The ElvenKing [A thranduil fanfiction]

Chapter 15

Greenwood T.A 2048

          Spring was finally upon us, but winters darkness and decay still clung to the lands. It was as Ûtridien had said, evil was trying to gain a foothold in this world. The days had become lighter, but the darkness still seemed to become stronger, spreading to each corner of the land. And still, nothing changed within the Woodland realm. Except new orders had been given, forbidding us to venturing beyond our borders. We were not to leave unless we had been told otherwise.

The order had come from Thranduil after a company tracked a group of orcs to the old fortress. To Dol Guldur, right next to our northern border. None came back alive. There had been more loss lately than there had been since Sauron's reign. The spiders had also become unpredictable, attacking more frequently and in bigger groups. They were lethal but reckless. We cut down more and more each day.

Completely consumed in my thoughts, I failed to notice what came directly towards me. A hand wrapped under my elbow, and I was yanked in the other direction. "Quit daydreaming!" Aronhir screamed at me as we continued sprinting through the trees. Adlanna was right on my tail, Nendir and Aronhir ahead of us. A small group of spiders were pursuing us, but we needed to get further away from here. If we fought them, more would surely come.

Aronhir was the first to turn back around, an arrow already drawn back. He straightened his spine before releasing the arrow. One of the spiders screeched loudly before falling of the branch. I heard the crunch before jumping down on a nearby branch while reaching for an arrow of my own. I had it drawn back as one of the spiders climbed overhead.

The arrow embedded itself in its underbelly and it screeched while collapsing. I watched it fall before drawing my sword instead. I had heard the other one approaching from behind. I avoided its attack by falling backwards, dropping onto the branch beneath while cutting off one of its legs. It screeched loudly and pounced again but I was ready and weaved out of its reach before burying my sword in its spine. We slew several of the spiders, but more did not come. We had managed to create enough distance from their usual spawning place.

The silence that fell between us after the last spider had been slain, was loud. I kept kneeling on the branch I was on, several feet below the one Aronhir and Nendir were on. However, this allowed me to look up, see more than they and the spider that lowered itself. "Tirio! Adel lîn! (Look out! Behind you)" I screamed, an arrow already drawn back. It whooshed through the air, inches from Aronhir's right ear. The spider screeched loudly as the arrow buried itself in its mouth.

Nendir had been just as quick to fire an arrow. The spider curled up, dead before it even hit the ground. "Hannon le—" Aronhir rasped and lowered his chin to me in gratitude. "I think it is best not to linger here." No one protested nor meant otherwise, and we quickly began our return to the kingdom. I kept back, listening for any sign that more spiders dared attack us. But nothing came and we reached the Kingdom relatively unscathed.