The ground vibrated and the drums continued. Elven arrows rained down but the enemy paid them no mind. They marched towards the stronghold, tramping their fallen comrades.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Legolas scrambled back up the tree he had fallen from.

"Thaladir!" he called, "Get your soldiers on the ground. Attack them from behind." Thaladir gave a nod and the prince turned to his own archers.  "To me! We need to get to the bridge before they do." 

His warriors fell into step behind him as they ran along the tree branches heading for the stronghold. Legolas called out an order to climb higher as they caught up to the enemy. 

"Spread out!" His voice was barely audible over the pounding of the drums. They scaled as far up as they could, intent on climbing over the orc hoard. The river roared far below them.

The orcs scurried along beneath them but the elven warriors knew these trees like the backs of their hands. As soon the enemy passed under them, he called another order and they spread out further. 

"Bows!" Legolas called, "Aim!" He notched an arrow and let out a breath as the enemy advanced. Then, "Fire!"

Arrows thunked! into the front lines of the orcs and they toppled over, black shapes falling like shadows onto the ground. The elves fired again and another line fell, and then another. Over and over again until their arrow were nearly depleted. They dropped to the ground, their cloaks flapping in the wind behind them. "Fire!" Legolas shouted and another line fell, arrows protruding from their collapsing corpses. 

"Swords!" Medal rang out as bows were traded out for blades as the warriors advanced. Legolas stepped around the bodies of dead and dying orcs, sword poised. 

The orcs roared, slapping their fists into their chest in time with the still pounding drums. 

Then, the Easterling captain from before, an arrow now sticking out of his arm, raised his weapon and roared. The others joined him and Legolas raised his own blade in response.

"Charge!!" The prince's call rang out and he leaped forward, his warriors following behind him. He clashed with an orc on the front line and war cries quickly turned to cries of anguish as they fought back the hoard. 

Legolas cut the throat of one orc before turning and slicing the back of an Easterling. An orc charged at him, swinging its sword. Legolas blocked it, whipping his own around to free it. The orc stepped forward, forcing the prince to step to the side. Legolas readied his stance to fend off the incoming blow that was sure to come, but it never came. His heart thudded in his chest as the orc turned and ran from him, charging towards the stronghold.

"Protect the bridge!" Legolas cried. He took off at a run as the enemy swarmed the bridge. Fear gripped his chest as he plunged into the fray. There were too many orcs to see through to the other side. 

The pounding of the drums continued, drowning out any orders that might have come from the other side. 

Then, Legolas caught a glimpse of an orc banner coming from behind. He cursed, slicing the back of another orc before turning to face the new quarry. 

"To me! To me!" he shouted, blood pounded in his ears as only half of his unit drew in closer to him. They formed a circle the best they could, archers in the middle and swordsmen on the outer edge. 

Orc stench washed over them as the second troop advanced, trapping them. They fired once, twice, but when Legolas called for a third, nothing happened. 

"We're out!" one of the captains called. Legolas' heart sank. 

"Swords!" he cried. The orcs charge at them. Gleaming blades met rusted ones as they forces clashed. Legolas disbanded one, and then another. His arms ached as he slashed the head off another. 

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of rusty medal and turned, sword raised just in time to catch the incoming blow. The force of it sent ripples up his arms, tingling. He gave a cry and pushed his opponent back before swinging and slicing the orc across it's side. The orc fell in a puddle of it's own blood. 

Gasping Legolas turned back. Above the fray, he could see the gate to the stronghold. It shuttered and moved. The orcs drums pounded in his ears.

Then gate thundered shut with a Boom!  They were surrounded. No help would come from inside the stronghold. Anger stirred in the pit of his stomach, mingling with the fear that churned there. He tightened his grip on his sword. 

He let out a cry and his ellyn join him just as the second band of orcs plunged into the first, trapping them tight between them. Legolas stood back to back with Dolenel, one of his swordsmen. Beside him, Thaladir and another soldier did the same. 

"This isn't what I had in mind for tonight!" Thaladir called. 

"Nor I!" came Legolas' response as he thrusted his sword into an orc's chest. Thaladir's voice carried again, but no words could be made out of it. Legolas looked over but the captain was lost from sight. 

Time quickly began to blur as one by one the others were lost from sight. Only the occasional call from the soldier at his back let the prince know he did not yet stand alone. They needed to get out if there was any chance of survival. 

"Retreat!" Legolas called and prayed his voices would carry. "Fall back!"

Still back to back, Legolas and Dolenel fought to escape the enemy. Legolas' lungs heaved as the coppery air filled his lungs.

Suddenly, the blast of a horn split his ears. He fought the urge crouch down and cover the sides of his head. The sound seemed to rattle within him, down to his very core. The orcs roared and suddenly turned away. 

Legolas froze and in that split second, the attacking army suddenly became a stampede running away from the stronghold. Legolas cried out as several ran into him, nearly nocking him over. He fought against them, desperate to get out.

Then the land cleared. The river came back into view and the orc drums faded in the distance. Legolas turned and watched the orcs fade into the trees. A moment passed, and then another. Silence. Legolas stood poised, chest heaving.

Behind him, the gate slowly creaked back open. Bodies both elven and orc littered the ground around him. 

"Captain, are you hurt?" 

Legolas slowly relaxed up as Thaladir appeared before him, brow furrowed. Legolas shook his head as he lowered his weapon. His head pounded and he reached up to find blood on his temple. He wiped the blood from his hands on his sleeve, ignoring it. 

"Captain!" the frantic call rang out from the hills above the stronghold. Legolas and Thaladir both turned to see one of Thaladir's soldiers waving them up. A cold chill crept over the prince and the two of them took off, swords drawn at their sides. They ran across the bridge, stepping over orc bodies and up the steep steps leading to the hills above the main gate. 

"They have taken the creature," the soldier stated before they reached the top. Dread filled Legolas' heart. 

Peering through the darkness, he caught sight of a lone tree in the midst of a meadow, just outside a small gate leading down into the dungeons. Regret for the order he gave earlier washed over him. At the trees base lay an elven sword. He ran past the soldier and picked it up. Orc blood covered it from tip to hilt, but there was no sign of it's owner. 

He cursed and handed it to Thaladir who had come to his side. Then he swiftly pulled himself up the tree in the slightest hope that Gollum may have ran up there when the orcs attacked. But to no avail. 

"He's gone," Legolas confirmed as he lowered himself back down unto the ground. He turned to the soldier. "What did you see?"

But the soldier shook his head. "Nothing, sir. I chased an orc up the steps as they retreated, but I heard that wretched creature's cry before I could reach the top."

Legolas nodded and wiped the sweat and blood from his brow. He turned to Thaladir. "Gather what ellyn you are able. Send some to see to the villages, but not all. I must speak with my adar. We must go after them."

Thaladir nodded, a grim smile on his lips. "I was hoping you would say that."

*****

Legolas ran back down the steps to the courtyard outside the gate. Healers ran with stretchers bearing wounded soldiers, those who could still walk carried others across the bridge over their shoulders. The smell of blood and death filled the windless air. Darkness pressed down as the moon refused to look upon the bloodshed. 

Legolas moved past them, gathering intel on enemy numbers as well as how many of those who had fallen as he made his way inside. It didn't take him long to reach the tall wooden doors of the counsel chamber. Only one guard stood there, dark blood splattered across her gold platted armor. Eyes wide, she bowed her head to him as she opened the door. 

The prince stepped inside and the room fell silent. Thranduil sat at the head of the table and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Legolas," he said, then gestured for his son to join them.

Legolas dropped into the nearest chair. His head still pounded, the run up the hill hadn't helped. He squeezed his eyes shut, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "My lord," he said, forcing his eyes to meet the king's. Shame heated his cheeks but he continued on, "The orcs have retreated. They have taken Gollum and his guards."

The war chamber fell silent. None dare speak before the king. "What are our numbers?"

"Not good," the prince answered. "Nearly half are injured in one way or another, a quarter of those severely so. It is too early to have an exact count."

"And the orcs?"

Legolas kept his expression blank, though his chest felt as though a small hole had been pricked in his lungs, slowly leaking out the air. "We don't know, my lord. They came by the hundreds as the reports foretold. We should have been too few to fight them all off." Legolas sucked in a small breath. "If they had not retreated on their own, you would be gathered here for entirely different reasons."

Something flickered across the king's face, there one instant and gone the next. "Do you have reason to believe they will launch another attack?"

Legolas shook his head. "No, they retrieved what they came for. But I fear the confidence this may lend to them."

"So long as they're gone, what does it matter?" one of the councilman, Barhador, asked. "We can strengthen the patrols in case they should they attack again."

But Legolas shook his head. "With all due respect, I do not believe allowing our enemy so close to the stronghold without repercussions to be wise."

"You want to go after them?" the king asked in a low voice.

Legolas nodded, then regretted it as his head throbbed. "Yes. I would like to take a unit south. We need to drive the orcs off if they are still within our borders."

Legolas met Thranduil's eye, they both knew there was more to it than that. Estel and Mithrandir spent years looking for Gollum. It's escape could not mean anything but evil.

"I must say I agree with Barhador's advice," the king said slowly. "We should not have let the wizard leave that thing here." A shadow lay behind his eyes and Legolas wondered what his father was keeping from him, what ancient evil the creature was involved in. "I do not want to risk the lives of our soldiers for the wretched thing."

"With all due respect," Legolas said. "I fear what information the creature may have. Gollum must have gotten word of how they could help him escape, he could have plenty of other information stored for them."

The king raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who ordered the creature to be let out?"

The burning shame that had rescind flared back to life. "Yes, my king. It was not a wise idea." He knew that now, yet somehow, he could not bring himself to regret the pity he had taken on the creature, only the what had come of it. "I take full responsibility for my decision." He looked up, meeting his father's gaze. "Saes, let me repair the damage I have caused."

There was a long pause the war chamber. Only the distant cries of those injured downstairs weakly penetrated the stone walls. Legolas' heart hammered. The king looked at him and Legolas could only hope the dirt on his face covered the guilt that he could not hide.

Finally the king's gaze softened. "Very well. Find the trail and follow it. Take a unit with you to leave wherever the orcs broke through. If the trail leads beyond our borders, take volunteers with you only. I will not have reluctant blood spilled for this creature."

They all knew soldiers did not enjoy venturing further south than their borders and Legolas was almost glad he would not have to order any of them to follow. The prince nodded and gave a bow. "Hannon Le, hir nin."

*****

Two hours later found Legolas and Thaladir back at the gate with twenty-five volunteers as well as a Unit to replace the one on the border. 

The forest cried softly around them, their leaves and roots having been trampled, and their branches snapped where the orcs had run though them without a thought. But the elves could offer no comfort as they chased the trail from the safety of the trees. 

They ran, leaping from limb to limb while the trail was plain before them. There was no sign of Gollum. Legolas hoped the creature had not managed to evade capture by the orcs. There would be little hope of finding him if he had. He pushed the thought from his mind, focusing his attention on the ground below. 

"Captain!" one of the soldiers cried, "Over here!"

Legolas turned, making his way down the tree to where the soldier crouched.  Imbedded in the soft dirt, were footprint not unlike an elf, though much wider. Where the toes dug into the ground the dirt was smeared as though the creature had been running. 

"That's him," Legolas confirmed, then made his way to the next set of tracks, then the next and the next.

A strange hope flickered in his chest but it quickly dimmed as he turned back to his ellyn. Competent as they may be, there were few in number and he wished he could have brought another unit.

He turned back to the trail. The forest grew darker, the leaves draped from the trees, hanging low above the torn soil and unease settled in his chest.

A/N: Chapter 2! Not super happy with this chapter tbh... Life has kinda been a bit of a haze the past two weeks for some reason and my train of thought is having a hard time finding rails haha But I hope yall enjoyed! I hope to have the next chapter up next week!

-Sierra