A/N: Thank you to all my great reviewers! I doubt many will read this
because they are anxious to get reading the story, but for those of you who
are: the story takes a complete twist from what I originally planned and
how it's been heading so far. Let me know what you think.
Thank you x-silver-saffire-x and JediKnightBalthasar for the help with editing this chapter, I am sorry for all the errors.
Chapter Five
Kama was just beginning to get the hang of the words when the earth started to shake and the sound of flying arrows filled the air. Legolas stopped in mid-sentence and jumped up, bow loaded and ready. He felt something curl around his leg. Glancing down for a precious second, he saw Kama clutching him, scared to death. He picked her up in his arms. The problem with this was his bow was useless. Even if he cradled her in one arm he would only have the remaining arm to shoot with.
He shifted her to his backside so she had both arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. With her on his back like this, he had full range of motion and could fight with her with him. The only problem was his speed would be slowed and he would have a hard time spotting an enemy from behind.
"Kama, hold on. No matter what, do not let go. You hear me?" He felt her nod. "If anyone comes at me from behind tell me." He reached up and grabbed her hands. "I won't let anything happen to you." She squeezed his neck briefly in appreciation and Legolas then turned and sped forward.
Orcs Hundreds of them. Elves everywhere were slashing at them trying to even the terribly unbalanced odds.
Legolas spotted an unarmed elf. He caught his attention and yelled, "Go to the city and ask my father for reinforcements!"
"What about the child? Do you wish me to take her?"
"No. Go. Hurry!"
He watched the elf take off running in the direction of the town. Arms tightened around the young prince's neck. He whirled around to see a small herd of orcs coming towards him at full speed. Arrows flew from his bow and orcs in the front lines fell over dead. The others side stepped the bodies of their companions and continued at him. Afraid of running out of arrows, he pulled out his twin elven blades. Simultaneously they flew from his hands and hit their targets. Retrieving them, he slashed at the enemy.
Soon, he was encircled, trapped by a much larger fleet of orcs. Many had joined them. Kama pulled herself closer to him. It felt almost like she was pulling on his neck.
"Kama--" he gasped out.
A small scream answered him followed by, "Leg-las! Help!" He swirled and chopped off the hands of the orc trying to pull her of.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he finished off the orc.
"There's so many!" she muttered in a frightened tone.
"It is alright. Do not be afraid."
Legolas continued to kill the invaders around him. Kama was right. There were so many and all the other elves seemed to have disappeared. He found it hard to believe he and Kama were going to get out of there alive.
Several minutes passed as with orcs lives. The prince's effort did not seem to create a dent in the vast army around him. A scream threw off his concentration. Kama was being pulled by her waist in effort to rip her off his back.
"Kama, hold on!" he thrust his sword into the gut of the enemy behind him, catching Kama as she fell. As that moment, that small slice of time, Kama was the center of his attention. "Are you alright?" he asked, holding her close to him. His mind blasted back on the battle when a sword was shoved into the flesh in his upper chest. A firey pain filled his thoughts. His vision blacked for a moment and he fell to his knees.
"Le-las!"
'Kama. . .must. . .Kama. . .Kama. . .'
He felt arms pull her away with a force he could not counter.
'No! Do. . .not. . .let go!' his mind screamed.
He fumbled as he tried to stand. The sword was ripped out and he was pushed to the ground. The orcs continued onward and he found himself lying with the dead.
'Kama. . .They are still within reach!' He gathered his strength and pulled himself up. A quick glance was stolen at the nasty hole gaping in him. Vitals. He cursed silently to himself and swayed on his feet.
"I am coming, Kama," he said through clenched teeth as he forced himself into an awkward run to the back of the orc pack.
~~~
An elf burst into the room where Thranduil was speaking with his council. They all turned to see who made the abrupt entrance.
"Heruamin (My Lord)," the elf gasped, attempting to bow, but collapsed on the floor. It was then the other elves present noticed the blood on his tunic.
The elf struggled to stand. The king walked to him.
"Mani marte (What happened)?" he questioned in elvish.
"Orcs . . .everywhere. . . search party." He stopped to catch his breath. "Prince sent me for reinforcements. There. . . hundreds. . .They. . .everywhere."
"My son? How does he fair?" the king asked as he motioned for a council member to prepare an army.
"He insisted on keeping the edan (human). He had her on his back while he fought. . .seemed to be flocking to him."
Thranduil turned to the remaining elves. "Help get our messenger to the healers." He turned and made his way back to the throne, now alone in the room.
"Ah, Valar. Please help them."
~~~
"Kama. . .you are doing this for Kama. . . She. . . needs you." She stumbled on the uneven ground and pushed himself onward. "I. . .need. . .her."
And uninjured elf would have reached the pack dozens of minutes ago. But Legolas, clinging onto life with each passing moment, had fallen very far behind. He stumbled again and this time didn't bother catching himself.
"Kama I have failed you." As these words escaped his lips a scream echoed through the underbrush. Tears fell from his eyes for the first time. "They are torturing her." He couldn't even start to think of what they would do to the young girl.
"Kama!" he yelled with all his might. "I am sorry!"
~~~
The Mirkwood king assembled two parties, one for bringing the injured back and another to assist with the fighting. Each elf was supplied with a quiver of arrows, a bow, tin blades, a sword, and a finely tuned whistle to alert the others when the wrong group found either orcs or survivors. The first group had higher pitch.
With these supplies, they were sent off and were told to bring the human child back immediately if she was to be found.
Thranduil wished to go with them. The feeling of helplessness every time a remnant went out was horrible. He needed to know of how his son was fairing. For all he knew he could be dead now.
'Do not let yourself think such things,' his conscious told him 'Legolas is strong.'
~~~
So this is what it feels like to die,' Legolas thought to himself as he lay face down in his own blood. 'Oh, Valar! I shall be one of the few elves who does not make it to the undying lands. I will not live forever . . .why did they not finish me? Did they really wish to torture me this way?'
'Oh, Kama. This is no torture compared to what they are most likely doing to you. I have failed you. Ah, I have failed all.'
The prince could feel his senses slowly leaving him. His sight and hearing where as that of a human. Sense of touch existed no longer; the pain was numbing his body. Blood consumed all sense of taste.
He had often thought of what would finally finish him. He doubted it would be of a broken heart for love he did not seek and a battle wound seemed unlikely because of his superb skills with a bow and blade. But he was dying from both. If one did not finish him off, the other would. After what had just happened, he didn't want to go on.
Legolas let his eyes close. This would be a sleep like no other.
~~~
The search parties had spread a few miles outside the city's gates, but had no luck thus far. Dead orcs were spewed everywhere.
One elf wandered off further into the forest alone. There, he found an unbelievable large amount of dead orcs in a concentrated area. It looked as though they had circled a few elves. But looking at the arrows, there was only that of one elf. Unless the elves had reused arrows or collected some after the battle. He looked closer. The arrows had the inscription the prince used. The elf plucked one from an orc to look closer. Sure enough, his eyes did not deceive him.
"He did all this?" he asked aloud to no one, picking his head up and scanning the vast area. Looking for any sign of the prince's whereabouts, he carefully walked through the graveyard. Had he actually escaped, killing all the orcs? It would be amazing if Legolas had. If he lived, then he would most definitely be awarded.
He walked on and out of the point the battle took place. Convinced the prince had been victorious and was living, he moved from the site to search for any other elves.
As he was walking, he noticed something in the path about five hundred meters ahead of him. It wasn't a log, but he could not make it out. He walked closer, uneasy, and ready for the object to spring up at him at any moment. But as the distance lessened, the elf discovered it was a fellow elf lying in his path. He sprinted and knelt beside the body. Turning it over, he gasped at the sight of the prince, eyes closed. Fearing the worst, he carefully put him over his shoulders and ran towards the city.
~~~
Thranduil had set up a makeshift hospital in the throne room. All the healers were summoned and waiting for elves to arrive. The messenger had been treated and was recovering in a room above them.
'Where are they? It should not be taking this long!' the king thought while he paced the hall.
Just then, the door burst open as one of the few guards posted at the gates came through. Thranduil's first reaction was the orcs were in the city. Healers turned to see who it was.
"What news do you bring us?" Thranduil asked, walking towards him.
"I bring no news, but am assisting another." The elf stepped aside and held the door open. Confused, Thranduil opened his mouth to ask whom he was assisting when another elf staggered in. He immediately recognized the elf in his arms.
"Legolas!" he gasped as he rushed to take him.
"I do not know how he fairs, but I fear the worst. I found him in this state." The elf handed him the limp prince. The king felt his knees start to buckle at seeing his son's closed eyes; symbolizing death is near or had already occurred.
A healer appeared at his side and led him to a cot in the back of the room.
"Is he still living?" he asked the healer as he laid his son on the bed.
"Barely," the healer told him as he checked for a pulse. "He lost a lot of blood and the point the wound is placed can be deadly. I shall see what I can do." With those words, he turned to his work.
Thranduil couldn't take seeing his son in such a state. Turning away, he noticed the elf that brought Legolas in, patiently waiting for him.
Walking over to him, "How bad is it out there?"
"Orc remains everywhere. Not another elf seen by my eyes. But he," he said nodding in the direction of Legolas, "must have fought bravely."
"Why do you say that?"
"No elf falls without a fair fight, especially against orcs. When I found him, he was approximately six hundred meters from a dense area of dead orcs where I found arrows with his signature and his other weapons." He produced Legolas' twin blades and sword and held them out to the grieving father. "You should be proud. He slayed many before he fell."
"Thank you," the king mumbled accepting the blades. "Did you say six hundred meters away?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, about that. Why do you ask?"
"The girl. . .did you find her?"
"No, she may be still out there."
"Ah."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever known Legolas to be injured during battle?" the king asked.
"Before this? No. He is an amazing fighter. His concentration is never lost."
"Exactly. I'm thinking. . .well the messenger said the girl was on Legolas' back as he fought. What if the girl was taken from his back, he turned to grab her, but was instead stabbed. Stunned, the orcs would have fled and Legolas would have tried to follow, but collapsed from the wound."
"It adds up," the elf replied after a pause.
"Indeed it does."
~~~
Thranduil sat slumped in his chair. This was not a good day. Elves, dead elves had been brought back throughout the morning. It had been almost twelve hours since the most recent elf had been brought in and dusk was approaching.
So many elves were still unaccounted for, including the human child. Search efforts had dwindled and the hypothesis was they were being held prisoner. The only one living thus far was Legolas who was barely holding on to life.
Multiple healers had been with him ever since trying to rouse him from death's corner. The herbs were useless. What they needed now was time, time for his body to create more blood and heal. Time they didn't have.
~~~
Thank you x-silver-saffire-x and JediKnightBalthasar for the help with editing this chapter, I am sorry for all the errors.
Chapter Five
Kama was just beginning to get the hang of the words when the earth started to shake and the sound of flying arrows filled the air. Legolas stopped in mid-sentence and jumped up, bow loaded and ready. He felt something curl around his leg. Glancing down for a precious second, he saw Kama clutching him, scared to death. He picked her up in his arms. The problem with this was his bow was useless. Even if he cradled her in one arm he would only have the remaining arm to shoot with.
He shifted her to his backside so she had both arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. With her on his back like this, he had full range of motion and could fight with her with him. The only problem was his speed would be slowed and he would have a hard time spotting an enemy from behind.
"Kama, hold on. No matter what, do not let go. You hear me?" He felt her nod. "If anyone comes at me from behind tell me." He reached up and grabbed her hands. "I won't let anything happen to you." She squeezed his neck briefly in appreciation and Legolas then turned and sped forward.
Orcs Hundreds of them. Elves everywhere were slashing at them trying to even the terribly unbalanced odds.
Legolas spotted an unarmed elf. He caught his attention and yelled, "Go to the city and ask my father for reinforcements!"
"What about the child? Do you wish me to take her?"
"No. Go. Hurry!"
He watched the elf take off running in the direction of the town. Arms tightened around the young prince's neck. He whirled around to see a small herd of orcs coming towards him at full speed. Arrows flew from his bow and orcs in the front lines fell over dead. The others side stepped the bodies of their companions and continued at him. Afraid of running out of arrows, he pulled out his twin elven blades. Simultaneously they flew from his hands and hit their targets. Retrieving them, he slashed at the enemy.
Soon, he was encircled, trapped by a much larger fleet of orcs. Many had joined them. Kama pulled herself closer to him. It felt almost like she was pulling on his neck.
"Kama--" he gasped out.
A small scream answered him followed by, "Leg-las! Help!" He swirled and chopped off the hands of the orc trying to pull her of.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he finished off the orc.
"There's so many!" she muttered in a frightened tone.
"It is alright. Do not be afraid."
Legolas continued to kill the invaders around him. Kama was right. There were so many and all the other elves seemed to have disappeared. He found it hard to believe he and Kama were going to get out of there alive.
Several minutes passed as with orcs lives. The prince's effort did not seem to create a dent in the vast army around him. A scream threw off his concentration. Kama was being pulled by her waist in effort to rip her off his back.
"Kama, hold on!" he thrust his sword into the gut of the enemy behind him, catching Kama as she fell. As that moment, that small slice of time, Kama was the center of his attention. "Are you alright?" he asked, holding her close to him. His mind blasted back on the battle when a sword was shoved into the flesh in his upper chest. A firey pain filled his thoughts. His vision blacked for a moment and he fell to his knees.
"Le-las!"
'Kama. . .must. . .Kama. . .Kama. . .'
He felt arms pull her away with a force he could not counter.
'No! Do. . .not. . .let go!' his mind screamed.
He fumbled as he tried to stand. The sword was ripped out and he was pushed to the ground. The orcs continued onward and he found himself lying with the dead.
'Kama. . .They are still within reach!' He gathered his strength and pulled himself up. A quick glance was stolen at the nasty hole gaping in him. Vitals. He cursed silently to himself and swayed on his feet.
"I am coming, Kama," he said through clenched teeth as he forced himself into an awkward run to the back of the orc pack.
~~~
An elf burst into the room where Thranduil was speaking with his council. They all turned to see who made the abrupt entrance.
"Heruamin (My Lord)," the elf gasped, attempting to bow, but collapsed on the floor. It was then the other elves present noticed the blood on his tunic.
The elf struggled to stand. The king walked to him.
"Mani marte (What happened)?" he questioned in elvish.
"Orcs . . .everywhere. . . search party." He stopped to catch his breath. "Prince sent me for reinforcements. There. . . hundreds. . .They. . .everywhere."
"My son? How does he fair?" the king asked as he motioned for a council member to prepare an army.
"He insisted on keeping the edan (human). He had her on his back while he fought. . .seemed to be flocking to him."
Thranduil turned to the remaining elves. "Help get our messenger to the healers." He turned and made his way back to the throne, now alone in the room.
"Ah, Valar. Please help them."
~~~
"Kama. . .you are doing this for Kama. . . She. . . needs you." She stumbled on the uneven ground and pushed himself onward. "I. . .need. . .her."
And uninjured elf would have reached the pack dozens of minutes ago. But Legolas, clinging onto life with each passing moment, had fallen very far behind. He stumbled again and this time didn't bother catching himself.
"Kama I have failed you." As these words escaped his lips a scream echoed through the underbrush. Tears fell from his eyes for the first time. "They are torturing her." He couldn't even start to think of what they would do to the young girl.
"Kama!" he yelled with all his might. "I am sorry!"
~~~
The Mirkwood king assembled two parties, one for bringing the injured back and another to assist with the fighting. Each elf was supplied with a quiver of arrows, a bow, tin blades, a sword, and a finely tuned whistle to alert the others when the wrong group found either orcs or survivors. The first group had higher pitch.
With these supplies, they were sent off and were told to bring the human child back immediately if she was to be found.
Thranduil wished to go with them. The feeling of helplessness every time a remnant went out was horrible. He needed to know of how his son was fairing. For all he knew he could be dead now.
'Do not let yourself think such things,' his conscious told him 'Legolas is strong.'
~~~
So this is what it feels like to die,' Legolas thought to himself as he lay face down in his own blood. 'Oh, Valar! I shall be one of the few elves who does not make it to the undying lands. I will not live forever . . .why did they not finish me? Did they really wish to torture me this way?'
'Oh, Kama. This is no torture compared to what they are most likely doing to you. I have failed you. Ah, I have failed all.'
The prince could feel his senses slowly leaving him. His sight and hearing where as that of a human. Sense of touch existed no longer; the pain was numbing his body. Blood consumed all sense of taste.
He had often thought of what would finally finish him. He doubted it would be of a broken heart for love he did not seek and a battle wound seemed unlikely because of his superb skills with a bow and blade. But he was dying from both. If one did not finish him off, the other would. After what had just happened, he didn't want to go on.
Legolas let his eyes close. This would be a sleep like no other.
~~~
The search parties had spread a few miles outside the city's gates, but had no luck thus far. Dead orcs were spewed everywhere.
One elf wandered off further into the forest alone. There, he found an unbelievable large amount of dead orcs in a concentrated area. It looked as though they had circled a few elves. But looking at the arrows, there was only that of one elf. Unless the elves had reused arrows or collected some after the battle. He looked closer. The arrows had the inscription the prince used. The elf plucked one from an orc to look closer. Sure enough, his eyes did not deceive him.
"He did all this?" he asked aloud to no one, picking his head up and scanning the vast area. Looking for any sign of the prince's whereabouts, he carefully walked through the graveyard. Had he actually escaped, killing all the orcs? It would be amazing if Legolas had. If he lived, then he would most definitely be awarded.
He walked on and out of the point the battle took place. Convinced the prince had been victorious and was living, he moved from the site to search for any other elves.
As he was walking, he noticed something in the path about five hundred meters ahead of him. It wasn't a log, but he could not make it out. He walked closer, uneasy, and ready for the object to spring up at him at any moment. But as the distance lessened, the elf discovered it was a fellow elf lying in his path. He sprinted and knelt beside the body. Turning it over, he gasped at the sight of the prince, eyes closed. Fearing the worst, he carefully put him over his shoulders and ran towards the city.
~~~
Thranduil had set up a makeshift hospital in the throne room. All the healers were summoned and waiting for elves to arrive. The messenger had been treated and was recovering in a room above them.
'Where are they? It should not be taking this long!' the king thought while he paced the hall.
Just then, the door burst open as one of the few guards posted at the gates came through. Thranduil's first reaction was the orcs were in the city. Healers turned to see who it was.
"What news do you bring us?" Thranduil asked, walking towards him.
"I bring no news, but am assisting another." The elf stepped aside and held the door open. Confused, Thranduil opened his mouth to ask whom he was assisting when another elf staggered in. He immediately recognized the elf in his arms.
"Legolas!" he gasped as he rushed to take him.
"I do not know how he fairs, but I fear the worst. I found him in this state." The elf handed him the limp prince. The king felt his knees start to buckle at seeing his son's closed eyes; symbolizing death is near or had already occurred.
A healer appeared at his side and led him to a cot in the back of the room.
"Is he still living?" he asked the healer as he laid his son on the bed.
"Barely," the healer told him as he checked for a pulse. "He lost a lot of blood and the point the wound is placed can be deadly. I shall see what I can do." With those words, he turned to his work.
Thranduil couldn't take seeing his son in such a state. Turning away, he noticed the elf that brought Legolas in, patiently waiting for him.
Walking over to him, "How bad is it out there?"
"Orc remains everywhere. Not another elf seen by my eyes. But he," he said nodding in the direction of Legolas, "must have fought bravely."
"Why do you say that?"
"No elf falls without a fair fight, especially against orcs. When I found him, he was approximately six hundred meters from a dense area of dead orcs where I found arrows with his signature and his other weapons." He produced Legolas' twin blades and sword and held them out to the grieving father. "You should be proud. He slayed many before he fell."
"Thank you," the king mumbled accepting the blades. "Did you say six hundred meters away?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, about that. Why do you ask?"
"The girl. . .did you find her?"
"No, she may be still out there."
"Ah."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever known Legolas to be injured during battle?" the king asked.
"Before this? No. He is an amazing fighter. His concentration is never lost."
"Exactly. I'm thinking. . .well the messenger said the girl was on Legolas' back as he fought. What if the girl was taken from his back, he turned to grab her, but was instead stabbed. Stunned, the orcs would have fled and Legolas would have tried to follow, but collapsed from the wound."
"It adds up," the elf replied after a pause.
"Indeed it does."
~~~
Thranduil sat slumped in his chair. This was not a good day. Elves, dead elves had been brought back throughout the morning. It had been almost twelve hours since the most recent elf had been brought in and dusk was approaching.
So many elves were still unaccounted for, including the human child. Search efforts had dwindled and the hypothesis was they were being held prisoner. The only one living thus far was Legolas who was barely holding on to life.
Multiple healers had been with him ever since trying to rouse him from death's corner. The herbs were useless. What they needed now was time, time for his body to create more blood and heal. Time they didn't have.
~~~