All of her senses seemed to sharpen. Every color, every shape, seemed to be clearer to her eyes, her ears able to catch even the faintest of sounds. The forest flew past her, grey leafless branches sometimes dangerously close to her face, but she managed to duck just in time. Her body appeared to react before her mind, her reflexes intensified by her closeness to danger.
More blood curling cries flew in the iced wind, the sounds making her skin crawl and her heart to race inside her chest. A second arrow followed the first, this time blowing right past Elrohir's right ear. She could hear the faint sound of heavy metal boots drumming on the ground and rocks, and turned her head to glace behind, but another arrow flying by Elladan's shoulder made her quickly turn to the front again.
"Legolas!" She heard Elladan's voice yell right above her left ear as he took a sharp turn to the left in order to evade a tall tree.
Before Elladan had finished saying his name, the blond prince had already drawn an arrow to his bow, seemed to not even look as he released it, sending flying through the air past them. A nasty high-pitched cry, not too far behind, told her that the arrow had met its target. In that split second, Legolas had already sent three more arrows cutting through the wind with a skill she was sure none could match. Three other sickening cries echoed as the arrows hit their target once again.
"Four!" yelled Legolas as he turned around to face the front again, quickly maneuvering around another tree.
His infinite blue eyes sparkled with a vivid sharpness, savoring the excitement and thrill of the chase, but never lowering his guard. Out the corner of her eyes she saw Elrohir's lips curve up in a smirk for a short second, eyes sparkling with defiance, and she could almost feel Elladan's own eyes holding the same spark.
The wind hit her face like cold daggers, slapping her hair on her cheeks and deafening her ears. She could feel Elladan's breathing right over her left ear, his warm breath brushing the skin there, as he held tighter to the reins of the horse. He was hunched protectively over her, strong arms caging her at either side. Any arrow shot form behind stood no chance in reaching her.
She threw a quick glance at Elrohir, and found that he too held a bow in his hands, ready to shoot should the occasion arise. His usually kind silver eyes were once again hard, burning with a hidden fire, a deep sharp hatred that made her own heart ache. She knew the iced hatred and remorse that the twins held against those fowl, heartless creatures and was sure that the younger twin would not hesitate to slain the first orc that dared cross his path.
The cries had stopped momentarily, and she guessed that the four orcs that had found them had already fallen to Legolas' arrows. Yet, she knew that they were far from safe. In the distance, she could hear more orcs running through the forest, and silently prayed that they would make it to the passage before a larger group found them.
The rocks had become larger now, and the horses' pace had considerably slowed as they climbed the difficult ascent through the uneven ground. Elrohir rode at front, expertly knowing his way through the rocks, and she could tell that even though he usually chose to stand behind Elladan, he was as capable as his elder brother in taking the lead.
Every now and then her eyes caught sight of shimmering water, and she noticed that a small stream that branched from the mighty Bruinen ran just next to them. Small creeks dripped from the rocks as they moved, the stones so large they somehow started to create open caves around them. The vegetation had become scarce, leaving them almost completely visible, hidden only by the large rocks as they moved.
A series of more cries echoed in the distance, sending shivers down her spine, the sounds feeling like poison to her body. The cries were louder, chocking at some times as they merged with harsh noises of a fiery battle. A group of orcs had met some elven warriors already. Neither of the twins turned to glance behind although she felt Elladan tense only slightly behind her.
Movement at the corner of her eyes caught her attention. She turned her head and her heart accelerated dangerously as she caught sight of three of the nasty creatures running parallel to them, jumping over the rocks in an attempt to catch up with them. A scream died inside her throat as yet another arrow flew past her left ear but before she could react Elrohir had already released an arrow. The arrow hit a large rock with a muted sound as one of the orcs quickly ducked behind it.
Elrohir shot again, but the orcs where quick in hiding, the rocky landscape working at their advantage. To her left, she saw Legolas releasing more arrows into the wind, also smashing into rocks. The orc's black arrows rained over them as Elrohir and Legolas shot in return. Although Elladan also carried a bow, she knew that he could not use it with her sitting in front of him. A loud cry reached her ears just as Elrohir released yet another arrow.
"One!" She heard the younger twin yell with a smirk as he ducked just in time under a flying black arrow.
Elladan suddenly pushed her down, ducking over her just as another black arrow flew this time over their heads, missing them by inches. The two orcs remaining continued to shoot at them, but Legolas and the twins moved faster than the arrows, narrowly evading them.
More cries echoed in the distance, along with the sickening sound of metal hitting metal. Another battle had started somewhere in the forest, this time farther away than the first one. A cold feeling ran through her veins and she felt as if her blood had turned into ice. The orcs seemed to be spread all over the forest, attacking by surprise in small groups rather than as a large one. She knew that way it would be easier for at least one group to run into them as they tried to flee. There was no way of knowing where the groups were spread.
Another arrow buzzed past her face, Elladan turning the horse to the right just in time for it to miss them. Elrohir and Legolas had pressed closer to them, at either side, bows already shooting more arrows that slammed into cold hard stones. She watched as Elrohir released yet another arrow and another high-pitched cry echoed in response.
"Two!" she heard the younger twin yell and her eyes widened in shock and disbelief, as she finally understood what the numbers meant.
"You are counting the orcs you kill?!" She yelled back, her voice not masking her shock and slight anger at their game. It was unbelievable.
However, her words were only met by a sudden grunt from Elladan on her left ear, his body sharply tensing as she felt a wave of excruciating pain suddenly assault her for only a split second before disappearing. She felt heart skip a beat and her eyes widen in terror. She quickly turned to face him, eyes frantically studying him.
"Dan!" She breathed out in fright, her voice almost inaudible as she searched his eyes. She knew something was wrong.
"Five!" She heard Legolas exclaim to their left as the last orc following them fell with a sickening cry.
Elladan did not answer her; his jaw was clenched, breathing hard between gritted teeth. The black shaft of an arrow protruded from his right thigh, crimson blood already starting to ooze from the wound. His silver eyes turned to meet hers for a second, piercing through her, not revealing any of signs of pain. Quickly he turned his concentration once again to the front, guiding the horse through the uneven land. Elrohir rushed close to their left, his horse almost touching Elladan's as he ran parallel to them.
"Are you all right?" Elrohir's voice was raised over the deafening cold wind as they ran. The daring look in his silver eyes had been replaced by a new, alarmed one, eyes burning into his brother, a combination of ire at the orcs and fear transparent in their depths.
"Yes" Elladan managed to answer between clenched teeth, quickly turning to eye his twin. Elrohir nodded in response, alert hard eyes turning once again to the front as he moved the horse to position himself ahead of them. She could tell that Elrohir had precise knowledge of his twin's injury, and felt that his words had meant to ask if he could continue or needed to stop.
Another orc crept by their left, but before she could even see it, an arrow pierced through his neck, not even giving the nasty creature time to cry out.
"Three" She heard Elrohir mutter, a new fire burning in his cold steel eyes, his hatred seeming to be intensified.
Elerrina wrapped both of her hands around Elladan's, over the reins of the horse, as she centered on channeling as much support as she could through their bond, attempting to ease some of the pain she knew he was feeling. Elladan's body did not relax, but she felt his hands holding tighter to hers around the reins.
Suddenly Elrohir halted, jumping down from his horse in a quick graceful move. Not even a second later Elladan had also halted, and her eyes turned to Legolas just as he too jumped from his horse. They were instantly by her and Elladan's side, her brother taking her by the hand as she jumped to the ground. Elrohir took Elladan's hand helping down and lessening the impact with which his feet landed on the ground. Elladan's eyes closed shut in obvious pain as his right foot touched the rocky ground, and she saw him quickly shift his weight to his left leg.
"Set him down"
Elrohir's eyes threw her a look and immediately she moved to Elladan's side, replacing the younger twin at holding Elladan's right arm for support. Elrohir moved to their horses, and Legolas quickly stepped to Elladan's left side. Slowly they helped him as he limped to large cliff wall, sliding down to sit on the cold hard rock, another large stone sheltering them from any view. She could hear Elrohir whispering in elvish to the horses, but did not turn to look, all of her attention on Elladan.
The elder twin had not let go of her hand, and she gave his a gentle squeeze before lowering herself to sit next to him. Her heart still raced, and her senses where still sharp, aware for any sign of approaching danger.
Elrohir returned a second later, quickly kneeling on the ground to his twin's right. She glanced behind her back to find the three horses running away, returning through the forest.
"Did you send them back to Imladris?" Legolas asked softly, his eyes looking directly at Elrohir.
"No. They will meet us at the end of the passage, they know their way through the main road." Elrohir spoke without lifting his eyes as he carefully examined the wound in Elladan's thigh. The latter had remained silent, eyes closed shut as he breathed heavily. She could see that it was not a lethal wound, but it sure was painful.
"Will the orcs not follow them?" Legolas insisted
"Perhaps. Let us hope they do not. Either way, it is better than venturing all the way to Mirkwood without horses. And if we take the main road we will surely be followed. They know they are looking for a lady. The majority of the arrows were aimed at her." Elrohir answered as he nodded in her direction.
The younger twin let out a sigh as his eyes turned to look at his twin's face, silver orbs pained and determined. More cries and metal boots could be heard in the near perimeter, getting dangerously closer.
"Elladan" The elder twin's eyes opened quickly at the serious tone of his brother's voice, silver meeting silver. "I am going to break the shaft. There is no time to stitch the wound here, so I will not pull the head out."
Elladan nodded his head in understanding, not saying anything else as he took a deep stabilizing breath. She felt completely useless, only hoping that he would be able to feel her through their bond, or at least draw some comfort from her presence. Not knowing what to do she moved closer to him, her hand squeezing his tighter.
"Hold him still" She heard Elrohir mutter to Legolas, and not even a second later, the blond price's hands were securely placed at either side of the wound, holding the leg in place. Elladan did not move in protest, his face a perfect mask, but she could see the faintest glint of fear in his eyes as he braced himself for the coming pain.
In one quick confident movement the black shaft cracked broken, Elrohir acting incredibly fast, as to not even give his twin time to think. Elladan's face instantly contoured in agony, groaning as his silver eyes sealed shut and his head buried heavily against her shoulder. She could feel his body tensing from the pain, fingers nearly digging into the hard rock and she let her free arm wrap around his trembling body, stroking a long strand of dark hair. The worst of the pain lasted only a moment, and soon she felt his muscles start to slowly relax, his breaths coming out in gasps.
Elrohir's eyes had never left his brother, watching intently. The pain in his eyes was so intense, so agonizing that she did not know which twin suffered the most at the moment: the one causing the pain or the one receiving it. However, Elrohir did not let his emotions get in the way, and continued to act quickly, saving their precious time before more orcs found them.
"Legolas, grab some bandages to stop some of the bleeding." She watched as her brother quickly did as told, returning to Elrohir with a roll of clean white bandages. With expert hands, the younger twin wrapped his brother's thigh around the remaining arrow's head as best as he could. Elladan had remained still, his head still pressed tightly against her shoulder.
"Dan, we must hurry" Elrohir's voice was gentle, apologetic yet insistent as he pulled his twin up to stand.
Elladan did not protest, but she saw his jaw clench once again as the slight movement caused a new wave of pain to spread through him. She also stood up, staying close to Elladan just in case her help was needed. She watched in silence as Elrohir slid an arm around his twin's waist, Elladan's own arm wrapping over his shoulder. Elerrina was not sure if she imagined it or not, but she saw a gentle glow spreading from the younger twin to the elder. Slowly, Elladan's breathing became steadier, his body seeming to draw real physical strength from his twin.
"Legolas" She nearly jumped at Elrohir's commanding voice, and Legolas' attentive eyes quickly turned to meet the younger twin. "Do you see the entrance to the path? Up there."
Elrohir tilted his head slightly upwards and she turned her head to look. A narrow opening was visible far up in the tall cliff wall. Her heart beat faster as she saw the dangerous climb ahead, some of the rocks slippery with tiny creeks that fell from one rock to another. Had they not been running from orcs at the moment, she would have enjoyed merely staring at the majestic rocks adorned with the prancing silvery waters.
"I see it" Legolas answered shortly, turning again to look back at Elrohir.
"You go first. Elerrina you follow closely behind him. I will go last."
Legolas nodded his head, and did not wait a second longer as he jumped onto the first rock, a couple of feet over the ground, pulling her up next to him before starting the careful ascent. She followed Legolas closely as instructed, paying excruciating attention to where he placed his hands and legs.
"Can you climb?" She heard Elrohir's soft voice ask his brother, real concern evident in the musical sound. "I will be right behind you."
Elerrina turned to look down for a moment, just as Elladan stepped over the first rock, carefully making his way up with Elrohir at his heels. Knowing that she needed to focus, she turned her eyes to Legolas once more, stretching one hand to a higher rock and slowly pulling herself upwards.
The ascent was tricky, having to climb their way over many large rocks and narrow walkways. She silently sent thanks that as an elfling she had many times ventured to the river, and climbed over the rocks by the large waterfall, otherwise she would have been very scared at the moment. Legolas moved carefully, testing every rock to make sure the path he was tracing for the rest was safe, infinite blue eyes flashing in her direction afer every two steps he took.
Her own eyes travelled down to the twins whenever she could spare a look. They were still some distance behind, Elladan moving slowly upwards, breathing heavily with the effort. She could see the bandages in his thigh already soaked with fresh blood, more of the crimson liquid sliding down his leg. Elrohir was only inches behind his twin, watchful eyes fixed steadily on him.
They were nearly half-way up when Elladan stopped. Her heart constricted as she saw him press his forehead against the rock, catching his breath. Elrohir was instantly by his side, one hand on his shoulder and she saw the faint glow once again surround the two mirror images. She knew that the pain from the wound was not the problem, but the amount of blood that continued to ooze from it, especially as he moved. Nonetheless, she also knew that the blood loss was not yet enough to be life threatening.
"Do not stop" She quickly turned to look at Legolas as he spoke, only to find his deep blue eyes penetrating hers, urging her to continue. Focusing once again on her task, she climbed yet over another rock.
Suddenly, an arrow slammed forcefully into the rock, inches from her right hand. She gasped in surprise, and her eyes turned quickly to find the tiny figures of two orcs emerging from the rocks at the distance, aiming at them with more arrows.
Her body seemed to accelerate, climbing faster now, acting almost instinctively as she struggled to get to safety as fast as possible. Out the corner of her eyes she saw an arrow flying down, followed by a pained sickening cry. Her eyes dashed up to find Legolas perched over a rock, bow in hand as he released a second arrow, hitting the only orc remaining.
Not stopping to think, she climbed faster, arms and legs moving out of adrenaline. Her thoughts turned frantically to Elladan and Elrohir, who remained some distance below her, and had to force herself not to distract herself by looking down. It would not do anyone any good. She could already hear more metal boots and high-pitched cries coming from where the two orcs had appeared.
"Quick!" Legolas' voice echoed in the air as he sent another arrow flying down.
Her heart drummed against her chest, her arms seeming to pull her up with a new strenght. Legolas released another arrow before agilely jumping up and continue the climb, moving incredibly fast over the rocks. She followed as quickly as she could, his hand stretching to pull her up whenever she started to fall behind.
More arrows rained over them, slamming into the rock, missing her by inches. Every second or so, Legolas would stop at a rock to send more arrows down. She could not see what was happening, her thoughts racing as fast as her heart as she climbed with all of her might. Only the occasional cries from below told her when an arrow had met its target.
Then, her heart jumped inside her chest as she saw Legolas disappear into a flat, steady ground above her. The entrance to the passage. It was there, merely a couple of feet away. One of the prince's strong hands stretched to grab her, pulling her up with amazing strength. Another arrow slammed next to her as she used her knees to climb into the safety of the passage, sliding face down onto the sharp rock. Legolas pulled her further inside, only letting go when her feet were no longer dangling from the opening.
She frantically turned to look down at the high cliff wall, eyes searching for the twins. Mirror images climbed as fast as they could, not very far below, but still a dangerous distance from the safe opening. She could tell Elladan was struggling, seeming to be nearly out of strength, but Elrohir would not let him stop, forcing his brother to continue every time he looked to be about to rest.
Legolas stood at the edge of the opening, bow in hand as he sent a storm arrows flying down, one right after the other. More cries echoed from below, orcs falling at the prince's perfect aim, but more of them seemed to appear from the rocks. Her eyes were glued on Elladan, begging for the twins to climb faster. They were nearly there.
Elrohir's hand now remained touching his brother, surrounding them both in the faint glowing light, and she knew that was what kept Elladan from stopping. She felt useless again, unable to yet reach the twins to help them up, even if they were closer now. They were almost there. Only a couple of steps and she would be able to help them up.
Out of instinct, her hands felt through the ground, grabbing a small loose rock, the size of her fist. She did not know what she was doing, but she needed to buy the twins enough time to reach the cliff's opening before an arrow hit them. With as much force as she could muster, she threw the rock down, hitting an orc who let out a loud wail before falling to the ground.
Elladan's hand reached the edge of the opening and Legolas rapidly moved to his aid. She too moved to help and they hastily pulled him up into the passage, Elrohir almost lifting him from below. Elladan fell onto his back on the hard rocky ground, and she dragged him farther from the edge just as Elrohir jumped inside in a swift move.
Elladan's eyes fell closed for a moment, panting heavily, still lying on his back as she cradled his head on her lap. She let her fingers travel desperately to the sides of his face, caressing his forehead and stroking his hair. Tiny beads of sweat covered his forehead and she could see that blood still flowed freely from his thigh, the wound seeming to have opened larger by the effort of the climb. His eyes did not open, but one of his hands wearily flew up, grasping hers in a tight, shaky grip. Instantly, she laced her fingers with his, feeling his body relax only slightly.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw that Elrohir had lowered to sit against the cliff's walls, eyes closed and looking completely worn out. Immediately she had no doubt that the younger twin had been sharing his own strength with his brother, making them both climb the dangerous wall.
Legolas was still standing at the opening's edge, shooting arrows with incredible speed, making sure none of the orcs below would follow them in the climb. She watched as Elrohir took two deep breaths before once again jumping onto his feet, hurriedly moving next to Legolas, bow in hand.
Her attention then turned back to Elladan, only cringing lightly as wails and cries echoed from below. She held his hand tighter, concentrating on their bond, trying to lend some peace and calm into his distressed body. He remained lying in silence, eyes closed and breathing heavily as she stroked his hair softly, wishing to take away some of the pain that lined his handsome face.
Soon, all the noises stopped, silence feeling strange in her ears, hanging heavily in the air. She turned her head to see as Legolas and Elrohir lowered their bows. None of the orcs that followed them remained alive by now. Relief was evident in both of their faces.
Elrohir's eyes turned to look at his twin's shaking figure, silver eyes pained, scared, duty seeming to battle against compassion inside his deep silver gaze. She knew that they needed to keep moving; knew that they needed to travel as far ahead as possible during daylight. And she could tell that Elrohir was thinking the same thing, his eyes seeming to debate whether or not to force Elladan to move once again.
"Elrohir..."
The soft, broken sound of her voice surprised her, her eyes turning to meet the younger twin's silver gaze, silently pleading. She knew they needed to continue, but Elladan needed a break. He needed to rest and regain his strength, even if only for five minutes. He would not be able to stand, and she could not bear to watch him forced into a painful walk just yet.
Suddenly, all the forced firmness and determined look in Elrohir's eyes vanished, and she saw pure agonizing pain flare through his sad orbs. He nodded his head quickly at her, eyes fixing once again on his panting twin.
"We can take fifteen minutes before we continue." Was all the younger twin managed to say, his voice low and edge with pain.
She heard Elrohir moving to get some more bandages and other supplies he would need to treat his twin's injury from the small pack they carried, but she did not turn to look. She knew he would give his brother the fifteen minutes before treating the painful wound.
She felt herself let out a sigh of relief, her hand continuing to softly stroke at Elladan's silky dark hair, gently wiping the sweat from his brow. His muscles relaxed slowly and his heavy breathing became steadier. Fifteen minutes would do him good. They had passed the hardest part. They had made it to the passage. She only hoped that no more orcs would follow them, or that when night came, the Nazgul would not appear. As her body slowly relaxed, her thoughts drifted to the peaceful valley of Imladris, and she wondered if the elves had managed to defend their sanctuary, or if a bloodied battle was taking place right now, as she softly comforted Elladan, wondering about what lay ahead of them...
Hi there! I'm so sorry for the long wait, now that finals are over hopefully the updates can return to regular! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it
Love,
Elena