Untold Stories (the Sequel to Forbidden Love)

The 'Scouring' of Mirkwood

Thalia's POV
78 Years After the Battle of the Five Armies

The ground shook with the footsteps of many marching Uruk-hai. The remainder from the battle of Helm's Deep were swiftly travelling to the ruins of Dol Guldur. After a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Rohirrim they were under orders to take over the fortress which was thought to be abandoned. After days and days of hard marching the Uruks finally reached the ruins. They began to carelessly unpack their provisions, quarrelling amongst themselves in loud voices. None of them noticed a group of Elvish guards who were hiding among the crumbling rooms, waiting to attack. Without warning, the elves leapt from their hiding places and began to advance on the Uruk-hai. Although they were taken by surprise, the Uruks picked up their weapons and started to mercilessly fight back. As the battle waged on it became clear that the elves were outnumbered and losing. The captain of the elf party blew a horn that signalled their retreat. The other elves quickly obeyed and all the survivors raced back to Mirkwood, forced to leave the wounded and the dead behind. Unfortunately the Uruk-hai weren't finished with them yet; they chased after the elves tirelessly.

The panicked sound of Elvish horns sounded. I ran to the window to see what was happening outside. The gates opened and a small party of guards came rushing through, along with a pack of bloodthirsty Uruk-hai. At first, it was like people weren't registering what was happening. Once they were forced to process the harsh reality, the screams of terror started. That was when the bodies began to fall. Elves may be proficient with a range of weapons but the small number of proper soldiers weren't enough to fully combat the fast approaching enemy. Previously, I may have tried to fight back but now, with Legolas away, my children's safety was my number one priority. I quickly explained our dire situation to Artemis.
"You are right. You cannot stay here, not with the children. I will help to hold them off but you must go to safety. Head to the house of Beorn, he will help you," Artemis advised me.
"I will go there. I have heard of Beorn and I also have a vague idea of where he lives. I know I shouldn't worry about your fighting skills but please be careful. Promise me that you will come and join us before things get too bad." She nodded and then winced when she looked out of the window. The Uruk-hai were almost upon us. "You need to leave now! Before it's too late! If I'm not at Beorn's in twelve hours, then assume that something went wrong; maybe the Uruks will be trying to find you so don't leave any tracks." I grabbed my weapons, my healing kit and my cloak. There wasn't time to take anything else. I took Nestarion and Vendethiel by their hands and and ran out of the palace with Artemis right behind us, weapons already drawn.

We ran out of the door and split paths, with Artemis going to join Thranduil in the fray. One of the guards called out to all the elves, "Every elf able to bear a weapon must join and fight this abomination!"
Hearing that, I steeled myself and turned back to the conflict. I was capable of holding a weapon, after all. But both Thranduil and Artemis saw me and shook their heads rapidly. Artemis motioned for me to get out of here and I knew that she was doing the right thing. I turned back to my children and led them into the forest. As I ran, a tree branch ripped my token, the one from Legolas, from my neck. But by the time I noticed, it was too late to go back. The Uruk-hai would kill me for sure if I turned back to get it; I realised I would have to leave it behind. So I kept going. The last I saw of the battle was a stone wall collapsing, burying elves and Uruks alike. I desperately hoped Artemis and Thranduil weren't underneath it.

We had been running away from the Woodland Realm for hours. Elves have incredible endurance and stamina but the constant worry I felt for our safety had started to take a toll on me. My children were completely silent. This was a bad thing because if they weren't totally terrified of our current situation then they would be complaining by now. We finally reached the edge of Mirkwood and some of my anxiety left me. All we had to do was get to Beorn's house and everything would be alright. I felt like we needed a sign to let Artemis and Thranduil know that we were alright and alive, when and if they came looking for us. I did remember what Artemis had said about not leaving tracks but I felt that if I was clever, I could outsmart a few Uruk-hai. My eyes fell upon Vendethiel's cloak. It was a distinctive green shade that Elves would pick up but it would just blend in with the foliage in the eyes of an Uruk-hai. I took out a small knife and asked Vendethiel to take off her cloak. I cut off a small piece and attached it to a tree branch so that it blended into the leaves. It wasn't much but I couldn't risk being tracked. At least, not by Uruks. It was a fine line.