Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

The Warrior  by daw the minstrel

I borrow characters and settings from Tolkien, but they are his, not mine. I gain nothing other than the enriched imaginative life that I assume he meant me to gain.

Many thanks to Nilmandra for beta reading this chapter.

*******

3.  A First Patrol

Legolas slipped swiftly along between the trees, scanning the ground and the underbrush for signs of intruders.  At a distance to his right, he could hear faint sounds of Tynd doing the same thing, and at a somewhat shorter distance to his left, he knew that Beliond was also creeping along, although he could not hear the older warrior. As Tynd had predicted, Todith had sent Legolas out on patrol on the first morning after his arrival.  The small group had left camp at dawn to spend three days sweeping the borders of the forest in the northern part of their territory, and one of the first things Legolas had learned was that Beliond was even quieter in the woods than Annael, a fact that Legolas found astonishing.

At last, in the late morning, he began to hear the rush of the Forest River and then, between the trees, he saw the river bank.  He checked the ground all the way to the river, and then turned to his left and started toward where he knew Galorion must be.  He was not surprised and felt only a momentary flicker of annoyance when Beliond came to meet him and then fell in next to him. Beliond had let Legolas out of his sight this morning only when he knew that Legolas was carrying out his search with warriors on both sides of him. At least the older warrior was taciturn and did not seem to expect conversation, so they made their way together in silence to where Galorion was waiting near the rope bridge, with Fóril and Tinár already by his side.

“Anything?” asked Galorion, and both Legolas and Beliond shook their heads.  A moment later, Tynd arrived.

“Nothing,” he reported, and the lieutenant nodded in response.

“We will rest here for a few moments before we cross,” Galorion announced, and Legolas moved gratefully into a shady spot and took a cool drink from his water skin.  He was not particularly in need of rest, but the day had grown warm and a break was welcome.  Tynd came to sit on one side of him and, to Legolas’s silent dismay, Tinár came to sit on the other.  Beliond sat a short distance away, alone as usual.

“I know that patrolling this area so carefully seems ridiculous,” Tinár said, “given how safe it is compared to other areas in which I have served, but you have to pay attention anyway, Legolas.”

Legolas glanced at him in surprise. Tinár had been nowhere near him this morning and thus could not have seen him making any mistakes he had been unaware of, so presumably he was simply handing out general advice.  “I am paying attention,” he said stiffly.  He might have said more, but he did not want to quarrel with one of his fellow warriors.

“Are you speaking from experience, Tinár?” Tynd asked mildly.

“Of course not,” Tinár huffed.  “You know as well as I do that I am the most reliable scout in the patrol.”

“Tinár!” called Galorion.  “Go and check the bridge.”

With a long suffering sigh, Tinár got to his feet and went off to check the security of the knot tying the rope to the sturdy beech tree.  Then he ran across it to check the knot on the other side.

Tynd watched him.  “I know Tinár can be a trial,” he said, “but he is quick with a bow, so his usefulness usually makes up for the annoyance of his presence.”  He turned and grinned at Legolas. “On the other hand, it is probably no accident that Galorion chose him to check the bridge. I rather suspect that our lieutenant would not mind seeing Tinár take an unexpected swim.”

Legolas laughed and then shrugged. As a very green novice, he had once been punished for damaging the morale of his group by quarreling with Tinár’s younger brother, Galelas. He had taken the lesson to heart and had no intention of letting Tinár get under his skin if he could help it.

From across the river, Tinár signaled that the bridge was sound, and Galorion motioned them all to their feet.  “Time to move on,” he said. “I want to cover ten to fifteen more miles north of the river by the time we camp tonight.”  They all rose and, one by one, ran lightly across the rope and then spread out to resume their search.

Remembering Tinár’s unwelcome but sound advice, Legolas grimaced and brought all his alertness to bear on the ground and underbrush around him, looking for any sign of disturbance, no matter how small, that could not readily be identified as caused by one of the forest animals.  Suddenly, he froze, for there on the ground in front of him were clear footprints.  With every nerve singing, he bent to examine the prints and saw that a line of them ran across his own northward course, and ran from east to west. A Man had walked into the forest here.

He straightened up to give the bird signal that would announce what he had found, only to hear the same signal coming from his right and then, a second later, from his left. Beliond appeared at his side, his bow in his hand.  Seeing him, Legolas flinched and then hastily pulled his own bow off his shoulder.  He waited for Beliond to comment on his slowness in reacting, but the older warrior was too busy scanning the woods around them for any sign of danger.

At that moment, they heard Galorion signaling that all was well and then calling them all together.  Legolas and Beliond exchanged swift glances.  Beliond shrugged and then they both shouldered their bows and moved rapidly in the direction from which the signal had come.  As they came in sight of their lieutenant, Legolas suddenly halted, and felt Beliond next to him doing the same thing, for to Legolas’s astonishment and delight, Galorion was in conversation with a group of four Men. Tinár stood next to the lieutenant looking disdainful, and Legolas remembered that in the past he had heard him say some scornful things about Men.  He hoped the Men talking to Galorion were less able to read an Elf’s face than he was, because he doubted if Tinár’s attitude would help this encounter to go smoothly.

To Legolas’s surprise, the Man who seemed to be in charge of the group looked familiar and it took him only a moment to place him as Beam, the son of the Master of Esgaroth.  Legolas had seen Beam two or three times when he had come to Thranduil’s stronghold to confer on matters of trade or security, but he had not seen the Man for a number of years.  The rest of the Elven patrol had now gathered around their lieutenant and the Men.  Beliond stood at Legolas’s left shoulder with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Legolas guessed he was uneasy.

“What brings you so far inside the borders of the forest, Beam?” Galorion asked a friendly enough tone, but Legolas could hear the steel underneath it.  Relations between the Men of Esgaroth and the Elves of the Woodland Realm were cordial enough, but Legolas knew that Thranduil expected the Men to stay in their own territory unless they had business with him.

Beam smiled placatingly.  “Timber of very fine quality has recently been showing up in Esgaroth.  It had occurred to us that the merchant selling it might have been misguided enough to cut trees in the forest without Thranduil’s permission.  We were searching for evidence that the trees had been cut here.”

Legolas blinked.  If a Man had indeed been cutting trees without his father’s permission, there was likely to be trouble.  Thranduil would wreak retribution on the Man, but he would also not be pleased with the border patrol that had allowed the Man to slip by them either.

Galorion raised an eyebrow.  “And why did you not inform Todith so that we might have carried out this search ourselves and saved you the trouble?”  His words were polite but he was clearly warning the Men that they were in a place where they did not belong.

“We were not sure that the logging had occurred,” Beam shrugged, “and did not want to bother you with the matter until we were more certain.”

Legolas was willing to wager that Beam would have been happy not to “bother” the Elves with the matter at all.

Galorion considered.  “Perhaps it would be useful if we combined forces and searched this part of the woods together?” he finally offered.  From the corner of his eye, Legolas could see Beliond frown at that suggestion. He was plainly unhappy at the idea of trusting the Men.  Legolas experienced a moment of impatience at his prejudice.  While he believed that his father would probably share Beliond’s wariness, he knew from conversations at home that Ithilden and Eilian both trusted Beam.  And a chance to see more of these Men was exactly the kind of thing that Legolas had been hoping would happen as he ventured out from under his father’s guard.

Beam apparently knew a generous offer when he heard one.  “An excellent idea,” he responded.

“Do you have any idea of where the logging might have happened?”  Galorion asked.

Beam pointed northwest.  “More wood showed up in our marketplace this morning, so we began looking for a trail immediately.  We have been following tracks going in that direction.”

Galorion nodded and began arranging his forces and Beam’s to search in the direction Beam had indicated.  He hesitated when he came to Beliond.  “I will stay with my companion,” Beliond said firmly, and Galorion nodded and went on giving instructions to his other warriors.

Beam’s attention had been drawn to Legolas by the incident.  The Man looked puzzled for a moment and then, suddenly, his face broke into a smile.  “It is Legolas, is it not?” he asked, coming toward him with his arm extended.  “You have grown up since the last time I saw you!”

Legolas caught a glimpse of Tinár scowling slightly as Beam singled out Legolas.  Apparently Tinár did not approve of Legolas having what looked like a friendly relationship with the Man. Indeed, Beliond looked disapproving too.  Legolas clasped arms with Beam, taking perverse delight in Beliond’s dismay, for he had noticed that his keeper had been careful not even to mention his name.

There was no time for further conversation, for Galorion signaled for the group to take up their search, and Legolas began working his way through the forest, with Beliond close at hand.  Within a matter of minutes, the two of them stepped from a thick stand of evergreen to find a small glade in which a dozen trees had been recently cut.  The tops of their stumps showed like white scars against the lush growth around them. The undergrowth was trampled and the ground torn in deep ruts where the downed trees had been dragged. “Men,” said Beliond in disgust and then sounded the signal that called the other Elves and Men to them.

As each Elf arrived, he stopped at the edge of the glade, gazing in dismay at the devastation before him.  The Men were plainly unhappy at what they saw, but to Legolas, it was obvious that their pain was of a different kind than that of the Elves. They did not hear the mournfulness of the trees that still stood.  Beam stood in silence for a moment and then drew a deep breath.

“Do not worry,” he said grimly.  “The Master of Esgaroth will take up this matter with the Man we suspect.”

“I am not ‘worried,’” Galorion said coldly, “but I think Todith would be happier if you were to inform him immediately of what retribution the Master exacts.”

Beam hesitated and then turned to eye Galorion.  “I wonder if this incident needs to be conveyed to your king,” he ventured.

For a second, both his eyes and Galorion’s flicked to Legolas before they looked at one another again.  “Todith would include it in his regular dispatch to the troop commander,” Galorion said, “and the commander would decide what information the king needed to hear.”

Legolas listened in fascination.  He had always thought of his oldest brother as rather conventional, but if Ithilden was keeping news like this from their father, he was bolder than Legolas had realized.

“I will see to it that Todith hears without delay of whatever action the Master takes,” Beam finally said.

Galorion nodded and the Men bowed their heads respectfully and began to move away.  Beam paused in front of Legolas, and Legolas was aware of Beliond putting his hand to his sword again.  “Come and visit us, Legolas,” Beam invited, and then smiled.  “I know that Nitha would be more than happy to see you.”  Then he and his men withdrew.  Galorion glanced at Fóril, who nodded and leapt into a nearby tree and began moving eastward after the Men.  Legolas guessed that he would see to it that Beam and his men really did leave the forest.

Beliond watched the departing men grimly and then glanced at Legolas, disapproval written large on his face.  Impatient with his dislike of people whom Legolas fully intended to visit, Legolas gave him a deliberately provocative smile and then turned away.  He was willing to let Beliond guard him when he was acting as a warrior, but he would be hanged if he let his keeper interfere with his personal life.

Galorion turned to the rest of them. “We will resume our patrol,” he said and sent them once again to sweep through the forest, searching for signs of trouble. Legolas was glad to be scouting on his own again, or at least as much on his own as he was likely to be. They hunted all day without further incident and then camped at a point about ten miles north of the river.  The incident with the Men had slowed them down, and they had covered less distance than Galorion had hoped they would. They would have to make it up the next day.

“We will draw for the watches,” Galorion announced. He plucked blades of grass, shortened some of them, and then clenched them in his fist, which he held out to the rest of them.  Legolas drew one of the blades and could see immediately that he had gotten a short one. He would stand watch tonight.

“You get first watch, Legolas,” Galorion told him.  “Wake Beliond in two hours to take his turn.”   Then he and the rest of the patrol rolled up in their blankets and settled to sleep.  Although Legolas knew that the first watch was an easy one because one did not have to wake and go to sleep again, he was still gratified that Galorion apparently trusted him with the safety of the group.  Of course, he had stood many watches while on novice missions, and if he had not been able to do so basic a warrior’s task, the novice masters would have sent him on his way long ago.

He made a circuit of the campsite and then perched in a tree to listen and watch for a while before it was time to make another one.  He glanced over at where Beliond lay. The Elf was turned on his side to face Legolas.  Legolas could not be certain, but he thought that there was enough tension in Beliond’s body to suggest that he was still awake.  Evidently Beliond did not trust him as much as Galorion did, he thought irritably.

He found himself thinking back over the day, his first real day a warrior, with some satisfaction.  He supposed it had not been the stuff that novices’ dreams were made of, given the routine nature of the patrol, but he had found it exciting to meet the Men and he thought that he had done well.  Except for not seizing his bow as soon as he had seen the Men’s footprints, he reminded himself.  He would be more alert the next time.

Suddenly, he heard a noise off to the north of their campsite. He turned his head toward it, wondering if he had imagined it, but beneath him, he could see Beliond leaping to his feet and looking in the same direction.  Evidently Legolas had been correct in thinking that his keeper was not asleep, he thought, but had time for only a fleeting second of exasperation.  The sound was unmistakable now, and his breath quickened and his heart began to pound.  He took his bow in hand, intending to travel toward the noise and see what was causing it.  And he hated to admit it, but he found that he was glad when Beliond leapt into the trees too and moved along next to him toward the source of the sound. 

They had traveled only a brief distance when Legolas halted and Beliond came to stand next to him on the branch with his face impassive and all of his attention on whatever was approaching.  They waited. To Legolas’s ears, the sound had resolved itself into two sets of heavy footsteps, and suddenly, two Dwarves appeared beneath them, traveling east.  Legolas stared; he had never seen a Dwarf before. These two had heavy packs on their backs and did not have their weapons in hand, so they did not look immediately dangerous, but still, they were Dwarves and they were within the boundaries of Thranduil’s realm without the knowledge of his warriors.

For a second, Legolas hesitated, wondering if he should try to find out more about the intruders, but Beliond caught his arm, frowned, and jerked his head back toward the camp.  Legolas knew at once that he was right and turned to follow Beliond as they  made their way as swiftly as they could back to the camp. They dropped to the ground there and hastily awoke their companions, who were on their feet, instantly alert. Legolas knew he had betrayed his excitement in his voice as he shook the others awake, but he could not help it.

“Into the trees,” Galorion ordered, strapping on his quiver. “We will surround them and then Tinár and I will drop to the ground and confront them. The rest of you have your bows ready but do not shoot unless I give a signal or things get very ugly.  Legolas and Beliond, show us where they are.”

Legolas leapt back into the trees and he and Beliond led the rest of the patrol toward where the Dwarves had gone, moving as soundlessly as they could.  The Dwarves had not gotten very far and the patrol was soon upon them.  Galorion moved into the lead while the rest of them flowed into the trees about the travelers.  And then, with what must have been a frightening lack of warning, Galorion and Tinár dropped to the ground in front of the Dwarves with their bows drawn.

“Do not move, Master Dwarves,” said Galorion, his face stony. “I would not want to have to shoot you.  Your bodies would be very heavy to haul away.”  The Dwarves froze with their hands just reaching toward their axes. There was a moment’s silence and Legolas could feel his own tension rising, so he assumed that the Dwarves were certainly feeling the strain. Slowly, both dwarves moved their hands away from their weapons.  “What are you doing in these woods at this time of night?” Galorion demanded.

The Dwarves hesitated.  They evidently did not like being questioned by an Elf any more than the Elves liked having them in the woods.  “We are on our way from the Grey Mountains to see our kin in Erebor,” one of them finally said in a gruff voice.  “Is that such a frightening prospect to you that you have to waylay us?” Legolas had to admire his guts.  If he were faced with Galorion and Tinár looking as they did now, Legolas thought he might have spoken with more care.

“If you are on a simple visit to your kin, then why are you traveling after dark?” Galorion asked.

Again the Dwarves hestitated. They looked at one another.  At length, the second Dwarf spoke with obvious reluctance.  “We are unfamiliar with these woods.  We misjudged our way and went too far west. We were trying to make up for lost time.”

Tinár, who was looking down his nose at the creatures, let out a sudden snort of scornful laughter, and Galorion shot him a warning glance.  He turned back to the Dwarves. “Are you telling me you got lost in the woods?” he asked, as incredulous as only a Wood-elf could be at that claim.

“That is exactly what I am telling you,” the Dwarf snapped.  “All of these trees look alike, you must admit.”

Suddenly Legolas had to suppress laughter too, and when he glanced at Beliond, he found that he was smiling broadly, although he made no sound.  Legolas was rather ashamed to react in the same way Tinár had, but really, the Dwarves were ridiculous.

Galorion raised an eyebrow.  “If you cannot tell one tree from another, then you would do well not to travel in these woods,” he said, sounding exasperated.  He paused, considering. “If you continue another three miles in the direction you are going, you will reach the edge of the woods,” he said.  “Two of my warriors will see to it that you do not get lost again.”  And to Legolas’s delight, he glanced up into the trees and signaled for him and Beliond to descend.  He jumped to the ground with a flourish, and Beliond landed by his side a second later.

The Dwarves started at their sudden appearance.  One of them scanned the trees looking for more elves, while the eyes of the other narrowed.  “We do not need an escort,” he protested.

“I fear that you do,” Galorion insisted and stepped back out of their path.

“You lead,” Beliond told Legolas briefly. “I will be rear guard.”  For a moment, Legolas was too surprised to react to the invitation to lead, but then, pleased, he started east, gesturing for the Dwarves to follow him.  He did not like having his back to them, but after a moment’s consideration, he realized that, with Beliond at the rear, the Dwarves would be dead if one of them so much as checked the position of his axe on his back.

They walked in silence for a while. At least, he and Beliond walked in silence, although the Dwarves tramped as noisily Orcs.  “We do not need you to guide us,” one of the Dwarves finally growled at Legolas’s back.  “We know where east is.”

“But you do not seem to know how to find your way among the trees to get there,” Legolas responded cheekily.  He found, to his surprise, that he was enjoying himself.

The Dwarf snorted.  “You think you know everything about these woods, but I warrant that you would be surprised what we have found here and dealt with needing no help from Elves.”  He positively spat the last word.

Startled, Legolas glanced back at him.  “What do you mean?”

“Surely you do not need a Dwarf to tell you about what is happening in your own woods?” the Dwarf taunted him.

“If you have something to say, say it,” Beliond snapped. “Otherwise, be quiet and keep moving.”

Both Dwarves looked back at him, and Legolas eyed him too and was sobered by what he saw.  He turned back quickly to his task as guide, and the Dwarves, who were apparently equally impressed, spoke no more.  In a short time, they reached the end of the trees.

“I would advise you to go home some other way,” Beliond told the Dwarves, and he and Legolas stepped aside to watch them walk away into the dark.

They stood for a few minutes, making sure that the Dwarves were not doubling back.  Beliond glanced at Legolas.  “It is well to remember that Men and Dwarves are not as trustworthy as Elves,” he said quietly.

Legolas frowned.  “The Men are our allies,” he said. “And I know we buy weaponry from the Dwarves.”  He knew he was being difficult. He had not liked the Dwarves any more than Beliond had, but he had liked meeting the Men, and he bristled at the mild reprimand implied in his keeper’s remark.

Beliond shrugged.  “Nonetheless, I do not trust them, and it would make my job easier if you also were not so foolish as to do so.” Legolas struggled for a moment with what he knew was an intemperate response, but before he could speak, Beliond went on.  “You did well tonight,” he said abruptly.

Legolas looked at him in surprise.  He hesitated, for there was something he wanted to say. “I do know how to stand a watch, you know,” he finally said.  “You do not have to stay awake while I am doing it.”

To his surprise, Beliond simply nodded.  “Apparently you do know how, and now that I know that, I will more than happy to sleep while you are doing it.”  He turned and started back toward the campsite, leaving Legolas staring after him and then having to hurry to catch up.

They found Galorion standing watch.  “They are gone,” Beliond told him.  “They were hinting that they had found some sort of trouble in the forest, though.”  Legolas glanced at him in surprise, for he had not thought that Beliond had taken the Dwarves’ claims seriously.

Galorion frowned. “Do you know what or where?”

Beliond shook his head.  “I am not even sure they were telling the truth. They may have been simply trying to make trouble.”

Galorion nodded and then seemed to dismiss the matter.  He turned to Legolas and grinned.  “What an exciting first patrol you are having, Legolas.”  Legolas suspected that none of the patrol members had missed how thrilled he had been by both of the day’s encounters.  He blushed, but could not help but grin back at his lieutenant.  In all truth, he had found the day exciting.

“Go on to sleep, both of you,” Galorion ordered.  “Your watches are over anyway.”

Legolas made his way to his blanket and rolled up in it.  He was tired, he suddenly realized.  And tonight, he had no time to be lonely, for he was away in dreams before he could roll over on his side.

 





<< Back

Next >>

Leave Review
Home     Search     Chapter List