Authors notes: - Thank you for reviews, sorry for the delay but I am now back at university. Hope you like the chapter and any comments would be appreciated.

OO

Legolas felt the horse moving beneath him, felt the raw power in its muscles that was barely restrained and waiting to be unleashed. He could feel the cold wind on his face and in a lull in the wind the slight warmth of the sun. A twig snapped to his left and his eyes found the offending twig before the echo of the sound dissipated. Each of his senses had been heightened so that he could almost sense a disturbance before it happened. Despite these heightened senses he did not think on his actions, everything was instinctive and perfectly in sync with the other two riders. His body thrummed with power, he could wield a sword that before even he would not be able to lift from the ground. It was like an extension of his body.

He was afraid. He should have listened to Azian and the others, thought hard before he acted but as usual he did not. This was a mistake, a grievous mistake. He knew that if anyone stopped them achieving their goal of wiping out the darkness that had invaded this wood there would be no hesitation to dispose of them, thinking that they had sided with darkness. There would be no negotiation; tactics meant nothing and would be ignored, they listened to no one but themselves.

With a scream a Nazgul announced its presence. It was like a switch moved to on in his head and the sword was drawn before he even registered the movement. The cries of fear and war cries of those who followed him were ignored as the horses charged towards the source of the sound, needing no encouragement from their riders. A deep cold rage flooded through his veins and he vision clouded till all it was focused on was the target.

O

Aragorn cracked open one eye very slowly expecting to see anything from orc eating plants to a plague of toads but it was remarkably normal, the orcs were laid on the ground dead.

A shadow appeared above him, it was Gandalf.

"Worked out your bad mood then?" he questioned at the beaming wizard.

"Indeed my good man." Gandalf said as he knelt to untie him.

"What did you do?" Aragorn asked wondering if he wanted to know.

"Gave them a taste of their own medicine, just a little bit harder."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I hit them over the head."

Aragorn shook his head deciding that he didn't want to know how and left the wizard to his own secrets. There was one thing he felt the need to ask though.

"Why did you wait so long?"

"These things cannot be rushed." Gandalf said calmly as he untied Gimli.

"I do wonder if sometimes you forget that we do not live as long as you do."

"Never. Patience is a virtue."

Aragorn growled cursing wizards in his head knowing that if he whispered it Gandalf would hear.

"I do wonder what the lady Arwen sees in such an ill mannered young man." Gandalf said with a slight grumble.

"Enough with the pointless conversation." Aeolian said irritably as he watched Aragorn's mouth fall open with shock.

"I thought you elves liked black humour in life and death situations." Gimli said as he stood up stretching his aching limbs.

"We also imprison dwarfs in our dungeons and let them rot, care to be the next?" Aeolian asked.

"Aeolian that is enough!" Gandalf said as he sensed Gimli tense beside him. The elf glowered.

"A Nazgul approaches." Aeolian said in a clipped voice and moved to pick up an orc sword.

Aragorn glanced around to see that Gandalf and Gimli had also picked up weapons, Eomer was still unconscious and that worried Aragorn greatly, although the approaching Nazgul suggested that Eomer was going to be better of than they were about to be. The Nazgul approached and swooped down with the intent to slaughter them. A flash of white announced the arrival of the three horsemen that the Nazgul and orcs had been desperate to find the identity of.

The Nazgul immediately changed direction to take them on. The horses separated and one went to the right and another to the left. This diversion brought the Nazgul up short and it turned. Three arrows arched through the sky and struck the creature, a hideous screech announced that the hits had struck mortally. Its flight faltered and the Nazgul turned it in the hope of getting back to the tower. More arrows flew and the creature fell like a stone, the Nazgul went with it but did not join the creature in death. Enraged it drew its sword but before it could move it to make an attack the horsemen descended and dispatched it.

"Legolas you fool." Gandalf said as the horsemen withdrew and formed back up.

"What on Middle Earth was that?" Gimli exclaimed.

"This is not good." Aeolian uttered.

"What do you mean? They just killed a Nazgul." Gimli said stunned.

"That's just for starters..." Aeolian sighed.

"Aeolian!" A extremely familiar voice cried. He turned to see Azian running towards him. His heart swelled in joy.

"Thank you." He whispered to the Valor as he enveloped his younger brother in a hug. Azian clung onto him desperately, sobbing. Aeolian soothed him as he gently stroked his hair. The younger elf was talking or rather mumbling incoherently and the only word Aeolian could understand was the name of his youngest brother, Legolas.

O

Elrond watched the reunion of the two brothers with a small smile.

"So he went against advice and awoke the Poikaerea." Gandalf said joining the elf lord as they watched the tower rising menacingly in the distance.

"He felt he had no choice and Azian said that he is not afraid of the consequences, he is willing to give his life." Elrond replied watching the three horsemen standing still.

"I am afraid he may actually do indeed that but this could be beneficial to us. The appearance of the Poikaerea will give us some time. They have killed two Nazgul and that would have sent shock waves back to Sauron himself. We can expect a lull and we must use this to its fullest. Gather our forces for the next wave will be much more deadly."

As if Sauron had heard Gandalf's words the thunder and lightening cracked across the sky and through the air.

O

"My lord." Feren said approaching the wizard and the elf lord. The man looked almost distraught over something.

"I am sorry but I forgot to tell you something important. I don't know how I forgot, I am so stupid." Feren berated himself almost forgetting that he was meant to be saying something.

"What is it?" Elrond asked kindly all too aware that given the situation things were going to be forgotten in favour of something more pressing.

"Just before we left the caves one of men staggered in, mortally wounded. He muttered many things but one thing he said was so shocking that it didn't really register."

"What did he say?" Gandalf asked, a strange sense of foreboding settling in his bones.

"Sauron is coming."

"Is that all he said? Sauron is coming? Did he mean that he has left Dol Guldur?" Gandalf demanded.

"I don't know that was all he said. I am sorry, the Nazgul attacked and I just forgot." Feren looked devastated over his lapse.

"It is alright Feren, see to your men. Take rest where you can and eat." Elrond said. Feren hurried away.

"Well that puts a fly in the ointment." Gandalf said tugging his beard thoughtfully.

"For now there is not much we can do. Rest and work out how we are going to reunite our forces should be our priority."

"I agree. The battle is going to be nothing short of horrific." Gandalf pondered and he stared at the top of the tower as if he could see the core of darkness itself.

OO