relaxing as it forgot all about the worries he had felt moments before.
The sun landed on the form of the sleeping elfling curled up on the windowsill. But the child didn't stir, he was having much needed sleep. However one can't stay asleep when someone is shaking you awake. His eyes focused on Elerossë's grim face.
"Prince, don't sleep on the windowsill. You may fall out."
He turned and strode towards the door, he paused and without turning back to face the child.
"You are to go to your study room. You, your siblings and friends shall be working there today."
The second Elerossë left Legolas burst into tears. Even Elerossë was disappointed in him, they never were the best of friends but he had always called him little one or my young Prince as a nickname. Lúthien came in, her own eyes bloodshot, she had also received the same treatment. Maybe it wouldn't have meant anything to somebody else, but the children took it to heart. Everyone was annoyed with them, and all they wanted to do was tell them something was down there. The other three arrived moments later all looking crest fallen, they huddled together on Legolas's bed. Fighting off the feelings that threatened to make them break down completely.
"Lateness shall not be accepted."
Glorfindel and Elerossë stood in the doorway. Lúthien pulled herself from everyone's grasp and walked over to the door. She glowered at the pair and holding her head up high she walked past them. The others followed suit, stalking past them and down the corridor.
Hours later the five were writing out I shall not disobey and had been since they had sat down. They stopped when their parents walked in, their faces held great disappointment. They sat down opposite their children, eyes fixed on them.
"For the next month you shall spend every morning here, writing whatever you have been told. However if you play another trick you shall not be spending any time with each other for the rest of the twins stay."
"Ada?"*
"Yes Beren?"
"We know we shouldn't have gone down there but there is something there."
"Yes it's black and scaly!"
"It has horns."
"And bright red eyes."
"It walks like an orc!"
"Enough!"
The five children looked up at Thranduil. But it wasn't the king that spoke but Elrond.
"If it isn't bad enough that you went down there but now you lie to us? You shall not do this. You shall all spend the rest of the day in here." He hissed and turning he stormed out, the others followed, shooting their children disappointed looks before vanishing through the door. So it was with much contempt that the elflings went back to writing, this time with an added nor shall I lie.
A group of five tired children made their way down the corridor, the only time they had seen the sun was when her rays had poked through the window. She had now vanished behind the hills and the moon had taken her place.
"What was that?"
"What was what 'Ro?"
"Didn't you hear it?"
A clattering reached their ears, and the five froze.
"It's coming from over there!"
Elladan cried out, pointing to their right. They raced down the corridor, and turned into a room. Lessien, who was on the cooking staff was carrying a huge pot of soup over to the other side of the room. But the creature they had seen yesterday was creeping up behind her, she hadn't noticed. Beren reached over and plucked one of the spears from the wall. The other's all followed suit except for Legolas who had his eyes fixed on Lessien.
"Go."
Beren whispered and the elves darted across the room. Lessien was just putting the soup on a shelf above her head when Legolas slammed into her knocking her out of the creature's path. Lessien screamed as the bowl landed on her head, but no one paid her any attention. Beren slammed his spear on the thing's head, it growled at him and ripped the weapon out of elflings hand. Beren ducked as it swiped it's claw at him. Lúthien stabbed at it, her spear head sunk into the creature. It spun round ripping the spear from her hands and it hit her, she flew across the room and slammed into the wall. Pulling the spear out of it's side it flung it at Legolas. He ducked, but not fast enough, his shoulder was hit painfully as the spear pinned him to the wall. The twin both brought down their weapons at the same time on it's head. It left no damage, but the twins received some. It cut their spears in half with a swipe of it's claw. And whacked them over their heads with it's tail. The sound of hurried feet reached the room's occupants ears and it turned and fled. The children's parents and advisors ran in and stopped dead. Lessien pulled the bowl off her head and glowered at them.
"Your Majesty, your children just attacked me!"
"But Ada it was the monster!"
"Enough with this monster business. Go to your rooms!"
The children slunk out the room, heads bowed. Everyone turned and started apologising to Lessien except two. Glorfindel and Elerossë stared at the scene before them. They watched as the other five left the room before they turned and walked over. The blonde picked up half a spear and examined the end.
"This wasn't broken but cut." He commented running his hands over the groves. Elerossë sighed and frowned when he noticed something on the floor.
"Look here Glorfindel" He whispered pointing to the floor which was covered in soup, apart from a few black splodges leading in a strait line away to the other side of the hall and out the opposite door. Bending down he dipped his fingers in it and held it to his nose.
"Blood, smells rather like orcs."
"Do you think the children could be right?"
"Possibly, we need a bit more evidence though."
And turning Elerossë ran out the room, Glorfindel following him.
Glorfindel tutted as he dug through the dirty laundry in front of him, they were in the washing room.
"Why are we doing this Elerossë?"
"They must have changed their clothing before bed."
"Point being?"
"I think Legolas was hurt."
Glorfindel went back to searching and minutes later pulled the elflings green tunic out. It's left shoulder was covered in blood.
"Should we tell them?"
"They will tell us to stop being stupid and send us from the room. They are fed up enough as it is."
"So what do we do?"
"Our jobs. Find out what it is and kill it."
So an hour later Elerossë and Glorfindel were still pouring over books. They weren't going by much, just what they heard the children say earlier. So far they had found nothing. Glorfindel felt like giving up, he looked over at Elerossë and had to admire his spirit. When it came to protecting the royal family nothing could stop him and that was what he was doing. Nothing could stop Glorfindel from protecting Elrond and his family, but he was better at the fighting part than searching through the library for information. Usually Elrond would be the one to figure out what it was and Glorfindel would be the one to work out who to kill it then would.
"I found it!"
"Pardon?"
"The only thing that fits all of the children's descriptions."
"mor gurtha*
These foul creatures were created by Sauron but only few were used. But when they were, they were deadly. Created to do one thing, kill all elves. They have senses which lead them to the elven race, they are smart and fast creatures. They are believed to be instinct but there might be a few that escaped us and are to be treated with extreme caution."
Before he could continue a scream pierced the air. A child's scream. They glanced at each other before they ran from the room, Elerossë dropping the book as he went.
Lúthien had just finished brushing her hair and turned round to climb into bed when she something in the shadows. She rubbed her eyes and when she opened them she found herself facing a pair of red ones. She opened her mouth and screamed. Baking away as fast as she could. She didn't get very far as she found the creature had thrown itself at her. It slammed into her stomach and she was thrown into the wall for the second time that day. Her body couldn't take it and she found the world going black.
Legolas jumped from his balcony to Lúthien's, a small dagger in his hand. He met Beren on the balcony, and the pair walked in. The room was pitch back and it took a few seconds for their eyes to focus. That was all it took, a tail smashed into their heads. They stumbled forward and spun round, too see nothing. It struck Legolas what was going to happen.
"Duck!"
The pair dropped to the floor just in time, the creature's tail swung over their heads. It growled and pounced, digging it's claws into Legolas's back. Beren raised his dagger but found that the creature's tail had curled round his neck. He chocked and dropped his dagger reaching for the tail and beating his fists against it. A war cry rang out and two elflings launched themselves at it. Two daggers sliced across it's back, causing it too howl and let got of Beren and Legolas. The blonde pulled himself to his feet, but Beren didn't move. Legolas dived for his brother, happy to find that he was alive just knocked out. The twins were fighting off the creature, slashing wildly with their daggers. But it proved useless as while it kept them at bay with it's claws it lifted a chair with it's tail and threw it at them. They both ducked, it slammed it's claws into their heads, and they crumpled on the ground. It turned it's red eyes to Legolas who didn't seem to noticed as he was tending to his brother. Lifting it's tail it slammed it across the back of Legolas's head. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped to the ground.
Glorfindel flung the door to the twins bedroom open, they weren't in there, he saw Elerossë rush past him to Beren's door. He pulled it open and slammed it shut. Glorfindel joined him and the pair pulled open Lúthien's door, a mor gurtha like the one in the book was holding a limp Legolas in his hands. He glared at them before jumping out the window, the pair gave a cry and raced over to the window. It ran off into the forest, gone before the two could even utter a single word.
"What now?"
"We must tell them" Glorfindel whispered, bending down and picking up the children's daggers from the floor, "And hope they do not take it to badly."
Elerossë snorted, that wasn't going to happen.
"Your Majesty?"
Thranduil turned to face his Captain who looked a lot paler than usual.
"Yes?"
"The children were right, the monster - "
"Please do not tell me you have fallen to one of their tricks. You know they used to make pretend spiders and scare most people off, because of the realistic looks."
"Well, unless their realistic version can move and carry one of them off unconscious into the forest then I would agree with you."
"What?" Thranduil whispered, turning and staring at him.
"Why don't we start at the beginning?"
Glorfindel said, his eyes washing over the other three in the room as well. So a half hour later four elves looked as if the world had come to an end.
"We didn't believe them." Elrond muttered through his hands, "They kept trying to tell us and we just punished them."
"One can not wallow in guilt now, unless you wish to never apologise to them."
Elrond stared at Elerossë in disbelief.
"Do not look at me like that. You may be an elf lord and I may be the Captain of a neighbouring Kingdom and have no right to speak to you in such a manner but I'm doing it for your own good."
"Tell me, how is insulting me going to help?"
"Unless you understand the dangers you are not going to take action."
"Glorfindel, we are going to take action."
"It doesn't look like it."
The elf glowered at his advisor and was about to speak when the blonde cut him off.
"Telling you everything will be alright shall not get you off our arses. The four of you shall sit here wishing that you had never said anything and how much you would have wished to have said goodbye. If you move you shall not have to say your farewells. So get up and think! We can not sit here!"
They didn't speak just stared at the pair like they were a spirit of some great god.
"Now that that is sorted we shall carry on planning."
Elerossë commented and the two stood up and left the room.
Legolas moved to rub his eyes and found that he couldn't. He opened his mouth to tell Lúthien and Beren it wasn't funny when he found his mouth was gagged. Blinking desperately the elf focused on the ground in front of him. His head was sore and he felt like he needed more sleep then what he had had. The grass in front of him was slipping in and out of focus. Wait, grass? Looking up he realised that he was in the forest, his friends and family lay around him. Tied and gagged as well, then all the painful memories came back and he wished they hadn't.
"So the little blonde is awake first."
Legolas twisted around to get a good look at the speaker. And his mouth went dry.
"I don't need all of you. And I might as well kill you to show I have no mercy." It whispered as it's claw started it's descent towards Legolas's chest.
To be continued . . . .
Elvish translations.
Ada: Daddy
mor gurtha: Black death.
Characters guide.
Mirkwood.
King Thranduil: Legolas's father.
Queen Máraran: Legolas's mother.
Crown prince Beren: Legolas's brother.
Princess Lúthien: Legolas's sister.
Elerossë: Captain of Mirkwood, good friend of Thranduil.
Rivendell.
Lord Elrond: Lord of Rivendell, husband of Celebrian.
Lady Celebrian: Best friend of Máraran. Mother of Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen.
Elladan: First of the twins of Elrond and Celebrian.
Elrohir: Second of the twins of Elrond and Celebrian.
Glorfindel: Elven lord, advisor and good friend of Elrond.
