"Well, it does seem quiet without Samwise Gamgee's complaints." Merry
said, stifling a yawn, as his horse gave a soft whinny, unhappy about being
awakened so early.
"Just us two on the road." Pippin replied pointlessly, patting his mare unnecessarily on the neck, as the two horses, carrying their riders, trotted lightly down the path.
"Did Frodo already leave when we left?"
"He and Sam and Gandalf left early." Pippin affirmed. "I was up early too."
"What were you doing up early?" Merry asked incredulously, his curly hair bouncing to the rhythm of the horse's trot.
"Did I tell you they had plenty of good carrots and cabbages in the elves' vegetable patch?"
"You were off stealing elven vegetables!" Merry said accusingly, not happy that he was left out of the fun.
"I got the feeling that some of them saw me at it, but chose to leave me alone." Pippin shrugged, and opened his backpack and took out a large tomato with a slice of cheddar cheese. "Want some?"
Merry nodded fervently, and Pippin tossed him a small chunk of cheese with a sausage. Merry caught it in midair and immediately stuffed the sausage into his mouth. The delicious flavors of it filled his mouth for a moment as he closed his eyes to enjoy the taste. "Elves are good cooks, are they not?"
"I would say they are." Pippin nibbled on the edge of the cheese while chewing the tomato.
"Did he tell you that Frodo and company left for a different reason?" Merry said suddenly. Pippin's chewing became quiet as he took a sideway glance at Merry, and saw there was no humor in his expression.
"Tell." He replied simply, seemingly uncaring, but his expression also sobered.
"They will look through the great library first. they must find out how the Orcs got past the magic borders and killed the sentries. According to Lord Elrond, the counter-spell to the Orcs will be the first things Frodo and Sam will learn." Merry said all this within one breath, then waited for a response. In truth, there was no point in those two having this conversation, but it was a source of their worries.
Pippin did not reply. "According to our past journey, we have just skirted around the mines of Moria on a new path opened by the elves, and are now approaching Lothlorien."
"I know that, you fool." Merry said half-jokingly, while he looked ahead, and gave a grim sigh. Lothlorien, the golden woods filled with sunlight, beauty and enchantment, had never looked so grim. Without a sign of life, it seemed dark and dense.
"Why, if it isn't Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. We almost mistook you for Orcs at that distance!" Said a familiar voice from behind the two. Whipping out their weapons, the two twisted their horses around to face the source of sound, and found, to their great relief, Legolas, riding upon Luranor, beside a strange elf which neither Pippin nor Merry had met before, but the strange elf's face bear striking resemblance.
"Legolas!" The two almost shouted, but, remembering that they were now in hearing range of the Orcs, the two remembered to keep quiet.
"Legolas!" Merry whispered. "Where have you been?"
"The elf that came to us reported you missing!" Pippin pressed urgently, and rode over to gather Legolas into an embrace.
"I somehow wish that in times like these, we have faster methods of communication." Legolas said in a hearty tone, while trying to hug Pippin and Merry at the same time. "I went back to Mirkwood, the last messenger I dispatched should be arriving at Rivendell any time soon."
"A bit late." Merry chuckled. "But still, I guess it is the thought that counts."
"What are you two doing here?" Legolas asked, his voice suddenly turned serious, as the stranger elf regarded the two hobbits with mild interest.
"Well, we were send off to Mirkwood to inform you that it was not a human who shot your father." Pippin replied. The answer was so straightforward Merry glared at him. But Legolas did not seem to care how tactless this reply was.
"As I would have guessed." He sighed. "Someone is trying to start a war."
"But we need proof!" The strange elf suddenly spoke up. Merry and Pippin had completely forgotten about his existence and turned to face him with surprise on their faces.
"Yes, Halden, we need proof." Legolas mused. "The closest group of Orcs we have to us is the group in Lothlorien, and if we can capture a wizard Orc and bring him to questioning at Isengard, why, with Gandalf's arts, we shall soon get word out of him, which could be used as proof."
"And also," Pippin butted in. "since Rohan and Gondor are both under Aragorn's rule, me and Merry received similar rules. No knight of Gondor nor rider of Rohan are allowed to leave town without a specific reason, and right now, me and Merry are the only two out of the kingdom."
"What are you doing here?" It just suddenly occurred to Merry that Legolas should be back at Mirkwood, with no reason to be here. Legolas had an expression which told them that he had been expecting this question for a long time.
"We are going in to set free the people captured." Halden spoke up. "It was purely incidental that we met. I have heard a lot about you two, Halflings."
"You look familiar." Merry pointed out, while Pippin nodded vigorously. "It was as if I had seen your face before, but it was different then..."
"It was my brother you met." Halden said solemnly. "My brother is Haldir, he was sent with an army to help with the fight at Helm's Deep. You two were said to be in Fangorn at the time, but you probably glimpsed at my brother's face in the great halls of Gondor. He was laid there."
Merry sank into an awkward silence. There had always been a rumor that Haldir died of a sabotage. He was rumored to be shot by one of the humans, but in the chaos of the battle, nobody paid attention to who the owner of that arrow was. Back then, when the battle raged, each of the opponent side picked up random arrows off the ground to fill their quivers, so the arrow could prove nothing. Even knowing the fact that an arrow could prove nothing, prejudice runs deeper than anyone would have thought.
It was as if Halden could read minds, for when he spoke up, he spoke for all. "Do not worry, young Halfling." He said softly to Merry, noticing his discomfort. "Those were but rumors. Without evidence, it could not be believed."
Slightly reassured, Merry could only give a half-hearted nod, and turned to look at Pippin.
"Well, I suppose that you two are going in by yourselves, are you not?" Pippin demanded. Suddenly, this conversation had taken on a twist which made Merry's heart leap. The thought of another adventure was scary, almost daring, but exciting. At the same time, Legolas and Halden tossed each other a look and seemed to realize what was going on. "In short, you two shall not be coming." Legolas said, with a note of finality in his tone. "By light I should not let you come. You Halflings had been through already twice if not more than what we expected out of you, and you both have done your parts well. This is one dangerous task which you shall not risk."
"But..." Pippin opened his mouth to complain, but Merry was already on his way into Lothlorien. "I thought I'd said that you two shall not be coming!" Legolas whispered urgently after Merry's disappearing figure. Merry turned around, trying his best to have an exaggerated exasperated expression on his face. "You might need back up, you see." He said lightly, still making towards the woods. "We are here to provide some back up in case something happened to you. We do not want the prince of Mirkwood disappearing into Lothlorien, do we? Now that could cause complications." "You do not yet see the gravity and dangerousness of this task!" Halden explained, exasperated. "Please understand, this may cost your lives." "I am willing to risk that chance." Pippin, catching onto the conversation, stuck his chin high up in the air and followed after Merry. Halden was on the verge of making further attempts to stop Pippin and Merry when, with a slight wave of hand, Legolas stopped him, and watched the disappearing figures of the hobbits with mild interest. In all his years, though he was considered young by elven standards, Legolas had actually been through quite a lot, and gradually, he felt the spirit of adventure return to him, as eager as it was during the journey of the ring. With a sudden jolt, Legolas discovered that he wasn't ready to settle down with the elves and dwell in Ithilien. That had been his plan, and yet, now, as the spirit of adventure stirred within him, Legolas knew that he wanted to see. He couldn't understand exactly what it was he wanted to see, but he wanted to see the world, to know the world. He knew then that it was an impossible dream, for the world was possibly too big for him to explore all of its mysteries, but he had to start somewhere, and he wanted adventure, as if it was built into his blood. Wistfully wishing that Gimli was here, Legolas gave a slight sigh and followed the hobbits into the woods. Halden ceased his complaints, seeing that his king had chosen this path, and followed without complaint. His deep loyalty was keeping down whatever worries he might have, because he has one thing above all, and that is faith. The first thing Legolas noticed as they entered the forest was the lack of activities and noise. The woodpeckers ceased their pecking, and no squirrel leapt from branch to branch. This place did change in the brief period that Legolas was gone. Without the magic of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, everything seemed different, everything seemed more deadened. A moderate amount of stench filled their nostrils as they took a few steps further into the woods, until the smell was almost overpowering. At first, Legolas' delicate elven nose registered the smell, which made him pause. It made even the steadfast Halden uneasy. Merry and Pippin gladly ventured ahead, not aware of something they were not meant to be aware of. The smell of cadaverous dead bodies filled the forest, mixed with the stench of the Orcs. Legolas turned around briefly to share a look with Halden, who confirmed his thoughts. This place was once an enchanted home for the higher elves, a place of wonder, but now it was transformed into a dusty graveyard. Sadness filled his eyes as Halden silently shook his head. As the company made their way slightly deeper into the forest, all source of light was blocked out as if a giant ceiling was place above the forest. Legolas' vision was, however, not dimmed, for his elven sense of perception borders on supernatural. His hearing also adjusted to the quietness of the environment, and the slighty crunching of the Hobbits' boots. Suddenly, a noise came from the West. Even before the hobbits heard it, a few seconds before Halden sensed it, it had already entered Legolas' ears. Frozen in motion, Legolas listened intently, hoping to distinguish it for what it was before it got too close. Very soon, Halden noticed it too, and pulled the Hobbits to a stop. Merry was indeed almost surprised into giving a yelp when Halden promptly covered his mouth and pulled him into a patch of nearby bushes. Orcs. This sound came so distinctly now, the guttural sound of the black tongue. With a certain sense of hatred and superiority, Legolas listened to the group as the four Orcs made their was here, poking into the bushes occasionally with their clubs and spears. "Don't see nobody." One of them complained, as his club got stuck between thick tree branches, and Legolas had to stifle back a laughter. "They say invaders into Lothlorien, but I, I say we see no one, so no one entered." The other three nodded in consent. But whoever sent out the orders to them must have been of a higher ranking, for it carried a certain weight. Even though those Orcs thought it to be useless, they still carried out the orders. The oldest one was the first to turn back. With a swish of his club, which barely missed Pippin's hair, he turned around and mentioned for the rest of the Orcs to follow him, as they walked back directly towards the way they came. Then things started to bother Legolas. There was something wrong. Even though it seemed that those Orcs were sure that there wasn't an enemy in sight, one of the kept on fingering his spear, as if waiting for the inevitable. As they disappeared into the trees, the oldest Orc tossed a backwards glance before his figure was completely hidden by the bushes. Legolas looked at Halden and found him looking right back at him. Halden nodded, then imitated the backwards glance. Legolas immediately got the gist of it and fingered his short sword. They both knew what they saw, and it disturbed them. Suddenly, it occurred to Legolas. 'They knew that the company was there!' He thought, rather grimly. 'They were trying to lure us into a false sense of security, to lure us into the woods!' Halden voiced his thoughts. "It's a trap." He whispered so silently that the hobbits appeared to not have heard. Deeply troubled, Legolas decided it was the best time to retreat. The continual silence around them was making him uncomfortable. Suddenly, Merry made a move as if moving out of the bush. Reacting as fast as he could, Halden's arm shot out and just barely managed to grab Merry's collar, pulling him back into the bushes. With a soft "Arg" Merry landed back onto the soft earth with a thud. He rubbed at his buttocks sorely and glared at Halden, who glared back with the fierceness of an elder looking at a child, it made Merry suppress the moan which threatened to come out. Instead, Merry sighed in resignation, and waited with the rest of the company. Suddenly, a movement to the left caught Legolas' eyes. With eyes sharp as a hawk, he saw a silver blaze flying towards Pippin, and flung himself at Pippin. Within a second, he knocked over Pippin and together, they both rolled out of the bushes. One of the broken branches poked painfully into Legolas' ribs, but he ignored it, and as they came to a stop, the dust rose all around them, forming a translucent screen around them. Through the dim haze of the dust Legolas could make out figures coming at them at a high speed, stomping the ground in their haste. The only safe assumption to make about these figures was that they were Orcs. Muttering an elven curse, Legolas turned to Pippin to tell him to get moving, only to discover that Pippin had hit the side of his head on a small rock, and was now unconscious. Silently cursing fate, Legolas picked up the unconscious Pippin by the waist, and flipped him over his back, and carried him with one arm like a potato sack over his shoulder, as he pulled out one of his short sword, it was the only weapon he could use since he had to carry Pippin on his back. "Fool of a Took." Legolas said ironically to himself, and started to run, with Pippin bouncing behind his back. The dead weight slowed him down considerably, and he could hear the footsteps of the Orcs coming at him from the behind. As they got too close, Legolas turned around for the confrontation. To his surprise, there were less of them than he had expected, more than half had gone after Halden and Merry, and Legolas could only pray that they make it alright. Legolas caught the first blow by the nearest Orc with his arm, and since he could only use one arm, the shockwave created by the blow could be felt all the way down his shoulders, but he held, every muscle in his right arm straining. He was only secretly glad that he knew better than to pick up Pippin with his sword arm. If that happened, he would be almost trapped. Although he was almost equally adept with the sword with his left hand, he preferred nonetheless to use his right arm. With all his efforts, Legolas pushed the sword away. The Orc took a step back, and thrust his sword right at Legolas' neck, but Legolas ducked, the blow went harmlessly over the top of his head. He pushed out his own sword which went completely through the Orc. Almost instantaneously, he had to turn left because an Orc from the right was trying to get a poke at Pippin. Then, he discovered that it was almost impossible to fight with Pippin on his back. Reaching a decision fast, Legolas dove out of battle by the closest gap he could find, and made for the cave. It wasn't a cave, more of a curve into a mountain, it was very shallow, but it provided a very good defense position, since the enemy has a very narrow passage, they can only come at the defender from the narrow tunnel. It provided little arm space to use the swords, which would be just another advantage for Legolas, since his bow-and-arrow and short sword did not require a large amount of space to wield. Branches cracked and broke beneath his now-heavy footsteps as he made it towards the cave. Lothlorien was almost exactly as he remembered it, but something about it, a certain liveliness was gone. It was almost as if the forest itself was dead. The trees still lived, but with a deadened air surrounding it, almost as if it was shrouded in a funeral shroud. Soon, his breathing became heavy, and he never felt so tired. He never knew how much Pippin could weigh him down, but inside his heart there was no such alternative as leaving Pippin behind, it just never occurred to him.
"Just us two on the road." Pippin replied pointlessly, patting his mare unnecessarily on the neck, as the two horses, carrying their riders, trotted lightly down the path.
"Did Frodo already leave when we left?"
"He and Sam and Gandalf left early." Pippin affirmed. "I was up early too."
"What were you doing up early?" Merry asked incredulously, his curly hair bouncing to the rhythm of the horse's trot.
"Did I tell you they had plenty of good carrots and cabbages in the elves' vegetable patch?"
"You were off stealing elven vegetables!" Merry said accusingly, not happy that he was left out of the fun.
"I got the feeling that some of them saw me at it, but chose to leave me alone." Pippin shrugged, and opened his backpack and took out a large tomato with a slice of cheddar cheese. "Want some?"
Merry nodded fervently, and Pippin tossed him a small chunk of cheese with a sausage. Merry caught it in midair and immediately stuffed the sausage into his mouth. The delicious flavors of it filled his mouth for a moment as he closed his eyes to enjoy the taste. "Elves are good cooks, are they not?"
"I would say they are." Pippin nibbled on the edge of the cheese while chewing the tomato.
"Did he tell you that Frodo and company left for a different reason?" Merry said suddenly. Pippin's chewing became quiet as he took a sideway glance at Merry, and saw there was no humor in his expression.
"Tell." He replied simply, seemingly uncaring, but his expression also sobered.
"They will look through the great library first. they must find out how the Orcs got past the magic borders and killed the sentries. According to Lord Elrond, the counter-spell to the Orcs will be the first things Frodo and Sam will learn." Merry said all this within one breath, then waited for a response. In truth, there was no point in those two having this conversation, but it was a source of their worries.
Pippin did not reply. "According to our past journey, we have just skirted around the mines of Moria on a new path opened by the elves, and are now approaching Lothlorien."
"I know that, you fool." Merry said half-jokingly, while he looked ahead, and gave a grim sigh. Lothlorien, the golden woods filled with sunlight, beauty and enchantment, had never looked so grim. Without a sign of life, it seemed dark and dense.
"Why, if it isn't Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. We almost mistook you for Orcs at that distance!" Said a familiar voice from behind the two. Whipping out their weapons, the two twisted their horses around to face the source of sound, and found, to their great relief, Legolas, riding upon Luranor, beside a strange elf which neither Pippin nor Merry had met before, but the strange elf's face bear striking resemblance.
"Legolas!" The two almost shouted, but, remembering that they were now in hearing range of the Orcs, the two remembered to keep quiet.
"Legolas!" Merry whispered. "Where have you been?"
"The elf that came to us reported you missing!" Pippin pressed urgently, and rode over to gather Legolas into an embrace.
"I somehow wish that in times like these, we have faster methods of communication." Legolas said in a hearty tone, while trying to hug Pippin and Merry at the same time. "I went back to Mirkwood, the last messenger I dispatched should be arriving at Rivendell any time soon."
"A bit late." Merry chuckled. "But still, I guess it is the thought that counts."
"What are you two doing here?" Legolas asked, his voice suddenly turned serious, as the stranger elf regarded the two hobbits with mild interest.
"Well, we were send off to Mirkwood to inform you that it was not a human who shot your father." Pippin replied. The answer was so straightforward Merry glared at him. But Legolas did not seem to care how tactless this reply was.
"As I would have guessed." He sighed. "Someone is trying to start a war."
"But we need proof!" The strange elf suddenly spoke up. Merry and Pippin had completely forgotten about his existence and turned to face him with surprise on their faces.
"Yes, Halden, we need proof." Legolas mused. "The closest group of Orcs we have to us is the group in Lothlorien, and if we can capture a wizard Orc and bring him to questioning at Isengard, why, with Gandalf's arts, we shall soon get word out of him, which could be used as proof."
"And also," Pippin butted in. "since Rohan and Gondor are both under Aragorn's rule, me and Merry received similar rules. No knight of Gondor nor rider of Rohan are allowed to leave town without a specific reason, and right now, me and Merry are the only two out of the kingdom."
"What are you doing here?" It just suddenly occurred to Merry that Legolas should be back at Mirkwood, with no reason to be here. Legolas had an expression which told them that he had been expecting this question for a long time.
"We are going in to set free the people captured." Halden spoke up. "It was purely incidental that we met. I have heard a lot about you two, Halflings."
"You look familiar." Merry pointed out, while Pippin nodded vigorously. "It was as if I had seen your face before, but it was different then..."
"It was my brother you met." Halden said solemnly. "My brother is Haldir, he was sent with an army to help with the fight at Helm's Deep. You two were said to be in Fangorn at the time, but you probably glimpsed at my brother's face in the great halls of Gondor. He was laid there."
Merry sank into an awkward silence. There had always been a rumor that Haldir died of a sabotage. He was rumored to be shot by one of the humans, but in the chaos of the battle, nobody paid attention to who the owner of that arrow was. Back then, when the battle raged, each of the opponent side picked up random arrows off the ground to fill their quivers, so the arrow could prove nothing. Even knowing the fact that an arrow could prove nothing, prejudice runs deeper than anyone would have thought.
It was as if Halden could read minds, for when he spoke up, he spoke for all. "Do not worry, young Halfling." He said softly to Merry, noticing his discomfort. "Those were but rumors. Without evidence, it could not be believed."
Slightly reassured, Merry could only give a half-hearted nod, and turned to look at Pippin.
"Well, I suppose that you two are going in by yourselves, are you not?" Pippin demanded. Suddenly, this conversation had taken on a twist which made Merry's heart leap. The thought of another adventure was scary, almost daring, but exciting. At the same time, Legolas and Halden tossed each other a look and seemed to realize what was going on. "In short, you two shall not be coming." Legolas said, with a note of finality in his tone. "By light I should not let you come. You Halflings had been through already twice if not more than what we expected out of you, and you both have done your parts well. This is one dangerous task which you shall not risk."
"But..." Pippin opened his mouth to complain, but Merry was already on his way into Lothlorien. "I thought I'd said that you two shall not be coming!" Legolas whispered urgently after Merry's disappearing figure. Merry turned around, trying his best to have an exaggerated exasperated expression on his face. "You might need back up, you see." He said lightly, still making towards the woods. "We are here to provide some back up in case something happened to you. We do not want the prince of Mirkwood disappearing into Lothlorien, do we? Now that could cause complications." "You do not yet see the gravity and dangerousness of this task!" Halden explained, exasperated. "Please understand, this may cost your lives." "I am willing to risk that chance." Pippin, catching onto the conversation, stuck his chin high up in the air and followed after Merry. Halden was on the verge of making further attempts to stop Pippin and Merry when, with a slight wave of hand, Legolas stopped him, and watched the disappearing figures of the hobbits with mild interest. In all his years, though he was considered young by elven standards, Legolas had actually been through quite a lot, and gradually, he felt the spirit of adventure return to him, as eager as it was during the journey of the ring. With a sudden jolt, Legolas discovered that he wasn't ready to settle down with the elves and dwell in Ithilien. That had been his plan, and yet, now, as the spirit of adventure stirred within him, Legolas knew that he wanted to see. He couldn't understand exactly what it was he wanted to see, but he wanted to see the world, to know the world. He knew then that it was an impossible dream, for the world was possibly too big for him to explore all of its mysteries, but he had to start somewhere, and he wanted adventure, as if it was built into his blood. Wistfully wishing that Gimli was here, Legolas gave a slight sigh and followed the hobbits into the woods. Halden ceased his complaints, seeing that his king had chosen this path, and followed without complaint. His deep loyalty was keeping down whatever worries he might have, because he has one thing above all, and that is faith. The first thing Legolas noticed as they entered the forest was the lack of activities and noise. The woodpeckers ceased their pecking, and no squirrel leapt from branch to branch. This place did change in the brief period that Legolas was gone. Without the magic of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, everything seemed different, everything seemed more deadened. A moderate amount of stench filled their nostrils as they took a few steps further into the woods, until the smell was almost overpowering. At first, Legolas' delicate elven nose registered the smell, which made him pause. It made even the steadfast Halden uneasy. Merry and Pippin gladly ventured ahead, not aware of something they were not meant to be aware of. The smell of cadaverous dead bodies filled the forest, mixed with the stench of the Orcs. Legolas turned around briefly to share a look with Halden, who confirmed his thoughts. This place was once an enchanted home for the higher elves, a place of wonder, but now it was transformed into a dusty graveyard. Sadness filled his eyes as Halden silently shook his head. As the company made their way slightly deeper into the forest, all source of light was blocked out as if a giant ceiling was place above the forest. Legolas' vision was, however, not dimmed, for his elven sense of perception borders on supernatural. His hearing also adjusted to the quietness of the environment, and the slighty crunching of the Hobbits' boots. Suddenly, a noise came from the West. Even before the hobbits heard it, a few seconds before Halden sensed it, it had already entered Legolas' ears. Frozen in motion, Legolas listened intently, hoping to distinguish it for what it was before it got too close. Very soon, Halden noticed it too, and pulled the Hobbits to a stop. Merry was indeed almost surprised into giving a yelp when Halden promptly covered his mouth and pulled him into a patch of nearby bushes. Orcs. This sound came so distinctly now, the guttural sound of the black tongue. With a certain sense of hatred and superiority, Legolas listened to the group as the four Orcs made their was here, poking into the bushes occasionally with their clubs and spears. "Don't see nobody." One of them complained, as his club got stuck between thick tree branches, and Legolas had to stifle back a laughter. "They say invaders into Lothlorien, but I, I say we see no one, so no one entered." The other three nodded in consent. But whoever sent out the orders to them must have been of a higher ranking, for it carried a certain weight. Even though those Orcs thought it to be useless, they still carried out the orders. The oldest one was the first to turn back. With a swish of his club, which barely missed Pippin's hair, he turned around and mentioned for the rest of the Orcs to follow him, as they walked back directly towards the way they came. Then things started to bother Legolas. There was something wrong. Even though it seemed that those Orcs were sure that there wasn't an enemy in sight, one of the kept on fingering his spear, as if waiting for the inevitable. As they disappeared into the trees, the oldest Orc tossed a backwards glance before his figure was completely hidden by the bushes. Legolas looked at Halden and found him looking right back at him. Halden nodded, then imitated the backwards glance. Legolas immediately got the gist of it and fingered his short sword. They both knew what they saw, and it disturbed them. Suddenly, it occurred to Legolas. 'They knew that the company was there!' He thought, rather grimly. 'They were trying to lure us into a false sense of security, to lure us into the woods!' Halden voiced his thoughts. "It's a trap." He whispered so silently that the hobbits appeared to not have heard. Deeply troubled, Legolas decided it was the best time to retreat. The continual silence around them was making him uncomfortable. Suddenly, Merry made a move as if moving out of the bush. Reacting as fast as he could, Halden's arm shot out and just barely managed to grab Merry's collar, pulling him back into the bushes. With a soft "Arg" Merry landed back onto the soft earth with a thud. He rubbed at his buttocks sorely and glared at Halden, who glared back with the fierceness of an elder looking at a child, it made Merry suppress the moan which threatened to come out. Instead, Merry sighed in resignation, and waited with the rest of the company. Suddenly, a movement to the left caught Legolas' eyes. With eyes sharp as a hawk, he saw a silver blaze flying towards Pippin, and flung himself at Pippin. Within a second, he knocked over Pippin and together, they both rolled out of the bushes. One of the broken branches poked painfully into Legolas' ribs, but he ignored it, and as they came to a stop, the dust rose all around them, forming a translucent screen around them. Through the dim haze of the dust Legolas could make out figures coming at them at a high speed, stomping the ground in their haste. The only safe assumption to make about these figures was that they were Orcs. Muttering an elven curse, Legolas turned to Pippin to tell him to get moving, only to discover that Pippin had hit the side of his head on a small rock, and was now unconscious. Silently cursing fate, Legolas picked up the unconscious Pippin by the waist, and flipped him over his back, and carried him with one arm like a potato sack over his shoulder, as he pulled out one of his short sword, it was the only weapon he could use since he had to carry Pippin on his back. "Fool of a Took." Legolas said ironically to himself, and started to run, with Pippin bouncing behind his back. The dead weight slowed him down considerably, and he could hear the footsteps of the Orcs coming at him from the behind. As they got too close, Legolas turned around for the confrontation. To his surprise, there were less of them than he had expected, more than half had gone after Halden and Merry, and Legolas could only pray that they make it alright. Legolas caught the first blow by the nearest Orc with his arm, and since he could only use one arm, the shockwave created by the blow could be felt all the way down his shoulders, but he held, every muscle in his right arm straining. He was only secretly glad that he knew better than to pick up Pippin with his sword arm. If that happened, he would be almost trapped. Although he was almost equally adept with the sword with his left hand, he preferred nonetheless to use his right arm. With all his efforts, Legolas pushed the sword away. The Orc took a step back, and thrust his sword right at Legolas' neck, but Legolas ducked, the blow went harmlessly over the top of his head. He pushed out his own sword which went completely through the Orc. Almost instantaneously, he had to turn left because an Orc from the right was trying to get a poke at Pippin. Then, he discovered that it was almost impossible to fight with Pippin on his back. Reaching a decision fast, Legolas dove out of battle by the closest gap he could find, and made for the cave. It wasn't a cave, more of a curve into a mountain, it was very shallow, but it provided a very good defense position, since the enemy has a very narrow passage, they can only come at the defender from the narrow tunnel. It provided little arm space to use the swords, which would be just another advantage for Legolas, since his bow-and-arrow and short sword did not require a large amount of space to wield. Branches cracked and broke beneath his now-heavy footsteps as he made it towards the cave. Lothlorien was almost exactly as he remembered it, but something about it, a certain liveliness was gone. It was almost as if the forest itself was dead. The trees still lived, but with a deadened air surrounding it, almost as if it was shrouded in a funeral shroud. Soon, his breathing became heavy, and he never felt so tired. He never knew how much Pippin could weigh him down, but inside his heart there was no such alternative as leaving Pippin behind, it just never occurred to him.