I Will Always Come Back

Chapter 7

We started a fire and had one bite of Lembas bread each. The feeling of being watched hadn't gone away, and so I decided to keep watch for the night. I would tell Gandalf if I saw something suspicious. As everybody went to sleep, I sat on a log and watched as the moon crept higher into the night sky. I saw the stars getting brighter and brighter. They were so beautiful, so innocent. I could look at them all night long.

As I started to lose myself to the light of the stars, I heard a voice in my head. "Prince Legolas Thranduilion," it began. The voice was female, and pure as silver. "There is a great danger that will come to you in the future. I cannot tell what it is, or who will cause it, but I do know that you and your company will be involved. That is all that I can say, for the rest is hidden from me. What I do know is that shall you fail in defeating this evil, you and the rest of Middle Earth shall be lost."

That was when things started to get weird. I kept hearing things in the night. The words I had just heard was making me go mad. I couldn't guard like this. I walked over to Gandalf, and gently woke him up. "What is it?" he asked.

"I keep hearing noises in the night, and there is no proof that they are real. I think I might be too tired for this," I told him. I did not want to reveal the whole truth.

He could tell that I left something out, and gave me a suspicious face, but he said, "Alright, I know your are not lying, but are leaving something you do not wish to tell me out. However, I will take your position and not bother you any longer about this matter. I shall leave it, until you wish to tell me."

"Thank you, Gandalf," I said, relieved. Then, as he took my position for night watch, I laid down my blankets and fell asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke to the sound of battle cries and yelling. Orcs. I pulled my bow off of my back and fit an arrow into it, all in the blink of an eye. I found my target in a split second, and fired. It hit the Orc and it fell to the ground, dead. Then, I did this again. And again. And again. Suddenly, I heard a scream. Not of fear, of pain. I looked for the source of the sound, and found Tauriel lying unconscious on the ground. My heart longed to go to her, to stay with her. But my head told me I had to keep fighting until all the Orcs were dead, when it would be safe. I decided to follow what my head was saying, and I continued fighting.

Orc after Orc was slain, until they all lay on the ground, dead. I ran to Tauriel as soon as I could, and was relieved to find she was still alive. I ran to my pack and grabbed the Athelas plant. Then, I sprinted back to her and said some words in Elvish while I pressed the plant to her torso, where she had been struck. When I finished, I made a stretcher and put her onto it, and then dragged it back to the rest of my comrades, who I just realized we're watching. They gazed at Tauriel with worry, and I reassured them with a wave of my hand.

"She will be alright," I told them, "She just needs some rest." By some unspoken agreement, we started walking again. Arnos picked up the other end of the stretcher so she wouldn't have to be dragged across the ground, which was starting to get rocky. We would reach the mountains soon. I saw then in the distance, shadows ahead, full of unknown dangers.

We continued onward. After the first few hours, Tauriel woke up. We placed her stretcher down and helped her up. "What happened?" she asked, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. She must have forgotten. I was just about to explain to her when a wave of und retarding seemed to flood through her. She looked at her torso, looking like she was dreading what she might see. She fingered the torn, bloodstained fabric. Then, she sighed with relief. "Who healed me?" Tauriel asked.

I hesitated for a second. Then, I quietly said, "I did." She looked at me for a moment, just staring. Then, she ran up and hugged me.

"Thank you," she whispered. Surprised, I awkwardly hugged her back. I then realized that if I hadn't healed her, she wouldn't be standing here right now. I hugged her tighter.

"It was no problem," I said, "I couldn't think of a world without you. I've known you my whole life." We let go. I realized that I could have given her the wrong idea, so I said, "You are the best friend I have ever had." I didn't want to give her any hope that I'm not sure of yet. I couldn't just leave it without that last sentence. She looked a bit hurt, but she quickly regained her composer and smiled.

She looked back at the torn, bloodstained fabric that covered her torso, and ran her finger over it. "I did not know you were such a good healer."

"I've been practicing. I don't want anybody to be hurt after that first Orc attack," I told her. "Let's keep moving. We can talk then," I changed the subject.

We started walking. Again. It seemed this was a never-ending cycle of stopping and starting. We really needed to get to Rivendell soon. Otherwise, I would go mad. I don't even know what we are discussing about the Ring. All I know is that that's why they called the council. If I knew the true extent of the dangers of the Ring, I would be more motivated to get there. I would be more prepared to care about my guards. To have feelings for them.

I was starting to become a heartless fool.