Disclaimer: I own a paperback copy of LOTR. Nothing more, nothing less.
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7. The Hunt
Agaskill in his youth, had been one of the most fierce warriors of the Rómen Clan. His skill was legendary; he was astute, fearless in battle and a merciless hunter. He succeeded his father to become the leader of the Clan at a young age. Even now, old and scarcely able to walk without aid, he held the threads of the settlement firmly within his grasp. The men respected and feared him. The Rómen Clan had settled in the hills of the East and lived within a large fortress. Under Agaskill's rule, they prospered but kept themselves closely to themselves. None were admitted into the clan. Prisoners made in battle where killed or sold.
Agaskill often wondered how his only son resembled him so little. Esguon was not liked, nor respected. He was a bully, a coward and cruel, The man knew that his father despised him – Agaskill had no qualms about telling him to his face. He strove desperately to impress his father and the inhabitants of the fortress.He often came back with tales of bravery, which none doubted to be greatly exaggerated or completely false. Any time Esguon passed out of the walls of the fortress was spent safely within the sheets of whores from other settlements or villages.
Now, the man had come back with tales of his having brought a creature which would make the yearly hunt in honour of his father's birthday memorable. Agaskill wondered what his son had come up with. He watched as Esguon directed two men to carry the covered cage to where his father was sitting. Esguon bowed to him, and asked to be allowed to present his gift. Agaskill nodded.
With a dramatic flourish, Esguon drew away the sheet draping the cage. The gasp of amazement was music to his ears and he saw that even Agaskill was impressed; he had bent slightly forward to observe the small creature. Indeed, Agaskill had to admit that Esguon had surpassed himself… he was surprised that his son had enough brains to come up with such an original idea. His lips curved up into an amused smile as he saw the satisfied expression on Esguon's face. "Well, well, well," Agaskill said softly, "You have managed to surprise me Esguon." He nodded to the men who lifted the cage onto their shoulders and started out of the hall. "Come! Let the hunt begin!"
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Run.
They had removed the chains off his ankles, leaving shackles on his wrists. He had scarcely had time to place his feet on the ground before one pushed him and uttered one word… Run.
He had obeyed without hesitation and had fled towards the safety of the woods. He had climbed the first tree he had some too, knowing that he would be better hidden among the foliage than on the ground. Legolas could hardly believe that this was all true. The situation was ludicrous – he had become a prey, hunted by hordes of men with their dogs. He had avoid them, taking refuge in the dense foliage. The hunters could not surprise him, for his hearing and eyesight was much sharper than theirs. Legolas was careful never to leave the safety of the trees for he knew that the dogs would easily pick up his trail and scent him out. Yet, he was getting tired – the shackles were heavy and impeded quick movements
His sharp ears caught the sound of footsteps. He crouched down lower and felt the tree moving its branches closer to him, covering him completely. The elfling made no sound and the men passed beneath the trees without seeing him, and were soon out of hearing.
"Thank you," he whispered to the tree. It accepted his thanks sleepily. The trees were almost asleep; at first he could scarcely communicate with them. Yet few of them were more alert and helped him to hide. He felt uneasy… the trees offered him no hope of escape. They were all strangely silent when he asked them to guide him out of the wood. Legolas decided that he had to find the way by himself – once out of the woods he would manage somehow to find his way home. By climbing to the top of the tree he'd be able to view the path out.
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Saying that Esguon was irritated would have been an understatement. The blasted elf had not been captured yet and it was nearly sundown. He dared not think about how his father would react if they went back empty handed.
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He climbed higher and higher. The sun would soon set, and in the darkness he would be unable to find the way. At last he reached the top of the tree. He paused to catch his breath and look down around him. The woods were situated at the bottom of a valley… a valley which had been completely surrounded by high walls. Try as he might, he could see no way of escape. A small cry of despair escaped his lips as the sun disappeared over the horizon He was trapped.
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Agaskill watched Esguon fidget in front of him. The men had returned for the night – there was no triumphant description of the hunt, nor was there any feasting and toasting, for the simple reason that the prey had fooled the hunters, who had returned after a day's hunt with nothing to show for it.
"Throw a fish in the sea and try to catch it again," said Agaskill softly. "Or, in this case, place an elf amongst the trees and try to hunt it down." He smiled as beads of sweat formed on Esguon's forehead.
"We'll get him tomorrow father. I'm sure we will." Esguon tried to inject confidence into his speech. "This… I mean, it's more challenging for the men, it's an opportunity to prove their worth…" his voice trailed away.
"Of course," Agaskill interposed silkily, "It will prove their worth and yours of course, when or rather if you manage to catch the elf." He turned to leave, supported by two servants, then paused. "I want it tomorrow, and I want it alive. I hope that you will not disappoint me Esguon." Agaskill left the room, leaving Esguon standing alone.
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He watched them from the trees as they approached. Legolas felt sick with apprehension. He had barely slept during the night and was exhausted. Furthermore he had not touched food for well over a day. The leaves were too bitter for him to eat, and he did not dare eat any mushrooms or herbs, for they were different from those in Mirkwood and he was afraid they might be poisonous. He did not know how he would manage to survive another day.
He frowned as the men drew closer. This time, the men also bore falcons and the dogs followed close behind. They stopped in a small clearing and appeared to be deep in conversation. The elfling shinned up the tree trunk and moved quietly from branch to branch. He could feel the trees' uneasiness as he moved closer to the humans but ignored it. He had to know what they were planning. He stiffened as a branched creaked slightly under his weight. No one had noticed, and he continued moving slowly along the branch. Suddenly it snapped and the elfling nearly fell down but managed to save himself by catching hold of another branch as he fell. This time the men heard it clearly, and one of them saw Legolas as he clambered onto the branch. Swiftly, the falcons were freed and these set upon the elf. The dogs and men followed quickly behind.
Legolas jumped from branch to branch trying desperately to escape. The trees tried to facilitate his escape moving branches closer together. Yet, the lack of rest was telling on his pace, and the heavy shackles seemed to gaining weight as he moved. The falcons were getting closer and closer...
Abruptly he felt a searing pain as one of the falcons buried its talons deep in his right shoulder. He shrieked and tried to beat it off, a useless effort. As he tried to free himself he lost his footing and slipped.
Down, down, down he went hearing his own screams mingled with the men's yells and the dogs' howls as he fell. His head struck something hard and the world went black.
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At last… well… he's not dead, mind you, he's still got quite an important role to play in the Lord of the Rings. ;0) Thank you to all those who reviewed, your comments were much appreciated as always, and encourage me to write!!