Lost Light

3.chapter: Scares in the dark

"Elladan, Estel!" whispered Elrohir vigorously as he tried to shake them awake. Elladan immediately sat candle-straight and looked confused at his brother.

"I just heard something and shortly afterwards I saw light. There is someone or something nearby. If we hurry, we may be able to escape in time." Explained the younger of the two twins. He was sure to have counted at least a dozen torches, which put the strangers, whether friend or foe, in the majority.

"Well then let's go, pack your things quickly!" Estel was also awakened and jumped at a considerable pace to the horses to load them with their bundles. Within a very short time, the elves also sat up and quietly trotted away wrapped in their dark cloaks. They rode through the ford where they had camped and pushed further and further east.

After riding for some time under the cover of the black of night, the constant darkness finally came to an end and they saw the golden sun rise in front of them, over the great forest. With the better visibility, they could also see that they had either left their pursuers behind or had not been noticed by them at all. They reduced their pace and from then on rode further in the crotch. Due to the pressure, they had taken, the mood finally relaxed and they began to discuss and puzzle over which figures they had met at the ford.

"I bet those were orcs! The beasts roam everywhere through Middle-earth!" said the youngest, a touch of adventure in his voice, because he had met only a few so far, as he led a protected life in Rivendell. Elrohir looked nervously into the distance, still anxious to spot possible enemies and sound the alarm.

"Yes, you may be right. But why should they carry torches with them? That doesn't make sense!"

"No, that's true. Orcs abhor light and I've never heard of those walking around torches at night. I bet on elves, humans or dwarves who, like us, take an easy journey. Or maybe it was a messenger with an escort who delivered an important message." The eldest now tried to calm the two younger ones.

"Yes, it can be. Ada has already received some messengers who arrived in the middle of the night because someone is seriously injured."

After a few days, in which they had ridden west of the forest further and further north, they finally reached the gate of the forest Elves.

"Well, here's the way, let's try to get as far as possible." They reverently led their animals through the gate overgrown with ivy and tendrils, and then trotted back on, with Estel in particular looking around more and more worriedly. He could not imagine that anything grew and lived in this forest that was not abysmally evil. The further they got into the forest, the darker it became. The lovely twittering that was so familiar to him died and instead he could hear the wind rustling eerily in the branches of the old trees. So far, they had not met a living being, or rather, they had not yet seen one. Estel did not want to know which creatures they might have observed and would still observe. He had heard stories of this forest talking about the brood of Ungoliant, stories of travellers coming in but never coming out, and stories about the fearsome king of the forest. It was said to be colder and more unapproachable than the coolest winter and his anger was more blazing than the lava at the bottom of The Mount Doom. Those who have enraged him would rather have the revenge of Sauron himself than fall victim to that of the legendary Sindar. Estel would not admit it openly, especially not in front of his brothers, but he was afraid. Of course, all of these were just legends and stories, but didn't every story have a true core? And wasn't this forest just as scary, if not even scarier, than the stories said?

Over time, their situation did not improve, because soon it was hardly possible to tell whether it was day or night. It remained dark and just didn't get any brighter.