Of Futures Past (Legolas)

24

When Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli all heard the horn of Gondor, they all exchanged a fearful glance, before rushing towards the sound, fighting their way down the hill.

As they neared, they heard her voice. "Do not be afraid when I do not wake up. It is temporary, and it is necessary. Keep your heads up. Remember, you still have a part to play."

The message was obviously not meant for them, but it had all their hearts clenched in its fists as they fought with renewed vigour to reach the others, but in vain.

When they arrived, no Uruk hai remained, and all they could see was Boromir dead, lying against a tree. 

Legolas felt his blood run cold and the pressure in his head building. She's gone. She's been taken. I should've protected her, I should've known. How can I have let this happen to her?

"Legolas. We will find her. For now, we must send off Boromir's body properly." Aragorn murmured, clasping his shoulder in a tight grip that expressed his own frustration with himself.

With empty minds and hearts, they loaded Boromir's boat into a canoe and sent it off, his hands holding his sword over his chest.

Once finished paying their respects to Boromir, whom they thought dead, whose dead body they had carried themselves, they returned to the scene where they'd found him. Aragorn crouched near the ground, scanning the remains of the vial surrounded by droplets of blood.

"There is a strange energy here. Alana was not injured, yet her blood stains the ground. Her footsteps, and every Uruk's, at one point suddenly change pattern." Aragorn paused. 

Legolas's breath caught. "Alana would not have let them get caught for no reason. She said none would die, including herself."

"She was wrong about Boromir, but let us hope she is right about the rest."

Without many words spoken, the three gathered as few provisions as they could and began their sprint to save Alana and the hobbits. They took no pauses, none caring whether they were out of breath or too tired. The first day of sprinting had none of them speaking in their grim determination to find the rest of their Fellowship.

Two days in, Aragorn stopped, pressing his ear to the ground and frowning. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent."

"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas yelled as he raced after Aragorn.

Gimli grumbled, struggling to keep up with his long-legged companions. "Three days and nights pursuit. No food. No rest. And no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell."

Legolas bit his tongue to prevent himself from lashing out at his friend. For the first time since they'd met, Gimli saw the depths of Legolas's emotions peeking through his face. Anguish and hope warred in his eyes, and determination led them forwards.

Some hours later, Aragorn came to a sudden stop, picking up a Lothlorien broach from the ground, misshapen from being stomped on by heavy feet. "Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." Aragorn murmured. "She knew."

Legolas's head snapped up. "They may yet be alive." The hope won out against the anguish in his eyes, and neither Aragorn nor Gimli uttered a word when he picked up the pace yet again. 

That did not last forever, though, as Gimli panted behind the other two. 

"Come, Gimli! We are gaining on them!"

"I am wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

The three hunters came over a short hill and gazed out over the valley, allowing Gimli to catch his breath. "Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us." Aragorn said, noticing Legolas's eyes roving the distance. "Legolas, what do your elf eyes see?"

"The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking them to Isengard!" Legolas replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the far away horde at Aragorn's next realization. "Saruman."

For a moment, Legolas was back in Lothlorien, walking a teary-eyed Alana back to the healers.

"Sauron means to keep me as a slave. I will watch you all die then spend eternity chained in Barad-dur being used for both my gifts and my body." Alana smiled despite Legolas's expression of horror. "Do not worry, I have faith in the Fellowship. I have seen many visions of a beautiful future as well. The darker ones are just hard to ignore."

Legolas's hand caressed her cheek gently and she leaned into his touch, marvelling at the depths of the emotions his eyes held for her. "I will not let that happen, Alana. They will not touch you, I promise."

Internally, Legolas repeated the promise to himself, eyes flaming enough to make even Aragorn uneasy.

"We'll find her, Legolas."

Without a moment more spent waiting, they started their sprint again, Legolas never slowing even as the others felt their legs tire. No exhaustion could reach him, as he was dead set on saving Alana from the darkness that threatened her.

They did not reach the Uruk camp before the night had ended, but the sun rose red a violent. Legolas paused.

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night." His expression had been schooled to seem neutral, but his desperate eyes and tight grip on his bow betrayed him.

The thunder of hooves were heard, and the three ducked behind some rocks for cover. As Aragorn recognized the riders, he stepped out, followed by Legolas and Gimli, calling out, "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?"

The stampede of horses turned as one, surrounding the trio on all sides by spears and ever tightening circles. One of the men signalled the others, and began speaking, "What business does an Elf, a man and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimli replied with no respect, Aragorn putting a hand on his shoulder as the man dismounted his horse.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." The man hissed. Legolas immediately drew an arrow, pointing it at him.

"You would die before your stroke fell!"

Legolas could only think of one thing. Her. Alana's green eyes, mirthful, young, and so old all at once, burned his brain, the quirk of her lips as they smiled and laughed, the feel of her hand in his, her body leaning into him as if she were standing only for the sake of being close to him. In that moment, Legolas's vision blurred and he forgot where he, whom he was pointing his arrow at.

"Calm down, Legolas. We will find her." Aragorn murmured in his low voice, the bow being lowered and the arrow resheathed as he spoke.

Little did Legolas know, Alana was both closer and further than he could've imagined.