Before I start the story, I wanted to answer some of my reviews so…
Lady Lenna- You rock so hard!! Woo hoo!! Legolas/Orlando lovers unite!
Merrylyn- Mwahaha! I don't look at plants the same way either. He he he…no seriously, I don't.
MoroTheWolfGod- OKAY!
Anya Dvorak- Don't worry, the angsty man-haterness isn't out of Legolas yet! Mwahaha! I have plans!
Sorry I didn't include Merrylyn and Anya Dvorak in my other dedication (since you reviewed my author note), but I didn't have your reviews yet. So this chapter is dedicated to you guys! Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Propelled purely by adrenaline and fear rather than strength, the Fellowship continued to run as far out of the forest as their incredibly drained bodies would allow. Seconds passed as years, minutes as centuries and hours dragged on as millennia. The hobbits in particular, unaccustomed to hardy treks as they were, were most obviously affected by the lack of rest and nourishment; tripping constantly, they would often fall far behind the warriors of the company.
As the density of trees began to dwindle, the companions began to hope that safe rest could be seen in their very near futures.
"Surely we could rest here unmolested. It has been long since we passed the outer rim of the wood," reasoned Boromir as he came to a stop. "We cannot go on any further, Legolas." When Boromir stopped to beg for respite, so did the others. The hobbits simply fell to the floor where they stood, and Gimli slowly eased himself to the floor as well. Not once did anyone question Boromir regarding Legolas as their leader in this situation. Truthfully, if they had adhered to his elvish perception and insight from the beginning, they would never have begun this dangerous detour. All eyes were upon the elf prince as he considered the situation.
'What are we to do?' thought the First-born to himself. 'Though we are no longer near the wood, I can feel it's evil surging through the soil of the earth, it is in the very air we breathe.' Yet casting his eyes upon his fellow companions, who either lay heavily upon the dirt or yet stood on their tired feet, willing to continue if he so advised, he knew that to go any further in their current condition would be folly.
'Surely those men we encountered in the forest were neither the only nor the strongest of the evil tree's army. If we met with them in our present state we will all surely die.'
Readily observing the disturbance in his ancient friend's expressive orbs of flashing blue and green, Aragorn told Legolas, "You are still troubled about the evil within the forest."
Smiling, Legolas replied, "The eyes truly are the windows to the soul, are they not mellon?"
"Especially when dealing with an elf," chuckled the future king of men.
"Aye, I am more than troubled with this evil. Can you not feel it Estel? It has corrupted the very earth beneath us, the air above us!"
Gimli stood to his feet and, leaning on his axe, said to Legolas, "This may be so, lad, though none of us here feel it. We do believe you. But neither does anyone else have the stamina of the elves. As Boromir said, we can go no further." Once again, all eyes swiveled to Legolas in anticipation of his response to the dwarf.
"I am not suggesting that we do, Master Dwarf," sighed the elf. "You speak of the stamina of the elves, but even we require some intervals of relaxation, preferably among green growing things. No, continuing would be foolish."
A collective sigh rose as the others began to settle down into camp where they were. So busy with their preparations were they that no one at first saw Legolas stare intently off into the distance and slowly wander off for a better view of that object. It was Sam who first realized that their companion was walking away.
"What is Legolas doing?" asked the tired hobbit.
Unsettled by his question, the other companions looked to see exactly what Legolas was doing. He had stopped several yards away and continued to stare off into the still dark horizon.
"Legolas!" called Aragorn. "Do you see danger?!" Rather than answering from afar, Legolas sprinted back to the makeshift campsite.
"Well?"
"What I saw could be danger, but it could also be a haven," replied Legolas.
"I am too tired for your damn elvish riddles, lad! Simply give us a straight answer like normal folk," lashed out the gruff and sleepy dwarf.
"A town," said Legolas with a slight melodic laugh.
"A town!"
"Hurrah for towns!"
"Towns have inns!" exclaimed Pippin
"And inns have beds! And pints!" added Merry merrily.
"Well why do we wait here?" asked Boromir "Lets continue to the town."
"No, I could barely make out the town. It is yet many more hours from here. Besides, as I mentioned before, it could very well be as dangerous as the wood from whence we have come," warned Legolas ominously.
"You elves are too cautious," replied Boromir angrily. "It is a town! We will be safe there, much more so than we could be out in the open!"
"And you men are overly foolish and refuse to practice the concept of sense! Think, man! We were accosted by men in the forest. Now, only a matter of hours from that forest we find a town. Men live in towns, do you understand?" As Legolas replied his eyes flashed with anger and contempt and Boromir actually stepped back in fear. Even the others, who were not the object of Legolas' wrath, shrank back or cringed at the elf's obvious hostility.
Worried by this animosity Legolas obviously continued to hold for men, Gandalf attempted to pacify his friend of old. "Please, Legolas, fighting will profit no one. We are all weary beyond belief and should work together rather than come across one another." Boromir simply nodded in agreement while Legolas' fair face became expressionless and hard.
Hoping to break the awkward silence hanging heavily in the still night's air, Aragorn announced, "I agree with Legolas. This town is as likely to be dangerous as it is to be simply another village. I suggest that Legolas and I continue to this colony alone, while the rest of you continue to rest and regain your strength. Are there any objections to this?" As no one answered, Aragorn assumed that there were no objections.
"Very well, then. Legolas will rest for an hour or two then we will take off on a scouting expedition."
2 hours later…
Two hours of "sleep" as elves called their dream-like state of calm relaxation, and a few bites of lembas, the elvish waybread, was exactly enough to ease Legolas' weary state. Of course, the same could not be said for Isldur's heir. Yet heavy as his lids may be, Aragorn set off by Legolas' side on the road to the mysterious town.
As their hours on foot crawled oh-so- slowly by, Aragorn watched Legolas enviously. All his life Aragorn had witnessed the abilites of the elves and knew well of their ability to refresh their minds and bodies even while walking or running. However, at this moment when he was so very exhausted, he wished harder than ever that he had that certain ability. To take his mind off his fatigued condition and hopefully pass time more quickly as well, Aragorn decided to strike up a conversation with Legolas, who was currently singing softly to himself.
"What song is that?"
"A very old folk song of Mirkwood. My father sang it to my when I was an elfling and refused to sleep."
"That must have been very long ago."
"I suppose to you it might, but I recall it as if it were only yesterday."
"How old are you exactly?"
"Nearly 2,000 years old. To many, especially my father and older brothers, I am still considered an elfling."
"I will never comprehend the time line of the elves. I…I wish to apologize Legolas." Said Aragorn shamefully, casting his eyes to the ground.
"For what exactly, my friend?"
"For not listening to your warnings before we entered the wood. I hold myself responsible."
"Do not add guilt to your burden, Aragron," rebuked Legolas softly. "You would not been able to stop the others if you had tried. Besides, all is now well. There is no use holding on to the past."
"Oh no? Well, I know one thing I will hold too," replied Aragorn in mock anger "I believe I owe you a kick in the face."
Laughing heartily, Legolas told the man, "I really had no other choice, my friend. I required your immediate assistance."
Still laughing to themselves, the pair passed the next few moments in their private thoughts until Aragorn broke the now comfortable silence.
"Do you truly think the town will provide new dangers, Legolas?" As he opened his mouth to answer his friend, Legolas' keen eyes saw what his answer would be in the shape of ten riders advancing toward them on powerful steeds. Not even Legolas, with his elven agility, grace, and speed, could outrun these beasts for long in this large open space. Within moments they had come close enough for even Aragorn's eyes to detect the progressing menace.
"Need I answer, Aragorn?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Soooo….what'd ya think? He he he, kinda cliff hanger there huh? What's gonna happen? Are they going to die?! Noooooo…I'll save you Legolas! ::cough:: yes, well…In the next chapter, Legolas realizes he has a past with the men from this town. How are they going to get out of this one? Next time on Dragon Ball Z!! Oh wait…no, that's not right…