Hood » LotR ((ON HOLD))

Chapter Nineteen: Desert Battle

Robin could quickly find the others, but they were still badly outnumbered. Orcs were simple to fight, stupid. Men were quick to move, smart enough to battle as one. 

And these men were trained. He caught what looked like the leader admist the group, riding a white steed covered in leather beaded necklaces and what looked like teeth and fingers. He had brown hair braided down his back and black paint under his eyes. His forearms were bare and decorated with paint as well.

Robin swallowed and shook his head. "Hello, beautiful."

But before he could start toward the Easterling leader, there was a shout from somewhere in the fighting. A shout-- and a howl.

An animal leaped through the air, taking an Easterling off his horse. At first glance, the creature looked like a wolf-- but was at least three times bigger, a black as a moving shadow. Dark, animalistic eyes turned up-- Robin's breath caught in his throat.

Aria?

Then the wolf turned away, throwing itself at another attacker. The man went down with a blood-curdling scream, lost underneath black fur and rippling growls.

Faintly, Robin made out Legolas and Aragorn amidst the fighting, watching the skin-changer. They didn't look shocked or surprised.

He narrowed his eyes. So this was the big secret.

Bloody orcs.

There was a sudden shout behind him, snapping him back to reality. Spinning on his heel, Robin drove his blade forward out of instinct-- in sunk into the chest of an Easterling, whose eyes rounded with surprise.

He fell to the ground as Robin stepped back. His blade was stained now; but there were still many more to go.

He started back into the battle-- only to freeze, midstep. The howls in the air abruptly turned to a shattering yelp of pain.

His gaze snapped toward the sound-- Aria's wolf form was on the ground, the split end of a spearhead buried deep in her shoulder. The form switched between fur and skin-- then melted away, leaving the spearhead in her shoulder. 

Blood stained her tunic. She had slumped down, likely unconscious.

Without a thought, Robin raced through the chaos toward her. Legolas reached the girl before he could, falling to his knees and ripping off a long piece of his cloak. He pressed the material to the wound, but blood was quickly staining through that too.

"Estel!"

Faintly, Robin made out Elladan's voice, stumbling to a stop. The elf had retreated back toward the trees with his twin-- they were supporting Elanor between the two of them. The Ranger had a gash on her leg.

Robin's heart dropped. Mordor.

He almost started toward them, but paused, turning back to Legolas and Aria. He forced his legs to move, dropping beside the elf. "We need to get her out of here."

"We can't move her," Legolas looked panicked. It was a look that Robin had ever seen in the elf's eyes. "She's losing too much blood."

Internally, Robin cursed. "Then we need to--"

There was a sound behind him. A footstep.

He barely managed to turn when a sudden explosion of pain erupted through his head. Falling back, he barely saw Legolas leap to his feet-- but three more men swarmed the elf, yanking his sword away and his arms behind his back. There was someone else they had gotten, shouting and twisting not fifteen feet away.