This chapter isn't very long: it's more of a transition from the friendly Legolas that we all know and love to the evil, rash, mean Legolas that we will all hate. So, bear with me! And if you're sick of hearing things from the twins's and Legolas's POV, don't worry; you will soon get a view from two other characters, one of them being Arwen and I'm sure that you all know who the other one is too, despite my best attempts to have you fooled.
Hear it is: chapter three! Please enjoy and- post your reviews!
3. A Single Charge
Elladan stirred. He could hear something. It sounded like the soft sound of horse hooves.
The oldest twin leapt up. Were the Wild Men attacking tonight? It certainly had the element of surprise, but...
He looked around. Everyone else was sleeping. He glanced over at Elrohir. His brother's eyebrows were drawn down in concentration, and he wondered what he could possibly be dreaming about. He turned to look at Legolas, and was surprised at what he saw: the Elf wasn't there.
Elladan whirled around. He could see Legolas on his horse, riding towards the Wild Men encampment. He was going to attack them alone. He would surely die!
Elladan had to do something. He grabbed his weapons and paused. Should he wake Elrohir?
-
It hadn't been hard for Legolas to sneak past the sentinels. All he had to say was that he was being sent with a message from Glorfindel to the enemy. How hard was it?
When he could see the tents clearly, he stopped, stepping off of Varda, his horse. Her eyes questioned him.
"You have gone with me long enough, old friend," he whispered, stroking her nose. She nuzzled him, as if trying to make him change his decision. He sighed, shaking his head. "You cannot go any further with me."
Varda snorted indignantly.
"Go back old friend." He stroked her neck. She still stood. "Go back now." She wasn't moving. "Get away from me!"
He turned around and began walking towards the camp. He couldn't hear Varda moving at all.
Good. That meant that she wasn't following him.
Legolas couldn't have let that horse follow him to the camp. She would have woken everyone up with her loud hooves clopping. He had cut her loose.
She didn't need to worry. He'd come back for her the next morning, after he'd slaughtered every single one of them. He would go to their villages and demolish the rest of them, and to make good time, he would need a steed to take him there.
So Varda needn't worry about him leaving her behind. He'd take her with him as far as he wished.
-
Legolas ran lightly towards the camp. His own breathing sounded too loud to him, and he cursed himself for all of the noise that he was making. He would need all of the stealth that he possessed that night.
Legolas paused behind a tent, listening for the sound of sentinels. He could hear two of them talking together in that garish language. The very sound made him want to convulse
He grabbed his bow and quickly knocked an arrow. He could hear them walking past him right now. They were standing right next to the very tent that he hid behind. He longed to take his knives and run at them that very moment.
Relax, he told himself. He had to wait until the right moment...
"I'm going to see if there's anyone on the other border," one of them said.
"All right; I'm going to stay here and watch."
Legolas could hear the heavy steps of the other walking away. He held his breath, waiting...
The steps faded into only a light pitter-patter, and soon, they were non-existent The Wild Man yawned. He set his spear down to stretch.
Now.
Legolas stepped out from behind the tent. Before the man could even react, Legolas thrust both of his knives into the man's sides. He fell to the ground.
Legolas sheathed his weapons and pulled out his bow, quickly fitting an arrow. He could hear the other man moaning, and he knew that enemies would appear. Even now as these thoughts raced through his brain, he could hear them waking up. Good. Every breath that they breathed insulted him; it showed his failure to avenge his friend.
Don't think about Estel. Think about the fighting.
Legolas let an arrow fly. He didn't wait to see it lodge itself in the approaching man's throat. Others began to fall. While Legolas had always fought with surprising speed, he was now even more agile. Adrenaline rushed through his body with a power that he had never felt before. The thought of the Wild Men's blood shimmering on the ground under the stars made his skin tingle.
In a few seconds, he would have to abandon his bow for his knives. This prospect didn't lower his confidence. He still felt just as powerful. So maybe he could slay more men faster when he used a bow: knives did their work a bit slowly, but they caused more damage.
Legolas tossed his bow to the side and grabbed his knives, running towards the approaching warriors. He felt his knife go through a man's shoulder. Its blood ran onto his hands, staining his very skin.
So this was how it would begin.
-
"So, you're saying that he got up and left?"
Elladan sighed. "When I woke up, he wasn't on his cot, and I heard the sounds of him leaving," he said. "Besides, I think he might have left to avenge Estel. He was very upset."
"We should go after him," Elrohir said hastily, shifting from foot to foot.
"Legolas has violated our usual ways," Glorfindel replied, shaking his head. "The Wild Men will have no cause to fight fairly tomorrow."
"What does that have to with anything?" Elrohir cried. "Legolas is dying right now, probably! Am I to loose my friend in the same day that I found out that I have lost my brother?"
"Look at that." Elladan's voice drew them out of their talk.
They should have heard it. Varda's hooves now seemed louder to them than ever. She was walking towards them dejectedly.
They stepped out of the cave. Elladan stroked the horse's nose. He had a stronger connection with the horse: it had saved him when he was in a tight spot some time ago.
"Legolas must be hurt if he sent Varda back home," Elrohir stated. "We're going."
"I agree with you," Glorfindel said suddenly. The two were taken aback at him agreeing so easily. "I will stay here, in case..."
He didn't finish, but they knew what he meant.
Elladan climbed on top of Varda swiftly as Elrohir mounted his horse, Jinny. He rode up beside his older twin.
"Be careful," Glorfindel cautioned. "Your main goal is to get Legolas back here before he is too severely injured. It's not to kill. Fight only in defense. The sentinels will alert us if any of them follow you."
Elladan nodded. "We know."
They paused a moment, listening to the cries of death.
Elladan prayed that the Valar would spare Legolas, and then he set off.
-
The Wild Men fell before Legolas like blades of grass. Still, he was not fighting unscathed. He already had a cut on his forehead, the back of his arm, his calf, and his forearm. Even now he could feel another make a stab at his waist. Legolas slid slightly to the side, so that the blade only scathed his side. He uttered a small cry of pain, but the feeling was dulled by the joy of his blade biting into his attacker's flesh. He pulled out his knife, aiming at another oncoming warrior.
The sound of hoof-beats reached his ear. He cursed under his breath. He prayed that it wasn't more Wild Men, but he also hoped that the horses weren't bearing any Elven-riders. He didn't want anyone else taking lives that were rightfully his.
-
Elladan was shocked at the few number of Wild Men that lay around Legolas, fallen on top of each other like stacks of firewood. The prince of Mirkwood fought with a fierceness that Elladan had never seen in him before. He was faster than the wind. He was wounded in several spots, but Elladan was sure that even if they hadn't arrived, the Elf could have finished off the rest of the Wild Men himself.
Elrohir rode up beside him, reminding him of where they were. They rode into the thick of the battle, slashing with their swords. Blood sprayed onto the flanks of their horses. They trampled fallen bodies of dead Wild Men.
Elladan was so enraptured in killing, that he forgot that he was there to get Legolas back to the caves. All of the Wild Men were almost dead. There would be no need for war in the morning. Legolas had saved many in their force's lives.
Fifteen Wild Men remained. They were all beginning to run away. Elladan slid off of his horse, allowing them to escape. There wasn't even enough of them to matter. He could hear Elrohir walk up behind them. They went over to Legolas, who was intently searching the ground for something.
"What did you think that you were doing?" Elladan demanded, glaring at Legolas. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"
The Elf didn't look up. "You shouldn't have come," he said.
"We shouldn't have come?" Elladan cried. "Legolas, you ran off to take on a whole force alone!"
The Elf picked his bow off of the ground and smiled. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked his bow, turning towards the remaining Wild Men, who were heading towards the forest that lay on the edge of their camp.
Legolas would let them get a bit farther away in order to let them lure themselves into a false sense of security. They would believe that they were escaping with their lives, when they would suddenly feel the tip of an arrow lodge itself in the back of their necks, their thighs, their arms. It was a beautiful thing, deceiving them.
Legolas was just about to loose the first arrow when he felt a hand on his arm. He grabbed his knife and whirled around.
Elrohir jumped back just in time. Legolas's knife would have gone right through his arm if he hadn't dodged it. Instead, it cut deeply into the side, near his elbow. Elrohir recoiled.
Legolas's concentration was shattered, his blood-lust, for the time being, broken. He realized what he had done. "Elrohir...I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..."
Elrohir was grabbing his elbow. "What did you think you were doing?" He grimaced.
Legolas turned back to look at the last of the Wild Men. They had disappeared into the forest. Legolas frowned, turning back to Elrohir and examining the cut.
"It will be fine. Just get back to the caves."
Elladan looked up at him, a strange expression on his face. "What about you?"
"I'm going to track the rest of the Wild Men," Legolas answered, gathering arrows from the bodies and putting them in his quiver.
Elladan walked over to Legolas and grabbed him on the shoulders. "Legolas, what's going on with you? Does this have something to do with Estel?"
For a moment, Legolas wondered if he should tell them, and perhaps return to what he used to be. No. His lust for blood was coursing strong again. He pulled away from Elladan's grip.
"Get back to the caves. You need to tend to your brother's wounds." Legolas walked over to Varda and mounted.
"Legolas, come back to the caves with us," Elladan pleaded.
"My duty lies elsewhere." Legolas stared at the forest. "Let's go."
Varda didn't move.
"Let's go," Legolas said more firmly. Still, she did not budge. Legolas scowled. He dug his heels into Varda's sides.
Varda was unused to such treatment, especially from Legolas. She bolted towards the forest.
As I promised, the responses await you...
IwishChan: We can only hope! Ha ha ha!
Freak Goddess of the Crypt: This takes place before the Fellowship is formed. I'm glad you like it. Deana: I hope you enjoyed chapter three. I am currently working on bringing Legolas back, but...he's being a little difficult. Even I cannot persuade him...:( We can only hope that Estel is still alive!
A-blackwinged-bird: Yes, I hope Estel is alive too, otherwise all hope is lost! (ha ha ha) I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope that you liked chapter three.