P.S Thanks for the hint about changing the review settings, I had no idea.
Chapter Six; Standing Watch
Sindadur tracked the young Prince through the dense forest with ease. The slight disturbances in the ground would have been almost impossible for even an experienced ranger to detect but to an elf like Sindadur they signalled out to him like beacons.
The fact that these minute traces of the Prince's passing existed at all were only added proof of how distracted he was by the death of his close companions.
The old warrior had made the right decision in following him.
All too soon he caught up on the younger elf and was content to stand guard a short distance away. He watched as his old student paused by an enormous oak tree and reached out to touch it's foliage, shortly after he slumped against it's ample girth.
It appeared to Sindadur as if the Prince was about to sink to the ground, heedless of his exposed position.
If he does I shall haul him up into that tree by his own ears, the warrior thought, I have instructed him better than that.
But for the moment the Prince's ears were safe as the elder elf watched his former student take cover within the tree's branches.
Once the Prince was nestled in the protective boughs of the oak, he too leap soundlessly into a nearby tree and waited with the patience of one for whom time has no meaning. Sindadur listened to the surrounding forest for any sounds of approaching danger. He concentrated on the song of the trees which would warn him of any perceived threat and he noted the young owl perched in the tree to the east, it's actions would also alert him of danger, all while his eyes fixed themselves on the ancient oak to the north of his position.
It did not take long for the peaceful silence of the night to be shattered as a heart wrenching cry filled the rapidly cooling air.
The young owl, startled by the sudden noise, took flight while it screeched in distress.
The sorrowful sound triggered within Sindadur renewed pain as grief over the tragic loss resurfaced again. He always saw the younger warriors under his charge as the sons and daughters he was never blessed with. It made him extra diligent with their training and earned him the reputation of being the toughest tutor in the service. But his harsh methods and gruelling exercises always paid off. His patrol had the lowest casualty rate of any other in the entire service and injuries were always only minor ones because his students learned early not to take foolish risks or they would bring his wrath down upon them and that was infinitely more painful and long lasting.
However many of the other tutors saw his closeness as a potential weakness and at times like this he was inclined to agree, for it meant he felt the anguish of their loss all the more.
He listened in respectful silence while the young Prince wept his heart out for those he had loved and lost and he tried to offer small comfort to the surrounding trees which were growing increasingly concerned for the wood elf in their midst.
He did not think little of the archer for expressing his grief in this manner, he did not see it as a sign of weakness for he too had wept openly during the burial service for the fallen warriors.
In truth he would have been more concerned had Legolas been unable to grieve properly for his friends as the stoic Prince was notorious for bottling up his emotions, even as an elfling he would refuse to cry in public. In fact in the near three millennia that he had known him the tutor could only recall one time Legolas had openly shed tears before others but that reaction had been sparked by a unique personal tragedy, one which nearly shattered the Royal House of Mirkwood.
Eventually the well of tears dried up and the weeping stopped only to be replaced by a lament for fallen comrades and for the next few moments Sindadur found himself captured by Legolas' sorrowful tones. He was unaware the Prince had been granted such a gift and he gave thanks to the Valar that he had been witness to this very private moment, it would be one not soon forgotten.
In the mean time he would remain here with his Prince and wait until the young elf was ready to return to the camp.
In the distance Gimli tossed about restlessly under his bed roll trying to find sleep but his mind kept tormenting him with the words he had spoken so casually to his friend. Then something grabbed his attention, he thought he heard singing. Soon the soothing tones of an elvish song were floating on a gentle breeze through the camp. It reminded him of the lament which had lulled him to sleep in Lothlorien and within moments this new song had worked a similar magic as the troubled dwarf began to drift off into a deep peaceful slumber.