Authors notes: - Thank you for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
The story is nearing an end so any comments on the story as a whole would
be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!!!
**
Legolas led the way through the maze of passages seemingly without even
considering in which direction he was going. He came to what appeared a
dead end and halted. One of the elves touched a tree root and the once
blocked passage opened to reveal a dark room. The elves hurried in and
positioned themselves throughout the room.
"Go!" Legolas commanded and the elves jumped up. To the amazement of both
Eomer and Gimli they disappeared.
"The ceiling is an illusion as soon as your feet leave the ground you
appear on the surface." Legolas explained.
"Then how do you get down here?" Gimli asked.
"This is only a way out. There are other entrances."
"How come we can get out but people can't fall in." Gimli demanded
further.
"Its elven magic Gimli. Very complex to explain. Just jump." Legolas said
with a touch of exasperation.
"Dwarf's don't jump!" Gimli stated.
"And no one tosses a dwarf but I have it on good authority that at Helm's
Deep you were indeed tossed! Now cease this complaining and jump for we
need to leave this place!" Legolas stated glaring back at the dwarf. The
expression on the dwarf's face would forever be engraved in the minds of
the two present to witness it. With an enraged cry of 'Aragorn' the dwarf
jumped and disappeared. Eomer glanced at Legolas who despite his seeming
angry comments was smiling. The elf shrugged.
"Anger is a great motivator of dwarfs."
"Who told you?" Eomer questioned.
"It is amazing the things you can learn when ale is involved." With a
smile Legolas indicated that Eomer should jump. He did and with a slight
disorientation appeared in the forest. Gimli next to him was muttering
ill remarks about Aragorn that would probably have placed him in serious
danger of being executed if he was within Gondor. There was no sign of
any of the elves but he assumed they were in the trees. He thought no
further on the subject as Legolas appeared beside him.
"We need horses." Eomer stated.
Legolas nodded and proceeded to issue a series of commands in elvish.
"Let us proceed. Horses will be made available to us shortly." Legolas
said. The two fell into step with Legolas.
"What of the creatures? Will we not lead them to Gondor?" Eomer
questioned.
"If they follow us to Gondor they will be defeated but I think they will
not. Their purpose was to destroy Ithilien. They have succeeded but their
leader has been captured and their forces have been destroyed. They will
not attempt an attack on Gondor. It is us who will be in danger on the
return journey."
*
'Truer words had never been uttered' Eomer thought ruefully as his horse
violently swerved to avoid another hoard of creatures. The surviving
elves urged their horses to go faster but the creatures were gaining.
They would be overtaken before they even sighted Gondor. They galloped up
a ridge which slowed their pace even further.
Legolas turned his horse around and halted. He needed to slow the
creatures' pursuit to enable his friends' time to escape.
"Creatures of Darkness HALT" Legolas demanded. He felt the other elves
halt as they realised that their leader was no longer with them. Gimli
also made his presence known as he tugged Legolas's tunic and demanded to
know what he was doing.
"Saving your lives." Legolas whispered and he promptly turned around and
picked Gimli up placing him behind the nearest elf.
"Head to Gondor I will catch you up." He said to the elf who clearly
hesitated.
"Blasted elf what are you doing?" Gimli demanded and Eomer soon joined
the protests.
"Forgive me." Legolas said and he uttered some words of elvish before
urging his horse down the slope to meet the creatures.
"Legolas!" Eomer cried and urged his horse to go after the elf. The horse
moved a few paces before it seemed to hit a brick wall. No amount of
urging could move the animal.
"No!" Gimli cried and he struggled down from the horse he had been
deposited on and ran forward. Again he could manage only a few paces
before he was forced to halt.
"Legolas!" he cried all concern for how he appeared to the other elves
was overtaken by his concern for his friend.
Legolas halted his horse just before he reached the bottom of the ridge.
Closing his eyes he felt a familiar sensation flood through his veins.
The new powers granted to him to rid Middle - Earth of the creatures made
him shiver with energy. Opening his eyes he saw that his already powerful
vision had increased and he could see every feature of the mass of
creatures.
"Creatures of Darkness HALT" He cried and to his amazement they did.
"You do not belong here and I will return you to where you came. Your
leaders are dead. You are all that remain and I will destroy every last
one of you!"
The creatures started forward again and Legolas rode towards them. The
closer he came the more powerful he felt. Withdrawing his sword he
charged.
*
"NO!" Gimli cried as he watched Legolas charge.
Eomer watched in horror as his friend charged to his death. 'How had
everything come to this? Hadn't they all suffered enough? Hadn't
Legolas?'
"We must leave!" one of the elves cried. They turned to see several of
the creatures had charged up the ridge and were now approaching them.
"We can fight them!" Gimli cried.
"If we do so then we put other lives at risk. Legolas ordered us to
leave. I do not wish for you two to die when your best friend placed your
safety in my hands. You should honour his wishes and leave now!"
"No!" Gimli cried charging again at the barrier that Legolas had somehow
erected. This time Gimli was flung backwards hitting the ground so hard
that he was knocked unconscious. The elf who had tried to persuade Gimli
to leave grabbed the dwarf and looked to Eomer.
The man shook his head and turned to see Legolas being overwhelmed by the
creatures. Eomer turned his horse.
"I will not leave him. Gimli can no longer help him so I will do so in
his place. When you get back Gimli's anger will be terrible. Go and I
will try to give you as much time as possible."
Eomer nudged his horse into a gallop and charged at the approaching
creatures. With an elvish blessing uttered to Legolas and Eomer the elves
turned and galloped away, desperate to reach Gondor.
*
Aragorn sat in his study listening to Tyran, one of his warrior
captain's, as he explained the current situation within the city.
"There is no trace of any of the invaders inside the city my lord. The
creatures that appeared with the dragon have left and I know not where
they went. We lost twenty two soldiers and one member of the household.
There were no wounds on him and the healer seems to think his heart
stopped from the shock. There is slight damage to the inner walls but it
should not take too long a time to get mended."
"What about the soldiers with Emperor Thalos?"
Tyran nodded slightly. "Six are unaccounted for according to the Emperor.
He is in quite a state and has undertaken interrogations of each of his
soldiers. He has also requested an audience with you at your earliest
convenience."
Aragorn nodded. "I need a double watch placed on the towers on the
outside walls. Ithilien has been attacked. We do not know who did it so I
want an alert watch and if anything is seen that you consider unusual I
want it reported immediately."
"Yes my lord."
Aragorn stood and Tyran sensing that he was no longer needed turned to
leave.
"I hear that you rescued quite a few of the serving staff tonight Tyran.
I will not forget that. You will be recognised for your service with a
golden star of Valor."
"Thank you my lord but that is unnecessary. Anyone would have done the
same."
Aragorn walked up to the man and clasped him on the shoulder.
"That is where you are wrong. Many would not have done that. They would
have frozen or be more concerned for their own safety. A warrior who puts
himself above others is rarer than you think. I have met few and those
that I have rarely get the acknowledgement that they deserve. Take it
when it is offered for you deserve it."
Tyran bowed his head in acceptance. "Thank you my lord" Aragorn smiled.
"Dismissed"
Tyran left and Aragorn walked over to the window that overlooked the
city. Dawn was fast approaching and he knew that with it would come the
truth about Ithilien and Legolas. He feared that it would go ill for the
elf and that the realisation of the truth would bring devastation to all
that were there to witness it.
**
**
Legolas led the way through the maze of passages seemingly without even
considering in which direction he was going. He came to what appeared a
dead end and halted. One of the elves touched a tree root and the once
blocked passage opened to reveal a dark room. The elves hurried in and
positioned themselves throughout the room.
"Go!" Legolas commanded and the elves jumped up. To the amazement of both
Eomer and Gimli they disappeared.
"The ceiling is an illusion as soon as your feet leave the ground you
appear on the surface." Legolas explained.
"Then how do you get down here?" Gimli asked.
"This is only a way out. There are other entrances."
"How come we can get out but people can't fall in." Gimli demanded
further.
"Its elven magic Gimli. Very complex to explain. Just jump." Legolas said
with a touch of exasperation.
"Dwarf's don't jump!" Gimli stated.
"And no one tosses a dwarf but I have it on good authority that at Helm's
Deep you were indeed tossed! Now cease this complaining and jump for we
need to leave this place!" Legolas stated glaring back at the dwarf. The
expression on the dwarf's face would forever be engraved in the minds of
the two present to witness it. With an enraged cry of 'Aragorn' the dwarf
jumped and disappeared. Eomer glanced at Legolas who despite his seeming
angry comments was smiling. The elf shrugged.
"Anger is a great motivator of dwarfs."
"Who told you?" Eomer questioned.
"It is amazing the things you can learn when ale is involved." With a
smile Legolas indicated that Eomer should jump. He did and with a slight
disorientation appeared in the forest. Gimli next to him was muttering
ill remarks about Aragorn that would probably have placed him in serious
danger of being executed if he was within Gondor. There was no sign of
any of the elves but he assumed they were in the trees. He thought no
further on the subject as Legolas appeared beside him.
"We need horses." Eomer stated.
Legolas nodded and proceeded to issue a series of commands in elvish.
"Let us proceed. Horses will be made available to us shortly." Legolas
said. The two fell into step with Legolas.
"What of the creatures? Will we not lead them to Gondor?" Eomer
questioned.
"If they follow us to Gondor they will be defeated but I think they will
not. Their purpose was to destroy Ithilien. They have succeeded but their
leader has been captured and their forces have been destroyed. They will
not attempt an attack on Gondor. It is us who will be in danger on the
return journey."
*
'Truer words had never been uttered' Eomer thought ruefully as his horse
violently swerved to avoid another hoard of creatures. The surviving
elves urged their horses to go faster but the creatures were gaining.
They would be overtaken before they even sighted Gondor. They galloped up
a ridge which slowed their pace even further.
Legolas turned his horse around and halted. He needed to slow the
creatures' pursuit to enable his friends' time to escape.
"Creatures of Darkness HALT" Legolas demanded. He felt the other elves
halt as they realised that their leader was no longer with them. Gimli
also made his presence known as he tugged Legolas's tunic and demanded to
know what he was doing.
"Saving your lives." Legolas whispered and he promptly turned around and
picked Gimli up placing him behind the nearest elf.
"Head to Gondor I will catch you up." He said to the elf who clearly
hesitated.
"Blasted elf what are you doing?" Gimli demanded and Eomer soon joined
the protests.
"Forgive me." Legolas said and he uttered some words of elvish before
urging his horse down the slope to meet the creatures.
"Legolas!" Eomer cried and urged his horse to go after the elf. The horse
moved a few paces before it seemed to hit a brick wall. No amount of
urging could move the animal.
"No!" Gimli cried and he struggled down from the horse he had been
deposited on and ran forward. Again he could manage only a few paces
before he was forced to halt.
"Legolas!" he cried all concern for how he appeared to the other elves
was overtaken by his concern for his friend.
Legolas halted his horse just before he reached the bottom of the ridge.
Closing his eyes he felt a familiar sensation flood through his veins.
The new powers granted to him to rid Middle - Earth of the creatures made
him shiver with energy. Opening his eyes he saw that his already powerful
vision had increased and he could see every feature of the mass of
creatures.
"Creatures of Darkness HALT" He cried and to his amazement they did.
"You do not belong here and I will return you to where you came. Your
leaders are dead. You are all that remain and I will destroy every last
one of you!"
The creatures started forward again and Legolas rode towards them. The
closer he came the more powerful he felt. Withdrawing his sword he
charged.
*
"NO!" Gimli cried as he watched Legolas charge.
Eomer watched in horror as his friend charged to his death. 'How had
everything come to this? Hadn't they all suffered enough? Hadn't
Legolas?'
"We must leave!" one of the elves cried. They turned to see several of
the creatures had charged up the ridge and were now approaching them.
"We can fight them!" Gimli cried.
"If we do so then we put other lives at risk. Legolas ordered us to
leave. I do not wish for you two to die when your best friend placed your
safety in my hands. You should honour his wishes and leave now!"
"No!" Gimli cried charging again at the barrier that Legolas had somehow
erected. This time Gimli was flung backwards hitting the ground so hard
that he was knocked unconscious. The elf who had tried to persuade Gimli
to leave grabbed the dwarf and looked to Eomer.
The man shook his head and turned to see Legolas being overwhelmed by the
creatures. Eomer turned his horse.
"I will not leave him. Gimli can no longer help him so I will do so in
his place. When you get back Gimli's anger will be terrible. Go and I
will try to give you as much time as possible."
Eomer nudged his horse into a gallop and charged at the approaching
creatures. With an elvish blessing uttered to Legolas and Eomer the elves
turned and galloped away, desperate to reach Gondor.
*
Aragorn sat in his study listening to Tyran, one of his warrior
captain's, as he explained the current situation within the city.
"There is no trace of any of the invaders inside the city my lord. The
creatures that appeared with the dragon have left and I know not where
they went. We lost twenty two soldiers and one member of the household.
There were no wounds on him and the healer seems to think his heart
stopped from the shock. There is slight damage to the inner walls but it
should not take too long a time to get mended."
"What about the soldiers with Emperor Thalos?"
Tyran nodded slightly. "Six are unaccounted for according to the Emperor.
He is in quite a state and has undertaken interrogations of each of his
soldiers. He has also requested an audience with you at your earliest
convenience."
Aragorn nodded. "I need a double watch placed on the towers on the
outside walls. Ithilien has been attacked. We do not know who did it so I
want an alert watch and if anything is seen that you consider unusual I
want it reported immediately."
"Yes my lord."
Aragorn stood and Tyran sensing that he was no longer needed turned to
leave.
"I hear that you rescued quite a few of the serving staff tonight Tyran.
I will not forget that. You will be recognised for your service with a
golden star of Valor."
"Thank you my lord but that is unnecessary. Anyone would have done the
same."
Aragorn walked up to the man and clasped him on the shoulder.
"That is where you are wrong. Many would not have done that. They would
have frozen or be more concerned for their own safety. A warrior who puts
himself above others is rarer than you think. I have met few and those
that I have rarely get the acknowledgement that they deserve. Take it
when it is offered for you deserve it."
Tyran bowed his head in acceptance. "Thank you my lord" Aragorn smiled.
"Dismissed"
Tyran left and Aragorn walked over to the window that overlooked the
city. Dawn was fast approaching and he knew that with it would come the
truth about Ithilien and Legolas. He feared that it would go ill for the
elf and that the realisation of the truth would bring devastation to all
that were there to witness it.
**