Not Again?!

Chapter 1

     "Us?" asked the sons of Elrond in unison.

     "We were talking about - "

     "What to talk about," Elrohir interrupted, finishing his brother's sentence.

     The elleth shook her head.  "You need not talk of anything.  I am quite happy listening to the sound of nature around us."

     "So are we," said Elladan, "but we find our voices much more interesting."

     "You can listen to the trees anytime," Elrohir added.  "But you cannot listen to us whenever you wish.  Only on a journey when - "

     "I should have waited to travel to Imladris," Ioreth muttered, tuning them out.  "I knew it would be a bad idea to travel with the twin troublemakers.  Never should have listened to Ada.  'It will be fun,' he said!  'And you will get to see your sister sooner.  Does she not need help with her new elfling?'"  She made a face.  "No, it has not been fun."

     "Don't you think we should speed it up a little?"  She heard Elrohir ask.  "We would get home sooner."

     "No dirweg!"  Elladan suddenly exclaimed, flinging a hand up.  "I hear something from afar," he added in a lower voice.

     The other two strained their ears, and Ioreth looked to the trees.  They were whispering in unease; she should have been listening to them earlier.  "Something is coming," she warned, repeating what the trees were telling her.

     "Yrch," Elrohir snarled.  "They are coming this way."

     "We are still in Greenwood!" Ioreth exclaimed.  "How did they get here without the Guard being alerted?"

     "Times are changing," Elladan said, readying his weapons.  His twin did the same.

     "Will we attack them?" came Ioreth's anxious voice again.  The brothers stopped and looked at her.

     Elorohir had paused the stringing of his bow.  "How are we to keep her safe?" he inquired of Elladan in a low voice so the elleth could not hear him.  "She is not a warrior, and does not even know how to wield a bow."

     "I shall hide in the trees," Ioreth said, over-hearing them.  He hadn't been quiet enough.  "They will keep me safe."

     "There are not very many orcs," Elladan said.  "We will keep them from getting to you."  He glanced up into the overhanging branches.  "Yes, they will protect you.  Climb quickly.  Send your horse into the forest, away from the orcs."

     "Brother," Elrohir cried, spinning his horse at the sight of something crashing through the trees.  "Alae!"

     "Climb!" Elladan barked.  "Drego!"

     Ioreth obeyed immediately, scrambling up the branches with the litheness of a Woodland elf.  The tree she chose whispered comfort to her while adjusting its branches for her.  Her horse, obeying a former hissed command from Elladan, spun and cantered into the trees.

     "Orc-filth!" Elladan spat as three of the yrrch lurched into the clearing, their grotesque faces matted with filth and dried blood.  Their beady red eyes caught sight of the elves preparing to fight and they sneered.

     "Elf-scum," the one in the lead snarled, fangs protruding.

     "Charge!" Elrohir cried, and his horse leapt forward without urging.  Elladan's stallion thundered forward too, his rider swinging a long slender elven blade.  Elrohir fired a single arrow, catching one of the orcs in the forehead, then swung the bow over his shoulder, whipping out his double swords.  In a smooth motion, he swept the sharp blades across another orc's chest, bringing foul black blood bubbling across the creature's breastplate.  Elladan had already disposed of the remaining orc, and the twins pulled their horses up.