Title: Regret
Summery: When you lose a friend to death, it is tragic, but what if you lost them before you got the chance to say "I'm sorry." Could you live with that?
Note: Keep the reviews coming. Please. It makes my day to hear what you all think. I was glad that you guys are still interested in the plot, and I hope that I'm able to keep you guys wanting more. This chapter isn't going to have much of Aragorn at all, none actually, but he'll defiantly be in the next one. Anyhoo, I hope you all like this addition, it's a bit longer than the others have been, but I doubt that's a problem. So read on…..
Chapter five
As the four elves took stance side by side, each with a readied bow in hand, the Dunlandings hurtled towards them, with their own weapons in their blood thirsty hands. What had provoked this attack, the fair ones could not be sure, however the current situation gave them little time to ponder on it.
"Are you going to be alright?" Elvomir whispered quietly into the ear of Piong who stood by his side, as not to let the two other elves hear him. However he was unsuccessful, for just as Piong nodded, and tried to brush off the guard's inquiry, Morhil, and the prince, both glanced in his direction, with concerned expressions on their faces as well. They all knew that this was probably going to bring back ill memories for the elven advisor, and all wished that he would stay with them in this, both mentally, and physically.
"Your attention should be redirected," he replied flatly, bringing all concentration back to the enemy which was now close enough for the small battle to ignite.
All thoughts of Piong's history, and his confrontation with Aragorn fled from the prince's mind, as one of the men ran at him, and prepared to penetrate his blade into his midsection. With pinpoint accuracy, Legolas released his projectile, killing the man instantly with a blow the forehead. While his companions quickly felled three others who stormed them.
Morhil, and Elvomir were forced to switch from bow to sword, as the hillmen closed in upon them, and they found them surrounded from all angles, while Thranduil's son, and the king's most trusted friend, decided to keep to their weapon of choice. Instinct, along with gut told the elves that this was no ordinary attack on common travelers. This was an ambush, one that had been thought though extensively, and planned by one who was skilled when it came to hunting.
"Where did they all come from?" Morhil asked his fellow immortals, as they were quickly backed into a circle, trying to protect themselves from all sides. It was not the best position for them to be in, and Legolas knew that if they didn't turn the tables on their adversaries soon, they would most likely perish in this fight. The enemy was closing in, and now all but the prince had abandoned the use of the bow. Legolas was aware that he should follow the lead of his elders, however he was also aware that he was better skilled with archery, as apposed to swordsmanship, and they needed to be at their strongest in order to survive this. He silently vowed that if they did get out of this battle alive, that he would perfect his abilities with the blade in case he ever found himself in this kind of situation again.
"I know not," Piong quietly responded, as the wild folk positioned themselves around the small cluster of elves, who stood completely still, ready to take down any who took a step closer. "There is more to this attack than meets the eye, I fear there is more to come than has already come to pass."
A loud laugh broke the concentration of the fair beings somewhat, as they tried to place where the sound was coming from, but never once letting their eyes drift from the men in front on them. "You have that right. You seem to be overestimated for those of your kind. You have been so far the easiest pray, that my men and I have ever come across," said the man, known to the others as Jevinx, who was perched on the branches on a great oak just above the elves' heads.
"Come down here, and we'll see how easily you can take this prey" Legolas shot back, as the man before him smirked at the young prince's reaction, which earned him an arrow to the throat, which sent him to the ground in a pool of his own blood.
The prince's actions were met with an all out assault, as the fourteen men that sat hidden in the tree tops leapt down on the unsuspecting elves, and the war broke out again. Raising their blades high above their heads, the two elven guards blocked the jabs from the falling men, and immediately lowered them once again when the attacks came from ground level.
As the sun grew higher in the cloud free sky, so did the fighting, and within minutes, Legolas found himself to be quickly cut off from his companions, and circled entirely by the Dunlandings. There weren't many more than ten of them, and even though the prince had found himself against more helpless circumstances before, he knew that he was outnumbered, and he was soon going to have to drop his bow, due to his near empty quiver.
"Legolas!" the sound of Piong calling his name, caught the prince's attention, as he brought down two more of the men who slashed at him with their jagged blades. And as he turned his eyes in the direction of his friend's voice, he noticed that the rest of the men who were previously trying to kill him, ceased, and allowed him to pivot completely around, and face Piong, who was being held from behind, by a wild man, who held a small sword to his throat.
The golden heir felt his heart skip a beat, when he saw the elf that he thought of like a father, in harm's way, and his breath was completely lost, when he glanced to the left slightly, to see that both Morhil and Elvomir, were in the same predicament. He was the only one that was free of the enemy's grip, and Legolas knew that the problem he believed could not get any worse, had, ten fold.
"Well look at this," Jevinx jested with a smile, when he saw the horrified and bewildered look on the youngest elf's face. "Quite the dilemma you seem to be faced with isn't it?"
The expression of Legolas' face subtly changed, however it was very clear what he was thinking, and that there was great anger inside of him, as he focused his grey eyes on the man who was standing beside the one who had hold of Elvomir, and was mocking him, before he made a reply. "If you so much as harm one hair on any of their heads, I promise you, those of you who I do not kill with my bare hands, will walk away from here, either not able to eat solid food again, or," he paused as he let a hint of a smirk cross his lips, "no longer have the ability to reproduce."
The elf's comment caused Morhil to smile. For he already knew that his prince had inherited his father's temper, and that Legolas had a skill for making enemies very fast, however, he could always back up what he said, which made the words he spoke all the more intimidating. Though, even with the prince's skill, his mouth always seemed to get him into trouble, and from the pout on Jevinx's face, it appeared, that that was what was coming to him, to all of them.
"Strong threat for one so young, however, now let me give you mine." Jevinx began, peaking the elves' attention, "you lower that little bow of yours, to the ground, or I will have no choice but to kill your friends here, right in front of your very open eyes."
The man's threat was sincere, and Legolas knew that if he did not do as the man said, that his friends would be killed. Even if he did try to help them, by the time he fought off all the men who would attack him, from every side, he would be too late, and so, with a hesitant nod, the prince let his ivory bow silently fall to the grassy floor.
"No Legolas, don't you dare!" Morhil screamed out, as the irritated man who gripped him tightly, reacted, and plunged the long steel blade through his back. As Legolas and the others turned to them, the metal had made it's way out of him, and punctured through the fair being's chest, causing him to let out a soft moan.
The sight of his long time friend falling limp under the blow he'd received brought more fury than he thought possible to the prince's mind and heart. With one quick movement, he withdrew one of the elven daggers he had sheathed to his back, and threw it with all the strength towards the man who was withdrawing his sword from the elf's body, and letting it fall to the ground.
The man soon followed, when the tip of Legolas knife met the flesh of his unprotected neck, and sent him dead to the ground just beside Morhil. Not even taking a moment to breath, the three elves who remained on their feet, took the opportunity to react while the Dunlandings' were still in awe of what had happened within a five second period.
As Elvomir, and Piong leaned forward, and then sprung back upright, the grips on them were lessened and gave them the chance to free themselves, and fight back, even though they were now unarmed. Meanwhile, Legolas used the time to sprint over to his fallen friends with all the speed he had, however what he didn't realize was that he was now the centre of attention for many, in not all of the hillmen, one of whom readied and shot an arrow upon seeing the prince's movements.
If the man had intended to kill the elf instantly, he had very poor aim, for the projectile embedded itself in the prince's lower back, causing him to lose balance, fall to his knees just in front of the other elf, who instantly locked eyes with the prince. The two other immortals called out to them, as they ducked and sidestepped, to avoid being killed themselves, but both went unheard.
Legolas' breathing accelerated, as he gripped for his other knife in his sheath, as three other men approached them, to finish off the job that one of them had started. And just as Legolas tried to stubble to his feet once again, he was stopped, when Morhil began to quietly speak to him.
"Never lower your weapon milord Legolas, never lower your weapon."
The prince's face tightened, as he tried to hold back the tears that came with seeing the guard on death's doorstep. With a tilt of his fine head, he touched the side of Morhil's face, and began to shakily raise to his feet, however was stopped once again, when the sharp point of another dagger broke the soft skin between his shoulder blades, and as it was pulled in a downwards motion, Legolas felt his legs collapse underneath him, and he fell back to the grass, as his name was called out once again, by both Piong and Elvomir.
As laughing behind him erupted, the prince crawled over to where Morhil lay, and when he reached the elf's side, he let his body fall limp, and the side of his slender cheek, met the ground, all the while keeping eye contact with the guard who was dying next to him.
"I'm sorry," Legolas whispered so quietly that it was hard for even Morhil to hear, never mind the humans who stood with big grins over their victory over the prince. Proud more than they had ever been, to bring a being down, they were, and with a shrug, they walked away, back to where the other two elves were still holding their ground.
"No Legolas, don't fade on me" Morhil begged, as he struggled to take in oxygen, just seconds before the once full of life eyes of the young elven prince closed, and were never again seen by the guard who gripped his motionless, hand firmly in his own. "Come back."
* ******************************************************** *
To Be Continued….
And that's it for chapter five, I hope you guys liked it. I should have the next chapter up in a day or two, so Aragorn will be back in the story soon. Oh, and I've changed the genres of Regret from angst/drama, to angst/action adventure, because even though drama is involved, it's clearly going to be over powered by the action and stuff like that. I hope that doesn't discourage anybody from reading this, because I love to hear what you guys think of my story. So on that note, please, click the little button, and let me know. Thanks. Buhbye for now.