Hi ppl! here is a bit of advice: if u want me to update sooner, then i need more reviews. if i dont see any how am i supposed to know if im doing good? Anywayz srry it took me so long, i waz a bit er...preoccupied. i hope u enjoy this chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to Maria for being the only one who reviewed my third chapter. thank you anf u are much appreciated!
It was the late afternoon. The sun could barely be seen under the roof of leaves made by the trees. The travelers felt quite comfortable with the shelter of leaves blocking them from the blazing hot sun and the slight fresh breeze that came from the east kept them rather cool. They have been traveling through Mirkwood forest for several hours. There were quiet conversations from the soldiers about what the journey might have in store for them. Legolas was humming softly to himself. Arwen rode in complete silence.
They rode on for more hours until they reached the edge of the forest. The sun was setting in the mountains that stood in the far distance ahead of them. Legolas stopped his horse. Everyone behind him came to a halt.
Legolas said aloud to the crowd of elves, "We will rest here for now. At dawn we will continue on our journey. It is safe enough to light your lanterns. Rest well!"
Arwen jumped off of her horse and looked around. She had not seen outside of Mirkwood forest since she had came with her father many weeks ago. The tall trees behind her acted as a barrier, protecting the forest and palace inside. In front of her, the Misty Mountains were dark and gloomy. It gave her an uncomfortable feeling so she turned quickly away from them. She made her way to the luggage horses. Many elves were already sleeping peacefully and others were eating and talking softly to each other. When she arrived at the horses she found her bag quickly; it was the only bag that was light blue, the others were a dark green color. She walked back over to her horse. Legolas was giving her horse bits of food.
"I thought he might be hungry. I could not find you so I thought I should feed him myself," Legolas explained.
Arwen smiled and thanked him. She reached in her bag and pulled out a wafer of lembas.
Lembas was Elven bread that was often taken for food on long trips. One small piece of lembas was very filling. Arwen was terribly hungry. She had not eaten since they left the palace earlier that morning. She sat down with her back leaning comfortably on the trunk of a tree. She broke off a piece off the lembas and ate it. Legolas sat next to her and looked at the Misty Mountains.
"Something is on your mind," he said without looking at her.
Arwen stopped eating and looked at him surprised.
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
Legolas continued, still not looking at her. "
Your eyes are dark with uneasiness. Your mind is filled with concern. You are thinking about your father, I assume."
Arwen looked down at the half eaten lembas and put it away hastily as if it suddenly tasted bitter.
"I am very worried about my father. I do not know what I would do if I lose my father. He is everything to me. Taking him from me is like taking my food, my air, my… life." Her eyes filled up with tears. Legolas looked at her.
"I am sure your father will be fine." Arwen laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Legolas kissed her forehead gently and put his arm around her. Legolas looked up at the now dark, starry, and moonless sky and listened to Arwen's light breathing. He then closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Arwen woke up and found herself lying on the soft grass. She looked around. The stars were no longer in the pale sky. She could hear soft murmuring. She saw many of the soldiers already awake, but some were still asleep. Legolas was nowhere in sight. She slowly sat up, yawned, and stretched. Her bag sat nearby. She pulled out a piece of lembas and nibbled on it, not feeling very hungry.
"I see that you have finally awaken," a voice appeared next to her. It was Legolas standing tall looking at her. He continued, "I will have everyone else awake and ready to leave in half an hour." He rushed away. Arwen hastily put her possessions in her travel bag, only leaving out food to feed her horse his breakfast. After she fed her horse, she helped Legolas wake everyone up.
After half an hour had passed everyone was on their horses and prepared to go. The sun was not yet showing its face from the mountains in the far east, but the sky was beginning to show purple and orange colors.
Legolas told everyone the plan, "We will go a few miles north to Old Forest Road. This will rid chances of getting lost. We will then follow the road until we reach the Misty Mountains. Due to the misfortune that it is very steep, the horses will not be able to pass through the mountains. We will send them back to the palace. They will know the way back. The rest of the journey will be by foot. If we rest very little, then we will hopefully reach Rivendell in less than a week. Have hope we will be there in time. Let us ride!" Everyone rode at as much speed as their horses would allow. Arwen halved wished Legolas had told her his plan earlier; she was beginning to feel as if she was not in charge any longer. She did not protest because she could not think of a better plan.
They rode for only for a 10 minutes when they reached Old Forest Road and turned west along the road without stopping. Several hours had passed and the Misty Mountains seemed to come no closer. They stopped briefly at Anduin, The Great River. The horses drunk from the river and the soldiers filled their water containers. They then crossed the river quickly, but carefully, for the current seemed strong and dangerous. When they reached the other side of the river, they continued to ride at a great speed. They journeyed for many more hours. The sun was beginning to set behind the still far off Misty Mountains and the sky was starting to grow dark. The riders showed neither sign of weariness nor any indication of wanting to stop. Slowly, the sun disappeared and the sky was dark and empty. Everything was pitch black. Even with the elves keen eyes, it was becoming difficult to see. Legolas finally signaled everyone to stop. The darkness and strangeness of the new land made Arwen feel uncomfortable and slightly frightened. She jumped off her horse and searched blindly in her bag for the small lantern she had brought. She lit it. They soldiers faces looked deathly pale and grim in the bluish shine of the lantern. She turned the light towards Legolas. He was looking around hard in the darkness.
Then he said loudly to everyone, "This area gives me an strange feeling. Light only a few lanterns and hurry with whatever business you may have. Then turn off your lanterns immediately after you have finished. We will rest here for the night, for it is too dark to travel any further. Make little or no noise."
Arwen bent down and felt the ground. It was no longer soft grass, only hard and rocky earth.
'I am glad I brought my blanket,' she thought. She pulled out a blanket that was made of the softest material known to the Elves of Rivendell. She laid it on the ground to make herself a small bed. She laid on it, and then turned off her lantern. It seemed as though she had closed her eyes, although she did not. The world around her was black, except for the far off gleam of some of the soldiers' lanterns. The only sound that could be heard was the hushed voices of the soldiers talking amongst each other. She also heard an occasional rustle of a horse. She wondered where Legolas was. She did not like being in a strange land without him near her. A howl of a wolf could be heard many miles away. It sent a chill down her spine. Suddenly, she felt something warm fall on top of her. It was a heavy cloak. "I thought you might be cold," a voice whispered lightly in her ear. She knew it was Legolas. She could hear Legolas settling down beside her. Then he fell silent. Minutes later, Arwen could tell from his light breathing that he had fallen asleep. She then fell asleep, feeling protected.
Legolas opened his eyes slowly. There was fog all around him. The surface of his cloak was wet with morning dew. He looked at the figure lying next to him. Arwen slept peacefully next to him. He sat up. Something was not right. Everything was silent, too silent. The fog was too thick to see far in front of him. Suddenly, he heard a slight rustle. He frowned.
"Who is there?" he called aloud into the fog. There was no answer. "Speak now!" Still there was no answer. Then, there was a soft growling. Legolas quickly reached for his bow and an arrow lying next to him. He fixed the arrow onto the bow and aimed it at the thick fog, and then he released the bowstring. The arrow soared the air and disappeared into the mist. He strained to hear if the arrow hit anything. Abruptly, he heard a loud cry. He jumped up immediately and cried out at the top of his lungs, "Wake up! Wolves! Everyone wake up! There are wolves!" Arwen sprang up beside him. Legolas turned and ran at top speed to his horse. Elves were yelling and rushing to get their weapons. Legolas reached for Arwen's bow that he had brought. He also grabbed as many arrows as he could carry, then he ran back to Arwen as quickly as he could. She stood pale in fright. Wolves had completely surrounded the elves. The wolves were very large and brown. They bared their long sharp fangs in anger. They were walking toward their now trapped prey. Legolas quickly handed the bow to the Arwen, who was trembling. Legolas picked up his own bow and aimed his own arrow towards the wolves. Arwen and the army did the same. The wolves began to anger from having the arrows pointed at them. They were a few yards away and could now be seen clearly, bent down preparing to attack. Legolas finally released his arrow, followed by Arwen's, then the army. Many of the wolves fell, but the others leaped to attack. Legolas pulled out his long knife from its sheath that hung on his side. He ran forward and pierced the nearest wolf with his knife, and it fell dead. Arwen shot down as many Wolves as she could. Out of nowhere a wolf ran hard into her. She was knocked down on her back and her head hit a hard and rough rock. Everything went black.
Arwen opened her eyes. Everything was silent. She slowly sat up. Slain wolves and elves lay spread out. Blood and fog was everywhere. A sharp pain in the back of her head hit her. She rubbed the back of her head.
"Hello!" She called out. She heard her echo travel far. Unexpectly, an answer came back.
"Arwen is that you?" Arwen felt relieved. She knew right away it was Legolas.
"Yes it is. I do not quite know where I am. I do not see you," she replied.
"Stay where you are. I will find you," Legolas said. Arwen could hear running footsteps. Legolas appeared through the mist. His face had a few scratches on it and his clothes were covered with dirt. He ran up to Arwen and hugged her. "I thought I had lost you. Everyone was looking for you but we could not find you. I am so glad you are alive. " He stepped back from her. "The wounded are being cared for," he said. Arwen looked at him.
"Oh, Legolas!" she cried. "You are hurt." Indeed he was. There was a long and deep cut on the side of his left arm. Blood soaked the sleeve of his chemise.
Legolas laughed softly and said. "I guess I had been so worried about you that I had completely forgotten about it."
"Where are the others? Your wound needs to be treated," Arwen said. Legolas led her to a small camp several meters away.
When they reached the camp, Arwen's heart dropped to her feet. Nurse elves were running around madly. There were screams and moans of pain everywhere. Arwen had never seen so many elves covered in blood and wounds. Arwen was deeply grieved and shocked.
"So… so this is only but a taste of what will happen when we go to war in Rivendell," she said with difficulty.
Legolas said nothing for moment. Then he said, "I suppose you can say that. Thankfully, what you see in front of you is only about 50 wounded. There are still at least 2000 left. They are staying in another camp a few meters from here. We will be staying there. To make sure those who are hurt heal properly. We will be staying here for three days at the most. We have killed all of the wolves, or what is left of them ran away. Either way, we should be safe for now."
"How long ago was the battle over?" Arwen asked.
"About two or three hours ago," Legolas answered.
Arwen raised a surprised eyebrow.
"You have set up camp in an amazing amount of time."
"We needed to set up quickly to treat the injured." He then said, "Would you like me to show you to your tent? I was not sure if you were still alive, but just in case a tent was put up for you."
Arwen frowned and said, "Why would I want you to take you to take me to my tent, when you are hurt? No, I would rather someone else show me. I want you to have your arm taken care of."
Legolas sighed irritably. "If that is what you wish. I will find someone to guide you to your tent." He then added with even more annoyance in his voice, "…then I will see to it that the arm is cared for." He turned and left.
Arwen stood for 5 minutes. She then saw a tall elf walking towards her. He made Legolas seem weak and small next to his broad arms.
"Good evening, My Lady," he said with a soothing voice. "I am here to lead you to where you will be resting. Whatever of your possessions we have found should already be there."
"Thank you," she replied.
"It warms my heart to see that you are alive and well," he continued.
Arwen smiled.
They walked to another area where there were thousands of tents. After what seemed like forever, they had finally reached her tent. Her guide bowed, said farewell, and left. Arwen stepped inside. The tent was dimly lit. There was a small comfortable bed in the corner. Her travel bag and bow and a few arrows inside the quiver were sitting on top of the bed, surprisingly not damaged. A medium sized basin with a pitcher next to it, for washing, was sitting in another corner. There were no windows for privacy. The tent was tall of enough for Arwen to stand without bending her head.
The first thing Arwen went for was the basin. She felt extremely dirty. She used the warm water in the pitcher to wash up. She put on a clean nightgown and went to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.
Thank u for reading this chapter and please review. u gotta let me know if itz any good.
Responses to reviews from chapter 4:
silvia silver elf- hi hun. thnx for reviewing. they actually did kiss in the second chapter, right before the orcs came. i hope u enjoyed this chapter. please review again, i hope i hear from u again.
misslordoftherings- hi there again! thank u for reviewing again. dont worry about reviewing on the other ones. jus review whenever u can ok? thnx. hope to hear from u again!