Disclaimer: Alas but I had one wish, I would wish I owned all these wonderful characters. I fear though, I do not. They belong to Tolkien. Were he alive I would beg on bended knee for him to give me just one... ... ... the blond elf! ;) Unfortunately, that shall never come to pass and I shall have to content myself with just writing about them. No profit is made from these stories; they are merely for the enjoyment of myself and anyone who cares to read them.

I am beyond words and the many kind and wonderful reviews (all 185 of them) that I have gotten. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! I continue to quote Shirebound when I say, " I walk on the shoulders of giants." Thank you so much to those of you that have put me on your favorites list: krisnkriss; Lady Jaina; chescaotaku; Elenora; O. B. I. M.; Shauna; Karri; KC-Kick Camel; Astarael; Jessica332; princess-Greenleave-of-Mir; CartDi; pupulupk; Legilmalith; Sporky Doom; merrylyn. I am honored and you have made me very happy! :) As always, please keep those reviews coming!

I will be making review comments from now on at the end of the story instead of the beginning. That way, you can get right to the story. But first I'd like to say that unfortunately, I have not been able to view all of your wonderful reviews. It was brought to my attention by one of my reviewers, szhismine. FF has not allowed me to view all my reviews for some reason or another. szhismine has sent many reviews that I have been unable to see and I apologize profusely for that. For that matter, I apologize to anyone that I may have inadvertently left out. I cherish every single review I get and if I leave any of you out of my review comments, please keep in mind I have not done it intentionally. As always, thank you for taking the time to let me know how you feel about my story. Your reviews bring me great joy! Please, do not stop sending them! :)

All the spelling and grammar mistakes in this chapter are mine and mine alone. Hope there's not too many. Please keep in mind I am not an expert on Middle Earth's geography. I am merely looking at Tolkien's map and making my own interpretations. So forgive me if there are errors in my descriptions of it. ;)

A Walk Out Of Reach
Chapter Sixteen
The sight that greeted his eyes outside caused the ranger to draw in a sharp breath. A large number of orcs swarmed in front of the small cave. However, they did not notice him, so intent was their focus upon his brothers. Elladan and Elrohir did not see Aragorn as well for they were kept busy fighting with several orcs. The sound of their elven blades rang through the night.

Aragorn quickly scanned the area for Legolas but could not see him. A movement behind Elladan shifted his focus and made the ranger's heart skip a beat. The orcs had steadily moved Elladan and Elrohir apart and without his twin guarding his back, one had snuck in dangerously close. It held its sword poised over the elf's back.

Aragorn shouted a warning, "Elladan! Behind you!" He lurched forward on instinct alone. By the Valar, he would not let his brother be slain before his eyes!

Elladan clenched his sword tighter when he heard Aragorn's shout. The human had suddenly appeared in the midst of the battle without warning. He whipped his head around to look for his brother and the small distraction was all the orc needed. With a wicked grin and scream of triumph it brought his blade down intent on lunging it through Elladan's back and heart.

The fatal stab was never completed. Even as Elladan heeded his brother's warning and had turned to face his attacker, the orc suddenly grabbed its neck in agony then fell to the ground with a gurgling gasp. The twin's eyes widened in surprise. Aragorn's sword jutted out of the back of the creature's neck and dark blood stained the blade. He turned to his brother and nodded in silent thanks then reached over and quickly pulled the blade out of the fallen orc. With a flick of his wrist he tossed it back to Aragorn hilt first and rejoined the battle, his blades flashing in the moonlight.

Several orcs had finally spotted Aragorn and rushed towards him. The ranger grasped his sword tightly with both hands and readied himself. As the orcs reached him the closest one swung its blade wildly, attempting to sever the rangers head from his neck. Aragorn ducked and sliced his blade through the creature's midsection, efficiently disemboweling it. It fell to the ground with a howl, hands clutched over its middle.

Aragorn stood quickly and met the downward stroke of another scimitar with his sword. He deflected the blow easily and kicked out at the creature with his foot. The blow landed square in the middle of the orc's chest knocking it to the ground. Before the creature could rise the ranger moved over it and stabbed his sword through its heart

A stinging pain in his left arm startled him for a moment. He turned his head and found an orc closer than he would have liked. His eyes flashed in alarm when he saw his own blood dripping from the creature's blade.

Aragorn yanked his sword out of the dead orc then shifted it over to his right hand. As the orc came at him with a loud cry Aragorn dropped to the ground and rolled under the creature's feet. He ignored the pain that shot up his arm as he rolled. With a cry of outrage the orc fell to the ground and lost its grip on its weapon. It screamed madly as it scrambled to its feet then leapt at Aragorn before he could stand. The ranger instinctively brought his sword up in defense. The creature impaled itself on his blade and landed on top of the ranger. Its heavy weight pressed him to the ground.

The ranger struggled to catch his breath. Though he had rested it had not been enough to replenish his store of energy. The fierce battle was depleting it quickly. Tiredly, he tried to push the orc off him but found himself unable to manage the small task. To make the matter worse, a hot pain shot up his arm each time he attempted to move the creature.

Aragorn wrinkled his nose at the foul odor emanating from the form pinning him down. The pain in his arm was beginning to make his head throb. He turned his head at the sudden noise on his right only to spot another orc coming towards him with its weapon drawn.

The ranger hurriedly struggled to push the dead weight off him but only managed to push it off enough to sit up and pull his sword free. Though his legs were still pinned he knew he did not have time to struggle with the creature any further for the orc was almost upon him. It had him at a definite disadvantage and he knew not if he'd be able to escape unharmed.

Aragorn raised his sword slightly ready to deflect the blow that would soon come. The creature let out a loud shriek as it reached him. Without warning it suddenly fell over and landed on top of his already pinned legs. An elven arrow protruding out of its back gave cause as to why the creature had fallen. The tired human looked over towards his brothers.

Elrohir rushed towards him, his bow clenched tightly in his hands. He could see Elladan a short distance beyond bent over his knees trying to catch his breath. Dead orcs littered the forest floor all around the elf and he could no longer see any standing. The battle seemed to be over for the moment.

"Estel! Are you hurt?" Elrohir kneeled at his brother's side, concern making his stomach clench in fear.

"Nay Elrohir. I am well though I cannot move these cursed creatures off my legs." He resumed his struggle to free himself from the dead weight.

Elrohir helped him push the orcs off his legs then pulled the ranger to his feet. His eyes widened in alarm when he saw the blood on Aragorn's arm. "You are wounded Estel! What happened?" He looked at his younger brother accusingly.

Aragorn was ready to make light of the wound when Elladan suddenly appeared next to his twin. He took note of the blood that stained the ranger's sleeve and his eyes narrowed at his adopted brother's next words.

"It is but a scratch Elrohir. There is no cause for alarm."

It was Elladan who spoke up first, "Estel, you know as well as I the blade that did this was probably poisoned. The wound must be treated quickly."

Aragorn knew he was right and nodded his head in agreement, "All right. But while you do that, tell me where is Legolas?"

The twins exchanged a concerned look then looked back at their brother. Aragorn frowned at the look that passed between his brothers and he asked again, "What has happened to him? Is he well?"

Elladan rose to retrieve his pack from the cave leaving his twin to tell the tale. Elrohir said softly, "Estel, sit down before you fall down and I will tell you what has happened."

Dread filled Aragorn's heart and he sat down heavily. His head felt as if were going to explode and nausea had taken a firm hold in his stomach. He looked at Elrohir in a daze.

Elrohir frowned at his brother but continued with his story, "Long did you and Legolas sleep for weariness was heavy upon you both. Elladan and I kept watch and heard nothing unusual but that changed when the moon was directly overhead. Strange noises we heard outside the entrance and we feared for the safety of our horses. I decided to sneak out and check on them but Elladan did not want me to go. Unfortunately, our voices woke the prince and he heard our debate. Before we could stop him he had made his way outside to see what was underfoot. Elladan and I crept after him and we observed a large number of orc creeping about as if they were searching for something. I fear, you and Legolas were the object of their search."

Aragorn frowned deeply. The orcs had tracked them a long way. That was unusual for most orcs usually did not track something so far unless pushed by a great fear or a powerful master. Apparently, these orcs were highly motivated. At that moment, Elladan returned and knelt next to the ranger. He pulled out several packets of herbs from his pack and began to work on his brother's arm. Aragorn hardly noticed though as he continued to listen to Elrohir's story.

"The number of orcs was too large for us to fight. Several of them in fact were quite. . .unusual. I cannot explain it to you Estel for never have I seen orcs such as these." Elrohir continued with a shake of his head, "We watched them for several moments before we realized they had no intention of leaving any time soon. So thorough was their search, we knew it would only be a matter of time before they found the horses and the cave in which we hid. We discussed the possibility of leading some of them away for that seemed to be the only way to increase our chances for success."

Elrohir's shoulders slumped and his voice was tinged with sadness. He could not meet his brother's gaze, "I fear the prince is too clever for his own good Estel. While we were discussing who would lead them away, Legolas managed to sneak off yet again. We did not realize he was gone until we heard him shout from a distance. Just as we thought would happen, most of the orcs followed him as he ran through the trees leaving us to fight those that remained. The rest you know." He looked at his adopted brother to see how he would take the news.

Aragorn was extremely pale and small tremors shook his body. Elladan grew alarmed and halted his ministrations. He placed his hands on either sides of the ranger's face, "Estel, fear not. He will be all right. Legolas is cunning and quick. They shall not catch him. As soon as I have dressed your wound we will search for him." The words calmed the ranger and the tremors lessened somewhat. Elladan resumed his work satisfied at the effect his words had on his brother.

Though Elladan's words had a calming effect, Aragorn remained silent. He was grateful his brothers were unharmed but all he could think of at the moment was the peril his friend was in. Legolas was out there somewhere, in danger. The elf had yet again placed the well being of his friends before himself. He felt a sudden surge of anger at the prince. Legolas was not yet healed and was in very real danger of being overtaken and captured. He knew if that happened, nothing they could do would save his friend.

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After Legolas had left the twins, he questioned his own sanity. So strong was his desire to keep his friends out of harms way that he had acted more on instinct than on rational thought. With his injury still hindering him he did not stand a chance at defeating the large number of orcs that would surely follow him. His only hope would be to lead them far enough away to allow Aragorn and the twins enough time to escape.

Legolas moved quickly and quietly in and out of the trees. When he was far enough away from the cave and his friends he stood and observed the orcs for a moment. His brow furrowed, something about them still seemed. . .off. He shook his head; there was little time to solve riddles now. He steeled himself with a deep breath and shouted to draw their attention. As he hoped a large portion of the orcs started after him leaving only a small number of them behind. Legolas turned and ran leading them further away from the cave and deeper into the woods.

He could hear their angry voices shouting behind him and it brought back memories of recent events. Hopefully, this time things would turn out differently. Just as he felt he would be able to keep ahead of them easily an arrow whizzed past his ear. He could not stop to return fire for he would surely be overtaken, instead he urged his legs to move faster.

Under normal circumstances, the elf would have easily outdistanced the creatures that followed him. But things were far from normal. The last few days had drained much of his energy and he had only begun to recover his strength. Legolas ran until his legs ached and his chest burned with exertion and still the creatures followed closer than he cared for them to. Another arrow whizzed by his ear. This one came so close that in its wake the fletching left a thin, red line across his cheek. Legolas flinched slightly at the nip of pain but his pace did not falter.

With a sudden burst of speed he soon lost sight of the orcs chasing him. He'd better find somewhere to hide for he could not keep this pace much longer. Legolas glanced up at the trees and debated if he should use them again to make his escape. If these were indeed the same orcs that had previously wounded him, they would be ready for that. Yet he would have to take that chance for he saw no other place to hide and making a stand would be futile.

The prince glanced behind him. He could no longer see the orcs trailing behind but he could still hear them. He would have but a few moments to scale up the branches and disappear from sight before the orcs would pass below. His eyes searched for the perfect tree, one that would offer easy handholds. His eyes narrowed as he spotted such a tree in the distance. He shifted direction slightly and headed straight for the tree.

When he was close enough, Legolas leapt, caught a high branch and pulled himself up. He scrambled upwards as quickly as he could and soon disappeared in the thick foliage. As he scaled even higher he could hear the trees rustling their leaves in alarm, urging him to hurry. The orcs would be upon him any moment. He climbed a few more feet then pressed himself tightly against the trunk. He closed his eyes and struggled to get his breathing under control and calm his pounding heart.

Even though elves traveled light upon the ground, Legolas was sure his tracks could be seen for he had run hard and pressed his heels deep into the earth when he jumped. He only hoped the orcs would be traveling too fast to notice.

The loud rustling startled him and he opened his eyes in surprise. A soft smile lit his eyes when he saw the trees shaking their branches causing many of their leaves to fall upon the ground. His tracks were soon completely covered, no longer visible even to the most experienced tracker. The elf closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against the tree again. A gentle warmth flowed from the prince into the tree as he conveyed his deep gratitude for the assistance. The branches moved in closer to him and hid the elf from sight. Far below, Legolas could hear the orcs approaching. He closed his eyes and waited.

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TBC. . .

Karri: Welcome back! :) *evil chuckle with innocent look* Cliffhanger???? What cliffhanger??? LOL Here's the next chappy for ya and FINALLY here's your trees! :) Though the little episode isn't too long, I hope you'll still enjoy it. I tried to make it original. ;)

sabercrazy: *eeeeek, runs and hides!* So glad you didn't steal Leggy's bow! He just might need it! LOL But yeah, go ahead and steal the lightsaber. Anyways, you can't reach me up here in the trees! ;P LOL Your review made me laugh! It's not too often I get threats and this one just made me feel tingly all over. :) Hope you like this next chappy.

Isilwen-Telpefion: Here's some more drama for you, just be careful you shoot the plot bunnies and not my toe! :D LOL They really had their way with me on this chapter!

Shauna: Congradulations! You are OFFICIALLY, my first death threat! :D Your review really had me ROTFLMHO! Wig??? Ok, maybe I'll get you a bottle of Rogaine and you can actually save some money instead of having to go through so many wigs huh? *frowns suddenly* Uh oh, maybe that won't be such a good idea. It might actually hurt if you pull out your own hair instead of the wig's hair! LOL You guessed correctly though. Orcs were indeed the culprit of the noise. :) And let's see, should I let everyone come out unscathed.... ... ...hmmmmmmm, gotta give that one some serious though... ... ... NAH!! LOL Anyway, I enjoyed your review so much! Please keep them coming. :)

Sporky Doom: Thanks for the tic-tac and compliment! It was even my favorite flavor, cinnamon! :) Keep those reviews coming! :)

merrylyn: Here's a little more of the twins. You should really read Cassia's story for she brings the twins to life so beautifully. I think you'd really enjoy them even more! I'm a little sad though, cause I really miss that poor cloak. But rest assured I've a plan in mind for it! LOL Thanks for wishing me luck on my paper. Be sure you light a candle for me too cause I hear that professor is killer on her grading! Eeek! :( And... ... ... about your Leggy plushie... ... ... *clears throat nervously* I accidentally drooled on him, just a little though *ducks behind the door and peeks out* But don't worry, I've already started scrubbing him in the sink! I'll soon have him back as good as new! :) LOL Thanks for the review and for letting me keep your Leggy plushie a little longer! ;) I don't think you'll need him just yet! ;)

Anime Soccer Lobos: Yes *polishes nails on shirt* I am evil aren't I? LOL As I've said before, it's much more fun to write the cliffies than read them! LOL And no, you were not annoying! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing how evil I am! ;) Hee hee! Thanks for the review!

Kirsten: Thanks for the compliment! *blushes* As for Leggy walking out of this unscathed? *chuckles evily and shrugs shoulders innocently* Hmmm, I don't know! :) Thanks for taking the time to review my story! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

pupulupk: Man! You are tough aren't you?! THREE seconds??? My ISN'T that generous??!! *sarcastic tone of voice here!* LOL Well, unfortunately I didn't make that deadline either! LOL I still keep trying, but my fingers just can't type that fast! Ha ha, loved your little dialogue you had going there! It made me laugh! And when you compared my story to Cassia's, I felt like that was such a huge compliment! Thanks! She (and Sio) are such incredible writers, to actually have my name mentioned with hers (and Sio's) just makes a thrill run from the top of my head down to the toes of my feet! LOL I will give that story a read asap. No, it will not make my writing go slower... ... ... too much! LOL Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chappy!

legolasluva: Thanks so much for reading this story and taking the time to write a review! I'm glad you've enjoyed the Aragorn/Leggy friendship 'cause I've worked really hard to bring that to life in this story. Hope you enjoy this next chappy just as much! :)

Lady Jaina: A little imagination never hurt anyone! Ha ha, maybe I should revise that huh?! ;) A little imagination can lead to such wonderful things! LOL I like the way your mind works! Hope you find this next chappy holds up to what you may have imagined! :)

totalyinawe: Thank you so much for taking time to review. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)

szhismine: I'm so glad your review finally showed up on the board! Thanks so much for bringing the problem to my attention. I've written to the FF administrators to let them know about the problem. As of yet they have not gotten back to me and I do not know if they will. But just remember I am sincerely grateful that you've taken the time to review even if I wasn't able to see them. Just knowing you still kept trying makes me smile! Thank you so much for continuing to follow this story! :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter as well.

Legilmalith: I too, am overwhelmed by the number of reviews I've recieved. I count myself incredibly lucky to have gotten so many on my first story! As for comparing me to Cassia and Sio... ... ...WOW! I am dumbstruck! Cassia (Sio too) are on the top of my list for awesome authors and to be compared to them is simply, incredible! I'm soooooo flattered! Thanks you soooo much for the HUGE compliment! And thanks for adding me to your list of favorites! I hope you like this next chappy. Writing action is incredibly hard so I hope it goes over well. *bites nails nervously* Thanks again for the review and HUGE compliment! :)

O. B. I. M.: Hey, thanks for the loud compliment! :) So glad you liked that chapter, hope you feel the same about this next one. I'm kinda nervous about it cause action is a real pain to write! LOL

pilot3001:Here's a little more of the twins. Cassia tells such wonderful stories that have the twins in them. You should give her stories a try if you haven't already. They are simply awesome! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this next chapter just as much!

Elenora: Well, the LAST thing I want to do is cause the premature death of any of my readers so here is the next chappy! LOL Elenora, I've got the whole general story mapped out in my head. But usually when I write a particular chappy I have a definite plot/storyline/goal whatever you want to call it in mind. But when I start to write that chappy, I never know in which direction I will be pulled by those little evil plot bunnies that nibble on my toes. So I guess you could say that I do a little of both, map out and wing it at the same time. Now you have me worried, *asks nervously* Why???? Does the story seem totally jumbled, making absolutely no sense????? Ok, here's the next chappy, I hope you like it. :)

Shandrial: Ha ha! Cliffhanger queen! Yes, there are many of you out there aren't there!? LOL Hey thanks for tip on the dot thing. But, I'm not sure I'm doing it right. Do you do the dot, dot , dot sets without any spaces or do you dot, dot, dot the sets with spaces? I tried it in my story with spaces but I haven't posted it yet so I haven't seen if the way I did it will work. I'm gonna try this way here to see which way ends up working.........Ok, that made absolutely no sense did it? ;P And I haven't figured out the bold or italic thing out yet. But if I do I will let you know! :) I'm glad I'm not the only one having problems with these little things either. I thought I was the only one here. Everyone else makes them seem so easy cause they just throw them around all over their stories don't they!? LOL Oh, well, it's still possible to write without them. ;) Hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the review and the tip!

Imbefaniel: Thanks for the nice reward and for taking the time to review! Here's a nice little cliffy for you too! LOL

BlackRose1356: I hope you continue to enjoy this story and write reviews! I enjoy them so much!

xsilicax: Yup, another fight all right! ;) *evil grin* NOT the twins practicing at all! LOL Thanks for pointing out that boo boo! It is much harder to keep four characters straight in my head than just two and from time to time I slip up. I still can't believe I didn't catch it though, as many times as I read that chapter I should have! :( I've tried to be a little more careful in this chapter. Hope I didn't make another boo boo. I haven't fixed the last chapter yet though I will as soon as I can. I just haven't had a chance yet. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)

Rain Minstrel: I hope you still feel that way after you've read this action chappy! It's soooo hard to write! :) Thanks for the review!

Fantasia: *grins* Sorry, no it's not a dream. LOL Would have been interesting though! Don't worry about not remembering what you said in your last review. I often do the same thing, then have to punch the review button, find my review and read what I said so I can remember! LOL Anyway, glad you like the story and thanks for the review! :)

CartDi: LOL Ok, it was the stare that did it! I got my fingers moving faster over my keyboard! LOL Thanks for the review!

Dujoran: *wicked laugh* You thought that ending was evil????? Ha ha! This one might be considered evil too! LOL BTW...what are A level results???? I hope they were good whatever they were! :) I know how you feel waiting for results, not fun! Thanks for the review!

Pinache: Yikes! Don't pull all the hair out of your head, you will end up like Shauna, buying wig after wig! LOL I'm so glad you've enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. I've tried really hard to write things as the characters would say them and not as I would say them. Someone should have warned me though, about the use of archaic language. I've found myself using it in my daily life. When I recently wrote my research paper I had to keep going back to rewrite things 'cause I'd write them as if I were Aragorn or Legolas. I don't think my professor would have appreciated that very much! LOL But thanks for the compliment! I've worked hard at keeping things real in the story and language is just one way to do that! Thanks for the review as well. :)

Again, thanks to everyone from the bottom of my heart for your many kind reviews. Inspiration gives flight to words! :)