Chapter Seven: Waiting on the edge

From their vantage point high in the trees over the village, Thranduil’s spies watched as Selwon and the older members of his village walked out of the cottage where they had been speaking privately. They joined Dannenion and Dolwon, who were seated on chairs roughly cut from logs that sat in the shade of one of the healthier trees remaining in the village. The spies had been rather amused by Dannenion’s  openly insulted expression when Selwon declared that he would discuss the King’s message with the other villagers in private.  Everyone in the capital had heard Dannenion criticize Golwon for 'not respecting villagers' by reacting with annoyance in similar situations himself. Seeing the tables turned on Dannenion made the difficulties of following him unseen to the village seem worthwhile.

“We have considered the King’s request,” Selwon said as he settled next to Dannenion. Dannenion returned Selwon’s gaze coolly, clearly still bitter that he and Dolwon had been made to wait. “And we have decided that we cannot move our village. I am afraid you will have to go back to the stronghold and tell the King that we are remaining here.”

The spies’ amusement evaporated and they exchanged a concerned glance in response to that statement. Dannenion and Dolwon had been sent to this village because it was believed Selwon would easily agree to the King's request and, therefore, no negotiation would be required. Dannenion and Dolwon would never have been trusted with complex negotiations in such a serious situation.

Both Dannenion and Dolwon leaned forward and stared at Selwon, eyes wide in disbelief.

“That cannot possibly be your decision,” Dannenion exclaimed. Then he swept his arm in a wide arc, pointing at the withered, diseased trees that housed the flets and sheltered the cottages in the village. “Surely you can see nothing remains here.”

“On the contrary,” Selown replied, his voice calm despite Dannenion's insulting words. “We see that our homes—homes we have lived in for an entire Age—remain here. The trees are green because we remain. The forest depends on us to protect it and we will continue to do so. The King has always respected our position on this. So should you as his representative. Our decision is made.”

“These trees are not green,” Dannenion countered sharply. “They are barely alive. This area of the forest is lost.” Selwon drew a breath to protest, but Dannenion waved him silent. “I am not saying it is your fault. You did your best, I am sure. There should have been more warriors to destroy the evil creatures that have caused this…decay. But now it is too late. It is too dangerous to remain here.”

“We disagree,” Selwon replied simply.

Dannenion shook his head and turned to Dolwon, looking at his friend as if for a sane voice amidst the madness.

“You did see in the King’s message where he explains that Angmar has fallen in Eriador and the evil creatures that survived its destruction, including the Lord of the Nazgul, have come here?” Dolwon began.

Selwon nodded. “Yes, we saw that, but it does not frighten us.”

“You do not understand the severity of the situation,” Dolwon said. “We are not merely speaking of the Lord of the Nazgul, although I doubt it is advisable to live where he wanders freely. We are speaking of a large number of orcs. The King himself led a good portion of the northern border patrol along with almost all of the warriors in the capital to reinforce the warriors here in the south.”

“All the more reason for us to feel secure. He will certainly manage this situation to keep us safe.” Selwon replied.

Dolwon shook his head. “It was Thranduil that sent us to help you move this village to a safer location. I do not think he would have recommended that the village move if he was certain that he could protect it. I fear you may be endangering the lives of the people you lead by remaining here. I once led a village and I am certain under these circumstances, I would have strongly encouraged the people in it to move.”

Selwon sat back, crossed his arms and remained silent, but he seemed to think about what Dolwon had said.

Another of the villagers that sat with them leaned forward to draw Dolwon's attention. “Did the King say that he sent you here with this message because he did not believe he could continue to protect our village?” he asked when Dolwon turned to him. “Did you hear him say that?”

“No," Dolwon answered. "Lord Golwon advised him that you would agree to move on the basis of the King’s letter. The King has asked every village south of the mountains on both the eastern and western borders of the forest to move. And he sent representatives to each village to convince the village leaders to agree to the moves. Even Lord Aradunnon is moving his village further north. He is there now.”

That assertion made Selwon frown. Before he could reply, one of the village guards came running up to them, followed by a warrior from the southern patrol. He stood to greet them.

“We have a message from the captain of the patrol,” the guard said as soon as Selwon noticed him.

Selwon’s frown deepened. “More messengers?” he asked when the warrior reached his side. “What has the captain sent you to tell me?”

“To prepare for battle,” the warrior said. “The patrol found a large number of orcs massing near the Forest Road, ready to march north. We are going to try to hold them south of the mountains, but this village may be directly in their path if they break to the west while fleeing the battle.”

Dolwon stood and looked at Dannenion in response to that announcement. The villagers that had been speaking with them stood as well and looked to Selwon for instructions.

Far above them in the trees, the spies exchanged a worried glance. “This will make our situation a great deal more difficult,” one said softly, as Selwon asked the warrior questions and then sent his villagers off to arrange the protection of the village.

“We have to help them,” another of the spies said. “Or go south to the battle and help the King and lord Aradunnon.”

The first shook his head. “No, we stay here. Dannenion and Dolwon still must be watched. If there is a battle, there is an even better chance that Marti will be driven into the open. Per the King’s orders, she is our priority at any cost.”

*~*~*

Aradunnon held perfectly still, partially obscured from view by the trunk of the tree he crouched in, an arrow nocked against his bow string. The stench of the orcs walking in disorganized  groups below him wafted upwards. As always, the smell made him swallow hard in a effort not to be sick. He looked along the row of elves that he would command in this battle. They also had arrows ready and were watching the orcs pass under them with wrinkled noses, narrowed eyes, clenched jaws, and even bared teeth. Most of the warriors in his row were from the southern patrol--they had a well-earned hatred of the orcs.

As the trailing orcs passed Aradunnon's position, the bulk of their numbers reached the second row of elven warriors concealed in the trees. That row was commanded by Thranduil. His expression betrayed that he would greatly prefer a much more personal method of fighting these orcs--like ripping them limb from limb. He glared down at the orcs so intently that if he had been any other warrior, Aradunnon would have immediately removed him from the battle for fear that, in a rage, he would fail to stick to their agreed upon battle plan. But Thranduil, of all people, certainly had far more discipline than to make foolish mistakes, especially ones that might cost lives. His rage stemmed from seeing the extent of the damage to the forest as they traveled further and further south. Aradunnon pitied the shock that his brother felt, but he was glad for it too. The King needed to know precisely how bad things were. Now he knew first hand. Aradunnon expected it would be a good deal easier to convince Thranduil to give him more supplies and weapons for the patrols from now on.

The orcs were nearing the third row of elves hidden amongst the trees, this one commanded by Dolgailon. Aradunnon, and every other warrior present, watched Dolgailon raise his arm. Silently, nearly one hundred bows were raised and targets for their arrows were chosen. Dolgailon waited, studying the ragged groups of orcs, until he judged them to be in the best position for their trap to have the optimum effect. Aradunnon felt a swell of pride in his son. He was an outstanding warrior and a cunning captain. Aradunnon had long known that, and that was why he had promoted him so quickly--he had earned those promotions. Thranduil respected his decisions, Aradunnon knew, but it was in the planning of this battle that the King finally had direct experience working with Dolgailon in battle. The King was very obviously impressed when Dolgailon had suggested this location and tactic for confronting the orcs. As well he should be. Aradunnon agreed that this battle plan offered them the best hope of containing this huge contingent of orcs--the largest he could remember seeing inside the forest--and holding them south of the villages.

Dolgailon brought his arm down. As one, the elves in the trees drew their bows and the creaking of wood broke the silence around them. The target that Aradunnon had chosen flinched and reached for its own weapons. Too late. An arrow sank into the back of the orc's neck and it slumped to the ground. Many of the orcs, Aradunnon noticed as he pulled another arrow from his quiver, had not reached for their weapons in response to the strange sound from the trees. They had stopped short, clearly alarmed, but they had wasted precious time searching about for the source of the noise, obviously lost as to what it might be. So it was true then--a significant portion of these orcs were not from the forest. Good, Aradunnon thought as a second orc fell to one of his arrows, the orcs began screeching in panic and the orc captains began calling out orders. If they are unfamiliar with fighting in this terrain, that would be to the Elves' benefit. He would welcome any advantage they could get, given the numbers they were facing, and he allowed himself a faint glow of hope that they might actually prevent these orcs from reaching the villages.

As soon as the thought had occurred to him, he felt an oddly familiar...sensation, presence, fear...he could not name it, but he was certain he knew it. It distracted him and held his attention as his hand automatically reached for another arrow. It made his heart race and feel as if it might stop at the same time. It made his body tense reflexively. It filled his mind with dread, making it difficult to think about what he should do with the arrow in his hand. The orcs below him rallied at the presence.

Aradunnon drew a sharp breath, finally remembering what this was from experiences long ago when he had fought in Mordor...from when he had first scouted around Dol Guldur.

"Nazgul!" he shouted in warning. Then he took a long, deep breath and fit another arrow against his bowstring. Most of the Elves in his row forced themselves to continue fighting as well, but Aradunnon saw others, young warriors from other patrols that had never fought in the south, draw themselves against the trees they hid in, cringing in terror. The orcs began to organize and take aim at those targets.

*~*~*

"That is enough for this trip," Lindomiel said, standing back from the cart and wiping her hand across her brow.

The elleth leading the horse they had just loaded nodded in acknowledgment and started forward on the path before her. The horse tried to follow, snorted in response to the resistance created by the stack of wood it was pulling, and lurched forward, huffing at the unusual burden. But it did finally proceed at a steady pace after its mistress northward on the path. The moment the horse was out of the way, another elleth positioned a new horse in its place while Lindomiel dragged another of the small carts normally used to carry supplies to the villages in behind it and began to fasten it to the horse's harness. While Lindomiel adjusted the harness, other ellyth began to load the cart. Need inspired efficiency. The more of the village that could be moved before the battle reached them, if it did, the more would be saved from the damage the orcs were sure to wreak.

As she worked, Lindomiel glanced to where Amoneth and the other ellyth that had elected to stay and defend the village were hauling water and arrows into the flets. They had chosen four flets to fight from and appeared to be stocking the last one now. Lindomiel did not know if they had anything else to do to prepare for the battle when they were done stocking the flets--indeed, she had been very impressed that Amoneth knew how to command the village's defense--but she did know that until some of the horses that had already been sent north returned, there was little more they could do to move the village. Only one more horse and cart remained after this one was loaded. And the ellyn had nearly finished disassembling cottages. Mercifully, they had already moved most of the villagers' belongings before news reached them of the impending battle. Finished goods would take more time to replace and were likely more dear to the villagers, so she was glad that most of these items were already stored in the location of the new village.

Mulling over how the ellyth with her might best use their time after the last cart was loaded, and wondering if it was safest to simply go ahead and send them north, Lindomiel smiled in relief when two horses could be heard running towards them on the path from the north.  Her pleased expression faded into confusion, however, when her father and Langon, the swords master from the training program, came into view.

"Ada, what are you doing here?" she asked, stepping out of the line of ellyth loading the cart to speak with him.

Amglaur jumped off his horse before it even came to a full stop and rushed toward her, studying her with an anxious expression. By the time he reached her, his posture had changed from tense to...Lindomiel was not sure--disappointed, almost defeated and frightened.  When he reached her, he gripped her shoulders and made an effort to look at her evenly.

"They are not here?" he asked.

Lindomiel's brow knit. "Who? Thranduil and Aradunnon? No, they went to the base of the southern patrol." She hesitated, not certain if she should add 'because they are preparing for a battle.' She knew her father would react badly to the prospect of her being exposed to such danger, but that was not a confrontation she wanted to have with him in the presence of the villagers. When Amglaur closed his eyes, Lindomiel wondered if he already knew that orcs were marching north. His next words made her breath catch in her throat.

"No, not Thranduil. Legolas and Galithil. You have not seen them?"

Lindomiel stared at her father, completely confused by that question.

It was Amoneth, walking up behind her to greet the new arrival, that answered him. "Whatever would Legolas and Galithil be doing here. They stayed..." then she drifted off. "Please tell me they did not follow after us?" she finished, managing only a whisper.

Lindomiel's eyes widened and she looked between her friend and father. "They cannot have."

"They did," Amglaur confirmed. "Galithil came south the morning Celonhael, Golwon, Dannenion and Dolwon left the capital and Legolas followed him when no one would believe him that Galithil had left. Galithil had a full day head start by the time we realized what happened and Hallion sent me after them. And Legolas is at least a half day ahead of me."

"But you did not see them on the way here? They are not here either!" Lindomiel exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch as the implication of those facts registered.

Amglaur held his hands out. "Langon and I gambled. When we came to the fork in the path between Selwon's village and this one, we chose to come here, hoping Galithil intended to go to his own adar's village rather than follow after Anastor and Noruil..."

"They are here too?" Lindomiel gasped.

"...to go to Selwon's village. Too many people have come south in the last days for us to distinguish any tracks, so we did not know which way to go. If they are not here, they must have followed the other children to Selwon's village. We will backtrack to the fork in the path and go there. We have not lost much time and I am sure we will find them there," he concluded, obviously trying to sound reassuring.

Lindomiel and Amoneth exchanged a frightened look. "But ada," Lindomiel said, looking back at her father. "There is a battle further south...maybe near Selwon's village." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Thranduil and Aradunnon sent word that they did not expect to be able to contain all the orcs. If Legolas and Galithil are there... what if they...."

She could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

*~*~*

The spy scanned the forest beneath him intently, looking for any movement that might betray his quarry's approach. His companions did the same. They were going to catch Marti, of that they had no doubt. As soon as the villagers had begun to prepare in earnest for the coming battle...as soon as there was the slightest possibility of slipping away unnoticed in the tumult...Dannenion had taken a satchel from his pack and had crept out of the village. Dolwon followed after him and they traveled southwest until they were very nearly out of sight of the western-most cottages. Knowing orcs approached, there could be no explanation for that action other than to keep a meeting they had scheduled with someone. And that someone had to be Marti. The spy's heart beat quickly in anticipation. He very much wanted to deliver Marti to the King for a good many reasons, some of them quite personal.

For at least two hours, they had been waiting in the trees, positioned above where Dannenion and Dolwon had stopped to wait in a small clearing. Thus far, they had seen no one. Or at least they were not certain they had seen anyone. Shortly after they arrived here, they thought they saw a figure or figures creeping cautiously east of their position. But if anyone had truly been there, they would have been very near the village, possibly on the path to the village. When the figures did not approach the clearing, and in fact were never seen again, the spies assumed they had glimpsed villagers working to prepare for battle. Since then, they had seen nothing, but they were more than willing to be patient, having come this close to their prey.

The distant sound of a horse running down the path to the village from the north caused both the elves on the ground and the spies in the tree to glance eastward. Dannenion and Dolwon could not possibly see the approaching rider through the tree trunks that stood between them and the path, but the spies high above in the trees expected they would be able catch sight, at least briefly, of whoever it might be. Idly, all three of them looked towards the noise while watching Dannenion and Dolwon in their peripheral vision. Their view of the path, like everything else around them, was dimmed by the shadowy mist that hung in the air, but after a moment, the shape of a horse came into view. As it approached the end of the path, still not slowing, another figure appeared, apparently suddenly enough to take the rider by surprise. The horse stopped short and then danced in a circle as the rider struggled to regain control of it.

"Fool of a rider to approach a village about to be attacked by orcs and not expect to be met by guards," one of the spies whispered softly.

The others nodded.

Then, as one, they leaned towards the east, squinting for a better look at the rider when gold glinted through the gloom.

"Is that the King?" one whispered.

"Impossible," answered another. "He is in the south. In the battle. The messenger from the patrol said he was. And this rider approached from the north."

"Oh no, it cannot be!" the third spy whispered, leaping almost involuntarily from where he crouched in hiding to another tree closer to the path. "I think that is Legolas!"

At the same moment, a signal sounded to the southeast--the signal Selwon had told the village guards to use at the first sign of orcs.

*~*~*

Adar/ada--Father/dad
Naneth/nana--Mother/mum
Elleth/ellyth--Female elf/elves
Ellon/ellyn--Male elf/elves