Princess of the Woodland Realm||LOTR

The Wolves of Isengard

The trek to Helm's Deep had been quiet, uneventful, and they'd been making good time, stopping when necessary for the horses, women, children and wounded. The Elven siblings had stayed at the head of the column of travellers, scouting out paths for safe passage to their refuge.

"It's too quiet." Aranel remarked softly to her brother. The pair stood on a hill as a couple of riders passed them. Legolas didn't respond, his eyes scanning the mounds to their left. He knew something that Aranel did not, but perhaps he wasn't wanting to alert his sister just yet. Before Legolas could speak, shouts and cries of pain could be heard from the two riders who scouted ahead of the Elven siblings. Snarls shortly accompanied the shouts.

"Wargs!" Aranel let loose a cry, remaining on the hill as Legolas released an arrow. Aragorn was by the younger Elf's side in seconds, hand resting on her back. The pair cast their eyes down to Legolas as he sliced the throat of an Orc.

"A scout!" With a grunt, the Elf prince shoved the corpse of the Orc away from him. Aragorn and Aranel ran back to the horses that awaited them when Theoden rode up. 

"What is it? What do you see?!" The King asked impatiently. Aranel mounted her stallion, calming the animal in Sindarin as Aragorn answered.

"Wargs! We're under attack!" The second the words left the rangers' mouth, the women and children released anguished cries of fear.

"Get them out of here!" Theoden called out to his niece and several other women he knew he could trust. "All riders to the head of the column!" The King called out, raising his spear. Aranel kicked her horse into a gallop, joining the rest of the riders. Legolas was still firing arrows on the rapidly advancing warg riders. Aranel held her bow tightly in hand as her horse took her closer and closer to the impending peril. The moment horses met wargs, several men were pulled to the ground. An arrow found its mark in Aranel's leg. She hissed in pain, yanking the accursed weapon from her flesh.

As soon as the battle began it was over. Men had come out victorious. Aranel had forgotten her injury as she dismounted her horse, looking for her friends and brother. 

"Aragorn!?" Legolas' fair voice rang out over the clearing. Aranel tracked her brother down easily enough, biting back a cry as pain lanced her leg with each step. The shaft had been poisoned, the Elf Princess was sure of it.

"Aragorn?" Gimli called out to no response. A choked laugh broke through the air near the trio. Gimli approached the fallen Orc and pushed his axe near the Orc's face.

"Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing." Gimli demanded.

"He's... dead. He took a little tumble off the cliff." The Orc spoke through coughs. Aranel didn't believe it. She grasped the vest of the Orc and pulled him from the ground.

"You lie!" She snapped. The Orc coughed a few more times as he finally succumbed, choking on his own blood. Legolas pulled something from the hands of their felled enemy.

"Aragorn's necklace from Arwen." Her voice spoke softly. Legolas walked back to the cliff's edge, peering over the side, searching for his best friend.

"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead." Legolas glared at the King, as if not believing they wouldn't return without Aragorn's body. "Come." Theoden placed a hand on the Prince's shoulder. Legolas' sad eyes continued to stare down at the river.

Aranel hissed as she moved to stand and make her way to her horse. Pain wracked her leg and she fell, nearly striking the ground. She gripped the strong arms that caught her before she made it all the way to the grassy surface. Aranel's eyes shifted unsteadily, her gaze fixing upon Legolas' bright blue eyes. He set her down gently and inspected her wound. Black lines had protruded from the incision caused by the poisoned shaft.

"Poison. I brought extra athelas from Rivendell at Elrond's request. It's in my pack on Arroch." Aranel spoke through gritted teeth. At the sound of his name, the black stallion trotted to his master. Legolas stood and whispered soothing words in Sindarin to the horse, calming him as he grabbed the athelas. Legolas chewed the plant before putting it on the wound, earning a hiss from his sister. Aranel's fingers dug into the ground as her brother worked to save her life.

"I will have someone else ride with Gimli, I shall ride with you. I would have you risk no further injury to yourself." Legolas' Sindarin slipped out with ease. "Gimli, ride with someone else. My sister is injured and I need to watch over her." The older Elf called out to his Dwarf companion. Gimli responded with a gruff grunt, not happy about the situation.

Normally, Aranel would have put up a fight with her brother, yet the pain was too great for her to bear on her own. Perhaps riding with Legolas would do her some good. The pair moved slowly to Arod, Aranel's own horse following his master dutifully. Over the few days they'd been together, Arroch trusted her and would defend her with his life if needed.

Legolas carefully lifted Aranel onto Arod. The younger Elf gripped the reins tightly, pain pulsating from her leg. Legolas had wrapped the wound, albeit a bit crudely. He'd be better able to care for it when they arrived at Helm's Deep.

Legolas carefully mounted up behind her, one hand on the reins while the other wrapped around his sister's waist, keeping her in place. Aranel felt her eyes slip shut as her head lolled onto Legolas' shoulder and chest. Legolas was concerned, yet felt no heat radiating from the injured Elf. Perhaps the poison just made her tired. Either way, Legolas wanted to treat it better. His voice whispered soothing Elvish in Aranel's ear, keeping her at peace. Legolas silently wished for his best friend's healing skills.