Veiled Stars » LotR [1] ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Pain and Loss

I would recommend the music for this chapter. Enjoy!

Legolas lost Aragorn in the crowd.

The hallways were swarming with people, soldiers racing for the courtyard and women and children racing for the Great Hall.

"Estel?" Legolas searched the crowd. "Estel!"

Suddenly an explosion broke through the air. The floor shook, followed by a series of screams. Legolas stumbled, just barely catching his balance.

Valar, they were already attacking?!

Legolas abandoned his search for Aragorn, following the stream of soldiers and racing outside. The evening light was blinding and he blinked, shaking his head.

The courtyard was pure chaos.

The front gates were splintering, the Lorien elves lined the walls. Some had their bows drawn, some clutching their blades.

But they were only half rallied.

Saruman had begun the battle on his own terms, he had begun before Rohan was even half prepared.

And the resulting chaos and confusion were deadly in themselves.

Legolas searched the courtyard for the others-- Aragorn, Elle. Anyone. But there was no sight of any of his companions.

Legolas cursed, drawing his bow and fitting an arrow. A loud guttural roar stuck the air outside of the gates and they shook dangerously.

Then another explosion broke through the air and the gates splintered.

A troll the size of an Oliphaunt barreled into the courtyard, brandishing a spiked ball and roaring at the top of his lungs. Orcs swarmed around its legs, screeching battle cries.

Valar. Legolas drew back his arrow and fired.

The first orc went down, followed by a second, and then a third. But they were coming faster than he or the other archers could take them down.

The screams of men and elves alike filled the air, making Legolas's vision spot. He blinked hard, shaking his head. Keep control.

Legolas searched the courtyard as he fitted another arrow, searching wildly for his friends.

Where were they, where had they gone? Elle, the hobbits. Aragorn. Where were they?

Then a sudden sharp cry broke through his thoughts.

He looked over to see Theodred leading a small group of soldiers toward the front gates. Determination shone in the men's faces, their swords thrust in the air.

But there were too few of them and too many waves of orcs. They were outnumbered ten to one.

Legolas swung his bow around his shoulders, drawing his pair of knives and racing toward the men and the chaos.

They had to get back, they had to regroup.

They couldn't do this alone.

"Get to the Great Hall!" He shouted, ducking under an orc's slash and stabbing the creature in the gut. "Fall back! Fall back!"

Theoden turned toward him, his brown eyes wide with confusion. Legolas resisted the urge to scream, urgency rising in his shout. "Get to the Great Hall! Regroup!"

But it was too late.

The stream of orcs grew thicker and thicker, overtaking the men of Rohan. The men were being overrun quicker than they could retreat back.