The Red Rider (a Legolas FanFiction)

Prologue

She ran through the forest at lightning speed. They were on her tail, and she knew her stamina was weening. She had to hide or climb a tree, but there were no tree's she was capable of climbing.

Arrows and spears flew past her ear, one nicking her shoulder. Panting hard, feet trembling to keep up the pace, young Merilin knew she would be underneath them soon if she didn't find somewhere to escape.

Bushes zoomed past her as she pushed herself more. She couldn't die. Not here. Not after what the prophet had just told her. She had a mission now.

'You think your life to be pointless, but you will see soon that there is someone waiting for you. He will bring you reason, if only you should have the courage to survive until the day he and you are fated to meet.'

'I am fated. I cannot die. Not now.' She thought.

The pack of orcs behind her were closing in now. She continued to leap and bound away as quickly as she could. Trees rushed past her, she nearly collided with four. She was running so fast she could only just barely control the direction her feet carried her.

She was so focused on her speed, that when she dropped suddenly, she didn't react quick enough to grab something to hold onto. She tumbled down a steep valley, yelping as her head bashed against various rocks and other hard surfaces. She screamed as the final tumble came and she was thrown up into the air for a bit before her body smacked down onto a flat rock surface.

Her body ached and screeched in pain, and she had to clench her teeth to stop herself from screaming. But she couldn't stop the whimpers and groans of pain as she felt the sting of blood pouring from open cuts and slashes along her body.

The corners of her visions were fading shadows, but she had no time to stop. Looking behind her, a pack of 50 or more orcs came bumbling down the valley. They knew she was wounded now, and almost took their time.

Her heart raced, panic gripping her mind like a snake coiling around its prey. She flung her head in different directions, looking franticly for a way out.

And then she saw something that made her pause. A bow sat right next to her grounded form. A single arrow lay with it, and her instincts took over immediately.

She seized the bow, pulled back the string and aimed.

She had no hope of running now as they surrounded her. The chief, she supposed, stood right in front of her.

He laughed as did the others at the sight of the woman. A single arrow and she thought it worth pointing at a hoard.

"There's more tha' a 'undred of us sweet cheeks. 'Ow many arrows do 'ou tink 'ou need ta take uf down?" he snarled.

I glanced at the arrow and back up at his ugly face. "Just one."

And the arrow flew. Straight into the chieftain's eye. I watched as the arrow seemed to heat up, the entire thing starting to glow a brilliant orange. Sparks flew off it, and then as the other orcs came to kill me, something happened that I think we all didn't expect.

The arrow exploded.

I could see the blast come towards me, but just as I thought it would engulf me, it instead curved over my frame. All around me was a small white barrier, and the colours of the blast curved over its surface, leaving me to stare up in wonder at its colours as I lay down.

It cleared after a half hour I suppose, and I watched in awe as the flames to turn to smoke, and the blast cleared. The area surrounding me for fifty or so meters was covered in ash, and I couldn't see any more orcs standing.