Element of the Heart - A Lord of the Rings/Legolas Fanfiction

Chapter 15: Fire's Shadow

The thundering of drums reached their ears. Evangeline looked at Legolas. "Orcs!" he warned.

"So Mordor is continuing to ally themselves," Aragorn mused. He and Boromir barricaded the entrance with rusty axes and tools. Boromir took a quick look outside before yanking the doors shut.

"What is it?" Evangeline asked.

Boromir smirked without a smile. "They've brought a cave troll."

Evangeline shuddered. This was her first battle, and a cave troll was the last thing she wished to face. She was trained in one-on-one combat, not in taking down a monster. "I do not recall inviting a cave troll into this Fellowship," she half-groaned to herself.

Legolas ears did not miss her words. He readied his bow. "Let's greet them."

Looking ahead, Evangeline nodded and slid out her sharpened swords from their sheaths. She decided to stand on Gimli's left, a little farther away from the entrance than the others. She needed a few extra seconds to find out what she was up against. Aragorn readied his hunter's bow and stood next to Legolas. He would switch to his sword once the fighting turned heavy. Gandalf stood in front of the Hobbits as he held his staff in one hand and a broad sword in the other. Gimli bellowed from the top of the tomb, "Let them come!"

The orcs tore apart the doors as he spoke. Aragorn fired through the barely gaping doors, killing the first few orcs that bared their teeth. Legolas fired into the smallest visible cracks. Several orcs screeched as his arrows found their target. Amongst the screeching came a deep groan. Evangeline bent her knees, ready to spring into action. In came the cave troll, smashing through the doors with its mere weight. Its hand grazed against the ceiling as it attempted to smash Legolas, who simply rolled out of the way. Around its neck was a spiked collar attached to a chain, held by a measly little orc who was failing miserably to control it. Then again, Evangeline noted, controlling it is not their intention now.

Orcs swarmed into the room. Aragorn and Boromir were slashing left and right with experienced swings and fatal stabs. Gimli was bashing every orc head that he laid eyes on. In the midst of it all, Aragorn caught Evangeline quickly calculating the troll. "Evangeline, don't-"

But he was too late. Evangeline dashed under the troll's tree-sized arm. She slid under its legs and twisted around to stab it in the back. Her swords barely sunk six inches into its thick skin when its massive arm circled back and sent her flying into the wall. Her body fell to the ground. She slowly lifted her head. Her vision swarmed and her back ached. She grunted. Pain. Signs I am alive and still awake. The troll's hit must have been more clumsy than intentional, because Evangeline knew she should have been knocked out at least.

Legolas leapt onto the troll's spine. After impaling two unforgiving arrows in the back of its head, he leapt off as graceful as a young stag. He did not look back while the troll collapsed to the ground, dead. Evangeline knew if this was not war, she would have succumbed to jealousy. So it's skull is not as thick from behind. Best to attack it from there. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she staggered to her feet while she quickly lifted her blade. A nearby orc ran itself into the elvish steel while raising its own crude weapon. Evangeline yanked out the blade and leapt up to decapitate another vulgar face. Most of the orcs were much taller than her, so she compensated by stabbing and slicing off limbs where she could.

Out of the corner of her vision, Aragorn flew through the air and smacked into a pillar. Another cave troll stood near him, now thrashing amongst the hobbits. Evangeline stared in disbelief. How could it have gotten past us without us knowing?

Legolas sunk an arrow into its belly. Distracted, it started after him. An image of him leaping through the air gave Evangeline an idea. "Legolas!" She ran next to him while he dodged another swing from the troll. "Throw me!" she cried.