Meeting Hope

By: Eressie

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Chapter seven

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They all held their breaths while the troll was cursing and groaning from pain. He was flinging his arms around and a gargling noise could be heard. It sounded like he had trouble to breathe and the elves guessed that blood was filling up in his lungs.

Legolas felt Estel tremble beside him. "'Las?"

"Stay still, Estel." Legolas whispered soothingly.

The troll growled loudly. "Is that ye, nasty elfies?" he roared with anger and soon after he was violently sick. The others grimaced by the foul smell.

"Were here." Elrohir said with an emotionless voice. "And faring better than you, I might add."

The troll laughed. "Ye die as well! I don't have much…" he coughed, "left! But ye, won't stay alive for long!"

"Shut your nasty mouth!" Legolas exclaimed as he felt Estel tense up beside him.

"As I breathe me final blood-soaking breath," the troll roared with laughter, "I will enjoy the thought of ye; trapped in here, smelling me rottin' body as ye cling to ye miserable little lives!"

The troll gasped for breath, if the others could see him they were sure that he would have a panicked look on his face. But that could not be told in his voice. Although, near death, Dave wanted nothing more right now than to know that the elves and man suffered and would receive a similar fate as his. After a few minutes and with short wheezing breaths, the troll slammed his huge face into the rocky ground - dead. And the cave was silent once more.

Estel released his breath that he did not know that he had been holding. Although, it was a troll and it was going to kill them, he somewhat felt sorry for it. He felt ill, because it was also the first time he had ever been in the presence of someone dying, that he could remember that is. Living with immortal elves in a safe and hidden valley had protected him from such things.

They sat in silence for a while and all of them tried their hardest not to fall into despair once again. Legolas started to struggle with the ropes that he was tied up with once more and he felt a wave of joy as he noticed that the blood on his wrist could help him wiggle his hands around more. He gritted his teeth as he pulled and twisted his hands around. With each movement he felt the ropes getting a little bit looser. He could not stop himself from exclaiming a triumphant laugh of excitement as he finally pulled his hand free!

"Finally!" he said and dropped the ropes that had tied his wrist together. He stretched his hands around before leaning forward to try to untie the ropes around his ankles. His fingers hurt and felt swollen and numb in some places but he finally managed to free his legs as well after some time.

He then turned to Estel and his ropes. "Here, let me." he said and Estel stilled his own attempt to get free and let Legolas help him. Estel winced as the ropes slid off his hands at last. They felt like pins and needles as the blood flowed back into the veins in his hands.

"Are you okay, Estel?" Legolas asked. "Can you handle the rope on your ankles on your own?"

Estel nodded. "Yes, just give me a minute." He said and rubbed his aching hands together.

Legolas nodded and then turned towards Elrohir and found the other elf's bound hands reaching out to him and he gladly started to untangle those knots as well.

"I'm afraid that it won't be as easy to untie my ankles though." Elrohir said as the ropes that had held his hands together fell to the ground.

"Does your hands hurt? I can help you with the ropes on your ankles as well." Legolas said and leaned forward towards where Elrohir's legs were before Elrohir could answer. But Legolas could not reach the older elf's ankles. Just as he passed Elrohir's knees; his hands bumped into stone.

Legolas gasped. "Elrohir, what.."

"Yeah, about that…"

"Why haven't you said anything this whole time?!" Legolas said angrily.

"What?" Estel asked with a worried voice.

Elrohir sighed. "I just thought that you had enough on your minds and I did not want you to worry about this little problem too."

"Little?!" Legolas exclaimed and threw his hands up. He sat back down and leaned against the wall again.

"What?" Estel asked again, this time a little louder and more annoyed. "Tell me!"

Elrohir sighed. "I may have a small boulder over my legs."

"You what?!" Estel shouted. "Are they broken? Can you move?"

"I am not exactly sure if they are broken." Elrohir said with a frown. "But I can't move and I feel very little pain right now."

Legolas shook his head. "You should have told me."

"Would you have told me if it was reversed, elfling?"

"Yes."

Elrohir laughed. "No, you wouldn't." he said and leaned his head against the cave wall while massaging his wrists.

Legolas sighed deeply. "We need to find something to heave the rock off you." He said and crawled forward feeling around with his hands.

Estel followed Legolas example and crawled in the other direction but he stopped in his tracks as he heard Legolas yell.

"What?" Estel exclaimed in fear.

Legolas groaned. "I found the troll…"

Estel wrinkled his nose. "Ew.."

"He doesn't happen to have a long stick with him, does he?" Elrohir asked from where he sat behind Legolas.

"Sorry, but no." Legolas said and tried to wipe the troll's vomit and blood from his hands on the ground. "He is mostly covered by stone so it is a little hard to tell."

Legolas started to move the other way but stopped as he heard something. At first he thought that it was the start of another cave in and he was ready to shout towards the other to try to protect themselves but then he realised that it sounded from where the entrance once was.

"Someone's trying to get in." Elrohir said behind him and Estel crawled to his brother's side.

"The trolls?" Estel asked frightened.

Elrohir was about to answer yes but a muffler roar could be heard though the wall of rocks and that answered Estel's question.
Legolas went back to the others and sat himself down on Estel's other side as the noises got louder. It sounded like someone was pounding on the rocks outside with several battering rams. The wall behind them was shaking with each punch that came from the outside. Some rocks fell from the roof in the cave and elves and man pressed themselves as well as they could against the wall to minimise the risk of rocks falling on them.

A large hand punched its way through the stones and rocks flew everywhere, the three friends raised their arms to shield themselves from the flying debris and the blinding brightness from sudden daylight that stung their eyes.
They all held their breaths, the trolls were going to get them!

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So sorry for the wait! A lot as been going on in my life, and I will try to update soon enough!
I wish to have more reviews! Reviews feed my will to write, so please, let me know what you think! :)

/Eressie