"Oh no!" cried Thranduil.
He hurried over to their sides and he was rewarded with a groan. The gargoyle's eyes flickered open enough to see him.
"I am very sorry that I couldn't find you in time," she quietly apologized.
"You do not need to apologize but we have to get the two of you back to the palace," Thranduil told her.
He gently picked her up, allowing the guards to get to Haldir. They quickly began to move towards the palace, yet carefully for they were unsure of the extent of his injuries. Celeborn was becoming increasingly nervous by each passing moment. Elrohir noticed his grandfather's edginess and stepped up to him.
"What is the matter? You appear worried," he wondered.
"It is the gargoyles I am worried about. It is apparent these two came into contact with them soon after they left the camp and before we arrived. Why would the gargoyles simply leave them? I fear a trap," Celeborn quietly replied.
Elrohir nodded his head, not bothering to ask any more questions. He hurried to his brother's side, who appeared worried himself.
"Do you think they may be close?" Elladan suddenly asked.
Elrohir was slightly surprised by the question but shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows? I can only hope they are far away by now," Elrohir told him.
Thranduil took notice of the area and sighed once he saw the trees. Legolas did as well as he fell back to the side of the twins.
"We are almost out of here. The trees definitely do not look as dead here," he assured them.
The group stepped beyond the boundaries of the Dark Forest and all felt relieved to be out of the dangerous area. Thranduil took one last glance at the trees before turning around to come face to face with Banside.
"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" the gargoyle asked.
Others dropped out from the sky like rain and surrounded the group. Banside stepped toward the king, who still held Narcissis in his arms. Legolas stood close behind his father, prepared for the worst.
"Thranduil, did you really think that you could get away with this charade? Send her into our camp and believe that we would never figure out the truth? You may know about us and our ways but you have forgotten how smart and unpredictable we are," Banside smirked.
The king growled as he stared at the gargoyle standing before him. Thranduil stepped back a few times, hoping that Banside wouldn't get any closer.
"Don't even think about moving. None of you are going anywhere yet," Banside barely said.
He stepped toward the king again only to be stopped by an arrow embedded in the ground directly sitting next to his foot. His eyes moved towards Legolas, bow in hand.
"Get away from them," Legolas coldly said.
"What makes you think that you can stop us? The last time we met, you were so pitiful that you couldn't even keep your head up straight," Banside spat at him.
Banside glanced between the king and prince before raising one hand. Thranduil hoped that it didn't mean to attack.
"We will allow your friends here to leave. The elf that was captured by us, though, has to stay and you, your son and the gargoyle have to remain as well," Banside quietly told the king.
Thranduil paled once he heard the gargoyle speak those words. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched the others. Celeborn stepped up to Thranduil and crossed his arms.
"If you want them, you are also getting me," Celeborn angrily said.
Elladan and Elrohir were both horrified and it showed on their faces. They stepped up to Celeborn's side, who didn't look to either one of them.
"Elladan, Elrohir, go back to the palace with the guards. We will stay here," Celeborn sternly told them.
"But…" Elladan started to protest.
"Go! I know what I am doing!" the lord yelled out.
He leaned in towards Elladan slightly, who appeared to wince at his grandfather's words.
"You will just be in the way here. Please leave!" he ordered in a hushed tone.
The guards gently placed Haldir on the ground and slowly started to make their way back to the palace with the twins, who were continually glancing over their shoulder back at them. The gargoyles watched as the small group faded into the trees before turning back to the rest of the group.
"Now that they're gone, we can have our prizes back," Banside told him.
He held out a hand towards the king, who remained still. He didn't want to hand anyone else over to the gargoyles ever again.
"I have known for centuries what your habits are like but you forget how we act. You have barely seen any elves for some time now," Thranduil calmly told them.
Banside growled as he walked up to Thranduil and slapped him across the face. The king's head snapped to the side with the impact. He kept it still for several moments before turning to face Banside again, scratches lining the one side of his face.
"We are at war, elf. We have been for centuries. Your daughter was one of the casualties," Banside said.
"No thanks to you or Manlin," protested Thranduil.
Neither of them noticed Yancha slowly making her way towards Haldir. Legolas noticed her just as she made it to his side. He narrowed her eyes as he watched her grasp his hair and pull his head up.
"He is of no more use to us. He will not last. We should kill them all right now!" Yancha called over to Banside.
She grabbed Haldir's wrist and forcibly pulled him up until he was dangling in the air. Every part of his body hung limp and Celeborn's jaw dropped at the sight. Thranduil nor Legolas could believe it either.
"This is hopeless Father. We're never going to get out of this!" Legolas protested.
Thranduil gritted his teeth, knowing his son was correct in his statement. He didn't say anything, not noticing that Narcissis was slowly becoming conscious in his arms. She barely opened her eyes and gave the tiniest of smiles.
"Mother?" she said.
Thranduil heard the word and glanced down at the gargoyle. He gave a sad smile before shaking his head.
"I am your father. Your mother is dead," he quietly told her.
"I know you are here but I also see Mother. You cannot see her Father? She is right there," she replied.
She lifted up her arm and managed to point to an area behind Thranduil. He glanced in the direction she was aiming and still saw nothing, the confusion written plainly on his face.
'What is she talking about?' he had to ask himself.
Legolas watched his father before turning his stare to Haldir. The time it took for Legolas to turn away from the injured elf seemed like an eternity. He reached back for an arrow but his arm felt as heavy as lead and it did not want to move.
00000
Galadriel's eyes perked open, hearing the doors open to the room, revealing Elladan and Elrohir. They ran up to her, telling her about what happened but she was not listening to their story.
"You seem to have gotten here fast enough. How is that possible? The border of that dangerous area is some distance away," she interrupted.
The twins stopped their talking and glanced at each other. Both had confused stares on their faces before turning back to their grandmother.
"We are unsure how we arrived. I remember leaving Thranduil and the others near the border, the next thing we know, we are in sight of the palace," Elladan replied.
Galadriel's stare turned towards the window, amazement written on her face.
"Would it be possible that there are some still alive and there is someone who is helping us? But why would they help us?" Galadriel wondered out loud.
She slowly climbed to her feet as the twins glanced at each other in confusion as they wondered who she was talking about.
00000
Thranduil felt the air around him drop in temperature. He turned his stare towards his son, who appeared to be ready to release the arrow but it appeared his arm wouldn't allow him.
"What are you doing here?" Banside cried out.
Thranduil turned towards Banside, who was in total fear. He was staring in the direction of the king, only past him. The gargoyle growled, stepping back from the group.
"Fine then," Banside snarled.
He faced the king once again, motioning to the others all the while to follow.
"You win this one elf but I assure you the next time any of us meet, you will not be so lucky," Banside told them.
Yancha dropped Haldir to the ground in a heap before reluctantly following the others into the trees. The four elves were all confused by the situation, particularly Legolas, who snapped out of his trance.
"What happened?" he wondered.
"I have no idea but I believe someone has helped us," Celeborn said.
"One way or another, we should hurry back. I am certain that we will find out later what has happened here," Thranduil told them.
TBC…