The Jewel of Mirkwood

Chapter 58

For over four days the party had travelled across the mountain pass. Bad weather had forced them to take to foot slowing the parties progress further much to both Elrond and Glorfindel’s distress. While those less travelled had not felt it yet, both elder elvan lords had felt the boding fears of warning on the cold southerly wind. Fearing that raiders were tracking them, Glorfindel had doubled the watch each evening they had sought shelter for rest. He himself had sought little sleep during the past few days joining the guards on their watch in case his fears were realised. To the Prince, Filgree and Erestor everything was just as it had been before entering the mountain pass, none of them having the travelling senses acute enough to pick up the danger closing in on them. It had been much to Glorfindel surprise that they had come out the other side of the mountain pass earlier that morning having met no foe. It was a false sense of security that settled in Glorfindel’s mind as he left the small campfire to seek some quiet that evening. Those he was momentarily leaving behind in his quest for solitude were engaged in a heated game played with smooth stones and forfeits called Jousts none of them paying any attention to their surrounds as they chatted and laughed among one another. Much to Glorfindel’s dismay, Elrond too it seemed had been fooled by the false sense of security created by their unhindered path through the mountains.

Yet Glorfindel was still concerned by the eerily silent woodland grove they had chosen to shelter in that evening. With the stealth only possessed by a trained elvan warrior Glorfindel walked between the trunks of the trees his eyes continually scanning the darkness for danger. Deep inside he felt the warning of his senses but no matter how he looked he could not see what the danger might be heading their way. If they had been tracked by raiders he would have surely heard the heavy footsteps of the humans and their horses behind them. So too would he have heard and smelt orcs. No, this foe was something unidentifiable, something as quick as an elf but also as cunning and dirty as the humans.

Glorfindel sighed heavily as he turned back towards the central camp having heard Legolas’ angelic laughter on the breeze. Glorfindel smiled at the sound of the blonde prince’s name on his tongue. Legolas had become Glorfindel’s world since their decision to court each other. Not a moment seemed to pass Glorfindel by without him thinking of the young prince. While there had not been anything more physical than kisses and hugs between them as yet, Glorfindel still felt the attachment to the young one as would be expected of his lover. Glorfindel smiled at the endearment. They had both yet to openly address each other as lovers but during the evenings they had spent sitting together observing the stars on this journey to Rivendell, Glorfindel had often heard Legolas whispering soft words of love to him when he’d thought Glorfindel hadn’t been listening. Glorfindel shook his head and smiled to himself as he paused just on the edges of the camp, still hidden by the shadows. Taking the moment to relive himself in the bushes before the night ahead Glorfindel listened to the innocent laughter of the young prince behind him, as he idly emptied his full bladder. Legolas it seemed was being busily entertained by Erestor and Lord Elrond who were recounting stories of Elrond’s twin sons. The game they had been playing obviously abandoned in favour of exchanging stories. Glorfindel had come to realise that it was from stories such as these that Legolas had learned about the world around him. In a rare moment of intimacy between them only a few days ago Legolas had told Glorfindel of his sneaky escapades into the inn at Mirkwood, where he’d listened in on travellers conversations and gossip. Now however from the way Legolas was laughing it seemed to Glorfindel that Legolas was again learning things about Rivendell from the Lord and his advisor. It was while Glorfindel was enjoying one of Legolas particularly sweet chuckles that noises from the darkened woodland around him alerted Glorfindel to the danger again. They had suddenly become surrounded by a hidden foe in the darkness. With a speed so quick Glorfindel fastened his breeches before unsheathing his sword and running back into the light of the campfire.

“We are being attacked!” Startling those sitting around the warm campfire Glorfindel burst into the clearing and called to the guards for defence. The high pitched wail of an arrow being let loose from the darkened forest around them signalled the start of the attack and Glorfindel had hardly time to throw himself over Lord Elrond in protection of the Lord as the whoosh of an arrow sped close past his head, just grazing his forehead.

“Erestor get the horses!” Glorfindel immediately recognised their disadvantage against the unseen enemy and called to his friend in elvish. They had been caught off guard and being so exposed in the clearing left little to be done but run for their lives. If they stayed and fought they would surely be picked off one by one by the enemy but if they ran as a group they stood the chance of getting ahead. Without seeing the enemy the guards loosed arrows back into the darkness in attack. Occasionally there would be a squeal of pain from the darkness, a small victory in the rapidly out of control battle. Arrows were coming from all directions raining down on them like hail from the sky. Glorfindel protectively hovered around Lord Elrond even as the Imladris Lord was shooting two arrows at a time from his own bow. It was an inbuilt reaction for Glorfindel to protect his Lord he had done so in countless battles before but in his rush to protect Elrond he had unfortunately neglected the weakest member of their company. It wasn’t until the elves were hastily mounting their horses at a canter that Glorfindel glanced around him searching for the prince. A high-pitched cry of help made Glorfindel and the others momentarily turn back to look behind them. Everyone had been so caught up in the chaos of battle and saving themselves that none had noticed the desperate plight of their youngest member.

The sight was heart breaking. Legolas was pinned to the ground by several arrows even as more rained down on him. While the prince was still firing arrows back they were hitting little and only a desperate attempt at protecting himself. Glorfindel hastily turned his horse around to go back for the prince having stayed Filgree and Lord Elrond with a wave of his hand.

“GO! Do not stop until you reach the boarders of Imladris, I will follow you.” Glorfindel shouted at Lord Elrond and the last few remaining guards who had not been taken down by the enemy. Lord Elrond was sporting an arrow to his left shoulder while Filgree and Erestor had similar wounds to their own person. Despite himself Glorfindel knew that this enemy was more determined than any he had fought before, and that this attack had been planned. The enemy had obviously something in mind and by the way the arrows were still raining down upon Legolas, Glorfindel was sure that their intended prize was the young elfling. Reluctantly Lord Elrond shouted at everyone to continue in their escape, as he met Glorfindel’s desperate gaze.

“Come home to me Glorfindel.” With a slap of his heels against his stallion’s side Lord Elrond took off after the party leaving Glorfindel to turn back towards the clearing were the desperate calls of help from Legolas were beginning to get less and less. With little self-regard Glorfindel charged back into the clearing with his sword swinging about him in protection. Glorfindel was a little relieved to see that the arrows had stopped but was horrified by just how many men had appeared from the shadows and were now advancing on the helpless elf. Glorfindel had allowed himself a few moments to identify the human’s but when he could not pick the symbol the warriors bore on their tunics, Glorfindel gave up and just simply began hacking his way through the surprised enemy.

“Legolas get up!” Knowing that there would be no hope of rescuing Legolas from the ground Glorfindel called to the injured young elf in elvish. The resistance Glorfindel met was unlike any he had seen before. These men had been trained to fight with elves, some of them even pre empting Glorfindel’s moves if not mirroring them position for position. Glorfindel however was of the advantage, still above his horse and with the element of surprise. Out of the corner of his eye Glorfindel saw Legolas slowly rising to his feet. Although the young elf was swaying dangerously the prince was still fighting back, his own twin knife blades mere flashes in the darkness as he attacked those coming towards him. Silently Glorfindel thanked Haldir for his insistence on Legolas’ fighting skills being refined in Lorien, for the prince was putting up a good fight even in his state. Ceasing the opportunity Glorfindel spurred his horse directly towards Legolas trampling those men who stood in his path. Unable to let his sword or the reigns of the horse go at such speed Glorfindel unhooked his leg from the stirrups and stuck it out from the horse as he approached Legolas. As if knowing what the elder elf was doing Legolas re sheathed his own knives before bracing himself for the impact. Glorfindel knew that this would hurt the already injured elf but he could not afford to stop and allow Legolas to mount the horse safely with so many men now on their tail. Much to Glorfindel’s dismay the men had recovered their senses enough to begin firing arrows again and Legolas was a sitting duck now unarmed and arms out stretched for what was to come.

Glorfindel heard the wail of an arrow flying past his ear just as his leg came into contact with Legolas upper torso. Glorfindel felt the sickening snap of his leg as Legolas took hold of it and used it as leverage to mount the galloping stallion. Biting his lip in agony to the point at which it was bleeding Glorfindel managed to keep his leg out enough for Legolas to crawl up behind him into the saddle, while they were still at top speed. Glorfindel felt Legolas slump limp against his back once the younger elf was settled behind him. From the dampness that was now seeping into Glorfindel’s tunic it was obvious that the young elf had been hit during the rescue. Unable to do anything with a group of trained warriors still coming behind them Glorfindel turned the horse to a right angle to their current in order to go around the wood and back in the direction of Imladris. Unfortunately Glorfindel’s leg was too broken for him to get it back into its stirrup and so the limp twisted member was left free to blow in the wind, causing Glorfindel cry out with each time it slammed into the horses side. Still trying to put distance between the raiding party of men Glorfindel spurred his horse on weaving in between paths and fields they came to in order to lose the party. They would not be more than a day or so ride from Imladris now but Glorfindel would have to stop before then to assess Legolas’ health. While Glorfindel could still feel the warmth of Legolas breath on his neck and the slow rise and fall of the elflings chest, the irregularity of it and the blood dripped from the youngster’s hands loosely looped around Glorfindel’s waist told of something sinister.

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It was only after many hours of weaving and ducking through paths that Glorfindel finally deemed it safe enough to pause and take stock of what had happened. He could not believe that this had happened to them, when they had been so close to home. The attack had been calculated and directly focused on Legolas. Only now had Glorfindel realised that the party of men had not even bothered to chase after the escaping party originally, ignoring them almost to focus on Legolas who had been left behind. Glorfindel cursed loudly to the night stars, berating himself for having forgotten about his young lover in battle. He would forever feel guilty for doing so especially if the prince did not survive. Glorfindel slowed his horse to stop welcoming the stillness of his broken leg. The were very exposed in the open grassland but Glorfindel did not care. He would be able to see any approaching danger from here for at least a hundred miles around him. They were so close to Imladris that Glorfindel could almost smell the forests of his home and hear the welcoming songs of his friends.

Knowing that should he get down from the horse he would likely not be able to get back up Glorfindel slowly slide himself around on the horse so that he was backwards now facing the young elf. He had physically lifted his broken leg over the saddle in his shifting position and barely concealed the wail of agony that was ripped from his lips. His back was aching still and while it was nothing compared to his broken leg it would probably be twice as serious. He had only just been healing when they’d left Lorien only now to have fought a battle full force alone would surely have undone the healing Gandalf had fixed for him. Still his own health was not the point of this unexpected stop. In the darkness it was hard to see Legolas injuries so Glorfindel allowed his hands to follow the trails of blood to the sources of the young elf’s agony. Thank-fully Legolas was still clinging to consciousness although not coherent enough to speak.

Slowly in silence by the light of the moon Glorfindel tended each injury the younger elf had sustained, caringly whispering words of apology into the young elf’s delicately pointed ear. While Legolas did not reply the occasional smile and loving stare that Legolas through Glorfindel’s way told the elder Lord he was being forgiven. The prince was covered in dirt and while Glorfindel did his best to bind the deeper arrow wounds to prevent further bleeding he knew they would have to get to Imladris soon for the wounds to be thoroughly cleansed. Glorfindel had seen how easily infected the wound on Legolas neck had become after the incident at Keeldon’s house and Glorfindel did not want to take these chances again. Once he had bound all the wounds that he could Glorfindel gently lifted the elf around to sit in front of him on the horse. With another cry of agony Glorfindel again lifted his own injured leg up over the horse to right himself in the saddle. The elder elf knew he was tiring fast having spent the past four days with no sleep due to the growing danger around them, he would have to get to Rivendell fast if there was to be any hope of them both surviving this. Once settled with a coat wrapped around them both for protection against the storm now rolling in behind them Glorfindel spurred his horse in the side with his good leg and took off in the direction of Imladris. There was no time to duck and weave their path to confuse the enemy it was simply a matter of out running them. Glorfindel was still sure they were following him but if the valar was on his side they would make it to Imladris before the raiders caught up with them…

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(A/N) Sorry I had to hurt Legolas again. This time it's the bad evil men again, but they have a new master....