A/N : As always thanks for the continued support and your patience :) Not long now!
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Chapter 22 - Chase Through The Trees
She ran as fast as she could whilst trying her best to make as little sound as possible.
Still, her boots thudded against the dry earth and rustled in the rusty coloured leaves that covered the forest floor.
The branches scratched at her face and arms like hundreds of thin wiry limbs trying to stop her and hold her back but she would not let them.
She could hear Legolas breathing heavy behind her, his own feet dislodging hidden stones and catching on some tree roots. They said no words to each other, from this distance she was sure that the Uruk-hai would overhear them.
Her mind raced faster than she ran. She had taken off in this direction, the same way as the Uruk- hai were headed but she had no idea where the others were.
With them spread out like this they were weak and if they needed to retreat then they could not until everyone was accounted for. The most important question kept coming back to her time and time again, where was Frodo?
At least she knew that Merry, Pippin and Sam should be alright for the meanwhile at the riverbank. They would be panicking by now that they had not returned, and Sam would be frantic with worry about Frodo but they were safe, that was the important thing.
Aragorn ,Boromir and Gimli were all still missing somewhere in the forest . Hopefully as the more experienced members of the fellowship they would have heard or seen the Uruk - Hai first , then they would be able to hide before the brutes were upon them.
The Uruk-Hai ran determinedly deeper into forest, as though something were drawing them in. Their dark skin, broad shoulders and towering height made the trees surrounding them look smaller .They flowed in between the trunks like a wave of force, leaving a trail in their wake of splintered branches , upturned mud and the rumbling of hundreds of feet .
She wanted to call Aragorns name. For him to call back in response and reassure her that he was alright. Instead she kept her lips clamped shut and followed the troop at a safe distance. If they alerted them now there was no way that her and Legolas would be able to defeat them. However if they regrouped and took them by surprise then perhaps they may stand a chance.
A new sound entered her pointed ears from her other side away from the Uruk- Hai and she slowed her pace considerably till she stopped, holding her blade out in front of her in defence. Something was coming upon them fast, crashing through the undergrowth with large cracks of wood and laboured breathing. It showed no signs of slowing, closer and closer and closer. She braced her feet for the impending impact, Legolas drawing an arrow towards the commotion as he stood beside her on her left. She held her breath, it could only be behind the closest hedge of shrubbery now, yet she could still not see it.
She let out a large gust of breath from her lungs when she saw that it was Gimli that emerged from the mass of tangled twigs. He was panting hard and red-faced, looking as shocked as she did when he found himself face to face with the point of Hadafang and Legolas' taut bowstring.
"I see you two are keeping busy" he said sarcastically as he put his free hand on his knee and tried to regain his composure. She let her sword arm drop down to her side and Legolas released the tension in his string.
"But perhaps you might want to focus your efforts on them" he continued raising the gloved hand that gripped his large axe towards the ensuing horde that plummeted through the trees. Gimlis face was covered in a sheen of sweat, glistening from just below the rim of his heavy metal helm and flowing down into his dark braided beard. The last time they had run this hard was in the dark of Moria. Here she could see the sky , but she still felt the same oppressive gloom that had struck her there
"Have you seen the others?" Arwen asked the dwarf quickly, getting ready to move off once more.
"No, you are the first" he replied solemnly , all joviality aside.
"We need to find them and fast" Legolas stated turning away from them, his light blue eyes making a quick scan of the forest.
"Alright let's go" Arwen agreed, falling into step behind the blond-haired elf , her feet finding the same rhythm as before.
The Uruk-hai changed their direction in the forest, veering off to the left dramatically from their original path. This was no ordinary patrol, they seemed to know exactly where they were headed. That did not bode well.
They did not hesitate for breath, nor seem to be wary of their surroundings. Not once did they look behind them. Their sole purpose was their goal.
They seemed to trail them for hours but she knew that in reality it could have been no more than a few minutes. Then Arwen heard something that seemed to shake her core.
The distinguishable metal ring of blades crossing, clashed out around them. It seemed to come from every direction but she knew that was just a trick of the trees. They had found someone.
"Legolas?" she called ahead, hoping that he may have an answer for her.
"I do not know who" he replied guessing her question before she had even asked it.
He drew his bow and gave a burst of speed erupting from a line of trees into a clearing. She was not too far behind and as soon as she was abreast with the treeline her breath caught in her throat.
In the centre of the clearing lay the ruins of Amon Hen. Covered in rough jagged edges this once beautiful watchtower would have been a grand site. But the years were taking their toll, slowly reclaiming the hewn stone back into the trees to become forgotten.
Gimli sprinted past her, the metal on his armour tinkling with each step he took.
She had slowed without realising. Her sword was in her hand but her feet felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else. Each step she took felt as though she were heaving them from quicksand. Looking at the chaos in front of her she could understand why her body would be telling her to flee.
Beneath the shadow of Amon Hen there was a battle already in full swing. As quickly as he had burst from the trees Legolas had already slayed at least five of the Uruks in quick succession, his arm reaching to his quiver with lightning speed to launch another arrow at the closest foe.
Gimli although tired seemed to have found a second lease of energy for he charged towards a hulking Uruk, clothed in torn leather and brandishing a large hooked blade in a huge hand. The dwarf swung his axe in a low arc that first made contact with skin and then bone. The Uruk toppled down onto the ground, letting out a roar of pain. He was abruptly silenced when the dwarf brought his axe down with a crack against the creatures skull. Gimli then ran off in the direction of his next victim.
A Uruk came upon her suddenly from her right, she had been so captivated by the commotion she had almost forgotten that she too was in danger.
At the last possible moment she managed to duck under the large blade that was headed in her direction, flinging herself to the ground. It missed its intended target by just more than an inch, it did however make contact with the tree that she was stood beside, catching into the rough bark and staying put. Frustrated the Uruk growled at the tree, showing broken yellow teeth which seemed bright against its dark skin, but still the blade would not budge. She seized this opportunity to plunge her blade upwards from her position on the floor straight into the taut stomach muscles that hovered above her. The skin was tough, almost like it was piercing armour but she managed to push the blade deeper, shoving it up through the bottom of the Uruks ribs until it sank in a heap on the floor. Her arm was covered in thick blood that had run down the silver blade, over the hilt and down her sleeve but she did no have time to rectify it. Instead she pushed herself up from the floor, dirt and bits of dead leaves clinging to the blood and her dark blue tunic. She had to make her way over to the others, but between them and her was a handful of Uruks and more were still coming out of the trees.
That was when she glimpsed him. Near the bottom of the stone stairs Aragorn was surrounded on all sides by Uruks. He stabbed out viciously, piercing the already blood covered blade through the throat of the nearest before ripping it out, in a spray of flesh and blood to strike at the Uruk who was advancing on him from behind. Legolas was helping to keep them at bay with a few accurately aimed arrows but they were still too close for comfort.
She started across the expanse, ready to take on anything that tried to stop her. It was safer to be near the others , if something were to go wrong then they would be able to help her faster.
Her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat. But at least when she ran it helped to keep her cool, the wind seemed to hit it and make it icy cold.
She hacked at an approaching attacker, managing to parry his first blow. She had not quite anticipated the strength behind the blow and she staggered slightly, the muscles in her arms faltering as the force reverberated from her limbs. The Uruk let out a low rumble of a growl, staring at her with a unwavering rage. She could smell its putrid breath blowing at her, brushing across her skin in waves. They were strong this was true. But she had one thing that these hulking abominations did not have and that was agility. Ducking quickly so that she could get away from his swing she spun to one side, lifting her blade again and putting all the energy she could muster behind her next attack. She managed to slice through the brutes wrist severing the bones, tendons and other flesh before her blade re-emerged from the underside. His hand still clutching his sword dropping heavily to the floor with a thud. The beast look stunned for a moment, questioning how such a small thing had evaded him, but it did not have to wonder for long, as she swung out again. She was aiming to decapitate it as she had just seen Gimli doing to a nearby foe after cracking his axe into the back of its kneecaps to bring it down to his level. However his arm must have been stronger than hers as she found her blade stuck halfway, delivering a killing blow but it left the Uruks neck a ragged mess. It's head hung on by one side of skin and muscle and a few threads in between. She freed her blade by putting her foot on the torso to give her some leverage. It came out quite freely after that.
She had gained little in the way of ground over to her companions but she was getting there. Once she had focused on the spot she was trying to get to, she managed to dispatch two more of them easily, slipping between them and catching both their stomachs with a semicircular swing which brought them both to the ground.
A whoosh and thud behind her made her turn suddenly just in time to come face to face with a Uruk that was already falling to the floor. Startled for a moment she was unsure of what had happened until she saw the quiver deeply embedded in its back. Feathers gently moving in the breeze. She looked up towards Legolas who gave her a quick smirk before continuing his onslaught.
She was just about to fling herself at another who was approaching Gimli from his left when the sound of a horn hit her from within the trees. Boromir. It was the horn cry from Gondor. He must have been in trouble for him to use it. How many more of these beasts could there be if he was fighting them deeper in the forest?
What worried her more was that they believed Frodo to be with him. They had to get to him and fast. A few of Uruk-hai looked up at the sky trying to work out what direction the sound was coming from, before heading off away from them back into the trees. However the majority of them remained.
"Go!" Legolas shouted at Aragorn above the ruckus. Not stopping to look at him as he felled another Uruk.
Aragorn hesitated for a moment, scanning the group to see if there was any more that he could do. He managed to catch her eye for a brief moment between the figures. But the next time she saw him he had already turned and was heading down a dip in the forest floor towards the noise. Please let them be alright, she thought to herself.
Crack. Something hard and heavy smashed across her back. An agonising heat of pain shooting from her spine to the tips of her fingers. The force of the blow lifted her off her feet so that she fell head first back onto the ground. She struggled for breath as her lungs seemed to object . There she stared up at the blue sky from the flat of her back. Most of it was obscured by the overhanging branches of the nearby trees but she could see a wisp of cloud floating slowly along. Something else entered her view, a great dark figure, a white hand plastered across its chest and then blackness.