Well here’s another update! Thanks everyone for reading, and please remember to leave a review.

List of Characters:

Legolas: Come on

Thranduil: Legolas’s father and King of the Wood land Realm

Girithron: Legolas’s elder brother, the third child and second son of Thranduil. Is the heir to the kingdom as Thranduil’s eldest, Celeguir, was killed at Dagorland.

Brethil: The warrior who saved Legolas from an orc.

Adwanoth: Captain of the Palace Guard

Lalorn: Legolas’s mother

Hananuir: The third son and fourth child of Thranduil, one of Legolas’s older brother.

Gwiwileth: Thranduil’s only daughter and second child, Legolas’s sister.

Lebanuir: Guard who is assigned to watch Gollum. Was a friend to Hananuir.

Danuas: Another Elven guard.

Amarin: Scout of the Western Patrol.

Amirithin: Amarin’s brother, another soldier in the Western Patrol.

Morthil: The Commander of the Western Patrol.

The Result of Failure

Chapter Three: Your Responsiblity

Legolas was halfway to his room, when he was stopped by his brother, Girithron.

“Legolas! A word with you!”

The younger Elf turned to contemplate his smiling brother. “Girithron, what is it?”

“Oh, nothing really very important. It is just a question that I had, which I hope you can answer.” This was accompanied by a shrug.

“A question about what?” Legolas wondered what his brother did not know, that he did.

“That man, Strider was his name. Do you know aught of him? I realize that it seems ridiculous for me to ask you this weeks after he left us, but business has occupied so much of my time.” Legolas remembered that his brother had indeed gone off to visit a nearby settlement shortly after Aragorn had delivered Gollum to the Woodland Realm.

“Girithron, why should I know any more of this stranger than you? I was not present when he made his request to you. Perhaps I should be the one asking you for information.” The youngest Prince answered.

“Now, brother, do not upset yourself.” Thranduil's heir cautioned.

“I am not upset.” Legolas interrupted. “What are you implying, Girithron?”

“When he spoke to you, that day, you appeared to recognize him from somewhere.” The elder Elf began.

“I? Recognize a Dúnedain? Girithron, you know very well that I have never been to that part of Arda.” Legolas replied.

“But perhaps you have seen him elsewhere?” Girithron pressed the question, knowing that he had not been mistaken in thinking that Legolas and Strider knew each other from elsewhere.

“Where?” The younger Elf tensed at this interrogation from his easy-going brother.

“I know not, Legolas. Clearly there is something you are not telling me.” Girithron delivered his final barb.

“Girithron, I know nothing. However, since you obviously do not believe me, I shall leave it at this: if I have not told you, then it cannot be important. Good day.” Legolas strode off angrily, wondering why he had not been more discreet upon first seeing Aragorn.

Girithron watched his brother march off angrily. I will find out the truth of this matter someday.... Girithron turned and headed into his own chamber.

***

Gollum smiled. His plan was working out perfectly. Yes, precious. Soon those nasty elfses will regret this. For none but Gollum had understood the signal. Clever signal, yes precious. Stupid elfses would never understand. Black birds good for something. The orcses are coming...

Danuas, the guard, frowned down at the creature, and continued to drag him forward, out of the dungeons to Prince Legolas and Lebanuir who waited just outside.

Gollum put on the appearance of one in deep thought, accompanying his façade by random mutterings. He did not want the ‘elfses’ to notice anything amiss.

Suddenly, a black arrow came flying out of the air, imbedding itself deep in the branch on which Legolas sat. He sat up with a curse, jolting Lebanuir out of his pleasant reverie.

“Orcs! Lebanuir we are  under attack!” Legolas leaped up and strung his bow, aiming at the Orcs who were just then coming into range. Lebanuir imitated his Prince, wondering how in Arda the Orcs had wandered so far into the Realm unchallenged.

Both Legolas and Lebanuir aimed and fired repeatedly, killing off a good many of the oncoming Orcs. However, they could not withstand the attack for long. Legolas tried to count the number of Orcs that came at them. He reached fifty before losing count. They were coming on too quickly. He notched another arrow, scanning the forest for the sight of another Elf. He did not see anyone.

Legolas was becoming desperate when elvish war cries tore the air, and Girithron, at the head of the Palace Guards charged into the fray. The Orcs outnumbered the Elves, but even so their disorganization did not stand a chance against professional Elven warriors.

Legolas fired his last arrow, and leapt to the ground to engage his enemy with his knives. Lebanuir followed him a minute later. The Orcs cheered when Legolas and Lebanuir landed on the ground, presumably happy at more prey.

Danuas, however was not fooled. He had noticed the four Orcs who had snuck around to the back of the elm tree, and begun to climb. He did not want to draw more attention to his position, and therefore silently followed the orcs. Nobody saw him fall, as another hidden Orc threw a dagger to his heart. 

Legolas ducked and parried, dispatching Orcs with speed. Girithron made his way over to his brother, and managed to converse with him while fighting.

“Legolas, are you hurt?”

“Nay, Girithron. What happened?”

“This group is part of a larger one that attacked the Western settlement. The people were caught unawares and we managed to pull the Western Patrol there just in time. Then their forces must have split, and this one made their way here, unchallenged due to the Western Patrol being elsewhere.”

“Should not the West Guards have stopped them? For they crossed very near to the Palace, and is that not their domain?”

“I do not know, little brother. Something is very wrong.”

Legolas nodded, and directed his attention to an Orc who came at him, swinging his blade rapidly. Girithron was faster, and the Orc fell dead at their feet. Suddenly, the Orcs charged, leaving the scene of the battle.

Legolas spun around, trying to kill the Orcs that ran past him. He heard Girithron yelling above the fray: “Follow them! Let none escape!”

The Elves rallied together and pursued the fleeing Orcs. But, they were unprepared for the scene that they encountered.

As they neared the fringe of the woods, the smell of dried blood reached their nostrils. Legolas and Girithron, who ran in front, stopped dead. The group of fifteen West Guards, who patrolled the outskirts of the Palace in that area, lay dead. The bodies were hacked, and mangled. Some wounds were clearly poisoned, with the black poison oozing out. The fallen Elves had expressions of surprise on their faces.

There was only one survivor, who wept silently over the fallen body of another Elf. Girithron approached him cautiously.

“Amarin, what happened?”

The Elf looked up, apparently startled to be addressed by Girithron.

“They...Orcs...” he trailed off and looked down again.

Girithron shook his head and let the mourning Elf be. He came to stand next to Legolas, who had been staring at the scene with horror. Legolas could not imagine such brutality. He had never seen so many Elves lying dead before. Beside him, Girithron knelt by the side of the fallen leader.

“Ai, Valar! A black day has come. For our people to be slaughtered in our own borders...” He trailed off and bowed his head.

The rest of Girithron’s group of guards expressed similar feelings. Many wept openly, and other stood in shock at such atrocities. They were a score of warriors, some veterans, others new to the art of war, but all were affected by the slaughter.

Girithron lifted his head, and decided to try speaking to the survivor again.

“Amarin, look at me. We must know how this happened.”

Amarin seemed to have recovered some of his composure, for now he told his tale in a clear voice, although it trembled. “I was the scout. Morthil sent me to scout ahead, for we already knew that a party of Orcs was near. We did not know they had split. While I was gone, the second group of Orcs came, and did this.” He gestured at the slaughter around him. “Morthil,” he gestured at his previous commander, “was dying as I arrived. Amirithin, my only brother, is dead.” Amarin broke down again into sobs.

Girithron placed a hand on Amarin’s shoulder, and Legolas bowed his head in grief. There they stood, Heir, Prince and Soldier alike, mourning the slaughter to their kin.

“Commander,” Neldorin, a veteran of many battles, approached Girithron. “The Orcs have escaped us, heading into the clutches of the Western Patrol. Should we continue?”

“No, ai, what if...” Girithron did not finish his sentence. He started anew: “Neldorin, choose half our force and tell them to mount up. Send two of your swiftest riders to the settlement. We must ascertain if they are...well. They will act as scouts, and we will ride after them. The other half will take the dead back to the Palace. Legolas, tell Adar. There will be much mourning tonight.”

***

Legolas woke from an uneasy sleep. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and untangled himself from his blankets. He walked out to his balcony, in hopes of finding some peace. He could not forget the scene of the dead warriors. He could not wipe their expressions of surprise, nor the blood that had so freely stained the grass, from his mind. Is this what he was condemned to? A life of strife and sorrow? Fighting, yet yielding always before the enemy, who with his insatiable greed would conquer all?

Legolas heard the lilt of Elven voices carried in the night air. They were mourning for the lost ones. All of this night they would sing, sing of the lives lost, sing of a better place. He remembered the stricken faces of the community as the dead were transported to the Palace. He would never forget the shock, the grief, and the tears.

He did not know how long he spent on the balcony, but he dimly heard the birds chirping of the new dawn. He heard the door to his room open, and wondered who was there. He vaguely felt Hananuir touched his shoulder.

“Legolas. Adar has summoned you today.” His brother said softly. 

Legolas felt himself go numb as he remember the cause of this interview.

Gollum had escaped.

It had taken the returning Elves a few hours to realize that their prisoner was no longer in the Elm tree.  Legolas and the other warriors had taken care of their dead companions, before Lebanuir remembered to fetch Gollum.

He had returned ashen. “Gollum has escaped.”

The attack had been a diversion. Gollum and the orcs must have had contact at some point.

However, the youngest Prince could not focus on how Gollum had eluded his pursuers. He was only concerned with his own failure. 

For Legolas had failed.

***

Adar- “Father” (ada- “dad/dy”)

Iôn Nín- “My son”

Naneth- “Mother” (nana- “mom/my”)

Valar- The gods of Middle Earth.