Mirkwood

The Greenwood engulfed us and the horses that we led by the reins the next morning like a green abyss through which we could only navigate because we were following the road.

Admittedly: Probably also because Legolas knew the forest like the back of his hand.

However, he remained silent about this. It seemed to me that now that we were here, he wanted to avoid talking about his homeland at all costs - which surprised me, because I still remembered how passionately he had spoken of the Black-emporers and the treetops swaying in the wind when we had sat on the ballustrade in Minas Tirith and looked out over the land. But I didn't want to push him, especially not after our last conversation. I had enough trouble of my own, which seemed to pile up higher with every day that we moved further away from Gondor.

As soon as the forest surrounded us, it was as if someone had turned off the speakers. This worried me at first, but after we covered the first few meters, I quickly realized that the Greenwood wasn't silent - it was just making different sounds than I was used to. I heard the beating of moth wings, the rustling of mice and other small animals in the undergrowth, and from way up high, the swishing of leaves that almost sounded like a distant highway, so tall were the trees. The forest itself felt melancholic, the trees were covered in thick moss and the road wound its way between the trunks out of sight. Had Legolas not guided us with dreamlike certainty, I would surely have gotten lost. Gimli seemed to feel the same way, for he kept shaking his head at the light-footedness with which Legolas walked through the forest. Even if he had not spoken gladly about it since the beginning of our journey - he could not hide the fact that this was his home.

Still, as safe as I felt in the company of the elf, the days when the Greenwood had been called Mirkwood had not been long ago, and the shadows that lurked beneath the tree roots, just waiting to crawl out into the depths of the forest, kept making me cast uneasy glances over my shoulder.

It was shortly after noon when we took our first rest. At least that's what I thought, because it was hard to tell the time under the canopy of leaves. The forest was dominated by a diffuse twilight, only occasionally a ray of sunlight fell down to the ground. "How long will it take us to cross the woods?" I asked, as I shoved a handful of nuts into my mouth that we had collected along the way. They were nutritious and made me feel full - something I hadn't been since leaving Lorien. Our hasty escape had forced us to leave our supplies behind, and it was only thanks to Gimli and Legolas' hunting talents that we had not starved.

"Two days," Legolas replied. "If we are not stopped."

Gimli grumbled and propped himself up on his axe. "It is all too quiet," he said. "They should have found us by now - for days we have wandered along the foothills of the forest, and Celeborn's men have made no move to look for us. Don't even get me started on the orcs."

"Maybe he didn't want to take the stone pieces from me after all?", I offered, but Legolas shook his head. "I don't think so."

"But then how do you explain that no one followed us?"

He was silent, almost to the point where I thought he would not answer. Finally he said, "I don't know, and that troubles me greatly."

"One thing is certain, we should leave this wood as soon as possible." Gimli cast a disgruntled glance at the gnarled root at his feet, which had moved dangerously close to his boot since we sat in this spot. "Too many awakened elf trees. No offense," he added, turning to Legolas, who had a smirk playing around his mouth.

"They will not harm you, my friend."

In reply, the dwarf stood up. "It is not only the trees that worry me, Legolas. I know you don't like to speak of it, but the borders of the Woodland Realm are not far from here. It could become more dangerous to Aspen than any creature that prowls the shadows of the forest."

Legolas's expression remained unreadable. "That is why we chose the direct route. You know as well as I do, Gimli, that the path round the Greenwood would have taken weeks. We would not have arrived in Esgaroth before the beginning of winter and…"

A crack caused him to fall silent. We paused breathless, then everything happened very quickly. As if to prove Gimli's words wrong, the dark creatures of Mirkwood fell upon us. The elf and dwarf acted so quickly that I could hardly keep up. They protected me with their bodies, and when a particularly large spider came running at us, Legolas hissed, "Duck! Protect the shards!"

As quickly as I could, I dropped to the ground and simultaneously drew the knives Earun had given me back when we first trained that I always carried on my body. I had left the bow and the sword behind in Lorien.

I hurriedly tried to get an overview of the situation: Three spiders were attacking us on the ground, four more were just descending. Further up, I heard the flapping of wings. Were these the bats Legolas had warned me about?

One of the spiders managed to slip past Gimli at that very moment. He whirled around to stop it, but it was too late.

I ducked away a second time. One of the hairy legs grazed my arm, but the spider failed to grab me with its prehensile claws.

Before it could attack a second time, I spun around and stabbed one of its eight eyes with the knife. With a sound of pain it backed away, only to lunge forward all the more forcefully in the next instant.

This time I did not manage to dodge. The spider got a hold of my neck and pressed me against the bark of the nearest tree with its prehensile claws. I groaned as she sliced my skin open and clicked in joyful anticipation. Stars danced at the edge of my field of vision, I could barely breathe.

"Aspen!" That was Legolas' voice, but he sounded like he was miles away. Like he couldn't help me.

I blinked, my hand fumbling for the second knife that had slipped from my hand and must be lying on the ground somewhere nearby. Almost in panic, my fingers reached for it, but only got hold of acorns and loose leaves.

And then the pressure from my throat was gone all at once. Greedily I sucked in the air, sinking to my knees anyway. It took a few moments for my vision to return to normal, but finally I saw what had saved me. Or rather, who.

It had been neither Legolas nor Gimli. But I knew the green gown worn by the elf who now leaned down to me and held out his arm. It looked exactly like the one Legolas had worn since we left Minas Tirith. "Are you hurt?"

Again I had to blink, my hand going to my neck. But except for the small wound the spider had made with its grasping tools, I was unharmed. "No," I replied, my voice raspy.

"Are you sure? The spiders sometimes inject their venom unnoticed."

I let the elf pull me to my feet. His hair was as long as Legolas', but dark. In return, his piercing gray eyes studied me intently. "She hurt my neck, but not with her poison sting."

He nodded and let go of my forearm. "One of our healers will take a look at it." With those words, he turned away just as Legolas came bursting through the trees. His gaze searched for me, and had I not known better, I would have assumed he was worried for me. Not the kind of worry you felt for a companion. No. The fear you felt when you feared losing someone you cared about deeply.

But the expression on his face disappeared just as quickly as it had emerged when he saw me standing in front of the tree, the dead body of the spider at my feet and the other elf next to me. Probably I had only imagined it.

He gave me a quick glance before turning to the elf and asking, "How many more are there?"

"We have driven them back as far as we could, my prince. But more will follow. We should retreat."

My prince? I opened my mouth, only to close it again immediately. Slowly it dawned on me who these elves were who had helped us. And Legolas' reply confirmed my suspicions, "It's half a day's walk to my father's halls - we should be able to make it given the circumstances. Are you injured Aspen?"

I shook my head, looking curiously back and forth between Legolas and the elf, who seemed to be waiting to be given orders. And that's exactly what Legolas did, "Make sure the spiders stay at arm's length."

"Very well, my prince." With that, the elf leapt back into the undergrowth, leaving me alone with Legolas.

We looked at each other for a heartbeat before I said, "I guess that kills the plan to cross the Old Forest Road as quickly as possible."

"Apparently."

"And now what?"

"Now we hope my father doesn't have one of his bad days."