SHADOW IN THE TREES
By : mirkwood-elf-2931 & Thala
CHAPTER 2
"You know what you want, Thalawen...TAKE IT!" cried the dark, raspy
voice in the black mists of her mind.
She couldn't see where she was, she had no weapons to defend herself, she was
bare, stripped of all, except a plain flowing white gown, her hair in a loose
braid.
Once again she heard the voice, that terrible voice echoing in her head. "You
must kill to succeed in getting him! Get him! Kill...KILL!"
She spun in circles to try and find the source of the one speaking. Finding
none, she began to run, running as fast as she could through a dark, dank
forest. The trees moss grown and slimy, clawing at her face, snagging her hair,
tripping her feet. All gracefulness was abandoned in this one fight for
survival, away from the voice. She tripped and fell in a deep bog of muck. She
couldn't save herself, she was sinking faster and faster.
"Help!" her mind would cry. All she would receive in answer was the voice.
"Join me and you will be saved!"
This she ignored, sinking, sinking. She would die before she gave in. Just as
her head was about to go under, she lost the dream. Her mind went blank, the
black fog lifted.
Thalawen awoke in her bed, a scream lodged in her throat, aching to rip
out. There were tears upon her cheeks and her lungs were all but bursting with
need for breath. She opened her mouth wide and sucked in all the air she could
take, a small whimper escaping as she exhaled.
Calm down, she told herself. It was just a dream, only a dream. But this dream
was strange, she had no idea what it meant.
What did the voice mean? 'You must kill to succeed in getting him!' Getting
who? There was no man she desired; none that came to mind. What did it mean?
Breath steady once more, she looked out her windows toward the balcony beyond.
It was still dark but the sun would rise soon, and bring with it the glorious
rays of light that she so needed in a time like this.
But until that time came, she would be here, in this dark room, surrounded by
blankets, keeping away the evil that wanted her.
Burrowing down deeper in her bed, she curled up into a ball and wiped the tears
from her face. She was not a weak person, but her brain was still foggy from
the dream and she was still tired from lack of sleep. Slowly, her lids fell
over her eyes and she was asleep once more.
A sound, distant and far away.
She could hear it, as if her ears were under water. She was still in the bog!
It hadn't been a dream! She kicked her legs hard and held her breath, swimming,
trying to get to the surface before time ran out. But she wasn't moving. No
matter how hard she kicked, she stayed in the same place, just a foot below the
surface.
Her eyes wide, she could see who was calling her. It was Arwen! Thalawen opened
her mouth to yell, but only bubbles and a gurgling noise escaped her. Her limbs
flailed and slashed through the water to get Arwen's attention.
Arwen was standing at the edge of the bog, the water had become crystal clear
for Thalawen, but Arwen bent down and squinted her eyes, obviously trying to
see through the dirt and grime on the water's surface.
She saw Arwen's mouth open, heard her name echo through the water. Then it was
over, her lungs burst and she was once again going deeper. She lost
consciousness and everything went black once more.
"Thalawen!" screamed Arwen. "Wake up!" Arwen was shaking Thalawen's shoulders
and watching her mouth open and close like a fish gasping for air. Thalawen's
eyes were wide and her face contorted with shock and fear, her arms and legs
moving wildly in a way Arwen had never seen.
She grabbed Thalawen's face and looked straight into her eyes. She repeated her
name over and over for several minutes and finally Thalawen seemed to have
woken up. Her eyes recognized the face above hers as her friend. As the mist
cleared from her brain she realized it had been another dream. But her vision
was going dotty again. Suddenly, Arwen shouted at her. It took her a moment to
figure out what she'd said.
"Breathe, Thala! Breathe!" It was then she noticed she'd been holding her
breath, again.
Opening her mouth and gasping for breath the second time that morning caused
her raw throat to become ever more scratchy.
"Are you okay, Thalawen? You scared me near to death! Don't you ever do that to
me again!" As Arwen's tirade lessened she asked her friend once again. "What
happened?"
When Thalawen spoke her voice sounded husky with sleep and soreness. "I
had a bad dream. I do not wish to dwell on it any further, Arwen. But thank you
for saving me." She sat up in her bed and tried to move, but couldn't.
Something was holding her legs in place. "Get off, Arwen." This came out as a
growl, without her meaning it to.
Arwen moved off and sat at the edge of the bed, looking at her friend. Wiping
the sleep from her eyes, Thalawen moved and sat next to Arwen.
"Please don't ever scare me like that, Thala. I thought you were going to die!
You know what it would do to me if anything happened to you, don't you? I don't
think I could stand it."
She wrapped her arms around Arwen and held her in a tight embrace. "Yes, Arwen.
And it goes the same for me. You're my best friend in the world and it would
devastate me to lose you. You're my sister."
Arwen leaned her head against Thalawen's shoulder. "How did you get up here,
Princess?"
"I climbed up to your balcony and came in through that way," Said Arwen
silently and rose a finger to point at the arched open double doors.
"Get out," replied Thalawen, letting her arms fall from about Arwen's
shoulders.
Rising to leave, Arwen looked over her shoulder at Thalawen. Laughing and
shaking her head she started for the balcony again.
"Not that way! Just go out the normal way, or people will think you're up to
something." She said, giggling a little herself as Arwen went, laughing down
the hall.
The dream was quickly forgotten and all remained the same in the land of
Rivendell.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
A week had passed since the party held at Greenwood's palace and neither the
prince nor maiden had seen one another for their plans together.
So eventually, carrying the Prince of Mirkwood, an Elven stallion Tholyn,
headed toward a smaller, but still elegant structure. Legolas dismounted, only
to notice a figure appear around one corner, a bow in hand.
"Oh," The person sighed in relief. "It's just you."
He raised his brows. "Just me? That's all a lord gets from such a lesser being
like yourself?"
Landailyn's eyes widened. "Lesser being?!"
Legolas laughed.
She narrowed her blue eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you would like to go riding today...Peasant."
"Peasant?! Well if you put it that way, then no." She turned to go back
around the house.
The prince grinned and followed. "Oh come on, Landailyn, you're the one that
asked me to go with you, remember?"
She whipped back around, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks. "Fine," She
sighed, trying her best to suppress a smile, but he noticed it anyway. "Let me
finish a few things and we'll go."
It was a clear Spring day out, the sun shining brightly and the air smelled
clean and fresh. Perfect for riding or hunting, or just taking a walk among and
under the trees. Landailyn's parents had gone for the day, so writing a note,
she left it in one of the stalls of her whereabouts. She readied Evalanir with
her saddle and reins, while Legolas told of a most successful hunting trip his
group had been on the day before.
"Well it certainly is a good time to go hunting, now that the weather is nice
and the game is about." She commented.
This gave the prince an idea. "Would you wish to today? While we go on our
ride, just us?"
Landailyn grinned. She could definitely hunt, but had never gotten much of it
in. Not nearly as much as her fighting skills. "Well, if that is indeed the
prince's wishes, then who am I to go against them? Shall we then?" Hopping upon
her horse. "Race you to the Asgarrath!"
"What?! That's not fair!" Legolas called, taking off for his own horse.
"Well that's what you get for calling me a peasant!" She argued in return; then
quietly gave the command for Evalanir to start her run.
The graceful beasts galloped nimbly, dodging the endless trees and stepping
easily over the uneven forest floor. They rode on for five straight minutes,
Tholyn had finally caught up with a smirking prince on his back and now head to
head, they were a single white blur, neither ever falling behind.
The large stream running off the River Anduin was still a mile away, but the
riders knew their trusted horses could endure much. However, before this could
be, their flight ended abruptly, when one of them noticed a strange glowing in
the distance.
"Landailyn! Stop!"
Tholyn half reared and did not place another step, sensing his master's
urgency.
Evalanir almost skidded to a halt a few feet away, with Landailyn gaining back
the mare's control and jerking her head back to give the Elven prince a hard
look. "Are you just trying to get ahead?"
"No, look!" He held out a slender finger pointing passed the trees to a clearing
less than half a mile away.
She chanced a look, trusting that he was not cheating and studied what lay
before them.
Several orange lights flickered at ground level, while short dark figures
roamed about them.
"A camp!" She finally gasped. "An Orc camp! What are they doing so
close to our homes?" She knew she had gone much further than the last time
she'd met up with them; so why were the Orcs closer now? Assuming they were the
same ones.
Legolas shook his head. "I wondered when we were going to start having Orc
problems. I'm surprised it's lasted this long, being so far south."
"Well, should we not go and tell your father then?"
"Wait, let us see what it is they're doing. Which way they plan to move.
Believe me, Father will have many questions and this way we can tell him more
than just that Orcs are nearer than what we'd like them to be."
Landailyn sighed, knowing he was right and agreed.
Sliding off their horses, they instructed them to stay where they were. The
animals obeyed and watched their owner's slink onward toward the opening, using
the forest as their cover, blending in well with the colors they wore.
Where earlier, the sun had been shining, a cool breeze now blew and large dark
clouds hung overhead, covering the firey orb of light, resulting in a sort of
twilight throughout the land, as if in warning that a storm was on its way.
Landailyn was crouched, still far away, keeping out of site. And she'd rather
like to stay there, but Legolas wanted to get closer.
"Landailyn," He tapped her on the shoulder. "The trees." He raised his thin
dark brows, waiting for her to agree.
"What about them?" She asked in length, creasing her own together.
Legolas sighed, though quietly. "Let us climb them to get closer."
She almost laughed, feeling a bit foolish. "Oh, well, after you." She offered a
hand upward.
He shook his head and smiled. "You go around that way. Meet back here." After
she nodded, he picked a tree for himself and jumped silently into its low
branches.
Landailyn did the same, going in the direction of their right and into another
trunk's top nearby.
Keeping out of sight, the prince crept along thick, rough limbs and with the
gift of Elven eyesight, he could faintly make out Landailyn's movement across
the clearing, through the numerous leaves and branches. Good, he thought, they
were well hidden.
Staying crouched on a wide branch, Landailyn got on all fours and walked
farther out. She lifted a hand and parted the leaves in front of her face.
Standing beneath her tree was an Orc guard, keeping watch, though not very well.
She was so close she could all but smell the stench rising from the Orc's body.
Silently, she covered her nose and mouth, filtering the air before she took a
it in.
A while of boring observation went by; nothing was happening that she could
tell.
Unexpectedly, she heard a twig snap to her right. It was much too quiet a sound
for the Orc below to hear and she did not bother looking down to make sure.
Remaining low, she went forth, toward the sound, standing right next to a wall
of leaves.
She waited, listening, feeling the faint presence that another was behind this
wall. As her arms shot silently through to the other side, the stranger's did
the same. They each grabbed the other by the collar and the other being
stronger, pulled Landailyn through, lifting her feet away from the bough a few
inches.
Much to her relief, she was staring into Legolas' face!
"What are you doing?!" She practically mouthed at him, her voice more quiet
than a whisper.
His eyes had gone extremely wide and his pale cheeks colored with
embarrassment. "Oops," She saw his mouth form the word, though not a sound came
from him. As he set her back down, she punched him in the stomach and had the
pleasure of hearing his breath rush from his lungs and his small groan of pain.
He looked sorely at her and rubbed the spot.
"Would you come on?" She asked. "And stop messing around." She said this as an
after thought and turned to lead the way back to her original hiding place.
He followed without a word, though looking very sulky and much abused.
They crawled back to her limb and were once more above the odorous guard
stationed below their tree. Legolas looked ready to be sick, as he covered his
mouth.
Watching him, Landailyn rolled her eyes.
Both went back to watching the Orcs, as they all wandered the camp, almost
aimlessly. Neither Legolas nor Landailyn had any idea as to what the creatures
were up to. Shrugging, Landailyn turned back to the prince, signaling that they
should leave, as there was nothing going on that should be of much importance.
He nodded in understanding and turned to go.
Just as he took his first step, a twig containing one leaf still attached, fell
from his hair and down through the many branches on a journey toward the
ground. The pair froze on the limb, neither moving a muscle, not even daring to
breathe.
Landailyn watched the Orc look up and follow the little twig, as it floated silently
to the grass beneath it.
It was instantly at alert.
Drawing a rough looking, black bow and quickly knocking an arrow, it looked up
again, trying to catch a glimpse at what was above through the dense foliage.
The Orc stealthily sidestepped around the trunk, all the while staring up it,
drawing it there out of sight of the camp containing the many others it held.
The wind began to pick up again, though more fiercely than before, causing the
leaves to break apart and the branches to sway. Which, what else should this
cause, but to make Legolas jerk an arm out to steady himself, caught off guard
while in his frozen state.
The moment the beast saw the slightest bit of movement, an arrow sailed blindly
through the various limbs and stuck firmly into one, inches from Landailyn's
left foot.
Her eyes widened and quickly she pushed Legolas aside and moved around to the
other side of the trunk. Sitting down on the branch and wrapping her legs
around it, Landailyn was able to swing to the side, hang upside down, grab the
Orc around the neck and squeeze, until he suffocated to death.
When he became limp, she pulled him up into the tree with her, laying him out
on the branch carefully so he would not slide off. It never even knew what had
had him.
Landailyn's eyes shot daggers at Legolas all the way back to the horses. And as
they were riding back, Legolas' ears were all but singed off with the venom dripping
from Landailyn's tongue.
"It was too your fault!" Landailyn practically yelled, folding her arms in
front of her chest.
Legolas sighed. "And I'm telling you it wasn't!"
"Well if it hadn't have been for me, we'd both have been found out and neither
of us would be standing here, now would we?!"
They had been going on like this for what seemed like hours, even before
reaching the palace.
"Enough!" Thranduil's voice thundered above them and the room was instantly
cast into silence. After listening to so much of what had occurred, he became
most irritated with their arguing. "Please," He started again, in a more gentle
tone. "Tell me what it is that the two of you saw, instead of blaming one
another for your near discovery."
Landailyn turned another glare on Legolas, as he spoke up first.
"We were racing our horses through the wood, about a mile and a half from
Landailyn's home, when I spotted the camp ahead. We wanted to get a closer look
and took to the tree tops."
"Closer..." She muttered to herself. It had been his idea in the first place.
He ignored her and continued. "There were many Orcs, but they did not appear to
be doing anything at that moment that we should be concerned with, so we decided
to leave and you have basically heard the rest..."
Landailyn merely nodded, actually agreeing with him on something.
The king nodded also. "Thank you for telling me. And do not worry, they will be
kept watched for."
"You are welcome, Father." And without a last glance at his companion, Legolas
turned and began heading for the privacy of his room.
"You know, I am sure Legolas did not mean for what happened." Said his father,
once the prince was out of ear reach.
Landailyn stared sullenly at the floor. "I know." She replied softly.
"And, it is not like you two to be angry with one another."
She nodded and left him to find his son. More than likely he had went to his
room, so that was the direction she took.
The loud sound of someone's knuckles against the wood of his double doors came
sharply to the prince's sensitive ears. "Who is it?" He asked, sitting on the
edge of his bed, a hand to his chin in thought.
"It's me." A muffled voice answered.
"And what does 'me' want?"
"Legolas," The voice's impatience grew shorter.
"Come in, if you must." He finally allowed.
The right door opened to reveal an expressionless Landailyn. This, he didn't
like. It wasn't like her to conceal such emotions. How could he tell if she was
still as angry as before? Then again, it wasn't really even his fault in the
first place!
She shut the door and traveled to the foot of his bed, watching him. Before she
could start, words of his own were being spoken.
"What you did to that Orc was...something else...fast thinking." He said with
honesty. He'd never seen a woman fight like she did. When she didn't answer, he
sighed deeply. "If it makes you happy, I'm sorry."
She stood there a moment longer, then shook her head, walking over to gaze out
one of three arched windows on the far wall. "I don't want you to apologize."
He swiveled on his bed to crease brows of wonderment at her.
"You should not be the one apologizing. I know it was not your fault."
Now they rose high in surprise. She was admitting this? "Really?"
Her lips carried a wide smile, though he could only see the back of her.
"Indeed, if you could ever find it in you to forgive me, my prince," With this
she turned to face him. "I am sorry that I yelled at you, it was not my place
to do so."
He stared at her for a second; then pretended to think about it. "Alright," He
finally said. "I grant thee forgiven."
She repeated her previous smile, this time for him to see. "So, do you want to
try this again sometime?"
He shrugged slightly. "Why not now?" He, nor she for that matter, wanted to be
sitting at home in boredom.
"I don't know, why not?" Giving him a furtive look. "But this time, we're
riding north!"
TBC …
