Orphan of the Golden Woods

A/N: Firstly I would like to apologize for taking such a long time to update. Real life has taken over and with school back in gear, I can't seem to find the time to write. Secondly, I would like to thank you readers for being so patient with me and I appreciate that very much. Below would be Chapter 14 and I hope you will enjoy reading it. I must apologize for any error in this chapter as I'm trying to be confident with my writing and have taken advice from my wonderful friends, Aithilin and Cheysuli to try to do it myself (once again I dedicate this chapter to both of you, my wonderful "lil' sisters"). So, bare with me and reviews are always welcome (constructive onoo).oo).

I see some new readers reading my fic. I thank you all for taking the time to read my fic and giving it a chance. I know that there are many fics here and all are great in their respective ways. Again this represents 'self thoughts'. Enjoy.

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Chapter 14

"Dun, we have to push harder. Legolas had a half day travel advantage over us. Try pushing Andune to go faster, that way, your horse will follow his lead," I said.

I did not care much about our safety, Legolas was the reason for the rescue. I cannot bare to lose him, not when things seemed to flow my way. I held a silent prayer and at the same time, had my hand on Legolas's necklace.

It was a straining ride and it took a toll on my body. I was very blessed that Andune took the lead, as his fighting spirit was the driving factor that pushed me to fight the pain in my body, which by now had become very intolerable. Darkness was upon us as we rode hard into the woods, inching closer with every stride.

'Ai, Elbereth, I pray to you once again. Please protect us from possible harm till at least we reach our Mirkwood brothers. They are in need of our help. Give us the strength to ride hard and reach them in time.' By the time I opened my eyes, my cheeks were wet with tears.

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"Haldir, I need you and Elrond to meet me at the mirror. There is something in which I have to perform first before your departure," said Galadriel.

"Very well, my lady, I shall meet you there with Lord Elrond," Haldir nodded before going after the guard to relay a message to his brother. Right after that, he went to find Lord Elrond.

"Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel wants us to meet her at the mirror," said Haldir when he spotted Elrond getting ready to leave.

"We shall hurry then. Time is something we do not have," mentioned Elrond. Both he and Haldir then made their way to meet up with Galadriel. They were surprised to see Galadriel all ready and waiting for them.

"Elrond, Haldir, thank you for coming. Elrond, I hope you have Vilya with you for I need to combine its power with Nenya. The mirror will serve as a screen to show us the whereabouts of Aurwen DunhDunhirion. Haldir I need you to concentrate your thoughts on Aurwen as the rings will try to locate her through your strong bond with her. If both of you are ready, we shall begin," Galadriel commanded.

It took immense amount of energy to obtain the result they had wished for. All three were exhausted by the time they were able to pin point Aurwen's exact location. Although both Haldir and Elrond were mentally drained, none took the time to recover and left immediately. Having had the location of Aurwen's whereabouts, both elves wasted no time and raced down the corridor to meet with the rest of the search group.

Upon arrival, they mounted their horses in haste before bidding their love ones a short farewell. Both Haldir and Elrond lead the rest of group out of Caras Galadhon, hoping to reach Aurwen and Dunhirion in time.

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"Legolas, tell the others to prepare for battle. It is going to be ugly. May the Valar be with us," said Lundil as he got down from the tree.

"Be careful, my friend. We will survive this attack, if not, we shall meet again, in Mandos's Halls," answered Legolas.

As the Mirkwood elves took their positions, the Orcs thundered through with speed and power. They were loud, vicious and ready to kill. At Legolas's mark, the elves drew their bows and released the arrows, hitting the Orcs with dead accuracy; forcing the Orcs to fall to the ground like sacks of potatoes but this did not slow the rest down. Instead it angered them further.

As their supplies of arrows ran low, Lundil and Legolas fought the Orcs using their blades. Because of their agility, they killed the Orcs with speed and grace. The battle was gruesome and their only hope was to keep themselves alive, long enough for help to come, if there was to be any.

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"Hurry Dun, we are not far away. I can hear swords clicking," I said as we rode our horses hard towards the river. "I hope we are not too late," I added.

Once we arrived, our path was blocked by dead Orcs. We could hear battle cries on the foreground, it was loud and the sound of swords connecting did not make thing any easier.

"Aurwen, please stay close to me," said Dunhirion as we dismounted from our horses. "You only have me as a weapon. Can you move fast?"

"I will manage. Do not worry about me, I will keep up with you," I said with a weak smile.

With his bow drawn, Dunhirion was ready to strike if any Orc should jump in front of him. I was close behind but I kept my distance, as Dunhirion needed the space to manoeuvre. At this point of time, my fear clouded my mind. I felt insecure as I carried no weapon with me.

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"You were right about Aurwen, my brother," said Rumil as he rodengsingside Haldir. "When I received your message, I ordered the patrol guards to scout the area. They found two sets of tracks and they believed that Aurwen and Dunhirion are only ahead by an hour or so. She must have rode Dunhirion's horse to leave the city and switched to Andune at the secret spot. She must have also disguised herself as everyone knew that she was incapable of riding," Rumil explained further.

"I just hope that we will get to them on time. I worry for them and I know that Aurwen did not bare any weapon with her," mentioned Haldir.

"At least she has Dunhirion," added Rumil before pushing his horse to ride hard ahead.

They had some hard riding to do in order to catch up with Aurwen. Every stride counts and it was not a quiet affair. Thundering hooves were heard miles away as they galloped into the woods to search and aid their woodland clan.

It felt like eternity as they made their way towards the river. Elrond was especially worried for Aurwen, as he knew the severity of Aurwen's injuries.

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"Legolas, I do not know how much longer we can hold them back. They are relentless," Lundil shouted from the front.

"Just do your best," answered Legolas. At the same moment, the trees whispered a message to Legolas.

"Hold on a little longer, my woodland elf, for help is coming in a form of your beloved."

"Nay it cannot be. She sustained heavy injuries the night before," Legolas told the trees.

"She is indeed injured but she did not travel alone. She has a friend with her and they will arrive soon. Be alert, my friend, for danger draws near," warned the trees.

"Legolas, did you not hear my call?" asked Lundil. "You looked like you were in a trance. Nownot not the time."

"I am sorry, for the trees were whispering to me, informing me that help is near, we just need to hold," said Legolas.

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"Dun, be careful," I said as I placed my hand on his arm. "You are a great friend and I will always be in debt to you."

"Aurweou sou sounded like we are going to die but we are not, at least not toady," said Dunhirion as he shrugged of the idea. "Now stay close to me."

From our hideout, we were amazed by the number of Orcs surrounding Legolas and his group. Dunhirion made me promised to stay hidden at this spot before making his way out to help our Mirkwood clan.

"How do we fare at holding them back?" asked a voice from behind.

"Dunhirion!" exclaimed a very surprise Lundil.

"Anymore coming, Dun?" asked Legolas. "Where is Aurwen?"

"Nay, I am the only one and Aurwen is hiding, safely behind a nearby bush," answered Dunhirion.

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It was hard to sit and watch my friends and my love battling out to survive. I felt useless and scared at the same time not knowing what the outcome may be. I prayed to the Valar that all will end well and that my father will be angry enough to come after me as we needed more assistance to win this fight.

Being stubborn as I am, I crept closer to the group with every opportunity I could find. I was about twenty steps away from the group when my eyes caught a dreadful sight. In his utmost arrogant stance, an Orc drew his bow back to the maximum, taking time with his aim. His target was none other than the Prince himself.

The arrow was aimed at Legolas's neck and being immersed with the battle, he did not realise that he was being targeted. I could not bare to sit and do nothing, knowing what the outcome will be. I took a deep breath and dashed out to the open as the Orc prepare to release his bow. The twenty strides took forever and as I neared Legolas, I called upon his name.

"Legolas!"

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Upon hearing his name, Legolas turned as an arrow went passed, narrowly misshim.him. He was greeted by Aurwen, who at this moment of time seemed to be falling to the ground.

"Aurwen," shouted Legolas as he reached for Aurwen's lifeless body. "No! No! Please be alive," begged Legolas.

As Legolas cradled my body, I cannot help but gave him a weak smile. "Legolas, you are alive and safe," I commented in a soft whisper.

"Sshh, Aurwen, save your strength," Legolas pleaded. As he held Aurwen close, he felt the dampness in her hair and on his tunic. The smell of iron was so strong that it could only meant one thing, Aurwen sustained an injury to her head. "You are safe now."

"You are such a liar, my love. All male eves are bad at hiding the truth," I said with arrogance. I moved my hand towards my neck and reached for my necklace. With a gentle tug, it broke loose from my neck. "I want you to have this," I placed the Star of Luthien into his hand, "as a gesture of my love for you. I was suppose to give it to you after last night's hunt but the Orcs ruined my plan. Curse those creatures for they always have the upper hand on me," I explained before I broke into a coughing fit. Chills ran through my body, a sign telling me that death is near. "Hold me my love, for I feel cold." Those were my last words to Legolas before darkness took over.

"Aurwen! Nay, not now. Not before you hear what I have to say. Please, wake up," Legolas begged as he cradled my lifeless body.

tbc……..