Chapter 32
They seemed to have walked in the darkness for most of the night. Fatigue caught up with Adrianna, and she had to return to her fairy form and be carried whilst she took a quick nap.
Whilst she was asleep, Legolas listened to the shrieks and cries of the creatures inhabiting the rocky cave in which they were trapped. The elf had not come across any exits, only more and more tunnels. He took Gandalf's advice of, 'if in doubt, always follow your nose.' And although the air appeared clearer, the shrieking if the creatures only seemed to get louder.
"What's that noise?" Adrianna asked, returning to her elleth-like size as soon as she had awakened.
"They're Goblins." Legolas responded, allowing the Faye to loop her arm through his.
The Princess shivered, and continued to listen intently to the shrieking of the Goblins. Suddenly, Legolas stopped walking, and the shrieks and drumming had ceased. It was silent. Deadly silent.
The Prince pulled Adrianna closer toward him as he backed into the wall, and the Faye held her breath when the sound of scuffling feet reached her own eardrums. Instinctively, her hand found its way towards the hilt of her sword and she clutched it tightly in her hand.
"We're outnumbered." Legolas stated, his clear blue eyes finding the emerald green ones of Adrianna.
"Over here."
The elf heard the whisper and began to frantically look around the darkness for the source of the voice.
"Quickly now."
He hastily took hold of Adrianna's hand and pulled her towards where the voice had come from. Whispering back to the man, questioning who and where he was.
Of course, the man could be leading them into a trap. But Legolas would rather fight him than many, many Goblins.
"Left, down the stairs."
Carefully, the elf and the Faye descended the rocky stairs, until the elf saw something swish in front of him and disappear around another corner. It was a cape. A black cape, which must belong to the man telling them where to go. Faintly, they could see the cloaked figure standing at the end of the rocky corridor, pushing a rock to the side.
"Quickly!" He whispered to them, his voice straining under the weight of the rock.
Legolas and Adrianna passed the man before cautiously awaiting for him to close the doorway. As soon as the rock was in place, they looked around them. There was not much light in the room, but enough to see that they were not alone.
A flicker suddenly appeared, and Legolas stepped closer towards Adrianna protectively. The cloaked man lit a candle before gesturing towards the other people in the room.
"As you can see, you're not the only ones who fell through that tunnel." He explained.
"Who are you?" Adrianna asked.
The man pulled down his hood, allowing his dark, shaggy hair to be revealed. "We're Rangers." He explained. "I am Nasir, the first man to fall into this Rocky Hell."
"How long have you been down here?" Legolas asked.
The Ranger shrugged, "About a month." He explained, "We have to rob the Goblins for food, and even for us that's not easy."
There were five other Rangers in the room, two of which were not wearing their hoods. They looked like brothers, both with short, copper hair. They were looking at Adrianna. The ones with hoods on had their heads inclined towards Legolas; watching him.
"So," Nasir began, taking a seat on a conveniently placed rock. "Who are you?"
"I am Legolas, of the Woodland Realm," The Prince began. "And this is Adrianna, from The Glade of Tarasara."
Nasir raised one eyebrow when he looked at the two, "We are graced with royalty, men." He explained. "Show some respect."
"I am Ra'an." The taller of the coppery haired men stated, bowing his head, "This is my brother, Runam."
"Xane," The Ranger closest to Adrianna pulled down his hood, his long black hair was tied off his face and into a long plait. "This is Tas, and Shof." The remaining two Rangers removed their hoods and nodded respectfully towards the elf and the Faye.
"Do you know how to get out?" Adrianna asked.
Nasir shook his head, "If we knew, we wouldn't be here, my Lady."
"Then we're trapped." Adrianna nodded to herself in understanding. Desperately, she wanted to kick something, and it was a small decision between one of the two smug looking brothers.
"Where are your guards?" Tas asked them.
"They departed from our company when we left The Glade of Tarasara." Adrianna explained.
"Where were you going?" Shof questioned out of curiosity.
"To Mirkwood." Legolas replied.
"Why were you taking this route?" Ra'an asked. "Surely, it would have been safer and quicker to go the other way."
"We were looking for a place to be married." Legolas stated, smiling at Adrianna who beamed back at him.
The Rangers exchanged glances before turning to look back at the Prince and the Princess, "Congratulations." Nasir stated, the other Rangers' nodded in agreement. "It's a shame we don't know how long it will be until we can find a way out of here. You may have to put a hold on your wedding plans."
Adrianna took a seat on the ground, removing a stone from underneath her as she did so. Although he was comfortable with standing, Legolas joined her.
"Someone will see our horses." Adrianna stated, all of a sudden. "No one travels far from their mounts when looking for firewood. And someone always remains with the camp."
Legolas nodded, "Gandalf is in Rivendell." He explained, "I'm sure he would visit The Glade of Tarasara, he is only two days away after all."
"Perhaps he'll recognise Arod."
Although it was an attempt to lighten the mood that they would escape, both Adrianna and Legolas knew it was in vain. They had travelled north when leaving the Glade, and Rivendell was east. It would take a miracle for Gandalf to come across their horses, and even then there was the chance that Arod and Treyton could chew through their reins and gallop away.
But still, it was hope. And Gandalf was a Wizard after all.
A/N: I'm so sorry for such a late update! But I am glad to see many people still reading, reviewing and adding this story to their alert list :) Thank you very much for the support :)
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and have a very Happy New Year :) xx