First Meeting
Chapter 8: Guilt and Sacrifice

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm writing this for fun, not money.

Big thanks to KatieElizabethGrace for beta reading this chapter.

Only a handful of orcs were still standing, and they were growing desperate. Legolas plunged one of his knives into the stomach of an orc. Simultaneously, he blocked the blade of another orc to his left with his second knife. Being attacked from all sides, there was nothing he could do when he saw an another sword swinging straight towards him.

Aragorn raised his sword just in time to deflect the blow heading towards the elf's head, trying to ignore his feelings of guilt. He could not let the elf die like this. It was his fault that Legolas was in danger and Aragorn would be responsible if he were to die. He was the one to drag the elf into the forest with no intentions for Legolas to be harmed. Aragorn was not certain what his plan to get out of the forest was, but whatever happened he would not hurt his captive. Now, it looked like Legolas might die despite Aragorn's intentions. Still, he would do all in his power to see to it that the elf survives this ordeal. Otherwise his death would remain on his conscience for the rest of his days.

Despite his feelings of guilt for placing Legolas in a dangerous position, Aragorn had been hesitant to return his weapons to him before the fight. The elf had made no effort to hide his dislike towards Aragorn. While that anger may have been well deserved, it didn't make him any more pleased at the thought of the elf burying one of his knives in his back during the fight. Yet, the elf had kept his word and had made no attempt to harm him, so far. The pessimistic side of Aragorn considered that perhaps he planned to wait until after they had defeated all of the orcs. He could only hope that after fighting beside him, Legolas would be more willing to him than he was before.

Whatever misgivings he felt about rearming the elf, he knew that he could never defeat the orcs without Legolas' help. By now, the orc party had been dramatically diminished. Only a handful of orcs were remaining and Aragorn knew the elf was largely to thank for that. His skill with the bow was truly impressive. He would not admit it out loud but he thought that the elf's archery skills may rival even those of the legendary Balrog-Slayer, Lord Glorfindel, who had been Aragorn's archery master in Imladris. Legolas shot rapidly, one arrow after another with not one ever missing its mark. When the elf was forced to jump down from his perch in the trees, he proved to be very agile with his knives as well. Still, it was obvious that the bow was his favored weapon.

After Aragorn deflected the blow aimed at him, Legolas had only a moment to glance at the human. In that look Aragorn could see the elf's internal struggle. He could see the gratitude Legolas felt towards Aragorn for saving his life. Yet, he could also see the confusion and distrust that was born from this act of mercy. Then, they both turned away from each other and were forced to focus on the orcs who were acting towards the pair with beastly ferocity.

Aragorn had first held a sword when he was only six years old. After years of vigorous training every day he had first killed an orc when he was fifteen. Since then he had fought against countless orc parties alongside his brothers, and later, his fellow rangers. For him, fighting was a well-practiced dance to which he knew all the steps instinctively. There was no hesitance or regret as the orcs deserved none.

He raised his sword to parry an attack from another orc. Without giving the orc time to recover from his failed attempt, he swung the sword around and easily cut off its head. He did not pause for even a moment and seamlessly moved to ward off another attack.

Less than half a dozen orcs remained. Aragorn watched from the corner of his eye as Legolas eliminated two more orcs, thrusting his knives into the weak points of their armour.

When one of the remaining orcs took a swipe at Aragorn, he blocked and the force sent the orc's sword hurtling off into the depth of the woods. Now free to attack without fear of retaliation, he thrust his blade at the orc's chest. But Its armour prevented the blade from penetrating the skin, however the force of the blow killed the creature instantly.

Aragorn lowered his weapon as only one orc remained. He watched as Legolas dodged the orc's sword with typical elven agility. Aragorn thought the elf was clearly competent enough to handle a single orc.

The adrenaline of the battle was wearing off. His senses, intensified by the thrill of the fight, began to dull. His heart beat slowed as his eyelids began to droop. Only now that the battle was over, did he allow himself to consider how close he had come to death. Only now did he allow himself to realise that he could have been killed.

He was not certain how he noticed the orc. Perhaps he saw something out of the corner of his eye, maybe he heard it rushing towards them, or maybe it was some animalistic instinct, warning him that something was not right.

It came out of the trees behind him. It sprinted with its sword raised above its head towards Legolas, who was still battling the other remaining orc. Without thinking, Aragorn raised his sword and blocked the orcs blow. The force of the weapons colliding sent them both spiraling out of their owners' hands.

Unarmed, the orc glared at Aragorn with fury in his eyes. Before he could move, the horrid creature raised the shield it carried and crashed it down onto the human's head.

Aragorn was dimly aware of his legs failing him. He crumpled towards the ground, but he never felt himself land. Instead, he just continued falling and falling.

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