Chapter Four:

Aragorn was subconsciously accelerating the pace. Getting out of this narrow, muddy and dangerous path section would be the best part of it. The descent was considered to be done more quickly than the ascent, which in this case has been slower than in any other dry day would have been. Beside this, the human considered they were still doing well with time because, despite sun had abandoned them a few hours ago, he estimated it was about two in the afternoon. Therefore lighter in spirit, Aragorn managed a smile, happy of being sharing this trip with his brothers and best friend, enjoying each other´s company and planning the following ´hunting and fishing´ days.

"Calm him down ´Dan, we´re almost there" Elrohir´s voice made Aragorn look back. The elder twin was having trouble on keeping his beautiful elvish horse quiet. The animal moved his rear to each side, dangerously avoiding stepping further than the edge. His head gave two consecutives nods and neighed soundly, causing discomfort in the other horses as well.

Legolas have been walking too close to the animal. He acknowledged this, but, unfortunately, not with enough time to avoid what happened next.

The blond elf stopped short and almost collapsed on the horse´s haunches. His gaze had been focused on the floor, trying to choose the next spot to launch the foot, and didn´t anticipate the abrupt halt. He found himself forced to give a few steps back, helping his destabilized body by graving his own horse´s mane, which also moved backwards. At the same time Legolas lifted his head to look around him, Elladan achieved calming the dark haired animal, which pleased his master by stepping away from the cliff. But, doing so, the precarious edge gave away under the last hoof beat. Legolas, whom have been standing not far away, still a bit decentralized, felt how the ground started to loosen beneath his feet. Desperation took possession of his senses. He extended his arm and attempted to grab anything with his left hand, but it flew senseless trough the air without finding anything. His right hand was still holding the mane, but the mud caused it to easily slide, so the Mirkwood Prince lost his grip on it.

"Legolas! For the Valar, Elladan go grab him!" Helplessness and despair were way too evident on Aragorn´s voice. The twin didn´t have to be asked for it. By the time his brother´s words reached his ears, he was crawling at high speed to reach his friend. But he arrived too late. Elladan threw himself on the mud, extending an arm in an attempt to catch Legolas´s sliding hands, but they were beyond the scope.

Unmistakable blond locks of hair and two arms sliding across the floor disappeared on the edge of the cliff. "Legolas!" The three Elrond´s sons cried at unison. Elladan crawled to the verge of the road reached the place only seconds later, to see no sign of his friend. The dense vegetation had "swallowed" him. Elrohir slumped at his side; locking his worried eyes on his brother´s. Aragorn passed over them without word and began trying a descent.

Elrohir´s hand stopped him. "Wait, Estel, I will get the rope".

XX- - - XX

Legolas´s eyes widened as he suddenly lost his grip when the ground gave away beneath him. Hitting the border of the cliff with his stomach, a loud and surprised gasp escaped his mouth, letting out all the air in his lungs. Disoriented by the sudden lack of oxygen, his body began to slide down. The last thing the blonde Prince saw was Elladan coming his way and telling him to hold on; but there was nothing to hold on to, so he fell. He fell and everything started to go in a very fast motion and his mind even faster.

Legolas noticed with horror how his body turned backwards on the air, and, realizing he couldn't do anything to escape the aftermath, closed his eyes tightly. When he sensed the proximity of the ground, dread make him feel as hundred of knifes stabbed his neck and the blood source on his veins made itself audible on an unthinkable level. But, what seemed to last an eternity, ended abruptly when the Mirkwood´s warrior´s slender body brutally hit the mountain side, just where a pronounced slope made its start.

Again, his lungs lost all their air supplies, and Legolas´s head, following the motion of the abrupt fell and being too much weight to the neck to bear, hit the ground with ferocity. Without time to regain orientation, the whole word seemed to turn up down for the already ragged elf, and it indeed did, because Legolas´s body started to roll down the slope, hitting rocks and any vegetation that happened to be on his way.

Finally reaching the botton, silence filled his keen ears after the last of the dust and small rocks that accompanied his involuntary descent settled beside and over him.

Unfortunately for the Prince, unconsciousness chose not to claim him. Instead, pain did. "Oh Valar". His mind didn´t know at which part of his body pay attention to, confused by the terrible hammering in the poor Elf´s skull. It has been an extraordinary rough fell, and his body has paid a high cost.

Legolas had landed on his stomach, his head to the side. It was a terrible and unconformable position that in nothing helped lessening his head ache, but when he tried to shift, he wished he never have done so. A strangled gasp was the final evidence of the protest his whole body made, followed by hot tears that involuntary rolled down Legolas´s face, drawing lines with the dust already covering the Elf´s pale and fare skin.

Pain was almost unbearable. He didn´t have the strength even to think on what was the damage done to him. So, after only one and regretted attempt to move, he just lie there, unmoving, facing the thin stream, wanting desperately to wet his dusty tongue with its water; but, not being capable of it, he chose to close his eyes and wait for his friends to help him.

TBC…