Chapter Three

Aragorn frowned slightly. It was now his turn to be reluctant. “Legolas, Are you sure you do not wish to talk to your father first? He will be furious at you, not ot mention worried, when he finds out we have not gone straight to Rivendell.”

“I do not wish to cause my father needless worry, nor do I like deception, Estel. You know that, but I am not a child, and I refuse to be treated like one. Two years is long enough for my father to spend deciding where I can and cannot go. Even Balardorn has argued with him about letting me leave Mirkwood. My father refused to change his mind. I will deal with him when I return,” the elf said with a no-nonsense tone that made it clear he was not going to change his mind, either.

The ranger, despite all his arguing for them to go to Black Mountain to begin with, was now experiencing a bit of doubt that Legolas should let his feelings of being pinned in and watched, cloud his judgment. He wanted to go, but he didn’t want Legolas to feel guilty afterward that he had tricked his father, something Legolas had just told the twins was almost impossible to do.

The man had visions of the nearby patrol being sent after them to Black Mountain and then dragging Legolas back to Mirkwood. He didn’t even want to think about what his friend’s reaction to that humiliation would be. So it was with a sigh and a glance at the wood elf’s familiar expression of determination that he said, “All right then, we leave for Black Mountain.”

Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other. It was abundantly clear that both Estel and Legolas were definitely going to Orod Moru. It remained to be revealed to them just why, but for now, they had to make up their minds if they were going to accompany their brother and their long-time friend.

“We cannot let them go alone,” Elrohir whispered to his older twin.

“You are right, of course,” Elladan agreed. He turned to look at Estel and Legolas. “We will accompany you, but you must tell us why you would even want to go to that dreadful place.”

As the four of them began to break camp in preparation for the coming journey, the ranger began to explain.

Elladan and Elrohir just looked at each other, when Aragorn finished his story. They each had both a feeling of dread and a thrill of excitement at the prospect of going to the infamous mountain and possibly accomplishing what their brother had suggested: solving a long-held mystery. The trick was going to be surviving long enough to get that information to the ‘outside‘ world.

Turning his mind to a more immediate issue, Elrohir asked, “What about the patrol?”

“I will deal with them,” Legolas said resolutely. He mounted his gray stallion, Elenblaith , and headed for the ridge and the patrol camp beyond.

He returned in less than twenty minutes. “Luck is with us,” he said. “My father sent them a message that I was going to be leaving Mirkwood, and they were to resume their normal duties. They were just mounting up to continue their patrol, when I arrived.”

Legolas did not mention that he had felt close to embarrassment, knowing that those warriors, all of whom he had either served with at one time or another or captained, had known exactly why they had been camped where they were. He shrugged the feeling off. There was nothing he could do about it now anyway. Being a prince of the realm as well as a patrol captain would likely protect him from being teased by all but the closest of his elven friends. He shook his head. That, at least, was in the future.

He sighed, forcing himself not to think about the nagging feeling of guilt that pricked at the edge of his mind at the idea of letting his father think he was doing one thing while not only doing something completely different but doing something that he knew his father would not have allowed. The feeling he had had nothing to do with getting revenge for Thranduil’s over-protectiveness. *I love you, Ada, but i have to do this for myself. I hope you will understand.*

Soon the four companions were on their way north to Black Mountain and to whatever was awaiting them there.

~*~*~

For five days the three elves and one human had been making their way steadily northward. leaving the great forest of Mirkwood far in their wake. The anticipation of what might await them on Black Mountain was held in check, even by Aragorn, as the four companions hunted and camped along the way. They did not tarry, knowing their time was limited, but neither did they rush along in a tear to reach their goal.

By the fourth day, they had reached a point beyond which even Aragorn’s travels as a ranger had not led him. The elves, likewise, had never been to the region that now surrounded them.

All four were soon lost in a world that offered much in the way of game and opportunities to briefly explore seemingly virgin forest and stream. It was not strictly so, of course, since many had been this way before, but few called it home.

During the journey, the four friends stayed in one place only long enough to hunt and sleep. Their noon meals were spent on the move, usually consisting of dried meat and/or lembas.

The air cooled slightly as they moved away from the warmer weather to the south, yet the only real chill came with the winds that blew through their camp every night, typically after midnight. The days, however, remained comfortably warm and flooded with sunlight. In every direction, the landscape, whether deep forest or open meadow, grew profusely in various shades of green.

Being a wood elf, Legolas, even more than the twins, embraced the world of living things that he found wherever he looked. The Song of Life stirred deep within his soul and brought him a peace that nothing else could quite match. The small forests that they traversed sang their greetings to the young silvan prince, happy to have him in their midst. He happily returned the joy they expressed.

More than once, Legolas had to restrain himself from leaping off of Elenblaith’s back into whatever tree happened to be above him.

Finally, when Aragorn had caught Legolas, a wistful look on his face, staring up into the branches of a tree, he had said, “Go ahead, Legolas. Climb up there and commune. It’s getting late anyway. We’ll camp here and call you, when the meal is ready.”

The elf had vanished into the foliage so fast it brought laughter from the three Rivendell brothers. Aragorn, in particular, had chuckled heartily, as he slipped off of his horse and began to unload his packs. “Give him a new tree to talk to...” He didn’t need to finish the sentence.

When called later, Legolas had come down to eat and then had gone back up among the happy tree’s branches. It filled his heart with joy to commune with a tree in a forest he had never seen before. There was always something new to learn, and the young wood elf was always eager to learn it.

It wasn’t long after the night had spread its cloak of darkness over the land that Legolas’s sweet, clear voice was lifted in song. It continued far into the night, sending his companions gently onto the path of dreams.

~*~*~

The four rode steadily northward, and on the fifth day, they rounded a large pair of dark gray boulders set on the edge of a small forest. Sitting directly ahead of them, and rising upward to contrast starkly against the azure sky, was the infamous Black Mountain. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Though the dark mystery that surrounded the mountain made its name quite appropriate, it had originally received its name from the black granite that made up its mass. Even the warmth of summer could not melt the crystaline snow that packed the higher elevations and sparkled like sugar in the sunshine. Black jagged ridges jutted from the bulk of the mountain, making the white snow in between look even more pristine.

On this day, there were no clouds and no mist, making it easy to see all the way to the twelve thousand foot summit.

Aragorn let out a soft whistle, as he gazed at the imposing mountain before him. He couldn’t suppress a thrill at the idea that he would soon be setting foot this mystery-shrouded legend.

By contrast, Legolas felt a shiver go through him. The sensation was fleeting, but he knew he had not imagined it. He had expected to feel evil rolling off of the mountain in waves. He had grown up with evil and knew well the feel of it. Yet strangely enough, looking at the mountain now, he had only an echo of danger, not dissimilar to what he felt when encountering any common peril.

Even the valley forest where Mordraug had lived had radiated evil. The foreboding he had felt then was absent now. Still, the elf was not foolish enough to discount this present danger just because it did not spring from the kind of malevolence that made up the Shadow of the Dark Lord. It would be prudent to remember that even common danger could be just as deadly.

Legolas glanced at Elladan and Elrohir and wondered what they were thinking. When a smile broke out on Elrohir’s face, Legolas had his answer. “This is going to be some adventure,” the younger twin said.

“My argument exactly,” Aragorn said, looking pointedly at Legolas. The Mirkwood elf was not looking his way and didn‘t react to his words, though he knew, of course, that they were aimed directly at him.

Legolas shook off any feelings of doubt that may have been trying to get his attention and now looked at the mountain with undisguised admiring eyes. “It is beautiful,” he had to admit in genuine appreciation of its majesty.

Aragorn swept his right arm in an arc toward the mountain. “Shall we?” Without waiting for a response from anyone, he started forward.

~*~*~

It took most the rest of the day to reach the small foothills that surrounded the base of the mountain. It was clear to all that they would have to make camp for the night and begin their ascent early the next morning.

After half an hour of looking, they finally found a somewhat sheltered spot to set up their camp. The trees here were small and windblown, but enough of them were found on a level spot near the bottom of one of the hills to serve as a suitable place to spend the night.

After the horses were tended to, the fire built and the meal cooked and eaten, the four sat around the fire and began discussing their plans for the next day.

“We will have to decide where to leave the horses,” Aragorn pointed out.

Legolas nodded. “I know they cannot be left on the mountain should we try to take them up as far as we can ride them, but I hate allowing them to stay too close to its base, either. We do not know what lurks here, and I would not leave them in danger.”

“Nor would I,” Aragorn agreed.

It had taken them five days to reach here by horseback. Coming here on foot had never even been considered an option. Legolas was right. However, they could not leave the horses to try to fend off who knew what kind of danger that may be awaiting the chance to strike them up on the slopes. The extra time they would save them by riding farther up the mountain was not worth the risk.

“I saw a small valley off to our right, as we topped this hill,” Elrohir said. “It looked like a stream was close by. I could take the horses there in the morning and leave them. I think they would be safe enough until we return.”

Elven horses were famous for obeying to the letter whatever instructions were given them, so after a few moments discussion, Elrohir’s idea was agreed upon. He would take them to the valley in the morning, tell them to stay there unless danger threatened and then they were to flee to safety until sought out and called by their masters.

The next discussion involved food and supplies. None of them wanted to lug all of their packs with them, yet they would need a supply of food and water, since they couldn’t be sure whether or not there was anything worth hunting on the mountain itself. They would also need blankets, because their cloaks alone would not be enough protection against the biting winds and the snow. The pack containing Aragorn’s healing supplies wasn’t even mentioned, as it was a must to take.

They all spent the next hour arranging and rearranging everything they had decided to take with them and everything they would be leaving behind. Each one of them would carry parts of everything, so if a pack was lost, they wouldn’t lose all of any one thing. Even the healing herbs were split up to a degree, although Aragorn kept most of them.

Once all was in readiness, they set the watches and then settled down to get as much sleep as they could.

Legolas. taking the second watch that began at midnight, had his back against one of the trees on the outer edge of the camp. his right leg was pulled up so that the bottom of his foot rested against the trunk beside his left knee. His bow was leaning lightly against his left side. Both the camp and the mountain were in front of him. All of his senses were trained on his surroundings.

It was close to the end of his watch, when the howls began.

The first sound the elf heard was a single, haunting howl that sent a shiver down his spine. To an untrained ear, it might have sounded like an ordinary wolf, baying at the full moon that rode high in the night sky. However, to the sensitive ears of an elf, the timbre of it was slightly different, far more chilling than the cries of an ordinary wolf. It was like nothing the archer had ever heard before.

In an instant the elf had straightened and taken up his bow. The second time he heard a howl, this time a deeper-throated sound, it was a bit nearer to his position, so he drew an arrow from his quiver and set it to his bowstring. He did not pull back on it, only kept it ready, because he did not, as yet, feel that whatever had made the sound was near enough to be an immediate danger to him or his sleeping friends.

After a third howl drifted down from the mountain side, this time more to the right, Legolas stepped away from the tree, He moved several paces forward, stopping at the edged of the shadow cast by the tree. He did not want to reveal his position to any prying eyes. His own keen eyes searched the silvery moon glow for any sign that the danger was moving any closer. The fourth howl revealed to Legolas that these creatures, were apparently content to stay up on the mountain, for the time being anyway.

The elf did not know how long he stood there, utterly silent and unmoving, trying to pick out movement or another sound, when he heard his name spoken softly from several feet away.

He recognized Elladan’s voice immediately.

The dark-haired elf approached him slowly, not sure if Legolas had heard him or not. “Legolas?” he repeated.

“I hear you, Elladan.” It was then that the wood elf turned his head toward his friend.

When Elladan reached Legolas’s side, he asked, “Is there something out there that has caught your attention? The way you were standing with your bow ready to be drawn, you were obviously looking at or listening to something. I did not want to distract you.”

“I heard howling from several individuals, high up on the mountain. It was a strange sound, similar to a wolf yet not exactly so. I do not feel that the danger, if indeed that sound represent such, is moving toward us. Yet...”

“Yet what?” the elder twin asked.

“I think they may know we are here.”

Now it was a shiver that went down Elladan’s spine. Of all the words Legolas could have said, those were not the ones he wanted to hear.

“It is time for my watch. Do you think you will be able to go back to sleep now?”

Legolas grinned, as he took the arrow from the bowstring and put it back in his quiver. “If you think you can stand guard without me, I will find sleep again.”

Elladan nodded. “I believe I can handle things by myself. However, I will not hesitate to call for your aid should I prove to be mistaken.”

Legolas grinned and gave the Rivendell elf a light slap on the shoulder, as he headed to where his blanket lay. Despite his confident words to Elladan, it took Legolas a while to get back to sleep. He wasn’t really worried; he was more curious than anything. What creature could have made such a sound? He had the distinct feeling that before long he and his friends would know all too well what it was.

TBC