Tenuvian had heard the reports. Orcs had been spotted throughout Ithilien, mostly in smaller bands that posed no real significant threat to the kingdom. However, the scouts had sensed something malicious lingering in the forests, something darker and more sinister than mere orcs, though they were unable to discover exactly what this lingering evil was. Whatever it was, it unnerved Tenuvian, even after his campaigns during the War of the Ring where he had heard the cries of the Nazgûl above his head and seen his fellow soldiers killed. He had hoped the final victory over Sauron would bring peace, but it seemed the Dark Lord’s influence has been greater than he had imagined, and here he found himself yet again away from home, fighting Sauron’s servants.

The tall, dark haired man stepped down slowly down off the rock onto the ledge below. Alongside him several more of his fellow rangers readied their bows and took aim at the orcs below them. The foolish creatures had wandered into Ithilien unaware of what awaited them, and in too few numbers to make any difference. This group of fifty or so would not last long.

Tenuvian looked to his captain for the command to fire, and patiently waited…

“Fire!”

The command came quietly, but firmly, and without any other sounds, a flurry of arrows flew down into the mob of orcs below. Many of them fell quickly, caught unawares by the sudden onslaught from the trees above. The rest that were still standing dove for cover or returned fire back towards the rangers. Luckily, very few found a mark.

Teneuvian looked over at Lenar, who had only recently joined his group of rangers. He was focused, aiming and firing into the orcs below with determination in his every feature. It will be interesting to see this young one grow, Tenuvian thought to himself.

With that thought, Tenuvian drew his sword. The orcs were beginning to react to the attack and move up towards him and his comrades. As he watched them advance however, he noticed something shift in the tree line across the glade where the orcs had been camped. He didn’t have any rangers on the other side, but the shadow was something that would have to be dealt with after the orcs were finished.

————————————————–

The tall youth named Lenar readied his bow and looked at the faces of his companions. Beside him was Tenuvian, an experienced soldier. He is so calm… thought Lenar. He was nervous, like he was before each fight and was trying to hide it. The last thing he wanted was Faramir taking him for a coward and sending him home, shattering all the dreams of glory.

But he couldn’t stop his hands from trembling. Not that it would do much difference with his bow-skills. He took a steadying breath and aimed at the biggest group of orcs where they were walking close to each other. The bigger the target, the higher the possibility to hit it, he mused.

While waiting for the command to shoot, he watched the orcs below. They shouldn’t be here! After the war, when the King returned, everyone thought that the evil was vanquished. But here they were – orcs in the heart of Ithilien. It wasn’t right… No, it isn’t right, he thought, but they are here and you have the chance to prove yourself. So stop contemplating and focus on the fight! With that, he strained the bowstring.

Suddenly the command to fire came. Lenar fired one arrow after another in the general direction of the group of orcs. One of his arrows hit one exceedingly ugly orc exactly in the heart. Well, he didn’t aim for it, but he was proud of the shot. He took a quick side glance at his companions, but none of them seemed to notice. Why doesn’t anybody look when I do something astounding, he thought. His next arrows didn’t kill any orcs, so he was almost relieved when he could put his bow aside.

The orcs were coming closer and Lenar drew his sword with a grin. Now that was something he knew better, and the familiar touch of the leather enveloping the hilt of his sword gave him a good feeling. He charged at the first orc that came close to him. He killed him quickly but saw another orc charging at him. No, they were two! Three! The orcs were attempting to break the line of rangers and probably saw him as a weak point. He blocked the blades of the two orcs and managed to duck beneath the blow of the third while stabbing one of the first two in the abdomen. But after the stab he was out of balance and saw a fourth orc prepared to launch the killing blow. He realized he was in serious trouble…

—————————————————–

Tenvian swung hard and took the head off the first orc that came within his sword’s reach. He felled two more in succession, and paused to appraise the line. The orcs had rushed hard, eager to close the gap.

Lenar stood a few yards away, taking on several of the enemy. He was fighting valiantly, but he was clearly outnumbered and struggling to hold his own. Tenuvian covered the distance between him and Lenar quickly and cut down a fourth orc that was rushing Lenar. He gave the youth a glance to make sure he had regained his footing, and then turned his attention back towards the battle.

The orcs were clearly broken by this point. The volleys of arrows had cut most of them down, and the few that had made it to the line of rangers were not faring well. The line had been pressed hardest where he and Lenar had been standing. With the skirmish ending, his mind went back to the shadow he had seen across the glade. Either someone else had been hunting these orcs, or something more sinister had escaped the battle, or perhaps both. Either way, he knew it would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

Tenuvian fell back and made his report to Captain Faramir, mentioning the shadow he had seen.

“I do not like this,” said the Captain. “This is not a good time for us to have an unknown shadow in Ithilien. Things in the new kingdom are barely established, and the last of Sauron’s servants need to be driven from this world. Find out what it was, and discover why it is lurking here.”

“As you wish, Captain,” replied Tenuvian. He walked back to the group of men who were checking the orc corpses and ordered two of the more experienced Rangers to help him track the shadow. He looked at Lenar, who was cleaning his sword, and decided that this would be a good experience for him.

“Lenar!”

The youth looked up.

“You’re with us.”

————————————————-

The silver-haired elf named Eowilindë stalked the orc camp, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike them.

As she moved around their camp, she cursed the filthy orcs under her breath. She hated them; hated them for the vile thing they had done. It didn’t matter that these were not the same orcs who had committed the crime. They were all evil and no good anyways.

The Ithilien Rangers started the volley. Good, she thought. Now it’s my time to finish them off secretly.

She raised her own bow and started picking off stragglers that tried to get away.

Oh no you don’t, you evil orcs! she thought with bitterness. All of you shall die today.

Eowilindë quickly finished off the stragglers. She fitted another arrow and professionally took out an orc a good distance away.

Those Rangers have done a good job finishing the orcs, she thought as she temporarily watched the Ithilien rangers fight close hand-to-hand combat.

All of a sudden an orc accidentally discovered her as he tried to run away. She drew her sword, which was a beautiful elven decorated sword with inscribed words on the steel. It had been her late husband’s, and she cherished it with all her heart. She slew the orc, but not before he gave her a nasty cut on the forearm. She cursed him.

Eowilindë looked over across to where the rangers were. The fighting was basically over, with only a few rangers even fighting anymore. She noticed that a few of them were in a group discussing something and pointing occasionally to the woods where she was hidden.

Uh-oh. Time to move away. Fast. She would be able to sneak away without being seen. Her raiment was of greens and browns, meant to blend in with the wood. Only those with good eyes would notice her when she didn’t want to be noticed.

She started to move away, when all of a sudden the pain in her arm increased. She looked down to discover her wound was worse than she thought, and blood had flowed freely. She would have to take care of this now, no matter if those rangers were coming over here or not.

I hope I can get this fixed before they get here! she thought desperately, wanting to hide yet at the same time wanting to be found; as she had felt many times before.

——————————————-

Lenar’s eyes went wide when Tenuvian choose him along with two experienced rangers. In one moment he was beside them, almost shining with pride. He looked at Faramir, but the Captain was occupied with other things than paying attention to a young ranger who was chosen for a mission, so his shoulders slumped a bit. Actually, he was confused about what the mission was; he didn’t hear what Tenuvian and Faramir were speaking about.

“Yes, Sir!” he said. “And… thank you. For killing the orc.” He blushed a bit. “Uh, and… where are we going?” Tenuvian said something about a shadow across the glade and Lenar frown and looked in that direction. He saw nothing suspicious there, but followed the older man with all senses focused on mysterious shadows.

They entered the canopy of trees with Lenar walking a few steps to the right of Tenuvian.

“Spread out,” Tenuvian said quickly, and his men staggered themselves into a short line along side him. As they were moving forward, Lenar noticed something on the ground. There was blood. But not the black blood of orcs, it was red like human blood.

The youth followed it immediately, and Tenuvian kept pace a few steps behind him as he moved into the wood.

Lenar prepared his sword and followed the track of blood drops that led to some bushes. Carefully he pushed the branches aside… and released them again in amazement and shock at the little shriek that followed. Did he really see what he did? Tenuvian himself had an alarmed look on his face. Lenar shook his head and pushed the branches aside again. No, it wasn’t an illusion. He saw a she-elf, with silver hair and green eyes, kneeling on the ground. He forgot to close his mouth.

Tenuvian remained suspicious of the new find. The elf’s presence here was unusual at best, and while elves fell clearly as an ally of Gondor, he was taking no chances with orcs wandering Ithilien.

The elf put a hand on the hilt of her sword and stared back at the young, embarrassed ranger. Kind of handsome for human standards, she mused. The older one beside him didn’t look very happy. A couple of rangers stood behind him.

The young one cleared his throat. “Er… what do you, um… what are you doing in Ithilien?” He realized he was blushing again and blushed even more as he wanted to prevent it. Then he noticed the blood on her sleeve. “Are you injured? Can I help you somehow?” Then he remembered something. “And… um, I’m Lenar…”

Before the elf could have a chance to respond, the older ranger stepped in and asked gruffly, “It was my understanding that the last of the elves were departing from these lands. Please tell me why you are here in Ithilien, and what business you have with these orcs, and do so swiftly; we have larger problems than a wandering elf-maiden to address.”

Intimidated, she stammered. “I… I…” Then suddenly boldness broke through and she stood up from the ground, clutching her forearm. “I have not departed, or else I wouldn’t be here!” she said defiantly. “My name is Eowilindë, and I have my own business to attend to, my own vengeance. I am foe of all who fought for Sauron, and friend to those who opposed him. Now, if you’ll permit me, I shall take my leave.” She turned to leave, and then, from loss of blood, swooned.

Lenar almost instinctively caught the she-elf as she collapsed. At once he found himself with an elf-maiden in his arms and didn’t know what to do. What a situation. With a confused expression he looked at the older man in hope that he would tell him what to do. But the confusion was replaced by worry as he looked at his hand supporting her and saw her blood.

“Maybe we should take her to our healer?” he asked Tenuvian, and added, almost pleadingly: “She says she is a friend…”

“Agreed,” replied Tenuvian.

He motioned for another ranger to help Lenar carry her. He stepped forward quickly, sheathed his sword, and put her arm over his shoulder.

“Let’s get back to camp. This elf maiden is clearly not our largest concern.”

While Tenuvian was surprised to have found the elf, it brought him no comfort. If anything, her presence complicated things. Now he had an elf maiden, along with this darker presence wandering Ithilien. Perhaps she would know more about their dark guest in the forest. He would certainly be glad to have some light shed on the matter.

Once they reached the camp he paused and told Lenar and the other ranger to bring the elf maiden to their healer. The wound was not serious, but it still needed to be addressed and cared for. He strode away from them in search of Captain Faramir to make his report, and hopefully find out what there next move would be.

Tenuvian quickly made his way to the Captain’s tent, pushed aside the tent flap and found Captain Faramir pouring over a map of Ithilien. He looked tired, and Tenuvian could certainly understand why. He, like his captain, longed to get back to his family. Only Faramir had been recently wed, while he had been married already for several years.

He made his report to his commander, informing him of the elf-maiden they had found.

“An elf-maiden?” Faramir replied. “This is most unusual, though hardly a problem. While her being here is out of the ordinary, we have other things that require our attention.”

He indicated a spot on the map about ten miles away from their current location.

“Another band of orcs has been reported here. It is somewhat larger than the group we killed today, and needs to be dealt with before it grows any more. Additionally, the “dark presence” our scouts were nervous about appears to have manifested itself. One of Sauron’s lesser lieutenants, one of the very last of the Black Númenorians, has been spotted there. I obviously don’t need to explain why this is a large problem for us, and this evil needs to be destroyed with all swiftness.”

“I understand my lord,” replied Tenuvian, “but our numbers here are too few to destroy this threat now. We will need more men than we have here with us to deal with the orcs and the lieutenant.”

“That is why I am leaving to get reinforcements,” Faramir replied. “While I am gone I need you to harry these orcs and prevent them from gaining in number or organizing themselves in any way. Do not go into open combat, but harass them and prevent them from launching any kind of assault on our realm. I should return within three days with enough men to finally dispose of them.”

“I understand, captain,” replied Tenuvian. “What of the elf though?”

“She is no threat to us, and clearly we need all the assistance we can get at the moment. Invite here to join us if you wish, at least for the moment,” said Faramir.

“Yes, Captain.” And with that, Tenuvian strode from the tent in search of the maiden.

———————————————————–

A little while later, Eowilindë woke up, feeling a little groggy. What happened? Where am I?

She looked around to see that she was inside a tent, laying on a crude cot. It smelled clean, and the tent was well lit with candles. She noticed that her arm was cleaned and wrapped up. Her sleeve had been ripped near her shoulder, so as to be able to dress the wound efficiently. Looking at it, she could see the wound was nearly healed.

Then she remembered that she had been talking to the rangers. I must have fainted, and they must have carried me to their camp… she thought. Eowilindë felt slightly embarrassed for having caused all this commotion.

She sat up in bed, looking around, when she realized with horror that her weapons, particularly her sword, was missing. How dare they take my dear Amorfiwiel’s sword! So panicked and upset was she, that she sprang from the bed and tore out of the tent, looking for some familiar faces. All she got was some confused stares from a couple of rangers.

She strode across camp, but a little more timidly now, for she did not know where she was going. Then she spotted Lenar from a distance, and her urgency returned.

“Lord Lenar!” she cried. “Where have you taken my weapons? I must have them back immediately!” Somewhere back in the recesses of her mind a voice suggested that perhaps she was being too rash since she was only a guest here, but her panic refused to acknowledge the fact.

Lenar looked up and saw the elf maiden rushing to him, flames of fury in her green eyes. First he blushed at being called Lord. But then he wasn’t sure about what she was speaking of. “Your weapons? You don’t have to fear my lady, you are safe here…” But her look told him that she didn’t fear anything, but he would have reason to if she didn’t have her weapons immediately.

When they had brought her to the healer, he had not paid much attention to their surroundings, and now he tried to remember who was carrying her sword. Was it Tenuvian? No, it would have been Galdor, one of the two rangers that were with them.

“Could you wait here for a moment?” he asked and went to find Galdor. He was glad he has an excuse to retreat from the irritated she-elf, he liked her more unconscious in his arms when he could act as her protector, pretending in his fantasy to be King Elessar protecting his queen. But he was sure Queen Arwen wouldn’t be so grumpy after awaking.

Eowilindë stood there, feeling slightly uneasy now.

He found Galdor, who declared that he had left the sword in the healer’s tent. He went there but couldn’t find it. Now she will accuse me of stealing it, he thought bitterly, when he glimpsed a piece of sword hilt beneath some blankets. Lenar sighed with relief and brought the sword to the impatient elf maiden, studying it on his way.

With a slight bow he gingerly handed her the sword. “Here is your weapon, my lady. It’s a beautiful sword, I don’t wonder you wanted it back. And… uh, are you better now?”

At the sight of the sword Eowilindë relaxed visibly.

“Yes, thank you, I am much better,” she responded. Gratefulness flooded her face. “This sword means much to me, more than you know.” Her face was thoughtful and her eyes distant, as if remembering some memory long ago.

Lenar was full of questions, but didn’t dare ask any at the moment. Perhaps another time, when the situation allowed. But he did state, “Milady, you need rest. That wound of yours must heal more, if I may say.”

Eowilindë seemed to return to the present and looked at the young man, who was just a mere sapling in her eyes. “We elves heal quickly, quicker than men. I do not need to go back to the healing tent.” She pulled away part of her cut sleeve to briefly show Lenar the nearly-healed wound. Lenar looked surprised, and tried to hide the fact, but kept silent.

At that moment Tenuvian strode up to the pair. “Milady, I have something to tell you. Captain Faramir has given you a choice. You may go off as you please, provided you will not hinder us in any way, or you may join with us to deal with these orcs. It seems we have at least that goal in common, and we will need every man, or elf, we can get for our next task. So, what is your decision? I dislike being hasty, but I do require an answer soon. Our work is far from being complete.”

Eowinlindë stared blankly at Tenuvian for a moment.

“I… I… don’t kn–, I mean, uh…” she stuttered. Why do I have to get so flustered around people? It’s not like I’ve been alone for 3,000 years or something. Just a measly couple hundred. That’s nothing. She chided to herself. She sighed. Some of it had to do with the death of her husband – she seemed to have lost a lot of confidence since then. She stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and regained control of herself.

“I must know what is your next task? I do admit my work is similar to yours – destroying Sauron’s servants – but my reasons are different. I must know what you are planning next in order for me to decide. Can you tell me?” she asked.

Tenuvian hesitated for a moment. Then he decided to tell her anyway, for it was no secret. Soon all the men would know something or another about it.

“There is a large band of orcs further in Ithilien, led by a Black Númenorian; one of Sauron’s lieutenants who escaped his final defeat. We are going to harry this group until Captain Faramir can return with reinforcements so we may totally eliminate them. Your aid would be most welcome in this endeavor, milady. Please find me and inform me of you decision once it is made.”

Tenuvian turned his gaze to Lenar and spoke in a hushed tone.

“Lenar, I need to speak with you for a moment.”

He pulled him away and addressed him quickly.

“Lenar, you fought well today, and did well in discovering the she-elf, but I have another task to request of you. We know very little of the details of this orc band in terms of their numbers, fortifications, armament, or readiness for battle. I need a scout to go out with one or two other rangers and get this information for us so we may mount our attacks properly. Do you think yourself capable of performing this task?”

Lenar realized that Tenuvian addressed him as “Lenar”, not “young one” for the second time this day already. He couldn’t hide the proud spark in his eyes when receiving praise from the older ranger. Tenuvian trusted him enough to give him an important task. He didn’t know if he trusted himself enough, for he couldn’t afford a mistake in such mission. But he suppressed the doubts; he didn’t want to disappoint Tenuvian.

“Yes, sir! I’ll do my best!” he said, maybe a bit too eagerly. “Can I go with Galdor?” he asked. Galdor was an experienced ranger, skilled in tracking, and Lenar learned a lot from him about the wilderness. Tenuvian nodded his consent. “I won’t disappoint you, sir!” he said to him while leaving to find Galdor.

While Lenar ran off in search of Galdor, he couldn’t help but think about what Tenuvian has said. A Black Númenorian… for some reason, the thought chilled him, as if a shadow of Sauron returned. He thought that all this was already over, but it seemed it wasn’t. But now we have a King, he thought, and he is from Númenorian blood, too. And we have Captain Faramir and we have… whom do we have more? There is Tenuvian, battle-hardened and experienced, and there is the she-elf… maybe she will join us. And I’m here, too. Well, not much a difference with me, he admitted to himself, but never mind. Let the Black Númenorian come!

On his way, he glimpsed the elf. Words suddenly came to him that he knew not why he should say them, but felt he must. He sidetracked and approached her carefully.

“Will you stay with us, milady? It would be a honor for me to put my sword to fight beside your beautiful elven sword.” He didn’t know where these words came from; it wasn’t something he would normally say. But normally he wouldn’t speak with such an ancient… and beautiful… being. He wondered how old she really was, for it was nigh impossible to guess an elf’s age. It then came to him that he didn’t even know if it was rude to ask an elf’s age. He decided to remain silent on that issue, at least for now.

At first she was slightly surprised at the question, but did not hesitate for long.

“I will go with you, Lenar. And your group. I will do whatever is needed of me; I am skilled with both bow and sword. These creatures of Sauron must pay for their injustice!” she ended with fiery passion; the passion that drove those words came from reasons unknown to most still yet.

Eowilindë walked over to Tenuvian. “Where shall you have me, Captain?”

“Make ready to move then. We will be departing this place for the next group shortly after Lenar and his scouts leave. It will be two days march, provided we don’t encounter any “problems” along the way,” Tenuvian answered.

Tenuvian strode off quickly to gather up his gear and let the others prepare. They would have to cover the distance quickly to make sure they could attack the orcs while they were still disorganized and weak. This small group of rangers and one elf would not be able to stand up to a large force of orcs in an open fight.

He picked up his bow and quiver and strapped them on, and moved towards the head of the column that was slowly forming in the glade.

———————————————————

Lenar realized that he was staring at the she-elf long after she went with Tenuvian. He hadn’t had much hope that she would agree to accompany them in this fight. He thought that he would have to try to convince her, and was surprised by her quick answer. It took a moment for him to comprehend that she would indeed join them. He didn’t really know why it was so important to him… or did he? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he could prove his valor to an elf that he assumed to have seen so many things in life now. And by doing this, he could earn the respect of his Captain.

And he had the chance to do so now! He looked around for Galdor and saw him preparing his belongings in order to leave this place. He approached him swiftly and his eager demeanor told the older ranger that the youth has something in stock.

Galdor sighed inwardly. Something told him that he was involved in Lenar’s plan, whatever it might be. Before he could talk to him, Galdor locked his gaze with him and raised one eyebrow. “I’m not sure if I like your mirth, young one…” he said and Lenar merely grinned. He was familiar with Galdor’s manners and knew that the ranger wasn’t really so surly as he looked.

“Captain Tenuvian told me to do some scouting and take one or two rangers with me. Guess whom I will take?”

Galdor sighted. “Well, at least you have some wits in that head of yours to take someone to keep an eye on you. If Tenuvian is sure about sending you, then let’s go…” With that he stepped forth and Lenar followed him closely.

————————————————————-

Move out!” shouted Tenuvian at the column behind him, and then turned and walked into the forest, pushing the first branches gently aside. The rest of him men soon followed.

As he walked, he pondered their current situation. This arrival of the elf both pleased and confused him. He was glad of the help, but also curious as to why one elf would attack a band of orcs without any aid, and without any hope of possibly killing them all. It didn’t make sense, and that bothered him. When the time for the attack came he would need to be able to trust everyone around him. He decided he would speak to her on the matter. She was about twenty yards behind him in the column, and he slowly began to fall back to reach her.

As he moved back, something still bothered him though. He could feel an outside presence in Ithilien, and it reeked of the taint of evil. He was sure it was the orcs though, as their being here in large numbers was surely causing the disturbance he was feeling.

Finally he reached the elf, and spoke.

“Milady, I need to know why you were out here, by yourself, hunting a band of orcs that you couldn’t possibly slay by yourself. And please, don’t try to walk away this time.”

Eowilindë looked shocked at the question. Actually, it scared her. Tenuvian was looking for no- nonsense.

“Well, I…” She didn’t know what to say and was rather intimidated.

With a look from Tenuvian, she forced herself to continue. “I knew that you and your band of rangers were there. I wasn’t really by myself… I just attacked them when you did. Yes, I was spying on you… I wanted to make sure none of the orcs got away,” she confessed.

With another look from Tenuvian, she continued, partly. She herself wasn’t sure she wanted to share her whole life history with this mortal. “I hunt orcs, yes. But usually only small groups where surprise is a good advantage or lonely orcs, wandering about. I hunt them for my own reasons.”

Eowilindë looked at Tenuvian, hoping this was a good enough reason to satisfy him. But it wasn’t.

Tenuvian grabbed Eowilinde’s arm and pulled her out of the column off to the side. If she had thought she was scared before, she was scared now. A couple rangers glanced in their direction.

“Milady, we are about to attack a force many times our own size, and I need to know the motives of every man, or elf, fighting with me. To do otherwise risks all falling into disaster until I know the motives of my men. They fight for family, and to defend their realm. What are yours?” he hissed.

He paused for a moment, seeing the shocked look on the elf’s face. He had not meant to upset her, but he had fought so long and hard, and seen far to many of his friends die, to risk losing everything here, so close to the end. He tempered his demeanor, and began again.

“Make no mistake milady, I am not questioning your motives or their origins, I only need to know why you are here with us.”

She swallowed, unsure, then her bolder side broke through. Slightly angered, Eowilindë said, “I fight for what’s left of my family too! You have no idea what they did!”

Realizing that she didn’t make any sense, she calmed herself, and tried again, but not before pushing Tenuvian’s hand off her arm. Besides, he had grabbed her hurt arm, and it was still slightly sore from the cut.

“Sauron’s orcs killed my family. They took my dear husband Amorfiwiel, tortured him, and killed him.” Anger began to burn through her as she recalled the memory. “When a scouting party found him three days later, not even I could have recognized him, save we found his very sword nearby, which I now bear.” Now it was her turn to intimidate. She lowered her voice to a venomous tone. “That’s why I hunt these foul creatures. For vengeance. For the many they have slain and tortured. They left me with nothing. I have hunted them for years, more than a lifespan in your reckoning, to do Sauron’s minions justice. So now I am with you only in order to better fulfill that vengeance. Is that reason enough?”

She stopped, continuing to hold Tenuvian’s gaze, not even aware that a lone tear had escaped from her eyes.

Tenuvian was slightly taken aback by the elf’s reaction, but he recovered his composure quickly and replied.

“Yes, that is enough milady.”

He noticed the tear run down her face, and not wanting to distress her any more, turned and headed back to the front of the column without another word. He hadn’t meant to upset her, and he inwardly scolded himself for that. Still, he had what he needed, and knew he could trust her. He chewed over what he had learned.

As he strode up the column, Tenuvian’s mind wandered to the coming battle. It made him think back to his previous ones, and the men he had seen die there. Osgiliath, Minas Tirith, and the Black Gates; each time when they thought all was lost something managed to save them from destruction. He knew when he saw the Black Gates crumble into dust he’d never forget that sight for as long as he lived.

How many will die in this coming fight? he wondered. It made him burn with hate and sorrow that his soldiers were still losing their lives, even after the war had been won and Sauron was gone forever.

He pushed these thoughts out of his head for the moment as he reached the front, and took up the lead again.

—————————————————————

Lenar and Galdor were now alone in the forest. They were walking in silence, focused on their task – following the tracks of the orc group that had found their death beneath the swords and arrows of rangers. It was broad and clear, the evil creatures leaving a path of destruction behind them.

But the two rangers were moving carefully, with as little sound as possible; they couldn’t know if there were or were not other orcs nearby. Galdor shot an occasional glance in Lenar’s way to assure that the youth wasn’t doing something foolish… one could never know.

But Lenar was following the older ranger closely, the initial pride of Tenuvian choosing him slowly dissolving in the importance of their task. They were walking for several hours now. The track turned east and the peaks of Ephel Dúath were towering ahead.

Suddenly Galdor gave Lenar a sign to stop and be silent. Lenar obeyed immediately, focusing his senses to find out what made Galdor stop. In a short while he could perceive it – a distant rumble, more felt in the ground then heard.

With stealth they were proceeding in the direction of the sound and soon its source was in sight. Between the trees they glimpsed some movement and hid immediately in the undercover. There were orcs, about twenty of them, felling the trees of Ithilien. Lenar and Galdor frowned and exchanged worried looks. Apparently they were thinking the same: why do the orcs need so much wood? Two of them just loaded one trunk on their shoulders and headed eastwards. Without speaking out loud, the two rangers decided to follow them.

Carefully they avoided the orc-woodchoppers and followed the two carrying the trunk from a safe distance. For a time they did nothing but follow. Then Lenar froze in mid-step and his eyes went wide. Galdor gave him a confused look but then followed his line of sight and held his breath. The orcs were erecting a palisade. It wasn’t complete yet, but the camp that it was enclosing was huge – there could be several hundreds of orcs, maybe thousands. Galdor cursed. Lenar closed his mouth and looked at the older ranger, the shock from their discovery still mirrored in his eyes.

Galdor gave him a sign to retreat but Lenar shook his head. “We must find out what they are planning,” he whispered. Galdor wasn’t sure about the idea, but he was curious himself, so he nodded after a moment of hesitation. They moved forward to have a better look at the camp and hid behind the trees. It had been built only recently and besides the orc-tents made from raw animal hides, there were several fabric tents, like those that the Southerners used. Orcs were going in and out, busy with building the camp, but occasionally several humans could be seen, clad in black.

Two black men were walking in their direction and Lenar froze. But they didn’t see them; they were heading to the group of orcs felling the trees. Lenar looked questioningly at Galdor and the older ranger nodded. So he went after them and left Galdor to study the enemy camp.

Lenar bent down and silently he made his way through the forest to the clearing. He hoped to arrive before the black men and take cover in the nearby bushes so as to be able to hear them. He managed to do it shortly before their arrival but was disappointed when he found out that they were speaking in a language he didn’t know. But one of them shouted at the orcs in Common.

“What takes you so long?! The palisade must be finished tomorrow!” Orcs growled silently but the men didn’t seem to notice.

One of the orcs blurted: “What about the patrol? They should have returned already!”

The man snorted. “One patrol less or more doesn’t matter! Soon Ithilien will be free of rangers! The ambush by the river is prepared… Now continue your work!” The men turned back from the orcs and were returning to the camp.

Lenar stayed in his cover for a while, too shocked to do something. They must warn the rangers! Then sudden realization struck him. He must warn Galdor first! The men were taking another route to the camp as they came from, a route that would lead them to Galdor! After he assured himself that the orcs weren’t looking his way, he got out of the bushes quickly and headed to Galdor.

Lenar heard cries and clank of steel and his heart sank. He was late… He ran now, caring not for the sound he made by movement, but stopped right before they could see him. One glimpse on the scene before him told him that he was indeed too late. His heart froze. The steel didn’t ring anymore and he saw orcs carrying a human body. The two black men were watching them. Lenar forgot about discreetness, he had to see the truth. He drew nearer and saw the blood on the ground and recognized the body. From the first sight he knew who it was, but now he could see his face and there could be no uncertainty.

But then Galdor stirred and his eyes flickered open. He was alive! Though Lenar was filled with sudden hope, that changed to horror immediately. He was alive in a camp full of orcs, and there were still more orcs coming to see the prisoner. Too many for Lenar. He had no illusions about what they would do to Galdor and a tear rolled off his cheek. It was his fault… They were dragging Galdor to the camp and there was nothing he could do.

No, there was one thing he could do, he realized. But the thought brought nausea to him. Yet he must do it. For Galdor, who would do the same for him. Lenar reached for his bow and readied the arrow. His hands trembled, not only from the fear that he wouldn’t hit the target but from the fear that he would, too. He took a deep breath, for now was the last moment before they reached the camp. He aimed carefully and saw that Galdor turned and looked in his direction. As if he knew… for a short moment he had the feeling that Galdor was smiling at him approvingly. He let the arrow fly and watched in horror as it plunged into the ranger’s chest.

He couldn’t move, as if frozen in place. The cries of orcs came as if through deep water, the only thing he could perceive was the arrow. He didn’t see the arrows of orcs flying in his direction. Only a sharp pain in the shoulder woke him from his trance. Then he remembered: the ambush! Once he had already failed today, now he must warn the rangers! He fled to the forest, with the orcs on his heels. The pain in his shoulder was like burning ice, but he didn’t stop. He ran as never before; soon he was gasping for breath and his lungs felt like they were on fire. He didn’t hear the orcs anymore, but still he didn’t stop, only slacked his mad pace. He stumbled several times and only the thought of the ambush kept him going. He felt like he owed this much to Galdor.

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