Author's notes: - Thank you for the reviews. Hope you enjoy it! Sorry for
the shortness!!
+
Astalder veered sharply to avoid a snarling warg that had leapt out of the tree line. Legolas let loose an oath that would have made Gimli blush and brought his bow around and shot it through the neck. The wargs had set upon them with barely enough time to call a warning. They had not expected the enemy to be so close to the camps so the attack had been a total surprise and therefore effective. His party of ten elves had suffered one casualty straight away, the unfortunate elf being ripped from his horse and carried away. Whistles echoed as the scout party urgently called for aid from the other parties.
Legolas turned around to try and take count of how the rest of his party fared, this momentarily lapse of concentration cost him as a warg pounced knocking both him and Astalder off their feet. Legolas rolled over but Astalder with a furious scream reared up and struck the warg with his failing hooves. The warg kept coming but Astalder refused to give up. The horse reared again, striking the wargs head and Legolas winced as he heard the skull crack and give way. Quickly getting to his feet Legolas remounted.
"Thank you" he whispered to the stallion. Looking around he saw most of the wargs had been defeated the others were fleeing.
"Kill them all!!" he cried. "None must escape."
He saw two elves rush into the forest to kill a fleeing warg, the final one of the attacking party.
Suddenly a party of elves dropped to the ground and some mounted elves appeared through the trees. Legolas recognised Azian who quickly came over to him.
"A little late brother." Legolas stated. Azian looked over him worriedly checking for injuries.
"Does your head hurt?" he asked.
"Pardon?" Legolas asked as he reached a hand up to touch his head. Bringing it away he saw blood.
"Oh...no it doesn't." Legolas said before nudging Astalder to move over to the rest of his warriors. With a sigh of relief he realised all apart from Rynin, who had been carried off, were still standing some albeit shakily.
Turing back to face Azian and Varnier, who had led one of the other scouting parties, he looked grim.
"We have a problem."
*
"Riders" a voice called. Aragorn glanced at Gimli and Eomer before hurrying out of the tent. He had a niggling feeling that he knew who it was and he was proved right. Legolas came trotting into sight followed by some obviously wounded elves. It was then that he noticed the gash just above Legolas's left eye that had bled down his face.
"Legolas. Damn elf what have you done now?" Gimli's gruff voice grumbled as the dwarf hurried forward.
"I do not have much time. There are wargs nearer to the camps than realised. Be on guard for I fear they are not the only dark creatures abroad."
"Thank you for the warning. How fare you and your party?" Aragorn asked.
A flash of grief crossed Legolas's face. "A member of my party fell."
"Tis not your fault lad" Gimli said reading his thoughts. Legolas turned to him.
"They are my responsibility. Be careful." Legolas said and the party of elves moved away as quickly as they arrived.
Aragorn watched them go before turning and heading back into the tent. Stopping on the way he told his Captains to double the guards.
** Aragorn had barely sat back down with Eomer and Gimli to discuss possible stratagem and deployment of troops when the flap opened and Lord Elrond and Gandalf stepped in.
"Legolas needs to be removed from his command!" Gandalf stated and Eomer choked on his drink.
"I think the likelihood of that happening is remote." Aragorn said as soon as he recovered from the shock and the bluntness of the comment. "He is one of the King's sons, a seasoned warrior and he will not let it happen. Neither will I."
"Surely you can see the problem with him being in such a sensitive position." Gandalf commented.
"I can but if you want to destroy him you are going the right away about it."
"Thranduil will not accept it." Elrond stated. "If we go marching in there and demand Legolas to be removed then we will completely lose the wood elves in the alliance and I know for a fact we will be out of Mirkwood before we could explain."
"Something needs to be done and quickly for he is watching." Gandalf continued.
"He?" Eomer questioned.
"Sauron."
"How do you know this?" Gimli demanded concerned.
Gandalf ignored the question.
"So you are proposing that we march in, remove Legolas and force him to go through that procedure?" Eomer questioned.
"If it comes to that." Gandalf said calmly.
Aragorn snorted.
"And face the wrong end of Mirkwood's warriors."
"What else do you propose? Talking to him didn't work!"
"No but look at this from his point of view. Look at what he has gone through!" Aragorn stated. "He arrived home after the war of the ring, it was meant to be a time of peace and how sorely Mirkwood deserved it. He was looking forward to resting, see his family happy and Mirkwood flourish, but no. They found a dark army with numbers big enough to wipe out his entire people ready to attack. Desperately he and his people called for aid. He came to us thinking that of course we would help him we were his friends; he had aided us in our time of need and felt for certain that we would aid him. No I turned him down, the elves abandoned him and only Gimli, a dwarf, no offensive intended, would help him. He returned home and the attack devastated them, killed his brother and captured him. For the next year he was tortured beyond comprehension. Finally rescued and an alliance forms to defeat the army and we say that Mirkwood cannot be saved and he is a threat to his people. He has been betrayed by people he trusted, he forgave me and then we turn around and do this to him. How can we do this without him thinking that we have once again turned against him?"
"By convincing him that it is for his benefit and for the good of his people. If he will not listen to reason..."
Aragorn interrupted Gandalf. "And we are the voices of reason?! If I were him I would be about ready to doubt our friendships or even if we were on the same side?"
"Well we have to do something!" Eomer stated.
"Nothing is going to be decided by tomorrow. We should see what the council brings and then go from there." Aragorn commented and the others reluctantly agreed.
**
+
Astalder veered sharply to avoid a snarling warg that had leapt out of the tree line. Legolas let loose an oath that would have made Gimli blush and brought his bow around and shot it through the neck. The wargs had set upon them with barely enough time to call a warning. They had not expected the enemy to be so close to the camps so the attack had been a total surprise and therefore effective. His party of ten elves had suffered one casualty straight away, the unfortunate elf being ripped from his horse and carried away. Whistles echoed as the scout party urgently called for aid from the other parties.
Legolas turned around to try and take count of how the rest of his party fared, this momentarily lapse of concentration cost him as a warg pounced knocking both him and Astalder off their feet. Legolas rolled over but Astalder with a furious scream reared up and struck the warg with his failing hooves. The warg kept coming but Astalder refused to give up. The horse reared again, striking the wargs head and Legolas winced as he heard the skull crack and give way. Quickly getting to his feet Legolas remounted.
"Thank you" he whispered to the stallion. Looking around he saw most of the wargs had been defeated the others were fleeing.
"Kill them all!!" he cried. "None must escape."
He saw two elves rush into the forest to kill a fleeing warg, the final one of the attacking party.
Suddenly a party of elves dropped to the ground and some mounted elves appeared through the trees. Legolas recognised Azian who quickly came over to him.
"A little late brother." Legolas stated. Azian looked over him worriedly checking for injuries.
"Does your head hurt?" he asked.
"Pardon?" Legolas asked as he reached a hand up to touch his head. Bringing it away he saw blood.
"Oh...no it doesn't." Legolas said before nudging Astalder to move over to the rest of his warriors. With a sigh of relief he realised all apart from Rynin, who had been carried off, were still standing some albeit shakily.
Turing back to face Azian and Varnier, who had led one of the other scouting parties, he looked grim.
"We have a problem."
*
"Riders" a voice called. Aragorn glanced at Gimli and Eomer before hurrying out of the tent. He had a niggling feeling that he knew who it was and he was proved right. Legolas came trotting into sight followed by some obviously wounded elves. It was then that he noticed the gash just above Legolas's left eye that had bled down his face.
"Legolas. Damn elf what have you done now?" Gimli's gruff voice grumbled as the dwarf hurried forward.
"I do not have much time. There are wargs nearer to the camps than realised. Be on guard for I fear they are not the only dark creatures abroad."
"Thank you for the warning. How fare you and your party?" Aragorn asked.
A flash of grief crossed Legolas's face. "A member of my party fell."
"Tis not your fault lad" Gimli said reading his thoughts. Legolas turned to him.
"They are my responsibility. Be careful." Legolas said and the party of elves moved away as quickly as they arrived.
Aragorn watched them go before turning and heading back into the tent. Stopping on the way he told his Captains to double the guards.
** Aragorn had barely sat back down with Eomer and Gimli to discuss possible stratagem and deployment of troops when the flap opened and Lord Elrond and Gandalf stepped in.
"Legolas needs to be removed from his command!" Gandalf stated and Eomer choked on his drink.
"I think the likelihood of that happening is remote." Aragorn said as soon as he recovered from the shock and the bluntness of the comment. "He is one of the King's sons, a seasoned warrior and he will not let it happen. Neither will I."
"Surely you can see the problem with him being in such a sensitive position." Gandalf commented.
"I can but if you want to destroy him you are going the right away about it."
"Thranduil will not accept it." Elrond stated. "If we go marching in there and demand Legolas to be removed then we will completely lose the wood elves in the alliance and I know for a fact we will be out of Mirkwood before we could explain."
"Something needs to be done and quickly for he is watching." Gandalf continued.
"He?" Eomer questioned.
"Sauron."
"How do you know this?" Gimli demanded concerned.
Gandalf ignored the question.
"So you are proposing that we march in, remove Legolas and force him to go through that procedure?" Eomer questioned.
"If it comes to that." Gandalf said calmly.
Aragorn snorted.
"And face the wrong end of Mirkwood's warriors."
"What else do you propose? Talking to him didn't work!"
"No but look at this from his point of view. Look at what he has gone through!" Aragorn stated. "He arrived home after the war of the ring, it was meant to be a time of peace and how sorely Mirkwood deserved it. He was looking forward to resting, see his family happy and Mirkwood flourish, but no. They found a dark army with numbers big enough to wipe out his entire people ready to attack. Desperately he and his people called for aid. He came to us thinking that of course we would help him we were his friends; he had aided us in our time of need and felt for certain that we would aid him. No I turned him down, the elves abandoned him and only Gimli, a dwarf, no offensive intended, would help him. He returned home and the attack devastated them, killed his brother and captured him. For the next year he was tortured beyond comprehension. Finally rescued and an alliance forms to defeat the army and we say that Mirkwood cannot be saved and he is a threat to his people. He has been betrayed by people he trusted, he forgave me and then we turn around and do this to him. How can we do this without him thinking that we have once again turned against him?"
"By convincing him that it is for his benefit and for the good of his people. If he will not listen to reason..."
Aragorn interrupted Gandalf. "And we are the voices of reason?! If I were him I would be about ready to doubt our friendships or even if we were on the same side?"
"Well we have to do something!" Eomer stated.
"Nothing is going to be decided by tomorrow. We should see what the council brings and then go from there." Aragorn commented and the others reluctantly agreed.
**
