"The orcs have surrounded us, almost!" Orophin said. "Though, I do not know why they do not approach and remain out of bowshot."
"They wouldn't dare enter the Golden Wood, brother," Haldir said, his eyes staring into the distance.
"Or they must be waiting for something," Rumil added, coming to his side.
"Or someone!" Orophin remarked, not letting go of his bow.
Haldir nodded. "We've our orders, brothers," he said. "We are to not let the feet of those cursed vermin set foot inside our land."
Rumil guffawed. "Those crooked legs won't get anywhere close to the woods, let alone inside it. The bows of Lorien would sing, brothers."
"Aye!" Haldir mumbled. He then turned to the north and saw from afar dark figures teeming towards the Great River. It looked like the dark fortress had been emptied. "Dol Guldur is on the move."
Rumil and Orophin turned to the north too and sighed. "Are we come to it then? The battle of our times? Is it our fate then to deal with the Enemy's forces without aid from others, standing here alone, surrounded by the armies of darkness?" Rumil let out a barrage of questions.
"Perhaps," he answered. "We may have to battle, but how do we fight if the orcs approach us not? Neither are we allowed to set foot in the outside world to take the attack to them."
"Yea, I too wonder why Mordor doesn't attack us yet," Rumil said, slapping him on his back.
He grunted in pain and threw an angry stare at his younger brother. Rumil retreated, holding his hands aloft and smiling.
"Maybe the Enemy thinks his numbers aren't enough," Orophin suggested.
"He has more than enough, Orophin," he said. "If he attacks now, he can overwhelm us with the orcs he has gathered on this shore alone. If the ones across the Great River make their way across, the results would be disastrous."
"Haldir, you've forgotten one thing," Rumil said.
"What?" he asked, confused, trying to remember what his brother thought he had forgotten.
"The Enemy fears the White Lady," Rumil pointed out. "He thinks his armies won't fare any better against the strength of the Golden Wood. It doesn't matter to him that his numbers are greater. He fears the arcane powers of the Lady Galadriel."
"You're right," he said. "The Enemy does fear the White Lady. And we know the White Lady almost always perceives the Enemy's plans even from here. Maybe the Lady Galadriel has some answers."
Both Orophin and Rumil nodded.
"But no new directives have come from Caras Galadhon," Orophin said.
"Maybe they are still in council about what to do with the mortal," Rumil said.
He shook his head. "Nay, brothers, I think not that Estel occupies much of the councilor's thoughts. The decision was made that day. Estel's here to stay. Estel has the favor of the Lady. And the Lord as well."
"Favor or not, Haldir," Rumil said, "it would be better if he came to help us here on the borders. He knows the Enemy far better than we do. And his help could mean everything."
"That decision lies with him and with the Lord and the Lady," he said. "Besides, he still needs to heal. The bodies of men are not the same as ours."
"Such frailty, and yet such courage!" Rumil remarked.
He nodded. "True, men have surprised us before, and this Estel, he'll surprise us even more. Everyone's convinced he's the hope of all the peoples of Middle Earth who haven't yet fallen under Sauron's thrall."
"Take not the Enemy's name, brother," Orophin said. "His name bears ill fortune."
Haldir bobbed his head and wished the orcs would attack so he would be done with it. At the end, he would either be here in Lorien or in the halls of Mandos. Either way, he would be free from wondering about why the orcs did not approach the Golden Wood even though there were perfectly valid reasons for them to do so.