~ To start anew ~
by Ola
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A/N~ Mmm, this may be a little of a rehashing of the first chapter, but there is an important part at the end, so if you feel bored in the middle of it, at least check out the ending of this chapter. I'm sorry it's so short: I've been running around all day taking care of administrative stuff, and have lots of exams. *sigh*. Well, hope you enjoy =)
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Part 2~ Ride of darkness
Laurenor. The golden one. And how he wished he could now equal the speed of the sun for which he had been named. As fast as the ground disappeared from under his hooves, more appeared on the horizon. More ground that did not seem to close the space between him and the dark forest of pines he could just begin to see.
And those wretched wargs he was unable to shake from his tails. How he longed to buck and smash his hooves into those jaws. But not while on duty. And certainly not while bearing his messenger.
His messenger. His partner. Legolas Greenleaf, the prince of Mirkwood. Oh, how he had pranced on his first mission, so proud of the honor of bearing such an honorable member of the messengers of the crown. And they had bonded beyond what would have been expected of a good steed and a good courier. They had become the unlikeliests of companions. And what mischief had come to pass because of them! Those had been peaceful times however, well before the orcs and goblins started to pour out of the mountains and attack the outlying villages.
And now, the last wave was upon them. A monumental wave the likes of which no one had yet seen. And no one would stay alive to remember it if they did not arrive in time.
Arrows flew past them, none touching Laur, but he felt his rider's pain as yet another one found its target. How he could sustain this silence while obviously hurt was beyond Laur. And yet, was it not exactly the same thing he was doing? Running flat out while he should have foundered long ago, finding hidden sources of energy deep within him, doing all in his power to deliver his missive?
But would that be enough? The wargs were still clinging to them like burs to hair. And Legolas obviously had doubts about the success of this mission. And who wouldn't? But Laurenor, although harboring similar doubts, did not in the least like what his friend had just done. Passing the message's cylinder to him could only mean one thing. A thing he was not in agreement with, although he knew it would probably work. But there is no reason to believe that half of those blasted wolves won't come after me whether my rider remains with me or not. So you are staying right were you are Legolas. Do you hear me? Or will you try to act the hero? This is not the time for that. It is not a game from which you can walk away, only slightly bruised.
Another projectile smashed into his friend, and this time, Laur stumbled from the force of the impact, wincing inwardly at the agony he knew his rider was must feel. He strained harder, the trees now much closer. If only they could make it that far.
His friend's mind, always there, on the edge, like the brush of a feather, suddenly disappeared from Laurenor's head. Although it must have been a relief to fall into the soothing hands of unconsciousness, the elf could not have chosen a worst moment to loose touch with reality. Just ahead of them lay a large gully. Large enough to necessitate a full jump. A jump that would have required the full attention of Laur's rider. For there was no way to stop or take an easier way and circle around it. There simply was no time. Laurenor bunched his hindquarters and jumped, trying to land as smoothly as he could. But the elf's unconscious body started to slide down the horse's barrel.
Laur slightly bucked in mid-run to shrug Legolas back onto the blanket that covered his middle and served as a saddle for the lightweight elf. The unconscious body felt like an unresponsive sac of hay, and Laurenor had to suppress the panic rising within him. No! We will BOTH outlive this quest! The trees were now so close that Laur could see individual branches, and soon, he plunged into the relative gloom of the dense canopy. The orcs redoubled their angry cry, feeling they would loose their quarry once it entered too far into the woods, and crashed into the underbrush.
But Legolas's body became harder to bear as the densely wooded forest forced Laur to weave around the thick trunks. The elven steed slowed as much as he dared, and compensated for the rest by half-dancing half-bucking every other step, cutting a thin line between outrunning the foul wolves and keeping his rider from falling off.
Trees flashed by, a blur of green. Branches wiped Laur's chest and forelegs, leaving thin bloody welts on the golden hide.
The forest echoed with his thundering hooves, fallen leaves only slightly muffling his passing.
The growling of the wargs lessened.
Laurenor dared to slow his headlong race, concentrating on keeping Legolas on his back. The horse was panting heavily, his barrel heaving with exertion, and his thoughts narrowing down to: run, message …Legolas, wargs …Thranduil … message … ….Legolas …
And yet, despite his efforts, the elf could barely keep his seat, and the more he slowed, the harder he had to sidestep and "shrug" to prevent him from tumbling down. His muscles strained to accomplish what was required of them, while they should have given up long ago. They burned with a low, smothering ach that slowly burned out most coherent thoughts.
At least …he is … … un…conscious. Cannot bear …think …how … should hurt. Pain … … un…bearable. Hang on… …Not far.
Left shoulder shrug.
Not far. He would have snorted if he could have spared the breath. No. Only four… short… … little… hours… … more.
Right-hindquarter-buck.
He could no more hear the wargs. Only his heavy breathing and his hooves striking the ground. Perhaps they had a chance after all. Laur picked up his gallop again, his mind bent on reaching Thrnduil's hall.
And suddenly, Legolas's body overbalanced to the left, and fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Laur skidded to a halt, covered in whitish foam, and his eyes showing whites.
NO!!!
He gently nosed the limp form. Not even a whimper or a moan escaped the unconscious elf. Laurenor circled around his friend, pawing at the ground, and looking out fearfully into the depth of the forest. He snuffled, and again prodded his rider, his movements now jerky from fatigue, and his legs wide apart to keep himself from falling and joining his messenger on the ground. As much as his tired mind screamed at him to stay next to his friend, deep down he knew his obligation. His duty. What Legolas would have expected him to do.
A terrifying neigh filled the forest, followed by another, frighteningly loud one, full of anger and despair.
Thunder exploded as Laur galloped away, madly crashing through whatever found itself in his path, only barely avoiding the trees.
And then silence.
The deep silence of emptiness.
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A/N~ so? Advice? Comments?
-cheysuli- thanks =) I'm still waiting for that fic of yours! (the one about "learning to see", you know, the one you haven't updated for months!!) *grins and waves*
-I need a name- well, not much else happened here, but there will be a lot more in the next chapter. I promise.
-eck- =) mmm, well, maybe we could keep him just on this side of life, eh? *grins* it's much more fun that way =) but yep, poor guy, it's weir how many people are hell bent on making him suffer. =)
-casualis- thanks. =)
