Author: Mirrordance
Title: Return
Summary: Post-LOTR. Legolas always felt at odds with his home kingdom. Though it's King by birthright, he fled it, building a prosperous colony in Ithilien. Just when all seems well at last, great dangers in Mirkwood call for the return of THIS King home.
* * *
PART TEN
* * *
Legolas hurriedly picked up his arrows and gathered them back into his quiver, pulling the shafts from his fallen enemies. Elrohir was doing the same, and it took them far less time than it should have, for the children of Eryn Lasgalen came to their aid, and handed everything they could gather to their bewildered prince with a slight, shy bow.
~Thank you,~ Legolas murmured to each of them, rather shyly as well. He suddenly found his arms full. Elrohir stood beside him, amused.
~I think they gave you some of mine,~ he whispered to his old friend.
Splitting the spoils, Legolas gave Elrohir half.
Legardo came up to his older brother and gave Legolas a mock of a bow as he returned the other's knife.
~Thank you,~ Legolas told him wryly, as Legardo rose and stole a pair of swords, bows and arrows, and a small dagger from one of the bodies.
* * *
"Any secret passageways to the dungeons?" Gimli asked Legolas as he, the elf, Legardo and Aragorn flew across the corridors at a run. They had to hurry; once the siege began, it was only a matter of time before Torres was alerted to his missing troops.
"None," Legolas replied, "They are the dungeons after all. There had to be no way to escape."
"So we have to go through the main entrance," Gimli growled, "Have you forgotten there's just four of us? These other elves fight dirtier than you, you know."
"Not any dirtier than him, don't worry," Legolas said, gesturing to his brother.
"That's harsh," Legardo said coolly, not breaking his pace at all, "You really can be mean, sire."
"You're brothers!" exclaimed Aragorn, "And the pair of you could possibly die here. Can you not get along?"
"We can," Legardo said swiftly, "It's just not half as interesting."
"I'm sorry," Legolas said to Aragorn, "You're right. This is hard enough without all the cursed banter."
"How many of them are guarding the dungeons?" Gimli asked Legardo.
"Not any more than twenty," replied the Mirkwood royal, "Most of them are already gathered outside to prepare for an open attack. They did not count on the wily hero here," he gestured towards Legolas, "Not bad, brother, really."
"You will forgive me if I'm uncertain as to how to take that," Legolas told him.
"I meant it in the good sense," said Legardo, "Mostly. But you really can be a show-off."
"A show-off--"
"Fabulous," exclaimed the dwarf, cutting off Legolas' tirade, "Twenty, you say? Five for each of us." He paused in thought, "Or I'm not entirely sure. Maybe a few more for me."
"Is that a challenge, master dwarf?" Legolas asked.
"You know it is," winked Gimli.
* * *
There was no other way, really, other than to simply use the element of surprise and burst into the scene with all of their considerable warrior's might.
"Can I cry for battle this time?" Gimli muttered to Legolas, as they hid amidst the shadows upon the entrance to the dungeon's anterooms.
"With all your might, mellon," Legolas smiled.
With a quiet signal from Aragorn, the four seasoned soldiers stormed the entrance with weapons raised and drawn.
Five of their enemies were already hit by arrows by the time Gimli's axe and Aragorn's sword made contact with any flesh. But Gimli was right; nothing short of an undoubtedly accurate and lethal hit could instantly bring them down. The Forgotten Elves made for gory foe—injured and bloody, they were far more relentless, and it was not strange for them to toss their weapons aside and resort to their bare, clawed hands and those cursed teeth.
They were brutally strong, and quick. They were clumsy with their weapons but they were resilient, and hideously persistent. Hits from any weapon that were not to such vital parts as their heads or hearts were almost immaterial to them.
They fought with an insatiable and undeniable rage and in afterthought, it should not have been a surprise; they were children of the dark, spawned by anger, hatred, hopelessness and a hunger and desperation that went beyond their physical needs towards staining their very souls.
But none of the four fighters let this understanding keep them from doing their work. Torres had said, Fate made us into mortal enemies, and indeed, that was what they were.
Aragorn dodged a clawed hand, narrowly missing the stiff fingers that were aiming for his heart—the blasted elf apparently had plans to tear it out! He turned slightly after the dodge, and plunged his sword upward the attacker's side. The human King pulled out the blade and threw it forward in a large arc, catching two more assailants across their necks.
Their blood gushed at him, and still they pressed forward with their arms stretched, eager to claim him. Both of them lunged. He missed one, but the other caught him in a gruesome roll that took him to the floor, practically swimming in their blood.
He lost his sword in the tumble, and the tight clutches of his enemy was making it impossible for him to keep from being felled, much less try to reclaim it.
The Forgotten Elf straddled him, and its mouth opened up to a soundless cry, just before its head descended to claim its prize.
Aragorn's fist caught him by the jaws, and its head reared back with a sickening crunch.
It's been awhile, Aragorn thought fleetingly, since he punched someone in the face…
The King pushed the elf away, and when he fell to the ground in a growing pool of blood from the wound on his neck, he never rose again.
Aragorn gathered his feet, and found Legolas, as always, standing never too far from him. The elven prince, as a matter of fact, had his sword and divested him of the trouble of the other elf who tried to kill him.
"Why do you keep losing things?" Legolas chided his old friend, handing him the sword by the hilt.
Aragorn barked a laugh, and swiftly made use of his reclaimed weapon.
* * *
"Six!" Gimli declared, downing the last of the Forgotten Elves proudly.
"Alas," Legolas said, "I've only downed four."
"I had six," Legardo declared proudly, happy to tie with the dwarf, as long as he won over his illustrious older brother.
"It's too bad," Legolas told him spryly, "You're not included in the game."
"Now you're just being a sore loser," Legardo pointed out.
Sounds from near the entrance caught their attention.
"Reinforcements?" Aragorn asked, alarmed at the implication; their secret attack has been discovered! And while it was futile in the sense that the soldiers and people of Eryn Lasgalen were already secured, they were yet to find the King.
"It cannot be," Legolas said determinedly, "No one got away to call for help. No, not reinforcements." He hurriedly began to survey the ground for all of his discarded arrows, "Perhaps, a change in shift duties—"
"No time," Legardo said to his brother in a low voice, laying a hand upon his shoulder, and removing arrow shafts from his quiver to offer to Legolas, "These will be better used in your hands, and we both know it."
The sounds of the approaching soldiers moved ever closer.
"Make them count," Legardo said. Make me proud, he meant, as Legolas took the offering with a grateful nod.
Legolas made good use of the first arrow shaft almost immediately. He turned toward the direction of the dungeons that held the Eryn Lasgalen soldiers and made a careful aim.
The lock splintered with the force and accuracy of the arrow's strike. Truly, the Prince's aim had no equal. The soldiers flooded out of the dungeons and gathered whatever weapons they could find, and used these to free their other comrades and prepare for a confrontation.
The group of twenty Forgotten Elves appeared by the anteroom at last, and started in surprise at the sight of all their captives freed and armed and undoubtedly dangerous.
~Surrender and be spared,~ Legolas warned them.
But as their kin before them, they too refused, and instead pressed forward, save for three who rushed out of the dungeons to warn their other allies.
"Legolas!" Aragorn exclaimed, pointing to the escapees.
Legolas leveled his bow upon their backs, as Aragorn kept him safe. He caught two of them, but their bodies were sturdy, and they pressed on.
~Sire!~ exclaimed one of the newly freed elven soldiers, ~Go!~
Legolas gave him a nod, as he, Aragorn, Gimli and Legardo cleared their way past the lines of their enemies in hot pursuit.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Original Character Guide:
Lesandro was the much-beloved heir to Mirkwood and Legolas' older brother, until he was murdered in the 2800's.
Legardo is Legolas' younger brother, and was the murderer of Lesandro, as Legolas finds out in "Exile." He tries to kill Legolas too, but fails and is imprisoned.
Lord Sala is the cowardly but opportunistic Mirkwood politician who tried to take the throne from King Thranduil by accusing Legolas of Lesandro's murder.
Lady Andrada is an old elf woman who fell in love with Thranduil but staged her own death to escape her unreturned love and subsequent despair in Mirkwood. She staged Legolas' death as well, to keep him from being a pawn in Sala's ambitions.
Esse and Mical are Mirkwood brothers and eccentric geniuses who followed Legolas to Ithilien, also introduced in "Return." Esse is the Royal Gardener and Mical is the Royal City Planner.
Elias – one of the Forgotten elves, the first one whom Legolas and company find.
Torres – the leader of the Forgotten elves
Yasmina – Torres' beloved wife, also one of the Forgotten elves
THANKS
TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO READ!!!
MASSIVE THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS: Starlit Hope, Deana, Gwyn, Dragonfly, HalandLeg4ever, Insanechildfanfic, Sodalite, Kit Cloudkicker, MSL, Tychen, Stoneage Woman,
To Sodalite: well, almost always I have something in mind :) I was thinking, I've already made two trilogies on how Aragorn and Legolas met… I was pondering creating a story of how they ultimately part ways. I've dabbled in this angst-ridden idea on two fics: my personal favorite "Estel," and then "Journey's End." I'll see though :)
To Tychen: oh, just a bit of a spoiler… a new king will be necessitated… just not in the way of Thranduil dying or some such thing :) I have a definite idea of the direction I want to move in now, because this fic is almost done :)
To Stoneage Woman: I suppose I've been 'testing the waters' on this humor thing by trying to infuse it in my mostly action/adventure fics. I don't think I could yet venture on the genre as central to my story though… I'm too afraid, and not entirely clever enough, haha! I do think about it though :)
THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYBODY!!! 'TIL THE NEXT POST!!!
