CHAPTER TWO
Disclaimer: I told you! It's not mine!
For several days, the two rode to Gondor, stopping as little as they could to rest, just riding contentedly together again, as they had done so often before.
One day, however, as they rode, Rana caught sounds of battle. Leaving their horses to check it out, they saw a party of orcs fighting several men. Bodies lay everywhere, and there were only about ten or fifteen men left on the field, fighting as many as thirty orcs. Running back to their horses, Rana and Legolas armed themselves with every weapon they had. Rana pulled her knives, her replenished supply of arrows, her bow, and her swords. Legolas seized his knives and his bow. Rana decided to bring Raeo with her, while Legolas would leave his behind. Riding double, they came down on the orcs hard, Rana holding her swords out to either side as they passed through. Legolas shot as many as he could with his bow, and they charged Raeo into the orcs to try and break their bones and render them helpless.
As the horse approached, Rana scanned the surviving orcs to try and guess what weapon she would need with them. As her gaze passed over a particularly grizzled goblin, Rana froze her movements. It was the same orc who had injured her in the first few days of her ride. Growling slightly, yet smiling, the orc obviously recognized her as well. Rana jumped from Raeo, paying no attention to Legolas' frenzied shouts. As she leaped, Rana pulled Nardurlos from its scabbard, and rolled to the ground. She attempted to cut out the orc's legs from under him, but to no avail. So instead, she got up from the ground. Holding Nardurlos in front of her, she stepped forwards quickly and stabbed at him. Laughing at her, the orc stepped aside and dodged her. Twisting back, she tried again and again. Finally, she was sweating heavily and breathing hard. She huffed, furious that he should avoid her for so long. She stopped, and pulled in a deep breath. Barely capable of holding her sword up, she held it for a final thrust....and managed to slice his head off with a neat stroke. She gaped at the fallen body, and then turned to kill any remaining orcs. Legolas, however, had taken care of them all himself....and had been injured. Rana ran to him, bending down out his side.
"Rana?" Legolas said, his voice raspy.
"Yeah? Legolas, where's the medicine gone? And all your stuff for healing?" She questioned, now very worried.
"In Arod's saddlebag. Go get it all. I'm going to need them." Rana started dashing to Raeo before Legolas finished. Jumping onto his back, she rode to Arod, who was rolling his eyes and dancing nervously. Taking the saddlebag off his shoulders, she put it on her own horse and led the other at a gallop to his fallen rider. Once she did, though, even she couldn't heal his injury. That much was obvious from the way his shoulder was spewing blood, and the wound turned black right in front of her. Legolas turned and groaned, and tried to sit up. He collapsed to the ground, and said nothing more. He would have to go to her best friends, Eruvande, Almatari, and Alataria. They were the best healers she knew, but they were in the opposite direction. With a last regretting look at the distant Gondor, she quickly made a litter between Arod and Raeo and put Legolas on it. His eyes fluttered open, but she quieted him then set the horses at a trot. Rana herself jogged next to the horses. She didn't want to tire Raeo out on the journey to Lothlorien.
Disclaimer: I told you! It's not mine!
For several days, the two rode to Gondor, stopping as little as they could to rest, just riding contentedly together again, as they had done so often before.
One day, however, as they rode, Rana caught sounds of battle. Leaving their horses to check it out, they saw a party of orcs fighting several men. Bodies lay everywhere, and there were only about ten or fifteen men left on the field, fighting as many as thirty orcs. Running back to their horses, Rana and Legolas armed themselves with every weapon they had. Rana pulled her knives, her replenished supply of arrows, her bow, and her swords. Legolas seized his knives and his bow. Rana decided to bring Raeo with her, while Legolas would leave his behind. Riding double, they came down on the orcs hard, Rana holding her swords out to either side as they passed through. Legolas shot as many as he could with his bow, and they charged Raeo into the orcs to try and break their bones and render them helpless.
As the horse approached, Rana scanned the surviving orcs to try and guess what weapon she would need with them. As her gaze passed over a particularly grizzled goblin, Rana froze her movements. It was the same orc who had injured her in the first few days of her ride. Growling slightly, yet smiling, the orc obviously recognized her as well. Rana jumped from Raeo, paying no attention to Legolas' frenzied shouts. As she leaped, Rana pulled Nardurlos from its scabbard, and rolled to the ground. She attempted to cut out the orc's legs from under him, but to no avail. So instead, she got up from the ground. Holding Nardurlos in front of her, she stepped forwards quickly and stabbed at him. Laughing at her, the orc stepped aside and dodged her. Twisting back, she tried again and again. Finally, she was sweating heavily and breathing hard. She huffed, furious that he should avoid her for so long. She stopped, and pulled in a deep breath. Barely capable of holding her sword up, she held it for a final thrust....and managed to slice his head off with a neat stroke. She gaped at the fallen body, and then turned to kill any remaining orcs. Legolas, however, had taken care of them all himself....and had been injured. Rana ran to him, bending down out his side.
"Rana?" Legolas said, his voice raspy.
"Yeah? Legolas, where's the medicine gone? And all your stuff for healing?" She questioned, now very worried.
"In Arod's saddlebag. Go get it all. I'm going to need them." Rana started dashing to Raeo before Legolas finished. Jumping onto his back, she rode to Arod, who was rolling his eyes and dancing nervously. Taking the saddlebag off his shoulders, she put it on her own horse and led the other at a gallop to his fallen rider. Once she did, though, even she couldn't heal his injury. That much was obvious from the way his shoulder was spewing blood, and the wound turned black right in front of her. Legolas turned and groaned, and tried to sit up. He collapsed to the ground, and said nothing more. He would have to go to her best friends, Eruvande, Almatari, and Alataria. They were the best healers she knew, but they were in the opposite direction. With a last regretting look at the distant Gondor, she quickly made a litter between Arod and Raeo and put Legolas on it. His eyes fluttered open, but she quieted him then set the horses at a trot. Rana herself jogged next to the horses. She didn't want to tire Raeo out on the journey to Lothlorien.