Home (Thranduil fanfic)

Chapter 10

In the anatomy of Greenwood palace, the stables are where the sun don't shine. After several hours of being knee deep in muck, the three friends were finally done. 'If any horse dares to open its bowels again, ever...' Tauriel started. 'It'll have to clean up after itself because I am out of here.' Esenor finished for her. Asachiel just crooned softly as she wiped her hair out of her face, the brown mane matted once again and laced with straw piles.

The king's punishment had exhausted her, but she had held fast to the idea of following the regiment up the mountain. Having guessed her thoughts, Esenor leaned forward and sweetly said 'They will be back again soon anyway.' Asachiel offered him a tired smile, and trudged up to her room to change. Once she sat on the bed, she decided to lay down for just a little moment...

The following morning she awoke with a start, still brandishing straw in her hair. After a quick one over she ran down the stairs, expecting to find the regiment and her king safely returned. Her king. She paused on that, and a smile played on her lips. Slightly embarrassed, she shook her head.

She jogged down the walkways, full of anticipation to hear about the outcome of the mission. It was then that she noticed the subdued atmosphere. They had not returned.

Asachiel noticed Mirdan coming from a walkway to the right, and their eyes met. She had never liked him. Though he was a good fighter, particularly skilled with bow and arrow, she felt he was a leader with little imagination and no talent for thinking strategically. Mirdan had advanced in status and career where her friends, with the exception of Legolas of course, had not. She had to admit to herself the latter might explain her personal dislike of the chief of the military.

'We're trying to find them, Asa.' said Mirdan, who had stayed behind in charge of guarding the borders. She held his eyes. 'What are you saying, Mirdan? Where are they?' she asked unnecessarily sharp. 'What makes you think I have any idea?' he shot back, then glancing towards his feet. 'Orders are orders, and we are to stay put until the king's return.'

Asachiel was overcome with the sudden feeling that this thing was getting bigger by the minute. Bigger than groups of roving orcs on a mountainside, organized as they might be. Bigger even than the substantial troupe of creatures that had mobbed her and her friends in the village. She caught a sharp breath and turned on her heels.

A sudden realization had hit her. Given their numbers, these orcs could feasibly stop at nothing. Thranduil's words rung in her ears: Why are orcs so eager to root around peasant villages up a rocky mountain? The answer was blatantly clear to her now. They were not. Their sights were set on something else entirely.

She was well out of the gates and into the thick of the forest when unexpectedly two riders caught up with her. 'Seriously, Asa.' Tauriel said looking incredulous as she moved her horse to canter alongside hers. 'Will you please try to remember your friends who need their fair share of adventure?' 'I know', Asachiel said nodding her head as she saw Esenor give her a fake severe stare and he tut tut tut-ed her. There was no denying this lot the adventure they craved. She couldn't help but smile warmly at the faces of her good friends who knew her only too well.

They swiftly moved up the mountain path, and stopped to search for tracks. 'They passed by here alright' Esenor said, pointing out the marks of riders and footmen that were still fresh in the murky ground. Their gaze moved up the slope of the mountain to the village. Her village. It now lay in ruin, and as the friends passed through, it became clear that no orcs were there, nor was there any sign of the elven troops.

The tracks led out of the village, past the elders' house on the north side, and wound its way up, up the mountain. They exchanged worried glances and continued without saying another word. Asachiel clenched her teeth and could feel the tension in her shoulders. There she was, riding into battle, if not towards certain death. On her back clung a bow and arrow, with light feathers and an intricately designed pattern. She loved the instrument, but had once sworn never to take it up again after being disillusioned with war and disgusted by the spilling of so much blood – orc, human, dwarf and elven alike.

'Soooo, is all of this for a bunch of echil - people?' asked Esenor, breaking her reverie. 'Or is there a special someone involved here? A handsome villager perhaps?' he added teasingly. Asachiel wondered what motivated his curiosity, but could guess at the jealous nature of his inquiry. Nevertheless, her cheeks flushed as she mumbled a dismissal. She could feel Tauriel staring at her.

Sensing her ambivalence, Tauriel leaned forward. 'He didn't just change his mind, did he?' Asachiel took a breath. 'En! - Look!' The side of the hill was strewn with carcasses, almost all orc, as far as they could see. They spread out and took in the damage to the bodies, all clearly inflicted during a massive stand off on the hillside.

Asachiel managed a smile. 'They nailed them, didn't they?' She glanced at Esenor, who seemed to take the sight of his fallen elven comrades hard. Asachiel came up beside him, bracing his shoulder and giving him a sympathetic squeeze. 'Sadly, nothing we haven't seen before huh?' She wasn't sure if that helped, and looked in surprise at this hitherto unknown sensitive side to her friend.

They now picked up the pace and rode on to where the rocky mountainside opened in a large cave. The rocks seemed to gape, all dead and obscure inside. They stared at the hole leading deep into the mountain. Asachiel swallowed hard and pushed on. The other two dismounted their horses too, and followed suit.

'Hey Asa, Taur.' They turned back. Esenor looked as if he wanted to say how much he loved the both of them and that this positively looked like certain death. But he just smiled and said 'Keep your eyes peeled for what goes bump in the night.' With that, they entered the hollow.