Book 2: Where They Are Going [Legolas]

Chapter 1

There was no stop to their hunt. The four companions refused to sleep and only nibbled on the Lembas left in their possession. Relieving themselves were few and far between trying to drink water without choking in the process. Linnéa's leg muscles burned, but the desire to stop disappeared nearly a day ago. Sheer willpower propelled her forward at this point. She was sure the same could be said for the others. Especially Gimli who panted heavily with each breath he took.

It drew into the second day. The young woman could no longer feel the aches of her muscles and dared not stop for fear of collapsing on the spot. Adrenaline coursed through them all. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face and back of the neck, feeling the heat under her armor. The braid and loose strands of hair stuck to the skin. The only thing that made all of this bearable was the constant breeze in their face from their speed. The Elf seemed to be the one out of all of them to be still faring well. Aragorn was sweating so much his hair had grown damp, a sheen of sweat collecting on the surface of the skin. Gimli was worse off than herself, grumbling under his breath.

"Their pace has quickened," Aragorn stated ahead.

Linnéa picked up her head from searching for Lembas in her satchel to find the Ranger paused. He pressed an ear against a rock listening intently to the vibrations in the ground.

"They must have caught our scent." The man sprang to his feet. "Hurry!"

"Come on, Gimli!" Legolas shouted at the princess's side.

She glanced over a shoulder to find the Dwarf lagging a few paces behind them. He panted heavily and paused for a moment for a breather as the two continued on.

"Three days and nights pursuit," the warrior huffed. "No food. No rest. And no sign of quarry, but what bare rock can tell."

"But we are gaining," Linnéa pressed. "We must keep going."

Even if they felt like dropping to the ground and giving up. Even when their hearts felt as if they were about to burst. Because they could not give up on Merry and Pippin. This reminded her of the training the princess received as a teenager with Dwalin. The warrior pushed her for five days in the Wild at least twice a year. During those times Linnéa had to live off the land alone while he attempted to track her along with three other Dwarves. They would sometimes come in contact and exchange blows. They tested her limits in every way possible, which made her a stronger fighter and leader. If it wasn't for that training she probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the others like she did now.

All of them pushed themselves over rocky hills and across trails thick with mud, leaping over gaps in the ground and rocks. Once again it was Aragorn to pause ahead. He crouched on the ground and felt the trodden ground that was indented by Orc footprints before pulling something free.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," he stated. The prince and princess stared at the item in hand. It was a pendant identical to the ones they wore on their cloaks. Merry and Pippin.

"They may yet be alive," Legolas spoke with hope.

The Ranger examined the tracks as Linnéa took a drink of water and attempted to calm her heavy breathing for when they started again.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come."

There was a loud crash behind them as something hit the ground, followed by a rather aggressive oof. Linnéa whirled around to discover that Gimli tripped and fell from the raised rocks behind them. He dropped to the ground with his heavy armor and weapons to weigh him down. The warrior rolled to a halt at the bottom of the incline.