To Live Again: Waiting Between Worlds {Lord of the Rings Fanfiction}

From the Inside

South Western
Eaves of Greenwood -
At the foot of Amon Lanc

Legolas stared vacantly at the looming hill; a desolate, empty, haunted, ruin of a fortress, sprawling out over the shadowed hilltop. He knew very little of Amon Lanc, it was not a place his father discussed with much happy memory. His Grandfather had fonder memories, memories of a time when it was quieter and when his grandmother dwelt there with him, again these were daydreams from long ago and indeed useless to the young prince now. All Legolas was certain of was that it was the ruins of an old Silvan fortress, and by design it probably resembled a confusing rabbit warren, making the inner halls and sanctums hard to scout without getting caught.

For the most part of a week he had danced around the outside, watching the comings and goings with morbid curiosity. He was certain that there was an evil presence in the depths of the fortress, not least because of the arrival of powerful orc shaman - orc leaders that he and the guard had intelligence on - slippery characters who evaded detection at the best of times. So, why where they congregating in an old elven city? The answer seemed elusive to the prince, and frankly he really didn't care expressly why they where there, what he did care about was the haunting cries that emanated from the ghostly place.

It did not take Legolas long to decipher the sorrowful sounds as his mother, for not long after he heard them he heard the broken names of his family in her horrific cries. That revelation made listening to the distant shrieks almost unbearable, and it took him a great amount of self-discipline, and logic to prevail, to stop him running headlong into the obvious trap to find her.

To say that he was frantic with worry was an understatement, but for what little comfort it was, as long as he still heard his Nana's cries then he knew she was still alive and fighting. He just had to find a way to reach her.

Legolas had resolved that he would need to wait on the arrival of his Adar and the bulk of the army to launch an assault that would be in any way effectual; whether that be a forced negotiation or a siege, he wasn't sure? But he knew rocking up to the gates by himself and fudging on his lack of troops was ultimately too risky. Instead he played scout, staying high and just out of reach of detection.

It became evidently clear quite early on that something was afoot, something that pointed at a bigger ploy, and Legolas was determined to piece the puzzle together. He followed the orc leaders from time to time, listening into conversations but struggling to follow the hideous black speech effectively to decipher any real clues. Yet, he did figure some things out, there was most definitely a military presence. He had watched weapons pass in and out the fortress by the cover of night - worrying amounts of weaponry, enough to stage a substantial assault. This morsel of information confirmed his fears; his mother's captivity was just a trap to lure the King out of his strong defences. If they could get his father and the army isolated and launch a series of surprise attacks then they could do some serious damage, especially with his Adar in such a fragile frame of mind, he would be easy pickings if they dangled his wife before him in such a horrific state. In fact Legolas wasn't certain if even he could keep a calm head on his shoulders if such a ploy was used. It would be miraculous if he didn't sink into a bloodlust, because he certainly teetered on the brink of it every time he heard the faint shrieks from the fortress.

But by this wet and miserable evening he had heard the approach of elves and he decided it best to alert his father's scouts of his whereabouts. So, with one last glance back at the ruined city Legolas narrowed his eyes and slid back into the shadows...he would get inside soon enough, he just needed patience.

Swooping and hopping along the low branches Legolas found and followed the trail of three elven soldiers on horseback, and cut them off by the intersection of the river that flowed passed the old city. He had decided to stop them from going any further lest they risked detection, or at least further detection, for he was sure that their enemy knew the King's army was massing.