The Battle Between Us, Legolas.

01

Chapter one.

For three night and three days, they had been running.

They crossed the borders over the East Emnet, cutting across hills as they gained on the Orcs that took Merry and Pippin. Following Aragorn, Ariadne kept up with Legolas and himself, looking over her shoulder once in awhile to make sure Gimli was still caught up with them.

"Aragorn!" Ariadne crouched down at the torn up grass, picking up the shiver of green embedded into the grass, she held the brooch for them to see, meeting Aragorn's worried eyes.

"We need to hurry, they aren't far," Aragorn breathed as Ariadne pocketed the brooch before climbing up the rocks beside Aragorn, "Rohan, home of the horse-lords," Aragorn turned to look at Ariadne, who looked around at the vast fields, "There is something stage at work here, some evil gives speed to these creatures... Sets its will against us."

Ariadne's brows push in worry, looking over at Legolas who stands ahead of them, scanning the fields, "Legolas! What do you see?"

"The Uruks turn North!" Legolas calls back, eyes widening, "They are taking the Hobbit's to Isengard!"

"Saruman," Ariadne turned to Aragorn, before looking behind her as Gimli caught up, breathing heavily as he lent on his axe.

Before he could mutter a word to them, Aragorn and Ariadne run after Legolas who was setting a path for them. Gimli paused for a moment, watching them run before muttering a curse and following on.

---

As their feet carried them on through the night, dawn broke over them, staining the clouds with a warm orange. Ariadne paused beside Legolas who stares up at the clouds, he looks down at her, a frown gracing his face, "A red sun rise, blood has been spilt this night."

Ariadne places a hand on his arm, looking at Aragorn who had stopped at the peak of the hill, "We will be fine, as will the Hobbit's be."

"Ey'," Gimli pants, pointing at Ariadne with his axe, "Listen to the lass, we will catch up with them."

---

They ran into a dip between two sets of rocks, Aragorn breaths heavily crouched down as he traces their tracks. The sounds of thundering horses approach them, Legolas gently pulls Ariadne towards him, the four ducking down behind the rocks, out of the rider's view as they pass. Ariadne looks up at Legolas as Aragorn stands, but he gently shakes his head, telling her to stay with him.

"Riders of Rohan!" Aragorn shouts, catching their attention as they turn around, "What news from the mark?"

Legolas stood beside Aragorn the two sharing a look as the horses came to surround them, Ariadne stood beside Legolas and Gimli, taking her dagger from her side as they came too close, pointing their spears down at them. Legolas's hand wraps around her wrist, gently pushing her slightly behind him.

"What business does a man, an Elf, a Dwarf and a woman have here!" Legolas and Ariadne turn to the man sat tall on the horse looking down at them, "Speak quickly!"

"Give me your name horsemaster and I'll shall give you mine," Gimli replies, making Aragorn sigh as the man glares down at them before climbing off his horse.

The man strides towards Gimli as Aragorn places a hand on the Dwarf's shoulder, "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it only stood a little higher off the ground."

Legolas quickly draws an arrow, pointing at the man, "You would die before your strike fell."

Ariadne places a hand on Legolas's shoulder as the horses around them get closer, a spear brushing against her back makes her turn around, glaring at the man above her, "Touch me with that again and I will break it over your head."

Gimli laughs as Legolas lowers his bow turning around to glare up at the man as he gently pulls her back to his chest. Aragorn watches the two for a moment before turning to the man, "I am son of Arathorn; this is Gimli son of Gloin, Legolas of the Woodland realm and Ariadne from Ambernshire, we are friends of Rohan, your King."

The man takes off his helmet, looking between the four, "Theoden no longer recognises friends from foe, not even his own kin. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and has lordship over these lands, my company are those loyal to Rohan and for that we are banished."

Ariadne looks down at Gimli who gave her a sad smile, as the man continues, "The White Wizard is cunning; he walks here and there they say. As an old man hooded and cloaked, everywhere his spies slip past out nets."

"There are no spies," Aragorn says, "We track a party of Uruk-hai heading across the plain, they have taken two of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night-"

"Two Hobbits," Ariadne speaks up, the man's eyes fallen on her, "Did you see two Hobbits?"

"They would be small, only children to your eyes," Aragorn explains but the mans face dropped, shaking his head gently.

"We left no one alive," He pointed to the smoke rising a few miles away, "We piled their carcasses and burnt them."

Aragorn sighed as Ariadne quickly wiped away the tear rolling down her cheek as Gimli stared into the distance were the smoke rises, "Dead?"

The man nods, swallowing thickly, "I am sorry."

Gimli looks up at Ariadne, taking her hand in his, he presses a comforting kiss on her hand making her smile slightly a his kindness. The man whistle's commanding two horses, "May these horses bear you to better fortune of their former masters."

The man bids them farewell as Ariadne gently strokes the white horses main, gently leaning her forehead against it as she wipes the fallen tears off her cheeks. Legolas gently places a hand on her back as Aragorn climbs the other horse, pulling Gimli up to sit behind him.

"They are fine, Ariadne," Legolas quietly says, as she turns to him, he gently cups her face, brushing a lose curl behind her ear, "We'll find them."

Ariadne nods, turning to press a kiss on his palm. Their eyes never leave each others, Legolas leans down, forehead resting against hers, "We will be okay."

---

Ariadne rode the horse around the burning piles of the Orcs as Aragorn and Gimli jump down from their horses. Legolas's hands tighten around her waist as she gently pulled the horse to a stop, the two looking down at Gimli as he pulled out a belt that the Lady of the Light gave the Hobbits.

"It's one of their wee belts," Gimli turns to them, holding it up at them to see.

Legolas helps Ariadne down from the horse, keeping her hand in his as they stand side by side looking down at the pile of carcases. Legolas mutters something in Elvish lament as Aragorn kicked a helmet, falling to his knees with a shout.

"We failed them," Gimli brokenly whispers as Ariadne leans her forehead on Legolas's shoulder, closing her eyes tightly.

Aragorn ran his hand over the grass, "A Hobbit laid here."

Ariadne looked up, keeping her hand in Legolas's as they listen and follow Aragorn, "They crawled, their hands were bound," Aragorn gets to his feet, taking a few steps, eyes scanning the ground, "Their bounds were cut," Aragorn picks up the cut rope , throwing it back down as he looks around again, "They ran over here, they were followed," Aragorn pauses for a moment, "The tracks lead away from the battle," The four run up the small hill and gaze up at the forest in front of them, "Into Fangorn Forest."

"Fangorn," Gimli breathed, "What madness drove them in there?"