I leaned against the wall that adjoined to the gate, waiting. Legolas was to return soon. The forest had whispered of little else for the past hour, and I could faintly hear the branches parting to allow an easier path.
Legolas had many ways to deal with his upset, the most prominent being to avoid thinking on it. When he had left the training fields, I had thought his mind to be partially at ease. When word had reached me that he had slipped out with a patrol, I forced myself to not follow and strangle sense into him--ai, Elbereth, the dwarf skulled elf he was. He had been angry--leastways, that is what he wanted me to believe. I, however, could not be so easily misled. Anger and fear were two intertwining forces, whether he would admit to it or not, and while anger could overpower many emotions, it was firstly born of fear. Fear began the violent spiral to anger, whispering of all that could be lossed should the force of evil prevail.
Legolas's hate of the Shadow was his weapon, but it could also be his downfall. And so I would tell him when the other warriors could not hear. Legolas was too much of a sign of hope to have even a faint rumor of doubt surrounding him.
I had sent a message to Thranduil telling him of his son's actions. He was not alarmed, as Legolas had done this before, but in a time as dark as this, every moment he was away from the stronghold was a moment too many.
I shook my head. Despite what I might tell myself, Legolas was not the irrational child warrior he had been when first joining the ranks of the Woodland Guard. The lessons of battle had quickly been engrained in him. A fire burned within, and when we met I knew it was a fire that may at times need to be tempered, lest he burn even himself.
My thoughts were diverted when I saw the awaited company appear, seemingly in no worse condition than was to be expected. The guards opened the gate, and in filed the warriors. One after the other they came, until Legolas brought up the rear. He had seen me, I knew, but by the way he continued past me, he either didn't care or hoped that I wouldn't.
"Legolas," I said.
He stopped and turned, breaking from the other warriors. An apology was clear in his eyes, but still he brought voice to it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." His apology ended there, as did his remorse. He wasn't sorry for leaving, only for causing worry. It would be enough for now.
I shook my head. "You did what you had to. In any case, your father wishes to see you."
"What for?" A lightness pierced his voice at mention of his father. While the king stayed in his quarters--a plethora of guards surrounding him--his safety was near undoubted, but I was sure Legolas felt relief in mention of his father.
A reluctant grin spread over my face as I answered. "I suppose we'll find out together. He's summoned me with you, as well as the other captains. We must awaken the malice.."
With that, realization dawned upon him. We both knew what was about to begin.
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The candlelight was dim as we entered. The other captains had already arrived, surrounding the large table--which was actually a conglomeration of many desks combined.
So long ago, when peace still felt attainable, the space was limited to one, perhaps two long desks, holding reports and some days a map. Slowly, the space had become too small and as the need for captains and patrols grew, so did the number of desks. Each was neatly aligned with the others, creating something of a square. There was a reason the council chamber had a circular table--the warriors might need acknowledge such and do the same for this chamber.
In any case, one large map rested in the center while around it were other smaller maps, so all could see the state of the forest. While at times comforting, other moments the ominous spread of black markings was too much of a reminder of the lost areas of the forest.
Legolas and I took our seats. I was not a captain of my own patrol, but as the prince's second my presence was required in war council. Should Legolas be temporarily decomissioned, his duties would fall to me. Murmurings wove among the captains and Legolas and I exchanged a glance. They were on edge and struggling to conceal it.
Everyone rose to their feet as the King appeared in the door way, several guards on either side of him. While Thranduil was capable of defense in some cases, the imminent threat left little choice than to have his guard follow him anywhere he should go.
The King's Guard was menacing--as was its purpose. Many thought the archers to be fierce, but these warriors were so much more. They listened to the King, the Prince, and the few who had gained their trust. Otherwise, you were treated as a threat, should you act the part or not. Over their traditional warrior garb was a hood that covered their shoulders, the hood shadowing their face while a piece of cloth covered up to their nose. Only their eyes, watchful and piercing, were visible. Years of service had hardened them into warriors that I would not dare to confront.
Some called them phantoms. I called them lethal.
As the King took his seat, so did the captains. Silence descended but only lasted for a moment before Thranduil began to speak. "You have heard the rumors traveling around the stronghold, I am sure. And while I would wish that these rumors would never have been spread, you all deserve to know the truth behind them."
A ripple of unease was heavy in the room, as the captains visibly shifted in their seats. While I had told them as much as I could nights before, they knew that there was much more than a worrisome nuisance at hand.
"Threats have been received against the crown, carrying more than simple upset. Whatever force is arising will not be quelled easily. Darker than the shadows that lurk in the forest, this evil will not stop short of destroying the very heart of Mirkwood."
"And, that is not all they will do." Legolas sat up straighter, joining his father. He would deny it until his last breath, but he could command just as much attention as Thranduil could. His eyes, his posture, his voice--less icy, but just as piercing. "The shadows seem to be working in union with them. Perhaps not directly, but somehow there is a coorelation." He looked back and forth over those present. "It is our duty to stop them at all costs."
With careless movement, a captain continually wrapped his knuckles on the table. "How long do we have?"
He was not asking how long we had to prepare, nor was he asking how much time before our next battle. A war was at hand and everyone knew it. His question inquired as to how long before it was upon us.
"We don't know. It could be at any moment." Legolas's eyes flickered towards the door and I followed his gaze. The entrance had been left unsealed, something normally out of the question. With this meeting's intention though...
The guards by either side of the doors were still facing one another, but something about their demeanor had changed. The hand that held a spear still rested immobile on the shaft, but the hand by each guard's side was increasing in movement. A sequence of subtle gestures repeated. Fist--palm--three fingers--fist--palm--three fingers--
I stiffened. Intruder.
This had been expected, planned even. The callous spread of summons to the council, the grand procession to this point, the open door, the fact that the king had even attended a council normally left to the warriors... It had begun.
If the intruder drew a bow, we would know before he strung the arrow. For the time being, we waited.
Another captain voiced his thoughts, as the King's Guard's hands tightened around the long shafted sword they each carried. My eyes traveled the room. I could see no threat. The warriors were permitted to keep weapons on their person while in the council, but I could find no cause to doubt even one of them. The shadowed corners were empty as far as I could see, and the maze of desks and legs made it seemingly impossible to navigate, leaving only one place for an intruder to be--it also happened to be the least ideal.
Thranduil was tensing, jaw clenching and lips begging to sneer. On his signal, we would act.
I caught the slightest whisper of sound, slithering from above. The attack was imminent.
The captain who had been speaking trailed away.
And then Thranduil spoke words that stole the air. "In time, all foul things come forth."
Immediately, we were on our feet, swords in hand as a shape dropped from above. I moved closer to Legolas, as he took a step to his father. I studied the hooded intruder--he was out in the open, obviously confident in himself, so for the time being I assumed that he was a more than capable fighter. His actions spoke of a single purpose: the intent of death.
The captains took action, climbing on the desks to converge on the intruder, who I could only assume was the previously appeared assassin. "Keep your distance!" I forced my voice to rise over the foray. We had no cause to lose all our captains in a single confrontation. Even as the words left my mouth, the assassin swung his sword in a wide circle. The clash of his blade against our own trilled through the room. I waited on edge, sword held protectively in front of me and Legolas--he would berate me later for thinking him incapable of taking care of himself.
The assassin fought closer--I continued to wait. Any moment his proximity would become too much to stand and I would be forced to act. He took a step, knocking a captain's sword from his hand--Legolas stood firm. He took another step, knees bent as if prepared for a lunge. A captain wrapped his arms around the assassin's neck--the assassin threw him backward--
And Legolas took action.
Jumping onto the table, knives brandished, he engaged in the conflict. While the assassin was obviously skilled, Legolas could last against him for a moment. I took my position in front of Thranduil. The King's Guard was poised to do their duty, but if our plan was to work, Thranduil had to stay alive. Their first priority was to stay by the King.
Legolas's knives were a blur of steel and air, the fire in his eyes fiercer than that of Mordor. He had the upper hand.
Even as I took pleasure in that small reassurance, panic swelled within me. The assassin's waning force was an act, for I could see him gradually shift his entire weight to one leg, kicking his heel against the desktop.
A blade sprang from his toe boot. A coward's action.
"Legolas, watch your legs!" My cry's meaning was twofold, but it was enough. I joined the battle atop the desks, while Legolas took my warning to mean an action we had practiced many times before. He jumped, legs tucked beneath him, and I dove forward--
--a familiar action these days.
I impacted with the assassin, unbalancing him from his already precarious condition. His leg--the apparently armed one--kicked wildly, likely in hopes of catching me on the protruding blade. I jerked away, but kept a secure hold on him. Legolas landed behind me, and immediately took to attempting to subdue the assassin. The other captains--with good sense--stayed some distance away, for fear that a single jerk of his sword would cause undue death.
Fate was against us, however. While we wanted this asssassin alive, he had no care concerning if we were killed or in what manner it occurred.
One moment, he was sprawled and kicking, and the next we was sitting up and swinging his sword. Legolas and I both jumped backward, rolling to our feet. I gained my footing in the same moment that the assassin attempted to lunge past me. One arm outstretched caught him, another arm around him immobilized his upper body. "Give up, now," I hissed into his ear.
"You'll die first," was his only reply. He wrapped his hands around my arms and jerked downard, sending me careening over his head, landing on my back. I threw my hands up, watching as his foot raised and descended towards my face.
What a valiant way to die.
Before my impending doom could reach me, Legolas took action, kicking my attacker's legs from beneath him. Once again, we were a heap upon the desktops, Legolas now straddling the assassin's torso. Breath knocked from my lungs, I gasped for air, struggling to flip onto my stomach. Legolas's forearm was pinned to the assassin's neck. With his other hand, he held the assassin's hands--empty of weapon--above his head, and the King's Guard inched closer, searching for a way to incapacitate the assassin without causing his death.
But none of us were quick enough.
The asssassin was desperate, no longer looking for death but escape, and with one quick motion he brought his knees up, knocking into Legolas's back with just enough force to make the prince's grip loosen. The assassin's hands slipped from confinement, and I was too late to stop his fists from colliding with either side of Legolas's head. Either dazed or unconscious, Legolas fell flat upon the table, limp.
Ai, Elbereth.
If the assassin had still been intent upon death, I would have found some way to stop him, but instead he made a mad dash through us all and barged out the door.
Despite the circumstances, it was exactly as we had wanted it.
The other warriors did their duty to stay behind, and I ran after the assassin, keeping him in sight. Any cry to stop that I might have uttered would have been a useless expansion of already scarce breath, so instead I continued to run. I was gaining on him--almost too much.
Then I realized why.
The assassin slowed in one instant, stopped the next, and after that, my face was cordially introduced to a hardened fist. Valar, that hurt.
I fell back onto the ground--how many times would I be in that position today alone?--and as my vision spun, I watched the assassin fade from view. We were closer this time--so much closer. And I had what I had come for.
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