Chapter Eight
Iron, as Boromir was realizing, weighed much, much more than wood. All day of walking with a large metal cage on his back had lowered him to a sort of limp-hobble.
He finally dropped the cage with a thud, and flung himself on the ground, stretching his aching back.
After nibbling peckishly at some food, Boromir relaxed, gazing up at his dark ceiling of sky. And though his thoughts rested on Gondor, he dreamed of a giant pewter ring wielding a gold cage that was chasing him through Lothlorien.
.
"Mirkwood!" Legolas cried joyfully in the setting sun. Will followed his gaze to a line of dense trees on the horizon. They were forboding and gave him involuntary shudders. Will tried to maintain a normal disposition, after all, he wouldn't like to see Legolas cringing at the site of Cape Royal.
The again, Cape Royal wasn't fenced in by monstrous, old, menacing trees that blocked out the sun itself.
"Many a turn of the leaves have I spent among those ancient trees." Legolas continued, speeding his gait to a near sprint. Making a face behind his back, Will quickened to catch up with him, and soon the two had entered the forest.
After perhaps one hundred paces, Will felt as though it was the deepest part of the night. He could barely see the Elf not three feet from him.
"Oh Mirkwood the fair!" Legolas sang, quickening his pace. Will was enveloped in darkness.
"Don't leave me!" He cried, beginning to run. He promptly caught his foot on a tree root and fell into the underbrush. He heard a merry laugh and a hand help him up.
"I can't see a thing in this accursed forest." Will sighed angrily, mad at his counterpart for, even if only briefly, leaving his limitted vision.
The hand that remained on his wrist tightened like a clamp, and a not-so-happy feeling began stirring in Will's stomach.
"Accursed forest?" The voice, though male, was not Legolas's, demanded hotly.
"I meant no offense-" Will began weakly, but he had already begun to be lead forward quite forcefully.
He heard more footsteps approach, and a new voice, "What have you, Ergil?"
"A man who not only entered our forest without permission, but also called it accursed to my face."
A sharp gasped was heard to Will's far left.
"I came with my friend, Legolas. Perhaps you know him?" He started, but was interrupted by jovial laughing.
"Oh, of course you came with the prince of our realm. Of course we should believe you, stranger, even though he left for Rivendell weeks ago to Elrond's council." Ergil chuckled, and the other voice joined in, "You must have a more err proof excuse to convince we Elves of the Ndaedeldhrim."
"It's true!" Will began vexedly, "He's nearby, I swear to it."
"Perhaps we should leave him here." Ergil suggested mischieviously.
"It might chase the arrogance from him."
"Perhaps the arrogance is not his, but your's." Called a familiar voice. Will heard a thud as though a large object had just landed on the ground, and the grip that was clamped on his wrist loosened.
"My prince," Ergil cried joyfully, "we did not expect your arrival so soon." "I have more urgent matters to settle, now would you be so kind as to release my friend?" Legolas added. The hands were lifted from him, and he took a few steps forward.
"Can we assist you in any way?" The other voice asked helpfully.
"Know you where Radagast currently resides?"
"Ai, in your own father's company." Ergil answered.
"Feasting, no doubt." The other Elf added sullenly.
"I thank you," Legolas graced, "come Will, we have a long walk before us."
Annoyed, Will reminded, "I can't see anything."
A cold metal object was shoved in his hand. A small flame drew near him, and the exploded into a firey light by his head. It was a torch.
Will shot a glare at the two foreign Elves, both of whom had dark brown hair and silvery green cloaks.
Turning back around, he saw Legolas's retreating back, and hurried after him.
.
Boromir stood knee-deep in the Gladden River, wondering how he was supposed to ford it. It wasn't exceptionally wide, but the water was swift, and looked deep. A realization bit into Boromir, and he knew that there was no way her could cross the river and keep the heavy iron cage. Heaving a sigh, he set down the cage on the bank. Then he walked upstream some twenty yards, and waded in.
The Gladden River was made up of the melted snow and ice of the Hithaeglir, and, as you can imagine, disturbingly cold.
Boromir tried to ignore the icy temperature as he waded deeper until the water curled around his chest. Finally his toes couldn't reach the bottom, so he began swimming like mad to get across.
With each stroke he was swept four feet down river, so by the time he had struggled to the other side, the lonely iron cage rested nearly fifty yards away. Shivering, Boromir fell on his back on the bank, and rested until nightfall.
.
"Where are we going again?" Will panted, following after Legolas, who tried to maintain a followable run.
"To the eastern end of Mirkwood," Legolas replied airily; he kept a sharp eye for his kin, who, if he remembered correctly, held feasts in various clearings of the wood at every sunset.
"Are you hungry?" Legolas called behind him.
"Very." Will answered with relief, "Can we stop?"
"Not yet- climb up one of these trees and tell me if the sun has descened to the horizon." Legolas ordered, halting and looking around.
"Why can't you?" Will demanded, "You're the Elf."
"It is because I am the Elf that I must remain on the ground. We can't have another guard hearing your unceasing complaints of my home. Now hurry."
Grumbling, Will selected the closest tree and began to climb it. Legolas watched his identical friend disappear in the canopy, and then began to wander around, searching for a face among the trees.
Meanwhile, after much ascension, Will finally broke from his leafy ceiling and beheld the sky. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the sky until he found it again; its blue slashed with oranges and reds further west, and the fierce wind sending his hair everywhere.
"Sunset!" Will yelled down below, and reluctantly began to descend the tree. He was eventually enveloped into darkness, and his eyes latched onto the torch he had left shoved in the ground.
He jumped down from the lowest branch, and as his feet were recovering from the shock, he looked around for Legolas.
The Elf was nowhere to be seen.
"Legolas!" Will called, panicking. Without Legolas, he was lost in a dark forest infested with Elves bent on mocking him.
He said nothing more, straining his ears to hear even the softest sound. After a few minutes he heard the sound of bubbling laughter, murmuring from a sweet voice, and then a familiar squeak.
"Legolas!" Will repeated louder, trying to locate the source of the sound. He heard another cheery laugh, and the a burst of indescribably bright light exploded perhaps ten yards from him.
Temporarily blinded, Will staggered towards where the light had come from, but when his pupils finally dialated appropriately, there was no one to be seen, heard, or rescued.
Will swore, and then yelled into the darkness "May this horrid forest burn-"
"Do you really want to finish that statement?" Inquired a low voice. Will's heart raced, and he noticed that an Elf had just appeared from behind a nearby tree.
"If you would have let me finish, you would have heard me say 'may this horrid forest burn with heavenly light for all to see its beauty, instead of being masked in darkness.' And by horrid I meant unique." Will added anxiously, "Where I come from horrid has a different meaning."
The Elf's face was skeptical, but he smiled nonetheless, "Why do you wander alone?"
"My companion, Legolas, has been kidnapped."
"Thranduil's son and only heir?" The Elf demanded sharply. Will nodded, and the Elf drew closer, "Know you where he might have been taken?"
"I know where the scum that took him come from- could you guide me to the ruins of Malir Sul?"
"I can, my name is Galadlhach, and there are few Elves that know this forest better than I."
"I'm Will Turner."
"Follow me." Galadlhach commanded, and Will obeyed, still hungry, and feeling even more like a dog than a person.
------------------------------------
limpet666: Yes, I love Faramir (David Wenham-he'll always be Fari to me) in Van Helsing, but it was odd seeing him such a coward. "But you're a monk!" "Actually, I'm just a friar." Or however that dialogue went- it made me chuckle.
Hobbit-eyes: You can't just say Hector. It's HECTOR!!!!!!, just like good 'ol Achilles screeched for ten minutes before he dragged him around in the sand. Curse you Brad Pitt for killing Paris's nifty brother. Anyway, about you writing a similar story: It's fine by me as long as you don't take elements from mine ostentatiously. Hey, if you can write a fic that's persuade people to stop writing Mary Sues...It will be all happy-like.
Hellga: :gasp: You don't want to live in Middle Earth?! Oh well, to each his/her own.
Imithwennyere: Ten points for you for using 'pique' in your review. Savvy savvy savvy. I'd read PotC fics if they weren't all like "Jack Sparrow can't hide his feelings for Will any longer, so he [more or less] kills Elizabeth, and he and Will sail the Black Pearl." Either that, or they ruin the characters' personalities, throwing in savvy anywhere they please. Grrr. A bit like the Chronicles of Narnia? Yey, I was kind of influenced by the whole green ring-yellow ring thing.
Iron, as Boromir was realizing, weighed much, much more than wood. All day of walking with a large metal cage on his back had lowered him to a sort of limp-hobble.
He finally dropped the cage with a thud, and flung himself on the ground, stretching his aching back.
After nibbling peckishly at some food, Boromir relaxed, gazing up at his dark ceiling of sky. And though his thoughts rested on Gondor, he dreamed of a giant pewter ring wielding a gold cage that was chasing him through Lothlorien.
.
"Mirkwood!" Legolas cried joyfully in the setting sun. Will followed his gaze to a line of dense trees on the horizon. They were forboding and gave him involuntary shudders. Will tried to maintain a normal disposition, after all, he wouldn't like to see Legolas cringing at the site of Cape Royal.
The again, Cape Royal wasn't fenced in by monstrous, old, menacing trees that blocked out the sun itself.
"Many a turn of the leaves have I spent among those ancient trees." Legolas continued, speeding his gait to a near sprint. Making a face behind his back, Will quickened to catch up with him, and soon the two had entered the forest.
After perhaps one hundred paces, Will felt as though it was the deepest part of the night. He could barely see the Elf not three feet from him.
"Oh Mirkwood the fair!" Legolas sang, quickening his pace. Will was enveloped in darkness.
"Don't leave me!" He cried, beginning to run. He promptly caught his foot on a tree root and fell into the underbrush. He heard a merry laugh and a hand help him up.
"I can't see a thing in this accursed forest." Will sighed angrily, mad at his counterpart for, even if only briefly, leaving his limitted vision.
The hand that remained on his wrist tightened like a clamp, and a not-so-happy feeling began stirring in Will's stomach.
"Accursed forest?" The voice, though male, was not Legolas's, demanded hotly.
"I meant no offense-" Will began weakly, but he had already begun to be lead forward quite forcefully.
He heard more footsteps approach, and a new voice, "What have you, Ergil?"
"A man who not only entered our forest without permission, but also called it accursed to my face."
A sharp gasped was heard to Will's far left.
"I came with my friend, Legolas. Perhaps you know him?" He started, but was interrupted by jovial laughing.
"Oh, of course you came with the prince of our realm. Of course we should believe you, stranger, even though he left for Rivendell weeks ago to Elrond's council." Ergil chuckled, and the other voice joined in, "You must have a more err proof excuse to convince we Elves of the Ndaedeldhrim."
"It's true!" Will began vexedly, "He's nearby, I swear to it."
"Perhaps we should leave him here." Ergil suggested mischieviously.
"It might chase the arrogance from him."
"Perhaps the arrogance is not his, but your's." Called a familiar voice. Will heard a thud as though a large object had just landed on the ground, and the grip that was clamped on his wrist loosened.
"My prince," Ergil cried joyfully, "we did not expect your arrival so soon." "I have more urgent matters to settle, now would you be so kind as to release my friend?" Legolas added. The hands were lifted from him, and he took a few steps forward.
"Can we assist you in any way?" The other voice asked helpfully.
"Know you where Radagast currently resides?"
"Ai, in your own father's company." Ergil answered.
"Feasting, no doubt." The other Elf added sullenly.
"I thank you," Legolas graced, "come Will, we have a long walk before us."
Annoyed, Will reminded, "I can't see anything."
A cold metal object was shoved in his hand. A small flame drew near him, and the exploded into a firey light by his head. It was a torch.
Will shot a glare at the two foreign Elves, both of whom had dark brown hair and silvery green cloaks.
Turning back around, he saw Legolas's retreating back, and hurried after him.
.
Boromir stood knee-deep in the Gladden River, wondering how he was supposed to ford it. It wasn't exceptionally wide, but the water was swift, and looked deep. A realization bit into Boromir, and he knew that there was no way her could cross the river and keep the heavy iron cage. Heaving a sigh, he set down the cage on the bank. Then he walked upstream some twenty yards, and waded in.
The Gladden River was made up of the melted snow and ice of the Hithaeglir, and, as you can imagine, disturbingly cold.
Boromir tried to ignore the icy temperature as he waded deeper until the water curled around his chest. Finally his toes couldn't reach the bottom, so he began swimming like mad to get across.
With each stroke he was swept four feet down river, so by the time he had struggled to the other side, the lonely iron cage rested nearly fifty yards away. Shivering, Boromir fell on his back on the bank, and rested until nightfall.
.
"Where are we going again?" Will panted, following after Legolas, who tried to maintain a followable run.
"To the eastern end of Mirkwood," Legolas replied airily; he kept a sharp eye for his kin, who, if he remembered correctly, held feasts in various clearings of the wood at every sunset.
"Are you hungry?" Legolas called behind him.
"Very." Will answered with relief, "Can we stop?"
"Not yet- climb up one of these trees and tell me if the sun has descened to the horizon." Legolas ordered, halting and looking around.
"Why can't you?" Will demanded, "You're the Elf."
"It is because I am the Elf that I must remain on the ground. We can't have another guard hearing your unceasing complaints of my home. Now hurry."
Grumbling, Will selected the closest tree and began to climb it. Legolas watched his identical friend disappear in the canopy, and then began to wander around, searching for a face among the trees.
Meanwhile, after much ascension, Will finally broke from his leafy ceiling and beheld the sky. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the sky until he found it again; its blue slashed with oranges and reds further west, and the fierce wind sending his hair everywhere.
"Sunset!" Will yelled down below, and reluctantly began to descend the tree. He was eventually enveloped into darkness, and his eyes latched onto the torch he had left shoved in the ground.
He jumped down from the lowest branch, and as his feet were recovering from the shock, he looked around for Legolas.
The Elf was nowhere to be seen.
"Legolas!" Will called, panicking. Without Legolas, he was lost in a dark forest infested with Elves bent on mocking him.
He said nothing more, straining his ears to hear even the softest sound. After a few minutes he heard the sound of bubbling laughter, murmuring from a sweet voice, and then a familiar squeak.
"Legolas!" Will repeated louder, trying to locate the source of the sound. He heard another cheery laugh, and the a burst of indescribably bright light exploded perhaps ten yards from him.
Temporarily blinded, Will staggered towards where the light had come from, but when his pupils finally dialated appropriately, there was no one to be seen, heard, or rescued.
Will swore, and then yelled into the darkness "May this horrid forest burn-"
"Do you really want to finish that statement?" Inquired a low voice. Will's heart raced, and he noticed that an Elf had just appeared from behind a nearby tree.
"If you would have let me finish, you would have heard me say 'may this horrid forest burn with heavenly light for all to see its beauty, instead of being masked in darkness.' And by horrid I meant unique." Will added anxiously, "Where I come from horrid has a different meaning."
The Elf's face was skeptical, but he smiled nonetheless, "Why do you wander alone?"
"My companion, Legolas, has been kidnapped."
"Thranduil's son and only heir?" The Elf demanded sharply. Will nodded, and the Elf drew closer, "Know you where he might have been taken?"
"I know where the scum that took him come from- could you guide me to the ruins of Malir Sul?"
"I can, my name is Galadlhach, and there are few Elves that know this forest better than I."
"I'm Will Turner."
"Follow me." Galadlhach commanded, and Will obeyed, still hungry, and feeling even more like a dog than a person.
------------------------------------
limpet666: Yes, I love Faramir (David Wenham-he'll always be Fari to me) in Van Helsing, but it was odd seeing him such a coward. "But you're a monk!" "Actually, I'm just a friar." Or however that dialogue went- it made me chuckle.
Hobbit-eyes: You can't just say Hector. It's HECTOR!!!!!!, just like good 'ol Achilles screeched for ten minutes before he dragged him around in the sand. Curse you Brad Pitt for killing Paris's nifty brother. Anyway, about you writing a similar story: It's fine by me as long as you don't take elements from mine ostentatiously. Hey, if you can write a fic that's persuade people to stop writing Mary Sues...It will be all happy-like.
Hellga: :gasp: You don't want to live in Middle Earth?! Oh well, to each his/her own.
Imithwennyere: Ten points for you for using 'pique' in your review. Savvy savvy savvy. I'd read PotC fics if they weren't all like "Jack Sparrow can't hide his feelings for Will any longer, so he [more or less] kills Elizabeth, and he and Will sail the Black Pearl." Either that, or they ruin the characters' personalities, throwing in savvy anywhere they please. Grrr. A bit like the Chronicles of Narnia? Yey, I was kind of influenced by the whole green ring-yellow ring thing.