Return Of The Shadow

Chapter 19: You Don't Belong in This World

Legolas found Boromir and Faramir near the spot where he had left them, his grief now replaced by anger.

Why had they let Eowyn go by herself? Where had they been? What had they been doing?

His questions were answered when he saw dead orcs around them; they had been attacked too.

Faramir looked up from a dead orc and faced Legolas.

"Where's Eowyn?"

Legolas clutched the evenstar pendant tightly in his hand.

"She's dead."

Faramir widened his eyes in shock, Boromir refused to meet Legolas' gaze. Glancing at the dead orcs Legolas asked, "What happened?"

"We were attacked almost as soon as you left. Boromir and I held them off and told Eowyn to run..."

Faramir stopped and looked away.

Legolas didn't have time to find out how he and Boromir had managed to fight off the orcs, they had to move.

Without thinking about it he put the pendant around his neck. He would make sure that Aragorn got it back, and that he learned about what had befallen Eowyn.

"Come on. We have to move."

"What about Eowyn? Can't we bury her?"
Faramir asked, grief lacing his words.

"We have no time. More orcs will be upon us soon and we must reach the desert."

Faramir sighed but went to get his brother.

Legolas waited for them to get ready, once they were he led them towards the mountains.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

They were almost there; so close to escaping Mordor. Boromir carefully climbed up the rocks that littered that mountainside.

He couldn't believe what had just happened. Eowyn was dead. First Pippin, and now Eowyn. Would there be no end to all this death? The question that continued to race through his mind was, Why wasn't it me?

Legolas hadn't said a word to him since they'd left.

No doubt he blamed him for Eowyn's death and he was right to do so. He should have stopped her from going, it was his fault, everything was his fault.

Faramir stumbled and almost fell. Whatever strength Legolas had given him was fading.

The elf hadn't stopped and continued to climb. Boromir called out, "We have to slow down! He cannot go as fast as we can."

Legolas looked down at him and narrowed his eyes.

"If we linger we will be caught again. Do you want that to happen?"

"Of course not! But we have to slow down or he will not make it."
Legolas said nothing but waited for them to catch up. Once they did he immediately resumed climbing.

Boromir narrowed his eyes. He didn't know why but ever since he had met the elf there had always been tension between the two.

He had never trusted Legolas, or liked him. He remembered when Legolas had defended Aragorn in Rivendell. What business did he have with men? Absolutely nothing.

He was an elf who had his own people to worry about. Why couldn't he have been like the rest of his kind? Quiet and hidden, avoiding the affairs of men.

But Legolas had known Aragorn for years, how had they become such loyal friends?

Legolas had been kind to everyone in the Fellowship but he had distanced himself from Boromir. After he had taken the ring Aragorn hadn't tried to kill him, he tried to help him. But Legolas hadn't hesitated to pull out his bow.