The Last Othellan

Fangorn Forest

Gimli dabbed his finger into a pool of black, sticky liquid and tasted it. He spat it out immediately in disgust. "Orc blood" he snarled.

I looked around at the snapping of a twig. Ever since we had arrived, there was something different in the air about this forest. It felt as if the trees themselves were hostile to our presence.

We leapt across a stream into another part of the woods, trusting Aragorn's tracking skills. I avoided roots and twigs strewn messily across the forest floor as we walked following the footprints.

Legolas looked most at home in this environment. He, of course, lived in Mirkwood, but perhaps the unfriendly feel of this forest was not unlike that grim place which once had been so fair. The last I had heard, spiders plagued the forest and the old fortress in the south was swarming with dark creatures. I had never questioned him too much about home, not wanting to remind Legolas of the dark forces there, who likely would attack the kingdom of Thranduil before long. 

"These are strange tracks" Aragorn stated, bending down to examine them. "Have you ever seen anything like it?" He added, gesturing me over. Slightly surprised that he valued my opinion on such things, even though I had lived in the wild longer than he had been alive, I made my way over.

The tracks were large, roundish shapes indented in the forest floor. I looked quizzically at them for a moment, and traced my fingers over the faint lines leading from them. "Never" I answered quietly.

"The air is so close in here" observed Gimli, glancing around warily.

Legolas looked around too, but he seemed to look past the trees, to define meaning from them.

"This forest is old, very old" he said "Full of memory, and anger".

The trees creaked alarmingly around us as if in response to Legolas's words. Gimli gave a small cry of surprise and raised his axe in defence. The odd groaning sound coming from all around us grew. 

"The trees are speaking to each other" Legolas announced.

"Gimli!" berated Aragorn "Lower your axe!"

Gimli slowly shifted his axe onto the forest floor, still looking warily around for a sign of danger.

"They have feelings, my friend. The elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak" Legolas told him. There was a hint of awe in his voice, and I could feel my own wonder as I looked round, the trees a testament to ancient elves of long ago.

"Talking trees?" grumbled Gimli "What do trees have to talk about, hm? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings".

Unseen by Gimli, I rolled my eyes at Legolas and he grinned back. There was something in his smile that I hadn't noticed before. It seemed somehow warmer, his sea blue eyes looked deeper into me than they had ever done. I jerked out of my daze ashamedly as Legolas hurried forwards.

"Aragorn nad no ennas" he said urgently. Aragorn followed Legolas and looked out into the trees. (Something's out there).

"Man cenich?" he asked warily. (What do you see?)

"The white wizard approaches" Legolas answered, in the common tongue so Gimli too could understand.

My jaw tautened and I whipped out my bow, with an arrow nocked in seconds. It would be easier to fight him from a distance, rather than risk getting closer with a sword.

"Do not let him speak, he will put a spell on us" Aragorn hissed. My hands tightened on my bow and I nodded stiffly.

The sounds of Aragon's sword being drawn carefully from its sheath, of Gimli shifting feet as he gripped his axe, and of Legolas's fingers against the feather of his arrow were the only sounds to be heard in the clearing as the four of us stiffened in readiness.